Time: Morning
Location:Sun Elf Kingdom
Interactions: Ayita
@13orgCade tilted his head at Ayita as she had casually mentioned that he was doing too much for her. Although he was more than happy to allow someone else to build a fire, her words had bothered him slightly. He didn’t want her to feel like she had to keep score, as long as they both survived.
“We are team now, your survival is my survival and vice versa. You have already agreed to try and save my home. If we are to fight side by side, then you are part of my clan, part of my tribe.” Cade said with sincerity. He had lost his family, but as a warrior, those that he shared battle with became like family to him. Ayita, although a stranger, stated her intentions to fight against Aklenroth, and to Cade that made her akin to a sister for him. As she built the fire to cook the meat, Cade worked on cutting the hare with his claws, although without a good knife his efforts were still fairly crude. Her plan to search out tracks while he went into the town alone made sense, but he was still worried about leaving someone so new to this world alone.
Once Cade had finished breaking down the carcass, he licked clean his paws just as a cat would. Although Cade never did care for sweet foods, he forced himself to try some of the fruit that Ayita had gathered. It was unpleasantly juicy and made an uncomfortable squishing as he bit into it, but he hid his distaste for fruit, somewhat, as he ate them. While he didn’t enjoy a single bit, he ate two whole pieces of fruit, knowing that it would have pleased his mother for him to try and eat something new. Eventually the meat was cooked and he rid his mouth of the taste of the sweet fruits with hare. He wished the situation they were in wasn’t so urgent, after breakfast was the best time for a nap, but, sadly, there was no time for naps today. With food out of the way, they still needed weapons, allies, and to figure out what kind of magic Ayita could do.
“Should I get anything else besides a tomahawk?” He asked. After some consideration he removed the halberd he wore slung across his back. He paused only for a moment, as if second guessing himself, but then offered the weapon to Ayita.
“You should have this while I’m gone, I won’t need to be armed in the village.” He said. Letting another wield the halberd was not easy for Cade, the weapon had been given to him by his brother, Shadow, and he didn’t like to be without it for very long if he could help it. But it was more important that Ayita was protected in the forest, not just from Aklenroth’s forces, but creatures like trolls and ogres as well.
“Until you figure out your magic, you should stay armed, these forest have dangerous creatures like trolls or goblin packs, it is not just Aklenroth’s force we have to watch for.”
Time: Morning
Location: Forest outside of Domoros
Interactions: Torvi
@Tae Bowyn couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at the human’s statement.
“You being in Avalia means nothing but trouble.” He shook his head at the human’s obliviousness to the situation. He did not want to be involved in whatever scheme the elves had cooked up by summoning humans here. Although he had no love or loyalty for Aklenroth, he wasn’t interested in risking his life in another hopeless stand against the lich. But the human had no knowledge of dangers this world held and sending her off informed felt like the least he could do while continuing to live with himself. With Boreas leading the way back to camp, Bowyn tried to focus on what the human would need to know so that she could survive, at least for a while. He didn’t see a scenario in which the elves would just send her home, after all the trouble it must have been to bring humans here, and he very much doubted Aklenroth intended to send humans home safely either. He had no idea how long a human normally lived, but this one looked young, like himself, and there was no long life in Avalia in store for these humans. No point in getting attached to this stranger, because to Bowyn, her fate was clearly death and he’d been around enough death.
“Aklenroth, the undead king. A lich lord who rules now and forever more. He controls the dead, raises them from rest to do his bidding. He bends death to his will, the way ice bends to mine. He killed the last human in Avalia over a hundred years ago. Perhaps you are a threat to him.” Bowyn said starring up at the sky for a minute, remembering when Aklenroth’s image had appeared. He wondered why humans were still a threat, the kings magic was so powerful, and his armies so vast and every foe who faced him and fell could then be but another pawn for him to control. Why Aklenroth would still see humans as a treat he did not know, but maybe it was just the fact that one of his laws had been broken, stomping out rebelling with the swiftest and harshest punishments sounded like Aklenroth.
“True, humans have strong magic here but, in the end, you will be another example of why we must all fall in line. He will kill your kind again and make a gruesome example of those who broke his law and summoned you here. Likely, it was the elves who brought your kind here again, hopeful fools who hold on to the idea that Aklenroth’s reign will end. I know better, my home was in the shadow his necropolis casts. He will never yield, rebellion ends only in death.” With the haze of skaula wearing off the world became clear to Bowyn once more, he lived in a world without hope, surrounded and ruled by death. He pitied the human, and the others like her dragged into this world. Should he have told her a hopeful lie? Maybe that would’ve been kinder but if roles were reversed, he wouldn’t want a lie.
“Helping you, talking to you, anything short of killing you or turning you in, is basically treason.” He continued, as they continued to move through the forest. Part of what Bowyn said was to impress the dangers she would face upon Torvi, but also to remind himself that the human was both dangerous and doomed. He did not want to continue to empathize with her, and he was well aware that the skaula drew out a more sentimental nature in him. Bowyn did want to get attached to the human, to pity or relate to her struggle. He feared her presence would either get him killed, or worse, he’d have to watch another person die. They made their way to his camp, where nature provided him with the essentials of water, warmth, and shelter.
“I can answer your questions, and you can rest here for a time. But I cannot risk my life for yours.” “How uplifting, Bowyn, I’m sure the human feels very comforted.” Boreas remarked, landing on the fairy’s shoulder as soon as camp was in sight.
“Lies will not help her.” Bowyn said to the bird.
