Fantasy Chronicles of Sylaria (Open)

[Kirby3178]

Akira was just able to process quickly enough that the warg was coming for him. He tried to jump back and was able to avoid the wargs leap. But he felt something run down his face and when he touched there was blood. Akira already believed that this world was real, but the fact that he his wound stung and he literally had blood on his hands drove it home. The rider landed and turned to face him, there was at least six feet of space between them.

"I have to fight back" Akira thought and equipped his shield and scimitar. This was the rider from before with the axe and it had a devilish smile on its face as it remembered being able to stagger Akira. The warg charged forward, Akira raised his shield and absorbed the incoming blow. Again, his footing wasn't solid and he staggered back into a tree. The rider made a wide circle then charged forward again, Akira tried to focus this time and planted himself. The rider swung again, but this time Akira didn't budge, the rider reeled back. Akira pushed off on one foot and managed to shove the rider off.

The goblin growled at Akira, even though he was at least three feet taller. Akira ran forward and tried to stab, but the goblin ducked between his legs and slashed at his calf. Akira gritted his teeth in pain. The goblin laughed. Akira spun around and swung low, but just barely missed. The goblin leaped and Akira looked and raised his shield, but felt his shield get heavier. The goblin had landed on his shield and was raising its axe to come down on Akira's neck. Akira's survival instincts kicked in and he slammed the goblin into ground, pinning it underneath his shield. The force from the slam was enough to stagger the goblin long enough for Akira to stab it through the head.

The goblin's warg, seeing its rider killed, ran off. Akira turned back to see Saffron slinging more spells at the rest of the riders as Scarlett laid on the ground, she looked like she couldn't move anymore.

"Come on, we're so close" Akira though as he ran over to them. Akira's wound shot pain through his leg as he ran, but the adrenaline kept him on his feet.



[Location: The Mountain Foothills / Mentioned: Saffron and Scarlett: ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

"Scarlett, get up," Saffron shouted, she'd sent another ball of flame straight into the center of the pack scattering them and buying some extra time.

The Elf, meanwhile, spurred on by pure adrenaline alone tried her best to claw her way back to her feet. Propping herself up with her sword she'd just managed to get a foot under herself when a goblin came flying out of the brush at her. Reacting only on instinct she raised her sword out in front of her, one hand on the hilt the other pushing against the flat of her blade. The goblin's cleaver rang off the side of her sword and she used his momentum to muscle him to the side. The pair of them fell into a heap on the ground but somehow Scarlett had managed to roll over on top of him. She raised her sword up in both hands, tip pointed downward intent on stabbing him through the chest. That was when she saw Frankie's face and all the memories of his murder came flooding back to her. She lowered her arms, unable to finish the job. The goblin gave her a toothy smile then swiped his cleaver across her face, leaving a small cut on her cheek.

Caught off guard by the sudden attack she inadvertently followed its momentum, creating enough room for the goblin to slide out from under her. He quickly raised up his cleaver to finish the job but not before a large icicle pierced the side of his skull, protruding out from the other side of his head. Scarlett let out a startled yelp, not something she was proud of, but all of this killing and death was new to her.

"Come on," Saffron told her as she stuck her arm under Scarlett's shoulder and heaved the woman to her feet. The two of them took off half running half stumbling through the brush.

Somehow Akira managed to hold off the other goblins long enough for Saffron to get to Scarlett, then the three of them hurried as fast as they could up the hill. The remaining wargs and their riders were in hot pursuit, scratching and clawing their way up the loose dirt to the top of the hill. When they got there they each stopped almost immediately after cresting the hill. Scarlett and the others passed a misshapen boulder as they fled further into the woods. Finally, the remaining goblins turned the wargs and headed back down the hill towards the plains. As the last goblin disappeared over the horizon of the hill Scarlett allowed herself to breathe a sigh of relief. Then she tripped and dragged Saffron down with her, the two of them falling into a heap on the ground.

Saffron untangled herself from the Elf then sat up straight, panting heavily. "I don't understand," she said, "Why didn't you kill that goblin?"

Scarlett averted her gaze from her and also clawed her way up into a sitting position. "I don't want to talk about it," she said quietly, her shoulders slumped.

Saffron watched her for a moment then turned to Akira. "She's in no condition to travel further today. We should take a moment to rest here."


[Location: The Mountain Foothills / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

The group ran passed a misshapen boulder and began to ascend a hill. When they reached the peak, the riders stopped pursuing them, they'd finally arrived in Orc territory. As they were descending the hill, Scarlett tripped over herself for what felt the third time since the chase began, but Akira cached that up to what ever happened to her before they met.

When he finally stopped moving and the adrenaline faded away, pain shot through Akira's leg and he fell to the ground. Akira had never had a wound like this one in the real world so he was visibly freaked out.

"Saffron, I think I need one of your healing--" Akira voice trailed off as he passed out.


[Location: The Mountain Foothills / Interacting/ Mentioned: Scarlett and Saffron ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

After Akira collapsed Saffron immediately moved to his side to check his pulse. After a moment she breathed a sigh of relief. "He's alive, he just fainted."

Scarlett laughed at that. She was shot by an arrow and managed to keep going. Akira got a cut on his leg and passed out. Come to think of it, how old is he? Akira never mentioned his age but it suddenly occurred to her that he could potentially be even younger than she. Saffron pulled the satchel off her shoulder and began rummaging around in it. She pulled out a few herbs and some medical supplies then began treating Akira's wounds. Scarlett looked at her with confusion.

"What are you doing? Why not just do the thing you did for me?"

The scholar shook her head. "I can't," she answered, "I used up too much energy back there, if I try to cast more I could die."

"Die?" Scarlett was shocked. "From casting spells?"

She nodded. "Magic draws upon the spiritual energy within your body. The act of casting a spell is basically taking that energy and focusing it into a single thought, but everything has limits. For a new mage casting a single spell could potentially cause them to collapse. More experienced mages have more stamina, but the danger still exists."

Stamina... Spiritual energy... Mana points? The connection seemed to make sense in her head. For a character just starting out their mana pool was extremely limited and sometimes they could only cast a single spell. As their skill improved, though, their mana bar would increase, getting larger and larger. If your mana ever dropped to zero, though, all it meant was that you couldn't use magic. It never killed anyone in the game... At least, not before the game became reality.

Saffron finished treating Akira's wound then beckoned Scarlett to come over and sit next to her. "Let me take a look at that cut on your cheek," she said.

Scarlett shook her head. "I'm fine."

"No you're not," she insisted in a firm tone, "Leaving a wound untreated could lead to infection and out here that could kill you. Now come."

She sounded like a mother scolding her stubborn child. Scarlett meekly got up from where she sat and crossed over to kneel in front of Saffron. The scholar dipped some cloth into a bowl of water and began cleaning the wound on Scarlett's cheek. "It must have been rough for you, these last four days," she said. "I never did ask, but you said this wasn't your body so I have to know. How old were you in the other world."

Scarlett looked away. "Sixteen," she answered.

Saffron's eyes widened. They looked like they were about the same age, but Scarlett was actually ten years younger than her. "You're just a child," she said quietly, "and you've been through so much. What happened to you?"

Scarlett caught the woman by the wrist and gave her a pleading look. "Please, don't ask me about it. I'd rather not remember."

Saffron gave her a sympathetic look then nodded. She finished treating the cut on Saffron's cheek then the two of them fell silent for a moment. After a while the scholar looked up through the trees towards the sky. It was about late afternoon, almost evening. If Akira was awake they could probably put more mileage behind them, but as it was he was too big for either of them to carry. "Get some sleep," she said quietly, turning to Scarlett, "I'll keep an eye out for when Akira wakes up."

The other girl nodded then laid her head down on the ground, closing her eyes. It didn't take long for sleep to find her, after the last four days her body was exhausted...


[Location: The Mountain Foothills / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

After Akira passed out, he had a dream of a gig that he played a week before he ended up in Sylaria. He was playing in his friend's coffee shop/ cafe, it was a rainy and cold day, but the rain was soft enough that it actually made the atmosphere more tranquil. He was with two other people, a bass player named Sam and a drummer named Silas. That was one of Akira fondest memories from the real world. But something snapped him out of his dream and he went from being Elliott the musician to Akira the warrior.

Akira awoke to almost complete darkness, the only light was coming from the moon. Saffron was sitting staring into the night sky. He looked down at his leg and saw that the wound had been treated, though it did feel tender. Scarlett was laying in the grass and she was out like a light. Akira sat up and turned to Saffron.

"Have you been up this entire time?" he asked

[Location: The Mountain Foothills / Interacting/ Mentioned: Scarlett and Saffron ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

She nodded. "Sorry about your leg," she told him, "I used up too much energy casting spells."

As Akira sat there watching her it slowly dawned on him how exhausted she looked. Spellcasting in the game used a different resource than health or stamina, but it appeared that in this world the line was more ambiguous. What Saffron had done while fleeing the wargs was probably the equivalent of running a marathon, maybe even two. "Scarlett told me her age... Her real age," she continued, diverting the conversation before Akira could ask about her condition. "In your world she's sixteen."

She laughed lightly to herself. "I don't even know if I believe that it's possible, but here you are."

She turned to look directly into his eyes. "How can I know for sure that either of you are telling me the truth?"


[Location: The Mountain Foothills / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[starrar2356]

" hehe can't make any promises and did you just dis my armor i am A little hurt." He says with fake tares in his eyes. " All joking aside lest do this I got your back if things go sideways.


Thomas is a jokester at heart but when it comes to helping thous in need or keeping his friends safe there is nothing he wouldn't do. It is difficult for him to not help when help is needed. That is why brie would joke about him being A paladin of the people protecting those who can not protect them selves Using as much skill as he can Atlas follows Brie towards the camp trying not to make a lot of noise. once or twice they were almost caught but they made it.




[Location: Evernon River near Haversham / Interacting: Brie ( XxJadePhoenixX )

 

[Kirby3178]

Saffron told Akira that she'd used too much energy casting spells. At first, he thought she meant that she used too much mana, but that was before he noticed how tired she looked. Akira initially thought that that was because of the chase with the wargs, but there seemed like there was something more.

However, before he could question her, she told him something that happened while he was asleep.

"Scarlett told me her age... Her real age. In your world she's sixteen." she said

Akira was shocked. He hadn't heard of what happened to her before she met he and Saffron, but he inferred that it was intense.

Saffron chuckled "I don't even know if I believe that it's possible, but here you are," then continued "How can I know for sure that either of you are telling me the truth?"

Akira paused for a moment to formulate a response. "Honestly," he said "And I know this isn't very helpful, but, you're just going to have to trust what we've told you is true: we, by some mysterious power for an unknown reason, somehow became the characters that we made in a video game."

Akira fell quiet as he recalled the dream he had of the gig. He had vivid memories of a world where he was someone completely different, but he understood why Saffron would be doubtful and or confused. The idea that people are in one body but their supposed 'real body' is in a different world where their name, age, and face is different is completely outside of her concept of reality. Akira didn't know what else he could say to her.


[Location: Mountain Foothills / Interacting: Saffron ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

Saffron made a face then leaned back against a tree. He was right, there was no way to prove that they were telling the truth. She would just have to trust them. Though, two people who have never met corroborating the same story was pretty convincing evidence. "Tomorrow we'll push through the mountain valley to the Circle of Swords," she said, "There's an Orc encampment along the way. We'll be fine as long as we don't approach it with ill intent."

Fine? With Orcs? That was never the case in the game. Players who wandered near the camps were attacked on sight. The Orcs weren't friendly NPCs, or even neutral, for that matter. "We should try to get some sleep, it's going to be a long day tomorrow."

With that she pushed off the tree then rolled over onto her side trying to find a place to get comfortable. They had no fire tonight, but fortunately it wasn't that cold. She bundled her cloaks tighter around herself then closed her eyes. In a few minutes she was fast asleep...

**********

The next morning Scarlett awoke with a start. She had a dream something was chasing her. Through the fog in her mind she could see glimpses of the goblins following her through the trees. Every time she looked back the goblins morphed into something else. First it was Damien, then Liana and finally she saw Frankie just before a sword pierced him through the chest. He looked up at her through distant eyes and told her that it was her fault. When she looked down at her hands she saw that the sword that had killed him was hers.

"Are you alright," Saffron asked, she looked concern.

Scarlett didn't quite realize it until she noticed that her throat felt hoarse. She had screamed quite loudly upon waking, startling the other two. As she looked at them it slowly began to dawn on her what happened. Her cheeks flushed red and she looked away. "It's nothing, I'm fine," she lied.

Scarlett stared at her a moment then shook her head. She turned to Akira. "We need to head due east, through there," she said, pointing to a nearby ravine between two sheer cliff faces. "It's very important that neither of you draws a weapon, understand?"


[Location: The Mountain Foothills / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

"An Orc encampment?" Akira thought. Orc encampments were usually mini-dungeons in Sylaria and they required parties of at least five people, but Saffron talked about them like they wouldn't attack on sight. Saffron went to sleep and Akira tried to do the same, which wasn't difficult.

-------

The next morning came and Akira and Saffron were woken up by a loud shriek. Scarlett had woken up yelling and in a cold sweat. When Saffron tried to ask if she was ok, she just looked away and said,

"It's nothing, I'm fine,"

Akira felt the urge to say, 'That wasn't convincing', but he decided against it. Akira was fortunately able to stand and walk, but he would need to take it easy for a while. He put his scimitar and shield on his belt and as he was doing this Saffron pointed to where we needed to go: a ravine to the east.

"It's very important that neither of you draws a weapon, understand?" She warned

This time Akira didn't stay silent, "How can you be sure that the Orcs won't just attack us once they see us?"


[Location: Mountain Foothills / Interacting/ Mentioned: Saffron and Scarlett ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

"They won't because they're only defending their land," Saffron explained. "They're only responding to human aggression. If we left them alone our two peoples would live in relative peace."

Scarlett stood and stepped past both of them towards the ravine. "Yea sure, lady. That Orc camp only killed you and me like half a dozen times, but sure. This time will be different."

"Me," Saffron asked incredulously. "Have you and I met before?"

Scarlett stopped where she was and looked back at her. "Wait, you don't remember? I had to redo this quest like a hundred times."

The scholar looked confused. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The Elf shared a glance with Akira. The fact that Saffron did not remember either of them helping her was interesting. It could suggest that this world was somehow different from the one they knew in the game. Of course, with distances being larger and travel taking longer there was already ample evidence of that from the start. "Well anyway, I guess we're not going back the way we came," Scarlett said finally, changing the subject. "Might as well just keep moving forward."

She had no desire to try and cross those plains again with those goblins still out there. Saffron seemed pretty confident that the Orcs would let them pass, though, which seemed a hundred times more desirable than running for her life again. With that she turned on her heel and pushed through into the ravine, her two companions close on her heels. The ravine was only wide enough to permit them to travel in single file. Scarlett took the lead while Akira brought up the rear. As they walked the scholar looked at the Elf curiously. "Does it feel different?"

"What," the other girl asked, not quite understanding the question.

"Being a woman," Saffron clarified.

Scarlett made a face that Saffron couldn't see. "Trying real hard not to think about it, lady."

The older woman just shrugged. "I feel like I would find it very weird if one day I woke up as a man."

The Elf stopped dead in her tracks and spun around. "Do you think we could talk about literally anything else," she asked, giving the other woman a look of annoyance.

Saffron held up her hands apologetically. "Alright, fine. Then do you want to talk about what that was this morning?"

Scarlett remembered her scream from earlier and her cheeks flushed red. She quickly turned about and kept walking. "Anything but that."

"You've been here for what... Five days now? You were beaten and bruised and had an arrow through your shoulder when we first met you. And don't think I've forgotten about how you hesitated to kill that goblin. You've never taken a life before, have you," Saffron asked her pointedly. When the elf failed to answer but instead faltered in her step in response Saffron's eyes widened in realization. "No wait, you have. Who was it?"

Scarlett sighed, she was really starting to hate how observant the woman was. "Someone like us," she said finally in a quiet tone, just barely loud enough for the others to hear. "Someone from our world. He assaulted me and I, um... Look, I don't want to talk about it, alright?"


[Location: Mountain Ravine / Mentioned: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

Before the group set out, Saffron and Scarlett had a back and forth which gave Akira another piece of evidence that Sylaria was different from the one they knew in the game. Scarlett claimed that she'd done Saffron's quest a dozen times, which is about the same for Akira, but Saffron has no recollection of ever meeting either of them before a couple days ago. But then Scarlett changed the subject and lead the march into the ravine.

As they were walking, Saffron began to question Scarlett. She was wondering if it felt different being in a woman's body given that he's a boy in real life. Scarlett instantly wanted to change the subject and when Saffron did, Scarlett disclosed something shocking: she'd killed someone. She spoke softly when she said it, but Akira was still shocked as he trailed behind the group.

"Scarlett has some serious baggage from the real world," Akira thought. He considered himself a person who played video games casually and to relax, but he knew people who played games as a mean of escapism, one of which being his friend Silas. Outside of the gigs he played with Elliott and Sam, Silas worked a corporate job for minimum wage. Akira wondered if Scarlett, or rather Alex, played to escape.

"Saffron," Akira wanted to divert her attention from Scarlett and the group had been walking for a while "How much longer till we reach the encampment."



[Location: Mountain Ravine / Interacting/ Mentioned: Saffron and Scarlett ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

She thought about it for a moment. "We'll probably see it about midday," she said, "but chances are we're already being watched."

At her words Scarlett suddenly perked up. She looked first at the scholar then up at the crest of the ravine. She didn't see nor hear anyone out there unless they were invisible. A part of her wondered how Saffron could be so sure they were out there. Another part wondered why they weren't already attacking. She didn't know much about the game's lore, because why bother? But she didn't remember Orcs to be so shy. She kept her concerns to herself, though, and continued walking in silence.

Saffron glanced back at Akira. Of the two of them he was the one more amenable to talking about his past. It was obvious that Scarlett had a lot of baggage, but how much of it was from this world and how much was from her past she couldn't say. Akira, though, was still something of a mystery. He didn't hesitate to kill a goblin when he needed to, but then immediately after he fainted at the sight of blood. "So, have you ever killed anyone before," she asked him idly. "I mean, before yesterday."

[Location: Mountain Ravine / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

Akira was taken aback by the bluntness of Saffron's question, "Uhh, no, I haven't."

The group kept trudging along. According to Saffron, they'd see the encampment at about midday, which was a few hours away. She'd assured Scarlett and Akira that the Orcs wouldn't attack unprovoked, but Akira still had his doubts. Though, if he did get in another fight with an Orc, he might not be so lucky to walk away with just a few cuts. Sure, he'd managed to take down a goblin, but he didn't know how to truly fight with a scimitar and shield.

"I guess I'll have to trust her on this. After all I know Sylaria the game and she knows Sylaria the world." He though

Suddenly, Akira perked up at the sound of chatter. He looked around. The sound was distant and quiet, but he was sure of what he heard.

"Looks like Saffron was right about them watching us." Akira thought as he kept walking with a new sense of awareness.



[Location: Mountain Ravine / Interacting: Saffron ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

The group walked in silence for the rest of the afternoon. Their trail took them out of the ravine into a deep mountain valley beyond. Above them the snow-topped peaks of the mountains rose for miles. Scarlett stared up at the peaks above her wide-eyed in wonderment. She never would have seen anything like this back home. Maybe further east closer to Nevada, but definitely not in Sacramento. Her family rarely traveled and she spent most of her time away from the house anyway. If it hadn't been for Brie suggesting she play this game she'd still be back in the real world in her actual body. The sound of a twig snapping drew her attention. Through the trees she could just make out the forms of what looked like several tall, green-skinned humanoids. At least she thought they were humanoid, it was difficult to tell. She could only catch glimpses of them. With a look of concern in her eyes she glanced back over her shoulder at Saffron.

"It's fine," the scholar assured her, "Just keep walking."

Deep in the mountain valley the companions came across what looked like a wooden fort. The structure was surprisingly well put together considering it was built by Orcs. Humans considered their civilization to be rather primitive, but their mechanical prowess didn't seem that different. The gate was opened and closed via a sophisticated pully system and the quality and craftsmanship of the exterior walls were something of a marvel. As the three of them approached the camp the Orc scouts that had been trailing them through the woods finally revealed themselves. They had bows trained on them and Scarlett unconsciously held up her hands. The gates to the encampment swung open and a large Orc stepped out to greet them, followed by a small band of retainers. He came and stood directly in front of Scarlett, sniffing at her before turning to Saffron and finally to Akira. The Orc had towered over the Elf but stood eye to eye with Akira, sizing the other man up. Finally, he said something in a language Scarlett couldn't understand.

Saffron answered him with the same guttural tones. The Orc, probably thinking Akira was their leader looked surprised. He turned his gaze down towards the little scholar and asked her something that sounded like a question. The two went back and forth talking in this strange, harsh language and all Scarlett could do was glance at Akira in confusion. Finally, she couldn't take anymore. "What are they saying," she asked out loud.

"We're negotiating," Saffron told her. "For safe passage through their land they expect a gift."

"A gift," Scarlett asked incredulously. "What the hell do we have that we could possibly give them?"

Saffron faltered in her response somewhat then turned to address the Orc again. That moment of hesitation did not sit well with Scarlett and the Elf suspected that Saffron was hiding something from her. "What do they want," she persisted, but the scholar ignored her and continued her conversation with the Orc. Finally, Scarlett reached out and grabbed the other woman by the elbow. "What do they want," she asked again in a firmer tone.

Saffron sighed. "They want you."

The Elf's eyes widened in surprise. "Me?! Why me?"

"Because you're a woman of childbearing age and considered to be very valuable among the tribes," she explained and Scarlett immediately wished she hadn't pressed the issue.

Scarlett's cheeks flushed a bright red. "What about you," she asked accusingly, "Aren't you also of childbearing age?"

Saffron shrugged. "They think I'm your chief since I speak for both of you, but don't worry. I'm trying to see if there's anything else they want."

She went back to her conversation with the Orc and as they spoke Scarlett was acutely aware of the green-skinned monster leering at her. The conversation continued for about a minute until finally, the Orc pointed at Scarlett's waist. "Hey! I am not giving birth to anyone's children," she snapped.

"That's not what he said," Saffron told her. "He's pointing at your sword. He says it's the same one that killed his brother, but you are not the original owner. He wants to know what happened to him."

Scarlett gave her an uncertain look. "I dunno," she answered, "I kind of just stole his sword from him and ran away with it. I don't know what happened to him after that."

Saffron repeated the story in the Orc's native tongue and the man let out a loud, guttural laugh. He applauded her and then held out his hand. Scarlett stared at the orc's offered palm in confusion, unsure of what he wanted.

"He wants the sword," Saffron explained.

"No way," Scarlett shot back. "How the hell am I supposed to defend myself?"

The scholar gave her a pointed look. "You don't even know how to use it," she pointed out. "It's practically worthless to you, but giving it to them means they won't kill us."

"Why does he want it so badly?"

Saffron put her hands on her hips, she was starting to feel impatient. "In their culture a sword is the mark of a warrior. For a warrior to lose his sword either through death or theft means that he has been defeated. He wants to carry the sword of the vanquished warrior who killed his brother. Now hand it over before I have to give him you."

Scarlett's face blanched at the thought and reluctantly she pulled the sword from her belt and handed it to the Orc hilt first. The Orc Chieftain held the blade up in his hand and appraised it. Satisfied he waved his scouts away then pointed eastward deeper into the mountains and said one last thing to them before he left.

"He says the Circle of Swords is about half a day's journey from here," Saffron translated for him as the Orc and his men retreated back inside their camp. "He's warned his men not to go near it as evil magics have taken over the area. He also wishes us luck, though he's certain we're heading for our doom."

Scarlett peeled her gaze away from the encampment's gates to fix Saffron with a stern stare. "Are we," she asked. "Heading towards our doom?"

The other woman shrugged. "Only one way to find out," she said, then she turned and headed off in the direction the Orc had pointed. "Come on, let's go."

Scarlett cast an uncertain glance over her shoulder at the Orc encampment then finally turned to follow after Saffron. As they walked she fell into step with Akira. "This little quest you're on just keeps getting better and better," she muttered under her breath just loud enough for him to hear...


[Location: Orc Encampment / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

Akira was slightly on edge for the entire interaction between Saffron and the Orcs. When the large one who was about Akira's height went up to him and sized him up, it made Akira marvel at how, relatively speaking, civil they were. Initially, the Orcs were going to allow the group to pass as long as they get Scarlett, but fortunately they found something else that they wanted. So with the Orcs appeased, the group pressed on to the Circle of Swords that was just a half a day's journey away.

"This little quest you're on just keeps getting better and better," Scarlett mumbled intending for Akira to hear her

He ignored her sarcasm, "Well, hopefully we're getting closer and closer to finding some answers. I don't know about you, but I want to know why we're here and if they any chance of getting back to our world."

When he first arrived, Akira's first priority was finding answers. But as the memories of his life as Elliott Pines returned, he now wanted to return to that life.

Akira tried to stay focused on the task at hand. Fairly soon, they'd be at the Circle of Swords. Thinking about the Circle of Swords made Akira think about something.

"Saffron," Akira called to her since she was a few feet ahead of him and Scarlett "When we get to the Circle of Swords, what exactly are we going to looking for?"


[Location: Road to the Circle of Swords / Interacting: Saffron and Scarlett ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

"I'm not really sure," the scholar answered. There was a slight hint of uncertainty and worry to her voice, however, as if Saffron knew more than she was letting on. "We'll see it when we get there."

Scarlett didn't like the way that sounded at all. After being chased by players and monsters alike she had no desire to face any more of this world's dangers. The real world wasn't exactly safe, either, but at least there the dangers were more familiar. Since arriving here she'd experienced a new kind of fear she didn't care much to think about. "So, you wanna explain what the hell that was back there?"

"What," Saffron asked, not quite comprehending her.

"With the Orc trying to buy me," Scarlett clarified.

The scholar looked perturbed. "Oh, that," she answered, "I guess it's only fair to tell you."

She sighed and quickly squared her shoulders before continuing. "How much of this world's history do you know?"

Scarlett shrugged. "Barely any of it. It wasn't important."

Saffron was a little offended by that, but bit her lip nervously. "Alright, well within Orcish society when two tribes go to war it's generally understood that the tribe with the most warriors is going to win. So when one tribe attacks another the victor takes a share of the loser's weapons, food, wealth and women. Women allow the tribes to replenish their lost warriors and the fewer of them you have...," she left the rest hanging in the air.

The Elf nodded. "Yea, I get that, but why me? I'm not even an Orc."

"Orcish anatomy is close enough to match with humans and Elves making it possible for them to mate with either," she explained, "Elves most of all are highly sought after as half-Orc children inherent some Elvish qualities from their mother."

Scarlett felt a shiver course through her body at the mention of the word 'mother'. "So what, I'm just a commodity to them?"

"Essentially, yes," Saffron answered with a nod. "It's really not all that different from human society. The Lords of the realm often view their daughters as tools to secure alliances and their wives as little more than a means for keeping their power within the family lineage."

As she spoke Scarlett could have sworn she heard a slight hint of disdain in her voice. "I guess that's what you are? To your father, I mean?"

Saffron's gaze fell to her feet as she walked. "That's what he wanted me to be," she admitted. "I disappointed him, though, the day I left home. He didn't approve of me traveling alone, not that he could have stopped me. There's so much I want to see and to learn and I'm not going to see any of it from behind the walls of my family's estate. So, I came to Aerilon to study. I hired some adventurers to take me to the Circle of Swords and, well... You know the rest."

That story made it sound like this was all fairly recent, but Lady Beaumont had been an NPC in the city of Aerilon for at least as long as Scarlett had played the game, which admittedly had only been about a week. That might not have always been the case, though, not that Scarlett would know. She never cared enough to pay attention to the game's lore. "So, what's so special about this place, anyway," Scarlett asked, changing the subject.

Saffron's entire demeanor shifted at the chance to once again explain something to someone. Where once she was melancholic she was now ever the eager professor. "The Circle of Swords is where the final confrontation between the Old Gods and the Dark Lord took place," she explained, "RIght before they managed to seal him in a rift between dimensions. Then Aurelia, the Goddess of Light sacrificed the last of her godly power to seal the Veil, ensuring the Dark Lord would never again return to this realm."

Never again? Scarlett asked herself. But what about the red fog? Didn't Brie say that servants of the Dark Lord were spawned from the red fog? "Lady, you sure you got your facts straight," the Elf asked aloud. "I was attacked by demon dogs just three days ago."

Saffron's eyes widened and she looked at Scarlett. "The red fog? You've seen it?!"

"Well, yea," the Elf answered, slightly taken aback by the woman's shock.

The scholar's face went pale then she turned and started running through the woods.

"Hey wait," Scarlett called after her.

"There's no time," Saffron shouted back at them, "We need to hurry now!"


[Location: Moutain Valley / Mentioned: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

Saffron broke into a sprint into the woods, with Scarlett not too far behind her. Akira picked up the pace and ran after them. Saffron looked terrified of something and that made him skeptical when she said that she didn't know what to expect when they got to the Circle of Swords.

The group was thundering forward at a full sprint. At the pace they were going, they'd reach the Circle of Swords fairly soon. And just as Akira was finishing that thought he paused as they broke passed the tree line.

Before the group were two cliff sides with a stone bridge connecting them. On the other side was a massive stone door with a depiction of, who Akira assumed, were the gods. The door had overgrowth and cracks all over it, but it was most intact and still closed.

"This is it." Akira thought. Saffron didn't waste any time crossing the bridge, Scarlett was behind her urging her to slow down and tell them what was going on. Akira followed the two over the bridge and they all stood before the entrance to the Circle of Swords. Saffron examined the door for a way to open it and Akira did another one-over and that when he noticed something. A dark form was coming from one of the cracks, it was long and wiggly, like a snake or tendril. Akira looked over to his companions to see if they noticed the tendril, Scarlett looked like she might have noticed it, but Saffron seemed too worried and focused on something else.

"How are we going to get in?" Akira finally asked

[Location: Circle of Swords / Interacting/ Mentioned: Saffron and Scarlett ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

Saffron ignored the shadow tendrils seeping out through the door and reached out to caress the stone. She ran her fingers along the smooth marble surface until she found a spot that gave way at her touch. She pressed it all the way in and the door began to slide open, permitting them access to the ravine beyond. The shadowy tendrils stretched out towards them from somewhere deep within the ravine. The three companions looked at each other then steeled themselves before stepping through the doorway. The ravine stretched between two sheer cliff sides rising up as far as the eye could see. As they walked Scarlett reached out to touch one of the tendrils, breaking it momentarily with the touch of a finger.

"It feels cold," she said aloud to no one in particular.

Saffron reached out and did the same, pulling her finger back in surprise.

"What is this stuff," Scarlett asked, turning her gaze to the scholar.

Saffron grimaced but said nothing. A deep feeling of dread seeping into the pit of her stomach. Beyond the ravine they found a large open valley, at the center of which seven massive swords were plunged into the earth. Six of which were arranged in a circle while the seventh rose from the center. As they approached the circle Scarlett's eyes trailed upward towards the hilts of each sword far, far above her. She found it hard to imagine the sheer size of the giants that must have wielded these weapons. This wasn't the first time she'd seen them, of course. She'd seen this area in the game before from a top-down perspective, but this was her first time seeing it in person from the eyes of her character. The three companions approached the edge of the circle where the ground rose up to form a lip. At the top they gazed down into the center of the crater, at the bottom of which a dark shadowy rift had formed. The moment Saffron saw it her hand reached up to cover her mouth.

"It can't be," she gasped.

Scarlett shifted her gaze from the crater to the scholar, a look of confusion in her eyes. "What? What is it?'

"The Veil," Saffron explained, "It's been broken."

A cold shiver coursed its way through Scarlett's body. "Wait, that thing you said that was trapping the Dark Lord? That Veil?"

Saffron nodded. "It's only a crack, it's not wide enough for him to escape fully, but his power can still be felt throughout the land. The resurgence of the Blood Mists was prophecied to be the beginning of the End Times. The second coming of evil."

"And we're stuck in the middle of it," Scarlett muttered, "Great..."

"We need to inform my Father. He's a member of the Council of Seven in Northwind. He and the other Sorceror Lords will know how to handle this."

"No! No way," Scarlett said suddenly. "You told me that if we came here we might find answers about how to get us home. Now you want us to cross half the god damned continent to what? Sound the alarm then watch the world burn? Forget it, you're on your own, Lady."

Saffron was taken aback by the harshness in her tone. On the one hand, she did suggest they might find clues as to what brought them here and admittedly she was asking a lot from them. On the other whatever happens to this world will ultimately happen to them so like it or not they were part of this. "Scarlett, please. I need your support, yours and Akira's."

"For what," she asked incredulously, "We're not warriors! He barely knows how to use that sword of his and I'm just a kid! This shit is way too much for me!"

"You don't understand, if we don't--," Saffron tried to say but she stopped suddenly as a wisp of red mist blew past her nose. She half-turned to look down into the crater and saw a thick red cloud gathering at the bottom, slowly rising to meet them. "We need to go, now," she told them.

Scarlett followed her gaze and saw the red mist. Memories of the demon dogs that had chased her before flooding back into her mind. "Where? We can't outrun these things and there's nothing but the ravine behind us."

"The portal stone, over there," Saffron said, pointing to the northern side of the circle. "It's our only chance, hurry now!"

She took off leading the way as the others followed. Behind them the snarls of some demonic beast could be heard from within the crater, spurring them on even faster. Several figures emerged from the fog, four-armed creatures with heads shaped like hyenas, eyes ablaze with hellfire, wielding a bladed weapon in each hand as they crested the ridge of the crater and charged after them. As Saffron reached the portal stone she began chanting in an unfamiliar language. Scarlett and Akira skidded to a halt behind her then turned to look at the three monstrous creatures rushing towards them.

"How long is this going to take," Scarlett asked.

Saffron ignored her and continued to chant. Meanwhile, the creatures were not far behind them now. Akira had his sword and shield in hand but Scarlett doubted he would last long against these things. She would last even less especially since Saffron had gifted away her only means of defense. As the first hyena headed warrior reached them and raised its weapons to attack Scarlett instinctively covered her face with her hands. That was when someone suddenly reached out and grabbed her, pulling her and Akira back into a swirling blue tunnel. For a moment the world was chaos, a swirling mass of confusion, then in an instant it was over. The tunnel faded from view and the three companions were thrown back into the world again. Scarlett caught a mouthful of grass as the portal closed behind them. She spit it out then used one hand to wipe off her tongue before turning to face the others. When she saw the massive stone structures of a huge city rising up all around them her eyes widened in shock. They found themselves in the middle of a tranquil park in the heart of a massive city.

"Welcome to Northwind," Saffron said sheepishly.

Scarlett looked surprised. "How?"

The scholar pointed to the portal stone behind them. "The city was built around a powerful ley line," she explained. "The magical shrine here powers the shield that protects the city from monster attacks."

The Elf followed her gaze to the stone and the shrine that lay just beyond it. A tall pillar of light rose from the top of the shrine, stretching up into the sky before dispersing into a shimmering blue shield that covered the entire city. Her mouth fell agape as she pulled herself to her feet. She was about to say more when the city guard suddenly appeared and surrounded them, their weapons drawn.

"Whoa, what the hell," Scarlett exclaimed as the guards tightened the circle closer around them. Then a tall man dressed in gleaming armor pushed his way through the circle and stood before them.

"Lady Beaumont," he said, a note of surprise in his voice. "Your father's been looking for you."

Saffron bit her lip nervously. Of course, he was, but obviously not that hard. Had he sent emissaries to Aerilon he would have found her without too much trouble. "Well, here I am," she said, "And, I bring grave news. I need to see my father at once."

"And these others," he said, eyeing Scarlett suspiciously.

The Elf shrank back from the man's hardened stare.

"They're my guests," Saffron told him, "And they are not to be harmed."

The man gave her a dubious look, shifting his gaze between her and Scarlett. "Your father won't approve of having the Fae within his home."

"The what," Scarlett asked, completely at a loss for words.

Saffron silenced her with a stare then turned back to the guard captain. "Doesn't matter, what I have to say is far too important. Take us to my father now."

The guard looked uncertain before finally turning to order his men to lower the weapons. As the spear tips rose harmlessly into the air Scarlett felt her shoulders relax.

"This way," the man said, turning to address them once more, one hand gesturing to the west. As Saffron stepped past him the guard captain turned and grabbed Scarlett roughly by the arm. "You walk in front of me, Fae," he told her sharply, emphasizing the word 'Fae'.

"The fuck, dude," Scarlett snapped at him, "What the hell's your malfunction?"

The guard looked surprised at her choice of vernacular, but his expression remained the same. He opened his mouth to respond but Saffron interrupted him.

"Take your hands off her," she shouted, "I told you, she is my honored guest and I trust her with my life!"

The guard stared at her then reluctantly removed his hand from Scarlett's arm. "Real nice welcome," Scarlett muttered under her breath as she stepped past the captain and followed Saffron in the direction of her family's estate...


[Location: The City of Northwind / Mentioned: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

Akira knew from doing Saffron's quest that she came from a highly respected family, but he'd never made it this far in the game. He vaguely remembered hearing Saffron say something about Northwind's Council of Seven, but after having to do the quest so many times, he couldn't recall the details. After the group was teleported to Northwind and encountered the city guard, they were escorted to Saffron's father. Akira was glad that Saffron was keeping the guard Captain under control, because he was internally fuming at the way he was acting towards Scarlett.

In the real world, Elliott had dealt with people like him when playing gigs in more high-end venues.

As they pressed on, Akira began to take in the city. The first thing he noticed was how much colder the air was. In the real world, Akira loved winter, snow, and cold weather, so this was like a paradise for him. Where Aerilon's building were more simply made out of cobblestone and wood, Northwind had more building made of smooth stone, and brick. The more and more they walked through, the more and more the buildings seemed nicer and more polished. Finally, they'd made it to the Beaumont Estate, and at that moment Akira felt foolish for gawking at the previous houses.

They were two sentries posted on either side of a large iron gate, which had an emblem in the center.

"Open the gates!," The Guard Captain shouted "Lady Saffron has returned." The sentries move quickly to open the gates and Saffron didn't wait for them to be opened all the way before moving through. Beyond the gate was a long stone pathway which was bordered by hedges. Ahead of them stands a large white mansion with elegant statues, carvings and engravings decorating the exterior. Saffron was still pressing on when they came to the front door, which was made of polished wood, she burst through in the foyer.


[Location: Beaumont Estate / Mentioned: Saffron and Scarlett ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

The group was escorted through the wooden double doors into the main foyer of the house. This room was huge, with vaulted ceilings, marble pillars and a pair of elegant staircases curving up to the second-floor balcony. An intricately crafted chandelier provided most of the light in the room and hung down from the ceiling amid a flurry of flying buttresses all bearing the Beaumont family seal. Scarlett stared up at the chandelier in awe and was mesmerized for a moment before she felt a nudge on her back. The guard captain urged her forward, unwilling to take his eyes off her. Scarlett made a face at him but said nothing. She didn't want to provoke him into drawing a weapon. Scarlett, Akira and Saffron were all taken into the west wing of the house, through extravagantly decorated hallways into a large room Saffron's father clearly used for conducting business. A man in his late forties, early fifties was seated at a large oaken desk. When the doors open and his daughter entered the room he stood. He came around the desk to see her, but the second he saw Scarlett he stopped.

"Guards," he shouted and several men rushed in from outside with their weapons drawn.

"Wait, Dad, no," Saffron exclaimed, getting between them and Scarlett. "She's not an enemy, she's a friend! Please, just listen to me before you arrest her!"

Lord Edmund Beaumont, one of seven Lords presiding over Northwind, stared at his daughter for a moment then nodded to the guards to lower their weapons. "First you leave without saying a word then you bring a Fae into my home," he began, "Speak quickly, child, for you are treading on thin ice."

Saffron felt a lump forming in her throat, but tried her best to ignore it. "This is Scarlett and Akira, they're adventurers I hired in Aerilon to escort me to the Circle of Swords. Five days ago there was a powerful explosion of pure magic that I wanted to investigate."

Saffron's father looked incredulous. "You hired a Fae in a human city?"

The scholar shrugged. "Scarlett told me she was abandoned in the woods and raised by humans. She doesn't know anything of her Elven heritage."

"What the hell are you--," Scarlett started, but Saffron interrupted her with a sharp stare that seemed to suggest she keep her mouth shut.

"Be that as it may the Fae are not to be trusted," Edmund told her but Saffron stood her ground.

"Well, I trust Scarlett," she said stubbornly, "She risked her life to accompany me on this journey and fought with me side by side when we were beset upon by goblins."

Scarlett cast a curious glance at Saffron. That wasn't true at all. Saffron fought the goblins while she ran for her life, in the end she was little more than a burden on the others as she had been since arriving in this accursed world. Now Saffron was praising her and lying to her father and Scarlett was having trouble understanding why. Why not just tell him the truth?

"But all of this is besides the point," the scholar continued. "Dad, the Veil has been broken. We found a rift in the dimensional barrier at the Circle of Swords right before the Dark Lord sent his minions to attacks us. We barely made it out of there with our lives."

Lord Beaumont had a grim look on his face when Saffron revealed to him what they had seen. Glancing up from his daughter to the two adventurers standing behind her he said, "Wait outside."

"Dad, I promised them payment for their services," Saffron said before either of them could leave.

"I will see to it they are properly compensated," Edmund said as he turned away from them, moving back around his desk to return to his seat. "For now I wish to speak to my daughter alone."

Scarlett cast an uncertain glance at Saffron who gave her a reassuring nod. Finally, she and Akira turned and left the room, standing just outside in the hallway accompanied by a pair of guards. Scarlett tapped her foot impatiently as she waited. What the hell was even going on in there? Why didn't Saffron tell him the truth? Why lie about where she's from? Not content with just simply tapping her foot the Elf began to pace back and forth. The guards on either side of them seemed to watch her more than Akira. They barely paid him any attention, but when Scarlett wandered near them their hands drifted to the hilts of their swords as if anticipating an attack. The awkwardness of their situation seemed to drag on for what felt like an eternity before the doors to Edmund's chambers opened and Saffron stepped out.

"You are both welcome to stay as my guests," she told them, "Come, I'll show you to your rooms."

She beckoned for them to follow then stopped when the two guards turned to accompany them. "You're dismissed," she told them, "Father's orders. Return to your posts."

The two guards shared an uncertain glance before resuming their positions flanking the door to Lord Edmund's chamber. Satisfied Saffron turned and gestured for Akira and Scarlett to walk with her. "You'll have free reign of the grounds, able to go wherever you like. If you're hungry you may request food from the kitchen. For all other needs our servants will be on hand to assist you."

"Wait, slow down," Scarlett interrupted, "What the hell was that back there? Why did you lie to your Dad?"

Saffron sighed. "You tell me what's more believable. A young Elf raised by humans? Or two travelers from another world inhabiting the bodies of characters they made in a game?"

"Okay, fair," Scarlett answered, feeling a bit foolish.

The guest bedrooms were up on the second floor. Saffron led them back into the main foyer of the house then up the stairs to the second-floor balcony. As they walked Scarlett couldn't help but marvel at how big this house was. The estate and its grounds took up a sizable portion of the hill it rested upon, but seeing it from the outside did not adequately convey its true scale. They must have passed dozens of rooms on their way to the guest house, the purposes of each a mystery hidden behind a closed door. Finally, they reached the room that had been assigned to Scarlett. There was a young woman waiting for them as they entered.

"Scarlett, this is Bethany, one of our servants. She will see to your needs should you acquire any assistance," Saffron said, introducing the young woman.

"If it would please you, m'lady, I can fetch you some food and drink before bed. You must be famished from your journey," the girl answered.

Scarlett blinked in astonishment. "Um, sure... I guess."

Saffron turned and led Akira back out into the hall. They walked to the end of the hallway then turned the corner before coming to a stop in front of Akira's room. Saffron opened the door for him then followed him in. "I managed to talk my father into helping you," she said quietly as she showed him around the large and luxuriously furnished room. "I know you've never held a sword before coming to this world so I asked my father to allow you to train with our guardsmen. Your first lesson is tomorrow at sunup in the grounds behind the estate. Please don't be late, Sir Keiran can be rather strict."


[Location: Beaumont Estate, Northwind / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

"I'll do my best." Akira replied. Saffron left him in his room. Akira looked around and admired the room and marveled at how this was only one room of the house.

The bed was on an elevated platform and was made neatly with clean, white sheets. On either side were white nightstands, which Akira decided to use to store his travel rations and other items he was carrying in his pouch. On the opposite side of the room from the bed was a cozy seating area complete with a L-shape couch, chaise, fireplace, bookshelf, and coffee table which had a bowl of fresh fruit, a pitcher of water, and two glasses.

Akira did another one over of his new surrounds and noticed a door on the same wall as the bed. He opened it and it lead into a sizable bathroom, or whatever they're called in this world. There was a water basin and mirror on one wall and a large square bathtub in the corner furthest away from the door. The entire room was lit by a mixture of candles and the natural light that was coming in from the small, rectangular windows that were position high on the wall, most likely to prevent peeping.

Akira walked over to the tub and felt that was water was already warm. He then went over to the mirror and realized just how dirty he was. He'd hadn't bathed since he arrived in his new body and it showed.

Akira was about to disrobe and get into the tub when a thought occurred to him.

"Wait," he said aloud "Scarlett got a maid assigned to her; Do I get one?" As if on que, there was a knock at the door. Akira went back into the bedroom and called for whom ever was there to come in. The door opened and a portly man in a tailcoat entered the room. He had slicked back, grey hair and a well-kept beard to match.

"Pardon my intrusion," the man said with a bow "My name is Titus and by order of Lady Saffron, I am here to provide you assistance during your stay. Is there anything I can get you?" Akira paused for a moment. He stared at the man trying to formulate a response.

"Well, I was going to take a bath." He said finally pointing to the open bathroom door.

"Ah, I see," Titus stepped outside and disappeared and reappeared with two maids flanking him "These two will assist you. In the mean time, I will prepare a meal for you." The maids moved towards Akira and he defensively put up his hands.

"Woah, I would appreciate a meal, but I can take care of the bath on my own."

"Forgive me, my lord, but we are under strict orders from Lady Saffron and Lord Beaumont to see that you are taken care of." Titus bowed again as the two maids ushered Akira into the bathroom.

------

Despite how awkward Akira felt, his bath was refreshing and the maids were thorough. After he came out, there was a fresh change of clothes and a hot meal waiting for him. He ate and went to bed, falling asleep almost as soon as his head hit the pillow.

------

The next day came and despite the beautiful weather, all Akira felt was panic. Last night was the first night that he'd slept on a bed that was so soft and that made him sleep like a log.

Akira gathered his scimitar and shield as quickly as possible and ran out into the hallway. After getting turned around a few times, he eventually found his way outside to the back of the estate where a group of men in plain clothes were practicing in pairs.

There was one man who was standing, observing the group with his a scowl on his face.

He turned when he saw Akira running----and he doesn't look happy.


[Location: Beaumont Estate / Mentioned: Saffron ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

Scarlett hadn't realized how hungry she was until there was a plate of food sitting in front of her. With zero hesitation she tore into the meal like a ravenous lion, stopping only momentarily to breathe between bites. With a mouthful of chicken, she reached over and grabbed the glass Bethany had handed her and took a sip, balking at the taste of it in surprise. "What's this," she asked, staring at the red liquid in the glass.

"Wine, m'Lady. A special vintage from the Lord's personal vineyard," the maid explained. "If the taste is not to your liking I can fetch you something else."

"No, no. That's fine," Scarlett answered quickly. She took another sip then tore into the chicken again as the maid turned and headed through a door somewhere behind her.

Scarlett finished the rest of her meal in relative silence, her stomach full she was ready for bed now. She scooted the chair out from under the table then stood and found the maid waiting for her by an open doorway. "I've taken the liberty of drawing you a bath," she said, "This way, please."

The Elf's eyes widened in shock. "Oh no, that's okay. I don't need a bath."

"The smell suggests otherwise, m'Lady," the maid answered as she came around behind Scarlett and urged her towards the bathtub.

"Really, it's okay I don't--ahh," Scarlett yelped as the maid stripped her of her vest and shirt. A moment later her boots, pants and undergarments all followed leaving Scarlett completely naked. The Elf's cheeks burned liked hellfire and she resisted the urge to look down, opting instead to close her eyes.

"Are you alright, m'Lady," Bethany asked curiously after neatly folding Scarlett's clothes and setting them aside. The Elven girl stood in the middle of the bathroom with her eyes closed looking extremely embarrassed.

"Yea, everything's fine," Scarlett answered, refusing to open her eyes.

The maid came over and gently placed a hand on her shoulder while leading her towards the tub. "It's nothing I haven't seen before, m'Lady."

That makes one of us, Scarlett thought to herself. She felt her thigh brush up against the tub and only opened her eyes long enough to climb in. The water was surprisingly hot considering the tub had no heating. She felt the maid's hands touch her shoulders which startled her somewhat. She tried to turn and look but the other woman held her firm.

"Just relax," she said as she ran soap through Scarlett's hair and down her body.

Scarlett sat staring off into the ceiling trying her damnedest to hide her embarrassment with little luck. As the maid scrubbed her clean she kept silently wishing to herself that she could be anywhere else but here. Eventually, the bath came to an end and Scarlett was only too relieved to be covered in a towel as she dried herself off. When she came back into the bedroom she found a folded change of clothes waiting for her. Undergarments as well as what looked like a nightgown. Scarlett made a face then turned back to look at the maid.

"Do I have to wear this? What's wrong with wearing what I had on before?"

"M'Lady's garments are in desperate need of a wash," the maid answered matter-of-factly. "These should fit you well enough."

Scarlett groaned inwardly but put the clothes on all the same. That feeling of burning in her cheeks becoming an all too familiar a sensation. Once she was dressed the maid threw the covers aside and helped her into the bed. Then Bethany tucked her in and blew out the candle on the nightstand next to her.

"Goodnight, m'Lady," she said with a curtsy before leaving the room.

Scarlett closed her eyes trying desperately to forget the last thirty minutes before eventually she drifted off to sleep...

**********

The next morning Saffron was in the dining hall with her father eating breakfast when an angry Elf wearing a purple silk dress stormed in. "Saffron, we need to talk."

The other woman looked surprised then quickly apologized to her father before standing up and ushering Scarlett out of the room.

"Dude, what the fuck," Scarlett cried as Saffron shoved her out into the hallway.

"Are you crazy," Saffron asked once they were out of the room. "A commoner should never interrupt a Lord's meal."

Scarlett looked a bit surprised by the alarm in Saffron's tone. She sounded genuinely fearful of something. "Or what? He'll have me killed?"

Saffron's expression hardened but she said nothing.

The Elf's eyes widened a bit. "Wait, seriously? I was joking, your dad needs to lighten up."

"What do you want," Saffron asked, changing the subject.

"I want to know why Akira gets to train with the guards and I don't," Scarlett answered indignantly. "I saw him out in the courtyard with the others, so what gives? Why didn't I get an invite."

"It's because you're--," she started but Scarlett cut her off.

"An Elf? Or a Fae or whatever? Is that it? I can't be trusted with a sword," she said, her frustration coloring her tone.

"Ah--no," the scholar replied after a bit of hesitation. "It's because you're a woman."

Scarlett's cheeks flushed red and she quickly averted her eyes. "W--why does that matter," she stuttered.

"'Swordplay is not proper etiquette for young ladies,'" Saffron explained, holding up a finger while quoting something her father told her long ago.

Scarlett made a face. "Well, you and I both know that's not true."

"Sure, but you swore me to secrecy, remember," Saffron asked. "But if you've changed your mind then I suppose we could tell my father the truth. He might make an exception, but then of course we'd have to explain it to the guards as well."

The Elf's cheeks burned even hotter. "Fine, whatever. Just forget it."

Saffron smiled, teasing her is too easy. Then she noticed the bags under the Elf's eyes and leaned in for a closer look. "Is everything alright? You look tired."

"Yea, I'm fine. Just had a rough night," the other girl answered dismissively.

"Anything you want to talk about?"

Scarlett's first reaction was to say no, but then the woman had been annoyingly perceptive in the past before. So instead she let out a long exasperated sigh then met the scholar's gaze once again. "Your maid gave me a bath last night," she began her embarrassment still showing plainly on her face. "And when I woke up this morning I found the sheets covered in blood. I literally thought someone had stabbed me in the middle of the night and was freaking out about it until Bethany told me what it was and then it became this whole other thing. Then she made me put on this dress and...," she stopped suddenly when she noticed Saffron's shoulders bouncing with mirth. As the other woman doubled over trying to hide her amusement Scarlett crossed her arms firmly over her chest and fixed her with a cold stare. "And you're laughing. Why are you laughing?"

"I'm sorry," Saffron said between giggles, "I know I shouldn't, but it is kind of funny."

Scarlett glared at her. "See if I ever answer a question honestly again," she grumbled to herself. "But anyway, forget all that. You were supposed to be helping us figure out why we're here, or did you forget?"

She shook her head. "I haven't forgotten. I've already put in a request to visit the library later today. You're welcome to join me if you wish."

A library? The Elf groaned inwardly. Back in the real world Scarlett wouldn't have been caught dead in a library. Still, there wasn't a whole lot to do around here, and doing something was better than nothing. "Yea sure, whatever. Just let me know when you're ready to leave."

Then she spun on her heel and stormed away heading back to her room. Saffron, meanwhile, tried her best to stifle another giggle as she headed back into the dining hall to finish eating her breakfast...

**********

Sir Keiran Lancaster, the eldest son of a minor noble family, stared at Akira as he ran across the courtyard to meet them. "You must be the adventurer," he said as Akira came close. "I hope your talent for learning is better than your punctuality."

Then he turned and gestured for Akira to follow him. He led him over to the far side of the courtyard where Akira saw racks of weapons and armor lining the wall. "Hang that up over here," he continued, pointing at Akira's scimitar, "We use blunted swords for training. Grab yourself some armor from over there and get in line with the others. We'll start you on the basic forms today and you'll be skipping out on breakfast as a reminder not to be late again. Now hurry, if you're not on the line in three minutes you'll be sparring the others without a sword."

Without waiting for a response he turned around and headed back to the front of the courtyard, leaving Akira to retrieve his training gear on his own...

[Locaton: Beaumont Estate, Northwind / Interacting: Akira ( Kirby3178 )]

 

[Kirby3178]

Akira set his scimitar aside and began to put on the training armor. He found that it wasn't too difficult once he understood how the clasps and belts fit together. He picked up one of the swords and hurried over to the line.

Sir Keiran addressed everyone, "Today we have a guest of Lady Saffron joining us, an Adventurer named Akira. With that said," Keiran turned towards Akira "Don't expect your training to be any less intense just because you're a guest. For the rest of you, warm up and begin sparing."

The rest of the line broke off and began running in a line around the courtyard. Seeing them run reminded Akira of when he played soccer in high school. Everyday, his coach would line them up just like Keiran and then send them off to do laps.

"Eyes here," Keiran said sternly breaking Akira from his trance "Get into a ready stance and raise your blade." Akira got himself in a planted position like the one he used when fighting the warg rider and held up his sword awkwardly in front of him. Keiran circled him, shaking his head.

"Have you had any formal sword training?" Keiran asked

"No" Akira replied.

"I see. Your stance right now is more suited for absorbing a blow. If you wanted to go on the offensive, you wouldn't be able to do so without making an awkward movement. Watch me and try to mirror it."

Keiran raised his sword and took a stance. His stance was wider and lower to the ground, his left foot was forward while his right was partly touching the ground.

"This stance will increase your balance, which prevents you from being pushed over, as well as allow you to move more freely." Keiran began to move forward, then back, then to the left, then to the right, and sure enough he was able to stay lower to the ground with his sword up and move and change direction with stopping. He took the stance again and motioned for Akira to mimic it.

Akira got ready and Keiran went over to inspect. That's when he suddenly shoved him and Akira fell flat on his back.

"Ow, why'd you do that?" Akira asked

"To test your balance," Keiran said like it was obvious "Your stance was off. Your feet need be shoulder's width apart and you need to keep your body closer to the ground. Now, try to push me over." Akira got up with Sir Keiran assumed the stance. He hesitated before shoving him, but instead Keiran alternated his feet, lifting his left foot while falling back on his right, then landing back in the stance. Keiran called for him to try again. Akira this time went for at him from more of an angle, but Keiran raised himself on the balls of his feet and lowered his body and allowed himself to be pushed back, but he still didn't fall.

"You see?" Keiran said "Footwork and balance are two of the most fundamental aspects of swordplay. Mastering both will make everything else come much easier. Let's go again." Keiran advanced and Akira quickly put himself in the stance. Keiran pushed him from the front and Akira managed to pivot his feet and land without falling.

"Good. Again." Keiran began to circle Akira, he followed him mimicking Keiran's footwork the best he could. Keiran advanced again, using more of his shoulder. Akira was caught off guard and tripped over his feet. He scrambled back to his feet and Keiran came at him again. Akira repeated this at least a dozen more times.

"Well done. I see that your learning is indeed better than your punctuality." Akira though he saw a smile creep onto Sir Keiran face, but he turned and called for the guards to fall in.

--------

"Akira, it's time that you see how this stance is used in combat," Keiran turned to the guards "It's time for a demonstration. Troy, come forward."

A guard stepped forward from the line and he and Sir Keiran drew swords and stood ready.

"Watch me closely now." Keiran called.


[Location: Courtyard of the Beaumont Estate / Mentioned: Saffron Beaumont ( XxJadePhoenixX )]

 

[XxJadePhoenixX]

Scarlett had a sour look on her face as they walked. Akira got to play with swords while she was on her way to a library. It sounded so dull. She even asked Saffron what she was hoping to look for and she responded by saying she needed more information on the planetary conjunction and the binding of the Dark Lord. The Elf failed to see how any of this was going to help get her home but Saffron insisted these events were somehow related. With a sigh she simply followed the other woman through the town square as throngs of people passed them by.

Saffron heard the sigh then glanced back over her shoulder. The Elf looked rather moody which caused her to giggle again. Then she covered her mouth to try to hide it.

"What," Scarlett asked, giving her a suspicious look.

Saffron shook her head. "It's nothing."

"Well, it sounds like something."

The scholar stifled another giggle then turned away. "So you really thought you were dying?"

Scarlett's cheeks immediately turned bright red. "Can we talk about literally anything else, please?"

"Didn't you say you have a sister?"

"Well, yea but she doesn't give me a play-by-play of her whole life."

"But how could you not know? Did no one ever tell you?" Saffron looked genuinely confused.

Scarlett made a face. "Look, my school has a sex-ed class, alright? But I never go so I didn't learn anything. Now can we please talk about something else?"

Saffron ignored that and tapped her chin thoughtfully. "You know, you should probably mark today on a calendar."

"What? Why," Scarlett asked, giving her a blank stare.

The scholar shrugged. "To keep track of your cycle."

"No! No way! We are not having this conversation," the Elf answered quickly while holding up her hands.

"It's a perfectly natural process--," Saffron tried to explain but Scarlett was having none of it.

"And I said no," she insisted. "Just find a way to get me home and I won't have to deal with it!"

The scholar bit her lip nervously then stopped and turned to face her, giving her a worried look. There was just no easy way to say this. "Alex, look, I'll do whatever I can to help you get back to your world, but I just don't know if it's possible. On the night of the Conjunction, it took an insane amount of magical energy to bring you here and will most likely require the same amount if not more to send you back. Even if we somehow managed to convince every mage in the world to focus their energy into the same spell it wouldn't nearly be enough. Not without another Planetary Conjunction, but those are centuries apart."

"So what are you saying," Scarlett asked, a deep-seated worry rising up from the pit of her stomach. She already had a feeling for what the answer would be but decided to ask the question anyway.

The scholar frowned. "I'm saying you might be stuck in this world forever."

Of course she would say that. "But you don't know that for sure."

She shook her head. "No, you're right, I don't, but if you don't at least accept the possibility...," she let her words trail off into nothing.

Scarlett fell silent. Damien had tried to convince her of this as well, but coming from Saffron it carried some weight. Damien was a stranger to this world just as she was. From his perspective it was pure speculation, but Saffron actually had some evidence to support her argument. So, I might never see my friends again, or the family who adopted me... She'd been such a hellion back in the real world, treating her family like dirt when all they were trying to do was take care of her. What even happened to her real body? Did he collapse against the desk? Or did he disappear entirely? Did his family think he was dead? That he died hating them? She felt something wet trickle down her cheek. Without thinking she reached up and wiped it away then stared at her finger. Tears? Was she actually crying? She quickly turned away from Saffron then wiped her face with the sleeve of her dress. She fought hard to get her emotions under control before turning back to face the scholar.

"Forget it," she said firmly, "I refuse to believe there isn't a way back."

"Alex...," Saffron tried to say, but the Elf cut her off.

"No, until we know for sure I won't give up on the possibility of seeing my family again." I have to tell them I was wrong. That I acted like a jerk and I'm sorry.

Saffron frowned then shook her head. "Alright," she said quietly, "Then we better hurry up and figure out how to get you back. The library should be just up here."

She half-turned and led Scarlett down a side street branching off from the town square. About halfway down they came upon what looked like a massive cathedral. The building towered above them with spires reaching towards the heavens. The two massive oaken doors at the front of the building were open to permit public access, but Saffron had requested specifically to visit a restricted wing of the library. Without her father's influence she would have been denied the request under normal circumstances, but these were dire situations. If the Dark Lord's power was again being felt across the land then the red mist could appear anywhere. Within the walls of the city surrounded by the magical barrier they were safe from monster attacks, but that didn't include the areas of the city outside of the barrier. Most of the denizens of Northwind referred to them as the Slums, others simply called it Lowtown. These areas were populated by the poorest people in the city and were under constant threat of monster attacks from the surrounding area. There were rumors of a rebellion brewing from within the Slums but so far the upper class had dismissed them as simple rumors.

Inside the library Scarlett and Saffron were escorted away from the crowds to a quiet wing of the facility. This area was sealed off from the rest of the library by a locked wrought iron gate. The librarian simply touched the lock with his hand rather than open it with a key. The lock glowed blue for a moment before it popped open, permitting them entrance into the restricted area. Beyond the gate there were row upon row of bookshelves lining the walls and on the far end a small sitting area with desks and chairs by the window. Saffron quietly conversed with the librarian which books she would need brought to her by the table. Scarlett simply stood idly nearby eyeing the chained books on the shelf in front of her. She reached out to touch one of them and without skipping a beat in the middle of his conversation the librarian smacked her hand away from it.

"Ow," Scarlett cried, pulling her hand back and rubbing it. She glanced at the librarian but he had already turned his focus back to Saffron to continue their discussion.

After several minutes the pair were told to wait by the window as books were brought to them. It wasn't long before Saffron had a stack of books in front of her and she was already leafing through one while Scarlett watched. Saffron had initially asked for Scarlett's help, but after the first book had been brought over they both quickly realized she couldn't understand the language. The spoken version of it sounded like English and shared a lot of similarities, but the language was not written in romaji. Scarlett had simply stared at the strange, curvy script unable to comprehend any of it. So instead she sat staring out the window as Saffron conducted her research. Outside on the street below she found a mass of humans huddled together in small groups. Some of them sat with their backs to the wall behind them, others were simply lying down in the street. All of them appeared haggard and demoralized as if they hadn't slept in days.

"Saffron," she said quietly, pointing out the window towards the street, "Who are they?"

Saffron lifted her eyes up from the book in front of her then glanced out the window. When she saw what Scarlett was pointing at she frowned. "Adventurers," she said finally, "My father told me about them. He said they were no longer taking quests and were simply lazing about in the streets doing nothing. He's considering having the guard remove them from the city."

"Remove them," Scarlett repeated, her eyes widening. "Why?"

"Complaints from the upper class, mostly," she explained, "They feel that if the adventurers are going to mill about like transients then they have no place being here."

"But you know what's happened, why they've changed. If your father sends them out of the city they'll die!" She shot out of her seat and slammed her hands down on the table in front of her.

From somewhere behind them they could hear the librarian shushing her. Scarlett followed the sound with her eyes then looked extremely embarrassed. She sat back down and lowered her voice. "Please, Saffron," she begged, "Your father would be killing innocent people."

The scholar frowned. "I'm just not sure what you want me to do."

"We go back and tell him the truth. About me, Akira and all the others. We tell him everything."

"It won't be as easy to convince my father as it was to convince me," Saffron said with a shake of her head. "The last scholar to suggest the existence of a parallel universe was practically laughed out of the university."

"But this time it's coming from you and you have me and Akira," the Elf insisted.

Saffron sighed then turned her attention back to the book in front of her. "Alright," she said finally, "I'll arrange an audience with him tonight..."

**********

It was late in the afternoon when they finally left the library. Some food had been brought to them in the middle of the day, a courtesy that was only afforded to them because of Saffron's noble lineage. For the most part Scarlett had sat staring out the window or dozing off in her seat. The day had passed incredibly slowly and when it was time to leave she couldn't help but notice the pain in her lower back and buttocks. She groaned slightly as she peeled herself from her chair. They left the books piled on the table as they were escorted from the building. The other librarians around them were busy cleaning up and closing down the library, ushering out any patrons who had been lingering after closing time. The sky had darkened considerably, but the sun could still be seen hanging low in the west, splashing the sky with hues of yellow and red. The crowd outside was thinner now with many people having already gone home for the day. Saffron led the way as they both retraced their steps through the town square. They passed a group of adventurers idling on the side of the street. Scarlett gave them a sympathetic look.

Had I not been outside the city walls on the day I woke up here that might have been me. She hadn't had much time to think about what she should be doing or what she wanted to do. Her circumstances had just kept pushing her from one situation to the next. She didn't want to imagine that it was good fortune she ended up meeting Saffron and Akira, but if she hadn't where would she have ended up? Dead in a ditch somewhere, probably, she surmised. Saffron was the one who pulled the arrow from her shoulder and healed her wound. If not for that she wouldn't have made it.

"We'll have to come back tomorrow," Saffron said suddenly, interrupting her thoughts. "I found an interesting thread detailing the dimensional portal through which the Gods had banished the Dark One, but I'm not yet sure how it connects to you or the other adventurers. The text is centuries old, written by scholars who had studied the Veil. It's not old enough to be an eyewitness account, but it's the most detailed study of the Veil I've seen."

Another day at the library? Scarlet made a face, today had been excruciatingly boring. She was not looking forward to another visit so soon. "You don't really need me to come with you, right?"

The other woman gave her a look that almost seemed to convey disappointment. "No, I suppose not," Saffron answered. "Though, if you did come with me I could teach you the alphabet. With the two of us working together it would go a lot faster."

"I've never been very good at studying," Scarlett admitted sadly. "Don't know how much use I would be."

"Would you rather I assign a tutor for you instead," she asked, "I'm sure Bethany wouldn't mind teaching you in my place."

The Elf's cheeks flushed again and she quickly looked away. "Fine, I'll come with you to the stupid library."

Saffron smiled. Getting what she wanted out of her was almost too easy. "Anyway, it's getting late. We should hurr...," before she could even finish that thought several cloaked figures appeared out of nowhere and grabbed her. One of them held a cloth to Saffron's mouth, preventing her from crying out.

Scarlett barely had any time to react. "Hey," she cried, reaching out to try to pull the men off of Lady Beaumont. One of them turned and snatched her by the wrist, wrenching her arm around her back before firmly pressing a wet, smelly cloth to Scarlett's mouth and nose. Within a few minutes her vision began to fade. The last thing she remembered was someone picking her up and throwing her over their shoulder. After that the world faded to black...

**********

The guardsmen training had gone on for most of the day. There was a brief break around midafternoon for lunch and training officially ended just as the sun was going down. Akira and the other guardsmen were busy putting their equipment away, some of the guardsmen congratulating Akira on having such an excellent first day. Keiran stood nearby watching as the guardsmen shedded their armor, placing them back on the racks. He would have some servants come and retrieve them later. Their training equipment they kept stored in the barracks, but many of the guardsmen had duty shifts after training. Keiran wanted to have a brief chat with Akira about his training today, but before he could get the chance one of the Lord's personal house servants approached him and whispered into his ear. A deep frown curled his lips and he nodded.

"Akira, come with me," he said aloud. The other man nodded and followed him back to the manor. When they were out of earshot of the other guards Keiran leaned in closer to Akira. "I just got word that Lady Beaumont's been taken... Along with your friend," he added after a slight hesitation. "We're to meet with Lord Beaumont to go over the details for conducting a proper search. Please refrain from speaking directly to the Lord unless he addresses you first, understood?"