Naarilash Que-slivik Umdamushbenkik'silverathensha, sat in her library, reading. She was in her human form, sitting at a table reading a large tome about magical creatures. She was reading the section on Wolfiei. She knew everything there was to know about them, as she was one herself, and she had no need for the book's explanation. But she liked to read it anyway. She had learned to read from a book in the library that taught one how to read. She was one of the few Wolfiei in her pack that could read. She was the only High Wolfiei in the pack, the only one who could transform into a human as well as a hybrid and full wolf. She had learned to read faster than the other Wolfiei, as her human from helped her.
She finished reading the section and stood, stretching. The library was one huge room. It was underground, and the only light came from the magic spheres that floated near the ceiling. They cast a golden light over the whole place. It was a dim light, but Naarilash, as a Wolfiei, could see well in dim light and even in the dark.
Naarilash shook her head and by the time she stilled she was done a sleek black wolf was standing in the library. She stretched again and bounded out of the library and up the stairs to the common area. The common area was above ground and within the ruins. It was inside, but the ceiling was very high. It was cracked but no light could come through. The whole place was made of stone, and tall stone pillars held up the ceiling. Broken pillars and pieces of the ceiling were scattered about. There were only three exits, one was just large enough for a wolf to go through, the other large enough for a human, and the last large enough for a small dragon. They all had woven blankets in front of them, keeping out the heat. It was cool in the huge room, the stone kept it at a consistent temperature. There were spheres of light floating near the ceiling in the cavern, these were blue, and the dim blue light cast dark shadows in the corners.
Wolfiei were scattered around the room, some in full wolf form others as hybrids. In the middle of the day they did not hunt, it was too warm. They hunted at night, when the sun was gone and the prey was out. Now the Wolfiei were just sitting around eating, talking, wrestling.
Naarilash walked out of the cavern and into a large courtyard that was behind the ruined temple. The courtyard was enclosed by broken pillars and a tumbledown wall. The courtyard was an oasis. There were trees scattered about and grass around the large pond in the middle. There were Wolfiei about in here too, some swimming in the cool water. There were many holes in the wall where one could leave the oasis, one would emerge onto the hot sand if they left, that's why there were no Wolfiei out now.
Naarilash barked at a Wolfiei who was standing at the edge of the water in its wolf form. It turned its head to see Naarilash running towards it. The Wolfiei yelped in surprise as Naarilash barreled into her, sending them both falling into the water. They wrestled for a bit in the water and then they both climbed out. They turned into their hybrid forms and walked away from the shade of the trees to dry off in the sun.
"What'd you do that for?" the other Wolfiei said in a growling voice, but she was laughing.
"You were standing right next to the pond, I couldn't resist!" Naarilash's voice was animalistic as well, and her amber eyes sparkled. "You would have done the same!"
The other Wolfiei smiled and stood up from where they had been sitting on the grass. Naarilash stood up, shaking, and walked back into the cavern.
It was dark when the hunting parties left. It was dark and the moon was out, and Naarilash couldn't wait for the hunting parties to return. There was a hunting pattern, on different nights different Wolfiei went out to hunt. Every Wolfiei had a night that they went out, except for the pups and elders, who didn't hunt. Naarilash was part of a hunting group, but tonight was not one of her nights.
There was almost always enough kill to go around, but Naarilash, as the Alpha, got to eat first. As soon as she would take the first bite of the meat, the other Wolfiei would start eating as well. It was very dim in the cavern, and everyone would eat in separate little groups in the shadows. Everyone came inside to eat, and the cavern would be filled with over a hundred Wolfiei. but now nearly fifty were out hunting, and the rest of the Wolfiei were waiting around in the cavern for them to return.
There were always a few spats over the kills, but it was usually nothing major.
Naarilash sat on top of a huge broken stone in her wolf form, waiting for the hunting parties to return when a sound from the north entrance. Every single Wolfiei in the pack raised their heads in a flash, silent. They knew it wasn't the hunting groups, there were not enough being in number and it didn't smell like a Wolfiei.
Someone was approaching.
"Oh no!" Khasm shrieked, staring at the large whole he had put in a tree. He looked at his hand, still smoking from the blast, then back to his target. Of course, he hadn't meant to destroy the tree, nothing like that at all. In truth, he had been walking through the forest, on his way towards some clan called the "Wolfiei"- what a ridiculous name, he never would've picked something so absurd- when he'd heard a noise from behind the tree. Before he knew it, he'd snapped the neck of a large, red-eyed white rabbit and sent the whole thing up in smoke.
He shook his head, exhaling sharply. He didn't have time to be so paranoid, he had a bounty to collect from whatever these Wolfeie were though clearly they weren't great at picking names! He began walking again but stopped, hearing a wolf growl at him from behind. Or did he? It wasn't unheard of for him to imagine a predator growling at him. Only when he heard it again, this time from several different beasts and from all around him.
"Oh, well," He said, chuckling nervously. "This is not good."
The Wolfiei in the cavern sniffed, it was a male, a human male.
Naarilash was on her feet, still if wolf form, and the rest of the Wolfiei were standing as well, alert, ready for anything.
The man was just outside the cavern entrance, he was in the courtyard. There were Wolfiei guards outside the entrance, and they could be heard growling at the man. They started to stalk forward, hoping to drive the man back into the cavern.
Khasm opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped. What on earth are these things? He asked himself, vainly hoping this was all some vast delusion. Despite this hope, he pulled his pack around for ease of access. He put his left hand in the sack, the runes on his right beginning to glow.
Suddenly he appeared much more confident, the paranoid look was out of his eyes and he stood tall, ready for their attack. Nothing would distract him.
But the Wolfiei were not ready to attack, not yet. One barked at the man, and another darted forward, teeth snapping, but it didn't bite him. They closed in around him, still trying to drive him back.
Then four rushed at him, barking and baring their teeth. They barreled into his legs, hoping to push him back into the cavern.
Khasm didn't move till the four rushed forward. A pain squeak came from the , right after a loud crack. A grey energy flew to his glowing right hand from the sack, before blasting the closest Wolfiei in the face. The beast fell dead and that same grey energy flew from its body into Khasm.
He fell back, aiming his hand at the various beast, too focused to realize he was being hearded.
The Wolfiei growled even more viciously as their friend was killed. One in the back of the group howled, and it was a low, sad sound. Then Wolfiei still were driving the man back, and he was nearly through the entrance.
Naarilash leaped down from the stone and rushed to the entrance. She transformed into her hybrid form and grabbed the back of the man's shirt, starting to yank him back into the cavern.
"Ah!" Khasm screamed, flailing his arms and accidently firing off the charged soul in his arm, exploding some of the caverns roof off.
With a growl of rage Naarilash yanked him into the cavern. The Wolfiei outside rushed in and all of the Wolfiei in the cavern bounded forward, surrounding the man.
As soon as he was in the entrance was blocked by the Wolfiei. Naarilash changed into her full wolf form and growled at the man, and her growl was joined by those of the whole pack.
Laughing nervously, Khasm turned around repeatedly, then stopped facing Naarilash.
"Um... Hallo?" He asked, scratching the back of his head.
Naarilash growled at him, her amber eyes flashing. She took a few steps towards him, her legs stiff and her hackles raised. She looked up into his eyes, and then she changed into her human form. Padding paws turned into the clicking of high heeled boots, and she walked right up to him, so she was only a few inches from him.
He was taller than her, but she was not intimidated, she held her head high, chin up. She glared into his eyes, her teeth still bared in her human form. Her long black hair fell over one eye, but she didn't notice.
Magic crackled in the palm of her hand, which was at her side.
"Who in Kaara's name are you?" she growled, referring to the wolf goddess that the Wolfiei believed in.
Gulping visibly, Khasm extended a shaky hand. "I-i'mma Khasm, warrior mage, bounty hunter, overall madman." He chuckled nervously. "A-and you?"
Naarilash stared down at his hand, disgusted. "Naarilash, my name is Naarilash Que-slivik Umdamushbenkik'silverathensha, Mage of the Wolves. What are you doing here?"
"That's a bit of a mouthful," Khasm said, lowering his hand. "I'm looking for some Wol-" He cut himself off, realizing he'd found his bounty.
Naarilash frowned when he cut himself off. She pursed her lips and then licked them, thinking. She looked over at the other Wolfiei, who were on their guard, keeping a close eye on Khasm.
"What are you looking for?" she questioned, tilting her head to the side. She was angry at this human, but also curious of him. She had only seen a few other humans in her life, and those had been in passing, like a caravan driving by the temple as they did once every few years.
Some... wol...verines, yeah." He nodded his head enthusiastically. "Wolverines, dangerous beasts, they hide in the sand then pop out and bite your ankles, real dangerous, yeah."
Naarilash raised her eyebrows, unamused. "Wolverines? You expect me to believe that? Wolverines don't, first of all, live in sand, and they definitely don't 'pop out' and bite your ankles."
She narrowed her eyes and took a step backwards, the magic in her hand growing brighter. "You were coming here for us, for Wolfiei, why?"
"No, no, of course not! And these, uh, wolverines, they are dessert ones, real sandy things, tend to only target small children or snakes, hehe." He waved his hand in the air, stepping backwards. This wasn't going well at all.
Naarilash's nostrils flared, and she took a step back, glaring at Khasm. "If you do not tell me the exact truth within ten seconds we will not hesitate to kill you. You killed one of our Wolfiei, Sihara, she is dead because of you. The hunting parties for tonight haven't returned yet, but I'm sure they wouldn't mind if one more animal was added to the kill pile."
"In my defense, she attacked me first!" He said very quickly, reaching his hand back into his neck, shuffling around in there till he felt in close around some fur. He wondered if he'd have to kill all of them, certainly not something he wished to try at all. Oh, dear gods, how did I end up in this mess? He asked himself.
Naarilash nodded, "You are correct," she glared at him, not to be shaken from her course. "But you still have not answered my question. Why are you here?"
He was shuffling around, and she wondered if he was thinking about fighting them. If he was, he was either incredibly stupid, or incredibly powerful. Naarilash assumed he could be very dangerous, and only a little more of half of the pack was here.
Was it possible that he could fight them all and win? Naarilash had magic, that would help, and the Wolfiei that were in the cavern currently were good fighters. If worst came to worse, even the elders and pups would fight.
Naarilash was just weighing their chance of success while fighting this man when the rest of the Wolfiei came in. The ones that had been out hunting dropped their prey and immediately circled Khasm like the other Wolfiei were doing.
The Wolfiei who had just entered were the strongest and quickest Wolfiei, and Narrilash doubted that this man could fight them all.
"Why are you here?" she asked again, maybe they wouldn't have to fight.
Khasm opened his mouth to answer, but all words fled him when the others returned. "Well... So, you see, there's a village kinda near here that apparently you guys have been messing with so I was hired to come out and stop you." He spoke so fast it probably sounded like one long, jumbled word. His grip tightened on the rabbit in his sack and the thing squeaked in pain as he choked it to death.
"But yeah," He chuckled nervously. "Wolverines?"
Naaralish's eyes grew sad, and she frowned shaking her head. "We have done nothing to any town near here. I have never been to a town in my life, and I know for certain none of the other Wolfiei here would ever cause any innocent harm. What, exactly, did your employer tell you about us and what we did?"
Despite the situation, Naarilash was pretty proud of herself. The Wolfiei had taught her how to speak Common and the Wolfiei language, like a mother would to a child, but the Wolfiei usually spoke plainly, not using large words or fancy sentences. Naarilash had read so much, though, that she had learned many more words than any of the other Wolfiei. She was impressed on how she was communicating with this man, Khasm, for when she usually spoke it was in the language of the Wolfiei, not Common.
"Well... He didn't say you... exactly. He said a magic user of sorts," He spoke a phrase of power and a leather bound book appeared in his right hand. "I just used this and followed it to the nearest magic user, which is you, hehe." Khasm was certainly freaking out, not sure if he'd be able to talk, or fight, his way out of this mess. He was hopeful the Wolfiei would choose not to eat him, what a terrible way to go...
Naarilash raised an eyebrow and almost laughed sarcastically, but she didn't. "So it obviously has to be me? Did your employer describe the magic user who has been messing with the town?" Naarilash looked at the book in the man's hand. "What is that, exactly?"
Khasm looked around nervously, trying to stop sweating. "You were the closest one, you see, I assumed it was you because logically the closest one would be the threat." He contorted his face in confusion at her question, then nodded enthusiastically. "This is a type of knowledge spell, you see, if I concentrate on a single topic or person or thing hard enough, anyone within, let's say a ten mile radius, who knows anything about whatever it is, their knowledge of it will be jotted down in this book!" His smile was wide and full of pride. "It's my own spell, a sort of divination, you see, and no one else's been able to cast it!"
Naarilash was slightly disgusted by this man, partly because he had killed a Wolfiei, (though she knew it wasn't completely his fault), and partly because he suspected her, but mostly because she saw him as kind of pitiful. Currently he was looking furtively around and sweating,couldn't he at least put on a show of bravado? Naarilash sighed, she actually kind of felt bad for him.
"Did they describe what the magic user looked like? I do now know of many people in this area, but if they are a well know magic user then they might be in one of my books."
Then she turned into her Hybrid form rather quickly, wondering what Khasm's reaction would be. She grew nearly seven inches taller and her muscles grew, she was now wearing not clothing, but her newly grown fur covered her whole body.
Khasm gulped at the woman's change but didn't move. "No, no, they didn't. Just a type of magic and all the magic I could find in the book was you so it's either you or..." He trailed off, dismissing the book and resting his chin on his palm. A few awkward moments passed before he jumped up, clapping his heads together. He didn't realize he'd forgotten to let go of the rabbit, however.
"It's a new type of magic!" He exclaimed excitedly.
Naarilash's eyes widened. "Do you really think so?" She growled, still in her hybrid form. "That could be amazing! Where would someone like that hide? Perhaps they live in the very town they are messing with!"
"Yes, yes, yes! It's the only logical explanation," He summoned his book again, letting it float in the air. "The way this book works is because searches for the collective knowledge of everyone in the radius, you see? So if there is a new type of magic only one or two people know about and I'm not specifically look for it, the book will pass over it, yes?" He waved his arms around excitedly, pacing in a circle. The poor rabbit flailed in the air as he did so.
"The reason it pointed me to you is," He spun in a tight circle, pointing the rabbit at the Wolfiei, "All of these know about you!" He was so excited that his right eye was twitching rather uncontrollably.
"Twitching eye, king of weird," Naarilash thought, but she didn't say anything, she was exited as well. She ducked aside as the rabbit flew past her head, and as Khasm spoke she realized that all of the Wolfiei were still standing around. In the Wolfiei language she told them that they could eat and didn't have to watch this man anymore or wait for her.
They nodded and went off to eat. Naarilash turned back to Khasm. "Do you think we could go and find whoever has this knew magic?"
All of Khasm's energy left with that one question. Without any idea what or who was causing this, there wasn't really any way to find it.
"Um, well, no, not really. I don't know, I can't anyway." He stammered, noticing for the first time the hare in his hand. "I don't know anything about it so I can't search for it."
Naarilash frowned, biting her lip, then her face lit up."But maybe I can help find it!" She transformed back into her human form, it was easer to speak this way. "Us Wolfiei know our territory well, and those who travel and hunt the most know the land around this temple well, perhaps someone here knows if another magic user lives near here!"
Khasm paled visibly, eyes wide with fear. "Y-you want to just go out and search a new magic having no idea what it can do or if it will kill you horribly or drag your soul down to the lowest abyss?!" His voice rose with his panic. He was hyperventilating heavily, his hands on his knees.
Naarilash was taken aback by his sudden fear. "Of course!" She said, frowning. "It is a new magic! Possibly never seen before by anyone but the caster! It's a wonderful opportunity! Why wouldn't' we look for it?"
Faster than would be expected of someone having a mental breakdown, Khasm straightened his back and placed his hands on her shoulders, pulling her close to him, not even an inch away.
"BECAUSE WE COULD DIE!" He shrieked, staring into her eyes intently.
When Khasm tok hold of her shoulders and yeled in her face, every single Wolfiei in the cavern looked up, and seeing the man holding Naarilash, leaped to their feet and ran at the two.
"STOP!" Naarilash yelled to the Wolfiei, right before they attacked Khasm. "It's okay, you can go back to eating."
The Wolfiei looked suspiciously at Khasm but they went back to their kills.
Naarilash had herself been startled by Khasm's outburst, but she had recovered quickly. She cocked her head to the side in a very wolf-like way. "The threat of death? That is what you are afraid of? You face death every time you take a job? Do you not? The lob you took to find the magic user, who you assumed was me, that included a lot of danger. What if I was hostile? We all would could have killed you. And anyway, I think the prospect of new magic is to big a chance to pass up. Even if you don't come with me, I'm going to look for it."
Backing up, Khasm began muttering to himself. He hadn't expected her questions, hadn't any even thought of them as a possibility. In truth, Khasm had hoped he'd be able to use his considerable wit and charm to talk them into stopping, he was very convincing.
Without warning, he turned back to Naarilash. "Fine, fine, fine! But all credit to discovering goes to me because I've the book that led me to you and in turn led me, er, us to whatever this is!"
Naarilash's eyes widened and she crossed her arms. "But me and the Wolfiei will have lead you to the magic! Then all the credit goes to you, does it? Not if we help you it won't! If I help you find this new magic, I'll get the credit I'm due."
She turned away and held up her chin. "But if you want all the credit for yourself, fine, then you'll just have to go yourself." She spun around, looking him in the eyes and smirking slightly. "Go and face a potentially murderous and powerful mage all by yourself. Then it won't be my problem when the mage kills you and leaves your body in the desert for the Wolfiei to eat."
She smiled at him sarcastically. "Or the sand wolverines."
He narrowed his eyes at the Wolfiei. He was clearly the superior mage, he invented his own magic for gods sake! How could she think she deserves credit? Still, he had no choice, it seemed.
"Fine, fine." He suddenly began studying the dead rabbit, having noticed it was, in fact, dead.
Naarilash saw that he still thought he deserved all the credit, and she frowned at him. "Why do you think you're better than I am?" she said, but her voice wasn't really accusative anymore, just full of curiosity. "Is it because I'm a female?"
She had learned in her extensive reading that in some cultures women were higher than men, but in others, the women were suppressed and not respected. She had never before been able to imagine that, gender against gender? It seemed absurd to her. In the Wolfiei pack male and female were equal. Either one could become a leader, and they were both respected the same.
"Well?" she asked. "Is it because I'm a woman?"
Khasm scrunched up his nose at the question. Because she was a woman? No, no, no, nothing at all like that.
"What? No, no, not at all!" He cocked his head at her, almost curiously. "It's just that, well, you're a mage, yeah. But how powerful are you, really? You lead a pack of wolves, for gods' sake!" His book appeared again. "Yeah, this lead me to you but really, how powerful are you?"
"So leading a pack of 'wolves' you say, requires one to be stupid? I can't be a good mage if I lead a pack of wolves?" she was irked again now, and she planted her hands on her hips. "And how powerful am I? Granted, I don't use my magic to fight, and you may be a better mage than I, but that doesn't mean I'm a bad one."
She closed her eyes and whispered a word, and a vine started to grow in the ground between them, it snaked higher and higher until it touched the ceiling, then it started to bloom, but the flowers were made of fire. The vine grew up the ceiling, covering it with the fiery flowers and green leaves. Then it burst into flames and disappeared.
Then Naarilash crouched to the ground and picked up some rock dust that was there. she rubbed it between her fingers and threw it at a large piece of rock on the floor behind them. The rock shuddered, then lifted from the ground. It raised to the ceiling and the Naarilash directed it to crash to the ground right behind Khasm.
"I know, that was standard magic, nothing special. And while I haven't my own special brand of magic, If one can perform the most standard spells with excellence, they do not need anything more. It is not the spell, it's the caster. Even the most mundane spells can make wonders in the hands of the right mage."
Khasm sighed, running a hand over his face. She'd never understand what it meant to be a powerful wizard. Oh well, that is the fate of the lesser beings.
"Whatever you say, can we be off?"
Naarilash saw he still thought himself better than her, and she smiled at him. "I actually don't think I really want your help anymore. I don't want you bogging me down on my trip, it will be much faster on my own, and when I get to the magic, I won;t have to share the credit with you. Unless you want to help me. I'm sure you wouldn't want to go on your own. You can tag along if you like."
Suddenly all trace of hesitation fled Khasm, and he seemed almost a completely different person. "No, you'll credit me. With it fully," he pulled up his sleeve, revealing expertly carved runes and glyphs carved into his skin. "This is why, too." He hoped he wouldn't have to explain that it was enchanted runes over his body, but he expected he would. As well as explain the significance of such runes.
Naarilash nodded. "Good, we'll do this together."
When she saw the ruins on his arms her eyes widened. "What are those?"
Oh, gods, she was an idiot.
"They're runes, my body is enchanted." Maybe he wouldn't have to tell her how big of a deal this way. But he wasn't holding his breath this time.
"Oh, I know that, I can feel the enchantment, I just wanted to know how you got them and what they do, exactly." Then she remembered something she had read about etiquette. "But, you don't have to tell me, if you don't want to. But I would like to know."
He raised his left arm, displaying the marks with a beaming smile of pride. "These are runes of summoning, I can summon anything from ghosts to demons to even angels!" He lowered it and then raised his right. "These are banishing rooms, which allow me to banish whatever it is I summon, it's rather spectacular."
"Can you summon non-magical beings or mortals?" Naarilash questioned, looking closer at the ruins. "They are rather amazing, how did you come by them? Or were you born with them?"
"I.." He closed his mouth, considering the question. He'd never tried summing a mortal before, wasn't even sure it could be done. But then again, no one had believed he could enchant his body. Sure, it was a catastrophic accident that left several people dead, but he'd still done it.
"I don't know if I can."
"Anyway," Naarilash clapped her hands together. "Do you want to go now?"
"Lead, the way, 'pack leader'," He said, trying hard to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. He didn't like this woman, she was a coward. Using a group of people under your command to protect you? It screamed weakness.
Naarilash could hear the sarcasm in his voice, despite his attempts to hide it. "Thank you," she said, playing along. "Being the pack leader takes a lot of responsibility. We are all one unit, protecting one another and taking care of one another. We can all depend on one another, as a family should. It is a group effort. While we are gone the Beta will take control."
She looked around until she spotted the beta. She walked over to him and they spoke in the Wolfiei language. A moment later Narrilash walked back over to Khasm.
"He will explain to the pack. If I were to do it now, we wouldn't be leaving for at least another hour."
She looked around and then headed for the cavern exit.
Khasm said nothing, thinking himself wise enough to know he could take them, but it'd take such a large amount of the day away. It was noonish, he thought, and he didn't want to waste any more time in this cave than he had to. It smelled of shit and wolves -- well, to him it did anyway. Ugh, disgusting.
Naarilash walked out of the cavern and into the noonday sun. She would bring nothing with her, she needed nothing.
"We should go to the town where you were hired!" she called over her shoulder to the man. They might be able to find something about the mage there. Naarilash was nearly shaking with excitement to be going to a city! She had never before been in the company of other humans, and she wondered what a city would be like, exactly. She had read about them, of course, and had even seen a few illustrations,but had never actually seen one in real life.
Khasm frowned, then stopped moving. "How exactly will going AWAY from the magic help us find the magic?" She truly was an idiot, but the enchanted mage was being to expect stupidity from this 'pack leader'. She was away from her pack, so Khasm knew without a doubt he could beat her in a fight and force her to listen to her better.
Naarilash turned to look at him. "Sometimes going away from something will help you get closer. So if we go to the town we may be able to find more about the mage who you were sent to find. But if you know where the magic is, then we should go there. But I thought you said that your book couldn't sense the magic, so I assumed you knew not where it was."
Naarilash could have told you from the start that this man would be hard to contend with. He seemed to be very arrogant, thinking her below him.
"If you know where it is then I suggest you tell me, since you seem to know everything," Naarilash said sarcastically. She usually wasn't sarcastic, but this man was getting on her nerves.
Khasm groaned in exasperation. "No, I said the book can't find any information about it because no one in a ten-mile radius knew anything about it." He explained with an annoyed frown. "I then, assuming whatever this was would be the strongest magic in the area -- aside from my own, of course -- and then I went to that. So that's the first clue. Whatever it is, if it's in ten miles of us, is weaker, or less obvious, than you." He summoned his book again, it flipped to a random page and floated over to her.
The runes, he knew, would probably be indecipherable to her, he wasn't even sure how he knew how to read it.
Naarilash nodded. "You are correct, do you have any other clues to where it might be?" she walked up next to him and looked at the book. She couldn't read the runes, but she recognized them a bit, they looked similar to some other runes she had come across in her reading. "I'm sorry I was sarcastic to you a moment ago," she said. "I shouldn't have done that."
That was much better, Khasm thought, she was finally learning to respect her better. "No, I have no idea where to look, and apparently no else does, either."
Naarilash nodded, and at that moment a wolf ran out of the cave and up to her. It spoke to her in the growling language of the Wolfiei and she responded, then it went back into the cavern.
"Before we left the cave I told the Beta to ask around and see if any Wolfiei knew anything about the magic. I know you said that the book couldn't detect it because no one in a ten-mile radius knew anything about it, but since Wolfiei are very different from human's they might not register in the book. I would register, as I am a High Wolfiei, and more human. Anyway, Irrids said that after asking around there were a few Wolfiei know of a temple almost sixteen miles from here. I know what place they are talking about, and we should go there first. It is in ruins, but some of the Wolfiei said they had sensed some sort of magic near there. What do you think?"
Khasm wasn't the nicest, Naarilash thought, and she hoped that not all humans were like him.
"Oh gods, woman, it doesn't matter!" He shrieked, having reached his breaking point. "It's magic, it doesn't pick and choose what race, it does them all! I could learn the entire history of the hells and the heavens a creature from those planes were here! There is no limit to what it can tell me!" He exhaled forbid, calming himself down. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have shouted, you lead the way."
Naarilash herself was about to explode when he shouted, but when he apologized she nodded to him. "I'm sorry I don't know everything about your book, I was just wondering. Anyway, the Wolfiei said they didn't know of any magic but they knew of the temple where the magic may be. So I suggest we go there. I know the way, follow me."
Naarilsh turned and started to walk in the direction of the temple. As she walked she transformed back into her full wolf form, she would be able to travel much faster and farther in the wolf form than the human form.
They were halfway to the temple when Khasm realized that the sun had set.
"Perhaps we should camp," He said, and had no plans on taking no for an answer. His feet hurt and he mentally cursed. Walking, why hadn't he managed to learn a flying spell yet?
"Good idea," Naarilash said, but then she realized she had spoken in the Wolfiei language. She quickly transformed into her human form and repeated the words. "I know a small oases a few minutes walk from here where we can stay and be safer than if we stayed out here in the open."
After another three minutes they were at the oasis. It was nothing more than a few trees and large boulders around a pool of water. The boulders formed a pretty tight ring around the pools and Naarilash slipped through a small space between two boulders and into the ring. She climbed onto one of the boulders and looked around in the blackness.
"I'm not very tired," she said. "I'll take first watch."
She changed into her full wolf form and sat down on top of the boulder.
Khasm didn't lie down to sleep, just reached into his pack and pulled out a squirming hare. It's eyes widened with fear then rolled into the back of his head, dead from the blast of energy Khasm had held in.
He arranged a cone of sticks then blasted it with the hare's soul, setting the wood ablaze. His thoughts turned to the Wolfiei, standing watch nearby. She was... interesting. He'd never admit this to hear, but in many ways the wizard was jealous. She had friends, even a family among her pack. Khasm considered his own life, finding himself friendless. Had it been worth it?
Yes, he decided, a frown finding its way onto his face. What good were friends? They would've held him back, would've stopped him from his experiments. They would have stopped him pursuing what weaker ones wouldn't dare! He'd made the right choice.
Naarilash sat atop the rock, thinking. This was all so sudden! One minute she was with her pack, like an ordinary day, then the next, she was running off on an adventure with a man, a human, (she had met a human!) who seemed to have some problems, including that he thought himself better than her. Despite that, she didn't hate him, just thought there were a few wrinkles in his fur that needed to be smoothed out.
She shook her wolfen head in amazement, this was wonderful! She just hoped that when they found the wizard, or the magic, that it would be worth something and they both wouldn't be killed straight away or find that the magic is unreachable.
She watched the moon rise and fall, and when she saw that the stars were in the position of the middle of the night, she changed back into her human form and called over her shoulder in a whisper to Khasm.
"Your turn for the watch!"
Khasm nodded wordlessly, standing up and peering out into the darkness. It was a quite night and the stars shone brightly against the black abyss of the sky. The wizard took a step back, blinking repeatedly as some of the stars blinked out then reappeared within a matter of moments. Had he imagined it? There wasn't some unknown beast lurking out there, just waiting to shred him to pieces. Maybe it'd go after Naarilash... No, no, there was nothing, nothing at all.
No shadow creature, nothing whatsoever. He repeated this well into the night and had started to believe when an earth-shattering shriek echoed through the night.
Naarilash screamed as the monster bit its teeth into her leg. She screamed again as the beast pulled its teeth out and made to bite at her face. But before it could make contact, Naarilash had transformed into her full wolf form and rolled out of the way. Her leg was bleeding badly, and as she rolled to her feet she kept it tucked up and off of the ground. She growled at the beast, it was large, nearly six feet tall and ten feet long, and was covered in shaggy black fur. IT's eyes glowed yellow and its great yellowing fags dripped with Narrilash's blood.
When she had been attacked the Wolfiei had been asleep, and she was sure she would have died if her reflexes hadn't been so quick.
The Wolfiei growled quietly and a burst of flashing lights surrounded the other beast's head, while it was blinded and distracted, Naarilash sent another blast of magic at the creature. The magic blasted it back, but the monster recovered quickly. Naarilash tried to scramble back as the beast neared her, but her injured leg slowed her down considerably. She hit the boulder behind her and fell to her back, unwillingly turning back into her human form.
"Khasm!" she screamed. "Help me! Please!"
Khasm gulped and shoved a trembling arm into his sack, crushing a hare to death with his shaking hand. To his credit, the blast came closer than the wizard had expected. His eyes widened in shock as the light from the blast illuminated the area.
In the brief moments that Khasm could see the creature, he would've sworn in looked like a large... wolverine. With sand colored fur.
Oh, shit, He thought as darkness returned to the camp.
The blast distracted the beast long enough for Naarilash to get away. As she rolled around to the side of it she narrowed her eyes, and if she was that kind of person, she would have swore. A sand wolverine.
She didn't have much time to be irritated though, for the wolverine spun on her again. Naarilash transformed into her hybrid from and leaped onto the wolverine's back, digging in her claws, but her injured leg could not be used, and the wolverine threw her from it's back.
She flew off, hitting a boulder and falling to the ground, but she leaped to her feet almost immediately and ran again to attack.
"Come on!" she growled to Khasm. "Let's get this thing!"
Khasm gulped in fear. He didn't consider himself to be a coward, just an avid fan of not fighting or endangering his own life. But still, the beast, which he would get full credit for discovering, would probably kill his companion without his help.
He didn't reach for his bag of hares this time, instead he held his hands out in front of him palm upwards. He spoke the needed words of power and a deadly axe forged of a metal darker than dark appeared in his hands. As he closed his fist around the weapon's leather wrapped handle he felt himself grow several feet taller. Soon he was probably a head and a half taller than Naarilash and he knew that the rest of his body had increased in size as well.
It had been too long, he thought to himself as he rushed forward, bringing the great axe to bear against the savage beast. Too long, indeed.
Naarilash was intrigued, if not surprised, at Khasm's transformation, and was happy for the help. While the wolverine was distracted, Naarilash turned back into her full wolf form and growled under her breath. Another flash of light appeared behind the wolverine, and the creature spun around to face it, thinking it another foe. Now the wolverine was facing away from both Naarilash and Khasm, and the Wolfiei leaped forward and onto the wolverines back, digging her claws into its flesh and biting at the back of its neck.
Khasm roared in rage and fury, swinging his onyx axe in a downward stroke, the magically sharpened edge sinking deeply into the beast as he gave a roar of pain. Even in the darkness of the night, Khasm could see the red lifeblood of his foe flowing freely from the deep wound. He roared again, stomping his feet and gnashing his teeth. What power! None could stand before him, no god or demon or angel.
The beast reared from Naarilash and snapped it's jaw into Khasm's bulging legs. The teeth sunk to the bone but Khasm, warrior incarnate, either didn't feel the pain or didn't think it worth reacting to. This beast wasn't worth his axe, he decided as he freed the weapon from his enemy and tossed it away.
The enchantment's dismissal was almost instant. His body shrunk and shifted, returning to the scrawny, feeble man he truly was. A stinging pain erupted in his leg and he looked down at the beast, not able to to tell whether it was more shocked than he was at the change.
He looked up and his eyes met Naarilish and he silently prayed for her to save him.
Naarilash had been thrown from the monster as it had attacked Khasm, and she had slid along on the sand before finally coming to a halt. She scrambled to her paws and ran towards the beast and Khasm. The wolverine was advancing on Khasm, and Naarilash thought that if she didn't get to them soon the beast would kill her companion.
With a fierce growl Naarilash threw herself at the beast's neck she twisted her neck around as she leaped, biting under the wolverine's throat and gripping it tight. The beast howled in pain and tried to shake Naarilash off. The Wolfiei held on for a few moments longer before willingly letting go, but she had gripped hard enough and long enough for blood to be falling from the wolverine's wounds. As the Wolfiei dropped to the ground the wolverine turned and fled, this prey was not worth its life!
Naarilash turned to Khasm as the beast ran, as she did so she turned into her human form. She walked over to him, a frown on her brow. "Are you okay? Let me see your leg."
Khasm was too stunned and tired to resist. He simply sat down and stretched out his leg. The change, the transformation that axe enacted always tired him. He laid down, yawning slightly. He was wary of leaving himself vulnerable to his companion...but sleep sounded so much better.
It wasn't long before the enchanted mage was sound alseep.
Naarilash smiled as he started to fall asleep, and she waited until he was completely out until she ripped his pant leg off from the knee down and inspected the wound. She instinctively turned into a full wolf and started to, yes, lick his wound clean. But it was after only five or so licks that she realized that his human body might not be used to this sort of cleaning and not react to it positively. Then she changed back into a human and got some water from the stream to wash his wound. The cuts were very deep, all the way to the bone, but the bone didn't seem broken.
Naarilash washed the wound thoroughly and then ripped off the bottom of her dress, just his pant leg wouldn't be enough. She bound his wound with the black fabric and then realized a lot of leg was showing, even though her high heeled boots reached to her knees. She had read in books that in some cultures, that was perfectly fine, as it was among the Wolfiei, but in others, women had to wear long dresses all the time to be 'proper'.
Naarilash hoped he wasn't from one of those societies.
"You are a threat to the school, young wizard," The archmage shouted, his red robes flowing in the air. Khasm looked on, his arms burning with runes, freshly carved into his flesh. The archmage was a terrifying sight to the enchanted wizard, black hair ablaze with hire and green eyes glowing brightly in the night. Truly, the mage was a thing from nightmares.
"I didn't know!" Khasm cried, tears streaming down his face. How could he have known the golem would kill her? He'd been certain he could've dispelled the monster, the runes should have given him control. The archmage began to chant then, lightning and thunder as the laughter of a god. His former teacher loosed the spell against Khasm.
He didn't mean for her to die.
Khasm awoke with a gasp, drenched with sweat. He cursed himself for sleeping; the nightmare always came when he slept.
Naarilash's eyes widened in worry as he woke abruptly, she hadn't though his wound was that bad. She knelt next to him and put a hand on his chest to keep him from getting up. "It's okay," she said gently. "Your wound is deep, but it is clean and I have bound it."
Though she thought that there might be something more to his sweat-drenched awakening other than just the pain of his wound, she didn't ask any questions, not yet, at least.
"Why did you let me sleep?" He growled, anger finding a place amongst his normally arrogant tone. Rationally, he knew she couldn't be blamed. How could she know? She couldn't, unless she was Psionic. Khasm dismissed that motion though, he would've known.
"WHy did you let me sleep?!" He shouted, attempting to rise from the ground.
Naarilash sprang to her feet at the anger in her voice, and despite still being in her human form, she clawed her fingers and growled at him. "I let you sleep because you needed it! You were exhausted and wounded! I helped you! I cleaned your wound and you should be grateful, you may have been able to heal yourself with your magic, but you were unable at the moment so I cleaned and dressed your wound for you! So stop giving me that angry arrogant voice and have a little respect!"
Khasm plopped back down, the burning pain in his leg stopping him from standing. He felt then the bag of hares next to him. He'd probably be able to get a shot off at her, maybe two. But there wasn't a guarantee that her pack wouldn't come. He did nothing, though, just stared hard at Naarilash with a deep scowl.
"Earn it."
The anger disappeared from Naarilash's face but it was replaced by a deep sadness. "I understand that you want me to earn your respect. But I believe that rather than being nasty to someone until they earn your respect, one should respect the other until they give reason for you to no longer respect them. I do not think I have given any reason for you not to respect me. I have been kind to you, I have fought with you, and may have saved your life, I have cared for your wounds, and what have you given me in return?" Naarilash's eyes were filled with sadness. "Scalding words, arrogance, hate, even. That should give me the right to disrespect you, but I still will try and respect you, despite how you have treated me."
Khasm narrowed his eyes dangerously, a boiling desire to kill her rising in his soul. Why shouldn't he do it? It was her fault he was wounded, her fault they were stuck in the middle of nowhere chasing down something that probably shouldn't exist. Wouldn't it be his right?
No, he knew. This wasn't her fault, despite how badly he wished it was. He looked up at her, trying to see her in a different light. He surprised himself when he found her pretty, beautiful even. He hadn't noticed it before. He cursed himself audibly, he wasn't one to not notice things - any things!
Perhaps she was right, he considered as he almost smiled at her, stopping himself before he could finish that damnable expression. Perhaps it was his arrogance that stopped him from noticing her.
Perhaps...
Narrilash was surprised to see the anger in his face disappear, and he almost smiled, but she noticed he forced it away. Why did he do that? Pride? The Wolfiei were a proud race, but they usually showed their true feelings, of course, there were exceptions, there were rarely two beings who were the same, of any race. But perhaps human's hid their emotions more, wore a mask, and they only took it off when they were comfortable.
The Wolfiei woman half-smiled at Khasm and crouched next to him again. "Do you need anything?" she asked. "Water?"
Khasm scrambled away, groaning as he put weight under his wounded leg. Closeness was not something he was used to, nor something he wished to experience. People were disgusting, stupid creatures. He hated them, or most of them anyway.
So it was much to his surprise when he found himself annoyed at his own running.
"No," He answered without looking up. "I am fine."
"Okay," Naarilash said, getting to her feet and looking up at the still dark sky. "You get some more rest, I'll keep watch for the rest of the night, we only have a few hours left until dawn anyway."
She climbed atop a boulder and sat, watching around the area, looking for danger.
Khasm didn't turn to sleep, he reached for his bag and pulled out a squirming hare. Despite his small frame, he easily crushed the animal's neck. Like clockwork, the creature's soul went into Khasm's arm. He used the energy to give him rest, without resting.
The rest of the night passed quietly, Khasm staring absentmindedly while memories of her ran through his mind.
How he missed her...
Naarilash found the way Khasm got his power and energy slightly disturbing, but she accepted it. She got her energy from killing animals and eating them, his method was similar in the end result, but he went about it in a different way. Naarilash sat on the rock, thinking, until the sun came up.
She leaped down from the boulder and over to Khasm. "Are you ready to go?" she asked. "The temple is only another few hours walk away."
(OOC: Thanks, Spicious, sorry for being impatient)
Naarilash's voice tore Khasm from his memories and he growled at the interruption. Still, he stood slowly and nodded.
"Lead the way."
Naarilash nodded and turned in the correct direction and started to walk. She stayed in her human form so she could speak to Khasm.
"You do not have to answer anything," the Wolfiei said cautiously, not wanting the man to burst into rage again, "and I don't mean to be intrusive, but I was wondering, how did you get the runes on your body?"
What an odd question... With an even odder answer. Khasm looked at his companion, wondering how in the hells he'd found the one person who reminded him of her.
"I made them." He said at length. "I am the only enchanted being to exist."
Naarilahs raised her eyebrows. "You made them?" She thought for a few moments. "Why? I understand it must make you more powerful, but what prompted you to do it?"
"Power? Please! I've never cared for power or influence!" He almost shouted in hysteria. "I was curious. I wanted knowledge and I took it! The actual events, though.." He shrugged and cocked his head slightly. "I don't remember them." This, of course, was a lie. Khasm never forgot anything, his mind was perfect.
Even if it wasn't, the wizard would never be able to forget those wretched days.
Naarilash's face immediately grew hard when he shouted at her, but then she calmed again. This shouting and random outbursts was obviously part of this man, and she need to accept them, at least for the time being, if she wanted to at least try to get along with him.
"So you did it for the knowledge," Naarilash said. "And you don't remember actually doing it. My magic I learned from books, the books in my library. I have no specific way I do my magic, I learned from many different teachers, the writers of the books, and they all had their own style, which helped me to define mine."
Khasm waggled his fingers dramaticly and whispered the words to summon his book. The glowing golden pages flipping wildly as though because of wind.
He grinned slyly at Naarilash and said, "I have every magic book every written in here. I can learn everything." With but a thought, he snapped the book shut. "I can teach everything."
"Every book?" Naarilash said thoughtfully. "What about books that are being written, right now, do they appear in your book as they are being penned down? And where did you get this miraculous book?"
Damn, this woman was thick.
"No, of course not! And it's a magic book, where in the hells do you think I got it?!" He was getting tired of shouting at her, truth be told. But she was so godsbedamned thick.
"Everything I ever have learned I can access from this book if I manually write it in there. I have copied an untold number of books into this one."
"HOW. THE. HELL. AM. I. SUPPOSED. TO. KNOW?!" Naarilash growled, and magic crackled around her hands, the Wolfiei was loosing her patience. "You say it is a magic book, you say it is magic! It could do anything for all I know! You could have gotten it anywhere! You could have made it, enchanted it yourself, it could have been a gift, you could have bought it! Not everyone is as damn smart as you are, and you may have taken that seriously, but I'm being sarcastic, you disrespectful being! You have no regard for anyone but yourself, and I'm sick of it!"
Khasm stepped back, a flood of suppressed memories rushing back in a violent wave. She'd been just like that. She never tolerated his outbursts. This woman seemed to be just like her.
He didn't even register what he was doing, but his mind vaguely registered moving closer to his companion. She was closer than before, but he didn't even notice or care.
Then he kissed her. He kissed her and then the memories didn't seem so painful.
Naarliash's eyes grew wide as Khasm kissed her, but she didn't break away. She stood there, her thoughts swirling. What in the names of all the gods was going on? Why was he doing this? What was he doing?
Naarlash truly didn't know, but she waited for him to finish.
Absentmindedly, Khasm stood back from Naariash, his mind still reeling.
"I-I'm sorry," He said, clearing his throat and taking another step back. Why the hell had he done that? He couldn't get his mind around it. "I don't know what I was doing." He said after a moment of awkward silence.
Why the hell had he done that?
Naarilash crossed her arms over her chest, but a smile slowly spread itself across her face, out of her control. "I agree, I don't think you knew what you were doing," she said. "Are you feeling quite alright? What happened?"
Why had he done that?
Khasm smiled. of course he didn't know he was, else he would have stabbed himself for it. He looked to his companion and wondered if she was an incarnation of her. He looked to her smile and found he was closer than he had been a moment ago.
"I-I don't know..." He looked away, then back at her. That smile, those questions... They were just like her. "Are you mad?"
"Mad?" Naarilash said. "No, not mad. Very surprised, but not mad at all."
There was a silence and she assessed him for a moment. Then she said,
"Are you?"
Khasm grinned then laughed. It was a rare thing for him, a real laugh. There was no condescension or arrogance.
"Mad? Oh, I've always been described as such." He wondered what she'd do if he kissed her again. Would she return it? Smack him? Both? His smile faltered, however, as he thought of her. He remembered then what had happened the last time he'd cared about something, about anything.
Would he let that happen again? No. With a vicious snarl, he stepped back. He reached into his bag and crushed another rabbit and fed on it's soul.
That always made it easier to tune it all out.
Naarilash's eyes widened at his sudden change in behavior. The Wolfiei could now tell that something more than his unstable attitude was troubling the man now. She stepped forward and put her hand on his arm. "What is it?" she asked softly. "You can tell me if you need to."
Khasm growled threateningly and moved to slap her hand away. This had always been his way. For years. Why would he allow some strange shifter to change that?
His hand met wrist and he grabbed it. He noted it was surprisingly soft. Just as she had been. Before he would stop himself (and he would stop himself, he knew) and stepped forward, cupping her face and bringing his mouth to hers.
As he did, he could only ask himself why the hell he was doing this.
And she kissed him back. Deeply and full of feeling. Naarilsh knew he needed the kiss, and maybe she did to. She held him for a long moment before pulling away.
She smiled at him, her eyes soft. "I still don't really know what is happening."
"Neither do I." He said, backing away from his hesitantly. He didn't want to, but it was all too strange, too odd and unfamiliar while also painfully familiar. He felt like he was betraying her. Her memory. He wondered if she'd approve of Naarilash.
He looked to his companion and sighed audibly, wistfully. "I don't know."
"There is something wrong, I can tell," she said softly, and she smiled sadly at him. "You have something hidden, something you do not want to show, but you cannot help it."
He wanted to lash out. Wanted to scream and yell and blast her away with a Hare's soul. He also wanted to kiss her. He was confused, lost and unsure of himself.
"I lied." He said simply and he sat down. "I lost someone."
She knelt on the sand next to him and gingerly put her hand on his shoulder, she wasn't sure it was a wise move, but she did it anyway.
"Who were they?" she asked gently. "You do not have to tell me."
Khasm tensed up at her touch but forced himself to relax. He could trust her, he told himself over and over again. She was different.
"Alumira." He spoke quietly as the memories came back. While he never truly forgot anything, he would bury it. It seemed so strange to let them surface after so long. "It was soon after I got my runes, and I summoned a stone golem to test the enchantments." He held up his arms and flexed. The glowing runes pulsed with a steady beat that matched his own heart.
"I couldn't control it."
Naarilash bit her lip and her eyes filled with sadness as she listened to his words. When he was finished she bowed her head and closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. She lifted her head and looked at Khasm. "I am so sorry."
Khasm didn't hear her. He stared into that steady pulse of his runes, enthralled.
"She was crushed before anything could be done. And when the archmage found out.." He chuckled humorlessly. "They almost trapped me in an extra-dimensional prison. But they couldn't. I got out. Then they tried to kill me. But they couldn't.
"It was horrible. I killed them. All of them."
"They did that just for a mistake you made?" Naarilash said softly. "They tried to kill you?" She shook her head. "From what I know, it seems you had to kill them, or they would have killed you."
"You don't understand what I did." He reached out with his arm of summoning. "Death? She could've been revived. We had priests there. But I couldn't control my new power. I summoned her soul into my body and expelled it. The force of the blast killed the golem and saved my life." Khasm looked away, moisture gathering in his eyes. "I cannot forger her screams as she was obliterated into the void."
"I now understand that what you did killed her, though she could have been saved. But you said that you were not in control," Naarilash said softly. "It sounds to me as if you were surviving, your instincts kicked in and you could not stop them. I may be wrong, I am just telling you my opinion."
"I was in control when I summoned the golem. I was in control when I killed the others." He said-- no, he whispered as quietly as he could while she could still hear. "I was in control enough to be responsible for my actions."
Why had he done this?
Naarilash nodded and sat there for a long time in silence, her hand on Khasm's shoulder.
After a while she looked up. "That is in the past now," she whispered. "We need to move on."
She turned her head and gently but quickly kissed Khasm on the lips. Then she pulled away and got to her feet.
Khasm recoiled at the kiss, still very uncomfortable with such an action. It was instinct, he told himself. But deep down, he knew the truth of the matter: No matter how similar Naarilash was to Alumira, she wasn't her.
No one could be her.
"Yes, we should."
Naarilash waited for Khasm and then started to walk in the direction of the temple. It was only another hours walk, and if they kept walking they would get there before midday, when the sun would be highest, and hottest.
The swirling mass of emotions had left Khasm confused and lost. He reached his sack and felt around. Only four rabbits.
He couldn't afford to kill another one, in case another battle were to arise.
The walk was quiet but not boring. Though neither of them said a word, Khasm couldn't help but sneak a glance at Naarilash. It was hours later when they arrived.
(OOC: You can describe the temple)
The temple was large, but it was falling into ruin. The pillars were cracked and many had toppled, and parts of the ceiling had fallen in. Though the entrance was still intact. It was a large doorway, and carved around it were many designs, not depicting anything is specific, they were lust swirls and lines.
As soon as she got within a fifty yards of the temple, Naarilash knew it was the place, she could feel the magic radiating off of it. She looked to Khasm.
"Can you feel it?" she whispered to him, as it seemed if she talked too loudly something bad would happen.
Indeed, Khasm could feel it. He had little doubt he could feel it even more strongly than Naarilash. The magical vibrations were undeniable.
"Yes," He said and summoned his book. He narrowed his focus, steeled his resolve and began to slowly remove everything but those vibrations. First it was Alumira, she was his greatest distraction. Next to fade was the archmage and all others. Then it was his runes, and then Naarilash.
All that remained was those vibrations.
His hand moved on its own, finger pointed and moving rapidly as though writing. He didn't know who he was at the moment. All he knew were those vibrations.
Naarilash watched as Khasm started to clear his mind and summoned the book. She watched intently and his hand moved over the book. She didn't know what he was doing, so she just stood and watched as he continued.
She felt the magic around the temple quiver, and then it grew stronger, and Naarilash felt the pull. She wanted to go towards the temple, the magic was tugging at her mind, but she held firm and stayed next to Khasm.
(I'm so late, sorry!)
The world had faded from Khasm. There was nothing, just an endless void. An abyss deeper than the hells.
And there was something, something strange and new. Magic.
New magic, strange and mysterious and most likely never before discovered. Khasm knew he was writing in his magical tome, knew but did not feel. His mind wasn't connected to his physical body, not completely, not like it should've been. He was disembodied, his subconscious taking in and writing out all this knowledge of the new magic all at once. This was the truth of his spell.
And like that, he was returned to his body, exhausted and dying, or so he felt. He knew better, however, and forced his life-force to remain, willed it through sheer stubbornness to remain. The runes on his arm helped with this, summoning his soul back whenever it tried to leave.
He felt his body collapse into the ground, and heard the thud as his head hit the sand with a sad pmph. He knew nothing but darkness for many hours.
(That's okay, don't feel pressured! :)))
_____________________________________________________________________________
The edges of Naarilash's vision started to darken, but she did not completely slip away as Khasm had, though she felt the powerful magic and started to feel disconnected from the material world. She blinked and fell to her knees, and her vision cleared. She saw Khasm fall next to her, and she went over to him.
He was unconscious, and she waited the long hours until he woke in silence, thinking deeply about what had just happened.