"Looks like you're getting the hang of it," Silo looks a little relieved. "Do you feel hints of other abilities within your power?"
Dara's magical bow performs well; better than she's used to. No one approaches her, but unlike the townsfolk and soldiers from Southtown, she hears soldiers from the north passing nearby remarking in low voices about seeing a dwarf. One walking with two others back to town says, "I didn't know dwarves could shoot so well."
"It's not for everyone," Dulae says in what she hopes is a comforting tone. "Alright, Rabbit. I should get back to headquarters. Take care." Dulae gives him a parting clap on the shoulder.
As Cel walks to the inn he sees a column of over a hundred Altiendel soldiers marching down the road to a field beyond the military building. It looks like they're making camp there.
Inside the Wolf and Bear it is quiet. Laurett and Smitty are attending to a few customers. Cel doesn't spot any of his companions back yet. Laurett nods to him in greeting.
"That's mighty kind of you," Laurett says with a smile. "Why don't you go help Smitty in the stables, dearie. He could use an extra pair of hands."
"Will there be a salute for each of the fallen?" Xizoh asks.
"I hope so," Marion says. "It's a time for a person's family to get closure. It'll take us the better part of a month," she says sadly. "But worth it, I think."
She certainly hadn't seen him in a while, and she didn't doubt that he was probably looking to take her back home. "No, I didn't.
Do you know why?" she asks, crossing her arms.
"Why?" Winfried looks at her with a mixture of confusion, concern, and exasperation. "How many years has it been since your family's heard from you, Henri?" He runs a hand through his hair in a familiar gesture Henri remembers means he's worried.
"There's more," he says tentatively. "Rumor is that your father is lobbying for a seat on the Novadena council, no doubt through some scheme of your mother's, and his political rivals have seized on his missing child as a sign of weak leadership. Your mother's been telling people you're on some humanitarian mission to the Freemage Islands, but the better your father does, the more the other families press them about you. I heard..." he hesitates. "Anatoly fears that your mother asked him to fetch you back."
Henri suspects Winfried means Ezikiel.
A moment later they hear the faint shriek of a hawk from somewhere in the sky. Winfried looks like his veins turn to ice and he puts an unthinking hand on his knife. "I can take you to your brother. You should be safe with him," he says without conviction.
"You've had a trying day," Silo nods. "Get some rest. I'd like to see you back here in the morning."
Silo and Alaina climb back down through the trapdoor and Silo secures it firmly behind them.
Back at the Wolf and Bear, Alaina and Cel enjoy a meal and their fill of drinks on the house before the tavern becomes crowded with Altiendel soldiers.
Cel shyly suggests they spend the evening in Alaina's room and enthusiastically takes the lead in passing the time pleasantly.
The next morning dawns grey and cloudy. After an early breakfast, Alaina returns to the military building to find Silo waiting for her in his office.
"How are you feeling?" he asks with interest. "Have you made any new observations?"
That's when it crawled out into view. A greenish beast approximately seven feet in length with ram horns on either side of its head, two arms that ended in clawed hands. But what got her attention was the two tendrils springing from its back that ended in snapping pincers.
"You've returned Sister."
Being a bit less surprised this time, she replied, "It would seem that way."
She could swear that the thing grinned, "Good. Shall we play a game."
"What game?"
The creature slid around, "How about....tag!" One of the tendril lurched forward at Alaina.
She deftly dodged it, and kept dodging successfully.
After a bit, it stopped. "Well done. Now wake up."
"I'm feeling, a little weird." She responded. From there, she went into the dream.
"How very bizarre." Silo muses, "The outsiders in your dream seem to be giving you a tour of the planes. Perhaps they're also trying to teach you about your powers."
Taking her shield from her shoulder, "I believe there was some of enchanting this?"
"I see. Perhaps there are some useful things I can teach you, then," Silo nods.
"All of the Great Beyond, the other planes of existence, are connected with ours in a complicated tangle. Our plane, the material plane, draws energy from six others: the planes of air, earth, fire, water, positive energy, and negative energy. This is where much of magic is drawn from as well as the spark of life itself.
"The shadow plane is an evil, twisted reflection of our material plane, connected by the ghostly ethereal plane where dreams, nightmares, and some magic affects our world.
"Beyond these inner planes are the outer planes; worlds and realities and galaxies far beyond ours. Good and evil. Lawful and chaotic. Heaven, hell, purgatory, and limbo, as I believe you have seen, and countless others. We call beings from these other planes Outsiders. Your dream visitors are very likely Proteans, outsiders and beings of chaos. They clearly feel a connection with you that is weaving our material plane close together with the outer planes and probably also driving your magic."
Silo quickly flips through the pages of a slim leather journal. "Here," he says, handing the journal to Alaina. "Each morning, write down what you observe about the planes. It will help you to learn about your heritage, and I will be better able to help you decipher your visions."
"Yes, you are quite right," Silo takes Greenwall from Alaina. "I'll have it back better than new in a few days."
Silo grabs a thick fur coat. "Come, let's see if we can find a quiet space outside to train."
Silo leads Alaina around to the other side of the Church of Altien out of view of the soldiers' camp and out a feet hundred feet into the wide snowy field beyond.
"Try tapping into the thoughts and feelings you locked onto yesterday. Let's see if you can hit something a little faster," he suggests as he packs some snow into a small snowball and hurls it into an arc toward the mountains.
Marion returns his wave and bids him to stay safe.
It occurs to Xizoh that he should probably leave soon if he wants to reach the cave Oranis showed him before noon.
When Xizoh arrives at the cave, it glows with thousands of small specks of blue light that dance along the walls. Oranis is sitting sagely in her wolf form at the back of the small cave. She nods regally with her muzzle; a gesture for Xizoh to enter and sit.
The cave is surprisingly warm and the cave floor is comfortable.
As Silo took her shield, a strange look flashed across her face, as if she was handing over her child. "Be careful with it please. It may be self-repairing, but it's not indestructible."
"Of course," Silo reassures her. He brushes a hand over the front of the shield. "Beautifully made."
Upon reaching the cave, he stops to admire the beauty of the lights. It's like the old star charts dad used to show me, but this will guide me to understanding rather than port. Giving Oranis a bow, the grey skinned half elf sits cross legged on the floor. "Thank you for your help."
"Yeah... I ran into him on the outskirts of town. Last I saw him he was up on a mountain filled with undead..." She trails off, knowing that he could probably survive the mountain, and bites her lip thinking of what could happen if he stumbled onto one of those evil artifacts. I dunno if him being possessed by a necromancer would make him more or less scary.
Henri shakes her head at Winfried's proposal. "I can't do that, Winny... What's 'Tol gonna do, stick me in a safehouse somewhere? Make it impossible for Ez to find me? Plus..." Her hand moves to her new revolver. "I've got some... stuff I've gotta finish here."
"You are welcome here," Xizoh hears Oranis's voice echoing in his mind. She cocks her head to the side as though she is expecting something. "What do you have to offer in exchange for guidance on your nature?"
"This will not be easy, healer. Concentrate," Oranis says in Xizoh’s mind. "Meditate on your bond and the true nature of the bonded. The anathema.”
Winfried grimaces when Henri declines to go with him to Anatoly. "He'll figure out that you're staying here if he hasn't already." From Winfried's fearful tone Henri thinks he must mean Ezikiel. "He'll probably go for a quick strike in the darkest hour before sunrise, and kill anyone standing between him and you."
Henri thinks of Laurett and Smitty, who have promised to deflect questions about her.
but she also knows that she can't argue with that. Her own life being in danger she could handle, but she could see that image of her gang,
slaughtered and lying bloody and broken across the road, burned into the back of her mind. She didn't want it to happen again, much as she wanted to leave. "What the hell am I supposed to do, Winny? Keep running forever? How do I know he's not gonna kill them anyway?"
"By the gods Henri, would it be so damn difficult to just go home?" Winfried snaps. He looks startled at his own remark and looks away, clenching his jaw.
He thinks for a moment, then says softly, "I'm sorry. I know she'd make it hard for you to leave again."
Henri thinks he is right. Her mother would resort to any number of magical or physical means to keep her nearby and well behaved. She might even make Ezikiel Henri's ever-watchful guard.
"It won't take long for Anatoly to find you here," Winfried says, running a hand through his hair again worriedly. "If you run, make it be known you've left this place and Ez will let it alone. He's efficient that way."
Winfried sighs. "Don't take him on alone. Put as much distance between him and you as soon as you can and don't leave tracks for him to follow. If you have to fight him, choose your ground. Promise me you'll be on your guard."
"I just- argh!!" She clutches at her hairand pulls on it, something between anger, frustration, and sadness running through her. "I knew coming here was a mistake, I thought that I could just get away, that it had been long enough and that I could get money and disappear again, and now... I may have to just leave. Again." She drops onto the bed, feeling exhausted. "I don't want to leave, Winny. It's been... I dunno. I was ready to just vanish. That was a hard enough choice to make once, let alone again after they saved my life. More than once. I don't know if I can just... abandon them." She stares at the window, now covered. "Hell, I don't even know where they're going, now."
Winfried gives Henri a sympathetic look. "I know."
"Listen, do what you need to, but please don't entice Ez to burn this place down. They have good beer here," he gives her a small smile that takes her back to sunny summers when he was her friend and ally as she was first starting to navigate her family in Novadena.
"You should find someplace safer to stay. Somewhere you're sure Ez can't reach you and Anatoly and his friends won't see you. I'll tell Anatoly I asked around and you've already left. That might buy you some cover."
Henri thinks if Anatoly ever discovered Winfried had lied to him, he'd see that Winfried was demoted. She thinks of the Altiendel soldiers from Kinghaven that have invaded every public building, some of whom undoubtedly report to her brother. Somewhere overhead a hawk shrieks again, and the secure practice room in the military building flashes into her mind.
"I hope these friends of yours are good in a fight," Winfried says softly. "Ez isn't one to stop hunting. From what I hear there was a female elf on the expedition that saved that big shot tranportation wizard. If this elf were ever to call in a favor, getting magicked far away in a way that doesn't leave a trail would be a good choice. When she's ready," he adds.
She still felt little in the way of re-assurance, but she trusted this man. For some inexplicable reason. The Wolf nodded, and followed him outside.
Silo sets Greenwall carefully on his desk before they head out.
As Dara becomes more cogent she could swear she heard someone whisper "Thora" right in her ear while she was waking up, but there's no one within five feet of her bed.
She smiles and gives Winfried a friendly punch. "They're better at fightin' than you are, Winny." Her expression becomes serious for a moment. "But I get your point. I'll... find someplace better to stay for now before I leave." The elf hesitates for a moment before embracing Winfried in an awkward hug. "Thanks," she mutters under her breath, before letting go almost immediately.
"Heh," a twinge of amusement lessens Winfried's worry when he sees Henri's confidence in her friends.
Winfried lifts his arms uncertainly when Henri hugs him, then returns the embrace. After Henri breaks away, he replies, "If you need to reach me and you're near a town, send a message to Sergeant Janera Jayeli in Kinghaven. I trust her, and I doubt anyone will be watching her the way they're bound to watch me for awhile."
Winfried meets her eyes again. "Good luck, Henri," he says seriously, with a melancholy tone of goodbye.
Moving into a cross legged position, the half elf removed a great deal of his clothes, revealing the grey flesh beneath. "I apologize for squandering your time, but I'd like to ask a few questions." As he speaks, Xizoh's flesh roils like an stormy sea set to boil by a vengeful god, muscle and viscera rapidly changing position and shape. "Will my flesh ever settle down, and go to normal? Also, can you heal me? I feel the best way to introduce this situation to Anathema is via the method it most approves of-violence."
Oranis morphs into a smaller dog form and takes a few prancing steps toward the moss. She examines it, cocking her head from side to side, then her tail starts to wag. "A gift suitable for the mountain heart," Xizoh hears in a pleased tone.
Oranis's mouth suddenly expands to ten times its size and snaps up the moss, engulfing it in one precise movement. Xizoh catches a momentary terrifying glimpse of a glowing blue chasm rimmed with giant razor-sharp teeth. He is reminded of the awesome power that held the evil on the mountain at bay for months.
Oranis morphs smoothly back into her wolf form, sits in a regal posture, and looks at him attentively. She does not seem to swallow the moss.
One of Oranis's ears twitches as she considers his first question. "I do not know what it is to be normal, healer. Your flesh is as it is. It is strong. It keeps you warm. It mends itself. It is yours, and there is power in that. Do you wish it to change?"
Oranis looks thoughtful at his next query. "I can help mend flesh together," she says. "The anathema will not approve of violence done to you, healer. But if you wish, I will watch over you. " She pauses, then says, "Be gentle to yourself."
Contemplating the shifting mass that was his body, and watching his body's attempts to reshape itself into...whatever it was trying to form, the doctor found himself lost for words. The whole idea of this flesh changing business had seemed like punishment to him, yet it had done good. It had ensured Rik got treatment, allowed him to save a friend from familial enslavement or worse, and had kept him able to save lives.
Musing, he bowed to Oranis. "The anathema may not approve of violence to me, but for it there is little clearer a form of comunication. Perhaps this is me attempting to deck my demons, but my flesh requires a purpose."
"I will," Winfried grins at her quickly, before examining the door and hallway beyond with a soldier's trained eye.
"It's clear," he says softly. "Goodbye Henri."
Winfried slips out of the door. Henri can just hear his footsteps descending the stairs above the noise of the tavern.
Oranis watches Xizoh. "What do you think that purpose is, healer?"
"Seems to have a limited range," Alaina commented.
She muttered to herself, "Get a grip on yourself."
Henri runs into Cel on her way out of the Wolf and Bear.
"That fella didn't give you any trouble, did he?" Laurett eyes Winfried's table when Henri settles her room payment.
Winfried has sat back down at his place at the table of card players. Henri notices one of his companions, a stocky human, is looking her way with some interest.
If Henri follows Blaine's directions, she walks out into the cold air, encounters Cel, and to the military building. She passes flocks of soldiers from Kinghaven, some working and some milling around.
Henri ascends the stairs inside the door as she has before, but turns away from the captain's office to an unfamiliar corridor lit with tidy lamps on the walls and lined with numbered doors, all closed.
Number 17 is nearly the last door down the hall, on the right. If Henri knocks, she hears a scrambling noise like someone is shuffling metal on wood. A few moments later the door opens abruptly, revealing Blaine with an annoyed scowl that quickly turns to surprise.
"Henri," he says with concern. "Is everything okay?"