Private Tales End of the Line

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

Kjaran shushed the moaning corpse, tramping after Kasim and cringing at every broken branch they stepped on. Each step took them deeper into the trees and silence was golden unless you wanted to alert a predator. Especially the types that had been pursuing them.

He saw the boulder after Kasim and moved towards it. He tried to lay Aviana down as gentle as he could but the small drop to the ground still made her cry out. The blood made it hard to see where the more serious wounds were. It was on her arms, her head, he wasn't sure where to start.

"Are you a healer as well?" he asked in a low voice, crouching and keeping his eyes focused on the way they'd come. Cries could be heard further off. "I've seen cuts from a harpy putrefy before, there's a rot there".

 

[Aviana Sabel]

The jarring jolt of being set down on the ground caused Aviana's eyes to fully snap open. She could hear the man, Kjaran, whispering with Kasim, but the words were difficult to make out.

Everything hurt.

But the pain was a good sign for right now, it meant that she wasn't dead yet. She felt lightheaded, like she was going to pass out again. So, she tried to focus by taking a rough inventory of her injuries.

Her legs were likely the worst of it, she realized. She'd managed to somehow keep the creature from tearing into her belly or throat; but to the detriment of her thighs and the upper half of her knees. Still, if something vital had been cut, she likely would have bled out on the short dash from the road to... Where ever it was she'd been carried to. That didn't mean, however, that the risk for that had passed.

She was scared, confused, and almost incoherent.

There was a medicine pouch in one of her saddle bags. Kieran had always carried more supplies than he actually needed, but the herbs and bandages in that kit were something he'd always carried. She was sure that it was still packed in the bag. It had to be.

Opening her mouth to talk was excruciating. "Erodin..." She mumbled, clutching weakly at the mercenary's arm as he hovered over her.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Umm..." How did he put this? "Not exactly."

Kasim had some medical training, mostly first aid from the few months he had spent training with the Anirian Guard, but that wasn't where his healing came from. Digging through his bag furiously he produced a potion of sorts, a small vial that was filled with an odd purple liquid.

He swirled it around for a moment, then glanced at Aviana considerately.

"The Runes can heal her." He said quietly. "But it might kill her in the process."

The Jester shrugged. "I don't have any leviathan blood, and this stuff will only go so far without taking energy from her too..."

Just then Aviana spoke, Kasim's lips thinning in response as he glanced at her and then to the large moose.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

Kjaran watched with morbid fascination. He had no magical knowledge himself beyond having seen it a few times (some of them too close for comfort). "The runes" he repeated, pretending as if he understood what was going to happen. He'd seen magic mostly destroy, rarely to be used to help.

The half-elf moaned in pain, her hand grabbing weakly at his arm. "Erodin is here" he said in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. He patted the jester to indicate him, "See? He's right here and about to help you". He took off his helmet to try and present a more soothing appearance. "I hope you know what you're doing Erodin" he whispered to the jester. There was a lot of blood.

He felt useless so he just held the half-elf's hand while the jester got to work.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Either she was delirious and hallucinating, or the mercenary thought she was talking about Kasim. She couldn't quite puzzle out which one it was.

Her gaze shifted to the jester, confusion and pain reflected in her pale blue eyes. She desperately hoped that she wasn't actually looking up at the elk. A ragged breath and a slow exhale through her nose, trying to focus her rattled mind.

The shrieking off in the distance was distracting.

Kasim was talking about runes. An elk wouldn't know how to do that.

"Saddle bag..." She growled out to the jester. "There's a vial with..." Her voice broke momentarily, talking was horrible with the slash across her jaw. Each flex of the muscles in her face burned like fire. "with treant root."

 

[Kasim Areth]

He considered for a moment, and decided he had absolutely no idea what a Treant was or why it had roots.

Aviana however knew what Rune Magic was, or rather over their journey he had explained to her the basics of how it worked. The Girl knew that ingredients mattered when it came to Rune Magic, almost as much as what Rune was used to invoke the spell in the first place.

He figured that maybe she was trying to tell him it would work for healing, and thus with a simple shrug he stepped over to the Elk and dug around in the saddlebags. Eventually he found what he was looking for, crouching besides Aviana and uncorking the bottle.

"This won't hurt." He said plainly. "But it will be unpleasant."

The healing was far from perfect, in fact the rune he would use wasn't really one of healing but rather more...mending.

Without much hesitation Kasim dipped his finger in the ground up root and began to draw over Aviana's wounds.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

"Is there anything I can do?" Kjaran said, not sure if he could be any use. His eyes looked warily at the vial in the jester's hand. His own people generally killed any strange magic users. "What's a bloody treant when it's at home anyways?"

He moved to hold down the half-elf just in case she started thrashing. He watched while the jester applied it to her wounds, waiting for her reaction.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

As the runes were etched over the wounds, Aviana's flesh twitched and started to stitch itself back together. It looked as if the fibers of her flesh were weaving themselves together to seal the deep wounds.

Unpleasant was putting it mildly.

It wasn't agonizing, but her mind struggled to process just how to categorize the foreign sensation. The shock of it nearly caused her to faint again, but instead, her spine arched and she gasped for breath. A scream tried to claw its way from her throat, but instinct told her that she needed to stay silent.

She squeezed her eyes shut and clamped her lips together, muffling the cries that she couldn't hold back behind a closed mouth.

"Mmnphm!" The tendons in her neck strained against her flesh with the effort.

When the runes had finished, Aviana was still covered in blood, but at least the bleeding had stopped. The wounds themselves looked as though they weeks old, instead of minutes. There would be scars, for sure, but the risk of bleeding to death and infection had been mostly mitigated.

 

[Kasim Areth]

He shrugged. "No idea."

Kasim said in answer to the Sell-sword. He wondered briefly if this stuff would end up killing Aviana, but as he saw her flesh knit back together it seemed to be doing its job. He rolled the vial in his hands for a moment considerately, smelling it, and then regretting it.

"Maybe she can tell us when she wakes up." The Jester said as he pulled himself to his feet, looking around the small rock outcropping. "For now though..."

Glancing beyond the rock he spotted the nearby graying clouds, and then listened quietly. There seemed to be no screams from the Harpies, no signs of them in the sky. "Perhaps we should gather some dry wood while we still can."

No fire yet, too much attention, but later.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

The half elf seemed quieter now. Still bloodied but her breathing was easier though laboured. The jester looked a bit worn but he rose to his feet without help. The forest was quiet now but Kjaran still hesitated when rising. "That sounds wise" he said, his voice low. He kept his sword to hand.

"Let's not go further than a hundred yards from here. And don't linger too long". He took slow careful steps out from their dubious shelter, stooping every now and again to grab a worthwhile log.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

As the rune magic ebbed away, Aviana's eyes slowly fluttered open once more. They had a more coherent look about this, now that she wasn't half dazed from the attack, or delirious with the pain of her injuries. That said, her body was still sore and stiff. Exhaustion may prove to be just a dangerous as the wounds themselves if she tried to push herself too far, too quickly.

One of her hands reached up to her forehead, feeling the blood that was still splashed across her skin. She grimaced at the slippery feel of it, not having had enough time for it to dry yet.

She was still disoriented, not sure where she was and she tried to sit up to reorient herself. A wave of dizziness swarmed over her as she moved, and she quickly relented and laid back down with a soft moan.

The mercenary was still visible as he shuffled through the trees in search of firewood, but she noticed that Kasim had stayed beneath the overhang with her.

"Mr. Areth...?" She murmured weakly. "Where... are we?"

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Under a rock." Kasim commented as he looked up at the sky.

While Kjaran had begun to gather firewood, the Jester had busied himself with creating a small pit rimmed with rocks. It would allow them to have a fire without letting it spread, something he considered rather important for a proper camp. He shifted the materials, and then looked up at Aviana.

"Not too far from the road." A mile, if he had to guess. "Harpy got you."

Kasim shrugged.

The girl had been undoubtedly foolish, rushing as far away from them as she had, but he wasn't particularly angry about it. The Harpies would have attacked at one point or another, and they had all gotten away in the end.

That was what mattered.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

Kjaran made a few trips, dropping off logs at an increasingly larger pile. There was plenty of deadwood and loose brush for him to gather. The forest was quiet, though the looming clouds promised rain soon. He could feel it in the air.

"That should be enough for now" he said, moving to sit back under the rock. "Do we have any tinder to get it started?". At least the half-elf was alive and breathing. He lay down his sword and rummaged around to pull off some dry bark and leaves.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

She grimaced a second time, then tried to sit up once more, but slower this go around. A shiver passed over the slender woman and she swayed slightly in place.

Both men had saved her idiotic life. She knew that much. She'd let the events on Sheketh gain control for a brief moment, and it had nearly cost her life. Even then, they weren't out of harm's way yet, or else they wouldn't be hiding off the road.

Erodin huffed softly and lowered himself down behind Aviana, giving her something to lean back against for support. Her eyes roamed over her ripped and blood-soaked clothes. She looked like a murder victim... which she reasoned that she nearly had been one. Even though the wounds had been closed, she had still lost quite a bit of blood and it would be some time until her full strength returned. That must have been why she was so dizzy.

The mercenary asked for tinder, supposedly to start a fire.

Numbly, Aviana turned in place and rummaged through one of the saddle bags that she was leaning against. She produced a small bundle of dried moss that was wrapped in a fine blue scarf. "Here..." She said hoarsely.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim didn't say anything more, didn't feel like he needed to.

Instead he shifted, dragging the sword he had been carrying from it's scabbard and pulling as small piece of cloth from his pack. Without a word he began to wipe down the blade, clearing it of the harpies blood and making sure that there wasn't a speck of blood left on it.

He had stolen the sword from a bandit, but that didn't meant he wouldn't take care of it. If things kept going on like this he would probably need the weapon, in fact he felt like he should probably improve upon it.

A frown settled on his lips, and then he looked at his two companions.

"What about you?" He asked the Sell-Sword. "How are your wounds?"

Kasim had been the only one that hadn't gotten hurt somehow.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

The forest floor was damp so the dried moss was welcome, "Thank you" Kjaran said, accepting the tinder and checking it. He stuffed it under some bark in the centre of the stones. He saw the jester wiping his sword and decided it was high time he did so too. The harpy's blood could have all sorts of rot on it.

He shrugged at the question. "It's nothing, more bruises than cuts. I've had worse. Makes me grateful for this" he said, giving the mail coat a thump with his fist. "Those bandits earlier missed me but they got the horse. I think Luck is shining on me today somewhat". If he could call this huddling hidden in the forest luck. "Did you get hit anywhere?".

He rummaged through the saddlebags before finding water, holding it out to the half-elf.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana weakly took the offered water from Kjaran, quietly sipping from the contents. The cool liquid was almost painful to the touch for her parched throat. A second sip soothed the ache, and a third started to slake her thirst. She knew better than to chug the contents, not wanting to make herself sick.

She looked down at her blood covered hands, frowning. Trying to wash the grime from herself would prove futile with just a waterskin, so she simply offered it to Kasim in case he needed a drink.

Her vivid blue eyes stood out starkly against the dark crimson that was painted across her face.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim shook his head, motioning for her to keep the water. "Keep it close. Even with whatever that stuff you gave me was, you're going to get thirsty."

He considered for a moment. "And hungry."

The Rune had knit Aviana's skin back together, closed her wounds, but her body had done the work of providing the material. It would be no where near as bad as if he had simply used ink or something of the sort, but the Rune still took from her. That was just how Rune healing worked.

Then he turned back to the Sell-Sword.

"Not a scratch." His face broke out into a smile.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

Kjaran shook his head in exasperation. "Some people have all the luck" he muttered, hunching over to try and build the fire before lighting. He winced as he straightened back up, "Argh my bloody back" he grumbled, leaning back against the stone. "It's been years since I've seen a damned harpy".

He rooted through his own pack, keeping an eye on the elk and horse who seemed content to stay close. Pulling out some dried meat, he took a bite of it, tearing a hunk off with his teeth before offering the rest to the other two.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Despite Kasim's insistence that she eat and drink, Aviana quietly shook her head in response to the offer of jerk. She wasn't sure that her stomach would be able to handle the heavily salted meat just yet. Her eyes briefly drooped closed, nestled against Erodin's warm side it was difficult for her to keep her eyes open. Most of the danger had passed, but she was still extremely weak.

"Ground root of treant." She murmured softly, reaching into the saddle bag to her right to make sure that her satchel was still tucked away inside. Once she had assured herself that it was safe, she settled back down onto the ground.

"Do they... not have treants on the... the mainland?"

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim shook his head.

"Nope." He shrugged, not seeming particularly concerned with the fact either. It had worked well enough, though not as well as Leviathan blood. "It worked though."

No need to tell her that the substance wasn't as good as something else that existed, it would just be kicking her while she was down.

Sitting himself down on a rock Kasim rested his sword on one of his shoulder blades. "The Wilds are full of em'. Not to mention dozens of other kinds of beasties."

The stories made that very clear.

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

Kjaran shrugged, "We might do, just by a different name". They all spoke Common differently with different accents and words influencing their speech. "What sort of woods do these tree-ants live in then?"

He gave a dismissive hand wave in response to the jester's comment, "I know, I'm not that thick. Just said it's been a while is all". His other hand played with a twig, using it to dig a the dirt. "Think you'll be singing a song about this one then? An elven maid saved by a jester charging a harpy?"

 

[Aviana Sabel]

"I'm sure he'll work it into a verse one way or another." She murmured, dropping her gaze down to the waterskin that rested lightly in her lap.

A torrent of emotions churned within her all at once -- shame, embarrassment, fear, anger, the simple joy of still being alive, gratitude. It was difficult to process everything at once, so she opted to let them each wash over her as they came. The mask slid easily into place, keeping her features neutral and impassive. But just to be safe, she avoided making eye contact for a few minutes.

Eventually, she realized that the mercenary had asked her an actual question, and she cleared her throat while shifting her weight awkwardly. "From what I know of them, they only inhabit ancient forests. They're very reclusive creatures."

 

[Kasim Areth]

"No no." Kasim said with a dismissive wave. "I told you, only a hack sings about himself."

There was another reason that Kasim would never sing about himself, a reason that neither of them would ever know, but that wasn't something he was going to tell them. Instead he simply moved the conversation along, deciding it best they not talk about his heroics.

Ugh, he hated that word. "We have some ancient forests."

Kasim mused.

"The Falwood maybe." A shrug rolled over his shoulders. "I doubt the Elves would let you run around to check though."

Kasim glanced at Aviana, then at her ears. "Well, maybe you."

 

[Kjaran Mak Aodha]

Kjaran shrugged, "I mean you don't have to say it's you in the story" he reasoned. The jester seemed like he didn't want to linger on the topic so he didn't push him on it.

"The older the forest the more dangerous" he said, piling smaller pieces of wood in a cone like shape, "You don't risk cutting wood in them if you can. I've known woodcutters walk a mile to find fallen boughs rather than risk angering whatever lives in there". He grimaced at the mention of the Falwood, "Elves". He shook his head before realising one of them at least had plenty of their blood in her. "Meaning no disrespect but they can be a prickly bunch. And there's more dangerous things than them in the deep forests".