[[AUTHOR'S NOTE: haha yeah this is where it all starts. Really the only reason for the existence of this is because I could only find two Brynn/Evie fics and I wanted to read more. But there wasn't more. So I had to write more myself. Writing fight scenes is terrible and can so easily turn awkward so I took the quick way out of it.. I will not say I'm sorry. Anyway, enjoy the first chapter! The plot is a bit cloudy so it will probably be fairly slow with updates. This is the non-explicit version, due to 's rating guidelines. The explicit version can be found and read on AO3.]]
If it was one thing Evie didn't mind, it was the weather. It was a fickle thing, as nature is, and could not be held by anyone. Come storm or sunshine, Evie would not pay it much attention, as her protection magic could make up for what clothes couldn't.
What Evie did mind, however, was plowing through subzero waters while simultaneously dodging and attacking the furious beasts of the Hoarfrost Depths. Much of her focus went into simply physically avoiding injury, rather than doing so magically, and as such she didn't go completely unaffected by the numbing cold that soaked her lower half and caused her enchanted cloth armor to cling to her skin.
The reason for her expedition in this cold, dreadful place, was by request from the Pontiff's Court of magicians in Rocheste. Since one of the Royal Army's soldiers, Gwynn, was stationed in Colhen to keep an eye on the Crimson Blades mercenaries, they had picked up on the report that Evie and two other mercenaries had encountered Yetis in the Hoarfrost Depths. Yetis she was now cutting through like butter. But Evie couldn't complain; she wouldn't have joined the Crimson Blades if she wasn't ready to battle in less favorable conditions.
To deny that she was violently shivering once the area had been cleared would be the same as denying that the sun rose every morning. Fortunately, the sorceress wasn't alone on this cold conquest, and her companions looked to her with concerned faces.
"You okay?" asked the dual-wielding swordsman, Lann, and lowered his twin blades as it became clear that they were safe, for now. "You look cold."
At first, Evie felt like snapping at him for pointing out the obvious, but held it back.
"Can someone just please start a fire," she said, voice shaking as much as she did. The first person to spring into action was the third mercenary, Fiona; the fierce warrior carrying a sword and shield. Evie had even seen her wield a hammer a few times, but the sword seemed to be her preference.
Fiona was quick to gather wood and debris scattered around the frozen cave – all of it broken during the previous battle – and dumped it in a pile before Evie. Kneeling down, she managed to ignite the driest part of the wood she could find, and soon the flame had engulfed the remainder of the fuel. Evie smiled and nodded her thanks and sat down by the fire, focusing on rebuilding her shielding spells now that there were no enemies to avert her focus.
The others were quick to join, and a comfortable silence fell over them, save for the crackling of their campfire.
"How many yetis do we have to kill?" Lann suddenly asked, and the accompanying women turned their drifting attention to him. "I mean, didn't they say they were extinct? If they have us keep this up they'll be extinct again before you know it."
To this, Evie spoke up. "Not exactly. Brynn said it is more likely they were asleep in some sort of hibernation. The reason they're here now is because of the presence of the Holy Artifact."
"I agree," Fiona said, nodding. "That seems more likely than something springing up into existence again after presumably going extinct. You can't create something from nothing."
"But this is the Holy Artifact we're talking about. Maybe there were some traces of them in the caves, and the Artifact regenerated them or something?" Lann pressed on, seemingly caught on the idea of resurrection. Perhaps it was nothing, but Evie felt herself worry over this. As a scholar of magic, she knew very well how badly bringing back the dead could go, and she'd rather avoid such things at all costs.
"It's two against one, Lann. Three, if we count Brynn," Evie said and offered a playful smile to try and take the edge off. "You'll lose this debate."
Lann just shrugged, raising his hands in defeat before letting them down again.
"Was just speculating, ma'am."
Evie grabbed a handful of snow off the ground and tossed it at him.
"Don't call me that in that tone of voice, Lann."
He laughed and raised his arm to prevent the snow from hitting his face, to Evie's displeasure. But she didn't follow it up with a second attack, and the brief excitement faded.
They quieted down and settled before the fire, and soon felt well rested and warm again. When Fiona got to her feet, feeling satisfied, the other two followed short without as much as a word. Evie extinguished the fire with a simple water spell and the company of mercenaries continued through the caves.
It wasn't long before they encountered enemies, but this time they met with Kobolds. They had hoped that they would've been able to retrieve the Holy Artifact through calm negotiations, and not violence, but it seemed the Kobolds ruled over this area of the caves, and the Yetis had long since gone feral and would attack on sight.
They lived in a kill or be killed world, after all. And if they couldn't handle that, they wouldn't have joined the Crimson Blades.
They stepped into a chamber that was larger than past small tunnels, and felt the air go tense with apprehension. The three looked to each other and tightened their grip on their respective weapons. Something was coming, and it was going to be a big one.
"Get ready," Fiona warned and assumed a defensive stance, raising her shield.
As if on cue, a giant Kobold appeared before them with a deafening roar, thrashing two huge axes about with such mad ferocity it almost looked like it was about to rip its own arms off. It was terrifying, and the three mercenaries froze to the spot in fear. They had fought many a beasts together, but this one was something different. But fortunately they were snapped out of it when the mad Kobold rushed towards them with murderous intent.
The three split up and ran in different directions, Lann dashing around to place himself behind it so sever its legs and Fiona moving to the side. Evie kept her distance for the time being in order to concentrate her focus into forming an ice spear. It took a lot less out of her to utilize her frozen surroundings rather than conjure it out of pure magic. Hopefully the others could keep the attention off of her as the spear took shape.
Suddenly, the Kobold turned on the spot and ran towards her, and in an instant Evie was in a panic. She barely managed to release it onto the enemy's face and dodge out of the way before it crashed into her.
Heaving a breath and summoning her focus again, Evie jumped back and in a blink she dissolved into a shadow before reappearing further away. But she could only remain stationary for a brief second before her vision was filled with the sharp edge of an axe. The kobold had its eyes set on her and wouldn't let up the chase. Where were Lann and Fiona!? They were supposed to cover her while she dealt heavy damage from a distance.
And the same moment she thought that, a whirlwind of swords stepped in between her and her perpetrator, successfully drawing its attention. While Lann got the mad Kobold away from Evie, she got the chance to catch her breath again. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Fiona hastily repairing her armor before getting back on her feet and rushing into the fight again. This one was tough, and the three of them were already tired.
They would have to end it quickly before they were killed due to their own exhaustion. The Crimson Blades already had taken enough casualties because of this insane Kobold.
Evie gritted her teeth with determination. There was no other choice but to unleash the dark seed Nyle had helped grow within her. She closed her eyes, stopping in her tracks, and shut out the world. There was nothing but her in the dark, quiet place of her psyche. It wasn't hard to find it – the darkness had taken a firm hold of her soul by now.
When she coaxed it out, and let it take hold, she could feel her consciousness slipping.
It was dangerous to do, but it was a somewhat safe guarantee that their enemy would be slain. She felt her limbs twisting and growing and she could hear the thumping of her blood in her ears. Somewhere in the edges of her mind, she heard someone call out.
Then she lost consciousness.
Evie woke up to someone shaking her. Blinking her eyes open, she saw Lann leaning over her with a split lip and a bloody nose. First, his expression seemed grim and she feared the worst, but once he saw she was awake his face softened.
"Thought I'd have to carry you back for a moment there," he said and sat back to allow Evie some room.
Rubbing her aching head, Evie sat up and looked around. The Kobold lay dead a bit further away, and there was debris and splatters of blood scattered all over the cave. Some parts of the ice ground was cracked, which implied something heavy had either fallen there, or been pummeled there.
"Where's Fiona?" she asked, suddenly worried.
"Right here," came the reply from behind her, and turning around she did indeed see Fiona standing there. Beaten and bruised, but still standing tall and proud. Hell, all of them were all significantly injured. It seems Lann took the most of it, since he doesn't carry a shield like Fiona or attack from a distance like Evie does. Really, he should consider more defensive tactics, or he'll end up dead.
"Help me up," Evie said and reached out an arm towards Lann, who grabbed it and helped support her while she got to her feet. Her legs were shaky and she felt drained, and weak but, other than waves of pain pulsing from various places, she was fine.
"Mission success?" she said, and Lann nodded.
"Yep, we've got the Holy Artifact. It's in the pouch," he said. "Let's go home. I'm sick and tired of this place and I think my rib's broken."
They could all agree on that. And after a moment's pause to breathe, they carried on with their journey home.
Getting out of Hoarfrost was the day's highlight. The mercenaries couldn't be more relieved to feel the cool air slowly grow warmer and less hostile. During the sail across the expanse of water that so far had kept the village of Colhen relatively safe, the three managed to haphazardly patch themselves up. It was only a temporary work - they all needed proper medical attention – but it would do for the moment.
It wasn't too long before the docks could be seen, and the trio couldn't be happier.
As they got off the ship, they had to decide what should be done next.
"Lann, you should go to the Inn and see Tieve," said Fiona and inclined her head towards him.
"Hell no, I want to be there to deliver the Holy Artifact. We took on the mission together, didn't we? So we should finish it together."
Fiona made a face, then sighed. She was probably too tired to deal with his stubbornness right now.
"Fine, then let's get it over with."
And so they headed for the Mercenary Outpost, where the others would be waiting anxiously for their return. They paused at the door, looking to each other in a mutual agreement that they would distribute the praise and hailing equally. They deserved it.
They were barely even inside the Outpost before all heads turned to them.
Gwynn, a high-ranking soldier of the Royal Army, was the first to speak.
"I can feel something. Like… Goosebumps…" She approached the three arrivals, eyes widened with astonishment. "Can it be? Did you bring back the Holy Artifact?"
Evie didn't even need to look to know that Lann was grinning by this point. She almost cracked a proud smile, herself. The Deputy Commander of the Royal Army was also there, much to the dismay of the Crimson Blades, and he came up to them as well, followed by the Pontiff's Court priest Torrin.
"Impossible…" Riordan said, amazed. "Torrin. Could you check?"
Was it really that hard to believe that three of them alone managed to do what the combined forces of the Crimson Blades and the Royal Army could not? Well, put in that perspective, maybe it was. But they'd done it, and that was the truth.
Torrin, the priest, stepped up to them.
"Will you show us what you have brought?" he asked and held out an open hand expectantly.
Fiona reached for her belt and produced the black pouch which contained the Holy Artifact. Evie peered at it from the corner of her eye. Since she didn't see them retrieve it due to being unconscious, she had no idea what it looked like. It would be interesting to see what it was.
"Thank you," Torrin said as he took the pouch from Fiona, opening it to pull out a tiny statue carved in the image of the great Goddess. The priest gaped at it as if he couldn't wrap his mind around that it was there in his hand. "This design… and this power… Indeed, it is the Holy Artifact."
He turned to face the Deputy Commander, his joy lighting up his face.
"I can hardly believe it, Riordan! We have finally recovered the Holy Artifact!"
Riordan, however, wasn't so quick to celebrate.
"Is this truly the Holy Artifact? Are you absolutely sure?" he questioned, glancing towards the mercenaries with obvious mistrust.
"Yes, no doubt," Torrin replied. "This is the Holy Artifact I was entrusted with." He held it up higher, as if to examine it more closely. "I'm certain. This power is unmistakable."
Perhaps they were just used to it, after having carried it with them for such a long time, but Evie could barely feel anything highly magical in the atmosphere. She wasn't sure if this was something to be proud of, to be so unbothered by such a thing, or if it meant she was simply not accomplished enough as a magician. But then, why would Gwynn feel its presence?
"Unbelievable." The sound of Riordan's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. "So, we just deliver the Holy Artifact to Keaghan now, right?"
At this, however, Torrin suddenly looked crestfallen.
"Well…" he began hesitantly. "There is one more thing missing. The Holy Artifact was originally found with its wing broken."
"No," Lann hissed next to Evie. If they hadn't managed to bring the whole Artifact, then the mission would be forfeit. If it was not complete, their losses would be for naught.
"The broken fragment was also inside the pouch. It seems the wing fragment is still missing," Torrin continued, shaking his head as if in defeat.
A wing fragment… Evie's eyes widened and she immediately began digging through the red silken pouch she'd tied to her belt. Gwynn, who saw what she was doing, stepped forward.
"Evie, is that…?"
Out of the pouch, Evie took out a small, broken fragment which had a feather-like pattern. Without a word, she held it out for the priest to see. She felt everyone's questioning eyes on her. Why would she have the fragment, and why hadn't she told anyone?
When Torrin took it from her, she cast her eyes down in embarrassment.
"You can relax, Riordan. Evie has returned the wing fragment. Now, all we have to do is deliver the whole thing to Kaeghan," he said, placing the whole assemble of the Holy Artifact back in its pouch. He turned back to trio of mercenaries, smiling. "That was amazing, you three. You have probably saved us all."
Evie quietly accepted the praise with a simple nod, finding herself unable to speak. Lann and Fiona seemed to keep a silent vigil as well, although a bit more proudly.
"Haha, you seem to have an eye for talent, Gwynn. Good job to you as well." Torrin turned to face Gwynn, acting very generous with the praise.
"I really did nothing, but thank you," Gwynn said, giving a courteous nod. "Good work, mercenaries. I'm glad I could trust you."
But then, Riordan stepped in, striding straight for Evie with a menacing expression.
"I have a question, Evie," he said, and she felt her entire body tense up. "Why didn't you hand it over immediately? You were hiding something that was obviously part of the Holy Artifact!"
She couldn't possibly tell him. It would mean betraying both Brynn and Nyle's trust in her. If she let the Royal Army in on their involvement, it could end up in so many terrible things happening to them. She couldn't do that to them, wouldn't do that to them.
Besides, the Deputy Commander would most likely not take kindly to the fact that she went to them first, before the Royal Army. It wouldn't do well for her reputation.
"Well? Were just planning on hiding it forever?" Riordan pressed on, and Evie could do nothing but stare at him.
"N-no, I.." she stammered.
"Riordan, it's fine. Relax," Torrin interrupted and placed a hand on Riordan's shoulder, giving Evie a look. "Maybe the mercenary really didn't know. We have the Holy Artifact back. That's all that matters."
"But Torrin…" Riordan looked to him, seeming torn between duty and obedience. Eventually, obedience won and he sighed in resignation. "Nevermind. You're right. I should be glad that the Holy Artifact has been recovered." He looked to Evie again, and said a bit stiffly, "Evie, good job."
As Torrin and the Deputy Commander left the outpost to prepare for transport back to Rocheste, Evie could finally breathe out.
"Why did you have the fragment?" Lann asked and crossed his arms. He seemed offended that he wasn't let in on what Evie was doing.
"I just found it a while back and picked it up. I didn't realize what it was at the moment – all I knew is that it was infused with magic. I thought it'd be useful," she said, but it was only half the truth. At least she didn't outright lie. That at least counted for something, right?
Lann didn't seem convinced, but he knew better than to push the subject.
"Fine. I'm going to the Inn to get some rest, and have Tieve look at my ribs, are you coming?" he asked, wisely moving on to a different topic.
"Later, maybe. I need to go see Brynn," she replied, shaking her head. Lann's frown turned all the more sour, hearing that.
"Why do you always 'need to see Brynn'? He's a douche. Why would you even want to be around him?" he muttered.
Evie sighed and gently pushed Lann aside as she began heading for the door.
"Because he's a magician," she said simply, and left it at that. Really, she'd expect him to at least be able to comprehend somewhat that people tended to gravitate towards people like themselves. And as she was a sorceress, she would naturally seek out a fellow specialist of the magic arts. Of course, Brynn himself refused to associate with any kind of battle magic, which was Evie's specialty. He considered it to be 'primitive'.
He was as much a scientist as a magician, and he was very knowledgeable in the theoretical subjects. Besides, he had the ability to craft magical items that were of great use to Evie. Just because Lann disliked him didn't mean Evie had to, even if Brynn could be a bit rude and condescending at times.
Well, most of the time. But there was the rare occasion where he actually was kind. Evie could even recall him offering her tea during one visit.
"I'll come to the Inn later – I bet Tieve is busy enough as it is, right now," Evie said before she left the Outpost, leaving her friends behind.
The Magic Laboratory was dimly lit, as it always was, only illuminated by various glowing potions and erg crystals. The air had a thick, sweet fragrance to it, which was a bit lulling and dulled the senses if just a little bit. Evie couldn't understand how Brynn managed to stand being confined in here all the time. Herself, she hated being indoors for too long. The best part of being a mercenary was the amount of time she could spend outside, running errands for the people of Colhen or doing missions for the Crimson Blades, or the Royal Army.
Upon entering, the first she saw was none other than the aloof, blond magician Brynn, hunched over the large desk with his nose buried deep in his research. Despite the sound of the bell, he didn't even look up.
"What do you want?" he asked without as much as a glance in her direction. "I'm busy."
Evie sighed at his cold tone and simply walked up to his desk and set down a rucksack on it, which emitted a sharp cluttering noise upon impact.
"I got ergs for you," she said simply, too tired to sound friendly. "Hoarfrost ones, and a few ice spirit remnants too."
Finally Brynn looked up, first at the sack, then at her. He straightened up to his full height, which was nearly a foot taller than Evie.
"Oh," he said as he reached for the sack and grabbed it. He opened it and looked inside for a moment before tying it up again. "Very appreciated."
And in a perfect Brynn-like manner, he went straight back to what he was doing before Evie entered the laboratory. She knew perfectly well that he wasn't actively ignoring her, but it was a bit tiresome to always be met with such coldness. For some reason, she felt fairly down after the whole ordeal. Perhaps she was still recovering from calling out her Dark Knight.
"Anything else?" Brynn said, and it was easy to tell he was beginning to lose his patience, because now he was looking straight at her. Evie just blinked and shook her head.
"No, no. I'll be going now," she said, then turned and left. Usually she'd linger for small talk with either him or Nyle, sometimes just to be cheeky and annoy him, but today she was just too exhausted. Besides, her injuries were beginning to make themselves quite known.
"Bye," she said before turning to leave. But before she could walk out the door, Brynn called out, "Wait."
Raising her eyebrows, she turned to look at him, surprised.
"You're not going to tell me what happened with the Pontiff's Court?" he said, apparently disappointed. Evie frowned at him and crossed her arms.
"I supposed you weren't interested," she said, her mood worsening by the second. "Since you're so busy all the time, I reckoned you didn't want to hear it."
Brynn sighed heavily and closed his eyes, exasperated.
"Well, I am asking now. What happened?"
"The Holy Artifact is recovered. The Deputy Commander thinks I'm up to something. I'm exhausted and injured and I want to go home and sleep. That's what happened. Good day, Brynn."
And just like that, she left the Magic Laboratory and a somewhat stunned magician.
With heavy steps did she head for the Colhen Inn, wondering if there even would be any vacant beds for her, what with how many wounded soldiers were staying there at the moment. The insane kobold caused a lot of demise to both the Crimson Blades and the Royal Army. Tieve, who ran the Inn, must have had her hands full looking after them all.
It was surprisingly quiet when she entered the building, but as she suspected there were soldiers lying both in beds and on mattresses on the floor. Almost immediately she was approached by a beautiful young lady with a kind face.
"Evie! You're here, finally. I have a bed prepared for you. I've already patched your friends up and they're resting right now," she said, smiling brightly as she spoke.
"It's alright, Tieve. I'm sure there's someone who needs the bed more than I do," Evie said. She didn't mean to seem ungrateful, but she couldn't in good conscience take a bed someone might need. She was just a little beat up; she could do with just a mattress on the floor, or she could just wait altogether.
"No, I insist. It's right this way." Tieve grabbed Evie's arm and lead her further into the Inn and into a separate room. This room held four beds, one in each corner, and all but one was occupied. Lann was snoring away in one of them, and Fiona in a second, both of them wrapped up in bandages.
"I'll ask you to undress into your undergarments while I go fetch some things, alright?" Tieve said as she sat Evie down on one of the empty beds. Evie just nodded, deciding to allow herself to be looked after for a change. She couldn't understand how Tieve managed to be so kind and gentle towards everyone. But that's probably why she was chosen as the Oracle.
Apparently she could even speak with animals…
Deciding to just get on with it, Evie began to strip off her dirty and battered armor, which had been magically enhanced to feel lighter than it actually was. It felt really nice to get it off, especially the way it rubbed uncomfortably against her injuries. With the armor off and able to examine herself, Evie found herself to be in worse condition than she'd thought. There was a deep gash by her shoulder, and a large bruise turned a large portion of her left side purple and red.
Hissing at the pain, Evie bent over to rummage through her rucksack. Soon enough, her fingers brushed against something glass. With a quiet 'aha!' of victory, Evie brought out a glass bottle filled with a warm red liquid. It was one of Brynn's recovery potions, which he brewed with expertise.
She uncorked it and took a generous swig, swallowing it down in big gulps. Brynn's potions always worked instantly, and she could feel the pain fade away as she drank. He was even thoughtful enough to have the potions taste good, too. He seemed to like to use cinnamon, out of everything.
After she finished the bottle, Evie lay back down on the bed and got underneath the covers. The sheets were fresh and clean, and the mattress was so soft on her back that it felt that she could fall asleep any second.
But before she drifted off, Tieve return with supplies to clean and bandage wounds.
"Here, let's fix you up. Then you can rest," she said as she sat down on the bed with a bowl of water in her lap. "Sorry it took so long, it's hard to get around with all the soldiers lying on the ground."
A pang of guilt went through her and Evie bit her lip as she sat up.
"Tieve, I really don't need a bed," she said. Even if it felt so nice to lie down in. "Others need it more than me." Despite the warmth and comfort. "I can take a mattress, it's alright." The guilt was too much.
Tieve just gave her a sad smile and rested a hand on her shoulder – the one that wasn't injured.
"Evie, it's alright. I don't want to move anyone and some need to be on mattresses to easier keep limbs elevated. Don't worry about it, okay?" she said in her gentle, comforting voice. And to mark the end of that conversation, she took a cloth and dipped it in the bowl of water. "Now, let me clean you up."
Evie stared at the ceiling with her hands folded on her stomach. Before Tieve came in, she'd nearly fallen asleep the moment she lay down. But now, that seemed impossible. No matter how many sheep she counted or however she turned, she simply couldn't sleep. The stress from the previous day, the guilt at being offered their own room and a clean bed despite all the other injured soldiers, Deputy Commander Riordan's suspicion towards her… It was enough to successfully keep her awake and restless.
Not to add that her bones and muscles were sore and worn out from the battle.
Sighing heavily and turning on her side once more, Evie tried to put her worry to rest, with no avail. She felt she needed a break – a short expedition to somewhere warm, on her own. Some time to herself to calm down and recharge her batteries in the great outdoors would probably help. She hadn't decided where to go, yet, but she figured that she'd come up with something come morning.
If she managed to fall asleep, that is. That was a whole new battle all on its own.
[[AUTHOR'S NOTE: ok it ended a bit awkwardly but such are things in life of writing, sometimes. Either way I enjoyed this and I managed to write it surprisingly quickly, but the second chapter is always the hardest for me so we'll see how that goes.
Up next: Ferghus' hand doesn't slip, Evie goes on an expedition, and Brynn makes a gesture of kindness.]]