Earth to Dust

[Returner]

Cylus 16, Arc 719

"The nights are darker than before."

The darkness of Cylus halted much of the activity in Desnind. Stock was struggling to survive and so were many other citizens. This southern city which would not usually experience a cruel cold cycle has been tormented by a blizzard for a second trial now. Small hills of snow turned the streets into a freezing dune maze. Makubwa Lori became an eerie picture of black, grey...and crimson red.
Not many would see those colours, however, as they stayed indoors favouring the warmth. The smarter in Cikkaken would even cancel missions apparently due to the weather. Yet some volunteers defied those orders. After all, the Aik Volunteers were not under the direct command of the ruling body. The so-called heroes in their ranks dared nature in the darkness where no one could see your actions. The fools came for the thrill of action. Most of them paid what was due for their audacity. The blood price.
But the stench... The horrible stench that did not oppress the city only thanks to the hard blowing wind. The terrible, decaying odour that filled the nose and hurt the lungs. The disease spilt from its bounds and it was approaching. But no one would listen. No one.
And so the fools and would-be heroes were the last lines of defence. Or the first offering in a grisly sacrifice.

He sunk towards the ground, just past the threshold of the tavern. Shivers running down his spine reverberated in his throat. The snow soaked his clothes. Wind slapped his face in accusations. Cheeks hurt more than a lover's hate. Every fibre in his body was tight. All over. Bags under his eyes and expression sagging like his posture. That was it. He was done. No more. The ringing of screams was still sharp in his ears. The insides of his skull tingled. His shoulders quivered.
Hide. Voices around him whispered. The earth did not want to take him yet. The frozen water falling from the sky tried to avoid him. The fire struggled to keep him warm.
What good are you? He lashed out at his elements. The force of nature collided with his chest as a gust of wind rebelled. Snow covered earth hardened against his fall.
Don't blame us. Audible only to his ears, Ekumo cowered against words. Blizzard was unleashed on Desnind and the defier's instability was not helping the elements in his immediate presence. Yet, his heart trembled. His lowering to a side, body becoming a husk.
"I'm sorry." White mist of words was torn from his lips. He was schooled a little longer but the nature around him before even that eased and the blizzard was once again...just a harmless blizzard.
Hide. The soft whisper returned. Earth pressed up, trying to lift him.
Ahead, the water in the marina turbulently crashed against its limits. The noise from the inn he just stumbled out of was drowned. He couldn't go back in. Head already dizzy from the mead, if he drank some more, he'd give it all back. So his dark eyes just stared ahead into the brilliant clarity of the snow.
Then the blizzard eased some more. Its job was done.

[Ricky]

Enrick's previous seasons had been resigned to drinking away the cold until it too passed, the only ice he really needed the frigid case over his heart now. With Qit'roa gone and no word or sign from Ellen, Enrick's best option was to wait for Ashan at this point. The fisherman was a patient man and he knew he could bide the time, but never did he consider just how lonely and empty his existence was for that duration. Aware by now the heritage that comes with being Sev'ryn, the great search for his Ose-bori would be the driven focus in his prolonged journey. Whether he was to do it alone or with another wasn't had to matter, not when it brought some small solace in knowing the possibility.

What he had no idea though was what could transpire between now and when it came time to leave. Dressed warmly in his brown shirt and fur insulated coat, the Scalvoran drank from his mug with a hint of a grimace; the taste of beer almost came to resemble piss... He may have ordered the cheaper stuff honestly, since he failed to see the worth in buying the harder stuff. A quiet night here kept him from his meditations he needed to do, as he grew sick of trying to introspect himself just to come up short on answers. While hardly satisfied he deemed this mug be the last for the night, since it clearly did not taste as decent as the one prior. With a rise from his stool he left a piece of Nel for the bartender, a tip for what minor trouble he went through to make such things.

Enrick walked towards the entrance and took his black cloak off the hangar, thankful to have that extra layer what with the bitter cold lingering around. Not for much longer though, or so the fisherman hoped as he veiled it over his shoulders with hood set over his head. He noticed another who had went outside as he finished up, a blast of wind just enough to bite the skin of his cheeks with it's chill. He shivered immediately as a response to the cold he felt seep into his body, the tip of his nose a bright pink as it radiated from the cold. Enrick clenched his jaw for a moment with a sense of dread, over how numbingly cold it would be outside. Needless to say he followed the stranger out the doorway with the intent to move on, aware of how difficult it'd be to tread beyond drifts towards the docks.

However he didn't get very far when that stranger in he nearly passed seemed to fall.

Well not necessarily fall, but certainly struggle to stand straight. As much as he wanted to be back in his home for warmth, leaving another who could be way too intoxicated didn't sit too well either. The blizzard didn't seem inclined to relent anytime soon, at least that's what his mind told him when he stopped to observe this man. The roar of the frigid wind itself was enough to drown out the words this man uttered, but when Enrick approached he noticed a deep stare into the landscape ahead of them. He sighed and looked at the dark man with pity, his arm offered to help the man if he needed assistance with standing. "Hey, if y' need a hand take mine. Oi'll get ya t'rough te storm." He suggested knowing good and well it was an act of generiosity, something he rarely possesses in a case by case situation.

[Returner]

The man took a while to take notice of another. He was absorbed for a moment by the shifting of the earth underneath him like the waves of the sea, or the jerking of it when he ran for his life. Comfort changed for dread and brought recent memories filled with the screams. The bite of Cylus no longer a wake-up call but a blanket of death. Swaying some more, it was then he noticed. Eyes opened wide shot up at the stranger. He's not seen him before, did not even know they were both at the same tavern. He wasn't even sure if it was a ghost or a construct of his mind, haunting of sorts.
But looking between that pinky face and the offered hand, the man of dark complexion knew the nature of the gesture. This was not a fallacy, was it? The beast of fire would eat him straightaway not make friends. And anything else was...too beastly to even look human. The earth then nudged him with a subtle 'go on' but the body was slow to follow.
"Aye, aye," Ekumo said, replying to that around him and not necessarily this Samaritan. But his leathery hand lifted grasping onto the other's forearm. Despite the drink in his bones, his grip was strong. His muscles eased at the contact. Then there came the struggle to stand. The algor in the air and its constant feasting on his exposed skin was starting to help sober him up, clear his thoughts. A few sways and stumbles later, he was up if only slightly hunched against the weather. And another howl of the wind came from the side of the Lori. Ekumo hunched some more. They said unsightly beasts crawled the darkness of Cylus and Ekumo knew very well their shape.
"Karshe. I live there. You know?" Ekumo asked words tense. He could have made it on his own but didn't want to. Desnind's wall was only that - a wall. Surmountable and the Qi'ora shivered as the wind pressed into his back.

[Ricky]

Enrick hadn't the faintest clue with what this man had to be experiencing, unless the drinks were really that bad for him that is, but nonetheless the fisherman kept himself steady in the cold as he helped the man. His skin being a rich darker tone it made it hard to tell if he was freezing, much less anything else what with how dark it'd gotten outside. But enough detail was present to notice his eyes were aware and focused once more, as though whatever ensnared his attention earlier released him from the thought.

He seemed to respond and for the moment Enrick chuckled with speculation, clearly he'd just fallen heavy with intoxication when the chill hit him. Karshe seemed to be the place he named, Enrick had stayed there long enough to be acquainted with the place. Sleeping in a sloop during winter was never the best choice, not when one wanted to keep all their fingers and toes at least. So Enrick had deferred to there for a temporary shelter due to the comfort of warmth, and ironically it proved to be a shared destination with this man as well.

"Aye," He called out with understanding, "Oi've been stayin' ter m' self since Zi'da, since m' boat's landlocked 'til warmer weather." Whether or not this stranger would accept or not, Enrick insisted on support with the dark man's arm over his shoulders; since he seemed favorably tall enough to manage. It shouldn't have been as uncomfortable, as it would've been were he shorter than the average chum around here. "Come, Oi'll make sure y' get ter safe." He remarked as he braced himself for the storm, since they'd likely be hiking through the snow with the pace of a tortoise.

"Te name's Enrick by te way, y' can call me Rick if it suits ya." He introduced himself with the faint glimmer of a smile, determined to front through the snow in front of them. He didn't expect this man to introduce himself much less have anything to say, since this wasn't anything but an act of generosity on his behalf.

[Splinter]

The wind bit. Bitter and cold. It despised him. Hated him. The feeling was mutual, as much as one could hate an element. Inconsequential either way. The cold and the wind were here, always would be and always have been. Persistent. Like a gnat buzzing just by one's ear, drowning out the noise of everything with a constant consistent hum. Cylus just marked the worst of it. Darkness pervaded much of everything, and it clouded his mind too, screams clawing at the back of his mind. Screams he'd witnessed. Screams that had nearly been his own.

"Ekumo," the man said briefly, "just Ekumo." His arm rested across Enrick's shoulders, his weight partially supported by the man. Weak... the wind buffeted them as they walked, it's constant disapproval a drone in Ekumo's ears, heard only by him. As the pair walked, it wouldn't take Enrick long to notice that Ekumo's feet were bare. Strange, maybe even stupid, considering the depth of snow they were walking through though he didn't seem bothered by it. The very earth responding to Ekumo's steps, with an almost imperceptible growl.

"What ya do for work?" Ekumo asked, wanting to cut the incessant screams from his mind. Truthfully though, he wasn't entirely interested in the response. Ekumo was more probing to assess the man's skill set. To see if perhaps he'd be cut out to be another volunteer. Another scream to echo in his mind as a reminder of his failures. Ekumo spit then, bitter at his own thoughts as they swirled around his head, mocking him. More dead capable of haunting him through every passing arc. Another century still to embrace, and the ghosts of his choices were threatening to follow him for eternity.

Ekumo wasn't one for pleasantries and talk, but this man, Enrick, was helping him when the alcohol threatened to leave him at the mercy of the elements. Brief conversation to become a respite from the gnawing failure that plagued him. Hopefully his tone wasn't too discernible, but he certainly wasn't trying to hide anything from this man in the way he spoke.

[Ricky]

Ekumo. The stranger next to him seemed quite reserved but in all honesty, that was okay for Enrick since he too barely liked small talk. Silence had a way of permitting one to think on things, and clearly both of these men had a lot to think about on their long quiet walk. But barefoot?

Enrick happened to notice that when he looked down, only to guess where to step again while they sluggishly plowed past a low snow drift. Here was a fisherman wrapped in layers because he dreaded freezing, and then this dark skinned stranger is walking barefoot like the snow didn't even bother him! "Eh?" The question had almost been missed by the wind, even in such close proximity, until Enrick recapped the moment in his mind.

"Only fisherman by trade, probably might branch out t'ough 'til Oi git back home." He missed Scalvoris right about now, even with it's colder weather and horrid winters. He thought hard about what else to say, but came up short on any real substantial addition to throw in with the response.

"And ye?" He would've guessed this man something similar if he were from around here, fishing and hunting seemed to be pretty popular within Desnind unless you knew herbology. Gardening wasn't so bad of a trade either, when one considered the necessity of food here in this safe haven.

Especially when the jungles beyond were ripe with danger.

One thing was for certain though; Ekumo was troubled by something deeper than the aspect of intoxication, although that probably didn't help alleviate the mood either when you considered it. Alcohol was never a solution to add into the equation, it only tended to make things feel worse when you were down. So while Enrick could relate to having his own burdens to keep, he slowly started to wonder what exactly Ekumo was trying to keep hidden away.

Except he didn't bother prodding for it, if the man really needed someone to vent it to then he would've done it by now. Thus the fisherman continued to lead the way through wind and snow, focused on where the inn should be since they were both headed there.

[Splinter]

Ekumo nodded as Enrick spoke, briefly just as he had been, and the Qi'ora couldn't blame him. The elements made it far too difficult to hold conversation, let alone attention for more than brief moments at a time. The wind, bitter and hateful as always, stole the heat - well it at least tried to steal the heat - and thoughts directly from his mind. Ekumo shook his head and shivered slightly.

"I work for the Aik Volunteers. Expeditions, minimal medical care." Ekumo's voice was bitter, like the bite of the wind when he mentioned expeditions. Clearly the man was upset over something, "We can talk more at the inn. Too cold, wind too noisy here." It was true too, as it seemed the wind picked up any time the man tried to speak, drowning out his words in a chilled howling numbness. So the pair trudged on through the snow, feet and boots crunching noisily against the silence that had befallen them.

It didn't take terribly long for the pair to arrive at the inn, Karshe. It had been Ekumo's home for a few Cycles now, and it was a place of quiet refuge for him. Climbing the walkways to get to the main building would prove difficult to most any who were unfamiliar with the Inn itself, but the Qi'ora had grown accustomed to climbing the different pathways, and hopefully too the man who was leading him found it fairly easy to traverse. The sooner Ekumo was out of these accursed winds the sooner he could clear his head and think straight.

Which would bring with it questions. Many many questions. What had happened, had he actually seen what his eyes led him to believe? Had blood been spilt under his watch? Could he have done more? He shook his head as they stepped inside the Inn and Ekumo was quick to order a Desnind Mead. Perhaps the fog from the drink would help dull his mind enough to allow him to process, or hide, from the burning questions that bit at the back of his mind. If the man wanted to sit and talk, Ekumo would oblige. He needed someone to talk to, and the empty bottom of a glass was not going to be helpful.

[Ricky]

Enrick's eyebrows were elevated briefly at the sound of Ekumo's profession, volunteer work usually meant labor without expected reward; which never really did much for the individual when survival was a necessity. Putting others before him wasn't something he normally did, aside from the minor gestures of kindness much like tonight.

Enrick wanted to at least commend he man for being able to commit to such a things, but the bigger task at hand was exactly what Ekumo suggested necessary; returning to the inn for shelter from the blistering cold. Thankfully they weren't much farther away so the silence wasn't expected to last, but merely remain as part of the obstacle they were enduring now.

Finally they reached Karshe and went inside to reacquaint themselves with the warmth, a treat Enrick felt happy to indulge in at the bar as well; since his companion wasted no time in going there. "Oi'll 'ave an ale." He carelessly requested towards the barkeep as he took a seat on one of the stools, with brown eyes now paled to a silvery glint as he glanced towards Ekumo.

"Y' know where Oi come from, volunteer work dun get ya very far." He remarked with a plain tone of voice as he watched the mug arrive. "People would take advantage o' dat sort'a ting, ten again all the Sev'ryn here 're far better tan dat."

Far better indeed. Everyone has shown him kindness even when it wasn't warranted, granted he did his best to earn his part during the stay here. Even so he couldn't deny the hospitality of these people, it was far greater than any good he had ever come to know back in Almund. There were some good eggs here and there, and back in Scalvoris town he'd met his share of both good and bad. Here though? In Desnind?

The bad seemed less of a commodity and for a while, it struck him as something 'off' in which he should be wary of. Now he knew good and well he'd miss it, for he'd come to appreciate what a wonder this place was.

[Splinter]

"Aye, it takes a certain ... personality to be a volunteer." Ekumo's voice was a dry as the warmth of the air they now were able to enjoy. The drink Ekumo ordered left him with a pleasant numb feeling, much like the hated cold would after too long of exposure. "You up for a bit of a story?" Ekumo had a story, damn near to that of a fisherman's tale at this point as the events had been played out in his mind over and over again, each time growing just a bit more exaggerated than the last. He waited for Enrick's response, assuming the man was up for a bit of a tale, Ekumo would begin.

"Expeditions are normal here," Ekumo waved his hand about him, gesturing around him to nothing in particular, "and it is a way of life for many, much like myself. Sadly part of that is also accepting the fact that death is a potentiality. Something is happening. Out in the badlands. Things out there aren't normal. Not anymore," Ekumo sighed and took another sip of his Mead. He continued his story, detailing a bit about the most recent expedition he'd taken out with around four other members of the Aik Volunteers.

Everything had been going well enough, at least in the beginning. Started off typical. Until the second night. That's when things went sideways and fast too. Ekumo had been able to defend himself well enough. After all, the elements were, for the most part, on his side. The way he spoke of the elements, earth, fire, water, and yes even wind, showed an utmost respect for them. More so than the average forest dweller of the Lori. By the time the fight had finished, one of the people from the expedition team had fallen. Ekumo was torn about their death. He felt somewhat responsible, almost as if he could have done more to protect the individual.

Once his story was finished, he took another drink from his Mead and looked over Enrick. "Not your typical volunteer work, eh?"

[Ricky]

Enrick chuckled at the remark of what necessarily gave volunteer work the name, with lips just shy of a grin as he lifted the mug to sip at his beer a little. The chance to hear a story from this 'volunteer' didn't sound so wasteful, since from the sound of it there came with it a lot of different risks. "Aye, let's hear it ten." He encouraged with silvery eyes on Ekumo now.

Hearing that the volunteers had to make trips outside the comfort and safety of their haven, Enrick barely seemed indifferent with hearing death was an expected risk. Yet the foreboding tone Ekumo held when he mentioned the Badlands, and something else, led the fisherman to narrow his eyes a little. He knew nothing of these 'Badlands' but judging from their name, they probably weren't something people wanted to visit very often at the least.

So their party had been hit hard and while they managed, the raid costed them one of their own in the end. Enrick could understand the feeling of responsibility, since he too had been burdened on the way to Desnind. Sailing those rough seas in just a sloop with a pregnant woman for a passenger, he knew all too well the stress of worrying over the safety of another. Yet here he was now, alone with almost no cares in the world; just patiently waiting for winter finish its course.

The more interesting aspect though was the nature in which Ekumo defended himself apparently, he talked as though nature itself seemed to safeguard him in some way. Enrick had seen an example of this type of magic before, as volunteers used it to control the water in an effort to diminish the fire last Hot Cycle. So Ekumo could harness it as well, and from the sound of it the talent seemed a truly remarkable one to possess.

"Aye, tat's quite a story." He admitted with another small grin as he looked down at his mug, surprised to see the container already half empty while he just listened. "If Oi had talents like dat, sailin' de seas would be a breeze." He could only imagine what it'd be like, to feel the wind in the way Ekumo described. It sounded like an entirely different and mystical perspective, one the fisherman nearly envied the longer he pondered the thought. "So what d' ya intend t' do about it? If it's revenge y' want, Oi'm not much good in a fight t' say te least." At least Enrick felt capable enough of admitting that.