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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2018 12:27:51 GMT -6
The elf blinked at her, but then laughed when things finally clicked in his head. "Oh, those aren't creatures, silly human-that-smells-suspiciously-like-a-dragon! Those are magic orbs we cast with hypnotic properties, usually used to help us catch moving food for the harvest. Seems it works on humans too, or that they're persistent about catching your species. Its a good thing that Drake the Great Wizard was arriving, or if I hadn't been here then..." The elf glanced at Drake quizacly and then looked back at Kess. "Uh...Is Drake alright? He's been staring for quite some time now."
Drake blinked hard. "Uh, are you the only elf that...er, acts like you do?"
"Hmm? Of course I am!" The elf pointed himself. "Im Zane, the one and only of the elves. May I ask what you and your slave are doing out here, wizard?"
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Post by Tiamat on Jun 15, 2018 21:25:56 GMT -6
Magic orbs. "...Right." As if elves needed any help on their hunts. She'd seen them intentionally trip one another up and foul their fellows' shots in order to prolong the chase and increase its difficulty. Crazy, the lot of them. Kesstril realized that at some point one of her hands had crept up to rub at the side of her neck; she quickly dropped her arm to her side. No one would be shooting at her if they thought she was human. There was no telling what this elf in particular thought, however.
She kept her gaze firmly on Zane even as he glanced at Drake. "You know him?" Did everyone know him? Were they going to reach the sorcerer's den only to discover he and Drake were old magic buddies? At this point she couldn't discard the possibility. All she could do was rely on the wizard's word.
Drake and his... what, now? Kesstril hadn't exactly tuned out the conversation, but now her focus snapped back onto Zane as her eyebrows flew up and her lips curled down in an expression of bewildered shock. Elves. "We're just passing through. This was the quickest way to the salmon river. I... don't suppose you could point us to the nearest path leading there?"
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2018 23:10:47 GMT -6
"His feats with a far off human village also spared our kingdom." The Elf acknowledged Drake with a nod. "Very cunning work, by the way! Never heard of a wizard with the strenghth to hurl a wyvern around like that. "
Drake, though still surprised, stood a little straighter at the flattery. "It was a combination of simple spells from youth. Rudimentary things and the like. " The wizard grinned broadly and added: "I outsmarted a couple of trolls not that many days ago and saved my slaaaaaa-- I mean my employer here, from certain death."
"Thst would be through out city, and were not fond of visitors." The Elf rubbed his chin but shrugged moments later. "Regardless, they would take kindly to you, Wizard, thanks to your heroic nature.
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Post by Tiamat on Jun 24, 2018 22:14:16 GMT -6
Although Kesstril didn't mind listening to the intriguing discussion of magic between wizard and elf, her gaze froze on Drake after the way he chose to refer to her. A startled, hurt expression flashed across her open features before she fixed them in an unimpressed frown. She'd thought -- she'd really thought they'd reached an understanding, that he respected her. Clearly not, if he was so willing to think so little of her. One word from the elf and Drake was treating her almost like a stranger again. His lack of fear might have been nice -- a wonderful opportunity, even -- if not for the way it translated into such brash, cruel, dismissive behavior.
Shoving all that aside and refusing to let her frustration well up into her eyes, Kesstril gave Drake an imploring look that was just a little too wide-eyed to appear calm. She took a deep breath, held it, and glanced at Zane once her features were more composed. "Naturally we would not wish to... impose on your hospitality. Surely there's another route we could use?"
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Post by Deleted on Jun 26, 2018 0:28:46 GMT -6
Drake may be the type to be oblivious to others, but Kess was still foreign to concealing emotions--he winced as he caught the hurt expression about his tongue slip."Ha! There is no way but our way. We make it a point not create any detours on account of making sure intruders travel in plain sight. " Zane walked over to a vine, one of many that appeared to be set up for his convenience. "Now, with your arrival Drake, I shall announce your presence to the whole Kingdom. In that westward direction, by the way."
"Um, Actually, you don't need to--...And he's gone. Great." Drake intentionally watched him go and was reluctant to turn towards Kess, forcing a grin on his own behalf. The last time, he hadn't quite said in the form of an apology and slipping by now would not be such an easy task. "...You do know that I...That wasn't....I didn't mean to say slave--He mentioned it and...you know. The thing. The word--it got stuck in my head and it slipped out. Yes."
Very awkwardly, but well-meaning, Drake drew her in for a one-sided hug and patted her back. "But yeah, this is good. Emotion is good. Because that's how friends work. They recognize the other friend is unpleased, and then they talk. " He shrugged. "Of course, friends aren't usually as strange as the pair we make, but..."
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Post by Tiamat on Jun 26, 2018 22:37:43 GMT -6
Kesstril grumbled under her breath. Naturally the elves were defensive and territorial. She couldn't even blame them since it made perfect sense: she wouldn't want strangers wandering around her home without some sort of warning. This was why she'd wanted to avoid their kingdom entirely, even if cutting through Yvain'thrir saved them a couple of days. Her breath caught in her throat at Zane's words.
"That's really not necess...ary," she blurted at the same time as Drake. Only after Zane vanished through the trees did she turn wide, unhappy eyes on the wizard. He spoke before she could express just what she thought of Zane announcing their presence to the whole kingdom. Kesstril didn't quite gawp at Drake, but it was close. Surprise at the unexpected apology -- and the sheer fumbling ineptitude of it -- kept her from jerking away as he wrapped an arm around her. Shock didn't keep her from tensing to the point of rigidity until he let her go, however. Kesstril slid back several steps as soon as she could. Her gaze darted around the dark woods, then settled on Drake. "...Thank you. I accept your apology." She paused and then added, "Please don't do that again."
Wind shivered through the leaves amid a soft chorus of insects and frogs. To all appearances they were alone. She stared in the direction Zane had indicated, reluctance clear on her face. "Do you need to retrieve anything from the campsite?" It would make sense to go back and rest until the sun rose, but she couldn't imagine sleeping now. Not when Zane was alerting all the other elves to their presence here.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2018 13:34:26 GMT -6
He sighed in relief when she politely asked not to be hugged again. "Fine by me. Hugging is overly dramatic as far as humans go. It's usually reserved for...families or something. Friends usually make up a handshake, if I've ever explained what that is." He had explained much about human customs in his time with her, so it was hard to keep track of what was said half the time. He idly wondered if Kess had the same problem when explaining dragon customs.
"Just my bag and my unbreakable cloak. And maybe breakfast, though I'm pretty sure these elves might prepare a grand breakfast in honor of yours truly. Maybe they'll let us choose our poison...Poison is just a term for food. It's one of our weird...metaphors, or something." Drake started back in the direction of the campfire they once had going. "Maybe they'll have your favorite type of food! Do you like beef or venison more?"
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Post by Tiamat on Jul 9, 2018 19:15:16 GMT -6
Kesstril frowned a little, her gaze roaming the forest. Distracted as she was keeping watch for elves, she didn't comment on Drake's rambling explanation except to say, "You explained handshakes." Including the half-forgotten reason for the custom, which was a symbolic gesture indicating each human was unarmed and meant the other no harm.
Drake's chatter went half-unheard... at least until he mentioned poison. That drew her complete, wide-eyed attention. Metaphor or not, it wasn't nearly as reassuring as Drake seemed to think it was. "I'd rather they not notice us at all," she muttered, following Drake back to their campsite. He was the only one who knew the way -- plus, if she was behind him, he wouldn't see her stumbling over every other root and rock in the dark. Kesstril didn't think she was overly prideful, but that didn't mean she enjoyed being mocked at every turn.
"Venison," she answered as the dull embers of their campsite came into view at last. "Beef tends to bring a little more trouble than it's worth."
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Post by Deleted on Jul 15, 2018 22:39:37 GMT -6
"Yeah. But given how fast he was moving, id say they'll all know about us in the morning." The wizard agreed with her intentions to stay unnoticed in this place. If elves were anything like humans, there could be a party for days and Elves were too high class to have any fun parties. They'd be sipping fancy wine for days on end and talking about the weather. He shuddered. "Youd be surprised how venison costs nowadays, compared to the likes of beef."
When they collected their belongings from the camp, they trekked their way into the light of day and on through the once dark forest. A soundness wilderness met them halfway through the day and even the sound of wind was absent. A wary Drake looked into the distance, seeing a tall structure with clearly intricate statues. It's wide gates were open and ready to welcome them in. He glanced at Kess. "Yep. He told 'em, alright. Wonder why it's so quiet though?"
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Post by Tiamat on Jul 21, 2018 18:15:27 GMT -6
As the forest grew quieter and quieter around them, Kesstril was hard-pressed to hide her unease. Her wide, pale grey eyes darted back and forth, this way and that, chasing any hint of motion in the trees. The lack of wind made each flicker of movement all the more nerve-wracking, leaving her wound tighter than a mother with a goldless nest. It didn't help that each step sent jagged bolts of pain up her legs. She hadn't dared to overpower the curse that morning to hunt, as was her habit, so her feet remained as scraped raw by her ill-fitting boots as the day before. Despite her best efforts her pace was slowing as she concentrated on watching their surroundings and forcing a natural stride. She couldn't betray any sign of weakness by limping.
The open gates of a city came into view, looming up past the trees without warning. Unlike human settlements, which were designed with wide swathes of open ground around them, the elven city appeared to let the forest grow unchecked all around it, making it nearly impossible to detect until they were practically right on top of it. Halting in her tracks, Kesstril shot Drake a disbelieving look before going right back to scanning the trees... although she did try to be a little more subtle about it. "They're clearly waiting for us," she muttered. Did he really have to ask? The forest was probably teeming with elves at this point -- of course it was quiet. "We can still go around," she tried, in an equally low undertone. It was almost certainly too late already, and she doubted Drake would agree, but... she had to try.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 21, 2018 18:34:19 GMT -6
"Clearly?" Drake frowned. It wasn't clear at all. He looked over the quiet gates again and shrugged. Maybe it was...a little clear that they were all hiding somewhere. He took a few steps forward as if it might help him figure something out that Kess didn't know about. Speaking of the unhappy dragon woman, he turned around to give her an unmoved expression. "Those dragons aren't going to like that we took a day-longdetour around this kingdom, Kess. It'll be better for us both to move along through here in a timely fashion.
The wizard cautiously started forward aafterward scepter raised to be ready for the first sign of trouble. Even if the elf had told his comrades who the two of them were, the elves may not believe him. Drake started past the gates and was the first to notice something etched into the sandy ground. He squinted as he inspected the clear shape of an 'X' at his feet. " That's weird. It's like they were expecting me to stand right--"
A roar of a trumpet startled him into a battle stance, even as the confusing sight of a small group of elves calmly approached the duo with wide smiles. Drake blinked in confusion. Some of the elves were really short, and some towered over even him! Some were thin and some looked bigger than the elf that found Kess. They poured out from the once quiet town and cautiously waltsed towards Drake with surprising speed. While none touched him, two human-sized ones place a strange dazzling necklace around him. "Welcome, good wizard and lady servant! We have been exp expecting you for the grand banquet!"
He blinked at the calm swarm around that did NOT seem like regular elves.
"You're right Kess," Drake sighed at her with sarcasm. "Maybe we should go around instead. They'll kill us with food."
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Post by Tiamat on Jul 22, 2018 22:57:21 GMT -6
Drake's reminder made her eyes widen in shock. Horrified, Kesstril's searching gaze again checked the trees around them, but without any obvious movements it was impossible to spot the elves who had to be waiting to ambush them. She looked back at Drake to hiss a warning to him, but he had already walked up to the city gates. Kesstril cast one last look around, her skin practically crawling with unease, and then eased forward after Drake. The woman took care not to appear too hurried, though she breathed much easier when she stood beside the wizard once more.
She froze, tense and leery, as a contingent of smiling elves finally deigned to show themselves. In moments the two travelers were surrounded. Kesstril's lips peeled back in a silent snarl of disgust at the insulting address. "I am no one's servant," she corrected, her voice short and strained. Her gaze slid to Drake, and under the cover of another blast of the trumpet she snapped, "Don't go giving them any ideas!"
One of the elves was watching her, a speculative gleam in his bright blue eyes. "Are you nervous?" He asked her. He was a tall, heavyset fellow draped in layers of flowing cloth in multiple shades of blue. Kesstril resisted the urge to bristle defensively and forced herself to release the full breath she held in her lungs. "You don't need to be," the elf continued. "We don't often entertain guests, it is true, but surely whatever stories you have heard about us do not paint us as -- rude." There was a delicate pause before his last word, as if the very idea of it was almost too much to conceive.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2018 11:24:08 GMT -6
Kess was quick to correct the elves, and he also nodded at that. "Yeah, if anything I'm her servant. Heh. Or like, she's the navigator. Yeah." The tall elf spoke in a hopefully convincing manner, and when he was finished Drake shrugged to himself. "Uh...No, the stories mostly just say you're...secretive."
The Elf considered his words and nodded in response. Then he turned to the ones who followed him to greet the visitors, bowing his head to them. "Let us take them to the banquet, brothers and sisters,"
Drake looked around as they were quietly led through the fairly barren streets of their town, en route to the castle. One might have assumed the whole place had been deserted, given how quiet it was. "This place...seems a little dead today, doesn't it?"
At the mention of the word 'Dead', the elf beside him suddenly stifened before he regained his composure. Drake didn't comment on this, mostly because an elf was already speaking. "The citizens are,uh, always apprehensive about Newcomers. They will appear once they're relaxed."
That same elf breathed in ever so slightly sharp, and Drake suspiciously eyed him for a long moment. The grand castle of the elves was only a yard away, and soon they would be through the entrance.
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Post by Tiamat on Aug 2, 2018 22:28:52 GMT -6
None of the elves outwardly reacted to Drake's comment about the dragons. It didn't necessarily mean anything, but she could only hope that they hadn't actually heard him. As they walked, Kesstril drifted closer to Drake, her hands flexing at her sides. She was fine. Everything was fine. Less walking would have been better, and a land without elves would have been best. At least none of them had pointed at her and shouted "Dragon!" or tried to stab her yet.
It was still early.
Half of the elves seemed content to ignore her, which was fantastic. Less so was the way that, every time she glanced around, an elf's gaze would just be turning away from her. Nerves made her skin prickle and crawl, as if she were rolling in a cold fire. Kesstril curled her fingers and breathed. Though the street they walked down was clear, trees grew everywhere -- around the houses, scattered alongside the road -- their size and immense canopies lending the impression that the travelers hadn't stepped into a settlement at all. The castle rose up before them, curving up from under the trees -- or perhaps the trees curled around it -- and Kesstril froze for half a step before forcing herself onward. It probably wasn't a trap. Right?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2018 23:19:10 GMT -6
The Elves silently led the duo into the entrance of the castle, where they would be greeted by an elevated platform of sorts. Concrete in it's designs, it held itself on a short flight of stairs about ten feet or so and held a distinct glow--perhaps the concrete had silver elements in it. Drake walked up the stairs with ease and blinked at the sight of three figures at the far end of a short rectangular table. Given the highly ornate clothes and the intricately woven headdress, it was easy to assume that this must be a highly ranking elf, if not the Queen. The elves in armor behind her must have been her guards. He eyed the pointy javelin they had and then the expectant smile of the Queen, before awkwardly bowing to his knee level.
The Queen shook her head and hands slowly. "We don't do that here, though a simple low nod will do."
"My bad. Yeah...This,uh...banquet is kinda," Drake paused as he surveyed the table with delicate white cloth and silverware covering it. "Is it just..us, in this banquet or...?"
"They will be joining us as well, Great Drake slayer of dragons." The Elf Queen smiled as she gestured to the welcoming committee, but her tone when she uttered the word Dragon was all but welcoming. Before he could make any corrections for the sake of dragons, she was already gesturing to the table. "Please--seat yourself here next to my chair. Oh," She pointed to Kess and made a wincing frown. "I'm afraid your slave will have to sit at the far end, as we have specific seats for specific elves."
Drake sighed; he might as well clear this up now. "She is not my slave, with all due respect."
She lifted her nose, inspecting the dragon woman. "She seems as much." Her eyes glinted back towards him. "Is she a personal servant?"
He almost started to say that a personal servant and a slave had no difference in his mind, but he merely grimaced. "I know she might not look very important to you, or seem more important then a wizard such as me--but she has far more worth to her than any slave or servant could ever have. " He would have gagged on the amount of cheese from that line, were he not being serious. For once in his life. "She is a friend of mine. A friend who has journeyed far with me to distant lands, without waver in her trust in me. To call her or treat her any differently than me...would be an insult to us both."
He coughed. "Er, you majesty."
The Queen seemed mildly surprised at him, but her expression melted into something haughty and sneering. Just when the silence was tensest, she nodded and forced a smile. "Very well, Drake. I'm certain we wouldn't mind moving things around."
"Thank you." He bowed only his head and politely pulled the seat back for Kess. That was a close one--hopefulky there wouldn't be any more tense moments like that.
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