Gods and Mythical Beasts [Em & Arthera]

[Em Sensei]

The very tip of his blade began to buzz with some form of magical reaction to it's positioning, the point chiselling away as though he'd been running it against a rock for hours at a time. Retrieving it from the damaging shield of what appeared to be just a violent, sharp wind, he dug it against the floorboards and let it stand on it's own accord, adjusting his gauntlets before tightening them up. There seemed to be only one way to get through to her - he hoped his natural resistance to environmental extremes was going to hold up here. His brow visibly twitched as she shouted at him over the roaring flames, the crumbling building and the whistle of her conjured wind that shielded her from all. Cowardly magic fit her well. There was no way he could truly take anything she said at face value, as she'd lied to him time and again throughout their time together. But if what she said was indeed truth, then she was capable of something only the Elders were supposed to be able to do. The very idea of her being able to read it tore through him like a blade, churning his insides - making him feel wrong.
"Then you've read about the Old God that lives on our mountain... This is something that should be brought to the attention of the Elders. While they figure out how it is you can read the old tongue, I will slay the great beast." he nodded to himself in confirmation. Apparently he enjoyed speaking aloud rather than keeping his thoughts to himself in some scenarios. Returning his gaze to the witch, he gave her a heavy scowl - though by now she had probably noticed that the scowl itself was actually his passive expression.
"You're coming with me." he announced before stepping forth, closing the gap between the two and getting closer still to the barrier she had erected. Reaching forwards, his fingers pressed against it's surface before pushing inwards - small, precise cuts suddenly exploding across his hand and up his arm. The metal shred and blood began to spurt from all angles as he continued to press his assault, actually managing to get half his arm through before suddenly feeling a pressure on his form. Glancing towards the witch, he could tell her arms were poised forwards, shunting him backwards with a sudden gust of her wind powers. His boots slid across the floorboards before his back struck a support beam, snapping it in half once it was hit by the weight of the larger male. He didn't seem to take note of this however, flexing his injured arm and rubbing off some of the blood that stained it - preparing himself for another try and beginning to make his way back towards her, only to stop in his tracks when he heard the deafening crack from above. His gaze shifted upwards just in time to meet the heaviest beam that had been keeping the building together. It struck dead centre on his forehead, snapping in half upon impact and dropping to either side. Blood gently slithered down his features from the strike, dribbling over his chin and dropping to the floor. Slowly, he regained himself - gritting his teeth hard and forcing himself to stay conscious. His eyes were a ferocious blue, all the rage in the world building up within his form and wishing for release. As he took another step, his eyes lost their definition and his expression loosened back to his usual scowl. His heavy, large body crumbled to the floor with a heavy thud, the gash on his forehead and sliced up arm still protruding sizable quantities of his life essence. He was out cold.

[Arthera]

The lumbering idiot really tried to get past her barrier, and managed much more headway than she ever though anyone could ever get. But the magics would not to be denied and were readily chewing up his hand and arm until she knocked him away with a powerful channeling of wind magics. Andrea had learned to not let him get within spitting distance, no matter how improbable it was that he make it. Of course, she could have let him destroy himself in the attempt, but something he said piqued her curiosity. Having the man be in small separate pieces may be a tad too rash a decision until she understood exactly what he had meant. He was too stupid to lie. Too stupid for a great many things most likely, but lying was particularly out of his range of skills from what she had seen. Now that she had the upper hand with her defenses up, she could talk to him without trying to avoid kissing the ground every ten words.

Sadly, her push may have been slightly too much. The fire-weakened building was fragile now, and the impact he made against the wall made more of the broken ceiling and support structure fall, most of it on his thick head. That he did not crumple like a doll with it's strings cut was a testament to his resilience, but even he had limits, and it took a few more moments before pain and unconsciousness registered, and he fell like a slain bull, dust cloud and all. That was all well and good, she had her first real taste of victory against the man since they met, but the whole place was on fire and burning debris was falling all around. Andrea would have to make her exit and drag the mountain man with her if she was to get anything useful out of him. She edged closer to his form, lifting her barrier just enough to not cut him to ribbons and gave him a resounding kick in the ribs, to make sure he was not "faking it". She was certain the tactic was beyond him, but her kicking him was certain to rouse the man from any deception he might be attempting. She added a second, and a third, just to be sure, it was certainly not because of her repressed anger towards him.

But true enough, he was out of it cold, unresponsive to her attack. That was good, if he was conscious, he would certainly not like what was going to happen next. Moving her barrier above her head and his prone form in a defensive cover, Andrea pressed a hand against the ground and focused. When she got back up, a trail of dirt and dust linked her hand to the ground, and Andrea seemed to "pull" at it. Moments later, a thick rocky arm erupted from the ground, then another, as if some creature was bursting from it and rising up. The thing lifted itself clear of the dirt, standing only a few inches taller than Andrea, but just as wide, made of earthly matter with no discernible features. Indeed, Andrea had called forth a simple-minded golem, much like the savage she had been captured by, and would use it to carry the weighty barbarian away. She knew her limits and short of her construct, there was not much she could use to carry him for any extended distance. Instructing her creation to pick up the unconscious Scourge and follow, Andrea left the burning wreck of a building and strode through the devastated camp without a care in the world, wrapping herself once more in her air barrier. She was not a violent person, was not prone to lash out, but if any of the bandits still thought her an easy mark, they were in for a rude awakening. But none seem to be left, or at least none that she could see. Scourge had done quite a mess of the place on his own, and what little remained standing, would be engulfed in flames before long, so Andrea did not waste time remaining behind and instead aimed to camp at an outcropping further away. Rounding the corner, she saw that it was the place they had been ambushed, and still littered with dismembered bodies and quickly fleeing scavengers. It would do for a short time, enough to patch little Mr. Berserker there. Calling on more of her magical reserves, she laid an enchantment on the man's waterskin and knelt to empty it's contents on his head and arm. That would seal up the wounds and stop the bleeding, but there was not much she could do to wake him until his thick head mended and he woke up on his own.

Having no real intention to remain near the site of such carnage until he woke up, or being able to head into the closest town because someone ran their mouth, Andrea had little choice but to head to the next one over. That would mean having to carry the brute for quite a distance if he refused to wake up soon, and using that much magic would tire her out tremendously and make her easily spotted as a "witch". She did not know the land in this area very well, so she could not cut through the wilderness. Mulling over her options, Andrea arrived to a more practical answer. Not taking the chance to wait for the flames to die down and surviving bandits to return, she went ahead back to the smoldering bandit camp, leaving Scourge with her golem. Andrea hoped that the sudden attack had not allowed the leader to leave with all the stolen valuables that were likely hidden there.

The fire had done quite a number on the camp when she entered scant minutes later and would make a search impossible for regular people, but with some clever application of earthen magic and fire extinguishing enchantments, Andrea managed to scrounge up enough scattered wealth to accomplish her goal, the rest she would let burn or remain buried, she did not care. With what she had found, she could buy a horse and cart and travel in a much faster and safer way, which she did after two days of slower going to avoid the roads. Andrea also took the longest bath she could manage, the first in days and very overdue. The oaf was still out of it and Andrea did not know how long he would remain that way, but there was no reason to remain idle while he slept. She could trickle a small flow of magic to keep him alive despite the lack of food, but that was not a good long term way to deal with the problem. At worse she would leave him in a town that could handle the care of the man and she would go towards the southern mountains, where she already knew was one of the Dragons she sought but without any precision. If she could find the village he had mentioned, that would shorten her time spent poking around the frozen peaks. She may also decide to dump the exasperating man at his own village, a kindness he likely would never have given her, and start from there.

Distance was quickly covered with the horse and cart, making better time than she had thought she could do despite her "luggage", an irony she had not thought would occur since meeting him. Andrea had a good reserve of coin left and made use of it to get provisions and clothes for the colder areas she was going to, before eventually reaching the base of the mountain she was told housed a number of villages that men such as Scourge lived in. The going would be slower with the cart, and Andrea resolved to leave him at the first village of mountain folk she encountered, covering the remainder of the trip by herself.

She started the ascent the next day.

[Em Sensei]

Delicate kisses of snow slowly swept back and forth through the stagnant sky, touching and piling upon one another once they'd reach the ground. They were definitely in the cold peaks of the Southern mountains now. The cart struggled along the half-covered path as the witch led it up further into the depths of the growing mist. Snorting loudly, a plume of visibly hot air pushing outwards from the creature that pulled the wooden structure and it's inhabitant along slowly. The only sounds aside from the creature's breathing was the snow crushing beneath boot and hoove, giving the surroundings an eerie, deafening silence to them. Nobody from below the mountains had been up here in at least a decade, which would explain why not many of the kingdom's populous knew much about the village, hidden high in the peaks of snow. Some said that the village had been dead for a long time. Some others told of adventurers who braved the mountains, only to be met with death themselves. All of this was baseless rumor and old bed-time stories for young boys who dreamt of excitement and the unknown. What truly lay in these mountains was something much more fearsome than mere villagers. The Old God of the South lived here - laid in wait for when it must come out to feed.
The horse that had been pulling the cart along just behind the witch suddenly stopped, shifting it's legs from side to side as though it were confronted with a dangerous force. It tried to turn away, only to get stuck on the reigns and in a panic it began to whinnie loudly - alerting the female. As she would look back to inspect the creature as it tried to escape the bindings, she'd note another form upon the cart - a stranger that now knelt over her fallen brother's form which turned to face the witch when she'd sensed eyes upon herself, revealing the skeletal head of a wolf in which was using as a mask. The tribal-featured female was not nearly as weighted or lengthy as the Scourge, but features like hair and eye colour were definitely the same. You could tell from a single glance that they were of the same kin - which, considering the state the male was in, probably did not bode well for the witch. The tribeswoman began shouting in her native tongue, words rolling from the tongue with ease and piercing into the witch's head. Some of the syllables would sound familiar, similar to the characters she had read from the scroll. Though it was not the same language, it was clearly a derived version. Clad in furs, simple fabrics and small ropes binding it all together with oddities such as animal teeth and bones, she definitely looked the part of a person who had been isolated from proper society down the mountain. Delicate fingers traced along the length of the bandage wrapped around the male's forehead, feeling the bump in the middle and coming to the conclusion that he'd been struck rather hard, though the worst of it seemed to have passed by now. Was the stranger the one who'd hurt him? Or was she the one who had tend to his medical needs? Once again attempting to communicate with the witch, the masked woman crawled over the Scourge's form, squatting between she and his form, brandishing a small knife that had seen much use.
Before the witch had a chance to act, another series of shouts emanated from a little further up the path. Two men, clothed in relatively the same things as the woman who'd made herself comfortable on the cart, suddenly began to close the distance between they and the cart. One plucked his bow from it's sling, readying a handmade arrow and pulling it back, aimed directly at the strange woman - the other spinning his spear in hand and raising it to attack. Just as they both moved to strike, the female perched on the cart shouted again - gesturing to the Scourge and patting at the bandaging on his frame. Apparently she was telling them that the stranger was not an immediate threat, as she appeared to be bringing him back to the village after mending him. Why he was hurt in the first place was still a mystery, but it was clear enough that she didn't mean any harm. The two men lowered their weapons, but not their guard - never having trusted strangers in the first place. One moved to the side of the cart, setting his spear on it next to the Scourge and helping look him over to check for any serious injuries, before making his way to the horse to try and calm the beast. The other stood near the witch, watching her closely from behind his own mask which was made of wood and painted with markings of blood. After a few moments, the trio accepted that the Scourge was in a stable condition and ushered the stranger on to the cart, where they'd guide it in her stead. They would not have guessed that the stranger had any other motivate to come to the mountains other than to return their brother.

[Arthera]

The climb was not easy by any means, but having magic on one's side make the attempt much less dangerous. Andrea could keep herself warm with fire magics and ward off the worse of the wind with an air shield. The big man was in the cart, covered by warmly blankets and nestled between the supplies that were left, enough for a few more days before being forced back down the snowy peaks. Wondering why a village was made up here would keep Andrea's mind busy while she trudged in ankle-deep snow, sometimes as deep as her knees, on the unused path. She was quite happy to have bought those winter clothes and boots as there was no saving a part of walk, the horse had to be led through the more difficult parts of the trail, and magic could not be kept up all the time. Andrea disliked the cold, preferring the temperate climes of where she had lived until recently. It also made life easier with abundant crops, maintained roads, mild winters, no overbearing heat and a lot of other little things that made life better. If Scourge really had been born here in all this rock and snow, it somewhat explained his hardheadedness and constitution.

Living here, you would need to be stubborn to endure it all, live in high places where air is decidedly much less present and where food is likely scarce. The journey was going well and it was only when her horse tugged back on the reigns that Andrea stopped and turned for a look, wondering what had made the animal suddenly fearful. Perhaps there was a wildcat nearby or some other predator it had never smelled before. Not far from the mark, Andrea squinted against the snow now blown towards her face and caught sight of a person that had climbed up into the cart, dressed in furs.

Immediately, Andrea conjured up her lethal air barrier, the presence of which was mostly hidden by the swirling snow and wind, seeing as the intruder had decided to sneak up on her instead of making its presence known. The intruder shouted strange words in her direction, in a female voice as it turns out, which sounded familiar. But there was no time to unravel what had been said, as the meaning was likely to call over two more mountain savages with weapons in support. Armed with trained bow and aimed spear, the strangers were rushing in, possibly hoping to overpower her and make off with the supplies. Andrea was not going to be their next victim and was quite ready to send all three of them tumbling down their precious mountain, when the woman on the cart shouted again, which had the effect of stalling both males.

Something in what she said once again tugged at Andrea's memory shortly before she realized what it was. The inflection sounded all wrong and the dialect likely an offshoot of what she knew, but they were talking the tongue written in her scroll, or something close to that. Now that she had time to think, the words made sense, the structure was also wrong at first, but Andrea could adapt quickly enough for now to get the most out of the exchange. They were surprised at her bringing an unconscious member of their tribe along, but figured she was no immediate danger and wished to escort her and the cart to their village. That was all well and good as Andrea was tired of going at it aimlessly in the mountains, with night coming in and possibly a snowstorm brewing. This way, she would meet these elusive barbarians in their homes, and hopefully speak with their elders, shamans or whatever they were led by. Her memory on such matters did not seem to apply to these mountain folk, or at least there was so little that even passing mention in the books she had read was scarce.

Lessening the power of her magical defenses, Andrea climbed onto the driver's seat of the cart, while the trio led the horse through the trails and paths, sure-footed and certain of their destination. Before long, Andrea saw the smoke rising in the distance and saw more traces of the inhabitants in the area. Footprints in the snow, bushes that had snow shaken off to gather berries and cleanly cut tree stumps likely for firewood. When the village came into view, it was close to what Andrea had pictured. Sturdy homes made of wood and piled stones, pens for livestock and several buildings a more 'civilized" village would have, but made simpler and from local materials instead of quarried stones and imported lumbers. Up here, there was likely no trade with the outside, only with those other villages living in the same way on different areas of the peaks.

A charming idea, but not one Andrea found rather inviting. If Scourge was any reference, the whole lot was likely very eager to shed blood and would not take kindly to her use of arcane means to do anything. She was likely only still not in pitched battle due to bringing back one of their own. With any luck, she could leave the village as suddenly as she had found it, and let Scourge there while she was at it.

It was dusk when Andrea finally set foot into the village proper, and many of the townsfolk were indoors rather than in the communal area at the center. The woman indicated she was to stay close by until the elder could be warned of the situation. She sent one of the armed men to do that work, while she looked Andrea up and down, as if sizing up a foe or potential troublemaker. And despite her looks and demeanor, Andrea could be MUCH more trouble than she looked, no matter what she carried, but Andrea did not comment on the look or possible intent. At least it was doubtful to be a look to determine if she was presentable...

[Em Sensei]

The village was littered with simple, small housing and a few pens for livestock. Nothing here was built to last more than a few years, the whole community would get up and move on to the next area once the surrounding environment grew spare when it came to food and other provisions. The idea that there were multiple villages among these peaks was entirely false - it was just the same group of people wandering from place to place and settling in different regions of the mountains. What Andrea saw before her was the last of their race, extinction growing dangerously close. Even though that impending doom lay low over the heads of each and every last one of them, none seemed too bothered by the fact. These people weren't the type to think on the future or the past, they lived solely in the present and would always do so until the last met his or her demise - whether that be by the sword, by sickness or by time itself. The unfamiliar cart pulled into the centre of the village, catching the attention of a few other villagers, though they weren't a particularly nosy people. Soon enough they continued with their own business.
Blonde hair and blue eyes surrounded the witch, every last villager boasting the same coloured features. Though none save for a very select few of the warrior-types seemed as large and commanding in stature as the Scourge. Finally, the trio stopped just before the tallest hut, it's build a little different to the other houses in the village. It was decorated much more lavishly, sporting furs all around and trinkets hanging from spots in every nook and cranny. The two males murmured something to the female, the three removing their masks now that they'd returned home from the outskirts. The men weren't older than 20 or so, the female clearly below that age. This did not stop them from looking mature, however. The girl turned to face Andrea, producing a mild smile that could melt any heart of ice (though not Scourge's heart of stone). Although she was obviously encouraged by the fact that they'd gotten their kin back from the dangers of what lay below and beyond the mountain, she seemed to hold back a sense of disappointment nontheless. Gingerly, she began to speak again - using the same dialect she had before, questioning the witch as to how she came to find the Scourge out in the wilderness. Though when Andrea took a little while to understand her words, she decided to try being a little more accomadating.
"Do you understand me?" the same as the Scourge's own accent, it was somewhat difficult to decipher what she was trying to get across purely because they didn't know how to pronounce each word correctly. Though it was clear she had a grasp of the language used beyond the mountains, "Where did you find him?" she continued, though before Andrea would ahve the chance to answer an elderly voice called from the hut they'd stopped before, a wrinkled woman beckoning them indoors in the local tongue. The female grabbed the witch's wrist, holding it securely and tugged her along behind - the order of an Elder absolute. Here in the village the heirachy was based entirely on the older you were, the more wisdom that came with experience. There was much respect when it came to that position, even the Scourge having to listen to those much his greater, age-wise. Pulling her inside the hut, she was met by a heavenly warmth that emanated from a small smoke-less fire pit that sat in the centre of the room. Cushions and furs laid around it, designed for many people to sit next to one another. The girl almost shoved Andrea into a seat, excited to learn about what had transpired. The elderly woman whom had gotten them insides sat directly opposite the two, on the other side of the fire.
"An odd creature has brought us back our son..." she began, practically croaking with how worn out her voice had become over the years. A perfectly understanding of Andrea's language apparant, "One related to the wizard." Her blue eyes practically glew behind the flickering light of the small flames, curling a quiet smirk along the corner of her lips.
"So he found you, after all. I knew he could... The boy doesn't know when to give up, after all." there was a significant willpower behind each and every word that rolled from her tongue, pressuring the witch to shrink in her position - as though she were staring up at a great beast.
"The only thing I don't understand about this whole incident... Is why he's injured and you are not. As brash as he is, I can't imagine he'd lose if he were to attack you... Which introduces the idea of a secondary confrontation. I can smell the blood on his clothes from here. Who did you make him kill?"

[Arthera]

What is it with these people and grabbing others? Andrea swore that the next time someone tried that, she was grinding their hand to dust. She was perfectly able to stand and walk, which includes knowing when to follow if indicated. There was no need to keep manhandling her! Being given time to reply may also help these people act more civil with strangers, they all seemed too much in a hurry to let others think. Possibly their own line of thinking was rushed or they were all much too impatient, and if Scourge was any indication it would be the later that was the truth. The elder's home had been clear enough, at least to Andrea's eyes. There was a kind of aura to it, something that less attuned people may be able to pick up as a feeling or instinctive reaction but Andrea could clearly see through her trained eyes. Her observation was proven moments later when she was dragged inside the home and Andrea could see the fetishes, the amulets, talismans and tokens used in a local version of magical circles and aides. Even the old crone elder radiated magic in her own way.

Andrea had long ago figured that she was somehow able to channel more than average, but with each imbued person she met, she could see the gap that separated her from others that could draw upon the arcane. The elder was one of the greats, obviously decades of practice which easily outweighed Andrea's, but she sensed that the capacity, the container as it were, was limited compared to the younger woman's. Andrea's training under her father likely had much to do with that, as was sharing his blood, which the Elder suddenly alluded to. How or why a remote village elder knew about "the wizard", the inflection and way she said it coupled to how her father had been known and referred to, could not be mistaken. The urge to ask about him, to hear of him again, was almost more than Andrea could suppress, but there was a time for everything and right now it was time to discuss the Scourge she had carted back.

"That man came looking for a scroll, which is not his. It had been given to me by my father, the wizard I think you are referring to." Andrea spoke directly to the elder, ignoring the overeager youth or the local tongue. If it meant being understood faster, then that was it.

"The brute attacked me." she pressed on, undaunted. "He would have killed me short of the intervention of a third party. The matter was worsened by bandits and the Scourge's slaughter of most of them in his single-minded obsession with retrieving the item that I had. That would be the scent of others blood you smelled on him."

"His second attempt at attacking me did not meet with success, and I could have killed him right then and there." Andrea raised a finger and made three ball fires dance around the tip of her finger to demonstrate what means she was speaking of, to not confuse with the sword she was carrying, before dispelling them. "But he mentioned something that was contained in the scroll I carried, which he had never laid eyes on or could have read before, he is too young to have owned it before my father did." she made no move to show the scroll in question, the elder seemingly already knowing quite well what Andrea was speaking of. Why or how, Andrea would have to ask.

"When I spared him from what would have been the loss of his arm, the hut we were inside caved in on his thick skull, which is where the smell of his blood comes from. It is a wonder he is not dead outright, but I imagine that he is...unique in a way. Much like the strength he likes to use so much, his resilience is uncanny up to a certain point. I mended his outward wounds, despite his strenuous attempts at making me hate every fiber of his being before that point. He was unlikely to have decided on his quest on his own, so I decided to carry him to where he briefly mentioned he was from, and from there I wished to know why this barbaric man was sent to kill me and rob my father's legacy from me."

Andrea had to stamp down on her rising anger at the end, recalling all those infuriating moments with the savage Scourge was not making her tempter improve. If push came to shove and the village was in on it and tried to attack her, Andrea was going to be...very unladylike. She had rehearsed many ways this meeting could resolve and should it come to violence, the results were not likely to be pretty.

"Now tell me, why do you want the scroll so badly that you would have me hunted down and killed?" elder or not, she was not going to bow down meekly. The old lady was direct enough in her questioning and Andrea figured she would prefer blunt and to the point questions rather than beating around the bush. The sooner she was done here, the better.

[Em Sensei]

Both the Elder and the stranger were speaking so quickly in a tongue she was not too trained in, the female blinking herself out of confusion and came to the conclusion that she'd hear about this event later on, instead opting to go help the Scourge wake up. Standing from the pile of cushions and furs, she slipped away silently and back outside into the brisk cold of the daylight. A small crowd had begun to gather around the cart, inspecting their returned brother and many of which conversing amongst themselves regarding what they think might have transpired from beyond the mountains. The female stalked her way up on top of the cart once again, crawling to the the male's side and gently running her gloved fingers through his thick head of blonde hair.
"Krun..." she beckoned, whispering his name to him a mere few inches from his face. The familiar voice and word combination found it's way through his ears and into his mind, rocking him awake gently. His blue eyes slowly parted open, revealing the all-year winter of his home. He could feel the quiet kiss of each snowflake as it touched his form from above, melting into his clothes or against his hot skin. Why had he ended up here of all places? Wasn't he still at the bandit camp, with the witch? He was surrounded by a familiar environment and people, all of which something he'd been longing to come back to for some time now. Perhaps this was merely a good dream - but if that were the case, then he simply needed to wake up. There was work to do.
His frame slid upwards, torso lifting and propping himself up by the arms. A rush of questions exploded from the majority of the crowd, all of which curious as to what exactly had happened beyond their borders that would warrant a stranger to bring him home. Their words were hurried and excitable, leaving Krun a little confused as to how to deal with them. Though as his blue eyes fixed on the female that knelt at his side, he spoke.
"Lei." he began, calling her by name before proceeding to speak in his native tongue, something he hadn't used in a long time. Questioning how he'd been brought here, after figuring that this was a little too real to be a dream, Lei explained that she and two others had found him being dragged in this cart through the mountain pass, before being brought here with the strange woman. The only woman that came to mind was the witch, meaning she was now in the village - if he had woken only a few minutes after they'd arrived. No doubt she came here to 'set things straight' concerning the scroll. Without hesitation he hopped off the side of the cart and made for the Elder's hut, followed close behind by Lei - who was used to stopping him from making rash decisions.

"The scroll you hold is not something we as a people would kill for - it is merely a means to an end." the elderly female began again, casting her gaze downwards towards the small fire that continued to flicker between the two. Apparently Krun had mistaken her request; she had only told him to bring it back as quickly as possible - not to harm those who hold it. Achievement through ill-activities would only lead to further suffering.
"That is all very well and good, but you seem to have forgotten to mention it to the one that nearly did kill me. Were it not for happenstance and some luck, he would be handing it back to you with my blood covering it." Andrea was not over Scourge's previous actions, and the elder saying it was not her fault did not do much to calm her down.
As the older female parted her wrinkled lips to speak again, the furs that covered the doorway parted to reveal a muscular arm, before followed shortly by the rest of the Scourge's form. He had to duck to enter the hut, standing upright as he entered and towered over the two seated individuals. First he met the gaze of the Elder, whom he inwardly acknolwdged as a respectable person whom he would listen to - the other was a liar and a thief, someone who would always try to trick him; laughing at his efforts just out of his reach. The mere sight of her made his blood boil, a deep-seated irritation springing to the surface.
"Witch! You dare let me find you after lying to me!" he began, his voice booming already and causing the three in the hut to visibly cringe under the sudden volume. A bone suddenly thrust upwards, clocking him on the forehead and caused him to stumble backwards out of sheer shock. Blinking dumbly, he glanced down at the Elder - whom was obviously the culprit.
"Stupid boy. I did not tell you to kill or even harm the one who held the scroll. I asked for you to either bring it or the person whom owned it here, at any cost. Did you forget?" she snarled, though it was not the tone of voice one would use on a stranger. Within the scorn was some semblence of care, which boasted the feeling of community that they all obviously shared. Rubbing at his head gently, feeling it throbbing still from when it had been struck by something rather heavy however long ago that was, he frowned deeply.
"I... I did not forget." he actually attempted to lie, glancing away and fidgetting in place a little. If there was any other way to lie more obviously, he'd probably do it too.
"You did not..forget? Really? Then please explain to me, how attacking me in the middle of the night, hitting me multiple times and threatening my life multiple times, does not count as trying to kill me? Or how about kidnapping me? How about trying to strangle me or to toss me like some rag doll at your earliest convenience? I know you are a bad liar, but you trying to lie still?! Andrea was visibly bristling at this point. Were she not a guest in someone else's home, she would do something more than simply exchange words.
"Enough! Both of you!" the Elder cried, slapping them both on the forehead with another pair of small bones used just for such an occasion, "Krun, you have done your people shame and hurt the girl - apologise and make up for it... Be her guide while she is on the mountain. If you harm her once more, I will personally give you a lesson in courtesy."
Krun's brow ticked with irritation, though it was not due to how he was being yelled at - nor the fact that he felt like tossing the witch outside with the snow. It was the idea that he was wrong about the damned girl. Clicking his tongue in obvious annoyance, though his expression shifted to that of a surprising sincerity, he moved forwards. Slowly, he sat himself down beside Andrea, crossing his legs and placing either gloved hand on his knees. Lowering his head towards her, his messy blonde locks hung low over his face.
"I apologise. I was wrong." there was a long pause after this, the only noise breaking this being Lei taking a seat on the opposite side of him.
Andrea remained silent for a long time, with only the crackle of fire to break the moment. She knew that pressing the point was useless. Andrea also knew that what was done is done, she could no more change what happened with the dumb oaf than she could bring her father back. With a sigh, Andrea slowly turned to face the man that had hefted untold amounts of humiliation and pain upon her.
"You know fully well all you did to me, and I hazard a guess that being told you were wrong, by your Elder, seems like a rather good...punishment. Anything I add would be useless and have much less impact. Let us leave it at that."
"Then, I apologise. We must speak on the scroll you currently bear." the Elder began again, redirecting the conversation away from the reason as to why they had all gathered today, instead working towards what could come of it, "May I see the scroll, magic-bearer?" there was obviously some hiccups in the language they used, not having a completely perfect grasp of it.
Hesitating visibly at having to be seperated from her father's memento, after all she had gone through to keep a hold of it, Andrea extended her hand with the scroll towards the elder, slowly. "I am called Andrea, it would make this exchange easier I think if you called me so."
Her slender, wrinkled fingers slid across the surface of the parchment, before gently pulling it away from Andrea and bringing it before herself, unwapping it without much hesitation. She had not read the message laid upon it before, the scroll having been given to the wizard so many generations ago... Perhaps it wasn't even what they expected it to be? It took a moment of silence for her to get through reading it, before closing it up and returning it to Andrea's hands.
"As expected, the scroll is of no use to us." she began, her words stabbing hard into the chests of both Krun and Lei - whom both had wished so wholeheartedly that his efforts would not have been in vain.
"What does it say, Elder?" Krun questioned sharply, gripping his knees hard.
"It merely details the happenings between Fleign and the oldest Elder. It is a great text but one that is not relevent to our plight."
" Elder...you mention Fleign, by name. So you know about the Dragon that slumbers on this mountain?" Andrea was about to question the elderly woman about how she would treat such a mighty creature without an ounce of revenrance, when it was likely one of the beings her father had sent Andrea to find, but stopped.
"Do not mistake. Fleign will always be our guardian - but even one as mighty as he is not immortal. Time degrades everything... Even he. It is not that we not longer revere our guardian, but that he makes it impossible for us to do so." she began again, finding it now a good idea to involve Andrea in their affairs - as she knew at least something of the Old God that resided atop the moutain, "His place as a balance is at an end... No longer does he think on his place, only on what he would fill his stomach with next. There is no greater shame than living long enough to see you become a disgrace to your old self."
With that, their talk was done for the moment. Nobody seemed to eager to continue the conversation, especially the Elder - who now had to deal with finding a way to fix their problem with something other than faith.

[Arthera]

With the elder going silent, Andrea decided that this was a good time to think further on what had been said, or what little of it was worth thinking about. She excused herself from the dwelling, knowing that the dumb oaf, the Elder and the girl would likely wish to speak about his "quest" and who he had brought along. Ironic in that it was Andrea that had dragged his unconscious behind back and she still had the scroll on her person. And the fact he had tried to lie his way out of admitting guilt and stupidity, the nerve! Andrea would like nothing less than to scream at him and remind him how he had failed to listen to his elder, as well as inflict more bodily harm than he should have. She would not likely get the chance now, she would be on her way to meet this fallen guardian of the mountains and figure out why her father had sent her here in the first place.

The scroll had told her little about what to expect, or what to do when she met a dragon. The fact that the people living on it's mountain did not see it in the best of light might also be a complication she could have done without. Then came the part about finding the thing in these frosted peaks. The mountains were gigantic and it would take a long time to scour them for the proper cave that contained a legendary creature. At that rate, she would have to come back here from time to time to resupply, which incurred the chance to cross the brute again. It seemed she was not completely rid of him yet and would have to endure his hateful gaze for a while longer. On the other hand, if that was the worse Andrea would have to suffer, then it was a rather good improvement over the last week.

In any case, now was not the time to think on what happened, she had to rest and she had to plan for the things to come. Night was creeping up and it was not going to be wise to travel the wintry mountains by night, she would at least have to stay in the village for today and then get ready to depart for tomorrow. Feeling a presence behind her, Andrea spun swiftly, catching a younger woman by surprise. The girl gestured towards a house, speaking rather haltingly in the tongue Andrea used, indicating that food was ready and that she was invited as a guest, for being the Elder's guest to be precise. Seemingly, this meant something more than simple guest, and it would be rude to turn down such an offer. Andrea had just been thinking about staying the night and this timing was surely a sign that her decision was the right one.

Hopefully she would have a chance to speak with the Elder more during he evening, Andrea wanted to talk more about the dragon. The Elder seemed to know much, or at least has been handed down enough stories and legends to be of some worth for when Andrea met it. Perhaps the ancient woman could also tell why Andrea felt...off... since arriving on the higher peaks of the mountain. It may just be her body not used to the diminished air, but Andrea felt it was something else that seemed to scratch at the back of her mind. Perhaps it was something related to the dragon that only magically inclined people could feel. Or she was only very tired and hungry. Whatever the issue may be, she decided to accept the invitation and follow the woman to the hall to eat.

The hall itself was nothing special, merely an elongated house able to house multiple people and high-roofed to allow fires to burn within safely. As such, there were half a dozen cooking fires supplying various pots and plates with heat to cook anything from meat and vegetables to brown slabs of bread and liquids. The smell was a flurry of strange spices and unknown concoctions that made Andrea's hungry flare and she hoped that the taste would match the smell. Indeed, when she received a bowl of thick stew and steaming chunk of bread and had her first bite, she was not disappointed. It was very spicy, but flavorful and filling.

Focused on her meal, she only smiled and nodded, exchanging few, but polite, words when addressed. Compared to Scourge, the remainder of the village had manners. They also had a variety of expressions other than frowning and the look of one always mildly annoyed. At least there was little chance to be attacked for no reason, now that the elder had proclaimed such an act as something not desired by the tribe as a whole. As to what lay next in her future, Andrea did not really know at this point.