Playing with Fire (Etrius)

[Tara]

Tara looked off into the road ahead of them, wondering what would happen in the future. She felt the rise and fall of Iona underneath and the soft breeze blow her hair back. She wondered what would happen when the reached wherever they planned to go. That brought the question to her mind. ”Where are we headed anyway?” wondered aloud. She had always wanted to go to Sunberth, to see if she could outdo the criminals there and cause a stir. It would be a good accomplishment, wouldn’t it? Since the rumours were that Sunberth was a place of crime she had always wanted to see how far she could go without causing a scene. Since theft and such wasn’t a rare occurrence it would not be enough…

That said the snowy plains of Taldera were also appealing and were not as far away. There would only be a short journey, maybe a week or less. She had made up her mind. ”We’ll head to Taldera” she said, not taking anything Etrius said into account. She’d made up her mind and would follow through.

That got her thinking. Why was Etrius with her anyway? She knew he couldn’t turn her in now since he was an accomplice now. But what was to be gained? It seemed as though Tara was the one who profited most from this partnership. All Etrius gained was company and an extra hand, who he could hardly even trust. She was not about to question it though, in case he had not yet realized. If she could gain she would and she would do it shamelessly. Besides, Etrius wasn’t the worst company.

Tara sighed and leaned on Iona’s neck, much to the horse’s distaste. She closed her eyes and drifted into a half sleep, a luxury she didn’t have before she met Etrius. She was suddenly filled with the sensation of wind blowing all around her. Before she knew what was happening she was on the ground, having fallen when Iona nibble on some grass peeking through the dead leaves. Tara let out a hiss and glared at Iona. ”Control your petching horse!” she snarled. She got up indignantly and stalked off at a quick pace. ”The things I’d do to that animal if you wouldn’t kill me” she muttered, the words barely audible.

[Leviathan]

You could ask just about anybody that dared to risk the wilderness of Sylira that it was a bad idea, just to risk the wilderness of Sylira. Rangers would tell you of the feral monsters, wolves the size of horses, bears the size of houses, birds that could carry away screaming deer. Manhunters would tell you tales of the people that lived in the wilderness, bandits that traveled in parties of six, seven, or even ten, sometimes cultists of Krysus or the walking plagues of Vayt's army would be found, they would entice with shelter and food and comfort, and they would leave you worse than you came. The priest of Sylir might preach that the wickedness of people was prominent in these woodland areas. A priestess of Rak'kena would explain how disease is ceaseless. The followers of Rhysol would explain how the wildlands simply could not be tamed (and everyone knows how hard it is for them to stomach with a lack of control over everything). Yet, who was there that could explain and forewarn our traveling duo (or trio if you count the horse, who had no 'say' or 'neigh' in the matter) of what, or should I say, who they would meet. The feline woman, Kelvic girl... what was her name? Tara, yes. She would be the first to pick up the presence of another person, and the scent of a person is not what she picked up, but the scent of a wood fire burning calmly, slowly, carefully in the woods in their direct path. Throughout their day of traveling, and it was starting to reach darkness again already as the golden sun shifted into a blood-tainted orange, they had found a small side path, a cutting through the wilderness that gave some easier travel, and though the path was just now fading (unused for so long, the wilderness began to take back the clearing for its own). Tara smelled the smoke, and as they approached, she would even see (because she was also better with her sight in the waning light of day than the pathetic human's senses) the glow of fire, a beacon of mercy in the suddenly growing chill of night-soon-to-come. Nearing the small camp, Etrius too would finally see everything, and he was particularly taken by the smell of roasting beef, which was obviously heavily seasoned and being slowly cooked, a much more delightful smell than that hastily burned deer he had earlier in the day (whose leftovers by the way were already infested by the larvae of flies, improper preservation of meat in the wilderness didn't last long, might as well be poison at this point). Tara too could not deny that such a smell was delightful, though feral instincts still explained that she could eat raw or cooked without consequence. At the small fire was a man who was, at the least, an alarming figure. He had the appearance of what should be a simple unintimidating fellow. A cloak failing to hide a tall thin figure with a nearly bald head (a few thin black hairs were all that remained). His eyes looked sunken and encompassed by large thick bags that looked distressed from lack of sleep. However, what was alarming was that his right arm had mutated into something that could only be explained as a monstrosity. The arm itself was five full feet in length, covered in a large blackened carapace (like a beetle's shell), and the only fingers he had to speak of were more closely resembled to three large dulled claws made from something roughly the same substance as bone. At his shoulder as well there was another jagged, yet dull to the tip, spike of ink black color and tint. It didn't take an anthropologist to read that this man was miserable.

[Etrius]

Etrius smelled the slowly cooking meat ahead at the same time he smelled the rotting meat behind him. Annoyed, he pulled the meat from his pack and threw the rest of it into the forest, not even sure if the hungriest of animal would eat it by then. Sniffing in heavily, so as to take in more of the delicious smell that was hanging in front of him, he began walking at a quicker, yet quieter pace. He tied Iona to a tree a short distance away from the clearing and continued his trek. He reached the edge of the clearing and crouched, hiding behind a tree. He couldn't see Tara anywhere. Perhaps she had hidden some other place, or perhaps she had already shifted. He peered out from behind the tree, looking at the man's back. The man was tall, probably around Etrius' height, and looked very underfed. Etrius was about to call out to the man when he noticed something very wrong. It had been hidden behind the cloak but as the man turned a bit Etrius could see that his right arm was not as it was supposed to be. It was far too long, black and resembled Etrius' own gauntlet. Only, Etrius could tell that it was no gauntlet. He spun back, leaning against the tree. His heart was beating fast and hard. What was that man?

He tried to control his breathing. He contemplated calling out again. Maybe the mutation was purely physical? Maybe the man was of sound mind and wouldn't attack? Yea, and maybe Valterran was an accident. he thought sarcastically. He wasn't entirely sure of what he should do now. Should he go back to Iona and skirt around the campsite? No. He couldn't leave without Tara. He didn't know where she was and he only wished that she wasn't stupid enough to draw the man's attention.

[Tara]

Tara had ducked off to the side and hid in the black of the forest as soon as she saw the man’s arm. She could hear her heart thumping and was filled with a deep seated, instinctual fear. What is it? she wondered frantically. She wanted to shift but knew the bright light would attract too much attention. She had also left her bow and arrows on Iona and the only thing she had on her was a knife and a petching comb. She cursed in a silent whisper, the sound feral since she spoke in feline-tongue.

She noticed that in her thoughts she had drifted closer to the camp than she had intended to. She dropped to the floor, crouching behind a thick layer of undergrowth. Where had Etrius gone? Tara looked around, not seeing him anywhere. The scent of roasting meat was filling the air and making her mouth water despite the situation she was in. Shaking her head she focused all of her senses on finding Etrius so she could get the hell out. She was about to give up and leave him when she heard a snapping twig behind her. She stifled a yelp of surprise and snapped her head round to look behind her. Sure enough there was Etrius, though he had yet to spot her. Why didn’t I smell him? Tara thought, panicking. She was not normally betrayed by her senses… It was probably because of the heavily seasoned meat. The scent was strong and overpowered nearly all others.

Warily, her eyes staying on the humanoid creature at the camp, she crept backwards. When she was far enough back she turned around and sprinted towards Etrius, her step light so as not to alert the strange being. When she reached his side she looked at him with fearful eyes. ”What the hell is that thing?” she demanded. Despite her history Tara had a surprisingly limited knowledge of monsters, having only seen the dire creatures of Taldera and vicious Balicani of Sylira. She had never come across something quite like this. In a sudden bout of daring courage Tara grinned at Etrius. ”Live life to the fullest, don’t miss an opportunity. Right?” she said before getting up and walking confidently towards the camp. She wouldn't let a skinny little human thing with a wacky arm get the better of her.

[Etrius]

"No! Tara! You've got no idea what that thing is capable of!" he hissed. Too late, she was gone. Petching idiot! He didn't know exactly what that thing was, but his father had once told him about them. They were things that looked like nuits, but were very different... and far more dangerous. From what he remembered, this was one of those things. He could tell that this one was more powerful than the rest because of the mutation on its arm. What were they called? He couldn't remember and it didn't matter right now. The only thing that mattered was that Tara might be tripping into her own grave. Staying crouched to move silently, but still moving as quickly as he could, he made his way back to Tara and the clearing.

No matter how quietly he tried to move, he was still making a lot of noise, the dry, frozen leaves under his feet snapping and crunching. The man would surely notice him with all this noise. Unless of course, he notices Tara first. He began pushing djed throughout his body, mainly his arms and legs, charging and storing it in his limbs. It was difficult to control while moving, but he felt it might be necessary. He wold need speed and power if he ended up fighting this thing, and flux provided both. He untied the scythe from his back. He had not used it for a great amount of time so it would not be the ideal weapon for him to use. Relying only on his gauntlet and the flux, he crept towards the edge of the clearing.

[Leviathan]

OOCPlease keep to the posting order. It makes it difficult to respond when you post multiple times to my single post. When Tara stepped into the clearing, the man looked up from his small campfire and watched her, almost as if he was merely a rat cornered by a starved wolf. He rested his hand (the one that wasn't bizarre, oversized, mutated, and unwieldy) on the log he was sitting on, as if in preparation to flee. The man stayed himself for a moment, only to speak in a stuttering voice, and a language that neither Tara nor Etrius knew. He paused for a moment, then spoke in a second language, again it was unknown by the duo. Finally he turned to the common language. "Who are you? What do you want from me?" He stood up slowly as his body lurched awkwardly to the right side of his body, a detail that explained the man's mutated arm as absurdly heavy. After a long moment, the man's eyes adjusted from the warm golden glow of the fire to the waxing darkness of night, and realized his intruder was no more than a young pretty girl. Her advance was not a hostile one, nor did she seem aggressive in any manner (and this man clearly wasn't concerned with death). "Forgive me, I was startled is all. I haven't seen another soul in many days, and most flee from me." The twisted arm shrugged up and down, a gesture to explain just why he might have been avoided by so many. Of course, that much was already clear, few would risk their life like Tara had without reason or cause. "I have become quite the hermit these days. An interesting fate to have considering the life I had and the goals I so eagerly fought for. Not a day goes by now that I can't keep from wondering, what if this hadn't happened to me. Oh, I'm sorry, I'm rambling, terrible manners of me. I'm Jeregan Jhett, once a scholar of Zeltiva, specifically the magic schools of Flux, Morphing, and Auristics. Who are you?" Jhett peered away from Tara as Etrius came flying into the clearing with weapons drawn and djed nearly bulging from his veins. At his level of magical skill, he just couldn't know how close he was to destroying himself. Such a novice relying on magic so heavily was beyond dangerous. Jhett, of all people, probably knew this. "Put your weapons away you fool. It's not wise to charge someone when you can't even perceive just what strength they hold. Sit by the fire and talk with me, It's been so long since I've heard a kind voice."

[Tara]

Tara eyed the man warily but her gaze softened slightly as he continued to speak. She was somewhat torn. A small part of her pitied the man, felt for him. Though two larger parts of her battled it out in her mind. One was curious, had many questions bursting at the seams (Why is his arm like that? Is he tricking me? Is he dangerous? What is he? Is he really a mere human? Why am I afraid of him? Why do I want to run?). Another side was simply instinctual, telling her to get the hell out and worry about the man’s feelings later. She stood for a little bit, contemplating.

In the end, Tara’s curious nature got the better of her. She glanced at Etrius for only a second, her gaze mixed and hard to decipher. She turned away then and sat on the ground of the clearing, looking at the strange man curiously. ”So, how’d you end up like this?” she asks, motioning to the huge mutation on his shoulder. Tara had made sure to sit a little back and opposite the man, not quite close enough for him to lunge out at her if he had a change of heart. Despite everything Tara still did not trust him in the same way that she mistrusted everyone.

[Etrius]

OOCSorry. I figured that the story would flow more fluidly if I made it clear that they had returned to the clearing. I've still got a little to learn. Sorry again.

So maybe Etrius had judged the man too quickly. He certainly seemed nice enough, although the beetle-like arm still put him on edge. He dropped to one knee and focused on dispelling the djed from his limbs. It wasn't until he attempted to do so when he realized exactly how much he had stored. If he had released it all at once he would have overgiven, perhaps fatally so. I've still got a lot to learn... The... man... had said that he was skilled in the Flux. Perhaps, if he was as kind as he appeared to be, he would teach Etrius a thing or two. However, he decided not to trust the man completely yet. This was the wildlands after all.

He had done it again. He had judged the man based on his appearence. He made a mental note to fix that problem later. Calming himself with deep breaths, Etrius sat next to Tara. The now rapidly cooling air helped him to stop shaking. He stayed ready for any attack by the man, called Jeregan, even though he seemed now more peaceful than his arm implied. He listened to the man's answer, slightly embarrassed by his own behavior.

[Leviathan]

Jhett nodded sagely as his two new acquaintances relaxed to a more reasonable level. He too seemed to visibly come at ease at the sight of Etrius's violent fright subsiding. "Yes, my arm. What else could be as interesting as this curse?" Jeregan let out an exhausted dry humorless chuckle at his words. "It's a long story, one I wouldn't wish to burden you with. The night grows heavy now, and surely you and your husband have to make camp somewhere soon. My Tale, it could last into the early of morning. Unless you two wish to rest here, I would welcome you to my fire, my food, and my story." The wizard nodded patiently to himself as he looked away from Tara and rested his gaze on the roasting meat. "All I ask in return for my hospitality is your names. I've found myself unwelcome in most cities these days. Fear drives men to madness, this I am unfortunate to have learned." Jhett's words slowly faded away as he returned his gaze to Tara (always to Tara, he hadn't given Etrius more than a glance when he initially charged into the camp ready for war). The night then grew considerably quiet, almost eerie. It was the period between the slumbering of the day walking creatures, and the wakefulness of the night prowling beasts. To some, it was a creepy almost empty time of the day. For others, it was serenity.

[Tara]

Tara lifted up a hand and opened her mouth to protest but the man kept talking. She stayed quiet but bristled. She soon forgot the thought as he offered them to stay. She was curious about this curse, as he put it, and the meat roasting on the fire made her stomach grumble. She was tempted to stay here through the night, but was somewhat reluctant. She contemplated for a while but her curiosity had long won over any sort of sense the girl had. Besides, if this turns into a fight there’s no saying it wont be a fun one she reasoned with herself. ”I’m Tara” she said as confidently as she could, though she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. Why was he only looking at her. She turned her head to look at Etrius, waiting for him to say something.

”Thank you for your hospitality.” Tara said, shaking off whatever was bothering her earlier. She didn’t really understand what he wanted with her name, aside from something to refer to her as. She couldn’t fathom a reason why he would accept them in return for a place to stay at night, as well as food. Perhaps he was one of those who took pride in helping people, or maybe he just wanted company so badly. Tara could not imagine being unwelcome in every city you go to. While she usually ended up being forced outside of city gates she usually had no problem getting inside of them in the first place. While Tara did not crave human company, someone to talk to was always nice as well as the protection of being in a city.