As the Crow Flies; A Tale from the Badlands

[Moop]

Frost 11, 120¤

Moop took her water skin, it was nearly dry, and poured from it into the mouth of her red pony named Daze. It had been three days traveling around the Badlands and they were so thirsty, she and her pony. Nuraku, her guide, was taking them somewhere, though she wasn't sure where. It would seem Nuraku had taken on the aspect of a raven now, a black one. Each day was harder on Moop as they did not find her sister, who surely had gotten even more lost. This day though, Nuraku had said they saw "something" in between a crag and headed into a cavern. Moop was sure that was her sister, if there is one thing that gnomes know, it's caves.

It was logical to Moop to say that Joop had gotten far too lost trying to forage in the desolation of the Badlands. Now that they, Moop and Nuraku, had traveled farther the landscape turned from arid and covered in palms and cactus into cry, cracked, red earth and dust only. That was it as far as the eye could see, save for a few imperfections leading to sheer drops and other rocky formations. It would seem life had no purchase here, Moop was scared. More scared than she had been before on this journey, perhaps more afraid than she had been in her life. The uncertainty of her future ate up in her stomach like a toxic well of ichor. Some of that was eased with this revelation of the cave and crag.

Before she was sent on her way to be an emissary in Daravin, there were some things she was told. One of them was to, at all costs, avoid the Badlands. She was explained to that this area was filled with, what her Teacher had called, "gangs" which were violently savage big people bel-bent on killing you for your things. In her heart she was terrified, what if one of these gangs had stolen Joop. They were both well aware of the uniqueness of gnomes, a fair warning given to them that people would try to exploit them out of curiosity or worse. Moop's mind was drifting to horrible places, she wanted this to end.

Dressed in her leather armor, she waved at Nuraku and said,
"Lead the way."
And followed the bird-mage to the cave. Once there the pair could see the obvious signs of a struggle, some blood, some loosened bolts which Moop gathered, and a broken reign.
"Hmmm..."
Said Moop as fear gripped her chest tightly.
"These are my sister's, but.... she isn't here. And this sight doesn't look good. But this blood is wet, whatever happened is recent. We may have a chance! Come, we must hurry!"
She was about to abandon Daze and run into the cave when the sounds of something running towards them met her ears. It was Comit, Joop's horse. Around the other side of the crag Comit must have heard Moop and came running. It was starting to make sense.
"He... must have been spooked and ran off, but he is a good pony and came back. I'm.... Shocked. This is terrible. Oh sweet CORE, she could be dead. Nuraku. What do we do?"
Her huge, brown eyes were watering as she struggled to make sense of this terrible, ill fortune. Whatever Nuraku the raven proposed, Moop at this point would follow. To her doom or no.
"Without Joop I have nothing, I will surely die. Maybe we can find somewhere to tie up the ponies-- gangs be damned. They can have them!! I just want my sister back."
The gnome woman was a hair's breath away from sobbing. This was not good.

[Nuraku]

All of the day, and all of the night, for three in number, Nuraku sought the twin of her new companion. It seemed a worthy task for her--after all, she wasn’t in a state to hunt Dranoch, and this was, at least, helping someone. It made her feel fulfilled.

Soaring through the skies above the reddened rock and sun-scorched earth, Nuraku did not mind the heat--after all, the wind blew by her, and more than that she had a Beacon within her soul that kept her not only warm, but resistant to the strain of the weather.

At least the weather was relatively clear.

Moop, however, Nuraku worried about. Every time she returned, she could tell the woman was getting drier. They were not far from the very edge of the Badlands, and Nuraku could see the faintest line of silver and green on the horizon.

Cresting between two tall crags, Nuraku spied a cave entrance. Two blurry figures were just moving in towards the mouth, and though she descended to get a better look, they were already gone by the time she arrived. Landing upon the earth, she found hoof-prints, and putting two-and-two together she figured a gnome would go into a cave.

Taking off, she returned to Moop and landed upon her cart several minutes later. “Not far, there exists a cave. Someone went in with a horse,” Nuraku explained. “Or a donkey? I can’t tell. Their feet leave similar tracks.”

As Moop moved, Nuraku disappeared within the carriage, appearing a few minutes later having Molded into a white-furred stoat, an Ermine, a white-furred mustelid much like a weasel with a long body. Rising over the rail, she hopped from it to her companion’s shoulder, sitting there and holding on with her little clawed feet.

“So this sister of yours, is she friendly?” Nuraku asked. She hadn’t asked many questions about the person, but then she wasn’t someone with much desire for foresight to begin with when it came to people.

Before long they arrived at the cave by Nuraku’s direction. Nuraku began to draw upon her snake form to Integrate the special organs for detecting heat, allowing her to see a murky figure lurking in the shadows behind a rise of rocks. “What is... that?”

Moments later, Comit came running, and Nuraku had a chance to look at the evidence from above. “Hm... you should hand me a knife. Anything small, sharp and metal. Got one?--Your eating knife will do!”

“I’d swore not to use my Pyromancy while I pursued an Ascension, but I feel like we’re going to need it...” griped the lady-ferret in her rasping, deep and feline voice.

Nocturnal eyes quickly adjusting to the cave, Nuraku could see well enough. “When we’re ready, we head deeper inside. I can see--do gnomes have good vision within caves?”

Nuraku shook her head. “If it’s a gang, they’re not just gonna murder her. I’d be more worried about a predator... but I don’t see any claw marks down there...” Crawling down Moop’s frame, she hit the cavern floor. “Alright, I’ll prepare your knife while you find a place to leash the horses.” Looking up to Moop, she waited for the weapon.

[Moop]

¤

"Friendly? Yes, she is much friendlier than I in fact."
Moop said with a curt nod of her head. In her belly it felt like a snake was coiled, or writhing she couldn't tell. Either way it was oozing venom from its maw ready to strike, making her feeling ill-- causing her temper to flare and patience to wane. She was thirsty, grief stricken, and missing an essential, grounding piece of her life. The left wagon wheel jolted as it rolled over a larger rock and shook her out of her head space. Soon they would find her sister, she just knew it. Nuraku sat perched as an ermine on Moop's shoulder and Moop was fine with this, in fact she rather liked this form of Nuraku's. It was much better than the creepy-crawly snake.

Now at the area where Joop was last seen she set to work, gathering and bringing the items that she would need. Wearing her leather armor she slung her back pack over her left shoulder. Inside was her water skin, four rations, the recovered bolts, and her navigator kit. Attached to the outside was her hemp rope. In her left hand she carried an unlit torch. Hung by a strap her staff rested against her back. Unhooking Daze from the cart so he could run if danger struck she left the ponies on loosely tied tethers, hoping they would stay nearby and hoping that she and Nuraku wouldn't get lost in this cave should it be deep and dank.

The last thing she did was fulfill the request of Nuraku, pulling out her metal eating knife and handing it to the small beast. Moop wasn't in the mind to question what this curious, cursed mage would do with a knife of that size; at this point Moop expected the person to have many tricks up their sleeve.
"Good vision in caves? No, not innately. We require light like anyone else, well, maybe."
With that she lit the torch and gave a side eye to the shape-shifting mage.
"You may ride on my shoulder again, or not. I can help you up. Let's go."

The innards of the cave reflected the outside, red and tawny stone. As they went deeper inside it was hardly cooler, from above the crag it was born from let in light from cracks, sunlight filtering through with dust motes glinting in its light. The cave didn't descend downwards into the earth yet and eventually after following the winding trail through this hollow they made their way to an antechamber. Upon first inspection the room was empty, there was a large crack in the ceiling allowing light to enter the room. A few boulders loomed in the large chamber along with pieces of scrap metal and a few...
"Bones."
Said Moop, pointing with the so far unneeded torch. Littering the perimeter of the chamber bones large and small bleached by time and the sun could be seen.
"Shhhhh..."
From behind a boulder a disheveled brunette crawled, only her eyes and the top of her frizzy head could be seen, it was Joop. She looked frightened. With a single, slow movement of her arm she pointed to something Moop hadn't noticed before, a crack in the chamber floor. Dust motes swirled there indicating that wherever that crack went, it was deep. And large enough for something to get through. Moop was simultaneously relieved and frightened. She waved to Joop to come out, trying to be silent but Joop only shook her head and returned behind the stone. That was when a deep, rasping hiss could be heard ringing through the antechamber.

[Nuraku]

Small little paws reached up and took hold of the metal knife. “Don’t worry, I’ll return it before we part,” said Nuraku with a wink.

I can remove Enkindling, right? I’ve never thought about it...

Sighing, the white ermine relaxed sagely and focused on the weapon held in her tiny claws. Reaching into her Beacon, she exhaled Cinders of flame from her mouth, the feeling of the cool metal calling to it. Flame began to glow around her, swirling in channels of misty orange hues that flickered about the cave before being drawn into the weapon, which glowed an orange hue. She was finished by the time Moop returned from leashing the horses.

“I’ll stay down here. Better angles, and with this I am not so defenseless,” said Nuraku. “It may be strange to give up my main weapon, but I did so to help me strengthen my Animus so that I may one day lift the curse upon me.” Her eyes darted to the edges of the abyss as Moop lit her torch. “We should be quick. Sooner the better, for your sister.”

Setting the blade down, Nuraku gathered it up and moved with Moop. She didn’t want to say anything, but the torch made it a lot harder for her to see the distant crevices... her vision was now rather limited by the bright, contrasting light. This way is safer for me, but perhaps riskier for the one she intends to save.
A trade-off.

Moving at a slower pace, Nuraku took the time to peer at her surroundings, though she remained on edge. Alert, for an ambush. She still suspected Raiders. The cave did not look too lived-in, however. Every so often her eyes moved to the ground, finding occasional scuff-marks and scratches on the ground, but she couldn’t be sure. “I’m no experienced tracker, but...” she mumbled.

Considering what she just said earlier about animals being more dangerous for her sister’s life, she decided to relent on finishing that statement lest it incur a demoralizing effect upon her new friend. “...I think your sister is definitely somewhere down this way.” She said it in a hush, weary of alerting that which crept in the darkness of this place. “You gnomes seem so at home in caves. I always found them unnerving,” she added.

Eyes drifting across the stalagmites above casting their many dancing shadows from the torchlight, she even considered what might lurk upon the ceiling. No dimension was safe with so much variable surface. Caves were dangerous. This entire little mission felt suicidal, almost.

Until she saw light. Cool blue from the afternoon sun filtering through. Ahead was a wide, enormous room that her eyes perused from side to side, peering across the many ledges and alcoves. Those beady little eyes saw glinting, often rusted metals and scrap. Moop’s sudden words alerted her to a new finding, and Nuraku hopped forward to look them over more closely. “Human,” muttered Nuraku. “Likely someone who fell from above, maybe?”

”Shhhhh...”

Nuraku perked up, whisking her head around to see a gnome who, frankly, looked like she had been through the depths of Bel and returned, crawling weakly from behind one of the many scattered boulders. Nuraku stood on her hinds and held that knife close to her body, quickly looking around until her sensitive little ears picked up the cloying vibrations coming from the lowest point in the cave.

“HssssSSSsssss.”

Snakes?

No, more throaty. Some kind of lizard.

Dipping down, she set her knife down upon the edge of a small ledge, leering down at that yawning little chasm in the earth. A proper choke point. Whatever came up from there was likely small enough to enter, and it’d need to cross quite a bit of terrain to reach her.

Flame Lance would be perfect for this.

Hind foot on the knife, she drew up the power in her body. I’ve never been able to pull it off before. Flame Lance has been impossible... but I’ve got to try. Please. As she moved and drew the flame into her paw, she instead felt a tickle in her throat as she inhaled. Her eyes widened with surprise, and instead she drew upon that feeling. A bright, gleaming orb of flame began to coalesce in front of her mouth, growing in size until it dwarfed her tiny body.

Lighting up the cavern with its golden glow, she couldn’t see all too well what she was aiming at, but she knew roughly where the opening was. With an urging rush, she exhaled the flame forward, and it shot out like a speeding bullet, whistling as it heated the air. A cracking whoosh sounded as the Shrivenflame struck the edge of the pit and cascaded downwards.

From out of the pit emerged a gleaming, flaming reptile, its orange and black snout flicking a long tongue. Its claws clambered and scrabbled upon the edge of the pit before the flames weakened it enough. The creature screamed and wailed, its deafening screech lancing the ear drums with throbbing pain before it fell, its body tumbling back into the abyss.

Nuraku’s heart began racing as more creatures began emerging from her flames somewhat unscathed, their flicking tongues scouring the air as they arrived and peered, hissing at the sight of her and the two Gnomes. “Moop, get to your sister!” called Nuraku. “I’ll flame them down!”

Nuraku shifted and turned, another Flame Lance coalescing in front of her open maw. Just like before, she shot it off and the flame struck one of the lizards, knocking it onto its side where it writhed and shriveled beneath the licking pyre of flames. More continued to pour out, their number as of yet unknown but so far comprised of at least several.

[Moop]

¤

Well, so now the weasel was shooting a fireball. Moop watched the flame grow in front of the tiny mage-beast's mouth, the size of her eyes reflecting the size of the ball until her own orbs and the great orb could grow no more. Her face was radiated from the heat of the ball and as the weasel hurtled the flame she felt the whoosh of the thing, stray hairs around her face stirring in the artificially made wind.

The dice were, as they say, cast and the fireball erupted inside of the pit. A great lizard came clawing out, screaming, on fire, and promptly died just like that hyena from days before. Moop looked from the weasel to the lizard and back again, frightened-- staff now in hand with the bag and torch on the floor. Before she had a chance to intone any thoughts even more of the beasts came pouring out from the crevasse. They were angry, all teeth, scales and claws, the smallest being roughly thirty-five pounds and the largest being the size of Moop, around ninety lbs. There were about five of them, three small and the remaining two larger.

Joop was hidden and that was well enough for Moop. Squaring up she flexed her mechanical limbs, the whirr from the machinery ringing true in her ears. A lizard approached as she took broad steps to place herself between the rock where Joop hid and the beasts that had started their assault. A beast came forward and in her panic she attempted to hit it, but missed and narrowly missed her own head en route. The smaller sized lizard reared up and Joop came from behind the rock with her hand crossbow, firing off a shot and hitting the thing in the ribs.
"That was one of my last shots."
She said, pale fear playing on her usually collected features. The lizard was bleeding and rolled on the ground for a moment before scaling the wall away from the duo and out of the top of the cave.

"My bag, I collected some from outside the cave."
Said Moop, but the bag was in the fray near where she and Nuraku initially stood. Joop ran for the bag, her metal legs plainly obvious as they made loud whirrs with the speed that she ran to the bag. A larger lizard nearly accosted her and she back handed it with the torch in a lucky movement, but it was barely phased. Moop ran to her aid and attacked the thing with her staff, landing pointed jabs on its tough hide. Joop was able to retrieve the five more arrows and now had a total of seven arrows. She fired on off and it stuck in the eye of the beast, another lucky strike. Partially blinded, it thrashed its whip like tail and knocked Moop to the ground, Joop fired again but missed by a long shot-- the beast was enraged now. The small arrow stuck from its eye socket and poured blood, the thing hissed and spat, thrashing every part of its body.

Moop was able to get to her feet once the great lizard was done thrashing. In its rage it managed to scratch a wide mark against the leather of her chest with one of its dewclaws, but thankfully it missed her flesh. She was sweating as she and the creature squared up, now beside her sister who was notching another arrow. Surely they would die here, but it would be better than Joop dying alone in this disgusting pit. The monster reared and brought down its legs in an aggressive stance, its jaws wide open ready to rend their flesh from their bones. Moop grabbed up her staff in a panic and rammed the butt of it at the beast with only simple survival fear egging her on. It launched straight forward and into the existing good eyeball. The duo heard it pop, the thing was now blinded and both eyes poured viscera. The looked at each other for a split second before both diving seperate ways as the maimed beast barreled forward, rushing into the wall and knocking itself out with another loud, boney, crack.

[Nuraku]

Wherever Nuraku had stricken with her Flame Lance, the bright orange flames remained dancing, fed by nothing. It was a magical flame that could not be put out by water, nor sand, nor wind. Hardy and determined, the flames licked at the air, casting their warm glow over the shadowy corners of the pit they were stuck in. As for the lizards the flames had eaten, they were half-burnt to ash, half left mostly intact, lifeless and still.

Whoosh. Whirring metal legs jetted across the lowly-lit stones. Nuraku’s head turned, eyes affixed to the woman who’d just shot a lizard to the ground, writhing. “Well, she can handle herself,” Nuraku remarked.

Twisting in place, Nuraku adjusted her knife with her back foot, pivoting like a little weasel-turret. Eyeing up the conflict, many of the lizards had dispersed into a chaotic mess of moving bodies that had the small mage’s head spinning. “Uhh, crap.” Can’t do much in a skirmish. Got as good odds hitting a lizard as I do burning my new friends.

One of the lizards jumped up the wall with a screech. Nuraku followed it with her eyes, inhaling. When she saw it going for the escape, she turned her head before locking eyes with a huge, scaly beast.

The monsters tongue flicked at Nuraku before a hiss escaped its throat. Flame coalesced inches from the lizards snout before its jaws opened, body lunging forward. There was a sharp whistling sound as Nuraku breathed her Flame Lance straight down its gullet, the beast collapsing into a writhing heat as the ever-burning Shrivenflame began eating at it from the inside-out. In moments, its carcass was burnt to a crisp, even the bones beginning to blacken and charr.

Hearing a scrabbling behind her, Nuraku twisted around quickly, laying her front paw upon the warm blade beneath her and opening her mouth to charge up yet another Flame Lance. As she did, her throat felt hoarse. There was a certain strain radiating through her, a sensation she knew far too well. Between the Molding today and her many displays of magic, her reserves of aether had been depleted, and she now drew upon the last dregs of magic within her burning soul.

The thought crossed her mind, but the lizard trying to pull itself up the brittle rock-face to get to her took precedence. Stepping forward, Nuraku ducked low and blasted the lizard’s chin with a great ball of flame, sending it flying across the pit. The creature struck a rocky outcropping before rolling further down the hole, disappearing with a loud, echoing shriek down into the deep, black abyss of the hole at the center, which was partly luminous upon the upper lip thanks to her embers of Shrivenflame clinging to the back portion--getting through there was going to be a little dangerous later on if the gnomes so chose.

Scanning the area one last time, Nuraku looked back to her friends. There was a lizard creeping low, like a stalking jungle cat. It had its eyes on Joop, who seemed preoccupied with another. Nuraku’s heart sank. Will I be accurate enough? she worried.

Opening her maw, Nuraku pushed past the burning, smoky sensation building in her lungs and coughed out a whistling bolt of fire. The haggard Flame Lance shot forward and struck the lizard on the hind legs, prompting it to screech loudly, whipping around and scurrying down the crags before it tried climbing a back wall, slipping and falling as its legs behind it eroded.

Strangely, though these lizards had been burnt to crisps, their corpses did not smoke. There was only the slight stench of burnt ash stirred up from the conflict and the natural breeze.

With the last of the lizards dead, the cavern quieted down, and Nuraku peered around for more, her eyes wearily seeking enemies which no longer threatened. “...I think that’s all of them,” she breathed with a wheeze, sitting back. “We should camp here for a couple nights,” she called to the gnomes. “I can feel the corruption… had to push myself past my limits there, and now I need some rest.”

Picking up the handle of the knife in her teeth, she walked over to Moop and Joop, dropping it for a moment. The little white stoat looked up at Joop with a silly wave. “Hey there. I’m glad we found you. Care to introduce me to your sister, Moop?”

Nuraku’s eyes drooped, and the ferret seemed to slump forward, at first catching herself before she fell flat against the cave floor, a warm little scarf. As she did, she pushed the knife a few inches forward. “Rghf, my muscles are so weak,” complained Nuraku. “Burnt myself out a bit. Literally,” she grunted, pulling herself up by her front paws, though she now moved with a limp and a slouch. “I wouldn’t touch the knife if I were you,” she cautioned, rolling up against a rock and panting hard. “Even the handle will burn you.”

Nuraku’s eyes lidded shut, and her head fell.

“_{I’m just gonna take a nap right here for a little while… you two did… good.}” murmured the ermine mage.

A moment later, Nuraku was out cold like a limp, warm noodle. Her unusually hot body was running even hotter than usual thanks to the unknowable Beacon of her soul invisibly flaring. Even if a Flame Lance might have been a technique someone of her caliber could use more, there was a certain added strain to learning a new technique, a strain which she could not escape.

[Moop]

¤

With the lizards defeated by flames spat by a eating knife wielding stoat, the girls were just as zonked as Nuraku. Moop was thirsty, as Joop had to be too, and if the ponies didn't drink soon they would surely be dead. Nuraku looked woozy as they explained they were weak from the magic use, Moop understood nodding and keeping an eye on the mage. Nuraku came near the duo and Joop lifted an eyebrow at the beast.
"Indeed Moop, introduce us."
But before Moop was able to say anything the weasel collapsed on the cave floor in a heap, pushing away the eating knife. The twins watched as the mage-beast drifted farther and farther away into sleep, until they were out like a snuffed candle.

Joop face palmed, the bags under her eyes were heavy and she was very dirty.
"Is this a talking beast or a person?"
Moop, covered in lizard filth and hating every moment of it, held her sister's hand and said in their native language,
"A both. This person is a rathor they said and has a curse upon them. They shapeshift. I met the mage as a beady-eyed snake a few hours after you had left. This one's name is Nuraku and they are the reason you've been rescued, sister."
Joop considered this for a moment before shrugging, her eyes were dull and she looked unable to conjure up much emotion. Instead of showing it she spoke her gratitude.
"I apologize for getting lost. Comit and I were chased by hyenas and I ended up farther off course than I intended. Thank you and I will thank Nuraku when their mage-sickness wears off of course. Now, lets get the ponies out of the weather and in the cave. Be careful of that fire, Moop, it's unnatural."
Moop nodded and rubbed her chest where the dewclaw teared the leather. Tears were in her tired eyes and she set off to gather the ponies and their things.

These horses were gaunt and ornery. One bit Moop on the shoulder, hard, leaving a bruise. They had picked up the toasted Nuraku and set them in the wagon for safe keeping. By now it was sundown and the twins had awoken from their own nap, now staring at the fire which pooled against the back wall over top of a pile of ashes and bone. They knew what the other was thinking, that cave in the floor was important and they would need to go in there. Unfortunately it was plagued by the magic fire of Nuraku. Moop watched it with a hand against her chin as Joop simply brushed her hair, lost in thought.
"We will die without it. I know there's water in there."
Joop said finally.
"I'll go in, give me the skins."
And so, Moop put their two skins in her empty bag and approached the crevasse. Its back was lit on fire and the heat from the flame played in Moop's large eyes as they peered into the darkness below. There was a rocky formation leading down which would be easy enough to climb with the rope attached to her waist for support, but she worried about the flame burning apart the rope from sheer heat itself. Looking back to the wagon which held the indisposed Nuraku she desperately wished that the mage was awake so Moop could grill them with questions.
'Alas',
she thought,
'I will figure it out on my own.'

Tying her hemp rope to around her waist Joop stood holding the other end, mechanical feet rooted well into the rock and dust of the cave floor. Moop descended into the cave, avoiding the flames along its back edge with great caution and fear. Climbing was tricky as the steps jutted out at odd angles, she was forced to climb almost in a spiral down deeper into the cavern. She lost her footing twice, the first time farther at the top where Joop could see, her sister yanked back on the rope and allowed Moop to steady herself. The second time Moop slipped and instead of falling down flung herself forward, knocking the wind out of her by a stone which pummeled into her stomach from force; but it was enough to save her.

Down she went until finally entering a small chamber and found there a trickle of a stream which formed a small pool. Inside was bones and lizard filth, it smelled vile in the hole now caught on fire with the same flame. Luckily the flame was away from where she needed to be and she left the fire well alone, giving it a wide berth. There was an opening in the ground again, small enough for her to get through should she want to spelunk and she peered into it for a moment. In the darkness was a faint glint of something illuminated by the magic flame shining deeper inside this third cavern. Moop filled the water skins and climbed back up, finding ascent easier then the way down. She would be back a few times to quench everyone's thirst.

On the final trip she peered again at the faint glint in the darkness below before filling the water skins with the cave water. Now the job was done, the ponies were quenched but not in higher spirits, just tired. They all were tired. It was night now and the magic fires still burned. Everyone slept that night, a full night's rest, in the amber winking cave beneath the desert.

[Nuraku]

Bleary-eyed, those tiny eyelids opened to slits between the turn of every hour, a suspicious gaze keeping watch at the flickering cavern ceiling. Hushed words and whispers filled her ears, but she napped soundly until the point she caught dwarven faces peering down upon her, a waterskin descending. Reaching up, she drank greedily, hungrily, filling her guts plump with that cool, much-needed liquid.

Sated, Nuraku drifted back into the abyss, her mind riddled with thoughts and dreams, even nightmares. A fitful rest began, her body feverish as it worked through the Threshold Sickness she’d been accruing in these last few days. “Mnuh… Black Remedy… the sigil…” she murmured. “Vesta, no… Irothar, where are your…?” Her brow furrowed, the woman talking in her sleep. “Argent… Knights…”

Before too long, she fell into a deeper sleep, the mumbling ceasing. She awoke with a groan, an ache in her guts. Mouth parched with the taste of dried blood, she clawed forward and pulled herself up upon four shaky legs, shambling up the wooden railing of the cart and leaning over the side before falling to the earth with a soft thud.

It was already well into the afternoon. She had slept nearly twenty four hours, her dizzy, groggy body barely cooperating. “I’ll be… be back in a little bit,” she told the two dwarves before hopping off into the shadows. Nuraku returned a few minutes later slightly refreshed, the corruption plaguing her body since mostly dealt with.

“Been awhile since I pushed myself that hard,” she told the dwarves, side-stepping one of her ever-burning flames. Lifting her nose, she peered across the flickering caves. The fires had dimmed, waning, but they still looked a bit dangerous even if they’d lost a lot of their vigor naturally in the past day.

Walking up on the waterskin, she gripped it between her forepaws and sat back, lifting it upside-down and drinking heartily once more, her small body remarkably efficient for the desert and rations. Oddly, she wasn’t too hungry, though she definitely felt ill.

Finding the knife, she took it with her and settled by the camp with it beneath her paws. Opening her small mouth, she spoke in a rasping, growled tone. “I’m sure you both must have many questions by now. The magic I used stems from an order of revolutionaries from Sil’Elaine to the east. They are those who are seeking to free the country and its Sil’norai from powerful, flesh eating monsters currently ruling the land and using the elves like cattle. These Dranoch are my sworn enemy, but with my curse I am of little use to the order. My goal is to push myself as I have done today, so that I may one day unwind the curse and join my comrades.”
”Tell me more of this CLUGS you’re a part of. I’ve heard a little bit from Moop,” said Nuraku.