Celeben had settled nicely in an inn in Matron's Hallow. He had been enjoying the last two days with a group of adventures, one of which he had taken a liking to. He didn't have to heart to even learn her name for fear he would become to attached so he just stuck with idle chat in the group while having a drink.
That night he was suddenly awoken by a migraine. Everything became blurred as the heard a strange voice, the voice he always dreaded, the voice of Grimoire. "Servant I require another soul...that girl you look at so fondly I want hers." Celeben's migraine stopped and he knew what he had to do. Even though the fact that he strongly objected against it, it was his life or hers."
He leaves his bed and wanders the halls of the inn finding the room he vaguely remembers hearing where she resides. He ever so silently enters the room and approaches the bed. He turns their head revealing to be the right person and he quickly smothers their face face with a pillow.
There was squirming at first, but then nothing. He watched solemnly as her spirit went inside his amulet. He stumbles out of the inn lifelessly. "I need to end this...I need to end this calling once and for all." He thinks.
As vast a land as Connlaoth was, Icythus knew there were only so many places her quarry could hide. Still, having never ventured far from her coven before left her at a bit of a loss. For much of her life that was all she'd known. Her mother and the elders gave direction to the other witches, what was needed and only those that needed to gather supplies were ever allowed outside. She had never bartered, nor saw what was beyond the hills that served as the only border she'd known.
For now this small village would serve as a decent pinpoint in her map. After all, she could only venture toward what she could see. At least within this world. She needed more supplies, and information more importantly before she could be on her way, this much she knew.
As she approached the inn, a man stumbled out of it, muttering something nonsensical to himself. Ice knew well enough to be wary of any strangers - especially ones that seemed out of their mind as this one did. She kept walking, throwing her hood up and over her head, and kept walking, hoping the man would mind his pathing and skirt around her. For she was not one to give ground when not needed.
Except their shoulders collided and something fell onto the ground. "Hey!" she griped. "Watch where you're going!"
*Thud!* Celeben quickly snaps back into reality and realizes he just bumped into someone. "My dearest apologies! I did not see you out of my peripheral view. Are you ok? I do not believe our collision was hard enough to create a contusion."
Celeben suddenly noticed the lack of weight in his satchel. "My journal!" He hastily picks it up from the ground and returns it to its home. He then gives the hooded a slight smile.
Smiling. Too friendly. Definitely not trustworthy and up to something no good. "No," she replied. "Not nearly hard enough. I can't imagine you could do much damage, even if you wanted to."
She gave him a sniff, watching him pluck up his journal and she gestured to it. "You should be more careful with your possessions."
"Well that is quite alleviating and yes I really should....Oh! Maybe I can make a rune for that!" He then looks at the woman blushing.
"S-sorry that final part was suppose to be spoken inside my mind." He reaches a bandage wrapped hand out. "I am Celeben, Celeben Lavan runemaster.
Icythus just stared at his hand. What was she supposed to do with that? She sniffed and wiped a snot from her nose. "What's that?" she asked, gesturing to his hand. "I don't have anything to give you, beggar."
Celeben gives her a quizzical look. "I was offering to shake hands. It is a common human action of peace. Am I wrong? If so I am dearly sorry." Celeben pulls his hand back. "I tend to mistake societal actions from the past as present, for I have spent most of my life in ruins."
If he was worried that he offended her, he'd be very right. If he was worried he was blathering on about nonsense, he was also right. So instead, Ice said nothing and turned toward the inn, walking toward the building. He was odd and an unnecessary detour that distracted her from her current task. That night would not last forever after all.
Celeben's eyes bulge as he sees her walking towards the inn. "If she finds the corpse then she may believe it was not due to natural causes and suspect me me the culprit due to my previous awkward behavior." He thinks desperately.
"I must not allow you to enter that inn...it is not a friendly place to outsiders. I do know a few natural formations around the area that can sleep in if a shelter for the night is what you require."
Icythus reared back, whirling on him. "And who are you to presume what I need?" she asked rather directly. "You are a stranger to me. There is something I need here. Now unless there is something important that you have to say, I must be on my way." And she stared at him expectantly.
Celeben scrambled for an excuse in his head. "T-there are strange phenomenons happening there. Actions that are almost paranormal, people seem to be dying on site there...especially outsiders. I witnessed one myself a woman just ceased to breath." Celeben grasped his rope dart rune inside his coat pocket just in case she didn't believe his bluff.
She decided then and there that she did not like and wanted nothing to do with this odd, nervous man. He was clearly hiding something. If only he knew that she didn't care what it was. "Oh then all the more reason to see. People would be more inclined to understand what I need." And turned back to walk inside.
Celeben activates his rune and a rope dart appears in his hand. He takes it out of his coat and unfurls it. "I was hoping that brutality would be an unnecessary measure, but you leave me with no other option."
Celeben cracks his rope dart hurling it towards her and it firmly wraps around her torso. "This restraint will remain stagnate if you do not leave or allow me to monitor your actions inside there."
No. No, she didn't like this man at all.
Her hands immediately grasped the rope and incinerated it to ash, the fire disintegrating the rope around her waist. "What's your problem? If you wanted to go inside with me, why didn't you just ask? You're a complete stranger and you're proceeding to attempt to give me command? You are mighty presumptuous. But I see now that your attempts at kindness are folly. Leave me be stranger. I make my own way."
Rage filled Celeben's eyes for a second then faded into an acceptance of defeat. "Your stubbornness is far superior to mine, but just be warned of the things you will see in there...not everything is what they seem." He then turns and starts to walk away.
Icythus waited for his form to vanish before turning back to the inn. Perhaps it was not an ideal place to start, but it was the only one within the immediate vicinity. She took the building in once more, mumbling to herself, "I'll keep that in mind, oaf." And stepped within.
Celeben slumps against a tree when a migraine begins. That dreaded voice, the gut wrenching voice of Grimoire fills his head. "Leave that one alone, her soul is not worth the struggles of receiving."
Celeben perks up at the fact that he does not have to murder again. "Why is that?"
"That one is a witch, she can become very troublesome for you. If you stay with that one do not take her soul I do not want to search for a new minion." The migraine stops and Celeben gulps warily looking at the inn waiting for her return.
But she would not return. There she would remain until she achieved that which she needed: information. Anything at this moment would be useful. Anything but interference from the meddlesome fool. He'd been lucky he escaped largely unscathed. His luck might soon run out.
Enough of him, she thought. And focused instead on scanning the inside of the inn. The crowd here was just as she would suspect, nobody seemed to want anything to do with anyone else and anyone interfering would be put down quickly. She felt a smile spread across her lips. Maybe she'd like it more than she thought.
"A witch? A witch! She's a witch!" Celeben excitedly mutters. "Grimore is afraid of her, maybe she can vanquish this wretched curse forever!" Celeben scurries to the window of the inn and spies on what she's doing.