Private Tales The Minotaur and the Angel

[Jhyrann]

Cirice

"Bollocks. That can't be a fuckin' Leshy then."

"What...why?"

Jhyrran was sat cross-legged in the middle of the town hall. It was not normally good business to respond to a bounty by telling the ones posting the fee that it couldn't be real.

"Leshy stick to their territory. You haven't been spreading into those forests so they wouldn't bother you. Also you said two came at night. They don't work together."

The group looked at one another. The middle-aged half-elf who the elderly man and woman seemed to look up to was clearly annoyed.

"Jhyrran, was it?"

"Yup."

"We've lost three people in those woods. Then two...specters arrived in the night. They stored down the east wall with vines and killed half the town guard. If they're not Leshy then... Well we don't know but the silver pieces are still there."

 

[Cirice]

Cirice was no monster hunter and certainly no bounty hunter, but there was something so profoundly dark radiating from the forests she had been circling day and night for well over a week. This darkness had not been on her radar at all until now, and had put a halt in her plans to cleanse a nearby village of its impurity. Cirice was most displeased with the change in her plans. More displeased when after many days, she still could not pin the source of this forest's corruption.

She always worked alone. Even those who had been brought up in the Radiant Light were unwelcome in the presence of Cirice. None were pure enough for her to consider an equal.

She realized rather quickly that there were few options regarding this...thing going on in the forest. She'd seen the bodies from afar, half the guards dead and stray bodies popping up in the trees. She could either burn their entire forest to ash and hope somewhere, hidden in the trees, she would eliminate the darkness, or she could enter from beneath the dense leaves and find whatever lurked there.

The village adjacent to the forest was the reason she found herself in a nosedive, falling from the skies like an iridescent, burning angel. Too many innocents could burn if she was not careful. If they died, she would be no better than the monsters they feared.

With a loud thud, she landed in the grasses nearby and stormed into the town hall. "Leshy? What is this 'leshy'?" Her voice demanded answers urgently.

 

[Jhyrann]

"Look, if there's silver I'll go find whatever these things are. Just don't like being caught off guard," Jhyrran explained.

Dan'ys - at least that was what Jhyrran thought the half elf was called - still looked annoyed at having his wisdom questioned by the outsider.

With a loud thud, she landed in the grasses nearby and stormed into the town hall. "Leshy? What is this 'leshy'?" Her voice demanded answers urgently.

The three locals sat bolt upright at the commanding tone. Jhyrran glanced casually over his shoulder.

He jabbed his thumb back at the new arrival.

"Didn't know you got elves with wings down these parts so maybe I am wrong," he said with a shrug. "You all invite her?"

 

[Cirice]

"I require no invitation." Cirice scowled at the man jabbing a thumb in her direction. "There is a darkness in your land running free, tainting your lands and you are sitting here. Arguing?"

Slowly, she stepped further into the hall, flickering light illuminated her wings and revealed the iridescent shimmering of her feathers. The locals murmured in skepticism, shaking their heads at Jhyrann's question.

"Who is this? An angel come to save us?" One of them seemed to mock the blonde woman.

Her molten gaze locked onto him for a moment and the man seemed to shrink back.

"I am Cirice. Lightbringer. The Radiant Flame." Her gaze hardened with each word of introduction. "Chosen to cleanse the darkness."

She heard a scoff but ignored it, turning to Jhyrann. "I have sensed corruption spreading through these lands. It is twisted, corrupted by some force of malevolence. It is my duty to eradicate it. The creature... Leshy? What is it?"

 

[Jhyrann]

She heard a scoff but ignored it, turning to Jhyrann. "I have sensed corruption spreading through these lands. It is twisted, corrupted by some force of malevolence. It is my duty to eradicate it. The creature... Leshy? What is it?"

"We were havin' a discussion - not an argument - about the nature of the thing," Jhyrran said.

He didn't want to make matters worse with the locals. Especially when he wanted to be paid and there was a chance the 'lightbringer' wanted to do the job for free.

Jhyrran stood slowly. The floor creaked. He turned and crossed his arms over his chest. The newcomer stood barely as high as his sternum.

"Does the flying elf not know what a Leshy is?"

He unfurled his arms and pointed a finger towards the middle of her chest.

 

[Cirice]

"We were havin' a discussion - not an argument - about the nature of the thing," Jhyrran said.

"And...?" Cirice crossed her arms over her chest, a brow raised as she stared at the red-haired one. "What was the outcome of this discussion, then?" She demanded, but the man walked closer until he stood just before her.

She did not like the tone of his voice or the way he pointed at her.

"Does the flying elf not know what a Leshy is?"

Cirice smacked his hand away, hissing as she spoke. "The flying elf would not be asking questions if she knew what a Leshy was, would she?" She took one step back, fluffing her wings as she reassessed the room. The glint in his eye warned her that he did not want her there.

But there was still this darkness settling, spreading throughout the region, and they looked angry that she was willing to destroy it.

She swallowed hard, but refused to back down completely. "I am waiting. Tell me of the leshies." Another demand.

 

[Jhyrann]

She might have smacked his hand away, but his arm was a heavy column. It didn't move easily. He drew it back slowly and offered a grin full of sharp fangs.

She stepped back and rusted her wings. He had to wonder if that was a primitive defensive measure to make herself look larger. Relative to his bulk, she was going to need to stretch those wings out further.

"I am waiting. Tell me of the leshies." Another demand.

"I'm gonna tell you, but not cos you told me to," Jhyrann replied.

"Leshy is a forest spirit. Controls animals, can attack with vines and roots. Very dangerous. They're territorial. Don't normally meet one unless you wonder into it's domain. Which would be a stupid thing to do."

"Now I was just talking with these good people and suggested - politely of course - that this might mean the Leshy is being driven by something worse. I can look into it."

Jhyrann stepped closer again, into and over her personal space. His voice dropped to a whisper and spoke only to her.

"What's the angle? I'll split the silver, but I get the bigger share. Cos I was here first and cos I'm bigger."

It was easier to cut a deal than escalate the situation. One Leshy was dangerous. Two and something worse behind them was possibly more than he could take on.

 

[Cirice]

A forest spirit? Cirice stared at him as he spoke. Her face was blank, if not for the slight twitch of her lips in annoyance. She glanced around, taking in the room more clearly for the first time since she burst in on their little meeting. The forest was dark, tainted so heavily by whatever it was. But the room held something similar, as if the very ground this town was built on held that same energy...albeit to a lesser degree.

Perhaps it was all very angry.

He stepped toward her and though she wished to extend that distance once again, she only leaned backward to look up at him. "Silver?" She raised a brow. "You can take all of the silver if that is why you come."

She would never accept money in exchange for her services. It was an inconvenience to her, and not something she wished to weigh herself down with. "How long has this town been here? Tell me the history of it." She demanded, turning back towards the ones who seemed to be in charge. She opened the distance between herself and the big fella once again, eager to get him away from her wings.

 

[Jhyrann]

Jhyrann brought his hand flat to his face. He dragged it down as he let out a low sigh. Whilst he wouldn't hold her good intentions against her, he doubted she had considered that she was putting him out of a job with this course of action.

He was trapped. He could ask for coin but they had someone offering to do the job for free. He could walk away, but that risked his reputation. One that he was still trying to build.

Jhyrann composed himself and turned slowly. The elf was strangely dressed. Had quite the remarkable arse on her too. At least he could watch that whilst he was fighting for his life against a leshy.

"Alright, food, lodgings and a few flaggons of ale and I'll still help. Long as you tell folk Jhyrann was part of this."



The town elder smiled. Now he had two warriors for a tenth of the cost. He'd never thought to start a bidding war. Later he would tell everyone it was part of the plan.

He gave a thorough explanation of the town history. Of how Kridan became Crinnan over fifty years. He spoke more at length on the town elders that had come before too, but was rudely interrupted by Jhyrack.

"A leshy is tethered to a place," he agreed. "But if they haven't been in this town for fifty years then it's not here. Somewhere deep in. The woods. Something is driving them this way," the ogre insisted.

"And they'll come again," the elder said, shaking his head for the interruption. "Maybe even tonight."