Fantasy The world of Yrin

Lily stared over toward Aiala's statue in disbelief, and, clear distress. "Wah!?!?!?" The foxling cried, rushing toward the figure, inspecting it all over, drawing her tucan as she hoped around it. "Where's the demoness!? The enchantress!? There's nothing left of use!" She pouted, as much as Lily enjoyed to witness the effects of her poultices, her goal all this time had been to gather some rare ingredients from the powerful sorceress, and yet what stood before them seemed of little use, though that did not stop her from attempting to shave something from the stone.

"It seems we've wasted our time, *sigh*" Lily noted, clearly ignoring the fact that they had stopped the rampaging beast, as she looked back up toward the others. "So! How do you two feel!?" The half-human's tone suddenly shifted, the bounce almost instantly returning to her step as she leapt over toward Shi, her eyes gazing over toward Nazzek inquisitively.

Myremon woke up slowly, his whole being once again filled with pain. He turned over and saw the fruits of his work: Aiala was now a statue, a large testament to the mage's power. He rose his right hand in the air and, for the longest time, smiled, throwing a peace sign.

The return to Owca was met with celebration. The survivors were reunited with their families, and although not everyone survived the Succubus, they were glad to be alive, to survive another day. A party was soon set up, and the whole city was rejoicing the freedom of their beloved ones. The mayor congratulated the group in a job well done, and signed the payment for them, adding an extra for the survivors. The party went well through the night, and in the morning, the villagers were already starting on the efforts of reconstruction. There was much to be done in the quaint village of Owca.

As soon as everyone was set (Lily graciously providing cures for hangover for the villagers and the group, with minimal side effects), Myremon, Nazzek, Lily, Shi, Ash and Veronica set out for the road once again. The trip to Nier was long, and it was about time to go back to their main mission.

--

Two days in, they decided to take up camp once more, to rest, replenish their supplies and do maintenance on their equipment. "Don't stray too far, and shoot a flare up if you need any help," Myremon said to the rest of the group. Nazzek nodded, and went towards the small forest nearby to hunt for dinner.

"Hey Nazzy! Pick us up some Grotroot while you're out!" Lily grinned ear to ear, shouting up toward the beastkin in her usual excited tonality as he ventured out. "I'm close to perfecting this, I can feel it." The foxling continued to speak under her breath to those around her, her alchemical equipment bubbling and steaming, drops of black fluid rising slowly into a fresh flask at the end, as blue droplets fell, separating the strange chemicals. "They might not have paid us much, but some of the villagers offered me a bit of... Help before we left." A small grin formed back onto the girl's face as her eyes bounced around her experiment, checking for any issues with her concoction, the black smoke which littered her whiskers evidence of previous failures.

A gloved finger ran itself along the glass, inspecting it thoroughly. "Hopefully with this stuff, it won't just be the corrupted that fall victim to its toxic bite." Lily giggled slightly at the end of her sentence, glancing back toward the near-empty vial Myremon had originally given to her. His essence was potent, there was no doubt about it considering his power, but it was complicated, nearly impossible to use without the poultice having... Severe side effects. Lily knew she couldn't simply rely on his control, it was clear the toll it had on the wraith, and if he was to lose control with one of those monstrosities she created... The thought of it still brought a smile to the foxling, to think of what amazing tonics she could create from the wonders of these lands, but she knew better than to risk her life again over a small revelation.

After tending to the campfire and setting up basic wards, Myremon resumed writing in his grimoire. If anyone would pay attention, they'd see annotations over Aiala's spells and rituals, along with several theories about the source of her magic, along with demons in general. After a while, he closed his book, looking around, confused. "Where's Ash?" He muttered, looking at the woods. "Strange, she doesn't stay away from the campfire for that long..." He turned to Lily, grabbing his staff. "If anything happens, just shout, I'll be in hearing range." He moved towards where Ash headed.

After a while, he reached a large lake. The moonlight shined on the waters, the easy ripples of the lake sparkled, giving a reasonable amount of light. Myremon slowly approached the lake, wary of any enemies, when he heard something. A sob, or a whimper?

When Myremon arrived at the lake, he saw Ash sitting on the shore of the lake, her arms covering her face as she kept on crying. "Ash? What's happening?" Ash was startled to see someone else there. She wiped her tears, forcing a dull smile. "Oh... Myremon... It's nothing! Hahaha, nothing at... at all... hahah... ah... aaaaaahhh... Myremoooon...!" She said, finally breaking down. "I got e-everyone killed...! It's all m-my fault...!" The demon girl staggered to her feet, but failed, kneeling on the damp dirt on the shore. Myremon raised a careful hand, but hesitated. The usually upbeat Ash now was behaving like a girl her age should: A vulnerable and lonely child.

She continued like that for another few minutes. The only sound in the lake at that moment was the gentle water on the shore and the wails of the girl. After a while, she managed to reduce her cries, although it looked like this calmness was temporary. She looked up at her Myremon, her eyes red and puffy. "I w-want them back...I want t-to see them again..."Her voice began to crack. "but it's my fault they're gone...!" She managed to say before resuming her sobs.

Everything that Aiala had said had impacted her, making her feel a burning guilt for having been the cause of her village's demise, the cause of all the inhabitants and her friends dying. Even now, the words of the Succubus echoed through her mind, leaving ripples of guilt and insecurity like a stone on the calm lake.

Gabe

Myremon was speechless for a moment. He knew that Ash had some sort of trauma regarding her village, but he didn't realize how much it impacted her, to the point of a complete breakdown. Myremon shook his head slowly, trying to say something that would make her better, but he knew that soothing her pains wouldn't solve the problem.

Myremon slowly but surely, started the process of unclasping his mask. Thunk. Thunk. The latches came undone, and finally, Myremon's face was in full view again. The yellow orbs and fiendish teeth completed the vision of a monster. "Listen to me, Ash." He sighed, the rows of teeth unmoving, although his voice came indeed from him. "I had my whole group killed or captured. I fell into an ambush, deceived by the demons, and caught, like a fish in a net." He dropped the mask on the dirt, and looked at the moon. "It was by your mother's hand that I am the thing before your eyes. Sylvia ordered the experiments, the injections, everything. And for a while, after I found out you're her daughter, I was angry. I projected the blame of your mother on you. But after a while, I realized that you're not at fault for what happened to me. It was by the demon's hands that I became a wraith. A spirit without a body, warped through corrupt means, and I can't blame anyone else but them. Not my friends, for not helping me. Not the city, for not providing aid. And most importantly," Myremon directed his eyes to Ash, fixating his gaze on her eyes. "I can't blame myself. If I do, not only the demons out there win," he pointed at the horizon, then slowly at his own head. "But the demons here win too. I have to fight them everyday, lest I wake up screaming. I can't stand closed spaces anymore, hence why I didn't offer myself to enter Aiala's cave, even though I could do more harm to her operation there."

Myremon sighed heavily. "The point is, Ash. You're not alone in those ruins anymore. You're days away from that place. But your mind is still there, chasing an illusion that won't become true. I'm sorry to say this, Ash, but you're not going to see your friends anymore. They passed on to their next life, and maybe finally found some peace. It's not your fault for what happened to them, but it's your responsibility for what happens forward." He lowered himself to her level, slowly holding his hands. "These hands have the power to prevent that other people suffer the same fate as you. But you need to move forward. I'll be by your side no matter what, but for me to walk by your side, you need to make the first step."

Ash was too busy crying to be able to respond to Myremon as he was speaking, but he knew what he said was true. As he spoke about projecting the blame of Sylvia onto her, words echoed in her mind. They weren't clear, but it was when they first met.

" ... Ash, I'm not your companion ... I'm not your friend. You're only alive because ... took responsibility for you ... you're a liability .. Either you do not say a word towards me, or I'll make sure that my magic will be the last thing you see ..."

Those words had really hurt her back then, but she wouldn't have shown that. She never understood why he was so hostile, even when he somewhat explained it to her, she never truly understood why, until now. When Myremon held her hands, she looked up at him with puffy eyes and tears rolling down her face, but she was silent in her cries, paying attention to the words Myremon spoke to her.

He's right. Her friends won't come back. No one in her village will. She had to accept that they were gone. It was still hard to not believe that she was the cause of the attack, but whether or not she was the cause didn't matter now. What mattered now is that she could be the hero that other children like her need. She isn't weak anymore. She can help prevent the suffering of other from the hands of the wraiths and demons.

She wanted to say something, but all she could do wrap her arms around Myremon and hug him as tightly as she could, maybe even a bit too tight, and could only say "Myremon...!" But there was a noticeable difference in her tone. It was no longer the despair-filled tone that Myremon had heard only minutes before, one of a broken, lonely child, but a more calm, somewhat hopeful tone. She was still crying, but it was no longer from despair. She was always so stuck in the past that she never really realize that she had friends again. Friends that'd help her find her mother. Friends that'd make everything okay.

Gabe

Myremon didn't flinch. He just accepted the hug, holding the girl back as she sobbed on his robes. He smiled, as much as his terrifying visage allowed him, and remained there until Ash broke the hug.

Nazzek returned to the quaint fireplace on the side of the road. On a pair of hands he held a large deer, its tongue lolling to the side, clearly dead. On the other, several dry branches, fuel for the campfire. "I brought dinner!" He said, a toothy grin decorating his face.
He plopped the deer near Lily, getting a knife to skin it and cut the meat from the bone. "So, Lily." He started, without taking his eyes from the deer. "What's the deal with ye? Don't get me wrong, but it's like..." He sighed. "I've seen me fair share of people. Tall, short, strong, weak. Sane." He glanced at her. "Crazy. It's subtle, but I can see yer eyes when we fight. It's almost like... a delight? As if you want to be there and revel in the bloodthirst. Yer darts are precise and yer help is invaluable, but it sometimes makes me scared, y'know." He rips a fat chunk of meat and place it on a piece of cloth on the ground. "What I'm sayin' is: What happened to you to get this way? I can see the difference between born crazy and made crazy, and yer definitely made crazy. Uh, no offense."
RizaTiz Randomfella

An excited expression turned to look up toward Nazzek as he approached, followed by a slight pout, though Lily was never one to hold off on a smile for long. "Aww... I'll have to find some Grotroot later then!" She giggled to herself, her eyes fixated more-so upon the beast he had bagged, her fangs slightly protruding from her open mouth grin just from the sight of it. Her fixation was soon interrupted by the half-human. "Ye!?" Her gaze slightly bounced up at him, full with her usual inadmissible smile and glee.

Lily's head cocked slightly to the side as Nazzek spoke, her mind trying to process just what he was getting at, her eyes barely blinking. Her ears slightly perked as he got to what he was trying to say, though her smile never faded, in fact, a giggle started to announce itself from her. "Hehe! Oh Nazzy!" Lily chuckled, almost as if brushing his words off. "Don't worry, you ain't the first to make that mistake! Humans back in Darkene used to say the same all the time. Probably why they sent me here!" She noted with a slight nod, her claws extending out as she lunged down to grab the piece of meat, bringing the flesh to her mouth.

The fox's fangs protruded further as she plunged them into the chunk, blood weeping from the incisions to coat the fur around her mouth. "See." She started, her voice slightly muffled from her full mouth. "My tribe was originally from Yrin, like all of our kind, went to Darkene a couple generations before I was born." Lily added, still un-phased by her own words. Her mind drifted back to her childhood for a short moment, as her head swung back to stare into the sky. Their village, their values, though much of her memory was clouded. "They traded with the humans, nice folk like Ron-Ron!" Lily smiled as she waved over toward the girl, before turning back to Nazzek, taking another large bite from the meat gratefully, though almost with cause. "Even helped protect against the demons, saved the city nearby to the human's own account! They thanked 'em of course! By forcing 'em back into the portal!" The pleasant story suddenly shifted, forcing Lily to place a hand over her mouth as she giggled slightly at the end of her sentence. Despite her gleefully exterior, a clear vulgar distaste could be heard in her words, even if she did not intend it to be so.

"Sooooo, good ol' Mumma Ylva gave me some things, and sent me toward one of their cities, can't even remember her face, hehe!" Lily's head cocked once again, eyes shutting slightly through her smile. "Don't be fooled by my mighty appearance Nazzy! I had to fight to survive, like you!" Lily continued to giggle. "Wouldn't you do anything if it meant taking down that big ol' meany demon lord?" Lily's voiced dropped slightly as she spoke, her smile now almost expectant as she store toward Nazzek, her feast pausing, knowing full well the grudge he held. After all, she had held the same one for some time.

Nazzek listened to Lily's tale, her voice as cheery as ever as she described her abandonment, the struggle to survive. Nazzek didn't have any of this. He was already a grown merfolk when his father was killed. He clearly remembered the faces of everyone lost in the sea. He finished slicing another fat chunk of meat and tossed on the pile, ready to be cut in smaller fillets for drying. When she asked about his limits, he sighed. "'Anything' is really somethin' dangerous, Lily. What makes us diff'rent from the demon folk are when are we able to stop. Those people kill, destroy, control, all fer power. They do the things that killed me father. They do the things that made Myre the thing he is today." He sliced a smaller chunk of meat and stuck it on a stick, hovering over the fire. "When you stop thinkin' about the people near ye, an' start thinkin' only of what they might give ye, that's when you become a bad guy. I saw yer face when ye used that black thing on the demon back in Owca. 'Twas horrible, but yer smile was as wide as it is now. Usin' people as disposable don't make you no better than the person that abandoned ye. It only shares yer suffering." He slowly turned the meat on the stick, the fat sizzling on the venison as the heat cooked it to the core. "T' answer yer question: No. I wanna kill that son of a bitch as much as anyone here, but if that'll make me hurt people that don' deserve it, to use 'em as tools fer me own goals... I'd be the same thing as the Demon King."

Myremon kept holding her until she was asleep. He kept immobile for a while, just appreciating the view of the lake, the calmness of the forest. When he was satisfied, he carried Ash back to the camp, silently placing her on her bedroll and placing his mask back to where it belonged. "Ah, Nazzek, thanks for hunting." Myremon copied Nazzek's motions, sticking one of the end of the stick on the dirt, propping the meat to be cooked without him holding it, and sat next to Shi, reading his grimoire.

Lily gave a slight chuckle to Nazzek, smiling back up toward him, her head cocked to the side. "Didn't you see that thing!" She exclaimed proudly. "It was amazing, 'I' did that, my creation!" Her grin grew from ear to ear, the excitement un-containable in her tonality. "You're so silly Nazzey! The demons are powerful! Amazingly so! Look at Myremon! The corruption gave him that power, and not even he compares to their lord!" The foxling almost sounded envious in her words, as if this corruption was some untapped source.

Finally ripping the last of the flesh from her hands down toward her gob, Lily looked toward the sky once more, before staring down at Nazzek. Her expression was... Blank. No smile, her body wasn't bouncing around at its usual pace, she was almost... Calm. "They won't stop until they've turned everyone, what are the lives of a few compared to the many? If you hesitate, they will not." The half-humans voice was strangely sober, a tone alien to her, her eyes staring directly into Nazzek's, it was almost shocking to the ears for her voice to be spun in such a way. It didn't last long however, as soon as her sentence completed, her constant gleeful smile returned, plastered to her face, as she sprung back to life. "Hehe! Maybe you just haven't lost everything yet!" Lily giggled, her eyes darting toward Myremon as he approached the camp, her head swinging toward the wraith away from Nazzek.

"So! Where we headed next magic man!?" Her body bounced in place, excited for their next journey, almost as if her conversation with the Mer hadn't even occurred.

Nazzek shook his head, a half smile on his mouth. "I'm going t' say one thing, Lily. The lust fer power an' knowledge was what made t' demons what they are right now. Yer fighting them, sure, but..." He took the slab of meat away from the fire, digging his sharp teeth on it. "It won' be long when ye become jus' like 'em." He chewed on the meat, staring at the fire. "I didn't lose everything, sure. I still have my honor." He returned to his silence, pensive.

Myremon looked up from his grimoire, looking at Lily. "We're returning to Nier. We have to deliver the report and get the payment. Then we can resume our journey to the mainland, with the funds that we acquired, we should be good to hire a decent captain that'll sail us." Myremon was about to return to his book when Shi jerked her body, jumping backwards. He dropped the book and reached to her hand. "Hey, Shi, are you okay? What happened?" He said, looking around them. Nothing but the rustle of leaves.

Myremon was confused. None of them actually heard anything, and the calmness of Shi was a bit weird. Did she dream it? If so, did she actually sleep? The mage was left with more questions than answers. He returned to his place near the campfire, occasionally looking at Shi to see if there was anything strange happening with her.

Nazzek widened his eyes and had one of his hands near his sword. That was weird. He relaxed a bit when the threat of trouble disappeared, and resumed eating his dinner, staring at the fire. Lily's words had a bit of effect on him. He was both concerned for the little foxkin and troubled by the similarities of her past and his.

Once the heroes finished eating, they soon went to sleep, ready to continue to Nier the next day.

Night 13
The next night, Ash and Myremon resumed their training on helping the girl control her emotions. The heroes were next to an open field, so they had gone to practice there. It made it easier to move around and would keep the others from harm's way in case Ash went berserk. She was still unable to control Wrath, but her attacks towards Myremon did feel delayed, as if with every swing she'd do her best to stop herself the best she could. After a lot of dodging and some craters in the ground, Ash managed to stop her rampage, calming herself down. "Pay attention to the fluctuations, Ash. You're trying too hard to suppress it, and it'll end up backfiring." Myremon said as they wrapped the training for that day. "Let your anger flow through, without acting on it, like a river."

The wraith accompanied Ash towards the river, helping her with her hair. It was well kept, but still dirty. He remembered helping Celestia and Veronica on their own scalps sometimes, Veronica accidentally summoning her snakes more often than not. Ash didn't really know how to brush, or even clean her hair properly, as her dad would always do it for her, so she had asked Myremon if he could help. As he was washing her hair in the river, he noticed an ominous tattoo on her back:

It was in the shape of a star with a small arc around it. As soon as he saw the tattoo, Myremon noticed something else. A unnatural amount of corruption, even for a demon, was well hidden within the tattoo. While cleaning the girl's hair, he passed a gloved hand on its surface. "Ash... what's this?"

"What's what?" Ash asked, moving her feet around in the river, watching the small fishes swim away. "This." He tapped the tattoo with his index finger. "There's a mark on your back, like a star. It looks... Hold on." He muttered an incantation and instantly received a magical feedback. "It's a curse. Strong one, in fact." Ash tilted her head in confusion "A star? Curse?" She looked a bit worried. "I don't remember any bad guy hitting me in the back..." Quickly moving her hand to her back to feel anything "It's not a wound or a scar. It looks like a magical curse of some sort, and by the looks of it, it's been here for a long time. Don't you remember anything about it?" He said, finishing up with her hair. Holding a small fireball on his hand, he blew a wind spell on it, hitting the hair with hot winds. "No, I don't. I didn't know about it." She smiled as the warm wind from the fireball hit her, drying her hair and warming her up. "I don't suppose you feel entirely different... What's the objective of this curse?" Holding her hair close to her, as it was still warm, she stood up "I don't know...but I feel fine."

"Right..." He tapped the girl to get up. "You're done. Meditate before going to bed. We'll have to take a look at this as soon as we return to Nier. Maybe see a cleric or someone more specialized in curses." He rose from the ground and started returning to camp, beckoning Ash to do the same. "Alrighty!" She happily jumped up and skipped alongside Myremon back to camp.

Day 13

On their way back to Nier, the heroes only encountered very few enemies, wild goblins or imps, and were able to make it to Nier much faster. Ash looked much happier than before, talking a lot more with the others and allowing herself to act more her age. She'd spend a lot of time with Myremon during the night, learning to control her emotions and how to read and write. After two days, they made it to the wall surrounding Nier and after another check by the guards, were let inside.

On their way to the guild, Myremon could hear the remarks and insults thrown his way. "Filthy wraith..." "You fucking murderer!" One of the children even threw a rock at Myremon, hitting his mask and scratching it. "Hey Miermon, why do those people not like you?" Ash asked, curious about the city's folk aggression towards the wraith.

Reaching the guild, they saw that it was busy as ever, the bulletin board near the door was crowded as always and plenty of adventurers were inside. Myremon heard something of interest as he was entering. "Heh, looks like that horned bitch really did fuck up. She missed one, right over there!" The bearded brawler and his party burst out laughing. When the heroes were going to the counter, they saw a distressed looking old man speaking with the wolfkin attendant. "Please, are you sure no one has accepted my request? Are you absolutely sure? P-Perhaps an adventurer accepted it when you weren't looking. Please, check it again!" insisted the old man. "I-I'm sorry, sir, no one has accepted the request. I've already checked 3 times. Sir, it's been over two years...every adventurer we've asked to take the request has declined or abandoned it, saying it's a lost cause." She replied.

Gabe Radio_Rat66.6 Randomfella

Myremon did his best to teach Ash through the days, and be her emotional support. It was strange for him, to care for someone like that after all this time. He felt a little bit of his old self returning to him, although a minimum amount.

Myremon was caught off guard when they arrived at the town. The townsfolk were more agitated than usual, and he even was hit by a rock from one of the children. He stopped for a few seconds, more concerned if the mask would come off than by the actual rock being thrown. Ash asked him about it, which made him sigh heavily. "People are afraid of wraiths. My 'race' are the elite assassins of the Demon King. Efficient, cruel, and most of all, extremely loyal to their handlers. They associated the vision of wraiths with death. I can't blame them. I would be afraid of me." He looked forward, waving his hand at the concerns of Nazzek, and kept going, without saying anything else.

Arriving at the Guild, he ignored the offhanded comment on him, but made a mental note. 'Rena's fighting wraiths? I'll have to talk to her later.' He approached the counter, looking at the distraught man talking to Marissa, the wolfkin. "Marissa. We have returned from Owca, with good news. The threat of the demon Lieutenant has been destroyed, and we are reporting our success." He looked at the man that was talking to the clerk. He had a walking cane, which was reasonable, seeing he was already old. He turned to Marissa once again. "What is the matter with this man? Did something happen?"

Nazzek breathed a sigh of relief as they stepped in the city. "Ah, finally! My canteen was almost dry!" He said, eyeing up any bar that he could find. He was walking forward when they hit Myremon on the head, but heard the loud noise that emanated from the mask. "Youse okay, Myremon?" He said, but didn't get an answer. After a few seconds, Myremon waved his hand dismissively, and Nazzek nodded, resuming his walk.

Before arriving at the Guild, Nazzek looked to the side and excused himself to the group. "Hey guys, I gotta go see someone at the tavern. Separate my cut from the reward, I'll need to pay me tab!" He said, waving his two hands and walking away from the guild, and towards the tavern they firstly met him.

Lily's attention turned back to her poultices, though her ears perked at Nazzek's words, flowing through her mind for a short moment before fading, as did seem common with many hard spoken truths she came to hear in her time. A slight giggle announced itself from the foxling at Shi's actions, but her focus was still upon her work.
During their journey, Lily had been mixing her time using what she could from the wilderness, and its aggressive inhabitants, in the testing of her potions, as well as watching from a distance as Myremon taught Ash to write. A few scribbles now lined her tome, though they could hardly be called words, a slight effort had clearly been made.

As they entered Nier, the foxling giggled at Myremon's words following the abuse. "Their magic is beyond anything I've seen in Darkene, fascinating, aren't they!" She smiled back with excitement to the rest of her comrades. As Nazzek moved toward the tavern, Lily hopped slightly, waving him off. "See you sooooon Nazzy!" The half-human continued to laugh gleefully. She too had things she needed to do before they left once more, but a visit to the guild interested her too.

As the stranger voiced his problems, and Myremon began to ask about it, Lily jumped between their conversation. "Maybe heee hasn't been offering enough! What's the rewardio!?" She gave a fanged grin toward Marissa, her hands held behind her back, body prostrating forward as if she could fall at any moment.