Private Tales The Blind Leading the Blind

[Ayara Vagrand]

"Neither." She offered. "Just different."

She rolled her shoulders and smiled. "Losing part of my sight in a way opened my eyes to the world in a greater way than I had seen before. Some might interpret my lessons learned as weakness, but I've grown and found it to be an opportunity to learn from."

Talus had a much more physical training regimen, which naturally saw more raw competition and chances for adversarial growth. And while she was given practice with both sword and bow, her value to the dreadlords was far greater in the areas of conjuring than it would ever be trading blows with iron and steel.

"We have different purposes to serve. Both have risks, and consequences for failing."

 

[Talus]

Talus decided that the way she spoke made him uncomfortable. There was knowledge and assurance to her tone that he simply did not have. That fact made him feel as though he were standing on a rung below her.

He found he did not like that. "Your eye then."

Most Apprentices did not want to speak of the scars that they bore, but she had brought it up first. He decided to broach the subject, if only to satiate his own curiosity.

"A Proctor?" If it was, it would have been a harsh punishment, but not unheard of.

She could have tried to escape, though from she'd already told him Ayara hardly seemed the sort for a midnight run.

 

[Ayara Vagrand]

The act of receiving her blindness wasn't a subject she was keen of. There was more to that scar than the physical trauma. That was a grievous error in calculation that had cost far more than just a part of her vision. That monster was still out there somewhere. And every heinous act it committed was on her shoulders.

"Had I endured this disfigurement from a Proctor I would have felt fortunate." The lesson she had learned was indeed valuable, though the cost of such a lesson was great. It was why she had chosen to use broad strokes when explaining to Talus earlier. "No. Not a Proctor."

Ayara stopped and set down her bag atop a downed tree that laid across the path they followed, sifting through until she found her waterskin, sipping from it before hoisting herself up onto the massive trunk to climb over.

"It's important to understand your limits. I brought something into our world that had no business being here. I couldn't control it. And now it's free." She gestured towards the horizon. "Roaming as it pleases." The memory still made her cringe. "It burned my face and stole my vision as a gift -- A reminder of my failure."

 

[Talus]

That was...daunting.

The lesson that Talus had not yet learned of his own talent meant little in comparison to a roving...something slaughtering at will. Dreadlords might have been killers, but most of them did not enjoy wanton slaughter for the fun of it.

Much less the Apprentices. He frowned slightly. "What was it?"

Talus couldn't help but ask as he dexterously hopped onto the tree trunk and jumped down on the other side.

He had never seen something summoned into this world before, not like what Ayara had described. He couldn't help but wonder what she'd brought forth that the Proctors hadn't been able to kill afterward.

The idea of something like that was...oddly fascinating. Not that he would ever admit as such to her.

 

[Ayara Vagrand]

As she slid over the opposite side of the trunk, pulling her bag with her she sighed at Talus' question. Properly conveying the fear she had that day was impossible. Describing the demon that tore through the veil was also an unpleasant recollection.

"A greater fire demon of some kind, one unlike I had ever encountered before. Most are a sight to behold, but this was something else. Indescribably terrifying. I knew the moment it arrived that it was beyond control, but it was too late then. The sound of its mocking voice haunts me. Occasionally I wake at night as though its scorching hand is still pressed against my face."

That had been the catalyst that changed Ayara's perspective on things so dramatically.

"So while you may have killed some of your fellow apprentices, I have released a blight on our world that I can't fix."

 

[Talus]

Talus remained silent for a moment. He had never much been one for introspection, but he couldn't help the wondering that ran through his mind.

"Perhaps you can." He offered. "Eventually."

The words did not sound forced, but after he said them Talus decided it would probably be best not to further press the subject. He could only imagine how the Proctors had responded to the incident, and he couldn't help but wonder if those high up in Vel Anir even knew.

A fire demon, running loose around the world.

There were worse things surely, but this one knew Ayara's face. His head shook slightly, dismissing the thought. "We'll graduate ev-"

Talus silenced himself and held up an arm, stopping Ayara before she took another step.

His gaze was caught low, eyes fixed on a small almost invisible line snaking across the ground.

 

[Ayara Vagrand]

She wasn't so sure about that. It was her personal goal to right the wrong she had unleashed, but she held little hope for ever achieving it. First she would need to become much stronger, and then she would have to actually track down this demon, wherever it had gone.

A daunting task to think about.

Ayara allowed the conversation to end at the conclusion of Talus' statement, choosing not to say more, or even really acknowledge the possibility of correcting her mistake in the future.

The sudden cut-off of his words and barred arm in front of her startled Ayara, and her stride broke, setting her boot back a step behind her. "What is it?" She asked in a hushed tone, eyes looking first upwards towards the trees, then to Talus who appeared fixated at the ground. She traced his gaze down, noticing at last what he had seen.

"Trap or some kind of early warning alarm?"

 

[Talus]

Talus crouched low, doing his best to follow the invisible line back towards the trees and underbrush where it disappeared.

For a few seconds the Apprentice only remained quiet, skirting around Ayara's back and following the cord for a few feet until he found it tied around what appeared to be an odd contraption of bells. "Alarm."

He said quietly, motioning for him to come closer.

"Do you have the map?" Talus prompted. "We shouldn't be far enough into the Forest to have reached one of the cities yet."

An outpost perhaps?

Talus knew that the Elves had them all over the Falwood historically, watch sentries meant to keep anyone from getting too deep into the forest.

 

[Ayara Vagrand]

She crept over towards Talus, careful not to accidentally step on anything she couldn't see. When she reached the spot he was kneeling she set her bag down and once again opened it. "Yes." Tucked away was a small leather tube that held the rolled map inside to protect it from the elements. Removing it from the container she unrolled the parchment and set it on her lap for the two to look at.

"I would presume the Elves have a great number of these all over the Falwood. Even if a city isn't nearby, they could use them to gauge how often there are travelers." It was simple enough, and Ayara was sure the Elves were in no shortage of scouts. This was after all, their home.

And maybe that was why the Proctors had sent them. To see how far they'd get.

 

[Talus]

"Let's get closer." Talus offered quietly.

There was a chance they could at least learn something from this outpost depending on what form it took, and now that they were aware of the traps, getting near wouldn't be all that difficult. At least he thought so.

"Leave your pack." He told her as he slipped his own off of his shoulders. "We'll come back for it later."

They would move faster this way.

 

[Ayara Vagrand]

This isn't part of the mission...

Ayara didn't like the idea of deviating from their task to check out an outpost. It would cost them time and there was the whole aspect of knowing nothing about what they were walking into. However Talus seemed intent on investigating nonetheless.

"Very well."

The girl closed her bag and tucked it beneath some moss next to the tree, covering it as best she could. "We shouldn't linger any longer than absolutely necessary."

 

[Talus]

Talus nodded, and then quietly stepped over the small line.

He kept low, though moved fast through the underbrush. Every step was carefully calculated and taken. He watched the ground as he moved, not wanting to step on any twigs or fallen branches that would crack or crunch.

Within just a few moments the treeline began to thin out just a bit, though not by much. Some of the underbrush had been...not cut, but bent away. Talus slowed, signalling Ayara behind him as he came to a slow stop.

Before him sat a small clearing, a spring sourced from a small stream bubbling softly and besides it sitting a large tree.

Talus gazed upward, spotting a large platform within the tree that seemed to naturally stretch between half a dozen branches. Atop the platform were three figures, one laying down, and the other two conversing over a small table.

 

[Ayara Vagrand]

Ayara followed closely behind Talus, taking his path and ensuring she didn't cause any additional stir beneath the trees as they crept towards the clearing. Her sight lifted to the platform above. It was simple in its construction, natural. The Elves and the forest were in a way symbiotic with one another, though a great deal of that had to do with ancient magic.

"Thoughts?" She whispered.

There wasn't much they could use to mask their approach, and with the Elves above them, it wouldn't be too difficult to be spotted once they left the cover of the brush surrounding them. The flowing stream might help suppress any noise they made, but an easy glance out into the wood would give them away.

Also at hand was the question of what Talus' goal was if they reached the base of the platform.

 

[Talus]

For a few seconds he did not answer, instead he simply watched the men on the platform. They were not really observing the area around them, nor did they seem to be acting as sentries for passing by.

Then he saw it, an odd red bandanna upon each of their right arms. "Look."

He gestured slowly towards the small slash of red on their clothes, frowning and trying to remember where he'd seen such things before. The thought struck him like a ton of bricks. He remembered a fight on the island, another mission to create a staging area near Coraliv.

A small battle had broken out; against 'renegade' Elves.

They were knife ears that had decided the peace between Vel Anir and the Falwood was worth less than the paper the politicians had printed it on.

Could this be more of them?

Talus pulled himself back, motioning for Ayara to follow him into the growth.

 

[Ayara Vagrand]

Ayara followed Talus' direction and looked, taking note of the odd piece of fabric wrapped around each of their arms. To her it didn't symbolize much. They were still Elves. This was still the Falwood. And they still had the advantage of the platform above the tree.

What exactly Talus had planned on doing she didn't know but again followed his lead quietly as he shifted position.

"Familiar to you?" She asked finally, referring to the sashes tied around each of their arms.

 

[Talus]

A deep frown set on his face as he nodded his head. "They're renegades."

In truth Talus didn't really see much of a difference between them and himself. These elves wanted to fight for their country against an enemy that had stood against them in not one, but three incredibly brutal wars. He couldn't really argue that desire, after all he was on a mission set against them right now.

For a moment he considered the idea of trying to fight them, but after a moment of thought he came to the same conclusion that Ayara already had a few minutes ago. "Let's continue on."

He told her.

"We'll just have to be mindful." His lips thinned. "If they catch us i suspect there will be no trial."

Getting caught would mean a swift execution.