Fantasy City of Magi- Wait What?!

[Wilder28]

While Talyndra had made it quite apparent by now that she was firmly set in her chosen course of action, it also became clear the moment she hopped into Jason's arms that he wasn't the only one who was a little nervous about it. In fact, judging by the way she gripped his arms and dug her nails into them, he got the idea that she might've actually been more nervous about it than he was. Which made sense when he thought about it; he wasn't the one that was about to be hurled across the gaping void.

But even so, neither of them acknowledged any of this. Jason was a bit tempted to murmur a few words of encouragement, or perhaps try to help strengthen her resolve a little, but they were already in motion, and he got the feeling that she probably wouldn't want to waste time with some words of encouragement. She didn't seem like the type. Best to just get it done and over with so they could keep moving.

That said, it seemed a moment later that that might've actually been a better idea, given the way that his counting down apparently hadn't had the effect that he'd intended. Rather than using the given time to engineer a way to optimize her landing, the elf seemed instead to focus on her misgivings about the idea. Had she spoken up, like, five seconds earlier, he might've cut it short and blended an ear to see whatever it was she was about to propose. But as it was, she was a little too late, and he'd already thrown her across before she could even finish up. He found himself regretting it a split second later, but he pushed that feeling aside and watched as she sailed through the air, hoping for the best.

Seeing her land successfully on the other side was enough to bring about a feeling of relief, which was heavier than he had even expected. But then that was quickly replaced by a sense of alarm as she not only landed roughly, but also continued sliding to the point of nearly going off the side of the platform. The only reason she hadn't just sailed off the edge was because of her own efforts, thankfully, so she at least saved herself in the end.

Because of that, the fright that had sprung up within him faded almost as quickly as it came. In its place, however, came a feeling of slight guilt and deep concern. She was clearly still able to stand, as he could see, and she responded to his call with confirmation that she was indeed okay; but it was nonetheless clear to him that she was still a little worse for wear.

And so, he decided to waste no time in joining her over there. First, he flipped his axe back into its standard grip, then took a few paces back to gain a good bit of distance. Finally, when he felt he was ready, he dashed forward and sprung up right before he reached the edge, leaping unnaturally high into the air and ultimately managing to clear the chasm in one go. When he landed on the other side, it was right on his feet, and punctuated with a terse grunt. There was a bit of sliding, but he quickly managed to regain control of himself before coming to a stop.

At that point, he let out a sigh and set his axe onto his shoulder, before making a beeline over to Talyndra. Now that he was much closer, he was better able to appraise her condition. He was no medic, but even he could tell that she wasn't exactly peachy. Particularly where her shoulder was concerned, he noticed.

"... Are you sure you're alright? Maybe I can..."

He was a little tentative at first, but then he reached out and set his free hand upon her injured shoulder with surprising tenderness. He then shut his eyes and did what he could to call upon Valiance, hoping his desire to help her out here would be enough to spark it again. But five seconds passed, then ten, and he eventually decided that it wasn't going to work. There was no rush of energy, no aura of gold. Only disappointment.

Letting out a slightly dejected sigh, Jason pulled his arm back and opened his eyes once again to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry, I thought maybe I could heal it," he murmured. "Guess we'll have to let it recover the old-fashioned way. Unless you happen to know any healing spells or anything."

 

[Lekiel]

Talyndra

"I'm fine. Not dead, at least," Talyndra almost balked. The noblewoman had a comparatively decent share of adventures complete with bruises and scrapes. But her years in relative complacency had softened the elf. That and the fact that it really stinking hurt to be hurled across a yawning chasm only to tumble to rock hard ground and a cold wall of ice.

She flinched at his touch, more out of instinct than any real pain, brows furrowed with confusion when Jason lay hands on her shoulder. She stood stiffly, unsure how to react for the first several seconds before her expression morphed into one of suspicion and then awkward inarticulacy as she raised a quizzical eyebrow at his dejected sigh.

"No," she answered his question slowly, "I am not of the cloth and am certainly no favoured of Felariel," her emerald eyes traced over the warrior's garb studying it before completing her comment, "and neither are you, you bear no bearings of any god. Not that I can see anyway.." She let the statement hang in the air for just a moment, such that it could've been interpreted as a question or merely ignored as an observation. Regardless of his response, Talyndra would turn and begin dusting at her robes and checking to make sure she had all her belongings gathered despite the fall.



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Notes:

 

[Wilder28]

Jason Forge

References: Lekiel

Jason had no clue who Felariel was supposed to be, but given the context, he could only assume that they were some elven god of healing. And that someone who was 'of the cloth' was the sort to be invested in that line of work. And she was right that he was neither, a fact that spoke pretty clearly for itself the more she examined him. But he'd never had to be.

"I don't," he confirmed, turning away to gaze down the length of the tunnel before them. His expression was unusually dispassionate, save for what may have been a hint of wistfulness buried somewhere within. "Not in the traditional sense, anyway. Remember that key I showed you earlier?" He turned for a moment to affix her with his blue-eyed gaze, watching as she started to dust herself off and check for her belongings. "Legend has it that it was forged from a fragment of divine armor. Which would mean that the power it grants is somewhat divine itself."

He let his gaze drop as he regarded the ground for a moment, almost listlessly. "It sure feels that way to me, whenever I use it. And usually, it lets me do a lot - healing included. But I guess being so far from home is making it hard for me to access its power."

Not that he'd ever needed that power to get by; he'd spent quite a while adventuring well before he'd ever had access to it, and he'd gotten along just fine back then. But it wasn't about him. The Key wasn't meant to benefit himself as much it was to protect other people. And ever since the day he'd first unlocked its abilities, he could rely on it to help him do that, to lend him strength when just his own wasn't enough.

Yet, it didn't seem as if that were true anymore. At least, not while he was here. And while part of him was grateful that he still had it with him, and that it still worked at all, he couldn't help but find the idea more than a little sobering. Here he was, stranded underground at only half-capacity with someone who seemed almost every bit as clueless as he was, and he hadn't even the power or the resources to help if she really needed it. Sure, maybe he wasn't entirely useless, but... in this moment specifically, it almost felt as if he was.

It wasn't a new feeling for him, not by a long shot. But it was one he'd been hoping he wouldn't have to feel again.

"... It's alright, though."

With a little shake of his head, he did his best to cast the thought away before it could cling onto him like some lingering miasma. Now was not a time to get bogged down with insecurity, if ever there was a time for that. They still needed to find their way out of here, and that meant that they needed to keep moving. And that, he could do.

"What's important is that you're still alive, and that you're more or less still okay. Sometimes, that's all we can ask for."

He flashed her a reassuring smile, before he used his free hand to gesture ahead of them. "Shall we go on?"

 

[Lekiel]

Talyndra

“Made with a fragment of the divine. . . hmm,” the storm maiden was no expert at materialogy but she was well read in the ways of the world; her world at least. While the tools blessed by the gods did indeed hold some innate advantages, it took a measure of considerable faith to manifest the powers of the divine. As far as she knew, it worked roughly the same way for the people of the other two empires. Besides, she’d never heard about distance being an issue. The power came from the divine realms afterall.

Perhaps she did not know enough, one obviously could not learn everything from between sheets of flattened tree bark stained with ink. Or perhaps, her earlier suspicions of Telluria being more akin to the Emerald Realm than The Empire was closer to the truth.

She nodded in the affirmative to his suggestion of moving on, wincing a little as the straps of their supplies chafed against her bruises and carried on. She took a little more care this time around, with the little light guiding their way, the two trudged through the murky darkness. Several times she paused to glance out into the void, until its sheer darkness made her eyes spin. Talyndra had no idea how long they walked, twisting and winding their way before something along the side of their stone pathway caught her attention. She paused and crouched low, careful not to lean too far over the edge.

“I could’ve sworn these were just natural scratch marks in the rock,” she voiced her thoughts out loud, “but no, these are runes, it must be!” Her voice came as an excited whisper.

“Look here,” she’d crept closer to the edge and felt over the sides of the low curb, her fingers brushing against rough jagged surface, contrary to the relative smoothness of the hewn path. She tilted her head for a moment, as if recalling something, then jumped to her feet and began trudging on in earnest. Not long after, she called back again, her tone betraying excitement, “here’s another. The same rune, with the same rough edges,” She looked back at Jason, emerald eyes glinting, “I was wondering if those who would craft such a pathway through the darkness did not bother with lighting. I think these parts once held torches but it must’ve broken off after all these years-” the elf suddenly let out an excited gasp and looked at the rune etched into the curb.

“I don’t really recognise this, but I’m willing to bet-” the mage began a whispered incantation then with a gesture, beckoned the fire sprite over and with a command sent it into the rune. The etched stone glimmered orange for a moment, then as if long dead embers had been sparked to life, flared with fiery light. One by one, the runes along their path burst into life each bearing a kindling glow. It still wasn’t enough to completely light up the vast cavern, but the two could now see where their path trailed, and the other paths winding up and down all along the cave walls.

“Eweca’s breath, it still works.” The implications of the revelation whirled through Talyndra’s mind. First the carved words in ancient elvish. Now this. There was almost no doubt that they were now walking a path taken by her ancestors, or at least, beings who were somehow closely related to them.


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Notes:

 

[Wilder28]

Jason Forge

References: Lekiel

With the light levitating out ahead of them, Jason was content to walk alongside Talyndra rather than before or behind her, his eyes constantly roving their surroundings all along the way. It wasn't as if he expected to see much; it seemed clear enough that these caverns were not like the ones back home, and that there was well and truly nothing else alive here other than the two of them. But one never really knew, so he liked to remain vigilant all the same.

All that said, this state of attentiveness naturally extended to Talyndra as well, meaning that whenever she stopped, so too did he. The first time, at least, he'd ask what prompted it, seeing her gaze out toward the abyss and wondering if there was anything that might've prompted it. But with there not being anything of concern, he wouldn't question her again without good reason.

She didn't seem in the mood for much conversation, so he didn't go out of his way to start one. But when she spoke up, after halting again for the umpteenth time, Jason snapped to attention, turning curiously to see what she was looking at. He was already taking a couple steps closer, especially hearing her thoughts, but at her beckoning he drew closer still until he was practically right beside her, close enough to get a better look at the runes she was referring to. He tilted his head a little as he examined them; he couldn't just read the markings on his own, obviously, but now that she'd pointed them out, he could pick them out of the unworked stone around them. His eyes widened a little at the realization.

He'd have said something then, but she was up and on her way before he could get a word out, prompting him to hop to his feet and follow on after her. Now he was looking, too, and while she was better able to pick them out than he was, he managed to spot them shortly after she did. Realizing that they must've meant something - but not entirely sure what - he turned back to face Talyndra, now evidently rapt with her discovery. The sheer excitement she exhibited while she talked was clear enough to him; apparently, if anything could get her going, it was magic.

And he couldn't blame her. He felt the same way - partly due to how contagious her energy was, and partly due to his own nature as well. So while she spoke to him he seemed to hang on every word, and even as she finished, he was able to reach the same conclusion she had before long.

"Wait. You don't think-"

He didn't finish. He didn't see a need to; he just watched while sent forth her little sprite to activate one of the runes. And once that rune was set alight, so too did all the rest. His eyes went wide at the sight, his head turning both ways to see just how far the line went. So far as he could tell, it went all along the way, in both directions - and beyond.

For a moment, he was in are, turning round on his feet to regard all the other paths that were now illuminated. Did it dispel the darkness in full? No, of course not. But so far as he was concerned, it didn't need to; just this was more than enough.

"Oho, wow," he murmured, a delighted little chuckle fluttering forth from his lips. "Talyndra, you are a blessing. This is perfect!"

He'd seen caverns lit up with torches before, but seldom anything fancier than that - and certainly nothing of magical origin, at least not quite like this. It was probably nothing new or impressive to her, but he had to admire it.

"How long will this last? Do you know?" He asked, turning back to her.