Private Tales A Life to Live

[Chasmine]

Yes, she supposed it would have been easier in Vel Anir wiht its many cities with vast populations, but for some reason she was glad that it was no longer an option. Taking on this horrifying venture there would most certainly mean that neither of them could ever return, and while Chasmine had no love for Vel Anir and what it had done to her, it was still the central goal of Gilram and she suspected that despite his current machinations he would prefer that Edric did not take the lives of countless innocent Anirians.

"I don't think so either," she admitted quietly, somberly. Even tucked beneath his arms, the comfort was minimal. Chasmine could not feel the warmth of him, or even truly feel him at all beyond the buffered sensation of touch and presence. Still, it was the closest she had to anything remotely physical and even the feeling of his chuckle in his chest was nice.

The ghost glanced up at him as he mentioned orcs, thoughtful at first and then taken-aback by the mere suggestion that orcs might not be actual people.

"Edric..." she met him with a mild scowl, "of course they are people. Just as elves and dwarves and komodi and all other sentient races are."

Chas frowned as she settled back against him and considered the idea of war, battle, and death. Something struck her then.

"I had not considered the idea that just souls alone would be enough..." that could open up a larger pool of options she'd not even thought of. "Battles leave behind dozens, if not hundreds of lost souls. Maybe you will not have to kill." Then there were places of ill repute, like the Academy, that hosted countless wandering spirits who had not managed to cross over. Cemeteries. Prisons. Hospitals.

 

[Edric]

Okay, Orcs were people. Noted, and glad that he had said the words to Chasmine and not Maui. He was pretty sure that she would try to take his head off for saying something of the like.

It wasn't that Edric really cared. For all that he had observed most people seemed to be...entirely the same. His magic certainly didn't seem picky, and most personality that had sprung from other races he had met weren't too different from humans.

He had always just figured with what they had said at the Academy tha-

A frown pulled at his lips as he realized how stupid that thought truly was. The Proctors had lied about everything else, why wouldn't they lie about other species? He knew Maui, had met an Elf or two. They were hardly any more evil or dangerous than any human he'd ever met.

Edric sighed as he realized his foolishness, shaking his head and forcing himself to focus on the task at hand. "Right, of course they are"

He told Chasmine, as if he hadn't been fooled by the Prcotor's words.

"So...north?" The Rogue asked. In truth, mostly because he didn't care about the killing.

A part of him resented what they had made him. The fact that he was only good at killing, but another piece of him knew why they had done it. He was a killer, his magic suited for the task. He hated them, but in the end, if their training meant he brought Chas back...

It would be worth it. "Battles or killing, it's the same, right? We need a lot of death."

Edric continued to reason quietly. Highlighting the spark of an idea. "The Orcs seem like a good idea for that."

At least until they could go back to Vel Anir. He wasn't sure if his face would ever be welcomed there, but a few months at least would let the heat die down.

 

[Chasmine]

Of course they are.

Chasmine sighed, if not a bit in gentle exasperation. There was much about Edric she did not know, but over her time spent working alongside him under Gilram's request, she had learned a good deal about him. Despite his power and capabilities, he was ... simple. Which was not necessarily a bad thing and Chasmine suspected that he was only this way due to how he had been raised.

Perhaps there was more to him. More layers yet to be uncovered. Some hidden complexity even he was not yet aware of.

"Battles or killing, it's the same, right? We need a lot of death."

Edric continued to reason quietly. Highlighting the spark of an idea. "The Orcs seem like a good idea for that."

Or maybe he truly just was obtuse.

Either way, he wasn't generally wrong so far as she could surmise.

"I do not know very much about orcs," she professed. Their subject of study had rarely, if ever, come up for her. Not even in passing interest, really, which seemed a missed opportunity. So this whole journey would be one long and arduous learning curve. "and I have no better ideas, so north to the orcs it is."

"But not just yet," Chas added as she huddled more snugly against him within his arms, a cold bundle of barely-there mass that if he squeezed too hard he was liable to pass straight through, "I want to stay here a little longer."

 

[Edric]

"I know enough." Meaning that he had met, and subsequently slept with one.

Maui and he hadn't exactly been focused on lessons in orc society during their...encounter, but he had the tattoo she gave him still. That, along with some general knowledge he'd picked up throughout his years would have to be enough.

He knew that the great Orc city lay to the North of the Reach, though he didn't know exactly where. What he did know however was their people were war-like, and amongst the tribes battle and fighting was an almost constant force. Perhaps not war in the same sense as the Anirians might bring, but something that would work for Chas.

At least if he understood her right, and if it wasn't what she needed then they would go elsewhere.

It was that simple.

Their course settled in his mind, Edric could have stood and began to run again. Unlike the others, he didn't need time to recover, didn't even need to sleep. Not in a forest like this, but he couldn't help but agree with Chasmine's words. "A little longer."

He agreed, his arms shifting just the slightest bit around her as he allowed himself to settle against the tree at his back.


A long breath sucked down Edric's throat as he breached the waters of the River Sayve.

His arms struck against the powerful current, having already dragged him nearly half a mile down stream from where he had first began to swim. Dodging a multitude of boulders, debris, and doing the best he could to not get completely swept away Edric pushed through to the other bank.

Even with magic coursing through his veins and more being pulled from the fish and algea within the riverbed, he could feel his muscles struggling. The strength of the water pushing with a surprising force until he eventually managed to crawl free. His chest heaving up and down as he took deep breaths and collapsed on the small beach.

For a moment his eyes closed, his magic slowly doing the work of washing away any lingering exhaustion. "We're going to have to go a bit slower now."

Edric noted quietly to Chasmine, allowing himself a moment of rest.

Though they had spent the night in their makeshift little hovel, the morning had come quickly and Edric had once again set out. It had taken him another three days to break into his path North, again never once stopping. Using the forest and the wealth of life it contained to sustain himself.

A feat which would no longer be possible.

The land ahead of them was not like the Reach, this much he had seen from the otherside of the bank. There was life in the steppes of course, but not enough for him to keep his energy up in the same way.

"But." He said, a hand coming up to wipe the water out of his hair and from his face. "I bet it won't be long until we see some orcs."

 

[Chasmine]

It was curious how Edric continued to refer to the journey with 'we' when he was the one making it. Chasmine was no more than a passenger in the most literal sense of the term, riding along with him within the amulet as she had done on so many occasions before in the last several months. Year? How long had it been?

Time was ... strange for a spirit. She had no sense of it. The ghost departed from the amulet to manifest standing nearby on the shore, her gaze panning slowly out along the northern horizon.

"There is no hurry," Chas reminded him gently, glancing down to where he lay upon the river shore like a beached fish, "it is not as if you or I will grow old while we are out here..."

At least she knew that much about herself. She wasn't actually sure if Edric aged or not. He had grown and aged from a baby, but if he continued to age now that he had reached what appeared to be physical maturity was another question altogether. Did he even know if he was aging or did his curious magic keep him young and age defying like an elf or a fae?

Would Edric live forever so long as his magic did not fail him?

"When you find the orcs-" she blinked, considered that wording and wondered if it was offensive to speak in such a way. There were, of course, more than simply one type of orc and for certain more than one culture or clan. Chas frowned and decided to correct herself in order to maybe set a good example for Edric, "some orcs... what do you intend to do?"

 

[Edric]

“There is no hurry.”

Chasmine's words echoed into his mind, a frown pulling at his lips as he mulled exactly what that meant. It was true that neither of them were exactly running out of time. She was a ghost, and he was…whatever he was. Edric had never considered the prospect of his own age, and In truth, he did not even think of it now.

His life had been a construct of the state. Built around training and missions. Freedom and choice was new to him even now, the idea that he could simply go slower than he needed to just didn't occur to him.

When there was a mission to be completed, it was best to finish it as efficiently, effectively, and quickly as possible. Right now, the assignment he had been given, or rather had given himself was bringing Chasmine back. In his mind, they had to do it quickly, because that was the way it had always needed to be done. The concept that such a thing wasn't true seemed to almost stall Edric's brain for a moment. His eyes glazing somewhat as he stared into the blue sky above and processed what Chas had just said.

Finding the footing even more difficult as he realized that he wanted to do this quickly. Not because it was the mission, not because it was the assignment, but because he wanted to prove to Chasmine that he had meant every word he'd said. That he would bring her back, and that they would find home. ”I…uhh…”

Edric stumbled as he heard Chasmine's second set of words. His thoughts quickly whipping back into the moment as he recovered himself.

Though the answer that finally came might have come as a spark of surprise. ”I'm going to talk to them.”

He told Chas.

”I met an Orc a few years ago.” Was it years now? It didn't seem like such a long time. ”She said she was a Warlord…or I guess trying to be one. I spent the night with her and…”

Edric trailed off, the slightest bit of crimson touching his cheeks as he cleared his throat and skipped over the details. ”Well, I know her clan mark.”

It was tattooed on his abdomen after all.

”I figure if we find them, they can point us in the right direction.” Direction of what was still to be determined of course. Great fields of battle? A conflict or two to join? Whatever it was that would get Chasmine the souls she needed to pierce the veil. Edric figured Maui would know the region, and through her they would find what they needed.

 

[Chasmine]

Talk to them.

Interesting.

She would not have taken Edric for the diplomatic sort, even if it was only to ask after battle or warfare. What if the orcs they encountered could not speak the common tongue? What if these orcs were not affiliated with the one he knew? What if they encountered orcs who were opposed to the clan symbol he bore?

Well, she supposed, it would end in death either way and she would expect Edric to be the last one standing should it come to such a thing.

Chasmine wanted to be proud of him for picking this new approach to things, but she'd at least wait to see it happen first. Best not to put the buggy before the horse.

"And this orc you met, did she tell you where to find her? The north is... a big place."

 

[Edric]

"Umm..." Edric frowned, his thoughts stalling for a moment as it quickly became clear his 'plan' wasn't as well thought out as he made it out to be. "No."

He admitted, thinking back to what Maui had said.

The night had been filled with intoxicants of all sorts, not the least of which had been the Orcess' touch, but he was fairly certain that she'd never given him much detail. "But she told me she'd be going to the Steppe to reclaim the honor that was hers."

Apparently her tribe had once been something of a thing upon the Steppe's, though she had not quite elaborated on that detail either. Most of the night her words had focused on-his head shook as he dispelled the thought, his cheeks coloring once again. Hoping the odd connection he had with Chasmine wasn't filtering that through somehow.

"I think If I just flash this." Edric said, pointing to his abdomen. "At whatever Orcs we encounter, it'll either lead to them fighting me, or talking to me."

He reasoned. "Either way, it's a lead.

A shrug rolled over his shoulders, and slowly he rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up and off the ground. "And right now that's what we need."

 

[Chasmine]

Reckless was the word she would use to describe Edric's approach, but without any better alternatives Chasmine kept the thought to herself. The Academy is and was a lot of things, but ineffective at getting results wasn't one of them. He was thinking with the brain the Academy had engendered within him and perhaps, Chasmine digressed with a soft sigh, that was the best way give their current situation.

"I suppose you are right," she replied after a break of silence, glad that he at least seemed to be leaning into the idea of diplomacy first rather than violence, "will you show me this mark? If I know it, perhaps I can scout ahead using the Leylines to seek it out."

 

[Edric]

"Oh...uhh, sure." Edric said without much real hesitation.

His encounter with Maui was hardly something he would...share with anyone, but the mark that she had given him was something he would eventually have to flash all over the Steppe. Might as well start with Chasmine. "Here."

The Rogue Dreadlord said as he lifted his tunic.

"Apparently it's an old tribe." He explained, remembering through the drunken haze of the night when the Orcess had explained. "They were nearly wiped out a few decades ago, but she's trying to make a come back."

Maui had hardly been shy about that fact, and with the way she exuded both Charisma and Strength it had been easy to believe she would pull it off.

 

[Chasmine]

Chasmine stepped closer and bent at the middle to give the mark a closer inspect - no hint of shyness to be had. Edric may have garnered fear, awe, respect, and ire in equal measure from his fellow initiates but he had also been a topic of discussion among the females for the cut of his figure. There was no mistaking that he was a good-looking fellow, though such things had never been at the forefront of Chasmine's mind where he was concerned.

As a matter of fact, their only social encounter that she could recall was the dance ... and her recollection of that night was foggy at best considering the potent influence she'd been under.

"At least your tattoos have interesting stories behind them," she said before righting herself, "mine are quite dull in comparison."

 

[Edric]

”Heh.” Edric said as he slowly pulled himself up and off the ground. Letting his tunic drop back into place. ”That one at least, I just got the other one on a whim while in the east.”

He admitted, stretching ever so slightly before frowning. ”I remember the artists telling me something though.”

At the time, he hadn't thought much about it, still wrapped up in the ethos of the old ways.

”Out there, they were a way to mark chapters of your life.” Edric said as he began to trek down the side of the river once more, knowing Chasmine would follow and figuring it was time to start moving again. ”Doesn't matter the design or what it is, but each one a memory of what you used to be. Marked not just in your mind, but on your skin.”

Edric recounted the memory, not sure if he believed it himself. ”When did you get yours?”

He asked.

 

[Chasmine]

"That is a nice thought..." Chas replied, her geistly figure dissipating into the air though her presence and voice followed after him.

"My mother gave them to me when I was quite young... five, I think," she explained with a tone that suggested detachment from what otherwise had likely been a horrible experience for a child, "she believed me to be cursed and hoped that they would offer some form of protection."

"I do not believe they worked the way she wanted them to."

 

[Edric]

For a long moment he said nothing. For a long moment he stayed silent. The only sound being his boots crunching the rocky beach beneath his feet. A thousand thoughts spun in his head as he considered the misery Chasmine hinted at. The quiet suffering she had endured before the Academy. He couldn't help the chain of guilt that struck him, the hurt that he felt.

Edric frowned, his voice shaking as he spoke. "Yeah...probably not..."

He told her, not quite knowing what else to say.

Only the barest memories of his own parents remained. Scraps of thought from when he had been born. A moment where they had given him away. A second where he had stood in the field and his mother had called him and his sister.

Briefly, he wished his time at the Academy had prepared him more for something like this. A pang of something sitting in his chest as he walked.

"You know." Edric said, peeling back a layer of honesty. "I'm probably the fucking worst person you could have ended up in this situation with."

He said. "Half the time I don't know what to say."

Edric continued as his steps came to a stop, his hair shifting slightly as a gust of wind rushed over him.

"And the other half, I think I might be wrong." The Rogue continued softly. "I'm sorry."

He whispered. "I'm sorry I'm not better."

Edric said the words, though it seemed almost as though he weren't just apologizing to her, but everyone whom he felt he had let down.

 

[Chasmine]

"What do you mean?" Chasmine's voice returned after a moment, puzzlement clear, "You are already better than everyone else."

He'd feel the coldness of her presence lingering about his right hand, as if she were attempting to take it in her own. "You are listening and you are trying," if he could feel the great wash of forlorn abandonment coming over her through their connection she had no idea, "no one else but Gilram has done that for me."

Gaage was perhaps one small exception. He had helped her as best he could, in his own way, but Chasmine felt it hadn't really, genuinely been for her. It had been for himself. Redemption in his own mind. She did not hold it against him and was glad he'd found some measure in peace in assisting her, but he had greater priorities than helping a dead girl return to the living.

He had a new life to look forward to with Ysobel. Chas hoped they were all safe.

 

[Edric]

"You are already better than everyone else." ​

A deep sadness touched Edric as he heard the words echo in his mind, and he couldn't help but replay a dozen other scenarios in his head. He remembered his missions with the others. His talks with Proctor Renou, Vilith, and the those who had claimed to want to 'help' him.

Those ripples spread over his mind, and he couldn't help the bitterness that spread through him as he recalled each and every one. The opportunities that had been taken from him, the life that had been stolen, the chances that he had missed because of what he was.

He knew it was all the same for Chasmine. "Maybe."

Edric said softly.

"Maybe." He parroted himself. "But I could be better."

Not just for her, but for all of them. Noel, Alistair, Ral, and the others.
A long breath dragged into his lungs, his body shaking slightly as though something were settling within the soil of his mind. "Let's get you home."

Edric said, as he once again broke into a run.

 

[Chasmine]

There would be no sense in roving ahead yet. Not when there was still a chance that an encounter with the locals of the lands could give them stronger direction. Chasmine took up residence within the amulet hung around his neck moments before his feet pushed him forward.

She still did not know where or what home was.

She still was not able to track the amount of time that passed and that maybe was for the best.

The first sign of local civilization came in the presence of narrow footpaths leading through the hills of the steppe. In the south the landscape was flatter, rolling, touched by sparse copses of trees and outcroppings of stone but for the most part just plains. Golden grasses undulating beneath westward winds. The rain had stopped at the very least.

As night fell upon Edric some days later, he'd spy a tall column of smoke to his northeast and upon closer inspection found himself a small roving band of orcs. Hunters, judging by their small number - which meant perhaps a larger clan wasn't far off.

They caught his scent well before he could approach, and soon he had three of the dozen moving his way, bows strung and blades unsheathed. Eyes pale and faintly glowing with moonlight, one of them grunted out words in orcish.

 

[Edric]

Edric's hands rose up into the air as the orcs approached, his composure as innocent as he could manage as they bore down upon him.

Some raised their bows, others brandished strange scythe like blades as their wolvish mounts barked and bellowed at him in anger. He watched as the wargs took half step forwards before their masters tugged upon their reigns, their orcish tongue bellowing commands to both him and the beasts. "I do not speak your language!"

He called out to the hunting party which now surrounded him, just over half a dozen of the tribesman ready to skewer him with both arrow and spear.

"Do any of you speak the common tongue?" He asked, his gaze sweeping over the greenskin's as he continued to hold his hands up in the air.

"What is your business here, human?"​

One of the Orcs spoke to him in a guttural growl, his voice the sound of gravel dragged beneath the heavy weight of a stone. Enough to make any scholar of language cringe, but surprisingly adept considering his natural tongue.

Edric eyed him for a moment, and then slowly reached down towards his Tunic. His movements glacial as he called out to the Orc. "I seek Maui, of the Bloodrent."

He called out to the man, his fingers slowly curling around the cloth as he lifted his shirt to show the mark upon his abdomen.

 

[Chasmine]

Seemed this orc was one of the few that spoke the common tongue. He translated to the others and a mixture of detachment, confusion, and unknowing seemed to spread among them.

"They are not of these lands," he came back after a short discussion with the others, "the Bloodrent are much farther north... but as the winds speak, they are few now. Scattered. Cast in shadow and dust."

Another orc sitting astride his warg mount rumbled something.

The translator nodded, "It is not wise to seek them, human. Their enemies are many. That mark is dangerous for you."

 

[Edric]

Well, that was disappointing. He had hoped Maui would be closer. A trek through the entirety of the Steppe would take weeks, if not months.

Life was not as plentiful as he needed it to be here, and the more time they took the longer it would be until Chasmine could be returned to a body of her own. "I thank you for the advice."

Edric said as he dropped the tunic back down, his hands slowly lowering as he hoped the animosity might be over.

"But I cannot stop." His gaze flickered over the group of orcs who, all of whom still seemed to be ready to skewer him. "I know their Warleader."

He explained. "And she is dear to me."

Edric said the words before he realized what they truly might mean, and that they were true. He had spent only a night with Maui, but...he did like her. He hoped that she was alive, hoped that she could reach her goal. The Orcess had been something of a mark for him, a moment where he had realized that not everything he had been taught was true.

"I'll carve through their enemies, if I must." He told the Orc. "But I do not wish to make more foes than I have to in this land. Would you be willing to point my way?"

 

[Chasmine]

"And she is dear to me."

That got a look from the translator and, had Chasmine been manifested, it would have gotten one from her as well, though of a different nature. The orc gave Ed a side-eye that, perhaps to Ed, may have looked as though the boy had just insulted his mate. Disgust. Incredulity. Even some surprise.

Strange human, indeed.

"North," said the orc in the simplest terms he would offer, "to a place called Hurstgar... the humans call it... Fringelands I believe."

He looked to one of the warriors on his left, exchanged a few words in orcish, nodded, "It takes us ten days to reach it on wargs. For you... much longer."

One of the other orcs sitting astride a warg tossed something at Edric. A leather pouch that landed at his feet filled with a few days of hunters rations. Its eyes narrowed with what might have been construed as humor as it leaned and turned its mount to break formation, walking off a distance before pausing to wait.

"Our clan does not like humans but we do not make needless war with other clans. You may pass through, Shurak will take you to our north border ... do not stop and do not come back this way."

 

[Edric]

Edric kept his face impassive, not missing the looks offered by the orcs around him. Showing a shocking amount of restraint as he quelled the annoyance and anger that roiled inside of him. "Thanks for the directions."

The Rogue Dreadlord called out, trying to not do anything...provoking.

"I'll try to be gone quick as I can." He didn't want to make any trouble, not if he didn't have to. Fighting his way through the Steppe would be like taking baby steps to bring Chasmine back. Every life he took would be a boon, but it could also potentially slow them down for weeks.

If he had to kill every orc they came across they would slow down exponentially. Better to be 'diplomatic', better to get to the person who he thought might actually be able to help. "Shurak, was it?"

He asked the Orc.

"Anyway we can go through grasslands? Forest? Something with a lot of life?" The Orc stared at him for a moment, and then simply shook his head. Turning away from Edric in disgust as he waved and motioned for him to follow. "Kress, forget I asked."

Edric complained with a roll of his eyes as he began to trot off after the man.

In what must have been a shock to Shurrak, the journey did only take ten days. Edric kept pace with the warg, despite the fact that it caused him to push himself. Though his stamina was better than most, the days of running had lead to no small amount of exertion even for him.

Despite that, he could not help himself. Some flicker of pride pushing him to impress the Greenskin, until finally mid-day on the tenth night of their travel, they entered what Shurrak informed him was the Fringelands. "Your woman, is here. In these cliffs somewhere. Her pack is small, but...skilled. If you lie about her relations to you..."

The orc chuckled. "Your fate will be sealed at her hands."

He said, beginning to ride away and leaving Edric alone.

 

[Chasmine]

Chasmine remained silent for the duration of the long journey, speaking only when prompted by Edric. This seemed prudent since she wasn't certain how his guide would react to Edric presumably speaking to himself in conversational format. It gave her time to think on everything.

Unfortunately she did not feel any more enlightened than before by the time he reached the outer edges of the Fringelands. Edification was challenging without her own guide to lead the way - but this was how most of her life had been. Only recently had she been presented with any form of guidance at all and it still made her wonder how she ended up here.

With Edric, of all people. She was certain that twist would never really be figured out.

Sensing the departure of the orc and its mount, the ghost broke her silence finally. "How long has it been?" Chasmine asked and, true to form, provided no context.

 

[Edric]

"Ten days." Edric said, raking a hand through his hair as he let out a long breath.

His gaze swept over the landscape for a brief moment, taking in the rolling grasslands and split hilltops. Lips pressing to a thin line as he realized the next few days would likely entail a lot of climbing and looking about. Briefly, he wondered what kind of predators skulked in the lower valleys.

"I should've asked Shurrak if there were any settlements nearby." Edric said, more to himself than Chasmine.

The Orc hadn't exactly been talkative. He'd tried a few times to engage the man in conversation, but each time had fallen more than a little flat. The Orc simply hadn't been interested, and the few times Edric had felt lonely it had been his ghostly companion who had filled the silence. Not his greenskin guide. "Ah well."

He said. "There's no hurry."

Edric continued, echoing Chasmine's own words as he began to head into the Fringelands. Intend on finding the next band of Orcs to point his way.

 

[Chasmine]

Ten days.

Had it felt like ten days? Grasping time was like trying to grasp water, or fog. She was aware of it, could feel it in a sense, but could not find an end or a beginning to it. Time for the dead simply was.

"...and..." she missed his other words entirely as she absorbed herself in that line of thought, "...how long has it been since the festival?"