Atharen, A Fantasy Roleplay Forum

As he supplied the information she wondered about, she’d keep switching between a scribe and an overzealous investigator. Still surprised about how quickly he pried open on the information he held, she wasted no time in writing the minutia down, no matter how insignificant. It mattered little whether his approximations were correct or not, she’d have to backtrack along his route later. Having a good idea of what she’d be facing there could speed up the process.

He seemed to take up her proposal and was open to the idea of them searching for the supposed treasure together. Her interest was piqued, but wealth mattered little to her. On the other hand, if this building was sufficiently old, perhaps it could be at least partially what Valanox had looked for in the area. When she came back with information beyond her actual scope of work, perhaps he’d open himself up more. Kyrikain knew she was hungry to know more, yet constantly rebuked.

“I don’t think we should travel through the night” she looked back to Horse, losing complete sight of Isidro. She had used the animal nocturnally in the past, but never with great success. Her brother was a much better rider, and he’d surely be able to keep its footing steady even through the darker hours. With no way to perceive the night, save for her own sound and the animal equally blind, it was better to delay until the wee hours at least. Once the sky started going lighter and rusting over would be a better time.

The fact that they hadn’t met any of the advertised dangers yet made her skin crawl at the thought. The law of average existed for a reason. The Badlands were very dangerous on average. Every positive turn of events only worried her further about their fortunes potentially rebalancing in the future. Still holding back on her power, she wouldn’t summon forth help even at this instance. In Daravin her talents made her more instead of less as it was in many places. It would still be foolish to show her capabilities prematurely. There would be a time. When it came, surprise would be her friend.

“We need to secure the camp for the evening somehow” she looked at the man. “You’ve heard me approaching, but there are many things here which aren’t as heavy footed” unsure what would’ve been the best way to organize, she wanted his input. Had she been alone, she’d have called in a sentry and called it a night.

His words made sense. She’d nod along, and try gathering up her own things to match his pace. She took the leftover stew gratefully, moving it aside in order to keep the packing speed. The more he spoke, the less threatening she found him. All of his ideas had been reasonable, if overly cautious ones. Velx didn’t see much of a difference between being leeward next to a rock or a dune. There was reason for them to avoid fire late into the evening, but was it truly significant enough to justify the freezing hours of the evening?

As he took his time breaking up the camp, she devoted hers to two things – using sand t slowly dry out the excess ink off her papers, as well as pushing additional sand over what had once been their hearth. Covering the scorch marks under additional layers of sand seemed to be too cautious a step, but if they were already in said mood, might as well commit. If animals took their blankets, then moving into the wagon did seem a good idea. She would voice no protest, but believed she should take the second shift. If any problems arose, he’d be firmly tucked in and sound asleep. That would give her more discretion in calling in assistance.

“It would be best if I took the second shift” she expressed, still unsure about the entire idea of a rubdown. Horse surely needed upkeep, like all things. Yet, she had never done so before – assuming that it’d just rest when she rested. Perhaps this was a learning opportunity of sorts. A bit ashamed to ask, given the age disparity between them, she figured she’d get the information she needed by watching the young one’s performance.

As he packed, her own things were dried, wrapped and bundled to Horse. All that was left was covering the tracks of their passing when they started moving. She wasn’t a tracker by trade, but she’d been found enough times to at least alleviate the most obvious signs of their presence.

“If you take Horse” she’d point to her animal “I can blend our tracks a bit” offering him the reigns.

As Isidro took the animals further out, she’d pull some of her own linen down into the sand. Dragging it backwards to where he imagined their next camp to be. She would flounder it softly side to side, making it more like a big slithering creature had passed. The trails of the wagon weren’t that firmly stuck to the shifting ground, so she was quickly satisfied with her work. Portioned, she inched further in his direction. Constantly going backwards and in a slouch had slowed down her process significantly, but the quality was there. She could always look for comfort when her turn came for resting.

The young man was already mid tending to her animal by the time she was satisfied with what was left behind them. It was unclear how Horse was so calm around the stranger, but she would accept it. Isidro truly did feel non-threatening for the most part. She tried to remember what he’d been doing. Horse seemed to enjoy it, so perhaps she could do the same for the animal next time they were exhausted on the side of the road. She did notice that he was considerably less devoted to his own animals than he was to hers, but didn’t think much of it. She’d known numerous people who would treat other people’s lives and property better than their own.

While he was talking about how he’d take the first shift, he neatly packed himself into a sleeping position. Within moments he was off to fend with Kyrikain, and it left her frustrated. Hadn’t they agreed a moment ago that he would have the first watch and then she’d take over? Was she now speaking Common? Letting the minimal flicker of anger wash over her, she’d accept her lot. She pulled one of her blankets around herself in preparation for the cold of the evening, making sure to keep the dune behind her in hopes of the wind passing them by. The thought of being ungentle when she woke him up helped a smirk rise up her cheek.

It was difficult to measure time accurately in the desert, especially at night. With this in mind, she believed at least half her allotted time had passed and there weren’t any major changes. Just as she was slowly dulling her attention, she caught a faint disturbance in the distance. It sounded like discomfort and struggling machines, and while it wasn’t immediately obvious to her, the melody multiplied before it died.

Not resisting the urge, she would come to realize that while she hid their more recent tracks, she never did anything for the earlier ones. That oversight could be bringing something to their door at this moment. Should someone be watching, she did her best to appear unalarmed, and used a handless yawn to violently echo through the surrounding lands. By the time unsuppressed sound ended, waves of feedback were already washing back through her. Multiple contours of bipedal constructs which were clearly not there before. Her mind couldn’t immediately transcribe the detail, but she was certain there were at least six of them, accompanied by what seemed to be elongated, two-wheeled contraptions. She could probably reapply the echo to see if they were drawing closer, but decided she’d rather be uncertain and have the extra ether at her disposal.

The way to the wagon was a short one, but she still shuddered at the thought of turning her back to what she knew were strangers. Against her earlier wishes, she’d silently step to the wagon and try to be gentle in waking him up. Self-preservation would still take precedence and she’d extend herself to make sure her hand was resting over the arm he used to move the gun off his lap earlier. Trying to be covert could buy them time, but she wasn’t getting shot over it. Once in position, she’d try to nudge him awake, unsure how soundly he slept.

“Isidro, they are watching us” she whispered softly while she kept the slow nudging. “There are six of them, I believe. Maybe more. They don’t have horses, but they do have something two-wheeled along with them” she explained further.

She wasn’t sure what to do. Violence was always an option, but violence and discretion seldom mixed well.

Isidro had the tact to awaken gracefully and forgo losing his composure. She was near the point of panic, but couldn’t quite bring herself over the edge with him providing a counterweight. She observed his phony routines and nodded at the words. If he truly knew that much about them and the place they haunted, why did he come out here alone? The thought cradled inside slowly and she felt what was left of her calm washing back into a more acute awareness. Disregarding him as a non-threat might have been overeager on her end. No sane man would have come out here with that knowledge without a contingency.

“Humans and Norai do not see that far in the dark unaided” she’d express from experience. “We may have bigger concerns” she wondered if it was possible to blink others if it became necessary. As horror washed over her, she finally accounted for the possibility of there being mages among them. If they were to be attacked without terrain or numbers advantage, she could do her best to compensate in power. What if there was no power gap to speak of? What if they too had practitioners up there?

“I fear we may not see the morning before they move” darkness was their cover, and every moment they delayed only increased the probability of losing said advantage. As light would rise in the sky, the onlookers would find it difficult to actually hide from the two of them. If she was the hunter here, she would strike swiftly, in the manner of young and thirsty Dranoch. Perhaps even as the prey a preemptive attack could help them navigate the desert without having to look over their shoulders. That would have meant revealing to Isidro she was less than exactly helpless and it would paint her a threat. It wouldn’t be wise to seem dangerous.

“Can you fight, Isidro?” she kept her back turned to what she knew was there.

His attitude encouraged her. The will to fight was definitely there, and there was none of the bravado of Norai who kept dying too young. He would likely be useful in the upcoming confrontation. She watched his preparation quietly, appreciating the care he took in not producing too much light. Velx could feel perfume of all things enveloping their space. The time for the masquerade had passed, and it was a moment for teeth to flash in a bite rather than a smile.

Her own preparation was done in slowly getting herself separated from things which would rattle at the speeds she planned for. The kit was moved away. The additional wraps were tightened, lest she break her bones in blink, fabric caught onto an overlooked ledge. She abandoned the bow, but reached for several arrows to hold in her fist. At this moment it felt silly she had ever bothered with ranged weaponry given how she was ranged weaponry herself – but the arrow had always felt familiar and correct.

With the extra layers being dropped from her form, she lost the blanket as well. The chill seeped in quickly and she welcomed it, perhaps it could offset some of the blink, but unlikely. Finally, she would refocus on her would be companion. More than maps indeed.

“I didn’t want you to be afraid of me” she shakily said, cold rattling her teeth same as she was about to enact upon her enemies. She resigned herself to what felt an inevitable outcome. “Still, it is better than dying in our sleep” she cracked her knuckles in the manner her brother always hated and was ready.

“I believe I can help close the distance between us, but I am unsure if your body or my legs can take it” she nudged her head higher than her right shoulder. “No more than two hundred yards. Behind the bend” she wasn’t sure if he saw the bend, but it was there, she felt it.