Private Tales The Edge of Cortosi

[Eirika E'sprit]

Half of her screamed not to let him do anything for her, for appearance sake. The other half didn't care what he did. The latter side won this argument. Her energy was needed for other things, and arguing about the human collecting some twigs to make a fire was not one of importance. She could cast magical light with little effort, but her desire to expend any more energy now could cost her far more in the long run.

While Kasim stepped out to gather twigs and things Eirika sat herself down on the rocky floor with a groan, her back notably facing away from the entrance and where Kasim would see the harshly burned skin and fabric that clung still to the open wounds. Leaning her head against the wall she closed her eyes and drew in slow, steady breaths, trying to focus her attention within her mind on home, her task, anything but the present.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim went about his task with a painfully slow rhythm. He would walk a few paces, pick up a twig, add it to his arm, and then slowly wander another few paces before repeating the process. Eventually he gathered a small bundle of sticks that would last them a few hours at least.

Slowly shuffling back into the cave he saw Eirika hunched over against the cave wall. Between the way she had positioned herself and how the light filtered into the cave he saw none of her injuries. With a frown he wandered to the middle of the cavern, building a small tent out of the twigs and rounding it with loose stones.

In the center of it all he drew that same simple rune, reaching back to draw some of his own blood from the wounds he had sustained in the fight. The fire sparked into life quickly, bringing some much needed warmth into the cool cavern. He let out a sigh, and then grabbed his pack.

From it he pulled three things, some of the rations they had bought in town, a vial or an odd blue liquid, and an old tunic which he proceeded to rip into small pieces. "You need to eat."

It was neither a command nor a question, more of a statement of fact.

"We both do." And tend to what wounds they could.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

The elf pulled her pack around, lifting open the top flap and fumbling around inside without looking until she felt what it was she was looking for. There still remained a few of the apples she'd taken when she left Fal'Addas, and those were far easier to eat than the cured meat they bought back in town. This way there was nothing for her to cut, nor wait for to cook over a particularly small flame.

Considering for a moment she extended her hand out in offering to Kasim, yet she still spoke not a word, just left her hand outstretched in the event that he might take it from her. If so she would reach back into her pack for the other and proceed to bite into the sweet, ripened flesh of the fruit. Otherwise she would simply keep the one he rejected if he just didn't want it.

The fire itself provided little in the way of light, but the warmth at least felt nice within the damp hollowed out rock they sat within. She could already feel herself becoming more tired than would be otherwise able to stave off. That was most certainly due almost entirely to the wounds that she'd suffered by foolishly turning her back on the dreadlord for even a breath.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim took the apple, if only because of the ravenous hunger that was already biting at his stomach. He knew that within just a few hours he would be on the verge of starvation no matter how much of the meager rations they had he ate. Still, the apple would be good at least.

He bit into the food, scarfing it down as quickly as he had that fish by the lakeside. The jester then proceeded to do the same with the rations he had taken from his pack, eating quickly and leaving not even crumbs enough to satisfy a rat.

When he was done Kasim sat there quietly, adding another twig to the flames and shifting slightly as he disrobed himself. The tunic clung to his back slightly, sticking to the dried blood on his back. He tossed it to the side, shiverin within the chilly cavern. He reached back and felt the scratches in his back.

None of them were deep enough to require stitches, though they would be painful for the next few weeks at least.

A small sigh escaped him, and then he glanced at Eirika. "Do your wounds need tending?"

They hadn't exactly parted on the best terms, and in truth Kasim didn't even particularly like the elf, but she had suffered because of him. The least that he could do was help. As a matter of fact he was a selfish man, but he wasn't a monster.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Eirika ate so slowly that by the time Kasim had eaten both fruit and meat she had only just finished the small apple herself. The woman paid him no mind as he stripped out of his tunic, averting her eyes elsewhere, notably to the falls just outside the cavern. The flowing water had a sort of calming effect she found.

"Ú" She said simply in her own tongue, shaking her head. "No." She repeated. It was still difficult for her not to slip back into her own language. It was more natural to her, especially when it was difficult to focus on much else besides what pained her, despite knowing that she was not in Fal'Addas anymore.

But the last thing she wanted was Kasim touching her.

"I will be fine." She stated, though the argument was more to herself in an effort to convince her own body of it than Kasim.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim glanced over towards Eirika. Within the darkness of the cave it was difficult to see her, even with the light of the fire. He scooted a bit closer to the flame, catching some more of the warmth. "Alright."

The Jester said quietly.

"I'm not much of a healer anyway." A few of the runes could help, but unless the correct agent was used they tended to be only short term fixes rather than long term. That was a lesson he had learned early on. "I can put on a bandage though."

It was a half heart attempt to convince her further.

He had no idea the true extent of her injuries, but he'd seen Kiril wound her and get her on the ground. Still, he couldn't really force medical attention on her. "At least get closer to the fire."

Kasim suggested.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Slowly and methodically the elf slid herself along the rocky floor towards the fire. It was rather cool inside and the flame, small as it was, would at least provide warmth to rest at. Purposefully she laid opposite the fire to Kasim, her back still facing the wall of the cavern and out of the glow of the fire. "I said I'm fine." Eirika slid her pack beneath her head, using it once more as a pillow as she had back on the road in the tree.

"I just need rest."

There was a growing dizziness to the world around her, as if things were swaying from side to side. Sharply the woman closed her eyes and attempted to force herself into a sort of torpor. It was likely unwise to ignore the injuries on her back, as well as to refuse Kasim's help, but she had all the same. The apple, while it had tested sweet and delicious, it offered little in terms of enough energy for her body to repair the extent of damage the mage's magic had done to her.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim waited quietly.

There was really no other word for it. His own injuries weren't as extensive as they had initially felt, and most of the damage to his body had been done by the runes. He would recover in time now that he had eaten, though he would have to make sure to catch something a bit heartier the next day.

He suspected however that the same thing could not be said for Eirika. Though she was not as transparent as a human might have been, it was obvious that she was more injured than she let on.

During their journey she had scarcely been able to shut up, but on the walk here she had been trailing the entire time and not said a single word. The same could be said for their short time within the cave, not to mention she had not used any of her magic. Kasim guessed that she was worse than she would admit.

So he waited for her to sleep, or fall into unconsciousness.

He had used her as bait, not on purpose, but he had done it all the same. Thus he would help her, and hopefully prove to himself he could do something for someone else.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Several times her eyes cracked open, if nothing else than to test whether or not the world was still spinning, despite the feeling regardless of her vision rocking her as if she had been on the sea, thrown about by turbulent waves crashing against the bow as it broke through one after another beneath the eye of a storm. Perhaps it wasn't quite that rough for her on the floor of the cavern, but it was enough to make her stomach turn.

Each time Eirika opened her eyes she found Kasim sitting idly. Had she the energy or enough curiosity she would indignantly inquire as to why, or what exactly he was staring at from over there. The cavern was empty save for the fire and the two of them. There wasn't much else to look at, so why didn't he just sleep? In her mind she simply reasoned to let him do as he wish, so long as he didn't bother her further.

Not long after the last time she peered across the flame with hazel eyes she felt her consciousness slip away.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Even after she fell into unconsciousness Kasim stayed away. He waited further, watching her carefully to make sure that she was at least still breathing. Then, only when he was sure, The Jester slowly pushed himself up off the floor and walked around the meager flame.

In his left hand was the odd blue vial, and in the right were some of the strips he'd torn from the tunic.

Gently Kasim sat himself down behind Eirika, his gaze falling over the scarred mash of flesh that was her back. The expression on his features didn't change, though just as he suspected her wounds were far more severe than his own. A sigh escaped him, his head shaking slightly. "Idiot."

He commented to himself as he popped open the vial of blue liquid.

His finger dipped into it, and slowly, gentle as could be, he began to draw a symbol upon her back.

Rune magic worked on three components. Like all magic a price had to be paid for whatever the magic did, with Rune Magic that price could come from one of the three components, all three, or just two. Those components were the rune itself, the thing the rune was drawn of, and what the rune was drawn with.

Here the price would be paid by the blue liquid, which was in fact the blood of a Leviathan.

Supposedly the liquid was good for healing in the first place, and had in fact cost Kasim a near fortune. He'd intended it for himself in case of emergency, but he figured that he owned Eirika this one favor. Thus over the course of hours he slowly drew the healing runes upon the Eirika's back, completing them slowly and allowing her wounds to mend as the night went on.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Had Eirika been in any less of a delirious or injured state she would have woken from the slightest disturbances, but this was about as severe as she had ever been in terms of injured. Despite her adamant denial of her state, it was very possible that she would not have in fact awoken from that final sleep, had Kasim not done what he had done against her will.

The rest of the night she laid quietly, breathing softly against the pack she used as a makeshift pillow, her skin unknowingly healing more rapidly than would otherwise be possible without a clear intervention of magic or otherworldly touch. By the time morning would arrive the burns would have closed, stopping both the bleeding and the potential spread of infection from open wounds. The pain would linger, though dulled slightly, and the stiffness of her muscles and skin would begin to replace what pain had otherwise been alleviated.

Nothing about this trip would be simple it seemed. And this was only the beginning.

 

[Kasim Areth]

With the work finished, Kasim had replaced himself on the other side of the cave.

Before he'd settled down himself the Jester had washed his tunic within the waterfall, clearing the cloth of blood and hanging it near the fire in order to allow it to dry. Then he'd placed more twigs on the flame and scooted as close to it as was possible.

Thankfully it was summer time, and although the night was chilly he would not freeze to death.

As soon as his eyes closed Kasim found the days events catching up to him. A delirious exhaustion landed upon him, muscles aching and body sore The Jester found himself falling into a deep sleep.

He only regretted that he had to use all of the leviathan blood in order to save the elf.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

The first rays of light pierced the water by the edge of the falls, glistening a patterned display upon the rocks within the cavern's walls, ceiling, and floor. As the sun rose slowly that pattern shifted ever so slightly, casting its warm glow on the two laying within the rocky alcove. The light disturbed the elf enough to rouse her from her sleep. Oddly enough she felt better than she had expected she might when she had laid herself down the night before. Much more so, in fact.

Hazel eyes looked over to Kasim for a moment, before running her hand along her upper back. Eirika gritted her teeth, expecting to feel the stinging bite of open flesh still, but where there should have been moist, open wounds, there were scabs, mended flesh that could not have possibly been present without the work of magic. While she couldn't quite pin this on Kasim or the divine, she stared over at him with a curious glare. Had he done something after she fell asleep? Surely she would have awoken if that were the case.Though she had suspected that the gods had already lent her all the help they had to offer in the form of her ancestors spirits the day before, leading her to believe that Kasim had most certainly done something while she slept.

"Are you awake?" She asked quietly, not wanting to wake him if he was not actually awake already.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim let out a muted groan. "I am now."

Usually it would take more to wake him up. A loud yell, a punch to the gut, something that really rocked him. The night before had done a number on him, and though his body was tired there were still remnants of adrenaline coursing through him. They weren't out of danger yet, and his body knew that.

So he woke up to her words, his legs and arms sore, his back screaming in pain, and his eyes refusing to open up even a little bit.

The greater part of him wanted nothing more than a pillow and a comfortable bed, maybe a blanket to go along with it. If a Dreadlord offered him that in this moment he might have accepted it. Instead he had the flat rock of the cavern floor, what was left in his pack as a pillow, and not even a tunic to cover himself.

A shiver ran through his entire body.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

"Celair." She said. "Now maybe you can explain to me why that mage came after me instead of you? And why you even came this way, or how you knew to come this way at all?" She held up her finger, pressing it against her lips as she considered for a moment her line of questioning. "Or perhaps you can start from the very beginning, and tell me precisely what is going on, the whole truth, not just bits and pieces in between where you use me not just once, but twice?"

Eirika was rather tired of being used by this human.

She would get around to thanking him for whatever he'd done while she slept later in this conversation. For now she wanted the whole truth of things before she stepped foot back out onto the road and landed in more surprises that followed this man about. There was still quite a ways to Elbion, and it seemed even if she traveled alone his baggage somehow came with her.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim lay there quietly for a few seconds. There were a few things to consider at first, though there was one question that he didn't quite know the answer to himself.

"Kiril came after you because he thought you meant something to me." It was a false assumption, though he supposed it had worked out sort of like the man planned. "I was a bit of skirt chaser back in the day so I think he just assumed you were my woman."

He was sure she would get mad at that but Kasim decided to gloss over it. "As for the whole truth...what I told you isn't too far off from it."

The original tale he had spun was that they had wanted him to be a Dreadlord. He had told her that he'd run because he did not want to be a mage used by Vel Anir, and although it had been a lie it was close enough to pass for truth. Of course she now wanted the whole story, and he figured she was owed that much.

"I was never to actually become a Dreadlord." Kasim said, still laying on the ground. "I'm too important for that."

That probably sounded a bit egotistical, but it was true. "My name isn't actually Kasim, it's Erich Sarkus Varik. First born son of Celethar Varik and Vilira Varik, heir to House Varik and herald of a new age."

The last part of his statement sounded very sarcastic.

"In Vel Anir all mages become Dreadlord's, except those who are born into the seven houses. Those, unbeknownst to everyone else in the city, are kept within the family. They are used as everything from assassins to political bargaining tools." He let out a sigh. "My fate was to replace my father and bring House Varik back into dominance over Vel Anir."

Finally he opened his eyes. "I didn't really want to do that, so I ran."

His head slowly swiveled to face Eirika.

"My father took exception to that and attempted to lure me back home using my twin brother." His voice seemed to turn slightly. "This didn't work as he had planned. There was an explosion, my brother died, I survived, my father thought I died as well."

This story was getting lengthy, and there were many details he left out but most of the gist of the story was there. "Kiril wanted to use me as a bargaining chip. If my father found out I was alive he would do almost anything to get his hands on me, including making a deal with his sworn enemies."

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

The elf scoffed at the notion of being anything in the way of involved with Kasim. Eirika took no direct offense of humans, dwarves, or the other, less fair species, but she was a purist in that she would never bed outside one of her own kind. That was just fact. Their species were simply too different, their lifespans for example were vastly unbalanced, and the idea of partnering with another who shared perhaps one tenth of her lifetime seemed a waste for both.

That and Kasim had not been a stellar example of humanity thus far. The dreadlord was no better.

As he continued recanting his story it occurred to her that not only had he deceived her multiple times in as little as a day, he'd given her a false name, and waited until well after this dreadlord had nearly hunted her down to let out this revelation.

Clearly he had little regard for her, or anyone else, for that matter. And yet for some reason he had made such a stink about using some townsfolk's horse? Unbelievable. "So you're some lord's whelp that ran away from home because he didn't want to be the next heir to his family. You got your brother killed during your efforts, and you've been lying to and endangering everyone you've come into contact with since then. Do I have that about right?" The question was largely rhetorical.

It was clear she was not pleased with this. Kasim, or whatever his name actually was, may as well have had a bounty on his head for all the trouble he'd caused her thus far. And they hadn't even reached Vel Anir yet!

 

[Kasim Areth]

”I wouldn't put it like that.” Kasim said blankly, though her summary was more or less the truth.

He had run away, though it hadn't been because of the responsibility. The Jester was fine with responsibility, fine with the weight of it and what it would have brought. He'd run because the nature of his city, how the politics worked and how his ‘class’ treated everything else around themselves. One might have argued that Kasim could change it from inside, but it would have been like fighting the rolling tides of the sea.

Impossible to do on his own. ”For the record.”

Kasim chewed on his words for a second.

”My brother got himself killed.” It was without question that Kasim missed his brother, that he'd loved the man and wanted him alive, but he had made his choice. ”He decided to stay, and the explosion…”

Kasim raised his hands for a moment, glancing at his fingers. ”Neither one of us could have stopped that.”

It had been his father who'd done that, as much as Kasim had tried to stop it.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

"Any other skeletons you're hiding that I need to know about before I step outside and have a band of mercenaries trying to burn me alive in my sleep?"

Her words were rather cold, but the fact of the matter was that if Kasim hadn't interrupted her back in Anaset none of this would have befallen her. She would have been happily on her way to Vel Anir, and from there Elbion, without a lick of trouble concerning human mages or their bounties. Now, whether she liked it or not, she was tied up in his woes. Woes that seemed to follow her regardless of whether or not she separated from him.

The fact that she was now once again without a horse grated on her. Bloody dreadlord.

"I still need to get to Vel Anir." The elf opened her pack, pulling from it the cloak she'd taken off the noble's body the night before. "Any idea what this symbol belongs too?" She asked, passing it to Kasim to inspect. "I came across a passing carriage last night, everyone was dead, the horse had just been carrying on its way. It was all very strange, but I thought to take this to the city so that someone might identify its owner. But since you're here..." Her words trailed off for a moment. "I figure it's the least I could do."

 

[Kasim Areth]

”The King of the Iron Fortress wants me dead, but he's on the other side of the spine.” It was meant to be a joke, but Kasim wasnt sure if that was translate at the moment. Though it was true. An adventure with the fortresses runaway princess had set him on the king's bad side.

Not that it would matter to Eirika.

He frowned slightly as she mentioned the carriage and then the murders. This far from Vel Anir murder was exceptionally rare. The Anirian Guard patrolled these forests often and any would be bandits were usually strung up for all to see. No one was foolish enough to kill nobles around here, not if they wanted to live longer than a few days.

Kasim took the cloth, and then frowned deeply. ”This is the sigil of House Berith.”

A minor House, though an important one. Berith controlled two of the largest mines in the area, supplying the smiths of Vel Anir with much needed iron and copper. They also happened to be Kasim's cousins.

”The people in the carriage.” He asked quietly. ”Do you remember what they looked like?”

This time the Jester rose from his laying down position, inspecting the cloth more closely.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Eirika did not take the joke as it was intended, but rather added it to the long list of places to be weary of in Kasim's company. How did a human as young looking as he have so many troubles follow him everywhere? Did he simply travel from place to place intending to find trouble? Did he go looking for it? It was remarkable the sheer number of misfortune that surrounded this one human.

"The woman was of middle age in your years. She wore a gem laden hairpiece. Her neck, ears, wrists, and hands were adorned with rare jewels. She wore an exceptionally fine silk gown. Her hair was golden and curly. The man had on similarly exquisite clothing, tunic and trousers. He had this cloak around him. There were no children." She paused for a moment, recalling the odd scene where she discovered the bodies. "All of their valuables were still in the carriage. It didn't look like anything had been stolen. Their bodies appeared without trauma as well. They must have been poisoned, or some kind of arcane magic used. The carriage driver was the only one to have clearly been slain. His throat was cut and he bled out where he sat."

The elf shrugged confusingly. "There was nobody else on the road. I urged the horse to continue on to Nasser where hopefully someone might find them and identify them and properly bury them. I took this cloak with the intent to bring it to Vel Anir."

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim frowned for a moment and then slowly nodded. He had not seen them in nearly half a decade, but the description sounded close enough for him to guess at who had actually been in the carriage. Jule and Aritha. They had always been kind to him and his brother, offering the two boys sweets and letting them run around the mines. They had been good people in a sea of bad, surviving only by the fact of their control of the mines and the workers loyalty to them.

”Its good that you didn't.” Kasim commented. ”They would have framed you for the killings.”

Kasim rubbed the silk between his fingers for a moment and then gave a long drawn out sigh, a hand running through his hair. He supposed this was the fate of all politicians in Vel Anir. Part of why he had wanted to leave in the first place. There was no avoiding it. ”They controlled the mines near the city. Someone had them killed, likely a snatch for power.”

Just who it was Kasim couldn't say.

”The method was likely a poison needle.” The chosen flair of a certain sect of assassins that made their home beneath Vel Anir itself. ”A quick death at least.”

That made him wonder.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

She sighed, "Should we get rid of the cloak then?" Eirika didn't need any more trouble, and as wrong as it seemed to simply throw away someone's possession, as well as the waste of fabric, she didn't intend on being pinned for a murder she had nothing to do with, especially that of two nobles. The gold however she fully intended to keep. They certainly didn't need it, and it seemed like when that carriage arrived the remaining gold would likely be stolen anyway. It would help her during her journey immensely. With it she could afford supplies along the way.

Most poison acted rather quickly, though some caused excruciatingly slow, agonizing deaths. Based solely on the nature in which Eirika had discovered the bodies, she supposed Kasim was correct in assuming they had died quickly and likely painlessly, unaware of what was happening.

"Would it not be obvious when another moves to claim their land and rites who had them killed?"

It didn't seem a very subtle play. But maybe that didn't matter....

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim nodded, though. He didnt say anything for a few moments. It seemed crass to simply throw away the garment, but keeping it could very well be a death sentence. He frowned and then slowly took a deep breath. Another member of his family lost to pointless political games. More than ever he was glad he left, even at what it the price it had cost him.

”It wont be as simple as that.” Kasim explained. ”First they will investigate, which will of course turn up nothing. Then theyll see if there is a qualified heir.”

There wasn't one of course. The children were too young. ”If none is found the “King” will appoint someone in stewardship over the estate.”

The king would of course not be actually making the decision, that would be the four houses which currently held sway over the city itself. That was how this really worked, the broken and corrupt city that was his home. He couldnt help but feel utter disgust at the whole situation.

”Then slowly the estate will be sold off to different houses to ‘ensure the comfort’ of the child heirs. Thus the other houses gain control of the property.” He scowled. ”My father or one of the other two Houses may prove who ordered the murder in order to gain custody of the estate but...thats unlikely.”

Still, Kasim frowned. "Its odd though. This is...bold. My cousins were well liked and killing them could spark violence from the mine workers and even some nobles."

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Eirika didn't quite know what to make of that. Human culture seemed so uncivilized, savage even. And that was coming from an elf who lived in the forest. It was likely best not to dwell too much on the subject. It was also likely a good thing that they would arrive in Vel Anir before news of their deaths reached the city.

"Their deaths might end up tied with the soldiers and dreadlord we killed. Where they were so close, in time on the same road, and near one another. It may look like they were killed protecting these people." If so, they would need to make Vel Anir a much shorter stop than even Eirika had intended.

"Before we leave I need a few minutes."

She didn't quite explain what for, but she picked up her belongings and walked towards the opening of the cavern, stepping through the mouth, only to set both pack and bow down beside her and kneel. The priestess set her hands atop her knees and closed her eyes, quietly speaking in elven.