Fantasy Danger and deceit (Completed)

[Cartoonicat]

While she had figured this was one option he might choose, it still set off an army of butterflies in her stomach. A pesky blush crept up her neck. Prudish though she was, Louisa had not always been that way; years of flirting with the neighborhood boys and lending special favors to her schoolmaster for good grades flashed through her mind. She thought of short black hair, freckles, fair skin and the deepest of brown eyes.

Brown eyes. Why did Seoc have to have brown eyes, of all colors? He was witty, charming, and she enjoyed their conversations, but Seoc was also shameless to a point beyond her tolerance. It left her torn like the cloak in her arms. Louisa knew she could easily lend herself to this fling, but whether or not she could escape with her heart intact was another matter. History did tend to repeat itself.

Just this once, she told herself. Nothing more and you'll be fine.

"I like the way you think," she said, leaning up to press a chaste kiss to his lips.

Not a bit more.

 

[ArcticFox]

Seoc let her lips touch his and she felt him smirk triumphantly through the kiss. Once she moved away, he grabbed her wrist, urgently, but not violently, and led her in the direction of his home. They never reached his house. He stopped in an empty alley turning toward her, pinning her against the wall with a kiss of his own, much more passionate and much less delicate. His beard scratched against Louisa's cheeks and his body on top of hers stifled her breaths. He was not gentle and he was not romantic.

--

"You should go rest." Seoc spoke tying up his pants. Then he reached down to pick up his tunic. Somewhere along the line most of their clothes ended up in the dirt of the street. On the now waning light of the moon, as Seoc turned around, Louisa noticed an intricate net of scars on his back which disappeared in the next moment as he donned on his shirt and vest. He turned toward her again, putting the cloak around his shoulders. "I was supposed to offer you a place to sleep during your stay in Myrr." He shrugged. "Should you want to, you know where to find me. Otherwise, look me up if you need help with your mysterious items." He gestured at the ground where the remains of the book and cloak now were.

- Go to the tavern.
- Go with Seoc.

 

[Cartoonicat]

After tying her belt and donning her blouse, Louisa ran her hand under her hair to free it from the confines of the fabric. "As should you," she told him. Louisa brushed some of the dirt from her clothing, but not all of it lodged free. With that and her hair askew, Louisa was rather certain she looked a mess. Walking back into the Three Legged Mare would be embarrassing, to say the least.

She envied the Louisa who wouldn't have cared.

Her eyes caught on to the scars lining his back, but she'd only glimpsed them before they'd been covered. Louisa tried not to be curious - it was none of her business, nor did she want it to be - and so looked away. Picking up the book and cloak from the floor, she shook the latter out as he spoke. Then she looked at him. "Alright," she nodded, "I'll let you know." That she had a place with Seoc would have been nice to know sooner, for now she doubted she would take him up on the offer. Surely it would complicate things, assuming she hadn't done that already.

With a slight dip of her head in farewell, Louisa was the first one to leave.

 

[ArcticFox]

Back in the Three Legged Mare, Zacharias had Louisa's meal put in Miss Fortune's former room. It was cold when she arrived, as it was very late into the night, but it served to fill her belly until the morning at least. There was no key to the room she was in, but even so no one disturbed her sleep during the night.

--

In the morning, Louisa had a choice again. She could take a closer look at the items she picked up along the way, as she was unable to do so last night, due to the pure exhaustion she felt after the adrenaline rush caused by the chimera... and some other things. She should also think about securing the room for the night again, she did pay for one night only and her money reserves were quickly dwindling. If she wanted to look for a way to make some money on the side she could start right in the tavern she was in. Surely, Zacharias had some odd job to give her.

- Examine the items.
- Ask Zacharias for work.
- Look for work somewhere else.
- Pay for the room.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Before all else Louisa wanted to inspect the items she'd grabbed from the crypt: the book and torn cloak she'd carried, as well as the dagger she'd tucked away before stumbling across the chimera.

The first she looked at was the cloak, for she'd be able to easily tell if it was salvageable or not. The other two items, however... well, she wasn't sure she wouldn't need help in identifying them. She already wasn't too sure about the presumed ritual dagger. It certainly wasn't from the order, so who did it belong to? And the book, what with its chewed spine, could turn out to be quite an interesting find, too.

Perhaps one of them was the clue Alden had sent for.

 

[ArcticFox]

The cloak was dark green and dusty. It did not smell good at all and the bottom of it was ragged. It was still usable, after a decent wash. It most certainly did not belong to any Knight, as they all wore blue cloaks, the colour of the Order.

Once she inspected the dagger more intently, she discovered that it had an inscription on the handle. It was in some sort of archaic common language. It read: "Thy blood, thy soul, mine hunger." It was all very ominous and theatrical. It could have been a sacrificial dagger used by the cultists of some long forgotten cult. She did not have much knowledge on the subject and would need to find someone to tell her more about it.

The book was an entirely different matter. Reading any pages at all proved to be difficult task. The book was half torn, half chewed and the pages that remained partially intact were yellowed. The text in the book was written in fancy cursive and the ink was blotched out in places. What little Louisa could read was written in a language unknown to her, perhaps some form of elvish. There was not print on the cover page and each page on the inside started with a set of numbers that resembled dates. This meant that the book could possibly be a diary of some kind.

She would need to look for help if she wanted to learn anything more about the book and the ritual dagger. She could have started with Seoc, he was an informant after all. Then again, Ka'ron had seemed a learned man by his demeanor, while she did not essentially know him, she knew where he lived. Logan was a mage and Louisa knew where to find him, he could also be the right person to ask about this. Miss Fortune, as a bard, should have been versed in many other languages, but Louisa would need to look for her first.

- Go to Seoc.
- Ka'ron.
- Logan.
- Try to find Miss.
- Find work first.

 

[Cartoonicat]

After much contemplation, Louisa figured she'd be best off asking either Ka'ron or Logan about the dagger and Miss Fortune about the book. While Seoc was a viable option for information, too, she doubted that knowledge would come cheap. She did not want a repeat of last night, lest she forsake all the values she'd sworn to uphold. Only once, and Louisa had meant it.

Yet, as much as she wanted to inquire about the items from the crypt, Louisa needed money. After packing the dagger away and wrapping the book in the torn cloak, she set off to find Zacharias.

 

[ArcticFox]

Zacharias offered a polite nod as a greeting. To her inquiries he said that there was some work available in the tavern, though it included scrubbing the dishes and changing the linens in the rooms. It was not very hard work, but it was awfully dull and when Louisa finished for the morning she was only mentally exhausted.

She earned a breakfast and 5 silver coins and Zacharias's gratitude. While she worked, the innkeeper had also revealed that he was expecting Miss Fortune to be back in the tavern tomorrow morning, to prepare for her show that was to be done in the night. Apparently this would be her last show in the Three Legged Mare for quite some time. Zacharias was devastated.

- Go to Logan.
- Go to Ka'ron.
- Go to Seoc.

 

[Cartoonicat]

At the mention of Miss Fortune Louisa perked up. Perfect! Now that she knew where Miss Fortune would be, Louisa could scratch off finding her from her list. She just had to make sure to be at the Three Legged Mare tomorrow, preferably in the morning. After thanking Zacharias for the work she headed outside, wrapped book tucked safely under her arm.

Now... who to go see? Louisa considered Ka'ron at first - he seemed like an amicable man, someone she'd easily get along with - but she ended up choosing to find Logan, if only for the familiarity. Unlike Ka'ron, who she'd only spent a few moments with, she'd gone on an adventure with the grumpy mage (rather, his voice). He was infuriating but she felt less awkward asking him for insight.

That and Louisa was just a tiny bit (ridiculously) curious as to what new experiment he might have up his sleeve.

 

[ArcticFox]

Logan was at his usual secluded table in his usual irritated mood when she came to The Mermaid to greet him. He looked up from his breakfast and then visibly perked up. Leaving the meal half finished he stood up.

"Did you come to be a part of another experiment?" He asked and a small smile stretched his thin lips. "I really need someone to get back inside the plane. I think I'm on the verge of making a great discovery!"

- Accept.
- Ask about the dagger.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Louisa noticed his isolation and resisted the urge to frown. Was he always by himself? She'd assumed he was by himself the other day because of his foul mood. Perhaps things were not always what they seemed. He certainly seemed excited to see her, which was a new development. Louisa felt herself smile along with him.

"Pleasure to see you, too," she mused. "And yes, I'd like to partake in another experiment - but I need your help with something in return." Louisa pulled out the dagger and handed it to him. "Do you know what this is?"

 

[ArcticFox]

As soon as she pulled out the dagger, Logan practically tore it out of her hand, stuffing it in the breast pocket of his cloak. "What the hell are you doing, showing that in here?" He hissed under his breath, stepping closer to Louisa. Then he quickly turned around to see if anyone in the inn had noticed. No one seemed to care about their conversation. Logan passed by Louisa, gesturing for her to follow him then, going through the doors and out of the inn.

He did not stop until they reached his little warehouse. Only when he unlocked the doors, almost shoving her inside, did he pull out the curved dagger again.

"This is not something you should let anyone see if you want to keep your head on your shoulders." He spoke with a frown, his expression gravely serious. "This belongs to the Paragons of the Five Gods. It is a sacrificial dagger, but I don't think they delved in human sacrifice for more than half a century. To them, this is just a relic, a symbol of the order, something their ancestors used in long forgotten times." He flipped the dagger in his hand, examining the inscription. "A year ago there was an unofficial crusade against the Paragons. Anyone who had any association with them was torn to pieces. It was under the order of the Trinity. No one knew why, but there were rumors that the Paragons tried to assassinate the Trinity members. Some say they even managed to do it and that today's Trinity is not the same as the one before." He turned the dagger hilt first, handing it over to Louisa. "It's all just a conspiracy theory, but there is a reason you don't show these kind of things in public. There is still a bounty on anyone with any links to the Paragons."

- Ask him about Paragons.
- Thank him and proceed with the experiment.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Louisa hadn't expected that reaction, so she visibly startled when he'd snatched the dagger from her. At first she was annoyed - how dare he take something right out of her hands? - but when she realized he was trying to protect the both of them, Louisa simmered down. The drama of it all certainly piqued her curiosity. Quietly, she followed Logan out and said not a word about the dagger until they were safely inside his warehouse.

She listened, alarmed by the ferociousness of the Trinity and the underhandedness of the Paragons. Having found the dagger in the crypt, did that mean a Paragon had been down there with her? They could have been the one to block the exit, though that could have also been the chimera. She glanced at the wrapped book in her arms. Perhaps the journal belonged to a Paragon who'd met an unfortunate demise.

"What are the Paragons of the Five Gods, exactly?" Louisa took the dagger and tucked it away, making certain it was concealed. "I, ah, never paid much attention in my history classes..." Or any classes at all, really. Memories of last night teetered on the edge of her mind. Louisa gave them a harsh, mental shove, and tried to focus on what Logan would say next.

 

[ArcticFox]

"I don't think you would have heard about them anywhere else in the world. As far as I know it is a cult founded in Myrr and a cult that died in Myrr." Logan answered. "There is a version of the history that says that the Founder of Myrr founded the Paragons at the same time. They were the rulers of the city at some point, most of them very strong mages and shamans. But that was centuries past. In the known history the Trinity always had the power in Myrr and the Paragons were just a small sect that fought for the rights of the weak and poor. Their methods were not always diplomatic, though, and that was what brought their demise. As they saw that nothing in Myrr could be changed through peaceful methods, they started hiring and even training assassins and soldiers. I don't know if they ever went against the Trinity directly, but they still drew their attention. The Trinity does not approve of any army in Myrr that is not under their command. Thus, the Paragons are no more."

Logan then shrugged and stepped over to the bookshelf, taking out a familiar book. "Now, let's do something useful. Last time you told me that you climbed a wall and saw a castle in the distance. Well, today, I'm gonna try to bring you closer to that castle. Don't interfere with the order of things in the plane. Simply... observe." He flipped to the page he wanted to find and then looked up at Louisa. "What are you waiting for? Stand there in the center!"

- Do it.
- Don't do it.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Though she did well enough of a job hiding it, Louisa hung on his every word. How interesting! She'd assumed Myrr was little more than just a scrap town riddled with poverty and teeming with heathens. To find it to had such an intricate history, woven together with it's very own founding and reasons for corruption, was rather eye opening. Louisa wondered what would happen if she were to return to the crypt.

She'd run into the chimera, of that there was no doubt, but what else might she find?

As he moved to begin the ritual, Louisa waved off his impatient commands. "Don't get your robe in a knot, I'm going," she said, stepping towards the center. While she waited there Louisa began to feel excited. Even though there was a chance of getting stuck on the other side, she knew now how to return home.

"I'm ready." This time she kept her eyes open.

 

[ArcticFox]

"Remember, once you are done exploring, just find something familiar!" Logan warned as the air changed around Louisa. The procedure was now familiar and not as strange as it appeared before.

--

She was on the other side again, staring down at her feet on the purple grass. There was not greyish light now, instead everything around her was enveloped in darkness. She would have been unable to see, if it wasn't for the beautiful shimmering lights shining down from the sky all around her. When she raised her gaze she could see the lake much closer than before and behind it... the castle.

"Look at it!" Logan's voice ringed inside her own head. "It's majestic." He said in awe. It was then that Louisa caught on. He was able to see the surroundings now, while last time he was only able to feel the presence of certain things. "Go ahead. Go toward it. Just be careful, there are many strange creatures here."

- Go.
- Look around first.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Such a sight was breathtaking, enough so to keep Louisa from moving at first. Logan had certainly outdone himself, transporting her this close to the castle. It was magnificent against the starry backdrop; Louisa had never seen such beauty. She reached out with an open palm, slowly running her hands through the shimmering lights. If mages felt such enchantment every day, she sorely wished she'd been born with the aptitude for magic.

She wanted to see more than just the castle.

"But there is so much here to see," Louisa turned her head, examining her surroundings; the familiar purple grass, the swirling trees, the pond whose waters reflected the lights back up to the heavens. Regardless of Logan's answer, Louisa was hell-bent on exploring. "Wouldn't you like to look around more, first?"

She wanted to see everything.

 

[ArcticFox]

"No!" Logan exclaimed. "Don't go anywhere else, you idiot! This is not Lower Myrr. There might not be any pickpockets or drunkards here, but trust me if you encounter any of the plain dwellers you are gonna wish they were just trying to rob you!" He was just taking a breath to continue his prattle, but then his voice dropped down low. "Get down. Quickly." It was only an urgent whisper now.

There was movement on the water ahead of Louisa and this was what caused Logan to warn her. Giants. Enormous creatures that resembled moving trees threaded the waters of the lake. There were a dozen of them at the least, and the closest one would be able to step on the shore with only three of its huge strides. It did not look like they noticed Louisa yet.

​

- Get down.
- Stand and watch.
- Call out to the giants.

 

[Cartoonicat]

"I'm fine-..." Louisa's protest trailed off as she caught sight of the giants. She stared openly at them for a brief moment before logic kicked in and forced her to her ground. With her body flat and face smushed against the dirt, Louisa did her best to calm her erratic heartbeat; if she thought the chimera was terrifying, the giants were even more so.

Still, she was curious.

Slowly and as carefully as possible, Louisa lifted her head until her eyes could see just above the blades of grass. What were giants like, she wondered?

 

[ArcticFox]

When she peaked out of her hiding spot, her eyes met with a branch extended in her direction. Just a little behind it was a large wooden head of a giant. It had no eyes to see her with, yet it looked like it was following her movements intently. Its wooden fingers at the end of a branch-like arm extended and very gently picked her up by the collar of her tunic, like a mother cat might carry her kittens, forcing her to stand up. The giant's feet were still in water, but the rest of the body was bent at a straight angle and extended toward Louisa. A finger poked her in the stomach.

There was a faint gurgling sound coming from the giant, like it was tying to say something. The rest of the group of creatures did no seem to care what was happening. They still threaded the water, some crossing the lake and disappearing on the other shore among the trees.

"Run." Logan whispered in her head.

- Run.
- Stand and wait.
- Say something.

 

[Cartoonicat]

A gasp flew from her lips. For a long moment, Louisa was sure she was going to be killed. Stepped on or swatted like a fly, her bones crunching into shards. She held her breath as the giant lifted her carefully from the ground and set her standing tall. Then she exhaled, not expecting it to poke her in the stomach.

The giant had been gentle. Who knew giants to be gentle? If she thought about it hard enough, Louisa realized she knew very little of giants, much less any other type of beast.

Ignoring Logan completely, Louisa craned her neck back to see the face of the giant, tall and far away. "I do not understand," she said softly, almost woefully. Just imagining the tales a giant may have to tell spurred her into asking: "What are you trying to tell me?"

 

[ArcticFox]

The giant poked her again and then pulled away, his body straightening with a creak. He raised his other arm slowly and pointed at the castle on the other side of the lake.

"Uh..." Logan spoke, now less scared and more confused. "I think it wants to take us across."

There was no reason why such a strange creature would want to help Louisa. Perhaps it was simply intrigued with her. Perhaps it was a very benevolent giant. Either way, if she deemed it safe enough and felt particularly brave, she could choose this way across the lake. If not, she could go through the trees and around it.

- Go around.
- Go with the giant.

 

[Cartoonicat]

Following the giant's fingertip, Louisa glanced at the castle. Having the giant carry her across the lake would surely save time and it hadn't seemed hostile. Not yet, at least. What were she to do if the giant suddenly decided to turn on her? She would have nowhere to run out in the water. But, then again, she may not be able to outrun it on land if she were to stick to the forest. Plus, she knew little of the beast and its temperament; if she were to decline, it was not impossible for it to turn on her simply for that. Louisa knew many people who responded to rejection in awful ways.

Accepting its generosity, then, was what she would do. Louisa gave the giant a nod. "Are you offering to help me get across? I would be very grateful."

 

[ArcticFox]

The giant must have understood her, though it was very impossible that could have even heard her from that distance. Either way, it grabbed her with his branch-like hand and hoisted her up in the air. It had a hole the size of a grown human man in the center of its chest and it was here that it had placed Louisa. It was like a little nest all for her.

"We are on more than ten meters high, you know." Logan spoke once she was inside the giant. "If you fall down you are dead. If you survive the fall and get swallowed by the lake you are dead too. There are many dwellers underneath the surface, I can feel them." It sounded like he gave off a slight shiver. His words did not server to comfort Louisa at all.

Being inside this hole was just like being inside a large hollow tree. As if to confirm it, a small acorn rolled up to her boot.

- Take the acorn.
- Don't take it.

 

[Cartoonicat]

It was when the giant lifted her to it's chest did Louisa finally grasp how big the beast was... and how high she was from the ground. She could only imagine how deep the giant's legs went into the water. Once her feet touched the floor of the alcove, Louisa braced herself with one hand against the frame of the opening; she did not want to stumble and fall.

"I figured as much," she finally acknowledged Logan. Louisa's knees buckled when she glanced outside, down at the water. Quickly she leaned back inside. "You're not the most comforting person I've talked to, do you know that?"

Between their conversation, Louisa felt the gentle tap of something against her foot: an acorn. Curious, she crouched low to inspect it. Just as she was about to touch it, she froze.

This wasn't just some acorn; there was something special about it if it were inside the giant, surely. Carefully, she retracted her fingers.