Eleven was happy to take charge of the lantern, to wave it about and keep the candle going with a snap of fire magic. He peered out at the other boats, eyes on their flickering lights, watchful for any of those that might go out. The water, he could sense with a shiver, was home to undead creatures.
"You can rest," he offered his boatmates. "I can manage this much."
II. Ellethia-Allayar
He hadn't expected to find the ruins beautiful. They were vastly overgrown, with moss carpeting stone, ivy overlaying every cracked wall or broken archway, and entire swaths of trees grown in open spaces. Eleven wandered the ruins with a quiet sense of awe; the tragedy of the city's fall only a quiet accompaniment. He occasionally stopped to remove a glove and touch a particularly vibrant leaf or flower- and rarely, in a patch of sunlight, kneel or sit to pray or meditate for a short while.
But it was the effect on the animals that most drew his attention. He'd watched the animal die the night before and the corpse was still there the next morning. Only now it began to shrink and take on a new form, birthing a tiny, shivering and furless creature with weak limbs.
Eleven stopped, heart in his throat, then sank to his knees. His arms braced against the ground, quaking.
"There is a cycle," he said, muted in his helmet. He reached up and removed it, tossing it to the ground to take in a wet inhale. His eyes misted.
"Merciful Goddess above, there is a cycle."
III. Night Watch
Hands clasped in prayer, holy light stretched in a band of bright runes to encompass their chosen campsite. The light couldn't reach the outer edges of it with how many they numbered, but Eleven hoped it would be enough to provide warning at least. Eyes closed, he remained in a state of meditative prayer until pull of magic began to threaten exhaustion.
Eleven opened his eyes and loosed the spell with a drop of his hands. The band of runic light faded and fell away. He stifled a yawn and blinked around the campsite to reorient himself, then met the eyes of another with a tired smile.
"How much longer until the shift change?"
IV. Lighthouse
It called to him, crooning his unspoken title in the way of omniscient forces.
Luminary. A light in the dark.
His heart at once understood the intrinsic promise of it, and Eleven moved for it without further thought. Moved faster once it became clear that he had to reach it first. It was dangerous to others; it was his sole duty to restore Light and Life to the world. He'd already done it once before, and could do so again, he was sure- if only he reached it in time.
No matter, his entire existence was meant for this. It would happen, and nothing else mattered so much.
The crash of waves against rock echoed a warning that was drowned out by the urgency to reach the place he was meant to be.
V. Wildcard
[As always, anything adjacent to these prompts, other, pre-arranged things we might have discussed, or feel free to hit this up for smaller details like fishing/hunting/foraging business if you like!]
no subject
Eleven was happy to take charge of the lantern, to wave it about and keep the candle going with a snap of fire magic. He peered out at the other boats, eyes on their flickering lights, watchful for any of those that might go out. The water, he could sense with a shiver, was home to undead creatures.
"You can rest," he offered his boatmates. "I can manage this much."
II. Ellethia-Allayar
He hadn't expected to find the ruins beautiful. They were vastly overgrown, with moss carpeting stone, ivy overlaying every cracked wall or broken archway, and entire swaths of trees grown in open spaces. Eleven wandered the ruins with a quiet sense of awe; the tragedy of the city's fall only a quiet accompaniment. He occasionally stopped to remove a glove and touch a particularly vibrant leaf or flower- and rarely, in a patch of sunlight, kneel or sit to pray or meditate for a short while.
But it was the effect on the animals that most drew his attention. He'd watched the animal die the night before and the corpse was still there the next morning. Only now it began to shrink and take on a new form, birthing a tiny, shivering and furless creature with weak limbs.
Eleven stopped, heart in his throat, then sank to his knees. His arms braced against the ground, quaking.
"There is a cycle," he said, muted in his helmet. He reached up and removed it, tossing it to the ground to take in a wet inhale. His eyes misted.
"Merciful Goddess above, there is a cycle."
III. Night Watch
Hands clasped in prayer, holy light stretched in a band of bright runes to encompass their chosen campsite. The light couldn't reach the outer edges of it with how many they numbered, but Eleven hoped it would be enough to provide warning at least. Eyes closed, he remained in a state of meditative prayer until pull of magic began to threaten exhaustion.
Eleven opened his eyes and loosed the spell with a drop of his hands. The band of runic light faded and fell away. He stifled a yawn and blinked around the campsite to reorient himself, then met the eyes of another with a tired smile.
"How much longer until the shift change?"
IV. Lighthouse
It called to him, crooning his unspoken title in the way of omniscient forces.
Luminary. A light in the dark.
His heart at once understood the intrinsic promise of it, and Eleven moved for it without further thought. Moved faster once it became clear that he had to reach it first. It was dangerous to others; it was his sole duty to restore Light and Life to the world. He'd already done it once before, and could do so again, he was sure- if only he reached it in time.
No matter, his entire existence was meant for this. It would happen, and nothing else mattered so much.
The crash of waves against rock echoed a warning that was drowned out by the urgency to reach the place he was meant to be.
V. Wildcard
[As always, anything adjacent to these prompts, other, pre-arranged things we might have discussed, or feel free to hit this up for smaller details like fishing/hunting/foraging business if you like!]