Gravedigger Quest
- Thread starter Renu
- Start date
- Original Fantasy
Jhin Lemon
Lawful Cute
- Location
- Trapped in the interwebs, please send help
[X] You feel…
-[X] excited
[X] You managed to fall asleep and dreamt of
-[X] your mentor
-[X] excited
[X] You managed to fall asleep and dreamt of
-[X] your mentor
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Ok, I'll lock votes and write the mentor's flashback.
Given it should apparently have been the Rinagi, I'll also do that one, that way everyone's happy.
I'm still hesitating whether to do both at once since the mentor was here, or if I'll do it separately later.
Expect the update, eeeh... by the end of the week? Maybe? I usually take quite some time to write for that quest and it looks like this will be an extra long update, so...
Given it should apparently have been the Rinagi, I'll also do that one, that way everyone's happy.
I'm still hesitating whether to do both at once since the mentor was here, or if I'll do it separately later.
Expect the update, eeeh... by the end of the week? Maybe? I usually take quite some time to write for that quest and it looks like this will be an extra long update, so...
Restless sleep? A walk through the past!
- Pronouns
- They/Them
[X] You feel…
- [X] excited
[X] You managed to fall asleep and dreamt of
- [X] your mentor
(+
- [] your first love (which ended terribly)
-- [] She was a older Rinagi girl in a caravan with which you traveled alongside your mentor. You will forever remember her beautiful voice as she sang and her screams as bandits attacked.)
------------------------------
Lirra wasn't used to sheets and pillows. As she spent her life on the road and that no one would take her in if they knew what she was, she never had the occasion to use an actual bed. Still, no one would ever say that it was impossible to fall asleep on something warm, fluffy and comfortable, and so, despite how excited she was about tomorrow, she quickly drifted away.
…
The pitter patter of the rain around her had long stopped bothering her, as did the cold that clung to her rags. All in all, it could have been said that she was dead to the world.
It was only when she stopped feeling the drops falling on her that she weakly raised her head. Her green eyes stopped reflecting the mud under her and instead showed worn leather boots, a ragged cape and finally a face shrouded in shadows.
The man knelt down in front of her, taking care to keep his cape above her head with one arm, useless as it was since Lirra was already soaked to the bone a long time ago. His eyes fell down on her horns, then on her hair. Her unmistakably ashen hair.
"You poor girl," he said, as he took her in his arms. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."
She could only see a bunch of wild ashen hair as he started carrying her away. He felt warm, safe… he felt like home.
…
Her arms were starting to hurt, but even so, she grit her teeth and threw yet another shovelful of dirt to the side. She was already up to her knees and yet there was still no trace of a body. Which, if she had to be honest, she found very annoying. Why didn't they simply put the corpses in a neat pile somewhere easily accessible? It wasn't as if some dirt would stop them from coming back…
This particular charnel house (though the "house" part was very debatable) had been left alone for quite a long time. Probably too long, even with the almost non existent dark corruption in the area. As a matter of fact, her mentor had told her to stay away and that he'd take care of it himself the following day, after he could rest, but… despite not being that old, he just looked so tired. Worn, stretched thin, like everything in her life.
He didn't want her to take care of the Pyres, but wasn't that what she existed for? The reason she had been left alone until her found her?
He always said she was unreasonable, but if that was the case, the same could be said of him. She was ten already, more than able to take care of herself and to start helping in their work.
She'd show him she was able to help him, and so he wouldn't always be so tired all the time! She would! Well… she would after she rested for five minutes or so, she thought as she sat down on the dirt, her back against the walls of the grave she was digging.
She stayed that way for a minute or so, until she heard the voice of her mentor calling her. She hesitated an instant to stay there and hide, but he would pass by and see her anyway, so there was no point. She was found out. She prepared herself to be scolded, although she usually felt worse about disappointing or worrying him than whatever he would do to punish her (and it almost said more about the punishments than their relationship), then she got back up on her feet, a sheepish apology on her lips.
Or at least, she would have done that, had her legs been free. She didn't know when it had happened; maybe they had come out just now, or maybe they had slowly extended their grips around her, waiting until she was completely helpless to make themselves known, but several rotting, decayed hands and come out of the ground and encircled her legs. Already, she could feel their grip tighten painfully, as more of them came out of the wall at her back.
The dead had felt her, and had roused, or maybe it was just the proximity of living flesh and less dirt between them and the surface that had decided them to come out.
Such considerations were far away from Lirra's mind at the moment. The only thing that mattered was that she was caught and almost helpless. She screamed, and reached for her shovel with her free hand, before hitting what hands she could reach once she held it. She grit her teeth as her panicked, clumsy strikes hit herself and gouged her own flesh, but it was still better than the greedy, reaching pull of the dead.
She almost hit upwards when she felt yet another pair of hands, this time on her shoulder, but she stopped herself just in time; these hands were warm. She was pulled upwards and half thrown away before she could tell what was happening.
Standing above the crawling corpses was her mentor, his hair ablaze, burning ashes falling on the ground around him, and his face was livid. She had never seen him angry; he always wore a sad smile on his tired face. He always treated the bodies he had to take care of with respect, talking to them as if they were still alive, and respecting whatever rites they had followed before their death - she had learned a truly astonishing number of burial customs from him - making their passing a calm, serene and peaceful thing.
By the time she could think about that, he had already nailed three bodies to the ground under his shovel, screaming a stream of curses that would have frozen Lirra's blood if she wasn't too afraid at the moment. His free hand lowered itself to their face, his usual gentle touch turning into furious punches as he Pyred the corpses, their dessicated bodies disappearing in a torrent of flames as soon as he touched them.
For Lirra, the fight looked as if it lasted for hours, but it was actually only a matter of minutes and her mentor limped back to her. He was covered in dirt, sooth and some of his own blood. Lirra almost shirked away, but she was the one responsible for that, and she was ready for whatever punishment he would give her; she deserved it, but rather than any of that, he just crouched in front of her.
"Are you alright, Lirra? Did they hurt you?" he asked, patting her legs over to check for any bruising.
"N-no, but… but..." She raised a trembling finger to his own leg, pointing at a piece of jagged bone that was jutting out.
"Aha… don't worry, it's… not mine," he tried to say with a smile on his pale face. "They must have gotten a good hit in at some point..."
His face was too pale. His trousers' leg was soaked red and it was spreading more and more, soaking the ground under him.
Lirra screamed again as he fell down on her, his eyes unfocused.
…
Lirra walked alongside her mentor on the worn road. They were advancing slowly. It was not new; they had advanced slowly ever since that day four or so years ago, when his leg had been ruined. She had managed to gather help in time to save his life, but that was all. He would alway need some sort of support to advance, and that was her fault, as she always reminded herself.
The fact that he never said so or even seemed to think that weighed heavier on her heart than any amount of spite or grudge would ever do.
He was truly a kind man, but his kindness was crueler than most malice.
It was as they were slowing down even more and that they started thinking about making camp that Lirra heard a sound not too far away on the road. Curious, they decided to push onwards just a little bit more to see what was its source.
As they neared, it became clear that it was a voice, singing. A most beautiful voice, Lirra thought. She wasn't an expert on the subject, the most music she had ever heard being the vague echoes from outside of a tavern or the religious songs during some funerals, but even so she would have confidently said that it was the most beautiful voice in the whole wide world.
Suffice to say, it had made quite an effect on her.
"Mentor, maybe we should ask if we could share their camp, whoever it is," Lirra proposed. "Depending on what they have, it could be good for your leg, and we'd take less time than if we did it all from scratch," she added, while not technically lying.
Her mentor turned his face towards her and looked at her with a raised eyebrow until she averted her gaze. He chuckled.
"Very well, let's ask," he finally decided. "But stay behind me, just in case. These roads aren't safe lately and we can never be too careful."
And with that, he started walking again, making sure to be seen in case they had installed sentries. As he said, these roads weren't safe, and what little security could be gained from advancing stealthily would be rendered null if potentially friendly travelers attacked them, thinking they were monster or bandits. And indeed they were quickly found by sentries. A man came out from the side of the road when it became clear the two Keepers of Gray were going towards their camp. From what they could see further away, wagons decorated with colorful cloth and geometric patterns, obviously well taken care of but far past their prime, as well as the tan skin of the guard, they probably were Rinagi.
The Rinagi were a nomadic people, travelling the world in their caravans and surviving as best they could given most towns barred their gate at their approach. To put it lightly, they had a bad reputation; liar, thieves, murderers, servants of monsters, stealers of children… imagine something bad, and there was no doubt that at least one village taught that all Rinagi did it. Of course, given their own reputation, Gravediggers had a somewhat more nuanced view of them. Well, those that Lirra knew, so at least her mentor didn't hate them.
"Stop right there, friend," the guard told them while putting his hand on the handle of the short sword at his waist. "Where are you going?"
They stopped and her mentor took his hood down before answering in his usual smooth voice.
"We were hoping we could talk to your leader. I would be grateful if you could guide us to them, or if you prefer, we can wait here while someone tells him of our presence," he said diplomatically. "As regrettable as it is, I'm confident my services are needed."
The guard's eyes narrowed as he hesitated for an instant.
"Very well. You stay here and I'll come back with him. If you go forward, we kill you and if you go away, we won't give you another chance."
Her mentor nodded calmly and then waited as he was told. Lirra did the same while glaring daggers at the back of the guard. Usually, Rinagi were more accepting, seeing as both groups were pariahs. She felt her mentor's hand on her shoulder and calmed down a bit, then they simply waited until the guard came back with an older man.
The newcomer looked at them suspiciously, but at least there was no overt hostility coming from him. The guard, however, still acted the same, with Lirra glaring just as much as him from behind her mentor.
"So… Mihai tells me you wanted to talk?" he states bluntly.
"Indeed. We were hoping you would allow us to share this camp with you, as well as travel alongside you for a time," her mentor answered. "And in exchange, well… you know what we are. There is but one thing we could offer."
He hesitates for a while before nodding.
"Yes, we do have a few bodies in need of your… services," he finally says with some distaste in his voice.
"Boss, you can't be serious! We won't let these vultures into our midst just so they can loot-"
"Mihai!" the older man shouts. "Shut you mouth. I'm not enamored with the idea myself, but it's either that or having to fight our departed. Do you really think Rinagi bodies will be accepted in Warded ground?"
The guard grits his teeth and stomps in impotent rage once, then he nods grimly.
"Good. Now, before you enter, one last thing," the elder asks, turning to Lirra. "Girl, remove that hood. I want to know just what I'm letting inside my camp."
She hesitantly brought her hands to her hood and pulled it down, revealing her ashen hair and mossy horns. She heard a sharp intake of breath from the two Rinagi as they saw it, before the older one spoke.
"Wait. Is it some sort of a Corcitura? I don't want such a thing in my camp," he said sharply to her mentor.
Lirra wilted under the remark. Even though she didn't exactly know what a Corcitura was, there was no doubt from the tone of the man that he thought very little of her. Like everyone. She felt the comforting hand of her mentor on her shoulder as he answered.
"No. She is not a Corcitura. As I'm sure you know, they are only born amongst you, as it was the sins of your ancestors that created them," he said, his voice low and angry, far from his usual calm and diplomatic tone. "Now, do you want me to allow your dead the rest they deserve, or should we be on our way?"
"Calm down, you can enter. You can't blame me for making sure; the girl sure doesn't look human," was all the elder gave in lieu of an apology.
Her mentor seemed like he wanted to say something, but with a sigh, he simply told him to lead on to where the bodies were. Lirra was left a bit before he got to it, after he managed to bargain for a tent for the two of them.
Lirra was left to herself as she tried to build the tent. She usually simply slept on whatever was here, her nature as a Changeling meaning that she didn't actually need things like bed or a roof above her head. Still, her mentor did need it, and she did her best to take care of him as he did her. She owed him that and so much more.
It did not mean, however, that she actually knew how to build that damned contraption, and so she fought against rope, poles and cloth for a while, until a voice stopped her.
"You really aren't good at that, are you?"
It was a somehow familiar voice, even though Lirra couldn't place it. After struggling a bit to get her head out of the tarp, she saw it belonged to a girl who looked a bit older than her, who was looking at her with a small amused smile. Lirra stood like that without answering as she finally remembered where she heard that voice: it was the girl whose singing had brought them to the camp in the first place.
"Ah..." Lirra answered eloquently, warmth rising to her cheeks.
"Do you want some help, maybe?"
After another moment, Lirra shyly nodded, and the tent was set up shortly with the help of the other girl.
"Th...thank you," she said. "I'm Lirra."
"Ilinca," the other answered, offering her hand with a jingle of the many bracelets she wore. "Nice to meet you."
Lirra looked at the offered hand for a while, as if it would change in a snake and bite her (not that actual snakes were a danger to her), unsure of what to do. Then, hesitantly, she took it with the tip of her fingers. Her hand was warm, she noticed. Obviously. She was alive, after all. Still, other than her mentor, it was the only living person she had had contact with in… too long for her to say.
"Um… why did you help me? Don't you, uh… you know I'm a Keeper of Gray, right?" she asked, before she could stop the words from coming out of her mouth.
The other girl simply stared at her before passing her hand in her lustrous black curls, showing off her hair. Then, realising Lirra didn't get it, she added, in a flat voice.
"No way, I would never have guessed, what with you coming with the other Gravedigger and your own ashen hair."
The Changeling spent maybe just a second too long looking at the other girl's glorious mane before she answered, retracting her hand and twisting it nervously with the other.
"Ah… well… I, uh… I am," Lirra said nervously. "A, uh… Gravedigger."
Ilinca looked at her for a moment with her head tilted.
"Would you be from Emoulin, by any chance?" she asked, pointing a finger.
"Ah... Yes, I'm a Changeling." Lirra nodded then pointed to her horns.
"This explains that," Ilinca concluded. "Well, anyway, I helped you because you looked like you needed it, and also I'm interested in you."
"In… me?" Lirra repeated, surprised.
"Yes, in you. You must have travelled a lot and seen many things, right? I mean, we travel a lot too, but it's pretty different. It's still always the same caravan, you know?"
Lirra didn't, but she refrained from saying it, not knowing where the conversation was going.
"So I want you to talk about your journey," Ilinca finished.
---
The next week of travel was the best Lirra ever had. Ilinca was nice to her and actually seeked her company, uncaring of the stigma attached to the Keepers of Gray. Once Lirra actually found the courage to ask her why, she simply answered that the Rinagi had just about as many things said about them and that it'd be silly to treat someone else poorly because of their own undeserved reputation. Of course, that didn't fit the actions of the other members of the caravan, but the contradiction didn't seem to bother Ilinca. Given it meant that the two girls were pretty much always together, it certainly didn't bother Lirra either.
She wondered why her mentor looked at her like that, though. He never explained why his smile looked so sad when he saw the two together.
At the edge of the camp, near the edge of the light given by the great campfire where the Rinagi were, Lirra was listening to Ilinca's songs as she usually did in the evenings. Each time she heard her, she fell more in love with her voice. The older girl had said she wanted to become a bard and leave the caravan to travel the world on her own, living from her songs. When the time came, it'd be nice if she could find her again. After all, nothing said a Keeper of Gray had to travel alone.
It was as she was entertaining that wishful thought that the camp suddenly went silent and turned in direction of the entrance. The cause for this, Lirra quickly realised, was the head that had been thrown from there. She recognised that face. It was the guard that had been mean. Why was he… dead?
"Well, well, well, look at that gathering of freaks," said a man the man at the entrance. "Nobody wants you here, and no one will miss you."
He walked on the beheaded corpse in his way as other men followed him in.
"But don't worry, your women and riches will be taken care of by yours truly. Get them, boys!"
And with that he threw one of his hatchets into the crowd who was just finally processing what was happening, and panic took over the camp. Some Rinagi tried to rush to their weapons to stop the tide of bandits that were coming in, but from the fact that their sentries had been eliminated without anyone being aware, there was little doubt that it would do little good.
Lirra was panicking, trying to find her mentor or Ilinca in the crowd, when the former found her.
"Lirra, you must get away from here, run in the forest, they won't be able to find you," he said quickly.
She was about to protest when he shoved her away and shouted.
"Now!"
Her legs obeyed before she could think and she was soon in the undergrowth, the sounds of fighting fading in the distance, and soon she was hiding as best she could, wondering what was happening to her mentor and Ilinca. She wanted to find them, to take them to hide with her, but there was movement in the forest, and she didn't want to be found.
Would they be ok? Her mentor couldn't run away with his leg, and Ilinca… if they caught her…
No, they would be alright. Her mentor told her to hide, and so she would and everything would be alright, she repeated herself. Then, amidst the sound of battle, she heard a familiar voice scream.
No.
No no no.
She could recognise that voice anywhere. It was a beautiful voice that sang, and laughed, and asked question and was nice. It was not… it was not a voice made for these screams.
But what could she do? She was alone, weak, and unarmed. She could do nothing. Nothing but hide and press her hands to her ears until she felt her head would be squashed, but it didn't deafen her enough. Nothing could.
It lasted… too long. She could never say how long she spent like that, covering her ears, while silently crying and begging for forgiveness. When the dawn came, she walked back to the camp in a daze, her vision rendered blurry by the tears and the smoke.
There was nothing left here. No camp, no people… only ruins and death.
And among all that…
One body.
Lirra felt her knees hit the ground and she howled, screamed and cursed the heavens. Her hands covered her eyes, clawed her face and tore at her hair as she simply refused to see what was in front of her, the state of the body that once was Ilinca and the marks that denoted her last moments.
Then nothing, she just felt a blaze above her, as the strands of hair in her hands turned from ash to embers, then to a blazing fire.
She took Ilinca's hand with her own. She was cold. So cold. As if this past week had been but a dream, the only contact she felt now was the cold touch of a dead body. She wished she was still warm, still alive.
And as embers traveled from Lirra's hands to Ilinca's her first wish was realised. The second, however, would never come true.
And then, only ashes were left in her palms.
---
Lirra opened her eyes and saw a blurry wooden ceiling. She took a few moments to get her breathing under control then sit up. Her hands shook a bit as she passed them over her face, wiping her tears. Her palms were wet, but there were no ashes. She took a long, shaky breath. She was no longer that person. Soon, she would have allies and know how to fight. Soon, she'd be able to save innocent people.
She looked to the window and saw that the sun was rising. There was no point in going back to sleep now and she didn't want to either. Today was the first day of classes and it was going to be great.
"So, uh..." came a voice from the other side of the room. "Are you ok?"
-------------------------
Unique Echoes obtained. Last thoughts added to the Apocrypha.
Echoes: Ilinca
Echoes: the Mentor
May they rest in peace.
-------------------------
[] You definitely don't want to talk about it
[] Actually talk about it
You have some time before it's time for breakfast, classes and so on
[] Look around, try to get your bearings in the Academy
[] Find someplace to clean yourself, you aren't a lone traveller anymore
[] It'll be harder now, but maybe try to get to the bodies from the test
[] Try to find some other early risers and talk with them?
[] Write-in
If we go by multiverse theory, I updated when I said I would at least once. Maybe.
And thanks to Avalanche for the beta.
- [X] excited
[X] You managed to fall asleep and dreamt of
- [X] your mentor
(+
- [] your first love (which ended terribly)
-- [] She was a older Rinagi girl in a caravan with which you traveled alongside your mentor. You will forever remember her beautiful voice as she sang and her screams as bandits attacked.)
------------------------------
Lirra wasn't used to sheets and pillows. As she spent her life on the road and that no one would take her in if they knew what she was, she never had the occasion to use an actual bed. Still, no one would ever say that it was impossible to fall asleep on something warm, fluffy and comfortable, and so, despite how excited she was about tomorrow, she quickly drifted away.
…
The pitter patter of the rain around her had long stopped bothering her, as did the cold that clung to her rags. All in all, it could have been said that she was dead to the world.
It was only when she stopped feeling the drops falling on her that she weakly raised her head. Her green eyes stopped reflecting the mud under her and instead showed worn leather boots, a ragged cape and finally a face shrouded in shadows.
The man knelt down in front of her, taking care to keep his cape above her head with one arm, useless as it was since Lirra was already soaked to the bone a long time ago. His eyes fell down on her horns, then on her hair. Her unmistakably ashen hair.
"You poor girl," he said, as he took her in his arms. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."
She could only see a bunch of wild ashen hair as he started carrying her away. He felt warm, safe… he felt like home.
…
Her arms were starting to hurt, but even so, she grit her teeth and threw yet another shovelful of dirt to the side. She was already up to her knees and yet there was still no trace of a body. Which, if she had to be honest, she found very annoying. Why didn't they simply put the corpses in a neat pile somewhere easily accessible? It wasn't as if some dirt would stop them from coming back…
This particular charnel house (though the "house" part was very debatable) had been left alone for quite a long time. Probably too long, even with the almost non existent dark corruption in the area. As a matter of fact, her mentor had told her to stay away and that he'd take care of it himself the following day, after he could rest, but… despite not being that old, he just looked so tired. Worn, stretched thin, like everything in her life.
He didn't want her to take care of the Pyres, but wasn't that what she existed for? The reason she had been left alone until her found her?
He always said she was unreasonable, but if that was the case, the same could be said of him. She was ten already, more than able to take care of herself and to start helping in their work.
She'd show him she was able to help him, and so he wouldn't always be so tired all the time! She would! Well… she would after she rested for five minutes or so, she thought as she sat down on the dirt, her back against the walls of the grave she was digging.
She stayed that way for a minute or so, until she heard the voice of her mentor calling her. She hesitated an instant to stay there and hide, but he would pass by and see her anyway, so there was no point. She was found out. She prepared herself to be scolded, although she usually felt worse about disappointing or worrying him than whatever he would do to punish her (and it almost said more about the punishments than their relationship), then she got back up on her feet, a sheepish apology on her lips.
Or at least, she would have done that, had her legs been free. She didn't know when it had happened; maybe they had come out just now, or maybe they had slowly extended their grips around her, waiting until she was completely helpless to make themselves known, but several rotting, decayed hands and come out of the ground and encircled her legs. Already, she could feel their grip tighten painfully, as more of them came out of the wall at her back.
The dead had felt her, and had roused, or maybe it was just the proximity of living flesh and less dirt between them and the surface that had decided them to come out.
Such considerations were far away from Lirra's mind at the moment. The only thing that mattered was that she was caught and almost helpless. She screamed, and reached for her shovel with her free hand, before hitting what hands she could reach once she held it. She grit her teeth as her panicked, clumsy strikes hit herself and gouged her own flesh, but it was still better than the greedy, reaching pull of the dead.
She almost hit upwards when she felt yet another pair of hands, this time on her shoulder, but she stopped herself just in time; these hands were warm. She was pulled upwards and half thrown away before she could tell what was happening.
Standing above the crawling corpses was her mentor, his hair ablaze, burning ashes falling on the ground around him, and his face was livid. She had never seen him angry; he always wore a sad smile on his tired face. He always treated the bodies he had to take care of with respect, talking to them as if they were still alive, and respecting whatever rites they had followed before their death - she had learned a truly astonishing number of burial customs from him - making their passing a calm, serene and peaceful thing.
By the time she could think about that, he had already nailed three bodies to the ground under his shovel, screaming a stream of curses that would have frozen Lirra's blood if she wasn't too afraid at the moment. His free hand lowered itself to their face, his usual gentle touch turning into furious punches as he Pyred the corpses, their dessicated bodies disappearing in a torrent of flames as soon as he touched them.
For Lirra, the fight looked as if it lasted for hours, but it was actually only a matter of minutes and her mentor limped back to her. He was covered in dirt, sooth and some of his own blood. Lirra almost shirked away, but she was the one responsible for that, and she was ready for whatever punishment he would give her; she deserved it, but rather than any of that, he just crouched in front of her.
"Are you alright, Lirra? Did they hurt you?" he asked, patting her legs over to check for any bruising.
"N-no, but… but..." She raised a trembling finger to his own leg, pointing at a piece of jagged bone that was jutting out.
"Aha… don't worry, it's… not mine," he tried to say with a smile on his pale face. "They must have gotten a good hit in at some point..."
His face was too pale. His trousers' leg was soaked red and it was spreading more and more, soaking the ground under him.
Lirra screamed again as he fell down on her, his eyes unfocused.
…
Lirra walked alongside her mentor on the worn road. They were advancing slowly. It was not new; they had advanced slowly ever since that day four or so years ago, when his leg had been ruined. She had managed to gather help in time to save his life, but that was all. He would alway need some sort of support to advance, and that was her fault, as she always reminded herself.
The fact that he never said so or even seemed to think that weighed heavier on her heart than any amount of spite or grudge would ever do.
He was truly a kind man, but his kindness was crueler than most malice.
It was as they were slowing down even more and that they started thinking about making camp that Lirra heard a sound not too far away on the road. Curious, they decided to push onwards just a little bit more to see what was its source.
As they neared, it became clear that it was a voice, singing. A most beautiful voice, Lirra thought. She wasn't an expert on the subject, the most music she had ever heard being the vague echoes from outside of a tavern or the religious songs during some funerals, but even so she would have confidently said that it was the most beautiful voice in the whole wide world.
Suffice to say, it had made quite an effect on her.
"Mentor, maybe we should ask if we could share their camp, whoever it is," Lirra proposed. "Depending on what they have, it could be good for your leg, and we'd take less time than if we did it all from scratch," she added, while not technically lying.
Her mentor turned his face towards her and looked at her with a raised eyebrow until she averted her gaze. He chuckled.
"Very well, let's ask," he finally decided. "But stay behind me, just in case. These roads aren't safe lately and we can never be too careful."
And with that, he started walking again, making sure to be seen in case they had installed sentries. As he said, these roads weren't safe, and what little security could be gained from advancing stealthily would be rendered null if potentially friendly travelers attacked them, thinking they were monster or bandits. And indeed they were quickly found by sentries. A man came out from the side of the road when it became clear the two Keepers of Gray were going towards their camp. From what they could see further away, wagons decorated with colorful cloth and geometric patterns, obviously well taken care of but far past their prime, as well as the tan skin of the guard, they probably were Rinagi.
The Rinagi were a nomadic people, travelling the world in their caravans and surviving as best they could given most towns barred their gate at their approach. To put it lightly, they had a bad reputation; liar, thieves, murderers, servants of monsters, stealers of children… imagine something bad, and there was no doubt that at least one village taught that all Rinagi did it. Of course, given their own reputation, Gravediggers had a somewhat more nuanced view of them. Well, those that Lirra knew, so at least her mentor didn't hate them.
"Stop right there, friend," the guard told them while putting his hand on the handle of the short sword at his waist. "Where are you going?"
They stopped and her mentor took his hood down before answering in his usual smooth voice.
"We were hoping we could talk to your leader. I would be grateful if you could guide us to them, or if you prefer, we can wait here while someone tells him of our presence," he said diplomatically. "As regrettable as it is, I'm confident my services are needed."
The guard's eyes narrowed as he hesitated for an instant.
"Very well. You stay here and I'll come back with him. If you go forward, we kill you and if you go away, we won't give you another chance."
Her mentor nodded calmly and then waited as he was told. Lirra did the same while glaring daggers at the back of the guard. Usually, Rinagi were more accepting, seeing as both groups were pariahs. She felt her mentor's hand on her shoulder and calmed down a bit, then they simply waited until the guard came back with an older man.
The newcomer looked at them suspiciously, but at least there was no overt hostility coming from him. The guard, however, still acted the same, with Lirra glaring just as much as him from behind her mentor.
"So… Mihai tells me you wanted to talk?" he states bluntly.
"Indeed. We were hoping you would allow us to share this camp with you, as well as travel alongside you for a time," her mentor answered. "And in exchange, well… you know what we are. There is but one thing we could offer."
He hesitates for a while before nodding.
"Yes, we do have a few bodies in need of your… services," he finally says with some distaste in his voice.
"Boss, you can't be serious! We won't let these vultures into our midst just so they can loot-"
"Mihai!" the older man shouts. "Shut you mouth. I'm not enamored with the idea myself, but it's either that or having to fight our departed. Do you really think Rinagi bodies will be accepted in Warded ground?"
The guard grits his teeth and stomps in impotent rage once, then he nods grimly.
"Good. Now, before you enter, one last thing," the elder asks, turning to Lirra. "Girl, remove that hood. I want to know just what I'm letting inside my camp."
She hesitantly brought her hands to her hood and pulled it down, revealing her ashen hair and mossy horns. She heard a sharp intake of breath from the two Rinagi as they saw it, before the older one spoke.
"Wait. Is it some sort of a Corcitura? I don't want such a thing in my camp," he said sharply to her mentor.
Lirra wilted under the remark. Even though she didn't exactly know what a Corcitura was, there was no doubt from the tone of the man that he thought very little of her. Like everyone. She felt the comforting hand of her mentor on her shoulder as he answered.
"No. She is not a Corcitura. As I'm sure you know, they are only born amongst you, as it was the sins of your ancestors that created them," he said, his voice low and angry, far from his usual calm and diplomatic tone. "Now, do you want me to allow your dead the rest they deserve, or should we be on our way?"
"Calm down, you can enter. You can't blame me for making sure; the girl sure doesn't look human," was all the elder gave in lieu of an apology.
Her mentor seemed like he wanted to say something, but with a sigh, he simply told him to lead on to where the bodies were. Lirra was left a bit before he got to it, after he managed to bargain for a tent for the two of them.
Lirra was left to herself as she tried to build the tent. She usually simply slept on whatever was here, her nature as a Changeling meaning that she didn't actually need things like bed or a roof above her head. Still, her mentor did need it, and she did her best to take care of him as he did her. She owed him that and so much more.
It did not mean, however, that she actually knew how to build that damned contraption, and so she fought against rope, poles and cloth for a while, until a voice stopped her.
"You really aren't good at that, are you?"
It was a somehow familiar voice, even though Lirra couldn't place it. After struggling a bit to get her head out of the tarp, she saw it belonged to a girl who looked a bit older than her, who was looking at her with a small amused smile. Lirra stood like that without answering as she finally remembered where she heard that voice: it was the girl whose singing had brought them to the camp in the first place.
"Ah..." Lirra answered eloquently, warmth rising to her cheeks.
"Do you want some help, maybe?"
After another moment, Lirra shyly nodded, and the tent was set up shortly with the help of the other girl.
"Th...thank you," she said. "I'm Lirra."
"Ilinca," the other answered, offering her hand with a jingle of the many bracelets she wore. "Nice to meet you."
Lirra looked at the offered hand for a while, as if it would change in a snake and bite her (not that actual snakes were a danger to her), unsure of what to do. Then, hesitantly, she took it with the tip of her fingers. Her hand was warm, she noticed. Obviously. She was alive, after all. Still, other than her mentor, it was the only living person she had had contact with in… too long for her to say.
"Um… why did you help me? Don't you, uh… you know I'm a Keeper of Gray, right?" she asked, before she could stop the words from coming out of her mouth.
The other girl simply stared at her before passing her hand in her lustrous black curls, showing off her hair. Then, realising Lirra didn't get it, she added, in a flat voice.
"No way, I would never have guessed, what with you coming with the other Gravedigger and your own ashen hair."
The Changeling spent maybe just a second too long looking at the other girl's glorious mane before she answered, retracting her hand and twisting it nervously with the other.
"Ah… well… I, uh… I am," Lirra said nervously. "A, uh… Gravedigger."
Ilinca looked at her for a moment with her head tilted.
"Would you be from Emoulin, by any chance?" she asked, pointing a finger.
"Ah... Yes, I'm a Changeling." Lirra nodded then pointed to her horns.
"This explains that," Ilinca concluded. "Well, anyway, I helped you because you looked like you needed it, and also I'm interested in you."
"In… me?" Lirra repeated, surprised.
"Yes, in you. You must have travelled a lot and seen many things, right? I mean, we travel a lot too, but it's pretty different. It's still always the same caravan, you know?"
Lirra didn't, but she refrained from saying it, not knowing where the conversation was going.
"So I want you to talk about your journey," Ilinca finished.
---
The next week of travel was the best Lirra ever had. Ilinca was nice to her and actually seeked her company, uncaring of the stigma attached to the Keepers of Gray. Once Lirra actually found the courage to ask her why, she simply answered that the Rinagi had just about as many things said about them and that it'd be silly to treat someone else poorly because of their own undeserved reputation. Of course, that didn't fit the actions of the other members of the caravan, but the contradiction didn't seem to bother Ilinca. Given it meant that the two girls were pretty much always together, it certainly didn't bother Lirra either.
She wondered why her mentor looked at her like that, though. He never explained why his smile looked so sad when he saw the two together.
At the edge of the camp, near the edge of the light given by the great campfire where the Rinagi were, Lirra was listening to Ilinca's songs as she usually did in the evenings. Each time she heard her, she fell more in love with her voice. The older girl had said she wanted to become a bard and leave the caravan to travel the world on her own, living from her songs. When the time came, it'd be nice if she could find her again. After all, nothing said a Keeper of Gray had to travel alone.
It was as she was entertaining that wishful thought that the camp suddenly went silent and turned in direction of the entrance. The cause for this, Lirra quickly realised, was the head that had been thrown from there. She recognised that face. It was the guard that had been mean. Why was he… dead?
"Well, well, well, look at that gathering of freaks," said a man the man at the entrance. "Nobody wants you here, and no one will miss you."
He walked on the beheaded corpse in his way as other men followed him in.
"But don't worry, your women and riches will be taken care of by yours truly. Get them, boys!"
And with that he threw one of his hatchets into the crowd who was just finally processing what was happening, and panic took over the camp. Some Rinagi tried to rush to their weapons to stop the tide of bandits that were coming in, but from the fact that their sentries had been eliminated without anyone being aware, there was little doubt that it would do little good.
Lirra was panicking, trying to find her mentor or Ilinca in the crowd, when the former found her.
"Lirra, you must get away from here, run in the forest, they won't be able to find you," he said quickly.
She was about to protest when he shoved her away and shouted.
"Now!"
Her legs obeyed before she could think and she was soon in the undergrowth, the sounds of fighting fading in the distance, and soon she was hiding as best she could, wondering what was happening to her mentor and Ilinca. She wanted to find them, to take them to hide with her, but there was movement in the forest, and she didn't want to be found.
Would they be ok? Her mentor couldn't run away with his leg, and Ilinca… if they caught her…
No, they would be alright. Her mentor told her to hide, and so she would and everything would be alright, she repeated herself. Then, amidst the sound of battle, she heard a familiar voice scream.
No.
No no no.
She could recognise that voice anywhere. It was a beautiful voice that sang, and laughed, and asked question and was nice. It was not… it was not a voice made for these screams.
But what could she do? She was alone, weak, and unarmed. She could do nothing. Nothing but hide and press her hands to her ears until she felt her head would be squashed, but it didn't deafen her enough. Nothing could.
It lasted… too long. She could never say how long she spent like that, covering her ears, while silently crying and begging for forgiveness. When the dawn came, she walked back to the camp in a daze, her vision rendered blurry by the tears and the smoke.
There was nothing left here. No camp, no people… only ruins and death.
And among all that…
One body.
Lirra felt her knees hit the ground and she howled, screamed and cursed the heavens. Her hands covered her eyes, clawed her face and tore at her hair as she simply refused to see what was in front of her, the state of the body that once was Ilinca and the marks that denoted her last moments.
Then nothing, she just felt a blaze above her, as the strands of hair in her hands turned from ash to embers, then to a blazing fire.
She took Ilinca's hand with her own. She was cold. So cold. As if this past week had been but a dream, the only contact she felt now was the cold touch of a dead body. She wished she was still warm, still alive.
And as embers traveled from Lirra's hands to Ilinca's her first wish was realised. The second, however, would never come true.
And then, only ashes were left in her palms.
---
Lirra opened her eyes and saw a blurry wooden ceiling. She took a few moments to get her breathing under control then sit up. Her hands shook a bit as she passed them over her face, wiping her tears. Her palms were wet, but there were no ashes. She took a long, shaky breath. She was no longer that person. Soon, she would have allies and know how to fight. Soon, she'd be able to save innocent people.
She looked to the window and saw that the sun was rising. There was no point in going back to sleep now and she didn't want to either. Today was the first day of classes and it was going to be great.
"So, uh..." came a voice from the other side of the room. "Are you ok?"
-------------------------
Unique Echoes obtained. Last thoughts added to the Apocrypha.
Echoes: Ilinca
Echoes: the Mentor
May they rest in peace.
-------------------------
[] You definitely don't want to talk about it
[] Actually talk about it
You have some time before it's time for breakfast, classes and so on
[] Look around, try to get your bearings in the Academy
[] Find someplace to clean yourself, you aren't a lone traveller anymore
[] It'll be harder now, but maybe try to get to the bodies from the test
[] Try to find some other early risers and talk with them?
[] Write-in
If we go by multiverse theory, I updated when I said I would at least once. Maybe.
And thanks to Avalanche for the beta.
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[X] You definitely don't want to talk about it
While my opinion of her has gone up since she was introduced, I still don't want to tell. . . What was her name again? It's been so long I can't remember.
[X] Find someplace to clean yourself, you aren't a lone traveller anymore
Maybe we can have some comedy to lighten the mood by stumbling across someone else trying to get clean or, alternatively, being the one who gets stumbled across.
While my opinion of her has gone up since she was introduced, I still don't want to tell. . . What was her name again? It's been so long I can't remember.
[X] Find someplace to clean yourself, you aren't a lone traveller anymore
Maybe we can have some comedy to lighten the mood by stumbling across someone else trying to get clean or, alternatively, being the one who gets stumbled across.
UrsaTempest
Don't Panic!
Hmm.
I sorta-kinda trust our roommate, but... well. Sorta kinda. Now, share problem or not...
I sorta-kinda trust our roommate, but... well. Sorta kinda. Now, share problem or not...
- Location
- United States of America
[X] You definitely don't want to talk about it
[X] Find someplace to clean yourself, you aren't a lone traveler anymore
[X] Find someplace to clean yourself, you aren't a lone traveler anymore
Jhin Lemon
Lawful Cute
- Location
- Trapped in the interwebs, please send help
[X] You definitely don't want to talk about it
[X] Find someplace to clean yourself, you aren't a lone traveler anymore
[X] Find someplace to clean yourself, you aren't a lone traveler anymore
NaanContributor
Provider of delicious flatbread, and nothing else.
- Location
- Hawaii
[X] You definitely don't want to talk about it
The past is ashes on the wind, focus on the now.
[X] It'll be harder now, but maybe try to get to the bodies from the test
The test showed that we're still too weak, and everyone who fell in it wanted to protect the world. We can at least ensure that their skills and aspirations live on through us instead of fading away, and there's no nighttime terrors to stop us now.
The past is ashes on the wind, focus on the now.
[X] It'll be harder now, but maybe try to get to the bodies from the test
The test showed that we're still too weak, and everyone who fell in it wanted to protect the world. We can at least ensure that their skills and aspirations live on through us instead of fading away, and there's no nighttime terrors to stop us now.
Nottheunmaker
Altman be praised
- Location
- USG Ishimura
[X] You definitely don't want to talk about it
Oh wow you do not talk about something like that with someone you just met ever.
[X] It'll be harder now, but maybe try to get to the bodies from the test
We do need to gain some strength, and now we know what happens if the dead aren't sent to their rest. Not something we want to happen.
Oh wow you do not talk about something like that with someone you just met ever.
[X] It'll be harder now, but maybe try to get to the bodies from the test
We do need to gain some strength, and now we know what happens if the dead aren't sent to their rest. Not something we want to happen.
[X] You definitely don't want to talk about it
[X] It'll be harder now, but maybe try to get to the bodies from the test
[X] It'll be harder now, but maybe try to get to the bodies from the test
- Location
- Switzerland
Currently, our roommate seems to me full of good will and even make a first step.
[X] just say it's something painful and you do not really want to talk about it but thank her for caring about us.
[X] Find someplace to clean yourself, you aren't a lone traveller anymore
[X] just say it's something painful and you do not really want to talk about it but thank her for caring about us.
[X] Find someplace to clean yourself, you aren't a lone traveller anymore
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- Pronouns
- They/Them
Added inherited skills in your character sheet.
For each important character you Pyre, you will get an actual skill instead of basically-just-xp-but-in-a-lore-friendly-way, as well as an echo, a short text from or about the person. For maximum feels, I recommend listening to something like that while reading them (and now you know my inspiration).
I'll post the Mentor's echo just after that message, I didn't want to put anything else (like this explanation) in that post, so yeah, double post, I ain't afraid of nothing #thuglyfe
Ilinca's is still unfinished, so maybe tomorrow or in a few days.
For each important character you Pyre, you will get an actual skill instead of basically-just-xp-but-in-a-lore-friendly-way, as well as an echo, a short text from or about the person. For maximum feels, I recommend listening to something like that while reading them (and now you know my inspiration).
I'll post the Mentor's echo just after that message, I didn't want to put anything else (like this explanation) in that post, so yeah, double post, I ain't afraid of nothing #thuglyfe
Ilinca's is still unfinished, so maybe tomorrow or in a few days.
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Echoes - The Mentor
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Echoes - The Mentor
From my very first memory, I knew I wasn't wanted. I was left alone, to fend for myself in streets that cared little for an abandoned boy.
My own mentor, when I was found, didn't care about me either. I was but a necessary baggage for her, a sign of her impending liberation.
I hated her with all of my being.
She didn't love me, didn't teach me, and had me perform my first Pyre at the earliest occasion. Then, as my potential had been awakened, she passed on shortly.
I hesitated to leave her there, on the dirt. Let us see how she liked becoming an actual monster.
But I needed her knowledge, alone as I was in this world, and so I took care of her body, and drank deep of the well of her past.
I was disgusted at myself. How very semblable our stories were, both of us abandoned in an uncaring world. Was she what I would become?
I swore to myself that I would not let it be so.
Years passed, and I soon understood her bitterness. To roam such a big world, alone, surrounded only by death…
One's soul begins to fray.
It wasn't long until I, too, begged for death's sweet release.
But understanding her plight did not make me hate her any less. She had a choice, when she found me. A choice to break that cycle of despair.
A choice that I almost didn't take when I met you, my dear Lirra.
When I first saw you, lost under the rain, my first reaction was not to pity that abandoned child.
No.
It was joy.
Soon, I could finally die.
I don't know what made me change my mind. Was it the look of innocent wonder in your eyes, or the hate I bore for my own mentor? I broke down and fell to my knees, hugging you tight and keeping the rain from falling on you.
"You poor girl," I said. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."
I knew what your life would be. I knew what awaited you. How could I not, after living it for two lives?
And so I made my choice. You would not be just another victim of this cycle that consumed me.
No. I would take as long as I could before your first Pyre, and I would give you the love that I never had.
Even so… my time was coming to a close. I got hurt, I got weak… I got old.
I knew I could not protect you for much longer, eager as you were to take my burdens, unknowing of what would happen after you came in fully of your legacy as a Keeper of Gray.
My life was filled with regret. But the time we spent together… my only regret was that it was cut short so soon.
I hope what you saw during your first Pyre was at least a bittersweet memory, so that some love would always stay with you, no matter how harsh your lone road would be.
My body failed soon, and your second Pyre was the very last victim of the plague.
I'm sorry to leave you so soon.
I hope your life will be kinder than mine. I never had a name, so you calling me mentor was alright, but if I could just be a little bit selfish now that I'm no longer of this world…
I would have liked you to call me father.
We may not share blood, but even without words, we were a family.
I love you, Lirra, my sweet, poor daughter.
Farewell.
My own mentor, when I was found, didn't care about me either. I was but a necessary baggage for her, a sign of her impending liberation.
I hated her with all of my being.
She didn't love me, didn't teach me, and had me perform my first Pyre at the earliest occasion. Then, as my potential had been awakened, she passed on shortly.
I hesitated to leave her there, on the dirt. Let us see how she liked becoming an actual monster.
But I needed her knowledge, alone as I was in this world, and so I took care of her body, and drank deep of the well of her past.
I was disgusted at myself. How very semblable our stories were, both of us abandoned in an uncaring world. Was she what I would become?
I swore to myself that I would not let it be so.
Years passed, and I soon understood her bitterness. To roam such a big world, alone, surrounded only by death…
One's soul begins to fray.
It wasn't long until I, too, begged for death's sweet release.
But understanding her plight did not make me hate her any less. She had a choice, when she found me. A choice to break that cycle of despair.
A choice that I almost didn't take when I met you, my dear Lirra.
When I first saw you, lost under the rain, my first reaction was not to pity that abandoned child.
No.
It was joy.
Soon, I could finally die.
I don't know what made me change my mind. Was it the look of innocent wonder in your eyes, or the hate I bore for my own mentor? I broke down and fell to my knees, hugging you tight and keeping the rain from falling on you.
"You poor girl," I said. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry."
I knew what your life would be. I knew what awaited you. How could I not, after living it for two lives?
And so I made my choice. You would not be just another victim of this cycle that consumed me.
No. I would take as long as I could before your first Pyre, and I would give you the love that I never had.
Even so… my time was coming to a close. I got hurt, I got weak… I got old.
I knew I could not protect you for much longer, eager as you were to take my burdens, unknowing of what would happen after you came in fully of your legacy as a Keeper of Gray.
My life was filled with regret. But the time we spent together… my only regret was that it was cut short so soon.
I hope what you saw during your first Pyre was at least a bittersweet memory, so that some love would always stay with you, no matter how harsh your lone road would be.
My body failed soon, and your second Pyre was the very last victim of the plague.
I'm sorry to leave you so soon.
I hope your life will be kinder than mine. I never had a name, so you calling me mentor was alright, but if I could just be a little bit selfish now that I'm no longer of this world…
I would have liked you to call me father.
We may not share blood, but even without words, we were a family.
I love you, Lirra, my sweet, poor daughter.
Farewell.
Inherited skill: Necromantic Lore (master)
Nottheunmaker
Altman be praised
- Location
- USG Ishimura
Poor girl.
- Pronouns
- They/Them
If someone can create tags "the depressing train has no brakes" could be appropriate.
And to think it was supposed to be a lighthearted edgy parody of isekai-y light novels at the start...
Echoes - Ilinca
- Pronouns
- They/Them
Echoes - Ilinca
You know, it's funny, now that I think about it.
Since I was a little girl, I always wanted to travel, but I never stopped once to think about the fact that I live in a caravan. Travelling is what we do.
Maybe it actually wasn't what I wanted. Maybe what I wanted was to be able to enter the places that were barred to Rinagi.
Travelling by myself might have made it possible to slip by, unnoticed. Of course, it'd probably be more dangerous, too, but well…
We both know how that ended up for me, so I guess I should have ignored that.
I'm pretty sure getting eaten by wolves would have been more agreeable.
But let's not dwell on that. It won't change anything for me, and you don't need to hear about it.
I still wonder if I should envy or pity you.
On the one hand, you can do what I always wished to. Nobody would dare turn a Gravedigger away.
On the other, you will never be able to hide what you are. Covering your hair will only get you so far.
At some point, one has to do what they need to do.
Even so, that doesn't mean you have to be miserable while doing it.
You can see the whole wide world, meet so many people in it… Surely, at least a few will accept you for what you are.
I mean, Gravediggers are hated, and so are Rinagi, but didn't we get along just fine?
If only we met a few years older, we might have been travelling companions. Wouldn't that have been nice?
If you go with a friend, no matter where you end up, there'll always be at least one person who likes you.
So go, Lirra, go and see what I never could. Maybe someday you'll be able to tell me about even more of your journey.
And most importantly, remember...
The world is only as beautiful as you make it.
Inherited skill: Perform (journeyman singing)
kinigget
Best Demon
- Location
- People's Republic of Portland
well
I caught up
yeah that got depressing right quick
anyway
[X] You definitely don't want to talk about it
Maybe, someday, but not now, not when our clearest impression of her is that she cares nothing for the lives of others
[X] It'll be harder now, but maybe try to get to the bodies from the test
somebody has to
might as well be us
I caught up
yeah that got depressing right quick
anyway
[X] You definitely don't want to talk about it
Maybe, someday, but not now, not when our clearest impression of her is that she cares nothing for the lives of others
[X] It'll be harder now, but maybe try to get to the bodies from the test
somebody has to
might as well be us