The Delve III
Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2020 4:20 am
27th of Ash, 120
Step by step, the two proceeded deeper into the tunnel that stretched beneath the Rien streets. Arkash had never considered that the humans would have to devote so much time and effort into building the structure that otherwise only existed for the purpose of carrying their waste away. But there they were, walking along the brick passageways that the rathari could only imagine acted as paths made for ease of access, and he found the architecture to be stunning.
That wasn't to say that he loved the sewers, as the stench made his eyes water and burned his nostrils. He imagined that most people would retch and heave at the stink, but he'd grown up in a place where humans and elves alike defecated in the streets. It was nothing new, except for maybe how potent the stink was in the sewers. Asmodei, however, struggled with the smell the deeper they went.
With another rat in hand, Arkash bit off its upper half, chewed thoroughly, then braced himself for a hard swallow. He made sure that his windpipe was closed before he lifted his head skyward and forced the rat chunk down over a series of gulps that almost induced a panic. It should have been easy, but Arkash had found himself with difficulty swallowing following his head injury. Nonetheless, he swallowed the chunk successfully, then pressed the drippy rat stump to the wall and began to draw an arrow that pointed to the direction from which they came.
Asmodei's glowing amber blade lit the way for both of them and provided warmth for the ectothermic rathari as a byproduct of Asmodei's efforts. Once the arrow was complete, Arkash threw the rat stump into the rancid waters, then continued along the walkways. A glance to Asmodei drew a smile to his lips, and his eye returned to the glow of the avialae's blade. Asmodei was a mage, as he'd discovered. Though Arkash never believed he'd encounter something as powerful and dangerous as a mage, he didn't feel afraid. Asmodei was a kind soul, and Arkash trusted him.
Beyond that, Arkash wanted to learn how to use magic himself. He had to show that he was ready, both in an emotional and mental capacity. Admittedly, he knew very little about magic. He knew not the difference between the types of magic Asmodei spoke of; world magics and cardinal runes. But, that didn't mean he was ignorant to them, just uneducated.
"So..." he spoke over the ambiance of dripping water, squeaky rats, and the distant, hard flow of the channel. "How does magic work?" Asked the Rathari most casually.
Asmodei exhaled through his mouth and covered his nose with the same hand that carried the sack of dead rats. "Can't this wait until we're topside?" He spoke with a sort of nasal strain in his voice.
Arkash frowned, then turned to face Asmodei as they came to a turn. The Avialae lowered the bag for Arkash to reach into procedurally, and the lizard collected another dead rat before he went through the struggle of eating the upper half again. Once it was done, the Rathari began to paint another bloodied arrow on the stone before he threw the rat chunk into the channel of feces. "We have time now, and besides, I'm- I really wanna learn."
Asmodei sighed and continued to walk along. The corner they turned held a small waterfall of sickly green fluid that crashed loudly into the main channel. "WELL!" He called with a raised voice to speak over the rush of water. "IM NOT AN EXPERT, BUT THE WHOLE WORLD IS FILLED WITH MAGIC!"
Arkash furrowed his one working brow. "WHAT?!"
Asmodei visibly rolled his eyes, then moved Arkash along the path away from the crash of water. The lizard hurried along to keep pace with the avialae that dwarfed him, then finally looked to the Avialae expectantly. "I said; I'm not an expert, but-"
"-Oh no, I heard you. I was just asking what you meant," Arkash interrupted him with a smile.
"Oh, right. Well..." he started, then continued to walk through the sewers. His eyes watered at the stench. Arkash grinned. "Everything has magic inside it, rather, magical energy. That energy is called Ether. Trees, rocks, bugs, animals, people, they all have their own reserves of this energy-."
"-Do I have some? Can you see it?" Asked Arkash with waning restraint. The topic fascinated him, he wanted to know everything about it.
"Well, yes. And no, I can't see it."
"Can you feel it?"
"Well, sorta-."
"-How do you know it's there, then?"
Asmodei furrowed his brow at the lizard. "You need to listen if you want to learn, Arkash," he spoke partly in jest, but with a notable tone of irritation. So, Arkash nodded quickly, then moved to collect another dead rat from the bag. "Just accept that all things have ether inside them for now. So, this ether-" He paused as Arkash bit off the upper half of the rodent, then began to chew. Arkash looked to the false knight expectantly and found him cringing in disgust. The lizard rolled his eyes, then swallowed the rat chunk with difficulty.
"So this ether-" Arkash continued as he began to draw another bloody arrow on one of the walls.
"-Right, it's the energy that fuels magic, the energy that lights up my sword like this," he spoke with a gesture to his blade.
Arkash's yellow eye fixed on the blade for a moment before he returned to his marking. "So how do I use it?" He asked casually.
Asmodei drove the blade of his sword into the ground with a sharp metallic clang accompanied by the shattering of stone. Arkash yelped and reeled with such intensity that he was made to drop the rat chunk as he flinched.
Asmodei furrowed his brow and put the bag down at his side before he approached the rathari, and physically pulled him from his compressed, trembling pose. "Easy, don't be so jumpy," spoke Asmodei's comforting voice. The rathari steadily relaxed and came undone. Once his sense had returned, he became aware of how harshly he'd reacted to the sudden crash. To say the least, he felt sheepish.
"Sorry, Az... I-I don't know why I-" He paused as he considered. "Wait, why did you do that? Couldn't you just sheath it?"
"I need the light," he explained. Arkash furrowed his brow inquisitively. What for? Though he didn't ask his question aloud, Asmodei knelt before him, then began to loosen the buckles of his gauntlet. Arkash watched from his sighted side curiously, then tilted his head with a squint when the glove came off.
There was a marking there, some sort of character written in ink, like a tattoo upon his palm. Arkash stared hard at the marking then shook his head. "I can't read common," he declared. "Only vithmi."
"What? Ark, no. This isn't written in common. It's a cardinal rune. This is the marking that allows me to use sigilic pyromancy. Think of it like... a key. It unlocks my ability to harness ether, and funnels it through a filter that allows me to create and control fire."
Arkash nodded. "So I need to draw it on my hand..." he spoke in conclusion. "Could you help me? Or do I need to do it?" It would be difficult for Arkash, especially because he only had one hand.
The avialae laughed a breath, then shook his head as he wrapped his hand with his gauntlet again. "Actually, no. Only a mage with the cardinal rune can inscribe it upon you, like me, for instance."
"Oh," spoke Arkash, pleasantly surprised. "Can we just pick up some ink in Outer Nivenhain and-?" Before he could finish his sentence, Asmodei shook his head again. The giant recollected his sword with a hard yank, then collected the bag of rats. Arkash pouted and collected the rat chunk he'd dropped before he threw it in the sewage. "Why not?" Was he not good enough? Not ready? When he considered the reasons Asmodei might have had for not initiating him, he only found faults within himself.
"Because," spoke Asmodei hesitantly then sighed deeply before he resumed. "I'm not strong enough to initiate others, Ark. Sigilic pyromancy was never my forte," he explained. All of a sudden, Arkash was made a fool in his own head. It wasn't a problem with him, but with Asmodei.
"Ah... I didn't think about that," Arkash thought aloud as the two were on their way once more. Soon enough, another manhole presented itself, and Asmodei sheathed his blade before he began to climb the ladder to move the grating aside. The exterior appeared to be a shadowy corner of the district, but still allowed bright daylight through. The chatter of a busy street could be heard above. Cojack was near, and with every step, they were getting closer and closer to him. "Az," Arkash called for the winged man's attention as he fished another dead rat from the bag. The avialae merely looked to the Rathari with an inquisitive gaze. "Would you initiate me if you could?" Was all he asked, and did his best not to let on how much the avialae's answer meant to him. All he needed was a little validation, but it had to be genuine.
Asmodei simply smiled at that, then nodded his head. "Maybe... It's complicated, you know. Lot's to consider." Arkash smiled a little, then directed his gaze to the sewer floor. Perhaps he just wasn't meant to be a wizard? "But," added Asmodei, which drew Arkash's attention "I don't doubt you'd make a good mage, Ark."
That was good enough for the Rathari; he found a smile on his lips in the dark of sewer. That lasted until Asmodei lifted the grate, and bright daylight flooded the tunnel and stung his eye.