Deeds of Darkened Thoughts[Mila]

[Drei]

The camp wasn't exactly luxurious. Drei was, however, content to feel a bit at home at this point around the familiar bedroll that he'd grown accustomed to sleeping in. Something else occupied the shamans thoughts however, as his finger traced along the worn pages of the Ruin Tome his father had left him. There were scrawling notes resembling obscure sigils, letters he could not understand mixed within the discernible legitimate text of the tome. His father had written these unknown messages in almost every page. It wasn't until recently that he had managed to decode this series of notes. Each sigil represented a letter, though there were occasional ones that contextually only made sense as entire words; these peculiar sigils all tethered to two or three letters to words around them that gave actual indication. This entire system wouldn't have been discovered if he hadn't noticed a "key" in the back of the book that had a few actual words translated with corresponding sigils beside them.


Drei's focus had been split into two. The first half of his mind focused on the actual text, learning the complexities of Ruin..which was essentially a grand extension of Flux, and what exactly he could do with it. As he read however, he had furiously been jotting down notes and comparable graphs within his journal to further decrypt his fathers personal code. The snowy haired Shaman found this endeavor to be thrilling though. It sustained, if not revived, his ravenous hunger to learn. Not since he was first learning magic had he felt so enthralled with a task. Any waking moment he could spend with the tome in one hand and his journal in the other, referencing or cross referencing, he was. However as his pursuit of knowledge and attempts progressed, he noticed something. There were times where his father's notes referenced "Ruins," instead of "Ruin,"; this meaning he implied a structure of ruins as opposed to the tome of Ruin that Drei held. However they were always in passing reference only. Prior knowledge gave them the context needed, so to Drei it was beyond confusing. He however, started trying to single this out. What ever was in these Ruins, his father had barely managed to survive the encounter. His choice of words, his style in how he hinted towards them; all of it indicated a certain...respected fear.

The young shaman finally found what he was searching for. An entire paragraph on these Ruins. After decoding it, he began to read it back to himself mentally. By this point, the code had become like a second language. Many letters he no longer needed his personal key for within the back of the journal.

"As I think back upon those ruins, so old yet so alive simultaneously, I ponder the efficacy of my efforts. Though I do not crave grand power, I have long searched for a power almost unique unto my kind. Were I to return to that small hillside in Laus, so close to the borders fringe..would things play an altered tune? I should count myself lucky, for though its occupant remains like the ones of Nabata and Bern, I know my companions keep vigilant watch. Stanley shall remain to guard, what I cannot...especially now that I have a family of my own."

Stanley? The man they stayed with when traveling Lycia? Did he know more about this? Perhaps...they could visit him? First..he'd have to talk to Mila, since he was traveling with her at the moment. He'd wanna make sure she was okay with it.

As Drei looked up from his tome, he gazed towards the mage with a curious glance. His tone seemed ordinary, but Drei admittedly had to do his best to contain his overwhelming curiosity. "Hey Mila?"

[Mila]

Mila had adjusted to traveling with Drei and Horsey. Aside from the incident in the village with the zombies she had done a good job at keeping herself together. So long as the weather cooperated she wouldn't turn into a quivering mass of nerves. She agreed to sit down and talk about her fear with Drei at some point. Perhaps the conversation would do her some good. But that chat would be at a later date because right now she was busy cooking. The trio had recently passed through a small village in Laus and stocked up a bit on supplies.

The farm land near the hillside specialized in raising squash and pumpkin. To which Mila couldn't resist buying and immediately turning it into food. She spent the majority of the morning cutting and peeling the hardy vegetables. Then sauteing some garlic and onions until they were translucent. She then added water with the right amount of herbs and spices for taste. Granted heavy soups like this were reserved for cold weather. But by the time cold weather rolls around the pumpkin and squash would be ruined. She put the chopped pieces of the vegetables into the herby broth until they were soft. Then added a small bit of almond milk and mashed the mixture until it was a soft creamy puree. She moved the cook pot away from the fire so it can cool.

"Sweet. Food's ready!" She spoke with an enthusiastic tone. She pulled out a small wooden bowl and spooned herself some of the soup. She scooped up a spoonful of the still hot puree into her mouth when Drei pulled his head out of his book and asked her something. Oh gods it's still hot! She pulled the spoon out of her mouth and started to fan her mouth. After a few moments of she managed to regain her composure and talk back.

"What's up?"

[Drei]

He paused, feeling a loss as to how best to explain himself when the opportunity finally presented itself. He gazed at Mila, almost blankly for a moment before leaning his head to the side in thought and pressing his curved index finger to his chin. Drei spoke slowly, in a thoughtful tone as he attempted to accurately convey his thoughts. "I have been attempting..feverishly, as you know...to learn the contents of my fathers notes. Well..I've learned a fair bit. Not just upon elder magic either, though his theories and actual applicable knowledge was remarkable!"

Despite his own, or fates intention, the ashen haired shaman instantly got sidetracked while academic discovery overshadowed his recent discovery for a brief time. He extended his palms to show Mila, as if presenting them to her. Focusing, he hid his amber hued eyes for a moment by closing his eyes to further concentrate. Dark shadowy tendrils, noramlly prone to forming inky black spheres instead began to vibrantly dance. They shifted, as he formed a singular one with a thickness equivalent to a rope and began shifting it on will and whim alone. Turning to look at his side, as he opened his eyes he locked on to a palm sized rock, coiling the tendril and physically interacting with it by solidifying the tendril and implementing the ruin spell. The magic stemming from his palm recoiled, and slowly receded into his body as he withdrew the stone until the magic had subsided and the palm now occupied by the ovular rock. He looked brightly to her for a moment. "By reading his notes, I got a better grasp of this tome, and how to manifest the shadows into physical matter that is able to interact with our own world as a dimensional object! Instead of subsiding when contacted by objects, or being disrupted by them, it holds to its form! Think of it! Weapons, or shields of Elder Magic! Platforms, whips, the ability to reach objects out of reach, restraining others or binding them! So many possibilities! I am able to see now why this tome appealed to my father so much! I really-"

The thought crept with a sudden reminder into his mind as to the other part of his fathers notes. The boy ceased speaking for a moment, shifting aside his excited nature and trying to shift back into a thoughtful one. A swift change of tone. "Err...before I get distracted. There was something else though. Something I must investigate. It's near Laus..and I'd be going to meet a family friend first but...it is supposed to be very dangerous and well...I can't handle it alone. I don't like the idea of asking you to accompany me into danger but, I need someone to go with me..and I really don't know anyone that I trust besides you so um...yeah. "

[Mila]

While Drei spoke about his dark magic and it's practical applications, Mila continued eating. She was interested in the whole conversation, and was impressed that the shadowy tendril he summoned could move a rock. Then Drei started to talk about all of the practical applications of his ruin tome which made her smile. It was the first time in a while she had seen him talk and act so positively. It was pretty cute. Reminded her of herself a bit when she would start being particularly excited over some new monster or when she sat down to make her tea blends. But she still sat there in silence for a moment as she went ahead and poured him a bowl of pumpkin soup. She set it aside next to him before speaking.

"Well Drei.. that seems like quite the difficult decision." She spoke in a slightly sarcastic manner. Mila had already made the mental decision to travel with him already. I mean why wouldn't she? They had already traveled through dangerous territory together already. Those Zombies from a few nights back weren't exactly safe. And the pair of them did manage to beat down a bunch of bandits on their first encounter.

"I mean.. I could.. continue to travel with you. And help you meet this family friend of yours.. then going head long into danger. While you go ahead and discover all sorts of practical uses for elder magic.. which could lead to some of the best magical discoveries of a lifetime.. Or.. I could sit here and continue to eat soup... Oh.. the choices.." Despite the sarcastic tone she was in a good mood. She smirked lightly.

"Of course I'm going with you. But you've been buried in that book all morning.. now while I can sympathize.. you should eat." She smiled softly at the shaman. Mila quickly reached over to her bag and pulled out a map. And began calculating the quickest route between here and Laus.

[Drei]

"Well Drei.. that seems like quite the difficult decision."

Drei initially did not detect her sarcasm and though not showing it, felt a bit crestfallen at the idea that she wouldn't be joining him. Before actually realizing the impossibility of his quest without her even, this had registered. However, a moment later he began to question the internal sadness that had hinted towards brewing up as she quickly added onto her statement. It was odd, and gave cause to pause and reflect. That he could so quickly jump to a conclusion before she had finished speaking was simply not like him. He even chuckled a bit as she mentioned the deep possibility that laid as an alternative for her. That soup though...

Smiling a bit the ashen haired boy shifted from his spot and moved to sit besides Mila as she looked over the map. He crossed his knees a bit and opened the book once more so that he could easier help pinpoint where precisely in Laus they needed to go. It took him a moment, excited slightly and distracted as he was, to acknowledge her mentioning that he had to eat. The shaman paused as this fully processed, and once registered he looked up to Mila with a sheepish chuckle as he moved a gloved hand to rub the back of his neck. As if on que, an almost cliche rumbling echoed from his stomach; the bodily gurgle a sign that he was indeed famished. He shrugged a bit before nodding towards her and tucking his knees in with his tome resting atop them."Ah...haha your probably right...I should eat something soon. Wellll...I'll take a small break from this to eat..but I'm still helping you plot out a path on the map while I eat. I'm hungry, not useless haha."

He clasped his hands together, pressing his palms together and lacing his own fingers as he stretched out for a moment; shifting back into place soon after.

[Mila]

Mila smiled softly and moved herself closer to Drei. So that they both could look at the map together and figure out where to go. Laus was a large territory with several little villages that dotted along the Lycian River. They were currently in Santaruz. Hmm.. We could travel to Badon and take a ferry up river towards Laus. And land in the city of Laus. Or.. we could walk it. Santaruz is like.. Lycian farmer's central. There's bound to be a trader's route between the territories. Then again.. Laus the city.. and Laus the territory are different things.

"Uh.. where.. do we go in Laus? Is the city itself or one of the villages with in the territory? Is it by the river towards Khathelet? Badon? Tuscana?" She took a glance at Drei for a bit. Then back at the map. She folded it gently into a small square and gently put it down on top of one of the books. She rubbed the back of her neck for a bit then covered her mouth to hide a light yawn. She shook her head.

"Hm..." She looked around a bit. Right then.. I think some tea is in order. Hmm.. which one would go well with the meal. She moved back to her spot by the fire. She got a tea kettle ready and prepared it. The tea was a light mix of cinnamon, ginger, and black tea leaves. The aromatic blend of spices would take a few minutes before the tea was ready. Mila sighed softly and grabbed her bag and rummaged through the various pockets before pulling out a book. This journal was a new journal. New in the sense that the pages were blank. However the leather bound cover that sheilded the pages was slightly worn. Mila didn't mind it much and felt that the worn out bits gave it some charm. But the quality of the leather was good and the belt that kept it closed was in great shape. She then went ahead and handed the blank journal over to Drei.


"That's for you. It's a bit of a thank you for sticking around with me during these travels. I know I can be a pain to travel with sometimes."She scratched her head lightly and gave a bit of a sheepish smile.

"I.. figure you kinda need it. To be honest.. I'm.. still a bit concerned over you and your memory. I know.. how frustrating it is to forget things you really want to remember. So hopefully writing it down in that journal.. will help keep things from being forgotten."

[Drei]

Drei was about to go into depth as to Laus..but then she handed him a small leather-bound book. His amber shaded eyes fell to it as he examined the book curiously. He wasn't sure what drew his attention more. The gift, or the comment about the pains that came with traveling as Mila's companion. Now it was Drei's turn to unleash sarcasm upon her, even if it was a bit less fluid and natural sounding since it had generally been a long time since he'd been open with emotions; let alone humor. "Yes..because Traveling with a talented, funny, beautiful Mage that knows how to keep you alive and probably knows more about monsters than most of Elibe combined, let alone her insight into magical theory and its practical application is suuuuuuuuuch~ a pain. I don't know how I bare it." He flashed a soft grin before turning his gaze back to the book.

Ah. Yeah..the memory thing. Yup, that'd do it. She wasn't entirely wrong. To say it wasn't a lingering fear, and some source of tension within his mind that caused constant unease was a rather lofty lie. It would help him feel more like his father, if nothing else. He quietly eased the journal open, relishing the sound of almost creaking that books made when open. A soft quiet sound, that was as welcoming as any "hello" he'd ever heard."Thank you Mila. I'll definitely be using it. That's for sure."

The subject switched a moment later. Ah...Laus. That..well that would certainly be a thought. It was near the river. That much he knew. But he also knew it was on the outskirts of Laus. Drei paused a bit before speaking. The snowy haired shaman was quick to realize that he only had well..generally bare details. Nothing finite as "Between Laus and unknown Town B, turn left and walk for ten minutes. Then your there, if you hit Ostia you've gone too far." He ran his fingers through his hair while he tucked the journal between his lap and his abdomen to tuck his knees in and observe the map more."Ah well...the ruins are supppppposed to be near the river. A small hill or some such over looking them. Near the border of Laus and Badon but a little bit of the way in I think..given the indication. A friend of his is supposedly keeping watch over the place..so that might help us."

[Mila]

Mila raised her eyebrows a bit. She caught the sarcasm in Drei's voice. She gave off a light chuckle as she carefully removed the hot kettle from the fire. She used a small strainer to catch any of the leaft bit's that were loosly floating in the water. And she poured a mug of warm tea for herself and for Drei. She gently set Drei's cup aside next to his bowl.

"Heh.. I accept your complements Drei. And thank you. But I know where my faults lie. I'm a complete mess in a storm. I barely function the second the sun sets. And heaven help you if we travel to colder places." She spoke then took a sip of her hot tea. The warm mix of spices of this blend seemed to banish the thoughts of the cold.

"But don't.. sell yourself short. I mean you can do that thing with the shadows to turn it into a show. Which.. I had a minor freak out over the first time.. Your deciphering complex runes over there and unlocking the secrets of your craft. And you make a great panic pillow." She un-furled a bit more of the map. There was a slight frown as Drei started to give off his knowledge of directions.

"Uh.. Drei those are horrible directions." Her voice was flat. She gave a light sigh and continued speaking.

"So.. West towards the river.. and south towards Badon. South-West is our general direction.. And hope we hit the right hill side ruins? That gap between Laus and Badon is pretty large. I mean the map makes it look small.. but there's at least a few hundred miles between them. Is there a name of a town or something? Cause if not.. I'd say we make our way towards Badon and ask if they know any villages near any ruins in between Badon and Laus. If that turns out to be a bust there's a ferry system from Badon that goes up river into Laus." Then a rather cold thought crossed her mind. Wait.. Ruins.. She shook her head. Nope. One problem at a time Mila. First lets actually find.. this place..

[Drei]

Drei felt a slight flush to his cheeks. It was faint, but the heat that rushed to his face was not unknown to him. Thankfully, with him being tucked up like he was and hugging his knees, it hid well. He was not used to compliments. He even chuckled a little before finding the mustered will to reply to her. The boy ran a single gloved hand through his snowy white hair, ruffling the locks up a bit as he tried to adequately reply without it sounding entirely too complimentary. Was that possible? He was still new to this whole...paying attention to how people who weren't his family thing worked. Opting instead simply to speak his mind and pray it didn't come out horrible, Drei chimed in as she looked to the map. "Er..yes...I wouldn't know the quality of pillow like nature that I harbor. However I appreciate your words. I am simply passionate at a few things and well..often disregard the rest. "

Ah..yeah. Honestly, the directions were garbage. Even he knew that. However he had a bit hidden away in the event that they had no luck finding who they wanted to find. "Ah..Thomas. Thomas Sampson, that's the man father has watching over these ruins." He paused briefly before shifting his gaze to the map as he extended a hand to point at the river while nodding, trying to expound upon the plan as a whole. "If we go through with traveling up the river into Laus, we can ask around there. There is a chance no one knows of him..but It will increase our chances right? I..wish father would've left a sketch or...map..but it's all just writings so I honestly can't make out any other helpful information. At-least not with what was left to me."

[Mila]

There was a bit of a small smile on Mila's face. It was kinda nice to see Drei relaxed. She took another sip of tea and began to ponder. Drei continued to speak about his father's friend. Hey. At least we have a name. She thought to herself as she stared at the map again.

"It's going to be a bit of a journey. We night have to do some odd jobs here and there to keep us stable. Er.. financially... for supplies and shelter. Not that I don't mind roughing it in the tents. That means we need to horde up some more food and prepare for the changing seasons." She finished drinking her tea and let out a bit of a contented sigh.

"Hmm So we are looking for a Thomas Sampson.. in between Laus.. and Badon.." She grabbed a small piece of graphite and wrote that down in the margins of the map. She also wrote the words "ruins", "dark magic", and "Drei's father's Friend". There wasn't enough space in between the margins so part of the word friend was now part of Laus. She blew off the bits of excess graphite from the map.

"Don't worry about it Drei. I'm sure you'll figure out more of your father's work as we go on. There's a saying.. that about journey's being better then the destination. I think.." She scratched her chin lightly. She quietly gathered up her bowl and filled it half way with the soup that was left over. Now it shouldn't be as hot as it was.

[Drei]

Leaning over to the side, Drei finally clasped at his small cup before sipping it quietly. The tea had cooled enough that he could savor the blend of herbs properly, while still enjoying the warmth of it. The snowy haired Shaman examined Mila quietly before he looked over to the map again as she spoke up. The shaman was quiet for a few passing seconds, enjoying the females company and simply sitting there while he tried to think back and adequately grasp more details. He was paying attention to Mila, but he didn't comment right away. Though, he replied absently as his amber hued eyes lingered on the map.

"Well, thanks to you I've certainly been enjoying the journey thus far. Er..minus the near death part. "

The implications of what he meant didn't actually dawn on he himself for a moment or two. He wasn't used to speaking without thinking, or replying on honest uncensored intentions and feelings before. So, implying that Mila herself was the reason he was enjoying his journey revealed more about his thoughts than he would have ever cared to reveal to someone. Mortified, Drei did his best to hide this revelation as he quietly lifted the cup to his lips and took a slow long sip of it. His eyes did not move from the map; staring at it a bit too intently perhaps in an attempt to mask his own embarrassment. Luckily, there was no blush. He was however, able to shift the topic as he slowly peered towards her. "When did you start acquiring a taste for tea? Was it something you always enjoyed..orr?" A sudden, and partially out of character topic; given that Drei seldom asked personal questions. However this would better help divert his embarrassment and hide it easier. This..wasn't as easy as He would have imagined.

[Mila]

"I'm glad you are enjoying the journey." She turned to him with a small smile.

Mila stared up into the sky for a breif moment after Drei asked his question about tea. It made her think, when did she start drinking tea? She knew it wasn't a recent phenomenon as she had a vast memory of different tea blends. So she could only assume she had been drinking tea for most of her life time, but she could exactly pinpoint when. She knew her parents introduced her to tea as an alternative to pure water. Since as water straight from the well or river some times causes illness. She remember father proposing an interesting idea about why water sometimes makes a person sick. He chalked it up to angry water spirits upset that the water they live, breed, and bathe in was being drunk by people. Either that or the fact that when it came to river water humans get sick because animals use the water.. and they.. care not for hygiene or sanitary conditions.

"Hmm.. I.. don't know when I got the taste for tea. I just know it's something I've drank.. for like ever. If.. memory serves.. I think.. it was my father.. who made us all drink tea. I.. think.. he didn't like the taste of mead.. and water by itself sometimes make you sick. But I remember he liked tea.. he said it was healthier."

Fuzzy memories of her brother, mother, and father sharing a meal at the table. And her Nabatan father would put goat milk into his green tea and drink it. The droplets of white liquid would show through his beard giving him a literal milk mustache.

"I remember the logic behind that. He said that we get sick.. because what ever lives in the water.. weather it be spirits or fish poop.. get mad when they are being drank. Which is understandable.. I'd be pissed too if I were in their situation. So when you boil water.. you drive off what ever lives in the water from messing with your stomach later." A smile ran across her face.

"Heh.. I do remember how shocked I was when child me realized we were drinking the thing fish poop in. Never looked at river water the same.. even now I always order hot water at taverns."

[Drei]

Even Drei chuckled as Mila spoke of drinking fish excretions within the water from rivers and pools of water. It was true. That was one thing he remembered being taught early on. Given their nomadic lifestyle though it wasn't much of a surprise. His family had always heated their water to cook it first before storing it in flasks or urns to carry. It was supposed to make it cleaner by killing the stuff in it. Made it taste better to because it didn't taste as horrid as it would've otherwise. The young shaman shifted his legs and tucked into his lap more as he clasped at the mug of hot-tea before sipping quietly. Contemplatively thinking, he chuckled once more before speaking up. What could he say? He wasn't made of stone. "I recall first learning to boil my water. I think I remember it so well because I ended up accidentally spilling the water all over one of the dancers that was in our circus. She was soooooo mad heh. Ah..it was fun though."

He ran a hand through his hair, ashen bangs rustling even before he did so as the soft gust of wind brushed through the area. Drei looked over at the map again before he shifted his weight and adjusted. He huffed quietly and spoke up once more before looking at the female mage with a curious gaze, eyebrow lifting as he questioned her once more. He was genuinely curious, not wondering out of rudeness but out of a desire to simply get to know her better. "So did you and your family travel or...did you all live in one place, Mila?"

[Mila]

"Ah.. geeze. That must have sucked for the dancer." Mila was doing her best to hide a smile. She was glad that they were talking. And talking about happy things instead of Mila's usual speech about monsters that like to kill things. Or about her book about monsters that like to kill things.. and how they killed things. Mila gently rubbed one of her temples with her finger tips. Don't start talking about monsters you dummy. She mentally told herself as she tried to recall some tidbits of her childhood that didn't suck. She counted herself fortunate that most of her memories were of good things.. as she knew it could have been so much worse had things not gone the way they did. There were certainly so many opportunities for bad luck or death to claim her as a child.

"Hmm.. Yeah. We traveled. Well we traveled up until I was about.. ten or eleven. The family.. being a mercenary guild and all. We took jobs for both Eturia and Sacae. Since, our mane base of operations was.. er or rather still is located in Taras. Which is pretty much the city that divides Eturia from Sace. Sometimes there were jobs.. that had us go as far as Ilia or the Isles. But those jobs were really rare.. and my brother and I being kids.. we didn't really fare well against long trips. Uhm.. after that I got enrolled one of Eturia's magical academies. And was.. stuck there pretty much for about six to seven years. And it.. was terrible." She shook her head.

"I mean.. i'm glad it gave me an education.. and trained me on being a better at magic.. and a scholarly and all.. but it really did suck." She sighed softly.

"Hmm.. lets see.. As a troupe.. your family traveled everywhere. Did you have any favorite city? Territory?"

[Drei]

"Hmm..a favorite territory..? Let me think.."

He had to narrow it down by city. Favorite territory? Bah. Except for Ilia he didn't mind them to some degree or another. They weren't that awful by any means. Except Ilia. Ilia was horrible. Etruria as well but well..for definitively different reasons. Sacae was pleasant. It was entirely green however. That got to be a bit too much at times. Lycia had diversity. It was kind of nice in that regard. The people sucked though. They were superstitious survival obsessed louts that gave concern only to themselves. Bern was..neat? Wyverns were cool. Lots of war though, so not the greatest of vacation resorts. Nabata was nice if you excluded the absurd heat, and sand. Which was well.. all of Nabata.

Cities it was!

Drei lifted a hand to his chin and quietly pondered. Favorite city? That was easy. It was..."Khan Yunis."

He adjusted his legs, and crossed his legs as he looked to Mila with a slight smile, lifting his hands to rest his chin upon while propping his elbows against his knees. The Ashen haired shaman smiled before elaborating on his choice so pointedly. "Sure the rest of Nabata sucks. Khan Yunis though? It's absolutely teeming with diversity. All those cultures melding into one huge pot, with so many different types of people. Circuses, entertainers lining the streets and the market district bustling with all the Bazaar's making it up. Then there's the architecture! The buildings range from small hastily assembled shacks that look like their about to fall over, to huge dome topped stone palaces and exquisite halls that have these smooth marble floors which somehow manage to stay cool even in the worst of heats. Then their's the fact that the ocean and market trade makes the port so huge, with so many different foods! Ah..I can say that I've had more fun the two times we were in Khan Yunis than probably anywhere else in Elibe!"

Adjusting himself he looked at her quietly with a tilt of his head before quizzically inquiring. "Yourself?"