"Don't approach him!" The mother of the child shouted as she drew her away from Jarren's smile. He didn't seem offended as he cast a glance at Callista whose eyes had gone blank. "Let's see if you break or you stand your own kitty." He chuckled inwardly taking another bite.
***
*Whoosh*
The first scene that flooded her vision was of the white oblivion that she had only heard of from Guinevere and yet a part of her felt that it was small. Childish almost for her. She reached out, her fingers glimmering with obsidian and with a deafening crack the white expanse shattered like glass.
'So this is what lays beneath the veil of eternity.' She muttered at the spectacle she came across. It wasn't the infinity of other gods and horrors but one being that towered far above it all. The beginning and the end out of her sight but with her being in it's presence did more than just send her into the abyss that was fear.
The scene around her froze, the myriads of planes, worlds and sub worlds beneath her came to a grinding halt as the abyss lowered it's gaze and bore into her presence. "So this is Jarren." A chuckle escaped her lips, a smile subconsciously forming without her consent as she felt a laugh ripple through the expanse.
"You should consider yourself honored to meet me in this form Callista Vaewlyn." The tomes echoing through her ears foreign and yet she seemed to understand his words. Her senses were beyond overloaded as she felt everything and nothing at once. The precipice of eternity and mortality, life and death till she was far above the childish concepts.
And yet she didn't stop as she began to admire his being. It wasn't brimstone or hellfire but a soothing glitter of sparks that seemed to be stars but not quite. She could hear the wails and praises of horrors and gods alike and yet a a strange silence overwhelmed her to the point of insanity.
Her eyes shimmered with enlightenment, her mortal body chipping away till what was left of her was her soul that lasted no longer than a micro second before it too was swallowed by the eternal expanse of the abyss. Once lost, it wasn't pure darkness that greeted her but rather a myriad of colors even she was perplexed of that existed.
Everything and nothing happening all at once began to chip away at her sanity and yet she kept on indulging with more. "You can afford so don't lose yourself too soon." Such words echoed through her being, not malicious nor warm either. Merely functional as the scene shifted away from the veil above and back to the simple world that she was conceived in.
Her eyes didn't open, she didn't need them any more as she saw those around her. The starving kid, the coachman who was coming down with a cough and the road ahead. It was too sudden and yet it felt familiar to her as if she had done this hundreds of times before.
"Your pity over such beings is admirable." She spoke, her tone measured and regal as the coach kept on with it's path. "Thank you Callista, or whatever what sits next to me." She wasn't at the very least offended, merely in marvel and bored of it all at once. She heard the crunch of the apple, the grunts of men dying out in the battlefield miles away, the whispers of gods above and the ruin of other worlds.
It wasn't overwhelming but rather calming noise she quickly grew entranced in. "Don't lose yourself with the noise, the real game is right in front of you." Her view of the game Jarren played was nothing more than something for him to pass time and yet it functioned as more than that.
After all she came to be out of the madness. "But mommy I'm hungry." The kid mused, her gaze locked with the apple disappearing in Jarren's hands. "We'll eat when we get to our destination. After all we don't know the source of that apple." The mother cast skeptical glances at the pair that seemed on a completely different world than those around them.
The more she looked at them, the more she noted about them. 'Calm poses, clean garments, a dense air of regality hanging around them. It's clear that the two aren't as simple but if so then why would they bother with such a cheap means of traversing?' She couldn't help but wonder as the carriage kept on dragging on.
"Here, you can have one." Jarren posed with a smile handing a fresh apple. The child reached out to it however before she could take a bite it was slapped out of her hands rolling elsewhere. "I'm sure that you should give it to your child. After all it would seem that she needs it."
As if on cue the grumbling of a stomach was heard. The mother bit her lower lip, hesitant of the hand Jarren offered. 'Why would he choose to help up so casually?' She thought, trying to gauge for any value he could get out of them. 'Maybe it's poisoned and he'll get a kick out of it. Maybe he wants something else entirely.'
With the existence of malcore, the rise of psychopaths was bound to happen, people who would abuse power and make those less fortunate bleed to their deaths. It was sickening and thus the knights and other such people took great diligence in their work. But humanity, flawed as it is would have those who would defect.
The apple that was kicked away was taken without much thought from one of the less fortunate and quickly ravaged. From this act alone Jarren and Callista quickly became the center of attention. "Mommy..." The little girl cooed, her mind drove to the brink of insanity as she dared to snap free and rush for the apple Jarren offered.
"I said that you'll have to wait till we get there!" And with that the little girl as much as she wanted to take his offer was forced to take a seat next to her mother. However the pair were quickly approached by a dodgy man, his face showing a thin unscrupulous smile. "Um.. sir! I'm not sure whether you have any more apples but I would be willing to help you relieve them."
Jarren let out a scoff, a playful smile flashing on his lips. 'It would seem that Clomere's plague isn't merciful. With the most of the flora already contaminated, it's hard to find fresh food.' It was a hellscape for the less of society. Those in the higher echelons had the privilege of having their foods properly evaluated or manufactured.
"It would seem that I have one more however I planned on giving it to the little miss." His tone empathetic however Callista could easily see through his guise. The man looked at the little girl, his eye mixed with hostility and reluctance. "It would seem that she won't have be eating the apple thus it would be better to give it to me."
Jarren before he could pose what was on his mind was cut off with the sounds of alarms blaring at the distance. "Quick! We have to go back!" The coachman shouted as he pulled the reins of the horse back. Callista never once bothered with interjecting as she sat patiently for it all to pass as if she was nothing more than a spectator.
"What is going on mummy?!" The girl asked as she felt the mood of the air shift into something more feral. "It's nothing. Just close your eyes and it'll be fine the moment you open them, okay?" The futile efforts of the mother trying to calm her daughter laughed at by Jarren. "It would be best for you to give in to Redfall. I've heard that they live well there."
His words met with hostile glances all over as the carriage began it's retreat back. "Are you...working with Redfall?" A man posed, his figure more lean and we'll defined unlike the man in rags that talked to Jarren before. "I wouldn't say that I'm not working with Redfall but more, I'm more of an observer. I just happen to know someone from there is all."
His tone somewhat innocent however once said those around him grew all the more wary of him. "Is it because of him that we were discovered?!" One posed, their tone filled with venom. Jarren looked around, still seated with his hand resting over Callista. 'It would seem that these people are bunt forced into a corner to the point of sneaking into Caerthalas.'
He chuckled at the fact as the air stirred. "Let's have him leave the carriage! After all it's because of him that we were caught to begin with." Jarren didn't bother interjecting as he saw the advances made in the shadows. 'It would seem the guard ahead was a mole. The loyalty elves have with their kingdom is admirable.'
He went on with such ramblings as the crowd grew rowdy till coming to the decision of having him tossed off. "You! It would be better that -" The man with a defined figure couldn't finish his sentence before his life came to a quick end. An arrow claiming his life and from there the matter got hectic.
Screams and hollers filling the air while Jarren merely smiled it off as if it was the answer of survival.
*Whoosh-Whoosh-Whoosh*
Several more arrows rained from the dense foliage claiming the lives of even more people before the carriage fell silent. The coachman was forced to bring the coach to a halt with the path ahead being closed off. "Step out of the carriage along with those you're shipping. Caerthalas isn't some place where you can and go as you please!" The sound of a guard filled the air, harsh and stern.
Faced with no other option, those remaining in the carriage abode and a search was launched. "Sir, it would seem that there isn't any awakened expert with them. Easy to kill off." The words sending shivers down the people's spine as they waited for their demise. The leader's gaze was more or less dismissive before it landed on the pair.
It wasn't long before he realized that something was odd with the two. "You two! Take off your cloaks now!" He shouted raising a barrier. His men did the same. Jarren looked at the man ahead of him, his pointy ears bringing a chuckle, his narrowed gaze and wary demeanor a cherry on top.
'Should I kill him?' His answer was calm. "It would be too sudden for you to be killing so suddenly. After all what picture would you be presenting to the kids? " Jarren scoffed at her words, amused with her playful manner as he slowly lowered his cloak. The faces of the guards went from that of apprehension to shock before settling at fear.
"Jarren Velros?!" Their leader posed, their hands visibly shaking making the face of those who wished to thwart him off board pause and wonder. Some however quickly realized who he was while others were left in the dark. "Well yes that is my name. Do you have any reason of you to halt my ride into Caerthalas?"
The atmosphere grew tense, the elven soldiers still unaware of what they should do. 'I can't have Redfall attack us in such a state. After all we're still trying to recoup the losses after the mysterious deaths of our elites and main force. Even these aren't as capable as those before.' He knew that if Caerthalas was to go to war with Redfall, the outcome would be unsightly.
Sure they would hold their own far better than most of the human kingdoms but that would be stalling the inevitable. His words had to be well thought off. "Of course not, I wouldn't dare halt any business you may have here in Caerthalas however I'm sure that you would prefer a more suitable means to enter than just some back alley."
Jarren tilted his head in contemplation as he gave his response. "I admire your consideration however I don't like attention that much so can you keep it at a minimum." The mood quickly eased up with smiles flashing from both sides.