Aurelian had spent a moment considering his next move while the elven woman coiled herself, and when she eventually lunged for him, he did not strike her or look to counter. Instead he sidestepped her telegraphed assault and watched her tumble bodily to the dirt-covered marble floor beneath them. His eyebrows ascended when she impacted with an audible grunt, and he watched her groggily push herself up to all fours following the drop.

“I’m going to hope you can understand me when I say this, but attacking your rescuer is pretty messed up.”

Bahamut, back off for a bit. Need to see if these people are hostile and you being identified quickly loses us the element of surprise if they’re strong.

They were made into prey. Why be concerned?

Discretion is the better part of valour, sometimes. Just back off okay?

The dragon’s responding acquiesce was annoyed, but acquiesce he did.

Just after Aurelian finished the hurried mental communication, the elf swivelled toward him at the same time as a second person dragged their weight out of the other sac he’d opened, and dropped onto the ground with far less animation than the elf. While both were on the ground, the elf staring at him with clear hostility and her companion — a human by his appearance — insensate beside her, Aurelian used Revelate.

Name: Zylara Stormbow

Race: Elf

Level: 36

Tier: Aspirant

Health: 502/590

Description: Elves are one of the most commonly seen uncommon species in the Realms. Known for their long lifespans, natural dexterity and intellect, talent for magic, and prodigious rate of reproduction in spite of naturally low fertility; they are regarded throughout the Realms as one of the most mercurial and passion-driven species in existence. No two elves are exactly alike, and the vast and often confusing subspecies that claim belonging to their number are as varied as they are enchanting.

Name: Karsys Longmire

Race: Human

Level: 40

Tier: Aspirant

Health: 102 / 1120

Description: Humans are the most common and prolific species in the Realms. They are also considered among the most adaptive, the most fertile, and the most involved in terms of the staggering magnitude of their impact upon the Realms and its history. Humans are short-lived by the reckoning of most other species, possess high amounts of variance between each individual, and are often involved in every aspect of the Realms’ events by sheer merit of their prodigious population.

Revelate is now Level 12!

. . .

Revelate is now Level 15!

Four levels for two people? That was useful. His eyes glanced from the still-steadying-herself elf to the human, and he noted with a pang of concern that the stranger was losing health slowly. There was no visible wound on him, but something was killing the man with steady effect.

He looked to the elf — Zylara — and decided to try diplomacy.

“Hey, uh, Zylara? About your friend? He’s going to die if he doesn’t get help soon. He’s losing health.”

The elf hesitated for a moment at his words and use of her name, head whipping back to look at the prone body of the similarly-attired human — Karsys — with concern that brushed against Aurelian’s Soul Sense. Seconds passed with her crouching in a ready position until, finally, she turned back to him and spoke with a tense voice.

“What is your game, Vasiri?”

Aurelian stared at her.

“I’m not a Vasiri.” He retorted after a moment of his brain attempting to parse her words. “Just because I have pale hair doesn’t make me a—”

“You have their too-perfect features, their eyes, their pallour, their fangs. What manner of fool do you take me for? I cannot even Analyse you!”

Aurelian felt his brain come to a screeching halt for a moment, and let Dragon’s Resolve bolster his sense of reality while attempting to properly comprehend just what he was being accused of. She was naming him a Vasiri, and alluding to physical characteristics that were commonplace for such creatures.

First of all she had called his features ‘too-perfect’ and that was awesome.

Then she had listed his eyes, skintone, and—

He reached up with his tongue and thumbed his canines.

“Holy shit, I have fangs?!” He missed her look of taken aback surprise the moment he said it, too wrapped up in the new revelation.

The fact he had failed to notice that he had grown actual fangs shook him more than anything else. That wasn’t the sort of change you just didn’t notice, no matter what manner of insanity was occurring around you. How had his brain filtered that out? Was it one of his skills that had done it? Aurelian almost took a deep dive into his character sheet then and there before his awareness of the situation at hand snapped him back into focus.

It was probably more than a little bit of Dragon’s Resolve, as well.

“Okay.” He said while placing the tip of his sword against the marble and resting his hands on it in what he thought was a knightly stance. Hopefully. “I get that there’s a lot of bad stuff going on, and you’re probably understandably freaked out after being wrapped up like an elf burrito for a group of hungry spider-scorpion nightmare fuel.”

“Burri—?”

“However,” he continued despite her muttered question, “that is no reason to jump to conclusions. If I had wanted you dead, logically, I could have just stabbed you with this extremely sharp sword I have here.” He patted his armoured hand against his cruciform hilt. “Additionally, when was the last time you saw a Vasiri expressing concern over your dying friend?”

“A trick.” She responded accusingly. “Misdirection to make me lower my gu—...” She trailed off and bit her lip, as if realising something.

“I’m gonna guess you realised how stupid that sounded midway through saying it.” Aurelian ventured. This was not how his first contact with living people outside of ghosts, dragons, and creepy pseudo-vampires had been expected to go. He’d wanted to go on adventures! Dungeon crawls! Meet hot elf wo—well that part was actually happening right then, but so not in the way he’d hoped.

“I realised that perhaps it was an… illogical view of things given our circumstances, certainly.” She replied stiffly. “I am still not convinced so easily of your words, stranger, but I find myself at a disadvantage.”

“Understandable given the situation. I’m willing to offer you a healing potion for your friend in exchange for some answers.”

Her blue eyes searched over him and then looked back to her companion. “...very well.” She sounded wary, but Aurelian couldn’t blame her for that. Not entirely, anyway. “I do not believe I am in any real position to refuse.”

Aurelian nodded and, while keeping an eye on her, swung his supply pack off his back and rummaged inside to withdraw one of his remaining healing potions. A momentary feeling of loss rolled through him while looking at the hard-won flask, and then he stepped forward to cautiously offer it to her.

Zylara took it with a tense murmur of thanks and turned to scoot over to her insensate companion. A few murmured words followed that he couldn’t quite discern, and then she uncorked the flask, sniffed it, and promptly lifted Karsys’ head up to pour the potion down his throat. She spoke again while doing so, glancing over her shoulder to meet his gaze with one discerning blue eye. “You analysed us, didn’t you?”

“I did.” He confirmed with a shrug.

“I suppose that, if you indeed are not Vasiri, I can be persuaded to forgive such a breach of privacy in light of our initial… misunderstanding.” Her head tilted. “You may consider yourself absolved, stranger.”

Aurelian snorted at her tone and superior manner. That was more like what he’d expected from an elf. He couldn’t help but find it amusing. “That’s a funny way of saying sorry for attacking me.”

A momentary flicker of confusion and alarm brushed against his Soul Sense, and then Zylara turned back to Karsys when the man started to cough and spasm. Aurelian frowned at the odd feeling, but filed it away for later examination while taking a few careful, and wide-around steps to find a better vantage on what was happening.

“He has been infected,” she said before he could ask anything. “I can feel your confusion, stranger, and that alone tells me you are perhaps more honest than I cared to believe. Karsys is dying. He has been infected by the Vasiri’s foul taint. It is only a matter of time now.” She lowered the spasming man to the marble floor and looked down at him grimly.

“So what do we do?” Aurelian asked with a rising heartbeat. That could have been him.

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“We cut off his head and burn him. It’s the only way to truly ensure he won’t rise.”

“Rise as…?”

“A Ghoul.” She said with a bitter tone. “A Vasiri’s servant. Is there something else you can think would result from such corruption?”

Aurelian smiled wanly. “I don’t know what a Ghoul is in this context. My first encounter with a Vasiri was Lycinius, and that—”

“Lycinius of Telastra?!” The Elf asked with a sudden spin on her heel, and a look of true fear on her features. “Where is he? Is he here? We must flee!”

“What? No. He’s dead. I burned his corpse just before I met you.”

“He is… dead? What? How?”

“I killed him. Stabbed him right between the peepers.” He pointed to his own eyes with his right forefinger and middle finger, and shrugged.

“You… killed Lycinius?” She asked with suddenly narrowed eyes.

“Yeah?”

“You. Killed Lycinius. You.”

Aurelian deadpanned at her tone. “You should really work on the whole ‘gratitude’ thing, miss. It would serve you really well.”

“I am sorry, stranger, but that’s impossible. Lycinius is an Ancient. He has stalked the Desolation for centuries. Longer. He is one of the most deadly creatures in the—”

“Was.” Aurelian interjected with a flare of annoyance. “Was one of the most deadly creatures. Because he’s dead.”

“And you did this? Alone?” The scepticism in her voice was blatant and Aurelian almost found himself regretting freeing her from the sac. Her dismissive tone was reminiscent of every snooty socialite he’d ever met rolled into a single curvaceous elven package. No amount of beauty could make up for the haughty manner of her speech. “You may look like a Vasiri, but you hold yourself like a rookie. I sincerely doubt you could have achieved such a feat without a powerful party. Where are they?”

“I don’t have a party.” Aurelian said flatly while filing away the term. It was good to know parties existed. “It’s just me and my partner.”

“Oh?” She asked with a withering stare. “And this partner, they are mighty?”

“He’s basically unique.”

“A bold claim. Where is he, then, this powerhouse ally of yours?”

“Keeping his distance.”

“To what end?”

“I don’t trust you. I’m also beginning to dislike you.” Aurelian said sourly.

“The feeling is mutual,” Zylara said coldly, “I assure you.”

“Well then, enjoy your time with your friend. I’m sure you will have a great experience together.” Aurelian said sharply while moving back to grab his supply pack and lift it onto his back.

“Wait!” Zylara called with a tone of alarm. “What do you mean? You’re leaving?”

Aurelian looked at her incredulously. “Of course I am. You’re acting like a bitch. Why the hell would I stay here? I had hoped my first interaction with people would be something positive, not this shitshow. I might have been easy with this stuff in my old life, but that’s before I nearly got my insides torn up by vampire juice. I’m washing my hands of this shit.”

“You cannot do that!” She protested. “I have no means of stopping his transformation, let alone fighting him! There is nothing here for me to effectively end him with!”

Aurelian reached up to pinch the bridge of his nose with his left hand, while his right pressed his crest’s blade-tip into the marble. “I’m going to get fucking whiplash from your moodswings, woman…” He muttered before focusing his eyes on her. “So what you’re saying is that even after attacking me, treating me as if I should be grateful for it, insulting me, mocking me, and essentially calling me a liar… you want me to help you kill your friend because he might turn into a ghoul?”

“There is no question off—! Ah, that is to say… um…” Zylara cleared her throat and reached up to tug on a lock of straight black hair for a moment. “Perhaps I was, ah, a little hasty in my… my assessment of your merits. It has been a very… stressful few days and I did not—”

“Oh Jesus just stop.” Aurelian said with a flush of heat in his cheeks. “Watching you try to apologise is worse than being insulted by you. Christ.” Aurelian looked at the convulsing and twitching figure of Karsys, and then back to Zylara crouched next to him. “Look, I’m not going to murder your friend for no reason other than your own suspicions, but I might have a way to help him.”

“How?” She asked with another flicker of suspicion.

“Call it luck that you happened to run into me, but I think I have something that can help. Maybe. Either way it’s better than cutting off the poor sod’s head.” Aurelian lowered his supply pack to the floor again and sheathed his blade on his back. While keeping an eye on Zylara, he reached inside and withdrew the carefully stowed essence loaf he’d already taken a quarter of. Delicately he broke off another quarter of the sourdough, and turned to make his way toward the infected human.

“What is that?” Zylara questioned. “Bread? Why can’t I Analyse it?”

Aurelian didn’t answer and instead knelt down next to Karsys, at which point Zylara’s turn toned more aggressive. “Answer me, stranger! I swear if you—!”

Aurelian lifted his eyes to stare at her flatly, and she cut off mid-sentence with, of all things, a blush of what he thought might have been embarrassment. He simply nodded in a self-satisfied way and looked back to Karsys, reaching down to pry open the human’s mouth and push the piece of essence loaf inside.

“If what I think will happen does happen, you’re going to want to step back.” He said with a glance up at Zylara before looking back down to Karsys. “I’m going to get him to chew and swallow, and if I’m right, it’s going to get worse before it gets better… but he’ll probably make a full recovery as a result.”

Zylara eyed him for a moment and then, as if warring with her own decisions, pushed herself up with a slight wobble and half-stepped, half-staggered backwards. Very likely she was still not recovered from whatever sort of delirium had been induced in her during the sac’s containment, and Aurelian was rather impressed that she was cognizant as she appeared.

His attention returned fully to Karsys, however, and he began to gently work the man’s mouth against the piece of essence loaf until he started to chew instinctively. Aurelian waited only long enough to make sure that Karsys wouldn’t choke before standing himself and moving around to join Zylara. He kept his distance though, as much for his own peace of mind as it was for hers.

“Is something supposed to happen?” She asked him warily.

“Just give a minute.” Aurelian said grimly while keeping his eyes locked on the clammy human.

“What exactly was that bread you fed him stra—Karsys!”

Aurelian reached out to grab Zylara in the same instant she staggered toward her companion, who had just started to shake violently. She whipped her head around to look down at where Aurelian’s armoured fingers were locked around her bicep, and her eyes rose to his own furiously. She opened her mouth, but Aurelian beat her to it.

“I told you, worse before better. You were ready to kill him, remember? You have nothing to lose by letting me try my method.”

“He is in pain!” She protested angrily.

“Better in pain than dead.” Aurelian replied grimly.

Something in his expression or tone must have shown something, as the moment he spoke Zylara seemed to swallow back her retort, watch him with weighing eyes, and then turned back to observe Karsys.

Together they watched in silence while the human writhed on the floor and gurgled, his eyes rolling back while his limbs demented and distorted with agony at whatever was happening within. Aurelian activated Dragon’s Gaze on a whim and focused in on the mana around Karsys’ body, berating himself mentally for not trying the tactic earlier.

It was incredibly elucidating.

Dragon’s Gaze is now Level 13!

Dark waves of black and green mana, eerily reminiscent of Lycinius’ own, raged within the channels inside Karsys’ body. It undulated and bubbled, seeking an escape as it raced through his veins. It was only when Aurelian realised it was retreating from something that he truly paid attention to the rest of the human’s body, and saw the shining energy blazing in the man’s stomach.

The essence loaf was dissolving into pure mana which raced through the waiting channels like a sanitising flush of power, its platinum radiance pushing to devour or throw away the virulent infection of Vasiri power. Wherever the energy — Bael’tharax’s energy, and thus the energy of a fully realised Dragon King — surged through Karsys’ body, the ‘infection’ of corrosive mana was obliterated or pushed back.

Eventually the mana seemed to react with such elemental incompatibility with the energy filling Karsys that Aurelian watched it actually force itself out of the man’s pores, and tasted the acrid nature of it the moment it did. It was like rotten fruit, spoiled meat, and corpse blood all mixed together into a nauseating odour that immediately filled the air.

He felt Zylara go slack in his grip and turned to her, only to see her vomiting noisily on the floor from the sheer overwhelming foulness of it all.

Aurelian empathised. He knew how bad it was first hand.

On and on Bael’tharax’s mana raged, forcing out the infection like the world’s most liquid and invasive case of mass blackheads. Everywhere the tar-like mana was ejected, it turned to smog-like vapour and evaporated upward into nothingness. To Aurelian’s enhanced sight, the particles rose and then were dispersed by the natural forces of the world; the corrupted and focused mana too weak and lacking in foundation to survive the natural purity of the uncorrupted reality around them.

In many ways even the corroded manawoods were less putrid in how their essence appeared when compared to the Vasiri’s, which was much like a radioactive poison with a sludge-like consistency mixed with oil. The virulent green and viscous black were clear correlations for such substances, at least.

It took time for the process to finish, but when it did and Karsys was at last pure to Aurelian’s enhanced eyes, he watched Zylara — having released her the moment it was clear she wouldn’t try to get close and perhaps poison herself by exposure — move forward unsteadily and sink to her knees to speak to the slowly stirring human.

Dragon’s Gaze is now Level 14!

A deep sigh of relief and satisfaction left him, and he observed the pair with the same veil of mana-active sight he had been using since the start of the process. This time however he was tracing both of their channels, and noticing some trace elements of the same corruption within Zylara. Faint, and perhaps inconsequential, but certainly present. He would need to offer her the same purification, as loath as he was to waste Bael’tharax’s essence loaves. It was at least a gesture of goodwill though, and while her attitude had certainly irritated him, he wasn’t as ready to let the first real people he’d met since arriving walk away.

At least not without answering some burning questions.

It was a mercantile and cold way of thinking about it, but if they owed him, then at least they would have to offer some insights as thanks. It did assume a level of honour or fair play on the part of both Zylara and Karsys, but if they were anything resembling good people, it wouldn’t be a huge ask. Besides which it wasn’t as though he couldn’t take them if they turned out to be less than benevolent.

With Bahamut helping, he was pretty sure he’d win a fight regardless of their levels.

Aurelian was no normal Novitiate.

Deciding it was time to approach, Aurelian moved toward them and folded his arms while looking down at Zylara and Karsys. “So.” He said as pleasantly as he could manage. “Feeling better, I take it?”

Both of them looked up at him, and then as one they froze.

All the colour — what little there was in the elf’s case — drained from their faces.

“What?” Aurelian asked in surprise.

“I—I didn’t know…” Zylara said in a horrified whisper. “Forgive me, I didn’t know!”

Aurelian opened his mouth to ask what in the world she was on about when Karsys spoke.

The man’s voice was like rain in spring. Soft, calm, and peaceful despite his massive frame. “Forgive my companion her brashness, Your Majesty. If you had only told her—”

Aurelian’s eyebrows were in his fringe by that point. “Told her what?” He asked in bewildered annoyance.

“Your eyes.” Zylara said in a trembling voice. “You have a dragon’s eyes.”

“As was foretold.” Karsys said softly. “A Fallen Star, Marked by the Dragon, and buoyed by the Blood of Eld.” He pulled himself up with a wince to his knees, and Aurelian felt himself grow distinctly uncomfortable when he realised that Karsys was genuflecting. "Hail to you, Nephilim. Hail to you, Reclaimer. Hail to you, Emperor of the World.”

Aurelian was struck mute in shock and surprise. This he had not expected.

“Hail to you,” Zylara said with tears in her eyes, “O mighty Calamity.”