Diem looked form his fishing line to the small stream before him and took a deep breath. As he released his breath he cast the line out into the center of the water and watched as the slow current began pulling it away from him. Just before it was to far away to allow Diem to reel it in, he slowly began pulling in the wire so the line traveled back up the stream. When it had reached him again he let the line go slowly, allowing it to be carried away by the stream again. Diem took another deep breath to taste the cool air of the forest.
The Wildlands of Sylira Region had always held a certain air of wonder for Diem. It was both calm and peaceful, serene and relaxing. The suns light reflecting off the snow and separating into so many different colors put Diem at peace in a way few things did, its radiance reminding him of the calming light of Priskil. He could summon a small, and much less radiant, bit of light himself. It often served to comfort him in his most trying times, and brought hope too him when all seemed lost. Most recently he found little time to to so though. So he was happy he had been able to leave Sunberth for a time and bask in the light of the sun reflecting off the snow. To go out alone into the wilderness was a dangerous thing though. Far to many risks, animals and monsters alike looking for food or enjoyment. The possibility of thieves or brigands, a little more remote for their own fear of the same thing, was also something not to be trifled with. So it was that Diem's excursions into the wild lands was limited to those few times he could find work protecting a caravan or small group of merchants.
In fact it was just such a group that he was now trying to escape, at least for a moment or so, by fishing at this secluded stream. The other guards were nice enough, if a bit silent and detached, but the merchant who had hired him was a different matter entirely. He seemed to think because he had hired Diem on, he could order Diem to do a number of things normally done by oneself, especially when one was traveling. Fetching food and water was the least degrading of the tasks that had been assigned to him. It was also the least degrading task Diem failed to perform. He could feel the merchant was ready to confront Diem on the matter, and most assuredly it would be the very topic he would have upon his return. In fact had he not stole himself away the moment the wheel on the merchants wagon of goods had broken, he might have been having it at this moment. To do so would be folly though. Diem was almost as frustrated as the merchant. In such a confrontation between employer and employee one needed to be calm in order to triumph. So here he was, enjoying the splendor of colors reflecting off of the snow, the trickle of the stream as it passed over the rocks in its bed, and the sound of the forest as the inhabitants went about their daily tasks.
Diem took it all in and then when he was sure he had noted everything, or everything he has a human could note, he closed his mind to it all. Sight was easy to block off, Diem simply closed his eyes. For the other four sense it was a more difficult task, and at his level Diem had to affix his mind to a single image in his mind to accomplish it. This time he chose the Gnosis mark on his head, the one that had been gifted to him by Priskil. Over an hour of time passed by the sounds of the stream and animals, the smell of fresh snow, the feeling of the cold wind, and the taste of a winter afternoon all began to lose their importance in Diem's mind. It wasn't a matter of forgoing what his sense gave him, simply a matter of ignoring it. Meditation was an important tool for Diem, who often found he needed to calm the storm of thoughts that made up his mind. Before confrontation such as the one he foresaw with the merchant Diem would take any chance he could to meditate, allowing him to order his thoughts and feelings. It was also something he did to prepare his other Sight as he liked to call it. The person who had taught him how to use it had called it Auristics or something of that nature. Diem thought it was a little much and thought it simply called it the Sight. Of course this was wholly inaccurate because others might not actually use their sight to see Aura's but it mattered little to Diem. So it was now that he prepared to use his Sight by meditating.
For maybe a half an hour Diem sat in the snow, his blanket underneath him and his fishing pole in hand and unmoving. For maybe a half an hour Diem sat in this trance like state, taking in all around him without taking notice of any of it. For maybe a half an hour Diem allowed none of his cares bother him. Then the fishing rod in his hands twitched. Diem took note of this and then let it go by. It twitched again. Diem once more took note of this occurrence, but this time he did not let it go by. This time Diem began to open his mind once more to the outside world.
First, Diem focused on his sense of smell. He allowed all the scent he had blocked off to once more enter his attention. The scent of sap from the nearby trees, the smell of fresh water and crisp clean snow. Diem took it all in and made sure his mind recognized each individual smell. Next Diem allowed what he felt to take importance in his mind. The cold snow beneath his blanket on which he sat, the dry chill air of a winter afternoon brushing against his cheek. Diem took it all in and made sure his mind remembered each individual feeling. Next was his taste, as easy one considering all he really tasted was the fresh air of the wild. Diem took that in as well and continued. His Hearing came next. He could hear the animals of the forest near and far going about their life. Birds chirping away was the most prominent. Diem took note of this and moved on. With the first for sentences Diem had painted a picture in his mind. It was both vibrant and beautiful, but it was missing a great deal. He allowed no memories to intrude on the picture, his mind was not trained well enough to do so accurately. This meant the image in his mind was seemingly abstract. The trees around him were both larger and thinner then they truly were. The water in the stream in front of him was moving at a different speed every few feet. The birds he heard chirping away numbered in the tens. He still had one sense left though to complete the image.
Diem opened his eyes and the image in his mind clarified to a sharp brilliance, almost painfully so. Not only was it clear but it now showed a variety of lights emanating from each and every object. The trees were surround by a greenish brown that was both warm and ancient, but tinged in a bit of blue as they slumbered away. The water and snow were a mess of almost every color Diem could think of, dividing the light from the sun that shown down upon it. Through the waters Aura though Diem perceived another. A bluish Aura, only slightly larger then a fish was very near his bait. Diem focused his Sight on the fish's aura and proceeded to gently pull the line in. When the Aura glowed brighter Diem stopped pulling the line and waited. Soon the Aura dimmed once more and once more Diem began reeling the line in again. Just as he was about to pull it out of the water a voice rang out through the forest. It wasn't particularly loud, simply more noticeable in its singularity.
“Who are you?”
Diem jerked his body around and lost his focus on the fish, which quickly pulled away in fright. The voice had not come from the direction of the merchants, whom were to far to have been heard anyway. Other people in the forest? Diem could not read the voice very well, especially considering the distance, but it sounded cautious. Before he could think to do anything the clear ring of steel reverberated of nearby trees. Someone had drawn a blade. A more feminine voice spoke out.
"I should be the one asking you that, don't you think so?"
It sounded as if things were becoming troublesome. The normal traveler or mercenary would wrap things up and move away in hopes of avoiding any involvement. Diem was either crazier or more foolish then the normal mercenary and proceeded to wrap his fishing pole in his blanket and bury the blanket in the snow. It only took a moment and when he was sure it was hidden but not hard for him to find Diem quickly moved in the direction of the voices.
More words, a chuckle. the first voice, sounded like a man, was talking again. However he could not here anything over the crunching of the snow beneath his boots. There was little he could do though except hurry on. Just as he reached the origin of the voices he caught sight of two figures, one on horseback on the other side of the second draped in a cloak blade drawn. The one on horse back had no weapons ready but that meant little. From the short distance between them Diem was able to notice only a few details. He seemed sort of boyish in appearance, though his stature and demeanor suggested a man. His dark ensemble was intimidating but many mercenaries took the style in hopes of earning more money for services. He had a blade on his waist and a javelin on a sort of rigging upon his horse. Neither were drawn but his hand was on his blade, ready to do so at a moments notice. Diem looked from the man on his horse to the woman. Instead of simply an imposing warrior with blade in hand Diem was greeted with the sight of an equally beautiful and fierce visage. Appearance could be decieving though, so for the second time that day Diem opened his eyes to the sight. Unlike before, where he had time and preparation, this time the bald monkish man simply closed his eyes and opened them to the Aura's of the world. It was more taxing, it took a great deal more effort, and he quickly lost focus. He only needed a moment though. The man on the horse had an interesting aura, a myriad of grays that swirled around his body. It was hard to follow and simply looking at it hurt Diem's eyes. It also gave him little. The woman's Aura revealed only a little more and not from the color. Diem could only manage a glance before turning away, the woman's light shined to fiercely to look at directly. Diem closed his eyes and when he opened them once more he saw the world as he normally would.
“I’m sorry I startled you just there, I mean no harm.”
The males voice sounded disarming enough, and the women quite breathtaking in appearance, but neither would keep Diem from remaining vigilant. With hand's raised in a sign of peace, though since he did not use or carry a weapon it left him mere seconds away from a defensive or offensive stance, Diem ventured forth. He made to stay to the side of the women and stopped when he was about 6 feet away from each. With a calm tone Diem spoke.
"It seems both of you are far to ready to commit to violence at the moment. One with his hand upon his sword waiting for the moment to draw, the other with her blade having already escaped her scabbard waiting to taste the blood of another. Perhaps, if neither of you have any quarrel with each other, you may forgo your weapons in favor of speech." Being only marginally trained in unarmed combat, Diem had to hope he could talk the two out of violence. Since he knew neither of them it might seem a strange thing to put so much effort, but in this Diem had taken after his goddess Priskil. He disliked confrontation, though it did not stop him from acting should the need ever arise. It often carried onto his dealings with others, though situations like this were definitely not the norm.