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

Started November 13, 2021 by @Serpentess health_and_safety language

tune

E'Si crouched down, eyes tracking De Tearion as he searched the area. Now that he wasn't moving, he was starting to get kind of cold. It was cooler here than it was in his forest. E'Si ran a finger down the runes on his blade, watching as De Tearion grabbed the stone. His eyes widened when the fire died down. "Huh. Free." He slowly stood, keeping his blade at the ready. "Don't know. Something bad." He shrugged. He really wanted to figure out what exactly this bad thing was, though. Not that he would sign anything, even if he knew what it was. He didn't want to tie himself to anything. "Hmph, suppose." E'Si followed after De Tearion, his footsteps silent. He wasn't too excited about going to the village, especially if it was a human one. Hopefully, it wouldn't be.

De Tearion noticed how E’si walked as silently as he did. He appreciated that.

As they walked, De Tearion looked around at the trees. He had not been within a true forest in decades, and this one didn’t have the smells of other Forestfolk. It was quiet, peaceful. If only Mileena was here.

“Oak. How I have missed being in the presence of such wise trees,”he mumbled his thoughts aloud.

De Tearion looked up at the moon, seeing its silvery glow through the leaves. He then noticed something odd about it and paused.

“Wait here, E’si,”he said.

De Tearion then jumped straight up, landing on the tree branch above him. He morphed his arms to from human to insect, his fingers becoming two large beetle claws, then started to climb up the tree. When he reached the top, he saw a faint red ring around the moon, and it was slowly getting brighter.

“What be going on?”De Tearion breathed.

De Tearion climbed down and leaned against the tree, in deep thought.

They weren't the trees or the forest E'Si was used to, but it was nice to be surrounded by nature all the same. He wondered if this forest had spirits in it and if they were friendly ones. Maybe once they'd figured out what was going on, he'd come back and poke around. He glanced towards De Tearion at his words but said nothing. It seemed as though he also liked the forest, but hadn't been in one in a while. Interesting. E'Si was instantly on guard when his companion paused, sure something bad was about to happen. But he only told him to stay put and leaped into the trees. E'Si watched him climb, noting the transformation. What had caught his attention?
"What'd you notice?" He frowned at De Tearion. "Danger? Clue? More walls of fire escaped by signing souls away?"

De Tearion looked at E’si, chirping. He then glanced up at the moon, and pointed to it.

“A red ring grows around Mercy’s Eye… the moon. I know not the significance, yet it doubtlessly be caused by our arrival. I also suspect that ring be connected to this damned scroll somehow,”De Tearion sighed.

He straightened and continued west, looking around cautiously. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, and he finally morphed his hands back to their human appearance.

As De Tearion walked, his mind wandered and his senses drifted out. Of the many creatures he sensed, E’si was the most prominent. The sound of his heartbeat appealed to him, but De Tearion quickly pushed away any thoughts of hunger before they could take hold of him.

E’si was his traveling companion, and thus not a potential meal. Hopefully, they would reach the village before his instincts decided otherwise.

"Eh… seems bad." E'Si pressed his lips together. The moon gaining a red ring around it seemed like a bad omen. Especially if De Tearion was connecting it to the scroll with the strange magic. E'Si couldn't sense anything around him that would cause alarm, but he kept his weapon out. He couldn't stab bad omens, but the familiar weight in his hand calmed him. Po’Min, he already missed home. Even if home was terrible and full of constant fighting and… even if home was missing his Nua’q’Ur. At least things made sense over there. The humans tried to kill him, and he tried to kill them in return. Simple. There weren't strange moons and strange people… E'Si glanced over at DeTearion. He'd regained a mostly humanoid appearance sometime during E'Si's musings. That didn't make him any less strange. Still, all E'Si could do was follow him towards the village. He knew more about all this than he did, and would probably help E'Si survive whatever crazy things happened next.

De Tearion noticed how E’si kept his weapon out, but he didn’t mind. Swords 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 window 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 moon.

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 confused about why his companion turned away from the town. Not that he was complaining. "Why're we not going in? Something wrong?" 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 Eye 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 tree, looking at the cathedral with intense eyes.

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

E'Si once again looked at the cathedral, seeing the resemblance of the symbol to the moon now that De Tearion pointed it out. He didn't really know the meaning of the words 'religions' and 'zealots'. He'd never come across them when fighting the humans. The context around them made him think they were bad, 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 words 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 years of being in a haze, followed by a few more years 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 eyes 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 words, sheathing his blade. It would be easier to sneak without it. E'Si was about to scoff at De Tearion's words–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 eyes breifly, De Tearion gauged the height to the roof and leaped straight up. His arms morphed into beetle legs, and his second pairs of arms 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 bad idea 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 kill D'ae'Min on sight. E'Si gritted his teeth, 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 arms…

He quickly pushed those memories away, desperate to avoid them. He might have given Agatha a proper farewell, but the hell 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 bridge and several docks on the river, and the cathedral. A large road cut through the center of the town, linking with another road that went across the river.

As De Tearion explored, he found few conscious humans, but many silver-skinned folk wandered about. He had no idea 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 wrong. 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 eyes. He then remembered the mention of a ‘Luna’. The moon? 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 kill 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 kill 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, fancy-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 fancy 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 moon 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 words. 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 eyes, 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 eyes. The group seemed to be excited 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 words, but it didn't bother him too much. After watching the group for a little while, he became aware 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 eyes 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 moon, raising his arms 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 Moon, our beacon in the darkness, we see your sign. Three days we have waited, as you bade us. Now, on this third night, 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 eyes, listening closely, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

(Ah, you're totally fine! :)
E'Si narrowed his eyes at the figure. If he wasn't confused 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 moon 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 nice, 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 eyes, 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 night 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 moon.

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

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

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

De Tearion narrowed his eyes 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.

Wheezing gasps caught his attention and De Tearion looked down. He put his foot 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 knees, E'Si let out a soft laugh. It was always so funny 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 'blood-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 teeth 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 scream 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 eyes locked on the beads for a moment, and he quickly realized what they were. The beads were capsules of blood. He narrowed his eyes at Luna, waiting for the creature to catch his breath.

“You… are a Blood-Seeker. I see it in your eyes, 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 blood. 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 eyes 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 foot. 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 Moon Goddess Avialel. I and my brethren are commonly called Moon 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 foot 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 Moon 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 foot. 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 feet.

“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 Blood-Seeker. What of him?”

Luna looked at E’si for a moment.

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

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

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

De Tearion considered Luna’s words, 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, eyes locking onto the red beads. Those were blood? What use could blood be to them? Since De Tearion was being called 'blood-hunter', maybe they were supposed to hunt down whoever that blood belonged to. Though E'Si had no idea 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 feet.
"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?"