Private Tales Through the Mists

[Thren]

"I suppose you did as well." He teased with the back handed complement, still making sure that she did not tumble and collapse onto the floor.

In his head he began to do various small calculations, trying to place where they would fall once they hit land and what they would have to do from there.

Shelter would be the first, though he supposed the ship would do for that.

He wondered how much of the supplies on board had survived, if any of it had been tainted. There were still so many questions that needed to be answered. Glancing Keyleth though he realized that none of them needed to be answered right at this moment.

"Why don't we get you to bed." He told her. "I'll make sure we get to land."

By that he meant he'd let her get some rest while he watched them drift to shore.

 

[Keyleth]

Keyleth nodded weakly as her head drooped down, coming to rest against the front of Thren's shoulder. She knew that he must have been exhausted, given how much energy he'd expended in the fight with the mist wraith; but she didn't see much point in arguing with the barbarian. He was a grown man and would take care of himself.

Which is what she needed to do now, instead of being prideful.

"Right... bed sounds nice." She murmured, her words jumbling slightly together when she spoke.

"Will you get me when we're closer to shore?"

 

[Thren]

"Probably." Thren said with a smile, though he remained vague.

In truth he felt it might be for the best that Keyleth remain at rest even once they got to shore. He had been able to sleep quite well, and his magic did not take much of a toll on him at all.

Unlike her apparently.

She seemed like she was about to topple over into a heap and call it quits. Thren knew that once they landed on the shore they would need to be at their very best. He very much doubted the ship carried them too far, and if the Wilds was where they landed then they were hardly out of danger.

Not at all in fact.

 

[Keyleth]

Keyleth forced a brave smile and managed a small nod, letting the barbarian help her into the bed back in the quarters.

Using her magic had been costly, but necessary. She only had a limited supply to draw from and the sacrifice to pull from that reservoir was ... Significant.

In truth, she wasn't sure what it had cost her in terms of time.

As she curled up on her good side and closed her eyes, sleep quickly settled over her and she was lost to the world around her.

 

[Thren]

The ship made it to shore eventually, though it was a wonder that it somehow survived.

Apparently the west of the continent was shrouded and covered in mass coral reefs, and as they approached a scraping sound could be heard from the underside of the ship that made Thren cringe.

The tide however was strong, and slowly but surely the vessel was dragged onto the shore of the beach. Sand caught it's underside, and the vessel stuck itself into place only a few meters away from the land itself. Thren considered dropping the anchor, though quickly realized he had no idea how to do so.

"I hate boats." The Siruk said quietly to himself.

This whole thing was starting to make him grumpy.

 

[Keyleth]

There was no need for Thren to come wake up Keyleth as the boat lurched to shore.

The horrific scraping of coral against wood was enough to do that for him.

She opened her eyes and groaned lowly, pressing the back of her forearm against her forehead as she grimaced. Her head felt as if it was being split in two and her body languished in exhaustion. It was as if her life force had been pulled from her being... which.. in essence, it had been.

Draconic magic came at a heavy price without the established bond.

She raised her hand over her face and flexed her fingers, looking at the wound that ran across her palm. The magic still flowed through her veins... but she'd used a considerable amount in their fight against the mist wraith. She wondered if she would fade away into dust once it was all gone. Slowly, she opened and closed her hand, then dropped the loosely balled fist down onto her chest with a heavy sigh.

Laying here and wallowing in her misery was not going to accomplish anything.

She needed to move.

With an uncomfortable grimace, she pushed herself up and then swung her legs out of the bed. The spear was positioned next to the bed, which was still being used as a walking stick. Reluctantly, she reached over to take the crude tool and carefully made her way out onto the main deck.

"I hate boats" She heard the barbarian grumble, and she couldn't keep the smirk from her lips.

"For what it's worth... I'm fairly certain they hate you too, Mainlander, given your track record with them. Generally, you aren't supposed to run them aground."

 

[Thren]

He chuckled, glancing back towards where Keyleth had come from.

The barbarian was entirely sure she was correct of course. Ships didn't suit him. It was why he was so glad to be back on land...or close enough to it that he could spit on it if he really wanted to. There was a comfort there he couldn't quite put into words even if he tried.

"Won't matter soon." At least for a while. "I think we're pretty well stuck."

Since they'd crashed into the corals they hadn't actually moved for what seemed like hours. He was pretty sure the anchor would have just been another bandaid to make him feel better. They still needed a homebase, and a ship was better than any tent he could make.

At least until they started moving anyway. "We'll need to walk to shore."

The water was shallow enough for that thankfully.

"Find out where we are exactly." Right now he had no idea if they should head north, south, or directly west through the wilds.

 

[Keyleth]

The land here was already vastly different than Minaris, just from what she could see from the ship. She hoped that the barbarian would be able to tell where they were, and which direction they should head in. She was now out of her element.

"No time like the present." She muttered, slowly making her way towards the ladder in the side of the ship.

When she glanced at her arm while untying the knots, she noticed the thin black tendrils in her forearm, following the lines of her veins. She frowned. The poison was still spreading.

If she didn't find the herbs she needed soon, today would be her last, no other way around it. She decided not to tell the Barbarian for now.

The rope tumbled down the tall hull and the end splashed into the shallow water.

She already had her shield strapped to her back, and she slid the shaft of the spear into the notch on the shield to hold it in place.

"Ready when you are."

 

[Thren]

For a moment he considered motioning her back and telling her he should go alone, but he quickly realized that would likely be met with disapproval.

Thren had no doubt that at her full strength Keyleth could hold her own against most anything, hell, he'd seen it already, but she still wasn't fully recovered. The idea of what they could run into in the Wilds was...unsettling. The place held more monsters than the Blightlands.

"Ever been to the Wilds?" He asked as he followed along and headed towards the rope she'd tossed down.

For a brief moment he wondered if she'd ever even been off the island.

 

[Keyleth]

"When I was younger... Many years ago. Before the Duke decided I'd make a good bride." She answered him truthfully, glancing down the ladder and then back to Thren.

"We did not venture far from the shoreline though." She explained, gesturing for the ladder.

"After you." She feigned being polite but there was another motive behind letting him go first and it was simple: if she slipped, she wanted him to catch her.

 

[Thren]

Interesting. "I'm guessing that didn't take you far."

Thren mused as he jumped onto the rope ladder and slowly began to lower himself to the ground using it. Rather, the water. He splashed down into waves, his boots instantly flooded.

"Should've taken them off." The Barbarian muttered. "Come on!"

Thren called up to Keyleth as he began to trudge towards the shore. "No sharks around."

Yet.

 

[Keyleth]

Keyleth nodded once and then carefully climbed down after the barbarian.

It took her a little longer than his descent did, but she didn't rush herself. Falling would have hurt more than just her pride.

Her boots splashed down into the water and she gave a content sigh, feeling the solid earth beneath her feet. While Thren wished that he'd taken off his boots, she knew that it would be dangerous to do that in the water. Especially on a reef, best to wait until they were on shore and let their shoes dry off on the sand.

She slogged forward through the water, breathing heavier than she would have liked.

Curse this infernal poison.

Once on the shore, she turned to look out over the water with a small frown.

She didn't see any signs of the mist.

Just where the hell were they?

 

[Thren]

The wilds.

It was a thought that ran through his mind with an almost pleasant connotation. He remembered his time here well, almost in a good light.

As well as anyone could remember the Wilds as good. "I doubt we'll find a village."

He told Keyleth as he looked back towards her.

"Or even an outpost." No, maybe smugglers, but they would have to get incredibly lucky for something like that. "We'll need to make a decision."

Thren went on. "Either we head North, South, or into the Wilds themselves."

 

[Keyleth]

She kicked off her boots while Thren spoke, dumping the water out of them with a sigh. It splashed against the pale coral sand.She noticed that it was a much lighter color than the volcanic rock shores of Minaris, but pretty in its own way.

"You know the area more than I do. What would you suggest?" She asked him earnestly, glancing up at him while she dumped out the second boot shortly after.

One thing concerned her as she took in her surroundings.

She's sent Aviana here.

Her intention had been to send her daughter with a guard... but the man's corpse had been found along the shoreline a few days after the original uprising. Which meant that Aviana was on her own. A frown etched itself onto her features as she thought of her young daughter trying to navigate the harsh landscape alone.

"Do you know where a village might be then?"

 

[Thren]

He chuckled. "Well there might be one to the North."

Thren glanced around.

"There might also be one to the South." He shrugged at her. "Or to the west."

It was obvious the joke he was making here. Their chances of finding a village in any one direction were as likely as finding one in another. Still, the Barbarian knew there were some better options, or rather, ones that might not lead them into the immediate jaws of death.

"North or South would be best." Thren said finally, rubbing a hand over his face in thought before glancing over towards the ship.

"The Wilds are harsh." Simple way of putting it. "Walking along the beach is annoying, but we have a good chance of finding a coastal village at least."

 

[Keyleth]

Keyleth nodded quietly as she listened to Thren's explanation.

They needed to walk to get to wherever they were going, but she knew that she was in no condition to embark on a proper excursion. She needed to regain her strength and find the herb that would be necessary to concoct an antidote for the poison that was still seeping through her veins.

"Now that we're out of the mists and away from Minaris there isn't such a rush. Perhaps we make camp here for the night, find everything we need, and then set off for the North?"

 

[Thren]

He nodded, though glanced back at the ship. "I suggest we camp on that."

As much as Thren hated boats, it would be safer.

"The wilds are home to all sorts of things that I have no interest in fighting unless I have to." Staying on the beach would be safer, but...the jungle would still only be a few short feet away from them. It would be best to stay on the ship for the night.

Plus it would give them a chance to scavenge.

"There's a bed." He reminded her. "More comfortable."

 

[Keyleth]

Keyleth turned her pale eyes away from the tangle of trees that was only a few meters away. Even though the sun was out, it was still ominously dark beneath the trees. She could only peer a few feet past the treeline before everything faded into shadow and greenery. It would be easy to ambush a wayward traveler in such a dense jungle.

"Staying on the ship is a good idea. At least until we have enough supplies to travel... among other things." She replied, agreeing with the mainlander.

"Should be able to find what I need underneath the fallen logs and in the roots of the trees. I'll go scavenge while there's still some daylight left to us." She added a few moments later, already stepping towards the jungle.

 

[Thren]

A whistle passed his lips. "Go with her."

He pointed to Keyleth, Larik raising his head for a moment in an oddly human nod before trotting alongside Keyleth towards the treeline.

"Never know whats out there." He told the woman before she got too far away.

His own mind began to roam to what he remembered about the Wilds. He knew the monsters, the terrain, though without a map or a frame of reference it would be difficult to tell where they actually were. If they traveled down the coast it would help, but finding a village would take months.

Thren considered quietly, perhaps there was a better way.

 

[Keyleth]

Keyleth gave a weak smile when Thren insisted on the hound going with her. It was a touching gesture, since she knew how much the beast meant to the barbarian. She lightly ran her free hand over the hound's head, an affectionate but brief touch.

Her blue gaze shifted over her shoulder to look back at Thren.

"I'll be back before sundown. Might even find us some food, if I am lucky." She said with warmth, then turned to stride into the forest.

Her pace was considerably slower than she would have liked. Bending down to gather the various herbs needed for an antidote was exhausting in and of itself, not to mention doing so while trudging through dense jungle underbrush. More than once she had to take a break, leaning against Larik's side to support herself while she caught her breath.

She never ventured too far into the forest, not wanting to risk running into a creature that she wasn't prepared to fight.

Glancing up through the thick overhead canopy, trying to get a rough estimate of the time, Keyleth reckoned that it was well past noon. She'd likely need to start heading back soon.

She sat down on a broken stump to collect her strength and to take inventory of everything that she had gathered throughout the day. Some of the mushrooms she'd picked were also poisonous if prepared incorrectly. She plucked the stems off of each one and tossed the inedible bits away -- she didn't want to risk the mainlander accidentally ingesting them.

Staggering slightly as she stood up, Keyleth managed to catch herself on the spear that she carried, though her legs nearly gave out beneath her. She slumped slightly against the shaft of the spear, letting her knees drop to the forest floor. "Curse the tides..." She muttered.

She'd kept the worst of her condition hidden from Thren, but it was quickly catching up to her now. Shadows blurred and flitted about. Trees warped and whispered. She glanced at her hands and saw the purplish-black mark creeping over the back of her hand from beneath her sleeve. How much worse was it over the rest of her torso? It was spreading, and quickly at that.

 

[Thren]

Thren did not notice any of this.

He had busied himself with exploring the surrounding shore and everything else there was to see. He had been hoping to find...something of note, anything really. The Barbarian wouldn't have cared if it was a pile of fresh corpses with blood dripping from them.

At least it would have shown him something was out there.

Instead though he found absolutely nothing.

Some rocks, some sand, and of course the trees. That was it. They were on a beach, on one side was the jungle and on other side the ocean. There wasn't anywhere else to go, no sign of a trail, nothing that would be easy for them to follow along with.

It was...disappointing to say the least. "Dodge all that only to die of exposure."

The mercenary grumbled to himself quietly.

A loud sigh escaped him, head shaking for a moment before he rubbed his face and turned back towards where he had left Keyleth and Larik.

 

[Keyleth]

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, bracing herself before she staggered back onto her feet. It was a struggle to just stay standing, but she managed to do so. Her free arm wrapped around her stomach, placing light pressure against the wound on her side. She could feel the heat of the infection even through the thick leathers and she grimaced -- there wasn't much time.

Not long after Thren arrived back at the beach near the ship, Keyleth emerged from the treeline.

She exhaled a soft breath, relieved to have found the ocean, having been worried that she might have gotten turned around in her current state of mind. Her shoulders pulled back slightly when she saw the barbarian, doing her best to walk as confidently as she could across the sand.

As she approached, he'd be able to see that the blackish discoloration of her blood vessels was slowly creeping up the side of her neck.

"You're a sight for sore eyes, Mainlander." She said with a weak smile.

 

[Thren]

Thren peered slowly up and down Keyleth, frowning for a moment before letting his face fall back into a neutral expression. "I see you islanders find it difficult even to walk."

The Barbarian teased quietly.

"I suppose you expect to be carried around." It was a joke of course, there was no actual resentment on Thren's part. Just the opposite in fact, he couldn't help but feel slightly concerned. Making it through the wilds with just himself and Larik would be...difficult.

Plus he liked Keyleth.

She was certainly not the most fun he'd ever had, but her presence was an enjoyable one. He did not want to see her dead, and he quickly closed the distance between the two of them.

 

[Keyleth]

Keyleth scoffed at him with false bravado, a smirk attempting to form on her lips.

"I don't see my palanquin anywhere. So I suppose you'll have to do." She quipped in return, bracing the end of her spear in the sand.

She met his gaze for a moment, wondering just how much he had picked up about her condition. Keyleth was not the type to bemoan her injuries or weakness, and she certainly wasn't about to intentionally bring attention to them. Especially not when she had a remedy for the problem already in hand.

"Let's get back to the ship then. There are still some things to be done before we can get some sleep."

 

[Thren]

He nodded to her.

There was no doubt in his mind now that this journey would end in both of their deaths. He doubted that they would be able to return to civilization, doubted that their luck would hold.

That didn't mean he wouldn't try though. "Do you need help?"

It might have been an insulting question, but at this point Thren hardly cared about insulting her. What was important was their survival, not their feelings.

Certainly not their pride.