second rune; death; video

[deadelfwalking]

 [When the feed starts, the netbook's camera shows you a view of the forest floor.  A deer carcass lies among the grass and twigs, and it's obvious that the poor thing did not have a clean death.  It's in the advanced stages of decomposition, even though the blood around its body is red and fresh.  The camera does not linger on this image for more than a few seconds; it pans upward, to show Koltira's face.

 He's standing over the deer, holding the device in one hand, holding Byfrost with the other.  Agony creases his expression: his jaw is clenched, his eyes narrowed, every muscle in his pale, sallow face is taut with pain.  The guttural growl of his voice occasionally rises in octave as he talks, as though something is beating the shit out of him from the inside.]

Were we brought here to fight for something, or to waste time reliving the past?  Send.  Us.  On.  A mission.

[He stabs the tree next to him with Byfrost, and the sword glows sickly green; the tree bark begins to decay rapidly, as though it's practically melting.  Diseased fumes pour out of the bark, forming a nasty miasma around Koltira's body.]

I need a battle. [he hisses, and blood trickles from the corner of his mouth as he bites down on the inside of his cheek.]  Now.

Comments

[healplz]

[ He can read Koltira's posture well enough, and to anyone else he would offer a deeply sympathetic touch of the shoulder, squeeze of the upper arm, a few quiet words, something. To soothe the suffering of men and women is what Ashraf has devoted his life to.

But this, he recalls, arresting his hand in midair, is no man. This is only a creature, violent and bloodthirsty, as has just been thoroughly demonstrated for him. He drops his hand back to the grass, forcing his features back into that disapproving array that Koltira evokes from him. ]

Good. [ He's sounding stronger and more sure, and brushes his hair more neatly back into the binding at the nape of his neck as he stands. ] If this... need arises again, you will tell me.

[ And next time, his first move will be to silence Koltira and block his spellcasting. Thinking of that makes it easier to ignore how close he'd gotten to death tonight, and that he may have crossed that line if Koltira hadn't restrained himself. ]

[deadelfwalking]

[He sees that held-back hand, and he just shakes his head.]

Oh, Ashraf. You have no idea how little it takes to make a man like you into a man like me.

[he gets to his feet and picks up Byfrost, swinging the thing so that it's again latched safely onto his back.] I will not call on you again.

[He starts walking. Time to search for a lake.]

[healplz]

[ It's odd to hear his name from Koltira, and not just a title. It's almost disconcerting, really. But Ashraf firmly ignores it, snatches his robes off of the branch he'd found for them, and strides after Koltira as he pulls them on. ]

I must insist you do. And if not myself, then another healer. You cannot be allowed to turn that need onto any innocents here.

[deadelfwalking]

[Flippantly, as he keeps walking on.]

Worry not. I must simply build my tolerance; fortify myself against these pains. I have never needed to do so before.

[healplz]

You are more than welcome to build your tolerance.

[ That a little bitterly, because yeah, he's not eager to repeat this experience any time soon. He follows doggedly, now working on pulling the robe tight. ]

But if this happens again, you will not simply wait for an unprepared and unsuspecting victim to stumble into you.

[deadelfwalking]

[despite his efforts to respond casually, he's still pretty much roiling with self-hatred at what he did back there, and he's not really out of the woods with this pain thing yet, either. His long ears twitch and droop, pressing back against his head like an irritated cat.]

Are you my keeper now, priest?

[healplz]

[ Dammit, elf. The obvious annoyance only annoys Ashraf, and he hurries to draw even with him. (The quickly cast spell of agility doesn't hurt in that regard.) ]

If you present a threat to anyone in this land, then yes, you may consider me to be such.

[deadelfwalking]

I don't, thus you aren't, so run off now and find someone else to patronize, if you would. I'm sure there are other people here desperately in need of your blind bigotry, after all.

[pushing aside branches and brush as he goes deeper into the forest, his eyes ahead, searching.]

[healplz]

[ He has basically no idea where they are, or what Koltira's looking for, but Ashraf isn't about to abandon this conversation. He only narrows his eyes, ducking past a branch in Koltira's wake. ]

So you say, yet it was not so long ago you had your gauntlet buried in my flesh.

[deadelfwalking]

[CAN'T THEY JUST PRETEND THAT DIDN'T EVEN HAPPEN. He scowls and keeps staring straight ahead.]

You pushed me, and you know it.

[healplz]

With very little difficulty. [ NO NEVER, at least not in the face of an argument like this! ]

And what will you do when some hotheaded youth encounters you at the wrong time, with none of my healing skill?

[deadelfwalking]

[keeps walking.] Little? Little. I begged you to leave! I gave you endless opportunities. And you -- you took off your robe. [THIS CONVERSATION IS TERRIBLE and he hates it, also himself, also Ashraf. Luckily, what he's after is in sight--a large lake, its surface bright with moonlight. He moves quickly towards it, but adds--]

--and that is why I'm in the deep forest, where hotheaded youths are in short supply.

[healplz]

It was no pleasure of mine, I assure you!

[ He realizes he's shouting and takes a breath to calm himself. The appearance of the lake goes utterly unnoticed, though, with Koltira hogging all of his attention.

More quietly, but just as assured: ] I will not leave the safety of the people to something as easily overcome as seclusion. There is an entire city of people behind us, and people are inclined to wander.

[deadelfwalking]

Tch. [he makes a gesture of dismissal.] You really think I am no more than a simple monster, don't you?

You have not a single notion of how much I was holding back, even in my deepest moment of delirium. Perhaps you will understand someday.

[he approaches the edge of the lake and then starts to walk on its surface. The water freezes under his boots; the effect looks like so many large ice-roses forming and then connecting to make a bridge that extends behind and in front of him.]

[healplz]

[ Ashraf just barely manages to stop at the edge of the lake, and is a little surprised for a moment. Kind of not what he'd expected this walk to turn into. But he has no plans to follow Koltira out onto the open water, and watches with a frustrated frown. ]

That only makes you all the more dangerous, as far as I'm concerned.

[ He raises his voice to be heard, but it's still a few notches down from his earlier shout. ]

[deadelfwalking]

[the bridge remains, its sturdy ice sparkling in the darkness. Koltira sits down, and the ice spreads around him, creating a nice little platform.]

There's just no reasoning with you, is there? [he sighs, and shrugs, wincing slightly. All right. To business. He talks a while longer as he shuts his eyes and arranges his legs into a lotus position.]

I am a sin'dorei, and before that a quel'dorei, a high elf. My people loved magic to the point of addiction. For many, it became their downfall ... but for others, there were ways to manage.

[healplz]

[ It's no more than any wizard of Rune-Midgard can do, Ashraf tells himself— but then privately has to admit that a wizard certainly wouldn't be handling a weapon as well in the way that Koltira does. Still, he makes a decent attempt not to be impressed. ]

And what of it?

[deadelfwalking]

[he loves that you physically work to be a dick to him, Ashraf. Koltira closes his eyes, and the fire in them dims slightly, as does Byfrost's glow.]

We were taught to find something to anchor us to this world, to our sense of self, and to focus on it to the exclusion of all else. In this way, we could meditate to control our impulses.

[healplz]

[ He frowns, not at all sold by this. It's only words, after all. And as for actions, he still remembers the pain quite well. Ashraf glances around quickly, memorizing the lay of the lake to allow for a warp portal to this precise location at a later point. ]

I pray to God your meditations go successfully. [ It doesn't sound like the kindly sort of prayers people usually talk about, though. ] I will be back to see if they do.

[ And then he turns, robes swirling, and disappears into a bright white light. He'll be back. ]

[deadelfwalking]

[hey ashraf; he just met you, and this is crazy, but lose his number and fuck off maybe?? AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN LET HIM TRY THIS METHOD.

He says nothing more as Ashraf turns away. After he's gone, Koltira bites down on his lower lip, drawing blood.]

[healplz]

[ yeah NOT A CHANCE. He got your number for good, boy. And in fact, about three days later, he will be back for a visit. His arrival is silent, with a spinning blue glow and nothing else to warn of his appearance.

He's wary as he steps onto the forest floor, glancing around quickly before his eyes land on the lake— and hopefully, onto Koltira. ]

[deadelfwalking]

[AND HE SITS AMONG A PILE OF CORPSES no actually it's just him, still there, in the exact same spot in the middle of the lake, not moved an inch.]

[healplz]

[ Well, that's... incredibly relieving. He probably wouldn't see the difference if Koltira had gotten up to go flay a bunch of innocent people, but something about the stillness (peacefulness?) of the scene leads him to believe the man truly hasn't moved.

He watches for a few seconds before glancing away, somewhat awkwardly. It's been... a strange few days, and he's given himself far too much time to think. Seeing Koltira again only compounds it, really. After a moment he shifts, moving to take a seat on the trunk of a nearby fallen tree. ]

[deadelfwalking]

[hey, his douchebag sense is tingling. After about fifteen minutes of quiet, Koltira opens one bright blue eye. He hears a heart beating, and his ears twitch. What are you gonna do, Ashraf?]

[healplz]

[ He is, in fact, going to... not notice! The fifteen minutes have led him to assume Koltira is too deeply lost in his meditations to notice anything at all, and he's felt free to rest his elbows on his knees and his forehead in his hand. Probably not the best idea, lowering his guard around an enemy, but this lake, so far outside the grime of the city, is... strangely calming. ]