Bardic Knowledge

Souji watched her body language. Was it not natural for old people to die? The whole point of mortal life in society was getting older, followed by paying taxes, followed by dying, followed by paying more taxes. It was probably a good thing the man went out a king, as kings didn’t have to pay taxes like everyone else. There was a slight head tilt in his line of thought and his eyes followed the woman’s expressions taking them in as if he were sightseeing. It seemed though, she was not interested in his form of playful expression and it seemed by her reluctance and gesture of goodwill to his endeavor, that she would not join him in his ‘’bedroom heist’’. The fae gave her a half bow. “Thank you for bringing me here Miss Bellflower, and I hope to see you again very soon.” With that, he stood upright and began his march to the castle. His eyes did their thing, observing the outside of the structure the patrols and postings of guards, their arms. Every small detail. Since the fae had an enhanced field of view he could take in many details at once. His head making mental notes of how long patrolling guards took to move from one point to the next. Though, he did not linger in one position to long as it was rouse suspicion about him. He wanted to blend with the dealings of the people, though he saw very few of them on his path. He did notice that the primary mode of transportation for the people seemed to be horseback, which interested him. He never tried to ride another animal. Poor horses. Eventually, the fae would find a spot between two large buildings that he felt were close enough to the castle, and he took his time scaling the sides in the shadow cast between the two buildings. Once atop the building, he noted the highest point of the castle with a window. Guards seldom looked up and as safe as this place seemed, it was not like it was in any danger, so, there wouldn’t be a problem with him coasting right over to the window. The problem, however, was being spotted by someone looking out a window. This wouldn’t work. His second plan involved him getting closer to the castle. This seemed like a better idea as all he would need to do was scale a few things and avoid being spotted. The fae was light on his feet, quick, and made his way all the way through to an open servant’s entrance where he would pop in, stay low, and use the furnishings as cover like he were some covert op. It looked easier than it was. Through the castle, he went trying to take in sights and avoid people while looking for a master bedroom. So many doors, it was so large. Maybe it was like finding a needle in a haystack. He was about to give up searching before he noticed one of the rooms was adorned differently than the rest. That was where he needed to go. But perhaps not through the front door. Instead, he took the window from a closed room and using his memory of the layout inside made his way to the window of the room he had in mind to stay the night. There was nary a sound as he used magic to undo any locks. Slowly he opened the window and… Trip, roll, crash. It wasn’t loud to people outside the room but the fae had slipped on something, rolled across the floor and bumped back first into the frame of the bed. His face made a wince, not one of pain, but one of “oh shit I made a noise.”

When she mentioned the temperature, Souji did notice it was about ten degrees hotter here than his home. It was comfortable, for now, but he suspected when physical activity was involved he would be far too hot especially given the length of his new hair. “A new queen you say? What happened to the old one?” He was curious, usually royalty was left in the family, though he did not want to speculate further on the stately affairs of a foreign body he knew nothing about. When she spoke of where the water came from he couldn’t help but take two more sips from a cupped hand that pulled water out. It was clean and refreshing. Very unlike his magically created pool in the Wood. Finally, he turned his head and lowered the hood to his cloak looking back at the still moss covered nymph. She was listing off places that he could stay. He grinned wildly. “I appreciate all of the kind locations you have listed for me to stay, but, I am afraid if I stay with you the temperature of where you stay might reach a point where we are both sweating heavily. I am afraid your neighbors might not take to kindly to the heat and noises.” Souji gave her a playful wink, then pointed to the castle. “I think I shall stay there for the night. I don’t think anyone would particularly mind me slipping in through the back door and sleeping in the royal bedroom. Besides, according to you there is no queen at this time. So, no harm no foul, right?”

Using the magic Souji collected as they walked he fashioned a cloak of dark silver and white, matching that of the fog that protected his home. Upon a closer inspection of the cloak, it looked to be alive like Souji was wearing the fog itself, but if one gazed upon it at a glance it would appear to be a normal cloak. The hood was drawn over his head, so that only his chin and eye were visible. He wore no shirt under, as the cloak was cut in such a way that it doubled as a shirt. He was half listening to her when she explained what she took care of, and his response was a simple explanation to her job. “So, a mother it is.” The fae laid eyes on the portal she made. He could care less if it was one way, it was not as if she were summoning a portal to lead him to his death. Without a second thought he passed right by her through the door she had made. He wondered if she would follow as his location seemed to suddenly change. His feet met new terrain, and his eyes fell upon an entre new city. The buildings looked as if they were made of the most pure components, the grass, even the magic felt different. Souji took a breath, one of awe. It reminded him of some of the larger cities and council rooms inside they Fay Wild. As far as his eyes could see the location was surrounded by natural beauty and artisan craftsman all coming together to create this gem. If he could have bottled it and sold it, he would have. He looked to the left, then the right, before walking to the natural lake before him. He dropped to his knees and placed his fingertips inside the water to test its purity before taking a small drink from it. After a low sigh his head rose to look at the castle before him. “What am I to do now.”

“Oh, I think you know exactly what kind of fun I am speaking of, Miss Bellflower.” His words came out in a way that made them feel sticky sweet. When she made eye contact with him, he did not waver instead, he gave her the same look her had given upon their meeting. As if he was looking directly through her and into her soul. Souji returned to a normal posture when she mentioned this place of pure magic, her home. Immediately he was interested. Like a child coming across a new toy he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of trouble he could get himself in traveling to this new place, Crystallo Stella. As she walked, he followed. “Lives to care for you say? Are you a nurse? Mother? Raise animals?” Souji thought raising animals was probably something she may be good at, especially ducks because she floated so well in the water. As he moved his hands made a plucking motion as if he were gathering something from the area around him. Invisible threads, each taken from the essence or magic of everything around him. He would need clothing if he planned to follow the moss covered fae to her homeland, she however, looked fine the way she was.

"I come from the Wilds." He responded matter-o-factly to her. He was the spawn of a magical tree in the Fay Wilds, an enforcer of sorts sent out to maintain a balance between the Prime and the Wilds. The body language she was showing changed, from interest to insecurity, to anger all in one fold. He couldn't help but slowly get to his feet and dust off his ivy colored hair. "Going home so soon are we? But we haven't even gotten to the good parts of our fun yet." Another giggle as he moved in front of her, bowing and pointing out his arms as if he were a butler showing her the door. "M'lady, I believe the exit is this way." Or was it that way? Or the other way? Which way was the exit exactly? Could she even tell through the thick fog that surrounded the outlying woods. The scent of the forest was rich, and the way she came in more then likely had already changed its shape making dead reckoning nearly impossible. "Tell me about this home you in such a hurry to see after visiting me here." A pause. "Is it so much better than being naked here with me?" He grinned.

Souji was sure to take in as much information as possible as the young fae before him covered herself in response to his quick slaying of her dress. It was not a trick her preformed often, but, to him it was hilarious. A smile crossed his face as her tiny arms attempted to cover her much larger chest. He watched curiously as she seeped her magic into the earth summoning up a make shift cover from nearby moss. " Ah, yes, it does appear your dress was a casualty of war. I pray that its soul will find comfort in the after life." He giggled yet again, adjusting himself in the grass so that his fingers interlocked behind his head and his ankles crossed. The fae looked up to the sun, and allowed his eyes to drift shut lazily, that was until he was interrupted by her yet again as she spoke, and dropped her hands against his bare chest. Lazily, his eyes gazed up at her. His name came from her almost like a question in the way that it rolled from her tongue, so he responded as he normally would to someone calling out at him, of course, with a hint of sarcasm. "Yes young one?" He wondered much of the same about her. Where was she from, and more importantly what was she doing in his domain. Though her earlier answers were flattering, he sense she was not here for just play. No one, not even fae would dare roam in a veil thinned to the Fay Wild. It was dangerous and very foolish to wander in on another Fae's domain without taking the proper precautions. Especially fae as dangerous as Souji who, outwardly displayed emotion, but inwardly felt very little aside from basic functioning, anger, and the occasional lust. There were tinges of other emotions that he, himself, was unable to describe, though he shook them as things that did not belong.

“Depends on…?” The fae leaned slightly closer expecting an answer. He was keen to her manipulating his domain but paid it little mind as he was more interested in what was before him. That was when the vines came in. They came quick like a snake lunging to its prey to deliver a deadly bite. So, he would allow them to strike him, and with a controlled fall he spiraled to the ground dramatically. He landed in the soft grass and rolled about acting injured. But he wasn’t. His wings vanished, their magic assisting him in his new task: to annoy the shit out of the woman who swatted him. There was a pause in his roll, and he pointed up to the sky with his left hand. “And alas, I have been slain!” It caused him to giggle. Which was the key component to allow the magic he had spread about come forth. The grass around her would raise like razorblades. The sharp thrusts were kin to that of a spear, fast and accurate. Though they did not find flesh. Instead they found the seams of the fabric she wore. There would be a slight pause, and the leaves would shrink back down to normal size. “Cover your chest.” The fae giggled again as the slashed seams would quickly give way to gravity and fall away from her body.

“Perhaps you are right, mayhap it is dangerous to hold you, upside down for such an extended period, and in such a shortcut dress too. Shall I put you down?” A wicked grin spread across the fae’s lips, his small fangs showing through. Before she could answer, he spun her. It would be as if he tossed her up into the air. She would, of course, land safely, feet first into the water. His grin was then interrupted by a playful giggle as delicate colorful wings exposed themselves almost exploding from his back like a hidden magic. The wings had the look of the night sky, dark with beads of white and purple magic swirling inside of them. Though they were ethereal, they still worked appropriately, allowing him to position himself wings to the sky, face to the lake waiting for the young fae woman to poke her head above the water. “How interesting it is.” The fae spoke again as he knew she would be able to hear him. “Water…” He paused and began to move his hand like a wave. As his hands moved it was as if the pool had sprung to life tiny ripples and waves forming about its surface as if a mighty wind blew over it. He forced his hand outward, and it was as if the water spit her out rump first onto the soft patch of grass at its bank. He fae followed, of course, now standing before her away from the water. “Are you all out of fun?” Souji asked her with a giggle.

Souji tilted his head as he witnessed the young woman dive into the water. An interesting choice, as, for all she knew the water was a poison vat or trap for enemies. He supposed, she must have been watching him for longer than he realized. When she receded from his vision, he couldn’t help but look down. In this case, it happened to be seconds too late, as a limb ripped through the top layer of the water and snagged him by the leg like ivy about the trunk of a large oak tree. She yanked, and because he had not prepared himself he was ripped downward from his floating position straight into the cool depths of the pool. “How ignorant of me to lose tracking on her.” It happened before he could get a suitable breath to stay any sustained amount of time. The lack of light made the depths of the water dark, but still, his eyes bounced, and body twisted gracefully in an attempt to find his assailant. “There.” He spotted a tinge of out of place green. Instead of rushing to the surface of the water, the fae locked onto the out of place green and pulled forth his magic to deal with it. He only needed just enough, like a cup taken from a vast well he summoned forth a meager amount. From his back, water began to shape itself in the form of a new limb, extending slowly and in stealth like a snake through the grass. On the hunt, the end would seek out and tightly wrap itself around the playful one’s ankle. With a heave, it both he and the young woman would be out of the water, on the surface, though her position would be a lot less comfortable than his. He stood above the surface taking a deep breath, and the water tendril would be holding the young woman upside down by her ankle, some ten or so meters above the surface to the water. “Just what do you think you are doing?” The fae addressed the woman in a soft and playful tone, from her new position. Depending on her answer would be what he would do to her in the coming seconds. He could easily have flung her or dropped her, but that would have been no fun for him. Instead, he took another cup from his well, allowing more limbs of water to grab hold of her other limbs. Once latched they would splay her out like a starfish and pull her form, still upside down, closer to him. “It’s totally not safe for you to be playing games with me, young one.” The fae gave her a wicked smile. “You never know what position you can put yourself in, and I do say, the starfish looks wonderful on you. Perhaps this is how I should remember you? Or perhaps I should rename you Star, in honor of your new position in the sky.” He giggled.

“Well.” Souji responded reaching the edge of the lake. He smirked slightly and continued. “What brings Asherah Bellflower wondering into my web?” The fae rose a brow before slowly backpedaling over the surface of the water. It was graceful, almost as if he were figure skating on the surface. Flecks of fae magic sparked from his feet, to him it was effortless, perhaps for others the feat may have taken concentration. He made his way back, to the center, and sat just above the surface of the water. Just how far was she willing to follow him? The thought of her wading out into the water made him giggle internally. Perhaps she could water walk too? Or maybe she would summon wings and fly over to him? Souji rolled his shoulders, taking in a deep breath. The air here was much better than the cities he had been to in recent times, and after the large attack he was caught up in it was nice to rest without having to be wary of someone stabbing him in the back. Especially that Grant figure. Souji had a great distaste for him and the boy was lucky he didn’t feel the wrath of an angered fae. So, instead of misbehaving the fae took the time to grow his powers, dissolving his relic katana and fusing with the relics inside of it adding their power to his own. The markings about his body were a symbol of this, instead of having to carry a weapon around with him, he could now summon them from his flesh to imbue them with faerie magic before use. A more efficient killing machine, but it was probably unlikely that he would need to use this new power anytime soon. He did however, want to test it. Perhaps the young nymph before him would be a nice testing dummy. “Would I kill one of my own for the fun of it? Probably.” The thought made him giggle aloud.

The way she complimented the forest made him happy, and it showed on his face as the emotionless smile he used faded into a soft smile. His eyes explored her ‘’checking for weapons’’ was the excuse his mind came up with to allow his eyes to wander. It had been so long since he had seen one of his own kind, that he was a bit shaken by her behavior. The smile, the movement of her hand to remove a spot he missed when he was cleaning himself. The fae tilted his head to the right, watching carefully what she was going to do with the slime she collected from him. “I appreciate your compliments on the Wood, I am Archfae Souji, the soon to be holder of these lands, and you are?” Playfully the fae began to walk in circles around her as if he were a cat on the hunt. Sometimes it was even foolish for another fae to wonder in on someone else’s territory. Was she foolish? Perhaps just a free spirit. And why was she dressed like that? Though, it wasn’t as if he could speak on why someone was dressed a way. After circling her twice the fae giggles and began to skip backward in the direction he came from. “Well, if you wish to take a look around feel free, as, I have important work that needs to be done.” The later was obviously a joke. He never had anything important going on, so a visitor might end up being very interesting, a change, something new and refreshing like a bite of a fresh fruit. Or, perhaps it could be just as sour. He wondered to himself just what would this woman bring would be refreshing or sour?

“Someone is trespassing.” Souji’s eyes moved slowly scanning what was before him across the lake. He saw nothing, so, like most things he ignored it. Instead, he focused on washing the goo from his hair and flesh. It wasn’t a hard scrub, but it was tedious to remove all of the greenish sticky from himself. He watched the water carefully as he washed, noting the diluted green rings forming around him. When he finally deemed himself clean enough he would hoist himself from the pool and magic up some simple trousers to wear, since, well, he knew he wasn’t alone and now was not the time to show unexpected guests full frontal. In his time with the humans, he found that they had a great distaste for nudity and he was unsure of what creature was lurking about in his domain. “Here kitty, kitty.” Souji giggled to himself waiting for his guest to arrive. Perhaps he should make an appearance there instead? He could see a figure growing close, at the edge of the fog. Was it play time? There was a brief step forward and a moment where he vanished from sight. He used the Fay Wild, or the beginnings of it as he had only laid the bare foundation. In a blink, he was beside his guest, off her left shoulder. He cocked his head to her, observed her with his glowing pupil-less eyes. “How very entertaining.” The fae smiled, emotionlessly hiding calculated thought. Just how did this one find its way here? Maybe a whim? She smelled of earth and tree. A faerie? Like him perhaps? Maybe not like him, beneath him? “Just how did you find your way here young one.” His voice was edgeless and held a quiet but powerful echo. The emotionless smile grew to a wild one as he was prepared for any kind of game she may start to play. There was another step, backward, an adjustment, he stood before her his eyes now piercing through hers. Perhaps he was looking at her soul?

A thick fog rolled through the thicket of the Forgotten Wood. So thick, that the underbrush and trees were hardly visible. There was, however, a circular clearing in the center an eye to the fog. The clearing sported many great trees whose leaves hung downwards, enveloping the area in a canopy. Unlike most of the forest, Souji had outfitted the branches, arranged them by asking so that light beamed through. A thick greenish blue plain of grass stretched all along the floor, dotted with various colors of flower. Fireflies and other such creatures made their likeness known by contrasting against the darker colored fauna. In the center lay a magically created lake with flecking purple and blue look. A sign of his homeland. Souji had chosen this place for his home, out of all the other places he could have selected, he decided that for the time, this was the best place for him. A crackling broke the silence, coming from what looked like a large greenish cocoon. The outside shell fell away and the fae slowly emerged pulling himself from the tight hold. There was a rustle as his body fell from the hold. “I’m covered in slime, I’m covered in slime!” It was his solitary thought as he attempted to find his vision and legs. Almost like a newborn calf, he crawled through the grass in the direction of the lake. Once there he took a hard look at himself in the reflection pool. Gone, was his black hair, and in its place, along with ivy green hair dotted with lavender leaves as if they were growing from him. He was also unable to control his eyes, they remained a bright purple with no whites, and lines of gold and silver traced his body as if there were vines of ivy growing under his pale skin. That’s what he could see through the greenish goo that coated him. When he found himself sturdy enough to crawl into the water, he did so if only to feel normal again. The fae reached up and touched the black markings on his face, it had been a while since he had last seen the one tethered to him, in fact, it had been a while since he had seen anything living aside from the inhabitants of the Wood. A pixie here, a dryad there nothing to write home about and they rarely spoke to him. Was it because he scared them? Perhaps. Or perhaps it was because they knew that one day, they would fall under his court and would have to treat him as a noble. He signed, leaning back slightly to look up at the canopy of leaves. “I want sunlight.” The fae said calmly, and the trees as if they heard him parted their branches so that a beam of light fell over the lake, so he could bask in the sun for a while. The light was bright to his new eyes but, he would soon get over it.

======End Thread===

Souji didn’t move, he did not heed warnings from people, generally, his rule was if he found it dangerous enough he would leave of his own accord. He was however, continually trapping ambient magic from the over use of spells in the area. He would use this magic to give the fleeing peoples a boost of speed, allowing them to run faster than they would normally be able to. He tended to wounded civilians helping them by using ambient magic to carry them like a stretcher, he also commanded those who where fleeing to help as many injured out as possible. He felt he should be the last to leave, but his eyes followed the magic of the battle. Once the civilians were gone, Souji made his exit.