Bear the pain…RUN!!
The only thought that was running through his head as he was weaving between the trees, the pads of his feet torn up running barefoot, barely managing not passing out from the blood loss of his wounds. The man was a mess to anyone who looked at him. Dried up blood around numerous lacerations on his bare chest, some bleeding still, hair knotted up and dried out from unhygienic conditions he was kept in
.
“After…all these years…” Barely being able to speak those words, he looked behind him to see if he was being followed, and managed to get caught up on uplifted root and feel to the leaf covered ground. He quickly turned onto his back and pushed himself back with his feet, holding a stolen katana in front of him. The blade wavered in his unsteady hand, not knowing for sure if he was being followed
.
Fear, and even more fear as he scanned through the woods…but nothing came out. He couldn’t take any chances though and tried to get back on his feet but stumbled back onto a knee. “Damn…damn them all,” He growled, panting. He finally managed to get up onto his feet, using the katana as the support that he needed as his whole body was out of it, exhausted from both the run and the blood loss.

Continuing on, not even stopping for a slight rest Zanar just wanted to be as far away from his pursuers as he could. His vision started to get blurry, and he felt like he could collapse at any second, his pace now to a slow walk and the air around him getting colder and colder. “Th-th-this…is…it, isn’t it” Leaning up against one of the trees he stopped. His blue eyes just stared forward into the tree line and when he tried to take another step collapsed to the earth.

Opening his eyes he could see the Katana before him and tried to reach it, but his body gave up on him and his arm dropped to the ground. While he was passed out the Katana and his blood managed to have some sort of magical reaction, as the blade fused with it and the remaining amount of mana within the blood that lined the blade, turning it to obsidian coloration. The process let out a low blue glow as the blade started to metamorphosis in the silence of the woods.

Kalyani had a line tied from her wagon to a tree as she hung out several articles of clothing and sheets from the beds in her wagon up. She was humming to herself when her brown eyes caught movement not that far away. “What is that?” For a moment the gypsy kissed her horse’s nose. “Guard the camp Sehr…”

She had been set up in the forest for only a little while now and she had JUST found a river to wash everything in. Crazy damn people always making it hard on nomads like her. She rolled her eyes and followed the trail of the man she had just seen. She crossed her arms and stubbornly followed right behind him.

She could hear his words thanks to her elven hearing. It was the voice of a desperate man. “That is it?!” Her thick accented voice reached the man. “That is all injured man has left? He runs around in the forest like a chicken with its head cut off and just gives up?” She sighed as she walked up to him and picked him up almost too easily. Taking the katana she put it into her layered skirts for safe keeping.

“Man won’t die today… but you will owe me.” She pulled him along the path. “Sehr… if trouble comes you ring the bell alright?” The horse whinnied at her and she dragged the man up into the magic wagon. “I’ll take care of you.”

Inside the wagon, it sprawled into a two-level Tudor cottage. She dragged him up the stairs quite harshly by turning around and putting her arms under his armpits and pulling. She pulled him into the master bedroom where she started to cut off what was left of his clothes. “You are a mess… You’ll dirty my clean sheets. I just cleaned them.” Any fight this man gave her Kalyani gave it right back to him. “Don’t be stupid and fight those who help you… I believe the saying is… Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth?”

She took a comb and ran it through his hair almost a bit too harshly after bandaging him up. “My name is Kalyani.” This was all she said as she got done and washed him up before throwing him into bed. “And you… It doesn’t matter you will sleep now. Tell me everything later…”

She covered him up after she got done practically manhandling him and made supper for the night. Once it was done she brought a bowl of soup up with some juice and set it down on the stand next to the bed. “Wake up… Food good for hurt people.”

He felt another presence, back in his subconscious, but he had no reaction to him being pulled. He was fighting another battle once again in his mind, whether or not to let the reaper take him. It was more of a primal fight as his will and want to live was the only thing keeping the reaper at bay while he was unconscious. He could hear words, of what seemed like a woman, her accent made it hard to understand anything in his current state.

He was rattled into a semi-conscious state when he was pulled up the flight of stairs. He tried to open his eyes to see, but was still too weak and instinctively started to fight back. Thrown upon the bed and the little bits of garments cut off did not help anything. Zanar tried to fight back, but this woman just kept him right where she wanted to.
The only words that he managed to hear out of the whole situation before he drifted off were, “My name is Kaylani.” He thought once again he was captured and the whole reign of torture would begin once more. He had not strength to fight and just let sleep take him away.

Short lasted and painful sleep it was as, in what seemed like a minute later, he heard her speak again for food. He cared not about whatever slop they were going to feed him and tried to sleep once again. Suddenly, he awoke to a highly unpleasant smell of smelling salts under his nostrils. He bolted up and wide. Immediately he gasped as pain flew through his body and fell back onto the bed. He felt worse than when he first passed out.

Bringing his hands above his face he looked, bandages where over any wounds and finally noticing the soft bed he was one. This was in no way back at his cell. He turned his head and looked over at the woman that was standing there. “So..you were the one..” he stated his voice harsh from the exhaustion, and let out a sigh of relief.

“Better than them…perhaps”

He noticed the bowl of soup and drink out of the corner of his eye, and the smell of it finally managed to overpower the stench of the smelling salts. Hunger immediately over took him and as he tried to reach for it another shot of pain ran through his body. This time though, it wasn’t the pain from his wounds but deeper. “Damn mages…” he growled again as he tried to hold back the pain in his body.

When he refused to wake up Kalyani pulled a vial of smelling salts out of her jewelry chest near the bed. “Well if you really want to be like that little man…” She stuck the bottle right under his nose and watched him jolt up. “Oy oy oy! Don’t do that you will rip your chest open onto my bed and I will make you clean it.” Kalyani had her mouth gaped open for a moment in shock before she straightened out.

She tilted her head. “You got a problem with magic? Do you want me to let you suffer like little human boy? I will. I will let you take months to heal.” She pulled a bowl of herbal remedy away that she had all ready to help heal him. “I will let you suffer. You will not like it.” She teased before laying it back down on the other stand.

“I help.” She pushed him up and put pillows behind him to help him sit. “Your name strange man who has serious adolescent angst with mages… What is it?” She took the spoon and dipped it into the soup before blowing on it and offering it to him. “Here, I will feed you like a tiny baby if you cannot do it.” She chuckled as she teased him. “You need food to get stronger… So herbal bath doesn’t kill you.” She showed that she was joking with her facial expressions.

Sensing he may have struck a nerve with the mage comment on accident, he let out an exhausted sigh. “Not all mages, Abusers of their powers…those who seek to harm and kill with that which was gifted to them.” He looked at the bowl with the herbs. The suffering he could handle, it was being here for that long is something he couldn’t risk.
As she helped him to sit up, it was still painful for him to move even that much but once situated the pain started to fade away a little bit. “My name is Az-“Before he could finish that sentence he started to cough, bringing his hand up to shield his mouth. After the fit he realized he almost gave his birth name and took a deep breath. “Zanar, Zanar Arowin.”

He wasn’t going to complain about her offering to help him eat, was kind of relieved to see someone who had a joking side with them as well. He ate the amount that she had on the spoon and it was like bliss to him, far better than anything he had for a while. “Now that is food…now some murky water down slop I’ve been eating, thank you.”
He let his eyes dart around seeing any routes he could use to get out when he was more recovered, not fully, but enough so that he could move fast enough. He didn’t need a stranger like her to get in the crossfire in this battle. “Keeping me here is dangerous; once I am recovered I will be out of your hair. After all I could be a prisoner that escaped some dungeon cell, wanted by any number of people.”

Though if she brought me back her by herself, she could handle herself against a few…but not all of them.

She paused at his name and took a deep breath. “You have asshole for name.” There was no way he had the same name but she took a look at him. “Exlover leave me in flaming carriage with a dead horse… His name was Zanar too. You have name of asshole.”

Kalyani smirked at him. “I learn to make food from other nomads. We share recipes so that when we’re in distant lands we can still cook good food. Because bad food will kill you more than a dangerous situation.” She poked the center of his forehead. “You are welcome.”

She shushed him and fed him all the food before putting the food down. “I’m not scared of anyone. If I got a problem I call my adopted mother and she destroys them.” She huffed a bit. “Scariest bitch this side of Revaliir, I promise.” She sat on the bed with him and slowly began to get rid of his bandages. “What happen?” Kalyani tilted her head at him. “You all by yourself with just a katana in forest about to give up… You are tortured and I know these wounds.” She touched them softly before taking a cloth dipped in the herbal remedy and rubbed it into his chest.

“It will sting.” She warned a bit too late as she kneaded the herbs into the wound. “It will take longer to heal if I don’t use magic. Your choice though. Can I use healing magic with the herbs or not?” She looked up at him and put her black hair back. "I do lots of healing like this. I got thrown out of my city very young centuries ago."

“Coincidence in name I suppose. Sorry to hear that he left you in such a state, seems like a jerk of a person.” He stated. “Yet, we both are probably assholes, me cause of my profession of choice.” The name was not that common of a name, but he had heard it around and thought it would make a perfect alias, “Nomads…yes they do know their way around, living off the lands and moving when the time is need. Just like the Ravens..” Sorrow completely apparent in his voice when he said that word, it was still hard to think about them.

“Scariest bitch on this side of Revaliir, eh?” With that it was made apparent on where she got her attitude from, not a bad thing in a sense but scary all the same. As the bandages were getting removed he could actually see the damage done, both from the running and the mages. It was far worse when blood wasn’t around the wounds…to actually see them was almost sickening. Only the tribal raven tattoo on his left pectoral wasn’t damaged. “The katana? I had almost forgot about that…only thing that let me escape.”

This woman, was smarter than she seemed at first glance, knowing the signs of torture was not something an everyday woman or even man would know. “You are correct, I was tortured in a way most people would not even think of, and because of that torture my body can no longer draw in mana the way even a basic human could…the flow was destroyed and ruptured causing these wounds,” he tried to stay calm but the thought of it just made him even more angry, and only managed not to snap grasping onto the sheets with the little strength he had.

“All to get information on Azelas…the last Raven..a ghost one could say.”

He knew that the information he was giving out was vague, but he couldn’t say too much or else. These people that he were running from were no joke, they were dangerous, far too dangerous. He winced as the herbal remedy entered his wounds, she was not kidding when she said it would sting. It did not help that some of them were pretty deep into his flesh as well. “Feel free to use healing magics…its not all mages I hate…just that group, and any who wish to abuse their power.”
“Got thrown out of your city…for healing? That doesn’t seem right…but you can never know with people.
”
“My group was betrayed…destroyed, wiped out from existence, the same group that is trying to find me.”

There was a smirk on her face. “You are in nomad house right now. This is magic nomad house. You can go outside later and look. I move about once a week. You are very lucky I found you. Normally I do not stay in Virens long because I dislike pesky village people from Vilpamolan thinking they can rip me off.”

Kalyani thought about it. “My adopted mother is over three thousand years old. It’s made her grumpy in old age. Once saw her curb stomp a man because she wasn’t into his advances. No warning… didn’t even try to tell him to stop. I was ten.” Tilting her head again this time to the other side she laughed. “Katana is downstairs in kitchen on a weapon rack. I make everyone leave their weapons at front door so if they rip me off I can bash their faces in with cast iron skillet.”

For a moment she was quiet. “There was a time in the desert… Where people would be tortured for what they were. Rosenites? You got caught by Adelunian guard you were pretty much dead. I was a little girl and I saw much death. Adeluna once hated us. I once asked adopted mother about it and she told me humans are scum of the world.” She took a breath. “We left the desert and not long after that we get message… Adeluna attacked Arri. Killed many women and even raped a lot more. Mother was furious and she was crying but she couldn’t go… She had me. I remember very little from it because I was very young. The wounds though? Always stuck with me.”

After a few pauses she looked at Zanar. “Not all humans are bad just like not all mages.” She understood his pain but she had never been through it herself. “As for me…” She kneaded it evenly into his wounds and blew a soft green aura onto it from her lips. Her magic was warm as it healed. “Arri is populated by Rosenites and Elves but up until three hundred or so years ago… Elves no like reproducing with Rosenites. There was a first wave of half elves born from them.” Kalyani pushed her hair back showing even more defined elvish ears. “My parents died during an attack while they were making their way from the desert. Adopted mother was marrying my father’s brother. He died too… but she took me in because half elves at the time in Arri if had no parents ended up dead. The Rosenites did their best to take care of them but there were too many orphans.”

Kalyani finished bathing his wounds and applying magic. “I went home when I was fifteen… The reason why I got kicked out was because I commited taboo. I am a seer by trade, it’s how I make my silver. I fortune tell and divine. Taboo in Rosenite culture. So no one wanted me so I left in exile. Been nomad ever since. Then a few years ago I run into old hag. She had nice wagon that could turn into house on the inside. I made a bet and knew I would lose because she was a cheating bitch… so I cheated too. Got house that way… and horse to pull it.”

She put the bowl back on the shelf and got new bandages to fix him up more. “I keep in contact with some Rosenites but not a lot. It’s taboo what I do and I know that. I do not blame them for disliking my trade. Only the reborn dead can do what I do… like my adopted mother.”

Once she got him completely bandaged up. “How are your legs? Are they strong? I can take you downstairs to sit and eat more food if you like…”

Nomad house? He was confused and intrigued by what she had just said. How could something like this move from place to place? It must be some sort of magical item or something entirely different than that. "Well, either way, it is nice to have somewhere to shelter from the elements out there on particularly nasty days."

"Ah, so you did retrieve it. Good, I sense it will be a good partner from here on out."

He just listened as she spoke of her past, and couldn't help but to feel a little sorry for her. He had forgotten that there were other people out there who suffered, for so long he had been on the run and thought of only himself. It was hard, hard to actually see the world with a more wide horizon than the tunnel vision that he had resided in for so long.
The warmth of her healing magic sent a chill up the spine as it exited his form. He had forgotten that magic could also be the white variety. It seemed that his whole past had closed his mind out to a lot of things, so sheltered, was he. So filled with hate and disgust that he forgot to look at the beauty and magnefic world that surround him. "Mayhaps you are right. There good be good mages and humans.." he said with a tone of defeat, "but that does not excuse the actions of those that would use power for their own misconduct…especially a power such as magic."

"Rosenites huh? Never seen one, but I have heard about them. Never thought my first encounter would be a hybrid of sorts," he stated with a slight chuckle not trying to offend her. His question about the house was answered when the mention of the wagon from the hag. "Impressive, no one would ever expect a nice place like this inside of a small wagon at all. Has to be some sort of alternate plane or dimension that gives birth to this…contained in some sort of field. My apologies…one tend to pick up on a few details when they become a dark mage hunter."

"You found yourself…that's all that matters. Who cares if it is taboo if it is what you want to do, that's what I say"

He moved his legs under the covers and nodded a little bit. "yes I do believe I can move some now, though not at full strength of course..so may need a little bit of guidance." He stated, he felt calmer now than when he first got here. He felt like he could be at ease for a little bit at least.

Kalyani laughed a bit at him. “They normally call us mutts. My feelings aren’t hurt so easily.” The gypsy gave him a smile as he talked about the magic. “I heard it’s called spacial magic. Lots of wizards and mages do it to hide their homes and laboratories.”

She watched him move for a minute. “You are naked by the way.” Going over to a truck she lifted it open and dug through it. “Looks too big for you. I make it fit.” She helped him stand and she didn’t really mind his nudity as she helped him slip the pants on. Retrieving her sewing kit she helped take it in. She was nimble and fast with her fingers. “I might have shirt but I would probably need to tailor that. Lot harder than pants though.” She tossed them to him when she was done. “Crap job but they will last until you get new pair.”

Once he was dressed she took him into her arms and helped him lean into her. “Lean on me and we’ll walk together.” She took him out into the hallway. There were two rooms. “You are sleeping in mine for now because it was easier than bending you into doorway. There is a washroom up here too.” She was gentle this time as she got him down the stairs and sat him in a chair at her table.

“Feel better yes? Not being a pussy ass man stuck in bed?” She wasn’t trying to insult him but the look on her face met that it was a joke.

The door got opened and a Vilpamolan man came in. “Kalyani, I need three more days to pay.”

Kalyani made an annoyed face. “See what I mean about pesky Vilpamolan scum.” She turned on her heel. “No, you pay now. Six hundred silver was the agreed price.”

“I can’t Kalyani. Look I’m sailing out and I’ll be back with the silver.” Kalyani made a face and grabbed her skillet from the hook. “Now Kalyani I know that sounds bad!”

“Bad? You say three days then you say you are sailing out. Sailing out takes more than three days. You are filthy liar.” She clocked him hard with the skillet. Thanks to his nonhuman blood he got back up. “Six hundred silver tonight… or I will send pirate queen after your cheap ass.” The man’s face went white as blood ran down it. “All I have to do is tell her your name and Furtuna will blast you out of the ocean.” The man threw a sack of silver out of her.

“That’s two hundred… I’ll bring the other four by tonight. For the love of the gods don’t send Furtuna after me.”

“Then pay your debt. I hate Vilpamolan scum.” She put her foot on his ass and pushed him out on his way out. She slammed door shut. “Now I have blood on my skillet. How am I supposed to make good meal for hurt man if I have blood on it?” She picked up the sack of silver. “Should count this and make sure its two hundred. I sorta want to see Furtuna blow him out of water.”