The dark solumn figure of the thin frame warlock strided stoicly towards the edge of the fields on the outskirts of the farmlands. It was there that she gently laid Rivens in the soft tilled dirt, the breeze tugging at her black tattered and torn battle cloak. She quietly went about building a pire of various logs, building it high and level. Upon finishing it she then lifted Rivens and placed him upon the pire, gently settling his arms and his legs peacefully at rest. "Sleep well into the ages, my friend, and may your slumber be well." She whispered, stepping back from him and straightening herself to full height. She then took in a deep breath and raised her hands to the heavens, encanting deeply and powerfully. "Bring now the rest of ages unto his soul, may the grace of the immortals be upon him in his slumber, may all that keep him in memory, celebrate his remembrance!" With grit teeth, the warlock then issued forth her arms, as if throwing a massive wave of energy into the pire, exploding the already lit oil canisters she had set into a massive whirl of flames which quickly caught on the kindling and wood. It wasn't long until a thick plume of smoke rose on the edge of town, shadowing over her comrade's resting place. Akon stood then, watching with pale and gaunt visage, hood drawn to hide the daystar's rays from her shadowtouched eyes. She stood, palms folded over the hilt of her blackblade, a warrior's watch in honor over the fallen, a hint of the warlock's former training apparent in her ridgid and unmoving stance.
"That question is relative." Akon answered flatly, not moving save for her lips. "Fires burn, time moves foward, all things change, save for change itself." She continued to watch the fires start to settle into an even burn, the figure of the fallen still visable amongst the flames.
"You know once I would have mourned the loss of this soul. The monks of my old monastery taught us that all life is precious, but I find it hard to even shed a tear now after all that I have been through." Drux says as he turns to look at the warlock. "My time in Jastrey has taught me much about the corruption that plaques this land and at first I fought against it. When I returned after my journey with Garith and Astrum I thought that I had learned to see past it all but seeing you, the very embodiment that I had hated Stiers for being, I judged you before I had even gotten to know you for that I apologize." He continues. Drux pulls the hood from his head the flames flicker in his eyes as stares at the warlock not with malaise or conviction but a truly balanced gaze, "This doesn't mean that I trust you yet or that I'm against Garith and the Circle. My honor is to town, my home and its people you are among them and I will fight alongside you so long as your path doesn't collide with my own."
"Yet." Akon's lips almost seemed to give hint at a smile at the word. "A word which confides confidence in the future. Trust freely given is foolish trust. I respect that it is earned. My actions shall speak for my convictions." The warlock's gaze shifted upwards to the heavens, watching the smoke rise in twirling turrets into the clouds above. "It seems change indeed has found you, Drux. I had been meaning to talk to you ever since I saw you take solitude away from the tower and its inhabitants. Change can be for better or worse. I hope it has found you for the better?" She then looked to him, red eyes cooly matching his own, staring just as evenly into his own gaze upon her.
Cail removed his hood and stepped from the darkened area beneath the trees as he watched the bright flames lick the tender of the man's body. As he neared the blaze opposite the side of Akon and Drux he stopped just after feeling the heat. Interlacing his fingers and folding his hands in a very peculiar fashion, he nodded at the body and then lifted his head up to the sky.
He began moving his lips as if in a chant and little sound came from his throat. Random words could be heard eminating from him but most were indistinct and incomprehensible.
"Vorkess.... va na.... hexa.... vel nu.... dimlaan."
"Vorkess.... va na.... hexa.... vel nu.... dimlaan."
Cail finished his homage to the dead and looked back into the blaze with his one uncovered eye keeping his hands folded and fingers interlocked.
Slipping to the edge of the field, Katri leaned against a tree, arms folded beneath her chest. She had heard the voices from the camp she had set up in the trees not far from where everyone had gathered. She was clad entirely in black, her scarf/mask loosly hanging about her neck. Her face was empty for the most part, save for a slightly grave look at the funeral pyre.
Her voice held an only slightly sarcastic tone as she took in the forms of Akon, Cail and a monk she did not recognise, "And here I thought this would be a quiet place outside of town. My judgement is getting poorer and poorer, it seems."
She nodded to the trio from beneath her hood, and then dipped her head in the direction of the pyre. Her eyes rested on Akon, "A death, then? Anyone I knew, Mistress Nivarian?"
Drux only gives a slight nod to the new comers his eyes turning back to flames. “The future holds much that is uncertain. My solitude has taught me to anticipate all possibilities, I only meant, yet, in the fact that you still have much to prove to me.” Drux says. He pauses and his gaze goes blank for only a fraction of a second, only those paying the closest attention would even notice the pause. “I’m sorry I most leave you right now something isn’t right.” Drux says in a hurried voice. He turns to leave and then falls to his knees, his back bending and eyes glaring at the sky. “Drathenix, No!” Drux yells, “Not here, not know, just let me get to your temple.” His body spasms and bends at odd angles then he collapses to the ground steam coming off his sweaty body in the cool air. The tattoo on his right arm has a faint silver hue to it. The only movement that can be seen is his lip moving. “Akon here is a chance to prove thyself.” he says softly and then goes completely still.
Kirell can be heard coming through the forest.
"Embrace transformation as the greatest truth of existence and cast..."
As he emerges from the tree line pauses briefly then greets the revelers.
"Having a Barbeque"?
"You should come to the Crimson Quarter we’re having quite a little gathering ourselves".
As he spies Katri.
“Where are your horns little Uordeq?"
"Ohren will be very disappointed.”
The Angori looks around and sees Drux lying on the ground.
“I knew I felt something"!
"Come along little changeling. I have friends that are looking for you.”
As he bends over to heft the lifeless body of Drux across his shoulder he begins to mumble. His words seem to string together in a meaningless chant.
"Bengishangig tatich doeotang easesoe. Embrace tansoraton atheatest rutfxtece astidee rostinions ofom. Dnot sackyouelf oatationar or statayoife".
As he disappears into the woods he begins to call out in a loud clear voice.
“ASTRUM... ASTRUM. I found it”.
Akon nods to Katri. "Rivens." She answers briefly, eyes following the Angori with a sharp focus.. "Excuse me a moment." All at once Akon's form sinks in a sudden drop of purlish heavy smoke, nothing left where she stood. (Teleport) Then in the same rising of thick purple smoke, her form materializes infront of Kirell. She looks at him squarely with a bit of a smirk, pointing to Drux's limp form. "I wasn't quite done with that. I'll bring him by to you shall I?" She waits, standing between Kirell and where he was headed.
The small Uordeq didn't so much as bat an eye at everything going on, save to offer a small half smile at the angori when he spoke to her and to give a slight inclination of her head to Akon. Her eyes seemed to coolly calculate possible outcomes of the semi-standoff between her former mentor and the large, horned male who carried the now quite dead-looking form of the unknown monk.
Her peace and quiet may have been disturbed, but it seemed that it may- at least- become an interesting distraction.
A preliminary puff of smoke reveals Astrum stumbling backwards from thin air. His hair is askew and his robes are on backwards. He steps back once more and bumps into Kirell. Astrum jumps with alarm and turns around to face the procession with a confused look.
"You called brother?"
"You can have him back when we're finished."
Holding out a hand to steady the confused Astrum.
"It's happened friend".
"I knew there would be a price for his indiscretion. I think Garith will want to have a minuet with him. What do you think Astrum"?
The Agori side steps to avoid walking over the Warlock.
"Astrum see if you can find Garith. I'll meet you at the tavern. We have work to do".
Astrum claps his hands gleefully, hopping on one foot, and then the next.
"Oh yes, yes work indeed!"
Overcoming a fit of laughter, Astrum takes a step forwards, flickering for a moment before fading from sight. His laughter continues on for a moment longer before fading away.
"It has a debt to pay & I dare not keep it's creditor waiting"!
As Kirell step into the woods, he turns to face the Warlock once more.
"Conceal your identity and your allegiances, lest they be used against you".
He turns away and continues to move out of site toward town, mumbling barely audible, unintelligible.
Seeing the focus of her temporary distraction make towards the tavern, the young Uordeq shrugged. She nodded slightly, both to Cail and Valez, before drawing up her mask and pulling her hood completely forward and hiding her face in its entirety. With that, Katri turned and slipped silently back into the woods, heading away from town in what would appear to be a random direction.
~~~~~~~~~later on that evening!~~~~~~~~~~
When the ashes of the dead had cooled, and the night had fallen deeply over the pire, Akon's form could be seen bent over the ashes. With her she had a chest, and vile. She indeed gathered what remained of the ashes and bones of the fallen man, carefully placing them both within her vile and the small chest. Once the ritual was done, she once more dissapeared into the night fall.
Drux walks out of the woods into the clearing wearing a new set of hooded robes and a full length cape. He eyes Akon suspiciously and then approaches. "How goes it?" says Drux, eyes staring blankly into the fire.