Private Tales The Last Resort

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

The blacksmith slowed,and then stopped, looking around. It was clear he was trying to judge the lay of the land; here, it was all hills and ridges carpeted heavily in forest, valleys thick with deciduous trees where they had not been cleared for fields. It was not the Falwood, properly, but it was close.

"There is a little town over near that tall ridge over there," he said, pointing to a chunk of bare rock sticking above the ridgeline to their north. It was,perhaps, ten or fifteen miles away. Seska shaded tired eyes, looking off into the distance. She seemed...skeptical. "Two days north and west of that place. It is quite literally nowhere."

"I have searched for Lia for decades," Seska said by way of reply. Red looked surprised, and the Sidhe gave him a mirthless grin. "I know who you speak of, personally. I can...imagine how she was." She did not elaborate further on that.

"I do not know if I can take you to the same place. I do not know if it was even a real place," he said. She said nothing in reply, merely looked to Draedamyr with inscrutable eyes. It was his decision to follow this lead or not.

 

[Draedamyr]

Draedamyr watched the blacksmith carefully. With experienced eyes he saw through the man's eyes. There was so much pain there. It felt as if there was no need to drag up old memories.

"We go to the next town. Give as much direction as you can on our way there, but I don't expect you to lead us there."

There was always work for a good blacksmith. It wasn't a job for the road. Red would need to find somewhere to settle.

"I will come with you, if you want to go there," he said to Seska. "After some rest."

He hoped she wouldn't feel betrayed that he absolved Red of any responsibility to help them find Lia. What they felt for one another was new, tentative. It hadn't had time to grow, let alone be tested. Draedamyr didn't know how important it even was to Seska to find this other one of her kind.

 

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

Red opened his mouth to reply, but Seska forestalled him with a raised hand. "There is no need to respond now. We have some time to travel, and to think."

She did not think that he would be able to give adequate direction to find Lia. She had literally spent months in the forest looking in ways beyond the mundane, and found nothing. If the enigmatic Sidhe wished to be found, she would be.

Respite anticipated her command without need for her to tap his flank or raise the reins, which currently lay across the beast's neck. It still felt odd, sitting atop a strange horse that was nevertheless nearly as familiar as her little pony. She came up alongside Draedamyr, fighting a desire to lean out and touch his cheek. Now was not the time, though.

"Trying to treat me like spun glass?"she asked of him in a low voice, almost as if she did not bear dark circles under her eyes.

 

[Draedamyr]

"No," Draedamyr replied. "Not trying to protect you from anything. Though we do need rest before we go looking for this...Lia."

He reached out and rested his hand against Respite's neck. Draedamyr suspected he was going to be drawn far out of his depth again.

"Why have you been searching for Lia? If you don't mind me asking."

 

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

Soft laughter was how his response was greeted as she leaned forward and placed on of her hands over the top of his. "I do need rest. It has been an endless couple of months, one catastrophe into the next."

Red had withdrawn, trailing behind them to give them privacy. This was fine by her, although there really wasn't anything they could do that required privacy while they were riding out on the open road. She leaned back, and adjusted her skirts primly, looked up the road - if that was what you could call the rutted thing - to the horizon.

She was surprised that he would ask the question that he did, and looked sidelong at him after he did. "Strange question," she said. It didn't require much thinking at all to come up with an answer. "I wander the world and no one knows what I know, has felt what I have felt. Seen what I have seen. No one here has any ties to a world that is dead, no one here has any lineage that can be traced back, if one were so inclined, to link with mine."

We are a dead people, and while we have no cities and no society any longer, it does not mean that occasionally - very occasionally - it wasn't good to be able to reach out and connect with others that shared a past. It was a thing Draedamyr should understand. Elfin kind tended towards insular in nature, or they did in days of old. Elfin kind were also long lived, and the length of a life would change the perspective of a people in a way that could not be mimicked by the shorter lived race.

 

[Draedamyr]

His thumb slipped out from under her hand and rubbed across the back of her fingers before she width drew her hand.

"I understand, at least a little," Draedamyr replied. His lips threatened to form a smile. "I was hoping it didn't turn out that the two of you had a ten thousand year old grudge."

It would take some time for everything to settle. He had been trapped in the fridges of a demonic invasion, before falling in love with a fae, then nearly dying on the edge of a titanic struggle of magic. They were escorting the brother of the woman who had died to save him to the next town. There was a lot to process.

He had thought that he had seen a lot of what the world had to offer, that he could take almost everything in his stride. He had been wrong. He expected Seska would find many ways to show how wrong he had been with stories of her past.

Yet the proud elf also felt a touch of jealousy. He was not of her kind. Before he had even accepted the events of the week she was going to take off after another of her kind. He couldn't begrudge her that, not rationally at least.

"Levington is a fairly large trading river town. At least it won't feel as...small...as where we have been."

 

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

She snorted at the pause in his words. Small. Yes, well, most of the world was a small place, no matter how large it might seem. "Sometimes we forget, those of us that move through the world, just how small it is," she remarked. "I long ago ceased being bothered by the small minded simple folk of the world. Most of them only know their little towns and a dozen miles around them."

She rode in silence for a short bit, then laughed softly. "Of course, I have been one of those small-minded individuals far more often than they have." It was and incredibly rich joke, to her. For a large swathe of her life, she had considered her people superior in every way to the lesser mortals she had found herself in the company of.

"Levington is a very nice town," Red said, suddenly. "It is like the smaller villages with more people, and less...distrustful of outsiders."

"That would be wonderful. A week or two spent resting and doing anything other than fighting wild beasts and demonic entities would go well, about now." She looked at Draedamyr, eyes bright with the prospect of peace. And the opportunity to truly learn of the elf she had become taken with. Men were a mystery to her, anyway, beyond certain aspects. And she was quite sure that she herself was a touch of an enigma to this one.

 

[Draedamyr]

"That would be welcome," Draedamyr admitted. His voice betrayed just how much. He needed some down time. He had lived a long life and all the strands that wove his memories together formed a complex web.

He needed time to weave through everything that had happened and sort out his own mind and feelings.

"And I would like to spend some real time with you," he said softly, lowering his voice just for Seska.

"This might be unfair to ask, but what do you think you will do next Red?"

 

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

"I would like to spend some real...time with you, as well," she purred softly enough that he alone could hear her. Her face was kept carefully blank, though. She thought back to a night a week ago or so, where certain desires had been barely restrained. She was not certain they should take that particular dive just yet, but it was exciting to entertain the prospect, if nothing else.

She listened as Draedamyr asked the blacksmith his question. There was no answer for a while, as the huge man seemed to mull it over in his head. When he did answer, though, it was surprisingly honest. There was still pain there, but it had been shuffled off to the side. Stoicism was a trait that this man seemed to radiate.

"I do not really know," he said, and shook his head. "I will probably come with you to meet the witch one more time - she was a pretty lady, after all." There was likely more there, but she didn't have the heart to speak on the subject. A seed of hope, buried in this mans heart, would be crushed utterly if she spoke the truth of it, now. "After, I do not know. This part of the world only holds ghosts for me. Maybe I will go to one of the cities and try to set up shop? The money is good for a man with a talented hand at the hammer," he said.

 

[Draedamyr]

For a many of so many years a very childish smirk crossed his face briefly. He was drawn into a rather poignant silence. His gaze stayed on Seska even as Red spoke. He had to drag his eyes away to avoid being impolite. Draedamyr let his hand slip down the flank of Respite until he brushed across Seska's thigh. Almost an innocent gesture. Draedamyr wasn't sure if they'd have the energy to do anything but collapse this evening.

"You'll find plenty of work in the cities. Even before you find your own place the city guard will generally keep a number of armourers employed and many nobles will keep smiths to outfit the forces they need to raise in times of war. Simple work, but I've known many men use it to build a reputation in a new place. I might know a few folk in Alliria if you ride with us that way. "

Draedamyr squared his shoulders and looked ahead of them. For now, perhaps, the very real demons might have been put behind them.

 

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

She knocked his hand away without thought, but it was not done out of malice. The mischievous glint in her eye, tired or not, gave that bit of theater away. He wasn't the only one uncertain of their capability to do anything more interesting than collapse into blissful sleep this evening.

"I do not want any truck with the nobility," Red replied stiffly. He said no more of them, glossing over the smoldering anger merely mentioning them had uncovered. "The guards or the military will suffice; I was enlisted once, several years back." He did not appear to notice the interplay between the two of them, or if he did, was at least polite enough not to comment.

"Regardless, I hope this town you spoke of has real beds in it." A brief pause, and then a soft sigh. "No angry mobs for preference. I've had my fill of demons and all the troubles they bring with them."

Respite made some strange horse sounds as though he, too, was commenting on all of it. As if he'd had to deal with any of the nightmares and abominations that the rest had.

 

[Draedamyr]

Draedamyr gave the horse a curious glance and then raised an eyebrow at Seska. He wasn't sure how deep the bond was between her and the horse. That could have been a coincidence or a private joke.

"If you want to join us onwards to the next city on the road I'm sure that would be fine," Draedamyr said, looking towards Seska to check. She was better at travelling than he was by far. Draedamyr was an urban elf who had spent far too much time out of doors recently. Offering Red safety in numbers seemed the least that they could do.

"It has an inn," Draedamyr said, "which means real beds and hopefully some wine too." He decided not to highlight his fussiness for quality vintage around the man who had just lost his sister to demons.

 

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

"Your company is welcome," Red replied. He was not jovial, but he seemed to be stoic about his circumstances at least. "I can lend my arm if it comes to it. It is the least I can do for some outsiders who cared enough to do something when they did not have to." He did not look like a warrior, and he was not armed...and yet, that muscular build hinted at something.

"Fine by me," the Sidhe replied to both. She was completely fine with having two meat-shields along for the ride. She;d had enough of demons and the like, though, and would just as soon not have to rely upon anyone to 'distract' something before she, in the parlance of another world, 'nuked it from orbit'. "A bed would be wonderful, and wine even more so." She looked at the pair of them. "Recent events have left me with a permanent headache and knot in my back. If only I could sleep it off as easily as you do. Nothing a dry red wouldn't solve though."

She knew that Red was hurting, but she would not tiptoe around the man. It was clear he did not want to be reminded of the loss, and so she would go along as though there was nothing wrong until he said something. She could understand his pain better than he might realize; the events of the last weeks might have washed out some of her own pain, but there was still a hole in her heart where her last companion had been. Respite could not fill it - Draedamyr might be able to, yet, but that was to be seen.

"How far?"

 

[Draedamyr]

"Over the next Rise," said Red.

Draedamyr's keen elven eyes caught sight of a sail before the others. The town sat on a stone bridge across a wide river. There were some docks on the downriver side of Levington. Small boats made it upriver from the ocean with supplies to be distributed to larger settlements. Draedamyr had seen cities come and go. He fully expected the place to become a large hub within a few human lifetimes.

Their pace seemed to increase as they headed down towards the town itself. The tall ridge grew closer on the upriver side of the land. It made Levington the right spot for vessels to dock and unload.

The town was quite widely scattered. That was something else Draedamyr expected to see change as more moved this way. He wondered if the place they had just left would be abandoned in favour of Levington.

"Two rooms, three meals, a stable place for one and a bottle of red?" Draedamyr asked as he approached the bar.

 

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

"I do not need anything to eat at present," Red replied to Draedamyr. It was later in the afternoon at this point, but still too early to retire. Despite that, the large man looked to the river, and shook his head. "I think I'll just retire early," he said.

He followed behind them at a respectful distance, keeping his thoughts to himself. Judging by the dark circles under his eyes, she rather imagined he was wrapped up in a dark place, and did not want to be bothered. She could completely understand it.

She eyed the township before her with disinterest. Compared to the places they had been, recently, it was enormous, and yet it was still a hamlet compared to any of the great cities. Unlike Draedamyr, Seska never felt truly at home in cities. She was not an urban creature, and her people had not been so for longer than living memory could cover.

Cities were places that invited discord and greed, and given enough time, led to the terrible atrocities that transcended time itself.

Still, there were some benefits, of which a bed and wine were certainly a couple of. The smell of the river washed over them before they were halfway into the valley it was contained in. She could pick up the scent of woodsmoke as well, and pick up the shouts from people unloading vessels.

"At least this place does not seem so insular," she remarked.

 

[Draedamyr]

They followed the path down into Levington, not being stopped on the way in.

"No one has spat at me for being an elf, so that is a good start," Draedamyr said, answering her question.

He enjoyed the sound of people. He didn't like living off the land and doing all of the small tasks himself. Making enough coin with his skill meant that he could enjoy other people's efforts in hunting and skinning and cooking. And building houses, rather than a tent on the road.

"Why don't you tie respite and I'll ask at the Inn if they can accommodate us," Draedamyr said.

He went for the door to the first Inn they saw. He was greeted by a wall of the sound of people. Slightly rowdy sailors down at one end of the bar, more subdued locals at the other.

 

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

"No need to tie Respite up," she replied,then continued with a devilish little smile on her face. "Anyone who tries to steal him will be in for a rather rude surprise."

She allowed the elf to do his task without comment, though. She rather imagined he was eager to wrap some civilization back around himself. She herself was nonplussed by it, but then creature comforts really did not figure into her desires most times. Unfortunately for her, there was little to occupy her time beyond wandering.

She slid off the back of the stallion, still feeling like a doll on a giant's back. She hit the dusty ground, and brushed her skirts off, and waited with the patience of an immortal.

 

[Draedamyr]

"They have rooms," he announced from the door, beckoning them inside. "I have paid for them already if you want to retire..." Draedamyr offered.

Red nodded solemnly, passing them both and heading for the bar to collect a key. Draedamyr looked over his shoulder to the innkeeper and nodded.

"It might be better to find Respite a stable for the night. If only so no one is confused by the presence of a horse on its own. I assume you would like to start on a bottle?" he asked. "It has been a trying few days," he whispered.

 

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

"Just an ordinary week," she whispered back to him. Mind controlling demons, cities in revolt, demon...things wandering around killing and converting everything in sight. Just an ordinary fucking week. "Perhaps the biggest understatement of this current eon."

It required little effort to find a stable. There was one not far down the street from the inn that they were staying at, and while the price of boarding felt a little unreasonable, it was not so much as to be damning. It wasn't as if she didn't have plenty of coin, anyway. A long life granted many opportunities to collect it, and since she did not require much to live, she seldom had to spend any.

So it was that she found herself standing in the doorway to the common room of the inn, grumbling a bit under her breath about the perennial problem of a world sized for humans, and not for her. "Beat a path to the nearest table, dear; I've got a headache and don't want to kill any more people, especially over a drink..."

 

[Draedamyr]

Draedamyr chose the end of the bar not occupied by the sailors. They were rowdy enough that their noise would irk him. The last thing he wanted was to end up in a duel. Not that those swine would necessarily respect such a request. They looked like the type to end a bar fight with a shiv instead.

He made his way to a table near the bar and a bottle of red was placed down before the almost immediately. They had remembered his original inquiry and decided to bring that straight out. It must have been the desperation in his voice.

"Bring another I think please," Draedamyr asked as the barman walked away.

"I figured..." he said to Seska, "...that they might have more inspiring wines somewhere in this town, but that anything made of grapes and drinkable would do for right now?"

 

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

"Spend some time on the road, my city-bound man," she said with a touch of fondness in her voice. "Everything is drinkable when the options are a particular flavor of sticks and mud over another flavor of mud and sticks." Her eyes twinkled with amusement.

With a grunt of effort, she got into a chair that was designed for someone at least a foot taller than she was. She cast a backward glance at the sailors, but was not impressed with them or their antics. She muttered something under her breath, and then aloud: "Nice to see that nothing changes when you bring humans and water in any amount together." A pause. "Ever." That single word carried a weight of meaning that Draedamyr might understand, at least on the surface. It also carried the weight of time on its back.

She reached for the bottle, then hesitated to see if Draedamyr needed to slake his thirst before she did. The headache had, afterall, been bothering her for rather longer than was reasonable...but a few moments more were a pittance of time, in the grand scheme.

 

[Draedamyr]

"Go ahead," he mused, tilting his head towards her. He might have decided he needed a drink, but it wasn't the same as her need.

It reminded him of the sheer confusion of their first meeting. He had been expecting the world to end, raiding the stocks behind the bar to at least make it a pleasant end. She had come tearing through the town and joined him there as everyone was taken by despair. Neither of them would have left that place without the other.

He was brought some food. It was easy for the bar staff to manage because they served one thing every evening: stew and bread. Today it was something with lots of fish.

"Well, food is food," he declared. "Pass the wine."

 

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

She passed the bottle wordlessly to Draedamyr, and looked at the stew without making any move to eat. She did not like fish, as a general rule, and so would pass on this particular meal.

The wine, on the other hand, was something she was interested in. She sipped of it, and found it was of a passable vintage, if a bit sweet for her taste. It may as well have been ambrosia, after days without. Having people try to kill you made a lot of things more wonderful.

"It is good to not be running from one fire to the next, again." She looked over her glass at the elf with hooded eyes. "I am too old for this," she added despite all evidence to the contrary.

 

[Draedamyr]

"You know you are entirely ruining one of my most treasured pastimes?" Draedamyr said. "Complaining about my age."

He took a swig of wine. In the same way as Seska he mentally declared it as passable. It didn't have much weight to its character, but at least it was not vinegar.

"Do you want to tell me about this other Sidhe?"

 

[Seska the Dragonslayer]

She fixed him with a smile. "Been a while since I complained about mine. You don't really think about it much after some time goes by." How you could wait for literally years for a thing to happen, and seldom find yourself bored because years is a small span of time when compared to the eternity behind you. Perspective.

She leaned back in the oversized chair, and closed her eyes. Trying to picture a face she had not seen in a thousand years. "A zealot of Leto," she said after a time. Her voice sounded distant, so distant, as though she were in a literal hallway instead of a metaphorical one. "She was a member of the Warguard or Rage, as they were called. The right-hand lady to Archangel himself."

She could remember several of them. Most were buried in the rubble of a dead world, their bones likely crushed to powder and worn away by the winds of time now. She shivered at the image; there were so many she had known back then that would be the same. Not even a memory, but to the few who still lived, impossibly, aeons later.

"Before I became an adherent of Angelique, the Mistress of Justice, I followed Leto and his hordes. A few of the nobles of the time - myself included - did not maintain allegiance to any one God or Goddess throughout the wars. I personally served under Barnabas, Leto, and Angelique over the course of several hundred years."

She wondered what Draedamyr would think of that. In this world, faith was not so casually given.

"Anyway, you probably do not care about any of that. Lia is...was...distraught at the end of the world. I do not think she ever recovered from the loss of her friends, or the land of her birth." Come to it, Seska herself had not really moved past that event. In some ways, she realized, she had also died on the day it all came to an end. Everything after had amounted to little more than purgatory. "I do not know what she is up to now, or what state she will be in if we find her."