Dark Crusade {Scriven & Snowy Halation}

[Snowy Halation]

Had this been a terrible idea? He began wondering if poor judgement was his only problem ignoring the more obvious problem with his attitude. "It's less than green....." Was the only thought that went through Beinion's head and while trying to keep a positive perspective on the matter the best he could do was clear his mind from extremely negative comments on the town of Sylphiel.


Perhaps many years ago it could have been a beautiful city filled with trees, fountains and very nice people but now was devoured by the dust and the persistent company of sandstorms; This part of the continent had made history but not because of any sort of heroic tale rather because most if not all explorers that came through unprepared met their doom at the hand of nature's wrath.


The sun was incredibly furious on that day and spared no one in it's way as it lit up the sky, the frown that now seemed permanently etched on his brows deepened as he stood in front of a stone arch which gave one of the least gratifying welcomes into the town. He looked around without taking a single step in wondering how people could live in a place like this, trees were scattered, most of them dead trunks harboring whatever creature from the dunes could fit inside, fountains had long gone dry and the perpetual exposure to the elements had decimated them until they were simply a shapeless figure covered in dust, he pleaded for green plains and even worried if all the dust would eventually lead him to a pulmonary disease. Saying he was displeased at this point would be an understatement.


Finally stepping into town game light to new problems, the day was hot and Beinion wore a thick leather cloak over his head and shoulders and while he could have simply taken it off he knew that if he did the sun would only shine furiously over his pitch black hair. He cursed the difference in weather as the Elven islands were pushed very far towards the south of the globe making them cold and while nature had managed to survive and adjust the young Elf wondered if he would be able to adapt to this kind of weather.


Feeling the coin purse that laid hidden under his cloak he took a deep breath taking in the dry hot hair. It was going to be fine, he was just passing through is all.

 

[Scriven]

“I’ll let ye off here, little lady,” Montgomery called back from the front of his cart.


Nari’s ears perked and her eyes opened. Her long, agile body unfurled from the ball she had curled herself into in the back of the farmer’s cart. He had let her ride with him on the way to Sylphiel, a common destination for them both. Nari had settled herself among his hay bales, listening to his gruff old voice as he told her about a man he had once known who had gone into the Forbidden Lands and never come back. “You sure ye know what you’re getting yerself into?” he had asked, to which Nari had given a lazy smile before resting her chin back on her paws.


Montgomery had never met a Gharial before, he had told her, looking curiously at her. She was one of several species of cat-people spread across the islands off the coast of Arane. Though the Gharial shared much in common with humans, they considered themselves felines. Humans were a weak species in comparison, reliant on technology and magic.


“You have my thanks,” Nari told him, leaping lightly to the ground.


“Safe travels,” the farmer told her with a doubtful shake of his head. The comment was a courtesy, but one he no doubt thought would do no good. No one returned from the Forbidden Lands. The world had split for a reason.


Nari watched him urge his horses forward. The cart lurched, then seemed to find its stride on the uneven ground. She filled her lungs, looking out across the wind ravaged town, taking in the sand that gathered in slopes against the sides of buildings, at the fountains gone dry, at the way everything seemed worn smooth and thin. This was a place of sandstorms and oppressive heat. The latter she could handle, but she had never encountered a sandstorm before.


Many of the people around her had veils and capes to keep the sand from their eyes, but Nari had only light leather armor. She squinted against the wind as she walked through the city, shielding her eyes with one hand. Her throat burned with sudden thirst and she quickened her step, looking at signs to find a place to ease the ache.


She found a tired looking inn and slipped inside, her eyes and throat grateful for the respite from the dry wind. A woman was sweeping- a no doubt endless task, thought Nari.


“I need a room. And a bottle of wine and a bite to eat, if you have it.”


The woman appraised her for a moment, then set aside the broom, leaning it against the sole table in the small front room. “Nine lancre shillings.”


“Nine?!” Nari asked in surprise. Was this woman trying to rip her off, or did things really cost so much more in this part of Arane? She didn’t have nine shillings. She didn’t even have half that. “Well... how much for just a bottle of wine, then?”


The woman scowled, no doubt unimpressed by the nearly penniless Gharial before her. “Two for the cheapest I’ve got.”


Nari nodded, worrying at her lower lip. “Can I sleep in your kitchen tonight?”


The woman snorted. “Hmph. You think I let in every stray cat that comes through my door? I only serve paying customers.”


“For another lancre shilling then?” Her eyes were narrowed.


“I’ll sell you a real room for three shillings. There’s water in the well.”


Nari’s eyes drifted away. “The kitchen is fine. And the wine.”


Another snort from the woman with the broom. “Another drunk. That’s just my luck, innit? One night in the kitchen, Cat. One bottle of wine. Three shillings.”


“Deal.”

 

[Snowy Halation]

If the planet had been forsaken by the ancient Gods then Sylphiel had surely been forsaken not only by God but also by nature and it's own people. People who by the way were too curious about Beinion's tall hooded figure for their own good, at first Beinion's own curiosity piqued in the slightest when he realized the town had been much larger than he had expected. Prowling around town at his own hurried pace didn't take long but he discovered Sylphiel harbored it's own suburban neighbor, the houses seemed to recede into a shell and deny their reality with vibrant colors of deep blue, emerald green and even the more pastel colors of pink and yellow.


A bemused look on his face.


'Wasn't the weather magnificent yesterday. milady?'


'Yes dear Alfred, Such an exquisite sandstorm we had, did we not?'


'Shall I fetch I fetch the scorpion spiders, milady?'


'Oh Alfred whatever we would do without you'





He chuckled at the thought of such people living inside closed doors and although ridiculous to him the rich folks of Sylphiel gained his favor as their extravagant gardens were adorned with incredibly tasteful decorations of cacti varying in sizes and ranging from a dark shade of purple to lime green and sometimes even a bright scarlet.


'Rich people are so predictable, eh?' He thought in disdain as he considered himself to be one of the wealthier among the men on his land.


Looking around one more time dragged him back to the reality of the situation. Elves did not leave their land often and when they did, only brought back uncomfortable memories of being idolized, feared, isolated and begged upon.


Beinion was a man of his own inventions and for him the upper hand laid in having people know he was an average looking Elf rather than a man of unknown proceedings, large proportions and to eventually come to the conclusion that avoiding him would be the safest bet.


Confrontation was the first word written in his little book of hate, eavesdropping was a close second, He let out a long and defeated sight as he proceeded to take the hood off of his head and giving into people's desire of knowing what exactly he was. The hood fell revealing his long, silky locks of pitch black hair styled into a half up half down braid, they reflected the sun all too well making his peach pink skin look almost translucent in color and rather ethereal. his deep blue eyes came to life as the light passed through them shinning like two perfect pearls of aquamarine.


Some awed while some others lost interest immediately as elves were regarded....difficult to deal with.


"Excuse me, fine woman. Could you direct me t-" The door slammed shut, frown back at it's rightful place above his eyes.


"Money please....Money! Anything you have to spare. Please! please...please. money, please!" Beinion hurried the pace.


Sylphiel began to reek like a corpse.


He was a proud man that stood a bit over six feet tall but right at this moment he felt like the smallest of men on the planet. He hurried through the alleys taking every turn he could looking for a place to ask for directions.


"Someone reliable" He muttered as he looked over his shoulder, a kid holding what looked like an empty bucket of water had been following him for the past ten minutes and to this kid's unfortunate luck Beinion had just about had enough and was about to leave town with his hands empty or rather filled with sand.


"Please sir, It's only a bucket. Only one! I beg of you!"


He stopped to turn around because he had lost it. "Listen, Kid!" He raised his voice which came crashing down at the kid like a thunder making him fall to the ground and shake in terror. His expression changed, the young one was painfully thin and wore a tan much darker than was considered healthy for a human not to mention his ragged clothes and the callouses at his feet.


He sighed and composed himself in a split second, kneeling down and offering the young kid a hand.


"Do you have a name?"


"M-Menphis, sir"


"There is no need to be frightened, I am not going to hurt you. Did your parents sent you to beg water of me?"


"Ye-s"


"..."


''..sir?"


"Do you know your way around the desert?"


"Like the back of my hand, sir"


"How does a kid kno-"


"I do! They send me on hunting trips for food all the time!"


Beinion cursed the existence of such parents.


"If I get water for you and your family you will show me the way towards the city, alright?"


"Nothing's free, sir!"


"Close your eyes or look away"


"What? Wh-....okay"


With some patience of his own and a bit of time Menphis finally opened his eyes, shock filled his senses.


The bucket was full of water and not just any water, it was crystalline and the fragrant small ripples reflected prismatic light that bounced vibrantly off the sunlight. He had never felt so peaceful in his entire life as that time he would once come remember as the day an Elf saved his life.


"Every drop is enou-.....enough to give you nourishment.....for a week" Menphis had been so distracted by the sight of such beautiful water that he didn't realize the way Beinion's voice was muffled and forced.


His eyes widened and shocked flowed through his senses. "Sir, are you okay?!"


Beinion coughed, his hand reflected ruby back at him. There was blood all over it. "I'm fine kid, You just stick to the end of your bargain. I have to leave town" People looking from their windows begging to look restless and terrorized, they would surely think he was some sort of demon now.


A few explanations later and Beinion was back at the brick arch setting into the desert, he was ready to leave when he felt an unfamiliar and rather annoying tug at his shirt.


"Is magic bad, sir?" Menphis asked.


"Magic is something you don't understand, kid" there was a brief pause. "And sometimes neither do I"


"Be careful next time you use it, sir!" Beinion wished there was no next time and turning his back on the town and all the people who lived in it, Beinion waved goodbye in the only way he knew how. Not looking back.

 

[Scriven]

Morning brought a tremendous hangover. The wine sat uneasily in Nari’s empty belly, protesting its lonely existence. The Gharial felt her stomach lurch and moved as quickly as she could to the back door and out to the alley before she retched. The contents of her stomach spilled onto the sand-covered path behind the inn, her stomach clenching painfully. When she was through, Nari had nothing to wash away the acrid taste in her mouth but for the rest of the wine from last night.


“Hair of the dog,” she muttered, taking a swig and rolling it around in her mouth before spitting the liquid out. She finished off the last of the wine and left the bottle there in the alley, stumbling away with bleary, bloodshot eyes and a head that pounded like a wardrum.


Maybe she should have spent her last coin on food she thought, instead of wine. It had seemed like the right decision last night when her body had been weary from the long road, her throat parched, her mind in need of alcohol-induced rest. Morning had come though, and her body now cried for food.


Nari left the alley, shielding her eyes against the bright rays of the sun. Great Goddess, she had slept too late. The day was half gone already! People moved through the desert wasteland of a city with purpose. The town seemed mostly comprised of humans, though a few halflings stomped around, throwing their weight heavily upon the ground as if trying to make up for their small stature. She saw no other beast folk and felt like a stranger there, and an unwelcome one at that.


Her senses keen, Nari detected the scent of roasting meat. It was clear across town, but there it was, clear as day- at least to her. She quickened her pace, propelled by hunger. She didn’t know how she would pay for a meal, but she would worry about that later. When she reached the scent, she found that it was no longer quite as appetizing. It emanated from a dingy little pub that was crowded with people and tables. There was a sour smell here, like rags left out too long while wet mixed with the odor unwashed human bodies. Some of the meat was spoiled too, but it didn’t stop the owner of the pub or the cook from serving it.


Nari stood at the edge of the room, watching as her stomach growled. Even spoiled meat was food; not something she would turn her nose up at. She had been through desperate times before- sometimes resorting to eating carrion. This was a fair step above that, she decided.


A man left a table and Nari slid into his spot, pulling his plate toward her as if it had been hers. Not much was left, but there were a few bites of meat left, a bit of bread, and a bone she could gnaw on. She ate, then slipped over to another vacant table. The second time someone spotted her though and Nari was thrown out with a curse from the owner and a snarling hiss from her. She had pilfered what was on the table though, cradling it against her chest possessively. She now looked at her ill-begotten treasure as she scampered away from the pub.


“Praise the Goddess,” she said with a snort, pulling the cork from a nearly full bottle of Queen’s Tears. She took a swig, the liquor burning all the way down, but it cleared her head of the hangover a little. She pushed the cork back in and began chewing on one of the bones she had taken, cracking it so she could suck out the marrow.


“Nari?”


Nari turned in surprise at the sound of her name, spinning to see Montgomery across the sandy road. “So we meet again!” Her smile was wide, her green eyes narrowing with pleasure at the sight of a friendly face.


“I thought you’d be on your way by now. What’s keeping you in town?”


Nari scratched the back of her neck, glancing away. “Oh, well, you know. This and that.” ‘This’ being wine and ‘that’ being oversleeping, she thought.


The farmer smiled placidly. “Last night I heard tale of another man on a quest to the Forbidden Lands. He apparently left quite an impression.” There was a twinkle in Montgomery’s smile that made her curious.


“What kind of impression?” she asked with raised eyebrows.


“Well, he was apparently a bit difficult to get along with. An elf, ye see. You know how elves tend to be.”


She didn’t, but she would seem unworldly if she admitted it. Instead, she gave a noncommittal smile. “I wonder what he’s planning to do there,” she murmured.


“He only just left yesterday, and he was on foot from what I heard. I bet ye could catch up to him if yer really curious.”


Yes, she probably could. Who was this Elven man who ventured into the mysterious forbidden lands? She knew nothing about him except that he shared a common goal, yet already her soul was lonely for the company of another. For weeks on end she had been away from the companionship of her pride. And elf could never replace the Gharial she knew and loved, but she was a social being; already she craved a person to talk to, even if he was reportedly unpleasant. Besides, humans were awful bigots. Perhaps they judged him harshly simply because he was not like them.


The conversation must have continued, though Nari could barely recall what Montgomery had said before they had parted ways once more. Her thoughts were centered on the elf who traveled a day ahead of her. She would find him on the road, she decided.