52nd of Vhalar, Arc 716
He could hear the hooting of an owl from outside of the window, and the howling of wolves in the distant woods. Alistair had made his way to an abandoned cabin in the forest, invited here by a briefly worded letter. It listed the location of the cabin alone, ending with the letter "E", written in a deep shade of black. From that alone, he'd known who had taken the time to invite him. It was . . . mother dearest.
And as a black-hooded woman converged on the location, her mere steps enough to tarnish the fertile soil that she walked on, he knew he was correct. "Hello, Ali," she said from outside the window, her voice muffled by the thick glass. He looked out and slightly waved, his lips spelling 'hello'. The woman moved along the side of the cabin and opened the door, a blow of chilling wind running through as she did so. It was coming to the middle of Vhalar, and soon enough Ne'haer would be cold. All the better reason to do these things now - whatever it was she required of Alistair.
"You're probably wondering why I invited you here," she said. The man nodded. "Well, it has nothing to do with Seraas, which I hope will lay your fears to rest. Instead - I have a curiosity that I'd like to entertain. There is a breed of creature that lives in the Willow Woods, here. Not that many of them left - they're hunted for sport by ambitious mages, or they die trying to break through the gates of Ne'haer, or they run into an unlucky amount of Sylvithia in the woods. Even despite their recent failings, they're one of the most dangerous breed of monster in Idalos, and I'm curious to see the reanimation process around them. I thought we might hunt one and find out," she said with a slight smirk.
If they were indeed one of the most deadly monster races in Idalos, then that was . . . at least remotely terrifying. Then again, he did have Ellasin with him, who would probably make short work of them.
"They're called the Lurkers of the Cliffs," she said. "A breed of man-looking beasts that tower to twenty feet tall. Intelligent enough to craft armor and weapons, and understand human speech. They even build their own homes out of wood. Brilliant beasts. It's unfortunate that they're so savage and hostile. I'd repopulate the Coven with them if they weren't."
He didn't quite understand that one, considering the Coven was already filled with savage and hostile people, but he allowed her to carry on. She intruded on his personal space, investigating his belongings to ensure he maintained his conduit. He had indeed - he'd recovered it from the Sundial after his practice with throwing nels across the planet. He and Ellasin did it together - it was quite fun. There was nothing more likely to fool a commoner into thinking the Immortals cared about them than a golden coin flying at them from a hundred meters away, with no one else in sight.
"I have mine with me," she whispered, and reached into her pouch. Out of it she pulled a brilliant amber stone - a glowing magical font. It was the Sunstone, Aelothar. The All-Nexus. Alistair couldn't help but envy the thing, as it radiated before his eyes. She came prepared. Aelothar alone was enough to make a mage into a massive threat, and it was Ellasin who was wielding it. He could be calm. There was no reason to fear the Lurkers, not with her by his side.
Though he wasn't sure why she wanted him here in the first place.
He could hear the hooting of an owl from outside of the window, and the howling of wolves in the distant woods. Alistair had made his way to an abandoned cabin in the forest, invited here by a briefly worded letter. It listed the location of the cabin alone, ending with the letter "E", written in a deep shade of black. From that alone, he'd known who had taken the time to invite him. It was . . . mother dearest.
And as a black-hooded woman converged on the location, her mere steps enough to tarnish the fertile soil that she walked on, he knew he was correct. "Hello, Ali," she said from outside the window, her voice muffled by the thick glass. He looked out and slightly waved, his lips spelling 'hello'. The woman moved along the side of the cabin and opened the door, a blow of chilling wind running through as she did so. It was coming to the middle of Vhalar, and soon enough Ne'haer would be cold. All the better reason to do these things now - whatever it was she required of Alistair.
"You're probably wondering why I invited you here," she said. The man nodded. "Well, it has nothing to do with Seraas, which I hope will lay your fears to rest. Instead - I have a curiosity that I'd like to entertain. There is a breed of creature that lives in the Willow Woods, here. Not that many of them left - they're hunted for sport by ambitious mages, or they die trying to break through the gates of Ne'haer, or they run into an unlucky amount of Sylvithia in the woods. Even despite their recent failings, they're one of the most dangerous breed of monster in Idalos, and I'm curious to see the reanimation process around them. I thought we might hunt one and find out," she said with a slight smirk.
If they were indeed one of the most deadly monster races in Idalos, then that was . . . at least remotely terrifying. Then again, he did have Ellasin with him, who would probably make short work of them.
"They're called the Lurkers of the Cliffs," she said. "A breed of man-looking beasts that tower to twenty feet tall. Intelligent enough to craft armor and weapons, and understand human speech. They even build their own homes out of wood. Brilliant beasts. It's unfortunate that they're so savage and hostile. I'd repopulate the Coven with them if they weren't."
He didn't quite understand that one, considering the Coven was already filled with savage and hostile people, but he allowed her to carry on. She intruded on his personal space, investigating his belongings to ensure he maintained his conduit. He had indeed - he'd recovered it from the Sundial after his practice with throwing nels across the planet. He and Ellasin did it together - it was quite fun. There was nothing more likely to fool a commoner into thinking the Immortals cared about them than a golden coin flying at them from a hundred meters away, with no one else in sight.
"I have mine with me," she whispered, and reached into her pouch. Out of it she pulled a brilliant amber stone - a glowing magical font. It was the Sunstone, Aelothar. The All-Nexus. Alistair couldn't help but envy the thing, as it radiated before his eyes. She came prepared. Aelothar alone was enough to make a mage into a massive threat, and it was Ellasin who was wielding it. He could be calm. There was no reason to fear the Lurkers, not with her by his side.
Though he wasn't sure why she wanted him here in the first place.
thank you for so beautifully incorporating magic with making fun storytelling.