Cold, and freezing to the bare skin. The night wind shifted the trees as it gave a slight whistling sound. And in a passing hour, the clouds cleared, allowing the stars and galaxy to be seen, to be admired by the eyes of mortals and such.
There— thirty meters away from where the caravan had made camp. Lavrish sits on a stone slab—enjoying a nocturnal smoke. Sensing someone was approaching her direction, she didn't prepare for who was coming, nor did she show a defensive action. Lavrish merely smile and continues sipping her pipe.
"Having trouble sleeping at night?" Lavrish called.
"Sir Lucas told me where you hang out, so I came to return your cloak," Natalak responded after emerging from the tree's shadow.
Just four meters apart, the neatly folded cloak levitates away from Natalak's arms and slowly lands where Lavrish was seated.
"I assumed you didn't just come here to deliver my cloak." The sorcerer then signalled to two adventurers who were hiding in the shadows to depart.
Sensing the adventurers had departed, Natalak saw a stone four feet away facing Lavrish.
"Sir Lucas told me you were an archsage," Natalak replied, now feeling the slow intoxication from the ale. "There's something I want you to look at." He continued right after sitting down on the stone.
As Natalak struggles to search his bag, Lavrish watches the man intently. Her hand was placed on her cheek whilst she gave a playful smile. And before Natalak could bring out the black book—
"May I ask, Natalak, but are you perhaps a Veilmage?" Lavrish said, now with a curious expression.
Natalak paused, but for Lavrish, she was reflecting on their previous encounter with the cults and the unexpected appearance of another time user. Intrigued by his strange transformation— from a desperate survivor to a victorious fighter against Agum's followers.
"I-I'm not… but I find it strange that I get to meet that same question. And oddly enough, you're the first person who doesn't go for violence before asking me if I'm a veilmage."
Lavrish chuckles, "Then maybe I'm more interested in how you managed to survive those encounters."
"Barely, I say… a female paladin strangles me, then a lady half-elf stabs me before asking me a question about Veilmage and stuff. Maybe I might need to borrow a bard's tongue; I might encounter another suspicious lady."
"Or perhaps the problem isn't the women." Lavrish gave a teasing giggle as she took another puff, filling the air with the scent of tobacco-like and strange herbs. Then she tilted her head, studying his eyes with quiet amusement. "Perhaps you simply keep meeting the dangerous one."
"I had to agree on that one."
Lavrish then shifted comfortably upon the stone, crossing one leg over the other without the slightest hint of self-consciousness, as if she'd grown accustomed to being watched. Still, she didn't take her eyes off Natalak.
As for the traveller, he finds it impossible to control his strange sense of being drawn by Lavrish's presence. Pondering— was it the ale he drank, or perchance was it the fume? Either way, Natalak seems to be lost in thoughts as seconds pass. And just as he was assessing the odd changes, Lavrish suddenly came inches away.
"If that's the case, I can guide you on how to approach women," Lavrish said,
Natalak didn't speak, though when Lavrish saw his expression and the eyes that showed approval, the archsage slowly drove Natalak to the grassy ground.
"The forest seems to cloud the night sky; let's go somewhere more open," Lavrish whispered in his ear, and before Natalak could lie down, they were teleported to an open grassy plain.
"Madam, should we be more concerned about the night watch thing?" Natalak stammer.
"Rest assured, the caravan was well-protected by a considerable number of strong adventurers," Lavrish replied as she took another sip—
"Let's enjoy this exquisite night together," she whispered. Just as the fumes continued to escape from her mouth, she set the pipe aside and then closed the small distance between them until Natalak could feel her warm breath. And before he could find a word to speak, her lips stole them first.
Lavrish's eyes stayed open, and so did Natalak's. Though he appeared confused and somewhat overwhelmed. Meanwhile, Lavrish kept calm eyes, as if this was just a typical night for her. Among other things, the fumes leaked, and strangely, the smoke didn't irritate their senses, as if it were just a mere wind that gave colour. And while his senses were occupied by Lavrish's touch, his cloak and his bag came undone.
Lavrish runs her fingers over Natalak's claw gauntlet, and by her magic, the gauntlet parts away from his flesh as though the materials were made of water. Even his armour detached, turning into shimmering, ethereal light as it set itself aside, three feet from the two of them.
Stripped, using both magic and by hand, their clothes were squirrelled aside.
Plush and soft to Natalak's touch, Lavrish's skin and flesh were as delicate in the same way she does with Natalak.
The stars watched in silence as the wind blew more calmly now— the pipe's fragrant smoke mingled with the night air, carrying away other thoughts of hesitation. For beneath the quiet heavens, words and ideas slowly surrendered to the desires of the flesh.
"Now, let's give this night a night to remember," Lavrish whispers leisurely in his ear. Slowly, a second voice emerges; Lavrish has parted herself into two.
And while they are occupied through the night—
Elsewhere…
Chifya finds herself in a mysterious Sylvian realm, home to spirits of unseen nature. She feels a sharp pain in her hand. When she looks at the spot where Hackrash's mark was, a shining crimson spreads across her arms, creeping and gradually consuming her.
There were no thoughts if this was reality or a dream, but the pain was certain. She looked around for any help that might arrive, and for some reason, Natalak appeared.
"Natalak!" She voiced, arms stretching, trying to reach the man.
She tries to make a run, but when she gazes at her legs, a glowing emerald root clamps around her. On the other hand, Natalak only watches, standing blankly without any thoughts of aid. And as the glowing crimson soon climbs up to her shoulder, Natalak turns away, leaving the half-elf to fend for herself.
It was also then that she heard her own voice shouting, calling. Chifya once more stared down and saw a reflection of herself—
"HOW COULD YOU, CHIFYA! YOU DID THIS TO YOURSELF!" Her reflection shouts, and before her head could be consumed, Chifya opens her eyes.
"A dream. It's only a dream." She mumbled, tightly holding her shoulder. But beneath her curtain of hair, her face says otherwise, of fear. Even her breathing was uneven, shaking, so to speak.
It took her some time to recover, but the strange and unsettling dream continued to rob her of sleep. Sheila and Riya, on the other hand, slept peacefully. Unable to return from her slumber, Chifya silently prepares her equipment while constantly watching the two. Once all of her items are ready, Chifya silently exits the room.
Upon leaving the village's border, Chifya transform into a wolf before dashing back to the blighted area.
"Truly…" Chifya kneels, inspecting the blighted pond. "If what that orc said is true, then I must head deeper." Chifya continues sensing a foreboding battle.
The same creatures that they've once encountered emerge. The half-elf stood without any fretful look, eyes scanning the numbers of the enemy. And before she drew her twin blades, Chifya looked through the sky.
"I should make haste; I don't have much time before Sheila and the others wake up." She ponders, unfazed by the wretched presence of the enemies.
Among many creatures, two humanoid abominations caught Chifya's attention. They had uprooted, scythe-like claws, bare and decaying, rotten flesh. Sometimes they moved on all fours; other times they walked like humans. Their speed and reflexes were remarkable. Yet, when they attacked Chifya, she defeated them effortlessly, slicing them in half with dark blades that drained their essence. Three more appeared, but despite their speed, Chifya was more agile—like a cat battling a snake.
Deeper into the blight, the toxic fog became so unbearable that Chifya had to find another path before dawn arrived. And very soon, she found what she believed to be the basis of the problem.
"Something fell off." She mumbled. "The map said it was here… or perhaps—" Chifya paused, pulling out an ornamented, eye-like piece of jewellery—the Eye of Adra.
Extending her arms. And once the Eye of Adra opens, it flashes green, creating a ripple barrier that expands further than her eyes can see. There, a green ember sparks through the air, dissolving, eating away the mirage that mantles the naked eye.
As soon as the Eye of Adra gave its magic, and the illusion faded, what stood before her was perhaps a fortress, a castle, a palace—neither could tell. For the place was all reclaimed by nature, except for the few lingering stone walls and bricks. But as the mirage faded, it, too, revealed what the illusion had hidden.
The soil and the trees withered. The pond and its waters turns into putrid slime, bubbling with strong acid. And she could tell this was the source of the corruption, as the fog carried a stronger scent. It seems to say that the illusion that was placed was not cast by a pheasant mage. The scent, the acid, even the waters were all hidden or, by chance, replaced.
Opening her pocket watch—
"Three hours left…" Chifya frowns. "I should try purifying this place before I return. See if it could give a change."
Pouring all the glowing blue vials, and as the water of Aziru slowly cleanses the place. Chifya took a stroll, investigating the place.
"These footprints, the trampled grass— they don't seem to be fresh. A month old? No… this is more likely to have been walked for years. Yet strangely it hasn't been walked for weeks."
Tracing the tracks, the half-elf was led into a collapsed building, where there was no open entrance, only rubble and overgrown roots. But in the eyes of someone who's lived for more than half a century chasing cults and powerful foes, Chifya placed her hand on the rubble as she casually circled the building until—
"Found you." Chifya smiled, turning her body into a ghostly form, allowing her to enter what lay beneath.
A dungeon, a prison, but as she took ten steps, Chifya hesitated.
"Perhaps it would be best," She whispered as she exited the dungeon, glancing at her watch afterwards. "I need to get back quickly."
Transforming into her wolf form, the half-elf dashes before dawn arrives.
Shifting towards a different place, in the hours of past midnight, where the stars and galaxy are still visible. Natalak sleep softly, no sound, only the voice of the wind passing by. The blanket that covered him from the night's cold was Lavrish's very own cloak. And just inches away from the man sits Lavrish— undraped and seemingly unbothered by the freezing wind.
The pipe in her hand gave off faint embers, as the ribbons of fumes carried away, but when the breeze settled, the smoke lingered around the two. Yet its aroma doesn't irritate the senses; rather, it gives off a calm, perfume-like scent, unlike the one she used when no one was around her.
As the wind became troublesome, Natalak squirmed, dragging and wrapping the cloak tighter. Watching Natalak slowly become comfortable in her cloak, Lavrish gave an amused look. And once she perceives he's in a deep sleep, Lavrish shifts her attention towards his bag.
"It's been a while," Lavrish remarked as her magic caused Natalak's bag to float and gradually move toward her. "How did you end up in someone else's possession? Hmm?" she added, raising an eyebrow with a sly smile.
The bag's mouth opens, and with a twitch of Lavrish's fingers, the items that Natalak stored gush out one by one until she sees the Book of Amarah. Her expression changed—curious, serious, and somewhat reluctant. And when she turns the pages through her magic—
"These are dragon's tongue…" She frowns. "How did you obtain a piece of the Endless Shelves, Natalak?"
After a short inspection, Lavrish sighed and returned the items.
"It seems the road up ahead won't be a pleasant journey for you, boy." She said, before returning to her nightly Havana.
As dawn breaks and the sun's light gradually replaces the night stars, Sheila is the first to wake. She notices Chifya and Riya still sleeping. She quietly tends to her grooming without attracting attention. However, when she attempts to change her clothes, something catches her eye.
She paused; the boots that belonged to Chifya were stained with dirt. Then she remembers that her boots were once clean last night. Curious for more, Sheila silently opens Chifya's satchel while constantly observing her. And when she saw the empty vial that is used to purify the blight, Sheila felt troubled.