As Hadama surfaced, Noah inspected his wounds. "I'm sorry about this." He said, gesturing to the bloodied mess of Hadama's shoulder. "I'm still getting used to them. you're the only thing I've hit with them still living to be able to inspect. Everything else has been decimated with other abilities in the mix." Like ursur and voidbark dudes, geckos and various void-touched flora.
"Vi's roses."He said, more in audible thought than anything else, as he crouched before the merking as he steadied himself at the surface. With enough time having passed, Noah ignited the dome again, this time his intentions having changed. Hadama, and Noah alike, would find themselves renewed and invigorated. Rolling his shoulders slightly, Noah looked out. "Do you have any inclination of where to start, other than the Greatwood in general?" He asked, rocking on his heels just before extending to stand back up, knowing now that Hadama was at full strength he would be able to lift himself with water to meet the Forsaken's gaze.
the forsaken
"Hmm. They are quite - mmf - effective," the mermanta pointed out with all the dignity he could muster while holding in a wince as Noah examined the wound left by the arrow. He held his peace beyond that, knowing that the demigod needed time to recharge the dome before it could be turned to healing. His own wand was a minor trinket in comparison to what the Forsaken could do, and there was no point in causing himself further discomfort to retrieve it when simply waiting patiently would result in a full restoration of the wound.
"Vi's roses," he agreed solemnly. His eyes closed as the renewing energy washed over him and he sighed softly. It was the only sign of his relief before he carefully rolled rotated his own shoulder to ensure that all had healed properly back into place. "I have only read and heard of them," he admitted freely. "I have not seen one before. But the only place the records mention finding them is here. When we have time, I intend to search each area of the Greatwood." Luckily the Symphony provided access to the entire forest for merfolk like himself.
"Has Vi ever spoken of them?" There were few he could ask such a question of. In fact, there really was only one man in all of Caido, and luckily he was right here.
”No.” Noah shook his head. ”The only knowledge I have of them is from collections of the Monster Hunter’s Guild. I know they were used before to cure a sickness — the blight. Vi has never mentioned them.” Deimos knew more about the roses, that was for certain. Most of the recollections of them were written by the warden himself, after all. Noah had not ventured too far in to the Greatwood in his time, even when Phoebe was the guardian.
Above them, Noah heard the faint rustling of leaves. Lifting his glacier eyes, he noticed a few curious creatures had come from their homes to see what the two men were up to now that their dueling had completed. A raccoon chittered, watching Hadama and Noah with dark, round eyes. the forsaken
Recollections in writing, then, were all either man had to go on. Still... "The pictures I found were well-drawn," the mermanta said slowly, turning the memory of his night in the Collegium over in his mind. "I think I will recognize one, if we find them." It was, at least, their best hope.
He submerged himself for a moment in the cool waters of the Symphony, rising once more to continue their conversation, though he began to swim slowly alongside the shore, emerald eyes searching the area around the Mathair for a hint of scarlet and gold. The raccoon drew his eyes briefly, but upon seeing no sign of the Void upon it he returned his gaze to the ground around them. "Have you heard news from King's End yet? And the effects of the Refuge on this Dahlia?"
"No, unfortunately." He said. He would need to ask Deimos if he had heard anything, but given their current tumultuous relationship he wasn't sure the warden would be willing to offer any information to him. It wouldn't surprise Noah at all if Deimos kept information from him as a form of punishment. "I'm hoping the refuge can be used as a safe haven, like during the war. If there is any way it doesn't strip her of her powers like it does us...I don't know." He shook his head, walking with the merking but keeping his eyes moving through the brush.
"If it doesn't work, I think it would be prudent to ask Vi or Safrin about building another place -- one that can only be found in certain ways -- to protect those that can't protect themselves." The elderly, the weak, children -- his children. Noah ignored the raccoon, seeing that Hadama paid it little attention as well. the forsaken
Hadama listened to the lack of information on Dahlia with the same calm acceptance that he dealt with the Void and planning a party for Torchline. It was as it was, and nothing he could say or do would suddenly cause the information to manifest in his friend's mind. The conjecture that followed, however, caused the mermanta to nod slowly, the hint of a frown marring his usual serenity. "Mm. Indeed."
The raccoon, after watching a bit longer, scampered away, unnoticed.
Noah continued, and the idea he proposed was worth pausing to consider. Hadama floated to a halt and considered the idea of a second refuge. Hidden. Or at least, accessible only to those who belonged to Caido. "A good idea," he agreed. "Though how to hide it... hmm. Difficult. And Remi said that Safrin's powers were..." He paused, clearly reluctant to add: "...ineffective. At least against the Void." No, that was not an easy thing to admit to. "This may be larger than the heralds can deal with alone."
Whether annoyed at being ignored or else annoyed at having these interlopers in its territory, the raccoon soon returned, and it came prepared. A large, heavy, unripe walnut was dropped over Noah's head as the chittering returned, scolding both men equally.
The Forsaken fell silent and more glacial at Hadama’s words. While there was still hope — ingrained deeply and etched into the very cells of the Olson man — he couldn’t help but linger on the fact that Safrin’s powers were ineffective. That meant his powers would be — as the herald, Ronin, and Noah were all only extensions of Vi. Surely the deity would know about this and be able to come alongside Noah as he worked against this threat—
But there were larger things afoot even now. The hunter flinched as the walnut smacked against his head. He mumbled a curse beneath his breath as he rubbed the top of his head. ”I don’t know if we’ll find any roses here. We could travel a bit further before moving on.”
Noah suggested, and then did, still letting his mind whirl around his celestial powers.
Fin the forsaken
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