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[Nivel]

81 Day of Spring 516 AV

It had been a while since Nivel had been assigned patrol duty. She had been without a mount for quite some time and since pycon mounts were difficult to procure she wasn’t a very good candidate. The only dog available to for the pycon to rent was Sir Thomas an old miniature terrier with poor eye sight and a terrible case of arthritis in his hind legs. The poor creature was more of a pet than a useful mount, so Nivel would have to hitch rides with other knights if she were get anywhere fast. The Pycon was to work with a knight by the name of Imass, a blue Akalak who was presumed dead until recently. She had heard rumours that he once trained Ball but hadn’t been able to confirm them. It would make for a decent conversation starter once she met this mysterious knight.

While it was still dark out, Nivel practically slithered out of the shoe she called a bed. She then pushed open her sewing kit and jumped inside to riffle through its contents. She didn’t require much just a small bundle of thread she stuffed in her leg, a sewing needle she slides into her other leg, and her key molded pypole which she held in her hands. Feeling prepared she slid under her door and started her long journey towards the city gates.

As Nivel waited for a blue skinned knight to arrive, she analyzed the little information she had received on their mission. It was just a few noises coming from Aylasa Caves that spooked some of the local hunters. Nothing to really be worried about, but after facing off a against a Qamur she couldn’t help feeling a little anxious in caves.

To relax herself, Nivel practiced her dance steps in combination with her pypole. She climbed on top of a closed crate of vegetables and began to practice her spins and lunges. The pycon pushed her right leg and spun on her left, then shot forward with the spins momentum. She was intending to thrust the pointed end of her weapon with grace and strength but her form was far to clumsy. Fighting with a weapon was far different than fighting with her fists, and she wasn’t sure she liked it as much. She tried the technique again, but this time she thrust too hard and sent her weapon flying. She sighed and leapt of her pedestal to retrieve it but a large foot beat her to the punch.

“Excuse me” Nivel said as politely as she could muster. “You seem to be standing on my weapon and I need it for my mission today.”

Credit for Boxcode goes to Estrellir Konrath

[Imass]

Known to work well with Pycons and having Infra-vision, Ser Imass was the perfect candidate to help Nivel patrol the Aylasa Caves. Although ordered by Ser Equuleus to help the mage-pycon out, Imass was always eager to help out on missions and duty.

Before heading out, the Knight dictated a simple regimen to Alexander Faircroft, allotting him plenty of free time. Electing not to wear full plate, the Akalak proceeded to the city gates wearing chain mail, gauntlets, grieves, a single shoulder guard on his sword arm, and a blue Sylrian tabard. His beard was freshly trimmed and hair combed and oiled in Riverfall fashion.

The Dark Brother being in mental slumber allowed Imass to focus on the task at hand without conflicting thoughts. He never ventured into said caves and he wandered if he would need any climbing gear or a rope. He also wandered what would await them inside, though the Knights did not think it was a big deal if they were only sending two bodies down there. Considering tactics though, there would be not much use for more people down in the winding cave paths anyways.

Lost in thought, the Knight was suddenly surprised to hear a high pitched voice come from below him, "Huh?"

That is when he caught sight of the Pycon. The clay creature was only 4 inches tall and had an incredibly strange form, completely different than anything he had ever seen before. Wings sprouted from her head and two snake like tails wiggled everywhere. Her strands of hair made her look even more exquisite.

Lifting his foot off her Py-Pole, Imass apologized with courtesy, "Pardon me, most gracious and noble Pycon,"

Taking a knee so that he could get a closer look at her Imass continued, "You must be Nivel. I am Ser Imass, Pycon friend,"

The temperament and personalities of Pycons were usually delicate and the Akalak had learned to be very respectful of the creatures. Coming from Riverfall were brawn and martial prowess came hand in hand, the Pycon race intrigued him much for they always pulled their own fair share of the burden despite being so tiny.

"Before we depart, can you tell me more of the tactics we shall deploy on this mission. I did not bring anything other than my arms,"

Imass looked at Nivel with a rough, brutish face; his teeth were broken, his forehead was thick, his jaw slabbed, and one of his yellow eyes was lazy.

[Nivel]

“I’m honoured to be working with you Sir Imass” Nivel replied cordially with a respectful bow. They had just met but the pycon was sure she would get along with this blue skinned giant. He was a more polite then a few members of the order she had ran into and his compliments sounded sincere. She wasn’t completely sure if he truly thought she was noble or gracious of if that was just something the man said to be kind but she appreciated the gesture ether way.

The Giant lowered himself to one knee which allowed Nivel to get a better look at his face. He had clearly seen his share of combat, not just from his scars but the way he carried himself. He just seemed to have the natural readiness and poise that many experienced knights possessed. Although she couldn’t really tell if he was handsome, by her standards he could use a couple more eyes and maybe an elegant set of feet sticking from his temples.

“The Tactics?” Nivel echoed with hesitation “…Thats a good question.” Nivel hadn’t really thought much bout the specific tactics of this mission and she felt a touch embarrassed that she was unprepared.
“I didn’t really think we would need much, I’ll just be looking for any signs of life with my magic. Though it might be wise to take a few things that would help with climbing if you wish.” Nivel stopped to pat the lower part of her legs and lightly chuckled “You can’t see it but I brought some string and a sewing needle. I’m too small to carry much else.”

If the knight wished to gather provisions Nivel would happily accompany him for the ride. When they agreed they had enough, they would start their journey to the caves. Nivel situated herself on the horn of the saddle but would gladly move to anywhere the knight suggested if she was in the way. It would take a while to get to the caves and she wanted to be considerate, since she was only a passenger. Along the way Nivel attempted conversation, starting with the light topic of his history with the other pycon of the order.
“Sir Imass, I’ve been meaning to ask you if you were ever a patron to a pycon named Ball. I think he named his mount after you.” Nivel couldn’t see the resemblance between Ball’s tiny fluff ball and the statuesque knight but she wasn’t about to question it.

Credit for Boxcode goes to Estrellir Konrath

[Imass]

The Akalak allowed the Pycon mage to ride on his shoulder as he perused the Barracks for more gear. He acquired rope and hooks for climbing. He had no clue what he was doing, but nothing an athlete couldn't accomplish with Yahal's faith guiding his path and a little common sense. Before the end of the bell, the pair were on their way to the Aylasa caves.

From afar, the Akalak seemed to ride in solitude, but Nivel sat on the horn of his saddle. The Knight remained very relaxed on the horse, leading the animal on at a slower pace; there was no rush and it would make the ride bumpy for a Pycon. Imass had no clue where the caves where, so a passing huntsman took ten ticks out of his day to show them the path.

"Aye," Imass conversed with Nivel with his mind half on the task at hand. He choose to remain light on the topic of Ball and the Sahovan Campaign.

"I squired Ball over four years ago, back when he was still a baby rolling around Syliras as a sphere... We marched on Sahova together, in which he got his taste for battle and blood I presume," Imass ended his last sentence with a detached guffaw, as if it was righteous indeed that Ball became so violent.

The trail was overgrown and mostly unused, leaving the Akalak to proceed at a very slow pace. Every so often, he would gently pull the reigns on his horse to stop the animal, while he searched for clear markings to proceed. It took no expert to spot the winding route. His were occasionally distracted by the unique and intriguing shape of the mage, but he did not think much of it.

"Ball proved to me the high courage and honorable nature of Pycons," Imass offered to Nivel as conversation, in a slow gravely voice, "There is more to you little ones than meets the eye,"

[Nivel]

“Oh really, so you’re like his father?” Nivel erie looking tails began to sway about on their own accord as her curiosity grew. It was a natural conclusion for her to come to if this Tall folk influenced Ball as much as he said. She wasn’t one to think of parents in terms of genetics but rather how they influenced a persons initial upbringing.

While It was nice to hear more about her fellow comrade, she began to grow a bit uncomfortable at the way Imass talked about violence. She assumed at first that she was hearing him wrong but the more she analyzed his words in her nexus the more she realized she hadn’t. Imass was definitely implying that love of blood shead was a desired trait, much to Nivel’s distaste. She was beginning to see why Ball was so violent all the time, it was the mantra that he was raised on. The pycon couldn’t bring herself to call him out on what she thought was negligent behaviour, as much as she felt it was the right thing to do. He was still a knight to be respected and was even a cherished friends father figure.

“So what made you want to become a knight Sir Imass?” Nivel needed to change the subject away from Ball, since it he was becoming a subject of animosity. She was sure the previously polite man would have an excellent motivation for being a knight that would keep her from thinking of him as a callous murderer.
“I became a knight because of my mother. She told me many stories about the knights and their many acts of valour. I wanted to be a beacon of inspiration like my mother was to me, so I traveled all the way from Pyconia.” Nivels ears quivered happily as she reminisced about her adolescence.

“Pyconia is very large pycon settlement across the sea were all the houses are sculpted out of clay. I remember when I first left my home city and found that most people were as big as trees!” Nivel stretched her arms out into the sky to illustrate her point but quickly lost her balance and rushed back to grappling the saddle horn.

The duo followed the directions they were given and noticed rock structures amongst the trees and the occasional rock protruding out of the dirt path they followed. They were sure to be near the cave momentarily if they continued down the pathway laid before them.

Credit for Boxcode goes to Estrellir Konrath