Fantasy Magical Miscreants

[MysticWitch]

Echo's lips quirked a bit into a smile. "A Royal Army huh? Sounds like a challenge." She shrugged. "I have confidence I can handle whatever comes our way. And don't underestimate the God Slayers. They may be bandits, but they have enough resources to topple towns...even cities with the best defenses." She frowned a bit at this and stretched.

"Still, I wonder what you could have done to piss off a entire army like that." she chuckled. "Guess I'm not the only one making waves. Well whatever the reason, I suppose we were just meant to meet. Gods are fickle beings at times. I thought I was sure to be making this journey alone." She nodded to the other. "Even though we are still strangers really and this is business. In some ways I'm glad I'm not doing this alone." Shrugging, she stood up and brushed a hand through her hair. "Augh now I've said something embarrassing. Have a good night. I'm going to bed." Waving to the other she started to make her way to her bag with her blanket.

 

[StarryKnights]

"A challenge..I suppose that's one way to look at it", Caster spoke with a frown. Since he'd crossed the border he'd run into less and less of King Linus's men, but the mage wasn't naive enough to believe he was in the clear. He would forever be on his guard, always watching and waiting...it was part of why he didn't like dismissing Yumi, the fire fox was one of his stronger fighters. He needed her to be out and ready in case they needed to defend themselves.
Echo was right about one thing, The God Killers were a dangerous bunch, and it was in their best interest not to take them lightly.

"Ideally, we'll never encounter the...ghosts of my past", he spoke in reply to her words. He hadn't done anything, it was the King who had betrayed him, along with all other mages. Caster still didn't have all the answers, and truth be told, he'd given up on finding them. All he wanted to do now was focus on preserving what he'd been taught, so that his brand of magic would survive in the coming years.
He was hopeful he could teach Echo a thing or two about her own powers, whether or not she would take to his methods was another matter entirely.
He arched an eyebrow as she grew all embarrassed, as she excused herself for the night he stood and stretched.
"Goodnight", he spoke as she walked away.

It was strange to think that she enjoyed his company...Caster assumed it as because she didn't interact with many people. Given his withdrawn and critical nature most people didn't stick around him for very long.
"I will keep watch, get some rest Caster", Yumi spoke, looking up at her master.
The mage yawned and rubbed his eyes.
"Come get me if something happens", he spoke with a wave as he set off to the nearest tree, climbed up it and got situated.
It wasn't long before he fell asleep, snoring softly.

 

[MysticWitch]

For the most part, Echo once more slept soundly. That was until she was rudely woken up by Loki.

"Wakey wakey my darling!" With that he let his body land on her chest fully, Echo awoke with a gasp at the full weight of the god on her chest and nearly had a heart attack on the spot as the other let gravity do its work and crush her internal organs.

She slammed a hand on the ground three times to signal that she gave up before Loki looked at her with a disappointing expression. "Awwww I thought you'd cave much sooner that that." He snorted and floated back up above her, letting her breathe and look herself over to make sure he didn't do any critical damage.

She was still trying to catch her breath and her racing heart, before she could even look the other in the eyes. But her look was rather neutral as she shrugged at the other. "So sorry to disappoint." She said, rubbing her now sore chest.

"Echo dear you really need to work on getting more form up there." Loki teased. "Cause frankly your as flat as-"

Faster than lightning, Echo's arm snapped over to Loki's face and his mouth was blocked by a stiff palm. She gave the other a dark look which made the god grin giddily. Oh how he loved to mess with the girl and he was glad he could still get her goat with that comment.

"Not...another word." She tried to stay as calm as possible but there were traces of irritation in her voice which made Loki burst out laughing again.

"You are a riot!" He smirked, floating up to her face and winking. The two seemed really invested in their little squabble they hardly noticed if the others were already awake or not. But finally a noise turned Echo away from Loki who was still happily grinning away, even as Echo's face faded from a scowl to a neutral expression.

"Oh good morning Caster, Yumi." She nodded to the two and gathered up her things ready to head out but every once in a while wincing a little as she bent over. Still, she was mostly okay. No thanks to the trickster god who loved to mess with her. She could only hope Caster or the others didn't draw Loki's eye as well.

If so, no god could probably save them from his torment.

 

[StarryKnights]

Caster snored softly through the night, Yumi kept watch over the travelers, she circled the camp off and on, in between walks she curled up under the tree her master slept in. Caster rarely slept on the ground, not after one night when he'd been attacked in his sleep by a pair of roving bandits. Typically if he was hidden in the branches he could manage to get a decent amount of sleep, though it seemed nothing lessened the bags under his eyes. Yumi knew Caster was tired due to the energy it took to keep her around, she didn't comment on it though.
She didn't want Caster to dismiss her, so she made it a point to make herself useful, by doing things like keeping watch. She didn't require sleep the way he did, so it was the least she could do.
As the sun began to rise over the horizon Yumi stood, as she stretched the wind picked up and swirled around her, rustling her auburn fur gently.

Good morning Yumi!
Stella's cheerful voice sounded in the fox's ears, she sighed and shook her head, opting to ignore it.
What, no hello?
Ears flat against her head, Yumi replied, "Good morning, Stella", mentally, ensuring that only the disembodied spirit could hear her. The fox's attention moved upward, Caster was still sleeping and Yumi didn't see a need to wake him yet. Echo was still asleep, and Loki was...well, gone for the moment.
The spirit made Yumi nervous, so she wasn't upset to find the trickster was gone for the moment.

Oh come on, I don't think Loki's that bad!
Tch, Yumi cursed herself silently for letting her thoughts wander. On this spirit channel, she and Stella could communicate privately, but that did mean her personal thoughts could be shared.
The fox felt a tickle at her nose as the wind picked up again.
We should get moving soon, I think we're gonna make some good progress today! I got a nice and secure lock on the weird mis matched eye guy Echo described.

Yumi sneezed. "Caster has mismatched eyes, so watch who you call weird".
Oh I know, love. He exchanged eyes with you after all. The gold and silver kinda match though, it's not quite the same.
Whatever else Stella had to say was cut off as Loki appeared, and rudely awoke Echo. Yumi winced as the god nearly flattened his partner's chest, all in the name of a joke.
She would bite his head off if he tried that on Caster.
Speaking of Caster, the noise woke the mage, he cracked an eye open and groaned as he realized it was light out. Swinging down and out of his tree, he stretched.

"...Morning...", he replied, glancing to Echo. Yumi padded over and stood at her master's side as the wind kicked up around the group.
Oh good, everyone's awake! Let's get going now, we don't want to lose our target!
Caster blinked in surprise, Stella didn't often employee this free form communication while she was scattered.
Looking to Echo, he motioned in the direction they would be going before starting down the path. He wondered how far they were to their target, they could be days, or weeks ahead of them.

 

[MysticWitch]

Echo followed behind Caster, with Loki floating nearby as they wandered. She too thought about how many days or weeks or months it might take to find this man. But in the end, her focus was solely on this. Nothing else seemed to matter. They spent another day wandering the landscape. Which seemed to be father North and Echo was worried with the time of the year they were in it was more than likely they would run into rough weather.

Which would mean more time in towns and that made her uncomfortable a bit. She had tried to avoid large cities and towns for the most part except gathering information. Just that she didn't want to associate with people. She wasn't here to make friends. She was here to do her job and then..She glanced at Loki and closed her eyes a bit with a sigh.

And while they were getting closer to a heavily wooded area she did notice the temperature starting to drop.

Also...

She suddenly stopped right before they were entering the large forest ahead of them and narrowed her eyes, angling them a bit behind her she turned her head slightly. "Caster, get inside the forest." She said, fully turning her body with her back facing Caster and the others.

"Well since you hired me to be a body guard of sorts.. suppose I should earn my pay huh?" She grinned and before them was a group of five bandits. Each holding a sword or other large weapon that looked dangerous.

"Only five huh? " Cocky as always, she dug her heels into the earth, contemplating which element to use on these bandits. She glanced around, no fire or water nearby to use. So earth or air it was.

"Hey you!" She called over to the bandits who were slowly approaching. "I wouldn't attack if I were you!"

Loki was hanging back as well, watching the events unfold with Caster and the others. "Well, this is going to be good." He hummed and watched her intently.

Shifting her feet slightly she raised it and slammed it down onto the earth, "One." she whispered, as the earth itself trembled and cracks began to form around the ground. It started to give way, forming a bottomless crater beneath their feet and two of the men unluckily fell into it, screaming as they met their demise.

But Echo's face remained impassive, raising her hand and a spear of air began to form as the three charged at her. Angling it so the tip of the spear was aimed at the three men she let it fire. "Two." She whispered once more. The spear impaled straight through one, causing him to fall dead.

Flicking her wrist, the air changed direction and impaled another from behind. The only man left looked on in shock and swung his sword as the air spear neared him, breaking apart the air and sending him to the ground. But he was still alive and Echo frowned at this.

Loki hummed and leaned a bit on his hand. "Seems little Echo is getting rusty."

Inhaling deeply, the ebony haired girl focused once more on her next attack. But the bandit was screaming, approaching her with a sword raised high as he neared her at break neck speed.

"What will you do now Echo? After all she's already used two." Loki grinned, his eyes only on the girl before him as she pulled a dagger from her waist and as the other lowered his sword, she parried and slammed her foot into his leg, causing him to bend over and momentarily loosen his grip on his weapon. Shoving him to the ground with momentum, Echo ran a bit farther away and before he could stand back up she held her breath. "three.." she whispered, slamming the palm of her hand to the ground and a spike of earth impaling the man before he could even get back to his feet. Letting out a breath she slowly got to her feet and then walked over to the others, seemingly in a fowl mood.

Loki was laughing and clapping as she returned. "Good job little Echo! While I think you could have taken them with that one shot nice improvising!"

She didn't even look at Loki.

 

[StarryKnights]

The group spent the day walking, Stella led the pair through Caster, whom occasionally informed Echo of their path aloud. He wasn't used to having other people around, normally he just traveled in silence, or he bickered with Yumi as the two worked, but having Echo here made things a bit more...awkward. Caster wasn't well versed in dealing with people, and despite Stella's encouragement to try and be "friendly", the mage was all but silent aside from occasionally altering their direction.
It seemed their target was to the north, the temperature began to drop as the group moved forward. The cold didn't bother Caster much, he was bound to three powerful fire spirits, and that went a long way against the elements. It took extreme cold for him to be bothered.
Still, he imagined that wasn't the same for Echo, he made a mental not they needed to get some supplies.

Lost in thought, he wasn't aware the group had wandered into danger, not until Echo spoke up.
"Hmmm?", he stopped and turned around, giving her a confused look. It was then he spotted the bandits, five of them, all armed, probably some raiders looking to make a quick score. They didn't appear overly threatening, truth be told Caster felt Yumi could take them.
"Master...should I engage?", Yumi looked up to Caster curiously, as the man took several steps back so he was obscured in the treeline. "No, let Echo handle this...I am, curious to see what she can do".

Yumi snorted, rolling her eyes she followed her master, the lazy mage. Caster was capable but unmotivated to put his efforts behind much outside of his goals of preserving magic, even when it came to self defense. Still, she supposed it was interesting, to watch the girl use her strange powers.
The bandits didn't have the means to put up much of a fight, two were dead before the fight truly started as Echo split open the ground, her elemental prowess was something else.
Most mages focused on one or two elements, Caster focused on fire for the most part.

Master and spirit watched as Echo engaged their foes, when it came down to the final bandit the fight became close quarters, something Caster was terrible at. He couldn't help but feel something was off about Echo, the girl seemed displeased about her performance in the fight, and Loki commented about how she was rusty.
"Very impressive, thank you", the man gave a short bow as Echo walked back over. The sun was beginning to go down, it would soon be dark.
"Why don't we find a place to make camp, there's no sense in moving in the dark".

 

[MysticWitch]

Echo merely nodded at the other and let out a small sigh as Loki was smirking next to her. "Sure, lets rest for the night." They found a good place that was devoid of animals and seemed off the trail so they wouldn't be killed in their sleep. She quickly dumped her things onto the ground and rubbed her arm absently. Pulling out her bag she waited and then helped get fire wood. She wandered a bit into the forest just to get away and let her mind wander while she was collecting the firewood. She saw a few animals nearby and crouched a bit to study them. It was a few deer near a stream.

She watched them a bit with a small smile and just sat there finding a long lost memory appear in her mind.

"Ariel! Ariel!" A male voice yelled.

A long haired red head turned to her brother, blue eyes alight. "Brother!" She ran to him, as fast as her 10 year old legs could stand. She stopped before him he was looking mischievous and held something behind his back.

"What are you holding?!" She asked, trying to circle him to see. But he laughed and turned around with her, hiding it from view even as she tried to grab it.

"Be a good girl Ariel and I'll show you!" His blue eyes shimmering mysteriously.

She pouted but stopped her advances and crossed her arms. "Fine. please?"

He nodded and slowly showed her what he held. It was a cookie with icing on it with a rabbit on it. "I know you love these."

Her eyes shone brightly. "How did you get this?! These are expensive!"

He smirked and pressed a finger to his lips. "Shhh its a secret."

Jolted from her memory she saw the deer take off and shook away the remains of that memory. It seemed even here she wasn't free from these emotions. Lowering her eyes to the ground, clutching the wood tighter she sighed and turned away and slowly made her way back to camp.

Meanwhile Loki was hanging around the campsite, watching them get ready. Feeling rather bored he hummed and formed a flame in his hand. Then slowly pulled some sand from the earth below them and formed a glass crystal in his hand from both elements. He rolled it in his palm and glanced over a bit at Caster. "So what's your story kid? Have you always been able to befriend spirits?"

 

[StarryKnights]

Finding a suitable place for camp was simple enough, Caster was more than happy to stop. He wasn't going to complain, but having Stella scattered the way she was tired him out quite a bit, he hadn't expected their target to be so far away. Sh as leading them in the right direction though, Caster just hoped when the time came Echo would be able to have whatever revenge she was seeking and live to tell the tale. He disliked the idea of a girl her age throwing her life away for something so fruitless...but he wasn't going to lecture her about it.
Setting his bag aside Caster took a seat against a tree, pulled out a scroll and started reading, as he did most evenings. The scroll was one of a kind, as all of it's companions had been burned when his temple fell. It covered a great deal of information on spirit calling, taming and forging healthy, beneficial contracts, it also held the names of several spirits one could call upon without the need of a contract.
It was all basic stuff, but that wasn't why Caster read it.

It was all he had of his past, and reading through he familiar text helped calm the mage. Yumi curled up beside him, content with the progress they'd made for the day. The sooner they caught these men Echo was after, the sooner Caster would dismiss Stella.
And that was a day Yumi could not wait for.
Oh Yumi, that hurts.
The fox's ear flattened against her head as the phoenix's voice sounded in her head, she needed to remember to keep her thoughts to herself.

Caster's attention shifted to Loki as the spirit addressed him.
"...That's an oddly personal question", he blinked and looked back to his scroll.
"The simple answer to your question is yes...I was born with an innate talent for spirit calling". Technically all people were born with a small affinity for magic...at least where Caster was from that was the case. But whether or not a person used it was another matter entirely.
Yumi looked up in surprise, she hadn't expected Caster to share anything. He must not have seen any danger in such facts.
"Raw talent only gets a person so far though, but given I grew up at a magic school, I received proper training to hone my skills".

 

[MysticWitch]

Loki hummed at the other, red eyes piercing. "I see, and yes it was." he chuckled. "But I've never been known to be tactful." He lowered himself onto the ground and softly stepped onto the earth below. His cloak wrapping around him softly as he lowered himself down. He was clothed in all white and had a pale complexion. Even his hair was a soft white and tied back behind himself. The only color was red of his eyes.

"In fact, Echo says I'm rather blunt." He smirked. "Still, humans are interesting creatures. So complex and so much left unsaid, written between the lines of a single sentence. It's something you and dear Echo have in common. Which makes you so fascinating. Tell me, I'm curious at why you wish to travel with Echo. I sense its just more than protection. And its certainly not her personality." He snorted a bit, taking a step closer to the other.

Tilting his head to the side he stared hard at the other as if trying to invade his mind. Even if he couldn't he couldn't help but mess with humans sometimes. Their reactions were certainly hilarious.


Meanwhile Echo was nearing the camp but stopped a few feet away, still hidden by the trees so no one could see or sense her.

Loki's eyes flickered a bit to the trees where she was.

Well, almost no one.

She had heard exactly what Loki said and it seemed awkward to go back into the campsite with this conversation going on. So she spun around and took a step away.

"I'm sure you already know why Echo wishes this revenge scheme." Loki stated, stopping Echo in her tracks.

 

[StarryKnights]

Caster blinked, such a flamboyant spirit was distasteful, he didn't know how Echo maintained her sanity with Loki around. Sighing he rolled up his scroll, it didn't seem his disinterested demeanor was getting the point across.
"I like the idea of having a dedicated fighter at my side...but your right Loki", the mage's glance flickered to the edge of the forest as Loki paused, no doubt Echo was around. Yumi perked up as well, she could sense the girl's presence.
"I find her powers intriguing, and wish to study them up close, such potent powers must stem from a volatile contract". The mage got to his feet, dusting himself off, he continued.
"I enjoy studying magic, and recording the variants I find, it helps me to enhance my own knowledge and better prepare myself for future conflict".
Yumi stood and bristled, she didn't like having Loki stare at the pair of them. If the god did try to read Caster's thoughts he'd find his mind was heavily warded, a benefit from his contact with Stella.

"Truth be told, I'm not interested in her reasons for revenge", Caster spoke with a sigh. "Those are her own, I'm far more interested in your contract spirit, I'd love to know the..."fine print", as it were".
Glancing down to Yumi, he pat the fox on the head to calm her.
"No caster enters a contract without giving up or trading something with the spirit...the price varies depending on the level of the spirit...and the amount of power being lent".

Caster pointed to his golden eye. "I'm assuming by now you've guessed what I traded with Yumi, and that was a less than pleasant experience". He still shuddered to think about having his eye ripped out by searing flames.
"Echo's powers are impressive, but I shudder to think what she gave you to have them".
Forging unbalanced contracts put the caster's life at risk, it could end with the mage's soul being bound or destroyed to the spirit in question.
Caster heard tales of people entering such one sided deals during his travels, and ultimately he sought a way to break these contracts, though that was easier said than done.
Perhaps Echo and Loki could be guinea pig for him, assuming his suspicions about their bond being one sided was true.

 

[MysticWitch]

Loki hummed at the others words and curiously tilted his head. But his smile was back full force. Eyes piercing into the others as if issuing a challenge. "Really? And you think I will give you these conditions willingly? I'm sure you realize thats something very....personal." He chuckled and shrugged.

"But sadly, I fear that you are wrong on quite a few things there. Whatever you learn from our agreement will do nothing to help your study." He started, but then heard the sound of dropping wood.

Echo had come from the woods, throwing down the firewood she had collected and let out a sigh. "If you two are done. I would like some help." She took two flint stones and tried to form a spark. She didn't want to have to use her magic if she really didn't have to. Especially with how many times she had used her power. But she was only able to get a spark or two. Blowing on the sparks as they softly crackled, she held out her hand and squeezed it.

Suddenly the flame sprung to life, catching the other wood and forming a comforting fire for all to sit around.

She paused a bit and stood up, glancing back at Caster. "If you want to know the details of our contract I can tell you Caster...but Loki is right. What you learn may not help your study." She shrugged a bit and smiled softly.

"After all......"

"I've been dead for several years." She said softly. She paused a bit and let that sink it. But before he could say a word she turned back to the fire.

"I was sixteen when I made the deal with Loki. My body stopped growing once I made the deal with him. I had been run through by the man I am currently looking for. Stabbed from behind in the chaos." She shrugged. "I made one last plea and Loki answered it." She smiled and took Loki's hand in her own.

"He saved my life and gave me power." Her blue eyes slowly averted from the other as she spoke. "But, after I finish my work here. I must go back. I don't belong here, not anymore. Everything will belong to Loki. But it's fine." She nodded to the god. "I knew what I was getting into when I made the deal."

Loki yawned a bit. "Now do you understand why even if you learned this, it will not help your research?" He walked over to the fire and sat down, staring into it and not saying another word.

Echo wasn't really looking at Caster or Yumi, just at the forest. "In the end I made my decision and have made peace with it. I don't know if that helped at all. But I guess I hope it helped in some way."

 

[StarryKnights]

Caster didn't back down as Loki flashed that eerie smile at him, he knew full well the details of a contract were a sacred thing between master and spirit. But something told him given Loki and Echo's weird relationship, things weren't quite that... personal between the two of them. He couldn't fathom how anyone would want to be contracted to this mischievous creature, but before things could boil over, Echo arrived, interrupting the pair by dropping a bundle of wood to the ground. The girl was building a fire, the temperature was dropping, quickly.
Caster moved to where echo was working, watching as she coaxed the flames to life with her hand. He could've done it as well, but that was neither here nor there.
He wasn't expecting Echo to be so open about her contract, but as she began to explain what had happened to her...and her arrangement with Loki, his cool demeanor began to fade away, replaced with shock.

"So...your a wraith?", his tone was full of disbelief, as though he couldn't comprehend what he was hearing. Yumi also seemed unnerved by Echo' revelation, she paced nervously at her master's feet as the girl explained everything.
She'd old her soul to Loki in exchange for power and revenge, upon completing this mission she would return to being dead.
Caster started to pace back and forth, hand on his chin he took a few minutes to process the information fully.
Stopping, he looked to the pair.

"...So, to reiterate...your dead, and Loki granted you a brief second chance at life for the sake of revenge". He walked over to the girl.
"That is...both the stupidest...and most fascinating thing I've ever heard". He planted his hands on Echo's shoulders.
"You might think this doesn't aid my research, but your wrong, oh so wrong, there is next to no information on the power of wraiths...that is...people like you".
He took a step back, there was an excited look in his eyes, like a kid in a candy store.

"Caster...why are you so excited this girl she's...a curse...", Yumi looked to her master, confused by his excited reaction. '
"No, she's a...chance to observe something that has never been seen". The mage looked down to his fox and then back to Echo.
"I always thought you were a strange pair...but I suppose that makes sense given your just an extension of Loki's life force at this point...at least, that's the theory".
Using a spirits energy to raise the dead was taboo, there was no telling how a person might be changed upon returning. Such extremes were rarely seen, and Caster had been warned that the contracts forming these arrangements almost always end poorly for the human in the mix.
Still, he was excited, he'd never expected to find such an engaging magical subject in this country.

 

[MysticWitch]

"Hmm wraith huh? So they actually have a word for it.." Loki mumbled by the fire, reaching out his hand and coaxing some of the fire into his palm and manipulating it a bit as the two spoke.

But Echo looked a bit annoyed when the other mentioned that it was a stupid decision and blinked when the other clapped his hands on her shoulders. She blinked, glancing into the other eyes blankly as the other continued to rant a bit at why this was actually a good thing for his research. She let go of the irritation and sighed, brushing a hand through her short black hair.

Loki snorted though at the kids rant and comments about Echo. He himself knew what caused her to be so desperate, the kid had no idea what it was like during that moment. After that, that is why he chose her out of all those who perished that night. It wasn't just her strength, but her heart and soul that called out to him and that itself was enough to cause him to move.

Gods were after all fickle creatures.

"Well, I suppose thats a good thing then." Echo said to Caster with a slight nod. "Anyway, I'm tired." She waved a bit. "I'm going to turn in early." Speaking those words seemed to bring it all back to her and she'd rather not show this face she had on to any of them. With her back to them, she started to set up camp. Even years later, the pain was still fresh and even if the nightmares had faded, she sometimes could still see her parent's faces as they perished, her brothers last cry as they dragged him off.

The cold look in the eyes of the man who had killed her. She shook away those thoughts and lied down on her bedding, wishing it all would go away.

Loki meanwhile glanced to Echo as she secluded herself away from everyone, obviously going to feel sorry for herself. He shrugged at this and threw the fire he was playing with back into the fire. He eyed Caster and the others once more and hummed.

"You certainly have a unique outlook. Normal people would try to help her, save her from her terrible fate. But you seem to understand the situation pretty well. She prettied it up with nice words, making me the good guy. But the fact remains, this life of hers is temporary. I gave her life for a reason." He set a chin on his hand and red eyes narrowed at the other. "It's a poetic story really, romantic and tragic. But you are a facts guy right?" he hummed. "I'll let you watch my little Echo for a while. I think this might be very interesting."

 

[StarryKnights]

Caster took a step back as Echo appeared to get annoyed, perhaps this wasn't how she'd expected him to act. That was certainly how Yumi felt, she was watching her master carefully, wary of this all being a trick. Maybe the god had placed him under a curse, she didn't see how Caster wasn't more...unnerved by this development. Wraiths were rumored to be very unstable, this girl could be the end of him if he didn't play his cards right.
Still, the mage could barely think of anything else but his luck. After losing his mentor and family, Caster had been obsessed with finding a way to return them to life, though over time this obsession had shifted to finding and recording magic in an attempt to preserve their memories.
But now, he knew that wraiths were real, and powerful spirits were enough to bring the dead to life, of only for a short while. He wanted desperately to read the contract between the two, because if he could write one in his favor...
Well, he could very well become immortal...and then his studies would never end.

The possibilities were endless, but he was snapped out of these thoughts as Loki spoke. The mage blinked and then spoke, "...It's not as if I could save her, I don't have the skill to sever a contract between a spirit and their partner". He looked in the direction Echo had walked off in, it was clear that talking about these events had...disturbed her somewhat.
"I'm not arrogant enough to assume I could save her...though if I could...I would". He sighed. "...I once aspired to return the dead to life, it consumed me, I scoured every text I could find, hoping to discover something...but everything spoke of wraiths...and how dangerous they were".
He looked to Loki.

"...But now...I aspire to know more, much more, about all magical phenomena...and no one has ever has such a close view of wraiths". He grinned. "I look forward to learning more about your...unusual relationship". And if somehow he found a way to save Echo...then maybe he would...assuming that was what she wanted.

 

[MysticWitch]

Loki hummed at the others comments and raised a eyebrow at his words. He also noticed his reaction to her brush off of him and couldn't help but grin at the confusion on the young boys face at why Echo was a little annoyed. Still, it wasn't his place to state the obvious.

Better to let the little worm squirm. After all, Loki knew Caster was meddling in affairs that most gods would try to detour humans from. Bringing back the dead was taboo even by god standards. But even gods had to have some fun sometimes. And humans made it so easy too. Still he could tell the boy was delving into some dangerous waters here and Loki wondered if the other really knew what he was risking by doing this. Obviously the boy didn't believe Loki was a god, he thought him a spirit.

"I suppose the texts about such beings are true somewhat. Echo is dangerous." He quirked his lips up. "And unstable."

He shrugged. "The death state really does drive most to insanity. imagine being dead, then suddenly alive. Take also into account she had watched her family, her home all decimated before her eyes as a young girl. I suppose that would make most....unstable to say the least." He darkly chuckled.

"But that won't stop you right? Until you have your answers." He tilted his head slightly. "But even if you learn everything you want to..........." he paused a bit, then thought better of it and shook his head, closing his eyes. "No....nevermind. You'll figure it out."

He glanced back at Echo who seemed to be sleeping. "Still, she seemed pretty pissed. Hope your ready to face her in the morning." He laughed a bit and yawned. He knew that Echo was harmless and would be to them. But that didn't mean he couldn't have a little fun.

"Anyways goodnight, time for some much needed rest. Sweet Dreams~" he teased and curled up in midair to sleep.

 

[StarryKnights]

Yumi didn't like this situation one bit. Not only was this girl a wraith, the spirit who had brought her back was a trickster, and her master seemed oblivious to the dangers they presented. There was no telling what Loki might have Echo do, if he willed it he could turn the girl on the two of them, and that was not a fight Yumi wanted to have.
Still, Caster's excitement over getting to observe this strange magical phenomena was out weighing his better judgement, and all she could do was watch and hope that he didn't get them all killed.

He's so excitable about this sort of stuff, isn't he? Stella's voice chimed in her head.
"Indeed, but I had hoped he'd show better judgement. Our former mentors would not be pleased to see Caster acting in such a way", the fox kept this between herself and the fire bird, she didn't need Caster hearing.
It's still so strange, calling him Caster, I vastly prefer his real name.
Yumi shook her head, her tail twitched behind her irritably. "You know the dangers of a mage revealing his name".
I know, Stella pouted. But Caster just sounds so silly, given that's just the general term for mages.

All the while Caster listened to Loki, smiling as he confirmed some of what the texts spoke of. Returning a spirit to the land of the living was a jarring experience, it often drove the person mad. He was impressed that Echo was holding together so well. He frowned as Loki described what had happened to her, he knew that pain all to well.
"...Seeing such...violent affairs often changes a person drastically...", he spoke with an oddly flat tone. The deaths of his mentors had hit the mage hard, but now he swallowed the sadness and used it to drive his research.
Caster hadn't truly grieved the loss, there hadn't been much time on the run.

Now those emotions felt...detached, as though he was viewing them from some one else's eyes. So while he understood...he struggled to truly empathize, as far as he was concerned such feelings should be bottled and pushed away.
The mage arched an eyebrow at Loki's cryptic words, but didn't question them as the spirit said goodnight. He was right, it was late. Yawning, Caster found himself a tree and climbed it, not long after the mage was asleep, with Yumi keeping watch at the base.

 

[MysticWitch]

Echo dreamed.

She rarely dreamed anymore, thanks to the body Loki had stuck her in. But this dream was different. It was memories. Memories she wished she had forgotten. Memories of watching her family be ripped apart before her eyes by those monsters. She screamed and screamed and screamed.

And she woke up.

Gasping a bit, she sat up and blinked, noticing it was still dark and the stars still shone above them. She grasped at her arm. Realizing that the others were still asleep. She slowly stood up and brushed a hand through her hair. It was no use now. She was wide awake and she figured she would just do some busy work to keep her mind off what she had seen in her dreams. She glanced over making sure the fire was out and started to put her sleeping blanket away among other things to keep her busy. She glanced around and checked the foliage to figure how where they were. If there were any good berries lying about.

No good. They'd have to go to town soon to buy some food and other essentials. The cold atmosphere was starting to get to her. It wasn't that she hated the cold, she just felt it was a little harder to move. Suppose it was a side effect of what Loki had done to her body. So she continued to pack up and just sit, staring into the woods and waiting for the others to awaken. Loki awoke in a little of a bad mood. He yawned and grumbled, setting his head on top of hers and mumbling nonsense.

Seems he wasn't quite awake yet. She sighed and shook him off while standing up. Once she saw Caster awake she nodded to him. "Good morning."

 

[StarryKnights]

Caster rarely dreamed, and that wasn't by accident. His connection with Yumi meant the spirit could prevent him from having nightmares. he snored softly in his tree, with the fox curled up at it's base. She couldn't sleep, even if she'd wanted to. She kept a wary eye on the girl asleep across the way, the spirit found it difficult to believe that a wraith had been traveling with them all this time, and she hadn't sensed it. Her fur bristled at the very thought, she felt she'd failed her master...she'd failed to warn him of the danger laying so close. Though Echo was far from the monsters that Caster had read about, she was still dangerous. There was no telling when she might lose control...or when Loki might assume control of her.

This revelation also made her look at the so called god in s different light, as it took immense power to create a wraith. Perhaps there was more to the strange man than what met the eye. If that was the case, it was just one more reason for Yumi to be cautious. Caster was far to excited about all of this, and that excitement could lead him into danger.
Yumi was going to have to be the cautious one and ensure that her master didn't get in over his head.

It was Yumi who first noticed when Echo awoke, the fox bristled as she got to her feet. She didn't say a word, she simply watched as the girl began packing up their things. It seemed she couldn't sleep, it was still dark, Caster wouldn't be up until the sun came up. The man needed his rest, Yumi wasn't going to wake him early unless an emergency called for it.

She couldn't help but stare at the girl...she seemed so...normal, if one overlooked the overwhelming power that she possessed.
"...it is...an early morning...", she spoke in reponse to Echo's greeting, Caster continued to snore.
"I'm afraid he won't be up till sunrise".

 

[MysticWitch]

Echo blinked at the fact that he wasn't awake yet and gave a small smile and nod to Yumi. "Ah yeah, sorry about that. Guess I'm still not fully awake." She said even though she knew she was. That nightmare had really jarred her. But she didn't want to dwell on it.

She continued to glance around at their environment. It felt..well awkward with just her and Yumi there. Echo had known that the spirit was weary of her. It wasn't hard to guess really. She had noticed the looks and reactions. But preferred to ignore them. After all, she wasn't doing anything wrong and the other was just being cautious. Which frankly Echo was okay with. She expected Yumi's reaction more than Casters about her deal with Loki. Although it seemed Caster still didn't realize what exactly Loki was. A god, even a minor one wasn't something to mess with.

"I hope you got some sleep. I think were going to be walking a lot today. We should find a town to buy supplies today and hopefully find a Inn or something to spend the night. Not that I don't mind roughing it. But.." She glanced up at the sky. "I don't think we will be able to camp out tomorrow." She could feel it. There was a storm coming.

She paused a bit of her thought process, wondering something about Caster but too afraid to ask Yumi. After all, even if she did know she probably wouldn't tell Echo much about her master. And the other wouldn't expect her to honestly. She waited for the sun to rise and hopefully the others to awaken so they could continue on.

She really did hate being in awkward conversations like this. Absentmindedly she started to stroke her opposite arm with her fingers, a nervous habit she had developed. For all purposes she was human. Her soul was there, it was just a counterfeit body. Something like a combination of the earth and flesh. Although all they could see was the flesh. She was human and Loki did give her free will of sorts. She just couldn't disobey him no matter what. Some days she wished she never agreed to that part of the contract. If she had realized how annoying Loki was she would have bartered for more free will. The god was downright insufferable at times...

"You called?" Loki said from next to Echo with a smile.

She jumped and covered her mouth in a yelp. Glancing at the god she realized the other was probably reading her mind and groaned. "Loki....you scared me."

"Then I did my job!" He chuckled a bit, glancing once more at Yumi. "And good morning to you too fox." He smirked. "You seemed to have slept well."

 

[StarryKnights]

Yumi shifted uncomfortably, she didn't like being alone with this girl, there was no telling what she might do. Wraiths, revenants, zombies, whatever one called them, the living dead were not viewed in a positive light by the living, and in the spirit world it was even more unsettling. When humans died their souls were meant to go to the spirit realm, where they would be guided to their apprioate afterlife.
The fact this girl was a walking construct housing a dead soul was unnerving to the fox, she wished her master didn't have such a fascination with her. But, there wasn't much Yumi could do about that, other than watch Caster's back.
The fox's ear flickered as Echo spoke of sleep.

"Spirits do not require sleep...at the very least, not in the same way as humans", she glanced to Caster and then back to Echo. "So I keep watch while he sleeps".
The girl was right, there was a storm coming, camping out wasn't an ideal situation. Though she was a being of fire, Caster required proper shelter from such events. Still, that meant heading into town, something Yumi knew Caster wouldn't like much. He didn't like spending time in crowded areas, not even small towns. It typically lead to trouble, and the paranoid mage seemed to be a magnet for lowlifes and thieves.

Sensing that Echo was just as uncomfortable as she was, the fox stood and padded back to the tree where Caster was sleeping, the mage snored un, unaware of the tension hanging in the air.
She paused for a moment when Loki appeared, casting the god a look the fox scoffed and carried on her way, leaving the other two to their own devices.
It wasn't until Yumi had her back turned that a new face arrived.

"Heeeellllo little Wraith", Stella's voice chimed sweetly in the air as a little collection of sparks gathered on the wind, they danced around the girl and spirit before stopping in front of Echo.
The cinders moved until they formed the rough outline Stella's preferred alternate form, a small, humaniod child.
"Wow, you really do look human, you've done some excellent work here Loki", the bird chuckled as she looked to the god.
Yumi might've been unnerved by Echo, but Stella wasn't, she shared her master's curiosity about the girl. Stella was an older spirit, and while she hadn't encounter wraiths before, she'd seen some powerful divine acts.

Seeing a dead human walking wasn't the weirdest thing in the world. The outlined form became more solid, until Stella herself was hovering in front of Echo, in her human form she appeared to be around the age of eight, with flowing red hair and bright orange eyes. There was a pair of small orange wings that flapped slowly, keeping her in the air. She flashed a big, gap toothed smile at the teenager and god.

"I came back to check on the group...and couldn't help but sense your...curiosity", the phoenix chirped lightly, as she had read the teen's mind a little...just enough to sense that there was something she'd wanted to ask Yumi.
Speaking of Yumi, the fox puffed up at her spot at the base of the tree, ears flat against her skull she cursed the phoenix for returning uninvited, Stella was also preventing her from hearing the conversation.
Not that Yumi cared, the phoenix was probably bragging about something.

"So tell me little wraith, what is it that has you so...curious?", the child cocked her head to the side, grinning. "I'll tell ya, I love some good gossip".