Complete Private Western Brisshal [Reaping Season] A History of Blood

[Siondhe]

Kyra Vashtana

220 / 220

"Thanks again, I have no idea how I keep doing this! But at least it's not as bad as that poor city down in Western Brisshal..."

Kyra continued packing away the medical equipment she'd had out, the woman - her patient - sitting on the cot with a bandage around her shoulder. Kyra had managed to heal the dislocation and muscular tears without any sort of hinderance, but had slung the piece just to be safe - lest it accidentally reoccur. It was the third time the woman had arrived with the injury, and Kyra was starting to get suspicious.

"Not a problem, Victoria. What's going on with the city? I haven't heard anything about any issues...but then again I'm..."

She waved a hand around her in order to bring attention to the obvious fact that her apartment displayed the fact that she had been working within it for a while. Research notes and materials littered the area, and Kyra's own appearance was disheveled at best. The woman seemed to take it all in, before smiling slightly.

"Ah, well...there's a city in Western Brisshal - I believe it's called...Lübeck?...that sounds right. It's been having a bit of an issue with a bunch of animals, dogs and rats mostly. Absolutely disgusting creatures. Completely wild and rabid, most likely. Anyways, they've been having issues with them making their way into the city where they end up fighting with the cats and dogs and even people! Over food! Of all things. As if there isn't food out in the wild for them to eat! Can you imagine?

Kyra's ears twitched as she studied the woman for a moment, before deciding it best not to argue. Smiling gently, she decided to nod in agreement. A few minutes later, the woman was out the door with a list of instructions on how to avoid such injuries again, and Kyra was seated at her desk, pen and parchment out in preparation to write out a quick message.

Mail

Dear Ruby;

Long time no see! I hope you've been well, and that you haven't explored any more caves without me. You also better be taking care of yourself!

I had a client in today who gave me an interesting piece of...well, I don't know if you can call it news or rumour or what. Apparently some city named Lübeck, in the Western Brisshal area of Astorea, has been having trouble with creatures coming in from the forest and attacking people and animals in the city over food of all things.

I'm not sure if there's anything to this beyond...well, a woman's story - but I have heard a few people mention odd things happening in the woods of Western Brisshal over the past few days. Was thinking that perhaps you might be interested in looking into it. With me, of course. It's been a while, and I have to say I'm missing my cute friendly little red-kitten.

I'm going to head over to Lübeck, should be there in about two days if you want to meet me there!

Sincerely and with much love;
Kyra Vashtana

She scribbled out a single word before realising that it wouldn't disappear from the message - simply appearing scratched out. Sighing, realising what she'd written, she hit the send button with a minor cringe, before rushing around her room to collect her different materials and gear. She had said two days, and knew it was quite a walk, which meant she needed to get moving as soon as possible in order to make it there. It's probably nothing, and I'm just dragging Ruby out on a silly little wives tale...but at least I get to see her again.

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Mail

Dear Kyra,

You have my blade, like always.
I miss your cute face as well.

See you in Lübeck,
Crimson Ruby

Ruby tugged her cloak to cover her mouth partially, opening her fist to see her UI once again, having the parchment hovering over her hand like a hologram.

Closing her fist, the hologram and the UI flickered and disappeared in faint dust of pixels. Her ears twitched, and her sharp eyes looked at the horizon from the top of a Hyland's hill. It would take a bit, but if she spent enough EN, she could cover hundreds of miles per day.

Jumping and sliding down the hill, Ruby soon exploded into speed, piercing the sound barrier in a sonic boom. The world around her became blurry, but her senses allowed her to guide herself through the obstacles.

---

Thankfully, Ruby didn't reach the place as late as she potentially could. Her legs, already moving in automatic mode as she continued to trample her way through Western Brisshal's forests. With one last slash of her blade, she forced her way past dense vegetation, freeing herself from the forest and finally reaching the open space that allowed her to see the village.

Ruby hurried, even more, trying to catch a glance of @Kyra Vashtana.

Whenever she did, her Primal Aura would reach her, making her presence clear.

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

100/100

She'd arrived a few hours earlier, deciding that the best place to wait was just inside the main archway into the town. The bench had become progressively more uncomfortable, but Kyra had found a way to pass the time by continuing a drawing of her new armour piece, outlining the set with more angles along the lower frills of the skirt portion.

She had just paused her pen - something she'd be thankful for later - when a feeling rushed through her mind, a feeling that was clearly not her own. Something about it was familiar, a recognisable sensation. A smile touched her lips as Kyra suddenly realised why the sensation felt so familiar to her. Without hesitation, Kyra glanced around, recognising the ability as a beastfolk capability. She spotted the cat girl as she slid through the gates, wild as ever.

Kyra stood, making her way through the loose crowd towards Ruby, bouncing slightly as she went. She called out and waved as she got closer, drawing Ruby's attention towards her.

"Long time no see kitty! How've you been? Done any interesting exploration lately? Any caves that you haven't told me about yet?"

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Kyra's approach and words made Ruby quirk a faint smile on her lips, leaning in and giving Kyra a brief hug before ruffling her hair and leaning away.

"Hey. Long time." She greeted, swaying her tails and tilting her head. "I've been alright, was mostly wandering across Hylands." Ruby admitted, looking at Kyra and pondering. "Mostly exploring the outside world. Caves are a bit too dangerous by yourself, as you know." She said with a slightly serious expression.

However, the expressions soon softened, and she adjusted her cloak while pulling out her hood, freeing her ears that twitched in joy for finally feeling some wind.

"You said you needed help with an issue though... One around this area." Ruby frowned her lips, raising an eyebrow at the reminder of the mission they had. "Isn't exactly the most explorative thing I've heard... But I hope I can assist you well in it."

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

100/100

Kyra returned the brief hug, almost complaining when it ended abruptly. She returned the friendly smile that Ruby shared with her, giggling at the mention of the dangers of the caves. A flash of images silenced the giggle fairly quickly, as she saw the minotaur, the Faerin. Images that she would've been happier to leave behind.

"Hylands...sounds a lot safer than caves. Although knowing you, you'd probably find something exciting worth chasing you around."

A wink and a stuck out tongue followed the jest, before they disappeared as Ruby mentioned the reason Kyra had requested her help. She glanced around, noticing the people around them before looping an arm through Ruby's and pulling the girl along. Once they had separated from the crowd slightly, Kyra spoke in a low voice, aware of some individuals lingering in the distance.

"I've heard some rumours...rumours that critters from the woods have been making their way into the city and fighting people and animals over food. Sounds weird, right?"

She glanced over at Ruby quickly, before continuing. She'd managed to ask a few questions of the local Lions who had been watching the main courtyard when she'd arrived. They hadn't been able to offer much, but confirmed some of the information.

"A few of the Lions - nice folk by the way - mentioned that they'd witnessed some of these animals, squirrels and rabbits and some other things. They got into a fight with a couple dogs. Got...bad, from what they said."

A shiver ran down her spine as she remembered what the one Lion had said. Describing a scene that she'd rather not have seen herself.

"Anyway...I've got an idea on how we may be able to figure something out. Maybe. We just...uh...need to catch one of them. Which is...kinda why I was hoping you could help. With your Dynamism, I figured you could probably catch one of them, right?"

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"It is certainly more lively and easier to breathe than in a cave," Ruby admitted, a bit playful and allowing Kyra to lock their arms together, adjusting herself and walking closely next to her. Listening carefully to Kyra's run down on what was going on, Ruby's ears twitched in both curiosity and intrigue.

"It isn't unusual for animals to fight for food. But to not shy away from humanoid society... This is really unexpected." She rubbed her chin with her free hand, pondering about the rest of the information that was being delivered. It did sound like the main issue was the lack of information regarding the core of the issue.

"I see..." Ruby looked at Kyra, nodding briefly. "Of course, I'm becoming faster every day, catching an animal is very within my capabilities." She said, continuing to move on, with her eyes darting around to already try and spot any potential animal or signs of previous creatures.

"What do you plan to do after I catch one?" She asked.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

100/100

Kyra took a few further steps in silence, still dragging Ruby along with her. Her plan was...questionable, to say the least. Especially seeing as she'd only ever tried it once - and that was in a controlled environment, in an area where she hadn't needed to worry about getting caught. Leaning in close, she spoke in a low whisper to Ruby, explaining her idea in limited detail.

"Well...I've been doing some research with Hemomancy...err...blood magic. And I figured out - through a practical experiment no less - that it can maybe be used in good ways. Not just to hurt people, or for combat...but it could have medical uses as well. Like you could maybe use it to check someone's blood, and figure out if there's any on-going..."

She'd started to go off topic, catching herself almost immediately. A twitch of her ears, and she began speaking again.

"...anyways...I think I can use it in order to figure out what's causing the animals to head for the city. Like looking into their memories, but through their blood, in a way. It's...it's not perfect, and I don't know for sure if it'll work. But it's an idea. I just need to catch one of these rodents first, and then find a place where we...uh...won't be disturbed. And...well, maybe we should grab a couple of them just to be safe. Just in case..."

She gave a pleading smile at Ruby, hoping the girl wouldn't completely turn down her idea. Kyra was well aware that many Landers - and even some Starcalled - were against the taboo magics, blood magic included.

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby listened to Kyra, noticing the hesitation to word what she wished to tell Ruby. With a nod, Ruby could agree with some of the fox's thoughts. "Hemomancy is very useful for things of... Utility and healing." Ruby said. "It has a lot of applications. For example I use it with my Spirit Magic to see how close someone is to death." She kept her tone quiet.

"As for what you are trying... hmm." Ruby frowned, tilting her head slightly and trying to figure out if what Kyra said made sense.

"Perhaps it isn't impossible." She nodded, looking at Kyra. Maybe a bit daring, or rather, very theoretical. Knowing the area of action of that mastery, someone expert enough at it would be able to pull out.

"This sounds very complex though. Are you sure you can manage that?" Ruby asked, already expecting a positive answer. But how positive, was what Ruby truly wanted to see in Kyra's answer.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

100/100

She fidgeted on the spot for a few moments, before finally managing to get the words out in response to Ruby's question. She wasn't entirely confident in her ability to perform what she'd suggested. Even with her success with Ash, it was a one-off instance, and she'd not tested it since that occurrence. She wasn't even sure how she'd managed to do it last time...

"I...I think I can do it. I'll be honest, the one time I managed this was in a controlled...well, a relatively controlled environment. And it wasn't on purpose, actually. The whole thing happened by accident. But...I think I can maybe do it again! I hope, at least..."

Her uncertainty was obvious, in the tone of words, in the way her tail had drooped, in her expression which showed her hesitation. She hoped she was right, hoped that she hadn't entirely wasted both of their time with something that wasn't even possible. I am so far out of my expertise...maybe I should've just stayed in Stokbon, doing what I know...

Kyra shuffled her feet, before glancing around. They'd come to a stop in the centre of an alleyway, and Kyra could see a few individuals glancing their way. Determined not to bring any attention towards them, Kyra tugged on Ruby's arm, getting them moving again.

"Maybe for the moment we should find somewhere to work in private, once we find one of these animals? Being prepared could be helpful..."

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"I see." Ruby muttered, a bit far from being in an approval way. However, she wasn't the one to give the last word to anything, just how Kyra never gave the last word for when they travelled together. Everyone knew what they were doing, or at least that is what is hoped.

"All we need to do, is to make our environment as controlled as possible then." Ruby said, swaying her tail when her arm was tugged, following the steps to not hold them back.

"And I know a place, of course." She peeked at Kyra, twitching her ears.

"I am known for exploring caves, after all. And not all of them are just messy with giant monsters in it." Ruby explained, hurrying up to try and get away from the crowd and the town as soon as possible. If they wanted to do this plan, they had to put a work up and press on.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

100/100

Kyra caught the tone in Ruby's response, and knew immediately that the girl didn't entirely approve of the plan. Not that Kyra could blame her - the whole thing sounded unreasonable, to say the least. She wasn't even entirely confident it would work. It wasn't a skillset that Hemomancy was known for, far from it if Kyra was to admit to it. The taboo magic was well known for being much, much darker in usage.

Still, she wanted to give it a try, and was willing to push for it if Ruby argued against the plan. She was surprised, then, when Ruby instead went along with the idea, offering a place that could work for their own private work area. Kyra's smile broke across her face before she'd realised she'd even reacted.

"Oh...? You know a spot? That's perfect! I mean an entire lab would be awesome, but I doubt that would be possible here...I mean I can do it just about anywhere so it's not a huge deal...you said a cave?"

Kyra followed along behind Ruby, a bounce in her step once more. They were headed off, out of the town itself, which meant that Ruby likely meant an actual cave. A slightly dirty cave is far better than an open street in an area where they aren't fond of blood magic...besides, if Ruby attests for it, there's nothing to worry about!

"I guess once we find the cave there's just the matter of test subjects...any sort of rodents in the area that might help us...should we set some traps or something to catch them?"

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby nodded as a confirmation that yes, it was a cave. She followed through the path she already had clear in her memory.

She slashed the excess of vegetation that has on their path using her claws, swaying her tails and taking a glance at Kyra. "Rodents... There are plenty of them. From squirrels to dire capybaras." Ruby explained, gesturing to nowhere in particular to emphasize they could be anywhere.

As they went deeper into the forest, the ground became a bit more rocky, albeit wet with the trail of waters that the rivers offered.

"Here." She said, pushing away some dangling plants that covered a hidden entrance, leading the two of them into the secret spot. The cave wasn't large by any means, at most having the size of a tavern's bedroom. In the center, remains of old ash, burned wood and leaves, showed that it has been long used as a spot to camp.

Ruby took a breath, opening the palm of her hand and summoning the flame sphere that Sol had given to her. The small flame flickered, bouncing between Ruby and Kyra before flying straight to the old burned woods, making it beam with a wide flame that wasn't burning hot, just mildly warm.

"Alright." She turned to look at Kyra. "Where should we start?"

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

100/100

Kyra glanced over the cave, knowing immediately that it would work but that it wasn't going to be the comfortable haven that her own study apartment, or the rooms in the University offered. Still, it would work, and that was the only important thing - well, that, and it would allow them to work with taboo magic without getting caught. Which is probably the bigger plus of the entire situation, living arrangements aside...

"Well...to begin with, I'm going to need some test subjects. Some that is easy to handle and likely won't put up much of a...err...fight...but which is large enough to have likely seen what is causing this mass-exodus from the forests. I'm thinking something like...squirrel size, or maybe a bit bigger? But nothing too crazy! We need to be able to hold it down while we work...and if we can get a few of them that would be perfect. Oh, and still living!"

She gave an apologetic smile towards Ruby, realising how much she was asking of the other girl. It was the reason she had reached out, but Kyra still felt bad about the whole thing - if she could've done it herself, she would've. The entire thing was simply outside of the realm of her own skillsets though, leaving her no choice.

"Once you get them back here...well, then the real difficulties begin. I'll start setting up for that, as much as I can..."

She patted the bag on her back, which seemed to rattle in reaction to being touched. She had at least come prepared for the next part, gaining the materials they'd need for holding the specimens, and ensuring that they could be contained while she worked.

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby nodded at each of the conditions Kyra set, swaying her tail as she digested everything and started cooking up a plan for the hunt for the subjects. "Don't worry, I can figure this all out." Ruby said, turning to face Kyra and gesturing toward the flames. "Just make sure to take care of those flames, they are from a friend and it is important to me." She pointed out, just to make sure.

As she turned to walk away from the cave, she glanced back at Kyra, twitching her ears. "I can only wonder what sort of difficulties those are..." She said, slipping out of the hiding and rushing to the forest.

Out there, Ruby tried to be as brief as possible.

Finding a squirrel was no biggie, and thanks to her Dynamism, snatching it wasn't hard either. The hard part was to make sure it wouldn't cause too much chaos, especially since Kyra needed it alive. Holding it firmly as it struggled, Ruby began muttering a magical song and calming song, humming along with it to try and magically set it to sleep.

As the small creature weakened, Ruby softened her hold, cradling it gently in her arms before rushing back to the cave.

"Here it is-" Ruby called, getting into the cave and waving at Kyra as soon as she got back in.

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

68/100

The moment Ruby had left, Kyra suddenly realised she had a question. A question she should've asked as soon as the girl had brought it up.

"How do I take care of a magic fi...should've asked that before she left..."

She eyed the fire for a few moments, before collecting and placing a few sticks on it carefully. Once she had the fire burned up a little bit, she turned to her bag. Slowly, carefully, she pulled out the metal pieces. Almost rhythmically she began putting together a collection of small cages, each one only a collection of centimetres in size - just large enough for a single small rodent to reside within.

---

As Ruby came back with the struggling squirrel, Kyra beamed a smile. The specimen - although a bit roughed up and clearly fearing for its life, was otherwise alive and well. More than Kyra had been expecting, if she was being entirely honest.

"Perfect! Uh...do you think we can get like one or two more? Just to be safe! It would be really, really helpful and all..."

Turning back towards the squirrel, Kyra considered how to start with it. Settling herself down in front of the cage on the floor, she pulled her scythe forward slightly, running her blade along the blade.

Almost immediately, the blood began flowing. Closing her eyes, she focused on the liquid, releasing the magic built up inside herself and letting it flow forward. For a few seconds, she felt nothing. As her own blood made the connection with the squirrel, Kyra found her mind overwhelmed, images flowing through her - images that she couldn't quite focus on.

Almost as suddenly as the images started, they stopped - ceasing so suddenly that Kyra found herself reeling back in shock. Her eyes shot open just in time to find the squirrel collapsing, the blood surrounding it a mixture of its own and Kyra's...

"Ruby...? Ruby! Ruby I need another one! Quickly!"

Her voice was panicked as she stumbled to her feet, trying desperately to orient herself after everything that had just occurred.

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

"I can try." Ruby said, taking two steps backward to peek at what Kyra was trying to do before darting off to the outside once again. She zoomed through the forest, trying to snatch more rodents before realizing Kyra's words.

Did she say just to be safe?

To be safe from what?

Ruby hurried up, snapping into even more speed as she reached for more and more rodents, cradling all of them together with the calming song escaping her lips.

After snatching an armful of rodents, most of them groggy due to the magic song, she rushed back to the cave, slipping inside and twitching her ears as soon as she heard the urgent call. "What are you doing?!" Ruby frowned, watching the blood puddle and hurrying toward her.

Ruby rested the groggy rodents on the ground, kneeling next to Kyra and the squirrel.

"This is no good, what happened?"

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

100/100

"No...no good...need another...only got a glimpse...not enough to piece it all together. Did you get-oh perfect. I...I hope we won't need all of these...but better to be safe..."

The blood flowed around her again, seeming to slowly lift off the floor before making its way towards another of the creatures. Almost as soon as the flow of blood touched the creature, it began screeching in terror.

"There...almost there...I can...! Almost see...a dark shape...shit!"

The blood had started flowing back out, the small image that Kyra had gotten drifted away as the creature turned limp and lifeless.

She gave another growl of frustration, before restarting the process, flowing the blood towards the next creature. She went carefully, slowly, trying not to rush it. Her efforts were met with a bit more of an image, and she spoke aloud as it flowed through her mind.

"I've...I've got something...treelike...but...moving? Like a...like a treant or something...but shadowlike...as though...smoke?...it's...it feels fear...so much fear...and pain...no...nonono! Fuck!"

Her vision wavered back to the cave as the next creature collapsed, and almost instantly Kyra was pushing for the Hemomancy, causing the flow to direct towards the next creature, a combination of fury and determination on her face - a dark shadow passing over her as she shoved the Hemomancy on the next creature with an almost relentless force.

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

Ruby frowned, watching Kyra going for a squirrel... And another, and another. For a moment she stood in confusion and in a vague moment of shock. Was that girl really reaping the life of those creatures one after another?

It took a moment for Ruby to realize what was going on. The girl wasn't trying to recover the squirrel from a failed experiment. She was just going to one after another.

Soon, it was a bloodbath, and realizing things were going to become a complete massacre, Ruby gripped her Jian, albeit not unsheathing it yet.

"STOP THAT!" Ruby roared, shoving her body against Kyra's to become an obstacle between the girl and whatever squirrel remained alive. "What's your problem?! Are you trying to kill every single of these squirrels?" She gritted her teeth, baring her fangs with a scowl.

That wasn't the Kyra she knew. Far from it, what was going on with her?!

@Kyra Vashtana

 

[Siondhe]

220 / 220

100/100

The body hit her suddenly out of nowhere, throwing her to the floor and shocking her focus. Almost immediately, Kyra was up and growling, her teeth barred as she found herself crouching and snarling at Ruby instinctively.

"What are you-I need to figure...I can almost see it! A few more! Just a few more! I need...I need to see it! I need to see what's causing...what are a few squirrels compared to...to figuring it...I just need to figure it out!"

She hissed again, her snarl turning almost ferocious as she started to reach for the scythe at her hip, her muscles tensing in response. She just needed one, maybe two more and then...

A line of blood had begun to spin around Kyra, a swirl that took form around her body almost instinctually as she prepared to pounce.

Almost immediately, the growl stopped. The snarl dropped away instantly, and in its place was a scared look, a look full of fear. She stared in horror at Ruby as the blood and hand fell away, the realisation of what she'd been about to do overcoming her suddenly.

"Ru...ruby...I'm sorry...I...I didn't...I..."

Her eyes shifted to the dead squirrels around them, the consequences of what she had done suddenly catching up with her. A surge of memories hit her suddenly, and she felt herself stumble in response, a pitiful squeal erupting from her as she hit the ground.

@Crimson Ruby​

 

[Crimson Ruby]

The scythe being dared to be brought toward Ruby and the snarl made Ruby's ears raise attentively along with a squint.

"Figure WHAT out?" Ruby retorted, with her eyes brimming with a negative hue. The flame from her long gone friend flickered as both her spirit and Ruby's quivered at the sight of Kyra's sudden obsession. The flame jumped straight back to Ruby's side, and the beastfolk approached with a hand firmly clenched around her Jian.

"What you will figure out that will be at the cost of so much blood?" Ruby gritted her teeth. "I thought you were going to seek answers in the blood inside of these creatures, not extracting everything, one after another, as if they were lemons to make a lemonade." Ruby stood in front of Kyra, bending to near their faces in a an unflinching glare.

"What are you trying to do, Kyra?" Ruby's red eyes swirled, with her Primal Aura throbbing with a hostility she couldn't hold back.

@Kyra Vashtana