Agarest: Broken Peace

[GamerKale]

The scents were overwhelming and made Skadi sneeze. She put her knife away, but kept just out of the clearing. Maybe this was the mage they were looking for, maybe it wasn't. Either way she didn't trust this person, not that she had any reason to be trusting Lykala at all either, but she had an idea what he was capable of and his personality so far. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked around for any trouble that might be lying in wait.

[Chaosbahamut123]

The mage was a lithe Human, dressed in an tight-fitted robe that seemed just a little too daring to be considered formal. Her eyes were partially hidden by a large, heavy hat. "Who'sere?" she repeated, and Lykala realised why; she couldn't actually see past the brim of her headgear. She pushed it up, then sighed heavily and tore it off. "Oh! What brings you here, stranger?"
"U-um..." Lykala fidgeted, looking back to see if Skadi was around and finding that she wasn't, "Forgive the intrusion, ma'am. My name's Lykala Rossgrave, and we were directed here by the mage's guild in Gridamas to seek information."
"Information, ehhhh?" the woman peered at Lykala, taking in every detail, "I'd like to know every single member of the exchange please!" she cried, surprising Lykala; her voice was aimed at the trees.

[GamerKale]

She rolled her eyes, withdrew her scimitar and hacked away the foliage immediately in front of herself. "Skadi Cruentes-Nox and Blood Drinker, satisfied?" She asked sliding her scimitar back into it's sheathe.

[Chaosbahamut123]

"Well hey there, Miss Blood Drinker. Why don'tcha come out into the sunlight, where it's nice and warm?" teased the mage, laughing at her own jokes; Lykala was slightly more nervous about responding. "My name's Aislin, and as you already know, I'm a local magician around here. Herbal remedies, divinations, occasionally blasting some goblin to the high heavens, you name it!" Aislin beamed with winsome cheerfulness, "And did I mention that my herbal tea's the best in Gridamas? Want some?"
Lykala was soon sat opposite Aislin, steaming cup of tea in hand. She looked over to Skadi, who was still partially masked by the trees, "I don't bite, y'know. Come on over here and set yourself down!"
He chanced a closer look at Aislin. She was young, and incredibly so - Lykala wouldn't have placed her at anything more than one year his junior. Her sun-kissed skin was framed by auburn hair, dishevelled from the constant pressure of that enormous hat, and her eyes were a cheerful brown. She beckoned towards Skadi exaggeratedly, almost as if she were acting on stage.

[GamerKale]

Skadi mulled it over for a moment. She had run into some less than reputable mages before, relying on deception and guile to get what they want. "Oh it's not biting I'm worried about. It's deception, so before I come and sit I first want to know your true age." Her eyes flicked over to Lykala. "You can deafen him for it if you like."

[Chaosbahamut123]

Aislin tilted her head curiously, staring unabashedly at Skadi. "My true age? Simple - I'm twenty. You?"
Lykala turned to face Skadi too, setting his cup down and lying on his back. "What's her age got to do with anything?" he asked, sounding a little slow on the uptake. Aislin answered for him.
"She's wanting to know if this body is an illusion, am I right?"

[GamerKale]

"Correct, some old hags try to lure victims in by making their bodies seem youthful, and I'm 23." Skadi moved into the clearing and knelt down on the grass. She wasn't as worried about Aislin now, more impressed than anything, but it paid to be able to react quickly.

[Chaosbahamut123]

"Oh, that little rumour," Aislin waggled her finger, "I'd expect someone of your experience to know better, Miss Blood Drinker! Proper mages swear an oath of honesty and decency when they hook up with the Mage's Guild. To break it is to lose connections to every single mage on the continent; not something one does on a whim, if you catch my drift. Now, what is it you want to talk about?"
Lykala took a sip of his tea, sitting straight and racking his sleep-deprived, nightmare-addled thoughts. "Long story. We were both approached by the same person - or... thing. It looked human. They warned us about rising shadows, and... yeah. It wasn't a pleasant prophecy. We were hoping you would have more information on any events that would indicate something like that. Anything at all."
Aislin seemed to be contemplating his words for a moment, scrunching her eyebrows together to simulate deep thought, but eventually blurted out, "Wow. That is the second most depressing prophecy I've been told of in all my life," She continued to think, making various 'hmm' noises and frequently sipping from her tea, "You're sure this thing talked about rising shadows?"
"Absolutely. It was only yesterday that it happened. I was going to come straight to a mage, but I got..." he trailed off, blue-grey eyes fixing on Skadi for all of a moment, "...sidetracked."
"Rising shadows... Well, whatever they meant by it, it can't be good. But I can't think of anything remotely linked to that kind of evil," Aislin giggled quietly, filled Lykala's tea up without him asking for it, "Perhaps you should look in the Cave of Origins. It's in the northwest of Lucrellia. If something like that's going down, you can bet your ridiculously flashy tattoos that the Cave of Origins will have some kind of information. That place is massively magical," she reached over and took Lykala's map, marking it with a simple spell that buried itself in the sheet. The fire wobbled dangerously as she did so. Handing it back, Aislin nodded to herself. "Sorry I can't help you more. I'd take you there myself, but this village needs a mage to sort out the day-to-day worries, y'know?"

[GamerKale]

"It's fine. You've given us a location, that's enough." Skadi stood and brushed her knees off. "Oh, and it's not a rumor. I'm not worried about guild mages it's the ones who opt not to join the guild that concern me. I picked Blood Drinker up off of one such mage. She was trying to summon a larva using elven blood as a component." She ran a hand over the side of her neck. "Those fool companions of mine all but asked her to slit their throats. Thanks for the information." Skadi started walking off, one hand on the scimitar.

[Chaosbahamut123]

Lykala nodded, stood, and bowed low to Aislin. She mimicked him, smiling. "I'm, er, sorry about Skadi. She can be a little too rough at times, but she's a nice gal."
"Oh, don't sweat it. I've heard of worse - dealt with worse, too," Aislin waved him off, shouting as he broke into a run, "You take care now!"

He caught up with Skadi, half-jogging until he had fallen into step with her. He wasn't exactly sure how to start the conversation, knowing better than to press any issues, so he settled on a basic fact. "The Cave of Origins. That's a ways off, so we'll need a fair amount of supplies. It's quite a hike, just to get to the next community, Pureuron."
He was cheered up significantly by this. They had a goal for their seemingly destinationless journey. What's more, maybe there he could find out why his nightmare had such a visceral effect on him. His complexion brightened marginally; helped along by the soothing embrace of the tea on his tongue.

[GamerKale]

"Yes, that we do. Do you think we should search around for anyone else the old witch may have spoken to first? Or just trust that they'll find their way and catch up with us, if there are any?" She glanced over at him, "Did that mage get your blood flowing? You seem a little brighter now."

[Chaosbahamut123]

Lykala sighed heavily. "No, we shouldn't look around. I think we should just trust her, yeah? And as for me brightening up, I'm just glad we have somewhere to plan for."
The path returned to its dirt and cobblestones, and Lykala was partially glad to have civilation once more in his sights. The town wasn't far off. "Of course, you can stick around, if you want. There's no obligation for you to stick with me," there was a small amount of despondency in his voice, that presumed that she held a similar distrust for him. Was that the case? He couldn't help but ponder the possibility, and if it was true, he had no idea if she wanted to travel with him still. However, he didn't prepare his daggers; he trusted Skadi, even if it wasn't mutual. She had seen him through some tough times already.

[GamerKale]

Skadi shrugged, "No, it's fine by me. It's a little bit safer than traveling by myself, and I'd rather get moving anyways. I don't care for staying in one place for too long, that's part of why I left home. So, shall we gather supplies today and set out in the morning, or gather what we can before the afternoon's out and put some distance behind us today?"

[Chaosbahamut123]

Lykala shrugged, still curious about just how active Skadi was. However, he considered the options she suggested and eventually chose the latter. "Let's get some supplies together. I have a feeling that the sooner we set off, the better we'll be. It doesn't matter if we travel light for the time being - once we reach Prueuron, we can stock up properly."
The villagers greeted them with slightly more warmth this time around, apparently used to a Syrium's presence. A long time ago, he had heard tale of Gridamas being expecially prejudiced towards the elves, but nowadays that hatred seemed to have dispersed. Only hard-dying suspicion and the slightest of wariness existed in the eyes of the older generations they passed.

[GamerKale]

"Sounds good. I'll need to get my armor, and I'd like to see if their blacksmith is any good. I've been wanting to step up to a heavier hammer. And it might serve you well to practice with something with a little more reach, like a rapier, so you may wish to get one of those if he has any." As usual Skadi paid no attention to the looks of the locals and made no unnecessary attempts to avoid people or obstacles, so when they came across a sleeping Jason, she stepped on him unapologetically as she walked.

[Chaosbahamut123]

"Thanks, but no thanks. My daggers have served me well up until now," instinctually, Lykala patted the heavy leather sheathes with what seemed to be affection, gleaming in his eyes, "Plus, I don't really have the physique for a sword. I've always fought quickly, and long blades slow me down a lot. Best to stay light on my feet," he looked back to the man Skadi had trodden on, panicking slightly; he looked like a fighter - and being roused so violently from one's sleep never sat well, even with the best of people.

[Haseo{Terror of Death}]

Jason’s only dream during that short amount of time consisted of a blood feather, stained in blood, and a pole or staff of some sort. Jason moaned in pain, he had less than four hours of sleep “What the heck was tha-” He turned over and saw Lykala, “A Syrium? Wait!” He jumped up and grinned, ‘So this guy’s the trouble-maker, eh?’ Jason wiped the dirt off his nose and dropped his bag, “Let’s fight!” He threw a punch at Lykala, a slow punch to test his fighting abilities.

[GamerKale]

Skadi heard the words 'Let''s fight!', turned and swung her hammer, at about mid level, in one fluid motion while shouting "Bring it!"

[Chaosbahamut123]

Lykala glanced back upon hearing the voice to see a fist moving in his direction. He jumped out of reach, coat billowing out behind him when he drew his daggers. "What the heck?" he yelled, to the person who had thrown the punch. A few villagers turned their heads to see what was going on, hurrying on their way once they realised, "Who are you?"
He had heard the motive for this man's sudden, thoroughly unwelcome attack. It burned inside his veins and caused him to want to cut the man open at least once; he was attacking because he was a Syrium? That was the only reason? In response to his growing rage, his daggers twirled with an almost grim excitement. Lykala knew he didn't enjoy violence, but he was going to really enjoy this.

[Haseo{Terror of Death}]

Jason heard “Bring it!” behind him and dodged the hammer by a hair’s breadth. He turned so that he could see both Lykala and Skadi and turned to Skadi, “I just want a fair fight him Darkie, just wait your turn if you really want to fight me.” He turned to Lykala, hoping Skadi would respect his wishes and readied a stance similar to boxing, “I’m not trying to kill you, so I’d prefer it if you didn’t use weapons.” He looked around as bystanders began surrounding the commotion. “Someone might actually die if you use those butcher knives…” He charged in for a second punch at Lykala's stomach, and a third at his left ribs.