Private Tales The Tragedy to Exist

[Avery]

"I think Vincent ran. Too scared to return to the Academy... Why else would we be out here looking for him?" Avery shivered, arms holding herself as she walked the forest that was at the rear of the Dreadlord Academy. The cold this time of night was piercing; a wind that battered against herself and Naser as they fought on forward on their trek. "I mean, who can blame him? Larrainth and D'Amour basically belittled him to tiny pieces. His face was... Kress! It is cold!" The girl lamented.

There was no fresh snow on the ground, but Avery half expected it to fall any moment while they were out.

She had thought perhaps conversation would distract her from her own body freezing, but all she could think was how much longer they had to search before having to turn back. There were other Initiates searching too, but covering terrain miles apart to ensure all areas would be searched. Earlier, she thought she had heard someone call out Vincent's name, but it had been buried underneath the wailing winds.

Avery turned her to peer behind her, frowning slightly at Nas. "You're awfully quiet."

 

[Naser]

Naser was barely listening to Avery. Her voice was pretty enough, but it was difficult to listen when he already knew every word that she was going to say. The odd reverberating echo he heard as she spoke seeming even louder in silence of the winter night.

"I was getting lost in your voice." The Initiate lied, striding passed Avery as the barely hidden sarcasm passed through his lips.

"Vincent will be fine." The landscape around the old castle wasn't dangerous, a fact Nas knew from his own attempts at running away. It was the Proctors chasing you down that had presented the danger. Vincent was probably holed up in some cave somewhere. "I keep telling him he should just crack Vitt one in the face."

Nas shrugged, clearly uninterested in the actual search. "She needs a broken nose every once in a while."

He said, a howl echoing in the distance.

 

[Avery]

Avery rolled her eyes. It was just like Nas to say such a thing to her, especially when she was younger she liked to think he held interest, but now that they were older, she could spot the emptiness to such pretty words.

"I hear Marcia managed to break her nose. Wouldn't know that seeing Vittoria now, but that only goes to show how truly remarkable Proctor Urahil's healing is." And when such a rumour had spread, Avery had wished she had been there to see the aforementioned Proctor escorting the two troublesome Initiates away for a lecture. She had heard it from Initiate Argante, not believing it at first. "But my money would not be in Vince. He's too... what's the word?"

She scrunched her face, trying to claw her way for the word in her mind.

 

[Naser]

"Soft." That was what they had always said before the Republic came along. That was more than five years ago now, and in truth he couldn't have been more thankful for the changes. When the Academy had first taken him life had been nearly as bad as it had been with the 'Robber.

Though at least they'd always fed him. "Didn't say it should be a fair fight."

Vincent might not have been the best in a one on one, but his magic made him an absolute master of stealth. Bending light might have seemed useless to someone, but when done right he could camouflage nearly anything.

Exactly why everyone would have a bitch of a time finding him.

As they walked, Avery's earlier thoughts came true. Small flecks of snow slowly beginnings to fall.

"Winters going to be cold." Nas said with a frown, not entirely sure how he knew that. Even though it was fact. "Almost makes you eager for all that shit out west, eh?"

He said with a rueful glance at his companion.

 

[Avery]

Avery grimaced. It deepened, although she wasn't sure if it was from the sudden presence of snow fall or the thought of what was happening in the West. "I don't mind the cold. But that's because I can keep myself warm." And others, but Avery learned years ago not to make mention of her magic too much. Others would begin to wonder just how manipulative she could be if she reminded them all that she had potential of making them do things without their say so. "Although I believe every Anirian should prepare to face every facet of weather. Personal growth and all that."

Even without the ability to see Vincent, Avery knew the Proctors paired herself and Nas for their magic. With one able to glimpse the near future and the other able to hunt on the sense of heartbeats, there was no excuse for them to not find someone out here.

"I think this trail takes us up to the training gauntlets. You don't think Vince would have fancied going up here, do you?"

 

[Naser]

He rolled his eyes at the generic Anirian answer. She might as well have been quoting a textbook. "Yeah."

Lying had always come easy to him.

"Probably." Nas had absolutely no idea if Vince would go up there, but he knew there were buildings with underflow heating. Some sort of dwarven system that the Academy had put in so training could be done barefoot even in winter.

Fancy shit, had to be indoors though, and that meant getting out of the cold. "Lets go check it out."

He said, already heading in that direction.

 

[Avery]

Avery had been about to speak about how obvious of a hiding place the buildings up that way would be, but of course, it need not be said when anyone could not be faulted for wanting out from this chill.

A brutal gust slammed against them, and Avery pulled her scarf over her nose to battle against it, rendering her silent for some time until the wind could no longer barrage the pair.

It took some long minutes, but as soon as they reached the first of the buildings scattered along this route, Avery slipped in and breathed a loud sigh of relief, unwinding her scarf from her face and neck. "Couldn't he have sulked off in the spring time?" Came her equally loud complaint.

At least this room held some warmth. Avery did not shed her layers just yet, wandering to the sconces on the closest wall and using college magic to light up the room. "Well, he isn't here... but perhaps we earned a break."

 

[Naser]

Nas breathed a small sigh of relief. He had always hated the cold. When the 'Robber still had him the Winter had always been the worst. None of the Tombs had any sort of insulation, and he and the other boys had never gotten any of the blankets.

He'd often tried to steal them from the manors, but damn things were always bulky and fluffed up. "Course we did."

The former Thief said as they stepped inside, rubbing his fingers together. He wish he'd taken new gloves instead of the ones he'd had with holes in him. For some reason he'd been loathe to give them up. One of the few things left from before the Academy.

"Though." He frowned. "Stop."

Nas warned Avery, hopefully preventing her from stepping into a trail of blood. The scent of iron heavy in the air.

 

[Avery]

Avery's eyes saw the glimpse of his gloves, the holes that wouldn't keep much heat to keep himself warm. She had been about to step forward, not looking where she went as her focus was on him over her shoulder. The girl had been about to offer helping him warm up with her magic, perhaps the first nice thing she would offer to the likes of Naser, but his voice startled her.

Her foot came down, slipping on the slick surface and Avery fell forward.

She wheezed, taking in a breath and stilling at the familiar scent of blood.

"Oh no..." Avery breathed softly, terrified to bring her gaze up to follow the trail. Her gloves became saturated with the blood, seeping through the fibers and as soon as she could move, the girl scrambled backwards with fear.

"Oh, Kress! Please don't be a dead body! Please don't be Vincent!"

 

[Naser]

Nas took slow, careful steps towards the trail of blood. He stopped just short of the corner, where he knew the body was laying. "It's not."

He said with a frown.

"But, I think it might be one of the keepers." Though the Proctors ran the Academy, the forest and the Castle grounds were massive. Groundskeepers roamed everywhere, holding the same authority as any Proctor when it came to Initiates. Though many of them had no magic.

Still, they could order Nas and Avery around if they wanted too, and many did just so they didn't have to do more work themselves. "Don't know him."

There were many hundreds more Keepers than Proctors.

"Looks like he was...clawed...to death." Nas noted as he finally turned the corner, eyes flickering over the body. Not needing to step any closer as he saw the possibilities and what suggestion might hold truth.

 

[Avery]

She could at least breath some relief to hearing that it indeed was not the Initiate they were looking for, but the matter of a dead body nearby and Avery having slipped into their cold blood did not sit well with her. As much as she wanted to stick her head outside to breath in fresh air, it was Nas' further investigations that drew her to follow him.

"Kress." It was her first instinct to shut her eyes, but the scene before her was imprinted to the backs of her eyelids. Unable to escape the picture, she drew her gaze upward and let loose a heavy breath. "Looks like something Vittoria would do, but murder is outlawed to Initiates these days." And she knew that Initiate Larrainth followed rules like a stickler.

In order to busy herself, she wandered around the room to see if there were anything else of note.

She slowed, looking down at herself. "The blood... isn't that cold. I mean to say... it is rather warm despite the chill outside." Had this happened in the last hour or so? The blood was not dry either...

 

[Naser]

He frowned for a brief moment. "She'd leave less behind."

Whatever had done this hadn't been interested in eating the man, that much Nas was able to tell. His lips thinned for a brief moment, and he considered doing what he had done with Marcia.

Peering into the past was more difficult, sometimes it made him want to vomit, not to mention he'd probably pass out. Briefly Nas looked up at Avery, then back to the body. No, he didn't want to explain all of that to her. There were other ways to figure this out.

"You know." Nas frowned, then turned his head prematurely. "That does mean whatever did this is likely still in here."

Almost as if on cue, as if Nas had known the sound would come, something crashed loudly down the hall. Echoing with a thunder as though someone, or something, had knocked down a shelf. Nas instantly drew the odd dagger-like sword from his back. The metal seeming to shift in color as it flickered free.

 

[Avery]

"What the fuck was that?"

True fear let out the curses from her, and Avery's heart was near in her throat by the way it was beating so hard. She saw Nas in her peripherals go for his weapon, prompting her to remove the bow from over her should and nock an arrow, pointed for where her classmate was staring down.

"Kress, now I hope that was a squirrel."

So sure of a shot she was, Avery still felt as if she may in turn loose too quickly. "Tell me when to loose." She breathed, knowing Nas' sight to the moments before the future caught up would be a better indicator of not putting an arrow through an innocent, or worse, Vincent.

 

[Naser]

His eyes flickered white, pupils and Iris' disappearing in an instant.

For a moment he did not answer Avery, remaining quiet as he peered down the hall. A thousand different possibilities played out before him, most of them nothing but serene quiet. Then he saw one, one that was most likely. "Run."

The word came so quickly, so sure of itself that it was difficult to resist the command.

Nas was already turning by the time it slipped from his lips. His boot striking the ground just as a mass of flesh and fur suddenly broke into the hallway from one of it's turns. The monster breaking out and knocking over a dozen shelves as it clattered into view.

A vicious roar echoing from it's lips before it darted forward and charged the two Initiates.

 

[Avery]

Her heart leapt to an unknown location.

Nas had said something she did not expect, and by the time her own back turned, she screamed at the sound of shelves falling, and the most ear splitting roar that struck true fear throughout her.

Her boots slipped on the blood, threatening to swallow her up again, but Avery's whimper was the only sound she made as she righted herself and followed after Nas. Their exit was within view, the door slightly ajar and the cold whipping whatever wind it could to beckon them to the cold outside.

Outside, they may have a chance.

Avery's hand moved, and Nas would feel warmth throughout despite the biting wind that found it's way to them. The same sensation went through her when she performed her own magic upon herself, eliminating the risk of being slowed down due to the cold snapping into their bones by the time they would reach outside.

If they could make it there.

 

[Naser]

Nas had always been fast. The 'Robber had thought so, the Proctors had thought so, even the other Initiate's remarked on it.

With a magic like his it was easy being fast. Seeing what someone would do next was good, but you had to be quick enough to actually take advantage of that. Nas had learned the lesson early on, even before he'd come to the Academy.

Running down this hallway now things seemed slow.

But for some reason he didn't want to leave Avery.

A part of him, some small part, would have felt bad leaving her for dead. Especially as a sudden odd warmth spread through him, the cold air washing away as heat bloomed. The sensation was an odd one, as though arms had wrapped around him from within.

His heart thundered in his chest, and as they suddenly broke outside, Nas immediately turned around. Fingers reached for the handle of the door, slamming it shut. The gauntlet around his arm suddenly shifted, the metal slipping from his wrist and into his palm. It forged a singular rod of steel, shining in it's odd light as he shifted his grip and jammed the metal into the door itself, sealing it shut.

A second there was a shuttering thud as the beast beyond crashed into the door. "What in the fuck is that."

Nas said, taking a few steps back, pushing Avery with him.

 

[Avery]

Her hands came up to his shoulder as she backed up into her, her fingers clutching at him to keep herself from falling as she then shifted back so that they both could put distance between themselves and the door in which kept shuddering under the weight of the beast within.

"Horrid, horrid, thing..." She jumped, almost sure that the door would collapse and finally release the beast. "We are going to run, right? We cannot stay here..."

Avery threw her bow back over her head and settled it at her shoulder, her hands completely free now to pull Nas with her back into the tree cover outside the clearing. "We have to warn someone. Something like that should not exist so close to the Academy. It is a danger, and for now... what was that thing you used?"

 

[Naser]

After what seemed like a solid minute, the thudding stopped. The beasts hammering at the door finally stopping as it seemed to realize it would not be breaking through. For a moment more it seemed to linger, sniffing at the the bent steel. Then the sound of it's steps echoing away could be heard in the falling snow.

"What?" Nas said as he looked back towards Avery.

His fingers seemed to snap open, the piece of metal he'd jammed in the door suddenly warping and then jumping back into his palm. Slithering up his arm seconds later. "What was that thing back there?"

A poor interpretation of her words, but the beast had been loud. "Some kind of...werecreature, I think."

Not a werewolf. No, bigger but...mangier? Nas didn't like the look of it, Avery was right, they definitely had to warn someone. Quickly. Whatever that thing was danger easily described it. His own vision had been strangely clouded around it, as though magic had been pushed away and disturbed around its form.

"Avery." Nas said as he found himself pulled away into the forest. "Did you uhh...make us warm?"

He asked, redirecting the focus away from him.

 

[Avery]

Her thoughts had been scattered, her words even more forgettable as she did not let her questions sink in enough that she had not realised Nas had changed the subject.

She looked at him, perhaps a deer caught in the woods with how wide her eyes became, her body poised to keep running at any moment. "I... yes, I did." Avery bit on her bottom lips, chewing at it nervously. "I thought we could run faster if we are warm, and I certainly am not going to drag you through this cold if you freeze and fall."

Avery was quick to worry. Her eyes went back to the door that no longer sounded as if it would come apart under such thrown force. "Well a werecreature is not something I want to fight right now." She had to squash her fretting, turning her expression to something stern and forced as she shoved Nas forward gently to get him moving again. "Say thank you. Let's not make a big deal out of me using magic on you, alright?"

Because she had only been told to use it as a weapon, not to help.

 

[Naser]

"Thanks." Nas said quietly, frowning and then feeling...guilt? That he had shifted the conversation so easily.

It was not a trick that was taught at the Academy. Conversation skills weren't exactly important to the Proctor's, but the 'Robber had always made sure his kids could talk their way out of anything. It was easier than breaking out of jail.

But as he'd turned the conversation, Avery had been honest, and he...

Fuck, why did he care? If the Revolution hadn't happened Avery would probably taking this as an opportunity to stop his heart. Not that she was one of the bad ones, but that's how it had been. That's how they'd all been because of the Proctors.

Grinding his teeth, Nas opened his mouth before he really thought. "It's something I stole from Altara."

He said suddenly, pushing up his sleeve to reveal the bracer.

"I don't know what it is, some kind of metal...It changes." Nas sent that odd pulse through his thoughts, and in an instant the bracer shifted. Warping itself into a blade as it flowed from his wrist and into his palm. "I just...I don't want the Proctors to know."

Nas finished, grimacing.

 

[Avery]

Avery glanced at the metal, unable to keep her eyes from the strangeness of it, or how Nas had acquired it. Begrudgingly, as they walked towards the trees, she asked. "From that armoury room? I'm amazed you stole it despite Marcia's warning."

But she shouldn't be surprised either that Nas was able to do so. She always figured he was faster, and not in the way of seeing the few moments in the future, but reflexes. He had demonstrated that back in that hut...

"I won't tell the Proctors." She murmured after a while, passing the towering oaks and following the path between trees. Avery was quiet, thoughts running and worrying about his trust in revealing that. Should she share something like he had?

The thought alone stressed her.

"I don't rat out people..." Avery added. "Purely because I wouldn't want to face anyone's ire."

He would have noticed how Avery was never the centre of attention. How she would hide in the background and preferred to be quiet during class.

But it had been Kael that brought out her curiosity for conversation. A friend, after so many years, only jow did she feel left out from making new connections... but Vittoria had been right. A friend was a weakness, a reason for exploitation.

Avery didn't like to be weak.

 

[Naser]

A shrug rolled over his shoulders as Avery spoke. "I usually just listen to my own warnings."

Though, he really should have listened to Marcia on that one.

Not that he'd ever admit to her, or anyone else for that matter.

"Thanks." Nas said as she told him her intentions. A small flicker of relief drawing through his chest that he wouldn't have to explain the strange metal to any of the Proctors. They would probably try to take it from him.

A small pulse went through his arm again, and the blade in his hand began to melt. Within the span of just a few seconds the metal flowed up his arm and once again presented itself as little more than a steel bracer tucked beneath his sleeve. "That thing is going to come after us."

Nas said with a frown as they continued, reaching a slight hill and drawing the conversation back to whatever that werebeast had been.

"We should head back, warn the others." And not put themselves in any more danger. "Besides, I'm pretty sure it killed Vincent by now anyway."

Probably.

 

[Avery]

Her heart sank.

The numbers in their class had been on the decline in these recent months, and none of which were by the hands of an Initiate. It only showed them all how dangerous it was to be out there in the world, that Death claimed whoever they wished, no matter how.

"You're right." But turning back to where they came from meant passing that creature again, and Avery didn't want to be anywhere near it. "Let's circle round, give it a wide berth and head back."

The cold wind whistled and blew over them, pushing Avery forward too easily that she stumbled a few steps. "Kress, the wind never gets this bad!" She warmed herself a little more, her cheeks reddening as she turned to Nas. "Can I see the compass?"

It was the only way they knew where to go. The Academy was southwest from them now, but now they needed to go deeper into the trees, putting distance from themselves and the shelter they had just left. The dark was only growing taller with shadows, and they had lost sight of the moons with the cloud cover constantly blotting them out. Avery needed reassurance they were going the right way.

 

[Naser]

By now even Nas was starting to shake. His teeth clattered together and the gloves over his fingers seemed to do little to keep him warm. From the small pouch on his belt he pulled the little metal compass, offering it to Avery. "Y-yes."

He stammered.

"This cold is insane." Vel Anir was temperate, and that meant it snowed often enough. Rarely though did the frost come this quickly. It seemed that the storm had swept in from the sea, and was quickly tearing it's way over the coast.

Within hours the flakes would become larger and larger, and soon it would be a question of it they could make it back to the Academy at all. "We need to find sh-shelter."

Nas said, turning to Avery.

"C-cave." There were cliffs nearby. "O-or s-something. W-we won't make it through the cold otherwise."

 

[Avery]

Avery grimaced.

She couldn't give his heart anymore purpose to beat quicker to warm him or else there would be complications. And he was right. They needed shelter.

With her gloved hands, she took the compass, struggling only a little with holding it up to her face as the wind battered against them. "Kress, I cannot..." Avery gave out a groan of frustration and looked about, to the rocky terrain that towered before them in the distance. "Alright. Shelter first, and then..." But the cold stole away her words.

She tried walking, didn't like how the cold merely clung to her, and with a muffled warning, Avery took off at an odd pace that was too slow to call a jog or a run. The more movement she got, the more warmth she would generate. Wasn't that the first rule to keeping warm?

Do not stop.

And that was what Avery would do until the cliffs loomed before her.