Dreadlords A Bid for Power

[Raena Mirrsyn]

The Latest Scene - Small Village near Falwood
​

Raena Mirrsyn stood outside the huge circle with her arms crossed and a pensive look on her face.

This was the fourth circle and the fourth body.

She had not been to any of the other scenes yet since they had just received the request for help two days prior. The group of Initiates had been dispatched to the latest circle when they had been stopped by a rider who begged them to come quickly. They had immediately peeled off to go to the village where the circle had been seen since it was the freshest and the one that would hopefully contain some clues.

From what they had gathered so far, someone was traveling around the area, setting up these strange runic circles, and killing people. Raena sure did love the crazy ones. No one knew who, why, or how but it was happening and the villagers from various locations around Vel Anir were living in constant fear that they would be next.

Raena looked down at the mutilated body of a teenage girl and sighed heavily. The girl had strange carvings on her and it was clear that she had been sliced up before she had been killed. Her blood had flowed from her down four pathways dug out in the circle to four ruins. She had no idea what they meant but she was sure that this was some kind of sacrifice.

Four, they were all younger than twenty as well. Four, children and teens who would never enjoy their lives. Four, a terrible realization that the killer wasn't done.

"Can anyone read any of these runes?" She finally broke the silence with a question to her companions.

 

[Silas Artesto]

Another one.

Apparently, they'd already found three of these bodies, and Silas had gone out of his way to scout this one for any clues surrounding the scene. His quickness allowed him to survey the area within a sizable radius rather quickly, and with every adding moment, he widened his search. Still, he came up with nothing. Not even a hint of anything for almost half a mile. Even a large portion of the people who lived in this rinky-dink village had hauled ass out of there once they realized what was happening.

"I can only make guesses." Silas shook his head, running his tongue along his teeth in thought as he looked over the markings in the ground. "Four runes, fourth body. Could mean it's over, but I doubt it." Whoever was doing this wasn't entirely insane. Crazy people didn't leave such a lack of clues, and they sure as hell didn't pick a spot where people wouldn't notice a corpse until he was done with his or her work. "Plus, there are three other circles we haven't seen. Might not be able to put this one together without them. Fanatics and their goddamned ciphers..."

A shake of his head illustrated his disappointment before he shot a glance at Raena. "We're awfully close to Falwood. Elves maybe? They're speedy enough that they could duck right back into the woods like vermin." Of course, Silas had a bit of a thing against the elves, so he certainly wouldn't feel heartbroken about a sharp-ear hunting trip...

 

[Vasha Drurcius]

At least it's over for her.

Vasha said nothing as she eyed the ritual while Raena examined it, an uncomfortable prickle running up her spine and setting her ribs itching. The horse under her pawed anxiously at the ground, both from the scent of blood and the emotions of its rider.

She didn't recognize the runes, but she'd suffered something uncomfortably similar to the victim before her.

Was this what she had looked like, seven years ago? A small, pale, mutilated body spread-eagled on a table, instead of the soil?

Swinging a leg over the back of the saddle, the gravelly earth crunched under her boots as Vasha moved to tie the horse to a tree next to the others, and then stepped forward a little to one side of Raena. The pupils of Vasha's yellow eyes dilated slightly as she scanned the carvings in the victim's flesh. After a long moment memorizing them, she kneeled to pull a booklet out of her pack and a stick of charcoal, copying down the runes, and their locations on the body. She couldn't help the fact her mouth was slightly open during this- taking in the bitter, acrid scent of blood and fear between implanted fangs and a coal-black, forked tongue.

Her skin prickled again, and her teeth snapped shut.

"We shoul' check the locations of the rithuals on a map thoo." She responded with as few words as she could, rising and briefly comparing her notes to the body, and then the surrounding circle. Unable to pronounce hard 'd's' and 't's' due to her physical abnormality, Vasha had grown to hate the rather unpredictable contrast it caused in other's reactions to her, and as such spoke little.

She was not cute. She was a weapon that should never have been made, and everyone would live longer if they remembered that.

Carefully pocketing the charcoal and looking the runes over one more time, she turned the booklet to let Raena see herself. Maybe by getting the other ritual circles they could find a pattern. Or, would, by Vasha's estimation. Magic was anything but random after all from her experience.

 

[Zinnia]

Skin crawling, Zinnia pulled her hood forward. Gold eyes glanced over the carnage in front of her and she could only wonder: why send initiates for something like this? Wasn't what appeared to be serial killings a task better suited to actual Dreadlords? Or maybe just the guard? Why send this group, why Zinnia? Her brow furrowed deeply.

"I...I d-don't understand it..." Zinnia piped up, half in response to Raena's question. She dismounted from her horse as well, previously content to wait a distance behind the others. The further the better, usually. However, Vasha was with them this time and that...skewed Zinnia's perspective somewhat.

The wallflower eyed up her serpentine peer as she investigated the scene. Zinnia could never decide how she felt about that one. Somewhere between pity and envy, she thought, her gold eyes a mirror of Vasha's yellows. More than anything she thought it strange how little flack the other girl seemed to catch for how...inhuman she was. Must've had some sort of understanding or deal with the proctors, maybe even the archons. How else could anyone explain it?

Silas' mention of the Falwood snapped Zinnia's attention back into the moment. Elves? She'd heard plenty of their savagery, and she didn't have much mind to confront that nightmare with just a small squad of initiates.
"D-do you think? I've h-heard they like to...eat the entrails of their victims...I hope it isn't elves..."

 

[Raena Mirrsyn]

Raena studied Silas as he spoke. She agreed that the killer was probably not finished. The number four just happened to coincide with this fourth victim. There would be more. There was a reason this person was killing and she really needed someone who could read the runes. That would likely be a helpful clue. Was this person seeking revenge? Power? Money? Food? Narrowing down the why could help start to lead to the who.

Silas' comment about it possibly being elves made her shake her head. This wasn't elves. Well...it could be, of course, but the elves had magic and stuff so why would they need rituals like this? No, it didn't make sense. She didn't comment though, she simply let the head shake speak for her.

Raena then nodded at Vasha's suggestion. "Yes, I think going to the other sites would be wise. The bodies are likely gone but maybe we can find something in the circles. There has to be something tying them together. We could also get lucky and there may have been someone who was able to sketch the scene before it was cleared."

There was another sight and Raena rubbed her forehead before looking up at Vasha's little notebook. She smiled for the first time on this mission and she was grateful for the strange initiate to who she had taken a liking all those years ago. Raena could've kissed the girl for her initiative to draw the runes. Genius.

"I don't think that is true but I have never met any elves," Raena responded to Zinnia's proclamation about what she had heard. "I also don't think it's elves. This seems too...gruesome...even for those savages," she finished. She squatted down to look at the runes and the girl once more.

"Do you think anyone in town saw anything?"

 

[Silas Artesto]

Everybody seemed to make good points, though Zinnia was a little too preoccupied shivering over the thought of elves eating her. No matter what happened next, it seemed clear to Silas that the answer likely lay in comparing all of the runes left at the murder scenes. With a little smile, Silas nudged Zinnia with his shoulder as he passed "I wouldn't sweat it, Zin. Elves aren't anything we can't handle."

Peeking his head over Raena's shoulder to look at the notebook in Vasha's hands, Silas bit the inside of his cheek. Damn, the pale ghostly looking girl was actually pretty talented with a little bit of charcoal. Why waste time trying to find somebody who sketched the scenes when they had somebody right here who could do it? There was merit in asking the townspeople, but they were dealing with an active threat. Every minute burned precious daylight, and time before the next kill waned.

Raena had a good head on her shoulders though, and so did the other two. If they played this right, they could kill two birds with one stone. "Raena, do you have any idea where the other spots are?" Artesto had a plan of his own, but he'd need some idea of where he was going for it to work. "If you and Zinnia go ask around, I can carry Vasha to the other sites quickly and have her jot down those runes too. Then we can link up and put what we have together."

Silas wasn't entirely sure how Vasha would respond to the idea of being carried, but it was worth a shot. It would certainly save a lot of time.

 

[Vasha Drurcius]

"I'll eath them before they can geth tho you." The words were tossed rather casually over her shoulder toward Zinnia, leaving the others to guess if Vasha was being serious or not as she neatly folded up the paper and pocketed it. Turning her head slightly, the girl blinked in surprise and stepped aside a bit before turning lest she bump into Silas. Usually people didn't get so close...

...and he was suggesting to get even closer now. Her mouth firmed into a thin line. Vasha remembered watching him dart past the group as they travelled to scout ahead on occasion and the idea of moving at that speed while being carr-... her jaw feathered anxiously and Vasha couldn't help how her gaze flicked up and down over Silas as if sizing him up.

If she was on his back, there was a risk of her clawing his throat or other vitals if her powers were triggered unexpectedly. Alongside that, she could just lose her grip and get injured. And being injured made it that much harder to control her emotions if she felt threatened.

Taking a slow, deep breath, Vasha closed her eyes a moment and grumbled softly to herself, reluctantly admitting Silas was correct. It was a practical idea, could cover more ground, and despite the mental image... "Woul' be safer tho carry me, yes. For both of us."

 

[Zinnia]

Reassurance was always nice. Raena voice her opinion on the culprit not being elves and Zinnia visibly relaxed, a relieved exhale escaping her. Good. Good! No elves, less odds of conflict, less stress, less chance of something going horribly cataclysmic for Zinnia. Keeping the stress down was the most important thing. If she could do that, she might just--

"Eep!" Zinnia yelped and then immediately clasped her hands over her mouth in embarrassment as Silas nudged her. She hadn't been expecting that, nor his close proximity, nor his smile. Her cheeks flushed crimson as she tried to mentally process the mounting shame, and she pulled hard on her hood to try to hide her face.

Still, she...actually didn't mind the nickname. Despite herself she couldn't fight a smile that peered out from beneath the hood.
"Y-yeah...you're right. We'd be fine!"

Saved. Best to just move on and not acknowledge her own stupid awkwardness. Then Vasha chimed in. Would she actually do that? Was that why Vel Anir didn't mind her, uh..."exotic" appearance? Such a mystery, that one.
"Oh...yeah...awesome..." She replied, wilting visibly.

Silas' following idea was not one that particularly appealed to her, but social practice was social practice no matter the source, she supposed. Zinnia pounded a fist into an open palm.
"Right, investigate the locals! I can t-totally help with that." She offered with perhaps the most conviction the group here may have ever seen from her.

 

[Raena Mirrsyn]

Raena let everyone say their peace before she finally spoke to address Silas. She had forgotten that he was super fast and it was a good idea to take Vasha and go. It would be too much ground for all of them to cover before another murder.

“Yes, I do actually. I have a map!” Raena produced a map that had Vel Anir, the Falwood Stone, and Fal’Addes labeled. On the map was also the numbers 1, 2, and 3.



She held it open before pointing to the spot they were. “That is us, I’ll add a 4 later. These are the other three,” she pointed to the other numbers in order. “I don’t think it matters which order you visit the sites but make sure to check if anyone is able to describe the runes on the body itself,” Raena gave Silas the map and clapped him on the shoulder.

She then turned to look at Zinnia with a small smile. “We are going to try to avoid punching anyone,” she chuckled out before heading to her mare and pulling herself up into the saddle. “Let’s get going and meet back here by nightfall if possible!”

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas looked over the map, nodding along to Raena's orders. The girl was sharp; Silas could see her being a leader in the future. Zinnia was pretty bright too, but she had a bit of a confidence issue that was still being worked on. "Right, we should be able to hit those places and be back by then. It'll all come down to the cooperation of the locals." Of course, this was Falwood, so 'locals' meant Elf, Man, and Beast as well. Still Artesto didn't expect there'd be much competition for him in the way of speed, at least.

His eyes followed Rae as she mounted up for a moment, before he turned his attention Vasha, giving a little sigh as his hands moved to his hips. "Well. Here goes nothing. You ready?" It wasn't that he disliked the girl, but she could certainly be... prickly... at times. Long as he didn't pay her any compliments, he should escape in one peice.

With her approval, Silas scooped her up into his arms in a bridal carry, sliding his hands to the back of her knees and upper back to secure her in place as best he could with what grip he had. Suddenly he found himself thankful this mission was with a group of girls save for him; the guys back at the Academy would never let him hear the end of this if they knew.

Silas the Snake Lover, he could hear them now.

"Alright Vash. Hold onto my neck and brace yourself." It was the last warning he gave before he moved his legs into a lunging position, focusing as the vibrations in his muscles began, slowly building up until it would feel to Vasha as though the boy carrying her was rumbling like an earthquake. The minute his foot leaves the ground, they're launched forward at a blistering speed, headed towards the '3' on Raena's map.

 

[Vasha Drurcius]

"You ready?"

No. But of course, she didn't admit that. Nodding once, she awkwardly let him scoop her up.

It occured to her then to wonder why this even had to be awkward to begin with. Why did they get trained so brutally only to not even learn the basics of how to work with one another?

Vasha didn't get to think for long on that however before Silas told her to hang on and prepared to run. For the first second, she only tightened up further, but then as she felt the vibrations start, Vasha thought the better of it and did as he told her- quickly wrapping her arms around Silas's neck and focusing on staying calm.

And then, they were off, and the resulting pressure slammed her into his chest with a gasp, tucking her legs and arms close to try and reduce the resulting drag that threatened to yank them off balance.

Yeah. It was definetly better that he carried her. Raena is never going to let me hear the end of this one.

 

[Zinnia]

“We are going to try to avoid punching anyone,”

Zinnia's brows went up before she looked down at the gesture she had made, bottom of her fist placed against the flat of her palm, then lifted both hands up and waved them in protest.

"N-no, I didn't mean--I was just being--!" She tried to explain.

In an instant Silas and Vasha were gone, a cloud of dust kicked up behind them that Zinnia had to spit out.

"Ptheuughh, agghh...never mind." She sagged. Oh well. As long as she was getting to help, she supposed. "Where do we start?"

 

[Raena Mirrsyn]

Raena watched the two Initiates blink out of sight and she smiled over at Zinnia. She really needed this girl to stop being so shy. She was smart, Raena had seen it firsthand, but she let everything fluster her.

"We will hit a tavern. We will most likely have to weed through the drunk exaggeration but there might be some true information there."

The blonde clicked her tongue and spurred her mare forward towards the village.

"What kind of questions do you think we should ask?" She probed. She wanted the young woman to get some confidence.

 

[Silas Artesto]

From the map that Raena had shown them, the next set of runes had looked to be just Northwest of where they started. It wasn't a long trip for Silas, whose unique vibration magic offered him a way of building up his momentum that wasn't only fast, but also unique even amongst ordinary speed-increasing magic.

For instance, while they were moving considerably fast, the woman in Silas' arms wouldn't feel too much in the way of turbulence despite Artesto's warning. Most of the impact was taken in by Silas and then converted back into momentum that allowed him to maintain his speed. Still, he had to keep a tight grip on her, and for a young man who wasn't shy about his fondness for women, yet still wasn't privy to the finer points of the fairer sex, it did make for an awkward experience.

Vasha could certainly be strange, but she wasn't difficult on the eyes. Of course, he knew better than to tell her that. Oftentimes she would give you a sharp look if you complimented her hair.

Before things became too difficult to bear, thankfully, they were upon the next murder site, this one just at the edge of a large forest, pressed snugly against a thick line of trees that seemed to loom and hang over the white lines of the runic markings like an ominous guardian.

"Looks like the place to me." Silas moved in wide circles as he slowly came to a stop, not wanting to skid with somebody else in tow lest he lose his balance and topple over with them. The body that had assumedly been here was no longer, either moved by the townspeople to be buried or... well, Silas didn't like the alternatives. Carefully, he lowered Vasha to the ground. "Strange. This one looks smaller than the last one, doesn't it? Not by much but..." He walked towards it, hands on his hips and head tilted curiously. "Can't tell if the runes themselves are different or not. What do you think, Vash?"

 

[Vasha Drurcius]

Vasha, for lack of a better term, was stiff as a board both from the rather awkward experience but also because she was trying to avoid springing away from him and knocking them off balance.

It wasn't that she had any particular issue with Silas. Vasha just didn't like being carried. Especially like this. But, as she had agreed, it was the safest plan and she would stick to that.

Keeping her eyes focused on the treeline, Vasha managed to stave off the mental images of cold stone walls passing by her and glimpses of bleeding symbols carved down her legs. A cage of bones with the same symbols arcing over her tiny frame.

Being carried like this reminded her of how helpless she had been in the face of it all.

And then, he finally set her down. Letting out a shaky breath, Vasha rubbed at both arms and looked around to follow his gestures as he spoke.

"Ith thoes look smaller..." Her tone went from surprised to concerned in the same heartbeat, and she pulled the scrap of parchment out of her pocket to compare the runes she had copied.

A few matched. Most were very close to one another in design. But ...not all.

Frowning, Vasha took out a new scrap of paper and copied down the ritual, including what runes were at what place and comparing them to the last. A theory was starting to form in her head, and it made her skin prickle from the familiarity of it all. "We neeth tho see if they keep getthing smaller. If there's a patthern...then the nexth one -the fifth- mighth noth justh be one victhim."

An empowering ritual? Could that be what this was? No...why would they use victims as feeble as peasants? Though ease of access and then performing many such rituals could also work. But then why did they only use one victim at a time? Ugh- her head hurt trying to remember all the details the Proctors had pounded into them. There were too many variables to consider, but all of them were concerning in that they pointed to the fact that time was of the essence.

The longer they took, the worse the consequence would be.

Vasha scratched at her arm uneasilly and glanced at Silas, showing him the new drawing and the first one for comparison, before pocketing the parchment once more. "Whath tho you think?"

 

[Zinnia]

Mention of having to go into a tavern was enough to make Zinnia hold back a groan. She'd neither had nor heard of anyone else having any good interactions with the inebriated. Still, she followed Raena. This was her show to lead, and Zinnia had to grow accustomed to following orders even if she didn't like them. Such was duty to Vel Anir, wasn't it?

"Um...it'd probably be best to ask if anyone saw anything, knew the victims, or know anyone related to the victims. A-at least, that's what seems the most direct path to finding what we need..." She replied wistfully. In her time holed up in her room she'd read a few criminal investigation reports, and it made sense to her why one might begin with those sorts of questions.

Would tavern-goers be receptive to a petite, teenage girl asking such things of them? Time would tell, but Zinnia doubted it. She squeezed her eyes shut tight, breathed deeply, then prepared herself for the worst as she pushed into the tavern behind Raena.

 

[Raena Mirrsyn]

Raena smiled at Zinnia and nodded. The girl had a good head on her shoulders but it was a wonder she had made it all these years without getting killed by someone. The Academy was still relatively new with its niceness and they had never been fans of the timid kids. She had to be powerful if she had survived the pre-revolution hell with her timidness.

The two Initiates pushed into the tavern and Raena's lip immediately curled. This was definitely the busiest place in the small village and the smell of drunk people mixed with alcohol made her want to vomit. She may have underestimated the amount of exaggerated bullshit they would have to wade through.

"This is disgusting," she murmured quietly as she looked around to find the bartender. Once her eyes had caught the raven-haired woman, she nudged Zinnia with an elbow and then started walking towards the bar.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Raena pulled out two coins and slid them across to the bartender. "We are investigating the murders in the area and we have a few questions."

The woman had already picked up the coins and deposited them into a pocket before Raena had finished her sentence.

"No, get out. Too much trouble already. Go away!" She kept the coins but turned her back on the girls.

Raena sighed and looked at Zinnia. Maybe the quiet girl would have some luck.

 

[Silas Artesto]

Whatever minute differences there were, Silas was having a hard time seeing them. Aside from the slightly smaller size, there wasn't anything particularly obvious. "I don't know how you're getting all that from these markings, but I believe you." Artesto hummed, taking a curious glance over her shoulder to look over her new sketch with the click of his tongue. "But I'm guessing you think it's ritualistic then? Following a set of rules?"

He didn't stick around behind her for the answer, but he was still within earshot as he broke away to walk a slow circle around the markings, furrowing his brow a little. Something else was bugging him about these things, and he hadn't been able to put his tongue on it until just now. Maybe...

"Why can't we see any trace of where whoever did this went?" He turned to Vasha and nodded toward the ground beneath her. "It's been raining recently, the dirt is soft enough that we're both sinking enough to leave prints, and I could feel the extra drag on our way here." Assuming it was a typical Falwood rain, it would have lasted days. "Step back a moment... and... cover your eyes. I have a hunch."

Outstretching a hand, Silas bites the inside of his cheek as the vibrations in his body slowly begin to build, radiating through him until his very form looked as though it was trembling. The waves travelling through him then pushed out from his hand, colliding with the ground like the beginnings of a tempest and ripping the loose dirt and soil from the earth.

It only took a moment, and when Silas stopped the imprints of a single set of boot prints leading to, around, and away from the scene.

"Sneaky sneaky. Covering their tracks behind them."

 

[Vasha Drurcius]

"Likely is one. They rely on sthructhure an' patthern much more than mos' magic. Buth... they can be a loth sthronger as a resulth. This one looks like ith migh' be an empowering rithual, but the low number of victhims makes me wonther if tha' really is the case." Vasha shrugged and pocketed the sketches. Rituals was not a popular subject among the other students at the Academy. Why risk your marks on a class so complicated?

Watching Silas circle the area, Vasha tilted her head slightly and listened as the other Initiate noted the lack of tracks. She frowned when he told her to cover her eyes, but reluctantly raised one arm to shield them. Vasha didn't, however, keep them entirely closed, and hooded her eyes only enough to ensure she could still see within a few feet of herself in case he tried anything. She could be polite, but she wasn't going to give him the benefit of a doubt that he wouldn't take the opportunity to jump her.

Initially, Vasha tensed as she felt the faint vibrations, and watched the soil shift near herself. A moment later, it stopped, however, and she lowered her arm to see Silas eyeing the new set of tracks he had revealed. The barest hint of a smirk crossed her features.

"Shoul' we gather the other rithuals, and then fin' Zinnia and Raena? We mighth be able tho go back tho the firsth rithual we came across and thrack the killer thown with this thrick of yours." There was a note of approval in her voice.

 

[Zinnia]

"H-hey! You can't just--" Zinnia stepped forward, annoyed that the barmaid would refuse to help but still take the money. She stepped towards the counter, hand outstretched. The barmaid turned on her heel and shot Zinnia a glare.

"You daft? I said 'leave!'" The woman shouted. More attention was starting to gather on Zinnia now. Patrons staring, some rising from their seats as though they sensed some impending conflict. Zinnia's head swam. She wanted to run out, to hide somewhere. She was out of her element and she hated it. But...that wouldn't solve anything, would it?

A large, well muscled man had been creeping up behind her, moving to grab her arm. Zinnia swatted him away and marched the rest of the way up to the bar, slamming a hand onto the counter.

"If...if you w-want all this to stop, then...then!" The girl's pupils narrowed and the wooden countertop began to smoke. Without realizing it, she ignited it, fire she'd stored within her leaking from her palm and burning the wood. "Cooperate! People will just keep dying unless you help us stop it!"

"Bloody blazes!" The barmaid cried out, stumbling back. The man who'd tried to grab hold of her hesitated now. Zinnia suddenly realized how the energy had changed. Where once there was distrust, now there was an air of fear permeating the room. She could practically smell it. She blinked and glanced down to see the burning hand print she was leaving on the counter.

"Oh...oh!" Her hand shifted from a burning orange to a cool blue as water seeped from her skin, dousing the flames. She looked up to the barmaid, suddenly bashful once more. "I'm s-sorry about that, but...please, j-just answer a few questions for me and I'll go, okay?"

The woman, now quiet but still looking guarded, nodded. Finally, some progress.

---

Back out into the rain once more, Zinnia looked up the street, then down it. A bit more knowledge in hand, it was time to meet back up with Vasha and Silas.

 

[Silas Artesto]

Silas gave a nod. The tracks would certainly help in nailing down exactly how their target was moving, and it was better that they had Zinnia with them when they eventually got around to following the trail. She was alone out there, and as much as Silas was reluctant to admit it, he'd feel awful if anything happened to the bundle of nerves while she was out following a plan he'd suggested. "Make sure you jot down where the tracks are before we go. That way we can look at them as well, once we put it all together."

Whatever freak ritual the person behind all this was trying to perform was, the fact that Vasha claimed these runes relied on structure gave Silas a little bit of hope they'd be able to wrap up the sketching and meet up with Zinnia before the killer had time to prep another site and find another victim. Falwood or anywhere else, nobody deserved to go out to some wack-job with a complex.

Now that he'd figured out how to hold Vasha, and the ice between them had been broken, the trip to the next site wasn't nearly as awkward. Silas even spent part of the trip explaining the little display of power he'd put on to her. "Those vibrations have always come naturally to me, just like breathing. When they started though, I couldn't really control the strength. Almost tore myself apart a few times."

The final two sites went by quickly. Silas dropped Vasha off to let her sketch things out while Silas dusted for footprints. Vash added those to the sketch, and then they moved on. By the time they finished the last sketch, they'd had it down to a science.

They were back to the meeting spot with Zinnia in less time than they'd anticipated, and dropping off Vasha one more time, Silas dramatically wiped his brow, shooting the pale woman a smirk. "You're just light enough to add a little extra strain to my run without making me tired. Oughta let me haul you around more often for exercise." A quick wink and he turned to Zin, crossing his arms.

"Good to see you're alright. Learn anything?"

 

[Vasha Drurcius]

Vasha nodded in agreement, taking out a separate piece of parchment when marking down the footsteps- and over time, Silas would see she drew in a way that she could lay out each parchment according to the alignment of the rituals, allowing her to form a patchwork map of sorts. Looks like that cartography class she took to train for scouting missions came in handy sometimes.

At his comment about nearly tearing himself apart, however, Vasha grimaced slightly. "I... coulthn't conthrol myself, at firsth. I was litthle betther than an animal." she admitted, but didn't mention how she felt it was thanks to her powers not being natural to her that such occurred.

Once Vasha and Silas finally finished gathering the foundations of what they needed, all that was left was to get an understanding of what was going on from the people that lived in the area. That in particular would be important, as it would give them a chance to understand just who and what they were facing, and maybe even some of their capabilities. All they knew right now was they could make rituals- they didn't know what they were for, or what they might already be capable of as a result of these rituals.

She still couldn't shake that unnerving feeling she was missing something important though. Why was there only one victim at each ritual site? Why was it chi-

Vasha's blood ran cold as she realized the answer was staring her in the face.

She remained quiet however as they made their way back to where Zinnia would meet them. Already thrown off by the fact she'd been carried around so much and her internal musings, it took a moment for Vasha to register Silas had complimented her. Another to realize that he had winked.

Thank Kress he had turned to face Zinnia when he did though, as an unfamiliar heat crept up into her face. She tried to ignore it, however, and focused on Zinnia.

 

[Zinnia]

Thankfully it didn't take long before Vasha and Silas got back. Even more fortuitous was that they were able to find each other rather easily. While the bar experience wasn't particularly pleasant, Zinnia was still eager to share her success with her allies. And what success she'd had!

"S-surprisingly, yes!" She beamed in spite of the grim nature of her findings. "A f-few of the citizens have s-seen a cloaked, armored figure s-skulking around at strange times. One woman e-even saw the figure, um...'performing' the 'r-ritual.'"

The bartender had not been nearly so delicate with her word selection. Zinnia didn't really care to repeat the gruesome details, and Silas and Vasha were already privy to them. As she recalled the worry of the people that had finally fessed up, she wilted a bit as well.

"I guess...the f-figure is more likely to g-go after the t-townfolk that acknowledge it's p-presence...or, at least that's w-what people have c-come to believe..." Zinnia offered, at least partly in speculation. Superstitions were at an all time high around these parts, it seemed.

It was around this time that Zinnia noticed Vasha's rather deep blushing and hard stare at Zinnia. For a moment, she froze. What? Had Vasha figured something out? Had Zinnia let her hood slip? Why was she blushing? Maybe she was feeling unwell?

"...Um...Vasha? Y-you okay?" Zinnia asked cautiously, glancing briefly to Silas. He was smirking. And sweating. Realization slowly began to dawn on her. "D-did you two?...Oh. Oh dear."

 

[Silas Artesto]

Not to say that Silas hadn't believed in Zinnia's ability to carry out her end of things, but to hear she found some solid information was welcome news. Either way, they probably could have tracked the wack job down with Vasha's sketches and his vibrations, but knowing a bit of what they were walking into would do wonders for his ease of mind.

"So we're dealing with one person, not particularly subtle about performing rituals around the townsfolk, possibly even threatening them..." Silas crossed his arms over his chest, one hand sliding up to toy idly with a curl of his wild blonde hair as he pondered for a moment.

"Well, it ain't much, but we know what to look for now. Good job, Zin. You did well." Silas cracked his eyes back open with a nod. She had nothing to be stammering about; she always seemed to do whatever anybody asked her to, really. But looking at her now, Zinnia's focus wasn't on Silas, or the mission for that matter. Vasha was beet red, or at least looked like it compared to her usual pallor, and Zinnia made an... Interesting deduction.

"Did we... do what?" Silas cocked his head to Vasha, and the redness on her cheeks. Well yeah he'd flirted with her just a little, but... Wait a second.

"Are you seriously asking if we had sex, Zin? Gods, no!"

Oof, poor choice of wording maybe. His eyes flicked back to Vasha as he tried to course correct.

"Not that I'm like, against it or anything. But this is hardly the time or place!"

That... might not have been much better.

 

 

[Vasha Drurcius]

Vasha froze as soon as Zinnia implied they did-... well, that. Then Silas glanced her way and the otherwise mild heat on her face suddenly turned into a fever burn that spread all the way to her ears and neck. The Academy turned a blind eye to the antics of the students most of the time so long as they kept it off the grounds in one of the brothels, but Vasha had never shown any remote interest in such activities and even tried to avoid them. Being in such a vulnerable state... she shuddered. No. Never again.

Her mouth opened, but Silas was faster in blurting out his first statement. Vasha was about to nod in agreement when he said the latter, and at that point the implications of everything going on finally came crashing down on her head and she blinked, staring at him for a moment. He was interested in her? How was Vasha supposed to respond? She wasn't supposed to- she hadn't planned on this! She hadn't planned on anything past-

And he was looking at her for approval in all this mess! Why did he have to be cute!?

Kress damn it all!

Her face likely showed a good deal of the confusion, concern, alarm and then absolute embarrassment that came over her before she moved her hands up to rub at her face. Shutting her eyes and tipping her head back a bit to distance herself mentally, Vasha took a slow, deep breath and tried to compose herself. How to redirect the conversation...

Eventually, she lowered her hands and exhaled. Her voice as calm and steady as she could force it to be. "He has been carrying me bethween each rithual, Zinnia. An' if we 'ith tha' thoo, I thon't think he'th have the energy to complethe this mission." She stated, lowering her head and opening her eyes. However she pointedly did not look at Silas for fear of losing her composure, even as she realized she too had tripped up on her own words despite trying to be practical. "I...I am fine. Now, wha' shoulth we tho nex' tho sthop this mage?" she asked. As it stood- the Falwood people were not simple pushovers, so the fact a single mage was able to scare them straight into superstition had her concerned.