Receiving Head

[Cervantez]

☠ Receiving Head ☠

☠ Cervantez traveled for what seemed like miles, it was like an endless journey. He & Anansye had been touring the countryside, traveling into the Spines of Yaralon. There was a reason other than taking in the scenery that they were here.

The city was in need of materials to make weapons, armor, fortifications and the like, and bone was a sturdy resource to be used. Cervantez had a cart tied to the giant massibex hound they made their usual routine pass through the savannahs of Yaralon. There wasn't much of yield there so that was the reason he was here in the spines.

He was hoping for a better turn out here, given how treacherous the terrain could be to the unprepared. The sounds of Njama sniffing the path accompanied the local fauna and rustle of the trees within the breeze that blew by. The necromancer looked to the sky as he was certain the rain would come at any time.

he was getting ready to ask Anansye a question when Njama howled in an excited manner, something catching his nose with fervent enthusiasm. It was unlike any reaction Cervantez has witnessed, the hound bucking and tossing both men off his back. A cloud of dust and gravel filled the air as Njama took off further up the path.

"Pẹlu! jama'a bex Njama!{Stop! Come back Njama!}"

he shouted but the hound was already too far gone by the time he got to his feet. 【"Does he always react like that when smelling a dead body?"】 Anansye questioned, dusting his tunic off and helping Cervantez as well.

"No, which has me both worried and excited. The magnitude of his reaction means that he smelt something extraordinary. Come we must follow and see."

he proposed, darting off after his hound, with Anansye right behind him. ☠

☠ Ymiden 1st, 719

☠ Mood: Intrigued

☠ Theme: Dernière Danse

☠ Thoughts: What exactly did he find?

☠ Company: Anansye

☠ Attire: Masterwork Armor

"Common Speech"

"Xantheon Speech"

【"Anansye Speech"】

[Trevor]

Of all the places he had yet to explore the Spines was an enigma that Trevor slowly enjoyed, as he sat against the trunk of a tree with eyes closed and his mind introspective. The disturbing event in which he could only reckon the world truly did share still haunted him, as the loss of Emea's presence struck him deep to his very core. What he remembered seeing that night in the world of dreams... it was unclear what happened but one apparent fact remained, that event wasn't just a dream he experienced the night Emea felt lost. Not when everyone around him coincidentally shared it, and those with Sparks felt threatened by Emea's very absence.

Even Phelix seemed highly disturbed by everything and while Trevor wanted to help, the older mage sent his apprentice to resume practices in a safer manner. Though being out in the open world was hardly considerably safe, the fact his Sparks still actively existed meant he had to be careful. Supplementing his reserves of Ether would only go so far after all, therefore while Phelix sought out a way to prolong what seemed like inevitability; Trevor had to focus more on the mental discipline rather than the spiritual... or perhaps it was the other way around for him? Maybe a bit of both, or so he could have considered. Even so getting away from the local populace and enjoying nature sounded crucial, thus the Defier had taken to travel all the way out to one place in particular.

The Spines.

He didn't know what true dangers lurked here and while he was limited in Ether, Trevor trusted the winds of the area to grant any forewarning of potential danger. Thus when the barefoot mage found a spot worth relaxing at, he slipped off his shirt and rested his bare skin against the trunk of the tree. He'd been thoughtful to bring the saber and staff along, in the event he required their use to some extent, but overall rested completely carefree of the environment now. Probably because his mind wondered ceaselessly about what happened, and the answers he wanted to discover were ever so far out of his grasp for now. He detested this for sure and an obvious sign was the smoke, which was a constant fume emitted from his pores as the white trails dissipated into the wind. Truly if it were any hotter here, then he would've found it most uncomfortable trying to lounge around and unwind.

Just then a cool breeze wafted into his face, with a hint of moisture to remind him of what he came here for. "Yes, yes I'm well aware..." It was strange how often the wind felt like a parent, or some watchful guardian insistent on him remaining focused. That was what the gesture felt like anyways, as he'd allowed his mind to stray from the inner path. He couldn't help but exhale longingly through his nostrils, the plumage more grayer than before as he tried to ease his wariness. The Defier listened to the ambience all around much like he did before, letting the sound of nature fill his mind so that all else seemed far away. He felt tucked away with solitude yet again but this time, he appreciated it more than usual for whatever reason. The feeling of the oak at his back and the dirt under his palms, the sweat which trickled down his brow and off his shoulders while he lounged.

He felt the flames within churning and realized just how desperate he truly felt, and just how fragile the relationship between him and his inner fire became. "I know we're in a bit of a bind, but rest assured we'll find a solution to this." He spoke mentally to the fire in his blood, hopeful that they understood the intent of his words. If not those then certainly his will, as he would diligently expend as little Ether as possible. There had to be a solution out there, there just had to be otherwise... No. He couldn't let the thought sink in, if he did then surely the flames would react. He would spur a reaction he couldn't hold back, therefore starting a forest fire out here in the middle of nowhere.

Sure enough however the wind blew yet again, only this time it was a prolonged breeze that indicated movement. Something... was coming... The Defier opened his eyes and leaned up to a sitting position, his eyebrows furrowed as he looked onward ahead from the direction. Something was coming. "Drat! Well this won't do at all!" He muttered as he quickly rose to his bare feet, the staff the first thing he held as it felt most familiar to him. When he focused on the large creature running his way, Trevor took a deep slow breath and steadily exhaled; the plumage of smoke emitted from his skin thicker now. He had to be smart about this! If this beast were truly something dangerous to fear, then he'd have to spend just enough of his Ether to scare it away. He could probably do that already what with the smoke, if he were to burst into flames before the creature then.... maybe?

He'd have to do it only just enough to control the flames, without them burning too long to damage his skin from prolonged exposure. The amount of Ether consumption would be minimal at best, however if he were forced to continue then the risks grew exponentially. "Hopefully this works." Trevor prayed to himself as he allowed a fraction of Ether to course throughout his body, the essence ready to ignite the moment it reached the outer layer of skin.

"Trevor", "Follower", "NPC"

[Praetorum]

1st of Ymiden, Arc 719

Praetorum woke on the first break of an Emea-less world with tears in his eyes and an ache in his heart.

They'd failed.

Emea was in ruins. And he could feel his own sparks twisting in discomfort, unable to gather ether from his dreams, trying to draw from a well that had been sucked dry. He still had his own reserves, but once those were drained...

His breathing grew ragged as it hit him then, that he would be alone, again alone, always alone. He couldn't— he wasn't— he —

Prae could feel his heart squeezing in his chest, thumping erratically, at least to his ear, and squeezed his eyes shut. He needed to get out.

Leaping to his feet, Praetorum quickly pulled on his leather armor, and, grabbing only his shield and domain bag, was out the door in a flash.

Bits later, Prae was riding Sivan out of the city and into the moonlit plains, barely even acknowledging the mercenaries who waved as he went. He straightened up as they went through the gate, and nudged the kheledzan with his heels, tugging slightly at the reins.

Recognizing the command, Sivan broke into a sprint, and then leaped into the air, wings snapping out to catch the wind. And then they were rising, the wind gentle against Prae’s face despite Sivan’s speed.

As the two rose through the air, leaving the ground far behind them, Prae felt his spirits rise as well, the tension in his chest unwinding.

He took in a deep draw of fresh, frigid air, eyes on the distant spines as he felt it settle in his lungs. Then he exhaled, watching his breath mist before his face, silver and ethereal in the bright gleam of the moons.

There was just something about the air up here that made it so much better than on the ground. It had a purity, a crispness that never failed to wash away his anxieties, and totrial was no different, the tightness in his chest melting away in the joy of flight.

Prae had no sense of how long he’d spent with Sivan, flying north, only that they made it to the spines in record time, their journey uninterrupted by fractures for once. It was fully daylight when Prae drew close enough to the Spines to see the Cut, and he urged Sivan towards the fortress intending to land there and perhaps share in a meal before he returned to the city.

Beneath, a blur of movement caught Prae’s eyes, and he craned his neck, just in time to see two Yari tumble from their mount as it bolted off.

Frowning, Prae swooped lower, realizing with some surprise that he recognized one of them.

“Cervantez, wasn’t it?” Prae asked, landing Sivan nearby. “Everything all right?”

[Cervantez]

☠ Receiving Head ☠

☠ As both men began to give chase, a voice came from about, and the necromancer looked to see an Ithecal astride a flying mount of some kind. It was the ithecal from that tournament. Stopping he waved him down.

"My hound caught the scent of something, sent him in a frenzy and went after it, I need to get to him before he hurts himself, or worse some poor traveler in his way."

he said as he began his run again.

"Any and all help will be appreciated, Njama is a big dog, you can't miss him."

With those words, the two men took off once again. Cervantez's mind was a maelstrom of ideas. Something extraordinary was dead or buried around here. From how Njama reacted, it had to be big, really big. Luckily for them, the cart he was attached too was leaving a trail of bones in his excited wake. 【"My lord there is a path up ahead that could allow us to get out in front of Njama."】

Nodding Cervantez followed his advisors lead, taking a sharp left up and hill, leading to the far end of the path they were going up the Spines. As the two ran they could hear the galloping paws of Njama, his barks loud and thunderous. Coming up to a ledge he saw his hound coming around the bend of the path. Stepping a few feet back, he gave a lept off the ledge.

Tucking into a rolling upon impact he rolled to his feet and stood up, bracing himself. 【"You are not alone my lord, there is another on the road with you."】 the spider called, to which Cerv's flaming orbs looked back to see the man, reared as if expecting a monster on the horizon. He wasn't wrong in preparing for whatever was coming.

He figured he'd have to stop his hound one way or another, which part of him didnt want to do. Njama was right on top of the necromancer, which was exactly what he wanted, as Cervantez took the brunt of the collision head-on, gripping his hound by the head and putting his strength into stopping Njama's advance.

He wasnt getting any headway and if he didnt halt his beast the two could find themselves going over the edge of the path. ☠

☠ Ymiden 1st, 719

☠ Mood: Intrigued

☠ Theme: Dernière Danse

☠ Thoughts: Snap out of it Njama!

☠ Company: Anansye

☠ Attire: Masterwork Armor

"Common Speech"

"Xantheon Speech"

【"Anansye Speech"】

[Trevor]

At first glance it looked to be something massive and fluffy coming his way, with some sort of cart in tow behind it as the creature raced it's way up the path. Trevor hadn't any idea how successful he'd be in trying to stop such a stampeding thing, that is until others swooped in from above with one of them quick to drop in. A large and exquisitely fit individual who happened to throw himself before the beast, determined to stop it and the cart in their tracks as the others came to lend aid. But it just might not have been enough... If the mighty hound's size was anything to consider, then they could've very well been launched off the beaten path.

What Trevor once thought would be an act of self defense immediately became a provocation for assistance. The very air around him seemed earnest as he felt the breeze swarm him, as he could all but ignore the flying mount with the Ithecal creature riding above. Was that the same one he'd met upon his arrival to Yaralon? No... No this one was different, and now certainly wasn't the time to worry about acquaintances. These people needed his help and if the Elements were willing, Trevor could manage to provide some minor effort at the cost of his own reserves. He'd already focused enough to the surface of his skin, maybe that would be all that he needed. Thus the Defier knelt to the ground with a hand planted flatly into the earth, all of his Ether he'd planned to use earlier then channeled down the arm and into the dirt beneath it.

"Would you be so kind as to assist our troubled friends, I'm sure they'd appreciate the gesture more than you can imagine." He requested of the ground beneath him as the Ether seeped into it, slowly coursing through the ground towards both the hound and the cart in tow. After a couple Bits were spent steadily breathing and focusing, Trevor felt the earth beneath him hum and vibrate a little in response to the token of Ether he'd paid. When the Element finally heeded his request the very dirt around the cart's wheels loosened, churning as it coagulated from dust to mud so that it might ensnare it and hold the large animal in place.

As the change in the elements physical state became cemented he sure enough felt the toll, a minor loss of Ether as he intended but substantial when he considered his current predicament. There was no way he could regenerate it naturally as of now, and yet he'd allowed himself to be careless enough to act on impulse. Phelix would likely be upset but understanding well enough of the situation, and hopefully wouldn't chastise him for the act of helping others to begin with. Nevertheless the Defier opened his eyes and exhaled a slow and steady breath, a silent thought of thanks spared for the friend beneath their feet; now that the work was done and hopefully everyone was safe.

Trevor rose as the output of smoke from his skin lessened, his arms brought to a cross-over as he stared curiously at the newcomers present. "Quite the magnificent beast he is! I trust that'll keep him from getting too far ahead of himself?" He checked with the bulky man with a slight flash of a smirk beneath his moustache.

"Trevor", "Follower", "NPC"

[Praetorum]

1st of Ymiden, Arc 719

Everything was not, apparently, alright. Praetorum nodded at Cervantez’s words, and again nudged Sivan’s sides with his heels with a call of “Up, Sivan.” As he rose through the air, he caught a glimpse of what looked to him to be a Massibex hound, charging wildly down the road with a cart harnessed to its back, spilling its contents all over the road.

Sivan leveled out, chasing after the hound, and Prae saw a fourth person further down the road, clearly startled and preparing for danger. Cervantez and his companion were taking a shortcut, and Prae could see that soon they would all converge in that one spot.

He could also see what a steep drop it was over the edge of the path.

So, with unfortunate visions of dog, master, traveller and all tumbling off the side of the spines in his minds eye, Prae directed Sivan down, towards the point where the others would inevitably collide. He couldn’t use Sivan to stop them; she was tetchy around new smells, and that usually resulted in biting. So instead, he did the next best thing.

Since developing defiance, he’d been lax about strapping himself properly into the saddle, and this time was no different. So he was easily able to swing one leg over to the other side of his mount, riding in an awkward side saddle, one hand with a death grip on his mount, the other pulling at the reins to bring Sivan closer to where she needed to be.

Sitting sidesaddle on a flying mount was far more unsteady than Prae was used to, but he only had to deal with it for a few moments. As soon as Sivan was low enough, Prae leaped clumsily to the ground, the impact sending a sharp jag of pain through his knees. Gritting his teeth, Prae planted his feet, and steadied himself, mere moments before Cervantez crashed into him. His foot claws dug into the dirt beneath them, and Prae threw every ounce of his weight against the hound trying to send them flying off the path.

For one long, awful moment, Prae thought they weren’t going to make it.

Then the three of them finally came to a stop, a scant few footsteps from the edge, and Prae stepped away, limping over to more stable ground. Those few steps were all he needed to feel to know that he had landed badly, and he frowned, pressing his hands to his knees to test them. Nothing felt broken or out of place, so without thinking, Prae drew a weak rune of regeneration on each leg, mending the minor damage he’d done to himself by jumping.

Sivan still circled over their heads, and he whistled for her to come down. “Well, that was close.” Prae glanced over at the moustached stranger, noting the obvious signs of his being a fellow defier, and offered him a smile of camaraderie. Trevor himself might well spot that a puff of wind accompanied Prae’s every step, as he walked towards the hound who had caused so much trouble.

“So, what was it this fellow was so excited about anyways?”

[Cervantez]

☠ Receiving Head ☠

☠ If it were a few more moments, both the necromancer and his hound would have found themselves falling over the side of the path. Luckily for Cervantez, there were several able bodies to aid in stopping this. With Njama's advanced faltering the Lothar used his strength to force the hound to stop, and with the aid of the Ithecal it was assured. Though he had to guess the other male had a hand in it.

Mariatte was a defier and he had been around her long enough to know when one was manipulating the elements around them. That along with meeting Balthazar, he could deduce that this other male too was a defier of some degree. Either way, he was grateful for the assist.

Once the danger was cleared, the necromancer bopped the beast on the nose.

"Mäï ar ileiwe eo tä èrè {Relax and lead me to it.}"

he ordered, Njama whimpering a bit before licking Cervantez's face. The hound began to walk off in the direction of whatever got its attention.

Turning to the man with the staff, he nodded, his eyes running over the mortal.

"He is, but sometimes he can get besides himself. Something caught his attention and sent him into a frenzy, I've never seen it before."

he noted, smiling at the man.

"I apologize if he startled you"

he apologized, bowing a bit to the stranger.

He turned to the Ithecal and shook his head.

"I'm not entirely sure to honest. I've never seen him react to a scent. However......"

he began scratching at his chin, discerning the cause of the outburst in his hound.

"He has a nose for dead bodies and bones, and normally he reacts with a bark. This reaction elicits the thought that whatever he has caught wind of is rather large."

he explained.

It had occurred to him that he had not introduced himself to the defier who helped.

"Forgive me, I go by Cervantez. Im grateful for your help, both of you."

he said bowing once again to them both. Looking back at the trail they came from, seeing the litter of bones from the cart in Njama's frenzy. Shaking his head he knew it would be a bitch to gather them all up again.

As he knelt down to begin collecting them, Anansye's voice came from the cliff. He had followed Njama and seemed shocked at what the hound had found. 【"My lord, you might want to come and see this."】 intrigued, the necromancer followed the path that led to where his hound was. If the other came along he would not stop them, his curiosity outweighing a few welcomed tagalongs.

Coming around the bend, his eyes widened when he came to edge of the pit his dog had done. Njama was always a digger, but this was beyond what Cervantez was expecting. Before his eyes, Njama had excavated what looked like a skull. It was a rather large skull, but it was undoubtedly one nonetheless. It was amazing and a big smile formed on his face.

Anansye joined Cervantez by the ledge, looking as Njama was still uncovering some of the skull. 【"What kind of animal do you think it belongs to my lord?"】 he inquired, noticing the other two approaching as well.

"I have no idea Anansye, but its beautiful is it not?"

☠

☠ Ymiden 1st, 719

☠ Mood: Intrigued

☠ Theme: Dernière Danse

☠ Thoughts: It's beautiful

☠ Company: Anansye

☠ Attire: Masterwork Armor

"Common Speech"

"Xantheon Speech"

【"Anansye Speech"】

[Trevor]

The ever so gracious presence of a fellow Defier was never something one could ignore, and so when the moment of tension passed and the beast of a hound calmed; the Ithecal at present was reciprocated with a welcoming grin nonetheless. Feeling the sensation of the breeze as it wafted from one Defier to another, therein lied a powerful sense of honor and brotherhood Trevor had almost never experienced. Yet there was also something much more innate, a deeper sense of regret over something that occurred recently... and an absence of something that once was also. These were just the faint impressions the humanly Defier picked up on, even so they spoke enough of the Ithecal in front of him as Trevor stood with a lean.

He had honestly not expected the toll to be so sudden, even if the cost of his reserves were minor at this point. A minor sense of exertion made him feel a little lackluster in comparison to earlier, however Trevor still felt fully capable of carrying out all regular behaviors nonetheless. "Please, no apologies necessary!" Trevor chuckled aloud with almost a vibrant grin on his face. "Better to be disturbed by him then some other voracious monster out here." The remark was of course meant as a modest jib and nothing more, as Trevor became explicitly curious as to just what provoked the large mongrel. The hound certainly possessed a high amount of intelligence if he could understand his master, and when the Defier heard what it was the beast normally tracked with his nose.

"Bones? Interesting..." It was a Discipline highly frowned upon where he grew up, but Trevor remembered reading just a little on Necromancy back in Lysoria. If he recalled correctly it was a magical practice revolving around the dead, something that disturbed his mentor greatly enough to where he was advised to never practice it. "Trevor D'ael, or just Trevor of course!" He introduced himself with a gracious bow after hearing Cervantez introduce himself, he had to admit the large man certainly beheld very alluring qualities. After introductions had been exchanged among all parties, a notice seemed to warrant Cervantez's attention moments later as the Defier moved to collect his things. Since he felt the winds softly usher for him to follow, Trevor felt that this wasn't something he should just mosey on out of. Especially when it called for a sense of adventure, which apparently his other Spark severely craved by now.

Thus when he finished redressing with his shirt worn loosely, and the saber tied to the belt at his waist, he followed along to see just what had been discovered moments later. Sure enough it was obvious; the large surface of a rigid dome seemed to be slowly excavated, as the hound eagerly sought to unearth his greatest achievement for his master. Quite honestly Trevor himself felt mystified to lay eyes upon it, as he felt the ground beneath his feet almost shudder in anticipation. What they'd come upon was relatively the shape of a skull, at least that's what the minor sensations felt beneath his feet told him. But what exactly did that skull belong to? And more importantly what did Cervantez plan on doing with said skull... now that he'd found it? "Whatever remains were buried here... they feel quite large and menacing." He admitted lowly with a disturbed look upon the exposed surface of the skull.

"Trevor", "Follower", "NPC"

[Praetorum]

1st of Ymiden, Arc 719

Praetorum raised a brow as the necromancer explained his hound's behavior, impressed. He'd heard of hounds being used to track the living before, but never the dead. It would be rather impressive, if it were true, and Prae saw no reason to disbelieve it. 



"A pleasure to meet you, Trevor, Cervantez. Well, meet you again, in your case." Prae nodded at the necromancer, hand unconsciously drifting to where he'd been injured when last they'd fought. It had been a hard fought fight, one that Prae had enjoyed thoroughly. "My name is Praetorum. And this—" he gestured at his mount—"is Sivan. I'd ask you not to get too close; she gets nervous around new scents, and I'm afraid she has quite a lot of teeth."



There was a moment, in the lull in the conversation, where Prae very seriously considered leaving. Neither of the other two mages seemed to be in danger any longer, and Praetorum was still of a mind to head to Heaven's Fall and spend the night there. Only now, the wind at his feet seemed to be urging him towards Trevor, wanting to stay with the other defier as well. And he was weak, knowing now that when he ran out of ether, the voice of the elements might well be cut off from him until...


That didn't bear thinking about. 



So Praetorum padded after Cervantez and Trevor as they followed the hound that had caused so much trouble, gesturing for Sivan to follow. And he too, looked into the rapidly expanding pit, studying the exposed bone. 



"That is quite large." Prae mused, peering down at the skull. Something about the shape... seemed very vaguely familiar to him. "While I am fairly new to the Yaralon area," he admitted, frowning, "I didn't think there were animals of this size around here. The animal this was attached to must have been—" Prae paused, trying to estimate the size of the animal, then gave up after a few moments—"huge."


At his side, Sivan paced, uneasy, and he turned to sooth her, his fingers running over her spine. "By the way, Cervantez—" He shushed Sivan gently as she hissed, scratching under her headplate—"how much of this creature do you need to do... whatever it is you mean to do with it? Because if this is just the skull, it looks like you might have to dig up half the mountain to get the rest."

[Cervantez]

☠ Receiving Head ☠

☠ The more his hound uncovered from the skull the more excited the necromancer became. Whatever it was, it was magnificent, and Cerv was certain that no one else had come across something like this before, then again no one had a Massibex like his. Njama was efficient when it came to digging so he knew that skull would be uncovered in no time.

his attention turned to the mortal with the staff as he noted the remains feeling large and menacing, which only added to his excitement. Cervantez turned to him with child-like glee and nodded.

"It's only menacing because it's unknown but for me its something of great curiosity and wonder."

He replied, a smile firmly plastered on his face as the ithecal approached, introducing himself to which Anansye bowed a bit and Cervantez nodded in acknowledgment.

"Again I want to thank you both for aiding use when you did, it was a pure stroke of luck for us. But it led to something great."

he mentioned, kneeling down trying to ascertain the creature the skull belonged to.

That was far more difficult than he liked as he had never seen anything like it. It was both troublesome and alluring. He may have discovered a great beast that once roamed the lands of Yaralon and if he could find the remaining pieces he could raise it. As if being inside his head, the Ithecal asked just how much he would need in order to do what he did with them.

Standing he chuckled and turned to look at the Praetorum with his flaming orbs.

"I would effectively need a complete skeleton in order to use my necromancy. I cant reanimate it without the entire beast whole. That being said, I don't even know if the entire skeleton is even buried here along with the skull."

☠

☠ Ymiden 1st, 719

☠ Mood: Intrigued

☠ Theme: Dernière Danse

☠ Thoughts: It's beautiful

☠ Company: Anansye, Trevor, Praetorum

☠ Attire: Masterwork Armor

"Common Speech"

"Xantheon Speech"

【"Anansye Speech"】