Open Chronicles Wierdos from Another Realm (Monster Hunters)

[Alexander Verallas]

Alexander blinked once. Then once over.

"Monster Hunters?" He asked in a blend of uncertainty and intrigue, his gaze soon being drawn to the others in the room and lifting his head slightly as if something clicked; it explained why most of them were very strangely equipped with a variety of arms and armaments where as he was accustomed to the generic attire of the common folk and those few Knights whom presently resided over his training.

As of yet, life in the Allir Reach had not bore much experience in the area, for the Wards of Alliria and their strong-guard stood vigil over the reach. Evidently only struggling to keep up with the rogues and bandits that had plundered his homestead so long before.

"So that's what the offer was about then..." He glanced down, eyeing the sword sheathed at his left side, the weight of his shield slung over his back reminding him of his meager battlements and suddenly reconsidering his position.

"Thank you kindly, Sir..." Alexander bowed his head in a respectable show of appreciation, for his liege-lord would expect no less.

"Is there by chance somewhere I can purchase food and drink? I've travelled from Alliria to be here".

Smiling One | Caliane Ruinë | Kikwi | Lazule | Azulian | Eren'thiel Xyrdithas​

 

[Lazule]

Caliane guided him out of one billeting room and into another. This was preferable. The results from confessing what Lazule was about to confess were likely to not be easily tracked. Unpredictable. Indifference, forgiveness, suspicion, outright aggression--all possible. Lazule did not know the blue-eyed elf nor any of the others who had assisted in Erën's healing. Invoking the ancient right of self-defense against the Monster Hunters was on par with having to slay Father--a horrid nightmare. It would not serve the cause of righteousness.

A remark on his new height.

"Yes."

A suggestion. Of talking to Willis next.

"Yes. This is an unorthodox event by...normal, living standards. He will require clarification."

Caliane sat down on the bed of this room. Lazule closed the door for additional privacy. This was the purpose of coming in here, after all.

And, after she had settled, the confession: "Caliane. While you were not available after the Amalgamation...while I was contained within your Soulfire...I maintained a preference for the Soulfire over you. I desired for the Soulfire to take primacy within your body, at your expense. To clarify: I wished for you to die, such that the Soulfire would take over."

He waited a moment. Tiny movements of his helm, shifting left and right as he processed his thoughts.

"I have never before encountered a being akin to myself. I was intensely curious. I was...joyful. This marking the only time I have found joy outside of my Domain: that of the Hunt, that of slaying monsters. By analogy: conceive of a world in which you were the only Avariel. And you thought this to be the case for thirteen years, the entirety of your life. You encounter a sole, other Avariel, after all this time and erroneous thinking it not to be possible. You are not alone in your kind, anymore."

Lazule's armored fingers flexed softly. A slight rebalancing of his weight. The cloth streamers of his armor swaying delicately.

"It is a terrible thing to be unique. I did not have these thoughts previously, before my Breaking. But now I am keenly aware."

A pause, and the moment came.

"I am sorry, Caliane. My plight may perhaps be understandable, but my desire was not warranted. I was in error. You saved my life, yet I did not place enough value in yours. I did not show you requisite grace and gratitude. I am glad that I lacked the resolve to take more extensive measures to fulfill my misguided desire."

A stillness and a silence.

Then, matter-of-factly stated: "I do not know how to properly end an apology."

Caliane Ruinë

Eren'thiel Xyrdithas Smiling One Azulian Alexander Verallas Kikwi

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Of all the things she might have thought Lazule had wanted to discuss, never in a million years would Caliane have thought it would be a confession of how her friend had wanted her dead.

An uncomfortable silence took root in the room and began to blossom like a weed.

For a while all she could do was stare at the man in front of her. She had bared her soul to a person she called a friend, had revealed herself in her entirety to him and the gratitude she had received whilst she was in Sleep was a dark conspiracy. A myriad of confused emotions passed through her and Caliane was an emotional being so they were probably clear on her face. Hurt, anger, betrayal. Hurt. She lowered her green gaze and turned it from him to the open window. Usually the rain was a comforting noise but in this moment it sounded loud. Unable to bear it any longer she stood and moved to it, pulled it shut. Having it closed muffled the noise a little but it did nowt to ease the knot in her throat.

Of course she could understand the analogy. Whilst she knew there were many of her people tucked behind the safety of the walls of her home she had had a taste of being alone in the world she sought to offer aid to. In no way could she imagine not having even the comfort of knowing that even though they were far away her people would be there for her no matter what. She probed for some sort of reaction from the Soulfire to his comments but all she got was a warm sense of righteousness.

"It's usually with a hug," Cali said quietly after a while in answer to Lazule's last comment.

 

[Lazule]

Caliane did not wish him ill in return. This was good. Her answer, the sole sentence of her response, came after a noticeable gap in time. Lazule could through his own experiences relate to this gap of time, for it was the time necessary in processing information or an event of sufficient magnitude. He had felt it in the moments following his Breaking, after the magic of Leyus Lerte severed the love he held for Father and all Mankind. He had felt it when first he had come to the Gilded Vale, in speaking to Caliane initially, discerning through her insights the proper way to reforge his way of being.

This gap of time, this processing, was understandable.

She did not formally accept his apology. Merely stated that with the closure of a hug an apology could be properly ended; this statement was not an invitation--only informative. She did not initiate, so neither did he. She stood by the window she had recently pulled shut and Lazule stood by the door to the room.

He didn't know what to do next. He could not force her to accept an apology that she did not wish to accept. A small pining, then, for the deadly simplicity of being the Hunter, the Slayer, and nothing but that.

Lazule resolved then that, akin to Erën, Caliane "needed a moment." He did not know if this also implied that she, again like Erën, needed that moment sans his presence. He assumed it to be the case, lacking evidence and therefore reason to think the contrary.

So, in reply to Caliane's statement, Lazule gave a single nod. Said, "Acknowledged."

Turned to the door.

And added, "I shall endeavor to be better in the future."

Opened the door and left the room and gently closed the door behind him and stood out in the upstairs hallway of the Gilded Vale.

Caliane Ruinë

Eren'thiel Xyrdithas Azulian Smiling One Kikwi Alexander Verallas

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane smiled faintly when Lazule turned and left the room then very slowly shook her head. It was going to take a long time to get him to understand the subtle cues of language. Perhaps she would never be able to fully teach him how the subtle nuances of language worked. In a way she was actually looking forward to the journey of teaching him at least.

Yes, it would probably take some time for her to feel entirely secure in the knowledge a friend had wished her dead, even if she could understand the reasonings. But Lazule had chosen not to in the end and that was emotional growth for the Life Fire. The Soulfire hummed in agreement and Caliane pushed herself off the window ledge and followed him out of the room.

"That," Caliane gently tapped on his arm and turned him towards her. "Was a cue to give me a hug, Lazule," the winged elf's eyes creased at the corners as she smiled this time and pulled him into an embrace. For a moment she let the hug stretch on before she pulled back, pressed a kiss to the helm and offered him another smile.

"I need to go talk to Erën - please go speak to Willis he was close to tears thinking you were dead," then she was moving to the stairs and making her way towards the door to speak to the man who she last remembered kissing in the middle of the storm of battle. They needed to talk.

 

[Lazule]

Oh.

He had been mistaken. Subtleties in conversational interactions were the crux of Lazule's social woes. Said subtleties were difficult to detect, and therefore difficult to mimic. These were part of the nuances to one's worldview that Caliane had described, that Lazule wished to learn and properly understand. Yes, Father's simplicity had its merits, but it made the world narrow. Confined it to the limitations of a singular pursuit, made interactions as binary as kill or do not kill, shunned the beautiful details of Arethil and the people inhabiting all the lands. Nuance expanded the world, allowed for insights to beget further, deeper insights.

Caliane tapped his arm. Turned him toward her. Clarified her intent for him.

"I understand now."

Lazule hugged her back, having to adjust the motions of his mimicry to account for her wings. The apology had been accepted and ended. He did not know the purpose behind her kissing the metal of his helm (it did not align perfectly with similar observations of affection), but he deigned not to ask. The hug was the more important motion. And now he better understood the appropriate contexts for the embracing of another.

Caliane was going to speak with Erën. Prudent. Suggested that he clarify his circumstances for Willis. Also prudent. And with that she departed down the stairs.

Lazule was about to follow--Willis was, so far as he knew, still downstairs--when he noticed the blue-eyed elf coming out of the backroom, where Erën had been attended to. The blue-eyed elf was closer in proximity, so it made sense to inquire about the nature of the Unknown Warrior's body and the armored suit now.

Lazule waved his hand in the manner that people did to secure the attention of another. Said to her, "May I ask you a question that you could potentially find unusual? You are skilled in the magical discipline of healing, and I assume this comes with related anatomical expertise. It is this related expertise that may provide me with insight."

Azulian

Caliane Ruinë Eren'thiel Xyrdithas Smiling One Alexander Verallas Kikwi

 

[Eren'thiel Xyrdithas]

Outside, through the rain. His tracks were evident. A boot print here. And impression in the grass there.

The shirt, discarded.

Pieces of his armour, by the craftsmanship it was undoubtably his.

In the distance, just over the sound of the river the sound of wingbeats could be heard, and a few cries of what was undoubtedly a wyvern... no several.

And the tracks would lead to the ledge. There was no evidence that he leapt... instead, a few trees were missing their tops - just freshly broken off. Something large had swooped down to here from above... and had dragged someone away from the edge before the signs vanished.

A single feather laid on the ground, unmarred, but caught under freshly crushed grass.​

 

[Azulian]

Azulian finished wrapping up helping her part of the cleaning in the room and made her way out to the hallway only to be stopped by Lazule asking her if she could help him with something.... regarding his body? This peaked her curiosity a little as such an odd request.

“Well I do not know everything there is to the body or soul. But I can try my best to be of assistance to you, and hopefully relieve you of your worries.” Azulian smiles and offers Lazule her hand, “My name is Azulian by the way, sorry for not introducing myself earlier. Things gotten a bit... hectic needless to say with the two other elves.” The elf chuckles obviously more relaxed and open then before. Almost as if she had a switch to each sides of her job and skills.

She did not dwell much on it at the moment while they were healing Erën of his injuries but this man. This man had something that The Fire was tell her was interesting and not as it seemed within. “Do you want to go somewhere more private for the discussion?” Azulian asks regardless of if he shook her hand or not.

 

[Lazule]

Not everything there was to the body. Or the...soul. But perhaps it would be enough, or through clever use of her magic could perhaps detect significant differences.

The blue-haired elf offered her hand. This gesture was simple. Familiar. Straightforward and not subtle. Lazule's preferred mode of conversation and its associated motions and, as Caliane had said, cues.

Lazule took her hand. Shook it in a manner that almost too perfect to be natural. Like a man from another land having studied extensively the foreign language of a place he was visiting and pronouncing everything with a stiff correctness.

Introductions.

"My name is Lazule." A noted similarity between their names. Not unlike the noted similarity between the basic set of descriptors between her and Caliane. A source of potential confusion. Perhaps the "L" sound at the beginning of Lazule's name and the "ian" sound at the end of hers would be enough to avoid this for others.

Do you want to go somewhere more private for the discussion?

Lazule pondered this. Father, quite evidently, did not consider Life Fires to be monsters, even if for a Life Fire to have a functioning body there was the requirement for a certain grotesque measure: removal of the heart from the corpse. But Lazule had difficulties with this in the past, in revealing that he was not human (she, specifically, at those times, in Lena's body and appearing much more indistinguishable from other humans, on account of not being encased in full-body armor). It could be prudent to reduce this risk down to a single factor: Azulian herself.

"Yes," Lazule said.

Then, fittingly enough, reopened the door to the room he had went to for his private discussion with Caliane. Stepped inside. Waited for Azulian to enter. Closed the door.

Then revealed his circumstances: "I am not human. I am a Life Fire. I was not born; I was created. Through magic and the willing sacrifice of life. This body I inhabit does not truly belong to me. And neither did the one previous."

He could only await her response. He did not wish to invoke the right of self-defense against her (and, by extension, the rest of the Monster Hunters in the Gilded Vale) should she become hostile, as others had in the past. To this end, Lazule had already pre-planned a primary and secondary method of escape.

Azulian

Smiling One Alexander Verallas Kikwi Caliane Ruinë Eren'thiel Xyrdithas

 

[Azulian]

Azulian smiles when Lazule shook her hand before following him to the room he was just in with Cali. Sitting down on the desk she casts a spell of silence in the room so no one could hear in.

Then she crossed her legs and listened closely to what her new friend was about to say.

The words that came from his mouth confused her at first but then she remembered: Magic is capable of a lot of things. She heard of such things happening with a group of elves but it screwed them up so much they had to feed off of magical energy from other beings and basically couldn't move on to the afterlife. Forever tethered to this world as overseers and watchers of the time.

"So you're basically, pardon my common, a being who does not have a permanent body and relies on using other people's willing bodies to be able to continue on?" She asks with a smile, "If so I heard a few old stories of something like that happening thousand or so years ago." She explains to Lazule.

"You want me to see if I can give you a permanent body or is there something giving you away with the one you got right now?"

 

[Lazule]

A reaction so level and calm--accepting, even, as indicated by Azulian's smile--that Lazule's thoughts were temporarily set back. Given pause. The number of aforementioned incidents in the past concerning the truth of Lazule's being had set forth a precedent of general aggression, so for it to be received as normal, insignificant and unremarkable, was...pleasantly welcome.

Azulian mentioned something that was intriguing. Something Lazule had not considered. Something that Lazule did not think to be strictly possible, yet it captured his attention regardless.

A permanent body. Lazule was a manifestation of living, sapient fire, a small blue-green ball of it tucked inside a glass chamber for safety against the deadly air of Arethil. Curious. What would a permanent body, a body Lazule could truly call his own, even look like?

First, though.

"To clarify: It is correct that I do not have a permanent body. I was brought into being by the willing sacrifice of life--four brothers, to be precise. But it is necessitated that I be implanted into a body whose heart is removed: a corpse. Therefore, while I was brought into being by a willing sacrifice, I do not require one to continue on. Once implanted into the corpse with the requisite removal of the heart, I retain control of the body. Until my Fire fades, or that body is destroyed--as was my previous one."

Now. Lazule's helm shifted slightly, a little avian jerk of his head an inch from his left to his right.

"This body is currently adequate, and I wish to know more of its nature. But I am also curious of what you said: a permanent body. I am a small ball of Fire; I could fit into the palm of your hand. Is such a feat possible? That I could potentially be made manifested into a body of my own? I wish to know."

The stolid helm and its golden visor could not convey the intense interest Lazule harbored for this.

Azulian

Smiling One Alexander Verallas Kikwi Caliane Ruinë Eren'thiel Xyrdithas

 

[Kikwi]

The meal had been lovely, and this nice couple had even provided him with a room for the night. Kikwi felt very guilty that he had hardly any money or other goods with which to thank them, and he professed his gratitude to them. They met him with the typical dismissals of people who saw kindness as a duty, not a service to be paid for. Still, he would need to do something nice for them.

His room was much larger than he needed, and it felt odd to be in a bed so large. Why, he could roll over three times before reaching the edge! If he was not careful, he was sure he would disappear under the flowing covers.

Much to his dismay, most of his journals had been irreparably damaged by the rain. The ink and charcoal ran in smears and the pages crumbled and tore. Much of his previous journey's work was gone, and he could not help but feel a great sadness at this fact. He had collected a small number of samples, and those were still intact, but the journals had been irreplaceable.

He could not return to Elbion empty handed. The college was full of great wizards, surely they would not have let something as mundane as rain get in their way. There must be some solution, and in the dark corners of his mind he already knew the solution.

He separated the damaged goods from those that could be salvaged. Some of the journals had a few pages left intact, and he bundled these together carefully. His Elbion-blue robes were dried and warm, and he dressed quickly. Deirdre had been very kind to supply him with replacements, but he felt much more at home in his own clothes.

He was ready to set out again, but he doubted that Daylor would permit him to leave. He didn't think they would hold him here against his will, but he did not like the thought of fighting with the very people who had saved him. It would be best if he waited for them to fall asleep, leave them a nice note, and then set off secretly. He could not wait until morning, he had decided. What if the tower were gone by then? He wouldn't be able to sleep anyway, it was too exciting.

 

[Azulian]

Azulian holds up her hand and chuckles, "I think it would be best to find out more about this body then to jump all the way to the best-case scenario. But I must ask, does anyone else know of your creation?" She replies calmly like a gentle stream.

"For all, we know whatever magic manifested you into being is something that could have side effects to both you and me or whoever tries to get you a permanent body." The elf sits there thinking for a moment, "All I am saying it might be possible. But we both will need to do some digging." Jumping up from the table she sat upon Azulian claps her hands together, "But the first order of business is to find out more of the nature of your body."

Cracking her knuckles the young elf places her hands closer to Lazule's body and starts to whisper in an ancient dialect of elvish. A spell which should reveal most of the biology and other information to her which she would like to know in the case of a medical emergency, but also what the body is and what its specific features are.

 

[Smiling One]

The kid looked scrawny there was no way he would endure the rigors of being a Monster Hunter. He'll be taking on monsters who were often bigger and stronger than him. If not then they would have magical abilities that at worse could warp reality. Willis wasn't even sure this kid could pass the trials, however there was a certain aura of professionalism about him which was uncommon with young up jumped rookies who wanted to enlist with the Monster Hunters.

"Sure kid," Willis said smiling a little though it was hard to do so given his emotional turmoil about Lazule and Caline's vague sayings that she wasn't killed but merely destroyed and transferred into a large suit of armor. It was frustrating not getting information and Willis hated the fact that he was being left out. "Hey Olag," Willis said. "Show the kid around the place I'm gonna check on Cali and Lazule

"Wait Lazule is alive?" Olag said frowning. "I haven't seen her."

"Let's just say she's gotten taller and manlier," Willis muttered beginning to climb up the stairs. He needed answers about what the fuck happened since he and Cali separated after fulfilling their Monster Hunter contract at Alliria. Something told that he wouldn't like what he'll hear.

Alexander Verallas

 

[Lazule]

I think it would be best to find out more about this body then to jump all the way to the best-case scenario.

Azulian's logic was undeniable. Intriguing, the potential of a permanent body. But this current body was adequate and adept, a powerful tool to be used.

Then the question of anyone else knowing of Lazule's creation.

His helm, stolid. The face behind it, suffused with disturbance. Guilt. He loved Father. He hated Father. Both simultaneously. He had not wished to kill him, but he did. Violence was what Lazule had been created for, and he had dispensed it. As Caliane had done with Sveren. The situation contained nuance. Painful nuance.

He resolved not to mention Father, and decided that an incomplete truth would suffice.

"There are acolytes. Students under a master. They may know." Slight hesitation. As Lazule deliberated on the last detail. It was pertinent. So he added, "They will be hostile toward me."

It was a reasonable concern. The mentioned side effects. This indirectly increased the adequacy of his current body.

And then Azulian had come forward and cracked her knuckles and cast her spell:

Spoiler: The nature of the Unknown Warrior and the armored suit

The familiar body of a human man inside the armor. His legs terminated above where his knees had once been. The body did not breathe. It had no heart. Its normal vital functions were ceased. A quasi-state of undeath.

There were connections into the body from the suit. Inseparable connections of metal and crystal. The body was not merely placed inside the suit; the suit had been built around the body. These connections tethered the human body to the suit, allowing the suit to move like a natural extension of it.

The suit itself. Constructed of metal, crystal, organic matter, and stone. The metal akin to chainmail or plate, or simply frameworks for other pieces. The crystals, meant to absorb the light of the sun and charge the suit and nourish the body within. The stone--living stone--from stone golems and lithic titans of the Spine; regenerative, with energy provided by the solar crystals to power this.

And in the very center, where the human body's heart had once been. A glass chamber. Inside a foreign heart, from another man. Around this foreign heart, the blue-green licking flame: the Life Fire of Lazule.

Lazule waited patiently. What insights Azulian could glean would be valuable.

Azulian

Smiling One Eren'thiel Xyrdithas Caliane Ruinë Kikwi Alexander Verallas

 

[Azulian]

Azulian examined as mich as she could about Lazule’s new body. But as she didn’t she’d tilt her head when she got the information about the leg issue. Then she’d frown a small bit when she found out that the armor was literally built around the body. Then she’d tilt her head again, a solar powered armor? Interesting.

Stepping back she’d pace around trying to piece together everything she has learned. “Personally I could give less of a damn if those acolytes will try to kill you, since for that very reason if it comes to it I will personally go there by myself and ask them all they know.” Azulian gives Lazule a smile.

“But for right now your armor seems to be nourishment to the body you posses right now. Through the sun. This is a first I’ve heard of such things, Im going to have to admit but at the same time, I am sure you would rather not worry about... wearing this thing around the whole time and actually being able to live life without worrying about using up another body.” Azulian nudges his shoulder chuckling.

“You deserve much better Lazule.” The healer informs him, “I want to go visit these acolyte and ask them what they know. Don’t worry about me either, I got a trick or two up my sleeves.” The elf spins around and starts to draw a acutally really good example of a body.

“If all the pieces line up we can maybe find a catatonic body for you to inhabit.... that means that the person is not.... there anymore mentally or spiritually but their body is still going.”She then draws a rough outline of runes on the back of the drawing, “If you’re okay with it then maybe we can use magic for you to get into that body and bam! No one to try to keep their body as they have already left” Azulian smiles, “If that however is not to your liking then we can probably try a few other things. Like a soul stone or something.”

 

[Lazule]

"You have my gratitude, even for the thought," Lazule said.

He did not know if this would come to pass: Azulian going to Father's Tower. It was a possibility. Lazule could guide her there, stand aside if need be or assist in violently persuading the acolytes if need be--they had been made pliant through such coercive measures before. But Lazule did desire it. The chance--the exploration of this chance--for insight that perhaps even Father himself had not discovered.

Lazule resolved to ask again Azulian, at a point in the future. See if her commitment to this was true. It seemed so--she had mentioned this twice. But if not her, then others who understood. Perhaps her and others. The untenable: going to Father's Tower alone. Lazule...lacked the strength of willpower to do so. The location the source of the greatest trauma Lazule had ever suffered. He could not bear returning alone.

"The sun," Lazule commented. Acknowledging Azulian's insight into the nature of the armored suit. "Then I shall do more than praise it. I shall bask in its affirming glow."

You deserve much better Lazule.

This warmed the Fire in his chest. Simple words. Empathy.

Lazule listened to Azulian's thoughts after she had sketched out an example body for her point.

"The catatonic body. This seems functionally of little significant difference to being implanted into a corpse. The body will still not be truly mine."

Lazule's helm shifted down and to the left. A turn of the helm to the right. Back up to Azulian.

"It is beyond the extent of my knowledge, but I should like to..." He searched for the most correct term, "...manifest. But I am a ball of Fire, small and weak. The air of Arethil is deadly to me. Hence, I surmise difficulties in this. I doubt its possibility."

Lazule canted his head. Just so.

"Yet I retain hope."

Azulian

Kikwi Caliane Ruinë Eren'thiel Xyrdithas Smiling One

 

[Azulian]

"You mean like a summoning of sorts?" Azulian asks deep in thought, "But you'll be self summoning..... that'll also mean you might need to be bound to something but don't take my word for it either." She warns now able to understand that the air was deadly to him.

"It will be incredibly difficult but I'm not even breaking thirty years yet so we got plenty of time. And considering how you are your own being I hope that we can get you your own body do you can enjoy life. Since I do not know how long the magic keeping your manifested can last either since all magic must come to an end eventually, even if the caster does perish and the spell lives on. It will fade." Azulian explains gently to Lazule. "But I am sure we will be able to come up with something, crazier things have been done with magic after all."

"Now, if there is nothing else you want to know I think we could discuss me going to visit those acolytes later on if you are fine with it." She offers, "But it is getting late and I'm quite sure you'd like a moment to rest after what happened to bring you, the other elf and the winged elf here all banged up like a dragon had its way with you." She chuckles and pats Lazule's arm giving him a big smile, "But of course if you ever have any worries or what say you please come find me. Day or night okay?"

 

[Lazule]

A summoning. Possibly. Lazule did not know the intricacies of magic save for the discipline of Luminomancy. The end result, whatever the method that could perhaps produce it, was clear: a transformation. His tiny being, that orb of blue-green flame, changed--somehow--into a body. It might not be a body of flesh and blood; and, as Lazule pondered this, nor would he necessarily want it to be. The bodies Lazule had inhabited--Lena's, Caliane's, Father's, and now the Unknown Warrior's--all retained a minute measure of falsity. He was not flesh and blood. He was a Fire. This he had known even before Harrier Wren allowed for him to see himself for the first time.

Enjoy life. Yes. A body adequate for a Slayer would allow for it. Hence, Lazule's contentment with his current one, even if he was not one hundred percent comfortable in it. There were perhaps other facets of life--nuances, as revealed by Caliane--which a permanent body would be adequate for, if not for Slaying. Gathering insight, perhaps. Yes. Lazule's curiosity of the world had only grown since his Breaking.

The mention of visiting Father's acolytes at a later time. Azulian's commitment thus affirmed.

"Yes. I am fine with it," he said.

A dragon having its way with you. Lazule did not catch the meaning at first. Then Azulian laughed and patted the armor of his arm. Smiled. It was a joke.

Lazule smiled back. Then realized. Unfortunate, that his smile was hidden behind his closed helm.

"Day or night. I shall," Lazule said. "You have my gratitude, Azulian."

And with that, Lazule turned back toward the door. Opened it and left it open for her. He started immediately toward the stairs leading back down to the main hall of the Gilded Vale. Now that Erën had been attended to, and Lazule knew the critical functions of his new body and its armored suit, it remained that he needed to clarify his new circumstance for Willis Reede. A fellow Monster Hunter. The one who called Lazule "Blonde" as a nickname, a reference to Lena's blonde hair. It was likely to be disconcerting for him to hear that Lena's body had been destroyed; Lazule had never told him the truth of his being, that he was not human, that he was a Life Fire. A dispensing of the truth that Lazule had maintained for all who inquired save for only a few: Rebecca Fourtuna before the Breaking, Erën and Caliane after, as dictated by the extreme case of the Amalgamation and what It had done. Azulian, only moments recent.

Lazule reached the top of the stairs. Conveniently, saw Willis ascending them from the bottom.

"Willis," Lazule said, taking a step down onto the first stair. "I am Lazule. This body is unfamiliar to you, but--"

Lazule's subsequent step fell awkwardly on the next stair, the back prong of his foot and the front prong on two different stairs then and throwing him wildly off balance. He grabbed for the railing but timing and momentum slipped his grasp from it. A grievous error.

And Lazule tumbled down the stairs toward Willis.

Azulian Smiling One

Caliane Ruinë Eren'thiel Xyrdithas Kikwi

 

[Smiling One]

"Fucking stairs."

With each step onto the wooden stairs, Willis could hear and feel his knees cracking and aching as though someone wrapped a boulder around them. He was only 23 years old yet his knees felt knobby and shaky like an old man with an advanced case of arthritis. They say that a year of being a Monster Hunter was equivalent to 10 years. At first Willis dismissed this claim, he had been a Pirate and a Mercenary prior to becoming a Monster Hunter. Killing Monsters provided big albeit inconsistent pay. Plus it had a place to crash if Willis desired to stay at a place for the winter.

He didn't believe that being a Monster Hunter would age a man this badly. Willis had been doing this in and out for years and already his knees were about to give out. He wondered what would happen to him at 24 or 25. Willis will probably have bone on bone condition, talk about a huge mishap. The young man looked up and saw the huge armor set whom Caliane Ruinë claimed that it was Lazule . Willis didn't want to believe it. Who was Lazule really? What was her nature? Nobody could quite figure that out but then again, they didn't care because Lazule was good at her job.

Still, part of Willis was a bit envious that Caliane knew more about Lazule than he did. What made Caliane so special? He had been doing jobs with Lazule for years and she sure as hell didn't tell him shit. Sure Caliane was a kind soul who had love or obsession with chocolate. Willis sighed, the way Caliane looked at him when they reunited, it seemed as though he was a total stranger. For fuck's sake, he was the man who rescued her from one of Elbion's MANY cultists and the Winged Elf probably doesn't consider him a friend. Granted that she'd been through hell, but still.....

Now for Lazule...…

"Well Lazule," Willis said. "Why don't you first explain why you sound like a man?!"

Before Willis could continue, Lazule tripped and came tumbling towards Willis. The young man attempted to side sidestep but it was a split second too late. "Oof!" Willis felt what was probably 1000 pounds pressed against him and they both landed on the ground with a loud: "CRASH!" . It all happened so fast......

The Gilded Vale remained silent as Willis laid flat on his back. It felt like a story of Humpty Dumpty except instead of a living Egg, it was a fucking suit of armor that did not break. But Willis' back probably did. "Ah shit....." Willis groaned. "My back......"

 

[Azulian]

Azulian gives Lazule a slight bow as he left and was about to head further down the hallway to find something when he heard him say something to Willis and the sound of him falling down the steps.

Oh dearest Fire please dont make it so I have to fix another broken bone or bones.

Azulian prays to her deity and walks over to the stairs, "Lazule...... and young man are you guys okay?” She asks hurrying down the steps hearing Willis complaining about his back. He probably knocked it against something. As for Lazule hopefully he didn’t have anything wrong, “I just finished healing a broken arm, this night is just crazy an’t it?” She sighs helping Lazule up if he could stand before assisting Willis. She was half tempted to pick him up herself and just spirit him away back up stairs but that would’ve probably caused a greater wound emotionally.

“Can you stand sir?” She asks Willis offering her assistance. “If not I can assist you to the room upstairs so we can get a better look at your back, if you want us to look at it.”

This was not really an emergency per-say but none the less she would offer her medical assistance. If he felt that he would be fine then she would help him up and carry in with her nightly duties. But seeing as how it was a back injury she did not want to press him into coming, he wasn’t full of gashes and broken bones like Erën after all.

 

[Caliane Ruinë]

Caliane was about to push open the door and go and find Erën when she heard the crash behind her. She turned to see Lazule and Willis entanged on the floor and despite all that happened it got a surprise laugh out of her. Considering Lazule had walked for miles on those legs carrying a man it seemed absurd that stairs would be his downfall after all of this.

Literally.

She took her hand off the doorknob and crossed back over the room as people came to help the two up.

"Are you ok?" Her amusement was clear as she helped Azulian by helping Lazule off of Willis. Obviously she didn't think that it was Lazule who suffered most in this accident but it was still important to check. "I really don't fancy another trip to your fathers tower if you've already damaged this body," it was a light mocking scold. Then her green eyes turned to Willis on the ground and she put her hands behind her back and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I thought you said stairs and ladders weren't dangerous for Groundlings?" it was a light joke referring to their time in Alliria together.

 

[Lazule]

"Yes. I am okay," Lazule said to Azulian.

And brief moment later.

"Yes. I am okay," Lazule said to Caliane.

And, after the two of them had helped Lazule to stand (feet balanced, secure on the floor) and thus relieved Willis of the considerable amount of weight his new body and its associated armored suit possessed, Lazule offered his hand down to Willis. Fortunate, if he was able to take it. Unfortunate, if not, and Lazule would perhaps be made to carry him up to a bed upstairs or table here in the main hall such that Azulian could tend to him.

Lazule said to Willis, in relation to his fall down the stairs, "That was unintentional."

He had his questions, one of which he had already asked of Lazule: why did he sound like a man. The answer was not complicated, but it was outside the purview of orthodox experience for Willis--a high probability of this.

It would be best that Willis received any aid he required. If he did, Lazule could clarify his circumstances for Willis while Azulian worked her healing disciplines. If not, he would say so, and the clarifications would not be done by a bedside.

Smiling One Azulian Caliane Ruinë

Kikwi Eren'thiel Xyrdithas

 

[Kikwi]

The wooden wagon creaked a bit more than it had before, but overall it had taken the fall rather well. Beatrice, aside from being her usual ornery self, seemed fine. She'd had a good meal herself and a nice rest, and although she clearly did not wish to stop sleeping when Kikwi had roused her, she was obedient.

Kikwi did feel bad about leaving without saying a proper goodbye, but academic progress demanded it. He had left what he felt to be a very nice and tasteful note for Daylor and Deirdre, and he hoped they would understand.

The rain had let up a bit, and while it was still damp and the wheels still dragged through mud, it was not as miserable as it had been before. He had taken on of the thick burlap traveling bags and draped it over himself as an extra guard against the cold and wet. Its contents had, sadly, been destroyed, so it was a fitting raincoat.

The tower gleamed in the distance. The moonlight lit up the road but it didn't play correctly off of the tall structure. The shadows didn't line up right, and it was almost like the tower was creating its own light, not needing any assistance whatsoever.

As Kikwi drew closer he was surprised to see what looked like smoke rising in the distance. Indeed, there were the small pinpricks of light that indicated campfires. Someone else clearly had the same idea to investigate and they had wasted no time.

He spurred Beatrice on quicker, eager to meet his fellow explorers.

 

[Smiling One]

Willis groaned laying flat on his possibly broken back might as well cross out being crushed by a set of a set living armor as things to experience before he dies. Of course the first person he saw was Caliane Ruinë's smug and amused face lording over him. "Well normally ladders and stairs don't have a suits of armor rolling at you like Humpty Dumpty," Willis grumbled as he stared the Winged Elf. "So treat that shit as an anomaly."

Cali will probably never climb ladders again, she was very reluctant to climb them during her stay in Alliria. Given that she's already exposed herself to society, it was likely that everyone in Arethril was practically aware of the Averiel's existence. "I'm pretty sure it was," Willis grumbled to Lazule. "Next time you stay at the bottom floor."

He had so many questions to ask Lazule but his back was wracked with pain. Another Elf, the same one who treated the Elf who was being held by Lazule stood over him. Her eyes darting around Willis' wrecked body from up close, the healer was pretty cute. "Didn't realize healers for the Monster Hunters were so..... lovely," the young man chuckled but it created a sharp pain that coursed through out his body.

"No I can't stand," he said hastily before quickly craning his head towards Caliane. "So you gonna stand there and act all smug?" he grumbled. "Or are you going to help a friend out?"

Willis extended his hand for the Elf to take it along with Lazule's hand as well. "What's your name?" he asked the young Elf. "Mine is Willis Reede."