Private Tales The Edge of Cortosi

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim panted heavily.

That was the toll of the runes. He could cloak himself, move faster, and even silence the noise he made but it was always costly. Even that few seconds, the small burst of activity weighed heavily upon him. His breath swept in and out, though slowly he managed to claw back some of his composure.

Without much hesitation The Jester leaned down and wiped his blades on the dead men's coats. The dagger he slipped back into its sheath while he stole a scabbard for the sword he had taken. The weapon was that of a soldiers, nothing fancy, but it was better than what Kasim had. Fixing the sheath upon his back The Jester quickly dug through the Guardsmens pockets. He found nothing of note save for a small piece of parchment. Upon it was inscribed an approximation of his own face. Kasim scowled and the drawing and the pocketed it.

He also grabbed some of the soldiers rations, knowing he would need them.

Then he turned and headed back to the road, abandoning the traps that he had set so carefully. He knew that Kiril was ahead of him, and there was no doubt the Dreadlord would make it to Eirika before he could. Kasim only hoped that the woman hadn't overestimated herself.

Otherwise things would be a lot more difficult

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

The smell of the trees, the evening air, the openness of it all, it was as close to being home as she could get. This was comfortable to her, the height of the tree looming over the road and the land surrounding her. However, despite her relative comfort, her thoughts constantly wandered back to her father. Eirika had no way of knowing his condition when away from Fal'Addas, but she had faith that the Gods would not take him from her before she returned with a cure. Surely they would not be so cruel.

Still, it was the subject of her innermost thoughts, and making it to Vel Anir as quickly as possible was critical. With the gold in hand, she at least wouldn't need to spend as long there looking for work to pay her way to the next town. The gold she had taken would easily last her the length of the journey so long as she did not overextend herself on unnecessary things.

Finally she felt the call of sleep approaching, the heaviness in her eyes overwhelming her consciousness, and slowly her hazel orbs began to shudder to the world.

 

[Kasim Areth]

By the time Kasim made it back to the road it was obvious that he had missed more than a dozen horsemen. Deep hoofprints and tracks were scattered all about where he came back upon the main road, and more notably three horses stood still tied up to one of the larger trees on the other side of where he broke out of the tree line.

Each of their saddles was marked with a Crest belonging to House Urahil. Only a fool would steal them, but Kasim had already murdered their owners.

Without even a second of hesitation The Jester sprinted across the road and practically jumped onto one of the animals. It shook its head and let out a high pitched whiny, but a quick pat to its neck and a shooting word was enough to calm it down. Briefly Kasim glanced at the other two animals, wondering if he should free them, but he decided that he had no time.

Digging in his heels he sent the mare into a gallop.

There was no time to waste.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Pointed ears perked, picking up the sound of hooves along the road, accompanied by the light rustling of reins, the jockeying of a leather saddle, and a small cacophony of noises. Eirika opened her eyes to see perhaps a quarter of a mile down the road the approach of several soldiers. The elf was high enough in the ancient tree to be difficult to spot, and impossible for the likes of them to climb after her.

The only issue was her horse still lying on the ground beneath her, fast asleep. She could rouse it, urge it to hurry off, but they would likely see it. There was still a chance they may pass blind to her whereabouts, and that was a smarter play than hoping the horse would evade their sight as it ran off.

For now she simply sat forward on the branch, carefully watching the approaching figures.

 

[Kasim Areth]

The horse tundered on the road, but he knew it wouldn't be fast enough.

Kiril would have a few hours lead on him, if not more. The soldiers that had been dispatched to find him would have needed some time to follow the tracks, and the Dreadlord had likely left and headed towards Eirika before he'd even sent them. That meant the man would have half a day at the very least.

The horse would help, he was sure that at full gallop some of the distance would be closed, but whether or not it would be enough Kasim had no real idea of.

By her own estimations Eirika would be fine, but Kasim didn't know if that was true. If they captured her he would be as good as done. Turning himself in was a non-starter, and rescuing her would be all but impossible. His father would learn he was still alive and then the rest of his life would be spent on the run.

He refused to let that happen.

"Come on." Kasim said as he spurned the horse to go faster.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Suddenly the small entourage stopped; Middle of the road, and seemingly without reason. Their distance was still too great for even Eirika to pick up on words, but it was clear they were exchanging some sort of deliberations. Coincidence perhaps but the longer they lingered the more she began to grow curious of the implications. Had they spotted the horse somehow? It was possible, certainly, but unless they were aiming to find something it would seem quite an easy thing to overlook in the dark, while it laid in the dirt among the trees.

Still, they didn't move towards the camp, rather they simply stayed put. Their strange behavior begged the question as to whether or not they were waiting for someone at this very spot. Perhaps she'd picked some kind of rendezvous to take up camp herself. If that were the case she needn't fear and could simply wait them out until morning and carry on towards Vel Anir.

 

[Kasim Areth]

As Kasim and his horse galloped down the road he couldn't help but consider just what he was running into. The truth of the situation was startling, and speaking from a tactical stand point he was being an utter fool.

The traps had been a good plan, one that even his father would have praised, but now he was rushing straight into the unknown. It was entirely possible that by the team he reached Eirika she could already be in chains. If that were true Kiril and his men would be surrounding her and he'd be headed up against a Dreadlord and a dozen Anirian Guard.

It was suicide.

Most of him was screaming to stop, to turn away and simply run. There were parts of the world that even his father could reach, that House Virak simply couldn't touch. Cerak At'Thul, beyond the Spine, half a dozen different cities were even the best assassin would be hard pressed to find him.

Yet Kasim didn't want to run.

He didn't want to be ever the coward looking over his shoulder. Thus he pressed on, stampeding the horse forward and tightening his grip on the reigns.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

The smell of burning slowly trickled into the woman's nose as she watched the soldiers on the road. The smell pulled away her attention and as she looked below, through the many branches beneath her and off to the sides of the camp she saw the small flickering of orange and yellow slowly traversing her camp in a circular pattern. The horse had smelled this too, and upon waking became startled and neighed in fear. "lacho!" She said, "Nor!" Urging the horse to get away as quickly as possible.

It did so without hesitation. Abandoning the elf perched above the trees it lifted from the ground and began to gallop off before the fire could coral it. Eirika still had no idea what exactly was going on. A fire was being set, one clearly intent on flushing out the camp, though what the motive behind it was she didn't know. Did Kasim make some kind of deal with them to send them after her? Had the soldiers mistaken this camp for bandits? Were these the ones responsible for the murder of those nobles? Had these soldiers discovered the carriage and now believe they found the person responsible?

The fire had quickly engulfed the area and began to rapidly burn everything in its path. If she climbed down there was no telling what would happen. Just how many of them were waiting? But if she stayed in the tree the fire would grow exponentially and it would eventually fall, likely carrying her to her death anyway. The elf took the calculated risk and quickly descended the tree, hopping from branch to branch until she landed on the dirt where the horse had laid. From there she covered her face with the sleeve of her tunic to prevent breathing the smoke, and stepped towards the road.

 

[Kasim Areth]

He could feel the horse beginning to slow. At full gallop there was only so long that it could go, and Kasim had known that when they'd started.

Eventually the animal would tire enough to fall, and then he would be on foot. Hours behind, The Jester could not afford the delay. With a muted curse he shifted slightly, ensuring the he had taken sword stayed in place as he pulled his pack forward and to the side slightly.

From it he pulled a small vile of crimson, the glass stopped by a single cork. His pack slipped back into place as he pulled himself forward on the animal, steadying himself enough so that he could hold fast onto the reigns while the animal still ran forward at full speed. "Fucking horses."

Kasim cursed, uncorking the vial and dipping his finger into the blood within.

With eight quick slashes of his finger Kasim painted a small rune on the horses neck. As soon as he drew the last line a surge of light poured from the rune, and the horse let out an echoing whiny. A heartbeat later and the beast went belting forward, running faster than ever before and causing Kasim to nearly drop the vial.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Eirika stepped through the smoke surrounding the trees, the heat of the fire behind her and the slight stinging sensation as the smoke clouded her vision. Rather quickly the soldiers that had been standing guard by the road drew their swords and slowly walked towards Eirika. The elf put her hands forward in a nonthreatening manner as she stopped just at the road's edge. She wasn't sure what exactly to do in this situation. She could run, but where? They had horses and she had just sent hers off. She could attack them, but she wasn't certain how many there were nearby, but she also wasn't entirely convinced these were legitimate soldiers either.

"You needn't draw your weapons!" She called out, "I'm simply traveling through to Vel Anir!"

The men sneered at her as they continued approaching, "You were with him!" They shouted back. Eirika grit her teeth. So they found him. And judging by the lack of Kasim with them, he's likely dead. She reached for her bow, drawing it quickly back whilst knocking an arrow and holding her ground.

"Stay back!" She shouted, "I don't want to hurt you!" The two laughed, their steel plated armor giving them the confidence that her bow would have little effect on them. They were mistaken in their judgements. The priestess released her hold on the bowstring, loosing the arrow at a deadly speed, piercing the man's throat between helmet and chest plate. Eirika was hardly the most prominent bowman of the elves, but she was also no less dangerous with one either.

Only the sound of choking and spurting could be heard coming as he fell to the ground, clawing at his injury, drowning in his own blood. The other soldier looked to the man that had just fallen with surprise. The precision behind the shot, in the dark was telling. He charged forward towards Eirika, blade in hand, with every intent to cut her down.

He was slow in all that armor, weighed down by the very equipment intended to protect him. It forfeited balance for protection, but what good was protection if you were already on the ground with a blade at your throat? Eirika waited for him to get just near enough where the man would swing the blade so that he had no means of correcting himself once he'd fallen. Dropping the bow to the ground she used the same bit of magic that she'd used to light a makeshift torch for Kasim, though this time instead of using it to light a path she used it to blind the soldier. Just before he pulled back the blade she sapped his vision, using her pack to trip and topple him to the ground. The clang of the sword hitting the ground a few feet away was cue for her to draw her dagger and plunge it into his neck, pulling it across the length of exposed flesh until he too drowned in his own blood.

However it wasn't until she stood from the body that she realized that there were now several more men standing before her, one dressed notably different, presumably this dreadlord Kasim had spoken of...

She was now outnumbered seven to one.

 

[Kasim Areth]

The damn horse couldn't go any faster.

Maybe if he had Eirikas powers he could have given it a motivational speech or something of the sort, but even with a rune of dragon blood the creatures muscles could only carry it so fast. His fingers gripped the reigns tighter and he leaned forward within the saddle.

There wasnt much that he could do at this point. He simply had to wait, simply had to urge the horse to go as fast as it could go. His pack clung tightly to him, he sword rattled against his shoulder. The wind swept across his face and cut back his hair as he went faster and faster.

He had no idea how far he was, no idea how close Eirika and the Deeadlord now were.

Most of this was simply a guess, a blind shot in the dark that would hopefully get him what he needed. With one last plea to the horse, Kasim adjusted himself within the saddle. The Jester had no idea how much time had passed, how long he had been riding. An hour seemed like minutes and minutes like a day. It all wore on him, but it didnt matter. He just needed to get there.

Then within the distance he caught sight of a light.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Cursing in elven she stared at the men encircling her. Eirika withdrew the blade from the man's throat and stood from the corpse. "I warned them!" She shouted. "They didn't listen! They didn't need to die!" Fact of the matter was it was now unlikely that they would have any incentive to keep her alive after having killed two of their fellow guards. Quietly she spoke several phrases, calling on the divine and the spirits of her ancestors for assistance. She couldn't hope to overcome six soldiers and this mage alone, and running was no longer an option.

As she finished speaking, the plea to her deity was answered in kind, and to her sides appeared the spirits of two ancient elves, their souls temporarily bound to this reality. One held an ethereal flaming longsword, the other a blazing longbow. They appeared regal, angelic even, as they stood gleaming in the darkness. The sight gave the soldiers around her cause for alarm. One turned to flee, the spirits alone enough to spook the man into retreat. Of course the mage in charge wasn't having it, not at all, and took the moment to make an example of the fleeing soldier by casting a spell not dissimilar to what he'd used to set ablaze the inn, burning the man alive.

The remaining five decided to hedge their bets on overwhelming Eirika and the two ethereal beings, hoping to overcome them rather than face the wrath of the dreadlord. Radiant light erupted from the bow as the spirit shot forward two arrows, piercing through the armor of two soldiers as if it were not even present. A third was felled by the second spirit, whose blade penetrated his opponent at the waist and gutted the man in an instant, allowing him to fall by his side to the ground.

Eirika lifted the sword from the nearby fallen soldier's body as the final two charged her, swords in hand with lethal intentions. The weapon was awkward, heavily weighted, and unbalanced. They each took their swings, both aimed for her torso. She stepped backward, blocking one, though the bite of the second caught her at the hip, drawing a coating of red against the shiny metal, soaking into the white fabric of her shirt as she stepped back.

Once more she moved to parry one of the men's blades, and as the second moved to strike once more, another pair of arrows splintered through the back of the man, piercing his chest through, sending him toppling to the ground. The remaining man was a frenzy of swings, wildly aiming for any part of Eirika's body he could muster. The last few moments were a blur. The elf had seen the two spirits plunge both arrow and sword through the soldier before it struck her, but then the sudden feeling of immense force and heat overwhelmed her, sending her crashing into the ground. Just as she turned her head from the dirt the heavy kick of a boot sent her into a blackout.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim wasn't fast enough to join the end of the fight, but he saw it.

He saw the two spirits fade, he saw the soldiers dead on the ground, and he saw the Dreadlord stalk over towards the crumpled form of Eirika upon the ground. The fire that the man had used to burn the elf from from her place of hiding had been a beacon for him, for anyone within miles. It was a blaze that had now spread throughout the forest, and in the very center of it was the scene of chaos that the Dreadlord had set into place.

Perhaps he had wanted it that way. An arena of fire for just him and his prey.

Kasim didn't care. He saw the Dreadlord, he saw the man that had killed his friend and had driven him to the edge of desperation. Kasim hated him for that. He despised feeling like a caged and desperate animal, despised needing to feel like he had to run or die. It was why he had left Vel Anir, why he had rejected the responsibility of leading his house. All he had wanted was to be free, and this man had once again threatened that. Kasim saw red, and it was not the fire that now surrounded him.

His right hand raised to draw the sword from his back, the horse galloped forward, and then finally the Dreadlord spun around to face his foe.

There was a look of shock on the mans features, as if he hadn't quite expected Kasim to simply appear within the flames. That surprise quickly turned to anger, and then almost a gleeful rage. The Jester watched as his foe launched his hands forward, spinning strings of magic and sending a red lance of flame directly towards him. With silent determination Kasim stood from his stirrups and sprang, bounding off and to the side of the horse. The flame rushed just barely over the animal, grazing its back and causing it to scream then suddenly bound to the side and away from Kiril and Kasim. Dirt and debris flew into the air from the horses jump, the Dreadlord raising his hand to shield his face.

Kasim landed on the ground not far, rolling to a stop and pulling a small stone disc from his coat pocket.

He threw the artifact into the air, the rune etched into its side glowing as it exploded in a bright burst of light.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

The kick had been hard and direct, with no amount of restraint held. He had caught her on the side of the temple and before she could react she was out. Fallen into unconsciousness, only to wake within her mind. The spirits had faded from the field in which they had aided her, though they retreated into her mind along with her consciousness. Inside they urged her to stir, that danger still lurked. That her life hung in the balance. They gifted her some of their strength. And for a time, their spirits would be one.

Eirika's eyes snapped open, followed by a howling gasp of air. The side of her head reeled in agony, and instinctively she raised her hand to press against the pain. The woman groaned, her clouded vision slowly returning as she watched two figures slowly fight one another, those being the dreadlord and that of....Kasim? She focused more, ensuring what she was seeing was in fact true and not mirage.

Shaking her head she pressed her hands against the dirt, slowly picking and turning herself up to sit. Why had Kasim bothered coming out this way? Why did the dreadlord come after her instead? It was all very strange. The more she came to, the more she began to feel the stinging pain on her back, the fire of a thousand suns it felt. It would be a chore to stand now, even more so to fight in much capacity, but she was certain he would need some bit of help. The mage had cast when she was already preoccupied with six others, and for that she would ensure he paid for it.

Digging her feet into the ground and using some of the lended strength of the spirits Eirika pushed herself upwards, enough so to get one knee up. In her hand erupted a flaming bow similar to that of the spirit she had called upon. From it she slowly, though carefully pulled back on the string, the bow materializing a glowing white arrow within. Steadily she waited until Kasim had moved out of the way, before loosing the magical arrow towards Kiril.

 

[Kasim Areth]

The flash of light burned within the air, catching the Dreadlord's eye and temporarily blinding him.

Kasim used that time to dash forward.

He knew that without his own magic fighting the man would be next to impossible, and the runes would only help him so much, but he had to do what he could to end him. So The Jester rushed forward, both hands on the hilt of his stolen sword, the rune on his chest burning as energy from it dug into his muscles.

The blade swept forward, cutting directly at the Dreadlord just as he turned back towards Kasim. The man's face twisted in rage, steel biting into his skin as he lashed out once more with his own magic. His hands flattened and then pushed, concussive blast erupting from before his hands.

Kasim went flying, dropping the sword and slamming into nearby tree.

A loud crack rang out as the wood splintered.

Kirl let out a loud cackle, taking a step forward towards Kasim only to suddenly be met with an ethereal arrow piercing through his shoulder. Shock dawned on the man's face once more, though it was quickly met with rage as he twisted and with one good arm sent a surge of lightning towards Eirika.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Eirika pulled the bowstring back once more as she knelt in the dirt, intent on firing again as the first arrow sailed towards its mark. Striking the dreadlord had caught his ire once more for her, having pierced his shoulder clean through. Hazel eyes watched only for a moment as Kasim was sent crashing into the very tree she'd used earlier that evening to sleep in. Whatever injuries he could have incurred she didn't have the time to inspect.

A bright flash and a sudden storm of energy careened outwards from the mage's hand towards her. Eirika chanted loudly in elven, emphasizing the final words in a growing thunderous exclamation until finally a translucent shield materialized around her forearm. Its appearance was similar to that of both the spirits and their weapons, shimmering in nature and almost angelic looking. The shield, though large, held no weight to it. The electricity that Kiril had conjured had become absorbed within it, sealing it and protecting her from the enemy.

"Daro! Drego!" She shouted at the mage. "Flee or you will die this night!"

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim managed to drag himself to his feet somehow, grabbing onto the tree behind him. The sheer pain of moving meant fighting would be next to impossible. He could feel blood dripping down his back and knew that a large bruise would likely form there in just a few hours.

It didn't matter right now though, all that mattered was the Dreadlord in front of him. The fire was still raging around them, burning bright and catching on the nearby forest as it threatened to turn itself into and inferno. Kasim took a step forward, steadying himself.

The Dreadlord began to laugh.

"You're going to let this elf protect you? Your father would be disgusted. Not that he won't be when I drag you in front of him in chains."​

Kiril's voice was about as grating as Kasim had imagined it to be, a rough gravel that seemed to press on the ears. His fingers tightened into a white knuckle fist, a breath filling his lungs. "No. No I'm not."

His free hand shifted, fingers unfurling.

"You won't be leaving." A soft glow erupted from his palm before suddenly turning into a burning blue.

The mark seemed a beacon, and in reaction the sword that he had dropped began to react. A similar rune upon it burst into life, and in one quick movement the blade jumped from the forest floor and directly into the Dreadlord's stomach.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Eirika felt somewhat stumped by the comments made by the dreadlord. Was he complimenting her ability to protect herself and subsequently Kasim through xenophobia? Or was he demeaning her as an elf and her capability? She wasn't certain which might offend her more in the moment. The thought however did occupy moments more of her time than one would have expected such rhetoric might.

Before the priestess had an opportunity to speak again, her eyes quickly darted to the object in rapid motion as it cut its way through the air and plunged itself into the stomach of the mage across the distance. Eirika wasn't one for killing, at least not in the sense most would consider acts, however it was clear as a blue Arethil sky that the dreadlord had no intentions on letting Eirika live, and the fate he described Kasim sounded as bad as death. Of course, the phrase he used sounded more to her like slavery than anything, but she understood the intent.

The shield affixed to her forearm vanished, as did the ethereal bow she held. With their departure, the ancient spirits vacated her being and dispersed back into the world, leaving her be once more. Eirika took a deep, gasping breath, watching as the dreadlord weakly examined his now rather dire predicament. The energy required to call upon the spirits, as well as their lended strength had taken its toll on her, leaving her exhausted, and reminded of the trauma already suffered from earlier.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"You...You ignorant foolish little moron! I WONT BE THE LAST! HE'll SE-"
​

The Dreadlord's yelling was cut short as Kasim wrenched his glowing palm to the side. The sword that had buried itself in Kiril's stomach jerked to the side, slicing through the man's side and escaping his body in one quick fluid motion. Shock colored the other man's face, as if he couldn't quite believe what had just happened.

A second more passed, and then Kiril dropped to the floor with two quiet thuds.

Kasim followed suite, dropping onto his knees as the glow in his palm and upon the blade snapped out of existence. His entire body shook violently, the blood from his back and the sudden drain from the rune pressing in on him. For a moment the Jester's vision blurred, Eirika's form becoming little more than a wash of color before a see of orange.

His head spun, but slowly he drew in a long, steadying breath.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

The elf sat back on her rear, hands bracing herself to remain sitting up. She glanced around at the seven bodies of soldiers and the mage, back towards the fire that still burned behind them, and finally towards Kasim. He looked considerably roughed up, but if one was to compare him to the half dozen fallen around him, he was in okay shape. She had a lot of questions that needed answering sooner, much sooner now in fact, than later. Questions such as why he had come, why the dreadlord had followed her instead, and what exactly was going on that caused all of this in the first place. He hadn't given her the truth, or at least certainly not all of it.

The fire was far outside of any ability Eirika had to contain at this point, and would likely burn until it ran its course. Their best option was to simply get away from the blaze as quickly as possible. The flames would soon be big enough to spot from miles away, with heavy smokestacks as beacons to those looking to investigate. Two travelers and a dozen soldiers slain would make for a rather incriminating situation.

"Are you able to walk?" She asked in the trade tongue, eyes looking to Kasim. "We need to get away from here before others come looking."

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim took another deep breath, aware that the smoke around them was already making things difficult. His head tilted back for a moment, and then he simply nodded in response.

He was in pain, but he was far from dead. Without a word the Jester slowly stood from where he had fallen, propping himself up and struggling for a moment before he finally managed to stabilize himself. He first walked over towards Kiril, scooping up the rune-marked sword and wiping its blade on the man's black coat.

Once he'd returned the weapon to it's scabbard he quickly dug through the Dreadlord's pockets, taking a scroll found within his coat and a small bag of coins, along with a set of keys attached to his belt.

"Let's go." Kasim said quietly, his voice barely audible over the roar of the flames.

The fire would eventually take over this part of the forest, and if they lingered too long it was entirely possible they would get caught up in the coming inferno. Plus there was always Eirika's point too. This wouldn't look good to anyone passing by.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

The moment the elf stood, stretching her back upright, pulling the muscles and skin taught she felt the burns on her back all at once. Eirika drew in a hissing breath of pain, teeth gritting and grinding against one another. The air caught in her lungs as she held onto it. Not even her already blackened face hurt nearly as bad. Much of the fabric had been seared or torn away, though her lower back had been protected largely by the treated leather that bore little more than a few scorch marks.

Not wanting to linger she pressed herself forward and onto the road, leaving behind the bodies and anything they may have been carrying. She carried her pack in her left hand, bow in her right. There was no way she could have it on her back now, not like this. Mending her wounds or Kasim's through magic would have to wait until they were a safe distance away. The last thing she needed was to be caught in connection with the murder of seven supposed protectors of humans.

Though a safe distance and how far she could continue may not have been one in the same. The pace she had kept earlier in their travels was now notably nowhere to be found.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim knew that they wouldn't make it far, not with their current condition. They had managed to best Kiril and his party of soldiers, but there would no doubt be more men on their way eventually. Especially considering the fire.

That left their options limited.

Luckily, they were in his land. Though still three days ride from Vel Anir itself, Kasim knew the countryside like the back of his hand. Much of his childhood and early teens had been spent training within these woods, and as they set out back on the road he knew exactly where it was they were going.

The Jester didn't say a single word as he stalked forward, assuming that Eirika would follow him where he lead. Her condition was not much better than his own, and at this point it was doubtful that either of them would survive if they split from one another.

After an hour of walking the fire had faded behind them. The smell of it was still in the air and through the light of the moon they could still see the smoke, but the flickering orange was now gone. Kasim glanced back, then pointed into the forest beyond. He lead Eirika off the road and into the forest. They walked off the road for another hour until eventually they reached a cliff face, a small waterfall tumbling from it's top.

"There." The Jester said with a cough, pointing towards the easten base of the cave near a small pool of water. "There's a cavern."

His memory had served him well.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

The two hours spent walking were done entirely in silence. Eirika followed a ways behind him, not close enough to speak, but not far enough to lose. She had no intention of revealing just how bad off she was, but if they had traveled much further she would have likely collapsed from the pain that continued to grow step after step. When the silence was broken by Kasim pointing out the cavern hidden behind the falls she responded with only a nod.

Eager to be off the road and out of view, the sight of the falls was welcome.

Once inside Eirika set down both bow and pack against the damp cavern wall. She then began to unstrap the armor and bracers from her body, dropping them to the ground to make her back more comfortable. There were still plenty of questions to ask, but now didn't feel like the right time to bring it up. For whatever reason he'd come back, likely in time to save her life, despite her pride's best attempts to dissuade her of that thought. Whatever his reason had been, she was alive because of that intervention.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim followed suit.

His pack was dropped onto the cavern floor, the rune-marked sword quickly following behind it. The Jester himself wandered over to the nearest wall and very slowly leaned against it, giving himself a few moments to simply breath and stand there in peace. The blood on his back had long ago stopped dripping, but now he could feel it's cold embrace.

Soreness struck his body like nothing else. The use of the runes had been hard on him, each one having been carved into his own body rather than using a different source of power. By tomorrow he would feel like he was starving, and the day after he would be dead.

If they found nothing to eat anyway.

For now however he was the one still standing. Kasim had no idea how bad off Eirika really was, but even a simpleton could tell that she was barely staying awake at this point. "I'll build a fire to keep us warm and give us some light."

He told her, shambling off to go collect some twigs.