Unfettered - Part 6 - The unwanted and unforgotten

As Bryne traveled with his three new companions, he began to learn their stories.

Hunter, the orcish inquisitor with patchy skin, was actually not a full-blooded Highborn at all. Shunned by his race, the half-orc spent most of his youth proving himself to his more brutish cousins.  Entering the military theocracy as an inquisitor was more a means to an end, than a calling; He was hoping that divine magic could permanently erase the feeble human blood in his veins. Now, he wanders the harsh terrain of Ogrimar as a bounty hunter for the Trine (A name for the closest things Highborn had to a clergy; A quasi-military group of paladins). Bryne asked if such a past meant Hunter was more open-minded towards non-orcs. Hunter didn't reply. When they made camp that evening, Bryne noticed the half-orc mumbling some words to himself while smashing a log with his flail. Bryne didn't ask anything more of the inquisitor after that.

The human was named Lorey. When they'd found a small river to bathe in, Bryne noticed that Lorey's tattoo extended far further than the marks on his back and neck; From head to toe, Lorey was wholly smudged with black ink, intricate patterns in some areas, and clouds of darkness in others. Lorey was also far more talkative than the others, but only when they were at rest. His past was that of a human defector; Working as a regional adviser to troops near the border, Lorey was sick of a war he saw as petty, and decided to sneak into Ogrimar using some hidden drow tunnels. The plan backfired in every sense, and after barely avoiding fire from the humans and a slew of undead, he managed to get himself captured and enslaved by Highborn warriors. He made a point emphasizing that he was only kept alive because of his vast knowledge. After a generous amount of torture and questioning, he was passed on to Hunter at the half-orc's request. His philosophies and outlook on life have changed since.

Bryne was taken aback by the somewhat casual mentions of torture and change. Despite Lorey's straightforward and gruff speech, he expected more a reaction. Indeed, Lorey just sat there tinkering with his crossbow, and when queried about his torture, went right on to explaining his philosophy. All people should just accept the decisions and mistakes they make, he claimed. When prodded further, Lorey just stared into Bryne's eyes and said: "Not all of us have the luxury of a peaceful place to learn and grow." That was all Bryne got out of Lorey's past.

Bryne took his time approaching the third member of the group and his potential mentor. He began to notice that both Lorey and Hunter kept their interactions with her at a minimum. Soon, however, Bryne noticed that she began to loom closer to him while they traveled. Finally, he opened a dialogue.

Fallon confirmed she was a samsaran; She was of a race that others often had trouble categorizing. Many speculated they were born of the Mysts like many of the animal-folk. Others suggested they were altered by the radiance, and thus were a type of plane-touched, like the devilish tieflings or the breeze-kissed sylphs. Others still thought they were cousins to fey, like the gnomes or songwolves. Regardless, Fallon interjected, she was a long-lived being with many reincarnations and many pasts. This left her more sympathetic to the ways of elves and dwarves than most of the other races. When asked what she was doing in Ogrimar during a seemingly endless cold war, Fallon simply shrugged and replied "I go where life leads me, simple as that."

It was a terrifying revelation to know that Fallon was actually an arcane archer in the making, a profession that should have gotten her killed on sight in Ogrimar. Only the most elite of magi from the Commonwealth were allowed to practice the art. Arcane archers, beings capable of raining death and fire from a half-mile away, were largely acknowledged as the reason humans stood a chance against orcs in the first few waves of the war. "Although," Fallon added, "That was a life ago. I cherish the memories still, but this life, I'm still only a magus". Confused Bryne inquired as to how it was possible to have the memories of an arcane archer but only know rudimentary magus techniques. This launched Fallon into a night-long monologue about the nature of memories versus skill.

Much to Bryne's disappointment, Fallon's recognition of his kinetic abilities was only partially due to personal experience, and even then, only from lives past. The rest came from the magic she employed, and her skill in interpreting the crafting and form of spellwork. She saw the way he breathed, the way his hands moved, and the way the environment shifted. To a trained eye, helped with a bit of magic, it was easy to see how he weaved such effects. Lifting her bow, she demonstrated by firing a snowball at a faraway rock using her own magic; She used the magic of the magi, tying together wizardry and armed combat. With a grin, Bryne challenged the samsaran mercenary to a contest of marksmanship, both of them launching balls of ice and snow. He lost miserably.

In Fallon, Bryne felt more at home than he'd felt in months.

So the days went; Hunter's group was surprisingly generous with their provisions, and Lorey's knowledge of the land could easily be deemed superior to that of an orc born and raised locally. When they found a village, Bryne waited outside with Fallon, while Hunter and his enslaved human questioned the locals for new leads. Haphazardly, Bryne also learned that he'd been entirely wrong about how Lorey was handled. He'd thought that when Hunter barked orders, shoved Lorey around, and occasionally striking the man, it was a sure sign of his dominant ownership; Instead, Bryne learned that this was simply the way Highborn behaved with their respected kin. Compared to treatment by the locals, the bruised human was free, protected by the law and by Hunter from the ax of an excitable orc. They got their news, and left. There was no word of any elven summoner.

When the group came across a rogue troupe of goblins, chaos erupted. Goblins, Lorey informed Bryne, were not entirely extinct; They bred fast, and were exceptionally crafty, if not enslaved and carefully monitored. As they were ambushed, Bryne wanted to show he was not defenseless in a fight. Faster than he could even react, however, Hunter's group had already ducked behind cover, and goblins unleashed a barrage of bombs and flying rocks. Bryne limped for cover, extinguishing a fire that caught his pant leg, while the others were picking goblins off left and right with bolts and arrows. The goblins had no choice but to flee or charge. They chose to charge, and were met with Hunter's flail. With a dazzling display of martial prowess, the half-orc knocked them all back and stood his ground. Seeing an opportunity, Bryne recovered from his wound and drew upon his powers. He pushed the limits of his abilities, drawing waters from the very earth and air. Both Lorey and Fallon warned Hunter to back away.

After a sudden drop in temperature and an audible rumble, Hunter glanced backwards to find Bryne summoning a massive ball of ice. Expecting Bryne to roll the sphere, Hunter dodged sideways to avoid its path. He'd guessed wrong; With a thunderous roar, Bryne instead threw the ice-ball into the center of the goblin horde, who had but seconds to react. The ball exploded like a grenade, mimicking the goblins' bombs; Shards of ice flew like shrapnel, impaling several goblins outright and skewering the ones behind. Hunter, with no shield or cover, was pierced threw his abdomen and thigh.

After the battle, Bryne offered to mend Hunter's wounds, but was denied. Both Lorey and Hunter had similar magic, and had no use of his aid. Expecting a soured partnership, Bryne prepared to part from the group and be left to himself. Instead, he was met with respect, and a subtle warning that if he attempted such a feat again, Hunter would happily knock his teeth in. Lorey made no such threat verbally, but Bryne caught himself in the human's crosshairs several times.

Several more weeks passed. Bryne remarked that it'd soon be a year since he left Dweimdomus. Though seasons rarely diverged from the usual dry or wet in Ogrimar, he imagined there'd be good amounts of snowfall back home. The group continued to hug the western mountains, then the southern coast, in their travels. They found yet another town that'd been slaughtered by Hunter's elusive prey. This time, they needed to cover their faces with a cloth; Each and every victim had a stench so rancid, it was as if their innards had dissolved into pure decay. As Bryne overturned a body, and discovered hundreds of maggots swarming from their home, he pondered on the fates of Mylleile and the Honeyfin clan.

According to Hunter, his prey was some variation of demon, or a cultist capable of summoning them. However, he found no tracks to trace. Both Lorey and Fallon debated and argued what magic was in use, if at all, or what supernatural abilities were at play, if any. Bryne instead knelt down, and stared at the empty eyes of the deceased. He saw the purity of death.

"Daemons are far less popular among summoners," Lorey bickered, "But they're the best fit; None of the towns suffered the wanton destruction of demons." "I'm telling you, it's a witch or someone practicing their craft," Fallon retorted. "I've seen similar before. Some can even harness the souls for rituals." "There're no signs of a ritual, no circles, no binding spells," stated Hunter. "This was done for the sake of killing. But Daemons wouldn't just pop into this plane, and target random towns."

"Maybe they just needed to kill," Bryne chimed in. Still kneeling down, he froze to death all the insects he saw. "Maybe it's a compulsion for them. Not just a ritual, or a cause. maybe they just want everything to stop moving."

Hunter stared silently at Bryne for a moment, and stated matter-of-factly "Like a demon or daemon." The group continued bickering.

The day came and went, like any other. No further clues were found, as per the usual. Any and all divination used yielded little more than what they already knew. It was eventually decided by Hunter that the loss of life was too great for the Highborn to ignore. They needed to report their findings directly to the Trine.