Fourth Adventure 08: Beginning of the End

"I, what? Hurti... oh. Oh no. Oh Goddess I'm so sorry. I just. I don't know. I can't go that long without food and drink. I haven't gone that long without. It's only been 2 days for me. I don't understand how it's been 3 weeks. I don't." Fierneceal grabs a napkin and begins dabbing away the blood, examining her wounds with tears streaming down her face.

"My contact? He may know. He may. If he's still there. Three weeks. It can't be. It can't."

"Here you go, madame." Kolson hands a tent, a sleeping bag, and a water skin to Fierneceal.

"Fascinating. Either you've lost your memories of your time between here and now or you've managed to time travel. Can you remember the last thing you were specifically doing?"

Fierneceal wrote:"I, what? Hurti... oh. Oh no. Oh Goddess I'm so sorry. I just. I don't know. I can't go that long without food and drink. I haven't gone that long without. It's only been 2 days for me. I don't understand how it's been 3 weeks. I don't." Fierneceal grabs a napkin and begins dabbing away the blood, examining her wounds with tears streaming down her face.

"My contact? He may know. He may. If he's still there. Three weeks. It can't be. It can't."

*Firmly.*

"Then, it's simple."

*He raises his voice slightly, just so the closest team members hear.*

"I'm going to Holtburg."

Kolson Wezrae wrote:"Here you go, madame." Kolson hands a tent, a sleeping bag, and a water skin to Fierneceal.

"Fascinating. Either you've lost your memories of your time between here and now or you've managed to time travel. Can you remember the last thing you were specifically doing?"

Rory scoffed at the notion. "Time travel? That's absurd, don't torture her."

"time distortion" Tab says with wounder in his voise

"Thank you. Thank you all for your help. I appreciate it very much.

"As for what I was doing? Baigen, he's my contact, he told us that if we went to Marae Lassel and used the artifact contained in the sanctum there that I'd be able to repair my own island. Flux and I were using the artifact, and here I am. I don't... don't know how it could have gone so wrong."

*Kezrin sits listening raptly to the conversation at the table. She pulls out her journal and can be seen scratching away at the parchment while observing the group. To you knowledge this is not the first time you've seen her writing in the journal, it is however the first time you've seen her doing so while openly observing someone. In fact it occurs to you that she is looking at the group as if they were a science experiment at the moment. You're not entirely sure what to make of this, but you're sure she means no harm.*

Snarg raises an eyebrow, "I'm hearin' 'lassel' bein' used lots 'round 'ere. Maybe ya who's knowin' 'bout it wantin' to be fillin' us in?"

Tabran Cole wrote:"time distortion" Tab says with wounder in his voise

"Ain't got nothin' to do with no time magicking," he retorted. "I've seen plenty of magic to be a believer, but that's impossible."

Snarg of Wildpaw wrote:Snarg raises an eyebrow, "I'm hearin' 'lassel' bein' used lots 'round 'ere. Maybe ya who's knowin' 'bout it wantin' to be fillin' us in?"

"Yes, I would like to know about this Lassel place as well. It is a series of islands no?"

*she briefly stops writing as says this.*

"I don't... don't know how it could have gone so wrong."

"Not knowing is the order of the week around here lately. Knowing where to look is a good start. And now we do."

"Rory you do know that both me and Kez know spells that can alter the flow of time after a fashion"

Fierneceal closes her eyes and breathes deeply, trying to prepare herself to go on. "Vesayen Lassel, that's where Higaide, Rory and I are from, it's an island. Just off this continent. Until recently we didn't know there was anything else. My brother and I, we broke the... the barrier keeping Vesayen Lassel hidden, apparently. There are 4 Lassels, and I was just at another, Marae, trying to repair the damage Flux and I inadvertently did to Vesayen. I.... don't know how much more I can say."

"No offense, but you're absurd, Rory. Up until a month ago none of us knew your species even existed and yet here you are." He shrugs. "I'll discount my options as data comes in and not a moment before."

Tabran Cole wrote:"Rory you do know that both me and Kez know spells that can alter the flow of time after a fashion"

"It's just a trick, even for magic! Even then, you're casting it on people, not time itself."

"Islands, eh? So yer all from them?" he gestures to the humans and Fierneceal, "ain't there more of ya there that can be fixin' it or are ya the only one's who're knowin' how? I ain't heard o' no islands appearin' sudden-like recen, maybe they're fixin' it already."

Fierneceal wrote:My brother and I, we broke the... the barrier keeping Vesayen Lassel hidden, apparently."

*His eyes widen slightly, but the surprise is not all that great.*

"So you guys did that?"

"Rory, your understanding of magic could fit in a thimble. So I'll give you a lesson for free.

Everything is made up of the 8 elements. Rocks, people, everything. When a Mage shapes their spell, they are working with the power of life itself to accomplish some end. This is true every time.

I may not know how it happened, but that doesn't make it not so, anymore than me tossing a Bolt spell your way makes you any less dead just because you don't know how it works."

Fierneceal looks sheepishly at Higaide and blushes to her toes.

"Ye... yes. Yes, that was us. We didn't know that would happen. We didn't know we'd half destroy the entire island. I'm so sorry. We've been trying to fix it since it happened!"

Z interrupts. "I love this exposition that half the inn can hear as much as anyone else but we've still the basic problem. Look, it's already evening, I say we rest for the night, get up at dawn, and head to Al-Jalima and get the hell out of here. Holtburg or Zaikhal, don't care."

Fierneceal wrote:"Ye... yes. Yes, that was us. We didn't know that would happen. We didn't know we'd half destroy the entire island. I'm so sorry. We've been trying to fix it since it happened!"

"Well, i figured whoever was on that boat would be in on what happened. Part of the reason i jumped aboard. I won't pry any further.

But i will do everything i can to help fix it."

Kolson Wezrae wrote:"Rory, your understanding of magic could fit in a thimble. So I'll give you a lesson for free.

Everything is made up of the 8 elements. Rocks, people, everything. When a Mage shapes their spell, they are working with the power of life itself to accomplish some end. This is true every time.

I may not know how it happened, but that doesn't make it not so, anymore than me tossing a Bolt spell your way makes you any less dead just because you don't know how it works."

Rory shoots Kolson the meanest glare he can muster. "I made you a knuckle sandwich. You wanna keep on sweet-talking, or are you ready to take a bite?"

"I've been asked questions, I've answered them. This exposition could have taken place anywhere and it would be no more or less relevant than it is right here, right now."

Fierneceal takes a moment to steady herself.

"Higaide, thank you for your aid. I appreciate it. I appreciate everything everyone's done to aid me thus far."

Z harumphs. "I'm not opposed to helping people. I just want you all to realize the very real danger we are still in. It's too easy to get..." Z's voice fluctuates for the first time since you've known them. "...comfortable when you're in comfortable surroundings. Forget how bad things really are. Lose your edge. We can't afford that right now."

"I dunno, I'm wantin' to be comfy to be watchin' this," Snarg leans back and gestures at Rory and Kolson.