Fantasy RoH: Adleth - The Great Forest

[sheesh]

Moses and Grisha had made it roughly half way back to the stream before they had to stop on the request of Grisha.

"We're nearly there Grisha. You can rest your feet when we get to the water." He said encouragingly, turned to face the Lycan and waving him on. The lycan said nothing, and only sat down near a tree, huffing. Moses stood there and expected him to get up, but after a minute's worth of a stand-off, Moses realized Grisha intended to be stubborn about taking his break. Moses approached and put his hands on his hips. He knew he was an experienced walker, but even he could tell that the distance from the stream to the camp wasn't anything significant. Being hopeful about the situation, Moses didn't assume that Grisha simply wanted to rest his feet.

"Is there a problem?" He asked, finally. Grisha leaned his head back against the tree he sat under. "A wound I was dealt during the fighting last night reopened a few minutes back. With every few steps a lose a bit more blood. I just need a moment to rest. I'm feeling...drowsy." He answered, the fatigue present in his voice. Moses was never much of a healer, many times if he ran out of potions or what-not, he wasn't able to make his own and would need to find an alchemist. He got the feeling that he wouldn't be able to find one in Adleth very easily, however. Though he had medical supplies in his bag, he didn't want to spare any just this time. Instead, he had another solution

"I'm not a healer, Grisha." He made it clear, just for the record. "Then don't try to heal me." He responded bluntly. Moses expression was hurt for just a moment. "I'm still a mage, though. I have an idea." He reassured him. "Show me the wound." He said, confidently. Grisha looked him in the eyes for a moment, in an 'are you sure?' manner, then remembered once more that he's blind, he relented, though only a little. "What's the idea?" He asked tentatively.

"I'm going to reseal the wound."

"How?"

"If I told you, you probably wouldn't agree to it. Just trust me."

"How do I trust someone who just had me tossed when I tri-"

"I came and saved you, didn't I?" He got down on his knees to be level with him.

There was silence.

"I would...I would ask that you be careful. The cut is in an inconvenient spot." He stood.

"The site of a cut is only inconvenient if it kills you." He held up a hand. "Guide me to i-"

Fwoosh.

A small dust cloud was kicked up. What happened? Did Grisha decide to leave suddenly? 'Well, he's still very much here. I can practically feel his reservations. I'm almost afraid to ask what's taking so long.' His hand faltered a little bit, and he swallowed. A few moments past and he felt Grisha's leathery hand snatch Moses' by the wrist. "May I ask what that sound was?" He tilted his head to the side, just by a bit. After he asked the question, he could feel Grisha's grip tighten just by a little bit. Grisha shifted his weight around uncomfortably. He looked to the left, then to the right, checking to see if anyone was around.

"I'm not wearing any pants." He belted out quickly. "The cut is on my thigh. Let's just do this quickly. Tell me when you're ready."

Moses didn't flinch. There was never a case where he was uncomfortable with something's anatomy, though he now understood the phrase 'I won't make it strange if you don't,' because Grisha's apprehension transferred over to Moses in part. He regained his composure as Grisha grew more impatient. The palm of Moses' hand began to glow orange with heat. Grisha slacked on his grip for just a moment, clearly not expecting to have his wound cauterized. "Wait! I need a moment to-"

Tssssssss.

Birds escaped from their trees as Grisha let out a mighty howl.

---
​

A quick trip back to H'torah was exactly what Maat needed to get his energy back. As much as he enjoyed an orange sun, as opposed to the purple one he had back home, being away from home was draining, even if slightly. That coupled with occasionally having to deal with the wild stunts Moses wants to pull means Maat gets worn out quickly. As much as he wanted to lay down and enjoy the sun too, he couldn't bring himself to sit down at the present moment. He looked down at Myriani, not entirely sure what to do this time to let her know he accepted her praise.

His thinking was interrupted by a not so distant howl, followed by a mass of birds flying over head, away from it.

Maat knew it could either be two things: it was a wolf, or it was a wolf that he knew. Either could be true, it's a forest. Contrary to popular belief, Maat had actually befriended wolves before. They weren't so bad once the pack gave up trying to kill you. Maat, still restless began to pace back and forward, then, after about 20 reps of walking and back and forward, he transitioned to walking laps around the rooted Myriani. He interlocked his fingers behind his head in a bored gesture.

The laps didn't last very long before Maat began to stare over the bank into the stream. Much like a cat, his eyes shrunk as he observed scaly creatures in the water, some swimming against the current and others moving with it. He bent his legs, as to jump over the bank one more time, but when he leapt, he jumped far to vertical to even cross. He spread out mid air and stalled with the sun at his back. He then divebombed into the stream.

It turned out not to be such a great idea. See, the stream wasn't actually deep enough for him, and while he definitely submerged himself in the water up to where his naval would be, he also submerged himself in the sandy soil below. This left him as a pair of squirming legs poking out of the water. He continued to kick for quite a while, and even Maat himself wondered if he could drown. He didn't actually know how drowning worked - he wasn't as interested in how other living things worked like Moses was.

Moments later, Grisha and Moses himself approached the two. Grisha seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face, and as for Moses, he had a brand new set of claw marks on his left cheek. The blood had dried and it had scabbed over a while ago. Both of them were painfully aware of what they looked like, and remained silent. Grisha fixed his expression and pretended nothing was out of the ordinary, and Moses coughed, before turning his head to look off in a random direction.

"Don't ask." Grisha said, and then they both sighed in tandem. "I'm glad to see you two...?" He paused. "Why is he in the water? Is he okay?" Grisha and Moses both approached the stream bank, seeing a familiar pair of black legs sticking out of the water, still struggling. Grisha let out a curt and low growl upon seeing him. "What's he doing, Grisha?" He asked. Grisha took a moment before responding. "Idiot." Responded Grisha, though softly and mostly to himself.

"What is he doing?" He asked again, as Grisha walked away from the bank. "Grisha?" He called out once more before turning to the bank. Still confused, he mocked a motion of throwing something behind him, and in a puff of black smoke with a yellow tint, Maat slid across the ground, wet dirt still clinging to his body. Moses turned around. "Don't worry Maat. I'm not going to ask you what happened just yet. I'd like to be a bit further away from here before we start talking. But, I just want to ask: is everyone okay?"

Grisha rolled his eyes and said nothing. Maat shrugged and presumably told him he was fine. He looked in the general direction of Myriani and raised his eyebrows expectantly.

 

[Vyolence]

Myriani ~ The Great Forest ​

Despite her level breathing, it still felt as if she were trying to catch a breath. Such an exhilarating experience was probably not out of the ordinary for Maat - in fact, that was simple travel to him. Or teleportation? Perhaps he swallowed her whole and decided to spit her out upon realizing she tasted of plants. Laying flat on her back, her eyes slowly fell closed as she focused her attention on the rhythmic beating of the ground below. This would serve as a long moment of grounding, her physical presence intensifying as silence stretched between them. She couldn’t see him then, but she could feel him. His resonance grew increasingly familiar and despite being her literal polar opposite, she found comfort in his presence. Her thoughts then flickered to Moses, brows knitting with concern. He probably went right in and like 20 guys were still there! She rolled her eyes rather dramatically behind closed lids, a gentle huff escaping flared nostrils. Her confidence grew in that moment as she realized she could have escaped the mob, absorbing her form into the Earth itself.

Jolted awake from her meditative comatose, the thin vines would slowly return to the soil they emerged from. She was disturbed by a sound, though she couldn’t fit a description to it. As she sat up, her small garments shifted from the commotion, beckoning her nimble fingers to fluff out the bits of moss into place. Swatting her hair from her face, she was distracted by a sudden approach that announced its presence through the blades of grass under her weight. They were oddly familiar, causing her ears to twitch with curiosity. It’s the bossy one! Oh, but there was another presence she recognized - which meant Moses was successful. Her expression flooded with relief but concern quickly replaced it as she saw the state of Moses’s face. This was just like the tales she’d heard over the decades, something that should be written in a book.

Whipping her head around to view the comical yet concerning position Maat was now compromised in, she couldn’t help the muffled laughter that forced its way through her lips. Gracefully she rose, approaching the pair with some hesitancy due to her last encounter with the Wolf. Her hands clasped behind her back as she watched a soiled Maat return to view. She took a few short strides to pause at his side, leaning over to observe his current state. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she offered a reassuring smile, glancing upwards when Moses addressed them.

The sun was nearing the start of it’s set and they had finally regrouped in what looked like one piece. Myri observed Moses with an expression of warmth, her gaze remaining solely on him. “All is well.” She’d motion to his visage despite knowing he couldn’t see her motion. “You should clean that.” Her melodic voice rang with concern as she slowly straightened her frame to assess his current state. Was he okay?

​

 

[sheesh]

"I normally don't bother with it. Maat usually cleans himself on his own-" He stopped, and felt his face just to remind himself that the slash marks were still there. "Oh, you meant me, didn't you?" He chuckled quietly. "Perhaps I should clean it pretty soon. Last thing I'd need is an infection in my face." He idly curled one of his locks around his finger. 'I forgot to ask where they got all of their materials from. Shame. Going back now doesn't sound like a great idea.'

"Before we head back though, I feel like some introductions are in order. Grisha-" He turned towards where he last was, and found that he was gone. "Uh?" He spun in a full circle, noticing Grisha had already crossed the stream. Maat followed tentatively behind, clearly not wanting to get too close to the Lycan. "Yes, I suppose they could wait." He said, particularly to nobody. He phrased it in a way as though someone had suggested they head back before it got too dark out, though really no one said anything - not even Maat.

Maat paused on the other side and turned around. With both hands he waved for Myriani to come over and walk with him while Moses gauged the distance in between both sides of the bank, as if he were to try and jump across as well. 'Hopefully this is the last spell of the day...' Following the thought, the soft soil beneath the water began to rise, pillars only big enough for a single one of Moses' feet to fit on rising out of the water. He carefully stepped on each one, as if unsure if his own spell would hold. On the last step he hopped to the other side of the bank as if the ground he raised would crumble any second.

As he saw, Grisha continued to walk despite no one trailing behind him. Moses decided he would catch up with the wolf so that they could speak, at the least. He was eager to hear what happened after they met Myriani for the first time. He caught up, and before he could even say anything Grisha gave a tired sigh in response to only Moses' intent. Moses decided it could wait until morning. Speaking of morning however, where would they sleep? They couldn't go back to the tavern. Moses didn't have any reservations about sleeping on the dirt again, but it seemed like Grisha had some kind of direction. He turned back towards Maat one last time before turning back and keeping pace with Grisha.

Maat kept waving eagerly, as if he was unsure Myriani saw him wave nearly 20 times before. It was always the same pattern - he used both of his hands and waved towards himself, like he was fanning himself, then in place of a third wave, he held his arms out like he was going to catch something, before waving again.

'Really need to learn how to speak, that would be swell.'
'My arms are getting tired from doing this.'
'Please hurry over.'

 

[Vyolence]

Myriani ~ The Great Forest ​

When Moses spoke once more her shoulders would visibly relax, as he seemed to be in a stable state of health. As she watched him speak she noted the width and length of the marks that inflicted injury, quirking a brow with suspicion. She finally allowed her gaze to meet Grisha, observing his current temperament, mostly out of curiosity. He seemed calm and interested in something other than the current conversation. He seemed harmless in that instance, but now that the sun was setting in the West, she would lose what little strength she had during the day. Lost in her thoughts, she blinked and Grisha was already on the move, pursuing an unknown destination. With the shake of her head she watched Moses as he pursued his furry companion and she remained in place.

Observing as Moses used his talents, her lips formed an ‘o’ shape in response. It was always a wondrous thing, to see humans wielding magic. But then, Myriani found most things about mortals quite wondrous. She recalled a human woman from memory, who touched a cup to warm the cold beverage she was served. That was when her curiosity would flourish. Her peripherals suddenly captured a shadow and her lips pulled into a smile. Blinking away her barrage of thoughts, wide eyes settled upon the waving Maat. Bare feet padded inaudibly as she closed the distance between them, perhaps stumbling a bit close. As she reached out to him, she froze in unnatural stillness, looking through the dark mass before her.

In the distance, several miles away there was a thumping pattern that she began to recognize. It felt as if 8 separate feet were approaching in a steady and determined pace. It was quite far out at this point, making it difficult for her to register the animal’s anatomy. All creatures born of the Forest, are protected by it. This ethereal link of energy is what a Dryad could interpret and in some cases, send energy in return. The pause lasted only a moment before she returned her focus to Maat. She would alert him if it drew closer, or perhaps he’d sense it on his own. Wherever he led them from that point on, she would surely follow.

​

 

[sheesh]

Moses didn't mind walking in silence. Most of the time when he travelled it was just himself and Maat, and most of the time Maat was nowhere to be found. Though walking with Grisha in a forest where the light was waning was starting to become unnerving, especially because he had no clue where Grisha was going anyway. Not that he didn't trust Grisha to lead them somewhere he didn't want to be, but information was always nice. Moses cleared his throat as a way of breaking the thick silence that surrounded them. Grisha didn't react.

Moses scratched the back of his head, at a loss for conversation starters. He knew it was too early to ask about what happened. He suddenly missed the company of Maat and Myriani, who hadn't yet begun to follow. "So...how's your leg feeling?" He asked quietly, trying to gauge how plausible a conversation actually was. "It burns." He said, curtly. "But the wound hasn't reopened, has it?" He asked. "No." Moses coughed, then rubbed his own wound. He deserved it in part, if he had told Grisha the plan from the start, or at the very least gave a moment to prepare he probably wouldn't have responded so strongly.

"I'm sorry." He offered, assuming that what the apology was for was obvious. Grisha sighed. "It's fine. You did what you had to." He said, yawning afterwards. Moses in part expected an apology in return, but he didn't complain. They continued on for a few more minutes without speaking. Another question struck him, one he hadn't thought to ask.

"Grisha. Could I ask you something?"

"Since when do you ask if you can ask questions?"

"Since when...? You haven't known me that long."

"I've known you long enough. What's your question?"

"Why is it that you decided to follow me after what happened in the tavern? I know you were hoping for an explanation on what happened with my companion and that man's hand, but I never expected you would've tried to sleep around me. Even after I freed you I in part thought you would run off." He stopped to give Grisha time to speak, but he didn't respond immediately. Moses gave up on speaking to Grisha, who clearly wasn't in the talking mood like he was back when they first met. He gave a tired and short sigh and resigned himself to walk in silence just as Grisha decided to speak up.

"I only stayed to hear your explanation because I had nothing better to do. I don't want the explanation anymore though, I just want to go home." Moses' interest was piqued now. "Home?" He echoed curiously. "That is what I said." He responded, offering no more than that for another few moments before he could practically feel Moses' curiosity growing. "I live closer to the northern edge of the forest, bordering the tundra." It didn't take much recollection for Moses to realize that they were a ways off from the northern edge of the border. Not long ago he had just come from Larhara, where the border to Aldeth was already close to the southern edge of the continent. 'How did he end up all the way down here?' He wondered. He got the feeling that if he asked he wouldn't get an answer until Grisha got some rest. He's certainly had a long day.

---
​

Maat's intention to catch up with Moses and Grisha were marginal at best. As Myriani got closer, he stopped his routine of waving. For a moment, he heard something. His eyes separated and squished back together on the back of his head, quite literally making it so Maat had eyes on the back of his head. Seeing nothing, he returned his eyes to their original position. Assuming his characteristic playfulness, he hooked an arm between Myriani's legs and flattened his hand against her back end; and in his other hand grabbed one of her arms and picked her up, as per usual. He placed her on his back, resting on where a human's traps would be.

He spun in a circle once, loosening his hold to give that illusion that he would drop her before recovering his grip. Lazily, he began to walk in roughly the same direction Grisha and Moses set off in, though at his pace he wouldn't be catching up with them anytime soon. Every now and then when he took a step he bounced gently, and every time he did, Myriani was slightly lifted off of him. Leaning forward, he balanced her on the flat side of his back for about a minute's worth of walking before he resumed carrying her.

Maat stopped with his gimmicks for a while. Whether he ran out of ideas or wanted to enjoy the relative silence was an enigma. Idly, he looked up at the sky, flourishing with the colors of a sunset. He reflected on his time with Moses for the past near two years. Had it been more than two years by now? He couldn't tell. He was never quite known for keeping track of the time, especially when he had no real goals. Their relationship was extremely developed, though the contrast of Moses' drive and Maat's disposition to infinitely relax occasionally caused them to bud heads. Maat for once was growing a little bit tired of Moses' constant questions and things of the like.

He just knew if he told Moses that he traveled through the shadows with Myriani - despite A. quite clearly having a quote from Maat himself in his notes saying that he couldn't travel back to Haroth without being summoned, and B. Moses also having in his notes an implication that states only shadows could travel through planes - he just know the questions would never end. In truth, Moses being blind played to Maat's advantage many times. While writing the contract, Maat slit his finger tip and wrote in his own black blood extra terms to the contract. His light touch had allowed his extra rules to go unnoticed.

One was that he could travel between worlds freely at the cost of Moses' mana, and another was that Moses specifically wouldn't be able to enter H'torah. H'torah in a way was a method of escape from Moses' prying. Nowadays Maat only offered information about himself to Moses in small doses. What Moses already had recorded was a result of 3 months in which day after day Maat was questioned. It got stale at the same rate that Maat began to lose interest in Moses' company. Over time, Moses began to treat him more like a friend than a study subject, which was appreciated, though he still had his tendencies.

As a scholar, he was awfully comfortable asking questions that would normally render a dinner table silent. He recalled a time where Moses summoned Maat merely to ask if Maat had a penis, then after he got his answer, the conversation went nowhere else until Maat was summoned again. Now that Maat was out of the spotlight, even more-so now that he'd be replaced by Myriani, he could respect Moses' efforts a bit more. Most of his notes were sold to a university in Yanir. They pay a lot for even marginally detailed notes. Moses had copied his father's notes and sold them, earning him nearly a fortune's worth of money.

The money was secondary, clearly. The only time Moses sold his work was to make sure that he had enough money to prepare for another journey to go and learn more about the world. Moses' objective was already loose enough. He would simply walk from one end of the continent to the other and learn what he could, then he would walk back. Whether or not Skal'mir itself was in the plans was a mystery.

Maat at this point was walking on auto-pilot. His eyes hadn't moved an inch and his stride was perfectly consistent. He became so accustomed to the weight on his back it was possible he forgot he was carrying anybody. That was, until he dipped his head and swung off of her back, looping his right arm under the backs of her knees and his left supporting her back. Resuming his gimmicks, for one, he lifted as far as his arms could reach, as if trying to offer her to the sun itself. He only held this for a moment before holding her normally again.

Suddenly, yet subtly a third and short arm would sprout from his chest. It's subtlety was eliminated the moment it began rhythmically patting on the Dryad's stomach. Rhythmically became debatable the longer this went on, as a discernable pattern became less and less easy to identify before the hand simply rested on her stomach. Maat took a moment to look down from the sky, down at his third arm before he looked back to the sky again. A moment later, the hand started moving in controlled circles on Myriani's belly.

Whether or not Maat believed Moses would survive his journey was a mystery to Maat himself. They had faced a number of troubles simply trying to get out of Larhara - running out of food and water and having to survive on magically created water. Admittedly, that was just a struggle Moses himself faced. They had both fought numerous times, against bandits in the deserts during the day and hungry predators at night. The desert was quite hostile. But even so, on the first two days in Adleth, they:

• Had a small scuffle in a tavern
• Had to scramble to defend themselves before they even knew it was just Myriani that night
• Tracked down Grisha and freed him from a bandits camp. 'Whatever that was about.'
• Maat himself had to fight a giant spider after walking down into the wrong cave.

The outlook wasn't great, and Moses himself had remarked before they crossed the border that there were little settlements in the forest, so finding an actual warm bed to sleep in wasn't always going to be guaranteed...for him. Maat didn't actually have to sleep, though waking up in the morning had its appeals. He could definitely get behind why certain humans slept in excess.

Maat's third arm began to stretch around Myriani's midriff, coiling like a large snake over her belly, chest and part of her shoulders. It began to squeeze gently in intervals. Maat was clearly doing it on purpose, though with how spaced out he looked it was easy to assume that his body just did things on its own while the mind did something else. For a moment, Maat let go with his primary arms, allowing his third to hold Myriani in his tentacle like grip. He then began to simulate popping his knuckles, though no sounds actually came from the action. Finally, he stretched his arms high above his head before placing them at his sides. His third arm passed through his body, bringing Myriani with it. Still without looking, Maat reached back and hooked his hands around the fatter part of her thighs and hugged them to his flanks, simulating carrying someone on his back, though with an extra arm.

Finally giving Myriani another break from the weird gimmicks, the third arm dissipated, freeing her arms. With a firm grip on her legs still, he leaned forward at a sharp angle so that she'd press up against his back for support before standing up, but not all the way.




'I wonder if ole' Moses has a spell that'll let me grow a mouth. I can grow two extra legs, an extra head, or four arms if I wanted to. But a simple crack in my face? Absolutely not. Wonder if the other shadow people can do it...."

 

[Vyolence]

Myriani ~ The Great Forest ​

Now what was that persistent vibration in the distance? With her guess it was incredibly large and charged with determination as it never faltered in its calculated pursiut. Myri craned her head to look upwards at the shadow companion that towered nearly two feet taller than her. As his eyes shifted, her own would widen with interest opposed to fear. Maat never invoked fear in her, not even when he froze a man’s hand. She would remain undeniably curious, the expression in her eyes one of interest whenever she’d watch him. Once his eyes returned to their initial placement her full lips pressed together to hold in a giggle that pooled in her stomach. He amused her, quite often. That laughter would force its way out when she found herself in another visually compromising position as Maat transported her once more.

She came to the sudden realization that she couldn’t remember the laugh time she laughed. Aside from the sporadic ‘hauntings’ within the Tavern when she couldn’t help but express a laugh at the patrons, the sound sending them into a panic. It was a strange and rather unnecessary sound, one of the characteristics she’d gain from her blended DNA. But where did it come from all of a sudden? And why does it pleasantly disrupt my center? Her bright eyes glanced down at her midriff, looking over jaundiced freckled skin that pulled tightly over abdominals. The laughter ceased as she suddenly felt as if she would fall, slender arms gliding over his shoulders to wrap around his neck. Forcing her eyes closed, she reluctantly smiled in response as his grip remained. Once he grew still, she craned her head to the end of his shoulder, allowing enough space to compensate for her curved horn. Resting her chin upon his shoulder, her body relaxed against his, closing the space between them. “Don’t you get tired?” She wondered, not expecting a lengthy reply, if she got one at all. Perhaps she was feeling a bit guilty for traveling atop of him so frequently.

Then, she was falling again. She had grown quite relaxed upon his back that a melodic squeal escaped her with the sudden disruption. When she was presented to the setting sun her laugh resumed and she tossed her head back as long braided, beaded, and smooth strands of auburn billowed with their movements. When she felt something upon her torso, she stiffened visibly in response to the unfamiliar tickle it provoked. The more it moved, she began to writhe in his grip as she struggled to contain a fit of laughter. As the sensation began to coil around her form, a bubble of warmth manifested in her stomach. It made her form relax as it crawled into her throat, catching her breath. Her hands fumbled within the restriction of the coils, tracing them with closed eyes. Before she knew it, she was secured to his back once more and the insides of her thighs tightened around his frame. Her arms returned to his shoulders though loosely this time, as the middle of her body pressed tightly against him.

She began to grow unsettled as she couldn't feel the ground below in her present position. How close would the creature be by now and is it still heading in their general direction? Struggling to get a view on Moses and Grisha, her head would turn slightly into the base of his neck. Her full lips brushed his surface as she spoke, her tone rather hushed. “We are close to an old structure, once used as a place of worship for mortals. Are you going to be gone soon?” How would she know such a thing? She knew the Forest like the back of her hand. Concern laced her pleasant tone, as she knew daylight would only last for a few hours. There was also concern that the motley bunch might not be up for a fight if the mysterious creature confronted them.

​

 

[sheesh]

For once, Maat felt fine being asked a question about himself. Myriani wasn’t aiming to take notes about him. While Moses and Myriani both had posed the same question to him at some point, the intentions were clearly different. He still couldn’t answer, and didn’t even give a nod or anything to indicate his answer this time. He kept walking at his pedestrian pace.

He looked down, taking a moment to look at the combination of footprints left behind. It wasn’t hard to tell Grisha and Moses had taken this exact same path, though seeing them up ahead became more and more of a challenge as they extended the distance between them. This didn’t seem to bother Maat very much. He could catch up anytime he wanted to, he just didn’t want to. He didn’t normally get time to stroll like this, and especially not with company. He was aiming to enjoy this as long as he could help it.

He stopped for just a moment and bounced slightly on the balls of his feet to readjust Myriani on his back before resuming stride. He had grown painfully aware of something trailing behind them. He didn’t pay it too much attention though as was obvious as per his pace. Funnily enough in some way he’d rather keep the company of something in the forest as to be around Moses.

It wasn’t that he hated Moses. He loved Moses - he just didn’t like being around him for too long. He imagined how things could’ve been had he caught up with Moses and Grisha. He could already hear some of the questions he could pose, with hints of his Larharan accent he worked so hard to suppress peeking through.

Or at least, he thought he could, but when he examined his thoughts he found that he could only really think of Moses speaking in general. Perhaps Maat didn’t know him well enough to be able to guess what he’d say next. His thoughts were broken for a moment while Myriani spoke, though it wasn’t the ones that snapped him out of his senselessness, rather her lips against his neck.

The sensation threw Maat’s body into a fit of vibrations, rippling patterns bursting out all over his body. Concurrent with his momentary spasm, his body temperature began to rise and fall in tandem with his movements. This only lasted a second, however, before Maat stopped. He shook his entire body similarly to a wet dog and continued walking, remnants of his outburst still present in intermittent vibrations.

If there had been an old structure nearby, Moses had probably found it, though there was no way he, or rather, Grisha knew that there was a place to stay. If it was near, however, Moses probably identified it. It was safe to say that they might’ve taken a break to stop walking. This might be as much as they do for the day.

Addressing the concern he heard in her voice, he took his left thumb, which was resting on her leg and brushed it gently across its surface a few times. It was a subtle gesture, but it served as his answer. Delving back into his thoughts about Moses, he revisited what he believed Moses could ask him.

---

‘...Maat seems to have a habit of guiding Myriani wherever he wants to go. At the camp, he took her hand to drag her out front to the gate, and again when they ran off into the forest. There was the time he slung her over his shoulder like a bale of hay during the first interview - the action was entirely unnecessary but he did what I told him to do...Was he always like this…? I’d have to reflect on it longer.’

‘Maybe I should ask.’

Grisha’s pace had picked up quite a bit, as if he were trying to get rid of Moses. Little did he know, Moses could walk at nearly any pace for as long as he wanted to. The chances of him losing Moses without full on running was slim to none. “Grisha, I really think we need to consider stopping for the day. We should set up camp while there’s still some light out.” He suggested.

Grisha stopped, and so did Moses. Grisha looked to the sky, trying to measure if they could afford to walk for much longer. He felt his body ache, not from fatigue, but for a need to go home. If he could walk indefinitely he would, but maybe walking through the night just to crash whenever he got tired wasn’t the best idea. Just earlier Moses had pointed out a place they could use for shelter, but Grisha ignored him. They would have to turn back, but Grisha didn’t know the way.

“Lead then, Moses.” Grisha ordered, clearly not happy to concede. Moses turned around, but not fully. They would be walking backwards, but at an angle. Moses began to walk with his eagerness to stop showing, and Grisha followed bitterly. They could’ve been there a lot quicker if they had taken the turn they needed to take to reach the structure earlier, but that couldn’t be helped now.

“Grisha, could I ask you something else?” He said quietly. Grisha took a moment to appreciate the silence before he responded. “What is it?” Grisha replied. Moses took a moment to articulate his thoughts before he spoke. He wasn’t entirely sure how to word this, but he’d try his best: “Just last night, even when I told you to stand down-” He stopped. ‘Stand down...Maat’s vocabulary is strange.’ He began again, correcting himself. “When I told you there was nothing to fight, you completely ignored me and still went to pounce. What was that? I’m not sure I would travel with you if you always act that way.”

Moses soon came to find out Grisha wasn’t going to respond at all. He was still there, a few paces behind him, he just wasn’t speaking. “This isn’t how you were at the tavern. You must be really tired.” He turned back and offered with a half hearted grin. Grisha still didn’t react, which caused Moses’ face to drop. The more time he spent with him, the more he wished Maat and Myriani were here.

---

Maat couldn’t express it clearly, but he was starting to enjoy Myriani’s company. Moreso because it gave him something to do with his hands while he was walking. He couldn’t do this with Moses. Moses didn’t like being touched, and truthfully Maat was always a hands on kind of shadow guy. If Moses allowed Maat to carry him on his back more frequently, they probably could’ve been half way across Adleth at this point.

Now that he thought about it, everything from Haroth was a lot softer than he was. His skin didn’t give much if you pressed your finger into it. He felt a lot more solid than humans. Soon enough he found his hands squeezing Myriani’s thighs, as if trying to test a theory. He only did this a handful of times before he stopped. He only stopped because his behavior reminded him of Moses’.

He was still awfully tired of whatever was chasing them. He began to walk a lot faster than he did before. The day was almost over and he would like to go the rest of it without any more issues. He was suddenly more interested in Grisha’s and Moses’ footprints than anything else.

---

“Is this it?”

Grisha was clearly disappointed in a cathedral that might’ve been older than some of the trees in the forest. It was large, so large that probably not even Maat, with his mightiest leap could touch the ceiling. The door that led to the interior looked like a safety hazard in itself, the slightest touch threatening to give you a nasty splinter. Moses, unknowing of this, reached out to enter before Grisha stopped him. “It’s probably better if I open the door.” Grisha offered, knowing his tough skin probably wouldn’t be penetrated so easily.

The door creaked open.

On the other end of the cathedral was another entry way similar to the one they came in through, only the wall above the door had a pretty sizable hole in it. Grisha entered, and Moses followed. Moses could tell right off the bat that nothing was here, and nothing had been here for a while. Even the air itself felt old and stale.

Grisha sniffed the air a few times.

Moses tried his best to feel any kind of life.

“There’s nothing here.”

They looked at each other, then nodded, as if to make it even more clear they were in agreement.

“I’ll be calling Maat back, then.”

---

Maat soon reached the end of the footprints, and the shape it made seemed to completely break him. He was crouched down, with a hand on his chin while he studied the footprints. It was painfully obvious that they decided to turn back in a way, but it seemed not to be that way to Maat. He looked at the set that was made before the two had decided to turn around, then the fresh ones.

He rubbed a finger through one of the older footprints and rubbed the dirt in between his fingers. He did the same with the newer footprints. He stood, clearly puzzled. Maat blinked, and suddenly he was in the same cathedral Moses and Grisha found themselves in. Immediately, not even a fraction of a second before he was summoned, Moses noticed that he was carrying Myriani again, and let it fly.

“Maat, I’ve actually been meaning to ask you-”

Moses was cut off by Maat, who cupped his palm over his mouth.

“Very well. I guess it can wait.” Moses said after Maat removed his hand. Moses dropped his bag and began to set up camp while Grisha tested to see if one of the benches would hold his weight, fluctuating between sitting down with all of his weight and only some of it. Even now that they were here, Maat still held firm onto Myriani’s legs, still not planning on putting her down anytime soon, it seemed.

It didn’t take long for Moses to get an unexpectedly large fire going, using some of the old benches for firewood. Grisha had broken a few of them into smaller pieces before putting them as close to the center of the cathedral as he could. Moses rolled out his bed, and immediately upon sitting down on it was overcome by an intense hunger. It seemed to hit Grisha too at the same time.

“I’m getting up early to hunt.” Grisha said easily.

“Please and thank you.” Moses agreed.

 

[Vyolence]

Myriani ~ The Great Forest ​

The long walk gave Myriani some time to mull through her transient thoughts. The pangs of guilt met her briefly, her chin lifting from Maat’s shoulder to glace in their wake. Would it be time for her to go home soon? She was home, but she missed the tavern. Apparently not enough to pull her away from where her grasp now tighten around Maat's shoulders. They were broad, as if they could hold the wait of his troubles with ease. As curious as she had become regarding the shadow being, she refrained from draining information from him. Quite honestly, she wasn’t the greatest at conversation due to her lack of exposure. She would observe patrons of the tavern and was eventually able to learn many languages that were spoken within its walls. There was never any exercising them - until now. Turning her features back to the surface of Maat’s flesh, her small hands would slowly uncoil, her palms trailing to rest upon the outline of his shoulder blades. The sudden shift in temperature was rather soothing and she took a deep breath to relax her mind, exhaling against his skin.

With his loping stride, she felt as if she could fall asleep. But panic, like a wild deer’s watchful gaze, forced her eyes wide open. Perhaps it was a combination of fleeting sunlight and impending doom? This whole journey consisted of her heart rate climbing into her throat and falling into her stomach, on repeat. This would be quite the adjustment - but alongside her worry, there was reassurance. In the form of a shadow. When he shook his form she emitted a quiet laugh, the sound softening from the sensation on her thigh. It made her brows furrow and throat tighten, that strange glow returning to her stomach. Something she knew to be utterly terrifying was not what she had expected at all, especially not the unfamiliar sensations he evoked. Her body brushed against him in response, adjusting her positioning for comfort. Resting against the firmness of his skin, her arms returned to grasp his shoulders a little too tightly.


Myri’s attention returned to the journey as Maat’s movements changed and his sudden crouch caused her eyes to close. Just as he stood, lashes fluttered slowly open to a strange and entirely different environment. Gawking upwards at the massive structure, the spire triggered her memory of the disbanded church and its outer structure. It appeared she was now inside of it - her level of discomfort rising once more. Stone buildings were like blindfolds for a Dryad - As there was no raw Earth and certainly not much light. How would she ever feel something coming? But alas, they weren’t defenseless. Her gaze fell upon Moses as he spoke, her voice piping up from behind Maat. “Moses!” She seemed rather pleased he hadn’t disappeared. But her expression faltered as she noticed his wound had dried without proper care. Why do humans take such poor care of themselves? Observing Grisha next, she offered a gentle nod before turning her attention back to the dingy space.

Wiggling her feet as they passed a patch of dirt, she bobbed slightly up and down against Maat’s frame. It looked as if the stony foundation had broken and separated, exposing a small patch of the ground below. Perhaps if there was one, there were more. She thought of the interaction between Maat and Moses, wondering why they never seemed happy to see one another. As for Grisha, he still seemed rather calm at the moment. Her mind would trail back to the 8-legged disturbance in the distance, wondering if would make its presence known.

​

 

[sheesh]

Grisha and Moses stared intently into the fire, their fatigue showing through on their faces. Grisha had dragged a long bench over towards the fire for him to sit on. Occasionally Grisha looked up, at Moses from across the flames. Maat was off the the side, a little bit further away from the fire standing on his knees. For ages it felt like, the only sound present was the crackling from the burning wood, the smoke escaping through the high up hole in the cathedral wall. It was clear that the ice was thick - a little to thick to be broken easily. Moses scratched at his face, as his wound itched. He felt dry blood flake off of his face at his touch.

'I had forgotten all about that.' He thought nonchalantly. Grisha again didn't react to Moses' sudden realization. Moses pulled his bag closer to him and reached inside. After some digging he pulled out a clear bottle, full of almost as equally clear fluid. It was likely alcohol. He pulled the spongey cork off the top of the bottle and tilted his head back. For a moment he debated just dumping a measure of the alcohol on his face before he remembered that he wasn't raised under a sand dune. He reached back in his bag, pulling out the cloth. It was the one he usually kept his charcoal in. He shook his head and put in back in the bag and resumed digging. This time he pulled out a rag that looked like it had been ripped from a shirt.

He balled it up and plugged the top of the bottle with it and turned the bottle upside down briefly, letting the rag absorb some of the alcohol for a moment. He pulled the rag out and squeezed only some of the excess out of it, back into the bottle. First he began to wipe the general area around the wound in efforts to wash the blood off of his face. Sometimes he focused on an area with no blood on it, other times he was right on the mark. Taking a deep breath in preparation for the sting alcohol on a wound was notorious for, he wiped the first slash mark a few times, his eyes squinting. By the time he made it to the second and largest slash, his eyes were watering, but no tear fell on the third.

As if he had more, Moses tossed the rag into the fire, the remaining alcohol in it allowing it to catch fire even easier than it would have dry. Moses had nothing to cover the wound with. At this point he resolved to equip himself better medically the next time he could. He put the bottle of alcohol back into his bag and the silence resumed once more.

Maat adjusted his position again so that he sat down normally and with his legs spread out widely. Simultaneously he pulled Myriani through his body and set her down in between his legs. He leaned back and put his hands on the ground behind him.

Moses coughed.

Grisha cleared his throat.

Maat...made no noise.

As if fed up, Moses stood up. "Well, I guess now that we're all here I can do those introductions I spoke of now, yes?" Maat visibly relaxed. The silence was starting to get tense. "Grisha. You and my friend here got off on the wrong foot. His name is Maat. He speaks, you just can't hear him for the most part." Grisha nodded and shot a glance towards Maat. "And the yellow one?" He asked. "The yellow one is Myriani. You two also got off on the wrong foot." He said emphatically. Grisha sighed, then stood reluctantly. He approached the two and stood in between the fire and them, casting a shadow over them. He was roughly the same height as Maat, if a few inches shy. "I...apologize for the night before. I'm usually not very hospitable when I first wake up." He explained. He gestured and opened his mouth as if he was ready to say more, but stopped and returned to his seat.

'That's...maybe the most he's said since we found him?' He frowned. Perhaps Grisha was growing tired of the silence as well. Moses walked over to sit in front of Maat and Myriani, a familiar brown book in his hand. Grisha's ears and head perked up subtly, though while Moses' back was turned he couldn't notice. He opened the book the first page, where all of his notes from last time were recorded. Maat wrapped his arms around Myriani and pulled her back closer to his chest.

"What do you mean now's not the time? Now hasn't been the time all day, Maat. I don't see you offering any conversation ideas."

Maat threw one hand in the air and let it fall, clearly frustrated.

"Excuses. There are ways to talk without a mouth!"

Moses froze, and put covered his mouth with his hand. Clearly he didn't think that statement through before he said it. He let it hang in the air for a little bit before he corrected himself. "Okay, maybe you can't speak without a mouth; that was stupid of me to say." He ceded. "I understand that you may not like how much I press everything that can speak for information. But I've barely been able to speak with Myriani - you've been hogging her for almost as long as she's been with us." He said gently. Maat eased his grip on Myriani almost completely.

"Not to interrupt - but something's been circling the building for a while." Grisha announced, standing up. Maat stood up in tandem, and Moses soon followed suite. "Maat says he's noticed it too." Moses confirmed. Grisha nodded grimly, "It gets closer every few minutes or so. The circle's tightening. We're being hunted."

"When did you find the time to encounter a spider?"

Moses paused, and even Grisha turned to look at him stupidly. Maat's shoulders slumped. Moses could practically feel their disappointed gazes on him. He cleared his throat. "Right. I'm asking the wrong questions. Apologies. But what do we do though?" He asked. For the most part Moses wasn't particularly afraid for his life, but rather the structure of the building. He was rather comfortable in the old cathedral, and the big hole in the wall already irked him enough.

Maat and Grisha both began to move for the door, but slowly picked up pace. Grisha even began running on all fours and Maat kept up. They were clearly out of time. Grisha stood up and ran like a human as he approached the heavy wooden door. He pushed it open quickly, the old hinges groaning in response.

​

Thunk.

Grisha immediately closed the door after seeing what was outside. It made more sense why it circled before it closed in. It was creating a web around the area. They could escape through another door - who knows how far they would get before they ran into a wall. Quickly thinking, Grisha called out. "Moses, come here! We need your fire." Moses walked around Myriani and jogged over to the door. The second time Grisha opened the door, the spider, even the little ones were gone.

It didn't take keen hearing to hear the pitter-pattering of arachnid legs crawling over the top of the cathedral. Grisha only counted a handful of small spiders, presumably immature ones. There was no telling how many of them were around though. Soon enough, a large and spindly leg poked through the hole in the wall on the other side of the cathedral. The spider showed its face, and at the same time small groups of spider underlings would file in. Moses' panic was building. Everything was happening so fast, the time in between Grisha announcing something was near before they ran to the door and then finally the spiders showing themselves had all been unfairly short.

Grisha and Maat were the first to spring into action on part of their better instincts. Moses followed their example hesitantly. Maat was upon Myriani with as quickly as ever, and Grisha began ripping apart small spiders. Moses initially stood beside Maat, though a keen observation during the scramble would point out to Moses that the spiders were afraid of the giant cathedral bench fire that was in the middle of the room. He almost began to join the fight with Grisha, who seemed to be handling it by himself just fine before he realized that the giant spider hadn't entered yet. Rather, it watched.

Moses decided to take a poke, reaching into the fire itself like it was nothing and when he pulled it out, the fire stuck to his hand. Not in the traditional sense however, it was more like Moses grabbed a piece of the fire and took it for himself. He took long steps that contributed to the wind up of his throw before he chucked it quickly and rather accurately towards the hole in the wall. The fireball crashed against the face of the spider, and instead of exploding, it ignited the face of the spider, causing it to retreat from the hole.

Soon the smaller ones followed suite as well, giving Grisha a moment to breathe as well. Though no words were said, it was agreed upon that it would probably be back within the next few minutes after it recovered. Grisha was practically covered in mashed spider bits. Just how many did he kill? Taking the initiative to speak, Grisha asked. "Is everyone alright?" Moses nodded. Maat, as poor as the timing was, decided to flex his arms in response.

Maat didn't even have muscles to flex, but that was besides the point of the gesture.

 

[Vyolence]

Myriani ~ The Great Forest ​

Myri appeared rather confused at the current situation as it appeared they were going to sleep in the same space as Grisha. Perhaps the comment about waking early would remedy their previous issue. The long silence was peaceful to her and as a thoughtful gaze passed over each of their faces she could see how exhausted they truly were. That’s why it was so quiet. The glow of fire emitted for a short distance around them, the sight quite welcomed by the tree spirit. It would have been obvious by now she had quite a weakness to fire. But she did love the warmth and glow of a contained blaze. Watching Moses for a long moment, she thought of a remedy for his wound. Wouldn’t he have something to treat it inside that magical bag of his? Was it that smelly stuff he just poured on his face? There wasn’t much she could do regarding the treatment of mortal anatomy, but she knew a great deal about the Forest and the foliage it bred. Plants could do incredible things and there were a few she understood were used for physical healing purposes. That small crevice in the cathedral’s foundation would grant her enough space to summon the right herbs! But after a quick glance through plumes of smoke, she knew she’d be met with night sky. Well, at least he appeared to clean it.

Maat finally took a seat, probably for the first time since they had met. Once he moved her into a seated position her form went rigid as it met the cold stone beneath them. She could feel a steady warmth traveling from the fire and took comfort in that much. Her thoughts began to ponder where Maat drew so much energy from. After being in a humanoid form for so long, Myri wasn’t opposed to the idea of taking a nap. He’d been exerting much more energy than she, yet he never seemed to tire. Her curiosity would drive her to investigate but only through silent observation - just as she had become accustomed to doing. Leaning forward she would stretch her legs before her and reach out to touch her toes in a stretch. If Maat hadn't carried her all this time, she imagined she would feel much more worn.


Pointed ears twitched as she listened to the adjacent conversation, her emerald hues watching the fire with a tired expression. They yellow one? Myri glanced down at her bare legs, furrowing her brows as she connected the reference. She’d offer Grisha a small smile before acknowledging Moses' approach with a wide smile he couldn’t see, but could quite possibly feel. A cool embrace coerced her chin to lift upwards, green orbs focusing on Maat’s dark features. Her horns nestled against his frame as she listened to Moses speak, her attention drawn to silent responses. When his grip fell away she scooted slightly back until the space between them was closed. It wasn’t but a moment later that their moment of peace was disrupted. Spiders? If she had her feet on the ground she might have been able to guess the same. Moving gracefully to stand, she padded slowly close to inspect the commotion before a horde was among them. Why now, when she was entirely useless? There was the possibility of trying to communicate with the spiders but she would have to make physical contact before doing so. In a moment of magical prowess alongside Grisha’s savage methods, there was a break in the chaos. She would chime up quietly in response to the head count as looked in Maat’s direction.

​

 

[sheesh]

Grisha and Moses discussed what the plan was not far away from Maat and Myriani. Moses had initially moved over to inspect the spiders, or rather what was left by Grisha out of curiosity. There wasn't much to tell about a couple of green-brown spider blood splats and dismembered legs and eyes, though. Grisha soon joined him near the disgusting amalgamation of spider pieces. After both mutually getting their fill of dead spiders, they began to discuss what they learned in the time they had freed up for themselves.

Maat approached.

"I noticed that they're afraid of fire. I'm not sure if it's the light, or the heat, or both. But assuming that spiders came out during the dark, I'm assuming they aren't very keen on bright lights." Moses informed Grisha, who nodded, but then after a moment he asked. "What am I supposed to do with that? I can't use magic. Do you expect me to wave around a torch while I fight?" He upturned his messy palms. "I need both of these." He said, closing them with a soft squelch. "Well, that was the initial idea, however I see how everyone would be more effective if they had both their hands. It doesn't seem like Maat or Myriani are picking up swordsmanship anytime soon...I have another idea though." He admitted. Grisha perked his ears up while he listened.

Maat spent some time kicking around the bigger pieces of dead spiders while Moses and Grisha strategized. Would it have been helpful if Maat was in on the plan? Maybe. Did he care? He would've if he had thought about it. Grisha had handled everything on his own, for the most part. For having an empty stomach, he sure did a lot. Maybe he was running on the last bit of energy he had left, and maybe a bit of adrenaline.

"Maat."

Maat began to walk back towards Myriani, clearly finished with playing with dead spiders.

"Maat!"

He reached out for Myriani, clearly ready to carry her around again.

"Maat!"

Maat spun around suddenly, his eyes wide and bright. At some point while they were speaking Maat tuned them out. He had a habit of doing that when nobody was speaking to him directly. "Did you get all that, Maat?" Moses asked, as if he already knew what Maat would say - or rather do in response. On cue, Maat began to nod and he tapped the side of his head, where a temple normally would be. Before Moses could accuse him of lying, Grisha's ears shot up. "You better understand what's going on, shadow. They're back." Grisha announced, flexing his claws.

Moses had hoped for a few more moments to set up some kind of defense, though the spiders reasonably didn't give them a lot of time to prepare. Like he read Moses' mind, Grisha roared and smashed the bench that he sat on in half, right down the middle. He picked up one half and stuck it into the fire until it ignited. "This should help keep them off you while you prepare." Grisha said. He balanced the flaming half-bench on the side that wasn't splintered and burning. After essentially setting up a giant torch, the moment small spiders began to pour in once more he leapt into action.

This time Maat joined Grisha, though it was hard to tell if Maat was taking this seriously or not. He began to mimic Grisha, copying his claw swipe motions despite him not having claws. Fortunately, this worked well for him. He was strong enough that despite having claws, his swings still would send spiders crashing against the walls if he didn't impale them on his curled fingers. Every now and then, Maat would stop to look at Myriani, who wasn't able to do much given how fast the first wave happened.

Moses, clearly not entirely satisfied with having a giant torch for a defense began to look at the stone tiles that covered the floor. From inbetween the cracks on the floor, dirt began to spill out, almost like boiling water over the edge of a kettle. Soon the tiles in a square around him began to pop off the floor as the compact dirt below began to rise up and form walls around Moses and his personal bench fire. The walls went up to his waist. From there he did absolutely nothing besides seemingly wait.

Though one could swear they saw static subtly travel across his body every few seconds.

 

[Vyolence]

Myriani ~ The Great Forest ​

The boys seemed to be coordinating their efforts as she stood still as a lump on a long. What the hell do I do? She thought of making a run to an unbarricaded exit for access to the wilderness but then she would need sunlight to do anything productive. Think, think, think. She began pacing in silent observation of the spider carcasses. Their species wasn’t innately familiar but she knew from the scent of their blood they came from the Forest. Didn’t Moses mention something about Maat’s knowledge of spiders? The lids of her eyes narrowed as she stole a glance at her shadowy companion, shaking her head in thought. When Moses mentioned swordsmanship she would audibly scoff. It couldn’t be that hard, she’d seen the mortals do it all the time! Pursed lips released a slow exhale as she searched through the pile of rubble closest to her, using two hands to grab a jagged board of wood from the pile. Examining it briefly, she’d slowly turn back to the spider she examined prior - a little practice wouldn’t hurt. Holding the board in a firm grip she’d reel it behind her head and release the motion forward as she practiced swinging her tool of defense. The force of the motion sent her tiny form in a complete circle before she gracefully stabilized her frame.

Everyone seemed to prepare themselves with a similar determination, clearly it wasn’t their first time. But for Myriani? Oh, she’d only seen such things in her imagination, fueled by adventurous lore told at the Tavern. A bit of panic seeped into her focus as her peripherals spotted movement from the moonlit opening above them. The lids of her eyes narrowed as it appeared to be a bird in the distance. A bird? Her brows furrowed and rosy cheeks puffed outward as she struggled to shake the familiar feeling in that moment. Her eyes wandered to Grisha, who seemed to be prepared with sheer strength. Onto Moses, his magical talents were truly breathtaking as he was prepared with intellect. Maat was prepared as always doing - whatever that clawing motion was - but nevertheless, he was prepared. Myri looked down at the splintered board in her own hands. Eyes opened wide as she was struck with a divine reverie.

Over a century prior, Myriani had found herself in a bit of trouble. Her paranormal escapade led her to a pair of smugglers within the Tavern’s stables. Some massive creature squawked with terror as it was secured to a large tree several yards away. In an attempt to free the creature, Myri was spotted and quickly pursued. They fled alongside one another and it had been quite some time since their last encounter. She’d be breaking her personal moral that restricted calling on creatures to potentially fight. Oh, but he was different. Taking another assessment of her surroundings she gripped her board until her knuckles turned white. There was only one thing she could do without sunlight - call to beasts. Surely he’ll come. Tilting her head towards the opening she took a deep breath, the corners of her lips tugging upwards as she yelled in an attempt to summon her old friend. “Zelos!” Two syllables rang out with a volume that rattled dust free from the rafters. She immediately clamped her own ears and nodded apologetically to the group. The clamoring of wiry legs returned, closing in on the opening before it went black entirely.

A shadow passed through, its massive wingspan tucking swiftly into its shape. Despite the attempt, they brushed along loose stone that tumbled to the ground below. The audible ‘swoosh’ of flapping wings filled the space and forcefully pushed a breeze around its landing point. Now standing several feet from Myri, was the Gryphon known as Zelos. Standing nearly 8’ in height, he towered over the approaching Dryad. His feline body was rigid and maintained muscular girth. Ebony talons extended in deadly curvature from his massive paws. A wingspan of 20’ tucked into his form as Myri extended a hand to place upon his mighty beak. Moving to the tips of her toes as he lowered his head, she’d caress him for a moment as she whispered her thanks. Settling back on her feet, she clutched her board once more as Zelos stalked gracefully into position behind her.

​

 

[sheesh]

Grisha took a break from the fighting for just a moment, a spider flailing his hand. He looked up just in time to see the gryphon swoop in to join. He had nearly thought the fight had actually become a challenge for him. For a moment, his pupils dilated, similar to the time when he had nearly devoured Myriani. He probably would've leapt from where he was just to wrestle with the gryphon before not only seeing it was clearly with Myriani, but at the same time he noticed, the spider in his hand had managed to bite the webbing in between his thumb and index finger. Annoyed, he crushed the spider and it served as a reminder that he couldn't afford to take any breaks at the moment.

Maat also took a break from the fighting to observe the new addition to the field, though he wasn't as in nearly as much danger as Grisha - every time a spider attempted to pounce on him they passed through his body. It was starting to make more sense why Maat wasn't taking the fighting seriously; he seemed damn near immortal. While Maat was concerned about the gryphon, he wasn't really itching to fight it like Grisha clearly was, even if only for a moment before the lycan snapped back to reality. Every now and then, Maat took a moment to step on a spider where it was convenient. The fighting wasn't as intense to him as it was to Grisha; spiders only really came in groups of ten, if even, and Grisha was incredibly zealous in taking them out. Most of the time Maat was only able to steal three for himself. The numbers that would come in it at a time were noticeably thinning. Maat blinked as a flash of blue and white came from Moses mini-fort.

Moses was slowly on his way to becoming lightning itself, it seemed. Blue and white tendrils of electricity danced up and down his arms and legs, his entire body. Every now and then an arc would pop off of his body, either striking stone and dissipating or managing to strike a stray spider, which would in turn be obliterated. Maat clearly wasn't all that impressed with it. He knew Moses wasn't exactly a combat magician as much as he was a man who used magic for other, more practical applications, like cauterizing wounds or freezing bridges across water. While he was capable of using devastating spells, he lacked the ability to charge it quickly, and even when it was fully charged the end result wasn't anything to tell stories about.

Now that the numbers were starting to thin, Maat dropped his act of even appearing to look like he was trying to fight, now opting to punt anything that went too close to him. Grisha only let up on part of the fact that there were less things to kill. The spiders that managed to make it by Moses without cowering from the fire or getting struck by a stray tendril went for Myriani, though the chances of them getting past a gryphon were slim. On cue with the fight slowing down, the cathedral began to rumble before the mother itself reappeared in the same hole in the wall, this time squeezing through and barely fitting, causing the already loose stones in the wall to fall.

Grisha noticed, as hard as it was to miss. He signaled to Moses with not words, but a roar signature to lycan's. Moses didn't need the signal to understand what was happening. As if the lightning itself had been waiting on this, the intensity of his spell suddenly doubled and he began to give off a brilliant blue light. The lightning illuminated the whole cathedral, blue and white sparks dancing around Moses as even the electricity on him began to envelop him. The pressure from the spell sent waves of wind and dust rippling away from Moses. With a high pitched whine, the electricity gathered in one of Moses' arms. Moses himself was gritting his teeth and furrowed his brow, as if seething.

Maat, who himself had already killed one spider aimed to take care of this himself and make his giant spider kill count two. With a mage and his summon both gunning to kill you - especially one as strong as Maat, there wasn't much you could do, especially without having the experience of fighting such a pair. Maat leapt towards the spider, his fist cocked back and aiming to press the offensive before the spider could even have the chance to hurt anyone. Maat was unaware, however, that his jump was awfully mistimed. At the same time he leapt, Moses had launched his spell by slamming his palm into the stone. The lightning traveled across the stone as if it were a shark underwater, tearing ruin into the stone flooring as the lightning hungrily swam through the ground, stray arcs still shocking spiders that got too close.

Maat happened to be one of these "spiders." As the lightning struck the spider, causing its muscles to spasm as it was essentially fried by thunderous wrath, it indiscriminately chained to Maat. Relatively fortunately, it seemed that Maat absorbed the lightning as he took the blow to his chest. There weren't many things, if any, that could react to the speed of lightning - which was basically light. This proved itself again, as Maat was flung off course and violently slammed into one of the ornate stone pillars that held up the second floor and nearly crashed through it entirely, sending stone and dust out in a small cloud around the area of impact when he hit.

The instant before he was hit, Maat understood why he should've been listening to the plan now.

Without a word, Moses sprinted to check on Maat, while Grisha approached the large, twitching and smoking spider to ensure it was dead.

As Moses approached the pillar, the only thing he would be able to find with his blind eyes was that Maat wasn't moving. To the average eye however, until the dust cleared, the only thing possible to see was an oily liquid trailing down the side of the pillar in small measure. Moses ran his hands through his hair clearly stressed, not quite sure what to do or what to say. Moses set his hand ablaze and waved his other hand frantically to try and clear the smoke. Then he saw him.

​

Moses recoiled, clearly shocked by not only the sudden change in eye color, but the presence of teeth, as gnarled and undesirable as they were. Was that even Maat that had been struck with the spell?

Suddenly, a cacophony of voices, seemingly all male but in a combination of pitches that were in no way melodic rang out, forcing Moses to cover his ears mid-sentence. Especially Grisha, with his more finely tuned ears found his ear instinctively tucked against his head, flat. Even that was enough to save him, and soon he began to cover his ears with his large palms. The spiders, who were fleeing because their mother had been killed also thematically left as the noise continued. Then it stopped, replaced by the sound of someone clearing their throat.

"Little bit of a warning, next time? I'm everything but magic proof."

Maat hopped down from his landing zone, wiping more of the oily substance, now obviously blood from his new...mouth? From Maat's recollection, the force of his scream after being shocked was quite literally strong enough to a blow a hole in his face where his mouth should've been. Truthfully, the teeth and tongue, and the rest had already been there - he was capable of speaking, though his skin acted as a filter which drastically changed the frequency of his voice. Everything that entailed was yet to be learned, though obviously the most immediate effect was that Maat could actually be heard. By everyone.

 

[Vyolence]

Myriani ~ The Great Forest ​

“It’s been so long!” Myri chimed, stepping slowly backwards with anticipation towards her beastly companion. She couldn’t do much for offense and certainly no defense at this hour. More than grateful for his return, it beamed from her very soul as some confidence would return to her expression. Her teeth chattered as she anticipated the popping of her first fight’s cherry. Was it really a fight, I called help and I have a plank. Gritting her teeth, she used both hands to hold the board like a weapon. She truly wouldn’t have much to worry about in that moment, as Zelos pecked a few of the combatants who approached them. Her concern would remain with the rest of the group, flicking between men before lingering on Maat.

Once again it would become clear in her mind that Moses was a very talented mortal. It sparked a chain that made her understand in that moment, the severity of her actions. She had only observed humans this closely while remaining unseen - now this crossed the line. Waiting for the guilt to pool in her gut, she centered her focus and noticed a small spider preparing to pounce. As she did before, inhaling on the wind up, she spun her tiny frame and extended the board to meet the creature with an audible crunch. Spinning through the follow up that sent the spider rolling towards Zelos, she was much less graceful in her fit of adrenaline. Landing on her bottom, she released a quiet groan before laughter followed. It was cut abruptly short as the familiar vibrations of 8 legs disturbed the cathedral. Once she saw its giant mass she immediately regretted calling her feathery companion. She knew he wouldn’t leave now, even if she asked.

Then she saw something incredible. A bright light that forced her hand to cover its glow, eyes squinting for a brief moment. It appeared an additional tendril would propel Maat’s silhouette forcefully into the surrounding structure. Stumbling to a halt, her emerald hues quivered with uncertainty as she watched the scene unfold. She might have called his name if her breath wasn’t trapped in her throat. Moses would never do something like this intentionally - would he? - but Myri knew from the strength of Moses’ energy, it must have hurt. He made it to the cloud of dust before she did, her bare feet padding quickly upon the floor. She appeared rather breathless as she moved closer, freezing in place at the sight of the new face before her. The sound that wracked her sensitive ears caused them to flatten slightly, her small hands cupping them through thick tendrils of hair. She stayed like this for a long moment until she heard a voice. Maat? Of course she’d never heard his voice but this somehow sounded as she imagined him. Once he jumped into view she would study him in awe, her pouty bottom lip quivering at the sight. But he still feels the same. Taking a hand from her head she slowly extended her arm towards him, much like when they first met. Wide eyes grew intensely curious as small smile returned to her lips.

​

 

[sheesh]

A little more of the pillar gave away and stone crumbs fell from the pillar. Grisha was literally kicking the spider while it was down. Whether he was just finding something else to do so he didn't have to participate in seeing what happened with Maat or if he actually checking to see if it was dead was debatable. Maat picked at his new and motley teeth with the tip of his pinky. He had never eaten anything, so what could possibly be stuck in his teeth was questionable. Closing his new mouth, he rubbed his teeth with his tongue, feeling their irregularities. It seemed that the only thing with color on Maat's body was his eyes and teeth. Looking into his mouth was the same as looking into a void.

After he was done examining his new feature for the moment, he looked at Myriani. "Now that I've got a mouth, I can do something I've been meaning to do for a while now." He said, dropping his voice several tones. He grabbed her by the horn, bypassing her hand and pulled her close, to him, and with his other hand he coiled some of her red hair around his fingers.

Clack-clack.

Maat's teeth began to ungracefully gnaw on Myriani's curved horns. Much like a parent, Moses grabbed Maat's face and worked hard to pry his mouth from her horn. "What-" He stammered as he wrestled with Maat. "Is your problem-" He followed. Maat was starting to leave shallow dents in her horns near the tips. Realistically, Moses could never get the better hand of Maat physically, so when he pried him off, it was probably a case of Maat giving up. "You get a mouth. What do you do? You start putting things in it!" He scolded, accent in full swing. Maat was taken off guard for a second. He would've expected Moses to have already gotten his notebook and began prodding Maat. Moses ran his hand across the area where Maat chewed on, rubbing his fingers across the shallow dents.

"You've ruined them!" He exclaimed dramatically, now feeling over the horn with both of his hands. "Did it hurt? How do your horns feel?" He asked, turning his attention to Myriani. Maat began to defend himself after he recovered. "Listen, listen~." He started, gaining Moses attention. "I know it's a strange thing to do, trust me, I know," He paused again for dramatic effect before the big reveal: "They just looked like they might taste good." He finished nasally.

Moses' eye twitched. He opened his mouth to speak again before Maat cut him off. "You might be wanting to ask - 'how do they look good, Maat? They're horns.' And to that, I'd say. How am I supposed to know what tastes good? I've never eaten anything before. I just thought if I'd try to eat anything it'd be Myriani." He finished, almost grinning, but then remembering how misshapen his smile was and deciding against it. His explanation behind this thoughts was completely valid - how was he to know what tasted good without having tasted anything? Despite the validity of the claim, it didn't seem to calm Moses.

"So let me get this straight. You get a mouth. You decide you want to taste something. So you put Myriani's horn in your mouth?"

"Yes."

"Despite not knowing where its been, and not even asking if you could do such a thing."

"It's not like I've ever been sick."

"I...don't actually have anything to say to that." He confessed. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his hands and closed his eyes like he was afflicted with a headache. "Just don't try to eat the spiders. You won't like them, I promise." Retching and gagging came back from Grisha's direction. Maat looked over just in time to see him vomit. It was mainly bile - he hadn't had much to eat, but the only thing that was vaguely recognizable was in fact a spider leg. Grisha noticed Maat's sudden attention and announced from his side of the cathedral: "Don't eat the spiders," he paused to wipe his mouth, "they taste awful." He finished.

 

[Vyolence]

Myriani ~ The Great Forest ​

There had been so much adventure packed into such a small frame of time, Myri was unsure how much he nerves could handle. It would be a shame if something happened to Maat before she got the opportunity to thank him. Her inner monologue would try to reason with the discomfort but she simply choked it down in response. Enough! All she wanted inside that horned head was silence - and his voice. It was almost ethereal, much like that of a forest spirit though clearly that was not the case. Calling upon the residue of her confidence, she stood before Maat with a look of determination and relief. He seems okay. As his grasp was suddenly upon her, she’d squeeze her eyes tightly closed and released the weight of her shoulders with a sigh. He still felt the same. She gracefully closed the space between them, her hands immediately resting against the span of his chest and moving in slow circles. Freckled cheeks tinged with color and would dimple as she took quite a moment to process his words. He was already doing the thing he wanted - to speak! Then the thought was interrupted by an audible gnawing that accompanied a vibration through her horns.

A squawk of protest suddenly filled the space as Zelos approached, inspecting the hold the shadow creature took upon her. His mighty head swiveled as several feet still remained between them. His concern was met with Myri's melodic laughter that was muffled as her mouth brushed against a void of flesh. It seemed to tickle, the odd sensation felt almost like the dull scratching of an itch as the keratin sheath surrounding the inner bone absorbed most of the vibration. Her eyes reopened to the sound of Moses’ exclaiming with an unfamiliar accent. Blinking with wide eyes, her face flushed as he traced the new imperfections of her horns with a rather concerned expression. Zelos expelled a noisy sigh before wandering over to Grisha, slowly. He approached the massive carcass that was being pummeled in its death, nudging it roughly. Pecking at a loose portion of its abdomen, he began plucking and innards that might have been intact despite Grisha's comical words of warning.

As Maat mentioned eating her, she huffed loudly, pursing her lips and puffing her freckled cheeks. She could only hope he was joking, though his words ignited that strange heat in the pit of her stomach once more. Placing her hands upon the curve of her exposed hips, she’d smile. “It’s quite alright.” She murmured, turning her attention to Moses as she pivoted gracefully upon a heel. She drew close to observe his wound as it looked much different from her own - and much worse than anything she’d experienced. Raising a palm, she placed it upon his shoulder and offered a gentle squeeze. “Are you alright?” She wondered, taking her gaze away for a moment to examine the dented tips of her horns. She smoothed a hand over one of them, giving it a gentle squeeze.

​

 

[sheesh]

"I'm just a little tired. Hopefully after we clean up this mess I can finally get some proper rest. I don't even have the energy to think of any thesis, or experiment or...my head hurts just thinking about it." Moses complained and began to massage one of his temples. He brushed Myriani's hand off of his shoulder as he turned away from Myriani and Maat. He didn't even have anything to comment about the gryphon that suddenly joined the fray. Maat knew to expect this from Moses - he knew from the moment he began preparing his spell the only thing he was going to feel like doing was getting ready to go to sleep.

Moses began to torch what was left of the spiders, burning until nothing was left but ash. Grisha had seemed to try and coordinate with Zelos on how to get the giant spider out of the cathedral, though it proved apparent that dogs and gryphons couldn't accurately communicate. The result was Grisha trying to force the spider, that he found was heavier than it looked, out of the doors of the cathedral by himself while Zelos sat nearby and watched. It's abdomen was too fat to easily fit through the door, and the frame of the door groaned and shuddered with every push.

Maat decided to make himself useful and began to throw dead spiders out of windows, though at the rate that Moses was burning them he really didn't get to do much. There were a few times he found himself just wanting to try some spider meat, though coincidentally every time a piece of a spider hung over his mouth, he could feel Moses' blind gaze on the back of his neck. Of course he had to try and front like he decided not to eat it on his own accord, refusing to give Moses any credit for his decision.

Even with a newly discovered mouth, Maat found himself not using it very often. He was still getting used to having one. Most of the time he forgot he even had one, but even when he did remember, it wasn't like there was a lot he wanted to say given how tired Moses and Grisha were. As for Myriani, he'd gotten so used to interacting with her without speaking that he didn't really know how to do it any other way. In fact, it felt strange for him to even try. The only reason he was being so unusually productive was really because the thought of messing around with Myriani had crossed his mind once, but he didn't really know what he could say at this point. He was hoping to try and figure something out while he was cleaning, but he was far too busy trying not to eat spiders to think about that at the moment.

At some point, Grisha managed to finish his project and roll the beast a few minutes away from the cathedral. This came at a price, however. Getting it through the door intact was impossible, and in his efforts to get it through the door, the spider's abdomen had actually burst from the pressure, getting a vile smelling goo all over him. Fortunately Moses was equipped to spray him with a magical stream of water somewhere outside, and was able to dry him off with a gust of wind. The stench didn't completely leave his fur, however. You could still smell it whenever he walked by.

Grisha was the first to clock out, curling up closest to the fire and passing out, snoring less like a dog and more like a bear. Maat decided that he'd at least speak to Moses about his new development for a while before he went to bed, allowing him to get some valuable, even if incomplete notes on Maat. Moses decided to cut Maat short as his eyes grew heavy, opting to go to bed rather than finish. This just left Maat to stare into the fire by himself. He had reached into Moses' bag and found a few pieces of crumpled paper - likely inaccurate notes and similar things - and started to rip pieces of them off to toss into the fire.

 

[Vyolence]

Myriani ~ The Great Forest ​

Myri’s reassuring smile slowly fell as Moses turned to walk away. She would have never predicted the day to be so sour, but then again she really didn’t know what to expect at that point. Creating a distraction, fleeing capture, and now, giant spiders. She wondered if Zelos would mind the current state of his summons, though he didn’t seem to be bothered. The massive creature stalked slowly over to where Myri stood, clenching the board she used as a bludgeon. His large head would lower to offer her still frame a nudge before releasing an audible snort. “Aye, I think it’s over. Thank you.” Her voice was tender as she spoke to the creature, reaching out once more to smooth delicate fingers across the surface of his beak. She closed her eyes for a long moment despite Zelos returning to a standing position.

Wild auburn strands hung from her horns and shorter pieces jutted upwards in places. Moving her hand to her face, she’d rub her visage in an attempt to move her hair, smoothing a streak of dirt beneath her eye and across her pouty lips before she grasped her board once more. Her attention was drawn to lifeless body before her; a small spider from the horde. Her brows knitted together as she began prying its corpse from the ground, nudging it closer to the main entrance. Zelos approached from behind in a trot, using his beak to snatch it from the floor. He exhaled sharply in the form of a snort as he carried it to the main door and tossed it outside. Myriani couldn’t help a quiet giggle as she moved to meet him, her hands grasping the tips of her horn’s uneven surface. Giving a tight squeeze, she looked up at the majestic creature before her. “Thank you, my friend. I’m sorry for calling you to such an inconvenience.” Her small voice was drowned out by the sound of his reassuring chirp. “It’ll be better circumstances next time, I’m sure of it.” Her lips formed a wide smile as she rocked to the tips of her toes to meet Zelos’ beak with another pat. There were silent goodbyes passed between them in that moment, Myri sinking back to the heels of her soiled, bare feet. Zelos would snort once more before turning, his long tail brushing her figure as he moved. Pacing into a trot, he’d move with beastly grace until he passed the main entrance and took flight into the night.

Once Moses and Grisha returned from their clean up, she appeared rather amused as she sized up the wet dog. As they settled into the stony confines she felt a sense of unease as she curled her toes against the solid ground. Everyone seemed settled at this point, Grisha passed out next to a roaring fire. As Maat and Moses exchanged words, what she assumed was another interview, she padded quietly around the cathedral. She’d never actually been inside a structure made entirely of stone and something about the looming height of its walls made her uncomfortable. She stole another glance at the group, satisfied they were able to take shelter, before she ducked into a hallway. It appeared to have collapsed some time ago but there was a large crack above the rubble that allowed moonlight to seep in. Quite the skilled climber, she used her hands and feet to scale the jagged rock until she reached the illuminated opening. It was just large enough to accommodate her horns and with a quiet groan of exertion she pulled her torso upwards through the crack. Her head swiveled as she assessed the grassy field, tilting it slightly to listen for a long moment. Above the sound of chirping cicadas and grasshoppers, she could hear running water through the field several yards away. A quick swim, that couldn't hurt. Pulling the rest of body from the small crevice, she’d make a run for the water. She took graceful strides, the tall grass parting a small trail beneath her feet. Though her eyes couldn’t see the bank, she certainly could hear as she drew closer, unyielding her sprint. As she approached the edge a single leap sent her tiny form into the shallow depths with an audible splash.

​

 

[sheesh]

Somewhere else...

Moses awoke, not in his bed roll upon the stone cold cathedral floor he'd become lightly acquainted with, but back in a familiar cursed landscape of bleached sands and infinite night. There was more here this time. There was a crescent moon hanging in the sky, as well as thin clouds that were as still as the wind. Nearby was a dead juvenile tree - an apt reflection of the dead land Moses' feet stood upon. Nothing stood beside Moses beside his own shadow, and in the bottom of his heart he knew Maat was not in it.

He began to walk, alone and with no direction. The only thing he had with him was the clothes on his back, and even that would do no good against the native cold of...wherever he was. He knew it was a dream - he had been here before, but it was as if something in his mind...no, the world around him itself was working against him, undoing his reasonings and forcing him to resign to believe that his body was stolen from the cathedral and taken to a realm so foreign, yet in some strange way familiar to him. This couldn't be Haroth, could it? No where in Haroth were there gray sands where time stood as still as the wind. He walked for days, a feeling of dread building his chest while he grimly toyed with the possibility this was his fate - to wander and think alone.

His feet began to blister from what felt like days of walking, so he took off his shoes. He wanted to stop and rest, but every time he considered stopping the feeling intensified. The feeling of not just thinking but knowing something was stalking you, waiting on you to grow tired and break down before it got you. The feeling of being preyed on. The only thing Moses actually knew for fact was that: he couldn't stop walking. It was waiting for that. Just a small falter, a crack in his will for it to force open and exploit.

In the distance, Moses saw a familiar tower. It was the one from the last time he visited this desolate place in his mind. Perhaps if he surrendered himself to the shadowy giant within he would be granted passage back home - or at least somewhere away from here. Death would be better than walking here eternally, knowing stopping meant the end; and even when the end was preferable, you continued to suffer and stretch out the remains of your willpower, forcing yourself to go on.

As his body became numb, whether from the cold or impossible fatigue, so did his mind. He found his thoughts freezing and became less comprehensible. Every time he created something that made sense it was disposed of, tossed into a sea of all the other thoughts that jumbled together and scrambled his mind. He could think of everything at once, yet nothing at all. Eventually he grew tired of thinking at all, muting his mind and becoming a husk that only had one directive: to continue walking. The fire that was his individuality was extinguished completely, suffocated by the very sands he walked on.

Then, he reached the tower.

Suddenly it was as if he was back in Haroth. His body was warm and his sharp mind returned to him. He even had the bag he carried with him everywhere. His feet didn't ache and the ominous presence he worked so hard to escape had been left behind. He found himself next to a familiar dead tree - the same one he saw at the beginning of his journey. He prepared to approach the tower once more, ready to leave before he heard footsteps approaching behind him. He froze, paralyzed with fear. He hadn't escaped. He was a fool. He thought that he could just stop because the insufferable walk only appeared to be over, but that was only an illusion. He squeezed his eyes shut and prepared for it.

It never came. Instead, what came was a reflection of himself. This...other Moses was gray and naked, his skin clinging desperately to his bones. His muscles seemed to have melted away, and if a single gust of wind happened to travel across the gray desert, this husk that mirrored Moses would surely be turned to dust. With fragility and a hint of desperation every step, it alone traveled to the tower, and something in Moses' gut told him to not rob it of its chance to escape. Was that the only directive for everything that went to sleep and woke up here? To simply get out? Moses felt pity, not just for the husk that slowly approached the exit, but for everything that was here: the tree, the sand, the lonely tower, the moon and clouds, and he found himself pitying himself as well.

The closer the thing he could only call his reflection got to the tower, the more a tugging sensation in his gut grew. With every step in took, Moses felt some kind of initiative building in himself, infusing itself into his bones and muscle; every fiber of his being grew stronger and brimmed with the potential to act. Where was this energy coming from? Moses stood there with nothing to spend this energy on, and it only seemed to grow until it was unbearable. A blood vessel in his eye popped as the pressure began to great for him to contain. He had to let it go.

In a sudden outburst, he began to scream, and in tandem the very world itself shook and wailed with him. His shouts turned to wails and he soon found himself crying. His nose began to run, snot flooding from his nose as he dropped to his knees. He flailed his arms around wildly, trying to find something to do with this cursed energy. He tried to contain himself, clutching the sand and attempting to use it to root his arms at the least while he tried to compose himself. It was no good. Soon he began to roll across the sand, wailing his despair into the sky. He just wanted to leave, so. Very. Badly. He slammed his head into the sand while on his knees and clutched at his thick locks of hair and began to rip them from his head.

He tossed his locks of hair everywhere, parts of his bleeding scalp coming along with it. The pain offered a new feeling, one to distract him from his incessant crying, but still one that made him cry even more even if he wasn't paying attention to it. The blood began to run down his face, into his eyes. It mixed with his tears and stained the sand, giving it the gift of color. As the first drop fell and changed the sand, the blood red color seemed to spread like wildfire, infecting other grains of sand until the gray landscape turned red.

It didn't stop there. The land began to infect the sky as well, the moon suddenly beginning to bleed and the clouds following suite. Moses' cries of despair turned to a fit of rage. His body burned hot with feeling. He felt so hot he wouldn't be surprised if he began to smolder, and unknowingly, he was. Flickers of fire danced around his body, as if an ember was trying to find just the right spot to ignite. With another mighty cry that shook reality itself, he took off running towards the tower. As he approached the husk from behind, it turned back and they met eyes for a moment. The husk wasn't afraid. He merely appeared sad; he appeared to be looking down on Moses, as if he had some kind of high ground, as if he knew something he didn't. Moses shoved him out of the way, and it turned to dust as it hit the ground, joining the sands Moses stomped across.

The moment his foot touched the stone floor of the tower, he burst into flames for merely a second.

Then he was back, again next to a familiar dead tree.

A husk of a man walked by, resembling Moses. This...other Moses was gray and naked, his skin clinging desperately to his bones. His muscles seemed to have melted away, and if a single gust of wind happened to travel across the gray desert, this husk that mirrored Moses would surely be turned to dust. With fragility and a hint of desperation every step, it alone traveled to the tower, and something in Moses' gut told him to not rob it of its chance to escape. Was that the only directive for everything that went to sleep and woke up here? To simply get out? Moses felt pity, not just for the husk that slowly approached the exit, but for everything that was here: the tree, the sand, the lonely tower, the moon and clouds, and he found himself pitying himself as well.

Hadn't he done this before? He could've swore he was just here a moment earlier. Did the tower do this? He shoved the Husk aside as it walked by and began to run towards the tower once more, eagerly and desperately trying to escape once again. The husk turned to dust as it hit the floor, much like the last time. He blinked, then he felt the familiar pain of ripping his own hair out. Reality dyed itself red once again, though at twice the rate and Moses began to take off towards the tower again, shoving yet another Moses-like husk away just to again burn up after his first step in the tower.

A husk of man walked by.

Maat stared into the fire, by himself. He listened calmly to the variations of Grisha's snoring while Moses was painfully still and quiet in his sleep, as if comatose. They were clearly beaten by the events the day had in store for them. What had he been thinking about this entire time? His mind was painfully clear, so much so to the point that he was starting to believe taking that lightning bolt was starting to have more effects on him than just giving him a mouth. He stared at his hands. He opened them. He closed them. He held them up in front of the fire that raged before it, feeling the heat on them, seeing the light dance through his translucent hands.

He felt himself bordering on an existential crisis, one that might've sent him into an unprecedented breakdown. Why was he feeling all of this all of a sudden? He had never questioned what he was, or why he was. He began to think on the contrasts between him and Moses. Moses had a mother that Maat had personally never met, and he had met his father at least once. The point was that Moses had parents that raised him from birth. Moses had always had passions, a direction to move in with his life. Maat had those too, didn't he?

Didn't he?

Maat tucked his knees into his chest for a moment and hugged them close. He wasn't like Moses at all. He simply existed at all on the will of some unknown being - he had no parents. His name was something given to him by Moses, and even before then, the name he had was something he had given to himself. He had no direction. All he ever did was quite literally walk in Moses' shadow. He was free to walk and explore Haroth for as long as he could, but he always found himself back at Moses. He still felt that he didn't quite hate Moses, however he quickly began to resent the differences between them. He found that he was as much of an anomaly to himself as he was to Moses and Myriani.


'Myriani.'

The name in his head cut through his harsh self-evaluation like a hot knife through butter. Serving as a boulder that stood against a raging river of thoughts, he realized that if he continued on his current path it might lead to something even worse: something that he didn't need. What he needed was company, and he wouldn't dare wake up a sleeping wolf. He also wasn't sure if Moses would wake up even if Maat kicked him in his teeth. For a moment he wondered if Moses was alright before he stood up.

He could've swore he heard Myriani walk off somewhere in the cathedral. He tried his best to recall which direction he had heard her walk off in. He walked into a broken hallway. Seeing the rubble triggered another thought in him. He suddenly felt that the cathedral had its own depressing theme. When it was first built, he could only imagine how many people used to come here to worship and exercise their faith. For a moment he pictured the hallway back in its former glory, lit by the sun and with people walking by each other before he snapped out of it. The place was broken, only a shell of itself now.

Maat found himself trying to get out of the cathedral by leaping over the rubble to face the waxing moonlight. From here, he wasn't quite sure where the Dryad had gotten off too, though at this point that wasn't the most important thing on his mind. He just needed to take a walk, to clear his head for the first time ever. That's what humans did, right? All he had ever done with Moses was walk, though it was never therapeutic for Moses, it seemed. He hardly believed that Moses ever legitimately stressed at all. Every day he got up and walked for a few miles, then slept peacefully just to do it again the next day. Maybe pursuing what he liked to do kept him afloat.

Maat again shook his head, and with it he shook away his thoughts. He had to refrain from getting too deep into his head. He leapt down from the cathedral wall. Landing on the grass was somewhat refreshing. He hadn't realized how the place Moses picked to sleep was affecting him. Even then, it didn't do a lot. Clearly he was dealing with something much deeper, as leaving didn't solve much. Similar to the one who walked his path before him, he heard running water. He recalled how good Moses was at skipping flat stones across the surface of water. Maybe that's what he needed - it seemed to make Moses happy, at least.

As he approached the water, he heard splashing. He didn't think much of it at first, believing it to be some kind of nocturnal fishing doing whatever it did at this hour. The belief was wiped away upon seeing a familiar skin tone in the water. He thought he was elated to see her, and pictured himself leaping into the water to join her before he realized all he did was stare hollowly at her. What was the issue? He sat at the bank, letting his feet dangle over the edge. He was met with a dilemma he faced earlier: what was he supposed to do now? He didn't know what to say earlier, when everyone was cleaning up after the fight. He still didn't know what to say now. He had blanked for so long at the fire he had forgotten that was something he was supposed to reflect on.

He interlaced his fingers and rested his elbows on his thighs and leaned forward. He stared at Myriani, taking in her form. She wasn't human either. Moses had discussed with him how she allegedly "came from the forest." He assumed it meant her "parent" was something abstract, like the forest himself. She had more to go off of than he did. He remembered when Moses asked him how he was born, all he had to say was that he didn't exist, and then he did. Myriani was even more human than he appeared.


If you saw past the horns - she had organs. Muscles. A heart. Hair, all that. He kept eyeing her, like he was trying to gauge measurements for a dress with just his eyes. Even her skin color was closer to normal than his. He was darker than night in an unnatural way. He didn't believe humans came in a yellowish-green, but at least her color reflected the grass she supposedly came from - grass that was more natural than he was. He clearly wasn't meant to be in this world, but there was so much more to do in Horath than H'torah. He couldn't help but come back here. He thought about how easily Moses accepted Myriani into the group, as he did with Grisha. He assumed that because he was blind he couldn't judge people for how they looked, only for who they were.

He thought about what would happen if Grisha or Myriani were exposed to more "normal" humans - ones that could see. He remembered his time visiting the capitol, when Moses was selling his first batch of research to a university he was loosely connected too; he only sold his work to them because they funded his father's research. He remembered how when Moses showed off Maat and his capabilities, everyone was similarly astounded with what he could do, though when he was in the streets, people shied away from him. He had to assume the people like the ones in the streets were far more common.

Grisha would probably be seen as a monster. A tall humanoid figure with the visage of a wolf wasn't something you could necessarily call cute. He had to assume Lycans had a reputation for being beastly and violent. Part of that was true in Grisha's case, though he was a lot more sophisticated in some ways. He was closer to humans than Maat was, even if people were to call him a monster and give him a wide berth in the street, the people would at least know what he was.

If Myriani had visited the capital, Maat couldn't imagine people being afraid of her. That would've been a good thing if he hadn't seen the things he did in the slums around the capital. He had only been exposed to them because Moses had gotten lost and took directions from a commoner, who told him a shortcut to the university. If Myriani walked around the capital the way she did, at least one person would have tried to force themselves onto her. Maat looked at her nearly exposed breasts, and his eyes reflected a pained feeling as he forced the intrusive thoughts from his mind. His eyes flicked from her thighs, back up to her chest before he closed his eyes entirely.

He wasn't disgusted with himself though. Human's had their bad traits, on part of Maat's lack of humanity, he could never reflect those, he assumed. He was disgusted with humans. If he wanted to be anything other than himself, what would he pick? Human's had their best examples: an image of Moses flashed in his mind - and their bad examples: Myriani's choice in clothes again briefly passed through his mind. For a moment, he thought that solved his lack of direction issue before he realized even if he found the "perfect being" he pictured, he couldn't just snap his fingers and become it. His right hand dug into the dirt at his side furiously as he picked up a handful and compacted it into a hardened ball, the excess falling into the water below.

He chucked the dirt with all his might at the other side of the bank, the dirt ball exploding and forming a depression in the steep slope of the bank. If he could breath, he would've sighed, though that was yet another inhuman thing about him. He relaxed. He found some comfort in that he could still feel things, even if they were rather rare. The only things he could feel were simple emotions like anger and joy. He would take solace in that for now, locking his fingers together, he stared at his reflecting in the running water. Red eyes stared into red eyes while he muted his mind.

 

[Vyolence]

Myriani ~ The Great Forest ​

How long until sunrise? Her thoughts flowed as freely as the water she bathed in, running her hands along the areas of exposed skin. Unlike most people, Myriani didn’t bathe in water for cleanliness or even fun - which was the best part of course, but water was necessary for her survival. Traditionally, water is absorbed by plants in order to carry nutrients it absorbs from soil. While Myri didn’t need to consume soil for nutrients due to her celestial nature, she'd always need water to maintain her physical form. It was often she’d frolic in cold waters, but she took the advantage in her current state. Thin braids and loose strands of hair were now soaked, clinging to her head and emphasizing the structure of her horns. The mossy debris she wore as clothing had been swept away by the gentle current, something she wouldn’t even notice. She certainly disliked the idea of clothing as it exposed less of the body to precious sunlight. It was a strange habit the mortals had developed, fashioning elaborate fabrics to their bodies. For a while the only thing bobbing above the surface of the water was her head, long strands of auburn fanning through the water.

I should have been born of water, not earth! Full lips pursed to blow quiet bubbles while her hands moved under water, as if trying to catch its flow. She did this for a while but her child-like fascination fled her visage as she felt eyes upon her. Using a foot she’d dig into the mud below until she grasped a small stick between her toes, balancing for a moment as she raised it beneath the water to her hand. Gripping it tightly as she heard dirt fall, she’d spin rather slowly in place until she registered a shadow in her peripherals, standing abruptly to face it with her mighty stick. Her torso emerged from the water, heavy strands of hair clinging to her form. The lids of her eyes peeled open with surprise as Maat observed from the bank above. She appeared relieved though only for a moment as she gauged the silence between them. It wasn’t that silence was unusual but that in this moment, the silence felt hollow. Something is off. From the moment Moses came to the Tavern, she could feel Maat’s presence which was the source of her initial curiosity. Not that she couldn’t feel other beings, as she could feel most who touched the ground in her presence. Furrowing her brows she tossed the stick aside and made her way to the muddied shoreline.

It didn’t take long for her to climb back up the embankment, her feet squelching audibly in the damp soil. Once she made it to his side she was covered in dirt though she didn’t seem to mind. Dripping with water she moved to sit at his side, mimicking his current position. While his legs hung quite a ways over the edge, her much smaller appendages would sway slowly next to his own. She allowed the silence to draw between them as she assessed the air around them, her wide eyes trailing from Maat’s feet all the way to his head. Muddied hands fumbled to push strands of hair from her face, muddying her visage in the process. Full lips pulled into a smile as she watched him, ever curious of what transpired in his thoughts. She would finally break the silence with her gentle voice, tilting her head as she spoke. “We have been quite busy since our first meeting.” Her gaze trailed over his new features as she spoke, folding her hands in her lap as she resisted the urge to touch his face. “I never got to properly thank you, for saving my life. More than once.” Pressing her thumbs together, she now watched the water as a pleasant expression filled her eyes. “I would certainly have been lost, if not for you.”

 

[sheesh]

Maat was completely turned off, not even noticing that Myriani had gotten out of the water to sit next to him until she spoke. His return to reality was gradual, merely hearing the words that Myriani said when she first spoke, yet not comprehending them. He repeated the words to himself inside his head until they made sense, as if he was trying to relearn language. By the time she voiced her second statement Maat snapped out of his daze to hear her with his full capacity. He tried to find the words to respond. What would he say? You're welcome? That seemed appropriate, but it felt wrong. Shouldn't there be more?

Remembering he had a mouth, he opened it to speak, a crack in his face opening to expose crooked teeth, but only for a moment as he closed it soon after. He squeezed his hands together while he thought. He looked at Myriani again. While she was wet and covered in dirt, it wasn't hard to tell that her clothes had disappeared, likely washed away. He felt heat rising in his body, though not to be mistaken for lust. He was seething, so much to the point where blood red smoke began to drift up and out of the centers of his eyes, like seeing Myriani had lit a fire behind them. For some reason he couldn't bring himself to look at her or her form - it somehow reminded him of what he wasn't.

Was he meant to obsess and fantasize about having his way with her? Like the worst of what human's had to offer would? He couldn't be wrong in not feeling the need to commit such an act against her, could he? Doubt racked his thoughts. His hands began to tremble from how hard he squeezed them together, looking as if he were trying to crush one his hands with the other. Could it be that if he forced himself to be more like a humans, he would be one?

He had to know.

Instead of responding, he got onto one knee dove on top of Myriani whilst grabbing her forearms, pinning them to the ground. His hands trembled as he dug his fingertips into her skin. He made sure to pin her legs with his own, doing everything he could think of to bar her from getting away. Eyes still smoldering angrily like freshly poked coals in a blacksmith's forge, he opened his mouth and exposed his black tongue, dripping with ink like saliva. He looked up and down her naked form hungrily and rapidly, as if he had suddenly turned feral. He slowly drew near Myriani with impure intentions, said intentions transforming into intense body heat.

Then he froze. The smoke coming from his eyes began to dissipate and all there was left to take in was the sound of the running water. His body atop hers, he realized: this wasn't the way, and if it was, this way wasn't working for him. He closed his mouth, incredibly and utterly disappointed in himself. What had come over him? He was starting to draw ties between having a mouth and this cursed behavior, but that assumption felt like as much as a shot in the dark in trying to figure out how to be more.

He closed his eyes, for a moment his red lights going out before he gently placed his forehead to hers for a moment. He withdrew, going back to sit near the water. He laid his head in his hands. Why would he even try such a thing? He knew better. He knew there was more to being a human than simply just feeling lust, but he still tried it. A frustrated growl built in his throat, culminating in a loud and angry shout: "IDIOT!" He snapped. He was loud, his voice itself causing ripples to form in the water. His fingers bent, clawing at the sides of his head as if trying to rip his black skin off.

He began to settle down before long. He hid his face behind his hands. Why was he suddenly feeling so much now? He'd never had such deep thoughts concerning his own existence until tonight. He took a moment to address what she said before Maat pounced, and to simultaneously apologize for his sudden outburst.

"You're welcome...but, I'm sorry." He said slowly, his voice muffled from behind his hands. It was a strange combination of words, to apologize and to accept someone's gratitude. He opened his mouth again, but he wasn't sure what else he was supposed to say. It'd be too much to try and explain everything he had just thought about in such a short span of time. "Really, I am." He reaffirmed, then continued. "Please don't ask me why. For a moment I just felt like I couldn't hold myself back." He confessed, though the confession could've led to more questions.

He felt his anger against Myriani fade. It wasn't her fault humans acted how they did, of course not. She didn't represent them at all, but he knew that viewing her as a reminder of the bad people could do was unfair. He chided himself mentally. He felt like leaving, but leaving wasn't enough. He felt like disappearing. For a moment he tried to, shrinking dramatically until he was only half a foot in height roughly, before reversing his decision and growing back to his original size. He wanted to get frustrated at his indecision to pick a height, but he just couldn't anymore. He rested his elbows on his legs and let his hands hang in between them, letting them dangle like his feet did and resumed his staring contest with his reflection.

 

[Vyolence]

Myriani ~ The Great Forest ​

Myriani noticed the length of time it took for him to reply though this wasn’t always unusual. Sometimes Maat wouldn’t reply at all and as it never bothered her, in this moment it provoked a feeling of concern. Well aware that most beings wouldn’t accept her presence easily, that was never the issue with her motley crew. The one soul that never seemed bothered by her presence now sat at her side and the close proximity made it a little easier to read him. But reading complete darkness was quite the task. When he exposed a toothy smile she couldn’t help the growth in her own smile as it widened at the sight. It wasn't humor that forced her smile, it was in knowing he finally had something he desired. But the smile slowly fell as the air between them grew rigid with uncertainty. Something was edging closer to a boiling point, her deduction drawn from the shade of red that overcame his pale orbs. Her lips parted to speak but she was silenced as shadow suddenly overcame light.

The small of her back arched with the sensation of her shoulder blades hitting dirt. Her lips parted to speak but her breath caught in her throat as cool fingertips managed a painful grip. Naked form writhing instinctively against his grip, a look of surprise crossed her face as it changed a shade of color. The sensation of his legs rattled her core, that strange heat returning to the pit of her stomach. He was strong, as were most things in comparison to her, but he never felt heavy as he secured her into place. She grew very still and swallowed her breath, observing the contorted features in her midst. Maat? Myri had spent enough time in his presence to know this was out of character and while it forced an expression of concern in her eyes, there was never terror. Her gaze tore away from his as the exposed flesh along her torso and chest stung with heat, the dark saliva causing her to wiggle in place. As her chest bobbled and her back arched, she made no sounds of protest beneath his intimidating form.

Once he released her, she laid there processing her thoughts as the heat in her belly traveled between her legs. It wasn’t until he yelled that she sat quickly up, struggling to free her arms from her own mess of hair. As she observed his clawing, her hands would tremble while she extended them in his direction to only pull them back into place at second thought. It was clear then, that something was wrong. Overcome by the overwhelming urge to comfort him, she moved to fold her legs beneath her frame as she nodded in response to the apology. As she felt a range of emotions, the behaviors usually attached to them were never taught to creatures of myth. She’d only observed them in the past. Her voice was soft and quiet though a little shaky in response to her trembling form as it struggled to process her feelings into action. “Don’t be sorry.”

Drenched in moonlight they sat, seemingly alone in the vastness of the Great Forest. Two very different beings indeed, they were certainly oil and water. But the unknown never frightened the little Dryad - it only sparked her curiosity. Allowing a moment of silence to grow between them, she never took her gaze from his as she assessed his calmer state. Swallowing down her nerves, she stood slowly to move back at his side and slightly behind him. Initially she placed her palms against his back, gauging his reaction before they moved to their familiar place, arms folding around his broad shoulders. Leaning slightly over, tendrils of hair draped over their forms as her chest closed the space between them. Her head lowered to brush her lips against the back of his neck as she spoke. “You don’t have to hold yourself back.” Her words were sincere as she gave a reassuring squeeze against his shoulders, her breath was warm as it passed over his flesh.

 

[sheesh]

Nothing roused in Maat, even when she reassured him he didn't have to hold back. He tried to replicate the feeling he had when he jumped on her, but he just wasn't feeling it. Did he ever feel that way to begin with, or in his desperation had he tricked himself into believing that's what he wanted? He felt himself growing lightly frustrated. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. One moment he thought he was sure he knew what needed to happen, but when he tried to follow through he regretted it. Now that he's regretting it, suddenly Myriani turned around and was saying she was okay with it?

He wanted to be angry, but at what? What would he try and take his frustration out on this time? Perhaps Myriani again? He grabbed her hands and lifted them off his shoulders before he stood up, walking off to the side of Myriani. He felt like he should explain to Myriani, but he was having a hard time putting his thoughts into to words. He opened and closed his mouth, starting a sentence only to stop before he could get past the first syllable. He realized his thoughts only made sense to him, in his head. There wasn't anything he could do to express them effectively. Not to Myriani, at least.

This wasn't what he needed, nor what he wanted. He wanted to find something to blame, but it felt too easy to be angry with Myriani. She was just in front of him, trying to help, but she didn't know anything. She tried to poke a sleeping bear, not actually knowing the bear was never even alive to begin with. Was he holding back? He took a step towards her hesitantly. He tried to relax, to let go of any reservations he had in his body. Nothing was coming undone. He couldn't feel anything slipping or cracking or breaking within him.

Maybe this was the time to try something unusual? Though...not with Myriani. He found himself back pedaling before turning around and walking away. Finding a shadow cast by the moonlight, he sunk into it, slowly. He figured maybe he just needed to sleep this off, like people normally did. He didn't quite know how long he'd have to sleep to shake this off, though.

 

[Vyolence]

~~~ Break ~~~​

*Just a reminder, there is no current setting players are required to post in (this applies to all forums). We encourage each of you to post as you see fit, regardless of the current scenarios happening in other IC interactions. Happy Hunting!*

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