(Closed to Fenn) Lorenor: The Story You Knew. (Chapter 3)

[Mutant_Lorenor]

The stone walls were ancient, and built from a different era of Althanas's history.

When the Ixians were around, the castle was a lively place and was full of promise and hope. Now...it was just another old ruin. A forgotten remain of the past. Lorenor placed his hand against the stone wall for a long moment, contemplating his next move. The boy seemed excited, and would likely make a good student. Lorenor looked at the small lad for a moment, excitement in the boy's eyes. He has unusual eyes...things have happened so quickly that I did not notice them until now. Lorenor removed his hand from the stone wall and considered the next move. They were outside on the castle ground, the ancient wards placed by Sei Orlouge himself had long since broken. Lorenor looked ahead towards the gates of the castle, they had also failed long since prior.

The old places, the old ruins, oft held secrets.

Lorenor nodded towards the boy once more and gestured for him to follow. The Paladin assumed the boy wanted to see...and that's the main thing that counted. Lorenor drew his mighty sword, and held it with two hands. He gripped the weapon tightly and held it forward in a noticeable angle. His eyes narrowed calmly and he took a deep breath. Lorenor did not want to admit to himself that he was nervous. He moved forward, walking at a careful pace towards the castle's main entrance. As he moved forward memories from his past haunted him and his eyes grew distant. As he stood there the memories came back, and the ghosts of the past reminded him of who he was back then. It oft was needed to reflect on the older times of history and think of old Heroes...old friends long gone. Then, the fleeting memories passed and Lorenor saw the boy before him. Got to focus on new allies and new friends now.

Lorenor walked forward and it was right then that something happened.

He noticed it out the corner of his eyes..and then it manifested all at once. One of the specters locked within the Ixian's hallowed grounds appeared. The specter had a semi-see through body of some sort composed of this or that energy type. Immediately, Lorenor felt an anger and rage swirling off of the poltergeist. It seemed to have reacted towards the Paladin and his new charge. Lorenor immediately began to glow, but right then...the poltergeist spoke.

"...Ixian..." Came the echo from beyond.

Lorenor felt a chill go up his spine. It recognizes the marks on my gear...

"...Ixian..." It said again. And hovered a few inches off the ground as it looked at Lorenor and his companion. The glowing red eyes stared at Lorenor with a confused hatred. The poltergeist wore robes, and his face was masculine...partially visible from the hood it wore.

Lorenor looked at his companion, Fenn. A part of him wanted to call out to the boy, the other part did not want to reveal the boy's name in front of the poltergeist. "Stand your ground." Lorenor suddenly said to Fenn without revealing the boy's name out loud. Lorenor summoned the Holy Light and his muscular body began to glow with tremendous energy. But despite his initial impulse, the Paladin did not strike right away. Something was making him hesitate.

The poltergeist spoke again. "...Ixian...memory...pain..." The poltergeist suddenly attacked.

[FennWenn]

Most people would be apprehensive of diving into the ominous bones of the castle with naught more than a mysterious stranger for a guide. Not so much Fenn. He bounced along after Lorenor with barely-contained excitement, peering into every crack they passed and practically skipping in circles around Lorenor as they ventured in. For a while the only sounds were that of their muffled footfalls and the faint jangle of Fenn's bag and locket. His twitchy hands plucked one of the luminescent blue flowers they passed and he tucked it into his hair.

Treading on forbidden or abandoned ground like this, trespassing so brazenly, sparked a bit of glee in the rascally Fae. It was a similar feeling to the one he got when he had successfully snatched a wallet or some other goodie off from an unaware passerby. The feeling was that of getting away with something he wasn't supposed to; a familiar, guilty pleasure. On the other hand, Lorenor walked through almost as if he was in a trance, lost in a swirl of memories as he gripped his blade and led the way. Every so often, Fenn would bounce up to his side and make a crazy face just to see if he could get a reaction out of the Paladin. Lorenor didn't seem to even notice.

A creepy feeling suddenly crawled up the Fae’s spine and his unconcerned skipping drew to a grinding halt. There was a loose magic in the air, which he leaned away from as he felt it in a hot lick against his skin, like the breath of some foul beast. Something unearthly was here with them. That certainly spoils the mood, he thought to himself, sidling closer to the Paladin.

In but a moment, his feeling proved to be right on the mark.

Fenn jolted as a wispy specter swirled into existence not but a few yards away. His first reaction was to duck behind the paladin, his magic sparking to life with a fluttering snowfall around him. Likewise, a light began to shimmer around Lorenor. The poltergeist that faced them took the form of a softly glowing man shrouded by thick robes. Red eyes glowed out of the shadows of his cowl, bright with hatred.

"...Ixian…” it spoke in an unearthly voice as dry as dust, seeming to recognize something about Lorenor. The thing drifted closer. "...Ixian..."

"Stand your ground,” Lorenor said down to Fenn, sharing a look with him. A bright energy began to glow from within the Paladin, and Fenn had to back away and shield his gaze a bit, worried that if he touched Lorenor his sense for magic would be overwhelmed. Though he looked ready for battle, the hefty man was hesitant. He remained frozen unnervingly in place as the specter crept forward. Something about the being held him spellbound, though Fenn could not tell if it was from a shock of memories or an actual spell.

Great, Fenn thought. His cherub face contorted into an unnatural snarl as the little Fae faced the Specter. Frost spread out from his curling toes in gritty patches.

"...Ixian...memory...pain..." The poltergeist hissed. Without any further warning, it lunged forward, arms outstretched as if to claw at them. Fenn ducked away from the attack, and it easily passed by him, as the strike was aimed at Lorenor instead. As soon as it’s hands made contact with the aura of light that wreathed him, it drew back with the most hideous of shrieks, as if it had been burned. Yet, it reared back towards him again, the air around it seething with indecipherable whispers. It wasn’t finished with the Paladin.

Fenn wasn’t to be left out of this action! The specter had overlooked him, but not for long - the boy didn't take well to being ignored, even as it kept him out of harm's way. This was an opportunity for a sneak attack. He dashed over to the other side of the room and around the specter. A glistening, softly-glowing chunk of ice formed between his pressed palms as he clasped his hands together. The sharp faucets dug into his skin. Here goes nothing, he thought with bated breath, pulling his arm back for the throw. No force was spared as he hurled it toward the spirit with what mite bit of might he had in him.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor kept a calm expression on his face.

His aura flared up and it had the expected effect on his opponent. Though the poltergeist was a legitimate enemy, Lorenor hesitated. He knew he'd placed the boy, Fenn, in danger. I have to be careful...I intend to protect him with everything I have. The Paladin's aura did have the effect of burning the poltergeist. The entity hesitated before approaching the old Paladin once more, but then at that point...all hell broke loose. Lorenor felt a sudden surge of power from his young charge...or seemingly young charge... and that lead to some release of stored power. The air immediately nearby grew considerably colder at the discharge of magics that the boy commanded. A projectile of ice energy was launched from the boy and flew towards the poltergeist. Lorenor saw Fenn out of the corner of his eyes and was at the same time impressed, and deeply troubled.

He has power...he's one of those spell caster types. Immediately, the projectile traveled through the air and cracked as sharp ice against the poltergeist. The entity immediately turned it's attention away from the old Paladin and stared at Fenn. Fenn had become the next target! The poltergeist began to move quickly in Fenn's general direction...though hurt...it was still a threat. Lorenor observed how the poltergeist moved and saw his window to attack. He's going for the boy...here is my chance... At that point, when the poltergeist exposed it's back towards Lorenor...the old Paladin struck. He summoned forth vast holy energy in the form of his glowing smite spell. His sword glowed brightly with power, and Lorenor laucnhed his own spell from the length of his blade.

The energy-mass cascaded through the air and collided with the back of the poltergeist. There was an impressive burst of energy and Lorenor began to prepare another smite spell. As long as the Paladin could focus his energy, he was able to use his smite spell. Lorenor concentrated on casting his ability with his sword pointed right at the exposed back of the poltergeist. Lorenor was prepared to release another smite spell but there was a different event that occurred. Lorenor was surprised by what happened next. The poltergeist began to glow with tremendous energy, as a result of the near-lethal damage of the smite spell, and Fenn's attack...Lorenor saw that the entity began to ripple with tremendous energy.

It's ghostly form writhed and twisted in place as the holy light tore it apart. Energy cascaded around the swirling body of the creature, and it suddenly exploded. Did it self-destruct? No...the light tore it apart... Lorenor had not been certain how evil and dark the poltergeist actually was. It exploded with a burst of darkness and light, flashing arcane residue rippled through the air. Lorenor covered his face for a moment in an attempt to shield his eyes from the mish-mash of energy. It cascaded everywhere sending burning energy across the chamber they were in. The walls were scorched with energy a was the floor and ceiling. Lorenor felt grim at what had just occurred, but then...he spotted something through the glowing energy.

A small crystal...began to float towards Fenn's position.

Lorenor pondered if the crystal would be an attack...but it didn't. The Paladin steadied himself as the energy finally vanished in the room, he lowered his defenses for a few moment and walked towards the boy. His eyes held a serious expression on his face...but the rest of his face was calm. "You are packing tremendous power, little one." Lorenor said carefully. The cold chill still remained in the air as a direct result of Fenn's power. Then, the old Paladin smiled. "I'll be certain to ask you to help me when the time comes." Lorenor looked around to be certain that there were no more poltergeists...at least not in that part of the castle they were in. "I think that the crystal is for you lad." Lorenor said carefully. "Seems to radiate some sort of energy." Lorenor relaxed at that point and waited for Fenn to obtain the crystal that waited in front of him, hovering a foot or two off the ground...

Waiting with secrets for the magey type.

[FennWenn]

Shitshitshit!

Fenn had, perhaps a bit stupidly, not considered that his chunk of ice would catch the specter’s attention as it had. He had further injured it but he had not taken it down. After the collision, the poltergeist had turned away from Lorenor to catch Fenn in its petrifying red glare. Fenn's ears flicked up and his eyes widened in fear. An unearthly screech ripped out of the specter, and it began barreling straight for him. Its movements were choppy, as if it was injured, but that didn’t make its approach any less terrifying for the meek Fae. NOPE. Fenn fled from it, running in the opposite direction of the angry specter.

His bravery lasted only so long as he wasn’t the direct target of attack. Durability, Fenn knew, was not one of his strengths.

Cobwebs tickled at the young Fae’s nose and dusted his hair as he ducked into a darkened corridor and flattened himself against a wall. His heartbeat thumped rapidly in his ears as he listened to to the brief battle between Lorenor and the poltergeist ensue. It seemed that the Paladin had finally stirred from his strange stupor, and was now fighting back against the angry spirit.

An explosion of light and horrible shrieking came from the main hall, signaling the death of the poltergeist. As it died, a wave of magical energies blasted through the area, leaving Fenn feeling curiously and unpleasantly warm. Once the calamity was over, Fenn let out his held breath. Casually, he wiped the cobwebs off of him and strolled back around the corner. His somewhat blank expression seemed intended to give the impression that he had neither been shaken by the encounter, nor had dashed off in the first place. The slightly jelly-kneed way he walked belied this lie of unflappability.

Where the specter had been but a moment before was now an odd crystal. Fenn blinked curiously at it, watching as it drifted closer… to him of all people.

It hovered at about waist-height to the diminutive Fae, pulsing with a pale blue-and-white speckled glow. He kneeled to look a bit more closely at it; it looked a little like the ice shards he made, only it was very small and very bright. The Far scratched his chin, perplexed. Had his little chunk of ice interacted with the specter and formed this weird crystal-thing?

"You are packing tremendous power, little one,” Lorenor said to him with a smile, his voice surprisingly calm even after that fight. "I'll be certain to ask you to help me when the time comes. I think that the crystal is for you lad. Seems to radiate some sort of energy."

Tremendous power? The boy bit his lip and placed a hand behind his neck, his feet pointed inward. He did not feel powerful. Much of the time, he felt about as small as he looked. That was why he so often found himself running whenever he inevitably got himself into trouble, rather than fighting back. Still, he thought with a greedy glint of a sideways glance at the crystal, if no-one else is going to claim a shiny thing, who am I to turn it down? His hand lifted to grab the gem out of the air.

It was cold to the touch, much like Fenn himself. As soon as it brushed across his fingers, it shone brightly enough to temporarily blind anyone who stared directly at it.

The light that flickered and danced in it had turned green, and a thin layer of ice now coated the crystal. Squinting under it’s sudden radiance, Fenn hastily grabbed the white gold locket around his neck and flipped it open at the clasp. He dropped the small inside and shut it. The brightness faded quite a bit as soon as it left his hands, but a sliver of light could still be seen through the crack of the locket’s opening. Fenn sighed in relief. While the ordeal with the specter and the crystal hadn’t harmed him, he was quite a bit shaken. Figuring out what the gem actually did would have to wait for another day.

Fenn took a deep breath and turned back to Lorenor with a muted smile. He gestured at the path ahead, looking curious. Now, where were you taking me? He hoped they wouldn't encounter anything else that scary along the way.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Once he was satisfied that nothing else was going attack...Lorenor sheathed his weapon.

He did not power down, however.

He kept the glowing light about his person so they would better illuminate the dark hallways of the castle. Lorenor looked at Fenn and motioned for the boy to follow him. "Keep close by." Lorenor said calmly, there was no malice in his voice, and he was sincerely concerned for Fenn's safety and well being. His glowing eyes narrowed and he found the exact chamber he was looking for...an old library style room. Of course, there were no books present on the bookshelves...or so Lorenor believed. But that wasn't what Lorenor wanted to show Fenn. What was present in the chamber was a series of old tapestries show casing the adventures of the Ixian Knights both modern and ancient. In one of the tapestries...

"Look Fenn, this is what I wanted to show you." He wasn't sure how much the boy knew about history and about his growing power. Lorenor carefully considered the situationed at hand. His glowing body served to illuminate the room very well. Lorenor narrowed his eyes and found the exact tapestry he was looking for. There was a tapestry that showed Sei Orlouge, the blind telepath, and an image of what appeared to be Lorenor himself nearby to Sei. Lorenor pointed his glowing hands towards the tapestry. It was large and worn, but the images were exquisite and withstood the tests of time and bandits. Lorenor looked at Fenn.

"That man, was Sei Orlouge. My friend." Lorenor explained. "He gave me something I lacked for a long time...purpose." Lorenor looked at the various images of the tapestry. The chamber had several such tapestries which showed the history of the old Ixian Knights. "Once this place was a lively castle-town. Lots of Heroes back then." Lorenor explained. He looked at Fenn. "Sei taught me something back then...even someone like me can be saved." Lorenor felt a certain sense of pride talking about Sei. "I consider him a Hero, like in the old stories. More importantly he was my friend." Lorenor explained. His body continued to glow. "This room was a history room of sorts. Myself, and the old Ixians would come here to study and follow. And learn the mysteries of the Ixian's teachings." He felt a certain sense of pride as he looked around the old room. "So Fenn, I have to wonder. Is there some place within the castle grounds that you want to see?" Lorenor asked. He wanted to give the little one his time to shine.

[FennWenn]

How curious, Fenn thought, sticking his hands into the empty cavities of the shelves, running his fingertips fearlessly through the dust and cobwebs. A library without books. Delight lit up his face. Check that off on his mental list of witnessed oddities. That, along with ghosts, slavers, eldritch beasts, pitiful puppers… what hadn't Fenn seen?

The light that Lorenor shed softly lit the room as they strode past creaky bookshelves and rotting furniture. Musty smells caused the boy to wrinkle his nose, covering up the rare squeaky sneeze with the sleeve of his cloak.

“Look Fenn,” the paladin said, coming to a stop at the end of the great room. “This is what I wanted to show you."

Colorful tapestries lined the wall, filled with historical figures, heroes, and beasts. Though weathered and faded, they were mostly intact. The Paladin pointed out one weaving in particular. There were two men featured on it; Lorenor, and a blind man who seemed rather serene.

"That man, was Sei Orlouge. My friend..." Lorenor said to Fenn. There was pride evident in his warm voice and his roving eyes as he explained a little about Sei and the past of the Ixian castle. The Fae closed his eyes as he listened. Stories were a lot like shiny baubles, Fenn figured. They were too interesting for him to not collect.

"...This room was a history room of sorts. Myself, and the old Ixians would come here to study and follow. And learn the mysteries of the Ixian's teachings."

Oh, Fenn thought, his eyes cracking back open. How does it feel for him to be old enough that his cherished memories are now history and dust? How will I feel when I reach that age? A flash of sadness flickered over his frost-flecked features. It lasted only a second.

"So Fenn, I have to wonder. Is there some place within the castle grounds that you want to see?" Lorenor inquired with a gentle look down at the boy.

He tapped his chin in mock-thoughtfulness and quickly nodded back. The answer to that question had leapt easily to Fenn's mind; any treasure rooms or sites of scholarly interest were likely either to have been looted or haunted by now. With those out of the equation, that left the boy one particular curiosity he wanted to check out. He slid over to a nearby table and tapped the mossy planks, creating a patch of frost to write in.

TOWERS, Fenn scribbled hazily. WOULD LIKE TO CLIMB ONE. IT WILL MAKE US TALL, VIEW THE RUINS FROM ABOVE.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

Lorenor saw the texture of the journal that Fenn wrote on.

He was curious about the way that Fenn wrote, his particular writing style reminded him of something else he had seen a long time ago. The empty book shelves, some of them toppled or broken, served as a reminder of all that the Ixian Knights had lost. Lorenor carefully considered the situation at hand. A tower huh...I think I can accommodate him on this trip. Lorenor rubbed his well structured chin for a long moment as he thought about a possible place to take Fenn. The castle was still teaming with dangers and he would have to be careful where ever he took them. Once he considered the tower that they would climb, relatively in a nearby position, Lorenor nodded. He looked at Fenn for a long moment. Then he considered the history room that they were in. It had long since been sacked by looters and hooligans. The Paladin thought about where they could go and came up with an adequate response.

"One of the towers rests nearby. We could go over that way and explore it's structure. Much of the castle remains intact and withstood the test of time." Lorenor looked far away for a moment as he thought about the past, his past, and considered all the Ixian Knights meant to him. Lorenor looked around the history room for a long moment and nodded to himself. They could return later, and he would teach Fenn all he knew about history, the Ixian Knights, and other matters still. Lorenor considered where he was going to take Fenn. The mid-afternoon sunlight still shone through in sun shafts through out the dimly lit castle. Lorenor kept his body glowing to provide light for himself and Fenn. It was more of a comfort against the encroaching darkness anyway. Lorenor looked at Fenn. "We should head over to the tower now while the sun is still on our side." Lorenor was ever conscious of the time of day...beings of darkness oft waited for the night time hours to prey on the living. As Lorenor gathered himself, his cloak moved with a slight swish as he turned to face the doorway that they'd come through.

He looked at Fenn.

"Come on, my friend let's go to the tower. Should be a decent walk all the way up there to the top level." Lorenor explained as he started to walk, and assumed that Fenn would follow.

[FennWenn]

(Did a pinch of bunnying; lemme know if it needs to be changed!)

Fenn was always a cheerful step behind Lorenor as they trod through the dusty castle corridors and rooms, toying with the little blue flower that was still entwined in his hair. Dust motes drifted through the bare patches of sunlight. He trusted that Lorenor knew where they were going, and that they wouldn’t run into another specter. Hopefully. The way forward was a bit longer than the way back, and the sound of crickets started to permeate the air. Night wasn’t upon them yet but it was definitely on it’s way.

Wuff.

A quiet noise echoed down the corridor, followed by the soft rain of padded footsteps on stone and bare ground.

Pointed ears swiveling towards the disturbance, Fenn straightened to attention. That sound was very familiar to him. Lorenor stopped as well, the blue glow in his eyesockets narrowed and uncertain. “Brace yourself,” he said seriously to the boy. “We may have another fight on our hands.”

In reply, Fenn shook his head and held a hand up to the Paladin, a plea for him to keep his sword (metaphorically) sheathed.

Suddenly, a black-furred wolf bounded into the chamber they were passing through, kicking up dirt and stones as she tore her way towards the two. Fenn pricked up as he recognized the beast, clapping his hands together in delight. Daugi! Her muzzle was encrusted with dried blood from her hunt, and her tail flicked to and fro in annoyance. It seemed that she had spent quite a while tracking down her tiny friend to; he hadn’t been in the forest where she had expected him to be. An irked growl burst from behind her snaggled teeth as he bounced forward to greet her, reprimanding her little buddy for his rudeness in wandering so far from her protection. Sorry!

The boy buried his face in her fur and hugged her tightly. She snuffled his face and licked his cheek, accepting his apology. A part of him wished she had been there to defend him during the fight against the specter, but the more practical side of him knew she couldn’t do jack squat against a ghost anyway. Still, having her around made him more relaxed.

Before he knew it, the dumb dog had wiggled her way out of his hug to consider Lorenor with a deep crimson stare. She took a deep whiff of the air in his direction and sneezed, not seeming to like how he smelled; perhaps, Fenn thought, it was due to the environment they were in. It was only around monsters or undead beings that she got this tense, after all. The direwolf considered the being before her with a bony snarl that positively dripped with ill intention. A pat on the from Fenn was enough to prevent her from trying to engage the Paladin in combat. It wasn’t enough to make her stop twitching her nose in suspicion, however.

A sheepish grin was on Fenn’s face as he looked back to his new friend. Lorenor, meet Daugi. Daugi, meet Lorenor.

[Mutant_Lorenor]

He wasn't alone...good thing I decided to wait this out. Those sorts of wolves are not native to these parts anyway...

Lorenor decided to hesitate when the wolf arrived. He saw the friendly mannerisms that Fenn shared with the wolf. He is more skilled than he lets in on. I'll have to remember that as we get to know one another. He is not weak. Lorenor nodded towards Fenn as the boy handed him the notes. He was glad at this point that he'd given Fenn the small gift of paper and writing utensils. It makes this easier. Lorenor saw that the wolf kept eyeing him, the Paladin wasn't sure why. However, he would not let that stop the current journey. Once his two companions had settled down, the Paladin looked at Fenn. He pointed towards a corner of the structure in the castle that they were in. He pointed so that Fenn could see what he was pointing at. There was an old entryway with what looked to be a stairwell that lead up.

"We're heading there, that is the tower." Lorenor said casually.

Lorenor gathered his thoughts for a moment and started walking again knowing that Fenn would follow. He did not stare at the wolf too often, he did not want to provoke the boy's guardian. As he walked he studied the stone walls, it saddened him see the Ixian castle in such a state of disrepair. There were still secrets in the old castle, and the place still had a purpose to fulfill. The thing was Lorenor did not quite know what that purpose was. As he walked towards the tower, he considered the situation at hand. There were many secrets within the old castle, and the Paladin knew that Fenn had discovered one of them. The gem was one such secret, and there would be more to find and discover.

The temperature within the castle was slightly humid and clingy. Probably a by product of the energies that still clung to that place. Lorenor looked around the corner to ensure that nothing was present that could take him and his friend by surprise. So far, the hallways were clear and there was only a certain sense of sadness and despair that clung to the air, causing a vibration in it. As he considered that, he began walking up the stone steps, they were old and quite damaged from the effects of time. He looked at Fenn before he began to climb up the tower. "Walk carefully, Fenn. I don't want to see you fall and get hurt." Lorenor said sincerely, he didn't want to place his friend in anymore danger than was necessary. Lorenor nodded more to reassure himself more than anything else. It felt strange for him to be back on the hallowed grounds that had once been home.

I gave Sei five years of my life. Such a debt can't ever be repaid. Lorenor thought as he ascended the towers.

There were some cobwebs that hanged carelessly from the walls and stone. Lorenor swiped at the cobwebs making sure they would not block the journey forward. After about twenty minutes, he made his way to the top portion of the tower. The tower itself was dimly lit, heavy shadows everywhere. Lorenor's glowing body illuminated the dark stairwell with the effect of a torch. There was a door at the top section of the tower that was broken open long since prior by thieves. The Paladin pointed towards the doorway and moved forward...

Once he stepped on the roof of the tower, he was greeted with a gentle breeze. The sky still marked the afternoon time of day, but it was slowly growing dark. Lorenor waited for Fenn to get on to the roof with him. It was an awe-inspiring view of Corone herself.

"The land is in pain." Lorenor suddenly said sadly as he looked in the direction of the mountains that loomed on the horizon. He pointed towards the direction of his camp. "You can see my camp from up here." Lorenor said quietly.

[FennWenn]

Led by the Paladin’s warm glow, the boy hopped his way cautiously up the stairs, cheerfully brushing aside what few cobwebs clung to the walls after Lorenor had been through. He was barely being as careful as Lorenor had asked of him. The dampness of the air around them generated sprinkles of accidental snowflakes around the frosty Fae. Meanwhile, Daugi slunk up the stairs in a much more reserved manner. What hostility towards the paladin remained in her was easily tempered by her newfound trepidation; the crumbling stone steps, which felt a little unstable even under Fenn’s negligible weight. Padded paws tentatively poked at each foothold before actually ascending. Some of them made strained groans as her hefty weight shifted onto them.

Daugi took a moment to steady herself once at the top, her jowls curled into a grumpy expression and she glanced back at the stairs, not happy at the thought of s return trip.

Her tiny friend was already leaning over the side of the tower, peering over the aged parapets, his eyes eagerly roving over the landscape below. Daugi yelped and tugged Fenn a little away from the edge by the hood of his cloak, making certain that his precarious position didn't lead to a fall.

The boy barely minded her fussing. His breath was taken away by the sights to see and the shock of fresh, dust-devoid air.

It was quite a view. From this high up, far above the tops of the trees, Fenn could see much of Corone. If he squinted, he could make out the cluster of buildings and tangling streets that was Radasanth. The ramparts of the Citadel stuck out of the clutter like a sore thumb. Fog-shrouded mountains could be seen off in the distance as well. He hadn't seen the world from such an aerial viewpoint before. As he stared, Fenn made a few corrections to his internal map and added a few new landmarks as well. There was a lake besides the castle, for instance, which the boy hadn't known about until now. It's darker depths seemed rather inviting.

"The land is in pain."

Fenn’s geographical musings were abruptly broken by Lorenor, whose voice came across as a bit pained himself to the Fae. Not physically hurt, but… internally aching. Something those words made Fenn uneasy, and he shivered. The hefty Paladin pointed down into the forest. "You can see my camp from up here."

A brief glance down at the camp was enough to allow Fenn to note it down on his mental map. Noted. It was a nice campsite. The boy rarely bothered setting any up when he traveled - it was better to be fully mobile at all times, in case he stuck his fingers in the wrong pocket and get into trouble. There was no home for one who lived on the road.

But now he had a question. Fenn placed his palms over the top of the stone wall and began dragging his fingers through the dust-speckled frost that appeared on it, writing quick words.

WHAT HURTS IT. THE LAND. WHY.