CH3 – Nyluths

The two made their way down the road in the dead of night under a sparkling moon. With nothing but the sound of wind, the buzzing of insects, and the gentle rustle of the grassland. Both, accustomed to the night: Zephyr due to his lineage and past, and Lirien because of the old rituals she grew up with.

"What a peaceful night," Lirien said, taking in the majesty of the stars and the soft glow of the moon.

"Keep alert; the dead of night is the most dangerous time." Zephyr warned.

"Oh relax. If anything were to show up, we would see it and hear it for miles." Lirien said lightheartedly.

Zephyr stops dead in his tracks. "Priestess.... draw your weapon." He said almost silently.

"Why? Its just som-" "SHHH," Zephyr said, harshly cutting Lirien off.

"Not birds; get ready for combat," Zephyr continued in a hushed tone.

Lirien, slightly startled by Zephyr's urgency, carefully drew her staff, gripping it tightly in her hands. Zephyr, on the other hand, pulled out his long dagger and notched an arrow to his bow, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

As if silent shadows a dozen green eyes slowly emerged from the grass on all sides.

"Chirp ccchirp chirp" repeatedly echoed in the plains as they circled.

The Nyluths seemed to have been stalking them for some time, as they had managed to surround Lirien and Zephyr without being detected.

"Nyluths; keep them at range; if they get close, you're dead". He whispered to Lirien, "Keep them at a distance and aim to disable, not kill."

Lirien nodded, her heart racing. She whispered a moon ritual, and a soft, cold light began to slowly emanate from her staff. She slowly raised the staff and pointed it at the pack circling them, and a stream of moonlight energy burst forward, forming a glowing pale blade that illuminated all around them. The Nyluths hesitated for a moment, chirping and pacing, unfamiliar with their prey's abilities.

Zephyr, taking advantage of the distraction, released an arrow from his bow, striking one of the Nyluths squarely in the leg. It yelped in pain and retreated into the shadows, nursing its wound. The other Nyluths, now aware of the threat, became more cautious in their approach.

Lirien, recognizing the need to go on the offensive, channeled the moon's power, launching the blade she had formed at the back leg of another, where it exploded into light-ripping fur, partially severing the muscle.

With two of the pack injured, the alpha emerged from the underbrush, standing almost 2 meters tall.

"What do we do about that one?" Lirien said panicked.

"Calm down. Can you cast the blinding spell from before, A big one at that?" Zephyr asked, hyper-focused on not letting the Alpha Nyluth out of his sight.

"Yea. Buy me some time." Lirien said as she began gathering the moon's energy.

The Alphas eyes were locked with Zephyrs, both not moving an inch or taking a breath, as the pale green eyes of the other Nyluths watched from the shadows.

As Zephyr blinked, the Alpha was on him in an instant, covering the 10-meter gap in an instant. Zephyr raised his dagger instinctively, plunging it into the side of the Alpha's face, sending it reeling back.

In another blink, it circled the two now after Lirien, Lunging once again, when Lirien slammed her staff down, releasing a massive wave of light, sending all the Nyluths howling in pain due to their sensitive eyes. The alpha, now completely disoriented, lost its balance mid-lunge and toppled over, skidding across the rocks and dirt of the road smashing against several other Nyluths.

"Now Zephyr! she yelled.

Zephyr stood there, unmoving, still watching the surroundings.

The Alpha slowly stood up watching the two, looked at the sky, and gave a thunderous howl, where the rest of the pack followed suit, before they all retreated into the brush, vanishing as quickly as they appeared.

"Why didn't we finish them off? Wont they come back?" Lirien asked, shocked Zephyr didn't try to strike any of them down.

"Those were Nyluths." He stated a bit annoyed.

"They are vengeful and extremely family-bound. Killing one of them will enrage them, making them fight you to the death. Injuring and scaring them, however, makes them retreat to help the injured." He paused for a moment. "That howl signifies something dangerous is in the area; in other words, us." He said with a cocky grin. "We shouldn't be bothered by anything till we reach the mesa, at least."

"Well, that's a relief." Lirien said, sinking to her knees. "I've never seen anything that fast."

"You did well. That was a massive blast of light for only a few moments of prep time." Zephyr said approvingly.

"I'm not sure how I even managed that. It usually takes far longer," Lirien said, still shaking slightly.

"People can do extraordinary things when in danger." He said softly while looking at the moon before taking a seat next to her. "Let's take a short rest."

After catching their breath and Lirien steeling her nerves, they continued westward to Faldale. The soft crunch and the gentle breeze were all that was echoing in the plains.

As the sky started to brighten with the first rays of morning light, Zephyr looked at Lirien and said, "Let's set up camp for the day. You start the fire while I set up the tent."

Lirien took the time to gather nearby brush and lose sticks for kindling for the fire, along with a number of decent-sized stones for the pit, arranging them large enough so that they could cook atop, ensuring that the kindling was spread enough to cook evenly on.

As she finished setting it up, Zephyr was finishing his end of the work: a small, weather-proof leather lean-to tent with a wide opening towards the fire and a roll-up cloth flap as the door.

Pulling out a small metal stand, Zephyr filled the cooking pot with one of the water skins and began filling the pot with various dried meats and vegetables as Lirien lit the fire.

"Your no stranger to the outdoors's huh priestess?" Zephyr asked, curious as to why a member of the clergy would have competent survival skills.

"My hometown is pretty small and isolated. Few traders' or supply caravans would come in, so we would gather and farm most of the food ourselves. That includes fending off monster attacks as well. The temple protects the town and aids with harvests." Lirien explained.

"Most people see the priestess attire and assume some stuck-up princess who never steps foot out of a temple." She said it with a hit of spite in her voice.

"Admittedly, I thought the same at first glance. What kind of monsters are in Selune these days anyway?" Zephyr asked while stirring the stew.

Lirien paused for a moment. "Nothing like that large Nyluth. Most of them are winged bat-like creatures and beasts made of  shadows."She summoned a blade of moonlight in her palm. "Our magic specializes in attacking both aerial and incorporeal beings."

"So Umbrafiends and Nocturian bats by the sounds of it?" Zephyr asked.

"I'm not sure on the names; we just referred to them as they looked." Lirien said.

"Those are pretty rare in Eldermere nowadays. Umbrafiends were a major issue long before the Mages Guild was formed. But the jobs back then paid well for getting rid of them." Zephyr said reminiscent. "Anyway. Soups on," he said, pouring a bowl and handing it to Lirien, then pouring one for himself.

As Zephyr set his bowl aside to cool, he pulled out an old leather pouch with various papers, inks, and vials of crystal dust in it.

"This is my talisman kit," he said with a hint of pride. "If you'd like to learn how to make them, I'm a great teacher."

"Sure," she responded, her mouth half stuffed with soup.

"Great. Let's get to work."

Zephyr carefully laid out the contents on a small cloth, revealing a selection of papers, inks, quills, and several vials filled with different colored crystal dust. The delicate, fine-tipped quills were designed for intricate work, and as he mixed the inks with the dust, their color flared in hue from vibrant reds to deep blues and shimmering golds.

Lirien finished her soup and scooted closer, her curiosity piqued. "What do the different colors of crystal dust do?" she asked.

"Each color of dust lets a specific amount of mana through," Zephyr explained. "In order from least to most, green, yellow, blue, red, purple. White and black dust, however, are special. Black dust gathers and stores energy, and white releases. By imbuing the talisman with the appropriate crystal dust, you can create all sorts of effects."

"Another thing. The core is useless without the proper runes and script," he explained. "You can use either modern runic script or the forgotten script... If you know any."

Zephyr picked up a piece of paper and began to demonstrate the process. "First, you need to draw the appropriate symbols and runes on the paper using the ink. The specific symbols and patterns you use will determine the type of talisman you create."

He started to draw an intricate pattern on the paper, his hand steady and sure. As the symbols took shape, Lirien could see that they formed a solid circle, with various smaller circles and runes branching off of it..  The core was a solid black with two lines coming off, one yellow and one purple, each leading to a white circle, one with a rune of wind and the other a rune of fire."

"This next part is the most important," Zephyr said while flipping the talisman over and began drawing rune Lirien had never seen before.

"Is that forgotten script?" Lirien asked.

Zephyr nodded approvingly. "You learn quick. This rune is the forgotten script rune for sealing, or in some cases, storage. I found this one years ago in some old ruins. Anyway. Lets continue."

"Finally, you need to infuse the talisman with your own magical energy," Zephyr said. "Focus on the talisman and pour your magic into it, but be sure not to try to force or form the energy. Let the talisman do all the work."

Lirien concentrated, focusing her thoughts on pouring raw mana into the paper. The black ink began glowing faintly as it became a moonlight silver.

"The color that the black dust becomes reflects the creator's affinity. With practice, you can adjust this to match the type of talisman better; however, as long as it has magic, it will work fine."

"So this silver reflects my moonlight magic, then?" Lirien asked, surprised by how the color turned out.

"Exactly. Now, enough talking. Try using it." Zephyr commanded, his excitement clearly showing.

Lirien stood up from the campfire and held the talisman in her hand. "All I do is pour more magic into it, right?"

"Yea. Since it's already full, adding more will cause it to overflow, activating it." Zephyr said. "Oh, also, don't forget to aim."

Lirien focused, poured mana into the talisman, and visualized where she wanted the magic to go. However, something strange happened. The talisman erupted into a silvery fire, then exploded forward, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.

"That.... wasn't supposed to happen." Zephyr thought, shocked as he stared at the pillar-like crater that was formed in the magic's wake.

Lirien let out a cry as she yanked the pendant she had gotten from the cauldron and moon and threw it to the ground. The pendant was radiating magical energy, glowing a bright sky blue.

"Oh no."  Upon seeing the pendant, he recognized the symbol on the back. Well. Not quite. He knew it as forgotten script but knew not of what it meant. He did, however, know that mixing old script runes was dangerous and highly unpredictable.

"AGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Lirien screamed as she put out the fire that was still burning where the pendant had been just below her neck.

"Calm down, let me put it out." Zephyr nearly yelled as he rushed and spoke a greater void-touched water incantation. "ᛖᚹᛟᚲᛟ ᚨᚢᚢᚨᛗ ᛁᚾᚨᚾᛁᛋ: ᚨᚲᚲᛖᛚᛖᚱᛟ, ᛞᛁᚱᛁᚷᛟ, ᚱᛖᛚᛖᚨᛋᛟ" (Evoco Aquam Inanis: Accelero, Dirigo, Release!)

The torrent of void water engulfs Lirien instantly, putting the silvery flames out and nullifying all magic caught in it.

Lirien, suddenly exhausted and drained of all magic, collapsed into a deep slumber.

Zephyr rushed over to assess the damage. "Ok. She has all her limbs, so that's a good sign. She's breathing, and she has a pulse." He thought franticly.

After taking a moment to steel himself, He resumed the examination. "ᚱᛖᚢᛖᛚᛟ ᚹᚢᛚᚾᚢᛋ ᚲᛟᚱᛈᛟᚱᛁᛋ ᛖᛏ ᛗᚨᚷᛁᚨᛖ"(Revelo Vulnus Corporis et Magiae) He spoke softly, and his eyes glowed, shining with radiant gold. The spell allowing the caster to find both corporeal and non-corporeal wounds, along with seeing magic pathways in the body.

Upon examination, he sees that, while physically she was unharmed, Lirien's magical pathways had been forcefully expanded and most of them torn. Along with that damage, where the necklace had been, a symbol had been burned not only into her skin but also into her magic pathways. The same symbol that was on the amulet.

Zephyr fell back into a sitting position. Suddenly tired but relived that she wasn't killed by the ancient magic going haywire. After a moment of calming down, he gently picked Lirien up and took her to the lean-to before closing the cloth flap to ensure she could rest comfortably.

"Now to deal with this." Zephyr said to himself while picking up the amulet. "It's been a long time since I've seen a new piece of the lost script." He was still shaking, but now he was unsure if it was from the excitement that had just occurred or from the new knowledge he was about to acquire.

Lirien stood before a scene of devastation. Ruined buildings tall as the sky, strange carriages, and fragmented heaps of black earth floating through the sky. All frozen still, as if time had stopped and the pulse of the world had ceased.

"Where am I?" She attempted to say, but the sound stopped as it left her mouth. She gazed unto the dusty, hellish bronze sky to see a burning symbol. The same one that was on her necklace. She felt a burning like never before. A burning that engulfed her very being, followed by a bright light. An unknowable word filled her mind.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH." Lirien screamed as she sat up in a panic and clutched her chest.

"Calm down; you're fine," Zephyr called from outside the lean too.

"What happened? Where am I?" She asked in a state of confusion.

"Take a moment to breathe. I have breakfast ready." He laughed.

Collecting herself and settling the chaos in her mind, Lirien wobbled over to the fire and sat down, still half in a daze.

"ᚱᛖᚢᛖᛚᛟ ᚹᚢᛚᚾᚢᛋ ᚲᛟᚱᛈᛟᚱᛁᛋ ᛖᛏ ᛗᚨᚷᛁᚨᛖ" Zephyr recited while handing her a plate with dried meats and hardtacks.

"What's that?" She asked, seeing his eyes glowing golden.

"I'm checking the damage done by the pendant and talisman again." He explained. "Hold still a moment."

Lirien nodded as she chewed on a hardtack.

Thinking to himself, "As I suspected, She's fully healed. No. More than that. She's significantly stronger than before."

"Well. I have some good news. You are fully recovered. Better than new even." Zephyr said. "However. I also have bad news."

"It's related to the symbol on the pendant, isn't it?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

"Time," he said in a serious tone.

"So that's what it means," Lirien said, remembering the symbol burning in her dreams.

"Tell me. What did you see in your dream?" Zephyr said.

"You know about it?" Lirien asked.

"The first time I had contact with some of the ancient languages, something similar happened to me. I was branded with the forgotten script for seal and storage. The same one I use on my talisman." Zephyr explained. "Ill never forget that hellish burning sky."

"It was the same for me: towering buildings, the symbol burning in the sky, everything frozen in place." Lirien said almost frantic.

"Mine was a bit different. The world  was in ash with the exception of a single structure. One that was pristine, as if it were unaffected by the hellscape. And in what seemed like a standoff with a creature more terrifying than words could attest, I can still taste the ash on the wind," Zephyr said, recalling what was a nightmare to him.

"What will happen to me? Lirien asked. Half curling up in a ball.

"Honestly. I don't know." Zephyr said with a brief pause. "For me, my aging stopped and my magical growth was slowed due to the nature of the script."

"I thought you looked a bit young, even for an elf" Lirien quipped while clearing her hair from her face.

"Mine is stable by nature. A resolute unyielding preservation. Yours, however, is the chaos of time." He said almost lost and thought. "Stopping and going, forwards and backwards, accelerating and slowing. I'd be lying if I said yours was safe."

"Finish your breakfast, priestess. We need to get going before long. The sun is about to set." Zephyr said in a reassuring tone.

They both finished their breakfast in silence.

"Will you be alright with no sleep?" Lirien said, feeling a bit guilty that he had to take care of her.

Standing, Zephyr began packing the camp, carefully rolling up the lean-to and other bedding.

"This is hardly the first time I've gone a night without sleep. Besides, this kept me plenty awake," he said, dangling the amulet from the chain and tossed it to her.

"Oh! The amulet I got from the Cauldron and Moonlight! What's with that thing anyway?" She asked with a slight hesitation, remembering the burning sensation as she cleaned and put away the cookware.

"It had the old script symbol for time inscribed on it. Key word being had. That symbol is now fused into your magical pathways. Apart of your very essence." Zephyr said, throwing his pack onto his back.

"I... have no clue what any of that means." Lirien said, more confused now than before.

"When we get back, you've got some reading to do." Zephyr said a bit annoyed.

"Wellll excuuuse ME for not having a million years to figure things out." Lirien joked.

Zephyr shot her a sharp look while stifling a laugh. "Let's get going."

"ᛖᚹᛟᚲᛟ ᚨᚢᚢᚨᛗ: ᛗᛁᚾᚢᛏᛟ, ᛞᛁᚱᛁᚷᛟ, ᚱᛖᛚᛖᚨᛋᛟ" (Evoco Aquam: Minuto, Dirigo, Release!) Zephyr chanted as he extinguished the camp fire.

"I really need to learn actual magic spells," Lirien said as they began down the road.

"I'm more impressed that you learned magic without it." He responded.

"That's just how magic is in Selune. I wasn't aware that most people used spoken spells... We just practice the feel of them till we can manipulate them as second nature." Lirien said, thinking back on all her years of training in the temple.

"I can assure you, you're the wired one," Zephyr teased.

As they continued on the path, sharing stories and exploits of past hunts. Zephyr of some of the marks he's gone after for the guild; Lirien of some of her hunts for her village. The looming plateau in the distance growing ever nearer as a dark mass that blotted out the stars.

"We should reach the plateau by morning. We will continue through the day and try to get through the canyon before the sun sets." Zephyr said.

"Is it that dangerous?" Lirien asked

"Very few beasts live in the plains due to lack of cover and shelter, and those that do are nocturnal. The canyon beasts, however, have far more variety. It's best to move during high-visibility hours when we can see to maneuver. Nothing is more dangerous than having to run near steep cliffs in the dark." Zephyr explained.

"I see. I had to pass through a similar canyon on the way to Eldermere. Luckily, the path was marked all the way through." She said.

"The kingdom's natural defense. Hard to get invaded when you have natural walls on all sides." Zephyr said.

"Hey. Is that a light in the distance? Lirien asked.

"Looks like someone else is on the road. I do hope it's not bandits." Zephyr said with a yawn.

"Do bandits often sit on the road?" Lirien asked, a bit worried.

"Not particularly often. It's probably just a caravan camping out for the night." Zephyr said. "Besides. Not like bandits would just be out in the open."