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Kara watched as the wind gently blew through the many branches that made up the Vind headquarters. The breeze smelled strongly of the usual scents that Kara has long associated with this safe place, a place she has come to call home away from her true home of the Dreamland. But hinted under the water and rot, was the faintest smell of fire, smoke, and spice.
The Hero was riding in the wind, and would soon arrive.
Kara let out a hum of satisfaction. She knew the Hero would succeed. Have they not saved the Kingdom of Greenguard and by associated all of Lore, before they were Frozen? But that did not mean they didn't worry, and not just for the Hero.
The Rose was pressing on all fronts, disillusioned by the hurt and death magic has done by those with fervent ambition. Every day, they would gain a foothold, coming ever closer to finding a hidden refugee camp of the Clawkin, of the drakes, and all kinds of magical creatures. In time, they too would soon find this place.
Kara sighed as she looked up from her many maps that lay about on the table in front of her.
The trees that made up the endless forest in the Betrubung Swamp were close knit, both in distance and in kinship. The trees, long here before the resistance made its base, let only letting the strongest of lights through as they have evolved to survive off the many types of fungi that grew at their roots, surviving off their natural emitted lights.
But here, at the highest point where the branches thinned out, full sunshine came down. The warmth and natural light seemed to embrace the world here like a loving hug, assuring that all would be alright.
A brush of air from the stairs carried up the scents from before, the smell of water and rot combined with fire, brimstone and spice, but this time stronger. Along came the hints of sweat, the tang of metal, and oddly enough, something sickeningly sweet.
"By the Avatars," panted a familiar voice. Kara turned to see the Hero in all their glory. Mud and swamp slime coating their legs to a point above their knees, golden-red sap covering their upper armour in patches, twigs and leaves sticking out from gaps where parts of the armour overlap, and their face as red as their Dragon Amulet.
Kara gently bit the inside of her mouth as the Hero pulled and tugged a large bag up the last remaining steps before collapsing onto the floor.
"Looks like you not only did you find the Face Nommer, but you were successful in bringing it back," Kara admired as she eyed the bag that was now wiggled.
"Honestly, it was tougher getting it up the stairs than battling it," the Hero heaved, pulling a twig from their shoulder. "I swear, it was spiting me every step of the way, just like Zorbak."
"Zorbak?" Kara asked as Svera and two other guards came to take the Face Nommer to the still sleeping Rose Agent, Edd.
"An ebil little blue moglin that's a necromancer. I haven't seen hide nor hair since I was unFrozen," the Hero explained, waving a hand around. "The Face Nommer had an imprint of his face in its second bulb."
"Ah," Kara nodded in understand as the now vicious wiggling bag was dragged out of the room. "Well, looks like this mission could begin in earnest soon. I was successful in getting the paperwork done so that "Edd" can return to duties."
"Huzzah," cheered the Hero tiredly, pulling themselves into a sitting position. "Just as soon as I take a warm bubble bath, I have swamp muck in places I don't even want to think about."
Kara couldn't stop the small grin as she watched the Hero made their ways done the stairs. No doubt the Hero would enjoy a long, and well deserved, bath after this not-so-fun meander though the swamp.
Kara was about to turn back to her paperwork when some rustling off to the side caught her attention. Looks like Svera was already dealing with the Face Nommer. She was proved right when more sounds caught her attention.
The sounds of a small tree full of leaves being furiously rustled by the wind accompanied by a loud SMOOCH. Svera letting out an old elven curse, which was followed by a BANG of something hitting the floor.
Kara hoped that both the Face Nommer and Edd were alright.
With the last of the paperwork done for the moment, with the majority of it being related to the current mission at hand, did Kara take a step back from the table. There was still work to be done: camps to help staff and resource routes planned out, Rose advancements stopped. But that would have to be taken one day at a time.
Perhaps things will be easier onceElryn was rescued from Espina Rosa. To have a trusted friend with her and the Vind again, who could read the wind of people, and hear the unspoken voices of their hearts.
Or the Hero could be discovered and killed, murmured a voice. Kara shook her head, as if to shake the thought lose. They would not think like that, they will not think like that.
The rest of Kara's thoughts were disrupted when one level below there was a great splash followed by a string of loud but indecipherable words.
Kara felt a smile hang from her lips as she made her down where a small gathering surrounded the bathing area for the "higher" ranking Vind members, with the communal baths being held both on ground level and the first floor.
"Everything alright Hero?" Kara asked when she reached the door that lead to the more private baths.
"I could use a hand if possible," was the grunted reply followed by more splashing of water.
Kara shooed away the gathering crowed before entering. There, half in and half out with pieces of their armour still sticking to them and hair greasy because of the sap, was one rather embarrassed looking Hero.
"Sit in the tub; I'll get the soap to help dissolve the sap." Kara went over to the shelf that held the many soap bars and bath fizzers mass produced to help keep clean a large resistance force clean.
There was a THUD followed by more splashing as the Hero more fell into the tub rather than get in into the tub. Sitting upright, the Hero rubbed their eyes as they coughed out the water they had swallowed.
"Truly I say, the Rose worst nightmare," teased Kara as she walked over to the tub and dropped one of the bath fizzer into the water. "Should they ever plan an attack from the bathroom, they would have the advantage."
"Haha," was the sarcastic laugh from the Hero as they soon began to try and start washing out the sap. The bubbles made by the fizzer turned the water a deep blue and was making large enough bubbles that the Hero was soon engulf in a cloud of sky blue.
Quickly dipping the soap bar into the water, Kara soon had a good amount of lather which went to work scrubbing out the sap from the Hero's hair. The Hero let out a hum as they leaned back, seeming to enjoyed the touch as Kara worked out the sap and knots of hair.
Kara felt the air in her lungs freeze, her nails digging into the Hero's scalp making them yelp.
She cared for the Hero, loved them like one of their kin. To lose them, many of the Vind would lose heart. And Kara would no doubt lose hers.
"Hey? Is everything alright?" The Hero was turning around, their eyes searching Kara's.
Kara opened her mouth, to say something, anything at all. But there was only silence.
The Hero's eyes, deep and clear, seem to burn Kara's face like a branding rod. There was a flash of realization across their face as it then soften, full of sympathy and understanding.
Kara's heart lurked as she wondered, how many people have cared for the Hero. How many people had the Hero cared for? And how many were still alive?
They turned around and looked straight to the wall. The two seemed to sit in silence, a tension in the air like the calm before a thunderstorm.
"It will be alright," was what they finally said.
"How….how do you know it will be?" Kara's voice was weak and hoarse, as if ill.
"I don't. But as a Hero, it's what I believe it. I have to believe it. Otherwise all those doubts, all that misery and anger will overwhelm. You know better than anyone, don't you Kara?"
Kara's throat tighten, the Hero's two sided words ringing true.
No more words were spoken, either because any words Kara tried to say seemed to die on her tongue or because the Hero was finally content as the soap and water did their own kind of magic.
Elryn once said that each person had their own wind that told more about a person than words spoken ever could. Untold stories, fears, truths and lies mix and blended to create an array of words and colors by the person, and about the person.
Kara, surmised as she continued to scrub the sap out and watch the satisfactory play across the Hero's face as they leaned into Kara's action, was that the wind of the Hero must be that of a gale.
A long-going wind, probably a breeze when the Hero began their career, which had only increased in strength, stubbornness and patience. Kara wondered of the times when it might have spluttered or changed directions. Times when it had almost died out, leaving behind a stagnant air that would smell of mourning bouquets.
Kara's heart ached at the thought of losing such a cherish friend should the mission go wrong. But the Hero would go, to do whatever she could to stop the Rose and their attempts of all destruction of magic. Still go around smiling and saving the day, doing what they thought was right for Greengaurd, for Lore. And if they made a mistake, then they would learn from that mistake and continued try, and try again.
And Kara loved that about the Hero.