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Post by Althea on Apr 19, 2017 17:06:22 GMT -6
Okaaaaaay so this guy had machismo and a half to spare. Althea privately thought that it was wiser to just accept the help rather than showing off how he could make himself bleed worse, but it wasn't really her call, and if he was that... not-worried after getting hit directly by an axe or two, maybe he knew his body better than she did. And it was a very nice bodyIN A PURELY NEUTRAL AND PRACTICAL MANNER OF SPEAKING HA HA. She glanced away after her gaze had swept across his broad frame, not quiiiiiite able to meet his gaze in that particular snapshot in time.
Slightly salty that she hadn't thought of such an easy and effective way to cart the pirate around - albeit admittedly quite certain that she had NO chance whatsoever of matching his act - Althea could only watch with a smidgen of vindictive satisfaction as Jalid smacked the pirate unconscious and hoisted him like a sack of lumpy potatoes. It was certainly an efficient solution to the potential problem of escape. There was however the... minor issue that she had no idea how to answer his question. She pursed her lips, thinking slowly through her options for a moment, then blurted out the first thing that came to mind as a result. "I'm not sure, I don't often bring strange men home with me."
Hmm.
That... didn't come out quite right.
"I- i- i- I mean, that is, I don't know if the, um, the inn, I mean- I don't - strange men - or men I know either-" the torrent of words reached a dam of sorts as they all crashed into each other simultaneously, sealing her lips shut as though by edict of the Prophet himself. A very small part of Althea's brain noted helpfully that she probably could have just run with it, but the rest was too busy collapsing in on itself, creating the first gravitic singularity known to Elibe - a black hole of sperg that would soon consume the entire continent as it warped gravity and time alike into an unending nightmare.
"WE SHOULD - move. Yes. Away from - here."
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Post by Jalid Al-Qabbad on Apr 19, 2017 21:50:52 GMT -6
"Ha..haha...HA! Ahh. You are funny Mageling Althea. Strange man. I would consider myself quite normal!"
This observation did not stop the meaty slap as his palm clapped to his raised left thigh while he grinned to the sputtering stuttering melting mess of a cinnamon roll before him. Jalid's smile widened even further as the mountain of a man hoisted the unconscious pirate over his shoulder and nodded in agreement before taking a few long strides past Althea down the path he'd come. He hoisted the human waste over his shoulder once more for good measure to adjust the lump before speaking in a quieter tone. His inside voice was still a...work in progress so it was a bit of practice for their indoor interrogation.
"You are lucky my unconscious friend that the young lady is so kind. I would have broken your knees and elbows before moving to your forearms and shins to ensure you could not escape. However she seems soft and there for I must be considerate. Ah..but that's the least of your worries eh? BA HAHAHA!"
Surely were the pirate awake he'd have a horrible time hearing with the voice so close to his ears. However Jalid blazed a trail forwards before speaking to the mageling now behind him.
"We can assume that the room I maintained residence in temporarily will suit our needs fine. I believe that it is designed to handle small.."
Damn it all. What did humans call themselves in groups? Packs? Flocks? Murders? A murder of humans? If the same didn't certainly seem appropriate...
"Families! Yes. Small families. "
No doubt there was a specific name. He could not for the life of him think of it so he fell upon the word draconic folk used. If humans still used such a word as well then excellent! If not he'd..have wished he'd gone with his gut instinct of a "Flock" of humans.
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Post by Althea on Apr 19, 2017 22:56:36 GMT -6
"Just... Althea is... fine," she managed with approximately the ferocity and certainty of the average mouse. The tall man - who still hadn't given her a name to work with - seemed as though a force of nature, brooking little disagreement with his decisions or desires. Not in a completely uncaring way, but given how... deflated she was right now, Althea couldn't find it in herself to argue the point as it was. Especially not when he was already casually hefting someone with twice her body mass as though the body was made of paper. Just how far DID his strength go?
As she scurried back from her little adventure to recover her pack that had begun only a short time ago, she noticed movement amidst the somewhat, ah, ruined book stand. Oh. It was the owner, apparently. Hadn't he run away? No, one of the pirates had hit him. He looked... less than the better for wear, still somewhat out of it, but uninjured. Which was more than could be said for his stall, or their surroundings, or the... ah... dead pirates littering the ground nearby. And the alive one that Jalid was now, er, kidnapping.
...Were they the baddies?
"Sorry for the trouble," she stated somewhat more cheerfully, with a friendly(?) wave, or at least what was meant to be a friendly wave, it was a little too limp to really convey too much emotion. And with that, she hastened her steps to close in on Jalid's position entirely as he stumbled trying to find the word for... family. Did... did he not know how... people worked...? A momentary frown betrayed Althea's confusion before she filed it away for future reference, realizing that it didn't matter especially at this moment in time. Things that did matter: escaping the scene of the crime. "Weeee should get out of her. Er, now." She looked guiltily behind her. "If not sooner."
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Post by Jalid Al-Qabbad on Apr 20, 2017 15:40:22 GMT -6
She wanted to move asap?
"You may call me Jalid. Come Althea! We make for shelter!"
The ground began to thud softly as the large bare footed male started moving much faster. Though by faster it was only slightly so and more of a wider step with his exceptionally long legs. Heavy footfalls doing little to lessen the immense amount of noise that always seemed to follow him. The pirate's head and body bobbing and lulling about from the ascent and descent as his captor moved with lumbering strides. Every now and then Jalid would shift and hoist the body to re-align it over his broad shoulder while moving for the inn he'd initially exited when beginning this chaotic day.
Truly. The Innkeep had no way of preparing for the explosive entrance as Jalid threw the door open with enough force to nearly blast it off its hinges. A heavy thud and loud echoing bang would do though in its stead. He turned to the man and spoke with bellowing boom in his voice.
"I must make use of my temporary shelter once more! I will compensate you upon exit but for now this vile man has questions that must be answered!"
The crimson trickling now to his lower abdominal instead of just his upper torso continued. Pale skin stained red and some drying to form a darker shade as the thick trails grew more prominent upon his body. Ignoring this though even as small specks of red painted the floorboards each step, Jalid turned to speak loudly so Althea could hear him even if she had not caught up yet. Woe was she who stood close to the loud dragon.
"We shall use my room Althea! Quickly we must hurry!"
With small little collections of blood droplets lining his path he left a clear trail as he rushed for the room he'd used before while once more crashing through the door. This time leaving it open until Althea found him while throwing the man onto the long rectangular table within his room. Instantly ripping his tunic from his torso as to prevent more blood from staining the rather ruined outfit. It was clear that the moment she was done attempting to tend his wounds he would question this pirate. He grabbed a large bag that was fairly...unorganized and placed it next to a wooden chair before sitting in it; barely fitting in it being a by product of no average chair being intended to hold so much man.
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Post by Althea on Apr 20, 2017 16:08:48 GMT -6
Hm. She was going to have to explain the concept of 'indoor voices' to Jalid at some point. It didn't take long for the not-especially-physically-fit shaman to add something else to that list: 'walking like a normal goddamn person.' Jalid's massive frame naturally led to far larger strides than her... modest movements, but his tendency for uproarious force and unrelenting momentum made him seem to take ten steps for every one she managed. In turn, it took a few of hers to match each one he actually took to match his velocity, and to the unwitting onlooker it might even have been rather amusing to see the comparatively tiny shaman scampering quickly after the human battering ram as Jalid wended his way to his destination. And by 'wended' she meant 'went directly there, through anyone and anything in the way.' She had a feeling that if it wouldn't piss people off, he wouldn't have even respected the walls in the way. and that very few of the walls would have any say in the matter given his durability.
Althea could offer the slack-jawed innkeeper little more than an apologetic smile as he regarded the unexpected trio in the wake of Jalid's dynamic entry, forced to hurry to keep up with Jalid but attempting to somewhat soften the blow to the man's day to her limited abilities. He managed a somewhat strangled smile in return, which she figured was about the best she was going to get, so she just followed her larger counterpart through the inn to his destination... and another door he abused. She was REALLY going to have to talk to him about object permanence and the value of treating one's equipment with respect if they wanted said equipment to remain functioning for long. But given that his bleeding had... not subsided, that definitely took priority.
Again, she was no true healer, but Jalid kindly removed his shirt so she could get to his injuries and they seemed... incredibly minor for taking an axe to his body, directly, multiple times. What manner of madness was this? Was it some kind of magic? Despite her misgivings, Althea moved quickly to begin cleaning and bandaging his injuries nonetheless. It was mere curiosity that consumed her after all, not actual concern - if he had meant her harm he could very easily have done so. Not that it stopped her from talking. Unfortunately. "Your durability is incredible," she murmured while focusing mostly on finishing up her work. "Do you use some kind of defensive magic...?"
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Post by Jalid Al-Qabbad on Apr 20, 2017 17:25:29 GMT -6
He hunched over somewhat. For she was far tinier than he'd initially realized. Not necessarily from height but small in frame and he imagined if he did not make himself readily accessible to her small hands she'd have a hard time winding her arms around him. Though he showed no sign of pain, the burning brand of sundered skin was a welcome sensation. When she began to speak of his durability, the behemoth of a man's body shook with laughter. Rumbling like rolling thunder in the distance before he beamed towards her with an almost glee-full look.
"Ah, if you believe me tough you should see my mother! A furious monstrosity of a woman she is! I've many years before I'll match her prowess. Buahahaha!"
This time his laughter was less explosive. He was not sensitive to volume control often, but she was right next to him and he could respect that at-least. Thus far the large male had not moved much other than some good old belly laughs. However he did lift a muscled slab of meat most called "arms" to run a hand through his sable strands and fix them out of his face. Now there was no fresh rivers of scarlet cascading down his pectorals and merely left to dried up streaks clinging to his tanned flesh. Jalid posed a question of his own after responding to her other question.
"I am not well versed in magic, to answer your question. Though you, you wield magic I have not seen before. Though heard of it. It is interesting to see! Your body is small but you can fend off someone regardless of their size so easily! Had my teachings not introduced the practice of an open mind I would not have believed the feat on word alone.
Yours is a might as unbending as steel Althea!"
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Post by Althea on Apr 20, 2017 21:21:07 GMT -6
Oh, she would regain her hearing someday after the damaged inner ear mended its ruptured eardrums... probably. Althea was having trouble if she was being hyperbolic or the ringing in her ears actually was the sign of hearing damage, and she couldn't tell if Jalid's seeming lowering of volume was intentional on his part or simply the result of permanent hearing damage. She was grateful either way; for a creature of peace and quiet, the boisterous bruiser was quite the experience to go through. Though interestingly enough, Althea found that it didn't bother her as much as noise usually did. She was the kinda girl who'd actually do that stereotypical librarian "SHHHHH" that her mother had done a million and four times during her childhood to those who entered the archives more noisily than necessary. So Jalid's volume not bothering her as much as intriguing, sort of.
Not as much so as his comments about his mother though. The shaman did note that he had avoided her question entirely initially, which raised questions of its own, but of greater interest still was the comment of his mother being even more durable than he. Althea could hardly envision it in the first place; her limited experiences with combat, or watching it, had been highly lethal affairs - battles in which a single axe blow could prove fatal. Jalid, on the other hand, had taken two with little to no real harm. That suggested powerful magic, perhaps some form of staff-based barrier... at least that WOULD have been her guess, but he claimed to not know anything of magic, which in turn suggested another explanation.
But what that was... well, she didn't really have much of an idea.
He seemed to like her magic though, which was nice. Althea caught herself puffing up a bit in pride at Jalid's praise, not used to the idea of being particularly good at, er, killing people, but glad that it had turned out fairly well here at least. While she might never actually be much of a combat mage, though, Althea DID think that she had improved drastically since her... less than impressive initial offerings in that fight alongside Circe at least. So a little bit of pride in her improvement seemed acceptable if nothing else. "I... thank you," she demurred, a little embarrassed to actually acknowledge it but feeling good nonetheless. "Though I still have much to learn about the depths of elder magic." And the spirits that apparently lived in it, and old grimoires that might be linked to it. "And thank you again for saving me. Without your aid, I would not have had the tactical advantage of being able to cast repeatedly."
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Post by Jalid Al-Qabbad on May 10, 2017 22:05:35 GMT -6
He had to tilt his head slightly to face away from her. A brief notion of courtesy and thought towards her own sanity as his booming laugh left his lips and his chest rocked and shook with shoulders rising and falling. His wounds briefly seeming to audibly stretch with a fleshy sound as he slapped his muscled thigh with a loud slap as his palm crashed to his leg. Her thanks enough to put a wide grin on his face as the bearded Ilian male looked to the small pale haired mageling with mirth. Some people wore their hearts on their sleeves. Then there was Jalid. His sleeve was his heart. He then lifted his hand a bit while rolling and tilting his neck back to the side to prevent from knocking her about accidentally like fallen leaves in strong winds.
"Gahahaha! Think nothing of it Mage Althea! I rightfully could not let those men impose as they had. Besides, they were quite rude and attempted to bar my own passage. This...is an unwise course of action as our guest as very well learned. Ahh. Elder Magic. Yes...something very seldom spoken of within the communities I've called home over the years."
This was perhaps his best attempt at hiding his draconic home and heritage. After all, he had lived in Ilia first and by extension could not be considered a lie. The faint metallic jingle of his gloved palm brushing the mask he wore when honing his martial prowess. Fingers gently traced the surface of it while he questioned her, asking somewhat personal information so he'd know best how to respond or act next.
"I imagine it is difficult to process and would darken the pleasant tidings of our conversation, but I must know. Do you know this man or his comrades?"
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Post by Althea on May 11, 2017 15:34:32 GMT -6
She recognized that he had... tried not to actually literally kill her with a sonic assault. Althea was grateful for that, she really was. It didn't help that she still felt like she had just witnessed the universe exploding and was possibly concussed by the volume, but eardrums grew back, right? Though it was definitely worth noting that apparently Jalid was very, very big on the whole 'sovereign citizen' concept which she feared might cause... issues for him in the future given that guards, especially of the Etrurian variety, did not take kindly to that sort of behavior. Nonetheless they had escaped the commotion relatively unharmed and had... well they had one witness who was unlikely to blame them so they were probably ok. For now. If nothing else she was going to be exiting town soon and hopefully never coming back, so she had that going for her.
His next question was phrased interestingly, it took a moment for her to realize that he had actually been actively trying to be considerate of her mental status. Despite his er, outrageous tendencies, it seemed he really was more intelligent than could have been assumed if she were to be unkind. Not that she wanted to be or intended to be of course. Nor that she intended to mislead or not answer these questions! While she appreciated the concern it was not necessary here, not after what these mongrels had done to her and others aboard the ship. "Not personally no. But it appears that he is connected to the pirate crew that attacked the cruise liner I was traveling on, with myself and another dark magic user damaging their ship enough to force them to pull back." Huh... when she put it like that, it almost sounded like she had actually done something pretty cool for once.
Narrowing her gaze as she stared at the now immobile pirate, the shaman considered her words for a few moments before continuing. "I am unsure how they tracked me down so quickly but it appears as though my unique coloration aided them in doing so. I cannot imagine the value in trading one's life for revenge, but..." Could she?
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Post by Jalid Al-Qabbad on May 15, 2017 14:10:23 GMT -6
Right then!
Seemed like there was only one true proper path. Figure out who the pirates were, why they wanted her, and where they were. From there they could solve the problem. Promptly.
Though the patchwork on his shoulder was hardly complete, Jalid gently moved to stand. So that the small mage Althea wouldn't be knocked aside or stumbled or any such thing from the act of him rising. He then clapped his right hand meatily to his injured shoulder and rolled it a bit. The pain was present but he felt the bandaging would hold wonderfully. Jalid paused for a moment to tug at the golden plated mask dangling at his hip. Traditionally, in his philosophy, it was worn around the eyes. Just hoisting it within his palms though made him feel an immense wave of remorse at how he'd abandon his teacher. He felt unworthy to simply hold it. So he fastened it back around his hip and turned to the injured pirate. Muscles rippled for a moment as Jalid pressed his left fist to his right palm. Fingers sank into his knuckles as he popped his bones and his spine let out a series of cascading cracks. The muscles going taut serving as the act that cracked his limbs and bones.
A few heavy thuds from each step were the only sound made before he approached the pirate. Lifting a foot and pressing it down onto the pirates wounded torso with enough pressure to rouse the comatose man with a fit of howling. Jalid's foot pinned him further however as the large muscled male spoke in a booming tone while casting his large shadow upon the smaller, broken male. No smile upon his face and his brow creased with discontent.
"You will speak kindly to this girl, that you will. You will answer her questions, and if you do not I will break you like a small twig beneath a mighty beast. Do you understand?"
He applied a bit more pressure to his guest, just enough so for the man to feel the pressure on his wounded torso as a faint crimson stain tinted the wooden flooring with a dark sanguine shade.
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Post by Althea on May 15, 2017 14:56:13 GMT -6
It was nice that she at least knew not to, er, get in his way when he stood. It... tended not to end well for anyone. And well. Althea was more confident in her magic than she had been previously but not THAT confident, heh. Sometimes the easiest way to deal with things was to simply go around them after all.
Nonetheless she did feel oddly about Jalid's, ah, 'enhanced interrogation' techniques. Killing a villain in the same of self defense she could handle without much issue, but torture felt a little strange to her. Though at the same time. She was not innocent. Althea knew what she had done to the bandits in the desert. It had been a mercy killing... but not the most gentle and kind of them to say the least. But pragmatism won over potential cowardice and Althea accompanied Jalid to the event nonetheless, betraying none of her feelings outwardly. THAT was something she had a great deal of experience with. She always had, and likely always would, wear her emotions only beneath a mask. At least where possible. Perhaps not as literal of one as the golden face piece that Jalid bore but seemed unwilling to wear for some reason. But then all humans wore masks, did they not? Some were just easier to spot than others.
"Thank you, Jalid." Her voice was quiet, calm. No discomfort evident in it. Perhaps in her eyes, but not her face, not her words. She was weak perhaps, but not that weak. Turning to the pirate, the dark mage looked down on him both figuratively and literally as she considered her words. There was no value in her threatening him as well, nor in joining Jalid in torturing him without need. Though as the shaman was acutely aware... it was likely that given the necessity she would be as effective at it if not more than Jalid. Not by choice, or in joy. But the caustic, corrosive substance of the Nether was remarkably well suited to eating through flesh and bone, exacerbating nerves, sending waves of pain through a man even as it ate away at him. Something she did not want to use.
...But she would if she had to.
"What were your orders regarding me? Why was your leader willing to waste so much blood to take me?" The basics of the story she and Jalid already knew. The pirates were here for her, seemingly for vengeance. That much she understood. But she didn't understand why they would attack an innocent in broad daylight, in the middle of the town, or why they had meant to capture rather than simply kill her. Or for that matter, why the one ordering them had apparently been quite willing to sacrifice the lot of them in the HOPE of capturing her.
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Post by Jalid Al-Qabbad on May 15, 2017 15:54:01 GMT -6
The man's voice was muffled. Perhaps from the strain of his wounds. Maybe it was from the strain of the large draconic male half-standing upon said wounds. Maybe it was the ever so faint increase in Jalid's pressure, almost impossible to detect by anyone other than the black haired dragon and the pirate themselves. It was merely...incentive to answer. While Jalid was generally a good spirited fellow, the situation in which Althea had been reminded him so much of his little brothers that it simply...stirred something within him.
"'e wanted revenge for the 'ole in our ship! Told us lot what lived to find the two magic brats with white hair an' drag 'em back to the ship so we could keel haul the lot both of ye'. Nggh!"
So they wished to abduct two young children for nefarious purposes? Yes. This was starting to sound very familiar.
Now. Jalid would've destroyed this man. Likely a clean kill. Crushing his neck and twisting it so he died instantly. However this was not his kill to take. Mage Althea seemed like a quiet soul as well so perhaps she did not want this main destroyed. Jalid would leave the cur's fate in her hands. Removing his foot from the pirate's body, but with a gaze almost as pinning trapped upon the sea dog, Jalid spoke in his booming tone while keeping heavy arms folded over top one another. His tone starting to slowly lose the malice.
"Do you wish for him to be killed? If you do, but would not lift a hand I can for you. In my eyes this man's life was forfeit the moment he lost himself to such a dark deed."
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Post by Althea on May 15, 2017 17:02:02 GMT -6
It... it really was just revenge? Althea was... well. As much as she tried to play herself off as emotionless and purely pragmatic, she... knew of the allure of revenge. To a degree. She could still taste the fire that had claimed so much of her. She thought she had mastered it, but sometimes she wasn't so sure. To involve others in those madcap fantasies, though. To throw away the lives of those that trusted her. To potentially damn the whole of one's crew to oblivion in its name. That Althea could not comprehend, no matter how intelligent she tried to style herself as, no matter how hard she tried. It was so utterly illogical, so far beyond raw emotion and even stupidity, that it left her wondering only what she could be missing.
"...Then Drei is not safe either." Her words were somber, filled with a sense of regret. Inclining her head to Jalid, the shaman explained. "Drei was the shaman I worked with to help protect the ship, and who set up my attack to damage their ship; without his aid I could have done little to the ship's prow." It made sense to some degree that they would want revenge on him too, but somehow that bothered her more than the notion of her own danger had concerned her, and Althea's hardened gaze and set jaw betrayed that more than she realized. It was just so... WASTEFUL. Given their numbers and combat ability, certainly the pirates could have done something, anything, more useful with themselves. Perhaps even looked for mercenary work for Ilia or Lycia against Etruria. But instead, they seemed desperate to throw their lives away in the name of... nothing. "So much blood spilled for nothing, and yet more must come to satiate the bloodlust of a lunatic."
Was the cancer at the core of the crew, then? The captain or would-be warlord who had ordered all this? Would she eventually be forced to snuff his life's flame out too, another pointless death? "Jalid, I..." The shaman hesitated for a moment before turning to him, her eyes pleading. "Why must there be such wasted life? I have killed before, in self defense, and I can understand why one might take life in the name of an ideal... even if I do not agree with those ideals." Eliminism came to mind. "But I do not understand why one would throw away everything to kill for its own sake."
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Post by Jalid Al-Qabbad on May 15, 2017 18:15:05 GMT -6
Drei. Althea.
Such strange names humanity gave its children these days. Though even their mighty commanders had odd names. Roland? Who with a reasonable sense of self named their child Roland? However, it meant that this other human was likely also in danger. Jalid's frigid hues met Althea's as she gazed up to him. Truly. Such a gentle creature she was, or seemed to be. Jalid had come from a different time. He remembered his neighbor's butchered. Massacred by friends. Death and murder anywhere one went. The peace after had done little to cleanse the memories from his mind. With a single hand slowly moving in a gesture of softness rarely seen from the normally hardened male, Jalid placed a large hand lightly upon Althea's shoulder with gentle weight upon it. Ignoring the huffings and coughing of the man at the ground before their feet.
"Little Althea...you seem like a kind spirit. This world has a place for such. You must realize though that it is a hard and often cold place."
Except Nabata. Nothing cold there.
"As long as power exists, be it power to create freedom to do as one pleases, or power to restrict others from freedom to do as they please, conflict will exist. Over history's long life, countless have spilt blood for wasteful cause. Sometimes little cause beyond wanton bloodlust and desire. Some do not see the precious potential and expanse of life,
or its inherent value like you. Men like the one before you have existed for such a long time. They will exist much further yet I fear. Their warped desires of violence as justification, as means to ends far more insignificant than the life they strike down will continue. "
He turned to the man and slowly knelt. Heavy frame lowering as he dropped carefully to one knee. His hand sliding from Althea's shoulder to rest upon said knee.
"It is because of men like him, that I walk the path I do. So that people like you who make the lives of others softer and warmer can continue such without the cruel taint upon it. I will not flinch from any obstacle. What you see now however is another facet of life. Another truth you likely have not before. Laid bare before you."
There was no rage in his voice, but it took every ounce of restrain to prevent himself from seizing the man and using him as a tool to bludgeon the walls with until they, or the pirate, broke first.
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Post by Althea on May 15, 2017 18:40:29 GMT -6
A kind spirit. Her? A small part of Althea, the edgy teenager that had never grown up, wanted to laugh at the thought. Because it had never gotten to grow up. Because she had watched her family die for the crime of dark magic when they had spent years bettering their community, done more for it than anyone else as far as she was concerned. Because she had seen the cruelty and hatred that Elibe heaped upon the Dark, upon her, and been cut, beaten, broken by it. Mentally if not physically. Each time the wounds had healed, but also scarred. It became harder to trust, to care, to love. Always remembering what she had lost. Until she had managed to forget it all and live again. But she hadn't truly forgotten it, only locked it away deep inside.
"For... most of my teenage and adult life, I... avoided conflict. I lived for my research. I traveled a great deal. I thought that perhaps it was allowed to simply live again." That was about as close as she was going to get to infodumping her life story without provocation, but she was... trying to be more open with people again. Even if it was just a work in progress. "Over the last few months in particular I have witnessed so much hatred. Been forced to defend myself. To kill. To accept that... power IS freedom. Without my magic, I am nothing but a frail girl again." And she HATED it. She hated this feeling of powerlessness. She hated the very idea of... fighting for her freedom, because that in itself was a kind of servitude; an endless war that had to be fought, again and again, in the desperate hopes of not losing it to a moment's inaction. Whether martial or magical, physical or mental, no manner of strength would allow her to simply exist without being changed by that very struggle.
Althea sighed. She was tired of this, of all this, but what could she do against that tide? "I bring misfortune wherever I go, it seems. I much doubt that I can warm anyone's life as I am now. But I continue to be confronted with the fact that what power I have is never sufficient, and yet seeking power for its own sake is a goal of little merit... knowledge for its own sake perhaps, but not simply killing ability." Assuming even that much was true. What had truly begun her interest in magical history? The same childhood that had taken it away from her for a time? Did she truly wish to learn for its own sake, or in a desperate attempt to regain what she had lost?
...Well, probably shouldn't delve into necromantic magic. THAT would end poorly.
She couldn't argue with what Jalid had said. It was, phrased differently, the truth that she had been struggling against for months. But what could she do? Survive. That was all. Everything else came second. "...With any luck, the deaths of his scouting party will convince this would-be warlord to leave off the search. I don't... believe we need anything further from this one." By all that was holy and unholy alike, she was pathetic. She who had taken lives in the desert and again on the ship, in the marketplace, still couldn't quite say that it was fine to just go ahead and kill this guy. Injured, battered, unarmed, he didn't quite seem like an enemy. But he was.
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