The road ahead

'I will... end.. you' With his head being forcefully pushed against the wall at the Oak Inn, a man tried to show his resilience by barely uttering a last final threat. Not that it came off very convincing, he was after all all beaten up. And his entire body was being hold in some sort of lock down, his right arm was twisted up behind his back while he was forcefully being pushed against the nearest wall.

'You will do nothing of the sorts' replied a cold voice coming from the very perpetrator who held the man in such an uncomfortable position. The perpetrator was none other then Lord Frederick, a grim and more the often hostile person. Who always concealed himself in the safety of a shadow casted from a hooded cloak.
On the ground next to Frederick laid two other persons, one of them appeared knocked out so hard that he wouldn't wake up anytime soon. And the other hold onto his arm as if it was broken, and tried to crawl away backwards. Keeping eye on the dark hooded man who was probably the one who had broken his arm.

'In fact' continued Frederick with same cold and malicious tone 'you will give me back the money you so foolishly tried to steal from me, and when you've done that you will get out and carry your colleagues out of here.'

'Tch.. you fiend! I will.. cut..aaargh!' the man replied with a continuous violent attitude, which was actually getting quite remarkable. Here the man was pinned against the wall, his arm now even twisted more so that it actually started to hurt. And he'd still managed to conjure up the stupid idea to resist in a rather vulgar way.
'That is off course if you value your petty excuse for a life that is, because if not. I am more then willing to accommodate that very existence into hell itself'
Fredericks cold voice was no more and was no replaced by a voice from malice seemed to almost drip off. A clear intent that he would easily kill the man if he'd continued with putting up a fight.

When the thug finally realized that the man he tried to rob was far more dangerous then he could anticipated, he'd dropped the bag with jewels he was holding on to. Which came hit the ground with a muffled sound.
A second after the drop, Frederick released the man from the torturing lockdown he was keeping the man in. And without a further thought or even considering another attempt to fight, the man ran to his unconscious comrade and started to drag him out off the in. While the one with the broken arm had already ran away in the meantime.

It was then that Frederick noticed someone else in the room as well, someone who wasn't there before.

There was something nearby. Something powerful and influential. She could hear the echoes, see the ripples like a pond in the rain, and feel the weight of a massive source of magical power nearby. The woman approached it, unable to resist her curiosity. Her eyes glowed softly as she walked forward, as if in a trance. She was approaching the building now, near the source. A man ran out, he seemed to have a broken arm. Almyra saw it, the source of his terror pointed out to her by what appeared to her as a bright green cable leading inside of the inn.

She entered the inn to see another man dragging his unconscious comrade out of the bar. She watched them for a moment, then looked up at the source. That which was creating the ripples, was followed by the echoes, a person, a man, cloaked like she was, though his hood hid his face. She stared at him a moment, her head tilted to one side. He was certainly powerful. She wondered why it was he was attacking the other men as that had yet to be revealed to her. "Interesting..." She muttered, still staring at the man as he seemed to notice her. "What has happened here?" She spoke softly and in a distracted manner, probably making her seem even more as if she were in some sort of magical trance. The glow from her eyes may point to such a thing as well.

Fredericks eyes turned towards the enigmatic person that just entered the inn, who appeared to have a similar silhouette like his. Only instead having the hood up to cover the face, hers was hanging loosely on her back. Because of this Frederick, could immediately asses the woman from the corner of his eyes.

She semi long black hair that fell loosely along her face. A bit messy even but it did seem to fit in accurately with her olive colored skin. It brought up an instant association with the desert. Maybe she was from the Forgotten Desert regions, or something similar. Her eyes seemed to fit the part as well, if it wasn't for the slight autumn brown glow that laid over her irises as a veil. It gave off a distant impression, as if she wasn't really aware where she was and whom she was speaking too.

'Nothing for you to be concerned about stranger' replied Frederick in a cold manner, while he picked up the bag of jewels from the ground. And stuffed it back under his cloak.

Almyra looked down at the bag of jewels as the hooded man picked it up. That explained everything. The men tried to rob him, so he fought back. Impressive that he could take on all three of them, then again, he was clearly a powerful wizard, so it could also be considered impressive that they managed to live through the encounter, depending upon the type of magic this man used. Had it been her they fought, well they probably would have lived, but their clothing, and much of the inn, would probably have been turned to dust. She made a mental note that she should find a way to reverse the deconstructive effects of her magic. She seemed more lost in thought for a moment, looking off into space before up into Fredrick's face as best she could.

"All things concern me. All actions leave their impact, create their ripples in the universe. I track them, observe them, and anticipate their consequences. To exist is to be a part of this universe, and to be a part of the universe is to be a subject of my study. You have made an impact on those men's lives. Both your and their actions will be added to my models. What will happen because of these events, I do not yet know, but hope to predict, and... and... I..." The glow faded from her eyes. The focus required to maintain her spell was broken by her rather enthusiastic outburst. This sudden end to the spell had unpleasant repercussions. Her head lolled to the side limply and she staggered a bit, suddenly overcome with dizziness. She fell to her knees in front of Fredrick, moaning a bit and looking like she was trying not to wretch in front of someone she had just met as she went through waves of nausea. "S-sorry... T-this." She gagged. "This..." Another cough and gag. "W-was not meant to... to..." Unable to hold it back, she threw up a bit at Frederik's feet. "happen." She flopped flopped from her hands and knees into a sitting position, leaning up against the wall, still disoriented from the spell and now quite tired. She remained there for a few moments before standing, catching her breath. "I am Almyra, what is your name?"

Like one of the oracles of old, the strange woman spoke with an enigmatic and foreboding voice. As if the consequences from scaring a few petty criminals were as heavy as a burden on the ever turning cogs of fate, as killing the king of a country. Sure the weight  of ones consequences was off course relative, varying witch each person.

This however was not much to Fredericks concern, in fact he choose the more believable and obvious assessment of the woman that fell on her knees before him. That she was crazy, I mean why else would you wander into an inn as if you were lost. And immediately sum up some cryptic sentences.

Unlike most men, who would have come to her aid when she fell down, Frederick kept standing right where he was. Looking down at the woman, who was struggling a bit to regain her footing again. Mostly because he continued pondering if he should engage this woman. If she was truly was crazy, then she meant nothing but trouble for his rather solitude existence. His pondering however came to a conclusion that he couldn't escape the woman any more. She in the meantime had fully regained herself, and now stood before Frederick. First apologizing for what happened, and immediately following up with introducing herself.

With a tremendous sigh he gave up and started to introduce himself as well. 'I'm Frederick' he replied almost within that same sigh 'So are you alright?'

Almyra nodded in response to Frederik's question. "Yes, I am now. I... lost focus too quickly with the spell I was using. It can have some unpleasant side-effects. I got too excited when I was talking about chaos theory." She smiled at Frederik. "It is a neat subject. Minor things can cause major impacts, though it's not extremely common that this happens." She looked toward the door, then back at Frederik. "You've made quite a mark on this world. I was able to detect you from pretty far away. I'm curious to know. Who are you? I know you're a mage, but what is it that you've done that you have so many echoes following you?" She tilted her head to one side as she spoke. With the end of the spell she was casting, her demeanor changed from that of some oracle to a curious girl. She might even seem rather normal, given the more unusual items she carried were hidden away in her satchel. She didn't really consider that Frederik might not want to talk about what it was he had done in his past, forgetting that not all people were as upfront as she was.

'Don't you even dare ask me that wench!!' 

Frederick's voice was agitated, loud even, not only because of such a daring question. But also from the fact that he had misread the girl entirely. At first he had discarded her a bit crazy, with her vague mumbling. But now he realized, that she had more insight into a human being then most people ever could have. Even if she didn't controlled it fully yet.

Because of all this, Frederick was put on the spot by just a single question. That to him came so out of nowhere that he reacted the only way he knew how. Frustrated and angry. And without even realizing it, he had already grabbed the girl by her shoulder with one hand and pushed her against the same wall, he had threatened the thieves.

Because of the abrupt and brought motion, the hood of his cloak had fallen backwards. Revealing his face, a normal face, handsome even if it wasn't for the tired and cold eyes. That looked as if they were devoid of any joy that life could offer. His raven black hair, combed waved back wards and reached to the top of his neck. There were already some slight crow lines around his eye sockets, which was weird since he was clearly still in his early thirties. However guessing from his eyes people could easily understand it came from an abundance of sleep and the weight of his own past constantly pressing down on him.

A moment passed, as Frederick stared straight at the girl. A moment were he could feel the eyes of the other patrons peer in his back. As soon as he realized that he noticed what he just did and loosened his grip on the girl.
'I..I apologize' said Frederick, less agitated but not less cold 'I shouldn't have done that'

Almyra yelped in surprise at Frederik's sudden outburst. She knew he was powerful, but did not expect him to fly into a rage at a single question. She should have been more considerate of his past, and what may have happened. She whimpered and her eyes began to water slightly, upset not at him or his actions, but at her own. She was the one who had made him upset, after all. As suddenly as Frederik's rage had come forth, it seemed to withdraw.
She put a hand on Frederik's arm gently and hung her head, too timid now to make eye contact, though she didn't try to escape from his grip. "It's not your fault." She said, shame in her voice. "I should have been more careful. Each person's past is his own. I-I'll leave you alone now. If you want." Sadness was in her voice now, not for her, but for Frederik. Something bad must have happened to him for him to act this way, and she probably wouldn't be able to help. The poor man would be haunted by his past for the rest of his life with little to ease his suffering.

Frederick now loosened his grip entirely from the girl, so that she was no longer pinned against the wall. Yet the space between them was still very closing, close enough that he could see her eyes water up a bit. Which made Frederick felt even more ashamed of himself then he already was. He knew he had some anger issue, but never really saw the consequences of it. So he was actually as surprised as she was when he exploded from one simple question.

'No that is not...I mean you can stay for now' The moment he said that, Frederick looked away and pulled back his arm. Making the girls hand that was still gently resting on it slide all the way down to his hand and eventually fall off.

He had no idea what to do next, or to make amends even. In fact he had just expected the girl to flee the scene as much as possible, at least that is what most people would have done when a complete stranger just threw them against a wall. Yet this girl didn't, in fact she even perceived Fredericks own outburst as her own fault. And that was something that he just didn't saw coming.

The pity Almyra felt for Frederick only increased when he turned away. She continued to look at him for a moment before reaching out to hug him gently. She knew this might not be the best idea, given his previous outburst and how he dealt with the thieves, but it seemed like right thing to do. He seemed lonely. Perhaps he needed a friend.

"Thank you. Is there anything you want to talk about? Sometimes talking helps you to feel better."

She had gotten over the initial shock of Frederick's outburst, now, deciding that it would be better to try to help than just apologize. She would hold onto him for several seconds, or until he tried to move out of the hug. Should he turn to look at her face again, he would see her smiling up at him timidly, her main concern was clearly just wanting to help someone she thought needed help.

Frederick knew, that talking wouldn't help or make anything better. How could it even, after all he had done talking about his own past definitely wouldn't solve it. He'd even found it insulting, insulting to the people that are still suffering because of him. Children without parents, broken spouses or just the loss of a loved on the battlefield. All that grief, all that suffering, just from a few simple words. An order, for the dark mages that had gathered under Savage Skull's banner back then. 
No, talking to her wouldn't help him or those he had caused grief.

However, when Frederick looked down again to direct his gaze upon the young woman he stared directly into the brown gems that were her eyes. And saw a tender face smiling up to him, it was almost like as if Almyre radiated off some sort off warmth. A familiar feeling of safety and comfort.
For a moment Frederick was flustered, as if he lost his ability to speak while his brain was trying to remember what he was about to say.

'M-maybe' he replied eventually. 'I don't know... I mean my past is not particularly a topic you'd want to start a conversation with...Why don't you start with yourself first, you mentioned something about sensing me from afar. Then you must be a mage as well right?'

As Frederick looked down on her in thought, Almyra maintained eye contact. She gently reached out and took a hold of his arm, not really thinking about what she was doing. All she wanted right now was to help Frederick feel better, even if it was just a little. She could tell there was a lot in his life he regretted, so much he may even consider himself to be a bad or evil person, but if he was indeed evil, then he wouldn't feel any regret for whatever he had done. Therefore, Almyra concluded he was, deep down, a kind-hearted person. If his jaded exterior could be broken, he could potentially help a lot of people, and possibly bring happiness to himself in doing so.

She squeezed his arm gently as he spoke and nodded. "Alright. But let's sit down first." She would try to pull him gently over to a table and sit down with him. If he refused to budge, she would stop and talk with him while standing. She nodded in response to his question. "Yes, I'm a mage. I study chaos theory. It's a special type of magic used by a cult I discovered. It lets me see more than most people, things like cause and effect. Every event sends out ripples into the world that that my magic lets me see. I record them and apply mathematics to see how they might effect the world. I can also see evidence of past ripples someone has made, like hearing echoes of a voice. You made a lot of those." She looked down for a moment. "My magic also lets me do some other things, mostly involving effecting entropy. I'm not very good at controlling it, yet though. Most of my spells make things um... turn to dust, and I don't know how to stop it yet. Is there anything else you want to know about me?"

As Almyra started explaining who she was, after she had lead Frederick to the nearest table. He slowly came to understand what had happened the moment she walked in. Like a bee to honey this woman turned her own being in some sort of trance, the moment someone, or something was near enough to have caused major ripples in the continuity known as time. Well not time exactly maybe, but more the consequences of ones actions. 
'No wonder she was so off world' thought Frederick to himself 'Feeling the aftermath of my former decisions must have hit her like a tidal wave...but feeling those kind of this must be..'

Before Frederick could even finish his chain of thoughts, he already gained confirmation on what he was suspecting. Her magic, was not just only difficult to control, but it was also putting a strain on her own physical body. Which explained her staggering limping head, as if she was about to hurl up right after she had that prophetic episode.
It's effects were highly similar to other old and strange magic Frederick had encountered, like Kiersa the nun or priestess in Sabertooth. She uses a sacrificial magic to materialize the power of her belief. Or like a mage he knew back in Savage Skull, who used void magic and lost his sense of self the stronger he got. They were no different from her magic, it grasped for something beyond the mortal realm and in return it asked them for a price.

'A magic like that, brings its own burdens doesn't it.' Frederick replied after a few seconds of silence. 'Not only the physical trauma it can bring forth. But also the fact that you are automatically attracted to the nearest source with large enough ripples. It's like a moth attracted to light... unaware of the dangers it can come across while it moves towards the lamp.... Why would you even pick up such a magic?'

Almyra nodded. Her magic did bring some burdens, though they weren't too bad. For the most part, she would just get tired from overusing it, but that was true for most magic, wasn't it? Sure, it wasn't the best for fighting, and could have some unpredictable side-effects. Well they could probably be predicted, but the mathematics she would use to predict the side-effects would also effect them, but it could be done, though it would be counter-intuitive, since she probably wouldn't be able to get an accurate prediction before they set in.
"It's not so bad. It's really neat and pretty! And not all of my spells have side-effects like the one I was using. I just have to be careful when using them around non-magical things. It mostly just makes me tired or makes me think differently. I can kind of get distracted by people like you, though. But there aren't many people like you." She answered. She smiled at his final question. "Because I follow Eris. All of her followers use it. Without it, we would not be able to maintain the balance of this world. We use Amor Fati to see how events may affect the future, and how we can leave our own ripples to magnify or cancel out those that would maintain or threaten the world's equilibrium. Our other spells are simply new uses we have found for the energy utilized by Amor Fati. We create and change them to fit our personal needs and preferences. It's a tool that lets us look closer at the beauty of the world and see how we can maintain that beauty."

'So you and your people are like watchers? Caretakers, until some force may it be good or evil starts to threaten the very balance of the world itself? That is quite some weight to carry on your shoulders girl, a weight that in my eyes is nothing more then a futile effort. Because, balance, beauty, this world has none. There is no beauty in a world that takes away what is most precious, that forces a person down a spiraling path to a point where he himself forces the same fate upon others.'

His voice was hollow, the moment Frederick made a small remark to his own past. A history where he has lost the love of his life, to a strange and mysterious disease. The trigger event that put him on a path of darkness and twisted choices. However as soon as he realized that he'd let a complete stranger have some insight into his life he quickly fell silent. Maybe it was time for him to leave, 

'Anyway' he continued to break the moment of silence trying to change the subject. 'Where were you headed before my 'presence' so forcefully pulled you towards this place'

"Perhaps it is a great burden, but it is one I enjoy bearing." She gave Frederick a comforting smile. "Some are unable to see the world's beauty. I find it difficult at times as well. The most important part of doing what I do is having hope. Even the smallest things can have an impact, the tiniest glimmer of hope can bring change." She looked down now, thinking of her own troubles, of someone who may well be taken from her. Someone who has never gotten the chance to live life the way she wanted, who was only ever able to try to accept what she had thrust on her: a life of constant illness, an inability to get out of bed, to live without the assistance of others. It was from her that Almyra had learned just what hope could do, how it could sustain someone who, without it, would have died years ago. Perhaps hope itself could be ugly, though. Perhaps if her sister had simply died, her spirit could be free to enjoy whatever existence it might have in the afterlife. No. That wasn't true. Hope was never ugly. Timara had lived this long because she wanted to, because she believed she could, and because she believed she could find a cure for her ailment.

Almyra sat in silence, thinking about this before Frederick spoke up again, causing her to perk up a bit. What did he say? Oh, right. Where she had been going. Where had she been going? She shrugged, still distracted by her thoughts. "I'm not sure. I wander about everywhere. Maybe... maybe I should go home for a bit. Or for a while..." She opened up her satchel and produced an old rag doll which she clutched to her chest quietly.

Suddenly looking vaguely into the distance the moment she answered his question, Frederick knew she was longing for her home. A place that by the feeling of it, wasn't visited by her for quite some time. And assuming by the look on her face, was probably not around to corner so the speak.
Frederick gazed upon her, as she clenched the doll against her chest. Which made sure Frederick suddenly felt for Almyra. She maybe had some powerful magic, and a great burden to carry. But reality was she was nothing more then just a young girl, who despite all the beauty she saw in the world, was rather lonely.

'Say..' Frederick who surprisingly felt the need to act on a whim of kindness responded. If it was on his own accord, or something else that made him do it he didn't knew. But one thing was sure, the cogs of fate started turning, its groaning and clanking resounding through the aspects of time and space itself, the moment he started talking again.
'I assume home for you, is not that easily reached. And I get the feeling you are often more wandering, not knowing where you will end up, instead of actually having some sort of destination.... what I am trying to say, if you are willing you can tag along with me for a while.'

A small smile appeared on Almyra's face as she heard Frederick's offer for her to tag along with him. "It is true. I mostly just wander places. It would be nice to have someone to travel with, for a little while anyway." She blushed a bit, somewhat embarrassed to say this. "Though I might not be able to stay with you for very long. Your presence would probably make me dizzy when trying to use my magic for study. But maybe I can help cheer you up and help you see beauty again while I'm with you. You seem nice, and it makes me sad to see that a nice person has had to go through so much." She shifted a bit, hugging her doll tighter. "I should try to go home soon, though. I'm sure my sister is lonely."

'I doubt that you can' replied Frederick, knowing that his view on the world was as good as set in stone. That was just who he was now, where others saw a colorful flowerbed, Frederick saw the memory of Cecilia his fiancee. Where others saw a happy family he saw the very thing he never had a chance to have. 

Frederick glared over to the window, and saw that the red orange glow of an already settling sun was casted onto the streets of Oak Town. Seeing this Frederick knew that it was probably for the best to start tomorrow, not that he had a problem with camping in the great outdoors. But with so little light left, they couldn't cover very much distance.
'Anyway, if you excuse me, I will get us some rooms for the night. The place I'm headed is still quite an hike away. And I'd better be well rested in a normal bed, then spending the first night out there right away'


On that note, Frederick shoved back his chair walked towards the counter. Hoping that after his little scene from before would still score him a place to spend the night.

"Maybe I can, maybe I can't. Maybe I will just set the seed and it will grow." She noted with a smile, then nodded as he got up to rent them their rooms. She looked out the window at the sunset, wondering why Frederick was the way he was. She doubted anyone that he cared for so much would have wanted him to go down the path he did because of their death. Perhaps he would need to be reminded of that somehow, though not at this time. Then again, perhaps she shouldn't try. Perhaps Frederick had a role as he was now. He could easily be a very important negative force, and his changing might upset the balance. Then again, it would likely correct itself should Almyra manage to change him. Her mind wandered from Frederick to her sister. She really should visit her soon. First she decided she should find something nice to bring back for her, though.

The moment the innkeeper dropped two small keys in the palm of Frederick's hand, he realized that he hasn't even told Almyra that he was actually on a job. Or at least traveling towards one. A rather crucial peace of information if one decided to travel with him. Still Frederick highly doubted that Almyra would be bothered by such a missing fact, considering the type of person she was.

A few more minutes passed before Frederick returned to the table, a small timespan in which he argued and negotiated with the innkeeper for a bit. Mostly about the prices of the room, as well as the possibility of getting some supplies for on the road. Which after flashing some extra jewels was enough to last them for about a week. Sufficient enough to sustain them until they reached the village.

The moment he stood next to the table he and Almyra were seated at, he tossed one of the two keys in front of her. 'Here you go. The room may not be much, but at least it has a bed and some privacy. Oh before I go upstairs, It might be worth mentioning that I am currently heading towards a job. So there is a small chance you might get mixed up in that... anyway we head out on first light. Make sure you are well rested.'

Almyra was too wrapped up in her thoughts to notice Frederick's return. The key hitting the table made her jump a bit before smiling up at Frederick. "Thank you for getting a room for me. I'll try to pay you back when I have the money."

She tilted her head at his mention of a job. That was interesting. "What sort of job? Do you think I could help?" She genuinely did want to help, though she probably couldn't do much given Frederick's strength compared to her own. Still, making the offer was a nice thing to do, especially since he had done something so nice as to rent a room for her, allowing her to not sleep outside.

She nodded. She was rarely ever well-rested, but had certainly gotten used to it and would be ready to head out at first light. She took the key and stood up, then hugged Frederick again, provided he didn't fight it. "Thank you." She would say regardless of whether or not he accepted the hug. She would then pick up her satchel and go upstairs to rest. It was a bit early for most, but she needed more sleep than most other people.

'Well knowing the lack of information I actually have on the job, I assume anyone can be of help right now. The only things I know, is that the client is some archeologist living in Softstone village and that he wants someone to venture into some old rundown temple.'

He replied the same moment as he held off Almyra who tried to embrace him in some way. By holding her off with one arm, while she tried to thank him for the opportunity he just gave her.

'Anyway, have a good nights rest. I'll see you in the morning'

Following her example, Frederick grabbed his belongings as well. And watch as the strange girl climbed the stairs to the next floor. And the moment she was completely gone, he himself ventured upstairs as well.