Voe stepped forward.
"Woah, wow, wait no. That's not good."
He spoke of the sun's effect on her. He had seen some monsters suffer similarly.
"But it makes sense."
When he got up close he looked at her eyes, really looked. It was staring into red stars. Very unlike anything he'd seen above...
"It's gathered from the Red River, it flows with salt from the mountains. Unusual for surface rivers, maybe unique."
Voe took another bite and chewed it in his cheek, speaking as he went.
"The purple pepper is imported, somewhere east of here I think. There should be some still around..."...
"Well, up here at least, you're a rare sight. Maybe as rare as me or Melfa and I've found that most surfacers take appearance seriously. At best you might be a curiosity and at worst well..."
He did not feel he needed to elaborate.
"Red salt and purple pepper mostly but I added blood to the fat...
That apology was a bit formal for Voe's tastes, perhaps he overdid it.
"It's alright, I mean... it's not like..."
His free hand gestured to his horns, green nubs that sat along his hairline.
"... there's no reason for it. I just prefer my name is all. It's Voe and you are Vel'duith. Only just...
Voe managed to avoid backing away as Vel'duith approached. Not for fear but for shame he kept the apron fronting.
"Well typically there's no problem with those we invite inside... typically."
He let a bit of bite into the word as he scraped the venison from the skillet and let it land on a...
"Woah wow!"
Voe jumped as if he had been stung. Much as Vel'duith did not mean to sneak up on him he was blissfully unaware of her entering.
So he now stood half hunched in fright, catching his breath next tho the still sizzling pan. A spat held extended as if it could ward off evil itself...
Blood sizzled in the pan. Cooking with blood added smoke to the meal, let the taste of char seep into the meat and for Voe, the deeper the taste got the better.
Sleep evaded him, so much so that not even Otho had been roused to accompany him to the kitchen, which the Drake-hound was not...
Voe huffed a small laugh and a smile.
"It's fine, I run hot anyway, so the cold doesn't hit me as hard, must be my luck on a night like tonight."
The word Teifling held little significance to him but he knew his heritage was not of the world, not entirely anyway. He was a thing with demonic...
Smiling as he did at Darkstride as she left Voe tucked his hand into his bag...
"Happy hunting Strider."
...and picked out a heavy lump of unprocessed ore, mostly copper mixed with shale.
"I expect he'll get his chance Cass. Just as soon as our bug expert works out what we're dealing with."...
Otho responds enthusiastically to Ispir's attentions, wagging his great tail and crooning pleasantly as his fin-like ears shivered and shook in delight.
"Hmm, no I certainly am not alone!"
Voe joked but didn't elaborated, thinking on how much the drake-hound meant to him.
A chill wind picked...
It was Otho who met Ispir first with an excited nudge with it's horned about and playful hiss.
Voe smiled as he pulled the great beast back and after a moment picked up the hot chocolate from Ispir's hand where the bard lay.
"My thanks Ispir."
Now free from Otho he helped the young man up and...
"What do you reckon all that was?"
From his perch on the covered tower wall Voe and watched with some interest the display from Vel'duith, at least he thought it was Vel'duith, in the dark he supposed it might have been anyone but the hair pretty much gave it away.
Rare to see as his own kind...
"Handouts?"
Voe feigned a hurt look that turned into a startled surprise yelp as the herrevan snatched its prize up to the branches to feast upon. It took him a moment to compose himself again.
"You're right Cass."
He said picking up his own tea and warming his hands on the cup.
"It's nice to...
A slim smile filled Voe's face as he finished his meal and tossed a piece of ham for Otho. The Drake pounced and gobbled it up in its wide jaws, chewing on it happily.
"Nothing too fancy Cass. Fried ham and mush on soda. Extra crispy."
His eyes flashed to Andel.
"With tea, should be just about...
The mist settled early in the morning as they woke from camp.
The previous day and a half had been to get to the spot the creature was last seen. A road along the northern region of the Spine Mountain range that was frequented this time of year by those hoping to get the last goods and trade...
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.