Ghastly lands

[Darth Echo]

"Yes, I fully intend to keep my promise." She gently kissed his nose, and moved away from him, near the cave entrance.


"You smell like corpses and like those flowers that grow on the spiraea- whatever they are called." Katie, still in just the tunic, left the cave, stepping barefoot onto the snowy forest. While he washed himself and prepared for sleep, she would go out and gather wood. Her chest felt light, and she wondered the reason. Perhaps it was love? Paian clearly felt something of the sort for her, he made it very clear. Katie enjoyed Paian's company above all others, his cooking was fantastic, and he was so thoughtful.


She found a small felled tree, and separated it with her hands, relying on her inhuman strength. Paian was no direct warrior like her, and she could kill him before he could blink his eyes. He was weak, frail, and looked like he could die any second. Yet, Katie had seen him stave off small armies before, with his potent necro magic. She was so unsure of what she felt, it confused the fae girl.


Katie returned to the cave with a large pile of logs in her arms, neatly stacking them near the entrance of the cave to act as both a wind block, and storage.


"are you ready for bed?" She spoke with a soft smile playing at her lips.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

The necromancer smiled, raising up slowly, not being able to release the woman without at least a caress.


“They are called just that – bone spiraea, bridewort. I do hope you like that smell” he said quietly, watching with some level of worry as the redeemer left. He had to remind himself that the fae was less susceptible for sickness than him… Paian sighed, stepping to the small pool of water in the end of the cave. He quickly dressed down, shivering; he wasn’t able to warm up himself with a spell, he had next to no power left. The necromancer knew fully well how discouraging his body looks, with almost no muscles on his bones, and sickly pallor. All of his hair went ghost white in the last year, and although he had no wrinkles, he looked like an old man. He briefly wondered if he could really hope a strong and majestic woman like Katie would be choosing him… but then, the redeemer evidently wasn’t disgusted. The necromancer smiled, as he remembered the soft kiss and the embrace.


He washed himself down carefully, thoroughly, wishing to get rid of the smell of the slaughter and blood… he knew he will still smell from graves, though. That was a price as he was indeed a magister of the first cemetery now…


Paian cleaned and quickly mended his clothes, too, slipping into another tunic and loose trousers for the night. He prepared another pot of tea and a warm, thick berth – now, that these were not separate, he could make it more comfortable. The necromancer looked up smiling to the returning Katie.


“I am, my lady. Do you wish some tea to warm up yourself? You were out in the snowstorm in only a thin… dress…”

 

[Darth Echo]

"Hmm? Oh, I do not feel warm or cold. Side effect of the runes, I suppose." Katie shrugged lightly, passing it off quickly. In truth she did not wish for tea, "I do not want any more tea. We should get rest and continue back on our journey, it has been a comforting night with you, but we must not forget the mission."


Katie winked at Paian, moving with inhuman speed to his side, clinging to him lovingly. She decided perhaps she would, love him that is. He was worthy of her affection. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, urging him to hasten.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

The necromancer couldn’t help it, he had to grin even wider as the woman moved so closely to him. No matter how tired he was, or how sobering was Katie’s statement, he still enjoyed her touch and the soft kiss. It was so natural. Like this was how it was supposed to be. The man replied with a short kiss planted on her lips, smiling.


“You are sadly right, my lady” he sighed, embracing the woman and veering themselves towards the makeshift bed. “I trust your body is warm still…”


Paian gently pulled her down with himself, grabbing the blankets. He hugged Katie close if she let him, enjoying the touch. Her skin was cold yet, but quickly warmed up under the soft blankets, and the man was smiling happily.


This was almost perfect. Only the thought that they will head out to kill again tomorrow marred his content…

 

[Darth Echo]

The next morning-


Katie woke with the memory of his kiss. It was pleasant, by her regard. Paian was still asleep, so she carefully slipped out of his embrace, the tunic sliding off. He walked, naked, over to where her clothes hung to dry. She slowly and tightly placed the wrappings back around her body, hiding her ugly runes. Next she slipped on her clothes, they were soft against her skin, silky and familiar. She strapped on her armor, and placed her three weapons on her back.


"Get up we have a lot of ground to cover." She spoke firmly, making her way to the pile of wood over the door, dispersing it. She left the fire, assuming it would be fine since it was in a cave.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

The necromancer was jerked back to awareness to the sudden loss of the heated body next to him. His partner woke up already, he could hear her fumbling around, dressing. He was half-asleep yet, still a bit drained, but propped himself up a bit, risking a glance on the woman. She really slept snuggled up to him, her body was warm, and all in all was a blissful way to sleep, even if nothing else happened… just the kiss.


“Good morning to you too, dear” Paian said, smiling, and reached for his clothes. “May I remind you that I am supposed to scry out the Echor’s trail? I am still intending to do that. No need for slaughtering that many people without a glimmer of hope to find Kooth. And I won’t be able to do that while walking in the snow before you ask. Let me do it, please…”


He dressed up, quickly, a bit shivering without Katie’s warmth, and sit down again, crossing his legs.


“While I’m out, why are you not eating? The pie is still warm, I put the pot next to the fire. Enjoy it a little…”

 

[Darth Echo]

Katie had admittedly forgotten about the scrying. She would rather wash the mountains with blood, which surprised her. Had part of the infection from Kooth lingered? Perhaps, but unlikely. She wanted to find a worthy opponent to test her new power. Katie moved over to the pot to dish up food. She had forgotten about it, until he had said something.


"Right, I guess I'm just itching to fight." She spoke through bites.

 

[DeadnotSleeping]

Paian smiled, a bit bitterly, as he leaned back, supporting himself on the rock walls of the cave. He had no idea how long this would take…


“If my suspicions are confirmed, your wishes will be satisfied, my lady” he said quietly, reaching out for his bag. He put on the metal headband again, and took the sceptre in his left hand, pinching out some bone dust and flowers from the pouch on his belt. He also grabbed his bloodied shirt from yesterday, the only piece of clothing he left souled. “Trust me. Let me do this, and I’ll lead you to Kooth’s trail…”


He closed his eyes, turning his right palm upwards. The bone dust and bone spiraea in his hand flared up with a cold, grey fire, helping him concentrate, enveloping the bloody shirt. The necromancer closed his eyes, letting his soul to leave his body in earnest. He forgot to warn Katie what might happen in this case… most of the time, his body almost turned into a corpse. Spirit soaring high, the body left behind started to became even more reminiscent to a dead one’s…


…and to be honest, Paian didn’t care. He was absorbed in his task, scouring the nearby areas for traces of the detestable purple power, finding the trail quickly. He followed it, grabbing at the thin rope of magic with care so it wouldn’t get broken. It was hard to track, the Echor Fae did everything to hide his trail, but the necromancer managed to find it, tracking the magic to…


He jerked back like he was hit in the face as suddenly the purple magic flared up. The necromancer screamed, his body convulsing as his mind was wrecked with the pain. He was careless, getting too close…


…it wasn’t even aimed at him… the Echor Fae was attacking some poor human with magic at…


…Icefamren…