Familiar Ground (OPEN)

[Sage]

Sage Ainsworth curiously watched the Paladin approach the portly farmer with a raised brow. He did not think that the man had done anything to warrant the Paladins Ire but evidently something he had said or done had gotten under the man’s skin. He pitied the Farmer, the Paladin looked as stoic as he did capable and his burning blue eyes were a curious source of curiosity.

Was it a divine blessing? He Idly speculated for a moment longer before returning his attention to the portal. He was glad that the remining guard, although young was also now making good on gathering up the town’s citizens, and while most of them were eager to leave for safety, there was a clear sense of apprehension across their faces. None of them truly wanted to leave, but they did so because they were dealing with an unknown force.

Had Sage been in any sort of command he would have had the village evacuated weeks ago.

He narrowed his eyes as he stared at it and while it initially did not appear to be much different from before he could clearly begin to see small tell-tale changes that it had been undergoing..

“Do you see the edge of the portal and how its starting to fray? It’s not going to last much longer.” He said pointing towards the outer edge of the portal. It was not as clean as it once was, there was a vibration that caused the fraying edges to wither like the tides in the ocean. He speculated that if it was any thinner then merely throwing a pebble at it would probably cause the entire thing to pop.

Even The sand that had been constantly pouring was now no longer overflowing from that world to this one. It had all but covered the Village center now, leaving a small sandy dune that he could have climbed up to reach the portal. But before the portal could dissipate another shadow began to form from across its surface, followed by a large sand hued mass of ragged fur and blistered skin to unceremoniously tumble down the sandy hill. It slid down the last few meters, remaining motionless save for a flick of what looked to be a single ear.

“Another one” Sage said ruefully and took a calming breath. Filled with a renewed resolution he raised his hand with an Eldritch Bolt quickly pulsating to life in his palm.

This new Reaver was nothing like the previous one. The last one had been a mutated Mantis that had been exposed to the vale for most of its unnatural life. This one however, there were no evident mutations, no deformities in its limbs and although it looked like a sickly malnourished beast it was also evident that this one had not yet fully turned.

The creature was the size of a small horse and had slowly righted itself from its ungraceful fall with a guttural rumble that echoed deeply in its chest. It had a long vulpine face, teeth bared and its eyes milky white looked on unseeing, there were the remains of some king of markings that once adorned its cheeks and forehead but had faded too much to fully discern. But it was its long ears and twisting twin tails that gave a name to this creature.

It was a Kitsune. A fennec-Kitsune of the Dreaming Desert, one of those who stood guard over the sacred cleansing springs forever awaiting the return of their lost deity.

It looked towards them with blind eyes and its hackles began to raise from its back with ears pressed low towards its head as it was prepared to pounce.

Anyone else would have steeled themselves for an inevitable confrontation, Sage however stopped and looked very carefully at the creature before him and realised something. There was a familiarity that made him recall that his friend had been reported missing.

“N-no” Sage cried in horror and dispelled his Bolt. “T-those markings, it can't be?”

It could not be her...

“Wait. WAIT, Hold on! This one…” He cried out loud towards his unusual companions and prayed they listened.

“Wait” He said pleaded with them and stepped out before them with his arms held wide as he continued to stare upon the partially corrupted kitsune with a twisted sense of hope.

“… Pira…” He spoke its name softly so as to not startle the beast.

The response was almost immediate, the Kitsune very quickly lost its aggressive posture, its ears rose up pointed towards the boy so it could listen carefully. Even its snarling muzzle slackened into an uneven pant. Watching it responding to him is such a way emboldened the boy and made him dare to slowly start to approach the kitsune eagerly.

“Pira, it’s me, Sage, do, you remember me?” He calmly asked as he came to a stop half way to the beast. He felt his companion’s stares upon his back, and he knew he was being incredibly foolish right now, but he could not help it. If there was even the slightest chance that this was his friend, then he had to take it, she would have done no less if their fates were reversed.

The kitsune's chest rumbled unsteadily and it looked at him with blind eyes “S-sage?” It spoke with a deep distorted rumble that still somehow remained feminine if unhuman.

It was her, this was Pira, and knowing that he could not help but want to approach even closer because this was his friend, he knew her. But to see her suffering like this, a shell of her former self was heart breaking.

“Yes, w-we met at the Elven Magic Academy in Elrohir. You helped me create the Eyes of Antiquity Spell.” He said eagerly and full of hope that despite the corruption of the Vale, his friend had not yet lost.

“I. Know. You. Little Sage” Pira hoarsely replied with a hint of amusement that brought tears to the boys’ eyes. He hated that nickname that Pira had given him, it had been made as a jest but it always got under his skin with how condescending she playfully made it sound. She had teased him, and made him forget his melancholy that he had been in a strange world.

They had met at the Academy, the empire had not known what to do with the young Mage, his approach to magic was something they had thought was a lost art and they had intended to learn as much from them as he had from them. But Pira was from the Dreaming Desert, an area of the Vale still clean and uncorrupted and their close relations with the Empire had the Kitsune often visiting the academy to teach the students there about the Vale and her clans unique magic.

She had initially approached Sage because he had been unique, an outsider like herself amongst all the pomp and ceremony. She said that she had found him "Quite twee, but I like twee."
But seeing her like this, months after she had left to return home a mere shadow of her former self. There was no understating how wrong all of it was.

“Pira … Your sister said you went missing in the Vale.” He explained to the kitsune with a pained expression. Before they had ventured into the Vale itself to look for one of the rips and tears in space, they had stopped by the Pira's home town to stock up on some supplies. Specifically, the cleansing water that they used to wash away the corruption of the Vale.

“The Vale. Is long and far. Reavers, monsters … they all thirst for clean magic. The way home was … too far.” Pira answered with a melancholy tone as she began to tip from side to side.

“What about the cleansing water, do you still have it?” Sage asked, hopeful that they could still undo some of this damage. Instead, the boy felt his hope shattered when she shook her head and looked down at the ground. “Lost it … long ago.”

Sage looked at his debilitated friend and then towards the portal and back again. He tried to think of a solution, but he kept on coming back up with the same answer over and over again. Pira needed to be exposed to the cleansing water which was back in the other world. She had to return soon before the portal closed. And yet, even if she did, then Pira would once again be exposed to the Vale.

She was not going to make it on her own, not in this condition. He would have to return with her to keep her focused, to stop her mind from descending into the Vales madness. It was the only way he would be able to save her. The portal Began to pulsate, its steady hum up to now was beginning to wind down into a torturous whine that made the boy all too aware that time was running out.

“The portals closing Pira … if you stay here you won’t be able to return.” The boy begged and slowly began to approached once more. Although foolish he would physically push the Kitsune back through if he had too, regardless of how big or heavy Pira was in this form.

“Death comes for all eventually little Sage.” Pira said so abruptly that Sage stopped and stared at her “What?” he recoiled in surprise.

“You are a Kitsune Pira. If you die, your soul will just return to your tribe to be reborn. But I don’t know if that will happen if the portal closes, I don’t know how far away both worlds are from each other. your soul could be lost for eternity” He said urgently, silently begging for Pira to listen to him. He shook his head violently causing his long hair to swing from side to side.

“Pira, can you return into your human form? You should be able to resist the corruption of the Vale better if you do. Please, you need to get back to your world, Captain Valliere is on the other side, we were asked to keep an eye out for you.” Sage said desperately, pleading with the Kitsune.

But she just fell backwards on her haunches unmoving save for her twitching nose and swivelling ears. It was crystal clear that Pira had made a choice.

“Then this is … your home … it feels. Wonderful, and alive with Aether.” She questioned admiringly as she allowed herself to bask in the world’s connection to the Tap. Her world was so far more removed from such a magical force that in this world where the magic was still pure and untainted, it was so easy to lose herself in its caress.

And now that she allowed herself to focus on her friends beautiful home, she now found it impossible to miss the presence of another she had initially overlooked. She had thought him just a man, but now she could see him, not with her eyes, or her senses, his mere presence was enough to stir her most primal of instincts. It rekindled feelings she had not felt since she was last in the presence of her lord and felt an unparalleled happiness swell within her heart.

“… My lord? Is … that you? My lord, we thought you were lost to us.” She said eagerly looking towards Vitrivion. “Your loyal servants are, and always have been eagerly awaiting your return.” She said reverently as his presence called her to him, causing her to blindly approach the man and turn her back on her world.

“Pira, no, please, go back.” The boy once more pleaded, with one more step with his hand outstretched.

Her jaws snapped closed as she lunged forwards narrowly missing his hand by the barest of inches. Sage stumbled backwards in surprised as he watched Pira’s vulpine face frozen with horror at what she had just done. Her body spasmed as her chest convulsed with skin and fur began to shed sand.

“… I … I … Aahh … I … am … hungry … thirst … y-you … Run… r-RUN!!” She warned her friend and promptly dissolved into a pile of sand.

His friend was gone, and all that was left was …

Sage rolled over and leapt away from the snarling vulpine head that emerged from the sand below him, teeth snapped around his shirts sleeve and tore it away with little resistance and dragged it back under the sand. Sage quickly retreated back to his companions and realised in horror that the field was covered in sand. The Kitsune of Pira's Tribe were easily able to submerse themselves within the depths of the desert like it was an ocean and would hunt by hiding under the sand and strike at anything that came close.

"Stay away from the sand" He warned taking several more steps back.