• PM To Join • The Cost of Freedom (Qit)

[Sephira]

14th of Cylus, Arc 718

The view from the air that morning had been stunning. The sky was clear now after the brutal storm had ripped through the island only trials before. Having a caught a ride with an Enormowl and his handler, the mage had swiftly traveled to the chilly Scalvoris Mountains within the span of a few hours.

Sephira had been ordered to pay a visit to Windward Haven that day. The structure had been terribly impressive compared to some of the smaller command posts. Large arcing rooflines were paired with study stone walls that were securely buried in the top of a large mountainous foothill. Sephira had been given only a break after the flight to rest and eat in the barracks before her task would begin.

A small group of Air Troops would be leading a survey into the mountains later that afternoon and having a Rupturer along would make things a touch easier if they needed someone to quickly return to the Haven for help if there was an emergency. They would be going on foot to carefully check if there were any bandits or unsavory types holed up just north of Egilrun. Additionally there were a couple scholars in the group who would be reviewing the local flora and fauna since an ecological survey of the mountains was a rarity.

The group was waiting just outside the Haven, dressed in warm furs with packs hefted on their backs. The survey would take a few trials to complete, so they would be camping along the way. Sephira was not well suited for roughing it outdoors. She stood out like a sore thumb in her crimson clothing and black wool cloak. At least she’d had the good sense to braid her hair that morning to keep her hair out of her way during the trip. Tipping her hood over her eyes to cut off the glare from the snow, she set off with the team, lagging slightly behind to bring up the rear.

Breaks passed as they ascended along an old mountain path. Pausing every so often to allow the scholars to write down notes about the sparse foliage or the pale white winter foxes they sighted from time to time. The mage quickly grew bored when they stopped for what seemed like the tenth time that evening. She seated herself on a rock just off the path while the team made their notes of what they had seen since the last pause in their journey. Idly the mage picked up a smooth glistening pebble in her hand and tossed it off over the lip of the path to send it skittering down the mountain. This amused her for a few trills, but eventually boredom struck again, and Sephira could not stand boredom.

Glancing behind her she turned and reseated herself to look behind her. In this direction was a vast stretch of evergreen trees caked in fresh snowfall along with a tall wall of stone that bled into the mountain. Standing, the mage wandered a short way through the trees and approached the stone, musing to herself as she placed her gloved hand on the smooth rocky surface. Her footsteps crunched in the soft white powder, her cloak trailing behind her.

Suddenly the hoarse growl of a massive animal could be heard in the distance from the depths of the forest. Sephira froze as a massive brown furred form could be seen lumbering quickly through the trees as if it was pursued by something. The bear was headed frantically toward the mountain and what appeared to be the opening of a cavern. The cave presented itself as a large fracture in the mountainside, with impressions of old runic symbols clinging to its wide gaping maw. The animal did not seem to see the woman while it huffed into the entrance with lethargic steps and disappeared into the darkness.

[Qit'ria]

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Qit'ria was on trial three of tracking a particularly stubborn bear. Being winter, she'd not thought she'd see any, they were all busy hibernating. And yet, for some reason, this one was out and about. It must've been disturbed by something, and was forced to try and find food for itself, unable to return back to sleep. She'd been following it since she first spotted it in Sweetvine Woods, out of curiosity than anything. It had gone on an almost direct path northward toward the mountains, having to cross the small grasslands and foothills to get there.

Why was this bear so dogged and determined to get there, of all places? She'd assumed it to be a Sweetvine bear, not a mountain bear. This creature truly was curious, to the point that she suspected it might be a fellow Becomer. It wasn't Bear, she knew that much, she'd seen his form, knew what he looked like. She wondered if he was hibernating as well, it had been a couple seasons since she'd last seen him. She promised herself to seek him out and get in contact with him. He was one of the few that knew her better than any other, and was one of two people who knew she was a mage, and the only one that knew she was a Becomer, since he'd initiated her. She missed her 'soulmate'.

Qit'ria continued to follow the bear's massive tracks, which had not stopped for more than a moment to relieve itself, as the foothills gave way to mountains. She'd had its tracks memorized now, large splotch in middle, several widely separated and pointed claws. She kept a respectable distance, but knew she wasn't far behind. She had no made up her mind yet if she were to finish the hunt and kill it. Bear meat was good enough to eat, and the hide would go along way, but she didn't want to accidentally kill a person. But really, she was in no desperate need for food, so she was just sating her curiosity, to better understand her quarry.

It reminded of a game her and her mum used to play when she was little, with the squirrels and other small creatures of Desnind. It was called Tap a Squirrel, and her mum was unparalleled at it, at least in little Qit'ria's eyes. The game simply consisted of the two of them trying to sneak up on an animal, and touch it with a finger without it realizing you were there. First one to touch it, won. Qit'ria smiled at the memory, walking about a stony corner, when she suddenly realized she was far too close. She could see the bear up ahead now. She slipped back out of view slowly.

Using her mouse empowered ears, which she'd never changed back, they were far too useful, she listened for its breathing. It was heavier than she'd expected, like it had been in a jog, which she knew it hadn't. It had been walking the entire time, and it was a bear. They didn't tire so easy. So why was it panting? That was when the unpredictable mountain air shifted, and Qit'ria's scent was vaulted right at the bear. And it did not miss such a sign. She saw it sniffing, and look directly her way. It roared, though to Qit'ria it didn't have the oomph of a challenge, but more as a warning. Then the bear turned short, stubby tail, and began running quickly away, further into the mountains.

Qit'ria sneered, and took off after it, drawing her javelin, realizing she might not have a choice now. She took off after the creature. It ran straight into a fracture cave in the mountain, and Qit'ria hesitated for a moment. Chasing a bear into a dark cave was truly the definition of reckless. She'd seen the damage a bear could do. So she slowed, creeping close to the entrance. And she listened. Her enhanced hearing helped her to determine that it wasn't immediately inside, for she'd hear its labored panting. It must be further in. Which meant a bigger cave. So Qit'ria steeled herself with a single deep breath, and sneaked her way in slowly, closing her eyes, useless in the dark, relying only on the ears of the Aye-aye mouse to find her quarry once more.

[Sephira]

The mage pulled her cloak closer to her body as she knelt in the snow beneath the boughs of the nearest tree; the bear lumbering ever nearer to her location. Without warning a woman came dashing up through the evergreen forest in pursuit of the animal; a deadly javelin clasped in her hand. She was clearly Sev’ryn with her darker skin and nimble form; although Sephira did think there was something strange about her ears. Perhaps it was an illusion cast by the glare of the snow when watching at such a distance, or perhaps it was not. Curious and somewhat bored with her journey with the survey team the mage decided to try her hand again at Attunement. She was less familiar with this spark when compared to that of her Rupturing, but it was a relationship she was not against exploring. Her attunement spark was far less aggressive than her rupturing one; whereas her rupturing spark behaved like a wickedly observant and agitated bird of prey her attunement spark was more like a delicate nightingale that only cared to go on singing its sweet melody.

Focusing on her gentler spark Sephira closed her eyes and first listened to her own frequency, the notes thrumming like an old folk song she had been singing since she was young. It was familiar and an excellent place to start before reaching for the frequency of the huntress.
The reverberations of the mountainside and forest assaulted her with an array of notes that she tried to sort through in order to reach her target. The mountain begged to be listened too, its melody carrying with it arcs upon arcs of memory; of snow, sun, and tiny skittering creatures up its skin. Its frequency was like a massive dusty tome, with notes being added to its pages as time passed over the eons. Sephira feared that if she decided to listen to the notes of the mountain for more than a few trills that she would be drawn into its frequency forever, like being pulled into a vast sea of endless memory. Forcefully pulling away from the mountain’s frequency the mage focused intently on the huntress; time seeming to slow as she prowled across the snow strewn mountainside. The bear turning once to let out a raspy warning growl before fleeing toward the cave Sephira had spied earlier.

She began opening herself up to the frequency of the Sev’ryn woman, the notes slowly falling into Sephira’s mind like droplets of rain. The mage jerked slightly as the first note coalesced into a sensation; a core of brutality that felt like the scent clinging to the air after a lightning storm, raw and dangerous. There was wildness to it, not dissimilar to how the mind of a wolf might view the world; there was a necessity to that savagery...a necessity to survive.

Other notes begged to be listened to but Sephira was intently curious about whether or not this woman contained any hint of magic or perhaps a spark of her own. Pulling apart the notes like the pages of a book she searched for anything that felt like the metallic tang of magic that her own frequency contained.

The huntress was moving again, following the bear into the splintered mouth of the cavern. Her contact with the Sev’ryn’s frequency was shaken as the woman faded into the darkness. However in those last few trills of contact a single silvery note trembled in Sephira’s mind like the freshly plucked string of a harp. The alien coppery flavor of a spark reverberated through the note, but of a different tone and quality than either of her two sparks. The frequency collapsed once the huntress disappeared from sight, Sephira was not skilled enough to hold on to it for any longer. Shaking off the disorientation of Attuning to the Sev’ryn, Sephira stood and looked only briefly back in the direction of the Elements she had accompanied. They would be likely busy for the rest of the afternoon, what harm was there in trying to find the strange huntress mage? The Rupturer was fairly certain she could get herself out of a sticky situation if she needed to, as that was the nature of her own magic. Shrugging off the tiny nagging worries the mage quickly headed for the cave, disappearing inside only moments later.

Dialogue|Thoughts

[Qit'ria]

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Qit'ria ran her fingers over the cold stone, her heart pounding within her chest loudly. She could feel Kashehino creeping about in the dark, but the panther was always silent in a hunt, just as she herself was. Qit took small, deeper, slower breaths, focusing on slowing her breathing. Breath in through her nose, held deep down in her stomach, and slowly released. This let her slow her heart beat down to resting, so she could better hear her surroundings. Her bare feet gingerly picked up in exaggerated motions, and set down in large arcs, only moving forward when raised, so as to not kick any stones or other objects that could give away her presence.

Qit'ria melted into the dark, taking careful, slow motions, as she pressed onward into the cave. Or would have, if some person hadn't just marched their way in without even a shred of caution. Qit knew she was invisible, this deep into the cave, this time of year. The person hadn't brought a torch. Qit'ria could hear her breathing, loud to her heightened hearing. She tried to discern more about this person solely from the sounds she could make out. She could hear the swishing of fabricked legs, though had no way to know what type of cloth it was.

The footfalls from the person while in no way were made to be stealthy, they were light. This led Qit to believe the person following her was either a woman or a child. And she seriously doubted a child would be following her into a mountainous cave. There was a light fwishing sound, and Qit'ria expected it was a cloak. All of this pointed to a woman, who was at the very least, prepared to be on this mountain, but not the cave. Qit'ria reached into one of her pockets, grasping the knife therein. She specifically kept only one per pocket so that they didn't make noise while she was hunting.

She didn't know why she was being followed, but she immediately grew paranoid that she was a compatriot of that hunter from Saun. She gripped the knife with an underhanded hold, listening as the woman's errant footsteps brought her just past where Qit'ria was pressed against the wall. The huntress was holding her breath, considering stabbing this woman in the neck from her hidden vantage and being done with it. She slowly brought her knife close to where she could hear the woman's breathing, but stopped. She still had never killed anyone. And... and she didn't know if this person was hunting her or not.

She had to know.

Moving the blade lower, Qit'ria readied herself. Then, all at once, a hand shot out to grasp where the woman was, looking to ideally grab an arm, though the cloak was more likely, while letting loose a feral snarl. This was both to drive the already likely scared bear deeper into the cave, and to startle the woman for a moment, to give Qit'ria a momentary advantage. Whatever she got a hold on, she yanked hard, turning as she did, to try and pull the woman into the stone wall, and get her knife edge held against some skin, to show that she had it, but not immediately cut her.

"Why follow me?! Who you?!"

[Sephira]

The mage stepped softly into the mouth of the cavern, her booted feet clinking lightly on the rocky terrain. She stood there for a moment, listening intently to the darkness laid before her. The bear had vanished further into the cavern, the sound of its lumbering steps and labored breathing could barely be detected. The sound and scent of water hit Sephira first, then the sharp pungent aroma of moss and the sound of dripping water. The Element had never been in a place like this before. The chilly mountains with their soaring peaks were a novel experience that was far removed from her time on Faldrass. The soft sandy beaches had their own allure but there was something deeply primal about the Scalvoris Mountains that she simply could not put her finger on.

Stepping forward, her cloak drifted gently around her legs before suddenly a hand shot out of the dark, grasping the fabric and throwing the mage against the neighboring wall. A bestial growl rumbled from somewhere behind her as the cold touch of steel was pressed to the back of her neck. Sephira’s breath caught in her throat as she was slammed against wall and the very noticeable sensation of a knife was pressed to her throat. She could only guess that the owner of the knife was the huntress she had spied earlier.

“Easy, easy!” Sephira swore as the knife dug in deeper, tiny beads of blood alighting on the Sev’ryn’s blade. The huntress had been so silent in the gloomy cavern that the mage had been given no indication that her approach had been noticed.

“I’m with the Elements, I don't mean you any harm.” She replied as a line of pain tingled against the back of her neck. Anxiety and fear shot through her veins, she was exposed and in a great deal of danger. Perhaps in the streets of Scalvoris Town the mage wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate, but here out in the wilderness she was out of her element. Her fear ricocheted through her spark and the alien life form reflected her emotions in kind. If the mage did not get free then things could get out of hand. Her rupturing spark was a nervous creature, sometimes taking things in its own hands when Sephira failed to act to protect herself.

“You need to let me go.” The mage cautioned as her spark began to reverberate with fear and the area around the two women began to warp and twist, the bonds of space weakening. Whether or not they noticed, the wall of the cavern had begun to crack and fracture under the stress of reality being distorted.

Sephira had to get free; she was not going to die in some stupid cave because of her inane curiosity. The mage could have risked a Blink portal but there was a chance that she could hurt or kill the Sev’ryn in the process. She had no interest in killing someone over a simple misunderstanding but if she had to escape.

The Element felt the Blink portal beginning to materialize as her spark drew energy through her etheric channels. Sephira drove her left shoulder back against the huntress intending to knock her back even if it earned her a cut on the neck.

The inadvertent Blink portal tore open against the cavern wall and the mage stumbled through it to emerge several yards deeper into the cave, skidding across the earthen floor to land on her knees.

The appearance of the portal had destabilized the cavern wall to the point that a massive crack had formed. The moment the Blink portal dissipated, rocks and boulders began collapsing near the entrance of the cave. Dust flew out in great clouds as the cave mouth was sealed by the falling debris.
Sephira crawled away from the thundering of the rocks as darkness closed in around them. Her gloved hands grasped an oddly sharp stone as she hauled herself away from the cave-in. The woman turned back to see the last bit of light being snuffed out by the cascade of rock.

Dialogue|Thoughts

[Qit'ria]

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Qit'ria kept her grip tight on the woman, and her knife, as the hairs upon her neck began to stand up. Something wasn't right. Qit'ria couldn't quite tell what it was, but all of her instinctual alarms were going off. This woman was doing something... weird. She'd heard the woman's words, but with this... weirdness in the air, she didn't believe it. This woman was just trying to buy time for something. Qit'ria decided it would be better to knock this woman out against the stone wall, and disappear. She just... she couldn't bring herself to kill someone in such a manner. She'd already won. As Qit pulled Sephira back, in order to bash her face into the wall, the Element shoved against her, knocking her backwards. The knife left a light cut, but not one worth writing home about.

Qit fell against a raised rock as the woman stepped through the air, and disappeared. But Qit'ria's ears could hear the woman's panicked breathing further into the cave. Magic. She didn't know how, or what kind, but she knew this woman had used magic. Qit'ria didn't even know the types, other than her own, and of that one guy who was a wind and fire talker. Qit'ria heard the sharp cracks of the stone, looking up, and realized that the woman had laid a trap for her, intending to bring down the cave atop her head.

Qit'ria scrambled, not a run proper, but moved quickly over the mossy stones on all four limbs, heading deeper in. Just as she came in sight of the woman who'd attacked her, her spark reached out in panic. It knew what to do in this situation, even if Qit didn't. She heard it calling out to her, insisting, and she felt a phantom warmth in her wrist, where her mouse totem bracelet was. In her charge, she tapped into it with her soul, and yanked out the full aye-aye mouse essence all in one go, and stuffed it into her soul. The Aye-aye mouse was Unleashed onto her form, and her transformation happened in the blink of an eye. And through the air where Qit'ria had been scrambling, a big eared mouse could be seen leaping toward Sephira, just as a large stone crushed the ground where Qit'ria had been a moment before.

Qit'ria bounced over the mossy stone, already feeling wobbly and a headache from the sudden, and new, magical technique she'd just discovered. She got her feet beneath her, scrambling, and ran between Sephira's legs, deeper into the cave. Her heart was in full blown panic, but the darkness was her element in this form. She bounded forward, smelling the bear up ahead, unable to hear much as the cave-in continued. She steered close to the wall in the darkness, until she found a bit of a crevice that offered shelter, and there she sat, trying to calm her mousy little heart, listening for the woman's approach. Qit'ria hadn't been expecting to meet another mage, and certainly one so different from herself. And now they were trapped thanks to her. The fool. But Qit could wait her out, sneak off, find another way out. She just needed to calm down, shake off these effects from the Unleash.

Meanwhile, the bear, frightened by the cave in, disappeared further into the large cave system.

[Sephira]

A thin line of blood marred her neck where the Sev’ryn’s knife had been only trills earlier. Sephira absently touched the minor wound with her left hand, smearing the crimson liquid before trying to find her bearings in the abysmally dark cavern.

Suddenly she felt something small scamper beneath her legs and further into the depths of the cave. The Element’s head snapped around, at the sound of tiny claws scratching against the rough hewn stone below. Her eyes struggled in the gloomy dim of the cave to detect any light.
“Who are you, where did you go?” The woman called into the umbral shadows surrounding her, with her voice sounding far less brave than normal. She couldn’t hear another person moving around like before, it was as if the Sev’ryn huntress had vanished.

“I didn’t mean to scare you.” Sephira muttered softly as she clambered to her feet. For a moment her hand pressed against something smooth and glassy that fit perfectly into the palm of her hand. It was a stone, or something stone like and it gleamed a faint indigo hue that she could see even in the dark of the cave. It even seemed like through the stone’s glassy surface that the world was better illuminated.

Forgetting the huntress for a couple trills the mage’s curiosity was piqued as she turned the glassy shard over in her hand, feeling its edges and studying the enigmatic gleam it held. Sephira held the gem up and peered through it to be startled by the fact that when looking through it she could see into the darkness perfectly clearly. Although everything had a somewhat blue cast to it, she could see her surrounding quite clearly if she looked through the surface of the gem.

Continuing to look through the surface of the gem Sephira peered forward where the cave delved deeper into the earth. Surely the bear had gone that way and perhaps even the huntress. She didn’t know if the woman could still hear her but clearly their little encounter had been an unfortunate understanding. Why had she been following her in the first place? Why not stick with the other Elements and do her job?

“You just startled me.” The mage said lowly while continuing to use the gem to see the interior of the cave clearly as she stepped toward where the tunnel continued forward.

“I didn’t mean for that to happen.” Her voice wavered at mentioning the moment that her Spark had fed off her fear and opened up the portal to get her away from the knife wielding hunter. The portal had disturbed the structural integrity of the cavern wall, leading to the situation they now found themselves in.

There were few things that terrified Sephira more than the thought of being trapped underground and in the dark. She had the night glow gem, but it would be little good if she needed to defend herself. Rupturers were not meant to be trapped in holes in the earth, they were meant to walk unhindered wherever they pleased...not scrambling around in the dark like a blind mouse.

Dialogue|Thoughts

[Qit'ria]

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Qit'ria sniffed about, working to get her bearings. She couldn't see a damn thing in here, a faint glow up above where the women held something in her hand, but even her outline was blurry. These mouse eyes were so weak. But she could smell and hear so much more. The woman's beating heart, a bit more rapid, the smell of her sweaty clothes. The air was dusty, stagnant from the cave in. Maybe it was better she couldn't see as well, it wouldn't do as much good in here.

Rat'ria shuffled forward out of her hiding, sniffing about, when she caught a whiff of the fresh, mountain air. She moved about, sniffing as she went, pinpointing the direction. Deeper into the cave, there was an opening somewhere. She heard the woman's words, and while not holding a grudge, just a mild annoyance, she figured the woman might be more useful with her than left behind. If anything, the bear might eat her instead. That was something at least. Qit'ria let loose a bunch of squeaks to attract Sephira's attention.

She began the slow shift back to her Sev'ryn form, struggling to maintain her focus, so weary from the previous Unleash. She took it slow this time, as her bones splintered, then filled in as her form expanded. The process still took several bits for the Becomer, and left her quite vulnerable. She normally wouldn't transform right in front of someone like this, but the woman had given off the vibe that she was more defensive when startled, so wouldn't attack her. A calculated risk on Qit'ria's part. And it only seemed fair, for Qit'ria had seen the woman's magic, sort of.

Plus it might be amusing to see the woman's face after watching Qit transform. It never looked, or sounded, pleasant for anyone. Painful was putting it mildly. And before long Qit'ria was naked before Sephira. She wobbled a bit, woozy, head throbbing, and she stumbled directly into the Element, catching herself on her, needing her for support. Taking the moment to rest, and get her bearings, she just laid there, naked and in the arms of a stranger. Finally, she pushed her self back up right, bending down to gather her belongings, which were thankfully intact, though she didn't bother to dress.

She looked at Sephira, memorizing her face, and staring her down, scowling all the while. She started to talk. Or rather, she tried. Instead, nothing but mousy squeaks came out. Over and over she tried to speak Common to the woman. She even tried Xanthean, but it was nothing but squeaks. Frustrated, Qit'ria threw up her arms, and pointed down deeper into the cave. She led the way, following her nose, keeping her ears at attention. She could hear the bear deep in, settling down, seemingly going to sleep, perhaps hibernating. She no longer cared, even if it was Bear. She just wanted out of here, she didn't care for being trapped.

It was an uneventful journey, Qit could listen to Sephira speak if so desired, but clearly there'd been a hangup in her transformation. A lack of focus. She'd remedy it later, she hoped. If anything, get some rest, change a few times, to reset. The cavern eventually opened up on the other side of the mountain, spilling out into the wilderness once more. Qit'ria stretched and basked in the sunlight, and began to only now get dressed, getting her weapons and pack in place. She cast one look at Sephira, wishing to say, "No hunt me." But instead, it was just an annoyed squeak and a stern glare. And with that, she disappeared into the woods, to begin the journey back home. She made sure to double back a few times, to ensure she wasn't followed by this woman. Qit'ria wouldn't forget her face. The woman who had the audacity, and lack of skill, to try hunting her.

[Gangui]

Qit

Knowledge:

Becoming: Unleashing, followed by a standard transformation causes overstepping
Blades (Knife): Holding it to a throat
Detection: The fwishing sound of a cloak
Detection: Lighter footfalls typically mean a woman or child
Detection: Following the scent of fresh air in a cave
Detection: A bear's deep, heavy breathing
Hunting: A Bear on a dogged mission is not normal behavior
Stealth: Taking exaggerated, high arch steps to not kick unseen obstacles
Tactics: Rushing forward after stealth position is exposed

Sephira: The sound of her breathing
Sephira: Some sort of mage
Sephira: Her scent
Sephira: Her face

Points:

15, no magic

Injury:

Minor Bruises

Knowledge:

Attunement: Some Frequencies are louder than others
Cosmetology: Braiding your hair keeps it out of your face
Hunting: Recognizing the call of an animal
Mount (Flying): Keeping your bearings over mountains
Psychology: Attempting to calm someone down with simple words
Psychology: Understanding your fear of confined spaces
Tactics: Listening for danger before walking blindly into a cave
Tactics: Curiosity can be dangerous

Non-Skill
Qit'ria: Sev'ryn Huntress
Qit'ria: A mage who can shapeshift into animals
Qit'ria: Deadly with a knife
Qit'ria: Was kind enough to help guide you out of danger

Points:

15, no magic

Loot:

Night Glow ahem

Injury:

Minor bruising

Comment:

I enjoyed this thread. It was a very natural and well flowing piece, something not typical for the standard meet up. Good job on your creativity on the premise. I like Sephiras description of her magic and Qits predator perspective on the world. I wander how things will progress in the future. Keep up the good work! The ending was a cliff hanger but in the good type of way, y’all are great