((OOC: Eep! This event is almost over. If someone replies quickly then I will try to do the same.))

Chae put her hands in the water.

The river is the heart of a place. Its changing waters take a constancy of their own, a pulse which pours sustenance through riverbed capillaries and into the tissue of symbiosis. It is the boundary between elements and ecosystems, the summit of genetic richness and biotic beauty. It is where truces are made, however reluctantly, between every organism who would presume to share in its bounty. But it is also where deals are broken, where predators take their advantage and their prey.

She cast a dark spell, sending greenish shadows into its perpetual wake.

It was pleasant, for once, to feel the cool touch of the river on unbroken skin. Chae’s face was full, the stench of her rot subsided, and even a secret smile had glanced over her lips once or twice that afternoon. She had feasted recently, though not in this sacred realm, and had decided in her refreshment that there were things to be learned on this strange new island. She would gather rare plants for the alchemy workshop and discover new aspects of foreign, divine magicks. She might even attempt to parley with the locals and learn bits of their history or language.

The darkness seeped into the soil, chasing aquatic life to the rocky corners of their habitat.

But first, she wanted to investigate the nature of this place. What were the energies and systems that sustained it? How would it respond to hostility? Where did divinity end and nature begin? She had chosen the Ignius section for its warmth, a thing which she both craved and was incapable of truly feeling. She had spent many hours exploring this quarter of Angela’s island in the high noon hours, and now she was ready to disrupt it. She should have anticipated the response.

Her little fingers wiggled in the spell’s casting, like a worm on a hook.

Chae was a maker and breaker of systems, a researcher, a hypothesizer. But it was easy to stand on the mighty pedestal of amoral theory and forget about the variables of realism and consequence. She had her constants and her controls, but she did not have the protection of plain old common sense. She was grinning as she watched the water darken and the fauna flee, searching greedily for an abnormal effect such as a retaliatory magic or an automatic healing trigger. She did not see the monster that lurked in the shadow of her own creation.

The crocodile launched out of the river, stretched its maw over her arm and shoulder, and pulled her in.

Hiro Kouen had found his way to the this Horae Island, the Island of four seasons, a very strange place.  How could four different ecosystems with radically different climates exist?  It had to be some kind of powerful magic at work here.  Hiro made his way through the hot grassy fields.  He was human, but there was a touch of something else there.  His mother was a fire elemental, his father, despite being human, was also highly attuned to fire.  He wasn't at the level is father was at in terms of being in tune with fire magic, he wasn't able to master the power of resisting flames, but he just had to practice at it.  He had to expose himself to heat, like his father always said.  To meld with flames, one had to become one with flames.  So that's what he was doing, or attempting anyway.

He was wearing his suit of mythril armor, a light, but protective metal armor, tinted red, a particular customization he asked of the blacksmith.  Hiro's father always wore red armor, he wanted to be a hero like his father, a master of fire magic, maybe it was time to wear similar armor to him.  Under the red armor he wore black clothes, and carried a hand-and-a-half long sword on his side.  It was very hot out here, especially in metal armor.  But he wasn't going to let the heat get the better of him.  He was sweating, all he needed was some nice, clean, cold water to pick him back up.

He marched through the fields on foot, his sapphire eyes finally gazing on a river.  The raven haired man perked up at the sight of water, and picked up the pace, quickly reaching the river, only to feel some sort of odd aura radiating from the water.  It was like a miasma.  Something wasn't right.  But there wasn't time to dwell on that, he saw what appeared to be a person reaching into the water, only to be grabbed by the vicious maw of a terrible crocodile in the river.

"Oh Gods!  I'm coming!  Hold on!"  He hadn't even had a chance to see if the person was a male or female, and his attention to detail hadn't picked up that this small person may have not been human at all, or even living.  He just saw a small person, possibly a child, being grappled by a monster of an animal, and he had to work quickly to save them.  He reached to his belt, the sword he normally wielded, the bastard sword, was far too big to wield against a monster like this in while in the river.  He could hack the poor victim's hand clean off or something.  He needed something smaller, like a knife or dagger.  Reaching to his belt, he dropped the sheath to his bastard sword, and grabbed a second blade from his belt, a small dagger made out of a dark, obsidian material.  It was a heat dagger.  It's blade could heat up to varying temperatures so he could cut through flesh or scale with relative ease.  He quickly dove into the water and wrapped his left arm around the croc, and with his right hand, started stabbing the damn monster with his dagger.

"Let!  This!  Person!  Go!  Just!  Die!  Dammit!"  The heat dagger's blade blazed with powerful flames causing steam to radiate from the water as they splashed about.  The blade was able to penetrate the croc's heavy scales with relative ease, a regular dagger could not have done this.  But this keepsake from his father worked well against the heavy hide of this monstrous animal.  Finally, the animal stopped moving, releasing the hand of the person it was attacking from its death grip.  Hiro panted heavily, climbing out of the water, appearing winded.  He sheathed the dagger back onto his belt and looked to the person he just saved.

"Are you all right, are you intact?  Why do I feel . . . sick . . ."  He suddenly dropped to the ground, suddenly not feeling good at all.  He was covered in blood on his armor, and he was also soaked in water from the river, which he hadn't even realized was now poisoned.  "Was that monster poisonous?  Why do I feel so much pain?"  He gripped his stomach, his whole body ached and pained.  This person was probably bleeding to death, and he was paralyzed in pain.  What was going on?

For a few long moments, Chae was in another world. There was an intense pain in her shoulder where the teeth had clamped down, breaking through bone and tearing flesh and sinew. She could feel the slippery grasp of its tongue on her arm and the hungry contractions of its throat on her hand. Her face was pressed against the wall of its teeth, her head having barely avoided being cleft in two by the force of its snapping jaw. Instinctively she pulled away, pressing her free hand against its scaly lips, but that only served to stretch the wounds on her arm and sever whatever connections remained.

An exasperated groan followed the fading rush of fear and uncertainty. Chae had resigned herself to meet in her end in the gastric juices of a lazy reptile; the only thing to dread now was how long it would take. But suddenly its grip on her loosened. She felt herself tossed onto the gravelly riverside, one arm completely limp, and could only watch as a stranger—her purported savior—slaughtered the beast that had attacked her. Her eyes shined with fresh curiosity as they moved toward the singular anger on his face, wondering at his determination.

It did not occur to her to thank him. The first thing he said to her, when the thing was finally dead, had nothing to do with the feat he had just completed. So she would not acknowledge it either. 

“I poisoned it,” the little lich explained, with neither remorse nor pride. There were gaping holes in her chest and shoulder, though her blood did not have enough life in it to fill them with proper healing. She poked a finger into one of the fresh wounds and wiggled it around, investigating the extent of the damage. With a sigh she slumped forward and looked through the grasses around them. “The goddess has surely planted some milk thistle or burdock root somewhere around here. Steam it up in a tea and you’ll be fine.”

Her attention wandered to the water again, the quickly dissipating shadow. Any bird or mammal that drank of it in the next few minutes would suffer stomach pains for days, if they did not die outright. But the fish themselves would only feel the vague confusion that comes from witnessing a shadow without a source. At least, that was her intention. She would have to stick around and observe to see what the true effects were.

Only then did she actually look at the poor man, his face twisted in pain and his limbs stiff with paralysis. Her first thought tread on ancient instincts: Holy magic. Chae had been an expert, a lifetime ago, but she had not tried to cast it since she had been raised. The risk of destroying her undead flesh in the process was too great. The only other option was the old fashioned way. “I suppose I’ll find it,” she breathed, struggling to stand. In the meantime, she wondered what the actual effects of her magical poison were. “What do you feel?”

It seemed the person he saved was an odd one.  She had a pale sickly appearance, and didn't seem to be writhing in agony over having her arm nearly chewed off.  But she was not child, despite being very short.  A halfling?  But why is she so calm, pale, and thin?  Weren't most halflings lively?  This one almost seemed like she was dead, but still living, living dead?  He pushed those thoughts aside, the pain in his stomach was agonizing.

"Poisoned?  The water?  W-why?"  Why would anyone poison the water?  To kill the wildlife?  To kill people?  What good would that do?  This person was a strange one, perhaps an evil one.  He might die or something if the poison was that bad.  She poked at the wounds on her arms.  She suggested he find milk thistle or burdock root.  What the hell was burdock root?  Milk thristle?  She talked like he knew what either of those things were.  "I don't even think . . . I can stand, let alone know what those things are."

She decided, as if it were a burden, to assist Hiro in saving his life.  "T-thank you, miss."  She did seem to be injured quite badly considering her arm, but she didn't look as if she was going to die from bleeding out.  "How do I feel?  I . . . I can't really feel my limbs, and my stomach aches, like it's burning inside."  Did it matter how he felt if she could help him?  Did the symptoms vary the kind of assistance she could give him? "H-Hiro.  My name is Hiro, Hiro Kouen.  Who are you?"

((Forgive me for rambling. Trying to get those drops. XD))

“Chae,” she responded absently, searching the area for the herbs she had mentioned before. It was difficult to walk, to keep her balance with her arm hanging heavily to one side. The holes which the crocodile had ripped into her compromised her center of balance and her control over her body, leaving her to stumble through the tall reeds and grasses with little hope for grace. 

At least she could walk. At least she did not feel the same pains that her rescuer felt now. Still, a part of her was jealous of him, that the sensation was full and great. While Chae could not despair of such agonies, neither could she enjoy the pleasures of life in equal measure. Her blood did not flow with life, her brain did not spark with feeling, and the magic that sustained her did so in the numbest and barest sense of the word. "I wanted to see what would happen."

As she searched, her mind perused his other words. She remembered the surname, though it would take her many minutes to recall exactly from where. Hopefully he was not so important that she would have to deal with the presumptive wrath of some wealthy family or self-involved monastery. His symptoms were as she expected and, though she would never admit it aloud, she was glad to have a human subject for comparison. She would have to write it down as soon as she got back to the library. As soon as she had the thought, Chae spotted something of use. It was neither milk thistle or burdock root, but it would get the man back on his feet long enough to see a proper healer. 

Well, at least one with a proper store of ingredients. 

By the time she returned to him, not five minutes later, she had summoned a large porcelain cup with clean water. Some of it lapped onto her sleeve as she knelt beside him, the hyperica herb clenched between her teeth. Her lap was not as high as most, but it could raise his head high enough that he would not choke on the tea. Chae placed the cup in his hands as she crushed the herb into the water, then compromised a fireball spell to heat it. The process was second nature to her, as had she recognized the medicinal plant instantly. It was a strange feeling, to use her old healing talents. Chae felt herself resenting the instinct.

“It may be tempting to escape the pain through sleep,” she said shortly. “Don’t do that.” Then she tipped the cup carefully to his lips. As soon as she was sure he had drank some, she stuck a thumb in and tucked a dew drops beneath his eyes and near his hairline—a common practice, back home. She might have put it elsewhere as well, but his armor was not a thing she knew how to remove.

She needed to keep him awake. “That was very brave, what you did,” she mentioned, more observant than thankful. “Why did you help me?”

She didn't seem like a good person, she poisoned a river JUST to find out what would happen?  She probably would have deserved to have that croc eat her.  The animals in the area would likely die, and what if someone like him were to drink from that water?  He was lucky Chae felt kind enough to make an antidote for the poison, considering he just saved her life.  He felt disgusted in her actions, but he could not really complain to her, considering she held his life in her hands. 

"The animals would . . . be poisoned.  People could die, if there were any settlements nearby, or if anyone chanced upon it to take a drink."  He watched as she started producing the medicinal tea, he was feeling sleepy, but on her advice, he resisted the urge to close his eyes.  She placed some water (hopefully not poisoned water) on his face, he didn't know what she was doing, was this part of a ritual or magic to purge the poison from his body?

"Why did I help you?  I saw a person in need.  I saw a person being attacked by a wild animal.  You could have been killed.  So I saved you.  I did not know who you were, or what you were doing there, it didn't matter.  I saved you.  That's what heroes do.  They save those in trouble.  They protect the innocent, the help those in need, they defend those who need saving.  It's the right thing to do."  It was a simple answer, it didn't require much thought to come up with the reason WHY he saved her.  It was second nature to him.