[IC] Wanderers

[Michellin]

Kire watched him light the match after withholding the impulse to ask if he needed help. "That makes sense," she said about the ordeal having expanded her ability with the portal, rather than the capacities of the Ring itself. "I've only ever thought of the portals as a way to transport myself, and I didn't think I'd be capable of using it for anything else." She listened as he went on to discuss a parallel skill with those who Shadow-Walk, then remembered what happened to Ysaryn. Kire frowned at the memory; it looked extremely painful, and she was likewise glad it didn't take anything more from her.

Difficult, but not impossible. "Concentration, then," she noted, nodding when he said she would want to manage without the wards Ruli had placed. She fell quiet, pondering the possibilities and risks, when Envy turned to her and asked a question she hasn't expected. She was glad he couldn't see the blush on her face. "Envy, I don't--" she started, defensive, but stopped when he went on to say that he sensed something in Ruli. Further, that he was cautioning her against acting rashly.

A part of her was still defensive, indignant at being likened to an impulsive child. But she remembered their argument back at Lithilote, what he said about Aera, his scars. Envy knew Ruli best, and was still close despite what had happened with Akuma, so his fatherly concern was justified. Gods, Akuma. Her eyes widened at the realization. Of course. You're a damned fool, Kay. She remembered the moment their gaze met for the first time the morning after, the look on his face.

She sighed. "I don't know what to tell you. Really. I just thought he'd--that we're somehow the same kind of broken. Or running parallel with each other anyway. It's...a weird feeling of kinship, but it's there. I admittedly find myself drawn. You did say once before that we've got relentlessness in common."

She sighed again, leaning forward, her chin on her hand. "I have friends, family. And I can stand on my own two feet. But it just--I can't deny I get lonely. We have longer lives than humans, but we aren't elves," she murmured, remembering the conversation she had with Aera. She straightened up, looking up at Envy. "I...will keep that in mind, then. I'm from another world. I just kind of barged into your lives, after all," she said, echoing the argument she and Ruli had. "I don't know what you felt from Ruli's mind, but...I think no matter how I feel about him, he'd keep me at arm's length anyway."

[Carantathraiel]

Envy didn't move as she immediately objected, went defensive. And waited, patient, as she sorted her thoughts out, decided what struck home. Envy anticipated he put his finger on more than she thought. He inclined his head as she explained her thoughts and expressed her thoughts on how Ruli would react. "Despite all his hesitation and growls, he has always sought out interaction and companionship. The life he had before has made him strong in many ways, but weak in several others. When we first met one another, we spoke no common language, and he harboured no trust toward me, but he lingered near me, anyway."

The elf took another slow drag from his cigarette. "I don't want to sound exactly like the father figure telling you not to mess with my son, but little has worked out for him in this regard. You may not be from our world, and your native tongues are languages neither understands, but he will still linger, like he did with me many years ago, simply because hes curious." He reached forward to pat Kire's knee, miscalcualted slightly, and wound up patting the forearm on which she was leaning. "Erm, sorry." He muttered, tucking his hand back again. "I am thankful to you, as well, you know. Not only for bringing him to me when we were still in the mountains, but for breaking through his icy exterior just enough for his old sunshine to come through. I have missed him more than I could rightfully express."

"Now." Envy said, lifting his tobacco to his lips once more. "Back to the general business. Do you believe that you could open a portal safely and remain grounded? Without the pull of an irate world gate pulling at you, perhaps it would be something you could easily practice? Start with some smaller items, an apple for instance, so that nothing is harmed should your concentration break. And try to make sure your healer cousin is present. Just in case."

"Kirai." Ysaryn's voice called as the female wandered through the corridor, tailed not too closely by Ruli. "The tall one says you are leaving soon. And this one says I am to scratch you eyes if no goodbye?" She gestured to Ruli, baring her teeth to Kire in a grin. "When you return, I visit, yes? More snow?"

[Michellin]

Kire had a wry smile on her face. “As I’ve never had the experience of being given a talking-to by a father figure in that regard, it’s an oddly refreshing experience.” She fell quiet, thinking over what he said about such dalliances not working out well for him. She still had the stubborn part of her that said it might not happen the same way every time, but what was she defending, really? It wasn’t like she was asking anything more from him beyond the agreement they had earlier. She looked up again when Envy thanked him for reuniting the two of them and for breaking through to him, if only a little. That was a little surprising to her; she hadn’t attributed this to anything she did.

“Practice, yes,” she said, clearing her throat, the conversation rather sobering. “I’ll try not to break out the new ability in the middle of a big fight. Don’t want any more stranded Amrians here, right?” she said, smiling a little. She turned upon sensing Ysaryn’s and Ruli’s approach, then grinned at the elf warrior’s greeting. “I’m not wrong, though, aren’t I? I’ve already got a scar over one eye, I don’t want to risk getting a matching one,” she said. “I guess I better get going. Ed’s just been reunited with us, and we still have much to catch up on. Plus, you know, still technically in the middle of a war. I might not be back for a while.”

She turned to Envy. “Thanks for the advice. I’ll—do my best to follow it, I promise. Will you say goodbye to Narda, though? She needs something to tide her over till the next visit,” she teased, standing up and turning to Ysaryn. “Yes, Chieftess, I will come back and bring you to more snow. And more Ed,” she added, meeting the elf’s wolfish grin with her own. “I’ll even bring you to Myka and the ladies. Don’t forget to return what you borrowed,” she added with a wink.

They headed back out to the caves, where Narda had finished telling Gavin what had happened while they were gone. The lad looked thoughtful, if a little disappointed at what he had missed. “We’re off then?” the giantess asked Kire, who nodded. “Well then. I have my goodbyes to settle.” She stepped back closer to Envy and gave him a hearty embrace. “It has been wonderful. We will do this again,” she said, to which Kire chuckled, moving in for her own hug.
“Take care, Envy. And you, Ysaryn. Keep out of trouble. But not too much,” she said with a grin, embracing her. She pointed at Gavin. “You, though. Keep all the way away from trouble.”
Gavin rolled his eyes. “Yes, mother.” Narda snorted.
Finally, Kire looked at Ruli. “Well. Thanks again, and all that.” She extended her hand. “Keep well.”

“Not even a goodbye kiss? How cold,” Narda commented as Kire took her hand.
“I thought you were cautioning me? Honestly,” Kire muttered, giving one final wave to everyone before blue light engulfed them.

[Carantathraiel]

Ysaryn smirked. "Symmetry is lovely, though, yes?" She teased, putting her hands on her hips. She waited patiently as Envy and Kire rose to their feet and the Kartaian promised to say his proper goodbyes. The moment Kire turned her way, Ysaryn threw her arms around her fellow Chieftess, squeezing fiercely. "I look forward to it. But I make no promises to return sword. Unless I am given a new one in trade, hm?" She cracked a smile. "Amrian steel is so lovely. Father is envious."

Envy wandered along with them, finding his way to Narda, smiling warmly when she embraced him. "I truly look forward to it." he smiled, embracing Kire with the same firmness, mindful of the lit cigarette in his hand. Ruli watched, silent, nodding in farewell to Narda, though he cracked an amused smile before he shook Kire's hand. "Right. And you." He said.
Ysaryn chuckled at that, while Envy raised an eyebrow, wondering what the younger elf found so hilarious.

[Michellin]

When Kire and Narda reappeared in Elva’s manor, Kire heard a shrill shriek. When they hurried to the dining hall, alarmed, she saw two young girls tackling Ed to the ground. Etta and Precy were already crying as they hugged their older cousin, who found himself laughing through teary eyes as he hugged them and kissed the tops of their heads. Daryll the scholar hung back, a stunned look on his face, not quite believing what he was seeing. When Etta looked up and saw Kire and Narda, a fresh wave of tears went down her cheeks. Kire couldn’t help a laugh, too, and joined in, lifting the girls up to their feet so they all could embrace Ed. “Come on in here, you silly,” Kire called to Daryll, who dumbly followed, joining the big hug.
After Narda had been returned to the Wench and at the insistence of the other cousins, Kire promised to stay put with the family for a couple of days. For the first time in nine months, the Wyverns were gathered at the table. They held a moment of silence for Earnest, mourning him again now that Ed was with them. As they exchanged stories, Ed was glad to retell his, albeit with flourish, to Etta and Precy, while Kire had a long discussion with Daryll and Elva about the gate and her Ring amongst themselves. Later that night, when the younger ones had gone to bed, the older Wyverns stayed and talked of serious matters, though they were all rather curious about Kire and Ruli. Stammering and drinking her fair share of alcohol as she did so, Kire told them the bare bones of what had happened between them, then insisted that the matter be set aside. Their conversations lasted deep into the night, punctured by long, thoughtful silences, each knowing how precious such calm moments were, considering the kind of family they had, the kinds of dangers they faced.

A couple of days stretched to a whole week. A few days later, Kire asked Ed if he could teach her Elvish. “You’d have no-one else to practice on for a while,” she said, “and, you know, be easier to gossip between us, too.”
Ed very much doubted that was the only reason, but he nodded, though he told Kire he would take it slow, knowing how Kire was like with being tutored.

In her quiet moments, especially alone at night, Kire couldn’t help her thoughts drifting to Ruli. Their night together under Elva’s roof, the time they’d spent ever since first meeting him, the argument they had, and Envy’s entreaties to her. She found herself longing for their night together more than she would really care to admit to herself, but it was tempered by his reservations as well as her own. One night, a month later when as expected, thrown herself at work again, she returned to the manor exhausted. The day had been spent solely on a long round of difficult negotiations with her allied lords, who between themselves had been carrying on a feud even despite the war. Tired and irritable, she had transported herself to the seaside cliffs, terribly tempted to climb up to the crest and knock on Ruli’s door. But before anybody could spot her, she sighed, thinking the better of it, and went back home.

Amidst all this, she had been doing as Envy had suggested and practiced her portal work, supervised not just by Elva but Daryll as well. He had been avoiding anything that had to do with gates and magic for a long while, but now it seemed there was only so much his grief and apprehension could hold back, his natural inquisitiveness winning out. It helped that Ed had returned, assuaging his fears somewhat. Each time she tried it a headache would flare up, and she feared it consumed more energy than her normal portals usually did, rendering the new skill impractical. But she kept Envy’s observation in mind about how it was her limitations and not the Ring’s that was the determining factor here. The idea of her inability to surpass her previous boundaries had, as expected of her, fueled her stubborn desire all the more to master the new ability. Between this, the war against the Gemini, and learning Elvish little by little, kept Kire much more preoccupied than she had anticipated. The months bled together, until it had been almost half a year since she and Narda returned from the last adventure.

Towards the sixth month, Kire had been preparing for one of the largest campaigns since her exile from the Capital, over a year ago. They had hemmed in the forces of one of the Gemini’s most powerful allies, cut them off from support, and taken over their resources. Everything was going smoothly. Though Kire hadn’t tested her new ability on the battlefield yet, she was feeling confident she could use it when the need arose.

Which was why, when the unthinkable had happened, Kire jumped into disaster.

The Gemini, even without the aid of a world gate, still had tricks up their sleeve. Their spies had conflicting reports of what they had been brewing, and Kire thought all this only meant more blood magic. Part of it was true. When they marched against the Gemini’s allies, they were also greeted by a host of soldiers that were far from human. Still mindless, but formidable, the army of monsters took them by surprise as a part of the enemy forces transformed in the middle of battle. Gods, it reminded Kire of the dead Kartaian. She rushed to the front lines, taking down as many as she could with Narda by her side. Their soldiers needed to see that these monsters, though a more advanced kind of doll, were still just that.

Just as they were beating back the new abominations, something exploded nearby. Kire had a split-second view of the fire that burst out, and instinct made her open a portal, sending Narda and the nearest soldiers back, only for her to be thrown back, the force of opening the portals in her panicked state releasing an energy that sent her flying towards the flames. The Ring flashed white-hot as her frantic mind opened another portal for herself, every fiber of her being screaming for her to get out. I can’t die, gods not now, not until I see him—

She felt a crash as she fell out of the portal, and in her panic she grabbed onto what felt like another body, she couldn't see who, the portal overwhelming all senses, her eyes temporarily blinded by the portal light. Before she could land on the ground the portal flashed again, sending her back onto the battlefield with whoever she had been clutching in tow. Blue smoke rose from her armored form as the portal spat them both out, Kire unconscious.

[Carantathraiel]

For the Ziadi and the elves, life went on smoothly. With the exception of Ysaryn, who wound up cornered by Princess Risa at last before the end of the day and was dragged into the neighbouring city for a few hours, returning soured and tired before she tossed herself back into her regular work.
Their focus was still on sustaining themselves as well as repairs. Half the city went about planting vegetables in the garden beds that accompanied the dozens of homes and stairwells, while others tore into homes that had long been destroyed or deemed uninhabitable to sort out the problem and fix it. Envy kept himself busy within his underground chambers, setting up his room, his alchemy supplies, and, despite being unable to read them, his many books.

By the end of the first month, the home that they'd offered to Kire and her guests had been repaired, the roof thatched and the support beams replaced. A few of the Ziadi women et about to clean the inside and try to make it passable as nice. They swept across the southern part of the cliffs in such a way, repairing and cleaning and planting as they went, though their format changed when they moved to the northern side, where the elves were far less open to outside help and insisted on repairing on their own.

Fisheries were set up along the docks, nets were made and boats were supplies on each side to provide. The princess returned with Ysaryn on another day with a wagon full of chickens and sheep, and the Ziadi scrambled to find ways to protect the vegetable crops from the bottomless pit of a stomach sheep had.

So to did their name finally become agreed upon. During a rather tiresome day suffering with the princess, Ysaryn muttered in elvish and Risa had snapped her fingers, demanding she repeat the word. By the grace of the gods, for once, Ysaryn hadn't been swearing crudely, but had been tossing insults at the beak-nosed woman. So the city was proclaimed 'Úvano', Risa declared proudly, entirely unaware that it mean 'evil creature' in the elven language. Ysaryn never revealed this fact, hiding behind her smug smirk. The rest of Ysaryn's people rallied behind it, deciding that such a fierce name would frighten any potential enemies away, perhaps, and any who dared to chase after any monster would face not some giant, fang-toothed elf, but the princess.

After the fifth month, everyone had picked up habits to follow, each Úvani citizen taking on a job; either selling fish, wares, or clothing to the neighbouring city, Sabbia, or to their own people to circulate coin. Everything was, for the moment, cheap, as the people were focused on replenishing their lives rather than getting rich.
Which put Rulitus out of a job. No longer could he amuse himself by breaking into the homes of the wealthy and steal their hardly necessary expensive things to reuse or break apart. So he settled in to what came natural to him; he became a cook.

He took up employment in one of the messhalls, cooking three meals a day for a coin a plate, making himself a good deal of change each day. Not that he had anything to buy. He'd always been a man of few personal belongings. What he did decide was necessary was warmer clothing, including new boots, medical supplies for his house, for the burns he would occasionally take on from cooking, and a house plant. A simply little hosta that seemed to attract many of the sheep that wandered freely about the city, until he brought it inside to protect it.

Envy, too, had brought in several plants to his home, thrilled about the idea of having the outside brought inside. Zeke, Ysaryn, Gavin, and Ruli spent much of their time trying to find plants that would thrive in the underground, finding a small collection of them that proved to be quite fragrant and grew obnoxiously fast. Envy was delighted.
Near Zeke's home, they'd even planted a number of tobacco plants for the kartaian so he could save his coin and roll his own cigarettes. It took quite a bit of practice, and it slowed the amount he smoked in a day, as he knew the hard work that went into the task and felt no desire to burn them all swiftly.

Gavin's lessons continued, between Envy and Ruli both. A few times, Ruli had returned to Cordon long enough to purchase supplies he was missing until his and Envy's stores were complete, and not only could they teach Gavin unhindered, but they would be ready the next time Kire appeared and needed something warded or enchanted.
Which seemed to be something that wouldn't happen anytime soon. Once, several weeks ago, there had been a ripple in Envy's wards that alerted them to the use of strong magic within the borders. It had felt faintly familiar, but by the time Ruli had climbed out of bed to peer out his door, it had thrummed a second time and vanished. He was certain he'd seen a blue light, though. Three weeks after that, he'd kept his eye out for her, but when it hadn't happened again, he stopped looking.

"Well done." Ruli said as he sat with Gavin on his sun-warmed patio. He was showing the Gemini scion illustrated cards of plants to identify, and to list the reasons for its use. He set down the card that bore the drosarus plant. "Though, don't think I'm not aware you only know that one because Ysaryn swears at it whenever she sees it." Ruli added, recalling that the elf had stepped in it outside the Lithilote woods, and had silently succumbed to its toxin. He listened, too, as Gavin accurately explained how to obtain the sundew extract; a painless little poison that slowed the blood and drained the victim of energy until they simply lay down to sleep, passing in their dreams.
"Not even we know why its called 'sundew'." Ruli explained, flipping through to find the next card to test Gavin on. "Envy theorizes that a nocturnal elf named it, but its commonly used across the world, so I have my doubts. Okay, this on-"

Everything happened in the span of a few seconds. Ruli felt that familiar sensation of intruding magic just as arms gripped him from behind. Alarmed, he shouted, cards flying everywhere, as well as their drink and charcuterie board. "Env-" He began to shout, but then he was pulled through a horribly familiar sensation of Kire's portal.

Air left his lungs as they hit the ground, and he wheezed, trying to breathe. Winded, Ruli rolled, his eyes landing on Kire's unconscious form, smoke rising from her armour. He mouthed a swear, not having the air to speak, and just as he meant to push himself up and get to her, he realized where they were.
Lungs suddenly full, Ruli barked a very inappropriate swear before he scrambled for the Wyvern before him. He snaked one arm beneath her neck, cradling her head, the other gripping her legs as he heaved and jumped into the shadows.
Somehow, he knew they were in Amria, and knew only one place to take her where she'd be safe. He stepped out and half-dropped Kire onto the floor of Elva's manor, immediately shouting "Elva!" as he gently pulled his arms from beneath Kire. Tossing the illustrated card he somehow still held, he went to work pulling off her armour, looking for burning clothing, burning flesh, anything.

[Michellin]

Elva and Daryll, along with Etta and Precy, were the only Wyverns at the manor. Ed had gone to battle with Kire, and even Jan had been away on business on Kire’s behalf, securing another alliance. It always made the healer uneasy now whenever the family was separated, which was funny, considering she had been the first one to move away from the Capital. Now, all that rebellion seemed so petty, after having known what it would be like to lose both her brothers and to see the empire crack in two. She remained behind the most out of all of them, both because of her duty to the large Northern territories, which now were a safe haven for the Wyverns, and because, on the off chance that the rest of the clan fell, she, Daryll, and the girls would carry on. Gods, stop this morbid thinking, she thought, as she prepared the next lesson for the newest healers she had been training.

She heard a shout from the great hall, and a commotion immediately after that. “What in the gods?”
“Milady!” an attendant cried out, bursting into the infirmary. “The Empress is hurt!”
Elva cursed, and immediately instructed the healers in the room to prepare to receive Kire, rushing out with three others carrying a stretcher. When she reached the hall, Elva only took a moment to pause in surprise. “Ruli?”

Questions later. Elva bent down to examine her cousin. Rulitus had thankfully pulled off most of her armor, still warm from the portal. Kire’s right arm twitched, and the skin around the forearm looked burnt, the same way her Ring finger had after the gate. The clothes she had worn underneath looked scorched as well, and the side of her face was covered in soot from when she had barely evaded the flames from the explosion. “Gods above,” she breathed. She gave instructions in Taakalon to the other attendants, who immediately carried Kire back to the infirmary. For several minutes she spoke only to the attendants, and upon reaching the infirmary she dove into the work herself, loosening whatever clothing was left on Kire, carefully cleaning the skin, injecting medicines and applying ointments.

“I assume the Ring would help heal her, but with her being unconscious and the severity of the burns, it’ll need help,” she finally said in common tongue to Ruli, pausing in her work while another healer immediately took over the work she had left of. Elva’s gaze roamed over him too to scan for injuries. He looked perfectly alright, if not winded. In fact, he didn’t even look dressed for war at all, and she couldn’t remember either Kire or Ed mentioning going back to the other world to bring him or the elf woman to fight with them. She caught the eye of another attendant and told her to bring out a coat and boots for Ruli before turning back to him.

“What happened?” And where’s the sword? “Does—does this mean they lost?” she said, her face grim, bracing herself for terrible news. Where’s Ed? Elva swallowed the sudden chill from the dread she felt at the question.

[Carantathraiel]

He heard footsteps fleeing, assuming they belonged to the servants going to fetch their msitress. Ruli unbuckled as fast as his fingers would let him, his knees digging into the hard floor beneath him as he yanked off pauldrons and cuirass, patting Kire down to find anything, any wound that bled or still burned. Aside from the back burn on her arm that made him wince, he couldn't find anything.
"Ruli?"

He looked up sharply, blue eyes wide, and froze as he beheld Elva. No doubt this was very unexpected for her, but it wasn't as if he'd been prepared either. "I don't-" He started, then scrambled back as Elva fell over Kire to continue his work, looking for injury. Ruli stood and backed against the nearest wall, out of the way, as Elva barked her orders and her servants swooped in to move Kire onto a stretcher and carry her away. Alright, so Elva was at least a little more prepared than he'd been. He ran his hands over his hair, which fell long enough now to be pulled into a tail, which he wore mostly to avoid the wind matting and knotting his hair. As Kire was led out of the room, Elva and the others followed, Ruli was torn. Stay where he was, out of the way? Or follow and see if she'd wake.

Deciding on the latter, he crept after them, the drafts of the hallway still tickling his skin as he tiptoed after them. Be put himself in another corner, concerned, but knowing better than to insert himself. He stared at the burn on Kire's arm as it was treated, his own chest, the burn scar that lingered upon it, burning as if in response.

"I don't know." Ruli said dumbly when Elva turned her attention onto him. It was no answer, he knew that, and reminded himself that Elva was Kire's family, and needed answers. "I -I don't, I'm sorry. I was at home, in my world, and she just ... out of no where, and suddenly we were back here, surrounded by who I presume to be Geminis." He swallowed, meeting Elva's gaze. "Do you want me to go back?" He asked, as a servant approached and handed him boots and a coat. Ruli only held them, still watching Elva. "I could find out. Is, is Ed with them? Out there?"

[Michellin]

Elva listened to Ruli’s answer, already guessing even before he’d finished his explanation that he had no idea what happened. Still, it offered some insight. “We were afraid of that,” she said, clicking her tongue as she shook her head. “We’ve been practicing that new power of hers, and slowly she’d been doing well, but—it needs concentration, and we agreed she would only use it if—if the situation was dire. So something dire had happened.” The soot on her cousin’s face and armor was indication enough. Behind them, the healers were finishing dressing the arm and cleaning the rest of Kire, while others fetched a new shirt for her to wear.

“I’m—thank you for the offer, though I admit I’m torn. From what you had said, that would mean returning to the spot in the middle of an active battlefield,” she murmured. “Yes, Ed’s there, and so is Narda. But it might not be easy to—”

The healers cried out as Kire gasped, then struggled against them, trying to get up, knocking back some of their tools. Her eyes were wild, uncomprehending, and she grabbed one of the healers. “Let me go, let me get back, w-where am I—”
“Kire!” Elva raised her voice as she bent over Kire’s head, cradling her face to hold her still.
“Narda, Narda’s not—let me go!” Kire brought her fists down on the bed; Elva heard a crack, and the bed shook and sunk.
“Sedative,” Elva said, still facing Kire, and the healer nearest to her fetched it. “I hate it, but we might need to bind her,” she said, looking up at Ruli. “Could you help? I don’t want to remove the Ring, but if she keeps this up she might destroy the bed. The moment we hold her still, take off the Ring. No telling how effective the sedative would be while she’s wearing it in this state.” Kire had gone still but still addled, her eyes looking like a caged animal, another struggle bubbling up inside her.

[Carantathraiel]

New power? He frowned, wondering if she meant being able to yank things through a portal. Six months, and she was still working on that? Ruli swallowed, listening. Elva admitted to being torn about wanting him to go back, and Ruli was tempted to argue to allow him to go. Aside from worrying about Kire, he had nothing to do here, and out there, he could at least try to bring others back.
But, thinking about it, if he yanked Zeke off a battlefield, his foster brother would scalp him. Perhaps it was better to allow the soldiers to keep fighting.

Before he could continue thinking about it, Kire jumped, making the healers shriek. Ruli jumped, himself, dropping the boots and coat as he flinched. Elva flew to her cousin, while Ruli remained where he was, still out of the way, unwilling to make things more difficult. The way Kire was shouting, it sounded as though she wasn't aware of where she was, believed herself to still be in the middle of battle.
"Me?" Ruli asked, mildly alarmed when he was asked to help. Tentatively, he stepped forward, reaching out for Kire, mindful of her burn. "Wait, wait?" He asked, looking up again. "Sedate her? B-" He inhaled, just the mention of bindings making his skin crawl. "Wait, please, just... let me try something." He put his hand on Elva's shoulder, giving her a pleading look as he gently pushed her from over Kire. He took her place, his fingers brushing her cheek as he bent low. Anything but binding her.
"Kire." He whispered, both aloud and through the connection he wormed into her mind. "Kire, breathe. You're safe. You're at Elva's. Breathe. In." Ruli breathed in, coaxing. "And out. See. See where you are. Please, calm down."

[Michellin]

Elva raised her brow at him, but she obliged, gesturing for her attendants to step back.
Kire’s breathing was panicked, rapid, her eyes on Ruli without seeing him. Then a whisper echoed in her mind, somehow louder than the frantic, confused thoughts that screamed inside her. A familiar voice. Ruli? Her erratic breathing slowed as he continued to ‘speak’, and soon her breathing mimicked the pace of his. “Ruli?” she rasped after a long pause, her mind still trying to catch up. Though she had calmed down, his presence still confused her. She closed her eyes, brow furrowed, and her left hand reached up to touch his against her cheek, the warmth of it making his presence more real, grounding her. Behind them, Elva breathed a sigh of relief.

After a few more moments, Kire opened her eyes again. “I’m at Elva’s,” she repeated, voice still small, as if assuring herself. “But—how are you here? How did we get here?” she said, looking up at him. Then her brow furrowed. “Why does my arm hurt?” She lifted her right hand, or tried to. It shook, and when she touched it with her other hand she felt gauze on her skin.
“Kire,” Elva said gently, stepping close this time, “you were in the middle of a battle. You brought Ruli there, and he brought you here.” She looked up at him to confirm that last statement before looking back down at her cousin. “Do you remember?”
“The battle—Narda!” Kire made another attempt to sit up quickly, but Elva put a hand to her chest.
“I’ll help you sit up if you promise not to try taking off immediately and getting yourself killed. And you need the burn to heal a bit more before you start swinging a sword with that arm. We both know you’re shit with your left.” Elva smirked, trying to get her to calm down with her quip. “Please, Kire.”

Please, she said. When Elva wasn’t butting heads with her, she was being serious. Kire nodded. “Promise,” she murmured, and she slowly sat up with Elva helping her.
Now that she was upright, Kire looked down at her right arm and grimaced. The healers hadn’t finished wrapping dry gauze on the whole burn yet. She touched it gingerly, hissed softly. “What’s another scar, right,” she muttered, before looking up at them. “I-I think—no, I did. I had to use it. There were…” her voice trailed off as she tried to piece together what had happened immediately before she lost consciousness. “Monsters on the field. And—fire. Explosions.”
“Good gods,” Elva muttered, her hand pressed over her mouth.
“I had to get Narda and my men out,” Kire said, her left hand closing into a fist. “I think I did. Sent them back away from the thick of it. But the fire made me panic. And I got knocked back into a portal. I thought—” she turned to Ruli, trying to think through the hazy memory, “—I—I didn’t mean to.” My last thought…

Elva shook her head. “Don’t use your Ring yet, alright? I’m sorry,” she turned to Ruli, “she might not be able to return you immediately.”
Kire didn’t object. She felt weakened, or rather, she felt afraid that something else would go wrong if she pulled power from the Ring again this soon. She’d be useless on the field now, even as every part of her wanted to go back to make sure Ed and Narda were okay. That their forces were holding their own, and that what had happened prior had just been a last-ditch effort of the enemy to throw whatever foul tricks they had left to buy time.

[Carantathraiel]

"Yes." He answered her, touching his brow to hers for a moment. "Keep breathing." He instructed, withdrawing his intrusion into her mind, though he kept still, his hand on her cheek. When she opened her eyes, Ruli straightened, retreating and withdrawing his hand. As Elva explained the how, Ruli nodded, leaning against the best to the right of Kire's. He observed the exchange, the language Elva used to make Kire heel. Kire observed her arm, wincing at it. He said nothing about her addition to her scar collection, despite itching to comment about how burns at least make interesting looking ones.

As Kire recalled pieces of the battle, Ruli reached behind him and hauled himself onto the edge of the bed, his bare feet dangling. His long hair hung loose past the collar of his shirt as he clasped his hands between his knees. When she turned his way to insist she hadn't meant to, he only held up his hand. Then again, when Elva apologized for his eminent stay here. "It's alright." He voiced, offering Kire a small grin, hoping he looked reassuring.
"I had offered to Elva to go back to the field. You took us there, first. Saw the whites of a few Gemini eyes before I brought you to her." Ruli informed Kire. "If it would get you to sit still and reassure you, I will go look for the others. I just," He glanced down at himself. "may need to borrow more than boots, if you accept."

[Michellin]

Kire looked sidelong at him, weighing her options. She ran her left hand through her hair; it fell almost past her shoulders now. Despite not intending to bring him here, and despite everything that was happening, she found herself feeling comforted—glad, if she was being honest—by Ruli’s presence. Immediately, she felt guilty for even thinking so.
“Alright and—my sword. Did I bring it with me?”
Elva shook her head. “Didn’t see it.”
“Okay.” She sighed, turning to Ruli. “Alright. Just—be careful. Elva, do you have armor to spare for him?”
Elva nodded. “Is it fair to assume that’s what you said you needed? Armor, or weapons?” she asked him, already leading him out the infirmary, Kire watching them go as she stayed on the bed.
The armory was located at the basement of the manor and contained a wide array of weaponry. Battle axes and longswords, spears and staves, shields and bows. Mail and plated armor, too, along with helmets lined the shelves, proudly displaying the crest of the previous lord of the manor as well as the Wyvern sigil. “Anything you think you’ll need or can carry, you’re welcome to it,” she said.

Once he was ready, they returned to the infirmary, Kire still sitting up, looking tense. “If the place where I brought you back had been overrun by Gemini, you might need a better entry point,” she said. “We were near the front, where we had reappeared. It might be safer to enter where the supporting units are. I know where.” She held out her hand so he could get the location from her. “Be careful,” she repeated, worry in her eyes.

It was chaos immediately after Kire had disappeared. Narda and the men she had rescued were, in fact, sent back to safety, several units away from the front. The explosions weren’t large, but it looked to be coming from the monsters themselves. Ed had ridden up on horseback as soon as he saw where Narda had reappeared, having seen the succession of bright flashes. “Where is she?” he shouted.
“I don’t know!” Narda growled. “I need to get back there!”
“No!”
His tone brooked no argument.

They had retreated, enough to put distance between them and the abominations. Ed noticed, however, that the unholy unit of doll soldiers was smaller than the others. They had been deployed to confuse, not to wholly defeat the army. They still threatened to cut a swathe through their own forces, the strategy effective, and he suspected they were stalling for time, or covering a retreat, themselves. They held the line behind rocky terrain, the berserker Gemini forces hemmed in. They may be monstrosities, but when the battlefield grew too complicated, they were vulnerable. And after the soldiers had seen Kire and Narda hack through the abominations, they were heartened, and steeled themselves from fearing the dolls. Nobody has seen the Empress, however. Where are you? Ed seethed, even as they cornered one of the larger monsters. They reminded him of the wolves in the twisted wood of the gate, but worse: there was something roughly human about them, still, but their flesh sprouted muscles where there shouldn’t be, their forms bulging and stretched out at the same time.

Baiting them, Ed and his soldiers wove through the boulders and rocks, knowing that their archers were on standby nearby. As soon as they reached the safety of an outcropping, the archers appeared, raining arrows down on the brutes. Not far from them, Narda and her soldiers were cutting through the rest of the dolls. “Watch out!” Narda warned, seeing what were now the telltale signs of a pending explosion: the monster’s body shuddered, convulsed, mouth frothing as the Gemini gem on its chest began to glow. The body exploded just as Narda leaped back several paces. She still got knocked off her feet, but she didn’t take the brunt of the damage. “Bastards! Disgusting blood mages,” she growled, along with a string of more unpleasant curses.

[Carantathraiel]

He held her gaze. Stop it. Ruli's expression said. He didn't mind having the disruption in his increasingly quiet life. It wasn't as if he'd go broke by missing a few meals to cook. The only thing he had to worry about was the wrath of Ysaryn when she realized he'd been returned without her.
That scared him more than the idea of jumping into battle, here.

"Please, yes." He shifted his attention to Elva when she mentioned what he needed to borrow. He hopped off the bed on silent feet, gathering the boots and coat before he followed the mistress of the manner, moving deep within the basement. It was impressive. As he tugged on the boots and laced them tightly, he peered around at the different styles of armour and weapons, each immaculately cleaned and honed. It didn't take Ruli long to pick out what he wanted, a chainmail tunic, steel vambraces and guards, and a helmet. For weapons, he teetered between a shortsword and an axe before he decided to grab both.

In the infirmary, he tucked both weapons in his right hand, and tucked the helmet beneath his right arm. When Kire warned him about returning to where she'd brought him, he frowned, instantly wondering how far from where he'd first arrived the battle would be, but before he could delve too far into the plan to backtrack his way there, Kire offered the solution. He stepped forward and took her hand, bending low. "I made you calm down earlier." He whispered low into her ear. "I'm sorry. Normally I would have waited for permission, but under the circumstances..."

He took the location she offered and straightned. "You'd better rest, because Ysaryn is going to kick your ass when she finds out you only brought me." He warned, and he was gone the moment his helmet was pulled over his head.

The chaos that met his ears was deafening. Ruli could smell blood, smoke, and that awful, tainted scent the Gemini monstrosities were bathed in. He turned in place, trying his best to understand what was happening; in which direction the military moved, the range of the explosions, the mood of the wyvern army. The moment he could guage enough to feel safe to move, he shouted. "Ed? Where is the Wyvern? Ed?" He hollered. A few men pointed. This way. That way. Ruli wove through the units, making his way toward where they pointed, ducking now and then as more explosions sounded. It made him uneasy. Not the explosions themselves, but the shift in the men and women around him. The fear. The anxiety. He debated shouting some encouragement, some rallying cry, but battles had never been his thing. Zeke was the one who had always thrived in war.

"Ed!" Ruli started shouting in elvish. "Ed! She's alive. Ed! Speak up your blond fuck!" He repeated the shouts, pausing only long enough to duck when another explosion erupted nearby, the red gleam of the Gemini gems catching his eye. Bastards. He moved on, cutting through the line and meeting a line of dolls head on. Unintentionally, but he took a few swings at them, decapitating two, maiming three more before he retreated back. "Where is your captain? Where is Ed? Ed! Wyvern cousin, answer me!"

At last, he spotted the man on horse back, the way he snapped his head around when Ruli shouted confirming his identity. Ruli fought his way closer, body turned to keep an eye on the enemy, and keep aware of the arrows flying overhead. "She's alive!" Ruli repeated when he drew near enough. "Long story. But she's at Elva's. What do you need?" He demanded, glancing sideways again to stare down the approaching enemy line.

[Michellin]

When Ruli left, Elva turned to Kire. “That’s an interesting skill he’s got there,” she commented.
“Shadow-walking is really convenient, and much less turbulent than the portals,” Kire replied.
“That’s not what I meant.” Elva smirked. “He calmed you down with a touch, didn’t he? Besides,” she said, gesturing at her hand, “you didn’t just hold hands right there because you couldn’t resist his magnetic personality, did you?”
Kire looked at Elva, lips pursed. “I’ll—you know what, I’ll explain later,” she said with a sigh. “I need to rest. Head’s pounding.”
Elva snorted. “I’m glad you agree. Though we both know you’ll just toss and turn until you’ve known the outcome. Want some calming tea? Gods, I need some, myself,” she muttered the last.
Kire rubbed her temple, nodding.

Ed cursed under his breath in between giving commands and shouting rallying cries. He knew the soldiers were rattled—so was he—but he couldn’t show that. While they had split the unit of monstrosities, they weren’t getting through them as quickly as he’d like. Elsewhere in the battlefield, the other battalions under the Wyvern flag continued to push against the other enemy lords’ forces, but Ed was afraid that, with the intrusion of the Gemini’s dolls, their targets would slip through their grasp. From his vantage point he could see Narda leading her own battalion trying to fell the monsters as quickly as they could while avoiding the explosions.

There was so much chaotic noise that he didn’t hear the man shouting for him, not until Ruli was close enough. Elvish? Ed whirled around, trying to find the source of the shouting, and his eyes fell upon Ruli, taking a couple of moments to recognize the man under the helmet. She’s alive! She must be, if Ruli was here. But why was he brought here? “Thank the gods they gave her nine lives,” he answered back, recognizing the Northern armor on him. “What I need? What I need is to tear through this blasted army of deformities without my soldiers getting caught in explosions,” he growled, his cool breaking for a moment. “Their numbers aren’t great, but they’d scattered some of our battalions.” He looked at Ruli, expression guarded. While he had seen how nimble and capable Ruli was during their fight against the wolves, he wasn’t quite sure how much one more person could do to turn the tide. “We need to rejoin our troops, over those hills,” he explained, pointing Northeast to them. “We had the Gemini allies on the retreat until these bastards showed up.”

[Carantathraiel]

"I've heard your lot are damn hard to kill." He voiced, shouting over his shoulder as he faced the enemy. He studied the explosions, not allowing himself to think of all the ways to ward off fire and explosives. There wasn't enough time to get through every single Wyvern soldier and ward them for protection. Wards and enchantments wouldn't work here.
Frowning, Ruli's eyes traced the movement of the dolls.

"Well." Ruli turned and shouted at Ed again. "Let's rejoin them. What are you doing, just sitting here talking to a foreigner?" He demanded before he dove into the fray.

He knew he wasn't trained like Ed and Kire's men and women. He knew he would likely be targeted, especially if these things could smell the magic in his blood, far more pronounced than the rest of the Wyverns and Armians. Let that be the case, then. Ruli pressed his thumb to the point of the axe he wielded, enough to puncture the skin and draw blood before he began to wave through the monsters.
He went for the gems, swinging the blade of the axe into their chests. The first one turned its ugly eyes to Ruli, and the gem -just missed by the blade of the axe- began to glow. "Mother f-" Ruli said, before he grabbed the thing and vanished.

Back to when he'd unintentionally crossed their lines, surrounding himself and the rearing thing with its own allies. With a hard shove, Ruli released his grip and vanished again, reappearing to where he'd been, bumping into an Amrian soldier as he did. They both stumbled as the thing exploded. Move quicker. Aim better. Ruli demanded of himself, and he went after the next one, decapitating first, then, a half second later, swinging his axe into the gem.

[Michellin]

Ed smirked as Ruli shouted back at him before throwing himself into the fight. He’s got pluck in spades, this one. Starting to see more why Kire is taken by him. He couldn’t dwell on this a second longer, though, as he rejoined the fight, intending to head to Narda’s location and close the gap between them. The more monsters they killed, the better they were able to see their weaknesses. Ed counted in his head as they hacked and slashed at a nearby doll, counted how many times they pierced the abomination’s flesh, counted how long it took before the gem on its chest shone.

“Ed!” Narda called out, “the gems! Aim for them before—”
“—yeah, got it!” Ed yelled back, piercing a monster’s head while two soldiers hacked at the gem on its chest. “Kire’s alive!”
The news brought immense relief to the giantess, he knew, and her movements showed it.
Kill quickly, and disarm the gem, Ed thought, then shouting this command down to the rest. Faster. Fewer strokes. Narda, likewise, relayed similar instructions down the line. The air reeked of blood, sweat, guts, and burnt flesh, but they forced it out of their minds, focused on beating back the dolls as quickly as they could. Ruli, though not as experienced on the field, was still formidable and quick on his feet. Many of the monsters seemed to be sniffing him out, but he was holding his own even then, drawing them away from the Wyvern forces. Ed didn’t dare to hope, but he could swear that the sounds of explosions and inhuman monster bellows were quieting down.
He pushed the observation aside; they wouldn’t stop until they’d broke through the entire unit of dolls. Come on, Wyvern, faster! Kill quickly, disarm the gem. His time with the elves helped; he moved with a fluidity that enhanced his already expert skill with the blade. Press on, come on!

From the right flank rose a cry, a fierce yell from Narda and her soldiers as they felled the last of the monsters plaguing their side of the field. “To me!” Ed yelled, right before getting knocked off his horse. A monster had gotten hold of his steed in its desperation, and Ed rolled instinctively out of the way. He saw the flash of the gem before he felt a hand yank him away bodily. Narda had reached him in time and pulled him back before shielding him from the blast. “Nard!”
The giantess roared, hunched over him, the back of her armor smoking. “Fuck, that hurts,” she cursed, her body shaking. Ed got up from under her and made to pull her back, but she grunted, shaking her head. “I’m fine. We press on.”
“Nard, don’t—”
“I’ll live,” she stressed, shaking her head slowly. “We’ve almost put down the monsters.” Though shaken, she did smirk at Ed with a wink before straightening up. Ed smirked back, touched Narda’s arm briefly, before turning to his soldiers again. No more monsters, not on their side of the fight at least. “Ruli! Where are you? We’re rejoining the battalions up front! Ruli!” Ed shouted in Elvish. Narda turned sharply.
“Ruli’s here?”
Ed merely shrugged with a grunt.

No longer hindered by the monsters, Ed and Narda’s combined forces advanced to flank the enemy ahead as they tried to retreat from the Wyvern army. Seeing their fellows rejoin, the other Wyvern battalions attacked with renewed vigor. With Ed and Narda coordinating the attack, they maneuvered their forces to cut off the enemy at the pass ahead. Ed could see Narda was still hurting, but the giantess had a fire in her eyes; they were so close, and she knew it.

They heard a distant horn; both Ed and Narda turned at the sound of it, as it blasted three long notes and two short ones. Another horn answered, the order of the blasts reversed.
“The splinter,” Narda grinned savagely. Ed grinned, too.
“Nick of time.”
They knew what the signal meant; while the majority of their army fought the bigger battle here on the field, they had sent another force, a more covert unit, to secure the enemies’ retreat and back them into a corner. If their whole battle plan went according to plan, as it now finally did after the Gemini dolls had been defeated, the splinter group would cut off the enemy lords from the rest of their reinforcements.

Soon, the repercussions of this reverberated throughout the enemy lines. Thus routed, they scattered before the Wyvern army, with lesser lords either trying to break off in retreat, or, when cornered, throwing down their swords in surrender. When it became clear that the day was theirs, Ed quietly, but very firmly, told the giantess to seek a healer.
“Absolutely not,” Narda said, though by this time she was gritting her teeth with each step and breath she took. “Alright—maybe.”
“Ruli,” Ed called, asking the nearby soldiers if they’d spotted a man of his description, or to pass the name along until he’s found. When they’d finally seen each other, Ed waved him over.
“I wasn’t expecting you,” Narda greeted with a grin.
“I’m going to handle things here,” Ed explained. “But Kire and Elva would perhaps need to be given a report. I half-suspect if she goes any longer without hearing word about any of us, Kire would Jump through a portal and return.”

[Carantathraiel]

Six months since he'd been in actual combat. Six months he sat on his arse cooking meals for petty coin and teaching Gavin the difference between tonics and elixirs. Even the random occasion where he agreed to spar with the ever restless Ysaryn hadn't kept his body prepared for this. Ruli swore as he kicked his leg out and sent a Gemini wretch flying backward that, if he made it back to Úvano, he would spar daily, against Zeke, Ysaryn, even Bolym or the other elves.

He felt a heavy strike against his back, the chainmail protecting him from what would have surely sliced him in two. He fell forward and rolled, splaying on his back to strike upward before he scrambled again to his feet at the first chance he got. His back already ached, but would surely be nothing more than a bruise. As he spotted another doll, Ruli barreled toward it. The Amrians around him noticed the way to bring down the enemy, and followed, charging after other dolls, striking them down with agility.
Agility. Gods, that was all Ruli had here, with the exception of his magic. Though he mentally demanded a few Gemini to 'hold still', to be cut down by an Amrian shortly after, and only used his shadows to reposition himself when he found himself cornered, there wasn't much use here. Plus, he noticed that each time he tried, the Gemini seemed to rush him, like they could scent him in much the same way Kire did.

He never heard Ed's call over the din of battle, the shriek of men, the explosions that made his ears ring. Everything was so loud. He couldn't imagine how Ysaryn and the other elves managed battle, when they could hear a mouse creep across muddy terrain with ease. He just kept himself moving, made himself hard to hit, hard to follow. He wasn't sure if he was following the general direction of the Wyvern military, or if he was just some rogue causing damage. But none of the Amrian's grabbed him to correct him.

Until someone gripped his shoulder and pointed behind Ruli. The made was lucky Ruli was certain there were no enemies behind him, or the Wyvern soldier would have lost his head. Turning, he spotted Ed waving him over, and Ruli retreated, making his way back. "I was hardly expecting this when I woke up the morning." Ruli answered Narda, grinning beneath his helmet.
As Ed explained he'd handle things, and that Elva and Kire would like a report, Ruli only nodded, understanding the order. His last comment made Ruli snort. "She would." He agreed, sighing. With a quick glance over Narda, he jerked his chin. "You're coming with me. I hardly understand military jargon, I think both would hit me if my report consisted of 'I stabbed a bunch'."

Moments later, they emerged into the infirmary, Ruli gestured to the nearest bed. None of them held Kire, and Ruli's stomach twisted, wondering if she'd already portaled back onto the field. "Where are they?" He asked one of the healers that came forward to assist Narda. They informed him that the Mistress was in the Empress's room, where the latter was sleeping, he nodded. "Ah. Would you mind if I went to fetch Elva? Er, your mistress?"

Allowing Narda the privacy he knew most soldiers prefered when being cared for, Ruli found himself back in the hallway where he and Ysaryn had been allowed to sleep. He glanced at the door of what had been his room, remembering the horribly awkward morning last spent there.
He knocked gently, then cracked open the to peer inside.
Kire was asleep in her bed, looking oddly peaceful. Ruli met Elva's gaze and, suddenly remembering he still wore his helmet, removed it. "We're back." he said, tilting his head to request she follow him. Once they were both in the hallway, walked beside her. "Narda returned with me. She didn't look too good. Ed's still alive. I'll let Narda explain what happened, though."

Back inside the infirmary, Ruli set the helmet, his armour, and his weapons down on a vacant chair before sitting himself in one nearby. He leaned back and winced, feeling what would indeed be a nasty bruise already forming. "How long have they been using those things here?" He wondered. "The dolls with the gems?"

[Michellin]

Elva had been watching Kire like a hawk, as if afraid she would get up and disappear in a blue flash the minute her attention went elsewhere. Kire had insisted she rest in her own room, and Elva insisted she accompany her. Kire grumbled at it, and the healer wasn't sure if it was because she didn't like being babied-- which would be true any day--or because she had foiled the Paladin's plans to sneak off. The moment she was sure her cousin was asleep, however, she relaxed, if only for a bit. She sighed, wanting badly to smoke, realizing with a wry smile that if she had Kire's power, she would have done the same and gone back to the battlefield.

She had just about made up her mind to fetch her pipe when someone knocked on the door and peeked in. "Ruli," she breathed, already standing up to follow him to the hall. She took one more look at her cousin as she strode out. He looked, well, like someone who had just been through a hellish battle, but beyond that he seemed alright. Elva nodded at the news, relieved despite what he said about Narda. The giantess was one of the hardiest people she knew, and if she was already being treated by the healers downstairs, she would be alright soon. Unless Ruli was making an understatement.

When they returned to the infirmary, Elva noticed the wince from Ruli and clicked her tongue. "If you want, someone can help you put ice on that later," she said, before turning to her friend. Narda was already out of her armor, wincing as the healers attended to her. She didn't look too happy, but otherwise let the healers work on her in peace. "Kire's asleep. Thank the gods, and I'm sure she we will be happy you see you," Elva said, and Nard nodded with a grin.
"In case it isn't clear, we won. Was touch and go for a while though," Narda said, then gave an account of what had happened as best she could, pausing to grunt softly now and then as healers applied medicine to her skin.

They turned to Ruli when he asked his question. "First time was during the attack at the Capital. Not since. And the exploding thing is new. As Kire and Daryll explained it, blood magic takes a lot of resources, so making a whole battalion of such abominations must have been draining," Narda answered.

Elva frowned, making a gesture to ward off evil and bad luck. Nard looked amused at her friend. "This needs a smoke," she muttered, "Excuse me." She strode through a nearby door. Ruli would have seen a glimpse of a library, cases filled with books and samples of herbs in vials and bottles, before she rejoined them, pipe and tobacco box in hand.
"Where's mine then?" Nard asked. Elva barked out a laugh. "None for you till you're better." Narda pouted.

"Alright then. Daryll--that's another cousin, Ruli--has a theory that, besides the Capital being important, they needed access to the dormant magic in the land."
Narda tilted her head. "Does this have anything to do with the Red Tower?"
Elva nodded, turning to Ruli. "The Red Tower is a structure within the Palace grounds. It's been they're ever since the Palace, maybe longer. Kire received her Ring there. It's got old magic in its bones. That place only ever opens to Wyverns or whoever we allow inside, and theory is that it's tied to the Paladins somehow. But we don't know what the Gemini want with it, if they did want it."
"Makes my skin crawl thinking of what they have been brewing in the Capital, what they'll throw at us when we try to take it," the giantess commented.

Elva went quiet as she smoked, feeling the same way. "You two hungry? When you're done I can have food and water brought in. I'd offer wine, but you can't have any," she said, making Narda frown.
"Always the sadist."

[Carantathraiel]

Ruli wrinkled his nose at the offer. "You mean you don't just toss people into the snow here?" He asked sarcastically. "Maybe. Does sound like it'll help." He had to admit. Ice had never been a thing they had a large abundance of in Ziad, and now, in Úvano, they had access to it but had thrived so long without they rarely bothered. Envy had always resorted to a poultice of his creation that created a cool feeling on the flesh for such injuries. "We're not used to having ice back home, we used a, uh. Lignocane and comfrey? In a poultice." Now that he wasn't in the thick of the battle, his adrenaline waning, Ruli was beginning to realize he was drained. So much energy spent in such little time. How Ed and his soldiers, Narda included, had been out there for so much longer, and still expected to keep going, was beyond Ruli at the moment.

He rubbed at his face, listening to them answer his question about the monstrous dolls, and spiral into talk about this Red Tower. It seemed likely to him that the Gemini were targeting this tower, if indeed it had ties to Paladins and Kire's power. While he had no idea, the name itself, 'Red Tower', screamed bloodshed, and it would draw all sorts of focus in the blood magic arts that drew the Gemini.

"Mm. Yeah, I could eat, if you're offering." Ruli admitted. "No wine, though, thank you." No need to add a slight inebriated state to his current fatigued one. "Why the name? Red Tower?" He wondered. "Blood magic? Colour of the stone? Bloody history?"