Completed Nothing is what it seems

[Chevalier]

The sharp scent of salt in the air was quite pungent. There were times when it had seemed that the waves had washed something indefinable up upon the shore. The smell could be observed from a great distance, as could the various sea birds that would pick at its corpse. Was it something mutated by the past Djed storms? Who knew, it was dead now, that was for certain. Markus' plan was solid, if simple, and he learned that if he was indeed south of Nyka, the further north he traveled the more responsive the agriculture seemed to be. Grass grew greener. Where fruits and berries could be found they grew in larger clusters. Even wild game was more plentiful should he attempt to test out his skills at engaging the wildlife.

Something else grew as well. A strange sense of foreboding that didn't seem to mesh well with the otherwise bright and vibrant surroundings. It had been a day or two of travel northward when Markus would finally come across something that could be involved with his search. There within the woods that sat hundreds of yards from the shore appeared a sight. It was as if the ground itself had shown incredible displeasure and fought against its static nature. Great pillars shot up from the soil at odd angles, some fifteen and twenty feet tall. Their bizarre nature was slightly lightened by the presence of small animals, moss, and vines climbing up and upon those earthy ramparts.

The nose upon his mount picked up something more, and Markus followed shortly behind. The smell of something burning was in the air. It wasn't the scent of flesh or meat; instead it was a more common scent. The smell of burning wood. The weather had been relatively pleasant during his last few days of travel, with no storms of bouts of lightning brought to mind. That meant that such a fire could have been made by a person, thus making it the very first instance of possibly contact with someone besides his horse. Slowly rising up into the air, an unsteady line of smoke could be seen. The breeze blew it around, removing some of it's linear form, but otherwise the smoke was in tact enough to lead a person toward it's origin if followed. Though difficult to estimate completely, the young Squire believed that it sat less than a mile and a half into the interior of the woods. Navigating through the augmented earth would be difficult, but not impossible considering Markus' training atop a horse. Or the Syliran could attempt to see just how far out of the way attempting to get around the strange barriers brought him.

[Markus Andres]

Markus sat quiet on his horse. Helmet off. He needed a greater peripheral vision if he wanted to detect motion. Also including sound, his helmet had a way of reducing sound. But as he traveled further north he noticed that everything seemed more lively. More vegetation. More life to the area. He even contemplated going further inland to try and score a kill on a deer or rabbit. Just to mix up his diet a little. But he had enough rations and the amount of berries and fruit in the area was enough for the moment. No need to scare off the wildlife before it was needed. A shudder went down his spine and something felt off. He looked for something. Often checking behind to see if someone was following him. He let his right hand rest on the hilt of his sword and let Alluia determine the pace she would set forward. That was when he noticed the odd pillars tower above the treeline. Not far above, but enough for Markus to see that something was amiss. He bade Alluia stop as he scouted into the forest. Ruins? Not uncommon for the wildlands. But something was definitely out of the ordinary. That strange feeling. That kept his neckhairs tingling. Perhaps it was magic he could feel? If so, then he’d best check it out. Even though the idea of entering such a strange area did not sound like a sound idea in his head. He motioned for Alluia to walk slowly forward. Closer to the odd structures. He felt Alluia slow for a moment midstep. He had grown quite fond of the horse and trusted her instincts completely. When she noticed something Markus had not yet noticed, he grew wary. He raised his shield a little and unsheathed his sword an inch. But a moment later he noticed it too. Something was burning. He once again bade Alluia to stop by gently pulling the reins. What was burning? He could see the smoke rise from a bit into the forrest. Not far, he could cover it in less than a bell. But a bell worth of terrain where he was at a disadvantage… That would grind at his nerves and was possibly too dangerous for him to do. If it was a manmade fire, then that person might soon continue on his travels. So Markus could not take forever to decide... But looking at that weird landscape and odd pillars… He would rather not rush in there. He was confident he could ride Alluia through the strange terrain, but he would be quite vulnerable as he did so. He could dismount and let Alluia go free and then take the trip on foot. But the wildlands was a dangerous place. He would rather not let Alluia walk free if he could avoid it. The person who had made the fire might know more… But they might also be hostile. And more importantly… They might not be alone… He sat motionless for a second or two, contemplating. Before he ordered Alluia to walk forward. Into the odd terrain. He had his orders. He could not let the strange sensation keep him from doing his duty. His eyes constantly looking at the odd pillars that grew larger and larger in his vision as he moved further inland. The terrain worried him. It was... Unnatural. Definitely the sign of either magic or the will of the divine. Something Markus would rather not trespass. But his orders were to find a magician. So he had to explore the unnatural to find this magician. Time was of the essence. Some would perhaps favor caution and not boldly stride into such an unnatural place, but Markus was confident he could at least defend himself for long enough to get Alluia and himself back out to safety. If safety even existed in this wild and untamed world. But at least he should get to one of the pillars. So he could get a closer look at them. If that went without a hitch, then get to the fire. See if it was a natural fire or indeed someone who had decided to camp in the midst of the area. He was extremely wary. His eyes constantly seeking the origin of any sound he heard. His left arm constantly flexing a little. Ready at a moment’s notice. He kept taking a glance back. Remembering the path he had taken. And watching for a route he could take quickly if he had to escape. For although he would not shy away from combat, it was not his mission and he had better things to do than get bogged down in a pointless fight. Slowly, but steadily he would close in on the strange pillars and the source of the smoke.

[Chevalier]

There within the mutated forest, Markus felt no strange taint upon his person. No tingling sensations that would signify some unnatural power lingering in the air. Whatever had made these structures was long since gone. In fact, given the amount of vegetation that grew upon the stoney spears getting in his way, it was safe to say they had been there for quite some time. Several seasons at the very least, if not even longer. There was no discernable pattern that would signify them as a type of purposeul ruins, instead they just seemed to create a jumbled mess that did little beyond slow Markus' progress. Certainly all of the obstacles would have halted a cavalry charge, but with enough skill at the reins and care for himself and his horse, the Knight-in-Training would find himself well enough at navigating in toward the heart of the forest.

The going was slow, but up ahead, past the leaves, branches, and rock formations was an expanse, a clearing of sorts. The light from the sky above was filtered greatly by the canopy of trees, but it was otherwise well illuminated and in fact, quite comfortable given the shape provided. The clearing showed well enough the source of the smoke. It wasn't a traveling campfire at all, but in fact a pit specifically designed for a fire, complete with a small cabin-like structure made in a strikingly similar fashion to the traveler cabins the Syliran Knights had designed all along the Kabrin road. A sharp eye could note various colored blotches matted down against the packed dirt surrounding the cabin. The color was filled with browns, reds, and some lighter shades of pink. Was it old blood in various stages of drying?

Some of the stones appeared a bit out of place as well. Smaller stones, much less in size than the great jutting columns found previously. They were bleached a white that would have been fairly prestine aside from the occasional mess of dirt or grime from the elements. Was it...pieces of bone? The packed nature of the dirt in the area suggested the clearing was well traveled, and the recent addition of the smoke could only mean that someone was in the area most recently, perhaps even now.

Above Markus' head a tree branch swayed slightly, as if a weight had been placed upon it. There sat a large bird of prey, perhaps an eagle, though it was difficult to tell. The beady black eyes of the raptor stared downward toward the Squire, almost as if silently judging him. Ahead he could see the main doorway into the cabin appeared open, the wooden planking of the floor inside just barely visible. Beyond his avian spectator there had been no motion around the homesite. Nothing beyond the occasional gust of wind that blew the treetops, causing the large bird to tighten it's grip.

[Markus Andres]

The road was not easy. The going had been slow, anything else would have been perilous to both himself and Alluia. Several times a path he had taken ended up in nothing but a dead end with trees and undergrowth too thick, with openings too narrow for Alluia. Forcing him to turn back and find a different path. But with experience and a good horse between his legs, Markus made it through the broken terrain to a clearing. With a singular building, that looked strangely familiar, not that he could put a finger on it right away. He looked at the strange place. A fireplace for a more permanent settlement. Definitely not something hastily put together. Meaning that someone probably lived here… And that Markus had just intruded upon their camp without making his presence known. His gaze turned to the cabin, for a briefest of moments before his right arm moved quite fast for someone armored up. Lightning quick reflexes had his right arm shoot straight for the dagger on his side when he noticed movement from above. Thinking an ambush. The blade had moved barely an inch before the movement halted. It was but a bird. Markus let a smirk cross his lips, at his own, perhaps a bit… excessive reaction to a mere bird sitting on a branch. He looked at the bird for a couple of seconds. Admiring it. Judging from his limited knowledge of ornithology, he believed it to be an eagle. He pushed the blade back in again and his gaze returned to the cabin. Wondering just who had built the shelter in such a remote and inaccessible place. At least the smell of salt-water was less omni-present further inland. ”Hello? Anyone here? I mean no harm!” He said in a calm sincere voice, before waiting for a response. If too long passed with no response, he would dismounted from Alluia. He stood by her side for a moment, gave the strong mare several pats on her neck. He looked to the fireplace briefly to see if he could spot the occasion for the fire. He noticed the odd colors. But for a camp where animals had been slaughtered, dried blood or whatever it was, would not be uncommon. Thus, he promptly walked past it and to the cabin. His fist pounding the door frame to make his presence hard to ignore. ”I am coming in.” He said in the only language he knew, Common. He really hoped uncivilized people living in the woods understood Common, if not, then he would be in trouble. He would first look inside, not stick his head in foolishly, but see if he could see a shadow of someone standing or similarly anyone hiding in the shadows, he would rather not have a dagger pointed at his throat. Like that other quest he had been on. If no ominous shadows loomed inside, he would take a step in and take a look at the insides of the cabin.

[Chevalier]

Ah, those tense moments when opening up a doorway to the unknown. Ahead of Markus that strangely familiar door creaked slightly as it opened without much impediment. There appeared to be no resistance and no lock. Opening the door appeared to be the only recourse, as there had also been no response from his calls at the door, nor any movement he could determine from the outside. All there existed was an eerie silence and the occasional swish of the tree tops as they bent softly in the wind. The inside came into view, and appeared to be quite quaint and comfortable.

Two cots were inside, made neatly. A table that appeared to be utilized for utility purposes as well as for eating was situated in the middle of the room with two chairs, one a bit lopsided with a plank of wood resting beneath one of the legs to level it out. Upon the table was two bowls, both with carved wooden spoons inside, and each with a different level of a pasty substance that the questing Squire could only imagine was something edible. A few holes in the roof appeared to be plugged or repaired. The floor boards were worn but still in good repair, though traces of mud and dirt stained them in places. A fireplace sat upon the wall furthest from the door, unlit at the moment but still stocked with timber.

In the midst of all this...was a girl with an ax. Not a waraxe like Markus may have been more familiar with, but a simple wood cutters ax. And not a girl like one he may have seen within the Knighthood, but a young Human perhaps ten to twelve years of age. She wore a beat up dress, patched together with a pair of breeches clearly worn beneath it. Her boots seemed a bit inappropriate for her size, clearly too large for her feet, but she wore them nonetheless. She clutched that ax and stared at Markus much light a deer caught in the brightest light of Priskil. It wasn't just like she wasn't expecting Markus, it was almost like she had never seen a Human before, despite being one herself. Or at least appearing to be one.

"Uh..." she said finally, her voice nervously shaking, "...who are you?" Her feet idly twitched beneath her. Markus knew that body language, anyone who had been out on patrol a few times did. It was like the girl was getting ready to run somewhere, although she had no place to go. Markus was at the only entrance or exit in the house, unless she was planning to dive through a dusty, nearly opaque window.

[Markus Andres]

Markus was extremely pleased that he was not met with a fist full of hell fire. With a foot inside the door, he was sort of surprised by what he saw on the other side. A simply decorated room with the bare minimum of furniture. But he barely noticed that, for in the midst there was a little girl standing. Brandishing a weapon. Despite the threat, Markus remained calm. For he recognized the weapon. It was not meant for tearing flesh from bone. It was meant for cleaving wood. But many things were not meant for war and yet had been converted to tools of death. Still. He remained calm. He slowly raised his hands with the palms facing out. Showing the girl that he was not holding any weapons. "I apologize. I did not mean to intrude." He took a step back so he was standing outside the cabin again. Not intruding. For he recognized the girl's posture and he certainly knew that he would come off as scary to such a young girl. Being 6'2 feet and over 200 pounds heavy wearing full armor and carrying several weapons openly - He would come off as scary to most uncivilized people. It felt strange to talk to a different person. It felt extremely strange. Markus had been afraid when talking to the knights the first time and he had not been alone in a little cabin. He could relate. He could understand. The knight back then had been straight forward. Aggressive. Frightened Markus. He would not be like that knight. "My name is Markus Andres, a squire from the city of Syliras. What is your name?" He said with a simple smile as he looked around. "Going out to get some fire wood? Want a helping hand with that? I didn't get this big to stand around letting young girls do all the work." Markus offered with a simple smile. Intentionally misinterpreting why she was holding an axe. He really hoped he could stay diplomatic and keep her from running away. Partly because she might know something about the mage he was looking for, but also because this was the first real human contact he had had for many weeks.

[Chevalier]

The little girl continued to stare eerily at Markus throughout his introduction. There was a growing crease between her eyebrows, as if she were either concerned or perplexed. Slowly the surprise seemed to fade away, and it was replaced by this uncertain expression. "Mommy said not to talk to strangers." she was rather curt with her response, "And you, Mister, seem like a stranger to me." Whether Markus would have considered himself threatening or not, the girl still seemed to be quite wary of him, so much so that she inched further and further backward even if he did not advance.

"That's right my dear, we do not talk to strangers." a voice crept up behind Markus. A woman stood there, though there were no footsteps to signal her approach. She wore something of an altered robe, short sleeved and stitched from a ashen grey fabric, it's bottom hem fraying and worn, cutting off just below her knees. At the mid-section a wide belt wrapped about her slender torso several times before becoming secured in an almost oversized bow. Her feet stood upon a pair of sandals with leather tethers tracing around her ankles, tied off tightly. Her black hair was worn up in a loosely kept bun. Age wise she was definitely older than Markus, though it was difficult to determine just how much. Perhaps in her mid to late thirties. The girl seemed to visibly relax when the woman made her appearance.

"Especially not strangers from Syliras, not unless mommy says it's ok. You're a long way from Syliras, Markus Andres. There is nothing out this way but wilderness and monks." her dark eyes had something of an exotic curvature to them. From her short distance from Markus, she wasn't exactly petite in height, perhaps standing five foot nine inches or so, but her narrow build suggested she only weighed a couple dozen pounds over one hundred. "But a Squire...a Squire does not come all this way to meet monks and wander around in the wilderness." there was a definite accent to her common, but Markus couldn't quite pick it out. "But yes dearest..." she spoke over Markus' shoulder, "You don't talk to strangers, you just call for mommy and I will deal with them. Just like I will deal with...this one." her eyes turned back toward the Syliran as she crossed her arms in front of her, "So, what is it that you want?"

[Markus Andres]

Markus would not advance. That would be breaking his own word from just mere moments ago. He was not there to intrude. But the girl did let him know something important: She was not alone. There had been hints of this, no such girl could survive alone. But know he knew for certain that there was someone else. A 'someone else' who sent chills down Markus' spine when she suddenly spoke from behind him. Markus' gut reaction was to slide his right hand down to the hilt and spin around. There was no hint of immediate danger, which was why he had not drawn his blade. But she had still startled him. How had she snuck up on him? He was quick to turn to face the stranger. The one called 'mommy' and appeared old enough to be one. She spoke clearly, with an accent he could not place. Which meant neither Syliras nor Zeltiva. Or some bastard mix of the two. When she was done speaking, Markus just realized something. He had turned his back to an individual armed with an axe. A little girl, perhaps. But an axe was an axe and Markus remembered that he wore no helmet. Tearing the flesh from his skull would be plenty easy. He took a step to the side so at least he was no longer standing with his back exposed to the girl. Now he might actually get to see the axe before it tore his face off. A huge advantage. Looking closer at the woman, her clothing seemed to his taste a random mash up of whatever she had been able to scavenge. Markus' eyebrows furrowed as she spoke. He couldn't help getting a vibe that she was not overly fond of Syliras. But Markus chalked it up to himself being weary from travel and his brows eased. "I can't tell you how happy I am to finally meet someone. I've had noone but my horse to talk with for the past quarter of a season or so. But, you are right, I have come here for neither monks nor wilderness." He would be frank with them. "The knights requested that I travel here, to Bristol bay, in search of a mage called Nightshatter." He paused briefly, partly for air, partly to see if they would react. "I do not know why they want me to find her, only that she is of utmost importance to the knights. If you know a mage around here by that name, or any mages around here. It would be a tremendous help if you would tell me." That was pretty much all Markus knew.

[Chevalier]

"Nightshatter..." the woman began, appearing as if she was preparing to say something immediately following the repeating of such a name when she stopped. Turning her eyes toward the little girl she spoke, "Dearest why not get a kettle of water boiling for some tea, the Squire and myself need to step outside and talk about grown up things. I'll be back shortly." The little girl seemed amicable enough to this, letting the back of her ax hit the ground before leaning the handle up against the wall.

"Come outside with me." the brunette gave a small gesture of her hand toward Markus, shutting the door behind him when he obliged. "The Knights have got you caught up it something difficult, it seems. You'll have a difficult time bringing them Nightshatter, as she--er, this person is no longer the person the Knights would want. You're quite better off simply returning and telling them that you received word this Nightshatter is dead, and has been for close to a decade. Hmph, that's quite the time ago for someone like you, you would have been no more than a boy...younger even than my little girl back then. I would say." If Markus ever had gotten the feeling in his life that someone was hiding something important from him, it was this time.

Resting her palm against the frame of the door she continued, "You are free to stay for tea, but then you'd be best on your way. Nyka and the surrounding landscape is dangerous, and none too friendly to outsiders. The entire place is one big ball of strangeness, and quite honestly a lone Squire is simply not well enough equipped to deal with it. I'll give you some short cuts on your way back to Syliras to make the trip more tolerable."

[Markus Andres]

It was clear the name rang a bell in her head, so Markus obliged and went outside. Expecting to be told to whereabouts of this mage Nightshatter. But instead he got the complete opposite. She seemed quite eager to be rid of Markus. He looked sceptical, at best, when she fed him what Markus assumed was a bunch of Olidosapux shyke. This woman severely underestimated the conviction of Markus and the other knights. He felt a shiver travel down his spine, she must be protecting something really interesting. Something that would be of great use to the knights should it be retrieved. She might have tried to get him to leave, but rather, she had bolstered his resolve. Markus furrowed his brows when she said this Nightshatter had been dead for 10 years or so. Wasn't necessarily a lie. Many things had died, but had returned in a new form and shape. "I do not decide, and neither do you, who or what my superiors would want, that is for them to decide. Nor I pretend that my opinion in this regard matters. I have been tasked with finding and retrieving this mage, those are my orders and I intent to carry them out until I have certain proof that she is either dead or alive, in either case, I am bringing her with me. Lord Wysar be my witness. I will not return and feed them a lie, just to make things easier for me. " He hated when he had to speak in such a hard tone, it always churned at his vocal cords. "So, how about you make my travel across Syliras worthwhile and tell me what you know about Nightshatter. For there is something you're not telling me and I would like to know what." He inquired in the same tone, hard and unwavering. He was determined to find Nightshatter. Even if just bones remained.