[SE] peace of mind is less than never

Elizabeth

This had been a terrible, terrible mistake. 

She'd thought it would be a quick trek through a thin stretch of woods, a few minutes of discomfort on her way home; but now she found herself certainly and thoroughly lost, surrounded by shadowy tendrils and branches that felt suspiciously like they were reaching for her. 

Pulling her thick jacket tighter around her, Elizabeth spun around at a sudden scraping sound. "Hello?" Her heart raced inside her chest, pounding in her ears like the drumbeats of an approaching threat. A million possibilities ran through her mind, especially with the threats during LongNight and the continued presence of Void in Halo. 

This was a mistake. 

Elizabeth stepped away from the sound, suddenly bumping into something solid that sent her panicking. "AAAAAHHH!!!" Her scream echoed against the metallic trunks of the trees, reverberating through every bone in her body as the fear struck her. Electricity hummed in her veins, looking for a target as she clutched at her limbs, hoping to make herself small enough to escape harm.

Dive into the sea of thought,
and find there pearls beyond price.

Noah

the truth is what remains
the truth is what you save from the fire

Atop Vi’dore, Noah’s head snapped around as the scream echoed out. His heart lurched within him and he acted suddenly, a mental and silent command towards his companion to head to the lodge coming before disappearing from the unicorn’s back in the blink of an eye, leaving it pulling the sled all on its own. The massive grey unicorn did as commanded, and with Eira guiding the way from the sky the two companions headed for the lodge.

Noah reappeared in the forest, eyes half-shifted to see through the shadows better than his human eyes could, searching for the source of the scream as he moved through the forest. There were all kinds of threats here. The trees did not offer solace or safety compared to the tundra — there were the massive spiders, the shadow fangs, plus the whole slew of void creatures that stalked and hunted. Whoever had screamed, Noah did not want to know what they were encountering. 

In the distance, a flash of movement caught Noah’s eye and he surged toward it. As he got closer he saw it was the form of a person — a woman — so his eyes searched all around her to see what threat was facing her.

you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts
you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn

Elizabeth

The firm wall that she'd run into was a little too furry for her liking, and the way it growled low in its chest made her wonder how she had missed such a behemoth. Regardless, it didn't seem smart to stay cozied up against it, sending Elizabeth into a panicked series of movements to escape its proximity. However, not being the most 'coordinated' of people, she quickly found herself face first in a pile of snow, spinning onto her back to catch a glimpse of the monstrosity that stood before her - the one that was so large, she must have been blind not to see it before. 

Her scream died in her throat this time as she scrambled back, trying to find a dry patch of her jacket to ignite some kind of static spark that might let her defend herself. In the meantime, the ursur didn't need such technicalities to use its giant claws. It let out a deafening roar that made her flinch, her magic reaching out to instinctively push against its approach, hoping by some miracle that she might stall it enough to let her find her feet again.

Dive into the sea of thought,
and find there pearls beyond price.

Noah

the truth is what remains
the truth is what you save from the fire

Oh shit.

The demigod acted immediately, his teleportation magic bringing him valiantly to action in the blink of an eye.

The roar shifted the earth as Noah appeared between the woman and the ursur, his magical shield glowing with celestial energy around him. He grunted as the massive bear swung its powerful arm, slicing with deadly claws. It hit him in what would have been his chest, but Vi’s protective power surged over his body to block the bear’s attack — and, most importantly, the woman scrambling behind him to regain her footing. 

Even as his shield started to dissipate, Noah stayed between the ursur and the woman. ”Keep moving back!” Noah commanded, readying two celestial arrows to strike the ursur.

you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts
you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn

Elizabeth

A man suddenly just appeared in front of her, intercepting a powerful sweep of ursur claws into his chest. She nearly called out in alarm, her arm reaching out before a pulse of magic and his shouted command let her know that he wasn't seriously injured. Elizabeth didn't have to be told twice, and she pushed her hands down into the snow to get her feet under her again, not caring as the ice bit into her palms. If she didn't move, more than ice would be biting into her. 

Somehow missing any roots or rocks beneath the thick snow, she managed to scramble behind a nearby tree, shallow breaths fogging her vision as she looked around it at the man attempting to hold back the ursur. Feeling more than a little useless, Elizabeth found a dry patch of her scarf, rubbing her hand along it to bring forth her lightning magic, the sparks igniting across her fingers. No longer unarmed, she let a crackling streak arc over the man's head - straight to the ursur.

Dive into the sea of thought,
and find there pearls beyond price.

Noah

the truth is what remains
the truth is what you save from the fire

The air trembled with divine resonance as Noah drew his magic, the twin arrows shimmering like fractured stars in his hands. He exhaled, steadying himself against the raw fury of the ursur. He sent the arrows flying in one swift motion — radiant streaks cutting through the dusk. They struck with explosive force, one embedding in the ursur’s shoulder, the other searing deep into its flank. The beast roared, stumbling back.

Just as it did, electricity surged through the air above Noah’s head. The demigod smirked, but did not look back. The woman he appeared to defend did not seem to be without her own defenses. Noah stepped forward, undaunted and brave and solid as the Fangs, a second volley already crackling to life as the ursur came crashing back to the ground on four paws.

Untainted by the void as it was, this ursur knew when it was outmatched. As quickly as its massive body could take it, it retreated into the forest.

you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts
you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn

Elizabeth

She couldn't tell what the arrows were made of, but there were suddenly two sticking from the ursur, burning bright in the shadows of the trees. Her own lightning flashed blue against the warm white yellow of his magic, crackling in its intensity as it struck against the opposite shoulder, a singing sizzle echoing through the space. The onslaught of attacks sent the bear roaring and reeling, quickly determining its path of retreat. 

It wasn't until Elizabeth could no longer hear the crunch of its massive paws in the snow that she emerged from behind the tree, more than a little frazzled and short of breath. She swallowed in an attempt to wet her dry throat as she looked to the man who'd gallantly run to her rescue, her face still a little pale with shock. "Thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't shown up." She flinched, imagining instead what could have happened, none of which was pretty. 

Elizabeth glanced in the direction of tracks and disrupted snow, her brown eyes narrowed like she might see it lumbering back towards them, set on revenge for the damage they'd inflicted. "Do you... think it'll come back?"

Dive into the sea of thought,
and find there pearls beyond price.

Noah

the truth is what remains
the truth is what you save from the fire

As the ursur lumbered away, battered and beaten, Noah too waited for every sign of it to be long gone before turning towards the woman. Young, with dark hair and big eyes. She looked like Weaver, and he wondered if her family lines went back enough to meet the Hales somewhere.

He shook his head at her. ”No, I don’t think it will come back. Ursur are vicious, but that one wasn’t stupid.” It knew it was outmatched, and it’s level of self preservation was enough to send it back onto the tundra to heal and hunt another day.

”I’m glad to help. I would hate to see someone turned into ursur food.” He said, cracking a smile to help dissolve any remaining tension the savage bear attack had caused. ”Are you heading back towards the citadel? I’ll come with, if you are.” He said, extending a prolonged offer of his protection.

you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts
you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn

Elizabeth

Trusting that the man knew what he was talking about, Elizabeth nodded her head and ran a soothing hand down her jacket to rid it of excess snow. As it fluttered to the ground, she turned to look at him, cracking a small smile of her own. "And I'd hate to be turned into ursur food."

His offer was met with a relieved expression as she moved to retrieve her bag that had fallen in the snow, her head lifting to meet his gaze. "Really? I would greatly appreciate that. I'd hate to run into more trouble today; there's only so much a woman's heart can take." She let out a warm laugh, straightening to put her hand against her chest where her pulse was finally starting to calm. 

Once she was certain she had everything in order, she reached out a hand along with a brighter, relaxed smile. "I'm Elizabeth, by the way. Thank you again for showing up when you did." Adjust her bag over her shoulders, an idea came to mind. She rummaged inside for a moment as she spoke, "I don't have much to show for gratitude, but I packed some extra tea and scones if you want some?" Her hands reappeared with an extra thermos and a small container of blueberry scones, extending her arms to the man with an encouraging nod for him to take them.

Dive into the sea of thought,
and find there pearls beyond price.

Noah

the truth is what remains
the truth is what you save from the fire

Noah watched her brush the snow from her jacket, the edges of his mouth twitching slightly. “Could’ve been bad,” he said, voice low but dry, “they don’t chew much.”

Then came the offer—tea and scones. His brow lifted, but he accepted the offer with a firm nod. ”Oh, yeah. Noah Olson.” She rummaged through her bag and pulled them free, holding them out like it was the most natural thing in the world. Noah half-wondered if it was what drew the ursur to her. But he accepted both with chilled hands, cradling the warmth of the thermos like it mattered. “Appreciate it. Been a while since anyone offered me something without needing a favor in return. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”

Noah walked in step with Elizabeth, eyes sweeping the tundra with practiced calm. The wind bit hard, but he moved steady, a quiet shape against the white. Every so often, he interjected with his own thoughts or answers to her questions, but he let her voice fill the space between them for the most part. Her words softened the cold. He gave the occasional nod or low hum in response, too, as he focused more on the horizon and munched at the scones she had given.

FIN

you fight for what you love, don't matter if it hurts
you find out what it's worth and you let the rest burn