forum One More War (Mature, One-on-One, Closed)

Started November 13, 2021 by @Serpentess health_and_safety language

tune

De Tearion noticed how E’si kept his weapon out, but he didn’t mind. silver stabby-wabbies and trees had always brought him comfort in his youth.

When they finally reached the edge of the forest, the village, or rather town, came into sight. The most prominent building was a cathedral with a see-through wall showing a silver circle with two red rings around it.

De Tearion froze at the threshold, chirping. He didn’t like that cathedral one bit, even if it was the likeliest source of answers. He knew very little about most religions, but knew that the symbol was a definite representation of the nocturnal cheese wheel.

De Tearion turned away, walking along the forest’s edge. He didn’t care if E’si followed. He wanted nothing to do with the town or its cathedral.

E'Si got edgier and edgier the closer they got to the village. Especially when it started to look a lot like a human village. Given the strangeness of this area, the humans probably wouldn't react to a tattooed D'ae'Min warrior like the ones he knew. That thought didn't calm him all that much, however. Who knew what this place was? Maybe they knew the significance of all the runes decorating his chest and back. He would be walking in with only one potential ally to face who knew how many humans. E'Si paused when De Tearion did, following his gaze to the cathedral. He didn't get the same feeling of unease from the cathedral as De Tearion, so he was slightly bumfuzzled about why his companion turned away from the town. Not that he was complaining. "Why're we not going in? Something right?" E'Si whispered, casting another glance over the town. What had De Tearion seen that he hadn't?

De Tearion pointed to the cathedral without looking at it.

“That building has a symbol of Mercy’s peeper with two red rings around it. I know little of religions and I have a suspicion that zealots may be involved. I may be overreacting, yet I refuse to enter that town until I know more,”he said.

De Tearion then paused, remembering that he still carried the scroll. Was it related to the cathedral, and could they track it? He leaned against a leafy tower, looking at the cathedral with intense peepers.

“Not one goddamn clue as to what be going on. The blind never win. Mercy have me,”De Tearion sighed, consuming oxygen to produce carbon dioxide deeply to keep himself calm.

E'Si once again looked at the cathedral, seeing the resemblance of the symbol to the nocturnal cheese wheel now that De Tearion pointed it out. He didn't really know the meaning of the wods 'religions' and 'zealots'. He'd never come across them when fighting the humans. The context around them made him think they were bodge, however. "If we never enter, blind we stay." E'Si shrugged, spinning his blade absentmindedly in his hand. He wasn't a fan of entering the human town, but he was also starting to tire of never knowing anything. "No risk, no victory," he continued, glancing up at De Tearion.

De Tearion considered E’si’s wods a moment. He was right, though De Tearion still didn’t like the risks. If his suspicions were right, then it would be getting bloody very quickly.

He didn’t necessarily have a problem with that, but De Tearion was honestly a bit rusty with fighting. Twenty orbit parties of being in a haze, followed by a few more orbit parties of peace, had affected him.

He watched E’si spin his blade, finding the motion quite soothing. It then inspired him.

De Tearion straightened and walked forward a few steps, inhaling deep, focusing on the town. He was too far away to get much detail, but he immediately recognized the smell of human. However, there was also another creature living in the town, one that he didn’t know at all.

“The town be of humans and a creature I know not. Stealth be paramount. You may follow me if you wish, yet you might be unable to,”De Tearion said.

He took a deep breath and headed for the town. His peepers closed and he seemed to melt into the darkness, only visible because of the moonlight despite being in the open.

"Humans," E'Si repeated, lips curling into a grimace. He didn't know how De Tearion had known, but at least he knew what he was getting into. The mention of an unknown creature intrigued him. Maybe it was the reason he had been pulled here. Maybe it held the reason for the strange scroll. He nodded at De Tearion's wods, sheathing his blade. It would be easier to sneak without it. E'Si was about to scoff at De Tearion's wods–what did he mean he wouldn't be able to follow him?–but was very glad he didn't. It seemed his companion possessed some sort of skill that allowed him to hide very well. Well, then. E'Si would follow him for as long as he could. It could almost be a game, to see if he was able to follow him the entire way. At the very least, it was good training. The D'ae'Min crept after the barely-visible De Tearion, a faint smile playing at his lips.

De Tearion heard E’si’s tone and hoped he wouldn’t cause trouble. He didn’t need his traveling companion to suddenly start slaughtering humans because of some hatred for them.

As he walked, De Tearion noted the way E’si followed him. It amused him a bit that the man was stalking him. He stifled a chuckle at how E’si would react when they reached the town.

As they neared the edge of the town, a guard passed by. De Tearion stopped outside the lantern’s light, silent as a ghost. The guard, a drowsy older man, passed without a glance toward them. De Tearion breathed deeply, the guard reminding him of an old nemesis, then resumed, nearing a simple stone building, likely someone’s house.

Opening his peepers breifly, De Tearion gauged the height to the roof and leaped straight up. His grabby limbs morphed into beetle legs, and his second pairs of grabby limbs appeared, all four grabbing the edge of the roof and pulling him up with practiced ease.

De Tearion looked around a moment, getting his bearings. He noted a group of slender humanoids near the cathedral, silver-skinned, white-haired, and pointy eared. What were they?

Glancing back at E’si, De Tearion wondered if the man wanted to join him up on the roof or stay on the ground. He could easily pull E’si up with him if needed.

E'Si froze as the guard approached, resisting the urge to leap out of the shadows and slit his throat before he could make a sound. It was what he would have done at home, but it seemed like a bodge brain b^ubble here. If someone saw the body, then it would put them both in more trouble than they needed. And there was the chance, as small as it seemed, that the humans here didn't deathsnuggle D'ae'Min on sight. E'Si gritted his mouthstones, trying to ignore the voice in his head screaming at him to give the humans no mercy. It sounded an awful lot like Lan'E'yn's, which stung a lot more than he would like to admit. Because of humans, Lan'E'yn was most likely dead. And he wouldn't even get their body to bury. E'Si let out a low growl, too soft for a human to hear, and pushed Lan'E'yn's voice to the back of his mind. Once he got back to his home, he would take revenge for them. But now, he had to focus on answers.
The moment they got to a structure, De Tearion decided to climb on top of it. E'Si briefly considered trying to follow him but ultimately decided against it. He did better on solid ground. There were some D'ae'Min he knew that were exceptional climbers, but he wasn't one of them. It seemed their paths would split ways here. E'Si gave De Tearion a slight wave, then started further into the town. They could meet up at the cathedral.

De Tearion heard E’si’s growl, sensing his struggle to keep himself in check. By Mercy, that growl reminded him of so many things, most of all, himself. His rage, his helplessness, Agatha, his beloved sister, dying in his grabby limbs…

He quickly pushed those memories away, desperate to avoid them. He might have given Agatha a proper farewell, but the heck they had gone through was something that would never fade.

De Tearion noted E’si’s wave and nodded. He then headed away, silently leaping from building to building, studying the town.

The town was fairly simple. Houses, shops and workshops, a few inns and taverns, a land-connector and several docks on the river, and the cathedral. A large cobble-stone-clippity-clop cut through the center of the town, linking with another cobble-stone-clippity-clop that went across the river.

As De Tearion explored, he found few conscious humans, but many silver-skinned folk wandered about. He had no brain b^ubble what they were, which nagged at him. He then decided to follow a group heading for the cathedral. He managed to overhear bits of their quiet conversation.

“… the Elven Monarchy…”
“… the humans hounding King Balathiel…”
“… Luna’s guidance is paramount to…”

The group walked into the town square, nearing the large group near the cathedral. De Tearion didn’t dare jump down into the area to follow them, particularly with the lanterns hanging about with a familiar magical blue fire in them.

He considered the bits of information he had heard. From the demeanors of the three he had been following, something was right. What was the Elven Monarchy? Was this King Balathiel the leader of it? And what trouble were humans brewing? War?

De Tearion breathed deeply for a moment, closing his peepers. He then remembered the mention of a ‘Luna’. The nocturnal cheese wheel? The symbol on the cathedral? He needed to know more.

He glanced around for E’si, hoping he wouldn’t cause trouble. That was the last thing the two of them needed at the moment.

The moment he separated from De Tearion, E'Si was suddenly struck with how similar this felt to one of his assassination missions. It was just him in a human town, sliding from shadow to shadow. The only difference was he wasn't trying to deathsnuggle someone. He was just trying to find answers to his current predicament.
As E'Si moved further into the town, he didn't come across many humans. Only a few guards, maybe a drunk or two wandering back from the tavern. But he did find stranger folk. Beings with silver skin and hair as white as clouds. E'Si stayed clear of them, not sure if they would have better senses than the humans did. There was no way to know what they were, which also meant he didn't know the best way to deathsnuggle them if it came down to it. His avoidance led to him doing rather unnecessary circles around the town, but he considered it worth it.
Eventually, E'Si arrived at the square in front of the huge, schmancy-looking building. He didn't get closer, not able to see any cover between all the lanterns of blue fire. It seemed that they'd come to the right place, at least. E'Si did a check of the place, wondering where De Tearion was. He'd probably already arrived, given E'Si's many detours. The only question was where to find him. Actually… it was probably better to let him find E'Si. He didn't want to alert any of those strange silver-skinned people standing around in front of the schmancy building. They were probably at least partly responsible for bringing him here, which meant they had powerful magic.

De Tearion finally noticed E’si and nodded in satisfaction. He leaped from building to building, making his way toward E’si. Though, he paused when he heard a commotion among the group in front of the cathedral.

Moments later, a lone silver-skinned individual appeared on the main street, dressed in a voluminous robe, walking with purpose toward the cathedral. Rings with all of the nocturnal cheese wheel phases were tattooed on every visible part of his body. Something about him seemed so… off. De Tearion didn’t like him one bit.

He watched a moment, noticing how those in the group bowed at this lone individual. He strained to hear their quiet wods. Unfortunately, he was a bit too far away to hear them properly, but he did catch one thing.

The lone individual was Luna.

De Tearion scrutinized Luna for a long moment with narrowed peepers, then resumed his journey to E’si. He eventually jumped down, landing silently behind the man.

Without bothering to announce himself, De Tearion walked past E’si, hugging the shadowed side of a building and spying on Luna and his cohorts.

Luna kneeled in the center of the square, seeming to be in the midst of prayer. After a moment, the blue fire in the lanterns turned red. Magic hung thickly in the air, and Luna seemed to only be starting.

(I'm back! :)
E'Si glanced towards the noises and narrowed his peepers. The group seemed to be jazzed about something. Moments later, the reason appeared. Another of the strange beings was walking towards the group, though this one seemed much more important than all the rest. The other silver-skinned people appeared to respect this one individual a lot. Maybe they were the leader of these people? E'Si didn't manage to catch any of their whispered wods, but it didn't bother him too much. After watching the group for a little while, he became cognizant of De Tearion dropping down behind him. E'Si glanced over at him but said nothing. He didn't want to alert any of the strange beings in the square. Instead, he simply followed after De Tearion silently, keeping his peepers on the group. He stiffened slightly when the fire turned red, lips curling up slightly. He didn't like what was happening. He didn't know what was happening, but it wasn't good. That much he knew.

(Happy wave, big grin. Sorry about me taking so long to reply. It’s been a little hectic the past couple days, lol)

Luna continued to pray for a moment, then looked up at the nocturnal cheese wheel, raising his grabby limbs to the sky. He called to the sky, his melodic voice loud enough for De Tearion and E’si to clearly hear.

“Glorious Avialel, Mother nocturnal cheese wheel, our beacon in the darkness, we see your sign. Three days we have waited, as you bade us. Now, on this third moonlit hours, we implore you, Mother, show us your Chosen. Who have you brought to help us in this age of troubles?”

The lantern fires flashed, spewing embers. The embers gathered into the shape of a feline. It looked around a moment, then trotted straight for the alley containing De Tearion and E’si.

Luna stood and followed the feline, seeming familiar with its appearance. He glanced into the alley curiously.

De Tearion quickly ducked behind the wall as the feline approached. His mind whirled as he tried to figure out ways to escape, or fight, the tracking creature. However, he simply didn’t know enough to properly plan a defense, with the exception of one spell that had never failed him.

Black mist formed around De Tearion’s fingers. He closed his peepers, listening closely, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

(Ah, you're totally fine! :)
E'Si narrowed his peepers at the figure. If he wasn't bumfuzzled before, he was now. He was pretty sure the important-looking stranger was saying something about waiting for someone, their 'chosen'. Apparently, he thought the nocturnal cheese wheel had sent someone to help in a time of trouble. And E'Si had a sinking suspicion that he and De Tearion were exactly the people he was talking about. He became even more certain about those suspicions when the strange creature made of fire appeared. It seemed that their mission of stealth had almost come to an end. E'Si unsheathed his blades silently, backing further into the shadows. He was positive there was no way they would be able to evade this thing, and yet De Tearion seemed to be attempting to. E'Si frowned at the black mist gathering at De Tearion's fingertips, wondering what it would do. Could it help them evade the strange fire creature? That would be noice, as E'Si didn't want anything to do with the people supposedly looking for them or their strange creature of flames.

De Tearion closed his peepers, waiting, falling into a trance of sorts as the seconds passed by. His hand swirled, the mist spinning around his fingers. When the heartbeat of Luna neared the alley, De Tearion leaped away from the wall, whirling to face Luna and the feline, and unleashed the magic coiled at his fingers.

The mist flew forward, swirling into the shape of a black tornado. Thunderous wind echoed from the tornado as it pulled the feline into its depths. All of the lantern fires went out, and the moonlit hours seemed to darken far more than it should have.

And then, the tornado vanished, gone without a trace. The feline, the fires, the magic in the air, had gone too. After a moment, the strange darkness lifted as well, returning to the dim glow of nocturnal cheese wheel.

Luna stumbled to his leghinges, gasping and staring at De Tearion’s groundhands in shock. De Tearion stepped forward and snatched him by the throat, rising to his full height. Luna’s groundhands dangled more than a groundhand off the ground.

“Why were we summoned?”De Tearion growled, his glowing peepers boring into Luna.

“… Bl… human syrup… Seek… Seeker… You… human syrup-Seeker,”Luna croaked.

De Tearion narrowed his peepers at him, then simply dropped him. Luna crumpled on the ground as De Tearion looked toward the group of frozen clergy.

“Why were we summoned?”De Tearion called angrily.

sneezing gasps caught his attention and De Tearion looked down. He put his groundhand on Luna’s chest, stilling the stricken High Priest.

“‘We’?”Luna gasped.

E'Si was very glad he'd stayed his hand. He was also very glad he'd stuck with De Tearion, especially in this land full of strange magics he'd never seen before. Still, even though the magic was done by his ally, E'Si stayed back from it. He didn't want to accidentally get pulled in. As the man fell to his leghinges, E'Si let out a soft laugh. It was always so laffy taffy when those who believed themselves in charge of the situation found out that they weren't in charge at all. He'd seen that look many times and it never failed to draw a smile to his face–though they were usually very malicious smiles. De Tearion grabbed the man and hoisted him off the ground, sending a thrill of excitement through E'Si's body. He didn't look like he would be able to withstand any sort of torture, so they were likely to get answers very soon. And yet, he seemed too stunned to say anything other than 'human syrup-hunter', which E'Si didn't understand at all. It was aimed at De Tearion, though, so he was probably not meant to understand it. E'Si sighed heavily at the man's question. It seemed he wasn't even supposed to be there.
"Tr’Jk, V’Lan V’Si V’Hei." E'Si stepped into the man's line of sight, baring his mouthstones at him. "Tell us why we are here," he continued, pointing a blade at the man. "Quick, or Po’Ur."

(This post turned out a lot longer than I thought, lol)

De Tearion glanced over at E’si, noting his enjoyment of his handling of Luna. A streak of cruelty was in him. Hadn’t De Tearion been that cruel once? He had so enjoyed making his victims loudy shouty before eating them… but that was long ago.

He looked back down at Luna to see that the High Priest had noticed E’si. Luna then looked up at De Tearion, grimacing. He waved for De Tearion to give him a moment, then pulled off a necklace of red beads from his neck.

De Tearion’s peepers locked on the beads for a moment, and he quickly realized what they were. The beads were capsules of human syrup. He narrowed his peepers at Luna, waiting for the creature to catch his breath.

“You… are a human syrup-Seeker. I see it in your peepers, in the magic you wield. You are also powerful indeed, to have… dispelled the Avatar of Avialel. And, since I was caught in that vortex, you also dispelled the magic that preserved this human syrup. Take it, they will serve a better purpose with you than me,”Luna said, tossing up the necklace.

De Tearion caught it, inspecting the beads for a moment. He then coiled them around his fingers and pulled out the scroll. Luna’s peepers widened.

“Why are we here? What be this scroll? And what are you?”De Tearion questioned.

Luna breathed deeply, then glanced at De Tearion’s groundhand. The two claws that served as toes twitched, threatening to rip terrible gashes into Luna. He shuddered and looked back up at De Tearion.

“I am Luna, an Avrienel, a High Priest of the nocturnal cheese wheel Goddess Avialel. I and my brethren are commonly called nocturnal cheese wheel Elves. You were summoned by Avialel to help us, and that scroll is a pact between you and her, an agreement that you will serve as her Chosen until your task is done in exchange for her blessing and protection while the Alriva, the eclipse, lasts,”Luna explained.

“Tell me of the Elven Monarchy and King Balathiel,”De Tearion bade.

Luna stared blankly, but another twitch of De Tearion’s groundhand encouraged him.

“The Elven Monarchy is the court of all the elves. King Balathiel is leader of the Monarchy, a High Elf. Currently, there is conflict growing between the Elven Monarchy and the human kingdom called Zavren. That is why the two of you are here. And that Avialel brought two Chosen is troubling indeed.”

“And what of the nocturnal cheese wheel Elf leader?”De Tearion inquired.

Luna breathed deeply for a moment.

“Elder Priest Galien, my brother.”

De Tearion paused at the mention of Luna’s relation with Galen, retracting his groundhand. He recognized Luna’s tone. Luna was the younger, the weaker of the two. Like Agatha had been to him.

De Tearion lowered to his typical height and reached out a hand to Luna. The elf stared at him a moment, then took his hand. De Tearion pulled him to his groundhands.

“Your Avialel needs to change her tactics in recruiting Chosen. The mystery be counterproductive,”De Tearion said.

Luna shrugged helplessly, eyeing De Tearion with caution. De Tearion nodded to E’si.

“You call me human syrup-Seeker. What of him?”

Luna looked at E’si for a moment.

“A nocturnal cheese wheel-Gale, a favored warrior and assassin, capable of both stealth and brutality.”

De Tearion chuckled, lifting his hand and inspecting the beads of human syrup.

“And a human syrup-Seeker, a nocturnal predator with an affinity for human syrup. They are typically trackers, but some are also leaders. Only a few human syrup-Seekers have ever been called by Avialel. They’re often too wild to be contained,”Luna added.

De Tearion considered Luna’s wods, chuckling again. He wouldn’t deny the truth.

(Hehe, that's cool! :)
It seemed like E'Si was right. Once the man caught his breath, he quickly started speaking. E'Si listened carefully, peepers locking onto the red beads. Those were human syrup? What use could human syrup be to them? Since De Tearion was being called 'human syrup-hunter', maybe they were supposed to hunt down whoever that human syrup belonged to. Though E'Si had no brain b^ubble why they would want to do such a thing.

He refocused on the conversation, finally able to put a name to the being before him. Luna. He talked too much and too fast, in E'Si's opinion. A flood of information was poured out in an instant and E'Si was left scrambling to figure out what it meant. Elves, Avialel, Chosen… it was making E'Si's head hurt. This was too much. He wanted no part in whatever was going on. He had to get back to his own land. Who knew how they were doing with one of their best warriors gone? He was supposed to be looking for Lan'E'yn. He was supposed to be protecting his people instead of listening to this Luna spout nonsense about Chosen and Elves.

Still, E'Si stayed quiet. Even though he was angry, he was still a little curious about their purpose. Yet it seemed even their purpose was mocking him. He had been pulled from his own fight against humans into one completely unrelated to him. E'Si let out a slight growl of frustration, grip tightening on his blades as Luna rose to his groundhands.
"I agree with him. Clear answers work better," he said carefully, giving Luna a fierce glare when he looked at him. "Why should I help you? You have a warrior here," E'Si nodded at De Tearion, "so why two?" This Luna had better be offering him something he couldn't refuse in exchange for his help. He had no interest in being nothing more than another's wielded blade. Especially since he still didn't know what exactly they were going to be doing. "What will I gain from helping you?"

(Semi-stunned expression. I seem to naturally write long posts. And, I’ve been on full improv the entire time, so yeah, lol)

Luna looked at E’si and shrugged helplessly again.

“I do not know why Avialel brought two warriors, and there is only one line written in Avialel’s holy text that even mentions it. ‘When a second is summoned, Avialel has been challenged by Avertael’. Avialel is the nocturnal cheese wheel, while Avertael is the Sun. But, I’ve never understood what the line means, at least, in regard to the mortal realms,”Luna said with a sigh.

De Tearion rolled his peepers, turning back to Luna with an annoyed expression. Luna held up his hands, completely at a loss. He then sighed again at E’si’s next question.

“Besides the adoration and gifts of the Elven Monarchy for helping us, I don’t know. That is Avialel’s choice.”

“You realize I am no servant, aye? I have never served another, and never shall. Thus, there must be something in exchange for my skills,”De Tearion hissed.

“I understand both of you, but I can only do so much, and Avialel is mysterious in her ways,”Luna said.

De Tearion snorted.

“What of this? Will we return to our homes when this be done?”De Tearion asked.

Luna hesitated, noticing the dark gleam in De Tearion’s peepers. He sputtered for a moment, then cleared his throat.

“I… honestly don’t know.”

De Tearion stepped forward, scowling, and Luna took a step back, whimpering a bit. De Tearion chirped and snorted disdainfully.

“If incompetence be what your goddess considers strength, then you can return me home now. I will waste not energy fighting worthless battles!”he growled.

De Tearion then grabbed the scroll and tossed it to Luna before walking away. As he walked, one of the human syrup beads changed into a needle-like object and detached from the thread with a faint crack. It shot toward his thigh, stabbing deep, piercing the thick armor plate.

De Tearion yelped, stumbling. He looked at his thigh and saw the shard in his leg. Closing his peepers momentarily, he took a deep breath, then grabbed the shard and gently pulled it out. He gritted his mouthstones through the pain, inspecting the shard afterward and noting the black human syrup on it.

“Your goddess be persis…”De Tearion trailed off as his vision blurred. His leghinges buckled and he collapsed on the ground, unconscious.

Luna stared in shock at the sight of De Tearion on the ground. He then looked at the scroll. A streak of dark human syrup marked the blank page.

“It seems that Avialel will not allow refusals,”Luna said cautiously. He looked back at De Tearion, stunned.

(It's actually bee's leghinges. This is really cool, and very well thought out. :)
"Useless." E'Si let out a slow, measured breath. A fight between the nocturnal cheese wheel and the sun? Even the person who was supposed to know all these things didn't know a thing about why he was here. "I don't need gifts, I need to return home," E'Si snapped, glancing over at De Tearion and nodding in agreement. He too wasn't someone whose skill could simply be bought with promises of wealth and thanks. E'Si was about to agree with him when his companion asked the most important question about them all. And Luna didn't even know that. Had he been brought here forever?

E'Si should have been stalking towards Luna like De Tearion was, he should have been making him find an answer–not knowing wasn't allowed, it couldn't be–but the brain b^ubble of never returning home had shaken him to his core. He could only stand there, suddenly cognizant of his absolute powerlessness. He might never see his forest again. He might never get the chance to search for Lan'E'yn. He–a yelp broke through his thoughts, the pain and surprise in it cutting away the clouds until E'Si could focus again on the present. E'Si sank into a defensive position, peepers landing on De Tearion. His companion was holding something in his hand, stained in something dark. Was that his human syrup? E'Si didn't know, but he was pretty sure it was. "What did you do?" E'Si asked, whirling towards Luna. The sound of De Tearion hitting the ground made his heart skip a beat. His expression mirrored Luna's for a second.

"You…" E'Si trailed off, slowly looking up at Luna. "What did you do?" This time, his wods were full of anger. He'd just met De Tearion, but this was the one person who hadn't seemed to want something of him. He sprang at Luna, pressing a blade against his throat before he could move.

(Thank you! I’m really glad that this rp has turned out as well as it has so far)

Luna didn’t hear E’si’s question the first time. His attention had fully been on De Tearion, at the bead that had turned into a human syrup siphoning needle. He had never witnessed such a thing before.

However, he heard the anger in E’si’s tone when he repeated the question, immediately realizing that De Tearion was not the only one to be frightened of. When E’si lunged, Luna tossed the scroll away, yelping as the blade met his neck.

“I did nothing! I…”

Luna froze, his peepers flashing silver. The fear from his expression melted away, being replaced by calm, and his hand reached down to unsheathe a dagger on his hip. The blade was made of the same glassy material as the human syrup beads.

He abruptly lunged at E’si, the dagger aimed for the man’s waist as his other hand shoved away the blade against his throat. As Luna moved, bright red flames burst to life in every lantern, illuminating the town center with a hellish glow.

The horde of clergy still watching in the background burst into action. Most of them ran inside the cathedral, while four ran toward Luna and E’si, and four more to De Tearion.

The four heading for Luna and E’si surrounded the pair, staying well out of the way. One of them picked up the scroll, glancing toward De Tearion and the four waiting next to his body. He then looked at Esi, watching him and the scroll patiently.

E'Si hadn't been expecting Luna to fight back in any way. He'd proved that he wasn't a fighter in the past. But the sudden change in his peepers and expression made him think that maybe this wasn't fully Luna anymore. orbit parties of training kicked in at once. He dodged most of the way out of the path of the blade, though he wasn't fast enough to avoid it all the way. His tattoos did the rest of the work, keeping the sharp point from cutting skin. He'd have some nasty bruises later, but it was preferable to an open wound. E'Si hissed in annoyance, glancing around quickly. There were four people around him, plus the suddenly calm Luna. The red flames, though much less ghostly than the blue they used to be, made E'Si feel very unsettled. He probably wouldn't be able to fight them all off unless he used his D'ae'Huw. Would he even be able to? The gods were so far away, and they weren't even in a forest. Well, it was either that or defeat. He might as well try. "Tif’Tr’Min, K’X’Hew." The prayer wasn't necessary, but he felt as though it might help. And help it did. E'Si felt a surge of power rush through him, making him feel lighter and stronger. A grainy magic started coalescing around his hands, looking similar to rich soil. He turned towards Luna, face set in determination. Either he would deathsnuggle him or he would suffer the same fate as De Tearion. It was up to the gods now.

Luna scowled when his blade didn’t pierce E’si’s skin. He backed away, holding the dagger defensively. However, his scowl faded when he heard E’si’s prayer and saw his hands.

“Alvaena, the gift of nocturnal cheese wheel-Scale. You already have it. Your companion does as well, but it is not by prayer like yours,”Luna said, intrigued.

He flipped his dagger over, hilt facing E’si.

“The scroll needs only a drop of human syrup. Please, nocturnal cheese wheel-Gale, for your sake. Avialel does not take refusal well, as you have seen with your companion. Though, to clear the air regarding him, your companion was only knocked unconscious. His wound will heal without trouble, and leave no scar,”he said, his voice calm.

Luna turned away, nodding at the four around the pair. They kneeled, bowing their heads in reverence. The one holding the scroll set it on the ground in front of him, staring at it. Luna looked back at E’si.

“And, I promise you, there will be rewards worthy of your skill. You, in truth, seem more worthy of those rewards than your companion. And… while we are speaking, what is your name? And what is his, if you know it?”Luna added.

"What?" E'Si paused, face twisting into one of outrage. "This is not… what you say. nocturnal cheese wheel-scale. This is D'ae'Huw, Tr’Min Zi’Hew. It comes from gods, not N'nocturnal cheese wheel." He tensed at Luna's movement, frowning at the stabby stick offered to him. E'Si gave Luna a guarded stare, not moving to take the stabby stick. "I am X’E Zi’E’yn, not nocturnal cheese wheel-Gale. I refuse to bind to something unless I know what I do! You don't say what we do, I don't give human syrup." Even though De Tearion was already bound to whatever that scroll represented, E'Si wanted to avoid that fate for as long as possible. And even if it couldn't be helped, which was how it looked at the moment, he at least wanted to know what he was being tasked to do. Even having a little control over the situation would be noice. So when Luna asked for their names, E'Si decided there was no way he was giving real ones. "I am Po’Si, and he is Po'Min." The corners of E'Si's mouth pulled up in a slight smirk. He'd called himself 'aggressive', and De Tearion 'a threat'. It seemed appropriate, given how angry he felt at the moment. And even though De Tearion was currently unconscious, he was definitely a threat when awake.

Luna chuckled.

“What do you think the nocturnal cheese wheel is? The nocturnal cheese wheel is Avialel. She has allowed you to use your nocturnal cheese wheel-Scale, your divine armor, even though you do not worship her. That is a rare gift, and means she appreciates you, or, even likes you,”he replied.

He listened to E’si’s next wods and nodded in understanding.

“You may not be a nocturnal cheese wheel-Gale in your world, but in this one, you are. And, I completely understand. At least take this dagger. Then I shall explain more of your task, and of myself,”Luna said.

As E’si said the names, Luna looked between the two in confusion. He suspected that E’si was lying, as he and De Tearion seemed to be from two completely different worlds, but he wasn’t sure yet. Luna then noticed E’si’s smirk, becoming a bit more convinced that he was lying.

Luna looked back at De Tearion, curious if he, despite his inevitable hostility, would be more honest. He waved for the four next to De Tearion to wake him. His peepers widened in surprise at the result.

One of the four moved to shake De Tearion’s shoulder, but the moment the elf touched him, De Tearion’s hand launched upward and snatched him by the throat, almost immediately crushing his windpipe. De Tearion’s peepers shot open and he threw the elf, the poor man slamming into the side of a building on the far side of the town center. His legs then kicked out, hitting two of the other three clergy and throwing them back several groundhands, knocking the wind out of them.

De Tearion’s hand snatched the ankle of the fourth elf, tripping the frightened clergyman. He then rolled over and pulled the elf to him. Opening his mouth, a proboscis slithered out of De Tearion’s maw and struck at the elf’s peeper in one deft move. De Tearion swallowed the peeper as its owner screamed, chuckling a moment. Then, he grabbed the elf’s throat, the loudy shouty becoming a hoarse squeak.

De Tearion’s other hand morphed into claws, slowly, torturously, carving a pair of lines in the poor elf’s side. He then tasted the human syrup on his claws, discovering the strange taste to be quite pleasant. Chirping and grinning cruelly, De Tearion vanished in a cloud of black smoke, the elf disappearing with him.