9th Day of Winter
It took one hesitant step to completely let the darkness envelope him, two more before he was free of its nightmarish grasp at last. Elias shuddered violently as he exited the portal, his eyes only daring to open again once tickled into curiosity by the light of the dawn they had stepped out into. Blinking to clear away the blur, the mage managed to fixate his gaze on the sprawling Nykan wall off in the distance and the small gaggle of people gathered at its entrance. "This'll be you then, Mr. Caldera." Came a gruff voice from his left.
"This'll be me then." The young man muttered through a wary sigh. He turned and looked at the one who had a spoken, a tall older man, his head shaven into a topknot and his eye covered by an old leathery patch. He handed Elias the reigns of something still poking through the portal behind them and the Ravokian gave an annoyed tug to draw it out. A horse followed suit -his horse specifically- plodding along as calm as calm could be thanks to the blindfold over its eyes. He had made the mistake of trying to take the stallion through without once before and thing had nearly killed him and his voider out of sheer terror. Elias should have taken the things advice and blindfolded himself that first time as well. Too late to forget what he had seen now. Far too late.
With the mount clear of the event horizon of the void, Elias found himself staring helplessly into the swirling vortex of nothingness that had seen him traversed across the countryside within minutes what would have taken a horse days. Clearing his throat, he turned expectantly to Malachai and waited. The man, despite the bad angle of his dead eye towards Elias, somehow took notice of the look and rolled his remaining good eye with a groan. With a snap of his finger however, the portal dissipated a tick later, its shadowy presence disintegrating into open air to reveal the barren winter fields and dead trees behind them.
The Caldera nodded contently and was about to start checking his saddle bags and harness when a rolled up parchment was shoved in his face. "Here." Malachai said quietly, foisting the paper upon his younger traveling companion. "Take it and-"
"Don't need it." Elias interrupted, turning back to the straps and buckles of his horses attire. "Already got it all memorized. Their names and everything. All up here." He grinned mirthlessly as he prodded the side of his noggin with a gloved finger. The elder Ebonstryfer frowned, but eventually relented in the end, sliding the paper back into his cloak and turning away. The void burst into existence once more at his beckoning but Elias was already walking off towards the gates. "Remember Caldera, you can't afford to fail us again." Malachai warned, his staunch tone harsh and gravely with the implied threat. The other Ravokian merely waved him off without so much as looking back.
"Yah yah, thanks for the ride, now get back in your hole leave me be. I've got work to do."
"This'll be me then." The young man muttered through a wary sigh. He turned and looked at the one who had a spoken, a tall older man, his head shaven into a topknot and his eye covered by an old leathery patch. He handed Elias the reigns of something still poking through the portal behind them and the Ravokian gave an annoyed tug to draw it out. A horse followed suit -his horse specifically- plodding along as calm as calm could be thanks to the blindfold over its eyes. He had made the mistake of trying to take the stallion through without once before and thing had nearly killed him and his voider out of sheer terror. Elias should have taken the things advice and blindfolded himself that first time as well. Too late to forget what he had seen now. Far too late.
With the mount clear of the event horizon of the void, Elias found himself staring helplessly into the swirling vortex of nothingness that had seen him traversed across the countryside within minutes what would have taken a horse days. Clearing his throat, he turned expectantly to Malachai and waited. The man, despite the bad angle of his dead eye towards Elias, somehow took notice of the look and rolled his remaining good eye with a groan. With a snap of his finger however, the portal dissipated a tick later, its shadowy presence disintegrating into open air to reveal the barren winter fields and dead trees behind them.
The Caldera nodded contently and was about to start checking his saddle bags and harness when a rolled up parchment was shoved in his face. "Here." Malachai said quietly, foisting the paper upon his younger traveling companion. "Take it and-"
"Don't need it." Elias interrupted, turning back to the straps and buckles of his horses attire. "Already got it all memorized. Their names and everything. All up here." He grinned mirthlessly as he prodded the side of his noggin with a gloved finger. The elder Ebonstryfer frowned, but eventually relented in the end, sliding the paper back into his cloak and turning away. The void burst into existence once more at his beckoning but Elias was already walking off towards the gates. "Remember Caldera, you can't afford to fail us again." Malachai warned, his staunch tone harsh and gravely with the implied threat. The other Ravokian merely waved him off without so much as looking back.
"Yah yah, thanks for the ride, now get back in your hole leave me be. I've got work to do."
