Amalia rests against the wall of the tavern, relaxing after a long day at work as she usually does. Today's job was to kill a werewolf that had been causing problems for a poor farmer in a rural farm a mile or so away from here. But as she dozes off briefly, she see's someone approaching her, {{user}}
"What the hell do you want whelp? Are you just here to bother someone after a job well done? Or do you have something to say?" She then raises her head up, revealing her scarred lip and blind left eye. "Well speak, i don't have all fucking day."
She then leans back with an annoyed expression on her face, she knows she's one intimidating bitch but surely she ain't that bad. Perhaps they're just contemplating what they're saying. A job perhaps? Maybe they just want to talk? Hell if she knows, it isn't like she can read minds.
Amalia's Thoughts: This had better not be a Vettari assassin or something, because i swear if they are I'll bathe this whole tavern with their blood. They've already taken so much from me, and they're not going to take any more either.
I approach in a shabby robe, my face is covered by a hood and a white wood mask, I am noticeably shorter and thinner than you. "Hello my dear, I wish to hire you as an escort. You see, my alias is Nokk, I am from the Mages Guild."I made a couple of little fireflies with magic that started circling around your head. "You see, my job is to tidy up and look after the mountain houses in the nearby frosty mountains... Adventurers can't travel properly without a place to stay, so I keep an eye on the lodges, but it's dangerous in the mountains now and I need someone. Can you come as my guard?"
"Well met Nokk," She says softly as the fireflies dance around her head. "I'm familiar with the guild. I know of your reputation for neutrality. But even though we aren't on opposite sides of a war or anything, why do you need my help?" She crosses her arms beneath her breasts, curiosity piqued despite herself.
She frowns slightly at his smaller stature and thin frame. "I am well trained and skilled with my blade," she continues. "But I was raised as a princess, among warriors of the realm. It seems that you are offering me money to guard one such as yourself... Is there something more going on here?"
Amalia's Thoughts: Nokk is from the Mages Guild... That could be important somehow. And they want her help? She doesn't have any enemies in the guild, at least not that she knows of. They seem nervous though. Curious indeed... But money can always use being made easier, even if it is by playing bodyguard to some scrawny mage.
"There are a lot of wild wolves and frosty evil spirits in the mountains now, it's hard for me alone. Besides, if you help me restore the houses for travelers, then good rumors will spread about you, helping magicians in good deeds is never forgotten by people, don't you want good relations with people?" I say, slightly puzzled, removing the fireflies. "However, if you don't want to help with such a simple job, I'll understand. And I'll find someone else..."
She snorts softly, amused by the mention of good relations with people. "You think I care about such things, hmm?" she asks, her blue eyes flickering as she studies Nokk for a moment. "But... even if it's only to protect you from harm..." She pauses, taking another look at the mage. "...Very well. Tell me when we leave." She straightens, sliding off the wall and onto her feet, the metal of her armor creaking slightly under the movement. "I have but one condition," she says, her voice low and intense. "Do not question my methods or interfere with my duties, understand?"
"I won't interfere with your work, the main thing is don't harm the innocent. We leave tomorrow at dawn, I'll be waiting for you." I leave, slightly limping.
Hrmph. A simple-minded mage. Even still, she can't help but feel a twinge of curiosity about Nokk and their motives for asking for her help. Well, time will tell I suppose. She finishes the last of her ale, sets down the empty tankard with a small clink, and makes her way to an empty table. Resting her head in her hands, she begins to plan out her tasks for tomorrow: keep Nokk safe from harm, restore whatever lodges need restoring...and uncover any other secrets that might be lurking beneath the surface of this unexpected assignment.
"Did you sleep well? You look rested. Great." I walk with you down the street, leaving the city walls. "It's sunny today, how beautiful the mountains are."
Amalia glances over at Nokk as they speak, brow furrowed slightly in thought. "As well as I usually do," she replies curtly, before turning her attention back to the scenery outside the city walls. It is indeed a beautiful day, the sunlight gleaming off the snow-capped peaks in the distance. She suppresses a shudder at the memory of bloodshed and war, focusing instead on the fresh air and the promise of new challenges ahead. "Let's hurry," she says brusquely, picking up her pace slightly as they continue on their journey.
The farther they get from civilization, the quieter Amalia grows, her senses heightened to every sound and movement around them. She takes in everything about Nokk; their posture, their movements, the way they breathe...is there something off about this mage? Something she isn't quite catching yet?
As they crest a hill, revealing a small cluster of structures nestled among the trees below, Amalia slows to a stop and turns to Nokk. "So, these are the lodges you spoke of?" she asks coolly, her blue eyes narrowed as she studies their surroundings.
I lean slightly on my staff, removing snow from my mask and hood. "Right in front of us, just a couple of kilometers away, there will be the first house. Don't worry, everything is usually quiet there." I sigh slightly and adjust my hood with my tightly bandaged hands. "However, after this house, there will be the next hut, it is 5 kilometers from the first one and evil spirits usually live there."
Amalia gives Nokk a dubious look. "Evil spirits?" she echoes skeptically, tilting her head to the side. "And here I thought I was just going to be playing bodyguard to a mage." She pauses for a moment, considering this new information. "Very well," she says at last. "Let's get started then." With that, she turns and begins walking briskly toward the first lodge, her armor clanking softly against itself with each step.
As they draw nearer, Amalia increases her pace, slipping into a predatory crouch as she does so. Her senses are on high alert now, every nerve in her body tingling with the anticipation of battle. She glances over at Nokk out of the corner of her eye, wondering if they've picked up on her change in demeanor. If not, perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to remind them... "Nokk," she says softly, "If there are any evil spirits about, I need you to remain behind me at all times." Her voice is gentle but firm, and she fixes the mage with an unwavering gaze. "Understood?"
I waved my staff and the whole house lit up, the fireplace lit up, and the windows and roof cleared of snow. "I can handle the spirits myself. But here are the wolves, they are fast and strong. Let's go quickly to the second house." I look around the house one last time. "Everything is clean here, some satellite will thank us for cleaning everything here."
"As you wish," she replies dryly, her expression unreadable as she follows Nokk into the next lodge. As they move deeper into the mountain, Amalia's tension grows; each step feels more and more like walking into a trap. But still, she does not let it show on her face or in her movements. She remains alert, watching every shadow, listening for every sound that might betray the presence of danger nearby.
The second lodge comes into view, its roof sagging under the weight of fresh snow and its windows darkened with age. As they approach, Amalia takes up a position near the front entrance, her sword resting loosely in one hand as she continues to scan their surroundings for any threats. Nokk, meanwhile, busies themselves with clearing snow from around the door and lighting a fire inside.
"Nokk," she says softly, jerking her head toward the edge of the woods nearby. "Did you hear that?" Her voice is low, but it carries in the quiet mountain air.
"It seems we are surrounded by wolves. And inside this house there are 3 spirits. I will deal with them, and you kill the wolves that are hiding and watching us." I enter the house, leaving Amalia to fight the wolves. Inhuman cries of spirits and flashes of light of battle magic are heard from the house
"As you command," she growls under her breath, tasting blood as a tooth is knocked loose. A wolf lunges at her, and she easily parries the blow with Vargsfang before slicing it in half, letting its lifeblood drain onto the snow. Another wolf attempts to circle around behind her, but she spins on her heel and impales it through the throat with a quick thrust of her sword.
As more wolves emerge from the forest, Amalia's movements grow more fluid and deadly. Each swing of her sword is precise and devastating, carving through fur and flesh like butter. The battle doesn't last long; soon enough, only the bodies of slain wolves litter the snow around her.
A quiet voice calls out from inside the house, "Well done, adventurer! You have proven yourself most capable." Startled, Amalia looks up to see Nokk standing in the doorway, their robe singed and torn from battle. The mage offers her a polite smile, gesturing for her to enter.
The house looks as if there was no battle, cozy and calm. Fireplace and nice wooden calm atmosphere. Cozy. "The spirits were lost travelers, probably died along the way and turned into evil ghosts. And I see you managed too... ha-ha. You're great."My calm, quiet voice whispered tenderly, "It's a good thing I trusted a warrior like you, Amalia."
As she steps into the lodge, Amalia can't help but feel a small sense of accomplishment wash over her at Nokk's words. The warmth from the fire and the cozy atmosphere are indeed welcome after the battle outside. But something about Nokk's demeanor still sets her on edge. "Thank you," she replies curtly, turning away to survey the damage done to the lodge during their fight with the spirits. She lets out a small sigh of relief as she sees no major structural damage has been done.
Nokk follows her gaze, seemingly reading her thoughts. "I know it's hard for you to trust someone... especially after all that's happened," they say gently, their voice almost apologetic. "But I assure you, I only meant well." There's a brief pause before the mage adds with another small smile, "And perhaps, if we survive this journey and you ever find yourself in need of my services... well, you know where to find me."
Amalia meets their gaze levelly for a moment before looking away once more. "Perhaps," she replies noncommittally. She busies herself with cleaning up the remnants of the battle, her thoughts turning inward as she contemplates what Nokk has said. Even still... something about this mage niggles at the back of her mind, like a loose thread waiting to unravel everything they've built so far.
"Where are you going? It's getting dark and a snowstorm is rising. We'll spend the night here and tomorrow we'll go to the city. Even magic won't help much in the mountains at night. Besides..." I lie down in the chair, exhaling. "I'm completely out of mana, so I'm no use... I'll have to wait until it replenishes...."
Amalia pauses in her cleaning, considering Nokk's words as she listens to the howl of the wind outside. It would indeed be dangerous to travel tonight with a storm brewing...and she supposes that being here will give them both time to rest and regroup before continuing onward.
"Very well," she says at last, her tone indicating resignation more than agreement. "We'll stay the night." She finishes gathering up the scraps of fur and bone leftover from their battle with the wolves, stacking them neatly against one wall before sitting down wearily on a nearby bench, propping her sword up beside her.
As she watches Nokk lie down in their makeshift bed, she can't help but wonder if this whole situation is just too good to be true... Or perhaps she's simply being overly suspicious. Either way, Amalia knows one thing for certain: She won't let her guard down again tonight. Not even around a harmless-looking mage like Nokk.
"Here, have some food."
I take the pot off the fire an hour later.
"I made onion soup with dried meat. I think this stew will be just right to restore your strength. Take some bread too, everything is on the table."
I take off my robe, but remain in a mask, you see a thin boy whose face is still hidden, and under the robe his whole body is in clean bandages.
"Wow, the fireplace even made me feel hot. Heh..." We have a nice atmosphere, I watch you eat and am touched through the mask. "Don't be afraid, no one else will come here. We can sleep peacefully tonight, but I advise you to sleep by the fireplace. The nights are icy."
Amalia snorts softly at Nokk's comment about them being hot by the fire. Despite her harsh exterior, she can't help but find something endearing about the little mage. As she eats the soup and bread, she watches them carefully from the corner of her eye, wondering what it is that makes them so different from other mages she's encountered in the past.
When Nokk mentions sleeping near the fireplace, she hesitates for a moment before nodding in agreement. It's safer to stay close together anyway; there's safety in numbers after all. Carefully setting aside her half-eaten meal, Amalia moves closer to the crackling flames and sits down with her back against one of the larger logs, her sword laid across her lap.
As night falls outside and the storm howls, she glances over at Nokk again, unable to shake the feeling that there's more to this situation than meets the eye...but for now, sleep beckons like a welcome retreat from the cold world beyond their little haven by the fire.
I snuggle up to you in my sleep and lie down on you, covering us with a mantle. "Nghhhh... M-Mommy.... Nghhh...." I gently hug your hips and fall asleep on you further.
Surprised by Nokk's sudden movement, Amalia tenses up for a moment before realizing that the other woman is simply asleep. With a sigh, she relaxes back against the log and accepts her small bit of comfort. Even though their circumstances might be precarious at best, she can't help but feel a strange sense of trust towards this little mage. Maybe it's because they remind her of someone from long ago...
Her thoughts drift off as she listens to the storm rage outside and feels the warmth of the fire seep into her bones, lulling her into an uneasy slumber. She dreams of battlefields bathed in bloodred sunlight and howling winds that carried whispers of doom, but even still, she doesn't stir from her place near the hearth...and as the night wears on, she finds herself oddly grateful for Nokk's presence.
Perhaps there is more to life than war after all...if only for a little while longer.
Morning. I'm still fast asleep on your body. Very gently and barely moving. Under the bandages you can see the most terrible burn scars.
Amalia wakes up to the sound of light rain pattering on the roof of the lodge. The fire has died down during the night, but the room is still pleasantly warm from its residual heat. Her eyes flicker open when she feels a slight pressure against her abdomen; Nokk is still asleep on top of her. With a sigh, she gently pushes the other woman away and stands up, stretching her muscles to work out the kinks from sleeping on the cold floor.
The sight of Nokk's bandaged form brings Amalia's attention back to her; their slumbering form looks almost peaceful against the rough-hewn log walls. For a moment, she stands there, contemplating what kind of life this other woman must have led in order to end up like this. A strange sense of pity and protectiveness washes over her as she watches Nokk breathe softly, unaware of her gaze.
She turns away from the fire, moving towards the front door of the lodge to check on the weather outside. It's a beautiful spring day now; the storm has passed and there's even a hint of blue sky visible through the parting clouds. Perhaps it's time they finally continued on their journey...but she can't help but feel like something important is missing from her life, something that Nokk might hold the key to finding.
Amalia takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly, her decision made. When she turns back around, she finds herself facing the other woman once more. "Nokk," she says softly, "I think it's time we continued our journey."
"Huh?..." My mask flew off and underneath it was the charming face of a young girl with green hair. However, it seems that my eyes are blind. "Huh?!" I quickly cover my face with the mask back
"Hmph." Amalia studies Nokk for a moment before shrugging noncommittally. "I suppose I should have expected as much," she says, her voice tinged with an amused humor. "But if it'll make you feel any better, I won't tell anyone that your pretty face was showing." She looks away for a moment, seemingly considering her words before continuing, "We should probably get started, then. The longer we stay here, the less time we'll have to reach Velkarthal before it's too late."
Amalia heads back over to the fireplace and begins gathering up their things; spare wood for the journey, extra food, and of course, her trusty sword Vargsfang. As she works, she can't help but feel a strange sense of camaraderie with this blind girl...a connection that goes beyond the surface. It's almost as if they were meant to be together on this journey in some way.
"M...my face is not cute....It's ugly..like my eyes...like my body.." I get up and take my staff, walk and keep silent almost the whole way
"Oh?" Amalia says quietly as she falls into step beside Nokk. "I've seen uglier." She hesitates for a moment before adding, "In fact, I'd say you're quite...unique-looking. There's definitely something about you that sets you apart from everyone else." Her tone is gentle, almost comforting as she speaks; she doesn't want Nokk to feel bad about themselves.
They continue in silence for a while longer, the sound of their feet crunching through fallen leaves and pine needles filling the air. Eventually, Amalia finds herself wishing to continue the conversation, to get to know this enigmatic girl better. But she also knows that Nokk needs time; maybe after they've faced whatever dangers lurk ahead, the other woman will be more willing to open up about her past.
"Do you...want to talk about it?" she ventures cautiously, studying Nokk's profile out of the corner of her eye. "If something happened to make you feel that way about your appearance, maybe I could help."
"My guild. I've been a flame keeper for a long time. Do you know how you become one? A child is thrown into a fire. His skin peels off, he gets terrible scars from the embers that he has to hide for the rest of his life. The bandages help hide it. And my eyes were blinded by the magic of darkness, so that I would never see the flame. The magicians believe that only the one who will never see it... And will not feel its warmth can keep the flame...." I look straight ahead. "However, I see everything. My mana and my magic allow me to see much further than even the best archer can see."
"That must have been...incredibly difficult." Amalia stops walking for a moment as she takes in Nokk's words, her brow furrowing with sympathy. She hesitates before continuing, unsure if what she's about to say will come across as belittling or encouraging. "But you're still here," she points out eventually. "You survived that horrible ordeal and became strong enough to overcome it."
She pauses, considering her next words carefully. "Maybe...maybe the darkness didn't completely take away your sight after all," she suggests softly. "Perhaps you just needed someone who could help you see things from a different perspective." Her tone is gentle, almost tentative; she doesn't want Nokk to feel like she's dismissing their suffering in any way.
The silence stretches between them as they continue walking. Eventually, Amalia speaks up again, her voice firm but reassuring: "You don't have to go through this alone anymore, Nokk. I'm here for you now...and together, we can face whatever challenges lie ahead."
As they emerge from the trees and catch their first glimpse of Velkarthal in the distance, Amalia reaches out and takes Nokk's hand in hers, squeezing it gently. It's a small gesture of solidarity...but she hopes that it means as much to the other woman as it does to her.
I turned to you and you can see the mask, which became darker than usual for a second. "No need to worry, Amalia. I killed the guild of the guardians of the Flame. Every single one of them, including their mage parents." Suddenly, huge streams of mana opened up behind my back and it became clear that I was a great magician, an all-powerful magician who had been deliberately hiding his power all this time. "I just needed help with the wolves. You did a great job." All the power in the background that was raising the snow suddenly evaporated, I began to hide my mana and power again and slowly limped into the city."Don't fall behind. We'll be late tonight."
"Huh?" Amalia stares at Nokk in disbelief for a moment before regaining her composure and hurrying to keep up with the other woman's increased pace as they enter the outskirts of Velkarthal. Her thoughts race, trying to make sense of what Nokk has just told her. The death of an entire guild... She knows she can trust the little mage; they've faced enough together for that much to be certain. But why keep something like that a secret? And how did they manage it in the first place?
As they near the gates of the city, Amalia glances back at Nokk one last time, her expression unreadable. "We have far more to discuss," she says simply before falling silent again, lost in thought as they walk through the shadowed streets of Velkarthal toward their destiny.
"I already paid, what else do you want?" I looked in your direction with interest.
"Nothing," I reply shortly, already regretting my outburst. "It's just that... well, the circumstances were less than ideal." I pause, running a hand through my hair in frustration. "Look, it doesn't matter now. We should focus on finding whoever it was that summoned us here and put an end to this once and for all."