RP:Chaos Unto the Natural Order

From HollowWiki

Part of the The Seven Sins of Sagittae Arc


Summary: Quintessa joins Seteth in his journey to the Venturil region, where he hopes to find that a possible crystal sighting is proven true. Their trek through the night brings them past an unnatural gorge related to the Warrior's Guild's struggle against the coming of Xicotl. Seteth, though he admires Quintessa for her dedication to that organization, has little and less interest in becoming involved. Frogs of considerable size, dislocated by the recent happenings in the area, hungrily hunt the thief and the changeling. A battle ensues, but the monsters are no match for Lady Dragana and her Sagittaean suitor. The journey continues, until the sun begins its rise over nearby mountains and the pair approach the Xalious Range. The quest for a crystal awaits...


Vailkrin's Outskirts

It wouldn’t have mattered if Quintessa and Seteth had set out from Vailkrin at dawn rather than dusk. Neither were the biggest fans of morning, but furthermore, the skies would still be dimly-lit even when other parts of Lithrydel were being blanketed in the sun’s first daily rays. The streets would have been as unwelcoming, and as filled with just as many drunkards and opportunistic vampires. The shrill sounds emanating from alleyways, sources unknown, would not have broken for any farmer’s breakfast. Still, even as nocturnal as he was, it felt odd somehow that Seteth was departing for distant Venturilian lands at so late an hour. He preferred to slink through shadows wherever people gathered, but out on the roads and open plains, it was best to see as far ahead of oneself as possible whilst remaining hidden among the flora and fauna. Seteth knew that Quintessa would be well-equipped to guide them, and she knew that her armored cockatrice – if she brought it for the journey – would be an early warning system for the pair, besides. Seteth preferred walking, though even he knew better than to make foolhardy promises to someone as powerful as Quintessa that his nimbleness and alacrity could rival her own. For that reason, he had sighed, swallowed pride, and rented a steed from the seedy Vailkrin stables. He was cloaked all in black with a hood to conceal half his face, and his horse had reddish undertones but was, for all intents and purposes, a matching grim shade. At city’s edge, he awaited the arrival of his mistress, his master, whatever it was that Quintessa had become.


Quintessa indeed brought Bloodbeak along, the plated armor of her three meter tall bird clinking lightly as his massive talons carry him and his rider down the road. The shifty eyes of vampires surveyed them, but they knew better than to trifle with Baroness Quintessa or her golden cockatrice. Her mismatched eyes share in the general shiftiness of the region, keeping a vigilant lookout for anyone more bold than simple cutthroats or highwaymen. As notorious as she was, the changeling still had a target on her back if she liked it or not and she made it a point to be ready for combat every since House Nasar tried to kill her. Lifting a lithe hand to the hilt of her blade to rest there idly, Quintessa gives one last glance at her onlookers before fixating her gaze upon Seteth. All things considered, the young mage was happy to get away from Vailkrin and Xailous and if she could do it while helping an ally it was all the better. "It's fortunate," Quintessa began, starting a conversation awkwardly out of nowhere, "I needed to head west anyway- it's good timing." The hex blade smirks, unsure if Seteth kept tabs on her activities or not. Quintessa certainly wasn't one to keep a low profile despite her less than reputable hobbies, and already her talent as dark spellcaster had caught the attention of a certain mysterious swordsman. "Assuming we're not waylaid by anything we should reach Venturil within a few hours."


Through the Countryside

Seteth nodded in an exacting manner as he pushed forward in his saddle, telling his horse it was time to move. “It certainly is,” he replied, giving the changeling a strong indication that he was well aware of, at the very least, her surface-level wheelings and dealings. Something was astir in some castle or other, helmed and staffed by people far too famous for Seteth’s taste. Between them, Quintessa would be the one to maintain the higher profile so long as the thief could help it – and given her inclinations toward dramatic flair, it didn’t seem to Seteth that he would need to do very much at all in order to ensure that was the case. “That’s swift. Swifter than I’ve heard. Your cockatrice is truly a marvel, and this horse...” He broke off momentarily, studying the mare’s glistening red orbs for eyes. She had been infused with magics Seteth preferred not to think too deeply about, bolstering her speed to unrivaled levels. Without Quintessa’s backing, the Sagittaean could never have afforded such an impressive beast. “...won’t struggle overmuch to keep Bloodbeak within visual range.” He smirked and stretched his arms. Bloodbeak and Seteth’s nameless steed took to the hills at a gallop, leaving their riders to feel the full effects of the winds left in their animal companions’ wake. It felt lively. It felt freeing. It felt good. Half an hour had passed in a flurry of liberating motion when his horse slowed down and Seteth nearly stumbled in his saddle. Would Bloodbeak come to a stop as well? The thief certainly hoped so, for the travelers had come upon a steep gorge where once there was no gorge at all. “We can’t be more than twenty minutes’ ride out from the Southern Sage,” Seteth said in a tone which betrayed his bewilderment. “This looks like an earthquake’s making. It doesn’t seem too challenging simply to go around,” he said with a decisive finger-pointing toward the western side of the gorge – where it came to an end and passable land returned – “but all the same, what’s it doing here?”


Quintessa pulls hard on the reigns as she orders Bloodbeak to halt, startled at the new rift that had been torn into the earth. "Bleeding Xicotl." The strange woman can't help but utter, her lips peeling back slightly into a snarl. Quintessa had studied the patterns of the so-called god long enough to recognize his work. "It's getting worse." But this wasn't the type of thing she wanted to get Seteth mixed up in. He had his own problems to deal with without getting involved in world-threatening issues. Perhaps when his time wasn't so short, when they had collected the crystals and freed him of his bondage, she would ask his help in the matter, but for now Quintessa wanted to focus on the immediate threat of his shackles. "Do you really want to know?" The changeling couldn't help but talk about it, to share the many secrets she had discovered in search of an answer to the Xicotl problem. "It's caused by the vibrations of large rune stones placed tactically around the surface and in the underdark. A thing called Xicotl is preparing to invade the surface world and only the Warrior's Guild and a few other associates know about it." Quintessa scoffs, "I guess you can count yourself among those who know the truth behind the earthquakes now." The changeling tugs on the reigns, directing Bloodbeak to the new path around the chasm."But we are handling it... I think... I've hit a dead end in my research and I need a new tactic- a new perspective. I hope to speak about my frustrations with the Imperator in a couple of days."


Seteth leaned over and peered into the abyss, a task made somewhat comically useless given even moonlight was limited tonight. Still, something felt wrong about what lurked beneath the surface. “Wow,” he said after a pause. “I read a book once about a guy who thinks the planet shifts over time, causing chasms like these and eventually brand new continents. Nutty as it all was, I would have preferred his explanation to yours.” Heroes, eh? He didn’t verbalize it, but it gave him food for thought. Seteth was no hero, and he had no intentions of changing that anytime soon, but he couldn’t help feeling for the downtrodden of the world – even if only because he himself had once numbered among them. Even now, as a prisoner to the whims of faraway masters, there was room for empathy. “I suppose I’m honored to know the truth.” The thief kicked into the reins and led his horse in a careful trot alongside the gorge until they were fully cleared from it. “I knew you had ties with that gang,” he meant the Warrior’s Guild, “and more than a handful of tavern-dwellers have sung their praises.” A few had damned them, too, but who was counting? “Guess I ought to have suspected you were playing the savior card along with the rest of them. My condolences.” It was a gentle, teasing smirk which Seteth offered Quintessa, though a meaningful one nonetheless. Of course, he knew she was a free spirit at heart, and she likely knew that he knew, too. But this was a grander thing than he wanted any part of at present. Perhaps ever. What followed was a seasonally accurate traipse through fresh, spring meadows as the riders skirted the farthest reaches of the Xalious region en route to the Great Divide, where mountains yawned across the earth, separating the westerly lands from the central lands and those lands to the east. In the distance, hidden among the foliage, several creatures emitted loud croaking noises. Probably toads, Seteth figured, especially given their proximity to a crisscrossing network of streams.


Quintessa snaps her head to look at Seteth in astonishment, "Y-you've read Gildroy Silverdust's theory on Terra Migration?" That was a book reserved for advanced mages in the Xalious college. "That's not nutty- that's the basis of Terramancy. Rock changing forms, shifting between liquid and solid, movable and immovable. That stuff's real and I can prove it in my lab if you don't believe me." Quintessa can't help but snicker at Seteth's teasing, the young thief prodding at the changeling's secret desire to be a famed hero, to be the grand swordsman she had read about in books who slew dragons and recused princesses and concubines from savage warlords. He had no idea how close he was hitting a tender spot, but Quintessa wouldn't let that show. "I wouldn't call myself a savoir," she deflects, giving the lad a sheepish smile, "I just don't want to be genocided. I was in the Razurath War- I've seen what happens when a race goes extinct and it is not something I want to witness again, especially if I'm the target." The changeling didn't concern herself with the croaking of frogs, but Bloodbeak was different. His sharp ears pick up the sound of a favorite snack and potently dangerous threat if they were in large numbers; a group of giant frogs. The cockatrice begin to fluff up his feathers, his posture changing to one notably more aggressive. "What is it, Bloodbeak?" His rider inquires, mismatched eyes utilizing the darkvision she was born with. The only answer the bird can offer is a soft coo before his hisses into the darkness.


Seteth blinked several times at his mistress’ terramantic outburst. He genuinely had no idea. “The cover had been ripped off,” he said blankly. “Found the book in the trash back in the slums of Sagittae. Don’t know about any Gildroys or Silverdusts, but it sounds like the self-same book to me. And,” he paused for emphasis, “if it’s something you believe in, I bet it’s all well and true. Though if you want to bedazzle me with laboratory demonstrations, I’m all eyes on you.” As the frogs croaked, and Bloodbeak began to stir, Seteth – as yet unaware of the cockatrice’s clever realization – broke off into a sincere smile. “No, I wouldn’t want you a victim of genocide, either. Nor myself, perhaps most of all.” With a wink, he made to speed his horse anew, but when Quintessa inquired as to Bloodbeak’s sudden reaction the thief froze in place silently. He knew better than to interrupt. The air seemed stale now, staler than meadows and streams ought to be. The croaking stopped, which felt odd and left a hole in sound. At once, a frog the size of Seteth’s very own horse leaped out from thick brambles and wet fronds, extending its tongue toward would-be prey – namely, the thief, the changeling, the horse and the highly perceptive bird-beast. It was still at least 20 meters away, but another pair of leaps was all it would take for the creature to be upon them with that constricting tongue and a mouth which might have been full of poisonous saliva. Alone, it wasn’t the greatest threat Seteth had ever faced, and he spared a second to determine that there was simply no way it could rival whatever the girl to his left had dealt with in her own past. Still… “Where there’s one frog,” he prophesied, and then as if on cue three more danced out from the foliage in similar leaps to line up almost flawlessly alongside the first one, “there’s usually more.” Giant frogs hunted in packs, and though they typically feasted on smaller prey – lambs were a particular favorite – desperate times called for desperate tongue-lashings. Seteth drew his steely knives from their hidden holster beneath the black cloth over his wrists, flicking his fingers to catch them deftly after twirling his hands to unsheathe. Without hesitation, he rode straight into the fray… and then hard-left, hoping to befuddle at least a couple of the frogs and prevent them from setting their sights on Quintessa. One of his knives was thrown even as one of the frogs fell for the bait, lunging at him only to lose one of its yellowy eyes. It flinched, stumbled back, and hissed not unlike a cat.


Quintessa draws her sword as Bloodbeak prepares to charge, his large talons scraping at the dirt beneath his toes in aggravation. "Giant frogs?" Quintessa recognizes her foes immediately, "They shouldn't be this far north. This new chasm must have driven them from their natural environment." Disoriented and hungry, these massive amphibians would likely not back down even if the fight was lost. The changeling knows what she has to do. "Hyah!" With a sudden burst of speed Bloodbeak charges down upon them as Quintessa peels back the visor covering her mounts eyes, arcing around to hit them in the side with a ride-by attack. The frogs are too focused on Seteth to see it coming, so when the armored bird smashes into the side of one, his talons and razor sharp beak tearing into the soft flesh of its eyes, they are momentarily stunned by the assault. "Fight carefully," Quintessa says, raising her sword up to deliver the coup de grace on the foe already injured by her cockatrice. "These things spit acid, so make your movements quick." Right on cue, a giant frog lashes out with its sticky tongue, slapping Bloodbeak in his chest and leaving behind a thick, green residue that sizzled away at his protective plates. Bloodbeak hisses aggressively in response, dropping the dead from at his feet.


Seteth’s empathy extended to loyal animal companions, too. When he saw what had became of Bloodbeak’s armor, he winced and gritted his teeth, raising his cloak to conceal himself as he came to a complete stop not far from his now one-eyed foe. The monsters he and Quintessa faced had excellent night vision, but Seteth knew that their vision nevertheless diminished the closer someone was to them. That was where their sense of smell would come to the rescue – unless a Sagittaean lad were to twirl his second knife fancifully from his cloaked locale and then rise up fast, clothing billowing in the wind of its own making, skewering the frog at the nose and diminishing its perceptive capabilities significantly. In a perfect world, Seteth would have stopped there; the thing would have taken a hint, and it would scamper, and maybe its allies would do the same. Its nose might heal, or it might not heal, and its life expectancy would surely be reduced. But it would live, at least for a time. Seteth didn’t need to be told that he and Quintessa were not at present occupying a perfect world; the frog, sniffing through the sockets where its mangled nose dangled by fleshy threads, made a shortened leap toward Seteth and his cloak-covered horse. Deciding in that fateful instant that he wasn’t going to allow the horse to die, he jumped from his saddle in time for her to rush wayward of the ongoing action. Surprisingly, she held firm along the sidelines. Did she feel a sense of loyalty to Seteth already? Doubtful; he gauged that it was more likely she had the uncommon intellect to recognize he and his changeling friend were the mare’s best chance at survival out here. Seteth’s knives were lost in pockets of the frog’s flesh, but when he narrowly evaded the monster, he also managed to pluck one out from its eye socket. Blood burst out like a popped balloon. “Ew,” the lad observed simply. Afterward, he danced behind the frog and hopped aboard, leaving a trail of bloody gashes down its back until at last it slumped over, dead.


Quintessa releases the reigns as she swings from Bloodbeak's harness, pulling herself from the saddle and flipping before the three meter tall beast, severing the tongue attached to his armor with a swift flourish of her katana. The changeling lands on her feet as the tongue twitches behind her, the last signs of life escaping it as its previous owner recoils in pain. "It brings me no pleasure to kill you," Quintessa says as she brings her katana up high into a Kirioroshi stance, "But you are in my way- Streic rhew!" With her magic words spoken the young spellcaster snaps her blade downward as the temperature in the air drops, and a large spike impales through the frogs torso, lifting him up to weakly let out his last croak. With one frog down there are two to take its place,and Quintessa is forced to shift her magic defensively to shield herself from a similar fate that befell Bloodbeak's armor. A hemisphere of ice forms around them with a flick of her wrist, trapping them temporality away from her. "How many frogs can there be?!" The teenager shouts in protest, already over these huge amphibians.


“Too many by four, and two remain.” Seteth’s arm ached from his theatrical antics. Like as not, he was fully human, and humans seldom pulled off the stunts he could without straining something along the way. Even in prime youth, he would feel this tomorrow. Watching Quintessa in awe, he strafed beside the chilled frogs and withdrew two more knives from up past his wrists – too many by four, and two remained. “You’ve given them an icy reception, though.” The painful pun might have injured the frogs outright were they sentient, and Seteth might have used such puns as attacks in the past without realizing it. “Allow me to excavate the premises.” Chiseling away at the briefly-frozen creatures, the Sagittaean removed the eyes and ears of one before the both of them stirred to shatter their confines. It was enough of a rumble to knock Seteth off his feet like a fool, and that failure might have led to perilous trampling and a broken neck were it not for a quick hop out of harm’s way. His cloak was in tatters, revealing a blunt, bland leather tunic underneath, and a few scrapes drew blood on his cheek, nose, and forehead. There was no more time for wordplay, yet Seteth opted to play with words once more just the same. “Color me shocked.” He flicked a tiny, hidden lever beneath the hilt of one of his knives, and a bolt of electricity shot out seemingly from the steel itself; this was an elementally-charged weapon, and one which was now frying the eyeless frog to a crisp. With the full magical force of the knife expired, it grew hot in a literal flash, forcing Seteth to drop it or else burn his hand or worse. The final frog shivered as it broke free, too cold by far for comfort, and collapsed into a heap – not dead, but incapable of further combat. The battle was won.


Quintessa breaths heavily under the strain of containing the frogs in her icy grip, pouring her mana into the spell to slow their progress as much as possible. As the spellcaster provides the de-buff, Seteth carves them up for her, leaving the last one to slowly wither under the effects of her cold magic. Quintessa refreshes her spell until the frog is frozen solid once more, slow steps closing the gap between them as Bloodbeak feasts on the remains of others behind her, his powerful gullet able to withstand the poisons and acids produced by them. "This is only the beginning," the hex blade mutters, giving her katana a flick before returning it to its sheath. "In the coming days the roads will become more and more dangerous as foul creatures from the wilderness and the underdark seek prey. We should get where we're going quickly before something bigger catches our scent." The changeling turns her back on Seteth before climbing back onto her mount, letting him get situated before directing Bloodbeak over to him. "You fought well out there," Quintessa notes, offering him a rare compliment, "I first started out with daggers and knives- If you ever want me to show you a few tricks I'd be willing to teach you. You've got the talent for it."


Seteth let the mood stew in his mind when Quintessa warned him of dire things to come. A thought came to him, and for the first time: perhaps this was all the more reason he needed to hurry and procure the crystals. If he could use their rumored power even once before his foreign masters stopped him in order to aid his true mistress and her awfully noble cause, it could save more lives than he dared to count. He had only seen one crystal as of yet, in a locked case like a trophy in a rich man’s Larket manse. He counted none among his own possession, but Seteth was already dreaming big, and those dreams were shades more altruistic than he had anticipated. He knew it was best to vanquish such thoughts, so he dimmed his mind’s fantasies until Quintessa complimented his form. “I’d relish the opportunity,” he spoke in earnest. Nothing Seteth could do was on par with the powers of the Lady of House Dragana, but that didn’t mean he would decline the invitation to share in a fraction of her abilities. For all he knew, such lessons could save them both one day. Only after Bloodbeak’s feast had ended did Seteth’s rented mare return. The thief petted her reassuringly and fed her a decent heft of milled corn before climbing back up and leading the way. The party made good time from there; the hillsides remained undisturbed despite the coming of Xicotl and whatever the hell that all meant. At the peaks of knolls, they maintained a crucial vigil, though nothing stirred to threaten them more than a few lost fruit flies in the loamy early-morning wilderness. Before long, the sun was rising over nearby mountains – the Xalious Range. All they needed to do now was to navigate the mountain path until they reached a dwarven cave, on the other side of which the vast Venturil region awaited. “I wanted to tell you something, before I forget.” Seteth straightened his back uncharacteristically after chugging from his water canteen. “I know you were headed out this way regardless, but in a very real sense this is still rather truly a detour. You didn’t have to help, yet here you are. You’re a curious sort, and I treasure that about you, but I detect a hint of real protectiveness at play here as well. It’s appreciated.”


Quintessa rides in silence as she listens to Seteth's confession, her pale fingers still dotted in blood tightening slightly around her reigns. For a second her brow furrows and she is prepared to deflect again but she hesitates, allowing the defensiveness to wash away instead of pretending it didn't exist. Why was Quintessa so self-conscious about seeming too compassionate? She mulls this question over for a moment, her eyes falling to the terrain as it moved past them. "It's true, I would have come out this way for you regardless." she begins, the honesty feeling strange in her throat. "I like you. You are my friend- perhaps something more... I treasure that." The changeling peels her blue and hazel gaze from the horizon to look Seteth in the eyes, surveying whatever emotion she could from within that green sea. "It might come as a surprise to you but I didn't have many friends growing up. I didn't have any, in fact, who weren't created in my head or read about in the books I stole during my childhood. I didn't know what it was like to have a friend until I joined the Mage's Guild and met Karasu, so I take that bond seriously. Nobody messes with my friends, Seteth. I will kill for them without hesitation and that promise extends to you."