Illumin0sity

Journey to the East

Noah was enjoying his meal in silence, recovering from the strain on both his mental and physical capabilities given he was still wounded. Even now, his movements were restricted as he slowly brought each chunk of meat to his mouth. The clouds continued to move onward and it was becoming hard to see them as they passed overhead. They were headed in the way of Zeltiva, he thought, having come in from Syliras and the ocean the castle city sat on. The cloud cover fell away to reveal the tranquil and shining night as the moon, Leth, shone down on the world. The stars twinkled beside the spherical nightlight, aiding in the twilight glimmer that overtook the world in its silence after the storm.

Noah heard Elann moving behind him, figuring it was her since his sister looked as if she would be fast asleep soon. He turned his head, looking over his shoulder, and spotted Elann draping Aimee’s furry form in a blanket, something that the wolf probably drew deep comfort from because she would remain warm. Noah looked forward again after that, noting Elann going towards the front of the wagon. In the next moment, as he ate, he felt her presence come up to his side. He turned to look at her, scanning over her nude body with whispering quizzicality. He would’ve pointed out the obvious but his mouth was full as he was chewing.

She didn’t say anything, simply showing him a look after pushing her hair forward. Noah looked out of the wagon again, placing the last few pieces of meat into his mouth in time with his fingers. His mind quietly reeled in consideration for Elann’s bare actions and exposed showing. It didn’t mind him, but he had assumed it bothered her very much. They were visible out of the back of the wagon, and though no one was wandering around the camp, someone could decide they needed to walk around at any moment. What if they were particularly nosy, he thought. Would Elann be bothered? She seemed to hardly be able to stand being naked in the hotsprings of Syliras even though everyone around her lacked clothing to either an extreme or approaching an extreme degree.

Noah looked down onto his plate when his fingers seemed to grasp air and not the meat he was expecting. It was gone and he was finished. All that remained were the sauces the meal had produced, mixed with the small amount of rainwater that managed to get into the dish. Given there was some room in front of him between himself and the edge of the wagon, he leaned forward unhurriedly and set the plate down, listening to it lightly sound as smoothed wood hit the plank of the wagon’s floor. He licked his fingers afterwards, turning to look at Elann again in the moonlight.

He brought his hand down to rest over hers, the chill of the back of her hand shocking his palm. Noah was serenely appreciative of her efforts, understanding it was taxing on her to be bare there with him. She might’ve thought herself exposed though, whereas he didn’t, for both him and her. He couldn’t understand entirely why most of society seemed to shun the embracing of themselves. He was, in a way, thankful for Elann’s actions, just silently so.

Noah looked at the moon, recalling the small saying he had told Elann, the Fratava expression of love for calling their lover their moon in comparison to Syna and Leth, two gods in love. In the thought, his resting hand shifted more into a grasping hold.

Journey to the East

Noah was entirely captivated by his work, so much so that he didn’t feel Elann coming to him until she was there, pressing her lips upon his cheek and saying she was proud of him. He turned his head to say something to her in reply, to thank her and share his quiet happiness, but she was already pulling away to retake her corner in the wagon. Noah closed his mouth and turned back to face the newly broiling storm. He wondered how long it would last; this was another test of the stormgems, only one of the probably numerous secrets worked out at this point. He had willed the gem to fire but wasn’t sure if the rain was the causation for the effect or if it was him, and him alone, which caused the firing.

Noah’s wet hand came to his cheek to rub at where Elann had kissed. His hand was slightly chilled, the cool rain slowly robbing him of the heat he was so accustomed to producing. He tucked the stormgem behind his back so it didn’t roll out of the wagon, then his hands came to clasp one another, resting in the hole of his lap, as he looked outside. It was growing darker still and soon only the rolling and intermittent lightning was lighting the skies briefly, flashing to illuminate Noah’s face and dripping frame. It did the same for Aimee who remained by his side, watching the storm with the front of her muzzle beginning to drip with the rain water.

After several more chimes Aimee turned away to retake her position on the bench, hopping onto it with her stilted stride breaking into a quick jump. Noah remained where he was for two bells more, hardly flinching or moving as the storm rolled over the area in its slow pace. To his observant surprise the lightning and thunder continued on in its small degree, the storm fueled enough to last until the rain finally lightened and stopped coming down altogether.

When the show was over it was overly dark just outside the wagon and the smell of rain wafted about the entrance, furling into the wagon past Noah every now and again. Noah sat for a few chimes more, watching the lingering bouts of thunder as they came to flash in the clouds. The winds were sweeping the system away though, and the tail end of the clouds could be clearly seen in the sky.

Noah pushed up to sit, raising entirely from his cross-legged position with only his legs, untwisting them slowly as he worked to keep himself from jostling much in the movement. He turned just as slowly then crept towards the front of the wagon, the stormgem used to fuel the storm clutched dully in his hand. He moved towards the chests and worked painfully slow to get the gem back into the sack with the rest of them. He managed to do so and bear through the pain of the motions for the sake of being independent in the action. When that was done he reached further into the chest, moving to his tiptoes so he wouldn’t have to stretch his arms entirely, and plucked one of his shirts out. He had worn shorts that day, but now they were wet and sticking to his lower body in the front and there was a clear stain of wetness outlining his behind as well.

Noah fell back to the heels of his feet and brought the shirt up to his face, wiping the wetness from it, then slowly rubbing the fabric over his chest to bid the flesh of water as well. The shirt was placed over the edge of the open chest as his attention shifted to his wet shorts. He brought his hands down to pull at the tie holding the shorts around his waist. Thankfully it was a simple pull, otherwise he didn’t think he could’ve taken the wet things off by himself. That would’ve been embarrassing to him. Even though the waistband folded down, newly loosened, the shorts still stuck to his thighs and behind. Seeing as his legs were unafflicted, he carefully worked them down by shifting his weight and gently shaking his legs until they fell all the way down to his ankles.

Finally done, and newly nude, he took a breath as he recovered from the meticulous ordeal. His wounds had a fresh ache to them but he felt good on the inside having done as much by himself. He basked in the small victory, turning slowly to view the rest of the wagon again. He spotted his set-aside dish near the wagon’s entrance and figured he would go to it and finish eating, even though the rain had stopped. Noah walked carefully still, expertly sliding back into a cross-legged position to retake his dish.

Journey to the East

Aimee rested in her feral form on the bench, head down atop her paws as she laid, looking out of the back of the wagon where her brother sat, his frame slightly wet and his hair wind-whipped. Being from Zeltiva, and having two of her family members being particularly fond of rain and storms, made her at ease as well. The sounds of the rain plopping down outside were enhanced to her ears, and the winds whistling was sharper still to her senses. The aroma the heavy clouds kept in the air lingered all the more in her nose, and the wetness of Noah’s skin tickled her snout all the more.

Noah waited for Elann to grab one of the gems for him. When she came to him, handing the gem to him, he set his dish aside and looked to the gem as it glowed in his palm. “Thank you,” he said in a whisper, turning his attention to the weather outside.

He extended his hand out into the weather tentatively, bearing through pain as it came slowly, the gem in his flat palm. The water came down on it to no outward effect. Disappointedly, Noah urged it to do something, and it seemed his will was enough to spark a change. The spark was literal, the lightning infused in the gem crackling out along the surface to dance along his palm’s sensitive skin. Unlike last time, the feeling was only a tingle and tickling, nothing violently shocking as before that seemed to burn his fingertips.

He leaned forward still and grasped at the stone, pointing it towards the sky as the light static crept out of the stone and enveloped his hand. Like the finch earlier, it traveled over his wrist and started to snail down his forearm. Noah wasn’t afraid of the static though, willing it to do more to see just how far it would go. He squeezed the stone in his palm, pressing more of the erratic static out apparently. Then, he pressed his arm out a little more, gritting against the pain of the motion. With that, the stone showed a whitely hot glow before discharging with a sliver of lightning which shot past the treetops, singeing the leaves and branches, and traveled to the sky.

Upon impact, the lightning disappeared and a second later the clouds rolled with the static that was on Noah’s hand still. He pulled back some as he watched the display. The lightning stayed in the clouds but rolled underneath the cover to be visible to the Kelvic’s perceptive eye, and all those whose eyes weren’t as keen. He creased his brow in some determination as all the lightning did was crackle in roll. Again, he extended his hand out and shot the lightning forward from the gem once more, sending anther slivering bolt to the sky. It impacted near the same spot and sent another wave of lightning rolling through the clouds.

Noah loosened his grip on the stone yet the static remained, tickling and licking at his skin as if it was a friendly fire. He kept his eyes trained on the sky, waiting for a deeper reaction. He got one as the sky clapped suddenly in piquing anger. He had brought thunder to the sky, and he was almost elated. The deepest emotion in him though was wonderment and his eyes were large as he looked on still. He observed the lightning roll underneath and within the clouds and felt the rumbling thunder as the sky growled down at them.

Aimee took an interest, hopping from the bench onto her stilted legs to hurriedly make her way to sit beside Noah. She slid to her haunches, looking up at the sky as the magic was worked. Because of the lightning source so close to her being, her fur was tugged in the direction of the static emitting stone. She didn’t mind; what was happening in the sky was several times more concerning and intriguing.

Noah managed to turn a rainstorm into a mild thunderstorm. The rain didn’t lessen, but the skies were angered and fueled with the storm encased within the gem. Some power released, the stone’s emitting static lessened, as did the white hot glow that fought to be freed from Noah’s tightly closed fingers.

The Warden pulled back into the tent. The more he loosened the stone, the lesser the divine magic became until it was no more. All that remained was the now faint glow of the stone as it shimmered with rain water. Satisfied, the Kelvic was an audience to his work, looking to the skies as he seemingly did what he believed only Zulrav could do.

Journey to the East

“Not really,” Noah said uncaringly. “Whatever you choose is fine.”

Elann told him about the blanket, saying it would be for cold nights. He assumed she meant while they were camping because by the time they got to Zeltiva, the heat would begin to rise and the sun would begin to beam and it would become increasingly humid. As it were now, Zeltiva was being graced by brisk salty winds or cool ones blowing down from the mountains at Zeltiva’s rear. He hummed at her saying she liked his blanket more though. “I’m glad,” he said quietly, looking to Aimee again.

The tent was retracted after he said it would rain and he was sad to hear it. He would’ve liked to be in the rain, regardless of the tent’s soaking. On the matter though, he remained quiet letting Elann retract the topic. They would sleep on the wagon’s floor again in the blankets disappointingly. “Okay,” was all he said in reply.

If there was nothing else said he would rest quietly in his cross-legged position, thoughts idly wandering around until the caravan was pulled off to the side of the road to start the evening’s camping set up. Elann left the tent with Aimee as she woke up and Aimee went off into the woods, returning several moments later before the rain began. She had eaten already when Elann came back with the food and so, her portion would be given to Noah.

Before Elann returned Noah positioned himself at the edge of the wagon, sitting cross-legged awaiting the rain. This wasn’t a storm as much as it was a downpour, Zulrav’s lightning and thunder entirely void of the skies. All that was were the god’s sweeping winds that battered the wagons with pelting rain, and Noah too since he sat at the mouth of the wagon’s back. It didn’t bother him that he was getting wet whenever a wind blew towards him, he was perfectly content feeling the wind and falling water on his skin. It was a feeling he was thankful to feel after so many others seemed to be devoid of him. He was quietly joyful, not soaringly happy. He wouldn’t dance in the rain as much as he would silently revel in the downpour’s presence.

He ate where he sat, retreating some small ways in to keep rain out of the two dishes he ate. He ate them slowly, watching the rain as it was a captivating thing. He turned to Elann, wherever she was, and motioned towards the front of the wagon. “Can I have a stormgem, please? A small one.”

Journey to the East

Noah hummed in acknowledgement to Elann and her explanation on who the rug was for. His curiosity sated, he looked out of the back of the wagon and noted the horses drawing the wagon behind them. His eyes trailed up to the driver who appeared to be partly distant in another realm of mind. Coming back into the wagon, his eyes went for Elann as she rose with her project, coming towards him to sit on his left side. He watched her fingers and their fast movements, silently fascinated by the actions even though they seemed to repeat after a moment of observation.

“No,” Noah said in reply to her question. “I just want to lie down and eat.” He looked from her hands to her face briefly. “I’m hungry.” His voice was still sleep choked but the plainness of his statements persisted through it.

“Are you getting another blanket?” he asked, looking back to her hands. In the next breath his eyes were drifting elsewhere around the wagon. Aimee lied down at their feet, probably very warm, while Noah still warmed up from his sleep. He would warm soon enough, he knew, but since he wasn’t moving it would take longer.

A quiet wind whistled into the back of the wagon directly, curling around inside before being dispelled. Despite the wind, Noah didn’t cower in his cold, partially because Elann was beside him with the rug, but also because he was listening to the words upon the breaths of air. He turned to Elann, scratching at the bottom of his chin.

“It’s going to rain,” he said matter-of-factly. “It’ll start when the tents are up.”

Noah scratched at the side of his arm after that, turning his head to face front again as he scooted up onto the bench all the more. Scooted, he brought his legs up and crossed them without using his hands, shimmying a little back in forth to make sure they were tucked properly and comfortably. On the ground, Aimee twitched and stirred, moaning as she rolled onto her back in the blankets. Her hands slid out over her head as she stretched and yawned with closed eyes, opening them slowly to blink at her surroundings. Her large light eyes found the Benshira and her brother on her flank.

“Good morning,” the wolf said, scratching at her scalp.

“Evening,” Noah corrected quietly in Fratava, looking down at his sister. “You said you were going to nap, not die.”

“Did I?” Aimee replied in Common, feigning ignorance. “I’m sorry, I was just too tired, I guess.”

“Worry not,” Noah replied kindly.

Aimee looked to Elann at her brother’s side and waved to her with one of her outstretched hands before they slid back beneath the blankets she was under. Looking to Noah, she communicated silently with a passive look.

“Not yet,” he replied. “We’re stopping soon.”

Aimee nodded, rolling back onto her stomach to pull the blankets over her head. “Wake me up when we get there,” she said, the lump of her body fidgeting until a comfortable position was found.

Journey to the East

The longer Elann stayed away, the deeper Noah fell into what was supposed to be a light sleep. The poultice given to him seemingly amplified the effects of the herbal tea, even though he had drunk only half, and pulled the Kelvic away from consciousness with each passing moment. Noah was hardly comfortable when he first lied down on the bench, but it didn’t seem to matter as he was going further away from the buzzing of the world outside of him. While his sleep was dreamless this time, thankfully, it was deep enough to make him ignorant to the world around him and Elann’s sneaking into the caravan. One would’ve thought Aimee took the same poultice because she was asleep in much the same way.

Eventually, Noah did stir, his mind telling his body that he was supposed to be waiting for Elann to return. His lids cracked to the newly dim light as afternoon turned into evening. The temperature had dropped as the sun waned, yet the overcast persisted on, turning from pale grey to a mixture of faint oranges and pinks as Syna began to fall away. Shirtless, the Kelvic’s skin was decorated with goosebumps, the only indication that he was outwardly cold. The bandages on wrapped around his torso kept those parts minutely warmer than the rest of him, but it was something.

He took a sleepy breath, opening his eyes further to the wagon’s interior. He could see Elann’s frame out of the corner of his slitted eyes, but could also see something that wasn’t entirely familiar. He stirred all the more, using his left arm to push himself up to sit on the bench, his feet coming down to the floor as he righted himself. He fought the urge to stretch dramatically, but the stretch that did come was tight and still pained him. Noah had no choice but to grunt and whine at the pain that came from a process he couldn’t stop entirely. Still, in the end, it felt good and hurtful at the same time.

His hand came up to wipe at his eyes, blinking thereafter to focus them on the room and Elann and what appeared to be a rug she was working on. At his feet Aimee lied. He looked down to her and the mound of blankets she seemingly encased herself in, hibernating like the bear that was slain days ago. His arms came to hug one another, hands gripping at the elbows to warm himself again. He looked to Elann, peering curiously at the rug she was forging.

“Who is that for?” he said quietly and sleep choked.

Journey to the East

Noah saw the small smile on Elann’s face as his eyes came to her again, refocusing. She hummed her telltale hum and went to lean in, stopping to bring up a finger to rid the remnants of the medicine his tongue may have missed when he licked his lips. She came in full then, pressing her lips to his before he reacted in kind to let her savor her romantic kiss before pulling back. His head came back to rest against the frame of the wagon as it rumbled beneath him. Her words came to which he nodded to, turning again to let his legs hang out of the wagon so that she could see his back.

After her moment, he moved to sit back again, swinging his legs back up and into the wagon to sit with them slightly spread apart as his back and head slowly reeled to land gingerly on the wooden frame again. She was going to let Emery know something and said she would be back in a little while, she needed to check on some things. She told him to open his end of the bond if he needed her. “Okay,” he said softly in reply, watching as she began to slip away from him.

Noah did open his mouth to protest her leaving. He enjoyed the quiet interaction, the kiss, and the quiet care she was giving him. Yet, he stopped himself from speaking as her feet landed on the ground just outside. He felt as if the quiet wouldn’t last if she stayed, even if he did want her to. So he shushed and settled back onto the frame, listening as her footsteps sounded into dullness and then a hushed whisper.

Emery came with his little girl, Alena, and checked in on Noah. Emery gave Noah’s wounds an examination while Alena showed him her dolls, giving Noah one to play with. She kept her movements slow so that he could keep up. At first he was just waving the doll along with her, but upon observing her pitched voice to pretend she was the doll, Noah did the same for the other. They engaged in a small play session while Emery put a topical ointment on the injury. He said it would dull some of the pain and promote healing. Later, when Noah was healed more, Emery said he would put another cream on to ward off heavy scarring. While Noah didn’t particularly care about that, he assumed the doctor had many patients who did. Quietly, Noah accepted, waiting to be bound up in a new set of bandages that would be taken off in the evening. Before departing, he gave Noah a poultice to drink, setting the vial back into his medicine bag when it was empty. After that, Alena and Emery departed.

Noah felt as if he could fight through the drowsiness that came as a side-effect of the herbal tea, and he could, yet there was nothing to stay awake for. He had only drunk half of it, the cup was sat on the bench opposite of Aimee and him. He lied down on the bench over Aimee and fell into a shallow sleep, waking up when Elann returned if she did at all.

Terra Magica (Open/Accepting Players!)

And, posted!

Terra Magica (Open/Accepting Players!)

Chapter 1.2 | Saturday Morning | West Gate of Ambrosia en route to Silos

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The square was crowded beyond belief and though Ely had a hard time with crowds, his determination to sign up for this adventure was far too pressing to allow his discomfort to bother him. The Pledge would have his hide if he didn’t, and he wouldn’t allow himself to disgrace the teachers whom so delicately taught him all that he knew. No, it would be a dishonor to their name, the Pledge, and his own if he didn’t offer his aid here. He was a capable mage; he knew as much. His commendations, while they were few, held a deep tug on his heart. He knew what he could do and knew he had a large capacity for learning more. How else would he learn if he didn’t throw himself out into the world? He wouldn’t, he deduced silently as he walked.

Ely continued on, his spear waving and gleaming in the light until he approached one of the many kiosks acting as a small sign-up stand. The queue seemed impossible, and though he was one of the first waves of people here, it was quickly filling up with more noisy bodies. Standing in line, he hugged himself around his midsection, stepping up when it was his turn to do so. He was surprised to see order in such a disordered place. He heard various names, whooping and hollering, and overall excited chatter as everyone was either signing up or seeing the few who would hold the new world by the reins. Ely was among those few.

Still, as he approached the front of the queue, he felt eyes upon him. He tried to be subtle about searching for the starer, yet he couldn’t find them. There were so many pairs of eyes, so much noise piling atop the other, and the bodies were jostling now. He closed his eyes to the world around him and took several breaths. His fingers began drumming at his side as he recalled the beat to the ethereal sounding music that once streamed out of his vehicle’s speakers. The words came to mind soon after and he whispered them hushedly to himself as his eyes cracked back open to the world. His ears seemingly came with the sight, flooding him with stimulus. It didn’t matter though; the beat was in his head now.

A few more minutes ticked back and he was forward more spaces when he felt a tapping on his shoulder. At first he didn’t feel it, but the second round of taps was enough to pull him from his airheaded realm, something he had been scolded about by his tutors of the Pledge. Ely looked over his shoulder, a man with a stubbled face coaxed him out of line without words. Furrowing his brows, Ely stated he would lose his spot, he wouldn’t get to sign-up for the excursion. The man informed him that there was no need for him to sign up at all. Of course, Ely questioned that incredulous statement. “Why not?” he asked, only to be told that he had been scouted out by leadership.

“Sorry, what?” he questioned, leaning forward to make sure he was hearing the man correctly.

“Your spot’s already been secured by the higher-ups. There’s no need for you to sign up. You’ve been handpicked to be one of the firsts on the assignment,” the man informed, growing impatient. Figuring he no longer wanted to talk to the kid before him, the guard fished around in his pocket for a folded collection of papers. He shoved one of them towards Ely who took it, dumbfounded, then went to wherever he had come from.

Ely unfolded the paper and read it over, his brow creasing and unfurrowing again and again. The guard wasn’t lying, it seemed, and he was to make his way for the silos. The silos, he repeated in his mind, turning back to the place the guard once stood. The spot was empty now, and so Ely stepped out of line into it then made his way back out of the square, thankful to be headed back to his vehicle. Once out of the square, he crossed the road to where he parked his ride, unlocking it with the remote before pulling at the handle to pile inside. He set the paper in the passenger seat then started his car, pulling out of his spot to drive towards the silos, his mind whirling with scenarios.

Journey to the East

Noah looked at Elann with a face unchanging, though his eyes shifted to her movements and took in her ever-moving frame. He watched her hop over the dip and land, her frame seemingly flowing back into its walk. She then ran, jogging up past the wagon and out of Noah’s vision. Curiously, he stayed watching and waiting for her return, and when she did, she had a flower in her hair. It was easily picked up by his keen sight, yet aside from the distraction his gaze went back to her and her movements. Despite his looking, where she once would’ve looked at him in reply, feeling his eyes upon her, she behaved as if she didn’t notice in the slightest. It was then that he took his eyes off her and looked to the driver of the wagon behind them. Their eyes met, and though the man blinked, the Kelvic didn’t. In fact, his face hardened slightly enough to be noted as a glare by the man in the deadlock. Having gotten his point across, Noah relaxed again to quietly roost, his eyes going back to Elann as she walked, twirling a flower in her fingers.

Noah didn’t know how much time passed since Elann started walking, but she stopped and ventured back towards him and the wagon, clambering in to walk towards the front of it. Noah didn’t follow her this time, instead looking to the driver behind them again with a passive face, much softer than the first time their eyes met. Slowly, the Kelvic turned into the wagon, keeping his left side facing the outside and resting his back, very delicately, onto the wagon’s frame. His eyes skimmed the wagon’s interior and noted his sister lying on the other side of it huddled in his blankets, her form rising and falling to denote her heavy breaths of sleep. She had said she would be down for just a nap but it looked like it would be more than that.

Elann was in the front. He could hear the clinking of dishes before he saw what she was doing. There was a little sadness in him when it came to her filling a cup with another dosage of painkilling herbal tea. She came to him but didn’t say anything, simply raising the cup and giving him a quiet look of coaxing. He took the cup without protest with his left hand and brought it to his lips, drinking it slowly until half was gone. He didn’t want to fall asleep again. That’s all he had been doing. With a full cup he couldn’t fight off the effects of the herbs, but with a half cup he determined he could at least try. He was content to be in pain than to sleep away the day like he had been doing. He felt so lazy and lethargic all the time, and he didn’t like it, not when it wasn’t of his own motivation.

Noah set the cup down on his left side, close to the edge of the wagon but his hand was over it, palm pressed over the opening while his fingers grasped like talons along the sides. He tucked his right foot beneath the back of his left knee, licking his lips as he looked back to Elann. He looked entirely passive at that moment, though he was bored and down over his grounding, it didn’t show as well in his brows and eyes, the most expression-filled features of his face.