Searing 1 124
The other world was an all-consuming mystery. Annwn was twenty six, and she had known nothing else than the vast elemental regions of the Otherwilds. It was home, it had always been home. But the people they hunted were invaders, foreigners to this place, and she had grown desperate to know where they came from.
This obsession started innocently. Scraps of journals and trinkets — for protection, for good health, for luck, she assumed — were left behind during and after their hunts, and when these strangers moved from one camp to another. They came for the resources of this place. The fruit of the earth, the fish of the water, and of course the dragonshards. Annwn knew how dragonshards were used, and these expeditions were brave enough to come here to retrieve them, despite the danger the land posed.
Annwn did not care why they came here. She cared why they spoke such different tongues, why their language sounded odd to her, even if she could understand some of it, sometimes. She cared why there were so many different people, so many different things that she would have never conceived of herself. She wanted to know where they came from and why they came from there. Was it a desolate place, the Other World?
There was an expedition here that her family did not hunt. It was not for any sentimental reason, but there was a skilled Elementalist mage among them, and Annwn knew that while a blade could not hurt them, the elements could. It was why they tread so carefully. But they watched, observed, and — when possible — listened to them, to know if more would come, to know where they were going, what their goals were. And Annwn had her own idea of what to do with this expedition.
There was Arnaud, the guide. He seemed to think he knew where he was going, but even from afar, Annwn could tell he spoke confidently and led them mostly-correctly by chance. She tried to assist him, guide him in the expedition’s desired direction even though he did not know she was even there.
Among the expedition was Lille — the mage. Annwn did not know if she possessed Semblance, and stayed far, far away from the waking expedition when she wasn’t following them. Lille seemed to spend most of her time appraising clusters of dragonshards and maneuvering fire to their favor as they marched on.
The third most prominent member of the expedition was Mitch, though Annwn could not tell what he was there to do. He was the flashiest, and talked much about gold and avens and other such sundries that Annwn did not quite understand. The speed of their movement seemed of utmost importance to him, and he egged them on to cut corners. Arnaud was not enthused.
She followed them for seven days until they found what they were looking for. A flaming flower, surrounded by fiery dragonshards, in the blisteringly cold realm of ice. Lille collected the flower into a strange jar. The rest of the expedition collected the dragonshards, at the behest of Mitch. It took the entirety of a day to mine all of them, and they were interrupted by massive ice boars — quickly melted by the masterful Lille.
Two days later, they were well on their way to an exit of the Otherwilds. Annwn herself had never been through one of these exits, but she knew they led into a dangerous cavern. She had rarely questioned the logistics of her home, because it simply was. But as they camped some distance from this entrance, Annwn decided to make herself known.
She solidified herself at the edge of the light that glowed from their campfire.
”Hello.”
The reaction was, perhaps, to be expected — Arnaud was immediately at arms, as were some of the other mercenaries — and Lille had immediately started to call her aether for elementalism. But they stared at her wordlessly as she smiled at them, clothed in nothing.
“What in the divine has you scaring us, girl?” Shouted Lille as soon as she determined that Annwn was not a threat. Mitch was pale as a sheet, as if he had seen a ghost. It was not too far off.
”I’d like to come with you.” She asked, as if it were the most normal request in the world.
“Like hell!” Shouted Arnaud, and the point of his sword came to be directed mere inches from her. Annwn frowned, and went to speak before she was cut off by Arnaud.
“Are you the thing that’s been following us?” He asked. It seemed Annwn was not as stealthy as she thought, and her frown deepened into thought. She nodded. Arnaud still looked angry, but he lowered his sword. Mitch looked terrified.
”I’d like to come with you, still. Where are you from?”
Lille responded first. “We’re from Kalzasi.” Annwn had heard of Kalzasi. Many people who came here had been from Kalzasi, if the journals she had collected were correct. It seemed a prime location for her to see — how homesick the dead mercenaries once they had come here.
”Hm.” Annwn’s face softened, though she still looked thoughtful. ”Let me come with, please.”
Mitch spoke next, finally. His voice was a bit whiny and high pitched. “Where are you from?”
”Here, of course.” It seemed like a stupid question to her. Where else would she be from? ”But I have heard of your home, and I want to see it.”
Annwn could only assume that Lille had semblance, because she was staring at her with great intent. She felt far more naked than she did with the thought of being investigated with such magic. Then the mage spoke.
“She’s telling the truth. Might as well. Girl, come here. You need to cover up.” Lille dug into her pack and pulled out a simple shift, though the elf was a foot taller than Annwn and it came well past her knees rather than mid-thigh. She felt a bit ridiculous in it.
-*-*-*-*-*-
It took only two days to travel through the first deep, thanks to an interesting shortcut that Arnaud knew. Annwn did not participate in the fighting back of warrens creatures, and she was not sure if she could have, especially without a sword. She did not like the first deep. It was dark and cold and damp, and strange creatures shambled and strange buildings rose into the caverns, cathedrals for a people she did not know.
It did not seem as if anyone else liked the first deep either. Annwn ate with them, even though she did not need to eat, truly. She wanted to be a part of things, and she felt odd sitting there as they ate. No one seemed to know quite what to do with her, and she could hear Arnaud and Lille’s hushed, angry whispering.
”I’m twenty-six, if that matters.” She said aloud to no one in particular. It did not seem to matter that she was an adult, because her innocence to the world above was the more pressing matter. No one wanted to take responsibility for her.
”But you invited her. You could have turned her away.”
”But I didn’t!”
”And that makes her your responsibility.”
Lille’s sigh was louder than her words. She came to Annwn’s side. “I will tell you some, but nothing will prepare you for Kalzasi except yourself. Don’t get into trouble, and you’ll do fine.”
Annwn looked at her. ”Are you going to help me?”
She laughed. “I’d love to, but I don’t have the time, Annwn.” Some part of Annwn knew that she did not really want to spend the time babysitting an adult, regardless of the circumstances. She understood. She didn’t even know if Lille would know what she had to know — and Annwn certainly didn’t know what she had to learn.
-*-*-*-*-*-
The expedition’s return through a common entrance and exit of the Yawning Chasm was only remarkable in that they returned with one more person than they left with, but no one was counting, and as they furthered into Kalzasi into Mitch’s place of business to get paid for it, Mitch even managed to spare a hundred gold avens for Annwn, though she didn’t do anything.
Everyone quickly dispersed after getting paid, and Annwn found herself standing in the Commons, in a pair of boots that fit mostly right, and Lille’s shift.
Annwn did what anyone would do in her position. She began to wander.