Fantasy Poisoned Land - [ Zazz & Phoenix ]

[Zazz]

"A chicken... It's like a large bird, but it doesn't really fly," Haethryl explained vaguely.

"A bird that doesn't fly," Bran repeated, trying to imagine it.

Azaria savoured a slice of bacon, declaring, "Humans certainly did get this right." She ate with a little more grace than the others. She smiled, watching their strange little group devour their meals. The inkeeper came around with a pitcher of freshly squeezed oranges.

"Glad to see ye's enjoyin' the food. Me wife Minorna's a damn good cook," he boasted, pouring juice for those that wanted it. "Don't get many pointy ears 'roun' here. Dunno what ye eat."

 

[PhoenixMire]

The delicious food and friendly human’s demeanor seemed to make Veyen relax much more. He ate with excitement, having never eaten eggs that tasted like this before. He took a sip of the juice that had been poured for him and furrowed his brow, unable to decide how he felt about it.

Tethran, however, guzzled the orange juice. “Not going to drink yours?” he asked the young hunter.

Veyen shook his head. He turned back to his bacon instead, and Tethran drank his orange juice in only a few gulps.

“Slow down,” Sylven said with a gentle laugh. “It isn’t like you’ll starve if you eat it slowly.” She ate her own food at a more normal pace. Smiling, she turned to face the human man, inclining her head a little in thanks. “We appreciate the hospitality. This food is delicious - tell Minorna she is a very gifted cook.” Sylven looked back to Azaria then. “Do you… come to human settlements very often, then?”

“What is this stuff?” Tethran asked, lifting his now-empty glass of juice. “It’s amazing.”

 

[Zazz]

The balding innkeeper beamed. "Aye, I'll tell 'er. Frankly speakin', miss, we half expected ye to be flesh-eatin' cannonballs-"

"Cannibals," an eavesdropping patron corrected.

"Aye, cannonballs, tha's wha' I said." Haddar the innkeeper shook his head. Eyeing the Duindôrin elves' elongated canines, he asked, "Say, why 'ave only some o' ye got them pointy teeth?"

"Different clans," said Haethryl, as if that explained everything. Haddar waited for more. He got nothing.

To Tethran, he answered, "What, ye've ne'er had no orange juice? We grow em just outside. Squeezed 'em meself just this mornin'."

Azaria pulled away from the conversation briefly to answer Sylven. "I've been a few times, yes. Someone has to guard the traders when they go to barter at the more southern cities."

 

[PhoenixMire]

Veyen stared at the innkeeper in confusion. “What? Why would we be cannibals?” he blurted.

Tethran shook his head, figuring it better to ignore the human’s ignorance. He didn’t want to cause trouble. He’d done enough of that, he figured, and he was still worried his clanmaid would have his head if he crossed any lines.

Instead he tried desperately to tip out the very last drop of orange juice from his mug onto his tongue. “No, never had this,” he said.

Sylven nodded at Azaria’s words. “That makes sense,” she said. “The Virdan don’t have many dealings with humans. We never go out of our way to find them or trade with them. If a merchant caravan comes across us, we will do business, but otherwise we leave humans alone.” How interesting that the Duindôr seemed more willing to associate with humans but the Virdan kept largely to themselves. She wondered why that was.

 

[Zazz]

The innkeeper grinned and poured Tethran more juice. "Well, since yer stayin' another night, maybe ye might lend a hand pickin' some oranges."

The other patron, a greying man with a thick beard and a wooden cane, was the one to answer Veyen. "Sometimes we hear tales from the north... Deformed creatures with pointy ears and sharp teeth. Say they come down from the mountains and tear through a herd of goats, or a whole village."

Azaria and Haethryl glanced up at each other, then at and Sylven.

"From the mountains, you say?" Haethryl looked at the man, asking, "Has anyone here seen them?"

"Not as far as I am aware."

 

[PhoenixMire]

Tethran shrugged as he drank his freshly poured juice. “Why not,” he replied after taking a few long swigs.

Veyen blinked in confusion. The other two Virdan looked to be at a loss, as well.

“What?” Sylven murmured. If Azaria was right, and humans could be ridiculous with their accusations and superstitions, then it was likely this meant nothing. But at the same time… she couldn’t help thinking of all the tales of the Dread Caverns she’d been raised on. What was in those caves?

“Never heard of anything like that,” Tethran said skeptically, but his sharp golden gaze showed some nervousness. “Let’s hope we don’t run into anything like that on our travels…”

 

[Zazz]

"Tha's where yer headed, then? The mountains?" Haddar set the pitcher on the table, giving Tethran a wink. "Ye'll be stoppin' through the city, no doubt."

Azaria nodded. "Yes. We were hoping to spend another night in civilization before committing ourselves to the Dread Caverns."

"Ye'll want to avoid Leopold's tavern, then. Food's worse than gutter slime."

"Good to know," said Haethryl, setting his fork down, satiated.

 

[PhoenixMire]

“I will definitely miss the food here,” Tethran sighed, taking another swig of the orange juice. “We’ll have to avoid Leopold’s tavern then.”

“Is there anywhere else the food is good?” Sylven asked with a smile. “Not that I think anywhere else will be quite as delicious as here…”

Veyen had finished his food and was leaning back in his chair, seeming far more relaxed than he had earlier that morning and the day before. He shared a smile with Tethran, the both of them quite content after their meals.

 

[Zazz]

The innkeeper gave them a few suggestions for when they reached the city. He was certainly much more amenable than the night before, having had no trouble with the elven visitors. The young alchemist asked if he and Veyen might help tend to the village's herbs; he figured the Virdan boy could teach him more about nature magic. Perhaps they could give back to the humans who had housed them.

With breakfast cleared away, Azaria left the tavern, her armor continuing to take up residence in the room upstairs. Her large sword, however, remained on her back. The sun warmed her bare arms as it rose higher, and the air was fresh and fragrant in her lungs.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Veyen seemed excited about the idea of working with the village plants - it was not only his comfort zone, but he’d also get a chance to continue teaching nature magic to Brandyl. “I’d love to do that!” he said excitedly.

Tethran rested his chin on his fist and smiled. “Mind if I come with you, Vey?”

Veyen blinked. “I don’t mind, but why? I thought you didn’t like nature magic.”

The elder hunter shrugged. “Maybe I could try to learn something new, I don’t know. Wouldn’t hurt.”

Sylven watched as Azaria left. She turned back to her food, quickly polishing off the remainder of her eggs and the last few sips of orange juice, then hurried to follow the other woman out. She caught up and slowed her pace to match Azaria’s. “It’s a beautiful day,” she said cheerily.

 

[Zazz]

Azaria heard the clanmaid approach. "It is. It's very.. open." Farmland had always been strange to the warrior elf, being accustomed to either the closeness of trees or the crowded buildings of civilization. She felt small with the mountains looming, yet free.

Off in the distance, Haethryl had managed to convince some farmers to let him help them; some of the women were eyeing him, talking amongst themselves. Azaria shook her head; ever the flirt, he was, even when he wasn't.

 

[PhoenixMire]

“Yes. I quite love it,” Sylven replied with a contented smile. The early spring air was cool against her skin, and she shut her eyes for a brief moment to enjoy the crispness of it. Opening her eyes again, she looked to the warrior beside her. “Does it make you nervous? All this openness.” She didn’t know if Azaria was accustomed to these kinds of surroundings.


Veyen had wandered into an herb garden and was admiring the variety of plants. With hazel eyes sparkling in excitement, he turned to Brandyl beside him. “Want to learn more about nature magic now?”

Tethran had followed the young hunter. He was staring, idly rubbing his chin in thought, at all the herbs. For some reason he had never been good with nature magic. He couldn’t sense it like Veyen did; it seemed to come so naturally to the other Virdan. He sighed. “Tell me again how to sense the magic.”

“Nature communicates. It’s just different than the way we communicate.” Veyen crouched and reached out to gently rest his fingers on the broad green leaves of a plant. “You have to learn how it talks. Think about its life force, and you’ll feel… um… it’s like a warmth in your chest, like you can feel the plant’s life.”

 

[Zazz]

The Duindôr woman smiled dryly. "Nervous isn't quite the word I would use. It makes me feel... Naked, in a pit of vipers, waiting for one to strike." Her gaze drifted along the farmland where the humans were working. "Trees, I can climb into. Doorways, I can hide in. People, I can disappear in. But this? Everything is on display.  I am on display," she finished quietly. She felt uneasy, being seen for what she was, instead of the hard exterior she wore to survive.

Off in the herb garden, Brandyl squatted in front of a spriggy little sprout of oregano. His brows furrowed as he listened to Veyen's instruction, trying very hard to sense the life force of the plant. He stared it down with a frown.

Just when he was about to touch the plant, an older woman interrupted them. "Oi, what are you lot up to? Why's he glarin' down them plants? What's this?" The woman's outburst gathered the attention of others, and Brandyl's face darkened like a ripe tomato.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Sylven frowned. She reached out to gently rest a hand on the other woman’s arm. “Should we even be staying another day, then? Perhaps we should move on quickly.” With a sigh, she shook her head, wavy hair swaying about her face at the movement. “Not that I think the Dread Caverns will make any of us feel better, but…” She didn’t want Azaria to be so uncomfortable here.

---

Tethran narrowed his golden eyes at the woman, stepping in front of Veyen and Brandyl protectively.

Veyen looked up at the woman with mouth agape. Oh no. He hadn’t wanted to cause trouble - the innkeeper said something about helping garden, and that was all the young hunter wanted to do. “No, no! We’re helping, see?” he said shakily. He rested his fingers on the plant in front of him, squeezing his eyes shut and concentrating. After a moment, the plant’s stem rose further from the ground, and a small new leaf sprouted.

 

[Zazz]

Azaria turned to face the Virdan clanmaid and took Sylven's free hand in both of hers. "No, it's important to rest." She rubbed the woman's hand with her thumbs. "Besides; a little discomfort helps us grow."

In her peripheral, she noticed the three younger elves gathering a bit if a crowd. Azaria frowned, peering in their direction, a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. No matter how nice the humans seemed, she did not trust them to rise above their own fear and mistrust.


The woman's eyes widened at young Veyen's display of magic. "Sorcery," she accused in a whisper, her face paling.

"Oh, let them be, Viola," scolded another. This one, fatter and with more grey wisps, propped a basket on her hip. "He's grown it, look at that!"

 

[PhoenixMire]

Sylven’s lips curved into a smile, and she looked down at both their hands. “I just want to be sure you can rest as well, Azaria,” she sighed. “You do so much. You deserve to relax.” Her mind went to how much the elven warrior had been through, how accustomed she was to battle, her scars… Sylven wished she could do something to help Azaria.

But she was distracted by the Duindôr woman looking in the direction of a little garden. The clanmaid frowned. Oh no. What was going on? Why had Brandyl and the Virdan hunters attracted attention?

---

Veyen’s eyes darted back and forth between the two human women, and he smiled shakily. “Yes! See? We’re helping to grow your plants!”

Tethran’s jaw clenched hard. He grasped Brandyl’s and Veyen’s hands and pulled them upright. “We leave, now,” he hissed quietly, keeping a skeptical eye on the two human women. He did not trust them at all - especially the one who seemed angry about their use of “sorcery”. His sharp gaze stayed trained on her, eyes narrowed.

 

[Zazz]

"'Helpin,' he says!"

The woman with the basket on her hip tsked at the first and shook her head. She gestured for the elves to stay put and approached them, bending over to pluck a leaf of basil and eat it.

"Linette! What if they've poisoned it?" Viola protested, eyes practically bulging out of her head.

But Linette had already chewed the basil leaf and swallowed it. "What harm will it do, ya ninny? I'm not a youngun no more; I'm already one foot in the grave!" She winked at Veyen and grinned. "Besides, they'll be the ones eatin' it come dinnertime, innit?" Viola went red as a pepper, while Linette waved the elves on to follow her. "Come on, lads. Help me grow these darn carrots an' cabbages. Sorcery," she muttered as she marched on past Viola.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Tethran still didn’t trust the two women. He stared at both of them, eyes sharp, jaw clenched tight. He still held to both Veyen’s and Brandyl’s hands, preparing to bolt with them if anything went wrong.

But Veyen grinned as the woman winked at him. His eyes sparkled. Perhaps not all humans were scary, after all. “I’d be glad to help!” he chirped.

“Careful,” Tethran whispered to the young hunter. He still didn’t know this woman’s motives. “She may be leading us into a trap.”

Veyen shrugged. He seemed perfectly comfortable now, and was excited to show off more of his abilities with nature magic. He followed after the woman, and Tethran went with them, intending to protect his fellow elves should anything go wrong.

 

[Zazz]

Linette the elderly human led them to a patch of farmland north of the tavern. "Apologies, lads. Some folk are best left to rot in the mud," she joked. "Now, our carrots, here, they've been strugglin' these past few years. If you can make 'em grow, we'll all be a much happier lot, no doubt. And see, the potatoes been comin' up shriveled an' right digustin'. We've tried everythin'."

_

Once satisfied that the boys were in no danger, Azaria returned her gaze to Sylven and gave a smile. "What a gracious princess, acknowledging your subjects," she teased, taking an over exaggerated bow. "Perhaps you might accompany me to go lay in the grass?"

 

[PhoenixMire]

Veyen smiled in excitement. A chance to practice his magic, and to teach Brandyl and Tethran as well! He nodded eagerly. “I’ll be able to help with your carrots and potatoes!” The young hunter knelt before the struggling crops, focusing on the magic he could feel from them, and trying to add some of his own. After a moment the carrot he had chosen began to grow.

With a grin, Veyen looked to his two elven friends. “Now you both try!”

Tethran glanced between Brandyl and the crops with an unsure expression on his face. At least this woman seemed kind, he thought, but he was still a little on guard. The elder hunter crouched and reached out to gently run his fingers along the wilting leaves of a potato plant. For a long moment he squeezed his eyes shut and focused - but nothing happened. He sighed.

---

Sylven smiled at the other woman, playfully swatting at her arm. “Oh, shut up,” she laughed. “But yes. I will accompany you.” Simply relaxing in the grass sounded nice. So the clanmaid followed Azaria to a nice patch of grass and laid down, enjoying the feeling of being close to the earth like this, and she watched the sky contentedly.

 

[Zazz]

Azaria hoisted her heavy blade in its sheath from her back and set it in the nearby grass. She then sat next to the clanmaid, picking a wildflower and twirling it between her calloused fingers. The warrior leaned over Sylven and gently placed the stem behind the woman's ear. Her hand came to rest on Sylven's navel.

Propped on her other elbow, Azaria studied Sylven's face with her piercing green irises. "So, why were you chosen to come all this way? Did you want to?"

 

[PhoenixMire]

Sylven flushed, averting her eyes as a smile grew on her lips. She gently brushed her fingers along the flower Azaria had placed behind her ear.

She sighed at the other woman’s question. “The clanmother has taught me everything she knows - to be respectful, diplomatic, how to use nature magic. She told me I was powerful enough and kind enough that I needed to be the one to make this journey.”

As for whether or not she wanted to… the clanmaid hesitated, having never admitted this next part to anyone, and not particularly wanting to do it. But at the same time she wanted it off her chest. “I… I didn’t want to come. The thought of the Dread Caverns terrifies me, but I wanted to do whatever I possibly could to help my people. So I take pride in the fact I was chosen, but… I’m also scared,” she confessed.

 

[Zazz]

The Duindôr warrior's eyes flitted over Sylven. She had a certain vulnerability under all that tough, diplomatic nonsense. Well, perhaps not nonsense. It  had prevented Tethran from having his rear handed to him, she thought with a small smirk. That boy was something, for sure.

Azaria grinned at the other elf. "Scared of a few barbarians," she teased, poking Sylven's tummy. But, more seriously, she told her, "You'll be fine, princess. I'll protect you."

And she would, until her dying breath.

 

[PhoenixMire]

Sylven swatted Azaria’s hand away, her smile turning to a grin. “Oh, hush,” she said lightly. This moment felt so peaceful - she hated the thought that it would end. But the clanmaid tried to focus on the present, not the future.

Propping herself up on a hand, Sylven looked curiously at the elven woman. Her smile fell a little as a silence passed between them for a moment. “What about you, Azaria? Did you want to come?” Her lips pressed into a thin line. “It was so sudden. We were in that council room and they just… told you that you were going on this mission. You seemed so willing to accept that.”

 

[Zazz]

The warrior lowered her gaze, recalling the day she had met Sylven. Galathi had died, that day. Another scar for another lost warrior. Azaria's brow furrowed, a deep sadness burning behind her eyes. Who even knew how many more would be lost by the time they returned?

If they returned at all.

Azaria shrugged, picking at the grass. "It's what I do. The council points out a target, I go in, blade first. It's the way it's always been. The way it has to be." It was their way of life, the way they stayed alive.

__

Brandyl squatted by a small cabbage and placed his hands on the dirt. The young alchemist took a deep breath and tried to imagine the life force of the plant. He pictured, in his mind, the vegetable growing twice its size.

Nothing happened.

"How long is it supposed to take to learn?"