This is story takes place right where we left off on Sunday, after killing the Nightmare and returning to Tokma proper. This is meant to be between Arius and Febrien only, so feel free to read, but only she and I will work on this one.
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"Kindred."

Arius breathed deep the cool night air.

Once again, against the wishes of his fellow adventurers, the cursed elf had ventured into the forest alone, leaving the others far behind at the Inn of the Dancing Lark. He vainly prayed that his companions could understand his need for solitude, his need to be alone despite the dangers presented by the bounty on his head, but they simply couldn’t. It wasn’t simply his desire to be left in peace, but also—in his own way—Arius was watching out for the rest of his party as well. After all, should anyone in the town recognize the malevolent marks that had burned themselves into his features—as unlikely as that was to happen—then Jeyld, Febrien, Alaya, Hayato, Brude, Jaden, and even Gurl could very likely all find themselves in a great amount of danger.

And that wasn’t even figuring in the large bounty that had been placed upon him, large enough that it was now far too dangerous to be anywhere near his companions.

Arius closed his amethyst eyes, running his gloved fingers lightly over the scars that marred his otherwise flawless elven features, remembering the words that had been spoken to him just days earlier at the Tokman Library: “Killing Tempest will not be enough to break this curse that has been placed upon you. Instead, you must return to the place where first these powers were given to you…” The branch that the elven mercenary was perched on swayed lightly in the breeze, unconcerned with its burden’s dark thoughts as the familiar sounds of a forest at night conspired to lull Arius into a deep, if troubled, sleep.

A soft, nearly imperceptible sound from below caught Arius’ attention, and his hand crept slowly to the hilt of Daerist, which never left his side. Dropping down lightly from his place in the tree, the black-clad elf crouched warily, his shimmering eyes scanning the surrounding forest for any sign of danger, his keen elven sight granting him a much clearer picture than any human could ever hope to rival.

A presence from behind caused Arius to spin, Daerist sliding effortlessly from its sheath with an ominous hiss.

“You have no need for that,” the newcomer said softly, her voice carrying across the short distance between them.

“Febrien,” Arius spoke, returning his precious rapier to the scabbard at his hip. “Did Jeyld send you to baby-sit me?” he asked, turning his back to the elven woman as he walked forward to lean against the tree he had been resting in.

“No,” she replied, “all of the others are asleep. I came because I was worried about you.” As Arius looked over his shoulder to gaze at her, Febrien dropped her eyes and moved to lean against the same tree as her cursed companion. “It isn’t safe for you to be out here by yourself, Arius. I’ll not try to convince you to return to the Dancing Lark, but at least let me stay here with you, please.” Silence met this request, and after a brief moment, Febrien spoke again. “Even if you say no, I’m not going anywhere…”

“Suit yourself,” Arius answered, leaping straight up into the tree above, a distance of at least a dozen feet. When he was situated comfortably, he glanced downward, studying Febrien in the pale light of the moon.

She had changed much in the hundred or so years since they’d first met, though he knew she’d think the same of him. Her skill with the blade had increased dramatically, as had her ability to think clearly and strategize in the midst of combat, a gift that Arius had never really possessed being so hot-headed. Febrien held herself with an air of confidence now, a sense of knowing her place in the world around her that she had lacked all those decades ago, after losing her parents to the massacre at Galdria and—though Arius would never admit it to anyone—he was secretly jealous that the woman below had somehow found the strength and resolve to return to their former home, despite the dangers that lurked there. Arius himself had never returned to Galdria, nor had he ever intended to, for he doubted his ability to handle the horrors that awaited him there.

Thinking of Galdria’s destruction led the purple-eyed elf to recall the conflict that had occurred only days before, when he and his companions had found themselves engaged in combat with not only a band of human warriors, but a fellow elf as well. Seeing one of his own kind across the battlefield, prepared to slay him and his companions, had been a terrible blow to Arius, crushing him in a way that none of his allies could ever hope to understand.

There are just so few of us now, he thought, turning his attention from Febrien as he pulled his cloak tighter about himself, hoping to ward off a chill that had nothing to do with the night’s cool temperature. Every one of us felled is simply too great a tragedy for anyone to understand… In the darkness of the night, surrounded by the sounds of the forest’s nocturnal inhabitants, Arius remembered…

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Two days earlier…

Arius knelt before the mound of raised earth.

“From the forest we came,” he said quietly, placing his gloved hands over top of the newly-covered grave, “and to the forest shall we return. But this is not the end for us, for though the body remains, the spirit passes on, traveling to the realm of the Blessed Isles, where those who have gone before await our arrival.” As he spoke the ritual words, the elf warlock slowly stood, dusting off his hands over the mysterious elven sorceress’ grave. “Go now in peace, my sister, and count yourself lucky, for the trials and tribulations of this world are now but distant memories as you speed onward toward eternal bliss.”

Suddenly a sound from behind caused a feeling of distinct danger to shoot up the cursed elf’s spine, and he dodged to the side at the last minute as the blade of a sword sliced through the air where he’d been standing but an instant before. The wind whistled across the weapon’s surface as Arius spun, drawing Daerist and thrusting forward with a single fluid movement. The rapier’s blade struck true, piercing the orc’s light armor and discharging a single detonation of eldritch power which tore through his body, leaving little more than a pile of ash in the aftermath.

Even though this one enemy had fallen, Arius could sense that the danger had not yet passed, and he suddenly leapt into the air, the bat-like wings that now shot outward from his back keeping him aloft as a second sword strike narrowly missed its mark. Without hesitation, Arius answered with a hastily formed eldritch blast which caught the second orc in the side, stunning him but not causing enough damage to drop him completely. Finding itself with an enemy who was now safely out of range of his sword, the orc dropped the weapon in favor of another: a long javelin that had been secured upon its back. With a grunt of exertion, the orc stepped forward and hurled the javelin high into the air toward the black-clad elf, who dodged aside just a fraction of a second too late. The long projectile hit its mark, barely, and Arius gasped in pain as the javelin’s point tore through his right side, sending flames of pain coursing throughout his body. With its attack foiled and its ally destroyed, the orc turned and ran into the surrounding forest, moving with a speed that proved just how anxious it was to put as much distance as possible between itself and its airborne opponent.

Cautiously, lest there be anymore unseen enemies nearby, Arius descended to the ground, willing the shadowy wings to disperse as he dropped to one knee, clutching his bleeding side and gritting his teeth. After a moment to compose himself, the pale-skinned elf stood to his feet on legs that seemed unable to stop shaking. Looking back over his shoulder toward the mound of earth that covered the unnamed elf spell-caster, Arius closed his eyes slowly.

How strange, he thought, that as time goes on my people become more and more like the enemy I hate so much… The realization that this woman, this fellow elf, had tried to kill him and his allies was suddenly overshadowed by the fact that she had been working hand in hand with a group of humans who had already proven themselves to be enemies. It seems that, with no place to call our own, my race is doomed to assimilate into human culture… or die out all together.

“It doesn’t have to be that way.”

Arius snapped to attention, gripping tightly to Daerist’s bone hilt as he tried to determine what direction the voice that had just intruded upon his thoughts had come from. After a moment of stunned silence, Arius realized that the mysterious voice seemed to have come not from without, but within.

“Who’s there?” he asked through teeth clenched in pain. Raising his left hand, Arius pointed to the side of his head as he continued. “I don’t recall giving anyone permission to poke around in here. A man’s thoughts should be his own, after all, and not intruded upon. Now, show yourself…”

“Your people need not fall, Prince,” the voice continued, coming from nowhere and everywhere all at once. “They need only a place to call their own… And someone to follow.”

“There is nowhere for us to go,” Arius replied, surprised to find himself responding to this mental interloper. “Galdria is destroyed…”

“Then rebuild.”

Arius shook his head, a grim smile playing across his lips. “It cannot be done. Too much has happened, and the city is not what it once was. Were it a simple problem of reconstruction I would agree, but there are things there which cannot be spoken of. Dark arts came to play there, and it will never again be as it was.” The cursed elf walked to the new grave—wincing in pain with each step—and knelt before it and laying his left hand upon the mound. “It would take hundreds—maybe thousands—of years and the combined efforts of all the elves to wash away the evil that has come to inhabit that place... And we are, after all, a scattered and broken people.” His expression became distant as he continued. “It could never be accomplished in my lifetime…”

“But can you not set an example for the future generations to follow? All hope is not lost, Son of Galdria; your city may yet be returned to its former glory, if you but take up the cause.”

Arius let loose with a bitter laugh as he shook his head in disbelief. “If I take up the cause? I’m sorry, friend, but you are mistaken; I am no leader.”

“No? How can you claim such a thing, I wonder, when you hold in your hand the sword of the King?”

Arius narrowed his eyes in anger, startled by the unknown voice's seemingly divine knowledge. “Who are you?” he asked, all pain momentarily forgotten. Silence followed Arius’ question, until finally the mysterious voice spoke once again.

“One who has never left your side…”

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“Arius?”

Febrien’s voice cut through her cursed companion’s introspection, returning him to the present. Without a word he looked down, locking eyes with the elven woman below him. He had no idea how much time had passed, but the forest was still locked in the darkness of night, with no sign of the coming dawn. Febrien smiled.

“I had thought you asleep,” she said as she too leapt up into the tree, settling on a branch that jutted out beside Arius’ own. “Why so quiet? It seems as if you are a thousand miles away tonight…”

“What separates us is not distance, Febrien, but time itself.” Arius furrowed his brow as he debated whether or not to tell the brown-haired woman about his unusual encounter in the forest those days ago. As he pondered this, his gazed flicked down to Daerist, which hung at his hip, more an extension of his own body than a weapon. “Don’t worry about me; I’m fine, though I find everything spiraling out of control around me…”

Febrien said nothing, unsure if words could even begin to comfort her dark companion. Several long, tense moments passed as neither elf spoke, each of them simply enjoying the familiar sounds of nature around them. Finally Arius spoke, his voice holding little warmth.

“Febrien,” he said softly, gazing up through the limbs above him, catching faint, momentary glimpses of the starry sky stretched out far above. “You seem different, somehow. I cannot tell what has changed, but you have an aura of power about you that eclipses anything I’ve sensed from you in the past. I’ll not pry, for there are aspects of my own life that I’d prefer were kept private, but I have to admit that I find myself plagued with a sense of curiosity…” He looked at Febrien out of the corner of his eye, and the female elf was surprised to see a genuine glimmer of wonder in his expression.

Still, though, she wondered how much she should reveal to her long-time companion. If anything at all…

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AMdG

Febrien gazed at her long-time friend, her heart torn. She longed to tell him of the wondrous encounter of a few nights ago, but feared his reaction.

What will he think of this new power coursing through my blood? she wondered, leaning back against the trunk of the great oak. She could almost feel its life-force pulsing brightly within. The whole forest sang to her as never before; a feeling of connectedness to the trees and plants and animals swept through her body, spreading warmth as it went. Following the sensation deeper, Febrien sought out Kiera’s mind as the mare dozed, safe in her stall. The ranger longed for the comfort of her familiar thoughts. Sensing her presence, the mare half woke and lifted her head. Assuring the warhorse that nothing was amiss, the elf guiltily left her friend to rest, returning to herself and shaking her head in a futile attempt to clear her spinning thoughts.

Arius stared at her from the next branch, watching her carefully. “Where were you, just now?” he asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Glancing nervously at her friend, the elf made her decision. “I imagine I should answer that by starting from the beginning,” she answered with a sigh. “The night before Jadan arrived with news of the Nightmare, Naturos came to me in a dream,” she confessed, her voice barely discernable over the warm breeze.

Arius’ eyes widened in amazement. It was rare for a deity to appear to a mortal, even in a dream. A thousand questions swirled about the warlock’s mind, but all he said was, “Tell me.”

“I was wandering through the forest, when I came upon a beautiful clearing I had never seen before. As I stepped out of the trees, I was approached by a giant creature made up of all manner of trees and ivy and flowers. It was so large that it eclipsed the very sky with its immensity, but I felt no fear. It’s as if it radiated a sense of kindness and patience. Endless patience.” The woman paused, her thoughts lost to the memory. Glancing suddenly back to her companion, who was still staring at her quietly, she continued.

“After a moment, the creature spoke to me, and his voice, Arius…It sounded as though every creature who ever lived was singing at once, but it was somehow chaotic and beautiful at the same time. The creature told me that I had caught his eye, that I had pleased him with my strength and my actions. He revealed himself as the Wild Lord; then he offered me a choice.”

Arius raised an eyebrow and leaned slightly forward, the only outward sign of his intense interest.

“He wishes to create a new order of Guardians; paladins charged with protecting nature herself. I am to be the first, and to lead the way for those who would follow. I am not to be a paladin as you think of them,” Febrien assured him, noticing the look of distaste that flickered across the elf’s features. “Naturos built upon the skills I learned as a ranger and granted me special abilities, although I lost some things in the process. I no longer feel the drive to study and pursue a handful of selected types of enemies, but rather a more generalized call to defend. Also, I can feel His power coursing through me, protecting me from sickness and harm…”

Her mind wandered again, reveling in the energy that now seemed to connect her to all the wild and growing things. Pausing, the newly transformed ranger let her mind wander as the quiet sounds of the forest engulfed her. Arius shifted on his branch, a contemplative look crossing his marred, ghostly face. Below, a roe buck trod lightly through the underbrush, unaware or unconcerned with the elves perched high above. Two pairs of jewel-bright eyes – one amethyst, one light sapphire – noted the deer’s passing from their dark aerie. Neither spoke, each unconsciously observing the other.

“There’s more,” Febrien continued after several minutes of silence. “He blessed Kiera as well. She’s much stronger and more intelligent than before, and we are truly bonded now. I can sense where she is at all times, and we can communicate if we’re not too far away from each other. Also, if she’s in danger, I can send her to safety in the Astral Plane before she’s struck down. And, one other thing…”

Febrien paused, and the dark haired elf looked at her expectantly.

“He spoke of Galdria.”

Arius’ head snapped up and he pinned her with his luminous eyes.

“He told me to consider the corruption and destruction of our home when I made my decision. I can’t be certain, but I think he intends for me to journey there.” She looked at her companion with a wry smile. “Which may be fortunate, considering that’s where we’re headed."

Arius was silent for a moment. “Actually,” he said at last, “I’ve been meaning to speak with you about that…”

“Oh?”

Febrien gazed intently at Arius, who sat silently upon his branch, his upturned face studying the dark night sky above. She said nothing else, though her mind was spinning, wondering at the meaning behind her companion’s words. The blue eyed elf Guardian knew better than most—better even, perhaps, than Jeyld—the powerful pull to return home that had been plaguing Arius’ every thought. It was, after all, the same for her: something was there, in the fallen city… Something that called endlessly to them, driving them onward, at times nearly possessing them in its attempt to draw them back home. If Arius was now second guessing his decision to return to Galdria, then it could only mean that something momentous had occurred within himself.

Finally, the cursed elf spoke, never taking his eyes off the flickering stars that littered the dark sky.

“You know why I’m here, don’t you?” The question was asked quietly and even Febrien, with her nearly supernatural hearing, nearly missed it.

“Of course… You’re out here because, for reasons that are apparently beyond me, you feel the need to run off by yourself all the time. Need I remind you what happened last time, or the time before—”

“I don’t mean here, in this forest, Febrien,” Arius interrupted, looking sidelong at the elven woman, a faint smile playing across his features. “I mean here, on Tokma, with you and the others; here, with a group of people that I can barely stand, using these powers of mine to help even more people that I dislike barely more than the rest of our companions…” He closed his eyes for a moment as, deep within himself, he felt a sudden longing; a call from a faraway land that was never far from his thoughts. When he continued, his voice was distant, as if originating from that same land: “Here, so far from home…”

Febrien remained silent, merely shaking her head in response to Arius’ earlier question. Several minutes passed while neither elf spoke, until Arius finally continued.

“All of this traveling, all of these missions and quests, helping all of these people... Its nothing more than a means to an end for me,” he said, clenching his fists as his expression took on a distinctly sinister shade. “It’s all been for one thing only, Febrien. Revenge, plain and simple.”

“So… Why not go to Galdria then?” she asked, still unsure of Arius’ meaning. “I thought we had all agreed that our best chance of finding a way to stop Tempest was to find whatever had destroyed him last time?”

“That isn’t enough anymore, damn it!” Arius responded, the volume of his voice cutting through the relative silence of the surrounding forests. “I’m sorry,” he apologized, shaking his head. “Its just that, something’s come up, Febrien, and I now understand that Galdria is not where my path is leading me. At least… not yet.”

“Then where?” the former ranger asked, a faint breeze stirring through her long brown hair. “Where else is there to go, Arius?”

“I spoke to a man recently who claimed that, to break my curse I would have to return to the place where it all began.” He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the trunk of the tree as dark clouds began to drift slowly across the sky, blocking out the faint light of the stars. Steadily the wind began to pick up, sending a whirlwind of leaves dancing across the forest floor.

“So we’re going to Tenshiir then?” Febrien asked, her newly-attuned senses predicting the severity of the storm to come. Closing her eyes momentarily, the elven woman reached out with her new abilities, silently prompting the nocturnal creatures of the forest to seek shelter, lest they be left to the mercy of the oncoming squall. Finally, Arius spoke once again.

“We aren’t going anywhere, Febrien.” As the first heavy drops of rain fell from the rapidly darkening sky, Arius pulled his cloak tighter about himself. He could sense his companion’s desire to speak, her confusion about his last statement, but before she could voice her numerous questions, Arius went on. “Your place is Galdria, Febrien. You and I both know it, and there is no reason to do otherwise. But I have to return to Tenshiir, even if there’s only the faintest hope that I’ll find what I’ve been looking for.” The rain picked up, barely lessened by the forest canopy above, and both elves soon found themselves drenched, though neither showed any desire to return to the Inn of the Dancing Lark.

“And the ship?” Febrien asked, still feeling uneasy about Arius’ sudden change of plans. “If you take the ship to Tenshiir, how exactly am I supposed to get to Galdria?”

Arius’ response was tinged with dark sarcasm. “Apparently the ship belongs to Brude, so if you and the others are still determined to go to Galdria, you shouldn’t have a problem.” Arius pulled the hood of his long, dark cloak over his head in a vain attempt to keep at least a little bit dry in the sudden torrent. “Don’t worry about me,” he said, answering Febrien’s question before she’d even had a chance to ask it. “I’ll charter a ship for Tenshiir; it should be much easier to find a captain willing to go north than south, I’d think.”

“Don’t be so hasty,” the mysterious voice suddenly chimed within Arius’ mind. “You only think you’re going to Tenshiir… We’ve not discussed this.”

“What is there to discuss? The choice is mine,” Arius responded aloud, his voice tinged with bitterness. An uncomfortable silence followed this unusual outburst, and when he turned his attention to Febrien, she was obviously confused.

“Forgive me, then,” she stammered, her eyebrows raised in uncertainty. “I meant not to pry, Arius…” It was obvious that Febrien had mistaken Arius’ shortness with the voice in his mind as irritation at her for her curiosity.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” he responded, his angry gaze flicking momentarily to the sword at his hip, nearly all-concealed by the now soaking wet cloak. “I’m sorry, Febrien, but there are forces at work here that I’m still not entirely comfortable speaking of. It isn’t that I don’t trust you, it’s just…”

“Complicated?” she asked, probably understanding more than her companion gave her credit for. If anyone knows about complicated situations, she thought, considering her recent brush with the divine, it’s probably me… “I understand, Arius, and I’ll not pry any more, you have my word, but…” Her next words were difficult, for she didn’t want to seem as if she had no faith in her long-time friend’s abilities. “But must you go alone? With everything that’s happened recently?”

“I’ll go alone, Febrien,” Arius replied, somewhat tersely. “I’m not afraid…”

The storm continued to rage on around them, seeming to be an outward extension of the turmoil within Arius himself. Lightning split the sky, illuminating the surrounding woodlands in a stark flash of blindingly brilliant white. Thunder roared high above, causing the might oak in which the two elves were perched to shudder violently, though neither Arius nor Febrien were in any danger of falling. Rain fell in sheets, drenching the forest, the elves, and any unfortunate creatures who had failed to heed Febrien’s earlier warning. His voice nearly lost in the tumultuous storm, Arius spoke:

“Besides, knowing the dangers that may lie in wait for me, and knowing who it is that wishes me dead, how could I ask any of you to come along?”
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AMdG