Private Tales The Edge of Cortosi

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim didn't think what Eirika suggested would happen, mostly because of the Houses involved. Had Kiril not been from Urahil it might have worked, but the two houses were dramatically opposed to one another. In fact, if Kasim had to guess he'd say Urahil had been the one to send the assassins in the first place. Those mines were valuable, and an exceptionally good way of supplying the Guardsmen in your employ.

Of course, the other option was Kasim's own father.

The jester would not have put it past the old man to kill his own cousins in order to gain full control of the mines. House Varik already controlled a large force of Anirian Guard, and if they gained control of the mines they'd be able to make heavier arms and armor. He considered for a moment, and then tossed the silk garment onto the meager flame that was still smouldering in the middle of the cave. The cloth caught flame, and then quickly grew.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair again.

Glancing quickly towards Eirika he frowned, deciding not to question whatever it was she was doing. Instead he began to collect his belongings, setting things back into his pack and pulling his now dry and mostly clean over his head.

The sooner they got going the better.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

For several minutes the woman moved not an inch, continuing to speak seemingly to herself in her own language. Her hands remained neatly atop her knees, eyes closed, body still. When she finished she again stood, picking up her belongings and casting a look back to Kasim.

"I'm ready to go." She said, though not entirely certain as to whether or not Kasim intended on following her towards Vel Anir or would once again turn back and go elsewhere. He hadn't had any real plan before, outside of Fal'Addas, but had cast that aside when he called her city 'stupid' during their argument. In her eyes it wasn't like either one owed the other anything, so if he followed along it was his own choice.

 

[Kasim Areth]

By the time she was finished Kasim was munching on a piece of dried meat from their rations. He was thankful that hed bought a few days extra from the store in Nasser, if only because he was now eating that extra as though it were his last meal.

When Eirika turned to him he nodded and slowly pushed himself off the floor.

He was not as careful covering their tracks this time. The cave was off the beaten path and it was doubtful anyone would come here, most thought it was a bear pit or something of the like. For Kasim however it was a memory of the past, one of the few pleasant ones that he had from his childhood. As he kicked some more dirt over the withering flame he leaned down and snatched up the blade he had used to kill The Dreadlord.

It wasnt anything special even with the rune mark now etched into it, but Kasim felt as though he might need it.

Slinging the blade over his shoulder The Jester picked up his pack and left the cave. He knew they were going to Vel Anir, knew they were headed home, but he didn't care anymore. In truth he had no idea why he was following the elf, why he didnt just turn back and head east towards Alliria or beyond the spine.

Something was driving him, though what he couldn't say.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Eirika retrieved her cloak from her pack that she had stowed earlier the night before, placing it over herself, now in part to cover the torn fabric and wounds on her back, as well as to hide her features. When they reached the city she would find a suitable shop to purchase a new shirt. Right now that was her among her top priorities. The leather armor she'd had on prior was left stowed in her pack, the need to be comfortable traveling now more important than the potential need for protection.

She waited for Kasim to gather his belongings and put out the flame from the fire before venturing out and back towards the road. With any luck the remainder of this particular leg of the trip would be without surprises and complications. Her back, while in a much better state than it had been the night before still needed time to recover, though Eirika still found herself puzzled by how that came to be.

"I've been to this city twice as a child. I remember it being incredibly large, with more of your kind than I could ever count. Very easy to find yourself lost if you became separated or weren't familiar with the system of streets and paths."

 

[Kasim Areth]

”Stay close to me when we get there.” Kasim told her with a slight smile. He couldn't help but feel an odd sort of pride for his city, even with all the flaws of its nobility. The architecture of it, the grandeur of its walls, the banners streaming off the sides of the buildings. All of it was something he missed, and oddly enough looked forward to seeing again. ”The city is actually planned quite well. Especially If you look at it from above.”

The Jester wondered if Eirika could actually do that. He knew that some druids could see through the eyes of a bird, perhaps the elf could do something similar. ”Everything was built for better defense. The buildings are tiered and the city streets pathed so cavalry charges are simpler from certain directions.”

Vel Anir was a fortress through and through.

Though there was a busy market and a mass of residential buildings all of it could in a second be turned into an avenue of defense. That was why they had survived for so long, why they had such a claim to fame. The original design of the Fortress was in order to ensure the survival of its people, and Vel Anir did that better than any other city in the world.

At least he thought so anyway.

”Supposedly the first Dreadlords enchanted the walls too.” Kasim said with a shrug. ”Though I'm not so sure on that.”

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Eirika didn't much like the idea of being tethered to Kasim, trotted around the city like a newborn. He knew Vel Anir better than she, much better. It wasn't that she was fearful of getting lost, it was that she had very specific needs and a short time frame to get them done within, before heading off towards Elbion's college of mages.

There she would find the knowledge she sought to cure her father. Surely a book of the divine existed that she had not yet read, or a mage with the proper knowledge of ancient magics that her people had perhaps lost during a war with the humans centuries ago. It had to be there. It simply had to be.

"Very well." She said. "I will need new clothing. We'll need more food that can last the harsh weather, and I will need more feathers to make arrows while we travel. I can find suitable stone, shells, or bone, but feathers are harder to come by. We'll also need a large enough tent for shelter once we reach the savannah."

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim perked an eyebrow.

The Elf had every suddenly become rather demanding, not something that he had really thought she would do. So far she had done her own thing, but never actually made her statements as...forceful as they were now. He frowned for a few seconds, opened his mouth, and then closed it.

There was no point in arguing anymore, better to just go along with what she wanted, or at least make her think she was getting what she wanted. "We'll find an inn first."

That would be the priority, mostly because he already had a place in mind.

"After that we'll go to the markets." That was where they could find pretty much anything she wanted. Things would be cheaper than they were in Anaset, much cheaper. "We can find everything there."

Kasim assured her. "We just have to be careful. Anirian Guards patrol the city often, and the Dreadlord sweep for mages regularly.."

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Eirika looked rather annoyed as she shot a glance at Kasim. Delaying the purchase of certain items on the list was one thing, the food, feathers and such. But the clothing? She wasn't looking to be a maiden and swoon over the latest human fashions, but she certainly wished to replace the tattered and burned linen that was currently hidden away beneath the cloak on her back.

Perhaps he'd forgotten? Surely not.

"You may go find a place to rest your head. I intend on, at the very least, finding a suitable garment shoppe. I have no intention of wandering around such a populated city hoping for nobody else to notice the suspiciously burned and torn fabric."

 

[Kasim Areth]

He frowned for a moment. "We'll find something suitable in the slums outside the city."

It wasn't the kindest way to refer to the little villages that surrounded the walls of Vel Anir, but even the residents called it that. It was where the lowest classes lived, those who could not afford a home within the walls. Quality was of a lower tier there, but it would be enough to get her something until they at least found an Inn.

"I don't want to take a nap." He told her. "But we need a place to go back to in case we get separated."

A base of operations would be important. "It's not like you can just stop a Guardsmen and ask for directions."

Again she wasn't really thinking, only marching forward with her own stubborn desires.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Already things were returning to the exact same state of affairs they had been before Eirika had left him on that road the day before. If this dynamic between the two did not change, somewhere along the way she would surely snap, her patience already once more beginning to wane for this man.

For some reason he was projecting the illusion that somehow she was the one in danger in this city. Eirika was not the one who had abandoned her duty, forsaken her family name, and fled her home. Yet here he was, speaking to her as if she had been all of those things.

"Do the guards make a habit of murdering those who ask for directions?" She asked with feigned naivety.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim shrugged. "It depends on how you ask."

His tone was flat enough that it made it difficult to tell whether or not he was joking. Of course he overplayed some of the danger of Vel Anir, especially at the moment. The reality of the situation was that Eirika would probably be fine. Even without her disguise people wouldn't really touch her, unless she did something stupid.

Though Vel Anir's hatred of outsiders had not disappeared, it had over the last few years grown colder.

Dwarves, Elves, and even Komodi were seen more often within the cities walls now, though some Inns still wouldn't allow them to stay without an extra fee. Vel Anir was in the process of attempting to better itself, though Kasim knew it was just a facade. The Houses wanted to appear more civil, attract trade and allow the city an even greater position in Arethil's economy.

Eventually there would be a turn, he was sure of it.

"Just trust that I know what I'm doing." Kasim told her. "I wouldn't tell you which tree to sleep in if we were in Fal'Addas."

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

The last time you were so sure you knew what you were doing I was the one face to face with the man you were so intent on killing on your own. She didn't voice her opinion, not this time. Instead she swallowed the urge to tell him that she thought him an idiot and simply bit her tongue.

"Very well. Menathab."

A simple hand gesture beckoned for Kasim to lead on, though she knew how to get to Vel Anir, perhaps he would feel more useful by leading her to the city that a day ago he had essentially pleaded for her not to go to. She wondered if he knew in his head what exactly he wanted, or if he just lived his live by the cuff of his sleeve.

 

[Kasim Areth]

It was more the latter at this point. His life since first leaving home had essentially been one fall or tumble connected to the next. He did whatever he felt like and continued to roll with it until something stopped him. It was how he had come to escort Aviana, how he had brought Eislyn to Belgrath.

Kasim had never really had a goal in mind for his life, he'd just known that he couldn't stay in Vel Anir. So far it had always worked out okay, he had enjoyed his little life and the adventures he'd lead. Now however things had come to a head, reaching a point where the next fall had lead him back here.

It seemed odd to him, but he felt a compulsion to follow along with Eirika, to go to Vel Anir.

The Jester couldn't have said why, but he went anyway. It seemed natural to him, it seemed right. Perhaps it was simply time. Though what he would do when they got there he had no idea.

His eyes rolled when Eirika bit at him with some elven word, though he decided not to press her on what it meant. Instead he simply walked forward, continuing on the road heading home.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

They walked for several more hours, mostly in silence, Eirika finding she had very little to say to Kasim. Instead she amused herself with other things, the sound of birds, the light breeze, the position of the sun to indicate the time of day, and even the occasional wild animal that paused in its daily routine to watch the two travelers as they made their way towards the city.

Finally she decided to break the silence and ask the question that had been nagging at the back of her mind since she'd awoken that morning. Eirika had come to the belief that Kasim had in fact done something to her in her sleep, as the divine had not given her any sign of intervention.

"What did you do to me last night, Erich?" -- This time she called him by his actual name.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim cringed slightly when she said his real name.

"Don't call me that." It was a common enough name in these parts, but the Jester had never particularly liked it. He was named after his great great grandfather, a man who had apparently lead one of the more successful campaigns into the Falwood before promptly being shot through the heart with an arrow. That wasn't why Kasim didn't like it, but it was an oddly reflective point at the moment. "Especially in the city."

The name wouldn't immediately draw attention, but certain features of his alongside the name would. Better not to tempt fate. Especially considering what they had been through in the last few days.

"I healed you, to answer your question." Painstakingly and at a great cost, though he didn't add that part.

He was still a bit miffed about losing the Leviathan Blood. It had cost him a pretty penny, and he wasn't entirely sure he would have another opportunity to get more any time soon. Cerak At'Thul wasn't exactly a place he wanted to visit again.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

The elf smirked, a telling sign that she was more than amused by his discontent by her naming his true identity. "As you wish, Hîr vuin." The smile lingered for a few moments more. She had every intent to continue to call him that privately. She wouldn't risk his safety in the city, yet she would happily threaten him with it if necessary. It made him pliable, controllable in a way that she hadn't discovered before.

"Healed me how?" She pressed for a more conclusive answer. "You would have required substantial magic, more so than I am confident you had the means or energy for on your own." Even if she hadn't been in as bad shape as she was, and the tables were turned, had she used divine magic to treat those injuries she would have been exhausted. The only way he could have done so was through some other means, by not utilizing his own strength.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim glanced back and gave her an amused smile. "You have no Idea what magic I can do."

It was true enough, all that she had seen him use was the runes. His own magic was as dormant as could be, untouched for nearly half a decade now. It was still there of course, those abilities didn't fade, but touching it would be like shining a spotlight onto himself for all of House Varik to see.

Kasim wouldn't do that, not unless he absolutely had to.

"I used Rune Magic." The Jester decided that it was simply easier to tell her than just keep her guessing. She would figure it out eventually anyway, and it would just get annoying if she kept bugging him the entire way to Vel Anir.

He wondered if the Elves remembered The Runes. It was said to be the 'first' form of magic, though Kasim had no idea if that was actually true or not. It was old though, and so were the Elves. It would make sense for them to at least know about it.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

The elf imitated Kasim in a similar fashion, rolling her eyes harshly in response to his confident claim. Though once he admitted to what he had done in order to mend her injuries she lost the majority of her curiosity as to the man's abilities. Rune Magic was archaic and arguably rudimentary. It had its uses, but it was a practice she did not involve herself in. Eirika felt as though it were in a way cheating the laws of magic by replacing one's ability in place of a substituted object or ingredient.

"I see." Her tone was as dry as could be. Knowing still that Kasim could not have possessed the stamina to exert his own strength to heal her he had clearly utilized an external component of some kind; And based upon her knowledge of the art, was likely something costly or otherwise rare in nature. Exactly what component it was she wasn't entirely sure, many things could be used, some more effective than others, some more difficult to locate. She knew the degree of her injuries, and the extent that he had mended them, meaning this had certainly been no small task.

She hated to admit the fact, even in her own head, but he had likely saved her a great deal of agony at equally great expense. Living with that debt pained her more than the swallowing of her pride, and thus she resigned to repay him before the trip was over.

"I faer nîn linna nan glass."

She spoke the words particularly slowly, then paused, knowing he wouldn't understand. "It doesn't translate quite so well into your tongue, but it implies a sincere thank you."

 

[Kasim Areth]

"You're welcome." Kasim said simply, though he went no further with the subject. In his own mind he had owed her a debt for Kiril coming after her, with the healing that debt had been repaid.

As far as he was concerned they were even now, so there was no need to bring up the leviathan blood or the hours he had spent drawing the healing runes. It would have been nice to throw it in her face, but he decided doing so would be uncouth and bring even more issues.

"Your magic." Kasim asked. "What is it?"

He paused for a second before continuing. "I've only heard of Elves using tree singing...or whatever it's called."

In the old stories it was said that Elves shaped Fal'Addas by speaking to the trees themselves in some sort of magic language. Despite all their wars and conflict Vel Anir's actual information on Elven magic was rather scant. Save for what it could do in combat anyway.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

"linnatha." She said, nodding. "Singing as you call it. Most elves practice that art, it is tradition. Some spend their entire lives devoted solely to it." She lifted a finger to her lips, tapping a few times. "But that is not the kind of magic I invoke, at least not without due reason." As they walked she pondered for a few minutes on how best to describe what it was she did.

"My father serves as the high priest of my tribe back home. Think of it like your chantry leaders. Our magic comes from the divine. Our gods lend us their strength and with it we are able to utilize magic that most are unfamiliar with. In a way some might find it limiting. It is why I cannot throw fire, or summon terrible storms like your dreadlords, though I suppose if I served an evil deity I may be able to do so. That is a question for the dark elves."

Eirika had not in fact ever met a dark elf, they were not welcome among her tribe, branded as evil and tainted by evil gods. Some associated with them, Eirika herself had a curiosity for them, but it was forbidden and she was not one to disobey, except of course when her father's life was on the line.

"I am able to heal to great effect. I can summon the spirits of my ancestors, as well as create powerful wards and speak with the dead, so long as they are willing. Divine manifestations and conjuring are easy enough as well. I can return the dead to life both temporarily and permanently, as they were in life, but the latter is forbidden among our people. It is said that a life can only be traded for a life."

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim listened carefully to the explanation that Eirika gave him, nodding as she spoke in understanding.

The concept was not dissimilar from what he knew of certain religions in the east and their magic. It made sense, gods were after all a powerful force to be reckoned with. Kasik had never really been entirely sure about their existence, though he supposed this sort if proved it in a way. The Jester wasnt entirely sure how to feel about that.

”I see” Kasim commented quietly.

It was wholly different than the magic he was used to. The Dreadlords, and most mages in Vel Anir, used a twisted form of college magic. They drew upon themselves, the environment, and whatever natural affinity to the elements that they possessed. With Kiril it had obviously been fire and such things. He frowned for a moment, the opened his mouth to speak.

”Dark Elves.” He decided it was best to preface the question. ”What are they?

A separate species like what thr Nazrani were to humans?

It seemed like that, but for all he knew there was a cultural difference rather than one of species. It was curious however, Kasim didn't remember any mention of them in the Anirian archives. He wondered if that was just due to the prejudice of his ancestors. An omission made simply because in their eyes all elves were exactly the same.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

"We share common ancestors." Eirika admitted, "But that is where our similarities end." The priestess seemed hesitant to discuss her distant relatives, perhaps because she had never met one in the flesh before. Her information was learned, taught to her through upbringing. "The first of the dark elves were cursed, cast out by our divine as blasphemous abominations. They practiced dark forms of magic, the manipulation of the dead, among other wretched conjuring. Thus they were marked as such for their wickedness for all to bare witness the price of evil magics." This was speculation, the split between light and dark elves had occurred so many eons ago that it had become lost to time and history.

While Eirika wasn't entirely convinced of its accuracy, she also had no reason to disbelieve the legends of old either. Who but her own kind held a better understanding of Arethil's history? They were in fact the oldest of the races, around since the dawn of time. Certainly their records would hold truth.

"They are fewer in number than my people, but they are incredibly dangerous."

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim considered her words for a moment. He found it somewhat hard to believe that an entire species could come into being just because some gods were a little miffed, but what did he know? He was neither a scholar nor particularly a student of history. What Eirika said must have been true, or at least have kernels of the truth hidden within it. The Jester doubted she would lie to him at this point.

”My people dont make a distinction between you and them.” She had mentioned that they appear different, but if they wore armor or anything of that sort it would be hard to notice.

He mused for a second. Then began to explain himself.

”I was in Cerak At'Thul before coming to Anaset. Mostly not due to my own choice.” The ship he'd been on during his latest trip had been attacked and raided by pirates. They had taken the goods aboard the vessel and then been very insistent that he accompany them as well. They had been nice enough during the voyage, as long as he'd played the right songs anyway. Eventually he'd ended up in the Black Bay, and from there he'd found his way back to Anaset. ”It's said the Fortress is ruled by a Dark Elf. An old one.”[/color

He frowned. ”I thought I saw him one night on the walls.”

A shrug rolled over His shoulders.

 

[Eirika E'sprit]

Eirika grimaced, hearing Kasim state their lack of distinction. "Dark elves do not represent us, our interests, or our beliefs. We do not belong conjoined to their atrocities." She found it a dangerous thing for not only him, but all humans to dismiss the vast differences between her people and her cousins. The actions of one would reflect upon the other.

The idea that a dark elf ruled over the fortress of slavery built atop Cerak At'Thul did not surprise her in the slightest. In fact, it was oddly fitting that the ruler of the cursed island was home to a being of cursed ancestry. Though she had never set foot upon the soil of Cerak At'Thul, she was familiar with its primary trade good, as well as the haven it provided for pirates, murderers, and practitioners of abhorrent schools of magic such as necromancy.

"Dark elves serve nothing but their ambition, however twisted and cynical they may be. I would urge you to avoid them. I assure you, they are not like us in any way."

 

[Kasim Areth]

”You don't have to tell me twice. The world would be a better place without the Black Bay. “ Kasim shivered slightly at the memory of seeing the unique mountainous island that held Cerak At'Thul.

The fortress itself had been an almost unbelievable sight. Its walls were a pure black decorated with dozens of iron spikes. The keep itself looked over the surroundings and the the sky around it shivered with constant storms that seems to clear only for a day or so at a time. Kasim's father had taught him that no magic was eternal, and The Jester knew this to be true, but whatever haunted the Black Bay seemed to linger beyond what it should have.

Likely an effect of the citizens themselves. They preyed upon the weak, perpetuating vicious cruelty for the simple sake of its existence.

”There are a few different human races.” Kasim had no idea if Eirika cared, but he thought he would say it anyway. ”Some of them have different skin color, hair, or even eyes. Anirians for instance are the only ones who have golden eyes.”

He glanced back at her and pointed to his eyes. ”Though usually only the high born. I dont really know why to be honest, I dont think it was any gods cursing us.”

Though it was about as good as any explanation he'd heard.