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Post by Mila on Sept 16, 2019 19:09:06 GMT -6
"Conversations with magic. Yeah.. I have that. Though not like you." She spoke. Then swirled the soup with the spoon a bit.
"Magic or The spirits.. doesn't talk back. It.. just does actions back. And yeah magic.. does have some sort of consciousness. When I cast.. it's like a feeling.. I feel it's feelings. It's both weird and wonderful. Though.. this little guy here is an exception." She tapped at the jar lightly. The little elemental seemed startled by that.
"It.. is technically magic.. but it's also a living thing attached to a body." As if to demonstrate this method of communication. The little spark in a jar sparked violently. Mila sighed softly. Mila reached down towards her bag and pulled it up from the floor. She rummaged through it for a moment and pulled out a some small broken twigs. Just a few centimeters in length and width. She popped the lid of the elemental's jar and gave it one of the twigs. To which the little elemental started to play with it. Sparking it with it's magic. And letting it turn into ash. Then playing with said ashes.
"Communication.. has been difficult. I talk to the Little lightning ball all the time.. but it can't talk back. But, it makes gestures that I can guess. I've learned to figure out what it likes. I've seen it get excited. And scared. And.. it's curious. Then again.. I probably would be too in it's predicament. It understands.. height. And we are like giants to the little thing. I hope once I get to Ryerde I can run a few more tests." She put the remaining little twigs down on the table and recapped the jar. She went ahead and ate a few more spoonfuls of soup. She was starting to regain her vigor. And then Donny asked if she was still researching. That dropped her enthusiasm some. She was always researching. And her research in monsters.. well.. she didn't like the results. Not any more. But she was also doing research on her elemental.
"Always." She responded somberly.
"Probably will be researching something until I die." Most likely with that research killing me. She thought then spooned another bite of soup into her mouth.
"You've got a place to stay for the night?"
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Post by Donovan on Sept 16, 2019 19:47:18 GMT -6
What Mila told him about magic did not sound nearly as foreign as the Mercenary had expected it would. It sounded quite a lot like how Donovan felt when he had first begun to wield the ancient leafed blade - almost as if his conversing with Fragarach had more to do with the connection over time than anything else. “I know what you mean about feeling it’s feelings. Sometimes, I swear, I feel the urge to do things completely out of character. Put my life on the line for every stranger I meet. Confront everyone I hear of doing anything immoral.” He shook his head and ate a big spoonful of beans. “It’s like the magic is becoming a part of who I am.”
He could imagine how difficult it must be to try and communicate without words - though he knew from experience that language barriers are not an insurmountable challenge. “Honestly, we’ve seen some pretty insane things since we met each other. But this,” he pointed down at the little elemental, “is by far the most peculiar. Do you think it understands your words?” He watched in amused amazement as it went ahead and played with the twig. It was almost as if the creature was as enraptured with the curiosity of having a body as he was of it.
“Hard to think of myself as a giant,” he laughed, but mostly to himself. “What’s calling you to Ryerde anyway? From what I remember there’s not been much going on in that March in ages.” The black pudding he had just taken a bite of was heavenly, and Donovan couldn’t help but look over at the kitchen in surprise. “I honestly didn’t expect this to be this good.”
He was sipping from his beer when Mila asked him if he had a place to stay for the night, and he coughed into his drink a little, “No. Not yet. This was actually my first stop when I walked into town. I got pretty hungry on the road.” He smiled a warm and familiar smile. “What about you?”
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Post by Mila on Sept 17, 2019 17:12:16 GMT -6
"Oh.. it understands me. It understands people. But, it also chooses to ignore what said at it sometimes. It's a little troublemaker. But, I think.. I just need to give the little guy some time. It's only been alive a year. I deviated a bit from the traditional elemental creation. Most who make elemental.. usually have a sort of task for it ready to do. And it's.. commanded in during it's creation. Sort of. Anyway, I.. didn't.. do that." She looked down.
"So now I have to teach it what i'd like for it to do. It's.. sorta like training a pet. Or.. perhaps.. maybe like training a toddler. There's still so much I don't know about elementals. Hopefully time will remedy that." She perked herself back up. Donny wanted to know what she was heading up to Ryerde.
"Oh. I've got a job in the mage academy there. I teach students about monsters and how to defend against monsters. I started last year.. and then I went away for the summer to gain more research. And.. now it's time for me to go back for the next semester." She took another sip of her wine and paused for a moment. Trying to think.
"The monsters there are terrible. Fortunately, the city proper has a great militia that helps keeps the monsters at bay. Mages from the school are often deployed to help out during their patrols. The territory outside the city walls though.. they are under constant threat of a monster invasion. Mostly undead. But, sometimes.. there are others." She bit her lip then sighed. She stared into the soup for a bit before finishing it down.
"I've got a room in the inn. You are welcome to bunk with me for the night. Hope you don't mind the floor."
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Post by Donovan on Sept 17, 2019 18:28:15 GMT -6
“A little troublemaker, eh?” He raised his stout in salute to the wee electric man and took a long drag. Whoo this stuff is strong. Must be an imperial. That or you’ve just become a little punk since we left. You know Frag mused in the back of his mind, We haven’t had a good victory feast in a while. What the in Remus’s name are you going on about? You can’t eat. Obviously I can’t, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love a good victory feast. It’s an essential part of being a hero. The celebration.
“Well maybe,” he said as he pushed down the incessant rambling of how important a high alcohol tolerance was for a True Hero, “The little guy just needs Another spirit to talk to? Like ahhh,” His eyes drifted down to his sword and Donovan just started looking back and forth between the emerald eyes that adorned the pommel and the emerald eyes that sat across from him.
“Might make the guy a little preachy,” PREACHY, HOW DARE YOU, MERCENARY, “But it could be worth a try.”
Mila working in a school made even more sense than Remus working in a church, “So should I call you Professor, now?” He chuckled as he finished the last of the mushrooms and eggs. “You know, Prof, I didn’t even realize that Ryerde had a magic school worthy of someone like you. Is that a new development or something?”
It definitely was good to hear that the school had been assisting the city. But it didn’t change the fact that the rest of the March sounded like it was in complete disarray. I didn’t surprise him much. Most of Lycia seemed to be falling apart these days. The mercenary’s lips pursed in thought as he spread his jam on some toast. “Well. If these roads are as dangerous as they sound - Especially in Ryerde… Looks like I’m back in the personal bodyguard business, Professor.” His eyes raised up, a foxish look within them. “If, that is to say, you’d welcome the company? As for the room - I’m down to sleep on the floor, but only if we get to braid each others hair and have a pillow fight, first.” In all reality, it was probably wise that the pair didn’t sleep without someone else in the room that night. Mila had more valuable items (and elementals) on her person than any criminal could overlook, and Donovan had been… less than subtle with the “Old Man Fragarach” subject.
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Post by Mila on Sept 17, 2019 20:07:11 GMT -6
Mila was quiet for a bit. Donny seemed to be having a conversation between him and his sword. And then the mercenary chimed in with a comment about the elemental needing another spirit to talk to. Well.. the elemental talking to Farg might be worth a shot. Not sure what sort of things the little elemental can even say. She knew it was still just a.. well it was a baby. So to speak. But, if any conversation was had. Mila would like to know about it. The sage's face went a slight shade of red when Donny decided to call her a professor. She wasn't qualified to be a real professor. She lacked all the real years of training to be one.
"Please.. I'm not worthy of such praise. It's.. a bit awkward to be called professor outside of the school grounds. Even weirder when it's coming from you. Please, just stick to Mila." She then decided to fill Donny in on the going's on at Ryerde.
"I'm not 100% sure of all the details. After Ostia fell, things in Ryerde were a mess. If I recall the history right.. the family that used to rule Ryerde passed away. No living heirs. Plauge or some other illness. A man close to the ruling family named Lucius, took up the reigns. I can't remember the last name. Any way.. he and his allies went about whipping the country into shape. On the political side he managed to forge an alliance with Worde and keep a somewhat mutual relationship with Thira and Laus. Then he started pumping money and resources into Ryerde's infrastructure. The mage academy of Veritas' status was elevated some what. And now they produce some of the finest military mages I've ever seen. They've also made some strides in reviving ancient and once lost magic of Flora and Fenrir. Those Military mages help to boost both Worde's and Ryerde's armies. The Military also got an overhaul too. It's not up to par with other military countries like Etruria or Bern.. but it's competent enough to not get slaughtered by the hordes of angry undead out there." And that was all she knew about the inner workings of Ryerde. Most of it was public knowledge or stuff she read in the library of Veritas' magic academy. Aw.. that was a lot of talking. He.. probably didn't get half of that thanks to that stout.
"As for the bodyguard job. Yes. You are hired. Please. Thank you." That totally didn't sound like a mix of desperation and gratitude. I owe you. She held up her near empty wine glass to toast.
"Heh. A pillow fight and a hair date sound pretty good."
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Post by Donovan on Sept 17, 2019 21:27:43 GMT -6
“Mila. Come on. You’re like the smartest person I know - you’re more than worthy of such praise. But. If you’d rather I just stick with Mila… I’ll refrain from calling you Professor until we are on the campus grounds,” he giggled devilishly before he sipped his beer. What followed next was… fairly complicated. A lot of information. He didn’t know a lot of it, and he was a little drunk, but Donovan picked up the gist. Lucius was the name of the new Marquess, a name which meant literally nothing to the mercenary. An alliance with Worde. Infrastructure. Sure. Good. Important things there, he assumed. A good military he understood, at the very least. And a good military was vital to that side of the world.
Donovan sat staring at Mila, his eyes sharp with focus, as she gave him a brief history of modern Ryerde. Occasionally he would offer up a well timed, “Right.” or “Naturally”, because he understood everything she was saying, without fail. Of course, he would have if he weren’t buzzed.
He finished up the last of his meal while Mila offered him the job - the rest of his toast mopping up the egg yolk and bean sauce from the plate and Kitchi chowed down on the last rasher of bacon - he didn’t want to push her on what made her sound so sad. Not here and not now. There would be plenty of time for that soon. “I shall do my best, but I should be honest.” That’s a first. “I haven’t braided anyone’s hair in a couple of years. But Amelia was a very good teacher.”
He raised his glass, “To second chances. And to sharing a meal with an old friend.” He clinked his glass to hers before tilting back his head and finishing what little was left in his cup.
“Alright I’ll square the bill,” Donovan said as he called over their waitress, who approached with a speed and intensity that often implied a certain desire that her guests would leave as quickly as possible.
“Y’all ready for the bill, hun?”
“Yes ma’am.” He dashed his most dashing smile, hoping that the cheque would be somewhat lessened, but looked down in disappointment to find no such luck. It didn’t matter, though. He had plenty to afford himself a luxury every once in a while.
“I’ve got you covered.” He said as he handed over the coin and stood from the table. “Ready to head out?”
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Post by Mila on Sept 19, 2019 13:24:07 GMT -6
Yep. He wasn't really paying attention at all. Well that was nice. Donny decided to pay the bill. Even though Mila had enough on her to pay the bill and then some. Well, she had to still pay the room. So that was something. Mila could also tell that Donny was very tipsy. That must have been some stout. Donny asked if she was ready to go and she wasn't quite yet. She finished the last of her wine. She pulled her bag from the floor and quickly packed it with her things. The Volcannon tome was back where it should be. And she grabbed the little elemental's jar. She hooked the jar back onto it's special holster which was on her belt. She did a quick scan of the contents above the table and under the table just to make sure things were not forgotten. She fished a few extra coin from her purse and added that onto the waitress' table.
"For the chef and for yourself as well hun. Sorry for the trouble." She smiled at the waitress. And for not booting me out when I was sitting there alone like a sad sack.
"Alright. Yep. Now, I'm ready to head out." She slowly got up out of her chair. The sage slung the strap of her bag over her shoulder. Fortunately the inn was right across the road. So Donny, didn't need to walk far in his slightly inebriated state. She wasn't buzzed herself. The singular cup of wine didn't do much. If she had multiple cups or Donovan's stout then maybe things would be different.
"You good? Would you like my arm?"
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Post by Donovan on Sept 20, 2019 0:14:46 GMT -6
As they left the restaurant, Donovan leaned over to Mila and whispered, “You know I included tip, right?” He chuckled a little, “Eh, I guess she deserved it. One thousand percent chance that she is NOT giving any of your tip to her dad though.” He pointed to their server as he held the door open for Mila, and watched as she discreetly pocketed the extra coin into a pouch hidden behind under her vest. He closed the door behind him, “I used to have the same trick at my Ma’s Inn…” His voice trailed off as he remembered what had happened - or at least what he could assume had happened to his mother.
They started across the street, but then looked at Mila with a confused look on his face. “For like… crossing the street?” He laughed. “Proper drink has been rare on the road, sure, but I think I’ll be able to walk just fine, Mila!” A smile split his face, and he slipped a hand back into his bag to give Kitchi a pet. As they crossed the street, Donovan realized they must have been staying in an inn across the way. “I’m surprised you’re doing alright yourself - If I remember correctly, you’re not much of a drinker, right?”
His slowly lowered to a serious one of contemplation, “I really am glad to have run into you, Mila. You’ve always been one of my favorites in this wild, cruel world. I’m ready to get into the real stuff when ever you are.” He put his hand back in the satchel - petting Kitchi seemed to be as good a coping mechanism for the anxiety he had started feeling deep in his chest since leaving the restaurant.
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Post by Mila on Sept 20, 2019 12:23:07 GMT -6
"Before you came along. I was kinda sitting there.. for a while. Loitering." She sighed.
"Doubt her old man won't call her out on it." She replied to Donny's comment about giving the tip to her father.
"If I go back tomorrow and hear and earful from the chef. I'll throw the waitress under the wagon. So to speak." She wasn't in quite any mood to deal with liars.
"You are right. I don't.. drink alcohol much. No one likes a drunk scholar. But, I'm.. like a hundred pounds. A tiny glass is less then a percent of my average weight won't do much. A few more drinks though... then I'd be liable to break out in song." Donny rejected her arm offer. She shrugged.
"You seem to be in a slightly better spirits after your spirit." She looked both ways before crossing the road. No roving wagons. Just a bunch of people going to and fro. Perfectly manageable. She crossed the road with Donny next to her. His voice took a more serious tone. Right. Right. We.. both aren't right. Part of her was dying to know what sort of bad shenanigans the wandering rouge went through on his travels. The other half of her wanted to unload on him all of her own fears and worries. Hopefully they would have that privacy in the comforts of Mila's own room. She sprigged a fair bit of coin for a better room. One with a working window and a lock on the door. The bare minimum needed for her to maybe.. Maybe.. actually get some sleep.
"Like wise Donny. I'm glad fate brought us together again. Been on my own for a while now and it's.. not fun." She looked at the door of the inn. She had such a serious and somber expression on her face.
"I'll explain everything inside. Brace yourself. Cause there's been a whole lot of crap going on." She opened the door to the Inn. She checked in quickly with the front desk. Then made her way up towards her room. She fished from her pocket the key and opened the door to the room. The room itself wasn't any thing special. There was a standard cot available to sleep in. Mila opened the window so she could get some air. The view outside faced the pub that they just left. There was a simple chair in the corner with a tiny half desk. And a coat rack. After leading Donny inside, the sage closed the door behind him.
"Phew. Please feel free to make yourself comfortable."
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Post by Donovan on Sept 20, 2019 19:52:26 GMT -6
He shrugged at Mila’s apparent dislike of their waitress pocketing the tip for herself. The cook probably made enough as far as he was concerned. Nothing wrong with an honest grift, as far as he was concerned.
“I think it’s become my personal mission to hear you break out into song one of these days,” The very notion of the small and scholarly mage bursting into music sounded like the best way to end a more uproarious evening than the one they had in store. “Being on your own these days… In some ways it’s safer. You don’t have anyone else to worry about. You can hide easier, and you draw less attention. You’re able to move faster, for the most part, but… It’s lonelier than it used to be. If you see a fire, you can’t just ask to share a meal with a stranger. You can’t help but worry that every encounter on the road is going to end in bloodshed. Not to mention just how quiet it all gets.” He shook his head in distaste as they climbed the stairs to the inn. “Not a fan. I’m glad to not have to be wandering alone for a while.”
He readied himself for the sorrows to come as they checked in. His eyes wandered around the space as Mila was busy. While a simple space, it had notes of home. The support beams by the back door bore the markings of a couple of kids having their heights measured. Artwork made of charcoal depicted stick figures standing and holding hands in front of a building that vaguely resembled the building in which they stood. The common space was not particularly fancy, but was meticulously maintained and had a board with what seemed to be hand carved games of chess.
He followed Mila upstairs and into her room, which was even more simple than the space downstairs. Taking Mila’s advice, he pulled the chair away from the desk and sat down, facing the bed. “This is a pretty nice place, actually.”
Then, “...So. Lay it on me.”
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Post by Mila on Sept 21, 2019 21:11:03 GMT -6
"No. You don't want to hear me sing. I'm terrible at it. Like.. glass breaking awful high pitched. Most I can manage is humming a good tune." Mila made it sound like a joke. But, it was the awful truth. She couldn't sing to save her life. Let's hope whatever god comes for her soul at the end of her life does not challenge her to a musical game to determine her afterlife. If that ever happens I will simply forfeit and go straight to hell. As Donny went ahead and made himself comfortable in her room. The sage decided to do the same. If this conversation was going to turn her into a puddle of self pity, she was going to do it comfortably damn it. The sage stretched her arms for a bit. She dropped her bag close to the foot of her bed. Then she proceeded to remove her cloak. The body covering mass of cloth was pulled out over her head. The process managed to undo her ponytail and cause her hair to fall freely. The sage sighed softly and put the cloak onto the coat rack. She fished around the inside of the cloak for the hair pin that lodged itself within it's folds. She put the pin down on the table. Next thing to go was her leather guard. That was unclasped and put onto the coat rack. She then took a seat on the bed and kicked off her boots. Last thing to go was the little elemental. She unhooked the jar from her waist and put it down on carefully on the straw bed. She removed her belt with the holster and tried to chuck it at the coat rack and missed it in a spectacular fashion.
Mila took a deep breath in and let out a large sigh. The sage was left with just her shirt and pants. She stretched out her arms and legs once more. Several audible cracks of her bones could be heard.
"I can't wait to be a old maid. Then I won't need to wear all that crap." She stretched her back a bit. She then took a moment to just sit there on the bed. Thinking. She stared at the floor. Where to start. Once, she felt she was ready, she turned to look at Donny.
"I suppose.. I'll start in Etruria." And so, she started to talk. She talked about how she was raised Etrurian, but she and her brother left the country somewhere during her 18th year. She told Donny all about her adventure in the backwaters of Etruria. How she Gar and Nayru managed to run into a cyclops and slay it. She kept Gar and Nayru nameless for the duration of this conversation. Instead referring to Gar as just the Captian, and Nayru as a historian with mastery in thunder magic. She trusted Donny and all, but Nayru's secret about her being a dragon, was not her secret to share. She told him all about the trials and tribulations of that battle. And of the conversations she and the historian had on the ship. The conversation that had first shaken her perception of magic. And of humanity. The historian had told her of an ancient war. That wiped out a large population of people who.. would have known what was going on with the monsters. Probably. People who could have helped with their own magic.. and knowledge. And Mila believes that the monsters have taken notice of the lack of these specific guardians.
Plus the cyclops itself was terrifying! And wielding a magic axe! The fact that something that big and that destructive could simply show up in Etruria of all places.. disturbed her. Then she went on to talk about the undead. How their numbers seemed to have exploded in mass as of late. And of her first year in Veritas academy. She left out all the boring parts but did express her concern over the seemingly large number of undead in that area. Which made sense since the territory was relatively close to Osita.
And then she went on to the heart of the matter. She started talking about the Baels in Tuscana. And how she, Althea, and Vincent, and countless others tried and failed to defend their village. Mila pulled out her bag and pulled out the journal with her notes. She flipped it over to a certain page and handed it to Donny. The page had a map in it of all of the towns that the baels had destroyed before coming to that one in particular. She also pointed to her drawings of the eight legged freaks and how they were different then the one's from Vinland. How these baels, were smart enough to send a suicide squad of smaller baels full of acidic properties first. So the defenders would waste their resources with them.. so that when they died.. they could cause as much damage as possible. And then... the bigger baels would show up as Calvary. Donny could flip the page and see the detailed drawing of the bigger bael for comparison. And she explained to Donny her fears. She knew this behavior existed in undead. They had seen it together... that one time in Lyica. With the wight and the bonewalkers. But, never with baels. Not with this level of sophistication or intelligence.
And that's what had bothered her the most. The intelligence of these monsters. And that during the attack.. there was no.. for a lack of a better word.. no boss calling the shots. These baels worked as a team. And they were taking over vast numbers of Lycian territory. Driving and pushing the human survivors away. Those that stayed to fight ended up dead. And this.. phenomenon wasn't just isolated to Lycia. She'd been hearing terrible rumors that hordes of undead roam the seas. And she knew gargoyles were a plague upon the Bernese mountains. That topped with the fact that the whole world seemed to be more focused on going to war with one another for what's left of the continent not currently infested by monsters. It.. was too much for her to take. She was not anywhere near solving the monster crisis.. and she wasn't sure if people were even worthy of being saved. Not with them being so selfish about it. And.. and.. she was crying at this point. Confused and lost about it all. She felt as if she had come to the horrible realization that humanity was doomed. No matter what they did. They were going to die.. and the monsters were going to win. And then what? She just sat there in the bed with tears streaming down her face. She didn't know what to do. What could she do?
"The monsters are winning Donny. And.. there's nothing we can do!"
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Post by Donovan on Sept 21, 2019 23:13:17 GMT -6
The mercenary followed Mila’s lead and took the moment to remove his armor - a process that took a smidge longer than his magi counterpart. But piece by piece he laid them neatly on the half desk, “You know Mila, you don’t have to sing just to be good at it. Sometimes you just gotta sing because it’s fun!” After a while, he and Mila were matching in their shirts and pants. He took a deep breath and felt like he was ten times lighter than he had any right to be, and then was startled by the incredible crackling that came from Mila’s back. “Some 40 years from now, we’re going to be rich and important enough to not have to wear any armor at all. And on that day, I will be supremely bored, I imagine.”
When he retook his seat, he sat in the quiet with her as she thought, His hand idly fiddling with the emerald jewels that made up the eyes on the ebony dragon pommel of Fragarach’s hilt, the sword lay lazily against his chair. The longest he spent apart from his sword anymore was the time that it took to bath. But even then, it was always within arm’s reach. Finally, the mage looked back up at him and began her story.
As she spoke he watched her as much as he listened. The Captain and the Historian sounded like they were both capable people, but to actually fight a Cyclops? He knew they existed because of the battle at the City of Heroes, but it was different when a personal friend told you the tale of how they defeated one.
Donovan was mostly quiet as Mila talked, not wanting to interrupt her rhythm. But he couldn’t help but take a particular interest in the Historian, who seemed to know stories that Donovan was desperate to hear. “This lost peoples were the ‘Dragons’ from the Scouring, right?” A twist of the air around Fragarach registered against Donovan’s skin, but the sword offered no words otherwise. Donovan could feel that it shared a similar intent to his own. To listen. First and foremost.
He had heard of the expanding undead and run into a fair share of them on the road himself, but he didn’t know much about the Veritas Academy or the situation in Ryerde. But all his concern about that were shoved to the back of his mind when he saw demeanor visibly falter. Kitchi began to rub his face on Mila’s legs as the fox sensed her begin to get more upset, looking up at her with bright green eyes and asking permission to jump onto her lap.
Tuscana. It felt like it all really revolved around Tuscana. The mercenary leafed through the Scholar’s journal, his mind racing and his eyes as ravenous as his ears. The Baels were smart. Smarter, it sounded, than the ones in Vinland, and perhaps smarter than the one that he and Perun had squashed when he and Frag first became bonded. “Are you sure there wasn’t any leader, perhaps off the board somewhere? And silver. Was that effective on them or no?” He wanted to make sure that Mila was able to get it all out, but monster hunting was a shared specialty of them both. Professional interest demanded the query.
But as Mila described the bael’s coordinated, almost hive mind like strategy, Donovan’s heart began to race. He felt the floodgates of fear open as he imagined what Mila had gone through in that battle. Bael were varied and each breed seemed to be as dangerous as the last. If the various species were working together in that way, then hordes of the undead started to seem like an easily manageable threat.
“Althea. She has white hair, right?” He suddenly connected the dots and realized that he probably knew the girl that Mila had fought beside. “Is she alright?”
And as Mila continued to talk, she started to cry. And Donovan couldn’t blame her. It felt absolutely hopeless. He moved off the chair and sat beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. They sat that way for some time. He didn’t quite know what to say. For the first time in perhaps his whole life, Donovan could not find the right words. After all. She was right. What could they do?
A sudden clattering sound shook him out of the spiral as Fragarach fell toward him. Instinct pulled him downward, his hand reaching out and grasping the sword’s hilt, and suddenly he felt the blade’s presence once again, bolstering and inspiring. I don’t have the words, Frag. He felt small and weak and helpless. Then allow me.
The dark haired man nodded and relaxed his mind. As he stood back up, he felt a strange sensation in his head and his mouth opened of its own accord. “Mila. I have been around a very long time,” The voice coming out of Donovan’s mouth sounded so close to his own - but the rhythm was wrong and it sounded strangely, if subtly, deeper. “I have lost. And lost. And lost. More times than I can remember. I was forged with a purpose. I was made to protect the innocent. And that is always a losing battle. But it is also the only one worth fighting every time. There is always corruption. There is always greed. More often than ever seems fair, the people you’re trying to protect turn on each other whilst you meet their oppressor in battle. They can seem petty and foolish. But if the actions of a hero can save even one family. Can free even a handful from bondage. If we can spread good and kindness, one life saved at a time, then we are winning.”
Donovan’s hand gripped Fragarach in its scabbard as they sat on the bed next to Mila once more. “We will not save everyone. And we will lose many and more fights before we see the tides turn our way. But those tides will turn. They have to turn.” A tear that did not belong to Donovan streamed down his face as he was overwhelmed with a feeling of loss like he’d never felt before. And as the mercenary felt his sword’s resolve falter under the weight of regret and despair that Donovan did not understand, And so the mercenary found his tongue once more. He found that piece of him that he’d left in Lycia so long ago. He found his purpose.
“We can’t give up. If we let those bastards wipe us out, then we won’t have any restaurants to run into old friends, anymore. If we don’t win, then we’ll forget what it is to taste, to feel, to see something wonderful and fantastic. We are learning and growing more powerful every single day. By all the gods old and new, you created life, Mila!" His hand pointed at the jar with the little elemental, and a shocking feeling of hope sprung from his voice. "The monsters may be winning. But we will turn this tide. And we will beat them back to the hell they came from. And if they just keep getting smarter, then we will just have to do the same.”
He reached down to hold her hand, and found tears welling in his eyes, "What you went through is... It's more than I could ever understand. And I am so sorry. But we will win this. I swear to you on my very soul. Because we are stronger together than they are. Because whether we like it or not... we have to be the heroes."
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Post by Mila on Sept 23, 2019 16:23:52 GMT -6
"Yes. The peoples were the 'dragons' of the Scouring. I'm not sure if they were actual dragons.. or if that's just what they called themselves." Mila knew they were actual dragons. But, again, it was not her secret to share. Kitchi tried to offer some solace. She allowed the little fluffy creature to sit on her lap. She petted the little critter. The fuzzy creature was warm and welcoming. And it helped to pick up her spirits if only slightly. Even her little elemental was starting to sense the change in Mila's demeanor. It tapped on it's glass. Or rather, it rammed itself on the side of the glass trying to inch itself just a bit closer to it's green haired mistress. But, the glass jar was too strong for it's tiny elemental body. So it was stuck to sit down and watch the commotion.
"No Donny. There was no leader. We had intel. They.. were.. just smarter. They knew. They were experienced!" She replied to his question about the baels having a leader that they couldn't see.
"Silver still works. We had only a handful of silver weapons available." The emotions were coming.
"Althea was fine. She ..taught me a bit about Nether magic afterwards." She couldn't hold it back any more. The tears came. And they would not stop coming. She found herself tying to rub the tears off of her cheeks. Away from her eyes. She found herself shaking just from the sheer emotion of it all. Donny fortunately, came to her aid. He hugged her. And Mila simply buried her face in his the crook of his arm. This helped somewhat. She stayed like that for a while, trying to pull herself back together. Trying to find a reason for all of this. She knew that humanity was on the losing end of this war. And even if a miracle were to come from the heavens and save them. There.. would be a horrible cost. There always was. Farg hit the floor and Mila pulled away from Donny for a moment. She felt Donny move and pull himself off of her bed. She saw him pick up Fragarach. What happened next would stun her for a moment. Donny started talking. But, she noticed his voice was different. Sounded like him but the speech was kinda off. And then, he went about talking about how he had lived for a long time.
"Donny.. were almost the same age" She commented. She was confused for a moment. Then realized what was going on.
"... Oh. Oh.. OH! You.. are Fargarach." Now this was a rare sight. A really really rare sight. She had never heard of a magic weapon possessing it's owner and speaking for him. That sort of thing only happens to 'evil' weapons. Or to weapons made in the era of myth and legend. Then again, she was almost possessed by the spirit of Volcannon's fire during the Bael raid. So there was definitely some sort of connection there. Farg did his best to tr and cheer up the sage. Offering his own worldly wisdom over what he had seen though out the centuries he had been alive. How he had seen countless battles, war, but, it seemed to take pride in the little victories. Saving families. Saving lives. That all sounded nice. But, the reality of things were different. The monsters were different. Populations. Cities. Everything was different. She wanted to shout that. To tell the blade otherwise. But, she knew better then to yell at her elders. So she just sat there in some dumbfounded like silence. She clutched her palm into a fist and just waited.
But then Donny came back. He took her hand and started talking. He started to sound hopeful. Listed off her wonderful accomplishment about creating life. And part of her wanted to correct him. Make a supid joke about women and babies. But, she didn't. She just didn't say anything. He was doing a good job at making her feel better if only slightly. But, deep down, she still had no hope for humanity. Humanity that had wiped out an entire species from the planet. Humanity that deliberately exploits those who are different or poorer than them. Humanity that.. just didn't deserve it.
"Thank you. Donny. For.. trying. I know.. you are really trying. You are really trying to give me a reason not to lose hope or faith in humanity. But, I.. I.. can't just ignore the numbers. The body count is growing. Even if we become heroes.. even if the gods come to the earth and solve all our problems. It.. won't change how I feel. This.. sense of dread." She closed her eyes and looked like she was in pain.
"But, It's been weeks since, the incident in Tuscana. That.. pain and trauma.. I.. can't just up and let it go. And I know there are other's out there.. who witness those sort of attacks regularly. I know.. I STILL want to help them. And I know.. if the apocalypse.. the end of the world.. if it does happen. I will go down fighting. So that's.. something."
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Post by Donovan on Sept 23, 2019 18:43:21 GMT -6
“I’d bet they didn’t even call themselves dragons. It was probably some old emblem that our forefathers twisted into them being literal dragons. Mankind sure does love to dehumanize our enemies, don’t we?” His tone was bitter and scorning. Humans really did have a habit of ruining everything and tainting a good story.
The fact that the Baels had absolutely no leader - no proverbial queen - was terrifying. Animals that had tactics that so blatantly led to so many of their own being used in some sort of suicide attack didn’t exist outside of maybe a handful of insects. Even then, he’d only ever heard of that sort of tactic being used in self defense, not in an assault. And he’d never heard of any sort of tactical pack hunting types of creatures that didn’t have an alpha - given, he wasn’t Perun or Mila, so most of his knowledge surrounding beasts was second hand from one of the two. But regardless, this prospect was terrifying.
“What we need is to get some silvered weapons to the people. If we can find a supplier, we might be able to help folks protect themselves at least well enough to escape with their lives.” He’d heard rumors of a large store of silver weapons owned by some shady Etrurians, but that was back in his LCO days - he’d need more time to look into that. “It’s definitely good to hear that Althea is okay! You never know who’s going to make it anymore.”
When he came back from Fragarach’s minor possession, he had hoped that their combined efforts might have revived Mila’s spirits. But he hadn’t realized how fresh a wound the evens at Tuscana were. And falling short of having the words that would magically help Mila find peace in her heart for what happened, he returned to an equally tried and true method, giving her a warm and friendly hug. “If humanity can’t get it together before the world ends, then we’ll just have to get all of us who give a damn together. At least that way none of us will go down without meaning. And none of us will die alone…. Gods above and below, that was waaaay more morbid than I meant it to be.” A few tears were leaking from his own face as he laughed at his own melodrama. “I’ll always have your back, Mila."
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Post by Mila on Sept 23, 2019 19:49:16 GMT -6
"Dying with friends who share a similar cause sounds a lot better then dying alone." She tried to look at the positives. This little cry session between them did help to lighten her mood. Sure, she still felt like crap. Like the world was going to go down in flames at some point during her lifetime. But, at least Donny will be there with her when it does. That's nice. And as the mercenary said it was horribly morbid.
"Now.. i'm thinking about it. Yes. That's.. terribly morbid." Why did she feel like laughing all of a sudden? She took a deep breath in. And then returned Donny's hug with one of her own. This was nice. And then she realized.. it's been a while since she geniunely hugged someone. She'd gone from place to place for so long. Not really forming any relationship that was outside of her profession. Sure, she had her little trope of roommates back in Ryerde, but, they were so far away. And it had been months she last saw them. And it would be months before she saw them again! She used Donovan's shoulder to wipe her tears. Eventually, she pulled away from Donny and wiped the rest of her tears with her hands.
"I don't know why.. But.. I feel a bit better." She took another deep breath in then back out again. She gave Kitchi another set of affectionate pats on the head before. Grabbing her little elemental in a jar and holding that close. Somehow managing to keep both the fox and the jar on her lap at once.
"Enough talking about me for now. Pretty sure I'll be snapping back and fourth between "ok" and "not ok" for a while. When we were eating.. you mentioned.. not being ok. what.. was your.. not ok?"
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