Private Tales To Interfere in Vel Anir

[Selene Avar]

For a moment Selene remained quiet. The Carriage began to move, her back stiffening slightly as she pondered the Question that Maho had posed. Lips thinned, and then parted slowly as she began to speak.

"That is a complicated question." Her voice was softer than it had before, not weak, but containing a quality of something that wasn't there before.

Selenes face never changed, no emotion crossed it and her eyes did not hold any more feeling than they had before. Yet her demeanor was different somehow, more relaxed, less on guard. Perhaps a moment of vulnerability, or just another manipulation. It was always difficult to tell with Dreadlords, especially when they were like her.

"I was trained for it all my life, as you said." Her fingers drummed against her knee as she crossed her legs. "Taken from my family at the age of six."

A pause hung in the air, then she continued. "Every day after I was praised, lauded for my ability to kill."

Even from an early day Selene had excelled at the Academy. She had been one of its finest students and quickly learned what earned her rewards and what earned her punishments. There had been times where she'd tested the limits, but one fact always remained; she'd always been good at killing.


"I enjoy it the way that a cobbler enjoys making a new pair of fine shoes. I enjoy it the way a blacksmith enjoys crafting a sword of masterwork." Selene leaned back slightly. "All I have ever known is war, fighting, killing. It is what I am good at, Professor Sparhawk."

Her voice remained that soft tone, almost considering it's own words.

 

[Maho 'Jerik' Sparhawk]

There was a cool breeze travelling into the carriage now. It lightly blew past both Selene and Sparhawk's hair, travelling through the road. It reminded him of back home. Not Cerak At'Thul of course, but of Elbion, and those famous summer breezes he so fondly remembers.

The way she spoke upset him. Not personally of course, but the words were broken somehow, like how you have to break in a horse before you can ride it, or how a child needs to be beaten so they won't make the same mistake twice. It spoke volumes about her character, and the Dreadlords in general. Funny, he'd probably learnt more about her from her tone of voice, than what she had actually told him about herself. He wanted to change the subject; he did not want to linger on war for any longer than he had to.

"You know, I have a funny story;" he laughed a little to himself, remembering what he was about to tell her.

"When I was oh... about as young as those students I gave the lesson to, I was supposedly some Telekinesis prodigy. I wrote my thesis on it, and I was expected to do great things with it. I remember, I was so sure of myself, that I attempted to lift up the entire College!" He laughed to himself again, more nostalgic than his last.

"I woke up three weeks later in the Hospital wing, sores all over my body, and a horrible scar over my face! I looked like a complete idiot. I remember, from that day on, everyone looked at me differently- since, you know, I'd 'let everyone down'. That's where I got my last name from- a Sparhawk is a bird native to Elbion, and the scar on my face looked a little like one. So the nickname caught on a bit, and it stuck." He slumped back into the seat more, happily reminiscing.

"I wished I hadn't. It was always just a... like a- a sore memory. My wife used to say it made me look like a Mercenary or... something." He didn't particularly like that.

"I imagine you have little time for relationships. The killing and all, I mean."

 

[Selene Avar]

She smiled slightly at the story.

A part of her had always wondered what it would be like, to have a relationship where you could actually trust the other part. Selene thought she'd been close to it once, all the way back at the Academy.

Of course that thought had been proven wrong when she'd been betrayed, but…she was certain that it had been close. Fingers tightened into a fist for just a moment, and then slowly she let out a breath as her voice hardened again and she returned to the same old Selene. "Such things are discouraged."

She explained.

"We're not denied it outright, and of course we're not sexless monks either." In fact, many Dreadlords actually had children. There were entire scholarly studies on the…production of magically inclined offspring, and thus Dreadlords were actually encouraged to be as promiscuous as possible. At least those who swore to certain Houses anyway. The practice had lead to more than one scandal. "But relationships are something else, aren't they?"

The words were not entirely rhetorical. "It is less about time and more about trust."

 

[Maho 'Jerik' Sparhawk]

She sounded like she was in pain, noticing her hand clench tightly, returning to her hard, cold tone.

"I don't know you, of course. I know nothing about you. But while you're fighting Vel Anir's wars, don't forget to live, you know?. I don't know how it must feel to be in your position, but learn to trust someone. Please." He was trying to be earnest. He knew she'd keep the same cold expression she'd had on her face for most of their conversations, but he wanted his words to go somewhere. He didn't want people to repeat mistakes; forget to love and learn. Futile, probably, but it was no chip off his shoulder.

"My wife was- is, uh- the love of my life. I could trust her with anything. Don't let that opportunity slip through your fingers, while you're still young." His wife was gone of course, but he didn't mention her that way. Ever.

He found it odd, the idea of having kids for the sake of having children. He'd never had any of course, but that wasn't the point. A child had a right to have parents that cared about his welfare, beyond being brought up to be killing machines, without the true love of parents. Something he'd never had. He knew if he had a child, he'd smother them with all the love he could provide, and make sure they'd succeed in any of their endeavours.

Yeah, like that's going to happen.

"I hope you find that someday."

 

[Selene Avar]

By now the Carriage had passed the out gates of Vel Anir and they were moving into the countryside. The sound of voices in the market had gone by, and all that remained were the occasional shouts from village children and the ringing of hammer strokes from nearby blacksmiths.

Surrounding Vel Anir itself were huge grassy farmlands, massive expanses of flat plains that to anyone of a military mind had an exact purpose.

They were a funnel, a way for the Fortress City to see and welcome all oncoming armies. A thousand years ago it had been forest, but that was all carved away long ago. It was only after a few miles that they finally reached a Grove that seemed to have been carefully groomed and maintained. A getaway from the city and the plains, carefully cultivated for just that purpose and nothing else.

Selene leaned back in her seat as Maho spoke to her, softly imploring the Dreadlord not to toss away what little scrap of life she could find.

It was almost sweet in a way.

The idea that Selene, really any Dreadlord, could find such love was laughable. Their lives were broken things, and she could no more trust a man or woman than she could trust a stray wolf. Sure, there could be mutual respect, even advantage in working together, but there would always be a lingering sense of danger.

Always.

At her very heart Selene knew that everyone was out for themselves, that at the very end the choice would always come down to a selfish decision.

Still, she couldn't help but appreciate the man's words. It was a mark of the difference between them, and despite what she portrayed, Selene was not utterly without emotion. Slowly she leaned forward, patting the man's hand. "Your words are kind, bu-"

Just as Selene was about to finish her sentence the side of the Carriage suddenly exploded into a shattering of wood and fire. Selene and Maho would find themselves thrown a said and pelted with shrapnel as the wooden caravan fell to its side half intact.

 

[Maho 'Jerik' Sparhawk]

He loved the scenery they were entering now; dense with foliage, the sun piercing through the gaps, sun-beams falling on the carriage. He didn't like the tall buildings and hard fortresses of Vel Anir. He much preferred places like the Falwood, where trees spanned as far as the eye could see, and you could hear the faintest winds as they passed you by.

It was lovely.

"Your words are kind, bu-"

Seemingly, out of nowhere, the side of the carriage completely combusted, sustaining - or rather not sustaining - a fiery impact, with shards of wood and splinters flying everywhere, flames spitting out in every direction.

Everything seemed to slow down in an instant, as he saw the sharp splinter shards flying towards them both. He could only act out of instinct, and used the quickest spell he could think of;

"TOH DU IMMEN!" He shouted, his voice waining.

As his hand went forward, and the incantation was quickly called, the shrapnel quickly turned to water, and fell to the floor; a harmless puddle beneath them. At the college, he was often told that learning Oskavosh was a pointless effort, and hoping to learn the language that the Primordials used was a fruitless effort. However, his study did bear fruit, in him learning a collection of words, mostly comprised of things that are elements in the creations of other things, such as wood, stone, metal etc.

If you can speak the true name of an object, you can control it. In this case, he just screamed "Wood is Water", and alas, it did just that.

Thank god he remembered that.

However, a few pieces of wood-shrapnel had still managed to hit him, and his right arm had especially been hit, blood dripping through his robes.

Dammit.

He turned to Selene, who was on the ground next to him, afraid she were also hurt.

"Are you alright?!"

 

[Selene Avar]

Selene grimaced at the floor, her ears ringing as she slowly pushed herself up from what had been the left side of the Carriage. Fingers grasped at her side for a brief moment, scowling as she turned to look up towards Maho.

"Im alright." The answer came as she pulled a small bit of torn cloth over her side.

If Sparhawk looked closely enough he would see an oddity on Selene's flesh. Where there should have been wounds from shrapnel, where there should have been ordinary skin, there was instead tiny almost indiscernible scales. The Dreadlord covered the patch of her skin quickly, tying a small knot in the torn cloth so that her flesh would not be exposed.

As she did not a loud thunk rang out as an arrow hit the Carriage.

"Assassins." She hissed as she pulled herself up from the ground and briefly stuck her head up put of the cover of what remained of the Carriage. As soon as she did another arrow came raining down, striking just below her head on the main body of the wagon.

The Dreadlord quickly ducked, glancing over towards Maho.

For a brief moment she lingered, pondering their situation. She could burn the Grove to the ground, but doing so would likely lead to reprimand. If they stuck their heads out without cover though, they would likely be needled with arrows before they could get anywhere. Her fingers curled, then scrunched into a tight fist as she released a breath.

Suddenly a dome of earth sprang up around them, massive walls of rock that seemed to pull together towards an invisible apex above them. When it was formed Selene looked at Maho again. "Do you have any enemies?"

Was this an attempt on her life or his?

Likely the former, but she had to ask. As she waited for his answer she heard the scrape of an arrow against the rock dome.

 

[Maho 'Jerik' Sparhawk]

As he looked over to see if Selene was alright, something caught his eye. Looking at a wound from where the cloth of her clothing had been ripped by shrapnel or arrow, it looked like... hardened flesh? No, it sort of looked like-

Oh, she's covered it. Well, no matter, more important things are at hand.

"Assassins."

Assassins. Of course, how couldn't he have seen this coming? He knew right from the get-go, that something like this would happen. He could never have a single day out where he was not involved in some confrontation, fight, trouble or - in this case - attempted (hopefully) assassination. As she put her head up over the carriage, providing them cover for the time being, another arrow flew by at high speed, hitting the plank side of the carriage, bouncing off of it with a great thud.

Then suddenly, almost from out of nowhere, a dome of stone and earth surrounded them. For a small moment, he'd thought a sorcerer was a part of this assassination attempt, and that they were going to be crushed alive. But alas, it didn't seem that was Sparhawk's fate. At least not today. Selene turned to him, still keeping that cool, calm expression she always seemed to have.

"Do you have any enemies?"

"Of course I don-" He replied very quickly, but stopped himself.

Any Dwarves that heard about Belgrath would probably want me dead. Anyone who did probably does.

Then there's the Templars, burnt down that watchtower. They're probably not happy about that.

Then there's Gerra. Probably angry at me for leaving the battle.

And Then there's the Elves. reminds me, still not allowed to go back to the Falwood.

Oh, and the Eternum. Though, we did sort all that out. Still, wouldn't be surprised if they came for me.

Oh, and those Orcs from the spine, when I-

Oh Christ.
​

"Uh, on second thought, a few. Perhaps..." The understatement was not lost on him.

God, what was he going to do. He didn't doubt she could take them out more easily than he could. Then again, he wasn't new to warfare. A few archers seemed weirdly poultry in comparison. Oh god. He remembered a trick he used once during Belgrath, but it was horrific. If there was a Geneva convention in Arethil, this would certainly be off the cards.

"If you can create an opening for the dome, I can likely take the Assassin out; I assume they're after you, so they likely will still aim for the dome." Stupid logic, he knew, but he felt a strange sense of responsibility. He wasn't quite sure why, however.

 

[Selene Avar]

A breath filled her.

Briefly she thought about who might be behind those arrows, who might have been behind that explosion. She herself could think of a dozen different names. Some were noble, some were peasant, but most were other Dreadlords.

Since she'd been raised to the first there had been much jealousy among her peers. A few had even threatened her life. At the time they had not been of any concern, but rage tended to boil when it was left to sit.

Was this one of them?

She glanced at Sparhawk as she spoke.

The idea of sending him out to be a guinea pig for these assassins was appealing. Any other time she might have taken the opportunity, but she knew it would be foolish now. "Nonsense."

Idrig Crane would kill her if something happened to this Professor, and while she feared few things, Selene knew that the Archon could kill her.

"What kind of host would I be if I let you die." She stood, straightening herself and letting out a breath. Fingers touched the inside of the rock dome, and slowly red lines of heat began to form. Thin strands of magma split the dome, and then suddenly the rock began to move.

A coiled serpent unfurled itself, pulling into being and unhinging it's jaw.

As soon as it loomed above her Selene lashed out. Fingers snapped, and fire exploded among the trees. A scream echoed within the wood, a body falling from the ground.

Another arrow flew from behind Selene, streaking forward only to be caught by the Serpent of magma as it half coiled around the Dreadlord and her guest.

 

[Maho 'Jerik' Sparhawk]

It was incredible.

Almost everyone had their own method of casting magic. Whether it be by voicing it with an incantation, generating it through runes, visualising the spell wanted, or all three. However, to use voiceless magic to light a fire a distance away instantaneously was no feat to be scoffed at. It took many Sorcerers decades of study to correctly do such a thing. He could tell this magic Selene had ran deeper than training. Far deeper.

The serpent forming out of the magma which fell from the dome was simply incredible. Not only a creative use of magic, but logical; summoning a creature to protect them both, acting as a shield and an offensive creature. Ingenious.

As he heard the arrow fly from behind them, the serpent caught it like it was nothing.

God, I feel a little useless.

If she didn't want him directly attacking, he might as well help.

He looked towards the fire that Selene had started. He muttered some words to himself, then reached out with his hands. In an instant, the fire turned to smoke - a ball of smog sitting in the middle of the trees. He moved his hands to face where the arrow had come from, and the smoke travelled like a cloud caught in a draft into the forest.

He heard a coughing-splurge from the tree line.

I guess that's something.

 

[Selene Avar]

An explosion erupted in the smog that Maho had placed among the trees.

There was no finesse to the attack, no aim. Selene simply ignited something that lay in the similar direction. Sure enough a body fell from the branches with a loud thud, it's face half gnarled and most of it's form twisted with black char.

She gazed for a moment, and then heard the snap of a branch behind her.

In a moment Selene whirled around, her eyes narrowing in search. Among the trees she saw a figure garbed in black, his hands filled with a bow and a sword sitting on his hips. "Malfegor."

As soon as the word left her lips the Serpent that had surrounded them uncoiled itself and whipped forward. It dug through the earth in leaps and bounds, slithering forward and opening it's massive maw to snap up the assassin and consume him with a shrieking cry of fear.

Selene watched for a moment, then glanced around the clearing.

Three men. Two burned to a crisp, one eaten. Was that it?

No other arrow came, no magic fell, nothing. Silence prevailed within the Forest, the birds having fled at the sound of the first explosion. The Dreadlord waited a moment more, and then slowly turned towards Maho.

"I apologize, Professor." She said the words so casually one might have thought she spilled a cup of tea.

 

[Maho 'Jerik' Sparhawk]

"I apologize, Professor."

huh.

That phrase made the whole situation seem far more poultry than it was.

He'd just seen this serpent she'd summoned uncoil, fire itself forward, and eat one of the Assassins who'd made an attempt on their lives. However, by the way she'd said 'Malfegor', it seemed the attack was to put her life in danger, and not his.

Thank god.

Her raw destructive power was not surprising, the inferno that burst in the tree line, where he's strategically placed his fog; powerful indeed. Two men burnt to death. What a day.

"Oh, no problem... I imagine this must happen occasionally for a... Dreadlord..." Even the word sounded strange, as if it inherently had something wrong within it, something evil. He didn't hold this view, but still, something rang odd about it.

"Sorry... Malfegor?" Good question.

 

[Selene Avar]

"The serpent." She explained. "He is my familiar. Has been since I was eight."

The snake of course was not an actual animal, there were no such things as serpents made of magma. Not as Far as Selene was aware anyway, but Malfegor could be thought of as...almost an imaginary friend.

One that bled and breathed fire.

He was an expression of a more powerful side of her magic, not just fire, but heat and rock combined. More than anything he was a mechanism of defense for her, though in a strange way...the serpent also acted as a companion. Not that she would ever admit such a thing out loud.

The Dreadlord frowned, glancing at the carriage.

"These assassins were no doubt after my life and not yours." She offered in the way of some explanation. "I was recently...promoted."

A simple way of putting it. "There are those unhappy about that decision."

A sigh escaped her.

"I am afraid we'll have to continue to the Estate on foot." Unfortunately.

 

[Maho 'Jerik' Sparhawk]

Incredible,

Such a vivid familiar. He hadn't seen one of this sort of power in many years, not since his own Master owned an Eagle familiar. Incredible creatures, to be summoned at will in such a way. It took not incredible skill, but raw, aching potential.

"These assassins were no doubt after my life and not yours." She offered in the way of some explanation. "I was recently...promoted."

Well that's comforting.

Although, he wasn't all that surprised. To think anyone aware of his past, or what he'd done, would know he was here, or even recognise him, was nigh impossible. Though, to think she was promoted to such a rank, and to create such an uproar, that people in high society would pay for an assassination attempt on her? Crazy. Then again, it could've just been a bunch of people who didn't like her, just thinking they could take her down.

In any case, wasn't his concern.

"Hey, i've trekked all the way from Molthal to Belgrath. A little walking might do me some good!" He tried to keep positive.

Then again, it felt weird saying the world 'Belgrath'.

Would she ask questions?

Of course not, she wasn't concerned with any of his affairs. At least he didn't think so.

"So, where is this Estate- from here I mean."

 

[Selene Avar]

Belgrath.

She had journeyed there a year ago, or past it. Selene did not know it, but she had traversed the very battlefield Maho was thinking of in that moment. The Dreadlord had even camped in the ashes of the outer gate that Gerra and his army had managed to destroy.

Selene never thought to ask about it. After all he was just a Professor, one adept at fire and bathed in battle, but there was nothing to make her think it was that battle. "Three miles that way."

She Pointe down the road.

"It is secluded in the Grove." The woman sounded rather proud as she spoke, perhaps because this was the first place she could ever truly call her own. "I prefer the isolation over the noise of the city."

The Dreadlord began to walk as she spoke. "Molthal is not a place many would travel. What brought you there?"

It was a question born of genuine curiosity. She knew little of the Blightlands, save of course for what few rumors managed to filter down on her travels.