ARC 1: Arrival

Chapter 1.05: Sun Thorns

The others spend a couple moments relieved about the condition of their friend before their gazes turn to me. I drop my hands now that I’m not being interrogated and drop them into the pockets of my lab coat. Looking at them though, I realize that I must look very strange in these clothes. The man with the pointy ears and the long cloak steps away from the group and up to me.

The man who had been glowing with some kind of energy not long ago. It felt a little surprising to say, but the magic didn’t really surprise me as much as it maybe should have. It was incredible and I wanted to look into it whenever I could, but there were more pressing things before that.

“I’ve never met any Felisians in the flesh before. We’re awfully far from the border and you don’t have much in the way of supplies.” He says, looking me over inquisitively. “Those clothes, though… are you from the capital?” He asks.

“Ah, no. Not from the capital. I’m actually lost at the moment. I heard you fighting from a bit away and I was just glad to finally see people.” I admit. The shield lady speaks up, pulling my attention to her.

“Are you a Somamancer?” I tilt my head at the question, not recognizing the word.

“No, I’m not sure what that is, exactly, but I don’t think so.” I answer tentatively. I wasn’t entirely certain, but it sounded like some kind of magic. I couldn’t confirm that I wasn’t some form of magic with how little I seemed to know about my current body, but at the very least I don’t think I was that. “A Somamancer is a type of magical healer. Repairing the body using magic, as well as variations of that form of magic. If she were a Somamancer, she’d definitely still be in the capital though. The nobles wouldn’t allow anything to happen to someone as valuable as that.” The man beside me answers.

“I’m… a healer. I’m not a,” I pause and let the next word roll around my mouth for a second, “Somamancer. I’m just a normal medic.”

“And those plants? I saw a bit of what’s in that sack of yours before I went back to help the others.” The shield woman gestures to my bag and I shift it around so it’s sitting more against my front. I pull out the half empty Yarrow jar, showing it to the group.

“They’re herbs. They have properties that helped me deal with the injuries. This one helps staunch bleeding, as well as being a small form of pain relief. It has other uses, like most herbs, but I used it for what I needed. Your friend here is lucky I found this earlier today actually, that was a pretty bad wound.” The group looks at the jar full of small plants.

The other swordsman scoffs, the masculine one, “It’s a flower.”

I look at him annoyedly, putting the jar back. “A flower was the difference between a debilitating to life threatening injury and a hopeful recovery for your friend over there.” I say, tersely. I would not have my passions and lifecraft be mocked by some meathead with a sword. The guy backs up, with enough good sense to look embarrassed. The shield wielder is still looking at my bag with interest.

“We have a medic in our town, but I’ve never seen the plants used like that before.” She seems to be looking into the middle distance, lost in thought.

“I’ve heard word of something similar before, but I’ve not seen it in action. It’s a newer not much studied practice. Not in this country at least.” His eyes narrow at me as he says that and asks me warily. “What country are you from?”

“I-I don’t…” I think about it for a second before deciding on the half truth. “This one? I don’t know. All I know is that I woke up this morning with no idea where I am.” I say, hoping they’ll believe me. If not, then I guess I’d have to find a different group to help me back to civilization. The pointy eared man squints at me, judgement deep in his eyes. I lean away from his gaze a little, ears flattening against the back of my head. The shield wielder sighs, grabbing him and pulling him back to the others. The swordswoman doesn’t join the huddle, staying by Roarke’s side and holding their hand. Their voices drop to whispers, but I can still hear them.

“I don’t trust her.” That voice is the pointy eared one.

“Yeah, well, she helped Roarke. We owe her.”

“We don’t owe her shit, she chose to.”

“Regardless, she probably saved his life and his leg. That wound was bad, Vulmer, I saw it. She’s got a good heart and if she’s not a somamancer, she’s a damn good medic.”

The swordsman speaks up, “Vulmer has a point, Aliz. She’s a Felisian. She could be a spy or something.”

“And what? Our small town is two full days of travel from the Capital. If she were a spy or whatever, what could she really gain from coming to our town?” Vulmer scowls and the swordsman frowns in thought. “Look, I don’t know about you, but I trust that girl over there with my health more than anyone in our town. I’ll escort her back on my own if I have to, but I’d really appreciate it if my friends were with me on this.” She says, imposingly. She pulls away from the huddle with a decisive look and Vulmer groans. He turns away to look over Roarke.

“Fine. But I’m keeping an eye on her.” He says over his shoulder. My ear flicks a bit in amusement. It’s clear these guys are close. The other man in the huddle rests his hand comfortable on his belt with his blade attached as he pulls away. The gesture seems to be more out of comfort than any assumed hostility.

“I trust your judgement, Aliz. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy Roarke’s doing alright.” He gives me a nod and I just smile gently back. Aliz, the shield wielding woman turns back to me with a smile of her own. It was a smile filled with compassion and spoke of a softer interior compared to her hardy exterior.

“Sorry about that. Vulmer can be a bit much sometimes.” Vulmer seems to bristle at the mention of his name, not turning towards us though. “My name is Aliz Winther of the Sun Thorns. I’m a Knight Aspirant from the town of Deergrave.” She turns to gesture to the swordsman who was standing next to her. “This is Arthur Brink of the Sun Thorns. He’s a mercenary that works for the Sun Thorns and a very good friend of ours.” He waves a hand heartily and I wave back.

Aliz moves her attention to Vulmer, “Vulmer Elgwyn of the Sun Thorns. He’s a sorcerer from the capital.” her eyes shift to the girl next to Vulmer. “Astrid Sommer of the Sun Thorns. Champion of Deergrave.” Astrid looks over at me, her eyes much softer than the last time she looked at me. She meets my eyes momentarily and I smile back at her. She seems to get self conscious at the smile though and turns back to Roarke.

“And finally, Roarke Null of the Sun Thorns. The man you saved. He’s a Twinweave from Deergrave. He’s like a brother to many of us, so you have my full gratitude for saving him like you did.” Aliz finishes, looking at Roarke fondly.

"You mentioned the Sun Thorns? Who are they?" There were actually several other questions on the tip of my tongue, but I paced myself.

"The Sun Thorns are the main Guild presence in Deergrave, but technically our presence reaches to multiple nearby cities and the Capital. Our motto is 'ignis elegit nos' or 'fire chose us'." Aliz is bolstered with enthusiasm suddenly, I have to avoid smirking at her antics. "Deergrave is blessed by fertile lands, but is also cursed by being so near the harsher parts of the forest. The Sun Thorns were created primarily as a trade and mercenary guild, talented adventurers are asked to deal with pesky monster problems throughout the forest and mercenaries are hired to assist with trade envoys. There are a number of travelling tradesmen associated with the guild, all ones that do business between the forest towns. The Sun Thorns are a staple throughout these woods." Aliz finishes, having more than thoroughly answered my question.

I digest this new information, digging around for my journal to make some quick notes. While primarily this journal was for notes on plants, it would help to have some reliable information on the area. Aliz takes note of my scribbling, tentatively walking up beside me to see what I'm doing. I don't move and she takes it as permission to look down at the pad. Arthur joins her, invested enough in our conversation that he'd been listening.

The two of them can see my page as I write down various notes about the Sun Thorns and even smaller notes about my new travelling companions. The two look on in fascination, Aliz speaks first. "Is that an enchanted quill? I've never seen one before." Her eyes are full of wonder at the object.

"Err, no, not magic. The ink is stored inside it." I say, trying not to sigh too heavily. Considering all of my strange clothes and tools in my bag, it was really only a matter of time before they started getting suspicious of this stuff.

"Fascinating." She says, clearly impressed.

I finish up my notes, snapping the book shut and placing it and the pen back into my bag.

"There are plenty of things I have to ask you about where I am, but I realize I didn't introduce myself. It's not a fancy title like yourselves, but my name is Lillian. You can call me Lily." I say, turning to face them.

"Do you have a family name, Lillian?" Aliz asks, politely.

"I do, but… My family isn't around anymore. I don't think I'll be using it much. Maybe I'll find a new one." I joke, laughing gently at the prospect. Aliz seems to nod at that, digesting what I've said.

"Well, feel free to use it. If not, you can always use Null." She supplies. Null? It must be a name for those without a family name. An orphan, essentially. My eyes turn to Roarke, a pang of sympathy in my chest at the thought.

"I see. I'll take that into consideration, thank you." I look between the five of them expectantly. "I don't mean to be blunt at this point, but what's our next step? I'd like to see civilization again and figure out how I'm going to live in this wo- country, with no identification or money to my name." I peter out at the end, somewhat dejectedly. Aliz pats my back gently, offering me a smile.

"We'll help with your lodging and help you get onto your feet in no time, Lillian. I don't imagine finding work will be hard for someone of your talents. There's always a need for a good medic around these parts. It's the least we can do."

"Thank you, Aliz. I'd really appreciate that."

"To answer your previous question, though, the 'next step' is dealing with that hunk of meat over there and then waking Roarke so we can get what we can carry back home." Aliz says with finality. Arthur, who had been almost entirely silent the whole conversation pipes up.

"Fuck yeah, time to get to carving." With that, I see him pull out a large knife from his side and sprint over to the body. Astrid seems to give Roarke one last long look before patting his shoulder and heading over to join Arthur in the carving. Vulmer stands by Roarke, looking at the body in disgust. He doesn't make any moves to go help, so I follow Aliz towards the body instead.

SylkWeaver

Only really planned to update on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, but I found myself wanting to release an extra chapter on an in-between day to help with visibility. Still planning an update tomorrow too, so look forward to it!