Fantasy Chronicles of Cre' Est (Triveila)

[GojiBean]

Lorraine & Kyero
Date: December 24, 574 CE​

Lorraine smiled and took Ares' arm.

"Thank you, Ares." She replied cheerfully.

With Lonan leading the way and Ares walking now essentially shoulder to shoulder with her she felt much safer as they made their way towards the inn.

Meanwhile...

Further West, Kyero slowly made his way through the streets scanning the faces in the crowd as much as he did the buildings all along his route. Everywhere he made eye contact people's eyes widened and they would make an effort to give him a wide berth. Those who didn't immediately take notice and bumped into him would immediately bow in apology until/unless they saw his eyes in which case they would back away and let him pass.

Occasionally his eyes would meet those of another who would seemingly recognize him and immediately dart away as fast as they could. But he never gave chase. Several times he locked eyes with another who noticed and stood firm almost as if to silently challenge him. But he never engaged. He continued walking at a snail's pace taking in the sights and faces.

That was until, rather suddenly, his eyes darted to the left as he heard the sound of children laughing. It was a trio of young boys, all around five or six years of age, running side by side and occasionally zig zagging across each other's path as they darted towards him and then turned the corner to run down the road South of his position. But as his eyes followed he realized... There was no road. The vision of a road had been replaced by a building which he seemingly didn't notice before and had almost walked right into. Moving around it he saw more buildings. But they were arranged in a way as to create a small series of alleys twisting and turning before opening into another intersection parallel to the one he's been on before.

But the road South was there now. It was smaller than in the vision he'd just seen. But it was there all the same. At the intersection, forming a cross between the East-West and South roads, there was a small fence bordering the Southern road. And on the edge of the fence was a single post with some carvings on it. He approached and knelt down to take a closer look. A few passers by noticed and paused to observe him as he stared at the post and the small, shoddily made carvings in it. The sounds of the children running and laughing filled his ears again, as did a vision of a small garden trowel being scraped against the wood of the post to create the carvings which now rested underneath his palm.

His lips parted as the vision of the trowel faded, and his head slowly dipped, hiding his eyes from view.

A few people watching shared concerned looks and one even dared to approach.

"Um. Please forgive my intrusion, sir? But are you all right?"

No reply.

The passerby returned to his companion and they walked away whispering to themselves. But none of the whispers reached Kyero's ears. Instead, they were filled with other sounds. Incomplete phrases. A name or two. And then...

"... My love!"

His head snapped upwards, staring down the South road as a woman standing around 5' 5" with ankle-length black hair held slicked back by a hairband jogged slowly towards him. Her face was a blur. But her voice was clear as day as she approached and stopped right in front of him.

"My love! Where have you been?! It's past dinner time already!"

Seemingly from within Kyero the body of a faceless boy emerged and walked forward hanging his head in shame. But rather than scold him further the woman took a breath and smiled, kneeling down to embrace the boy and nuzzling her cheek against the side of his head.

"Come. Your father's waiting." She whispered before kissing his forehead.

Despite the pair lacking faces, Kyero's heart told him exactly who they were. Hand in hand the pair disappeared, literally, as they walked down the South road. Kyero's eyes were slightly wider than normal as he stood up. And he felt a strange sting in his eyes before noting that they were moist. He wasn't crying. But he'd been pushed to the edge. Had the vision gone on any longer tears would have fallen.

Forcefully, he wiped the moisture away and with a huff and a frown he marched down the South road...

Firewind Wayne

 

[Firewind]

​

Lonán only gave a small “Hm.” at the statement Ares gave, his mind focusing on the road and watching for trouble. He gave at least one or two suspicious characters the full Arzan Glare treatment. However, other than that, they reached the Ryuuhana Inn without trouble.

It was just as described to them in the directions. On either side of its entry path there were two wooden dragons with floral arrangements. Lonán also saw a hitching post which he then went to leave Hawk at before entering the inn proper. The interior room they found themselves in was a small lobby with several chairs to the side and a rather portly gentleman at the reception desk.

”Aha! Welcome Travelers to the Ryuuhana Inn! How may I be of service today?”

“My companions were told you In still have rooms for rent?” Lonán asked.

”Ah yes, I believe I do, if you have the money for it.” The Gentleman said, “A single night in one of the rooms of Ryuuhana cost two gold.”

Lonán‘s mouth briefly flickered to a frown before resuming a neutral emotion. He touched the coinpurse he usually used for essentials, then brushed against his gambling purse. He didn’t want to resort to it if he didn’t have to. But on the other hand, He was not alone and he recalled Ares being incredibly light on money at the moment. “Dare I use that to splurge?” He thought to himself.
His eyes flickered to Lorraine as if silently asking if she wanted him to buy the rooms or if they should try and split the costs of staying in this inn for the next few days till New Year’s.

 

[GojiBean]

Lorraine & Kyero
Date: December 24, 574 CE​

Lorraine followed behind Lonan while continuing to hold Ares' arm. Looking around at all the faces around them she failed to spot any would-be ne'er do wells. Everyone looked so happy and festive and were mostly preoccupied with their own activities to pay them any mind.

Every so often Lonan seemed to fixate on someone. But through the crowds and being at a lower height than a man on horseback she couldn't see who he was looking at. Either way, they seemed to give the group a wide berth as they had no trouble reaching their destination. And when they arrived the statues nearly took Lorraine's breath away.

Not only were they adorned with floral arrangements. It was almost as if the 'mane' of the Dragons around the head and neck were actually floral in nature rather than the fine hairs depicted in most other draconic artwork of a similar design. The Dragon's pupils as well were flower-shaped which she thought was absolutely adorable. And she couldn't help but fawn over them for a moment before walking in with the boys to greet the innkeep. He said it would be two gold per night, and per room. Between the four of them, if he had enough for them all, it would be 8 gold per night. And if they were staying through to New Years that would be 7 nights total, coming to 54 gold.

Still, Lorraine had an idea.

"Pray, good sir. Do you by chance accept Promised Pay via courier?"

"Hrm? Oh, yes. We have special forms for that. A moment please."

He opened a drawer behind the counter and withdrew three pieces of parchment, each with pre-written terms and lines for signatures and dates by both parties.

"Here we are. If I may though, lassie, are you sure you want to use this?"

"Yes. I traveled light for business reasons. But back home I have more than enough to cover our expenses in full. But before we get to the payment, how many rooms do you have left, exactly? And are there any rooms with two beds left?"

"Uh, let me check. A moment, please."

He brought out a pair of glasses to wear and slid a large book over to scan.

"Hrmm... Um... Ah, okay. That's one, two... Three... And uh... Looks like we have six rooms available. But only one of them has two beds. Hopefully that's all right?"

"Yes, thank you." She said with a bow of her head.

"We'll be staying until the New Years festival is over, so it will be 7 nights in total. We have a fourth companion who's not with us at the moment, but he and I can room together."

"Ah. Your husband, no doubt?"

"!!" Lorraine's face immediately flushed as she waved her hand. "Oh, no. No, sir. Nothing of the sort. I'm unmarried. He's my bodyguard, and a friend."

"Hm. Strange. How's such a beautiful young woman like you not married yet?"

"B-by choice, sir. I'm far too busy with work to focus on romance." She tried to smile through those words, but it was a struggle.

"Anyway!... Ahem... Pray, excuse me. Where must I sign?"

He pointed to the lines which would need her signature and the total promised pay for the services rendered, as well as a fee for the courier's compensation which would be five gold to and back. Lorraine filled them out one by one, signing and dating where necessary. For three rooms it would be 6 gold per night for seven nights, which came to 42 gold total. Plus the 10 gold for the to and from fee for the courier, and it came to 52 gold. A small discount from the four rooms had they decided to room separately.

With the final line signed by the innkeep, the Promised Pay was finalized and the paperwork would be delivered to a courier to be transported to Valkyom where they would visit the Valkyom General Bank to receive their promised fee first, and then receive the pay to be delivered to the innkeep.

"Here are you keys, ma'am."

He handed her three keys, each one with a tag on the end detailing the room number they were associated with. Lorraine took them with a smile and a bow.

"Thank you so very much. We look forward to the festivities!" She chirpped.

The man chuckled and wished them well as Lorraine turned to hand each man his key.

"Here you are, gentlemen. And don't worry about the fees. Running both an apothecary and clinic brings in more than enough money back home so I'm happy to cover everyone for this trip." She said cheerfully before looked towards the door.

"Pray, if you two don't mind I'd like to take a short stroll. I've never been to Triveila so I'm more than a little excited to explore! Plus, I think I spotted the Palace on our way over here! I'd love to go see it providing the guards let me get close enough to do so. Would either of you like to accompany me? I'll understand if you'd rather remain here and get settled in."

Wayne Firewind

 

[Wayne]

THE BURNED MAN
ARES LANCELOT LINNARD

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MENTIONS
GojiBean as Lorraine & Kyero || Firewind as Lonán Arzura
​

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​

​

"Well, thank you doctor, I appreciate your kindness."

He could only count her kindness as luck since if it were for his own gold, Ares would have to sleep outside. Either way it would be great to at least check the room first, he took the key from her and analyzed it, there were no unique details to it, a key with its correspondent number written on a tag that hanged from it, there were places so luxurious that even their keys were well decorated, although he saw it as something completely useless, why waste so much in such little things?

"I think I will check the room first, but I would not mind accompanying you around town."

He shook the keys.

"I would say I haven't been to Triveila, but it seems I've walked these streets before" he said, walking off to his room.

The key went into the lock, his hand twisted the door knob and with a gentle push he opened it, the room was clean, dimly lit with a single oil lamp tied to the ceiling. He took the first steps into the room, analyzing the bed he would rest soon enough, his hands passed through the recently washed sheets, soft and of an off-white color, and on the other side of the room, resting quietly against the wooden walls…

A mirror.

He approached it, his reflection following but the man he saw wasn't him, it was someone else, someone who wore his skin like it belonged to them.

“Who are you?” He asked, but the image only mimicked his actions and he found himself questioning if he had gone crazy or if the building was haunted.

“Answer me” he commanded, this time holding the mirror with both hands, being careful not to touch the reflective part of it and yet, silence as if he could only reach himself.

So Ares turned and once he reached for the door…

“Your frail body belonged to me”

The reflection spoke, the voice of menace.

“What?”

“The body you control isn't yours to handle, you are a puppet waiting for its master.”

“Who are you? What do you want?”

“You don't know? After all this time?” The man in the mirror tilted his head ever so slightly.

“They call me the burned man.”

...

Back outside, Ares closed the door, the mirror in his room was now turned backwards, facing the wall instead of anyone, instead of him. His eyes met Lorraine's and one could notice the emptiness he expressed, with a sigh he crossed his arms but he seemed worried, worried about something he didn't want to talk about.

“Let's take a walk, It would be great to have some fresh air.”

​

​

 

[GojiBean]

Lorraine & Kyero
Date: December 24, 574 CE​

Ares suggested visiting his room.

"Mm, that's probably a good idea, actually. I'll go inspect our room, too."

She gave Ares and Lonan a bow before going to the room and tried to unlock it, but the lock was a bit sticky. The key didn't want to turn until she jiggled it a few times. After which it opened without issue.

Stepping inside, it was quite lovely despite the janky lock on the door.

There was a bed to either side in the rear of the room, separated by a small table with a potted plant on it. The wood planks had a lovely burgundy red/brown color to them. And the carpets under each bed were laced with intricate designs woven into the fabric which really caught her attention. Additionally, there was a beautiful full body mirror on either side near the bed, along with a wardrobe cabinet, and a room divider so each side could change clothing in peace and privacy if needed. There was also a very small kitchen-like area. Very convenient! If only she had ingredients to make something!

Coming outside around the same time as Ares, he suggested they all take a walk.

----------------------------

His entire body trembled. His blood boiled. And his fists clenched so hard his nails dug into the flesh of his palms drawing blood which now dripped lazily to the grass beneathand around his feet.

It was still here... And it looked the same.

The surrounding area was different. But this place. This... "Home," was the same. The eight foot wall surrounding the estate. The metal bar gate entrance. The dirt path leading to the front patio. The grassy areas to either side of the path, both now overgrown with weeds, which used to be his mother's gardens. The stone slab pathway leading to the koi pond which now looked as grimy and dead as the building itself which had become dilapidated due to a lack of care. How the authorities hadn't seized the property, torn it down, rebuilt something new and sold it to someone else, he would never know.

But this was it... Home.

He wrapped his hand around the gate and gave it a jiggle. Locked. The key hole was on the inside of the gate. And, remembering how security-conscious his father was, the pins would be nearly impossible to pick. Still, eight feet was nothing to Kyero who leaped up, gripped the top, and hoisted himself over with ease before landing softly on his feet inside. Doing so brought a sting to his hands which he only just realized were bleeding from how hard he'd been clenching his fists. Looking back, there were two bloody handprints on the top of the wall. And oddly it felt appropriate to him to have the blood on his hands now smearing the walls which were meant to keep this place safe.

He approached the front door and tried to open it. Locked. Two seconds later the door went flying off its hinges and spinning end over end through the entryway before hitting the nearby wall and falling flat to the floor.

It was abandoned. Or so it seemed. Everything from the tatami mats, chairs, ornate carpets, tea preparation pit, to the grandfather clock in the corner he always used to play around as a kid were covered in a layer of dust as thick as a coating of fresh mud. Running his finger over it only scraped away about half the layer. Disgusting. He flicked the dust off his finger and walked slowly through the entryway and dining room area. And with each step his mind raced with memories of days long behind him.

The sound of his childhood self laughing echoed in his head. The sounds of his mother singing, calling to him, and laughing with him soon accompanied. And then...

"Son..."

He paused mid-step and looked around. Nobody. Was that a memory? He turned around. Nothing. No one. He was alone in an abandoned building which once was his home as a child. That was all. It had to be memories. That man wouldn't dare be here. Let alone be calling to the son he nearly killed, not for lack of trying mind you.

He walked down the hall and looked through the first door on the right. A bathroom complete with a bath and rinsing area. There wasn't much water left. But what was still there was green, gross, and filled with moss and mildew. Moving on the next door on the left was his father's study. His desk, chair, oil lamp, papers, quill pens, ink bottles, and bookshelves with dozens upon dozens of books lining them were all still here. And as Kyero turned towards the door to move on his eye caught something.

A single picture on the wall.

It was covered in dust and a large cobweb in the corner. But he could just barely make out the shape of two human heads near the top. He took the picture down and blew on it, sending waves of dust out into the room forcing him to step back and away before repeating the action. He used his sleeve to gently wipe the picture clean of the dust layer and...

"... Mother..."

It was her. Miraculously clear as day he saw his mother's beautiful smiling face in the photo holding a baby Kyero on her lap with his father standing stoically behind her. His eyes were wide and he could feel his hands trembling again. He brought his hand up but froze when he realized they were still covered in blood. Wiping his hand on his pants to the point where his fingers were at least clean he used his fingertip to trace the lines of her face. And with each passing second all of those faceless memories were rewritten in his mind with the face he now saw in the photo.

The smile which accompanied her laugh. The worry etched in her face whenever he ran off without her or played hide and seek a bit too well. The calm yet admonishing frown whenever he did something wrong, or from that time he accidentally knocked over one of her favorite potted plants spilling dirt and water everywhere.

But most of all... The blood-stained face, eyes wide with pain and fear, and tears streaming down her cheeks as she fought tooth and nail to save him from that fateful night.

Gripping the edges of the picture harder and harder until they began creaking and groaning under his grip, Kyero forced himself to take a breath as that night became all too clear in his head. His hands tied above his head as he hung helplessly on that post in the center of the ritual circle. The sensation of his father's dagger slicing into his chest. The agony of Hell made real when the living wall of shadows forced its way into his body through the wound. And the sound of his mother screaming in both rage and pain as she whipped around a torch, scratched with her nails, bit down on her attackers as they stabbed and gashed her with their knives.

Even now after all these years he wasn't sure how she managed to fight through it all. She was shot in the back before the ritual and left for dead in the forests outside the valley. She then trudged up the mountain trail after them. Hid herself well enough not to be noticed and grabbed a torch to whack them and set a few on fire. Was stabbed at least half a dozen times and gashed twice that he could remember through the haze of pain he'd been put in from the ritual. But it all came to a head when she cut him down and ran with him, somehow, to the river nearby before she finally collapsed.

And for the first time in his life that one moment was clear as the morning sun. His mother's choked and raspy breaths. Her cough which splattered his face with her blood. The subtle gasps between each word as she somehow found the strength to smile through it all.

"It's okay, my love... I'll be-... Fine. So, please. For me... Live. Live and remember- cough -... ... ... Remember always... that I loved you with- cough -With all my heart."

The next thing he knew she'd shoved him into the river where the current carried him far away from his father and the other cultists. It had the unfortunate side effect of leaving him unconscious on Te'i Sai's doorstep. But his survival that night alone was a miracle enough to legitimize his mother's heroic sacrifice.

Drip... Drip... Drip...

The face of his mother had been the key to his memories. And with it now fresh and permanently etched in his mind he remembered everything as if it were last night. And he felt his face revealing tiny rivulets of moisture which he didn't have the energy to wipe away.

She was strong. Stronger than he could ever hope to be. The pain she'd fought through. The injuries she battled through. The fear she clawed her way through. All to save him before her own life inevitably came to an end. But even at death's door and in pain he could only imagine despite his own experience with pain as a constant companion while in Te'i Sai, the only thing she was concerned with in her final moments was telling him the same thing she always did.

"I love you."

"... I love you too, mom." He whispered.

He tucked the picture under his arm and left the study, closing the door quietly behind himself as he walked upstairs to explore the final few rooms which remained.

----------------------------

Meanwhile, back with the group, Lorraine led the boys through town towards the palace which was partially visible down the main street ahead of them through the gaps in the buildings to either side.

"I can't wait to see it up close! It's supposed to be spectacular!" She chirped. "Just make sure that you don't get too close. If they're anything like back home the Royal Guards might get a bit testy if we get too close to the gates."

Firewind Wayne