Runes of Magic US / AU

Something always confused me about the ways of the world and how easily they preach their own confusion and misconceptions. Light and darkness cannot really be attributed to good and evil respectively, but it is what people so quickly choose to believe. So many times, I hear of the grim deeds of the forces of darkness. Sure, those who follow the path of darkness tend to be more grim than the bastion of glory we call our holy orders, but some of us who remain in the shadows prefer not to think of ourselves as entities of evil just because of how we work. In truth, I wonder who the greater evil is; the one who commits the crime, or the one who demands such a crime of an otherwise innocent adventurer?

-Kimberly Sarani

-----


"You have the knives?" Her employer asked as Kimberly returned, a handful of plundered daggers in a pocket of her bag. The grim satisfaction of her employer as she turned them over didn't sit well with her, but she was a negotiator, not a soldier; to kill another living intelligence was an abhorrent thought to her, and yet her choices had been whittled down to exactly that. With her payment out of the way, she quickly turned to leave, but his hand on her shoulder stopped her cold.

"One more thing." He offered, handing her a note which she took and made to unfold. "Don't read it. There is a woman in Varanas I need that delivered to by the name Ilyia Nerian. Deliver it, see what her response is."

Kimberly narrowed her eyes slightly, uneasy yet again with this man. Still, she pocketed the note and put a hand on her hip, a curious expression coming to her face. She was a negotiator, after all; if she would not find her information directly, she would query it out of someone or another. "And what do you expect of it?" She asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Nothing you aren't prepared for." He answered, giving a shrug. "Now, be quick about it. I don't expect she'll be there for long."

"And how would I identify this woman?"

The man chuckled at that. "You can find her at the well in the central district. Royal blue clothing, silver trim... she's not easy to miss."

It was all she was going to get, Kimberly realized. Still, it wasn't a long trip. Making a note of the request in her journal, she made her way to the city and wove her way to the central fountain. Sure enough, a daint and young-looking woman in nothing short of regal wear sat at its edge, reading a fairly large book with such interest to render her nearly oblivious to the goings-on of the citizens around her. Kimberly noted she carried an elegantly-decorated longsword with her as well, but her appearance did not strike her as one to engage in hostile activity, nor as one to be falsely covered for such intentions.

With little else to do, Kimberly approached and gave an excusing cough that managed to merit the woman's attention. When she looked up, Kimberly's blood ran cold for a moment. Eyes not unlike those of a ruby looked back at her, a momentary curiosity alight behind them. "Er.." Kimberly stammered, electing not to stare as she retrieved the note from her pocket and handed it to her. "This is for you."

"For me?" The woman echoed, giving a faint chuckle as she unfolded it and left her book in her lap. As she read, a quiet sigh escaped her. "It is remarkable how the people here so enjoy antagonizing me." She mused, folding the note again and inserting it as a bookmark into her book before she closed it and came to her feet.

"Is something the matter?" Kimberly wondered aloud.

When Ilyia drew her blade instead, Kimberly was immediately set on edge. "Rest assured, no one will die here." She offered. "But if you are who this man says you are, I need to be sure you are able to handle yourself in a fight."

Kimberly winced; this was the seventh time that day alone that she had been dragged into a fight without much choice. Reluctantly, she slid two daggers out from their sheaths at the back of her belt - which normally were concealed by her overcoat - and several throwing knives floated out from a pouch in the same place, guided and glowing a faint cyan by the telekinetic energies that compelled them.

Ilyia seemed impressed, but held her blade aloft regardless - even the book she held in her left hand, confusing Kimberly more than she found comfortable to admit. For several seconds, each stood waiting for the other to make the first move. Kimberly could see in Ilyia's expression that she did not approve of such an encounter any more than she, but those unnaturally ruby eyes continually made her question just who... perhaps even what she was dealing with.

Eventually, Kimberly decided to make her move. Ilyia seemed only lightly-armored, and if that was any indication, it was of a blessing. She could make this remarkably quick, too, and she could be given time to ask the questions for once. As she closed their distance, her left-hand dagger came up and across, digging through Ilyia's clothing and into her midsection. She didn't actually see blood being drawn, but she suspected it all the same - and besides, she had very little time to waste confirming a maneuver. As she kicked off the ground, her right hand came around to slash across Ilyia's shoulders at the front even as she maneuvered behind her to deliver a final jab of both blades into her spine...

The would-be fatal strike instead found its way into the pages of Ilyia's book as the woman turned and used it as something of a shield, which not only surprised Kimberly at her impressive agility but also that the book itself should have been torn apart by the force of the blow, yet not even a page was frayed. Furthermore, in that brief moment of surprise she saw not blood issuing from the wounds she had inflicted, but a series of silver sparks, as if Ilyia's body did not have the same traits of the human body, but instead...

"Surprised?" She smiled even as Kimberly telekinetically forced herself away, guiding the knives she had left behind to bury into Ilyia's back and send her lurching, more and more silver sparks connecting into whole arcs of what appeared like silvered electricity. Kimberly could not help but let her eyes wide at that; Ilyia was by no means human, and furthermore had survived a rather fatal series of strikes while still having yet to retaliate. What was she, and why would she have been set up with a duel against her?

-----

I still remember the day I met her. I was told that she carried talent and physique beyond the human limitations, and the manner of her previous dealings bade me to realize that perhaps I was not alone in believing that violence is not the bringer of peace. Though I myself am far from human, and I have been led to believe that neither is this girl, even in those first few moments where she hesitated, I found in her more humanity than many a human being roaming the world of Taborea. Then again, what makes a hero at the end of the day? Is it their ability to overcome what challenges may come, or a heart which can continue to believe even when faced with certain defeat?

-Ilyia Nerian

Do monsters understand fear? The creatures of Taborea so aggressively guard their territory with little regard for their own safety and risks in the process. Even when faced with imminent defeat, they never stop, never even slow to give it the thought of a survivor.
You would think by now I'd have learned a greater appreciation for fear, but it wasn't until I met my match in an inescapable duel that I learned it. And, I don't mean just the kind of fear that makes you hesitate to do what needs to be done; this was nothing short of paralyzing. In that same moment though, I realized I was not what I had been raised to believe I was. I may be inhuman, but so long as I understand fate and fear, I refuse to believe I am like them.

-Kimberly Sarani

-----

As Ilyia loosened her grip to let Kimberly's daggers - and by extension, Kimberly - loose, she flipped her sword around in hand and held it forward, igniting a sigil that hovered between the two, much closer to the kinetic, but before Kimberly had even recovered her balance, Ilyia struck again and the sigil shattered into an illuminating explosion, sending the girl flying back and tumbling against the cobblestone street before she recovered herself.

Kimberly had to check herself for a moment as Ilyia stepped forward - almost too slowly.. - and to her relief she found she had nothing battered to bleed, though several dark patches on her skin indicated visibly as well as to the soreness in her arms and shoulders that she was not exactly suited to take Ilyia head-on. Fortunately for her, she had a solution, and another half a dozen knives floated out from her pouch to retaliate.

Even as they pierced into her adversary however, drawing yet more silver sparks from the woman, Ilyia lashed out again, this time rushing with such speed and force that Kimberly found herself floored yet again, and still another burst from the strange sigil imposed from Ilyia's deft strikes, though not quite as forceful, sent her sprawling, on the verge of collapse. To her horror, as she looked up again, the sparks and arcs of silver indicating what otherwise inconsequential damage she had inflicted were gone. As if on cue, her thoughts formed the image of a replica of herself stomping angrily at the ground, shouting how unfair it was.

She was defeated, and she knew it. As she struggled to come to her feet again, the flat of Ilyia's blade came down on her shoulder, the resulting fear driving her so nearly into paralysis that she dared not move anyway.

"Do you yield?" Ilyia asked simply, still so perfectly calm that Kimberly wondered if she even felt satisfaction from such a quick victory.

As if in answer, Kimberly let herself fall flat on her face as her arms gave out, but within moments she felt a curative magic flowing around her, mending her injuries at well beyond her natural regeneration. Durable, strong, agile and capable in the healing arts? Kimberly had to admit, she was growing swiftly jealous of Ilyia's array of talents, and simultaneously fearful of what more she may not have revealed to her yet.

"You did well." Ilyia remarked, her long white hair cascading down one shoulder as she sheathed her blade. Kimberly gawked; surely she was joking. "Most others would have fallen in the first blow there. Not only did you last twice as long, but you still had it in you to strike back, and... rather impressively at that." She remarked.

Kimberly still felt somewhat overwhelmed, but Ilyia's words did manage to lift her spirits some. She could still pride herself on her inventive and versatile approach to handling any situation, but even she knew she fell short when faced with something - or someone - capable of withstanding her crippling array of strikes. Ilyia had proven within a minute's time to be just such a person.

"We should go." The woman offered, coming to her feet and offering Kimberly a hand with a gentle smile. "Perhaps I may not have been looking for you specifically, but someone very much like you. I had nearly lost hope that someone might even be found."

Kimberly raised an eyebrow at that, but took the offered hand and rose to her feet. "I don't understand.. why were you looking? You seem like you can more than handle yourself..."

Ilyia chuckled modestly at that, her ruby eyes turning to regard Kimberly again. "Perhaps so, but I have my limitations. In a duel with but one person, I can certainly hold my own, but what I aim to accomplish has me at incredibly poor odds, and I have found myself looking for like-minded companions not unlike yourself."

Kimberly found herself presented with more questions than answers, and once she considered what those questions were, she was certain only more would find their way into the conversation. Still, Ilyia began to lead the way out of Varanas through the lower city, and the girl's curiosity got the better of her. "What is it that you intend to do?" She found herself asking before too long.

"I want to bring peace to the world."

Kimberly blinked. Peace in Taborea seemed like an altogether impossible goal. Even in the regions immediately outside such a grand city as Varanas, bandits roamed free and wild beasts constantly plagued adventurers and innocents alike. When even the forces of nature seemed to conspire against a peaceful world, how could one ever hope to turn the tables in such a way?

"You doubt its possibility." Ilyia observed patiently, a small smile lining her face. "I would not blame you, had I not pondered this very idea for years now. Taborea is threatened, but there always lies a threat even behind those. Your earlier contact mentioned that you are a negotiator as long as you have the option to be, so I trust you will understand this; if you remove the face of the problem, the problem will still persist, -"

"But until the reason for the problem is done away with, it will never truly fade." Kimberly finished for her, piecing together what she could. "But then if something is behind everything we can see, how are we supposed to find the real sources?"

Ilyia smiled, clearly pleased with Kimberly's adept sense of piecing together what she could of the relevant details. "We find where the dangers are more out of place, and we look behind those." She informed her just as they reached the bridge in front of the city itself.

-----

She possesses a brilliant mind, I am happy to say. I am pleased to see that the call of power, wealth and fame do not attract her as they do so many others. Even I have on occasion faltered in my obligation to act solely in the name of benevolence, and I fear that someday I may have to answer to those misgivings. Even still, she possesses both a genuine good will and the courage to stand for what she believes in. In truth, I admire her resolve and her grip of reality. Is this what envy feels like? I doubt it... but it does beg to question why I have not yet felt exactly like this before in similar situations. For now, all I can do is hope she remains such a free spirit as she was then.

A brilliant mage once told me that the key to winning any war is to identify with the thoughts of your enemies. I've made an enemy of violence itself, but it remains something I am brought into constantly, and have been brought to understand better than I am comfortable saying. Everywhere I go, I see so many people whose answers to their problems are "just kill it". Is that what we've all been reduced to, that we have to cut down everything without a second thought? And if that's the case, then who are we to judge others as monsters when we who are capable of better do nothing to stand on higher ground?

-Kimberly Sarani

-----

"You're looking troubled this morning." Ilyia remarked, having kept watch at the earlier night's encampment.

"It's nothing." Kimberly shook her head, looking back up to her companion as she readied herself for the day again. Ilyia did not look the least bit convinced. Picking up on her inquiry, the half-blood gave a quiet sigh. "I've been having nightmares ever since I was just a girl. Let's just say my mother and I never got along..."

Ilyia nodded, seeming to give that some thought. "You aren't human." She surmised, gesturing a hand in a harmless indication. "Judging from the severity of the strikes I delivered yesterday, I would say you were unholy, at least in part."

Kimberly cringed at that, but kept her tension minimal; for all she had done to mask her identity, Ilyia knew better. What it was that she was getting at quickly bothered her though.

"...And you fear it coming to light." Ilyia nodded again, allowing the subject to hang in the air for a moment longer. "I will understand if you would rather not speak of it."

"Just insecure." Kimberly shook her head, coming to her feet and replacing her daggers behind her overcoat. "I've always been afraid of being judged as another monster."

"Are you?" Kimberly glanced up at the question, noting the brief hint of skepticism that crossed her companion's expression. Ilyia laughed quietly and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Bear in mind, I am not so different."

Kimberly sighed, letting herself relax for a moment more. "My mother was a vampire." She offered, coming down to a crouch as she traced a pattern into the ground with a small frown.

"And your father?"

Kimberly stopped and looked up. "Hard to believe, I'm sure, but my father was an angel."

Ilyia raised an eyebrow. "That is an awfully difficult mix to have. Any vampiress would have died long before giving birth."

"Well, you know what they say." Kimberly frowned, pulling free a few blades of grass and telekinetically weaving them around her finger. "Not a problem in all the world that can't be solved with magic. I try not to think about it."

Ilyia nodded, giving it a moment more of thought before nudging Kimberly with her boot. "I suppose you should know something about me, then." She offered, gesturing for Kimberly to come along as she continued along the road. "When I first came to Taborea, another followed me here. It was... hundreds of years ago, long before many of the evils that we know swept across its surface and laid waste to the works of man to conceal them."

"You can't expect me to believe you started all this." Kimberly mused, shaking her head.

"And I don't." Ilyia chuckled. "But I came in pursuit of another who I believe may have been instrumental to setting so much in motion."

Kimberly nodded, the gears beginning to shift again. She had to be going somewhere with this...

"Do you remember what I said about removing a problem at its source?" Ilyia went on, catching onto Kimberly's thoughtful expression.

"You think this other is the source of all this?" Kimberly guessed, tilting her head slightly.

"Well... no, not entirely. There are multiple sources, of course. But in so much time, the one I pursued here has stirred up far more trouble than I can account for, and I have spent some time trying to unmake some of these troubles, with... I am ashamed to say, little success so far."

"Who is this person?" Kimberly asked, giving a blink.

"Her name is Neissa." Ilyia offered. "Like me, she is wholly elemental in nature, but while I represent the likeness of all things holy, I can say quite the opposite of her."

"So we hunt down this Neissa figure, yes?" Kimberly guessed, only to raise an eyebrow at Ilyia's shake of head.

"I'm afraid enough has been done to make that impossible right at the moment." Ilyia sighed. "We have a long journey ahead of us."

-----

Where I am from, I was often regarded as the perfect creature. I was seen as without flaw, without anything to bring me short of perfection in all things right and just... and perhaps not incorrectly so, as my every argument in those days to such praise was deemed as profound humility, which only reflected more positively on me than I had even hoped. Here in Taborea though, things are different, and I have found I am far less than adequate to suit the people's needs. I suppose in truth, this is because I lack in the power I once knew, as where I hail from, there was such an abundance of all manner of elemental energy that I could draw from, yet the environment here in Taborea does frighteningly little to favor the light. It is here that I have found a way to truly uncover many of my own flaws, but my enmity with Neissa has spanned since the dawn of time. I pray to what gods may exist in this world that I am not so eagerly walking into a well-formed trap, though I fear I would not put such a feat past her.

-Ilyia Nerian

-I'm afraid for the sake of not boring my beloved audience to tears, I'm going to pass over the more dull exchanges of the trip to our heroines' destination. If I may be so bold as to say so, not much had transpired, and the battle motions of a few ambushes along the way would hardly be a noteworthy addition to my tale. Now, without any further ado, allow me to summarize. Ilyia's knowledge of her enemy Neissa ultimately led to her seeking out a means of transport between entire dimensions and with Kimberly's help, she found several connections out of place across the continent of Candara, oddly enough centered just outside of Varanas itself. In two months' time, enough could be said as far as how well they had bonded, but certainly you didn't come to see me rant. Moving on.-

Ilyia definitely strikes me as someone who doesn't want to be understood. She spoke of wars where she was from, how she had always been at the forefront of conflict, but every time I try to get more out of her as to its conclusion, she always falls silent. I have to guess something terrible happened, something that has to be hurting her, but how am I supposed to help if I can't find out what's so terrible to begin with?

-Kimberly Sarani

-----

"Your weapon..." Ilyia breathed, the first hint of conversation in the day - which truthfully wasn't saying much; the day had only started. "You carry two of a pair, it would seem. One which desires only to protect, and one which actively desires to fell its foes."

Kimberly raised an eyebrow. Reluctantly pulling her two daggers from behind their concealment, she offered them for further inspection. Ilyia simply shook her head. "I never exactly thought of them as sentient." She admitted. "I will admit to finding it easier to strike and parry with one or the other though." She knew which to be which; the weapon she consistently held in her right hand glowed faintly blue from a series of runes scribed along the blade. She had found it only months before, and once she had it appraised, she found it had been named Sanctum once it had been made - and truly, it was a positively unique weapon that altogether seemed to guide the wielder to better defend themselves by a subtle shift in the movements of the arm and hand holding it. Conversely, the crimson runes embedded in her other dagger's framework seemed to direct her movements to where they would more easily cause more harm to anyone victimized by its use. Similarly enough, it was truly a unique blade, and while she didn't find it quite so fitting, Eldritch was found to be its name.

"You use them well." Ilyia commented, giving a nod. "And it has not escaped my notice that you prefer to restrain yourself until holding out your defenses is no longer a tangible goal. I believe the ones who those blades were crafted for would have marveled at your style in using both in tandem with one another."

Kimberly blushed faintly. Flattery had never been something she took too well, and often she kept silent in its wake; this was no exception. Either way, there was only so much she could do to perpetuate what good times were to be had. "We're making our move today?" She asked, trying to derail the topic from herself.

"Ah, yes." Ilyia chuckled, giving a nod. "Dissonance Keep, I believe. You are aware this will be a harrowing journey. I have asked you to help me find a way, and you have. You are not obligated to follow me any further."

Kimberly frowned, chagrinned. She shook her head. "After all this time, you expect me to sit back and let someone brave the source of all the world's problems without me? Sorry to disappoint, but that's just not going to work."

Ilyia chuckled again and gave a nod, offering a quiet smile. "I expected as much." She nodded. "I felt you deserved to have the option regardless." With that however, she began working, laying out a circle of runes on a small island not far beyond Varanas' walls. When the runes flared and a pool of extraspatial energy erupted between them, she seemed at once delighted and afraid.

Kimberly had no such hesitation; in seconds, she had dropped herself in.

-----

I believe I was wrong to state what I had when we first met. I told her that I was not looking specifically for her, but rather for someone like her. Now, I believe she is indeed perfect for the task I have been charged with, and even should prove capable in the event that I should fail and my fall be complete. I can only pray that if I should, she might someday forgive me.

-Ilyia Nerian

It's almost like a puzzle. Before I took up adventuring, I was an investigator and negotiator for the Eye of Wisdom. At heart, I'd always remained a negotiator, but adventuring tends not to provoke as much thought as it does action. At first, I thought Ilyia's travels with me were just the same, but her tales of wicked exploits from her nemesis were enough to make me think, and I realize there's more to this story than meets the eye. I don't know what exactly I expected when I entered Dissonance Keep, but I sure wasn't expecting it to be full of people not so different from myself.

-Kimberly Sarani

-----

Once through the portal, Ilyia and Kimberly spared a moment to glance at the welcome committee. Dissonance Keep, so Ilyia had said, was the home of six terrifying powers of the elemental varieties, but she hadn't mentioned the legion of lightly purple-skinned... what were they? Kimberly blinked, giving a shudder. As she managed to voice the question, Ilyia gave a quiet sigh. "Infernal." She offered. "At least, that is what they were known as, where I am from."

"And... this many?"

"More." Ilyia frowned. "I can hold them here, but more will come. Go on ahead, I will be fine." But with that, a flash of light tore through the air as Ilyia's blade came out and around, striking one of the very many Infernal and drawing the attention of dozens more.

Kimberly winced, but had no time to think. Drawing on her telekinetic prowess, she launched herself up to the ceiling and flipped, landing with a hold on herself that allowed her to run along the surface of the ceiling as if it were the floor. Disorienting at first, but as long as she didn't look up relative to her position, she would be fine.

Creeping along the ceiling, the sounds of battle raging behind and above her, Kimberly gradually made her way into a singular long hallway that seemed altogether to have only one way past it. At the end were a set of double doors, and as she looked up - good heavens, seeing the floor was disorienting - she saw no sign of any would-be enemies, and she gracefully flipped back down to the floor. She tried the doors, but she had no way to open them. Frowning, she took another take of the room. It resembled an entrance hall, only darker and altogether sinister. It was divided into three linear portions, the center of which lined with pillars and - between the pillars - three mirrors on either side.

Curious, Kimberly inspected one of the mirrors. To her surprise, the inscription at the top read "Sloth" and the image in the mirror was not at all her reflection. The mirror seemed to show the view of a small chapel with a dark silhouette of a man sitting lazily on the altar, seeming by all appearances to be watching from what little she could tell. Some sort of portal perhaps? Kimberly reached out to touch the mirror, thinking to pass through it, but her fingers stopped at the cold touch of the mirror, and would not proceed.

Giving a shrug, realizing there was nothing more she could do about it, Kimberly turned to examine the rest... but as soon as she moved her head to look away, the whole room around her seemed to warp, and in only a few seconds' time, she was in the very chapel she had seen in the mirror. Quickly, she turned back to where she figured the mirror to be. In the place of the doorway to the chapel, a mirror showing the entrance hall had taken its place; clearly the way back, but to her surprise as she turned again, she remained in the chapel.

Stupid, inconsistent mirror warps, Kimberly mused internally.

The chapel was lined with two rows of pews, the walls on either side carrying inlets that housed statues of the very man seated on the altar - two inlets to each wall, and a pair of torches on the dais holding the altar itself. Did this man fancy himself a god? Kimberly cringed and shook her head, trying to unmake the resulting images tearing at her mind. He was not much different from the Infernal that Ilyia had been embattled with, but where most of those had worn light or leather armor, this man wore something more akin to Kimberly's own choice of wear; not entirely immodest, but showy enough to distract an opponent who had an eye for clean-cut figures... and the half-blood did have to admit, were he not colored in that shade of purple, she would have found him rather dashing.

Again Kimberly shook her head. Think a little more tactical-like, will ya? A voice in her mind called, giving her pause. The voice was her own, but a little more stern. Still, she was right. The man was not wearing armor at all; simply clothed in the manner that suggested something in the unholy priestly variety. It was only a guess, but at least she had speculation to guess by.

"Enjoying the scenery?" The man asked, turning an eye to Kimberly as she continued glancing around. "Worry not; soon you will have the chance to stare for all eternity."

Well then, subtle he was not. Maybe he did fancy himself a god after all. "Just here to set the record straight." Kimberly answered, giving a shrug as she dug out her two daggers and held them to bear. "But I'm afraid I can't stay. I've got places to be, y'know?"

"We shall see. Rylin does not often keep his guests waiting."

Who? Kimberly raised an eyebrow quizzically. Or, had he just referred to himself in the third person? Takes a special kind of ego for that. The voice from before mused. Yep, definitely 'thinks himself a god' category. Kimberly winced, trying to silence the mental voice even for as questionably helpful as it was. No distractions...

-----

Many of these people used to be my comrades. Dissonance was forged from the heroes of my own world, of my own time, long ago consistent of those who had fallen from grace and snapped from the pressure, becoming ultimately the very evils they once pledged to destroy. It was for this reason that I believed myself unsuited to face this task alone; I am a warrior, at the end of the day. An agent of destruction in the name of peace; my goal here was to see these people to their grave, but that ultimately leaves me as no better a person than those who fell in the first place. I am convinced that Kimberly only wanted to save the people threatened by Dissonance itself, and by Despair to follow. It is a sickly feeling to me, being responsible for blindsighting her in such a way, and I pray she forgives me this as well.

-Ilyia Nerian