Dreadlords The Long Road

[Erodin]

Irick - Outer Aniria
Amelie Livia Quinnick

"Really? This shit hole?" Erodin said as the sky-ray slowly circled over the small town of Tren. "It looks like it barely houses a hundred people, much less someone who can lead us to what we seek."

He couldn't help the small flicker of frustration that bent through his tone as the wraith beneath them slowly flapped it's wings and began to descend towards the ground. A few of the villagers already coming out to gawk even as the sun was beginning to set. Most Anirian citizens hardly being used to seeing such creatures within their skies, whether they be ghostly or still made of flesh.

Their journey here had not been long, just half a day after their departure from Tolven.

Amelie and Erodin had been quick to establish a path for the girl, or rather, a way for her to find the path for them. It had not taken long for the Initiate to divulge that leading them to the staff would be impossible, which was where of course, Erodin's frustration had begun. Both of them had expected roadblocks of some sort, but in truth he'd wanted it to at least be something that he could kill.

His beloved had of course been quick to soothe him, the whispers in his mind quickly reminding him of their whole plan. It did not matter that their path forward was obstructed, they were still ahead of Gilram, and with the girl it would be easy enough to find out exactly what road they needed to follow in order to find the staff. "Ah, but who am I to doubt you."

Erodin remarked, his frustration melting away as the sky-ray finally came to ground. Amusement flickering over his features as he remembered their other goal upon this path.

"You're the one holding the proverbial compass, after all." Erodin mused, whispering in Amelie's mind half a second later. I swear I'm getting too old to be nice.

He joked to his beloved, stepping down along the sky-ray's great wing and offering his hand to Amelie so that she could hop down with little to no effort.

 

[Amelie]

Amelie took Erodin's hand as she descended from the sky-ray and grasped it tightly. Kindness may serve us well here, love." A broad smile overtook her as she stared into his eyes. At least you're aging wonderfully."

He had been in a foul mood for some time now despite her best efforts to ease his anxiety. Although, to his credit, Tren really was a backwater.

Citizens opened their fat, ignorant, mouths to gape at the Dreadlords and their initiate who'd ridden in on a ghastly sky-ray. This was probably the most momentous event that had ever happened in this small town. A meeting that grandparents would tell their descendants about.

"Perhaps," Amelie stated while glancing directly at Livia, "our compass is hungry."

They'd been traveling for half a day now, after all. "Sandwiches." It was a single word spoken to a woman standing in her door frame in the quaint little home nearest where they'd landed. Amelie didn't need to use her magic to force the townswoman, the simple command was more than enough.

Strands of short black hair rippled as her neck twisted and took Initiate Quinnick in again. "Livia, is that how you prefer us to call you?" Her hand fully melded with her husband's the mindbender gave a genuinely warm look to the child. "Or is there some other name you prefer?"

Poison the well, sow doubt, this one could be of use to us even after this assignment. Her words spoken softly, soothingly, into her husband's mind. They'd need allies once they commanded a duchy. Particularly those with talents as useful as the Quinnick girl.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia followed the older Dreadlords without a word, her frustrations at being unable to get a direct pinpoint of location of what they seek already voiced much earlier in their journey here. She tucked it away, that nagging doubt, and cast olive eyes around the small town. Silver hair fell into her face, and she brushed it aside, watching as a woman scurried back into her home to prepare sandwiches. In all her quiet stewing, she had ignored the hungered rumblings of her stomach.

Her eyes widened as Amelie put focus upon her, asking Livia on how she wished to be known as. "Livia, Liv... I am not too picky." She answered. Seeing the warmth in Amelie allowed her to relax her shoulders, for she had been tense for the past couple of hours trying to figure why her magic brought them here to some non-descript town.

"Someone here is of use to us. I am as surprised as you are." Liv looked to Erodin, who had moments before voiced incredulity at their arrival here. "Notice how everyone else is now nervous? I am sure you both are intimidating... but there is something more to it." She was in her Initiate uniform, sigils telling them she was a year from graduation. Depending on how long they were going to be on the road, she might even miss end of year examinations. Being away from the Academy... from her friends who no longer wished to speak with her... Silas.... they would not know she would not be returning to classes the next day, or the day after that.

"Shall I track them? Find who it is? Or should we play guest for ten minutes beforehand?" The way she spoke was akin to how she would regard the superiors she would work with on a mission, waiting for the order to come from the Dreadlord in command. Livia was not too sure which of the Rogues was taking point, her own magic flicking between the two as if they were the same mind.

 

[Erodin]

A small smile touched Erodin's lips at Amelie's whisper within his mind, though as she began to play the game his attentions turned to the village around them.

As Livia pointed out the weariness of the villagers, the Dreadlord listed half a dozen reasons in his mind as to why; though ultimately he knew the girl was right. These people were scared, but there was something laying beneath the surface. It would have been a simple thing for Amelie to dig it from their thoughts, but he had another idea.

"No no, I think it best you simply show me where the compass is pointing you towards." He told Liv as his gaze flickered back towards the Initiate.

"The day has been a long one." He explained quite casually. Knowing the girl had traveled from the Academy to Tolven, and then spent time on the back of the Sky-Ray. The sincerity in his tone almost reaching truth as he offered Livia a smile. His attention lasting only a moment before he turned his gaze to Amelie. "I think it best the two of you find a place for us to rest, and perhaps seek out some new clothing for our ward?"

Erodin said, gesturing at the girl's uniform and looking at her. "I know the Republic is pinching pennies, but they could at least try to give you something decent to wear."

In their age the Initiates, at least those of any worth, were often spoiled by the Houses trying to recruit them. Erodin and Amelie had been lauded by House Virak, spoiled some Proctor's had called them, but both Dreadlord's simply had always known what they deserved.

Liv would too.

"I can ensure the needle turns in the meantime." The Dreadlord said, with a smile.

 

[Amelie]

"Well then, Liv it is I suppose," she answered with a sly grin.

Not long after Erodin had spoken his piece the woman and her daughter rushed from their home, offering three sandwiches to the Dreadlord and the academy initiate. Amelie took the one given to her and munched on it. Terrible compared to the fine dining they'd been accustomed to pre-revolution but she wasn't about to complain about a meal in a town she'd never heard of before.

In between bites she spoke, "yes, we'll get you into something appropriate." Her gaze moved back towards the woman who'd prepared the trio the food, "where is Tren's outfitter?"

"M-madame Dreadlord, we are a small village. We just have the general store," she pointed in a direction towards the east. Amelie retrieved a small copper from her pouch and handed it to the townswoman.

"We won't be long," she offered her husband a kiss upon hi cheek before releasing his hand.

As soon as Livia told Erodin where her magic wanted to guide her Amelie would direct their charge in the direction of this general store. "Hopefully this town has something decent for you," she offered while looking Initiate Quinnick up-and-down, "I'm thinking something practical, but elegant. Maybe something green? Or yellow? We won't know your color until we've had you try a few things on."

They'd have to find an inn a well, but, clothes came first.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Perhaps she ought to not look too eager to be out of the standard uniform provided by the Academy. Livia doubted anything would be deemed with a special tailored cut in this sort of town, but to be in fighting leathers for such a long time?

"Thank the gods you did not suggest blue, like my mother would insist on representing the house colours." She mused with Amelie. Quinnicks and their traditions, a sense of loyalty meant acknowledging the Quinnick cornflower blue and pearl white that adorns their family crest. Even her name and her brothers meant blue or white. "Although... I am unsure what my colours are since my hair became silver." Not even a month since she had delved to the deepest, cavernous depths of her secondary magic.

Liv bit into her sandwich, a little underwhelmed by the simple honey spread.

"That house over there. Curtains are drawn, but I can sense two people watching from the windows. There are five people in the residence..." Livia turned her back to the dwelling in question. "I can impart a sort of pin point in others... My magic knows the reason we are here." She held her hand out to Erodin, brushing it free of bread crumbs before hand. When he would place his over her own, the Initiate would share the pull and tether feeling her magic gave her, the instinct and intention of where to go would guide him to the very person her magic wanted them to find.

"If they run, they would not be able to run for too long. Provided you are a fast runner." Livia chanced using the light humour. She did not tell the Dreadlord that she enjoyed the chase; the fact her magic told her how close she was to finding someone. It gave a satisfaction and high, to the point her brothers had called her a bloodhound in the years before magic did not make her into a murderer.

 

[Erodin]

Erodin glanced towards the building Livia pointed at, listening to every word she spoke. "Oh. They never have a chance to run."

He said, flashing the girl a brief smile but never elaborating upon the words as he turned back towards his beloved.

"We'll go to a town with a proper tailor next." He assured his beloved. "This heap can hardly be expected to have what we need."

A long breath dragged into his lungs as he rolled his shoulders, fingers drawing idly over the hilt of his long-sword as he began to step away from the two women. Stalling for just half a breath as he glanced back, his eyes leveling towards Amelie. Keep her away.

He whispered into his beloveds mind.

She won't be ready to see yet. The Republic was too soft for that, Erodin knew. These children hardly understood, and he would knew it would take time before Livia was ready for the reality of what it meant to be better.

With one last smile, the Dreadlord began to stalk forward towards the building the Initiate had pointed him towards. His eyes flashed a deep dark blue as he moved forward, apparently not caring about the two watchers in the window. Hand settling on the hilt of his sword as he moved directly towards the structure, his pace an unmistakable warpath.

 

[Amelie]

I'll make sure we're far enough away. It was unfortunate that her husband would be having most of the fun on this first excursion but sacrifices had to be made. Besides, there'd likely be plenty of fun to be had before this mission was completed.

Amelie walked with Liv in tow towards the town's primary hub for shopping, a simple enough building hardly large or elegant enough from its exterior to provide clothing worthy of a Dreadlord but it'd have to make due. "Since your hair became silver?"

It was a curious statement and while it was somewhat obvious that Livia's hair wasn't natural she'd just assumed the initiate had styled it in some new academy fashion.

Regardless of how the Dreadlord-in-waiting answered once they arrived at the storefront Amelie pulled the door open. Its hinges creaked with a disappointing groan as she tried to ignore the clearly peeling wood.

"Welcome, welcome!" they were greeted almost instantly by what Amelie imagined must've been the oldest woman who had ever lived. She rushed over to greet the two entrants, her wrinkled hands clasped together while her mouth curled upwards in a surprisingly warm grin. "What can I do you ladies for," she blanched as she noticed the faded Dreadlord patch on Amelie's clothing, "my, my! It is such an honor to have valiant defenders of Vel Anir here! In my store!"

"We are in need of proper attire for my companion," Amelie answered with as cheery of a voice as she could muster whilst gesturing towards Livia Quinnick.

"Yes my lady," the shopkeep answered before zeroing in on Livia. The kind elderly woman took a few laps around the initiate, taking her in and nodding. "Let me fetch a few things from the wardrobe."

 

[Livia Quinnick]

"Well, my hair used to be dark brown." She started, following Amelie into the shop. The young noble could not help but cast a doubting look at the sign hanging above the door, an expression still worn once she stepped inside the underwhelming interiors. Livia did not offer any word as the old crone assured them there was something they were looking for.

Once she was out of earshot, or perhaps a respectable distance away that Livia felt free to whisper and turn to Amelie, her dark brows furrowed deeply. "Did she say from the wardrobe?" It was rather unfortunate that outside any uniform the Academy insisted they don, Livia's privilege of pretty dresses and skilled tailors being family friends kept her somewhat humble. Even her magic gave her no indication that anything she would like to wear was nowhere near this town, only somewhere north-west from this quaint town.

Livia sighed deeply, turning her attention to the other basic wares of this store. She lifted a small punnet of strawberries, giving the berries a poke and grimacing at the not yet ripe flesh. "My admittance to the Academy began after my father had forced stolen magic on me. He had a goal that our small, minor noble House would reach to the might of the Great Houses on power alone, and that I was his only offspring strong enough with our House magic to wield what he had stolen." Livia glanced at Amelie before continuing. "Many of the Proctors failed in yielding results in our training, but then an Archon took on the challenge. Explained a magic not born to us takes a lot more to control. Then I became under the mentorship of a Dreadlord... who told me to let it all go and let it consume me. I was too scared to use it, to feel how intense that power could be." She did not think to mention names, knowing that Zana's was too close to the situation and leaving Henk's name unsaid was her way of keeping him out of this too.

The Initiate had wandered now towards a glass display cabinet, a hand lifting to the braid that was now becoming undone from the flight here. "When I first received the corruption magic, at least this third of my hair was this colour, the rest brown. As soon as I felt the bottom of my magic reserves for corruption, it consumed me and turned my hair all silver. Now that I have somewhat control over this secondary magic... some of the Proctors have shown interest in me again. They want to train me further..." But none have taken her own just yet. They had hoped to see her make an example of it before they considered taking her on seriously.

"Gods, did she die back there?" Livia tried to crane her neck and see where this wardrobe was.

 

[Erodin]

"P-plea-please me-me Lord...p-please. I-I-he's he's my son, I c-ca-can't..." What had once been the inside of a pleasant, if not a tad bare, peasant farmstead now looked like the back of a butchers shop.

Blood splattered the walls, scraps of meat lay scattered upon the floor, and the scent of copper filled the air. One man stood, though half pinned by the dagger in his shoulder, against the far wall. Erodin wiping the blood off his long-sword using the house's heavy cotton curtains.

"I told you." The Dreadlord said as Livia would begin to feel the needle shift. "I won't hurt him, as long as you tell me his name, and as long as he cooperates."

The man stuttered, tears spilling down his face. "H-his name is Oryn. He-he said he was going to the Isles, to the s-south. P-please. He did-didn't know better! It was just some map! He dug it up by accident, it came out of that damned tu-"

"Shh-shhh." Erodin said as he turned about, his eyes flaring a ghostly pale blue. "I don't care."

A wraith began to appear besides the man. "If you wanted him to be safe though, you should have taken the map from him."

The Dreadlord said with a gesture, the man choking out a response as blood spilled from his cut throat. Erodin shaking his head, already having realized that the map was what was leading Livia's magic awry. The thing was likely enchanted, and it would block anything directly trying to find it. Right now her compass would slip to whoever they know would last carry it.

Perfect.

An annoying lead, but a lead nonetheless.

Closing the door behind him, and using a handkerchief to wipe some of the blood from his armor, Erodin began to make his way back towards Amelie. The constant pull of her mind guiding him back towards her side.

 

[Amelie]

"She did mention something about a wardrobe," Amelie confessed whilst crossing her arms. This town truly was dreadful.

Her interest was piqued as Livia explained the source of her hair color and the challenges she faced. "Magic shifting your physical appearance isn't unheard of it," although she didn't feel the need to bring up that such forms of magic were often quite powerful, "I hope the academy is providing adequate training."

Amelie and Erodin had been absent during the revolution. Off on an assignment far away from the capitol. By the time news had reached them that a revolution had occurred they'd already learned that they were no longer assets of House Virak. They now belonged to the state and their pampered suites in the Virak manor would be replaced by Guard tents. Their chances of pivoting their martial successes to future political influence seemed dicey at best.

"I am not as up-to-date on how the academy is run as I once was," she joined Livia in poking through the trinkets and food items the store had out on display. Rummaging a finger through handkerchiefs that had been assembled on a small oak table.

"However," she turned to look at the initiate, "upon graduation we can send a summons. A request to help you develop your talents." Corruption magic had the potential to be very, very, useful.

"Pardon the delay dearies," the old woman remarked as she re-entered the main area of the store.

Lowering her voice to a quiet whisper Amelie leaned over towards Livia, "not dead yet."

The shopkeep laid a gaudy fur coak, a red cloak, a few patchwork dresses, and some somewhat passable leather armor upon the empty space in the center table of the store. "Had these in storage, I keep all of my nicest things in an armoire passed down from my mother's family." She wore the biggest, most genuine, smile that Amelie had ever behold.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Livia had spared Amelie a glance after she mentioned a summons, an offer to help her work on her magic. It took almost four years at the Academy for her to figure out her magic, by the help of two individuals outside the Academy. She knew there was no real hope of a Proctor taking her on, and so the thought of two First Level Dreadlords giving her a hand at learning to control and execute corruption was favourable.

They were interrupted by the older lady returning, laying out the pieces she 'had in mind' for Livia. The Initiate stifled a snort hearing Amelie whisper the lady was still kicking, and upon seeing the choices laid before her, had to keep a neutral expression.

"The red cloak is nice." She began. The leather armour was at least near new, but looked a little bigger than Livia thought would fit on her, but they were much better than the dresses she would not be caught in. Her Initiate's fighting leathers were plain, standard. Quinnick had only chosen to wear this uniform because she was under the orders they were headed to a negotiation, and if a fight where to break out, she would not be in the front lines.

"I guess I will give these a go." She said, bundling the leather armour and draping them over an arm.

Hopefully the gods take us to a larger city with proper seamstresses and tailors. She thought to herself, following the old crone to a small supply closet where she could try on the armour. Minutes later, she stepped out, walking towards the mirror the crone pointed out earlier. Livia frowned. It did look larger before, but it fit her nicely. It seemed perhaps she put on some muscle, something that surprised her when she had not been exerting herself with physical training. Perhaps something her magic gave her...

"Well, it is not awful." Livia sighed, rolling and lifting her arms to test. All perfect. She picked up her old uniform, and the old lady smiled at her.

"Here, a nice satchel to keep them in. Did you want to try the cloak and see how it looks on you?"

 

[Erodin]

They would have to burn the town in the morning.

Amelie would have to compel some of the villagers to start the blaze. The girl wasn't yet ready for such harsh measures. The truth of what it took to become a Dreadlord would come later for her, but they needed to be sure not to leave a trail.

Irick would have to go up in a blaze, and the slaughter he had left behind needed to be little less than cinders. Erodin reminded himself to talk to Amelie about it later, offering a pleasant smile to a woman that he walked by in the market. "Excuse me."

The now reinstated Dreadlord offered the woman.

"Would you happen to have seen my wife? There was a girl with her..." As he spoke the woman nodded and eagerly pointed his way. "Ah, thank you madame."

He offered with a nod, thinking it a shame the peasant would lose her home tomorrow. She should feel something new.

Erodin whispered into Amelie's mind as soon as he approached the store, knowing that she would now be able to hear his thoughts.

If she doesn't, i know where to go. He told her. But I want to see how well our compass points.

The Dreadlord said, leaning against the wall as he waited for the two women to come out of the store.

 

[Amelie]

Amelie forced a smile at Livia's glance, simple kindnesses always went a long way. She was genuinely impressed by the girl's choice of apparel, however. All of the dresses that had been brought out looked gaudy at best.

"I think the red will look nice on you," the words were spoken in earnest.

That was the trick of it all. You would be honest but refrain from getting attached to someone you planned only on using. Most people hadn't endured the old academy, hadn't learned to cut all ties off, how to dampen your feelings to do what had to be done.

Amelie nodded along as the girl went off to change and then detected her husband's thoughts. I'll prod her on the details. She hesitated, not entirely certain how to phrase the next telepathic message. She's more talented than you realize. She'll be a vital asset in the future.

Livia emerged dressed in the leathers and Amelie allowed herself to fawn on the initiate, if but for a moment. "You look great, the cloak will look even better," she swiveled towards the shopkeep and added, "you've done us a wonderful service. We'll take the armor and the cloak. What do we owe you?"

There was no need to Livia to try the cloak on, they'd find a use for it if the girl didn't fancy it. "Well, normally we'd charge ten silvers but for Dreadlords I can let this go at cost for eight."

"Twelve silvers it is," Amelie replied while placing the coins into the elderly woman's palm, "thank you."

She flashed a quick look at the initiate and the cloak, signalling that it was time for the two of them to leave with the red sash in tow. Amelie could already sense Erodin arriving near the door of the shop.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Distracted by her new look and whether it did not wash her out, she was half listening to the arrangement of payment between the two others. Livia crossed over to where Amelie remained, and picked up the cloak to drape over her arms.

It was soft, plush, and her fine fingers knew it was new. She did not comment on it, folding it carefully and placing in the satchel bag the lady had given her to hold things. Her packed bag would probably still be attached to her horse, along with her bow and full quivers of arrows.

Liv followed Amelie out the door, her eyes naturally finding Erodin before realisation registered he was near. "There is a change of direction." Was all she said, as if the words blurted from her. Her olive eyes dart between Erodin and Amelie before she continued, stepping out from the doorway and into the narrow road. "I think I am quite ready to leave this place."

There was nothing else to this small town, but Livia turned her head to see the sun dipping lower towards the horizon. She stared towards the south, head tilting to one side. Imagery flashed before her eyes, the olive hues seemed to read them rapidly. "I can see the path our target is taking... maybe a day behind them?" It was instinct that gave her the infirmation, but she turned back to her guardians with a light shrug of her shoulder. "Are we right to leave?"

 

[Erodin]

As much derision as Erodin felt for this new Republic and those Initiate's who spent more time under it's tutelage, he was never one to dismiss potential when he saw it. The little rats he had spread throughout the Vigilite and Vel Anir were proof of that, even the normal folk could be useful.

If Amelie said Liv could be useful, then she would be.

Reminding himself to keep the sneer from his face, Erodin strolled up to the two women just as they left the little general store behind. Donning a smile as he greeted his beloved with all the warmth of a suitor coming calling. "Ah, there you are my love."

Erodin said as his arm slipped behind Amelie's back, and he softly kissed her cheek. Attention turning just a brief second later to Liv.

"Have you felt a shift?" He asked nonchalantly as Liv asked about leaving. "Excellent, I had rather little luck on my end."

The lie came with not a moment of hesitation, his eyes suddenly flashing that deep blue. The air within the middle of the street suddenly beginning to shift and haze, the massive ghostly sky-ray once again beginning to take shape. "I would kill not to spend the evening here."

He said, his fingers squeezing Amelie's side in a silent signal. She would know what to do, that this village needed to burn, and all it would take was one errant thought.

"I believe Aeura is just a few miles from here." Erodin continued as he motioned to the two women. "Do you remember, sweetheart? That town with the little inn?"

One of the towns that they had made theirs. Where every villager was so twisted and broken by Amelie's touches upon their mind that they were little more than puppets, acting out a play determined only by the two Dreadlord.

The perfect place for a nights rest.

 

[Amelie]

Amelie leaned into Erodin's embrace, savoring the brief instance where she didn't have to worry about the logistics of their current situation or put on a false front to the initiate they'd suddenly adopted.

"Excellent," she offered immediately to their compass, "just a day behind? That's a gap that'll be simple enough to catch." A smile beamed from her lips towards the young girl. "You've done quite well."

Those simple praises typically went a long way. She turned her attention next to her beloved.

With the same expression of pure optimism she raised the octave of her voice, "Aeura? Such a sweet little town."

It hadn't always been so. Before Erodin and Amelie had their way with it the place was a modest little village of Anirians who'd wanted a life away from the politics and Dreadlords and strife that the nation had known. They'd subsisted off corn and carved out a little life for themselves which, while lacking nothing, was far below the luxuries the First Levels were used to.

Now? Aeura was a town that appeared to rival any of the noble house's villas. They'd ensured the commoners adorned themselves in the latest fashions, the inn was utterly exquisite, and the pair of Dreadlords had subsidized their food so that the corn could be replaced with far more profitable crops such as tobacco, opium, and whatever else the nobles fancied that season.

"You'll love it," she said while turning towards Livia, Erodin's arm still affixed to her lower back. "Much better than sleeping in the cots they likely have you in at the academy."

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Magic crept within her and Livia nodded her head once both the Dreadlords had begun speaking of Aeura, already sensing the close proximity Erodin spoke of. Perhaps there they would find appropriate attire, an idea that was favoured by the young minor noble.

"Actually... my mother made sure my lodgings would be most comfortable for me and that meant a better bed. I used to be unable to sleep, and the Proctors thought perhaps a comfortable bed would coax me into a slumber." It had not, but now that her constant headaches and irritation's root was ripped out, she was able to enjoy it's plushness.

Olivine eyes watched the sky-ray, following her hosts once more towards it.

Livia found a spot similar to where she had sat on the journey here, now laying down her gifted satchel that consisted of her uniform on her lap. She crossed her arms atop it, comfortably leaning into it and the red cloak was tucked into the satchel so that the wind did not catch it rippling.

"What do you think the target has that is leading us to them?" She pondered aloud after a moment, raising her voice enough to be heard as the skies brushed into them. "And why south? I thought we would be heading into the Empire or maybe towards Elbion..." She admitted with a neutral expression.

 

[Erodin]

Erodin looked over at Amelie wordlessly as Livia spoke of the comforts she had been allowed. His expression remaining blank, but a wordless scream echoing from his mind.

Although, shockingly, he approved of some of the changes the Republic had done to the Academy, the majority of shifts in policy were something he'd found utterly abhorrent. Unlike many, most, of the Initiate's who had been trained in the Old Ways; Erodin had excelled in his tutelage.

From the first day, the Dreadlord had pushed himself to the absolute limit of his training. Beatings, punishments, and the worst Proctor's had to offer were all pushed on him.

Erodin had taken it all in stride, seizing each new challenge and conquering it. Always determined to prove himself the best, always seeking to take what was on offer. He had believed in what they had told him. Believed that if he was strong enough, the whole world would be his.

And now I have something even better. The Dreadlord mused to himself as his fingers slipped free of Amelie and she stepped aboard the sky-ray.

"It could be many things." He said in answer to Livia, keeping his casual tone as he stepped onto the wraith. "The Artifacts Gilram seeks do not seem to be connected to the present."
At least from the clues he and Amelie had managed to find so far. "In fact, many of the objects seem to predate Vel Anir itself."

Most of the Artifacts had been found within Anirian territory, some even closely tied to Anirian history, but none had been intrinsically of their nation. The closest had been the Chalice stolen from House Aubrey, but after some investigation it had been determined the Heirloom had originally been found by the House some four hundred years ago.

"But." Erodin intoned as the Ray began to shift beneath them, taking off. "I've been a Dreadlord for many years now, and South always means one thing."

He said, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Elves."

 

[Amelie]

Amelie exchanged the same perturbed glance with Erodin. She'd spent more than enough time in the pit and more than enough time sleeping in filth or on solid concrete to truly understand Livia's predicament. But, still... "yes, I find that I sleep fitfully if my lodgings aren't up to par," she smiled at the young initiate before boarding the wraith herself.

"Aeura will have proper accommodations for the both of us," her voice was giddy with excitement. This was all part of the game, of course, and she knew her beloved was well acquainted with her own struggles just as she was with his.

They'd spent more than a few nights catching intermittent rest on the cold dirt of the Savannah or the Steppes or...

"The Falwood," a finger tapped at Amelie's chin as she took the information more seriously. She tilted her head and turned to look at the initiate as their sky-ray took off. "What do you know of the elves?"

She had her own prejudices reinforced by the world she'd grown up in but that didn't change her actual, lived, experiences. Amelie had come to read the minds of plenty of elves who'd been pompous or personally held the belief that humanity were nothing more than ants. Short lived and foolish.

Their logic made some sense, she had to admit, but she couldn't help her disdain for the knife ears. "Whatever they're hiding, we'll find it," she lay her head against Erodin's shoulder as they reached the apex of their flight.

 

[Livia Quinnick]

Elves...
Unease stirred inside her, and she gave a light shrug. "My family never really had any bother with them to care... but the Republic wishes for us to ally with them."

The truth was that any conflict with the elves made her think that death would loom above. She killed before, a few accidents when first discovering and learning her second magic, but only one kill was she told to do. It was no real celebration, no rite of passage. It was something they had needed to test at the time, if Livia had the will to kill. Ivan's words still echoed in her mind when such a memory haunted her at night.

“And you aren't a soft thing; not anymore, but you were, and unlike the rest of us you didn't spend your entire life training to be a killer.” ​

"But I know the Falwood. I have been there many times to become acquainted with it. I can... see where it is we must go." Strong imagery lingered there, recalled like a memory. She had never been that deep of the southern area of the Falwood, but her magic was strong with pinpointing where it was they needed to start.

The couple before her did not seem pressed with rushing off to cut off whoever it was they were now hunting, but the idea of resting in proper beds and in a more populated town appealed to Livia.

She looked away, dropping her gaze to her fiddling hands atop her bag. Gods, she missed Silas. It was the first time she really thought of him since telling him she needed to think about some things before being roped into a mission that took her to the negotiations... and now here.

"Is it..." Livia mumbled, pausing before clearing her throat and trying again. "Was it difficult being active Dreadlords and being attached?" The bond and trust between the Dreadlords before her did not go unnoticed, the two seemingly in tune with one another, she was almost convinced they did not need to speak aloud to anticipate each other's needs. "The Academy used to discourage relations between Initiates... but well... these days, they have stopped attempting to keep us apart."

 

[Erodin]

Erodin chortled at the thought of allying with Elves.

"Has the Republic ever stopped to think of whether they want to ally with us?" The Dreadlord asked rhetorically, of course not expecting Livia to have an answer. He'd had this debate with more than a few of his little rats.

He himself didn't care for the knife-ears one way or another. During his time as a Dreadlord he had killed more than a fair few, in truth, he'd always found them lacking.

Still he could remember how the Proctor's had vilified them, whispered of them as impossibly strong monsters that had to be exterminated. Erodin had been downright disappointed when on one of his early missions he'd encountered a detachment of their famed Rangers and had found the bunch utterly lacking.

Their souls still swam within his well, more as a memento than anything else. "Excellent."

Erodin praised as Livia said she knew where it was they would turn, offering her a brief smile before he turned his attention back to Amelie. Letting the silence linger for a brief moment before the girl asked a rather surprising question.

His head shaking as Liv spoke of the Academies new changed policies, though not choosing mockery for once as his fingers slipped between Amelie's.

"No." He said, offering the truth. "It was not easy."

The Dreadlord stared at his wife for a moment, a small smile curling at his lips as he simply enjoyed the sight of her. Eyes drawing away almost painfully as he looked to the Initiate. "Before the Revolution relationships among our kind were exceptionally complicated. There were many factors to consider you see."

He explained, the smile on his face fading for a moment.

"The Houses, as true Rulers of Vel Anir." Erodin assumed she knew the truth of that. "Had incentives to create as many Dreadlords as possible. We, after all, stood as their great backbone. It was not the Guard which kept their power in tact, it was not the soldiers or the peasantry which they turned to to quell revolts."

Erodin said the words, his eyes distant as if lost in some memory. "It was us. The Dreadlords. We were always the key to their power, and that power was something they wanted to keep."

"Some would say that meant more Dreadlords was a good thing, and as was obvious to most, the path to making more Dreadlords was pairing those that already existed." As has been done when the Dreadlord's had actually been founded. "The problem came of course, when our loyalties began to turn."

His hand slowly lifted Amelie's palm. "When we stopped being loyal to them and only to ourselves."

He mused, not speaking of his and Amelie's story exactly, but the conditions of all Dreadlords at the time."In our age, officially at least, Vel Anir forbade relationships between us for that reason. Fear."

For a moment Erodin paused, letting the sound of the wind carry over them.

"That is the key to most of their actions, Livia." He said, his story weaving to completion. "Fear."

His fingers gently squeezed Amelie's as he pointed the conversation. "They're scared of us, because deep down they know. They know without us they are nothing."

 

[Amelie]

”That’s wonderful,” she complimented with a smile as Liv indicated she could track their quarry into the elven forest. Allowing her beloved to address the republic’s sudden interest in an alliance with their neighbors to the south.

Only when Erodin had finished his speech did Amelie dare to shift. Not out of fright, or subservience, but because right at that moment she knew that a united front was important. Letting the truth that Erodin spoke permeate the young initiate’s mind before she came in with a few additional details.

Amelie pulled her husband’s hand up to her face, pressing his knuckles up against her lips in a warm and comforting embrace. ”One of us would’ve been assassinated,” she said as she pulled her lover’s hand from her face, ”had we not both been pledged to House Virak.”

There was no deception there. The relationship they had fostered was contentious enough but had they been in love while serving rival nobles it was inevitable that one of them would’ve become prey to a knife in the night or a visit from an Archon at dawn.

”You should cherish the things, and the people, you love.” Amelie looked longingly at her companion for a few distant seconds before turning her gaze towards Livia. ”Everything we do is for us,” with a shake of her head she gestured towards the general direction of Vel Anir, ”never for them.”

If Erodin hadn’t been there for her when things with her mentor went south, if Amelie hadn’t been present when they confronted that witch in the Kylethi bayou, or if either of them had faltered during the revolution, one or both of them would be dead.

It was the most vital lesson the pair could teach their temporary pupil. The great houses, the guard, the academy, none of those institutions would bother keeping them safe.

”I would die to keep him alive,” she pressed a kiss upon his cheek and then turned once more towards the girl they’d only just met, ”find this and place it before anything else.”

 

[Livia Quinnick]

What she knew of love was the love her brothers' had for her. Her own mother and father only tolerated each other enough to function as a family, but her brothers made sure Livia knew of it.

What Erodin and Amelie had, it was more than she ever saw with her parents.

Watching them both talk about what they had to navigate in order to stay together, how dearly one meant to the other. Was that the same way she felt about Silas? What he felt for her?

"The old ways... I remember hearing stories." And it had shaped in her head what it meant to be as an Initiate. It made her second guess herself, whether or not she deserved to feel the way she did for someone.

"Your love is an inspiration." Livia gave them both a half smile. "Even I could see it back in Tolven. I had to think to myself if I truly feared you both, or respected you." She liked to believe the latter was how she appeared despite the escalations the Proctor began spouting. The way that even Alistair knew not to make Livia rethink and make her fearful of the task she was to do now. "I... I can respect what you both have done and seeing your loyalty and commitment to each other. Makes me miss a boy back at the Academy."

Her cheeks turned pink, but she spoke true. Perhaps once she became a Dreadlord, things would work out better than they used to before the Revolution, and she would feel more at ease being courted.
"Thank you... for answering my question." She smiled. "I did not grow up in the Academy and had my emotions beaten out of me... but I feel some are stuck in the old ways and would tell me to forget about the boy I love."

Because Livia would kill to keep Silas alive, she would do anything to keep their love going... but she needed to tell him so. "If... it is alright, once we are in Aeura, would I be able to send a letter to him? When I left, I left things a little... in the air, but now I am certain on what to tell him. I will not disclose where we are, or what we are doing... you can read it if you would like to be sure."

 

[Erodin]

Erodin smiled as Amelie's lips pressed against his cheek and her words sank into his very soul.

Their love was the bond which kept them alive. The trust that they held in one another the reason they had survived for so long. A Dreadlord could trust no one. That was what they had been told all their lives, that was what he had believed until he had met her. Erodin had been driven before, but after he'd met Amelie life had simply found him anew.

Without her, there was nothing else in this world.

For a moment, even as Livia spoke of the love she left behind, Erodin stared only at Amelie. Losing himself in the memories they shared together, a soft smile plucking at the edge of his lips as he remembered their own affair from afar. "I will teach you a rune."

The Dreadlord mused, finally breaking his gaze from his beloved and turning to Livia once more. The smile still on his lips.

"It will be safer than a letter." He told her, granting permission and tutelage all in the same breath. Offering that hand which would take her up the first step to true power. "A man deserves to hear the woman he loves."

Erodin said as he explained drew out a piece of paper from the small satchel on his side. Stepping over towards Livia and slowly beginning to draw an intricate pattern. Amelie would recognize it, a strangely complex messenger rune. One which would listen, and then repeat what was spoken into it, though only to the person whose name was inscribed into the rune itself.

It was a thing they had created together, a way to speak when they were far apart. When the Rune was finished and the message laid within, the paper would transform and whisk itself away to the intended. Burning itself once delivered. "Only he will hear it."

The Dreadlord assured as the Sky-Ray's wings beat again. In the distance the light of their destination coming into view.

Erodin seemed not at all worried about Livia sharing her letter, mostly because he knew Amelie would flitter over the expanse of her mind to find any lie she would later tell. There was no need to warn the girl, no need to scare her. Not when kindness would better bring her to their side.