Xaltwind
datadogie
TruthHurts
Yankee
Renose
BabyKaiju
Double
Crusader Lord
Savo
Dragonfly 9
~Auges Magnus & Maire~
Year 7,432 of the 3rd Era
3rd Month, 12th Day
Location: Forests of Illisk
Note to Self: Being dead made one loose lots of practice.
Auges’ feet hit the ground near a small pond in the middle of the thick forests of Illisk. Ugh, how did she get so tired so quickly? Was the stone out of power? Or was she just getting careless? Or had she got so lost in thought she had just traveled further than she intended and ended up wearing herself out? Blegh, at least this little clearing made for a good rest area. The transmuter sighed, yawning and stretching as she walked over to the water's edge and pulled off her boots.
“Whew...” She shook her head, taking a seat her the edge of the pond and letting her feet soak. The water was...oddly clean and clear, for an unmoving pond in the middle of the forest. Felt very...clean, too. Odd. So was the large tree on the opposite side of the small grove. That tree looked like it had to be ancient. Gnarled, twisted roots snaked along the ground, all the way around the pond and it was a good few meters taller than the rest of the trees.
If she wasn’t in a hurry, she’d stay and study it.
But for now, a drink.
Auges reached into the wet soil at the bottom of the pond, a flash of red as she pulled up a number of clear glass vials filled already with crystal clean water. Well, might as well get some more practical and fast ready to use weapons.
As Auges went about the area, she noticed that the sounds of animals increased. Namely, birds. The songs became louder and more numerous. Even beyond that, deer and other animals of the like would be noticeable through the foliage. They were just congregating as if some force commanded them as such.
Auges stopped drinking from the vial, observing the congregating animals curiously. This certainly wasn't an average happening, was it? She stood, quickly putting her boots back on in case she had to make a swift exit. She tugged lightly on the chain the stone was hanging from. Could never be too careful.
Before being able to make a move, Auges would notice something odd happening with the tree that was peculiar. It seemed as if the bark on the tree was being pulled apart by some supernatural force. Inside of that was something quite remarkable. Something not quite human, yet not quite a beast. It bore significant resemblance to a human, but the feathered body and wooden horns on its head said otherwise. Not to mention the pitch eyes that studied around before falling face first out and onto the grass.
She didn't know what she had just witnessed with the tree, but whoever that was looked like they were injured, or at least tired. Perhaps it was fortuitous that she ended up at this lake. She quickly stashed the vials into the holders on the inside of her cloak, quickly casting Aurae to skim across the pond and towards the tree to where the feathered woman was.
She approached slowly at first, but upon coming to the conclusion this wasn't some sort of hostile humanoid Auges fell back on her doctor skills and practices. She first felt for a pulse, for a fever, and quickly checked the obvious for any signs of distress. Upon finding none, Auges simply stood over the humanoid, eyes furrowed. She doubted they would understand her words, but she had to at least see if she could wake them.
"Hello?" She spoke softly. "Are you ill?"
The being pushed itself up slightly, but found the feat difficult and plopped back down. After a bit of a struggle, it held a hand out, spread out it’s fingers and practically dug into the ground. After a minute of this, the being started to push up again, this time being more successful. Finally, it showed itself to Auges. Though it was likely more a “she” than an “it.” ”I am merely weakened from the years of slumber.” She studied Auges’ face and body before speaking again. ”A child?”
She…She could understand this creature perfectly? And it seemed she could understand her? Auges audibly giggled. Oh, oh, this would certainly be so much fun!~
"Well, miss," She spoke in the childish tone she usually spoke with. "I certainly look like a child." She giggled. "But what about you? You just popped out of that tree like an apple! Though, an apple wouldn't be as pretty as you."
”As pretty as me?” The being asked. She was slightly confused. ”Most find this appearance daunting. Or perhaps not appeasing.” How odd was this child, she thought. ”Regardless, you may call me Maire. Would you tell me yours, so I don’t have to keep calling you ‘Child.’”
"Auges, miss! Nice to meet you, Maire!" She replied with a grin. "And what'dya mean that most would find it disturbing or unappealing? Your feathers are so pretty!" Auges continued to offer Maire a happy, child-like grin. "Uhm uhm, so. What are ya doin all the way out here inside of a tree?" Information was always good.
Maire couldn’t help but give a smile. Such flattery in the first few minutes of talking? Someone was a smooth talker. She walked over and gave Auges a gentle hug. ”My you’re a cute child. That said, you ask why I was inside the tree?” She added, breaking the hug and looking back at the tree. It wasn’t a tree she remembered. ”The last I remember was slaying the dragon and then. . .” Maire went almost deathly silent, putting her thumb to her lips and then shaking her head. ”I should be dead. Or, perhaps, forever the trees. I should not be as this. I gave myself to revive the forest.”
Yes. Plan successful. Hugs from pretty lady. Auges you smooth talker you. Being a child was such a good idea. For a few seconds, Auges seemingly enjoyed the contact perhaps a bit too much before realizing she might get a little suspicious of that. But…that was concerning. Dead? Dragon? Curious, but perhaps?...
"E-eh? You died?" Auges considered a few options here. She could tell Maire. That would be the polite, nice, and decent human being thing to do. They had a common circumstance, after all. "B-but you're here, so you can't have died!"
Or she could not.
That was always an option.
"Hmm, it is such a pretty tree though…so maybe you just slept for a while?" Ahh…she wondered how long she was going to get to play the naïve child? Or at least, how long Maire would buy it?
Maire was too concerned with her current predicament to be worried about the personality of a child. Rather, she needed to explain there was no other way. ”No. This can’t be possible. The forest was destroyed. To bring it back, I used the last of my strength and the strength of many spirits to revive it. I shouldn’t be here.” She pondered the possibilities. There was no possible way for Callaeci to be responsible. Regardless of how much power the spirit would have gained, it could not bring her back. ”I know of nothing that can give life to those no longer with us.”
"But you're standing here and I'm talking to you." Auges replied with a quiet giggle. "So…maybe not worry about it for now?" That seemed like the sensible thing to do in this situation. "Hey, um," She hesitated for a moment before continuing. She should hide things completely, at least. "If you don't have anywhere to go, maybe you could travel with me? I'm heading to a city called Bervenia to the south of here! They have a really great library. Maybe you could find something there?"
”Even so, wouldn’t you find it weird to remember effectively dying, only to wake up healthy enough?” She had to ask. Perhaps it were a fruitless question, but she needed to ask it. It was the oddest thing to her.
"Well…I guess? I haven't thought much about it today. I just need to get to the city." She replied, frowning slightly. Oops, a tiny little slip there. Ah well, maybe she wouldn't notice. "…hey, can you fly us there pretty bird lady? Walking all the way there would be difficult and my feet are already tired from hiking all the way down those mountains."
”I can. . .” Maire said, but now she was suspicious. ”But I should ask how much you thought of ‘it’ beforehand.”
Auges simply tilted her head quizzically to the side, holding her arms behind her back as she smiled up at Maire.
”Nothing? So be it. If that is so, perhaps I’ll find the answers I seek in the forest. I might not be able to fly you to the town as it is then.” Besides, she wanted to see the state of the village. She might be able to find out how many years it has been since she’s been gone. ”You’re more than welcome to come with me, Auges. I want to see something with my own eyes either way.”
"Eeeeh?" Auges pouted a bit as the offer of flight was rejected. On the other hand though, she might as well tag along with bird lady for now. "Hey, leaving a defenseless kid like me alone in the forest is bad." She giggled. "But I'll tag along! I'm curious."
”If a wild animal ate you, it’d be the natural state of things. Not that it’d likely happen either way. The animals here should be peaceful enough to humans.” Maire said as she started moving towards the location of Derwent. She answered the onslaught of questions that came from Auges. Many of them were about herself and she answered what she found not incredibly personal.
Soon enough, the duo found themselves at a river. A look at it would likely tell Auges that it was just how it has always been, but for Maire it was something very different. ”This use to be where the bridge to Derwent was.” She retrieved a jewel from on her person beneath her mass of hair. It gave a soft light and the water cleared and showed a line of rocks from one side of the river to the other. According to her words, these were likely the remnants of the bridge. Whatever has not eroded away. ”It’s been a long time.” She looked notably sad. She really didn’t need any more to know what was going on. There were large trees where the village should have been.
Auges was silent as Maire observed the place where she had likely once lived. She wasn't able to really get a lot of information from the feathery woman, but…well, it'd be cruel and unusual to keep messing with her like she was. Auges walked closer to Maire, grabbing her hand gently as she looked up at the woman.
"Well...I don't know what was once here. I don't know any more than you do, Maire. I woke up myself not too far from here." Her voice lost that childlike inflection she had been speaking with earlier, and had taken a somewhat more mature and serious tone. "I am Saint Auges of Harena. Doctor, healer, and…well, let's just say a bit older than I look, heh." She giggled. "I don't know what happened either, but I'm…in a bit of a similar situation to you." She gave Maire's hand a gentle squeeze.
"I am not entirely sure what happened, but I have a strange compulsion to travel to Bervenia. It's a city to the south of here. I am quite sure we can find some answers there." She released the hand of the woman, before giggling in her previously childish fashion. "So hey hey, maybe we can fly there now?" She looked at Maire eagerly.
There was a lot to take in. Bervenia? Saint? Harena? None of those words matched anything that Maire knew. Maybe most surprising was the change in tone. She knew the child was hiding something, but not that she wasn’t, in fact, a child. She didn’t have much time to ponder Auges’ change when she had a sudden vision in her head. A stone city. Something grand in design, but it didn’t sit well with Maire. . . Either way, she felt that there was a need for her to get there. Was this not the same place Auges wanted to get there. ”I don’t know how I should take your deceit, but I’ll assume it was to protect yourself.” The water that was being separated by Maire churned and then crashed together loudly. She just looked at Auges calmly and with grace. ”Just be sure not to hold back or hide important things.”
Hopefully, Auges realized that a fall from the air would be the end to a recently given life. ”Now stand back for a bit.” She ordered. She seemed to focus and soon enough a pair of wings pierced their ways through the rough mass of hair that covered her body. They were beautiful and large wings that shared color with the feathers that covered her body. She flapped them a few times, making sure she had a correct feel for them. They felt as they did in the past. That aside, her hair that reached the ground got in the way. ”How annoying. Auges, do you have something that could help keep my hair out of the way?” She didn’t want to cut it, but perhaps a “doctor” as she called herself, had a way to pull it back.
Her hair? Auges contemplated it for a second before seemingly coming up with an idea. It was a such a pretty silver color, so it should have something equally as pretty to go with it. She walked a few feet away before reaching down, and taking a handful of grass from the forest floor. A flash of red light, and the pieces of grass had formed into a neat hair tie. No, not good enough just yet…hmm, she spotted a few red flowers growing some distance away. With a satisfied smile she walked over and picked one, and with the same magic before twisted the red flower into the hair tie. She walked back over to Maire and set about tying up her hair with the grass tie. It was rather simple for now, but it was a bit stronger than normal grass thanks to the stone.
"Annnd done!~" She giggled. "I think that looks wonderful on you."
”Wonderful. Thank you.” Maire said, flapping her wings a few times to test them again. It was much easier now. Now that all the resistance was gone. It was time to test her wings. She crouched slightly and with a single large blast from her wings, she took through the trees and into the air.
Auges had not been expected a blast of wind to the face, completely messing up her hair and cloak. That said, she was too focused on Maire to really even notice. That was…really amazing, honestly. Sure she could fly with the aid of magic, but she had never seen a creature - or persona rather, quite like this before. To say she was intrigued was…well, an understatement.
Wait, right, she should be up there with her.
"W-wah! Hey, don't forget me!"
A couple of minutes later, Maire landed. It wasn’t the most gentle landing, but she seemed perfectly fine. ”Apologies, I needed to test my wings. If I’ve been gone for as long as it seems, I wanted to be sure of their strength. It seems it is not a problem.” The Bird-Woman walked over to Auges and put her arms around the child’s torso. It was the best way to hold on to someone her size, after all. ”Are you ready, Auges? Hopefully you don’t feel sick.”
"Wah? Sick? Don't worry about that. Heights don't bother me! Besides, a strong pretty lady like you wouldn't drop me."
”I’m not talking about that so much but. . . Well, if you’re alright with it, let’s go.” Double-checking her grip, Maire took off with the same amount of force as last time. What she really meant was the take off. It was a bit. . . Rough. Regardless, they headed south towards Bervenia at a decent pace.
