Fantasy Primacy [Closed]

[cleopat]

“Thank you,” Tamsin said at Varick’s comment of sleeping better that night. She didn’t know if just merely knowing that there was someone there that could fight off monsters would help her sleep better, and she didn’t say that. She just smiled at him, placing the sticks she gathered into the same area as Varick.

As he left, Tamsin sat down on her bedroll, placing it close to the fire, but not so close that a stray ember would catch her hair or clothes on fire. She unbraided her hair, gently brushing out the tangles and knots she could with her fingers. It was much more comfortable for her to sleep with her hair down, even though some strands still got in her way.

Varick returned, and his question threw Tamsin slightly off guard. She didn’t expect him to remember the little comment she made about her time spent traveling, or at least comment on it himself. After all, he was such a well seasoned traveler compared to her. The sights he had to have seen!

Tamsin appeared sheepish and shrugged. “Not really, no. I’ve learned that I’m the perfect height to kick a man in the family jewels and quickly run away if I have to.” She was fast if the situation called for it. Fortunately, she hadn’t had to do that too often. Only a couple of times, mostly in rowdy taverns.

~~~

Drazhan had the impression that Kirsikka was bordering madness, and her explanation only further proved that theory. Kill the source of the monsters plaguing the land? Killing a god? Were all mages this insane?

Still, he told her he would sleep on his decision, and he would. Maybe she was powerful enough to destroy this source with a little help from a Primal.

Yet he had a feeling they would need some extra help. Maybe it wasn’t so much a feeling as it was common sense.

“Okay,” he said dumbly, nodding his head and looking away. His bedroll was calling to him, and he just wanted to lay down and get at least an hour of sleep before his head started pounding from all the information he just received. All the ridiculous information he would have never dreamed of, or believed.

But he did.

“Okay, so I think I will need some time to process all this information.” He sat down, rubbing his temple with two fingers. “You’ll have my answer in the morning.” Of whether or not he’ll be there, even Drazhan didn’t know.

 

[Lucyfer]

Varick sighed at Tamsin’s admittance, finishing up the stack of fire for the flame. He wasn’t surprised, and of course he was grateful she was never in a situation that required it, but he already found he worried for her. Perhaps that was just natural. She was one of the first humans not to care that he was a Primal or seem to treat him differently. He didn’t want someone like her being lost from the world too soon.

It probably helped she suddenly looked much softer with her hair down.

“You ought to learn a few things,” Varick said, “Not tonight. Tomorrow I can teach you a few basic self-defense techniques. Not everything requires size or strength,” he knew that from experience, but also from learning it. There were foes bigger than him out there, but it wasn’t too hard to deal with them.

Twisting a wrist was painful no matter who you were, and not difficult to do when someone tried to grab you.

“I can at least teach a little of what I know on the journey to Ritherhithe.” And hope neither of them would need it on the journey, as well. Of course, he wasn’t really expecting any trouble on the road…but it did happen.

The serpent that attacked Tamsin was proof enough of that.

~***~

Kirsikka waved Drazhan off as he said he would sleep and she’d have her answer in the morning, repeating himself, caught up in what he’d heard. Not surprising. “Go to sleep, Drazhan.” She dismissed, her aid put away, and her back now to a tree to keep her sitting up.

She promised first watch.

It would be easier if she was sitting up and a bit cold, and as night fell further, the colder it became. Kirsikka expected that. She wasn’t even unused to it. She wished she could claim the cold didn’t bother her, given her namesake, but unfortunately, it did. She hadn’t felt any of the chill she inflicted on others that day. She’d only felt fire.

‘I should have died.’

But of course, she didn’t.

Whatever God there was, probably didn’t want to deal with her.

Time slipped by – enough that she probably should have woken Drazhan for his watch. Kirsikka spent it in familiar silence. Watch duty wasn’t unknown to her.

She spent it debating abandoning Drazhan and making the decision for him, and debating how quiet she would need to be in order to do so. Primals were notoriously light sleepers. In the end, too much time slipped by in debate; flecks of light appeared through the trees, and Kirsikka moved without concern for waking Drazhan.

It was time he woke up anyways.

 

[cleopat]

Tamsin raised her brows in mild surprise when Varick announced he would teach her some basic self-defense techniques. “I-um…I-thank you,” she sputtered, unsure of what to say to his offer. “I appreciate it, I really do.”

And her head was filled with thoughts of what learning self-defense from Varick would consist of. He was so much bigger than she was, a thought that left a slight reddening in her cheeks.

“Oh, I can teach you something in return!” she exclaimed, perking up. “I can teach you a simple song on the lute. It may not be as useful as learning self-defense, but it’ll be nice.” Though the idea sounded silly as soon as she said it.

Would someone like him even be interested in learning anything about the lute?

“If you’re interested, that is,” she cleared her throat, one hand fiddling with a blade of grass.

~~~

Drazhan fell into a deeper sleep than he ever intended to. A deeper sleep than he was comfortable with.

Once he woke up, he couldn't remember what he dreamt of, but he recalled it not being pleasant. Old memories that he wished were long gone.

The first thing Drazhan noticed upon waking up was the chill in the morning air. He rolled onto his back with a light groan. The second thing he noticed was the dim morning light rising in the east.

Wait…the sun?

He sat up abruptly, looking over to Cher-Kirsikka who was moving around, getting ready for the day. “My watch,” he sighed, brushing a hand over his face and through his hair. “You should have woken me up. You need some sleep as well.” Unless she did sleep at some point during the night, leaving them both exposed.

No, he doubted she did just that.

“Are you going to be able to stay awake during today’s journey?” He rolled up his bedroll and tethered it back onto Bear. Drazhan didn’t even think about how he had a choice between leaving behind Kirsikka or going forward with a known ‘criminal’ per Trifflehelm. He was focused on what he already promised. On what he was already paid for.

Besides, venturing forward in a journey with the most wanted mage in Trifflehelm was kind of exciting.

 

[Lucyfer]

Varick could see the reddening in the flames as they came to light. It wasn’t too hard to guess what they came from. Likely a mix of embarrassment, and well – what he knew most women thought of his rugged appearance and size, even if they weren’t desperately attracted to him. The Primal thing was a turn-on for some, a turn-off for others – but size and ruggedness still put thoughts into head, either way.

He wouldn’t call her out on what he was used to. Especially when it was likely the thoughts were fairly unintentional, and would only get in the way of actually teaching her when it came time. Best to pretend he didn’t notice.

Easily done when she commented on returning the favor. He just snorted at the thought of learning the lute, and she seemed to backtrack. “Sorry, I meant no offense, but I’m not musical. Not inclined, nor interested,” he said. “I enjoy listening at times, but that’s all.” No, he really didn’t want to learn the lute.

“I’m not asking anything in favor. It’ll help the tedium of the journey. That’s enough.”

He was used to tedious journeys. It didn’t mean he enjoyed them, or didn’t seek some form of distraction. On the contrary, he usually did. Tended to be roadside taverns and inns. Also tended to lead to trouble when he didn’t want it. This would be far less trouble.

~***~

Yes, Kirsikka did need sleep. And that day would suffer for lack of it, but she doubted it was all that critical. They had plenty more forest to travel, and Kirsikka was hoping the fae kept their promise, and helped to guide them – and keep them from danger. It was a fool’s hope, and she had no reason to trust it. Just as she had no reason to trust Drazhan. All the same, quiet days weren’t uncommon, and this seemed likely to be one of those.

After all, it was still going to take the Council of Light time to find her. They might know her direction, but they didn’t know precisely where she was.

Drazhan didn’t seem to be talking about leaving. He was packing up his things, but worried about her ability to progress, “This isn’t my first sleepless night, and energy to stay awake isn’t hard to come by.” She actually had a few preserved leaves she could chew for energy if it was necessary.

“So, you’ve decided to come along?” He might not be saying it directly, but she intended to address it. If he was trying not to think about it, that could be a sign his decision wasn’t as decisive as he wanted it to be. Which was dangerous, for both of them.

But if he was decisive…he might be the first person to actually believe she could accomplish this, besides Dravon. Wydan apparently didn’t believe in her enough to remain loyal to the end, or else his life was more sacred to him than her goals of saving the world. Wouldn’t be surprising either way.

All the same, as he moved through the familiar act of packing up Bear, she moved through the familiar one of packing up Zephyr.

 

[cleopat]

Tamsin nodded, accepting Varick’s answer. Learning about music wasn’t for everyone, though she would argue that everyone loved listening to music to some extent. Either a lively jaunty tune to lift one’s spirits, or a more mellow tune for a more somber mood.

“Well then, how about a soothing melody before we turn in for the night?” And moving her fingers along the strings and fretboard of the lute would help her forget, just temporarily, how cold her fingers were getting from the autumn night air.

“I insist,” she pressed, moving to carefully take her lute out of the safety of its case. “Just one song, that’s it.” Her fingers itched to play her instrument, something she had been neglecting for a few days now during her journeys.

And, selfish or not, she always loved playing for a new audience.

She sat back down on her bedroll, and began to pluck at a slow, soft tune.

These scars long have yearned for your tender caress
To bind our fortunes, damn what the stars ow
Rend my heart open, then your love profess
A winding, weaving fate to which we both atone

The melody continued until the last note carried into the night. Tamsin stood up and placed her instrument back in its case. “Now that wasn’t so terrible, was it?”

~~~

Drazhan hummed as Kirsikka insisted that she could stay awake. That she had means to stay awake if need be. He wasn’t surprised by this in the least. The power of mages eluded him greatly.

Which is why he questioned himself for agreeing to continuing along this journey. Couldn’t she do this by herself? What of the mages that might come after her? He could protect against monsters. But not magic. Well, not powerful magic.

Lesser magic could be easy to defend against with the right weapon.

“I have decided to come along,” he assured. “Will it be a foolish decision?” He shrugged as he finished loading up everything onto his horse, ready for the journey ahead of them that day. “I have been called foolish before.” By strangers, and by those close to him. It was almost an endearing nickname.

“I am curious if there is a single source for the monsters on our lands, and I want those Trifflehem bastards gone as much as the next person.” Drazhan attempted to stay neutral in most political causes, but even he couldn’t deny the atrocities they committed.

 

[Lucyfer]

Varick did think to protest, even as Tamsin insisted but he supposed there was no point. Besides, his real concern was that Tamsin might not be good, and then she’d ask for his opinion and he’d have to find an answer that didn’t offend her. Musicians rarely took criticism well, but they always wanted an opinion, and could rarely accept their style (if it could be called that) didn’t suit everyone.

Thankfully, Tamsin wasn’t bad. Nor was the song she chose, a ballad he was familiar with hearing in his journeys. Then again, with times of war and monsters, lovers scarred and torn by circumstances wasn’t an unfamiliar circumstance. It was all too common, and lovers full of too much hopeless hope.

He took to his own bedroll, shedding just some of the armor to sleep in. Not all, of course. That would be unwise, but he didn’t get good sleep in full armor. Not that he ever really got good sleep, but a fighting chance was possible when he’d stripped some of it off.

The song finished as he was sitting on the bedroll, back against a tree, the melody humming on the air. “Mm. No, not bad,” he agreed, “your singing voice is pleasant. Fits the ballad well.” Since he didn’t hate it, he could at least speak freely without concern. He only had compliments, after all.

“But now you should sleep.”

~***~

‘Yes, it will be a foolish decision.’ Kirsikka knew it was a rhetorical question, so didn’t deadpan the answer. He answered it himself with uncertainty, but didn’t seem to mind a reputation for being foolish. Not typical of primals, but then again, he wasn’t a typical primal. He was a mercenary who left their typical ways behind.

But he still had all of their talents – and hopefully the ability to understand human reasoning…and irrationality. “I assure you, there is a single source. I’ve been looking into it for years, even before Trifflehem came knocking on my door.” With Zephyr tacked up again, she shifted in the saddle of her poor horse.

He never got a break.

“It was going to be my magnum opus. It even put me at odds with the Ordo Sors long before I cared about Trifflehem…but that doesn’t matter now.” All that mattered was finding the answers. “Let’s continue. We have a lot of ground to cover today.” Everyday, but now they were also trying to stay ahead of the Council of Light and Trifflehem.

 

[cleopat]

Tamsin could only beam at the compliment Varick offered her. It wasn’t the most exciting compliment she had received, but for some reason, coming from the stoic man, it felt like high praise.

He would have to see her truly in her element one day.

She agreed that she should now sleep. She just didn’t know how well she would be able to.

Tamsin always did her best to stay indoors during colder nights. That wasn’t always possible, and those nights spent outdoors near a fire, if she had one that evening, were some of the nights she didn’t sleep too well. Someone like Varick had to be only too familiar with sleeping in the cold, that Tamsin wouldn’t dare comment on the matter.

“I agree. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow.” But hopefully tomorrow night, they would actually get to sleep in a warm bed.

Without shedding any of her clothes, and with the cloak still wrapped around her, Tamsin slid into her bedroll, “Goodnight, Varick.” If only sleep could come to her.

~~~

A single source for the monsters that have plagued the lands for ages. Drazhan couldn’t imagine a life without monsters terrifying the human race, but if what Kirsikka spoke was true, then that could be a strong possibility, if she could destroy this source.

Or if they could.

An ex-Primal destroying what is bringing monsters here. Just imagine the reaction of the other Primals. Of Varick.

Drazhan slightly frowned as the name popped in his head, and he shook it away just as quickly. Thinking of the name would lead to reminiscing, and too many thoughts of the day he left, and he didn’t want to think about that right now. Not when he needed to be on high alert for any trouble.

Little signs from the elves still appeared along the path Drazhan led them in. Good, they were still headed in the right direction. “So, what can you tell me about this single source for the monsters?”

 

[Lucyfer]

Varick did want to suggest Tamsin shed something. Body sweat was terrible, especially on cold nights, but she needed to stay warm. He understood that more immediate need, that more rational thought, even if it sometimes led to worse situations. He had been a victim of it before, and woke up worse for it a time or two.

But he let Tamsin sleep.

Or, try to sleep.

It became fairly obvious she wasn’t asleep, as the minutes ticked on into nearly an hour, and she was just lying there, shivering, closer to the fire. Perhaps not close enough. Varick sighed, got up off of his bedroll, and moved it over to where Tamsin was, before plopping it over her as he took a seat besides her.

He would tuck the blanket over her head, at least a bit, and hope some of his own nearby warmth spread to her. “We’ll be in a town tomorrow,” this outdoors stuff wouldn’t be great for Tamsin, though he imagined she must have done it before. He’d done it plenty, but it didn’t bother him so much.

Primal blood, he supposed.

He could endure quite a lot, from temperatures to poisons to ills. Even blood loss. Something would kill him one day, but it wasn’t going to be this weather. But it could weaken and sicken someone like Tamsin, and he didn’t want that to happen.

~***~

Little signs showed the way, and Kirsikka wondered, ‘Will you show my foes the way, accidentally?’ That was to be seen. She rather hoped that, somehow, the elves would mislead them if they were fool enough to try and go through Elphyne and the Fateborne woods, but it was always possible they’d get through.

Drazhan’s question wasn’t an easy one to answer. Not because she didn’t have the answer, but because it had been spread over decades – centuries – of her life. It made her sound insane and she knew it – because people had been living with monsters for so long that they just accepted it now, assumed it was normal, even if the uptick was abnormal. Populations rose and grew. Empires rose and fell.

“The first lesson I was taught, even before becoming a mage, was to assume anything could be true. I think it was my father’s way of encouraging me to be anything. It was a fun practice that upset plenty of my peers when I tried to figure out how just anything could be true, even if I knew it wasn’t, and one of these things was the story of the White Sun.”

She let out a breath, “Even the elves think of it as just a silly creation story from less informed times. It’s not really told anymore. It’s not preserved in its original tongue, either. I searched. So I know not everything in translation is correct, but the sum of it talks of a day where a White Sun never sat. It stayed in the East, ever burning, through day and night. They were particular about that. You could see the stars at night, as well as this White Sun.”

If it were a real sun, the stars shouldn’t be visible. Nor should it never set. Of course, for a while, she played at how it could be a literal sun, “I realized, even in antagonizing them, it couldn’t be real. Not as it was written, and I looked for more information on it, for the history of this tale. I suppose it was my existential crisis phase – Why am I, Why is Magic – but for a creation story, it doesn’t indicate the creation of elves. The White Sun was the creation of Shadow, which for the elves was everything bad. Including humans.”

Well, she couldn’t blame the elves for that.

“Before Pomachion became overrun with monsters, I was able to do some studying there, but I went around the world for answers. There were stories of the White Sun elsewhere, from other directions. Not always the White Sun, but everyone had stories of something like it. The White Star, The White Light, The White Wisp – the White Wisp led you to monsters. To your death. Like a Will-O-Wisp. Every time, the White was a deception, and almost every story suggested it was locked away. Not defeated, not destroyed. They never say if it is a living thing, or…or what, it seems like it isn’t, but I’m not sure. But every story, it’s sealed away, always with the promise of returning.”

The how of its return varied. Perhaps no one knew. Or perhaps it would be all of the things together. “It’s somewhere in Pomachion. I’m fairly certain. Or an island nearby. That seems to be the direction every story points towards, and Pomachion itself is little more than a husk of what it once was.” She remembered it before, “Though most outside blame it on the elves…I wouldn’t be surprised if even the people here blame it on the elves,” she sighed.

Humans were deserving of being part of the Shadow.

 

[cleopat]

Tamsin didn’t want to disturb Varick, even as she laid shivering, nor did she want to draw closer to the fire, for fear of a stray ember popping and landing near her. But it seemed that Varick was able to tell that she wasn’t sleeping, and that she was shivering.

Must be that Primal hearing, or senses, or something.

The next thing she knew, Varick draped his bedroll over her. Immediately Tamsin felt warm, though whether it was from the extra blanket, the warmth of Varick’s body, or the embarrassment at being caught in such a state, she did not know.

She glanced over at him, her gaze soft. “Thank you.” Tamsin curled into the extra warmth she now had, and sleep came much easier for her once her shivering stopped and she moved closer to the warmth Varick’s body offered.

~~~

Drazhan sat in silence, his horse trotting along, listening to the story Kirsikka told him. It did make her sound a bit insane, which judging by the stories he heard of the Boreal Wind and what she had dealt with in the past, he supposed he would be a little insane as well.

As if he didn’t already dealt with some insanity himself, separating himself from his family and living alone, doing whatever it took to earn a few coins for shelter and hot food.

He heard stories of the White Sun and its variations. Not to the degree that Kirsi knew - by far. Varick may have known more than himself, if he was still alive.

Drazhan tried to wrap his head around what Kirsikka just told him. “So you think this White Sun is locked away somewhere in Pomachion, and your plan is to kill it before it fully returns?” he asked in an attempt to fully understand what was going on. What it was that was running through Kirsi’s head.

Did he think her insane? Maybe a little. He thought most mages were a little insane. But he was still interested to see things through, to see if there truly was a single source for all the monsters that have plagued the lands for ages.

 

[Lucyfer]

Varick didn’t move as Tamsin curled closer to him. Quite the contrary, he let his legs lay out in front of him, and he put a hand on her shoulder. He didn’t lay down, didn’t act indecent – no matter the excuse of the weather – but he at least spread his warmth a bit. Tamsins fell asleep soon enough, and it was easy for him to stay awake, awaiting the next day.

With the promise of an inn, it wasn’t too difficult. Even without that promise, he wouldn’t have found it terribly difficult. The only difficulty then was in keeping his focus off of Tamsin, and on the sounds of the night. Which, naturally, kept shifting back to Tamsin’s breathing, her own warmth, and any shifting she made in her sleep.

He wasn’t unused to staying up, or even traveling through the night and on through the day. He might have done that, without Tamsin, but he wouldn’t remind her of his comment about keeping up with him in the morning. He only moved a few times to tend to the fire.

Morning came with no incident, and he withdrew his warmth, “Tamsin,” he called to her as he rose, and began to get prepared for the journey, dousing the fire first to better help her wake. If not the sudden cold, the smoke would do it. Not that he wished for the smoke to do it, of course. Better the cold.

The day would warm up as they proceeded.

~***~

‘If only it were that easy.’

Killing whatever the White Sun was, was always a possibility, but what if it was something not killable? Not a God, Kirsikka was already fairly determined to kill any god that crossed her path, but there were other possibilities. Nothing described the Sun as something living. What if it was only a door? The light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak – the end of a tunnel, the opening to somewhere else?

If someone hadn’t made that joke at the expense of her own interests, she may never have considered it. “That will depend on what the White Sun, is.” Kirsikka answered. “It may not be something that can be killed. It may be something that can be reasoned with,” although after being imprisoned, who could say if it was still reasonable, if it had the ability, anyways? “There’s too much I don’t know to give an answer to what I’ll do, but I will find a way to end this barrage of monsters, and I will end Trifflehem’s purge in the process.”

Somehow.

Someway.

“But yes. Whatever the White Sun is – some creature, some doorway, some literal celestial body – it’s in Pomachion.”

‘And if it’s not?’

Kirsikka was used to that question, that doubt, in her own head. She was also used to ignoring it. If it wasn’t, she’d deal with it then. This was hardly the first lead she’d chased that wouldn’t turn up. However…this was the strongest lead she’d ever chased, and her certainty was higher than it ever had been. Even in her early days of being foolish and overconfident. “You don’t believe monsters are natural to this world, do you?” Kirsikka asked, “I didn’t think you Primals had forgotten your origins so quick.”

 

[cleopat]

With the extra warmth suddenly gone, Tamsin slowly woke, the smell of smoke filling her nostrils. She sat up, stretching out her limbs to shake off the lingering sleep and stiffness that plagued her body.

Laying on the ground didn’t provide the best sleep, but it was one of the best ones she had in the outdoors in a long time. Tamsin immediately knew why, but she didn’t dare let her thoughts linger too long on that. It would lead to inappropriate thoughts and ideas, and she didn’t need that about her temporary traveling partner.

It was already hard enough with his smell lingering all night in the bedroll he placed over her.

“Did you rest well?” she asked, standing up to bring Varick’s bedroll back to him. “You mustn’t have gotten much sleep without your bedroll.” And she felt guilty that he had to give it to her to begin with so that she was able to sleep. He needed to rest up more than she did if he were to be in prime condition for fighting and protecting against creatures.

~~~

Something to reason with? Drazhan wanted to laugh at the notion. Anything that brought monsters into the world couldn’t possibly be reasoned with, though he didn’t say it. He didn’t hint at it.

Whatever the White Sun was, if it truly did exist and not some bedtime story for kids, was something to be seen about later.

He didn’t even know if he believed that Kirsikka could end the barrage of monsters. One mage, and maybe one Primal-turned-mercenary? No, he just didn’t think it could be done. But he wouldn’t let Krisi in on his pessimism.

Drazhan was still thinking about the gold coins.

“Our origins?” He scoffed, waving one hand. “I left the Primals early on, but the thought at that time was that the monsters had a place in the world just like the humans.” He wasn’t quite sure of his own philosophy dealing with the monsters, but he did know that some humans acted worse than the monsters.

What truly made something a monster, and something a human? Maybe they all belonged in their small world, after all.

 

[Lucyfer]

“I didn’t rest,” Varick answered simply, accepting the bedroll when it was brought, and packing it away on Marzipan, “Don’t worry,” he hastened to add, “I’m used to it.” He wouldn’t add his earlier thoughts, of having continued on if she hadn’t needed rest. He didn’t want her to feel self-conscious about that right now. “And we’ll rest in the next town.”

He still imagined Tamsin would feel guilty for it. He didn’t know how to resolve that. Wasn’t sure why he cared that she worried, other than the fruitlessness of it. It was done, there was little reason to worry over it now. The plan for the future would work.

“I’ll still have plenty of energy to show you the ropes,” he added, managing a bit of a smirk to offset the worry she may carry, “assuming you’re still willing to learn a bit.” He went around to gather up the few other things he’d taken off of Marzipan so that she wasn’t burdened by the weight all night long.

At least Marzipan seemed fine, and quite eager to get a move on.

Of course, horses didn’t need that much sleep to begin with, either.

~***~

Kirsikka couldn’t help the startled sound she made at the philosophy of the Primals, before it turned into a laugh, and then a sigh, at the recollection of how things changed. “It’s been a while since the time of Rolfe, I suppose,” Rolfe died in Geot Draath. One of the others told her, though Kirsikka assumed Drazhan still knew who Rolfe was.

She shook her head with a click of her tongue. “It used to be that Primals were taught that they were created to kill monsters that didn’t belong. Not that they knew where they came from, only that humans remembered a time when monsters didn’t exist. Before my time.”

Admittedly, before Primals – and it could just be said, that people hoped it was true that monsters didn’t belong, but they didn’t know it for sure. Stories had a way of sticking with people through generations, though, and informing decisions even if they couldn’t quite say why they believed the way they did, or acted the way they did. “But that was when Rolfe led, and stemmed from generations before him. I suppose things have changed. It’s safer to take the position that monsters have always belonged.”

Kirsikka didn’t know everything about the loss of Geot Draath, but she knew it was gone, and so much with it – like the Ordo Sors. She empathized deeply with that loss. So much knowledge, so many people, all gone, with no way to bring it back. She understood it was humans, not monsters, that did it as well.

Before Trifflehem’s purges began, people were already getting antsy and an in uproar over monsters.

The Ineffable One was just the latest fad for dealing with it – with an impossible promise that once the world was pure the monsters would go away.

The world would never be pure.

The religion would never have to prove itself honest for that.

The perfect scam.

 

[cleopat]

Tamsin frowned, and she was about to say something before Varick interrupted her and assured her it was fine. That he was used to not resting. It still didn’t feel right to her, but there was nothing she could do about it now except ensure that they make it to an actual inn that night.

Following Varick, she moved about to gather up her things and tie them back onto Luna, who had been lazily munching on some grass nearby. “Little pig,” she muttered warmly, stroking the mare softly as she packed on the last of her things.

“Oh good, I’m still hoping you would show me a thing or two about self-defense,” she said over her shoulder to him. “You will find that I am quite the willing student when it comes to learning anything. My philosophy is to try everything once. I won ‘t know if I will regret it until it happens, right?” She smiled at him, crossing her arms over her chest.

“So are we doing it now, or waiting a little bit?” She was ready now, but she also understood if Varick wanted to wait a bit until they were further down the road.

~~~

Drazhan looked over at Kirsikka with an eyebrow raised at the strange noise she made. Did he truly say something that funny? Well, he did like to make the women laugh, but not at his own expense.

Rolfe wasn’t a name that was terribly familiar to him. He had heard of it before, but long ago, and only in old stories the Primals told the younger ones. He wasn’t even sure if Rolfe was ever real or just a mere legend at this point.

It seemed there were a lot of stories told to him growing up.

Drazhan hummed as Kirsikka explained to him more of the apparent old ways of the Primals. Of what they used to believe, long before Drazhan was born. Maybe even before their oldest living Primal was born, if he was even still alive. “And how long ago was before your time?” he just had to ask.

Never ask a lady her age.

But things have changed, and Drazhan no longer questioned it. He wasn’t anymore part of the Primals. He had long since left them, over a decade ago, and made his own way in the world as best as he could. But the prejudice would always be there.

He couldn’t hide his eyes, no matter how hard he try. No matter how dark the taverns were.

 

[Lucyfer]

Varick resisted the urge to snort at Tamsin’s enthusiasm, and willingness. Or make additional comments of what she was willing to try, internally groaning at his own thoughts. Of course, how could he be without them when he’d just spent the night resting at her side? When she had blushed so last night? Impossible.

But he knew better than to mention it.

He wasn’t crass.

Often.

“There are some things you should know you’d regret before doing, like sticking your hand in a fire,” Varick pointed out, “but on this, no, you won’t know until you try,” and he intended that she wouldn’t regret it, of course, even if she didn’t come to like it much. She would hopefully go away with some knowledge.

When she asked if they’d try right there, he snorted and shook his head. “No.” he had considered waiting until they got to a town. If she did get hurt, they’d be close enough to medical supplies, but then he reconsidered. What would the lovely townspeople think of a Primal sparring with a young woman?

They probably wouldn’t recognize it as a spar, that was certain.

He sighed, “When we pause for lunch,” he said, rather than give voice to the reason for the sign, before mounting up on Marzipan. “If we make good time.”

~***~

Kirsikka was a bit amused that Drazhan even asked what her time was, implying an interest in her age. She could say anything, of course. People didn’t understand Mage aging. Mages barely understood it. Magic was, well, magic. Some specialized in areas that would likely prolong their life beyond what mages considered ‘old age’.

Dravon had never looked old….

But then again, he was the one who mentored her in illusions, he likely wore his own glamor well, and constantly. Kirsikka never saw the body to confirm, how he looked in death. To confirm he was dead, at that. She didn’t need to.

She didn’t think Drazhan would be too surprised, in any case. Of course, she was assuming he was at least a century old when she answered, “322,” exactly. She’d never lost count as some others did, Dravon included in that list. “Probably old by your standards, but then, we’re not often out putting our lives in front of monsters that want to eat us, so we tend to live a bit longer. Not much – plenty of us do die in terrible potion explosions.” Those who forgot to be precise.

Although in her case, living even a month after Mont Pellinor was likely considered nothing short of a small miracle.

And the power she wielded so young was also something notable. But when had she not been? One of the few mages who could cast spontaneous magic with ease, and the one who all but destroyed an entire area on the continent by freezing it rapidly. So far as she heard, Mont Pellinor had yet to fully recover.

Then again, it was only two years ago.

A blink of an eye.

 

[cleopat]

Tamsin rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. “I think I know better than to stick my hand in a fire.” Or anything else that was just as obviously dangerous.

Maybe.

She was traveling with a strange man, after all, and even slept next to him while he stayed awake. He could have taken advantage of her at any time, but he didn’t. Still, it was a risk, like putting her hand into the fire.

Maybe he had a point.

Tamsin mounted her horse behind Varick, “Then I guess we’ll just have to make good time.” She could only surmise what would be making good time meant for Varick, but for her, it meant that they would ultimately make it to the inn by nightfall. "I, for one, am looking forward to those lessons."

~~~

Drazhan didn’t exactly know how Mages aged. He assumed they didn’t, in a way almost like Primals, except he couldn’t see Mages allowing people to actually see any evidence of age on them, such as gray hair or crow lines around the eyes. At least, not in the Mages he’s met over the years.

He raised a brow at Kirsikka actually admitting her age. A precise amount. Not even older Primals did that. Or they just didn’t care about keeping up with their age. Drazhan hummed, agreeing with her assessment that she was old by their standards. Even older than their current oldest Primal, if he was still around.

“And I bet some of you die in other ways,” he commented, thinking about the Mont Pellinor incident she was responsible for. How she would no doubt be publicly executed should Trifflehem.

But he wouldn’t elaborate on his thoughts. She was more than aware of all the different ways Mages could go.

A few seconds of silence, and Drazhan thought to speak, “I’m forty-four.” Much, much younger than Kirsikka. One of the youngest Primals alive. A shame, really, and he wasn’t even going to carry on the Primal life.

But their legacy was coming to an end. It was time for a new life.

 

[Lucyfer]

Varick could only maintain that light smile on his lips, barely there, but within his eyes, as Tamsin stated she was looking forward to it. He really did hope it wouldn’t change. He also hoped she wouldn’t miss the points, but that was to be seen. Their journey continued, with some chatter – that was inevitable with Tamsin – but Varick found he didn’t mind it much.

He could listen without saying much.

They did make good time, as well, and when lunch came around, Varick considered how far they were from the next town and nodded to himself, “We can do a bit of practice here. Eat first,” Varick said, as he got off Marzipan and tied her loosely around a tree, before digging into her saddlebags for some of his jerky.

He’d been eating it on the way, but he still ought to show he followed his instructions, and eat a little more, and drink some water.

He also added. “I’ll be showing you how to deal with a few grabs. Nothing too difficult.” He added. Not yet, of course. Tamsin wouldn’t be dealing with trained fighters, just drunken people who would try to grab at her. He assumed that was the majority of what she had to deal with – and had so far escaped.

Now she could be a bit better at it, and use these skills against even the trained. Pain was a wonderful deterrent.

~***~

Kirsikka could only smile and shrug at the possibility of dying in other ways. Mages could die just like any human. She saw that with Dravon. They were fragile; they just had magic to help accommodate, the way others had armor, or good reflexes. Kirsikka also knew, too well, that Trifflehem would love to behead her for all to see – end the Boreal Wind with no questions.

She’d never allow that, of course.
If she had to die, it would be in a way that spited their plans.

But at Drazhan’s age, her eyes widened, the smile faltered. “Forty—” her mind did the math quick enough. “You’re a baby!” She couldn’t help but blurt the words, too shocked to refrain from calling a full-grown man who hunted others down for a living, anything but a baby. She was surprised he was even a Primal!

When did they go through the changing process?!

“Oh, by all the—this is some sick joke of Wydan, I should have known,” she groaned, lifting her hands from the reins to cover her face in embarrassment that she was traveling with someone so damn young, who really couldn’t have any idea about how to handle the hell that was going to follow them.

‘And he’s left the Primals. He’s in his rebellious stage, oh by everything divine, WHY?’

 

[cleopat]

Conversation was pleasant with Varick. He may not have talked as much as Tamsin, but he didn’t seem annoyed by her talking. That only encouraged her to continue, though not at a level that even she may have acknowledged as annoying.

She knew when to pause and listen to the sounds of nature around them.

Lunch came soon enough, and Tamsin followed Varick in dismounting from Luna and loosely tying her to a tree. The weather was warm enough that she finally took off her cloak and put it back into one of her bags, before moving onto another one to pull out some dried meat and dried fruits.

She didn’t eat along the way like Varick did, but she could admit she was now hungry and needed food, so she didn’t hesitate to start eating.

“Oh good, so you’re going to go easy on me at first.” Not that she expected anything else. She was completely new to this, and if he wanted the lessons to stick, he would need to approach slowly and easily. “Unless things are indeed going to be a lot harder than you’re letting on.”

~~~

Drazhan didn’t know how Kirsikka would react to his age.

He certainly didn’t expect what she called him.

Drazhan was flummoxed that Kirsikka would call him a…a baby?! Perplexed and confused and a little angry. He was not a baby! Sure, he may have been considered young by Primal standards, but that was largely because only so few lived anymore, and no more were being made. So he was among the youngest still around.

But that didn’t mean he was a baby. He had plenty of life experience and days of monster hunting under his belt.

“What do you mean, some sick joke?” he demanded, stopping Bear in his tracks to look at Kirsikka. “Don’t act like I’m some teenager on his first hunting expedition, still wet behind the ears.” He was not. He’s hunted plenty.

Sure, not as much as the other Primals, but that didn’t matter. He could slay any monster that happened upon them, and any monster they encountered along the way.

 

[Lucyfer]

“Of course I am,” Varick couldn’t believe that was actually a question. “You’re not going to learn anything if I just pin you against a tree, off your feet, by your neck.” Which he could very easily do, but that was not a good starting point for her to learn, and retain, information. It would just end badly.

He’d learned enough training the younger generations of Primals to know it had to start easily, and work up. Though, admittedly, he wasn’t starting them with escaping grabs. He put a sword in their hands before he taught them much about melee fighting, because that was significantly more important for their line of work.

He did teach that stuff. Eventually. Primals did need to know what to do when a sword was knocked out of their hands, after all.

“It shouldn’t be any harder than I’m suggesting, but we’ll see,” some would depend on her and her learning style. Everyone was different. And he knew he wasn’t a good teacher for everyone – but he thought he could get the point across so she’d retain it. He hoped he could. He wanted her to take care of herself when their paths eventually parted at Ritherhithe.

Finishing up his own dried food, he nodded, “Tell me when you’re ready.”

~***~

Zephyr stopped automatically as Bear stopped, Kirsikka lowering her hands to look over at the angry Primal, who apparently took quite a bit of offense to being called a baby, and the implications of inexperience. Not that Kirsikka could look at him with anything other than pity right then, which probably didn’t make it any better.

“No, no, a teenager two weeks into a rebellious phase against his parents, maybe,” Kirsikka corrected. “And I understand that 20-some odd years would be considered a good deal of experience among normal humans. I’m not discounting that, only….”

She sighed.

“I was expecting someone…more experienced, Drazhan. I’m accustomed to centuries of experience, not decades.” And barely decades at that, though Kirsikka didn’t add that. It was heavily implied by everything else she’d already said, and she felt no reason to take it back. Of course, Wydan suggested him because he cut ties, and because he’d go to Pomachion…because he didn’t know any better.

Wydan was a bastard. Another reason to freeze his eyeballs in their sockets. She didn’t sign up for babysitting! She really was going to be better at this protection thing than Drazhan and that wasn’t the idea here, damnit!

“Wydan must have known you didn’t have enough experience to reconsider this,” she sighed, “that or you truly impressed him, but Wydan’s bastard enough to sell me out, so I doubt his ability to pick my partners well.”

 

[cleopat]

With anyone else, the threat of being pinned to a tree, feet dangling, would’ve put her on edge. With Varick, it did nothing more but sent an image in her head and heat to her cheeks. She turned away, pretending to be preoccupied with her food and her flask of water.

“Um, nope, I guess I’m not,” she hastily agreed, stuffing her cheeks with some of the dried fruit. Washing it down with water, she turned back to Varick, cheeks finally back to their normal color.

“Okay, I’m ready!” She ate as much as she needed to, and she needed to fill up her flask sometime soon, but she was ready for the lessons to begin, and even a bit eager.

She wanted to see what kind of teacher Varick would be. Yes, that was it. “So, what’s first, teacher?”

~~~

The pitying look Kirsikka gave wasn’t any better, and her words did nothing to abate his anger and frustration. A rebellious phase? How preposterous!

Okay, no, he didn’t have as much experience as most of the living Primals, but he still knew what he was doing. He still had a high accuracy and success rate. That should’ve counted for something, but apparently it didn’t to Kirsikka, all because she couldn’t look past the fact he was a mere child to her centuries.

“And yet here I am, the one apparently foolish enough to escort an elder into dangerous lands,” he bit back, before he paused, and sighed. He knew what he signed up for escorting something into Pomachion. He knew the risks, and he still did it.

Because he knew he could. Not because he was some starry-eyed adventurer looking for his next excitement.

“Maybe you should give me some time to prove that I simply impressed him enough to be recommended to you.” Though, Wydan’s track record wasn’t so great, if he indeed was bastard enough to sell her out.

Unless there was a bigger plan at stake, but Drazhan wouldn’t give the man that much credit. “Decades or centuries of experience, I still know a thing or two about hunting and killing monsters of all types, as well as using the land around us to our advantage. You would be foolish to continue alone without some sort of help.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Tamsin seemed prepared enough, and Varick nodded, approaching where she stood as she asked where to begin. “I find it easier to teach by showing, so…grab my shirt.” And Varick would wait, calmly, until Tamsin did just that. “I’m going to do this slow,” he noted, once she had a grip.

“If someone grabs you, you want to first trap their hand. Grab it, like this,” and he showed, his hand of course bigger, but he was still slow in showing how to do it. “You do this with the hand closest to the grab. If they grab you on your left side, you use your left hand. You want to get your fingers under their palm, as best you can, while keeping their hand against your chest.”

It sounded a bit counter-intuitive, he knew. “This is called trapping. The next step is wrapping.”

“You’ll start to turn your body, and bring your other hand up to keep their hand, and your hand, pinned to your chest. The turn is what will hurt them if you can hold their hand steady.” And he did turn, but stopped short of the point it would hurt Tamsin – just enough so she could feel the rotation of her arm.

“The pain will start to bring them down. Then if you need to, you can easily knee them in the face. It’s quick. It’s easy. It doesn’t require much strength, since the sort doing it won’t be expecting this kind of reaction.”

Those who grabbed at hands usually tried to push them away, after all.

He turned back to fully face Tamsin again, “Understand?”

~***~

‘A teenager desperate to prove the rebellious phase isn’t a phase. Desperate to prove they’re better than anything their parents hoped for them. Differently so.’ Kirsikka could see it only too clearly then, too painfully, as Drazhan insisted still on coming along and proving himself. She had been there.

Twice, of course.

She had an actual childhood. ‘But your rebellious phase….’ It led to this. She had such an on-again, off-again, relationship with the Ordo Sors, but it brought her here. She had been vindicated by it, would be vindicated by it, but only if she made it across, and she knew doing so alone was foolish.

But so was bringing a baby.

“I’m willing to continue with you.” There was no reasoning with a teenager, “You don’t seem to be kicked away very easily as it is,” he wasn’t afraid of what would befall him just for association, he wasn’t afraid enough of Pomachion, “But if you become more risk than asset, I will leave you to die if you don’t turn back on your own accord.”

Cold, but honest.

Drazhan had his chance to prove himself.

And she knew he’d take it. He’d want to prove her wrong. That was how these things worked. He’d want to save her, just to rub it in her face later. The baby saved her. How embarrassing that would be. And yet she could only hope for that, and not that the baby would get wrecked, as she turned Zephyr back to the path and got him walking again.

 

[cleopat]

Tamsin followed every word Varick spoke, absorbing the information he told her like her life depending on it. Because, well, it may actually depend on it one day, which she didn't want to think about, but the truth was she had been in situations in the past where a little self-defense knowledge could have helped her out quite well.

So she focused on his words, ignoring how big he was compared to her. How big his hand dwarfed her much smaller one.

Behave, Tamsin.

“Okay, yeah, I think I understand,” she answered with a nod. “It seems pretty easy. Should we switch roles now? I learn more by doing something rather than just listening and seeing.” It was how she learned to play her instruments. She didn’t just watch someone play them. She picked up the lute and started playing.

Making mistakes, correcting her mistakes, learning new melodies. All by doing.

“And I assume you’ll correct me if I make a mistake?”

~~~

You don’t seem to be kicked away very easily as it is. Drazhan had been called stubborn before, in a heated argument before he continued on to his new life. “I understand.” He still didn’t like to be considered a baby, even if the woman was hundreds of years older than him.

He wasn’t a baby, or a child, and he was fully capable of doing much more than the average human his age. But that wasn’t enough.

Nothing is ever good enough.

Drazhan turned Bear back onto the path to follow alongside Kirsikka. “You won’t regret this,” he vowed, and he won’t speak any further on the matter. He knew that just further insisting that she was the one in the wrong, that he was good enough, would only do the opposite. It would only create more doubt in his abilities.

That he was indeed a baby.

 

[Lucyfer]

Easy was the idea, of course, and Varick nodded, letting go of her hand, “Yes. We’ll practice until you get it right a few times.” Once could always be a fluke. She had to truly know how it felt. “And you can do it properly. I want you to see it works, even on men like me.” And he wasn’t afraid of a little pain.

He was quite accustomed to it when training others.

Besides, if she didn’t see it, she might not believe it.

Of course, he wasn’t going to grab Tamsin like someone might in a confrontation. Once he’d let go of her hand, he just grasped her shirt just above the swell of her breasts, near the collar, and nodded to her that he was ready for her to begin practicing, and he was ready to begin instructing so her placement could be right, and she could actually pull this off.

Even if it took fifty tries.

~***~

‘…I should have left you.’

It wasn’t a thought of dislike. Nor was it even one of mistrust. It was the same feeling from before, when she’d told him to leave before he knew who she was. Pity, mixed with guilt. She didn’t want Drazhan’s blood on her hands. They were already bloody enough with those she cared about.

Wydan was another on the list.

She knew that, no matter how angry she was at him. He was only in that situation, because of her. At least he had warned her…

The thoughts plagued her of how to actually lose Drazhan as they journeyed on, days and nights dotted by the yellow flowers. Kirsikka still slept little. No matter what Drazhan had to prove, there was the possibility that her comments had hurt him enough that he was also looking for the first sign to betray her, too.

So the night they made camp, and the flowers suddenly lost all of their light, Kirsikka didn’t take it as seriously as she should have. Sleep deprivation and eyes that kept closing against her will made her ignore it completely when she should have been on watch for such a thing.

When it did dawn on her that something was amiss and she started to rise, she heard a gruff voice, “Don’t bother,” and saw a familiar, graying Primal step into their camp, with a scar tattooed on his face, “Let him rest.”

“What are you doing out this way?”

He grunted as he took a seat, “Hunting monsters. What else? You could use some rest as well.”

 

[cleopat]

Once instructed, Tamsin made a motion to grab Varick’s hand. First time, she forgot to grab with the nearest and instinctively grabbed with her dominant hand. Then when she did manage to grab with her proper hand, there were slight finger adjustments to be made.

It was not as easy as Varick made it out to be. And she should be used to finger adjustments from her instruments!

But this wasn’t playing an instrument. It was protecting herself.

And they practiced until Tamsin finally managed to rotate her body to start bringing Varick down. At first she hesitated, because she didn’t want to hurt him, but then she relented. Could someone as small as her really hurt a seasoned Primal like him?

“Okay, what do you think?” she asked after letting go of him and turning back to face Varick. “Do you think I'm finally getting the hang of that move?” Tamsin thought so, at least.

~~~

The days continued, and Drazhan did manage to get enough sleep at night to notice that Kirsikka didn’t. He didn’t say anything; if she wanted to be stubborn as well, then he would let her.

But that translated into light sleep at night in case something happened on her watch. If she fell asleep, if a monster snuck up on them. Not that he’d think she would let that happen, but anything can happen. He had to take precautions.

Which was when someone approached their camp, Drazhan did wake up, initially not stirring to gauge the situation, but he shot up at the familiar voice. “Varick?” Warning bells went off in his head, and he was careful to not ignore them, but also the need to find out why Varick was there, and so much more, won out.

He didn’t know what to say at first. “Hunting monsters way out here?” he chuckled, shaking his head. Varick didn’t seem that foolish, but maybe if a job paid well enough, he would.

Still, Drazhan kept an eye out to see if anything was wrong with Varick. Something just seemed odd. “It’s…it’s nice seeing you again.”

 

[Lucyfer]

Varick was patient as Tamsin learned, working on her grip until she got it figured out, and then went forward with pressing on it, and turning her body, messing with the alignment of his arm until it hurt and he automatically started to go down with the turn, masking the wince that followed.

Tamsin was supposed to see it worked, but Varick did still have some impressions he rarely allowed himself to shake. One was visibly reacting much to pain. He couldn’t have monsters know when they got him, after all, let alone humans.

Tamsin let go, and Varick straightened himself out, offering an agreeable hum, “We’ll need to keep practicing so it becomes automatic where to place your hands.” Varick said. “Don’t need to mess it up in the moment and just embarrass yourself.” So he was willing to continue with it, and try the other side as well, until she got it fairly well on both sides.

They had time enough, before they’d need to get back. "Next time we can work on what to do if you get tackled or pinned." Especially since the size difference would be a boon in teaching her. Most were likely to be larger than her.

~***~

“Varick” had taken a form familiar to both Drazhan and Kirsikka, but it could not take much in the way of memories. It took impressions, and could sense those impressions in both. Kirsikka’s preference for a hunter such as Varick, and Drazhan’s…strange longing, as well. Tinted with bitterness. A happy greeting would not be quite right. Returning Drazhan’s words would not be quite right.

“Varick” was only beginning to process this couldn’t go over like a normal human interaction as it latched onto Drazha’s impressions. So, he grunted at the comment, and took a seat amongst them. They had no fire to symbolize a central area, but their bed rolls were still placed as if there could be a fire between them.

No close sleeping, apparently. Hardly lovers then. Questionably friends.

“You two shouldn’t be out this way.”

Kirsikka rolled her eyes and sat back down on her bedroll. “I know how dangerous it is, thank you.”

There was almost a glint of mischief in “Varick’s” eye. Something that Kirsikka wouldn’t know was unnatural. Naturally, “Varick” was aware right then they had no idea how much danger they were in, but he couldn’t say as much. Only, “Suit yourself,” which seemed aloof enough to him for what impressions they had of Varick.

 

[cleopat]

“So we’ll try this again a few more times?” Tamsin was eager to try again. She was ready to be a good student. She saw the merit in learning how to protect herself, and defending herself when a drunk guy made a grab at her would be an important one.

How many have tried that very move in the past, and she’s been lucky to get away? One day she may not be so lucky.

And for some reason, she wanted to prove to Varick that she could protect herself. That she wasn’t some helpless damsel waiting for a man to come and save her.

The next lesson, learning what to do if she was tackled or pinned, sent an inappropriate image to her head. She cleared her throat. “So we’ll learn the next one next time we stop?” Given how far they traveled that day, that would put the next lesson at dinner, unless he wanted to do it the next day.

She would always be eager to learn, regardless.

~~~

There was indeed something off about “Varick.” The aloof response to seeing Drazhan for the first time since their big argument was a dead giveaway. The glint of mischief? Also something Drazhan didn’t recognize, time passed or not.

But he couldn’t just go straight at it and accuse this Varick of something that may or may not be true. He needed to get Varick to talk more and prove who he was.

Drazhan still half expected a punch in the face, not a simple grunt.

“What do you mean we shouldn’t be out this way? We’ve been out this way in these woods together once, many summers ago. Surely you don’t remember that trip?” Drazhan easily told the story. His sword wasn’t attached to him, but it was within reaching distance. He would be a fool to lay them down where he couldn’t easily grab them in the middle of the night.

He wouldn’t attack now, in case it really was Varick acting weird. But he also wouldn’t let his guard down.