Closed New Arrivals (Edreina, Razkar)

[Annalisa Marin]

2nd of Spring, 514 AV

The warmth of the new spring washed over Anna as she stepped out of the Vestibule and started down the stairs that led to the path out of the Citadel. It felt rather like she was returning to life really, the new season dispelling the chill and death of winter. The dark haired woman had a number of seasons that were her preferred ones; spring and summer were by far her favorite ones. Having grown up in Zeltiva, which possess notoriously cold winters, Anna had grown to become fond of the warmer seasons of the year. Then again, Sahova itself was a rather warm island all things considered so its winters never struck Anna as being terribly bad.

The sorceress was dressed in her relatively common clothing, a brown tunic, trousers, and leather sandals. Her long dark hair was pulled into a newer style she was trying out, two long pigtails trailing now her front. A little childish looking but Anna was something of a whimsical person. At her side was a longsword, a weapon she really had very little idea of how to use however it made a good thing to have for show. Under her tunic was the occasional glint of metal, her chain shirt that was the only piece of armor she really owned. Down her arms, hands and fingers as well as her legs, fingers, and toes were intricate stylized geometric shapes that made up her Glyphing augments.

Today Anna was planning on practicing a little bit on less costly water reimancy forms; it had been a little while since she had gotten a bit of exercise in her preferred magic. Thus she was leaving the Citadel for a bit and heading down to the shore near the Harbor, the Citadel being a great place for research but not reimancy practice. Well, technically she was always able to walk into the Element Sanctum and pay a little visit to Sahova’s leading voice of reimancy. Roknus Maelstrom was hardly one to deny her the ability to enter the Lab, though she suspected that her current skill might very well cause a conflict to escalate between them. He was a mad man after all.

As she walked towards the Harbor her eyebrows rose as she noticed a ship in port, an unusual sight all things considered. Most ships tended to avoid Sahova all things considered, not that Anna blamed them really. It was not exactly known as being a thriving center of culture, more a land of undead and cold unfeeling golems. Her grey eyes caught sight of red hair before moving off away from the ship as it was not important to her goal. The slave ships were not due for another two or three days if Anna recalled correctly, so it was unlikely it bore anything of importance.

Moving off a little ways down from the Harbor known as the Port of Silence the tall woman came to a halt, staring out at the sea before her. The water gentle washed against the rocks and Anna knew exactly what existed under the surface was nothing fun for wizards. It was a beautiful day for her to practice her reimancy forms, the water was calm and the shore was elevated enough so that she didn’t have to worry about the Djed devouring fish that swam beneath the surface.

The tall woman closed her eyes and cycled her breath a few times, drawing air in through her nose and out through her mouth. She was a very powerful reimancer, however even she recognized the value in clearing one’s mind through meditative exercises. If one did not retain control of their magic then it could very well get out of hand, overwhelming the wizard’s mind with the joys of casting euphoria. Anna focused on her breathing, actively thinking about keeping the breathing technique up in order to dispel any disruptive thoughts.

This little exercise accomplished the woman opened her eyes, falling quickly into a stance she had developed to deal with the manipulation of water. Her feet were spread apart from each other, one in front and the other behind with both pointing in the same direction. Her arms were held out before her, though they occasionally swayed much like the waves themselves. This accomplished Anna tugged at the tapestry of her being, the pool of her Djed that existed within her. It was an easy and natural thing for her to will the strands to be tugged and pulled as she did, willing it to push outwards.

The Glyphs along her body provided an excellent path for the Djed to follow, and the res formed at an almost instant speed due to it. Translucent purple res pooled in the palms of her hands and the bottoms of her feet, carried by the strength of her Glyphs and channeled through Focus Glyphs much like pores exuding sweat. The woman willed the res to generate until the substance quickly sheathed her arms and legs fully. A shiver of pleasure and bliss coursed through her entire body for the experience, generation of res being an almost primal form of pleasure in Anna’s mind.

The tall woman willed the res to move out wards from her body, gathering it all together until it formed into a snake like shape. From here she moved it up into the air and then over the water, moving her fingers in a flowing like fashion and swaying slightly in place. Attraction was placed upon the res and directed toward the water element that dwelled below. The liquid moved up from the main body in an upward stream of sorts giving the snake like res a thick water coat around it, which Anna moved over a rock on the water.

Anna moved her right arm back slightly, willing the water to follow the same motion so that it looked rather like a whip of sorts as the attraction worked at the water around the res. From here the tall woman sharply cracked her arm downwards, keeping it in the flowing motion as before. The water-whip cracked through the air with a loud whistle, the liquid smashing into the top of the rock. Fragments of stone smashed out from the blow as a loud sound of crushing rock sounded out.

However the sorceress was only getting started, as the res had circled been placed on a rotation from the strike and the water was brought down again at a harsh speed to crack into the rick jutting up from the waves. Anna willed the rotation to increase, resulting in the water whipping downwards at the rock on either end of the snake like formation of res. As the speed increased the water became less like a whip in terms of damage and more like a saw made of water, the speed of the impact resulting in the surface of the water to cause more harsh damage. It was like falling from a great height in water, only condensed into a much smaller form.

After a bit Anna cut off the attraction on one end as it made impact, followed by dropping the attraction on the other side. The rock jutting from the water had been sheered and worn down to a much smaller size by the water whip’s continuous strikes. A smirk creased Anna’s face as she drew the decaying res back towards her body, the casting having hardly required much effort all things considered and indeed had given a pleasant buzz to her mind.

[Edreina]

"Stay on the ship." Edreina mimicked, voice a foggy form of her Myrians. But, accuracy did not count, really, when one was trying to make fun of someone. He thought that she would get herself into trouble if she went with him ashore and he was absolutely not even slightly... alright, he was sort of right. If she held true to her history, curiosity would take over and she would likely find herself lost in some dark and musty part of the island, never to be seen or heard from again save for the mice that would run back to their families, carrying little bits of her decomposing corpse and laughing with their little mice families about how stupid some girl was to have come down so far.

With a groan, the Svefra scuffed her bare heel across the smooth deck. Sunberth had robbed her vitality, mere days at sea had allowed it to return with a vengeance. Once she got that awful scent out of her nose, things definitely seemed to be shaping up. Then, they arrived at the island and she was forced to stay on the ship. On the tiny little ship. Razkar did not even want her to go swimming out of fear that some unnatural creature would slink away after gobbling up the helpless little redhead.

If the world worked as Razkar thought it did, Edreina would have been devoured by some nameless beast the day she explored her first cave, took her first true risk. And yet, there she stood, toes gripping the railing of the ship as she perched restlessly, hair whipping like a banner behind her, despite being restrained by a long faded yellow bandanna. Risks were what made life. Otherwise, you just existed. Barely.

Huffing a sharp, agitated breath, the Svefra leapt from the railing to the deck and then trotted into the cabin, looking for something worth doing. Her hands ended up trailing across the sun-warmed leather of her whip and the icy steel of her gladius in turns, coppery brows crawling towards one another. She knew the little fanged whip better than the gladius and Razkar was not there to help her training, so the choice was relatively simple. Edreina truly enjoyed challenging herself with new things. However, being with Razkar taught her the value of persisting until you were not just suitable to a task, nor even simply good at it, but great.

She had one hell of a long way to go.

This new whip required a different style of use than than which she had grown up with. Instead of aiming entirely for sharp snaps and loud sounds, she had to keep the whip in motion, hope that it would wrap around something so that she could rip the teeth through it like a saw as she pulled back on the handle. And so she whirled across the deck, arm whipping out and then around her head as she fought gravity and her own balance to keep the whip in motion. More than once, it threatened to tangle around her leg or go flying from her hand. It was still rather chilly, but it had warmed enough for Edreina to wear no more than the linen bindings around her chest and leather-laced pants as she worked. Bare muscles began to shine with the faintest perspiration as she became lost in the motions.

And yet...

Her head whirled and the tip of the whip skittered along the deck as her ears pricked at the sound of something cracking violently. Of course, the pale, freckled woman was quickly consumed by her boiling curiosity and, with nary a thought, rushed onto shore to seek out the source of the sound. The whip's rounded handle was still rolling on the deck when she crossed from wood to solid earth.

There was a strange gasping, whirring sound and, upon a coast made of stone, Edreina chanced upon a wondrous sight. The woman was startlingly tall and slim, even to a Svefra, with hair like the night. But, it was not the woman that drew Edreina's eye, it was her magic. Somehow, the stranger was moving water in such a way that it became a weapon and was able to wear away stone. She knew that water wore at stone, of course, but to see it happen so quickly was astounding. For ticks, she stood there in awed silence, half-hidden by the crest of rock that had hidden the woman from her.

At a slightly more sane moment, Edreina could have seen such effortless and wanton destruction as eerie and perhaps even frightening. But, in that particular moment, she was far too mesmerized by the woman's abilities to care. Her desire for knowledge was never satisfied, only put off. It was awake and crying for satisfaction.

The instant the demonstration ended, the Svefra stepped from the shadows. Her voice was gentle in order to keep from startling the mage - imagine the consequences! - but reeked of enthusiasm, "What are you doing?" A simple, direct question for Edreina knew no other way. Pleasantries were a waste of time when you desired one thing or another. Why waste time getting to do what you want or learn what you want with such silly, mundane little things as an introduction?

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna turn her gaze to a voice that had given her some form of address, her res slithering back onto her body and seeping slowly back into her pale flesh. The return to her body gave Anna a partial return to the energy used in the act of casting, the purple liquid seeping into the pores of her legs and feet easily. She was not overly concerned about this new comer’s intentions as she had just displayed a good amount of power, and judging by the woman’s quest she had seen the display. An arrogant grin found its way onto her face as she crossed her arms under her breasts.

It was odd to her that in the face of such utter destruction that the other woman had not run off screaming and afraid, instead curiosity had been her response. That was interesting, enough to pique the interest of the powerful sorceress at the very least. Grey eyes searched the other woman up and down, looking for any trace of rank upon the island. No ring was found, which meant that the other pulser was a visitor. That held some rather interesting possibilities, as her purpose here was likely two fold of either becoming an Apprentice or trading.

She was certainly shorter than Anna by a bit, enough that to properly look at her she had to incline her head down slightly. Stark red hair cascaded from her head, pale flesh speckled with freckles here or there and blue eyes peered up at her curiously. She looked attractive all things considered and the tall woman had always had something of a weakness for red heads. Overall she didn’t appear an outward threat to Anna, though nothing was as it first seemed on the island of the undead. Best to learn what she could from the other woman; see where she stood after answering her question of course.

“I am practicing a bit of reimancy, nothing too complex really. The better question is why are you spying on wizards, don’t you know they are a rather secretive lot?” The woman asked in turn, her tone bearing a lilt of amusement to t.

“If you are searching for specifics I was utilizing attractive forces upon my res and striking the rock with water at high impact speed and rotation to gain more devastating results with it. Again, nothing overly complex provided one possesses some degree of skill and control. Now your turn.” The sorceress continued, providing and explanation she assumed would sail over the head of the red head.

“Ah, forgive me. Spending too much time with the Nuit must affect one’s mind for I have forgotten my manners. Annalisa Marin, Wizard of the Sahovan Citadel. To whom do I possess the pleasure of addressing?” The sorceress inquired, her words articulate and refined.

Anna rather hoped she was part of the crew that had recently arrived in port as that would mean that she had some knowledge of the outside. It had been a while since last the sorceress had gained information of note regarding the world outside the Citadel and island. Perhaps the next slave ship would see the tall woman finding an interesting one that possessed at least a bit of knowledge of the world beyond Sahova. Here on the island where the undead ruled, time itself seemed to stand still unfortunately.

The sorceress shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her gaze searching the other woman and admiring her form. Anna as always had made certain to position her hand were the gleaming silver ring around her right ring finger was displayed. It was her symbol of rank and part of her identity on Sahova as irritating as that was to say really. She hated how the silver ring bound and leashed her to the island, then again it had been her own stupid fault for gaining that commitment.

OOCSorry this took so long, I have no excuse really. All I can say is that hopefully my replies will be returning to their normal speed.

[Edreina]

“I am practicing a bit of reimancy, nothing too complex really. The better question is why are you spying on wizards, don’t you know they are a rather secretive lot?”

At the amused twist of the towering woman's narrow lips, Edreina's bright blue eyes took on a mirroring light. "Spying would imply I was trying to hide my presence." A pause and a sweep of her eyes would give the strange wizard a moment to perhaps feel an ounce of chagrin. "And if you were being secretive, you're utter shyke at it. The noise echoed off of the rocks and the water, could carry on for a fair while." Her slender hands perched on her curving hips, middle finger tapping at the tail end of her tattoo as it disappeared into her linen shorts. As she spoke, her waving gnosis would creep up and over her shoulder, causing the unfinished wings on her back to shimmer and ripple as the gnoses battled for space. Finally, it paused with its waves lapping at her collar bone.

“If you are searching for specifics I was utilizing attractive forces upon my res and striking the rock with water at high impact speed and rotation to gain more devastating results with it. Again, nothing overly complex provided one possesses some degree of skill and control. Now your turn.”

Copper brows crumpled in confusion, but not in a way that the woman would have expected. Everything that had to do with the water itself she understood conceptually, being a woman of the sea. But, the aforementioned utilization of attractive forces puzzled her. Did the water she conjured somehow attract its naturally occurring kin-element? That sounded silly, to Edreina. The only way she could imagine conjured and natural elements interacting is through the destruction of one or the other. In any case, the keen little Svefra had been presented with a puzzle and that brought her lip up between her teeth thoughtfully as the woman continued to speak.

“Ah, forgive me. Spending too much time with the Nuit must affect one’s mind for I have forgotten my manners. Annalisa Marin, Wizard of the Sahovan Citadel. To whom do I possess the pleasure of addressing?”

Annalisa Marin... Edreina found herself admiring the name silently, the soft, curving nature of each syllable as her tongue twisted thoughtfully in her mouth as most do when introduced to a new name or a new word. "I am Edreina Wh-," her heart burned, but she stopped herself. "Wandering Svefra from the Anchorage Flotilla, originally." Unlike the woman to whom she was speaking, Edreina's words had a lilting rhythm and her 'r's rolled like the waves she had lived upon for so long.

As Annalisa shifted her willowy weight, a glittering caught Edreina's eye. It was not uncommon for anything shiny to naturally catch a Svefra's attention. Most littered themselves with rusted gold chains, rings, and all of the rest. It was not about money, but pure decoration. Glass beads from the mountains of Kalea, silks from the South... Anything that made a Svefra seem well traveled and well lived. This woman wore only the ring and some sort of glittering undershirt. And the sword, but that hardly counted as decoration unless the woman wore it for looks, not use. It could have been true, she was powerful enough in reimancy that the blade was probably purely for intimidation. If only she could see Razkar.

Back to the ring. If that was all she wore, it must have had some great significance to her. That was it, Edreina had to know. This was not a case of wanting to know a couple of things but needing to know everything. Before she could stop herself, curiosity latched onto her tongue. "You say you're a wizard of the citadel, what does that mean? How did you become one? Does that have something to do with your ring? Or is it special because of something else? And you mentioned attraction earlier, what does that mean? And Nuits! Why are there so many in Sahova? Are they just really good at magic? Or does the fact that this place is creepy as hell appeal to them? And why aren't you-... a... Nuit..." At the end when her pace had finally slowed, Edreina gave a nervous little laugh and pressed her bare toes against the back of her calf. The air shimmered briefly as she flicked her hair away and over her shoulder, a sign that she had realized how obtrusive her curiosity was and she felt slightly bad for that. But, not the questions themselves. Never the questions, only the manner in which she asked them; tact was not her strong suit.

OOCIt may be beneficial for one more reply between Anna and I before Raz...

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna let out a sharp bark of laughter at the woman’s initial comments as those were indeed accurate observations, valid enough that the tall woman lacked a retort. Though most people had the good sense to avoid or run away from magic when it was practiced so openly as it was upon Sahova. This other woman seemed to lack that kind of common sense, which was at the very least telling about her personality to some degree. That was mere speculation at this point of course; further interaction would be needed before she could start to get an accurate feel of the other woman.

The sorceress noted with a raised eyebrow as the other woman’s tattoo seemed to travel up her body and come to a rest at the collarbone. That was rather interesting all things considered and screamed of some form of magic to the tall woman. Perhaps an advanced form of Glyphing that the sorceress had yet to encounter at this point in time? If so Anna was only further interested in learning just what the other woman’s business on Sahova was. She disliked the idea of further competition of high tier Glyphers on Sahova; she was near unmatched in her craft and wanted to keep it that way.

Edreina was her name; Anna either hadn’t noticed or cared for the slip of the other woman’s tongue at first. The sorceress had no idea what a Svefra was or just what the petch an Anchorage Flotilla meant, another people and place no doubt far away. So she was indeed some traveller, most likely part of that crew that had arrived just recently. Anna had to wonder why anyone would stop in Sahova in their right minds; it was a poor idea really in her opinion. If she had known what she knew now, the sorceress would have contented herself with Zeltiva.

Then came a barrage of questions, flowing from the other woman’s lips like water from a rain cloud and it was enough to earn an odd look from the sorceress. She held the look for a little while before a chuckle bubbled up from her chest, amusement playing at her lips at the bold questioning. Anna didn’t think that she had ever met so bold an individual as this, one that appeared to lack the tact that Amaryllis had beaten into her skull. It was quite the contrast really, and though she did not look like an air head she was obviously very painfully fresh to Sahova.

“Well, aren’t you an inquisitive one? Shall I also share with you my deepest and most well-guarded secrets? Perhaps a few tidbits of political information?” The tall woman teased, her voice like smooth honey.

“Still, in the interest of ensuring you don’t get fried by a wizard with less scruples than I, I’ll answer a few of those questions. I am a person who holds the rank of Wizard on Sahova, in the Citadel you no doubt saw in the distance. The structure here could be broken down from lowest to highest as Slaves, Apprentices, Wizards, and the Masters. My ring is made of silver, which denotes Wizard rank.” Anna offered by way of information.

“I’ll keep that bit about attraction to myself, unless you are a reimancer I doubt the telling would mean anything to you. The Nuit… the Nuit here have mostly been around since before the Valterrian, part of the lost empire of Alahea. Some are fair at magic, though most are merely proficient at it. As for myself, well I rather like blood flowing through my veins. Most pulsers rather like living, Miss Edreina.” The sorceress finished, grey eyes fixing on her again.

“My turn, what brings you to Sahova? Are you a member of that ship’s crew?” The tall woman inquired in turn.

The tall woman leaned against a nearby rock, folding her arms under her breasts once more as she fitted her arrogant smirk back upon her face. It was an easy action all things considered, arrogance and her mask of unyielding confidence had been forged by her experiences on Sahova. The chief embalmer had assisted her in that regard as well as pulling her back from the brink of the same madness that had gripped Roknus Maelstrom. As much as she might spite the Nuit, she recognized that she owed Amaryllis something of a debt.

[Edreina]

“Well, aren’t you an inquisitive one? Shall I also share with you my deepest and most well-guarded secrets? Perhaps a few tidbits of political information?”

Faint pink danced across the shorter woman's high cheekbones, betraying the fact that she knew her questioning had been a bit invasive. Even then, she made no move to apologize. Instead, her weight shifted and her smirk shifted in response to the woman's teasing. Most would be offended or chagrined by such, but Edreina reveled in it. Such personalities she found to be enthralling and far less boring than those who treated sarcasm like a venomous spider.

Boring. This woman certainly did not fit under that perpetually blossoming category. The answer offered was concise, but brimming with the knowledge Edreina sought. The name of the main building of Sahova, its social structure, and how that structure was marked within society. By Edreina's logic, if silver was given to Wizards, gold must go to the Masters. And, following that same note, bronze or copper perhaps went to the Apprentices. That left her wondering only what Slaves wore, perhaps iron or steel. This was, of course, assuming that all bore rings. Perhaps the trinkets changed as one ascended in rank, going from a pendant to a necklace or something along those lines. Or, for the sake of making every rank easily noticed, perhaps all bore rings.

Her mind was so busy turning over the possibilities that the woman's continued speech nearly escaped her. Alahea... judging by the context Edreina assumed it was the Common pronunciation of one of the two empires that had existed before the God War disrupted the world itself. Pulsers... At first, her mind was granted an image of a glittering nimbus floating somewhere on the island but she knew it to be folly immediately. Thinking back to her earlier words about blood flowing and then the following reference to living, the Svefra moved to assume that 'pulsers' were a term given to those who still bore a pulse, a beating heart.

“My turn, what brings you to Sahova? Are you a member of that ship’s crew?”

"Not of the crew, no. A Myrian named Razkar and I bore the duty of making sure that a trio of youths made it here safely; they hope to pursue the arcane arts." At least she had learned enough to keep her relationship with Razkar vague when speaking to a stranger. "Aside from that, there is little I will be doing in Sahova. I was warned that it is not a safe place for outsiders." Disappointment was achingly evident in her voice despite the light shrug that moved her shoulders. It was hard for such a curious creature to show restraint, even if her life could somehow be in danger; if anything, she would want to find out and come to understand why it was in danger.

Abruptly, Edreina did a mental step backwards, remembering the woman's earlier comment. For a half second, she hesitated. "I... Am a reimancer, actually." The words that followed came quickly upon the heels of the prior and were spoken much more quickly. "Not a very good one! But... I was taught recently by a Nuit in Zeltiva." No point in offering Ignotus's identity... Slender hands stiffened slightly on her hips, realizing that she had yet to make good on her promise to return and continue her tutelage. Soon... "I was simply never taught what attraction is... I was taught only the basics and to avoid overgiving." Blue eyes flickered as she blinked, instinctively remembering the one time, thus far, in which she had petched up; her eyes throbbed a sympathetic reminder in memory of the event.

With a twitch of the nose, Edreina kept herself from offering a demonstration, deciding instead only to do so if a request was made.

The ounce of self control and common decency the Svefra possessed chose to rear its head, in that moment. "I do apologize for interrupting your practice... But, even that was not enough to defeat her curiosity. There had to be a way for her to be allowed to see and learn more...

This woman bore an ego, surely; the swagger of her stance betrayed naught but self-confidence. Her breath slowed ever so slightly as she found her center, the nimbus of her spirit. Like jumping into a fast moving river, Edreina could quickly become lost in the flow of Djed as it moved through her body and become intoxicated by the power she held within herself. If allowed, it could stoke her own ego and convince her to do foolish things. But, she was focused on a goal and exactly what she had to do in order to accomplish it.

Instead of throwing her entire body into the flow of energy, she allowed it to trickle over and onto her eyes. As chewed mint woke the tongue, Djed woke her eyes, giving her a heightened awareness of them and the power they could present. With another breath, she reined in the desire to use every ounce of Djed she had, pressing down on it, mentally. With her eyes, she gave deeper meaning to her next words. "I will go if you'd like, but I would love to remain and observe you, if you'd allow it." In the blue eyes, gray would see a gentle thread of awe, just faint enough to seem natural while remaining noticeable enough to, hopefully, play into the woman's ego so that she would be allowed to stay. It was a simple emotion to portray and to direct, even with Edreina's still-budding abilities. Actually, her lack of skill played to her advantage, in this sort of situation; using very little, basic magic was better than attempting more complex, powerful magics and risking bungling them.

Though her eyes held the magic, her body helped to heighten the sense. Her shoulders pushed forward ever so slightly, and her toe scraped at the hard earth meekly. The Svefra ended the magic with a quick, nearly self-conscious glance at the ground.

All that was left was to hope that her subtle efforts would pay off.

[Razkar]

"What do you mean 'she wandered off'?!"

"Do you need me to draw you a picture?"

In retrospect, Arwulen knew that this was probably not the best way to handle the genuinely upset and concerned Myrian. That said, he'd been working like a dog and hadn't slept well, and if the little Svefra wanted to go exploring, well, that was her dodge, wasn't it? She and the Myrian had paid for passage; protection was their bloody business.

However, all that searing insight and logical justification means little when "retrospect" is an annoyed Myrian holding your head under the water.

"Myrian, for Laviku's s-"

Razkar's hand jerked up from its position at the back of Arwulen's neck and he held up a finger without looking at the stricken Marec. His other hand was more than enough to hold the sailor's head under the water, bent over the side of the boat, counting slowly...

... alright, that should do it.

With a gasping whoosh of panting breath and water cascading through the air, Arwulen resurfaced and tasted the sweetest air ever to pass through his lungs. Naturally, he quickly profaned it.

"Fucking insane you, pfft, fucking savage-"

Then the words died as his head was jerked back savagely (appropriately enough) by the hair, throat bared and suddenly he was looking up into cold, black eyes with as much pity in them as a snake's had for a mouse.

"Which direction? And how long ago?"

"Th-that way!" Arwulen managed to gasp out, still trying to get his air back and cursing his "crew" for just letting the savage bastard do this. Even Captain Katrina was staying back, lips pursed in disapproval but no, not no but hells no was she mixing it with that Myrian. "T-Ten chimes, I th-think!"

"See?" Razkar spat out in his growling, gravelly accent, Myrian chords managing to mangle Common even if his vocabulary was better than most humans'. "Didn't even need a picture."

Bold and snappy words, he thought as he stepped lightly off the little boat and started to quick-march towards the beach, but I don't think they fooled anyone.

They certainly didn't fool Razkar, though he was careful to turn his back on the barbarians before he let the rank, wet concern glisten in his eyes. Anger simmered there, too, a sort of furious exasperation that the little... female just did not understand.

She thirsted for wonders and knowledge and memories that would edify her existence; she called it adventure and pursued it. And much as he'd tried to educate her, Edreina simply hadn't hardened her heart to some simple facts about the wondrous world she sought to explore.

It will kill you. It is filled with monsters, and not all of them are so noble to come with horns and fangs. Many come with smiles and promises and they will tear strips from your soul with equal glee, simply because they can.

"You should know," he muttered to himself as the clack-clack of his leather sandals on wood was replaced by the silken whisper of sand, "For the right price, you are one."

But there was more to it than that; he simply didn't want to look it in the eye. He barely noticed the warm wind that snaked across his flesh, the first for a season that hadn't raised goosebumps in its wake. Syna was fat and merry above him and all he could see was darkness.

The warrior, peerless with ax and gladius whirling in his hands, knew with a sickening, crushing certainty that his powers were for naught here. That alone would have turned his guts sour, but it got worse.

He couldn't protect her here. The best he could do was hide her away, and now even that hadn't worked.

WHOMP!

A sound like a massive tree being felled cracked out across the beach, and Razkar paused. Finely-tuned senses pricked up his ears, narrowed his eyes and he heard it again... followed by the softer splintering and cracking of rocks under it. Almost like someone was smashing a stone with-

No. Listen harder... rushing water. Rushing fast. But... there is no river.

The Myrian crouched and started to run across the sand, getting closer to the bend in the beach where he knew the sound was coming from-

-eyes widening as he saw familiar footprints in the sand, heading the same way-

No. Two sets of them. She isn't alone.

Instinct replaced diplomacy, and with a metal rustle his weapons filled his hands. Both wyrd-worked hilts vibrated in his palms and he bore his sharpened teeth without even realizing it, quashing the fear that threatened to bubble up.

Move swift, and move certain, boy.

Razkar did just that, coming to the bend and peeking around a huge rock at the corner... and seeing no vast hammer nor raging river. His heart leaped as he saw a familiar clump of flowing red hair-

-then froze when he saw the dark thing she was talking to.

Just a conversation, he assumed. Two females on the beach, discussing the usual feminine complaints... ah, Razkar didn't buy it for a moment. There was nothing normal nor mundane about this place, unless ambition could be filed as such a thing (face it, it's one of the world's most common vices). He sheathed his blades and studied the creature from his spot, squinting hard at her simple clothes, erect bearing and piercing gaze.

One used to command, that female. Human, by the looks of it but Goddess, on this blasted isle, who the fuck knew that for a fact?

No way to avoid it, boy. Time to introduce yourself.

Razkar did just that, and wasted no more time. Best to put himself out there in the open, close to Edreina as possible just in case anything untoward was on the brink of erupting. He straightened up and came walking swiftly around the corner, as if he'd never even slowed his pace.

Letting the unknown quantity get a good at him as she did. Black hair whipping around his head, topknot he'd favored in the jungle abandoned for a single thick braid that hung halfway down his back. Piercings that jutted and poked through his nose, ears and lip.

Ink and scars in almost equal measure: some of the former pale and weathered by age, others red and ugly, fresh and barely healed. The artwork ranged from brawling tigers and ancient Myrian runes to figures and images that were significant only to the man himself and the Goddess-Queen.

Weapons strapped to his chest on a leather harness, only three of the five he usually carried visible to her eyes. They clanked and jostled as his quick step sank into the soft, warm sand, black eyes focused on the two of them, face neutral until Edreina turned-

-and then he nodded at her with a tight smile, though he couldn't keep the flames from his black eyes.

One simple thing. Just one, and you couldn't fucking do it. Wait 'til we get... well, not home, but whatever!

"I have been looking for you female." Gods, he didn't even know what she'd already blabbed. Edreina had also been slow in learning the secrecy of sellswords, the avoidance of names, dates and places. But his name... yes, it had probably been spoken. He turned to the female, and felt a quick flush of relief to see no unnatural pallor or blue veins marking her as a Nuit. "I am Razkar, mistress. My partner was not disturbing, I trust?"

She knows your name, he thought, fighting and succeeding at keeping the panic from his polite expression. If you can name a thing, you can twist its nature. It's true name, that is... power. That is control. Who knows what this thing may do with it.

Razkar's eyes flickered to the side in an effort to get away from his own thoughts and instead he saw the rock by the water, unnaturally flat on the top and sheared off, almost as if it had been sawed or hammered-

He blinked for longer than was necessary. No tools were nearby, but he knew no mere lapping waves could have done that... and it would have been loud, too.

Razkar looked into those hard eyes and tried to see anything that marked this female as a "creature", and he couldn't. She was just so... ordinary. Razkar had seen a hundred of her like in the last season, and he could barely tell them apart. But the air of her, the way her jaw jutted up, her shoulder straight and her arms crossed like she was a lord holding court for lessers... that told him much, and conformed many of his fears.

She may as well be Nuit, he thought privately as he waited for an answer, angling himself between the two women, for all the feeling in her eyes.

[Annalisa Marin]

Anna listened as the other woman so easily divulged information, it flowing from her lips like a waterfall of knowledge into the stream of the sorceress’ mind. So mostly likely she was a mercenary of sorts, a sell sword of some kind that had no real idea of the horrible world she had stepped into. Part of her, the human part, wanted to scream from the top of her lungs for her to run from this pace and not stop running until she reached the other side of the world. Sahova was horror, it was terror, it was where the darkest of nightmares dwelled and called home.

The other woman was also not here alone it appeared, another fellow by the name of Razkar was her companion though beyond his name there was nothing else. A name was useful though, it could open up the ability to identify its owner in a given circumstance. The tall sorceress filed away every scrap of knowledge granted to her for future reference, pleased that this woman was clearly a trusting sort. Anna herself had been so much like that, before she had arrived on Sahova she had trusted far too easily and in some ways she still did. It was her greatest weakness no doubt.

Anna had not expected to here that she was a fellow reimancer, which immediately confused her as she knew that any reimancer worth the name knew of attraction. That was until she mentioned her limited education, which caused a snort of derision to rise from her nostrils. Typical of a Nuit, doing a job only half right and teaching only what suited them and not what would keep the student alive. Anna never undertook something without seeing it though to its end, without striving for perfection in its doing and teaching was no exception.

“Typical Sub-Humans, never doing a job completely…” The sorceress muttered under her breath, noting the apology falling next from the other woman’s lips.

Anna was a highly arrogant creature; there was no doubt about that as she took great and almost blinding pride in her work as a wizard. She was better than Roknus Maelstrom himself in her opinion, a master with nearly no equal no matter what the Nuit and their petching Council said. The subliminal soothing of her ego, the subtlest of hypnotic responses played at the cords of her mind lightly, gliding through unnoticed and instead causing her to glow. Likely though, the result was not what was intended to have been achieved by the other woman.

“I see… I don’t like just observers. That screams of being rather like a parasite. Here on Sahova, you serve a purpose or you don’t and are cast aside. Since you yourself are a reimancer you will be aiding me in more… hands on research. If you find this suits your tastes then stand over there.” Anna said, gesturing to a spot across from her.

Anna herself was already removing her shirt and placing it on a nearby rock and neatly folding it as she kicked off her sandals. Beautifully articulate and intricate Glyphing runes trailed across her torso in a web work of arcane genius, the whole array possessing some odd symmetry to it. Paths trailed a pattern up her arms though most might not expect it; these were in fact deadly tools in the hands of a master. They regulated the flow of her Djed to such a degree that casting itself became near effortless and extremely fast, especially the generation of res and the acts of transmutation.

A ring of Glyphs surrounded a bright red scar over her heart, the thing seeming to possess some form of strange elegance about it. It was the spot where Rhysol’s blood touched her heart, where he had placed a fraction of his divine essence upon her flesh. Her heart beat almost seemed to make it pulsate subtly, her gnosis mark from the Defiler. It was the thing that reminded her why she suffered so upon Sahova and why she did suffer, as a trial of faith in the Defiler. He was her master and the mark bound her to him in such a way, to a god such as he and ensured that he heard her prayers.

As she stood across from the spot indicated she noted that another individual had entered the area, her grey eyes settling upon his form and sizing him up. If she had to sum him up in a word that word would have been ‘savage’. Ink marked his flesh and piercings littered his flesh, a braid upon his head that almost seemed a little reminiscent of her normal high ponytails. Weapon harnesses were located across his body and an armory seemed to adorn him, enough so that at this range the sorceress would feel a little nervous about engaging him.

He spoke to Edreina first, addressing her as female which somehow only added to the savage appearance he gave. His next words were then given to her, an apology for any slights his companion might have given to her as well as his name. Razkar, so this was her companion then, the other mercenary tasked to bring the scholars to Sahova. He certainly actually looked the part of the mercenary, more so than this Edreina did and was rather more tactful in how he addressed her as and unknown quantity.

“Your companion is not disturbing me sir. Rather she is proving to be quite helpful all things considered as I have lacked another wizard to spar against for some time. I’ve requested that she assist me in correcting that.” Anna replied, her voice smooth like honey and her lips upturned into her trademark arrogant smile as she gazed at Edreina, searching her freckled face.

[Edreina]

“I see… I don’t like just observers. That screams of being rather like a parasite. Here on Sahova, you serve a purpose or you don’t and are cast aside. Since you yourself are a reimancer you will be aiding me in more… hands on research. If you find this suits your tastes then stand over there.”

At this, Annalisa may have been surprised to see a grin of true pleasure flash across the redhead's face. Though the world here was warped, it was familiar to her long-left home. People did not learn through watching, but interacting and learning to serve a specific purpose that benefits the pod as a whole. Leisure was a part of life, laziness was not. But, she had quickly learn that land-striders were different. They did not like an unpracticed hand interfering in their work, even if it was to learn. The one comfort was the bruising sparring sessions with Razkar.

Inclining her head ever so slightly, Edreina stepped lightly across the damp and salty stone to the area Annalisa had indicated. The marks adorning the woman's body had no particular meaning to Edreina, she thought them to be tattoos, of some sort. Razkar's were more intricate, but these no doubt bore just as much meaning to Annalisa as Razkar's did to him. But, beneath the ink, the Svefra could not stop herself from admiring the woman's body. It was many things she wished to be, but never could achieve. Her height, her slender build... Perhaps she was a Svefra in a past life.

And then her eyes narrowed faintly. Over her heart was a vicious red mark, perhaps a scar. It looked to Edreina like a burn half-healed, but seemed to cause the woman no pain. The breeze caught her hair and made it sway gently like a silk curtain as her head tilted ever so faintly, another mark coming to mind. Had she been cursed as Razkar had? It was not by Yahal, the fair redhead's on patron deity; they would have recognized one another immediately. What could she have done to earn a curse, Edreina wondered silently.

Pwomp-Clank. Pwomp-Clank.

Gods damn him... The thought crossed Edreina's mind an instant before the Myrian her vision and exasperation her features. Could he not leave her be for even a moment? Even as she thought it, she regretted it. The Myrian had kept her safe more times than she could count and, doubtless, they were in the most dangerous place, yet. She could not blame him for worrying.

"My partner was not disturbing, I trust?"

“Your companion is not disturbing me sir. Rather she is proving to be quite helpful all things considered as I have lacked another wizard to spar against for some time. I've requested that she assist me in correcting that.”

With a faint pop, her lips parted and her mind whirled. Spar? Had she not been clear that she had little - skirting the edges of absolutely no - training? Immediately afterwards, they came together in a tight line and her brows darkened. Annalisa searched her features and Edreina did the same. There was arrogance, but little else in her face; she was obviously accustomed to controlling herself and what others were able to glean from a single look. In an opposing way, Edreina had learned to use her expressions as a weapon of sorts. There was a thin line in the effectiveness of showing no expression, and showing a particular expression.

Worry glittered distinctly in her blue eyes as they darted from the wizard's stormy depths to her tattoo covered body and then back again. But, there was an iron to her features, a determination to test herself and to sate her curiosity. Finally, she nodded, almost to herself.

A lightning glance at Razkar held the strength of all of his submissive Myrian training. A female had set herself on a path, it would be disgraceful for him to intervene.

Edreina adjusted her stance slightly, squaring off with Anna. She had a strong base with her feet shoulder-width apart. But, there was flexibility in her stance as she rose to the balls of her feet, knees bent faintly. Her slim torso then turned faintly, angling ever so slightly away from Annalisa as Razkar had taught her. Anna was not muscled as Edreina was, her mind was her weapon and her means for life. An idea came to the redhead's mind, giving her the faintest flicker of hope. "I will not pretend to bear your skill in Reimancy... But I am skilled in other things." Damn her for forgetting her whip. "If you would like, I can bring them into play as well during our... spar. It will allow you to grow more as a Wizard than crushing a paltry little beginner ever would..." She dared not risk devoting more Djed to Hypnotism. The Svefra could only hope and pray to Yahal that her words would do their job, and her body the task set before her.

[Razkar]

Gods, that's a punchable face.

Razkar's eye twitched as the thought snapped through his mind unbidden, but it as the first that spoke when Anna replied and that smirk marred her pretty face. The Myrian thought he saw much of her personality in it... no, mages in general, in point of face. He was just thankful there was no djed that could read minds...

That you know of.

But before he could panic about that, he realized what the mage had asked. His heart froze and he thought of Edri - his Edri - matching her growing but still meager powers against one who could batter a boulder into a table, and immediately hesitation and excuses formed on his tongue. He opened his mouth-

-and a look straight from the matriarchy of Falyndar stopped him dead... but not from a Child of Myri.

Razkar held her gaze for a long moment and realized the poor dumb male was truly buggered between the two willful females. Oh, he didn't worry about retaliation, per se: Edreina was far from capable of bringing him to heel, like the females of his people would have done... but she had worked him into a corner with all the skill and stubbornness he had come to expect and love from her.

If you pull her away now, you will show there is conflict between you, which can be exploted. Furthermore, you know it will muddy her faith in you. She already thinks you coddle her like a child; this may only drive her further-

Who care?! She'll get hurt!

Razkar briefly looked at Anna and did a quick calculation. Based on the distance, her stance, her apparent lack of weapons... four ticks. Maybe five. But what then? Leave the corpse? Have Edreina... what? Burn it? Help him shove it out to sea? And killing a mage on the Isle of The Dead, oh yes, that would go over wonderfully...

The Myrian sighed with his lips pursed, nodding his acceptance if not his approval and noting with unease the tattoos covering the mage, as much as his own almost. They were... different, though. Almost like writing or... signs? He couldn't place it, and for all he knew they could be a petching nursery rhyme, but... mages were driven by power.

What other reason would she mar her flesh so wholly unless to increase her wyrd? Or protect herself from others? Or both?

It was all academic, though. His female had decided and thus he had to stand aside. Razkar did so, walking over to the rock that the mage had some politely smashed into a flat surface and planting himself on the edge of it...

... fingers subconsciously brushing over the handles of his weapons as he did.

Yahal, if ever you were to get off your arse and help her, this would be a great time.