Private Tales Lost In the Woods

[Talus]

The Northern Wood
Fraeya Elwing

His fingers twitched, one hand wrapped around his sword, the other raised in front of him palm facing upward. Nestled between his fingers was a small ball of light that projected it's glow just a few feet ahead of him.

The sky was dark, though Talus could barely see it through the thick of the canopy above him. The Northern Wood was a dense forest, as dense as the Falwood some people claimed. For centuries it had been a grove standing in isolation near the Savannah. Now it was being slowly logged by the city of Vel Anir, a resource to be stripped and use.

The only trouble was the residents of the forest itself.

Nothing sentient, as far as they knew, but monsters.

Spiders the size of a house, serpents big enough to eat a man, and other creatures that most could not even imagine. That was why Talus was here, why he and half a dozen other students were here. It was another test, another piece of training. Protecting Loggers was not the job of the Dreadlords, but a student?

Well it wasn't beneath them was it?

Plus, if they died in the forest who cared. It likely meant that they weren't worthy in the first place.

That was why he was here, wandering through the cold and dark wood. He had been on a patrol when a creature attacked them. The thing had had ten legs and fourteen eyes, massive mandibles. Two Anirian Guard had died instantly, and Talus had gotten separated from the others when the creature smashed it's way through the forest clearing.

Now he was alone, lost, and wandering in the dark.

 

[Fraeya]

Fraeya was running. Small pack bounced on her back. Purple hair streamed wildly behind her. Even in her hurry, her strides were light and graceful. There was a hiss behind her as a stream of venom narrowly missed her shoulder.

She could feel some of the fabric on her sleeve burn - the tree to her right taking the brunt of the attack and melting like it was made of nothing but candle-wax.

"Shit," she swore and risked a glance back, swerving severely to the right.

And here she thought humans were the worst.

Eyes squinted in the dark as she thought she caught a bobbing light ahead through the trees. Were fairies in this part of the wood? A tree spirit? A witch's spell? Her path would take her right into the wayward and lost student dreadlord.

 

[Talus]

There was a moment of hesitation, Talus coming to a stop and holding the orb of glowing light a bit higher as he attempted to get a better look at what was coming his way.

He could catch the barest hint of motion, the movement drawing closer. It was something he'd been trained for. Good eyes made for good magic, at least that was what the Proctors drilled into them in the training yards.

Had to see your target to kill it.

So when the Elf suddenly twisted her way and burst into the small clearing ahead of him Talus let out a curse. He'd seen the ruffling of leaves, the shaking of the trees, but he'd not expected..."An Elf?!"

The orb of Light in Talus' hand burst into life, the tiny bit of college magic fueled by his intense emotion as he tried to get a closer look at Fraeya Elwing.

His eyes squinted, and then suddenly just behind her the jungle burst apart and a monster appeared.

 

[Fraeya]

"Ahh," hand came up as she was suddenly blinded by that strange twinkle light. Pointed-ears picked up the distinctly male voice. Toes of her boots hooked into a root as she experienced, perhaps, the first ungraceful moment of her 18 years. The girl flopped onto the forest floor, rolling head over hands as another shot of venom went over her head.

"What are you doing?!" She snapped at the...boy? "Blind the beast and not me!" Weight rocked back on her feet and she dove to the left as the head came down to try and finish her off.

Spoiler

 

[Talus]

Talus let out a curse as the creature's jaw snapped just to the side of him.

It was a serpent, though just what sort he had no idea. In an instant his hand closed into a fist, crushing the light in his palm out of existence. The sword in his right hand swept forward, his palm passing over the blade.

There was a bright red and black spark, and then Talus stabbed the tip of his blade directly into the beasts eye. A roar pierced through the wood, the Serpent pulled back, it's jaws snapping as it howled in pain. Reeling, the beast whipped forward.

Trees shattered, branches went flying.

"RUN!" His sword was buried in the creatures eye, but it seemed to do nothing.

Without any thought Talus took three steps and grabbed the woman by the nape of the clothing on her neck, dragging her forward and up to her feet.

He never even considered that she was the enemy; an Elf. Reviled and hated in Vel Anir. Right now she was just someone else lost in the woods.

 

[Fraeya]

She grunted as he got handsy.

He'd probably miss it but the pack on her shoulders shifted slightly. Eyes almost glowed lavender-silver in the darkness. Dried leaves and dirt fell from her clothing as she ran with him.

Why did a human care about her? She didn't have time to think about it as the serpent continued its slithering charge at him. Hands rose at her sides as magic flowed through her, coming from the trees. Branches elongated suddenly, like sharp barbs right behind them. Sweat broke out on her brow.

The serpent roared as two struck true.

But there was a sickening snap-crunch as it managed just to fell the trees and keep pursing them.

 

[Talus]

Talus grunted as he half turned back to watch branches and trees snap in the Serpent's path, its massive jaws snapping around a piece of a tree that it itself had thrown into it's way. Teeth sunk into the wood, and then there was a sickening crack.

"Shit." The young apprentice cursed to himself, his boots digging into the mud as he took half a turn.

His hand reached out, striking a nearby overgrown willow. There was a slight spark, that odd black and red light, and then a loud snap ran out. The willow suddenly bent and fell, not crashing into the Serpent's path but instead falling directly into the beast.

"Turn!" He called to the elf. "Do that branch thing, pin it!"

The willow fell into the serpent, pinning it towards the ground as Talus dug his heel in and turned around. His boots dug into the mud as he used his own momentum to launch himself at the serpent's face in a wild attempt to grab his sword.

 

[Fraeya]

She turned, teeth grinding in her mouth. Arms straightened as she pushed them forward, fingers playing the air like some stringed instrument. The branches of the willow made a sickening crunch as they embedded the serpent's hide. A roar ripped through the serpent's mouth as a spittle of venom came toward her.

She didn't have time to move.

The skin of her hand and arms burned as it took the brunt of the poison.

"Ahhh," she grimaced and wobbled to her knees. Head drooped as she squinted at the boy. The strangest thing of all this? She actually hoped he would make it. Even though he'd kill a tree to save them.

 

[Talus]

Talus wasn't sure exactly how he'd made it, or even if he actually had. Part of it felt like a dream.

Reaching the serpent, stepping on one of the branches that the Elf had grown, wrapping his hand around the hilt of the sword. It was surreal, it happened so fast he didn't even really have time to process.

Fingers tightened around the hilt of his blade, his face contorted, and then suddenly a bright red spark erupted from the blade dug deep into the creatures eye. Black lines spread from beneath the monsters skin, and then it screeched.

The roar was loud enough to burst eardrums, and as the beast screamed Talus found himself yelling back.

Black lines spread out beneath the creatures flesh, it's roar echoed. Then just as suddenly as it had burst into the forest the creature slumped against the curled wood.

It's entire body suddenly went limp, crashing against the ground and sending Talus rolling across the floor. His sword still embedded in the creature's eye, his arm smoking.

 

[Fraeya]

“Not...bad,” Fraeya heaved. Her vision becoming blurrier by the second. Chin dipped and she crumpled to the first floor. Good arm clutched her bad arm. Blackness was starting to spread along burned pieces of gender skin from her hand toward her elbow.

“Moon thistle. I....need. Moon thistle,” the girl breathed. Lavender eyes searched the boy’s face. The soft glow in them getting dimmer by the second. She needed that herb or some kind of poison antidote. And by the boy’s smoking arm, he might need it too. Or was that rom his magic? Hard to tell when the world around her vision was darkening.

 

[Talus]

For a moment Talus simply laid on the ground. He felt tired, his arm hurt, and everything was spinning.

He’d never actually used that much of his own magic before, and the backlash this time had all but shattered his armor. He could feel the pain of his fractured bones, the eeking agony that crawled up his spine. It had been stupid to attack like that, but also the only option.

Vaguely he heard the Elf speak, though in truth he could hardly understand as he used his good hand to push himself up and off the ground. A frown touched his lips as he glanced at his arm, finding that he was unable to open his hand.

Head shook, and quickly he glanced at the Serpent to make sure it was actually dead.

Then he heard her. A begging cry for some sort of plant. Moon Thistle? Lips thinned as he tried to remember what it was, what it looked like. The Academy had never really stressed the healing arts, only war.

After a moment he realized, then nodded, though as he went to take a step forward Talus suddenly stopped himself. She was an Elf, the enemy. Sure there hadn’t been a war in four generations, but...his teeth clacked together. Should he let her die? It was what most Dreadlords would have done, but…

He still had a problem.

Talus was out here alone, stuck with no path to get out. If he rescued the elf...she would have to help him. ”Hang on.”

The Apprentice grunted to her as he left the clearing.

 

[Fraeya]

Hang on.

Her back pressed against the forest floor. The branches, rocks, and roots poking against her didn't bother her. The only thing she felt was the searing pain up her hand through her arm. Dizziness and blackness.

"Ember," she groaned.

Sweat beaded down her temple.

A strange language left her fevered lips. Strange sounds and clicks. The pack that had been thrown a few feet away bounced back. Once. Twice. Would be hard to see in the darkness within the glade.

"Ember," she muttered again and found herself slipping into the void.

 

[Talus]

Talus didn't bother even helping her sit up. He was going to keep her alive, not baby her.

Without further addressing her the apprentice Dreadlord headed out of the clearing and wandered towards the woods. His sword was cradled in his left hand now, right arm clutched tightly against his chest. The pain from it was searing, his skin feeling as though it were on fire. He couldn't move his fingers.

He had no idea how long he wandered, his eyes down towards the forest floor as he searched for the weed the Elf needed. Eventually, either by some stroke of luck or small coincidence he found the tiny leaflets of the plant sticking out from underneath a fallen tree.

Talus stabbed his sword into the ground, gathering up some of the plant and stuffing it into his belt pouch before retrieving his blade.

The sound of something moving echoed out from behind him, birds or perhaps another monsters. Fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword. He could feel his heart beat in his ears. Without his right hand the sword would be all but useless, and if he tried using his magic again it would probably kill him. Chaos and entropy were fleeting, impossible to control.

He breathed, steadying himself and remembering the words of Master Felthwin.

Keeping a watchful eye Talus slowly made his way back towards the Elf.

 

[Fraeya]

She was shivering. The black poison spreading within her veins along her arm had reached her elbow now. Her skin would be piping hot to the touch. Talus would find her muttering in a stranger language. Purple hair plastered against a mixture of skin and scales.

"En dinnoeeh vinya buena vistah-tobleah oh."

Fevered lips repeated it again and again.

 

[Talus]

Talus stepped up to the dribbling Elf with his sword still clutched tightly. He looked down on her for a brief second, frown painted on his face as he considered her.

He'd never quite understood why Vel Anir had such a hatred for Elves. It had been instilled in him as much as anyone, sure, but he'd the reason escaped him. They were foreigners, strangers from a land that most humans did not understand, but the only visible difference was their beauty and ears.

Perhaps it was because of the wars, or perhaps it was jealousy.

The young Apprentice could not have said why, and in that moment he didn't particularly care. If she had been his enemy he would have pressed his sword into her heart, but right now she was his one way of surviving this mess.

That meant he would save her. "Hold still."

Talus spoke as he sheathed his sword and pulled the odd plant from his belt pouch, crushing the leaves in his hands and using his knuckles to grind them into a paste. In the back of his mind he thanked Leon the Medic at having explained this trick before the journey.

He then quickly applied the paste to the Elves wound, quickly after grasping her cheeks and forcing her mouth open to placesome of it on her tongue as well.

 

[Fraeya]

Lips puckered as his hands forced her mouth opened. Hands came up, fingers grasping against his arm as instincts tried to fight it. But she was too weak. Nails did try to find his skin and dig in.

Face scrunched up as the foul paste made its way down her throat. As quickly as she struggled, she stilled on the ground. The black poison in her veins stopped their upward march. If Talus looked closely, it looked like the lines were beginning to retreat.

"Tall-eh vinooyah. Din way-oh."

The elven girl muttered.

 

[Talus]

"Yeah yeah." Talus said, looking down at her for a moment before glancing back up to peer at the surrounding forest. "You're welcome."

He said quietly, still trying to be as vigilant as possible.

They had managed to kill one monster, but he doubted that they could finish another. His right arm was still shattered to bits and the Elf looked like death itself. The only real hope he had was that this woman knew some sort of secret way out of the forest, though even that seemed slim.

She was the one who the monster had been chasing after all.

Lips thinned as he glanced back towards the massive serpent.

In truth he had no idea how he'd managed to kill the thing. His magic was often wild, chaotic even. Some of the Proctors described it as unreliable. All Talus knew was that he had willed the thing to die, using his sword as a conduit to make that happen. Just how he'd achieved it...he wasn't sure.

Frowning, Talus looked back down at the Elf. "Come on now, we don't want to be here all day."

 

[Fraeya]

Eyes began to open. Moon-like slits of pale purple. Fingers flexed of the venom covered hand.

Oomph.

Felt like she'd been rolled over by an adolescent dragon. Her skin would be burned for quite some time. Until she could use nature to heal it. She was too weak to attempt it now. Talus might remember that her own magic had helped him fell the serpant. Trees turned to wooden shards to help pin the beast's hide down. Then again, maybe he wasn't the type to remember he'd had help.

The elven girl sat up, slowly. Hand reached out quickly for her pack, a moment of panic crossing her gaze until she slipped it back over her shoulders. "You did this?" Eyes flickered to the boy's, to her arm and back again. He'd actually saved her?

A human?

 

[Talus]

A shrug rolled over his shoulders. "I need help getting out of these woods."

That was the explanation he offered and it was the only one that she would receive. This forest was dangerous, obviously so, and he'd been in trouble before he shattered his arm into a hundred different pieces.

Now he would be well and truly fucked on his own.

"I figured you might know a way." Ignorant perhaps, but also the only option that had been left open to him.

 

[Fraeya]

Eyes narrowed slightly as she stood. Hard to see his face and clothing clearly in the dark. The canopy was thick in this part of the forest and didn't let in the light of the stars and twin moons.

"I do know a way out, though you probably won't like the direction I'm going."

She definitely was not traveling back toward those who were slaughtering the trees. Bunch of animals. She would be traveling as far away from the humans as possible. It was sad that one of the beasts had chased her directly to one.

"The forest and its inhabitants are angry. I think they're going to war." Without waiting around, she turned on her heels and began walking in a decided direction.

 

[Talus]

Talus grumbled for a moment as the woman stepped off in a sudden direction after making the declaration that the forest was going to war. What a ludicrous statement that was. A forest going to war? How was that even possible.

He stopped himself from scoffing and fell into step behind her. "I need to get out."

The young Apprentice reiterated.

"Otherwise I'll die in here." He was self aware enough to make that determination with not much of a problem. "Even if you just lead me to the edge I can circle back from there."

He had no idea how he would deal with the 'forest going to war' nonsense, but he figured at the moment it wasn't really his problem. There were other Apprentices to keep the logging camps safe, he needed to worry about himself.

 

[Fraeya]

The girl cast him a glance over her shoulder. Lips pressed together in thought before her head snapped back forward. Pointed-ears twitched. His steps were loud. He would slow her down.

But she owed him a life debt.

The girl paused and canted her head to the side. "I will take you to the edge. Then my debt will be paid. And you will not follow me. And you will tell no one you saw me. Do we have a deal?"

There was a chance they wouldn't survive. A high chance. The inhabitants of this wood were angry. They were out for blood. Particularly human blood. And if she was seen traveling with one, well, they'd assume she was on the human side.

 

[Talus]

Talus considered her offer for a few seconds. All he needed was to get to the edge, from there he really could make his own way back via the stars. That was one of the first things they had been taught to do at the Academy.

The other part troubled him though.

An Elf running around this far North without saying anything? If someone figured out that he had seen her before and then they captured her...it would not go well for him. The Proctors would likely have him lashed half to death.

Maybe worse. "As long as the same goes for me."

Could he trust her not to speak if she was tortured?

Probably not. From what he'd heard Elves were about as trustworthy as a beggar on the street corner. Still, he needed to hear her say it. Just for his own peace of mind.

 

[Fraeya]

The girl paused and turned. Silver-purple circlets studied the boy in the darkness. Her pack moved the tiniest bit at her back.

"Deal. Can always seal it with a blood-magic oath."

It wasn't a light thing to offer. If they swore and traded a drop of blood with magic, the other would know if they were ever betrayed. A large part or her hoped he would be too disgusted or scared to take her up on the offer. Not that she'd go against her own word. But because the idea of trading even a drop of blood with a human made her stomach roll.

Looking up, her eyes searched the trees around them.

"And we should get some sleep." The girl turned to eye his arm. "Can you climb?"

She doubted it.

 

[Talus]

"Blood magic?" He knew these elves were savages.

No one from Vel Anir would ever use such disgusting magic. Talus did his best to keep his face even though, not wanting to offend his new found guide. His head simply shook in response to her, lips thinning as he answered.

"No." He said. "I trust your word."

It was a lie, but what other option did he have.

When she mentioned climbing he cringed slightly, glancing down at his right arm which had all but shattered when he'd attacked the creature. He could still barely move it, and the idea of trying to climb with it was more than painful. "Doubtful. My arm is broken in a dozen places."