Completed Toil and Trouble

[Rory Bellamy]

A cruel, twisted smile wound its way across Rory’s face. Brown eyes watched in unbridled glee as the strike of lightning was successful in striking the green beast parading as a knight. The Bellamy cared little for the life of the forest around it, and it seemed neither did the knight below. How alike their hearts were, when faced against their own morality, how the lives of other things mattered little if it meant they could survive.

It was a secret that Rory Bellamy would remember. At that moment, they had decided they knew everything about the fallen squire more than he could even know of himself. A powerful thing it was to know one’s enemy so intimately.

Rory’s thoughts were broken by the glimmer of a arrow. The Thunderbird slipped out of the way. Rory sucked in air through their teeth, clucking their tongue against the roof of their mouth as they gritted their teeth in annoyance. The green thing was enough to leave a message, engaging with this new… furry… wasn’t a good idea. Was more back up coming? Surely, the fire was a beacon to all the knights in the area.

“Back to the Estate, Izulu.” The Thunderbird screeched and thunderbolts fell from it’s wings the color of a storm at sea during a full moon night. It dived down low, picking up momentum quickly, wings brought in close to it’s body before it arched up. Rory nearly vomited at the sheer speed of the maneuver and had to utter multiple spells to not only feel better but to protect themselves from the turbulence of the sky. Even as Syr Rimeboll shot their next arrow, Rory Bellamy and their stolen Thunderbird were already a mile away from where the squire lay.

 

[Noa]

The twang of a string instrument could be heard. Even past the roar of the flames and the wails of the flora and fauna, a slow melody began to reach further and further into the forest. It did little to stop the flames but would instead help lead any of the creatures out of the fire. While many woodland friends and fiends escape from the inferno, one creature moved into the flames.

Roki would feel a large nose with coarse fur and thick whiskers press into his brow and then his cheek. A tongue like sandpaper swiped over the squire’s face. Ne would stare down at Roki as the song continued to play. He huffed, nudging Roki with his face. He had to get up. They were running out of time.

Roki

 

[Roki]

Smoke and fire. Crackle and hiss. All mixed with red and white flashes of pain. Pulsed to those searing peaks. Dulled to plummy depths.

Skin charred. Split. Bright wounds where burns cracked. Shallow breath was pulled in through his lungs, as smoke rose from his shoulders. His padded jacket, smoldered and torn, fused in places where flesh had turned to char and what plasma his body could muster, stuck to and caked over fibers of fabric.

For the fire, comes all the want of your ceaseless ire, Roki, son of Tloki.

Tongues of thousands, that ride the winds you called upon.

It was the harsh and dissonant twang of a sanshin that had stirred Roki from the state of darkness he had fallen into. It's melody, rousing him out of the pool of sleep he had fallen into. The weight of slumber, still pulled at him. His eyes heavy.

A bump upon his forehead. A flat warmth that rasped rough against his brow. A huff of breath. A sense of urgency.

"Ne," he croaked, mouth dry as dirt neath the height of the summer sun.

His limbs, weak with a numbing agony. His eyes, bleary and tearful as his breath quavered. He willed himself up. Fumbled back to the ground with a thump from the shaking of his arms. A puff of dust swirled about him.

All the animals screeched and twittered as they ran from the fire that raged around him.

What had he done?

Noa

 

[Noa]

Ne was patient with Roki, the flames didn’t seem to bother him. Even when the large beast prowled through the blazing forest, it appeared to the common eye that the flames would suddenly be pushed away before being put back into place when Ne moved along. Another huff to rouse Roki. The tune was faint and blurred, it’s meaning lost.

Ne gingerly put his jaws into Roki’s robes and began to tug him back into the tree line. The flames seemed to be pushed aside as Ne walked backwards. The same couldn’t be said for Roki. Not until he could hear the melody clearly. His body would begin to feel rejuvenated, slowly but surely, the pain would abide as the melody carried on. A wisp of vigor would return to the body, a drop of clarity to soothe the mind.

Ne paused, let go of his hold on Roki’s robes. The great beast moved around the halforc, nudging him and snuffling over his face. The albino tiger jerked it’s head over, sitting down close to Roki, tail swishing. He wanted Roki on his back.

Roki

 

[Roki]

Each strum of dissonant chords, vibrated through the fibers of his flesh. A tune. That turned more clear with each strum.

Something pinched at the nape of his neck. A thing that pulled him up off the ground. Dragged him across the loose earth. A roll of the soil. Detritus, made to move and shift by the plow of his shape. Theo melody came clearer, and more clear, with each inch that scraped beneath him.

Each pluck of the string. Each reverberance of the gut chord that twanged through the air. Deep and clear and true, tickled and roused the blood in his veins. Stirred the matter of his flesh to stitch together and slowly recover. He roused to push himself up once more, felt the strength in his arms restore as he worked to lift his weight up from the earth.

"I will move," he said to the beastial guardian that roused him and ushered him. His hand reached out. Shaking and trembling. Tried to grasp at what little felt sturdy. What little felt reliable betwixt the strength of his fingers.

Roki grasped Ne's fur. Felt the swell of strength that rose in the beast's flesh. The spirit of the Wild so strong ther in them. The flames, danced and bowed before the weight of their energies. Before the pull of their magick.

With effort. With struggle. The squire lift himself up off the ashen earth. As the fire of his own making raged around him, he set his weight upon Ne's back, and fell his weight down across the splay of the mystic beast's shoulders and spine.

"Ne," he whispered weakly. "Thank you..." A tear rolled down his face, and cut across the ash that caked there upon his cheek.

Noa

 

[Noa]

The ground beneath Roki’s feet seemed to help lift him up and wind from seemingly nowhere would make Roki feel lighter than he truly did. Air and earth worked in tandem, a swell of magic that surely couldn’t have come from Noa although her song became more clear as the squire and tiger neared.

With the squire on his back, Ne began to move. Once more he prowled through the burning words. The flames wouldn’t dare lick at his heavy paws or flit onto the brown tip of his tail. It kept far away from Ne and for some time the only thing that actually led Ne was the song ringing out from Noa’s beloved sanshin. The air was heavy with ash and smoke, even blurring Ne’s vision, but the beast heard its master just fine.

The further they got from the start of the fire the air would begin to not burn down Roki’s dry mouth and nostrils. Yet the fire continued to rage on and it was only through Ne’s steady stride that the half-orc could find some relief in the air around. How much time passed when Ne reached Noa couldn’t be discerned, it was both long in journey and quick in comprehension.

“Damn,” Noa’s husky voice could be heard clearly though her fingers still plucked at the strings. “You ain’t looking too hot, kid.” There was a quirk of her lips in a easygoing half grin. Ne huffed at the woman who was not facing them, although she turned her head towards the sound. Not quite looking at Ne or Roki but only in their general direction. “Bring him here, his lungs are full of that shit.” She said.

The decay of the trees and mushrooms had burnt along with the healthy trees creating a toxic smoke that was far more dangerous than the usual. Noa put her sanshin away, instead sitting down and crossing her legs underneath her. Ne began that sloping stride of his, laying down in front of Noa. She wasn’t using her pipe and relied on the connection she had with Ne to reach out and feel Roki’s face. Once she was sure where it was she pulled forth from her belt a waterskin.

“Ever been to Cais Vihara, Roki?” He hadn’t and she knew he hadn’t. No kid wanted to hang out with those dour monks. She rolled her shoulders back. “They got this neat trick over there. Close your eyes and empty your mind. Follow along with me.” She chanted once then twice, clearly enunciating for him to catch on. The third time, her voice seemed to echo about. The water in her waterskin pulsed.

Roki

 

[Roki]

Like gentle rumbles, come shake through the earth, like sprawling root, come break through mantle of soil, a swell seemed to lift him. Air about his limbs, like hands, come help him up.

From his failure. From the fear. From the fire he felt scorch down inside him with each cough.

A song cut through the trees. Distant as far away shores. Though the currents seemed to take him there.

His hands did hold on, somehow, onto Ne's pelt. Prowl as the great beast did,

A voice, familiar, if only in feeling, for the sound of it true was muffled in his ears.

His eyes blinked the light away, and he could see the smirk of his mentor, curled at he corner of her lips, just below her sightless eyes.

"Are you-" he coughed, wheezed, coughed and smiled still. "Making fun of me?"

A stir of motion. A stop like a crash in his head, turned gentle trickle across the cliff of Ne's frame.

More words. He groaned. Felt the pull of the chant. Felt the humm of the sounds Syr Noa made. He closed his eyes, still a slump upon the beast, and hummed the sound come second verse. Let his lips move and upon the third he could chant the words too. Small and smokeladen as they were.

A pulse, that went through his mouth and down his spine. Rivers of white, blue, and gold, he could feel them sing inside him. His lungs filled with air, and his eyes opened clear as his frame lifted from Ne's shoulders, ever just.

As if carried by a mists, as they bloomed into clouds. Roki was in awe.

Noa

 

[Noa]

The chants echoed, seeming to transcend both time and space. She uncapped the waterskin, spilling a few drops into his mouth. It wouldn’t heal him, but it would keep his wounds from getting worse. Sometimes that was all one could do. A sort of stasis that paused the encroaching doom until someone more talented than her could heal Roki the way he needed it.

Even when Noa and Roki would stop chanting, their previous chants would echo, softening in sound before growing back to full volume. Waning like the moon before once again becoming full.

“Right, we can carry you back now.” Noa said. How much time had passed was no more than five minutes but it would feel much, much longer. Ne was back and Noa helped to assist Roki back onto the spirit tiger’s back. They began to walk with Noa keeping a hand on Roki’s shoulder, partially to keep him upright and partially to help guide her as well.

“Damn.” Noa said after a moment, the chants still echoing somewhere in the back of their mind. It wouldn’t stop until she willed it— or her magic ran out. The chant being the only thing from keeping Roki getting worse. “You’re gonna be in so much trouble.” She laughed. “And so am I. Damn. Damn.”

Roki

 

[Roki]

A cough, as he felt his limbs ache with the pulses of the chant. "I... Did the corvodii people escape?"

Noa

 

[Noa]

Noa patted Roki’s extra crispy forehead. “We did our best, Roki.” Was all she said. Surely, some had escaped, but the Corvodii peoples were not known for their intelligence in certain matters. Whereas they were quick in making tools— some of which other races had taken to fuel their own inspirations— in disaster they always seemed to end up in places they shouldn’t be.

“As much as I could, I tried to lead all life to safety.” It would be unavoidable if some had died.

“As best as you could, you tried to protect them.” There was a pause. The only sound being Ne’s steady paw steps and Noa’s far less graceful thump of her sandals against her heel. “Fire is a element that only knows appetite. It feasts on air and the earth.” And today, Roki had let fire gorge itself. “But we’ll contain it, put it out, and then we can help the forest grow. I’d like you to be a part of that effort.”

Roki

 

[Roki]

Roki knew a nothing answer when he heard it.

They could be dead. They could be alive.

His frown deepened, but he tried to put the thought away, as Ne moved after Syr Noa.

"I'll," he started. Looked back up to his mentor, and her steady gait. A huff of desperation left his nose, and his whole face stung all the more for it. "I'll do whatever I can, Syr! I'll..." he looked for something to say, but could only hear the fat joyed crackle of the well fed flame. Heard the crash of the branches, and the screams of the creatures as they fled the flames. He slouched. His eyes downcast. "I'll atone for my missteps,"

Noa

 

[Noa]

Noa smiled towards Roki’s voice.

“Atonement? You got it all wrong.” They continued on. “You’re going to get in trouble. You’re going to feel shame. If you’re only going to help the forest grow to alleviate your guilt then tell me now.” The air was cooler here, somehow despite their walk, it seemed they had traveled much faster. Ne understood the nature of this forest better than anyone else possibly could.

“I want you to help so you can learn about earth. That way you can respect and learn from it. You gotta understand that the earth doesn’t expect to be forever evergreen— it knows there’s a cycle. Earth is patient. Helping with the beginning of that cycle, checking in on it from time to time, it’ll help you when you’re angry or scared. No one steps in the same river twice, right? Gotta make those mistakes and learn from them.” Another pat on his head and then Noa was touching the points of his ears, her fingers remarkably cool as if they were in the snow and not leaving the scene of a fire. It was clear that she was searching for something.

“If I wanted you to atone, I’d send your ass to Cais Vihara.” She chuckled then and Ne chuffed. “Two weeks with those ascetics? Shit, you think some Syrs can be sticklers but let me tell ya, Roki, they’re nothing compared to those monks.” This time Ne snarled and Noa only laughed more, her hand finding Roki’s shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay. You’re the type of idiot willing to jump in a fire to save someone even if it means you’ll get burned. Your punishment can’t be that bad.” But really, she had no idea. Even if she were far more lenient than her peers, even Noa knew there would be something done. She could only hope it wouldn’t involve her having to wake up early.

Roki

 

[Roki]

"No, no thats not what I-" he shrunk back, and the shrinking hurt, as most his skin felt fried from the heat of fire he had summoned. He had willed and unleashed. His own blood the price he had paid. And now he'd have the scars to remind him.

He felt tears well up in his eyes, and they flowed down his cheeks as he grit his teeth.

What an utter fool he had been.

But as his mentor spoke, he did his best to listen. Though the pain was still hot, though it was still full in his mind, he heard her speak of the earth and its cycle.

Its grounding force.

A balance he lacked.

He nod as she made mention of the river. Unsure of what she meant in the moment, but, sure that there was something there in the wisdom she shared.

At the clearing, Rimebol had appeared. "Well," the Sworn knight said, flat as flat could be. "You've managed to pull out the little fire-starter I see," his eyes were tired, and the way his shoulders rose and fell spoke of fatigue. His quiver nearly empty of its silver-tipped arrows.

"Much of the blaze has been... contained," he said to Noa. "But, the rest is burning too hot, will just have to let it eat itself to death," his tail flicked with annoyance, and he grunt at Roki, turned, and motioned for Noa and Ne to follow. "The other team will manage the fire while we... tend to the wounded," he added, and started to walk toward the direction of the camp they had established, further into the safety of the wilds.

Noa

 

[Noa]

There was a lazy smile as Noa looked at Rimebol, her hand no longer on Roki’s shoulder and instead on the waterskin she had used to keep Roki’s wounds from getting worse. It was good to meet up now with Syr Rimebol, even if Noa thought his dourness wouldn’t much help with Roki’s spirits. She doubted much would actually lift the squire’s spirits for some time and that would be the way it was.

Ne’s whiskers twitched and a quiet chuff was all that was needed to let Noa know it was time to start walking. The albino tiger guided Noa after Rimebol.

“Did we get the Bellamy?” Noa asked.

Roki

 

[Roki]

"No," Rimebol anounced. "They got away,"

Roki's brow furrowed, and his fist clenched about Ne's fur. Even with Syr Noa's cooling waters, pulsing and working about his wounds, the ire of fire crackled in his heart.

He had burned so much.

And they got away.

The camp came into view shortly. A corvodii suffering from burns was being tended to by a young squire with flaxen hair, one of the auxiliary teams that had been in the area, summoned by the thunder clap and the false bird calls that trilled through the woods.

"Easy now, lay back," Arietta said to the small corvodii. Her hands a-glow as she administered her magicks to the areas licked red by fire, feathers eaten away by the burn.

Roki recognized them to be the one who had been dragging the big bellied pot. His frown deepening at the corners of his mouth. Averted his gaze.

Noa

 

[Noa]

“Shame.” Noa said. “But expected.” If the Bellamys were easy to deal with, the knights would have dealt with them long ago. “I wonder which one it was.” Ne growled and Noa nodded. “Yeah, a particularly nasty one, that’s for sure.” There was some silence, as Noa was wont to do before her brows lifted up. “Oh. That’s right. Roki, we can get you mostly fixed up now. Ne bring him over to wait and Syr Rimebol, I want to discuss with you something I discovered with the smoke. If the fire keeps burning we’re going to have to—“

Ne’s swift footsteps would bring Roki away from the conversation between the Knights, and over to Arietta. He chuffed, whiskers twitching and tail swishing, as if contemplating just having Roki roll of his back with a powerful churn of his shoulders so he could stalk back to Noa.

Or maybe because the tiger enjoyed the smell of burnt corvodii more than burnt cooking wizard.

Roki

 

[Roki]

Rimebol nod as he listened to Noa, the two spoke, and Roki, who coughed and felt his lungs heavy, wished he could still hear what the two sworn knights were discussing. But he had been carried too far away, and the stirrings of the camp, the other squires who milled about, administering aid, and moving supplies out to the forest and the efforts against the fire, kept his ears from making out much more than the ever-present crackle of flames.

Arietta eased her magicks across the wounded corvodii, a gentle smile upon her lips as she nod. "There, that should ease the pain, and help with the healing process,"

The small corvodii made a crook in his throat, and tried to rest upon the makeshift bed. "Itchy, very itchy," he noted with a quick clatter of beak.

Arietta nod. "The wounds stitching themselves back together often itch, but I will see if I can find you a salve, to help with the irritation, be sure not to scratch," she warned her patient, and watched to make sure her instruction was followed.

Soon, she saw Ne, standing there and licking his muzzle. "Don't even think about it, you overgrown cat," she said sternly, though she smiled knowingly at the great beast. Rose, and helped Roki off of his shoulders and onto an empty bedroll.

He sucked his breath in as his whole body stung from the burns. But Arietta was as gentle as she was diligent.

"My," she said with some surprise as she let him down. "You really did a number on yourself this time, didn't you, Roki,"

Roki said nothing. Turned his eyes away in shame as she began to peel off what burnt pieces of cloth she could with a pair of metal tweezers.

"I'm just glad Syr Noa and Ne were able to find you," she shared.

Roki just scrunched his brow the more as he heard the corvodii's ragged breath beside him. Was he the only survivor from his group?

Maybe even the Bellamy would've let more live... he thought within the crackle and hiss of the fires, distant, yet there between his ears.

Noa