Mei appeared to be entirely too involved in dissecting the lizard’s corpse and fiddling with its removed poison sac to notice anything else. Shaking her head at her sibling’s eccentricities, Asteria made her way towards their Mother, nuzzling into her to wake her up if she wasn’t already. She waited patiently in case Mother wanted to have her breakfast from one of the lizard’s corpses. Then, she did her best to imitate what Mei had done the previous night, and attempted to communicate with Mother. Asteria nudged the larger Dire rat lightly, walked a few paces away from her, her head swinging from glancing at her Mother to gesturing to the rest of the cave, hoping to convey that she wanted her to follow. “Come,” she said, hoping it would help get Mother to do as she wished. Slowly, Asteria begun making her way to where the Dire rat family had encountered the pair of Wisps and another Dire rat the previous evening. Eventually, she picked up her speed, whether her Mother followed her or not, enjoying the wind ruffling her fur, the light jog energizing her. Unfortunately, the cave wasn’t an environment where one could take too much time to enjoy even life’s simplest pleasures.
When Asteria finally reached the location of yesterday’s unfortunate meeting, she stopped and used her sense of smell to her advantage. The most predominant scent was definitely from the two lizards they had killed there, but nonetheless, she managed to catch a hint of Edward’s scent and Ria followed it carefully. She tried to stay aware of her surroundings, but was most definitely concentrated primarily on tracking the other Dire rat down. And his scent led Asteria to the remains of no less than six dead creatures! There was a dead lizard, a pair of rats, a wisp, a goblin and a strangely coloured gelatinous spilling that was probably the “corpse” of a slime.
Asteria took it as a good sign that Edward’s corpse was not among these creatures. He must have truly had the devil’s luck to both happen upon such a group and survive the confrontation. Although she had recently eaten, Asteria was rather curios about what another monster would taste like and slowly made her way from corpse to corpse, trying to inspect each as best as she could to decide which one to try. The dead gelatinous mass had an awfully strange scent that she suspected was poison. The lizard was something she had already tried and as such it held no interest for her. The rats…She’d rather not do something so cannibalistic when there was no need to do so. The goblin she inspected much closely to see if it had any sort of a tool even a rat like herself could use, but it was pretty much naked…and incredibly grotesque. Offended by its smell and unwilling to taste it, she moved towards the last corpse, a wisp’s. Seeing it there only reminded her of what had happened the last night. But, she reasoned, it probably hadn’t been a human. She couldn’t claim to excel at differentiating one wisp from another, but this one probably wasn’t one of that pair that she and Mei had met yesterday. Unable to oppose her rising intrigue, Asteria sunk her fangs into the felled wisp, chewing thoughtfully. The heap of corpses here entirely lost her to Ed’s scent. Most likely, she would have to move farther away and hope she caught the track elsewhere. But which direction to take…?
"Oh," Yssil answered stunned. He couldn't possibly imagine Aerta ever having been stumped on something. She was just so...experienced. He didn't want to think of her as old, because she wasn't, but somehow she seemed to be. "Thank you for telling me that. Will we be doing more of the same, then?" he asked, curious.
What I consider the most graphic part of a violent scene is in a hider. But it's also referred to elsewhere.
Ineraz Evrenarth
Husband of: Sera @Pupperr and Zeldria @Saltwater Thief Interacting with: His brides, mostly Sera
“Exactly,” Ineraz answered, feeling incredibly smug that he had brought such a delectably vengeful side out of his little one. Now he simply had to make use of it…
Just then another Drakkan guard came wandering into the sparsely furnished corridor they were occupying. The male’s eyes lit up, evidence that he found whom he was looking for, and he jogged up to Ineraz, offering him a sealed scroll.
“I was told to give this to you directly,” the male commented as he transferred the correspondence over to Ineraz, who accepted but didn’t yet glance at the scroll.
“Thank you,” Ineraz murmured. Then, before the guard could leave, he continued. “Senn,” he addressed the green-eyed Drakkan with cropped white hair “I will need you to watch over my brides instead of Thinil. He is required elsewhere,” he stated meaningfully and rather darkly.
Ineraz finally perused the scroll, and recognized the seal immediately. He grinned maniacally, a perturbing obsessive glint appearing in his eyes. Sera, who was closest to him, might notice that his expression was somehow similar to when he had been conversing with her, though his desire this time was less so tied to thoughts of carnal pleasure – not that he’d exclude that entirely, but it wasn’t a priority in this case. Ineraz quickly recovered, assuming a neutral demeanour as he stashed the missive on the inside of his leather vest.
He put his arm around Sera and once again murmured to her shortly. “We can play with him in the dungeons. It will be slightly dark and damp, but I hope you won’t have as much a problem with it as you did with the cellar. Wouldn’t want something like that to detract from the fun,” he leaned down a bit more and offered a short reassuring peck to her neck. Expecting her to follow, he strolled purposefully toward Thinil. The dark-haired guard had his light hazel eyes averted, though any guilt that one might presume from his posture alone was belied by his flaring nostrils and lips pressed tightly into a line. Ineraz put a warning hand around the nape of his neck, keeping his grip firm, and turned towards Zeldria and Senn.
“I have a matter requiring my attention,” Ineraz asserted coolly. He didn’t much care whether Zeldria and the new guard knew he was about to punish the other Drakkan or not. “Wait for me in the nearest sitting room. I shall return soon and then we are going to the market,” he directed this to Zeldria, then looked at the other guard. “Senn, find a replacement for guarding the front doors. I hope you will not be as remiss in your Gem-watching as Thinil here has been,” Ineraz delivered the last sentence very dryly, obviously still quite unhappy with the guard who had dared make an attempt at punishing Sera in his stead.
He let his gaze fall on Sera once again and beckoned her to follow him. They silently maneuvered through several corridors until they reached a medium-sized but unassuming iron doorway which opened into a long and winding staircase; a different one than Sera and Ineraz had taken the previous night to reach the cellar. This one was slightly wider and led deeper underground, and although it was somewhat better lit, the visibility still wasn’t impressive. The dungeon itself, however, was. The walls here were also made of grey stone, but the material was a darker, sturdier, and rougher one. The entirety of the floor was packed dirt which added to the distinctly earthy scent of the dungeons.
The staircase deposited them directly inside a rectangular room occupied by a single Drakkan guard, an older but vicious and wild looking individual with long white tangled hair and a somewhat better kept beard, who was sitting at a wooden table to the left. He appeared rather bored and was polishing a sword lazily. He barely looked at the arrivals, and only grunted when he saw Ineraz, not even giving a second glance to the Gem or the Drakkan guard who were with him, and returned to his task. This room was practically littered with torture implements, some hanging from thick rusty nails set into the walls, while others were simply placed on the floor or on display inside sturdy wooden cabinets. The equipment was thoroughly cleaned, though frequent use had left some obviously a bit worse for wear. But the implements were all perfectly well usable, not the least because replacing them was a simple matter. The dirt floor which was harder to take care of had several visible blood stains of various ages splattered around it and the iron scent meshed quite nicely with the natural dampness and earthy terrain that were predominant here.
Ineraz picked up a single whip and took one of the cell keys, never releasing Thinil who was apparently just slightly nervous now, then opened another iron door into a long spanning corridor lined with cells. There were several intersections opening to other similar corridors and the path Ineraz led them down would seem labyrinthine to a stranger such as Sera.
It was but a few minutes until they arrived at a cell just like any other and Ineraz unlocked it, roughly pushed Thinil in by increasing the pressure on his neck, waited until Sera stepped inside, then locked it back up. Once locked, the cells would be soundproof, though each door had a small lockable window any guard could use to check in on the prisoners. The cell was small and barren and could either be left entirely dark or very poorly lit. The fact that it was lit now was simply for Ineraz’s and Sera’s sake. Ominously, the only items in the cell were sturdy iron chains and shackles nailed into the walls.
Ineraz handed the leather whip to Sera to hold it while he led the Drakkan guard to a wall and first restrained his ankles, then stripped him of his armour top – a crimson and light grey piece – and deposited it on the floor, locked a shackle around each of his wrists as well as collared him so that he had his cheek pressed into the wall. The chain lengths made it possible for the Drakkan guard to struggle, but his mobility was severely limited and escape was unlikely. As a small consideration, Ineraz took off Thinil’s leather belt, wound it twice around the male’s head, pushed the front between his teeth and tied it tightly behind his head.
“Do you know why you are to be punished?” he asked the gagged male icily. The other Drakkan shrugged sullenly. Ineraz pursued his lips, displeased. “You should have stopped my bride from crossing the boundary without harming her. She is mine to do with as I please. It was not your place to correct her behaviour,” he explained this quietly but precisely.
Finally, Ineraz took the whip back from Sera. “Watch,” he instructed, then swung it expertly at the other Drakkan’s naked back. Each time Ineraz did so, a long red lash mark appeared on the male’s pale skin, decorating his back prettily in an almost random pattern of lines. The first set of hits Thinil took with barely a grunt. The next had him whimpering pitifully and moaning pathetically on occasion. As Ineraz continued the session, the Drakkan began screaming into his make-shift gag. Eventually, he sagged dejectedly into his restraints, though this brought a different kind of strain to his protesting muscles, and his exhaustion was obvious from his profuse sweating, shaking body, and the tears he had long stopped holding back. If the guard could plead, Ineraz imagined he would do so now.
He flicked his wrist in several additional light swings to the muffled protests of Thinil, then neatly coiled the whip, holding it in his left hand as he observed the guard with quiet scrutiny. Not entirely satisfied, especially since Sera had not yet had the opportunity to cooperate, he drew out his dagger out of its belted sheath with his right and approached Thinil. The male Drakkan looked at him fearfully and wailed shortly. Ineraz met his eyes calmly then proceeded to cut into his back shallowly, tracing some of the lash marks with the blade. He picked several to peel the skin from slowly and painfully, revealing the abused meat underneath and getting the trembling and squealing Drakkan to bleed some more. He dropped the skin strips to the floor carelessly and confidently walked back to Sera, now satisfied.
“Be a dear and cauterize those for me?” he asked with a sweet, sweet smile, tone dripping almost cheerful contentment and apparent gratification. “But no nerve damage,” he murmured in warning.
After that little detour, Ineraz led Sera back to the first dungeon room, where the elder Drakkan and the other torture implements were. He returned the whip and the key, ensured that someone would look after Thinil’s wounds properly and release him from the cell. With that done, he walked back to the first floor leisurely with Sera at his side. He searched for the room Zeldria was in and left Sera with her, Senn now in charge of watching them both.
“As soon as I return we shall head to the market,” he informed his brides. Then, he turned on his heel, and strode with purpose towards his study, where he knew he would have some privacy.
The study was small and plain, containing only a desk, a chair behind it, two bookcases, and a dark coloured settee which had seen better days. There was a single landscape painting hanging on the wall behind his desk, and several hunting trophies were mounted on the walls. Three smaller trophies were on his desk; one was an intricately carved black hoof serving as a paper-weight, another was a capped-off curled and hollowed horn sitting upright which had been designed as a rather fancy ink-holder, and the last was a somewhat more innocuous set of a wooden case lined with very fine fur on the inside, which held a high-quality quill pen the colour of steel grey and flecked with shimmering greens, fashioned from the feather of a noble but dangerous bird of prey.
Ineraz sat behind the ebony desk, and carefully took out the scroll he had received, taking his time to just observe the seal of Kereg-Kor. He opened the missive carefully and couldn’t help breaking out in a pleased laugh. Not only was Keregar the best Drakkan hunter and arguably the most vicious Warlord, he was also one of the oldest and most well-known members of their society. And for such person to express an interest in him…Ineraz traced the signature reverently, letting himself enjoy the moment of simple pleasure and excitement at being recognized for a short while.
Then, Ineraz composed himself with a sigh. There were political implications to this as well. Keregar was an individual who obviously favoured the elder prince, while Ineraz’s father was, as far as he knew, closer to the younger one and likely intended for the whole Evrenarth family to swear allegiance to him when the time was right. It wouldn’t do for his father to perceive any meeting with Keregar or future arrangements Ineraz might have as a betrayal. No, if Ineraz were to have any sort of contact with the Warlord of Kereg-Kor (perhaps even accompany the elder Drakkan to his estate as one of the chosen few, Ineraz dared hope), it would have to be entirely non-political. With a silent sigh, Ineraz wrote a letter of his own, choosing his wording carefully. He wanted his father to know the state of things. And as much as Ineraz sometimes genuinely loathed the man, he still respected him. And truthfully, he was intrigued by the younger prince’s ideas as well if not particularly charmed by what he knew of his demeanour. Meeting Keregar and perhaps even going to Kereg-Kor would not change that.
And if Ineraz had memorized the scent carried by the scroll, that was only for him to know. He did ensure to destroy Keregar’s missive as he wouldn’t want to leave such a thing lying around, and he most certainly couldn’t afford to keep it on his person at all times. He was well aware that the Warlord of Kereg-Kor wouldn’t be impressed by any kind of worship. Ineraz did not believe that acting with his usual professionalism would be any hardship; he did not like the man or even agree with him, he simply held a great deal of respect for him, or rather, for his hunting pursuits.
He stashed the letter he had written for his father on his person just as he had Keregar’s scroll, unlocked the room’s door, and went from the second to the third floor, where his father’s study was. There was a guard standing outside – there always was at least one, regardless of whether his father was inside or even in Železna Kri at all. Ineraz handed the letter which was sealed with the Evrenarth coat-of-arms to the guard.
“For my Lord father,” Ineraz commented. The male guard took it without even glancing at the message and knocked swiftly on the door. Ineraz barely concealed the sharp intake of breath he took, his blood freezing cold for the brief second where his heart stuttered twice, then returned to its usual beat, though he was still wildly surprised at the fact that his father was apparently at the estate, and he hadn’t even known since when that had been the case.
“My Lord wishes to see you,” the soot-skinned dark-eyed and dark-haired male Drakkan guard informed him.
Ineraz composed himself with a breath and entered one of the manor’s most opulent rooms. It was done in the same rustic style as the rest of the rooms, only much richer and despite the obvious decadence it was very tastefully composed. There was a wide, beautifully carved and elegant desk standing opposite the entrance, eight bookshelves arranged around the desk, an alcohol cabinet worthy of jealousy not far from where Na’ir was perusing several documents at his work-space, a seemingly new royal blue settee to the left of the doorway which was decorated with a variety of shimmering silken fabrics and comfortable pillows, and was partially hidden behind a delicately placed golden-coloured partition. There were four chairs in the room, one occupied by Ineraz’s father and three empty ones in front Na’ir’s desk. Barely visible between two bookshelves was a seemingly nondescript wooden door. The walls and floor were a light grey stonework but were mostly covered by an eclectic array of paintings, tapestries, rugs, and even a few potted plants here and there. All of the wooden furniture was a matching dark mahogany.
Na’ir himself managed to appear professional despite practically being sprawled in his chair, smoking his thin pipe elegantly. His clothing was a combination of black and teal with golden trimmings fitting nicely with the healthy tan of his skin-tone (a contrast to Ineraz’s own snowy pallor) and the dark brown of his upward curling horns, his hair a shade lighter and hanging almost to his waist in a mix of dreadlocks and braids. This was a man who obviously appreciated his creature comforts, but if anyone were fool enough to assume he was not a threat, they would not live long enough to be even able to consider otherwise, much less regret their mistake. Perhaps it was simply because Ineraz knew him well enough, but to him the intelligent and coolly assessing gleam in his father’s eyes conveyed everything. This was a Drakkan more than deserving of his title as a Warlord, and someone who could and would rip just about anyone to shreds whether with words or actions – if he had cause to. Currently, Na’ir was tapping lightly at a missive, one that Ineraz recognized as his own, and the older Drakkan’s usual amused smile, cultured demeanour, and knowing gaze were fully present.
“Father,” Ineraz greeted carefully, perhaps a bit stiffly. His gaze landed uncomfortably on the message which he had written to inform Na’ir of his future meeting with the Warlord of Kereg-Kor.
“This is not entirely unexpected,” Na’ir went straight to the business. “I wish you had discussed it with me, but I dare say you are now truly independent,” his tone was as light and non-threatening as ever, however Ineraz couldn’t help but feel that there was a hint of mockery and condescension in it.
Before he could say anything whatsoever in his defence or as an explanation, his father continued. “You should know that if you ever find yourself on the opposite side of the battle-field I will not hesitate to cut you down. Neither will any of your brothers,” this time, he was cuttingly firm. His smile however had not yet slipped and Ineraz wondered if he ever felt the strain in his cheek muscles from keeping up the unnecessarily pleasant façade.
“Now.” Ineraz thought he might be dismissed, but there was just the hint of someth- “I have heard how you punished one of my guards,” Na’ir stated dryly, raising an amused eyebrow. Ineraz inhaled sharply and his eyes widened just a fraction, but it was more than enough for his father to catch and understand his surprise.
His sire chuckled richly and Ineraz shivered minutely. “Yes, I have found out already. This is my manor,” he stated. Ineraz refrained from sighing even though he was beginning to see where this was going. “If I truly hadn’t been here, as you so obviously believed, you would have got away with your mistake,” Na’ir said with what passed fairly well for regret, but his subtle emphasis on that last word belied his tone.
“Your misconception, not to mention hypocrisy,” he drawled, disappointment now clear, “requires you to be punished,” he stated, pausing for a moment as he apparently considered how he would do so. “The same methods you have had the guard undergo, I believe.” Na’ir’s honeyed smile could have misled the most feral of killer bees. Ineraz however had to work rather hard to contain a wince or a scowl. Instead, he squared his shoulders and looked his father straight in the eyes.
“I understand,” he assured as calmly as he managed. Considering what was to come, he thought it was a very respectable attempt. And it was probably only due to one of his deeply hidden desires that made Ineraz think he saw a hint of pride in Na’ir’s stormy grey eyes for the span of a single second.
Na’ir smoothly stood up, not ruffling a single document out of its place, and walked with very efficient movements toward the other door, the one positioned between two bookshelves, and opened it, revealing what Ineraz already knew to be the Drakkan’s private torture chamber. Because of course he had to keep such a thing up here. Compared to the dungeons, this room was much cleaner, better lit, and had less implements for causing torment, but it served its purpose. Na’ir considered it the punishing room, which he mostly used to correct his sons’ behaviour when they truly crossed a line. After Ineraz followed his father inside, the door closed behind them with a soft click.
~
When Na’ir was done, Ineraz was glad for the chains. And though the gag muffled his cries (and prevented him from accidentally biting off his tongue), there was no such thing as stopping the damnable tears once his father went well past his pain tolerance. Na’ir was nothing if not fair – Ineraz had made a guard of his cry, and his father followed exactly the same procedure; he had had him bound, whipped, cut, and burned just a bit. Now, he was applying a soothing herbal mixture by rubbing it into his back, and as helpful as it would be for his wounds, it didn’t make Ineraz scream any less. Soon after, he was bandaged and unbound. Ineraz felt rather faint and trembled with the effort it took to stay standing up.
“I suggest you hurry up and go to your meeting place. The Warlord of Kereg-Kor isn’t one to be left idly waiting,” Na’ir’s tone was the picture of neutrality, and having said that he simply made his exit. Ineraz was grateful his father hadn’t made more of a fuss or used the opportunity to humiliate him any further.
Shakily, he put on his cloth shirt and the upper part of his leather armour, took several moments to regain his breathing, and used his water elemental control to rid himself of sweat and tears. Then he hastily left, going past his father in his study room without a word, and made his way to the nearest empty guest room to make use of a mirror. The thought that his eyes might be puffy almost made him laugh hysterically. Thankfully, his appearance was easily enough corrected, though his posture was now more rigid and his gait just a hint slower. It would have to do.
Pushing the burning and throbbing pain of his back muscles to a corner of his mind, Ineraz proceeded with the day’s plans and went to fetch his brides. They were ensconced with Senn in a quaint sitting room on the ground floor. Ineraz barely glanced at any of them as he entered and simply said “We’re going.” Then he turned, guiding them to the backyard.
From nearby the outside training grounds Ineraz picked up some of the weapons he had left there, taking his sword and bow alongside the dagger and hunting knife he rarely went without. As much as it added to his pain to carry the bow and quiver full of arrows strapped over his back, that was simply not something he could go without for meeting with the greatest hunter of Drakka.
Finally, he led them to the stables on the other side of the backyard, where he arranged for a wagon and four of his hounds to go along. The Gems could ride inside the wagon if they so wished, and doing so would certainly give them some privacy, but the scent of animals lingered heavily because the vehicle had often been used to transport captured beasts, slain prey, and his hounds’ pups. He let the hounds, who were large and bulky enough to easily reach the Gems’ knees and top their mass get briefly acquainted with his brides, but was unusually quiet for what would otherwise be an intriguing occasion to him. An hour or so before his scheduled meeting their little group made it to the market, where he would let his brides choose whichever clothing they desired, as long as they picked at least some that would be practical. Either way, he had final say on any piece they might pick out, though he didn’t intend to object too much. He had to conserve what little energy he had right now and prepare mentally for the meeting with Warlord Keregar of Kereg-Kor.
A guard comes with the scrolls from Keregar and he also gets to watch the brides instead of the previous guard, who's taken to the dungeons and tortured. Sera's taken there to watch and can cooperate if she wants to. Then Ineraz takes Sera to a random sitting room, where Zel and the new guard are while he goes to hype about Keregar's letter in his private study. Has a slightly creepy fanboyish moment, but never you mind that. Decides to write a letter for his father. Gets to unexpectedly meet the man. Who knows when he arrived in Železna Kri? Has some meaningful father-son bonding moments. Then he finally takes his brides to the market. Have fun with the shopping spree, darlings.
Na'ir Evrenarth, Ineraz's father.
He probably actually wears just a bit less jewelry.
Yssil frowned as he watched the much smaller and rather shabby water-elemental appear next to Aerta. He turned more fully towards Aerta as he listened to her list the possible ranks of summoned or conjured elementals. "That...is honestly very disappointing that I've managed to produce only the weakest one," he sighed forlornly. "I thought I was much better in magic. Is it because I'm not suited to the ritualistic kind or because I lack training in it?" he queried.
Even though this attempt seems to have been a failure, at least one skill has progressed…how frustrating that I don’t know which one, Asteria thought as she contemplated the latest system message. I’ll definitely have to work on my strength and dexterity somehow. After that it’s probably just daily practice. So, a significant time investment for a human-esque posture, she sighed silently. But at least her attempt had provided very valuable information, not the least of which was that her paws seemed to be strong enough that she’d be able to grab and hold onto an enemy while using her signature bite attack multiple times in quick succession.
Even more determined to work through the day on the skills she apparently lacked in severly, Asteria approached her sister, who was just finishing with her breakfast. “Well, that was informative,” she commented regarding her attempt at standing upright and fighting as a “proper” warrior. She noticed Mei seemed to be rooting through the lizard’s corpse even though she was done eating, as if searching for something. “What are you doing?” Asteria asked her sister curiously, her head cocked to the side as she watched her sibling’s attempts at…dissecting the creature? Perhaps her former medical skills would help Mei in whatever it was she was trying to achieve.
As Asteria looked on at her sister messing around with the lizard corpse, she considered the day’s plans. They could follow Mother again, and that may be what Mei would want to do seeing as she had been the one to start doing so the previous day. Asteria wouldn’t mind that, because they might learn something new, or at the very least, get another successful monster kill as a group. However, at the back of her mind, she had the niggling worry about what consequences Mei’s attack on another former human would have for them. Asteria had already given up on the two Wisps as lost causes; those two had surely already decided to attack them on sight. But the other Dire rat they had met might believe that what happened was all just a very unfortunate misunderstanding, which is exactly what it had been. If at all possible, Asteria wanted to track down Edward and see if he could be convinced that Asteria and Mei weren’t just some mindless psychos or something. The question was if Mei felt up to seeking out the other Dire rat or not. Well, that, and the cave was honestly such a volatile environment that they might yet again get distracted by whichever enemy happened upon them this time to try and end their lives.
"I believe I understand," Yssil murmured. He turned to the triangle, which still held Aerta's water thrall inside, waiting to be given a command or dismissed. Yssil supposed he'd have to get rid of it first if he wanted to summon one of his own. Or perhaps he could simply summon an additional one...He decided to give this last idea a try. He focused on the perfectly triangular summoning shape, felt Aerta's magic outside and his own magic inside and focused his power, will, and intent in order to summon an additional water-elemental thrall. He did as he saw Aerta had done and worked the energy he could feel flowing in his veins, staying focused and staring with determination at the triangle until another thrall would manifest inside of it.
Asteria watched as Mei attempted to communicate with their Mother. The larger female Dire rat actually understood, grabbed a lizard and proceeded to drag it on her own back to their nest. Asteria frowned as she realized they’d be going to a different location than she had assumed, but trusted their Mother enough that she was willing to follow. She sunk her teeth into the arm of the other lizard, waited for Mei to grab onto it as well, and then proceeded to drag it to their birth-place in this world, straining slightly with the cargo even though she had the help of her sibling.
Mother really was strong. And because that was the case, Asteria wasn’t as worried about having to cover their tracks any longer; something she had realized would have been hard to do anyway, what with the distinctive smell of Dire rats. If a night-time predator wanted to find a meal, they could happen upon them easily enough, and all Asteria could do was trust both her Mother’s sense and her own sharp perceptions in case of an ambush during their sleep.
Once they all finally arrived back to their nest, Asteria exhaustedly curled into a ball and fell asleep. She vaguely felt the familiar warmth of her Dire rat family before a deep and restful sleep overtook her completely.
~
Asteria woke up the next day when the few sun rays managed to make their way into the cave, brightly announcing the continuation of this new life of hers. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes with her front paws, and a short yawn brought her to full wakefulness – and to a hunger which was strange in its intensity considering she had eaten shortly before sleeping the previous night. Thankfully, the two lizard corpses were still in the nest. They had a stench more awful than ever before, but nonetheless, the sight of what her rat brain interpreted as food caused her to salivate. She really hoped she was much more disease-resistant now than she had been as a human. As far as she knew, rats were sturdy, and being a “monster-type” probably had some additional benefits too.
After that short deliberation, she approached one of the dead lizards and began eating. But she did not randomly bite into it. No, this time, she carefully tore the meat from its forearms, intent on exposing the two long thin bones underneath without damaging them. As morbid as the idea might be, she had remembered something about cavemen or such making weapons and tools from bones the previous night. She didn’t yet know how she would make or use any such thing as a rat, but she was determined to try. With a vague plan in mind, she removed the two long thin bones first from one forearm and then another set from the other. She inspected the four bones; they seemed brittle to her, but thankfully not too damaged. Asteria suspected they would hold together for the duration of her experimentation at the very least. She took a bone between her paws, holding it slightly awkwardly, and proceeded to sharpen one end against her teeth.
She continued with the task until she had four sharpened pieces of bone, which all resembled a needle or with some imagination, a weapon such as a spear-head or a dagger. She picked them all up, wandered to the farthest corner of the nest, and set the bones on the ground. Then, feeling quite embarrassed at what she was about to do, she picked one bone between her paws, grabbing its blunt side with the sharp end pointed forward. She stood up on her hind legs, giving a shaky attempt at bipedality, and kept a precarious balance with the help of her tail.
She gave a cautious sweep to her surroundings; she didn’t want to get caught by an enemy when trying out something so…untested. Satisfied that she was relatively safe, she swung her make-shift weapon in what might one day be called an attack, if she refined it. She mostly used stabbing motions, since that’s what the bone seemed most suited to. Not too long after, Asteria felt tired from the practice and dropped back to her fours. The last thing she wanted to do was accidentally stab herself to death while endeavouring to develop a skill or two on her own. She hoped she’d see some sign that what she had done had worked or at least had some sort of an effect. For now, she looked back to her nest to see if her sister and Mother had awakened as well, observing what they intended to do this day. Maybe she could convince Mei to spend some time “training” as it were.
Ineraz took the time to give Sera a considering look, as if he hadn’t already made his mind up. The small Gem had switched surprisingly quickly from guilt to anger at the guard to the neutral expression she was currently assuming. “No,” he said clearly and decisively, responding to her last question. He then gave her a very small smile, the uplifted corners markedly softening the innate icy coldness his eyes always seemed to project. “You have shown that you are capable of protecting yourself. And that is something you should always use to your advantage,” he smirked at her briefly, offering her what could be construed as a proud expression.
Then, when he caught sight of the red hand print still in sharp relief against her pale skin once again, he scowled and continued in a low growl. “After all, I can’t always be around to keep the grubby hands of inept fools and greedy imbeciles off you,” Ineraz didn’t even deign to turn around, but it was obvious those insults were also intended for the guard, with whom Ineraz was quite displeased at the moment. Seeing the evidence that someone else had touched what was rightfully his stung.
Ineraz took a moment to calm himself down, then smiled an alarmingly malicious smile. “In fact,” he began on the end of a breathy sigh, then leaned down to be closer to Sera and whispered in her ear. “He is the one who should be punished. Don’t you agree? Wouldn’t you like to watch him suffer? He had no cause and no right to punish you, isn’t that so?” he emphasized some of the words with a hissing lilt which may have been softer than his previous growling insults but certainly didn’t lessen the peril the poor oblivious Drakkan guard was in.
Ineraz continued, really getting into it now that he imagined the kind of fun he might have if he got his bride to cooperate. “Well, what say you? Would you like to look on as he gets flayed? Perhaps you might even enjoy helping me by tenderizing his skin some more with your fire, hmm?” Ineraz’s tone as he softly murmured all these suggestions to Sera was a strange mix of malevolent threat, ominous danger, and a dark seductive undercurrent, the latter of which was there purely for Sera’s sake.
After that speech, Ineraz straightened up back to his full height, and flashed Sera a quick vindictive grin. He licked his lips as his gaze happened to land upon her sweet little mouth. Strangely enough, Ineraz had worked up a deep and thrilling lust in his gut alongside the still simmering rage he felt thrum with every heart-beat. He would very much like to kiss Sera right now, but he knew himself well enough to realize that he might attempt to put his own mark on her, a silly thing which he would regret later. As much as he might appreciate the way she would look with his bite-mark, showcasing the indentation of his teeth, and how she would bleed for his sake…he probably wouldn’t feel the same later, when he returned to his usual clear-headed state. Ineraz looked at Sera expectantly and perhaps with apparent desire, while Zeldria and the idiotic guard by the name of Thinil were barely in his periphery, ignored for now.
Ineraz finally reveals he's actually in Sera's corner for this one. He's both pissed off and possessive, which leads to some strange seduction attempt. Zeldria and the NPC guard (whom I've finally named, hurray) are still on the sidelines.
The fight was over as soon as it began, their somewhat strategic team-attack once again proving to be exceptionally effective. Just after Asteria felt the lizard dying under her teeth, another system message showed up to her. She was no longer surprised that there was such a thing as system messages in this world, but the fact that she actually gained a level was starting to get her thinking in terms of half-forgotten game logic. Gaining experience by killing monsters was definitely common to gaming.
What was more, seeing her current skills led Asteria to believe that levelling up wasn’t the only way to get better, perhaps not even the best way. Sure, she got skill points from gaining a level, but it seemed unlikely that one point would get her a whole level in any skill. If she wanted to confirm her hypothesis, she’d have to invest some skill points and see what happened, but Asteria wanted to try another approach. So, she memorized her current unusable skills with the intent of trying to raise them herself whenever she got the opportunity to do so. For now, she bit into the lizard’s soft body, the chewy and bloody meat serving as a light dinner.
Having been so absorbed in her own thoughts relating to this world’s nature, Asteria noticed Mei only when she was right in front of her, and had apparently dragged the other lizard towards her.
“I already ate from this one, but thank you,” she stared at the lizards’ corpses as an idea formed in her mind. “Would you help me drag one or both back to our little chamber? A food supply would serve us well, and there is something I want to try out…tomorrow,” Asteria commented.
Standing so close to two corpses made her realize the stench they produced, and it was sure to get worse as they decomposed over time. She was willing to put up with it in their temporary base back underground, but it did lead to another problem. “Do you think we should cover the tracks leading to our ‘home’? I don’t want to get attacked while I’m sleeping,” Asteria thought she might be rambling already, but she was honestly tired, and wanted to go to sleep. The threatening situations she had faced today really seemed to be developing a bit of a healthy paranoia in her though.
"So understanding how the shapes are supposed to be is enough to create them correctly?" Yssil reaffirmed. "And 'thrall' seems a proper name for the weakest of elementals," he commented, then watched Aerta summon a simple water elemental. "Basically, with ritual we can draw on a kind of magic that we are not naturally attuned to. This can then increase the variety of what a sorcerer like us can do. Is that correct?" he questioned. Yssil's experience with rituals truly was minimal and he wanted to know if he had the gist of it. "I'd like and try conjuring one of these too, and then see what they're capable of. May I?" he asked, wondering if Aerta's demonstration was complete already.
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