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Post by Mila on Aug 15, 2019 17:04:11 GMT -6
Mila was delighted that Marcus agreed to tea. It gave her a chance to show off her amazing tea skills. After a bit of prep work, Mila found herself sitting down on a fallen log. She pulled from her pack a small kettle. She poured half of her canteen of water into the kettle. She put the kettle close to the fire. She recapped her canteen, put it away, then pulled from one of her pack pockets her stash of herbs. Except there was a small problem. Her herb were not fresh! They were all dry, dull, and dead! That won't do! She promised Marcus fresh tea with fresh herbs.
Mila sighed softly and quickly looked around. Fortunately, the forest soil was fertile. And so she decided to go an alternate route. She quietly chucked the dried and lifeless bundle of herbs into the fire. She returned to her pockets and pulled out a small pouch of little seeds. Her botanist friend had provided her with a small bag of rosemary and mind seeds. The sage plucked a few seeds from the bag. She closed the bag and put it away. She made a small hole in the ground with her finger. Put the seeds in and covered it with dirt. The little elemental on her hip crouched and looked on at the spot in the floor where the seeds were. It knew what Mila was going to do and it liked watching the plants grow. Mila at this point had her Flora tome committed to memory so she no longer needed to look at the book to cast. She closed her eyes for a moment to focus. She felt the powers of the fauna flow through her and out of her finger tips. She opened her eyes. She pointed a finger out towards the former hole in the ground and quietly coaxed the plants out.
She waggled her index finger gently. Her movements were gentle and slow. And the seeds responded. They grew out of the ground slowly and in order. A seedling. Then juvenile plant. A flowering plant. Then the flowers faded. And all Mila was left with were the adult versions of two small bundles of rosemary and mint. She then stopped her casting once the plant reached maturity.
"There."
Mila then plucked the herbs from the ground. Pulled the rosemary from it's stem and threw the pointy leaves into the hot pot. Then she bruised the mint a bit before dumping that in to the hot water.
"Now we just give it a few minutes to steep."
After a bit. Mila grabbed the sides of her cloak and used them as some makeshift oven mitts. She moved the hot pot away from the fire. She then pulled out a wooden mug from her bag. The make shift hand protectors were used again. Mila poured Marcus a cup of tea. And handed it to him.
"And there you go." She smiled softly. With the tea delivered, Mila went about making her own cup.
"You mentioned you've get a pretty bad case of wanderlust.. so where has that taken you?"
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Marcus
Manakete
Dragon Reborn
Hell and back is a long way to go, but my journey's only begun.
Posts: 176
Profession: Wanderer
Affinity: Dark
Dragon Element: Lightning
Profile: Marcus
OoC Alias: Marc
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Post by Marcus on Aug 18, 2019 10:48:42 GMT -6
Marcus gratefully accepted the tea from Mila and let out a long breath to cool it down. Satisfied with the temperature, he took a tentative sip and was happily surprised by the flavor. The mint was strong but soothing and the rosemary added a surprising depth. It was an intricate flavor profile that equally served to relax and sharpen his attention. A wave of nostalgia washed over Marcus as his gaze drifted from Mila to the cabin. He recalled fondly some of his own teas that he had made, especially the blueberry blend that he had served to Nayru here. It was then that he had set out on his world tour, the last time that his wanderlust had truly flared up.
“I’ve been a great many places over the years. Elibe’s a big place and I’ve had a lot of time to explore it. I think the only place I haven’t spent much time is the Western Isles. Never had much reason to go there, I suppose. Ilia’s always been a particular favorite of mine. I’m no fan of the cold, but it’s worth enduring to see the snow, and the Ilian mountains are something to behold. One of these days, I’m gonna make it back there and go see the northern coastline. From what I’ve been told, the vast grey ocean is breathtaking, and if you go during the right time of winter, you can even see lights in the sky.” Marcus leaned back and looked up at the sky over Lycia. He wondered what those lights might look like. They weren’t like stars, he had been told, more like the gods had unrolled gleaming fabrics in all colors of the rainbow across the night sky. I wonder if Richter ever saw them, he pondered to himself. Maybe if I were too see them too, it’d be one more thing we shared. Marcus took another long sip of tea and shook himself from that thought. It hurt too much to think about the friend that was lost to him.
“Sacae’s alright, I suppose, if you like lots of rolling hills and not much else. I’d go there more for the people than the sights. It’s crazy to me that you can have so many people all from the same place with such wildly different traditions. But they’re all generally a friendly and welcoming bunch, and they can tell some of the tallest tales I’ve ever heard. Not the best cooks in the world, but you can count on all of their food being as fresh as it can be.” Marcus’s thoughts drifted to Selibas, the young chief he had encountered on his way back from Ilia. He hoped that he was alright, and that he hadn’t been taken by the war he had attempted to get Marcus to join. While he did feel a pang of guilt for not sticking with the young chief, it simply wasn’t his fight to join and so had slipped away in the night.
“Bern is… well…” Marcus trailed off, his thoughts going to much darker places. Bern had been his final resting place, the site where he had been punished for his crimes against Etruria, and not unjustly so, either. And yet, he felt a strange mix of regret and anger towards the people of Bern. He had done nothing to them and yet the sheer sight of a dragon had sent them into such a bloodlust that they could not be sated until he was cold and dead. Why did they hate his people so much? Could anything be done to sway them from their hateful and bigoted ways? Marcus wasn’t so sure, but he bore one of the answers on his body. That much he knew. “I… I haven’t had the best experiences in Bern. I think… well, the scars speak for themselves.”
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Post by Mila on Aug 20, 2019 16:07:42 GMT -6
Mila sat and sipped her tea. She listened to Marcus talk about his travels. She had never been to Illia before all that she knew about the land was that it was very cold. It was where pegasus riders come from. And it's main export were mercenaries. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine a cold winter land. A grey ocean with white tipped waves. And bright lights in the sky. The mental image was very nice, but not something she wished to experience in person. She hated the cold. She opened her eyes and refocused her attention on Marcus. He started talking about Sacae next.
Her Childhood home bordered on the fridges of Eturia and Sacae. And her parents mercenary clan would take jobs for both countries on either side of the border. It didn't matter to them so long as their patrons paid their fees. And as an adult, Mila found herself crossing through the plains fairly regularly. The monsters of the world roamed and as a hunter she had to roam with them. She remembered visiting the City of Heroes and paying Vincent a visit. She remembered fighting a small pack of Mauthe Doogs with the little 'angle of death'.
Marcus did not have fond memories of Bern. And the scars were proof of that. She wanted to pry into that further. As wounds that left scars like those are seldom survivable. She opted not to. Instead she reminded herself of her own adventures in Bern. She remembered meeting Illheod and his wyvern company. Her, Yorick, Illheod, and several brave souls from the neighboring village beat back several gargoyles. She remembered flying on the back of Illheod's wyvern Astreus. And throwing up promptly after they landed. And then having to kill a partially zombifed wyern. It wasn't pleasant. But, it was an experience she would never forget.
"Those.. scars looked so grim. It's a miracle you managed to survive." She chimed in after a moment.
"Have you been to Nabata and Eturia?" She asked.
"Would you like me to tell you where's I've been in return? I feel that is only fair."
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Marcus
Manakete
Dragon Reborn
Hell and back is a long way to go, but my journey's only begun.
Posts: 176
Profession: Wanderer
Affinity: Dark
Dragon Element: Lightning
Profile: Marcus
OoC Alias: Marc
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Post by Marcus on Sept 9, 2019 9:27:36 GMT -6
"Those.. scars looked so grim. It's a miracle you managed to survive."
Marcus stifled an anxious chuckle at Mila’s response to his scars. He very nearly blurted out the truth; that he had, in fact, not survived the experience that gave him these scars. But, how do you tell someone that you’ve died before? It wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to convince someone of. After all, you’d be standing before them, in the flesh and very much not dead. As grisly as the scars were, they weren’t exactly proof of his death. He had attempted to tell the tale on a number of occasions already and nobody seemed to believe him. Several people had assumed that he was insane, while others had taken Marcus for some sort of experimental story teller. One person had even suspected him of running a bizarrely complicated con, and had attempted to report him to the authorities, at which point Marcus had taken his cue and vanished. At this point, he wasn’t sure that it even mattered that people knew. Even if they believed him, what difference did it make? He wasn’t dead now, that much was sure. Pity and empty apologies is all it would get him.
Rather than attempt the explanation, he decided it best to continue to tell Mila about his travels. “I’ve been to both, actually. It might sound strange, but Nabata is where I was born. I haven’t been back there in quite a long time now, but I have fond memories of the warm desert sands.” Those were the only fond memories Marcus had of his home. While his childhood had its moments, every good experience was tainted by the foul presence of his father. Malgus Odintongue, that cruel and hateful man, had ruined any chance he ever had at a normal life, or whatever a normal life for a dragon could be. It was his thoughtless actions that had driven his older brother to spirit him from their village and flee into the world of humans. “I… I left our village when I was pretty young. Circumstances were pretty bad, and well, that’s when I ended up out here.”
“As for Etruria…” Marcus wasn’t sure where to begin with his ‘adventures’ in Etruria. It had been the site of some of his more exciting tales, but he also knew what he had done there. The acts of violence he had committed against its people did not bare repeating. Of course,. Etruria had delivered its fair share of injustices against him as well. It was probably for the best to avoid the subject altogether. “I spent a fair amount of time in their libraries. They’ve probably got the best collections in all of Elibe. I stuck mostly to the books with pictures. Not that I can’t read! I just… get bored easily. It’s easier for me to stay engaged if I can see what I’m reading, y’know?”
“That’s about the extent of it, I guess. Not really my whole life story, but I doubt you have the time for that.” Marcus took another long sip of his tea. It had started to cool, but he actually preferred it that way. It felt weird to have his life summed up by where he had been, rather than what he had done. It was refreshing, honestly. “You’ve heard me ramble enough, though. I’d love to hear about your journeys!”
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Post by Mila on Sept 16, 2019 14:58:32 GMT -6
Mila sat there in silence and listened to Marcus talk about his life. So he came from Nabata. That as cool. She didn't know too many native Nabatans. But, it sounded like he was forced to go on the road early in his life. That was unfortunate. She kinda wanted to learn a little more about the desert before arriving at said desert. And most of her memory of Nabata was full of sorrow. His comments about Etruria perked her up somewhat. She missed her homeland, but knew it wasn't the same as it used to be. And while she didn't agree with the current government in place, she understood her position. She was a commoner. Another face among the masses forced to conform to the societal norms of her country. She had no place or mind for politics. And she understood that changes of hands in government were confusing. She could barely remember life when the monarchy of Etruria was in place. What she didn't like about Etruria was the fact that they felt like they should own the world.
"It.. does have a magnificent library." She commented. She closed her eyes and remembered walking down the halls of Delfia's library. The rows and rows of books that lined the shelves. She remembered it fondly. She opened her eyes again and stared at the fire for a moment to recover her thoughts. Then she returned her attention back to Marcus.
"I've.. been stuck reading books most of my life. Both with and without illustrations. The non illustration books.. helped to build up my imagination." This was the most proper way she could think of to say, yes. Marcus, I agree with yo about picture books.
"As for my story.. well it's a bit of a long one. I come from Etruria. But, I haven't been.. back there in a while. Last time I was within the Etrurian territory.. it was to defeat a large monster. I had help. It's where I met the other dragon I was talking about." She kinda wanted to ask if Marcus had seen any monsters recently.
"But, I've traveled across Elibe a whole lot. I've been through Sacae. Fought a few mauthe doogs on the plains. Been to Bern.. helped to fight a group of gargoyles. Been to Lycia.. and kinda been staying in Lycia. It's.. got a large chunk of my adventures so far. Might be due to the fact.. I have a place to live there. It's where I made Joule. Most of Lycia has a problem with the undead and baels." She wondered if Marcus even knew the monsters she was talking about.
"I've also been to Vinland. The newly discovered Island out at sea. The life there is so unique! There are shapeshifters.. the taguel. They.. can change into animals.. large cats, birds, bears. They were interesting I wish I can go back to see them again. I been to Nabata once.. and.. it did not end well. Which is why I'm determined to go back. There's unfinished business I've got to take care of there. I cold go into detail.. but those stories might take a while. And we will need more firewood and snacks."
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Marcus
Manakete
Dragon Reborn
Hell and back is a long way to go, but my journey's only begun.
Posts: 176
Profession: Wanderer
Affinity: Dark
Dragon Element: Lightning
Profile: Marcus
OoC Alias: Marc
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Post by Marcus on Sept 17, 2019 20:29:37 GMT -6
There was a certain familiarity to Mila’s story that gave Marcus pause. They were both world-weary travelers who were separated from their homes by both time and distance. Neither of them had roots to hold them down and so were carried by the winds of adventure to all the corners of Elibe. However, that’s where the similarities between them stopped. Mila had found a purpose in all of that wandering, whereas Marcus had been blown to and fro. It was more than a little distressing, if he had to be perfectly honest. He had never found a passion or a purpose. He had simply been riding the coattails of charismatic leaders and fighting their battles for years now. Mila however, had fully devoted herself to combating the menace that plagued the lands. He was almost jealous. To feel so strongly about something as to dedicate your life to it. He had never known what that was like. He wasn’t sure if he ever would. There was so much he still had to unpack about the life he had lived.
Mila certainly seemed to know a lot about monsters. As she listed off the locations she had been to, each one seemed to be joined with the name of a creature that Marcus had never heard of. There were really this many types of monsters? And they had spread that far across Elibe? He had to wonder what chance the humans had at repelling such a threat. “I… can’t say that I’ve ever heard of any of those… things. Or seen them, for that matter. I guess you could say that I haven’t really been aware of the world at large lately.” He chuckled nervously, hoping that it didn’t seem too strange.
However, what Mila had to say next completely threw Marcus for a loop. He had never heard of this Vinland place and the more she talked about it, the more questions he had. “They found an island? I don’t understand. Where was it this whole time? How did they find it? And these… Taguel? Is that what you called them? They sound like my people. I wonder if there’s a common ancestor.” It was an intriguing question to consider, but without having met one of these shapechangers, he couldn’t really say one way or another. Marcus realized that he had barraged Mila with a lot of questions and he felt a little embarrassed. “Sorry, I can be a little… much sometimes. But if you wanna, I could find us some dinner, before you head off on your way. That is, unless you’re looking for some company on the road?”
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Post by Mila on Sept 19, 2019 12:54:55 GMT -6
"You are lucky you haven't seen any monster yet. They are a plague upon on the world." She bit her lip. Her mind briefly flashed back towards the baels. Towards the map of Lycia where their nests have been recorded. To the end of those villages and all those who inhabited it. Joules let out an audible spark. That was enough to snap Mila back to earth.
"Sorry." She rubbed her head a bit.
"Well of course the island has always been there. They.. the people there have their own history. And ruins too! Really really old ones!" Why was she so excited about ruins?
"But, discovered.. in the sense that the people of Elibe landed on the island and started took note of it. And.. because humans.. are awful.. the people are starting to exploit it. You might see some people riding griffins in your travels. Or.. slaves." She gripped her shoulders at the mention of that last bit. Humanity was truly awful when it came to turning a profit on something.
"No. It's alright. I think your much and my much may make enough much." She smiled softly. Both of them seemed to have a similar emotional baggage. But, Marcus made an interesting point. It was starting to get a wee bit late. And they needed to come to a decision regarding dinner.
"No, dinner sounds great. We can chat some more. And I don't mind the company. You can come with me as far as you like."
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Marcus
Manakete
Dragon Reborn
Hell and back is a long way to go, but my journey's only begun.
Posts: 176
Profession: Wanderer
Affinity: Dark
Dragon Element: Lightning
Profile: Marcus
OoC Alias: Marc
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Post by Marcus on Sept 24, 2019 14:12:21 GMT -6
A dry chuckle escaped from Marcus’s lips as Mila commented on his luck. It was certainly a day for introspection, and after looking back, he could hardly consider his luck to be anything but good. He had an uncanny ability for finding trouble and stumbling into situations that left him desperate and alone. And yet, if it wasn’t luck that had kept him from encountering the monstrous plague upon the land, he wasn’t sure he wanted to discover the real answer. That deep down, there was no escaping his dark past. That those who had called him monsters before were right and the sole reason he hadn’t seen one yet is that they knew their own and gave him a wide berth. Marcus shuddered at the thought. It took him a moment to realize that Mila had also been silent for a bit. There was a sad, pained expression on her face, but as he took notice, she apologized quickly and the conversation shifted.
Marcus felt a bit foolish as Mila answered his questions about Vinland. “Oh, yeah, that makes a bit more sense. I suppose an island doesn’t just come from nowhere. But it doesn’t surprise me to hear that humans are already ruining things there. If history has taught me anything, it’s what they’re best at. Uh… no offense. I’m sure you’re not like most humans.” He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. He had known plenty of good humans in his time but it was hard to not feel pessimistic after hearing they were already exploiting a freshly discovered island.
Marcus was relieved to learn that Mila was enjoying his company. Being charged with literal energy, he had a tendency to be incredibly active and talkative, which had a tendency to wear thin on the nerves. But Mila didn’t seem to mind at all. Perhaps this was a budding friendship in the making. Time would tell if it could endure several days on the road. “I’ve certainly got nowhere to be. It’s been a while since I’ve met someone so pleasant who didn’t want anything from me. But first, some dinner is in order. If you’ll excuse me, this shouldn’t take too long.” Jumping to his feet, Marcus again removed his shirt and called upon his dragonstone to summon his wings. He retrieved his axe from the ground and after giving a nod to Mila, took to the air, where he peeled off into the forest in search of game.
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Post by Mila on Sept 29, 2019 13:02:11 GMT -6
"Ah.. I'm no different then every other human. I've had my share of completely ruining everything for everyone.. hence the trip to the desert lands. I need.. to fix what I feel like I broke. I.. just hope I can." She stopped talking for a moment after that. Thinking. If she could.. resolve the issues of her past now. Then maybe.. down the line.. she could fix the mistake of the present. To beat back the baels and slowly reclaim the villages lost to the baels. To those home lost by the monsters. Not an impossible task when thought of with the vast unlimited resources of her imagination.
"I'm glad you seem to find me pleasant company." She smiled softly at that. She was semi-awkward when it came to dealing with people. She talked. And she.. often spoke with no filter. Blurting out the first few things that were on her mind. Be it socially acceptable or not. And she knew it was a problem, but she couldn't stop herself from talking about it either. She hated to keep her thoughts to herself. If she was to keep her thoughts to herself, then perhaps the gods shouldn't have granted her a working mouth and vocal chords. Marcus took it upon himself to fetch dinner. She couldn't even tell him that she was mostly vegetarian. She was too busy being awestruck by him spreading wings and flying away. Like some sort of mythical ancient god. And her little elemental had the same sentiments. It looked up at Marcus with genuine awe and glee. It spread it's arms out, jumping, and tried to replicate what Marcus did. Mila sighed softly as she looked at little Joule.
"You get an A for effort little buddy." Mila got up out of her seat and looked around. She cracked her knuckles. While Marcus was out hunting. She was going to do her best to make this a more acceptable campsite. She called upon the powers of her flora tome and went to work in making a decent lean-to.
With the lean-to completed Mila decided to wait. And wait. And wait. But, it seemed that Marcus did not return. She had to assume something had happened to him. Perhaps, he had to run from something. Or he ran into something. But, she didn't bother to go find him. He had wings. And could be many miles away from now. She sighed softly and prepared herself what ever she had available for a decent meal. The sage quietly and quickly put out the fire and went on her way. Content with the meeting of yet another dragon. --- Exit's thread.
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