Virtues and Sinister Spells

Tria listened silently. She was not a woman to jump at the tiniest thing. She had seen women like that--that never let their men folk or friends finish a full thought or statement before raging on them about some small thing that wouldn't have upset them if they'd waited all the way through. She hated men and women that were like that. She had lowered her head at his first comment, knowing from the last couple of days how true that was.

It wasn't until he said the last word that her head snapped up, fists tightening on the edges of the sheets, eyes wide and somewhat surprised. Had he truly just said the word love in relation to her caring for him? There was a small flutter in her saddened hard before she looked at the sheet in her hand to give herself time to calm her heart. Soaking in his words, analysing them from every angle she could think of, she walked to the door and dropped the sheet next to it before turning back to the two beds. Slowly she started to walk back before changing her direction and slowly slipping up onto the bed next to him. She sat there, staring at the floor before looking over at him with a serious gaze.

"I have plenty of time to wait Manduro," she finally said. "It might be hard to care for what you do in your time as a warlock, but I-I can't give up on you now that I found you again Manduro. I will work doubly hard to make up for what evil you cause, but I will wait." Slowly she reached over and rested a hand on his, making sure not to touch his staff. "Though I may need some new clothing if you insist on traveling." This last bit was said with a little bit of humor, as she hoped to lighten the mood just a tiny bit.
 
Listening to her response, he realized how unusual their relationship was. She hated what he did and what he was, but not who he was... Right? Manduro didn't even know if he had that information correct. Whatever the case, it was on some level of a disaster. It didn't bother him too much, however it did complicate his life a lot more. Something drastic would become of them in the future, he felt it in his bones.

"We can get more supplies in the morning. I'll even pay for them," he answered with some distaste. Manduro preferred to just take things for himself. He didn't want to cause any trouble, though. Not tomorrow. There was enough excitement already, he didn't need a whole town on his back. Craft as he could be, he wasn't always the stealthiest...

"Until then, I need to rest. As do you, but that's your choice." Smiling meekly, he lowered his head with his eyes on his staff. He hoped she would choose to sleep for a while. She was in bad shape earlier, he figured it might catch up with her again.
 
Tria watched him as he lowered his head. Had the hood he wore been down she would have kissed his cheek, but instead she found herself pushing herself up to walk over to the bed they had lain in and felt around in the darkness, testing out different places to find if any had been soiled as well before laying down. Biting her lower lip, she looked over at him and whispered the softest of 'Good nights' before she closed her eyes. Sleep took her quite quickly, and before she knew it she was awake early the next morning, energy full. She rose and winced at the pain in her stomach that could only come from exhausting her magical supplies and then laying with a man. She blushed and slipped from the room after putting her skirt back on.

Rushing out of the inn to finish a bit of checking up on someone, she was grabbed from behind, a cloth put over her mouth to muffle the sound of a scream that she'd built in her lungs to release. The kidnapper never showed his face but she knew without looking that it was Skylar. She thrashed and yanked at his vice like grip on her waist only succeeding in getting him to kick her in the leg that was burned. A muffled scream of pain left her as she felt warm blood start to roll down her skin.

"Shut up wench! How could you sleep with a man so evil and then expect sympathy from us! You said you would pay for his crimes, and pay you shall," Skylar snapped in her ear before he dragged her away from the inn towards the stables.
 
Manduro was in his meditative state throughout the whole night. That was his preferred method of 'sleeping'. He always woke up from the out of body experience feeling refreshed and sometimes, he snapped out of it with epiphanies. That was a whole lot better than having nightmares every night. There were 'symptoms' of his magic that he liked to avoid.

The very moment he began to yawn and stretch, Tria had gone out of the room. He wondered why. She needed his money for shopping, plus he assumed she had something emotional to talk about. For a moment while he sat there, he rolled his eyes and muttered the word 'women' to himself.

"Eh?" The eyes of the skull on his staff was alerting him of something. Manduro held it close to his ear, translating the foreign whispers being spoken to him. He recognized the voice; it was that stone golem disguised as a ring on her finger. The witch was in danger, it said. That figured. They hardly got the day started and she already made some enemies.

Following her trail would be easy with the golem's help. Manduro didn't want to be too rash, though. This could be a trap for all he knew. So, he walked over to the window where he fully opened it. He was welcomed by the crispness of the morning, along with the sun that he found unpleasant. A thin cloud of black streamed from his staff, slithering like a snake as it hid amongst the townsfolk, market carts, plants... Until it came upon a stray dog that was sniffing about for fallen scraps. The little cloud was inhaled by the dog's nose and in no time, the animal was possessed.

"You are my eyes. Do not fail me," he commanded quietly into the mutt's mind. Understanding, the dog began following the girl's trail, acting naturally as he could by pretending to find food still. Meanwhile, the warlock had disappeared from sight. He had work to do, it looked like.
 
Tria thrashed and tried to bite the hand that had her By the gods she was not helpless! She would have to get her spells remade and quick if she wanted to be able to keep from having this happen again. That would require some talking to Manduro about her ability to use spells around the golem. Just as she'd thought of a nasty little shock spell that she could use without needing any other things except contact with the man she wanted to shock, she was thrown into the barn where her head struck nastily against a post.

She felt woozy as the man advanced. Trying to focus on him, she staggered up and back away before she ran into something--no someone. Behind her stood a strong man that she knew as the local blacksmith. Without thinking she lashed out, using the spell in a much more potent form, the shock being that of a small lightening bolt, sending the man flying away from her. She spun and put out her hands. "Stop! Stop or I'll do the same to you. I-I don't want to hurt anyone. I've helped! I healed those people. They'll be fine. Skylar, what are you doing?"

"You sleep with the dark wizard! You let him taint your body. Why should we trust you?" the man demanded, as if he didn't care or trust her. He reached forward despite her claim and his hand clasped her throat. "You are as bad as the creature you lay with. Witch!" He tossed her again and was on her with a knife within a second, not giving her time to charge up. There was fury and hate in his eyes.

Tria flinched form his words before her hand went out and slapped him, hard. "Get off Skylar and waken yourself! I am not going to have htis discussion with you!" she snarled before she found the knife to her neck. Oh yes. She and Manduro were going to have a nice, long talk about her being able to use magic other than healing spells. She glared up at the man as he tore at the shirt, ripping it to expose her breasts, resting the dagger now just above her heart.

"Tell me you were being forced or some other kind of reason that would make me forgive you for sleeping with it," Skylar snarled, giving her a last chance.

Tria stiffened as she felt the prick of the dagger against her skin. "I-I need no forgiveness from you. You and I were never anything more than friends," she said, eyes on the dagger. She just had to stall for a few moments. A few more moments and she'd be able to used the spell again.
 
Manduro was following his canine puppet to Tria's location. The animal hastened when his powerful ears picked up the sounds of struggling, as well as Tria's voice. As for the warlock, he was in hiding. Disguised in the form of a crow whose eyes glowed with an unholy shade of purple, he soared above the isolated structure where Tria was being kept.

Surely, she could handle herself. Her knowledge of magic was impressive, as he remembered. While the possessed dog trotted into the scene, just observing like any dumb animal would, Manduro watched from a support beam. With his sharp avian vision, he studied the situation that Tria got herself into. There was a man covered with soot and dirt, dressed in an apron and tattered work clothes; he must have been a blacksmith. In addition to all of that, he was threatening the witch with a blade. Over her open shirt, no less...

Manduro ruffled his feathers as he stood there, magic beginning to fly from his body. Specks of glitter turned into small insects that, despite their tiny size, made an insanely obnoxious buzzing noise. A swarm of about ten of them went zooming towards the man, circling his head. Some of them even landed on his ears to make the sounds of their beating wings on the verge of painful.

That was all the warlock did to intervene for now. He was interested to see what the girl could do on her own. Laziness could have been another factor, too.
 
The insects were the perfect distraction. Skylar had to release the knife and sit away to swipe at the bugs angrily. It provided the girl just the amount of time she needed to tighten her body for the shock and shove outward. Her hands made contact with his chest, one hand right over his heart, throwing him off with the amount of lightning charge she had grabbed from the atmosphere. Skylar went sailing. Tria didn't wait to see if he was okay or not. She pushed herself up and started to run, holding her torn shirt closed with one hand. Her leg slowed her down but she was still able to get to the town, panting, without a sign of Skylar. She pushed passed others, ignoring their questions or looks of confusion.

Tria made it into her room at the inn and slammed the door shut closed behind her before putting a door in front of it to make it harder to get in. She was frightened. Frightened didn't even cut it. She had killed the man. Something in her that regulated her own magic knew that shed used so much electricity that it stopped his heart. She shivered a little and went to her bed to sit down before she curled up. Even if it was really in self-defense, she already knew that she was on a downward slope and if she wasn't careful she might lose herself. She didn't even care that Manduro wasn't in the room. She was almost glad that he wasn't. She didn't want him to know what she'd done. If he knew he would take advantage of it.
 
As sparks flew between Skylar and Tria, the disguised warlock ruffled his feathers and watched, entertained. If birds could smile, he would have. Even the stray dog he claimed for himself was yapping with excitement, sharing his Master's enjoyment. As the witch ran out of the stable area, Manduro opened his wings and let gravity gently pull his body towards the blacksmith's corpse. Curiously, he pecked at the dead man, squwaking with delight when there was no response. As he opened his beak, the little bugs that survived the man's swatting flew into his mouth, returning the magical energy he used to summon them.

Since the dog's services were no longer required, he was sent away. Manduro decided against wasting the animal. He could use a pair of spying eyes even in his absence, he thought. Perhaps something very interesting could be brought on in the future.

The warlock flew from the dark stables to begin his errands. There wasn't any reason to follow Tria and discuss what she'd done, when he could do so at a much more appropriate time. With luck, she'd learn to love it. That would complete him more than she'd ever know.

In his regular form, Manduro shopped around town for much needed supplies. A pack was filled with some food rations, a canteen of water, some blankets, spare clothes, and other essentials. As well, he picked out some clothing for Tria. The clothes were exactly what he wanted... Practical, with some spice to them that would show off her figure more.

His return to their room at the inn was through the window instead of through the door. Manduro unleashed a burst of energy that sent him up in the air, where he suspended his body to allow easy entrance through the open window. The bags of clothes were dropped to the floor, along with the survival pack he had put together for her.

"If you're finished with whatever you're doing, I'd like to get going soon."
 
Tria slowly looked up at him from where she sat on the bed. Her skirt had been pulled up to reveal her lower legs. A hand was hovering over her burn, healing it. She sat there for a good minute watching him, trying to figure out what it was about him that she had let get under her skin the night before and make her think that she was the right one to bring him back from the darkness.

Whatever it was, she quietly averted her gaze, remembering all too well the death shortly before. Finishing the mending she stood and let her skirts fall back down, testing her leg by slowly putting more and more weight on it until she was satisfied. She turned and began to braid her hair out of the way and peaked out at him for a moment before sighing. "Could we not get horses or something to help with travel? Would that not get us to where you wish to go faster?" she asked curiously.
 
Manduro rolled his eyes at the wall he was standing in front of when she inquired about horses. They weren't in any hurry to get somewhere, plus he liked walking. For her, he supposed he could accommodate. The warlock was okay with the idea of just using his animals to help them out, instead of something from a human's pet shop.

"I can summon horses," he replied, deciding that was a decent compromise. All of the creatures that serviced him were ugly, bloodthirsty monsters, but he could easily bring forth a horse that was commanded to only be a method of transportation instead of a killing machine.

With everything he needed set to go or stored in that random, mysterious portal he put items into and pulled items out of, Manduro blinked at Tria. He was waiting patiently as ever for her to say she was ready to leave the inn. As calm as he seemed, he was making childish swears in his mind while fantasizing about turning everyone in this town into food for his favorite pet, Demelza, who helped him massacre his own people. Just thinking about that darling, albeit abominable creature put a smile on his face.
 
The woman nodded and left quickly without looking back. Manduro had magic and legs. If he was so ready to leave he could meet her outside. She had to get moving. She had to keep herself busy. As she left the inn a woman came running towards her, tears in her eyes.

"My lady healer. Please, please tell me you can save my boy," she cried out, grabbing Tria's hand. She was Skylar's mother. "He may have already passed on but your lot can do it can't they?"

Tria closed her eyes tightly and pulled her hand away. "I am sorry mistress, but I cannot bring the dead back to life. It is not in my skill set and I would not do it if I could. They do not return whole. They miss something vital. Please, I am sorry for not being able to help. I am drained as it is after the healing I did last night," she said and turned away, walking towards a rode, figuring Manduro would either catch up or turn her about if she was going the wrong way.
 
Manduro wasn't too far behind Tria. Once he closed the door to their room, he strode down the halls with a bit of a skip in his steps. Since last night and the witness of that blacksmith's murder, he was in a good mood. It felt as if nothing could ruin the pleasant feelings he was experiencing. He felt a increasingly more attracted to the witch, too. The spell she cast to defend herself was impressive and the fact she was capable of taking a life was an instant turn on for him.

Silently, he bypassed the old woman who was hoping to have her son's life restored. For fun, he would have liked to offer the service of raising the man from the dead. Being the twisted man he was, he'd show the town just how horrible it was to use magic so unwisely. Skylar would hunger for flesh and follow the orders of Manduro until there was no more use for him.

The warlock caught up with Tria enough so that he could lead them out of town. Even though he was gleeful of the unfortunate happenings, he still felt responsible for taking care of her. So, while walking at her side, the hooded man took hold of one of her hands, his thumb stroking affectionately along her skin.

They exited the town of suspicious folk, the path taking them to a valley where animals frolicked about the open space. The air was refreshing, the trees were mighty, and there were sparkling pools of water where aquatic creatures liked to breed. He despised the sight of it all, especially in the sunlight. It was necessary to pass through, though. It would provide nice campgrounds in the night, too.

"Let's stop at that tree up ahead. You can sit in the shade while we tend to your leg wound. That thing's getting worse," he suggested, the command in his tone indicating that he wasn't going to argue about it. That injury would get patched even if he had to tie her down. "And then I'll see about a horse or two..."
 
Tria had been silently grateful when he had taken her hand with his. Biting her bottom lip, head hung, she stepped closer and let him lead her out of the town, saying goodbye to it with a silent prayer that the gods would forgive her for the taking of a life. When they entered the valley she began to brighten, staring at the animals that didn't run away and watched them instead. She pulled her hand away and spun slowly, walking backwards a few steps to stare at different trees, quietly explaining the properties of each to herself to test herself.

This was the kind of valley she could live in for a long time and be happy. With that in mind she glanced over at Manduro before hearing what he said. Frowning she sighed and moved towards the tree, her gaze never really on where she was walking as she got distracted by how big the tree was. Because of this she tripped over a root and went sailing to the ground. The tree was on a slope so as she landed she started to roll down the incline until she came to a safe stop a few dozen feet away. Laughter spilled from her lips as she lay there on her back, sprawled on the grass, hair splayed around her like a halo. It was the first laughter that had left her since her parents had died and the first in years that was around Manduro. It was pure, light, beautiful.
 
Manduro had a feeling she'd enjoy this valley. Quietly, he observed her as she ended up rolling down a slant of grass as a result of clumsiness. He was grateful to see her positive reaction. At the same time, he loathed the sight. Tria was a prime example of happiness and purity, despite her sin back at the town. The warlock preferred her annoying gleeful behavior over her somber, silent one. She was much easier to deal with that way. As well, it brightened her natural beauty. She was much prettier when she smiled.

In an attempt to follow her, Manduro lost his balance on his way down the slope. Barking out a curse word, his foot slipped on a moist patch of grass, causing him to fall forward and slide down on his front. He stopped when the top of his head bumped into Tria's body. Grumbling, he quickly sat up, showing off a grass stained robe and a face colored with brown and green. It was easy to tell that he was holding back an urge to set something on fire.

"Don't. Laugh." Manduro spoke to her through his teeth while pulling a kerchief from his large, heavy sleeve. Throwing back his hood, he began wiping at the mess on his face.

Medical supplies were then dropped nearby the witch so she could make use of them. Manduro wasn't an expert in any form of healing, but he was nearby to assist in what ways he could. While he waited to be needed for such things, he adjusted himself to sit beside Tria. Now, he definitely wanted to find someplace to bathe. There was a lovely waterfall hidden amongst old, sturdy trees and thick, bushy overgrowth as he recalled.
 
Tria hadn't been able to keep from a soft giggle at Manduro's lack of amusement over the slide as she'd looked over at him from where she lay, a smile plastered on her face. Even his foul mood couldn't keep her down. When he dropped the supplies next to her, she looked over at him and sighed. "Come here Manduro," she said, motioning him over. "I have enough magic to do at least a little for you. I learned this when I was asked to birth a babe on my travels." She slowly reached over and waved her hand over the muddy clothes. Mumbling a small incantation, the stains drained from the materials and back onto the ground until her hand ended on his knee. She looked up at him and smiled. "It only works on clothes but I figured that'd be enough for you right now."

She then pulled her hand away and shyly started to look through the supplies, pulling out several things. Pulling her skirt slowly up with a quick, blushing glance at the man, she began to mix a few things and then spread it over the burn. She tried to keep her whimpers soft, hardly audible, but the worse the burn the harder it was to keep quiet until finally she bit the back of one hand to muffle it s her other soothed the balm onto it.
 
During the time that Tria spent tending to her burn wound, Manduro examined his magically cleaned robe. He looked over it with amazement, his rotten mood lifting to a more pleasant feeling. Prissy as it made him seem, he did not like damage done to his magical robes. They were expensive and of the finest fabric! Plus, this outfit is what enhanced his intimidating appearance as a warlock. That was necessary for a man who didn't have an impressive muscular build to scare people with.

Using his staff to help him stand up, he walked a couple of feet from the witch so he could have plenty of room for the spell he was about to cast. He stretched out both arms before bringing his staff forward, his hands gripping it once it aligned with his body. There was a short burst of purple light at the decorative skull, then he aimed the magical energy forward. The light built up in the shape of a giant orb before seeming to explode, blinding all witnesses for a moment. In place of the energy was a horse with a saddle.

This was no ordinary horse, though. Like all of Manduro's creatures, this one had a frightening look. Despite that, he seemed content and peaceful. Manduro gave the violent commands and so far, there were none.

"He won't hurt you. Neither will the fire," he assured the girl, pointing out the few flames that sometimes spilled from the missing sections of the horse's body. He was a mighty steed that would protect her well, Manduro knew. There was enough room for the two of them to sit together in the saddle, too. That would save on magical energy.
 
Tria had just finished putting the ointment and a length of bandage on her burn when the light blinded her. Blinking up she stared at the horse that had been summoned and felt a pit grow in her stomach. That was not what she meant by horse. Slowly she pushed herself up and walked near, eyeing the creature with mistrust.

Sizing the beast up, she held out a hand for the creature to smell, almost hiding behind Manduro like she didn't trust the animal. Which she didn't. "If it bites me, I'm going to kick you," she warned as she inched past Manduro to near the creature. She was in no way ready to deal with a horse that liked to bite.

The creature didn't fit the surroundings they were in at all and that was what made the girl even more wary of the creature. As she watched it she had to admit, pieces of it's body missing aside, that it was an extraordinary beast. "Does He have a name?"
 
The horse seemed offended by the girl's words and eyes of suspicion; he was about to snub her. He heeded his Master's glare though and obediently nudged his nose into her palm, letting her know it was perfectly safe to touch him.

"Didn't I just tell you he wouldn't hurt you? God, my animals have feelings, you know," he told her wryly, patting the summoned creature on the side with pure adoration. Manduro didn't trust 'normal' horses just like Tria didn't trust his horse. Critters of the Earth didn't really like the warlock, unless he forced their minds to slavery. That seemed like more trouble than it was worth, though. Horses were proud animals that wouldn't immediately succumb to his magic, like that stray dog did. Sure, his steed was an ugly sight and belonged to a man with cruel intentions. But--

Manduro stopped trying to reason with the situation. As he thought about it, her response was completely valid. Before answering her question about the horse's name, he cleared his throat. '"Geryon."

Supplies were then piled at Geryon's rear so they could get a move on. There was a lot to explore here. Manduro didn't even know what direction to start with, but he figured he'd eventually find a clue related to what he was searching for. In the meantime, they could enjoy the peaceful surroundings until it was time to rest.
 
Tria took a step forward only after the horse nudged her palm. Smiling a little, she stepped all the way up so that the horse wouldn't have to stretch it's head to sniff her hand. "Geryon. I apologize for my rudeness then. The last one of these I saw I was chasing away from a mare's pen. He'd been trying to mount her after he'd been let loose by a warlock but was melting her flesh with it's fire each time it touched her. You'll have to forgive me Geryon," she said softly, half telling Manduro, half telling the horse in front of her. "It took a lot of magic to make him go away after that."

She began to slowly stroke the horses neck, keeping her hands away from any spot that had fire just to be safe, leaving a hand out for Geryon to continue to inspect if he wanted. As she inspected the horse she found an odd sense of beauty in the creature for all it was a hell summons. "So what are we doing now Manduro? What are your plans?"
 
Geryon seemed to like the girl's company already. She offered much more affection than his summoner, plus the warmth she exuded made him feel jubilant. The creature was like a sweetheart if you could look past his murderous nature. The horse, luckily for Tria, wasn't as much as a savage as the wolves and other carnivores that Manduro summoned. This was one of his nicer 'pets'.

"There are ruins hidden somewhere in this valley. I'm looking for a stone wall with foreign scriptures, which very few can translate these days, that will tell me where to find an artifact," answered the warlock, who wasn't going to reveal too much. Not right now. Obviously, he'd be able to translate the ancient writing he was seeking. It was only a matter of time before he uncovered the aforementioned ruins that were supposedly hiding amongst a jungle of rotting plant life.

With everything in place, Manduro hoisted himself onto the saddle and offered his hand to Tria so she could climb up more easily. "That will take more than a day to find, though. I'm sure you'll like where I take you from here." Manduro offered a smile that he hoped was more friendly than sinister...
 
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