[M] Rise of the Uchawi

[Ashen]

[This roleplay is rated mature for reasons that may include but are not limited to: strong language, suggestive themes, violence, and mild romance. Reader discretion is advised.]

The night was just starting to set in over the land. Children and adults alike knew better than to be out during the night, not with all the rumors that had come up as of late. There were plenty of rumors about some dark lord, some black beast summoning undead armies in an effort to destroy the world. No one knew the mage's motives, or if he was even real, but no one wanted to take their chances, either. Nighttime was a time to stay inside, to not dare head out, unless one wanted to be enrolled in an army of complete annihilation.

One being, however, lifted herself from the quilt she had set for herself and rubbed at her eyes. The night was her morning, and as she stretched herself awake she took inventory of her belongings. Her old, worn backpack was still there, which housed her quilt, pillow, and a few other trinkets she liked to carry around. The clothes on her back were still intact. She was a plain girl, wearing practical clothes in dark shades, with a dark hood to cover much of her face. Lastly, her second bag, her most valuable possession, was still by her side. This satchel seemed older than the girl herself, and it was falling apart in several places. Inside was an ancient book that was even worse for wear. This book, perhaps, was worth more than the girl's life.

After packing her quilt and pillow back into the backpack she headed out. This was a normal day for her: sleeping outside during the afternoons, and wandering for answers during the night. She was unafraid of the dark being; in fact, she wanted to find him. Maybe, after a lifetime of searching, she would find in him the answers she so desperately needed.

It was not long before the voices started. They were quiet today, the girl's fan club. Several voices spoke in a language no one else seemed to know. A few of them gave off muffled screams. But the girl seemed to have no problem with ignoring them, and she continued onward. Maybe today she would finally get a lead. Maybe she would learn what her book, or her abilities, or the mark on her face meant.

[IssyEspeon]

The darkening of the sky to dusk heralded the time where many chose to be inside. Only the extremely confident, careless, or desperate seemed to go outside at night these days. For the three travelers on the road, it was a mixture. One walked, surrounded by an air of slight irritation that was obviously being masked. His expression was guarded, and his hand rested stiffly on the hilt of the sword at his waist. His eyes scanned the area as they walked, his straight backed form betraying his slight apprehension. His companion on the other hand, looked completely at ease. He was far younger, as well as obviously being shorter. He walked casually, a confident grin on his face. Blades at his side glinted, the collection of sharp looking knives held along a belt. The final member of the trio lumbered behind them, large footprints being left behind. It was kind of hard not to leave such large impressions when you were a full grown elephant. The beast seemed calm, contrasting the guarded and careless attitudes her companions were showing. The man muttered a curse under his breath. "You can't run off like that Resham. Not we have no idea where we are, nor how long it will take to get to a town or village." He scolded softly, a gently accent clear in his voice. The kid shrugged, and turned to the elephant, rummaging though a saddle bag at her side. Pulling out a lantern, he handed it to the elder male with a shrug, and a lit match.

When ignited, the two males appearance became clear. The younger had tanned skin and dark hair, a dark black that almost seemed to have a blue tint to it. His eyes were a dark purplish reddish colour, and he walked around wearing baggy, cream shorts and a sleeveless top. His companion had pale skin, dark eyes, and dark hair. His seemed simply to be straight black, which fell straight down to just below his ear. He wore a blue, long sleeved top, and white trousers, his feet bare as his companions as they walked down the path. The elephant was but a hulking shadow behind them, tusks gleaming in the light. A silence covered them, and it remained like that for quite some time.

[Ashen]

It was always so silent at night. Silence, of course, was relative, as the relentless whispers were omnipresent. The girl could hear her own heartbeat. She had long since gotten used to the subtle sounds of the night, but tonight, something seemed... off. She was wary as ever as she trod along, light on her small feet. But after a while, she grew more confident in her suspicions. She was not alone.

She stood perfectly still in the darkness, scanning the area with her eyes and listening to any sound. The whispers were getting louder, making it even harder to go by hearing. She slowly dropped to her knees and placed her hands on the ground. There, she felt it, felt the footsteps of several beings. There was an army drawing near, and their footsteps were synchronized. But as she continued to feel the vibrations, she realized she was facing no army. What was making those footsteps was a single, gigantic being.

She rose to her feet and entered into a battle stance. The newcomer was coming from the east, and she was ready. She ripped her old book from her satchel and opened up to a specific page. It was dark, too dark to see, but she knew what was on the page anyway. She mumbled something in a language no one else would know and soon a small flame appeared in her right hand. She tucked the book away and tried to look out into the night. The light gave light to some parts of her. Her hand was gloved, and her clothes were stained. Her iron-straight hair was the ebony of the night around her. On the ride side of her face, just peeking across her cheek, was an ashen mark. The left side of her face was covered by her hood. The twinkling fire in her hand was too weak, and soon, it died out, leaving the girl in darkness once more.

It was drawing closer. She could feel the beast closing in, several meters away now. She stood her ground, unwavering. Would it be able to see her, smell her? "Halt," she called into the darkness. "Halt and state your purpose. Few have the tenacity to venture out at a time like this. If you are working with him, I ask a word of you."

[IssyEspeon]

The boy slowed, his eyes narrowing as he saw a small spark, a tiny dancing flame appear before them. It vanished too soon for him to see much, but he slowed slightly as that happened. The older slowed as well, the large elephant doing the same. A voice broke through the relative silence, and all three immediately stopped. Two knives were suddenly held in the boys hands, and the older held his sword. Their lantern was did guarded, sitting on the ground beside them. Eyes narrow, the squinted into the darkness, trying to make out the dark figure.

"We are trying to reach a settlement of some sort. My companion decided to run off earlier, and wherever he goes, I have to follow." He called clearly. "I am Kaito. My younger companion is Resham, and his, pet of sorts, is Mah La. We had hoped to reach a place before night fell, but obviously we did not succeed in this regard. And we do not work with him." He said in the same, even voice. "In return, I ask who you are, and what your business is at night as well. As you said, few venture out at night. So why are you traveling at this time?

[Ashen]

She was silent as the spoke, and she took in all sorts of things. They were foreigners; she could tell by the man's accent before he said as much. Their names were not native either. However, they did not seem terribly dangerous, not yet. She could sense the danger coming from the smaller man, but she knew she would be able to handle herself if he attacked. However, she desperately hoped it would not come to that.

She was silent for a while after the man had answered. Finally, she drew in a short breath, and she responded. "I am called Mae," she told them. "I prefer nighttime travel. There is less of a crowd to work through. I fear none who may threaten the peace of the night." Her voice was rough, confident. Even her stance was firm as she studied the newcomers. It was too dark to make out much. She was most curious about their pet. What kind of pet would tread so heavily?

"There is a town to the south of here," she continued. "If you seek refuge for the night, it is perhaps the closest town to here. If you are not slow, you will get there in just a few hours. I would recommend keeping a close eye on your belongings while there. The townsfolk heartily welcome tourists--and the coin they manage to pilfer from them." Her hand fell over her satchel protectively. "And if I may. If you are looking to make enemies in this new land you stumble upon, I would say you're doing a fine job. It is hardly gentlemanly to threaten a lady with weapons before even getting to know her name, is it not?" A small smirk played over her lips. If they thought she was so naive, they were dead wrong.

[IssyEspeon]

"Says the woman who's faking being a watchman." The younger called, rolling his eyes. He too had an accent, though quite different than the man he was traveling, as well as higher pitched. He wasn't even a teenager yet, which was obvious to whoever could observe his height. He began spinning one of his blades between his fingers, an apparent habit that was done absentmindedly, without him really looking to do so. Yet, he didnt mess up and hurt himself. Kaito still held his sword. "Though Resham said it in a rather disrespectful manner, he is correct. You may claim this is hardly something a gentleman would do, which is also correct. However, when confronted by someone you cannot see, who is seeking a word with the one stirring this land into chaos, I think it to be an appropriate response. One cannot forget the dangers of the road by hearing a woman before him. You travel by night, though it is hardly a time to be doing so these days. At least, to be doing so alone. This said, we cannot treat you as we would a naive child. Nothing in this exchange of words has given cause for trust, and regrettably the manners I would typically keep in mind. If we make enemies, so be it. To offend someone is better than to be killed from carelessness." He spoke calmly, a cold edge to his voice as it cut through the silence. Her words now gave them pause, and a reason to continue traveling rather than head to some village. With a sigh, Kaito resigned himself to a night of traveling. At least the elephant would deter people.

[Ashen]

She stood silent a little while longer. The one with the blades was a mere child? Mae knew better than most not judge by appearance, but... a child was threatening her. She would laugh about it later. She soon straightened and gentle shrugged her shoulders. "I am not alone," she answered. Her voice was quiet then, as if she didn't care if they heard her. "Nothing will let you trust me, sure. But I've given you no cause to not trust me, isn't that right?" She was smiling again. This was something she was used to. As a nighttime wanderer, Mae was used to those that sought her coin. She was used to defending herself. Though the two before her didn't seem particularly dangerous, she was ready to cut them down.

She turned so that she was not facing them anymore, but her back was not turned to them. "I see little need in making enemies in those that I have just met," she continued slowly. "Especially two that are just being careful, such as you. I can hardly blame you. You are all alone in an unfamiliar land, searching for somewhere to spend the night. Surely you have heard the rumors that have been stirring up? The Lord of Chaos? Master of Darkness? He has had many names. Surely you fear him?" She cast her dark eyes their way, trying to watch for movements. "It must be unnerving, being in your shoes. So how about I help you?"

She turned to face them again. From her outline she looked a lot larger than she was. Her bags made her seem much bulkier, and the hood hid the shape of her face. They would just be able to make out the whites of her eyes. "I can lead you to the nearest town," she went on. "It would make no difference to me. I am a wanderer, after all. i seldom have a destination in mind. However, my services aren't quite free..." Her voice trailed and she changed stances. She raised an eyebrow at them as she watched them over her shoulder. "I do not ask much. Perhaps just when we get to town you buy me a drink or two. And, I don't know, why don't you tell me about the one stirring this land into chaos? You seemed to know exactly who I was talking about before I mentioned a name. That seems awfully suspicious, doesn't it?" She was hoping she could get some information out of them. Maybe they knew something. Maybe she'd be able to get somewhere. "So is it a deal, boys?"

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito listened, then looked at his companion. The boy shrugged. "Sure. Follow the weird lady. Why not." He sat, sheathing his knives. The man nodded. While the kid was small, he was quick, and deadly accurate with his throwing knives. Still, he did not sheath his blade. Her words had hit a little close to home for them, which made Kaito even more cautious of the woman. She seemed off to him, though he couldn't quite say why. Still, her offer was indeed a good one. They could reach a safe spot for the night, for a relatively low price. Still, countless things told him not to accept.

For starters, he couldn't quite believe she was alone. He knew of too many cases where a group was led by a single person, claiming to be helpful, lost, or hurt, straight into an ambush. She wanted information on the one causing trouble, one that didnt seem to be the typical bravado of wanting to find and kill him, nor of fear to evade. Still, he of all knew, he couldn't decide the best course of action. With a sigh, he lowered his blade.

"Very well. Your terms seem reasonable enough. But I have one request, which is a simple thing hat would only take a moment." Resham looked at him, confused. "I ask that you show us your face." He said plainly, looking straight at the outline that was her figure. Resham lifted the lantern, shedding their faces and garb once again in the faint light. Both looked towards her, the leathery skin of Mah La barely visible behind them.

[Ashen]

Mae flinched at the light, enough for the both of them to see. It was a natural reaction. She soon looked back at them, her expression changed. She looked a little angered, maybe even crestfallen. "I suppose it is only fair," she said tightly. "I would hardly want to travel with those whose faces I have not seen." She let out a sigh before bringing her gloved fingers to her hood. Gently, she pulled it away, exposing her face.

The girl was young. She was in the very early stages of adulthood. Her dark skin suggested desert-dwelling origins. Black hair was cut just over her eyes, angled so that it shielded much of the left side of her face. Her eyes were a shining black in the night. Long straight hair peeked from her cloak. Cautiously, she moved the hair from her face, revealing her most memorable feature. A scar covered most of the left side of the girl's face and just lingered at the right. It looked like a port wine stain, though it was entirely grey, like a pale form of argyria. It ran from her chin to her forehead and was widest below her eyes, where it stretched to both sides of her face. Her hair soon fell over her face once more and she looked away, clearly self-conscious.

Mae hated her face, and they'd both be able to see that. Though she tried to hide it, she failed miserably. She felt exposed, and her guard was immediately down. She tried shaking it off. "Very well then," she said, her voice showing her discomfort. "We shall be off then, shall we?"

[IssyEspeon]

The two watched, their eyes widening slightly at the scar. Immediately, Kaito felt guilty for asking her to do so. "I apologize for making you uncomfortable." He said softly, his voice still managing to carry in the silence. "I appreciate that you showed us, even though it is something that causes you discomfort." He was quiet, the three travelers closing the distance with her, and the elephant becoming far more visible. Resham shrugged it off. "Yeah, lets go." He agreed, seemingly unaffected by the scarred face. He didnt see it as much of an issue to be honest, though his hand brushed against his forehead slightly as he thought of it. Shrugging, he began walking, causing the other two to do the same.

Their walk was uneventful for about a minute, then a dark shape darted before them in the road. Kairos sword flashed upwards, just in time to catch a weapon that would have carved a large hole in him. "Tch." He are a sound of annoyance, her face setting coldly as he knocked them back. His eyes scanned the area, noting several more almost imperceptible movements surrounding them. "Looks like we're in for a fight." He said under his breath, making Resham grin, knives glinting in his hands. "Lets go then." The kid said, then darted forwards to start the fight.

[Ashen]

Mae was still as she heard them. There was more than the usual whispers, though they were louder than whispers now. No, they were being accompanied. She could sense them seemingly before any of them. They didn't seem like the kind Mae was looking for; their movements were too deliberate to be commanded by a darker force. No, these were probably thieves, sellswords, and they would surely regret choosing their victims tonight.

Her hand again went to the book by her hip but she decided against it. Resham and Kaito surely would distrust her if they knew of the contents of the book. And if they just saw what she could do, they would send her off to the gallows in a heartbeat. This was a job for a blade. So Mae unscathed her blade, a simple broadsword that was just starting to dull. Swordfighting was hardly a sport for a woman, but she would show them both that she was no ordinary woman. And as one being came at her she easy deflected his attack and countered it, shoving her blade deep into the man's stomach. "You might have done better to choose someone else," she whispered to him. "I'm sorry. It is kill or be killed, and I have much left to do."

Whether either of them heard her she did not know. Her words were not for them, anyway. She got right to work in handling the fight. The voices were getting louder still, shouting, making her concentration falter. She was trying hard to stay in the fight, but with so much noise, she was finding it difficult to even think.

[IssyEspeon]

The two males fought as if it were something they needed to do a lot. Kaito drifted after Resham through the fight, his blade cutting through the air easily. The blade glittered dangerously, the edge razor sharp as it cut easily into and even through skin. Each time he cut a theif down, he murmured something under his breath before continuing after the younger. Resham was also holding his own quite easily. He was small, nimble, and quick on his feet, far quicker than many of their attackers. His blades flashed, cutting in and out of the men, striking into the chest, or into areas heavy with arteries. Still, he turned, noticing Mae struggling slightly to focus. His eyes widened as he caught sigh of a man behind her, and set his jaw as he raised his hand. "Duck!" He yelled at her before sending one of his knives straight through the air. There was a guttering, choking sound, and the man fell heavily, the knife embedded in his throat.

[Ashen]

Anything quieter than a yell and she would not have heard him. Mae did as she was told and watched as the man fell down before her, life draining from his eyes. She nodded a short thanks to Resham. This was getting out of hand. The voices, if they didn't quiet soon, Mae would get herself killed. She shook her head, sending her hair flying. Shut up, she willed. Please. For now, just shut up.

But soon it seemed the fighting was drawing to a close. There weren't many thieves about, it was too early in the day, and once they were all taken care of Mae sighed and wiped her forehead with her sleeve. That had been close, too close, and she hated having to rely on anyone. Still, the kid had saved her life. She looked over at him. "I thank you," she said softly. "I was distracted. You protected me. You have my gratitude." She looked to the older man too. "You two are quite skilled. I take it you fight often?" She sheathed her sword and crossed her arms over her chest. "Not exactly something a lady likes to hear when traveling with two strangers, but it seems to have protected us. I shall not pry."

[IssyEspeon]

Resham wiped his brow, exposing for a moment a golden circle in his skin, lighter than his tanned complexion. Before one could get a good look, his midnight hair fell back over it, concealing it as he walked and retrieved his knife. "You're welcome." He said simply, turning with a grin on his face. "It's easy to get distracted in a fight like that. It was chaotic, and dark, so I don't really blame ya. Be a bit more careful next time." He said, then walked back over to his pet. She trumpeted, brushing him gently with her trunk. He laughed slightly, fetching the lantern and fumbling a bit with a match. Cursing softly, it finally lit, and he picked up the lantern and looked at her.

Kaito turned towards her as well. "Not many ladies carry a sword, or know how to use it. Still, it is a unfortunate truth that we find ourselves in situations such as these more often than not. Are you alright?" He questioned, sheathing his blade. His suspicions cleared, he now regarded her with more concern than distrust. Resham rolled his eyes, walking ahead. "Lets go." He urged, wanting to leave the now blood slick road far behind.

[Ashen]

They were still speaking, though they were quieting. Be more careful... If only he knew the war that was going on in her head. Maybe then he would see how impossible it was to be more careful. But Mae shook it off. She was not to be making excuses for herself. The voices, they were commonplace, and blaming them would be foolish. No, she would take the blame herself, and next time, she would do better.

But she was pulled from her thoughts as she heard a trumpet. She turned to face Resham, who seemed to be laughing at something huge and wrinkled. Mae's brows furrowed as she thought but soon her expression turned to one of confusion. "An elephant?" she murmured. "Your pet is an elephant?" She looked the beast down and noticed for the first time the pale tusks, the large ears. "An elephant around here? I've never even seen one before with my own eyes. I... I hardly know where they even originate. By the gods, an elephant..." She started chuckling lightly. "I'd never thought I'd ever actually see one."

When she quieted she turned to Kaito. "I am fine," she answered him. "Unscathed. I know my way around a blade. It is only fitting, someone like me should know how to wield one. I travel at night, after all." She gave him a little ow as she continued walking. "Thank you. I trust that the two of you are well, too?"

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito nodded, a faint smile on his face. "We are alright. Resham is a bit too quick to be harmed by robbers as slow as they. And you are correct, it does make sense I suppose." He was quiet for a while, then looked at Resham and Mah La. "But, yes. Our pet is an elephant. We've come quite a ways from home..... They come from two areas if I remember correctly, both rather hot areas. On is a bit more humid though. At any rate, we do indeed travel with a full grown elephant." He found himself chuckling as well. He hadn't contemplated how absurd it would seem to someone else, but now that he was, he too found it amusing. "She's quite attached to Resham, and him to her. She's saved his life a fair amount of times. It's rather difficult to harm her, which comes in handy in combat." Resham seemed oblivious to their conversation, and was petting Mah La as she walked, sitting on one of her tusks as he did so. She didnt seem to mind it.

[Ashen]

"I suppose it would be." She continued walking delicately, taking in the sounds of the large animal's footfalls. Now that she knew it seemed so obvious. The beast could be nothing but an elephant. It was just so absurd, a knife-wielding boy with a five-ton beast as a pet. But then, the thought of a young girl willingly heading out to meet with the dark lord was probably just as farfetched.

She had to wonder at the pair. Were they father and son? No, they looked too different. And if they came from elephant-bearing lands, why were they so far from home? But it didn't concern the girl. It had little to do with her or her motives, so she tried to switch the subject. "So tell me, what is it you've heard about the Black Dragon? You seemed to have some idea of who he was before."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito was quiet for some time, his face darkening slightly at the name. "When you travel as much as we have, you can't help but hear about him." He said finally. "I've heard he is raising an army, that much I know for sure. For what purpose, the rumors vary. He uses some form of magic, something that has caused a good deal of fear for any who practice the arcane arts. I've heard he is cruel, and wishes to enslave this world under him. I've heard he goes against natural order, and raises the dead to do his bidding. Death seems to follow in his wake, though most misfortune seems to be blamed on him. I'm unsure what can be said of him that is true. I'm going on almost nothing but rumors alone." He was then quiet for some time. "How far until the village." He asked dully, wishing to get off the subject.

[Ashen]

And she let him drop the subject. "Some time yet. We have not been travelling long. Look how the moon is positioned a bit northeast? We should get to town when the moon is about... there." She was pointing, trying to use the sky to guide her. It was a lot easier in the day, of course, but Mae had long given up day travel. "We will be there before you know it. Peace, Kaito."

When she quieted she got to thinking. He had heard the same rumors she had, then. The undead army, the necromancy, the murder... Such tales would have anyone running, and so she was, running right towards the beast. Someone might have deemed her a lunatic for that alone. But she wanted her answers, and she was unafraid of what the dark being might do to her. No matter what, if he could just confirm her thoughts, it would be worth it.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito sighed. "...... There was one woman who I place higher credibility in. She said, though warning me she was not fully certain, that he lay to the west. I didnt hear more from her." He said softly. And that was all he said before forcing himself to think of their travel.

It took hours. By the time they reached the village, Resham was passed out, and even the elephant was tired. Kaitos feet felt like lead, aching and protesting from carrying him so far. There had been no other attacks, but he had remained somewhat jumpy since, especially when the you gets fell into sleep. As such, he was relieved to see the town before them. Tiredly, he walked through the streets to one of the few illuminated buildings, the tavern. He knew they'd be able to get some lodging there, as well as some drink. Quickly, he paid for a two rooms, as well as some space for Mah La nearby the building. After leading the elephant to her resting place, and carrying Resham into one of the rooms, he looked for his other companion, and sighed as he glanced wearily at Mae. "I owe you a few drinks, correct?" He asked, gesturing at the bar.

[Ashen]

The west... There was nothing west but deserts and wastelands. Well, fitting, for one who welcomed death and gloom. But where? Mae was from the west, she had the skin tone to prove it. So did that mean... Did that mean the dark lord would know something or her origins? It had to. That had to be it. So as she continued on there was a slight bounce to her step, a new-found hope.

Once they arrived in town Mae took a huge breath of air. It had been a while since she'd been in this town. The lights were brightening her features, and she'd be much easier to see. Her scarred face was still covered by her hood and she refused to lower it, even after entering the tavern. She looked over the lot inside and instinctively clutched her satchel closer to her. At Kaito's voice she smirked. "I believe you do," she told him. "I take mine Scotch."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito nodded, resigning himself to the task at hand, and walked over to the bar. A man bumped into him, and without a word, Kaito grabbed his wrist, and judo flipped him over his shoulder. The man gasped in pain, and Kaito glared at him, tightening his grip on the mans hand. It opened, and out dropped his coin pouch, which was still thick with coin. Retrieving his money, he glared around the room, a few of the more shifty patrons casting their eyes downwards. With a faint huff, he turned, and sat at the bar. The barmaid hurried over, and he looked at the wooden surface rather than at her. "Scotch, for her." He spoke quietly. Still, the woman nodded, and he hesitantly took a drink himself. He looked at Mae, then sighed. "If you don't like people, why take drinks as your payment? It's pretty clear you're uncomfortable here, and that can make you a target." He said in a low voice, one that would be hard for her to hear, and inaudible for the other patrons.

[Ashen]

Mae leaned back as she gulped down her drink. She wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve and raised an eyebrow at him. "Who said anything about not liking people, love?" She smirked at him and turned back to her drink. "They can't see it," she continued in a more serious tone. "Can't see that half. If not the hood then the hair shields it. Besides. Why should I have to hide a birthmark just because it may look unattractive to some people?" She looked up and her single showing eye was glaring at him, challenging.

She soon looked away though and motioned for the bartender to fill her glass once more. "I am unafraid of being a target here, of all places. No one in this room knows what I am capable of. The first man that tries to prey on me will have his head on the wall, I swear it." Her hand went to her sword as if to emphasize. "I am perfectly comfortable, Kaito." This, though, was a lie. No, she didn't like being around people like this. And Mae was not great at lying sober. She turned away so he would see even less of her face. "Sometimes, the whiskey shuts them up," she murmured, an afterthought. "It lets me forget all the pain I've caused. And even the cheap whiskey, I can't afford that. No, it's easier to have people pay for me. Makes me feel less pathetic, I guess."

When Mae looked up she seemed surprised, as if she hadn't noticed she had been talking. Her visible cheek colored and she turned away, in time for a new glass to appear before her. She downed it in one gulp. She didn't seem inclined to say much else.

[IssyEspeon]

His cheeks to he'd pink for a moment, then he sighed slightly. "I'm sorry of that offended you. You just don't seem very comfortable here, that's all." He said quietly, downing his drink slowly. He didnt doubt her words, but he hoped that she wouldn't actually kill anyone here. There had been more than enough death on the road there. Still, her words bothered him slightly. Now he felt as if, though she was obviously far different than him, they shared some common ground. At least with trying to forget pain he's left behind. With a sigh, he didnt pursue the topic, as he had quickly caught her look or surprise. He wouldn't bring it up.

For a while, it was quiet between them, him refraining from asking questions and her inclination being towards drinking more than talking. His eyes wandered the room, and he visibly flinched, and turned back to the bar as his eyes landed on one corner of the room. His cheeks looked red, and if you looked, you'd see what had made him look so embarrassed. There was a couple in one corner, who were quite passionately making out. Their hands were all over each other, and their tops were rather loose, the girls giving anyone who looked an eyeful of her chest. Kaito looked at Mae, then set a few coins down. "Here." He mumbled, looking for flustered as sounds became audible from the corner. "Pay for some more if you'd like, I'm, going upstairs." He said, handing her a few more coins to pay for some more drinks before leaving the bar.

[Ashen]

Mae was thankful for the silence between them. The whiskey was already working to quiet her demons and as she downed a third glass the corners of her sight were getting slightly foggy. She was trying hard to think of nothing, to let the thoughts that were threatening her pass as they pleased. But then she remembered she was not alone, and she looked up to see Kaito leaving, clearly flustered. She turned to the corner of the room and saw the couple. Why was he so embarrassed about a couple? But as Kaito left Mae began to smirk. This information could be quite useful later.

She took up the coins and was about to order another drink when she shook her head. Three would do it. Three would get her tipsy without getting her wasted. So she paid for the drinks she'd already had and went upstairs to find Kaito. She called his name, wondering if the second room he'd paid for was for her or Resham. She didn't really need a room, had already rested before setting out, but she figured drinking so soon after she'd woken probably wasn't the best idea. Maybe a nap would do her some good. Still, she lingered at the stairs, wondering which room Kaito had gone in, and how she'd be able to use his phobia to her advantage.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito heard her calling, and opened the door to the room he was sharing with Resham. He saw her, and exited his room, closing it carefully behind him. His cheeks were back to normal, and he looked at her calmly. "My apologies. I forgot to tell you about our arrangements." He bowed slightly, in an apologetic manner. "I got you a room, though you may decide not to use it. Here, its this one." He said, pulling out a key, and walking down the hall a bit, opening the door for her. "Resham is asleep, and I need some rest too. I'm not sure if you need rest at the moment, but I got it just in case." He spoke softly, looking at her hooded figure.

[Ashen]

She looked to the room, a small frown on her lips. "Oh," she murmured. If he was headed to bed already, that would mean she wouldn't be able to find out more about the two until morning. She wasn't tired; she had just woken before they set off after all, and she did most of her traveling at night. But to head out again would be unappreciative of Kaito's offer. When was the last time she had slept in a real bed? So she bowed her gratitude and entered the room, closing the door softly behind her.

The room wasn't anything special, but to her, it was better than she could have imagined. Mae had long been sleeping outside, and the warmth of the room blanketed her. She fell onto the bed and sighed. It was so soft. She buried herself in its blankets and just lay there for a few minutes. When she got up, her eyes rested on a door in the room. It was smaller than the one that led to the hall. On the other side was a bath, a real bath. Mae could not undress quickly enough as she excitedly got into the tub. She had been bathing in rivers and lakes for too long; this was a real bath.

Once she was finished with her bath she wrapped herself in a towel and set her clothes aside to wash those, too. Before she did, however, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The large grey mark that covered much of her skin kept her from seeing any sign of beauty in the mirror pane. She soon turned away and moved to brush her hair. Dully she wondered if Kaito was still awake, and how he would accept her in her current form, in just a towel. The thought made her smirk.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito smiled, leaving her the key to do as she wished. Leaving the room, he walked quietly back to his, opening the door a bare crack, then closing it firmly behind him. Sighing, he went to Reshams side, and looked at the sleeping boy, gently brushing the hair from his face. He was disturbed by what her saw.

The emblem that looked almost carved into his flesh, or at least part of it, was glowing a faint gold. It was mostly hidden by his hair, but the skin around it gleamed faintly with sweat. His skin was slightly feverish, making him curse softly. "It's getting worse." He murmured, covering the mark with hair once again. Worry set in, and he sighed softly. Anything that might help him, it was with Mah La. Cursing softly, he stood, closed the door and locked it, and ran down the hall, his foot steps louder than usual. He had barely reached the stairs when he once again cursed softly, realizing he had left his coin purse in his room. He if he would need to fork over a few coins for bringing in the stuff he would need, but it was better safe than sorry. He turned, and began walking back, trying not to disturb anyone by running again.

[Ashen]

There was running outside the door. Mae was still for a while, trying to take in the footfalls. They were a man's, the same man she had been traveling with just hours before. "Kaito?" she murmured softly, getting up and walking to the door. But her clothes were in the bathing room, and the towel showed more of her body than her clothes ever would. Though she didn't mind terribly, she wondered what perverts would be about, and who would gawk at her form. Figuring Kaito's expression would be worth it, she opened the door and stepped outside.

"Kaito?" She was standing in the door frame of her room, watching the man run about. Her wet hair did a poor job of covering her scar, but she hardly seemed to notice. Unclothed, he'd be able to see the curves to her body, the slight tug of her malnourished muscles, her too-thin figure. This she was unembarrassed of, a lot less embarrassed than she knew he'd be. As she saw him running her look soon turned to one of confusion. "Is everything alright?" she asked him. "Is Resham okay? Are you?"

[IssyEspeon]

He blinked, looking up as he heard his name. For a moment, he just stood, looking confused, his mind not quite comprehending what his eyes were telling him. Then, after a second, his face exploded into a bright shade of red. Stammering unintelligibly, he adverted his eyes, covered them, and backed into the wall behind him. "U-U-Uh, p-put some clothes on!" He stuttered, the tips of his ears turning red. "I-It's indecent to be, w-walking around like, t-that." He managed, a little softer this time. Still, his mind was nagging him about how thin she seemed to be. Well, the part that could think at least. Most of it was on the blink from seeing a woman with so little on.

[Ashen]

Mae's smile was widening, and she even resorted to batting her eyes. She approached him slowly. "I have clothes on," she told him. "This is enough, isn't it? Why are you getting so flustered, Kaito? Haven't you ever seen a woman before?" Though it was pretty apparent he'd hadn't, or at least had never had a good experience with one. "It's indecent to be turning such a shade of red, too. Don't you think you'll make the tomatoes jealous?"

She put a small hand on shoulder and lightly drummed his skin. Her left hand was behind her back, hidden from view. Her eyes were trained on his, and her lips were curved into a toothless smile. "It's just me, love," she told him. "Now, what's with all this running? Were you this excited to come see me?" She didn't need to look south to know his excitement was visible in more than just his cheeks. She was mortifying him, and she was absolutely loving it. A more sobered Mae would have pulled back by now, but this was too golden. "If you've no reason for the running around, we could go back to my room. People could get the wrong idea, seeing us like this, here..."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito had lowered his hands slightly, which proved to be a big mistake. His face grew even redder at her actions, him visibly gulping when she batter her eyes. He backed away slightly, pressing himself further against the wall in doing so. "I-I-It doesn't cover you properly!" He yelped, eyes flicking between her figure, and the other sides of the hallway. Her questions, and comments made him even more flustered, spluttering and stammering incomprehensively. "I-I haven't, you, u-um, uh, R-Resham." He stuttered out. Her calling him out on the color of his face only made him blush worse.

He flinched at the touch, gasping slightly as he pressed himself further against the wall. Her suggestions made him almost lose the ability to speak. "R-R-Resham, f-fever!" He struggled to force out, his eyes darting around the halls again. He didnt want to be seen with a nearly naked girl, but following her into her room would only make things worse. His hands were shaking slightly, and his breathing was surprisingly shallow, despite not having run far. He didnt feel very tired though, and he was mortified by how his body seemed to be reacting to her. He closed his eyes, half heartedly wishing it was all just a very bad dream.

[Ashen]

Mae was enjoying watching him blubber like an idiot until he spoke the name of his companion. At that she took a step away and looked him over. "A fever?" she repeated. "Is he alright?" She wanted more, she wanted so much more, but it was time to stop. The kid's life could be in danger. So she shed her playful demeanor and tried to find out what was going on.

"Fetch him some water then," she suggested. "Open a window, perhaps fan him. Is he conscious?" She was already heading back to her room to get a wet washcloth. "Why didn't you say something sooner, man?" She returned only seconds later with a washcloth. "And you were running about like an idiot? You could have called for a medic, or you might have called me. I may know something to help him." Though healing spells were practically unheard of in her book. Perhaps a spell to summon some winds? No. It was too risky. She would not chance magic in a place like this. Promiscuity, sure, but her magic would get her killed.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito let out a shaky breath of relief, closing his eyes as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. He watched her go into her room, covering his eyes again when he saw he come out in the same towel. "C-Can you put your clothes on?" He asked, turning towards his room. "He's asleep. I-I would've said something sooner of you hadn't been acting, u-uh, so inappropriately. I was running to get some supplies from our bags, which some are with Mah La. I realized taking a few coins might be helpful, so I turned back to retrieve some when you, um, w-well, came out of your room like that." His voice trailed awkwardly. "If this town truly tries to rob all who come through, I daren't get a medic. His temperature usually runs high, but this is unusually so for him. I didnt get you, because I didnt want to disturb you." He said softly, the tips of his ears pink with embarrassment.

With that, he walked down the hall to his room, sweating nervously himself. If she insistent on helping, how was he going to hide the glowing mark! Better yet, how could he in so little time. With a groan, he opened the window, letting cool air circulate before draping a wet washcloth other the glowing mark on his forehead. He sat beside the sweating child, listening to the sounds of the night, and the panting of his companion. "I hope she can help, without looking at his mark." He whispered.

[Ashen]

Mae rolled her eyes. "I am not acting inappropriately. I'm sure we'll both have a laugh about it later." At least, she knew she would. But Resham was a serious matter, and the time for joking was over. She shook her head softly. "My clothes are washing. You'll have to get used to this, dear." She still cast him a smirk but otherwise dropped the act, knowing getting him more flustered would only hurt Resham.

Mae waited a few seconds before letting herself into their room. Her eyes gazed over the child and she shifted uncomfortably. Kaito wasn't even looking. Some gentle winds might help calm him down, and it wasn't even that hard a spell. So she looked over Kaito, made sure his sole focus was the child, and she began murmuring. "Upemawa mashze*," she said, and then when it didn't work she repeated it. The second time seemed to work, and a long-lasting wind entered through the open window, chilling her naked body. She shook slightly and her grip on her towel tightened. She looked down to see her left hand's mark and she quickly switched hands. She then looked up, trying to figure out if her magic had worked, and if Kaito had noticed.

*Upemawa mashze - Mae's ancient language, roughly translates to "winds of the east"

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito sighed, resolving to let her use some of their clothes if it came to it. He couldn't get used to such, indecency. Still, she was obviously messing with him, and to his humiliation, it was working easily. Shaking his head at her, he looked back at Resham, who looked absolutely miserable in his sleep. He had barely noticed her enter, he was too busy going through his bag for something that could help. A water skin was pulled out, though he was unsure about how to help him with it while asleep. He shivered when a strong breeze blew endlessly into the room, looking out the window in slight confusion. Resham drew his attention back with a faint sigh of relief. "At least it is helping him." He murmured. He then looked to the door, noticing Mae, still in her towel, shivering and holding said towel close to her. His cheeks flared again, and he stood uncomfortably. Walking to his bed, he picked up the blanket, and walked towards her. His eyes averted respectfully, he held out the blanket. "You seem cold." He said softly. "Here, this can help."

[Ashen]

Mae took up the blanket wordlessly and draped it over her shoulders. She stepped closer to Resham and tried counting his breaths. He seemed to be calming down. Had her winds truly helped him? She smiled then and pulled the blanket closer over her body. "Is he well?" she asked quietly. "You can try removing his clothes. It would help him to cool down. Or perhaps I should do that. We wouldn't want you flustered again."

She sat down next the the child. The blanket fell over her lazily, hardly covering her chest. She was more concerned with Resham than with embarrassing Kaito, however. Mae fanned him lightly, and soon she started singing. Her singing voice was low and soft, and she sang in a language neither of them would understand. It was a lullaby, one with no particular effect to it, if not to soothe him in his sleep. When she finished singing she looked over him and sighed. "I think he'll be okay," she said quietly. "The way you fret over him, one might mistake you for his mother."

[IssyEspeon]

Kairos was somewhat relieved that she took the blanket, and sat next to her. "That won't help much. He comes from a very hot region, so his clothes are quite light. They're made to be light, and let air pass. Removing them won't help much." He said softly. His cheeks went red again, and he looked away, clearing his throat.

He glanced at her as she sat down, and averted his gaze again, his cheeks growing warmer as he caught a glimpse of her breasts. He found himself focusing on her hair and the side of her face as she sang, closing his eyes eventually as the words calmed him. Resham looked better as well, laying against the bed in a peaceful sleep. Kaitos expression darkened. "I suppose that would be a good description.... He doesn't have a mother anymore."

[Ashen]

Mae didn't look up at Kaito as he spoke. She could have assumed as much about the child. A mother wouldn't have let him run around like he did with a beast as big as an elephant, and she certainly would not let her child play with knives. In that, Mae found a similarity in the boy. She had never known her mother, had never had a motherly figure in her life. Even so, she couldn't help but feel saddened by the confirmation. Every kid deserved a mother. She could only look at him and sigh.

After a minute though she turned up to Kaito. "What happened to her?" she asked softly. "His mother, I mean. And who are you, to him? You don't look related. So why do you travel together, and so very far from your home?"

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito was quiet, looking sadly at Resham. "I am his guardian. It is the debt I owe her." He said softly. "His mother she, she saved my life about two years back. She brought me to her home, and healed the injuries I had sustained from a careless incident. She was the village healer, and often had to spend great deals of time away from home. She believed that in my time with her son, he could have more interactions with a human. She thought he spent too much time with Mah La. Then she was accused of something she didnt do." He was quiet for some time, staring at Resham with some pain in his eyes. "She wore a necklace of rope that day. Before being hanged, she begged me to take care of her son. And, to take him as far as I could from their village. By taking care of him, I am repaying my debt to her for saving me. And I was always far from home to begin with. Since then, we've traveled together. I'm a poor replacement to him, though sometimes he tells me I'm like a, 'no fun boring older brother who needs to have fun sometimes'." He shrugged, then looked at Mae. "What of you? Where is your home?" He asked softly.

[Ashen]

She was quiet for a while, both taking in the story of Resham's mother and debating what she would say in response to his questions about her. When she looked up she had an unreadable expression on her face. "I can teach you how to have fun if you'd like," she said slowly, a smirk slowly making its way to her lips. Her fingers were already running over his thigh. "It's a lot easier for a man to have fun when he has a woman by his side. Or so I'm told." She was smiling seductively again, but she wouldn't be going far. There was a child in the room, and even Mae wouldn't be that indecent. So after her fingers lingered on his inner thigh a little while longer she withdrew her hand and turned away.

She didn't say anything for a while, but when she did speak her voice was low. "My parents abandoned me," she said. Though her voice held little emotion in that her eyes were growing darker. "An abbot took me in and raised me. It was a small town. When I was sixteen I left." You were excommunicated, a voice rang out, louder in her head than even her own. Though most of the voices spoke in her strange language, this one was in perfect English. Mae's eyes fell to the floor. The voices started up again, all chanting loudly of the life she had left behind. They were bringing up a past she was ashamed of, mocking her, pushing her close to the edge.

Suddenly Mae stood and started for the door. "I should let you rest," she said. "I have my own clothes to tend to, anyway." She dropped the blanket for him at the door and started back to her own room.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaitos breath hitched as her hand ran over his thigh, shuddering as his face flamed red. "S-S-Stop it!" He stammered, pressing against the back of the chair he was sitting in as he tried to move away. He let out a surprised sound as they trailed to the inner part of his thigh, heart pounding as he spluttered softly, his mind screaming at him not to wake Resham, and to make her stop this shameful and indecent behavior. He let out a little sigh of relief as she pulled away, and he turned, focusing directly on Reshams sleeping face as he tried to calm down.

His eyes then snapped to her as she spoke of her life. He cold tell the words were hard for her to get out, and he found himself wanting to reach out to her, provide some measure of comfort of some kind. She was quiet, then abruptly stood. Confused, he watched her go, and looked at the discarded blanket. He found himself following her. "Mae." He said softly. "Should I expect to see you in the morning, or is that a naive thought to entertain?" He asked, looking at her as she started down the hall. He wondered if she would answer, or simply keep going.

[Ashen]

She stopped at his voice. There she was, naked save but a towel, in the middle of a hallway during the dark hours of the night, and a man was asking if her could expect to see her again. Later, she would laugh at the thought, laugh at all the ways the scene could be taken. She did not turn to face him and instead relaxed her shoulders. "I will be right here," she told him, and she went back to her own room.

Once inside, Mae got to work in washing her clothes. Small voices were taunting her, telling her to leave Kaito and Resham before the morning came. She tried her best to ignore them though, and even got to talking to herself. As she left her clothes to dry she sat on the bed and opened up her book. She knew better than to do much practicing in a place like this, with so many people and so many ways to go wrong, so she instead took to studying from her book like she often did. She had a while yet before she'd be falling asleep, and there was no better way for her to kill time.

[IssyEspeon]

For some reason, her words made him feel like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Shaking his head at the strange reaction, he turned, and walked back into his room. Lifting his blanket from the floor, he went over to his bed, and looked over at Resham. Sighing, he removed the wet washcloth, and let the mark be cooled by the breeze coming through the window. Kaito she'd his clothes, dressing into something cooler, and climbed into his bed. Pulling the blanket around him, he let his wear eyes close, surrendering to sleep as the soft whispers of the breeze brushed his hair and tickled his ear.

[Ashen]

A couple hours later, Mae figured she ought give up on trying to get rest. She was tired, the whiskey and the adventure had both made sure of that, but the silence was too loud to even hope to get any sleep. Instead she closed her book, put it back in her satchel, and she set out. She left her backpack in her room to ensure she'd come back, and soon, she was exploring the night.

It was pitch black outside, and Mae could only get by on her hearing and her sixth sense. She maneuvered the town very well, though, and soon she was just outside it, watching the starry sky. Clouds were slowly rolling in, and soon they would bring rain to the town. She wondered if the rain would let up by the time Kaito and Resham woke, by the time they head out. She thought of many other things, of what would happen between the three of them, if they would help lead her to the dark lord, if she'd find her answers. There was too much to predict and no way to do so. With a sigh, Mae gave up those thoughts, and she turned to her hands.

It was too dark to see her gloved hands. Still, she could make out the slight silhouettes of the cotton. If she looked closely, she would be able to see the mark over her left hand, like a tattoo. It wasn't visible in the dark nor under her glove, but Mae could always see it; was always conscious of it. She was still for a while, ensuring that no one was around, before trying her hand at her tomes. "Kutudi*," she murmured. Nothing seemed to happen, so she said it again, with more conviction, again and again until it worked. The mark on her hand faintly glowed purple, and before her was a spiral, almost like a small galaxy. Mae tried to look at it, but there was nothing. Of course not; she had summoned a black hole, after all. It was darker than the night around her and, satisfied with its conjuring, Mae happily clapped her hands together. She opened her book to look for the counter-spell, and found no trouble reading the words in the dark. When she found it, she repeated that over and over too, "Mitjazate**," until slowly, her black hole began to fill. When the ordeal was done with she hurried back to her room, satisfied.

* Kutudi - ancient language, translated as "void"
** Mitjazate - ancient language, translated as "be filled"

[IssyEspeon]

The hours of the night passed slowly, though in the middle of the night, Resham let out a sound of discomfort, even pain. He sat up, sweating profusely, and held a hand to his forehead. The mark burned, in a way that he had never experienced. Panting heavily, he grit his teeth, trying to understand what was going on, what it was reacting to. He stood, stumbling towards the small washroom. Pushing inside, his eyes widened as he looked into the mirror, seeing hsi mark. It glowed so brightly you'd think it was made of light itself. A surge of pain lashed through him, making an unwilling cry of pain escape him. His knees buckled, and he fell to the floor, groaning as it felt like a red hot blade was stabbing through his forehead. Right when it was almost became too much for him to bear, the pain vanished, leaving him a sweating, panting heap as the glow dimmed. He stood shakily, leaning heavily against the wall. "T-The hell was that?" He gasped out, trying to regain his breath. He suddenly felt exhausted from the ordeal, and staggered under the weight of his sudden heavy mind. Stumbling back to his bed, he looked hazily out the window, his body feeling uncomfortably hot once again. Unable to stop himself, he fell clumsily to the bed, watching the world as it dimmed. He briefly felt a hand on his shoulder, and a fuzzy voice trying to speak to him, but it all faded before he cold react.

Kaito looked at the boy, face pale. He had woken at the sound, and had watched as Reshams mark lit up like a miniature sun. Feeling the child's forehead, he could tell not only was the fever back, it was dangerously high. Cursing softly, he hurriedly dressed, and rushed from his room, locking it behind him. Ignoring the fact he may be waking someone up, he sprinted out of the tavern, running straight for Mah La, ignoring the cold winds and tell tale signs of rain. He needed to find something to help Resham, or at least something to explain what was going on.

[Ashen]

Someone was running again. Mae was alert again and listening to Kaito's footfalls just outside her door. She heard them all the way out the tavern, probably back to the elephant to gather more supplies. Resham was probably up with a fever again. So with a sigh Mae picked herself up from her bed once more. She put her satchel back on and headed outside in search of Kaito.

It didn't take her long to find him, the only sound in the darkness. "Kaito?" she murmured. "Is everything alright? Is it Resham again?" She didn't need to see him; his uneven breaths gave away his position easily. She approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Perhaps you ought keep the supplies inside. It's too dangerous to be heading out here when it's this dark. Anyone could be..." But her voice trailed and she turned her head. Seeing was fruitless but she heard it, heard the one who was about to make them both victims. "Get away from here," Mae growled. "If you honestly think you can hide from me or try to steal my belongings you are sadly mistaken, my friend." She pushed Kaito behind her and noticed for the first time the very faint glow coming from underneath her glove.

Suddenly Mae had a lot less confidence. Whatever was before her was not human. She had no way of taking care of the beast, not with Kaito watching. "Kaito?" she said, trying to hide her uncertainty. "I think whatever is here is from the dark lord himself. I think... I think you need to close your eyes." If he listened, maybe this wouldn't be so hard. "Do you have your lantern?" She took the light source and drew a breath before flashing light in the space before her. There she saw a monster she had never seen in real life. It was undead, definitely from the master of the black arts. So she gave the lantern back to Kaito, grabbed her book, and prayed the beast would not yet attack.

The book fell right open, and on the page she'd opened to was a photo of a beast much like the one before her. She didn't have time to read before it moved, faster than a human ever ought be able to go. "Kaito, get inside!" she called. Meanwhile she was murmuring something under her breath, quiet enough so that the man would not hear. After just a couple attempts a blast of icy wind passed by. Hail pierced her skin, and she felt it pierce the monster, too. She was surprised to find the beast unaffected though, and when she heard it move again she drew her sword. The beast came right for her, and Mae could hear the sound of flesh being torn apart. The monster fell before her, twitching.

She let out a very shaky breath. Whatever it had been, it had wanted blood. Could it have been sent by the black mage? Had it been summoned by her own dark magic? She decided she would think on it later and she instead looked for Kaito, wondering how much he had seen. "Kaito?" she called. "We really need to get inside now."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito heard someone follow him, just barely noticing over the sound of his breathing. "His fever spiked.... He sounded like someone was hurting him." He muttered, searching through the bags that lay next to the now awake elephant. Mah La looked up at them, her dark eyes glittering in the dim light. Kaito paused, sighing softly. "It would be wise." He said softly, then stiffened as he heard her address someone, or something behind him. Slowly, he reached for his side, tightly gripping his sword. He blinked as she pushed him behind her. He could likely handle this better right? Unless....

He looked at her, noting an ever so faint glow beneath her glove. His eyes widened slightly, and he nodded, closing his eyes at her instructions. If he was right, then their problems were bigger than Reshams violent reaction to what he now knew was the dark creature. Hurrying to get out of the way, to get inside as she ordered, he staggered at the sudden wind, gritting his teeth as pain erupted in his side. Leaning heavily, he looked at them, eyes widening as he saw a creature definitely not of the earth. Then she swung, her blade biting into the creature. She stood still for a moment, then turned towards him. Taking a breath, he chose to mask his currently tumultuous emotions behind a facade of calm. "Let's get inside." He agreed. But, instead of going towards the tavern, he walked towards her. "Are you alright?" He questioned softly, holding his sword hilt tightly.

[Ashen]

She had to kick the creature off her blade, and even then she watched him to make sure he was dead. Her sword had impaled him, and the thing didn't seem to be moving at all. After a minute Mae let out a shaky breath and turned back to Kaito. Had he seen her summon the wind? A wind was careless enough; she could even blame it on the monster. A fire or strike of lightning might have been more effective, albeit harder to explain. Maybe he wouldn't even ask.

She nodded slowly and headed inside. "I think I know what that was," she said quietly. It was only after she was in the tavern that she made sure. She lay her book open on one of the dining tables and looked to the page she'd opened to earlier. The light from the tavern wasn't much, but it was enough. "It was a wendigo," she told him softly. "A creature from the cold far north. It's a cannibal." She was tracing the words and ideographs as she spoke, though to any outsider, what she was reading would look much like gibberish. "It was out to eat us. Has he already creatures to spare?" She looked up at Kaito, revealing the bloodied cut on the right side of her face. It was where the hail had pierced her skin, and small other cuts also dotted her face. "Let's hope he doesn't wake up. Gods, a creature of the dark arts, here..." She seemed more fascinated than alarmed but soon shook it off. "Are you alright? Have you gotten the supplies for Resham?"

[IssyEspeon]

He took her nod, then turned, grabbing the bag he knew held the most vital supplies and walking into the tavern. His head spun from what he had witnessed, the most pressing part being the fact that it appeared that she had some kind of magic mark on her body.Shaking his head to clear it, he led Mae to an isolated corner, and watched as she pulled out a dark volume, opening it to a page that depicted the monster. All the letters on the page made little sense to him, but for some reason, they sent chills down his spine. But the more pressing of the matters was her question. He already knew who 'he' was, and it made him scowl. "I was trying to take him as far east as possible, but that seems impossible. I can't leave him, and he'd refuse to stay anyways." He muttered, thinking aloud. He had heard of the monster, and one of it's other names, from a family he had briefly traveled with. The youngest had animatedly told him of monsters such as lindworms, lamia, and wendigos. She had called them something else too, something like face-eater, or soul-stealer. Whatever the case, the monster definitely was not good. Sighing, he stood, taking in her questions. "I'm fine, a little bruised, maybe a few cuts from the sudden hail, but other than that, nothing of significance. I have what is necessary to treat Resham as well." He paused, looking at her before heading towards the stairs. "You should get some rest.... Fighting it off alone must have been taxing. Fighting an archane being is usually so to my knowledge."

[Ashen]

She waved him off. "I was lucky he ran into my sword," she said with a shrug. "I didn't really do much. I was just looking out for you, you know. This place is dangerous." But she couldn't help but shake the feeling the appearance of the wendigo was her fault. It just didn't make sense for one to appear out of the blue and attack like that. No, her magic must have had a hand in its summoning.

Mae didn't feel ready to protest, though. She had things to do, pages to study. She wanted to find out more about this wendigo creature, and others like it. "Will Resham be alright?" she asked. "I will be in my room if you need me. It's okay; you won't bother me."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito hesitated, then nodded. "I believe he will be okay. His fevers usually fade by morning." He said softly. "Good night Mae. I will not disturb you further this night." He said plainly before walking up the stairs, carrying the saddle bag with him. He padded along the hallway, thoughts, speculations, and suspicions swirling chaotically around his mind.

Unlocking the door, he quickly closed it again, bolting it shut before lighting a candle. He walked over to the window, closing it and making sure it was shut, and that the latch held it in place. Then, he turned to the panting child on the bed, concern dominating his thoughts. He sat, pulling out a water skin, and holding it the boys lips, relief flooding through him as Resham drank weakly. Allowing him to lay down again, he pulled out a small piece of salt as well as some herbs, mixing them with the water before having him drink again. The child coughed at the bitter concoction, but his emblem dimmed further, and his fever lowered. Not taking any chances, Kaito set another cold, wet wash cloth onto Reshams brow, then blew out the candle and settled into his own bed. For quite some time, he tossed about on the bed, unable to rest as his mind buzzed with activity. Finally, it settled, allowing him to fall into a shallow, uneasy sleep.

[Ashen]

"Very well," she said very softly, and she headed back to her own room. Once there she opened up her book and started reading everything it had about the creature that had attacked them, the creature that had been left outside. Would it be gone by morning? Was it alive? Would it pursue anyone else? She didn't know, and she was feeling a bit guilty about it all. So as she read on, she wondered exactly how she would dispose of it.

Mae awoke to the sound of a bird outside her window. She sat up, immediately alert, wondering when she had fallen asleep. It wasn't too late in the morning, and as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes the events of the previous night replayed in her mind. The wendigo. She hastily put her book back in its bag and scurried downstairs and outside. The beast was gone however, disappeared completely. With a satisfied sigh Mae turned back into the tavern and wondered if Kaito and Resham were yet up.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito was sitting at a table, faint bags under his eyes as he sat, looking at Resham who was sitting across from him. The boys expression was, for once, unreadable, as if he had given up trying to show all the conflicting emotions he had been feeling for the time being. If anything, Resham was sulking, his face looking a bit paler than usual. Their bag lay at their feet, and they seemed to be finishing eating breakfast. Bored, Resham looked about, his eyes landing on Mae. A lopsided grin stretched across his face, and he waved her over, drawing attention from Kaito as well. He seemed calm as usual, if somewhat tired.

[Ashen]

She noticed Resham waving and walked over to them. As she did, more of the boy came into view, and she saw just how exhausted he looked. The fevers had apparently kept him up long, and he seemed unusually dejected. Kaito too seemed more tired than even yesterday, and she could only guess at the sleep he'd gotten.

Mae took a seat at their table and raised an eyebrow at them. "You two look beat," she told them. "You didn't sleep well?" But she didn't need to hear their answer to know. "Perhaps you ought to stay in town another day. You look even more exhausted than yesterday. That won't do you any good if you were to enter combat again."

[IssyEspeon]

Resham shrugged lifting a hand and massaging his temples. "I woke up feeling like I tried to carry Mah La. Really not fun. Fever just made me suffer in my sleep really. I'm kinda tired, but not as tired as Kaito." He supplied helpfully. "And he's been sulking because I told him that we're changing directions, probably for the worse. We're going to be heading west soon rather than south east. He'd heard tales of the places there, and wanted to see it for himself." He said quietly. Reshams expression soured again, and he huffed, irritation crossing his face. "We could use some more sleep, but there's a town south west of here that's less than a days journey. We can reach it by late afternoon if we set out soon. We can handle combat.... We'll rest when we arrive there."

Resham groaned, then looked at Mae. "Can you come with us or something? Kai said you're better at fighting that you let on, and it'll be funner with another person. Please?" He asked, looking hopefully at the cloaked young woman

[Ashen]

Mae raised her eyebrows. She was already going to be heading west, out to find the great necromancer. Their heading west was just a happy coincidence, and she nodded along. However, she knew it wasn't just a coincidence. There was a reason they were heading west, and she wanted to know what it was. She didn't ask though, not yet. She would ask later.

"Funner?" she repeated, smiling at the child. "That's quite the vocabulary you have got there." She giggled a bit and nodded. "I can go with you. I was heading west with or without company." Her eyes fell over the bartender behind them and she sighed. Her coin purse was too empty to even think of breakfast. "I cannot say I am incredibly great at combat," she said. "But like you saw yesterday, I know my way around a sword." She looked over at Kaito, wondering if he would dare add to her claim.

[IssyEspeon]

Resham grinned, seeming quite pleased that Mae would be joining them. Kaito looked at their new companion, his eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly before he shrugged. "It will be good to have another companion on this trip. You were quite capable of dealing with the creature last night, and I'm sure you can prove to be quite efficient in combat when defending yourself." He said calmly, reaching to his side, and pulling out his coin purse. He took out some coins, and handed them to Mae. "If we are going to travel together, I would advise purchasing some food and consuming it before we leave." He remarked, while Resham seemed to be thinking on what she had said. "Kaito can probably held you with swordsmanship. He's pretty good with a blade, as well as with words." Kaito sighed. "You simply don't know when it is appropriate to stay silent, and what is appropriate to say when such a time presents itself." Resham huffed, glaring slightly at the older male. He couldn't argue though; both knew it to be true.

[Ashen]

At the mention of the wendigo Mae looked to Resham, wondering just how much the older man had told him. She didn't comment about it though and instead listened to the two, smiling behind her hand. She nodded at the coins, thankful she would not have to ask outright, and turned to order some food for the journey. While she did she pondered the two. Training in the arts of the sword again... Her guardian had had her taught before, and she had displayed her skill in various battles since becoming a wanderer. Still, Mae would not turn down an ability to learn more, and she was happy that Kaito and Resham would be her mentors. She wanted to learn more about the two still. They knew more about magic than they let on, and she knew it.

After consuming a bagel and storing a whole loaf of bread for the journey, Mae turned to the two once more. "Shall we be off then?" she asked them. "I think our journey will be peaceful enough. Southeast is where the crime gets even worse, I believe. Once we leave this town there should be no bandits to fear. And even if there were, they will not stand a chance."

[IssyEspeon]

Resham grinned at her, beginning to play with one of his knives. He was looking forward to the trip, though his head still hurt a little. Kaito had told him of the monster, when he had woken up, and both had agreed that Mae definitely was more than met the eye, or blade. Kaito had come to the conclusion that the wendigo had caused the violent reaction in the middle of the night, but he had kept that thought to himself. Resham would only try to find another to test the theory if he knew.

When Mae was ready, the group nodded, taking in the information of the area they were in. It would definitely be helpful to understand some of the roads at least. Mah La seemed eager to leave the town, trumpeting and stomping on the ground near where the attack had taken place. She stayed close to Resham, and Kaito nodded to her question. "We shall be off now." He said calmly, then the group turned to depart from the town

[Ashen]

The three set off towards their destination, Mae's head filled with thoughts of the dark one. She was finally heading in the right direction, and Mae could hardly think of what she would do if she had a solid lead on her past. She was definitely excited, and it showed in her step. That was the only indication she was actually looking forward to this trip. Her hair was back in place shielding her face, and her lips were in a tight frown. Her hood was back, too, and her demeanor still resembled one lacking in confidence. She wasn't aware of this though, and instead she happily continued on, trying not to make her intentions obvious from her features.

She did notice their eyes on them, though. Kaito and Rehsam seemed different, and she wondered just how much they had surmised about her. Had they suspected her of anything? Would they rat her out? But Mae shoved these thoughts from her mind and shook her head. It didn't matter. "I have brought along rations for the road," she told them, showing them a small pouch with food inside. "I thought it might be wise."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito walked quietly, puzzling endlessly over their new companion. The glowing mark, the wendigo, the book Mae kept hidden, her eagerness to travel west as well as her initial words. She wanted to find the dark one, but why? He glanced over at her, noticing the slight spring in her step. His mind wnt over what he knew repeatedly, gleaning nothing new of her each time. With a sigh, he looked at her, then nodded once at her rations. "Yes, a wise idea indeed." He commented, frowning slightly as he realized he had forgotten to take such a measure himself. Usually they had food for a few days, but they were running a bit low when they had reached the previous town. Why was he letting himself get so distracted?

Resham seemed oblivious to Kaitos internal struggle. "That was pretty smart. Good job." He said, a lopsided smile coming to his face. HE looked at her, then tilted her head. "What do you do anyways?" He asked, seeming a bit confused. "You're decent with a sword, but you travel a lot by yourself. You don't have a lot of money, but that doesn't seem to be much of a problem for you. So what do you do? How do you sustain yourself and get around?" He asked.

[Ashen]

Mae slowed her pace for a bit but soon shrugged. What did she do? Well, wasn't that a question. "I am a wanderer," she answered. "A nomad, if you will. I scout the areas looking for things of interest. It is an interesting life. Things are always changing. Unfortunately, yes, it does not make much coin--or any at all, really--but I don't mind much. It makes me wiser about rationing, and quicker with wit and sword." She drew her sword and swirled it in the air before her. "You need to know how to defend yourself out here."

After sheathing her sword Mae looked out at the blank space before them. "I need no company," she told them. "It is more comfortable alone, for me. It gives me the freedoms to practice what I will, no matter the consequences." She was talking about her magic of course, but she added no more. "As for food and shelter... I have my ways. Most of it is probably too bold for the likes of you. I find sustenance, though. And while staying in towns, I pick up odd jobs for meals. It can be quite fun sometimes, if I am honest. But mostly, it's usually just me and the dark, open areas."

[IssyEspeon]

Resham listened, interest clear on his face. "That's true. A nomad huh? Where have you been then? Anywhere interesting?" He asked, having exhausted Kaitos experiences of interesting travels months ago. Now that a new person was with them, he had a new source of stories. They both knew very well that you needed to know how to defend yourself, even if you had an elephant. "You practice what you will? What sort of skills might those be?" Kaito asked, raising an eyebrow. His eyes flicked briefly to her hand, then back to the road. He had his suspicions, but he wouldn't voice them. Even if they were in fact true, they could use an ally. Besides, how could he judge her for magic? Shaking his head slightly, he considered her words. He was a bit curious as to her shelter, and why she called it too bold for them.

[Ashen]

Mae smiled down on the child warmly. "I have been many places," she told him. "From Obal in the far west to places such as Denstae. I have touched up on seemingly everywhere in between and I have picked up on things that I imagine others wouldn't. For example, that you should not stay in the town we are leaving without taking inventory." She smirked at this, proud of her knowledge that she had earned.

Kaito's question made her pause only briefly. "Swordplay," came her answer. "It is perhaps less emotionally tolling to practice the sword on enemies that cannot fight back, such as trees and poles, than it is to practice on live foes. And with no one relying on me, I need not care too much about how long I take during each training." She shrugged her shoulders. "I can also practice cooking with only making myself sick." She said this with a smile. "Foraging is also an important skill that one sharpens while out here."

She had noticed his look to her hand. Mae pretended not to, but she had definitely noticed. So he knew more than she'd have liked. That would be problematic, and not knowing just how much he knew was even worse. Mae would have to be on her guard now. She could let them know no more.

[IssyEspeon]

Resham listened, a look akin to admiration in his gaze as she spoke of her travels. Her last comment only made him laugh slightly. "We figured that out at the tavern. Kaito said someone tried to pick pocket him. Thieves can be anywhere, but knowing what cities or towns have more is good to know. What about the town we're going now? And what's Obal like? We haven't really gone west in our traveling." Kaito watched, sighing slightly. "Useful skills, as well as rather sound reasoning. Traveling with others has advantages, but so does traveling alone it seems. While I don't doubt you have other skills, likely just as useful, I am also interested in hearing of some of the places you've been." He said, looking at her before shrugging slightly. Resham grinned, glad Kaito was agreeing, somewhat, to what he wanted to hear from Mae.

[Ashen]

Were they trying to get her to talk about her magic? She wasn't going to speak. No, she had to find her ways around that. She looked to the bright sky above them and shrugged. "Obal," she said softly, glad to be talking about something that she didn't need to hide. "Well, as you know, it is a coastal city. The smells from the sea are quite refreshing compared to the desert you must traverse to get there. I found the sights to be absolutely beautiful, even unlike Pesca, the fishing town down south. The ocean twinkles in Obal like no other place I've ever seen." She was recalling the faraway place with a bit of nostalgia. "While you can sight-see to your heart's content, I found that the people there were quite nasty. They don't take well to women, I think, and I heard one say deformities were a sign of a failed past life. Needless to say, I was not well received there, and after getting a good look around and finding some meal, I was off."

She looked back to them. "A lot of places don't like me," she admitted. "I can't say I blame them. Perhaps if I hadn't been born with such an ugly mark obscuring half my face I would be just as wary of facial deformities." She seemed saddened by her own words but soon shook it off. "Baschul, on the other hand. I have never met a friendlier people. On my travels there I was offered shelter and food for very cheap, and the town leader even met with me to ensure an injury I had sustained was tended to. Some months after I left, however, I got word that Baschul had fallen to disease. Considering its location, though, I now realize this disease may have been the dark army."

[IssyEspeon]

The two listened, Resham paying particular attention to Obal. "I'd like to see a city like that. By a big glittering ocean." He said wishfully. Kaito listened attentively to her words regardless. "The first people sound quite rude, even cruel with such a belief. A mark on ones face should not influence treatment. Besides, the mark on your face is not an unsightly deformity." He spoke evenly, his words his genuine belief. "It is a sham that Baschul fell. The people there sounded kind. There aren't enough people like that. Though, it is worrying about the army. Do you believe they sent a pestilence upon them?" He began considering it for a while, falling quite for a period of time. Resham simply looked at Mae. "Do you have any stories though? Any adventures in places like that?" His eyes shined happily, the pain of the previous night, as well as the fevers strain clearly forgotten by his excitement. He looked up at her, hopeful and admiring at the same time for once.

[Ashen]

Her cheeks were quickly coloring at Kaito's comment and she had to look away to keep him from seeing. Mae wondered if he really thought that way, if he truly did not believe the grey blotch on her face was as hideous as she had always believed. She tried to dismiss it, but such a task came with some difficulty.

She looked back at them when they got to talking about Baschul. "It is possible they sent a plague upon the entire town," she agreed. "From there he could have raised them all to fight for him. Killing and then converting. I'll bet it is a highly effective plan, that." She seemed more interested than anything else. Soon she shook her head clear again and raised an eyebrow. "A story, sure," she told him. Absently she tried to think of a story, and soon voices were filling her in on various details. She dismissed them. "There is a small town just below Obal, before the mountains. It is called Geng, and I passed by there on my travels. I was greeted by a man who offered me several drinks..." She did not find need in telling them why he was so generous. "Well, anyway, it turned out that he was actually a wanted criminal. A pretty big one, I later found. He tried to attack me. I do not think he was expecting a lady to know her way around a sword. Long story short, I got him reprimanded and lived off of his bounty for several weeks. The look on his face, though, as he realized he did not have the power over me that he thought he did..." Mae tried to make a similar face, something between bare fear and horror. She soon laughed it off though. "Another time, I met with a group of very religious folk, followers of the sun god. They tried to convert me. When I refused, I barely made it out of town with my life..."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito considered the morbid thought. "Unfortunate. Those people should not have suffered like that." He murmured. The town wouldn't have been able to defend themselves, and even in death, they would not be left at peace. Being raised to serve the one who had killed them, to be an army, it was a despicable action on the part of the Dark Lord. Resham looked unnerved by the words, but brightened once again at her stories. Though he didn't think the way she told them was as exciting as the bards, or elders he remembered, her stories held a raw quality, and honest one, that made him listen and drew excitement from his mind. He had to think more, his mind slipping into an imagined place to recreate it in his minds eye. Besides, he could easily picture such religiously crazed people, even if they weren't following a sun god. "How did you get out of the town?" He asked, his mind faltering as he tried to picture it. "Did they get scared by your awesome sword?"

[Ashen]

She noticed the way their faces changed at the mention of the dark lord. Was he truly so awful? Mae knew how it sounded, knew how they must have taken it. A necromancer murdering his enemies only to recruit them postmortem without their consent. It was harassment, it was cruel, but she couldn't help but feel a fascination. She was sick of herself, ashamed that she could so easily outweigh the negatives. So she would no longer have to think on it she let the subject fall and instead turned to Resham, smiling.

"Something like that," she responded. "Well, they took me into their chapel, despite my insistence that I was not a very religious person. They began their worship and I slipped out of the back of the chapel unnoticed, I thought. It turns out the town had guards standing by the chapel ensuring no one left early. They reprimanded me, told me only a hellion would dare dishonor the sun god by leaving in the middle of a worshiping service. Naturally I refused to repent to a god I did not believe in, and so they chased me through town, mob-style. They shouted all sorts of things, like how the sun god would punish me. I was able to lose them--stealth is a skill you pick up in my line of work--and I hastily exited the town. Soon one man did see me, but I think my sword silenced him well enough. He charged right at me. I cannot imagine the wound in his side healed very well."

She let out a sigh. "I am glad that is over," she told them. "Crazy religious groups are one of my least favorite types of people. I suppose now I can laugh on it, though. A curse from the sun god... I don't know, I think I am still going strong."

[IssyEspeon]

Resham looked at her, his admiration blatantly obvious. "That's so cool." Was all he could say for a bit. The chase, her managing to get away, it was all vividly pictured in his mind. Kaito also seemed somewhat impressed. "That's certainly an adventure." He remarked, shaking his head. "We don't like rabid regilious groups either. Though, the one time we ran into one, they were more interested in Mah La." Resham chuckled as well. "They thought something along the lines of, what was it? Elephants were either sacred, or gods in diguise?" He asked softly. "I'm surprised you don't remember. As Mah La was protective of you, they thought you were an incarnation of some demigod warrior." Resham grinned at Kaitos words. "Yup. But it's fun hearing you say it." Kaito rolled his eyes slightly. It seemed Resham was getting back to normal at least.

"So, you've been chased by crazy sun worshipers, and you've traveled all over too. You sound like you've had all sorts of adventures." Resham said happily. "I'm glad you're coming along. This'll make things interesting. Besides, even if nothing interesting happens, you have great stories at least." He seemed quite entertained by the notion.

[Ashen]

She looked back to the elephant and laughed lightly. A demigod warrior, now that was something. She'd known elephants were sacred in some regions, but she had never seen a real one before Mah La. For all she knew the beast was a sort of god. A dark mage traveling with a god. Wouldn't that be a laugh?

She turned forward again and shrugged her shoulders. "I wouldn't say my stories are great," she said. "But I am glad you liked it. It happened so long ago, it is almost like reliving someone else's memory. But I do admit, strange things seem to happen when I am around. Who knows what we will run into?" She cast a sideways glance to Kaito, wondering if he'd add anything about the Wendigo, about her hand.

[IssyEspeon]

Resham grinned, and Mah La let her dark glittering eyes meet Maes for a moment. The small orbs, set in the wrinkled face, could almost remind you of a person, maybe an old grandma. The kindness, even fondness that seemed to exude from them was similar enough. But the gentle giant turned it's attention back to Resham, gently brushing her trunk against him as he walked. "Well, I think your stories are pretty good." Resham spoke, and Kaito looked at her for a moment. "True. But wondering what we might face is rather unproductive. Reflecting on what you have already crossed may be more useful, particularly in regards to monsters." Resham looked at the older male, then grumbled under his breath. "You always get to fight the cool stuff." He complained, huffing slightly. "Serpents, basilisks, hydra, wendigo. What's next? A flying whale?" The child asked somewhat sourly.

[Ashen]

She raised an eyebrow at the two wondering just what the cool stuff was. Just how much had these two fought, anyway? Basilisks, hydra? She had read about such creatures, had maybe seen one or two even. She was surprised, though, that the two were so acquainted with dark creatures. Maybe they would be valuable assets, after all.

"I think a flying whale would be quite the foe," she commented, giving it some thought. "They have extremely thick skin. I doubt your knives and swords would harm it much. No, I suppose we would have to find alternate ways of felling it, and it would be airborne, which would provide even more of a challenge..." She laughed a bit before shrugging it off. "So tell me, how did you fight these other creatures? Where did you run into them?"

[IssyEspeon]

Resham sighed. He hadn't really thought about fighting a flying whale, he had mostly been looking for the most ridiculous sounding creature he could come up with in a few seconds. Still, her question was a good one. He looked at Kaito, as the older had fought a lot more than he had. "We fought them with weapons, the surrounding environment, and Mah La." Resham snickered, recalling one particular event. "The hydra was basically beaten by Mah La. It may regrown heads, but the rest of it doesnt. Besides, crushing it seems to work." He grinned, patting Mah La affectionately. "Basically, Kaito was trying to fight it, but it was hard doing so when there are several heads spitting fire and acid at you. We were near this rock face, a bit like a cliff, but not nearly as big. Then, Mah La somehow noticed this one portion was all crumbly, so she joined Kaito, charged the monster, and crashed into it and drove it against the crumbly rock. Her weight made a bunch of rocks fall, crushing the hydra. She was pretty hurt afterwards, but she beat it." He said proudly. Kaito nodded. "I'm not sure what regions, or where we were in when we were attacked. The basilisk was in a more arid region though." Resham thought, then nodded. "Sandy, really hot, and a bunch of sandstone or something. It was living in a cave, wasnt it?" He asked. Kaito nodded, and spoke. "The hydra and the basilisk were rather difficult opponents. But, we have had to deal with many obstacles on the road, from common bandits to the occasional dark beast." Resham nodded. "The dragon was cool. And you actually let me help that time."
"Yes, as accuracy was more important than brute strength. Blinding it was important, as was puncturing the fire sac in the back of the throat. I couldn't throw accurately enough, but you could." Reshams grin widened, pleased by the slight praise. "At any rate, what about you? Kaito said you ran into a wendigo or something." Resham asked, turning to MAe

[Ashen]

She listened to them go on, more concerned about the beasts' existence in the living realm than their ways of defeating them. A basilisk in the desert... Well then, she would have to go home for that one. They must have meant the western desert, in which case, Mae would be getting to revisit the place she was probably born in. Her true origins were of course unknown, but that was what she had been looking for all along.

She looked up suddenly at the mention of the wendigo. "Yes," she said softly. "They're dangerous creatures. We were lucky to have gotten rid of it so easily. No doubt these creatures are being sent by him." She turned away to think for a moment but soon shook it off. "You could say I study dark creatures. I research the different species and how they all live. I have seen several in my day, but I wouldn't say I hunt them. You seem to have fought enough; I think you know that creatures like that just... happen. Not much can be done about them except defeating them and moving on. And prepare for eradicating all of them before this underworld army gets really out of hand."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito nodded, but Resham just rolled his eyes. "Duh, of course they're dangerous." He grumbled. But her loose description of an, occupation was interesting enough. Both looked at her curiously. "You, study them?" Kaito asked, quirking a singular eyebrow while Resham just looked confused. "Well, that's kinda weird. Not many people do that, then again, there have been more appearing." The child muttered. Finally, the younger shrugged it off. "You're right at any rate. We need to get rid of monsters before they join that army thing. We don't need monsters along with undead warriors." He began fiddling with his knife, an almost nervous behavior as they walked along. He was beginning to get tired of walking. While his feet may be calloused, and quite used to moving him around, there were irritating sharper objects on the path, ones that irritated him more and more as the night of poor sleep began to catch up on him

[Ashen]

"Perhaps you would prefer observe?" she suggested. "I observe them. I may be of use if the army truly fights out. I would know all the creatures' secrets." She smirked at them. "I know not many people would dare take on such a task. But that is what makes me unique, no? Irreplaceable. So I'm okay with that." Or maybe Mae was just trying to study dark creatures in the hopes of getting closer to discovering more about herself.

She looked over at Kaito and raised an eyebrow. His pace had differed. "Are you alright?" she asked him. "If your feat are bothering you, well, isn't that what the elephant is for? You could rest up, maybe take a nap. We know where we're going."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito blinked, then shook his head. "My feet are quite alright, though I am somewhat tired from the panic of last night. I would imagine Resham would need Mah La sooner than I though, as he isn't wearing any shoes." He looked down at his own feet, which were protected by his sandals. Resham on the other hand was already climbing onto the elephants back, rubbing his sore feet. Kaito then turned back to Mae.

"I believe that observe carries different connotation to it, one that would prove less alarming to others we happen to meet. Though I know not where your travels have taken you in terms of combat with monsters, I can recall your book from last night. Study, observe, either way you are rather useful in terms of knowledge of the darker arcane. I hope you are not persecuted for such studies. Some may take it the wrong way, which is both unfortunate and foolish." Resham perked up slightly, looking at Mae curiously as Kaito mentioned a book.

[Ashen]

She seemed to notice for the first time that the child did not have any shoes. It was perhaps foolish, wandering about barefoot in such unforgiving terrain, but she was no one to judge. If he wished to carry on barefoot she would not tell him no. So she shrugged her shoulders and watched the child climb onto his pet with a small sense of awe.

Once Resham was atop Mah La, Mae turned her attention back to the road before them. Kaito seemed to be on her side. Unfortunate and foolish. Did that mean he would support her if he knew the truth? Mae couldn't be sure, and she didn't want to test it. So she tucked her thoughts away and smiled. "I would only be persecuted if anyone knew," she told him. "As it stands, the three of us are the only souls that know. Now, I don't imagine you'll be stupid with this information, but I pray you will not force me to take the numbers down to one." She placed her hands around the hilt of her blade and smirked. Mae didn't really know if she was kidding. She laughed it off. "Never mind that. I know enough to keep me from danger, is all."

[IssyEspeon]

Resham looked at Mae, and Kaitos hand rested on the hit of his sword as well. "Don't worry of needing to reduce the number. We won't share you interests with others. It is not our place to do so." He said cooly, though his voice had a bit of an edge to it. Resham huffed. "You don't need to threaten us you know. If you want to study creatures, that's fine in my opinion. Sure, some people are cruel idiots who think any hint of magic means the plague will kill them, but we aren't like that. As long as you don't, I dunno, summon a two headed dragon snake to try to kill us in our sleep, well, it isn't really our business." Kaito raised a single eyebrow at the boy, then glanced at Mae for a moment. "Resham, I doubt that she would summon any creature like that. I'm sure it would be a flying whale." He said, smiling slightly at the boy. Resham laughed, and Kaito removed his hand from his sword, smiling at Mae. "Even if we don't have to mind it, you can trust us to not tell others about your observations. While it may be understandable to fear monsters, and magic because of the dark one, people have allowed it to turn into a paranoid fear that borders on hysteria. While some of that is understandable, the army of undead is rather frightening after all, it can get pretty out of hand with some people. Magic can be used for a noble purpose as well as a malicious one. Monsters are not always violent creatures either, certainly not always the terrifying beasts in the stories told to to scare children." Resham nodded. "Magic isn't so bad really, and some monsters just want to be left alone. Some of them like humans, and are nice to them, but that's pretty rare." He looked down at his two companions, focusing on Mae. "What do you think about it? Hv you ever run into a nice monster?" He asked, smiling lopsidedly

[Ashen]

She just shrugged them off. Mae had the feeling they wouldn't betray her, but she also knew no one could be trusted out here, either. "A lady can never be too mindful," she assured them. "While you may not dare tell a soul, many people would, especially for coin. I simply cannot just let my secrets go around without preparing myself for bloodshed, can I?"

She smiled up at the kid and thought a minute. "I will admit, nice ones are hard to come by..." She was silent for a little while, then finally spoke up. "Well, I did not meet him for myself, but I once ventured into a town that was being plagued by an imp. The imp wasn't doing too much harm, mind. He would go around playing pranks, like the children, and he could be heard cackling about it at night. I quite liked the imp though. That sort of pranking is my kind of humor. As far as I know he simply annoyed them and never tried to attack. I suppose that doesn't really count though, does it?"

[IssyEspeon]

"WE can't blame you. We'd have to do the same if an unfortunate incident were to occur." Kaito said cooly. Resham shook his head to Maes question, ignoring his companions comment. "That doesn't really count. I heard of this one monster, this legless dragon called a lindworm, that actually like, adopted this little girl and protected her for months. And there was this okami that basically acts like this loyal dog for a kid, though he's so much bigger. But those two were really rare in terms of what we have heard for monsters." Kaito nodded. "The imp sounds harmless, but still causes grief. I think Resham meant a monster that was very different than almost every other." He shot the child a look. "Though that in itself means that near no one can tell him of one."

[Ashen]

Mae shrugged her shoulders. "I don't think they're monsters, then," she said softly. "How could they be, if they get along with man? Wouldn't they be considered something else? Spirits, perhaps? Gods? I think a monster, by definition, has to have some bad in him. But then again... Don't we all? Isn't there some monster in all of us?" She turned to Kaito and lifted an eyebrow at him. "Maybe we are the nice monsters, then."

She stopped walking for a moment and looked around, wary. "We have gone a long while without assault," she mentioned. "For these parts? I would think that quite odd. I just remind you to be on the lookout for anything. All this talk about monsters... It's almost as if we're summoning one, huh? She waited to catch their reaction to that. She, of course, could summon monsters at will. As far as she knew, the only other being that even had the ability to do that was the Dark Lord.

[IssyEspeon]

"Anyone has the potential to be a monster. It's what we do with our lives, what roads we take, that determine what we can call ourselves. Some pursue good, some evil, and most, they are content to trudge through life in a monotonous middle ground." Kaito said flatly, walking ahead. His hand rested against his sword. The two paused, and looked at her with a mixture of surprise, confusion, and a small measure of distaste when she brought up summoning a monster through talk. "I ask that you don't say things like that. I cannot tell if that was a joke, warning, or just an offhand comment, but the implications are unpleasant. Magic is not a joking matter after all." He said, an edge to his voice. Resham sighed, and looked around. "It is kinda weird we haven't run into anything, but I'm glad. We won't have to fight while, well, kinda wiped out from lasted night. And, Mae? What did you mean about summoning a monster? Do you think there's one nearby or something? It might be why it's kinda quiet I guess." He said, continuing his uncertain words as he glanced about.

[Ashen]

Mae shifted a bit but continued on. She hadn't been expecting such a cold remark, and she muttered an apology. The man seemed quite against the mention of conjuring. Did he fear she would summon something to attack? Mae wouldn't, of course, and she was a little offended he might think so, but she could not blame him. She was wary of the two as well. She let it fall and was about to forget about it entirely when Resham brought it up once more.

"I meant nothing," she replied simply. "You know how, when you are talking of someone, and then they suddenly appear, it is as if you summoned them? I was just referring to that. Perhaps an ill-founded joke, is all. Though..." She looked at the still world around them. "It is awfully quiet." The thought of a monster attacking them excited her a bit. Maybe it would be a new breed, and maybe she would get a chance to observe the Dark Dragon's handiwork. She didn't let her excitement show, however, and she shook her head. "I guess we will find out. No use trying to predict one's coming. I'm many things, but I am not a seer."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito paused slightly, looking at the two of them. It was becoming quite clear to him as well that it was almost unnaturally quiet along the road. "The silence is a bit unsettling. I think we should move on." Kaito said quietly. His more cold demeanor had lessened, changing more into a slight worry. "Yeah, this place is getting a bit creepy." Resham agreed, then patted Mah Lahs head. "But now I can see why you brought it up. Kaito was all cold and stuff because it felt like you were joking about summoning something. Even if that might be cool, magic is bit of a weird subject for him. He's kinda fine with it, but if you joke about it, he gets all grumpy." Kaito looked up at the remark, an expression of annoyance on his face. "Let's move." He said, almost sounding tired as he looked back to the road.

[Ashen]

Mae took in what the child was saying and watched Kaito carefully, catching his reactions. So the man didn't like magic. Well, that was fine by her. He was like every other person in the socially-accepted world, then. Mae had to admit though, she was disappointed. She thought he was different, that perhaps he might be the first person she would be able to share her secret with. Once again she was wrong, and she strode on, pretending not to be upset.

She did not know how long they had been walking when Mae suddenly stopped. They must have been near their destination, they had been traveling for so long, but she could feel danger lurking. "Halt," she told them in a low tone. "Someone is near." She couldn't explain how she knew, or why. She could feel it in her bones, the presence of some dark creature, something out for blood. Everything was still, not even wind blew through her hair. She drew her sword and entered a battle stance. The voices were starting up again, but she would not be distracted. Maybe it was just a hunch. Maybe she was entirely wrong. But Mae could feel it; they were in danger.

[IssyEspeon]

The group moved along, Resham frowning slightly as he glanced between the two. He could tell, though he wasn't the best at 'reading' people, that something was off. Maybe she was confused about Kaitos stance on magic? Well, they had said they were overall fine with it, then he had reacted negatively. In the silence that stretched a bit uncomfortably for him, he bit his lip, then quietly climbed down off of Mah La and padded next to Mae. Kaito was a bit ahead, so it wouldn't be too hard to speak softly enough for him not to hear. "I'm probably wrong, but I think you're confused about his seemingly changing stance on magic and stuff." He said quietly. "Kaito, he doesn't hate magic. Or even dislike it really. He dislikes people joking about it is all. A few years back, my mom saved his life you see. Everyone thought he was going to die, so when he got better, they all thought it had to be witchcraft or something. They accused her of magic, even though they had know her for years. He feels guilty for it, and dislikes when people joke about the subject." He said quietly, a sad tone in his voice.

For a while, he just walked quietly, then he began to get a head ache. "Where?" He mumbled, drawing his knives as Kaito drew his sword, and drew closer to the group. His eyes scanned their surroundings, and Mah La stood protectively behind Resham. It was eerily quiet, and Maes sudden caution was just simple sense at that moment. It was far too quiet, and had been for too long, for it to be natural.

[Ashen]

Mae was a little annoyed at the child's talking; she could tell there was danger nearby and he was continuing to make noise. She would take what he had said into consideration later. For now, they had something to deal with, or perhaps, hopefully, someone.

Mae was proven to be correct when, soon, a being jumped out at them. It was a hideous being and its smell wafted through the air with it. It smelled and looked of death, and the place where its eyes should have been were empty. "Is that a zombie?" Mae asked, though she was expecting neither of her comrades to answer her. If it was a zombie, it was moving awfully fast. It whizzed past the three of them, seemingly gone, but came back again like the quickest of carriages. It came at Mae at an incredible speed and swiped at her, tearing her clothes. She winced and fought off its arm with her sword. Once more it was running away, but she was sure it would return soon.

"Be careful," she told them, checking for signs of the monster. He was good at hiding, too agile to be detected, which meant they would need to be wary. "We need to be quick here." She didn't even notice that Kaito and Resham might not have been listening; that they might be having problems of their own.

[IssyEspeon]

Reshams head began to throb as the being came closer, and as it drew closer, he couldn't help but let out a cry of pain as it ran past. Kaito spun, looking wide eyed as Resham fell to the ground, hands clenched around his forehead. The same burning from the night before, that stabbing agony, was pressing against his skull. Mah La trumpeted, lumbering towards the incapacitated child and stood protectively over him. Kaito grit his teeth, raising his sword as his eyes scanned the tree lines for the impossibly fast rotting creature. He barely heard Mae, the pounding of his heart sending his blood roaring through his ears. He wasn't used to this kind of speed, none of them were. Mah La was slow and lumbering, while he was more precise than fast. Only Resham was close to the kind of speed this thing used in battle, but he was incapacitated. The horrible smell stayed in the air, making it harder for him to even think. How could they even fight this thing?

[Ashen]

At Resham's yelp Mae finally noticed his pain. She saw that Kaito was tending to him, which meant it was up to her to take out this... thing. She looked around for it but so much was threatening her concentration. The voices, the smell; how was she supposed to hit a target so swift with everything else going on? But soon it was heading for her again, seemingly cutting through the wind as it raked its claws against the unscarred part of her face.

She did not have time to cry out, nor did she have time to wipe away the blood. As it came for her she rose her sword, and the arm she had cut off twitched awkwardly on the dying grass beneath her. Would it be able to survive long with a limb missing? There was no time to check her book, so she had to be prepared to attack it again. Mae was restricted to her sword; it looked like Kaito and Resham would definitely have suspicions if she tried anything now. So she kept an eye out for the beast, waiting, listening. Three o'clock. As soon as the voice in her head issued the order she faced the direction, sword poised. And just as swiftly, the undead creature charged at her, catching in her extended sword and limply hanging before her.

Mae shoved the corpse into the ground and dug her sword deeper. She cut up its chest in the hopes that the creature would die if she attacked its heart. It did seem dead, and so close, she could finally get a look at it. She knelt beside it and cracked open her book. It fell to a page with a picture of a similar monster with the word zonmiahi underneath it. It was a dark creature, an undead being that used its claws to weaken and immobilize its foes and feasted upon their hearts. Luckily, it would do no feasting anymore. Satisfied for now, Mae tucked her book back in her bag and looked to Kaito and Resham. "What is going on?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

[IssyEspeon]

Resham lay, shaking as the fight continued. He could only let cries of pain as the mark on his brow pulsed and glowed. aito looked helpless, and indeed felt that way too. He heard something, and looked over at Mae as the creatures arm fell. Then, his eyes widened in shock as she spun, and neatly impaled the thing. As she cut through it, and threw the once again dead corpse to the ground, Reshams cries quieted. When Mae was done, Resham lay panting, trembling against the ground as Mah La nudged him with her trunk. Her voice broke him from his shock, and from his worry.

"I, I don't know." He admitted, looking between the two. "He had the same reaction last night, when we ran into the wendigo. Apart from that, we are both alright, I believe." Resham was still relatively motionless on the ground, and he wasn't speaking either, just making soft plaintive sounds of pain. "Resham will need rest, and likely medical attention, which will be tricky seeing as how he was harmed. And you..." Kaito trailled off slightly, looking at the bleeding marks on her face. "Those cuts look quite bad. Bad enough to scar your face." He said quietly. He turned to Mah La, going to one of the saddle bags. Wordlessly, he pulled medical supplies from it, and headed back to Resham. He wet a strip of bandage, and wrapped the damp cloth around the boys forehead, hoping to soothe the angry red skin for a bit, then turned to Mae. He wet another cloth, and approached her. he offered the cloth to her, concern clear in his gaze. "You should definitely get the cuts clean at least. If it'd clean, it's less likely to become infected, which makes it less likely for it to mar your lovely features." He said softly

[Ashen]

Mae could not hide her crestfallen expression at the news. Bad enough to scar your face. Immediately her hands flew to her face and she wiped at the blood. "No," she whispered, almost imperceptible. "No, no... Please." She turned away from the two. Her face... Never had she considered herself pretty. Her scar of a birthmark had made sure of that. But now, the other side of her face would be scared too? She could hardly hide her entire face without raising suspicion. No, she could not have any more scars. She could not.

Mae could feel her legs go shaky. She loathed the scar she had, and hearing of the more she would sustain devastated her. After clearing her throat she pretended everything was alright, until Kaito spoke. Lovely features. At this, her cheeks darkened immediately. She took up the cloth and dabbed at the blood, not having the courage to look at Kaito. Lovely features... She was a scarred mess, and he was calling her features lovely? Just when she felt so terribly ugly... Maybe he was different, after all.

"Is Resham feeling better?" she asked, still not looking at them. The zonmiahi had carved her arm, too, and she was unsuccessfully trying to wipe the blood from her sleeves. "I saw his forehead aglow. Is that a normal such thing for you?" Recalling what the child had said earlier, she turned to face Resham, still concealing her face behind her hair and the cloth. "Your mother was a white mage, was she? Are you?"

[IssyEspeon]

Resham looked up somewhat blearily, the pain from his mark drained most of his energy, but an emotion was still quite clear in them. Raw, undisguised fear. Kaitos hand went to the sword, but he sighed. "His mother was indeed a white mage." He said softly, the words heavy in his mouth. "But it isn't normal for his mark to glow like that. A few times, it's glowed softly in the night, but never this strongly, and it never caused him such pain before recently. The most it used to do was raise his temperature." He said flatly. He had hoped that the mark could go unnoticed by their companion, but that seemed to be too optimistic to be real. Resham tried to sit up, but failed, needing both Mah La and Kaito to help him up. He looked at Mae, then back down at the ground. "Now you know.... what are you going to do?" He asked quietly

[Ashen]

Mae crossed her arms over her chest, a very small smirk coming to her lips. She had the advantage now. She knew more than they did, and they didn't even know it. So Mae just shrugged her shoulders. "What business is it of mine?" she asked. "It is said the only mages work alongside the Dark Lord. If that is the case, perhaps my hospitality to you will have you killing me last."

It was a joke, a small attempt to lighten the mood. She had already had her spirits raised, though. Now she could breathe a little easier. She wouldn't tell them of her abilities, not yet, but now she had a safety net. They were okay with magic, they knew mages. This could only work in her favor. They wouldn't possibly discriminate against her, now. So she uncrossed her arms and proceeded forward, a new bounce in her step. "We should get going. We would not want more of those beasts tracking us." She looked over her shoulder, at the exhausted boy. "Why don't you rest atop Mah La? Kaito and I can handle things from here."

[IssyEspeon]

"You now have something over us." Kaito said, looking straight at her. "And neither of us are mages. Reshams mother was." He reiterated. He was slightly frustrated by this point. For years, he had been protecting Resham, as well as making sure the mark on the boys forehead went unnoticed. Then in only a day of meeting one person, too many truths they had intended to keep for a while had all slipped out. He couldn't tell if she was joking, and the small smirk wasn't helping in the slightest.

Still, he had to agree. They should get moving. He helped Resham onto Mah Las back, and the group began walking along the path once more, the drained child leaning against the elephants head, drifting off as the two adults went along on the ground. "Mae, what will you do with the information?" Kaito asked softly

[Ashen]

Mae cocked her head at Kaito, then shrugged and continued walking. "Am I supposed to do something?" she asked him. "Kaito, please. I do not care in the slightest whether you are mages or not. You could be in cahoots with the Black Dragon himself; it is no business of mine. I have no one to tell, and money is cheap. They will not bribe me. Is that what you fear?" She stopped walking and looked at him, challenging him. "So you two know magic more intimately than most. So? I am not about to go telling that to the world. Relax. Accusing someone of such things makes for a poor and awkward adventure."

She was remaining rather nonchalant about this, but she was enjoying it. Mae had quite the advantage now, but he suspected her. He knew she knew something he did not. So as Mae continued walking she wondered how long it would take for him to give up guessing. Surely he wouldn't guess correctly. Maybe he would be too afraid she'd rat to even pry. That was fine by her; the risk of him spilling her secrets was significantly decreased in that case. So she could take her own advice, and Mae was able to relax.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito looked at her, quiet for a long moment. "I'm not accusing you of anything. But in my experience, letting someone hold something over you rarely ends well. Many people in this time of fear wouldn't hesitate to kill him, which is why I am being cautious about it. Though, you are hardly the kind of paranoid traveler I worry about." He continued walking. "Though I am pretty curious about the reappearance of your book. The last time you brought it out was when the wendigo attacked. Then, with the undead monster just now. That seems to suggest that it contains knowledge about those kind of creatures." He looked at her. "Where did you get it?" His words were more obtrusive than usual, and though the bluntness was hardly polite, it was weighing heavily on his mind. The faint glow from the night before, and a few more things that were starting to gain more suspicion in his mind, and he was resisting the urge to pry. It was his respect for her, and his worry for Resham, that kept those suspicions for crossing his tongue.

[Ashen]

Mae looked down at her book. Several pages appeared to be falling out, and every edge of the jacket was worn. The book looked older than she was, older even than most cities were. She couldn't blame him for being curious, but she knew he wouldn't like her answer. "This old thing?" she asked, motioning. "I've always had it. It's been my only faithful companion, and it gives me something to do when the nights grow long."

She looked up and continued speaking, determined to not let off any suspicious body language. "It does contain monsters of that sort," she told him. "A reference book, if you would, with monsters such as the wendigo and the zonmiahi. I know not the authors, but it hasn't failed me yet. I did tell you I enjoyed dabbling in the studies of such creatures, didn't I?"

That statement alone probably could have gotten her into trouble, but she offered it anyway. Maybe then Kaito would think they were even; the knowledge of Resham's mother's magic in exchange for the knowledge of her interest in dark arts. She did not mention the various spells included in her book; she had no need to. Kaito would not be able to read the strange characters, so she had no worry he would do his own snooping. No one could read her book except her, and she had traveled far and wide to confirm that.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito frowned, but nodded. "A useful book, if in poor condition. And the nature of the book would likely make it difficult to get it rebound by any book binder." He said, shrugging slightly. His curiosity abated slightly, and he looked down the road. While some of his curiosity had faded, the rest was urging him to ask more. Still, a few things troubled him. The faint glow when they fought the wendigo, the book, and her fascination with the dark lord and his minions seemed a bit, odd to him. Still, probing might do more harm than good. Resham could be put in danger with a single word from her mouth after all.

"When do you think we will reach the town?" He asked finally, having put aside his more intrusive questions. He looked at her, and some guilt came as he gazed at the fresh injuries on her face. He could've done something, couldn't he? He had simply stood over Resham, and she had done all the fighting. He tried to shake it off, though the attempt was marginally effective. "We've walked for quite a bit, though the attack definitely slowed us." He said softer, looking back to the path ahead

[Ashen]

Mae was taking quite a bit of offense. She didn't like being reminded that her book was in poor condition. She had received it with the pages falling out, the jacket falling apart, and it was of no fault of hers that it was like this. This book was her lifeline, the most important thing in her life, and he was insulting it. She knew he didn't mean it, but it still didn't sit well.

At his question she looked over her shoulder, as if trying to judge their distance from the now invisible town. "It shouldn't be long now," she guessed, then faced forward again. "I do not think the creature slowed us too much. We should be there pretty soon. Perhaps in the next two hours or so." She'd seen him looking and suddenly she felt quite self-conscious. "Are they bad?" she asked him. Her hands flew to her new scars and she pressed at them gingerly, checked for fresh blood. "Are they noticeable?" The obviously were, and she was devastated at that. "Perhaps the next town will have an ointment of sorts to get rid of them. Yes, that's it. They'll go away." She was trying hard to convince herself of that, and it didn't look like she was doing a good job.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito felt struck by guilt as she began questioning her appearance once again. "The injuries, they look bad. But they can be made less noticeable. I think that there is still a fair amount of dried blood lining them, which makes them more obvious." He looked at his feet. "Clear that away, and it won't be as bad. My earlier analysis of them was influenced by the blood running from them. They may be shallower than I thought. That means, well, it means they won't scar your cheek. I'm sure that the town will have some healing ointment that will help speed the healing process." He said softly, then looked at her again. "I'm sorry for not doing anything more to help against that monster. Then, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

[Ashen]

Mae shook her head, her black curtain of hair moving with her. "You needed to protect Resham," she said. "Your duty to protect him was and is greater than your duty to assist me. I can handle myself just fine in a fight like that one. You saw that. Resham couldn't handle himself so well. I do not blame you for my injuries. It was my duty alone to protect myself from them. I knew halting the creature was my priority, so if I must sustain a few battle scars because of my actions, I suppose I cannot complain."

Still, it was humiliating, walking about with a new shining deformity. She had enough of that on her face; adding more, no matter how she played it off, was not pleasant. There was no use concentrating on it, though, so she shook her head once more. "Never mind. There's no use pondering about some medicine that may not even exist. We will find out when we get there."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito frowned slightly. "But I still feel guilty for not assisting you." He said quietly. He looked back at Mah La, his eyes settling upon the sleeping child. "And it isn't his fault for having that strange reaction to dark creatures. I suppose if he had gotten hurt, I would be berating myself for it as well." He turned back to the road. "Hopefully the town will have something that can help. It doesn't sit well with me, that you got hurt." He fell back into silence, unsure of what else to say. He felt like he wasn't helping, regardless of what he said. Still.....
"May I ask why you wish to travel this way? Towards the dark lord?" He asked, attempting to get off the subject at hand

[Ashen]

Mae shook her head, trying to get the man off of the subject of her. "I have sustained far worse than this," she assured him, but she knew he wasn't going to listen. To Mae, it wasn't such a bad thing that she'd had to fight alone. She got to find out about Resham's mother, which was far more valuable than an injury. Well, if it didn't scar.

She turned to him and searched his face for something before answering. "It interests me," she offered. "All brave knights are too cowardly to go face him. So, I am going to stop it. A mere woman is going to do what legions of trained knights cannot. And perhaps I will be able to stop him. What have I got to lose, anyway? No one will miss me if I die in the battle. That is plain fact. It's one of the benefits of traveling alone. Never mind, I wish to satiate my curiosity." She didn't look at him, and she didn't really appear to be lying. There was more to it, of course. Mae believed the Dark One had answers for her that no one else did. She wanted those answers.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito paused slightly, then nodded to her answer. "That makes sense, in a way. I think that he needs to be stopped before that army of his slaughters people in all regions. I must admit, I can see why you are curious. I am too, in a way. But I apologize once again. I seem to be making you uncomfortable." He turned to the path again, thinking about what she had said. "Mae, it has occurred to me that much of our conversations have revolved around questions that Resham or I have asked. Perhaps you can ask a few questions to balance this out?" He asked, his voice calm and even once again

[Ashen]

"I find that the wrong questions tend to lead the company away." Mae smirked at Kaito as she kept walking. "If I scare you away, who will I have to buy drinks for me? I cannot go waving about my new scar to any guy at the bar, now can I? The men don't like scars." It was all light-hearted but her words were true; she'd not get far in seducing anyone if both sides of her face were scarred. The total reality hadn't quite set in yet, and she did not give it a chance to.

"Well," she said slowly, trying to think of something to ask them. "Resham mentioned something about you and his mother." Mae watched his face, made sure it was okay to continue. "She saved your life, did she? And then she was put to death? That's what I gathered, anyway." She looked out at the land before them. "What happened?" she asked. "Did she really cure you? And if she did, and you felt in debt to her, isn't raising her kid a little much? Where's his dad?"

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito looked at her, smiling slightly at her first words. "Some think that scars show strength, and endurance. And others would be interested in hearing the story behind it. It depends on who you look to. Some think being alive is a beautiful thing." He commented, then became somber.

"Ura was mostly a healer, but what indebted me to her was her actions and how far she went to save my life." He was quiet for a few moments, organizing his thoughts. "To put it simply, I was careless. When fighting a monster, I lowered my guard for a moment, and in that time, it struck. I was slashed, and the force of the blow sent my flying. Dazed, I could barely lift my sword. For a while, it simply toyed with me, injuring me until I was barely able to stand. I didn't know anyone was nearby, but before it could kill me, she attacked." He was quiet again. "I don't remember the following time very well. It was a couple weeks before I was fully coherent. And, I wouldn't have been alive if she hadn't used magic to close many of the injuries it gave me. She healed me, and even allowed me to get my strength back afterwards. But she never asked anything in return. Because I had been close to dead when she half carried, half dragged me into the village, many began to suspect witchcraft.... Because she saved my life, she ended her own."

He looked at her again. "I can see why you think that raising her child would be a strange way to repay a debt, but it was one of the few ways I could repay her, and keep both of us alive after the hanging. I know not who Resham's father is, and from what I can tell, he doesn't know much about him either. From what Ura told me, he simply left them one day, and didn't return."

[Ashen]

Mae was silent as she listened to Kaito speak. When he paused only the thumps of their footsteps could be heard, an eerie sound in the otherwise silent path. As he spoke again Mae was already trying to work out what kind of magic she could have used, where she might have learned it. She couldn't remember much about white magic from her book, and she knew it was certainly something she could do with no ease. Maybe there was a thing or two that could be learned from the child, another step closer on her path to self-discovery.

When Kaito finished speaking Mae looked up to him and examined his face. "A lot of people would have run from that responsibility," she told him. "My own parents did. They didn't think I was worth raising, I guess." The orphan woman smiled weakly. "He's lucky to have you, you know. I think you're doing a fine job. I've seen how you defend him. I only wish I could have had an overseer like you while I was learning the darkness of the world." She looked ahead and motioned forward with her chin. "There, in the distance. That's our destination."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito nodded once, his expression queerly calm, like he was putting on a mask to hide his true feelings. Yet when she spoke, a flicker of pain, and guilt, cracked his mask. "There have been times where I wanted to leave that responsibility behind. But my debt to her reminds me not to let Resham go off on his own. He knows of the evils in the world, but, he doesn't truly understand them. To him, the wrong things have turned into a game, combat being one of them. I may be doing a good job in some things, but in others, I'm failing miserably. I'm a poor substitute for his mother." His words were heavy with mixed emotions, grief, guilt, pain. But he shook his head, looking into the far distance where the hazy outline of civilization was emerging. "Good. We can use some rest, and get better medical supplies. If that was the first obstacle, we may need them. I don't want you, or Resham getting hurt next time around." He said quietly

[Ashen]

She watched the way the emotions swirled in his face, distorting his expression and saddening his features. Mae felt a little sorry for him; to receive a child that he did not want when he was quite unprepared to be a parent, it couldn't have been easy. But then, the same thing had happened to Mae's adoptive father. He had never intended to adopt a girl, a magic one at that. Mae knew she wouldn't have been the woman she was without his help. "I think," she said softly, "things always work out, in the end."

When they arrived in the city Mae took only a few seconds to take in her surroundings. There were average-looking people; no incredible poverty or extreme riches. A child was running after a barking dog and an elderly man was watching them angrily. No one came to greet them and they only received wary, sideways glances, as if everyone in town was sizing them up. "Well," Mae announced, "here we are." She had been to worse places, but then, she had been to better as well. "Where will we be going to first?" she asked Kaito. "To acquire the medicinal supplies? Or perhaps you would rather rest a bit, try to find out more about this place? I do not see any immediate diseases around, so maybe their medicines are trustworthy. It's up to you."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito nodded, a soft,sad smile coming to his face. "Things have a way of going their own way, and only in hindsight do we know how they work out. But, I find myself believing you." He said quietly. For the rest of the walk, he was silent

He looked about the town, considering what to do as Mae spoke. Getting medicine was a priority, but lodging was also important. Frowning, he looked about. Finally, after deliberating, he turned to Mae. "I believe we should find a place to stay first. Resham needs rest, and though I am tired, I can keep going a bit more. I'll take Resham to a room, and leave him a note to make sure he won't do anything too crazy when he wakes up. Then, we can go look for supplies, particularly medicine and food. Hopefully this can be done in a way that allows time for some rest as well. If you need to handle matters on your own, I will give you some coin before parting. If this happens, we should meet where we are lodging. I will purchase a room for you as well." He said, figuring out as many things as he could while being so tired. "So first matter is a place to sleep, and hopefully one where Mah La can be nearby." He said, looking at the buildings around them. It occurred to him that perhaps asking someone around might be more efficient, and he turned to ask someone.

His eyes found a child nearby, who was staring at the elephant with an expression of wonder. Shaking his head, he approached the young girl, who looked at him wide eyed as he asked her gently where a place to stay might be. She pointed down the main road, telling him of several places that might offer a place to sleep. Thanking her, he pressed a coin into her hand, stood, and returned to the group. "The Red Boar apparently has some rooms, and is relatively close. It's this way." He said softly to Mae, then began to lead their group towards the Inn, followed by the curious looks and stares of the residents.
Elephants are rather conspicuous after all

[Ashen]

Mae listened to him and nodded when he decided on seeking a place to stay. She didn't like the idea of accepting his charity but she remained quiet, in case she really would need it. It was amusing to her to watch the child stare up at the elephant. She had to wonder at her own childhood; had she ever had that same fascinated look in her eye? No, she could remember little from her childhood. Memories of pain crowded her mind and she had to forcefully will them all away.

By the time they reached the Red Boar Mae was still hearing whispers of her younger days. They were easier to ignore this time, and so she concentrated on the inn. "If it would give you comfort," she suggested, "I could stay here with Resham. That way, if he wakes up, he won't be all alone. While walking through I saw nothing especially interesting of the town, and I'm sure if I really needed to I could explore later." She looked to Kaito with a small grin. "Also," she added quietly, "this place has got a bar, and I think I'd rather stay here a while."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito walked quiely, and nodded to her suggestion. "It would put me at ease, to an extent." He agreed softly, and his expression saddened when she mentioned the bar. Without a word, he placed a few coins into her palm, closing her fingers around them with his own, then went inside, and purchased two rooms. Resham was moved to one, and when Kaito headed back into the bar area, he told Mae which rooms they had for that night. Finally, he was ready to purchase the supplies.

He strode out the door, and ws content to wander a bit, despite his aching feet. As time passed, he found places to purchase what he needed. Fresh food, new bandage strips, and a new water skin. Medicine was harder to find though. When he finally found a small apothecary shop, he hesitated at the exorbitant prices. Then his thoughts turned, to his surprise, Mae. He remembered how shaky and hurt, even distraught she had seemed when he had spoken of her injuries possibility of scarring. He looked at the woman who was waiting for him to make his choice, then nodded. He handed over the large sum, and carried the supplies out of the store. He returned to the inn, and tiredly, scanned the bar for Mae

[Ashen]

Again with the charity. It was no use denying it; if she would be drinking tonight, she would be needing that money. She bowed her head a little as thanks and saw that Kaito left with no formal goodbye. Well, it was no skin off of her back. She would have her fun, and then she would head to the rooms to watch over Resham.

Like any bar, there were plenty of lonely-looking men just waiting for her. Mae chose one and sat beside him. He looked innocent enough, ragged around the edges, just how she liked them. The alcohol he was drinking wasn't the cheapest brand, which meant he had some money to spare. She glanced over at him and noticed a ring on his finger. A husband. Well, one little drink wouldn't break up a marriage. "Usually pretty bold to wear wedding rings in a place like this," she commented.
The man looked up at her, took in her hood and her dark hair. "Perhaps," he agreed. "Maybe I'm looking for a girl who won't mind the baggage, eh?"
She looked at him, making eye contact, challenging him. "Really?" she asked, surprised. She could feel it, could feel his gaze on the uncovered part of her face. He was looking at her new scars, at the grey area that dared reach her good side. He was judging her.
"Why's a lady gotta be so hidden?" he asked her. "The hood, the hair. You don't have to hide like that." He brushed the hair from her face, and his expression said it all. "Oh."
Mae moved the curtain back and looked away. She called for the bartender to give her a drink, and she sighed. She wasn't going to be getting a drink out of this man, not now. So after chugging her alcohol, she paid with Kaito's coin, and she headed to Resham.

There would be others, she told herself. Men who wouldn't notice or wouldn't care about the deformities on her face. She would just have to look for them, was all. Trying to rid it from her mind, Mae entered Resham's room and watched over him. The taste of her drink was still strong on her breath, but it was doing nothing to help her forget.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito couldn't see the familiar cloaked figure of Mae at the bar, so he shrugged, and made his way upstairs. He fumbled around a bit with the key, trying to balance what supplies he had bought while opening a rather stubborn door. But he managed. After the door grudgingly opened, his eyes scanned the room, falling upon Mae next to the sleeping figure of their final companion. "I'm back." He said softly, closing the door behind him. He was quiet as he locked the door, and set the supplies down. "I found some medicine, the woman who sold them to me said they help recent injuries. You can use it if you like." Again, he whispered words 'please, no', at his comment flashed back to him. He shook his head slightly. "Are you alright?" He found himself asking

[Ashen]

She turned up at the sound of the door being stubborn, and she readied her sword. When she saw it was only Kaito she was able to relax. There would be no one to protect Resham from then, at least not yet. She set her sword down and got up to greet him. "Medicine?" she asked him, and the idea certainly sounded tempting. "I think you should treat Resham before daring to treat me. I can wait." She looked over the medicines and gave a small smile. "I truly thank you for thinking of me, though."

With Kaito back she would be able to return to her room, but she wasn't ready for that loneliness. She'd been alone for a long while, but something about the man from the bar had gotten to her, and she would take no solace in the silence. She wanted company, and she lingered about, wondering what she could do, what excuse she could make. "Did you stumble upon anything interesting in town?" she asked. "Anything I should note when I explore it myself?"

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito looked at the sleeping child. "Resham, he didn't sustain injuries of the sort the medicine would be helpful for. I managed to get some herbs for treating him, but the salve, it would be better used on you." He didn't want to admit it, but he had bought it for her, since she had seemed to upset about it. When she began asking him questions, he shrugged. "Interesting? I discovered a couple things. There seem to be sections to this city. The buildings have an interesting pattern to them as well. The ones that are closest to the gate and walls, they have the lowest roofs. The inner city have higher roofs. Each building has a higher roof than the ones before it. Apparently, this city has a history of war fare." He looked back at Resham. "The roofs structure make it harder for attackers to shoot forwards from the roofs with bows, and easier for anyone farther up to shoot as well. And the buildings farthest in, the most well of people live there, the best shops are there, and trade is regulated and recorded. In other words, the city center houses the upper levels of society here."

[Ashen]

She looked over the medicine again before bowing her thanks and taking it. If he hadn't bought it for Resham, it meant he had bought it for her. Mae could not remember the last time, if ever, someone had done such a thing for her. The simple act sent color to her cheeks and she pocketed the salve thankfully. She would apply it later, alone, so Kaito would not be able to see how desperately she'd try to scratch her scars away.

Mae listened to him speak, taking in the general layout of the town. "Noted," she told him, then thanked him. "I will have to see what I can get out of the higher-ups, then. Maybe they'd be clumsy enough to drop something worth a few coins..." She smiled, leaving him to decide whether she was joking or not. "I bet the layout proves suitable for dark creatures, too. I think we are able to feel safe here."

An idea was forming in the girl's mind. Maybe, if the city were to be attacked by some dark creatures, there would be quite the scuffle. The city would be able to handle them, what with their experience, but the panic raised might prove useful. If people were concentrated on the creatures, they wouldn't be concentrated on the conjurer stealing any valuables. She was seriously contemplating it. It wouldn't be hard, raising some dark creatures. But then, the last time she had tried such a spell... Mae shivered at the memory.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito nodded. "It would be easier to fight a monster in this way, unless of course, it was some sort of winged beast." He said, taking into account her comment on the citys layout. "But, after the wendigo, and the creature on the road, I hope that nothing attacks this city. It has an air of peace, if slight suspicion, to it. I don't want anyone in the lowest buildings getting hurt." His voice quieted slightly as he spoke, and he thought of the little girl, looking in wonder at Mah La. She lived there, as well as many other people, young and old alike. Would they be able to protect themselves before a group of soldiers arrived?

"That, and Resham would be incapacitated before any kind of dark magic, including a dark beast. If he were in the streets, he could easily be harmed. He's too stubborn to run." Kaito looked at the sleeping child on the bed, his own weariness weighing heavily on him. "And the wealthy neighborhoods, some may drop items, but there were some more ragged people there as well. They seem to have the same idea as you." he found himself yawning. Rubbing his tired eyes, he looked at Mae. He would wait for the conversation to end before allowing his eyes to close

[Ashen]

He did have a point. Conjuring any kind of attacker would be inhuman. If Mae did that, she would be the witch everyone accused her of being. No, even for several coins, calling forth such beasts was something she would not consider. Disappointment and anger crossed her face but she soon shook them away. She was trying her best to ignore the whispers, too, the ones that called her a witch and a monster. She would not give them that. The thought had crossed her mind, but that was as far as it would go.

Finally, she seemed to notice the way Kaito's eyes drooped, how his form hunched. He looked exhausted, and she was being rude keeping him. "Well," she said, already starting for the door. "I suppose I should let the two of you rest, then." She turned towards the door and hesitated a moment. Mae wasn't nearly as tired as they were; what was she going to do? "I'll see you when you're feeling better," she told him, and with that she was gone.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito was too tired to try to make sense of Maes expression before she turned to leave. "You're room is across from us, here." He said, pulling out a key and setting it onto a table. She could take it if she wanted to go there, or she could go wander. His eyes felt heavy, and he was grateful that she was letting him rest. Turning to Resham, he made sure he was alright before nearly collapsing onto his own bed. He pulled the blanket halfway over himself, then let his eyes close. Quickly, his mind took over, and he was soon passed out as well as Resham.

[Ashen]

There was a lot of this town for her to explore. Mae looked over it all, trying to decide where she would wander to first. Her destination soon became clear when she saw water. It was a pond on the edge of town, and she went there alone. Once there, she stared at her wavering reflection in the water. Making sure she really was alone, she removed the salve from Kaito and began smearing it gently over her new scars. Impatiently she waited for the medicine to take effect, but it was going to be more difficult than that. Trying to distract herself from her hopeful reflection, she decided to continue her exploration.

The border territories were just as Kaito had told her they'd be. Mae looked through the marketplace and found nothing extraordinarily expensive-looking. People seemed jolly here, if not poor. As she went further into the city she could see the richer buildings, the nicer cloths, the bigger egos. This town would be a fun one indeed, and as she wandered through the richer parts she looked for some oblivious person she could pickpocket.

When Mae returned to the Red Boar her purse was a few coins heavier. She showed nothing of the crime she'd just committed and instead headed straight for her room, figuring Kaito would not be bothered. She sat on the bed in the room and looked over the day's keep, wondering if the coins she had could pay for as much alcohol it would take to make her feel better.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito had been passed out for a while when Resham woke up, groaning as he rubbed his temples. He blinked a bit sleepily as he looked around, quickly realizing they were in some kind of room, meaning they had reached town. After resting for so long, he felt much better, and was quickly growing bored. Deciding that the room was too boring to entertain himself in for long, he stood, albeit slightly clumsily, and walked to the door. He was about to push it open when he paused, and readjusted his hair, making doubly sure no one could see the mark on his forehead. Then he gently padded outside, closing and locking the door behind him.

He glanced around, unsure of what to do. Find Mae? Explore? Cause trouble and 'find' some coins? He pondered them, and shrugged. Kaito might not approve of some of his skills, but they were often useful. Like knowing how to cut a merchants fat coin purse and make off with it. They always left town before the victims of such minor crimes realized it, or at least, they left before he was caught. Kaito usually scolded him, but when he had tried to return it, he usually got them both in serious trouble. So the older, more responsible, had to deal with it most of the time, and would assign some task to make him regret it, at least temporarily. But right then, he was a bit more focused with finding a conscious companion. "Mae." He said, looking both ways as he tried to figure out which room she was in

[Ashen]

She hadn't taken much. Mae probably could have pilfered a lot more coins, but she at least had some morals. Stealing was wrong and she knew it, even if the rich probably wouldn't even notice the gold missing. Still, she was only being a Robin Hood, stealing from the rich to give to a charity case--herself. She decided to buy some meal with her earnings, and she headed out of her room to go back to the pub.

Just outside she saw a child wandering about. It was Resham, and Mae approached him immediately. "Resham?" she called to him. "What are you doing out and about alone?" She was worried about what might happen if he had another spell again, with no one to look after him. The worry soon left her dark eyes though and she shook her head. "Is Kaito okay?" she asked. "It's good to see you're doing better. How do you feel?"

[IssyEspeon]

Resham heard his name, and turned around. He later regretted it slightly as Mae began to worry. "I'm out, alone, because Kai is passed out. No idea when he did, but he looks like he'll be out for a while. It's boring just hanging around, and I figured I might be able to spend time with you or something. I was looking for our room before you descended and began asking questions. And to answer, I feel fine. I might have a mild headache, but I feel fine." His stomach growled slightly, and he looked a bit sheepish. "Maybe a bit hungry too." He mumbled, and looked down the hall. But his mind began supplying him with questions to ask.

"When did we get here? I feel pretty well rested, so it must have been at least a few hours. Did anything else happen? Are there any interesting places here like markets?" The last one was maybe for less noble interests than if Kaito had been asking, but Resham hadn't grabbed any coins on his way out. Pick pocketing, or just stealing a few coin purses of fresh grown or made food, would be a way to satisfy what he needed at that moment.

[Ashen]

Mae's eyes fell at the sound of the child's growling stomach. They were both hungry, but Mae would be heartless in choosing her own food over a child's. She let out a grand sigh and started for the pub, motioning for Resham to follow. "We're going to get you something to eat," she told him. "Kaito brought some medicine for you. It might be wise to try that out."

Taking a seat at the bar, Mae held out a few coins for Resham. She told him to buy himself something to eat and considered buying something for herself. Saving her money would be wiser, she realized. If she could find more money later, then she would treat herself. With that settled she finally began with the boy's questions. "We have been here for a few hours, yes," Mae told him. "Not much has happened. Kaito brought back supplies and rented out the rooms, so all of that is taken care of. There is a marketplace here, two. The one towards the border is the poorer one, but they seem to have interesting wares. I was looking through there just a little while ago. Why do you want to know of a marketplace?" She'd seen that shine in his eye, and she didn't know whether to encourage or condone such a thought. Stealing was wrong, sure, but how could she scold a child for doing something she herself had just done? Mae shook her head. "Don't answer that."

[IssyEspeon]

Reshams face showed slight surprise as she told him they were going to get food, as, though they were travelling, he hadn’t really expected her to do something like that. For him at least. As they reached the bar, he smiled, being able to smell the food they were serving, and cooking. He gratefully took the coins, and quickly ordered some food. “Thanks, I’ll pay you back.” He said softly, considering if he really should use, or take, the medicine Kaito had bought for him. He knew, like most things that were good for you, that the medicine would likely be bitter, or at least smell or feel weird.

When Mae finally began to answer his questions, he listened with complete attention, a rare thing for him. But, he respected the woman, and he needed the information she could give him. Wandering around with no idea what he was doing wouldn’t be fun, or very safe, even with his collection of knives. Well, the knives were mostly in the room, which made wandering alone even more dangerous. When she began to tell him of a market place, his eyes sparked with a mischevious light, especially as she told him she didn’t really want to know why he wanted that particular tidbit of information. He decided to say something anyways though. “Well, Kaito usually buys things sparingly, and rarely lets me come along. I wanna see the market place here, and maybe get a few things too.” He said with a shrug. The words were innocent enough, which meant that he wouldn’t get into too much trouble. At least, not with any patrons listening in. His food came, and he grinned before starting to eat hungrily.

[Ashen]

She wasn't satisfied with his answer. There was something more he had wanted, something he hadn't wanted to buy from the marketplace, but Mae did not want to know. Or, perhaps she already did know, and she did not want to hear it. Either way, she looked over at his food and swallowed the saliva collecting in her mouth. I'll pay you back. She didn't know if he had meant his words, but she could have used the coin.

Mae decided to turn away form his food, instead distracting herself by people watching. She was quiet for a few minutes, until she turned back to Resham again. "I can take you to the marketplace," she offered. "I can't say we can buy much, but we could browse. It can be pretty fun, doing that. Seeing what the people here make for sell. The crafts of different cultures are always very interesting. Or, if you would prefer, we can wait for Kaito to awake so he doesn't worry about us."

[IssyEspeon]

For a bit, Resham simply ate, happy to be having a meal. When she made her offer, he blinked, then looked up at her, weighing the options. "That sounds fun." He said, grinning, though he was a bit uncertain about it. Without Kaito, he could easily take a few things. But he wasn't so sure how Mae would react to petty thievery. Would she mind if he stole a few coins, or would she look the other way? He needed to repay her somehow. Maybe Mah La could help? They had gotten a few coins like that before, but not very many.

"And I have to agree with you. The wares of different cultures are rather interesting. I like looking for things that remind me of home sometimes." He shrugged, looking at the remaining food. "Sometimes, I manage to convince Kaito to buy some spices or something, for when we are actually eating on the road. The meals aren't as good when pre get them in taverns or anything, but they taste a lot more like home, so I like them more." A small smile was on his face as he spoke, but he shrugged, then finished off his food. "Wanna go now, or do you want to get something to eat here too?"

[Ashen]

Mae nodded along with him, though she didn't know what it was like to be reminded of home. The place she had been raised had never felt like a home to her, and though her adopted father did try, she had just never felt welcome. There had always been something missing for the wandering girl, and she couldn't name what it was. That was the reason for her journey, though; the Dark One would perhaps be the one to lead her home.

She shook her head at him. "I am not hungry," she assured, a blatant lie. Mae thought little of it and got up, headed for the door. "We are able to leave now. I find that spices do really light up a meal like nothing else can. There might be some around here that we could try out. It seems we might be on the road for quite some time, anyway. Living off the land is a lot easier when your food actually tastes like something." She smiled and looked out at the world outside, wondering where they should go. "There are two marketplaces," she said again. "Which one did you want to visit?"

[IssyEspeon]

Resham had a feeling that she was lying about the food, but didn't push it. He stood, following her towards the door, and listening as she spoke to him. He smiled at her words, happy to have a companion who enjoyed, or at least claimed to enjoy, something similar to him. "I tend to like the spicy ones, like pepper, and Kai likes the salty foods. I hope that they have some good spices here, sometimes, we just have some plants we manage to find. They're mostly bitter, which is never pleasant. Sometimes, Kaito manages to find some fruit, or at least something sweeter. I hope we have enough food though. Running out sucks." He paused when she did, and thought about it. "Well, I don't know what either of them are like, so you pick." He said after a brief moments thought

[Ashen]

Mae nodded and headed off in pursuit of the richer marketplace. They were more likely to have finer wares, and less likely to miss any missing items or coins. She didn't know Resham, but he had that devious smile to him, and she wouldn't stand knowing he'd stolen from the poor. The rich, however, she would gladly let slide, and so they headed up to the richer section of the city.

"When you live like I do, you don't have the choice of being a picky eater." Mae thought about a meal, a seasoned and good-tasting meal, and her mouth watered. "I would say I prefer the spicier foods, but out on the open roads, you don't get much an option. I've eaten just about anything, even things I don't care to admit..." She turned away, instead concentrating on the road ahead of them. This talk about food wasn't' going to do her much good. Her stomach growled quietly and she looked to Resham, wondering if he'd heard.

[IssyEspeon]

Resham looked as they walked deeper into the city, noting the slowly increasing quality of life. He nodded slightly, glad she was taking him to the richer one. It would've been strange asking for her to take him there, when he obviously had very little money. At least, to everyone around him. But even with the potential gain increase by stealing from the richer section, there was also a bit of morality involved as well. He knew how the ones on the poorer side struggled, and stealing from them felt wrong.

"I guess you're right. We don't always have much room to be picky either. But eating something so bitter most animals won't touch it, it isn't fun. I like spicy things, though sweets are cool too. Sorry to hear that you've had to eat some nasty stuff." He could imagine it. Though he got the feeling what he had endured likely wouldn't seem so terrible to the worst Mae had needed to consume. Then he heard a very soft growl from his companion, and looked up at her from the corner of his eye. "I think we should get some food for Kaito. I don't think he'd mind too much if we took a bit for ourselves too." As he had just eaten, it was more a comment made for Mae. He suddenly felt a bit guilty for having used her coin for food.

[Ashen]

He had heard it. Mae silently swore and turned away, trying to think of some way to relieve Resham's worries. "Kaito has an entire pub to sample when he wakes," she told him. "He will be able to buy what he wishes when he is up. I think he'll be okay. We can get food when we are ready to leave. That way it will be fresher longer." She didn't know how to tell him that she didn't want to waste the little money she had on food.

Soon, they were at the marketplace, and Mae once again surveyed the wares about. She too looked up at the people around, looking for any coins they might not miss. No, she would not be a bad influence to this child. She shook her head and turned her attention back to what the vendors were selling. "Well," she told Resham, "here we are. Any of this stuff remind you of home?"

[IssyEspeon]

Resham looked at her, then rolled his eyes. "You can be as stubborn as Kai." He mumbled under his breath, resolving to pinching a few coins, or just stealing some food, and giving it to Mae. He considered it for a while, mostly quiet on his way to the market. When he saw it, his eyes widened slightly, and he looked slightly awed by the place. His eyes began seeking out people, or vendors, who weren't paying much attention, and had money pouches or wallets. He could pick pocket, but it was easiest to just cut off a pouch. His eyes alit on a stall with colorful looking cloth, and then upon a woman selling herbs. A few spices stood in small pouches near the front, and he smiled. "Those two." He said softly, pointing. "Only at home, they had big piles of spices, sometimes held in big bags, that they sold. And there was fish and stuff being sold too sometimes."

[Ashen]

She had heard his muttering but decided to not comment on it. Maybe she was stubborn, or maybe she was too used to this. The girl had skipped meals, sometimes for days, because she'd plain had to. Now that she had the money, she wanted to save it until she needed it. No, she would be okay for a little while, even if her stomach did not agree.

Mae followed Resham's gaze to the two vendors. The colorful cloths caught her attention, but she looked over at the other, too. Spices. This kid was serious about his spices. "I think a seasoned fish sounds delightful right about now," she mumbled. "The cloths look very nice though. They're all so festive." Before she knew it she was approaching the vendor, only dully aware of Resham's presence somewhere behind her.

Of course, Mae would never wear the bright and shimmering colors before her. She was a dark mage, a taboo, a creature to stay hidden; these sorts of colors would have her sticking out anywhere. Still, she liked to dream. She ran her hands through the silks of a dancer's outfit, trying to imagine herself ever having that confidence. Next she saw a baby dress, and she wondered if she had ever been so small. She wondered if she would ever come to make her own child. Mae quickly rushed that thought from her head and turned away, wondering where Resham had gone.

[IssyEspeon]

Maes mumbles at how a seasoned fish sounded nice only reinforced his intentions to get some food for her. But to his surprise, she approached the colorful cloth, and clothes, the other was selling. He couldn't imagine her wearing anything like it, but still, it was slightly amusing to see her drawn to the flashy, beautiful silks. It also gave him a chance to slip into the crowds, looking for someone who could spare a few coins.

He quickly found one. The man was stout, pot bellied, and red faced with a combination of drink, and anger. He was arguing with a merchant, who kept shaking his head in disagreement. Both were distracted. Perfect
Resham crept forwards, and drew a small, but very sharp knife. He held it in a way that was hidden from nearly everyone, and waited as the half drunk man gestured wildly. His coin purse looked fat, and hung by a cord from his belt. With a single, practiced movement, Resham sliced through the cord, caught the pouch, and quickly moved away from the man. Drunk, it took the man a few moments to realize that his belt felt lighter, and fumbled at his side before another realization came. This time, it was that his money was gone. He spun, swearing loudly, but by this point, Resham was already in the crowd, well hidden by the press of bodies. His knife was sheathed at his side, hidden by his open vest while the coin purse was concealed within his pants. He browsed at a stall while the drama behind him took place, and smiled at the woman. “This is pretty.” He commented, pointing at a locket she was selling. He chatted with her as the man looked about for a fleeing thief, and as the man set off to try to find someone who had been moving hurriedly through the crowd.

It was only after he was heading back towards Mae that he allowed himself to smile. He dithered at another stall, removing a few coins before making his way back towards where he had last seen Mae. She was looking for him, which was somewhat unsurprising, as he hadn’t been as quick as he had hoped he would be. “Here.” He said softly. He took her hand, holding it as a son might hold his mothers hand in a crowded place. The gesture looked natural, and he smiled up at her slightly. “I found a stall. I think Kai would like to get some of the fruit it was selling.” As he spoke, the two gold coins he had palmed pressed against Maes, and as he tugged her hand slightly, pulling her towards the vendor mentioned, he tilted their hands, smoothly passing them to her as they stepped through the crowd.

[Ashen]

She had heard the chaos going around. There was some man looking for the thief that had taken his coinpurse, and Mae had the feeling she knew who was responsible. She pretended not to notice, though, and continued to scan the crowd for Resham. When he appeared her suspicions were confirmed; the kid's grin was unmistakable.

She was surprised he had given his hand to her and Mae held it awkwardly, unused to such a familial action. The reason he had grabbed her hand soon became clear, and she looked down blankly at the shining coins. She quickly pocketed them and continued to follow him. When she was sure no one was listening, she spoke. "Now Resham," she said in a hushed tone. "I'm really not supposed to condone thievery. It's wrong, to take something that doesn't belong to you. You're undeserving of the coins you have. But..." She looked over her shoulder, trying to find the man who'd been robbed. "The show you made him put on was brilliant. Did you see the way he started shoving people about? He looked like a real drunkard, that one. I've never seen someone so angry be so... amusing." She smiled down at him and looked forward. "Yes, well, let's purchase these fruits and leave Kaito wondering how we got them."

[IssyEspeon]

Resham grinned lopsidedly at Mae, shrugging as she told him stealing was wrong. "I may not deserve them, but that guy doesnt either." He said back, shrugging. He was proud of himself, and the drunkard probably had a lot more to fund his alcoholic pursuits. One fat coin purse wouldn't hurt the guy too much. So, he happily walked to the fruit vendor, and began examining what she had.

It was mostly berries, apples, and a few, small, pre season fruits she had harvested. But what caught his attention was a few in particular. Somewhat ovular, and the skin a mixture of red, orange and yellow. He grinned, then picked the two that looked ripest. He paid her, letting Mae pick some fruit before beginning to walk out of the market, towards their inn. Then he paused, looking at the stall selling spices. "One sec." He murmured, then walked over to it. He quickly picked up a few pouches, paid, then hurried back to Maes side. "Think Kai will be surprised, or just mad at me again?" He whispered, knowing his guardian would be upset at him for stealing once again

[Ashen]

She followed him to the fruit stand, looking over the varied colors of the delectable goods. Her mouth was watering, and once again she was regretting buying a meal for Resham. Maybe, though, she would be able to buy something with the coin he had given her. Maybe she could actually try some of this delicious-looking food. She wouldn't have to go around starving anymore. She sighed at the thought.

Mae took her time picking out fruits, going straight for the ripest ones. She knew how to tell the good ones from the spoiled ones, and she did so very swiftly. When she was finished she turned back to Resham and shrugged. "You can tell him I purchased them," she said. "I will leave him to wonder how I got the money for it. I am certain he already thinks me a good many things. Why not add thief to that list?"

They started back for the inn, dodging a few children running about. Mae only smiled as she watched them, and then an idea struck her. She stored the fruits she was holding into her bag and turned her dark eyes up to Resham. "Hey," she said softly. "I'll race you back." It was juvenile, a little too juvenile for the grown woman, but she didn't care. Even if she was several years late, she had every right to be a child.

[IssyEspeon]

As Mae looked over the fruit hungrily, Resham rolled his eyes slightly. He nudged her with his elbow, looking up at her befor saying "Once we buy it, you can eat what you want." When she offered to tell Kaito she had purchased them, he immediately shook his head. "He'll find out about my coin soon enough, then he'll just think you're covering for me. Even if you are a thief, I don't want him to think that because of something I did."

Then they had to head back. While he had wanted to explore more, he didn't want to hang around the rich folks market. They would eventually catch him with the stolen coin purse. Maybe they could stop by the poorer market to buy some more stuff. Nodding at the idea, he looked at Mae to find her putting the fruit away. Then, she turned to him, and challenged him to a race. His eyes widened, then he grinned competitively. "You're on!" He said confidently, taking off down the road with surprising speed for someone with short legs

[Ashen]

Mae, too, was quite quick, and she shot off beside him, keeping his pace. She'd been on the streets too long, making too much trouble; running was something she'd needed to survive. Running in a friendly competition was something she hadn't done in some time, but she was enjoying it now. The wind blew her hood off her face but she was smiling, smiling despite the visible scar. Too determined to win, she didn't even notice it off.

When she reached the inn she looked around for Resham, whom she had lost while running. Mae panted lightly and scanned the crowds, looking for the child. She then seemed to realize her hood was off and quickly covered herself, wondering how many people had seen her scar; how many people were already judging her. Instinctively her hands flew over the uneven and discolored skin. No one was staring at her; that, at least, was a good sign.

[IssyEspeon]

Resham ran as fast as he could, which was pretty quick. He heard her foot steps behind him, and she was catching up to him. He looked back, and saw her smiling happily. He found himself laughing as well. Though he found himself losing, it wasn't that surprising for him. She was older, and probably had more experience as well as longer legs. He saw her reach the inn, and as a joke, he cut around the back, entering the kitchen from a back door, and walking calmly through to the bar. He saw Mae looking around, and grinned. "Nice to see ya here." He said, his lopsided smile happy as he walked towards her, out of breath from running so hard

[Ashen]

She started when she heard a voice behind her but soon regained her composure. Her lips split into a smile and she looked past him, into the inn. Had he entered before she had? She hadn't seen him go in. But then, she hadn't seen him not go in, either. Mae had been too concentrated on her own running to notice where he had gone. Maybe she had lost after all. Maybe Resham would continue to surprise her.

"People are looking at us," she told him, motioning her chin to the eyes turned to them. "Wonder what they're thinking. Probably that we're a couple of thieves." She shrugged her shoulders and chuckled softly. "I don't think they'd be too off the mark there." Mae turned back to the inn. "Let's get to Kaito. We ought to tel Mr. Sleepyhead what he's missing out on."

[IssyEspeon]

Resham shrugged, grinning at her. "Okay, but while I wake him up, you eat some fruit. That'll confuse him." He said, grasping Maes wrist and walking upstairs, gently pulling her along with him. He didn't care what others thought, he knew they'd be leaving soon anyways. Just to be sure, he hid the coin pouch when he reached his shared room, and looked at the still sleeping male. He glanced back at Mae, then at Kaito. "Actually, do you wanna wake him up?" He asked a bit uncertainly.

[Ashen]

She followed him up to the room and looked at Kaito, sounding sleeping and oblivious to the adventure the two had had. She smiled softly at him and shrugged her shoulders. "Kaito," he cooed softly, then nudged him on the shoulder. "Hey you, you can't sleep the whole day away. Resham and I can't have all of the adventures." Mae was shaking him pretty roughly. She didn't know any better; when was the last time she had had to wake someone up? It had been years, maybe even a decade. This whole companionship thing was not something she knew well.

Mae then stood back and looked to her bag, pulled out an apple. It looked too ripe, too delicious to be true. It was a fruit she didn't deserve, paid for with money she hadn't earned, but that hardly seemed to matter to the starving woman. She bit into it, grateful to finally be having nourishment again, and turned back to Kaito. "We brought food," she told him. "You're not going to make me cook it all."

[IssyEspeon]

Warm sunlight streamed down through the leaves of a tree, the leaves providing a thin shade. He lay beneath it, looking upwards at the patches of sky between the tree. He could feel a slight ache at his side, and knew without looking that there would be bandages there. With a soft sigh, he pushed himself up, turning his gaze to a village a shot walk away. A woman was heading towards him, smiling. "You're looking better." She said softly. "I have you to thank for that, Ura." He responded. He always said the same thing. The dream was more a memory, a pleasant one at that. He wouldn't be spoiling it.
"Can you take care of him?" He nodded, looking at the womanss side, where a plain pouch hung. "Yes, go do what you need to." Then, the dream changed slightly. "Thank you, for caring for him. I knew I could count on you." Before he could ask what she meant, the dream began to fade.

Kaito opened his eyes blearily, looking at whoever was shaking him. "Stoppit." He mumbled, sitting up. She left him for a moment, and his eye brows furrowed as he saw the food. Then he saw the expression on Reshams face, and sighed. "Of course." He said softly, rubbing his temples slightly. "Kai cooks the food anyways Mae. Unless we buy it, he's making a meal." Resham commented, biting into a mango. "Resham, you shouldn't steal." The boy simply shrugged, knowing his guardian was still to tired to properly scold him. "Fine." He didn't mean it

[Ashen]

Mae took a seat and crossed her legs. She looked over at Kaito, still holding the bitten apple. "How terrible it is that you just assume this is stolen," she commented, though she was smirking. "We bring you gifts of nourishment, and you repay us with such accusations?" She took another bite and turned to Resham, that same smile on her face. It was fun to play with him, even if she was in the wrong. "Next time you can find your own food."

She hopped off the bed and laid out the rest of their purchases. "Never mind that," she mumbled, waving him off. "And for the record, I will be having a say in how our meals are cooked. I can't have you poisoning my food, you know. You should know by now, Kaito, I'm too careful for that." She laughed lightly to show she was just kidding. "You hungry?" she asked him, motioning an apple towards him. "Plenty more of these to take. I mean, pay for, of course." She sat back down and shrugged. "Hey, it's what gets us by."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito sighed, looking between his two companions. He was fairly sure that Resham had stolen the food, or at least some coin to buy them, but he would let the subject drop. "I apologize for accusing you. Resham is a skilled thief, and gets himself in trouble as a result." He shot the child a look, and again, Resham simply shrugged. "I would not object to you helping, and your caution has likely kept you alive on more than one occasion." Kaito stood, and walked over to the rest of what they had bought. He was somewhat amused by the appearance of spices, and mangoes, and lifted an apple and began to bite it as well. Her saying that there were plenty more to take, then correcting herself, only made him raise an eyebrow. It seemed his accusation had been well founded.
"I hope you at least took from someone who could spare the coin for the food."

[Ashen]

Mae seemed offended for a moment, the shrugged her shoulders. "Stealing from the poor is only something a monster would do," she told him. "Stealing from the rich, well. That's not so heavy a crime. They can afford to be stolen from. But from the poor? No, that just makes you a sick bastard."

She took a few more bites of her apple and sighed. Maybe she had just admitted she'd stolen the fruit. She didn't care; it had been clear enough before and Mae didn't care much for reputations. Kaito already traveled with one thief anyway; there was no harm in making it two. "Anyway," she said slowly. "We ought to get going, if you're well rested. Get something to eat first, I recommend. The foods we bought will be great for the road, but it is best to save them for when we have no alternative."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito looked somewhat relieved at Maes words. At least both of his companions had some morals. He didn't find himself minding terribly that they had stolen, he had begun to accept Reshams crimes a while ago. If that was how they survived, so be it. He may not approve, but if it kept them all alive, he could tolerate it so long as they weren't abusing it. He took another few bites from his fruit, and nodded.

"I am rested enough. Perhaps we can purchase a few foods that do not expire so quickly. The taverns food seemed to be quite good," Resham nodded happily, remembering his meal. "Is there anything you have yet to do here?" He asked politely, looking at Mae. He knew Resham would have little else to do, excluding causing trouble, but he wanted to take into consideration that they had another traveling companion.

[Ashen]

Mae considered it for a moment, but finally she shook her head. "I am content with staying in a place only briefly," she told him. "I've done it often. This place offers little for me. Now that we have food and medicines, I don't think we need anything else. We can get going whenever you're ready."

Really, she was itching to get out of the place. It wasn't that she didn't like it in this town, or that she had a problem with its people. She wasn't even afraid of the punishments she and Resham might face for their little scene before. No, Mae was just looking forward to heading west, finding and meeting the one who would hold the answers she'd been seeking all her life. Just the chance at fulfillment was enough to keep her going, even without real rest. There would be all the time in the world to rest after she met with the Dark Lord.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito nodded at her words, and stood. "I appreciate the information. It seems we are almost ready to leave." He looked at Resham, who had gone to where he had stashed the coin purse and was now extricating it. He sighed slightly, then looked at Mae again. "I believe a meal here would prove useful, then we can get Mah La, and depart from here. I can't think of anything to purchase, but I do have a few things I'd like to know before leaving. Things such as the distance between any settlement west of here, and the appearances of any dark beasts." He finished, and got what little he had brought up to the room in order. Resham stood by the door, waiting for his two companions with some impatience

[Ashen]

"I think we may be able to ask around for a map. It would last us longer and be more useful than directions from one of the natives. As for the dark beasts..." She paused and tried to think. Had her book said anything about beasts in this area? There was too much information in her old text to remember every word, so she pulled it from her bag and sifted through it. She was lost for only a minute, then put it away and shrugged. "I think it's a free-for-all," she said. "I mean, I think it really just depends. Those things seem to show up wherever, whenever. I don't know that there's a real pattern..." Her voice trailed as she thought about it, but she soon shrugged it off. "We can definitely ask around, sure."

Mae waited for them to gather what they needed. She looked to the coin purse Resham carried and smiled to herself. From the looks of it, it would be able to pay for quite a meal for all three of them. "Let's get going then, shall we? I'm sure Mah La's pretty hungry too."

[IssyEspeon]

"A map would certainly be beneficial. And as for beasts, some have a tendency of showing up more frequently in certain areas. I recall that you said one town, which contained some kind people, was struck by illness. If other similar occurrences have happened, perhaps we can find areas being targeted by the dark lord, and areas which are safe for the time being. The dark creatures worry me, as the last time we ran into one, we dealt with it in a way that, well, we didn't deal with it very well. Resham was incapacitated, I was occupied with him, and you were left to face it. We should avoid that as much as possible." Resham huffed, looking annoyed at the reminder of his weakness. When Mae brought up his elephant though, his expression changed.

"Kai, you better have remembered to give her something to eat." He hissed, but didn't wait for an answer. He basically threw the coin purse to Mae, turned, and ran out the door to check on his pachyderm. The door was left open to an empty hall as he raced off, scrambled through the tavern, and ran outside to find, and check on Mah La. As there weren't many places that could accommodate an elephant, or many people who would forget one lumbering through the streets, he was able to track down his largest traveling companion, out of breath when he arrived. She looked at him with her warm brown eyes, and he smiled slightly. But he needed to make sure she had food before they left. So he began the task of bringing her some suitable food, smiling slightly as he watched her happily eat.

Kaito sighed as the child raced away. He glanced back at Mae, looking vaguely uncomfortable. "Resham will make sure she is alright, and probably eat something he purchased earlier, or steal more if he needs to. Food, then we ask about a map and the occurrences of dark magic?" He suggested, thinking maybe that was the best way to go about hings. Resham could take care of himself after all.

[Ashen]

Mae really didn't like how bummed out Kaito was about their last encounter with a dark creature. She had handled herself fine. Sure she had a few new scars that she absolutely loathed, but that was her own fault. Nevertheless, she had handled the battle, and though she could understand Kaito's reluctance at letting her handle the fighting for the three of them she still didn't like how little he trusted her. She did have to let it go, though; she couldn't trust him completely either.

She watched Resham run off, smiling at his affection for his pet but knowing this may delay their journey. She turned back to Kaito and shifted. "Well," she said. "I suppose that does sound fine with me, so long as you're sure Resham will be alright. It might be easier if we split up, though. How about you get food and a map while I take care of finding out more about the dark creatures? We can meet back here in half an hour; is that enough time for you?"

Of course, the mage had other ideas. She had every intention of finding out where the dark creatures showed up, and she had every intention of lying about their whereabouts. Mae knew Kaito would be wanting to take Resham as far away from the dark creatures as possible. Maybe it was incredibly selfish of her, but she did not want that. She wanted to go straight into the dark battlefields. Having Kaito and Resham there, they'd give her the physical and moral support she hoped for. In her excitement to see the Dark Lord, she didn't even consider the harm she would be causing both of them.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito felt uneasy, and could almost sense her feelings towards his disapproval towards their previous encounter with the dark beast. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, he surprised himself with how quickly he had put his trust in her to be honest. Rather, it was how useless he, Resham, and Mah La had been. Mae certainly could handle herself, but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty at his lack of action. What made him distrustful of her, or nervous if he thought about it, was her knowledge of Reshams mark. She could easily harm them with a few words, and he'd be as powerless to save the boy as he had been to save Ura.

He shook himself, and thought of her plan. It didn't sit well with him, but he nodded. "I am sure he will be alright. He has proven several times that he can handle himself, at least, against human opponents. He will likely stick near Mah La as well, and her protectiveness of him will likely help him if the need arises. Of course, chaos and destruction would likely ensue, but he shouldn't cause too much trouble." Even as he spoke, he thought of all the careless, reckless things the boy had done. He wasn't entirely sure that Resham wouldn't do something like pickpocket random people out of boredom, but they needed to do a few things, and he trusted the child not to get into too much trouble.

"I think meeting near the gates of this town would be more efficient. I could pass this along to Resham while out purchasing a map, and acquiring food." He said, looking towards the door as he got ready to leave. "Is this all we need to discuss before leaving?" He felt like he wasn't saying much, but he could think of little else to say. He wasn't a person to speak in flowery poetic prose, and the topics seemed to be exhausted. Her plan did make sense after all. He frowned slightly, still slightly indecisive about what to do, as if sleep were still weakly clinging to his mind

[Ashen]

"Meeting at the gate, got it." Mae gave him a thumb up and smiled brightly. "I'll see you then," she told him, and she was heading out once more.

The rich ring would be most unwilling to give her the information she wanted. If she wanted trustworthy information, the people of the lower ring would probably be most able to deliver. Knowing that, Mae headed straight for the upper ring, right for the richer people. Once there, she looked to the sky. She did not have much time to do this, but then, how hard would it be? If a mere child could pickpocket a man so easily she would be able to take a little bit of bribe money.

And take she did. Mae was calm and collected as she returned to the lower section of town, her pockets heavier with new coin. She'd needed something to get the uncooperative people talking, after all, and besides, maybe she'd get good karma on her side if she offered a bit of a donation. So she busied herself with finding information about the dark creatures, rewarding those who gave her what she wanted, encouraging those who wouldn't speak with shining faces of coins. Once a half hour passed she headed back for the gates, satisfied. Before she arrived, however, she walked up to a child with ragged clothes and knotted hair. Smiling at her, Mae dropped the remaining coins into the girl's hand before scurrying away. If she were going through with all this, she would need all the good karma she could get.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito nodded, and watched as Mae left. He felt a little uneasy about it, a nagging suspicion that she was going to do something, but he shook it off. An ally was an ally, and they would likely need her help on the road. So, he left the room, set on completing his few tasks before meeting at the gate.

First off, he walked to where he was fairly certain Resham was. Sure enough, the boy stood near his elephant, stroking her trunk gently as she ate. He looked up, and scowled slightly when he saw Kaito. "We will meet at the gate in thirty minutes, try not to get into trouble." Kaito said softly. He knew that Resham would either do the opposite, or stay with Mah La. He hoped it was the latter. Still, he turned, and left the space to find a map.

Doing so was harder than he expected. He had to go to the upper levels of the city to find one that could serve them well. As many things in that area, it was quite expensive. Still, they would need it. That was about the only thing that allowed him to part ways with several silver coins. He left the place immediately, pausing at the door to glare at the old man who sat behind the counter. He looked about, trying to estimate the time. Figuring he had little time, he stopped by the poor market to grab some food, and hurried to the gate. There he waited for his companions, leaning against a building while slowly eating his food. Mae arrived soon after, and Resham was no where to be seen. Kaito sighed. It appeared that Resham, as usual, would be late

[Ashen]

Mae noticed Kaito and approached him, then looked over the food he had in his hands. She soon disregarded it and looked around. "I guess Resham isn't here yet," she surmised. "After all, it's pretty hard to miss the company he keeps." She smiled as she looked behind Kaito playfully. "Unless you really can hide a whole elephant behind you? No? Oh, I thought you would surprise me." Noticing his expression, Mae waved him off. "Trying to have fun. Wouldn't kill you to pay along."

She noted the map in his hands. "May I?" she asked before taking it out of his hands and looking it over. "Alright so, we are here..." Her finger went through various parts of the map, trying to pinpoint where exactly they should go. She made mental notes of each of the towns she had heard in her quest, and each spot she was warned to avoid. "This town," she said, pointing to their location. "Some locals gave me advice to stay far away from this town here." She pointed to a town to the northeast, one she had not heard them mention once. "The surrounding areas too are filled with dark creatures, from what they could tell me. They had head of little such activity over here..." Mae moved her finger to an area west of their current location. "I think we should go there."

To the west was a path that eventually split into a forest. From what Mae had gathered from the locals, this forest was where the town had gathered most of its lumber, until people starting disappearing from within. Of all the people she'd asked, these woods had come up most on lists of places to not venture into. That was why, as she told Kaito her flawless lie, she knew she had to go there.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito shrugged. "Resham has a bit of a habit of being late." He said simply, though his lips tugged upwards slightly when she suggested he could hide a fully grown elephant behind him. When she asked for the map, he nodded, and watched as she looked over it. Knowing her job of the past half hour, he waited for her to speak on what she had heard, and what would be the safest course.

"West then." He murmured, examining the map closely. He wanted to know roughly how long it would take to get there, and noted a forest between them, and a settlement. If trees were too close together, it could pose a problem to the mobility of their group, as Mah La would have a hard time making way through them. He examined the other place, noting that it was north east. Most of the targeted areas were in the west.... But he would trust the information. The dark lord was moving after all, and no one knew his exact location. "We were heading west anyways, so this town isn't much of an issue in terms of general direction." He looked up at Mae, then glanced at the map. "Are there any other trouble spots? Anything near this town? It would serve little point to get there, and be unable to venture farther because of dark beasts in the areas near other towns in that area."

As Kaito and Mae spoke, a familiar young figure walked towards them, munching on an apple as Mah La lumbered behind him. He had a lopsided grin on his face, one that could be recognized as being similar to when he had approached Mae after stealing. In Mah Las pack, the stolen money was hidden, but a few more coins had been added to it. For the road, Resham reasoned. Catching sight of his older companions, he grinned, and sped up, taking a path to the side in hopes of surprising them. Alas, an elephant is rather conspicuous, and Kaito caught sight of him. "There you are." He said simply, making the child scowl as his plan was foiled. "Yeah... You two ready?" He asked, sounding bored

[Ashen]

The blind faith he put in her... Mae almost felt bad for deceiving the man, but what choice did she have? She wasn't going to get her answers unless she tackled the problem head-on, and if she hurt some people, it was a small price to pay. She'd always been alone; people should have meant nothing to her anyway. With these thoughts as her reasoning, she looked away and tried to push the entire plan out of her mind.

But then he asked her to continue it, and she shifted. "I have heard the Great One has been roaming these areas, to the northwest. If we are to stay on this path, we will be heading southwest, and we would be spared any encounters. From the looks of things, though, he should be quite far from where we're going. In fact we should pass him once we get to the forest in terms of westward distance. We should be able to continue west right past him, and then not have to worry about him at all." Or land right into his open arms.

She looked up at the sound of giant footsteps and greeted Resham and Mah La with a smile. "So nice of you to join us," she said cheerily. Mae looked to Kaito before nodded and turning back to the child. "It seems we should be ready," she told him. "Let's get going, then."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito nodded at her explanation, and looked at Resham expectantly. The kid shrugged, and grabbed a fruit from his travelling back before eating. "Lets go." He said, covering his mouth as he had spoken with a mouth full of food. Kaito sighed, then looked at Mae. "Let's get going." He agreed. The elephant lumbered forwards, and the strange group of travelers began to leave the city.

After they had been walking for what seemed like ages for Resham (in reality, it was more like 10 minutes.), they had gotten far enough out of sight from the city for the kid to fully relax. Grinning, he climbed onto Mah Las back, and looked at Mae. "So, as I missed the briefing, where are we going? What settlement?" He questioned, going through one of the bags again. Kaito didn't pay much attention, until he heard the klink of coins. "Where did you get those?" He asked the boy sharply. Resham shrugged. "I told Mae I'd repay her for something, and I don't think I paid her back fully. So, I got this out so she could take back what she used on me." Kaito groaned slightly. "I still want to know where we are going." He said, seeming to enjoy how frustrated he had made Kaito become

[Ashen]

Mae looked up at the boy as he climbed onto the elephant's back. He'd stolen the coins for her? It was almost flattering, he really did pay back his dues. Resham was a good kid, she decided. A thief and a silver-tongued brat, perhaps, but a good kid nonetheless. The thought of him aching and helpless crossed her mind, and she swallowed the lump in her throat. It happened when there were creatures around. That meant, where they were going, he was practically guaranteed to be made useless by his pain. The pain she would be bringing upon him.

Mae tried not to think of it. She didn't want to think herself the monster everyone already believed she was. Instead she faced forward and answered Resham with an easy tone. "We're going west," she told him. "We'll be coming upon a forest not far from here, and once we pass it we should be clear of the Dark One. I think a forest should be a nice change of pace. Plenty of shade, not too warm, and if need be I bet we could live off the vegetation for a little while. Plus, the forest would shield us from any bandits or the like, though I doubt there would be any. I've heard nothing of the sort from the people I've asked." Only stories of missing lumberjacks, vicious creatures, and everything Kaito had wanted to avoid.

[IssyEspeon]

Resham nodded. "Cool. I'm not too fond of living off of greens, but at least Mah La will be happy. And we have other food too." A suspicion nagged at his thoughts. "I thought that the west was meant to be more dangerous though. Does that mean the dark guy has started going east?" He pondered, looking at Mae. After a few moments, he shrugged. "Oh well. It'll make the trip more interesting." Kaito groaned. "That is not the view most would have." Resham only waved a hand. "You worry too much. Besides, Maes nice. I trust her enough to lead us. Even if it isn't safe, well, no way is completely free of risk." Kaito frowned, but didn't say much more.

"Mae, do you have any more stories?" He question, grinning down at her. The road was quickly becoming boring to him, but previous conversations had led him to turn to her to make things interesting. Kaito had told him his share of stories, exhausting his supply. With a new person, hopefully hers could last longer. At least, that's what the child hoped. If Mae ran out, he was sure he'd be pretty bored along the road if they traveled too long.

[Ashen]

He was so quick to open his dumb mouth. I trust her to lead us. Was she really the type of person to deceive a child who put so much faith in her? She didn't have time to think about it. Mae was not on this journey to befriend two strangers. She was on this journey for answers. Their trust in her only facilitated things, and it was of no fault of hers. Still, she couldn't help but feel like a complete monster.

She didn't look up as she spoke to him. Mae felt it might have been too difficult to lie directly to his face. "The Dark One is west, yes," she told him. "But he is north, and we are headed south. We will pass him soon and be out of his reach." It was a lie she'd told too many times even now. How long would this facade need to continue? How long before she could stop betraying the only people who trusted her?

Mae cleared her throat and tried to clear her mind with it. "More stories?" she mumbled. "I'm not quite so sure. You sure are hungry for these. Let's see..." She did have plenty of stories, but at the moment she could only think of the dark ones. Young twins girls appeared in her mind, girls dead by her own hand. An entire village destroyed. The voices started up again. They very quickly overpowered her, and Mae had to stop and concentrate to calm down. They were screaming, the voices of the dead, the voices that called her things like monster and witch and murderer. She couldn't take it, and she collapsed onto the ground. She deserved it.

She was down only for a few seconds, until the voices quieted to a more tolerable volume. Mae looked up, her dark eyes panicked. Kaito and Resham would be seeking an explanation for her sudden halt, and she had none they would believe. So she picked herself up, dusted herself off, and cleared her throat. "Apologies," she told them. "An especially long headache. It's fading already, thankfully. I'm sorry to scare you. Um, Resham, why don't you tell the story for now? I think my thoughts are a little too tangled in my head right now." She could hardly hear herself over the voices, and besides, she did not want to see those girls ever again.

[IssyEspeon]

Resham watched her, frowning a bit at her hesitation. He shrugged it off though, smiling again as she informed thm of where the dark one was. After his recent encounter with the zombie on the road, he for once wasn't eager to meet a potential opponent. "South huh? Think it'll be warmer there?" He questioned absently, beginning to play with one of his knives. Kaito looked at Resham, and sighed. He knew that saying the boy should stop playing with the weapons would induce the opposte result. He would simply take out another one, and smirk tauntingly.

When Mae began to speak again, Resham leaned forwards, looking hopefully at her. As she thought, something seemed to be wrong. "Mae?" Kaito said softly, looking concerned. A surprised cry came from Resham as she collapsed, and both boys went to help. As she got back to her feet, both looked concerned at her. "Are you alright?" Kaito asked softly, even as she was mentioning an especially long headache. Resham, who had jumped off Mah Las back, sighed. "If that's the case, why didn't you say so earlier? You should've been the one riding on Mah Las back, not me." He said, believing her easily. He grabbed her hand, tugging on it as he insisted that she take a turn riding the elephant. Worry was clear on the youngsters face, and though Kaito wasn't saying anything, his face expressed his concern. "If you are feeling unwell, it would be a good idea to rest for a bit. Riding Mah La means we can continue, and you won't be put under so much strain."

[Ashen]

Gods, they were killing her. So eager to help, so eager to just take her up on her word. They were not going to make this betrayal thing easy on her soul. Mae waved them off, trying her best to prove to them she was okay. She held herself more confidently and shook her head. "I'm fine, really," she insisted. "These headaches are common. I'm used to them, they're just an inconvenience." Liar. The word was a hiss in her mind, too loud for comfort. To keep them from worrying, and to quiet the voices, Mae caved in. "On second thought, perhaps it would be wise to rest a bit."

She had never ridden an elephant before, and the experience was almost nauseating. Mae liked being on her own two feet, safely grounded, but this was very different. If she fell she could easily be crushed under the beast's weight. Had this really been such a good idea? "Are you two sure you'll be okay?" she asked from atop Mah La. "Especially you, Resham, are you sure you can continue walking?" She didn't like it up there, but she tried to ignore her own feelings. At least up here she wouldn't have to look them in the eye.

[IssyEspeon]

Neither boy believed her when she said she was fine. That much was obvious from their facial expressions. "That is a bit worrying to hear." Kaito said, in responce to her words about frequent headaches. He blinked, surprised that she suddenly caved and agreed to riding the elephant. Resham responded quicker though. "Good! C'mon, I'll help you up!" He tugged her to the gentle beast, showing her how to swing up onto Mah Las back. The elephant obligingly bent down to help the new rider get one. As Ma La walked slowly, Resham quickly noticed, and understood that Mae was uncomfortable.

"I'll be fine, I was only riding her cuz I didn't want to deal with Kai." He grinned, then stepped closer to Mah La to pat her thick trunk of a leg. "And Mah La, she's really gentle. If you fall, she'll stop, and won't move unless she's sure it won't hurt you. She'd try to se if you are alright. Relax, imagine you're on a horse or something." He was trying to help the girl, who he was already viewing as a friend. With a hopeful smile, he walked ahead a few steps, a good few paces from Kaito

[Ashen]

A horse... A horse that weighed five tons, and had a long nose-arm that could easily whack her halfway across the world. Mae shook her head, trying not to think about it. She wanted to believe Resham, that Mah La was a gentle giant, but how could she? Could she so willingly lend her trust when she knew just how easy it was to lie?

"I do thank you," Mae called to them. "I think I will try to get some rest. Would you mind it terribly? Kaito, you know where we are going, do you not? Just wake me when we get to the forest, or if a problem arises." That, she figured, would give her some time to think. She had little intention of sleeping, as she was sure the voices wouldn't let her get much of that, but at least she would not have to subject herself to their kindess for much longer. She tried to relax on Mah La, concentrate on anything but the screaming voices, but it was becoming harder with each step. She could not wait until this was over, until she could finally rest easy again

[IssyEspeon]

"We don't mind. Get some rest." Kaito said softly, nodding at her as soon as she was done speaking. He looked concerned, but turned, and continued walking, leading Resham and Mah La down the road. He didn't speak, only the sound of Mah La walking could be heard. Even Resham was quiet, trying to help Mae rest on top of his elephant. As time passed however, the child began to grow bored. The forest was coming into view, though they had some way to travel before they would reach it. He began to play with one of his knives, looking around at the road. He almost wanted a large band of highway men, or an enraged beast to attack. Then it would be interesting at least..... So long as it wasn't a dark creature. That would definitely not be welcome.

Kaito was thinking too. It wasn't the first time something strange had happened. He thought of the bandit attack, and how she had been distracted by, well, he wasn't sure. Then there was what had happened just then, her thinking, then out of the blue collapsing in the road. Did she have a medical problem? He doubted it was a headache, as she had claimed, but then what was it? He glanced back towards the elephant, finding himself more worried than ever about their mysterious companion

[Ashen]

They were awfully quiet as they walked. Mae kept her eyes to the skies, her ears open for any conversations from below, but she was quite disappointed. They weren't talking about anything, which made laying idle even more of a hassle. She could have used the distraction, but she did need to think. The thoughts that swirled in her mind, unwelcome as they were, needed to be sorted. She'd need to have everything organized for the Dark One, of course. Otherwise he might deal her the same fate as every other mortal he'd met.

After a while Mae peered over the edge of Mah La. She wanted to see what the two of them were doing, and where they were. She was surprised to find Kaito looking up at her, a worried expression on his face. Dammit, she thought to herself. Now he'd know she was awake. "Is that the forest there?" Mae asked pointing, pretending she had been asleep. "It's still a ways off, isn't it? Has everything been alright?" They hadn't run into any dark creatures yet, at any rate. Maybe those would start coming once they reached the forest. Or maybe they'd be fortunate enough to go longer without running into them. While Mae did welcome such creatures in wide open arms, she needed Kaito and Resham around for as long as possible.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito had been surprised to see Mae peering off of Mah La, an expression she briefly mirrored. 'Is that the forest there?' The words seemed almost hurried, but he shook it off. "Yes, it is the forest. Are you feeling better?" He asked, turning back to the road. Resham perked up, and smiled up at her before clambering up Mah La to join Mae on his elephants back. "I'm glad you're awake, Kai was really boring and we didn't want to wake you up." He said, grinning at her happily. He returned his knife to the sheath, and looked down, patting the elephants leathery skin before turning to his human companion.

"You're okay, right?" He asked again, just making sure. It had been a while since he had been worried about the health of someone else, and it was a little strange. Still, he felt attached to Mae. She was fun, and she didn't lecture him about stealing. Her having such interesting stories helped of course.

[Ashen]

Mae watched the child climb onto her ride and she offered a small smile. She looked between the two of them and nodded. "I'm okay," she assured them, though she wondered if that was the truth. Her headache was softer, the voices quieter, but they were still there. If she really were okay, her head would never ache, her mind would never be filled with the voices of the dead. But they hadn't been asking about that, she knew, so she nodded and played it off as best she could.

She rested her dark eyes on Resham. The boy looked excited to see her awake again, like he enjoyed her company. That would have been a strange thought. For anyone to enjoy her company... She shook the thought. "I'm sorry you had to go through such a journey with such a boring companion," she said softly. "You should have gotten him started on something." Then, quieter, she asked, "Know anything that could rile him up? I think watching him get mad will be a nice way to liven this adventure a little."

[IssyEspeon]

Mae replied, but seemed a bit hesitant. Resham didn't push it, figuring she might still have a headache, or feel a bit off, but didn't want to worry them. "Glad you're feeling better." He said, smiling happily. Kaito nodded, but kept his words to himself as they moved down the path. Resham found himself glancing around, looking for something to do as he relaxed a bit. Movement from Mae drew his attention, and he turned back to her as she began to speak.

"It's, hard to rile him up." Resham said, choosing his words carefully. "He's good at controlling his emotions and such, and not much I've tried gets him upset. Stealing, that annoys him, but we don't have many choices out here. People lying and cheating others for personal gain, that made him angry when we were in a town a while back. But again, no one fits that criteria here. When people hurt others, try to hurt me, or go back on their word works too." He thought harder, then remembered something. "Oh yeah, he doesn't really like physical contact. It makes him uncomfortable. And, seeing other people display affection, like kissing and stuff, it makes him embarrassed. 'It's indecent.'" He mimicked Kaito as he spoke, managing to get fairly close to his companions voice before shrugging. "It can be pretty funny when he gets flustered. He doesn't do a very good job of hiding that, so he stutters, blushes, and tries to disengage from the situation. Once, he turned and tried to leave so quickly, he smacked his head on the door frame before managing to exit." He snickered, recalling the incident easily.

"In short, Kai can be amusing at times, but getting him to be entertaining can take a lot of work." As he spoke, he recalled the various situations where Kaito had been entertaining. Every time, it had been more of a situation that was amusing, Kaito was to serious to be good at telling jokes. One time, they had been eating in a tavern when a troup of dancers had appeared, dressed in a manner that made Kai look away, and say he would be going up to the room. What had been funny then was Resham making him stay, and asking him questions just to make the older man blush and stutter. Another time, when Resham had been stealing again, he'd managed to get Kai in trouble for crashing into two guards who had been trying to catch him. Others, including what had happened at the crazy sun worshipers village, all went through his mind. Still, there was very little he could do now. "Have any ideas?" He whispered to Mae

[Ashen]

Mae listened closely to all the child had to say. Even if it was hard to rile him up, there had to be something. Soon, she found her something, and she looked down at Kaito with a smirk. So, he didn't like public displays of affection. That was very valuable information. As Resham continued to talk Mae was already formulating a plan. When he asked if she had any ideas, she looked to him with a mischievous glare in her dark eyes. "I think I may."

Mae got up and took a shaky leap from Mah La, landing on her feet and taking a moment to keep her balance. She looked over at Kaito and smiled sweetly. "Wouldn't want you to be all alone, would we, Kai-Kai?" She reached for his hand and swung it a little, all the while trying to hide her smirk. "Can you believe how far we've made it together? When did we meet? Only a couple days ago, was it? And yet look how close we've gotten, wouldn't you say?"

The woman moved closer to him, batting her eyes when she saw Kaito looking at her. "And think of all the travels we will have," she continued. "You and me, and Resham and Mah La, we all make a good team. I really ought to thank you for the help you've been. I hope this suffices." In a single, swift motion, Mae stepped in front of him and planted a small kiss right on his lips. She pulled away smiling and stepped back into place beside him, watching him. Overhead, she hoped Resham had caught it all.

[IssyEspeon]

Resham noted a glint in Maes eyes, and grinned. Even before she announced in a soft voice that she might have an idea, he was waiting to see it. He gave her a thumbs up gesture before watching her jump off of Mah Las back. Kaito noticed her shakiness, and paused out of concern as she regained her balance. He didn't react to being called Kai-Kai, but looked a bit uncomfortable as she grasped his hand. He carefully tried extricating it from her grip. "We have traveled a surprising distance together." He agreed softly, glancing at her. "And, we have grown close I suppose. We trust you considerably."

He appeared off guard when she batted her eyes at him, and a faint dust of pink appeared as she drew closer. Taking his hand had made him uncomfortable, but moving closer was worse. He was starting to get a bit flustered, and what she was saying was starting to confuse him. Then she kissed him.
He froze, stopping completely and staring, wide eyed at Mae. "U-Um, uh, w-what?" His face was turning a lovely dark shade of red. His brain even seemed frozen, as if it had shut down from Maes action. "What?" He repeated, as if trying to shake himself from the confused daze he was in. Resham couldn't help it, and was laughing almost hysterically. Kaito barely noticed as he blinked, a dazed, slightly confused expression on his face. He had lowered his gaze, staring at the ground as he tried to recollect himself unsuccessfully.

[Ashen]

And there it was. The deep scarlet of his face, the utterly bewildered expression on his face, his clueless and flustered reaction; it was priceless. She was holding her tongue, preventing herself from laughing out of respect for the man, but it was rich. She knew his ultimate weakness now, and she intended to take advantage of it.

Mae faced forward and continued walking, pretending to not notice Kaito's dumbfounded expression. "We shouldn't be long now," she announced, a new bounce in her step. "Come on, Kai. What's the matter? Can't keep up?" She could hear the child still laughing above her, and she was loving it. Kaito was just too easy. "I guess we all know the status of your virginity now, hm? If you freeze up so much at just a little kiss, I can't imagine how you'd be in a farther situation." She paused and turned to him, then considered it. "Actually," she told him, "I think I can. Maybe we'll have to see if I'm right sometime." With that she skipped on ahead, keeping her ears open to catch the flustered man's reaction.

[IssyEspeon]

For a few long moments, Kaito didn't move. Then, Mah La nudged him with her trunk, and he began moving forwards once again. His eyes were kept on the road, and his face was still the same scarlet shade. Reshams laughter was starting to fade into less intense laughter when Mae made the comments about how far Kai had ever gone. The poor man looked startled, uncomfortable, and mortally embarrassed. "N-Nani?" He said, the red hue on his face darkening somehow. Resham on the other hand, was laughing so hard he was gasping from breath on top of his elephant. Kaito was so flustered, he'd slipped into another language. The reaction to what Mae had done was just too funny for the child to handle.

Kaito on the other hand, was not enjoying the situation. What Mae was saying was quite inappropriate, and the way Resham was laughing made him certain it was a joke. It seemed almost cruel to him, but he was too flustered to speak, or demand an explanation. The best he could do was ask in a strained voice. "Why would you even say that?" He probably would've said more, had Resham not imitated him between giggles with a "That's indecent!" And laughed again.

[Ashen]

Perhaps then it was time to stop. Mae looked over Kaito and chuckled softly, loving the chorus from Resham. They'd had their fun, but now was time to stop. Kaito was beside himself with embarrassment, and perhaps she was being a bit cruel. After all, wasn't that what dark mages were supposed to be? Her smile faded at that thought. Was she really going to accept the stereotypes when she'd tried so hard to convince herself they were not true?

She looked over to him again and shrugged. "To have a nice laugh," she supplied dully. "You ought to learn how to take a joke. When you've been on the roads long as I have, nothing's indecent." She faced forward again and sighed. "For the record," she said, quietly enough so that Resham wouldn't hear. "I've never really done that either. I mean, I'm no virgin, don't get me wrong, and perhaps I should be more ashamed admitting that. I've just never done it with someone I cared about. I guess we're on the same boat with that. So don't feel bad."

[IssyEspeon]

His face was still flushed, and his temper began to rise as she explained it was all a joke. A cruel one, or so it felt. But his anger quickly diffuse as he heard her much softer words. The words he had been about to speak now seemed selfish, and he shifted his weight as he tried to find something to say. Unable to find an adequate response, he walked on in silence, his mind whirling with thoughts. The blush on his cheeks began to fade, and Resham looked between his older companions, huffing slightly. The trudge onwards was enveloped in silence once again. The younger boy had been quite entertained, and was disappointed that the show had ended so soon. But there was nothing to be done about it.

The road was quiet, offering little to distract the bored child. He found himself scanning the tree line, almost wishing for something to appear. They were drawing closer to the forest, so at least they'd be getting somewhere soon. He thought he saw shadows moving within the trees, and tried following them. He was pretty sure it was just the shadows of the leaves, or small animals, but it provided something for his imagination to do. He didn't notice the building headache, too wrapped up imagining a monster leaping out of the shadows to think about the soft ache in his temples.

[Ashen]

Kaito wasn't talking. That only confirmed Mae's thoughts, that she had gone too far, that she was far crueler than she'd have liked to admit. She was truly a monster, embarrassing this poor man for nothing more than a laugh? What was wrong with her? But then, in the grand scheme of things, that hardly seemed to compare. Dully she thought back, years ago, to two smiling faces of identical girls. Those two toddlers, those precious beams of unmarked potential... They had been killed by her own hand. And now, as she walked closer and closer to the forest, was she not risking the death of another child?

She didn't want to think about it. It was too much, juggling all that death, and the returning voices served to remind her of what she'd done. She willed it all away and looked up, saw the forest coming into view. The mage looked back to Resham. He didn't seem to be in pain, at least not yet. They were getting awfully close; was that a good sign? Perhaps all the townsfolk had been wrong. Perhaps there really were no monsters in this area. Was that a good thing? Mae turned away, looked forward. The forest was closing in on them. In only a few minutes they'd be at its mouth, about to enter the next chapter of their struggles. She was sick. Mae had to be sick to be willingly walking into this, but she did not slow her pace.

The forest was dark and eerie, and soft sounds could be heard from within. These sounds were a chorus of death, humming crickets and moaning winds, howling wolves and cawing crows. Mae could hardly tell if it was real, or if this, too, was all in her head. She looked back to Resham, tried to see how he was doing. The sun was just behind Mah La now, and she had to shield her eyes from the sun as she turned to him. In doing so, she could see the faintest outline of purple, just barely showing through her glove. Mae withdrew her hand immediately and turned back to the forest. Something was within, something bad. When she squinted into the darkness, some creature ran ahead of her, disappearing in a moment. "Here we are," Mae said quietly, looking around. "It... doesn't look all that safe, but I guess we should trust the townsfolk. Besides, if the need should arise, I bet we could fight off anything. We shouldn't need to..." Her voice trailed before she cleared it. "Don't just a book by its cover, eh? Come on, let's go."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaitos eyes scanned the tree line, and he frowned as he saw the deep shadows the trees cast. Even in the setting sun, maybe because of it, it seemed ominous. The flitting shadows made him frown. "Don't judge a book by it's cover, good advice, but, it seems that this place may not be as safe as your informants claimed. Should the need arise, Mah La may find it difficult to move as fast among those trees." He felt unsettled, more than just the events previous could have caused. He found himself looking at Mae, then at Resham. The childs excruciating headaches might be able to warn them if anything dark was approaching. "Resham, how's your head?" He called softly.

Resham looked at the other two, then at the forest. He was becoming bored with imagining the various creatures that may inhabit it, and his head ache was getting worse. "I've got a headache." He complained, rubbing his temples. "Can we go to where ever it is? We've been walking all day." In fact, they had not been walking all day, but it felt that way to the youngest member of their party. And his throbbing temples were adding to his annoyance. His words made Kaito feel uneasy, even a hint of alarm. While Resham wasn't on the floor, crying out in pain, their latest experiences were indicating a monster of some sort was nearby. Slowly, he drew his sword as a precaution, and looked to Mae.

"Being prepared seems best." He ventured softly, then his feet began carrying him closer to the trees. Though he was unwilling to endanger Resham, staying on the road through the night wasn't exactly a safe idea either. They had some warning at least. The elephant trudged after him, it's lumbering steps slow. She could feel something off, and tramped nervously as they started slowly forwards again

[Ashen]

He was in pain. Mae looked over to Resham nervously. Kaito was wary, she could tell, but what else could she do? Even the elephant seemed to be treading more carefully. But they trusted her more than their instincts. For some dumb reason, they were trusting her. She had no choice but to use that now. Mae continued on into the forest, her companions close behind her. Soon, she would hopefully come into contact with some dark creature. She'd be able to study such a creature. She'd be able to watch as Kaito and Resham suffered.

The forest was dark and gloomy, and the eerie sounds only seemed to be getting louder. Inside the forest, they were immediately overcrowded by an air of misery. Mae was wary, and she was hiding her glowing hand. It shouldn't have been long now... A little distance away, there was a loud crashing noise. Bingo.

Soon there was a foul stench about them. Something was near, she could sense it. Mae had her book ready, already skimming through pages. A creature suddenly lunged at her, and long claws raked against her clothing. Mae stepped back, and when she looked up she was staring into the red eyes of some bog monster. She was quick with her sword, trying immediately to hack at it. This thing was faster, faster than she had expected. It kept swiping at her, and she was struggling to keep out of its reach. Mae didn't have the chance to look back at Kaito or Resham, she was too busy fighting for her life. Had this really been such a good idea? Yes. Any idea that would give her more answers was a good idea.

[IssyEspeon]

Entering the forest only reinforced the feeling that they shouldn't be there. Kairo could feel the hairs on the back of his neck rising, and he gripped his weapon tighter. Resham looked around , wincing in pain as the throb started getting worse. The air seemed thick with misfortune and sorrow, as if the trees had grown from being watered with blood. May La trumpeted unhappily, making slow progress through the trees. Kairo kept looking ahead to Mae, feeling more and more unsettled with each step.

Then he heard the crashing, something tearing through the undergrowth. Resham let out a loud cry of pain, gagging on th foulness suddenly pervading the air. Kaitos eyes widened as something lunged at Mae, claws tearing at her clothes with a loud ripping sound. He caught a glimpse of those horrible eyes, and grit his teeth. The girl was struggling, the being fast and too close for her to properly maneuver. Making a split second decision, he ran forwards, gripping the hilt of his blade with both hands. He swung as hard as he could at the creature, the blade cleaving the air as it arced towards the beasts exposed back.

From his lips came a cry, one almost savage for the usually cool, controlled male. But Kaito didn't care about keeping himself collected at that moment. He wanted to protect those important to him, and keeping. Mae from being shredded by those deadly claws was high on his priority list. She needed a chance to breath, and creat some distance between herself and the bog monster. Distracting the creature with a loud sound, and a flash of pain seemed the best way to do so. Even if it meant leaving the strike boy on Mah Las back nearly defenseless, he did it. The elephant had been alarmed by the monster, and trumpeted loudly behind him. He could only hope that the adult pachyderm would be able to protect Resham in his vulnerable state while he and Mae were distracted.

[Ashen]

Mae noticed Kaito pick up post beside her. He was leaving Resham to the elephant while he fought off the beast. The blow he'd dealt had distracted the creature enough for Mae to strike. Her balanced blow was enough to shatter the monster's balance, and he fell to the ground with a thud. It was then that Mae really struck, slicing the creature open with her sword. To anyone watching, it would appear as if she was only trying to kill it. Really, she was cracking it open, peering at its anatomy, looking for answers.

The he monster was successfully halted. Mae sheathed her sword and was finally able to regain her breath. She looked into its split corpse and studied its organs without being obvious. Then she cracked open her book again and looked for the type of creature that thing had been. When she found it she only read over the page and closed her book, promising to revisit later. Finally Mae turned to Resham, who seemed to be in a great amount of pain. "Are you alright?" she asked, though it was obvious he wasn't. "Get him help, Kaito. We should be safe now."

Her words were not exactly truth. She could still feel it, some lingering presence, something other than whatever she had just killed. It was foolish to come here; she wasn't strong enough for these monsters. But she could not let her worries show. Hastily she shook them off and turned back to Resham, keeping her ears peeled for danger. "Maybe that thing was the only of its kind," she suggested. "We really need to get through quickly."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito was surprised at how swiftly she reacted to his assistance, but didn't think much on the matter. She dealt two blows, which quickly dispatched the monster. She studied the creature, something he shrugged off as morbid curiosity for what had attacked them. He examined it too, making note of the creature should they face it again. Still, Resham still appeared to be in pain, though it seemed to be lessening. He let out a soft, plaintive sound of pain as his only response to Maes question

Kaito strode to the childs side, making sure Resham was alright. Aside from an agonizingly headache that was starting to fade, he seemed alright. He skin was feverish, making the older bite his lip. He pulled out a water skin, and helped the boy to drink before soaking a bandage to try to cool the skin. "I doubt it was alone Mae." Kaito said quietly. "I believe that more creatures inhabit this place. We should get out of this forest as soon as possible." Resham let out a soft, whimper like sound. This only reinforced the conviction Kaito had that they needed to leave immediately.

[Ashen]

She watched them with a stern expression. "I agree," she said to Kaito, and she let her gaze go elsewhere. So, he didn't think the beast was alone, either. Mae opened up to her book to look at the creature once more, and she paused at a line of her text. This creature, it was written, did not travel alone. It was a pack monster, and according to the old book, its groups contained, on average, fifty of the things.

Fifty... Mae couldn't believe her eyes. Just what had she done now? Taking out one had been no simple task; were forty-nine more just waiting? How far were they? Would they even be able to take them out? Suddenly she felt his hands ball to fists. Curiosity had killed the cat, but not only that, an elephant, a man, and a child, too. There was no reasonable way to deal with such a large group. "I think we ought to seek a different route," she suggested, but just as she turned around, she saw a line of those same creatures, waiting.

There must have been some half dozen in front of her, and from far away she could hear others approaching. This was bad, sincerely bad. So many of them, and so little time to work. Her sword would hardly serve her purpose here. But she couldn't do anything else, Kaito and Resham were right there. What was left? Mae turned, panicked, to Kaito. "Take him on Mah La," she instructed. Her voice wavered only slightly. "Get him out of here. There are a lot more coming. He can't be here." She drew her sword and started for one, missing. "Just let me do this," she told him. Really, she was hoping Kaito would do as she said, to get out of the forest entirely so that she might be able to torch the entire forest.

[IssyEspeon]

The wind shifted, bring the stench of the monsters towards them. Resham whimpered, then began to let out loud, pained cries. Kaitos eyes scanned the trees, wideneing as he caught sight of the approaching monsters. His mouth went dry, and only an exceptionally loud cry from Resham shook his out of the frozen state of fear. "We need to leave." He managed, looking at Mae as Mah La trumpeted nervously.

But her words stayed him slightly. How could he leave her to fight them alone? It had taken both of them to beat just one. But Resham was in danger.... He looked between them, torn between saving the boy, or her. Seeing her take a swing at one made him bite his lip, and reluctantly turn. She was right, Resham couldn't be there. With a heavy heart, he leapt onto Mah Las back to steady Resham. "Mah La, run." He said softly before turning back to look at the young, mysterious woman. He made his choice as Mah La began to thunder through the trees with surprising speed.

With shaky hands, Kaito grabbed what he could that might help. Then, he began securing Resham as best he could. The sling like contraption around the elephants midsection that held the saddle bags stayed firm beneath him, but with the uneven terrain, as well as the pounding of feet against the ground, it was difficult to use it to his advantage. But after what happened, he was unwilling to leave her behind. Finally, he was satisfied with the makeshift thing that would keep Resham from falling off. Then, he looked at the ground, judged how fast the pachyderm was moving, and jumped to the ground before running back the way he came, determined to help Mae

[Ashen]

Their numbers were doubling, and Mae was alone. She was glad that Kaito had done as she told him, but there was a pang of disappointment in her chest. He'd chosen the boy; obviously. Why wouldn't he choose the child? He'd known Resham longer, and trusted him, and besides. Resham wasn't the lying monster she was. So as she listened to Mah La's footsteps behind her she fought off monsters, failing to kill even a single one before her sword was knocked out of her hand.

Kaito and Resham were far enough now, and even if they weren't, she had no chance. This was her time to shine, to save herself. Still struggling to evade attacks, Mae cracked open her old book and thumbed through a few pages. It was impossible to read while in battle, she soon found, so she put her book back in its bag and stared over the monsters. Could she do this from memory? She never had faith in her abilities, but what choice did she have? If she didn't act soon she'd be dead. Quickly, she removed her gloves and tossed them aside. It was time to act.

"Kaisrum!*" Mae's voice rang through the forest. She sounded scared, hopeful, and for a few seconds afterwards, there was silence. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and she was surprised to find a vortex of fire in the distance. The monsters, too, were watching it, unsure of where to go. A distant storm; she could deal with that. When Mae looked down she saw the tattoo on her hand glowing. She rose her hand to her face to get a better look, and it was then that fire flew from her fingers, landing on a monster a few feet away. The small spark seemed to ignite upon impact, and soon the monster went up in flames. The spark also left its own mark, burning Mae's finger. She drew back, wondering whether she could get away from the others quickly enough. Deciding to ignite a few more, Mae picked up her sword and cast fire towards some of the other monsters. The action sent flames snaking up and down her broadsword, a deadly weapon. Now she had the upper hand; it was easy to clear through the distracted beasts. Once they were all dead, she made a run for it.

A little distance away she ran into Kaito. "Where's Resham?" she asked, panicked. "There's a fire, we need to get out of here." Had he seen what she could do? Did he figure out her secret? Mae was still holding her flaming sword, its fire licking at her, threatening her skin. Already her hand was covered in burns, but she could not stop to put it out. If she stayed in the forest much longer, she would go up in flames, too. "Come on!" Mae called, taking Kaito's hand in her free one. "We need to go, now."

* Kaisrum - from Mae's ancient script, translates to firestorm

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito saw something flickering in the trees ahead, and confusion slowed him for only a moment. Then he began to smell the distinctly acrid smell of smoke. He realized what the flickering was, and paused, uncertainty coursing through him. Fire could spread much faster than people could run, and in the dense trees, he didn't like any chances they had. Still, concern for Mae spurred him on as he heard sounds for the monsters.

He was surprised to see her come racing through the trees, bearing a flaming sword. "On Mah La." He managed, confusion clear on his features. As she grabbed his hand, he shook himself. Now was not the time to be hesitating. "Yes, we do." He agreed, then took off through the trees, back the way he had come. Though the trees cast dark shadows, he could make out a clearer area, where Mah La had trampled through. The path was easier there, but still tripped him up at times. Clumsily, he sheathed his drawn sword and fumbled at his side for a half full water skin.

"What happened?" He asked, the words clipped from his ragged breath. "The fire, your, sword. The monsters." He decided to stop trying to speak for a short time as his lungs burned from the smoky air and strain of drawing enough oxygen for his tiring form. He didn't know when they could stop, nor how far ahead the elephant had gone. "Are you alright?" The words slipped out, concern obvious among the exhaustion. He looked at her, stumbled, then looked back at his feet to stay upright.

[Ashen]

Mae might have laughed under different circumstances. There he was, asking if she was alright, as if he truly cared. But then, didn't he? That look in his eye would give him away easily enough. Besides, he had come back for her; didn't that mean there was something there? Why else would he risk his own life? Mae waved him off, not pausing for breath. Her fires were faster than they were, and she could not let go of the running start.

She didn't know how to answer his question. What happened? Did it matter, now? If he had any brains in him he'd know. Her secretive book, her penchant for magical creatures, her mysteriousness; didn't he see? She was a witch, dammit, a mage in the flesh. Maybe he was that oblivious. Maybe he was giving her the benefit of the doubt. Mae turned to her hand, to her blazing sword burning her skin. For some reason, the pain was tolerable, not at all like how it should be. She was touching a flaming sword; should she not have been screaming? Her gloves weren't even--her gloves. She'd left them back there, among the circle of monsters. Panicked, her dark eyes dropped to her left hand, at the glowing purple tattoo, clear as day.

She let out an angered sigh. Even now, she'd be fighting this, denying. "A fire sparked behind us," she said. "The monsters were distracted enough so that I could finally strike. Those that weren't, I needed something more, so I dipped my sword in the flames. They were powerless. Flesh is nothing to a fiery sword--who knew, right?" She didn't have the cool air she usually did. After a minute she stopped running and turned around. They were nearly out of the forest now, and the fire seemed a distant mirage. "I'm fine," she panted. Was she? She didn't want to think about it. "Let's go."

[IssyEspeon]

He looked at her as she waved him off. At first, he attributed it to not wanting to waste breath speaking, but a nagging suspicion returned to his mind. Glancing back at the flaming sword, he knew there was something more to whatever had happened. Her silence suddenly seemed more like her searching for what to tell him, how to hide it. He looked to her other hand, and his eyes widened at the glowing mark on it. His feet stopped for a moment, then he kept running. More adrenaline pounding through him than before.

Everything that had bothered him began to resurface in his mind. Her book that identified the undead being, her seeming to search for monsters. Her almost wanting to find the Dark Lord, and how little she told them about herself. Combined with the sword, the fire and the glowing mark, he'd have to be a fool not to know what she was. Maybe he was, for not realizing sooner. His free hand clenched, and he continued running in silence, their ragged breath the only sound they made.

Finally they slowed, and she gave a short explanation before saying she was fine, and that they should go. He stood there, trying to regain his breath enough to speak. "We both know that isn't the truth. At least, not all of it." His voice was flat as he delivered the blunt words. "A fire didn't spark. I'd wager you caused it." He took a step closer, trying to look her in the eye. "You'd need to have doused that sword in something that burns for a long time, unless of course, you used magic. And that," he gestured at her hand ", tells me that it's magic." Pausing slightly to regain his breath, he allowed the silence to stretch before holding out the water skin. "After seeing Reshams mark, and likely hearing the story from the boy, you should know that we have no quarrel with mages unless they deliberately attack us. We trusted you, Mae. You could've done the same."

[Ashen]

Mae had to stop walking. She turned to face Kaito, failing to meet his eye. We trusted you, Mae. You could've done the same. "This means nothing," she weakly tried, holding up her glowing hand. "This is a tattoo, is all--" But her voice broke at the last word as a piercing migraine silenced her. You're a damn liar. Suddenly people were screaming, people of all kinds in different dialects, all within her own head. They were too loud, loud enough that she was sure they weren't just in her head anymore. They couldn't have been, they...

Mae dropped to her knees, clutching her head. Her sword fell to the ground and its fires died out. Tears stung her eyes as they all chanted. "Shut up," she was begging. "Shut up, please, leave me alone." It would appear as if she were talking to Kaito, but she was talking to the ones only she could hear, the ones who had haunted her all her life, the ones who, now, were dragging her to insanity. They were ceaseless in their screams and accusations, and suddenly Mae could not take it. When she spoke again, her voice was more animal than human, her syllables a plea for salvation more than anything else. "Kuraiden chinwogen!" Her words would make sense to no one else. How could they? It was an ancient language, a dead language, as dead as she should have been.

Suddenly Mae was silenced. Her hands fell from her head and she looked up, petrified, at Kaito. Her face was paling and her eyes were panicked. Her spell, it had backfired, it had gone incredibly wrong. Mae started choking, each bringing about a new pain. Her spell, she had pronounced it right, she had remembered it right. Why was this happening? The girl couldn't breathe, and she struggled for some gasp of air. She could force no words, no sounds but the painful coughs and wheezes. This wasn't what she'd wanted. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. In her struggle, Mae felt a heaviness come over her, and suddenly she was out cold.

* Kuraiden chinwogen - from Mae's ancient language, translates to suffer in silence.​

[IssyEspeon]

She looked panicked at him, then something seemed to happen to her. Kaito rushed forwards as she fell to her knees. "Mae? W-What's happening?" She was pleading with him, but it didn't make any sense. And then, she spoke words that were undoubtedly magic. He flinched, wondering what effect it might have. She fell silent. Completely silent. He saw the panic in her eyes, clear as anything. Then she started gasping for air. "Mae!"

And then she collapsed completely. He knelt, first checking that she was alive. She wasn't breathing. He tried to clear his mind, heart pounding. Looking at her unconscious form, he sighed. Uncomfortably, he recalled how to help people resume breathing. But, his squeamishness couldn't help Mae start breathing again. So he took a breath, then pressed his lips to hers firmly, blowing the oxygen into her lungs. He then pulled away, beginning the half familiar motions of chest compressions before breathing air into her mouth again. It made him uncomfortable, but thankfully, she began to breath on her own again. He sighed, relieved as he picked Mae up gently, and began to walk again. He followed the trampled vegetation, carrying the unconscious woman away from the fire.

It would take hours for him to relocate Mah La, who had trampled her way back out of the forest. She was waiting nervously outside, Resham still unconscious on her back. They needed to get away from the forest still, and any lingering evil intent on taking their lives. Worry would not let him rest, so he busied himself on the elephants back. First, he tended to Resham. It was difficult, and there was little he could do but give him some water, and try to lower the high fever, and red skin around the mark. Mae was another issue altogether.

He didn't know the nature of the spell that had backfired upon her. She was alive at least, and breathing. But what if it had some other effect as well?. After pondering helplessly, he sighed. He knew nothing of magic. But he could help with her more mundane injuries. He cleaned her burn, then applied a salve to what he could. Wrapping the damaged skin in bandages to keep it from getting infected, he sighed slightly. What else could he do? Exhaustion made his eyelids heavy. With two of the three in the group were unconscious, and both hurt in ways he couldn't fix. If all three slept, they could easily fall off of the elephant. With that in mind, he directed Mah La off the road, and settled the three of them down with leaden limbs. He placed Resham closest to the elephant, even she was tired, then Mae near the child. He sat between the open road, and his two unconscious companions. The days exhaustion catching up to him, he let himself close his eyes, and fall into an uneasy sleep

[Ashen]

Well well, my sweet child. Looks like you finally got what was coming to you. Mae looked around with wide eyes at a voice. Was this one in her head? Sweet child? Who was it talking to her? She tried to detect the source of the words but she could see nothing, despite her eyes being open. Just what was going on, anyway? There was a pain in her head, but it was a lot weaker than before. When she tried to speak, no sound fell from her lips. Do you not understand? the voice continued. You always were quite the daft one, weren't you? She couldn't reply, she could hardly understand what was happening. Filled with frustration, Mae could feel her headache growing, and suddenly she jolted awake.

It was just a dream? Mae looked around and was surprised to see Kaito, Resham, and Mah La beside her. What was going on? She clutched her head as she tried to think. Memories slowly made their way to her mind, and suddenly she could recall the monsters, the magic, the air leaving her lungs. She'd survived? But why? She looked to Kaito who, like the other two travelers, was fast asleep. He had saved her? Even after she had lied to him? Mae turned away, her conscience heavy. She'd been a terrible companion, and yet, this man had saved her life. As she looked to her hands she realized he had done more than that; he had treated her wounds, too? Mae was utterly appalled. People just weren't so... nice to her. She did not know how to react.

She got up and took inventory. Her sword was missing, but her ancient text was still there. She could buy another sword, but her book was invaluable. The burns on her hand seemed to be the only reminder of the battle from before. She looked to Kaito, tried to assess his damage. Had he given her CPR? Normally she might have teased him about such a thing, but now she felt the act would be barbaric, like all else she had done to him. She took a seat next to him and watched him, deep in thought, waiting for him to wake.

[IssyEspeon]

All three were exhausted, the day before having drained their strength. It was a while until one of them began to stir, the youngest of the group. Resham groaned softly, his brow furrowing before his eyes blearily opened. He sat up slowly, holding his aching head in his hands. "Huh? It didn't explode?" He mumbled, seemingly confused at the realization that his head was still intact. He could still feel a dull ache from the day before, and remembered how agonizing it had been. His head had been pounding, and it felt like someone had riven a sword through the mark, then stuck in a stick of dynamic by and blew it up. He had passed out from the pain, and even then, it has been toe thing his sleeping hours. With another soft groan, he looked around, trying to see something faniliar. "Mae?" He croaked, then grimaced. He crawled over to Kaito, and took the half full water skin from his side with clumsy fingers. He drank noisily, the cool water soothing his dry throat.

"What happened? I remember the awful smell, and my head feeling like it was going to explode, but I passed out. How did we we here?" He asked softly, looking at her tiredly. His eyes registered the bandages, and he frowned. "And what happened to your arms? You're not hurt, are you?" Even in his this state, mind still foggy and refusing to clear, he felt worried about her.

Kaito on the other hand, was still sleeping, albeit somewhat fitfully. He grimaced in his sleep, plagued by worry as well as twisted fragments of the night before. Smoke filled his dreams, as well as the dim glow of distant fire. The stench of the monsters permeated the air, making him feel sick in the dream. Mae was ahead of him, he could just make her out as he ran after her, moving as if through molasses. Sometimes he saw a midnight black sold in her place, a purple symbol glowing on its face and paws covered by fire. Then it would return to he woman he knew.

[Ashen]

Mae watched Resham stir, her thoughts whirring. She wasn't prepared to face the child yet; what could she say? How much did he know? From his words, it didn't appear as though he knew much. She turned away, tried to gather her words before turning back to him with a kind smile. "Well," she said slowly. "I'm... not quite sure myself. I passed out from a headache too, and next thing I know, I'm here with you and Kaito and Mah La, confused and oddly well rested." That, at least, was not a lie.

She followed his gaze to her hands and gave a small shrug of her shoulders. "No," she said softly. "They don't hurt, not anymore. There were some monsters in that forest, and I guess fighting them didn't go as well as I thought it would. Never mind that, I feel fine." She looked back up at him and her expression fell. Even now, he was concerned about her. What had she done to deserve this? Mae let out a sigh and turned back to Kaito. He seemed to be dreaming, but she didn't want to know what his nightmares would now contain. "Are you hungry?" she asked Resham, turning back to the child. Feeding him, at least, would almost count as an apology. "Want to go look around for some food?"

[IssyEspeon]

"So Kai got us out of trouble huh?" Resham muttered. He shook himself. "Well, I'm glad you're okay. Wait... Monsters? As in more than one?" No wonder his head had felt like it was being split open. He watched as her face fell, confusion scrunching up his features. Then she asked if he was hungry. Oh well, he could be scatterbrained at times too. "Starving." He confessed. "We have supplies from town, those should be able to make a good meal." His eyes sparked as he recalled the spices he had purchased. Grinning, he turned, and walked unsteadily to Mah La, looking around through their bags.

He pulled out the small pouch of spices, smiling happily before rummaging for other sustenance. He found some bread, some salted meat, and some other foods he distinctly disliked. "Veggies." He said, a degree of distaste clear in his tone as he glared at the offending greens. Under them were some other herbs. Grabbing what he liked, he turned to Mae, frowning slightly. "Do you know how to cook? I'm not to good at it...." He looked at her somewhat sheepishly, unsure of what to do with what he had. Sure, they could have a simple meal with what they had, but after a taxing day, he wanted something a bit, tastier. He approached carefully, and knelt. "If this enough? I mean, we can forage a bit, but I have no clue where to get food around here." He looked at her hopefully, as if she were his only hope for a decent meal.

[Ashen]

She was patient as he went to retrieve their supplies, and watched as he help them out to her. Mae's dark eyes glazed over all he had: meat, vegetables, spices; what more would they need? She turned away though, and there was a faraway look in her eye. "I was thinking something a little more fresh," she admitted. She looked around, at the new area she was in. In the distance, smoke was making its way to the sky, burning down the forest she never wanted to venture to again.

Just where would they be able to hunt? She turned back to the child and gave a slight shrug of her shoulders. "When you're on your own as long as I've had to be, you have no choice but to learn to cook," she told him. "Yes, I can prepare our food, but why don't we save what we have for now? The spices will be needed, sure, but the other things... Well, let's see what we can whip up, shall we?" She turned her attention back to Kaito, still asleep and oblivious. "Come on," she told Resham. "Let's have an adventure."

She took a moment to memorize their surroundings before they left, then set out, Resham in tow. Without a sword, she didn't know how she would hunt if it came down to it, but she was determined to figure it out. They traveled for a little while, no real destination in mind. If Kaito awoke, would he think she'd taken the kid and ran? No, he trusted her more than that, she hoped. Moving him from her mind, Mae stopped and looked to a river. "There," she said pointing. "I have an idea."

She took off at a run towards the river, challenging Resham to a surprise race. When she got there she halted just at the river's edge, not bothering to check who had won. Instead, she peered over and saw the silver fish swimming by. "Aren't they pretty?" she mused, then looked around. "Resham?" she asked him gently. "Do you have your knives with you? Can I borrow one?"

[IssyEspeon]

Resham looked excited when she mentioned an adventure. Headache, and disappointment over the food forgotten, he returned the food to its stash hurriedly. While he had been disappointed over her saying she wanted something more fresh, he could understand the desire to move around, or find something new. And besides, she actually knew how to properly cook, so her judgement was probably a lot better in this regard.

The first few minutes were spent wandering, Resham keeping close to Mae, trusting that she knew what she was doing. Soon, she found a destination; the river that had been winding along the country side, following the road more or less. The challenge to race was quickly accepted, and he found himself laughing happily as he dashed towards the lazily flowing body of water. She didn't even check to see who won, which relieved him of the embarrassment of being beaten. She had gotten a head start after all.

As he caught what breath he had lost from sprinting, he looked at the fish. The silvery scales were quite pretty, but all he could think of while looking at them was how tasty fish was. When she gently asked for a knife, he quickly took one out, carefully transferring it to her hand before taking a step back. "Go for it." Was all he said, a small grin on his face.

[Ashen]

Mae's juggled the knife between her fingers, partially getting a feel for the new weapon and partially showing off to the boy. Once finished, she looked into the stream. So many fish, moving so fast... Mae was still for a long while, lying in wait. Suddenly, she lurched forward, digging her knife straight into the stream. When she brought it back up, there was a squirming fish impaled by it. It looked bigger than all the other fish in the river, and twice as tasty. Mae, obviously proud of her skillful catch, removed the fish from the knife and showed it towards him. "Not bad, eh?" she asked him. "He'll make a good meal for us."

It was a big fish, big enough to make a meal for all three of them. On the way back, Mae was already trying to decide how to cook it, with what to season it. She would be displaying her best cooking. Maybe that could suffice as her apology. Kaito deserved a nice warm meal, as much as she had put him through. And poor Resham, no matter what, she would never be able to make it up to the boy. The pain he must have endured... A cooked fish was hardly an apology, but it was a start.

Once they reached the spot where Kaito and Mah La were waiting Mae set the fish on the ground. It had stopped flopping, and just lay there motionless, sparkling in the sunlight. Mae took up two sticks she had picked up along the way and started rubbing them together to form a fire. "Fetch me the spices, Resham, would you?" she asked gently. Once she got the fire going, she impaled the fish once more with one of the sticks and held it over the flames. Pretty soon, Kaito and Resham would have the best fish they had ever had, she was sure of it.

[IssyEspeon]

Resham watched, staying quiet as she tested the blades weight. The knife may be well balanced, but Mae hadn't really used them before. Well, she might have, but he didn't know either way. Then, she stopped, and began the waiting game he knew, and disliked. Kaito had been a better hunter than him, due to the man's seemingly infinite patience. Still, he fidgeted as little as possible until the olive skinned woman lunged forwards, quick as a viper. "Wow!" Excitement evident on his face, he grinned. "Not how I might've done it, but that was so cool! And we get food!" His enthusiasm was obvious, even washing away what little remained of the previous nights pain.

The walk back was easy, though Resham was disappointed at how little anything had changed. Mah La was awake, but Kaito remained oblivious to the world. Sighing, he watched as Mae started a fire, and began to cook the fish. He walked over to their bags, smiling as he drew out the spices. "Sure. Maybe Kai will wake up to the smell of good food." The lopsided smile was plain to see as he handed the spices over.

Reshams words proved to be true, as Kaito began to stir soon after the smell of fish cooking filled the air. Blinking his heavy eyelids open, he sat up, looking around. He glanced towards Mah La first, noting the absence of his younger companion before hearing "Finally! He awakens!". Only Resham would say that. Turning, he saw Mae, the fish, and the fire. "Good morning." He said quietly, standing and walking over. "Are you alright? Whatever happened last night, you weren't breathing." He said, addressing Mae directly. He was more worried about her than Resham, as travelling with him had shown the child's resilience, stubbornness, and overall ability to get over injuries.

[Ashen]

As Mae got to spicing and finishing their meal, she ever so gently started to sing. It was a force of habit; many times Mae had sung to herself when she was alone. Now, she sang unperturbed with her companions beside her. Her melody was a soft one of her own creation, and her whispered words were not in a language either of them would recognize. Despite her edgy appearance and personality, Mae's voice was calm, light, a lovely alto that would have easily passed as professional.

When she finished with the fish she turned to find Kaito awake and staring at her. So distracted by her task and song, she hadn't even heard Resham's introduction. Mae quickly averted her gaze and bowed her acknowledgment. "I hope you're hungry," she said, ignoring his questions and walking back to the fire. From there she divided the fish into three pieces, and gave a stick of fish to Resham and Kaito before sitting down herself. She sat a distance away from Kaito, her eyes downward. "I am fine," she told him, her face level. "Thank you for saving me. I would have died had you not been there." She turned to her fish, suddenly not hungry. How was she to bring this up? It was something she plain did not talk about, and something she did not want to talk about, especially not to Kaito.

Mae was silent a while, thinking through her words carefully. When she did speak, her voice was quieter, frailer. "I'm a mage," she told them, and her words hung in the air for several seconds. "I am able to conjure different magics. I can manipulate certain elements, work them how I want. From the time I was little, I have been able to do certain activities that none other could. The only clue I was ever given about these abilities was... my book." Her eyes went to her bag, ever present on her person. "My father, or my adopted father, told me he found me with that book when I was just a girl. It is written in a script he did not know, nor any of his very traveled friends. He figured it was gibberish, but kept it for me anyway. He was astonished when I learned to read that before the vernacular. Father told me he was astounded that I knew how to read it, and how to speak this intrinsic language he had never heard of, with no knowledge of it beforehand. After all, he had found me as a baby; there was no way anyone would have taught me a language then. So it was revealed I was the only one who could read my old book. In it is anything a mage may want: incantations to spells, facts of different monsters, histories of magics, great mages in history... It is an encyclopedia of sorts. With it, I have been able to do a variety of things."

Mae cleared her throat and looked up. There were tears in her uncovered eye. By habit, she pulled her hood lower over the covered side of her face. "You can see how this would be a problem," she went on. "Mages are extremely rare, and the only other one anyone has heard of is, well... Him. The Dark One. And if anyone were to be found conspiring with such a powerful and sadistic being, they would receive a fate worse than death. I have been forced to conceal my powers from everyone, only practicing when I am alone.

"What you saw yesterday, Kaito--" and at that she looked up at him, but did not make eye contact "--was one--or, two--of my spells. The fire I made from my very fingertips. The second charm, it was a silencing curse. I could not concentrate with so many screaming voices, so I did all I knew how. I silenced them, but it backfired, and it silenced me. Had you not been there, that silence would have been permanent. So yes, Kaito. I lied to you. To you and Resham. I'm sorry, really I am." She turned away again and cleared her throat. Her secret was out. Now, to learn how the two would react.

[IssyEspeon]

Both Resham and Kaito had been quiet for her song, both out of respect and desire to hear more. Kaito seemed surprised by the portion of fish, whereas the younger boy began eagerly tearing into it. Mae's words about Kaito saving her made him start, swallow a large piece of fish, and begin coughing. When he recovered, he looked between the two of them, his expression one of clear confusion. Then she said four words that made his entire body freeze. "I am a Mage".

Resham stared at her, eyes wide with shock, a mixture of surprise, confusion, and a hint of pain clear to see. She was nothing like his mother, yet she was the same type of being. He appeared she'll shocked, the story of when she was a child only being half heard. The words were audible, but made no sense to him. Kaito on the other hand listened to her full narrative. He could certainly understand why she had hidden it. Most people were terrified of mages, and any trace of magic brought baying hounds and drawn weapons.

But it still hurt both of then that, even after she had found out about the mark on his forehead, and his mother, she hadn't trusted them. They wouldn't have told, or turned her over. And they had thought she knew that. Instead, she had chosen to continue down the lonely road, leaving them in the dark. Kaito had had his suspicions, but still.

Resham looked confused as she spoke of the spells. The older male only nodded, but at one point, he began looking quiet concerned. "You were hearing voices?" He echoed, then bit his lip. "If ask how long that's been happening, but, you scared me last night. Your silencing curse, after you cast it, you weren't breathing. Was that how the spell worked?" He asked quietly. Both boys had mixed feelings at that moment. They felt hurt from her lying to them, but at the same time, they still worried for her. "Your apology is accepted, for me anyways. Next time, tell us." Resham said softly, his usual enthusiasm missing from his tone.

[Ashen]

She could see the pain in their eyes. They must have felt betrayed, and yet, they stayed, and they listened. They did not interrupt her, and even after she was finished, they were respectful to her. Mae had to give them credit for that. At Kaito's questions she sighed a little. This was far more than she wanted to tell. "No," she said quietly. "No, that wasn't how that was supposed to work. I would never try to suffocate myself like that. That silencing curse was only supposed to muffle all sounds, and mute some entirely. I had directed it towards the voices I was being plagued by. But, well... Even if it had quieted them, the spell backfired."

She was staring down at the ground with a sad expression. The cooked fish in her hand was suddenly forgotten. She was explaining her whole life story to them, and for what? For them to ignore it? For them to ridicule her for it? "I," she started, then stopped to compose herself. "That is, well, I... I'm no good at magic." She was quiet for a moment longer, then let out a large sigh. "All my life I have been the only one capable of using magic, except the Dark One, and of course, well, you." She glanced up at Resham, then turned away. "And yet. Even with my book of spells, even with the huge advantage I have over other mages, I am no good at what I do. My magic is flawed at best, completely useless at worst. The spells I try to utter rarely work as they are supposed to. This has been a handicap all my life." She looked up then, a strained smile on her face. "Perfect, isn't it? Create a girl who can practice magic, and then make her terrible at it! On top of that, put her in an era where magic is the most taboo thing out there, and give her a damn scar to make her stick out like a sore thumb! Oh, the gods had fun designing me, didn't they?"

She looked like she was losing it. Realizing her grip on her sanity was thinning, she took a deep breath and turned away again. "My silencing curse silenced me. In that, it did what it was supposed to do. But if I were just better at magic, I wouldn't be killing myself with the only thing I know how to do. The gods are cruel. If my drive for knowledge were not so strong, I would have already succumbed to Hades's sweet, sweet embrace."

Mae sighed again, then turned her attention to the fish in her hands. "I have heard voices since my birth, I am sure," she continued softly. "They are always around, constant reminders of how far from normal I am. They talk to me in our native tongue. Sometimes they give me advice. Other times, they all work against me, and tell me nasty things. They are... dead people. It has taken me long to realize as much. They are the voices of the dead that I have murdered with my own hand, as well as countless other voices of people who were killed by some greater force. The ones that I remember, they are always the most painful. They whisper to me at night, loud enough to shatter the silence, and they make sleep impossible. I know not how to get rid of them. I don't know that I want to. I... I deserve this, after all. Just another one of the gods' great jokes."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito looked at her, and expression of slight surprise changing to annoyance. "..... Stop saying that." He said quietly. "Stop calling yourself a joke. It may feel like it at times, but you're more than a source of amusement for the gods. You're smart, you're strong, you're kind, you are a beautiful human being. Youve been through a lot, more than one person should. But you've gone through it just fine." He paused slightly, then looked down.

"I know little, if anything, of the arcane arts. No one does. The fact that you can use magic, and that you've been doing so with some success, is amazing on its own. Yes, you have a book. I'm sure it's served you well, but you've had no one to teach you. Magic seems to be a fickle thing. To teach yourself it, it seems near impossible to me. It may be ignorance on the matter that leaves me so impressed by your accomplishment. People don't become masters of a trade overnight, and often they have a mentor. You've progressed by your own merit." Resham nodded, starting to smile a bit.

"He's right. Sort of. Dealing with those voices must be hard as well. Even good people kill sometimes, heroes from great battles of old for example. And, well, you saw us with those robbers on the road. It's not like our hands are clean. And besides, you're a good person. Would a monster stick around to help a couple of idiots? You did after that thing in the forest. You made us breakfast too, and you've put up with us the entire way here." The boy wanted to lift her spirits, Kaito did too. "You've been smart enough to survive and you're strong enough to slay tons of monsters single handedly. You aren't some joke made by the gods Mae! That's Kai." The child couldn't resist a joke at his companion either

[Ashen]

But they were wrong. She wasn't smart or beautiful or important at all. They had the audacity to call what she did amazing? They had the tenacity to compare her to a hero? Mae was forced to look away, and she clenched her teeth. They were wrong, so wrong; couldn't they see? "I lured you here." Her voice was low, cold. "Since my own father disowned me, I have been looking for a way to speak with the Black Dragon. He must have the answers I seek. He knows how to do what I can do, and he does it flawlessly. He must be able to teach me." She looked up, her dark eyes emotionless. "And so I found out from the townsfolk where the most monsters were. They told me that forest was crawling with them. So I lured us right here, knowing you would blindly follow, knowing full well just how it would hurt a child. I did all that, willingly, for my own personal gain. So how dare you call me a good person."

Her head was hurting again, and when she looked away she winced, as if from being struck. Her hands were shaking. "All men kill," she continued quietly. "It is a thirst we are born with, the thirst for blood. Some call it heroism. Some call it murder. What I did... What I did is not even remotely close to the actions of a person." And there they were. Such soft voices, the heavy voices of angels. They were singing to her, a song none would hear. This, Mae could not handle. She dropped the fish, and she hugged her knees to her chest weakly. After a minute she started singing, rocking with the tempo to her own song.

She was going crazy. Here she was, sitting before the two she had so terribly wronged, and she was rocking back and forth like a child, singing. The song, she realized, was one from long ago, one she had written when she was just a baby, about a monster. She quieted and opened her eyes again, but she could not force herself to look at them again. "I'm sorry," she breathed. "I don't know how to have relationships. I never have. The only people I've ever been close to threw me to the streets to die. I'm just a monster. I... I understand if you want to leave now."

[IssyEspeon]

The two stared at her, a mix of shock and hurt, and anger on their faces. But as her voice fell in volume, both were filled by another emotion. Pity. When she seemed to be finished, telling them that they could leave, both boys drew closer. They should hate her, shouldn't they? She deliberately tried to harm them, or she knew at least that they could get harmed. Yet, neither could bring themselves to hate her. "You aren't a monster Mae." Resham said softly. "You may have done this, but we can understand why. All you want is answers. If I were in your place, I would be trying hard to find that guy too."

Kaito gently placed a hand on her back, unwilling to violate her private space, but also wishing to comfort her. "You may have led us here, but you also fought to help us get away. That isn't something a monster would do. You couldve use us as a distraction, but you didn't. You've helped us out in the other cities, you've fought with us on the roads. You may not have been with us very long, but you're still part of our little group now. We aren't going to leave you." His voice was soft, and he looked at her as Resham spoke as well. "We can help you find the dark lord too." The child was trying to cheer her up a bit. Even after the betrayal, he still saw her as a friend. Both of them did.

[Ashen]

Mae looked up, an obvious confusion in her eyes. Her eyes shifted between them, trying to detect their lie. But they weren't deceiving her, and they weren't leaving. She listened to them speak, going on about how she had fought with them, for them. Maybe she had. Maybe she wasn't the monster she had spent so many years believing she was. Her gaze fell and she wiped at her eyes with the back of her sleeve. "Thank you," she mumbled. "I... I don't deserve this. Thank you."

Resham's words seemed odd coming from a child. He was willing to help her with something so grave? That made little sense to the woman, who was still trying to determine how to take it all. "You don't have to do that," she told them. "He's a merciless force that has razed countless villages. Most would hope to steer clear of him, permanently. I cannot expect you to willingly seek him out for me, no matter how curious I might be." She shook her head indignantly. "I hardly want to endanger either of you like that."

It was quite the change of character. Mae had gone from someone who was goal-focused, so much so that the thought of others' harm did not bother her, to someone who selflessly gave up the opportunity she'd been wanting for much of her life, just because it would hurt her companions. She did not want to hurt them any more, and she felt horrible for doing so at all.

[IssyEspeon]

Both smiled gently at her, Kaito gently wrapping an arm around her and giving her a hug. "On the contrary, I think you deserve good friends." He said quietly. While he was a bit worried about Reshams eagerness to help Mae seek out the dark lord, there was another possible purpose behind the child's offer. Resham seemed quite happy to clear things up.

"Well, you want answers, and we want to get him to stop hurting so many people. Destroying villages, disturbing the dead, using monsters to attack people, it's only going to get worse if no one does anything. Theres too many people in the world for everyone to avoid him. You're curious about him and his magic, and the closer we get to him, the more you might understand it. Even if we can't stop him, you've been looking for answers most of your life. It doesn't seem fair for you to just give that up." The boy had some questions of his own, particularly about the mark on his head. His hand brushed the golden mark absently, betraying that slight tangent in his thoughts.

Both of them could benefit, right? That's the way he saw it at least. Mae got her answers, and maybe he could get a couple too before Kai kicked his butt and made him stop hurting people. He was rather optimistic about that, though he was willing to help Kaito if it came down to it. Mae could get her answers, he could find out why he had a circle on his forehead that glowed and caused pain when around dark magic, and everyone else could benefit from it if the guy was stopped. Kaito bit his lip slightly as he heard the boys reasoning. It wasn't quite as simple as that.

[Ashen]

They still wanted to go through with it. Mae considered their offer again. Resham did have a point. If they did greet the Dark One, if they did find the answers she longed for, maybe there would be some slim chance they could stop him. They could prevent this beast from taking over the world. Mae had to admit, she'd never fancied herself a hero, but the thought was... comforting. For all the wrong she had done, perhaps this would be her absolution.

She turned away from them and sighed lightly. "This is much to think on," she admitted. "I am not certain you understand just what you propose." She watched him wipe at his forehead, at his own symbol of magic. Maybe it would help him, but not before hurting him. Was it worth it? Mae shook her head gently. "This is not something that can be determined in a single conversation. I say we each think on it. If you still wish to seek counsel with the Black Dragon by the time we reach the next town, then we will make a path for him."

Mae continued walking slowly. She figured her proposal was fair enough. Making it all the way to the next town, that would give them enough time to think. In that time, they would be able to discover whether they really wished to do such a thing. Crawling into the devil's lair, it sounded like something few would want, and yet... I think you deserve good friends. Maybe, if they didn't leave her entirely, she could find friends in both of them.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito knew that Resham didn't fully understand what he had just suggested. Despite having seen many evils from the world, and despite the child's biting sarcasm and the occasional pessimistic comment, he was still optimistic. The child like naive quality that the world could be saved so easily was refreshing at least. Resham would want to continue west, and knowing the child, he would go off even if Kaito wasn't.

Mae had a good idea as well. They could ponder the idea, mull it over, and in all likelihood decide to go through with it. They could get farther from the cursed, and burning, forest as well. Maybe Resham would grow uncertain about it, but the kid was stubborn. He wouldn't let it go. As Mae began walking, Resham followed, leaving Kaito to put out the small fire and walk behind them. Mah La trudged behind them, still tired after the previous nights excitement. As Kaito walked, he wondered what Maes verdict would be. He also wondered why the one of the group that seemed most invested in going was the one who'd be suffering the most from it as well. Sighing, he caught up to the other humans as his thoughts consumed his mind.

Resham was also thinking. Mostly about how to get around his twitchy mark. How could he help his friends if he was lying on the ground moaning in pain every time a monster came near. And if there were too many monsters, would his head actually explode from the pain? It was almost a scary thought. But what frustrated him was why the mark was even there in the first place. He couldn't do magic, at least, he didn't think so. That idea got stuck in his head, so he turned to Mae. "How did you do that fire spell? Can you teach me?" He asked in a manner that suggested curiosity, not a desire for the power to destroy.

[Ashen]

It was all too silent as they all lost themselves to their thoughts. Mae was most comfortable in the silence, she had grown to enjoy its warmth, but suddenly she could feel its weight upon her shoulders. Just what were they thinking? What would they decide? Would they leave her to continue on alone? Just how far was the next town? How long would she have to suffer in this silence? The questions in her mind spiraled into a frustrating wreck, one that came with another dulled migraine.

Suddenly, Mae looked up at Resham. She cocked her head a bit, then smiled and turned away. Can you teach me? Such an innocent question, and yet... How could she teach something she didn't even have a grip on herself? "I don't know how to teach that," she said softly. "I've just... always known how to do things like that, as if it's been written in my blood. The fire, though, that was summoned with an incantation. Kaisrum, I believe that's the one I used..." She shook her head. "Magic is a dangerous thing, Resham. It's perhaps better to not to try at all."

But then she considered something. If Resham could perform magic too, would that not be valuable to their adventures? He had the mark; did that mean anything? Mae stopped walking to consider it, then suddenly removed the book from her bag. She opened it up and flipped through a few pages, her eyes quickly exploring the pages. "Resham," she said curtly. "I want you to try something." She showed him the book, pointed to a long paragraph. The paragraph was not in a Roman script, or any script known to any man. The picture was of a crozier-sort of object. "Look, see this word?" she asked him, pointing out the first word of a paragraph. It would look like nothing to him, random syllables he wouldn't understand. "It is pronounced ah-weh-ze. Aweze*.Say this, will you?"

Mae then looked at the child expectantly. The incantation, it was for a simple spell, one meant to summon the winds. If he was any good with magic, he would be able to perform such a simple task. So Mae watched him, eagerly waiting to see if he, too, was a mage.

* Aweze - from Mae's ancient script, meaning gale

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito agreed with Mae, it was best not to try at all. He didn't want either of them getting hurt, which is what he saw happening should Resham actually succeed at magic. But then Mae seemed to think, and changed her mind. Resham certainly looked pleased, and of course excited, to try the forbidden art. The child had noted Maes pronunciation of the fire spell, but as Mae began flipping hurriedly through the pages, he grew distracted by the strange letters and pictures within the ancient text.

"Ah-weh-ze." He repeated, looking confused by the squiggly scrawling letters that made up words in whatever language it was. Then he took a slight breath, and repeated the wind spell. "Aweze!" He pronounced it the way she had instructed, but nothing happened. Trying again, and concentrating, he got nothing once again. With only
a headache for his troubles, Resham scowled. "It's not working." He grumbled, looking at the page in the book. "What's the spell even do?" In his irritation, Resham failed to notice Kaito looking at him. Or rather , his forehead.

The mark had glowed when he had attempted the spell, not brightly, but still noticeable. The man knew encouraging the boy would hardly be a good idea, but he glanced at the picture on the books open page. It looked nothing like the mark on the boys brow. Perhaps a different kind of spell would work.... Or maybe Resham was simply incapable of magic. The boy was containing his frustration quite well, probably held back by his curiosity in the subject of magic. "Can I try a different one?" Resham asked, looking uncertainly at Mae. He wanted to get it right, not be so frustrated at failing to do something. Then again, it was possible that he simply couldn't. But they young boy didn't want to think about the possibility that he was incapable of magic. The mark on his forehead had to mean something, right?

[Ashen]

Nothing. Mae didn't realize how much she had been hoping the spell would work until it didn't. Maybe Resham wasn't a mage after all, or maybe it was just the wrong kind of spell. Her book had never been wrong before, but Mae couldn't help but wonder if perhaps that particular spell was a misprint. She studied the book, making sure she had read it right, before shaking her head. It didn't work. "It's a wind spell," she answered, then said the word herself. Suddenly a wind rustled around them, whipping their clothes and the pages of her book, causing it to fall on a different page entirely.

She looked up at her companions to watch the reaction to her spell, but she was surprised to find Resham's mark aglow. Mae looked to Kaito to see if he had noticed. He had, she could tell from his expression, and she could also tell he was disapproving of what she was teaching him. Despite that, Mae felt she had to continue. Even if it was endangering him, if they discovered the boy could perform magic, it would be very valuable.

No. Mae snapped her book shut and shook her head. What was she thinking? She couldn't endanger the boy again. Magic hurt him, turned needles on his head. What kind of monster was she? Mae shoved her book back into her bag and continued walking. "I don't think that's a good idea," she told him quietly. "You can't do it. That's fine. I have yet to meet one who can besides myself and... and him." Her pace was brisker as she started away. "The next town cannot be far now, yes?" she said, trying to dismiss the subject entirely. She did not want to hurt him, or anyone, again.

[IssyEspeon]

Resham stated as a fierce wind whipped up, an expression of disappointment on his face. That was only reinforced as Mae snapped the book shut after thinking for a moment, then said that he simply couldn't do it. The words stung a bit, and he couldn't help but wonder if he was just screwing it all up somehow. His mother had been a Mage, both he and Mae had a mark, but all he had was something that caused him pain when he came into contact with magic. Sighing, Resham looked down at he road dejectedly, absently playing wit one of his knives as he trudged along.

Kairo easily picked up on the boys disappointment, but he couldn't help but feel relieved by Maes decision. He couldn't protect the child against magic, and he was worried that if the boy tried more spells, he'd end up like Mae had; suffocating from a backfired spell. His eyes met Maes, and he nodded once in thanks. Resham could cause enough trouble with his knives alone. Giving him magic would only being the child into more danger.

The journey back to the town was long. Resham climbed onto Mah Las back halfway there, and continued to ride along in silence. Both makes we're thinking hard about the proposition to continue traveling and meet the dark lord. It inflicted a sense of fear upon Kaito, but they had been journeying to try to counter some of the dark magic. This would be little different. They would go to the source, and stop him from causing more anguish upon the land. When they finally reached their destination, Kaito looked at Mae. "I've thought on the matter. I'd like to continue traveling with you, towards the west and the dragon." He said quietly. "Let's go. That dark lord guy needs to get his butt kicked." Resham said, lacking his usual enthusiasm. "But we aren't going to leave our friend behind. You're coming, right Mae?"

[Ashen]

She could sense his disappointment, and she wished she could do something about it, but the alternative was too grave. Exposing him to the world of magic, that was exposing him to a world of pain, something she just could not do, not again. Trying her best to ignore Resham's saddened eyes, Mae continued on, towards the next town, towards their decision, away from the threat of her own magic.

The journey was agonizing. Too many loud thoughts were whizzing by, and each step grew more labored. Her body began to ache, and a couple times she thought she was near faint, but somewhere, she found the will to keep going. Kaito and Resham did not need to see her so weakened. She had to seem strong, worthy; she couldn't let them down again.

As the town came into view, Mae let out a large sigh. Finally, after all their walking, they could rest. She could listen to their answer, and she could move on. She made the last steps with a new energy coursing through her. When they finally did arrive, Mae turned to her companions and steeled herself. She looked between Kaito and Resham, waiting, expecting. And then..."I'd like to continue traveling with you." They were going to remain with her. Before Mae could stop it, a smile split her lips. Her dark eyes shone, and she turned away from them with a relieved sigh. She'd have company. Maybe this long journey for answers would finally be nearing its end.

With the worst part over, Mae could look over the town. It was ordinary enough, and she could easily see a building with an old sign out front. The faded letters still read INN. She motioned towards the inn and started off for it. "Thank you," she said to them, keeping an uncovered eye to them. "I... I know not what to say, really, or how to express my gratitude." Once in the inn, she collapsed into a seat near the entrance. Only a few people looked her way, and most turned back to their own affairs. "Can we just... rest for a bit?" she asked them. "It's been such a long day." Mae was beat, both physically and mentally. The walk had tired her, but more than that, all her thoughts had worn her mind down. Now, the relief washed over her, and she could finally relax.

[IssyEspeon]

The boys couldn't have missed her grin, and both felt that they had definitely made the right choice by staying with her. Mae seemed tired, something Kaito could understand after their trek back to the town. The road had seemed much longer coming than going, though everyone was much more work after the ordeal in the forest. "Of course we can rest." Kaito said softly, rather tired himself before wandering to the innkeeper to arrange for some rooms to stay in.

Resham on the other hand, had gotten over his disappointment. He looked at Mae, smiling at her happily if tiredly. "Mae, you don't need to thank us. We're friends, and friends help each other. You made us breakfast and everything too." Resham had been the only one to fully enjoy the fresh fish, as it seemed that the older members had been too tense to do so. The youngest had been hungry, though the food he had consumed was truly excellent. "Think you can maybe cook again for us sometime? That fish was awesome." The candid words were only reinforced by the smile on his face.

Kairo soon wandered back over to the chair near the door. He held two keys, one for him and Resham, the other room right next door for Mae. He looked at her, and saw how exhausted she was. "I got you a room. If youre quite tired, I might be able to carry you to it." He offered, for once his personal space not a pressing matter for him.

[Ashen]

Now that all was decided, the road to the inn seemed to stretch on forever. Mae had to make an effort to keep herself going. Once they finally got there, Mae truly collapsed into a chair and struggled to keep her eyes open. Just what had come over her so suddenly? Why was she so beat? She was too worn to think much on it. The voices were singing lullabies to her, not helping at all in staying awake. She shook her head, hard, in an effort to shoo the sleep, at least for a few more minutes.

Mae offered a smile to Resham's enthusiasm. She was glad to hear her meal had gone over so well with the child. "I'd be happy to cook for you and Kaito some more," she told him. Already her words were beginning to slur from exhaustion. She shook her head again, and looked up when Kaito returned. His offer was tempting, and though Mae was fully capable of walking herself to her own room, she liked the idea of Kaito carrying her. It would give her something to poke fun at the next day, and the thought of being carried by a man sounded all too comforting. "I think I would quite like that," she told him. She got out of her chair and weakly held her arms out to him. "Go easy on me, will you? Gotta... protect the goods, you know." She still gave him a playful smirk.

[IssyEspeon]

Resham snickered at what Mae had said, and while Kaito was somewhat embarrassed, he walked over and gently picked her up. One arm looped under the back of her knees, the other supported her back as he began to walk towards their rooms. Resham followed after, his smile so wide it looked like it could escape his face if it was any wider. Such was the happiness Maes promise of cooking again brought.

They made their way through the worn building, Resham opening the door to Maes room when they reached it. Kaito walked inside, then gently lay her down on the bed while Resham turned around and headed to their room next door. (Being the child he was, he wanted to claim the better bed) Kaito didn't mind the absence of the youngest member of their group. He smiled, straightened up, and spoke softly. "Rest well. You seemed particularly tired today." The touch of concern in his voice was clear, and with a small bow, Kaito turned and left the room. Leaving the key with her, he softly closed the door, and heading to the room next door.

He found Resham ready collapsed on one of the beds, eyes closed as the child started falling asleep. Shaking his head, Kaito decided to follow that example. Taking off his shoes, he got into his bed, and let the exhaustion of the day overcome him.

[Ashen]

Mae was quiet as she was carried to her room. Kaito's touch was gentle, nice, and she found herself absently snuggling into his chest. His voice was like a lullaby, and Mae sighed softly against him. "Sorry," she murmured, but her voice trailed. She looked like she was already asleep when she was laid on her bed. Slowly, Mae lifted her head and offered a smile to Kaito. "Thank you," she said. "I'll see you..." It sounded like there might have been more to that sentence, but Mae was stopped as sleep washed over her.

That night, Mae dreamt of the Dark Lord. Kaito and Resham were behind her as she made her final steps to the powerful being. She had waited so long to meet with him, almost her whole life, and now she was finally getting the chance. When the Great One did turn, he had the face of an angel, and he smiled down on Mae. "Welcome," he said to her, and Mae had to smile back. Just as she was about to say something, to explain herself and ask the arsenal of questions she had prepared, his face distorted to the ugly visage of one of his monsters, and the whole world seemed to catch fire. He started laughing maniacally, watching as, behind her, Kaito and Resham were burned to a crisp. "No!" Mae screamed, but it was too late. The Black Dragon turned to her with the devil's eyes. "You should not have come."

Mae's eyes fluttered open and, for a moment of total bliss, she couldn't recall a thing. Then, as her dream started coming back to her, a wave of panic washed over her, and she sat up in bed. You know that's what's going to happen, some distant voice warned her, but she was not going to listen. Instead, she got out of bed, and she started downstairs. She couldn't tell the time of day, but judging by the amount of people on the main floor, it must have been morning. How long had she slept? Despite the nightmare, she felt oddly refreshed. When she did not notice Kaito or Resham in the crowd, Mae instead headed into the town. She found her way to a fountain, where she was able to wash her face. When she returned to the inn, she looked awake and alert, dark and mysterious as ever. She decided to linger in the lobby in wait for her two companions.

[IssyEspeon]

The night had not only brought dreams to Mae. Resham lay in his bed, reliving a memory of the past. The day was warm, and he could see his mother walking around in their small home. He felt a slight pang as he saw her face again, the details of it uncertain. The tiny details about her he was beginning to forget already drove him mad, but his worries faded as she walked over to him and gently stroked his hair. She led him outside, where the day passed with that dream like quality where it seemed to just change. Suddenly, it was night and he was still outside. His mother looked worried, and he could hear someone inside the house even as she ran back inside. "No!" He called after her, running after in what felt like slow motion. Moving as if through molasses, he threw open the door, seeing something that had never been in real life. He saw a body on the ground, somehow knew it was his mothers. Anger boiled within him, and he glared at the faceless being before him before a word that Mae had said earlier burst from his lips. "Kaisrum!"

Fire exploded into being, the conflagration sweeping around the house. Within seconds, everything was burning. A thick smoke filled the air, and he began to choke on the clouds of embers and ashes. It was unbearably hot, making him stumble backwards and out of the house. He stares in horror as his world began a firestorm, turning and running before plunging into a river of clear water. But the water began to burn him as well.

Resham sat by upright, breathing heavily as he looked around wide eyed. No flames, no intense pain, nothing. Nearly laughing and crying in relief, the boy stood, pausing to make sure his mark was covered score walking outside. He heard a rustle behind him, and knowing that Kaito would soon be following, he headed to the main part of the inn. He sat down at a small table with three chairs, and waited for his other two companions to arrive before getting himself some food

[Ashen]

The inn's morning customers were an odd bunch. Mae watched them all in a way that indicating she was watching no one at all. There was the mother with her child, probably in for a quick meal. The man with a scarlet head of hair, looking around jumpily. The man with a child who did not resemble him at all, causing questions to sprout in Mae's mind. Another woman, one with long blonde hair and dulled eyes, who was going out of her way to not look at Mae. Another man who kept staring at the blonde woman, the hunger of a beast in his eyes. Making a decision, Mae got up from her table and walked to that last man.

He looked up at her when she sat next to him. Mae didn't bother smiling at him, just followed his gaze and sighed. "Do you think she has any of what I don't?" she asked softly.
The man furrowed her brows. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said. "What's with you? You got something to hide. Lemme see that face of yours."
Mae pulled away from the man's outstretched hand, reaching for her hood. "Now now, sir, that's off limits. We all have something to hide, don't we?" She turned away again. "If you're curious, though, I can let you buy me a drink."
The man sighed. "A'right," he muttered, and he called the bartender over. As Mae was sipping at her drink, he watched her hungrily. "What's your name?"
Mae did not skip a beat. "Roxy," she lied. "Maybe you've heard of me. I have quite a reputation with the men, you know."
That seemed to intrigue the man, whose hand was resting on Mae's thigh. "How about you show me how you got that reputation?"
Mae placed her hand on top of his and finally offered him a smile. "I would love to," she said, "but you see that boy over there? That's my son, and I don't think my husband would be very happy with me if I went off with someone like you." She removed his hand from her thigh and took her drink. "Many thanks for the drink," she called to him, and she started away.

As Mae approached Resham, she wondered just how far she might have gone. The man had smelled like cigars and booze. He was pathetic, drinking and smoking this early in the morning, but as she looked at the drink in her own hand she wondered what that made her. When she reached Resham's table she decided to not think about it. "Morning," she greeted, setting her drink down and meeting Resham's eye. "Is Kaito still asleep?"

[IssyEspeon]

Resham looked up at Mae, smiling slightly as she joined him at the table. "No, I think he's awake. He might have been getting ready to come here when I walked out of the room. Then again, he may have passed out again." The boy looked curiously at her drink, then at the man who was glaring in their direction. "Hungry?" He asked, turning back to look at Mae. "I was waiting for one of you to show up, and since you're here, it means we can order and not have. Kai Kai mad at us."

Kaito on the other hand, was in the washroom that came with the room, and was finishing cleaning himself up. The night had gone by slowly for him, something making it hard for him to sleep. Judging hybrid sounds, Resham hadn't had a very good dream, though the child slept soundly. Yawning, Kaito shook himself, then spent a few minutes stretching to get his blood moving. Once he was more awake, he got dressed, and gathered his things before heading to where he hoped his two companions would be.

He spotted Maes hood easily, striding over to the table as the two talked. He didn't say anything as he sat down, choosing instead to look at his two companions. "How did you sleep?" He asked the two of them, though he was more curious as to the answer Mae would give. Thinking little of the drink on the table, he canned the room for a moment, years of caution making him scan for any threats. Finding none, he was more than happy to turn back to the young woman at the table with him.

[Ashen]

Mae nodded in response to Resham and glanced towards the barmaid, wondering what sorts of food this inn sold. She had been in many inns, and if this one had a menu like all the others, it contained dull food that couldn't hold a candle to her own cooking. Still, Mae couldn't be picky. She sipped at her drink before motioning Resham to follow her, and together they got a somewhat filling breakfast.

There was light conversation shared between the two of them over their meals. Every so often Mae would glance up to the man who had bought her drink, and every time he was glaring at her with spiteful eyes. She thought nothing of it. She couldn't be bothered by the likes of him, and knew he would be leaving shortly anyway. When she spotted Kaito approaching, she winked at the bitter man from before and turned to face her companion. "Good morning," she greeted with too big a smile. "We missed you."

She wasn't making it obvious, but she was still watching the man. By now he had angrily gotten up and started away, leaving Mae smirking and with her clear, searing liquid. "I slept okay," she said, turning back to Kaito. She decided against telling him about her dream. "And you? You look well rested, I think. Isn't it nice to be in a bed again? I do intend to pay you for the room, later. Any payment you want, eh, Kai Kai?"

[IssyEspeon]

Resham eagerly dug into his breakfast, all manners forgotten as he shoveled it into his mouth. While the food wasn't nearly as good as what Mae had made them on the road, he was happy to just have food. He swallowed his mouthful whenever Mae started talking, trying to be respectful by answering her with an empty mouth rather than try to make himself understood through a mouth full of food.

Resham waved when he saw Kaito approaching. The man looked a bit confused, then shot a disapproving look at the boy as he noticed the plate of food before the child. Resham smiled cheekily, waving his fork before taking another bite. Kaito noticed Mae look towards someone, then smile at him a bit widely and speak a bit loud. He raised an eyebrow slightly, sitting down next the the other two. "Good morning. I trust you slept well?" He asked politely, nodding when she answered his question. He noticed a man get up and storm away, frowning slightly.

"It was a welcome return to that small comfort, yes. It was a welcome thing to be able to have a more comfortable nights sleep." He spoke calmly, ordering some food of his own. While he waited for it, he looked at Mae as he thought over her other words. "Perhaps we can discuss a payment later, if you are set upon repaying me. I wanted to help you, and I did not do it so you'd be indebted to me. I would be fine just calling it a favor, and then move on." Resham sighed slightly. "So noble. Why don't you ask the princess for a kiss if you're set on being the knight in shining armor?" The child said flatly. Kaito felt his cheeks to warm, and glared disapprovingly at the boy, who was grinning at them

[Ashen]

Discussing payment later... Mae wasn't sure Kaito understood what she had been getting at, nor what his words did suggest, but that made it all the more amusing. She was quiet as he spoke, watching him order his own breakfast. She was already nearly done hers, which meant she had so much more time to play around with Kaito while he ate. With a smirk she waited.

Mae couldn't keep from giggling at Resham's comment. She turned her eyes to Kaito, winking seductively. "Yes, Kaito," she said softly. "Why don't you kiss your princess, my daring knight?" She quickly scanned the inn to check if the man was still there. There was a disappointment in her eye when she didn't see them. It would be so much sweeter if she'd had an audience. Nevertheless, Mae got up and walked over to Kaito. She ran a finger under his chin, forcing him to look at her. "I think I'd like to discuss payment now, actually."

Mae was quite skilled at this. She walked around him, keeping a finger on him. "So Kai Kai," she murmured, and took a seat on his lap. "I don't suppose you're any good at this, but you did bring me back to life with one of your kisses, so how bad could you be, eh?" She looked like she was about to kiss him for a moment but seemed to change her mind and turned away. "I do wonder at what else you can do." She got up from him then and placed both hands on the table. In doing so, she squished her breasts together, making them appear larger and far more obvious than before. "You'll have to show me sometime," she said before giggling softly and returning to her seat.

[IssyEspeon]

Resham grinned when he noticed Maes lips turn upwards into a smirk. He sat back in his chair, waiting for the show to start. While he was fairly sure that Kaito had been able to understand just what Mae had been suggesting, he was quite glad that the man had chosen to respond as if nothing suggestive could have possibly been extrapolated from Maes words. After all, if he understood Mae, the mans words were going to bring a show. He didn't have long to wait before it began.

Kaito looked a bit confused when Mae winked at him, then his cheeks grew pink as she suggested kissing. His eyes widened slightly as she drew closer to him, gently moving his head to face her. Growing flustered, he found himself unable to respond to what she had said. Resham muffled a snicker as best he could, watching as the older man tried to get his brain working enough. Kaito managed to say "Oh? Um, a-alright then." In response, a somewhat polite response, and the best he could come up with at the moment.

Kaitos face turned red the moment she sat down on his lap. "A, W-What?" He stammered, growing so flustered he could hardly speak. (Resham could've sworn he heard a slightly undignified squeak from Kai later on) The poor mans face only grew redder as she spoke, which was just golden for the boy, who was now shaking as he tried to hold back his laughter. Kaito looked wide eyed as Mae drew very close to his face, then watched her as she dimly got up off of him. His expression showed just how flustered and confused he was, and he gulped slightly when Mae placed her hands on the table. To Kaitos shame, his eyes seemed draw as if by a magnet to her accentuated chest. He stared at her, mouth open slightly as he tried to process anything. Resham failed to hold in his laughter, though he mana aged to mute it slightly. "N-Nice one." He chortled, shaking his head at the somewhat dazed man who had a lovely cherry red face.

[Ashen]

Mae was glad she could get the child to laugh, and the dark red of Kaito's face brought a smile to hers as well. Perhaps she was going too far, but it was all in good fun, and she assumed Kaito knew that. "One day you won't get so flustered like that," she mused. Maybe one day they would actually be able to go through some of what she'd hinted at. Mae looked over at Kaito and raised an eyebrow in thought. Her and Kaito. It was an... interesting combination.

Mae paused to consider it. Most of her mates were only so because she needed something. What, exactly, did she need from Kaito? The kind of love written about in fairy tales, she had never imagined such for herself. There was no way the bumbling doofus of a man would ever care to take her, especially not after shying at just the mention. There was no point to thinking about it, and yet... Mae had to admit, it was an interesting thought. One she almost hoped might come to fruition.

When she snapped back to the present she got up from her table and shook her head. "That's probably enough for the poor guy," she said. "If you're done, Kaito, we can head out soon. Oh, honey, the eyes are up here." She smirked still, especially when he could not meet her eye. She turned to Resham. "I'm rotten," she decided. "And so are you for goading me. But we sure do a good job, huh?"

[IssyEspeon]

Kaitos head hurt slightly from how chaotic his thoughts were all of a sudden. It was like each was a person, shouting at him to try to get him to pay attention. 'One day you won't get so flustered' That seemed impossible, what had just gone down was absolute mortifying, and indecent. She had completely disregarded his personal space, which had made him very uncomfortable. 'It didn't make you uncomfortable last night when she was cuddled up against you.' The thought made him pause.

He hadn't minded when she had cuddled up against his chest, which was very much within his personal bubble. He hadn't been embarrassed about carrying her, it had actually felt almost, nice to do so. And he had carried her out of the forest, and bandaged her burns, and he had given her mouth to mouth. None of which had really bothered him. Was it really that he was only flustered because other people were there? The idea troubled him slightly, though what about it made him feel more uncomfortable with was unclear. He couldn't tell if he was unckmfortable with the idea of people watching, or with the idea if just doing things like that with Mae

While Kaito dealt innefectively with his thoughts, Resham wound down a little more, shrugging with a lopsided grin as she spoke to him. "I don't mind. Seeing this is just too funny." He declared bluntly. "I think. Kai Kai wanted to head to another town to the west, but I'm not sure which one." Kairos breakfast arrived, and. Resham stole some of the food of his guardians plate before shrugging. "Have you got any ideas?"

- - - Updated - - -

Kaitos head hurt slightly from how chaotic his thoughts were all of a sudden. It was like each was a person, shouting at him to try to get him to pay attention. 'One day you won't get so flustered' That seemed impossible, what had just gone down was absolute mortifying, and indecent. She had completely disregarded his personal space, which had made him very uncomfortable. 'It didn't make you uncomfortable last night when she was cuddled up against you.' The thought made him pause.

He hadn't minded when she had cuddled up against his chest, which was very much within his personal bubble. He hadn't been embarrassed about carrying her, it had actually felt almost, nice to do so. And he had carried her out of the forest, and bandaged her burns, and he had given her mouth to mouth. None of which had really bothered him. Was it really that he was only flustered because other people were there? The idea troubled him slightly, though what about it made him feel more uncomfortable with was unclear. He couldn't tell if he was unckmfortable with the idea of people watching, or with the idea if just doing things like that with Mae

While Kaito dealt innefectively with his thoughts, Resham wound down a little more, shrugging with a lopsided grin as she spoke to him. "I don't mind. Seeing this is just too funny." He declared bluntly. "I think. Kai Kai wanted to head to another town to the west, but I'm not sure which one." Kairos breakfast arrived, and. Resham stole some of the food of his guardians plate before shrugging. "Have you got any ideas?"

[Ashen]

Further out west. It was the dark land, where the sun did set and no light touched. It was the land the Dark One was pillaging. It was still so much to take in. To think, just a week ago she had been alone and wondering about her next meal, and now, she had companions to bring her to what she had been searching her whole life. It was still overwhelming, but Mae pushed it aside. Now was not the time to think on it. Now was the time to plan their route.

She removed the old map from her bag and looked it over. "We should be... here," she stated, pointing with her finger to a small town. "Kaito must have wanted to go to this town, then. It is a short distance to the south, and it looks like it is a port town. It might be nice to collect some fish to prepare. We may also be able to reach the next city before sunset. It looks rather large, but its distance is advantageous. From the looks of things, it will be the last city we will be permitted to reach in our travels. The rest are towns and villages, much less welcoming to strangers. We may have to spend some time setting up camp under the stars."

As Mae spoke, she wondered just how far out the Black Lord would be. How soon would they run into him, and what would happen when they did? She would seek council with him, and state her business, but then what? Would the very god of black magic care to speak with her? Or would he shoo her away, kill her like all the others who had crossed his path? No, Mae thought. He wouldn't do that. After all, Mae was a mage, a dark mage. He had to have the answers she sought.

The wanderer turned back up to her companions and shrugged. "I trust there are no complaints with these plans?" she asked. "We have a long day of travels ahead of us, so I recommend resting now while you can. She plucked a piece of Kaito's meal off his plate and brought it to her lips. "Thanks, Kai," she murmured, and she ate it in one gulp. An entire day of traveling... Maybe having a drink so early in the morning hadn't been the best idea.

[IssyEspeon]

Resham watched closely as she trailed her fingers across the map, frowning at the distance. It wasnt much, but with their tendency of detours, attacks, and general luck, the estimated arrival at sunset seemed a bit late. Especially since he was much less keen of traveling at night now. Yet, it would be a port town..... His eyes shone brighter than usual, the excitement clear in them. Even with his slight misgivings about getting there on time, he wanted to see the city. He liked the ocean, and had rarely gotten the chance to see it. Now, he had a new, interesting companion as well.

Kaito on the other hand, as he slowly ate while listening, was not as enthusiastic. That was hardly a surprise, but he looked slightly troubled. He was thinking long term, and while he certainly wasnt opposed to camping out, he had done that often enough, he was worried. Attacks happened randomly it seemed, and in the west, they'd only become more and more frequent. And he too had doubts about reaching it by sunset. They had been traveling nonstop for a while. Mah La was tired, and Mae had been drinking. They'd move slower than usual, unless she had taken it into account.

"No complaints." He said finally, eating his meal slowly. "Should we meet outside about, twenty minutes from now near the gates? That might give us enough time to prepare and get everything together. I'd rather not delay a journey that will take so long." Kairos voice was surprisingly calm for what had happened only a minute before.

[Ashen]

Mae had to laugh at the way Kaito sobered so quickly. She nodded his way, agreeing to his plan to meet back in twenty minutes. "Don't miss me too much while I'm gone, okay?" she told him, before blowing him a kiss. "I'll see you soon."

Mae didn't have much to gather. She traveled light, and all that she ever needed was in the two bags she took with her. The bigger of the two was safely on her back, and the one that housed her book hung from her shoulder and across her torso. She checked to ensure everything was safely where she had put it, and she left the inn. She had twenty minutes to kill; some last-minute exploring would not hurt. She looked over her shoulder, made sure Kaito and Resham were not following, and she slipped right into character.

Mae was a wanderer, after all. She knew how to pilfer, and she intended to make use of her knowledge. So, with her twenty minutes, she carefully picked the pockets of the unsuspecting townsfolk. No one noticed her take their loose cash or coin purses, and by the end she was several coins richer. With a couple minutes to spare, she bought herself a bottle of alcohol for the road, and she started back to the gate to meet up again with her companions.

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito knew his cheeks were likely a nice, rosy shade when she blew him a kiss. Resham chuckled slightly, then became bored shortly after Mae left. He ran up to his room, and his few belongings were already in order. He sighed, looking a bit frustrated as he had nothing to do. So he began to examine his options. One, play with knives. That would grow boring after a while, so Two. Bug Kaito. Nah, poor guy had already dealt with enough. Three, go and try to buy some stuff, maybe they'd have spices. Unlikely, but it sounded better than waiting around.

So, as Kaito finished his meal, Resham headed out of the tavern to kill some time. He wandered around, heading in and out of little shops and other little places that sold their wares. He found a small bakery that sold all sort of stuff, and after buying and teasing one of their smaller items, he bought several small consumables for the road. Enjoying some kind of sweet, crumbly, bread/cake thingy, he made his way through the streets. His sweet tooth satisfied, he shrugged, and decided to head back early to spend some time with Mah La.

Meanwhile, Kaito was in their shared room, straightening it and gather what little he had placed in the room. After gathering his belongings, he took them to Mah La, and placed them into the saddle bags. Bringing only his sword and coin purse back, he then brought Reshams belongings to the elephant as well. Though early, he decided to head near the gates to wait for the others. To is surprise, Resham came wandering in around them, his lips dusted by some crumbs. A slightly disapproving look accompanied the revealing of the boys new treasures, and soon, the two boys and the elephant were walking down the road. Once at the gate, they waited for Mae. When they saw her, Kairo smiled slightly. "Are you ready to go?" He asked politely

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito knew his cheeks were likely a nice, rosy shade when she blew him a kiss. Resham chuckled slightly, then became bored shortly after Mae left. He ran up to his room, and his few belongings were already in order. He sighed, looking a bit frustrated as he had nothing to do. So he began to examine his options. One, play with knives. That would grow boring after a while, so Two. Bug Kaito. Nah, poor guy had already dealt with enough. Three, go and try to buy some stuff, maybe they'd have spices. Unlikely, but it sounded better than waiting around.

So, as Kaito finished his meal, Resham headed out of the tavern to kill some time. He wandered around, heading in and out of little shops and other little places that sold their wares. He found a small bakery that sold all sort of stuff, and after buying and teasing one of their smaller items, he bought several small consumables for the road. Enjoying some kind of sweet, crumbly, bread/cake thingy, he made his way through the streets. His sweet tooth satisfied, he shrugged, and decided to head back early to spend some time with Mah La.

Meanwhile, Kaito was in their shared room, straightening it and gather what little he had placed in the room. After gathering his belongings, he took them to Mah La, and placed them into the saddle bags. Bringing only his sword and coin purse back, he then brought Reshams belongings to the elephant as well. Though early, he decided to head near the gates to wait for the others. To is surprise, Resham came wandering in around them, his lips dusted by some crumbs. A slightly disapproving look accompanied the revealing of the boys new treasures, and soon, the two boys and the elephant were walking down the road. Once at the gate, they waited for Mae. When they saw her, Kairo smiled slightly. "Are you ready to go?" He asked politely

[Ashen]

Mae had told herself her bottle was for the road, but when Kaito and Resham didn't return she grew bored. Her fingers crept into her back and she pulled the bottle back out. She took a long swig of the amber liquid and wiped at her mouth. When she finally did see Kaito and Resham approaching, she stashed the bottle out of view and greeted them both with a smile. A quarter of its contents were already emptied.

Mae jogged the rest of the way to meet with her companions. She nodded sloppily. The alcohol was already starting to dull her, but she hoped they wouldn't notice. "You guys kept me waiting long," she said. "There really isn't much to do in this town besides--er." She looked to Kaito, whom would undoubtedly be upset at her for taking what did not belong to her. "Never mind that. I hope you two are all raring to go." She looked up at Mah La. "You three," she corrected. "Because I'm dying to get out of here."

They started off, and Mae's footsteps, though still straight, were all too light. She was making an effort to appear normal, and if they were attentive they would notice. She pulled her hood further down and sighed. Somewhere, someone was talking to her, but the alcohol was drowning their voice out. "It's a lovely day," she murmured, successfully talking over the voice in her head. "Perfect for traveling. I don't know about you two, but I'm ready to cover a lot of ground today. At this rate, we should be meeting with him in no time at all! Do you think he'll be nice?" Oddly talkative and a bit too loopy, Mae was seeming out of place. She chuckled softly, an afterthought. "Of course he isn't nice," she murmured, "but maybe he won't try to kill us. That would be pretty nice of him."

[IssyEspeon]

The expression on Kaitos face was a mask of calm, but Resham could tell that the man had figured out what Mae might have been about to say. There was a quiet sense of disappointment, but the man hid it well. Resham frowned slightly, thinking about what Mae was saying. Usually, she wasnt so, eager to get going..... Or so talkative. And since when did she address Mah La? Confused, he glanced at Kaito. The man had also noticed it, and was looking concerned at their female companion.

As they began to walk along, Resham voiced his concern. "Um, Mae? You feeling alright?" He asked. She responded by commenting on the day, then grew remarkably talkative. She seemed a bit loopy, like some of her sense had left her in the brief ice they had all been apart. Kaito watched her all the more closely, and soon discovered the change in her gait. She was trying to act normal..... Thinking back to the meal (his cheeks turned slightly pink as he remembered what she had done, but he refocused on before she had started teasing him). She had been drinking something when he had arrived at the table, something alcoholic. But that alone wouldn't have made her this, tipsy. He had bought her drinks before as payment, a good few before her senses had been numbed by the alcohol. Based on that, her tolerance for the stuff was high enough that the one drink shouldn't have been affecting her like this. Unless......

Kaito stopped, then in a move that surprised both Resham and himself, he firmly grabbed Maes wrist, and pulled her to a stop. He turned her to face him, and while holding onto her shoulder with one hand, pulled her hood from her face with the other. With his free hand, he gently held her chin, forcing her to look at him. He looked into her eyes, noting that her gaze was slightly unfocused. ".... I thought so." He said softly, gently releasing her. "You're not drunk, but you aren't exactly sober either. You should ride Mah La for a while." He said plainly.

[Ashen]

Mae stopped suddenly when Kaito grabbed her. She had a look on confusion and annoyance in her dark eyes, but she soon grew angered at him as he tried to remove her hood. "Hey!" she called, trying to pull her hood back over her face. The raw side of her face was just barely visible, and she jerked her head to move her hair over it. "What's that for?" She knew before she'd spoken that he'd figured her out. She looked away from Kaito in shame. She wasn't drunk enough to be okay with her current state, but she wasn't sobered enough to hide it well enough, either. So Mae let out a long sigh and shook her head no. "I don't want to," she murmured. "I can walk. At least let me do that."

To prove her point, Mae continued on, this time in a gait that looked much more natural. She was still tipsy, and she was still intentionally trying to make herself look normal. "It shuts them up, you know?" she mumbled. Her barriers were falling in her dizzied state. "I used to look on at the men who were so dependent on alcohol. They'd lose their money and families and friends and homes to the wretched stuff. I was disgusted by them, and I told myself I would never, ever try it. But the voices, the damn voices, they are ceaseless. Eventually I gave in. I had my first sip, that acidic sip, and suddenly the voices didn't plague me so much."

She grabbed the bottle from her bag and considered taking another sip but stopped herself. "I don't know when I realized it was a problem, but the fact that my coin goes to this instead of a decent meal is probably proof enough that it's a problem. I've learned to hold it down awfully well, and I've learned ways to get it that don't come out of my wallet. It's so soothing, isn't it? To listen to the silence." Her grip on the neck of the bottle tightened. "This is the only relief I get, Kaito. You won't take this away from me. I can't apologize for this." Another large sigh escaped her. "I'll be fine, so long as we don't run into any monsters. We're too close to a town to."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito sighed, watching as she began walking in a straighter line than before. He had crossed a line, he had known that when he had done it. But he was still quite worried. She had been confused, then angry at him for exposing her face briefly. And now, she had seemed ashamed. Yet she was insisting on walking still. Resham caught the older mans eyes, and shrugged. So long as they didnt run into trouble, they'd be fine, right?

Then, she began to speak. She was a lot more open than usual, almost like her barriers that kelt everyone out were falling apart. Kaito could recall heading her when it was cracked once before, but it worried him. Especially when she pulled out a bottle that already had a quarter missing. After she finished speaking, both boys were silent for a while. "Mae, I wasn't trying to take it away from you." Kaito said softly.

"I'm worried about you. I want you to be alright. I apologize for my actions as well." His voice held a mixture of emotions, and Resham thought he even heard a hint of hurt in it. "I simply don't want another person I care about getting hurt." The man was silent afterwards, a mask on his face once again. Resham sighed hopelessly. "Lets go already." He grumbled, pausing to climb onto Mah Las back.

[Ashen]

Mae looked up at Kaito, confused to hear that he cared. It shouldn't have surprised her, not after all he'd agreed to, but she was still so unused to the words. She turned away from him, now doubly ashamed. It was her fault he had to worry, both about herself and about Resham. She was taking them straight into danger, and everything was her fault. Not even the alcohol could numb the pain now flooding her head. Exhausted, she continued on silently.

Mae kept to herself for a while, allowing her thoughts to collide. She didn't want to touch the bottle again, but the pain was definitely making it tempting. She didn't want to worry her companions, and besides, she had been through worse. She had lived through countless injuries, but now that she thought of them, they all seemed self-inflicted. Self-inflicted, the thought was even tempting now in her fuzzy state. No, she thought to herself. No use worrying Kaito, and something like that would definitely raise an alarm.

But soon, she didn't have to worry about hurting herself. She could feel it before she could see it, the presence of some kind of monster. Mae stopped walking and motioned for Kaito and Mah La to do the same. "We aren't alone," she murmured. Her eyes blankly looked into the distance. The sun was shining, and she could see nothing but the trees, rocks, and other natural landmarks around. Already she was reaching for her book, thumbing through the pages. "I can feel it," she murmured. "It's going to... It'll..."

Nothing. There was no one around for miles, and only the wind could be heard. To the other two, it may have seemed like Mae was just making things up, or that the alcohol was causing her to feel what wasn't there. But Mae was sure it wasn't that. There was something around, a weak presence, but where? She looked around again, but the blurred world around her gave no clues. She swore angrily, then looked back to her book for some kind of hint.

And then it was upon them. It came, silently at first, but soon with a large growl. The creature that snuck up behind Mae appeared to be some sort of land-dwelling squid or octopus. Its ten long tentacles ended in sharp claws, only rivaled by the jagged points of its fangs. Its eyes were narrow, and they were trained on Mae. The thing seemed to be smiling, and slowly, it lowered a tentacle towards Mae. The woman didn't seem to notice until it stripped her book away from her, causing panic to shoot up. "No!" she shouted, and turned to face an enemy she was not prepared to fight.

She was forgetting her magic. Mae needed her book to perform the proper spells, and in her current state she was having a hard time even remembering the simplest ones. Without her magic, she didn't know what to do. She unsheathed her sword, prepared to fight the beast that way, but it easily knocked her sword out of her hand. Suddenly, Mae was at the beast's mercy, and it looked like it had none left.

[IssyEspeon]

Mae had been thinking for a while, the road enveloped in silence for a time. Resham slowly began to feel a dull ache from his brow, and groaned. Couldn't they ever go anywhere without getting attacked? Mae seemed to realize it too. Kaito stopped, looking around before looking over to Resham on the elephant. Noticing the look of pain on the boys face, he believed them, even when nothing appeared at first.

The growl only reinforced this. Resham muffled a cry of pain as the ache grew much worse with the closer proximity. Mae was reacting slower than usual, and Kaitos eyes widened as her book was torn away. Her sword was also knocked away, leaving the woman defenseless. The long, razor ended tentacles combined with the sharp jagged fang like beak definitely were capable of killing her. One of them was reaching for her. Add in that Mae was slower than usual with the alcohol....

Kaito was moving before he really realized it. His sword was gripped tightly in his hands, and when he stopped, he was standing in front of Mae. The creature before him was making a sound of pain, and there was a severed tentacle on the ground before him. Mah La was trumpeting in alarm, and taking large lumbering steps away, trying to move Resham away from the danger.

[Ashen]

There was too much going on. Mae's world was blurry, and without her weapons she was growing more and more panicked. Kaito had attacked the beast, but she didn't want him in this fight, either. It was her battle, she was the mage, she was the one who had to stop it. Mae looked down to her hands. Why could she suddenly not remember her spells? Suddenly, she could remember it. It was so easy. How had she forgotten those two words?

Mae looked up at the beast, a smile now on her face. She'd been a fool to forget, but she was a fool no longer. Those two words, they fell from her lips with all the confidence in the world. It was so easy, like a song, that single, "Caeda Canta."

The whole world seemed to go black. Suddenly, Mae's eyes opened wide. She turned to Kaito, to Resham, but she could see neither of them. "No," she whispered, then fell to her knees. "No, no, not again, just kill me, I can't do this again." A cacophony of voices suddenly spoke up. It was the voices of those damn girls, like a broken record, chanting those two words. Their voices were shrill, haunting, and Mae knew this was a headache she would not be able to shake. Caeda Canta, Caeda Canta, Caeda Canta. Not even alcohol would stop the agonizing memories that suddenly sprang to her mind.

That single spell was the very worst she knew. She had sworn she would never again use it, and yet, her drunkenness had caused her to utter it. Mae hated herself, she hated everything she had ever done, but now she wanted nothing more than to die. There was no telling how deep her curse could go. Kaito, Resham, and Mah La, they were all too close to her. The monster would be dead, blown up from the inside, but her friends... If they didn't die instantly, they'd be struck extremely ill, sent to an agonizing demise. There was no saying how Mah La would take to the spell; would she wind up like all the other animals in the vicinity? Would Mae be alone again?

She could still see nothing at all. Mae no longer needed her book. All that had happened had very swiftly sobered her. She was muttering something, over and over, a most desperate plea. "Illis sospit, illis sospit, illis sospit*."

* Illis sospit - from Mae's ancient script, meaning Save them

[IssyEspeon]

Kaito heard the two words, eyes going wide as he knew instinctively that it was magic. He feel to his knees, pain rushing through him as the spell began to take effect. He looked forwards to the monster, and his eyes widened as the beast swelled, then exploded from the inside. It was disgusting, and he couldn't fully appreciate it as a heavy darkness seemed to fall. "Resham." His voice came out strangely, almost a croak as pain stabbed through him. He felt sick, like something had gotten infected within him.

His pain, however, was nothing compared to what Resham was feeling. Resham let out a scream of agony as what felt like a red hot poker was stabbed through his forehead. He felt ill as well, and he nearly toppled off of Mah La. The elephant trumpeted in alarm, falling to her knees as something else seemed to affect her. She simply felt weak, and sluggishly set Resham down in front if them. Through his whimpers of pain, he could hear two words being repeated. "I-Illis sospit." He said softly. There was pressure, then, relief.

Resham had no idea what had just happened. But his brow felt a bit better, and he no longer felt like he was being torn apart inside by some sickness. He looked around blearily, trying to figure out what had just happened.

Kaito felt something, he wasnt sure exactly what either. But the pain of the sickness that had been imposed by the spell vanished. He felt exhausted, but still alive. Slowly, he sat up. "Mae? Resham?" He called, the darkness still dark over his vision. "Is everyone alright?" Worry was clear in his voice as he tried to reorient himself.

[Ashen]

The world had gone dark, darker than the darkest night. She knew before she could possibly find out. Her spell, some little spell, it had gone terribly wrong. She hadn't looked at its description before uttering it. How had she been so stupid? Caeda Canta, the murderous chant. A single spell capable of killing cities of people.

She hadn't known better. She was a child of sixteen, an inexperienced witch practicing her taboos. But that taboo, it had killed many. She was lucky it had not taken more, but she felt anything but lucky. Two toddlers, as well as every animal in all of town, had fallen dead by her spell. They had exploded from the inside, an impossibly painful death. The elders had been out of town; otherwise their weak defenses would have also been toppled. So she was lucky, really. Lucky it had not ended worse. Lucky she had been thrown out of the only home she had ever known. Lucky she had to listen to their voices, again and again, for the rest of her life.

The memory swirled in her mind, a vortex of agony. She was a better mage than she was now, so she had no hopes any of them would have survived. The town they had left, now miles away; had they, too, fallen ill and died? How quickly she could alter the world, and how deeply she wished to revert it.

Mae didn't dare open her eyes. She was afraid of what she would see, but the mental images were perhaps worse. Those smiling faces, she had ripped them from those girls. And now, Kaito and Resham, she would open her eyes to their bloody corpses. It was the last thing she wanted, and she started shaking, violently. It always came to this. It always came to her ruining everything.

But then, Mae heard his voice. Kaito's words sounded as if they were coming through a tunnel, and she could not tell if they were in her head. Slowly, she opened her eyes, and she saw the both of them. Calm. Exhausted. Alive.

Mae furrowed her brows. "Kaito?" she whispered. "And... Resham? But?" There was blood, but she realized it was not their blood. It was the blood of their enemy, and her stolen book now lay a little distance away, its pages stained in the dark red. "You're alive?" She couldn't believe her eyes, and for a moment she doubted it was real. The people in her head were playing tricks on her, was all. The Caeda Canta should have killed them all. She turned away from them and shook her head. "It can't be... I've seen what it can do with my own eyes..."

[IssyEspeon]

Kaitos vision steadily cleared, and he saw Mae looking at them look she couldn't quite believe they were alive. Her words only reinforced it. "Mae, I can't pretend to understand the nature of the spell you just cast, other than it ended in the monster dead, and in a rather grisly manner." He approached her as she turned away, gently putting a hand on her shoulder. "I felt, ill. Then, it dissipated. But we are quite alive."

He looked over to Resham to make sure. The boy looked like he was about to pass out, but smiled weakly at them. His brow was still shining brightly, for reasons Kaito didn't know. But he was grateful that they were alive. The elephant even looked fine, and trudged over to them. She gently touched Maes face with her trunk, as if reassuring her as well that they were fine.

In Reshams slow mind, he was trying to figure out what had happened. Mad had said something, then there was darkness and agony, then he had heard a faint whisper..... He'd repeated it, and the pressure on his brow had increased before abruptly letting up. Then, he felt better. And it seems like everyone else was as well.

"What does, illis sospit mean?" He asked, voice heavy with exhaustion. "You were saying it after that darkness fell." The child's voice was weary, and with the help of the elephant, he moved closer to the two adults. Red blood was staining his clothes, and Kaitos, but judging by the rain like splatters in the surrounding area, it wasn't any of them. Oh, and the monster was gone. That was probably what had happened.

The younger boys violet eyes were leaden, but he forced them to remain open as he looked at the dark mage for an answer. "What did it mean? What you said before. Both spells." He wanted to know what the heck had just happened after all

[Ashen]

Maybe they were alive after all. Mae looked up again, confusion now mixing with relief. She hadn't killed them. For some reason, her wicked spell had not ended their lives before her. She could not claim to understand what had happened, and she didn't know what to tell them. Whatever had happened, her companions seemed fine now. She laughed a joyous laugh, so filled with relief and unable to contain it. Her laughter only grew when Mah La touched her cheek. They were alive.

When her laughter died down, she shook her head weakly. "I don't know," she murmured. "I don't know what just occurred, but... But you're okay, and that's all I can ask for." She looked to Resham, who seemed to be trying to work things out on his own. His question gave her pause, and she tilted her head slightly. Illis sospit? Had she said that? It had been fruitless of course; if she had been saying it, it was a pointless plea. But then... They were alive. Did her second spell have anything to do with that?

Mae looked between them and steadied her breaths. "The... The first one," she started, not wanting to even utter the spell again. "Its name means Murder Song, and it is an awful, awful spell. It is capable of killing cities of people. It's... It's the spell that got me excommunicated from the only home I had ever known, and the spell that haunts my thoughts to this day." She took a shaky breath before continuing. "The second, Illis sospit, it's a... white spell. It means save them, roughly. I've never been able to perform white magic though, and I haven't a clue what has just transpired..." She crawled over to her book and flipped through the now red pages. Her eyes fell over that spell, and she read aloud. "'Illis sospit, discovered by Doctor Ukrayne Gesphaln, is a spell used to reverse the effects of any black magic. The strongest spell of its kind, its range can cover the entire world, and only a skilled mage can gain full mastery.'" She looked up from her book. "I couldn't have. White magic, it never works for me."