With two other party members being sucked into a flashback, Anya found herself to be the victim of one as well...
A young girl, seven years old, face dirty, knees and elbows scuffed from rolling around on the ground playing with one of the friendly dogs around the fortress. Unaware that today her life will change. Today is a lucky day for her; a passing merchant has brought his family along, and he has a daughter slightly older than her and a son about her age. The three of them are playing make-believe; 'the adventures of Ser Wakeman.' The elder girl is Ser Wakeman, her younger brother is her archer companion, and she is playing a wizard. They are having great fun, running around and defeating imaginary zombies.
It is during this time that she accidentally casts a spell, creating a bright ball of light. The other children are amazed. Excited, they ask she do more, and with some effort she manages to conjure a ball of acid, flinging it at a nearby barrel. The barrel is empty, and it is quickly eaten away by the acid. A passing patrolman notices her doing this and brings her to the lord of the fortress. She receives a stern lecture about destroying property, and it is arranged for her to begin learning how to control her powers. She does not want to. More schooling when she could be playing is the last thing she wants. Nevertheless a middle-aged man is contacted and brought in; as part of his contract he is made a sergeant of the local guard.
His name was Morgan Collins. In his time, he had been a fighter, a wizard, and an eldritch knight. He wasn't the most skilled magician out there but he knew enough to teach and guide the young girl's powers. Unknown to Collins, she develops a crush on him almost instantly. She does not mind the lessons as much as she thought; learning how to use magic proves to be fun and exciting, and she enjoys an excuse to spend more time with the sergeant. He is surprised when she finds excuses to spend more time with him, and he tells her stories of his own youth and teaches her many different games of chance.
As the girl grows older, she falls in love with Collins, but she never speaks to him of it. Their ages are too different; he is a full thirty years older than her. He often speaks with fondness of a woman he met in his days as a mercenary. She is often jealous of this Ciena. One of his cats is named after her; it is the most beautiful cat, and very graceful. The girl often watches over his cats when he is out on patrol, since her sister Katenka is busy with her own child. Despite the age difference, she thinks it might be nice to have another person to play with.
Time continues inexorably forward. Collins is wounded while out on patrol. The girl tends to him. Even though in his delirium he calls her Ciena, she is happy to have the chance to repay him in this manner, however small. He recovers after a few months but isn't fit to resume patrol just yet. The girl continues to visit him daily, bringing him his meals and changing his bandages. Even when he is fully healed, she continues to bring his meals to him, an arrangement that suits both of them. They often speak over dinner until it is her bedtime and she has to leave.
She is now fourteen and bringing Collins breakfast. She knocks on his door; there is no answer, other than a cat scratching at the other side to be let out. Thinking that perhaps he stepped outside for a moment, she lets the feline out and enters, setting the basket on the kitchen table. "Sergeant Collins? Morgan? Are you here?" she calls. No answer. A bit worried now, she begins to look for him. After a few minutes she finds him in bed, apparently still asleep. "There you are, you old coot," she says affectionately. "I was worried about you. Come on, get up. It's time to eat." There is no answer, no movement. Alarmed, she reaches out to shake him; his bare shoulder is cold and stiff to the touch.
She does not remember what happened next; only that when she comes to her senses, she is crying in Katenka's shoulder as her older sister attempts to soothe her. The woman's words are no use. She is inconsolable. The sergeant's funeral is the next day; although she feels like everything is falling apart, she holds herself together. Less than one week later she sneaks out of the fortress on a merchant caravan and leaves when she reaches port. There she boards a boat full of uninteresting people save one; a giant man in black and gold armor, towering over everyone else and looking insecure and unsure of himself.
She speaks to him. He tells her his name is Toman, that he is barely older than her despite his size, and that he is an exile. She responds with a false laugh and says her name is Anya, and she's a young wanderer out seeking her fortune too. Despite his imposing appearance, his presence feels like Morgan's did, and she asks if he would like to travel with her. Toman seems relieved to have a partner, especially a sorceress, but does not say so. She learns that he rarely expresses his thoughts and feelings to others; it is only through stealing his journals and reading them does she learn about the things that weigh on his mind. The boat sinks; without much of a will to live, she almost succumbs to drowning, and later, illness. It is thanks to the black knight's efforts that she survives and is brought back to full health.
She does not know if she is grateful to him or angry with him. But he seems to believe he did a good thing, so she tolerates her continued existence for now. Over the next few years, her heart slowly heals, although she splits ways with the black knight. She has learned he has developed feelings toward her that she does not feel ready to return, and it is for the best they part and he forgets about her. They see each other now and then over the years; "adventurers tend to move in the same circles," she jokes to him on one such occasion. The years apart are not as kind to him as they are to her; as she grows to accept life once more, she notices that he seems to have become more bitter and resentful of people, quicker to violence. She tells him he can't fix the world. He tells her she's wrong. She tells him it's the cursed armor making him act so belligerent. He tells her that it's because people are stupid, petty, and superstitious that he was ever in this situation in the first place. They argue for several hours and when they part it is in dark moods.
They do not see each other again for three years. She is on a boat back to Ula when it is attacked by pirates and sinks. Against all odds it is Toman who emerges from the inky darkness and drags her from the depths; he brings her aboard the Alatria. They do not speak at first; interactions between the pair are awkward after their last conversation, even though he saved her life again. The first thing she does as soon as she has a moment free is steal his journals once more. She notices his writing has become more terse; a statement of facts about the day rather than introspectives. He does not bare his soul even in writing, and always blames himself when allies are hurt or killed. She notes with sentimental feelings that he still lists his prayers. She is happy to discover that some things never change.
She grows to like her new allies. They are on a good quest, and she finally feels like she is worth something again. Her actions will help preserve the future. She holds herself together. She will not fail.
"Be brave, everyone. We'll defeat this thing," Anya said reassuringly, despite feeling slightly beat and worn down. Even her twintails were drooping slightly.
Meanwhile, on the deck of the Alatria, Rae was nervously approaching Ria. "Hey, sis?" she said, getting her attention. Once Ria turned around, she continued on. "Could you teach me how to control dreams, the way you do, and share them with others? I..." She looked down with a wistful smile, lacing her hands together as she blushed lightly. "...I think I'm ready for that. To share that with Tali, I mean."
Elsewhere on the same shore (but out of sight of the Alatria) a small boat docked. A man in a green cloak, hood up, leaped over the side, a massive bow in hand. Every clue he'd gathered pointed to the black knight being last seen on the Alatria as it left Noire's port. Now it was time to see for himself if his quarry was who he thought it was.
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Topic: Trail's End : NPC Interaction Thread (Read 52971 times)