Time: Afternoon Location: Forests near River Port Interactions: Zephyrin@Howlsofwinter, Kenia@Tae, Arwen?@princess
Bowyn felt the icy grip of terror as he heard a creature roar loudly and with enough force to send Arwen flying backwards from wherever she had slunk off to within the forest. He'd heard a sound that horrible once before, and it had signaled the deaths of everyone he'd cared about. Seconds after Arwen, the creature burst forth from the trees, one both familiar and terrifying to him; a wyvern. Neither fight nor flight kicked in, but a third and far less useful reaction gripped him, leaving him frozen for a handful of precious seconds in pure terror. His stomach twisted and the taste of bile burned against his throat, if he had eaten anything besides a few mouthfuls of food in the past day he might have vomited. He could not focus on the present, and the past gripped ahold of his mind, blending in with reality.
The absolute high of an impossible victory. A quiet sense of shock and relief as he and a group of winter fairies successfully defeated their enemy. A dozen or so of the elves lay dead in the snow of a small glade, within a forest, a half days' flight from the winter village. The winter fairies had outnumbered the elves, caught them by surprise, and for the first time they had done something that wasn’t passive or neutral. Several fairies bore injury, only a couple lay dead, but they had all done something that mattered, proved that their people weren’t weak, couldn’t be so easily taken advantage of. Blood stained his hands, not his own, not that of an animal he had hunted, but dark elf blood. It felt both terrible and terrific. It was success and victory, but it was also violent and final. He felt strong, part of him had enjoyed killing dark elves, of being lost in rage. An unsettling sense of relief that lasted less than a few seconds.
Then there was the sound of a mighty roar, one with the power to make the nearby trees themselves quiver. A large shadow moved above them. He felt the cold panic of looking up and seeing, for the first time, a wyvern in flight. Dozens more dark elves appeared from within the shadows of the trees as the winged creature dove down striking one fairy with its tail and scooping up another with its talons. As the man struck by the wyvern's tail screamed and bled, another, more horrible sound echoed. One of flesh and bone being ripped apart. The man taken by the creature's talons was shredded and dropped in pieces around them. The enemy surrounded them, sinister grins and laughter on all sides of them. They were being herded closer together as the enemy advanced. There was no hope, not of victory, not of survival. The wyvern’s attack was quickly followed by a rush of dark elves and arrows. Collectively they felt the horrible sinking feeling of knowing with absolute certainty what their collective fate would be, they had all walked into a massacre.
Nothing but death surrounded him. Screams of fear and pain and despair. Bodies torn apart by the wyvern, bodies shot down from the skies by arrows as some tried desperately to flee. Dark elves, their faces plastered with their twisted grins; it was a game for them. It was the first time he felt absolute helplessness and hopelessness. He kept fighting through it, hopeless as it was, better to go down fighting than cowering. More and more blood stained his skin, some of it now his own. Seconds felt like lifetimes, time was unbearable, and he had so little of it left. He saw another winter fairy, Jarrah, his closest friend, this group's natural leader, almost like a younger brother to him, being driven closer to the wyvern. He had froze, faced with another loss he couldn't take. Tried to summon magic only to find it wasn't there for him, it failed him for the first time in his life. He had watched Jarrah die too with his face twisted in anguish and terror. He did nothing to stop it, and then he had run.
Bowyn recalled in almost perfect clarity the amount of destruction this creature could cause. The way it tore through bodies like tender meat. His eyes were wide with terror, lost in a memory and focused on every familiar face he’d watched die. That was the only way he remembered those faces now; twisted in torment. The icy grip of horror didn’t let up, kept him frozen in place, even as the wyvern swooped towards them, breaking through the shield Kenia had attempted. But Boreas was there, on his shoulder, ever watchful, and the merlin nipped his ear just hard enough to draw blood. It snapped Bowyn’s attention back from his memories, focusing him on the wyvern in front of him just in time to jump out of the way and use his wings to keep himself from falling backwards.
"Do we run now?” Boreas asked, as they normally did when there were signs of great danger.
"No, we can’t leave them.” Bowyn said, and even as he spoke his resolve wavered.
"A wise choice from you today.” Boreas said with approval.
The creature let out hiss that Bowyn could feel in his core, one that sung to his own grief and agony. He knew wyvern’s to be vicious in battle, and this one was in pain. He knew what pain like that did to a person, and had no doubt this wyvern would be even more deadly because of it. He tried to call his magic, but fear paralyzed it from him. How could he fight a creature like this when he couldn’t even fight back his terror enough to call his magic? The doubt was crippling, the desire to run was hard enough to repress. Kenia was speaking but he couldn’t focus on her words, he heard his name, a command to attack the wings, but fear continued to block his magic from him. It was all going to happen again, the screaming, the death, and he would still be helpless to stop it.
”You’ve been a good friend, Bowyn. This is my choice.” Boreas spoke to him again, just as he sprung forth, leaving Bowyn’s shoulder.
While there were many creatures in the forest with exceptional reflexes, Boreas knew that none could quite match his. The small raptor was finely tuned with his environment, he was quick and he was constantly aware of everything around him. He saw the enemy, a great winged lizard, poised for another attack as Bowyn’s attention was lost elsewhere as it often was. He could sense his friend's fear and panic even without the fairy saying anything. Sometimes when Bowyn was lost in memories, Boreas could see them too, through the link they shared. In that moment he knew many things all at once, a moment of clarity laid his life out before him and left him acutely aware of what he needed to do.
Boreas knew he had lived a good life. He had been the first of his clutch to spread his wings and fly from the nest and from that moment on he always had the freedom of the skies. He had little trouble finding a mate, for the brilliant blue and silver feathers that marked his back coupled with his skills as a great hunter made him stand out just enough against his rivals. He had claimed a nice sized territory in which to hunt, but rarely did he ever journey outside his own boundaries. While he often spotted winter fae from the village that lived near his territory he never felt the need to interact with them. His mother had warned him as a nestling that fairies held strange power over animals, those who became their companions often changed, becoming more like the fae and less like a bird. Boreas had no interest in losing his freedom, changing, becoming domesticated, and so he kept his distance from them and the strange magic they possessed.
Then he had found a lost fairy wandering through the woods. In the fairy’s eyes Boreas found a deep sadness and sense of loss. Boreas too had lost his mate, taken by a stray arrow on the same day, but unlike the fairy, Boreas had the comfort of knowing that life would go on. When the lost fairy found himself rejected by it’s flock, Boreas took the lost creature under his wing. The fae were different from merlins, he had watched them from the skies, he knew they needed others and they did not do well as solitary creatures. So Boreas had become his companion, finding the company of the fae to a fascinating new adventure. In his friendship with Bowyn, Boreas did not lose his sense of freedom, he did not become like the domesticated animals, but instead felt himself becoming elevated into something more than he had been. Boreas learned to communicate with the fairy, opening up to deeper thoughts and experiences than he would have as just a solitary bird. There had been adventures, thievery, and seeing many sights far beyond his own territory.
For a long time he had tried to lead Bowyn back to a suitable flock, but the fairy was incredibly stubborn. Up until now he had been unsuccessful but Boreas knew his friend was now choosing to stay in the company of others. Boreas had finally led him to a new flock, and that Bowyn was no longer lost. Boreas knew that his time was also fading; a merlin's time when compared to a fae’s was very short. His plumage was dulling, no longer as brilliant as it once was, his speed and skill in the sky was waning, and he tired more quickly. Still he felt like he had accomplished something in his life, something more than the average bird could claim. A life of great adventure, one shared with a good friend, and with an endless open sky always above him. As Boreas looked at the fairy one last time he was proud, he knew that Bowyn now could grasp what Boreas had always known; that life goes on.
”You’ve been a good friend, Bowyn. This is my choice.” Boreas thought, and he ignored the protest his friend screamed into his head. Boreas was good at many things, but he did not take orders. He would show his friend how to be strong, how to fight for what mattered. He knew Bowyn would follow this example, he could be strong too.
And life would go on without Boreas, his friend could go on without him, and he would soon have to. Boreas lept from Bowyn’s shoulder and flapped his wings with all he had, soaring high and proud. He let out a high pitched cry as he flew towards the winged creature, avoiding the thrashing barbed tail and attacks from Kenia’s light magic with ease. He flew with more determination and agility than he ever had before, Boreas flew with a sense of purpose. With talons outstretched he went for the left eye of the winged lizard, his talons raked across scaled flesh but there wasn’t time to know if he had taken out one of its eyes.
He circled around again and found himself facing an opened screeching maw filled with jagged fangs. This was it, the beast was too large and too fast to outfly, and he was well within striking distance of the wyvern’s tail, talons, and mouth. All three options meant death, but one of them would allow him the opportunity to further damage the winged lizard, and this made it an easy choice for Boreas. He would fight until the end, this was a better end than succumbing to age. To one day become a bird who could not hunt, or fly, that was the life of a pet. Boreas would always be strong and free.
The small bird flew towards the open maw of the larger predator without hesitation. His talons raked across the beasts tongue, surprising it as Boreas flew directly into the creature's mouth. His talons continued their destruction scraping and tearing down the wyvern’s throat. The winged lizard coughed and choked both on Boreas and its own blood, it’s head thrashed wildly, leaving it distracted until Boreas could fight no more.
”Boreas, no!” Bowyn shouted at the bird but he knew the merlin wouldn’t listen. He knew what Boreas planned to do even before it happened, he went for one of the wyvern’s eyes, raking at it with his talons. Then, as Boreas was trapped within striking distance of the wyvern, he flew into the creature’s mouth. He felt the connection between him and Boreas shatter, and it felt like something scraping down raw nerves.
The wyvern’s cries were ones of grief and pain, and they were strong in the creature. But Bowyn’s were stronger, his pain was a constant festering wound. His people, his friends, Aeryn, and now Boreas. Gone. The loss of any sense of a home. The will to fight for those here with him now, to see Torvi and Belle again. Vengeance. He allowed himself to feel all of it at once, and all of those things were stronger than fear. A resolve so cold that he felt like ice came over him and Bowyn planted his feet, used every bit of his will to gain control over his magic. The blood sputtered and spat out, from the wyvern’s injuries, froze and shot back at the creature like shrapnel. He focused himself, reminded himself to go for the wings, take its flight. He pulled moisture from the air into his hands, creating ill-formed jagged and razor sharp daggers. He threw them at wyvern, his focus not breaking from the creature. He aimed for the leathery wings, keeping focus on the enemy, control over the ice, planning to pull the daggers down the second the hit the wings. He was going to shred that damn beast’s wings, he was going to watch it die, and the thought of it made him grin.
Time: Afternoon Location: River Port-Surfside Cafe Interactions: Lucia@Potter Vaeril@Alivefalling
“If you are going to pick a name try something more elven.”
Leon looked around without moving his head, his eyes darting towards both Lucia and Vaeril, and noting no one else was really around. Neither of them had spoken the words, and really, it had been more like they had been spoken directly into his mind. Well, that’s uncomfortable. Was he hearing voices now? Leon was more than willing to admit he was a bit on the eccentric side but he was pretty sure he wasn’t voices in your head crazy. He wasn’t going to talk to the voice, that would be crazy. Did that mean someone was in his head, that wouldn’t be good. Best thing to do was to fully focus on the most annoying song he could think of.
Perfection, nothing was quiet as annoying as retro dance music being stuck in your head. His head bopped slightly as he chewed the rest of the food he’d shoved in his mouth to avoid talking. Damn, why did he like this stupid song so much, maybe he was crazy. He was going to have this stuck in his head all day and he only hoped whoever hacked into his brain would now too. Once Lucia had finished giving the briefest biography of herself, she asked how his food was. Again. She had also grabbed his hand and he had a weird gut feeling. He kept thinking about the same song and followed her lead, giving a similar story about his own life.
“Same, we grew up near each other. My parents owned horses, and I guess they gave them all the good names and I got saddled with Frodo. Guess that’s what I get for not being half as impressive as their favorite stallion. And the food's great here as always. Can't say I've ever tried the soup here, though, still centuries shy of wanting to eat anything so mushy.” He said, more calmly than when he’d given his dumb fake name. That at least wasn’t far from true, his actual parents had been more interested in their work and less than impressed with him. He also hated soup, mushy food was worse than food cubes. He let his mind slip back into the annoying song, though he was excited to hear about the Roshmi Ball. He had wanted to go, but Lucia was always thinking way ahead of him, she had known it was going to be dangerous and based on what they’d heard recently, she’d be right to skip it.
Time: Afternoon Location: Forests, now closer to River Port than Roshmi Interactions: Cora @Potter, Elsea @Tae, Ezeri @Alivefalling
Cade was more than impressed as Ezeri managed to get so close to the unicorn, the creature even allowed the devil to touch it. He knew then that she was someone they could trust, a unicorn would surely never allow anyone with an impure heart so close to it. He was more hesitant to approach the unicorn than the others, afraid that the creature would not deem him honorable enough to stand in its presence. Cade took a deep sigh, knowing what he would have to do and turned to Cora.
”Cora, I must apologize to you. I understand that you did not mean to lose control in the forest, it was a difficult day for all of us, but it seems for you especially. I only worry that you have been gifted power that without proper training, can cause great destruction. But that is not your fault, and I should’ve been kinder.” Cade spoke in a sober and genuine tone, hoping that without the burden of a grudge on his conscience, that the unicorn would not judge him unworthy. He approached the animal slowly, doing his best to not appear as a threat. Cade felt a great sense of relief once he was as close to the unicorn as the others were.
”Speak freely Ezeri, we do not mind. Unicorns are very special here as well, not rare per say, but they do not show themselves to those unworthy. Elsea is right, they are the most innocent and pure beings of this world as well. For one to trust you so easily, Ezeri, means you can only be described as excellent company.” Cade said, keeping his voice soft as he pet the side of the unicorn as well. They would need all the luck they could have with the rebellion and he was glad to have encountered the creature here.
Time: Afternoon Location: River Port-Surfside Cafe Interactions: Lucia@Potter Vaeril@Alivefalling
Leon nodded as Lucia explained how slowly elves aged, he couldn’t even fathom living for over a millennium. The sheer amount of change and progresses one would see living that many years was just wild to him. He continued eating, even though he had plenty of more questions about elves, but didn’t want to risk having people overhear him asking questions he should already know the answers too. The cafe was fling up more as they ate, and he was also supposed to be an elf too after all. At least having food in front of him kept him distracted enough to stop messing with the fake ears, as another elf came over to talk to them.
”Nice to meet you Vaeril. I’m Frodo." Leon lied with absolute confidence, then realized he had picked correct source material but the wrong name. Shit, Frodo wasn’t even an elf, he was a hobbit, and now he was stuck with a stupid fake name. He could’ve said something cool like Legolas or Glorfindel but nope he had gone with the first name that popped into his head. He immediately put more food in his mouth to stop himself from saying anything else. He listened as Lucia talked about her staff, which Vaeril seemed very interested in, claiming to have made it.
Time: Afternoon Location: Forests near River Port Interactions: Zephyrin@Howlsofwinter, Kenia@Tae, Arwen?@princess
Bowyn nodded, satisfied that Kenia accepted his terms. Unlike those they had already left behind, both Zephyrin and Arwen did not seem more than capable of handling the dangers of the forests. They needed watched over, needed help, and if they were to become useful members of the rebellion, then they also needed to feel a part of this group. Bowyn would need to trust them, at least a little, if he wanted them to trust them him, and the rest of the rebellion as well. He wondered if this was the reason for Kenia’s apology, it seemed unnecessary for her to apologize for actions that while cold, were entirely practical.
“Hope you’re not going soft on us now elf, and no need to apologize for grief, that I can understand.” He said with a partial smile and continued walking, lunchtime had lasted long enough. Bowyn thought cold and practical seemed the better way to be during a dangerous rebellion, but when not alone it was far more difficult to maintain. He already knew he wouldn’t be completely logical when it came to the humans he’d already befriended. It was also clear that to gain any trust from Zephyrin and Arwen, that a cold approach wasn’t working. Arwen was still keeping the fact that she was human a poorly guarded secret. Zephyrin still maintained that she only cared about adventure and food, and he highly doubted that was the case. He turned to address both Arwen and Zephyrin before he spoke again.
“Maybe Kenia’s right though, I have been cold as well. I only wish for us to make it to our destination safely, and these are dangerous times. But to expect trust sometimes means to give it in return. I will not abandon you to the forest for anything short of outright betrayal. For Elthrael it is an inconvenience, for you two, a likely death sentence. If you have questions, or misgivings, air them now. I will answer honestly, I’ll even swear on my flower crown.”
Valok did not get the reaction he expected, there were no shared scar stories, or exaggerated tales of battle from this group. He shook his head at their sentiments, this was not a sad story, it was one of his proudest memories. Survival in battle was the payoff from years of training and hardwork, and in Daka, survival was an achievement. He had noticed the forests here were much more welcoming than any in Daka were, and perhaps it took less to survive away from Daka. Even so, they must train soldiers here as well, did they simply not train as hard as his people did? Malachi certainly showed the kind of traits he respected in a commander, albeit in ways far different from those he was used to. To simply wipe dirt from the demon Myra, as if the creature was a pet, must take balls of iron, and he showed no fear that he might lose that hand as he did so.
“Young, yes, but trained and prepared enough. Only the strong survive Daka. Myra must be strong too, to survive the forests there.” Valok said responding first to Malachi and then bowing his head at Myra, before holding up a fist and smacking it against his chest with a grin. He continued walking as both Malachi and Mathias had suggested, no use in standing idly around when walking and talking was just as easy. He thought more on what Mathias had said and he felt that other than Myra, the others here had little idea what it was truly like to live on Daka. While there were certainly those on Azmor who had an easier time, that ease of life was partially owed to Aklenroth. Many of his people felt they owed The Great King a debt, a debt paid for with well trained soldiers, soldiers willing to sacrifice an easy life for the betterment of all dark elves. Valok had always believed this, until recently he had seen no better way presented.
”We were banished to the north, not by Aklenroth, but by the older and long gone leaders. Daka is not a soft place, and to survive the north as long as my kind have, takes sacrifice. If you hinge a rebellion upon hatred of Aklenroth alone, most dark elves will only fight back harder. Dark elves feel we owe him a great debt, and so we offer him soldiers. To my people he is the only leader who has shown us kindness, through him we have done better. I can see it has not been the same for others, but hate will not make this world better, and it has only made my kind worse.” He added, choosing his words carefully, not wanting Malachi or Belladonna to think he blamed all light elves for the banishment.
Valok wondered on the point of Malachi’s seemingly unimportant questions, the most recent was about where they were from. He wasn’t sure what the value in that information could be but listened to the other’s answers. Belladonna’s response was clipped and told nothing outright, she was very secretive, which meant she was likely hiding something. Mathias’s answer painted a picture that was hard for him to imagine. The description of the man’s home and a dish made by his mother gave a warm feeling. It also gave another feeling, one that was bitter, and he couldn’t name the feeling. Valok felt as if something lacked in his life, something that was both taken and that he had never actually had. He wondered why he felt both happy to hear the man share his lovely memory and sad to have none of his own to share at the same time.
”Your village sounds very nice, such a wonderful meal must have been a grand treat.” He said nodding to Mathias, with a small smile.
”I was forged in an academy in the forests of Daka. Grimmrots, a training camp, one of the toughest ones, only the strongest of my kind can survive it.” Valok spoke with a pride ingrained into him. Many weaker children died there, they could not survive as he had, and to survive it made one strong, a suitable warrior.
”From there I trained in The Pits, a right of passage, to survive there is to become a man. I was once nearly gored by a beastman with great horns.” Valok continued, he even lifted his shirt to show the jagged scar left by horns across his torso. This story and the scar that came with it had impressed many of the soldiers in his battalion. He wondered if light elves were equally proud to share tales of grand scars and deadly battles.
Time: Afternoon Location: River Port-Surfside Cafe Interactions: Lucia@Potter
Leon tried not to fiddle with the fake ears too much, but every few minutes he still scratched at them. He couldn’t help it, they were just a bit itchy and he occasionally flicked at the tip of one of them. It was way weird to have to need pointy ears just to go out in public, to try act as if he was an elf and that everything he was looking at wasn’t full of things he’d never seen before. When it came to ordering food he just pointed to a random thing on the menu and ate that, he wasn’t picky and everything he’d tried so far was amazing. His food today was a fish he’d never heard of and strange looking but great tasting vegetables. It was better than food on Earth, even when he’d eaten the finely prepared dishes his parent’s chef had made. Back home real food was a luxury only the wealthy could afford. After leaving home he’d settled for the tasteless but nutrient filled food cubes. Quick and easy meals, which left more time for work, and more productive society, but were far from an enjoyable experience.
“This is way thrill, lightyears better than food cubes.” He said making a face at the thought of going back to eating something so bland and tasteless. He liked eating outdoors in the sun, there was a magnificent view of the beach, and the air was clean and just a bit cool and salty.
Over on the beach there was a stunning woman literally throwing herself onto the chest of a shirtless hunk. Some things, it seemed, didn’t change much no matter the world, and the beach here seemed exactly like the ones back on Earth, only cleaner. He’d only ever visited the beach once as a kid, family vacation, and his parents hadn’t let him do much. That had been a boring waste of a good time, this time would be more fun, he wouldn’t let the beach go to waste. Leon raised an eyebrow at the scowling face Lucia made as a passerby paused to admire the staff she always carried with her.
“We are never going to make friends if you keep mean muggin everyone who walks by. I'm more than ready to mingle with the locals, or go swimming, or do you surf here?” Leon leaned back in the chair and tossed a piece of fruit up in the air and into his mouth. The people on the beach didn’t look devious in the least, and there were certainly no evil skeletons walking around either. He was pretty sure he’d notice that.
“So how old is old Elle anyway? Are elves immortal?” He whispered a bit surprised that she had described the other elf as an old woman. She didn’t look that old after all, and he realized he’d never seen any real old looking elves.
Time: Afternoon Location: Forests near River Port Interactions: Zephyrin@Howlsofwinter, Kenia@Tae, Arwen?@princess
Bowyn allowed the mix of alcohol and his talkative companions to distract him as they continued traveling until it started to get dark. He did not volunteer to hunt for dinner, by the time they stopped to rest. He was both too drunk and too tired to care if he ate or not. A few missed meals was nothing to him, but Kenia caught a handful of rabbits for dinner anyhow. He barely ate them, allowing Zephyrin and Arwen to have a hardier share. Boreas of course hunted his own prey, and was far more vigilant than Bowyn during their turn on watch. The night was harder, it was far quieter than the day with others resting, leaving Bowyn alone with only his thoughts and memories. He had finished off what was left of the bottle he had carried with him, and when his turn on watch had ended, the alcohol lured him into a dreamless sleep.
He awoke when Boreas did, as early as the first signs of the sun beginning to awaken as well but before the sky was bright. The hangover itself was horrendous, but dreamless sleep had made it worth it to Bowyn. Kenia wanted to leave the moth fairy behind and Bowyn could understand her point; he was interesting enough but he could only be trusted to serve himself. While the same could likely be said of Zephyrin, Bowyn would not leave one of his own, alone and ill-equipped, in the forest. His people faced enough dangers and as much as he would hate to admit it, he still felt they needed to look out for each other. Arwen had made them all flower crowns, which was a bizarre use of her time but no more useless than his drinking. Boreas however stared at him with annoyed confusion as Bowyn placed the tiny crown upon the bird.
”Your new friend made it, for the cute little birdie.” Bowyn whispered, amused at the merlin’s annoyance at once again being decorated.
”I don’t like it.” Boreas replied, he had after all suffered the indignity of wearing a bow tie only a day before.
”It would be rude to reject a gift, you don’t want to be rude do you Boreas? I’m wearing mine.” Bowyn answered back, knowing Boreas would not want to offend the likely not an elf.
”And you look ridiculous.” Boreas retorted, though he left the flower crown now atop his head alone.
”But not half as ridiculous as you.” Bowyn added, appreciating the levity the simple flower crowns had brought. It was a kind gesture, and somehow made the situation they were in feel less bleak, bringing light to his dark mood. It was a bit fun to look ridiculous; still dressed in fancy ball clothes but now covered in the dirt and muck from the forest, and with a floral crown upon his head and resting against his horns, Bowyn couldn’t help but smile at it.
Later as they paused for lunch, an unnecessary break, Kenia confirmed his suspicions about Arwen. He nodded an acknowledgement at Kenia’s apology, and he understood her hesitation towards Zephyrin’s sudden appearance, but the fact still remained that she had welcomed Zephyrin the coldest out of all them, while showing immediate warmth to one who appeared to be another elf. His own place in her good graces was likely only due to his usefulness and vocal support of the same cause.
”I accept on the condition that should Zephyrin prove to be a problem, it will be one I deal with, not you.” Bowyn responded back in a hushed voice. He had seen how easy it was for her to leave behind those she did not care for, not only the moth fairy but a human and another elf as well. He didn’t expect the elf to be any more forgiving towards one of his own kind, and anything short of outright betrayal, was not worthy of leaving one of kind to death or enslavement. He had little energy to make conversation with creatures that were not birds, but listened in on Kenia’s interrogation of Arwen.
Time: Afternoon Location: The forest, now closer to River Port Interactions: Cora @Potter, Elsea @Tae, Ezeri @Alivefalling
Cade did what he did best when conflict arose with people he genuinely liked, he avoided it and hoped it would go away. It never worked, but he was a stubborn cat and there was always the possibility that it would work one day. Traveling with Ezeri made this easier, she was an anomaly even to Avalia, and whatever information she was willing to share about her home was of interest to him. He kept his focus on learning what he could from the devil and her foul mouthed companion, and on ensuring that they made their way closer to the river port. At night they sought shelter and he hunted alone, hunting allowed his mind to be at peace. He even managed to find a couple of sweet tasting fruits for the humans, remembering Cora’s distaste at the game he’d caught for their breakfast. A small peace offering to further avoid any discussion on her misuse of fire in the forest. Elsea and Cora seemed more bonded than before, and he figured the flame haired human was much more equipped to discuss whatever had caused Cora to lose control than he was. He was more than willing to share food with Ezeri and her companions, and his questions towards her were more focused on demons and how they were best defeated than on her home world.
His relative silence continued from the night and into the next day, and their journey remained uninterrupted by demons. He wondered if Ezeri’s mere presence was enough to ward off the foul creature that had toyed with them the day before, or if it was simply content with the destruction it had already caused. He tried to put the demon out of his mind, his nightmares had already been plagued by it. Dreams of the scenario from the day playing out very differently, dreams in which his mind was overtaken by the illusion, where he killed the humans, where he fought with the false Shadow and killed Ayita, and dreams in which he died consumed by fire summoned by the humans. Each dream left him waking in a state of confusion and panic with a growl half uttered and caught in his throat. Each time he found it more and more difficult to fall back asleep. Eventually sleep proved a fruitless task and late into the night he occupied himself by fashioning two wooden spears and firehardening them. Morning had come with unsatisfied exhaustion, but he had beamed with pride as he presented the gifts to both Elsea and Cora, should they need a weapon, wish to hunt with them, or simply like to use them as a walking stick.
It was easier to ignore conversation the next day, his thoughts focused more keeping pace and fighting off the tiredness in his body. Cade knew the way from Roshmi to the River port very well, he had traveled it many times before and knew how to get there without the reliance on the well trodden paths that weaved through the forests. It was easy to lead the way without having to think too much about it. He stayed as alert as he could manage, no matter how perfect a proper nap in one of the patches of sun that poked through the trees sounded. Eventually they came upon a brook, where the water looked clean enough to drink and fish could be seen swimming beneath the crystal clear waters and several alaberry bushes grew nearby. It was a peaceful spot in the forest, but an ever rarer sight awaited them than the simple beauty of nature, a lone unicorn, it’s coat and mane shimmering beneath a patch of sunlight, stood drinking from the stream with perked ears.
”A grand omen, such a sight is a rare blessing from the gods.” Cade whispered as he spotted the sacred creature, holding his hand up to halt their approach. He was content to wait until the creature chose to leave. Thoughts of exhaustion and demons were gone from his mind in the serene presence of such a pure and sacred being.
Time: Afternoon Location: River Port Interactions: Lucia@Potter
It had been ten days since Leon had jumped through a tear in the space time continuum. A portal into what was very clearly not even Earth, the locals were fairly primitive, and way strange but it wasn’t awful. Avalia had its own perks, the food was certainly better, the people here were a real trip, and well, magic was clearly its biggest plus. Earth didn’t have magic, not like this, and it didn’t have the endless things he had never seen or heard of, so much to explore and experience. Avalia had fresh clean air, land untouched by true industrialization, and endless possibilities. He’d even already made a friend, Lucia, an elf, an actual pointy eared, bow and arrow wielding, awesome elf. And unlike the ones in stories, this elf was generous and friendly. There were certainly worse fates than paling around with a wealthy badass elf. Like being murdered by a crime boss, which was probably how his life on Earth was about to end. Then again an evil skeleton wanted to kill him here so that wasn’t great, and Leon hadn’t even done anything yet.
The other big downside was that none of his tech worked here but Avalia had its own technology to figure out. As Lucia mentioned making something to eat, Leon realized he still hadn’t put the weird oven back together yet. No not an oven, here they called it a fira, and it used solar power to heat things fairly quickly. Minutes rather than the seconds he was used to but he still wanted to figure out how exactly it worked. Just about everything in Avalia either ran on solar power or magic, so there was a bit of a learning curve to what he was used to. As a kid he’d learned the best way, or at least the way that was the most fun, was to take something apart and figure it all out by putting it back together again. It was like solving a mystery, and the fact that nothing around here seemed to come with an instruction manual made it even more fun.
”Ya know, I can see it, you could charm the scales off a snake. Trade and barter must be nothing, then again who’d want to argue with elven Robin Hood.” Leon said laughing as Lucia twirled an arrow and grinned.
”And food sounds great, but the fira isn’t one hundred precent in working order. It will be soon, once I figure out why it keeps making that burnt smell…” Leon said then flashed an innocent smile, trailing off as he thought more about it. He had taken it apart last night, tried to put it back together again but every time it seemed like it was about to work it, the device gave off a terrible burning smell. It was overheating, he needed to pay closer attention to the heating components. He almost had it figured out last night but then before he’d finished fixing whatever it was he’d broken he had a better idea to improve the hoverboard he’d gotten just before coming to the River Port. The hoverboard was remarkably similar to the one he’d had as a kid, and just different enough that it was still fun to make adjustments to, and now it ran much better than before, unlike the fira. Lucia would probably want him to fix that soon but if they couldn’t make food in the house, they might have to venture out into the town. That prospect made him want to put off fixing the fira until later.
”I guess maybe we’ll have to go into town and try local cuisine.” Leon added, and there was really no use in trying to hide his enthusiasm at that suggestion. He wanted to explore the world here, not hide in a house all day.
”Plus if we go into town, we might find more humans, or allies. Then later, more training for sure, gotta level up to make sure a bag of old bones doesn’t kill me.” He continued, and while Leon didn’t normally care for things that took too much work, training was more like fun.
Bowyn recognized the wisdom in what Elthrael said, humans who let their power control them would make poor allies. The madman they had encountered before leaving Roshmi was proof enough of that, and while he didn’t trust Elthrael’s loyalty, his judgement here seemed sound. Elthrael’s usefulness was apparent, as he tossed apples to both Zephyrin and the elf who called herself Arwen. Perhaps now Zephyrin would cease stomping about like a disgruntled child at the prospect of a single missed meal. Arwen was overly friendly, behaving nothing like an elf. Her generosity with the apple and overly agreeable statements reminded him more of his own kind than any elf he’d ever run across. The fact that she seemed so genuinely excited to meet them was both annoying and endearing, like so many he’d known in his own village. Kenia’s comment only furthered his suspicion that this was likely not an elf. He took another drink from his bottle, as its contents diminished it tasted less and less like fire, and simply became easier to drink more of it. But the alcohol was failing him, he was still thinking of home.
“Well, it certainly looks like you prefer your people to mine, but then again, she hardly acts like an elf.” Bowyn mumbled back to Kenia. His speech was slurred, not enough to be incoherent, but enough that it was clear he was far from sober.
”Apparently you’re a cute little birdie.” He said to Boreas, who in turn took the complement by flipping his wings to better show off his flight feathers.
”Boreas likes your compliment. It seems we’re all going to the same place and we’re more than willing to be your guide for amas. Bowyn spoke to Clara, more pleasantly this time. He wasn’t about to turn down easy money, allowing a stranger to walk with them, to what seemed to be the same place they were already headed, was even easier than stealing it.
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