The Second Day

[Cyrus the virus]

Luc was giving Kially a perspective that he'd surely never had before, soaring high over the mountains of Alerar on their way back to Radasanth. In the form of wind they soared, feeling nothing, but able to perceive everything as it whisked past below them.

Morning was only now on its way, the sun cresting over the horizon to the south, casting an orange glow along the sky. Yesterday had been a veritable whirlwind of activity. Kially and Luc had met when the boy brought him a wand he'd dropped, and Luc rewarded him with lunch. Amazingly enough, the child demonstrated magical skills that intrigued the older mage. Luc stuck with him for the rest of the day, walking through Radasanth's bazaar, fighting off dwarves, and retreating to a Naturian temple magically accessed by Kially. Then, only an hour ago, they fought off a legendary Gorian'fel, taking a small piece of fabric from its hide and two teeth as keepsakes.

A better keepsake, Luc thought, was the tome he'd received as a thanks from Kially's goddess for protecting the youth. It was an item shrouded in mystery, but radiating a power the mage thirsted desperately for. All in good time, however, as he could barely understand the ancient Naturian words.

With time, the gaseous duo neared the city of Radasanth, tall buildings and passageways stuffed with people visible even from their height. They swooped in low and through the streets, whisking up and into an open window of Luc's most used inn. There, they returned to their solid forms, and Luc immediately set to removing his dirty cape.

"I need a few moments to wash up and clean my clothes," he sighed, the uncomfortable night of rest weighing heavily on him. His limbs were wrought with soreness. "Today we can get you some new clothes at the bazaar."

With that, a grumbling Luc stepped into the washroom and shut the door, feeling the creaks in his bones as he undressed.

[Kially Gaith]

The night had gone without true rest, Kially had the experience of Luc, yet his body could not support as much as exertion as the older mage, Kially found the journey through the air without any sights, for the flight was missed by a boy whose eyes remained closed, his little frame still exhausted from the day before. However, rest was rapidly denied as they came to a soft and gentle landing.

Upon landing, Kially had to shake his head to fight off his weary tiredness, looking round to survey his new surroundings, it was then, that his eyes wrapped about that of a bed. He could not name it, nor knew not of its’ purpose, but he was sure it looked comfy and soft, two words that right now would be correlescent with ‘Sleep’.

Limping over towards it, Kially was reminded of his foolish behaviour the day before by many aches and pains, his whole body both tense and sore as he allowed it to flop down onto the bed, at which he quietly proclaimed. “My comfy soft.” A terrible grasp of common to be sure.

Listening to Luc, he groaned out a both pleased and forced response, fighting back sleep still as he lay atop the blankets. “Thankoo…You ver’ nice.” Each word was obviously forced, slow staggering amongst each word, illustrating how tired the boy was.

Why didn’t nature have these comfy softs he found himself questioning, as eyes finally allowed themselves to drift closed, huddled up in a partial ball on the bed, knees up to his chest and a thumb neatly placed between his lips as he finally gave in to that of sleep.

The boys dreams would consist of a mixture of past events, future event and a fantasy of how things had gone so far, twisting them so that Kially was just as much as a hero as his new idol, the Gorian’fel having been downed in a true combination of both the magis’ efforts instead of primarily Luc alone.

[Cyrus the virus]

The basin was a work of magic, a permanently warm coal heating a large bowl of water that Luc dipped his hands into. It swirled about his fingers, softening the joints and washing away the dirt, relaxing him. Next to him was a tub, and he entered slowly, laying down as he summoned the water from the basin, willing it to expand and surround him, filling the tub with steaming warmth.

He lay there, naked, letting the water soak into his skin. He didn't lather, but dipped his head under to wet his hair. The fight with the Gorian'fel had given him a bruise or two on his back, as he'd fallen from a high perch on a piece of earth. It had been so long since he'd felt physical pain that it was bothering him.

His one home was in cavern below the surface of Althanas, where a fire burned eternally and a plethora of tomes littered the tunnels. Nothing within held the magical significance of this new book, which sat atop the other bed in the main room of the inn. Even now, Luc could feel it pulsating like a heartbeat, such a strange thing it was. He imagined it would draw attention from nearby people who had a sense for magic, motivate them to theft if they craved it so.

Luc wanted very much to unlock the secret of it, but knew he needed to take his time. Learning a new language through naught but text was difficult, and learning a spell in such a manner was much more difficult if the intricacies were ignored. He needed the first chapter to soak in before he continued onward.

Beyond that, Cipher Nex would be contacting him soon, he knew. Days prior he'd agreed to aid in finding them some soldiers, to bolster their growing army. Luc had ideas, mostly involving an orc clan in Western Corone that was fiercely loyal to the strongest warrior they had. If Luc could infiltrate and kill that leader, he imagined he could force the orc clan to join Cipher Nex.

He drifted in and out of sleep until he finally rose, emptying the tub and getting dressed. His clothes were clean after a quick rinse and some magical manipulation of the water, and dried by a fierce wind. He was soon out of the washroom, feeling refreshed. Kially was curled up on one of the beds, but stirred.

"Let's get you some comfortable, fine clothes." Luc said, loudly enough to perhaps startle the boy. "We've an interesting day ahead."

[thewriter]

((thanks cyrus for permission to RP in here ^^))

Narida walked to the butcher's with Neoku trailing her steps. The wolf had seemed to grow with each time he was revived - he made some of the nearby dogs seem like cats in size. Upon entering the shop, he eyed the meat with a watering mouth, but knew only to eat what was given from his mistress - his accomplice.

"A cut from a cow's flank will do, thanks," she told the butcher, who was looking at the wolf with a hint of fear. "For over eighty years now, he's only attacked when I've told him to. Never mind him." The man grunted in confirmation, but didn't seem to have much faith in her words. But she felt his revenge of it when he rung up the meat. it nearly emptied her wallet - and that was just one meal for this wolf. She took him outside and walked to a less busy area of town and threw him the slab.

"Your welcome," she told the beast as he ravenously scarfed the fresh cut meat, his muzzle now red. "I hope you realize we need a new client by tomorrow morning or we're absolutely broke." Narida sighed. Her work was getting harder and harder as more and more of her clients would not tell her what ire their intended have brought upon to deserve death, and upon doing so she could not take the job. If she wanted to keep Neoku with her, she couldn't kill those who don't deserve death. Neoku looked up at her midway through his feast, a surprisingly innocent look on his face, aside from the blood that dripped from his front. "No, I'll get food at the tavern - eat," she told him. He seemed to hesitate before continuing.

When Neoku was done, she took some water from her skin and a cloth from her pack and rubbed some of the blood away. Townsfolk didn't take too well to wolves padding into town dripping in what could have been anyone's blood.

She put her feet up in the corner table of the tavern, and ordered some water and the cheapest food she could buy. Neoku was laying down next to the table, watching the room carefully.

"Well," Narida began, scratching Neoku behind the ear. "What next?"

[Kially Gaith]

What Luc would receive, was just what he had expected, the child sitting bolt upright in utmost surprise, however, Lucs’ words went in one ear and out the other. When Kiallys’ heart finally began to slow back down, he simply grunted in displeasure, before curling up. He was so tired…

“Mmm…” He writhed, now agitated that having been woke, he could not once again find the comfortable position he had ascertained just moments before. Luc had won, much to his discomfort.

Sitting to his rear for a second time, the old rickety wooden bed protested even under the small boys light frame, nearly protesting just as much as Kially, in fact. “Luuuuuuuuuuc…”. New clothes were all good and well, but if you collapsed in the process of obtaining them, you were of little use.

Easing himself to his feet, he blearily stumbled to where he was pretty sure Luc was, only to find a coat wrack for his mistake – This brought him to a natural and simplistic conclusion and thus was acted out with two bunched fists pressed lightly into his eye sockets with soft movement.

“Do we gotta?” Once again, his lack of common proceeded him and even having wiped his eyes, he remained speaking to a coat wrack – Not because it was cool or all the rage, but because at that very moment he had very little energy to apply elsewhere, not to mention, the coat wrack wasn’t dragging him out of sleep from something he had found to be very beneficial to resting, no sore back or neck like he’d normally wake to - Yes, a bed was truly a new experience that he expected could one day yield interesting results.

[Cyrus the virus]

"Yes. You'll get plenty of rest later, but let's not sleep the day away."

Gathering his things, Luc encouraged Kially to do the same. The all-important tome under an arm, the mage opened the room's door and beckoned the boy through it. Before them was a hallway, but a portly obstacle shuffled backward, surprised. "Eh?" grunted the inn maid.

"Don't mind us," Luc said, ushering Kially along to the top of the stairs. The woman's eyes followed them for just a moment before she returned to work sweeping the hallway.

Together they left the inn and found themselves, once again, in Radasanth's bazaar. It was too early for the place to be bustling, but there were a fair number of people. Again, those who were aware enough to notice him made some room.

They eventually approached a small building near the side of the road, "Threads Started By Cyrus." Luc pushed the door open and the pair found themselves ambushed by the smell of various fabrics, and the uncomfortable heat of clothing.

"Good morning!" called a short, clean-shaven human with a boyish face. He wore suspenders to keep his pants up against his round stomach, and spectacles to read his measuring tape. "Lookin' for anything specific?"

Luc nodded, smiled, put a hand against Kially's head to ruffle his head. "The boy here needs a new ensemble. Something like mine, but maybe a bit darker. Quality fabric, with gold buttons and a black, silk cape. Fit him up and show us some examples of what you can do."

Giving the sleepy Kially a nudge, Luc watched as the store owner whirled about his counter, imagining different outfits on the boy before he could even be measured.

[Kially Gaith]

Regaining his composure, the room slowly started finding focus once again and with the voice of Luc, Kially turned to face the correct direction. Giving a look down at his current clothes, he did indeed agree that needed a new ensemble and like most any obedient child, he followed behind in Lucs wake, undisturbed by that which Luc intimidated.

Looking to the maid on the way out, he offered her a small wave as they left, the maid responding with both confusion and an unsure wave of her own – Had the menace fathered a child? She thought silently to herself.

Trudging slowly behind Luc, just one step away, Kially attempted to keep close to Luc, lest he lose him due to his very weak attention span and resolve to gain clothes.

When the tavern door was opened, the early air hit him face first with a punch of Radasanthian stench, this coupled with the bright morning sun was enough to make him arch his head back and cover his eyes as an adapting pain seered through them – Damned senses, what were they good for?!

“Ow…” Came a disgruntled and weak call from Kially, which heralded for nothing other than to show his sudden discomfort. Luc apparently had already gained headway on the boy, who, now forcibly awake by the calls of the morning, was having to jog to keep up behind.

When Kially finally found himself at the side of Luc, he looked towards the bazaar stores and the few morning occupants who spoke in hushed whispers of the pair, many were classless and out for cheap provisions, whilst the rich and famous surveyed the more expensive stores, all of which had price tags that could make a king wince.

Following on, Kially finally settled into the idea of the morning and the lack of sleep, letting his body and mind take over his natural urge for sleep, his eyes no longer bleary and set upon a dainty little store that showed high quality clothing within the windows upon make shift wooden varieties of human, elf and dwarf.

Standing to the right of Luc, Kially found himself overwhelmed by the stench of varying fabrics, so much so that he had to nuzzle his nose into his hand until his body could correctly prepare.

Kially hadn’t quite been listening to Luc, instead, his eyes phasing off to the many linens that adorned the walls and floor of the well kept shop, this was until, much to his surprise, the shop keeper marched right at him – Kially, unsavvy to the ways of a tailor, readied himself to avoid some sort of attack, looking to Luc for assistance.

Lucs’ eyes held no sign of danger, which allowed the childs sudden respite of readiness to subside into nothing, standing bolt upright, a little tense in the shoulders. “I like my cu-cur…Clothes.” He’d meant to say ‘current’, but could not find the pronunciation in that mind of his.

[thewriter]

"Alright...let's see, we need supplies enough to get to the next town do we not?" Narida thought aloud to her wolf. "And for how much meat costs, You, little brother, can find your own food in the wild." Neoku nodded to her with a small grunt.

"Provisions have gone moldy...I'm low on crossbow bolts...and my cloak and sleeping roll were burned in the fire." She groaned. why was she in the most need when she had the least money? She saw a poor boy begging for food on the street and handed him her rations.

"I'm sorry they're a tad moldy - but I need-" She couldn't finish her sentence, for the boy was gone already.

The first stop was to get some dried fruits and salted beef as well as refilling the waterskins at the well. That was the cheap part - it would have been cheaper if the store owner of the salted beef hadn't caught Neoku trying to steal a piece, for which Narida scolded him greatly after.

It really hurt when they went to buy crossbow bolts. She needed one hundred, to last her a few jobs, and that took about half of her coin purse's weight away.

"Well, I can live without a sleeping roll, but a cloak I do need," She told Neoku. "We're heading north and I don't have layers upon layers of fur to keep me warm." Neoku grumbled again, but she thought not much of it. she had to go in the nearest clothing shop. Neoku would of entered, but the overpowering smell of the various fabrics were too much for his sensitive nose. It was hard enough to bare for Narida already.

She must have seemed out of place, in a shop full of rich silks and satins and colors that were as bright as day when she was dressed in damaged and cheap leathers and chain mail. The only thing that seemed to be pretty about her at this moment was her face. Her eyes were gray as fog, a very uncommon color in the beast elf tribes. In fact, she was most likely the only one. The dark color of her skin provided high contrast to her platinum silver hair, which was bound tight in a braided bun usually, but today she didn't have that luxury of time to do so. Instead it was kept down and it naturally waved to conform to her body - or it would, if she was wearing more feminine clothing. But that would never happen, so far as she knew. She never needed to, and wouldn't take the jobs that required her to. But for some reason, no matter how she dresses or acts, her face will always be a reminder to what she is - which is a woman. She can be frustrated, wild, unruly, cold, conceited, indifferent. But no matter what, that face shall always be beautiful.

And people wonder why I wear masks, She thought to herself as she noted this in one of the lavish mirrors. Either way, she would have gone up to talk to the current shop clerk, but he was busy tending a young boy and a rather highborn-looking man.

Must be some lordling getting fitted for a grand feast of sorts She thought indifferently. Oh well. Best remember courtesies and wait.

[Cyrus the virus]

"Urchin clothes is what they are, lad. Here we can find you clothes that look nicer, feel better and are more comfortable. Let the man measure you. Trust me."

He beckoned the tailor, who approached Kially with his measuring tape. The boy didn't resist, presumably trusting the mage, who moved over a few feet to a waiting chair. The tailor was done in no time, and began to browse his own goods for clothing that fit Luc's description.

In something around twenty minutes, which might have been an eternity to the young Kially, who had to stand still atop a small stool, the outfit was complete. Kially looked like a young gentleman, his outfit nearly outclassing Luc's own. The mage smiled unconsciously, amused by the short one's appearance. "Positively regal."

"Is it comfortable?" he asked, rising. If it wasn't, the tailor would lose their business and perhaps something more. "You look good. Charming, even. Well enough to catch the attention of the girls who can see you, short as you are."

He ruffled Kially's hair and paid the man well beyond his asking price, slipping the equivalent of 250 gold pieces to him, in platinum coins. Luc then noticed the one who watched them. Elven. Luc felt anger in himself, a kind of natural hate toward her. He could never quite get over his frustration with the elves, Raiaeran or Alerian, not since his failure to claim Eluriand as his own.

And Kially wondered why he was infamous.

"Let's be off, then," he suggested to the boy, not hiding the distaste that had suddenly appeared in his mouth. "I've a friend you should meet. You may be seeing a lot of him in the near future."

[thewriter]

"Let's be off, then. I've a friend you should meet. You may be seeing a lot of him in the near future." Narida did not pretend that she did not hear the hatred in his voice. She looked at the man - he was human, and a decently young one at that. He hated elves...but did he know beast elves?

Outside, Neoku noted the small boy and his ears pricked up. Then Neoku entered the shop, despite the immediate protest of both the shop clerk and Narida and, laying his ears back in friendship, sniffed at the boy's bare hand, careful not to snuff the new clothing for Neoku remembered the last time he ruined someone's silken wear.

"Neoku, get back here!" Narida commanded harshly in the beast elf tongue - a different dialect of language somewhere between Lycan and Naturian. Neoku grumped, understanding what must be done, and seemed to bob his head in respect towards the lad and left. Narida immediately locked her eyes with that of the lords. She had to start her usual 'I'm not what you think I am' speech a bit faster, seeing that he was like to be angry soon.

"Do you hate elves, m'lord?" She asked right off the bat. She had to keep talking to keep him from answering, since she already figured the answer to that question. "It would appear so by your glare and tone of voice. Yet look at me - just for one second, look past my ears and hair. I am not the highborn elven race your people so hate. I don't speak in pretty tongues, I can't cast magic, I'm not immortal, all I am is a humble Beast Elf from the northern forests.
"Your people don't seem to know what Beast elves are, do they? We are the Children of Gaia, part Lycan, part Elf, part Human, part Animal, the blend of all the people that have sanctioned her grounds. Yet if you wish for things simple, We are basically humans with elf ears, an animal companion for the whole of life and live to five hundred years old. So I can understand it if you so hate elves - but not Beast Elves. All they have done to humanity is cower in their forest villages and keep outsiders out."

In the mean time, she had to pay extra for the simple cloak she required, since Neoku intruded. With a heavy sigh, she paid, strapping the sickeningly light coin purse to the inside of her pack and turned to the boy. "My apologies for Neoku - he has a soft spot for children," She added, and turned to leave.

[Cyrus the virus]

"Beast elves, Raiaeran elves, same rabble. Haughty fools floating through life on the tips of their toes. Your rambling has accomplished nothing, unless you count the vaporization of my patience. On and on about your silly brethren as if your roots could possibly convince me."

He nearly spat. "Hiding away from civilization like dogs. How worthy of my admiration."

Trying to usher Kially outside, Luc tried to maintain calm. A year ago, he'd have immolated the elf for spouting such a waterfall of putrid words, and the shop along with her.

He felt more civil today, however, more in touch with reality. He couldn't sling fire at the first sign of annoyance, not in front of the boy. Luc couldn't shake the feeling that the elf wouldn't quite understand it's place if he didn't force it upon her, but that was something he needed to deal with.

[thewriter]

Narida bit her tongue and swallowed her rage. But Neoku did not lose his fondness for the boy. When the two left the shop, he still followed after the boy, sniffing at his hand and playing the friend. he ignored Narida's calls to bring him back. He seemed to look at the boy as if he knew him, or his kin, whatever his kin may be.

"Neoku, your not making this easy," She told him. he ignored her again. She sighed and turned to the human man. "The point is, you are right. My people hide like dogs. They are cowardly, they are proud, and most of all so stubborn they will most likely kill themselves out. Yet I do not ask for your forgiveness, nor for you to change your words, because I know that to be true. But I am not my people. I am no longer a beast elf, nor any elf, nor accepted in any culture. All I ask is that you know that I am not of my people, and do not act an elf to be considered one. Why you hate my people, I've yet to understand. Something tells me I'll get my head chopped off the more I try." It was here that Narida sighed and gave up.

"Neoku, come !" she called once again, expressing more urgency. Still he was fascinated with this boy. "What in Hell's name has gotten into you?"