A Reunion Amidst the Mire (closed to Karuka)

[Karuka]

Karuka cringed at Storm's screams, each one cutting through her like a knife. If it were within her power to alleviate his pain, she would have, even if it meant taking it for herself. But though he cried for mercy, she didn't stop the magic. She couldn't. If the magic stopped - at least for the first two applications - he would die.

It was as much a relief to her as to him when he went unconscious.

She cast the spell five times, as powerfully as she could manage. Each time, energy flowed out from her core, down her arms, and into his chest. It radiated out, flooding damaged tissues and bringing them back together so that they would heal better, stronger, healthier. The treatment from the night before had been a favor for an old lover, almost selfish in the doing. He was one of a few people she'd traverse the globe for, if they needed. His was one of the few voices she'd charge into Hel behind. His was a heart she wanted to keep beating.

This time he'd appeared from nowhere and nearly died for her safety and that of her daughter. He'd been an idiot, charging up a dragon like that, but a magnificent idiot. This time... this time, she owed him this much. Because as transigent as his love was, it was steadfast where it was real. And her affections, though brief by their nature, were not fickle.

She stopped pumping magic into him when she was all but drained. Sweat soaked her hair and dripped off her nose, and not just from Dheathain's sweltering environment. Her vision swam a little, and despite sitting with her hands planted in front of her, her body felt like it was tilting oddly to the right. But she wasn't done yet.

Already vultures swarmed the scene of battle, converging on the feast of corpses. They wouldn't hesitate to add the unconscious mage to their feast if they had a chance, and she didn't want Taische to linger longer than necessary on the field of the dead. She needed Taische to be able to accept the inevitability of death, but she didn't want her to be traumatized by it.

Carefully, the redhead pushed herself to her feet, taking a deep breath to help her head stop swimming. It was a breath she regretted; between fire, lightning, old gases getting pushed up from the softened ground, and bloody corpses, the air was noxious.

Where's th' boar?

~*~*~

Less than an hour later, Taische helped her exhausted mother move Storm into the sheltered thicket where they'd be spending the night. Her camp duties were simply fire and water that night, since her uncle wasn't awake and her mother was too tired to be hungry. She wasn't hungry, either. That was death, up close and brutal. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair. She didn't like it.

Inside the quick shelter, Karuka wiped Storm's face with a clean cloth. He was already looking better, though he'd still need a day or two to recover. He was cold to the touch, but after that much trauma she wasn't surprised. She'd stay with him and keep him warm.

She ran a gentle hand through the unconscious man's hair, noting the silver that had started to streak through it and the lines that had started to appear on the sharp-featured face. A bit of a smile touched her lips, and she settled in to rest. "D' you have any idea just how much I love you?"

[Storm Veritas]

He woke in a cold sweat, a slow, uncomfortable emergence in the thicket-camp beneath his former love.

Former? You f*cked this one up pretty good. Based on Taische, I’d say she’s moved on well.

The putrid stench in the air didn’t hit him hard; he was too focused on the pleasant visual stimulus before him. He glanced about; carrion birds were picking at the massive dragon that would feed them for weeks. Rodents of various sizes had also begun to lay claim to various felled soldiers and beasts. Only the scavengers never lose wars.

For all the ugly about him, there was a deep, natural beauty he could never deny that held him in the reeds, her very being generating a sense of protection and warmth. Her presence also bought him a few moments of pleasant reprieve before the pain grabbed at him again. Surprisingly, it was different now, entirely different. Where he was once broken in half with a dense series of sharp pains, his entire torso felt a sort of taut heat. He strained to breathe, as if Karuka’s embrace was constricting his lungs. There was also a numbness, which he didn’t know if he should attribute to shock, some level of paralysis, or something worse.

Fortunately for the confused wizard, he could move with some slow contortions. His stomach muscles strained as he pulled up a few inches, and he was confused by the lack of pain that should be flooding from his lungs and ribs.

“Sweetheart, I don’t know if you went and killed me or not, but if this is Valhalla, Elysium, or wherever, it’s an awfully strange place.”

She smiled back at him, a tired relief in her eyes. Had he been out for minutes? Hours? Days? He’d hoped that he’d not held her and Taische back for too long. Their paths had to split, as miserable as the thought was.

He thought of the traitor of a trader at the dock, the man that had sent him to Moxxilus in the first place still had to be dealt with. It would be unpleasant business, and he didn’t want the sweet little warrior to witness it.

She can’t come, and you can’t wait. How long has it been now since that sonofabitch sent you down here? Two weeks? A month? You’ve got a few days walk back north in front of you; for all you know he could be half-way to Alerar by now.

“How long have I held you ladies back? I don’t know what you did, but I feel a lot better…

“You know, for as many times as you’ve saved my sorry ass, I really won’t need a babysitter anymore. Get that little girl to safety.”

There was no response, and he wasn’t surprised. His comment was genuine, but stupid. Taische was many things, but vulnerable didn’t make the cut on that list.

He sat up just an inch or two more. There was concern in O’Sheean’s face, knowing full well that Veritas should not be moving much. It was an easy tell to read. His left hand still reached up to cup her tiny jaw with calloused fingertips, feeling a tingle at the deliberate contact. His eyes held hers, a deep and knowing gaze the two warriors understood too well. She had saved him many times, in many ways, and he felt a childish blend of giddy adoration and admiration for her.

“You make a goddamned fool of me, you know that?”

She smiled again, this time her soft lips spreading to reveal beautiful pearl-white teeth. Her eyes softened a moment, perhaps sensing the stupid thing he was about to do.

Screw it. You know she won’t kill you.

He sat up a few more inches to kiss her, and felt a magnificent, star-spinning buzz as their lips met in what he hoped wouldn’t be his last kiss.

[Karuka]

It was like returning to an old favorite place and finding that every last drop of magic remained.

His taste on her lips, heady with the barest hint of bitterness. His scent in her nose, the smell of earth just before a heavy rain overlaid with exertion and agony. The feel of him under her hands, firm muscle, more sinewy than bulky, and a strong heart that still beat, despite all his injuries from the day before. The hand that cradled her head, twining into her thick red curls and locking her into the kiss. The shivers that followed his fingers up her side. The weight that guided her slowly, gently down into the soft ferns they'd slept on.

She bit his lower lip gently, slowly dragging her teeth over it, grinning at his sharp intake of breath. He turned her head when she released him, more passionate than gentle, attacking her neck with his lips. Everything faded for the reunited lovers, lost in long-missed touch, savoring the sleepy dawn.

They hadn't yet managed to remove any clothes when...

Cz~z~zjap!

"Awck!"

"Taische! Cad a rinne mé insint duit inné?! Don't shock Taodoine!"

A grumble answered her, and she put a hand on Storm's cheek, letting out a frustrated sigh. The child was awake, their opportunity was gone. He sat up slowly and a frown crossed Karuka's face. "Storm, our business isn't ay so urgent it can't wait another day. An' yers..." still prone, she ran a hand up his side. "Y' can spend three days hobblin' through th' marsh, healin' slower an' only feelin' better on the fourth day, when y' finally reach Talmhaidh... Or y' can spend a day here, with us, an' walk well fer three days. Maybe a little less."

The redhead sat up, and their eyes turned from the dark thicket to the bright clearing at the sound of a giggle, where a phoenix was teasing a little girl with some kindling. "I met her father in Fallien," she volunteered, answering thoughts he hadn't voiced. "Things happened along th' way. We parted on good terms, he an' I. I thought he'd take what he'd gained an' go on t' be a great man, but when I found him again after gettin' back from Kebiras..."

Karuka sighed, pulling a twig from her hair. "He'd become a monster. He neither has nor desires a place in her life, an' if I'd had my way, he'd not know of her at all. There's not anyone else. Not now, at any rate." Karuka made her lovers no promises when they parted ways, and asked none in return. People of destiny had roads to walk, roads that insisted on taking and tangling lives, then pulling them apart again.

She leaned in to kiss him again, gently but longingly. When it broke, she reached for her water skin, which she offered the dehydrated Veritas. "Stay, Storm," she murmured, tracing gently along his hairline. "It'll cost y' no time, an' th' child sleeps soundly at night. Just a day."

[Storm Veritas]

It had been a long time since Storm had felt the genuine, primal, reckless fire lit within him. As soon as he felt her impossibly tender lips press against his, her fingertips tracing the skin of his back beneath his shirt, it was over for him. Karuka had awakened something primal in him, almost predatory, and having brushed so closely with death, the feather-soft skin wrapped perfectly about her athletic frame was simply too much for him to bear. He had been with a few since his last encounter with Karuka, but brothel wenches and over-served tavern travelers were but appetizers for him now.

Naturally, the interruption should have been expected, but still triggered an ire that he had not remembered.

Taische, screw! You’re a wonderful young girl, but interrupt us like that again and I can’t promise I won’t skin you alive…

He laughed under his breath in spite of himself. Curiosity was perfectly normal and healthy for the young girl, regardless of his almost manic desire to stifle it. His mind was now single-tracked; the trader who had sent Storm on a fool’s errand was an ephemeral memory, lost in the twisted trail of time now. His focus, his obsession was on Karuka now. Touching her, kissing her, taking her.

Karuka’s words would only a day ago have kept him rapt; the details of her previous relationship held information that was very valuable to him. At this point, he struggled to pick up anything but basic details, instead measuring her in his mind with a keen eye, studying her every inch. It was amazing how quickly she moved on from their embrace; he reasoned perhaps the fundamental difference between men and women was the female’s ability to quickly segregate themselves from such a state.

Couldn’t imagine flipping the switch like she does.

Her words were carefully chosen, alluding to the way the little girl slept. It was an obvious tip that only further heightened his frenzied interests. A grin spread devilishly across his face as she mentioned it. His day would be spent as a carrion bird, waiting for the day’s life to drain from the sweet girl so he could feast on the delightful meal that had completely stolen his focus.

“It’s a good idea.” he began, making careful contortions to avoid standing and displaying his excitement at the prospect. “A day’s worth of healing, and I’ll be move with better speed; it may even save me time in the grand scheme.” He twisted his body as he sat up further still to drink the alarmingly clean, cool water. He was relaxed now, free to move without fear of alarming the girl. He kissed Karuka once more on the lips, his hand tracing down her spine and quickly over the curve of her ass. It was a measured, darting move, fully intentional and keenly out of sight from the little girl.

He pivoted quickly, another fiendish smile as he noted her eyes wider than before. He would be relieved to know he wasn’t the only one who had to “suffer” a tease through the course of the day. Finishing his turn, he addressed the early-rising little lady.

“Taische! What’s for breakfast?! Can’t disturb an old man like that without waking up the belly! Do you have any of those green-orange fruits that ‘Tad-Oo-Eeen’ brought us the other night? I’m cooking; let me teach you savages a thing or two.”

In moments, breakfast was cooking, a bubbling pot steam-cooking suspended fruits and vegetables. The three sat in stark, horrid contrast to the war-ravaged battlefield still within eyesight, but their minds were in very different places.

Storm Veritas began what he would later consider the longest, slowest, best day of his life.

[Karuka]

"Savages, Veritas?" Karuka murmured into his ear before he left the thicket. "I'll ay show y' savage." She could only grin at the reproachful glare he shot her. Lust still burned hot within him, and adding tease to temptation was a particular brand of cruel. And she wasn't anywhere near done.

Instead of the sturdy vlince shirt she wore while traveling, she changed into a thinner, lighter silk top. The vibrant turquoise only covered her chest, revealing a toned core, a glint of silver in her navel, and a network of scars she hadn't yet earned the last time Storm had seen her body. As far as Taische was concerned, it was cooler in the stifling Dheath heat. As far as the dark-haired man was concerned... well.

Naturally red lips frowned at the sight of the battlefield; it had been her intention to move them past that. With her own exhaustion dragging at her the night before, she simply hadn't managed. A sharp gesture with her left hand, the spell Thorn, called a wall of brambles to erupt between their camp and the grisly sight. It was something.

After breakfast, Taische led the way to a broad, shallow stream she'd found the night before, largely oblivious to the subtle flirtations of the adults behind her. Once there, Karuka encouraged her daughter to practice what magic she knew. If she couldn't exhaust Taische with the day's long walk, she had to find another way to wear her out. The sooner, deeper, and harder the child slept, the sooner the two lovers could finish what they'd started.

She wasn't sure the shirt wasn't working as much against her as it was for her. He had safe, easy access to her skin, and the tingle beneath his hands when he touched her could have as easily come from the depths of her own anticipation or from him running just the slightest bit of charge through his fingers to tease her. Turnabout was fair play, after all.

Morning passed, turning to afternoon. Taische's energy peaked during the heat of day, which meant Karuka had to prioritize caring for her daughter over tormenting her lover. She set up a target and worked to teach Taische how to throw knives, since it gave her valuable skills, let her move and run, and gave Storm a chance to finish recuperating.

By evening, the lingering healing magics had worked their way through the lightning mage, leaving him hale and refreshed, free of the pains of the morning. Dinner was light; vegetables Taische had found nearby and some sort of meat that Taodine had caught and brought back on his own. After they'd eaten, the bird and the girl spent some time playing one of those silly games that come intuitively to children and pets. It felt like an eternity to the impatiently waiting adults before the child finally, finally went to sleep.

Every flirtatious touch, every teasing glance, every promising tone, every moment of burning desire was brought to fulfillment amidst the soft ferns. Storm, naturally, hadn't lost a step, and Karuka, more experienced than she'd been at eighteen, had much more to offer him than she had in Irrakam. When their embrace finally broke - this time from exhaustion and satisfaction instead of interruption - she laid in his arms, breathing him in along with the clean night air and gently trailing her fingers over the scar on his belly.

They'd have to move soon, maybe have a quick wash in the cold stream. They'd definitely have to put on some clothes; Taische would wake well before they were ready. But soon wasn't now, and she wasn't yet ready to relinquish this dizzy, breathless, beautiful moment.

[Storm Veritas]

The refractory period is very likely a man’s moment of ultimate clarity, the only waking moments during a man’s adult life where the desire for sex is completely washed away. Here in the grass, protected only by a flimsy bramble magically generated thorns, Storm smiled and gazed with love at his beautiful conquest. Karuka made him a –different- kind of happy, something more whole and fulfilled than other women. She was strong and brutal, but soft and feminine. A true peer, in a world where he found so few.

But now’s not the time for happy endings, and you know it. There is work to be done back at Talmaidh, and it’s not work fit for little girls like Taische. You’ve already overstayed your welcome.

His finger continued to trace lazy circles around her shoulder, a warm glow still shared between the two, whom had both worked up a light sweat in the humid Dheath air. They held their embrace a daringly long time, knowing the girl could wake and walk in at any time. Eventually, they quit while ahead to swim in the dark water. Karuka had to convince Storm of its safety, and did so through an example-leading dip.

It wasn’t long before they were joined by the prodigy, who rose from a deep sleep with an incredibly placid demeanor, which was offset by hysterically wild hair.

“Well, good MORNING, sunshine! Looks like someone had a good night’s sleep! I thought we’d have to put a mirror beneath your nose to check for life!”

And I absolutely f*cking guarantee you that you had the worst night of the three of us.

He shot a glance to Karuka, who seemed to understand the joke well with a knowing smile. They were nude in the water, save a few scarce undergarments, and Storm didn’t think of the massive scar across his stomach. They were collectively comfortable together, happy for the familiarity and company. The inevitable parting hung over Storm as a thick grey cloud.

Karuka spoke to Taische in that local dialect, inviting the girl to join in the water. The language was some bizarre, twanging compilation of yips and clicks that he couldn’t begin to understand, but the underlying themes were simple enough. Karuka was clear with her direction and discipline, whereas Taische was bright, athletic, and predictably mischievous. More clear was the obvious love between the two; an unspoken bond which rang through the air as clear as day. That they adored each other gave Storm some relief, as he certainly wasn’t abandoning incapable people or leaving them helpless in the marsh.

They played without care, Storm launching the girl in the air to come crashing down with a mighty splash again and again. The three laughed wildly at the exchange a few more fleeting moments of simply joy.

It’s time. It’s passed time, and you know it. It’s time.

The nagging itch in his brain was right, of course, and it pained him to bring it up as they dried off. For their wild, incredible adventure, it was clearly time to part ways. As he stood at the shore, allowing the water to drip-dry from his newly-chilled flesh, he squatted to open his arms to the little one.

“Time for you’re ‘uncle’ to pack up shop, kiddo. Git’ here and give the old man a hug, will ya?”

His face was smiling, and despite the bittersweet nature of the parting, he was relieved to feel some semblance of love returned from the sweet child as well. Their connection was simple enough, but not so deep as to make the split genuinely painful.

Splitting paths from Karuka, however, was much more difficult.

[Karuka]

Taische zapped her uncle when he let go of the hug, showing off just how much she'd learned in a short two days. Her mother started to correct her, but Storm just laughed and ruffled her hair, reassured once again that she'd be just fine.

Karuka kissed him when he stood, holding it just a few moments longer than a simple peck due a friend. When it broke, she slipped something around his neck - a softly glowing orange feather affixed to a piece of string. Her fingers smoothed it gently over his chest, drawing out the last few seconds they had together.

"Safe travels, until next we meet." She already knew he wouldn't have them. She knew that the road she would travel with her young daughter wouldn't be free of its trials, either. People of destiny attracted trouble like an open bowl of beer attracted slugs. Storm would probably find himself in trouble again less than a day after reaching Talmhaidh. She wished him safety, all the same.

"An' next time y' see a dragon, try not t' teach it how t' roll over while yer standin' on its back." A wry, rueful grin, a last, quick kiss, a torturously hard step, and then he was just a black silhouette against the varied greenery of the jungle. A few moments later, and he was gone, leaving a woman and her daughter to clean up camp.

"Let's get started, wee bit. We've burned a lot of daylight already, and we've a long way yet t' go." Karuka bent to pick up her bag, shooing Taodoine when he tried to reclaim her shoulder. "You have been too big fer that fer some time now. I'll not have y' diggin' int' my neck while tryin' t' ride my shoulder. Yer a big boy now; it's time y' made yer own way."

The phoenix grumbled, but took a perch, waiting to see which direction his women would go.

"Does he know?" Taische piped up as she finished putting out the fire and cleaning up the site. "That we'll be going back on the same boat?"

Karuka smiled warmly, putting an arm around her daughter's shoulders, turning them in the opposite direction of the city-bound Veritas. "Not right now. Th' future's not a gift fer ev'ryone t' see, an' it doesn't always unfold th' way we'd expect. I imagine he'll find out when we tell 'im."

Two pairs of bare brown feet made their way for old ruins in Luthmor, leaving a tiny clearing on the edge of Fiorair devoid of life larger than a shrew. Birds sang, shouting their dominance and virility. Grasses grew, straightening up from being lain upon. And a wind blew from the east, stirring leaves, reeds, and a few ashes from a lonely fire.

[Rehtul Orlouge]

Story – (19/30) Overall the story is fairly simple, though you do include some more complex elements than one would expect. This does not, however, leave the overall arc convoluted in any way, and in fact enhances the reader’s appreciation of the overall story. The twists were there, the background was there, and there were some touches upon the site’s canon. The setting... could have used a little work, honestly, and was probably the weakest area you guys had. It wasn’t bad, just somewhere in the middle.

The pacing was good, right up until the duel. That particular conflict seemed a little rushed, but it didn’t hurt your score particularly badly, especially considering that this thread seemed to be more driven by the characters than it was by this particular conflict.

Overall, a good effort, and I enjoyed it immensely.

Character – (23/30) This was by far the strongest area for both of you as authors. You show us, through action, word, and thought, just what kind of people that Storm, Taische, and Karuka are. You show the reader specifically what they are about, what they believe, and most importantly, who they are almost flawlessly. The only real advice I can give to either of you is to keep working on making these characters as three dimensional as possible. Like any character, they seem to have further to go before they fully mature as people (an activity which literally takes a person their entire lifetime, so no point docking there). All in all, bravo!

Prose (19/30) There were some typos and a couple of mechanical mistakes on the mechanics side. It was, however, always perfectly clear what was going on, and the techniques used, the foreshadowing of something larger being behind the Draconian, the beautiful illustrations of simile and metaphor... All of these came together wonderfully in terms of making the actual writing shine. Storm, after your first few posts, which were obviously (coming from someone who’s been there, and recently) you knocking off the rust, you began to shine as the writer I remember from back in the day.

Wildcard – (6/10) I greatly enjoyed this thread, and it was an honor to read something written by two of our most skilled veterans. I look forward to continuing to read your works, and to working with each of you in turn more often in the future, if time and interests allow.

Total Score: (67/100)


Storm Veritas receives 3,337 EXP and 242 GP
Karuka receives 3,190 EXP and 228 GP
Taische receives 251 XP and 27 GP

[Rayleigh]

All EXP and GP have been added.