Another path

Flickering light cast dramatic shadows in all directions, crying out in a song of crackles and pops, occasionally falling low with a hiss, only to recover brighter then ever.

A figure draped in a disfiguring amount of cloth hunched over the fire, even in tainted light the wrappings where a clear mishmash, threadbare whites and hearty blacks strewn over one another with no regard for appearance whatsoever, and the occasional trembling the body succumbed too suggested even this wasn't enough.

"Are you alright?"

The voice was gentle and small, just like the person it came from. A woman who looked almost emaciated, especially against the comparison of the cloth covered form beside her. Hair a vibrant shade of green, pulled into a loose pair of tails. Matching a sea toned kaleidoscope of her pupiless eyes. Long pointed ears swaying in step with her graceful gait as she approached the covered form. Patting gently on it.

"I'm not used to this. The darkness, the sounds, it's all incredibly… Alien to me. I'm afraid of what's out there.. I'm afraid this is a delusion of some kind… That I've finally gone insane or I'm simply asleep."

The woman with pointed ears looked towards the fire, lacking the nerve to reveal her question was about the state of his shivering. But she didn't move to step away despite the silence. It was the least she could do to stand besides him.

"I'm sorry. I can't even imagine what it's like. This is my home… Even if it's not great. At least I'm familiar.."

"The devil you know huh… But you don't understand Elisevelle. It's not that I'm homesick. I just. Want to stay here forever, and I'm worried I don't deserve something that amazing."

The silence returned, and tears welled in the girls eyes, her hand reached up to cover a hiccup as emotion took her. The words her savior spoke where blasphemy, absolutely antithetical to every moment she had lived and suffered in this land. But yet. He sounded so gentle, so genuine…

"I'll do anything I can to help you. Please, anything at all. I don't deserve it, but let me aid you in any small way I can manage."

"Hmm? You already do plenty Elisevelle. Honestly things up till now would be pretty tough without you. I didn't do anything that impressive in the first place anyways. So when you say something so dramatic, I don't know how to respond."

"Not impressive?! Please don't talk about yourself that way! My heart won't be able to take it, if the Verdence itself isn't-"

"Shhh. It's here."

In a moment, Elisevelle nodded. Slow motions crouching down and picking up a staff laid on the ground, it jingled with a collection of flat rings, soft tingling resounding as the gemstones embedded within connected. But even as the darkness stirred with some obstruction of a massive shape. It was hard to find the tension danger demanded in her heart. After all her savior was here…

"[One step through darkness, one step too light.]"

The cloth covered man snapped his hand up, a small metallic object flipping into the air with tremendous speed, and then a light pale and spiteful cried out into existence. Turning the blackened surroundings into their daytime forms, vines and spikes retreating as illumination scorched at their creeping forms, trees hiding their teeth and spreading their leaves, bark for a brief moment deep crimson growing armored bark.

And lit up in that light was the reason this special pair had been loitering in the forest to begin with. A long, coiling body lined with strong if sparse legs every ten or so feet, scaled hide a steely blue, run-through with rivulets of pure turquoise where spines of it jabbed out from under its flesh. A narrow, triangular muzzle flat on its top and bottom spreading wide to display three separate rows of frost rimmed teeth, each one at least as long as a hand.

"What foolishness is this? That prey would lie in wait to be claimed..? I hadn't anticipated your willingness to be my meal.. Perhaps I should have chewed more thoroughly?"

The voice echoed and trailed with laughter, a hissing, venomous tone fitting the serpent's appearance. But its body didn't carry the same mocking levity that it spoke, it wormed behind the freshly armored trees, swaying the head around in an uncertain pattern as if trying to dance to the tune of crackling fire.

Elisevelle swallowed hard, she felt at one of her staff's rings, before hesitantly grabbing at another, fingers shaking as she indecisively reached for yet another. It was impossible to not feel some level of fear staring at such a creature, and its taunt only drove into her how serious things truly were. No matter how great her savior was, the wound.. No. The curse, he had received was no doubt taking a serious toll.

"No, you don't need to help Eli, I know it's selfish.. But this is personal."

The cloth covered figure stepped towards the monster, stripping rags and blankets off his body as he marched. Slowly revealing the man underneath, golden hair. Emerald eyes. A strong, lithe form. And features that screamed of a noble nature. All about his body was belts, each one lashed with a dozen or more daggers and knives. Save for his right shoulder, where a massive chunk had been torn from his clothing revealing painfully discolored blackened flesh and the rough indents of a triple lined bite.

"Stop! Cower before me you miserable little kin. And I will grace you with a quick end. One more step and I'll torment you so thoroughly my venom will seem like a blessing!"

The wyrm spread its mouth wide with its threat, a gale of freezing wind passing through the glade, freezing moss into spikes as it tore towards its target, passing him by and leaving the knife-covered man standing in a field of frost.

"Threats really don't work if you're obviously scared. But let's lay this out. I might have been messing around last time we fought, but you were just lucky. I'm here to settle the score and get in some practice."

"M-messing around?! Impossible! No nameless kin like you could threaten the great and terrible kros-"

CRRRRRRRRRLK!

It was a mere moment, the sound of terrible wrenching and then cracking flesh was the first hint that something had happened. The huge serpents back suddenly sprouted a red spot, as the turquoise horn that had sat atop it flung end over end in the air, crashing onto the ground set against the trio of knives embedded within. A screech of pain tumbling gracelessly out of the monster a breath later.

"I hope you understand what your role here is. Oh and I'm not nameless for the record. You can call me Castel."

There was no more words from the serpent, only action, its body surging through the trees with inhuman precision, claws tearing past Castel in a chain of mortal swipes, crashes like thunder resounding with each snap of the creatures jaws, and stone scarring blasts of icicles erupting repeatedly from every horn on the monsters body.

And yet.. It was impossible to interpret it as anything different from the desperate thrashes of a cornered animal. Castel easily hopping between the coils of the creatures body, the ground, and even the bodies of the trees in every direction to never take a blow. Flashes of light occasionally surging through his hands to scrape negligibly off the monster, but each new cast impacting a bit harder.

"SSSSSssss! You'll die! You should flee kin! These spells won't slay me! I will get you, sooner or later!"

Even if his mouth wasn't busy chanting new spells, it would be hard to imagine that Castel would heed the advice. Even as the dodges became closer and closer, a charming smile never left his mouth. It was the best that Elisevelle could manage to simply bear witness to the ridiculous feat of speed skill and arcane might. But something about her saviors casting was strange..

Eli had acted as a teacher on spell craft for Castel before, this was a terribly slow and cumbersome method of invoking spells for him. Unless… Was he attempting something new entirely? In a situation like this?

"-carrying loathsome spines] [And from stardust. Crack the sky.]"

At his behest, the heavens did just that. Veins of black like shattering glass spreading through the illuminating spell he had thrown up before this fight began. And from those cracks came rods. Pillars even. Pure color highlighted in defined hues. Red. Yellow. Green. Blue. Violet. Everywhere they touched the surroundings deformed like clay. And most of them touched the monster Castel was dueling.

Castel landed back on the ground, crunching frost underfoot as he looked with a studious expression over his handiwork. Massive holes nearly wide enough to stand in dotted the monsters body, chunks missing from the creature almost like it was a simulacrum made of cheese if not for the rivers of red blood pouring out over the frozen floor.

"I… Cannot be.. Defeated by a kin… The fates.."

Ignoring the serpent's final words, Castel turned around, calling out to Elisevelle.

"You sure you don't want to do your thing with him? I don't know how summoning works very well yet, but he's pretty strong right?"

"No! Absolutely not! I would be tainted forever if I did such a thing… Wait.. No are you requesting it of me? If that's the case.. I-If I need to damn myself to be useful..."

Shhhhhllk!

"Noope. Just wanted to make sure you didn't want to. Ah its a long shot. But do you know witch parts of this are worth the most.. Actually no, ill just bring the whole thing with us."

Castel re sheathed the dagger he had effortlessly dragged across the great wyrm's neck. Musing to himself while Eli looked up in shock. She had to get used to this sort of thing before her heart gave out, but.. That was part of the adventure of staying with her savi-No! One day he would be a hero of the whole world!