Previously: Gandalf the Grey appeared in the Empire of Sands. He traveled from settlement to settlement, distributing video games, and talking to Earthers. Sometimes going out of his way to visit Earthers without leaving a trail of video games in his wake. His travels have brought him through the Great Zeikhal Desert and into Tiqr.
"Healing Light."
Gandalf spoke the words and moved his staff in the precise way that would have the eight small, invisible cubes fly out of where they were hidden and surround the frightful looking woman. A hidden projector on the staff's tip shown a soft light on her to complete the effect. He'd borrowed the idea from a fellow wizard named Myrddin. As much as it galled him, he did not possess the correct skills in this form to heal the injured or to perform other great feats of Wizardry.
Speaking of which. "Forcefield." Four more drones flew out to stop anyone from getting any bright ideas involving the width of the chasm verses the range of a crossbow.
The field the first group of drones made caused the woman's wounds to rapidly regenerate. As they did, he looked out at the destruction he'd just caused. Gandalf was in a tricky situation. He wanted to help people, and make a name for himself, but he also didn't want to upset any nation overmuch.
However, he couldn't just stand by and watch an army slaughter someone. It was a shame that the device inside of his staff had only just picked up the woman's distress call - weakened as it might have been from the ward the army had raised. If he had gotten here sooner, he could've prevented so much death and destruction.
At least the most dangerous ability he had was working as he'd hoped. It was playing with fire. No one else knew what lurked in the depths. Could such a thing really be-
"What?!" The woman gasped as her eyes opened. "Where?!" Her head spun around before she saw the chasm and the army fleeing on the far edge. "How?"
"Greetings, my lady." Gandalf tipped his hat at her. "My name is Gandalf the Grey and I happened to wander by and see you in distress." He smiled gently at her. "You're safe now. No one shall harm you while I am around."
The woman turned to look at him with wide, innocent eyes that were in contrast to her bloody claws and fangs. "How?" She repeated as she looked down at her body with amazement.
Gandalf stuck his staff in the ground, causing the light to fade and the the eight healing cubes to fly back inside. He pulled a pipe from inside his robes and began to fill it with a local weed. "I am a [Wizard] of no small power." His eyes twinkled as he provided the barest of explanations.
"Oh, uhm..." The woman blinked and scrambled to her feet and deeply bowed. "Thank you, sir, [Wizard], sir!" She glanced away and fidgeted. "My name, is, uhm, Laila and I'm, uhm, a [Runner]. I was going to Lipn, to, uhm, tell them about the war and to advise them to prepare to, uhm, receive refugees." Her bright expression fell as she thought about the nearby town.
"I see." Gandalf finished packing his pipe and held his finger up to it. "[Finger Flame]." A small fire appeared at the tip of his finger and he moved it in a circle while inhaling through the pipe to light it. Once he was done, he shook his finger and drew in a deep breath. "War is a terrible thing." He exhaled a plume of smoke.
"Yes... yes it is." She agreed.
The pair were silent for a moment as they gazed across the chasm. Gandalf puffed contentedly on his pipe while considering what to do next. He was getting closer to his target. He could feel it. Still to the south-east and moving, but the direction varied more and more each day. That meant he was near enough for him to pick up on relatively small fluctuations.
But... while that was the goal of his journey, the fact remained that he also couldn't ignore what he'd just witnessed.
"What do you plan to do next?" He glanced down at the blood-covered girl. She had a faraway look in her eyes as she looked at the small town on the distant horizon.
"I... I need to get back. To tell people what happened. Lipn was supposed to be safe. It didn't border any other nation. Refugees are already on their way."
"Ah. Preparing to enter the Zeikhal Desert." He nodded in understanding. "Tiqr's citizens do not have many options. Fight, forfeit, or flee." His eyes narrowed. "And one of those does not seem to be truly viable."
"Why?" Laila looked up at him with a pleading expression. "Why would they do this? Why not take them alive to sell as [Slaves]?"
"For surprise, I would imagine." Gandalf took another long drag. "To have their armies appear where they are not expected."
"But to kill everyone..."
He hummed. "There are reasons for that too. It might be to make sure there were no witnesses to what they'd done. No one to possibly warn others of their advance. It could also be the desire to not have a potentially hostile force at their backs. Or... it might just be convenient. If Killale wanted this land for themselves... Well, killing off the people that currently lived on it was easier than ruling over a conquered populace. Or keeping them guarded and fed until the end of the war."
They stood in silence until Gandalf spoke again.
"What will you do now?" He blew a small ring of smoke as he changed the subject.
"I..." She shook her head and looked up at him. "I need to get back. To tell someone about this."
He nodded. "Yes. I suppose you should."
"Will you..." Laila looked away as she fidgeted with her claws. "Will you come with me?"
"Oh?" Gandalf raised his eyebrows. "I might be many things, but I am no [Runner]. I fear I would slow you down."
"Yeah..." Her shoulders seemed to deflate before she looked back up at him. "But they might come after me. I... I would feel safer with someone else around. Someone I can trust."
"Well, I suppose that short cuts make long delays." To quote someone. "If you can spare the time, I can spare the company."
She looked at him and smiled. "Thank you!" Her voice was earnest as she stood up.
The pair began to walk down the road and Gandalf wondered something. Had she not realize how injured she had been? Most people he healed tended to take a moment to examine themselves and, to be frank, marvel at what he'd done.
They walked in silence for a while until Gandalf decided that the distance between them and the chasm was sufficient enough to prevent any further hostilities. He made a quick double-tap of his staff on the ground, and the invisible force-field drones responded to the signal and returned.
"I've heard scant news come out of Tiqr recently. How goes things?" He asked the question in part to distract Laila from potentially noticing the drones, but mainly because he was genuinely curious.
"You don't know?" She looked up at him with wide eyes.
"No, I'm afraid not. I suppose that [Bards] and such do not tarry in the middle of such a conflict." He shrugged. "Even if they did, I have just crossed the Zeikhal Desert. There have been scant opportunities for me to encounter anyone with such details."
"Not well." She admitted. "Liqr was not the first town that I've run to that was..." Her voice trailed off for a few seconds. "But it was the worst."
So far. The unspoken words hung between them.
"Yes, with the King of Destruction rising to the north, I fear that bloodshed will become more common as of late."
"It's not Flos' fault." Laila grumbled.
"Oh?" Gandalf glanced at her. "Are you a supporter of his?"
"No. And neither is Nsiia or Tiqr!"
Strange. That wasn't what he'd heard.
"Please." He smiled warmly at her. "Enlighten me then."
"I was there. In Pomle, when the [Kings] and [Queens] gathered." Laila spoke bitterly. "They discussed the King of Destruction's vow to not make war if he's not attacked and his request for his subjects to have safe journeys. Nissa stood up to the rest of them. Told them that she wasn't taking any side. That she was no longer the King of Destruction's subject, but also that she wouldn't attack Reim and grant any who wanted it safe passage through Tiqr."
"Yes." Gandalf nodded. "That does indeed fit the notion of neutrality."
"They declared war the next day."
"Who did?"
"All of them!" Laila clenched her claws. "Armies crossed Tiqr's borders that very same day! It was all planned!"
"I see." Gandalf stroked his beard while considering if he should refill his pipe or put it away. The weeds he put inside did nothing. Like everything, it was only a prop.
"If you didn't know that, why did you help me?" Laila suddenly switched topics.
Gandalf chuckled. "Why would I need a reason to help someone?"
"Well..." She seemed to pull in on herself. "I know what I look like."
"Yes. I feel it holds true that most people know what they look like." He tapped his pipe against his staff to empty it before putting it away.
"I mean, I know I look like a monster."
Gandalf raised an eyebrow. "I suspect all the blood plays a large role in that."
"Blood? What?" Laila looked at him with panic in her eyes for a moment before turning her gaze towards her hands and torso. "Dead gods, I hadn't realized!"
"You have clearly been through a lot. I think some shock is to be expected." He paused to consider where they were. "There's a river close by, is there not? You could clean yourself there." It would be easier than making another well or summoning a rain storm. Safer too.
"Y-yeah." Laila nodded. "If you're okay with waiting."
"Of course, my dear, a [Wizard] is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to."
"Okay?"
"That means that I'm perfectly fine with waiting. After all, you are waiting on me by not running ahead."
"That's not the same thing." She protested. "Me walking with you wouldn't delay you, this would."
Gandalf brushed away her concern. "I am in no rush. I shall arrive at my location when I do, and I shall be better for my journey." While he drew closer and closer to his target with each passing day, it was important to not lose sight of the people and places around him.
They walked in silence for a time before the road curved and the pair left it. The river was still several miles away, but it was a pleasant day - if one discounted the earlier events. Gandalf sensed that Laila wished to talk about something, but was also afraid to speak up.
His impression that she was meek and shy was at odds with her appearance. The amount of blood on her could only have come from a prolonged fight. While some of it was hers, no doubt, the caked on red liquid around her mouth and claws was solid evidence that she'd given as good as she'd gotten.
It... was odd.
Gandalf was no stranger to gore or fights. Even if Laila had started the conflict with the foreign soldiers, he couldn't blame her or find fault.
No. The strangest thing was how someone with her apparent temperament was so deadly in combat. Other clues such as her desire to help in the war, but as a [Runner] instead of a fighter, painted an interesting picture. Then there was her off-hand comment about being at the meeting of [Rulers]. That implied close enough ties with one of the gathered leaders to be included in the escort.
...Unless she was a citizen of Pomle?
Gandalf had only done the most general research of the different countries in Chandrar. There were just too many.
Regardless of Laila's past, some things about her present state were clear. Her body hadn't always been like it currently was. The way her body language changed when her hands or mouth were brought up... It was like she was ashamed, but had forgotten about them.
If she'd always had looked like that, she could still feel different and try to hide her more monstrous aspects, but it would be more ingrained.
Or so he thought.
Gandalf sat on a rock while Laila washed herself in the swift moving waters. He was no expert, and they'd only just met. If she hadn't asked him to walk with her, he'd probably have put her out of his mind already.
He leaned back and took out his pipe.
Still, as long as they did travel in each other's company, he couldn't help but be a little curious.
Laila scrubbed the blood off of her in the distributary of the Oliphant river. The water was fast-moving and cold, despite it being a small fraction of the Olipant's size.
Her clothes were ruined. It didn't take a Stitchfolk to see that. She could at least wash away the stickiness. There was nothing she could do about their stiffness. Once they dried, they'd be rough and uncomfortable again.
Which... didn't really bother her. She was only loosely connected to Zehia's body at the moment. Part of that was fear from when the cannibalistic desires began to seep over. She'd gotten too comfortable. Too used to thinking of Zehia's body as her own.
The other reason was equally worrisome, but in a different way: something was going on between Zehia and those dark desires. She was still screaming. Not as loud or as with the same level of emotions as before, but whatever was occurring inside of Zehia's mind was clearly... bad.
...And there was nothing that Laila could do. [Touch Telepathy] only let her know it was happening in the first place. If it wasn't for that Skill... she would've thought that everything was fine. Great even! She hadn't even noticed the dark presence that had been slowly building up within her.
Now?
Now it was gone, and Laila felt great... Except for the guilt and the screaming.
She let out a sigh and used her bloody shirt to try and wash off the stains on her hands and jaw.
Zehia's hands and jaw.
As she did so, Laila let her mind wander. Seeing the village being occupied had brought back memories. Memories that were even worse, even if she objectively knew that the outcome hadn't been nearly as bad for her hometown.
The raiders... had only killed a few people. She'd been taken and then sold, but she hadn't been slaughtered like the villagers in Liqr had been. Not that she thought the raiders, or the [Slaver] who'd bought her had been nicer people.
The simple fact was that the villagers had been worth more alive than dead. That Laila had been worth more alive than dead.
Liqr citizens hadn't been that lucky. Killale didn't value them, and thus... they were all now dead.
Laila wondered just what the reason was. Gandalf had given her more than one possible explanation for why they'd been slaughtered to a person. Which one was the truth? All of them? None of them? Was it just some bleak calculation that a [Strategist] had made.
Lives lost verses... some sort of gains?
Or were the lives lost a gain in and of themselves?
She watched the reddish water flow away from her as her thoughts then went to her savior.
Gandalf.
The old [Wizard] who somehow reminded her of Sibby, despite their quite obvious differences. Laila supposed it only made sense for her to compare two people that had saved her life. Both were strong, kind, and detached.
Or... she might just be projecting.
How often had she dreamed for some handsome young man to fall in love with her and buy her? More times than she could count. It doubtlessly wasn't an uncommon dream for a [Slave] to have.
While she didn't think of Sibby like that, it was also doubtless that she loved the Siberian. Just, not like a lover.
Laila paused as she thought of something. Was... was Sibby like her mom? That...
When she'd held her at night. When she fed her. When she listened.
Dead gods!
Laila felt Zehia's cheeks flush with embarrassment. What next? Was she going to latch onto Gandalf like he was her father? Or, more appropriately, her grandfather?
Laila sighed and sunk under the surface. Thank goodness she'd had that realization alone and before she could embarrass herself further. Gandalf was just a high-level person with a good heart. While such people had been non-existent in Roshal, she'd encountered others outside of it.
Mainly in Tiqr, but that was because this was the only place her and Sibby had spent any real length of time.
What she wouldn't give for an [Ignore Embarrassment] skill right about now!
Laila resumed cleaning herself as she focused solely on scrubbing her arms and legs. Wash away the blood. Wash away the evidence of how she'd failed Zehia. Ignore the screams. Ignore her own emotions.
Actually... she really shouldn't ignore the screaming. She just didn't have the time or the knowledge of what to do about it. She didn't think Zehia was able to hear her at the moment and she couldn't fully 'touch' either her former owner or the dark rage that had entwined itself around her.
Later. She promised herself as she gargled water and used her monstrous claws to pick chunks of flesh out of her equally monstrous maw.
The water that flowed away from her was no longer pinkish, so Laila was satisfied with her lack of blood... on her skin. Her clothes still looked horrific, but she couldn't do anything more for them without soap. ...Or fire. Probably better to just burn them than to try and salvage the blood-stained mess.
Laila pulled them back on as she trudged out of the river. She raked her claws through her wet hair to squeeze some of the water out and to have it fall behind her head in a less messy way.
At least she was barefoot. At least she wouldn't have to deal with water-logged shoes.
Just a water-logged body. Oh well, she'd dry soon enough, and Laila could go and physically squeeze some of the moisture out from the inside too. Also, Zehia was made of Silk. She didn't swell up like Hemp or Cotton would.
"Feeling better?" Gandalf asked from a rock. He'd lit his pipe again and was practicing blowing smoke rings.
"Yes." Laila smiled at him before remembering to close her mouth and hide her teeth. She hadn't taken her scarf into the water, but it was still damp from contact with her and her clothes. She'd need to let it dry out before it would be poofy enough to hide the lower half of her face again.
"Good." Gandalf gave her another fatherly smile as he gingerly climbed down from the rock. "Shall we continue then?"
He was looking over her shoulder as he spoke and Laila turned to follow his gaze. There was a trail of smoke on the horizon - from where Lipn was. Or, where Lipn had been. A village was its people, so the town of Lipn was gone now.
"Y-yes." She replied more hesitantly.
The pair walked down the road. Laila could run. If she did, she'd get back to Oliphant far faster. It was what she should do. It was the responsible thing.
It was also ironic in a way. If she was with Sibby instead of Gandalf, Laila would be the one slowing her partner down.
The foreign army was behind them. She was safe. As safe as anyone else in Tiqr. She SHOULD run ahead and inform someone.
...but she couldn't.
What if she was attacked? What if she gave into the dark urges? She'd been so confident she was in control before, and look at what had happened.
'Once a [Slave], always a [Slave].'
Could... her class come back from her being too passive?
Now that was a horrifying thought. Laila frowned before she opened her mouth, but Gandalf spoke first.
"Hmmmm..." He'd pulled a ball made of glass out of his pocket and was looking down at it. "Their blocking field has grown weaker. I think we are far enough away that you could use your speaking stone now."
Laila looked at him blankly for a split second before remembering her magic item. The speaking stone! Gandalf must have intercepted her Message. That was how he'd come to save her. She shook her head. "What I had could only be used once."
"I see." He stroked his beard. "My scrying orb can cast that Spell. You may use it, if you have the knowledge how."
"Oh, yes! Thank you!" She took the magical item from him. It was hard to hold it with her claws, but she managed. "Hogesteb? Hogesteb, are you there?" The ball glowed softly with her mana as she went over the steps she'd been taught to activate such things by Tiqr's Runner's Guild - just in case.
She waited a moment with baited breath before the reply came back.
"I'm here, Laila. Is everything okay?"
"No. It's not okay. Lipn has been... eradicated. Everyone there was... killed."
Hogesteb swore. "What about you?"
"I'm... okay." Laila considered what she should say with the orb. She wasn't supposed to relay information using Message Spells except in an emergency. Skilled [Mages] could overhear what was said. She glanced to her side. Skilled [Wizards] too. "I'm going to take some time getting back."
"Right. Head to fall-back C."
"Okay."
Laila gingerly handed the glass ball back to Gandalf as they resumed their trek. She knew that there was nothing else she could've done. She was lucky to have gotten away herself, and she'd reported the information. She wasn't even a [Scout]! This sort of activity was beyond her... but she still felt like she'd failed somehow.
The only sounds for a while were her and Gandalf's footsteps along with the dull thump of his staff hitting the road.
"So, uhm, tell me about yourself?" She looked over at him. That had been far too blunt and straightforward, but she didn't know how else to ask.
"Me?" He glanced at her. "I'm just a [Wanderer]."
"A [Wandering Wizard]?"
Gandalf chuckled. "Nothing so grand. Just a [Wizard] who's also a [Wanderer] I'm afraid."
"How can that be?" She remembered the chasm. "You cast such a powerful Spell!"
"Yes, yes, I did. Didn't I?" Gandalf's eyes twinkled. "To tell the truth, there was no magic involved in that display of power."
"No magic?" Laila considered that for a moment. Oh! It must have been a Skill instead! That... made sense. 'You shall not pass' wouldn't be a Spell would it? She didn't know much, but Spells did seem to be not as flowery. Skills on the other hand, could be.
What were they called again?
Verse-skills?
It wasn't like she'd ever had one. Nor had any slave she'd ever met. But... she was fairly sure Zehia did.
"Perhaps you could tell me more about the war, Laila." Gandalf suggested. "You said that there were multiple armies invading before?"
"Huh?" Laila was surprised by the sudden change in topics. She'd wanted to ask more about his Skill, but she also understood that such things were private. "Yes, that's right. I think it's twelve different armies now. I'm not sure of anything exact."
"What about in..." Gandalf pointed with his staff. "That direction?"
Laila looked at where he was pointing, and then at the sun. "That's the... south-east. Let's see..." She tried to recall the map she'd seen before. "Pomle. Illivere. Lamult." Those were the countries in that general direction. "Pomle didn't declare war and doesn't have an army." It also didn't really have a [King] that could declare war in the first place. "So between here and there it's been relatively strifeless. Further south, Illivere's army hasn't moved very far. It's full of golems and is slow. Lamult is mostly following behind Savere, but that's even further to the south, I think."
"Interesting..." Gandalf's eyes narrowed.
"Ah! But Nerrhavia Fallen has recently crossed the border in that direction as well!" Laila swallowed nervously. "So it's now probably the least safe direction."
"Oh, really?" He muttered as he gazed over the horizon.
"Are you..." Laila fidgeted. "Are you going to... help Tiqr?"
Gandalf had saved her, after all, so he might be sympathetic to what was happening to Tiqr. He seemed powerful to her, but Laila had to admit that she had no idea what 'powerful' was. His skill had stopped an army from following them!
Or, at least, a squadron of [Soldiers].
It wasn't as impressive as what Sibby had done to Riqre's lands, but... then again, what was? Laila had always heard that Djinni were some of the strongest creatures alive, and Sibby was unchained and clearly more powerful than an average Djinni. Whatever 'average' meant for beings made of pure magic. She had to be exceptional considering that she'd driven off other Djinni.
She wondered just exactly what Sibby was doing now.
When her friend had left, Laila had expected to hear about gigantic swaths of land and people being obliterated. Instead... nothing. No news at all. She was getting worried.
"Help is a difficult thing." Gandalf's voice brought her out of her contemplation. "I was able to aid you without causing undue harm... but, if those [Soldiers] had come while I'd been there?" He shook his head. "True, I would have acted, but would it ultimately hurt or help Tiqr as a whole? I cannot say."
"If you're going in that direction..." Could you look for a friend of mine?
The words died on her tongue. What a stupid thing to even think about bringing up! Sibby couldn't be in trouble, she was too strong! Even if she was, that meant that something even stronger had showed up. Besides, she couldn't tell anyone about Sibby without having to answer some very pointed questions in return.
"If I'm going in that direction?" Gandalf turned to look at her.
"If you're going that way, could you help the refugees? Maybe heal Tiqr's forces?"
Laila was a coward. She should've asked Gandalf to fight for Tiqr. He would've said 'no', but she still should have asked. The [Wizard] had admitted that help was 'difficult', but he hadn't seemed concerned with the thought of fighting so many [Soldiers]. His hesitation seemed... elsewhere.
She should ask.
It might be the single most important thing she could do to help defend Tiqr. An opportunity had fallen into her lap. All she had to do was open her mouth and plead with him.
Somehow, that seemed to be a truly impossible task.
"Yes." Gandalf smiled warmly at her. "I can do that much while I'm in the area."
...
Hours passed.
Laila and Gandalf spoke, but about less weighty subjects. The birds, the lions, the elephants. There was a certain joy in sharing what she'd learned - even if it seemed that those things in Tiqr might not last too much longer.
That thought cast a pall over everything else, but that was 'normal'. She'd only had been inside Tiqr for a short while before the armies had invaded. Even if she wasn't on the front-lines, she could tell the strain it was taking on everyone.
All too soon, they came to a crossroads. She needed to go south, to Oliphant. Gandalf, on the other hand, stared off to the south-east. The direction he'd asked about.
She wondered if he'd encounter Sibby there? Laila wasn't sure exactly which direction the Siberian had gone, nor where she was, nor what she was doing. She only knew that Sibby would come back for her some day.
"You... you can go that way." Laila nodded at the south-east road. "I'll be fine from here."
"Yes." Gandalf replied with a smile. "I need to continue my own journey. However," He opened a pouch on his belt and rummaged around. "Let me give you something before we part."
"What is it?" Laila strained her neck to try and get a better look. "A wand or something?"
"Ho ho ho." Gandalf laughed. "No. It is something far better than a simple tool of death and destruction." From the bag he pulled out something strange. "This..." He handed the blocky object to her. "...is a video game. A child's toy, but a marvelous one. I fear that you do not have the luxury of time, given the circumstances, but in the moments where you are not running from one place to another, it will bring you joy."
"T-thank you." Laila hesitantly took the small object that was made of cubes in her claws. "I'll treasure it!" She would too. When was the last time she'd received a toy? Or any other sort of present? Laila couldn't remember. She must have back in her home village... before the raiders, but that was so long ago.
"I hope you manage to not only survive, but thrive!" Gandalf waved to her as they parted ways.
Laila waved back.
Inside her mind, Zehia still screamed.
Long way down.
The thought came to Zehia, but she couldn't fully comprehend it. Her thoughts were disjointed. Nightmarish. One started before flicking over to something else.
I don't think I'll make it on my own.
Scenes of places. People. Actions. Memories that were jumbled up and out of order.
Long way down.
Words that had been spoken. Or thought.
Time passed, and Zehia was both aware and oblivious to it. If she had the capacity to think an uninterrupted thought, she could probably form her nightmare into some semblance of a story.
I don't want to live in here alone.
She would look back at her experience and recognize it as a dream. In fact, if she could realize what was going on, she could probably help herself. If the right thought lasted for longer than a second, she could possibly hold onto it, and use it.
Long way down.
But... that was the scary part of nightmares - not being able to wake up from them.
And so, she screamed inside her mind. She didn't know she was doing it. She didn't know what words she spoke. What thoughts she had. It was all too chaotic.
I don't think I'll make it on my own...