Ild-at-raseri

[Runt]

A FireStar and PathFinder Story

Friday, May 10th
When frost giants speak of the bonfires lit by humans and the way it ravages the land or attacks their flesh they call it Ild-at-raseri. In literal translation it means fire to rage, but the more contextual meaning is A Raging Fire

Runt lumbered through the streets towards the Blush Brush Warehouse. His head bobbed a bit to the music blaring through the bright blue headphones over his ears. One of the loading bays was open and he strode through it easily. Now that Fashion Week was over the warehouse was once again in its usual state of motion and no longer serving as an Expo space. Several of the workers paused from their labor of stocking boxes filled with cosmetics meant for both the affordable shops down near High Street and the upscale boutiques on Benson Boulevard. They warily eyed the giant making his way in, praying he would not send any of their towers of boxes and containers flying. Through some offer of trading clothing with the foreman Koy had gotten temporary use of a cleared out space away from the workers. She waved Runt over when she felt the shift in the space as the regular hum of people and machines in motion skipped a beat.

The workers parted for him like rapids flowing around an eyot. He slid the headphones off his head and put them into a small bag around his waist. "'ELSINGEN 'UN-JARL."

“Heya, Seeker of Strength. Help me with this ladder, aye?” Koy motioned to the ten foot ladder she had also borrowed from the foreman. “I want ta set it up so I can get more of yer measurements.”

Runt moved the ladder, setting it in place. His body language was more reserved and restrained than Koy had seen before. Koy always needed to weigh her actions and words when Runt was near. The role he needed her to play was an extension of herself and one she more often than not wished was fully true. “Good.” She climbed part way up the ladder, tape measure in hand. She would have to do the work in pieces and add up the dimensions as she went. Runt stood there silently, familiar with this process. They were doing it again because of how quickly he was growing. His eyes darted, following the movements of the workers in the warehouse but he tried not to shift too much in the process.

“Wha is it then tha follows ye? Their eyes or somethin’ not in this buildin’ with us?” Koy did not comment on the new measurements. Runt for his size spooked easily. Her question was calmly asked, her tone hard to read but quiet so it remained between them.

"RUNT NOT FOLLOWED. JUST LOOKING."

“And yet ye’re carryin’ some heavy weight with ye. It will be hard ta seek iffn yer mind has a weight on it. Raise yer arms.”

He lifted his arms up high. "MATT IS REIDUR - ANGRY - WID RUNT." He paused a moment, thinking about last night. “RUNT DISPLEASURE DE 'UN-JARLS MATE."

She covered as much ground as she could with the tape measure, noted the width, and climbed back down the ladder to write it in her notebook. There was an itch she couldn’t scratch, a quick burning sensation at the back of her brain listening to him.

“Tha can happen. Wha do ye think made ‘em angry?”

“You know why.” There was a voice inside her head. She expected FireStar but belatedly realized it soothed her. It was MoonBeryl dropping in. She felt a quick relief followed by a stubborn pride. She ignored the Opal far from her grasp but forever connected to her thoughts after their time together.

"MATT NOT LIKE DAT RUNT IS ISEJOTUNEN."

Koy stopped to crane her neck to look all the back up at Runt. “Isejo-tunen,” she tried not to butcher the pronunciation, “is wha ye are though, is it not?”

Runt nodded slowly, then looked down at Koy. "MATT DOES NOT LIKE 'OW RUNT SPEAKS AND DOES. DAT RUNT IS ISEJOTUNEN. MATT IS NOT SAME AS BEFORE."

Koy tried not to visibly look perplexed. Matt’s care and concern over Runt’s well-being was how the giant had unofficially become part of their family.

“You know why.” There were the honey-coated words of MoonBeryl again in the back of her mind. She hated the faint feeling of missing the Opal as a confidante.

“Ye must know in yer heart tha Matt does not feel tha way. Wha happened ‘fore he said somethin’ like tha ta ye?”

Runt shrugged casually. "MATT LOST DE CHALLENGE. 'E WAS 'OT WID RAGE, 'OT AS A FORGE. RUNT SAID 'E WOULD FIGHT DE VAN FER MATT. MATT DID NOT WANT DIS. IT MAKE 'IM WEAK. RUNT KNOW NOW."

“He was upset. Pride can be a hurtful thing. He said tha in the heat of the moment. I don’t think he meant it. And ‘sides, wha matters more? Wha he yelled or wha I think?”

Runt looked at her with clear, arctic blue eyes. "RUNT WANT TO 'ONOR 'UN-JARL AND MATT."

“Aye, but we both can make mistakes. It’s wha gives us somethin’ ta strive ta do better each day. Could ye believe mebbe Matt was wrong ta say wha he did?” She motioned for Runt to stand on the other side of the ladder so she could get the other half of his measurements.

Runt carefully shifted around the ladder. "MAAL-REE SAY DAT A STONE MAKE MATT SAY WHAT 'E SAY. DIS STONE MAKE MATT BE AND SAY DIFFERENT." His look was thoughtful, the expression on his face even held some concern.

“Even the giant knows why.” Now MoonBeryl sounded familiarly smug. Koy frowned and climbed up the ladder to resume measuring.

At another time in their relationship, Koy would be devastated to hear about Matt possibly being influenced by a stone. ShadoWeaver for years had felt like the other woman. But she was now just as culpable. Though they often had different motivations, Koy and Matt equally bore responsibility for intertwining the Opals so deeply into their family. It was her fault for making FireStar so easily accessible to Matt. She had been avoiding FireStar’s twisted thoughts.

She considered outright lying. But the expression on Runt’s face made her opt for something closer to the truth.

“It’s complicated, Runt. There is good and bad in all of us. Matt lost. He let his emotions boil over. Mebbe the stone made it worse and harder ta control. But ye must know wha rage feels like, don’t ye? Sometimes it blinds ye ‘fore ye can know wha ye’re doin.”

The giant thought back to his experiences and how he almost killed Jonn or attacked Mallory. "RUNT WANT TO 'ELP MATT. TAKE DE STONE AWAY."

“Tha’s a kind offer. But this is fer me ta handle. We can’t get rid of the stones. Some have tried and it’s never gone well. But it’s on me ta be a better guardian of ‘em. I jest find tha one ta be particularly cruel.

But I’ve had many years holdin’ some of the stones. I would be ‘fraid if they did somethin’ ta ye since ye have not held this stone. This is why I’ve been warnin’ ye ‘bout ‘em.”

Not caring if she was in the middle of a measurement Runt turned around to face her. "RUNT PROTECT MATT. PROTECT CLAN SIH-MON. RUNT DO WHAT NEED TO BE DONE FER CLAN."

Koy gripped onto the sides of the ladder at the sudden movement. “The way ta protect ‘em is ta stay ‘way from tha stone. It will only make it worse. Wha Clan Simon needs is help keepin’ things peaceful. So tha we can be our best and not have stones makin’ our worst emotions bigger. Can ye help us do tha?”

"RUNT WILL DO DIS FER 'UN-JARL" He turned around to let her finish taking the measurements, all the while thinking about what he would do if he won the green stone.

((Co-written from live-play with Koy))

[Koyliak]

It was early Tuesday morning and Runt had just received a courier package from Eden. Congratulations on your win! Here is PathFinder. I don't know much about these things, but I think it will suit you. Good luck holding onto it! He had carefully checked the box to make sure the green stone was indeed in there but didn't touch it or remove it. His rough hands lingered above the stone, wondering if it was going to speak, shoot out needles, glow or something else clearly magical. PathFinder seemed to hold all shades of green and if he tilted the box just right Runt could almost see vines roiling within it. With a gentle touch he carefully closed the lid and made his journey to New Haven. The best time to find the Simon's was in the morning and he hoped this was early enough.

FireStar happened to be the first member of the Simon household to sense Runt's approach. The opal flashed a giddy vision of the giant drenched in others' blood with a ravaged landscape behind him into Koy's mind. It jarred the elf the way the opal intended, causing her to snap at her young son who was fiddling with the faucet of the bathroom sink. "Brush yer teeth 'lready, Malachite, we haven't got all day." The use of his full name and his mother's tone caused the boy to pick up the toothbrush with his Goblin Pals green toothpaste already squeezed on it. He shoved the toothbrush into his mouth, sneaking some serious side eye at his mother.

"Jest brush." An exasperated Koy started to call downstairs to her daughter to open the door but before she could get the words out Thia had already done so, yelling back, "Got it, mama!" Koy had gotten so used to her ten-year-old daughter's preternatural ability to anticipate what she felt that she barely registered the fact that she hadn't actually said anything.

Runt grinned at the little 'un-van of his 'un-jarl. "'ELSINGEN TINY TAY." Then he stood there, with the box in his hands, just outside the door because he was far to big to come in without breaking something.

"Matt! Door!" Koy called out for her husband while she finished getting Malachite ready for school. She handed the boy a towel to wipe his face after brushing his teeth and hurried him along for the next hurdle of finding his shoes and bag.

Runt called into the house, impatient and very excited to share what he had brought. He took a deep breath and bellowed out. "'UN-JARL! RUNT BRING GIFT FER CLAN SIH-MON!"

"Comin', Seeker! Jest helpin' the sohn get ready. Matt!"

What was the point of having kids, he thought, if they can’t even answer the door? Sighing, he stood, tossed aside the data pad of upcoming RASG sorties he’d been reviewing, and made his way to the front door.

Thia had left the door wide open so when Matt turned into the entryway he saw a grinning, beaming Runt just past the porch. Remembering Matt's dislike of the giant language Runt chose his next words carefully. "GREETING TO MATT! RUNT BRING GIFT FER CLAN SIH-MON. RUNT FIGHT WID 'ONOR FER DE CLAN." He stretched out his right arm, turned his hand and opened his fingers to reveal a small black box.

"It's Runt, mama!" Thia waved once to the giant outside before moving to finish cleaning up her paints in the playroom she shared with her brother. She knew if she left them out where Chi could reach he would take it upon himself to paint the walls, floors and furniture with his hands. She took some care covering up the canvas that had finally dried, wanting to keep it protected on her way to school. She had stayed up later than her parents had approved of to finish the art project due that day.

Koy and Chi appeared behind Matt in the doorway. Koy handed her son his red Team Fist sneakers. The boy cared little about his parents’ IFL team. He simply liked the cartoonish poses of the closed fists and stars on the shoes.

Several of Runt’s prior gifts - like white stag horns - had been...inappropriate. Tentatively, Matt reached for the box, turning to look at the newly appeared Koy.

Runt nodded towards the box, inside was a small green Opal - PathFinder. "RUNT 'AVE GREAT SLASS WID EDEN. MAKE 'UN-JARL AND MATT SIH-MON PROUD FULL. DIS BE GIFT TO SIH-MON CLAN." The giant didn't mention about them missing his fight. He knew he needed to earn his place in the clan before he would be honored by their witness. He did watch to see how his gift was received.

Koy touched the top of Chi’s curly head, leaving the boy to finish tying his shoes and play with his Grimmy Goblin action figure while he waited to be taken to school. As she walked outside to stand next to Matt she griped his hand involuntarily. Not because she was afraid of PathFinder but because FireStar had made their displeasure at the presence of PathFinder known, sending a phantom burn through the elf’s arm.

“Congratulations on winnin’ yer challenge, Runt. We’re proud of yer strength.” She didn’t want the giant to misread her reaction to the pain of FireStar though the words were a little stilted.

FireStar almost succeeded in compelling him to snatch the box out of Runt’s hand before his self-control kicked in and stopped him. Instead, he tried a more subtle approach. “Runt...where are you going to keep it?”

Runt offered the box with the green Opal towards Matt. "DIS STONE BE FER MATT. IT BE GIFT FROM RUNT. TO SHOW LOYALTY. IT BE KEPT WID MATT."

Koy's gaze went from Matt to Runt to the green stone. She felt a surge of conflicting reactions:

One: They were already dealing with FireStar. She had heard and seen firsthand how the Opal was affecting Matt. To keep the peace she had taken it upon herself to hold the stone with her more than she had been previously instead of heading into an impossible to win argument about why he should stay away from the destructive stone. Would it be wise to add PathFinder to the mix?

Two: Maybe she was fooling herself in thinking physically keeping the stone out of reach did any good when she knew how deep those connections could go once made.

Three: Who was she to think the stones were better off in their possession? At least for her part though, Koy had no interest in using their powers.

Four: But would it be safer to keep PathFinder with them than with Runt? Koy already was uneasy at how much interest FireStar showed in the giant. Why wouldn't PathFinder do the same for some ill-gain? It would be unwise to ever trust any of the opals.

Five: There was something bittersweet about seeing PathFinder up close again. She thought of the opal's one-time holder and her friend, Quinn and the tragedy that had brought Koy together with the stone. She had always thought of him as the most relatable of his siblings given his connection to the living world. The elf in her couldn't help but think of him more kindly.

All the while, PathFinder cared little about the adults in the front yard discussing his fate. His interest fell with the smaller creatures inside the house. Thia passed by the open door and PathFinder felt an undulating wave of satisfaction. "Finally."

It had taken years but he finally could see the fruits, pun intended, of their labor. How all the more delightful it was for him to be here with no sign of his sister ShadoWeaver or brother MoonBeryl in sight. They had been so haughty about their place with the Simons. He however, with patience, had won out. It hadn't escaped him the particular irony in the one who had delivered him to this destined moment was named Runt, the same insult he preferred to hurl at his brother.

Trying to not reach out greedily like he desperately wanted to, he instead asked, “Are you certain?” while also trying to ignore Koy’s palpable trepidations.

Runt nodded eagerly. "IF IT PLEASE DE 'UN-JARL, DIS GIFT BE FER MATT AND DE CLAN."

She forced on a smile. “Tha is very noble of ye, Runt, thankee.” Koy looked at Matt. “Do ye think there will be any outcry from the rest of our duelin’ friends ‘bout Runt’s opal stayin’ here?”

"It's not like we're going to sing it from the church bell-tower."

She paused and then glanced up at Runt. “We can hold it here fer ye, fer safe-keepin’. But mebbe we should keep it ‘tween only the clan where it’s stayin’. We will have it here at the house.” And now she fixed her husband with a hun-jarl worthy stare. “Tha means we don’t take it out and ‘bout, ‘specially not ta the rings, and we don’t make a spectacle of havin’ it, aye? People will get the wrong idea.”

"Of course. No spectacles."

“Ye agree then, Seeker of Strength?”

Considering his offering accepted Runt offered a broad grin. "MAAL-REE WILL ASK. RUNT TELL MAAL-REE ONLY. IS MATT PLEASED WID DIS GIFT?"

"I'm glad you won your challenge. These are not easy to earn, or hold onto," indicating the opal.

Runt handed the box with PathFinder over to Matt, a pleasant chill sweeping over him. "RUNT WANT TRAIN MORE WID MATT. EARN PLACE IN CLAN. BECOME LORD OF WAR."

"Warlord," Matt corrected. "And maybe Emerald. Long as you have this, you should take advantage of it. But make sure it doesn't do the same to you."

"IT JUST BE A STONE. RUNT NOT FEAR A ROCK."

"It's more than a stone. And you may not need to fear it. Yet. But tread carefully. Koy can...expound, if you like."

Koy smirked. Her rantings on the dangers of the Opals may have subsided over the years but it was rare for her warnings to be solicited. “The stone is a house fer a clever spirit. It’s never wise ta underestimate a creature like tha. But ye’re right, ye leave ‘em alone and ye shouldn’t have anythin’ ta fear.”

Runt shrugged carelessly. "STONE BE FER MATT. IF MATT IS PLEASED RUNT BE 'ONORED. RUNT FIGHT WID FISTS TO PROVE RUNT BE STRONG." The giant bent slightly at the waist, inclining his head to the Simon's in deference. Standing straight once more he waited to see if there was anything else before he could leave to meet the demands of his protesting stomach.

Art project in both hands, Thia bounded out the door. “Can we get a move on, puh-lease? I don’t want to be late. Mrs. Imagon will lock the door to class. It’s embarrassing.” There was a curious glimpse at the box in her father’s hand before the girl gave her mother an expectant look.

“Please, please, bo-bease,” Chi sang behind his sister. He was indifferent to going to school. He only enjoyed rhyming.

Bright teeth flashed at the kids from the giant, which for a moment looked like he could eat them - food was on the mind after all. With an abruptness that they had come accustomed to Runt turned around and walked off, thinking of all the meat he would hunt in the wilds.

“See ya, wouldn’t want ta be ya!” Chi chirped happily to the giant’s back, thrilled at the interaction.

“Malachite.” A different warning in Koy’s tone. An impish grin crossed the boy’s face as he grabbed his mother’s hand.

She watched Runt go and looked back at Matt. “Take the walk with us? We can talk more ‘bout this after we drop ‘em off.”

He nodded, swatting both kids lightly on the rear to spur them into motion, and headed down the path from their doorway.


((Collaboratively written with the players of Runt, Matt and Koy.))

[Runt]

Early, June 6th
The Wilds

Blood dribbled down Runt’s side having fully soaked the bandage. He dug into his sack looking for more strips of cloth from the sheets he stole the other night. He found one, though it was dirty from the other contents of his sack such as strips of jerky, oil for his weapons, and remnants of raw meat. With a small hunting knife Runt tore the sheet into strips to change the bandages. His stomach was bruised from the ram-head of the minotaur and his sides held semi-open wounds from the dagger he was sure had been poisoned. The pit fights which moved location every week were nothing like the arena. There were no rules and everything was to the death. The raw, itchy gashes near his ribs swelled and oozed pus as he tried to clean them. There was a small pouch of herbs that he kept reasonably clean but he had used the last of his turmeric and white willow bark and couldn’t afford to buy anymore.

The wilds were relatively quiet tonight, which was both good and bad. It meant fewer predators but also meant he had no luck in his hunt. His stomach ached with pain, a severe hunger he hadn’t felt for a long time. Runt lamented that he couldn’t keep up with his appetite. He didn’t know why he was so hungry all the time, but he couldn’t keep pace with his ferocious stomach. The last of his waterskin was empty as well. It had been a long eight hours and now dawn was approaching - prime hunting time.

He rose from his spot in a copse of trees and wandered deeper into the forest, tracking a large stag. Despite his ’un-jarls injunction Runt had only found the magnificent beasts tracks, and he was famished. The sky lighted gradually with a chorus of pink, blue and purple as he tracked the hoof prints. Perhaps it was the exhaustion, or maybe the fatigue but he didn’t hear the pack of wolves who were also tracking the stag.

They smelled the fresh blood from his wounds and sensed the weariness of his footsteps. These dire wolves were looking for a big meal, and it was walking right past them. Only the briefest snarl alerted Runt to the danger. He turned around as one large wolf bounded right at him while two others flanked his sides and snapped their jowls at him. He took his ram-head mace and swung it across the skull of the first wolf, but a second tackled him knocking his hunting spear aside and taking Runt to the ground. He rolled to the left trying to strangle one of his attackers and cried in pain as three-inch teeth sank deep into the flesh of his leg. His hand scrambled across the ground searching for a blunt object. He found a rotting log but it was enough to shove into the jowls of the wolf snapping in his face. With a quick backward roll, he took his spear and threw it into the mangy fur of a wolf as it leaped into the air. A fourth one sprang behind him throwing Runt to his chest. He roared at them as he tried to push up off the ground. Warm blood spread across the back of his neck as one of the assailants bit him. Runt rolled over, hearing the spine of the wolf crack and a yelp as it scrambled away.

The two remaining wolves snarled, saliva dripping from their mouths as they circled him. Runt quickly scanned for his mace which lay on the ground eight feet to his right. As he dove, wolves charged at him biting at his legs, side, and arms. He took the mace and with a fierce cry broke the back of the large wolf and then bellowed at the second. It snarled right back and lept once more at him. He took a bite to the neck causing him to drop the mace. Both hands reached up to grab the wolf by the throat and with a quick gesture, it’s head snapped.

Panting heavily and blood oozing from both bites and his pit-fight wound, Runt collapsed to the ground. He reached for his mace which he managed to pull towards him. Eager to eat this bounty he planted his free hand on the ground intending to reach the nearest kill. Then the trees spun, the sky sank beneath him and the world went dark.

[Koyliak]

“To confront a person with their own shadow is to show them their own light.”
-Carl Jung

Thursday, June 6th

“You trying out for drama club, Simon? You’re going to get knocked for not wearing your skirt.” A bored Elowen Thorppe flicked a strand of the dark-haired wig Thia wiggled back and forth onto her head. Elowen’s pale jade skin and deep emerald locks looked all the more striking against the sable and gold uniforms both girls were required to wear per the rules of Hylan Crest Middle School.

“Ye must have wax between yer ears, Lo, I told you, it’s for art class.” Thia’s accent carried a hodgepodge mix of her Elanthian roots and RhyDinian upbringing. She took off her blazer to reveal a loose men’s tunic tucked into the breeches her mother often had her wear on family trips back to Langenfirth. The tunic belonged to her father. Not that he would know it was missing. He also only wore it when visiting his wife’s family in the town nestled along the Gwendalian shore and surrounded by wilderness.

Violet contacts stared back at Elowen. Enough Fashion Week shows by her mother’s side had filled Thia with a flair for theatrics. She rubbed at one of her eyes, finding the contact lens annoying. Steeling herself, she tried thinking of her forever inspiration, the model Sveltiana, and how she must have felt wearing the aqua-bright lenses with black pupils like two eclipsed suns on the cover of August 2018’s Lush magazine. Thia too would persevere, not only today in her totally amazing costume, but beyond that. No matter how many times her mother reminded her about Svetliana’s giant blood Thia still held out hope that one day she would be as tall as the eight-foot beauty.

“Yacousef?” Elowen took in the entirety of Thia’s costume and connected the dots. While it was more than likely true that her best friend had told her about dressing up as the tragic hero of Thia’s favorite fairytale it could be hard for an air spirit like Elowen to keep track of such things. The only thing that she found fully captivating her attention in school were her science classes. They provided an interesting counterpart to the magic she had grown up with all her life.

“And Miss Thorppe hits the nail on the head, nails the pose on the nose, and rings the bell in the dell!” Thia made a show of waving her arms in Elowen’s direction and applauding wildly, giggling the entire time.

“You’re my favorite goofball, did you know that?” The giggling proved infectious and Elowen joined in. She linked arms with Thia and ushered her down the hallway, not wanting yet another demerit for being late for their first period classes.

***

”Are you going to let your giant bleed to death, in such muck no less?” FireStar, ever blunt, called out to their brother, transversing the short distance between Koy’s purse in the workroom of the Heavenly Boutique and the black box at the Simon household where PathFinder found himself.

”Why is it any business of yours?”

FireStar had their own reasons for paying more attention to Runt than to anyone else who crossed their current holder’s path. In this case hedging closer to transparency would serve them well. ”You’ve seen the rage in him. You can understand the intrigue.”

”Let me rephrase then: why should I care what you desire?” The dismissal was less rude and more ambivalent. PathFinder didn’t lend himself as easily as his sibling did to that particular destructive emotion. It often bored him. The green opal found the machinations around growth and survival far more fascinating.

Despite their reckless nature, FireStar did pay attention to their surroundings. ”Because if he were to die, he would no longer be your holder. You would not be permitted to stay under the roof of one you find equally curious.”

If PathFinder felt annoyance at his motivations being so clearly visible to another Opal he did not betray it. He also did not feign ignorance. ”You must have noticed how the children are marked.”

”I have. I must admit, I’m offended none of you invited me to join in the fun,” FireStar’s tone carried an exaggerated affront. It had not escaped them that all of the Opals save themselves had at one point or another entwined themselves with the smaller Simons, most likely at the time of their grotesque creation. ”You can make it up to me now. Let us be heroes!” The Opal cackled across the invisible space that connected them to their brother.

PathFinder waited to respond. FireStar considered throwing in another jab about the green Opal losing yet another holder but showed a rare restraint. Even they could remember the echo of pain felt from PathFinder’s grief over losing the woman. There was finally a clear sigh.

”We will save him. But in return I ask that when I call you for aid you will provide it to me. I have a working theory. There may yet be a place in it for you and your angry giant. Let me focus on the children. Do we have a deal?”

It was always a fine line between the Opals. This was not the first negotiation nor would it be the last. Yet how much honor existed to uphold any agreement was always a risk they took with each other.

”Deal. Now how should we rescue him?” FireStar laughed again, a sarcastic sizzle to the sound. ”Fancy that! Us, heroes. No one would believe it, least of all Koyliak.”

”That’s exactly why we have to think this through. She won’t believe it. None of them will. But I think I have a plan.”

[Koyliak]

Thia and Elowen sadly did not have their first period class together. “Knock ‘em dead, or spook them out, that’s what Yacousef did isn’t it?” Elowen didn’t wait for the answer though, flashing Thia a bright smile and skipping her way further down the hallway to her environmental science class. They were currently exploring the strange effects the city’s water supply could have on citizens.

Thia often waited several seconds before answering any of Elowen’s questions, knowing her friend frequently moved on to the next topic bubbling through her busy brain without needing an actual response. Thia found it endearing.

She went to a small closet in the classroom that Mrs. Imogen had unlocked for her students and carefully extracted her covered canvas. The first half of the class had presented their projects already. Thia felt lucky to have been given the extra time to step up her game by having the ingenious idea to put on the costume that had inspired her work, all because the first letter in her last name fell in the second half of the Common language alphabet!

Hurriedly she found a seat towards the back of the class and in the corner. The less people who realized she was in costume the better the effect. A nervous energy buzzed through her body. She could barely pay attention to the other presentations being shared as she went over her practiced speech in her head.

“Thia Simon?”

“Aye?” Thia found her silent repetitions interrupted by Mrs. Imagon’s undemonstrative voice.

“It’s your turn to present.”

“Oh, aye, I mean, yes!” Thia scrambled out of her seat and dragged the canvas up to the front. She only faintly registered the snickering from some of her peers. Setting the artwork on the easel at the front of the room she took a deep breath to calm her nerves and straightened out the wig on her head.

With her back to the class she lifted the cloth covering the canvas in a dramatic fashion, revealing the black silhouette of her shadow when dressed as her tragic hero. Blocked out in vivid chalk pastel colors were the haunting violets of his eyes and swirls of reds and blues meant to imply both the thirst for revenge and the sad yearning in his heart.

“Beware the eyes of Yacousef!” She cried out, opening her violet-contact covered eyes to face the class. Expecting gasps of surprise, shock, horror, and/or even admiration, instead she found their faces blank. A silence pervaded the room for what felt like an eternity before Zachariah Jemmin called back to her in an equally loud voice, “NO! You beware!” while throwing a balled up piece of paper at her head.

“Mr. Jemmin!” Mrs. Imogen tried to regain control of the class but the peals of laughter rang loud and clear. So did the additional commentary, particularly the snark of Layla Potts, a future New Haven socialite queen in the making, as she rolled her eyes. “She’s sooooo stupidly weird, she clearly got none of the cool Simon genes. It’s basically maddening!” There was another chorus of agreeable laughter.

Thia could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She wouldn’t let them have that glory. She snatched the canvas and stormed out of the classroom. It was only once she got a few feet away that she began to run, looking for somewhere to hide and cry.

Her legs carried her outside to the small garden tended by one of the after-school clubs, The Organics.

”Stop running, child.” A gentle voice floated through Thia’s mind like a spring breeze she could almost smell.

Thia stopped, confused. Her sobs started to subside and she looked around for the speaker, wiping her cheeks with the back of her sleeve.

”You can’t see me. Do not be afraid. No one else can hear me. It is safe for us to talk here.” There was a silence before the voice added as an afterthought. ”I am sorry to see you grieved. Maybe you already know what has happened?”

“I’m hearing voices inside my head. I think I read that in a different fairy tale. I should go see the nurse.” Thia turned to head back the way she came. Maybe this was all a bad dream and the presentation had never happened either. But she stopped again.

“What’s happened? Who are ye?”

PathFinder would have smiled if he had the physical features to do so. Children seemed easier to string along than their adult counterparts. He added more gravity to his tone. ”Then you don’t know? We live under the same roof now that my holder has left me with your father. I saw you two days ago. You held the same picture, though I could not see it then. But something terrible has happened and we need your help.”

It took Thia a moment to piece together the information. “Runt’s opal? Ye could see me? Where is he?”

”He went to a dangerous place. Wolves attacked him and he’s hurt. I cannot get to him without someone taking me there.”

Runt’s opal was speaking to her. She had overheard her parents both arguing and whispering about things like this. Her mother on more than one occasion had gotten mad whenever Thia had tried to hold the Opals that had rotated through their home. “Ye shouldn’t be talking to me.”

Canvas in hand, Thia ran in the direction of her next class. PathFinder did not speak to her again but his words stayed with her, all through the rest of the embarrassing school day, into a night filled with Runt-starring nightmares, and remaining in the morning. She feared the reaction of her parents, her mother in particular, if they found out she had been talking to an Opal.

Finally she gathered up the courage to put all those worries aside on the chance Runt was truly hurt. She spilled her guts out to her parents in a flurry of information and over-explanation. She hoped she hadn't waited too long to confess.

[Koyliak]

June 8th
Battlefield Park

As dusk fell over the Battlefield Park manor, Mallory stood by the old officer’s quarters with a garden hose in hand, thumb over the nozzle to spray one of the strange silver-trunked trees laden with maroon fruit. It was an idle task while she worried over other matters — a young woman in a jumpsuit and surgical mask (one of several patrolling the grounds) stood by her ear, telling her something in Japanese. The gates were open, though, and no one stopped the Simon family when they approached. All that had visibly changed about the manor, besides the small patrol, was that the ruined low wall surrounding the grounds had been filled in and repaired.

Matt and Koy had done their best to iron out the few purposefully broad details of their story on the walk to Battlefield Park. They opted for selective half-truths that they would tell Mallory:

Fact: PathFinder told them Runt was in trouble.

Omitted: PathFinder told them by connecting with Thia, a truth which perplexed her parents. They would have to spend time working through the “why’s” and “what now’s?” later.

Fact: The opal offered to guide them to the giant’s location.

Omitted: This offer proved even more perplexing to the Simons. PathFinder was in no direct danger like he was when Quinn died and he called for their help. He was safe in Matt’s possession. Moreso, Runt had only held the stone for a short time. How closely connected could they be? Opals, even those more empathetic to the natural world, were selfish beings. But they hadn’t seen Runt for days and if they weren’t about to find him fulfilling his Squire duties then they would need to investigate PathFinder’s claim.

They knew their way around the Park well. Beyond the years spent there during Matt’s Barony were also the times they found refuge there for dueling when the Outback was in shambles (and at least once in ashes thanks to FireStar). It was a shame to be back under more dire circumstances.

Once they had been informed of where to find the witch no additional escort was needed. “I ‘lways did love the meswen trees this time of the year.” An odd way to break the ice but Koy’s thoughts had been scattered since Thia confessed to them late that afternoon. The Masochistic Fashionista’s outfit choice would surprise most who knew her only in RhyDin. While the tailoring and fit met her same high standards, the utility of her clothing and the sleek rosewood longbow slung over her shoulder spoke more to her Elanthian upbringing. The elf wore a black leather balac sitting snugly around her waist, meant to protect the lower half of her body and prevent snagging from the brush. Small gold buttons shaped like suns ran down each leg and were met by black boots with a far more modest heel. Her auburn hair was pulled back into a braid and tied with a long leather strap embossed with an image of a wren in flight, a wren feather dangling at its end.

“I’m glad I imported them. I just miss being here, among them,” Matt answered, looking the trees over carefully to make sure that Mallory was tending to them properly. The meswen trees were one of his fondest memories from his trip to Adenna several years ago. Koy nodded in agreement. Mostly satisfied with the state of the trees, Matt half wondered if PathFinder would be able to bolster their heartiness and make them more fruitful, but such things would likely have to wait until the pressing matter of the moment was resolved.

The young woman speaking to Mallory noticed Matt and Koyliak first, murmuring a few quiet syllables to the witch as she stepped away to resume her patrol. “Hey,” she said to them both, with only a flicker of a greeting smile that soon faded into a frown. She was curious about their unexpected presence, but like them, she had something more pressing on her mind. The witch started winding the garden hose into a loop as she asked them: “Have you seen Runt? He was supposed to be here this morning... No sign of him at the Outback, and no one’s seen him on Kabuki Street, either.”

Matt glanced at Koy before answering Mallory. "No, we haven't. In fact...that's why we're here."

FireStar gleefully flashed an image of a rage-driven Runt tearing his way through a populated village near a forest edge through Koy’s mind. This was not what PathFinder had told them but the red Opal never missed a chance to torment the elf. She only brought FireStar along because she didn’t trust them alone in the house with her children and an unaware babysitter.

Koy frowned, “I was hopin’ we were bein’ deceived but it looks like we were told the truth.” This was to Matt first and then Mallory. “Should we be breathin’ in the air here?” The patrol guard with her surgical mask momentarily distracting Koy before she remembered why they were there.

Mallory shook her head at Koy. “It’s fine, it’s a... style thing,” was how she decided to describe the surgical masks. She tossed the hose up against the wall of the nearby officer’s quarters and wiped her hands clean on her jeans.

“We were hopin’ ta find Runt here but iffn he’s not, we have an idea of where ta look.”

“Who’d you talk to,” Mallory asked, since Koy had mentioned someone possibly deceiving them, “and where’d they suggest he might be?” Wherever it was, the witch wasn’t planning on going unarmed. “Kitara!” she called towards the back of the officers’ quarters, where the steady hammering from a forge could be heard. After a moment, the hammering stopped. ”Meliai o motte kite kudasai.”

”Rajaa!” a young female voice called back.

Koy took one more glance at the mask now with fashion’s lens. She paused for a beat and sighed looking back at Mallory. “PathFinder told us ta search the wilds.”

Kitara emerged from around the side of the old house, another young woman about the age of Mallory and the others here, sweaty and soot-stained and holding out the heavy elemental blade. The apprentice smith cast a curious glance at the Simons but said nothing as she handed Meliai over.

“The Wilds are vast... and dangerous.” Mallory held the blade sideways and angled the tip into her left palm, scarcely wincing as a stream of blood spilled onto the grass. She moved her hand in a circle, then drew a sharp line, forming shapes with her bloodstains on the ground. “How well do either of you know these woods?” Neither the pain of torn flesh nor her spellwork stopped her questions.

Koy scrunched her nose at the display. It wasn’t the cutting into flesh that bothered the elf. It was realizing the blood magic work happening in front of her. She had enough terrible experience with foreign magic to last her a lifetime. “I don’t know these specific ones well but I’ve spent many a year in the wilderness growin’ up.”

“Κέρβερος.” With three syllables in Koine, three shadowy forms rose from the circle of blood — sleek black hounds with blood red eyes. Two padded a short distance away, ignoring the Simons and Kitara as they sniffed at the air; the third nudged Mallory’s bleeding hand, and she rubbed its jaw absently as she thought things through. “If we’re all going out looking for him, think we should stick close together. There’s will-o-wisps and other trickster spirits in the Wilds, on top of the usual beasts...” She pulled her hand away from the hound’s muzzle, neither the cut nor any bloodstain visible on her flesh. “My hounds can help us cover more ground.”

Mallory looked over at Kitara: ”Fukuro o tsumemasu.” The blacksmith nodded and hurried into the house.

"Hounds? I can get a patrol ship from the RASG to run some passes over the forest. That'd be much faster."

The witch looked back at Matt as Kitara came out with a backpack laden with supplies, and raised her eyebrows a bit. “If they can see or scan him through the canopy, great. As long as they’ll do okay with magical fluctuations from the Wilds.”

Koy looked between the two of them wondering if this were a nightmare she would soon wake up from - between the conjured hounds and the mechanical beasts in the sky being enlisted to their aid she sorely missed Runt’s presence. He would be the only one to understand the dread that came with both propositions. “Whaever happened ta good ole metal and wood ta get the job done?”

Mallory looked back at Koy for her exasperated question, and couldn’t help but smile. “Well... in case tech, magic, wood and iron aren’t all we need — I brought first aid,” she said, rattling her backpack before shouldering it. She didn’t dismiss the hounds, though, all three of them sticking close to her.

“Finally. A good idea ‘tween the two of ye.” Koy gave them a crooked grin. She may have certain fears and worries for what they would find if, hopefully, when, they located Runt but for now she would be more useful giving in to the thrill of adventure. It was rare in her urban life to have a valid reason to venture into the Wilds, armed with her bow, no less! The old songs they’d sing as Rangers around the fire in the Langenfirth forests filled her head, for once drowning out FireStar’s presence.

"Where's Kheld when you need him?" Matt half asked, half spoke the flat joke.

“Tch.” Mallory’s noise of irritation was paired with a good-natured grin. She gestured to the hounds, who preceded them out the gate and into the forest ahead of them; as the witch moved that way, she turned back to ask Matt, “Can you call for a patrol on the way?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised iffn PathFinder called Kheld out too.” There came that problematic question again for Koy. Why did PathFinder care what happened to Runt? Against her better judgment, Koy followed behind the hounds but kept a safe distance.

"Yeah, all right," he replied, "Let's stop at the Jeep on the way out, then. We'll get a stronger signal between here and Coventry if I use the system in there."

It looked like it would be a few more moments before they left the trail. As the trio approached the jeep, Mallory added, “I think he ranges pretty far — he always comes back with bigger game than the other hunters out here seem to find. Direction varies, but the patrol often spots him coming back from the east,” pointing, “or northeast. Away from the lake.”

"Any idea where he murdered that white stag several weeks ago, and where that fits into his roaming pattern?"

Mallory paused and tried to recall specific details. “...There’s a meadow... northeast of the lake. Says there’s a big tree he’s marked, probably with a rune, and that he’s been hunting around there. I don’t know about the stag, I think that was a while ago... but he’s kept me and Eri’s freezer pretty well stocked with meat from the game he’s recently killed there.”

“Perfect. On the search fer more magic symbols. Sounds right.” Koy had also given in to the surreal nature of their shared quest and was flat in her delivery.

Mallory had to laugh at that. “Don’t call it magic to his face — his language is made up of runes.”

”Remind me again, how important is this to you?” PathFinder asked of his unwanted travelling companion as the others decided which direction to head in.

“Important isn’t the right word to use. But it would be fun and that’s something I haven’t had in ages. If I’m bored I’ll have to start meddling more in your plans, given the proximity and all. Do you want that?”

The less PathFinder had to deal with his sibling the better. He projected his thoughts to Matt and Koy simultaneously. ”The witch is right. Travel northeast. I will tell you when you are wrong.”

Focused as she was on the task at hand, Mallory neither Saw nor felt the active influence of the Opals. “I’ve been working with him on tolerating magic... It’s slow going,” she sighed, then clicked her tongue at one of the hounds. It huffed at her and padded off along the way ahead.

Biting back a sarcastic mental retort to the green opal - something about overwhelming benevolence - Matt frowned and spent a few moments on comms with the command center at Coventry, discussing rerouting a wing from the 209th Kestrels Long-Range Reconnaissance & Early Warning Squadron from its current assignment. Once his orders were confirmed, he jogged to catch up with Koy and Mallory. The opals stayed quiet to both their holders and each other, deceptively dormant.

((Adapted from live play & co-written by the players of Koy, Matt, Mallory and Runt))

[Goldglo]

June 8th
The Wilds

It took the hounds mere minutes to find a game trail that seemed to move northeast. Although it was clear Runt had taken this path before Koy quickly pointed out the evidence was at least a week old. With no better leads, they continued a sweeping pattern looking for any other route he may have taken. It soon became clear that Runt's hunt did not originate from the boundary of Battlefield Park. Meanwhile, the Kestrel began a systematic search of The Wilds. The RASG pilot made quick, familiar modifications to compensate for the familiar but fluctuating magic emanating from the woods.

Hours later, sweat was pouring down their necks and there was a growing sense of how big The Wilds really was. A mosquito buzzed around Mallory's horns as Matt received an incoming message:

"I've caught a rather large heat signature, albeit briefly, beneath the canopy thirty kilometers North/Northwest of your position. It keeps disappearing and reappearing. Likely some minerals in a cave or a source of magic I can't penetrate. There's also a small ravine with a river between you and the heat source."

“Did I hear that right?” Mallory slapped the back of her neck, swatting one of the lesser bloodsuckers drawn to her too-sweet blood. “Thirty fucking kilometers? I had no idea he’d go that far, and that fast...”

It was dark out, not yet pitch black but it would be that way soon. The witch had a few flashlights in her pack and kept the one she’d taken for herself pointed just ahead of her feet in case of roots or holes in the ground.

“The longer this takes, the worse it could be... Can we get a shuttle out here?” she asked, looking over at Matt. “I can take all three of us through a door to Coventry, if that helps...”

"We could be there in less than a minute if we were in the air," he replied, looking upwards at the night sky. "Chances are we're not going to find him in the dark anyhow. We can find a place to rest tonight and I can have a shuttle here pre-dawn. If there's stuff we need...like food...I can have it brought along, especially if we're going to be tromping after him a while."

Throughout their trek when she hadn’t been appreciating the return to nature, even with its heat and obstacles, Koy had been thinking about what Mallory had said earlier. The idea of tolerating magic was one Koy did not relish - sure, she had no issue with those possessing magic and practicing it safely. But she personally liked her days with as little foreign magic in them as possible. As Matt and Mallory debated using their technology and spells respectively Koy’s frowned deepened. It had taken Matt years to convince her she would not get devoured if she entered the Jeep. The idea of getting into the shuttle was no more appealing.

“Shitty set of circumstances,” Mallory sighed, though she didn’t disagree with his plan. “I have water, granola bars... That’s it. I figured he’d be closer to five miles out... so we could definitely use more supplies.”

There was a clearing just up ahead, but it did little to cheer the witch’s mood. “If it was daylight, we could find him from the air; if I could actually see the place where he was, I could get us there in seconds.”

”I understand why you fear what you do not know, elf. But you are losing time. While there is still a window of opportunity for the living, for the right prize, I could help. You and I are from the same spirit in the soil, the same song in the trees. You would not be afraid of what I could do.”

PathFinder this time kept his words to Koy. She found it comforting - he wanted a prize. This was what she expected of the Opals. Nothing came for free. She told herself that was the only part she found comforting in his speech. She already knew she was lying.

“PathFinder believes he can be of service. Fer a cost.” She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, too tired to mince words.

Mallory stopped at the edge of the clearing and turned to look back at Koyliak. Her hounds could be heard padding through the underbrush nearby, snuffling around, looking for a trail that was already fading.

“If he can give me a strong vision of where Runt is now... or any object from that place, even a pebble... What does he want in exchange?” Mallory lifted her chin as she stared at the elf, as if addressing the Opal directly through her. The witch’s expression was cold, as she prepared herself to pay — as she so often did.

PathFinder had ideas but better to let them think they came up with it on their own.

”How delicious! Ask for something weaponized.” FireStar wished they had something to trade for, or at the very least, something to burn down. This trip proved boring to the volatile Opal. They yearned for someone or something to attack the travelling trio. Anything would be better than watching them calmly huff and sweat through the Wilds.

”Ask the witch what she has of value for me... I do miss my time in the greenhouse.”

Koy huffed for a different reason. Between the way Mallory looked at her and how PathFinder relied on her to translate she suddenly felt much more like a vessel than a person. The sensation unnerved her because it felt more familiar than she liked. “Ye could ask her yerself.” Koy sighed and interpreted. “He’s waxin’ nostalgic ‘bout bein’ in Quinn’s greenhouse I think. He wants ta know wha ye have ta offer?”

“Time in the Tower of Earth is my bet of what he wants,” Matt muttered to himself, but loud enough to be heard.

Koy rubbed her forehead. There wasn’t time to agonize over the various ways giving PathFinder anything could pan out. “Is tha somethin’ ye could allow ‘em, Mallory?”

"I could. It won't make Runt happy... but I can allow the Opal to stay in the archives for a time, or the gardens... if he holds up his end of the bargain." Mallory held out her left hand, and ever so slightly, her gaze moved off of Koyliak's eyes to address the aura that spoke through her. "You're a clever little stone. You know what I'm capable of. What can you show me, or give me, so I can take us to Runt before it's too late?"

”Little stone! The audacity. Should I burn her or is that too cliched?”

“Patience never has been your strong suit, has it? Let me tend to my plans. The slight matters little in the end.”

Though they kept the debate to themselves, for good measure FireStar chose to flash a brutal image of Runt tearing Mallory to pieces in Koy’s mind. The elf visibly flinched as the red Opal got artsy and followed up by shooting out a spark for all of them to see, the flames spelling out the word “little” in an abrasive font against the bark of a nearby tree.

“Mebbe best not ta patronize ‘em.” Koy tried not to show how the small rebellious act had shaken her. She could swear the blackfire scar on her leg tingled at the sight.

“Ignore them and be calm before I change my decision.” PathFinder instructed Koy before he let himself be heard by all three gathered. “I can show you the grass where his blood has been spilled. But how do I know you will give me time in the gardens once you find your giant? I will show you but I cannot be tied to whether he lives or dies.” The voice was more factual than cold.

Mallory held her gaze steady at the same strange point just off from eye contact with Koyliak. She stretched out her left hand and unsheathed Meliai from the belladonna vines that held the blade to her back.

“A fortnight in the gardens of the Tower of Earth, to be conveyed between them at your command by the stone mephit Secunda, with her sister Tertia on call to retrieve books from the archives and read their contents to you.” She pressed the point into her palm, noisily tearing flesh with a slight wince, and let her blood fall to the forest floor. The wound would regenerate in no more than a minute.

“Show me a vision of that grass, and all other parts of the Wilds where you can that his blood has been spilled, by the time my blood stops falling — and I will be bound to my promise.”

”Hold me in your joined hands and I will show the witch.” Pleased with Mallory’s offer PathFinder commanded Matt and Koy with quiet confidence. He didn’t really need their help but they were vulnerable and he might later benefit from this new connection to them. He always tried to open new doors even if it could take years to pass through them. He also didn’t need the elf freaking out about what was about to transpire.

They did not have time to argue or for Koy to languish in her fears. Not trusting the joined hand portion of the query, but having little choice, Matt reached out for Koy. Mallory stepped forward, glancing between Matt and Koy as she murmured, “My blood to seal the oath.” A sort of apology, before her left hand moved to join theirs. Koy shook her head, inhaled a deep breath and took Mallory’s hand. She considered squeezing her eyes shut but wanted to see what the stone showed them of Runt. Unfortunately or fortunately for her, PathFinder kept his vision limited and only shared it with Mallory.

The first scene came from a point of view which was low to the ground, scavenging through one of the dire wolf corpses. Dried blood stained the leaves and bark of nearby trees, and streaks of yellow ooze marred a compressed section of the forest floor. The eyes they saw through focused on a large hunting spear tossed aside in the undergrowth.

PathFinder connected with various birds which offered a glimpse of tracks from a half-lumber, half-crawl through the base of the ravine. He had found his way to the river that flowed in the middle of the ravine. There was more evidence here as a beaver avoided the bandages, tossed aside and soaked in blood and pus. Scavengers picked at the half-eaten dire wolf left behind. Through the eyes of another creature, the three of them saw drops of blood followed the large unsteady footprints which eventually led to a small hollowed out shelter in the opposite side of the ravine.

A snarl erupted from their lips, or the snout of whatever creature PathFinder had connected to their vision. Through the hollowed out shelter came another deep, fierce but exhausted growl. Their host howled, beckoning for its allies.

Mallory's eyes rolled back as the visions flooded her senses, and soon the whites of her eyes were a solid, bloody red. "Dire wolves," she hissed when she saw the fallen beasts in the undergrowth. Her head twisted and lolled back, as if losing all sense of direction and balance, leaning heavier on Matt and Koy than she had been seconds ago. "His spear... tossed away, and -- he's gone into that ravine! There's bandages in the water... blood and pus, he must be infected... and a small cave at the bottom. A dire wolf is there. It's calling for others. They're going to attack!"

She sucked in a deep, gasping, croaking breath, her gaze normal once more. She did not remove her left hand from either of theirs, but used her right to wrap the necklace with the Key of Earth around the hilt of the sword she still held. "Soon as we get there, we'll be fighting. Are you ready?"

Koy felt queasy. She watched Mallory convulse, shifting her own weight to better support the witch. Whatever went on behind Mallory’s eyes remained a mystery to the elf but the sense that the green Opal’s energy flowed through Matt and her to get to Mallory made her nauseous. She wasn’t sure if that was a real side effect of the Opal or all in her head.

“Are ye all right? I’d like ta say no I’m not ready fer whaever spell is needed ta take us there but bring on the fightin’.” That physical part would be a relief for the Masochistic Fashionista.

"I'll be fine. The hounds will make sure of it," Mallory assured Koy with a grateful smile. As the shadow-formed, blood-eyed hounds came crashing out of the underbrush to converge around the three of them, the witch flicked her wrist in a quick circle, spiraling the Key of Earth and creating a series of sharp gouges in the soil around them, taking the rough shape of a magic circle. Green sparks rose from the deep cracks as Mallory uttered a few words --

-- and in a flash of light, they dropped to the ground, just outside of the hollowed-out shelter, at the dire wolf's back.

((Adapted from live play & co-written by the players of Koy, Matt, Mallory and Runt))

[Runt]

June 8th
The Wilds

Raw, red claw and bite marks from his previous battle adorned Runts arms and neck but it didn't stop him from snarling back at the horse sized wolf. He locked eyes with this alpha-male from his half-leaning half-standing position. The ram-headed mace grazed the ground from his right hand while the left pressed the new dressing against his infected wounds.

Mallory wasted no time trying to gain the ire of this creature, or whatever others might be on their way. One hound began to howl, then another, and as the third began, Mallory swiped her bloody hand across her mouth, her face going pale and her eyes going black as her lips peeled back in a loud, banshee-like shriek. The first “GGRROOOAAARRRRGHH!” they heard may have been borne out of more frustration than the thrill of battle, as the dire wolf alpha abruptly broke off its attack on Runt to burst out of the darkness and pounce Mallory.

Its claws dug into her flesh as they landed, but the hounds leaping onto its back and sinking their teeth through its hide kept it from doing much more damage, and Mallory used the distraction to grasp the Key of Earth and sink into the ground, leaving it to contend with her hounds.

Of course, all this chaos was perfect cover for the four dire wolves now converging on them from either side.

The relief at being on solid ground again didn’t last long for Koy as she heard both the howls and Mallory’s battle-cry. Muscle memory kicked in and the elf unslung the light rosewood bow from her shoulder, firing off two quick arrows as the wolf alpha went for Mallory. A little rusty on her shot, the first arrow barely grazed the beast but the second found more success landing its barbed head in the wolf’s haunch.

”Turn around, quick, you idiot.” FireStar saw the four converging wolves while Koy dumbly had her back to them, overly focused on Mallory’s well-being as she wasn’t used to seeing her hounds in action. The red Opal didn’t sound panicked or worried for the elf. He only wanted to keep her alive at least long enough to insert himself into the battle.

With Mallory taking cover in the ground the horse-sized wolf turned to face the hounds, the barbed arrow sticking out as began to crouch. A howl erupted as it communicated with the pack. Muscles rippled underneath the fur of its hind legs as it launched towards one of the summons, a second wolf joining in the assault from behind. Three of the other wolves charged at Koy and Matt kicking up sand and dirt as they leapt into the air.

Runt dragged his feet through the muck pooling at the bottom of the cave entrance, gripping the mace in both hands. A surge of adrenaline shot through his veins and the songs of his ancestors coursed through him turning his eyes solid blue as he released a bestial roar into the air.

Koy spun around at the wolves’ approach, her gaze ticking over towards the other roar. Grateful when she saw Runt alive she pushed aside the instinctive chill that ran through her spine at the giant’s sound. He was fearfully strong but he was on their side, she reminded herself.

FireStar thrilled at the sight of Runt for other reasons.

Mallory knew her hounds would not last long against the dire wolves, but they could be re-summoned with far greater ease than the Simons. So she rode from the ground in front of one of the wolves closer to Matt, pressing her bloody left hand -- clutching the Key of Earth -- into its furry coat. She invoked the wrath of the Gorgons with a few hissed syllables, and the creature turned to stone before it could leave the ground.

There was a sharp yelp from one of the hounds that was nearly lost in Runt’s roar, quickly falling to the fury of the alpha and one of its pack and bursting into red mist that coated both wolves. Mallory reacted as soon as she saw it, her face twisted into an ugly sneer as she uttered, “Break.”

The petrified wolf shattered where her blood had touched it, and wolf-hide split violently open where the two that had felled her hound had been coated in mist.

”MOVE.” FireStar saw the fourth wolf lunging for the distracted Koy. This was a perfect time to amuse himself while ingratiating the Simons to him. He did not wait for Koy’s permission to unleash a wave of fire from where he sat in a brace tied around Koy’s arm.

While Koy relied on more traditional means of ranged combat - loosing arrows and plucking bows - he, true to their odd pairing, opted for more technologically advanced means. Raising his gauss pistol, he squeezed the trigger repeatedly at the charging wolves, but then yelled and twisted reflexively as the heatwave from FireStar's assault came out of nowhere and startled him. Errant projectiles sprayed into the air, some striking trees and others lost to the skies, as the sudden move took his aim and attention away from the immediate threats.

The alpha and its companion turned to face Mallory, their hides split open and bleeding from the sores along their backs. Their lips pulled back in vicious snarls as they raced towards the witch. The larger dire wolf charged to tackle her to the ground while the second altered course to snap at one of the defending hounds at her side. Mallory grunted as a wave of heat from FireStar seared through the air, and bits of wolf-rubble and splintered branches bounced off of her, likely bruising. Another yelp meant another hound had fallen, leaving only one to contend with the wolf trying to flank her.

FireStar’s literal outburst stunned Koy until she saw one burning wolf run off and another going after Matt. She could see the bullet wounds from Matt’s pistol and smell the stink of singed fur as it rounded on Matt, keeping low to the ground. It must have barely skirted FireStar’s attack while it rushed in to snatch up her husband in its jaws. She took out her rage at the Opal involving himself on the wolf attacking her husband. Three quick arrows were shot off at the beast as she ran closer, tossing the bow back over her shoulder and removing the knife shielded in her boot. The Masochistic Fashionista always kept a stiletto close, though this was not a shoe but a razor-thin knife with lamp black coating.

She did the more reckless but straightforward thing of leaping on the wolf’s back while it was focused on Matt. Koy squeezed her legs tightly against either side of the wolf, one hand grabbing hold of its head as it bucked. She plunged the blade towards the side of its exposed neck. It took Matt too many precious seconds to stop stumbling away from the heat and reorient himself. By the time he did, he saw a wild creature astride a wounded beast and it took another precious second for him to realize that the creature was Koyliak. Helplessly, he watched, praying the consequences of her recklessness would be minimal.

The alpha lunged at Mallory just as she wrapped both hands around the hilt of Meliai, letting her blood flow over the Key of Earth before plunging the blade into the ground the moment the alpha was airborne. A large basalt stone erupted from the earth, and the wolf collided with the barrier with an ugly crack. But it shook it off quickly, loping around the barrier to lunge at the witch again.

With his family and clan in danger, Runt ambled dangerously into the fray, swinging his double-ram-headed mace at the largest wolf.. The solid steel connected with the leading shoulder of the beast disrupting its assault. Mallory let out a shout as she swung her sword like a bat, breaking stone easier than flesh and sending an angular boulder flying into the alpha’s back as it turned its ire back on Runt.

“Get away from him, you prick!” she shouted at it, and slid her left hand along the blade to let the scent of more of her fresh blood hit the air.

With all the hounds dispatched the largest wolf - with scars and boils on its back - howled, regrouping with its mate. Clearly seeing the witch as the greater threat they rounded on Mallory for a coordinated attack. The smaller wolf kept low to the ground, snapping and snarling as it rushed in to throw Mallory off balance while the alpha leapt up once more tackle her to the ground. The wolf between the Simons bucked and howled as Koy's knife dug into it's neck. It stood up on its hind legs then fell to the side trying to crush the elf beneath its weight. Yellow eyes rolled back in furious pain as the blade sank even deeper.

"Runt!" shouted Matt. "Help Koy! Get that thing off her!" Without waiting to see if, or how quickly, the young giant responded, he fired three shots at the small wolf charging Mallory.

When Mallory heard Matt firing into the wolf closing in on her flank, she made a split-second decision. Rather than brace for balance, she shifted her weight to one side and dropped her sword to a low guard, keeping her eyes on the alpha as it lunged...

...then shifted her weight back to the other side, narrowly avoiding its barreling body as she brought the blade up with both hands. It slashed into the creature’s neck and kept going, tearing hide and severing tendons and breaking bone as she forced Meliai all the way through.

Koy felt alive, similar to when she took a beating in the ring. She also felt increasingly hot. Her masochistic side might have enjoyed the pain of being pinned between the dying wolf and the tree stump that kept her from being entirely crushed but the rest of her body protested. It took her a full minute to realize the screaming she heard was coming from her own mouth.

FireStar burned brightly, the stone looking to singe its way through the wolf’s hide that touched the stone.

“I can help you, Runt.” Now was FireStar’s chance to connect with the giant. The message was for Runt alone. “Find the rage within and I will help you use it to save your clan.” FireStar had paid attention to what motivated Runt in his time at the Simon household.

Runt snarled as the Opal's whisperings blended in with the songs of his ancestors. He would control the magic, the fire and ice together. With speed ignorant of his injuries Runt dove for the wolf crushing Koy and scooped it up, tumbling with it in a crushing embrace. The wolf rolled, trying to get its feet but Runt gripped its neck with one hand and snapped the wolf's head back to the ground. In the same motion, he lifted the mace and brought it crashing down on the skull of the beast who attacked his hun-jarl.

Solid, blood-red eyes stared at the alpha’s collapsing body, then its head rolling to a stop at her feet. She hooked her hand into its jaws to lift it up with a grunt of effort, then turned to face the remaining wolf -- leaderless, and surrounded. “Run,” she hissed at it.

“Press on, Runt. Feel the fire flowing through your veins.”

Koy stopped screaming, gasping for air and drenched in her own sweat. FireStar continued to glow brightly on her arm, having scorched most of her sleeve’s fabric. Koy managed to sit up but that was all she could do. Matt glanced back in Koy's direction and, seeing she was alive, grimaced and turned his attention to the remaining wolf, firing at it rapidly (and somewhat wildly), opting for speed over accuracy.

The blood in Runt’s body flowed with a mixture of ice and fire that he didn't understand, but it opened up a wellspring of something vicious, brutal and driven. Before the remaining wolf could flee from Mallory and Matt, the giant howled with a battle cry "TIL-DODA!!" and charged in, heedless of the bullets flying around him. He heaved the mace in both hands slamming it at the wolf's head, knocking it off its feet. Runt didn't slow down, fueled by rage borne of opal and ancestors, and pulled out a skinning knife that he shoved forcefully between his victim's ribs.

From her vantage point, Koy was fixated seeing the expression on Runt’s face. It was cold for all of the heat in his actions. None of the gentle touches she found endearing when he was working out a problem remained.

There was a confused expression on the witch’s face as she backed away from the fight on unsteady feet. The head dropped from her hand, and she pressed her back to the earthen wall of the ravine, folding her arms tightly over her chest and bowing her head with the pain. There was a lot of blood flowing down the front of her chest, though there was a lot of blood on the rest of her, too -- possibly difficult to distinguish what had just happened at a glance.

The young giant took the knife out, but then slashed back at the wolf again, and again, and again. When he finally rose and lifted his fists in a triumphant ROAR of success his eyes were a solid, deep blue with a touch of purple on the edges. With raised arms, the injuries from his earlier fights and this one were clearly visible as putrid pus oozed from the bandages around his abdomen and blood dripped from still open wounds.

((Adapted from live play & co-written by the players of Koy, Matt, Mallory and Runt))

[Mallory]

June 8th
The Wilds

FireStar hadn't felt so alive in some time, if an Opal could ever feel truly alive. They relished in the sight of Runt's utter destruction of the wolf and committed it to their catalog of images to later torment Koy.

"You did well, brave one. Never be afraid of the power you hold. I will always sing with you, should you let me." FireStar congratulated Runt and Runt alone, the voice holding a more seductive tone than their general snark for Koy.

"Do not even say it." PathFinder, having done his part of the bargain, had opted to stay out of the fight but observed it all. He could however hear a boastful joke coming his way from his sibling about who was planting the seeds now and so he preempted it.

Silently smug, FireStar decided to take the victory today and not press their luck further. Besides, the giant could do much more damage at full health than in this moment.

"Ye've done well fer yer clan, Runt. Thankee. We need ta get back ta where we can tend ta our injuries." This congratulatory message croaked out from Koy. She was grateful for being saved but she also was afraid of the rage she witnessed getting out of control with no wolves left to defeat. She leaned back against the elevated ground behind her head, checking first for Matt with a pained smile when she saw him standing. Then she searched for Mallory.

"Ye all right, Mal?" It was hard for the elf to see with the witch's arms crossed over her chest.

Mallory clenched her eyes shut and waited until she had stopped shuddering for a moment to attempt to answer Koy. But when she opened her mouth, several bloody coughs escaped, dribbling down her chin as she raised an arm to cover them -- exposing the bullet hole in her shirt and through her skin where her heart should have been.
"Just... need a bit... to rest," she mumbled, folding her arms once the coughing had subsided. It was difficult for her to focus on anything except the pain, and the strange feeling of her banished heart pumping in pints of fresh blood from the Veil itself. She licked her lips and added, "Need to help Runt... stitch him up, and call a shuttle."

Her bag, blood-soaked and clawed up from the fight but still full of intact medical supplies, fell to the ground when she shrugged it off.

FireStar's smooth congratulations eased away some of Runt's rage and the chants of his ancestors faded as the color of his eyes returned to normal. With renewed clear vision Runt looked over the members of his clan.

Matt was right - they should have brought Kheldar with them. The medic would have come in handy now. Koy's own right leg was bloody and her pants torn. She gingerly pulled herself up to stand on her left leg, finding her bow on the ground. Using it for support she started a slow hobble towards Mallory, stooping only once to retrieve the stiletto blade, jerking it out of the dead wolf's now broken neck. The witch cursed inwardly as Koyliak made her way over. It was a hell of a piece of information to put into their hands, but there it was. She lowered her arms, exposing the wound again, and weakly moved a foot to nudge her bag. "Just... stanch it. I can't get infected... and it'll seal itself -- pretty soon." She leaned forward to give her access to the dime-sized exit wound by her left shoulder blade, too.

While Koy went to Mallory, Matt kept the gauss pistol raised, just in case there were other wolf-pack members lurking about. He kept turning in a slow circle, looking for movement.

"Matt... can you help Runt?" While your wife stops me bleeding so goddamn much was left unsaid by the witch.

Reluctant to abandon guard duty, he looked over at Runt, trying to assess from a distance. His question, though, was directed at Mallory, who he still didn't realize he'd shot. "Can I call for evac now, or do you plan to hike out of here?"

"Not hiking fucking anywhere in this state," with a laugh that the witch shouldn't have let out, because that much more blood spurted out of her mouth. Koy twisted a little to avoid getting blood spit on her. Mallory grimaced. "...Runt shouldn't, either. Call for evac."

Out of all the things she had seen in the last twenty-four hours, a missing heart felt par for the course. Koy did gape at the clean chest wound for a moment before making eye contact with the witch. "Iffn I had known this, I would've used ye as a shield 'fore all this started and saved my pants from shreddin'." The elf reverted to dark humor with a crooked grin as she found some gauze to press against the open wound. This definitely wasn't going to be sanitary so the infection comment was heartening. "I think ye might've shot her by accident, Boss," calling over her shoulder to Matt. It was painful standing upright but Koy leaned in to do her best to apply pressure.

"Fucking shit, stop making me laugh." Because there went more blood. Koyliak's dark humor was the only infectious thing the witch had to worry about, thankfully. She wasn't breathing. She did normally, but for now she was too focused on drawing blood and power from her banished heart. She kept her gaze fixed on Runt, still very concerned about his survival; the occasional blink signaled that she herself remained among the living. "I think Runt's got a bad infection, and open wounds," she said to Matt, since it would take a while for her own wounds to stop bleeding, and the giant seemed to need patching up in the meantime.

The giant's eyes locked with Mallory's but his jaw tightened at the clear display of her changes. His chest heaved laboriously as he turned away from the sight of the bloody witch and looked out towards the river. The last wolf was long gone and Runt no longer felt hunted. A hot fiery pain burned across his abdomen and up towards his heart, but he refused to crumple in front of his clan. Direct and measured steps took him past Matt and into the hollowed out cave where his torn and bloody sack lay in the muck.

"I did no such thing!" Matt barked, when accused of shooting Mallory. He followed Runt while contacting Coventry, requesting a medical evac shuttle and a fighter escort. Given what'd transpired during the past few hours, he didn't want to take any more chances.

Koy clucked her tongue at Matt's response. "I don't think the wolves did this." She muttered under her breath but didn't care if he heard. It didn't look like a wound from one of her barbed arrows. It was too neat with nothing left behind. But she was feeling dizzy from her own injury so she silently kept her post and held wads of gauze against Mallory's bleeding chest, struggling not to close her eyes.

There was so much blood already, Mallory had missed the deep gash on Koyliak's thigh. It had been long enough for the witch's bleeding to slow (though not stop), and she lifted the gauze away. The hole was nearly gone now, and she simply stated, "Your turn. And try to stay off that ankle."

It took a few moments for Mallory to shift out of her lean and dig through the bag, but once she started, she told Koy, "Keep looking at me. Tell me a story about Jewell. When did you two meet?"

Her tone was clinical, motivated by the fact that Koy needed to stay awake, though she couldn't help but be curious as she cleaned her hands, then started on disinfecting the wound.

"Thank Everild," Koy sighed with a praise for her warrior god and found a spot to slump down on more comfortably to get off her feet. She hadn't thought to complain given Mallory's whole "hole in the chest" situation being far worse but she was more than happy to switch.

"I met Jewell when I climbed inta the clubhouse she used ta have with Tara, Amthy and Viki. They called themselves the Forsaken Blades. I had on these killer peridot green alligator-skin pumps, totally worth the 'xtra effort ta climb in. They were havin' a tea party in the middle of the afternoon with a camera crew filmin' 'em and some strange man doin' this odd striptease." Koy yawned and leaned her head back before remembering Mallory's instructions to keep eye contact with the witch. It might have sounded like she was delusional from blood loss but everything she said was true. Such was RhyDin.

"This director Maz was makin' a documentary 'bout 'em and hired me fer some wardrobe help and ta design Tara's weddin' gown. I forget specifically which husband of hers tha was fer. Jewell and Amthy had pilfered the outfits I had creatively put on display and Jewell had the good sense ta put on this beautiful midnight blue gown I had made but her shoe choice was all wrong." Koy scrunched her nose again all these years later at the memory. "So the first time we met I was givin' her fashion advice on wha would work better. When we're outta here I'd be happy ta give suggestions iffn ye'd want 'em too. Ye see how well it's gone fer the Empress since." Koy gave another tired grin. That was most definitely an overstatement as Jewell had a style all her own. Koy's offer was a sincere one though, it was how she thought to show gratitude.

"She always kills it, and it's not just the glamour. It's annoying. Now I know how she does it." Mallory grinned at Koyliak, and lifted her hands, too -- in the time it had taken to relate the story, she had finished her work. "Let's do that sometime. I can come to the boutique."

Runt sat down in the muck and leaned against the cavern wall. His long, scarred hand reached for the sack which he pulled closer. While the rest of his clan treated each other he dug through the sack looking for a large flask. Finding the bottle of whiskey he ripped open the bandage on his abdomen and poured the last few ounces along the worst section of the pus-filled serrated gash.

Noticing the retreat, Matt called out, "Come back outside, Runt. We should stay with the others."

With a moderate grunt the giant stood up, tossing the empty whiskey bottle behind him as he half-lumbered half-stumbled with his sack back outside with the others. He missed the cool of the cave but at least it was deep into the night with stars to light their clearing instead of the relentless sun. Once out there he did his best to stand tall and proud, avoiding any signs of weakness. With a low rumble, he spoke for the first time since his clan had come to help him. He bent his head to each of them: "TACK-ZO-DU."

When Runt emerged to thank them, the witch bowed her horned head and replied, "Ekkert-zo-tack. I'm glad you're all right." She tugged open the bag of supplies again and gestured to a patch of ground nearby: "Now sit down and let me take a look at you so you can stay all right."

Side-eyeing Matt, who was still standing watch, Runt shook his head. "RUNT STAND WID MATT. WACHE 'ALTEN."

"Matt's got that covered." Mallory simply looked at him expectantly and opened a hand to indicate where he should sit.

"Ye can't help us iffn ye fall ill while we wait, Runt. We all are impressed ye've survived all this time on yer own. Many a lesser person wouldn't have made it."

As a compromise, the young giant stumble-walked over to Mallory and slowly, painfully, knelt before her. He was suddenly reminded of another time he had knelt at her feet to be treated for injuries. It seemed very long ago, and their relationship was very different now. But better to kneel before his 'unter-jarl then to sit like an incompetent warrior.

Mallory dipped her head and smiled slightly for Koy's tactful diplomacy, then set to work treating his injuries the best that she could, from most to least immediately threatening. It didn't take a doctor to know he'd need serious help fighting off infection, but there was only so much she could do on that front, besides cleaning his wounds.

"I think I'll take the pack leader's head with me, unless you want it," conversationally, as she cleaned and bandaged while they waited for evac. "I think Eri might like seeing that mounted in our cabin."

He tipped his head while suffering her ministrations. "BEST KILLS GO TO JARL AND 'UNTER-JARL."

"Damn straight that was the best kill." Even if Runt couldn't see it from his angle as she circled him to fuss with his wounds, her grin was easy to hear. Maybe it was wishful thinking, but by the time she'd exhausted her supplies and done as much as she felt she could, she thought she heard the familiar drone of a shuttle approaching.

Koyliak nodded to Mallory in appreciation for the aid and looked off to where the wolf on fire had crashed his way out of the forest. She doubted he would fare well even if he had made it to the river. She frowned and ran a finger around the red Opal still worn on her arm, the rest of the cloth around it in tatters. The stone was now cool and dull.

"I am waiting for my thank you, elf." FireStar resumed their more typical smarmy style of speaking in Koy's mind.

"Ye could've killed any number of us. I didn't ask ye ta shoot fire or whaever ye did back there like tha. " As they waited for the shuttle Koy indulged the Opal in a silent response.

"The only dangerous shooting came from your husband. And the witch survived. You're shockingly ungrateful."

"I know better than to expect altruism from yer kind. I'm sure ye'll want somethin' fer it later. 'Sides, ye were roastin' me 'live back there."

"Now, now, so I was a little hasty there. Which one of us ran and jumped on a dire wolf? You surely can understand rash behaviors. You could have hurt yourself worse or destroyed the little happy family you've built. Sometimes we do destructive things." There was nothing judgmental though in FireStar's assessment. If anything they sounded apathetic. They weren't wrong either. Koy looked apologetically at Matt. She would need to do better. It was a vow that she had made before and always found a struggle to keep despite her best intentions.

Early in the morning, hours before the sun would rise, the soft whine of a shuttle engine could be heard in the sky. The spacious vessel was barely big enough to accommodate all of them, but within twenty minutes they were all safely out of The Wilds.

((Adapted from live play & co-written by the players of Koy, Matt, Mallory and Runt))

[Runt]

Do you feel the changes come
Don't you hear the battle drum
And you know you won't be heard
Makes no sense to spread the word
Now let your light shine down on me
Don't you ever set me free
Will all of my dreams be fading away
All of my fears be here one day
Do I have to see the stars falling down
Don't let my dreams be fading away

September 12th
The Wilds

Runt snorted awake, back against the tree, hunting spear in his hand. The moons were still up, so he hadn’t slept long. His stomach had the sickening feeling of dropping down a mountain too fast. No matter, he was awake now so he would try and find something to hunt.

September 13th
The Wilds

Runt tossed and turned, waking up with a start. His stomach had dropped again, but this time he remembered looking into the stars and seeing them glitter just before he woke up. It was like he had fallen off a mountain cliff while gazing up into a sparkling sky.

September 15th
The Badlands

Arabrab was meandering about slowly, almost as if he was on a long pilgrimage to the homeland of his people. The moons pock-marked face stared benignly down at the Badlands between Cadentia and Rhydin. Lillthinia slept under a pile of blankets nearby, but Runt was busy looking up at Arabab and his court of stars. Normally, he slept well after one of the floating Chain Fights. The small halfling, supposedly an assassin, had focussed on his thighs and knees but they would heal after a week or two. It’s why he told Mallory he was gone hunting for so long. Despite the gruelling battle, tonight he had woken up three times to the same stomach-dropping feeling of falling off a mountain and watching the stars fade away just before he hit the ground. This last time the stars looked different like they were moving to form some other strange constellation. When he had awoken, the icy fire of his ancestors was running through his veins. What did it mean?

September 20th

Runt stood at the edge of a snow-covered mountain. He looked down at the white landscape stretching below him like an endless glacier. Rhy’din sat at the bottom of the mountain, Kaiju lake frozen over in the icy weather. Suddenly, he was falling; back to the ground and eyes to the sky. The stars above him sparkled in colours of red, green, blue, and yellow. Within seconds they too were falling like vibrant, precious snowflakes.

Then he was standing in the Outback, the ground beneath him now stained glass instead of dirt. Isejotuni were chanting, summoning a great wintry storm as they smashed their battle-axes into the ground. The colored floor shattered into radiating bursts of red, green, blue and yellow. The cracks became black like a spider web coursing through broken gemstones.

Runt roared angrily, wielding his ram-headed mace at the frost giants crowding into the Outback. They were yelling as they converged around him, rushing at him from all sides like ice battering against a lost ship at sea. White bodies tattooed with the blue histories of his ancestors fell upon him, crushing him against the ground. He fell through the broken stained glass floor and landed in a sea of gemstones. Waves of colored gems and broken glass rolled beneath him, crashing over him and finally burying him beneath their oppressive weight.

September 22nd
The Wilds

The summer heat had finally given way to the cooling, fall breeze. Despite the more tolerable weather, Runt hadn’t slept well in over a week. The giant sat cross-legged in the middle of a small clearing while a warbler sang prettily in the background. Gently he reached into the pouch hanging from his belt and pulled out a small, pretty green stone. Runt furrowed his brow at it. It was a gift for Clan Simon; but his dreams demanded answers. The Hun-Jarl had been confused when he asked to study it, but she gave it to him anyway along with a few courteous words and a stern warning.

He didn’t know how these stones worked, only that one of them - the red one - had helped him in his battle against the dire wolves. This green stone was his, he had won it in combat, but it did not speak to him. It did nothing for him. But he knew in his heart that he was tainted by its magic and it had cursed him in his dreams. Runt was convinced that if he did not master the stone it would steal away his rest, his strength and his peace of mind.

Song Lyrics: All of my Dreams by Dreamtide

[Runt]

Linked events preceding this include PathFinders request to Bailey here, and the subsequent denouncement of Runt by PathFinder here.

October 18th
The Outback

Runt lumbered laboriously into the Outback, his open hide vest revealing a long stretch of bandage across his chest and side. His face was swollen with bruises, one eye purple and shut. A crack across his lip added to the menacing visage. He carried no sack, in fact, he didn't even have a weapon. There was only a pouch on his hip that clinked as he limped inside. With his one healthy eye, Runt scanned the Outback. It was the first round of the Diamond Quest, and Matt was fighting against Rachael. With a heavy grunt, he dragged himself over to the ring. "MATSLAG MATT SIH-MON."

"What happened this time?" Matt asked as prepared to fight.

Runt thought back to last night, but he didn't remember much. Lillthinia told him he wasn't, in fact, victorious - someone had poisoned him before the fight. "MAUG SLASS," was his answer.

Just as round two got started, the lights in the Outback started to flicker. Runt felt the air around him grow colder. The earthy scent, petrichor, filled his nose. He was suddenly very aware of the earth beneath him and the way it breathed. The Opal inside his pouch started to warm, it was an uncomfortable sensation on his hip. Undeterred, Runt continued cheering on Matt - who seemed very distracted by something in his pocket. The nearby Fern started growing and reaching out towards the pouch itself. He felt the earth vibrate before he caught the movement in his peripheral vision, and turned to snarl at the oversized plant. "GGGRAAARRRGHH"

The Fern responded by sprouting vines at its base, which reached out towards him in a sudden burst. From the pouch, a bitter sense of frustration emanated from PathFinder. Runt began to feel a connection between PathFinder and the Fern, vines, and even the very ground he walked on. He ripped the bag off his belt and shook it violently. He then threw the pouch, with PathFinder in it, on the ground and stomped on it. After trying to crush the stone to bits, he picked up the sack and held it in his trembling fist. He watched Matt run out of the ring towards the lockers as if his pants were lit on fire. Then he saw another fighter go from solid to shadows and back again. His heart raced with anxiety. "DIS IS TO BE MAAT SLAAG! NOT DEVILS ARTS!"

As Runts' hands clenched the hide-pouch tighter and tighter, PathFinder turned his frustration on Runt, causing the bag to fall through his hands. "GRARRGHH!" Runt tried to stomp on it again, but his feet seemed to pass right through the pouch. He felt like he was being mocked by PathFinder. Reaching down, he picked up the small sack, but didn't notice that the vines under the Fern had started crawling towards him. They slowly wrapped around his legs and yanked, throwing him to the ground face first. A painful roar erupted from the giant. "GGGRRAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!"

Jewell, the Trixie-fae friend of Mallory, approached him - staying but a few feet away. "Hey, um.. do you need help?"

Before he could answer, the vines constricted, sprouting thorns that dug into his body. Runt rolled over, making futile efforts to tear the vines away. "DIS... STONE!" He could hear it in his mind, laughing at him with an air of detestation.

"I..." Jewell wanted to help Runt, kind of, "Throw the Opal away from you, Runt! It's trying to strangle you!"

Runt dug into his pouch, and as much as he didn't like the Trixie-fae, he knew she was right. He picked up the green Opal and threw it, with all his might across the Outback. It clattered harmlessly behind the bar, and the vines stopped growing. Runt tore the vines angrily, leaving thorny scars all over his legs. More of his stitches tore, and blood turned the bandages around his chest a deep crimson.

"Oh.. hey. That worked." Jewell's brow furrowed, grey eyes following where the Opal had gone. Her fingers twitched at her side, but then she looked down at Runt, "Do you need assistance?"

"RUNT NEED NO DEVILS ARTS! NO TRICKS!"

"Ugh whatever," the fae rolled her eyes and turned to walk away and get her drink. "You're bleeding by the way!" she called over her shoulder.

Runt stood up, the adrenaline faded but the color drained from his face. He rocked woozily from one side to the other.

Jewell glanced back, saw Runt struggling, and over to him, offering her shoulder, "Come on. Sit down."

Runt barked a laugh. "TRIXIE-FAE. VENN OF MAAL-REE. YOU BE TOO TINY." He stared down at her, no longer swaying but feeling nauseous all the same.

Jewell challenged him back with a bit of a laugh, "Though she be small.. she is fierce." The fae tried to get him to sit down on a chair. "Do you like.. just heal?"

Runt, feeling anxious and out of his element, brushed Jewell aside. He didn’t want to deal with her. The tournament continued despite all the Devils Arts, so Runt waited until Matt was finished his current round. When the match ended, Runt took a few, heavy steps towards him. "DE GREEN STONE FER CLAN SIH-MON. IT BE DERE!" He pointed to behind the bar. "RUNT NOT KEEP IT."

Matt, focused on other things, quickly countered, "You hold onto it, Runt. Better it be with you than nobody."

Jewell chimed in, "You pick that rock back up, and you hold it. You are its holder. That's how it works. Man up!"

The Trixie-fae had just told him to throw it away, and now she wanted him to pick up that conniving, evil, devils arts of a stone!? He did not want it! It was better with Koy. Runt held back a snarl, and dipped his head down to Matt. "RUNT TAKE IT BACK TO DE' UN-JARL."

Runt didn't wait for Matt to answer; instead, he lumbered over to the bar and reached a long arm over to pick up the green stone. The moment the stone was in his hand it felt like acid on his skin. The Opal laughed at him once more.

So Runt bellowed at PathFinder. "GGGRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGGGHHHHHHH!"

Something, a feeling, told him that PathFinder had tried something tricksy. This little stone and its other little stone friends were up to something. He shoved the rock into his belt pouch and laboriously lumbered out of Outback. PathFinder could laugh now, but tomorrow, he would know who his Master was.

[Koyliak]

“This night's a perfect shade of
Dark blue, dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?
When I'm here with you
I said the world could be burning, burning down
Dark blue, dark blue”
-Jack’s Mannequin

Sunday, November 24th

"You should be afraid." FireStar hissed the statement across Koy's brain, causing the elf to let go of the dish she was soaking in a kitchen sink full of suds. She caught it awkwardly before it broke.

It wasn't a warning. The Opal had taken to taunting their holder, repeating the simple chant at random to unnerve Koy. FireStar knew how to stoke the fearful embers that had not gone out no matter how many times Matt tried to reassure her or she tried to reassure herself that her recent nightmares about the Opals were no different than any of the other ones that plagued her over the years.

"Not everythin' is 'bout ye, do ye know tha?" Koy deflected, knowing there was no point to lie to the Opal and refute the idea that she felt scared. It's why she was washing dinner dishes by hand. She had gotten over her other fear of the dishwasher Matt installed once Thia added a third set of plates and silverware into their lives. But washing gave her hands something to do while she steeled herself for what would likely be a complicated conversation with Runt. It beat wringing them to death as she waited for him to accept his hun jarl’s invitation.

Runt's approach to the Simon home was usually accompanied by singing, and it was no surprise to hear the giant's booming voice over the New Haven district. More than one household ushered their children inside as the 9'6" runt-of-a-giant walked up the street. His chest was bare to the frigid air, exposing bright blue runic tattoos. Runt carried a double ram-headed war hammer, and he wore a newly, if roughly, fashioned hat with authentic adult-male elk antlers.

"VAN FER KJOTT! VAN ‘IT DE SPOT! NI VAN! ATT VAN! SJU VAN! SEK VAN! FEM VAN! FIR VAN! TRE VAN! TO VAN! ET VAN! ALL VAN DED! oooohhhhAAAHHHH! ALLLLLLL VAAAAAAANNNNNN DEEEEEEEEEED!"

Runt’s booming voice on the other hand had become a familiar calling card. No dishes were broken as Koy went to meet the giant at the front door.

The Simon’s had erected a high tent in part of their yard that stretched around to an enclosed backyard garden. It made it possible for them to sit outside with a heat lamp on when Runt came to visit as he could not fit in the first floor of their house and the autumn days grew cooler.

Having come more than once for an outdoor barbecue, Runt easily wound his way around the building. He rested the abnormally large war-hammer against the Simon's home and sat down cross-legged. A pouch rested on his hip, jingling with lose trinkets, bones, coins and one particular gemstone. The stone did not speak to him anymore. Not since that day. The day when Runt had showed the stone he would not be bullied by a talking, magical artifact. It seethed, silently, with absolute loathing for its holder.

Lingering inside, Matt frowned. He felt out of sorts, something he couldn't pinpoint gnawed at him, and it was more than irksome.

Koy pulled out of the small icebox kept outside for company a covered plate of cold cuts and set it out on a wooden table. She peeled back the foil and left it for Runt, taking a seat in a wooden lounge chair. “Thankee fer comin', Seeker.”

"RUNT SERVE DE 'UN-JARL." He bowed his head, then reached a hand out for the cold cuts. The entire plate would be gone within seconds.

A respectful nod in return and a bucket full of Skullsplitter ale bottles pulled out, Koy took one for herself and sat down. “Come, let us talk as a clan should. Matt will join us soon.”

Delaying as long as he could, eventually, Matt walked outside toward the tent.

Runt nodded and ate on the cold cuts. He wondered what sort of mission his hun-jarl might have for him. When Matt came out he grinned toothily at him. "RUNT PLEASED TO SEE MATT! 'ELSINGEN!"

“And here we are,” Koy said when Matt appeared.

While the three grown ones gathered outside, above the backyard Thia sat up in bed, wrapped in her sunny yellow blanket. She was supposed to be getting enough sleep ahead of a new school week but instead she read. The young girl wore a headlight she had rigged herself, strapping a mini flashlight to the brim of a sequined green cap with a leather belt. This left her hands free to turn the pages of the soapy ‘tween novel she begged her parents for, A Giantess in a Tiny Town.

The closed bedroom window muffled the conversation happening below. What bits she could make out, Runt’s most clearly given his volume, Thia worked to block out by diving deeper into the world presented on the printed pages.

Runt leaned back against their house, two Badsiders in his hand now, and waited patiently for the clan leaders to speak.

“We wanted ta hear more ‘bout yer concerns with yer Opal.” Koy would be direct. She more than anyone knew there were plenty of concerns to be had.

Runt ignored PathFinder’s seething hatred. "RUNT NOT 'AVE CONCERN. RUNT TAKE CARE OF IT."

“How did ye do tha?”

Runt drank both Badsiders within seconds. "RUNT SHOW GREEN STONE DAT RUNT IS DE JARL O' STONE. DE STONE NOT MOCK RUNT ANY MORE." The opal bristled, but Runt dismissed it as a small bother.

“...NOT MOCK RUNT ANY MORE.” Upstairs, Thia momentarily found herself jerked out of the delightful plight of Georgina, the imperfect but lovable heroine in her book, at Runt’s outburst. Only the last phrase came through clearly. The girl gave a wary glance towards the window but tried to focus on her book once more.

“I understand, Seeker. I’ve had my own quarrels with those cursed stones. They can drive a person mad.” The fearsome image again of Runt on the battlefield when they had fought off the direwolves flashed through Koy’s mind again courtesy of a giddy FireStar. She screwed up her face having a hard time keeping a neutral expression. Taking a deep breath she continued. “How have ye shown it yer dominance?”

"STONE NEED RUNT. RUNT BURY STONE FER MANY DAYS. RUNT SHOW STONE IT CAN BE SOLD. RUNT LEAVE STONE AT BOTTOM OF RIVER. STONE WANT TO BE NEAR O'DER STONES. STONE KNOW RUNT CARE NOT FER STONE IF IT MOCK RUNT. DE STONE NOT MAKE RUNT ANGRY NO MORE!" He grinned in a very self-satisfied way.

“You...left it alone? What if someone finds it? Or it dislodges and gets swept away?” Matt half-turned as if in a mind to go look for the green rock right that moment.

”Listen, child. Danger lurks below.” Burying PathFinder did nothing for preventing the stone from speaking with Thia. The girl froze in place, the voice swooshing in, a rustle of leaves she didn’t want to hear. The last time the Opal spoke he brought her a warning that turned out to be true about Runt’s wellbeing. He also got her into trouble between how long it took her to confess their conversation and the strange looks her parents exchanged once she did. She hadn’t even wanted to talk to him!

She said nothing this time. In the silence she picked up her father’s voice outside. No words but his tone sounded stressed like the time she had tried to do laundry and turned the load of clothes pink.

Outside, Koy frowned at everything unfolding in front of her. “Runt, an Opal is more powerful than where it physically lies. Others have gone so far as tried ta destroy ‘em ‘fore. None have succeeded.”

"RUNT LEAVE STONE ALONE FOR LITTLE WHILE. STONE IS 'ERE." He patted his pouch, which jingled with all the bones, coins and of course - PathFinder. "RUNT DID TRY TO DESTROY. IT NOT GO... WELL. DEN RUNT DO DE O'DER STUFF. STONE NOT SPEAK ANYMORE TO RUNT. IS ALL WELL."

Of course, PathFinder was merely biding his time. But Runt's smug attitude struck a nerve.

Koy swallowed down a healthy gulp of ale, somewhere between an odd relief PathFinder was not lost and an apprehension at what Runt shared. “How did ye try ta destroy it?”

Runt shifted, his eyes avoided Koy, looking down at her feet deferentially. "RUNT TRY BURN. RUNT TRY SMACH WID MANY 'AMMER. DEY ALL BE BREKKEN NOW." Runt had another idea too, but he was wary about using the great sword Drachenbane to try and destroy the opal.

PathFinder caused a nearby tree to sway, a branch tapping against the side of the house near Thia’s bedroom window. The sound conveniently obscured part of Runt’s words while leaving others loud and clear for the girl inside. “RUNT... BURN. RUNT...SMACH.” The little DIY sequined headlight the girl wore could be seen now at the window, a small beam against a much darker night sky.

“Runt, ye can’t destroy an Opal. Tha’s part of why they need us ta hold ‘em. They do not belong ta us.” Koy left out how Shanni had been punished for trying.

The stone spoke to Runt for the first time in weeks. "But I can destroy you.".

The giant snarled loudly in response to the opal, and ripped off the pouch from his belt. He threw it at Koy's feet. "RUNT TRY TO GIVE BACK TO MATT, BUT MATT SAY 'E NOT WANT. RUNT WIN DIS FER CLAN SIH-MON, TO 'ONOR CLAN! DIS STONE NOT BRING 'ONOR. IT BE DEVILS ARTS! WHAT DEVIL DO DEY BELONG TO? WHY RUNT MUST 'OLD? IT MAKE RUNT ANGRY!"

“The opals like to toy...to manipulate. It’s your job to be stronger, trickier, more powerful than they are, especially while one is in your care. Else they can take control of you. There’re plenty of examples of that happening to others,” Matt explained.

”You should have asked me for help, brave one.” As if proving Matt’s point, FireStar whispered seductively to Runt alone. ”Imagine what we could destroy together.”

It was unlikely that one Opal could or truly would want to destroy the other no matter how they bickered. But PathFinder and FireStar had overlapping interests with the pawns on the board. The piqued activity around the child at the window upstairs had not escaped PathFinder’s sibling.


((Co-written with the excellent players of Runt and Matt!))

[Koyliak]

”This flood is slowly rising up
Swallowing the ground
Beneath my feet
Tell me how anybody thinks
Under this condition
So I'll swim I'll swim
As the water rises up
Sun is sinking down
And now all I can see
Are the planets in a row
Suggesting it's best that I
Slow down
This night's a perfect shade of
Dark blue, dark blue
Have you ever been alone in a crowded room?”
-Jack’s Mannequin

Thia cracked the window open, straining with her pointed ears to hear more. The evening breeze picked up, whipping at the tent’s flaps. She felt frightened as Runt yelled and threw something at her mother.

Runt stared at the red opal, so blatant on the table. He reached out, curious to just touch the stone which had been the cause of this whole thing in the first place.

The flicker of flames undulated across FireStar’s surface, an inviting bonfire in the woods, the type that kept a warrior warm after a long day’s hunt. The stone did not look to phantom burn the giant’s approaching hand the way it liked to singe Koy.

The movement at the entrance to the tent distracted Koy, who had been looking from Runt to Matt, taking a beat to decide the best way not to further upset the giant. The hairs stood up at the back of her neck. She tried to push off the memory again of Runt rampaging and tearing into the direwolves. FireStar spent so much time feeding Koy terrible visions of Runt in particular wreaking havoc it had become hard for her to tell apart the difference between what she’d witnessed and what the stone fabricated. The elven woman completely missed the innate warning not of real or imagined Runt but of the strange magic building around them. An icy breeze ran through the tent despite the heat lamp.

Runt took hold of the opal in his hand, and examined it. This rock. It understood him. It did not loathe him like the other one did. It was uncomfortably warm, but most things were too warm to the Isejotuni. "RUNT WILL BE STRONGER." This was his answer to Matt, and to FireStar's inviting imagery of him rampaging through the village at the base of the white fjells back home.

“Physical strength isn't going to help you here, Runt. Not really.” Matt tapped his head. “You have to be stronger up here. Think of it this way...when you hunt, you have to be cunning to catch your prey. You stay upwind, you try and be as quiet as you can so as not to alert your prey. It's a very similar thing here.” He noticed the look on Runt's face. “Maybe put that down.” He looked at FireStar.

The little light at the window disappeared. Thia tried to remember one of the Elanthian prayers her mother had taught them as she shakily made her way downstairs and out to the tent to hear better. Which god was the best to ask for protection? Was it Rutilor, defender of the Immortals, Everild who favored the brave, or maybe Berengaria or Albreda who both had something to do with kids but Thia couldn’t remember the specifics? Why did there need to be so many of them?! Was it her fault the only one she really focused in one was Murrula, goddess of beauty who often presented herself as a lovely elven woman or a phoenix?!

”You do not need the gods, child. You have everything you need inside of you already. You only need to will it so.”

"RUNT BE CUNNING, LIKE GREAT SLOVAAT DE SKALD!" Runt looked back at Matt and was about to set FireStar down when the stone spoke to him. "I can help you, I can help you be clever, and cunning. We will take down your enemies, and the enemies of Clan Simon."

FireStar didn't send images, but feelings, the thrill of battle, a sensation of warm blood from a successful hunt, the flush of victory. "RUNT LIKE DIS STONE. IT BETTER DEN DE ONE RUNT 'AVE. RUNT COULD WAGE GREAT WAR WID DIS STONE!" The giants voice rose into a crescendo as FireStar showed him a battlefield of slain mages from the base of the mountains.

“Woah woah...settle down. We're not waging war against anyone right now. Here, give FireStar to Koy.”

Reluctantly Runt handed the opal back to his hun-jarl, but his eyes glittered with the fire of anticipation.

Wouldn’t it be nice if we could switch? The unfiltered thought crossed Koy’s mind, causing an audible gasp as some deep part of her felt for PathFinder and equally loathed FireStar. Was it her own thought or the trickery of an Opal? It was getting harder for her to tell the difference. Ever since the dreams of their destruction Koy had felt uncomfortably concerned about a world without the stones. It violated every truth she preached about them.

Koy put her hand out reluctantly for FireStar. A high-pitched shriek came from the tent opening.

“Don’t hurt her!” Thia took her mother’s gasp as a fearful one. The young girl screamed again, the earth beneath their feet starting to shake. A sharper wind whipped through the tent, knocking over the heat lamp and threatening to topple the structure in all around them.

Matt instinctively turned around when Thia shouted in alarm but found himself grasping for something to hold onto when the ground rumbled. He stumbled forward, reaching out for his daughter, but was knocked aside by the violent gusts.

Koy dropped FireStar. She dug her hands into the broken earth, sliding until she finally caught hold of a solid root. Picking her head up, she tried to look for Thia before ducking down to avoid the debris and dirt flying around. She could have sworn she saw her daughter floating weightless above the chaos, but she could not look back up to see better. She buried her face down against the space made by her arms hoping whatever natural disaster had struck would end soon.

Runt felt the trembling of the earth, but he was half-sitting already and so he crouched lower to the ground. One hand was placed in front for a third point of contact. The giant snarled loudly, "WHAT DEVILS ARTS BE DIS?!"

For one clear moment, Thia felt wrapped in the velvet cloak of the dark blue sky, protected and alive.

”You see how you have put a giant in his place, child? They are all safe now. You have been given a gift. I will help you learn to use it. Steady yourself now.” Like the soothing rippling of a brook in the forest, PathFinder called Thia back from where her emotions threw her. The ground settled once more and the child floated back down so her feet could meet it. A stupefied Thia stared back at the adults, the color drained from her young face.

Finally making it to his daughter, he flashed a concerned look toward Koy. "Are you all right? Is everyone all right?"

Koy could not shake the eerie feeling that she had seen something like this once before, years ago the night that the Sanyumato storm ravaged the city. In the chaos and rain Koy had found a toddler Thia similarly suspended above it all, out of harm’s way. She had thought it miraculous at the time. What if there were no miracles, only intervening stones? Koy looked queasy when she stood back up, brushing off dirt.

Thia, now trembling and clammy to the touch, latched onto her father.

“Mebbe we should not throw ‘round the Opals.” Koy was not all right and full of questions. But she did not want to bring Runt’s rage down on any mistaken “devils” right now. She frowned at having to pick FireStar up, putting the hateful stone in her pocket. “We’re all OK, aren’t we?”

Runt looked over at Thia suspiciously, but didn't say anything. PathFinder had rolled out of the small pouch and was now at Thia's feet.

“I thought he was going ta hurt ya.” Thia’s shaky voice broke through finally. The girl avoided eye contact with the giant and looked at the ground. She took a beat too long to tear her gaze away from PathFinder.

"RUNT NOT 'URT CLAN SIH-MON. DIS BE FAM'LY." The giant tried his most gentle voice. It was still a little loud, but it did not sound angry.

“Of course ye’re our family, Seeker. It was a misunderstandin’. Ye see, bee,” Koy looked at her daughter now, the forest-green gaze mirrored back at her, “Runt wouldn’t hurt us.”

”This is why you must be the one, child. The threat is bigger than all of them. You are the only one who can see it.”

Thia only nodded, in response to the Opal only she could hear or Runt and her mother could not be known by anyone other than the girl in that minute. She let her parents usher her inside with assurances to Runt that everything was fine. The Simon’s came up with some thin logic about the Opals reminding them not to insult the stones by attempting to destroy or curse them. Thia took one glance up at the stars on her way back through the main door, wondering if they were the only ones who could ever understand the new light she carried inside.


((Co-written with the excellent players of Matt and Runt!))