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Urchins (CyclicalCycal)

Started by Whim, December 02, 2016, 11:26:31 PM

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Whim

"Just- just try and be brave, okay? You're not gonna die. We'll get out of this..." Ewan tugged Cara along, feeling helpless himself, as the imp shepherded the pair into the estate. The pair found themselves in a massive greathall complete with marble columns and a chckered floor. It was empty save for a court of statues: faeries and daemons all all clutching braziers. "We'll go over yer duties and the house rules tomorrow. But for now, we'll set you to bed. Don't know why you're both groggy; done nothing but lay about in that wagon I reckon."

"We'd be more agreeable if your sellswords weren't so rough and we didn't have an ugly little goblin barking orders!" Ewan murmured sulkily.

The imp whirled and waggled a finger at the boy, who suddenly yelped, feeling something pinch his back. "Got a smart mouth!" Thistle sneered, turning to Cara, "And you! Had enough of your wailing. Could be lots worse you know! Got a warm bed here. Where were you before? Wandering the woods? Pfah!"

The trio turned down a corridor and into a library. It was a dark and dreary, lit only by moonlight, and filled with three stories of books and taxidermied beasts the likes of which they'd never seen (tigers and dragons from Kishahn). Thistle lead them to the third floor of the estate and turned down a cramped and dusty corridor.
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

CyclicalCycal

Cara whimpered, nodding to Ewan. "W-w-we...just g-gotta wait..." She whispered, barely audible. "H-he'll come...s-save us." She stumbled after Ewan, wearily, glancing about the glorious hall, with opulent marble columns, and statues of eldritch entities.

Cara was decidedly unimpressed.

The girl slowly turned to the imp, as it yelled at her. She stared at it, wearily, unable to truly figure out what it was on about. Was wandering the woods a bad thing? No. It decidedly was not. In Cara's honest opinion (and she was absolutely unbiased) wandering the woods was decidedly the best thing one could be doing.

"H-how'd...the e-evil...d-demon...kn-know that?" Cara asked, to Ewan, legitimately confused.

Cara staggered on after the demon, glancing about the library. Now, this was slightly more interesting to her. She didn't understand taxidermy, not at all, so it was likely no surprise when she whispered. "W-why's the t-tiger and giuorv not attacking us...?" to Ewan, truly and totally befuddled.

As the two entered the corridor, Cara mumbled, pleading. "L-lemme go...pl-please...you wont die...i-if you lemme go..." She said, trying to convince Thistle the same way she had tried to convince the bandits.

Whim

"Daemons and faeries and things can look at your soul, I suppose. Or him and that ugly hunter had words.

"And the tiger's dead. They stuffed with cotton and wool to make it look live," Ewan replied, giving her a cockeyed look. "Though I suppose elves don't that."

The little imp rolled his eyes at her remark, "Don't think you'll be magicking me to death anytime soon. Whatever power you had is the Lady's. Now you'd best behave unless you wanna spend your time here as a mouse!"

Ewan glowered at the imp, "She's just scared. We'll be good or whatever you like; get on with it." The boy gave Cara a look and trudged on.

The trio wound down a maze of corridors in the attic. It was filled with the art-wok and furniture of dozens of strange peoples. They passed a mirror which showed the two children, but not the daemon, as animals (Ewan some kind of ape; Cara a lamb); a broken and limbless statue which greeted them cheerfully; and a bird-cage holding a sleep pixie. Finally they reached a door at the end of a corridor.

Thistle nudged it open revealing a tiny room, barely a closet. There were tiny beds on either side of the room and a little desk with a candle. The floor was littered with a pair of wooden swords, a raggedy looking doll, and a checker set; children clearly resided here before but where were they now? Moonlight filtered in through a tiny window. Thistle lazily ushered them inside, "Whelp! Best get some shut-eye. Don't go creeping around at night. If I don't get you, the cat will. Any questions?"
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

CyclicalCycal

Cara followed, unable to do anything else, really. "...mice are nice." She mumbled, mostly to Ewan, at the threat of being turned into a mouse. "They're squeaky and tell good jokes..." She said, a little more oddly.

As the girl followed the group, she looked at the things she passed. Mostly, it was a mixture of confusion at the things she had seen before. When she saw the art and furniture, she was, again, decidedly unimpressed. As she saw the mirror, she thought they were real animals, trying to speak with them, but growing distressed as they didn't follow. Cara greeted the living statue rather benignly, as if it wasn't even that surprising.

Cara glanced about the room. Her look was one of true and total hatred, a look a child should never really have. "...I-I don't...w-w-wanna...be in here..." She said, to the imp. "I-I wanna go home. When can I go home...?" She asked, rubbing at her eye, sniffling. It looked like she was going to begin crying again.

Whim

Thistle tisked and turned away; with a snap of the imp's fingers the door creaked shut.

"I know. She's keeping us here with magic, though. We'll have to look for a way to undo... whatever she did." Ewan sighed and scurried over to the window, squinting out at the lights of the city. Her desperation wasn't helping his own mood; she could use some cheering.

"So you can talk to animals? What... where did you live before all this?" he changed the subject, trying to smile.
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

CyclicalCycal

Cara nodded, slightly, looking about the area. She fixed her eyes to the doll. "A-a...vessel..." She mumbled, before disregarding it. She hadn't the power, unless she drained her eye.

Her eye!

She stuffed her hand in her pocket, nodding to Ewan, again. "I-I can talk to a-animals...and plants...too. I...I lived in the forest." She said, shakily. It was calming her, though. She took the chunk of the orb out of her pocket. She had successfully smuggled it in, and it still hummed with power. It was still working.

"...I-I could...drain this. B-but...then he w-wouldn't know where I was..." She said, to Ewan, as if he'd understand.

Whim

"What forest did you live in? And this was with your parents?

"When I was a grown up - an adult - I used to live in Ravensway on a big estate. That's near the Draconi Forest. Left home to find stuff for stuff to improve my rejuvenation spell until I got caught... turning into a kid ate some of my grown-up memories," the boy frowned, blushing.

Ewan squinted at Cara. She had something up her sleeve, but he was sure elven children, like their human counterparts, were not renowned planner and tacticians.

"Drain it to get your magic back? Do you think you could undo her spell if you did? And whose looking for you? Your dad? And how'd you lose your eye anyway?" questions spat out of his mouth one after the other in a hushed whisper; she couldn't possibly answer them all.
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

CyclicalCycal

"...I can't live without my magic...I'm going to die." She said, to Ewan. "...if I drain it...it'll only keep me...alive...for a little while longer. Father is looking for me, now. He'll kill everyone just to get me...it wont be pretty...oh, and he took out my eye when I was little!"

Cara took out the chunk of the orb, rubbing at her empty socket with her free hand. "It...it is calling him. He'll be here, eventually. B-but it could take days...I don't want to be here for days and days with evil demons and an evil woman." She turned her one-eyed gaze to Ewan, now asking him a question.

"Can you get your magic back?"

Whim

The boy held out and hand and whispered an old faerie phrase, "od pukha!" Nothing happened. He tried gain and failed, clenching his fist in frustration. "I suppose I'm just a regular boy now. Or I'd be a giant wolf."

The boy leaned forward and knit his brow. If they held out long enough her father, who at the very least was in the business of making otherworldly wooden eyes, might be able to match the witch. Even if he failed it might be enough for Ewan to escape. But would Cara last that long? It was so tempting... be he couldn't let her risk it. Could he?

"If you think you're going to die you'd ought to drain it. We'll just have to find another way out of here," he gave a reassuring smile and a heavy sigh. "Just why did he... did he do that to you anyway? Was your old eye hurt?"

Her "Father" sounded like no elf Ewan was aware of...
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

CyclicalCycal

"Well, he made it so...so I had a source...of power...in case it was stolen. And so I had...something to cast upon...if I was in the city. He had one, once, as well. So did his father. And his father. And his father. And his father.

I-I'm g-gonna die...I need my magic back..." She said, looking down at her hands in utter fear and revilement. She focused on the shard of magical wood, as if it could save her.

Mainly because it could save her.

"...but...but...if I l-let it...re-remain...father will come...and save us." She whispered, to Ewan. It seemed it was a very, very, very tough decision for her to make. "...b-but if I drain it...I c-could cast...s-some minor sp-spells...or live longer..."

"...I hate this place."

Whim

"But if you're gonna die without it you have to do it!" Ewan pointed to the eye, "Please? We'll find another way to escape.

"And I don't like it either. But we'll find a way to escape, alright?" a yawn escaped the boy's mouth and he looked to the soft bed "Its been awful stuck in that cage for days and days. Just a little sleep then we'll go, okay?"

Ewan looked at the nearby changing screen, then wandered over to one of the dressers. He yanked forth a billowy nightdress and frowned at the frills, stuffing it back into the drawer before moving on in search of something more masculine... or at least meant for a boy.
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

CyclicalCycal

Cara hesitated. She paused a long, long, long while.

Then, she had an epiphany.

"...I'll just drain some of it."

That would be a smart idea. "Drain...drain most of it. And leave a little bit of it...that we he can find us...but it'll take longer." Cara grinned, weakly. It was a brilliant idea, in fact! She gripped the shard in her hand, focusing for a moment, before sapping out a chunk of the power. She seemed stronger. Better. More prominent. Less tired.

And, best of all, she wasn't slowly dying!

She pocketed the wooden shard, going to wander over to Ewan and the dressers. She seemed perplexed by them, as if they're some sort of ancient artefact from a dead civilisation.

"Wha's this?" She asked, going to open one of them.

Whim

"Well if you're sure you'll be safe," Ewan mumbled hesitantly. Was it an elf thing? If the girl was missing an eye was she held together by magic?

In her dresser Cara found some night-gowns, along with dresses and stockings. They were finely embroidered with lace and frills, but no doubt tight and itchy beneath their pretty veneer. Ewan wrinkled his nose a the collection of starchy shirts and short-pants he found.

The boy turned to her with a teasing smirk. "Clothes. Like the coat you've got on? Don't tell me you've only ever wore that your life?"
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

CyclicalCycal

"Ewww..." She responded, scrunching her face up at the clothing. It seemed she didn't like these clothes at all. "These are stupid. My coat is better! So are my boots. So is everything I've got." She said, voicing her opinion confidently.

Cara then glanced at Ewan, a frown crossing her face. "Coats are good. More people should wear them. I just want one my size." She then glanced at the horrid clothing. "Do they expect us to wear these? These are stupid. I'm not gonna wear them."

Whim

"And I'm sure your coat's nicer. But I bet it could use a wash," Ewan stuck his tongue out.

"And thee are what children on estates are meant to wear. They're meant to look pretty, not be comfy." Ewan fished a puffy nightshirt from his drawer and dragged it behind the changing screen with a sigh. "This one's for sleeping in."

A few moments later he tossed a balled up tunic and trousers onto the floor, and emerged dressed in the billowy nightdress. Between that, his long wild hair, and slim frame he looked decided girlish. "Well... I guess we're sleeping here. Where are you gonna put that eye?"
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

CyclicalCycal

"'s...not an eye. It's a shard. It's not big enough to be a whole one...I could make another...I just need a tree..." Cara's mumbled, to Ewan. "...these clothes aren't nice. I'm not wearing them." Cara proclaimed, glancing about the area.

She was rather annoyed, it seemed, if not entirely angry and fearful.

Indeed, it seemed she was quite hateful. Quite angry with this predicament. "...I don't wanna sleep in a stupid city building! I've never slept in a stupid city building! Don't make me!" She cried out, tears welling up in her eyes.

Whim

"Still you'd ought to hide it if there's magic left.

"And I know you don't. But they're just going to find us again with these marks" Ewan bristled a little; she was becoming petulant. But what else is expected of an elf raised in some magical forest?

The boy slid from his bed to the floor, wincing at the dust it kicked up. "Well if you can't sleep. Do you want to tell stories or play a game or something?" His eyes darted to the chessboard. Might keep her mind off things.
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

CyclicalCycal

"...I-I don't...o-okay. O-okay..." Cara nodded, slowly. She followed Ewan's gaze, fixing on the chessboard. It almost immediately distracted her, thankfully, wandering over to it. "...what's this?" She asked, moving to poke it with wide eyes, as if it'd make some sort of movement, or have some sort of reaction when touched.

"...is this some sort of..."

Cara attempted to run through her mind, hunting for anything she could compare this to.

She found nothing.

Whim

Ewan gathered up the crude wooden chess pieces and lined them up on the board. Cara was black and he was white. And then the boy began a long-winded and officious explanation of the game, "This is called chess. When one piece moves on top of another piece it captures it. Different pieces move different ways. What you want is to capture these ones here. These with the crowns are the Kings. And this one here moves like an 'L' and this one moves diagonal and..."

He showed Cara how to slide a pawn forward, though it hardly seemed the sort of game she'd like. But, he wasn't going to dignify the 'toys' in the room with any attention. In the back of his mind he wondered where the attic room's previous occupant had gone.
Awesome avatar by Eckhart_von_Musel

Guilds:
Wyrdwood Academy of Arcane Science

Events:
The Midnight Harvest
Into the Mouth of Qokagax

Characters:
Ewan ap Rhys - once a great sorcerer, now a small boy
Anwen ferch Rhys - scholar of blood magic
Duke Blackthorn - Duke of Dawn and Dusk, Warden of Weal and Woe, and all-around evil faerie
"Kaliam" - magically conjoined apprentice wizards
Maergath - Magister of Soulshaping, necromancer, angry and hateful wizard
Narlis Thordane - Hero for hire, proud and unrepentant scumlord
Niamh Wayrest - trader in forbidden lore, purveyor of curiosities
OLIVER THE BARBARIAN - a very reluctant hero and monster-slayer
Sage Whitechalk - heir to the Whitechalk Family
Saoirse Nettlefield - Headmistress of Wyrdwood, conniving academic

CyclicalCycal

"...okay." Cara said, nodding all the while. She seemed to only be paying vague attention, being more interested in literally everything else. Though, especially in the wooden dolls. They were of a certain note to her, apparaently.

Cara continued to nod, until after the exolaination had ended. She watched Ewan intently, before slowly reaching over to the queen. "So this one moves anywhere?" She would ask. Without waiting for an answer, she would pick it up and going to place it next to his king.

"I win. Why didn't you do that?"

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