Aeverlest: Legend of the Crystal Flames

Alaz eyed at the small crowd of wide-eyed shepherds and farmers who had gathered to watch.

In a cold, smooth, foreign accent he said to the rest of his group, "You certainly know how to announce our presence to everyone around us. Now, do you mind hurrying up? I have business here."

 

"You might be able to come along with us if you promise to save that blade for the real enemies, and it's not just me you will have to convince,"

She nodded gratefully at the man who had spoken. She hated that everyone's first impression of her was of someone who was ruthless and quick to kill, but she had been forced to hold her own.

"How about we all go into town and find a place to stay for the night. Then we'll continue letting you decide if you want me to join you or not in the morning when we can all act like civilized adults."

 

"How about we all go into town and find a place to stay for the night. Then we'll continue letting you decide if you want me to join you or not in the morning when we can all act like civilized adults."


Thydore nodded. "I has agreement, yes. Now we rest. Now we sleep. Not fight. Tgiwiliw.

"Now, no need inn. Many people, few house. Many empty house. No need pay, sleep for free. But, very bad. Much dirty. No clean, no food, no bed. Must to sleep on straw. Old straw. Rot straw. Very bad."

 

"Straw? As in, the floor?" Neil asked, as the menacing swordsman lost her novelty value. "Surely there must be an Inn around?"

He followed the other nervously into the ancient city. Two members of the party had dissapeared already, under the lightning of the moon, but it mattered little. He looked back at their "new" member, and wondered if there had been others who had spied on them before. What would be the point, though? Wasn't what they were doing beneficial to all? Oh, well. It was useless to ponder these kinds of things.

 

"Straw? As in, the floor?"

"The ground is not so bad as you might think, but on the off chance an inn might be better. I'm not to keen on listening to some thin-skinned child complain all the night."

It had been so long since Zeb had spent a night in an inn or in any bed besides a very generous home. It was unlike most people to let a stranger stay for the night. It would be in this situation more likely that they would spend the night in some abandoned home. That didn't make Zeb any more comfortable about spending the night in what was somebody else home before who knows what happened to make them leave.

 

The town was run down and mostly deserted, but the party was still able to find an inn. The innkeeper, a portly unshaven man named Binnacorn, seemed happy to have their business, and gladly rented them rooms at twice the normal rate and half the accommodations. Still, mead and a meal were provided, watery and thin as they may have been, and the company spent a decent evening.

It was a beautiful night. Both moons were full and shone brightly upon Pyami's slopes. Occasionally, a few of the adventurers would notice large shapes moving on the mountain in the moonlight, or perhaps hear strange howls and roars, but the locals paid no mind to the phenomena.

"I's prolly jus' onna dem pets o' L'lyagi's," explained Binnacorn through a thick, slurred accent. " 'e go's lossa dem. Weird 'uns. 'ey won' do yers no harm, jussomuch as y' lev 'em alone."

Still, the animal cries were not conducive to a good night's sleep; especially when combined with hard and lumpy beds.

They were awoken the next morning be Thydore's voice, far too chipper for that early in the morning. He was animate about getting an early start and, despite having slept on the wooden floor, seemed unburdened with the bed-induced pains afflicting the rest of the group.

Trucido met them at the foot of the mountain; unwilling to talk about where he had gone so suddenly the night before and why.

Not much occurred for most of the journey up the mountain. An ancient road, originally a path made by sheep, wound up the crumbling basalt soil. Long ago, it had been widened and smoothed for easy access by wizard, yet like the village below it had been long neglected. Now it was deteriorated and precarious, often filled with potholes or eroded entirely.

 

Trucido had refused to answer the questions about his disappearance with anything but "I had personal matters to attend to." He also kept an eye on the intruder the entire time. He didn't trust her, and he didn't like her. Of course, he felt pretty much the same way about everyone in the group... He even trusted the giant fire ball that was hurtling around the side of the mountain on a collision course with the group more than he did the actual group.

"That's not..." Trucido stared hard at the fire ball that was hurtling toward them. "Surely it's not, she wouldn't know that I'm here..." Trucido's doubts were erased when the fire ball traced out the name "Trucy" in giant stylized flaming letters and sped towards the group even faster. "Oh god it is." Trucido quickly jumped off his horse, but it was already too late...

Skating on the fire ball stood a young woman, surely no older than 18, entirely clothed in red. From a distance one couldn't even tell she was separate from the fire ball. Moments before colliding with Trucido she jumped off of the fire ball, which then evaporated, and landed in Trucido's arms, nearly knocking him over.

"Trucy!!" She yelled as she rubbed her face into Trucido's chest. "Scarlatanitia! What are you doing here?!" While both were yelling, one sounded overjoyed to see the other, the other... more like annoyed.

"I heard you were near by, and that you were on what looked like some fancy mission thingy. And I wanted to come too, and I missed you, so I came. And I told you to call me Scarlet! That other name is way too long."

"Scarlatanitia, I had told you earlier to stay with your family, not to follow me. You shouldn't be here. Go home."

"You can't make me!" Scarlet was dead set on staying. She matched Trucido's glare face to face. The two sat there for a few moments waiting for the other to let up. Trucido broke first.

"(Sigh)... I guess I can't stop you..."

"Yay!" Scarlet yelled in happiness as she embraced Trucido in yet another great hug.

"Scarlatanitia, this is the rest of the group, group, this is Scarlatinitia Aestus Incendia Exuro Aduro Ignis... my betrothed." Trucido almost blushed as he said this, almost. Fabres don't blush. Of course, Scarlet was all blushes and smiles.

What a perfectly happy and totally opposite couple.

 

The guy who had originally confronted her definately didn't trust her. She could feel him shooting glares at her and she was getting really sick of it. Suddenly from around the side of the mountain came a giant firbeball. She tensed in her saddle, but it flew at the distrustful noble and in his arms landed a woman dressed in all red. Aaliyah felt her eyebrows raising as 'Trucy', the name the girl in red called him, introduced his betrothed, Scarlatinitia Aestus Incendia Exuro Aduro Ignis with a definate note of resignation and annoyance.

"Talk about polar opposites" Aaliyah said to the person next to her.

 

Ridiculous prices, shoddy food and drink (shoddier then human drinks usually were, something Alaz thought was impossible), sub-par rooms, Alaz was almost going to refuse payment and sleep in one of those abandoned houses. And then there was the strange roars and fell bellows coming from the Pyami Dehim, which made him worry about the safety of Spickla and Kov.

"I's prolly jus' onna dem pets o' L'lyagi's," explained Binnacorn through a thick, slurred accent. " 'e go's lossa dem. Weird 'uns. 'ey won' do yers no harm, jussomuch as y' lev 'em alone."
I hope Kov doesn't try to mess with them...

The next day, Alaz awoke to the sound of small footsteps in his room, which he chose for having a window opposite the rising sun, for this exact purpose. Without so much as a rustling of air, Alaz rushed behind Thydore, grabbed his arms, and pinned him to the ground, placing a clawed foot just above the back of his neck.
"You should be more cautious when entering dark rooms," he hissed. lifting his foot.
"especially if you know at least one within it is wearing black."

Alaz then left the tavern attempted to find a restaurant within the immediate vicinity with a price befitting its food and, when he found none, he settled upon using some of his emergency food supply. After waiting for the rest of the group to finish getting up and eating, he followed them to the Pyami Dehim, where they met Trucido, who was suspiciously quite.

Just as they began moving up the slope, Alaz noticed (and noticed he was the first to notice) a giant fireball come from around Pyami and head straight for the group. Alaz's first reaction was defense, when he heard Trucido say under his breath.

"Surely it's not, she wouldn't know that I'm here..."

She?

The fireball suddenly traced out the word "Trucy" upon the sky and Trucido muttered,

"Oh god it is."

In a sudden burst of speed, the fireball was nearly upon them by the time Alaz managed to get even a thin wall of dirt up, which the fireball slammed straight through and disintegrated into a red-robed woman. He watched the woman, who he soon learned was named Scarlatanitia, couple and converse with Trucido.

"Scarlatanitia, this is the rest of the group, group, this is Scarlatinitia Aestus Incendia Exuro Aduro Ignis... my betrothed."

Alaz raised an eyebrow.
Betrothed?
He glanced from one, to the other, then back again.
At least she seems to be a respectable fire mage...

 

‘The party seems to have grown in my absence,’ Rainin frowned at the tracks leading up the mountain. He would have thought it was following the wrong group had it not been for the distinctive tracks of Thydore. ‘I hope I haven’t been replaced.’

He urged his weary horse onward. Both were near exhaustion from their detour. He had found the place he once called home as little more than a grown over hilltop. He had slept a few hours that night in the small depression in the earth that had once been his family’s house, and dreamed of laughter and joys that he had forgotten long long ago.

As he approached the group he heard a commotion around Trucido. He dismounted and led his horse by the reins. The fair haired royal was shouting and trying to extract an amorous red beauty from his arms. The group stood about him with perplexed expressions on their faces.

Rainin took advantage of the moment and slipped among the ranks of journeyers. He moved alongside a horse carrying an attractive woman in plain peasant’s clothes.

"Talk about polar opposites" she said as she leaned toward Rainin, obviously not noticing that a stranger had joined the group.

“Seems like I’ve missed a few things,” replied Rainin with a smirk.

The girl was taken aback at the unfamiliar voice and nearly leapt off her horse in surprise.

 

"My my what have we here." Zeb stared at the woman who had just appeared in a ball of fire an entrance he felt far surpassed it's usefulness. It was at that moment that Zeb noticed Rainin's return. "Rainin, it's so nice of you to grace us with your presence once more, and it seems you have returned at a very interesting pass."

Zeb watched on as the two royals repelled each other in every way possible but seemed physically closer and closer no doubt the woman's doing, with that Zeb had a good chuckle to himself.

"Oh to be young and in love again!" Zeb exclaimed to the group as a jest and with that he could not contain his laughter.

 

“Seems like I’ve missed a few things,”

Aaliyah started in her saddle, the dark haired man had come up soundlessly in the commotion of Scarlatinitia's arrival. She placed a hand to her heart, taking in deep breaths. Out of the corner of her eye she glanced down at him, he wore light armor and a distant, unreadable expression.

"You could say that. She is apparently his betrothed." Aailyah siad, waving in the general direction of Scarlatinitia and Trucido. "I'm new so I don't know names yet...who are you? I don't recognize you from last night."

 

Scarlet hugged Trucido, or Trucy as she put it, even harder as she looked over the group and watched and listened to their reactions. When the older man of the group commented on young love she rubbed her face into Trucido's shoulder and giggled. Trucido's reaction was a bit different... While Scarlet was all blushes and giggles, Trucido was giving out glares and scowls. He was not enjoying this turn of events. How anyone who's beautiful young fiance had traveled a long way just to stay with them and was loving all over them, that was a bit of a mystery.

Scarlet was intrigued by the diversity of the group, and unlike Trucido, she was a noble who actually respected the peasant class. " A noble woman, an old man, a peasant man, a creepy black guy, a peasant woman, and a cute monkey thing. What an interesting little group."

 

She is apparently his betrothed." Aailyah siad, waving in the general direction of Scarlatinitia and Trucido. "I'm new so I don't know names yet...who are you? I don't recognize you from last night."

"Oh, I took a little detour and I'm just catching up. Like Zeb says, I'm Rainin. I gotta be honest I don't think this mission is suited for women, but at least you don't look all prissy like the others I see here."

Rainin didn't look back to see the girls expression as he continued on toward the head of the group. As he passed he saw a large red flower. He picked it and began to pluck petals mindlessly as he walked. The petals were narrow and pointed, and carried a sharp smell of exotic spice.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to get a move on up that mountain. Its hard tellin how hard a climb its going to be." As he spoke he motioned with a flower petal towards the mountain trail where Alaz stood. "I think Thydore's gone ahead already."

 

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to get a move on up that mountain. Its hard tellin how hard a climb its going to be."

"I agree with Rainin, we best get a move on." Zeb started after setting a good pace with Rainin wanting to get moving along before the party becomes tied down with more of this nonsense, "We can get to know one another on the way."

Zeb looked over at Rainin and in a gesture that only men that has filled his earth with sweat and blood of honest labor can truly understand he said, "Rainin, shall we lead this 'rabble' up the mountain?"

 

"Oh, I took a little detour and I'm just catching up. Like Zeb says, I'm Rainin. I gotta be honest I don't think this mission is suited for women, but at least you don't look all prissy like the others I see here."

Aailyah glared at his retreating back. Men and their arrogance! But she bit back the retort that sprung to her lips, she really wanted to avoid another comfrontation, and anyways, they would eventually see what she could do and what she was.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'd like to get a move on up that mountain. Its hard tellin how hard a climb its going to be." As he spoke he motioned with a flower petal towards the mountain trail where Alaz stood. "I think Thydore's gone ahead already."

The older man, Zeb, as Rainin had called him, answered back first.

"I agree with Rainin, we best get a move on.We can get to know one another on the way.Rainin, shall we lead this 'rabble' up the mountain?"

She began to follow close behind them. So far, no one on this journey seemed decent, there was a reason she had left her home and she had no desire to be around the same types of people again. Hopefully someone would prove her wrong.

 

The conversation is interrupted by a low growl emanating from a nearby patch of bushes. Out of them steps a strange creature.

One glance tells you it's a predator. Its long, muscular back legs and lithe, sinewy body -- akin to that of a big cat, but somewhat lower and broader -- are built for nothing less than speed and power. Its large, egg-shaped head is split almost ear to ear by an enormous slit-like mouth, which bears two massive razor-sharp canines, one of which is broken short three inches from the base, and hundreds of smaller, jagged teeth. Its fur appears to have once been off-white, but now is streaked reddish-brown with volcanic soil and what appears to the blood from its last meal.

And with its short, bushy tail and long stiff ears, laid back in a display of ferocity, it looks somewhat like an enormous, carnivorous rabbit.

At the first sight of it, Thydore lets out a high pitched shrill and leaps upon the nearest horse, clinging sloth-like to its neck.

 

"Thydore, take my seat," Rainin called dismounting his horse and allowing the frightened creature to move to the saddle. "He'll keep you safe."

Rainin advanced quickly on the beast, casting incantations as he ran. He was in this mission for adventure alone, and had no inhibitions about risking himself for the sake of battle.

Just before reaching the beast Rainin leapt into the air and removing his short sword thrust it into the ground where he landed. A reverberation shook the ground about him, but it seemed to have little effect. He rose to face the creature with its nasty, big, pointy teeth, and began second incantation. Some in the group would have recognized it as a magic of blue fire.

Rainin paid no heed to the embarrassment such common magic might garner from such a group of mages and warriors. His only interest was in the fight and bringing whatever skills he had to the battle. Adrenaline and danger were what Rainin lived for.

The savage beast took a step toward the motionless Rainin in preparation for its pounce. To the surprise of all, however, the creatures foot sank deeply into the earth and was held fast by thick mud. The combination of ancient field tilling and water calling spells had worked beautifully.

Seeing his adversary bound by its forefoot Rainin rushed forward. The creature snapped its hideous teeth at him, but missed. All the beast could manage was to try to knock the puny human away with its head as he rushed past. Taking advantage of this Rainin leapt onto the head of the creature and allowed himself to be thrust backward where he landed gracefully near its massive hind foot.

With a swipe of his blade the left leg was hamstrung and recoiled uselessly. The enraged beast shrieked its rage with a piercing banshee like scream. Using its good hind leg it leapt powerfully, freeing itself from the mud, and pounced on Rainin.

Pinned by terrible claws Rainin could feel the rancid breath of the creature as it prepared for its finishing blow.

 

Zeb saw that the monster had Rainin pinned and there was precious little time to save him. He drew his staff and summoning the green magic he sped to the creatures flank then turning toward the creature he shot foreword with a loud clap almost like that of thunder in the sky and shot himself like an arrow with his staff at the point ready to strike.

The staff hit the monster in the side of the head and drove the creatures skull into the dirt as Zeb vaulted over the creature. The monster's neck twisted it rolls off of Rainin to right itself it's newest attacker out of sight.

"Rainin get up!" Zeb yelled, "And get back in this fight!" Zeb squared up in a defensive stance ready for the creature to attack him hopefully giving Rainin enough time to regain his fighting trim.

 

"Rainin get up!" Zeb yelled, "And get back in this fight!"

Rainin quickly regained his feet.

"I'm not done yet!" he shouted with a smile towards Zeb. Zeb was clearly as powerful as he had seemed. Rainin was glad that of all of the others in the troupe, the mighty warrior had befriended him.

The beast had its back to Rainin now and was moving slowly towards Zeb. It dragged its injured hindlimb as it inched forward preparing for its next attack.

Rushing for the other hindlimb Rainin almost regretted that the battle would be over so quickly. But the beast heard his approach and rounded back on him, forcing him to divert.

Rainin on one side and Zeb on the other, the beast prepared to square off against them all as the rest of the party joined in the fray.

 

When he saw the beast, Alaz made no movement to alert the group. He was originally planning on either letting the creature go and hope it had the sense not to stalk a group of humans, or, if it wasn't so bright, then dispatching it quickly. Though, as it turned out, the creature let out a growl that alerted the rest of the group to its presence.
Stupid beast, He thought as he watched the rest of the group pounce on it.

He saw little need to get involved, until he felt the soil underneath him shake. At first he thought that Pyami, after all these years of dormancy, had awoken once more, until he noticed that it was following a pattern...

Alaz's eyes opened wide as he suddenly recognized both the creature before him and the mysterious shaking, which has begun to get rapidly louder.
Oooooh ****.

He sent an urgent signal through the sand for his horrors to come to him (though he knew only one would show up) and looked at the creature getting mauled to death by the rest of his group.
They should dispatch it soon enou-

Suddenly, with a earth-rending shake, a gigantic, two-story tall behemoth similar in anatomy to the one they've just met came crashing down upon near-by cliff, sending rock and soil cascading downward. The giant loosed a deafening roar as it leaped toward the group and what was undeniably one of its offspring. Without so much as a thought, Alaz began summoning a great wave of sand to, if luck would have it, protect the others from the jaws (and paws) of imminent death.

 

Aali heard the growl and whipped her head towards the giatn beast. Before she could dismount however, Rainin had begun attacking the beast, injuring it's hind leg, but also getting trapped underneath; whereupon he was rescued by Zeb. Sliding off of her horse, in a wucik, graceful movement Aaliyah, drew her sword and prepared to join the fight. However a great shaking to her left caused her to turn around and see another creature, one that the southerner in the black cloak was trying to stop with a wall of sand.
Changing course mid stride, the leapt towards the new beast and besides the southerner.

"I'm going on the other side."

Without waiting for an answer she dodged around the sand and behind the creature. It didn't notice her precense at first, giving her a split second to leap from the side of a rock and plunge her sword into it's hindqarter. Using that leaverage, she vaulted herself onto it's back. With well practiced moves she slashed at it's face, cutting across one eye, effectively ruinging it's sight in that eye. The beast gave a tremendous roar, and threw her off his back. She hit the ground with a loud thud, and she could feel her ankel twist beneth here. The beast lumbered it's way towards her still roaring in pain. Quickly she rolled out of the way and beyond the safety of the sand wall.

 

They had the savage animal surrounded, yet no one made a move. Rainin cursed under his breath, ‘Some team of warriors this is.’

The trees crashing and tremulous thumps of the second beast nearly shook him off his feet. This second creature was clearly the parent and guardian of the first, and if Rainin knew anything of animals this beast would be more savage than the first even without its considerably greater size.

“Zeb, you’re the only other one with any guts around here! We need to finish this one and help Creepy over there with the second!” He shouted pointing behind him to where Alaz was forming a great wall of sand to block the larger beast. “COVER ME!”

Without another hesitation Rainin rushed at the injured beast between him and Zeb. Casting a spell of red magic as he ran, he directed an explosion of fire to burst with a loud bang in front of the creatures face. The beast clawed at its nose to relieve the minor singe. Rainin took advantage of the momentary distraction, slid under its forepaw and prepared his blade for a deathblow that would strike from below and pierce the creature’s brain. He only hoped that his sword would reach...

At the same time the second beast roared in pain as its eye was slashed.

 

Zeb saw Rainin about to drive his sword through the beasts jaw and closing the distance rapidly he took his long staff and struck the beast on the head driving it's skull down giving Rainin's blade the extra reach it needed to reach the creature's brain bringing the beast down.

Zeb looked to see the half blinded creature roaring charging down the sand wall that was all that stood between it and the rest of the group. So the girl did have some skill all the better to hold the beast till we can kill it. Zeb was getting to really like Rainin, but no time for sentiments they had a fight on their hands.

"Quit lying down on the job Rainin we have a real problem over there," Zeb said reaching down to help Rainin to his feet, "mother is very angry!"

 

The mother creature snarled, crouched and, with an enormous push from its massive hind legs, lept straight through the sand wall, blitzing Alaz as it did so. It looked down at him between her paws and, before he could react, caught him up in her mouth. There was a crackling snap of shattered chitin as she closed her jaws then, apparently deciding he didn't taste good, a sweep of her massive head saw him flung down the mountain.

She then turned to Ali, hobbling away on her twisted ankle, and lunged, not at the girl but at the sword she carried. The beast's teeth, harder than steel, easily snapped the blade, and the creature discarded the useless metal shards. Then, it turned it's attention back to the girl. With one quick snap of its jaws, she was gone; swallowed whole.

With another massive leap, the creature sailed over the heads of the remaining party members, landing beside it's fallen progeny. It sniffed it a few times and let out a wail of despair, then picked it up in it's massive jaws, Ranin's sword still embedded in the child's head, and with enormous leaps made its way up the mountain.