Private Tales A Chance Meeting

[Sung Chei]

Sung Chei, armoured and armed, frightening. He was a foreigner, one from the far east, and for that he was more dangerous than most warriors as they were unsure of how he fought. His armour was of shining but dented and scratched steel plates, small rectangular ones held together by a mail base. This armour skirted his thighs, splitting in front and behind just below the crotch to allow for riding and the deeper stances of his martial art. In his hand was a polearm just taller than he was, it had a spearhead and two crescent shaped blades on either side to allow for cutting and chopping, it was called Ji. At each hip was a straight, double edged sword, jian they were called. His long black hair was bound in a bun above his head, and about his forehead was a red strip of cloth, emblazoned with the white tiger of his father's house.

He strode calmly, and unhurried through the forests of the Spine, searching for the necromancer whom he had been asked to eliminate. This job was paying well, perhaps this might allow him enough money to open the school he had been thinking about, an opportunity for him to pass his knowledge down onto younger generations, to keep his families traditions alive. Perhaps, if he didn't die here, a necromancer was a dangerous thing to hunt, especially when they bring the dead to life again, though that was being generous. It was more like they puppeteered the corpses to accomplish goals, like raiding and destroying villages.

Unbeknownst to him, a winged elf, an Avariel by the name of Celestia Zariel was soon to cross his path. This was the beginning of an adventure.

 

[Celestia]

Her wing felt better than before, and she was back to being herself. The pangs of pain from the betrayal she felt at the hands of Groundlings still remained. She was on her way back to the Avariel city, intending to stay up there this time. She knew the best path up was a direct vertical shot from the Spine.

Celestia’s wings stretched out wide, carrying her across the planes of grass beneath her. The gusts of wind from her flight caused the green below to ripple like waves, and she shot forth like an arrow. There was a sense of freedom in being able to glide so fast above the world here, the scenery changing in a flash every few moments. Above the clouds, everything tended to look the same after a while.

She was having fun with it, whirling around and tilting to glide on her back for a long moment. Groundlings seldom came out to these parts of the Spine, and she was content to flaunt her wings and enjoy herself before she shot upwards into the sky.

Celestia was just passing above the trees when she caught some movement below. She quickly spun around to suspend herself in mid air, glancing down to see better. She spotted a human at once - noting the armor and the weapon he carried. The sight caused her eyes to narrow, reminding her of the humans that treated her so poorly. This one was entirely too close to their borders.

“What’re you doing out here?” She called out in broken Common, a tone of anger slipping into the question. Her patience for humans was already low, and she expected this one to start attacking her without warning or reason.

Sung Chei

 

[Sung Chei]

“What’re you doing out here?” She called out in broken Common, a tone of anger slipping into the question. Her patience for humans was already low, and she expected this one to start attacking her without warning or reason.

The sound of a voice in the clouds caught his attention. He looked up, his face a mask of calm but serious that would tell her that he was determined to get something done. He walked slowly forward and held his left hand up in a sign of peace, his ears having clearly heard the anger in her voice, not directed at him for something he did but rather from what she expected him to do. Not personal, not quite, but she didn't trust him, that much was clear. And why should she, they hadn't even met yet.

His own common wasn't that good, his Ls tended to sound like Rs but were still clearly Ls in his words. "I am Sung Chei, I was hired to find and hunt a necromancer suspected to be in this place. Have you heard anything or seen anything that might support or disprove this? A necromancer is something to be approached with caution."

He kept respectful distance, though he did draw closer in order to have an easier time speaking. He was a civil man after all.

Celestia Zariel

 

[Celestia]

Celestia was surprised at his gesture, not sure what to make of it. The man made no move to arm himself or aim any weapons at her. The Avariel paused for a moment before she descended until she softly landed on the ground before him. He mentioned a lot of things that piqued her curiosity.

“Necromancer?” She repeated the word. She had heard the word before, a long time ago when she was still learning the ways of the world below. Though she couldn’t recall the meaning, she felt a sense of dread and knew it meant something dangerous, “Where….where was the necromancer spotted last?”

Celestia didn’t want to reveal that she had no idea what he was hunting. However she worried that whatever it was could potentially find its way into her city.

She folded her wings, eyeing him suspiciously. For now, she was curious enough to aid in the search of this ‘necromancer’ herself.

Sung Chei

 

[Sung Chei]

“Necromancer?” She repeated the word. She had heard the word before, a long time ago when she was still learning the ways of the world below. Though she couldn’t recall the meaning, she felt a sense of dread and knew it meant something dangerous, “Where….where was the necromancer spotted last?”

"I don't know it's exact location, but I do know that this conjurer is somewhere around here, most likely in the caves doing his vile reanimation spells." He says with distaste. "You're welcome to join me if you wish, be it to be rid of the necromancer or be sure that I stay out of trouble, I won't mind either way. It might be nice having a companion on a mission for once."

Other than that he didn't do much, still trying to seem friendly and inhostile while remaining on task.

 

[Celestia]

Celestia remained silent and observed him for a long moment. She was taught all sorts of things about humans and how deceptive they were. Her eyes bore into his for a moment, and then she took in sight of his posture and the tone of his voice. Nothing at all suggested he had interest in harming her.

After she decided, she moved closer to fall into step beside him, “I will help,” She said quietly. Celestia could faintly recall that necromancers were dark beings that used dark magic. Her powers were the perfect antithesis to such atrocities.

“...What do reanimation spells do?” Celestia ventured to ask.

Their path took them deeper into the forest. On the way there, she paused as she saw an odd assortment of rocks. Celestia leaned in closer to see that there were incense sticks arranged around a set of what appeared to be human bones. They were perfectly decorating the middle of the circle of rocks, and the sight was unsettling. It was clearly used as part of a nefarious ritual, and it pointed to clues to the necromancer’s whereabouts.

“You were hunting this necromancer alone?” She asked with a tone of surprise, gaze lingering on the human bones.

Sung Chei

 

[Sung Chei]

“I will help,”

“Wonderful, Perhaps having an elf with me on this particular endeavor will prove to be the difference between success and failure.” He says walking on.

“...What do reanimation spells do?” Celestia ventured to ask.

“Well, to animate something means to give it life. The re prefix means to do something again. So it means to give life again. Although, this usually isn’t like seeing a dead friend brought back, more like capturing the soul of a recently slain person and putting their soul into a corpse, it usually has horrific and dangerous results.”

Their path took them deeper into the forest. On the way there, she paused as she saw an odd assortment of rocks. Celestia leaned in closer to see that there were incense sticks arranged around a set of what appeared to be human bones. They were perfectly decorating the middle of the circle of rocks, and the sight was unsettling. It was clearly used as part of a nefarious ritual, and it pointed to clues to the necromancer’s whereabouts.

“You were hunting this necromancer alone?” She asked with a tone of surprise, gaze lingering on the human bones.

The bones in a circle looked old, and unused for a while, likely one of the necromancer’s older experiments. “Yes, I was hunting them alone. I typically work alone. Not that I mind company, I just usually don’t have long-term traveling companions.”

 

[Celestia]

Celestia eyed him curiously for a moment, “I am not an elf,” She said softly, “I am an Avariel,” She knew Groundlings had very little knowledge of her kind, especially as they had isolated themselves for centuries now. In fact, she was rather impressed with how this man didn’t immediately look at her as if she were some strange beast to slay.

His explanation of reanimating left her with a grimace, but they kept walking. As they walked, she could only think about how horrible it may have been to bring life to a corpse that wasn’t truly who they once were. Even the thought of it was unimaginable.

“Aren’t you afraid?” She asked after a moment, glancing over at the man that actively sought out such terrible sorcerers. Celestia asked even more quietly after another moment, “Aren’t you afraid of me?” It was fair to wonder, especially as a village of humans saw fit to capture her and put her in a cage.

 

[Sung Chei]

Celestia eyed him curiously for a moment, “I am not an elf,” She said softly, “I am an Avariel,” She knew Groundlings had very little knowledge of her kind, especially as they had isolated themselves for centuries now. In fact, she was rather impressed with how this man didn’t immediately look at her as if she were some strange beast to slay.

His explanation of reanimating left her with a grimace, but they kept walking. As they walked, she could only think about how horrible it may have been to bring life to a corpse that wasn’t truly who they once were. Even the thought of it was unimaginable.

“Aren’t you afraid?” She asked after a moment, glancing over at the man that actively sought out such terrible sorcerers. Celestia asked even more quietly after another moment, “Aren’t you afraid of me?” It was fair to wonder, especially as a village of humans saw fit to capture her and put her in a cage.

“Apologies, I noticed the sharp ears and assumed you were one, I hope that I did not offend you. So, what are the Avariel exactly, I haven’t seen any before, and I’ve only heard the word once or twice since coming west.” He says curious. Such a people, people with wings, they must have many secrets about the sky and it’s wonders that no one else knew. He saw her as a foreign people, someone to be approached with care but not with suspicion.

“Afraid? No. I do not fear those who do not actively seek to do me harm. Besides, if I were afraid of you, one of us would not be alive. Any threat to my person I seek to eliminate immediately, regardless of the situation. But I sense no threat from you, though you are suspicious of me, that is to be expected. But no, you do not frighten me.”

 

[Celestia]

Celestia was caught off guard by the question. This was the first time that someone had actually asked her what she was. She had seen knee jerk reactions from fear or cautious curiosity, but never someone that conversed with her about her origins.

“Uh.. we live high in the mountains,” She explained as they kept walking. The path had more rocks arranged in circles and bones along the way, but she ignored it for now. As bad as it was, it meant they were going the right direction, “We have kept to ourselves for centuries. I only came down because...I’m curious about your kind.”

Celestia pondered on his words about any threat being eliminated at once. She couldn’t help but smile sadly, “That’s...what some others had tried to do. My mere appearance invoked fear and that caused them to attack,” Celestia glanced over at him, “Why are humans so quick to harm what they fear? Is that the way of doing things down here?”

 

[Sung Chei]

“Uh.. we live high in the mountains,” She explained as they kept walking. The path had more rocks arranged in circles and bones along the way, but she ignored it for now. As bad as it was, it meant they were going the right direction, “We have kept to ourselves for centuries.

"Sounds much like the monks of my homeland. Isolated and glad of it, then they are free to train, and meditate as they please."

"Fear is something that tells us that something means us harm. If they were afraid of you, they saw you as an active threat, someone who intended them harm, which means, fight or run. They though you meant them harm, so they were to harm you first, believing it to be in their own defense. Of course, such a theory can only be answered by those who attacked you, they were the ones who did it after all. If you are curious, well ask me what you wish to know and I will do my best to answer."

 

[Celestia]

Celestia didn’t entirely agree with his perceptions on things, but then again she didn’t know how humans operated. She shrugged at his words before asking her question, “Tell me more about your homeland and how you ended up….doing what you do.”

She was genuinely curious about how humans operated. Her story was largely unwritten just yet, and she had lived a sheltered life thus far.

 

[Sung Chei]

“Tell me more about your homeland and how you ended up….doing what you do.”

His face turned grim. “That is a subject I do not wish to visit. But I will tell you this, my home no longer exists, and I had to run. I am ashamed of it, but it is true. Now I do this because it is the best option for me, I was bred for war, so I fight.”

 

[Sung Chei]

"What about your home. What's it like?"

 

[Celestia]

Celestia could empathize with his sentiments about home. She didn’t press any further questions about it, and her face revealed the sympathy she felt. Whatever he did describe sounded similar to her people in some ways. There were Avariel that had focused on wars and others that were more political in nature.

She was taken out of her thoughts when he asked about her home. Celestia had to smile sadly, “A bit unpleasant sometimes as well. We live high up in the skies,” Celestia didn’t want to elaborate specifically just yet, “We generally don’t get involved in Arethil’s affairs. I’m very curious, so I came down here.”

She didn’t want to imagine the kind of trouble she would be in once she returned.

“Do you know where the necromancer may be from here?” Celestia came to a stop near a fork on the road.

 

[Sung Chei]

She was taken out of her thoughts when he asked about her home. Celestia had to smile sadly, “A bit unpleasant sometimes as well. We live high up in the skies,” Celestia didn’t want to elaborate specifically just yet, “We generally don’t get involved in Arethil’s affairs. I’m very curious, so I came down here.”

"A very swift and sure way to answer your questions." He comments. "Is your city impossible to reach without wings? Is it built in the clouds somehow or is it just on a high peak? I am curious about all things, I wish to learn as much as I am capable of learning."

She didn’t want to imagine the kind of trouble she would be in once she returned.

“Do you know where the necromancer may be from here?” Celestia came to a stop near a fork on the road.

"Sadly no, and it isn't as though the necromancer would invite people into their cave. I imagine that we are going to be looking for a day or two before we actually find him. It would be reasonable to think that he would be most active at night, it is easier to hide then, and his armies would be more deadly because of the cover that night brings. I fear that we will meet his monsters before we meet him."