Setting
A Beastkin, well technically a Halfkin, staggered through Itas. He would have looked normal if not for two things. He was half naked and his bare torso was covered in markings. He had his eyes fixed on something nobody else could see, and he walked in an odd swerving pattern. To all who saw him, he was a drunk who wandered into town. But Feli actually did have his eyes on something that nobody else could see. The Taint. Or, the trails it left behind at least. It was a black murky trail along the ground, he avoided touching it as much as he could. Because just being near it made him ill. Like the priests and the priestesses, Feli could sense the taint. But unlike them he could not purify it. And also unlike them, he could see it.
He had followed the trail a long way and finally it seemed he was nearing its end. Exhausted as he was, he had to find where it was coming from. It could be the key to ending the Taint. The trail seemed to be taking him directly into the temple of the Elementals. So there he went, up the long flight of stairs to the entrance. At the top he nearly sank to his knees. The Taint was much stronger here. If not for the purity of the temple itself, the priests and priestesses would have been able to sense it. He was jealous that they couldn't. He forced himself to continue, no longer was he able to avoid walking through it, and that was just making things worse.
Feli leaned against one of the pillars in the temple and stared at what the source of the Taint was. The statue that sat in the middle of all six of the temples. This one was of an Elemental woman who seemed to be standing on a pillar of water. Now he found the source, but had to way of dealing with it. He would have to seek out one of the priests or priestesses for help. And hope they didn't think of him as a fool or drunkard.
Rey stopped at the end of the staircase, something wasn't right. She looked past the statue with the head Elemental standing in the pond and to the entrance where a man was propped against one of the four pillars. "Excuse me sir," she said, striding up to where he lay. This is an interesting development, she thought as she approached the shirtless man and knelt in front of him. "Do you need any help? Are you hurt?" She couldn't smell any alcohol on his person and he certainly didn't seem drunk.
Maybe he was dead? It wouldn't be the first time she had found a dead person at the entrance of the Temple. It happened at least once every two months. Apparently there was some belief that if you died in the Temple all of your sins would be forgiven. Stupid really, that people think they could get away with everything and they will be atoned simply by dying on the holy steps.
She placed two fingers on his neck, yup, definitely still living. That's when Rey noticed it, she had been so preoccupied with making sure he wasn't dead that Rey hadn't noticed the markings all over his chest. She had only seen markings like these once before, when she had been attacked by a Beastkin.
The Beastkin didn't like Halfkin, hated them in fact. Feli had been shunned by both of his races, left to die as if he had been poisoned by the Taint in the very beginning. He was old enough he remember what is was like before the Taint. And while he wished for the Taint to stop, he also wished for things to stay how they were. With all the races living in semi peace. Instead of the constant wars from before. In a way, the Taint may have saved more lives that it destroyed. A voice brought Feli out of his thoughts. It sounded female, but you could never be too sure with some of the races.
He started to open his eyes, but must not have responded fast enough, because two fingers were pressed against his neck, as if the person was checking his pulse. Feli opened his eyes completely and looked up at the person. It did seem to be a woman. Her hair was white and her touch was cool. Elemental maybe? She certainly didn't look like any of the other races. She must have been a priestess, because just her touch was blocking out enough of the Taint for Feli to focus. "You are a priestess right?" Feli forced himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the pillar. "I am going to sound crazy, but I promise you that I am not. I can see the Taint and the trails it leaves behind. The source is the statue. If you do not believe me, place your hand on it, feel the Taint running through it."
It was, in fact, a crazy notion, but she would entertain this man's wishes for now. Perhaps he had hit his head and was seeing stars that he believe to be trails? Rey stood and walked over to the statue, hesitating for a second. She wasn't supposed to touch the statue; Rey glanced around quickly to make sure none of the older Priests or Priestess's were coming down before she placed her palm on the cool marble stone, the sickening feeling she always got when the Taint was nearby flooding her senses.
It took a lot not to gag as she took her palm off of the statue in both shock and awe. How did this man now? This Beastkin who had stumbled in from who knows where? "You're right," of course the Beastkin probably already knew this; she turned towards the collapsed figure for only a second, then replaced her attention on the fountain. Rey knelt down and outstretched her hand above the waters surface, she closed her eyes and mumbled something, a soft glow appearing from inside the formation of rock and liquid.
When Rey opened her eyes she felt weak. Purifying the Taint took a lot out of a Priestess and she felt a bit sick from being so close to it. "Is...Is it gone?" She asked slowly, hoping that she had purified all of it. If not Rey would have to do the blessing again which would take even more out of her.
The Halfkin couldn't help but smile a little when the priestess said that he was right. He could have kissed her right then and there, if he had the strength to move that is. He sighed as the priestess started to purify the statue. Feeling better already. Though still wore out from his long journey. When she asked if it was gone, he nodded. "Yes. It is." Just to make sure he scanned the area, seeing no more traces of the Taint. Not even the trails. But that couldn't have been the end of the Taint, it couldn't have been that easy. But at least it was no longer in the area.
Feli pushed off of the pillar, drawing closer to his new favorite priestess. She seemed tired, though it was only understandable after the amount of Taint she had just purified. "I suppose you would like an explaination, wouldn't you?" It was going to be a bit of a long story. So he would suggest they find somewhere to sit down and talk. But only if she wanted an explaination. Maybe she didn't care about how he knew, only that he did. He waited patiently for her answer, not wanting to rush her after what she just did.
Rey was thinking that they could go to the kitchen; it was closed off to the public plus it had snacks and water and the Beastkin looked like he could use a drink. "My name is Rey, what's yours?" She still had her hand outstretched and at this point was wondering if he would take it.
Maybe he couldn't stand because the Taint had poisoned him? Or he was like a Priest and became sick of the Trails were close by, but he had said that she had cleared it all. Still, it would no doubt take some time to recuperate if it was as much as he said.
Feli didn't care where Rey took him, as long as he could sit down for a little while, as he explained the situation to her. His eyes scanned the area again, making sure that the Taint was gone. He was a bit on the paranoid side about it, after having it as a constant companion for so long. The temple no longer held any Taint, but he wouldn't know about the outside world until he went there again. After filling Rey in, and hopefully gaining an ally. If the Taint was still lingering in other places, they could stop it together. With Feli guiding the way and Rey purifying it. Though it would be difficult for Rey with Feli at her side. Since the Halfkin wasn't welcome in many areas because of what he was.
Any Beastkin that they ran into would want to kill, or seriously hurt Feli. And he had caused a bit of trouble in some of the towns he had passed through on his way here. Rey was the first to believe him about the Taint. He had been mocked by many others, as they thought he was crazy. He was little bit crazy, but wouldn't anyone be after some of the things Feli had been through?
Rey pointed out the chairs surrounding a wooden table in the middle of the room and gestured for him to sit. Rey went over to the cabinet and looked through her food, taking out some dried beef strips for Feli (as she had no idea what Beastkin liked) and some cookies for herself. Rey also filled up a cup of water and placed it on the table before she finally sat down.
She fidgeted with the bandage on her arm that had come loose and tightened it quickly, waiting for Feli to begin speaking. Rey would listen to whatever he had to say, he had saved the Temple from the Taint. Rey owed him as much time as he needed to explain his crazy gift.
He eyed the food in Rey's hands like a staving animal. Which he kind of was at the moment. She couldn't have picked something better to give the Halfkin. Beastkin were mostly meat eaters, and Feli loved the stuff. But instead of snatching it and scarfing it down like an animal, Feli forced himself to be civil. He took the dried meat with a small thanks and forced himself to slowly eat the first one. Getting something into his empty stomach before explaining everything to the priestess.
"As you already know. I can see the Taint, and the trails that they leave behind. I've followed this trail for almost three years, trying to find the source. Which was the Elemental statue. I don't know how I can see the Taint, it may or may not have something to do with my lineage. I'm guessing that it wasn't the end of the Taint entirely. But I'm assuming we've somehow lessened it." Feli would have to figure out if there were more trails of the Taint and then he'd ask Rey to come with him and find the others. If they could somehow end the Taint, it would amazing.
Of course that was just Rey's imagination running wild. Taint couldn't speak and if it could she was pretty sure it would be telling everyone to die, or tricking people into drinking into its unholy waters. "Do you want more to drink or eat?" Rey asked, noticing that he had finished the jerky. Without waiting for an answer Rey stood up and went to get more, bringing back a few more pieces then before and refilling his cup as well.
Another question came to mind then and Rey asked it before she could stop herself or consider the consequences. "Why aren't you traveling with a pack?"
Beastkin weren't exactly the most popular people in the world. And even more so since he was a Halfkin. It had practically been him against the world his entire life. Having an ally who was actually willing to work with him would be nice for a change. He eyed the dried meat Rey set down on the table. He was certainly still hungry, but he didn't want be a bother to the priestess. It was his first chance to have an ally, he didn't want to screw it up.
His hopes of an ally were dashed when she asked about why he wasn't travelling with a pack. Feli suddenly didn't feel as hungry anymore. He looked away, Rey didn't know what he was. And if she did, it may ruin his chances at finding an ally. And who knew how many more priests or priestesses would be willing to listen to him like this. But it would be better to tell her now that to have her find out later. "I'm, a Halfkin. Beastkin don't like to travel with a feli." His name in the Beastkin language meant abomination. It was their way of telling him that he wasn't welcome.
She could understand the Beastkin's resentments of half lings, even in the Elemental Temple half lings were treated as lower class citizens and could only get the worst of jobs, Rey however did not agree with these methods and believed that you shouldn't be treated as a lower class citizen based on your DNA. It was something you could not control after all, if anything, the parents are the ones who should be treated as low class.
Rey realized she hadn't said anything and he would probably think that she didn't like the fact that he was a mutt. "I don't want to say I'm sorry, because truly I'm not. The fact that your a halfkin makes no difference to me," she couldn't tell the difference anyways. Before Feli had said anything she would have sworn that he was Beastkin through and through.
"Not many people are like you." He stated, eyeing the dried meat once again. "Most would hate me simply because of what I am." Feli almost didn't know what to do with someone who didn't hate him. So few people had that it was a new thing to him. Now all he had to do was convince her to leave everything and journey with him who knows where in order to end the Taint. Because he knew he couldn't do it himself. But it still had to be done. Even without anyone by his side, he still would try.
"I must ask you. Will you come with me? To follow the trails and stop the Taint?" Feli believed that they could do it. It could take a while, and it could kill them. But couldn't everything these days? It was a risk going, but they would die one day anyway. Either from the Taint or by the hands of someone else. Nobody died peaceful deaths anymore.
It was boring to be honest, Rey loved her fellow Priests but things were so dull during the day. The only time the Priests really got to have fun was when there was a festival. "So you're asking me to abandoned my safety, job, and everything I've ever known in order to accompany you and destroy the Taint?"
"Alright, I'll come." She decided, it was better then staying in this place and being bored to death. "When do we leave?" Rey would need time to pack a few essentials. Her fencing saber, some underwear, a change of clothes, etc. She began to make a list in her head, Rey would probably need to bring a book of useful magic and some healing potions the Priestesses made for the hospitals.
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