Taipan's gentle presence, and his own exhaustion, eventually overpowered the waves of burning through his body's magical conduits and the daggerlike migraine that threatened to split his head. He faded out with his head pillowed on his Shadow's lap.
Consciousness returned to him suddenly, with none of the transitional phases of waking. He sat up instantly and regretted it when his brain pulsed a still quite potent headache. That discomfort he ignored immediately though when he felt, to his ultimate relief, the return of the gentle hum of his core and the cycling of the Ceraun within. His last complete thoughts before falling under were of having somehow damaged his core or his body's ability to use its magics. To be unable to use one's core in this world was to live a cripple.
He'd had enough of that for one life, thanks very much. After a brief, carefully minimal, but very intentional pulse of his core though he found those concerns to be unfounded. He was fine. Bone tired and worked like a logging mule, but fine. The mystery of what exactly he'd managed to do to himself, and that [Amberfang], would probably have to wait. Even so, he'd inspect what he could. Maybe the Status had some clues.
Ulric concentrated on his link to the All Knowledge of the world and saw his own reflection on the world presented in all of its glory. Damned thing was getting positively girthy.
[Status]
The information from his status fairly well confirmed that Ulric had done something either monumentally stupid or absolutely incredible. Both? Maybe both, he decided. There had been a single desperate moment, with Taipan knocked down by some kind of magical attack from the [Amberfang] that nobody had mentioned, for some reason, and the rest was akin to the dream where you fall off a cliff.
That weightless moment where he'd felt a missing something from hunting the [Direhorn Ox], the joining of motion, magic, and the instance of attack, had sort of congealed in his mind. The out of body experience he'd had from when his core awakened was repeated, if not nearly so vividly or to that stratospheric extent. Fortunately. He'd barely survived experiencing the reality that was the Prime Elemental's presence. It would seem that, this time, the Prime hadn't found him. In a moment of perhaps lucid insanity, he may have reached out to it instinctively, seeking something, anything to stop the monster from burying his wife.
Ulric's breath rattled out of him shakily. So close. A second, half a second and those huge fangs would have entered Taipan's body. Fear rinsed through him and he was glad no one was around to see. Being afraid was a quiet background noise to him, ever since he'd come to Varda. There was always something out there trying to get you, always danger around the corner. This was different though. He had long since accepted things trying to end his second chance. What he wasn't at all prepared to face was losing someone special to him. That immediacy of loss was another kind of terrifying. Taipan would probably scold him for feeling like this. The Deep Woods Elves treated dying in the wilds like an inevitability. Well, Ulric Einar wasn't ready to accept that. Varda would wait until he was good and godsdamned ready to let go of anyone he'd come to love to have them and that was final.
He relaxed his clenched grip on the fur blanket, choking the thing wasn't going to help him deal with nearly losing his wife to some bastard child of a lion fucking sabretooth tigers.
Continuing his inspection of the Akashic link he saw another change in his class. That was the missing piece of the puzzle then.
His subclass, the one born from integrating his core's magic into his Elven combat training and naturally aggressive inclinations, probably driven in part courtesy of [Lord of the Ancient Glade], had manifested a change. By drawing into his core's elemental nature, he had used it to tap the reservoir of knowledge held by the class, and had merged the budding skills into a greater one, at the cost of almost cooking himself with his own magic. Just one more of those [Amberfangs] and he'd have been a goner, completely unable to fight back. Even now, what had to be hours later, he was pretty much defenseless. His mana was recovering and the pains were much reduced but he had a feeling that channeling any significant amount of energy would be severely ill-advised.
Ceraun, he mused, is proving to be more than he'd bargained for. That bizarre need to integrate and unify was more than a little disturbing. That it could even draw parts of his class out that he wasn't aware of was patently frightening and he had to wonder if this was a normal part of classes operating or a unique manifestation. The Ceraun touched title was an indication for the latter. Evidence that the connection between him and this elemental god of sorts predated his reforging, or at least had, somehow, been reflected in it was also seriously spooky.
The devil is always in the details. Nothing comes free and Ulric had the misgiving that becoming enmeshed too closely with the elemental would result in his mind being scoured and going elemental himself. Would he, in a future loss of restraint, destroy himself? According to Gother it was another sort of inevitability for those who reached the highest realms of magic. The more in tune with the mana of the world, the closer they came to merging with the fundament of the world. Power comes not without risk, it would seem.
Abrupt movement disrupted Ulric's meanderings. Taipan had returned, throwing open the hide fabric that made up the "door" to their shelter, to loom over him. She did not look well pleased, to judge by her hands on hips posture and her tight expression. Ulric couldn't stop himself from appreciating her outright Amazon beauty, the soft curves contrasting well defined muscle, all bundled up in her Hunter's attire. Those long legs emphasized so well by the thigh-high leather boots. Her angry lean forwards to show her dissatisfaction with her only made her lovely bosom more appealing.
His appreciation for her magnificence did not go unnoticed. She rolled her eyes at him and complained, "Do not ogle me when I am being angry with you, you worms in the head silly child of a Valin! What were you thinking to merge class skills like that?!"
Crouching down over him she shook a finger in front of his face, still using her cold scolding tone, one he'd not had leveled at him in some time. It was almost nostalgic.
"I am being serious! I told you that I only barely used three and I am far more in tune with mine own abilities than you, you are not ready for this Ulric! Nearly killed you it did, when I scanned you, your health was less than a fifth of the total! Without Dais'e's healing you are almost certainly not yet waking and your mana channels might be permanently damaged! And I said to stop leering, you thoughtless oaf!"
Her expression broke then and she buried her face in his chest.
Ulric had no words for her, no comfort to offer but a gentle hand on her head, petting her softly while she loosed pent up emotions. She was right, of course. He was thoughtless. Ignorant. And he frequently jumped headlong off the cliff without regard for the rocks below, just beneath the waters. But the alternative was to maybe lose her, which he now found more intolerable.
How could he not jump when the alternative was allowing her death? A second chance meant doing what you couldn't bring yourself to do before. It meant holding nothing back. His flame had smoldered to nothing but cinders before, and that was no life worth living. No life at all. He would burn this time. He would light the world like a bonfire and if that meant he met his end prematurely then so be it. Besides, Ulric thought wryly, the quench might destroy the working, but it was also the only way to harden it to its fullest potential. Ruin and glory were two sides of the same coin. He was weak and that had to change.
Small comfort was that for the ones who might care for you though. His Taipan, it would appear, was as willing to see him harmed as he was her. It brought a warmth to his jaded, cynical heart. He would have to see her succor returned.
"If it makes you feel any better Taipan, this all could have been avoided if you just dodged the [Amberfang]'s attack." He prodded her.
Taipan's tear-tracked face, nose lathered in mucous, nevertheless perfect in his eyes, rose up to stare incredulous death at him, her mouth chewing the air as she struggled to process the barb. It was moments like these that made this world so worthwhile.
Ulric drove the knives home, "Here everything was, well in hand but you left your flank open. After all the times you told me to only commit to an attack with the surroundings in mind, you were still watching your arrows, instead of keeping an eye on the injured male. If I hadn't been around to cover for you, you'd have been gutted by a glorified kitty cat. What will your brother say when I tell him about this? Or worse, your mother, who I am sure taught you how to hunt for yourself."
The relentless, unwarranted criticism, nitpicking in the extreme, did its job on her just as it had done its job on him when she had laid bare his failures in the name of making them real and addressable, instead of ephemeral. It also made her angry instead of scared. She bared her teeth at him, snarling, and pulled him up by the collar dragging his face next to hers.
"Ulric Einar, I will wrap my hands in your guts if you do not shut up and wife me!"
Which, you know, really only leaves so much room for negotiation.
They were picking up their various articles of clothing from scattered locations in the teepee some goodly time later when Prenya entered the shelter without preamble. Ulric had just pulled on his thick woolen socks and sat bare-chested on the combined bedroll, so recently sullied by the exertions of a man and his wife almost parted from one another. Taipan had dressed in the reverse order and stood unwrapping her pants from where they had tangled with the bowstring of her Blinder, her buttocks bared to the interior from underneath her Hunter's jacket and vest.
Eyebrows lifted high on Prenya's forehead, and she whistled approval at the sight before her before even thinking about what she did, appreciative of the flesh on display. Ulric would have expected harsh words regarding privacy from his Shadow, but she instead turned and stood with a posture that was unashamedly flashing her, admittedly marvelous, nethers. He'd pretty well explored them by this point and had not yet gotten bored of the sight, so he could well imagine their impact on the uninitiated, even against one who possessed similar bits. The brilliant glory of Aes'r womanhood brought a flush to Prenya's face and Taipan grinned roguishly.
"Why, what brings you so quietly into my and my partner's chambers Prenya?" She asked innocently, with a minor hip rock that Ulric knew was not accidental.
Wait. Was she playing the same game with this Legranel that he'd played with her those months ago? That minx, she was stealing his moves!
He wasn't afraid to grant that she was better at this game than he, given that his Shadow was far more attractive than he ever would be. Prenya was pinned in place, as a mouse quaking before the unblinking stare of a cobra, she struggled to remove her gaze. Huh, had he misread this Elf's inclinations? Maybe she'd been sort of sideways angling after his goddess last night all along. Something of his confusion must have made it to his face.
Both women turned their gazes on him and he looked between them. Taipan was still doing nothing about covering herself and the scarred Plains-Elf turned a brilliant smile on him, drinking in the masculine sight before her. She then gave the air a pointed sniff which made Ulric blush intensely, to his own surprise.
Yeah. Yeah, it definitely smelled like fucking up in here, Ulric had to concede.
Wait a damned second, why was he the one getting embarrassed? Ulric deliberately shook off that remnant of times bygone. If anybody wants to stroll into his tent, shared with his lawful wife, they'd have to settle for smelling love funk. Thems the rules y'all, he drawled to himself. Actually, now seemed like a good time to bond with his Shadow who seemed to be enjoying herself.
Not to be outdone by his shameless partner, Ulric rose carefully, lest he pitch over from his weakened state, and gave a slight bow.
"Forgive my wife, Prenya, she has been sharing her concern with me and matters of courtesy slip her mind. Come in! Sit! Can I get you anything to make you more comfortable?" Ulric said with exaggerated politeness, deliberately indicating a seat with a hand pointing towards Taipan's bare thighs.
This, of course, drew the poleaxed woman's gaze back to the Promised Lands, and she stuttered, "Ah! Thank you, no, I…ummm…wow…no, I mean, I will stand, thank you."
A deliberate shake of the Elf's head sent her braids into motion as she gathered her will and looked away from a still-grinning Taipan. Ulric went over and put a casual arm around his wife's waist to draw her in, where she did the same, holding him close to her hip. Together they leveled glowing smiles at the Herdrider. She swallowed, almost gulping.
"I wanted to come to…to…ah, thank you both for your help and to see that you were both well after last night's attack. Oh, Hild will live, thanks to the aid of Dais'e and Rik'e will probably be able to keep the hand that was mauled, though he lost a finger. You are, um, well recovered from the battle? Or so you sounded. Not that any were listening!" Struggled the Elf through the assault on her senses.
Ulric was starting to catch on now. It wasn't an either or thing, it was both. The Legranel woman was looking at two tall drinks of water, in varying states of undress. If she hung around much longer, he might see smoke trail from her long ears. He shared a brief look at Taipan and they were clearly in synch.
"Please, stay and share a meal with us, we have only just risen and I know that I find myself with a powerful hunger from all of the recent…exertions." Taipan said with a decidedly suggestive tone.
The predator found herself now prey, encircled by hunters that possessed no fear. Or shame in being what they were.
"Indeed, how could I not offer you to breakfast with us after so generous a supper your kin provided?" Ulric chimed in following on his Shadow's heels, "Come now, come, we will can do no less than wet your beak for coming all this way." Said Ulric making the nonsensical statement sound like it was obvious.
Taipan left his side to take Prenya's arm and guide the transfixed woman to a seat on the floor of their shelter, padded by fur blankets, while Ulric dug through his pack for some of the last of their quality ingredients and a few dried fruits. He then left their victim, er, guest, in the clutches of his wife, who was exchanging pleasantries and stroking the Elf's arm as if completely unaware that she wore no pants, and went out to retrieve some of the fresh beef from the other day's kill. The Plains Elves turned curious gazes at him with more than one distinctly intrigued glance towards the teepee.
When he winked at them as he returned to the hide shelter, he noticed more than one amused exchange of smiles directed amongst them. They had not been unaware of Prenya's forward advances the night before the monster attack and were fully enjoying the reversal of fortunes, her nephew included.
Aes'r lived in the moment, that much was a certainty, with so little of the misdirection that plagued his attempts at dealing with society in his prior life.
Ulric was more than ready to blame the loss of some of his more executive function, read nonsensical neuroticism, on having roasted a few of his circuits, alongside the [Amberfang]. More though, it was Taipan's uncharacteristic aggressive flirting. She had not, at any point he'd known her, shown any interest in the opposite sex, other than his, nor had she demonstrated any inclination towards females that he'd noticed.
If his usually restrained partner was demonstrating obvious interest, he felt compelled to support her and watch how it played out, especially when she was actively employing her charms against a lass so clearly targeting him for her interests last night. A tangled web, and one that might prove enjoyable to throw oneself into. Ulric found himself rather enjoying riding the alternating highs and lows of Varda’s whims.
The just making it up as he went former hermit was now merely playing accompaniment to his Shadow. He wasn't sure exactly how much of this was a simple game, another of Taipan's jests that tended to go much farther than they ought and how much was real. The Elves made that into muddy water sometimes, a tease, a prank, a challenge, an invitation, they could all be intertwined into the same act. It confused the hell out of Ulric, but Taipan normally had a way of clarifying the situation for him in short order.
This little adventure had something of a few of those elements, so far as he could recognize. He decided he'd just follow along with his wife's whims and see it through. Call it morbid curiosity. Call it a response to the fact that two incredibly attractive ladies of exotic lineage were screaming along a collision course for a menage a trois, in which he might just be more of a third wheel, a garnish, than a main participant. He shrugged as he wedged himself through the flap of the shelter.
Fuck it, you only live once. Most of the time. Ride the wave Glade Chief, it can't all be blood and terror.
They would normally cook game like this in a stew, or roasted but Ulric felt like doing something a little quicker. He ground the spices into the meat alongside some of the animal's rich fat, to supplement the lack of that present in the lean cut. The ox was definitely a little on the stringy side after the scarcity of Winter grazing.
Fine.
Ulric sliced the rubbed shoulder into thin strips. Under normal conditions he might light a fire under the [Steelwood] pot with magic but that was straight out so he made use of Taipan's flint and a swath of fluffy tinder from some marsh plant, working his hands to bring up a small tongue of bright fire. Crushed, shredded poop patty held gently over the infant flame took and began to burn cheerfully, spreading the sagey odor of this particular fuel throughout the shelter.
A low moan from over his shoulder indicated that Taipan was engaging in some less than chaste activities. He restrained the reflexive urge to turn and see what sights might have produced that sound but concentrated on the task of building up the fire and preparing breakfast. He was absolutely ravenous. It also helped that Ulric felt distinctly the results of last night throughout his entire body. Everything was still a little off, a little slow, and accompanied by low-grade ache. Manaburn was no joke, it made simple mana exhaustion seem a mild tension headache.
The flame reached an acceptable temperature and he settled the strips of meat into the pot to sear. Using the flat of his knife he crushed the last of the dried fruits to a mushy slurry, mixing in a bit of melted snow as he did. This went into the pot to caramelize with the meat, adding a rich sweet note to the burning dung. Ulric had very deliberately ignored all the rustling that had gone on behind him as he went about his business, so when Taipan's hand on his shoulder slid to cup his chin and turn him for a kiss he was a bit surprised.
When she released him from her clutches to rejoin her partner in lascivious crimes, the cookpot had been removed from still lively flames and he found himself taking in the sight of two stupendous examples of Aes'r genetics in the buff. Funny how the darker woman still had the ability to dry his mouth. Ulric would likely go to his grave without managing to be unaffected by her sheer primal influence on him. Hopefully. The other woman was, to no surprise, a marvel to behold. Lightly tanned, tawny-haired with that exotic hairstyle, and delightfully built to blend athletic figure with slim charm.
The sight froze him, even though he'd been somewhat mentally prepared for it. Imagination only does so much heavy lifting.
"Welp, that's certainly a thing.” He acknowledged to the Cheshire cats lolling about on the shelter’s hide-padded floor.
“Breakfast first, or dessert?" Ulric volunteered with a final effort at reasoned restraint.
The pair of them made some kind of sinuous motion with their hips that properly deleted all options but the one.
Sunscrest came and went before all parties could be found in an acceptable state for public decency. He wasn't sure why exactly they bothered anymore because there had been enough noise to leave no doubt as to what heinous acts were being conducted beneath the cover of the hide shelter. Especially when Prenya started getting very specific about what she wanted to happen. Yikes. Good yikes though.
The Twins were just beginning their descent and Ulric had to squint against the brightness of light reflected from the snow of the plains. Both the women slipped past him to rejoin their brethren at the fire while he took in the pile of beast corpses to the side of camp. He couldn't figure out which one of them grabbed his ass as they passed. Shameless harlots, the both of them, and he wouldn't have them any other way. Ulric found that, he was now as equally a shameless man slut. It felt pretty damned good and he found himself baffled as to how anyone had performed the magic trick of turning something as awesome as passionate fucking into a negative about one's character. A giving lover was worth their weight in Tun Crowns says he.
After a brief stretch to praise the suns he joined the group. The entire group held that same air of those joyous in their survival from a close call.
Ulric's inquiry as to how the injured fared were met with positive assurances. Rik'e waved a bandaged hand missing its ring finger from the first knuckle and several fresh scars on his face attested to the desperate struggle with the beast. Tomas looked like he'd tried to stuff himself down a wood chipper but smiled through the bandages on his face and indicated confidently that he “was still pretty enough to warm beds”. Hild confirmed that her mate would do nicely for her purposes, scars adding to the adventure. The most badly wounded of the lot, the woman’s middle was heavily bandaged and she reclined back on a pallet, unable to move freely for another few days at the behest of Dais'e who had saved her life with deft weavings of Sano.
Had, according to Taipan, maybe saved his as well. Healers were an absolute miracle. The Elves returned his how do you do with their own and he happily reported that he was worn down but getting better by the Round.
All told, the group had come out banged up but relatively unscathed. Not the usual outcome for an [Amberfang] pride's hunt.
"It makes no sense." Joclyn said plainly, echoing the opinions of the rest of the plainsfolk.
"The Roost is but a two-day travel from its stop here. [Amberfang] avoid the Roosts with dedication, approaching no closer than a league as they hunt. We have trouble even pinning the prides down when we sent hunters for them, they flee at the smell of Legranel. For a middling size pride to assault a group of Herdriders within the light of a Haven is unthinkable." He summarized grimly.
Ulric traded meaningful looks with Taipan.
There had been an awful lot of that going around. He couldn't very well raise a hand and say "My bad." either. Even so, they deserved some kind of heads-up.
"My partner has had contact with her people that indicates something tremendous has occurred in the deepness of the wilderness." Ulric told the native folk with a severe tone, underscoring the danger.
"There has been an upheaval that has caused a shift in the habits and movements of the Greater Beasts. They move unpredictably now, vying for new territories and places that were once relatively safe are no longer. We encountered several examples of this on our way North. The journey has been spectacularly dangerous. Without my Wife's skill in navigating the forests I shouldn't doubt we would have found ourselves even more hampered by the aggression of the monsters."
The Legranel glanced back and forth between each other with concern. They addressed his Huntress lass with their questions. She was the expert in this.
"Then this [Amberfang] Pride is not a thing of isolated cause? Not a starving bunch or led by a rogue variant?" Dais'e's hands knotted in her lap at the thought of similar happenings.
"I fear not." Taipan said with careful slowness, emphasizing the reality of the great disturbance, "Hunters I have known for decades, talented in the craft of going through the wilds unhindered have been lost to the monsters. My kin see no end in sight to this and the war prevents Iriel from concentrating its powers to restrain these movements. We might have culled the worst of the Greater beasts or pushed them back into their strongholds, but we are forced to make ready to receive the armies of Prosper and whatever allies they have bought from the City-States in Prespang."
Ulric almost flinched when his wife mentioned Santa, Serlic, the Hunter who died when they investigated the movements of Prosper's agents in the canopy of the Plateau. Some kind of Greater beast version of an owl had killed him in a single swoop, silent, invisible. The beast had been paid in blood, with several arrows put into it as it fled, but the monster was still out there somewhere.
That had been the first loss he'd experienced on Varda. It wouldn't be the last, he just hadn't paid the butcher's bill yet for the war to come. That was half the point of this jolly little stroll across Varda, after all. To cut the heart out of their enemy and forestall their inevitable aggression. Events had conspired to slow the journey. The migrations of monsters had played no small role in that, just like this happening with the [Amberfangs].
The Legranel nodded in concert at Taipan's words. Aes'r features took on a hard edge at the mention of Prosper, especially. Ah, that's right, Ulric reminded himself. The Legranel were the tribe that had suffered a successful assassination of their ruling family. No wonder then.
Tomas snarled and spat on the ground, "The grass will be well fed on Prosper's carrion when this ends. They have too long been allowed to impose on Orlethrem's tolerance. And the rest of Prespang will share in this, they have sat back and allowed free rein for the murderers hired by those Vatyn hoarding jackals, playing both sides to their own gain. We will have justice for the killing of Brand and his family."
More nods around the Haven, including his wife.
Preyna spoke up explaining softly to the travelers, "That is the purpose of the Roost's early departure. Isevor moves to meet with the other Roosts, that is how we met our cousins. They too traveled to the coming Moot. For the first time in centuries, the Legranel gather in number to decide how we will prosecute vengeance for the crimes of our enemies. Rumor on the winds says that we will be joined by our Deep Woods cousins." the slim Elf finished regarding Taipan.
His wife gestured with her hands to declare "This is so" as she confirmed the rumor.
"Iriel will marshal the joint levies of Orlethrem and begin razing Prespang's border once the melt has concluded and the ground is fit for movement. Maybe even earlier. The acting Crown has declared his intent to savage the settlements along the border and to give any army within twenty leagues of the border no resistance, to attack around them and destroy the homes, crops, and trade routes behind those armies. Orlethrem will go on the offensive this time and Prespang will learn the real cost of Prosper's aggression."
The plainsfolk beheld her declaration with surprise. To Ulric's knowledge, the Aes'r had always remained defensive, choosing to guard their homeland and crush incursions but not to reach across the borders to counterattack. It had always worked so well that no army lasted long an attempt to cross the Elven lands. Brighteyes had effectively said "Fuck that shit" and was determined to punish the ones who had dared to use Bane against his sire.
Rik'e blurted out leaning forward with intensity "Then it is true? The animals, no offense meant to you Ulric, have used the forbidden weapon against your kin?"
Taipan's grim features needed no answer. Ulric couldn't be offended, anybody who would use that species poison was, without a single doubt, a remorseless fucking animal.
The wounded plains Elf leaned back to digest that piece of news, along with the rest.
Prenya laid a comforting hand on Taipan's shoulder before declaring "I was going to offer you both a place to rest yourselves within Isevor, under mine own hold, if you wanted, to apologize for our discourtesy before. The news you have shared with us makes that offer even more an imperative. Please, would you both join us in Isevor? The Moot should know the movements of the great hunters of the plain are no longer predictable."
Taipan deferred to Ulric with a gesture. Shit. Well, not like they weren't headed that way anyhow, right? Supplies were low, they'd picked maybe the worst time to try to travel possible, what with the slogging through less stable snowpack and impossible river portages.
Ulric nodded his agreement.
"We will accept the hospitality of Prenya and her kin. To pass without granting your folk what knowledge we may to help them guard themselves against the troubles ahead would be cold return of the warmth of your fires. Besides, we might find a chance to make good on some trade and matters to facilitate our travels in the coming months. All are served best in this." He summarized.
The Haven was in consensus then. Once Hild was able to travel, they would move to join the Roost. Ulric didn't miss that Prenya made eyes at Taipan and had that returned by a decidedly familiar smile.
Whew lad. The pace of events had, again, accelerated to catch him up in its flow. He hoped this wouldn't be another Trachn'ir. Speaking of which.
"By the way, it so happens that we came to learn of a ring of slavers trading in Elves in the lands of the Celestin before we came to your lands. Have you heard rumor of disappearances? Especially around settlements that might adjoin the river ways or from those visiting near the borders."
Hild's yellow-green eyes widened as Ulric inquired, which fairly well answered the question before it had been completed.
"This was one of the matters my partner and I were to bring before the Moot. Jorn has lost several daughters recently, a group of Herdriders went missing near to the border, but well South of it. The herd was left behind unattended and no indication of predator was found. We had not considered the actions of slavers though. Yet more reason to make grievance against our enemies." The wounded elf grimaced, having gotten too worked up.
Ulric sat back when a thought occurred to him, grinding its way through the haze of his Manaburned mind. Why in the hell do they need so many slaves? And why only Elves? Slavers might want the most bang for their buck but money was money. The cartel in Trachn'ir had essentially written him off as trash.
He'd put that out of mind before, compared to Taipan yeah, he wasn't much of a catch but, on further inspection, he was a young, undoubtedly healthy, male who should have held some value to a slaver ring, if not as much as a young Elf. So why the heavy focus on Aes'r? He couldn't get his head around it right now but his instincts said he was missing something important. A few minutes chewing it over provided no solution though and he put it aside. Sometimes his brain just needed to let the problem marinate; it'd come to him sooner or later.
Taipan's gentle presence, and his own exhaustion, eventually overpowered the waves of burning through his body's magical conduits and the daggerlike migraine that threatened to split his head. He faded out with his head pillowed on his Shadow's lap.
Consciousness returned to him suddenly, with none of the transitional phases of waking. He sat up instantly and regretted it when his brain pulsed a still quite potent headache. That discomfort he ignored immediately though when he felt, to his ultimate relief, the return of the gentle hum of his core and the cycling of the Ceraun within. His last complete thoughts before falling under were of having somehow damaged his core or his body's ability to use its magics. To be unable to use one's core in this world was to live a cripple.
He'd had enough of that for one life, thanks very much. After a brief, carefully minimal, but very intentional pulse of his core though he found those concerns to be unfounded. He was fine. Bone tired and worked like a logging mule, but fine. The mystery of what exactly he'd managed to do to himself, and that [Amberfang], would probably have to wait. Even so, he'd inspect what he could. Maybe the Status had some clues.
Ulric concentrated on his link to the All Knowledge of the world and saw his own reflection on the world presented in all of its glory. Damned thing was getting positively girthy.
[Status]
The information from his status fairly well confirmed that Ulric had done something either monumentally stupid or absolutely incredible. Both? Maybe both, he decided. There had been a single desperate moment, with Taipan knocked down by some kind of magical attack from the [Amberfang] that nobody had mentioned, for some reason, and the rest was akin to the dream where you fall off a cliff.
That weightless moment where he'd felt a missing something from hunting the [Direhorn Ox], the joining of motion, magic, and the instance of attack, had sort of congealed in his mind. The out of body experience he'd had from when his core awakened was repeated, if not nearly so vividly or to that stratospheric extent. Fortunately. He'd barely survived experiencing the reality that was the Prime Elemental's presence. It would seem that, this time, the Prime hadn't found him. In a moment of perhaps lucid insanity, he may have reached out to it instinctively, seeking something, anything to stop the monster from burying his wife.
Ulric's breath rattled out of him shakily. So close. A second, half a second and those huge fangs would have entered Taipan's body. Fear rinsed through him and he was glad no one was around to see. Being afraid was a quiet background noise to him, ever since he'd come to Varda. There was always something out there trying to get you, always danger around the corner. This was different though. He had long since accepted things trying to end his second chance. What he wasn't at all prepared to face was losing someone special to him. That immediacy of loss was another kind of terrifying. Taipan would probably scold him for feeling like this. The Deep Woods Elves treated dying in the wilds like an inevitability. Well, Ulric Einar wasn't ready to accept that. Varda would wait until he was good and godsdamned ready to let go of anyone he'd come to love to have them and that was final.
He relaxed his clenched grip on the fur blanket, choking the thing wasn't going to help him deal with nearly losing his wife to some bastard child of a lion fucking sabretooth tigers.
Continuing his inspection of the Akashic link he saw another change in his class. That was the missing piece of the puzzle then.
His subclass, the one born from integrating his core's magic into his Elven combat training and naturally aggressive inclinations, probably driven in part courtesy of [Lord of the Ancient Glade], had manifested a change. By drawing into his core's elemental nature, he had used it to tap the reservoir of knowledge held by the class, and had merged the budding skills into a greater one, at the cost of almost cooking himself with his own magic. Just one more of those [Amberfangs] and he'd have been a goner, completely unable to fight back. Even now, what had to be hours later, he was pretty much defenseless. His mana was recovering and the pains were much reduced but he had a feeling that channeling any significant amount of energy would be severely ill-advised.
Ceraun, he mused, is proving to be more than he'd bargained for. That bizarre need to integrate and unify was more than a little disturbing. That it could even draw parts of his class out that he wasn't aware of was patently frightening and he had to wonder if this was a normal part of classes operating or a unique manifestation. The Ceraun touched title was an indication for the latter. Evidence that the connection between him and this elemental god of sorts predated his reforging, or at least had, somehow, been reflected in it was also seriously spooky.
The devil is always in the details. Nothing comes free and Ulric had the misgiving that becoming enmeshed too closely with the elemental would result in his mind being scoured and going elemental himself. Would he, in a future loss of restraint, destroy himself? According to Gother it was another sort of inevitability for those who reached the highest realms of magic. The more in tune with the mana of the world, the closer they came to merging with the fundament of the world. Power comes not without risk, it would seem.
Abrupt movement disrupted Ulric's meanderings. Taipan had returned, throwing open the hide fabric that made up the "door" to their shelter, to loom over him. She did not look well pleased, to judge by her hands on hips posture and her tight expression. Ulric couldn't stop himself from appreciating her outright Amazon beauty, the soft curves contrasting well defined muscle, all bundled up in her Hunter's attire. Those long legs emphasized so well by the thigh-high leather boots. Her angry lean forwards to show her dissatisfaction with her only made her lovely bosom more appealing.
His appreciation for her magnificence did not go unnoticed. She rolled her eyes at him and complained, "Do not ogle me when I am being angry with you, you worms in the head silly child of a Valin! What were you thinking to merge class skills like that?!"
Crouching down over him she shook a finger in front of his face, still using her cold scolding tone, one he'd not had leveled at him in some time. It was almost nostalgic.
"I am being serious! I told you that I only barely used three and I am far more in tune with mine own abilities than you, you are not ready for this Ulric! Nearly killed you it did, when I scanned you, your health was less than a fifth of the total! Without Dais'e's healing you are almost certainly not yet waking and your mana channels might be permanently damaged! And I said to stop leering, you thoughtless oaf!"
Her expression broke then and she buried her face in his chest.
Ulric had no words for her, no comfort to offer but a gentle hand on her head, petting her softly while she loosed pent up emotions. She was right, of course. He was thoughtless. Ignorant. And he frequently jumped headlong off the cliff without regard for the rocks below, just beneath the waters. But the alternative was to maybe lose her, which he now found more intolerable.
How could he not jump when the alternative was allowing her death? A second chance meant doing what you couldn't bring yourself to do before. It meant holding nothing back. His flame had smoldered to nothing but cinders before, and that was no life worth living. No life at all. He would burn this time. He would light the world like a bonfire and if that meant he met his end prematurely then so be it. Besides, Ulric thought wryly, the quench might destroy the working, but it was also the only way to harden it to its fullest potential. Ruin and glory were two sides of the same coin. He was weak and that had to change.
Small comfort was that for the ones who might care for you though. His Taipan, it would appear, was as willing to see him harmed as he was her. It brought a warmth to his jaded, cynical heart. He would have to see her succor returned.
"If it makes you feel any better Taipan, this all could have been avoided if you just dodged the [Amberfang]'s attack." He prodded her.
Taipan's tear-tracked face, nose lathered in mucous, nevertheless perfect in his eyes, rose up to stare incredulous death at him, her mouth chewing the air as she struggled to process the barb. It was moments like these that made this world so worthwhile.
Ulric drove the knives home, "Here everything was, well in hand but you left your flank open. After all the times you told me to only commit to an attack with the surroundings in mind, you were still watching your arrows, instead of keeping an eye on the injured male. If I hadn't been around to cover for you, you'd have been gutted by a glorified kitty cat. What will your brother say when I tell him about this? Or worse, your mother, who I am sure taught you how to hunt for yourself."
The relentless, unwarranted criticism, nitpicking in the extreme, did its job on her just as it had done its job on him when she had laid bare his failures in the name of making them real and addressable, instead of ephemeral. It also made her angry instead of scared. She bared her teeth at him, snarling, and pulled him up by the collar dragging his face next to hers.
"Ulric Einar, I will wrap my hands in your guts if you do not shut up and wife me!"
Which, you know, really only leaves so much room for negotiation.
They were picking up their various articles of clothing from scattered locations in the teepee some goodly time later when Prenya entered the shelter without preamble. Ulric had just pulled on his thick woolen socks and sat bare-chested on the combined bedroll, so recently sullied by the exertions of a man and his wife almost parted from one another. Taipan had dressed in the reverse order and stood unwrapping her pants from where they had tangled with the bowstring of her Blinder, her buttocks bared to the interior from underneath her Hunter's jacket and vest.
Eyebrows lifted high on Prenya's forehead, and she whistled approval at the sight before her before even thinking about what she did, appreciative of the flesh on display. Ulric would have expected harsh words regarding privacy from his Shadow, but she instead turned and stood with a posture that was unashamedly flashing her, admittedly marvelous, nethers. He'd pretty well explored them by this point and had not yet gotten bored of the sight, so he could well imagine their impact on the uninitiated, even against one who possessed similar bits. The brilliant glory of Aes'r womanhood brought a flush to Prenya's face and Taipan grinned roguishly.
"Why, what brings you so quietly into my and my partner's chambers Prenya?" She asked innocently, with a minor hip rock that Ulric knew was not accidental.
Wait. Was she playing the same game with this Legranel that he'd played with her those months ago? That minx, she was stealing his moves!
He wasn't afraid to grant that she was better at this game than he, given that his Shadow was far more attractive than he ever would be. Prenya was pinned in place, as a mouse quaking before the unblinking stare of a cobra, she struggled to remove her gaze. Huh, had he misread this Elf's inclinations? Maybe she'd been sort of sideways angling after his goddess last night all along. Something of his confusion must have made it to his face.
Both women turned their gazes on him and he looked between them. Taipan was still doing nothing about covering herself and the scarred Plains-Elf turned a brilliant smile on him, drinking in the masculine sight before her. She then gave the air a pointed sniff which made Ulric blush intensely, to his own surprise.
Yeah. Yeah, it definitely smelled like fucking up in here, Ulric had to concede.
Wait a damned second, why was he the one getting embarrassed? Ulric deliberately shook off that remnant of times bygone. If anybody wants to stroll into his tent, shared with his lawful wife, they'd have to settle for smelling love funk. Thems the rules y'all, he drawled to himself. Actually, now seemed like a good time to bond with his Shadow who seemed to be enjoying herself.
Not to be outdone by his shameless partner, Ulric rose carefully, lest he pitch over from his weakened state, and gave a slight bow.
"Forgive my wife, Prenya, she has been sharing her concern with me and matters of courtesy slip her mind. Come in! Sit! Can I get you anything to make you more comfortable?" Ulric said with exaggerated politeness, deliberately indicating a seat with a hand pointing towards Taipan's bare thighs.
This, of course, drew the poleaxed woman's gaze back to the Promised Lands, and she stuttered, "Ah! Thank you, no, I…ummm…wow…no, I mean, I will stand, thank you."
A deliberate shake of the Elf's head sent her braids into motion as she gathered her will and looked away from a still-grinning Taipan. Ulric went over and put a casual arm around his wife's waist to draw her in, where she did the same, holding him close to her hip. Together they leveled glowing smiles at the Herdrider. She swallowed, almost gulping.
"I wanted to come to…to…ah, thank you both for your help and to see that you were both well after last night's attack. Oh, Hild will live, thanks to the aid of Dais'e and Rik'e will probably be able to keep the hand that was mauled, though he lost a finger. You are, um, well recovered from the battle? Or so you sounded. Not that any were listening!" Struggled the Elf through the assault on her senses.
Ulric was starting to catch on now. It wasn't an either or thing, it was both. The Legranel woman was looking at two tall drinks of water, in varying states of undress. If she hung around much longer, he might see smoke trail from her long ears. He shared a brief look at Taipan and they were clearly in synch.
"Please, stay and share a meal with us, we have only just risen and I know that I find myself with a powerful hunger from all of the recent…exertions." Taipan said with a decidedly suggestive tone.
The predator found herself now prey, encircled by hunters that possessed no fear. Or shame in being what they were.
"Indeed, how could I not offer you to breakfast with us after so generous a supper your kin provided?" Ulric chimed in following on his Shadow's heels, "Come now, come, we will can do no less than wet your beak for coming all this way." Said Ulric making the nonsensical statement sound like it was obvious.
Taipan left his side to take Prenya's arm and guide the transfixed woman to a seat on the floor of their shelter, padded by fur blankets, while Ulric dug through his pack for some of the last of their quality ingredients and a few dried fruits. He then left their victim, er, guest, in the clutches of his wife, who was exchanging pleasantries and stroking the Elf's arm as if completely unaware that she wore no pants, and went out to retrieve some of the fresh beef from the other day's kill. The Plains Elves turned curious gazes at him with more than one distinctly intrigued glance towards the teepee.
When he winked at them as he returned to the hide shelter, he noticed more than one amused exchange of smiles directed amongst them. They had not been unaware of Prenya's forward advances the night before the monster attack and were fully enjoying the reversal of fortunes, her nephew included.
Aes'r lived in the moment, that much was a certainty, with so little of the misdirection that plagued his attempts at dealing with society in his prior life.
Ulric was more than ready to blame the loss of some of his more executive function, read nonsensical neuroticism, on having roasted a few of his circuits, alongside the [Amberfang]. More though, it was Taipan's uncharacteristic aggressive flirting. She had not, at any point he'd known her, shown any interest in the opposite sex, other than his, nor had she demonstrated any inclination towards females that he'd noticed.
If his usually restrained partner was demonstrating obvious interest, he felt compelled to support her and watch how it played out, especially when she was actively employing her charms against a lass so clearly targeting him for her interests last night. A tangled web, and one that might prove enjoyable to throw oneself into. Ulric found himself rather enjoying riding the alternating highs and lows of Varda’s whims.
The just making it up as he went former hermit was now merely playing accompaniment to his Shadow. He wasn't sure exactly how much of this was a simple game, another of Taipan's jests that tended to go much farther than they ought and how much was real. The Elves made that into muddy water sometimes, a tease, a prank, a challenge, an invitation, they could all be intertwined into the same act. It confused the hell out of Ulric, but Taipan normally had a way of clarifying the situation for him in short order.
This little adventure had something of a few of those elements, so far as he could recognize. He decided he'd just follow along with his wife's whims and see it through. Call it morbid curiosity. Call it a response to the fact that two incredibly attractive ladies of exotic lineage were screaming along a collision course for a menage a trois, in which he might just be more of a third wheel, a garnish, than a main participant. He shrugged as he wedged himself through the flap of the shelter.
Fuck it, you only live once. Most of the time. Ride the wave Glade Chief, it can't all be blood and terror.
They would normally cook game like this in a stew, or roasted but Ulric felt like doing something a little quicker. He ground the spices into the meat alongside some of the animal's rich fat, to supplement the lack of that present in the lean cut. The ox was definitely a little on the stringy side after the scarcity of Winter grazing.
Fine.
Ulric sliced the rubbed shoulder into thin strips. Under normal conditions he might light a fire under the [Steelwood] pot with magic but that was straight out so he made use of Taipan's flint and a swath of fluffy tinder from some marsh plant, working his hands to bring up a small tongue of bright fire. Crushed, shredded poop patty held gently over the infant flame took and began to burn cheerfully, spreading the sagey odor of this particular fuel throughout the shelter.
A low moan from over his shoulder indicated that Taipan was engaging in some less than chaste activities. He restrained the reflexive urge to turn and see what sights might have produced that sound but concentrated on the task of building up the fire and preparing breakfast. He was absolutely ravenous. It also helped that Ulric felt distinctly the results of last night throughout his entire body. Everything was still a little off, a little slow, and accompanied by low-grade ache. Manaburn was no joke, it made simple mana exhaustion seem a mild tension headache.
The flame reached an acceptable temperature and he settled the strips of meat into the pot to sear. Using the flat of his knife he crushed the last of the dried fruits to a mushy slurry, mixing in a bit of melted snow as he did. This went into the pot to caramelize with the meat, adding a rich sweet note to the burning dung. Ulric had very deliberately ignored all the rustling that had gone on behind him as he went about his business, so when Taipan's hand on his shoulder slid to cup his chin and turn him for a kiss he was a bit surprised.
When she released him from her clutches to rejoin her partner in lascivious crimes, the cookpot had been removed from still lively flames and he found himself taking in the sight of two stupendous examples of Aes'r genetics in the buff. Funny how the darker woman still had the ability to dry his mouth. Ulric would likely go to his grave without managing to be unaffected by her sheer primal influence on him. Hopefully. The other woman was, to no surprise, a marvel to behold. Lightly tanned, tawny-haired with that exotic hairstyle, and delightfully built to blend athletic figure with slim charm.
The sight froze him, even though he'd been somewhat mentally prepared for it. Imagination only does so much heavy lifting.
"Welp, that's certainly a thing.” He acknowledged to the Cheshire cats lolling about on the shelter’s hide-padded floor.
“Breakfast first, or dessert?" Ulric volunteered with a final effort at reasoned restraint.
The pair of them made some kind of sinuous motion with their hips that properly deleted all options but the one.
Sunscrest came and went before all parties could be found in an acceptable state for public decency. He wasn't sure why exactly they bothered anymore because there had been enough noise to leave no doubt as to what heinous acts were being conducted beneath the cover of the hide shelter. Especially when Prenya started getting very specific about what she wanted to happen. Yikes. Good yikes though.
The Twins were just beginning their descent and Ulric had to squint against the brightness of light reflected from the snow of the plains. Both the women slipped past him to rejoin their brethren at the fire while he took in the pile of beast corpses to the side of camp. He couldn't figure out which one of them grabbed his ass as they passed. Shameless harlots, the both of them, and he wouldn't have them any other way. Ulric found that, he was now as equally a shameless man slut. It felt pretty damned good and he found himself baffled as to how anyone had performed the magic trick of turning something as awesome as passionate fucking into a negative about one's character. A giving lover was worth their weight in Tun Crowns says he.
After a brief stretch to praise the suns he joined the group. The entire group held that same air of those joyous in their survival from a close call.
Ulric's inquiry as to how the injured fared were met with positive assurances. Rik'e waved a bandaged hand missing its ring finger from the first knuckle and several fresh scars on his face attested to the desperate struggle with the beast. Tomas looked like he'd tried to stuff himself down a wood chipper but smiled through the bandages on his face and indicated confidently that he “was still pretty enough to warm beds”. Hild confirmed that her mate would do nicely for her purposes, scars adding to the adventure. The most badly wounded of the lot, the woman’s middle was heavily bandaged and she reclined back on a pallet, unable to move freely for another few days at the behest of Dais'e who had saved her life with deft weavings of Sano.
Had, according to Taipan, maybe saved his as well. Healers were an absolute miracle. The Elves returned his how do you do with their own and he happily reported that he was worn down but getting better by the Round.
All told, the group had come out banged up but relatively unscathed. Not the usual outcome for an [Amberfang] pride's hunt.
"It makes no sense." Joclyn said plainly, echoing the opinions of the rest of the plainsfolk.
"The Roost is but a two-day travel from its stop here. [Amberfang] avoid the Roosts with dedication, approaching no closer than a league as they hunt. We have trouble even pinning the prides down when we sent hunters for them, they flee at the smell of Legranel. For a middling size pride to assault a group of Herdriders within the light of a Haven is unthinkable." He summarized grimly.
Ulric traded meaningful looks with Taipan.
There had been an awful lot of that going around. He couldn't very well raise a hand and say "My bad." either. Even so, they deserved some kind of heads-up.
"My partner has had contact with her people that indicates something tremendous has occurred in the deepness of the wilderness." Ulric told the native folk with a severe tone, underscoring the danger.
"There has been an upheaval that has caused a shift in the habits and movements of the Greater Beasts. They move unpredictably now, vying for new territories and places that were once relatively safe are no longer. We encountered several examples of this on our way North. The journey has been spectacularly dangerous. Without my Wife's skill in navigating the forests I shouldn't doubt we would have found ourselves even more hampered by the aggression of the monsters."
The Legranel glanced back and forth between each other with concern. They addressed his Huntress lass with their questions. She was the expert in this.
"Then this [Amberfang] Pride is not a thing of isolated cause? Not a starving bunch or led by a rogue variant?" Dais'e's hands knotted in her lap at the thought of similar happenings.
"I fear not." Taipan said with careful slowness, emphasizing the reality of the great disturbance, "Hunters I have known for decades, talented in the craft of going through the wilds unhindered have been lost to the monsters. My kin see no end in sight to this and the war prevents Iriel from concentrating its powers to restrain these movements. We might have culled the worst of the Greater beasts or pushed them back into their strongholds, but we are forced to make ready to receive the armies of Prosper and whatever allies they have bought from the City-States in Prespang."
Ulric almost flinched when his wife mentioned Santa, Serlic, the Hunter who died when they investigated the movements of Prosper's agents in the canopy of the Plateau. Some kind of Greater beast version of an owl had killed him in a single swoop, silent, invisible. The beast had been paid in blood, with several arrows put into it as it fled, but the monster was still out there somewhere.
That had been the first loss he'd experienced on Varda. It wouldn't be the last, he just hadn't paid the butcher's bill yet for the war to come. That was half the point of this jolly little stroll across Varda, after all. To cut the heart out of their enemy and forestall their inevitable aggression. Events had conspired to slow the journey. The migrations of monsters had played no small role in that, just like this happening with the [Amberfangs].
The Legranel nodded in concert at Taipan's words. Aes'r features took on a hard edge at the mention of Prosper, especially. Ah, that's right, Ulric reminded himself. The Legranel were the tribe that had suffered a successful assassination of their ruling family. No wonder then.
Tomas snarled and spat on the ground, "The grass will be well fed on Prosper's carrion when this ends. They have too long been allowed to impose on Orlethrem's tolerance. And the rest of Prespang will share in this, they have sat back and allowed free rein for the murderers hired by those Vatyn hoarding jackals, playing both sides to their own gain. We will have justice for the killing of Brand and his family."
More nods around the Haven, including his wife.
Preyna spoke up explaining softly to the travelers, "That is the purpose of the Roost's early departure. Isevor moves to meet with the other Roosts, that is how we met our cousins. They too traveled to the coming Moot. For the first time in centuries, the Legranel gather in number to decide how we will prosecute vengeance for the crimes of our enemies. Rumor on the winds says that we will be joined by our Deep Woods cousins." the slim Elf finished regarding Taipan.
His wife gestured with her hands to declare "This is so" as she confirmed the rumor.
"Iriel will marshal the joint levies of Orlethrem and begin razing Prespang's border once the melt has concluded and the ground is fit for movement. Maybe even earlier. The acting Crown has declared his intent to savage the settlements along the border and to give any army within twenty leagues of the border no resistance, to attack around them and destroy the homes, crops, and trade routes behind those armies. Orlethrem will go on the offensive this time and Prespang will learn the real cost of Prosper's aggression."
The plainsfolk beheld her declaration with surprise. To Ulric's knowledge, the Aes'r had always remained defensive, choosing to guard their homeland and crush incursions but not to reach across the borders to counterattack. It had always worked so well that no army lasted long an attempt to cross the Elven lands. Brighteyes had effectively said "Fuck that shit" and was determined to punish the ones who had dared to use Bane against his sire.
Rik'e blurted out leaning forward with intensity "Then it is true? The animals, no offense meant to you Ulric, have used the forbidden weapon against your kin?"
Taipan's grim features needed no answer. Ulric couldn't be offended, anybody who would use that species poison was, without a single doubt, a remorseless fucking animal.
The wounded plains Elf leaned back to digest that piece of news, along with the rest.
Prenya laid a comforting hand on Taipan's shoulder before declaring "I was going to offer you both a place to rest yourselves within Isevor, under mine own hold, if you wanted, to apologize for our discourtesy before. The news you have shared with us makes that offer even more an imperative. Please, would you both join us in Isevor? The Moot should know the movements of the great hunters of the plain are no longer predictable."
Taipan deferred to Ulric with a gesture. Shit. Well, not like they weren't headed that way anyhow, right? Supplies were low, they'd picked maybe the worst time to try to travel possible, what with the slogging through less stable snowpack and impossible river portages.
Ulric nodded his agreement.
"We will accept the hospitality of Prenya and her kin. To pass without granting your folk what knowledge we may to help them guard themselves against the troubles ahead would be cold return of the warmth of your fires. Besides, we might find a chance to make good on some trade and matters to facilitate our travels in the coming months. All are served best in this." He summarized.
The Haven was in consensus then. Once Hild was able to travel, they would move to join the Roost. Ulric didn't miss that Prenya made eyes at Taipan and had that returned by a decidedly familiar smile.
Whew lad. The pace of events had, again, accelerated to catch him up in its flow. He hoped this wouldn't be another Trachn'ir. Speaking of which.
"By the way, it so happens that we came to learn of a ring of slavers trading in Elves in the lands of the Celestin before we came to your lands. Have you heard rumor of disappearances? Especially around settlements that might adjoin the river ways or from those visiting near the borders."
Hild's yellow-green eyes widened as Ulric inquired, which fairly well answered the question before it had been completed.
"This was one of the matters my partner and I were to bring before the Moot. Jorn has lost several daughters recently, a group of Herdriders went missing near to the border, but well South of it. The herd was left behind unattended and no indication of predator was found. We had not considered the actions of slavers though. Yet more reason to make grievance against our enemies." The wounded elf grimaced, having gotten too worked up.
Ulric sat back when a thought occurred to him, grinding its way through the haze of his Manaburned mind. Why in the hell do they need so many slaves? And why only Elves? Slavers might want the most bang for their buck but money was money. The cartel in Trachn'ir had essentially written him off as trash.
He'd put that out of mind before, compared to Taipan yeah, he wasn't much of a catch but, on further inspection, he was a young, undoubtedly healthy, male who should have held some value to a slaver ring, if not as much as a young Elf. So why the heavy focus on Aes'r? He couldn't get his head around it right now but his instincts said he was missing something important. A few minutes chewing it over provided no solution though and he put it aside. Sometimes his brain just needed to let the problem marinate; it'd come to him sooner or later.
