The Night the Fire Fell (aka "I F***** The Mage Out Of Him") (Alkereth & Emery) [M]

Avelithe · January 08, 2023, 09:42:05 AM

"It's a valiant effort," a familiar voice said, "but I'm afraid it's only just that."

The voice belonged to none other than the man Emery held captive. It was crystal clear compared to the painful strain Alkereth suffered, but it did not come out of the mouth of his resting form. About a foot away from behind Emery, there was a transparent body hovering eerily over the ground, seemingly not bound by mortal coils, or, for that matter... clothes. Granted, his lower half was too transparent to see the goods.

"Ah—right. Be not afraid, and all that."

The ghostly apparition smirked haughtily at Emery, but there was also that look of contempt. The white hair flowed as if underwater, and the scarlet eyes seemed to shine. He expected some level of shock, but it was not enough to restrain himself—he was pissed off. Who was to say that the man Emery attempted to save had gone and died on her, that wasn't too far fetched to think of the possibility that the crazy magic man had come back to literally haunt her.

Rhindeer · January 08, 2023, 02:53:35 PM

Emery jerked, and in doing so sloshed water down the man's neck and chest. That was his voice, but his mouth wasn't moving--she would know, considering she was trying to funnel water into it. A spike of alarm cut through the exhaustion of the day--that's what this had to be, right? She was just tired--but she forced her breathing to remain calm and even as she twisted to look.

"What the fu...?"

She cut of with a strangled sound when she saw he was standing right there, right behind her, and a dozen unlikely explanations fumbled through her mind in a panicked rush, like did he have a goddamned twin (what?), was he using magic (how?), was he actually dead (he had a pulse just a second ago!), or was she just out of her bloody mind? She startled, dropping the water skin and letting his head drop back onto the blanket, freeing up her hands so she could fumble her knife from her belt. It was only as she stared at him that she realized he wasn't solid, that half of him was faded into nothing, and that his hair was defying gravity.

Was he dead? Was this a ghost? Oh shit. Seriously?

"How are you--what are--?" She couldn't decide what she wanted to say long enough to spit it out, her tongue tripping on the words. She looked from him to the body laying before her and darted a hand out to feel for his pulse. Sure enough, it was still there. But maybe not for long? She'd never seen a spirit before. She didn't know how that shit worked. Was he pissed enough to start haunting her early?

Finally, she managed to choke out, "How?"

Avelithe · January 08, 2023, 03:14:34 PM

Alkereth sighed, watching Emery with his arms folded in front of him, waiting for the shock to be over.

"Now, listen carefully you absolute imbecile of a human. Mordecai. Whatever in god's name you are. There is little time, so I am going to explain quickly and in a way your primate brain can understand. I don't often make a habit of splitting my spirit from my body, but it was necessary to keep a close eye on you. I wasn't even sure if I could, since you are a living magic blocker. But here we are." He studied Emery with the same air of bitter disappointment he gave her earlier in his corporeal body.

"To some, this is called an... ah... out-of-body experience, but seeing that you're an uneducated, closed-minded excuse of a woman, I don't expect you to understand. Anyway, I used up the last stores of my magical energy to appear like this to instruct you, but your stubborn streak as of late leaves me a little skeptical that you're willing to listen at all. ...are you even listening?"

The Harbinger scoffed. "Look, you vile creature. I am dying. And unless something is done beyond your ridiculous attempt to revive me, you are definitely going to lose out on your..." There was a slight sneer on his face. "...self-interests. Now, since I am bound to our agreement, I have no choice but to follow your pathetic hide once my body is able to function, but I absolutely refuse to go anywhere with you in the state I am in. If anything, my plan will accelerate my recovery. That is something we both have in common, at least. You want me up and about, and I want to live."

His ghostly form hovered inches from Emery like the goddamn Ghost of Christmas Past. "Is this any way clear, or do I have to spell it out for you? Go get my sword."

Rhindeer · January 13, 2023, 02:02:52 PM

He was insulting her.

He was insulting her quite thoroughly.

His words weren't lost on Emery, but they were also both in a very unique position here: he was dying and disembodied, and she was (though she would never admit it out loud) terrified. She had a goddamn specter haunting her, which shouldn't be possible because he wasn't dead and also just...how?! Until this moment, she had never really examined her beliefs as far as spirits and ghosts went. Of course she knew about the undead, vile constructs of magic created by necromancers, but those were just meat puppets. This was something else entirely, and the shock of it was enough to keep her from getting pissed off over being called stupid in so many different ways.

This was a miracle, was it not?

Divine intervention of some sort?

For a moment she almost believed it, until he explained that he had used magic to accomplish this. But magic how? She was a Mordecai! This shouldn't be possible!

It sent a chill down her spine, the idea that magic could get past her somehow, that magic could mimic a miracle, and her mouth went dry. What in God's name was he?

When he had finished, and demanded his sword, Emery stiffened. She shouldn't do it. Give him his weapon? If he could get past her defenses like this, there was no telling what he could do once he had a weapon near him. Right? Maybe she should just let him die. Someone that could get past Mordecaism, someone who could create a hole in the earth...she should kill him now...

"Fine."

Instead she stood and went to Hilda wordlessly, fetching his sword and taking a deep breath as she stared down at the blade, so gorgeously crafted. No, it would be wrong to kill him--not morally, but logically. If he could everything she had seen, then it was all the more reason to get him somewhere he could be studied, because if one person could do what he could then there had to be others, and that was a problem.

He had to live.

With another deep breath, she laid the sword near his hand. "One wrong move and I will kill you."

This was stupid. This was foolish. But what could he really do, right? His body was a wreck. She needed him alive. But she couldn't help the fresh anxiety that gnawed at her, because this could also be the stupidest mistake she ever made.

Avelithe · January 13, 2023, 03:35:18 PM

Alkereth's spirit snorted, waving a dismissive hand. "Yes, yes, and you'll filet my body like a fish and string what's left of me up on a tree to serve as a warning to other magical bastards like me. I get it, get a move on you redheaded simpleton. We don't have all day. Place the sword on my body. Allow my physical hands to grasp it. You do it, you bloody oaf, I cannot move objects in this form. And now, we wait."

The sword and the body began to emit a soft glow. The spirit watched carefully. "Good, that is supposed to happen. My sword is imbued with my power. I am currently transferring my power into my body to begin the healing process. Think of it as... a kind of failsafe in case something happens to me. At any rate, this will be good for my body while I am resting."

The spirit crossed his arms and leaned back, folding one transparent leg over the other, as if lying on an invisible hammock. After moments of lingering in stillness, his lower legs seemed to disappear again. Alkereth did not speak for a while, but every now and then he flickered a look towards Emery in case she decided to change her mind.

"This may take some time, so get comfortable. Read a book. Cry in a corner. Do whatever it is a Mordecai does in their spare time."

Alkereth let the silence stew for a while. In the meantime, he was thinking: how should he get out of this? The Mordecai was not a foolish woman, and would be ready if he decided to go against is word.

But then the guilt took hold, and he knew that whatever may happen, he could never go back on his promise. That just wasn't his way. He was committed to his promises to a fault, but look where it landed him: potential jail time, or whatever it was the woman had cooked up for him. He knew that whatever waited for him at the end of this journey would bode badly for him. At least it couldn't be worse than facing off a many-eyed tentacled monster from beyond the cosmos whose soul purpose was to feed on mortal nightmares. Actually, Alkereth decided that between facing monsters and jail time, he very much preferred the former, because then, at least, he had a fighting chance. Now, he was in a bind he could not escape.

"So... Mordecai. Maybe now is a good time to explain what will happen to me. What will it be? Labor camp? Confinement in a cold, dark cell?"

Rhindeer · January 13, 2023, 04:55:11 PM

Redheaded simpleton?! Oh, he was really pushing his luck here, and was fortunate he was too fucked up for her to safely smack him. Emery scowled, but she did as instructed--

And then she waited and watched.

His sword and body began to glow, and Emery could feel her heart hammering away in her chest. Maybe it was supposed to happen, but she didn't like it, every nerve on edge and every muscle tensed and ready to spring into action should he do something unexpected. This was bad, this was stupid, this was utterly insane, letting him do some sort of supernatural witchcraft right before her eyes. It was the sort of thing that got a person hanged on the spot or burned, whichever was most convenient. It was a complete and total death sentence, and she was just letting him do it, 100% complicit, because he was currently more valuable alive than dead.

Was she going to hell for this, for aiding a mage? No. She had to trust that the ends justified the means. It would all pay off and make sense later.

This was for the greater good.

When she felt certain that he wasn't going to spring anything on her and was just going to...uh...glow for the time, she crossed her arms over her chest and turned away from him with a shudder. She couldn't watch this, so instead she paced, the exhaustion of the day replaced by a burst of nervous energy.

"I hope you're having fun," she muttered to his quip, rolling her eyes. Cry in a corner? Really? "Get it out of your system while you can."

His next question, however, gave her pause--enough that she even stopped her pacing long enough to face him, though her foot still tapped as though she'd rather be walking.

Good question.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" she answered, not too keen to lay all her cards on the table just yet. But the truth was...she wasn't quite sure.

She had never been part of the experiments and studies. She was just a soldier, not a scholar. But even more than that...should she take him to the Mordecai? She had defected in a fit of anger and frustration and she knew damned well she wasn't welcome back, so taking him there was risky. Morally speaking, however, that was the correct choice--if this man could get around Mordecaism and was dangerous enough to cause mass destruction, she was kind of obligated to do the right thing and take him to the proper source regardless of the stakes. If he was a lesser mage, she could have just taken him to the Hunters where they would do whatever it was they did with mages, but...this was a special case.

"I can at least tell you it won't be a labor camp. A waif like you? No." She shook her head. "To be honest, the answer largely depends on you. What the fuck are you?"

Avelithe · January 13, 2023, 05:28:23 PM

Alkereth was, sincerely, having the time of his life right now. Let's be honest: he enjoyed watching his captor squirm for once, after all the shit she's given him. And she absolutely deserved it. Perhaps it was not in good character, and he was sure he would have to spend the rest of his days cleansing his soul. He thought with private glee that if he was going to the dark realm for his sins for this, then it was so worth it.

He glided down to smirk at Emery.

"What is wrong? You look like you have seen a ghost."

And he laughed.

But then Emery gave him an answer. Well... the next best thing to an answer, anyway. While he namecalled Emery to death, he knew better than to underestimate her.

"Ugh. Tell me you're ignorant without telling me you're ignorant. I take it you don't have many magically inclined acquaintances, except for those on the end of your knife. How predictable."

The Harbinger rolled a little in the air, more so to give himself something to do. He was patient, but not with Emery.

"You said I am to be sold, yes?" Alkereth laughed again, but it was a dark, low laugh. "I am worth far more than any gold or silver they can give you, girl. Remember that."

There was a pause in which Alkereth quietly considered Emery's words. He had to be careful, but he knew that he had to give some explanation. "I'm surprised you did not ask how I ended up in the crater. Your prejudiced brain cannot get beyond the fact that you think there is something wrong with me, so you want me to validate your prejudices by giving you some obtuse, off-the-wall explanation about my apparent villainy. Am I not wrong?" He glared at Emery.

"Whatever. I suppose it hurts nothing to give you an answer. But I expect you to listen, Mordecai, because I will not repeat myself. I've been called many things—wizard, sorcerer, rider, priest. I travel the world with the sole task of offering divine protection in the name of my god against the dark and evil forces in this world. You caught me in the aftermath of a great battle... that I lost. But no, no, I am the bad guy, clearly. Go on, say it. You're about to go off on some lecture about why I am wrong, and how I'm a tree-killer, and some other nonsense. Go on, then, I'm waiting."

It was not the entire truth, but it was one he hoped would satisfy Emery. He could not tell her of his life as a Harbinger, or he would run the risk of breaking the contract he made with his fabulous cosmic horse. It was easier to come up with a believable story about how he was attempting to save this world... and potentially belonged to it, too.

Rhindeer · January 15, 2023, 07:12:38 PM

The fact that he was enjoying himself was not lost on Emery. If she was the sort to lose her temper easily, it would have had her seriously reconsidering the value of keeping him alive. As it was, she just scowled at him as he made his ghost joke, but couldn't help but take a wary step backwards when he got too close for comfort. Whatever he was--ghost, specter--he had confirmed it was a construct of magic, which was a horrifying reminder that he had somehow gotten past her barriers.

That meant he could do it again, no doubt. What would the next time bring?

The thought was enough to keep her sober through his little tirade of insults, but her patience also paid off, because finally he decided to give her answers.

Sort of.

She swallowed when he was done, realizing her mouth was embarrassingly dry. The last thing she wanted was to let on that he had her worried--and that he had gotten under her skin.

"Fine. You're a bad guy tree-killer. Since you so desperately wanted me to say it," she said with a dispassionate shrug. "But really, you...you have to know how all that sounds, right? That you're some great hero against the evil forces of the world and I found you after you so tragically lost some battle. That sounds lovely. Really, it does. It also sounds like bullshit."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. "They say magic makes you go mad after a time but you're beyond delusional. Thinking yourself the witch version of Ansgar, some holy magic-wielding savior? Not the worst I've seen, no, but definitely unhinged. But by all means," she said, spreading her hands in offering and quirking an amused smile, "do tell me some of your great feats of heroism. Stories of such a well-traveled hero like you surely would have been sung far and wide."

And she sure as hell hadn't heard a single one.

Avelithe · January 15, 2023, 08:50:41 PM

This woman...!

"I didn't say I would try to convince you," he growled harshly. "Only that I would tell you the truth. You want to hear more, then you will earn it."

Emery was lucky that Alkereth was still down and out. He had never been provoked to hit a woman his entire life. He scowled at her.

"A man surviving the fall from the sky sounds unbelievable," he pointed out. "But here I stand, with you as my unwitting witness. But if you want to talk about evil, girl, then let's talk about evil." He moved to glare at her closely, the frown darkening his translucent face.

"A person, on the brink of death. The only friend he could have made in the entire world turned out to be a selfish, self-serving, callous wretch who only desires coin. Now tell me, Mordecai. Do you know how you sound?"

Alkereth floated away, and turned to face his body. "You attempted to nurse me back to health, but we both know that it was not out of charity." He turned again, but only to face her coldly. "I have never met anyone so pitiless and jaded over another life. I do wonder why you are so unkind, and what made you who you are today. Because I do not believe people are born evil. I do not believe you were."

Rhindeer · January 15, 2023, 11:14:27 PM

Emery rolled her eyes skyward with a long sigh. She had a feeling she wouldn't be getting much, if any, sleep since his specter form sure liked to gab. Did he even feel fatigue at all in that form? Wait. Did he even need to breathe? Oh God, he probably didn't, which meant he could talk even more. Endlessly, without needing to take a breath in between if he chose and without needing to stop to sleep...

She was really starting to miss the part before he did his ghost shenanigans, because now he was starting to poke at things she really, really didn't want poked. Her shoulders stiffened and twitched up toward her ears as he dressed her down, her jaw tensing in annoyance, but she closed her eyes, let her breath out slowly through her nose, and forced herself to relax. No, no. It was bait and she was above rising to that. He was trying to get a reaction out of her.

She would not give him the satisfaction.

He wasn't the one who was in control here.

"I'm not here to discuss philosophy," Emery grumbled at last, and with another sigh she gave up and took a seat near the fire. God, she was tired, and now that the initial shock had worn off and she'd paced off some of the anxiety, she could feel the fatigue deep in her muscles again. She stretched her legs out in front of her and leaned back on her hands, rolling her head to each side to pop her neck.

"I know what it must look like from your perspective. And to perfectly transparent here, I don't actually believe you're evil. I believe you're dangerous. There's a difference." She cocked her head and peered up at him, trying to keep her expression bored. "A wolf that attacks a shepherd's flock isn't evil, but it also can't be allowed to run rampant, can it? You believe you're protecting the world from evil, and I believe I'm protecting the world from you."

Goddammit, she said she wasn't here to talk philosophy and yet here she was.

"Well, not you specifically, but people like you. You can't help it, I know, you're just doing what's in your nature. But between your delusions, capacity for destruction, and being able to do that--" She motioned to his form. "--which shouldn't even be possible--things are incredibly problematic. Anyway, you're welcome for saving your life and not slitting your throat when I had the chance. It certainly would have saved me the headache of your lecture."

Avelithe · January 16, 2023, 05:37:42 AM

"Can't help what, exactly?" Alkereth shot back savagely. "Having magic?"

He was a candle burning on both ends at this point. There was no one whom was ever so infuriating as she, and Alkereth seriously wanted to pick her up and drop her in the nearest river.

"What kind of nonsense do they teach you?" In his anger, he began to dance around Emery, raising his voice an octave to mimic her. "Ohhh, magic people are bad, but they can't help it, but they're still bad! Not that you're bad, but I'm still going to call you bad! I'm going to do the world a favor and round them up like cattle because they don't deserve to breathe the same air space as meeee! Which is fine because I'm about to get paid, teehee! Money, money, moneeeeeey! I'm a silly girl with a silly face and silly hair! TEEHEE!"

He stopped, hovering above Emery now. He noted her exhausted, but he did not care, or explain that he was technically already sleeping himself.

"You know what I think? I think you're jealous. I think you're stark raving mad that you cannot do what I do. You should listen to yourself! My god, you're talking about me as if you know me, as if I wake up one Tuesday morning and say, 'I think I'll go cause havoc in the next village because I'm absolutely INSANE, la dee da!' Just... what? Is that what they teach you, woman? To be frank, my dear, I've never been called insane my whole life. You're the first! You want my honest opinion? YOU. YOU ARE DRIVING ME INSANE." He shouted this, his spirit voice echoing off the trees.

"Never have I met someone so fixated in their ways! You're as stubborn as a tree." He crossed his arms. "Mark me. One day you are going to meet someone like me. And they are going to shake the whole foundations of your world. Figuratively speaking, idiot." He paused, hesitating. "Do you not care at all? About what you're doing, here?"

Rhindeer · January 16, 2023, 08:30:18 PM

This was not happening.

How had she stumbled upon the one mage in all of hell and earth who was so utterly irreverent about this situation? Any other mage she'd ever dealt with turned into a nervous wreck at the mere mention of Mordecai, and those who weren't cowed by terror fought tooth and nail because they knew what they were in for. However they dealt with it, there was a level of respect there. Fear and anger, yes, but the healthy kind that showed they respected what you were capable of.

Certainly none of them acted like...like...whatever the hell this was!

Emery stared at him, dumbfounded as he danced around her like some possessed monkey, his voice pitched high in mockery, and she could feel a vein begin to throb in her temple. It seemed he had really found himself here, taking quite a hard left turn from begging and pleading and promising to be a good boy to...this. She had no words for this. Was she going to have to listen to this all bloody night?

Don't react, don't react. She had a long fuse and she loved using it on anyone trying to get a rise out of her. She was notorious for being stone cold, and nothing drove annoying people more batty than a lack of a reaction. Never break first was her rule, and she wore it like armor.

The only problem was that no armor was without its chinks.

For her, it was sleep deprivation.

She weathered the storm of his mockery and dancing as best as she could, her bored expression darkening into a scowl and eyes narrowing. Don't react, don't do it, keep calm. But he was so fucking annoying, like a mosquito buzzing shrilly in her ear, and it was not helping the headache blossoming behind her tired eyes. Her hands curled into fists, clutching at the grass so she didn't wrap them around his neck. Calm breaths, in and out, though she couldn't help the twitch as he once again called her girl, made fun of her face and hair like a child, and then had the absolute gall to claim she was jealous of him! Jealous! As if!

By the time he was wrapping up his tirade, she was so tense she was shaking with the effort it took not to explode and she was quite proud she hadn't cracked a tooth from clenching her jaw. She could win this. She could. She was better than this. She was—

Absolutely going to strangle him.

No, no. Patience. Calm.

"Is it really wise to antagonize someone within arm's reach of several sharp and pointy objects?" she said, pointedly avoiding his final question. Her words were slow and level in a way she intended to convey careless laziness, but instead came out as more of a growl. She was absolutely seething, just one straw short of a broken back, her shoulders rising and falling with deep, controlled breaths. She would not break. She wouldn't.

"God. I liked you far more when you were begging me on your knees—where you belong. That look suits you so much better."

Avelithe · January 17, 2023, 05:29:06 AM

"You know what? Go ahead. Stab me. End my life, injure me, maim me. You couldn't do any worse than the bloody mountains. I am not scared of you. I have been on the brink of death before. You are no different than all the monsters I've ever fought. Only this time, the coward girl will stab a man in his sleep. How typical!"

Alkereth did not like being ignored, and it only served to poke and prod his ire. He was not sure why this girl made him so angry—well, that wasn't entirely true, he could tick off several reasons on both hands, but he just could not, for the life of him, understand her. He wanted to know what put her in this position, and she refused to budge about anything that might hint as a weakness. And he thought he was a closed book!

"Let me say it again," he growled. "Do you care what you're doing at all here? Answer me, Mordecai. I gave you my story, and now you owe me. I want to hear it. Was your past filled with abuse? Did someone like me kill your parents? What tragedy led you here? Or was it merely propaganda in this place that poisoned your mind against people like me? Give me an answer... and I will leave you alone for the rest of the night. And I don't mean some smart remark either, girl."

Alkereth was playing a dangerous game, gambling his life for an answer. He knew this, but he knew he had not much left to lose if he died here tonight, despite his efforts to cling to life.

Emery was stubborn... but so was he.

Rhindeer · January 17, 2023, 08:09:48 PM

"Of course I fucking care!" Emery yelled, springing to her feet. He had done it. He had actually done it. He had driven her to the edge of her patience and shoved her over into the abyss. Congratulations!

"Do you think I enjoy this? That I get sick pleasure out of this? Holy fucking shit, you are so goddamn irritating!"

Filled with furious energy, she paced back and forth by the fire, running her hands through her messy hair so she could yank at the strands in frustration—and because it pulled her scalp enough to ease some of the tension headache. She'd lost the battle, she realized, and she rallied hard to rein her temper back in. But once the cat was out of the bag, it was difficult to wrestle that ball of teeth and claws back in. She hated it, losing control like this. She hated it so much.

"No wonder you were cast into a glorified ditch! You never fucking shut up! You—!" She cut herself off, hands curled in a strangling motion, but with an effort she brought one to her face and pinched the bridge of her nose. Letting out an exasperated huff, she came to a sharp stop with her back to him and front toward the fire. God help her, she wanted to toss him into it. But no. No, she had to chill out. Deep breaths. Focus. Calm down. But he had jabbed at bruised and sensitive areas and she was tired, and exhaustion and hunger tended to make her more emotional and less guarded. A night's sleep and she would be over it. Hopefully.

"Let us set the record straight here and now, you pasty-faced blight," she said at last, turning to face him. She closed the distance between she and his spectral form and jabbed a finger at his chest, though it went right through him. "I. Owe. You. Nothing. You owe me everything. You are alive right now because I chose mercy. I am being paid for that mercy, that's true—fuck me for needing to eat. But I still made that choice. Do you understand?"

She folded her arms across her chest, shoulders tight, and didn't wait for his response before she added, "Here's what I'll give you: you can have my name—it's Emery. My story isn't important in the grand scheme of things. Make up whatever you want to fill in the blanks. Pick whatever truth fits your image of me. I don't really care. There. Are you satisfied? Can you shut up now for five. Fucking. Minutes?"

Avelithe · January 18, 2023, 04:14:20 AM

Alkereth was victorious. While he felt a surge of pleasure after her defeat, it quickly disappeared, and now all he could feel was grief. Perhaps it was the priest side of him, but as he watched the Mordecai explode and yell at him, he found that he could not be entirely angry. At the situation, maybe, but not her. She did care, even if it was a bit backwards. It was something he decided to deal with later.

"I hear you. As promised," he said softly, "Good night... Emery."

His spectral form faded into the night.

The body, meanwhile, pulsed gently with its healing glow. Alkereth looked no different than moonlight as he slept there, chest rising and falling.

As time went on, he looked healthier (assuming he had not been stabbed by a certain redhead by now). When daylight sent it's first rays through the trees, Alkereth woke, and slowly lifted himself into a sitting position. His body hurt, but not as bad as it did. He was also undressed. Importantly, his bones healed. Mostly. He checked his arms, covered in filth. His healing never dealt in scouring away dirt and grime, but it did close his deep wounds. He looked over to see if Emery had gone to sleep. Whether she had or not, he rose up, and scoffed at his near naked form.

He heard a babbling creek. He took his sword, his torn and worn clothes, and walked silently towards it. If Emery was awake at this point, he would mutter at her to avert her gaze, the pervert!, and explain he wanted to wash himself. She could try and stop him, or come watch, he'd add cheekily. If she was still asleep, then it would make for a more peaceful and quick task ahead.

The creek was deep in the middle, and it was surrounded by trees. He sighed, and buried his sword into the ground for safekeeping. Then he took a quick swim, pleased by the cool water. When he had finished, he left the creek and looked at the state of his clothes.

He took up his clothes, held out his right hand, and muttered foreign words. The clothes began to mend themselves beneath the soft glow of his palm. Next, he had cast a spell to scour away the filth. When he had done, his clothes looked good as new.

"I should reserve some of my energy... I don't have much..." His stomach growled. Loudly. "Oh, right."

Alkereth vaguely wondered if there was game in the woods as he clothed himself, sheathing his sword. He was not sure of what kind of animals lived here. Rabbits? Deer? Or better yet, were they close enough to a village to maybe scrounge for some food? He was not the type to steal, but if neither of them had money... okay, hunting it is.

Luckily, there was a fat hare munching on some grass. So! This world had hares. He inched his way and studied it for a moment. He raised up his hand, and sent out a zap of electricity at it. At first, he missed. He poked out his tongue in concentration as he sent more zaps at the confused fat hare, who started bumbling about. Finally, when a zap hit it, it fell over, paralyzed.

Alkereth stepped up to it with a frown. "I am sorry, little friend. Lazamar will soon take you. Be at peace." He cradled the fat hare, before breaking its neck. A swift kill. The hare, he noticed, was getting on in years anyway. It was the ideal prey.

He brought the hare back to their little camp.

He actually came back.

Rhindeer · January 18, 2023, 01:37:58 PM

...What.

WHAT?

Just like that, he was gone—and right when Emery was all worked up and ready for a fight. She didn't know what she wanted out of the interaction, but him suddenly conceding after all that was so...so...

Unsatisfying.

He kept his word.

Why was he so infuriating?

She pressed her fingers against her eyelids and let her shoulders slump. "God help me," she breathed, because she was going to need every bit of strength He could spare her. She couldn't lose it again like that. She wouldn't lose it again. How fucking embarrassing.

The mage had given her what she wanted. She was alone, it was quiet, she could finally rest--but now she couldn't turn her brain off. Of course. So instead she did what she usually did when that happened: she tried to wear herself out. She did odd chores around the makeshift camp, cleaning, sharpening, and polishing her blades and examining her gear, making a brief trek to the creek she heard babbling in the distance to fill her water skins, checking on the mage between tasks to make sure he was still down. He was glowing so oddly, and he looked less sickly pale, and his breathing seemed more natural and less death rattle. When she briefly touched his brow, he felt warmer, too. Still asleep, though, which was good. Who knew how long they were going to be stuck here.

The moon was low in the sky by the time her menial tasks caught up with her and she couldn't physically keep her eyes open. What a stupid irony, that when she finally got her wish it would take hours before she could actually redeem it. It was probably for the best, though; she shouldn't sleep deeply with him around, anyway. Not that there was much he could do; it would likely be days before he was functional, with wounds like those.

The mage had one blanket, and she unrolled the second from her saddlebags and curled up in the grass not far from the him. All the better to keep an eye on him. She tucked an arm under her head, praying she wasn't sleeping atop ants, and finally shut her eyes. She wouldn't sleep deeply. Just enough. Just a little. If he did anything, she would hear him.

Within minutes, she was lightly snoring, and she certainly heard nothing when he rose.

It was only the sun's light and warmth on her eyelids that finally roused her, and she didn't spring into alertness--she woke slowly and groggily, fighting awakeness every step of the way. It was too fucking early for the sun to be out. She threw her arm over her eyes and laid there, sore from sleeping on the ground and sore from not sleeping enough. Just a little longer and she'd--

There was a rustle of grass, the subtle sound of footsteps cutting through the quiet. A chill went through her that took her from groggy to alert in a heartbeat, and she sat up quickly and first saw that the mage was gone from his bed--and then that no, he wasn't gone at all, he was up and walking with sword in hand. Fully dressed, fully healed, and fully armed. With a curse and a jolt of panic--she had dropped her guard, and had she slept any longer she'd no doubt be dead--she grabbed her sword from where it was laying beside her and pulled it free of its sheath.

"Sword down!" she snapped, climbing to her feet. "Drop it right now or--!"

Wait.

Her eyes dropped to the hare he was carrying, the pieces slowly connecting. He had been up...a while.

She had slept with her sword and hunting blade beside her.

He had been awake and well long enough to clean himself, fix his clothes, hunt a rabbit. That was more than enough time to also kill her with every weapon laying about.

Or just...leave.

But he had a rabbit in hand. He had left. And he was...

Back??

She stared at him, then at the rabbit, then at his sword, pulse thundering in her ears from the shock, her expression of fear and anger fading into one of complete and total bewilderment.

"You...what..." She had no fucking words, but she had so many questions. "You hunted? You fucking hunted?"

Avelithe · January 18, 2023, 03:04:57 PM

Despite the last several hours, Alkereth looked relatively calm, even as demands were made of him. No, he would not disarm himself, and left his sword sheathed in its scabbard. After having moments to himself, he seemed to have re-centered his deportment. He stepped up to the dying fire where, holding up the hare carcass by the ears. He held himself tall, healthy and nearly whole. It seemed his expressions internalized, for he showed nothing more than a little nod.

"Yes," the Harbinger said simply, offering no explanation as to how he managed to snatch a hare almost bigger and fatter than he was with nothing but his scrawny self and a magic sword. "I am hungry. This would make a fine breakfast and not take long at all."

Alkereth offered it to Emery as a silent way of saying, 'You can help prepare this.' He had a sneaking suspicion that she might be hungry, too, and this way, he could postpone the inevitable end. Besides... they had gotten somewhere last night. Perhaps a night's rest and a full belly might improve the Mordecai's behavior?

Well, it was a long shot, but worth it all the same.

"I had spices in the saddlebags with my horse. If only she were here, I could make something divine with this."

Thoughts of his horse cast his gaze downward, but he punched the feeling threatening to well up in him. There was no use in mourning a lost horse right now. He will find Lunrath, but it would be if he survived his situation at all. Besides, he was sure that she was still alive. Mountains could not kill a Starmount. He didn't remember falling with her...

Alkereth pulled himself back to the present, and tossed wood into the fire.

"I choose mercy," he muttered suddenly. He chanced a glance at Emery, wondering what he would see. He expected more of the same, and waited for it, especially since he stole her words. Oh, yes, he heard her last night. He remembered every single word she said. Did she think he was going to let it go?

There was some weight to that simple statement. It was up to Emery to decide how she would interpret it, given the obstinate tone.

Rhindeer · January 18, 2023, 04:20:45 PM

It was kind of surreal talking to the solid version of the man rather than the specter. It was extra surreal realizing that he was healthy, that he had left, that he had come back on his own, and that she was still breathing after all of it. It didn't make sense. At all. And it made her demands to disarm himself feel a little...silly, since he had already had his chance and hadn't taken it.

Still feeling a bit like this was some bizarre dream, she slowly sheathed her own sword and numbly took the hare he he held out to her.

What...the...?

He said something about spices, but she was not following. She was still trying to figure out what was going on and what the catch or joke was. Like, was she maybe actually dead? Was this her body's last frantic flood of imagery before things went dark as she bled out? She watched him feed the fire, then glanced back at the hare in her hands, and slowly lowered it to the grass.

Never in her life had she met someone so baffling. Someone who just...just defied all logic and instinct! Was he insane? Like, literally insane? She had been taught magic did that eventually, that all magic-users succumbed eventually, and she had met some monsters in her time. She had never been around a mage as long as she had been with him, though, but she could safely say his reaction was unnatural.

It was hearing her own words mirrored back at her that snapped her out of her daze.

She stiffened, cutting a glare at him. "You chose insanity," she said, grabbed her hunting knife--but only so she could work on the hare to give her hands something to do. "You came back. Why didn't you leave? Why in God's name would you come back?"

Her hands shook a little as she sliced through the hare's flesh and began the process of skinning it. This was a problem. Of course she didn't want her bounty to up and leave, but this also created new issues. She had only subdued him because she could take advantage of his injuries. Now he was healthy. He was thin, but he still had height and weight on her and if he had a sword, she assumed he could use it. She was confident in her skills; she had been trained since youth. But in a match between two equally skilled players, the stronger one tended to win. Thus, the targets she chose were strategic--targets who relied on raw magic more than weaponry. People she felt confident she could beat. People she had watched for some time to suss out their capabilities.

She had been completely opportunistic here, and had assumed his healing would take actual time. She had made a gamble, but it seemed her opponent's dice were loaded.

Avelithe · January 19, 2023, 04:27:27 AM

"Insanity?" As the Harbinger spoke, he stoked the fires with another stick. If Emery had no provisions appropriate for setting up a meal, he would devise one by sterilizing the stick he held which would serve as a spit.

"You seem to like that word so much, I'm starting to wonder if you're projecting. Let me explain, then. I am bound to a promise, if you'll recall." He straightened. "The opportunity to run was there, yes. But I told you I would see the journey's end. I told you that if I must pay for the mistakes of destroying part of the forest, then I will answer to that."

He stretched out a hand. It looked perhaps like he had meant to take Emery's, but he was only reaching for the hare when she had finished.

"I'm not saying that I agree with these asinine methods. I don't want to go. I have more important matters to attend to than to be studied, or imprisoned, or whatever. But with that said... albeit begrudgingly... with my heart filled with resentment towards you... I am committed. You'll get your silly money, Emery. But now I can do it with my head held high, like I wanted. There's no need for force."

Alkereth, ever so impassive, looked into the fire. It was dying again, but that was fine. He meant to make it smoke. Good heat and smoke would give the hare a little flavor.

"When this is over, I do have one favor to ask."

Rhindeer · January 19, 2023, 01:30:13 PM

This man...!

He was going to make her head explode.

Nothing he did made sense. He could have run and he didn't. He could have killed her and he didn't. He claimed he was bound to a promise, a promise she barely remembered because she had assumed it was just the usual meaningless begging and pleading. But apparently he was serious?

And he said she was projecting! Did he not realize how insane he sounded? Then again, the truly mad never did.

Finished with the hare, she jerked a little when he stretched his hand out to her, eyed it like a snake, and then passed the hare over. Goddammit. She felt jumpy around him now in a way few made her feel because she just could not, for the life of her, read him. She didn't know what his angle was. There had to be a catch. A motive she wasn't seeing. There was absolutely no way he was just going to passively walk with her to his doom, like some lamb to the slaughter.

Whatever. She needed to get a hold of herself. Whatever happened, she could not lose it again like she did last night. That wasn't like her, and it was frankly embarrassing knowing he'd seen that.

"You're ridiculous," she muttered, rising to her feet to fetch her water skin. She rinsed her hands off with it then tossed it beside the mage. "As if you're in any position to beg favors. Do you just...not have any self-preservation instincts at all? No, don't answer that. I shouldn't complain. I should be thanking you for making my job easier, so...thank you for that."

She watched him work, arms crossed, shaking her head slightly. What a nut. "If you're trying to butter me up or something, I'm telling you now it's not going to work. Whatever you're doing, this whole..." She waved her hand at him. "Cooking a meal, playing at domestic bliss or whatever the fuck...save your energy if that's your angle, honestly. You'll need it."

That's what it was. That's what was irritating. She was used to the ones that fought back.