Completed Trails

The return of a new friend, an induction to a lost art, and a hunt for an elusive spirit

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role playing forums. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

A lawless town of anarchists, built on the ruins of an ancient mining city. [Lore]

Moderator: Morose

Trails

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on May 19th, 2019, 4:07 pm

Image
Spring 67, 519
The Midnight Gem
1st Bell

Anja stepped into his room and slowly sunk to the floor with his back against the wall. The moonlight shining through the cracks of the tent and the scents of the grasslands lingering in the fantastical room did nothing to quell the man's exhaustion or unease. For the past three days, he had been attempting to track a ghost. Attempt was the word really; it seemed as though the ghost had always been a step ahead of him. Anja had never encountered a ghost as willful and elusive as this one. Generally, they were absolutely tickled to meet him. Why was this one being so evasive?

A deep sigh parted Anja's lips and he allowed himself a moment to glance around his room. Battle and Sayeth were curled up on their individual blanket nests, fast asleep. Their ears had twitched as he entered, but they had quickly fallen back fast asleep. Anja's mind and body were still buzzing but with a deep breath he forced himself into his bed and nestled into his blankets. Tomorrow he would just have to think of something else. That was all there was to it. Maybe he should bring the dogs with him? His mind was still whirring when he fell into sleep, troubled by anxious dreams.

Spring 67, 519
The Midnight Gem
5th Bell

Anja startled awake. A tapping sound was echoing through his room. Anja groggly pushed himself into a sitting position and combed a hand through his hair. He could see the dogs were already awake blinking sleepily as they searched for the source of the noise. Still groggy and a touch sleep deprived from the previous day's late night, it took Anja an embarrassingly long time to locate the source of the sound. Although to be fair, Anja was relatively certain that the night before his tent room had not had a glass window. Anja didn't really have time to consider the logistics of a glass paneled window somehow lodged in the side of a hemp tent, though his groggy mind did somehow remember that he was living in a magical structure and there were probably stranger things that happened here.

Anja pushed himself to his feet and walked over to the window massaging the sleep from the corners of his eyes. As he focused outside the window, a small, black, feathered animal with a white skull adorning his head looked back at Anja. There was a moment of silence as the two looked at each other. Then, impatiently, the crow began rapping back against the glass with his beak.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

The symbols on the crow's skull glowed a dim blue in the light of synarise. Hastily, Anja reached for the window and found a latch. He unhooked it and pulled the window towards him. The crow seized the opportunity with fervor and flew inside, alighting atop Anja's shrine. Anja closed the window and turned to look at the bird. It sat calmly on the jackal skull, wings flared out in balance, and locked eyes with him.

(Words 511, Total 511)
Last edited by Anja Nightwatcher on July 1st, 2019, 7:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Anja Nightwatcher
Ghost Hunter
 
Posts: 262
Words: 298384
Joined roleplay: February 15th, 2018, 3:26 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes

Trails

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on July 1st, 2019, 7:06 pm

Image
"I didn't expect to meet you again," Anja said with a wry smile, and more than a hint of affection. "Welcome to my home."

Anja had always heard that crows were smart, but he hadn't exactly expected that the crow he had saved would have the time, means, or interest to track him down. The bird was certainly a resourceful creature.

At his words, the crow tilted its head at him. Although still young, the creature had grown considerably in the time since Anja had rescued it. Anja admired the bird fondly, glad that it had done so well for itself in the time that they had been apart. Anja's eyes were drawn to the two beads of yellow nestled behind the mask. As he looked, he paused. Was it just him, or were the eyes different than the last time the Drykas had met the crow? Yes, he was certain. Now, rather than the uniform gold color, a sunburst of violet encircled the crow's pupil.

Anja's examination of the crow was interrupted by a sudden bark from Battle. The dog was slowly approaching the skull crow, hackles raised and a growl lingering in her throat. "Hold," Anja told her in Pavi, holding a hand out to stop her. "Friend."

Battle gave Anja an incredulous look. Sayeth hadn't moved from his nest of blankets, but the quieter of the twins had followed every movement that the crow had made so far, and his eyes remained intensely focused on the mess of black feathers.

"You too," Anja added, making the gesture for Sayeth as well. The dog's only response was to give Anja a slow, serious look before returning his gaze back to the creature. Anja sighed and followed Sayeth's eyes. "Exactly what are you doing here?" Anja asked. "Are you hungry?"

The crow tilted its head and let out a quiet croak. A faint smile flitted across Anja's face, and he retrieved a piece of jerky from a nearby drawer. Instantly, he had Battle and Sayeth's attention.

"I'm not sure what crows eat," Anja admitted. "But you can probably eat this right?" Anja closed the distance between him and the bird and offered the piece of dried meat to him. Delicately the bird took it into his beak, then, before Anja could react, tossed it on the floor at Sayeth's feet. There was a tick of silence before Sayeth had snatched the piece of meat and bolted for the door with Battle hot on his heels. The door opened just long enough for the two of them to sprint into the living area, before compliantly swinging closed.

The whole event happened in a matter of ticks, too fast for Anja to process. When he finally looked to the crow with a bewildered expression, he was watching him with a tilted head.

"Very clever," Anja told him. The bird croaked and fluttered over to Anja, perching on his shoulder. "I'm still not sure what you want thou--- ow!"

(Words 497, Total 1008)
User avatar
Anja Nightwatcher
Ghost Hunter
 
Posts: 262
Words: 298384
Joined roleplay: February 15th, 2018, 3:26 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes

Trails

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on July 1st, 2019, 7:07 pm

Image
Anja felt a stab of pain as the crow jabbed it's beak into Anja's neck. "What was that for?" Annoyed, Anja reached for the crow to pull it off of his shoulder. To Anja's surprise, he hopped compliantly onto Anja's fist as he brought it close. The man moved his hand so that he held the crow just in front of his, face and the two gaze intently at each other. Once more, Anja found himself drawn to the bird's eyes. The Drykas was positive that the crow's eyes had been uniformly gold last time he had met with it, and besides, violet was not a color of eyes on any animal he had ever dealt with. Something stirred in Anja, some sort of primal curiosity that he couldn't help but indulge. Carefully, the man reached into the well of power at his core and pulled the djed up and through his eyes. The Auristics came more easily the more he practiced,and the Drykas found he didn't even have to mediate for terribly long to bring the power to bear.

When he looked upon the crow with his magic enchanted gaze, for a moment he was completely speechless. Anja had examined animals many times through his Auristics. He had watched the dim flashing glow of his pups while they wrestled in the morning sun, watched the beautiful glow of his own aura blending with that of his strider in the ties that bound them together. But the aura the crow gave off was like nothing Anja had ever seen. Anja could feel a deep swirling whirlpool of black and white in the creature's center, that sang a gentle, familiar requiem. The bird was touched by death. But above that core, a strange aura of swirling blue and green wove brilliant weaving, circular, undulating patterns. Anja had seen this sort of intricacy before but...not with animals. The Gem had an aura like this. So did mages. But a crow? Even an odd little skull crow connected to death?

"What are you?" Anja asked. He talked to animals often, but other than Maisa he never really had a sense that they understood him. But as this bird gazed into his eyes, Anja felt a flicker of comprehension there. Those eyes were so intense, so deep, Anja almost felt like he could fall into them. The Drykas studied that violet sunburst in the creature's eyes with such intent that he almost didn't notice the bird leaning in closer to him, gaze intent and unblinking. Through his Auristics-touched gaze, Anja could see something pooling in those eyes, sending a glow outwards. He felt the beginnings of a headache coming on, and blinked, casting away the aura clinging to the world around him. But, oddly, he felt no instant relief the way he usually did when he released his magic. The headache in his temples was still building.

Anja blinked again and brought up his free hand to touch his eyes, but heard a low, urgent croak from the crow that made him stop. That pain in his temples was building, but his gaze was locked tight with the crow. Anja thought he couldn't move away if he tried. His eyes were burning. And then, when he thought he couldn't take anymore… there was a sudden burst of pain, followed by relief and the compulsion to hold his gaze was released.

(Words 568, Total 1576)
User avatar
Anja Nightwatcher
Ghost Hunter
 
Posts: 262
Words: 298384
Joined roleplay: February 15th, 2018, 3:26 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes

Trails

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on July 1st, 2019, 7:11 pm

Image
The Drykas let out a cry of pain and sprawled forward on the floor of his room, panting, blinking and rubbing his burning eyes. The crow jumped from Anja's hand before he fell, and he heard it land on the floor nearby. He heard a worried croak beside him and blinked his eyes rapidly and uncovered his eyes, turning to look. For a moment, all Anja could see was white and he felt a sudden surge of terror. But gradually, the white faded from his vision, solidifying to the blurry image of a crow gazing at his face, beak parted, with an intense look of worry.

"I...I think I'm okay," Anja muttered. The burn in his eyes was slowly fading, and his vision easing back to normal. His eyes focused on the crow and it's worried stare, and he swallowed his dry throat.

"What did you do to me?" Anja murmured. Something felt different inside of him, and though he couldn't pinpoint precisely what it was, he could not fight the feeling that some sort of powerful magic had overcome him. As painful as it had been, he felt somehow energized. The crow hopped up onto Anja's knee as the man pulled his legs into a crossed position, and peered up into his face.

"Please no," Anja said as he felt the crow's gaze explore his. "I don't think I can take another one of those." A soft croak answered him. With a flutter of feathers, the bird hopped to Anja's shoulder and rested its beak against his cheek. The touch this time was indisputably fond. Anja reached out a hand and gently rubbed the feathers on the bird's stomach, and heard it coo gently in reply.

"Something tells me you'll be sticking around," Anja said, feeling the bird's cool skull mask rub against his cheek. "You need a name." He paused for a long moment before finally gently tapping the bird's mask with his finger. "You'll be Morte," he said. "Something tells me Dira will like that name." Morte croaked in agreement and settled on Anja's shoulder, eyes half closed in enjoyment from the Drykas' touch.

Suddenly, Morte lifted himself off of Anja's shoulder, breaking away from his touch. The man watched, perplexed, as the bird flew in a strange half-hazard pattern around the room before finally returning to Anja's shoulder.

"What was that?" Anja asked, voice betraying his bemusement. Morte croaked and leaned into Anja, gently touching the corner of his eye. He felt a flicker of warmth at the bird's touch, some shift of the djed inside of him. What was that? Anja exhaled softly, resting his hands on his knees. He closed his eyes and began taking slow, careful breaths. As he did so, Anja felt the tension in his neck and shoulders ease. The pain was gone, the anxiety, gone. All he focused on was the sound of his breath, the feel of Morte's weight against he shoulder.

(Words 494, Total 2070)
User avatar
Anja Nightwatcher
Ghost Hunter
 
Posts: 262
Words: 298384
Joined roleplay: February 15th, 2018, 3:26 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes

Trails

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on July 1st, 2019, 7:15 pm

Image
When Anja felt the calm overcome him, he breathed deeply and peered into that pool of djed deep within him. The swirling colors formed strange and wild patterns, but it seemed different now. Internally, Anja prodded that pool inside him for an answer and watched his djed stir in an answer. Flashes of orange lightning streaked through the calm streaks of blue and purple, a color Anja had never associated with his magic before. Working off of intuition, Anja reached forward internally grabbed one of those streaks of orange. The moment Anja touched it, it streaked up his spine like a lightning bolt and poured into his eyes. He all but heard the sound of a switch being flipped and opened his eyes in shock, then stared.

Anja's gaze roamed his room in wonder. Its entirety was covered in brightly colored light trails from one end to the next. Several sat at the ground level of the floor, leaving large lumps of light on Sayeth and Battle's bed before leading faint lines out the door. Others wove patterns through the air in front of Anja, circling around his shrine and in front of the glass window. Anja followed the trail with his eyes before finally settling on the destination point, Morte. The purple sunburst in the crow's eye gleamed strangely under Anja's gaze. All around Morte emenated energy, in the same color as those trails leading around the room. It was like an aura, but different. Anja reached up and touched under his eye gently. He took a deep breath and seized that orange light moving up his spine and severed it. Before Anja's eyes, the lights tracing the room vanished.

Anja took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and concentrated. Meditation, calm, then a focus on those orange lightning strikes inside him. Once more, at the touch he felt the lightning streak up through his eyes. When Anja opened his eyes, the light trails were there once more.

Anja stood up quickly and felt Morte wobble on his shoulder, but the man wasted no time in opening the door and heading into the great room. Anja followed the two twin trails of light, white and black, similar yet different. Just as he suspected, the trails led under the couch, where two pairs of tails and growling emanated from.

"Whatever it is you've done to me, Morte," Anja said quietly. "I can use it to follow people. Right?"

Morte let out an affirmative croak.

Anja took a deep breath, trying to smother his excitement, and severed his internal connection, watchingas the lights vanished. He wasn't feeling ill yet, but Anja would bet his life that this magic was of the personal kind. That meant overgiving if he wasn't careful. But he had to experiment. Especially considering the problem he'd had on his mind for the past three days. This magic...it could be a solution to his problem.

"Do you want to come with?" Anja asked Morte. The bird looked at him silently, head tilted, and Anja suddenly had a feeling like there was no place in the world that Morte would rather be. Anja scratched the crow's chest and headed back to his room, leaving the pups to their meal. He needed to do his morning preparations then find Maisa. They had work to do.

(Words 556, Total 2626)
User avatar
Anja Nightwatcher
Ghost Hunter
 
Posts: 262
Words: 298384
Joined roleplay: February 15th, 2018, 3:26 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes

Trails

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on July 1st, 2019, 7:15 pm

Image
8th Bell
The Seaside Market

By the time Anja made it to the Seaside Market it was well into the morning and there was already a bustling crowd. Anja dismounted from Maisa and glanced around at the swarms of people, frowning slightly. Just to check, Anja sunk into his meditation and flipped that internal switch. He was not surprised to find hundreds, perhaps thousands, of confusing intertwining trails of light shimmering between the people. To make matters even more complicated, Anja could see places where the trails unexpectedly vanished. He couldn't possibly trace any paths here. But, with luck, maybe he wouldn't wouldn't have to.

Morte croaked and fluttered from Maisa's hindquarters over to Anja's shoulder. Maisa gave the crow a cold stare, and scraped her foot. She was tolerating the bird, for now. But she hadn't seemed too convinced by Anja's explanations and was playing it cautious for now. As Anja pushed his way through the crowd with Maisa following at his heels, the Drykas watched as Morte scanned the crowd from his shoulder. He wondered for a moment: could Morte see the same things he could? The bird certainly seemed to understand the way the magic worked. Deep in thought, Anja didn't notice as he bumped up against someone. The woman turned to snap at Anja, the suddenly reared back and stared at him with shock. Before Anja could say anything she had sprinted away into the crowd. How odd.

The moment passed from Anja's mind as he reached the edge of the market. A scowling, muscular man with a lazy eye leaned against the counter of his stall, staring at the crowd ahead of him. He paused as Anja approached. "Oy," he said. "Gonna give it another try? You're a stubborn one, aye. I'll give ya that." He glared at Morte, and the bird fluttered off Anja's shoulder and into a nearby tree. "Those things are unlucky," the stall tender said. "Better off killing it."

"Thanks for the advice," Anja said with a hint more tension than his voice usually found. "To business. Did you see the ghost recently?"

The man frowned, but after a moment he nodded. "Aye…" he said. "About an hour ago. Gave the crowd a real fright. Don't know how you keep missing her. Maybe you should ask your boss to send us a better ghost hunter eh?"

Anja ignored the jab, and glanced around. An hour. That should give him a trail to follow right? "Where did you see her?" Anja asked. The stallkeeper pointed a single gaunt finger and Anja turned to look. A corner of the marketplace lead to some tumbling alleys that trailed along the edges of the market. The buildings dotting the area were decrepit and crumbling. Anja had spent a lot of time in and around them the past three days. The ghost would appear, startle the people at the market, then vanish. But the one time Anja had spotted her, she had fled. He had been unable to trace her since.

(Words 500, Total 3126)
User avatar
Anja Nightwatcher
Ghost Hunter
 
Posts: 262
Words: 298384
Joined roleplay: February 15th, 2018, 3:26 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes

Trails

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on July 1st, 2019, 7:16 pm

Image
"I'll poke around a little," Anja said. "With luck, this might be it." The stallkeeper rolled his eyes and gave a dismissive wave of his hand before returning his eyes back to the crowd. However, as Anja brushed past him towards the alleys the man gave him a startled look. As Anja stepped out of sight, he saw a younger man approach the stallkeepers' counter and begin whispering furiously to him.

Anja felt a hint of unease, but he pushed the feeling aside. The shelter of the alleyway and the reprieve from the bustling crowds eased Anja's anxieties a tad. Maisa pressed her head against Anja's back as they walked. A moment later, the quiet of the alley was broken by the flutter of wings and a quiet caw. Morte alighted on Anja's shoulder and gently nudged his cheek. "Alright then," Anja said with a soft sigh. "Now that everyone is back together…"

The Eiyon carefully reached out and put a hand on Maisa's neck to steady himself, and felt her sturdy muscles rippled underneath his hand. He took a long, slow breath and sunk into meditation. Deep, even breaths, pushing away thoughts. Once more Anja saw that pool of djed inside him and reached out to touch an orange thread. And, once more, that streak of orange lightning shot up Anja's spine and into his eyes. With the connection secure, Anja opened his eyes and looked around.

There were far fewer trails in this area and they were much less confusing. The traffic in these alleyways was few and far between, and Anja spotted only three distinct light trails. The first was a dull, greyish brown light, just barely visible flickering on the ground and leading into a nearby collapsed building. The second was a brilliant sapphire glow shimmering with flecks of pink. This one weaved briefly through the alley and back into the market, as though the person had quickly ducked through the alley and returned to the market. The third one, however, was what caught Anja's eye. It was deep, off-white glow that reminded Anja of his soulmist, although tinted with sparks of green. Aside from the color, Anja was most drawn to this particular trail because rather than following a path on the ground it floated up in the air. Anja followed the path through the sky with his eyes, chewing his lip thoughtfully. The path led into a cluster of buildings nearby.

"Alright then," Anja said. "Let's give this a shot."

The trail led Anja on a merry chase through the decrepit buildings, past bundles of huddling, starved men and up and over piles of debris. Several times he had to find his way around walls that the ghost had phased through, and three times he nearly lost the trail before Morte found the path for him.

"You're very talented," Anja told him after the third time, giving him a gentle belly rub as praise. There was no doubt to Anja now that Morte had the same ability as him, and somehow the crow had gifted it to him. Anja just wished the bird could tell him more about whatever this magic was. Not knowing, especially in Sunberth, made Anja uneasy.

(Words 536, Total 3662)
User avatar
Anja Nightwatcher
Ghost Hunter
 
Posts: 262
Words: 298384
Joined roleplay: February 15th, 2018, 3:26 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes

Trails

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on July 1st, 2019, 7:17 pm

Image
Finally, the trail led Anja to an empty, dilapidated house far away from the market. Anja was forced to leave Maisa outside while he and Morte investigated further. The trail led through a pile of debris, but rather than find a way around Anja hesitated. The light trail had been growing brighter and more vibrant, and something told Anja that the ghost was just under their nose. The Drykas moved towards the pile of debris and began pushing it aside. The pieces of masonry weren't particularly difficult to move piece by piece, but there was a lot of it. By the time a path was cleared, the man was sweating heavily, but a note of triumph rose in his chest, lingering with a gentle, sad melody that had gradually grown the more the debris was moved. A hole had been uncovered in the wall behind the debris, Anja removed Morte from his shoulder and squeezed into a dark room behind the wall, and straightened. A moment later, Morte had fluttered through the hole and alighted back on his shoulder. As Anja turned, a pale ghostly form radiating with the light Anja had followed stood, beaming at him.

She was young, no older than twenty or so. Her long dark hair was braided and fell past her waist. If it hadn't been for the ethereal quality about her and the red wound in her stomach, she would have looked quite normal.

"I knew it would be you!" the girl said eagerly, taking a step towards Anja. "I was a little frightened at first, because you're a Spiritist and I thought you would keep me from my job, but you're a mage too! I'm so relieved!"

Anja hesitated. This hadn't exactly been the welcome he had been expecting. The girl was grinning from ear to ear, like she was the happiest person on Mizahar.

"I'm Anja Nightwatcher," Anja said, hoping to keep to the formalities first. "I'm sorry but...what are you talking about?"

The girl took several steps towards Anja, beaming. There wasn't even the faintest hint of animosity in her. "My name is Malli," she said. "I'm a mage from Zeltiva. I died here a few weeks ago. I was killed by the crowds at the market." The girl pointed a finger towards the bustle of the marketplace not far from here.

Anja was briefly taken aback. Ghosts weren't usually so forthright about their deaths. "I'm sorry you died as such," Anja told her gently.

Malli waved a hand at him. "It's not that important. Listen, when I died I had several magical items that I was taking care of. After I died, I hid them here. I didn't want the people of Sunberth to destroy them. I've been looking for someone with magic to take care of them for me, so I can pass on. Easier said than done in Sunberth. But now you're here!" She beamed at him again.

Anja paused. This all seemed remarkably straightforward, almost eeriely so. "Why did you run away?" Anja asked.

"Just because you're a Spiritist doesn't mean you can use other magic," the girl said. "There are Spiritists here who hate other kinds of magic."

"How do you know I can use other kinds of magic?" Anja asked frowing.

(Words 547, Total 4209)
User avatar
Anja Nightwatcher
Ghost Hunter
 
Posts: 262
Words: 298384
Joined roleplay: February 15th, 2018, 3:26 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes

Trails

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on July 1st, 2019, 7:18 pm

Image
"You were able to follow me here," the girl said. "And you have a familiar with runes on his skull." She pointed at Morte who let out a quiet caw. "And also your eyes. That has to be magical."

"Morte isn't my famil-- wait, what about my eyes?" A sudden pit of dread was growing in Anja's stomach.

Malli looked at him with a puzzled expression. "You don't know?"

Anja shook his head slowly. "No...this magic, it's new. I only learned it this morning."

"I think I have a mirror around here somewhere," said Malli, glancing around vaguely. "Hold on." Anja followed her so she didn't need to materialize, and when she pointed out the frame of cracked glass on the floor, Anja lifted it and looked.

The normal deep blue of his iris now bore a bright, orange sunburst around the edges of his pupil. Anja touched the bottom of his eye with horror. All those stares he had gotten at the market. This was bad.

"I'm sure you'll manage," the girl said, unconcerned. "You will take care of my magic items, right?"

"Yes, of course," Anja said. He was still tracing underneath his eye, but he broke his gaze from the mirror and looked up as the girl walked to the corner of the room and materialized long enough to pick up a bundle from the ground and set them in his arms and take away the mirror.

Cautiously, Anja opened the bundle. Nestled inside the bundle of fabric was a group of strange items. "What are these?" Anja asked quietly.

One by one the girl's finger flipped between the items, pointing at each of them in turn. "That one is the Coin of Stinking," the girl said, gesturing first at a strange coin with a mushroom decorating it's face. "If you flip it, you can create a cloud of stinking gas that can disable your enemies...but if you flip badly then it will be you that is disabled instead."

She pointed next to a metal ring with a silver sheen, that was adorned with a green stone. "That's the Ring of the Emerald Flame. It lets you use projection, although the projection is not invisible like it usually is. I would be careful using it in Sunberth. You can use it five times a day."

"Projection?" Anja asked.

"It's magic that allows you to touch or move things at a distance," the girl explained.

Her fingers flicked next to a strange egg, covered in pink and blue feathered patterns. "That's the Feathered Serpent's Egg," Malli said. "Very valuable. It allows you to heal small wounds and sanitize things."

Next she pointed to a Lodestone suspended on a leather thong. "The Tracker's Lodestone. If you clean it and put a drop of a target's blood on it, it will lead you to the owner of the drop of blood."

Finally, she pointed at the final object. It was a staff about the size of Anja's forearm, decorated in strange symbols. "That's the Rod of Sentience," she said finally. "I always wished I had a chance to use it." Her voice was faintly wistful. "You can only use it once, but when you do it will make any living thing sentient and capable of speech. That includes animals and plants."

Anja touched the bundle of items and the girl rested her ethereal hand over his. He looked up to see her smiling face. "I know you'll take good care of them," she said.

(Words 586, Total 4795)
User avatar
Anja Nightwatcher
Ghost Hunter
 
Posts: 262
Words: 298384
Joined roleplay: February 15th, 2018, 3:26 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes

Trails

Postby Anja Nightwatcher on July 1st, 2019, 7:19 pm

Image
Anja nodded. He was still overwhelmed, but his expression was serious as he locked eyes with her. The girls eyes turned sad, though she still smiled. "Thank you," she said. Slowly, her song and her form faded until the room was silent and empty.

"Mission complete, I suppose," Anja said wryly. "Easy enough once I found her." Morte leaned over the bundle of items, and pecked at them. Anja pushed against the bird's chest to stop him, and then reached into the bundle, pulling out the staff and twirling it in his hands.

"I wonder," Anja said quietly. "Would you tell me what this magic is that you taught me if I used this on you?" Anja paused. The question was fairly hypothetical. Knowing the magic would be great. But what if he could talk to Maisa? Or the pups? As Anja twirled the staff in his hands, mind overfull, he heard sudden whinny of warning and the sound off hoofbeats. A moment later, dozens of footsteps began echoing from the adjacent room.

"We know you're in there mage! Come out or we'll come for you!"

A powerful dread seized Anja's heart. Carefully he knelt down and looked through the hole he had crawled through. A group of perhaps a dozen men, armed with blades of every shape and size stood there, with the stallowner standing at the head of the group.

"You think we don't know you're a mage with those freaky eyes!" The stallowner bellowed. "We all saw them! We only do one thing to mages in Sunberth!"

A round of jeers echoed from the men. Anja swallowed. He certainly knew what became of mages in Sunberth. He had seen the results manh times. Frantically, he searched the room. The hidden ro was mostly empty, aside from debris littering the floor. There was no exit to the room aside from the hole he had crawled through. However, Anja's eyes fell on a small window high above him. It might be just large enough for him to fit through. Hastily, Anja kicked some debris through the hole and heard roars of outrage in reply. He stared up at the window, heart beating furiously. Too high to reach. How?

Insistently, Morte began pecking at the staff in his hand. The two of them locked eyes. Anja let out a soft breath. Being able to speak with Maisa or the pups wouldn't help him if he were dead. With Morte, he might just have a chance. With shaking hands, Anja held the staff out to Morte and prayed. "If I die here," Anja said softly. "Then my mission ends here."

Suddenly a brillant light flashed from the staff and lit up the room. It struck Morte solidly in the chest, and for a fraction of a moment the bird glowed a bright white. As soon as the light faded, the staff crumbled to dust in Anja's hands. Morte stared at Anja for a moment, wide-eyed. Comprehension grew in his sunburst marked eyes.

(Words 501, Total 5296)
User avatar
Anja Nightwatcher
Ghost Hunter
 
Posts: 262
Words: 298384
Joined roleplay: February 15th, 2018, 3:26 pm
Race: Human, Drykas
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes

Next

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests