---

@FoxSoxs@BurningDaisies

---

"I was making a deal with the witch that owns these lands. We concluded our business so she saw me out... Without my permission..."

I bet he got swept along by Heleva. Everyone does A mischievous smirk tugged at her lips as a few jokes percolated in her mind. As if reading her thoughts, Marik subtly and sharply elbowed her in the side, derailing her train of thought with a soft thud. She smiled plainly to hide to a grimace.

The demon didn't seem to be in the mood to be teased. Marik didn't have any love for the creature, this Vaettir, and he understood the feeling was mutual, but he also didn't want to provoke it. He had heard stories of the demon's necromantic powers, and that fact alone was enough to justify avoiding the demon altogether.

"What brings you two here? Deals with the witch as well or simply seeking shelter. You both look, worse to wear."

Vaettir always seemed to be avoiding Astrid when they met, quickly finding an excuse to leave, so she was initially stunned at his sudden interest. Then she remembered she was still wearing the itchy, smelly burlap pancho and little else, which left her feeling vulnerable and annoyed. She fidgeted.

"You're not wrong, I suppose..." She ground out at last, trying to remain polite. "Heleva has been accommodating of me in the past, so I was hoping to rely on her good will once again. We've just returned from the Devil's Spine, and we're low on both money and supplies. Yet, I..." her word trailed off into silence. I wonder, if it was the best idea to come here. Her gaze seemed drawn to the single longhouse at the center of the town.

"I'm sure you've seen the lights." Marik interjected and stuck a thumb over his shoulder at the mountains behind him. "The magic in the area has shifted, and not for the better. The forest was empty on our way back, which is an ill omen if I ever saw one. We were going to report back to the adventurer's guild after we gather more supplies. Unfortunately, that means we must be on our way." He glanced at Astrid, urging her to wrap up her conversation.

Astrid ignored him, and the itchy fabric too. "So what drove you to visit Heleva? I thought you didn't like entering human settlements." Her eyes brightened with curiosity. Her intuition told her it must have been important.

---

Tall reeds bent together into archways, forming a narrow corridor through the marsh. The murky, black waters rippled as the emissary took slow, measured steps so as to not get trapped in the muck. His nose wrinkled in derision, offended by both the wet trudge and the ambient stench of sulfur.

“What right does that bastard have to command me? A Lord of Brionac?” the emissary fumed aloud. “He will regret making a fool of the Caiside Clan!”
He seethed over having to come meet someone as low and conniving as Nihil. Everyone knew the dark elves of the south were savages who had lost touch with elven culture. Why was it then that they had been pushing further and further into Brionac. They had managed to best old, established clan guardians with little effort. Even now, the fighting continues. In Garric’s mind, old didn’t mean better. Old clans were weak and useless. They deserved the humiliation of defeat, if they couldn’t defend against few barbarians and hunters. The Eldest too have betrayed their principles, if they believe parlaying with the infamous Fenn Lords will do any good. He just couldn’t fathom why he should be the one to go, when plenty of other lords, albeit of lower status, were more suited to brokering a ceasefire. It was beneath him to negotiate with the enemy, let alone the base and corrupt dusk elves.
At last the dark waters yielded to a soft patch of land, littered with huts and the remnants of ancient stone pillars. The largest of these monolithic fragments had been staked into the ground and arranged in a oblong circle. Each one bent inward toward the center and collectively held up a precarious roof. The ceiling was crafted from enormous shards of granite, and each disparate piece fit together with the impossible precision one might expect from dwarves.
Shadows of orange firelight writhed against the dark interior. Near the entrance, two guards stood at attention, their eyes fixed straight ahead.

Lord Garric steeled himself and marched forward with the easy confidence of an elven highborn. His retainers, clad in expertly-stitched leathers and armed with magic blades, followed closely behind him. His mouth curled into a sneer, but before he could take another step the world shrank away and slid past him. His vision stretched into to a nauseating blur and then snapped abruptly back into focus. His stomach lurched uncomfortably as the eternity of distance between he and the stone shrine shortened to nothing. Though disoriented, he could still make out the sharp lines of familiar elven face.
Nihil was reclining in on exquisitely carved throne accentuated with thin cracks and pits that hinted at ancient origins. An ox skull hung on the wall behind him.

“You...” his voice sank into a menacing growl. He drew his thin blade, ready to tear out the elf’s throat with bloodthirsty glee. “You shit-skinned little worm! How da-”

Something caught in the lord’s chest. He noticed only too late that none of his retainers were with him. He felt the blood in his veins grind to an agonizing halt as something clamped against heart like a vice. He struggled to breathe and clutched at his chest. His vision swam.
Anguished cries clamored outside the hall. All manner of wildlife flooded out of the tall reeds and brush, surrounding Garric’s clansmen. Insects carpeted the ground in a wriggling, biting horde. Birds formed a dark, writhing cloud which clawed and pecked at their eyes, while a host of snakes and other reptiles dragged each one to the ground kicking and screaming. Their frantic screams were quickly devour by the hungry cacophony..

“The first one is always free, Garric.” Nihil began. His tone was friendly, but the weight of his sinister smile pressed Garric down to his knees. There was palpable tension between them, which Nihil swaggered through effortlessly. He bent down and gingerly patted him on the back.

Garric wheezed sharply. Whatever curse befell him had subsided, but his eyes were still bulging and he could still feel malevolent claws digging into his chest, waiting for an opportunity to wrench the life out of him.

“You see, Garric, the first one is free because I know people are born into ignorance.” He chuckled. “It’s not their fault. They are ignorant of themselves, of how they fit into a much greater cosmic design, but most importantly their ignorant of the rules they must live by. My rules."
Garric snapped his head up to protest, but found he couldn’t speak. His voice was gone. He groped at his throat, searching for a clue as to what happened.
“But I believe in forgiveness,” Nihil continued. “So I allow them a moment of quiet reflection. They need it so they can reflect on how they’ve disrespected me and the people loyal to me. And they always appreciate my kindness when I let them bend a knee and ask for forgiveness,” Nihil loomed over the gasping noble like a dark cloud.
“This is your moment of reflection, Garric. It is a kindness.” Each word was spoken with a terrible exactness that drove the elven lord into into a panic.

Garric reeked of fear. Sweat trimmed his thin brow, and a dark stain marred his padded leggings. Nonetheless he found the resolve to stagger onto his feet. He knew immediately that the rumors were true. Nihil was no longer an elf nor an immortal, he was something much more dangerous than that.

Nihil circled him, pinning him with a predatory stare and a winning smile. He tried catching Garric’s gaze so he could see the flashes of fear in his eyes. He knew was there, but the pompous elf kept looking away. The floor in particular seemed very interesting to him. Nihil already knew he what was going to happen, but wanted to see it. He wanted to see the moment when Garric finally broke. His dark hand clamped around the noble’s face and tilted his gaze up, so they could meet eye-to-eye. He savored the man’s desperate look, and grinned.

“There it is.”

Garric bent to one knee, once Nihil loosened his grip, and bowed his head deeply in reverence. His forehead pressed into the dirt. His body was covered in a layer of cold sweat. “I-I was an ignorant fool. What can Clan Caiside do you earn your forgiveness, Elder Nihil?”

The orange fire lights dancing on the wall coalesced into two hauntingly beautiful women, both with piercing emerald eyes and long, sumptuous gowns spun from silver threads. The sheer fabric hinted at voluptuous curves beneath. They didn’t smile.

“Neffeni. Lyndis.” Nihil shot a smug glance at the two Sirens who stepped forth from the shadows. “Clan Leader Garric has agreed to take responsibility for disrespecting our sovereignty, and as a show of good faith wishes to broker a truce with us on behalf of the Eldest of Brionac. I judge him to be an honorable man. Therefore he is a guest, not a prisoner, and we are going to treat him as one of our own.”

---

@Mag Lev@Rune_Alchemist@BurningDaisies

---

Yes, animals would be better than waltzing back into Jhorm and eating people, but Iva had to think - would they work? Well, she was sure they would on some level, but canonically Brain Eaters dined on human brains, didn't they? Would they be as effective? Certainly would be silly to try and implant another into an animal brain. If she recalled right, they would just turn out wrong.

"Alright," Iva replied. "Don't worry, I don't plan to drag things out - " A yawn. "- and I'll eat all of them. Antlers included." To get messy or waste something just meant more work for her, and likely Nara would just nag her like an old hag or something about nature if she didn't. Killing the quickly and efficiently would be the optimal method. "Lead the way then." She swiveled in the air, giving Nara a bored expression. "Soon as we get closer, I can find them myself."

Nara simply nodded to Iva before starting off in the direction she had sensed the deer. Her companion silently floated along side her and Nara envied such an ability. They had already traveled quite a bit through the day and it was only now that she realized how tiring it was. In Yggdrasil traveling miles between towns felt like nothing, a bit of an inconvenience but it didn’t truly wear on her like this did. Floating like Iva did would be such a nice skill to have, especially for travelling. Nara took a brief moment to reach out with her senses every now and then, checking to make sure that the deer did not travel further away or that they were in a different direction than before. As they grew closer Nara noted that there were three of them, though there also seemed to be some muddled details coming from further beyond the deer.

In either case, Nara ignored the details far away from them and focused on the deer as they neared them. ”I’m going to entangle them so that they can’t run away, it’d be a hassle to have to chase one down,” she said as they got closer. Though Nara knew they’d have no issue hunting down the deer if they did run, she also understood that they didn’t quite have the time to do so if night were to fall during the process. It wasn’t long before Nara stopped and listened to Nature once more. The deer weren’t far away, only a hundred feet or so but getting closer would alert them to their presence. ”They aren’t far away, get ready to kill them,” Nara briefly pointed in the direction of the deer, ”Entangle.” The roots of nearby trees seemed to ripple as her magic surged forward, silently moving towards the deer before entrapping them in its grasp.

Thin vines slithered through the brush. Gnarled roots erupted from the ground. The deer never saw it coming. They kicked and bucked, but the plants grappled them into the air where they flailed harmlessly. Tendrils from the underbrush coiled around them likes snakes, constricting them tighter and tighter until they could no longer struggle.

Just as her spell found its marks, something else chimed at the edge of her senses. The presence of one, no two, elves. They weren’t more than half of a kilometer distant. Most creatures moved through the forest, but Nara felt the forest move around them instead. Tree branches parted, roots submerged further into the soil, and the briars shrank away. The faint taste of magic brushed her tongue, something akin to burnt sugar.

The travel time was annoying, though easy. Being able to make most ground obstacles a non issue made traveling pretty easy. Still, she didn't keep a very fast pace. A slow, leisurely one. Couldn't exert more energy than what was needed, of course. It'd be tiring enough just to eat the deer. Thankfully Nara made the hunting part fairly easy.

As soon as Nara gave the signal, Iva sprang into action...with all the swiftness of an insomniac tortoise. The deer struggled against the vines, but could no longer escape, whining and struggling pitifully as they attempted to free themselves of their prison. Iva's feet touched the ground, her psychic arms and blades readying themselves. In just a brief second, all three deers' had their heads severed cleanly, and their struggling and whines stopped.

Oh...such an intoxicating, red, smell...Iva ignored the thought, turning to Nara.

"I'll finish in a few minutes." She commented idly, kneeling next to one of the severed heads. It was...well it probably would have made her a little sick in her old life, but now? Iva's illusions dropped, fading in an instant leaving her in her monstrous form. Taking a deep, shaky breath she opened one of the mouths on her hands, the appendage stretching and scooping up the head instantly, swallowing it whole within her body.

Crrrck. Sickening, muffled bone cracking noises could be heard as the deer's head was crushed and devoured. Within seconds, there was nothing left of it and Iva quickly turned to the deer's body.

Well...she had food. Might as well eat as much as she could.

Nara briefly flinched at the sound of the deer’s head being crushed, though a calm fell over her in almost an instant. It felt odd to sense the creature’s death, seeing it all happening before her, yet the stomach retching sound barely affected her. Truly she had become one with her character, for better or worse it may be. As she watched her friend devour the deer, Nara felt a tinge on the edge of her senses. The forest was shrinking away from the approach of two elves and she could feel the magic that came with them, its taste leaving an unpleasant sensation in her mind.

”Summon Beast,” Nara said as she held her hand out to the direction of the elves. An owl appeared from the air as if formed from the magic itself, landing on Nara’s arm with a chirp. ”Go, see those who dare approach us my dear.” She watched as the owl flew off towards the elves before turning her attention back to her spells. She briefly repeated the summoning twice more, creating a few low level wolves before turning to Iva.

”We have some company approaching, Elves. They seem to be using magic. Be ready to fight if we must,” Nara grimaced briefly, ”Only two of them though so, even if we do fight, they’ll at least be a decent meal for you.”

The owl flew into the boughs of tree. It watched intently as the two elves were striding along at a calm, and steady pace. They chatted back and forth incessantly, and there seemed to be bit of tension between them. One man had a disgusted expression, and the girl looked simply confused. Despite their conversation, both were scanning the periphery around them, obviously looking for something, but neither seemed to pay heed to the owl.

They wore scaled armor that hugged the lines and contours of their body, and sported a leather chest piece atop it. Embroidered in the leather was simple design. Several slanted hash marks ending in exaggerated spear-like tips were organized in a row, and their mirror image were reflected across a single vertical line. It almost seemed like the fletching of an arrow, or a swath of tall grass and it’s shadow.

The body of the recently beheaded deer vanished within seconds inside of Iva's maw. One would think, after eating a whole deer - bones and all - one would be quite full, but Iva quickly found herself feasting upon the second. Slower this time. Savor it. Her 'hands' reached for the head of the second dear. It was a good thing Nara likely wasn't watching, distracted by something else it seemed.

She cracked open the skull, blades cleanly cutting the bone until the deer's brain was fully exposed. Examining it curiously for a few seconds, Iva pulled out the brain before quickly swallowing it whole.

"Hmm...bland." Iva grumbled, holding onto the now mutilated deer head. Pausing her feasting for a moment, Iva turned her attention back to Nara. Elves? "Hmm...Elves...tiring..." Reaching out briefly with her own senses, she could feel them, marking their consciousness mentally. Well, whatever. She wasn't too concerned. She could handle a few elves. Turning back to the head, she tossed it into the air before having the mouth on her tail catch it, swallowing it whole as she turned to face the third, kneeling by its head as her tail began swiftly devouring the body of the second.

If the elves interrupted her, well...then she might get a little angry.

The summoned owl moved to keep track of the elven scouts, swooping quietly between the trees. They were at the edge of a nearby glade, and dangerously close to stumbling upon Nara and Iva, when one of them, a tall, lithe girl with an intricate, but pragmatic braid, suddenly stopped. Her nose wrinkled as she sniffed the air.
“I smell fresh blood,” she whispered gravely.
Her scouting partner, a stocky elf who made up for a lack in height with his impressive build, halted beside her and took great care in inspecting something on the ground. He invoked a skill to quickly investigate the clues nearby. There weren’t any recent scents or tracks for wolves or other predators. He shook his head hesitantly, and immediately she understood his suspicion.
A glyph of magic power shimmered in the girl’s eyes as she scanned the forest, her gaze resting briefly on Iva. The two scouts said nothing after, and exchanged only a few silent gestures.
With a flourish, the stocky elf drew out a curved short bow and arced a deadly shot towards the owl familiar. The girl melted into the backdrop of the forest, and the archer vanished shortly after.

Nara watched impassively as the arrow flew into her owl, the vision granted by it fading soon after as the summon faded. She quickly turned towards the wolves she summoned and motioned for them to follow the elves. Though she could no longer see them, Nara could still feel the Elves moving through the forest and running from them. ”They are running, we won’t have to deal with them now,” Nara said as she turned towards Iva, ”But they’ll likely come back with more people.” She briefly frowned at the sight of the corpses before turning her attention back to the Elves.

Nara wasn’t worried about having to fight the Elves. After all, she and Iva had been strong players in Yggdrasil. Yet, Nara knew it’d be essential to try and stay neutral to them for the time being. They needed more information about this world and the region they were in and, more importantly, establish some kind of reputation with the locals. With a brief flourish, Nara summoned another two wolves, a crow, and buck. ”I’m going to follow them, try and finish up quickly and follow at a distance. If possible, hide your presence so that they don’t notice you.” Nara hopped upon the buck and motioned for it to follow the wolves she had sent out. With the crow acting as a forward scout for her and the other two wolves as protection, Nara rode off after her targets.

"How annoying..." Iva sighed, watching Nara leave. Couldn't even enjoy a meal in peace like this. The brain-eater's passive expression subtly changed to one of mild annoyance. Should just eat them, then - these deers brain's were utterly tasteless. Still...it was filling, at least for now.

Standing up, Iva decided she might as well finish this quickly. A line formed down the center of her body, starting just above her chest. Slowly, it extended all the way down to her groin - one might think she had been injured, but no. There was no blood. Suddenly, her flesh pulled itself apart, a giant mouth full of gnashing teeth, black flesh and eyes jutting outward from the center of her body and scooping up the deer. In an instant, it was gone. Devoured and gobbled up inside of her while her tail swallowed the second one whole.

"Hmm...good enough." She sighed, starting to walk after Nara and the elves as she retook her human guise. She didn't have many other disguise skills, so she'd have to make do.