Blind, Bound and Backward Otherwise known as: Introducing
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Allaria could deal with a lot of things. She had mastered the cold, quenched her thirst and someone retained a somewhat sane mind and yet, nothing crippled her as much as hunger. The small funds she had scraped together from thieving had afforded her a number of meals so far but in a town full of poor peasants trying to find their way through life, there wasn't much pickings. And so, she moped in the local tavern for quite a while.
She had already taken the image of another; an older man who looked more accustomed to the inside of a tavern. It kept her safe for the most part as there weren't many people who could peer past her spells.
The barkeep was strict but fair and let her stay in a smaller room at a decent price. All in all, she shouldn't have been complaining but Allaria enjoyed nothing more than wallowing in worry and self-doubt. That worry would have kept up all day if it wasn't for the sudden entry of a certain individual. Her hearing was superb but it wasn't her hearing that intrigued her. Whoever this person was, they had something magical in their possession. Magical items were worth a lot - like eat well for the next two months a lot.
Whatever it was, she wanted it. She had grown sick of hunger, frankly. Sinking back in her chair, she let her senses sharpen and pick up the details she missed. There were several other patrons in the tavern but they wouldn't be any help. Letting the sounds envelop her, it occurred to her that the barmaid was filling drinks to lift out. Biding her time, she waited for the familiar flip of the entrance to behind the bar before she threw her plan into action. Picturing something grotesque in her head, she quickly crafted it - it wasn't professional but it would do. Within a moment, a loud scream filled the tavern and the barmaid leapt backwards, the beer following in a sharp arc. Collapsing into the stranger, the stage was set and Allaria leapt into action.
Moving to her feet in what appeared to be the drunken blind beggar jumping up, she was on the incident in a moment. Without much thought, her hand seized the source of magical energy and snapped it away. She had already turned for the door by the time she had secured the amulet thing and without further ado, she took off.
The barmaid was very pretty, that was certain. Clearly he wasn't the first one who had shared a similar thought, based on the way that the Inn Keeper kept a very sharp knife on hand that he would 'unrelatedly' pull out and sharpen whenever anyones hands or eyes lingered too long on his daughter.
But what was the man anyway, not a true threat. Should Al been interested in his daughter beyond the visual appel, there wouldn't have been a damn thing that the man could have done to stop him. The mere act of trying would surely end in his death.
A scream halted him musing, followed by a crash that sent him sprawling across the floor and a heavy, sweet smelling weight on his chest. It was a waste of beer, but the moment had to be enjoyed. While the girl was less than a witch, the feeling was still the same. Soft curves in all the right places, his to take and hold should he wish. Not that he'd dare do that to a witch without her permission, but the barmaid was hardly a witch.
It was in that moment that he noticed its absents. The small, sun emblemed pendant, a final parting gift from his father. Although Al could sense the power in it, its true purpose was still a mystery. Had his father known its purpose, he didn't share it with his son. That didn't mean he welcomed its absents. Nor did he plan on taking pity on the little rat who stole it.
Shoving the sobbing wreak of a woman from him, he glanced around the tavern to see the door slam shut. "Fucking Bitch," he growled. This was not how he planned to spend his afternoon.
Surpisingly, the thief was easier to track once outside of the tavern. A light scent filled the air. The closest description of the scent would be 'the smell of lightening striking' not the burning that came after, nor the rain that came before. It was a very faint scent, but similar to the odor that always hung around his mother and sister. The problem was that there were still enough people that he couldn't say for sure which one was causing the smell.
The last thing he needed was to alert who ever it was to the fact that he was following, and a few times who ever it was took a turn and Al would miss her. But eventually he was able to trace the pattern. Wherever the scent was, the same old man stood as well. Biding his time, Al waited until there were few people around, in an area of town that could care less if an old man got the shit beat out of him. The locals would probably pick the old man's pockets later to see if Al left anything behind.
With a sudden jolt of energy, Al sprinted, catching the old man around the neck and forcing the pair of them into the allyway. [color=FFD700] "Good Afternoon friend,"[/color he growled, holding him up by his neck. [color=FFD700]"Now, what is a nice old man like yourself doing with something of mine?"[/font]. Al bared his teeth, leaning in closer.
"One might think that a wise sorcerer would be smarter than to piss off a person in a place where his head it literally worth its weight in gold,"Allaria wasn't quite sure how she navigated the busy streets of the town but she did. Sound was a wonderful thing and something about each street and alley seemed to pull her aside until she was certain that if there was anyone tailing her, they had long since disappeared. Sighing a somewhat relieved sigh, her hands fastened around the amulet and she let her fingers gently identify it. It's shape was odd but she could feel the power coursing through it. It would earn a good amount of gold and if it didn't, there were always hunters who would be interested in the previous owner.
A sudden jolt and a pair of hands around her neck dragged the air from her as she immediately kicked, to no effect. Due to the fading noise, she was sure she was dragged into somewhere quiet, somewhere dark. This wasn't good. Keeping her mouth shut, her senses suddenly went dull as she was slammed against a wall, the hand around her neck the only thing holding her up.
Allaria suspected reasoning wouldn't get through to this one so she did her best to quickly construct something. A guard - like the one that had stopped her on her way into the town. It wasn't pretty and it wasn't detailed but the light was low so it was enough.
"Who goes there!?" A voice sounded as her apparition rounded the corner, his hand on the hilt to his sword as he edged into the alley. It was a gamble but it was her only chance.
Al stiffened as he heard the guard apporach. There was something off about it, or perhaps it was the mere fact that the old man's magic flared just moments before the guard appeared.
"Well," he said, growling, his voice lowering.
"Best give it back while you still have the chance to escape. Any halfway decent guard round here would take you happily off, very little proof needed, they are very trigger happy here," Truth, he might just chuck the old man at the guard if it really came down to it. Wizard or not, youth was always faster than aged.
It seemed as if he had bought it for a moment. There was a flicker of worry or annoyance across his face as her construction rounded on them. Allaria bit her tongue. She needed the food - the hunger was becoming painful and by all reasoning, the amulet would take that hunger away for a long time. She was going to fight.
"Here I am, an old blind man half starved. There's no evidence for my sins. But you, you're a different case. Let me go and I won't have you taken to the stake." Her magic covered her voice but it couldn't cover the shakiness, the fear and exposed nerves.
"Your move awfully fast for a blind man," he said, tightening his grip, painfully aware of how close the guard was now.
"The evidence for your sins, is hanging in your hand. Now...when this guard gets here, the question is...who will have the button. As it stands that person isn't me," There was something off about the old man, it was as though he was afraid.
"Make the choice...now,"She was becoming very aware of the tightening of his hand around her throat and the spluttered breathes she was trying to breath. The guard was on her side but as she kicked and kicked, things became... weird. The guard stopped very suddenly as he came into their field of view. Instead of drawing his sword he jumped forward a few paces. His mouth opened but only a jumbled mess spewed out. The projection was failing and she knew it.
There, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the guard...falter.
"So that was the spell that you were casting," he muttered.
"I was worried it might be something harmful. Now, since you showed me yours, I guess it is time to show you mine, now tell me, ever been on the bad side of a fire bug?" It was then that he started applying heat, slow growing, but his hand was getting increasingly hotter.
The pressure on her throat was already bad but it was a walk in the park compared to what was coming. As his hands continued to heat and heat, her skin slowly became unbearably hot and the pain overpowered any problems breathing. Almost naturally, her tight grip opened and the amulet cluttered to the ground but the damage was already done. Almost like the rain was washing dirt from her skin, she began to change. Features softened, hair brightened and her body gently fell back into shape. Within a minute, it was no longer the blind man but a bright haired girl who would have screamed if she could muster the breath.
The second he saw the change, Al dropped the girl as though it was he who had been burned and not the woman. His eyes shot to the floor, his head dropping.
"I'm sorry ma'am," he muttered.
"I didn't realize...that you were a witch," Although he noticed the charm on the floor, he didn't reach to take it.
"I know it won't repay the sins I've commited, but if the charm is something you require, then it is yours should you wish it. Among anything else you deem worth my crime," Why the fuck did a witch hide herself as an old man.
She crashed to the ground, lungs begging for air as her hands clutched at the burnt skin on her neck. She knew it wasn't bad but it hurt a great deal. Letting out a low cry, she quietly held herself close to the wall. The pain was all that she could process - his complete U-turn had yet to become apparent. Her murky eyes darted everywhere and the fear was obvious but he was harmless at that point.
Eventually, after a painfully long wait of her pulling her breathing back to normal and trying to stop herself from crying in front of this wizard, she spoke.
"The inn. I want to go back to the inn." She murmured quietly.
"At once, do they know your face m'am, or just the old man?" he said, reaching down to help the girl to her feet, trying to take most of the weight onto himself
"If it hurts mistress, I have some ointment if you'll allow me to treat you,"She had no idea what was going on but she wasn't about to turn down something that would numb the pain. Standing slowly, her blindness was apparent as she clutched at his arm until she had her bearings before standing.
"No, just the old man. And yes, I would... appreciate that.""Then, perhaps we should wait until you are well enough until we appear," he said, reaching into his pocket to retrieve a ointment.
"It'll be a tad cold," he said, spreading it over the burn. While he was, in essence, fireproof, there had been more than a few incidences that made it more than a need.
"M'am, I understand that if I am far too out of place by asking. But why did you take my amulet?"The ointment brought a welcome relief from pain as her skin cooled almost immediately. Sighing softly, she relaxed into the cold of the wall. He was no danger to her so she could afford to bear a few weaknesses. From what she could see, this one had been conditioned but she wasn't certain.
"It would fetch quite a price and I needed the coin for food. Blind girls aren't particularly profitable, you see." As the ointment worked into her skin, she carefully raised her hand to her face and let magic flow. Almost immediately, the worst of the scars faded and her features softened in an intelligent illusion.
"If things are so bad," he said, straightening up.
"Then why are you still alone? It was my understanding that witches banded together for survival, usually from hunters, but I suppose for a hot meal as well," True, some witches
chose to be alone. But those were the crazed, the wild and the inhuman. A few might stay away for reasons of pride, but real need, most of them put away their pride and would find a few sisters that would be willing to help.
Her magic slowly seeped through her face, the murky waters of her eyes dissolving into a solitary blue. She still was blind as a bat but it looked a bit better than scars and white eyes.
"I heard about a coven up north. Up in the forests near Seren's Folley. They say they're trying to awaken old magic and their leader is a healer. I thought... well I don't know if it's true but if she becomes stronger, she can deal with this." She waved at her eyes casually, her head still turned away from him.
"Why are you alone?""Dad wanted a new wife, new life. He didn't kick me out or nothing, but you could tell I was weighing him down. He did suggest...well... he suggested I also head that way. To the castle of his youth," He said smoothly, in a way that almost sounded rehearsed.
While the last thing he wanted was company, he knew he couldn't very well leave her alone.
" I know I've done nothing to make you trust me Ma'am, but if you require it and to repay my debt of harming you, I could help you get to Seren's Folly," "I know the feeling." She grumbled, casting a thought back to the family that had so readily accepted an imposter. Within a moment, she had threw the memory away again. It was no use to her.
Reaching up, she grimaced as her fingers graced the cooling skin of her neck. It still hurt like high hell but it was getting better. Casting her face up to where she reckoned his general direction, she thought over it before hastily agreeing. Pursing her lips, an eyebrow flew upwards.
"I think taking me there is the least you can do. Dinner would be a start though." She added, a small smile dashing across her lips.
What a pain thought Al, there had been a large part of them that hoped the girl would be too proud to accept his help. He didn't want to have to waste time caring for her, not when it would be so much faster to just be on his own. Then there was the extra work and the unnerving feeling she gave him consistantly starting just past him, like she saw someone or something behind him. But...of course she was blind and could see nothing.
"Very well, would you care to return to the tavern? Or is there somewhere or something else that you'd rather eat?"I can think of somewhere..."
