Though that was not entirely the truth. Looking down at her hand she saw the poultice-covered hand and breathed in slowly. Despite her reluctance, Nevin had given her a way to heal it. It would keep the pain at ease and the worst of the injuries. The best she could do right now was to be entirely honest with him.
Scowling to herself in her lowered brow ridge and huffing way, she began to shove on the gauntlet. “Okay, I came here to help you and to hunt something that he has requested I find. I won't tell you what it is in case we do not find it, but I mainly did come here to help you.”
She looked up at him. “Shall we head further in then?” She gestured at the darker, deeper woods.
Knowing that Vitruvion had sent her in here for an actual reason strangely reassured the redhead as he nodded and started pressing onwards, pushing through the treeline and heading in the direction of the taint of darker blood magic that he could feel. That Vitruvion had a reason for her to be in the woods - it meant that the man - or whatever he is - had been keeping an eye on the forest. At least enough to think that his target was still in these woods.
Which meant, knowing that Vitruvion had before felt that vile taint of the Cobalt-taken monstrosity in the cathedral in Radasanth, that there was no way that this particular being had set up shop too long ago here. No, its arrival had to be recent, or its attention and efforts focused inwardly enough that it escaped detection in the outside world.
But as they moved through the trees, Nevin could feel more and more why he had been pulled to this place. Even ignoring the dark magic that he was personally familiar with, this place had a powerful presence even now lingering about it, even though it had clearly faded in time. Someone, or something, had held sway over these woods, and had turned them into a hungry place, and that change still had not been completely eradicated even though its source was long gone from this world. And the blood mage felt like he could…. draw on it, but not quite, it hadn’t accepted him yet, there was a strange desynchronization between his power and the ancient presence in these woods. Even dead, whatever had ruled here wasn’t quite ready to give up its power to the living.
The alchemist tightened his grip and pressed on, looking for more signs of that damnable beast - or of dark blood magic. He just hoped that he didn’t drag Stare into more danger in the process of his personal vendetta.
