Reed
Squire
"If some feller gives me a lance, I'm'ma fight tooth 'n nail for what I reckon is right."
Posts: 79
Profession: Farmhand
Affiliation: None
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Reed
OoC Alias: Ardent
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Post by Reed on Feb 13, 2018 20:54:23 GMT -6
"Oh, fiddlesticks... Lost my lucky charm," Reed mumbled to himself with a sigh as he dismounted his steed and rummaged through a worn leather satchel that he had been carrying over his shoulder. Luckily for him (though this might be debatable in his opinion), his father had decided to take the recent harvest into the market himself to save his son the trouble of making another trip to Bulgar down south. However, with many of the new seeds growing and most of the harvestable crops barely starting to ripen, it would certainly leave the idle young rider with little to do than to simply roam for a while.
Eventually finding it more suitable to find a tree to tie Gracie to, he sat at the trunk and started digging through the sack of his belongings. "Sharpenin' stone... Map... Some bread... A-ha! Caught ya, ya slippery lil' rascal!" the boy celebrated as he pulled out a little wooden figurine which he stowed in its own respective pocket. Though material goods were hard to come by, Reed was quite fond of what he had picked up here and there, and a miniature carving of a Sniper was one of his so-called "lucky charms". Whether through the fact that fate didn't care or that it was useless, misfortune somehow always managed to find the aspiring squire.
Taking his attention off of the trinket, the farmhand could take the chance to look around at the plains that he'd known for his entire life. Arkyan territory in Sacae was very isolated and seemingly desolate, what with the odd conditions of the weather and many other factors that set it apart from the rest of the country. The ground felt a bit more moist and soft than in most other plains, and the temperature stayed surprisingly stable throughout the season (though it was undoubtedly a lot windier and chilly than one would expect, what with a mountain breeze blowing in from the north). From what he could see, there were only a few houses next to square-acre fenced in areas seemingly dotted along the countryside randomly. Being naturally independent and hardly ever organized all in one place, it was incredibly rare to even see one Arkyan with another that wasn't part of the family.
"Sure is downright cozy here, Gracie... Shame we gotta leave it here if we wanna go somewhere, right? Don't you worry, girl, I reckon the hay's 'bout the same elsewhere. Besides, I dunno 'bout you, but I could go explorin' in them mountains again if we find someone to help us out!"
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Post by Althea on Feb 14, 2018 3:57:19 GMT -6
Althea found herself caught between the fangs of a curious conundrum; should she be frustrated that there was not a bloody soul to be found in this desolate hellscape that could offer directions, or joyous in the fact that there was no one to be found to distract her? Ereshkigal was sleeping, having made it very clear that she didn't give a rat's ass about musty old ruins and ancient artifacts that weren't even in the least bit dangerous. Althea found the silence oddly lonely. After so many years of being left to her own devices she had grown quite accustomed to the peace and quiet of her own mind, but over the last few months the irascible spirit had caused her to grow used to their constant arguments and verbal sparring, and to be bereft of them again was itself a mixed blessing.
She had never been particularly fond of horses but the noble(?) steed she had rented seemed perfectly content to plod placidly forward, leaving her mostly to her thoughts in the unpleasantly cool air of northern Sacae. She hadn't thought she'd ever miss Nabata's arid climate, but... well, actually, this was still better than Nabatan nights, so perhaps she shouldn't be complaining too much.
Of course this was all but mere distracting drudgery - keeping herself vaguely amused as she slowly closed in on her target - a set of ruins recently unearthed by rockslides in the mountains she was... slowly... nearing. The minor issue that she was uncertain which was which was a concern only amplified by the lack of people to ask, her map singularly unhelpful, so the aspish Althea had found herself simply aiming for the nearest of them and hoping to run into people along the way. Traveling light, most of her gear back at the inn and paid for a week in advance, though of course bedding, cover, clothing, and some of her more used gear was in evidence. She considered breaking out her shawl, the temperature was dipping a little low for her tastes, but found her attention drawn to some form of life and movement.
Well, if a lone horse counted, anyways. As she approached her guarded hope flagged at the thought that it was just a wild horse, though the saddle was odd, before she spotted what looked to be a human figure, partially obscured by the horse such that she had missed him(?) at first glance. Hope springs eternal, as the saying goes, and once more Althea found herself guardedly hoping that she might be able to glean some useful information from this individual... and, she supposed, that they were neither a bandit, a goblin, or an angry dragon in disguise. After that... oddness with Shara and her suspicions with Jalid, it was a subject she did not know well what to think.
Nonetheless. As she approached, the pale magus raised her voice enough to carry to some degree, ill liking to shout and not particularly well equipped for it in the first place. "Excuse me. Which of the three nearest peaks is Mt. Parnassus?"
The idea of prefacing her quest with a greeting didn't really occur to her.
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Reed
Squire
"If some feller gives me a lance, I'm'ma fight tooth 'n nail for what I reckon is right."
Posts: 79
Profession: Farmhand
Affiliation: None
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Reed
OoC Alias: Ardent
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Post by Reed on Feb 14, 2018 20:38:49 GMT -6
With a surprised glance around the front legs of his horse, Reed fastened the buckle over the opening of his satchel and threw it over his shoulder as he stood up to his full (and rather unimpressive, being rather small to begin with) height. He spotted a curious woman with white hair and seemingly little riding gear on her, if any. During that moment, the poor Sacaean was practically at a loss for words trying to process who she was. Though she rode a Sacaean horse undoubtedly and did not seem to mind addressing him with a seemingly polite "excuse me" like some foreigners would, her attire had practically confirmed any doubt that she was from the plains. Huh... Is she talkin' to me? I don't reckon she'll attack me or nothin', but... Why's she got no armor or ridin' gear on or nothin'? the trainee thought to himself curiously. Trusting his gut to inquire about her first, he did not make a move for the pitchfork that had been meticulously hooked under his steed's saddle by the wooden end.
Finally realizing that he had been staring, the squire shook his head to snap out of his self-induced trance of wonder. "Huh? Uh... Yer talkin' 'bout them mountains up there 'r somethin'?" he asked with a confused expression as he pointed up north to the mountains. "With all due respect, ma'am, ain't it a lil' dangerous for you to be up there lonesome anyways? It's mighty scary 'n all, what with the rumors-a monsters 'n the like..."
In truth, Reed had barely known the name of the mountain that she had been referring to because of how he had always used it as a marker to determine how to plant the wheat perpendicularly. The narrowing of the mountaintop served perfectly as a guideline to have the occasional event of light snow not smother the crops. However, just like the two other nearby peaks, the farmboy had listened to tale after tale told by his mother about the terrible things that occurred. Though most were downright ridiculous, it still was reason enough to be wary of them and to not sneak off toward them. Then again, the allure of adventure was very tempting... But for now, that thought would have to wait. The stranger he had met obviously wanted direction to a place he was taught to beware and steer clear of.
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Post by Althea on Feb 14, 2018 21:50:12 GMT -6
Althea looked blankly at the young man she had made the mistake of addressing for a few moments, trying very, VERY hard not to ask if there were any other mountains around here that she had ridden past without noticing. YES those mountains, what other mountains would she be referring to? Thankfully, she was not Ereshkigal and thus had some measure of self control, so after a moment of impatient annoyance she managed to restrain herself from answering in kind.
"...Yes... those mountains," she managed, her face carefully kept neutral. Noting that he had answered her question with a few of his own, rather than say, an actual answer. Ah yes. Human interaction. Not her ah... strength admittedly. It wasn't so much that Althea disliked other people as that she simply didn't know very well how to interact with them and her command of 'small talk' petered out after about two sentences on a good day. Of course she would rather be dragged naked, tarred and feathered through an Etrurian city than admit it to herself much less anyone else, which didn't do much for fixing that particular issue.
The young man's response did elicit a raised eyebrow as he continued to speak of things that were NOT related to getting her to the target location as quickly as possible. Though after a moment the irony of the situation did serve to bring her mind back to a more positive note. It was interesting how her perspective had altered. In the past she had studiously studied and prepared for known troubles in regions she intended to study. Hired bodyguards or joined a research caravan when entering bandit territory. Expecting highwaymen. When monsters had come to Elibe, she had been forced to work around them as well, often in larger numbers - though the horrific ambush that had nearly taken her, Circe, and Drei had proven that to be far from foolproof.
And now - was she growing overconfident of her magic, or merely used to it? The dark mage wasn't entirely certain. She still didn't really know how to think like a warrior. She didn't ENJOY fighting. She just did it when she had to and tried to focus her efforts on learning more about her, about Ereshkigal's magic. But it was true that she had thought little of potential monstrous intervention during her visit to the ruins before this gentleman had brought it up.
The druid waved her hand dismissively, of the thought and the subject and the danger alike. "Yes, and? Much of Elibe is dangerous. But knowledge does not sit prettily in ivory towers, rather forgotten crypts and unknown tombs. If I am to investigate these ruins in a timely manner I cannot wait for a full expedition which could take weeks or months to organize and fund." Her voice was matter of fact and about as dry as the sand she had surrounded herself with for much of the last few months. "I appreciate your concern but I do not plan to die until my research is done, and any creatures who take umbrage to that can get in line with the rest."
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Reed
Squire
"If some feller gives me a lance, I'm'ma fight tooth 'n nail for what I reckon is right."
Posts: 79
Profession: Farmhand
Affiliation: None
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Reed
OoC Alias: Ardent
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Post by Reed on Feb 14, 2018 22:43:19 GMT -6
"Erm... Crypts, yeah. If I'm bein' clear with ya, I ain't got the slightest clue whatcha said 'bout creatures. But, lucky for you, I'd be happy to show ya where the ruins are! Went up there once with my Pa when he was teachin' me how to ride uphill," the young rider smiled proudly. Though with a bit of difficulty, Reed managed to hoist himself back onto his horse's back before he fiddled with her reigns. Sure, there was still a rather mysterious aura around the stranger he had met, but if it was something to do, he frankly didn't care. Being unarmed, it wasn't like she could really do any serious harm to him if she tried... Right?
Finally looping his hand around the lead, the Arkyan pulled back slightly to get his steed to stand at attention as he continued on. "So, uh... Wait. You said you ain't 'fraid-a no monsters, right? Then how're ya gonna get 'em away from ya if ya got no weapons or anythin'? I mean, ya probably got a better chance-a findin' a live dragon than survivin' all them fellers without even a lance..." he trailed off in confusion. To Reed, even the fact that she seemed to come from afar was surprising considering how ill-equipped for hand-to-hand combat she seemed. Oddly enough, magical talent never crossed his mind during his thought process: a detail that could soon enough reveal itself and prove him wrong with ease.
"Hol' on a second! I got it! Why don't I help ya out with this travelin' business until ya get to the ruins? I mean, whatever yer sayin' 'bout the 'expedition' stuff won't make a lick-a sense, but I have my uses! Pleeeeease? I promise Gracie 'n I'll do our best!" Reed begged with pleading eyes and clasped hands. From looks alone, the squire probably wouldn't do much good other than acting as a meager distraction (if any potential danger even saw him as a threat in the first place). His horse, on the contrary, literally and figuratively looked as if it had carried the squire. With a rather well-bred physique and a beast of combat's demeanor, one could easily assume that its kill count would be at least ten times higher than its master's assuming he had any.
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Post by Althea on Feb 15, 2018 0:40:34 GMT -6
It seemed they were speaking two very different languages, and in different dialects to boot. She wasn't sure the young man had even understood what she said at all, but he seemed to have gotten enough of it to start along a side alley about some ruins that had been there already - unlikely to be the same she was referring to, given that site E37 had only been uncovered sometime within the last three weeks if the report was to be believed. But she was far from an expert on Ilean archeology, generally preferring to not freeze her ass off in subzero temperatures. It was enough to give her a moment of pause though, uncertain quite how to react.
...Well, he didn't seem as much of an insufferable bore as Talus, so that was one note in his favor at least. Ill accustomed to more than perfunctory, pre-planned exchanges, Althea allowed herself a sigh as she massaged her forehead for a short time, thinking her way through this in turn. "This site was only very recently unearthed by a landslide. We may be referring to different locations." Though she was... somewhat... interested in this mention of a possibly different set of ruins. Ilian mountains WERE fairly poorly mapped for the benefit of outsiders and to this day relics of the Scouring were still unearthed there in unexpected locations - some said it was possible that there might even still be ice dragons living there!
A year ago she would have laughed it off with contemptuous derision. Now... Althea didn't have that luxury. Not after what she had witnessed. The woman whose arms became scales harder than steel. The man who walked through walls. And of course, a certain spirit who needed a dropkick upside the head. Elibe was full of things that even her supposedly great intellect had never expected to be real or even possible, and it had been an altogether humbling experience. And frustrating. Mostly frustrating.
"-Though it is true a native guide could be of use, you do realize that this is not an adventure, yes? There may be geological aftershoc-" yeah he wasn't going to have any idea what she was saying "-another landslide or possibly monsters. All manner of danger." And the worst of all, dealing with her. Althea wasn't sure if that was funny or not. She also wasn't sure if his dragon jest was funny or not, either; it hit a little too close to home. "Admittedly it is unlikely we would run into any dragons in that region," though given her luck they were about to run into Father Frost's foremost champion who was still quite riled up about that whole Scouring thing, "And what is your name anyways?"
Althea wasn't ashamed of the magic she bore. If anything she wielded it with pride; the last remaining link she had to her parents, and an exceedingly useful tool in recent times to boot. It was a harsh mistress at times but at the same time it also brought interesting events and a great deal of knowledge to her in recent times, something she could hardly fault it for. That did not mean she was blind to the public perception of elder magics. She and Drei had all too often experienced the negative repercussions of even their positive deeds, and had been conditioned to limit its usage to a degree... or in this case, glibly flow past answering the red-haired horseman's question.
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Reed
Squire
"If some feller gives me a lance, I'm'ma fight tooth 'n nail for what I reckon is right."
Posts: 79
Profession: Farmhand
Affiliation: None
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Reed
OoC Alias: Ardent
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Post by Reed on Feb 15, 2018 17:47:00 GMT -6
The boy shuddered slightly at the mention of landslides. Though never being caught in one, the Sacaean had witnessed quite a few happen from his home. He used to open his window and look over at the side of the mountain where rocks, dirt, and debris would tumble downwards until they finally settled somewhere near the bottom. Luckily his family lived far enough to avoid having to evacuate when one happened in the mountains, but the thought of being practically engulfed by the earth itself was still very frightening to imagine. "A landslide, ya say? Hmm... Might've been in Bulgar when one-a those fellers happened. Haven't heard anythin' recently, but I'll take yer word for it."
Even with the ever present danger that the mountains brought, Reed still felt an urge to go anyways. The allure of adventure was strong enough to tempt the callow rider to be led through the path up the mountain by his capable companion. Though borderline scarring, his previous experience inside the ruins within one of the mountains (he could remember the name if he had a map, given that his was crudely drawn and hardly useful for much else than direction on his rides to the marketplace) had warmed him up in a way for any future endeavors within the cursed and abandoned places. However, if he learned one thing? The trainee was just relieved that Sacae didn't have a widespread monster problem like he had heard Lycia was suffering from. Knowing little else about the foreign country did little to help ease his mind off of the possibilities of its spread.
The ranch hand simply bit the inside of his cheek as the strange woman confirmed his initial concerns. It was certainly true that Reed was hardly prepared for monster attacks, let alone landslides in all their godly might when it came to stoning, crushing, and a plethora of other bad things to happen to someone. Nevertheless, however, he persisted: through blind drive or simple stubbornness, he could not give a clear indicator. "Whaddaya mean 'this ain't an adventure'? Sure, we sure as heck aren't gonna find no dragons 'n whatnot, but it's still somethin' mighty excitin'!" he answered, smiling from ear to ear. With a tug on his cloak, the squire patted his steed and nodded. "Call me Reed. Arkyan farmer 'n the son of an Ilian lancer, heh. How 'bout you, ma'am? I-I mean, I don't mind callin' ya 'ma'am' if yer not comfortable sharin' yer name, but..."
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Post by Althea on Apr 30, 2018 23:30:53 GMT -6
A small smile crept onto the corners of her lips - a fact that would have left Althea equally appalled and disgusted if she had realized it - at Reed's mention of dragons. The more she learned of Elibe, the more she discovered she had yet to learn. To think that there was an entire race still living among them despite being long thought dead... it was an amusing sort of irony to say the least. Not an unpleasant one at least. Though she should have grilled Shara far more thoroughly when she had the chance. Her mood slightly dulled at the wasted opportunity, the allergic-to-fun mage attempted to focus more on the subject at hand. This... Reed's commentary.
All this talk of adventure was in equal parts concerning and almost, if she was capable of being honest with herself (she wasn't), a bit exciting in itself. Althea had led a long life of being as boring as possible while investigating interesting things, viewing it as far safer than the alternative, but the events of recent time, from her meetings with Ereshkigal and Donovan to the present day, had been anything but droll. Regular life-threatening danger, eldritch spirits hailing from eras long lost to history, and an ever burgeoning understanding of the true potential of the magic she had once thought simplistic and boring; in a way she supposed that she had been somewhat... conditioned, almost, to accept adventure for what it was, despite its dangers. A thought that would have been quite odd to her a year or two back. Hopefully a learning experience Reed would survive as well.
And Althea was the last person to tell others how to live their lives, so despite a vague sense of misgiving she nodded after a few moments of staring impassively at the young Sacaen. "I... suppose it is somewhat of an adventure, yes, and you may accompany me if you so desire, Reed." Reed. Like the... plants that grew in water? She wasn't sure if that was a reference to something or not, now any idea of what an Arkyan farmer was, but it seemed the young man had some pride in it and questioning him on the subject now would simply push back her plans for little gain.
...The thought occurred to her that it was nice to have so little fame to her name. She was just Althea. If he was academically inclined he might recognize it based on her work on Luna, but that seemed highly unlikely, and beyond that no one knew or cared who she was. Peace in obscurity. It was an interesting thought. "My name is Althea. Just - Althea. It is a pleasure to meet you, Reed," it wasn't really good or bad or anything, but she wasn't very good at people and canned responses were her magic words, "but if we are to reach the site in reasonable time we should begin moving very soon if you have no pressing matters."
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Reed
Squire
"If some feller gives me a lance, I'm'ma fight tooth 'n nail for what I reckon is right."
Posts: 79
Profession: Farmhand
Affiliation: None
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Reed
OoC Alias: Ardent
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Post by Reed on May 5, 2018 21:27:17 GMT -6
Reed smiled and clasped his fist around the reigns guiding Gracie, giving her a rather gentle signal to start forward. The horse snorted and started ahead, either jealous or wary about pressing matters unbeknownst to her master. "Well, nice to meetcha, Althea! Or do ya go by 'Just-Althea'?" the novice joked with a light chuckle. After all, this was great! Finally he was setting out with someone that he didn't feel vastly inferior compared to. To the Sacaean squire, Althea just appeared to be the typical scholar that wanted to head into a dangerous area unequipped. Neglecting the possibility of her true identity as a powerful spellcaster, he felt he had an obligation to provide her safe passage as a Johnny-on-the-spot.
In truth, it was more than just to be a good person: the boy had a strange curiosity towards the educated and scholarly due to his lack of formal education himself. In his world, all he needed to know how to do was to swing a lance, ride a horse, tend to the farm, and sell crops. The fact that there were people in the world that had dedicated their lives to discovery and the pursuit of knowledge was eye-opening to the meager ranchhand, thus spurning his desire to hear more about them and their exploits. What better way than to follow one on a journey in progress? It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to look into the world of a researcher firsthand near his own home. He considered it somewhat selfish to declare that as a reason to want to accompany Althea, but admitting that was another story: Reed doubted that she would take offense to it anyways.
Suddenly, Gracie stopped and prepared herself to charge forward, kicking at the dirt below her. "W-Whoa! Easy, girl, easy!"the squire yelped in fear as he slid forward and smacked his chest into the back of her neck from the sudden halt. Ahead of him stood a pair of men toting rather intimidating weaponry: one held a solid metal rod (probably used as a beatstick) with what appeared to be a smooth sphere on the end while the other was toting a rather ornate longblade in its sheath.
"Well, well, well... What do we have here? That bag looks pretty heavy, boy. Here, hand it over and I can lighten it up for you," the man with the sword sneered. Reed narrowed his gaze at them, though said nothing as he anxiously pulled his pitchfork out from the back of Gracie's saddle. The steed snorted, glaring at the two with a gaze fierce enough to make children cry: particularly her rider's sister Beth whenever she pulled on her tail when she was little.
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Post by Althea on May 5, 2018 21:52:52 GMT -6
The dark mage looked down at the ground, trying to judge if a fall from this height would be sufficient to end her misery and permanently scar the young Sacaen, righteous retribution for his joke. After a few moments she decided that it wasn't a sure bet, she might only end up paralyzed from the neck down, and that she would have to consider suicide another time. "I also respond to 'hey, you' and 'book lady', but I reserve the right to inflict literary concussions if you do so." Althea's tone was flat and untinged by either anger or humor such that it was difficult to tell if she was joking. In fact, she did it so well that she... wasn't really sure either. Mostly because she didn't really do 'jokes,' but all the high spirited people she had run into over the last year or so did, and that might have rubbed off on her. Like a STD, but... worse.
Directing a horse was never her favorite task but she did so nonetheless out of necessity, starting to accompany Reed on their great adventure of a couple feet before an unpleasant face made itself known.
...She... probably needed to work on her situational awareness to have been surprised by someone on an open prairie.
Trying not to think too hard about that, Althea focused more on the task at hand, slightly confused by the man's request. Was everyone in Sacae so prone to offering to help others or was this simply an unusual coinciden- OH no wait they were just being mugged weren't they? Doing it in Sacae of all places seemed unwise, from what she had heard it was quite likely to be met by blade or bow here, but she supposed she respected the effort nonetheless. Sort of. Not enough to want to waste any further time on this silliness if it could be avoided. Addressing the hooligan with barely repressed short-tempered hurry, she spoke. "Pardon me, but if you would be so kind as to leave us be, the two of us had a destination in mind and a great deal of distance to cover before nightfall."
...What? It wouldn't hurt to ask nicely.
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Reed
Squire
"If some feller gives me a lance, I'm'ma fight tooth 'n nail for what I reckon is right."
Posts: 79
Profession: Farmhand
Affiliation: None
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Reed
OoC Alias: Ardent
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Post by Reed on May 12, 2018 0:05:43 GMT -6
"No can do, lassie. We gotta eat sometime, you know, and your little friend there's got a pretty full bag. Would be a shame to go to waste, eh?" the mugger holding the metal rod teased as he shot his gaze to Reed. The boy fidgeted, gripping his pitchfork tighter out of fear. Obviously these two were not very smart considering they were trying to mug someone in an open field oblivious to the presence of the powerful spellcaster in the vicinity, but then again, neither was the Sacaean with a pitchfork and an expression that looked almost as if he would pee himself. Out of the group, however, Gracie looked the most ready to tear someone limb from limb if she could pin one down. "Erm... L-Listen, can we maybe get a pass this time? I'm just tryin'-a get 'er to the mountains over there, eh heh..." the curly haired squire stammered anxiously as he gestured to the mountains in the distance. All he got in reply was the shake of a head... Which was also all that Reed's horse needed to take that as a command to charge.
With a surprised shout, the farmer was rocketed forward atop his horse that had taken off into a sprint ahead of them. The man with the sword had to dive out of the way as he watched the Arkyan rider slip by, drawing his sword. "Rrgh, you little brat! Your head it is!" he shouted as he began to run after the boy. Gracie, intent on having the muggers running for the hills for mercy, made a sharp right turn. Unfortunately for her rider, however, that meant that he hung on for dear life as the steed carved a rather tight U-turn in the open field. As she leveled out, however, Reed could see the two ahead of him with their weapons drawn and scowls boring into him.
"Ngh... C-C'mon, girl, weave left!" he begged as the beast continued onward. She did not change course even in the slightest: it was forcing her master to fight or simply her own disobedience from being threatened. Either way meant that he was on a crash course with crossing blades with the sword wielding bandit. Closing his eyes and letting out a shaky shout, he swung the pitchfork. The resounding clash of metal gave him relief that the blade had at least not struck anything that bled. And he was also glad that the solid whack to the left arm from the metal rod of the other man was only very painful and not lethally so.
Reed whimpered slightly, nursing his left bicep as his steed slowed her charge. One way or another, she had come to her senses at the sound of her rider complaining about an injury. "Agh, tarnation... I-I still got this, Althea! Gimme a moment, I got 'em against the ropes here!" he reassured the woman. Judging from his form in the attack, however, he definitely did not "got 'em against the ropes here" in the slightest.
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Post by Althea on Aug 11, 2018 2:43:22 GMT -6
"Um - excuse me-"
After her fourth attempt to get people to pay attention to her had plunged screaming from the skies to faceplant directly into the dungheap of being ignored, Althea slowly allowed her upraised right hand to drop down, resting on the horse's neck as she swallowed her frustration and hesitation alike. She didn't like being ignored. Partially out of pride, not something she was proud of but a facet she had been forced to confront in the past; after being dismissed in her academic expertise for being a woman and the distrust for being a dark mage she had become somewhat combative about that. But more so than her own pride, she did not like the unnecessary violence and cruelty that this situation had dissolved into. Simple diplomacy or a minor display of magic would likely have served to nip this entire situation off at the the bud without the necessity of bloodshed. Althea did not particularly care if some worthless human filth like criminals died. She was quite willing to do it herself if necessary.
But that was the catch - if it was necessary. Killing without meaning was worse than meaningless; it accomplished nothing but exacerbating the poor reputation of dark mages, it took life without cause - even if the victim was almost certainly a villain there was a possibility that they could have contributed in some way. She did not fear killing, but only in -
The dark mage paused her thoughts, realized that her original beliefs had warped somewhat along the way. Originally it had only been in self defense. But she had been willing to... fight to save Aura. And others, now. Not just herself. She... didn't really like that. It made the morality of things far too complex and added unnecessary complication. She didn't want to be the judge and jury of anyone's fate, hardly even her own sometimes. It was all too annoying and wasted time that could have been spent doing things she actually liked, like research and magic and practicing being grumpy.
...And now she was making jokes in her own head. Even WITHOUT Ereshkigal around. Definitely losing it.
But as often happened with her single minded focus on solving problems one by one, the ancillary issues issues ceased to be such and became tertiary at best. The morality of the situation was far from decided long after the decision point had been made - the crisis categorized, the solution solidified. Whether it was right to act or not ceased to matter; the fact that she could just ride away while the two muggers finished off Reid ceased to exist as a viable action. Far more quickly than it would have a month ago. Or a year. Thought for later, to be filed in with the rest of the notes and concerns spilled amongst the labyrinthine morass of her mind.
The mage's hand came up once again, naked of all hesitation or concern; as absolute in its purpose as the empty concentration in her eyes. Algorithms forged and refined through practice and failure running through her mind, calculating directional vectors and realspace targeting coordinates. Above her, only two of the ornate lavender sigils her magic often used winked into existence, slowly rotating as she forged the two slim passageways to the Nether - beginning to refine and convert the raw mass of darkness into rarefied energy. What she had struggled to do even on a relatively small scale aboard the ship to Badon was now almost trivial, an automated algorithm that ran in the background of her mind as she focused primarily on the targeting.
Whether or not Reed had intended to do so, he had at least done an excellent job of distracting the two hooligans, neither of whom seemed too interested in her in place of beating Reed to death. Given his inconsistent and uncontrolled movements they seemed to be having trouble teaming up on him completely but it was only a matter of time before he was thrown from his steed or struck heavily enough to cause as much. And she did not intend to allow that to happen.
She didn't NEED her hands to guide the targeting, but it helped - sort of like a staff or other magical talisman, she supposed. Even if in the end the method was the same, mental manipulation of magic, having some kind of focus helped trick her eyes and conscious mind into doing it more naturally. Restraining the urge to sigh in frustration, she continued refining the targeting as one of the sigils tilted slightly, the three nodes at its outskirts locking in as a brilliant purple-white beam of energy lanced through the air, burning through the club-wielder's throat and singing the ground beyond in the span of a heartbeat.
The screaming surge of sound followed in its wake like a shockwave as air rushed into the empty space burned through by the Nether magics, shattering the ongoing battle as the mugger's companion paused and looked back at what had happened - almost exactly as planned. It was but the work of an instant to align the second sigil half a degree east before a second ray of light surged outward, slicing through his chest and incinerating his heart before he had the time to understand what was happening.
Both men sank to the ground, dying artlessly with a plaintive gurgle that she could not hear. An ugly sight. But a necessary one. Two lives traded for one at the tail end of a mugging gone awfully awry. And a sickly taste in her mouth for its necessity.
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Reed
Squire
"If some feller gives me a lance, I'm'ma fight tooth 'n nail for what I reckon is right."
Posts: 79
Profession: Farmhand
Affiliation: None
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Reed
OoC Alias: Ardent
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Post by Reed on Aug 28, 2018 19:51:45 GMT -6
The carnage caused by Althea's magic was brief, but had more than a lasting impression on the poor boy of only fifteen years. Like the awestruck boy's gaze to the stars as a child, the Sacaean's eyes lit up in admiration as the mage had managed to manipulate the sigils and generate the radiant beam of energy. The magic had shot out faster than any arrow he had seen, the light brighter than any torch he had carried, and the sound louder than any rooster's crow he had ever heard. It was the incredible potential of magic that captivated Reed and never ceased to disappoint. The idea of magic, a skill that he had no talent or potential in (as far as he or anyone else knew), was as foreign as could be. Gracie surprisingly stayed stationary during the display, managing to ignore the spell and instead choosing to go into "grazing mode" by chewing on some of the grass. The war horse was unimpressed, in stark contrast to her young master.
When the display subsided and the two men lay dying in the grass, the curly headed teenager slid off of his steed and gripped his pitchfork tightly in his hands. Slowly, he shuffled towards the corpses and held out the iron tool with the wooden end out to prod the mugger that was wielding the rod. No reaction, just the fading gurgle of his last struggle. A gruesome scene had unfolded in front of him, and yet a timid curiosity still crept in the back of his mind. Why was it that the sight of death- no, overkill- didn't disturb him as much as it probably should have? Reed had often seen animal slaughters specifically for food, and yet even those memories did not yield the same significance as the sight of the two dead men. The Arkyan did not know what to think, or if he even had to. He simply thrust the wooden end of his pitchfork into the dirt as he shifted his weight, debating whether or not to be concerned about his reaction to the first human death he will ever see. Riley had recognized the idea of killing as a knight, this was true, but such a calm reaction was troublesome.
After a good minute or so of examination, Gracie had moseyed over to her rider and nudged his side to snap him out of the trance. He shook his head. "Ngh... S-Sorry, girl, just a lil' spacey. But somethin' tells me Althea here ain't no stranger to fightin'! Hoo-wee, that was quite the show-a magicky stuff! I ain't ever seen nothin' like it, ma'am!" he exclaimed with a smile to the pale woman. "Heck, that's the kinda stuff I'd always thought I'd see from them Etrurian mages! Eh heh, somethin' tells me I ain't gonna be the one doin' the guard work, huh?"
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Post by Althea on Oct 5, 2018 6:53:08 GMT -6
Gracie might not be too impressed, but unfortunately for her, Althea's own rented steed was - and being on top of a surprised horse was, uh, not exactly her strongest suit. At all. The Nether magus was torn between trying to calm the dumb creature and realizing a little belatedly that she had been extremely fortunate that the cast had been quiet enough to not spook the horse beforehand, else her stolid accuracy would have been severely compromised.
To her eternal pride - perhaps more than was entirely appropriate given her other feats but mastering the way of the... horse... had not been one of them - Althea did eventually manage to get the... creature to heel, more or less obeying her commands as it somewhat unhappily approached the scene of the crime, so to speak. There was still a smoky scent in the air, barely notable to the nose but all too familiar, the acrid stench of the Nether hanging lightly over the scene. At least it wasn't as bad as something like Ereshkigal's displays, where the cloying cancer would eat away at earth and flesh alike. Utilizing pure energy through the conversion seal array she was admittedly still far from perfecting was, if nothing else, much better for the environment!
...Althea tried not to think too hard about that one as Reed spoke up, apparently rather pleased with the results. A part of her idly wondered why the young man seemed so unconcerned with the twin horrific deaths he had just witnessed - but it was purely a scholarly interest rather than any sort of wounded morality. To say otherwise would be hypocrisy of the highest order; after all, taking lives had never bothered her in the least, even when it should have. It was regrettable yes, unnecessary death in a world already too full of it - but when it came down to her or others, she would pick herself.
At least... that was how she had always thought of it. That malarkey back in the Tuscanan town. Turning to Ereshkigal in order to protect Drei and Aura. They were aberrant behavior, not undertaken with the sole priority her own well being. And she still didn't really know how to approach much less understand them. But that was a debate for another time.
For now, Reed, and ultimately her mountainous goals, were of far higher priority.
"I am glad you are alive. Though it is... unfortunate that events transpired as they did." The dark mage sighed, not exactly dispirited but despite acknowledging the necessity of her actions, none too pleased at that very necessity. Still. It was neither her nor Reed's fault, exactly, and there would be little value in taking him to task for it. Inspecting Reed for damage, he didn't seem to be bleeding to death or comatose, but he had been under quite a bit of an assault. She wasn't exactly a world class healer like that blue-haired young man Ereshkigal had apparently met, but not even she felt a need to be sparing with some concern for another human being. "Are you unscathed?"
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Reed
Squire
"If some feller gives me a lance, I'm'ma fight tooth 'n nail for what I reckon is right."
Posts: 79
Profession: Farmhand
Affiliation: None
Guild: None
Affinity: Light
Profile: Reed
OoC Alias: Ardent
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Post by Reed on Oct 11, 2018 23:06:39 GMT -6
Reed scratched the back of his head with a modest chuckle followed by a shrug. A powerful mage and a healer? Managing to meet such a potent druid was truly a blessing on the impressionable Sacaean squire. He had no idea what he had just bore witness to, but did it matter when the thought of its impeccable execution was still buzzing around in his mind? Althea's knowledge of healing magic was the icing on the cake. The poor trainee had managed to back out from scenarios where healing would be absolutely necessary, but his encounter with Midori the troubadour at the inn close to Bulgar was his first experience under the effects of recovery spells. Pulling up his left sleeve to the shoulder revealed the slowly forming bruise from the metal rod he had received to the bicep. Thankfully, the one with the more lethal weapon was not the opportunist his partner is- or was, for that matter.
"Ain't my first tussle, that's for sure. It stings alright, but it ain't nothin' compared to what my girl Gracie's done on her bad days! I reckon I'll tough it out if yer magicky stuff is gonna make ya tired," the boy answered as he left his sleeve rolled up. Though he did say no to the offer, he figured that if she insisted, it would hardly be his place to deny it. Why deny a chance at hospitality?
With his own steed completely ignoring the two riders, Reed had directed his attention to the horse that Althea herself had mounted and proceeded to pacify. With a small frown and one look at the horse's eyes, he sighed. "Aw... Looks like ya spooked 'er real good there, ma'am. Not all horses're gonna act real calm-like when ya do somethin' flashy, especially if yer usin' one like this beauty. You, uh... Mind if I give 'er a quick little look-see here? I ain't good for much, but if I know one thing pretty darn well, it's how to calm a horse," he offered with a slight tilt of his head. Watching the magus stop the animal's fit reminded him of his first attempts at trying to tame his own partner... With less throwing of riders and kicking of dirt into said rider's face with a whinny, of course.
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