Private Tales The Mountains Ahead

[Kasim Areth]

"Has to be female." He confirmed as he looked over the crossbow.

It was not a weapon that he was familiar with, but it would come in handy at some point he knew. His fingers shifted over it, not entirely comfortable with even handling the thing.

His father had always stressed sword and magic, never anything else.

"It's the only way to really replicate the right...look" He didn't know how else to say it. "Otherwise it wouldn't really hold up to closer inspection."

Of course there might have been a way to do it, but Kasim didn't quite know. He was a Rune Mage, but hardly a master of the craft to his core. There were many masters, but he was just an amateur compared to them. " You can stay here and wait. Might be... Sneaker if it's just one of us."

Perhaps she could get the other ingredients.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana gave a small nod of her head in understanding after Kasim reaffirmed that the corpse would need to be female in order to work properly. It felt wrong to send the jester off to dig up a body for her, so she was reluctant to let him go off on his own. What if they hadn't dealt with all the assassins? What if someone else came after them while they were apart?

She pursed her lips in thought, glancing down at her mud and blood covered boots as her brow knitted slightly together in the darkness.

"Is it wise for the two of us to split up?" She asked him in a soft voice, brushing her thumb over the medallion that she was still holding in her palm.

 

[Kasim Areth]

At this point Kasim wasn't entirely sure if there even was a wise decision to be made here.

They'd killed people, people who had tried to attack them first, but they'd still killed them. He was not sure what the law here was, but he knew that if anyone had seen them they would at the very least be held for questioning.

Kasim guessed that no one had seen them, but he had left bodies behind in the streets and they would surely be discovered in the morning. Whatever they were going to do they had to do it fast. "I don't know."

He told her truthfully.

"But if were going to do this we need to do it fast." Otherwise they'd be staring at the inside of a jail cell.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

If Kasim wasn't absolutely certain about them splitting up, then she was hesitant to risk it.

She would simply have to hide her aversion for a little while longer and put on a strong face. It would be like wearing the mask at court. Don't let him see that it bothers you.

For some reason, she felt as if this was something she needed to hide from Kasim. It would be harder for him to work quickly, if he was concerned about upsetting her further. There was a task that needed doing and she couldn't let herself be squeamishness deter her from doing what was necessary.

"You said that you're going to need about... a pint of my blood. We'll need somewhere safe for me to do that. I'm not sure I'll be able to stay conscious after..." Her voice trailed off and she looked down at her blood soaked clothes and arms. She knew that she looked grisly.

"Let's... see if we can find an abandoned temple or cabin near this graveyard. We don't have a lot of time. Why don't you take Kiovec with you, and he can lead you back to me, wherever I end up." She murmured, meeting Kasim's golden gaze.

"And are there any other ingredients that you'll need me to gather while you're... getting the bones we'll need?"

 

[Kasim Areth]

He considered for a moment. "I'll have to make a list."

This wasn't going to be easy. He barely remembered the base rune on it's own, everything else that went with it...well it was more interesting from there.

Oddly enough nerves started to chew at his stomach. It was funny. Murder, mayhem, and even blood magic wasn't that big of a deal, but this? This was something else entirely. He knew that he had to do it well, knew that he had to make sure everything went right.

If not?

Then the woman he loved would be in danger.

There was no masking that fact, no hiding it in the least. The success of this either meant Aviana would stop having these assassins coming after her or they would come two fold. There was no allowance for mistakes, not when everything rode on the end of this.

"Let's do it quickly." He said quietly. "Before dawn."

That wasn't part of the spell, he just didn't want to get caught.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Trying to get this task done before dawn left them with precious little time. Aviana gave a single nod to Kasim, reaching down to gently take his hand in her own, squeezing gently to reassure him. She might have been weak, but she wanted to put his worries at ease.

She took a breath and glanced to Kiovec who prowled nearby. "Stay with Kasim, keep him safe." She said quietly to the dragonling, who seemed to nod his head as if he'd understood her request.

Her pale blue gaze flicked back to Kasim and she gave a strained smile.

"I'll grab what's on the list and find a place to hide until you're ready to finish this." She squeezed his hand once more, biting at her bottom lip.

"Please. Be careful."

 

[Kasim Areth]

"I'll be as careful as I can." It was a promise that he intended to keep.

A smile touched his face for a brief moment.

There was no way that he was going to mess any of this up. If they didn't get away with this things in Minaris could become very...complicated. Then again, if they did get away with it there could be complications too.

"Here." Kasim said as he pulled out a small scroll of paper and began to scribble a short list of ingredients. "This is what I'll need."

There was worry tinged in his tone. "Find somewhere safe...okay?"

He didn't want her harmed.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana smiled back to Kasim and then she stepped close, kissing the jester lightly on the cheek. It was a simple gesture, but one that helped soothe her own nerves as much as his.

She took the rolled scroll from him and carefully tucked it away inside her tunic. Her fingers tenderly trailed along jawline as she stepped back from him.

As much as she didn't want to leave him, she knew that they were already running short on time. The woman took a small breath and then she gave a single nod.

"I'll see you soon, Kas." She whispered, then quickly turned to head off into the forest.


After putting some distance between herself and the clearing, Aviana pulled the scroll back out and quietly read over the list of ingredients. She spent her time tracking down the herbs that were necessary for the spell. It took her some time to find everything on the list, given the weakened state that she was in.

By the time she found a suitable abandoned building, it was well into the early morning dark. It was a decrepit temple, the wooden floor half rotten from exposure to the elements. Part of the roof had collapsed and a tree had taken root beneath the opening that had been left behind.

She took the time to clean up the part of the building that was still standing, so that Kasim would have an area to work in once he found her. She set a small bucket down in a corner, knowing that Kasim would need a place to store the blood he would use for the rune.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Digging up a corpse was...not easy.

Not really pleasant either. The business was a dirty one, and in truth he would rather not have done. Kiovic watched over him the entire time, but in truth it did not help lift any of the Jester's unease. He did not carry any superstitions about ghosts or the like, but there was something...wrong about disturbing the dead.

He was no necromancer, had never been and never wanted to be. This whole thing was out of necessity, not because he was experimenting, not because he was going against the gods.

Not because of hubris.

Kasim wanted to keep the woman he loved alive, nothing more. This was for Aviana, not because he wanted to push his magical limits. Not because...the Well whispered in his mind...no...not because of that.

A frown touched his face, lips thinning as he walked behind the dragon.

The digging was done, he carried the corpse, but oddly enough he could not remember digging it up. The Jester thought he must have blocked it out, the memory too upsetting in a way. He thought nothing of it, just pressed on.

He had to protect her.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana did her best to wash up with water she'd drawn up from the dilapidated well around the back of the small temple. The courtyard in which the well was located was still mostly sheltered with crumbling stone walls that stood taller than Aviana. A portion of the east wall had collapsed outright, but that simply led out into an open meadow behind the temple.

Seeing just how much blood covered her body and clothes was startling, and when she caught sight of her reflection in the bucket, she'd nearly dropped the container from shock -- she'd barely recognized herself in the shimmering surface the water.

The night had been a long one, already it had taken a toll on her... and yet, it was far from over.

With nothing to do but press on, Aviana finished washing off what grime she could from her features, though no matter what she tried she couldn't get the stains out of her pale hair. When she ran her fingers through her locks, she felt that the two bumps on her scalp ruptured. The skin was tender to the touch, but that wasn't what left her unsettled -- it was the pair of hardened shards that now protruded from her skull. In the darkness, she couldn't see just what they were in her wavering reflection... but to the touch it felt like bone.

What is happening to me? She asked herself, too afraid of what the answer might be to actually ask the question out loud.

Just as she was reaching up to push her hair further out of the way to get a better look, she felt the familiar presence of Kiovec approaching. The closer in proximity she was to the dragon, the more powerful the magic within her felt, she realized. Whatever had happened to her beneath the Spine, she knew that she'd been bound to the creature in some way. What she couldn't determine was if the dragon had awoken some dormant part of her... or altered her entirely.

Shaking off her uncertainties, she tossed the water into the overgrown garden nearby and set the bucket down on the side of the well.

Kasim would be waiting inside, and she knew that he'd been through far worse than she had.

She was worried about him.

Was it right for her to let so much of this fall onto his shoulders? No, it wasn't. She knew the answer to that, but he insisted on taking so much of this burden for her. He had made it perfectly clear, however, that his actions were of his own volition, that he wanted to help her, to protect her.

The dichotomy of the conflicting emotions was profound. She didn't want him to venture down such a perilous path with her... but she couldn't deny the warmth she felt in her chest knowing that he wanted to stay by her side.

He's a grown man. He can make his own decisions.

She reminded herself, ducking into the temple from the back entrance which was partially collapsed.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim was already in the Templar, his lips thinned as he stared down at the half decomposed body of a young woman.

Digging her up hadn't been easy, taking her body...that had been harder. Kiovec had kept watch well enough, but there was still something profoundly wrong about her.

He was sure that father would have admonished him for his weakness. This was something that had to be done, and the dead rarely haunted those who had true meaning for disturbing them. His stomach sank for a moment, a thought of this poor womans spirit rising up suddenly splintering in his mind.

No. He thought to himself. That's not how that works.

Kasim had spent time with the Anirian Templars, and although their ways had been strict, he'd learned quite a bit from them about the undead.

Just as the thoughts swirled in his mind Kasim heard a footstep, his head immediately swiveling to catch sight of Aviana. Before she could come too close the Jester pulled a white sheet over the body, hiding the desicated corpse from her view.

She didn't need to see it.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Even if Kasim tried to hide the body from her, she could still see the misshapen form beneath the white sheet. It gave her pause and she froze on the spot beneath the crumbling door way.

She felt her heart lodge itself firmly in her throat, stomach twisting into painful knots. Her body was hot and she found it next to impossible to draw a breath.

A hand reached out to brace against the stone wall, feeling as though her knees were going to collapse beneath her.

Kiovec picked up his head from the corner where he was curled up, looking over to Aviana with what could only pass as a concerned expression.

This was wrong.

Using the dead for her own benefit.

Eventually, she managed to catch her breath and she took another step further into the temple.

"Kasim..." She whispered his name softly, her will faltering.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim stepped forward. He didn't like doing this, it hailed more towards something that his sister would try. She would of course just use the family magic to twist things...actual necromancy, but that wasn't an option. Elise was cruel, Kasim was as far from it as one could get.

At least he liked to think so. "Aviana."

There was compassion in his tone. Both for the girl that he had dug up, and for Aviana for putting her into this situation. The Jester didn't like it, but he would carry through with it.

"We should do this quickly." He said softly. "Before dawn."

It was a repetition of what he'd said before, but this time he was more trying to push himself forward than her.

Something that was telling by how he approached, and then softly embraced her.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

She took a soft breath as his arms wrapped around her form, resting her forehead against his chest. His warm embrace was comforting, soothing the worries that she was struggling so much with.

"Right... what do you need me to do?" She asked him, pulling at her bottom lip with her teeth.

This entire process was foreign to her and it frightened her, if she was being honest with herself.

 

[Kasim Areth]

"Just need your blood." Everything else he would have to do himself.

He had taught Aviana a little about the Runes, but this wasn't exactly something that an amateur could take part in. One wrong line and they could both end up...well, it was best to leave that detail unsaid. Especially right now when they were both walking on the edge already.

"Then you can just sit back." Kasim assured her. "I'll take care of the rest."

Hopefully. "Then...then we'll have what we need."

Though just what she was planning to do with it he still wasn't entirely sure.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Aviana shivered gently in his arms, not wanting to force him into this horrid situation. Why couldn't she just do this on her own? She took a step back and then nodded.

"Right. Let's get this over with... there's still more to do." She said quietly, then padded over to the corner where she'd laid out the needed ingredients and the empty bucket.

She lowered herself onto the ground and rolled up her sleeve, drawing her short sword a moment later. The sharp blade was pressed against her soft flesh at the inside of her wrist. As the blade bit into her skin, Aviana winced and made the incision a few inches up along her arm.

Red blood welled from the wound and then started to flow. She held her arm over the bucket, letting the blood collect inside it.

On the other side of the room, the young dragon made a small noise of concern and took a few steps forward.

"It's alright, Kiovec. Just lay down and relax." Aviana said as comfortingly as she could muster through clenched teeth.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Kasim nodded, watching in silence for a moment as he closed his eyes and pulled a small pen free from his sleeve.

His next action likely appeared slightly silly, but in three quick lines he drew a symbol upon his own forehead. There was a lull, and then slowly the lines began to glow. An expression of pure consternation drew across Kasim's feature, then suddenly his eyes popped open.

The iris of his eyes had turned near complete white, only the small pinprick of a pupil remaining within his gaze. For a moment he stayed still, and then he began to work.

All concept of time fell away from the Jester, and he simply did acted on everything the Rune on his forehead reminded him to do. The small mark was one of memory, drawing forth a particular day or lesson and allowing him a piece of his mind that had would ordinarily have been forgotten.

He worked quickly, but diligently. Aviana's blood and the other ingredients were taken, and then mixed. Once the concoction was created the Jester began to draw upon the corpse.

Whether flesh or bone it did not matter, he simply drew.

Intricate lines met and crossed one another, pulling across one side and then jutting out at odd angles. He marked the body, every inch, every surface, until finally the last line was complete. Then, slowly, he took a single step back. The color in his eyes returned as he reached up and wiped away the mark of his head.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

While Kasim etched the intricate rune over the dead woman's corpse, Aviana let her weight come to rest against the wall behind her and curled up in the small corner. She felt light headed and the temple seemed to tilt wildly around her, as if she was drunk. Her body shivered from the cold, even though it was a rather balmy night -- bloodloss had taken its toll on her.

There were no words uttered between them for some time, both too exhausted and mentally drained from the arduous night.

Her eyes slowly opened when she realized that Kasim had finished his work, licking her parched lips.

The jester was positioned between herself and the body, making it difficult for her to get a glimpse of his work. Though she could see the strands of silver curls splayed across the floor behind him, that looked eerily like her own locks.

She shuddered at the sight and quickly averted her eyes to meet Kasim's gaze. There was something unsettling about seeing yourself dead on the floor.

With a quiet sigh, she pulled the pendant from around her neck and then handed it to Kasim.

"Now we just... need to find the man that hired the assassins. If you need to rest first... we can." She said softly.

 

[Kasim Areth]

Rune Magic as a matter of principal did not take much energy from the user unless the Rune was cast upon themselves. That being said, digging up a corpse, bringing it back here, and then drawing that intricate Rune had been rather tiresome.

Without a word Kasim plopped himself down onto the ground, fingers interlacing with one another as he let out a long and sputtering sigh. His muscles ached, his head hurt, and there was an odd feeling in his left eye. A frown touched his lips, head shaking.

"Don't need to find him." A yawn escaped him.

"He needs to see you dead." Of course that would sound rather silly, but he slowly explained himself further. "Whatever Assassin hired those thugs just needs to believe your dead. See this body."

It was proof. "That can be accomplished easy enough."

With some acting on his part.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

Her brow furrowed slightly at Kasim's cryptic response.

She wasn't quite sure what he was intending to do. Initially, she'd planned on dealing with the Minrasan man herself and handing the corpse over to him; but from the way Kasim was talking... it sounded as if he had another idea in mind.

Quietly, she changed the bandage on her arm, using that small task as an excuse to gather her thoughts.

"It sounds as though you have something in mind to accomplish that?"

 

[Kasim Areth]

He smirked at her. "A little bit of acting."

Kasim said as he leaned back against a stone pillar.

"Some tears." His hand ran through his hair. "Lamenting and cursing at the gods that supposedly watch over us."

The Jester had never played the mourning lover, but he imagined it was like a dozen other parts that could be found upon a stage. The deception would be easy enough to pull off, especially when he had the corpse of the woman that he was supposed to be mourning alongside him.

He glanced at her. "I just have to act as though the assassins were successful, bring...the body into town. I'm sure they'll be watching the village."

 

[Aviana Sabel]

A fleeting frown passed over Aviana's features as Kasim explained his idea. It was certainly a safer route than the scheme she'd been ruminating on for the past few hours... but she worried about placing that much of a burden onto the jester's shoulders. He'd already done so much for her.

Her eyes wandered over to the dragonling who was curled up in a nearby corner, resting peacefully. She understood just how significant the creature's very existence was to her people, but the implications also frightened her.

For a short while, she fell into silence as she mulled over the possibilities for what the future held. Was this... faction aware that Kiovec had hatched? Would they come after him as a means to legitimize whatever plan they had in mind? Did they even care about the legends?

"Mmm... it's dangerous, but I'm not sure we have much more of a choice." She took a breath and closed her eyes, resting her head against the stone wall behind her.

"Should I just hide here and wait? I... hate feeling so useless."

 

[Kasim Areth]

He nodded. "It's best you wait here."

Kasim said the words with no small amount of sympathy. He knew that if the situation was reversed he probably wouldn't have even offered to stay behind but would instead insist on going with her and doing his best to hide himself.

Not that she would approve of course.

"I'll take care of it quick as I can." Kasim assured her, slowly taking steps to move in front of her. The back of his fingers brushed over her cheek. "If this works it will be a weight off us."

For a little while at least. "I just have to sell it."

Good thing he had a knack for acting and grandeur.

 

[Aviana Sabel]

She took a soft breath as his fingers brushed across her cheek, closing her eyes and naturally turning her head into the delicate touch. It was soothing to her nerves, but didn't abolish the anxiety of what was to come.

Slowly, she opened her eyes to meet his golden gaze. It was impossible for her not to smile when she looked up into his eyes.

"Just be careful. If you see anything... dangerous, don't try to play the hero. Come back and get me, okay?" She murmured in a low voice.

No matter how much the jester insisted he wasn't the hero type, he was always dashing off to the rescue in one way or another. She couldn't deny that she appreciated his help and gallantry... but she also worried that he would get hurt.

"I don't doubt your capabilities, I just don't want to risk us getting separated or something." She expanded her original sentiment, not wanting him to think she was questioning his ability to put on a show.

 

[Kasim Areth]

For a moment he stayed quiet.

Kasim still did not see himself as a hero. He wouldn't risk his life for an orphanage on fire, he wouldn't risk his life for someone else...well...almost. Lips thinned, and a slow realization dawned on him, one that made him question just what he'd been doing with himself.

The story in his head did not match his actions. The face he presented was no longer who he was. Not a Bard, not a wandering Jester.

Something else now.

Something else since he had met her.

Kasim opened his mouth for a moment as though a thought was about to spill from him, then he simply grabbed Aviana by the back of her neck and pulled her into a passionate kiss.

The time for talk was over.