Almyra and Ashe's Secondary Magic Trainings

"Ahh...this brings back memories."

Ah, this is the same temple is it? Now that I think about it, I do remember.

"Well, we didn't spend much time above the ground here, so it's not that surprising that you forgot."

Ashe sat at the edge of a pond, kicking her bare feet in the water. The gardens here were rather extensive and very well maintained, occupying so much space around the temple that it would probably be more accurate to call it a nature reserve. No surprise considering that these grounds were built on ancient druidic holy land. Not that the monks here had any idea of that of course. Ashe herself only knew because of some ancient texts she'd stumbled across, and the trip down to the druid's temple she'd made all those years ago.

Hmph. Perhaps my age is showing...

"Well, you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at you hrm? Not that people can see you anyways..."

Yes, well. At any rate, this is a good location for training. Ample space to move around in, not a soul in sight, and very easy to relax in during rest time. The only thing missing is...

Ashe sighed. "Yes yes, they'll be here eventually. They've both spent a lot of time cooped up, so you can hardly blame them for wanting to spend some time enjoying the city. Give it some time." She tsked in mock annoyance. "You'd think a millennia old ghost king would be more patient."

Look at you being protective of your new sisters. Vendrick cracked a smug smile, but relented. He settled in alongside Ashe at the pond, though he refrained from dipping his feet in as well. I suppose I could spend some time enjoying the scenery, for a change.

"As opposed to all the riveting activities you normally get up to? How will you ever cope?"

Cute.

Almyra and Timara walked together, holding hands as they entered the temple. Almyra had pretty much refused to let go of Timara for any reason aside from allowing the spirit to rest, though she would have to do so today, now that Almy and Ashe were going to be training to learn new magic. Almyra had a resource that would be useful for both of them to learn with. Both of them were excited to see this temple. For Almyra, it was another place she had yet to explore in Oak Town, but for Timara, it was more meaningful, as the woman had never gotten the chance to explore much beyond her own home.

The sisters entered the temple with smiles on their faces. Almyra's right hand was in Timara's left, and under the Chaos Theorist's left arm was her book. Her left hand was still missing, but her other injuries had almost completely healed. She felt fine and was ready to learn. The two women looked around the temple as they entered, acknowledging Ashe with a friendly wave before stopping to talk to each other.

"Have fun with your training, Almy. I'm guessing you won't need my help much."
Almy shook her head. "Nope. If we do, we'll let you know." She answered, hugging her sister, who pat her on the head.
"Good. Then I guess you won't mind if I explore a bit." Almy shook her head in response and let go of her sister. The spirit of the woman chuckled "Good, have fun."

Almyra turned and trotted over to Ashe while Timara wandered off with her strange, puppet-like locomotion. Luckily there wasn't anyone in the temple for it to draw looks from, but walking about outside likely drew some attention from the townspeople.

"Ready to start?" Almy asked the spirit mage. "Timmy already made some changes to my book, so I should be able to use some of the spell formulae inside it with a bit of practice." She said.

"Almy! Timara!" Ashe called out, rising to wave the pair over. Time had healed Almy's wounds well; even the worst of them had nearly faded after such a relatively short time. The only thing that still stuck out was her missing left hand, but that was no surprise. Even Almyra's constitution wouldn't be able to handle an injury of that degree so quickly. At any rate, it was good to see smiles on both of the sister's faces.

My sister's faces. Ashe reminded herself. Having someone other than Vendrick to call family after all this time felt a bit strange, but in a good way. It was something she could definitely get used to. After a short talk the two hugged and split up, Timara heading out to explore the temple gardens while Almyra headed over to Ashe.

I believe will take a walk as well. Vendrick stated abruptly, his eyes following the elder sister. Call if you have need of me.

Ashe smiled as he walked away, somehow managing to look regal as he quickly caught up to Timara with long, brusque strides. Vendrick wouldn't admit it, but he was probably looking forward to having somebody other than Ashe to talk to. Even millennia old ghost kings could get lonely, after all.

"Ready to start?" Almy asked, jolting Ashe's attention back towards her. "Timmy already made some changes to my book, so I should be able to use some of the spell formulae inside it with a bit of practice."

"Of course, that sounds wonderful! I've something to experiment with as well, actually. I didn't bring it up earlier because well...we were both rather preoccupied." She looked downcast for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Anyway, watch this!" Ashe reached down and scooped up a bit of dirt from the water's edge and cupped her hands around it, a green glow leaking through her fingers for a moment before she opened them to reveal a freshly grown lotus blossom resting between her palms.

"Interesting isn't it?" She asked with a grin, bending over to set the blossom floating in the pond and brushing off the dirt as she straightened. "I noticed it after I gave Ban that amulet I took from the Wizard Saint treasury, but it doesn't seem to be the cause. He's off running around here somewhere, but nowhere close enough for it to be affecting me."

Suddenly Ashe waved a hand in front of her as if to dispel the notion. "Oh, but I'm getting ahead of myself aren't I? You need to practice with your book. What would you like to work on first, and what can I do to help?"

Timara continued her walk in the gardens, fading out of the corporeal world to an extent, rendering her visible only to Almyra, other spirits, and those with the ability to see spirits. A tranquil smile was on her face as she admired the beautiful gardens, having rarely ever gotten the chance to see so much thriving plant life in her days of living amid the barren dunes of Desierto after she and Almyra were forced to leave their home. Sure, where she eventually settled down had some plant life in its oasis, but nowhere near the variety and lushness that was present in this garden, or in the various forests, grasslands, and swamps of Fiore. Seeing so much life around her simply made Timara happy. She noticed Vendrick as he walked up beside her.

"Hello Vendrick." She said, smiling to the older ghost. "Come to enjoy the gardens with me?" She was happy to have someone to talk to aside from Almyra as well. She loved her sister, of course, but she had never gotten the chance to meet many people in her past life, so she certainly wouldn't lose out on any opportunities in this one.


Meanwhile, Almyra watched as Ashe scooped up a bit of dirt and channeled magic into it, causing a lotus blossom to grow in her hand. The chaos theorist leaned forward to get a closer look at it, tilting her head inquisitively. Her attention moved back to Ashe as she spoke. With a smile and nod she responded. "It is. It seems to be a form of life magic. I have a lot of information on that in my book if you want some more." She said. "After I've practiced a bit, you can read up on it."

Ashe then asked what she could do to help Almy learn. "Well, the first thing is just going to take focus from me. I should be able to move the book with my mind like I could my doll before Timmy moved into it. I don't think there's a whole lot you can do to help, but after that I have some spells you can help me test." She said with a smile.

There really wasn't much to the first thing she mentioned. In fact, all it really took was a few minutes of her sitting and focusing, getting used to the feel of controlling the book before it could lift and hover around her. No doubt with more time it would become like a second nature to her. Still, once she had gotten the basics of that down, she turned to Ashe. "Right, so I have a few spells that you can help me test. If you know any spells that aren't summoning spirits, or have any magic things that you can use to cast spells or something similar, I want you to try using them on me. Or, if they do shoot some sort of energy, just shoot it near me so you don't have to worry about hurting me. I'll tell you when I'm ready." She said, moving to make some space between her and Ashe before raising her voice to be heard more easily, her book hovering around in front of her, moving from side to side. "Alright, ready!"

"Thanks, I'd like that." Ashe replied with a nod. It couldn't hurt to look up at least the basics on some life magic. If that's what this was, and it seemed likely based on her experiences, then Almyra's treasure trove of spellbooks would be extremely useful. Ashe herself had little to no experience with magics outside of what Vendrick had taught her, so some book learning would probably need to be her first stop.

Almyra spent the next few minutes meditating and manipulating her book. In the meantime, Ashe did simple exercises with the new energy. One of the first things she'd learned to do with spirit energy was to condense it in her hands and form basic shapes with it. It was a beginners control exercise, but it would probably work here. Just like before she focused and pooled it in her hands, but instead of letting it infuse something-like a seed-she focused her will to form shapes in the air. First a ball, then a cube, then a pyramid, and so forth.

Curiously, the sensation was very similar to when she'd learned Vendrick's Spirit Magic. Ashe had a natural connection to the spirit realm, as had many of Vendrick's descendants. It was part of his legacy, the natural one anyway, and only those who had it could learn his magic. The important aspect of that is that the wielders of Spirit Ruler only borrowed it: although they cast with their own mana and life-force, they were borrowing Vendrick's power to make it work. This...life magic was similar. It wasn't hers. She was just acting as a conduit for it.

Almyra called out to her before she could get too absorbed in her thoughts, asking for Ashe to throw a spell at her. She considered summoning one of her spirits, as she had one or two that could cast a spell, but she reconsidered. There was a convenient ball of supposed healing energy in her hand. Why not just throw that? Even if something went wrong, it wouldn't cause harm. The worst they could expect was a flower growing on Almy's head.

"Alright Almy, here goes!"

With that, Ashe lobbed the ball of energy straight towards the girl, wondering a bit belatedly what the book was supposed to do with it.



You could say that. Vendrick answered, chuckling lightly. I have been here once before, though I am afraid I had little chance to truly enjoy them. I spent most of the time looking at their roots. He motioned with his finger, indicating the ground. His previous visit had mostly involved him helping Ashe scout out the ruins deep below in search of an artifact. True to his word, there hadn't been much time to laze about in the gardens. Ashe had been worried that the monks would find out what they were doing and interfere.

He paused for a moment, thinking. After so long of talking to no one but Ashelia, and his other descendants before her, he was somewhat at a loss as to how he should converse with someone he didn't already know.

Perhaps, as she used to say, in the end it is simply best to say what is on your mind.

There is an ancient druidic holy site far beneath these gardens, dedicated to the worship and veneration of nature. In truth, it is that influence that is the probable cause of this impressive display. Much like me, it is a relic of a bygone age that has left a mark long past its time.

Unexpectedly, he felt a surge of melancholy at that train of thought. Ah...I truly am getting old. Perhaps I should stick to pleasantries, after all.

He coughed and flashed a kind smile as he changed the subject. Ah, but enough of me. It must be disorienting, having to acclimate to life as a spirit after the life you have led. How are you holding up?

Almyra watched and waited as Ashe decided on what spell to toss at her. A smile grew on her face as her sister lobbed a ball of green life energy at her. A good choice really, since it shouldn't be able to harm her at all. As the ball of energy flew towards her, she commanded her book to intercept it. The magical tome flew between her and the spell, opening its rune-marked pages to the spell, though the runes had a multitude of what seemed to be spaces intentionally left to be filled in later. There was a small flash of light as the spell collided with the book, and the book slammed shut around the spell, absorbing it. Almy's eyes lit up a bit, happy that the first part of the spell worked. She walked over to Ashe, her book hovering in front of her and opening to the pages the spell was caught on, the runes now more complete. "Well it seems that this confirms that the magic you've started to learn is life magic." She said. "Now let's see if the next part of the spell will work..." She murmured. In theory, it should fire the same projectile that Ashe had thrown at her. She gave it the command to release the spell. For a brief moment, the book glowed with the green life energy before it burst outwards, leaving the two women covered in flowers and vines, and the grass around them about a foot higher than it was. Almy pursed her lips and blinked. "That's not what it was supposed to do..."

Meanwhile, Timara noticed the burst of light off in the direction where Almy and Ashe were, but paid it no heed. She could tell Almy wasn't in pain or anything, and that there was nothing to worry about. Vendrick said he had spent most of his time when he was here last looking at the roots of the garden. "The root?" She asked, but he soon continued his explanation. "Ah. That makes sense." She said. He mentioned being a relic that has left its mar long past its time. "Perhaps, but perhaps not. I'm not so much the one to argue over that though." She smiled. "You'd have to see Almyra when it comes to things leaving their marks on this world. She's an expert on that." How had she been adjusting? That was a rather difficult question to answer. "Well... things are certainly different but... I think I like it. I feel more free than I ever had. Movement feels more natural to me. So do a lot of other things, honestly. Though I guess that has to do with how... limited my body was in life. I mostly just used magic to manipulate it to do things it couldn't do by itself."

Oh, so that's what she wanted. I was expecting a shield. Ashe thought to herself as Almy's book absorbed the spell. It was good to have confirmation of what type of magic it was, but what caught Ashe's attention was that it was able to convert her spell into formulae when neither she nor Vendrick had ever once used such a thing. In fact, what she had just used wasn't even a spell at all; it was just a blob of energy, so to speak. It was interesting. From the looks of things Almy's spellbook could absorb spells cast at her and convert them into formulae that not only contained the casting of the spell, but also the energy to do so.

Perhaps 'casting' is the wrong word. That would be impossible, really. A more apt description would be that it captures the 'form' of the spell, I suppose. If that were the case...

"Then theoretically, this could work on any-"

Ashe started to finish her thought out loud, but was interrupted by an explosion of green light that left the pair covered in a different sort of greenery.

"-magic..." She finished belatedly. Almy pursed her lips and blinked, looking for all the world like a grade-schooler whose science fair project hadn't worked properly.

"That's not what it was supposed to do..."

It was too much for Ashe. Her face contorted as she tried to keep a straight face for about two seconds before bursting into laughter at the ridiculousness of the situation. Of course, Almy's confused expression didn't make things any easier. She went on for about a minute before she managed to get herself under control, feeling better than she had in ages.

"Hehe...sorry about that Almy," Ashe squeezed out, brushing off a tear. "I wasn't laughing at you, its just..." She waved her hand vaguely, trying to catch her breath. "This whole thing, then your expression..." She chuckled a bit more as she wound down, then finished with a satisfied sigh.

"I needed that, I think. Sorry, let me try to get these off somehow..."

A quick glance at their situation didn't offer any immediate answers. They were covered in vines, simple as that. Ashe couldn't reach her blade to draw it, much less swing it, and she didn't want to change into her demon form here lest the monks see it and get the wrong impression. Then again, if physical was out of the question...

"Hrmm...these are my vines, technically." She muttered, thinking aloud. "Maybe I could..."

Settling down, she reached for the vines like she might a spirit, and sure enough the connection was there; similar to her spirit connections, yet different enough to draw a solid line between the two. A decidedly different source, but where was it coming from? It didn't matter at the moment. For now she tried directing them to move away from the two of them, watching with surprise as the flowering vines actually listened to her commands. Once the pair was free of them she directed the plants to take root and attach to a nearby statue. It was an ugly one anyway, and was much improved by it.

"Well. That certainly was entertaining. Let's try again, shall we?"


Vendrick laughed softly, glad Timara had overlooked his lapse of emotion, whether intentional or not. Perhaps I shall talk with her then, if I get the chance.

Truthfully, a conversation with Almyra had been on his mind for some time. There was much about her source of power that intrigued him, both academically and as a matter of survival. For one who existed beyond death a force that could erase the soul was a grave matter indeed, and he intended to find a way to defend against it. Still, that was for another time. Timara demanded his attention in the moment.

That is good to hear. He raised an eyebrow in interest. I had been worried that you would have difficulty adjusting to life after death. Many do, when robbed of a body, but in light of what you have said I am unsurprised you are doing so well. Ah, a moment.

Vendrick stopped abruptly, gently but firmly pulling Timara back as a pygmy-sized Ban came crashing through the brush in pursuit of some small woodland animal.

My apologies, he said, letting go and offering an embarrassed smile. It may do no harm, but passing through living beings can be somewhat disorienting. I am sorry if I have bothered you.

Was he overdoing it? His court manner was rusty after so long, but in Timara's presence he felt it slip on like a glove. He found himself oddly conscious of her; she was attractive, to be sure, but more importantly she was intelligent, and interesting to boot. Tragedy had a way of deepening the soul, and not only had Timara endured much, she had overcome it through a sharp mind and force of will. It was something he could respect.

Ahem, well, as I was saying, he continued on with after a bit of an awkward silence. It is no surprise that you take so well to this life. As a spirit, everything, even locomotion, is dependent upon your will. That is where most falter, you see. Without a body to communicate to, the spirit flounders while they attempt to learn how to move a mind instead of an arm or a leg. He flashed an encouraging smile. While you have endured much hardship, in a way it is  the best training you could have received. It is, and was, an impressive feat to do as you did.

As Almyra stood, perplexed as to the problem she was having with her spell, she heard Ashe's laughter, snapping her out of her thoughts. She blinked at Ashe again before pouting, a bit annoyed at having her thoughts interrupted by the other woman's laughter, but looking at her, then down at herself all covered in the vines created by the explosion of life energy, she couldn't help but grin before breaking into a fit of giggles as well. At the end of their fits of laughter, Ashe apologized to Almy, who simply hugged the woman she regarded as a sister in response, though it was somewhat hard to do, given how entangled the two were in vines.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. It was funny!"

She watched Ashe command the vines to move off of them onto a nearby statue. The other woman then proposed they try again. Almy shook her head. "I think it would be better to try something else first. I have a few different spells I made, so let's see if I need to fix those first, then try adjusting that one." She said, flipping through the pages in her book. "I have one that shapes materials so I can make walls, another to let me see things, one that hits things with force, and one that puts people to sleep." She looked up at Ashe. "Which one do you think I should try first?" She asked.

"You really should talk with her sometime. She would love to learn about you and your own viewpoints of history. Beyond that, I'm sure she'd love to just get to know another person. There isn't really anyone in this world who she dislikes."

There was a rustling in the nearby bushes and Vendrick took hold of Timara's hand, stopping her as some critter scurried in front of them, with Ban in hot pursuit. The woman smiled at the little creature. He was awfully cute in that form. He explained that passing through living beings could be disorienting, though he didn't specify if it was for the spirit, the being, or both. Still, she was able to keep a telekinetic field around her for the most part, so things wouldn't really pass through her. That's how she hugged her sister, though it was still lacking in aspects. Sure, they could hug, but her clothing lacked texture. Timara herself lacked warmth, breath, and even a heart beat. Simulating all these things took too much concentration and power for her to muster.

"I see." She said in response to the explanation. He went on to talk about how the mind and will were essentially everything to a spirit, how her lack of control of her body without magic had prepared her for her life as a ghost. "Thank you... I'm just glad it worked. It was rather terrifying to think of what might have happened if I had failed." A total failure wouldn't have been so bad. She would have passed on as normal. What she had feared was a partial failure, trapping part of her soul within the doll, but not enough to preserve all of her mind, leaving her empty, fragmented. Such an existence would have been far worse than simply passing on, for both herself and Almyra.

"Hrm..."

Ashe scratched her head for a moment. They all seemed relatively easy to test, though she didn't really see how she could help much with the seeing spell. The force and sleep spells would need some sort of target dummy though, which Ashe could do easily enough, while the wall would need testing to see how it held up.

"Well...let's hold the sleep spell for later, considering that it will knock me out for a while if it works properly. Actually, you can test out your sight spell while I'm incapacitated. As for the other two..." Ashe tapped a finger against her thigh while she mulled it over. She wanted to get some of her own training in where she could, but unlike Almy she didn't have any pre-designed spells to try out. The way she had been able to animate the vines gave her an idea however, and with that in mind...

"Why don't we go with the wall first, then the attack spell. I have something in mind that might be a good test for both of them."


"Hmmm...to be perfectly honest, I do not believe you ever had much to worry about on that front." Vendrick replied. His eyes followed a pair of swallows as they scattered from the path, almost, but not quite, sensing the presence of the two spirits. "You two sisters share a strong bond. Your mutual desire to be with and support each other is quite powerful, even taking into account that you are family. It is not unheard of for spirits to hold fast on feelings alone."

His vision faded momentarily, replaced by memories of the past. Memories of his family, and the bond they had shared. "You remind me greatly of my brother, in fact." He started slowly. "He was an accomplished mage, but like you he never let his laurels rest on one single thing. Each time he mastered a discipline he simply moved on to the next. He was fascinated with finding the truths that all magic shared, you see."

He gestured widely with his arms, mimicking the comically grand poses his brother had often made. "'Let those with less vision ponder what is already there. I will find the truths their eyes fail to see.'" Vendrick quoted, chuckling. "I can still see the fire in his eyes when he said that. Fiery, that was Aldia. He ate up everything he could."

Memories faded, but this time he found himself regretting it far less. Fond memories and fair company went a long way, it seemed.

"Ah, I have gotten off track. What I am trying to say is that you need not worry on what might have been. Ultimately it is your strong bond and powerful will that pulled you through, not luck. The magic you cast was simply a catalyst. Without those you would not be here, and yet here you stand. Your success was a foregone conclusion the moment you wanted to be by your sister's side."

Almyra nodded happily at Ashe's suggestion, a smile on her face as she looked about for a good area to test her wall spell on. Finding a good one fairly out of the way, Almy moved closer. Her book opened again, floating in front and slightly to the side of her as it rapidly flipped to a different runed page. It lit up for a split second as Almy gestured to an area of the ground. The area of the ground she designated then lit up for a brief moment before the earth shifted. With the sound of crumbling, cracking, shifting earth, a wall of dirt sprang up from the ground to be about six feet high and a foot wide. Almy nodded in satisfaction before going to check her book.


"I should be able to make this one bigger, but I didn't want to do too much inside the temple, but scaling it up or down with each cast shouldn't be too difficult." She said. "Do you want to test how sturdy it is?" She asked Ashe "Or test any spells or anything on it?"


Timara watched Vendrick as he spoke to her, explaining more the power that emotions could grant a spirit, how the risk in her binding was probably far less than what she anticipated. He seemed to fade off for a moment, distracted by something before bringing up his own brother. "I see. He sounds like a man both Almyra and I would have liked to meet." She said. She chuckled at his imitation of the man she had never met, but had a feeling she would have gotten along well with. He returned to the topic of her successful binding and she thanked him once again. "Thank you Vendrick. Perhaps I just lacked confidence. Magical study was rather frowned upon where we lived, so I never received much encouragement." A drastic understatement, to say the least.

"I am curious... why did you choose to remain instead of pass on? Have any others in your family chosen to do so?" She asked, curious about her fellow guardian spirit of sorts.

"Well, something like that." Ashe replied. She paced around the wall, giving it a thorough examination before nodding to herself. "It certainly looks sturdy enough. Lets put it to the test shall we? Time for something sturdy of my own."

Ashe knelt down and pressed her palms flat against the earth. She relaxed as she let out her next breath, allowing her senses to spread out among the network of living things she could now feel pulsing all around her. A second later she found what she was looking for-a hardy maple seed. Carefully, making sure not to affect the life around it, she fed it a steady stream of life energy, prompting its rapid growth into an enormous treant easily three times her size.

Surprisingly enough, Ashe could detect a faint glimmer of intelligence from the animate tree. Though she'd given it the rough semblance of a man, sans head, she had expected to simply control it like she had the vines. That it could think in some small measure was unexpected, but could turn out to be very useful.

"Hmmm...well, I certainly didn't expect that. Can you understand me?" Ashe waved up at the treant, trying to catch its attention. The creaking of wood filled the air as it shifted slightly in response, turning its torso towards her and giving off the impression that it was 'looking' at her, even without a real head. After a moment it slowly raised a fist of leafy branches and imitated her wave as best it could, much to Ashe's delight.

"What do you think Almy?" She asked, a smile beaming across her face.


Vendrick nodded in acceptance of the thanks. He was more than happy to offer such well-earned praise to the girl, especially seeing the apparent lack of it in her past life. His face darkened, however, when she brought up his own reasons for staying bound to the earth.

"There is...much weight to that question. My story is an old one-I'm told that historians have turned it into a fable, a legend of millennia past by now-but in essence my reasons are the same as any other. I am here because I have regrets, wrongs I must right, and things to atone for. Vengeance more than anything drives me, but it has burned cold for so long that I barely feel it anymore. Even so, I cannot let it go."

He went silent for a moment, as if to compose and gather his thoughts.

"I was once a king, this you know. My domain, my kingdom, spread far and prospered greatly under my rule. I was just, fair, and wise in every dealing. I took nothing from those who did not first lay hands on my people, and I was renown for the golden age I had created. And yet..." His eyes, bright mere moments before, grew hard and cold.

"And yet those who, in their jealousy, could not stand the sight of my great kingdom, could not stand the sight of a people living in plenty and harmony that was not theirs...they never stopped trying to take it for themselves. Knowing what laid in wait once my reign ended, the chaos that would follow, I decided to take measures. I would give my life, my family's life, and the lives of my most loyal servants to the gods. In return, they would grant us the power to guide and sustain my kingdom for an eternity from beyond the grave. An eternity of prosperity and peace! And we were happy to do it!"

Vendrick slammed his fist into his open palm, eyes blazing with fury and lost in the past. "We all made that sacrifice for our people! Not one of us who offered up our lives did it for our own gain. We gave up everything...for nothing but lies and betrayal. The gods, those simpering, self-possessed, ego-maniacal children had strung us along. Oh, it was but one who deceived us, one for whom I bear the most hate, yet the others turned a blind eye out of jealousy. 'The people should have faith in the gods, not mortal men!' they told me."

He turned his gaze to Timara, though he could barely see her through the fugue. Why was he telling her this? Vindication? Absolution? Perhaps he just wanted another soul to know the story. His story, no, their story.

"We gave our lives, but it had been a lie. The deceiver that had made the pact had in fact already done so with my greatest rival, trading his daughter's hand in marriage for the downfall of me and mine. Imagine that: my family, all of us lost in the spirit realm, watching as our kingdom fell to ruin simply so that a god could have a pretty bride. Even now, recalling it...I can barely contain the fury."

True to his word dark, oppressive energy was trickling from him. It was faint, but those who could feel it, like Timara, would sense the incredible depth of hate he was holding back. It was a struggle, to be honest, but Vendrick managed to get it under control. He'd had practice after all. He somehow managed a calm facade, despite the pain.

"Imagine the pain of watching my family fall to despair one by one, choosing to pass on rather than bear that burden. I am all but alone now. My servants have faded over the years, becoming mere echoes of who they once were. Their loyalty and strength are all that remain. The sole remaining member of my family still sleeps even after all this time, barely clinging on after he own treatment by the deceiver. All I have left in this world are my descendants, and even they are cursed."

He sighed, as if shrugging off a great weight. "I am sorry, I should not have burdened you with that. I hope your questions have been answered. Now, if you please, I would like to talk of lighter subjects."

Almyra stood by and watched as Ashe knelt on the ground, seemingly searching for something. She sat down next to Ashe and watched as the woman channeled energy into something below the ground. A tree began to pop up out of it quite quickly. Soon the tree began to move and grew legs as Ashe's magic turned it into a mighty treant. Ashe spoke to the massive plant-creature, testing to see if it was intelligent. When her friend waved to it, it waved back, bringing a smile to Almy's face as she too waved at the treant. She looked to Ashe when asked her opinion on the subject.

"He's cute!" She said with excitement as she rose to her feet and, with a few quick steps, wrapped her arms around the treant's massive leg, giving it a warm welcome to the world.




Timara stopped walking to look at Vendrick as he began to tell her his story. It was both a tragic and intriguing one, but still, she couldn't help but notice flaws with Vendrick's attempts to keep things as they were. If there was one thing she had learned about the world from her sister, it was that change was necessary. People died, it was a part of life. Her only reason for cheating death was to be with her sister, and when Almyra passed, so to would she. Rulers and kingdoms rise and fall, such is the way of the world. He should have trusted his successors to keep his kingdom safe, but his own ego left him with no confidence in anyone else to rule. This, she figured, was his own doing, and his own downfall. Still, she pitied him and his family for the mistake he made. In fact, because his fate was largely from his own doing made him more pitiable. True, he was deceived, but if he hadn't tried searching for immortality, none of this would have happened.

Even as she felt the fury emanating from the ancient spirit, she maintained her demeanor, calm and pitying. She stepped up to him, embracing him after he finished his speech. "You aren't alone anymore, neither you nor Ashe. You have me and Almyra now, and we will help in any way we can, I can assure you of that." She let go of him, taking a step back and smiling. "Ashe is our sister, after all."

"I think he likes you." Ashe said to Almy, feeling a sense of contentment from the treant as Almy gave it a hug. The touch of it's intelligence was slow it seemed; not in the sense that it was stupid, but in the sense that it thought differently and at a slower pace then they did. It felt, if Ashe had to put a word to it, very tree-like. Slow and unconcerned with most things, but no less worthwhile for it. It would do nicely.

Alright big guy, want to go for a test run? She thought at the treant, and felt it's affirmation. A simple thought was enough for it to get the idea-try and smash down the wall. The elemental proceeded to lumber over and, with a creaking sound like a tree in a storm, smashed into it, leaving a good size dent in the wall but no real structural damage. The treant gave the mental equivalent of a frown, smashing into the wall more times to the same result. Then it stood still for a moment, the wooden gears of its mind turning slowly. Eventually it came to a decision. To her great surprise it lumbered over to the stone Ashe had deposited the flowering vines on earlier and placed its fist upon it, allowing the vines to creep up its arm along with the boulder-like statue. Satisfied, it did the same to another boulder with its other fist and returned to the wall, raising it's arms high and smashing the wall to bits in one fell blow.

Ashe blinked. "Well then. How does that do for a test?"


Vendrick seemed almost to deflate, the tension easing out of him as Timara embraced him. It was a long forgotten feeling, that. The warmth of another, that simple and fulfilling feeling of companionship. To know that another would be there to offer a helping hand or simply to listen to one's troubles...it had been quite some time. Even as a mortal king he had rarely been able to open up like this. It was a relieving feeling, and made the world seem brighter, if only for small moments at a time.

"Thank you, Timara. That means...quite a bit to me. Thank you." He waited a moment, simply enjoying her presence. When she withdrew, he gestured back towards the girls with a smile. "I think it is high time we check back on our charges, do you not?"

Almyra moved out of the way as the treant approached her dirt wall. She was eager to see how sturdy her wall was, and how strong their new friend was. She found a spot to sit down and watched quietly as the treant swing its lumbering limbs to crash against the wall. They left an impressive dent in it, but didn't seem to break through. Almyra made note of this. The dents indicate that the elemental was certainly strong, but it was good to know that her wall could take a good beating before breaking. She watched it puzzle through the situation it was put into before it found a solution: grabbing two rocks to help smash through the barrier. With the added mass of the rocks, the treant had no trouble smashing through the weakened wall.

Almy clapped for the treant, her hand slapping against the remains of her left forearm, producing a muffled noise with each hit. She ran over to it and hugged its leg again. "Good job!"


Needless to say, she was quite satisfied with the result of their little test.




Timara smiled back at Vendrick as he gestured towards Almy and Ashe. She was happy to have calmed him down. She understood the reasoning behind his fury. It would not be surprising for him to have been punished hubris, but for the curse to effect his family for generations was unjust. "Certainly." She answered, holding a hand out to him to hold as they returned to the other two girls, together. Timara heard the crashing noises as Ashe's treant smashed through Almy's wall, and was certainly eager to see what the two were up to. She was sure they were fine, but was surprised that the two could make so much noise.