Mas Bagus

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

Luckily, the size of Jazdia's teapot was proportional to the small cup that came with it, so there should be enough tea for Fia. There was only one problem, however. "Well, that's my last cup..." the elven ranger shrugged.

"Hold on, I will get you something." Mr. Elc said, winking at Fia before walking toward the supply crates, fetching something that had to be a metal tankard. Not the best container to hold a tea, but that was their only option.

Concerning Miwa and her conundrum, an impartial smile escaped her, but her eyes looked at Fia and the sourjourner searchingly. "I am sorry, you may forget what I said earlier."

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

@13org

"Ah, the sourjourner girl," said Jazdia, ending their banter by taking out the last porcelain cup from her teaset box and placing it on top of a crate they had repurposed as a makeshift table.

"Morning," the elven woman greeted back with a smile before inching toward the crate to pour the tea and place it at the other side of the table. The tea was darker-colored, with an additional scent of bergamot. "Help yourself. The leaves are not from the Far East, but I think Nusantaran is quite on par."

"And some sandwich," added Mr. Elc, "Before they all run out. I've told Miss Jazdia that she made too few of them."

The elven woman glared at him before returning to Miwa, pausing as the metal spear-umbrella --which she had been using nonchalantly as a walking stick-- caught her attention. (The protrusion on the rim was just an inch away from poking Miwa's head, and the sight of it, combined with the girl trudging around with heels as long and as pointy as a pair of ice picks made her grimace inwardly)

"Say, why don't you put aside your umbrella for a bit?"

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

The night grew late, and the campfire was bright. Eblana, Jazdia, and Vesemir had already fallen asleep, lulled by the warmth and tranquility of the place, untroubled by hunger, who wouldn't?

Mr Elc volunteered to be the first watcher. He would be taking shifts with Stepan, who preferred to spend the quarter of the night smoking his pipe and just enjoying the vibe. For members of the party, the chats went on for a while, stories told, but at some point, they had to be told for another night, for the night was getting colder and the energy needed to be replenished for the journey ahead.

So their first day in the inner part of the Land slipped away, as each morning dawned bright and fair. Jazdia had already awoke even before the sun was dawning on the eastern horizon. She did earn adequate sleep, but the fatigue was far from being driven away completely.

Feeling that a breakfast would aid her better than continuing to sleep, the elf boiled a kettle of tea and prepared some marmalade sandwiches, which she promptly shared with Mr. Elc; the stacks served on a small saucer, accompanied by a cup of tea from her portable teaset.

"So, I guess we didn't have any Ent ravaging our camp last night," she said, handing the cup to him as the masked elf lifted a lower part of his mask and kept the rest settled on his nose.

"No... we, don't, thanks to me and Stepan, you all could sleep safe and sound," he replied, trying to hide a grin by munching the second sandwich. Jazdia could only respond with a weak smile, and the elf quickly realized that the remark might be a bit tasteless.

After some awkward silence, he began.

"Twas the nightmares, isn't it?"

Jazdia sipped her tea and sighed.

"Yes, it's getting worse..."

Upon reflection, the changes in Jazdia's appearance had become increasingly noticeable. Although they seemed minor at first glance, he remembered that when they first met, her hair was a vibrant golden blonde, and her eyes were a striking ocean blue. Now, he noticed that the edges of her hair were beginning to bleach, and circular red patterns had appeared in her eyes.

"Hey, chin up!" He said, raising his cup to offer more than just sympathy. "It's just a few dozen leagues to go."

"Yay..." The elf's voice was tinged with dry sarcasm, and Mr Elc noticed that. He remembered Jazdia had once shared with him that the Great Library might hold the secret that could cure her ailment, but today, he noticed that the confidence had started to wane. But of course, the woman was an expert in hiding her thoughts when she needed to. A smile quickly appeared on her lips, followed by another gibe, and Mr. Elc saw no other option but to play along.

"Damp and dusty ruins await us then."

"And more devourers."

"My favourite..."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's wake Vesemir up!"

The masked elf shrugged. "You do, it milady. I am too occupied with my marmalade sandwich, very scrumptious, nom! Just what I need after ending my guard duty! Nom! Thank you very much, much appreciated! I hope you made enough of them for everyone... No? That's a shame..."

____

Day 5
05:33 AM
Land of Twilight, Digenrana Glade

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

@13org

Jazdia smiled back, but she seemed too drowsy to say anything. Meanwhile, Vesemir listened earnestly to the point that he managed to scribe some information and details in his notebook without losing much eye contact with Miwa.

"Wars fought and won, soldiers and their deeds fade and forgotten." Vesemir hummed. "Such is the way in many civilizations."

"That's very noble of you to keep the legacy of your temple alive. I know a race that collectively seeks to sever their connection to their old legacy," the old elf paused, glancing around before shaking his head as if trying to gather his thoughts. "They feel ashamed of it; they want to bury their past, letting it crumble and decay. Don't be like the elves in that Regard, Dear Miwa."

Vesemir's ranting made Mr. Elc, who stood within earshot, shrug and sigh exasperatedly. It seemed the scholar had brought up a controversial subject that had been intensively discussed several times, but no one in the party bothered to engage in it anymore.

And Miwa too, didn't seem too keen on digging up the topic that involved the nation that had provided her an asylum. Or was she?

*****

@Randomness
While Vesemir and Miwa busied themself introducing each other histories with a pinch of politics on it, Mr. Elc could be seen slightly troubled by Fia's enigmatic smile.

“You know, you are not the first to tell me that, my dear Mr. Elc.” said Fia, “I know this older elf who has told me time and again the dangers of seeking the power best left hidden in the annals of the past. Well, you can at least not fault the dreams of a young girl.”

"I am sorry, it's not my intention to tell you what to do," he fretted. "That's simply advice to live by. We elves often live long enough to witness the outcomes of the decisions we made in our youth. This forest is filled with treachery, and it can lure you in when you are at your most vulnerable."

The conversation ended with the Sorceress' attention now fully shifted to the newcomer.

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

"And once again, Vesmir secured another hireling into the fold, as effortlessly as picking a feather in the market." remarked the Jazdia, still sitting near the fireplace.

"Mmmm, that's just Doctor Vesmir alright," replied Eblana with a smirk. The elven healer sat next to her, enjoying their dinner. The big pot was still half-empty, simmering by the campfire, but it seemed the Ninja felt it was not enough to feed the rest of the party. When she prepared another pot, Jazdia admired her thoughtfulness, but at the same time, she felt something was not quite right.

"That's probably improper of me, but I envy those who come to this land not because they have to. Treating the most dangerous venture like a stroll in a park."

Hard to measure what Jazdia's intention was with that statement. It was spoken with no emotion, not even a hint of sarcasm. The elf's eyes wandered again, and her mind was taken aback by a flood of moments that had long passed, none of which were unhappy.

"I thought this was just an everyday for the rangers like you, Miss Jazdia."

"For those who know where to wander and which path they have to choose, that may be true," replied the elf. Still reeling back a surge of emotion. "But my paths were always duplictious."

"How many times have you visited this place, if you don’t mind me asking?"

"I was here thirty-two years ago, and again at twenty-five, twenty, fifteen, ten, and five years ago. So yes, you could say it was like a stroll, until today at least." Jazdia offered a smile but did not elaborate on the reason for her regular visit. Eblana, too, was considerate enough not to ask; it was apparent from the get-go that they were not planned to be a happy one, not even out of scholarly reason like Vesemir and her often partake, and not even for financial gain or curiosity like most people in the party.

Gradually, Eblana could understand what her earlier statement meant. She could only hope that Jazdia would find what she was looking for.

***

Fifty years ago, at the very place they were now, a team of six was here, resting, planning, thinking. Jazdia was one of them, and she remembered the day like it was yesterday.

Their Commander would be there, under that apple tree, poring over a map in eerie silence. He just had a heated argument with his second-in-command, Faldiar, who wanted to skip the rest and send the main team rather than a few scouts.

"They are heading to Dagorlad! Dagorlad, Commander Darien, there is no doubt that we can do nothing once they reach the border, and the more minutes we dawdle here, the closer they are!"

The commander's answer was vague, but his answers were reasonable words mixed with a thin accusation of insubordination. The pressure was enormous that day. A very important dignitary was killed days ago, and days of traveling in a quiet forest did little to dispel the feeling of shame and incompetence. The fact that their pursuit had been unfruitful wasn't helping either. The assassins were elusive, as if they knew this forest like the back of their hand. Or someone, a damned insider was guiding them.

Faldiar and the rest of the team wanted nothing but to clear their name and reputation as quickly as possible, and the assassins were their ticket to not only that, but also to save their nation's pride and good standing with Castediar. They were young, and straightforward, and Jazdia too wasn't thinking too differently that day. Despite the differences, they placed their faith in their commander and believed he had the same zeal to bring those assassins into the light.

It was their first mistake.

"Jazdia? What do you think?" One of the rangers, who went by the name Seron approached. "About the plan, of course... Hmm, you look sick! Faldiar, you need to take better care of your beloved! Right Jaz? Well... at least... You didn't have to suffer like... us."

When Jazdia looked up, what stood in front of her was a ranger with a disfigured face. His helmet was crumpled, and a broken icy spear lodged in one of his eye sockets. The mangled ranger peared down, grinning with what was left of his torn jaw, rotten blood dripped down from the broken hilt, dripping into Jazdia's teacup.

"Why do you have to live and we all die?"

***

Jazdia awoke from what seemed to be a deep delirium with a heavy headache. Her heartbeat raced as she looked around, and the shadows were gone; her current party was still here.

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

"Before anything, I guess introductions are in order. My name is Miwa Shirakawa, the current Miko from the Shirakawa temple. I volunteered to escort a group of scholars to the Land of Twilight but unfortunately... They proved to be much less competent than I anticipated and ended up running away after encountering a few mutant dogs and the huge dragon flying in the distance..."

@13org

When Miwa started talking, the masked ranger released his grip on his sword, and gradually the tension dissipated as she introduced herself and her situation. When her story arrived at the part where a scholar was mentioned, Vesmir intriguingly walked toward her and replied the courtesy with another Eastern-style bow.

"Greetings, Miwa. I am Vesemir, the leader of this group. Another scholar you say? I do not know your former employer personally, but I hope you will pardon my colleague. As for us, we just escaped from a very tight situation ourselves. We had an encounter with the dragon you mentioned earlier, and suffice to say it gave us quite a hindrance. So I hope you too could pardon the lack of immediate hospitality. Please rest, and enjoy a little bit of what we have."

There was a conversation about what to do next with the new guest. Had it been left to his advisors to decide, the plan would have been to have one of them escort Miwa to the border, but the Miko had another idea

"I can assure you I won't be a burden. I am more than capable of taking care of myself and I am sure my skills will be of use in keeping your group safe. I do not require any payment and should you decide my presence was helpful, all I ask is for a donation to be made and sent to the Shirakawa Temple in Nippon along with a small letter with your endorsement."

There was a small pause, then a hearty laughter coming from the old elf. He spent a moment studying this miko, and the long weapon she used spoke quite a fair amount of her claim.

"Should you be interested, I would be glad to tell you a bit about the Shirakawa temple, it's history and the reason for a Miko of a temple known to only have one Miko per generation to be so far away from her homeland. Over a bowl of stew and a place to rest, of course."

Miwa added, just when Vesemir turned his back on her. For a moment it seemed as if Vesemir did not take her seriously. But Mr Elc could attest that the old elf was very intrigued with the proposal, and would even sweeten the deal.

"Well, you hear that? Would be glad to have more hands in this enterprise!"

"Whatever you say, boss. But I agree, the more people we have, the better. The girl seemed able to handle herself."

"Ha! Ain't that right?!"

The decision was quick, and Vesemir took no time to fetch a pouch of coins from his burden beast and tapped Mr. Elc's shoulder as he passed --as if indirectly telling him that he just hit a jackpot. It was supposed to be the payment for the transportation earlier, but since the coachman was presumably either dead or eaten by the Land's creature, the funds were better off allocated to hire more hands, more capable hands, according to his assessment.

"Miwa, I will pay for your service and your story in full," he said as he handed the gold coins. "Welcome to the crew!"

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

“If we are worried about the ethereal, then maybe we should harness our own unearthly power ourselves. Fighting fire with fire. You could say that I am uniquely equipped to return that very fire.”

@Randomness

"Madam, that's exactly our goal now!" Vesemir said, looking even more beaming than before. "Alkautsar holds very limited records from the ancient days, but thankfully I managed to find the important bits; That was after Serensiel's death, the new Government led by Theriadore created a tool to combat ethereal beings. I could only hazard a guess that such adversaries were abundant post great-war, or were developed to aid the effort to claim the land. Unfortunately, it seemed the latter was abandoned and the former was unsuccessful. To what degree, I do not know, but I am very sure the vault holds the answer, or even the prototype itself.

"let us just hope that dragon doesn't guard the old library too." shrugged Mr. Elc. "But I am curious, Vesemir, if there is an option not to seek a confrontation with Vildared'saca, would you take it? You seem a bit too immersed in the prospect of taking down the ancient dragon."

The scholar shook his head and spoke assuringly. "I would not take any unnecessary risk that may endanger my crew. But what you call immersed, Mr. Elc, is preparedness."

The masked elf nods. Did the diplomatic answer satisfy him? To the initiated, they could see that Mr. Elc was fishing for a certain answer to measure the scholar's intention and resoluteness to that cause. And such ambiguous answers were the bane for an interrogator like him.

“I might be alone, but I would hope to encounter the dragon again. You could say it is one of my selfish wishes. When else would I have such an opportunity to uncover the hidden potential within its body. It’s not like the dragons of fairy tales, so much about them could still be lies. But to me, that doesn’t matter. It’s my thrill.”

The sorceress said. This time it earned her a slightly concerned look from Jazdia, but she uttered no word, and instead, sipped her tea and then looked to the dark horizon, mulling over the words 'trust' and 'closeness', and to what extent a camaraderie could be forged. Only Mr. Elc was willing to offer his view on that statement.

"I will not judge you solely based on your words, Madam Fia, but there are secrets in this world that are better left undiscovered and forgotten. And in this Land of Twilight, the power derived from such secrets often comes with a terrible price."

The appearance of a teenage foreigner suddenly grabbed everyone's attention. Mr. Elc was the first to assume a combat position, while Jazdia stopped sipping her tea and had her eyes fixed on their newcomer. Meanwhile, Vesmir and Eblana looked at the anomaly curiously.

This encounter was a bit too random to look to be what it was; a foreigner stumbled upon a colorful party, in the middle of a haunted and dangerous forest, at midnight, just a few hours after a legendary dragon showed up. But The so-called ninja was the one willing to look past the incongruity and offer her some hospitality.

"Did you two hire another adventurer?" Whispered Mr. Elc to Vesemir and Eblana. Meanwhile the ninja could be seen scooping a portion of stew for the girl.

"I have no idea about this one." answered the scholar.

Jazdia too could not be asked to scan this newcomer, being low on mana. So for the time being, the task of determining whether their guest was a real breathing human or another projection created by the Land of Twilight itself was left to Akari, who offered her a small talk, and the so-called Miko seemed a way too articulate for a wayward spirit.

But you could never be too careful. Let's hear what the Miko had to say.
@Akari@13org

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

Seeing how we have been received when we entered the Twilight Lands, am i correct in thinking that things worse than the "Viladred'saca" may be on our path? If he were honest, Degel wouldn't mind seeing the Dragon again. It was unlike anything he saw before, and he wondered how it came to be in such a state, or how an actual fight would pan out.

@Deide

The masked elf shot Vesmir a look before answering solemnly.

"The dragon promised to us that he will be our hindrance later. In my career as a ranger, I have heard reports about him. A stalwart guardian of the ancient citadel Ostianor. We never heard of it traveling far from its bastion, nor did we hear any report of it attacking adventurers. We too have no idea why that dragon resides there, we never checked, and it is only a few of us ever set foot anywhere near Ostianor, let alone enter it. Rumors say there is something more sinister than a spectral dragon haunting the citadel. It is hard to verify the truth of those stories, and I do not have the heart to ask, even if one of those few people is in this very party."

Almost at the same time, a cold wind howled from the dark treelines, disturbing the campfire, and temporarily bringing back the eeriness that had been absent since they entered this tranquil garden.

"All more reason for me to go there," said Vesemir. "I've been to many places in the world, and while I do not dispute the existence of ancient spirits guarding the site, myths surrounding them were mostly fabricated throughout centuries to preserve the site from unresponsible hands. To some extent, it has its merit, but I found it folly that virtue has to be enforced through artificial ignorance."

"You will hear no disagreement from me." replied the masked elf with a nod. A moment passed before he shifted back at Degel. Someone as enormous as he was rare --maybe not as rare as a burning undead dragon that can talk, but still impressive nonetheless.

"I don't doubt that people have referred to you as that, Sir Dagel. However, until we discover ways to overcome the ethereal advantage that those spectral creatures possess, I'm afraid that physical toughness won't do much if our goal is to defeat them."

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

"I'm Verdant, a regular snek!" She said cheerfully at her turn, completely serious about it. As far as she's concerned, it's actually accurate. "I like naps, food, sightseeing, and exercise! Peached to see you all. Oh, where are we going exactly?"

@A5G

In normal circumstances, it should be the navigator's job to answer that question, but Jazdia was too stunned upon hearing the story of a gastronomical disaster involving eggs poached in pickle juice she spent the next moment wondering if she had offended someone with her earlier statement about civility so Mr. Elc had to take over.

"For now, we are heading toward Laisle Grand Library. Or at least what is left of it." answered the masked elf. "There is a tome or some artifacts that Vesemir wants to... obtain."

You didn't know why, but it sounded like Mr. Elc said that with a veiled disgust like he was in the position of someone working with an employer who wanted to rob his ancestor's tomb, and the academic excuse for it was nothing but an utter malarkey. Such disposition remained even when Vesmir, attracted by the topic of tomes and artifacts joined the conversation with ears perked up.

"Not just that. I want to see for myself the work of the Greatest Artificer ever lived! Theriadore was one of the Five founders of, ugh... modern Varenheim and it IS a great shame that most of his works were left abandoned, sealed inside some underground vault. We will find that vault, that's our first mission."

Duplicitous Ruins in the Land of Twilight

The campfire piled high and burned brightly, fuel was piled nearby, and Jazdia finally considered it up to her standard. Yet, despite the fatigue and comfortable settings, she couldn't get herself to fall asleep. In addition to the ailment currently gnawing at her insides, she could guess what the problem was. Quickly, she walked toward the supply crate and rummaged through to find a kettle, a metal tankard and some iron bars to be assembled near the campfire. And then, finally, a freakin tea! The scent made her feel so happy that she would have flipped if there had been no witnesses here.

Stepan helped to assemble the irons, while Jazdia went toward the river to fetch the water herself. Upon returning to the campfire and scrutinizing the water under the light to verify its cleanliness, she happily declared: "Okay, that seems safe."

After hooking the kettle above the campfire, the ranger checked on the foreigner, who seemed busy preparing dinner. Yeah beef sausage, potatoes, beans, and onions, all chopped. Very staple ingredients for a stew.

She rolled up her sleeve and grabbed one of the potatoes to peel it, concluding that his whole chore seemed too much for one person to handle. Looking at the party, Vesemir and Eblana were busy with their tomes, and the others were still dealing with knowing-each-other-names. So she summoned the only person available.

"What is it again, lass?" grumbled Stepan.

"Hungry? Get some water, please? Ask Mr. Elc too. We need at least two basins of water; one to fill the pot and the other to wash the vegetables. It is safe. I scooped some samples before. Chop chop! The stew isn't going to cook itself!"

After much muttering and under-breath protesting, the water was delivered, the pot hooked and a bag of Instant condiments made by Ensling-Co was torn open, poured into the pot, and allowed to simmer.

Jazdia handed the peeled potatoes to Akari, insisting that she liked them peeled. "Takes more time, maybe, but that's a small detail that reminds us that we are civilized beings."

Pausing to take a breath, she eyed ripe apples hanging low on the trees near the river. "Let's throw some apples in that stew. Why the hell not."