Fantasy The Chosen of Seven

[TerraBooma]

"Paint?" Romon looked to Adruo in confusion, and for a brief second his gait was confused, structure less, as a point of confusion spread across his face for a moment and his facade was broken. "Oh!" He said as he remembered. "For the uh...for the figures." He chuckled sheepishly before coughing to clear his throat and to reestablish that firm gait. "I will acquire the paints if possible, but I doubt they will be available in a small village like this, that said there is a chance that the local elder may have some...if we are lucky." Romon gave a stiff shrug and continued walking along, leading the two of them into the village proper, making waves to the locals as they made their way to the town square. The town was that of a mixed variety of humans and other assorted races, but humans remained the predominant race. Much to Adruo's pleasure Romon's stiffer attitude seemed to slowly relax into his old road self as he surveyed the area.


As the pair arrived a small crowd began to form, at it's head was someone who's authority and presence radiated that of the head Elder. A calm yet calculating air surrounded him, he used a staff as a walking stick, shuffling forward. He was clearly old, and being alive at his age was a testament to his will to survive. On his shoulder was an old looking Raven, weathered but prideful as it puffed it's plumage to approach the newcomers.

The old human walked up, before giving a deep bow to the pair, both Adruo and Romon.


"Hello there young ones, I am the head of this small village, my name is Amos Greatsaff, but most folks round 'these here parts just call me Amos." The Old man's voice was raspy, but there was a lively tone to his voice, and upon closure inspection a soft sparkle in his eye. "It's not often we get travelers in these parts, especially quite like you two. Forgive me but a dragonkin and one of the fair folk is an odd combination to see." The raven let out a soft caw and Amos chuckled. "Now now Beatrice, not in front of the lady." The raven gave an indingant squawk, but remained silent for the rest of the conversation. He gave an apologetic bow to Adruo. "We are but a poor village, but we never turn away outsiders when we can spare a room. The people of Pagus will never be called inhospitable!" He turned around, calling to the crowd. "Treat these two as one of the town! Best behavior! That means you Sammy!"


In the back of the crowd, one of the younger boys that had gathered let out a loud groan, it didn't take much observation to see the telltale sign of a prankster. The small crowd got a good laugh at that. "Now! Come with me! Your walk must have been long, as most walks tend to be." Amos chuckled again, seeming to laugh at a joke only he understood.


"You can spend the night in my hut. It's probably nothing compared to the places you folk sleep in, but it's the best we got." With a shuffling repeated click of his staff upon the unpaved ground, made his way towards one of the largest houses in town, upon a hill not far from the village center. The crowd after a few stares (And a fair amount of grumbling as Sammy walked past) began to leave, they had work to do after all.


Romon gave a helpless shrug to Adruo, but there wasn't any regret on his face, if anything he seemed curious. "Well then, not much we can do but follow, it'd be rude not to accept such a generous offer from such a kind man wouldn't it?."

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Adruo raised a brow at Romon's odd reaction to her question. She found it strange for him to act as he did in response to what she thought to be a perfectly innocent question. The dragonkin ended up shrugging it off. There were still things about Romon that she had yet to learn. Until she had, the elf would surprise and confuse her now and again. It was a given whenever meeting a new person, whoever they may be. It wasn't like she had much time to dwell on the fact either. The people in the village caught her attention quickly. She politely waved and smiled to the people they passed. She did notice the majority of humans in the village. It wasn't uncommon with humans being the race with the highest numbers.


Adruo gave a bow in response to the old man. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Amos." She said happily, yet politely. She didn't want to insult anyone. "It's not often we get travelers in these parts, especially quite like you two. Forgive me but a dragonkin and one of the fair folk is an odd combination to see." The dragonkin looked over to her elf travelling companion. Was it really that strange? Wait... She knew the answer to her own question. Being born of a dragonkin and elf, she knew what people thought of it. "I suppose it is a bit of a strange combination." She gave a small smile to the old man. Amos's next words made Adruo's smile go much wider. She couldn't hold back the small chuckle at the groan from the child. She decided to look for the boy later if she had a chance.


"Thank you, Amos." She said with genuine appreciation. She then nodded to Romon. "Definitely. It is really kind of him to offer his home to some travellers. Who knows? Perhaps they heard of your impressive show in last years tournament and think of you as a celebrity." Adruo jested with a light-hearted chuckle.


As they walked, Adruo looked around with constantly piqued interest. Seeing all the houses and stalls selling their wares acted as waves of nostalgia. "This place reminds me so much of my own home." She told Romon with a small smile gracing her features. "This seems like more of a farming village. My home was more based on mining. We farmed only to sustain ourselves. Still, it was quiet and peaceful like it is here. Unlike the bustle of large cities." She let out a content sigh. It was far easier to relax in a village like Pagus than somewhere like Eden or Ladesh.

 

[minismurf]

Sylvanus had walked for quite some time, and he had no clue about where he was, he'd walked through corridoor after corridoor but every passage looked exactly the same. "Oh dear" He said for himself as he could swear that he looked down the corridoor that he'd already walked through at least four times already. Many people who he'd passed had given him a look of dislike, however as usual he just ignored them. From time to time he stumbled a little from his wounds.


Eventually he finally heard something familiar, it was Chilali's voice that raced through one of the corridoors, he looked to the left and indeed there she was, he lifted his arm in a wave. "Oh hi there Chilali" He frowned over her comment about his wounds. "Don't worry about it, I've been through worse" He listened to her request about going to the headmaster, "Sure, I suppose I could join you, but why would they want to talk with me? And shouldn't we return to our search of the weapons?" He listened to the answer she gave him, but just as they started heading towards the head's office he stumbled again, when he looked back at Chilali he could easily read the look she gave him. "That doesn't mean anything, I'm fine, I'm fine"


@KiKi Kitsune

 

[TerraBooma]

Amos lead Romon and Adruo into his hut, waving them inside with a warm look on his face. Romon gave another shrug to Adruo and followed inside.


The inner workings of Amos's hut was best described as organized chaos. The rooms were messy but the old man navigated them with purposeful movements that showed he seemed to know exactly how to get around, he placed objects and moved them to different piles with seemingly little more than his own pile-sorting plan inside his mind. The piles left enough room to move around comfortably and Romon himself had little problem getting around. Eventually Amos led them to a small couch and waved them to sit down.


"Now I'm sure you two must be tired from your journey, my house is...messier than I would like to admit, but I would be honored to have such distinguished guests in the village, both you Elvish Blade." A deep bow to Romon, who chuckled sheepishly in response. "And you, storyteller. My Beatrice has been astounded by many of your tales when she flies over your town, she's even stopped to listen. You have quite the reputation with her you know." Beatrice let out what could only be a happy sqwak and although he said nothing, Amos gave a light but jolly laugh.


"Beatrice here also tells me your looking for something important, with all the hubub about the capital and those lights...a weapon?" Amos raised a brow, but said little more. "I suppose it's not our business to pry. You are our guests after all!" Amost moved about different piles, and about ten minutes later returned with food he procured from seemingly thin air. "That said we would much appreciate any help you have to offer. Elf, you have a reputation among the village folk as willing to lend a hand with the farms, it would be a big help."


Amos then turned his attention to Adruo with a curious gaze. "And you story teller...would you be willing to tell the village a few of your tales this evening? The whole town would love it, especially the children...entertainment is hard to come by in these parts."


Romon looked to Adruo after Amos had finished speaking. "I can lend a hand no problem, whatcha think Adruo, looks like you've got an audience waiting."

 

[Ariel]

May was relieved when he agreed to stop. It wasn't as if she believed he hated her, but it didn't seem completely out of place to expect that Severis would oppose simply because she had mentioned it. Just being around him made her feel incompetent, and May knew a lot of it was probably true. She had a lot less experience than most who had been selected for this journey, but there had to be a reason it was her! That was her only argument to thoughts like that, and a dang good one. As far as Mayweather knew, the Gods were not wrong very often.


When they climbed down from their horses, May caught a glimpse of Severis smacking into a tree. She might have chalked it down to him being tired and worn out or a simple mistake but when she glanced down by his feet, there wasn't much he could have tripped on. May pretended not to notice because she assumed it would have made him self conscious but the worry was there all the same. Was he really okay? He had insisted up and down for a while that he was fine but she also suspected him as the stubborn type. He told her to cook while he gathered fire wood. Once he was out of sight and hopefully out of hearing, May beckoned the groggy raccoon forward.


"Could you, ya know... go after him? Oh, but don't watch him, that would be rude! But... if you hear something bad, let me know, okay?"


She lightly tapped the raccoon's fuzzy nose affectionately with a small smile and Ezi disappeared the way Severis had gone. Now, for some cooking. Her bag didn't exactly have much food since she hadn't been able to restock before they departed but it always promised a thing or two. Let's see... two plump potatoes from picking a small amount of time before she had last left her home along with a half ripened tomato and a tiny onion. It wasn't the best array of options but it would do. The veggies from her garden usually proved to be tasty. With an idea in mind, Mayweather began to search the perimeter of the foliage in search of specific herbs and plants that tended to grow wild.


@The J

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Chilali gave a nod in response to Sylvanus's question. "The search for the weapon is top priority. Since you have been chosen by the gods, the head might be willing to spear a mount or two. It would make travel time far shorter if we managed to get it." She explained. She decided against saying the rest of the reason. Sylvanus had acted almost violent when he found his legs suspended. Since the only way they could leave without permission was similar to convicts, Chilali didn't want to see what the hybrid would do if he found out.


The ice mage lead the way through the many corridors with a familiar ease. She had wandered these halls most of her life. Perhaps "wander" wasn't the best wording. She had run more often than walked. Be it towards or away from something. A faint smile played across her face at fond memories of her younger self's enthusiasm and energy. Chilali was quickly drawn out of her memories when Sylvanus faltered. Her eyes widened and she stepped closer to him out of worry. "Sylvanus, you should rest more. We can see the head at a later time."


Her eyes narrowed at his attempt to brush it off. "Would anyone looking at you agree? You're covered from head to toe in bandages. You are more a mummy than a spider." She grabbed one of his arachnid appendages; her hold firm yet careful not to hurt him. "Some of your wounds have reopened." Chilali stated, gesturing to the red slowly seeping through the once pristine white bandage.


@minismurf

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

While the clutter of the house made it seem strangely friendly, Adruo gulped at the thought of trying to traverse it. She was clumsy enough as it is without the extra help. She watched as Amos and Romon moved around with ease. With a deep breath, she gathered her tail into her arms. She couldn't really spend much concentration on keeping it from knocking things over as she went. The dragonkin stepped slowly and cautiously. She looked at each spot of the floor before she placed her taloned foot down. It was slow and tedious, but at least she didn't fall or knock anything over. It was quite the success in her eyes.


She was more than happy to take the offered seat. She listened intently to what Amos had to say. She hid a laugh behind her hand at Romon's sheepish reaction to being recognised. Adruo froze in shock when Amos called on her. "Wh-what?" Eyes blinked owlishly as she tried to overcome her surprise. "Oh, I am honoured." She gave the best bow she could from her seated position as well as giving the crow a grateful smile.


Adruo listened to Amos's request with a claw on her chin in thought. She usually would have jumped at the chance to help out, but... The Demon Lord was coming irrespective of whether they had all retrieved the weapons or not. Could they afford to lose a day of travel to aid the small village? She had no idea what the puzzle Romon had to complete were. They might take days to solve. How long would it be until the Demon Lord's arrival?


"Of course. I would love to." She replied with a smile. These villagers seemed to know nothing of the encroaching danger. It was best to keep it that way if possible. Keep panic to a minimum. "Perhaps I could also help with the fields? As an Earth Dragonkin, I can till the soil at very least." Adruo stretched out her wings. "These aren't for show either. I can lift a decent weight." Her face fell slightly and she tucked her wings against her back. "I would feel guilty sitting around all day while Romon was working. Although, I might fall over a few times." She finished with a sheepish laugh. Adruo looked over to the elf next to her. She was a little worried that he would be upset by her request. A few times when she had done a similar thing in her own village, some of the others saw it as her not believing they were proficient enough. However, Romon seemed more open minded than that.

 

[minismurf]

Sylvanus sighed over how worried Chilali was about him, "As I said, don't worry about it Chilali, I'm fi-" He cut himself off as Chilali grabbed one of his spider limbs. No one had ever shown the slightest interest in even getting close to him or any of those limbs, people had only glared at them in disgust as he walked past them, however now Chilali had grabbed one of them out of complete free will, he could feel her soft hands on its carapace as she inspected the reopened wound, he could feel the liquid leaving his body underneath the bandage, however he didn't really care about it for the moment.


After a short moment of Sylvanus just staring at Chilalis hands he recovered from the situation. "Ahem, anyway, we've gotten this far now" Not that he had a clue about how far "this" was, the entire building was completely unknown to him, even though he'd walked through it for what felt like hours "And plus, I want to return to our quest as soon as possible" He wanted to keep going, however even still so couldn't he manage to remove his leg from Chilali's grasp, fearing it'd twitch and harm her he just remained in his posture of looking at Chilali.


@KiKi Kitsune

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Chilali noticed Sylvanus tense up. "My apologies." She released the hybrid's limb. She was so used to it that she often forgot how cold she felt to other people. Then again, she didn't have much physical contact with others to remind her. Since she didn't have her gloves on, it was probably worse than normal. The mage took a step back to look over Sylvanus once more. He didn't look too well.


She took a deep breath to try clear her head. There were many things she wished to say. One sentence at a time, she would have to make her opinion known. This wasn't the time for formalities. "Sylvanus," She locked bright blue eyes on his. "I understand your impatience, however, I think you may be forgetting important facts. While you are injured, you will move slower. We will need to stop more often. You will be weaker and less use in a fight. If anything, you will now be more of a target." Her expression faltered, eyes saddened. "I can fend for myself, but I can't protect someone." Just like her parents. Just like her best friend. Chilali had been the cause of her friend's death. It wasn't an event she wanted to repeat.


Chilali let out a hefty sigh. "If we manage to get mounts, I will comply and we can leave straight after. If not, we will remain for at least a full day while you rest." She turned and began walking once again. "If it makes you feel better, I am also quite eager to leave this place." If she stayed, she would be forced to interact with Dallas again, and properly this time. She knew he meant well, but... She let out another sigh.


@minismurf

 

[minismurf]

Sylvanus's head drooped as he listened to Chilali's words. However he knew she was right, with these injuries he'd only be a liability for her, he'd be slow, sluggish even, and she'd constantly keep an eye on him on the entire rest of the mission. Even if the wounds did recover so would she still keep an eye on him in case of any reccurences. He remembered something that happened to him when he was still new to the overworld, he found one of his fellow brethren, one that was way younger than him that had wandered out of the nest before Sylvanus had. The hybrid had been cornered by a group of male humans who were most likely planning to attack him. Sylvanus rushed to his aid since he couldn't just stand and watch as one of his own was getting attacked, since Sylvanus was still new to the surface and its people so hadn't he learnt the humans fighting style yet, sure the men who came to attack his family in the nest was a starting point. However Sylvanus was still far from learning the art of fighting against humans, due to that inexperience and his intent of protecting the young one, Sylvanus was forced to take a few hits whilst attempting protecting his younger brother. In the end Sylvanus managed to drive of the assailants, however he was left with wounds that lasted for weeks, some even an entire month, his brother certainly was grateful, however he was too unfamiliar with the surface still to stay and try to help Sylvanus recover, so he left his senior wounded. Sylvanus didn't hold a grudge against the broodling, it was how they'd been taught, "Don't help anyone else if you'll end up being a burden to them afterwards"


Now that Sylvanus thought back to that time he could see himself in the place of the young'un and Chilali taking hits to protect him. He sighed. "Alright, fine, I give in" He said and looked up at Chilali. "You win, I'll return to the nursery and rest up, you go talk to the head and ask for mounts, and even if they do agree on it, I'll still wait for my wounds to heal before I insist further on leaving" With that Sylvanus turned around to begin walking back to the nurserry.


@KiKi Kitsune

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Chilali furrowed her brow. Sylvanus didn't seem to happy with his decision. "Thank you Sylvanus..." She paused, pondering if she should say what she was thinking. "I am glad you have agreed. I am worried about your well-being." She gave a quick bow of her head. "I will be heading off then." She hastily turned on her heel and marched towards the head's office. She passed many people, but they all noticed her expression and decided not to call out to her.


A guard stood at the heavy wooden doors that lead to the person who would likely natter on for hours, never getting to the point. Chilali heaved a hefty sigh. She raised her hand in greeting to the guard. "Chilali Ursa, Frost Fang of this school. I wish to have an audience with the head." One thing she didn't miss about the school was all the formalities. Especially when meeting with the head. It was only made worse knowing how dull yet irritating it was going to get once the formalities were over with. "You may go in." The guard's statement froze the ice mage in place. "Pardon?" The guard just repeated himself. "Are you sure?" This got an eye roll. "Yes. He has been waiting all day for you. You sure took your sweet time."


Chilali was ushered through the large doors. A haggard old man sat behind a well polished, mahogany desk. He looked up from a scroll he was reading at the sound of the door closing. "Ah, Chilali Ursa." Chilali bowed low. "My greetings, Sir Alo." Sir Alo looked Chilali over with a calculating gaze. "Rise. Now, tell me of why you have returned after a many year absence." The sudden leap into the topic jolted Chilali straight up. She was hoping the old man's usual ramblings would give her some time to prepare what she would say.


She took a deep breath. It was best to answer each question as given. Sir Alo knew what information he wanted. "My travelling companion was badly wounded. The school was the closest place I knew of where he would be able to receive treatment." Sir Alos nodded. "As a hybrid of his breed, it would be difficult to get him aid anywhere. My next question, Chilali, is why you are travelling with him." Alo kept his eyes on the girl, watching for any signs of a possible lie.


Chilali had no reason to lie. "He was chosen by Pyros to wield the twin scythes. After a series of events, I have been chosen by Lacus to be the wielder of the katana. We have been paired up to go retrieve the weapons." Alo's eyes widened and he sat straighter in his chair. "Is what you say the truth? You swear it?" Chilali placed her hand on her chest. "I speak no lies, only the full truth. I swear it upon my magic, my life, and my faith in the goddess of water." Alo seemed to believe Chilali's oath. "I am glad one of our own holds such an honourable task. Even if that mage has gone rouge for the past few years."


"I was not rouge. Rouges attack and kill innocents. I did no such thing." Chilali's voice raised slightly with the anger bubbling in the pit of her stomach. Alo simply raised a brow. He gave her a look that was enough for her anger to instantly dissipate. A look that said "but you have done exactly that". Sir Alo cleared his throat. The door opened once again to let in a man who looked to be in his mid-forties. Once again, Chilali gave a deep bow. "Greetings, teacher." The man waved off her formalities with a smile. "Rise, Chilali. You'll damage your back like that."


The head raised his hand to gain the two's attention once again. "Frost Fang, please recount the events that have lead you back here. You stated that a series of events led to you being the wielder of the katana." Chilali's teacher's face showed obvious shock. "The katana? As in, the holy weapon which was wielded by a saviour to defeat the Demon Lord?" He asked the ice mage. Chilali nodded to both men in turn.


Chilali started with the encounter with bandits in the forest and the voice of Lady Lacus who instructed her. She skipped out any details she deemed unimportant, but it still took a fair amount of time. There was a silence afterwards that stretched on for what seemed like hours. "Sir Alo, shall I go and demolish the tavern?"


"Calm yourself, Elden."


"They attacked one of the chosen for no other reason than what race he was born as! That insolence near our school should not be allowed!" Chilali placed a hand on her teacher's shoulder. "There is no need. I already took measures I deemed appropriate." While she did her best to keep her voice steady, a hint of revenge filled joy could be heard.


"Frost Fang, how may the Water Mage School aid you and your companions. We will do our utmost to help in defeating the Demon Lord. All the saviours are welcome here." Sir Alo stated, giving a slight bow. It was something Chilali never thought she would witness. "Due to Sylvanus receiving injuries, we have lost valuable time. I request for two mounts so we can traverse more quickly in hopes to reach our destination in time." She paused for a moment. "Some supplies would also be greatly appreciated."


"We will have our two fastest steeds ready for your departure. You may take from the kitchen and armouries what you want." Alo agreed without hesitation. Elden spoke up. "Is that all we can do for you, Chilali?" The ice mage looked to her teacher. "Bed and board for a few days while Sylvanus heals would be greatly appreciated. The rest is a journey we must make on our own strength."


A few more details were talked through before Chilali was dismissed to return to where Sylvanus was hopefully resting. One of the details in particular may cause a problem. The ice mage knew she was no medic. Her lack of feeling made it difficult to gauge if she was hurting someone or not. Yet, knowing this, the head and Elden had agreed that she would take over the other nurses in the care of Sylvanus. Apparently, his spider limbs scared the shit out of pretty much all of them when he was still asleep. Now that he was awake (and one of the nurses had seen his reaction to seeing his legs tied up), none of them wanted to go within a mile radius of the hybrid. "Bunch of bloody-" Chilali cut herself off. She had been weary of Sylvanus's arachnid legs when she first met him. However, she was a warrior. She was used to overcoming her fear for what needed to be done. The nurses were not used to battle. They did not know danger as Chilali did. It was unfair of her to judge so quickly.


"Hello Sylvanus. I have good news, at very least." Chilali said as she entered the door.


If Sylvanus was there, she would carry on. "The head has granted us with two mounts. We have full access to the kitchens and armoury. We are also welcomed to stay here for as long as we need." She sat on a stool near the bed. She picked up an apple from a basket one of the nurses must have left while they were out. Bringing out a knife, she began peeling it. "Elden wanted to give me a check up. It has been several years since my last one..." She mumbled mostly to herself. "I'll probably run into Dallas again while we're here. I suppose I can't keep hiding and running either." She let out a sigh at that thought. By then, the apple was clean of its skin. She handed it to Sylvanus before beginning to peal another one for herself.


However, if Sylvanus was not in the room, Chilali would let out a rather extensive string of curses. "He's probably lost." She shook her head before sprinting back to the place where she and Sylvanus had split up. From there, she dashed through hallway after hallway. Whenever she saw another person, she would question them. At least Sylvanus had pretty obvious features compared to the rest of the people in the school. A few lucky leads landed Cilali at the opposite end of wherever Sylvanus happened to be. "You damn bastard! Why do you feel the need to have me run around the entire school!?" She yelled at the top of her lungs before doubling over as she tried to catch her breath. She could see her sweat dripping onto the floor. Soon, the head pelt, face mask, and other pelts that were only there to keep in warmth were shed.


@minismurf

 

[TerraBooma]

Amos thought for a moment, then nodded. "I don't see any reason why you can't help out around the fields, we don't get many tellers around here and hte ones we do normally don't help out much. I figured you would be like them, but a different youngster is always refreshing" Adruo saw a hint of amusement in Amos' eye. "Very well then, you two should be able to find your way to the field, they are hard to miss." The old man chuckled and waved them off. "Now leave me be, I need to do some preparation for tonight, I was never as good as a cook as my wife but...well, she always seemed to enjoy it." Amos smiled softly as if entrapped in a memory for a few moments before collecting various spices and herbs from one of his numerous piles.


After they left, Romon pointed towards one set of fields that seemed to be further behind the others. "That looks like a good enough place to start." He shrugged. "Might as well ask the people working it if they want a hand,I've uh...met some less than kind folk when I just jump into the swing of things, that work with you?" Romon's tone was jovial, he was back in his element with the working folk. Put aside the politics and the elvish culture, just you and your town farming to stay alive. It might sound weird to some...but coming from the life he had lived in Elvish high society...simple things were refreshing.


It was also partially why he didn't mind Adruo helping with the fields, that and the fact that they weren't even his to begin with so he felt he had little pride to lose. As they walked through, Romon rose a brow and turned to Adruo, walking backwards in the process. "This place is pretty neat huh? Haven't been to this one, I live closer to the great forest myself....seems peaceful though." Romon continued walking in silence for a few moments before speaking again.


"You alright? You seemed pretty surprised in there, it looks like your fame is greater than you realized."

 

[minismurf]

As soon as Sylvanus had departed from Chilali he remembered, he didn't actually know where to go still, he'd reached this spot entirely on accident. "Well then, guess it's just to wander again then" And that he did, he hoped that he would be able to just backtrace his steps, however the academy certainly was a maze, every corridoor looked the same, every door seemed similar, and even if he looked outside the very rarely occasional window, all he could see was forest. He sighed for himself, he couldn't even ask anyone that he passed, since anyone who came down the corridoor just entered the nearest room, or just turned around and "calmly" walked the other way.


After a good bit of wandering his entire body started to hurt, as he walked the pain just kept getting worse and worse. After a while the pain started truly affecting his capability of walking, "Dear Pyros just burn me down to the bone now and get it over with" He started feeling the process of his wounds opening again, eventually he wasn't even able to walk straight and he needed to find something to use as a crutch, he frantically started searching for some kind of long wooden stick or something that he could use as support, in the end he was forced to just grab the nearest thing he could find, which this time was a bench, he used the sharp points of his spider limbs to cut it into a DIY crutch, it wasn't good, however it helped slightly with balancing his weight, but the restrain it took on him made the wounds even worse.


Once he finally found his way to the nursery he could see Chilali bursting out of the doors of the nursery. He raised his arm that didn't hold and waved. "Hey there Chilali" Was all he managed to spout out before he fell face first onto the corridoor floor. Unconsious and exhausted. His bandages were crimson red and some of them were even leaking blood.


@KiKi Kitsune

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Adruo had a huge smile grow on her face at Amos' agreement to her request. "Thank you." She bowed her head quickly before following Romon outside. The trek to get out the hut was just as stressful as it was going in. She followed behind Romon as he made his way towards the fields. Her mind wandered to the possibilities of what their dinner might consist of and what tales she would tell. Perhaps take requests. Have a few ready in case no one came up with an idea. That would work quite well, she decided.


She looked to where Romon pointed, eyes squinted slightly against the light. "Yes, I think that would be a good idea." She replied with a smile. The elf seemed to be back to how he was for most of their journey so far. She much preferred him that way. She had dealt with enough overly formal elves thanks to her mother's profession. She had spent many days in the elven court meetings while her mother was busy. At least she knew how to address high ranking elves if the need arose. Hopefully, it wouldn't.


Adruo tilted her head slightly in curiosity and confusion when Romon began walking backwards. "There probably aren't too many bandits out this far from a large village." She agreed. The dragonkin stumbled at the elf's statement. She was only just able to stop herself falling face first into the ground. "Well, no one outside of my village has ever recognised me before. You're far more famous than I am, Elven Blade. You fought in the annual tournament and came out on top. I... I only tell stories that I have been told by someone else." Her face brow knotted together. "There is no reason for me to be known." She looked at her feet as they walked along the dirt path. "So yes, you're right. My fame was not something I expected." Her voice had lost most of its previous gaiety.

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

"Sylvanus!" Chilali rushed towards the spider as he toppled over, only just managing to catch him before he hit the ground. Wide eyes scanned his form to try assess the damage. The mage hissed a curse under her breath. She carefully altered her hold on the hybrid. The only way she could think of carrying him without injuring him further was the typical "bridal-hold", but his legs would prove problematic. Chilali thought about her options for a moment. Either Sylvanus would be worse off, or she had a possibility of a few scratches. "For Aura's sake! Fuck it!" She heaved Sylvanus into the crook of her elbows. She ground her teeth as the sharp point of his arachnid limbs cut into her. She may not be able to feel it, but she could see her blood welling up.


Sylvanus was carefully placed on the bed and Chilali set about trying to patch him up. Luckily, a passing nurse heard her yell and came to help. The nurse didn't touch Sylvanus, but did give good advice and assistance to Chilali. The ice mage had to restitch wounds closed, change gauzes, and way more. Through all of it, a constant doubt lingered in the forefront of her mind. She wasn't a nurse. She could so easily mess up and make everything worse.


Somehow, after what seemed like days, Chilali sat back and breathed. She had done what she could. "Miss Frost Fang, what about your injuries? Should I tend to them for you? Where did you get them anyway?" The nurse asked, far happier to offer help to Chilali than she had been to Sylvanus. That irritated the ice mage. People were more fickle than she previously thought. While it would probably be best to let a professional see to her wounds, Chilali worried that the nurse would then figure out that the spider hybrid had been the cause. It would lead to Sylvanus becoming even more ostracised. "No thank you. They aren't that serious. I'll apply the bandages myself." The nurse nodded and left.


Chilali sat on the stool near the bed where Sylvanus rested. A small part of her brain was nagging her about the loss of body heat she probably had. She had taken off most of her armour and warm clothing on her torso so she would be able to see the extent of her wounds. They looked bad, but they weren't that deep. Several long scrapes across her abdomen and one or two on her chest and arms. "They will probably scar..." She mumbled to herself as she wrapped a bandage around her arm.


@minismurf

 

[minismurf]

Sylvanus opened his eyes, he was back in the nursery, he remembered the wooden roof. He sat up, or well tried to, he got almost halfway and then he fell back down with a gasp, his body felt even worse than the last time he woke up in here. He gave away a combination between a sigh and a groan as he lied in the nursery bed. "Well, there went those chances of us leaving any time soon" He then turned to the side and saw Chilali sitting on a stool next to him, she appeared to be sleeping at the time, he wasn't sure for how long he'd been out which made him even more worried. "I bet the others have already reached their weapons" He thought for himself. He then let his attention return to Chilali, she seemed to not only be sleeping, but she also had a bare torso, the sight of her bare skin caught Sylvanus a little off guard. "Why is she naked? Did something happen while I slept? No, it's Chilali, she wouldn't let anything like that happen" He then focused a little more and saw what seemed to be scars she had on her torso, they seemed to have been treated, however they were still visible. "Let me guess, this is my doing isn't it?" He said and felt his heart drop, even when he isn't consious he hurts innocent people. "Goddamnit!" He exclaimed through his teeth, hoping not to wake Chilali. He gave another attempt at sitting up, a bit more carefully this time. After quite a struggle he managed to get up and look at Chilalis entire upper half. He took his hand and carefully touched one of the scars. As he sat there, carefully stroking the scars, which were now clearly his doing, he knew how the wounds his spider limbs looked, he could feel them starting to twitch. "Yes, you- no, I did this, this is my fault, I should've never left the nest, I should've stayed down there in the shadows and perished, then so many wouldn't have suffered"


@KiKi Kitsune

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Sylvanus had been unconscious for two full days. His wounds had been healing well. Chilali had been doing what she could to ward off infection and speed the healing process. She was quite proud of how well she had done so far. Her own wounds had almost completely healed. They had closed neatly, leaving pink lines of new skin under the scabs. While she hadn't felt the cuts be made, she could definitely feel how itchy they were while healing. She had to constantly remind herself not to scratch at the scabs. She left her shirt off to let the injuries breathe.


Sometime in the early hours of the third day, the ice mage nodded off. She had barely slept at all ever since the battle by the tavern. A few hours later, the rays of the rising sun filtered in through the windows. The beams of light hitting her face and some noise nearby slowly brought her out of la-la land. She heard someone yell, but it was muffled by sleep. She groggily wondered who it could be. Only she and Sylvanus should be in the room. What if it was someone who had come to attack Sylvanus while he was unable to defend himself? Before she could rationalise the absurdity of that thought, it was enough to jolt her into full alert. Her eyes snapped open and scanned the area for potential threats. She only saw Sylvanus. He was awake... his arm was stretched towards her. What? Her eyes slowly followed along his arm to where his fingers were tracing the marks on her stomach.


It didn't look like he was putting much pressure behind his actions. What was he thinking? He had a complex expression that Chilali couldn't decipher. "Sylvanus?" She kept her eyes locked on his face. "What are you doing?" There was no malice in her voice, only innocent curiosity.


@minismurf

 

[TerraBooma]

Romon chuckled. "My friend, the reason for you to be known is you are a good story teller, simple as that. At least the best one I've seen in years." Romon continued leading the way for the two into the fields as they made small talk, as he constantly reassured that yes, she was in fact a good bard worth her fame and no, she wasn't nearly as bad as she thought she was.


Once they got to the fields and spoke to the farmers they were quickly put to work. It seemed that Amos's word was gold around the village and he had vouced for their integrity, which was good enough for many of the simple farmers. Romon was put to work in some surprisingly delicate tasks for farming, it seemed that the reputation of the "Elven commoner" and many other names for Romon's antics with the peasant folk had also reached this village, even if his reputation as a cunning warrior had not. He spent the time planing seeds and overseeing various work, not becoming a boss as much as a welcome adviser. Elven and human farming techniques differed rather wildly and Romon blended the two styles together with surprisingly positive results.


As Adruo accomplished her task, she'd notice out of a corner of her eye a human boy gazing curiously at her. If she was paying attention before she'd remember his name: Sammy. The supposed "Prankster" from earlier and was watching Adruo intently as she worked. He was young, maybe only 12 in age. His gaze lacked everything but curioisty, and Adruo might recall that there had been no Dragonkin in this village. To the boy, as well as many of the other children...Adruo was an anomaly


Romon walked up beside Adruo and chuckled. "Looks like Amos isn't the only one interested in you, you have a fan." He smirked amusedly but said nothing more on the topic. "You ever farmed before? I thought you lived in the city myself."

 

[The J]

At his usual brisk pace, Severis walked off to get the wood. Stopping whenever he found a deadfall of reasonable size, he would pick it up and add it to the growing bundle in his arms. By the time he was nearly done, he heard a scurrying, and his free right arm fell to the dagger at his right hip, the non-ritualistic one used for actual combat.


Looking around, he was unable to find the source of the noise, until... there!


A raccoon. May's damned pet. If she was a tamer, why the hell didn't she have something useful with her? A boar, maybe, or at least even a dog or wolf. But no. A small, scraggly little thing that would likely be just about able to crawl up a bandit's breeches as far as its offense went. Defensively, it was basically nothing.


"Go away. Scram!" Severis said as he kicked a rock at it, but he lost his balance and fell on his back, the wood flying out of his arm as it flew out to stop himself coming down too hard.


Propping himself up on one arm, he looked around himself, trying to understand what happened, but his mind was feeling fifty for some reason, and his vision was becoming blurry.


Realising the something was very wrong, he tried to stand up, but to no avail - an onlooker would have thought him drunk by the way he fell back into the dirt.


"Ma... May..." he tried to weakly call out, but his throat barely responded to his commands, and all that came out was a desperate whisper.


Finally, his body went limp as he succumbed to the darkness.

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Romon's compliment allowed Adruo to smile a little. She still found it strange that people so far away from her home knew of her. Well, it was a crow who had then told its master. Perhaps it wasn't that strange. It didn't seem like the other villagers had recognised her.


Adruo happily got to work in the fields. While Romon was tasked with the more delicate placement of seeds, the dragonkin used her talons and magic to churn up the soil. Her work made it far easier for the horses to drag the ploughs. The lines of earth where seeds would be sown were created swiftly. Adruo was called on by the farmers who had already planted their seeds. She took buckets of water with small holes in them and flew over the fields as steadily as she could.


While Romon was still busy, Adruo was told to take a break. Most of her body ached from the intensive manual labour. She dragged her feet towards where Romon worked only to have him meet her halfway. "Looks like Amos isn't the only one interested in you, you have a fan."


"A fan?" She asked in confusion. She looked around, assuming that Romon had some sort of incentive to say something like that. Only then did she notice a young boy nearby. She recognised him after a moment. "Isn't that the boy from the village? The one that Amos teased when we first arrived." She asked her elven companion, but he was already changing the subject. Even so, the dragonkin offered a small wave and a smile to the boy.


"Hm?" Adruo looked back at Romon. "Ah, I always tried to, but they wouldn't often let me." She let out a snort of a laugh. "They all kept we well away from the mines, that's for sure." With her ability to trip over nothing and the effect it caused, having her in a cave system would prove to be a bad idea. Earth Shaker was not welcomed in the mines. "But I lived quite far from the city. It was a village quite a lot like this one." Her face showed a happy nostalgia. "It did mean that my mother was away quite a lot, but that was a given due to her occupation." Adruo gave a shrug. It was something she was used to, so it didn't faze her much.

 

[minismurf]

Sylvanus flinched when he heard Chilali's voice and looked up, once again he could feel deep green clash with bright blue between them as their eyes met. He sat back up straight and pulled back his hand and placed it in his lap, his eyes went down as well. "I, it was me who made those wounds, wasn't it?" His spider limbs were still twitching slightly from his frustration. "It was these damned things who did it, right? Even when I wasn't consious I managed to hurt someone who just wanted me well, bet I harmed one of the nurses as well when they tried to heal me didn't I?" As his frustration and anger increased, the limbs started twisting even more, Sylvanus didn't care though, all he could think about was how he'd once again managed to harm Chilali, this time not only mentally by probably forcing her to stay up for entire nights to treat him, but now he'd also hurt her physically, causing her to not only think of his wounds, but her own as well. "Goddamnit, I am not fit for being one of the Chosen, I am too unreliable, I harm anyone that comes near, I've probably killed innocent people who've just been passing by without even knowing whilst I've been just sleeping by the sides of the road"


Sylvanus wasn't sure where all these emotions came from, he'd been an emotionless killer up to this point, he'd killed villagers, raped women. However now that he'd just wounded this one woman he was furious with himself, and the more his emotions got out of hand, so did his arachnid limbs. The spider appendages was now waving furiously around, ripping the bed matress to shreds and doing the same to the cover hanging beside the bed behind him, they knocked down bottles of medication that stood on Sylvanus's bedside table and sometimes even scratched into his own skin. Sylvanus was panicking, the spider limbs wasn't listening to him due to the emotions and they too caused his head to spin. He bent over, put his hands over his ears and yelled. "STOP IT!" The limbs went limp and hanged by his sides, Sylvanus was breathing heavily and kept his hands over his ears.


@KiKi Kitsune

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

"I, it was me who made those wounds, wasn't it?" Chilali opened her mouth to answer, but Sylvanus continued. She was worried he had the wrong idea about her injuries. "Even when I wasn't consious I managed to hurt someone who just wanted me well-" Chilali held back a sigh. It was exactly the thing she didn't want the hybrid thinking. Once again, the mage was about to say something, but stopped. Movement behind Sylvanus caught her eye. Her eyes instantly darted to it only to see the spider's limbs acting strange. The hairs on the back stood up. She didn't like how erratic the movements were.


Sylvanus shouting only served to put Chilali more on edge. Her muscles were tensed and ready to fling her out of harms way if the need arose. She kept her eyes on the limbs sprouting out Sylvanus's back. She saw how they tore through the bed the hybrid sat on. Chilali had seen on multiple occasions how much damage those limbs could do. This was yet another example. When the sound of glass breaking reached her ears, the mage returned her focus to Sylvanus. Bright crimson liquid was oozing out of cuts that weren't there moments before. 'He's wounding himself!' The thought was like a lightning bolt through Chilali's frame. She moved to prevent him doing any further damage, but was stopped by his blade-like legs. Her reflexes were slow thanks to having so little sleep. She wasn't able to move out of the way in time, but at least used her forearms to block the attack.


It tingled.


The wound was probably pretty bad if she could feel it. Even so, Chilali didn't spare a thought for it. Sylvanus was in a far worse state than she at the moment. The hybrid had gone still. He was still concious, but the legs didn't seem like they would act out again. Chilali tried to reach out to him, but her body refused to listen. He was dangerous. He put her life at risk. He was a hazard.


The mage set her jaw and bit down on her fear. Sylvanus had never intentionally hurt her. Chilali placed her hands on top of his. She gently pried them away from his ears and did her best to get him to look her in the eye. A small part of her mind noticed that the cut she received was on her left arm, so she shouldn't be too hindered while fighting. "Sylvanus," she kept her voice as level and calming as she could. "These injuries are my own fault. My impatience and inability to remain calm are their cause." She paused to take another breath. She could feel her voice wanting to waver. To give in to a scream. She wouldn't allow it. "You were chosen by the gods. Surely, they saw your flaws and deemed you worthy nonetheless. Compared to you, I am the one who is not worthy. Don't speak of yourself that way. You must have faith in the gods, Sylvanus." She gave a small smile. "They have faith in you."





@minismurf

 

[TerraBooma]

"A small village? Maybe I could visit one day." Romon let out a small chuckle. "It'd be nice, must be some nice folks there if they raised you after all." Romon then stepped away, whistling happily and continuing on with the heavy labor that was the task he was assigned with little grumbling from his part, it seemed that Romon was happy doing work, something he enjoyed as menial as it was. The villagers seemed to get along with him well enough to boot, even if it took some of the older ones to trust him managing his fields. He had made small talk with Adruo as they worked, and seemed to be in a good mood


After a few hours, a sweat Romon let out a happy sigh and turned towards the sun. "Hey! Adruo! We're wrapping up!" He waved over at the Dragonkin girl, and the pair started moving back towards Amos' house to let them know they had finished up work. About halfway there however they were interrupted by the same boy who watched Adruo from the fence when she was working, the same boy who had been teased when the villagers had gathered. Sammy.

Spoiler

"H-Hey! Wing Lady!" The boy cried out, a determined look on his face. "I wanna talk to you!" He walked up to Adruo with a...somewhat confident look, but eventually shifted into sheepishness and nervous embarrassment. "You...you tell stories right? Gramps said you did! I want...I need to talk to you!"

 

[minismurf]

Sylvanus was panicking, his entire head was in a rumble and his body was trembling, only the spider legs were calm, every thought was wrestling with the other in his head and not a single one had a chance of winning, however when he felt Chilali's hands on top of his he stopped shaking, his mind went blank, like a calming cold went through his head and froze all the chaos in there. As he looked up at Chilali his face was completely neutral and it remained that way as she spoke. As she finished he sat back up straight, his face still blank. "You're right Chilali, we can't abandon this mission, we need to keep going" Sylvanus stood up and started heading for the doors of the Nursery, not caring about the blood dripping from the wounds on his back. "We must continue the mission" As he reached the doors he turned back towards Chilali. "You should treat your wound Chilali, it looks very severe, and I apologize for my actions, I promise that it won't happen again" He then closed the doors behind him and walked straight down the nearest corridoor. Blood dripping from behind him.


@KiKi Kitsune

 

[KiKi Kitsune]

Adruo smiled broadly. "You would be openly welcomed, I'm sure." She nodded at Romon's next statement. "You probably would have like my grandmother. Everyone in the village did." Adruo missed her grandmother, but there were so few bad memories of their time together. Thinking of the old elf just made Adruo smile. The dragonkin got back to work. While her tasks often changed, she was happy just to be helping out. Their quest was constantly nagging her from the back of her head, but she did her best to focus on the task at hand.


Adruo wiped her forehead with a cloth. She pivoted on her heel to face who had called her. She waved back to Romon before trotting over. She stretched out her arms and back while they walked. She was probably going to be stiff in the morning. Thanks to her tiring day, she stumbled quite a few times. She looked around at the village, once again admiring its simplicity, when a young boy stepped in their path.


The dragonkin looked to Romon to see his reaction. Wing lady? Good thing there weren't any harpies around to get confused with. Adruo wasn't quite sure what the boy intended. He said he wanted to talk to her, but he also mentioned her tales. The woman sat herself on her haunches, now closer to the same level as the youngster. "Sammy, right? I'm Adruo." She introduced herself with a smile. "I would be happy to talk to you, but it sounds like you want me to tell you a story. If you want, you can walk with us and I'll tell you, or you can wait until this evening. What do you think?" She kept her tone kind but not condescending. She was used to dealing with kids after all.


@TerraBooma