Chapter 2: Out of the Frying Pan

"Froak, I don't think you'd fit inside that box," Verrian says. "And no, Ephwrath is only using it to send things back to our home. You have nothing to worry about."

Hearing his name again, Ephwrath looks up and is pleasantly surprised to see the frogman addressing him. "Well, sir, I’m very..." He pauses to consider his words carefully, and hopefully avoid another awkward encounter. "...curious about you and your people. I am a scientist and healer, so I am interested in learning more about what makes each of us work. That way I can help." He gives the frog the most disarming smile he can.

"Put you in the box? Oh no! You couldn’t possibly fit in there... could you?" His mind drifts for a split seconds to the calculations of Froak’s approximate size relative to the volume of the teleportation box and how he might fit into it... "Hrmph... of course not. That would never work." Catching himself, he quickly changes the subject...

"If you have any ailments, I may be able to help." He smiles again at the frog.

Turning back to Viani, he says "Of course, my dear. Bring it to me whenever you’re ready, and I’ll make sure to include it with the next delivery."

Krav lowers his head momentarily, in a sort of reverent gesture, and speaks to the owl. "Greetings wise one. I will make my request quick, as to not take time away from your hunt. My friends and I are planning to rest here, but we are new to this area and are unsure of our safety. If you plan to hunt nearby, I ask, would you be willing to wake us in the event of approaching danger?"

Krav raises his head to peer at the owl. "I don't think I have much to offer at this time, but I would be willing to return the favor if there is anything I can do for you."

Viani stares wide-eyed at Krav. She almost jumps up and runs towards him but decides against it. She would probably scare away the owl. But she makes a mental note to ask him about his ability to speak to animals later. That's the coolest thing she's ever seen!

Moving a little closer to Elora, Verrian says, "This is Verrian of Cyr. I'm here with Elora and the rest of our party. We successfully left the island and have made camp along the way to Yelnar's family estate. We wanted to report on our progress and find out what happened after our departure. Did Athisa..." Verrian hesitates, trying to find a way to phrase the question that doesn't make her queasy. "What happened to Athisa?"

Ember does speak first, impressed by Krav and taking advantage of Viani’s distraction to start without needing to look at her.

Im um, I’m sorry I yelled. I had real worries, but I let my head get the better of me. I hate seeing people hate magic. Or ignore it. And, well,

She holds out her hands.

Even though these weren’t my fault

She rubs her burnt shoulder uncomfortably.

...this was. But it was an accident! Which is why I get so mad. I didn’t do it on purpose. And everyone assumes I’m as crazy as...

She stares at her hands and her voice trails off.

Viani turns towards Ember when she starts speaking. "No, I'm sorry", she replies quietly. "I shouldn't have said that. I didn't mean it, I swear. It's just... I had been fascinated with magic, ever since I was a child. My dad used to tell me stories of the Floating Towers of Ardraven and I always dreamed of seeing them for myself. And then the war happened and we got locked in the city and people were talking about how horrible the world outside must be because of the war - because of our reliance on magic. My dad told me that trusting magic was foolish because it's too dangerous and can betray us at any moment. I just get scared around people who use it as freely as you do. I'm not saying you're crazy, though!"
Viani looks down at her hands and Ember can see water appearing out of nowhere between her fingers from where it falls onto the ground where it forms a small puddle. "It would be hypocritical of me to call you crazy for using magic. I have been taught to use it as well. I just try to avoid it whenever I can." The water stops but the puddle in front of Viani remains. She looks back up at Ember and asks with a nervous but friendly smile on her face: "Can I ask how you got the scar?"

Ember freaks out for a second, concerned she made Viani cry. But then she realizes the spell. She stares for a long time, trying to decide if she should speak up.

Just be honest......You’re where you belong....

She sighs.

My mother forced my father to stay with magic. It burnt him out. She kept trying to bring him back. And when his body burned out......but that’s why I know the undead. I have my father’s blood. She needed ours to bring him back.

Her fists are clenched, and she doesn’t look at Viani. She’s going to have to tell the group, at least the basics. But not yet. She’s trying REALLY hard to listen to the voices that didn’t yell. But it’s not normal for her.

I get why your dad was nervous. I worry too. But I just...I just look at the moon, and the stars, and I know - or I guess I just hope - that Ocassa did this for a good reason. Change me. At least, I hope she leaves me alone if it wasn’t for a good reason.

Krav, noticing Shiloh feeling uneasy under his cloak and also hearing the voice from the disk, decides to make the conversation as short as possible.

"Thank you my friend. Good hunting to you."

Stepping backward a few steps before turning around, Krav moves back toward the others. He looks at the disk anxiously for news of Athisa.

After the hours of wondering and then the long minutes of waiting for an answer from the first voice on the disk, Verrian is flooded with relief at the sound of Athisa's voice. It's a few seconds before she realizes that she's allowing that relief to express itself visibly in the form of her facial markings glowing goldenrod. She quickly regains control of her emotions and the markings fade again.

She gives a brief summary of the other party's loss of one of the twins, their joint journey that led to the encounter with the undead monsters, and their befriending of a group of sentient frog people. She tosses in a reference to Ephwrath's discovery about the permeation of magic on the island, expecting that they will want more details from him. She explains how they crossed the lake, the condition of the town buildings, their meeting up with Froak and Ildemu's One-Eyed Crows.

"They seem to be the ruling body around this area, such as it is. They offered us all jobs, said we would each have to sign a contract. His companions seemed like undisciplined brutes, but Ildemu is different - self-controlled, disciplined, and perceptive. If he's running the Crows, they are probably very dangerous."

She goes on to describe the ring she found with the triangular symbol. "Does any of this mean anything to you?"

Seemingly out of nowhere, Epwrath’s face appears next to Varrian. His nose mere inches from the disk, he begins talking unnecessarily loud at it. "Athisa? Athisa? Is that you? What’s going on? Is Celeste getting my samples?"

"I do hope you are alright Athisa." Elora is pleased the abundance of magic isn't interfering with their communications.

Krav listens intently with his usual dose of skepticism.