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Aesir kept chatting with Nich about the intricacies of the town and the people who lived in it. They smiled as they recalled everything- the secrets, the gossip, things that maybe the average townsperson wouldn't know.
Castor turned his gaze very slowly towards Finn.
"Okay? Yeah, of course," he murmured in response, "Why do you ask?"
Since Aesir hadn't been around for a little while, Nich caught them up on the most recent news and gossip that had been going around, always glad to give more information and details when prompted. He seemed to know a lot about the town, actually, even for someone who lived there.
"Well, um… I dunno, you just got real quiet." Finn replied softly, fidgeting with his hands. "I wanted to make sure you weren't upset or not feeling well or something."
Aesir was pleased to meet someone else who knew about the secrets and lore of the small town. They didn't want to be too straightforward, but they wondered nonetheless if Nich maybe had some dealings with any of the more secret guilds in the town. Probably not the thieves' guild, though, as he didn't seem the type and Aesir had never met him before.
Castor's eyes widened slightly. He didn't like that at all, how Finn pinned him right away. He was definitely still in pain from the previous day's fight, though the others didn't need to know that. He was exhausted from not sleeping. Again. And it was embarrassing to admit that he felt out of place. Dumb, childish even.
"I'm just tired, is all," he replied.
It was probably an obvious lie. "Just tired" is what people say when they're hiding something else. But it was partially true. Castor was pretty tired.
Nich was glad to offer pretty much any information he knew. He seemed a little less informed on smaller guilds, especially those that might not be exactly legal, but he did at least know a little about them from various news around the town. "Is there something you were wanting to know specifically?" He asked Aesir.
As the group's healer, it was crucial for Finn to be able to read the physical and emotional states of his team members. Therefore, Castor's vague response made him immediately suspicious. "Castor… if you're hurt or something, you gotta let me know. I can help. It's my job to help. Please." He insisted. If Castor was in pain and Finn did nothing to help, he knew he would feel so guilty about it. It would be his fault that his teammate was suffering.
Aesir shrugged.
"Not really, it's just interesting to meet someone else who knows the ins and outs of even the more private side of society here," they said, "I'm just curious as to how you know all of this."
Castor sighed. "I'm still hurting a little bit from yesterday. But it's really not that bad."
He looked away.
"I am very tired though. I've got awful insomnia. Unfamiliar places make it worse. But I'm alright, really."
"Oh, I get around…" Nich chuckled weakly. "And I'm friends with a lot of the older residents of the town, and they love to gossip. They know everything somehow." He scratched at the back of his neck and adjusted his hair a bit. "Their grandkids keep getting into trouble, and they want to talk about it. They just don't know that what their grandkids are doing is illegal."
"I can use a bit of magic to help you, if you'd like." Finn offered. "The pain is pretty simple to remedy, and I may be able to make a sort of elixir to help you sleep."
"Yeah, lots of thieves guild kids," Aesir sighed, "I know the type. Can't keep anything to themselves, think they're invincible… That's how you get killed, really."
They shook their head.
"I've seen it happen a few too many times."
Castor looked away. He was about to refuse, but something about Finn made him less reluctant to ask for the help, as long as no one else was looking.
"I'd appreciate that, actually," he replied, finally shifting his gaze back up, "As long as it's not too much trouble."
"Yeah… definitely a lot of rough parts in this place, but it's overall pretty good, I think." Nich sighed softly, a sad smile on his face. "It's definitely better than my hometown. Much safer, anyway." He looked around as they walked, making sure that it was safe and clear before they continued.
Finn checked to make sure the others weren't watching before he performed a simple healing spell on Castor. "I won't be able to make an Elixir until later, so make sure you remind me, okay? I don't want to forget."
"Oh, for sure. I've been in my fair share of crime-filled cities that were too much, even for the likes of me," Aesir replied.
They looked ahead and then cast a small glance around the group. They vaguely noticed Finn and Castor, but chose to ignore.
Castor could immediately feel relief flood over his body. The pain faded, and even some of the muscle tension in the area went away. He lifted up the edge of his shirt and peered under his bloody bandages to see that it had all faded to scarring.
"Oh, um… thank you," Castor said softly, his voice breaking a bit.
"Mine was dangerous moreso because of it being a war zone." Nich chuckled. "Landmines in civilian areas and such. Let's just say I'm not the only kid who lost limbs in that city." He didn't notice Castor and Finn, simply content to walk. His footsteps had a dull, metallic sound to them due to his prosthetics.
"Yeah, of course. Make sure you let me know if you're hurt, okay? It's my job to keep you guys in tip top shape." He insisted, looking up to Castor with a warm smile. "Gotta make sure you're okay, you know? I care about you and your wellbeing."
"Oh, right…" Aesir sighed, looking down at Nich's legs, "Are all the landmines out of there now, or are some still left undetonated?"
They pushed a strand of hair our of their face and gently went to trace one of the scars on their cheek, suddenly conscious of their own reminders of brushes with death.
Castor smiled back halfheartedly.
"Yeah, I guess so," he said, "I'm not used to being looked after, so it feels weird to ask all that of you."
He bit his lip.
"As for the insomnia, it's that and… and I have nightmares when I am actually able to sleep. Aesir got frustrated when I stayed up practically all night- though I'm not sure how they knew that. Either way, it's a little touchy. I don't really- I don't know how to bring it up most of the time."
"Mm, most of them are gone now, but I'm sure there's still a few active ones around. I'm always worried I'll get news of someone getting hurt or killed because of one again." He laughed nervously. "I'm sure I'm just being paranoid, but… I dunno. I feel like it's justified paranoia."
"I don't mind, really. I'll feel bad if I find out you've been suffering and I didn't do anything about it." Finn's smile softened a bit. "There might be something I can do about that. It's something I've only heard of, but… I could attempt it. You've heard of dream catchers, right?" He asked. "They don't really work on their own, but I've heard of people enchanting them so that they actually function. I could always try something like that?"
"It is," Aesir agreed, "It's understandable you'd feel that way. But as long as people stay on the paths and all that- the places that have been cleared- it is quite unlikely."
Castor nodded. "Briefly, yes. Do you- do you know what you're doing there, though? It sounds like you haven't tried that before."
"My parents aren't willing to move away. They're very attached to our hometown." Nich sighed. "I wish I could convince them to live somewhere safer, but they won't listen to me. All I can do is hope they'll be alright, you know? Maybe they'll come around one day."
"Well…" Finn smiled sheepishly and looked away, rubbing at the back of his neck with one hand. "N-Not exactly. I mean… no, I haven't tried it. But it's not dangerous or anything!" He insisted. "The worst that could happen is that it just doesn't work. It wouldn't make anything worse if I didn't get it right."
"Maybe, but I'm sure at this point they know what it takes to stay safe there, now that the fighting is over," Aesir reassured him, "There are dangers everywhere if you look hard enough. They're probably just as safe there as they would be almost anywhere else."
Castor bit his lip. "If you're sure. It's just… experimental magic is not something I want to take part in."
He looked down at his feet.
"I've had my share."
"Yeah, I guess so…" Nich hummed weakly and ran his fingers through his hair as well as he could with it tied up. "I just can't help but worry. I don't want anything to happen to them. Are we almost there?" He asked to change the subject.
"Yeah, no, I get that! Understand that completely. I swear it's totally safe, but if you don't want to do it, I get that too. It's totally up to you." Finn assured Castor.
"Yeah, I think we're not so far out," Aesir replied.
They gazed ahead a bit. It was mostly foliage, but they were pretty sure the group had traveled about the right distance to get them to the next town.
Castor tilted his head, baffled by Finn's understanding.
"Well, I think I'm a lot more inclined to trust you, since you're actually giving me a choice," he said, "I think maybe we could give it a try."
Nich nodded, scratching behind his ears with a yawn. He was normally decent at directions and such, but he was distracted by the conversation. Delta was quietly perusing a map as they went along to make sure that they didn't get lost, so the odds of them going the wrong way were pretty slim.
"Well, yeah, of course! It's your life; I don't want to do anything you're not comfortable with. Even if it's something small, you've got the right to decide whether or not you want to try it." He shrugged. "I'm glad to give it a try if that's what you want, though."
Aesir cast a glance back over their shoulder to make sure everyone else was still keeping up. They pointed through the woods.
"It's that way. All there is is to keep following this path."
Castor nodded slowly.
"I think maybe it's worth a shot," he replied.
He crossed his arms slightly, still following the others in front.
"It would be nice to sleep at night."
"Sounds good to me. And we got rid of all of those gnoll things, right? I don't want to run into more of them." Nich laughed softly, although he was glancing around warily to make sure they weren't being followed.
"Yeah, of course. And I can still get you the Elixir, too. I'm really good at making those, so there's nothing to worry about there." Finn smiled reassuringly up at Castor. "Gotta make sure you're getting some good rest too."
"No, probably not. They tend to travel together, so the odds of us finding another are very small," Aesir sighed, "Man, Castor wasn't kidding when he said they can be vicious and nasty."
Castor nodded firmly. "I really appreciate it. Just let me know how I can repay you."
He paused for a second.
"Also I'm really really sorry about running into the fray like that. I didn't realize the wards were so closely connected to your body. I never would've used them like that had I known," he said, "I caused a lot of trouble for us."
"Yeah." Nich chuckled again, taking note of his own injuries. They were mostly alright now due to Finn's healing magic, but he definitely still noticed the wounds. "I don't think I've ever run across them before. Someone in the town must've made them mad somehow."
"Don't worry about it! It's fine, you didn't know." Finn insisted, laughing weakly. "A big part of magic is maximizing magic output while trying to minimize the amount of your own energy that you're using. It's just something that's really hard to master, and I don't think you can ever be using none of your own energy… magic is finicky."
"They may not have always lived here," Aesir added, "but I'm also pretty certain that they had to be provoked somehow. We may never find that out, not that it's really important now."
"You can also draw on the energy of other people," Castor added, his voice falling softer, "but generally, I'm not so sure that's a good idea. Is it common practice?"
He wrung his hands together a bit.
"Yeah, it's not like we can exactly ask them why they came here." Nich shrugged and whistled idly to himself as he walked.
"Y-Yeah, um… it's not something that most people do since it's kinda dangerous." Finn replied with a nervous smile. "If you're using your own energy, you know how much you have left, you know? You know how much you can handle. It's dangerous to use someone else's energy since you could go overboard. There's cases of people dying from that sorta thing. I suppose you could draw energy from other living things as well, like plants or animals… using an external source is really difficult and takes a lot of practice."
"No. I wish we could've at least stopped long enough to find that out. But you could've died if we hadn't stepped in. Thank the gods you're alright," Aesir replied, "It's weird that they set up a trap close to humanoid size, though. It's like they were trying to catch people."
Castor bit his lip. "So maybe that's why-"
His throat burned a bit. That had to be what killed his brother.
"I didn't know it was like that."
"Yeah, it's weird… I don't think they normally interact with people if they don't have to. It's unusual for them to be seeking to hurt people specifically from my knowledge." Nich sighed, scratching at his ears again.
"Yeah… you can't really go way too far with yourself. Like you saw with me, most people are going to pass out once they're out of energy, so it's pretty much impossible for someone to die from their own magic. It's always going to be the case of using someone else's energy as fuel. It's used on purpose sometimes, actually… for both those trying to hurt people and those trying to protect against those trying to hurt people."
"They don't," Aesir agreed, "Hopefully nothing like that will happen again. And if it does, we should probably make sure whoever handles it with more… tact."
Castor nodded in understanding. He let out a soft sigh.
"So… um… would you be okay rooming together tonight to make sure all the dream spells and sleep elixir and whatnot work okay?" he asked, "You don't have to, but it may be a good idea."
"Yeah… it was a bit rough." Nich chuckled and looked up to see little bits of the new town showing through the trees.
"Yeah, that's fine! I'll do a little research to get the spell for the dream catcher exactly right. I'll also have to… uh… buy a dream catcher. I'm sure everything will be fine." Finn smiled up at Castor and adjusted his bag on his back. "I'll swap spots in the rooming with Delta."
"Oh, hey, look," Aesir said with a smile, "We're almost there."
Castor's gaze softened up a bit.
"Thank you so much," he said, "I hope it works alright… but I'm sure it can't hurt. Like you said, at worst, nothing will happen."
"That's good…" Nich found that he was growing fatigued more quickly than usual with his injuries, and although his legs didn't usually get tired due to them not being real legs, the prosthetics did make his thighs ache after a while.
"Yeah, of course! Worst that can happen is nothing. It'll be fun for me to try out something new too." Finn hummed softly and looked up at the upcoming town as well.