Tala Tales: Elin and Dirus (silversuzi & Daerune 1x1)

[SilverSuzi]

Evening fell upon the woodsy town of Ebongrove, but the busy streets showed no sign of slowing. Market day came just twice a month and this was the first fair day since spring began, so no one was eager to go home early. Ebongrove was a sizable town, home to many species and a hub of trade -- especially for the more remote or secluded communities that existed in the hills and forests surrounding the town. Nomadic ilvi families, small tribes of giants, the occasional orc, and others would all make the trek here to trade with locals and each other every market day. Tents, stalls, and carts cluttered the streets and courtyards. Peddlers carried, wore, or dragged their wares around with them, exclaiming the values and virtues to any who would listen amid the babel of chatting, laughing, and bartering. Now that the sun was setting, torches and lanterns were lit so the fun could go on well into the night.


Beneath the glow of one such lantern, in a quieter corner of town, upon the back of a small wagon sat a young human woman with exceptionally fair hair. Unlike typical fourteen-year-old girls, this one seemed to care very little about accentuating her feminine features. She wore a rough, dusty, dull-colored tunic over a pair of plain old pants, both loose and somewhat shapeless, concealing any hint of curves that may or may not exist within them. Her hair she kept tied back with a simple cord, and without ornaments, plaits or curls. One might wonder if she even owned a comb. If not for her clearly female facial features she could easily be mistaken for a boy, and she did not care one way or the other.


She stood guard over the wagon, watching the crowds with her one brown eye. The other eye -- the right one -- was covered by an eye-patch, slightly too large for her face. Her appearance drew more than a few odd looks, but she had grown accustomed to this. When adults stared, she’d brush it off or pointedly stare right back to make them uncomfortable. If she caught the curious gaze of children, she’d pull a silly face or an exaggerated scowl, to draw a smile from them. Between instances of this game of hers, she eavesdropped on conversations passing by, or people haggling at the nearby stalls. This was how she passed the time, waiting for her travel companions to return from the tavern.

 

[Daerune]

Dirus had lingered outside the town morning and even the evening. He had a dislike for crowds as a human he would walk and be pestered, or so his paranoia dictated. It was the children that would bother him in his canid form as he moved throughout the town, trying to play, pet or even pull his tale, he wanted to bite them all. Finally his patience had run its course and he made his way into the town as it was evident that it was not going to calm down any time soon. Through the throng of adults and stalls he moved as a canid and as he reached the regions more populated by children he took to his human disguise. His hunt had started not two days ago when he caught the scent that was all too familiar in its distorted way.


It was when he came to the wagon holding a young adolescent that he would cease and crest a brow as if he found something he believed shouldn’t be. He knew now who his quarry was and as went to stand in the way of the cyclops field of vision he wore a mask of mock scolding. “Anwyn, while you always sought to remain youthful in appearance, this is ridiculous. you’re aging the wrong way!” His voice of course raised toward the end he of course noticed the differences in many ways this girl was not who he spoke of. momentarily he frowned as a more familiar feeling came to him, of a intuitive sense. “Hey, didn’t I kill you once?” He piped up curiously now looking at her like an arrow might a bullseye.


Not once but twice Zultharus placed his palm over his face. Knowing this would not last long and likely cause trouble he moved off. He had been following Dirus as he often did and stood near by as a young human boy about the same age as Elin. Dissolving into the crowd he disappeared.

 

[SilverSuzi]

Elin stiffened as she was confronted by this stranger, speaking as if he knew her and using her mother's name. In an instance her emotions raced from surprise, to confusion, to panic. "What are you talking about- I don't know you. Go away!" She said, stumbling over the words as they tumbled hastily from her lips. Turning her head to the left so the stranger was mostly outside her limited field of vision, she pretended to ignore him, all the while searching the crowd for signs of her friends, or any threats. With her arms folded across her chest, she tried to appear even less interested in socializing, though the fingertips of her right hand stretched down to subtly trace the very tip of the hilt of a dagger at her hip. Despite her intention to seem uninterested in paying him any further attention, her eye kept flitting back to take frantic glances. His odd comment about 'killing her once' had her wondering if he was one of Tholan's men, but that couldn't be right. Elin was certain she remembered the faces of every killer from that particular part of her past, but this stranger's visage had no place in her memories. Impatient for him to leave her be, she scowled and -- still refusing to look at him -- demanded, "You- you have the wrong person, so just leave me alone."

 

[Daerune]

He lofted a brow at her as if her saying he was wrong was the stupidest thing he could have heard from her. "Excuse me, but your stink is the same stink I followed all the way up to this point." It then dawned on him. "Oh! right, I did kill you.... and now your Anwyn's daughter. I remember, you were that little bundle that I mistook for a baby banshee when your mother showed you to me. Well this is awkward." His head tilted to the side and he sniffed the air as he moved around the cart. No... nothing familiar. "Where is Anwyn and.... that hairy thing your mother was mated to?" He again stepped in front of her vision. "And if you stab me, I am going to scream like a litt- wait no. They might mistake that for you. I'll scream like a little boy."

 

[SilverSuzi]

As he spoke, the tension in her frame eased the slightest bit, and she slowly turned to stare at him in a mildly bewildered manner. She could no longer deny that he seemed to know her mother, but she wasn't getting the sense that he held any hostility toward her either. No, rather he seemed... well... "Are you mad? Like... in the head? Were you dropped a lot as an infant, maybe?" Regardless of whether he had been amicable with her parents at some time or not, she had no reason to trust nor believe him. "Never mind, it doesn't matter. I haven't any idea what you're talking about, so you ought to move on now. I'm waiting for someone, and when they get here, we'll be leaving. So, goodbye." She gave him a little 'shooing' motion with her left hand, and then again she turned away and made as if to ignore him, though she remained defensive and kept looking in the direction she expected her friends to come from, wishing she could go find them. Someone had to guard the cart, though, and she wasn't about to let this lunatic shake her from that task with his silliness.

 

[Daerune]

Dirus could only lift a brow at the girl as his head gently shook from side to side. “No, no. I was not dropped on my head as a baby, but I do remember an instance where I dropped you on your head as a baby. That being said, I do believe it is well within time that I met your mother once more if it has been as so long that you’ve grown from that little fumble some mush that you were.” He would instead of shoo away, come toward the cart and seek to sit on the edge of it, making it quite apparent he planned to go no where at all. “As your mother once found out during her training with the Paladins, I am far harder to diswayed from a course that I’ve set myself to. So has your mother birthed anymore of.” He pointed at her. “You know… I can’t remember your mother living out this far from the lands of one of my kin. Why are you here spawn of Paladin Anwyn.”


Despite his obviously redlicious mannerisms he casted his mind back to Anwyn and when he had last seen her. The memory was easy to recall as it was a unique one in that he held a child for the first time. His perception of time often caused him some manner of sadness when he came to visit one he considered a friend only to find they had died of old age some time prior. He did not figure this was the case as Elinsyia was yet a fully matured woman. His expression and tone sobered into that of an utter seriousness as he turned his attention down to the girl in question. “Did you run away from home? If you are wondering on how I know your mother. I am her superior within the Paladin Order in which she served.”

 

[SilverSuzi]

Even as he took a seat near her on the cart and made more comments about herself as a baby, Elin persisted in ignoring Dirus. But then he mentioned the Paladin Order, and she faltered. She gave him a sidelong glance and frowned in thought. The way he spoke about her mother... How did he know about all that, unless he were telling the truth? The paranoid part of her self warned he could still be lying, or a traitor, but at the same time she was struck with a familiar pang of sorrow over the fact that this man -- a possible close friend of her parents -- didn't yet know what had happened. And now she would have to talk about it, something she usually avoided at all costs. This coupled with the fact she still didn't know if she could trust the guy, led her to maintain her somewhat hostile attitude.


She rolled her eye and sighed in a huff. "Yeah, I ran away from home. Not much choice in the matter, what with my whole family murdered, and all our land and belongings stolen or destroyed. Suffice it to say, it wasn't really home any more." Perhaps she could have been less harsh in her delivery of the news, but it was a rather sore subject for her. "Though I suppose it wasn't so much 'running away from home' as it was 'running away from being enslaved by my family's killer.' And who are you, anyway? What are you doing here? Were you looking for me?" With that last question, her voice took a hint of accusation and suspicion as she glared at him for his intrusion into her life.

 

[Daerune]

At first Dirus found amusement in the idea that she’d run away from home as she had first started to say, what he didn’t expect and did not hide in his expression was his humor dying right then and there to find that his friends were dead and not by old age. A flicker of rage that soon dispelled into calmness as his visage was now stern. “I was looking for you, but I mistook your scent for your mother's, who I am is the Leader of the Order she was within and now a question you will ask as.” He stands and brushes himself off. “I am off now to your homeland, she wanted a ladies life a more quiet and motherly one. One does not hurt my friends without my retribution.” He would now seek to head away exactly into the direction of her home land. He had no horse or provisions to last him the journey.

 

[SilverSuzi]

He was leaving so abruptly, it took Elin a moment to process what he said. She blinked after his retreating figure, then jumped off the cart and shouted, "Wait a moment! Just what do you expect to do about it? They've been dead over two years now, and you didn't even ask who did it." She was wracking her brain for anything she could remember from the stories her mother had told about the Order. There had been someone, some leader and friend who had been there when her parents met, but... Well that'd been nearly twenty years ago, and she'd always imagined that man to be much older than the one making claims about it now. No, there was still something highly suspicious about this stranger.

 

[Daerune]

He stopped turning back toward her and none of what she said made any expression. “I doubt it will be hard to find the man or woman who murdered your family considering he would be trying to lord over the land would he not? Retribution I suspect is a word you are in lack of knowing, It means I will more than likely kill him. As for me if your next question is that he will have to many people. I am Kuldari, I do not like people who seek enslavement and to have others suffer.”

 

[SilverSuzi]

"Buh- you-.. I know what retribution means!" She shouted in frustration. There were so many things wrong with what he said, she didn't know where to begin. And his arrogant 'predictions' of what she was going to say next were extremely annoying. She gave an irritated grunt while frantically trying to scrape together the words for a proper response, simultaneously not wanting to shout over the crowds about her private business, but unable to leave the cart until-


Ah, there they were at last! Her travel companions -- three dwarves -- emerged from a side street, headed her way. Elin called to the leader of the trio, "Kalgrum! I have to take care of something, I'll meet you back home." and then immediately left her post and ran up to Dirus without further explanation to her friends.


For the moment she ignored his claim of being Kuldari -- especially one against slavery and the suffering of others, which was unheard of! "Look, maybe you are a Paladin, and you've a thirst for justice and all that. But this isn't your place to interfere. Even if you were friends with my mother before, you've been gone for years. You didn't even know they were dead! You've no right to seek retribution. And for the record, no, the murderer probably isn't there anymore, he's a greedy monster who's off claiming more lands for himself. Which, unfortunately, is completely legal by Rominian tradition, as are the pillaging and slavery. So yeah, he has a lot of followers and armies and fortresses and basically it's useless to even try..." She finished on a bitter note, her words hollow echoes she'd been telling herself for a while now.

 

[Daerune]

He waved her off. “You will not find purchase in trying to argue to me the validity of my ‘right’ to retribution in this matter. She was one of my pupils and wished for you to be apart from a life of suffering. I do not care what is ‘legal’ or ‘traditions’ of Rominia. As for this greedy monster, he will not be hard to find and will have a reputation. There is no doubt people still loyal to your mother and father at your homeland and can help clarify identity. As for his army, I have killed leaders will greater hosts than he with only a hand fill. Go back to your friends Elinsyia and live a peaceful life. It's what your mother wanted for you, and beacuse you’ll insist on coming trying to claim that spilling his blood is your ‘honor’. You are beyond ready and it would be but damaging to you child, any notions you have are without thought of later regret of the action. Your mother knew well enough of it and found she wished a quiet life.”


When he was out of town it was when his wings came from his back the guise falling away. Someone was walking a small distance behind them as well. A young boy by the look of it.

 

[SilverSuzi]

Several times during his lecture, she opened her mouth to protest only to close it again as he surged forward, methodically dismantling every point she had (and would have) made. Infuriated and dumbstruck, she slowed to a halt for a moment, just in time to witness as his wings manifested. Alright, so he was Kuldari, or at least looked it. And he knew her name, even though she hadn't given it. She shook her head to clear away thoughts of these curiosities, in favor of focus on more pressing matters.


With a rage-induced growl she jogged to catch up to him once more. "Arrgh, shut up! Shut up about my mother, she's dead now, she doesn't get a say in what I do with my life! And you can't tell me what to do either! Yeah, I do have every intention of avenging my family, regardless of any consequence. It is my right, my duty, and mine alone." She did not look at him, but scowled ahead with fierce determination, keeping stride with him.

 

[Daerune]

Dirus whirled on her and he went to take her by the arms and haul her up to eye level. This was not an impulsive act though he would seek to make it seem so, the reason for picking her up was so he did not have to kneel down to her eye level. “Your duty? Girl you are only aware of an idea of it and not what it truly means. You earn the right by force, you can’t fight you would be but fodder and no matter what you say it is your mother who does get say in your life because she spawned it! Without her you would not have a life, insult your mother once more and you will come to regret it.” He would drop her from where he held her simply just letting her go as if a discarded and unwanted cloth.


“You can follow if you want but if you want to earn the right to avenge your mother you will fight me for it and you must come to fully understand what it means to take a life. Go back to your dwarf friends and make your choice to come or go but do not leave them pondering. I will wait here, little girl.”

 

[SilverSuzi]

Elin landed on her bum in the dirt, perturbed and bewildered. For a moment she just sat there, too infuriated to speak. With a frustrated grunt she punched the ground with her fist, but immediately after her temper subsided and she rose to her feet, calmly dusted herself off and fixed him with a narrow-eyed stare. "Very well, then. How long will you wait? I'd like to get my things from the dwarves' village, which is half a day's walk from here. It's in the same general direction as Romina, though, so I could just stop by on the way, if you'd rather not wait until tomorrow." Though she had quickly got a handle on her anger, her words still carried a hint of severity. "I'll do without my supplies if I must." She added, and meant it too, determined to prove she wouldn't be swayed from her goal. She didn't like him, and she didn't like the direction this was going either. But she'd rather tag along with this jerk than miss out on her only shot at revenge.

 

[Daerune]

Dirus could only laugh at her after the mention that she could do without supplies. “Elinsiya, you wouldn't last without your supplies because if you can't keep up I will leave you behind, for you to make your sorry way back here. This is your grace period, as soon as you get back we start the march, you have one cycle of the moon and sun.” He would now stop looking back toward the village and instead now making his way back to there, without awaiting her response.

 

[SilverSuzi]

Elin resisted the urge to roll her eye when he claimed she 'wouldn't last' and instead forced a patient smile upon her face. She had the feeling it wouldn't matter what she said on her own behalf, he seemed to have formed some opinion of her already and wouldn't be easily shaken from that impression for now. At least he was willing to wait for her. If she hurried she would have just enough time to get to Kharukhath and back. The moment he finished talking, she dashed off toward the road headed north, in hopes of catching up to her friends.


The dwarves were shocked and unhappy to hear of her decision to leave, and the little time she had to prepare for it. Especially concerning was the fact she couldn't even tell them the name of this mysterious former-friend of her parents, having failed to ask for it before hand. Kalgrum, the one with whom she was closest, left with her to go on ahead of the rest (the others being slowed down by the wagon of goods). Hiking at the fastest pace they could safely manage, they reached the underground village of Kharukhath sometime after midnight. Elin promptly collapsed in her bed to catch as much rest as she could manage, while Kalgrum packed her things for her.


She woke a couple hours after sunrise, and rushed through farewells to the people and place that had sheltered her the past two years. Goodbyes were a thing of great discomfort for Elin. She had no reason to believe she'd not come back here one day, and yet her eye stung with the threat of tears, and there was a weight in her stomach and limbs, as if she were turning to stone. More than once she considered calling it off, letting the stranger handle seeking justice for her family, and staying here where she was happy and safe. Yet she knew this was always meant to be a temporary arrangement. She wasn't meant for this life, hiding underground away from her own kind, hiding from her fears. Whether or not she was destined for the revenge she so desired, she had to at least try, or she would never feel whole.


Bag of supplies secured upon her shoulders, Elin gave one last wave of farewell to Kalgrum and the others, and then set off at a steady pace for Ebongrove. She was not unaccustomed to hiking, and had traveled this stretch of road several times in the past two years. With careful pacing, she arrived right back where she'd last seen Dirus, with the sun nearing the western horizon. Only an hour to spare, but she had made it. Now to find him...

 

[Daerune]

(Twenty Four hours prior)


While usually his perception of time had been something of bothersome when dealing with the short span of humans, it was even more so when he was in a state of animation. He lasted only an hour before he was off trailing Elinsiya and he found her with ease, as one did with a bird's eye view. He trailed from a distance, keeping himself between them and the sun to go unnoticed. The village entrance wasn't hard to find, especially when the others were leading him to it. He had done well to cloak himself, taking upon a different form of critter knowing that these committees were close knit.


(Sometime after Midnight)


It was while, what he supposed was her makeshift ward, was packing her needed belongings that he felt something he rarely did. He identified it was compulsion on the behest of guilt. He knew the man was troubled about the latest incident, as well as they all tried to hide it, such things weren't so oblivious to him. He did not stop to think of the consequences thoroughly as he showed himself to Kalgrum. He was in a form he was comfortable with. There was once a time he would take his Wolven form with a white coat, though black seemed to intuitively fit himself. Approaching he made a soft noise at first then louder, allowing the dwarf to believe someone was approaching from afar. It was then that he spoke. “Do not make commotion please. I am here to speak with you on your young ward and the Kuldari she is to traverse the lands with.” At times he knew his true self came through across to certain people, what made these people draw out his genuine side he knew not, but there was a pull and desire to comfort the man he knew would be worried.

 

[SilverSuzi]

Kalgrum heard the soft footfalls and hush of something furry moving down the corridor outside his chambers, and assumed it was a large burrowing rodent -- the sort some of his neighbors kept as pets -- roaming the village halls. The sight of a large, black wolf entering the room instead gave him quite the start. Instinctively, his hand reached for the knife at his belt, but did not draw it out. Confusion replaced alarm when the beast began to speak. The dwarf's brows furrowed. He blinked more than once and wiped his eyes with one hand, continuing the motion down to stroke his graying beard in thought. Clearly this was no ordinary animal, but some sort of apparition or etheric creature.


He considered the wolf's words for a moment. "You come to warn us about him?" He guessed. "What's Elin got herself into?" He glanced to one of the two doors at the back of the room, behind which Elin slept, gently snoring. The rest of the room was furnished in an orderly manner. Two cots sat perpendicular to one of the walls. On the opposite side of the room, where Kalgrum stood, a counter and storage cabinets lined the other wall, replete with medical tools and supplies, all neatly organized. Strewn across one area of the counter were a backpack and a number of useful items to aid one's survival on a journey.

 

[Daerune]

The great wolf turned its head to gaze in the direction that Kalgrum had turned to. “I will be plain, The man she is to traverse with is a shapeshifter and enjoys his privacy, I am the person in question. Elinsyia is a victim of circumstance and another's desire for power. She desires to embark on a quest to kill the man, without any training.” He beast sat down on its haunches taking an even taller visage, though of course its head still craned thanks to the low roofing.


“A man killed her parents to take their lands, she escaped. I am her mother's superior within the Paladin Order and my conception of time is different. Years have passed and I have only now come to learn of her mother's death through her. Retribution for my friend is what I seek but the girl feels strongly about seeking revenge.”


“I will look out for her and seek to train her in the same way as her mother. Resentment is a painful reward for a loved one's concern about unhealthy obsessions. Ask your questions dwarf and I will answer. Come morning you will allow Elinsiya to leave only because I will lead her right back this way and by then you should have had enough time to think of an argument for her to stay. I know you care for her and worry for her. That counts for something - Family don’t end in blood.”

 

[SilverSuzi]

"By the Beard." He mumbled beneath his breath at the revelation that this wolf and the Kuldari man were one and the same. Kalgrum had no experience with shapeshifters of any sort, so he had to take the beast's word for it. It did explain how he'd managed to get past the sentries and into the village tunnels. Respectfully, he listened and waited for the wolf to finish speaking, and nodded slowly. "Yes, I'm aware of Elin's past. I found her collapsed on the mountainside, exhausted and feverish. She'd had her eye put out a few days prior and the wound was badly cared for, poor child. Carried her here, patched her up..." While he spoke, he flexed his fingers idly, the skilled hands of a surgeon. "Normally we aren't too open to outsiders, and had she been as whiny or conceited as her kind often are, the elders would have thrown her out soon as she recovered. But she's tough and solid, and behaved with such gratitude and respect, they could scarcely find a reason to send her away. Truth be told..." He cast his eyes downward, and folded his hands together. "I think we needed each other, she and I, and the others could see it. I'd just lost my son, you see..."


With a shake of his head and a deep breath, Kalgrum pulled himself out of the painful memories and returned to the present. He set a hand on top of the supply pack on the counter and looked the wolf in the eyes. "I won't try to make her stay. She may get along with our kind well enough, but she doesn't belong here, underground away from the sun and the breeze. I believe she's been waiting for a reason to leave, and if she can find some resolution for her troubled past, then all the better." A sad smile crossed his face.


"As for questions..." He stroked his beard in thought. "Your turning up here to offer answers puts my mind somewhat at ease, though I do have to wonder how the two of you hope to accomplish such a task? Murdering the would-be emperor of Romina is no small goal. They say he means to wage war here in Erion next, and as such the borders are heavily guarded, not to mention his followers and personal guard. Certainly the man deserves his demise, but I hate to think either she or you, or both, might perish over a foolhardy attempt at revenge."

 

[Daerune]

By way of demonstrating his form shifted, into that of Kalgrum, every visible detail achieved, but the look in the eyes, the demeanour of the true beast was still all present. Then at once it all shifted back towards the wolf as if none of it had happened. “I enjoy complete anonymity. In truth I am the leader and founder of the Paladin order and Elinsiya’s mother was my pupil and one who i sought to groom to take my place so I might be without responsibility. Among my enemies I was known for assuming forms to assassinate the foremost key figure and either leaving them as dead or taking their place. Elinsiya is a complication and liability. I will not allow her to come to death and if need be I will employ what paladins I have in that region if the cause is just enough to warrant the Paladins orders attention. Private business is private business.” The great wolf looked towards the door that held Elinsiya beyond it and then to the man. “She needn’t leave this place to live above ground. As her ward it is your place to ask her to stay, and we both know it would be better for her.”

 

[SilverSuzi]

Confronted with such an accurate impersonation was more than a little unsettling, but Kalgrum nodded his understanding of the usefulness of such a skill. Clearly this beast was more than capable of success in his endeavor, with or without Elin there. Her safety in his presence and on this quest was still a matter of concern, naturally, but Kalgrum shook his head and gave Dirus a wry smile. "Safer perhaps, but not better. I understand you knew her mother quite well, but I think Elin's tenacity may surprise you. She's made up her mind on this, and I'd not persuade her otherwise, even if I wanted to. In fact, I'd rather you don't bring her back here on your way. We'll already have made our goodbyes and said our peace in the morning. I see no reason to shake her resolve and trouble her heart." With that he resumed his work, carefully layering bundles of food, bandages, blankets and other necessities into the bag on the counter. "Might I ask why you are so determined to dissuade her?"

 

[Daerune]

He looked down toward the dwarf and couldn't help but believe the man was wrong, but knew it was more of a selfish desire for the man to follow his instruction. He nodded respecting his words. "Her mother wanted a happier and safer life for her child, Her mother was a good woman and knew when to be selfish. This would have broken her heart." He said this as he turned and left, be it he continued or not Dirus was already gone and progressing back to the human settlement.

 

[SilverSuzi]

Kalgrum turned to say something, but Dirus was already gone. Still, with a heavy sigh and knowing eyes he spoke to himself, "Children don't always get to have the life their parents' wanted for them." Many lives ended prematurely, as a doctor he was all too familiar with this. Those left behind to navigate life alone had to make their own way in the world, sometimes regardless of the wishes of their lost loved ones. If Elin had not lost her family, she would be a different person living a completely different life, but such was not the case. This was the path fate had put her on, and Kalgrum knew she must see where it lead.