If magic was as dangerous as it as it she just saw… or as destructive as the things she’d once seen in Hollywood blockbusters, then practicing indoors was definitely not safe. Narkissa nodded at Leannah; if she was able to quip in such a manner, she was alright. It was certainly getting late though, not that it seemed to matter to her or anybody else in the room. With so many unknowns in this world to still uncover, sticking to a native who was friendly, had a house, and even was willing to teach and guide them in practicing something as esoteric as magic was nearly as much as a miracle as the goddess giving them new lives and bodies.
That said, Narkissa stood up, excusing herself to follow after the quiet foxgirl, but not before reassuring Leannah that she’d be sticking around nearby to make good on her earlier promise. Seeing the two girls bonked on the head with a greasy soup ladle, she decided to avoid making the same mistake and left to practice in an environ that was less prone to catching aflame. She decided if she had any questions after messing around with it herself, she’d just pop back inside to pick Lazhira’s brain. As an added benefit, she’d get some private time with the mysterious fox girl to get a better read on who she was, too.
“I hope you don’t mind if I practice nearby with you?”
Following Misaki out to a suitable spot, she gave a nod to the girl before plopping herself on the ground in a cross-legged position, recounting both the points that she’d learned from both Lazhira and her ragged book on magic. Briefly meditating, she pondered similar theories to those that the foxgirl had in her mind. What else could be manipulated? They’d been explained on how the basic principle of magic worked, but what was it still, exactly? Was it still beholden to the laws of physics, or did it depart from it entirely and violate entropy? For that matter, what other fundamental elements could be manipulated, and to what end? If a combination of wind, fire, and earth could be manipulated with magic, for example, there were wondrous opportunities for creating new tools and industry in this otherwise seemingly barren civilization.
Narkissa gave the earth in front of her a healthy pat. It wouldn’t hurt to start trying there. Hopefully she wasn’t so unstable as to cause an earthquake, or something ridiculous as that.
Novak considered the fox girl's words. Perhaps she was right, this elder beast's thought processes could be fundamentally different from that of a human's. Such a possibility might be useful to remember if they were to attempt to reason with it. Her other suggestion, that someone else was riling up the animals and using the Kyrinth as an excuse, was also something to think about. It would be best to consult Misaki later and see if she had uncovered any information about the village's arrangement with the Kyrinth.
When he returned the bag to Bolcha and was offered a reward, Novak politely declined. "That isn't necessary, I was merely assisting with a mischievous animal." He was certainly tempted to take the reward, but it didn't feel right, not after everything Bolcha and the rest of the village had done for them. Novak had been given a second chance at life, and while he could not remember what he did right or wrong in the previous one, he wanted to do things right this time. This act might annoy the fox girl considering her implied materialism, but was his turn to have some amusement at her expense. If Bolcha insisted, however, Novak would take the reward, for he did not wish to insult his hosts.
After this was done with and he left the building, Novak turned back to the vulpine woman.
"Now that's over with, would you care to join us?" he proposed. "Myself and a few other outsiders intend to try and reverse the town's misfortune, and we could definitely use someone with your talents. I figure you might stand to gain from preserving the profitability of this village, and our accommodations will probably be more comfortable than that storage shed."
There was definitely some risk in attempting to recruit the aid of a stranger, especially an unscrupulous one, but it's not like Novak, Nobu, or Misaki had anything worth stealing. Additionally, someone with the skill set of a rogue or thief could be useful, especially if this person could shapeshift into an animal.
Whatever the fox girl's response, Novak would track down his companions and inquire if they had learned anything more about the Kyrinth, the village, and the deal between the two. Afterwards, he would ask Nobunaga if she would be willing to instruct him in swordsmanship in the near future. He needed to start acquiring useful skills if he wanted to make anything of himself in this world, and being able to fight would be a good start.
Initially, the forest was silent. Nothing but the leaves rustling lightly with the wind as Donovan set to work. It first seemed as though there wasn’t a reply to be had, and It would only be when Donovan moved to the third log would he finally receive a reply from the forest.
“...arrogance, as expected of humans.” The wind would reply. Though he could not see the deer, it was no doubt close by, just hidden among the trees and forest itself. “...yet even creatures such as I desire socialization, and it has been long since that child has been here.” A pause as Donovan continued to work, likely considering whether it wanted to bother with answering the questions. “...very well. Ask your questions, human, but I will make no promises to answer everything.”
The creature’s opening comment provoked a friendly chuckle from Donovan. "Aye, we do tend tah be an arrogant lot don't we?" As the man straightened himself, his cheery smile faded into a somber frown; pausing from his work as he stared into the trees. "Aye were hopin’ ya could elaborate bout’ th’ prophecy o’ sorts ya mentioned earlier. Is ‘what was drowned by the Moons tears’ connected to et? What’s supposed tah be imprisoned ere’? And is there any way to stop yer forest from gettin’ flooded?"
“Prophecy? Nay, history repeating. Humans desiring that which they should not, above all else.” The wind seemed heavy, as though the beast was sighing. “For creatures with a history of changing history, and independence of all Gods and Beasts...they can be surprisingly dependent. As for who they depend on...the one they have always served in that village. The One Who Illuminates. The Hag and the Old Man. The many faced, yet faceless God of Knowledge. They believe him gone, but he watches his experiments closely.” A cryptic reply as always, but at least this perhaps would set him on some sort of correct path. “But...as I am of the Earth, the mysteries of the Divine and their history before the earth woke from its slumber eludes me in their entirety.” It replied, the wind seeming to sigh in mild annoyance, carrying the salty scent of the sea. “I only know what the winds tell me. What the rumors they bring me from the human tales and tongues.”
There was a pause, the wind growing still, before Donovan would smell the salty scent of the sea as a gentle breeze carried it from the ocean.
“As such, I know not the particulars. Only that the humans say that, The Moon's tears, when she grieved for her slain family, flooded the ravaged lands, drowning the monstrosities that roamed and sending all to a deep slumber.” The wind stilled, a heavy, musty scent making it suddenly hard to breathe. “The nightmares of those days are not something this one has experienced, nor do I have a desire to. All I know are what the winds say, and I am told should they wake once more, the winds will cease blowing for eternity.” The wind seemed to still, almost fearful before blowing into an agitated gust of wind. “But to prevent it would mean to stop those who seek it, and leave none alive.” It continued bluntly. “They deserve what they sow.” A pause as Donovan would gather the next piece of wood. “...perhaps you could bargain with them, but trusting him and making deals with it inevitably end in misery for mortals while he sates his maddening curiosity. And do not ask for my aid, human. The forests will regrow, and the winds will continue to blow elsewhere.”
Donovan froze in place at this revelation. There was far more at stake than just the forest being flooded-- this mad god's obsession threatened to unleash apocalyptic horrors into the world at large. "That be damn grim indeed." the large man spoke gravely as he wiped a cold sweat from his brow, "Th' place tha moon dropped us… There were a large stone guardian patrollin' tha place… An' in the belly o' the prison, there were a demonic garden; massive in size, yet shackled tah it's prison..." Donovan drew his weapon and openly presented the emblem tied to its handle before the surrounding woods. "Aye alsuh found this there… Dunno what god were tied to that place; or this emblem ere, but does it have anythin' tah do with th' comin' storm? Were it one of th' Knowledge God's experiments? Or were it somethin' else?"
There was a pause. A moment's hesitation as the wind seemed to consider this information.
“A garden, you say?” The wind playfully rustled the leaves of the trees. “I can not say for certain. The wind occasionally brings words from the places that those of the Shadow dwell. Of a garden, where one of the few Immortals of the old world was laid to rest by the Sage Urumna before they ascended to be with the Moon, so their blood could bring life to the forests and plants once more.” A pause. “...but demonic, you say? The same that pup is from? Hm. Perhaps there is more to that tale than the winds tell. Nor do I know of this stone guardian you mention nor its connection with the Moon.”
The winds gently caressed the Emblem Donovan was holding.
“...That Emblem though...is a relic of a far older time than even the old world that was destroyed.” It replied. “I do not know. I only know that in the very oldest of places, I hear of an old, now forgotten Deity. I know not much else, but those emblems and motifs often are found in places connected to it. That particular one you carry...I can not say, but there’s a certain divine energy coming from it.”
Donovan rubbed his chin as he mulled over the elder beast’s response, old and wise as it was; wasn’t as knowledgeable as he’d hoped on the matter. If the seed was indeed related to this tale regarding the ‘old world’, perhaps the it’s destruction was unnecessary. Maybe, just maybe, there was something beneath that smooth black surface worth saving; something that could be redeemed. However hopeful he was to try and make the most of what tools were available, the man knew that such a notion as purifying the seed without destroying it was wishful thinking at best… But one could always hope.
Staring at the emblem held in his hands, Don conjured a small group of his workers with a gentle whistle, "You lot carreh this back to th’ camp, an’ stack et with tha’ rest." he spoke firmly, wasting no time in putting them to work before turning back toward the expanse of trees. "Thank ya fer yer wisdom..." the man’s voice paused for a moment, "Actualleh, there somethin aye should call ya? Don’t think yah ever gave meh yer name."
“I am the winds themselves.” The reply came after a moment. “The gentle breeze that carries the birds through the air. The furious winds that blow away even rock to dust. Upon my horns rest the sky, forever holding it out of the reach of the unworthy. My kin and humans named me as Kyrnith. ”
With that final word, the winds fell silent, blowing somewhere to the east and the beast left with it, having deemed it having spoken enough. Before long, several pairs of ethereal humanoids would emerge from the treeline followed closely by Donovan himself. Even as he drew near to the fire, it was as if the shadows themselves clung tightly to his stonelike expression. Even as his workers began to chop the logs into proper pieces of firewood, he did not speak-- instead opting to silently eat his share of boar meat. Once again he drew his hammer, and untied the emblem from it's handle; instead opting to fashion it into a form of necklace that he would then tuck under his shirt.
Sleep was going to be difficult to come by tonight.
Looking over to the hunters as they checked up on him, Malphas scratched his his head as he made a bit of an awkward smile, laughing off what had just occurred.
"I'm just figuring out what to eat in this massive buffet! There's so many choices here." Malphas chuckled, before beginning to partake, sliding the black stone away from view.
In truth, Malphas was quite shaken up by the turn of events. He surely was not a fan of something playing with his mind like that. He could still feel those claws digging into his wrist. Still, what an ominous message that was! Perhaps it is his new calling? Or perhaps it would lead to his damnation? Whatever it was, that hag knew of his ability, and Malphas needed answers.
For the night, however, Malphas would enjoy his share of soup, ensuring not to take too much of it. He is well aware that his greed was the cause of his downfall. Perhaps Malphas would even take the opportunity to... make arrangements with a beautiful huntress or a handsome enough huntsman for the night. It'd be nice to sleep in the warmth, and one of his teachings were to be fruitful and multiply. Plus, he'd wonder how this body fared.
Wherever Malphas found a bed to sleep in at night, he'd make sure to wake himself up a bit earlier than most, about as early as when the shops would open. The man had a long day ahead of him, and he needed to get the right equipment to do so! With his three silver pieces, Malphas would buy himself a nice fur or threaded cloak for traveling, as well as a quiver of arrows... whatever he could get with his spare change. As he did so, he would also looked around the village for that very same mark bestowed upon him. If there was nothing around, it's likely high time he'd set off on his own.
Traveling the wilderness can't be that hard, anyway...
Lazhira spent the next few minutes of the evening tidying up after the food and making sure nothing was too terribly out of place. As much as she could, however. Having to make good on her promise of whacking people with a soup ladle slowed things down a bit, but overall things were nice and tidy again fairly soon.
It was just as she had finished that Leannah made her own offer.
“Eh? Really? Some to teach me? Well, I’m always up for learning something!” She grinned. “Sure, I can help...er, try to anyways!”
The following practice proved both useful as well as somewhat more enlightening upon her situation. Attempts to make a light proved just as somewhat hazardous as before. It seemed like every time she did anything, she’d somehow put just a little more into it than she’d need to and cause another explosion like before, or just simply fizzling out ineffectively.
What this meant Lazhira couldn’t say. She did help where she could, but while Lazhira could help some, she wasn’t particularly skilled herself it seemed, only able to do small tricks and other small feats such as a floating light or small flicker of harmless fireworks. Eventually however, Leannah would learn a bit more ‘control’. They couldn’t exactly pinpoint the cause of the rather explosive nature of her issue, but that just meant she needed to try and control it a bit more, and with a bit of help from Lazhira in controlling it internally, she finally managed progress.
By the end, Leannah had managed to make a small sphere of light not dissimilar to Misaki’s, though it still kept a more sun-like appearance.
Ability gained: Sunlight (Lesser/Restricted): A skill in which denotes one as being able to cast basic ‘Light’ spells with minor ease. This ability however, has been modified by ‘Suns Disciple’. Spells cast from this family of spells will typically take a form befitting that of the Sun Goddess. Light spells typically are those of healing, restraint, and help. Yours however, take the shape of a burning sun in some fashion.
Something is preventing you from fully using this ability and causing them to be less effective and unstable.
Seemingly satisfied with teaching Leannah once she seemingly succeeded, Lazhira then accepted Leannah’s offer of tutelage of something herself. The girl however, was not prepared for the physical activity that martial arts required. While she eagerly accepted being taught at first, it was soon incredibly clear Lazhira did not have the body or physical ability for martial arts. Tripping and rather clumsily following Leannah’s instruction. Still, she seemed to at least pick up on theories and the general ideas Leannah was giving her for it she just needed to train physically. She even wanted a light spar with Leannah towards the end.
Having to teach someone and even a light, friendly spar against a complete novice at least seemed to help Leannah stay on top of her form, too.
Misaki’s own experiments would prove similarly fruitful. Fire seemed easy enough - all she had to do was force a bit more energy into her ‘light’ spell and she’d achieve a small flame. Stone was also easy enough, if somewhat more rigid-feeling to work with. While she couldn’t create stone from nothing she could seemingly manipulate the ground beneath her feet with some effort by putting her energy into it, then directing it out in a way she desired it to move. She couldn’t do very much with it yet, at most making a pebble move or create a small earthen mound. Water would for now at least, prove similarly difficult. She couldn’t seem to just create it from nothing for now, but she would find that if she tried using it on the snow that littered the ground, she could at least extract some water from it, but controlling it was difficult. Unlike earth, it was far too slippery in comparison causing her to repeatedly lose any attempts she had at holding it.
Perhaps she just needed a ‘firmer’ grip?
The supposed electricity would be by far the hardest. How would she even go around trying to attempt making it? Electricity at its core, is a natural force of the world stemming from Electromagnetism. Even attempting to make ‘static electricity’ proved to be useless. Perhaps she just needed a stronger source of power to work with to start? Either way, it seemed plausible she could, she just hadn’t quite figured out how to do it yet.
Even if that one proved unsuccessful, being able to expand her repertoire even slightly seemed like it gave her a bit of a better ‘feel’ for magic in general.
Ability Gained: Magic Sense (lesser) All those who practice it can sense its presence. Elemental magic at its core, is sensing and manipulating the natural world, imposing ones will over it. Only those of an iron will and sharp mind can manipulate it perfectly. While nothing flashy, this ability will allow you to sense magic, better understand how to manipulate it, and gain an inherent understanding of what it does, if not the specifics, even in other people so long as they are not actively trying to hide it from you.
Her experiments left her slightly tired, but not completely drained. Surprisingly, if she met with Lazhira again, she’d feel like the girl's magical potential was significantly higher than she was letting on.
Narkissa’s experiment would prove a bit less fruitful than her companions. While she certainly, perhaps had theory down, perhaps an overall more practical application may be needed to gain any progress. Not that it wasn’t all for naught. As she turned attention to the earth, placing a hand on it as she meditated, something...happened.
Briefly, for a moment, she felt like she could tell that Leannah was currently beating up Lazhira in a friendly sparring match only to end In a rather humorous display of Lazhira tripping over her feet and face planting right into the cat girls chest.
...what?
Another attempt would prove similarly as useful if she care to try doing it. While perhaps less impressive than Misaki’s
Ability Gained: Earth Sense (lesser) An ability developed by attempting to ‘feel’ the earth. By spreading your mana into the ground, you can feel vibrations around the earth and get a rough sense for anything on the ground. Its not very strong or accurate currently, and has a rough range of ten meters around you. You’d need to actively apply this skill for it to take effect.
Once all of their training was finished, or they simply decided to call it a night Lazhira would have done her best to make a bed for all of them if they desired to crash at her place. It was a little cramped, considering things but she also said she’d not mind sharing a bed or letting the others have it if they wanted.
Regardless, everyone had a decent enough place to rest for the evening if they desired as the moon slowly peered into view, banishing the light from the world.
After at least a passable meal of boar, the group was finally ready for rest after an admittedly long and tiring day. A friendly conversation. A plan of action was made, and theorizing about the future, but eventually rest came to an end and the two decided to practice before they dozed off for the evening.
Augusta decided to play with fire a bit more. By now fire came relatively easy, if not second nature quite yet. Using the logs as target practice, if nothing else helped with the aim of her fireballs...though this amount of practice didn’t feel quite as efficient as it had back in the prison. It certainly felt tiring to use, but as far as developing things, she’d maybe need to be a little more creative with how she approached using it.
Isidore instead went with a more internal approach. Sitting near the fire, he turned his focus, attention, and fire inwards. The energy flowing within was easy to feel now. Through his veins. Through his exhausted body. Perhaps he’d have done better to rest a bit, but rest could come later. His body was a furnace, his soul the embers to ignite the furnace into a raging fire.
Turning the fire inward certainly helped stave off the cold. He could feel his body warming up slowly as he maintained this thought and image. The more he maintained this state, the more his body loosened up from the stress of the day, fatigue giving way to warmth and sweat on his brow. If one were to take a thermometer, they’d find he’d have a dangerously high temperature, but he would otherwise feel fine.
Next, he tried to move that energy into another form. His lungs - a bellow to which connect to the wind. It seemed a little more difficult to grasp the air than his initial ability to manipulate fire. Rather comically, the first time he attempted this for the night when he exhaled - a gout of fire escaped through his nose, lightly singing his clothes.
Aside from that first mishap, however, while he felt like he was on the verge of something, it eluded him for the most part. Perhaps more use of this skill may give him something a bit more concrete.
Item Gained: Serpent Star Necklace. A necklace fashioned out of an old badge you picked up in the Prison. Rough, but well made considering it was made without many proper tools.
Donovan spent his time doing a light workout, making sure to work out his entire body as night fell. A good idea, to remain in shape and stretching to work out the stress of the days events, but overall his body didn’t seem like such a routine would help anything but maintain his current level of strength. Still, his body would thank him for the light work out eventually should he keep it up.
More importantly however, was the emblem. Even more mysterious now than it was before, if the Kyrnith was correct. A God so ancient that it no longer had a name. Perhaps he should give it one? He couldn’t just keep calling it ‘nameless’, now could it? Perhaps it wasn’t important though. He held the badge in his hand, attempting to ‘feel’ more of the Divine energy radiating from it, connecting his own spirit and thoughts to it and whatever God this may be.
It was surprisingly difficult, however. Giving him a deeper connection to the God didn’t seem as easy as just willing it to be like magic. What else was missing? It almost seemed like his attempts at this would prove futile. At least, until he almost thought he heard something.
“....”
An unintelligible whisper from the crackling fire snapped him from his training. It wasn’t his ears playing a trick on him was it? It was then, he’d have noticed something felt odd. Perhaps it was just a trick of his mind as the whisper was, but he had been trying that for what seemed a good while, lost in thought and attempting to eek out more secrets of the badge, yet...the Moon seemed to be exactly the same position it was when he started. Did he just lose track of time? Or...
He looked over to Octavia, who was sitting happily next to Augusta. This was a more simple task it seemed. Even just looking at Octavia just made him feel...uneasy. Wrong. As though her existence just shouldn’t be. Trying to move further away from the pup, Donovan’s sense of unease began to fade, eventually becoming nonexistent by ten feet. Not a very long range to be sure, and he already knew what Octavia was and the pup wasn’t even trying to hide it.
Further advancement in trying to sense her seemed ineffective.
Nicholas however, decided to spend the rest of the night resting under the stars. As he did rest, something...odd happened. A star, twinkling brightly to the south would catch his attention. Normally, such a thing might not even be considered odd, but...something about it caught his attention. It wasn’t anything more than a ‘huh, that’s weird’, but could there have possibly been more to it?
...no, that was silly, but if he took his Goddess given ability into account, perhaps this was something he should trust? What would that even mean?
Regardless, eventually night would come. The Blue and Grey moons watching over everyone from their lofty thrones in the sky.
Bolcha, did not press the issue with the reward. He seemed a little bemused by the fact he’d refuse it, but didn’t seem like he felt particularly insulted. The same could be said of the fox woman. She flicked her tail curiously as he rejected the money, but ultimately said nothing. It wasn’t her money to collect after all.
“Well aren’t you being hospitable.” She replied. “But I, ah, have my own accommodations for the evening...and I’m not particularly interested in getting caught up in whatever is happening here. Better to cut my losses and move somewhere else, isn’t it?” She stretched one of her ears twitching. “If by some chance you find yourself in the northern Chagawa territory, we might run into each other again fufu.”
She then walked off, heading for the outskirts of the village and leaving Novak there without so much as giving her name. He wouldn’t have much of a hard time finding his companions as evening fell, and Lazhira would also offer her home up to him if he wanted too, though Enli’s offer of lodging with him was likely just as open still.
Shaken by the Hag’s words, Malphas would turn to the soup and other food offered by the hunters. Fish and fruit, mostly, with only a handful of other meats available though most had already been snatched it seemed by the more esteemed hunters. Just who was the hag? And what was that stone he had been given. Obviously they were far different than they let on, but what sort of being had the ability to mess with minds as such?
The rest of his night would pass fairly uneventfully. It wasn’t too hard for him to find a willing partner for the night - especially among the more lightly inebriated of the hunters should he desire, and thus also secure lodging for the evening. Whether or not said partner were open to whatever teachings Malphas touted, remained to be seen, however.
...And so night fell, the Moon watching as silently as always...
Location: ?????
It was quiet.
The cries of the forsaken experiments had fallen silent in the aftermath. Not even the old stone guardian moved any longer. Its functions ceased, old bones no longer able to move its massive frame after the assault from the plant. A massive hole now marred the surface of the island, revealing the garden that had existed beneath its ancient stone.
Yet it too remained still, as it should be. This place where the sun never rose, yet darkness never fell upon should have ceased moving ages ago, yet the Wrath of the Moon wasn’t so easily quenched to let it return to nothing so easily. Even if they all perished, they would never leave this place. The sea would be their eventual fate, with the other creatures that lurked, imprisoned within its depths.
A lone figure moved among the ruins, coming from the direction of the outcropping that gave the best view of the tower in the distance. Down the path they walked, towards the hole where the sins and triumphs of the past lay. A quiet sigh escaped their lips as they peered over the edge into the garden below.
How long had it been since they had stepped foot here? Dull grey eyes shifted their gaze towards the twin Blue and Grey colored moons, seemingly with a mild sense of longing before it returned its gaze towards the task at hand. They stepped off the edge, feet hovering over nothing, threatening to fall over the edge into the pit below. The earth, however, moved to accommodate them.
Blue sparks of energy shot from the earth, forming large, but uneven earthen steps every time they moved forward. A staircase of stone led them down into the pit, seemingly without even them having to think until soon they had reached the stone soldier’s seeming grave.
“...hm...” A pale hand was placed upon the things' side. “...minimal functions enabled...life support failing...Moon Cells...irreparable. Visual sensors completely damaged...hah, you were relying purely on the Soul Sense, weren’t you? Hmph...ah...still alive, though. Lets see...” Another spark of electrical energy ran along the body of the stone soldier, crackling and running along its body until-
ker-chck
hissss
A loud, mechanical grinding noise as some mechanism seemingly was released. The chestplate of the beast split open, bright blue colored fluid pouring from the crack as some motor seemingly malfunctioned.
“Hm...” Still keeping their hand on it, another flow of electricity was sent towards the soldiers chest. As soon as it met the stone plates, both were violently ejected and sent flying somewhere else in the garden - along with a very human sized and shaped object covered in numerous bandages almost making them look as though they were an emaciated mummy. The cloaked figure quickly rushed over, rolling them onto their back and placing a hand on his chest.
“Muscles severely atrophied. Loss of vision. A hundred or so broken bones. Probably not my fault. Hm. Internal bleeding, collapsed lung. Liver is no longer functional. Heart barely working...ah. Brain is still active. Good. All within expectations.”
Breathing in, the figure placed their hands together, and then placed their hands once more upon the dark-skinned human chest. More blue energy. The body convulsed violently.
He sputtered to life, a fit of violent coughing as a hand shot upward, attempting to grasp at something invisible. The figure took it in theirs, firmly grasping it as their gaze met the man's panicked one as consciousness was briefly restored.
“Heart working normally. Liver restored. Bones mended...hm, likely some loss of memory and slight personality changes but it should be fine.” The cloaked figure knelt next to them, gently laying their head upon their lap. A soft smile. “Rest, my old friend.”
“Ah, how sweet a reunion...I almost feel bad for interrupting.” The sound of someone eating, the jarring crunch of a bone.
“Oh, you’re alive and well. I should have burned you when I had the chance I see. Suppose you used the energy from this thing to revitalize yourself.” From the shadows of within the cavern, what appeared to be a woman walked into view. Upon first inspection most would probably find her impossibly beautiful - yet her eyes, red as rubies seemed to instill one with a subtle fear and unease. In her hand, was the leg of one of the experiments. What seemed to be bite marks had ripped flesh from it.
“Haaa, being imprisoned as a plant for a millenia will give you suuuuuch a crick in the neck!~” She chuckled, rubbing, stretching her neck as a few audible cracks were heard. Her voice was just as honeyed as the saccharine smell coming from her. “Don’t underestimate me, my little Sage. I can’t do fancy magic tricks like you, but when it comes to surviving, I’m the best.”
“Unfortunately.” The Sage scoffed. “Do you have a reason to show yourself? Or are you here to merely irritate me?”
“Haaa, age has not been kind to you has it? You were juuuust starting to let loose when this whole debacle happened. Look at you. Maybe I need to give you a taste of my body again, keheh-guh!” An earthen pillar rose abruptly from the ground, hitting the woman in the abdomen and sending her flying a few feet. “I doth...think the lady...protest too much...geh...”
“I see that mouth of yours hasn't changed a bit.” The lady in question replied with a sigh.
“What can I say...nnngh, I love the way I am.” She laughed, getting back to her feet. “Well, don’t worry. I won’t be bothering you much longer. I don’t intend to stay here in this graveyard.”
“And where do you intend to go, hm? Out of respect for our...past working together, I won’t stop you. For now.”
“The old Capitol. See how many of those boring idiots managed to survive until now. Not like it’ll matter if they did. I might just eat them anyways. I am soooo very hungry...I need to have a little feast, fufufu.”
“Well...you know the way out. Just stay out of my business. I have enough work as it is cleaning up after Ithi’s new playthings.”
“You’ll at least let me play with her new toys will you? I haaaave to thank them for helping me out of my little predicament after all. They gave me such a nice opportunity.” The other woman slowly ran a hand along the severed leg in her grip.
“Do as you will. They’re hers, not mine. She’d probably find it amusing if you got involved so if nothing else I won’t have to entertain her for a while.” She grunted, seemingly not too pleased with the thought before her gaze shifted towards the ground, a softer tone as she continued. “And...for what its worth...I’m sorry, Ev-”
“Hahahahaha, don’t worry your pretty eyes over it. Sage.” She chuckled. “We both knew what was going to happen. I appreciate you trying, I do...but lets not talk of such boring things on our reunion, hm? I’ll just...make my fun elsewhere, fufufu! Maybe the Gods will finally take pity on a little demon.” The figure exhaled, laying a hand gently upon the head of the sleeping man in their lap as the woman disappeared into the depths of the facility.
The world was starting to move again. She could see it, the flow of fate and the hints of futures to come. How troublesome.
She cast their gaze back towards the moon.
Never a day of rest, for those beloved by the Moon.
Those who decided to bunk with Lazhira would find themselves having a peaceful rest, despite the slightly cramped quarters. When morning came though, the girl herself seemed nowhere to be found, though a batch of freshly cut vegetables and of course, more fish were laid out on the table whenever they did decide to wake.
This left them with more or less the day to themselves to decide what to do. Some of them had already offered to help this village with their problems, so looking into that may prove fruitful. Lazhira also said something about a temple within the forest she’d guide them to...but that’d require finding her. They could always try just leaving too - surely there were other villages out there.
Regardless of their choice, whoever was out first would be met with a fairly lively scene. A number of people were gathered near the northern end of the village. Seemed like the trader that had been mentioned once or twice had arrived and had set up shop. Perhaps that might be where Lazhira is?
The fire had thankfully been kept burning through the night, keeping them more or less warm despite the lack of proper shelter or bedding. Still, doing that repeatedly may not be the best of ideas in the end. The night had been peaceful, too, Octavia having curled up by Augusta when she had gone to bed, though would also alternate between whoever was keeping watch and taking intermittent naps herself.
The party wouldn’t be woken by daylight, rather, in the distance a loud crack of thunder would wake all from their dreams. Perhaps it’d startle them, or they’d pay it no mind, but the source of it would be easy to find. In the distance, south across the plains and hovering over the mountains, angry grey storm clouds were gathering. No rain was falling, but it seemed as though the clouds were sparking with lightning and a few lightning bolts could be seen crashing to the earth even from here. Seemed as though if they intended to travel in that direction, they may have to deal with a storm.
Still, that was some distance away. Perhaps they would choose to travel in the opposite direction now.
Thankfully for Malphas as he stepped into the morning air, he’d find quite a buzz of people. It seemed as though they were all congregating around a group of people in the northern part of the city. A large leather tent had been erected, and in front of it various desks and a number of wares had been set up.
...as well as a number of heavily armed, stoic looking people in armor that perhaps would remind Malphas of samurai of some sort. It wasn’t too hard for him to pick up what was going on. A trader seemingly had arrived overnight - a certain black haired, fluffy tailed foxy trader. Seemed most of the normal shops were closed now, and most of the people were here.
He could likely find what he wanted here as well however. It seemed as though she had a number of items available in the domestic department - most in the department of grains, easily kept vegetables and food. Leather, tools. However...for the moment it seemed like the crowd was mildly upset about something despite some other simply going about their business.
“Swindled you?” The fox huffed with a mildly mischievous tone. “How rude. I’d never swindle my good customers. What do you take me for? One of my sisters? I’ll have you know what I sold you last time was the purest quality metal I could get my hands on, and that was not a lie.” The man arguing with her seemed to take a step forward before one of the armed men quickly pushed him aside.
He left with a curse.
“Sorry about that folks. Some people...I assure you, as usual, my goods here are entirely legitimate.”
Donovan climbed to his feet with a mighty yawn. Sleep had been hard to come by for him last night; if the bags uder his eyes were anything to go by.
After eating a small bit of last night's leftovers, he cupped a bit of clean snow in his hands, melted it over the fire, and wet his throat. Watching the first light of dawn grace the unmarred natural beauty of the land was truly a sight to behold, at least until the man's eyes caught view of Octavia. The relatively tame nature of the 'pup' had allowed him to overlook it's underlying nature for some time, but it seemed the sense of revulsion that he'd acquired the night before still lingered... The effect seemed permanent.
Don shook his head as he stepped away from the fireside for a moment. A name had come to him during the long hours of the night, something to address the deity that had chosen to bless him by. The man knelt in prayer, facing the direction they had first come from, the emblem of his necklace held gently in his right hand. "Ye who have blessed meh with th' power to protect meself, and those around meh-- I thank yeh. I know not tha names ya once went by in ages long past, but I've decided on what I'll call yah. Great ancient of tha' serpent and star, I dub yeh Suthainn, and hope that ye will continue tah watch over us lot through whatever is tah come." he paused for a moment before uttering his final word, "Amen."
Returning to the others, Donovan cleared his throat. "There's a village north uh here where we can get some supplies an maps if the lot o ya are interested... Besides-- tha deer asked a favor of meh so aye gotta head there anyhow. But," he paused, and looked towards Isidore, "If yer still keen on headin' south, an' the storm don't dissuade ya none, then aye'd like tah discuss tha seed we took... Because as it is, I fer one ain't too comfortable with a pocket sized demon factory roamin about th' countryside... I'd like tah purify it, if ye'd let meh."
Upon the crack of thunder, Isidore opened his eyes. A night's sleep with no shelter and hardly any bedding, exposed to the elements if not for the stubborn embers of the firepit...and his body didn't ache? Certainly, it was a miraculous situation. Reminded him of the days where he could eat trash and still be ready to work out at that humid basement the boys called 'the Gym'. Sitting up, the dark-haired youth closed his eyes once more, grasping onto that sensation of warmth spreading through his body again. His heart pumped blood to his extremities, steam rising from his form as the last vestiges of the night were chased away and the snow around him melted to water, then heated up into wisps of steam.
He chewed on the ash-covered remains of the boar, minding neither the bitter taste nor the lukewarm heat. The mountains south were shrouded in thunderclouds, bursts of lightning visible even as far as the forest they were currently in. A winter's storm, ill-equipped as they were, was suicidal under normal circumstances, and Isidore had not yet the opportunity to truly understand the limits of his current body. Mayhaps with his self-heating capabilities, he could venture through a lightning-hurling blizzard. Mayhaps his energy would simply run out and his body would only be found after the spring melt. The man's eyes settled upon Augusta's own as Donovan prayed to a once-nameless god, his eyes narrowing slightly, but it was only after Donovan addressed the rest of the group that Isidore acted.
"Mountainous traversal necessitates proper equipment. North is fine."
If there hadn't been a village to procure supplies from, Isidore would have pressed on southwards, storm or not. At worst, they could camp at the base of the mountain, after all. But seeing how the deer had only offered an incomplete answer, he was willing to detour for better chances in the future. Shaking the ice off the chains and brushing the damp off his arming sword, Isidore turned to the others, sweeping from Octavia, to Augusta, before resting on Nicholas.
Nobunaga felt considerably better waking up this time then she had her previous morning in this world. Though, to be frank, waking up hacking up some strange liquid would be worse then most mornings.
The black-haired, small girl stretched. She had removed her jacket, leaving herself in just the undershirt and pants, and buried herself in some remarkably warm and silky furs.
Nobunaga stretched with a yawn.
Ah, that really had felt remarkably good. This body's inherent youthfulness had allowed her to become more well-rested, perhaps?
She looked down at her hands.
The previous night had been spent, once everyone else had fallen asleep, discussing the matter of Misaki's Japan. The Japan of the 'modern world', so to speak. Nobunaga had gathered a wealth of valuable information on the governing practices of the futures, the technologies of the future.
There were quite useful.
Nobunaga intended to put them into practice.
But there was plenty of work that had to be done before she could even begin considering that, and the first order of business would be to deal with this elder beast.
Quite literally. Nobunaga's plan had not altered, she intended to negotiate with the beast all the same.
As she continued to experiment with her newfound abilities, the arrival of one of the other guests—not the exploding catgirl, luckily enough—caused Misaki to pause for a moment before nodding in response to their request. The company of the young woman who had accosted her earlier that day was, while unexpected, not wholly unwelcome. Though complete concentration to probe into the inner workings of magic might have been 'optimal', being aware of someone chasing after a similar goal meant that she had a reason to at least push herself further. She was already conscious of how much of a burden she would end up if she didn't at least pick up her slack, and as much as she wanted to explore the depths of that 'gift' that the goddess had given her, the acquisition of at least some combat or field utility had to come first.
At the very least, though, by the end of her tests, magic made at least a bit more sense to her; it wasn't anything groundbreaking by any means (at least, not by the standards of isekai in her eyes), but even that steady progress was more than she was hoping for.
The night, for the most part, had gone without incident. With the two new arrivals apparently sleeping in Lazirha's house with them, Misaki found it prudent to simply speak in Japanese when prompted by the warlord at her side. It was more than likely that they might be able to recognize the language itself, but to see if they could understand what they were saying...
Well, it'd be impressive if they could, but who knew where their origins and past studies lay?
Misaki woke up with a yawn and a slight stretch, glancing around for a moment before dragging herself to her feet. Though this body was by no means less physically fit than her old one, getting used to it in its entirety would definitely take a while. She had ignored the problem until now, but that didn't mean it had gone away entirely.
Of course, the first order of business right now was to secure supplies before a foray into the forest; other than food, though, that really just meant 'find Lazirha and get directions to not get lost'.
"Morning..." she called out, almost by instinct, as she walked over to the table and glanced at the food laid out. Assuming it was for them was logical, but just to be safe, Misaki chose to take a single slice of fruit and eat that in lieu of a proper meal.
They could get something heartier once they were out and about, after all.
Heh. To see Lazhira attempt to stumble through the steps at first, it reminded her of her first martial arts class in her former life. It was endearing, in a way, and brought a genuine smile to the catgirl's face. Of course all the other girl needed to do was practice and gain the physicality to really make use of it. Even the basics and some physical training would suffice more than nothing if the human girl needed to defend herself. Hell, even she got some practice to stay in-shape as well. Even after all that magic practice, and finally achieving something minute at least, it all felt...relaxing, even as the scholar challenged her to a light spar at the end of it all. Though simply to have an associate like Narkissa at the moment, and the company of a friendly local, all of it amounted to something Leannah felt was a good start.
No drowning in alien science magic liquid stuff. No dueling a giant stone guardian in a big prison. It was a relief, and more ironically perhaps the best she'd slept in a long time that night.
Though just a bit after the very first morning beams would crack over the horizon, Leannah found herself rousing and before the others awoke. Early training was the name of her game, both in magic and frankly martial arts, in order to hone and further rouse her mental and physical faculties. But right before she would go straight into eating a couple of fish and eat a simple portion of the cut veggies. Not enough to take it all, just enough for one person and leaving more than plenty for Lazhira and the rest. That, and her feline senses seemed to take well to the idea of some fresh fish in the morning to kick off the day after some morning exercise and training.
She would then head out a distance from Lazhira's house and away from it, simply trying to go through the normal morning routines and taking things out on some trees to a reasonable extent, though by the time she got back to the house and morning was in full swing the others seemed to be waking up. Lazhira, however, was still very much gone. Likewise, from her spot in the doorway, Leannah simply gave a casual friendly wave in response to the fox girl's sleepy call of 'Morning'.
"Anyone seen Lazhira yet?" Leannah said to the others, her eyes briefly scanning over the other three as she leaned on the doorframe in a relaxed manner.
The morning was rather slow. Really. After a bit of practice the night before she went right to bed and woke up for her shift of night watch which also happened to be last one. Augusta was awake when the loud crack of thunder sounded through the air. Oddly, it was somewhat refreshing. Perhaps amongst everything here that seemed so surreal, thunder and lightning was a nostalgic sound. Well, it was nostalgic until... Well, the storm there... Across the plain. It was unnatural. Still, something about it seemed... Telling. Interesting? "Hmm. What do you think Octavia? Seems interesting, doesn't it?"
Hmm, well, the others seemed awake now. Good. It meant that they could get a move on early. The elf went about feeding herself and hydrating herself, following Donovan's example. She watched Donovan after eating, keeping the words Isidore told her in mind the whole while. His religious fervor was... Distasteful. She was truly starting to wonder if his religion would be a pain in her side. Then, the holy man started speaking of their course. At first, he made some sense. If there was a storm, perhaps they needed to gather some supplies first. It was cold. "Hmmm. Fair points."
Then, he made a suggestion that Augusta was not a fan of. Destroying the seed. "No, we cannot damage that. First, I wish to know it's nature through study. How can one fight a force one has no understanding of?" She had to ask. Of course, she had no plans for this to cause harm. At least, not outside a controlled environment. Nor did she particular care to learn the weaknesses of such a thing. Rather, she wondered if there was a use that she might be able to control this. Either way, she did technically promise an giant almost eldritch being that they would take care of this, and she for one was not going to irritate an eldritch being. Perhaps she should mention it... "And besides, should you 'purify' it, who knows what backlash that might have on us."
Still, she really didn't think she wanted to stay with Donovan. If he felt that way about the seed, perhaps he'd do the same to Octavia. No, if Donovan was heading north, perhaps she should take her demon dog and head the opposite direction. "No, rather, I believe I should say... I'm heading south still even if it's just with Octavia. There doesn't seem to be rain there so it should be mostly fine. I won't let the cold dissuade me. The lightning feels like a sign to me. Plus, I'm interested in non-human races as well."
Malphas grinned at his night well spent. As much of a man of faith that he was, the only teachings from a book of faith he taught that night were from a certain ancient Indian text. It was pleasant that the goddess had given Malphas such a flexible body, something he would take more advantage of for the days to come. The night before had filled Malphas with a new confidence that he could easily pick up archery, among other talents he wished to pursue.
Today, however, Malphas was focused on shopping and haggling, a skill he had already perfected in the modern world. It was a better use of his silver tongue than whatever he had done last night, after all. His goal was only to get some goods and leave for this strange temple henceforth, but it seemed that he had woken up too early. Rather than a bustling marketplace, he would instead encounter a peculiar shop of sorts surrounded by what resembled ancient soldiers of the far east. Malphas wondered if such warriors also came from the eastern portion of the land. It was a funny thought, for sure!
With no other options, Malphas made his way into the tent, wary of the argument between a customer and what seemed to be the proprietor of this business. Another girl with fox ears? She looked... familiar. Malphas can't quite put his finger on just where he might have seen her before, but he shrugged it off nonetheless. If it was important, then he'd remember, after all. Ah well, she seemed amicable enough. Perhaps she'd cut him a deal! Or perhaps she was worldly enough to know what the symbol on that stone was.
In any case, Malphas browsed for now. If there were samurai, perhaps there would also be katanas? Malphas was tempted to trade in his two weapons for such a masterpiece... he owned about five Japanese swords in his past time, after all! At the same time, to practice swordsmanship when he could just as easily utilize a sturdy enough bow... It did not seem like a good return on investment to do such a thing. So instead, he looked for a quiver of arrows, a set of robes to replace this unsightly starter garb, and perhaps some non-perishables, if his three silver would suffice?
And he would also ask about the symbol of this stone once his purchases were complete.
"Excuse me! How much for this and that?" Malphas asked, pointing at the goods he wished to procure. "Ah... if it's more than five silver in total, perhaps we could work out a deal?" Always aim higher than what you have.
Novak awoke from what was fortunately an uneventful night, having slept fairly well considering how unfamiliar his surrounding were. On the other hand, it wasn't like he could remember what constituted "familiar" to him. He had ended up choosing to take up Enli's offer of lodging rather than join his companions with Lazirha's dwelling, which was already cramped enough. It wasn't just Lazihra and Novak's two companions either- it seemed that Nobunaga and Misaki had joined up with some more of the goddess' chosen, specifically a cat-girl and an albino woman. Just how many people did the goddess bring to this world, he wondered.
After dressing himself, Novak headed outside to see if his companions were up and about, and to look for the prospect of getting some breakfast. Because he had turned down Bolcha's offer of payment, he himself had no money and for now would probably have to rely on Lazirha's hospitality to stay fed. As he headed to Lazirha's home, however, he noticed the congregation that had formed at one end of the town. Novak's curiosity got the best of him and he decided to first check it out. It looked like a tent was set up, perhaps it was the trader that Lazirha mentioned. Admittedly, Novak wouldn't exactly be able to buy anything, but he at least wanted to see what was going on, and what sort of things were on display.
The skillseeker trotted up to the tent, where several guards clad in foreign-looking armor- probably the merchant's hired guards- stood distinct from the crowd around them. There were a few stalls, but Novak couldn't see what was being peddled. He weaved through the congregation to get a closer look, but when he drew near, he was greeted by a most surprising sight. The merchant peddling these goods appeared to be none other than the fox woman whom he had met yesterday, currently being addressed by the white-haired man from yesterday.
So that's what she meant by "I'm a bit ahead of schedule," he thought. At least, that's what it seemed like. She seemed...different than yesterday, no longer reeking of alcohol or fish, no longer inebriated-looking, and...well it seemed rather odd to envision the fluffy-tailed thief from yesterday as a well-off merchant. Perhaps he could ask Bolcha, he seemed to have been familiar with her. For now, however, he'd content himself with quietly browsing the wares, curious to see if the fox-girl would recognize or acknowledge him.
Did he ever see her yesterday, or did he leave before getting a peek into the shed?.
Narkissa could perhaps taken a more proactive attitude towards experiencing and learning magic, after the incident with Leannah she had become far more cautious towards what she’d try, at least initially. Even if it meant that she’d be learning somewhat slower than the rest of them, it’d likely be worth it. Rome (or London) wasn’t built in a day, after all.
Either way, it seemed like molesting the earth with the palm of her hand actually did pay off dividends. It certainly felt strange, but for a brief moment, it felt like she was watching an embarrassing sparring match between the two girls still in the house. It was a feeling that was strange and bizarre enough that it jerked her out of her meditation, but on trying it again, it seemed like by partially integrating her mana into the earth around her, she could get some sort of extra sense. Like a third sight, maybe?
How strange. But if she could do something similar with water and the wind, then what sort of opportunities awaited her at sea?
Narkissa felt like that was enough progress for the night, though, and decided that it was probably for the best to turn in for the first night in this new world. Lazhira had graciously prepared sleeping quarters for them in her house, and with all of them being women and none of them being Malphas, it seemed all of them would be sleeping relatively soundly for the night.
-
She had been quite exhausted by the whole experience, even with a new body, and it seemed like Narkissa was the last to wake up, and groggily, at that. Awoken by the sounds of everybody moving about, when she was up, she gave a sleepy “Good morning,” to anybody that greeted her. The sight of food finally awakened her, and when she’d finally had her fill of fish and vegetables, the fact that Lazhira was not around also dawned on her.
“I haven’t,” she responded, when Leannah asked, and decided to step outside to have a look. There seemed to be quite the flurry of activity in the northern part of the village though, and that was what Narkissa pointed out. “Maybe she’s there? Feels like a market or somesuch. Let’s have a look, shall we?”
Donovan's brow raised slightly at Isidore's outright avoidance of the question. He'd honestly half expected the man to refuse outright. Augusta's more vocal refusal however, was just as he'd thought it would be. The man sighed as he shook his head. He knew that there was little chance to convince the others of dealing with the seed to begin with, but he'd pointlessly hoped that they wouldn't be that hasty to take up rearing a demon factory. Even if the reasoning Augusta argued at first glance was certainly reasonable, her earlier outburst in the prison led him to believe there was more to it than that. As much as he wanted to pretend he didn't notice, he couldn't help but feel like there was an ulterior motive.
"Well lass--" Don spoke, clearing his throat, "Aye never said that purifyin' tha seed would destroy et. Hell, may even change intah somethin new fer all we know... Besides, don't yer gift tell ya everythin bout stuff when ya use it?" he then turned, gesturing in the from whence they first came, "An' if yer worried bout' momma demon comin back fer vengence; assumin it ain't alreadeh dead... Alls weh gotta do is destroy th' path weh took tah get here."
Donovan gazed at the ascending sun with squinted eyes, shaking his head once more as he took hold of his armaments.
"But..."
He turned toward the others slowly, fixing a stern gaze on the small group of near-strangers.
"I ain't gonna waste breath arguin' with you lot. Aye got work tah do-- and little time tah do et... Stay safe, the lot o yah. An' whatever yah do, don't trust th' damn demons."
Even if they decided to leave the house, Lazhira seemed to be absent. The village however, was much livelier than it was yesterday. Whatever was going on in the northern part of it seemed to have everyone in a good mood. More uniquely would be a handful of other people mixed in with the villagers, wearing garb that might be familiar to both Nobunaga and Misaki.
However, one even stood out among them as those outside may see.
A tall woman, dressed in light garb with plates of armor, two blades resting at her side. Her clothes however, were not the most striking feature - rather, it was the two, long, pointed horns protruding from her forehead and the rather macabre mask. A Noh, mask, as a few in the party may recognize, was completely obscuring her facial features.
She quietly observed the group, almost seeming to say something before tilting her head to the right.
“Heeeeey!~”
Lazahira’s familiar voice would pop into existence, the source of it coming from some distance away. The masked woman observed a second longer before walking to the nearby shore, silently observing the waves.
“Ha...ha...” Lazhira panted, sweating lightly as she tried to catch her breath. “Sorry...I was with Enli. He was trying to tell me the same thing about the villages history again.” The village girl stood up straight, pouting. “No worries though! I managed to get away, ehehe~! Uhm...I know I said I'd take you guys to the temple, but we could see what Lady Mie has, too." She glanced off to the side with a mildly embarrassed look. "Just don't ask to fluff her tail or she'll charge you after.”
Donovan prayed to this nameless God. If it heard him, however, it didn’t respond.
Ability modified: Whispers of a Nameless God -> Whispers of Suthainn Though this God was once known by a different name, you have given it another. What is a name, aside from how one is recognized? Oft, Gods go by many names. Perhaps this is no different. Its agelessness and ancient fury remain but a distant, fleeting, feeling.
Perhaps an amount of caution was smart. Indeed, carrying something that was a literal seed of some demonic garden was likely going to cause problems in the future. It might have been best just to destroy it in general. Then again...perhaps it’d prove useful. If they kept their end of the bargain, perhaps the demon should reward them, or maybe it could lead to some useful research later.
Regardless of their choice of what to do with it, eventually they would need to make another choice. Head towards the supposed village...or south, towards the mountains, and towards the quietly rumbling storm that hung overhead. Augusta seemed quite intent on her path heading south, regardless of the perceived danger. What would Nicholas do here? Travel with them? Or head towards the supposed town.
So south she would travel.
The trek would be long, mildly exhausting but thankfully fairly uneventful. Eventually even the treeline of the forest would be left behind, fading into the background and being nothing more than a spec of green in the distance. A vast, white, plain stretching before the travelers with a mountain that threatened to pierce the heavens as their destination. Nothing seemed to be living out here in this vast, white, wasteland of snow.
It wouldn’t be until the sun had well started its descent across the sky did they finally arrive at the base of the mountain. By now the storm above had whipped the winds into a frenzy, blowing snow and ice towards the duo, seeming intent on blocking their path. Perhaps they should hope to find a way to stay warm, though with both being able to conjure fire perhaps it wasn’t too big of a problem for now. More troublesome however, was the crackling thunder and lightning overhead. It seemed like the storm was only going to get worse, so finding shelter was likely going to be a good idea.
The path forward wasn’t going to be easy. The mountainous terrain seemed to be lacking any obvious paths up. The only thing lending visible help was what seemed to be an old animal trail cutting into the snow and rock and -
A small flicker of light pierced the snow and wind not far up that trail. The smell of meat cooking came from upwind. People, perhaps? Maybe someone had made camp here. Of course, there was no telling if these people would be friendly or not, if there were even people there. Octavia huddled close to Augusta, whining in seeming discomfort, not seeming to do so well in the cold.
It was easy enough for Malphas to find some items that passed for what he wanted. The selection of weapons seemed to be mostly for utility - hunting bows, knives, things that people in the village might have needed on a daily basis. Arrows were in no short supply however, and fairly cheap too from what it seemed. A comfortable, warm looking cloak and robe was set off to the side with a few others. Seemed as though most people here were crowding around the other miscellany the fox had to offer.
After he made his way over to her and made his offer, however, the merchant frowned slightly.
“Ah...you...You want to haggle with me?” The fox-eared girl replied. A mischievous grin followed, as she held a hand to her mouth. “Arrows, quiver...some robes and a bit of preserved meat, huh?” She seemed to mull over a few things in her head. “Heheh...you’re not going to attempt to command me to hand the over this time are you, huh? What, did you lose what little manliness you had last night?” An impish chuckle as the diminutive fox made an obvious reference to an event of yesterday, but...how exactly did she know that?
“Tsk tsk, I should make you pay your entire life savings for them, buuuuut as I am a generous, good, little fox I’ll cut you a deal just for you.” She folded her arms. “I need something from that forest. I’d get it myself, but as you can see, I’m busy...unlike you. I’ll even let you go ahead and walk out of here with this stuff.”
Noticing Novak among the ground in her peripheral, the fox acknowledged his presence with a playful wink. She tapped the shoulder of one of her guards and whispered a few words to him. With a nod, the guard approached Novak as she turned back to Malphas.
“Lady Mie requests your presence this evening.” That seemed less of an invitation and more of a demand. A small pouch of what appeared to be coins was offered to him.
If Malphas agreed -
Item received - Arrows x15 Warm clothing - A simple, but warm looking garb. Good for staying warm outdoors. Cured meat - Easily will last a single person a few days as long as you don’t mind a bit of hunger.
Donovan trekked north along the beach, the others soon disappearing behind the coastline. Perhaps this would be the last time he saw the two, but the goddess likely didn’t choose people who would die nameless, accomplishing nothing of note. Eventually he could hear the sounds of what seemed to be people. Off in the distance, just some ways away from the coast he could see small canoes and what seemed to be people hauling fish back to shore.
Notably, was a young girl stumbling out of the forest near the edge of town. She brushed some leaves and dirt off her dress before running off into the village. Seemed like she was in a hurry as she stuffed something into a pouch on her belt, muttering and complaining about being late, but she’d be gone before Donovan had a chance to speak with her.
“Another one...hah...” A man dressed in furs and carrying a bow glanced in Donovan’s direction as he walked up on the perimeter of the village. “Been a lot of outsiders lately...maybe a sign from the Gods…?” He’d idly comment as he seemingly continued a patrol. Seemed like there was a bit of commotion on the other side of town. Some sort of gathering and what seemed to be a market of some sort had opened on its outskirts.
An horned woman dressed in foreign garb was standing on the shore, silently watching the waves. Towards the north side, there was also a rather large looking wooden longhouse. Perhaps that's where the mayor or similar person lived? Wasn't to hard to find a craftsman either, if he wanted too. People would easily direct him to Bolcha's place.
Seemed like this was the village the Kyrnith had mentioned...but where to begin?
They tucked in for the night, using the naked ground for a bed. Nick was not at all used to this kind of wilderness lifestyle but fortunately, he found a nice rock he could lean on somewhat comfortably. It was also fortunate that he was tired which made it easy for him to head onto to sleep. But before he dozed off, he spotted a star twinkling brightly over to the southern night sky past the mountains. It was a strange sight to be sure, but could it have meant something? It seemed no one else saw it and now that he thought about it, Nick's power concerned the stars, didn't it?
Nick made a note of it in his mind. He would definitely head south and find out if that star guided him to his goals. However, he had different plans for tomorrow. Now that he knew of the deer deity living in the woods around them.
---
The morning came and the party awoke. Nick got up later than the others and so had little to eat for breakfast, a single bite of meat. He watched the others gather snow to melt for a drink. Reluctantly, he did the same and did his best to ignore that they probably stepped on this snow a lot during the previous day.
It was about time to set off and Nick wanted to talk to the group about his decision but Donovan spoke first. He said that he would be heading north to a village for a favor to the deer god in the forest. But before parting, he proposed to 'purify' Octavia which Augusta had reservations about. Even Nick was hesitant on any cleansing on Octavia. Sure, she was an ugly demon dog but she wasn't all that bad.
After Donovan was shot down and began to walk north, Nick was the next to speak. "Guys, I also gotta go. Probably with Donovan." He told Isidore and Augusta. "I'm gonna come clean here, I'm looking for a way home. Back to Earth. I don't know about you two but I've got a life there, and I will return to it." He declared. "I'm gonna see if the deer god has any info about that. I'd wager a deity would know something."
"If this is goodbye, then it's been a pleasure. We may have not known each other long, but it was nice. And you too, ya little scallywag." Nick rubbed Octavia's head. "You guys take care, alright? Maybe we'll see each other again but until then, this is farewell."
With that, Nick would join Donovan.
---
"So yeah, I'm coming with 'cause I got some questions for your deer friend in the woods. Put in a good word for me when we meet him, will you?" Nick told Donovan as they trekked north along the beach. "Ugh, sand. They'recoarse, rough, irritating and gets everywhere."
They soon made it to a settlement. A small fishing village, evident by the small canoes and the hauls of fish being unloaded by them. A young girl emerged from the forest nearby but she did not notice the two arrivals and they did not have a chance to call out to her before she took off.
“Another one...hah... Been a lot of outsiders lately...maybe a sign from the Gods…?”
The idle comment from the man in furs was a revelation to Nick. "Huh. Looks like we're not the first ones here."
There was a woman in exotic clothing standing by the shore and watching the waves. Was that... was that a horn on her head? Okay, a non-human that's infinitely prettier than the non-humans back in the prison. Hopefully, also infinitely friendlier. There was also a large longhouse to the north, likely the residence of the village's mayor or leader.
"Well, we're here. Pretty little village. Wonder what it's called." Nick remarked before turning to Donovan. "What're we here for again?"
Isidore waited for Augusta to speak her piece. He watched Donovan state his own case. He saw Nicholas make his decision. And, just as easy as that, the religious man dropped the subject and parted ways. Nicholas soon followed, preferring the audience of large deer in the pursuit of his own goals. It wasn't amiable; the distrust sowed was easy enough for any to see, but in Isidore's case?
It was acceptable. Empty, parting words were exchanged, but he offered none. Simply kicked snow over the ashes of a dying flame, shook the frost off the boar's hide, and rolled his shoulders. They cricked and cracked nicely, and moments later, he followed in Augusta's path. Donovan would not trust the demons. Isidore would not serve the gods. It was acceptable.
The day passed on in quiet, both humans wrapped up in their own thoughts of what the future would hold as they trudged through the snow-covered plains. Isidore kept his head down and his eyes up, hair whipped by the occasional burst of wind, shoulders hunched against the cold. It wasn't freezing yet though, so he trusted physical exertion itself to keep warm. Traveling at a clipped pace, it was only once they reached the foot of the mountain that the storm really kicked in. Isidore had resolved himself to this though, had not entertained hopes that the storm would have died down by their arrival. Passing the boar's hide to Augusta, he pushed forward to the front and said, "Stay close."
A deep breath of cold air, and he focused his fireblood inwards, winter winds becoming fuel for the furnace. Heat radiated from his body, snow vaporizing moments after contact, and Isidore turned his attention to the flickering light up ahead. "I'll advance. Tell me what you see." The chains remained wrapped around his arm, and he held his sword in a reverse grip in lieu of a scabbard. Another breath stabilized the fire that burned within, and then, steadily, calmly, Isidore climbed the trail towards the smell of meat and smoke.
After leaving Lazirha's house, Misaki found herself hard-pressed to ignore the sudden surge in activity within the town. It seemed like it was only right to go check out the source—if there was anywhere abuzz with activity, Lazirha was likely to be nearby. She seemed like the sort of person to get wrapped up in that sort of thing, given her affability towards them when they had first met.
As she slowly strolled over to the north, Misaki found herself pausing and staring at the few apparent newcomers (well, besides themselves) who were milling about. Given her heritage, it would have been comically ignorant of her to not notice the oni decked out in what was almost unmistakably Japanese-style equipment. The fact that she seemed to be staring back was not lost upon the young woman, but to drop her initial task to find their benefactor would have been rather flippant at best.
Luckily enough, though, it seemed that Lazirha had found them instead, and as she bounded over, Misaki watched the other masked visitor leave. The offer to look at the shop was tempting, but given that they had no money to speak of...
"You really do have an obsession with tails, don't you?" Misaki asked, shrugging her shoulders before turning back towards the way the oni had gone. "Rather than that, though... What of the other visitors here? Are they all together...?"
If Lazirha couldn't provide her with a sufficient response, she'd go and talk to the oni herself; it seemed much more efficient than window shopping with empty pockets, after all.
Malphas looked over to the fox woman, completely dumbfounded. Just what in the world was she talking about? Malphas has never even seen her before! Or... at least, he's pretty sure he hasn't. He gave her one quick glance once again, scratching his head as he tried to remember just where he might have seen her?
A metaphorical lightbulb would then appear above Malphas's head.
"Commands? Manliness? Ahhh... You're that huntress from last night, right? I remember. The stew was divine, by the way. I really love your people's sense of camaraderie! Oh, it reminds me of older times. And don't get me started on the little thing you did with your finger..."
After a few more moments of intentionally uncomfortable rambling, Malphas accepted the deal gleefully. With a flourish, Malphas began to adorn his newly acquired goods. Before he left, however, Malphas grinned slyly at the fox girl once more, making sure their eyes would meet. Once again, he would allow the magical energy that flows from his soul into his words, and direct it outwards to the merchant. It was another "command" as she put it, but it was not made with the intention of actually charming her to do anything. Instead, knowing she was somewhat immune to the effect, Malphas simply wished to acknowledge her taunts in a similar fashion.
"Whatever you so desire, I shall retrieve. Just wait patiently for my return."
