Chains of Fate [Almyra Bys C Rank Exam/Niyol & Almyra Bys/Private]

HP: 300/300
ƧƧ: 112/160


Effects:
Soul Storage: Niyol can Store up to 50% additional ƧƧ
Unnatural Attraction: Niyol has +2% ƧƧ regen
Strong/Legendary(+) Weapons: +10% Base ƧƧ

Almyra sat on the railing going around the deck of the ship. Her hood was down, a rather rare sight to see. Normally she kept it up and had her cloak wrapped around herself, perfectly comfortable in almost any weather, but today was warm and windy, and she wanted to enjoy the feeling of the breeze on her face and in her hair. Just as she had predicted, it was a good day to set off for home. The westerly winds would take them far today, allowing for a quick journey to her home: Desierto. While the country may not be the most welcoming to her, it was her home, and more importantly, it was the home of her sister: Timara. She heard some rather harsh comments being said nearby and looked to the source. Someone apparently disapproved of the man with bandaged arms walking around shirtless. She failed to see the issue. It was a nice day to walk around without a shirt, sunny and warm. The man turned and looked at her, their eyes met. He seemed to examine her before saying "You were there..."

She tilted her head, curious. She didn't recognize this man, but he seemed to have seen her somewhere. It was a bit strange, since Almyra was not one to forget things, let alone people. He introduced himself as Niyol, and informed her that he was to safeguard her on her journey home. She didn't understand the need to, really. She had made the journey many times before. Then again, it could be dangerous at times. Still, she certainly wouldn't mind the company. The road could be a lonely place at times, and she was sure her sister would enjoy having another guest, since she rarely had any.

Almy was unsure of how to respond to the bow, so she simply remained sitting where she was, looking up at the taller man. "My name is Almyra. Thank you for helping me to get home. The journey can be lonely." She said. "Where have you seen me before? I don't recognize you."

Almyra blinked at the mention of a disposal bin. That's where this man had seen her before; Magnolia town, when that insane woman who believed Acnologia to be a god attacked and summoned all sorts of creatures. That was indeed a frightful day, though Almyra had managed herself fairly well, given the injuries she had sustained just before that. She had recovered completely, thanks to the assistance of a skilled healer. She had always been able to bounce back from injuries faster than most, nothing superhuman, just her being a rather quick healer. Perhaps it was genetics, perhaps it was her magic, she had never actually investigated the cause. She made a mental note to do that one day.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a rather violent reaction from Niyol. He fell to the ground as the ship set sail. Almyra slid from the railing she was sitting on, landing on the deck and walking over to Niyol to support him as... something happened to him. She wasn't sure what, but wished to help. "There's no need to apologize." She said, giving him a small hug, though she made sure not to get any blood on her. "You can just call me Almy." She continued, a warm smile on her face.

She looked at the wounds he had pointed out were from Magnolia. She had suffered some of her own, though her time spent in the hospital had helped her recover quite quickly. Niyol went about telling her of various powers that affected this world. She already knew this, probably better than most, given her studies and access to the vast archive of knowledge she held in her satchel. Still, his lecture explained what had happened to him, explained, to a degree, the powers that had direct influence on his very soul. She had a power of her own over her soul, though hers was not malevolent, and didn't exert any real force, simply giving suggestions for her to follow. She usually followed them, as they were good things to follow.

She made no comment on Niyol stating he would slit his throat before harming her. She could understand the desire to kill one's self over losing control and killing an innocent. He asked whether or not she was from Desierto and she nodded. "I am. I'm on my way to visit my sister." She smiled at the thought of her. It would be nice to be home with her to share stories of her adventures. She considered offering to help Niyol with his wounds, as she carried some herbs and such with her, but she decided he was alright for now, and that it might be best to save them for later.

Almyra nodded. It was nice indeed to have a home, despite its location not being the most welcome, she knew she would still have her sister to meet there. Even if she was shunned by most there for having magic, she at least had one person she could always count on. She tilted her head to the side as she watched Niyol do something to heal his wounds and idly wondered what sort of magic he used. He didn't seem to be in the mood for talking, so Almy went to explore the ship for a time before arriving on deck once more, carrying her satchel of things, a smile on her face like always. She arrived to see Niyol speaking with a young boy and moved a bit closer to watch.

The man moved the boy to sit on his lap, and with a command word of some sort, had a small section of the sword at his side turn to powder, that he then used to display various things, entertaining the child. That certainly was an interesting use for a weapon, though considering it was still a weapon, Almyra wondered what use it had in combat. She wasn't highly knowledgeable in the field of combat. Sure, she had read about it, but had only ever tried to fight twice, and lost both times... badly, taking a morningstar to the face the first time and a sword to the gut the second. It was somewhat miraculous that she had been able to survive, but she did seem to be made of tougher stuff than most, and years of exploring and surviving in the wilderness probably helped.

After being lost in thought a few moments, she went back to watching Niyol and the child, happy for them. The man had made a positive impact on the boy, in her opinion. It had potential to resonate, to grow from a ripple to a wave, especially if the child was capable of learning magic. Found a quiet spot to pull out her book and take notes before they arrived. Niyol gestured for her to lead the way, and with a small nod, she did so, putting her hood up as the harsh sun of Desierto began to beat down on them. They weren't in Desierto yet, though. They had to pass through Ministrel, but luckily she had managed to save enough money—some of it gifted to her by the people of Magnolia for helping to protect a city in a country that she wasn't even from—to afford transport by train across the section of Ministrel that lie between the sea and Desierto. Almyra would have a nap during the train ride, pulling out her small ragdoll to hug as she did so.

Once the train reached its destination, she would wake up and lead Niyol out of the train. They had left early in the morning, by now it was mid afternoon, and the desert sun was still harsh on the skin and eyes. Almyra drew her hood, hiding her face from the burning sun, as well as helping to conceal the red spot on her forehead that signified she was a mage. Not all regions of the country used this to indicate someone was magical, but even in those that didn't, people still knew what it signified. Still, she would look rather strange: a woman walking about in a woolen cloak with the hood on, despite the harsh desert heat.

Almyra and Niyol had just set foot outside the village. Niyol seemed ever vigilant, determined to protect her from whatever dangers they may face, though, to her he seemed a bit paranoid. While it was true that there were occasional bandits and raiders that roamed the desert, it wasn't terribly dangerous, especially for small groups. The more well-armed thieves had no reason to target small groups, it was the larger caravans carrying loads of valuable metals and minerals from the mines that were likely to be targeted. Still, there were smaller groups that might attack the two individuals, but she had never encountered them, and was confident she could evade them if she did. Niyol seemed a competent fighter, a significant display of martial, let alone magical prowess would likely be enough to scare them off. She wasn't sure how well it would work on more experienced raiders, but the spot on Almyra's forehead was enough to scare some people here away from her. Those without magic had no way of telling how powerful a mage was without seeing them actually display their power, so bandits were right to be cautious around them, even though Almyra looked, and was rather harmless.

Niyol stopped her before they went on, offering her a knife. It really wouldn't do much good for her, considering she had no idea how to use one for fighting. Still, it's not like she really needed it. "I have one already." She said, reaching under her cloak to unsheathe a survival knife of roughly the same size, with a 7-inch blade, serrated on one side. For one as inexperienced in fighting as Almyra, it was probably a better option, given that, if she ever were to actually get into combat where she would use it, her fighting style would probably involve stabbing frantically until she was beaten or whatever attacking her was killed or at least maimed enough that she could escape. This was another thing she had acquired in Magnolia, after her previous knife was destroyed on a job. It was well crafted, like her last one, practically the same knife, really. She didn't need any special weapons, just something she could use to cut things, light fires, and skin and prepare animals to eat. She sheathed it again and smiled. "Thank you for offering, though."

With that she would start walking, allowing Niyol to trail behind a bit. She wondered as to the purpose of the two rings that were formed. The disk helped block the sun, but he didn't seem to be using the rings for anything. She walked up to them and put her hand between them, feeling the icy air. She pulled her hand out again and moved on, perfectly comfortable with the heat. Still, she wasn't quite sure why Niyol would make those, but not use them.

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Night had fallen and Niyol seemed to want to stop. Almyra, in all honesty, would have continued onwards for some time into the night. She had traveled by night here before, and often did so. Her cloak protected her from both heat and cold, so day and night made little difference to her, provided the moon was full enough to supply enough light to see with relative ease. If one couldn't start a fire, then traveling by night would help to keep them warmer in the cold night of the desert. Still, she was a bit more sleepy than usual, despite her nap. She nodded in response. "We can rest here, then." She said, sitting down and pulling a small canteen from her satchel and drinking some water. Magical protection from the heat of day was quite nice, allowing her to not require as much water as one would normally need in the desert. She had no food, though, but by tomorrow they should reach another village where they could get some and resupply on water.

It was then that she noticed it, a bit of movement on the sand. She perked up and looked at it. Closer examination revealed it to be a scorpion. She hopped off the platform and approached it, drawing her knife. With practiced precision, she struck, pinning the creature's tail between the sand and her knife's blade. With a bit more pressure being applied, the stinging limb was severed. She picked the creature up in her left hand and frowned slightly. "Sorry, but I need food." The thing probably wasn't sentient and wouldn't understand her, but she felt obligated to apologize, even though this was the natural order of things: life fed on life. The only things that didn't need to kill to survive were plants, and even some of them had to. She opened her mouth wide, holding the scorpion by the remains of its tail and lowered it into her mouth. She bit down, crushing it between her teeth with a crunch to quickly kill it before chewing normally. She returned to Niyol at his platform. "I'll give you the next one I find if you want it." She said as she lie down and pulled out her doll once more, hugging it to her chest tightly. She wondered who was on the other side of the dune, but was sleepy, and would rather sleep than bother them.

Almyra awoke to the smell of roasted meat and yawned. She stretched, doll in hand and wrapped herself up in her cloak, looking around before smiling at Niyol. Her smile quickly faded upon hearing the news of those on the other side of the dune. "How long were they dead before you found them?" She asked. "How did it kill them? Were there any tracks leading to or away from their camp or any signs of digging?" She continued asking questions. There were several possibilities as to what may have done this, and she would need more information in order to identify the culprit. Almyra would take the food and eat quietly, listening for any more information they would have. "I will help you find the creature, but I'm not very good at fighting. I may be able to do more if we stop at their campsite. My magic is useful for investigating things." She said, a rather serious look on her face. She didn't care for avenging the people killed, but she did want to keep others safe from harm. Besides, if Niyol would be searching for it anyway, she would rather find it than the other way around.

She rose to her feet and put her doll and other things away in her bag before slinging it over her shoulder. She would start walking up the dune to visit the former campsite in the hopes of finding something Niyol didn't, once more not caring to use the setup Niyol had for travel, perfectly comfortable in her enchanted cloak. Giant scarabs did exist in this land, and was the most likely culprit, but other giant arthropods could also be found, including giant locusts and giant scorpions as other more common ones. For those less common, she would likely need to consult her book.

Almyra stood bye as Niyol unearthed the corpses of the men. She walked over and knelt beside them to examine them, taking note of the injuries, as well as the venom. Poison like this narrowed it down much more. "Odd that they were not eaten." She muttered. "Their injuries narrow it down to fewer options, most likely a scorpion." She said before closing her eyes. "I will attempt to find the direction it traveled."

She removed her satchel and pulled her book out, opening it to a blank page. Still kneeling, she began began channeling her magic. While normally used to try to predict the future, the information it gave was also quite useful for discovering what had happened in the past. "Please, be silent for now. This requires focus." As her eyes opened once more, Niyol would see a soft green glow to them. The glow began appearing on her hands now. Her breathing slowed as she entered what seemed to be a trance. Slowly, she raised her hands from where they rested on her legs, reaching out in front, then to the sides. She felt the pressure and saw the links between objects, events. She could see and feel the cause and effect of everything around her. One with less experience would likely be driven into unconsciousness, but Almyra had done this many times before. She focused more, reaching towards the bodies of the two men, seeking the cause of their death. She found it with ease, the lacerations and poisoning. Her left hand moved to pick up the pen attached to her book as she began to draw. Strange markings, graphs, and symbols were hastily scribbled on the page. Niyol would be able to find no meaning in them.

But now she sought the source of those, claws, stinger, mandibles. The creature possessing them was indeed a scorpion. But why, what had stopped it from eating its prey? She dove deeper, searching, looking around, her eyes veiled by a sort of glowing green mist over them. Her pen scrawled across the parchment rapidly before stopping. A frown of concentration grew on her face. She couldn't find a cause of it being scared off or the like... Perhaps... she moved backwards, tracing a line back to a previous figure as she looked at the source of the men's deaths once more: the scorpion. What was the cause for it killing them, though. Evidence showed that it was not hunger, and that nothing had scared it off. The pen scratched away faster now. Yes... yes that was it. Territory. A home. But where?

The grains of sand, moved by the wind but also other sources. Footsteps of man and goat and bug. The cause of the killing, its ripples emanated outwards from a point to the west. The grains moved by the scorpion also indicated both coming and going from and to the west. That was it. It was likely not far. She had what she needed.

Her pen dropped from her hand and the mist faded from her hands and eyes. She wavered where she was kneeling before falling to her hands and knees, crawling away from the corpses the two corpses and her things. She coughed and heaved, sickened by her exertion and the rapid changes in her mental activity. Before long, she vomited up her breakfast, glad that she had eaten lest she be spitting up bile. She lie on her back now, eyes closed tight as she caught her breath before slowly rising to her feet, still looking a bit weak. She collected her things, closing the book containing her strange scribbles, and turned to Niyol. "They were killed by a giant scorpion defending its territory. It lives in a small burrow to the west of here. I will follow you." She said still regaining her strength after her exertions. She gave him a small smile. "And don't worry. I will be fine."

MP: 45%
Spells used: Amor Fati (non-combat use), 6 post cooldown

"The mark on my forehead shows that I'm a mage. It's not as commonly used in these parts, but those who live here still know what it means. Mages are not very welcome in this country, especially in the areas near the coasts, where there is less need for their help. Inland and near the borders of other nations, we are a bit more welcome, either because we are more common, or because our abilities make survival significantly easier. Even still, most mages, especially those who have been marked, choose to live away from the others who would judge them." She said. She explained that she and her sister were born and grew up on the southern peninsula of the country, where those with magical abilities were usually ostracized. Like so many others, they were marked, and rather than face the discrimination of the wealthier areas, they chose to move to the more desolate areas of the country, where their abilities would be more appreciated. While they still wouldn't be entirely welcome, especially with the marks on their foreheads, they would be much more accepted than in a place where they aren't needed to survive.

They reached the place where the scorpion had gone. Niyol told her to stay put, but she decided against it, choosing to heed his earlier advice of staying close to him. He wouldn't need to pull her in as his blade began its assault, as she was already practically clinging to him, heeding his warning that the blades would cut through her if she was too far from him when he used it. She would do nothing to assist in the battle, knowing full well that she wouldn't be strong enough to pierce the creature's exoskeleton with her knife, and that her magic was likely too weak to harm the creature. Any sort of offensive abilities she had were improvised for self-defense, and tended to be weaker and less reliable than most. Her magic was not one of violence, but of learning.

Almyra stood bye Niyol as he tested the massive scorpion's attacks against his enchanted blade. There was really little she could do against something as massive and powerful as that, well, at least not in the current situation. Given the proper resources and preparation, she could have likely trapped and subdued it without too much issue. Almyra's strength lie not in her fighting abilities, but in her problem solving and other intellectual abilities. It wasn't long before Niyol dispatched it with his weapon, after admitting that he would have lost a normal battle to the creature.

She observed silently as he called forth its spirit, eased it, and then asked it to assist them, sending what was obviously another spirit living within his shadow to help. "Let's go, but I think we should carry the merchants' goods into town ourselves once your friends catch up to us." She said. "The people here are already wary of mages. They won't like us using magic to bring the ghost of a giant scorpion into town, even if we don't want to hurt them. Besides, not everyone will know you have magic, so they will welcome you more than me if you don't let them know you're magical."

Almyra's wariness was rather out of character for her. She wasn't her usual happy self right now, despite being closer to her home than she had been in a long time. In fact, the farther they went, the more wary and nervous she would seem to grow of a place that refused to accept her for something she could not help, something she only wished to use to help people. She could understand people being nervous about mages, they could indeed be very powerful beings, but she wished that people could be more trusting like she was. She was nervous though, not because she was afraid of being subject to discrimination, but more because she disliked upsetting people, and hoped to not do that once they reached the village.

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Almyra would keep quiet as they walked the rest of the way to the town. She would offer to help drag the sled, but would let Niyol drag it himself when he refused the offer. She would choose to walk instead of ride on it as well. The village had no walls or defenses, and there were no wardens or watchmen to deny them entry. As the entered, though, they would receive looks of confusion from the townspeople. A shirtless man was a strange sight in the desert. Those without something to protect themselves from the scorching rays of the sun did not tend to last long as they overheated, their skin burned, and they grew sick from too much sunlight. Almyra drew little attention from the townspeople, as she had traveled through this village before, allowing them to easily recognize her by her somewhat iconic green cloak. The townspeople knew of her already, and while they weren't outright hostile to her, she wouldn't exactly receive a warm welcome. They wouldn't outright ignore her, but unless she were to speak with them, they wouldn't engage in any sort of conversation with her. Even if she did speak with them, they would generally try to end the conversation as quickly as possible. "Do you know where we are taking these to?" She asked Niyol. She would likely know where to find the place if Niyol told her, though he may have been given directions on where to take it.

Almyra couldn't help but giggle at Niyol's shadow when it said that he likely didn't know where he was going. Her smile would fade rather quickly though, returning to the rather neutral expression she had before, with the same air of concern in her eyes. She followed along behind him quietly as he walked to the house. It was rather nice. The man who was killed was obviously very wealthy. The woman who answered the door invited Niyol in, but made no mention of Almyra. She wasn't surprised that she was wary to let a known mage into her home. After Niyol paid no heed to her initial invitation, she invited both him and Almy inside.

The children seemed to pay more attention to Niyol once they met them, and tended to avoid contact with Almy, and seemed not quite sure what to make of her as she quietly, but quickly ate her dinner, having thrown up her last meal from using her magic to find the scorpion. Still, despite the rather cold attitude the others had towards her, she was cheered up somewhat by the meal, happy to have something from home after all this time. She remained quiet, still, not wanting to disturb their hosts, as the news the duo brought surely would. She didn't follow as Niyol took the woman to a separate room to tell her the news, but sat somewhere out of the way and pulled out her book and pen before beginning to scribe something. The woman returned and thanked her. Almyra bowed her head solemnly. "I would have saved him if I could, but at least now the area is a little safer." She thanked the woman when offered to stay in her husband's room. She nodded to Niyol as he asked her to humor her. "It's fine. I won't mind spending the night here. It's safer and nicer than outside." She offered a small smile. "It's good of you to help others, to turn a tragedy into something positive. Through your actions, the world remains in balance."

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Almyra didn't particularly heed Niyol's comment about killing the one 'who was supposed to' help others. All that mattered now was that he was doing so, righting his own wrong and balancing he negative with the positive. Whatever had happened in the past had lead to him helping to preserve balance, at least for now.

The two sisters came to guide Niyol and Almyra to the rooms they would be staying in. Niyol walked off with one while the other smiled at Almyra. The chaos theorist smiled back, getting up and following along behind the girl quietly. She wasn't particularly talkative today. Still, the fact that the girl seemed happy to be around Almy pleased her, as it meant she didn't mind the fact that the woman behind her was a mage. As they reached the room, Almyra stopped outside and looked at the girl. "Thank you for showing me to the room. And would you please tell your mother thank you for letting me stay the night here? I hope you all sleep well." The girl nodded before hugging Almyra. Not one to say no to a hug, the mage hugged back, embracing the smaller girl for a few seconds before letting go. "You sleep well, too..." "Almy. It was nice meeting you." Almyra said with a smile before going into the bedroom. She wouldn't go to sleep right away, but rather finish something she had started earlier: a drawing. For the next few hours of the night, Almyra drew a nice picture of the family all together and happy, with the late father included. She tore the page from her book and left it on the bed when she left in the morning.

Almyra stepped out of the house and took hold of Niyol's hand, smiling up at him, in much brighter spirits than she was the night before. "Ready to go?"