Member
NoriWasHere
Shu
Tally Dor
PatientBean
Duoya
Mixtape Ghost N
Hillan
Sillyman59
vietmyke
Lionhearted
”Damage?”
”Yes. That is the name of it. Thought mages connect to groups of people, who experience the worst memories of each other. The victor forfeits last. I’m told the game is highly illegal, for reasons I am sure you understand.”
Velhass nodded. It had been two months since he met Shirik, who proved to be a very kind caretaker, having taught him how to garden and hunt for food in the forest. They even helped him build onto the shack the two first met in, turning the hut into something of a rudimentary home with clay from a nearby river, which Shirik incinerated into something solid. It looked ugly, but it was theirs.
It was starting to grow cold, and the s’toric boy was very thankful that Shirik was, well… Shirik.
”Is that why I’m feared? Because I could learn things from others that they wouldn’t want?”
Shirik was currently slicing up a fish that Velhass caught out of the river, with a sharp piece of stone. ”That is one reason. But as I said before, it is not about what you learn about a person, but what you can do to them, boy. The mind is an important thing. It is what makes you who you are. You are… A different being altogether when it changes. To play with one’s mind is to trespass on an otherwise inviolable refuge. If you do not use your gifts wisely, you will be the monster that you saw yourself as when Salaketh chased you. And he will kill you with no hesitation once that act is committed.”
Velhass winced at their mention of the Inquisitor. Shirik began laying the sliced up portions of the fish spikes, which promptly erupted into flames. Nothing burned, but the heat slowly trickled inwards, something Velhass watched them do hundreds of times now.
”I am telling you this, because you are neither the first, nor the last thought mage to live as a rogue. You may cross paths with them some day, and they know the game well. Do not waste your time with it, it is called Damage for a reason.”
”Are you good at it?”
Shirik stopped what they were doing. ”I am not a thought mage.”
”But I can feel your mind when we’re close. The Inquisitors and all the people in the city all felt different. Like rocks in a river. But you… You are heavier. You feel like an anchor, and sometimes I feel your mind pushing out. You-”
”You’ve been reading my mind.”
”...Somewhat. I don’t mean to, but you’re made of glass where someone else would be made of stone. I can just see right through you for some reason. Sometimes I hear voices when I look at you, and I feel what you feel when you think of them.”
Shirik felt uncomfortable, suddenly. They knew the boy wasn’t trying to be malicious, and that it was an honest misstep. But still, they would’ve liked to know if he was going that far. ”Velhass…”
”So- You’re probably great at Damage, right? No one can beat you, isn’t that cheating? Because you’ve lived longer, and saw more things, I mean?”
”Velh-”
”All you have to do is think about Karlassa, and you-”
VELHASS!!!
Now they had his attention, and the poor kid looked like he was about to die. Shirik’s flaming demeanor just became a raging wildfire around him. The air grew exhaustingly warm, there was a smell of burning flesh in the air- The fish was ruined. Smoke billowed out from the holes in their bark, and they were so bright. Velhass had to look away from their eyes, lest he be blinded. They screamed at him, and now he was terrified again.
Velhass stumbled back, feeling paralyzed and expecting he was about to die. Shirik reached out and grabbed him just as he lost his footing, and kept him in place. The boy would not look at him. He couldn’t, Shirik was terror made manifest. The Iriad told stories of beings like them for a reason. He was about to die, and all he could say was mumble an apology over, and over, and-
...Do not ever say that name again.”
Shirik’s voice sounded like a crackling forest fire. It took everything they had not to reduce Velhass to ashes. Instead, they stormed off into the woods, letting him fall down. They picked up a spear as they left, leaving behind a trail of glowing footprints across the wet morning grass. They should’ve known better than to scream in the face of a child.
Velhass finally took in a breath, and curled up into a ball on the ground. He didn’t think Shirik would feel so upset at hearing that name. The memories seemed so happy…
He wasn’t hungry anymore.
Shirik had been slicing up plenty of fish for the last two days. To their knowledge, the humans at the Jotunheim were dealing with a food situation. Being the master cook of this whole ordeal, they made sure the humans had plenty of food for the next few weeks, accounting for how few of them would be left at the ship. Enough fish were preserved and dropped off, with Zeynap's permission, that they had plenty of snacks for the next few weeks if they rationed it properly. They also made a few spears, and verbally taught the cooking techniques they used to one of the strange metal golems with the "fire arms." That way, if an emergency happened, they had the knowledge for themselves. With that out of the way, they wished Kareet and her group well. They would've gone with her, but they didn't feel as if they'd fit in well for an extended stay at the Ascendancy. The Archmagister of the heat domain might've had words with them, along with every seeker and their mother. That attention wasn't something they wanted. And the Ascendancy tended to embrace new ideas more than most of the world, while Shirik was a living relic of history. They understood Mythadia's way of doing things better for that reason, so they saw themselves more fit for that group.
Besides, Silbermine wanted the Jotunheim for himself, and Shirik was a rather convincing individual.
They washed away the soot and ash from their cloak, ready to meet the day fresh. The faint thump of their walking staff signaled their arrival just as Ixtaro showed up as well. "We are ready to travel to your land." They eyed up the knights and foot soldiers in Silbermine's caravan. A big force, but not as big as the one called "Eva" in her armor. It was a rather fair day, so the mud would hopefully not slow any of them down. "I will accompany the humans, to ensure their safety as they explore this world." That was both generosity, and a warning to Silbermine, to not try a damn thing.
They were, however, quite amused when Ixtaro cut off the translator. The two of them had been exchanging words in their respective languages long enough that they understood what she was saying to Mallory. "Your secrets are safe," they said, interjecting not in S'toric, but in English. Shirik knew they had something to hide from the Glen lord, and knew it was important not to give him an edge. To Silbermine, they were all speaking nonsense. And if he was even remotely as smart as he pretended to be, then he'd take that as a sign that he did not have their confidence. That the cursed Iriad was closer to them than the leaders of feudal states.
"Observe," they added, before switching back to S'toric and addressing Silbermine in a language he could understand. "What regions of the hills have your scouts searched as of late?"
”Yes. That is the name of it. Thought mages connect to groups of people, who experience the worst memories of each other. The victor forfeits last. I’m told the game is highly illegal, for reasons I am sure you understand.”
Velhass nodded. It had been two months since he met Shirik, who proved to be a very kind caretaker, having taught him how to garden and hunt for food in the forest. They even helped him build onto the shack the two first met in, turning the hut into something of a rudimentary home with clay from a nearby river, which Shirik incinerated into something solid. It looked ugly, but it was theirs.
It was starting to grow cold, and the s’toric boy was very thankful that Shirik was, well… Shirik.
”Is that why I’m feared? Because I could learn things from others that they wouldn’t want?”
Shirik was currently slicing up a fish that Velhass caught out of the river, with a sharp piece of stone. ”That is one reason. But as I said before, it is not about what you learn about a person, but what you can do to them, boy. The mind is an important thing. It is what makes you who you are. You are… A different being altogether when it changes. To play with one’s mind is to trespass on an otherwise inviolable refuge. If you do not use your gifts wisely, you will be the monster that you saw yourself as when Salaketh chased you. And he will kill you with no hesitation once that act is committed.”
Velhass winced at their mention of the Inquisitor. Shirik began laying the sliced up portions of the fish spikes, which promptly erupted into flames. Nothing burned, but the heat slowly trickled inwards, something Velhass watched them do hundreds of times now.
”I am telling you this, because you are neither the first, nor the last thought mage to live as a rogue. You may cross paths with them some day, and they know the game well. Do not waste your time with it, it is called Damage for a reason.”
”Are you good at it?”
Shirik stopped what they were doing. ”I am not a thought mage.”
”But I can feel your mind when we’re close. The Inquisitors and all the people in the city all felt different. Like rocks in a river. But you… You are heavier. You feel like an anchor, and sometimes I feel your mind pushing out. You-”
”You’ve been reading my mind.”
”...Somewhat. I don’t mean to, but you’re made of glass where someone else would be made of stone. I can just see right through you for some reason. Sometimes I hear voices when I look at you, and I feel what you feel when you think of them.”
Shirik felt uncomfortable, suddenly. They knew the boy wasn’t trying to be malicious, and that it was an honest misstep. But still, they would’ve liked to know if he was going that far. ”Velhass…”
”So- You’re probably great at Damage, right? No one can beat you, isn’t that cheating? Because you’ve lived longer, and saw more things, I mean?”
”Velh-”
”All you have to do is think about Karlassa, and you-”
VELHASS!!!
Now they had his attention, and the poor kid looked like he was about to die. Shirik’s flaming demeanor just became a raging wildfire around him. The air grew exhaustingly warm, there was a smell of burning flesh in the air- The fish was ruined. Smoke billowed out from the holes in their bark, and they were so bright. Velhass had to look away from their eyes, lest he be blinded. They screamed at him, and now he was terrified again.
Velhass stumbled back, feeling paralyzed and expecting he was about to die. Shirik reached out and grabbed him just as he lost his footing, and kept him in place. The boy would not look at him. He couldn’t, Shirik was terror made manifest. The Iriad told stories of beings like them for a reason. He was about to die, and all he could say was mumble an apology over, and over, and-
...Do not ever say that name again.”
Shirik’s voice sounded like a crackling forest fire. It took everything they had not to reduce Velhass to ashes. Instead, they stormed off into the woods, letting him fall down. They picked up a spear as they left, leaving behind a trail of glowing footprints across the wet morning grass. They should’ve known better than to scream in the face of a child.
Velhass finally took in a breath, and curled up into a ball on the ground. He didn’t think Shirik would feel so upset at hearing that name. The memories seemed so happy…
He wasn’t hungry anymore.
Shirik had been slicing up plenty of fish for the last two days. To their knowledge, the humans at the Jotunheim were dealing with a food situation. Being the master cook of this whole ordeal, they made sure the humans had plenty of food for the next few weeks, accounting for how few of them would be left at the ship. Enough fish were preserved and dropped off, with Zeynap's permission, that they had plenty of snacks for the next few weeks if they rationed it properly. They also made a few spears, and verbally taught the cooking techniques they used to one of the strange metal golems with the "fire arms." That way, if an emergency happened, they had the knowledge for themselves. With that out of the way, they wished Kareet and her group well. They would've gone with her, but they didn't feel as if they'd fit in well for an extended stay at the Ascendancy. The Archmagister of the heat domain might've had words with them, along with every seeker and their mother. That attention wasn't something they wanted. And the Ascendancy tended to embrace new ideas more than most of the world, while Shirik was a living relic of history. They understood Mythadia's way of doing things better for that reason, so they saw themselves more fit for that group.
Besides, Silbermine wanted the Jotunheim for himself, and Shirik was a rather convincing individual.
They washed away the soot and ash from their cloak, ready to meet the day fresh. The faint thump of their walking staff signaled their arrival just as Ixtaro showed up as well. "We are ready to travel to your land." They eyed up the knights and foot soldiers in Silbermine's caravan. A big force, but not as big as the one called "Eva" in her armor. It was a rather fair day, so the mud would hopefully not slow any of them down. "I will accompany the humans, to ensure their safety as they explore this world." That was both generosity, and a warning to Silbermine, to not try a damn thing.
They were, however, quite amused when Ixtaro cut off the translator. The two of them had been exchanging words in their respective languages long enough that they understood what she was saying to Mallory. "Your secrets are safe," they said, interjecting not in S'toric, but in English. Shirik knew they had something to hide from the Glen lord, and knew it was important not to give him an edge. To Silbermine, they were all speaking nonsense. And if he was even remotely as smart as he pretended to be, then he'd take that as a sign that he did not have their confidence. That the cursed Iriad was closer to them than the leaders of feudal states.
"Observe," they added, before switching back to S'toric and addressing Silbermine in a language he could understand. "What regions of the hills have your scouts searched as of late?"
