Tale of Four

”Welcome back.” The large man said in a blank tone, looking Alice up and down, his gaze focusing on the flower in her hair. Pointing at it, he smiled. ”A gift?” Pulling it out, Alice stared at the flower for a moment before smiling and carefully putting it in her satchel, making sure it wouldn’t be crushed and destroyed, wondering what kind of potion she could use it for.

”You made this place sound scary.” Taking a seat, Alice began rambling, her voice slightly mocking and condescending. ”I would hardly call it dangerous.” The large man and scarred woman looked at one another for a moment, rolling their eyes and shaking their heads.

”You were fine to walk into that forest, but me, or Elva, would have never been seen again.” Taking a stick of vegetables from the fire, the large man handed it to the woman before slowly pulling the rest off and carefully putting them in different bags, rationing them out. ”I’ve heard stories of those who never left. With each step, they shrink and age. Their muscles and fat shrink until they are skin and bone. When they can’t stand, they collapse and slowly decay, becoming nutrients for the forest. Of those who entered, I think only two have managed to escape.”

”Really?” Alice looked behind her at the forest, unable to put the image with the tree spirit. ”The Tree Spirit was kind to me.”

”Of course she was.” The scarred woman snapped, ”You’re the type she accepts. We have a name for her. The Tree Mother. She’s one of the few beings here that has some kindness in them. Although she is terrfying if you aren’t accepted.”

”Huh.” Alice couldn’t help but look down at the ground and shrug. ”Still, I don’t get why she was so accepting of me. I’m not a child.” The two didn’t voice what they wanted to say. Letting the silence hang. The large man yawned and got up.

Going to where the scarred woman had just slept, he lay down, holding the sword close to him. ”Wake me at sunrise.”

Closing his eyes, within a matter of minutes his breathing became soft, falling into a light sleep. The scarred woman looked at Alice, falling into thought. ”Why does Lord Raven wish to see you?” Alice tilted her head and blankly stared at her. ”Other Magi are never given such treatment other than those with whom Lord Raven has made deals.”

”Because I’m special.” Alice instantly replied, ”Isn’t it obvious?” Rolling her eyes, the scarred woman sighed and grabbed her head, her deep breaths sounding like styrofoam scratching together. ”I’m curious.” Alice siad making her look back up, ”That scar. What is it?”

”It’s rather rude to ask such things when we hardly know each other, Magi.” Blinking at her, Alice patiently waited as the woman lifted a hand, rubbing her wound, dragging a finger down her cheek towards her neck. ”I got it during a mission from a creature of this land. The Shattered Men. Up North, past Memorial, along the coastline, we had to do some herding.” Removing a hand from her neck, she clicked her tongue and shook her head. ”The Shattered Men are cursed people of this land, those without intelligence or the ability to naturally repopulate. Rather, they turn others into them, acting on instinct to continue to increase their numbers.”

”During it, one managed to cut me. When it happens, there is a chance to halt the infection from turning you. The odds are a coin flip, but if you survive, you don’t remove the infection; rather, it is contained to where the wound was caused. I was lucky. Most lose the use of their arms and legs because of it, or can never breathe properly. All that changed for me was my voice. They assumed it was because the scar only hit my throat, cheek and nothing more whilst being rather shallow.” The scarred woman clicked her tongue and smiled. ”It is what it is. I never liked being the one to lead nor having to deal with the Lords, so it gave me an excuse to stop and focus on the more practical side of work.”

Staring at the wound, Alice leaned foward. At first she had thought the wound was ice fused into her body, leaving a permanent faint blue glow, but on closer inspection she saw the difference. It wasn’t ice; rather, it looked more like crystal, cracking and repairing itself. The woman uncomfortably backed up as Alice leaned closer, only making Alice crawl toward it and stare even deeper.

”Stop.” She sternly said, pushing Alice away, ”I’ll tell you the story, but I’m not a creature for you to analyse, Magi.” Alice huffed and moved back. Looking up into the sky, she couldn’t help but feel bored again. Making noises, Alice looked back down at the woman and saw her staring at her.

”What?” Rubbing her chin, she narrowed her eyes and nodded.

”I was told you came with a friend?” Alice’s eyes lit up, and with rapid nods, her expression melted.

”Chesh. It’s really annoying that she hasn’t shown up yet. She’s really cool, you know.”

”Huh.” Leaning back against her travel bag, the woman pulled out a small knife from the side pocket and began to clean her nails. Looking at Alice, she smiled. It was ugly, making her scar bend unnaturally. ”Your friend, what do you like best about her?”

”Her hair and eyes. They’re black, but if you look closely, they have this purple colour to them.” Touching her cheeks and feeling the small scars on them, which blended in with her freckles, she pinched and pulled her chubby cheek. ”She also is really pretty. Although she says I’m pretty and cool, I feel she is far better.” Letting go of her cheek, she pulled out the quill and began to twirl it. ”She doesn’t have fat cheeks or freckles like me.”

The scarred woman paused and looked at Alice. ”Do you want to be her? Or like her at least.” With a deep huff, Alice shook her head.

”I did at one point. I was never jealous of her ability in the arcane; I have always been better than her, something Chesh agrees with, but how she looked.” Touching her hair with her free hand, the scarred woman’s eyes widened when the end of Alice’s fiery red hair turned black. ”She’s pretty; she has cool eyes and hair. But me. I still have my baby fat. Chesh said it will go in time, but I don’t know. Maybe I need to create a potion or spell for it.” Before the scarred woman could say anything, the quill in her hand stopped as Alice pumped her fists.

The ends of her fiery red hair turned back to normal, and her radiant green eyes erupted with a self-confidence that was lacking a second ago. ”But Chesh loves my hair and eyes. She is jealous of me. I realise that we both want to be the other in some ways, and after some thought, I figured it was because we are such great friends. I’m the best person she knows, and she is the best I know. Why wouldn’t we? So if I ever decide to change my appearance, it won’t be because I’m jealous or because I am envious of another. I will only do it because I want to. For fun and nothing more.”

Looking at the scarred woman, Alice was surprised to see confusion on her face. ”So you want to be her, and she wants to be you? It’s rather strange.” Shaking her head, she carried on before Alice could speak. ”What about other people? Do you not have more friends?”

”Why should I?” Alice shrugged and stared at the quill. ”No one is good enough to be my friend. They are either idiots or boring.” Looking at the quill, Alice could help but take a deep, ragged breath, thinking of the dead magi. ”This one guy, however. He is the absolute worst. The way he writes and passes knowledge. I wish I could just ignore everything he did, but I can’t; his work proves he is as good as me.” Rubbing her hands into her hair out of anger, she sighed, ”If only he left everything in one place, I could have already won.”

”This guy isn’t alive?” The woman asked, making Alice huff.

”No. I can’t even hit him or rub it in his face when I win.” Crossing her arms, Alice sighed, ”But I will win.” The woman shook her head and reached into her bag again. Pulling out a bunch of small arrows, she pulled one out to examine carefully. Although a few were normal arrows, a few were different, not having pointed tips.

”I see.” Saying it in a strange tone, she didn’t look back up. ”I would find something to keep yourself busy or rest. Although Randolf doesn’t need much sleep, it will still be a few hours before daybreak.”

Sighing, Alice looked around to see if there was anything else interesting to explore. But with only the forest in the distance, she couldn’t help but sigh. Lifting a hand, she began to circulate the arcane and practise her control, fine-tuning it.