Olsten kept his distance as hostile and agitated remarks were shared between the Sur Prince and the eldest Warden. To interfere was to risk the entire alliance. The shadow threat united them, but only just and it lead Olsten to wonder what would happen between the Orcs and Sur after the Shadow had passed.
If they could withstand it. The prospect of battle had appealed to him at first as a good chance to prove his worth and valor. But now that the moment was looming closer, he wasn't so sure anymore. While he was confident in his skill with a blade, he worried that a real battle would be much more chaotic than anything he'd ever trained for. The siege on Haven had been, and he'd only survived that through sheer luck.
Worst of all, no amount of training by either Rasrik or Valnir had given him any clue on how to deal with fickle magic. Lately fire-casting had come easy to him, but who was to say it wouldn't abandon him in his most desperate hour? As much as he hated to admit it, there was only one person that might know how to repair whatever curse still lingered on him.
Sighing, Olsten shot a glance at the shriveled hermit with that solitary, roving eye. Not now, he thought to himself. Not yet….
While Waethrin and Asal bickered, Olsten strolled over to Grybil. He tightened his cloak around him against the biting wind and clenched his jaws to prevent his teeth from chattering in his skull. He imagined the likes of Feria and Ifer would thrive in the bitter cold. At the same time, he could appreciate the white coating on the tall pine trees, bathing in the light of the Everfire. The Sur seemed less pleased by the smoldering glow that Waethrin had contributed to their rooftops. For a while he simply looked on, until Grybil pressed his snout into his side and exhaled a bit of hot air from his nostrils.
"I know," Olsten muttered.
It was time to go.
~~~~~
Miracles hadn't left the world yet. The Valnahar Woodlands were even colder than Usolath had been. The endless stretches of white were almost painful to look at, and by the time Grybil landed on the outskirt of the Orcish outpost, Olsten was chilled to the bone, ears glowing bright red. Redder than his unruly hair, whatever parts of it that hadn't been buried by snowflakes. No matter how tempted he was to use his magic to ward off the cold, he knew he needed to conserve his strength for the battle to come.
His mind was still on what he'd seen from the air. The large blastmark could be explained in numerous ways, but it was the eerie purple sheen that puzzled him greatly. He knew of no magic that left such traces. But if it was shadow magic, then their attempt to halt it seemed utterly futile. Nothing could survive such force. And from the looks of it, nothing had.
Brows knitted into a razor-sharp frown, Olsten approached the impromptu meeting from a distance while Grybil skittered off to melt and drink some snow. Lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice Idhrenan and Aurea, his gaze fixating on the Sur prince instead.
It appeared no amount of cold could douse the bitter flame that resided within Waethrin's core. Once again the old man resorted to snide remarks and insults, and Olsten sighed audibly at the display.
"Please Waethrin," he said, his voice sounding far more tired than pleading. "Simmer down for once. Nrem is our ally." Undoubtedly he'd draw the inferno's ire. In fact, he planned on it. It would be much better for negotiations if could get Waethrin to be upset with him rather than the Sur.
Having nothing to add to the conversation, Olsten let his eyes wander for a moment. He didn't know who the girl was and had no memory of ever having seen her before. Altough…? Not wanting to be caught staring, he quickly moved his gaze along. The sight of Idhrenan made him swallow, the Emasari probably thought him a fool and a coward for having abandoned the previous group of Wardens he'd been with. Speaking of which…? Where were the rest of them? Concern marred his face as he shot a glance over his shoulder. There didn't seem to be any Wardens left lingering in the snow. As he scanned the treeline, his heart skipped a beat.
There was no sign of Rasrik.
Horrified, yet unwilling to disturb the conversation further, he looked to Cinder and silently mouthed: "Where's Rasrik?"
@Effervescent @Elle Joyner @SpaceCowboyEin @Toogee @Cloudily @fyrelily @Doctor Jax @Red Thunder
If they could withstand it. The prospect of battle had appealed to him at first as a good chance to prove his worth and valor. But now that the moment was looming closer, he wasn't so sure anymore. While he was confident in his skill with a blade, he worried that a real battle would be much more chaotic than anything he'd ever trained for. The siege on Haven had been, and he'd only survived that through sheer luck.
Worst of all, no amount of training by either Rasrik or Valnir had given him any clue on how to deal with fickle magic. Lately fire-casting had come easy to him, but who was to say it wouldn't abandon him in his most desperate hour? As much as he hated to admit it, there was only one person that might know how to repair whatever curse still lingered on him.
Sighing, Olsten shot a glance at the shriveled hermit with that solitary, roving eye. Not now, he thought to himself. Not yet….
While Waethrin and Asal bickered, Olsten strolled over to Grybil. He tightened his cloak around him against the biting wind and clenched his jaws to prevent his teeth from chattering in his skull. He imagined the likes of Feria and Ifer would thrive in the bitter cold. At the same time, he could appreciate the white coating on the tall pine trees, bathing in the light of the Everfire. The Sur seemed less pleased by the smoldering glow that Waethrin had contributed to their rooftops. For a while he simply looked on, until Grybil pressed his snout into his side and exhaled a bit of hot air from his nostrils.
"I know," Olsten muttered.
It was time to go.
~~~~~
Miracles hadn't left the world yet. The Valnahar Woodlands were even colder than Usolath had been. The endless stretches of white were almost painful to look at, and by the time Grybil landed on the outskirt of the Orcish outpost, Olsten was chilled to the bone, ears glowing bright red. Redder than his unruly hair, whatever parts of it that hadn't been buried by snowflakes. No matter how tempted he was to use his magic to ward off the cold, he knew he needed to conserve his strength for the battle to come.
His mind was still on what he'd seen from the air. The large blastmark could be explained in numerous ways, but it was the eerie purple sheen that puzzled him greatly. He knew of no magic that left such traces. But if it was shadow magic, then their attempt to halt it seemed utterly futile. Nothing could survive such force. And from the looks of it, nothing had.
Brows knitted into a razor-sharp frown, Olsten approached the impromptu meeting from a distance while Grybil skittered off to melt and drink some snow. Lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice Idhrenan and Aurea, his gaze fixating on the Sur prince instead.
It appeared no amount of cold could douse the bitter flame that resided within Waethrin's core. Once again the old man resorted to snide remarks and insults, and Olsten sighed audibly at the display.
"Please Waethrin," he said, his voice sounding far more tired than pleading. "Simmer down for once. Nrem is our ally." Undoubtedly he'd draw the inferno's ire. In fact, he planned on it. It would be much better for negotiations if could get Waethrin to be upset with him rather than the Sur.
Having nothing to add to the conversation, Olsten let his eyes wander for a moment. He didn't know who the girl was and had no memory of ever having seen her before. Altough…? Not wanting to be caught staring, he quickly moved his gaze along. The sight of Idhrenan made him swallow, the Emasari probably thought him a fool and a coward for having abandoned the previous group of Wardens he'd been with. Speaking of which…? Where were the rest of them? Concern marred his face as he shot a glance over his shoulder. There didn't seem to be any Wardens left lingering in the snow. As he scanned the treeline, his heart skipped a beat.
There was no sign of Rasrik.
Horrified, yet unwilling to disturb the conversation further, he looked to Cinder and silently mouthed: "Where's Rasrik?"
@Effervescent @Elle Joyner @SpaceCowboyEin @Toogee @Cloudily @fyrelily @Doctor Jax @Red Thunder
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