Cade enjoyed his time in the forest with Ayita and Sakura, with another ally amongst them things seemed more hopeful. Sakura was a bit guarded; it was no stretch to say he knew Ayita much better than he knew their new friend, but her bravery in battle had earned his trust. He was happy to have someone around who could explain magic, as Cade had no idea how it worked, how to control it, or how to train one’s self in magic. He was much better acquainted with practical skills, fighting with weapons, hunting, tracking, but these were all things Ayita seemed to need no help in. When they trained with magic, Cade either napped or went out hunting, preferring to keep watch at night incase the dragon came back. He did not trust that they had seen the last of the beast, as long as it remained unvanquished it was a threat.
During the nights around a fire, he finally got to hear some of Ayita’s stories from her home. He would sit completely enchanted by the stories she had from another world. He, in turn, shared legends of Avalia, tales of brave warriors, many of which featured humans, thinking that it would inspire her to know what her kind were capable of here. Their journey to Roshmi was a safe one, and Cade was thankful for a calm before the storm that was sure to come. Although he knew their quest would not be an easy one, he felt Avalia herself was guiding them towards allies, and Avalia herself would continue to aid them.
Cade though about her question regarding Roshmi and what to expect there.
“It is a beautiful city, full of all sorts of creatures, one of the largest cities as well. For anyone to really notice you out of place I would imagine you would have to draw a great deal of attention to yourself. Most folks are concerned with their own troubles, they have neither the time nor the care to notice every random stranger. Avoid the dark elves if you can, but do not go out of your way to do so. Simply carry yourself as if you belong here.” Cade was confident the disguise would work, and although there was certainly risk in traveling to the city it was easier to remain unnoticed in a large crowd.
“Eventually not even the forests will be safe, this seems our best chance at finding more allies, and there are others out there who share our cause. I believe the spirit of Avalia herself has guided us together, and that she will protect us. But if it comes down to it, Ayita Ani’ Wa’ya you have my word that I will fight by your side until my last breath. I cannot promise we will be safe though, so if you wish to find another way, I will honor that.” Cade said, allowing the human to decided whether or not she wished to proceed to the city. Ayita had not been granted a choice whether or not she came to Avalia but he could at least allow her to have a hand in deciding her fate from here on. He then looked to Sakura, their new and powerful ally.
“What do you think, she who faced down the dracolich?” He asked curious to hear her thoughts on the situation.
Time: Morning
Location: Roshmi City
Interactions: Torvi
@TaeBowyn was more than comfortable hiking through the forests and hunting and forging for food. Much to his own surprise he found Torvi easier to get along with than he had first expected. She asked him no questions about his connections to the woman who had raised her sister from the dead, and he was thankful for this small kindness. He, in turn, did not attempt to pry into her personal life, knowing how little he wanted to talk about those he’d lost, so he assumed the same was true for her. He did, however, share all he knew of Avalia; its various races, villages, and which plants were safe to eat. Of course, this information was not objective, Bowyn’s explanations were often coated in his own personal biases; elves were arrogant, forest fae were frivolous creatures, orcs lacked intelligence. Demons, dragons, and dark elves were evil and dangerous, these were creatures that served Aklenroth. Doromos, although close to them, seemed too dangerous a direction to go, too close to the undead, so they continued south towards the collection of moon elf villages. He left out the option of going into winter fairy territory, not wishing to return home and the added eyes of those who once knew him seemed unwise anyhow.
On their way to the moon elf lands Torvi had been generous enough to gift Boreas one of the shiny adornments she wore in her hair. After the trying experience of their encounter with the undead it had been nice to watch the happy bird hopping around with a shiny treasure in his beak. He had helped slipped the shiny trinket over Boreas’s foot, after assuring Boreas that he would not steal his new treasure, and the bird now wore it as bracelet. Then next day Boreas gifted Torvi a squirrel he had caught as a thank you. The fact that Boreas was so taken with Torvi made it easier for him to trust her; he recognized a similar sadness in her and while he wasn’t ready to consider anyone but Boreas a friend, a comrade with a similar goal was a good start. He helped to train her in the ways of magic, advising that while tapping into intense emotions like rage or fear would yield great power, they would make the magic wild and difficult to control. It was one’s gentler emotions that would aid in the ability to control one’s magic. He wasn’t ever sure how much of his advice she listened to; she was far more headstrong than the majority of fairies he’d known. His attempts at compliments were often unintentionally snide, he was more than a bit out of practice with social interactions. Her retorts were often equally snide which Bowyn found amusing, and he was gratefully that he did not feel tension between them. Their situation was dire enough after all.
The moon elf territory had proven to be a good choice; here Bowyn attempted to teach the human how to steal. Snatching up small items to resell for coin was simple, but stealing new clothes was more of a challenge. Although Torvi’s skills in theft and stealth were lacking, in distracting merchants she was more than adept. Bowyn managed to get the things they needed, paying for the occasional item as they shopped so as not to arouse suspicion, and finally pick pocketing some tickets aboard an Amora to get as far south, and far away from the undead horde, as they could; Roshmi City. He had never ridden in an Amora before and was even a little excited about such a thing, normally it something only those with a bit of wealth go to do. He had stolen new clothes for himself as well, as a fairy dressed as a forest urchin would no doubt add suspicion on the ride there. Then, Bowyn found himself in a situation he’d never thought he’d be in, starring down from the window of an Amora at the sights of Avalia as it travelled through the sky.
It had taken a week of travel but finally they were in Roshmi, the largest southern city, and hopefully one that would provide the most protection from Aklenroth and his forces. He was completely exhausted as they walked the streets of Roshmi, a combination of difficulty adjusting to the climate of the south and lack of descent sleep, since encountering Aeryn in the woods, Bowyns nights had been plagued by nightmares. The heat of the southern sun as more than uncomfortable for Bowyn, used to the harsh winters and frosty summers of his home and he wasn’t used to seeing the sun shine so brightly. The first thing he did in Roshmi was buy a pair of shaded glasses, too distracted by the heat and brightness of this city to even try and steal them. The sun had given him a headache and the suggestion that they find somewhere to stay in the city was a welcomed one. He hoped the room would be dark and quiet.
“Welcome to Roshmi City, apparently living here is like living inside of a fire pit.” He said placing the shaded glasses over his eyes and feeling some relief from the sunshine. He watched the crowded streets, bustling with various types from all over Avalia. In such a large city it would be easier to remain anonymous. He glanced over at Torvi, curious to see what she thought of the city which must certainly be strange to her.
”Well if we’ve going to be staying in the city of sunshine and roses I am going to need a drink, or maybe a few.” Bowyn added looking around for decent tavern.
Boreas, perched upon Bowyn’s shoulder, his normal resting spot, shook his head.
“Bad idea, you should keep your wits about you.“ The merlin advised.
“Boreas thinks that we should not have a drink, Torvi would you like to break the tie?” Bowyn said, now used to translating the bird for the human. He felt more than confidant that the human would vote his way, she out drank the moon elves at the last tavern they’d visited.
“Tell her it is foolish.” Boreas insisted.
“Boreas says it would be very foolish.” Bowyn added in a serious and disapproving tone. Then the fairy glanced back at the bird.
“But everything we are doing is foolish, and what better place to find other foolish folks.” Bowyn suggested.
