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Fantasy For Fumes puff puff

Lekiel

Two Thousand Club
Supporter
RP Based off the World of Andarun: ANDARUN - A World Reborn (wip)
sheesh sheesh
~To the Northlands~​



Due to the nature of this RP, the details of the story differ slightly, depending on the Homeland and class of your character. For simplicity's sake, the default alignment of your character will be 'The Dominion of Arya'.


. . . . | . . . .​

It started in the most peculiar of ways. Though perhaps not the most unusual, depending on how you see it. A border town, within the northmost reaches of the Dominion comes across a decaying body of a soldier floating down the stream. Now, such floaters though very rare, was not unheard of by villagers. The truce between the three kingdoms opening up travel throughout the lands, giving the keys to errand adventurers to go out treasure seeking. This floater would have simply been dismissed as another stupid hapless soul, had 'he' (if you could give dead bodies gender) been discovered by simply folk.

But as fate would have it, a particularly enthusiastic patrol captain and his men spotted the body as they were making their last rounds for the shift. Excited at the unusual sight (now, you must forgive him as patroling borders can be really boring as of late; the most action a Dominion soldier would have these days would be to see their Bloodsworn counterparts and hurl insults at the pointy ears. Unless one were placed within Wretched infested territory, but that's besides the point). Now, upon recovering the body and searching it, our dear captain discovered a tattered map carefully rolled up in a worn but otherwise intact leather casing, effectively protecting it from the stream waters. Eyeballing the corpse, our dear astute Captain deduced that this man was no simple adventurer. Though very much faded, one could assumed that he wore the colours of sorts. The body belonged to a soldier (there were also other trinkets found on the body to confirm the suspicion). Though from which army was the question.

Fast forward a month or so (cause I'm really lazy at story-telling), the body and map now resides within the walls of Midranthos, capital of the glorious Dominion. Ambassadors from the other two regions had all but confirmed that the soldier belonged to neither one of their armies. Embroiled within their own internal politics, the Vanharen and Aryan Lord was quite intent on dismissing the peculiar situation; that is until their Bloosworn counterpart remarked that the map depicted a region towards the north of his Kingdom. Mr. Vanharen snorted the claim away and took his leave, all dramatic with his green smoke and eerie theatrics.

Now, one must understand, that the people of Andarun understand, that their world does not end beyong the Skyreach Mountains north of the Bloodsworn. One should understand however, that it is extremely difficult and nigh impossible to cross said mountain range; as only a very small handful of people have ever done so. Reports of what lay beyond, was simply that of a winter wonderlan- I mean, desolate landscape, with nothing to offer.

Long story short, Mr. Bloodsworn happened to know of some relatives who had been across the mountain range, (oooh destiny oooh plotfixing! oooh!) and thought it would be interesting to see what they could find. Mr. Arya, acting very "Arya-like" was not impressed that Bloordsworn had made up his mind based on Arya's own findings. Hence, he declared that he too will send an emisary to the north.


You my friend will be playing this Aryan hero ^-^! I will be playing your Bloodsworn guide *-*!

~The Map~​


full

~Character Application~


For this RP, you may choose any of the 'normal', 'special' or 'elite' classes.



Just a basci character skelley will do, as below:


Name:


Age:


Gender:


Homeland: (The Bloodsworn, Arya, Vanharen)


Race:


Class:


Equipment: (Please be mindful of the limit one person can carry ^_^ ; )


Appearance: (at least 3 lines, include a picture if you have one. Otherwise, add more description to define your physical features)


Personality: (Optional, can be discovered through the story anyway ^^)


Character Background: (Character background and history)


. . . . | . . . .
~THE CHARACTERS~​

Name: Talyndra kaelas`Farandir

Age: 28

Gender: Female

Homeland: The Bloodsworn

Race: Anarhin (Sun Elf)

Class: Stormlord

Equipment: Silver bound spellbook, Heartwood dagger and Ghastwood elven longbow. Talyndra's ivory colored mage robes is embroidered with gold threads and woven onto an enchanted leather bodice to make it more resilient than ordinary robes. Compact slingpouch with usual traveling supplies. She also wears a slim black choker, inlaid with a swirling milky white gem.

Appearance:
full
Talyndra is blessed with high cheekbones, chestnut brown almond shaped eyes and small slightly upturned nose giving her a rather impish look. Olive coloured skintone further solidifies her heritage as one of the anarhin. Luxurious amber coloured tresses falls to the small of her back, which she usually braids at the sides to keep in check. She stands at a towering 5 feet 6 inches, glorious! Talyndra possesses a petite body framework with just, only just, enough curves in the right places.

Personality: (Leaving this out for now)

Character Background: Talyndra, younger of only three children born to Lord Tasaldan Farandir, was what her people would call a larle`. In commons, bastard. Lord Tasaldan's only wife, having passed away giving birth to his first daughter. Talyndra's mother was a mere maidservant of the house, was compensated before being sent away shortly after Talyndra was born. Given the fact that she was the younger of two daughters, and an illegitimate child, Talyndra was fortunate that her father chose to acknowledge her; but only to the extent of providing for her needs and education. Despite his generosity, any sort of inheritance was entirely out of the question, not that Talyndra minded. Without the burden that usually comes with being a 'proper' child of a prominent elven lord, she was mostly left to her own devices. This gave her ample freedom to pursue art in all its forms, for she loved it; and would've spent all her days immersed in it if not for the fact that she was sent to Heartfire Academy to learn the ways of a Stormlord.


Right at the onset, Talyndra proved to be trouble, trouble of a different sort. Talyndra's powers were sporadic to say the least. One moment, they would fail her completely and the next, they would be blazing uncontrollably albeit powerfully; to the cost of damaged school property. Her mentors blamed her lack of concentration for such uncontrollable magic. Despite that, she managed to complete her studies and even work, at her father's behest (well, he didnt speak to her... he wrot- he bade one of his servants to pen a suggestion), as a tutor at the academy. Talyndra knew her father was slowly wiping his hands clean off her, gradually cutting her off in what he deemed was the most ethical way.


Talyndra's bow was given to her by Tanadris, her older sister and also Calenfar Captain. Also the only person in the whole House Farandir who didn't look at her askance. Tanadris taught her how to wield it, and though Talyndra's mastery of the elven longbow is fair, it is nowhere near as skilled as a regular elven Ranger.


. . . . | . . . .​

Name: Leo Everett McGill


Age: 27


Gender: M


Homeland: The Dominion of Arya


Race: Human


Class: Nak Techturgist


Equipment: Most of what Leo carries is stored in his fire resistant black leather lab coat, which comes with many pockets, and his back pack along with a satchel he keeps on his waist. For the most part, his especially dangerous things go in his satchel of fun surprises, while his backpack comprises of living materials such as food and water, books, and a roll of cotton that he occasionally sleeps on during trips. But, above all that, he keeps his control gauntlets for his golems in his bag as well.


latest
LeoValdez-299x416.jpg


Leo stands at 5 feet and 11 inches tall, with a lithe and muscular build, and a skinny frame to go with it. There are blots of skin that are darker than others, which are the results of chemical - or fire and ice burns. He has a lighter shade of caramel for a complexion, disregarding the burn marks. Most of his skin is rough and calloused as a bi-product of manual labor. His hair is a mess of curly dark brown hair, and his hair practically matches his eyes. What stands out most about Leo, even when just casually walking, is his permanent wolfish grin, which appears even when he's not trying.

Personality:

I try not to think. It interferes with being nuts.
- Leo, when being asked why he's so impulsive.

Leo is easygoing, mischievous, upbeat, energetic, funny, flirty and loves to tell jokes constantly, even if they aren't particularly funny. Leo is genuinely very intelligent and honest, and cares about his friends and family. He sometimes doesn't think before reacting and he enjoys pulling pranks on people, especially those who he doesn't like. He hides a hurt and angry demeanor with humor, so it's extremely hard to tell what he's feeling since he's a constant joker. Leo has been shown to have a serious side, which happens when he is angered by someone or when the situation calls for it. He is also seen building small bits of machinery and equipment and is very skilled and serious about his work. Even with his mischievous personality, Leo is also a leader.

Character Background:

Leo was born in The Dominion of Arya to the mechanic, and Alchemist Esperanza McGill. When he was little, he had an unstable babysitter named Tia Callida, . She was watching Leo because she needed money to pay off a debt she owed to some criminals. She tried to "kill" him multiple times by attempting to put him in an active fireplace and by letting him play with knives. She also tried to make him poke a rattlesnake, which he refused to do. She claimed that the reasoning behind her actions was that so Leo would become strong at a young age, despite how dangerous it was, even for making someone strong.

At the age of eight, his house was invaded by a gang of 4 thugs. At the time, his mother was sick and his father was, like at birth, no where to be found. At this time of night, young Leo knew that something was wrong, and sneaked down into his mother's work space, not unlike that of a rogue, and stole some of her most dangerous chemicals, which were illegal, even by Alchemist standards. Not understanding what he was doing, when he came across the thugs in his home, he threw a vial, which set off an explosion and lit the home on fire. The thugs had died, yes, and Leo was far enough from the blast to live without injury. But his mother was sound asleep, and died in the fire. His Aunt, Rosa, turned his family against him, even at his young age, which caused him to be sent to Foster homes.

The death of his mother haunted Leo for years. The emotional strain caused him to run away from multiple foster homes. After running away for the sixth time, he was 16, and at the same time, he had a brilliant mind and a knack for constructs of mechanical nature, often assembling and disassembling them quickly for fun, and to test him self. He stole small items and used broken toys to make something completely new in his spare time. His biggest struggle was the fact that he often had to beg for coins, and that only ever got him so far.

It wasn't long before he decided to do what his mother did as an Alchemist, except this time he'd work for Arya. With his intelligence, he was often praised for his quick learning aptitude by those who taught him alchemical arts. By the time he was 20, he decided to use his building skills, and the coins he had save for the 4 years of his life to do something different. He constructed a golem. Argentum (Silver). Argentum was comprised mainly of steel as a body, and Mythrill covering crucial points to his body such as his joints. Argentum was painted Silver. At 22, going on 23 he left Arya and his job. Taking his saved up money, most of his necessities - golem included - and left.

During his time in Arya, he was known as an engineer. An architect and mathematician, a scientist too. He was called back by a noble named Francis Armsworth a few years later. He is told Leo that he was willing to pay a large sum of coin if Leo would design a new type of catapult for him, and seeing as how Leo had been living out in the wild doing nothing, he decided to take the opportunity to work for Arya once more. He made a weapon that fired metal balls, roughly 50 pounds each, via chemical combustion, which resulted in the metal balls fired coming out flaming and orangey hot so they burned whatever they touch, on top of the fact that hit with a little more force. Above all, it was extremely accurate, coming with crosshairs built onto the side. He called it, appropriately, a Leoblaster. For such a construct, Leo was paid lots of gold coins. Enough to construct a second golem, Aurum (Gold) Aurum was originally an idea, but the capitol he received allowed him to make an adamantine giant. He only had enough money to comprise his body and shield out of adamantine, and he could've made more for him and he continued his work under Francis. But he decided not to.

Even by Alchemist and engineering standards, Leo was a genius, and was noted for his lack of keeping a log for his life threatening experiments. Before he could leave back to inhabit the wilds with his newly acquired golem, he was called back once more, and this time, it was by The Aryan Lord. He was called to discuss a quest of a special manner, and the Lord believed he was smart enough to cruise through it.

But, long story short(TBA), Leo annoyed the Lord to the point where he was sent on the quest with the intent that he would be out of the Lord's hair.


Golems:
siegefall-heros-chevalier-teren-001.png


This is Argentum (Paint him all Silver). He stands at 9 feet tall and dual wields steel blades. He can run at a maximum of 25 km/hr. His combat capabilities are implied, but ultimately unknown.
Name: Argentum
Height: 9'
Equipment: Steel and Mythrill body. Two steel blades.

wp_karnliberated_2560x1600.jpg
[/heightrestirct]
This is Aurum before his gold paint. He's comprised of all Adamantine. He is slightly taller than his counterpart, standing at 9.5 feet tall (Whoa! Big difference!). He's very slow, but can take lots and lots of punishment without being knocked over. He can run at a maximum of 15 km/hr. He only comes equipped with an Adamantine shield. With no clear weapon besides his hands, his combat capabilities are unknown.
Name: Aurum
Height: 9.5'
Equipment: Adamantine body, adamantine shield.
 
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One Week Ago "Seler`Tanadris, amin sal rangw`uuma mankoi amin aut`caela!" The younger of the two women cried, wringing her hands in the air as she turned away. She crossed her arms over her chest, a frown on her face as she fixed her eyes on a painting hanging by the wall of their house. An Isilhin warrior sat astride his stallion, leading a charge into a horde of Wretched, backed by the colourful pennants of his clan and allies. His features were clearly depicted, but the cleanliness of his facade was far from the scarred and battleworn lines of Father; if ever she could address him in such a familial manner.


"Talyndra... Saes last`amin." The other replied, gently but firmly, her voice pleading. She reached out to grasp the shoulder of her step-sister, trying to get her to turn back. A servant dressed in a neat but subdued dress glanced curiously from a balcony overlooking the immaculately decorated living room. On the wall, just behind where the two sisters stood, a pair of crossed runic elven blades - the family heirloom - glinted in the warm glow of the elemental lanterns.


"There are many other rangers who know the area! Why can't you send them? I'm sure they can attempt the crossing!" The protest was spoken in commons, though Talyndra still refused to turn around. At first glance, both women were starkly different, as night was to day. One with long flowing golden locks and olive skin while the other was fair, pale skin so translucent it almost seemed to gleam like the moon. But while the younger woman had let her brown hair flow freely, gently cascading about her shoulders, the other had pinned her long dark hair back out of her face; a common conduct of someone in her line of work.


"Ile sinta`tanya naa a'risa." The older woman sighed. "We are perhaps the only two who has ever gone beyond the Skyreach and traversed the wilderness... I mean, there are the others... but I doubt any amount of gold would make them attempt that pass again. I would've gone myself but-"


"You can't. Your duties won't let you..." Talyndra interrupted, her voice flat. She was resigned to her task, there was only so much she could argue. In truth, she knew there was no other way. She had only resisted just because she felt she had to say something. Turning around finally, she gave her sister a hug. "I don't know if I can do this, seler. I've always had you to back me up. Out there, I will be on my own... I've heard your tales of adventure and everything and I'd always longed to go.. but now that it's in front of me.."


"You'll be fine, don't worry. If I'd had the slightest thought you aren't capable, I would not have suggested you to go." Tanadris smiled as she embraced her sister. Then stepping back, she grinned. "Besides, I think its time you took a breath of fresh air away from your books. Make an Aryan friend or two, they're not all big and smelly, those edans."


"Seler!!"


~The Present~

The elf stood fidgeting impatiently as she stood on the porch of the tavern. Leaning forward with her chin resting on the palm of one hand and the fingers of the other drumming the wood of the balcony restlessly, she cast her eyes about, searching for someone. One of the four Bloodsworn rangers glanced over at her, a frown creasing his otherwise smooth forehead, as he and his companions sat astride their mounts.


They are late! A whole day late in fact! Her sources had told the elf that she was to meet the Aryan representative at the Flitting Wyvern Tavern in the Bloodsworn border town of Fairgale at noon. Noon yesterday. Of course there wasn't any real need to hurry, but that didn't change the fact that he was late. She knew what her sister would say, she would tell her to be more patient. But Talyndra could not help it, she was unlike most elves, who were supposedly known for their patience and calm conduct. Talyndra snorted unwomanly at the thought.


A chill wind swept across the front, and despite the fact that it was a little past noon, the air was pretty cold. Clouds drifted past, obscuring the sun as dried autumn leaves swept across the compound. Talyndra tugged her pale green cloak closer about her, stared down the pathway and immediately noticed a figure approaching the tavern.


~Translations~


Language of the elves phrased from Common to Elven -


Tanadris my sister, I don't get why I have to go!


Talyndra... Listen to me please.


You know that is not true.


Seler - Sister
 
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One Week Ago
Wilds, Unnamed Stable on a Road.

'I wonder what I can expect from this hopefully glorious adventure. He didn't seem to pleased with me, dunno why he thought I'd be a good fit anyways... Can Argentum fit through that doorwa- nah. He'll be fine outside, and I'll be fine too, once I find out how much a horse is. I could just ride Aurum all the way there, but I'd probably get a nasty Nak burn if I controlled him the entire way... I wonder if holding the gauntlets on a stick in front of them would work?'

Leo walked inside of the stables building, finding a overly corpulent woman, looking bored with her job no less, behind a worn wooden counter. Looked like something that could use a bit of cleaning and scrubbing here and there. Fire should clean it up just nicely. Leo approached the counter in a casual stride, his hands in the pockets of his coat. He cleared his throat, subtly weighed a small purse of coins. He rested his elbow on the counter, surprisingly not getting enough splinters to send him to another plane. He said, "How much would I need to, eh, acquire a nice horse?" And in response, all Leo got was a bored stare and an eye roll, and to further add insult to injury, a man in a black coat, cotton by the looks of it tossed a few silvers on the counter, then left. Surely that couldn't be enough to buy a horse, could it?

And in a sudden reaction, Leo threw 10 golds, which he could've swore he saw the woman's eyebrows raise just a bit and left in a hurry. He was greeted with Dumb and Dumbe- I mean, Aurum and Argentum, his two reliable pals, his companions, his best friends, his partners in crime... You get the point, and that same man, just about to mount his horse.

'Well, that's the last horse. I'm sure he can't be doing anything too important. Lemme just... borrow it.' He slung his backpack off his shoulder, shoving his hands into the control gauntlets, yelling, "Hey bud, I'm going to need that!" As Aurum stepped forward and plucked the man off of his horse, setting him down on the roof of the stable. With that out of the way, he could take that horse and hopefully get to where he needed to be on time. Only taking his bag by a single strap he mounted the horse, who stood peacefully in the middle of the road. It was a nice horse. Looked like it had seen lots of work and was still young, with a smooth caramel brown coat and a faded white mane. The man in black wouldn't be getting off the roof anytime soon, and despite his protests, Leo set off, glancing back and giving the man a smile.




Present
Tavern

'Ey, what's this joker lookin' at? Can't a man ride in peace?' He thought, as he looked down on those he passed. Who just stares at a man on the shoulders of a metal giant? But then again, who wouldn't? You don't frequently see a Techturgist outside of Arya's capital. Well, you don't see any Alchemist outside of the capital, but that's besides the point. He was here for something.

'If I had to be completely honest with myself, I'd probably like to be on my best behavior for a few reasons. First of all, I'll be travelling with this guy.. or girl, and any sort of xenophobic acts or words would only make things.. difficult? And secondly, I can't fight for my life, so if I accidentally make this Bloodsworn person angry enough to fight me, I only have one line of defense. Well, two, sorry Aurum.' He pats Aurum's head whilst sitting on his left shoulder. He was vaguely aware of subtle pink marks forming on his face, and a very dull pain in the back of his head. The burn wasn't anything serious, yet, but he was already at the tavern, so he might as well stop controlling them, because they've been walking - no, power walking, for nearly an hour, and with said said, a small gesture allowed him to slide down Aurum's arm onto the ground. From there, he slid off his gauntlets and placed them in his bag.

At this point, he was already about 10-15 meters away from the meeting point. What he saw was a bored elf, a woman by the looks of it. Leo didn't have the best vision in the world, even from such a mid range distance, but he could tell that she probably wasn't happy with him being a day late, but that's what happens when you get robbed in the middle of the night and your horse gets stolen. But, it is what it is. He continued his casual stride, a long smile seemingly permanently sown onto his face.

'Well, damn. She actually doesn't look too bad. Course I won't tell her that though.' And with that thought, he was in range to introduce himself.

"I didn't mean to be this late, believe me, but I can only move so fast on these guys," He pointed a thumb at his golems, both standing on his flanks in a wedge-like formation, "I didn't want to strain myself, so I made slow pace. I am Everett McGill." He had stopped a few meters short of the tavern's front step. Something told him if he got too close those rangers might put an arrow in his chest, but then again, he could go for a few more minutes of controlling the boys.

He hoped Aurum wouldn't make the elves' mounts nervous.

Lekiel Lekiel
 
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Having spent most of her life in the Hearthfire Academy in Aran`Fadrasil, barely venturing any distance south meant that Talyndra had never met an Aryanite in her life. There had always been a significant amount of humans within the capital of the Bloodsworn, but most if not all of them, were Bloodsworn humans. She'd heard many a rumour about how Aryans that deserted the Dominion and sought refuge with the Bloodsworn had to wait several months in the border towns for all the excessive body hair to fall off and for them to be able to speak properly once more. Apparently one could smell an Aryan coming down the road from half a mile away, and they were a savage and war-hungry people; savage to the point that although they spoke in commons, no one could really understand what they were saying. Of course, with such rampant whisperings the only source of information Talyndra had, she wasn't sure what to believe. That being said, while most would've shied away from having anything to do with Aryans, Talyndra was actually rather curious and had longed to settle her curiousity. While most elves were inclinded towards upholding longstanding views and traditions, Talyndra often found herself having a more objective view of the world than her kin.

Taking all that into consideration, it was no surprise that when the clunking giants trudge over to the front porch, Talyndra was still under the impression that the gold behemoth was her Aryan counterpart. That is, until a lean and slim man slid off the giant to the ground, and promptly introduced himself along with his apologies. As he stepped forward, there was a subtle ring of steel and tightening of drawstring and leather.

"Tulunka!" Without looking, Talyndra let out an exasperated sigh and waved the overly suspicious rangers to back down. They had been on high alert for no apparent reason two days in a row, and after they nearly pin-cushioned an unfortunate Vanharen merchant the day before (he survied unscathed), Talyndra was starting to get tired of their antics.

The elf drew herself back to her full towering heigh of 5 feet 6 inches, and stepped over to the steps leading down from the front porch. Her robes rustled in the autumn breeze as the tap of her boots on the wooden floorboards echoed in the relatively silent atmosphere. High afternoon usually meant that places like taverns were usually deserted. Talyndra kept her steps deliberate as she made her way over, sapphire gaze peering intently at the alchemists own brown orbs.

Stopping just short of the first step, so that she still stood taller than the human, she addressed him. "You are the edan the Dominion has sent for the expedition?" She spoke in commons, her voice was a harmoniously alto pitched. A quizzical frown marred her otherwise smooth forehead as she took in the sight of the Aryan, "I thought you would be... bigger" Talyndra spoke matter-of-factly. Her gaze shifted momentarily to the two metal giants, before resting back on the human.

. . .
"Tulunka!" - Steady/Stand down.
edan - human
 
Giving a slight nod of the head to her question about the Dominion sending himself, he fired back with his own comment about the elf's appearance, saying, "And I thought you'd be uglier. But it seems we're both wrong about each other." He said, his already wolfish grin growing. He acted as if nothing else she had said was even spoken, disregarding the height comment. He took one hand and slowly rubbed it in a circular motion around his temple. He never felt how bad a Nak burn actually was until he stopped controlling the golem. It wasn't anything too serious, but this was probably the height of the headache. It wasn't anything to roll on the ground and cry about, but it was notable. An expression of pain came across his face briefly, which could've been taken as offense to her comment nonetheless. He was relieved to see that the rangers finally had taken a calmer disposition. He didn't feel like fighting - or dying.

'First of all. That's not how introductions work. I give you my name, you give me yours, we maybe shake hands and make eye contact.... wait we're already making eye contact, but that's besides the point, give me your name.' He broke eye contact momentarily, as to take a moment to stop taking the eye lasers from her intent stare directly to his own eyes. "Oh, ah, this tall guy," he briskly took a few steps back and tapped his knuckle twice on Aurum's leg, "This is Aurum. I painted him gold just because he was the most expensive to build." He then took a few side steps over to the shorter one, on the left side of his body, "This is Argentum. I painted him silver just because it's my favorite color."

After introducing the boys, he resumed direct eye contact, this time standing closer to Argentum and further away from the unnamed elf. "I was hoping you'd tell me what I can call you...?" He remembered subconsciously giving the elf only his middle and last name. He'd always liked Everett more than Leo, but that was just personal preference. In the mean time, he took a few seconds to look at her from head to toe, slowly moving down and analyzing every inch, as if he were making special measurements for some sort of calculation he may need. Such size-ups were needed for a lot of things. She might be able to fit in a lot of tight spaces later on, and god knows how helpful it might be at the time. 'I'm pretty sure I'm taller than her too, if my calculations are correct at least.'

'Not gonna lie, I'm probably lookin' like a real pervert right now'
 
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Is he ogling me?! Talyndra was no stranger to the lecherous gaze of men. Many an opportunistic noble had visited House Farandir with the hopes that the larle` would be easy pickings, that Lord Farandir would want to get rid of her. Fortunately for Talyndra, Lord Tasaldan had always seemed disinterested, and her Calenfari Ranger sister had a stare that would shrink the manparts off a dragon. Her olive skin quickly flushed with heat, as she considered roasting the errant human where he stood. Nevertheless, she held her thought long enough to realize that there was barely the faintest hint of lust (if any at all) in the way the Aryan looked at her; his look was the look of careful consideration than anything else. Nevertheless, it made her very self conscious and extremely annoyed.

Conveniently ignoring his question, she stepped off the porch, and tromped down to where Leo stood. Barely a couple of feet from Leo, it was now obvious she was about a full head shorter than him, though it did not deter the elf from letting him know how she felt.

"If you're done looking, we've a skyship to catch! You have delayed us enough edan!" Whirling away with a rustle of her robes, she headed over to where one of the rangers were holding her horse for her and pulled herself gracefully up. "The airfield is a short ride away.." Talyndra eyed Leo's lack of a horse before correcting herself. "Maybe a little longer than short."

(short timeskip impending)
 
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Even after he was done sizing her up, he kept looking, mainly because he was deep in thought about nothing in particular. His brain just kind of blanked if he wasn't doing anything constantly. That's why he often made things with small machine parts to keep himself from blanking. He needed to fidget to stay awake. But then again, his Bloodsworn guide's intimidating stride snapped him out of it quickly as she stepped down from the stairs and stopped a few feet short of himself. He expected something, harsh words, a hard stare, a slap maybe. But no, she was more concerned about making it to a skyship, which was fine by him. With a closer look, Leo was inclined to say 'Well I'm not done looking.' Even by elf standards she had to be beautiful.

'But, it's an elf!' The hardwired xenophobia of an Aryan said within him, a mere thought. Despite him telling himself that being a non-human hater could be hurtful to the overall success of this mission, he couldn't help himself. He asked himself, 'What does that mean? What's wrong with her being an elf?', and as it were a second person living in his head, a response came. 'It's not... natural.' and with that, he chuckled to himself, murmuring under his breath "That's a conflict for another day in my story." Watching her pull herself on her horse made him remember that he didn't have one, and it came a little harder when he realized that she reminded him he was the reason were delayed, and on top of that made him remember that his horse was stolen. He sure as hell wasn't going to walk to the air field, but he didn't want to intensify his burn anymore.

He sighed, 'Eh, can't get too bad if this ride is as short as she says it is... what was her name again...? Oh right, she didn't tell me.. If she's going to be like that, I guess I can stand to be uh... what's the word. Childish? Childish. Yeah. I just, won't even look at her until she tells me. I just gotta try and stay dedicated to it.'

'Why am I like this?'
He chuckled to himself, reaching into his bag once more and grabbing his control gauntlets. He hesitated before reluctantly sliding them on. He made Aurum turn around, before grabbing onto the shield that was hooked to his back, and pulling himself up with ease. Then he swung his legs over Aurum's right shoulder and taking a sitting position. 'Wait, wait. That's not right. I gotta show love to my son Argentum too. Plus he's faster. He'll probably keep pace a lot better. Just gotta watch his swords.' With that thought, he slid off of, hitting the dirt ground feet first and briskly walked over to Argentum, then grabbed his hand and jumped up from there onto his shoulder. He would've climbed on from his back, but then again, he does have two swords, and that's not a good thing to try and grab and apply pressure to... with your bare hands at least.

Looking at the elf, he couldn't help but given him a brief, but strong glance of distaste. He had actually tried to be respectful for once in his introduction. All she did was look impatient and bored with everything, and didn't even decide to return his introduction with her own.

'Dumb long-ear.'


(Anything with a red hue is a xenophobic thought, action, or phrase from Leo.)
 
A slight frown creased Talyndra's forehead as she and the other rangers sat atop their horses, observing the bumbling fool that was the Aryan clamber first onto the back of the gold giant. As she was about to turn away and head off, she noticed Everett had changed his mind and was now laboriously arranging himself amongst the blades of the silver behemoth. Talyndra rolled her eyes and let out an air of exasperation. This is going to be a loooong day.

. . | . .

What would have taken ten minutes of steady cantering instead took the better part of an hour. The airfield was situated on the outskirts of the town of Fairgale, connected by a well used and broad path. Along the way, the group passed farmland, cottages and merchants. Much of the latter cast curious looks at the two marching steel giants as they passed. Although foreign dignitaries and merchants were a common sight in Fairgale, whether Aryan or from the Deadlands, the sight of the Nak Golems was definitely something of a novelty for most.

They had been progressing steadily for quite sometime. Though they kept their own counsel for the most part, the four rangers seemed to want to disassociate themselves from the Alchemist as much as they could. They trotted their horses a score feet ahead of the Aryan, occasionally breaking into a canter to maintain the distance, almost never glancing to see if the Aryan kept up.

Still rather pissed from their previous exchange(patience was something she severely lacked admitedly), Talyndra was inclined to ride along with the rangers, exchanging many a merry banter with the four. They were handpicked personally by her sister, and had much they wanted to know about their Captain's younger sibling. Nevertheless, as the ride wore on Talyndra's conscience begin to nag at the back of her mind, causing her to frequently glance back to see if Everett was keeping up. On one occasion, a dwarven merchant caravan was passing their group when Talyndra caught sight of the leader turning back to eye the alchemist and his two metal giants; greed glinting in his beedy eyes. The dwarf noticed Talyndra staring at him, and gave her a wink before hustling off. Though the elf believed that it was highly unlikely anything unfortunate would befall Everett, she found herself worrying about the Aryan's safety; which in turn, left her feeling puzzled at her own self. Aren't I supposed to hate these warring savages? Savages... Another glance back and Talyndra was beginning to reconsider all the preconceived notions her people had for the Aryans. Bumbling fool perhaps... But bloodthirsty warmongers? Savage murderers? Long haired apes??

Talyndra let out a sigh, the nagging feeling was starting to irritate her. The amber haired elf slowed her mount down, separating herself from the front and drifting back till her horse was now plodding alongside the Aryan. They rode on in wordless silence, the only ambiance was the rhythmic booming as they steel giants trudged steadily on. The silence stretched on, until Talyndra could not bear the awkwardness anymore. The elf surreptitiously glanced at the Aryan before returning her gaze to the front.

"You may call me..." there was a barely audible sigh "Talyndra... Talyndra of House Farandir." Talyndra cursed herself inwardly. Why do I even care for this?
 
The trip to the air field was a lot longer than he would've hoped for, and on top of that, Argentum didn't keep up as well as he wanted him too. It was like these elves were deliberately moving faster than him. It was getting the tough moving Argentum for the entire trip. He felt fatigued. Mentally, and it was showing. The pink marks on his face were much more visible, and an expression of pain seemed like it was permanently sown on. His brow furrowed, and his lip curled, he was just about ready to hop off and run to catch up. Or do something crazy like make Aurum throw him to the air field, which would've been suicide for sure. In fact, he was just about to walk the rest of the trek when "Princess", as Leo had jokingly, yet mockingly decided to nickname her until he got her name, slowed her horse down to come talk to Lil' ol' Leo, who was still bringing up the rear. 'How kind of her. What do you want...?' He was practically fighting a demon who hated anything that wasn't human, that happened to live inside of him. The trip where the elves had moved away from Leo had only fed him.

Now with his current head ache and fatigue. He was just tempted to tell her to go away. He didn't have the capacity to deal with her stupid Edan word, whatever it meant, and probably didn't have the energy to hold a conversation. He suddenly really wished he had a horse. He felt an urge to shove the elf off of her horse, but it was an urge that was easily beat down by pain. After a bit of silent walking, and heavy foot steps, the Elf finally spoke up. 'Talyndra, eh? That's a pretty name. For an elf.' "It's a... Pleasure to meet you... I was hoping I'd learn your name soon." He took a sharp breath. He'd thought cutting down trees for 20 minutes was harsh training. That's what he got for being lazy, but still, despite the headache that had advanced relatively quickly, he gave Talyndra a warm and kind smile. Soon saying, "I know it's a general misconception by things that aren't human, that Aryans are just brutes. I just want you to know that I'd like to maintain a respectful atmosphere during this..uh..mission. The more we think condescension of each other, the harder it'll be to work together. Wouldn't you agree?" This would probably be the last thing he said for a few moments, as he needed to recollect his thoughts. He had been one day late, which was probably why Talyndra was pissed. If he could make her laugh, it might make things better, but then again, he couldn't make a clever joke right now. He put his hand to his temple, which in turn made Aurum slam his hand into his head, resulting in a loud metal ring, like smashing too kettles or pots together. No visible worry was shown on Leo's face. Aurum was pure adamantine. He'd be fine. Probably... hopefully.

If Aurum and Argentum had personalities, Leo liked to think of them as Dumb and Dumber, except their 9 foot tall metal giant brothers that would fight occasionally. Or they'd be like one of those people who are actually fiercely intelligent, but just did dumb things, much like Leo himself. Despite the fact that Aurum and Argentum were his golems, he didn't exactly know what they could do, and their limits. He had used them as manual labor machines rather than fighters, often cutting down trees or hoeing fields and reaping crops. His chances of fighting something were fairly high. But speaking of capabilities, aside from being good archers, what else could elves do? He'd heard stories of elves being able to obliterate groups of people with fire or lightning just by flicking their hand. Surely that can't be true? He had never seen magic, so to Leo, it may not even exist. According to some, some of those elves with magic were strong enough to destroy armies by creating storms of fire. Then again, it came from a drunk bard in the capital. It couldn't be true. If it were, why hadn't they just sent all of them to destroy Vanharen, then Arya? 'Probably because they aren't as strong as you think.'

'I wanna take a very long nap.'
'For a few days.'
 
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A frown crossed Talyndra's features (the amount of frowning she'd been doing as of late might actually add centuries to her age). Everett was speaking, and though the elf could speak commons well enough, she'd have to take a while to piece together longer sentences; especially those riddled with uncommon words not usually used in general conversation. As he spoke, Talyndra glanced in Everett's direction and immediately noticed that there pink marks circling his eyes. He looked like a raccoon of sorts, a rather tired looking raccoon in fact. Which was rather amusing. Did he look this terrible earlier? He looks... sick. The elf chose to ignore her observation, and instead focused on what Everett was trying to say.

Talyndra did not speak in response to his question, for a couple of reasons. She was still trying to process what exactly the human was implying at. She had no idea what condescen-what? meant, nor misconcept(?) (she could sneak a guess about that one though). But she did hear him say something about respect, and working together. Talyndra nodded her head slightly, to at least acknowledge that she had heard him.

She looked at him then, trying to gauge his thoughts as Everett reached to rub his temple. Almost immediately, there was a resounding BOOM somewhere behind her.

"Ed`Eweca lemba!" Talyndra yelped in surprise, brown almond eyes widening in shock as she turned sharply in her saddle to see what the commotion was about; she'd been so focused on Everett that she forgot about the steel behemoths. She only managed to catch the gold giant's arm returning to its side. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously in the steel golem's direction. It did not seem to react or do any other thing noteworthy, and Talyndra allowed herself to relax, though her heart was still pounding from the loud boom.

"Did it make that sound? Why did it do that?? Is it alive?"


. . . | . . .​


Ed`Eweca lemba! = By Eweca's butt!

(ooc: Nearly at the airfield, we'll reach by my next post)
 
'I really look like shit.'

He thought to himself, rubbing his face whilst staring at his reflection on Argentum's head. If Talyndra had not yelled, he would've tried to scratch the pink marks out of his face, much like how a hound scratches behind his ears. His head seemingly instantaneously snapping around to see what happened. But, to his relief, it was merely her reaction to Aurum's former action. He had to admit, sometimes he had no trouble doing gestures without his golems mimicking him. But when he was out of focus and seemingly making the giants move as if they were on auto pilot, he tended to lose control over them quite easily. Recollecting his composure and taking a deep breath, he said. "It's not exactly..alive, in the sense that it can think independently. These leather covered gauntlets I'm wearing isn't any kind of armor. It actually allows me to control these walking hunks of metal. When I went to soothe my headache, I accidentally allowed Aurum to mimic my gestures. In turn, he didn't exactly rub his head like I did, more so he hit himself because I wasn't paying attention. They're called Control Gauntlets. But, Aurum is straight up composed of nothing but adamantine and some pretty rock I made. He's fine."

He considered rephrasing, as he recalled that when he spoke earlier, Talyndra's face twisted in confusion. But at the same time, he had already spoken, and didn't want to insult her intelligence by dumbing it down. It occurred to him that, just like how he couldn't understand Elvish, maybe she couldn't understand Common.... Wait, that's not right. She was just speaking common. Maybe her vocabulary wasn't as expanse as Leo's own. They could learn a lot from each other just from a few sentences. "They're whole books about this kind of stuff. It's pretty neat. Here, watch this." He was already straining himself, but some sort of entertainment was in place. He hesitated, wondering if he should even put in the effort. He came to a conclusion, making Aurum pull the larger, 6 foot blade out of the wooden sheathe on Argentum's back, and taking Aurum's shield off his back. Aurum already looked intimidating enough, with his carved on glare and large and bulky body. Him with a sword and shield only intensified it. Once he scared off a troll just by looking at it the wrong way. It was somewhere on a far off border of Vanharen. Long way away from home. Long story too. He made Aurum bang the steel blade against the Adamantine shield twice, which sounded like throwing a ghastwood tree straight at an ebonite wall, just to demonstrate a minuscule task. He then proceeded to put the blade back in Argentum's sheathe, which made Leo jump a bit when he felt the pommel graze his back.

'We should be coming up on the air field soon, right?' The thought flashed through his mind, but was pushed down by pain. At this point, his face was relaxed, but his face was shiny, beaded with a little bit of sweat, and his face was palish. He just wanted sleep more than anything, but there was something about Talyndra that kept him wanting to keep the conversation going. He felt his pink stripes start to portrude, much like a cut that almost broke skin, but didn't quite draw blood. He looked to Talyndra. She had only glanced at him a few times in a while. Was she feeling awkward? Uncomfortable? 'It's nice of you to slow down for a hottie like myself,' he thought, nearly out loud as he murmured his thought quietly under my breath. Then his headache hit him once more, and so did a demon, 'But, why are you even back here? Didn't you decide that you and your ranger friends were too good to be in close range with me?... I must sound mad..spitting out words under my breath over something that isn't a real issue. I don't mean that. I pray she can't hear me right now.

But do you really? After all, this THING isn't something to concern about. You have two golems. Show your superiority.

Stop, no! I don't mean that.
Don't delude yourself, yes you do.
No. Go away.'
There was no way he wasn't going crazy controlling these golems. He made a mental note that he had been hissing a fit of words under his breath for an entire internal conversation. At the same time, for that entire conversation he had been staring in Talyndra's general direction. Somehow finding humor in the situation, he gave a quick laugh, a single exhale. 'That's a pretty shade of amber...nice hair.. Nice face.'

He nearly fell off of Argentum's shoulder, but a quick shock and new found alertness allowed him to come back and grab onto his head until he was sure that his sitting position was stable.

'Gonna need a 4 year nap.'
 
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"Ah... they are like Elementals then." Talyndra bobbed her head to show she understood, at least just a part of it. She looked particularly interested when Everett made them move. She still wasn't quite sure if they were alive. Everett had said that the metal giants had no independant thought, and therefore were not alive. Did he have mastery over their minds as well, much like the Saelas Enchanters or Dreamcatchers? Talyndra chose to save her question for another opportune time, instead finally resting her eyes on the alchemist. For some reason, she had been aversed to affording him her full attention, but as they chatted (no matter how awkward or brief the conversation had been so far) she had slowly begun to let her guard down. He had a very youthful look, and had less facial hair than even the Bloodsworn Humans she had seen. This fact made him look rather young, though the look in his eyes spoke of significantly more experience than an adolescent.

"Aurum... is that what you call these beasts-?" She barely got the question out when she saw the alchemist nearly tumble out of his perch, her hands instinctively came up though it was more of a half hearted gesture. She was quite sure she couldn't physically prevent him from falling, and the thought of having to actually touch him was in uncharted territory to her; more out of the apprehension of the unknown than actual prejudice.

"A-Are you well?" At this point, it's also worth noting that she wasn't particularly concerned about his well-being as to what she would do if the human actually took a tumble into the dirt. He certainly did not look too well. Out of the blue, there was a low rapidly beating hum coming from somewhere behind and above them, and before either of them could look up, there was a rush of wind as an Elven Skyship dipped in low as it passed overhead, its lightsails gleaming in a gold array of light as it caught the low hanging late-afternoon sun. Just as quickly as it appeared, the skyship crossed the tree-line and slipped out of view as it landed in a not too distant airfield, docking and perhaps unloading its cargo of shipment and merchants. The sight of the Skyship sparked a sudden thought in the elf maiden's mind. She looked at Everett's control gauntlets, and then at his deteriorating condition. Perhaps the magic required to keep the Aurums up is draining him? Much like how much effort is required to summon planar elementals!

"We're almost there..." Talyndra hesitated for a moment, before deftly slipping off her saddle. "Are the Aurum's draining your manna? You can unsummon them and we can walk the rest of the way? We're already late anyway, and its not much further..."

(OOC: Got carried away the moment I started typing luls! Promise airfield next post!!)
 
"I guess Elementals is close, but not quite. I haven't read much on how magic works, but I'm pretty sure you can dispel Elementals after you summon them. These guys were made in Materia, and they stay here forever. I built them myself, and they always follow me. I could go for a short walk though.." Arthur was becoming more and more eager to explain to her how alchemy works and the Nak substance (though she probably already knew about it) and how golems were practically a magi-mechanical construct. You couldn't tell Leo that Nak wasn't magic, despite Aryans disliking magic. "We don't use magic in Arya. Especially not in... anywhere actually. Do it in the wilds, you'll find your neck slashed in the middle of the night. Iolos forbid you do it in the capital."

"Only one of them is called Aurum," he jabbed a thumb back at the gold one, "It means gold. Forgot what language, stole it from an old unfinished dig site and it was the only one of two I could actually make out and translate. I gave them both individual names, much like how you would name a new born child. The one I'm riding is Argentum. It means silver, same language, same book." Now that he thought about it, he probably wouldn't be able to walk in a straight line if he hopped off, that being said, "I'm not doing too well. Controlling golems for a while puts a strain on your body...more just everything above your shoulders. See these pink lines near my eyes? These don't hurt, but they're a symptom of something called Nak Burn. Causes some killer headaches, but I've never actually gotten one this bad before. But, I'll be fine."

He made Argentum and Aurum stop walking, turning to her."Even if we're late, I wouldn't want to slow the pace down by walking. Being even later wouldn't be good, woul-" He took a moment to put a hand to his head, and then strongly reconsidering. That change in pace, going from autopilot walking to suddenly stopping actually made him cringe. He willed Argentum to place him in the ground gently, and so he did. Without a moment of hesitation, he took his control gauntlets off, slung his backpack off and placed them inside. "A few extra minutes with you wouldn't be too bad.." He gave her another kind, yet pained smile.

'Wonder how luxurious the airship is. Better have a large bed.. and enough room for the boys.'
 
Music Theme:


The fact that the golems were constructs existing on Materia bothered her, they would have to discuss that some time soon. Nevertheless, the Aryan seemed rather chirpy, for someone clearly in significant discomfort or pain. He even looked as if he was eager to keep the conversation going with Talyndra, and while the elf was fairly happy to oblige him (she was in actuality, a very curious creature and would love to ask the day away) she also did not want to keep the man talking if it was going to pain him. This is weird... The maiden remarked to herself on more than one occasion, wondering why it felt natural to accommodate Everett as if he were a fellow elf. She continued on in silence regardless, walking her mount by the human's side at a comfortable pace.

Not many moons later- minutes, I mean minutes, found the duo following a short trail off the main road and walking across a grassy field. They were now at the famous Fairgale airfield. Keeping to the town's namesake, periodic gusts of wind rushed unfettered across the grassy plain. A multitude of gleaming Solean Lightsails of the anchored Skyships flapped in the wind, cheerily greeting them in the setting sun. On either side of them, the shouts of airmen preparing the decks could be heard as Skyships of all sorts floated a couple of feet off the ground. Most were merchant ships, there were even one or two bearing the markings of Dominion Officials, with their steam engines chugging away and puffing smoke. Talyndra led the way silently, until they neared the end. Walking past a particularly flamboyantly decorated galleon, they suddenly beheld a majestic clipper. Its polished wood was etched with elemental runes and carved with cloud markings as its bow proudly bore a carved statue of a Wind Sprite. To any trained shipbuilder's eye, the skyship could only be described as an elegantly sleek masterpiece. And indeed it was, with its three broad masts and puffed up lightsails billowing against the wind, the ship looked as if it was straining to take off into the sky where it belonged. Along its front, spelled in hammered polished gold letters was the word Anarthiren. At the sight of the ship, Talyndra could not help as a wide grin brightened her face.

"This... is the Anarthiren, my sister's crowning glory and also our ride to the north!" She proudly declared to Everett. A quick glance around and Talyndra surmised that the four rangers had already arrived and gone on board. She wondered what they thought of her when she had drifted back to join Everett. She knew they wouldn't dare question her actions, as she was their superior for the expedition. Even as that thought crossed her mind, she surprised herself by quickly shrugging it off. It did not matter what they thought. She ran an appreciative hand along the polished Heartwood hull before turning back to the alchemist, a gleam in her eye.

"I hope you've flown in a skyship before?" She asked teasingly, unable to contain her excitement. She had been having mixed feelings about the whole idea of the expedition, but somehow, the sight of such wondrous craftsmanship and the thought that her sister had managed to avail it to her did much to ignite a flame for adventure within her chest.
 
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Leo really appreciated how much the elf actually cared to talk to him, or even look at him. He knew for a fact that all elves weren't as bad as his Aryan friends and family thought them to be, but he knew that the chances of being paired with one would be slim. Was it his luck, or fate that he was paired with a nice one? It didn't really matter, Leo was just happy that he wasn't completely ignored found comfort that this quest wouldn't be done as individuals who barely made eye contact.

A few minutes of walking off of the main road and into a large field only made Leo's headache recede just a little, but it wasn't enough to really let him take in the view of the huge air field that was nothing like any of the airfield strips he had seen in the capital. Those ones were more...industrialized, but still an air field none the less. Most of the air fields he had seen were riddled with golems that did a lot of heavy lifting along side very strong men. What was this place called again? Fairgate? Fairygale? He was only given so much information about what he was going to be doing, and that was limited to a summary and just a smidgen of information about who he'd be working with. Then again, all he was told was that, "She's an elf." so, it was helpful enough. True enough, Leo had never been aboard an airship in his life. It wasn't that he never had the opportunity to do so. He was just eh, not inclined to be too far off the ground.

'I'm no ship maker, but these must be damn fine airships...that's a pretty one...oooh, I wonder if we'll be on that one! Or maybe that one....? Definitely not that one.' He was following in silence. Somehow the rangers ahead hadn't completely left them on their own. Would they be coming with us? Probably so; they were Talyndra's escort anyways. 'Judging by Talyndra's pace and direction... we should be.. getting on that one?' His eyes darted to a ship, and not a moment later did Talyndra call it out.

'Anar- Anarthorn. No, that's not right.' He strained for a second. 'Anarithiren.' It wasn't a matter that he didn't remember what she said. He just couldn't even begin to think of how to say it correctly. A few more tries and he came to the conclusion that 'Anarthiren' was probably correct, and if not, as close as he could get to it. Among all the skyships in the field, this was Leo daresay the fanciest of them all. Again, he wasn't a ship builder, but those golden letters that designated the ship was a sure-fire sign that it was a pretty expensive ship. It was so ornate, likely too ornate to be financially practical, but then again, even Aryans could admit that elves know how to decorate. Even if they didn't want to. "I wish I could say I had flown in one before. I just..haven't thought about the idea." He said it like it hurt, his tone shaky on the last part. He couldn't admit that he was afraid of heights right before they got on the sky ship, and even then, it wasn't like any special accommodations could be made for him now, if ever possible. He'd just have to tank it and see if he liked it.

He made brief eye contact with an excited elf and Bloodsworn guide and thought, 'Maybe it won't be that bad.' Then walking on board, Argentum and Aurum following. Hopefully the ship could withstand their weight, and hopefully he could fit both of them in his quarters, which he assumed he got. He probably wouldn't sleep in his bed anyways. If he could help it, he'd probably sleep closest to the engine. A mechanical whir of machinery always did wonders to help Leo sleep. It may actually help him get rest despite his Nak burn.

'I'd give anything for a nap.'
 
Talyndra returned Everett's negative reply to her question with a grin of her own. "That's a no then? It's amazing, trust me. On land, it would take us weeks to cross to the Skyreach Mounts. But on this? Just days!" The alchemist then proceeded to step onto the deck of the Anarthiren which Talyndra took for eagerness to get underway. She dismounted and hurried to catch up to the human's side. As the two of them stepped onto the polished deck, Talyndra cupped her hands around her mouth and called out seemingly to no one in particular. Her gaze roamed across the breadth of the ship, as if searching for someone.

"Quel`andune! Nae saian luume'mellonamin Elheim el`Naral!" Her rich voice rang out above the chatter of the handful of sailors loading the last few supplies. They stood in the center of the deck, Talyndra settled her eyes expectantly at the ornate doors leading to the bridge, for a moment there was no answering call.

"Yallume! Aaye lirimaer, cormamin lindua ele lle Talyndra iel`Farandir!" A booming voice sounded from behind them. Talyndra gave a little cry of delight and turned to behold a smartly dressed Captain. Standing at over six feet, the man wore a dark forest green ship captain's coat, with emaculately polished silver buttons across his broad chest. A bicorn complete with white plumed feather sat on his head, and an elaborate rapier was tucked to his side where his hands currently rested. With his broad physical built, squarish jaw, deep set grey eyes and greying beard the Captain was quite clearly human. Though many weathered lines and even a scar decorated his visage, his eyes gleamed with a fire that would inspire the youngest of hearts.

Talyndra stepped forward to embrace the man and Elheim returned the favour with a warm bear hug. Releasing the petite elf who had a broad smile on her face he couldn't help but remark, "The last time I saw you years ago, you were this tall..." He bent slightly forwards and in a slightly mocking gesture, placed his hand atop the elf's head. "Oh... you were the same height! I guess you haven't grown much taller since. Pity, you were an early bloomer." Elheim feigned disappointment as he shook his head.

"Auta miqula orqu, Elheim!" Talyndra could not help it. She had always been sensitive about her height, though she wasn't particularly short, she nevertheless was on the lower end of the spectrum.

"Tsk, tsk... manners child, manners." The bearded man shook his head, though he could barely contain himself and let out a chuckle at their little banter. As if finally catching sight of the Aryan, Elheim cocked his head slightly in the alchemist's direction and winked. "Has she given you any trouble?" It was more of a statement than a question as the Captain stepped forward and extended a calloused hand for a shake.

"Vedui Aryan! Elheim el`Naral at your service! The elves call me Elheim the Emerald, though I dont quite fancy such suffixes. Regardless, I'm the Captain of this marvelous beauty-" the man gestured expansively over the vessel, "and also forever indebted to Tanadris, our dear Talyndra's sister. Which is why i jumped at the opportunity to provide some measure of assistance."

"This is Evrette Mackygill, Elheim. Is the cargo hold big enough to fit Evrette's Aurums? Sorry, we're in a hurry." Talyndra butted in before the alchemist could introduce himself; her impatient streak quickly getting the better of her. In her haste, she did not realize how oddly his name rolled off her tongue, the unfamiliar inflections clearly not something she was used to.

"Whoa..! Hold your hippogriffs! Let the man introduce himself, child!" Elheim glanced back at Everett and added in a whisper "She's always in a hurry.. you'll get used to it.". Upon noticing that Talyndra was staring at him with glittering eyes, Elheim cleared his throat.

"My apologies, knowing Tal, she probably butchered your name... what was it again?"


. . . | . . .​



TRANSLATIONS


"Quel`andune! Nae saian luume'mellonamin Elheim`el Naral!" - Good afternoon! It has been too long my friend, Elheim`el Naral!

"Yallume! Aaye lirimaer, cormamin lindua ele lle Talyndra iel`Farandir!" - At long last! Hail my dearest, Talyndra daughter of House Farandir!

"Auta miqula orqu, Elheim!" - Go kiss an orc, Elheim!

Vedui Aryan - Greetings Aryan
 
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'Yeah, it may be faster and safer...but I mean..walking...couldn't be too bad. Even if it. Never mind.' Despite Talyndra's eagerness, he still wasn't so sure about getting on a skyship. He knew he likely wouldn't fall off of the sky ship mid-voyage, it was just something about looking down from extreme heights that was...disorienting to Leo. He was too busy staring at the wide deck of the Anarthiren that he was completely deaf to Talyndra's yelling. In fact, he couldn't hear anything. He was partially in a mentally disassociated state. It took his mind off of the pain, and the stomach curling anticipation of what was to come. He just gave a blank stare to the ground.

Only when a human hand was extended in his direction did he come back to reality. That is, after a few more seconds of staring. He instinctively took the hand. Rather than two men firmly shaking hands out of a respectful introduction, it was more like a man extending a hand to help a man who might be in trouble. It was like this because of how quickly and the volatility that came with the motion. In that moment, he actually made eye contact with the man, who only stood maybe an inch taller than himself. "Uh, excuse me...?" He asked, before reaching into the back of his mind to see if he could remember even a few seconds of what had happened. Then, not being able to remember, he resorted to logic and common sense. They were shaking hands, he probably wanted a name. He uneasily replied, "Le-." He paused, starting again, "Everett McGill, pleased to meet you," he thought for a moment, "Elheim."

His face somewhat reddened at his stuttered out response, adding on. "It's quite alright." He paused again. 'He did say 'My Apologies', right? Oh Iolos above, this isn't going as well as I expected it to....but maybe not as bad as I'm making it out.' He took half of a second to recollect himself, straightening his posture and clearing his throat. He eliminated all signs of confusion and dismay from his face. With his recollection came some pain, and it took a bit of energy to not cringe.

It took him a few moments to realize that he was practically holding this man's hand, and not actually shaking it. Without second though, he firmly shook it and released it. He was eager to find where he would put his head at night. "We're flying North, right? I know flying an air ship over someone else's territory is pretty much the same as having an entire battalion of knights march on their borders. But, there's nobody out there, right? It's just mountains... but then again, I've never been out there.' He looked at Talyndra, 'She may know something..has she ever been on a trip such as this...? Probably so. It'd make her a lot more qualified for this job..not to say she can't do a job without already being past the mountains but.. I know what I meant.'

'This ship is amazing. It's big, it's sleek, it has gold letters on the front. Look at these workers. I'd be surprised if this thing couldn't teleport us to the Chaosstream and back. These engines must have a great pitch to them. I'm eager to even get close to them. These guys probably loaded on tons of food.. and supplies. No way these guys could fit anywhere in here.'
He looked back at this golems. 'Maybe they could move some stuff around and they could kneel in a corner..I'd hate to do it to them though. I'd rather they be close to be, but maybe I overestimated the size of the vessel? I mean, it's big, but maybe it's just more decoration than it is an actual ship? I don't know. I just gotta walk around.' He barely moved an itch before he reasoned with himself.

'It'd probably be rude of me to just walk off and explore on my own. Hopefully he'll be giving us some sort of tour?'
 
Talyndra watched the stiff handed Everett exchange awkward greetings with Elheim. The alchemist took the Captain's proffered hand and seemed to space out for a moment. Elheim's eyes shifted to match Talyndra's as if silently asking her about the man. Talyndra shrugged. She cleared her throat, which seemed to remind Everett he was supposed to shake it, to which he promptly did. Almost as soon as the exchange ended, the alchemist appeared to space out once more, as if he were lost in thought. The Bloodsworn duo glanced at each other worriedly.

"I-I think we should get underway... hmm?" Talyndra spoke carefully, as if afraid to startle the dazed Aryan.

"Hmm?! Yes.. yes of course! HOCIRI`HOPA! Lume ana`auta!" Captain Elheim bellowed to a chorus of 'Ayes!' and affirmatives from his crew as they leapt to action, swiftly disengaging the Anarthiren from her moorings and anchors. The clipper lurched and then a low beating hum reverberated from within the bowels of the skyship.

"Are you sure you are alright Everett?" There was another rumble and then a lurch as the skyship bumped against its moorings. Talyndra temporarily lost her balance but managed to catch herself against one of the masts.

"We will be leaving shortly... once we have taken off and steadied our course, we will have to meet Elheim to discuss our route. You may leave your.. -golems, on the deck. For now, what would you like to do? I can show you to your quarters or take you around the ship, if you're interested? Talyndra grinned. What in the world has gotten into you girl? Part of her was bewildered at her behavior. It was as if you've been told your whole life that you should hate something, but only when you meet it, the most natural and easiest thing to do was quite the opposite. this created a quandary of sorts within the elf and inwardly, she was surprised how quickly she had grown accustomed to the human.


. . . | . . .​

HOCIRI`HOPA! Lume ana`auta! - CAST OFF THE MOORINGS! Time to go!
 
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After nearly throwing himself onto the deck to from the sudden and unexpected,
change in motion, he decided what he wanted to do, saying "Oh, I'm interested," 'That came out wrong.' He quickly added on, "- in being taken around the ship." He still wasnt feeling any better than he did a few minutes. Nak burn doesnt effect cognitive efficiency, does it? He reassured her saying "I'm fine, just tired." It was better that he knew how to get around the ship, despite the fact that he probably wouldn't leave his room. But you never know. Leo may be able to help with mechanical problems if need be. It wasn't like the engineers likely already on board weren't capable, just...Leo was probably more capable by best bet.

Talyndra seemed really happy to be on a sky ship. This sky ship specifically. Did the captain say something like..Tenebris? Tanadris? Tanadris clicked more. That was her sister, eh? The chances of him meeting her were probably fairly - more than likely slim. But, again, she's an elf. So maybe it's best that she and Leo didn't meet. It wasn't anything personal, it's just the fact that most Aryans don't like elves, so elves don't like humans in turn. Something like that. Speaking of, despite the fact that elves generally don't like Aryans, it only took Talyndra about an hour to become a little more friendly. That was of course relative to their first encounter. 'Heh. She didn't even bother to call me by my name then. What'd she say? Edan? Sumthin' like that. Man, we probably could've gotten along a lot better than if I didn't come so late.. Oh dang. How am I going to keep the golems on deck if they keep following me...? I'm sure as hell not leaving these gauntlets up on deck.. Ah, hell. I'll think about it later. Don't wanna right now.'

Leo wanted to sleep more than anything, but despite that, he actually wanted to look around the ship. It looked like it had a lot of things to offer. Judging by the luxury of the ship, he was sure the beds in the quarters were nice, big and soft. 'Well, too soft is pretty bad. Makes for poor spine alignment when laying down due to the pillow offering a different elevation. But it's better than a bed that's too firm. Beds that are too firm make for bad spine support when laying on your back. It was someone the same deal with a pillow, except soft pillows may start out fluffy, no matter how much you prepare them for your sleep, after a few hours, they begin to lose their shape, and overheat. A firm pillow..well, we all know that hard pillows just aren't comfortable. I wouldn't want to rest my head on a stone. Trying to find a balance between how firm or soft a bed should be is actually kind of hard. Hard to satisfy everyone..maybe I could make money off of the perfect bed and pillow.'

"We could see the quarters while we're looking. We should probably go there first, just so when we finish looking around, I can go lie down. I don't know about you but," he yawned, as if to emphasize his point through humorous means, "I need a nap. Or at least somewhere soft to put my head. Haven't had proper bedding in a while."
 
"The edan has chosen the tour! A tour of the Anarthiren he shall have." Talyndra announced, though she had reverted back to calling him in her language she paired it with a teasing grin to make sure that Everett knew she said it in jest. At that very moment, there was a bellow from the direction of the bridge of the skyship.

"ALL HANDS... BRACE!" It was Elheim. Standing at the bridge with his big hands gripping against the railling, the Captain nodded to the Skymage beside him who proceeded to place his hands atop a murky crystal ball set on a pedestrial. They Cloudorb began to glow as the rumble from deep within the ship rose in a humming crescendo.

"Hold tight!" The amber haired elf grabbed Everett's hand and quickly guided it onto a hemp rope loop tied around the main mast. She barely managed to grab onto one herself seconds before the Anarthiren leapt into the sky. Talyndra let out an excited gasp which was quickly lost into the rush of wind as her heart dropped into the pit of her stomach. Here we go!

One moment they were hovering just above a grassy field, and in the next, the ground receded under the hull of the ship as the tops of the trees around the airfield suddenly rushed towards them. Just as it seemed like they were about the crash, the skyship pulled up and even the tall pines shifted out of view. The Anarthiren swooped in a wide arch and turned north-westward, bow pointed into the setting sun. With her lightsails at full stretch, they caught the wind and sped off into the distance.

As they levelled off several score feet above the highest trees, Talyndra suddenly realized that she had been holding her breath. She let out her pent up air and took a big gulp of the cool breeze that was rushing against her face. Though the Anarthiren was much faster than the usual skyships, the times she had been on it a more experienced Skymage had been at the helm. Elheim was probably in the midst of training a new pilot, who likely was not used to how responsive the Anarthiren was to magic. She looked to Elheim at the bridge, who must have been reading her mind. He gestured at the white-knuckled Skymage and made a shrugging motion.

"Pilot's new alright!" Talyndra turned back to Everett. "Since we're up on the deck, I might as well start here... This ship, the Anarthiren is one of only two ships the Bloodsworn has, built entirely out of Heartwood. No amount of gold would be able to obtain this much Heartwood, unless you're the Elf King, or the Captain of the Calenfari who has done the King a huge favour. Skyships are much like regular sailships in built." Talyndra gestured at the broad sail above them. "Thats the lightsail, it gathers ambient light and passes that energy to the parse threads." The elf then indicated what seemed like slim silver ropes threading off the sails and disappearing into carefulyl placed boxes which allwed entry below deck. "The Anarthiren's lightsails are made of moonstrand, again, one of the only two in our Kingdom. Most are just Solean powder infused cloth." Talyndra beamed with pride. The elf was enjoyable herself at the moment. Talking about the Anarthiren reminded her of a happy memory when Tanadris first took her aboard the skyship and explained its make to her, in similar fashion as she was doing for the human now. She gestured in the direction of Elheim at the bridge. "You've already met the ship's Captain. Beside him, is the Skymage. The white orb he's holding on to is the Cloudorb, it steers the ship."

Finally letting go of the corded rope, Talyndra beckoned the alchemist to come with her. "We'll head belowdeck now. How are you holding up?"
 
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There's that word again. 'Edan.' It only now clicked that that word mave meant human. Or Aryan. Something like that. But wouldn't proper nouns in another language just be the same thing? Aryan definitely didn't mean Aryan. It meant human. Rather than asking, Leo jumped straight to an assumed conclusion. Elvish was a strange language, but that was given, as it was from the perspective of someone who doesn't speak the language.

He flinched when he heard the captain's voice bellow from some where above him. He was about to ask why he needed to brace, but was interrupted by someone briskly taking his hand and placing it upon something, which he instinctively wrapped his hand around. He didn't know what was happening until he heard something within the ship loudening until it was nothing but a dull roar. That could only mean they were taking off soon. 'It hasn't been that long since we got here. We couldn't be taking off now, could we...?'

Leo nearly had went into cardiac arrest when he felt a sudden change in air pressure, but that was the most subtle change he could notice. He could feel the wind trying to hard press him into nothing but a stain upon the deck. No way a ship lifting off this fast was an orthodox way to take off, and Leo knew a bit about forces (which was an underappreciated subject in the world of science as far as Leo could tell), and he knew he was experiencing enough G forces to cause a few minor back problems if one had terrible, terrible posture. The sudden image of a deformed goblin flashed through Leo's head, as if his brain was trying to provide and example. As their ascencion began to slow, Leo took an exasperated breath of air. He didn't even realize it himself, that he hadn't been breathing.

His knuckles were pretty pale, holding onto the rope so tightly. It didn't bring him any form of console that their pilot was still in training. Though then again, Talyndra didn't even know how he felt about this whole experience. Chances are she wasn't going to. She didn't need to. It wasn't an significant fact. Leo came to the conclusion that while he was afraid of heights, he would feel a lot better after a few minutes of flying around. He turned around to check on Aurum and Argentum. They had been displaced by a few feet, but it was nothing serious. Speaking of, it'd be too much work to try and take them below deck. He climbed Argentum first, blowing dust off of his neck before reaching into a gap between his shoulder and neck. There was an audible click, and Argentum suddenly froze. He quickly withdrew his hand, as Aurum slowly got onto his knees and sat on his haunches and heels, his head bowing as if he were waiting for the headsman to decapitate him. He repeated the process for Aurum, assuming the same for position of Argentum. He did this as Talyndra was speaking, but kept his eyes on her to let her know he was actually paying attention.

"I could be doing better. Anywho, what all is below deck?" He inquiries. He could already guess a few things that were down there, namely the engine and the staff's quarters. But this vessel likely, nay, most definitely had more to offer than just those named. Talyndra seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself. One thing Leo enjoyed was seeing a happy person. It was never any good to be down. But then again, Leo learned that lesson by being bitter for a while too.

'We can at least attempt to have fun.'
 
As it turned out, much of Talyndra's excitement was curbed during the second part of giving Everett a tour of the skyship. The young elf was reminded once again about how naive she was to the larger workings and underlying sentiments of their world they call Andarun. The two had approached the crystal chamber where Talyndra had been most eager to show to the human, only to find that entry was barred by two no-nonsense looking rangers. It didn't matter that she was the Calenfar's sister. The simple fact that an Aryan was onboard meant that the Solean Crystal room was off-limits.

Dejected, Talyndra went about the rest of the tour in a somewhat bored manner; how else could you make the crew quarters, bulkheads, cargo hold and mess room exciting anyways? There was one other place where she would have brought Everett to, but she thought it best to save it for later. She ended their wanderings at the room Elheim had designated for the Aryan. Upon opening the wooden door, Talyndra was relieved to find that there was a decent looking bunk bed (at this stage, she wouldn't be surprised if he was asked to sleep in the storage room). The two other occupants of the sleeping chamber looked up from a card game as the duo entered. It was an elf and a human (another pleasant surprise). Both crew members nodded in greeting before returning to their gambling.

"That's yours.." Talyndra indicated to one of the unoccupied nests. Though Everett had been insisting that he was fine, she could tell that his energy levels were depleted. "You should take a rest. I'll come for you in a couple of hours. We'll have supper with Elheim then we need to discuss the next stage of our journey." Her own brown eyes gazed upward to momentarily catch his own, before she offered him a tight lipped smile and closed the door behind her. The break would give her time to sort out her thoughts as well. She honestly didn't know why she cared so much for the Aryan's well being (relatively). But she had a feeling that it was partly due to the fact that she, like him knew what it was like to be in a position where everything you did and everywhere you went, the people around you saw you as a kind of a lesser being. Larle that's what I am, isn't it?


. . . | . . .​


"Talyndra!" The tone of the Master Conjurer cut through the low murmur of hushed whispers, it jerked the young girl out of her reverie.

"Y-Yes.. Master Calaharn?" The tiny figure, still very much a child stood up on suddenly sludge-like feet, trying desperately to appear as if she hadn't been day dreaming about fancifying her latest dress instead of reading the scribbled notes in the large dusty tome under her tiny fingers.

"Would you care to show the class how you can begin to perform a simple ice elemental conjuring? Stop when you have finished drawing the elemental circle... we do not want to have a runaway sprite messing up the classroom again like last time.. do we larle?" Lord Calaharn finished icily, making the young girl flinch at the derogatory tone. The Master Conjurer stood back from the front desk indicating that the girl should step up to the front.

Swallowing a lump in her throat, the young girl bit the bottom corner of her lip as she often did when she was nervous. Taking a furtive deep breath, she let the air out as quietly as she could less the other girls teased her about being a coward during breaktime, and stepped out from behind her desk. Slowly turning to face the class, her hands reached up to brush a lock of golden brown hair out of her olive fair face, her chestnut brown orbs stared out in stern determination at the other children.

"Come on..! We have much to cover today. Be quick with it Miss Farandir!"

Calm yourself down.. breathe.. you can do this... imagine the coldness of a world filled with ice.. feel their calls.. the pattern, let it come to you.. draw it in your mind's eye.. The girl lifted her right hand infront of her, fingers twirling as if drawing an invisible pattern in the air. For a moment there was a flash of azure, as her brown eyes suddenly changed to a brilliant blue, causing the class to draw back inadvertently as an audible gasp rumbled amongst the desks. The air was still, hung in silent anticipation for what seemed like twenty whole seconds before a lone snickering could be heard out from somewhere in the back. Little by little the class begin realizing that nothing was going to happen, some slumped back into their seats quickly losing interest, the incessant snickering grew louder, joined by a cacophony of giggles. Adamant, the young girl closed her eyes in concentration, the other wrist coming up to join the first in its dance... hear their voices.. they're there.. always there.. you have but to.. let yourself go.. and in that moment she felt a tug at her innermost being, her soul. Something latched onto her. It was chilling, and angry as a winterstorm, she grasped it, drew the mark for binding, and pulled!

A primal roar enveloped her ears, she did not know if it were real or she imagined it, there was a blast of freezing air and she heard a terrified gut wrenching scream.

"Talyndra stop-!"

The girl opened her eyes and all she could see was a brilliant white-blue.. something huge and heavy slammed against her head, and she felt the ground retreat beneath her feet... then all went black.


. , ; ' ` ~ * ~ ` ' ; , . , ; ' ` ~ * ~ ` ' ; , .

~CHAPTER 1: CHASING THE DARKNESS~​

Talyndra stood by the polished silver mirror, comb in one hand as she straigthened out her amber tresses. She had doffed her cloak and mage robes, in favour of a more breatheable traditional elvish gown. The pearly fabric coupled with gold sash seemed to complement her features and hair nicely, not that she was trying to match it. It was the only clothing her size that she found in the tiny closet of her modest cabin (And also one of the few pictures I could find in the usual 'elvish' style that didn't involve too much exposed cleavage). Satisfied with her hair, she carelessly tossed the brush back into the drawer and stepped out of her room. Walking just a ways down from her cabin, she rapped her knuckles against the wooden door.

"Everett? To the Captain's quarters now. Think you can stomach a meal?"
 
While the tour was interesting to Everett, Talyndra seemed like a guard stationed to stand and guard a position where nothing ever happened, otherly assigned the description of bored. Her dip in energy seemed to be related to the time when they were both denied entry to a single room, guarded by two elves. Everett happened to make eye contact with one of them, and he could've swore that one gave him a slight nod. However slight, it was still an assumed show of mutual respect, which was something Everett didn't expect, but nevertheless, he returned the nod, as custom.

When he was shown to his quarters, he didn't know how to feel about having two other people in the same room as him. He didn't exactly expect the most comfortable room, especially due to him being an Aryan on an Elven skyship, but having apparent roommates put it on a whole 'nother level. Hopefully they wouldn't be staying. They have were just playing cards when they checked his - er, their room. But then again, they've no other reason to be there, so his hopes were likely to no avail.

When Talyndra told Everett to rest, he was going to protest resting, but Everett did mention he was tired, and his statement still applied. He was indeed trying to sleep, but for two reasons he didn't want to rest. He didn't want to associate with him roomates just yet, and the second being, he was really enjoying Talyndra's company, soley because she took Leo's mind off his current location, which was to say, very high off the ground. He looked at her, nodding as to show his farewell. After they she left, Leo's next thought was: 'Well. Damn. Guess I'll deal with these guys.'

He spoke with his roommates, however brief, he got their names. The man called himself Telemachus, which was a name he could've sworn was a character in an old book that he read. The elf didn't introduce himself, rather the man gave him his apparently self appointed nickname, which was Echo. Leo quickly came to the conclusion that Echo repeated a lot of the things he heard, which he gathered from when he murmured his own name under his breath in an unsubtle manner. Not too odd people, but when he laid down on the bottom bunk, he practically melted into the mattress.

Rest came extremely easily for those few hours.

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When he woke up, he didn't feel much better, and that was on account of the Nak burn he received. But still, he felt a lot better. Upon waking, he realized that his shirt smelled awful. It didn't smell like that before, and above that, it was wet. The two also occupying the room where long gone. He briskly got up and shrugged off his coat and removed his shirt before he heard a knock on his door, then a familiar voice. Talyndra. It was likely time to discuss their mission.

He replied, "Yeah. Hold on. Just give me a moment." He dug through his bag, grabbing the first two things that felt remotely like clothing. To his luck, he pulled out a thick blue shirt and black wool pants. It was a decent color combination. Not his two favorite colors in the world though. He quickly swapped clothes, and quickly was even less of an exaggeration. The shirt was tight, but it wasn't constraining. He pulled his lab coat on, put his backpack on, and opened the door.

He looked at Talyndra from head to toe in a matter of a few seconds. It was a little thinner than what she wore when they met, which could've been a bad thing if they were still travelling at the same speed as they were when they began flying. Chances are the deck was chilly. It was funny to Leo, just because he knew he was occasionally flirty, his only comment was a concern about how comfortable she'd be if they went outside. He sounded like his...mother.

"We can head there now."
 
Supper was quite splendid, as they dined atop a makeshift oak study table in Elheim's private chambers just under the bridge. Simple fair of stewed meat with vegetables and bread did much to satiate the elf's hunger. It was perhaps one of the last times they would have a proper full meal, as Talyndra shuddered to think how long they would be without proper food in the wilds. As they ate, Elheim peppered Talyndra with a numerous questions, mostly about how she fared and her position within her family, to which she replied amicably if somewhat dismissive. Particularly when regarding her father. When the meal was over, the table was cleared to make way for their night of discussion. Mug of dwarven mead in hand, Elheim el`Naral opened one of the drawers of his study and drew forth a piece of parchment. The Captain beckoned the other two to lean in closer as he unrolled and spread the large paper on the table, securing it at the corners with weights. Etched onto the surface, was a carefully drawn copy of what looked to be a piece of a larger map.


"Talyndra tells me this is but a copy of an original which should be in your hands?" Elheim glanced at Everett, but continued on without waiting for a reply. With a gloved hand, the Skyship Captain gestured to Talyndra to take the helm of the meeting. Pausing to clear her throat, Talyndra stepped forward to lean over the table. A slim finger traced the etched landmarks on the map as she explained, "as far as current knowledge goes, this map is accurate up till... the bottom corner.." She said flatly. "No one has deemed the northlands worth exploring, so we can't guarantee you'll find all these other landmarks up there," The elf said with a shrug. She glanced at the alchemist before delving on.

"See this jagged mountain range here?" Talyndra's finger traced a line of mountains by the side of where 'The Alliance' was depicted on the map. "This is the Skyreach Mounts, runs right across northern Andarun with mountain peaks so high they end far above the clouds.. and this-" her finger stopped at what looked like a pass in the mountain range, "-this.. humm.. whoever drew this map called it 'The Knife'.. how apt. To the northern Bloodsworn folk, it is known as Swerdrun or Sword Path. It is the only break in the mountain range that we know of, for leagues in either direction, a tempting portal to the unknown that has lured far too many foolish skyship captains. A jagged twisting valley of sword edged hills and rocks, sometimes so narrow even Bloodsworn Skyships would think twice before sailing through. And I have yet to mention the eternal gale that storms through the narrow pass, fueled by the frozen winds of the northern wastes and our relatively calmer south... this wind, the sound.." Talyndra's voice grew distant and her eyes seemed to be staring past the walls of their current abode, what seemed like a shiver passed through the sunelf but it faded so quickly it was barely perceptible. "Ngwaw`kuruni, Witches' Howl as it is known to the locals.. I shan't bore you with its many legends, suffice to say, it is an eternal gale one that blows all year round... well, almost!" By this time, Talyndra's chestnut brown orbs had regained her initial excitement as they glinted with just a touch of glee, like an overly excited child. "For some unknown reason, there is a break in the stormy gale.. barely long enough for one to attempt to pass through.. twice a year; as far as we know.. The wind would not be still altogether mind you, but it weakens just enough to be manageable, if one learns to glide between its many currents." Talyndra ended her explanation by taking a deep breath. She hadn't realized how exhilarated she had been, as it brought back memories of her previous excursions with Tanadris.

Elheim sniffed, before turning to face Everett. "The first lull in the winds will be.. in about six or seven days. The start of winter. The other break is sometime towards the end of the season, but it is harder to predict. The first break is what we will be aiming for.. We should have no problems making it on time, with this vessel I have under my command." Elheim banged his fist upon the table for emphasis as he finished, leaning back and stretching his arms out wide with a smile.

"Which was why I was so impatient with you, Everett." Talyndra directed that last bit in the human's direction, her ruby lips pouted slightly in a sulk.

"Come now, I am sure the Aryan did not do so intentionally dearest Tal." Elheim clapped Talyndra on her back, though he had rather big hands and she was rather slight of build. Talyndra scraunched her face in mild annoyance at Elheim as she was nearly knocked forwards onto the table.

"Aye, it must have been an unforeseen circumstance. Do you have any questions Everett Mcgill?" Talyndra straightened herself back up as she fixed his eyes with her own, trying to gauge his thoughts on the whole thing. He always seemed to have a thoughtful contemplative moment, when he was not tired or distracted.
 
'That was, I daresay the best meal I've had in a while. Relative to what I was eating on the way to the meeting point, it's been too long since I've had the luxury of a proper meal. Then again, we'll likely have to transverse on foot at some point during our journey. Then it'll likely be fruits and hunted game - whatever game there is in the mountains and frozen wastes- to eat.' Leo thought mainly of the future, which were typically what-if scenarios that sounded impossible if you were to say it out loud. Conversation very rarely drifted to Everett during the meal. Usually they were short yes or no questions. Mostly, Elheim inquiried on how Talyndra was doing as of late, and mostly Leo drowned it out, though he did catch a few snippets of Talyndra skillfully dodging questions with dismissive rhetoric. Leo didn't exactly pig out when he was eating, rather, he actually tried being courteous and silent.

Leo was finished by the time Talyndra started analyzing the map and pointed out locations and facts to the table. He gathered that this would be a 'wait until the end of ask questions' sort of deal, like it was for him when he was but a schoolboy. Which was fine with him. He had a hard time reading maps anyways. After he had been asked if he had questions, he took a moment to reflect. They were going to be heading through a pass in the mountains, which were too high to sail right over. They'd have to be on time to catch a weather phenomena, which sounded like a bad idea, but he couldn't think of anything better. If they were catching a weather phenomena, there was likely to be a drop or rise in temperature and pressure. So it could either be cold, and the air thinner than wax paper, or...cold. Aurum and Argentum definitely needed to come inside the ship. Cold didn't effect adamantine in a good way.

So far, things looked pretty shaky to Leo. They were going to try and base their chances on a fixed occurance in the wind that only ever happens so often. It may not even be a consistent change. They might accidentally fly into enough wind to blast the ship out of Materia. They could also fly into a wall. This sounded dangerous, but was likely the best chance they had. 'Hell, it couldn't be any more dangerous than me trying to making a cannon that fired via combustion of chemicals. Then there was also that time that I tried to make drinkable fire. Course that didn't work, and I burned myself pretty bad, but if I can live through my own experiments from hell, this doesn't sound too bad.' He cracked a smile for a moment.

He shook his head, "While this idea sounds pretty shaky, and our success is pretty much based on an assumed consistency in weather phenomena, I have very few questions and a handful of concerns that we can't really take reprecautions for right now, if ever." He broke his sentence, as to branch off for his question. He spoke again, "Weather phenomena related to wind currents are created by an unexpected change in pressure, in example of the season changing. Chances are it's going to be even colder in the mountains if possible. One of my golems is made purely adamantine. Cold isn't going to do his joints any good. I don't know where else to put it besides in whatever sort of storage bay this ship has. Would I be allowed to move him?" The question was more directing at Elheim, as this was his ship, though some parts he did glance at Talyndra to make sure she understood. He may have used a few big words that weren't necessary.

"Oh," a question flew through his mind right when he thought he was finished: "Do we ever get off the skyship to walk? I'm an engineer, yes, but I don't know if skyships can fly infinitely. Will we be making stops anywhere for any reason? I don't expect a short fly to the north and back. But, should I?" He went on. His question may have sounded silly, and Leo took that into consideration. While surpressing any form of red coming to his face, he added on as some form of reassurance. "Some things I may be forgetting, but I'm still recovering from something like a head injury. My thoughts are pretty cloudy." He shrugged. Chances are he was going to go back to sleep after this and then be upset when he couldn't sleep at night. That'd be a good chance to stand on deck in the dark. Maybe he could do some maintenance with the golems. It probably wasn't needed, but it was something he enjoyed doing. Working on machines just had a certain calming effect on Leo. He often broke things just to try and fix it.

But that was just him.
Just a Leo thing.
 

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