Fantasy Of Ashes and Snow

[Solirus]

Juju ​

Suriel remained focused and resilient as the leader desperately tried to shake him off. The leader's movements slowed and weakened, his eyes a bloodshot red, breathing his last. "Bloody... twat." The leader's body shook the ground as it feel face-first into the ground. A moment of silence echoed through the town as both guards and bandits watched Suriel pick himself up from the ground.

With the sun now setting and the skies growing darker, Suriel's eyes glowed brightly in the darkness, staring directly into the souls of the bandits. Suriel could spot the bandit approaching the wounded Brinne. We wouldn't be able to reach her in time running, there was only one way he could close the distance. Proudly the wings released themselves, the cloth concealing it, flying directly into the man and snatching him from the ground by the neck.

The morale of the bandits was now waning as their leader had just fallen, and the plan had gone in disarray, now was the time to shatter them so they would never come back. Flying higher and higher, the bandit could see the ground growing further away by the moment, until the people beneath were nothing but specks. Suriel finally halted his ascent, holding the bandit up and staring directly into him, before dropping the terrified man. The bandit screamed as he fell, only falling silent when he was nothing but a stain on the earth. Suriel remained in the sky, gazing down upon the bandits, terrified at the sight.

The bandits fled at the sight, running away to save their skin. The town guard pursued the fleeing bandits, assuring that they would not return anytime soon. Though the day was won, the display left was brutal, and no town guards were left cheering. Perhaps this was what the aid of a Spirit brought forth.

Suriel descended from the sky concealing his wings again and checking on Brinne, here shoulder was bleeding, but at least the strike had missed vital organs.

"Get up, you need to get patched up." He stated looking around for any further dangers. The only thing Suriel could find were cautious onlookers who couldn't look away, no one seemed brave enough to approach him.

 

[Juju]

Solirus​

There were a lot of feathers and a rush of air as the bandit was flung upwards by… Suriel? So he could fly, after all! Clutching her bleeding shoulder, Brinne looked up at her ascending saviour in a mixture of wonder, disbelief and abject horror as she realized what Suriel was doing with the bandit. She had seen the mountain eagles do the same thing with goats.

As one of the onlookers below, she could only watch and wait. But unlike many of them, she tore her eyes away, shutting them, as she waited for what she knew was going to happen. A sickening crunch landed somewhere in the square. She didn't want to even glimpse the pile of blood and offal she knew would be there. Just thinking about it made her stomach churn enough to temporarily distract her from the sword wound. The smell of blood and guts was already overpowering her nose.

Brinne only opened her eyes when she felt a gust of wind on her face and heard Suriel's voice. He had landed in front of her, staring down as he urged her to get up. In the gathering dusk, she noticed his eyes glowing ever more brightly.

Weakly, she attempted a dismissive wave at Suriel’s concerns, but only ended up wincing and swearing lightly under her breath. A hiss escaped through her clenched teeth, stifling a whimper. Her breaths were more like pants, but she still managed a clumsy smile so that her following reassurance sounded more believable.

She slowly lifted her head, “I’m fine, I’m fine! It’s nothing, really! I've got herbs for this, anyway. Are the bandits all gone? Did… did anyone get hurt?”

Her questions were more or less answered as she took a look at the crowd of guards and survivors who surrounded Suriel like a flock of scared sheep. That’s right, she thought, Teron mentioned that most people thought of the spirit as some flesh-eating monster. Even without that knowledge, she could easily piece it together by the tentative looks they were giving him. She felt her chest tighten at it all, an anxiousness seeping in.

Even she had to admit that Suriel was scary in combat, but the important thing was that he did it all to protect these people. She had to make sure they knew that, and in doing so maybe change the way they saw him. They just had to. Would they still see him as a monster, even after all this? No, there had to be a way.

“The Spirit of Northshire has saved us!” She declared to them all, beaming with the brightest smile she could manage, “He’s saved the town! Did you see that? He came out from the woods just to help us!”

It was clearly a struggle, but Brinne managed to haul herself back onto her feet. She leaned heavily on her staff, the majority of her weight slumped against the twisted black wood. It looked like despite having cast only a small amount of spells (at least compared full-fledged druids) she was utterly exhausted. That, and the inevitable crash after the adrenaline of combat wore away. Even still, she seemed adamant -- desperate even -- to clear Suriel's collection of monstrous rumours. Blood dripped from under her fingers, but it did not seem her priority.

"Hail to Suriel, Defender of Northshire!" She proclaimed, glancing back at Suriel.

 

[Solirus]

Juju ​

It was difficult to tell how Suriel felt behind his helmet, as he merely remained silent to Brinne's question. Looking around more carefully, he could see the several bodies of the fallen, bandits, guards, and innocent townsfolk. Such things were never pretty, but the sight of it never seemed to bother him too much. The smell, however, was hideous, one couldn't simply cover their nose. The stench of blood was never a particularly pleasant one, but he'd gotten used to it from his hunts when berried didn't simply cut it.

The villagers murmured to each other, but it was Brinne's voice in celebration and pride that snapped Suriel's attention back. The villagers, still wary, didn't seem to join in on the celebration, almost needing a further push for it.

"Hail Suriel, Defender of Northshire" Teron cried out in pure joy and relief, "Without em we'd all be blood dead, Hail the Spirit Defender of Northshire, Hail Suriel." It was this final push that caused the townsfolk to chant and celebrate. The dark scene had now turned to a bittersweet and even joyful one, for they had lived, they'd survived thanks to the efforts of their defender.

Suriel's breath was heavy, his heartbeat deafened all other sounds. This wasn't right, it was all wrong, why did she start this?

Taking a deep breath, Suriel caught an awful smell of dreadful memories. It had been getting dark already, yet he hadn't been thinking about it. "Meet me back-" Suriel struggled to say even an incomplete sentence, but he was reaching his limit. Unfurling his wings once more, he ascended to the sky, leaving behind a powerful gust that extinguished a nearby lantern. The day had already fallen to dusk and Suriel's shadow was only barely visible flying back to his shack.

The townsfolk chants finally faded, unable to identify Suriel's true emotions, they started chatting this time more loudly whilst the town guard started moving everyone away and cleaning up the scene.

 

[Juju]

Solirus​

Brinne's eyes brimmed with happy, relieved tears as Teron rallied his fellow villagers into a round of cheers for their defender. Hope swelled in her heart, a smile creeping up her face. She glanced over to Suriel, only to find that he looked oddly... rigid? It was impossible to tell what expression he wore under the helmet, but she got the distinct impression that it wasn't a look of happiness. What was wrong? Was it something she said? Doubt tugged at her heartstrings. The people were openly praising him, and yet it almost seemed to pain him.

"Suriel...?" she started, only for him to clumsily sputter out a half-made sentence, which he cut short by taking off yet again.

The gust of wind nearly knocked her over, and she had to tuck her head behind her staff-arm to save her eyes from the sand and dust he had kicked up. Worriedly, she cast her gaze up at the sky and watched the winged man disappear over the dusky treeline. Lost in her anxious thoughts, Brinne didn't notice a woman approach her.

"Excuse me dear, do you need help?" The woman asked in a timbre voice. She was a portly woman with mousy brown hair tucked into a braid. Judging by the light lines on her face, she looked to be middle-aged and had the distinct air of a seasoned mother. She reached out a hand towards Brinne's arm, trying to examine it.

Brinne flinched away almost immediately.

"NO!" she nearly shouted, a sudden panic making her voice more aggressive than she meant it to be. The woman recoiled back, which only made Brinne panic more in a surge of guilt. She softened her tone, eyes wide and apologetic, "That was rude of me, I'm so sorry. I-I don't know where that came from. I guess I'm just a little overwhelmed from it all..."

It was mostly true.

The woman's shocked expression melted into an understanding one, her smile tired yet warm, "No need to apologize, dearie. Tis a hard thing to experience, 'specially for someone so young. Do you need me to get anything for you?"

Brinne felt the tension in her shoulders relax, the deep ache of her shoulder overpowering her mind once again. She let out a shaky sigh and smiled gratefully at the woman, "No, thank you. Truly, your offer is most kind, but I can handle this on my own. I have some medicinal herbs in my bag. A quick spell and I'll be better."

The woman's eyes sparkled a little, her crows feet crinkling, "One of them spell-weaving adventurers, are ye? Me son, Teron, mentioned you. You can call me Katherine, if you please. I take it you found the Northshire Spirit in the end?"

Brinne nodded her head, glancing back towards the dark forest, "His name's Suriel, and yes... I did. Though I think I might have upset him just now. I need to ask him some questions, but I think I just messed everything up again. I'm not sure if I want to face him just yet. I don't really know what to say..."

"Well, if you do visit him-" Katherine pulled a small trinket from out of her pocket. It was a little charm in the likeliness of a bird, carved from faded, well-worn stone Brinne couldnt recognize. She held it out towards Brinne, "-might I trouble you to give this to him for me? Me old man was given this charm on a voyage 50 years ago. Said it's a wandering blessing from the goddess Gesena, you see. Meant to be given to another when it's work was done. We don't have much, but I'd like to offer this in thanks for saving me son's life."

Brinne stared down at the little charm and then picked it up gently. She glanced back up at the woman, "I... y-yes, I'll gladly pass this along for you."

After saying her goodbyes to Teron and his mother, Brinne finally made her way outside the village. Once she found a quiet spot, she began her incantation of healing. With how exhausted she already was, she nearly failed the spell entirely but thankfully managed to seal the wound. All that was left was an ugly red patch of scabbing and splotches of dried blood. It was messy and still hurt to the touch, but it would do for now. As long as she didn't irritate it, it wouldn't bleed or get infected.

Utterly spent, Brinne just laid on the grass after the spell was done. With her mana dangerously low, she had half the mind to sleep on this patch of grass for the night, but she didn't want Suriel to worry that she got lost or died to something stupid along the way. Would he worry, though? No, it would probably be more like annoyance. He didn't seem that pleased to help her, and she was sure that finding her snoozing out in the dark forest would only make matters worse. A smile crept up on her face at how silly it would be, but it disappeared when she remembered how upset he had been before she left. Guilt dribbled into her gut yet again. She definitely could not make things worse than they were, no matter how much she felt like passing out.

Everything ached, and just the act of getting up made her head swim and her legs threaten to give out. Still, Brinne powered through with the promise of rest up ahead. Just a few more steps, she lied to herself over and over again. The path was too dark to see the footprints anymore, but fortunately the compass guided her in the right direction. It glinted in the dark, not glowing but enough to make out in the twilight. Hopefully she would make it there before complete nightfall enveloped the forest. Otherwise, she just might get lost or fall into a hole.

Eventually, Brinne found the clearing. Suriel's hut was just as dark as before, and somehow looked even more depressing in the dusk. Brinne leaned on her staff as she looked at it, letting out a long sigh of relief, "Ah, thank the gods."

Then she noticed the figure standing outside the shack, arms crossed in an all-too familiar pose from her childhood. All the relief Brinne felt shrivelled up into a ball in her stomach, "Oh gods... never mind. I need your help again. Please spare me."

Wearily, she hobbled down the tiny pathway between the wildflowers, leaning heavily on her staff. Dread filled her with every step, a fearful spark of adrenaline helping her tired steps. As much as she dragged her steps, she eventually stood in front of Suriel, eyes wide and head held down shamefully.

"S-sorry I'm..." was all she managed to say before her legs finally gave out.

Brinne fell forward, ready to slam face down into the ground.

"...late." She finished, her face probably in the grass.

 

[Solirus]

Juju ​

Suriel watched Brinne arrive, he hadn't expected her to arrive late with the darkness and the villagers slowing her down, but when she did finally arrive, she had that all too familiar look of exhaustion from low mana. How long had she been Nereis's apprentice for? Suriel wondered, as he noticed too late that she was about to fall to the ground. "You need to rest up." He calmly mentioned almost seeming like an order but without enough force behind it. He couldn't have her worrying about all that had happened, if she could rest now, then perhaps he could figure the damn thing out again.

"I can't offer you any real accommodations here so if you want feel free to return to town, I'm sure someone will provide a bed for you. However before that, I need you to give me the compass, I'm at the verge of remembering something important, and I need time with it." It was something about the compass, something to do with it, he could hear Nereis's explanatory words in his head, muddled but almost clear, if he could only inspect the thing, then maybe it would all come back to him.

 

[Juju]

Solirus​

Unlike past experiences, it seemed that Brinne was not in for a tongue lashing just yet. Face in the grass, she grumbled something illegible in response to Suriel's 'order'. It wasn't until he started talking about poor accommodations that she actually rolled over, staring up at him while laying on her back.

"There's no way I'm going back to town..." she groaned, placing a hand on her head. "I've been sleeping in the woods for about two weeks now anyway, so I'm getting used to it. Nereis also said I should sleep outside as often as I can. Something about attuning with the heartbeat of the world."

Come to think of it, this piece of advice also sounded like one of her mentor's long-standing pranks. Regardless, sleeping outside wasn't much of a hassle. She used to fall asleep with the sheep in their pasture back when she was younger, much to the wrath of her mother. Judging by the clear skies overhead, it looked like it wasn't due to rain soon either. Besides, with how tired she felt, a bed of grass was just as good as a bed of straw.

Her eyes flicked up to Suriel, a little unsure when he asked for the compass. She still hadn't apologized for whatever happened back in town. Well, if she had really caused anything. There wasn't a hint of anything unusual in his voice when he spoke, and yet she could have sworn otherwise before he left town.

"Um, yeah, sure you can borrow it." She said, holding up the compass for Suriel to take. Even in the gathering dark, it still managed to shine as if hit by a bright ray of sun. "Anything you can remember will help. I uh, still don't even know you and my master even know each other, ehe..."

Should she bring up what happened in town? As she thought of this, she remembered the thank-you gift that Katherine had entrusted to her. Letting out a little gasp, she said, "Oh, that reminds me. I have something else for you, Suriel!"

Once again, she reached into her pouch and pulled out the little bird charm. This she held up, resting it on her blood-stained palm for Suriel to see. "Katherine, Teron's mom — you know, that villager you saved — she wanted you to have this as thanks for saving her son's life. It's a wandering blessing of the goddess Gesena. She's the patron goddess of wanderers, you know! Might be helpful when we go off on our quest to find Nereis!"

Brinne tilted her head upwards, blinking at Suriel expectantly.

 

[Solirus]

Juju ​

Suriel watched Brinne seemingly defy his suggestion to head to town. She claimed to be fine at living outdoors and other less the comfortable places, which only seemed normal for druids, but it also seemed like another poor joke from Nereis. Without any issue, however, Brinne handed Suriel the compass, thankful that she didn't try to object to it. Brinne didn't seem like the type to act that way, but Suriel was accustomed to facing some sort of resistance when asking for something.

With the compass at hand he started inspecting it, Suriel could tell the damn thing had aged, perhaps more gracefully than himself, but it still didn't appear exactly as he remembered. His attention broke when Brinne questioned how he and Nereis had ended up knowing each other. There was a long pause, but Suriel finally broke the pause, "Another time." he calmly said.

Before he could return to the compass, Brinne brought out one last thing, a symbol of the Goddess Gesena, Patron of wanderer's. Carefully picking it up, he inspected the symbol confirming it to be a real and legitimate wandering blessing, "I'll... accept this." Suriel stated very directly. There was a feeling however when he picked up the blessing, "Interestingly, Gesena is not only the patron of wanderer's, but also a patron of explorer's and navigators." Suriel explained.

He felt odd having just explained that, questioning why he even did it. However, he didn't let the thought continue for long as he returned to the compass. Inspecting it once more, he finally saw what he'd been missing. Placing both hands on the compass, Suriel started to pull the compass apart from top to bottom, there was great effort placed behind it, even causing Suriel to shake.

The compass under the pressure eventually broke into two, but instead of shattering into pieces, the two halves of the compass began to shine a blueish violet and floated in place. In but the blink of an eye, the pieces flew back to each other, the compass now revitalized and back in one. Suriel picked up the compass, its arrow no longer pointing at Suriel.

 

[Juju]

Solirus​

Brinne laid on the dirt path like a beached fish, too exhausted to move much but still eager for conversation. She was happy to see that Suriel was normal again, well, as normal as she remembered him to be. If anything had happened at the village, it had passed. Now she was beginning to think she had just imagined it.

She tilted her head back, watching him with curious blue eyes as he both accepted the little gift and explained its deeper meaning, "Oh, is that right? I guess it makes sense that explorers would be included too. Katherine did say it once belonged to her father, who was a sailor or something. Wait, no, I think she said it was just a trip? Anyway, it —"

Her gabbing was cut short when she noticed Suriel messing with the compass. Eyes wide with alarm, she shouted, "H-Hey! Stop that, you're going to break it!"

Despite how tired she was, she jolted up onto her knees and spun around. Snatching her staff up from where it lay, she hauled herself back onto her tired feet and shuffled closer just in time to see the device split in two. She froze, watching speechlessly as the two halves of the compass melted into a floating orb. The blueish purple light illuminated her shocked face before the compass seemingly rematerialized.

"What... just happened? What did you do to it?" she muttered, her voice more curious than upset. Her eyes fixated on the compass as she leaned closer to it. Something about it had changed, which she quickly noticed in the direction of the needle. "How come it's not pointing at you anymore?"

 

[Solirus]

​

Juju ​

"Nereis, has dealt with a lot of fey, I assume you know this." Suriel moved around to make sure the compass was working correctly, and just so the arrow moved accordingly, "Dealing with the fey, requires caution and cleverness. This in turn leads to several contingencies created over the years." Suriel held out the compass to allow Brinne to take it back.

"I lost my compass, and it seems, Nereis was prepared for that. However, being the careful weasel she is, this compass isn't pointing directly at her, but it is pointing at my lost compass." Suriel turned back to head into the shack. "Get some rest whatever way you can, we're heading out tomorrow morning"

 

[Juju]

Solirus​

Brinne took the compass into her hands, holding it as gently as an injured bird. A broad, happy smile had spread across her face in a look of absolute relief, "Of course! Lady Nereis would have certainly thought of something. She's clever enough to outwit fey and befriend even feylords! I knew there was some sort of clue she would leave behind! I just knew it! If we can find your compass, we can find her!"

As much absolute faith and reverence she had for her master, there was nothing more fulfilling than this single glimpse of hope. After all her travels, after all the fears, she had finally reached a monumental point in this journey. It was unclear where her master was, or her current wellbeing, but for now she had found a clue that would lead her in the right direction. Finally, she had done something. She had made progress!

Once again, Brinne's eyes were tearing up. With blurry vision, she watched Suriel disappear into the shack. Quickly, she wiped her face on her sleeve and called out to him, "Wait, Suriel!"

The words seemed to escape her before she could even think, but she didn't want to hold them back. "Thank you..."

 

[Solirus]

Juju ​

Suriel hesitated walking into the shack, once he heard Brinne's 'thank you'. But just as he hesitated, he moved again, closing the door behind him. Walking to his bed of leaves, he observed it for a second, contemplating its simplicity, he had a feeling this would be the last time he'd sleep on these leaves. As he slowly laid down to rest, he wondered if he would miss this place, frankly he didn't and a bit of worry came over him, but perhaps that was a good thing. Perhaps getting out of this pit for some time would do him good, but did he really deserve it? The thoughts were momentarily cast out as he fell into slumber.

The next morning...​

Awakening from him slumber, Suriel repeated his usual routine, leaving his bed and checking every corner of his home. One nothing could be found, Suriel devoured the remaining food in his basket, enough to feed him for the rest of the day. Next was his blade, but when he looked for it, he found it was missing. That's right, he'd lost the blade when he jammed it on the ground during the bandit raid. A raid which Brinne, Nereis's apprentice, had also assisted in fending off. Suriel felt bad for having so calmly repeated his routine, almost forgetting the events of the previous day.

The villager's could keep the blade, perhaps they would see it as a parting gift of sorts, Suriel tried to reason in his head. With that settled, Suriel stepped out of the shack, unable to immediately spot Brinne. "Get ready, we're heading out" Suriel announced, his voice loud, but far from booming.

 

[Juju]

Solirus​

Suriel might not have spotted her, but after a long pause he could certainly hear her.

"Just a few more minutes..." Brinne mumbled, shutting her eyes tighter, as if it would bring sleep back to her.

She was curled up in a thicket of wildflowers, lush grass flattened beneath her like a bed while the stalks of daisy and aster framed her in a swaying circle. Her black cloak was wrapped around her like a blanket, and in her arms was a strange furry ball. Upon hearing Suriel's voice, the fat blob of grey and brown moved, a masked face lifting up to peer over the blades of grass. A raccoon. It seems that at some point in the night, Brinne had befriended the creature and had fallen asleep with it nestled in her arms.

Even if Suriel did not recognize this particular raccoon, it seemed to recognize him and quickly squirmed out of Brinne's arms. With an alarmed chatter, it scurried off into the woods and out of sight.

Brinne opened her eyes, realizing her cuddly friend had departed. Like a child that had just lost its toy, she let out an overexaggerated whine, "No... come back!"

"Do we have to go now? It's so early..." She complained as she shoved her head under her cloak, huddling in a ball. "Ugh, everything hurts."

 

[Solirus]

Juju ​

Suriel watched the raccoon run away as he arrived, perhaps in his absence, this would be a good home for them. Those thoughts although pointless felt sweet, but the grumbling and complaining felt rather bitter. It was indeed early, the sun only now ascended from the horizon and before long it would proudly illuminate the land.

"This will be a long journey, but it all starts with the first step." Suriel walked over, offering a hand for Brinne to get up. The thought of a grueling journey wasn't the most pleasant for Suriel, but he was not ready to embark for himself. Instead, he was embarking for someone close to him and perhaps for that reason, he was ready to take the first step. "The sun stops for nobody, not even the gods." Suriel spoke. He felt odd speaking in such a manner, but it also felt refreshing. "So, let me help you take that first step." his hand remained outstretched.

​

 

[Juju]

Solirus​

Brinne poked her head from out of her cloak. She could see the rising sun peeking out from behind the trees, filtering though the morning mist like a halo around Suriel. She blinked her tired eyes, now widened as they stared at Suriel's offered hand in mild surprise. His voice sounded oddly at peace with the journey ahead, and hearing it somehow made Brinne feel a lot more reassured. Up until this point, she had been travelling alone. It would be a nice change of pace to have someone with her.

Her shocked expression melted away into a warm, gracious smile. "You're right. We've got a long way to go. I... I'm glad to have you with me, Suriel."

She took his offered hand, and with his help she stood up. A few blades of grass had clung to her cloak, which she softly brushed off the thick woolen fabric. Leaves and petals were still stuck in her pale hair, but she didn't seem to notice them as she finished dusting herself off and adjusting her cloak around her shoulders. She took in a deep breath, the morning heavy with the scent of flowers and dew.

In a burst of renewed energy, she shook herself of the sleepiness and pumped up a fist, her smile bright and cheerful, "Okay, no more sleeping in! We've got an epic adventure ahead of us! It's time to find your compass and then find Nereis!"

Reaching into her pocket, she produced the reforged compass and held it aloft. She spun around in place, orienting herself with the direction of the needle's point until she faced the line of trees bordering Suriel's Clearing and the deep forest.

"So according to the compass we should go..." Brinne looked up, squinting at the forest and then up at the direction of the rising sun. "That way? West, I think. Actually, if I remember correctly, the path from Northshire heads in that direction. We should pass through town before we head out. It might be a good idea to restock on my medicinal herbs before we leave. I used up a lot of my supply yesterday when I sealed up that wound."

As if to recall the pain, she subconsciously moved her gloved hand to rest upon the healing slash still on her arm. Also recalling how anxious Suriel had been to leave, so she added, "Umm, you don't have to go into Northshire with me if you don't want to. I could always meet you on the path outside the village."

 

[Solirus]

Juju ​

"Go without me, I will wait for you at the end of Nortshire." Suriel stated rather directly, he didn't want to particularly deal with the townsfolk again, but perhaps it would be wise if they knew their so-called spirit would be gone. "Do tell the townsfolk, however, that the spirit shall be gone for a time, but when he returns, Northshire must remain standing." Suriel finally commented, walking off into the forest path.

Perhaps he could forage while he made his way through, they were low on supplies, so anything they could find in nature would be of great use. Without spending too long wandering around the forest, Suriel was able to find a bush of bright red berries with blue dots on them. Suriel recognized these, they were poisonous and not the pleasant kind of poison, but perhaps, carrying some around would come of use. Suriel placed them on his small pouch, realizing his wings were out and visible. His mind really felt aloof, but oddly it wasn't too bad, what was bad instead was the wings. He couldn't haphazardly display them, he'd have to remind himself to hide them at all times unless truly necessary.

With his cloth, Suriel concealed his wings, tucking them neatly in his back. Suriel thought of getting some sort of backpack to hide the bump the formed in the cloth, but that would have to wait once they had money to buy things. Money wasn't an issue now, but it might be an issue if they couldn't make any. Dismissing the thought, Suriel continued his foraging, carefully making sure to separate the deadly berries and the edible ones in separate pouches.

 

[Juju]

Solirus​

Brinne nodded her head, a distinct air of excitement around her. She flipped the compass closed and placed it back into the safety of her pocket. Now that she was fully awake, she seemed overeager to set off. "Right, got it! I'll make sure to tell them what you said."

She strode down the little path from Suriel's cottage before turning around to call out, "See you later! I won't take as long this time, I promise!"

Making sure not to leave before giving him an over-animated wave, she then took off in a rushed walk. Brinne made her way down the trail and disappeared into the woods.

---

​

Despite what Brinne had promised, the sun was well above the horizon by the time she appeared on the dirt path. She was running, her staff wedged into her arms, which appeared to be filled up by wrapped bundles, each tied together by twine. A small basket balanced dangerously on top of her pile of things, bobbing up and down with each of her hurried steps. It seemed to be filled to the brim with fruit, cheese and bread, one loaf clearly half-eaten.

"Ack, Suriel! Sorry, I'm late... again!" she called breathlessly as she approached, "I ended up taking A LOT more stops than I thought I would! I swear I tried to be quick!"

She halted in front of him, taking a moment to catch her breath before she hurriedly explained what had happened. "I went to the apothecary for my herbs, and that's when one of the herbalists asked me if I was the girl with the Northshire Spirit. He insisted I take some extra herbs for sickness and aches, since I told him we're going out on a grand adventure. Hehe, he even said that my healing spell was impressive!"

As she recounted this, Brinne lifted her head proudly, a self-pleased smile wide across her face, "Then Teron came by, which was really lucky because he told me that he was looking for you and me. He said he wanted to give us some fruit as thanks for saving the town."

With her chin, she pointed to the ripe fruit stacked at the bottom of the basket, buried beneath several other foodstuffs, "That's when I realized I totally forgot to eat breakfast and he introduced me to the baker. She gave me a bunch of bread and preserves for the road, and all for free! Can you believe it? She also asked me to try her berry tarts, which were SO good! I saved you one, by the way. Did you want it?"

The berry tart in question was nestled among the loaf of bread and some sweetbuns.

 

[Solirus]

Juju ​

With sufficient fruits collected, Suriel put them neatly into his right pouch. Right pouch goes right into the mouth, left pouch is left out of the mouth, Suriel thought to himself, making sure he wouldn't mistake the content of one pouch for the other. The pouch sizes also helped with that, but he still wanted some other method to make sure he didn't accidentally eat the wrong berry.

Finally making his way out of the forest, he made his way to the West gate of Nortshire, the place had been vandalized from the attack but remained mostly intact. Once there, Suriel merely crossed his arms and waited, Brinne said she would not take long, so he would take her word for it. His wait was cut short when a nearby guard approached him, his buddy following closely behind. "Excuse me sir, uh spirit of-"

"Sir will do."

"Right sir, um, we have a lot to thank you for what happened yesterday and more about what you did. Many died, but many more lived thanks in no part to your efforts, we in the guard and the people of Northshire shall be forever grateful."

"..."

The guard cleared his throat at the sudden and awkward silence, "Right, we noticed you left your blade stuck on the earth and a poor bugger. Took a few of us to even pull it out." The guard let out an uncomfortable and awkward giggle. "Well, the blade is currently in the captain's office, but we wanted to hand it back to its rightful-"

"Keep the blade."

"Uh, excuse me?"

"I won't be needing it, I shall be gone from this place for some time. Keep the blade."

"Are you sure, sir?"

"This town better remain standing when I return. Keep the blade."

"Yes sir, of course, I'll let the captain know."

The guard waited a second, expecting to be dismissed by Suriel, only to be met with silence. After the awkward pose both guards left Suriel to his devices heading to meet with the captain.

...

The sun moved forth and Brinne had yet to show herself, Suriel remained patient, and thus he waited and waited. The sun did not wait as it moved further from the horizon. Where even was she, had she gotten herself lost in this town? That would be a terrible sign if they ever had to move through a city. Perhaps... Suriel couldn't think of any other really convincing excuses, it was annoying to wait so much.

However, that waiting came to an end when Brinne, with little breath left, approached him. She'd gotten herself distracted by the people around her. That was going to be a problem later on, but at least she carried more supplies with her.

"I'm not hungry now, let's go" Suriel calmly said as he started walking down the road, something told him that this journey would be far from a quiet one.

 

[Juju]

Solirus​

Brinne trotted behind Suriel, matching his pace. She gave him an almost disbelieving look, surprised that anyone could resist such a delectable treat. There was no way she could do that. Maybe that was the difference between herself and a seasoned warrior. Such self-control!

"Hmm? Saving it for later, I see? I don't know where you get such restraint. I've been eating berries and roots for weeks, so this is practically a feast." She picked up the half-eaten loaf, admiring it for a moment before taking a bite. She gave a happy little jump and smiled gleefully, "Let me tell you, bread tastes so much better after you haven't had it for a while!"

​

Just as Suriel predicted, the hike was far from a silent one. It seemed as if his silence was taken as an invitation for Brinne to fill the day with chatter, and since she saw him as quite the great listener, one rant or story bled into the other. It was clear she hadn't had the opportunity to talk with someone in a while, even if she hadn't already mentioned it. Most of her rants would begin with her spotting a herb or shrub on the side of the road, picking a part of it, and then explaining to Suriel everything she knew about its uses and ecology. The nature of herbs seemed to be an avid interest of hers, and unsurprisingly it often brought up the topic of her teacher, the Lady Nereis.

It became readily clear to Suriel that the girl completely idolized Nereis, holding her in near mythical levels of esteem. Every story mentioning her lessons were accompanied by a glitter of wistfulness in her eyes. It seemed that Brinne not only adored and looked up to her master, but aspired to be like her. Although Brinne never directly mentioned it, through the lines it seemed as if Nereis had no other pupils. In fact, whenever Brinne brought up the grove and its animal inhabitants, it seemed as if no other druids had ever made contact with them. At least, for however long a time Brinne had stayed there.

The day was bright and uneventful, free of the chaos and strife of its predecessor. One would even consider it to be peaceful. Eventually, the sun finished its march across the sky and finally dipped down onto the horizon, painting the sky and wispy clouds in a deep cherry red. As the dusk gathered, Brinne suggested that they should build a camp for the night, and promptly scouted for a suitable spot. As it would happen, there was a shallow river nearby, one framed by old willows and oaks. None of that seemed to impress Brinne as much as the moss, though.

"Suriel, do you see this stuff?" Brinne exclaimed, crouching down to pat down a giant mat of the green vegetation, "Look how fluffy it is! I was worried I'd have to go find some nice ferns to sleep in, but this is good enough for a forest king. Well, if you don't mind the roots, that is."

She whipped around, assessing the little clearing she had chosen for their 'camp'. It was missing something, "Ah, we should build a campfire! I'll go find the wood!"

With poorly concealed excitement, Brinne began to search around the clearing, picking up bundles of dead leaves, twigs and some fallen branches.

 

[Solirus]

Juju ​

Through the journey, Suriel remained awfully quiet throughout. It was frankly a paradox how she could so easily get tired from a couple spell in combat, but remain unfazed after dumping the entire detailed ecosystem and still having enough breath to talk about Nereis. The apparent obsession and idolization this child had with Nereis was worrying. He expected her to admire Nereis, that druid was special, but this was downright concerning. Still, Suriel remained steadfast and silent until the sun started to hide away in the horizon.

Still, with all the knowledge the child had, they were able to find a good place to camp. Her enthusiasm was exhausting though, gushing over moss of all things, exclaiming about how fluffy it was. However, what really seemed to catch his attention was her excited declaration that they should build a campfire.

"No campfire" Suriel simply said, almost like an instinct.

 

[Juju]

Solirus​

Humming as she worked, Brinne was quickly amassing a pile of kindling. Her staff sat propped against a nearby tree, freeing both of her hands to carry her stash. She seemed to be excited, though the same could be said of her with a lot of other mundane things. That is, until Suriel's abrupt declination of her offer.

Brinne paused, bundles of sticks and leaves suspended in her arms. She tilted her head slightly to the side and gave Suriel a strange look, "Huh, no campfire? Why not? Oh, are you worried about the bandits following us? If that's the case, we could take turns keeping watch! I'm sure they wouldn't bother us after the lashing you gave them in Northshire."

She crouched down to pick up another stick, inspecting it carefully to determine if it was dry enough for the fire.

 

[Solirus]

Juju ​

Brinne couldn't see Suriel's expression and his emotions when she'd tried to reason out his worries and resumed on the campfire. "The bandits won't chase us, I'm sure of that" Suriel bluntly stated like a matter of fact, "We don't need a campfire, and you won't start any."

Suriel walked over to Brinne, grabbing one of the larger sticks and tossing it away, making sure it would not be part of the expected kindling.

 

[Juju]

Solirus​

"H-hey!" Brinne started, watching the stick land on the leafy ground. Just what was his problem?

She took a step back so that the bundle was out of Suriel's reach. From there she continued her earnest protest, thinking that Suriel was just being stubborn. Or lazy. Considering the state of his hut, that could be the case. "But a camp is nothing without a fire! And I figured I could cook us up some of the preserves the baker gave us!"

 

[Solirus]

Juju ​

Suriel glared at Brinne as she backed off with the bundle of sticks, his eyes glowing more as the day became night and darkness engulfed light. "Don't make me repeat myself." Suriel said, his voice serious and quiet.

 

[Juju]

Solirus​

Once again, Brinne was reminded of how intimidating Suriel could be. She had gotten used to the whole 'tall armoured guy who doesn't reveal his face' bit, but it was moments like these where she could really understand why the villagers thought he was a flesh-eating spirit.

"Okay, okay! Fine!" Brinne exclaimed, finally admitting defeat, "No campfire tonight..."

With a dramatic sigh, she carried her kindling to the edge of the clearing and deposited it into a little pile. Maybe another traveller would have use of it someday. They certainly wouldn't. Brinne returned to the centre of the clearing and sat down on a fallen, moss-covered log.

"Well, I suppose we do have lots of food left over that doesn't require cooking. Even if it's not the same as a proper meal..." Brinne sulked, mourning the loss of a cooked dish she would never have. She dug through the basket to bring up some uneaten fruit and cheese wedges. It was then that she rediscovered the tart Suriel had forgotten to eat. "Oh, that's right, you didn't eat your tart. Here you go! You must be hungry now, surely!"

She held the tart out for Suriel to take.

 

[Solirus]

Juju ​

The glow in Suriel's eyes darkened a bit, returning to a calmer state as Brinne put the kindling away. A breath of relief washed over him as he sat on a nearby rock. That was close, too close for comfort, even though the fire had not been born he could see the light, hear the crackling, and smell the putrid burnt. But at least he had avoided the real thing, only phantoms haunted him now.

His attention was brought back by a different sort of smell and an offer from Brinne, a tart which from her account were more than splendid. Before he could accept the Tart, Suriel reached to take off his helmet, hesitating for a moment before committing to it. Brinne would witness Suriel's face and the oddest part was that it appeared almost pristine, most of his skin seemed hardly damaged through the supposed years of isolation, his hair although messy showed no signs of damage. Even the scar over his eye seemed almost like a change of tone rather than an actual scar.

Placing the helmet next to him, Suriel reached out to grab the tart, turning away from Brinne as he took his first bite. Even when cold it was bloody delicious, his taste buds were going crazy from the new yet familiar taste that had been starved of for so long. Suriel was enjoying himself, even if he refused to show it.