Ascending Legends

[Dragongal]

Atria noticed the silence right away, falling into a defensive stance. Her main fighting tactic was to raise a shield, use the enemy's momentum to change their position, then use her dagger. Well, since she had begrudgingly transitioned from her original sword and metal shield years back, that is. She could raise a shield in a split second, but knowing where was important, otherwise she'd just have to raise one around them entirely and burn more mana. "Any ideas as to what it is?" she asked quietly.


She opened the clasp on the hardleather case on her hip. If whatever was following them attacked long-range, she didn't see how Dayn could attack them. She, however, had long-range means. She just hated using them. "Should I raise a shield?"

 

[BookWyrm]

"I'm not sure." Dayn kept his hold on his sword but allowed himself to relax to a degree. Finally, something moved out in the brush. There! Now, just to figure out what it is. With each step Dayn gained a little more information on whatever it was. Stride, weight, breathing(if it was close), all that information could lead to the identity of the creature. "Large stride. There is a pause between steps. Slight impact tremor on each step, probably mid weight." From the sound of the footsteps it seemed the creature was decently close. On a whim Dayn took a deep breath and had to stifle a cough. "Its a forest troll. Judging by the fact that it hasn't tried to attack us yet I'd say it doesn't know we are here, but gods it stinks."

 

[Dragongal]

Atria had to agree with his last observation. She wasn't as experienced with tracking or identification as he was, but she trusted his judgment. If it didn't know they were there, they could potentially escape unscathed. But that might leave it to be dealt with people less capable. She quietly said, "I can form a glamour around us. Won't mask our scent unless I went full-out, which I'd really rather not do, but it wouldn't see us, and trolls aren't renowned for intelligence, but they are, from what I've heard, rather scent-based creatures. I'm not very experienced with them, though." Trolls in her younger days wouldn't be such a challenge. Nowadays, she was under-equipped, but more skilled in glamours and shields.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn shook his head. "Don't waste the effort. This area was troll territory before the ranger path was cut through. If the rangers haven't killed it by now then there is probably no reason to go out of our way. Besides, not many people travel along these paths, especially not merchants or other civil folk." Dayn had to smile even if it was his own joke. Civil folk. As Dayn turned back to the road he let go of his sword, putting a finger up to his lips before slowly walking on. Even if the troll was used to the occasional humans walking through it's territory, trolls were unpredictable and notoriously foul tempered at times. The last thing Dayn wanted was to have to fight a troll without a spear or lance.


After they had made a decent sized gap between the troll and their position on the path Dayn relaxed, letting his normal stride roll back in as he looked over at Atria. "Sorry about that. I use the ranger paths from time to time, whenever the suit my needs for the occasion. I had forgotten about the trolls. There is a small group of forest trolls that live in this region. Their territory covers about twelve square miles, and the ranger path cuts through the western portion. From what I've gathered from the rangers they haven't had any troubles with the trolls to this point other than normal territorial displays. From what I can gather they are somewhat used to the slightly smell of humans now, but I always make it a point to avoid any direct contact with a troll, especially without a polearm."

 

[Dragongal]

Atria nodded at his explanation. It made enough sense, don't mess with something if it didn't want to mess with you. She was glad that they escaped without any troubles, as she wasn't entirely sure how well they'd do against a forest troll. She smiled mischievously, saying, "Well, I think we could have handled it." She had only one trick up her sleeve that would kill a troll, and it was a trick she absolutely loathed using. But, it did get the job done in the end. She couldn't help but wonder if they had gotten off too easily, though. Trolls didn't make traps, did they? She was fairly sure they were too stupid. If they did though, then she'd have to keep a wary eye out, but she didn't know for sure.

 

[Dragongal]

Atria and Dayn continued their walk through the woods, without further complications. The birds and frogs returned to their singing, and the rain eased off about two hours before dawn. The sky was just beginning to grey when they found a place to camp, a small clearing of grass and clover surrounded by large old oaks, just off the ranger path.


Atria set her pack against a tree, asking, "Do you want a fire to dry your gear by?" She secretly hoped he would say no. She'd been edgy around fire ever since she had to try to heal her friend from horrific burns. It wasn't a memory she was particularly fond of recalling. However, it'd be nice to let her cloak dry by the fire. It was chill, summer was definitely coming to an end. "I can set up a simple shield or tripwire spell too, if you like." Having been up and travelling since dawn, Atria was tired, and the idea of setting up a watch was unappealing and seemed unnecessary.

 

[BookWyrm]

"I'll take care of the fire. If it isn't a bother a tripwire would be great. I'm not worried about wildlife, its the people that take to the woods that I'm concerned with." Dayn cleared out a small area and found some stones to set up a small circle before heading out to find fire wood. He kept a tinder box with him as well as fresh and dry kindling, so getting a fire going would be no problem. Before long the sweet smell of smoke and burning oak filled the air around the camp site. The sky had just begun to turn blue, the sun just starting to gain on the horizon, by the time Dayn had his shelter up. A three sided tent with an open front, simple and comfortable. Dayn had changed into his dry clothes, a simple white shirt and tan trousers, before stringing up a line close enough to the fire to let the heat dry out his gear. Luckily his mail hadn't been soaked. Rust was a warriors nightmare.


Dayn turned to Atria. "I don't think setting watch is a must. You are welcome to use my shelter. I'm going to set up next to the fire."

 

[Dragongal]

Atria paced around the camp, muttering words of focus under her breath. She finished her circuit and said to Dayn, "You and I can walk in and out, but anyone else's crossing the line will raise a shield instantly." She snapped her fingers, finishing the spell. There was basically no mana burn, since it was a simple trap. She took off her cloak, laying it alongside the fire to dry. She looked up at him when he offered her his shelter. Three sided tents didn't offer much in the way of escape. It wasn't that she didn't trust Dayn, in fact, she had come to like him, she simply was not one to sleep in close-confines where escape was difficult. Not when she wasn't sure it was perfectly safe. She shook her head, saying, "Thanks, but I'll pass." She'd have changed into warm clothing, if it weren't for the fact that there wasn't exactly anywhere for her to change without the risk of him seeing, and she wasn't willing to raise a shield or illusion, though her clothes were chill against her skin. She sat up against a tree, taking her dagger off her belt and setting it beside herself.


Generally, Atria wasn't the type to fall asleep when there was someone else around who was awake, but she couldn't help but doze off almost immediately.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn watched Atria with raised eyebrow, trying to gauge any reason why someone would turn down a comfortable shelter for a tree. With a shrug Dayn turned back to arranging his spot next to the fire. Finally content he laid back and looked up at the sky. The sun would be coming out soon. Unlike anyone else at this time of day Dayn and Atria wouldn't be up eating breakfast or preparing for a days work. Before he could finish his thought sleep took him, and there it held him for a good seven hours.


Dayn had woken up to find not much had changed since he'd fallen into sleep. The sun is slightly higher, but other than that, life is the same. Dayn found joy, for some reason, in knowing that no matter what happened life just seemed to move on. He wasn't sure why. It was a painful realization at times. But for some reason it brought comfort to the wandering knight. By the time he noticed Atria waking up he had already mostly finished cooking breakfast. Sausages, cheese, and hardy travel bread, the breakfast of champions. Or at least that is what he told himself. "Breakfast is ready when you are."

 

[Dragongal]

The first thing Atria registered when she woke was birds singing, which was very nice. Solitary yet not silent. The second thing was Dayn's words. She jumped, grabbing her dagger. She looked at him, and smiled a bit apologetically, letting go of her dagger. "Sorry, um, I'm not used to waking up with someone around." Thinking over her dreams, she considered herself lucky that she'd not responded more violently. Not that she'd ever let him know that. She paused, looking at the food he prepared. "You cook...?" She was an absolutely terrible cook, and she had no problem admitting it. Which was ironic because she could make many medicines and potions blindfolded.


Atria glanced up at the leaves above her. Sunlight flitted about as the wind shook the green feathers. Was t her imagination, or were the edges turning yellow? She got up, walked over to the fire, picked up her cloak, shook it off, pulled it on, and sat down, careful not to sit too close to the fire or Dayn. She didn't want to risk making him uncomfortable. She pulled a spider off her cloak, setting it back on the loam, and watched it scurry away toward the trees. She looked back to Dayn with a smile, saying, "You hate formality, like rain, listen to birds, and can cook? You're just full of surprises, ain'tcha?"

 

[BookWyrm]

"I believe in practicality. Life on the road does mean moving from inn to inn, but their availability out in the far northern mountain ranges are in limited supply. So, I learned how to cook." Dayn was noticing how Atria was distancing herself from him. Not by any major distance, but she was putting enough space between the two of them for him to notice. Was she uncomfortable being near him? No, she wouldn't be acting so calm. But that was another catch wasn't it. She acted calm, or calm enough, but her mannerisms were withdrawn, like she had something to hide. Curious.


But, as usual, Dayn kept this to himself and held out a plate. "Might as well get it while it's warm."

 

[Dragongal]

She took the food, saying, "Well, try as I may, I never managed to get cooking down quite right." He didn't seem as talkative or cheery as before, but she figured she just didn't know him very well yet. She had to wonder when they'd be entirely comfortable with each other, if ever. Well, their mission wouldn't take long. Two days' walk, right? She wasn't sure if this ranger trail would cut down on time, or add to it. After all, the tower was off the main roads. She took a bite of the food, then said, "This is good, thanks."





~Timeskip~


A few hours after noon, Elith and Dayn had traveled a good distance. Trees still shaded their paths, and a decent breeze rustled their cloaks. Elith was following Dayn's lead for the most part, not paying much attention. She was getting a headache that felt worse with every passing minute. She was looking at the trees ahead when she noticed something odd. A bit of bark on one tree didn't perfectly match up with the rest of the bark. And was there the slightest... glimmer? "Dayn, hold up. Let me go ahead...." Her headache got worse when she looked at the spot. "Seems like a simple enough illusion trap.... Don't walk forward until I disable it, alright?"

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn watched intently as Atria walked towards the tree. He noticed something strange about it, something off putting. His expertise wasn't magical or anything of the sort, so he figured he'd let the mage of the group take care of the problem. "What do you think it is?"

 

[Dragongal]

"Trap, illusionary class, but something's.... odd. Doesn't matter, this glimmering here should be the foci, I can just disable it, I've done it easily a thousand times." She didn't want to explain why she'd done it a thousand times, so she didn't pause to let him ask. She set her pack down and took her dagger out of its sheath, putting the edge against the glimmering spot. She put pressure against the bark. And for some odd reason, the trap reacted.


There was a bright, burning, blinding flash and Atria was thrown back, lifted off her feet. Her back hit a tree, and she thought she heard a crack. Laying on the loam, trying to blink vision back into her eyes, she sighed, "Fuck." She rolled onto her side, gently running her hand over her ribs. She suddenly realized her hand was burnt. "Damn." She really did not feel like getting up, and she still couldn't see yet. It felt hard to breathe. The force that had thrown her back had entirely knocked the wind out of her. "Don't... don't go near that," she groaned, letting her head hit the loam. She tried to think over what had gone wrong.... she'd done it a thousand times, the two times it had reacted had been nothing like that.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn was quickly at Atria's side checking her over for injuries. "Where are you hurting?" He was no medic, but he knew enough battlefield first aid to bandage just about any cut or splint a break. Of course he was no surgeon, certainly not a healer. "I may not be nearly as good as you are at fixing things but I can at least get the process started."

 

[Dragongal]

She was starting to get her breath back, but she was still thinking over that trap. What had she missed? There hadn't been another tripwire spell, how had she messed up? She hated hearing Dayn but not being able to see him, it threw her off balance. "I'm fine, I just... I can't see yet. That elemental defensive mage must lean toward Ignis, to work with Lux like that. I think I just popped a rib, is all." She started being able to see sparks, so she got her hands under herself to stand, suddenly and painfully remembering her hand was burnt.


She yelped, pulling her hand to her chest, falling back onto her elbows. She sat herself up against the tree that she'd hit, still clutching her hand to her chest. She knew what a burn felt like. She didn't want to see it, though. She didn't want to see how bad it was; first, second, third degree, she didn't want to know. She also didn't want to risk being forced to remember what had happened to her friend Tomlain, especially when she couldn't really look at something for a distraction. Every time she tried to use healing magic on any burn since that time, she had to remember it very vividly for some damned reason.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn had his pack off and open within seconds of seeing Atria's hand. He sorted through his pack on muscle memory, having done so many times before and having always packed his things that same way. Like all things in his life, Dayn had a method, a routine, even for packing his ruck sack. His hands found his medical supplies, specifically cloth strips and a strange canister, quickly, allowing him to turn his attention to Atria. He pulled off his gloves before reaching out and, after brushing hair back, laid his hand on the side of Atria's face. "Atria, listen to me." Dayn's voice was calm and collected, despite the concern for his companion. "I need you to slow your breathing down and relax alright. I understand that you can't really see right now and your hand is burnt, but I need you to calm down. I'm going to take care of your hand. What I need you to do is relax. Once your hand is wrapped up and you have calmed down we can turn back to the ward, okay? Good. Now I'm going to touch your arm to be able to tend to the burn, but I'm not going to force you. Will you let me have your arm?"





Years before Dayn had been involved in an actual battle. The local Baron's fief had come under attack and the local lords were rallied to help. Afterwards Dayn had spent time assisting the field medics tend to the wounded. He had taken an interest in first aid, mostly for practicality, and learned a decent amount of how to treat wounds of varying degrees. Of course this was all just "basic", but it had saved his life enough times to pay off. One lesson he never forgot, though, was how to deal with wounded patients. He smiled, remembering his early attempts at treating others, as he waited for Atria's reply.

 

[Dragongal]

Feeling her hair brushed back and Dayn's hand on her face was a surprise, especially from a warrior like him, but also a welcome distraction, and it helped her know where he was. Atria always liked to know where everyone was; one of the big reasons she hated crowds, too much to keep track of. She wasn't sure if she was like that to keep knives out of her back or to keep track of her allies, as she was the healer and needed to know where to go if someone was hurt. She focused on his voice more than his words; even explaining things instead of telling stories, he was nice to listen to, and something to focus on.


Atria hesitated at first. She was supposed to be the healer. What would he think of her if she couldn't fix her own hand? And what if he tried to roll up her sleeve? She couldn't allow that. But he was right, she couldn't see more than sparks, and if she didn't have to use her healing magic, there was no way she would heal a burn, even her own. Despite what he seemed to think, she wasn't panicking, but she was a bit anxious; it was getting easier for her to breathe, too. She nodded slightly and slowly held her hand out for him.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn took her arm carefully and inspected her hand. "You came away lucky this time. No third degree burns." He laid her arm down as he moved his items around. He opened the canister which smelled like pine mixed with medicinal herbs. "Alright, time to get started. This may sting some at first but it should soothe the pain after a couple of seconds." Carefully Dayn rolled back Atria's sleeve just a couple of inches from her wrist before sticking a hand into the canister and scooping out a glob of the salve. He rubbed his hands together, making sure to keep enough to apply to the burn, before applying the salve to Atria's hand. He worked the salve over her whole hand and down her wrist slightly, making sure to cover everything before laying her hand back down and washing off his own. Next he took the cloth strips and wrapped Atria's hand firmly enough to hold it in place but still allow movement. The salve acted like a glue, clinging to and seeping through the first layer as Dayn applied a second.


Within just a couple of minutes Atria's burn was tended to. "There, that looks better. Don't worry about the salve. It'll dry up in a couple of days and wash off with water, but the smell might linger for a bit. How about you eyes, can you see anything yet?"

 

[Dragongal]

Had Dayn rolled her sleeve up any higher, she would have snatched her arm back. But, he didn't. She could tell by scent exactly what salve he was using; she'd made it plenty of times for her mother's patients. It was a good salve to use, though nowadays she would have used an alchemical salve, which was basically just pouring special potions on the wound to make it heal. It almost made her feel nostalgic for the days when she worked as a healer with her mother. The stinging didn't hurt her, and she didn't flinch at the pressure, she had been through enough pain that those were nothing, and she had the scars to prove it.


She moved her wrist experimentally. For a knight, he wasn't bad at wrapping wounds. She wasn't used to someone else caring for her, so she wasn't sure exactly what to say. She flashed him a quick smile. "Thanks for the fix. Um, a-and the concern. I can kind of see bright things and motion a bit, it's still kind of blurry and the edges are dark." She rested her head back on the tree, thinking. An easier subject was the analysis of the trap. "That trap was rigged like that on purpose. That glimmer wasn't a glamour spell over the foci, it was the foci. I've never seen someone use a powder before, much less a reactive one, but there it is. That's why the heat traveled through my dagger like that. The trap's disabled now that I triggered it, but I feel like there may be something else to it."


Atria stood up, looking back toward the trees where the trap was, though her field of vision was narrowed. There had to be something else.... She saw the faintest glimmer on the loam just past the trees. She trusted that it was actually there and not just her eyes. She picked up a rock and tossed it, immediately forming a blue - tinted shield over the glimmer once the rock was in range. The rock hit the loam, sending up a blaze of flames, which was contained in her shield. She dispelled the shield once the blaze had ended. "I think we found the bandits' testing area. Or their last campsite. Now it makes sense for why I was called in." Of course, the Lords couldn't have known about her experience finding and disabling traps, but a defensive mage was a defensive mage, experienced or not. She grimaced. "After the first trap was set off, the next group would, in theory, run past, stepping right on that incendiary trap. I don't know if you were planning on killing the bandits or just disabling them, but don't waste effort for restraint on the mage and inventor. Not after they used an incendiary trap." Incendiary traps were, in her opinion, the most inhumane use of magic next to torture and mind-magic. They were what had killed Tomlain years back, and wounded others.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn watched and listened, adding whatever he could learn to his growing knowledge of war, fighting, and anything he found useful. He nodded his head in a side ways fashion before repacking his things and standing up. He slid his gloves back on and tested the fit before looking at Atria. "Might as well get comfortable again. We aren't going anywhere until you have your full vision back. Although, I must add, that was impressive that you could spot that from here, given your current condition. I am going to ask you to sit down again, though, while I get everything set up." Before Dayn could set to task he heard the distant rumble of thunder. Looking up and around the tree canopy he noticed the sky was darkening above them. "Looks like I'll need to adjust the shelter this time."





By the time the storm finally arrived Dayn had found a decent spot for the shelter a clip off trail. He had made sure to back track some to avoid any further magical traps, and set up his shelter to keep the rain out to the best of his ability. The camp spot was actually more of a small earthen cave at the base of a knoll, which bore a large fir tree that had branches over hanging the front of the cave. Dayn had arranged the shelter walls underneath the overhanging branches, leaving a small hole in the top to filter out air and smoke. After digging a small trench Dayn had a low, long fire going inside the shelter to dry out his clothes. He was barefoot and bare chested, wearing only the black kilt of his family. Everything else, save for his armor, had been soaked through by the time he had made it inside. He sat down across from Atria and even despite of her still lingering vision problem he made sure to sit modestly. "The storm will last for a while, but we should be fine here. The tent cloth is water repellent, so we shouldn't need to worry about getting wet again."

 

[Dragongal]

Atria did as she was told, though she had to think, Who's the medic in this situation? She wanted to explain that half of her "seeing it" had been illusionary attunement, more in her head than anything, but it didn't seem like the time. She laid her cloak near the fire, hoping it'd dry soon. Her shirt smelt like acrid chemical fire, and she hated that, not to mention, her clothing was wet. She figured she could trust him not to look. If he did, it was far worse for her than it would be a normal girl, but she trusted him enough for some odd reason. "Watch the back wall of the cave for a minute, I'm going to change my shirt." She stepped under the branches of the fir, taking a longsleeve, dark blue shirt from her pack. She only carried two extra shirts; normally she traveled near rivers so she could wash them easily, and durable clothing was expensive. She changed as quickly as she could, not looking at her own skin. She finished and sat back down across from him. The very, very edges of her vision was still black, and occasionally she'd see a spark or two, but past that she was alright.


Sorting through her pack, she pulled out a vial with dark liquid, drinking half of it. That would set her rib to mending. She put it away and started braiding her hair, before saying, "Thanks for the help. You must think I'm a terrible healer, that I didn't just heal my own burn, but I... hate healing burns." The fact that someone had assisted her was still odd to her. It'd been a very long time since anyone had helped her; but he, of course, didn't know why that was, so she wasn't sure how much faith to put in him yet.

 

[BookWyrm]

"I think everyone has there quirks. Whether or not they want to talk about it is up to them, but my philosophy is that it doesn't really matter to me as long as it doesn't cause problems." As always Dayn stuck to his own ways for dealing with any situation. He didn't think any differently about Atria for whatever her reason for having problems with burns was. Who knows, traumatic situations can produce strange outcomes. Dayn understood that a little too well. A loud crack of thunder brought Dayn back to his senses. He looked over at the fire, stoking it some to keep the shelter warm. "Are you hungry?"

 

[Dragongal]

Atria leaned her head back against the wall. Odd how Dayn was so relaxed about it, normally she'd have to worry about being underestimated after something like that. It was not a change that she minded in the least. She liked listening to the storm outside. As much as she liked rain, bad storms weren't fun to be caught in, but being indoors, and hearing it rage outside, was a novelty she savored. "Starving. Sorry I'm not much help cooking, but trust me, it's for your own good if I don't help, I swear I could burn water." She got an idea, and reached into her pack, pulling out a thick tome wrapped in oilcloth. Though her pack was enchanted to be waterproof, she refused to risk her books. She flipped open to a page, looking closely at it in the flickering light of the fire. She looked up at him with a smile, and said, "Be right back," before setting down her book, running out in the rain and breaking a branch off the fir. She entered their shelter again and sat back down. She held up the stick and grinned mischievously, saying, "I've got an idea. Shouldn't take too long to make, I should have it ready by the time the food's ready." She took out her dagger and began carving into the stick, revealing the fresh green wood under the bark, glancing at the open page of her book every couple of seconds. She held her dagger very carefully to keep from hurting her burn.

 

[BookWyrm]

Dayn had been thinking ahead and suspended his camping pot over the fire. He didn't have much in the way of soup or stew ingredients, but he was able to improvise. He sat, stirring the "soup" while watching Atria with curiosity. What was she doing? What was she planning on making? Dayn had never really understood most of the mages he had been around, They all had to have some kind of higher purpose, or secret intent, behind everything. And they meant everything. In truth he wondered why he had spent so much time around mages and found he couldn't truly answer that. Bit of this, bit of that, some what have yous, I suppose. But Atria seemed alright. She wasn't old, withered, or bullheaded. Actually she was young, female, and......stunning.


Dayn, slightly embarrassed, turned his attention back to the soup, though he caught himself sneaking a glance at Atria here and there when she was moving about. "What, are you making?"