Erlem & Daisy

Daisy stopped running and decided to make camp, her knees and arms felt like hot lead was flowing through her veins. She had been running full sprint for over an hour while carrying a lifeless Erlem. The boy seemed tiny but his added weight began to go from minuscule like a bag of feathers to feeling more like a bag of stones. She set a fire in a small pit she created magically and moved Erlem close to it to keep him warm as he slept. He hadn't stirred since he used the Black fire spell, it had drained him of energy sending his little body into a deep sleep. Once or twice Daisy checked Erlem to make sure he was breathing to let out a sight of relief upon each time she felt his warm breath against her cheek.

She cast another spell and a large tent assembled itself, she went inside and brought out a chair a long pipe and a pouch. She filled the pipe with rich tobaccos and proceeded to puff heavily, blowing large smoke rings into the night sky. She needed to rest her mind and make sense of what had happened earlier, Erlems actions worried her, his twisted face and black eyes burned into her mind. Another pull on her mahogany pipe and blew more smoke rings.

Maybe it was his omen that managed to tap through him and grant him some sort of power boost. It would explain why he was able to use such a spell or why he even knew what it was. She hadn't taught him that spell and none of her books spoke of it. He could have seen it prior to them coming into contact but she didn't believe so. She watched Erlem sleep, he stirred more as the time passed.

The sun had reached its peak and the fire was just embers, Daisy had some meat roasting over the embers she was still exhausted from the nights adventure but she didn't want to leave Erlem alone while he was so vulnerable. She decided to float him into the tent and let him finish sleeping next to her. She cast several charms on their little camp to keep any dark creatures or spirits from them while they slept.

Erlem opened his eyes to find himself in a dimly lit tent, the sun peeked through from underneath the tent and the opening. He sat up and looked around trying to figure out where he was. He saw Daisy's cloak hanging from a coat stand in the corner and then he saw a sleeping Daisy snoring lightly. At least he was still with her, the last thing he remembered was those terrible goblins closing in on them both, he remembered their little claw like hands slashing at his flesh and trying to overtake them. Was it another omen then? Was it all a nightmarish vision and the two had made it safely to the other-side of the swamp undisturbed? Erlem wished to get up off the ground where he had been resting but soon realized after falling back to the ground that his legs didn't quite have the strength to hold his weight yet. He pulled himself up to a small chair and struggled to get himself in it. It was like he was wearing a rucksack filled with stones and lead, just moving made him want to fall back asleep. He resolved to stay awake and watch over Daisy, he loved her as a son loved his mother and would throw himself in front of a black-fire phoenix to protect her. He started to close his eyes and whisper some spells, silver light encompassed his body and made him feel warm and safe. He began to feel stronger as his spells enveloped him, his exhaustion began to disappear and his body felt refreshed. Better than sleep and all the food in the old stores at the orphanage. He finally got up from his chair to peek his out of the tents opening to see if he can discern where he was. He didn't want to wake up Daisy who desperately needed the rest, her clothes were indeed tatters and there were some gashes on her legs undoubtedly from the goblins they had fought. The sun entered the tent as Erlem peered between the leather flaps of the opening. The swamp was still a nasty place, dark and damp but the sun decided to push past the shield of dark mists that covered the terrible place. Erlem heard birds sweetly cherping and even saw rabbits running through the grass surrounding them. They were camped along side a large tree, Daisy had a fondness for trees perhaps it had something to do with her family name or perhaps she just felt more attuned with trees but Erlem had begun to sense a pattern. Either way it was as good a spot as any to set up camp in a nasty plague ridden swamp infested with goblins and all manner of nasty beasties. Luckily most beasties only came out at night and feared the sunlight, allowing a sort of reprieve from the vile horrors that made that swamp its home. Erlem hadn't realized the goblins had ravaged the swamps of all of its old life, consuming its dangers and resources leaving it devoid of predators. In his black fire state he had managed to flood the catacombs if the goblin tunnels with black fire killing all the goblins inside. There may have been a few scouts who escaped the fire but without a clan they would eventually die unable to do much other than scurry and starve.

Erlem closed the entrance back up and walked over to Daisy, still unmoved and snoring more vigorously as she dreamt. He placed his hands over her body and began to whisper some spells and that silver light began to envelope her. She became more relaxed and her snoring calmed to almost a sound reminiscent of a cats purring. Her cuts stopped bleeding and began to disappear leaving only light white lines from where they had once been. "Erlem, why are you not resting? After last nights adventures and the state you were in i expected you to be out for a couple of days." Daisy said sleepily as she sat up to see her child. " I woke up a little while ago, i used some mild healing spells on us to help us along. Daisy, what happened?" He didn't remember anything after the goblins, how did they get away? Daisy looked at Erlems innocent face and decided it wasn't time to add more stress to the boy, this journey to the citadel was hard enough, add the Omen corrupting his destiny and invading his dreams on top that was enough to make anyone feel horrid, she didn't dare tell him that he killed a thousand goblins with a spell he had no earthly right knowing. She didn't know who had cast that spell, Erlem or whatever horrid omen occupied his subconscious.

"We managed to beat them back, you over exerted yourself in the battle and passed out unconscious. I cast a spell that conjured living black fire as a last ditch effort and it worked. We were able to get away and now here we are. Alive. Let's not really dwell too much on it Erlem. Rest your mind of what terrible events have passed and let's look forward. We have another few days left in this accursed swamp." Daisy rose to her feet and began to cast spells on herself and Erlem, giving them brand new clean clothes. She reached for her cloak which magically coiled itself up her arm like a snake before coming to rest where it belonged. " Daisy, i'v always wondered what your daemons name was. Iv never seen him before. " Daisy smiled " my daemon is a very special type, not many autumn witches have a daemon like mine, he's not physically strong and can turn into monsters or control golems or any other false bodies. Rather he can enchant items hes forged into, power enchants and abilities can be bestowed on items rather than giving them a physical body. My daemon is woven into the fabric of my cloak, and gives it many gifts but by doing so my daemon is unable to interact like most other daemons." Erlem was intrigued by what he was hearing. Erlem didn't have his daemon yet, it still hasn't made its way to him, he longed for his daemon, an autumn witch is most powerful under an autumn blood moon with a fully formed daemon. He also knew his daemon would be with him for life, something Erlem desperately wanted was someone who would never be able to leave him. Something that couldn't be ripped away from him at a moments notice, he had never been afraid of death or injury before. He'd ridden the water steeds countless times before in Autumnveil, he did not fear death for himself rather death of those around him. " I will be come strong, i will protect the ones i love. " Erlem promised himself, he walked over to Daisy and gave her a hug, she bent down and embraced him. " are you ready to leave Erlem? We still have a few more days of travel before we leave the wretched swamp." Daisy spoke softly, she did not want to ruin this moment but they needed to move on before whatever else was left in the swamp realized the goblins no longer plagued it.

Daisy packed away her magical camp and doused the embers of their fire with some water she conjured. This time she and Erlem shadow hopped through the swamp, like balls of shadows bouncing from the shadows of the trees and rocks at blinding speeds. Sometimes stopping to check the area for dangers before zooming through the shadows again. Erlem was especially adept at shadow hopping often leaving Daisy behind and having to wait for her to catch up.

The sun had begun to set and the travelers had put a lot of miles between them and the goblin nest and had not seen more goblins or horrors through the swamp leading Daisy to believe the goblins had done their reputation well and devoured all the life in the swamp villainous or otherwise.

As the darkness of the night crept closer and shadows became scarce the two decided to walk not fearing any monsters in the dark. The waters of the swamp had taken over this area, with no dray patches to walk on the two had to dredge through the muddy cold waters. They would get a reprieve when they would happen on a large fallen tree they could walk across for a short period. Erlem and Daisy stopped before a large downed titans tree. Three times larger than any other tree the ancients used to make great cities by carving into its base and tunneling through. This ones trunk stretched for miles, like a long road that seemed to end at the edge of the swamp itself. They circle the upturned roots and noticed there seemed to be steps braided into the roots, as if you were meant to climb up that way. Daisy told Erlem to stay put as she climbed to the top of the fallen tree. It was a long climb, her arms and legs burned and sweat glistened across her brow. She found a long road equipped with lanterns hung by an invisible force sewn down the sides. She couldn't see its end but believed it probably went all the way through the swamplands clear to the eastern edge of it. She cast some spells to scout for curses or traps letting lose small balls of various colored lights. They looked not dissimilar to the pixies of Autumnveil. They buzzed down the tree road as quick as lightning until all five she had summoned disappeared. Daisy waited patiently for her little wisps to return, the minutes ticked by slowly and Daisy began to lose her patience. She pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders and over her mouth. An hour passed and Daisy had laid her patience to rest and began to believe the tree road too treacherous even for little arcane light spirits. The night had came and there still was no stirring from the swamp below, just the smoke of a campfire Erlem had made below, Daisy laid down and looked up at the stars connecting them to their constellation.