Lefaaz wondered around the searching for any sign of Master Magician Tchetfeti Singingpoet. His master had asked him to him to look, at the very least for Sizarra's sake.
Droplets of cold rain started to rain down from the heavens, Lefaaz held back a shudder. He was used to such weather but that didn't stop it from being cold. He pulled his blacked cloak closer around him. Hopefully the cloak would prove to be some protection from the rain.
He continued walking around the camp his heart growing darker with the sky. His master had feelings for the high elf mage. Ninweil tried to hide it, but he couldn't hide such feelings when so many people were close by. Whenever Ninweil looked at Sizarra his eyes would gleam with untold feelings, his whole face would glow.
Lefaaz had only seen Ninweil so smitten one time in the long years he had know him. It had been Nin's last lover, his only lover. He'd been with the woman for ten years before she had run off with another man breaking the master ranger's heart, in what Lefaaz thought was beyond repair.
It had been thirty years ago, but Lefaaz still remembered it. It had been the event that had caused him to become Ninweil's apprentice. The woman had been Lefaaz's mother, Lenyanna, a gorgeous druid known for her abilities in the art.
Lefaaz was supposed to follow his mother's footsteps and become a druid. He had no love for the nature magic they stirred up. It had always made him uneasy since the presence of steel on the user was forbidden. His mother had been disappointed with her son and sought out a ranger to teach him the ways of the forest. Thus he had met Nin.
Ninweil had fallen for Lenyanna, her beauty enchanting him the first time he had glanced her. The two of them had hit it off immediately. Lefaaz was happy with it he had someone who he could call father. When he had actually called him father his mother had pounced on him, her voice would have held the power to kill. He remembered her words to him on that day, it still rung in his ears.
'He is not your father! HE WILL NEVER BE YOUR FATHER!!'
The words had hurt the younger ranger and he had run off his face bathed in tears. He remember asking himself who his father was if Ninweil was not it, he had never met the man. He didn't have the courage to ask his mother who it was either. He presumed that the man was dead.
He'd run off deep into the forest, where no light shone through the trees. There had been a ruined shrine there that when he touched it brought him comfort. The shrine must have been a effigy of a beautiful woman once but it had been ruined pieces of it scattered throughout the clearing. The statue had been overrun by vines and moss. How he'd found it he didn't know.
It had been his place where he often sought comfort. His place of questions as he liked to call it. It had been the last time he'd gone there.
Ninweil had gone after him than. With his tracking abilities and knowledge of the forest near his home he could find anything. He remembered when Ninweil had found him had told him that even though he wasn't his father he'd been there for him. Ninweil had no children of his own and doubted he'd ever have any. Lefaaz's mother refused to have anymore children and had promised Ninweil that if she did become with child she'd abort the pregnancy somehow.
When they had returned to the house his mother had turned on him and marched him off to his room to be flogged. He'd been beaten until his rump was black and blue. He hadn't been able to sit for weeks. After that day, Lefaaz had never called Ninweil father again after that.
When his mother had left Ninweil she had left her only son as well. Nin had been heart broken; it was the only time he had ever seen tears glistening in his eyes. Lefaaz was just a child than and could do nothing to comfort him.
The ranger after several days of mourning had taken Lefaaz in as his own and accepted the fate that had befallen him. Lefaaz had been happy about his mother leaving him. No more beatings, no more screaming in his ear.
Ninweil was calm around him, a calm pool founded within a chaotic forest. He had never yelled at him, never raised a hand against him. A look from his master could bring Lefaaz down a notch. He'd hate to see what would of happened if the ranger would of yelled at him.
His abusive mother he had never seen again and Lefaaz was left with the conclusion that Ninweil had overlooked his mother's many, many flaws while they were together, but if he saw her again he wouldn't take her back.
Lefaaz agreed with that policy, sure her had loved his mother, but he'd never be able to forgive her for leaving him. He'd never forgive her the beatings, the endless lectures and the humiliation that he had faced on her part.
Sometimes he wondered what he'd do if he ever saw her again. The list of things he'd do to her ranged from gutting her to beheading her completely. He prayed to Tunare that for her sake they'd never cross paths again.
Other times he wondered what life would be like if she had never left Ninweil. He imagined her being the demonic woman she'd been, growing worse year by year and Lefaaz growing angrier and angrier at her. He thought that perhaps she of been killed by his hands if he hadn't pushed her off of the wooden platforms of the city of Kelethin or gave her to the bloodthirsty Crushbone orcs first.
The rain was falling faster now and was accompanied by bright lightning; crashing thunder and a roar…wait a roar? Since when did roaring happen with a storm? Something wasn't right, Lefaaz looked up to the sky the water impairing his vision.
He wiped his eyes and looked up again a large dragon was in sight. It's majestic body seemed to blot out the gray clouds. A flash of lightning reveled its menacing red blood shot eyes, its finely honed talons and glittering black scales. The dragon's wings were fully extended, gliding in a imposing circle near the camp.
It was than that he noticed the creatures bloodshot eyes were staring right at him. It opened its mouth to let loose a blast of molten fire. Lefaaz's eyes were wide, his heart was thumping in his chest, he felt it was about to leap out from his throat in terror.
Think back to your training he told himself as he watched the bolt fly towards him. He strained his muscles waiting. It took all his will not to jump away from the blast right than and there, for surely the fearsome monster would attack the camp before they were ready.
At the last moment Lefaaz sprang from the ground away from the blast, he could feel the intense heat from behind him singing his hair He landed on his feet and tucked his legs into a roll the fire was spreading.
The ranger's cloak flew off the string keeping it secure breaking as he rolled down a hill nearby. He rolled nearly twenty feet before he managed to stop. He looked up at the spot a crater was there and his cloak was on fire.
"Not my favorite cloak!" He complained pulling out his bow. He strung the great oak staff using his lucky string made from hemp. He readied an arrow his favorite in fact, made by himself. The feathers on it were from an eagle and dyed a crimson color that he could find it more easily after a fight, the shaft was made from steady heartwood he had found and shaped himself.
The dragon was lazily flying in circles above him, looking for his prey. Lefaaz pulled his bow string back aiming and waiting for the perfect moment. He squinted at the shape of the dragon above, the rain stung his eyes.
Lefaaz let fly the arrow, It stung the creature in its scaled side. He nocked another arrow and let fly again. He prayed that soon the others would join him so that he could slay this monster.
The beast swooped down at him talons fully extended, ready to render and tear at the nuisance. First he invades on his hunting territory, the creature than dodges his might breath than shoots little pieces of wood at him. This puny creature was going to die today and he would feast on its bones.
Ninweil sat in his tent his eyes closed, his mind trying to reach the meditative trance that would guide him. He was lost of what to do next, he had called upon his brother Songkeeper using the mind magic that he had with his twin but there had been no response.
Song was his younger brother by two and a half minutes. The only real family he had on Norrath. The rest of the family had died when the dark elves had raided.
He remembered his father shooting arrow after arrow at them but there had been too many. His mother's face had been that of pure horror as the army moved through the site. It had been a simple trip, a trip to honor the statue of the goddess Tunare, They visited it every year with several others.
The dark elves had killed the priests first, slashing their throats with their mutated blades. Those had been the lucky ones. The others had been tortured, their nails pulled out, their fingers cut off, than their hands were severed. Finally they had blinded them gouging out their eyes with strange devices of evil. All the while the dark elves had laughed; it was an offering to Innoruuk, god of hate.
After they had blinded the priests they had cut out their tongues out so no prayers to Tunare could escape their lips. Finally they would cut the priests hearts from their chests, hold the hearts over their heads and let the blood drench their bodies.
After the priests were dead the visitors, overcome with shock had only time to run, the dark elves shooting them down as they fled. Ninweil's father was one of the few to react and rebel against these invaders. His mother had fled with her sons as far as she could before she had been killed. The boys had been carried away by the crowd and forced to leave their mother.
Ninweil shook his head trying once again to empty his thoughts. When a memory threatened to surface in his mind he pushed it away. The listened to the sound of the rain dripping on the tent followed by the occasionally blast of lightning.
"Ninweil?" Came a voice inside his head startling him, it was Songkeeper.
"Thank Tunare, Songkeeper why couldn't I get a hold of you earlier…I was beginning to worry." Ninweil stood up and started to pace around the tent.
"I'm sorry Nin, but trouble arose…I can't explain it to you now, they had a wizard of great power with them that might be able to interfere with the mind connection." Ninweil could sense fear in his twins mind. "I'll contact you later." The connection cut out and the ranger paced his tent more franticly.
This worried him, if someone was following Songkeeper than maybe they were after it as well. What it was he wasn't sure all he knew was he'd heard the orcs talking about an artifact that was last seen in the hidden city. The city that happened to have been his brother's home for a few years now.
He was hoping that he'd be able to find this artifact before the orcs could. The beasts weren't smart enough to think of this themselves so there had to be influence from something worse and if there were wizards involved it reeked of dark elves.
A roar cut through the air than whatever it was from was close, real close. Ninweil ran from the tent bow in hands, weapons stripped to his side. A gut feeling told him Lefaaz was in trouble.
Lefaaz shivered, that had been a close call. The dragon had barely missed a fatal blow skewering his skin and clothing. He could feel a sharp pain in his leg but he would live for the moment. The elf's strength was ebbing, soon he wouldn't be able to dodge the attacks, he'd be dragon food.
He shot another arrow at the dragon hitting it between two scales as he flew in circles above Lefaaz. The dragon threw back his head and opened its mouth ready to blast him. "Great not only will I be dragon food, I'll be roasted." He remarked.
He closed his eyes and waited for impending death. He hoped it would be quick and that he had stalled enough so that his comrades would be well away from harm or ready for a fight.
The pain never came, the burning agony never came. Reluctantly he opened his eyes. The mighty dragon crashed into a tree and fell to the ground dead. There were several arrows in its eyes and some in his wings. Scorch marks lined his body and an air elemental stood near it making sure it was dead.
A reassuring hand was on his shoulder. "It's about time!" Lefaaz said. He turned around to face his master flinching as a wave of pain came from his leg.
"Taking on a dragon by yourself Lefaaz!" Ninweil lectured him, "You would have been killed if we hadn't come along!" Behind Ninweil stood Sizarra her face pale, seeming to glow in the dark of the storm.
"I'm going back to camp." She told Ninweil, She Turned a glare Lefaaz's way. "You're coming with me to Sanjum."
Lefaaz tried to stand the pain lanced through his leg again. The young ranger fell back into the mud. He tried a second time, this time the pain was more intense, his vision became a fog and the sound of the rain around him dulled. He collapsed onto the ground tears of excruciating pain filling his eyes. He hoped his master would mistake them for the rain pouring down.
"I'd come with you but I can't stand." He said through gritted teeth it took all his will to talk. A wave of dizziness came over him.
Ninweil bent down and looked at the wound, it was oozing black liquid and the black was quickly spreading through Lefaaz's veins. If they didn't act quickly Lefaaz would be dead. "Go get Sanjum!" Ninweil yelled over a roar of thunder, "He's been poisoned!"
Sizarra nodded and ran off, her air elemental behind her. Ninweil watched her go; he couldn't help but admire the swing in her hips as she ran. She was gorgeous even soaking wet the clothing clinging to her in all the right places.
He shook the thoughts away and focused back on his apprentice. His skin was clammy and becoming a grayish color he had to delay the flow of poison. He ripped a strip of his cloak of and tied it above the wound stopping blood flow.
He had the ability to heal the wound, but not cure the poison. Sure he could cure minor poisons, but this was something much, much worse.
"I'm sorry master." Lefaaz said weakly, "I didn't know the dragon had poisoned talons. He cringed in pain. "If I had know I'd of ran it straight to you guys." He grinned through the pain.
"I'm sure you would of, would of made quite a mess of everything with no room to dodge and maybe of alerted the army of orcs too." Ninweil responded checking Lefaaz's pulse it was fading.
His apprentice smiled "That would have been fun, a fight with an army of orcs."
"Lefaaz, Ninweil!" came Sanjum's voice
"Over here Sanjum!" Ninweil responded jumping away from Lefaaz so that Sanjum would have room to study him.
Sanjum looked over the wound he'd seen worse in his days of healing armies. Limbs torn from bodies, guts pouring from wounds, this was minor compared to them. He slipped on a pair of gloves made just for the occasion. He touched the black ooze, it burned through the glove.
The cleric tore off the glove and threw it to the ground it shriveled up and disappeared. Maybe this was worse than all of the other things he'd cared for before but he could cure it. He had to cure it; if he failed they'd be down two party members in less than a week. He didn't want to know how Ninweil would handle the loss of his apprentice.
He knew the boy, no man, was much more than an apprentice to the ranger. The way the two fought the way the two interacted together it was like himself and his own son.
He frowned and tried to cure the poison sapping from him, nothing happened.
"His pulse is fading." Ninweil stated a frown coming to his face. Sanjum thought he saw the glint of a tear in his eyes.
He tried once again to cure him but nothing. It was like something was blocking his powers something maleficent.
"I can't feel his pulse Sanjum." Ninweil cried out
"Tunare help me cure this man." Sanjum whispered pancking he tried once again to draw on her powers. They came forth with a surge of blinding light.. Time stopped flowing around him. He could see his goddess before him, her beauty parting the storm
She looked at her devote follower a tear in her eye. Sanjum had the urge to wipe away the tear to comfort her. A part of him laughed at the idea, to comfort a goddess! It was insane, it shouldn't be done.
Tunare turned towards Lefaaz. He was gray his body stiff with death. "My poor son" she whispered her lithe form bent over him the tears flowing freely now. "This is not your time to die, arise, you must fight." She touched Lefaaz's brow slowly the color returned to him the visage of death gone.
She than turned towards Sanjum and smiled, her smile was one of joy. "He must sleep, faithful cleric." She said to him fading away, "Than you will all be ready for what is to come."
"Wait what is to come, my goddess?" Sanjum asked her but she was gone, time was flowing again the rain falling harder than ever.
"The healing is done." Sanjum said standing up. He turned around to stare at Lefaaz he was passed out the healing doing its work. The boy must be high in the favor of Tunare, to have her heal him. Sanjum wondered for a moment if Lefaaz was aware of the goddess' healing
If he had been healed by her he'd of been deeply honored. He was honored, she had spoken to him he had seen her. The only highest ranked priests ever saw her.
Ninweil picked up his apprentice with a grunt. "He's a lot heavier than he used to be." Ninweil stated. They made their way back to camp, Lefaaz needed new clothing or he'd catch a cold.
Darlend was waiting for them outside of the camp a frown on her face. "Sizarra told me what happened, is everyone alright?" her gaze was on Lefaaz
"Everyone is fine now." Sanjum responded. Should he tell her about what had happened back there? He didn't know, he'd play it out for now wait for Lefaaz to awaken. If he had seen the goddess himself or had heard her in any aspect he'd have Tunare's blessing to tell the rest of them.
"Where is Sizarra?" Ninweil asked looking around.
"She's in Lefaaz's tent. She said something about clean clothing." Darlend responded
Ninweil accepted this of course Sizarra would have the foresight to prepare clothing for Lefaaz. He grunted Lefaaz was getting heavy and the water was soaking his cloak, he'd better hurry and get Lefaaz inside, than he'd get some nice clean clothing for himself. He lunged into the tent.
Sizarra sat inside her head lowered. Her silver hair was hanging lose at the moment covering her face. By her side was a clean outfit for Lefaaz. She was holding another outfit one of his close to her.
He yearned to pull her close throw the outfit she was carrying away from her. He imagined himself holding her his arms around her slim waste. Her violet eyes would look at him with returned love as she wrapped her arms around. Their lips would meet in a frenzied kiss as he ran his hands through her hair.
"Nin." Sizarra said interrupting his fantasy, "I thought maybe you'd like some clean clothing as well so I took grabbed you some."
"Thank you Sizarra." He placed Lefaaz down.
Sizarra ran a hand through her hair uncovering her face. Her violet eyes met his hazel as she handed him his clothing one of his best. The shirt was green like all his clothing but made of some silk he had acquired in the markets of Freeport years ago. The pants were made of leather dyed a dark green to help blend in with his surroundings. She had even grabbed him a black leather belt.
"I guess I better go now, so you can get him dressed." She quickly said starting to leave.
Ninweil grabbed her wrist and pulled her closer. The contact brought shocks on unexpected pleasure lancing through his body. "Please stay, I'm sure Lefaaz won't mind…he's indisposed at the moment."
She sat down where Ninweil had stopped her, a smile on her lips, "I'll stay if only for a moment, but you need to get him dressed first."
Ninweil released her arm. She turned around to reserve some modesty.
Nin grabbed the clothing she had set out for Lefaaz. Quickly he undressed his apprentice and redressed him. It reminded him of when Lefaaz was only a boy. He had fallen asleep so many times in dirty clothing or in the wrong clothing.
"Ok he's dressed, I guess I better change." He took off his soaking cloak. The loss of weight was a relief to him. He couldn't wait to get into dry clothing. He started to take off his shirt than stopped looking at Sizarra, she was staring at him a blush plainly visible on her face.
"Sorry." She said looking down at the floor in shame.
Ninweil smiled at her, he wished that he hadn't stopped undressing maybe if he had changed in front of her something would have happened. Something could still happen. "Well we are alone." He said to her taking a step towards her, the blushed deepened.
"Not quite alone." Her gaze lingered on Lefaaz's sleeping form.
Ninweil grabbed Sizarra's hand and gently kissed it. "You are right." He said to her.
She giggled and pulled Nin down next to her. "You and Lefaaz are close aren't you?" She questioned after a few moments of silence.
"Yes, he is like a son to me. His mother years ago abandoned him with me and I was forced to care for him." Nin smiled at the sleeping form of Lefaaz. "I wasn't forced really. It was a joy for me. Someday I'd like to have children of my own." He went silent for a moment playing with Sizarra's hair.
After a few minutes he spoke again, "After this quest is over, he will no longer be my apprentice. He'll be bumped up to full ranger soon." A smile softened his face, "After all these years, finally a ranger. I'll miss him, sure we could still travel together but not for five more years. Do you know what happens after an apprentice ranger becomes a full blown ranger?"
"I don't." Sizarra replied.
"He has to go out into the wilds on his own for five years. This should be my proudest moment when my s…" he stopped he had almost called Lefaaz his son.
"It's ok." Sizarra said, "I guess because you raised him you think of him as a son."
Ninweil grinned. "I guess so…" he went quiet for a moment. The sound of the rain pounding on outside and an occasional snore from Lefaaz were the only sounds within the tent.
His clothing suddenly felt very heavy, their wetness getting to him. He grew uneasy in the heat of the tent. The urge to go outside and walk under the few trees that were near the camp came over him.
"I-I need to change," he reluctantly released Sizarra's hand staring into her eyes as he did. She seemed hurt with the loss of his hand in hers.
He couldn't do anything to stop it though. He'd catch a cold if he stayed in these. The last thing they needed right now was for him to get sick. He imagined Sanjum lecturing him instead of helping to heal him faster. And when Songkeeper arrived, he'd have news to tell them, him being sick would only delay it. Song would fret over his brother. He'd always been over caring. Ninweil chuckled to himself at the thought of it.
"It'd be best if I left, it wouldn't look good if I came out of this tent later with you in new clothing." Sizarra stood up not wanting to leave.
"Please stay." Nin pleaded. The truth was he didn't care what the others thought; he wanted Sizarra to be here with him. He hadn't felt for a woman like this in a long time…ever since Lefaaz's mother.
"I…" Sizarra stopped herself she wanted to stay, but. She looked at Ninweil he was staring at her loneliness in his eyes. She wanted to ease that loneliness, to let him know everything was alright. He was a good man he'd make her happy. Maybe she could have a future with the man.
But what kind of future she wondered. She didn't know anything about him. What were his likes his dislikes? What frightened him? What turned him on? A flush became visible on her face as she dismissed the last thought blaming it on the current situation.
"I-I'm sorry" she stammered but I can't. She looked into his eyes one last time they were filled with sparkling tears. He looked so sad than that she almost changed her mind, but she knew if she did things would be different between the two of them and this she wasn't ready for yet.
She than turned her gaze to the sleeping apprentice ranger, she definitely couldn't stay with him in here and it was his tent after all.
"I'll talk to you later Nin." She smiled and him and left the tent.