Carantathraiel

Wanderers

Ruli's eyes followed Kire's hand as she wiped it over the scar on her face, wondering privately what had happened. Where she was from. he noticed she never said. How could Akuma and Ikegai had gathered so much power while they'd never heard of him.
When Kire admitted she owed Ruli for not leaving her alone, Envy turned toward the dark-skinned man, raising his eyebrows. Or at least one, the other only twitched, the muscle beneath his skin damaged. Ruli said nothing, but Envy seemed to understand. No one deserved to be at the hands of the monsters he was related to.

"They wanted her to be taken alive." Ruli commented idly. And again, Envy looked surprised. "Which means somehow, Ikegai is still in contact with them."
"And how do you suppose they found her the first time?"
"Your wards, I think." Ruli guessed. "Unless Ikegai has another way to track you?"
"You're aware of scrying and tracking magic, so I'm sure he is, as well. But if its been months, he had to know when to look for you. Which means he probably did infiltrate the wards in some way. With Akuma's help."
Guilt washed over Ruli's face again, but he didn't respond to that. "Are you sure its safe here?" He asked gently.

Envy inhaled and sighed, thinking. "The wards here are different. They won't know when these are disturbed. And even if they knew, they couldn't get here."
Ruli turned toward Kire and cleared his tired voice. "The thing I can do. They can do. You can only travel to where you've been. You have to know it well enough to picture it clearly in your head. We're hundreds of miles from their den, they'd never get this far."
Envy reached up and rubbed at his scarred face. One hand was so much darker than the other; he looked like a giant, calico cat. "I think we should sleep on this. We can consider a plan when we've had rest. When you get back to the main chamber, follow the large path on the otherside. It will lead you to the sleeping quarters. I'm afraid they're not much, we've had a hard time getting our hands on furniture and supplies."
"Just like that?" Ruli asked, then he hesitated. "...Both of us?"
"Yes, Ruli, the both of you." Envy nodded. "Her answer was good enough for me. So, go. Sleep. And try to refrain from waking me in the morning."

Ruli straightened and walked out of the room, back into the main chamber. But instead of following the directions to the sleeping quarters, he turned right, heading to exit the cave altogether.

Wanderers

The two males were silent as she spoke. Rulitus looked uncomfortable in the corner, repeatedly turning his head toward the entrance as if expecting someone to barge in and assault him. Envy was still, like before, soaking up every detail.

His faced shifted toward Ruli when she finished, the Kartaian nodded at the blond. "And you were aware of this story, upon bringing her here?" He asked softly.
Ruli nodded silently. Then, remembering, rasped "Yes."
"With respect, for a moment, Kire will remain silent. Ruli. What made you believe you were not repeating your mistake?"
Ruli went still, but didn't look unprepared for the question. He cleared his throat, trying to sound less strangled and more certain. "Her face." He answered. Envy looked toward Kire, as if trying to see what Ruli meant. "Its imperfect. Which makes her seem more authentic. And, her expression when I confirmed there was someone else with her face roaming around. Or when she speaks of this man."
"What does her expression look like?"
"Like yours when you think about your sister."

As if as proof, Envy grimaced in hatred, growling softly. "Fine. Point taken." Envy faced Kire again. "Pardon my, or our, hesitation, but we have been played before. This woman that is your double, Akuma, she was called, played the same cards. Looking for someone. In need of help. And the moment we offered, well, you've seen the outcome."
"And yet," Envy held out a hand toward Ruli. "He has believed you enough to bring you here. Where he knows that if you are playing us, we would stand no chance, and you would succeed in killing many more who are taking refuge under the mountain. I know he is no fool, so you have said or done something to convince him you are worth the trust of a man who trusts nothing anymore. Not even my love for him."
"Envy," Ruli stood off the wall.
"No, it is your turn to remain silent." Envy said, a little more harshly than he had when asking Kire to be quiet. Ruli shrank back, looking away. "Kire." Envy began. "How do we know you mean what you say?"

Wanderers

Whatever passed between the men, it was in silence once they embraced. Envy kept his hand on Ruli's nape, trapping him in his grasp until Kire mentioned something about fighting Kartaian's.

Suddenly recalling that she had mentioned that, Envy cleared his throat, his clouded eyes now misty. "Yes. I think that would be appropriate."
"Envy," Ruli said quietly, and Envy's nose pointed at him.
"The first step in making amends is saying you're sorry." Envy said kindly. Ruli's shoulders sagged, but he nodded. "Speak, or I'll remain unaware."
"Alright." Ruli said. "I'm sorry, Envy. I really am."
"I never needed to hear those words, Wheat-Thief." Envy reached out to pat Ruli's shoulder. He gripped, and all but directed Ruli along. "But you will not have as easy as a time within."

Ysaryn, amused by Kire's remark, led the way. Ruli followed her, guiding Envy, who in turn forced him forward. "How many?" He asked after a time. "Kartaians, I mean?"
As Kire answered, he paused, Ysaryn lingering near the glimmered stone entrance. He tilted his head upward again, eyes toward the moon high above as if he could feel it on his skin. "They won't track you here." He explained. "You'll be safe, at least, from them. Though I would know more about your quarry."

After a few more deep breaths, he lowered his head and the group went inside.

Save for the armed elf, the chambers were deserted. Ysaryn swaggered toward him, earning a frown, and they wandered away without a word. Envy directed Ruli back to his antechamber, where the giant settled on his bed and folded his legs beneath him. Ruli loitered awkwardly in the corner.
"Now." Envy invited, gesturing towards Kire. "From the beginning, with more detail, please."

Wanderers

Ysaryn stopped when Kire said she'd fetch Rulitus, but Envy's head followed the blonde as she made her way out.

Then he pushed gently on Ysaryn's shoulder and followed.

Rulitus, true enough to his word, was not quiet where Kire had left him but nearby, sitting with his back to the mountain. His legs bent, arms resting on his knees, his face turned toward the desert. When he heard Kire's footsteps, he turned his head, and then, jumped to his feet when she spoke.
Asking for him. Envy was asking for him. He inhaled, then shook his head. "That's not─"

"Coward." Envy said across the space between them, appearing at the crest of the hill above Kire.
Ruli froze, eyes wide. "Envy, I─" He began, throat catching.
"Save it." Envy interrupted. His face pointed to Ruli, but his eyes lingered beyond him at the fast ocean of sand. "One hundred and seventy days apart, and you can't even step inside to say hello?" Ruli clamped his jaw shut. "I don't know what took you so Gods-be-Damned long, but it has been long enough, Ruli. Now, come up here, because I am going to break my neck if I come after you."
Ruli didn't move, hesitating.
"Do I need to make the woman drag you?" Envy asked, and Ruli squared his shoulders, his pale gaze moving to Kire for a moment.
Instead of speaking, he stepped around Kire, climbing the incline to stand before Envy. As if he knew, Envy reached out and snagged him, yanking him against his chest in a tight embrace. At first, Ruli just accepted it, but after a few seconds the shock wore away and he wrapped his arms around the Kartaian.

Ysaryn took an uneasy step to the side. "You smell." She commented idly, wrinkling her nose.

Wanderers

There was a deep rumbling sound, potentially a laugh, or a growl. Or both. He nodded "Bring him to me." Envy nodded, accepting her offer. "And I will do what I can to help in return. Even if he doesn't obey." because yes, Envy knew him to be incredibly stubborn. "Take Ysaryn with you. She'll make sure you can get back."
"Envy," Aeron said delicately.
"You can go back to bed, Aeron." Envy said firmly, though not harshly.

The boy frowned, and turned to leave the little antechamber. When they crossed through the sound ward, noise met their ears. Soft mumbling, but definitely more voices than they had left.
When they reached the larger chamber where Ysaryn waited, Aeron turned and stalked off. There was a fair haired woman who was clearly looking for Aeron, as she sighed and directed herself to him, following him out. Beside Ysaryn was another grey-skinned elf, a male armed to the teeth, who was talking very heatedly toward her even though she clearly wasn't paying attention. Ysaryn burst into a smile upon spotting Kire and immediately fell into step beside her.

"Wait." Said a voice, and the whole room went quiet, including the scolding elf. Ysaryn stopped in her tracks and turned, eyebrows raised.
Envy stepped into the chamber, one hand braced against the wall as he used it as a guide. "Its the middle of the night. I'm going with you."
No one questioned, though Ysaryn stepped back to stand beside Envy. He placed a giant hand on her shoulders and let her lead him, their progress slow.

When they stepped out into the open air of the mountainside, he tilted his head back and breathed deeply. He enjoyed the smells, the breeze, the openness of being on the surface. Always had. Even if he couldn't see it, he knew it was beautiful, even blanketed in darkness.
Ysaryn, who hadn't said a word, gestured to Kire to lead the way.

Wanderers

The elf was quiet as she spoke, unmoving, not looking at her, taking in each word and assessing it.

So it was her face he knew, then, vaguely recalling the dark haired beauty Ruli had shadowed. Wanted to hunt her and ... maker. That was an interesting bit of information he would need to ask questions about later.
He had known that the woman had had a hand in Ziad's fall, but it was news that there was someone else involved. It made sense. It was the missing part of the puzzle that had been bothering him all these months. She shouldn't have been able to do that alone. The amount of power it took did not equal what he had felt in her. Nor what he felt in this woman that stood beside his bed.

Rulitus. Envy inhaled, turning his head, opening his eyes fully. Like his pale and scarred face, they were clouded, a sunburnt pink instead of what should have been a blood red. He inhaled sharply, confirming through the smell that lingered in her that, yes! there he was. So faint, but he knew that smell.
Her concerns about his concerns about her being tracked, no, that could come later. "Aeron?"
"I didn't see him." Areon answered automatically, as if knowing the question.
"Is he with you?" Envy asked Kire. "The one who brought you here? Is he with you?"

Wanderers

The elf's expression blossomed and she touched her cheek gently, as if to coddle her eyes that were worth of a compliment. Being so close in appearance to a Kartaian, it wasn't a compliment she received often. Her hair, too, was the same deep shade of red-pink, tied back and braided to keep from her face. It was messy on one side, betraying the fact that she'd been asleep before Kire had triggered the wards.

As Kire asked about Envy, the elf smiled again. "Sorcerer." She said simply, though she struggled with pronouncing the word. She drew a circle around her face. "Like me." Her hand rose upward. "Tall. But hates being woken." She said with a dramatic eye-widening for emphasis. "They may wait until the sunlight." Silence fell, as she considered the question answered, but her fuschia eyes roamed Kire, her head tilted curiously. "May I touch?" She asked, raising her left index finger, wiggling it, before pointing to toward Kire's armoured shoulder. "I do not know armour like this. Different from what the sollers ... Sole ... warriors wear here." She rambled off quickly in her native tongue in a tone that said she was ranting about the difficult pronunciations of common words before grinning again, and prodding Kire's armour with her finger. No more than that. As if to test how hard it was compared to how it looked.

"I am Ysaryn." The elf admitted, realizing she hadn't said. "When Ziad was attacked, we knew where I live. I came with others. Helped bring people here. Help injuries. Bury when needed." Ysaryn frowned. "Many did not make it. Some still fight."

"Saryn." The boy returned, his tone sharp as if to scold her for talking. He looked no older than ten, but Ysaryn hushed at once, looking unsure. His dark eyes went back to Kire, still frowning. Despite the elf's admission that many were wounded or needed help, this one looked physically unscathed. "Leave your weapon with her, and follow me."

Ysaaryn looked far too thrilled over the idea of being left with a weapon, which made the boy frown again. "Erm, second thought, follow me. Just hands off the hilt." The elf muttered something in her tongue, unhappy, which he ignored before turning to disappear into the cavern.

He was silent as he walked ahead of her to a small antechamber. Kire's magic would tingle again, the smell of tobacco and nectar, and sound would fall less on her ears. The sound of the elf ranting behind them died instantly. The smell of disturbed dirt and ore filled the air here, though it was drowned out by the reek of tobacco. It wasn't a large chamber, and the duo stopped some half a dozen paces once the passed the sound barrier as they entered the little room in which the elf took residence.

He sat upright in what was a makeshift bed; essentially a massive amount of leaves and straw covered in blankets. Even sitting, his size was evident; he was Kartaian. But he looked far different than the others. Aside from missing one ear, the scarred tissue announcing it was a very old injury, his dark blue-grey skin was ashen grey in several places. His face, even, was almost entirely ashen, the skin uneven and damaged.
Burn scars.

He turned his head slightly when they approached, his black shifting along his shoulders. "So. Who arrives here in the middle of the night demanding that I be woken?" He asked, his voice tired. In fact, he barely opened his eyes. "Aeron tells me you look like someone I have met before, but are not her. At least he doesn't think so." Aeron, the boy, swelled his chest, as if ready to defend his opinion. "So who are you then, stranger. And why do you come at night reeking of death?"

Wanderers

The woman tilted her head upon hearing that name again, as if it should mean something to her. Maybe it would to the others. She shrugged her shoulders, listening to Kire explain her reasons for being here.
Bold of such a woman, armed and armoured, in the dead of night, asking for a sorcerer. Any other group would have been suspicious and wary.
But apperently, this was not strange behavior for this woman to encounter.

"Come to me." The woman invited with a tilt of her head, her face disappearing behind her hood. She wandered back up the hill into the mountain, leading Kire along a path only she knew. When she approached a solid stone part of the mountain, she paused turning around to await Kire patiently. When Kire was near enough, she walked right into the stone and slipped through its surface.

A glimmered doorway, the natural passageway behind it dark and cool. The woman stepped a ways in to allow Kire room and waited. When the armoured woman joined her, she grinned wickedly, visibly pleased by Kire's willingness, and she continued on.

It dug straight into the mountain, the air cool, but fresh. Somewhere, there were other routes out into the open, the breeze that wandered through carrying the scent of trees, dirt, and mountain flowers. Far better than the stench of Ziad.
When they entered into the first main chamber, there was a young boy with a head of long curly brown hair. He looked tired, dark bags under his eyes as he waited for the woman and the stranger.

The woman beside Kire removed her hood, revealing that her grey skin was not illusion from the shadows, but her natural colouring. Her ears were pointed slightly, though not to the extreme of the Kartaian's ears. Her slanted face was kinder, softer, less murderous.

"Envy." She stated simply.

The boy sighed, looking Kire over with absolutely zero enthusiasm. He said nothing, only stared for a few minutes, his midnight-blue eyes dull.
"Fine." He sighed. "Wait here."

Alone, the elf turned to grin at Kire. "I like you hair." She complimented. "Gold. Like jewel."

Wanderers

As Kire turned, there was a subtle movement as a figure passed behind a stone, then walked around it. A woman. She was wrapped in a dark cloak, looking tired, but alert. To be expected in the dead of night when she was pulled out of bed and sent to see who rang the magical doorbell. Her face was dark, her skin grey in the shadows, but her slanted eyes glowed like an animals as she looked Kire over. While they weren't the blood red of the Kartaian's, they weren't a colour found naturally in the human gene pool. Like pink sapphires, the colour soft even as her gaze was sharp.

"I do not know who that is." She admitted calmly, her words thick with accent; she was still learning to speak the common tongue, after all. "He sent you for why?" The woman asked, tilting her head. She could smell magic on Kire, and smell ... decay. Her expression shifted. Decay, mingling with the sweat and faint trace of blood. "You are from Ziad?"

She folded her arms beneath the cloak she wore, the fabric shifting. Beneath it, she wore no armour, only cloth tunic and trousers, her feet pushed into faded and torn silk slippers. She turned her head this way and that, catching on that this woman knew where to stop, had either seen or sensed the magic ward that had been placed around this spot to warn them of intruders. She smiled, her teeth straight and flat, save for her canines which were thicker, even if still nonthreatening. This woman was magic. Oh, she would be liked.

Wanderers

Convenient. No, not really. "You wanted a better sorcerer. And alchemist." He rasped at her, not taking his eyes off the hill. He wanted to go, yearned to go, but couldn't bring himself to take a step. He watched her walk forward with a twisted envy in his gut, when she turned sharply and asked about the doll.

Oh. Ruli paused. "Yeah." He admitted. "So, I suppose, try not to look like you're going to kill them." He wasn't jumping for glee, no, but he wasn't a nice person. Never had been, as it turned out. "I'm an ass." Ruli rasped. "They're not."

And she left, disappearing up the hill, leaving him standing alone and isolated on the very edge of the desert in which he'd always lived; so close to a lush terrain but unable to take the steps.

The path was hard to see, but easy enough to follow. There was no time-worn path that indicated where to step, but the ground was barren, the trees struggling and short. The only sign that anyone had been here were cleared spots on the ground where weeds, stone, and shrubs had been pulled away. A fairy ring, it looked like, a large circle that Kire passed over; forcing her magic to tingle much in the way it had in Ziad when magic called to her. Not dark and lethal, but curious.