Private Tales The Vicar of Suffering

[VigiloConfido]

Anima stood along the road just at the beginning of the treeline proper. Her back to the woods, facing the road leading back to Ared'luin and the open field and the large fenced livestock pen and the small homes of the village itself some significant distance away.

The column of black smoke rising from the windmill. Odd sounds as well, made terribly faint by the gap between her and the village.

There was only hope and trust now. Tenuous bargains with fate. She knew the wait would be painful, the blade of longing growing forever more sharp with each passing moment. The claws of obsession digging deeper into her heart.

But Luc said he wouldn't be far behind. And yes, she had given herself over to this word entirely. Let her belief in it consume all else. And so she would wait for him. Until all the world crumbled to dust around her, she would wait for him.

Someone approached. Through the woods.

A glance. Nayella? Wearing one of her illusions?

 

[Luc]

Trap set. Trap sprung.

The half elven youth was quickly learning why Dreadlords where to be feared. Though he was rather crafty and skilled with the use of his magic he was shown this was not a skill unique to him. The explosion caught him off guard, a wave of wind raised in front of him in pure reflex. The shrapnel was stopped in place and dropped to the ground, though the force did push him into place and his footing was suddenly gone.

Booted heels met with earth but began to sink. A look of confusion riddled his face, all but hidden behind the mask he wore except for the fright in his large blue eyes. Was there another mage about? No... He felt the magic. The Dreadlord did this, and much like him she had command of more then one element. Frightening.

His heart began to race. He had never faced off another opponent like this. Practiced spars with fellow students he often bested... But the terrifying gap between them echoed out at he sunk deeper, now up to his knees. The more he struggled the faster he sunk. Never had he faced an opponent like this. Never.

Lies! A voice echoed out in his mind. It's tone was sharp, piercing the frantic worry that befell him.

You've faced your master countless times. She is a powerful mage. Think lad! The voice spoke, it's source coming form his chest, or so that's how it felt. His hand clutched at the pendant around his neck, not the one he had received and put him on this mission, but the one he stole from Lady Eneer.

"W...What?" He croaked, trying to make sense of what was going on. He was up to his thighs now.

Calm your nerves boy and think! The voice commanded. You can do the same with water... You have done this before... How would you get out?

The idea that came to mind was instant. He had flooded the earth with water to create a similar effect in the past. So he should know how to get out of it.

With the ring of water he placed around his body earlier, he fed directly form the source beneath him, using his immense mana reserves to completely control the water he leeched from the ground and growing the ring. It's size increased and it began to reform, the ring itself tightening around his body while a large watery arm sprouted from it's side and speared the ground a safe distance away. Anchored, the torrents in the body of water Luc control could be seen and soon it was clear was he was doing. He was lifting himself from the quick sand trap, the water flowing back and circulating, thus pulling him back.

Good... now against a strong opponent, what would Lady Eneer tell you to do? The voice asked.

"Run..." He said, realizing he could not win.

Once his ankles had cleared, the following action happened rather quickly. The arm of water acted like a snare and once the majority of his body cleared the trap, he found himself being launched up and more importantly away into the sky. Hopefully, the Dreadlord did not have something planned for this random action.

 

[Selene Avar]

The problem with jumping into the air was that once you were there, it was difficult to go anywhere else.

Selene knew this, but she also knew the obvious signs of an air mage when she saw one. They were common enough among the Marauders on the Steppe. Shamans who would use the winds to stir up dust storms, make themselves move faster and dart around.

They were annoying.

For a moment Selene watched as the figure soared through air, pulling himself out of her trap and launching away in a different direction. Her eyes tracked him, lips thin as she observed just where he was going to go. There was a chance he could redirect himself with his magic but...

Her hand raised.

For a moment nothing happened, and then a ball of fire collected within her palm. She held it there for a moment, and then reeled back before she chucked it into the air.

The moment it lanced passed the first building the ball became a streak of flame, darting across the air and heading directly towards Luc it path seeming to follow one set out by her palm.

 

[Nayella]

The illusion of the red haired woman dropped away as she approached Anima, her face as impassive and grouchy as it had ever been. "Where's Luc?"

Direct as always.

In truth Nayella was rather pleased with herself. She had done her job and done it well. There was no arguing that point. The windmill was on fire, the entire town was distracted, and nobody had seen her do it. They would all likely blame the Dreadlord when things were set and done.

Of course, what she did not count on was Luc conducting his own...distraction.

One she only got an inkling of as she half turned back and saw fire streak through the sky.

 

[VigiloConfido]

The mask fallen away. And it was Nayella. Her part done, the black smoke monolith testament to it. The erasure of the small and lingering traces of memory here and there among those of Ared'luin certain. Consumed, much like the very air which fed the fire. The brief visitation of Anima and Luc smothered and choked, the banal sacrificed in favor of the extraordinary.

Yes. As it always was. The mind did so cherish memories solely on the bidding of the heart.

A single, simple question from her.

"Luc," Anima said, letting his name roll slowly off of her tongue. "He told you to take the packs and get out of town, didn't he? And so you have. You are waiting. And you are eager, aren't you? For he said that he would not be far behind. And he is believed. Yes. The joining together once more will come, no?"

A brief glimpse of something strange. The hint of it at first through her peripheral vision.

And Anima looked. Back toward the village. A fire above the buildings, moving of its own accord through the air, as if each spiral of flame were a bird and all flew together in a baleful flock.

And the flock followed something. A tiny shape, standing out against the backdrop of the sky. Hard to discern.

Anima glanced back to Nayella. Said, "Is that yours? Part of your distraction?"

 

[Luc]

Luc felt a freedom and exhilaration he had not felt before as he soared through the air, and despite how frightening it truly was, he couldn't help but smile behind the clothe wrapped around his face. Wind tore at his face, forcing him to look down as rocketed forward and with large blue yes, he watched the world below pass by.

Mana pooled around his hands, ready to release in a gust of wind used to soften his landing, in theory at least. He had gotten away, no more then a speck in the sky darting across to safety. Unbeknownst to him however, flames trailed behind, a crimson streak that cut through the sky with the intentions of intercepting him mid flight. The flames grew closer as his momentum died, the cusp of his ascent transitioning to his decent and putting it directly in it's path.

Behind you lad! The voice cried in his head followed by a piercing pain. It was as if his arms moved on their own, causing him to twist in air to face the flames. His face twisted in horror realizing his was doomed. His arms though continued to act on their own, a piercing blue light shining from beneath his shirt as the amulet he wore blazed to life with raw mana. The flames met him head on but the mana he gathered in his hands released, a ball of pressurized air released at the last moment which crashed into the flames.

From afar, those watching would see an explosion, the fire coming to an abrupt stop before collapsing on itself and expanding outward. A thunderous clap could be heard soon after as well. Luc had stopped the attack but not the explosion itself and found him self thrown down in a total different direction. From the fiery haze in the sky a lone speck fell downward, a shooting star in the shape of a half elf. He fought to remain conscious until the very end where he slammed upon the tiled roof top and bounced up, no different then a rubber ball that crashed through the window of the neighboring house. Among shattered glass and and splintered wood he laid motionless, broken.

Get up lad... Get up... Get.Up.

The voice in his head commanded. Such a easy thing to tell someone what to do. Luc was doing the hard work. He deserved the break. He earned this moment of slumber. He felt like he was sinking, further and further into the sweet darkness that beckoned him.

Get up or Anima will come for you.

He swam up and crashed through the surface of darkness.

He woke with a jolt, the maid who looked over him screaming for she was sure he was dead. His head pounded, his body ached and it was rather sure the warm feeling in his arm was blood running down it. Still, he was alive which meant he could continue. Upon shaky legs he stood and down the steps he went, rushing to exit the house and continue with his fake trail. Hopefully he had gotten far enough with the stunt he pulled. Hopefully, he would be able to find them in the state he was in.

 

[Selene Avar]

The serpent of molten rock let out a long hiss as Selene watched the body of the mysterious mage drop from the sky. Her face remained impassive, though she couldn't help but feel a slight hint of self satisfaction.

There was something very pleasant about seeing a body drop from the sky, even if you didn't get to see where it landed. She couldn't help but be reminded of her days hunting birds outside of Vel Anir. Part of precision training. Cruel by some standards, but fun in an odd way.

The snake uncoiled from around her, it's bulking form beginning to slither away and forward towards where the body had fallen. Selene took a step forward to follow, only to suddenly be interrupted by a voice behind her.

"M-m-miss."

Her lips thinned at the shivering sound of a man's voice attempting to get her attention. Her step stopped midway, and she slowly turned to face a gnarled old man.

"T-the fire on the windmill. It's out of control, we can't put it out."

"I see." She glanced back towards where the body had fallen, the great molten serpent stopping in it's track. A moment passed, and she considered her options. Then slowly she nodded her head. "I will attend to it."

She knew that saving the mill would buy her more favor than capturing some miscreant mage.

Even if it was less fun.

 

[Nayella]

"No." Nayella answered as the streak suddenly collided with something and then exploded.

Magic?

Had to be of course. Paranoia instantly dashed through her quickly followed by a series of curses. She knew what had happened, or rather, she assumed she knew what happened. Luc had tipped off the Dreadlord somehow, drawn her ire and she went after him for some reason.

"We need to go." Nayella said plainly. "Fast."

Otherwise they'd be next.

 

[VigiloConfido]

No. Not Nayella's.

The sight of the distant explosion first. A moment's passing. The sound of it then.

And that which it chased falling. Disappearing behind the screen of houses that made up the village.

The sudden and pungent taste of souring milk on her tongue.

A mounting dismay evident on Anima's face.

* * * * *​

Mother found them. Cornered them. A dead end alley. Night had fallen on Elbion.

The elf clutched at Anima. Frightened. The fear leaked into Anima too.

"Khorvayne," said the elf. "No..."

Mother kept looking at Anima. Calm. Said, "Come to me."

Intense hesitation. Uncertainty. Doubt. But her legs moved of their own accord. Anima freed herself and slipped from the elf's caring grasp and walked to and stood beside her Mother.

The elf was crying. Utterly distraught. And she said in a ragged voice, "She's your own daughter! You can't...no, wait!"

Strands of darkness swirled around her. Wrapping about her feet and her shins and her thighs and her waist all like a legion of serpents seeking to constrict their shared prey in concert.

Anima watched. Lips trembling. A desire to do something. To intervene. To act. Something. Anything. She didn't want this to happen. She didn't want this to happen. She didn't want--

* * * * *​

This to happen.

A war. Fast as a flash fire. Between the desire to stay surrendered to his word and the desire to act. She didn't know if it was him. She didn't know if he was hurt or not. She didn't know.

But it could be. And inaction, the silencing and suppressing of her desire, had brought tragedy before. A scarring of the soul. Felt even now.

Not again. Not again.

The dread in her heart. Pure and raw. Her very own. Smothering what lay beneath.

"And you are going back, aren't you?" Anima said. Staring as if in a trance toward the spot in which the falling thing had disappeared into Ared'luin. She dropped both packs of supplies. "Yes. You are."

A walk. Then a slow trot. And she broke into a sprint down the road back toward Ared'luin.

 

[Luc]

Easy lad, don't attract to much attention.... Get out, then you can think about healing yourself.

"Don't have medical supplies... Gave it all to Anima... Can't stop need to meet her." Luc spoke to himself as he walked after a dangerously slow pace. His body ached terribly as if a boulder had slammed into him.

He had a single goal in mind, to lead a trail away form where they were going, Nayella and Anima.... But in his present condition doing that and getting back to them.

I'll take care of the healing. You just move.

"Who are you? What are you?" Luc croaked as his bright blues darted back in forth.

By now, the fire had caused a ruckus and townfolk were racing about, some trying to aid in stopping the blaze, others rushing to their homes to ensure they would be safe. A blaze like this could easily wipe out several houses. Overkill perhaps, something Luc would have scolded... or at least attempt to scold Nayella over. However, in light of how things worked out, perhaps it would work for him.

Very much a who... You really had no idea what you took from Lady Eneer... No worries. All you need to know is that I am going to help you. Just keep walking and get out here.

An odd sight for anyone paying attention. He had long abandon the scarf off on his head and his expression was clearly pained as he walked stiffly, talking to himself. Thankfully, a blaze had everyone preoccupied. Luc continued marching on, blood trailing behind him at a steady drip as the scenery around him changed and he made way into the brush. With luck, the pair would be on their way now.

He would join them soon enough, but first, he needed to lean against the closet tree and catch his breath.

 

[Nayella]

Nayella scowled after Anima as the woman broke into a sprint back towards the village.

She opened her mouth to speak, then scowled as she realized the woman likely would not respond to her in anyway. She had always been partial to Luc, from what she observed, and letting the boy die back in the village likely was not an option for her.

Even though it had been the plan.

She was supposed to have caused the distraction, and the two of them should have been walking out of the village. Instead the fool had somehow gotten caught by the Dreadlord and her ire. A feeling of sourness spread across Nayella's tongue, and she couldn't help but feel absolute scorn.

Not for the first time she considered abandoning this whole thing and just walking away.

Then she turned and followed after Anima.

But at a slower.

Much slower.

 

[Selene Avar]

The fires had spread to the fields around the windmill, the building itself almost entirely engulfed in a whirling wind of heat and flame.

Lips thinned as she approached it, villagers scrambling all around to try and fetch buckets of water and whatever else they could in order to save their most precious resource. For a moment Selene watched them, almost amused as the effort they were putting on. So much for the famed healers.

She mused to herself.

"Madame?"

The scraggly voice of the Mayor ran out behind her. Selene glanced at him and let out a loud sigh, then motioned for him to step back. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before she focused herself. The serpent that had protected her slithered slowly in front of her, and then opened it's great maw.

A breath flowed from her lungs, and then the flames began to shift. At first they grew in size, shifting and moving as though the wind caught them, then slowly they began to draw away. As if pulled by something the fires on the windmill wrenched away from the building and ran towards the great molten serpent and it's open maw.

 

[VigiloConfido]

Her focus straight ahead. Down the road. South instead of north.

The plan had crumbled. Such was the nature of all. Order would always succumb to chaos, the breaking down of things arranged. An effort of desperation, to salvage that which had quickly become as sand from slipping through their fingers.

But inaction would be far worse, wouldn't it?

Anima slowed as she reached the village's edge. Walking now at a brisk pace. A mask of calm and innocence. She turned at a 'T' intersection in the dirt road, following a vague reckoning of where she had seen Luc falling. The windmill burned freely some distance ahead, beyond the bending of the road and beyond some houses. Some few villagers standing outside their homes, gawking and weeping at the sight. Their emotion on offer, yes, but Anima spared not even a glance, consumed as she was by the undistilled mixture in her own heart.

And she would find him. Yes, she would find him. Aid him. Or remember him.

The burning windmill loomed larger and larger as her reckoning brought her closer to the estimated point of impact. She knew not who had attacked Luc. Potentially any of the people she passed or that she now saw gathered at the base of the windmill.

One thing stood out amidst the gathering. A giant serpent made of rock and flame. And the fires of the windmill leaked away from the building as if coaxed by something unseen into such an unnatural behavior and the serpent set about devouring the blazing stream.

Time ran short.

And her boots crunched something.

Anima stopped. Looked down.

Bits of broken glass in the road. A glance up at the house beside her. A window, lingering shards of glass clinging to the frame, a maid regarding the damage. Inside. Yes. He had to be inside.

But the door to the house was open. Wide open. A curious detail.

Anima saw then a tiny droplet of blood on the floor of the house. Another just outside it. Another and another. Leading away.

 

[Luc]

You're far enough.... And more and you will pass out from loss of blood and exhaustion. Tend to your wound. The voice instructed him.

"I've no herbs... I.. Would have to collect some..." Luc mumbled, feeling dangerously tired as he fell to his knees.

His mind was swimming, finding comfort in the soft earth he felt he could simply sink into and fall fast asleep upon. The idea did seem tempting and he was moments away form giving in when the splitting headache form the village reared it's ugly head once more. His hand moved on it's own and he resisted as best as he could, a odd jerkiness to his movement. Like a doll resisting it's puppet master.

Stop fighting... I'm trying to help. The voice echo.

"H... how?" Luc sputtered.

How can I move your arm or how am I trying to help? The voice mused before explaining. We are kindred spirits... only I am an actual spirits... You've an affinity for wind and water... Perhaps with training, you can wield lightning and become a storm mage... I... I am Susanoo... Son of Setsuna and Zira... Both Storm Sages form times long past...

The voice explained as if Luc had an idea as to what it meant. As if sensing his confusion, it spoke once more.

You would believe them to be powerful mages in your time. There was a sigh added to the end of it's words. You should have been taught to heal yourself by now.. Some form of healing magic.

"I've no... Healing magic." Luc croaked.

Nonsense.. You can control water.. the flow of life... Here... let me show you.

And show it did. Luc stopped resisting, to tired to fight and tempted by the promise of being healed. Water was drawn from the ground, the impurities of it separated and dumped away leaving behind a crystal clear orb. The orb then slowly moved towards Luc's wounded arm and formed over the surface of the bloody gash. And then it began to flow in a circular motion and Luc felt no pain... only a strange coolness. And in the darkness of the woods, Luc watched the unimaginable. He watched himself use healing magic for the first time ever.

 

[Nayella]

Nayella followed after Anima without even a single word.

She didn't seem to have much interest in following some half baked trail, but instead focused on everyone and anyone around them. Surprisingly, no one seemed to notice them, or rather, no one seemed to even want to notice them.

Perhaps it was the great molten serpent, or the display of fire moving of it's own free will. The village seemed to pay absolutely no mind at all towards Anima and Nayella, too drawn into what was happening around the windmill to give the two women any frame of mind at all.

Still, as Nayella watched the villagers she caught sight of a woman out of the corner of her eye.

It was the redhead she had impersonated, the Dreadlord.

She felt her stomach drop slightly as she spotted the woman, the look of concentration on her face more than making it clear what she was in the middle of doing. "Go faster."

Nayella told Anima in a hushed tone.

(Not posting Selene this time)

 

[VigiloConfido]

Go faster.

Yes. Good advice. And Nayella would know much more about any potential threats, wouldn't she? The keen sense of danger. Her time walking among the villagers under the guise of her illusion. Yes. She would know. And Anima wished not to partake in the chaos and the danger and the exuberant emotions therein, as enticing as they were.

No. The war was won. Another desire, conflicting, had proven stronger.

"Yes," Anima said. "Faster."

She eyed the ground and followed briskly the red dots along the dirt and out between this house and that house and out toward the edge of the village. The trail leading north. Across the open field and toward the treeline.

A pleasing thought. That though Luc was obviously hurt, he could walk. And they would need to make haste now, wouldn't they? To mend his wounds and cover their tracks. For there were others than just those who had attacked Luc here in Ared'luin. Those who perhaps still pursued Luc or Nayella or them both.

But now. The open field ahead of them. Back the way they had come. Funny, no? Not so, if Luc lay bleeding inside that house still. The potency of that would have been extraordinary.

The open field. No reason not to run. Tiny and inconspicuous as it was, the trail of blood droplets would give away the path of their flight to the observant anyway. And the time of the distraction was soon to be gone.

So Anima ran.

Ran as fast across the open field going north as she had on the road going south. No chance of glimpsing the blood trail. She followed a reckoning again until she reached the treeline. Glances around. Trees obscuring vision. The canopy of the leaves and branches above darkening the land below.

Motion. Her eyes snapped to it.

Luc. There. Some ways into the forest. Sitting against a tree. A tiny orb of water floating before him and then touching his arm.

And Anima ran.

Ran until she neared and she dropped down to her knees and threw her arms about him as much as she could. The magnificent taste of peaches lining her mouth. Sweet and powerful.

"You are not alone," she said. "No. You are not alone."

 

[Luc]

He senses had been dulled, muddled by the extreme concentration of using the water to heal his would. The voice in his head, the spirit that revealed itself to be Susanoo had relinquished control so Luc could continue forth. It was trial by fire as he found it hard to maintain the shape of the water while moving it about in the flowing circular motion. There was a certain rhythm to it that needed to me kept in order for it to properly work. That much had been explained. As to how it worked, the explanation had been left out. Luc was smart enough to have an idea though. It didn't as much as heal him as it sped up his natural healing ability. It was taking however and soaked up so much of his energy that he was startled when Anima ran up to him.

"Gah!" He jumped, the orb falling apart and the water splashing on the ground. Thankfully, all that remained was a angry red scar on his arm. It was still very tender, but he was not bleeding at least.

"Anima!" He yelped as he took her in his arms and pulled her close. He could have lived in that moment forever, but as his senses began to clear, he realized Nayella was stalking towards them.

He released his hold from Anima and bowed his head to Nayella, almost submitting to the anger he knew welled with in her. So far, it seemed he was constantly in some form of trouble. "The Dreadlord... She's trouble.."

He was forming an excuse already and a idea was sprouting. His failed distraction, could very well help them out in the long run.

"And.. Sorry... We couldn't get your herb." He added further lowering his head.

 

[Nayella]

"We have to leave." She was practically simmering with rage, but Nayella knew that now was not the time to loose it.

The Dreadlord was still in the village behind them, the fire was still raging, but...from what she had seen the woman was taking care of it. There wouldn't be much time left over for them to make it out of here, especially if the woman turned her attention back to Luc.

Nayella had no idea if the Dreadlord was capable of tracking them somehow, or if she'd marked Luc in anyway with her magic. The idea of it put a feeling of pure fright in her stomach, but she decided it would be best not to mention it.

"She's still there." She reminded them. "And she can follow a trail of blood just as easily as the two of us."

Nayella glanced at Anima, then Luc. "Can you run?"

 

[Selene Avar]

The maw of the snake slowly closed, ripples of flame running over it's molten body as the last of the fire was consumed within it.

Selene glanced at the serpent with a smile, reaching up and patting its side. The molten rock did not seem to bother her palm, and the creature wiggled slightly against her touch. Her smile disappeared as she heard that same weak and shaky voice echo behind her.

"T-thank you Madame. Without you the wi-"​

"Yes." The Dreadlord said plainly, offering no kinder word. The Windmill had been all but burned out completely, though miraculously it still stood. Likely it would take the village weeks to get it properly repaired, though perhaps..."I will send for carpenters from Vel Anir, they will assist in the repairs."

Politics. Her masters at House Virak would be pleased. Gaining the favor of the people here would go a long way in the coming years.

Selene turned to the mayor. "There was a man. A mage. I believe he was the source of this fire."

There was no evidence for that, nothing which wasn't circumstantial anyway, but this place had no court of law.

"W-w-Yes, Madame. Several people saw him but..."​

She stared at the man flatly.

"A-a Child swears they...they saw you set the fire."​

Instantly her eyes narrowed, back stiffened, and fingers curled. Her skin began to crawl and she prepared to defend herself if the villagers attacked, but the Mayor did not seem so inclined. Before she could speak the man continued.

"We know it's not true! Several others swore to see you in the crowd at the same time..."​

An illusion? Someone posing at her? Selene's face tightened. "I see. Where did the girl see...me?"

 

[VigiloConfido]

Leave. Of course.

Many a terrible thing could come if the aforementioned Dreadlord caught up with them. Even minor hindrances might well delay them such that they would not arrive in Elbion in time, bringing the blackmail to fruition. And there were fates much worse than death, weren't there? That which Mother desired for her. That which she would bring about, should she find her.

Fortunate. That Luc had not been injured too terribly. For he did have the strength to escape the village and come to the forest, the strength to use some of his water magic still. A lovely thought. To tear some of her own shirt beneath her armor and bandage him. Another sharing. An equal gift. Sweet, but unnecessary, for the wound didn't bleed, and time was precious.

Anima pulled back. Hands on Luc's shoulders. Said, "The traveling packs. You will get them, won't you? They are by the road. Not far." A glance back to Nayella. An excited grin. "And you will hurry."

And Anima stood and stepped back and took off to her left. Dashing once more. Her legs protesting as the trees blurred past her on either side and she went up and down the small rolls and mounds of the terrain. Boots crunching the scattered leaves and branches of the forest floor.

Back at the road, Luc and Nayella some considerable distance behind. No one up the road leading further into the forest and no one down the road leading back into Ared'luin. No one yet.

The packs. Still there where she had dropped them by the end of the treeline.

She jogged to them, catching her breath. Crouched down. Looked inside both. This one. This one had the box of cherries. And she shouldered the pack with the cherries and carried the other in her hand.

 

[Luc]

Their journey was up to a fine start and silently Luc was blaming himself. It was no secret that back in Elbion, his school mates affectionately called his Luc the Unlucky. Still, given their current circumstances, there was no time to sulk.

"Can I run..." He repeated Nayella's question.

I did all I can for now lad... Rest is up to you.

With the confirmation that the rest was in fact up to him. He'd grimaced as he shifted the weight of his lithe frame from one leg to the next, body incredibly sore from his fall. He however, would not complain. They had to get going, far away form the mess they found themselves in.

With Anima volunteering to get the backs, Luc stood there, watching her take off. "Go Nayella.... I'll wait for Anima and I'll be right behind." He promised. Truth of the matter, he wanted to take the moment rest, as short as it was... And the thought of being near Nayella and her piercing gaze was terrifying.

 

[Nayella]

Nayella waited a moment by Luc's side, glancing after Anima as she ran away from the two of them. It occurred to her once more than all of this was very very foolish.

Only one of them should have wandered into the village, only one of them should have exposed themselves. Instead they had risked too much. Now the Dreadlord had spotted Luc at the very least, perhaps even more. Suspicion would be on them, and they had to run.

Not just travel, run.

"No..." Nayella said slowly. "I don't believe that's wise."

The Blight Witch seemed tentative. "If the Dreadlord comes while you are in this state, I very much doubt that you would make it."

That was not meant to be insulting, just a simple fact of Luc's state versus what the Dreadlord was capable of. Rather, what she thought the woman would be capable of.

It would be best to stay with Luc, that way at least he wouldn't get himself killed.

(No Selene post again)

 

[VigiloConfido]

Anima started off again. Back the way she had come, through the forest and toward Luc and Nayella. Slower now from all her exertion, the sprints down the road and across the open field having collected their dues from her as well.

The chaos of the moment was receding. Away like water retreating from a shore. But it had produced things savory, had it not? The joy of a reunion uncertain for herself and Luc. Even some vague notion of dread or worry or anxiety from Nayella. Hard to tell, for the door remained locked. Perhaps it would always be so.

Anima ran.

Yes. The chaos receding. Order reestablishing itself for now, its grasp tenuous. Their plan had been delightfully imperfect, hadn't it? Lingering details. Agents of chaos. Cracks in the foundation of order. Promises of peril at some shrouded point in the future.

What may come. It would be seen.

Anima slowed her pace and came to a stop by Luc and Nayella. Panting. Catching her breath. Handing the pack she carried in her hand to Luc.

"Yours."

More days and nights of travel ahead. Elbion looming. And the moon only becoming more and more full.

 

[Luc]

Nayella was right, if the Dreadlord happened upon him he was as good as dead. Despite the amount of mana he had within, he was still raw and untrained. A well of potential laid with in the mage with the wild raven hair, he just needed to hone his skills. In short, no mage for the trained mage he faced off earlier against. At least yet.

He touched the pendant under his shirt, wondering if the voice within could help him with that. So far, Nayella had showed him a few things and he had since learned to mask his signature, but their magic was vastly different... However this Susanoo was the son of storm sages... What ever that meant. He would have to ask it more questions when the time was right. The idea of expanding his magic was promising. And this talk of possibly wielding lightening. He had an affinity for wind and water... Lightening magic though, the idea danced around his head of wielding such a magic.

He was still thinking of it when Anima came into view and he felt a burning in his chest. Seeing her stirred something with in and he new he would learn to wield this power and more because he was realizing he had something else worth protecting. A small smile graced his thin lips as she handed him the back and he took it, hand lingering on hers for a moment.

"Mine..." Was his response before he slung the back over his shoulders.

The ache in his frame reminded him that despite his fiery spirit, all was not well. A price paid for surviving.

"We should away now... We've much ground to cover... Perhaps my muddled attempts at tricky will just make matters here all the more confusing... And perhaps we can work this to our advantage... We could spread rumors of Dreadlords causing trouble along the boarders... Perhaps that would spur Elbion to act... Turn it's gaze to Vel Anir..." A shot in the dark. A wild attempt. Trickery. Something that could help them... Or get the unlike trio into further trouble.

 

[Nayella]

"Perhaps." Nayella agreed.

There was hope still that the Dreadlord would be blamed for this, but they were ignoring the very obvious problem. The Blight Witch knew that she was not the only one who had thought of it, she must not have been. Perhaps saying it out loud would make it too real.

They must have known.

Luc's actions, though likely clever, had probably also drawn the Dreadlord's ire. It wasn't often that the mages of Vel Anir allowed anyone at all to escape their grasp. Nayella had a sinking feeling that this would not be the last they heard of whomever that woman was.

"Come." She told the two of them. "We will use the forests."

No roads for them. Not now.