Fantasy Shattered World {one on one}

[obikanwenobi]

Fern shrugged and slipped the gold back into her satchel. She didn't pay too terribly much attention to the interaction between Albert and Iris, though she was listening.
She was halfway through tying the emerald ribbon into her hair when she realized Albert was looking at her.

​

"Oh, Albert." She said with a charming, dimpled smile. She lowered her arms from above her head and shook out her sleeves. "That's awfully kind of you. We'd love to stay, but I left my hound back at our camp. I promised him I'd come back. I know they say pups can't understand people, but... oh, I'd just feel so terrible lying to him. I spent a lot of time training him. It'd be a shame if we left him too long and he got tainted."

She started talking before Albert could get another word in. "It isn't far. We'll make it before nightfall, safe as can be."

Her face still reflected innocence, as did her voice. She was careful to maintain a consistent demeanor. These fools were idiotic enough to murder her on the spot if they found out what she was despite the fact that she hadn't done the slightest harm to them.

 

[FaddedFox]

Albert sputtered a little, surprised that the two of them were still going. Did they fear nothing in the dark? He shook his head. They would let themselves die over a dog? Dogs were hardly enough to risk ones one life. He waved them off then. "I do hope you survive the darkness!" he called after them.

Iris gave a sigh of relief once they were back in the forest. The shade helped a lot. "Well you've got your weapons now so you should be good. It's been quite the experience, Fern. Catch you later." Sleep. He needed sleep. And darkness. He rubbed his head trying to ease the pain. He squinted as he continued his trek forward, trying to see through the migraine and spots in his vision.

 

[obikanwenobi]

Fern flipped the blades over in her hands, happy with them. She didn't respond at first when Iris began to walk away, but rather focused on allowing her appearance to shift back into something more comfortable and natural. Back to the smooth-skinned, black-nailed creature that she was before.

Something about Iris's demeanor intrigued Fern. He seemed desperate to return to the shady forest, whereas a normal human might run away from it. That combined with his lack of fear of not only her but the idea of other creatures much worse than hers was enough to cause her to ask questions. She couldn't pinpoint what exactly he was or if she was imagining it, but something about the crimson haired man was not normal. If there truly was something up with him, she wanted to know what. She made the decision to stay with him until she figured it out. She wouldn't stick around forever, but these woods were her territory. She liked to know what lived alongside her.

Her silence didn't mean she stopped following him, though. She took care to ensure her footsteps were silent as she trekked along behind him. When she was sure he thought he'd lost her, she spoke. "You're Tainted." She declared. She spoke slowly in that siren's drawl, just as she had when they met. She was only a foot or so behind Iris, her hair blowing gently in the whispering wind. "Otherwise an aberration."

 

[FaddedFox]

Iris hadn't realized she was still following after him. Her voice startled him and he nearly tripped, his leg not rising high enough over a stump. He reached out and gripped a tree beside him. Iris looked back at her, studying her face. She knew he was tainted? Then why didn't she kill him? Wasn't 'tainted' the same as an 'aberration'? Ugh, he didn't have the energy to deal with this. He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "Look, I got a headache and not in the mood for a discussion about what I am or am not. I just want to sleep. So either you come with me, you kill me, or you leave me alone."

Iris turned his back to her then and continued on his way. He was a little tense, expecting her to attack him, but she didn't. Seemed like she wasn't going to kill him. He kept walking until he found a little cave they could take shelter in. He quickly move inside to see if there were any animals inside but there was nothing. He dropped down and grabbed his flask of clean water and drank from it greedily before he set down his things and flopped back to lay down on the cool hard ground. He groaned lightly before he curled onto his side and pulled the still damp shirt over his head, hoping the coolness of it would help.

 

[obikanwenobi]

Fern didn’t speak but rather opted to follow Iris into the cave. She sat down in the mouth of the cave as he rolled over. He pulled the shirt she’d washed for him earlier over his head. She watched him with preternatural stillness for some time. It was normal for humans to get headaches and other small ailments. Whatever Iris was dealing with seemed amplified.

Fern removed her cloak, beneath which she wore a plain black dress. Her many bags and satchels hung off of her body. There were five, each one filled with something different. She reached her hand into the smallest of the woven yarn bags and pulled out a handful of green tea leaves.

She didn’t particularly care whether or not Iris felt better, but she couldn’t question him if he was in too much pain to speak. The quickest and easiest thing to do would be to help.

Fern leaned forward and placed her hand on Iris’s shoulder. “Put this under your tongue.” She instructed. Healing was in her nature after all, albeit a dying rite.

 

[FaddedFox]

Iris started to fall asleep when he suddenly felt the witch's hand on him. He tensed, his eyes opening. For a moment, they were gold in hue and he wanted to smack her hand away. Thankfully, the shirt kept the color of his eyes hidden. He cleared his throat and opened his hand without pulling the shirt away or lifting his head. Leaves? He brought it to his nose first to sniff it. It didn't smell bad. He did as she instructed then and placed the leaf beneath his tongue. It wasn't immediately but after a while, the pain began to ebb away.

Iris relaxed a bit more and sighed. That felt so much better. "Thanks," he said a bit muffled. "It's helping a lot."

 

[obikanwenobi]

“It’s green tea.” She said. She didn’t offer any other explanation. Fern spread her cloak out before her and then sat Sankta Elana and her two new blades down on it. She arranged her pouches in a line below them and began to count. Her herbs weren’t always necessary for practicing her magic, but she found they had a lot of medicinal properties that were quicker and easier than exerting her magic.

She dipped her hand into her chalk and withdrew a small handful. She placed it on the cave floor and then dipped one of her fingers into it. After that, she set to drawing dozens of small symbols on each of the blades. This was that stereotypical behavior of witches— drawing sigils and muttering soft spells beneath her breath. It was more complicated than most realized, though. There was no cover-all protection spell. She had to be specific. Each symbol had a different mantra.

Finally she moved on. She pulled the tiniest pot of ink from one of the five bags. She then poured a drop into the remaining chalk and stirred it up. It was now a medium gray color. She dipped her finger into that and then lifted up the hem of her dress, where she drew three very particular symbols. She didn’t allow herself to think about what those were for any longer than she needed to in order to draw them.

When Fern was done she cleaned up her mess, returned her bags to her body, and covered herself in her cloak once more. All that sat before her now was the cloth that she’d wrapped the days purchases up in. “If you eat, you’ll feel better.”

Her tone was much, much darker than her words.

 

[FaddedFox]

Iris grumbled but eventually forced himself up into a sitting position to eat something. He knew he needed to keep his strength up. HE hadn't eaten that day with everything going on. "Fine," he grumbled and ate some of the meat he'd dried and some bread and cheese Nicholas had set out for him for helping with the forge. With a full stomach, he lay back again and curled up to go back to sleep.


And surprisingly, though neither one said they would continue as a duo, they did just that. Iris grumbled about it, tried to move on without her, but Fern was always right there, a silent companion. Staring. Watching. Helping when he least expected it. The two worked rather well together considering neither one of them was very talkative. They just did what they needed to do to survive together. It was oddly comforting. The companionship was missed. He hadn't realized quite how much. And it lulled him into a sense of security. He'd almost forgotten about his little problem.

It was several days now since the two of them had started traveling together and all seemed normal again. Iris was even humming! He he hummed as he stirred the stew he made using a spice Fern had offered and some rabbits that were actually normal and untainted. God above it smelled so good. "I haven't had stew in a very long time," he mused. He poured Fern a bowl before he sat down with a bowl of his own. "Thanks for the spices."

 

[obikanwenobi]

Fern didn’t do anything more than dip her head slightly as she took the bowl from Iris. It might’ve come off as rude, but anyone who knew Fern well enough knew that was just how she was. She didn’t mean anything by it. It was how she said ‘thank you’ and ‘you’re welcome’ without having to use words.

Fern had found over the past few days that being in another living being’s presence was… nice, dare she say. Iris didn’t pressure her to talk, and she didn’t. Not unless words were necessary or she felt like being smart with him. He tried to ward her off to no avail and when it seemed he’d finally given up, he began to him. Part of her wanted to sew his mouth shut, but she refrained. The humming meant he had a personality.

She brought the bowl of stew to her lips and took a sip of it, bypassing a spoon. She didn’t find one all that necessary. Indeed, the stew was delicious. She hadn’t had meat in an unbelievably long time. “It’s been a while since I’ve had real food.” She noted aloud. Her black hair was braided, but several pieces of it hung around her face like a curtain. It was void of any bones or other immediate indicators that she might be a witch.

 

[FaddedFox]

"Mmmhmmm. Gosh it is rare finding meat that isn't tainted. It is iffy for the strange creatures. I've found a couple that are edible, but the experimentation is rather scary." He took a few bites of his food, enjoying the warmth he felt in his stomach. It reminded him of the evenings he'd spent with his family, around a campfire telling stories and sharing wisdom and travels. It had been so beautiful. And then the chaos had ripped them away. But at least they wouldn't have to worry about survival anymore. It was what it was.

He'd finished most of his food before things began to... change. He suddenly didn't feel so good. He touched his stomach, feeling queasy. He frowned and set down the bowl. The rabbit... The rabbit was normal. They checked it. Why was he feeling so sick all of a sudden? He looked to Fern but she seemed fine. Then again, it was hard to tell what she was really feeling. She was like a rock. The sick feeling intensified then and a spasm of pain hit him. He gasped and hugged himself. Crap! Was he... was he changing? Was the corruption finally happening? He needed to get away. If he was changing, he didn't want to hurt Fern.

Iris bolted from where he sat and fled deeper into the forest, not really paying attention where he was going until the pain intensified. He hit the ground, curling around himself. "Damn it.. damn it damn it.." he groaned. He did end up throwing up several times, his stomach trying to expel all the food he'd eaten. And that wasn't the worst of it. The pain moved up from his stomach to his jaw, his eyes, and hands. His strangled cry transformed into a snarling hiss as fangs grew, claws developing on his fingers and his eyes narrowing into cat like slits.

 

[obikanwenobi]

Fern listened to Iris speak and didn’t comment. She knew all too well how hard it was to find edible meat these days. Edible anything, really— she couldn’t count how many times she’d gone to eat an elderberry only to find it was a putrid green color on the inside.

She had the bowl up to her lips when Iris jumped from his seat and bolted towards the woods. Only her eyes followed him at first. Had the rabbit been bad? No, she felt fine. Her eyebrows drew together as she stood and set the bowl of stew down beside her. Iris was already a good ways away from her. Curious, and even a little concerned, she began to walk after him. It wasn’t until she heard a strangled cry that she picked up the pace.

She was, dare she say it, frightened. But not immensely so. He sounded in pain. Had the villagers come for them? She finally happened upon him. He was lying on the ground surrounded by vomit. Fern had to look away and compose herself. She could handle all kinds of things— blood and gore, death and torture. Vomit? Hell no. When she was finally convinced she wouldn’t also throw up, she stepped closer. He was hissing and snarling and—

“You have fangs.” She stated. Her hands were on hips and she looked utterly unfazed, but on the inside? She hadn’t come across anything quite like him before, whatever this was. It made her feel supremely uneasy. “And claws. Heavens, Iris, you could’ve told me you were a cat.”

Only Fern would try to carry a casual conversation with someone writhing around on the ground in pain.

 

[FaddedFox]

Iris at first wasn't aware of Fern's presence. He was too wrapped up in his own issue. The darker nature of the Taint was also trying to make it to the fore of his mind, to take control. He wanted it all to stop. He hated pain and all this was was pain. Everything in his body was changing. Tears squeezed past clenched eyelids as he tried to gain some control over his spasming body. It was like every muscle in his body had tensed up and refused to relax.

And then his mind registered her voice. He froze, the pain fading as suddenly as it had come on, but everything was not okay. He panted, his body readjusting to the sounds, smells, and sights around him. Everything was sharper. The smells were clear, the darkness suddenly didn't feel quite so overwhelming. He could see. Much like the cat Fern joked about, his golden pupils dilated, taking everything in. Her scent... she smelled good. His mouth watered and he found himself drooling. Gods he could just imagined what he looked like now.

Before he realized what he was doing, his body moved. Quicker than he'd ever been able to move, he whirled on Fern, snarling in a frenzy, fangs extended. He wanted to bit her, taste her blood, savor every taste of it. He managed to pin her to the ground before he blinked, the snarling gone. "Wha...." What the fuck was he doing? "No!" He pulled away, scrambling back and away from her. He looked down at himself, body shaking as he stared at his long claws. His body had changed, his mind would come next. It was already happening. He would be a full vampire next, a mindless Tainted creature that hunted humans just like the werewolves.

 

[obikanwenobi]

Fern didn’t have time to register what was happening before Iris had her pinned down to the ground. She let out a startled cry as she fell. The impact knocked the breath out of her. He was moving inhumanly fast. Her eyes were wide with genuine fear, the first time she’d truly shown any emotion since they met, and a muddled scream died in her throat. Her heart thudded against her chest. The feeling of his skin against hers, of anyone being that close at all, made her feel physically sick.

He was off of her moments later. He looked confused, but she didn’t pay much attention. Fern back on her feet in an instant. All of the humor she’d been embracing moments prior was completely gone. “What was that?” She hissed. Her hand was already inside of her cloak and grasping her dagger. It dawned on her after she pointed the dagger towards him. Her eyes darkened. “You’re a vampire.” Her breaths were still rapid.

She looked more than a little angry that he’d attacked her, but she made no move to get revenge. For the first time in a long time, she was vulnerable.

 

[FaddedFox]

"You're a vampire."

The words stung but he couldn't exactly deny it, could he? He'd just lunged at her, wanting her blood. Even the thought of it made his throat thirst for it, hunger for it. How long before he lost control of his mind and ceased to be him? He'd seen vampires act human before. Was that just acting or was that the human there, still beneath the monster? His silly hope that somehow he wouldn't fully turn had evaporated. He dropped his hands in his lap turned his gaze away from her.

"I suppose I am," he answered, his voice sounding different, the fangs in his mouth making him have to talk differently. It gave him an odd accent. His tongue ran over the longer canines in investigation and quickly cut himself with the sharp point. Holy crap, they were like razor blades. How did vampires-how would he go about things without cutting himself? It took a moment he he did manage to retract them a little. He decided it would be best not to move from his sitting position, least he scare her into thinking he was attacking, or accidentally do it without thinking.

 

[obikanwenobi]

Fern gradually composed herself physically, but she didn’t put Elana away. The dagger remained grasped in her right hand. “Thank you for warning me.” She said, her voice nearly seething. She had to remind herself over and over again to stay calm. It didn’t ever end well when she truly lost her temper.

Would she have stuck by his side had she known? Probably— she’d dealt with more violent creatures. But knowing would’ve been nice. She could’ve kept her guard up and only slept when he was out hunting or other. A fool, she’d been. To let her guard down in the presence of someone she knew was tainted without getting any real answers.

She wanted to yell at him, but it wouldn’t do any good. The expression on his face and his body language suggested enough; he hadn’t meant to attack her. Regardless, she kept her distance. It seemed like he’d just now turned, but she couldn’t be sure. Surely he knew he was going to turn long before now.

 

[FaddedFox]

"I'm sorry. I should have said something. I hadn't planned on company. I did try to get away but you followed. And then it... it was nice having someone else at the campfire. The turning felt far away. And I was an idiot. I thought maybe I wouldn't actually... Turn. That it would just go away." He shook his head. "Regardless, it was stupidity and I am sorry I put you in danger. It is probably best that we part ways. Eventually I'll call too much attention to you or pose a danger and that is the last thing I want."

Iris slowly got to his feet then. "I'll just go get my things. I'll leave the food I have with you. I won't be needing it anymore."

 

[obikanwenobi]

Fern frowned as he apologized and then proceeded to stand. The apology she’d take, but she didn’t want him to leave. She’d somehow grown a little attached to having the not-so-human boy around. Someone to watch, to talk to, to share a meal with. She slowly slipped her dagger back into her pocket.

“Iris, I want to hit you, but I’m not afraid.” She said, and she wasn’t lying. She’d been terrified when he’d pinned her to the ground, but now she had a better grasp on what was going on. She wasn’t completely certain how vampirism worked, but she had enough knowledge to connect the dots. She could figure out when distance herself and when it was okay to get close to him. It’d take time, but she believed it possible. Besides, his idea of vampires was likely based off of the human one. Humans were known to exaggerate things. “You don’t have to go.”

 

[FaddedFox]

She wanted him to stay? Why? Vampires drank blood from people. Why would she want him around? Wasn't she afraid he would lung at her again, bit her? Drain her dry like some kind of beast? It didn't make any sense at all. Were all witches really like this? Not afraid of anything? He paused in his steps, trying to figure out what he should do. He was enjoying her company. It was nice not being alone. But would he really be able to restrain himself and not hurt her?

"Do you have some kind of spell that would protect you from me or something? I don't want to lunge at you again, intentionally or not. I don't know how to control any of this, stop these new... things about me. You have enough to worry about than adding me to the mix."

 

[obikanwenobi]

Fern pressed her lips together. She had hundreds of spells and runes and such, but the idea of vampirism was a new one. She hadn’t found anything that protected against blood sucking creatures, mostly because she hadn’t been looking. Her mind was focused elsewhere, on the plague and zombies. Even those didn’t offer outright protection; she could be harmed by anything if it was willing enough. “I’ve not got any spells for protection against vampires. But I’ve got common sense, and that should do it until I find one.”

She found his concern for potentially hurting her endearing. Yes, she ran the risk of having being fed off of each passing moment, but she wasn’t so naive as to not be prepared. If worse came to worse and he tried to attack her and posed a true threat to her life, she’d kill him. Easy enough. She stared at him after she spoke.

 

[FaddedFox]

She seemed pretty serious about the whole thing. He debated a moment before he gave a small smile. He wasn't scared, but the changing process was very disorienting and he wasn't sure of himself or his future. It would be nice to have someone with him on the journey; something constant he could count on. And if he became a monster, he could trust that she would stop him. She had magic on her side after all. What else could destroy a creature of the night better than magic?

"Alright then. I guess I'll stay then," he mused. He returned to their camp and sighed. The food still smelled really good. Too bad he couldn't eat it. "I don't think I'll be able to travel during the daylight hours anymore. The sun was really starting to bother me before this change. With this complete change, I think my sensitivity to the light increased. Are you alright with traveling at night?"

 

[obikanwenobi]

Fern nearly smiled in satisfaction as he agreed to stay. It had been so long since she had a companion. She’d be lying if she said she wasn’t starting to enjoy the company. She followed him back to the camp and picked her bowl of stew back up.

“I’d love to travel at night.” She responded. It was true. She liked the day, but something about the night made her feel… secure? Powerful? She wasn’t sure what the word was to describe it, but there was a reason covens gathered in the dark. Their magic seemed more in tune She took a sip of her nearly cold stew. “Night is the perfect time to perform all of my sadistic rituals and curse the villages.” A joke— she’d never done such things no matter how desperately she’d wanted to.

 

[FaddedFox]

He snorted and shook his head, a smile on his lips. He'd gotten used to her dark humor. He'd realized she really was just joking and trying to get a reaction. He hadn't seen any evidence of her 'evil' nature and she hadn't tried to destroy the village they'd been in. He doubted she would ever actually try it. He turned his gaze up to the sky where he could see the moon so clearly. It suddenly seemed so much closer. And all the sounds! He found himself tilted his head side to side as various little noises caught his attention. There were way too many things to take notice of.

He was starting to get overwhelmed. He had to close his eyes to at least block the visual stimulus. "Sorry if I get distracted. I have a lot to get used it," he mused. "Since we are officially traveling together now... what are your plans? I was indeed heading towards the mountains, hoping that higher ground would have better outcomes... I mean it is higher altitude, maybe things aren't as mutated up there or tainted. I don't much like the cold but I thought it would be worth a shot. Where were you headed?" he asked.[color]

 

[obikanwenobi]

Fern glanced up at him. His theory about the mountains was probably true, but she couldn't be sure to what extent. There was the chance that the animals and water and plants there weren't as affected. There was also the chance that the larger, more dangerous animals like elk and bears were affected. When asked where she was headed, her facial expression fell. She didn't look away, though, considering that maintaining eye-contact seemed to be a vital part of her personality.

"Nowhere." She responded at first. She glanced down into her bowl of soup. "I don't have any family to find, nor a coven to serve. I am a wanderer at best. I took up residence in a shack northwest of here, but it burned to the ground. I can't be sure if it was my fault or if another did it. Much was lost. I belong nowhere."

The very reason she'd been in the woods to meet Iris those few days ago was because she had nowhere else to go. She was carving a bone dagger to take with her on her journey to wherever it was she ended up. Preferably somewhere far, far away from humans.

 

[FaddedFox]

It didn't sound like they were too different after all. He had nowhere else to go. He didn't belong anywhere now. No human village would take him and he'd rather not involve them in this thing that was happening to him. He was a predator to them now; a creature that was no longer human and deserved nothing less than a dagger in the brain. Well, a stake through the heart he supposed. His family was long dead and though he told the villagers he was looking for his lost sister, the truth was she had died. He hadn't been able to protect her and now she and the rest of his family were just ash and dust. Even if the mountains were better, it didn't matter to him now. He was already tainted and the food or water sources didn't much matter.

"Then I guess something brought us together in a time of need," he mused. "I have nowhere I really need to be either. I am sorry your home was burned down, whatever the reason," he said then. "I don't really have to go to the mountains if you don't want to go up there. I don't know how much of the rumors are true after all. It could be no better than down here. Certainly harder to hide from the sun," he said with a shrug. "So I guess just wandering it is. And speaking of, I find myself with new found energy. Do you still want to rest here for the night? If so, I could go scout ahead."

 

[obikanwenobi]

Fern sat her bowl down beside her and pulled her cloak over her shoulders. She fastened it at the base of her throat with a glinting emerald sun clasp. It had once been her mother’s, her mother’s mother’s, and so on. Fern knew she’d be the last witch to wear it, so she chose to do so often. Her fingertips lingered on the gem for a moment longer than necessary before she responded to him.

“I’m not tired.” She said. Her mouth was downturned, but she didn’t necessarily look sad or mad… just unreadable. It was a wonder Iris didn’t think she was the most boring creature in existence. “I’ll go with you.”

She reached up and pulled her hair out from beneath her cloak. It wasn’t braided today but rather tied at the nape of her neck. She reached down and picked up the bowl, proceeding to dumb the last little bit of stew out onto the ground. She didn’t want to waste anything but the rabbit was gone, so it wasn’t a huge loss.