Memory Closed Anyone Home? II

[Velho]

༺༉❁ October 10 year 123 of the third age ❁༉༻
<notes>

Cælum's much more bestial outcry was jarring for Æhti to hear, but he was glad enough that his own spell went off before anything worse happened to him. As always, combat was a bit of a race against time; his spells were powerful, but he needed the few seconds of set up to get them off and, well, as he could see, a lot could happen in the span of a few seconds. Still, he felt bad that he wasn't able to move faster, that he hadn't managed to cast any faster.

Watching as Cælum attempted to sear off the limbs, Æhti did his best to weaken the creature's flesh at the same time through his own casts of Nucleate in the areas around the joints where the dragon would be attempting to amputate. This, to his relief, worked– while its hide would appear resistant at first, once Æhti's spellwork kicked in, the amputations became far, far easier, and soon, the creature was nothing but a torso and head. Even so, it still lived, deeply macabre as that was. It barely even bled in part due to the cauterization and in other parts due to the stasis spell.

Through this process, Æhti had felt like he was in a daze, barely paying attention to anything else going on around him. When Cælum finally responded verbally, he'd be pulled back to reality, his gaze snapping onto his companion. "...yeah, uh…I can't quite tell if he's over confident or just doesn't…care?" He sounded bewildered.

"...I can't tell if he values my life at all, at times," he mumbled. "Perhaps this was something of a test? Like, if I failed, I wasn't worth his, um…continued investment…anyways?" Æhti knew that a lot of what Velho 'valued' about him was his magical prowess, so this was the only thing he could properly come up with.

Even despite their rather strange circumstances, the vine of blue flowers wrapping 'round the cat-torso made Æhti guffaw, precisely because of how ridiculous and disturbing the sight was.

"Are the vines strong enough…? You're injured, so I think I ought to be the one to carry it regardless of anything, but yeah, dragging it 'long the road would probably be better than shouldering the weight on my back or the like." His words were delivered in a slightly awkward cadence as his own adrenaline from the moment was starting to fade.

 

[Caelum]

"He's going too far. I'd tell him off, but I'm pretty sure I need him to mend whatever damage was done. I've found that when injuries are bad enough, simply flooding a body part with saol doesn't exactly make things right. I'm pretty sure my entire shoulder was crushed. It feels like… there's no joint anymore, just a mesh of cartilage and bone." He tried not to think about it. It didn't hurt and he didn't appear to be dying, so he could push it out of his mind for now.

"I wrapped enough vines and reinvigorated them so they should be enough to pull it along… I'd hope. If not then I guess we can go back to plan A and carry it." He'd never seen AEhti's physical strength in action before so he wasn't expecting him to be strong enough to do all the work himself.

"I suppose I could try flying upwards to lift it up a little," he continued, floating in the air and grabbing some of the vines in his hands. He pushed his body upwards as hard as he could but he barely made the heavy creature budge. "Okay, I guess not."

He landed back where he had been and tried pulling. Again, his strength alone wasn't enough to even make it budge. "Let's do this. I'm injured but I still have a working arm… and if anything attacks us it's not like I need my arm anyways."

Caelum's voice sounded rushed. He was clearly still in some kind of shock and his instinct was to get out of there as quickly as possible. He forced himself to try talking about something else to calm down. "It seems like every time I go out on these little outings with you I end up spending all my energy in the span of a few minutes. I need to expand my spell reserves somehow. You seem to have plenty of aether to work with, though I suppose that's no surprise given how many initiations you've been through."

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[Velho]

༺༉❁ October 10 year 123 of the third age ❁༉༻
<notes>

"Yeah…I've heard Æld'Norai say that about Draoidh, too…it just accelerates natural healing which, um, can sometimes heal things…wrong, uh, unless you've the medical knowledge to direct it," Æhti began.

And then after a small sigh, "...I do appreciate the, the ah…the outrage on my behalf, really. Thank you; I'm used to being treated as somewhat disposable." It would be clear enough that he didn't quite know how to express the point, but did want to let Cælum know he appreciated the sentiment.

When Cælum explained about the vines, the mage would nod. "Alright, we'll see how easy it is to move together–..." he'd say as he walked over and began to collect several of the vines from the ground.

With Æhti's added strength, the Felinog-torso would begin to slide across the ground at about the speed they were capable of walking. "...well…this isn't pleasant, but, ah-...it'll do," he said begrudgingly.

As they went, "...yeah, spell reserves do expand every time you get another Arcana of the same Metaphor and from mastery, so on. I did notice you don't use Sovereignty, though? Incantations and gestures actually do make your spells a touch more efficient, if you weren't aware."

He supposed that was fair, given that Cælum's magic was all Glamours and not something he'd have learned from some sort of academic. "The words and motions have always been instinctual to me as I start to will my spells into action with a thought, but I don't necessarily know how that would, er…feel? To another," he explained.

 

[Caelum]

Caelum liked that AEhti outwardly appreciated his sentiments, though it did make it all the more frustrating that the man's situation seemed inescapable.

"Hmm I have seen you and other mages doing it, but I never really thought about it. My breath weapon has always been enough, except maybe today. Is it even possible that incantations and gestures would help my kind of magic? I honestly don't know – I've never seen a dragon do it like that before, or maybe I just never noticed."

He thought hard, coming to the conclusion that surely incantations were out of the question if his mouth had to be open? Then he tried to think about what he could even do that would count as a gesture. If he were in dragon form, maybe bracing his body and splaying out his wings would work. He'd have to test it sometime.

"I'll have to test it out when I'm in better condition," he ended up saying.

Caelum was surprised at how quickly they were able to move. The cat was so heavy but AEhti turned out to be incredibly strong. Perhaps the snow helped slide it along the ground, or maybe the limits of human strength were much higher than the dragon thought. The dragon knew his body was physically weak and often when humans labored they did so in groups.

"Next time I come for a visit, I'm showing up in full dragon form," he said as they passed the smelly felinog markings again. "Flying to the destination would be trivial, and pulling something this heavy would be a lot easier. Also, I don't think I asked… but why the hell did Velho want this abomination anyways? Is it really going to be much use in this state?"

He thought a little then added, "I wonder if Velho would allow me access to some of its parts. Those teeth were razor sharp and quite long, I'm sure they could be fashioned into a fine weapon. Better than what I can make with wood, anyways. I might even be able to imprint onto it as well… maybe not today but once I've recovered. I don't think it would be too much to ask, given the pain I just went through."
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[Velho]

<notes>

"Truthfully, I'm not sure how Sovereignty works for Glamour magics, or Grist in particular…personally, my experience is exclusively with Galdr– but, Velho has said it's the same? Or, rather, that he uses it when he casts any of his spellwork," Æhti responded– though now that he thought about it, he realized Velho had never quite explained to him what magic he had outside of Æcturnis. There was certainly more, but…he didn't quite know what.

Æhti was glad that they'd cut the limbs off, as doing so had dropped the thing's weight by well over half. And while Cælum wasn't the strongest of men, having another person pulling on the thing did make the burden easier on him, even if the effect was ultimately marginal. It was still taxing work, but he did his best to hide that.

"Hah, yeah, if you were in your dragon form, I imagine you'd be able to tie it to yourself with the vines and then fly us back, aye? If Velho were more patient a man, I might've suggested we wait for you to shapeshift prior to leaving," he commented.

"But as for what he wants, he claims he has use for the thing's blood, and that once I take it out of stasis, it'll be able to regrow its limbs and eventually, live normally again. He was going to have some sort of enclosure built for it; dunno if he intended to make it himself or have somebody else do that part, though."

After a moment, "...actually, the thought of having this thing, even caged, so close to Själasalr is kinda unnerving, would you mind growing some of the cættlewreath around whatever type of enclosure we end up making at some point? Help it to…stay docile," he punctuated the request with a short laugh.

"And I'm sure he'd share some of its pieces if it can regenerate them as he says, he just might also ask you to help him make the enclosure in that case," he chuckled again.

There was a soreness beginning to build in Æhti's limbs, but at least with each step they took, they trudged ever closer to Iskrona.

 

[Caelum]

Caelum was interested to know that the felinog has useful blood. That certainly explained why they didn't need the limbs. The point about the limbs growing back sounded odd too.

He wondered that If all they want is the blood, why not simply keep the limbs chopped off? Then they could keep it collared to a post out back. Having no idea that the cat could self regenerate, he assumed that Velho intended to do the limb regrowth through druidism until AEhti explained that it could self regenerate.

"Self regeneration hmm, that sounds quite useful to someone who does surgeries. I sincerely hope this was all worth the effort... but it doesn't sound like you benefit in any way. Unless... He is planning on using it's blood to help with your initiations or whatever."

He sighed, then gauged his own reserves. "I wouldn't mind making an enclosure and adding caettle wreath but I'll need to rest first. I'm guessing three to six hours would be plenty."

He was not having a good time pulling this creature along but he could at least start to see their destination in the distance. He has a feeling that he was going to be incredibly sore even after he got healed properly.

"How'd you get so strong, physically? You're probably the strongest Faelnir I've ever met."
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[Velho]

<notes>

Æhti was quiet for a moment to think about the suggestion that he might stand to benefit from the blood's regenerative properties during his initiations. The hypothesis made sense; the biggest threat during a Galdr initiation was your body destroying itself as it learned to resonate, or awaken, your Other with your chosen Arcana.

"Hm…he didn't tell me any specifics about his intentions. He only said something along the lines of, 'healing reagents serve to ease my patients at no cost to my spell reserves,' or something."

He sighed, "I suppose when the next initiation rolls around, I'll find out– I can hope at least. He was a lot more attentive with providing healing care to me during Aqua than he was with Terra; like, with Terra, he just watched. Did nothing the entire time and fixed me at the end. With Aqua, he eased each symptom as it arose. So…maybe?" Æhti sounded hopeful, though he felt he was being delusional.

Cælum was right, though– that was one of the myriad reasons Velho wanted the Felinog.

"I'm sure he'll let you rest in one of the guest rooms. We've a couple and there's usually always at least one open; most of the bodies that stay in Själasalr came in the door already dead– Ferriers are mostly funeral directors, after all, and his medical patients usually leave within the day they receive care." This was, perhaps, an over-explanation, but the more he talked, the less he thought about his aching legs.

The last question made him laugh. "Uh…really? I mean…I know I'm strong, but I figured you'd come across others that are comparable," he almost sounded embarrassed.

"But…I've always just enjoyed lifting…things? It's just satisfying, and my interest in geology made finding heavy things to lift or rock climbing in the mountains north of the river common hobbies for me. And, well, as you can see, Velho takes great advantage of my strength– him sending me out to do shit like this is a workout in and of itself," he chuckled.

"More recently, though, when I'm stuck inside back at Själasalr, I just…lift when I'm bored." It was a deeply satisfying sort of 'hobby,' he supposed; the slow grind of being able to lift heavier and heavier things as time went on.

Before long, the two of them would arrive at the outskirts of Iskrona, where the few denizens out on the streets seemed…confused by the Felinog in stasis, but none of them appeared bothered. Those beasts were menaces, so a dead one was actually a welcome sight. And soon, they'd arrive at the inn where the Exodii was staying.

"Cælum, mind waiting with the beast in the lobby?" He'd ask, given the look of trepidation the proprietor of the inn was giving them once they'd made it inside. "I'll go get our way home."

 

[Caelum]

Caelum thought about what AEhti said about Velho being more involved in his initiations. "I suppose it's clear he's not stopping so anything that could help is a plus. And there's only so many more initiations you can go through before you've got them all."

He did not think for a second that the life threatenining gambles would stop there though. The thought crossed the dragon's mind that Velho might be using some experimental technique to save initiates. Something that he could someday teach to others. If that were the case, then at least AEhti's sacrifice wouldn't be for nothing. The more he thought about it, the more sense it made sense as to why his methods were so secretive. Perhaps there was some dark secret behind his medical miracles.

"Strange, I've heard of both aelves and faelnir partaking in that sort of hobby. I've not once done it for fun, however. I did a fair amount of physical training when I learned how to use a sword but that was focused on getting better at movement... something I didn't particularly improve much upon because natare allows me to fly omnidirectionally."

He thought a little more then continued, "I suppose I can see some practicality to being bigger and finding enjoyment in repetitive exercises. It still sounds like quite a boring activity, to me at least."

Caelum was amused by the reactions of the locals as they arrived. He was expecting a little more shock and awe, even fear, but it seemed like the actions of the dragon and Faelnir duo weren't that surprising. It made sense, when he thought about it. There were many dangerous creatures up this way and hunters likely made similar trips all the time.

"Sure, I don't mind," he said while placing his hands on the cat's body. He would simultaneously rest against it and suck out some of its saol at the same time, having nothing better to do.

When AEhti left, the inn's owner came up to Caelum and the cat. The middle aged Faelnir circled around the cat and sneered. "You couldn't keep it outside? You just had to bring it in here? It's bleeding, you know. You dragged blood all the way inside. Do you know how hard it is to get blood out of flooring? It's a bloody hassle."

Caelum frowned at the man and couldnt come up with something to say. He gave a half hearted smile, thinking the man's words were merely casual conversation. The Faelnir continued, however, "you just going to stand there like a slack jawed idiot? My floors. The blood... Hello?"

"Uhm, sorry?" Caelum said questioningly. "What do you want me to do about it? What's done is done. I've no money on hand to offer you and I'm afraid it's far too cumbersome for me to come back here to pay you. I won't be here long, my companion has gone to fetch an exodii then we will be on our way."

"What I want is for you to clean up this mess!" said the Faelnir with a little more anger in his voice.

Caelum sighed. He wasn't in the mood to have this conversation and he didn't even have the energy to try to scare the man away. Something in his gut told him he was dealing with the hardened type that wouldn't give a fuck even if his life was threatened. It was respectable, in a way.

"I'm too tired," Caelum said, "But maybe my companion can do something about it."

"We'll see about that. Damned mages, having the power to take off all the limbs of a felinog but can't spare a half hour to do some scrubbing." he grumbled for a while after that.

Whenever AEhti would come back, Caelum would fill him in on the situation and ask, "so, are you strong enough to clean up this kind of thing? With Aqua, I mean. If not we could probably just go... I don't think this guy is dangerous. Just... angry."

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[Velho]

<notes>

"Yeah, I don't really know what his goals are. I know he has them; has to, right? He's a scientist…they usually do things for a reason, to figure something out, at the very least. I suppose I just wish he'd tell me. It'd be easier to stomach, at least; knowing that my suffering has a purpose." Æhti added– really, this was more that he hoped Velho wasn't simply torturing him for fun or pleasure.

About strength training, the young Fælnir chuckled. "Oh, it's certainly an acquired taste. If I asked Velho what he felt about the joys of lifting, he'd probably laugh at me, for example. You've seen him– thinnest man I've ever seen."

Truth be told, Æhti had no idea how Velho even moved the weight of his organs and bones given how thin he was.

As they walked into Iskrona, however, they did end up passing another hunter who, when they did so, congratulated them on their 'great kill' and the 'public service' they'd apparently performed. Æhti just smiled a bit sheepishly and nodded, not really sure about how to respond to praise. Killing a Felinog was apparently something the locals held in high esteem– but he wasn't really surprised by that part, no. It made sense. The beasts were menaces.

•════════════════════• At the inn... ❀​

When Æhti came back down with the Exodii, the ælf had trouble resisting the urge to laugh. Æhti, however, was immediately filled with a mixture of concern, anxiety and well– he just felt bad. He hadn't been thinking.

"Oh–...! I'm…I'm sorry, uh…you two, take it back outside, I'll fix the floors. It'll only be a moment," he stammered nervously.

The ælf crossed his arms and shrugged. "Don't take too long, then," he'd say.

Cælum, however, wouldn't have to drag the thing out. The Exodii snapped his fingers and a portal opened below the Felinog, the beast immediately falling through it. The portal would then snap closed before Cælum might stumble into it, and then he'd walk out the door, gesturing for Cælum to go with.

The innkeep just looked annoyed, but he was going to hold his tongue unless Æhti tried to walk out with the other two. When he didn't, he looked to the young man expectantly.

"Well?" he demanded.

"Just…one second," he said.

Æhti took a deep breath. He needed to calm himself, to focus– he was still fairly new with Aqua. He gestured outward with both his hands before sweeping them back closer to to himself in an elegant motion that almost looked odd given his inelegant appearance, the incantation flowing like water from his lips. The blood from the wood began to rise into the air like crimson tendrils, weaving together and combining into a sphere that floated before both him and the innkeeper.

"I'm, uh…just gonna toss this outside, then, and…sorry, again!" He said, bowing his head obsequiously.

The middle aged man looked a bit agitated still just from simply having the confrontation, but he was clearly pleased that the problem was solved. "At least you're capable of cleaning up after yourself," he said bluntly with a nod– though he was brusque, that nod did have appreciation woven into the movement.

And once Æhti awkwardly made his way back outside, "...sorry about that," he'd say.

The ælf seemed ultimately unbothered, "...we're ready to go, then? I'd love to leave this wretched place." Clearly, he was no fan of the mountains.

"Yes, unless Cælum has any protestations," the boy answered.

And if Cælum didn't complain, the mage would open a portal for them to leave in the same fashion as they had arrived. Upon stepping through it, they'd see the Felinog, still in stasis, laying on the ground outside of Själasalr.

 

[Caelum]

Caelum nodded his thanks to AEhti as he went outside with the exodii. It was, perhaps, the first time he'd seen AEhti really interact with another Faelnir that was clearly beneath his status. It was nice to know that he did seem to want to do the right thing. He got the impression that the man was a good person.

It didn't take long for AEhti to be done. During the wait, Caelum stood around waiting and watching the people outside. He was beginning to feel a little better, not so chilly anymore. Nothing interesting caught his eye, however, so he tried starting a conversation with the the exodus mage.

"So, portals... where all have you gone?" he asked.

"I've been to each city in AElheim, a great many towns, and most mountains. I explored a lot in my early youth, but have grown rather tired of it. Go to enough strange places and they all seem to mesh together and get stale. Like this place... I did not particularly desire to come here ever again but... alas."

"Ah, so why do you maintain this profession? Surely you could stop anytime you wanted."

"I could, but initiation is risky. Better I fill the need instead of enticing othe aelves to take the risk. That is how I see it, anyway. It isn't all bad, but it has gotten old."

Caelum nodded. He wondered if he would also get tired at some point. His grist was almost like a complusion at this point, an irresistable one that permeated every part of his life and day. He didn't know if it was even possible for him to want to embody or seek something else.

"You could always take a break," the dragon suggested, "I can sense a great deal of fertility from you. With the right mate you might be able to have a child, if that's something you care about."

The aelf looked surprised for a moment then nodded slowly. "Ah yes, you seek fertility. That is good to know, I may consider it."

Then, AEhti came out. "No, I'm good to go," Caelum said with a yawn. He'd walk through the portal once it was opened and stand off to the side to allow the felinog to get dragged through. He expected to be back at the business or somewhere near.

"I should get some rest, then," he'd say once they were situated on the other side. "Will you be able to handle the felinog till I'm strong enough to make the enclosure? I can see that it's already starting to heal back its limbs but it looks as though it would take weeks to fully form them. So it's not like the felinog is going to flee or anything."

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[Velho]

<notes>

Like many Æld'Norai, starting a family was a fleeting dream to the Exodii, one he regarded as a delusion that'd only make him feel inadequate if he ran after. To hear that he had noticeable potential from one of few sources that could say so with any certainty was…strange. It gave him hope towards a facet of life he'd thought of as hopeless. It gave him something to think about– and he had, presumably, all the time in the world to do so. As an Exodii employed almost entirely by other Æld'Norai of status, he lived a relatively low-risk lifestyle.

•════════════════════• At Själasalr ❀​

To Cælum's question about the Felinog, "aye, Inermanteia stasis should last at least a few days, but, just to be safe–..."

Æhti's stance changed, his feet hitting the ground and arms moving in a much stronger, sturdier motion than he'd use with Aqua. Sheets of rock jutted up from the earth, encasing the Felinog torso in a makeshift, myrksteinn prison. "...that should hold it 'til you're ready," he'd say.

"But we should also let Velho know you're here– that you want to help, might want samples of it, so on."

To which the Exodii would interject, "...and that is all for you two to handle, for my job is done," which he'd punctuate with a nod and in the span of a second, he'd appear to blur in chromatic aberration before abruptly disappearing; he'd Blinked away.

"I'll go get him, but you can wait in the lobby," Æhti said once the ælven mage had left.

The Fælnir approached the front door and opened it, leaving it open for Cælum to pass through. He disappeared again through the next door in the back wall, and was gone for about twenty minutes once more, as he'd taken the time to both change back into more casual clothing and then find and speak to Velho. Still, he would return to the lobby alone.

"Velho agreed to the plan– said you can take whatever pieces from the Felinog you want as long as you don't kill it and help build its enclosure," he'd say. "He's busy with a client right now, but should be free by the time your Saol reserves have regenerated. Uh…I can escort you to the empty room. Velho said he'd come get you himself when he's ready."

And he would, if Cælum opted to follow him.

 

[Caelum]

"A few days? Sheesh, that's impressive," Caelum said as he gained a newfound appreciation for abation. To be able to hold something so massive in stasis for that long was nothing short of impressive.

He watched as the Faelnir created a prison for the felinog. It looked sturdy enough, so much so that it made the dragon wonder why he didn't make the enclosure himself. At this point the man was likely much better than he at this sort of magic. Caelum's specialty was in breaking things down, after all. Perhaps there was more to it that he wasn't seeing, or maybe AEhti simply did not want to spend the spell reserves for whatever reason. Caelum would have brought these things up, but he figured it was a good opportunity to test out using AEtumetal.

"Sounds good. All I need for now is some teeth - it's probably the only sharp part of its body right now... but I intend to return at a later date to imprint on it. I am fairly certain that it is too powerful for me to take on at the moment and... to be honest I do not really wish to inherit its form in this state." He motioned to the lack of limbs, if it wasn't obvious why.

Caelum figured he could return in his dragon form and take a hearty chomp out of its foot, or something. Then again, he hadn't previously considered the possibility that he might be unable to even digest something so tough. In fact, he was fairly certain his teeth would shatter if he tried to bite into its bone. He certainly had a lot to think about in the coming days. Perhaps Abraia would be able to fashion a weapon out of some teeth that would be suitable to actually cut through the felinog to make the process a little easier.

"Thank you for your services," Caelum said to the aelf, whom he had a strange eager-like feeling for, given his fertility. He wished nothing more than for the aelf to reproduce and enjoy fatherhood. He would have said as much but he already felt like he might have weirded the aelf out. Plus, simply being fertile didn't seem to actually mean much. Even the most fertile aelf could probably go decades without actually having a child.

When AEhti was about to fetch Velho, Caelum said, "Alright, I'll see you soon." He then made his way to the now familiar lobby and took a seat. He was somewhat displeased to hear that Velho wasn't immediately available to see him. He supposed it wasn't the biggest of deals, but it couldn't have been good to have his arm be in this non-functional state for too long.

"Alright," he said after AEhti was done speaking. He'd follow the Faelnir to the room and ask, "you going to be around when I'm ready? Or should I expect to be working alone on the enclosure?" He didn't think he needed AEhti, but it was more a matter of companionship. He could talk to AEhti and knew him a little. Not a lot, but a lot more than he knew Velho, at least. The aelf's appearance alone was enough to unsettle the dragon and his lack of fertility was off putting to say the least.

After the man's response, Caelum would nod to him and take his rest. He needed it, badly enough to fall asleep just as his head hit the pillow. He didn't have the restful sleep that he desired, however. He woke up often and his dreams were tormented by the feelings of dread that he'd felt when he thought he was going to die. The entire fight with the felniog had lasted what, a minute or two at most? In that short time Caelum had nearly died and expended almost all of his saol. If they had run into another threat, or if his best hadn't been enough... he'd definitely have died.

When he couldnt sleep anymore, Caelum thought about the enclosure and what he planned on doing with it. He imagined that he could grow some aetumetal trees along the perieter and simply have their metallic branches weave a mesh of sorts. He did not think that the metal would be tough enough to resist being slashed by a felinog's full strength, but at the same time he didn't think it needed to be that tough. Surely Velho would keep it somewhat sedated, either with caettle wreath or some other method. The strange liquid that knocked him out during his surgery came to mind.

Thankfully, he recovered saol all the same. It would likely take a full day to fully recover but he was a dragon so his natural reserves were plentiful. A half day of rest was surely to be enough to make the enclosure, given it wasn't too onerous to make. Seeing as though he was beholden to Velho's schedule, he simply waited until the aelf made his way up to his room.

After Velho arrived, Caelum would explain that his arm was fucked up and in need of mending. He'd go into detail about how he couldn't actually move it but that he was able to stop the bleeding and it didn't really hurt. How severe his injuries actually were was beyond his level of medical understanding so he needed an expert's point of view on the matter. One would think that a druid ought to know these things but... Caelum had been very much spoiled by easy access to aelves. He knew that if Velho declined, there were hundreds if not thousands out there who would be happy to assist.

3000

 

[Velho]

<notes>

Æhti nodded about Abation, "if I'd spent all that effort mastering Abation and the spells were short lived I'd've been a bit disappointed," he'd reply with a short chuckle. Because while he had managed to achieve mastery within a remarkable time frame, such a thing was not achieved without substantive effort on his end.

The structure Æhti had made was haphazard and not quite hospital long term housing for anything that one intended to actually keep alive. What would be clear was that the mage had a lot of magical prowess, though he lacked refinement, finesse and structural knowledge. Perhaps, eventually, he'd dedicate the time to learn how to sculpt earth properly, but for now, he didn't really have the time.

"Teeth?" Æhti questioned, not quite sure what one would use the teeth for. "Would you be using those to fashion onto a weapon or…something?"

But to the comment about the state of the beast, Æhti chuckled. "Yeah…transforming into a torso doesn't really sound pleasant, especially considering the fact you'd inherit those wounds, wouldn't you?" he cringed, "...sounds painful. Though…not entirely useless? You'd still be able to regenerate those limbs over time," he added with a grimace.

When Cælum thanked the Exodii, however, he responded by giving the dragon a friendly not before he vanished.

And when Cælum asked him if he'd be there to help with building the Felinog enclosure, Æhti nodded. "Yeah– Velho said something about wanting to construct a sturdy island near the base of the tree to make sure there's proper space for it."

Figuring now was as good of a time as any to explain what he meant, he continued, "I intend to be the one who does that, conjuring a platform of myrksteinn at the base of Själasalr; something just large enough to manage hosting a proper…uh…habitat? for the thing. We either go that route or build the enclosure farther away, on the shore of the lake. Plus, myrksteinn'll be sturdier than the loamy soil of the swamp, anyways. Velho also said something about preferring the beast be easier for him to monitor and access, so…add a little island it is."

And as Æhti began to lead Cælum down the hall and to his room, he'd add, "...plus, Velho is an Æcturnis himself; he'll also help…to an extent. It's just that I don't think he's much of an architect, soo…might just be there to help with his own Saol reserves," his words punctuated with a shrug.

Cælum was the one with any experience actually building things. While Velho had helped in the construction of Själasalr, it'd been with the guidance of other Æld'Norai who very much knew what they were doing, one of which being his mother, who was…incredibly efficient in many ways, that being one of them. She, however, was busy for the moment– asking for her help on short notice never usually worked unless the problem was truly an emergency.

"And sorry Velho can't help you with your wound right now, he's, uh…helping somebody that'd throw a fit if he paused, but I can't say much more than that," Æhti added with an apologetic nod before he left.

Some ælves could be so dramatic.

 

[Vicissitude]

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Cælum

+30 XP (~3,000 WC)
-729 SP (Felinog)

Velho

+30 XP (~3,000 WC)
+Felinog

Oh boy now Velho has a cool pet cat he can pawn parts off of to Cælum :^)​

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