Aeson was unbelievably boring. There was nicer ways to refer to the town but at present that was the primary thought in Lilian’s mind. Boring. It was all she could do to keep a professional look about her instead of dozing off while the council went on their long tangents about things that were absolutely not within the purview of the party’s duties or even just their interests. Dietrich’s manner of speech didn’t help. She had to jab one of them more than once just to stay awake. That old fart’s droning was threatening to put her to sleep as well and biting her tongue wasn’t working anymore.
Lilian slapped an armored hand onto the desk she stood before. “Honored Councilor Dietrich,” She spoke in an even tone, trying desperately not to just snap at the man. “I am certain that the Dissident Flames have much better things to do than listen to this, while I do apologize for the interruption the town of Aeson did hire us for a reason. I would like to get to work.”
“Oh, of course,” The elderly councilor had been quiet after that outburst. Needing a moment or two to actually acknowledge that he was being spoken to at all. “My apologies Madam Lilian. You of course can take your party out on patrol. It was my hope that you would stay for the duration, but if you believe that the best course of action is to set out immediately then I put my faith in you and your team.”
It took all she had not to growl at the doddering old man. Biting back what the snippy comment that decided to crawl out of the back of her throat. She alternated between tapping and grabbing and nearly dragging the others out of their chairs. Having to lean down for the dwarf that had fallen asleep, even for his kind he was short.
“Gah! Lemme go ya-“ His complaining was cut off when Lilian slapped a hand over his mouth.
“Shut it” She hissed, dragging him out by the scruff into the hall. “You’re such an embarrassment.”
Lorne grumbled loudly, trying to bite and lick at her hand. But Calisto only snickered childishly as he too followed after the duo, offering the council and the gathered down a wave as they went back outside. Lilian eventually dropped the dwarf and watched him fall onto the step just outside the building. He yelped loudly as his body thudded loudly onto the ground. He didn’t so much get up and yell at them, as he did lay on the ground and yell at them. Screaming obscenities and gesturing wildly while Calisto simply cackled and hovered over him, offering a hand out but his laughter only made Lorne angrier. Lilian sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose.
“You two are acting like children,” She hissed. Watching the two of them bicker. “Can’t you at least pretend you’re professionals while we have the entirety of the town staring at us?”
“Oh come now, cher, we’s only playin’.” Calisto gave her a playful smile. Finally helping Lorne up, who grumbled loudly. “And we don’ need none of what they’re tellin’ us.”
“Maybe you don’t, long legged bastard,” Lorne spat. “I on the other hand do!”
“Which is why you were sleeping.” Lilian retorted, already feeling a headache coming on. “Good gods you two, we’ve never worked in this region is it too much to at least let us establish that we can do the job? Come on guys.” She couldn’t help the little whine in her voice as she pleaded with the two of them.
She may be their team leader, but she wasn’t their mother. She didn’t want to mom them, hell she’d settle for younger sister since she’s the one human in the group. The fact that they let her lead sometimes made her feel better, despite both of them technically speaking having more experience than her in nearly all things. Sometimes though, in situations like this? It felt like she was just playing pretend. They looked at each other and a slight look of shame came over them.
“Come on Lily,” Lorne said, “We should go do a patrol or something. Get to know the area. I dunno about you but I already know the town pretty good.”
The two sauntered off and Lilian deflated. Defeated she followed and stepped just ahead of both of them so that they were just behind her. The group took the path leading eastward, it was retreading some familiar ground but Lilian saw no reason not to start a circuit this way. The two men laughed and joked, chattering away in a tongue that she was not familiar with. She got words here and there, but not enough to get an idea of what they were talking about. It was at least soothing to hear, Lorne’s heavy but slow drawl that even when he spoke quickly his words came to your ears on their own time. Drawn out like taffy, purposeful in each step, much like a stern father’s affections. Calisto spoke similarly, but even she could tell that his mother tongue was noticeably different, his drawl coming with all the relief and calm of the first drag of a cigarette. Hearing the two of them talk relaxed the tenseness that had built up in her shoulders, she couldn’t shake the feelings from earlier as she walked along the path, but she could at least feel safe for the moment.
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The afternoon sun had slowly been making its journey across the sky, chasing the darkness away everywhere its gaze landed. Every now and again Lilian looked up at its near immobile race. They’d be back in town near dusk at this rate. She turned her attention back to the road, and the wilderness surrounding. Dusk would be fine, some creatures were nocturnal. They too needed to be dealt with. The comfort of the moon lit night would never truly bring safety without a pound of caution to go with it, and for the town of Aeson that caution was in the form of Lilian and her team. She glanced over her shoulder at the two again, still calm and jovial, but as she went to sweep the forest edge something snapped. Her gaze followed shortly after towards the source of the sound.
It was a deer. A fawn to be specific. Wobbly on its legs it was shocking to see one so early in the season. Lilian narrowed her eyes, reaching for her blade, why was there a fawn so early in the season approaching them. Still it approached them, Calisto and Lorne’s chattering had stopped dead, she could hear Calisto knocking an arrow behind her. With both of her teammates behind her she slowly approached the deer.
It moved in time. A snapping noise going out as it took a shaky little step forward. Bones grinding together as it stumbled together, its flesh tearing beneath the skin. In the time it took for Lilian to take a breath an arrow sprouted from it shoulder. It let out a ear piercing scream, rattling her teeth as the false face fell apart.
She didn’t want to give it a chance, racing to meet it sword drawn and shield present in front of her. Bashing her shield into it Lilian knocked it off kilter, and with a flick of her wrist the blade caught the last flames of the light. The creature, a mimic now that she saw its horrid form, began to shy away from her - or more specifically her sword.
Calisto continued to fire at a distance, “Lilly don’t get too close!” His aim may be true, as shown by the how each arrow sprouted from its twisted and writhing meat. He only had so many enchanted arrows and there was no guarantee that any of them was going to take it down. Lilian and Lorne circled the beast. Lorne’s staff out in front of him as slowly gathered up his spell. It didn’t want to take any chance on losing a meal, and three adventurers like them? Well worth the risk.
The false cervid lashed out at Lilian its distorted cry echoing off the trees while it tried to bite through her armor. She brought her shield up in an attempt to parry it, but instead of the heavy thunk and its weight leaving her shield its flesh started to congeal and stick to the metal Lilian planted her feet. Forcing herself to breathe and willing her heart to beat, she had to force the slush in her veins to turn back hot once again. Lilian started to pull away, digging her heels into the soft earth, because by the gods she paid a lot for this shield and like hell was she going to lose it to a mimic.
“Duck!”
Lorne’s voice came from nowhere, and without even processing what he had said her knees buckled and she hit the ground without a moment’s hesitation. When she heard the mimic let out a ear piercing screech she took that moment to scramble away from it on her hands and knees. Stumbling back up to her feet she saw that Lorne had done to it, spell-flame sticking to the beast’s flesh and scorching it. It thrashed as it tried to get the sticky liquid off of it, only managing to get it to spread to more of its body. The creature bellowed, agony reverberating off of the trees.
Lilian skittered back from it, breathing heavily as the adrenaline rush was starting to careen into a crash. Calisto fired a few more arrows into it, lamenting the loss of each one as the fire took to each. Lorne watched the body, staff in hand and the tips of his fingers covered in frost.
“Is it dead yet?” She asked, the body starting to grow still and the forest growing silent. The smoke rising into the air off of it made her eyes sting, and the smell that came with it made bile rise up in her throat.
Calisto inched closer to it so that he could get a better look, now that she was pretty sure that it was dead but… there was always that chance. Keeping an arrow knocked the elven man stared at it.
“I dunno know yet Lily,” He admitted, “But even if it is, we best make sure that it don’t get up again.”
Lorne grunted an agreement, the spellfrost that was accumulating on his fingers swiftly melting as the air around his hands started to distort with heat. Lilian and Calisto took this as their opportunity to start clearing the immediate area. Throwing sticks and other debris onto the body. The dwarf’s deep gravely voice echoed throughout the forest as he channeled his aether. He spoke his chant, his fingers guiding the magic into channels carved into his body and marked with ink. Much like a oven coming to life the black ink slowly turned into a crackling red flecked with orange. The embers rose in his outstretched hand and he gently placed the ball of flame onto the mimic’s body.
The group watched in silent contemplation as they watched the body burn. Lilian and Calisto had cleared enough of an area around the body that the two were pretty sure that if a stray spark were to catch on the grass they could stomp it out fast enough. Lilian couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow when she looked upon it, the sheer smell of its scorched body still making her stomach churn. It wasn’t a monster, not really. It looked terrifying, but that was through no fault of its own, mimics were just opportunistic predators. She thought back to the moments just before the fight, to the state it was in before they’d decided to strike. There was a good chance that it had already taken a gamble on a hunt and lost. Cervid’s weren’t easily fooled and she very much doubted that anything would have been tricked by this display. They weren’t.
Closing her eyes she brought her hand up to her lips in prayer. Bidding the soul back into the cycle, maybe next time will be kinder and its next end gentler. When the flames died down she helped Lorne and Calisto kick dirt up onto it so that the trio didn’t inadvertently burn down the entire mountain side.
“Alright,” She sighed, “Let’s get out of here, I’m hungry and we still have the rest of our patrol.”