(Co-written with Kris)
On a perfectly normal and quiet day in Quillpond, Mari stepped out of her humble home, and onto the main path. She would wave, and pass slight pleasantries to the fellow town folks as she moved through, but clearly seemed to have a particular destination in mind. She passed by the home of Forge, and saw a fishing pole still leaning against the wall, before nodding and heading in the direction of the forest. Her target was in sight as she came across a large and intimidating half orc with an equally intimidating great axe before smiling.
“Good Morning, Grummen!”
There should have been a terrible sound as it came down, the tearing of fibers and splintering of wood but the trunk was cut clean through, falling almost silently with the brushing of branches overtaken by the river until the crash as it hit the ground. “Timber,” Grummen said, drawing it out until it was almost two words with how slowly he spoke, amused at his own joke.
Mari gracefully side stepped a few branches to take her place next to her friend before looking to the felled tree. “Aren’t you supposed to say that before the tree comes down?” She asked, although the question seemed more sincere than mocking.
“Yes” He grinned broadly, “like supposed to make noise when walk in forest.” He hefted an axe and began to limb the tree. “Why here?”
“I said ‘Good Morning’ !” she retorted with a slight pout before her normal happy countenance returned. As he worked on the tree, she made use of the stump there, sitting there, attempting to seem like any elf or half-elf, calm and patient. Yet immediately she was fidgeting excitedly. “First, I always bug you when I don’t have a shift” She pointed out “but that’s not the point! Grummen, guess what?”
Grummen paused and pondered for a moment, before settling on an answer “Mari read new book?”
“I mean, yes, but it’s a really boring book called Life of Nature and its Secrets. I guess it’s okay but it’s just an elf in some old woods and it’s really sur- not the point! My Godmother came last night!” Mari exclaimed nearly jumping from the stump “And we got to talk, and it was amazing, and so cool, she’s so cool, I hope you get to meet her, but Grummen!” She then paused, looking about the woods to confirm the fishing folk weren’t on the other side of the river, and there were not others around beyond critters.
She then slowly cupped her hand, focusing as she had been instructed to whisper words before in the barrier of her palms a small star appeared, shining, bright and seemingly delicate. It faded slowly away and Mari could not stop the look of pride before facing her friend. “I can use magic now, isn’t that amazing!?”
Grummen’s face was unreadable for a moment before taking on something that looked like suspicion. “Magic…from god mother” as much a statement as a question.
She frowned a moment as she noticed her friend’s expression but nodded " Yeah, it’s from her, and I still need to learn a lot but … I was just excited to finally have the chance to defend myself, not the girl screaming and crying in the woods and be able to protect everyone else"
Three years earlier…
Everything hurt; her feet and hands were stung with blisters and cuts, her muscles were screaming in pain, and her entire body was numb with a dull ache. She’d run out of food days ago, and her nightgown and cloak were torn, stained and still damp providing little protection from the cold night air. Yet she still swayed and stumbled her way along the river.
“How much further” her hoarse voice called out to seemingly no one
You’re so very close, you cannot stop yet, just a bit further.
“But I’m cold, and hungry, and it hurts”
Her mother would have scolded her for whining, she knew, but she wasn’t there…and maybe never would be. The girl swayed on her feet again, trying to steady herself.
Turn around.
Wordlessly, she twisted her body, the action becoming increasingly rapid as she looked upon a large figure looming over her.
A ear-piercing scream filled the forest, and she fell back into the cold and damp earth, her eyes welling up with tears. She had come so far, she had gotten so far, she had escaped.
The beast towered over her, massive teeth and scales glittering in by the starlight with their own kind of menace. A guttural sound emerged as the creature stalked towards her. She could see the net over its shoulder.
She tried helplessly to get up, but as she scuttled back her foot became entangled in root and weeds sending her back into the ground. “Please,no, please no” She stammered helplessly raising her arms above her in a feigned attempt at defense.
The blade flashed as it came down and sparks scattered off the rock. A small fire leapt into being in front of the creature. Huge and green with cold dead eyes looking at her. It looked hungry.
She continued to helplessly pull away, trying to release her foot, that would not budge. The creature lurched forward faster than she could realize and barely seemed to lift a finger as it pulled up the entire root in ease. She let out another panicked shriek, expecting it to advance.
It was somehow worse than that, she could see some huge fish, small in the creatures hand as it tore the head off, blood and viscera splattered silently where her foot had been, followed by an even more sickening squelch as the root impaled it, gore slick and red against the green skin of the monster.
She paled, remembering the last time she saw blood spilled, and began breathing extremely heavily.
The fish was staked into the ground near the fire like a grotesque offering to dark gods. And the creature rose to loom over her. She had thought it was scales but in the firelight it was so much worse, a body covered in scars, shimmering like scales. It pointed away from the river, growling, “town, there,” and stalked off into the woods, gone as quickly as it had appeared.
Town? There was a town here? What kind of town? Yet she was alone in an instant. Although not really. Somewhere she heard familiar humming, utterly soothing.
Eat, child, you need your strength.
She gave a dubious look towards the fish before immediately grabbing it and ,like she imagined the monster might, wolfishly tore into it. Her strength briefly replenished, the frightened half elf warily picked herself up, and put out the fire before trying to disappear into the brush, following the sound of the humming, worriedly realizing it was the same direction that had been pointed.
She found herself soon on a path, an actual path, and eventually saw buildings of a small little town. A few folks on watch saw her come from the woods, and they seemed…friendly. Hours later she was finally given a bed, after attempting to explain herself between filling herself with warm food and drink.
A few days later it was explained to her that no, there wasn’t a dark fae forest God with scale/scars with silver inlaid in them that threatened people and left them with cooked fish to eat who wandered the woods at night. Instead she felt incredibly foolish as it was revealed that was local half-orc youth, Grummen. She had also been advised to avoid him further, but she was suddenly racked with guilt. So with what little extra money she had left, she purchased a selection of pastries sweet and savory and went looking for trouble.
“M-I mean, Grummen!” She called as she came across him in the daylight heading to the river to fish, feeling even more silly. He turned around to stare blankly in her direction, seemingly expecting her to wilt. Instead she stepped forward.
" I…Mari, have committed …I mean, it’s my duty…" She trailed, thought better of what she was saying " I was rude. I’m sorry, very sorry and very thankful for your assistance". He then was presented with the box. " For you, a to- …I mean, to show my appreciation". Violet eyes made an attempt and failed not to look for his expression.
Grummen stared at her with confusion but took a pastry and ate it before patting her head with his now sticky hand and grinned widely “girl strong, run far.” There was a kind of approval, maybe even respect, but certainly amusement.
Mari seemed confused now herself but eventually returned the grin with a smile of her own, her own hand trying and failing to get the sticky crumbs out. Oh well, another bath in her future. “Thank you, I hope we might become…” Mari searched for words in several languages “friends, in the future.”
The half orc seemed to consider this. “friends” he said conclusively, if tentatively.
“Are you upset with me?” Mari asked, worried about her friend’s disappointment in her.
Grummen put down the axe and walked over to the stump, struggling with the words “ Magic…given, not gift, has cost” he worked out haltingly. He seemed to consider something “but Mari can do again?”
Mari seemed to consider it carefully and nodded. “I mean, yes, and my magic should only be used to help and protect people, but you’re right, magic is dangerous” She said, although her eyes grew bright, summoning the small little star again " I promise I’ll be careful. and practice a lot to make sure I do this right, but you’ll tell me if I’m going too far, right?"
Grummen examined the star with concentration before looking back at Mari with suspicion. “How kill enemy with tiny light?”
She grinned, letting the star fade again before rising to stand, looking around. She found a branch from a tree that had been bent. Carefully she raised one hand, and adjusted her posture before a pulse of energy seemingly made of star light shot from her palm and collided with the branch, easily knocking it to the ground. She triumphantly turned to her friend. “That’s how!”
Grummen picked up the branch and looked back at her approvingly before snapping part of it off and sticking it in her hair like a small crown. “Branch slayer” he pronounced with a wide grin.