The forest floor is damp, the scent of pine and decay thick in the air. Yllamaris leans against the gnarled oak, his chest heaving as he struggles to suppress the flickering violet essence of his blade. The shadows around him grow restless, yet he remains partially tethered to the material world.
Elowen
You think you can lose me in the shifting dark, Yllamaris? I have tracked that signature since you first ignited the woods.
Elowen steps from behind a cluster of ferns, her boots sinking into the soft earth. She does not reach for a weapon. Instead, she pulls a silver locket from beneath her tunic, the chain glinting in the pale moonlight. It is identical to the one resting against Yllamaris's own throat.
Elowen
He looks so much like he did that day in the glade. If he sees the twin to his own grief, perhaps he will finally stop running.
Elowen
Look at it, Yllamaris. We are the only two left who carry the weight of that winter. Why do you pretend the exile didn't break you, too?
Yllamaris
She followed me all this way... not for the blade, but for a memory I thought I had buried under layers of shadow.
“I gasp "no, it's too late for me. I can't be saved... You're too precious to the family... Go be safe with them..."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -3)
Yllamaris
No, it is too late for me. I cannot be saved, Elowen. You are too precious to the family. Go, be safe with them.
Yllamaris
The silver in her hand is a mirror to my own rot. If I do not push her away now, the necrotic hum of my blade will consume us both.
Yllamaris stumbles backward, his boots sliding through the damp mulch. A pulse of violet light flares from his side, illuminating the terror etched into his features. He turns his face away, unable to bear the sight of the locket or the woman who still dares to care.
Elowen
You think safety is something they grant? You are a target now, Yllamaris. We are the hunt.
She holds the locket out, her hand trembling. The air between them vibrates with the unstable magic leaking from his scabbard.
+ Scene Quest Added
Convince Elowen to depart before the hunters arrive
“I continue backing away "if you bring me back I'll just be locked in a cage and potentially be a burden of shadow... I don't want to hurt you... Please... Leave..."”
FAILURE (Poor Persuasion, rolled +2)
Yllamaris
If you bring me back, they will only throw me into a cage. I will be nothing but a burden of shadow. I do not want to hurt you, Elowen. Please. Just leave.
Yllamaris
Why does she not run? The necrotic energy is leaking from my blade, poisoning the very soil beneath her feet. If she stays, she will witness what I have truly become.
Yllamaris retreats, his boots tearing through the dark, pulsing grass. He trips over a gnarled root, his cloak swirling around him like smoke. As he tries to steady himself, the violet sparks from his scabbard flare violently, lashing out like tiny, jagged whips that sear the surrounding brush.
Elowen
You think your warnings matter when the forest is already screaming your name?
Elowen steps forward, ignoring the searing sparks that singe the hem of her tunic. Her bow drops to her side, her gaze fixed entirely on his face, defiant and desperate.
“I turn to flee. "I'm planning on leaving, the forest will be in peace... I'm nothing to you... Not anymore... Not like this..." does she think otherwise? "you can't fix me..."”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled +1)
Yllamaris
I am leaving, Elowen. The forest will know peace, and you will forget this night ever happened. I am nothing to you anymore. Not like this. You cannot fix what has already been consumed.
Elowen
He thinks his shadow is a wall between us. He does not see that I have already walked through worse fires to find him.
Yllamaris pivots, his cloak snapping like a whip as he lunges toward the tree line. His movements are fluid, unnatural, shedding the weight of his hesitation. He expects a shout or an arrow to find his back, but there is only the silence of the dying pasture.
Yllamaris
She is not following. She is letting me go, or perhaps she knows that my path leads only to the abyss. The cold in my chest eases for a fraction of a heartbeat, then returns ten-fold as the first patrol horn sounds from the distant ridge.
Elowen
If I do not bring you back, they will hunt us both until the end of time, Yllamaris. Look at the horizon. They are already here.
Quest Complete
Convince Elowen to depart before the hunters arrive
Skill Upgrade: Persuasion Poor→Mediocre
+ Scene Quest Added
Escape the approaching hunters with Elowen