Author: Pyzis, Posted: Tue Dec 29, 2015 2:38 PM, Post Subject: Ingredients (p)

Pyzis shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts as she watched Zephyra take out another enemy. There was no fear in her yellow eyes as she inspected the younger woman. It was not that she disapproved, it was that her methods struck a little close to home with her fears. 

"Don't worry about me, I just need to come to terms with my trauma. So long as we don't kill them I will be okay," she offered as she watched a smile spread across Zephyra's face. If the girl were willing to head off into danger with Pyzis, then they would indeed remain close friends. 

Pyzis ran after her, pushing aside branches and think foliage as they made their way up the side of the volcano. It was a good thing both women were in excellent shape because soon the terrain gave way to lava rock on a steep incline. Not long later she was panting and choking as the air became thick with black smoke. Their progress slowed as the ground became too steep to run up.

"We are looking for a red flower that looks almost like a lily. The middle glows yellow, and it grows close to the heat. I'm sure there will be vents that open up to lava. That will be where it grows, but we need to be careful. The fumes from the volcano will knock you out pretty quickly." she coughed as smoke began to darken the blue sky above. She was used to fire, and it could do no damage to her, but smoke was something entirely different. Pyzis stopped her run to reach into her backpack to retrieve a strip of cloth for bandaging she had brought. She ripped the long piece in two and handed one-half over to Zephyra. Expertly she tied the white cloth around her head to cover her mouth and nose. While this would make running more difficult at least, she wouldn't be coughing. 

Pyzis felt responsible for Zephyra's safety as she was the one who had insisted on continuing their quest. Suddenly the ground rumbled again. Large rocks tumbled down the slope and Pyzis dodged a few that came right towards her. A small one flipped up and scratched her arm, but she hardly noticed. It took all her concentration to stay on the mountain herself. She looked back to make sure Zephyra was okay before starting to jog uphill when the shaking stopped.

Author: Zephyra, Posted: Sat Dec 19, 2015 10:41 PM, Post Subject: Ingredients (p)

Perhaps it should have been relevant information that Zephyra could, indeed, utilize an innate power within herself to protect herself or harm others. After all Pyzis had been quite sharing in her abilities. She had seen the phoenix blast banshees to smoldering smithereens with her blazing fireballs, but she had also seen the entire woman take herself into a giant flame and come out as a petite phoenix. And in this form the woman had shed the tear of a phoenix and her scrapes and gashes from the banshees had healed up and become something that no longer existed. Then she had watched the bird take to the flame to return to human form. Oh the questions she had for her! If only now weren’t entirely the worst time ever.
 
When she glanced over at her companion she could see the hint of a wince in her expression, the tinge of fear and regret in her body language. Pyzis was an overly kind and nice person and, while she had no idea of the torture and madness the woman had been forced to endure, she could understand why a delicate girl such as she might not find her ways of dealing with things acceptable. The fingers on her right hand outstretched to the two envisioning their fears. Her fingers seemed to spasm in a dance and red energy shot to their heads. In an instant they were out, snuffed out unconscious just as if someone blew out a candle. “I guess I should know by now not everyone is comfortable with my methods. They’re fine, just unconscious.” She explained, even if it felt odd having to explain.
 
Fire erupted again near her and it was in the palms of her phoenix friend. Despite her discomfort, she set ablaze the scant clothes these villagers wore. The man didn’t go far before he dove into the dirt and was rolling around in the mud trying to snuff out the flames. It wasn’t hard. With enough work he managed to put out the fire and with a flick of Zephyra’s fingers she managed to knock him unconscious as well.
 
Next she heard the creak of wood and Pyzis had withdrawn a bow from her back on one of the villagers who was running as best as he could given the terrain and his garb. The phoenix let loose an arrow that put up a wall of flames before the man and stopped him in his tracks. When she and Py caught up with him he was already cowering in fear and he cowered even more when she flared up her fire. She was content to leave this one awake but Zephyra wasn’t. She flicked her fingers and he slumped over defenseless. They likely didn’t understand that they were being attacked to ensure they didn’t make a sacrifice so it was best they had no way.
 
Zephyra turned her head to Pyzis who asked if she would still be willing to brave the mountain and the potential lava to find the plant she was looking for. A wide smirk of mischief spread across her face. Of course she was still willing. “Of course I am. It’s what I came for isn’t it now? Let’s get on the move and maybe we can beat the lava.” She took off down the path back to the village and then turned and took off running towards the mountain. The lava was just beginning to roll over the lip of the volcano.

Author: Pyzis, Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 11:19 PM, Post Subject: Ingredients (p)

Pyzis smiled as Zephyra told her about her abilities, it was nice to know that the woman could defend herself. Zephyra had watched as Pyzis had thrown fireballs at banshees until they burned to a crisp. There hadn't been as much of an opportunity fo her to see what the younger woman could do. The villagers had returned with spears in hand and with a tinge of fear herself Pyzis watched Zephyra dispatch two of them through their biggest fears. That was something that on an average day Pyzis would not stand for, the idea of mentally manifesting someone's deepest fears was too much like the torture she had lived through. She wouldn't subject another human being to a fate like hers, but right now it was these villagers fears or her life. 

Once the first two were taken care of Pyzis summoned fire once more, the heat of it pooled in both of her hands. She flung her fingers out towards one of the men, and the fire ran from her fingers and sprayed onto his clothing. It was all superficial, and if the man stopped, he would be able to put it out. Pyzis wouldn't hurt these people if she could avoid it. They were only doing what they thought would save their home. Though that was how most wars started no matter who was in the right. 

The next man ran away, and Pyzis pulled the Phoenix bow off of her back. The beautifully carved bow had been created from the ashes left over after a Phoenix was reborn. It seemed only fitting that she wield it in human form. Carefully she drew back the string and an arrow made of fire formed. She aimed ahead of the man to stop him and succeeded when the ground before him erupted in flames. At a jog Pyzis caught up to him and stared him down with her yellow eyes. He cowered in fear before raising his hands above his head in surrender.

"I think we are done her Zeph, do you still wish to brave the mountain with me to find this plant? If we need to, I can transform and fly the two of us out. I need to get to it in case the lava or fire destroys it." she said urgently. If this plant was said to aid healing, there was no way sh would let it be consumed by fire. They would need to run practically up the mountain, hoping boulders, lava, or smoke didn't hinder them. It was a risk she was willing to take, in case this yielded a potion that could help people. 

Author: Zephyra, Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2015 12:07 AM, Post Subject: Ingredients (p)

It must have been terrifying for Pyzis, a woman who was not quite a woman, to suddenly find herself bound in ropes and surrounded by the unfamiliar, dark, and painted faces of the tribesmen. They were certain the young woman was pure and ready to sacrifice her. It was why Zephyra was relieved she was able to dispatch a few without killing them and disintegrate the ropes around her wrists and ankles until she was how she was once more. Despite the ordeal the young Pyzis didn’t seem too shaken or too worse for the wear. She would have asked if she were ok, but the answer seemed quite apparent.
 
Pyzis said her name and she said it in the questioning sense as when you find out one of your close friends is or has something strange. She supposed up until now that they hadn’t really encountered much need for her powers and so she had not used them. Instead she had been doing things a perfectly normal human wat and that she was certainly not. No she was born of vampiric blood and plant life. A special breed started by Willow Rose, the original Rosenite. Perhaps she would tell Pyzis the story once they got out of this mess. “Sorry, I suppose I should have mentioned. I can sort of fend for myself if I need to. I was blessed with mental and chaos magic at a young age.”
 
Then the phoenix thanked her and mentioned they should probably go be certain that they did not pick off enough girl to sacrifice. She couldn’t argue. The next girl might not be so lucky and it was entirely possible that they were going to have the entire tribe coming back for them. Now they had two virgins and what could possibly be better to sacrifice than two? The stories usually told of only one sacrifice.
 
As they readed themselves, the primitive villagers returned with very poorly made spears that obviously go the job done but would have been no match for a skilled warrior. Zephyra smirked for she rather liked to be able to dabble in her mental magics. It wasn’t often that she got to play a little mental havoc with people and it was the bit more sinister side of her that enjoyed this fun. She moved forward but it appeared all in one movement, but jerky and not easy to track. With a few quick dances of her fingers, she shot a bit of red magic into two of the tribal men’s brains. Then she stepped backwards in the same jerky way and laughed.
 
Instantly one of them fell to the ground clawing at their own body and face and screaming in a language she could not recognize, though she knew what he was saying for she could see what visions he saw. He saw his fear of birds and they were swarming him like vultures on a dead animal. The other began flailing on the ground like he had been thrown in a pool of water. It was what he was envisioning. He was trapped in the middle of a lake and he was gasping for air, despite the fact that was in no true danger at all. “Everybody is afraid of something. Even tribesmen.” She smiled, perhaps a bit too pleased with herself. “I have some mental magic that can be of use. But you go ahead while I ready my magic to render them unconscious.”

Author: Pyzis, Posted: Mon Dec 7, 2015 4:13 PM, Post Subject: Ingredients (p)

By the time Pyzis had heard Zephyra yelling for her to get out ropes were biting into the exposed flesh of her arms. The villagers were surprisingly efficient at tying up strangers, in moments she was completely immobile. The circle closed in around her, and she couldn't see the black hair of her companion anywhere around. Strange painted faces with brown eyes met her gaze, and the chanting roared in her ears. Suddenly two globes of red energy that swirled with a black smoke shot out from a pair of delicate hands. Instantly two of men in the circle fell to the ground. Pyzis got a glimpse of Zephyra standing over them before a smaller stream of the same energy hit the bindings around Pyzis, and she was free. Two more villagers had fallen before they scattered leaving the two alone in the middle of the huts. 

"Zephyra?" Pyzis said as she looked at the girl again. She hadn't known that there was any magic within the girl, nor would she have guess chaos magic. Zephyra spent her time flitting about happily in a tiny ball of enthusiasm. The gaze that met Pyzis' eyes was something different. She could see something deep within that multicolored gaze that unsettled her a little. Then she remembered she was a human with yellow eyes that could summon fire instantly and turn into a bird. There was no time to worry about silly things like expectations now.

"Thank you, we should probably make sure they don't find another girl to sacrifice," she shouted as the volcano rumbled again. It belched out thick black smoke now, and she could see slow churning lava flowing out of the tip. It wouldn't be long now before half the island was devoured by fire in the very least. Pyzis summoned the heat to her palms and prepared for the villagers return. She was correct and watched as they ran back holding primitive spears. There was no way she would hurt any of them, but fear was just as useful. With an over the top gesture, Pyzis swept her arm out before her and Zephyra. Flames spread out before them, forcing the natives to keep their distance. A wicked grin spread across her face, and she let a little of the insanity that threatened her at all times peek through. No matter how much she pretended to forget about her imprisonment, there was no denying that it had threatened her sanity. There was a darkness sin her mind that she kept at bay.

After her display, the villagers backed off, seeking simpler prey. Pyzis wasn't going to let some poor girl be sacrificed to a volcano so she chased after as swiftly as she could. If Zephyra could repeat that show of power, they would have no issue taking on this group again.

Author: Zephyra, Posted: Sat Dec 5, 2015 9:24 PM, Post Subject: Ingredients (p)

Zephyra did not mind Pyzis’s hand wrapped around her arm leading her places. She was frightened right now and wasn’t sure what to do. Her mind was reeling with all the possibilities but other than swimming, they all involved trying to get on a boat and get out. But judging from the looks of things she was far more likely to get shoved into the water or killed trying to get on a boat than she was to make it out safely. Sadly, her being a young girl wouldn’t matter much. It never did when people were in such a panic.
 
Then, pushing past the fog of her mind, came the voice of her companion. Her voice was not panicked and it was calm, so perhaps she knew something that Zephyra did not. She said they were not in danger, though Zeph would have liked to have known how, but that they should do to the village and see if they could help out those people there. She noted that not all of these people would get off the island in time and with that much she could agree. So this time, now that Pyzis had released her arm, she willfully followed her on a path inland.
 
The underbrush was thick and sometimes Pyzis had to help her get over it, under it, or through it with her dagger and brute force. They passed through some trees and then finally there was a very clear dirt path. She could hear weird chanting that was very ritualistic in nature. Her gut wrenched with wanting to return to the chaos of the dock. There were houses that were simply huts that stood around a common area in the center where they were all gathered in a circle. Pyzis reached them before she did and was easily dragged into the circle.
 
“Pyzis!” She tried to get in touch with the girl over the crowd. What was going on was very much like what she had read that they did in appeasement to their volcano God. “Get out of there! They sacrifice virgins to the volcano! They believe in a volcano God!” But while she was finishing up telling her to run, the villagers had come with rope for Pyzis and had started to bind her until she could not move or go anywhere. Zephyra did not like violence but it seemed her only choice.
 
Flowing red chaos magic burst from her hands and congealed into balls in the air. She threw the first two at the ones immediately in front of her. She had toned it down so that it simply knocked them out as opposed to killing them. They dropped like dead weight to the floor. More red energy came out and hit the next two until the villagers had broken their chain and began running to get their weapons no doubt. A dabble of red chaos magic hit the bindings on Py and they disintegrated into dark sand that drifted off on the wind.

Author: Pyzis, Posted: Thu Dec 3, 2015 1:32 PM, Post Subject: Ingredients (p)

Pyzis realized she was still holding on to Zephyra's arm and let go; it wasn't polite to be towing her around even if it was out of fear of losing her. Screams filled the air, and people were resorting to jumping into the water, trying to swim to the distant shore. Her eyes widened at the thought she had wings so swimming would never have crossed her mind. With a roll of her eyes, Pyzis stopped in her tracks if things got too rough she could turn into her bird form and fly with Zephyra out of here. 

"Zephyra, we aren't in any danger, but I think we should head to the village to see what can be done to help everyone. There is no way all of these people will make it off of the island in time," she suggested as she pointed in the direction of the village. Large wooden huts gathered in unorganized groups in a clearing near the beach. They had placed the docks close by but the jungle trees hid most of the population. Not to mention the lush undergrowth that was so thick one was hard pressed to walk through it. 

Pyzis let Zephyra follow her if she willed and headed toward the first grouping of buildings. Over the occasional rumblings, she heard from the volcano she could hear a strange chanting. A dirt path lead over to a circle of houses where most of the scantily clad villagers gathered. These people didn't look like they were panicking, in fact, it looked more like they were preparing for something. If there were some magic in calming the fiery might of the volcano, of course, t hey would have it. The village had probably been through things like this before. If Pyzis could help she certainly would.

A few of the natives turned to see Pyzis standing there staring at their group and rushed over to grab her. Maybe they knew she could offer assistance as an outsider. She let them herd her into the middle of the ring of people and stood to wait. 

"What would you have me do to help?" she asked but no one responded. The strange chanting continued, and someone approached her with ropes. Before she knew what was happening Py was tied up tight with the people cheering and looking up towards the mountain. Witha  shock she remembered the legends of sacrifice they had heard before setting foot on the island. The locals sacrificed virgins to appease their volcano God.

Author: Zephyra, Posted: Wed Dec 2, 2015 11:15 PM, Post Subject: Ingredients (p)

It was a personality trait of hers, for better or for worse, that she liked learning and exploring new things even if it meant venturing out on her own and facing dangers that could possibly be too great for her. Such was the case with her dear friend Nyssa whose soul now rested peacefully, her mother said. The blood stained light pink ribbon was always tied about her wrist or in her hair or somewhere similar for safe keeping. Eventually, when she could find an escort worth their mettle, she would take the ribbon into the heart of Virens where they had been headed when tragedy struck.
 
Zephyra listened intently as Pyzis went on about keeping them watered and wet and giving them plenty of sunlight during the day. She never really educated herself much on plants despite Mother Earth being her mother. It was never truly an interest of her any more than it was simply another subject she had yet to master. So, she found it interesting that you could uproot a plant from its natural habitat but keep it moist and exposed to sunlight and it would still be able to manufacture what it needed. “Well that’s interesting. I didn’t know if they would keep once you pulled them up. Did you bring any reference books with you? Maybe I could help you,” she said with a smile.
 
Then the ground beneath the both of them began to shake and tremble angrily. For a half of a breath, Zephyra thought that perhaps her mother knew she was here venturing on a dangerous island with a girl she barely knew and the wrath of her mother was about to come down on at least her. She saw Pyzis run forward to the crest of a small hill and she followed behind. What she saw was angry black smoke shooting out of the mouth of the volcano in plumes. Then hot liquid magma gurgled at the top and started to spill over.
 
Around her everyone was panicking. Pyzis seemed very worried, though it must have been for Zephyra and not herself for she was made of fire. Their escort had lost all manner of color in his face and was shouting about Rhylana being angry and had taken off down the pathway before even checking to see if the girls were following him. She scoffed. What a great help he was in a time of crisis! But before she knew it, Pyzis had grabbed her arm and steered her back down the path towards the dock.
 
They found no help in the dock. It was overcrowded and people were even being shoved into the water as others tried to make it onto the boats. Zephyra was unsure what made Rhylana so angry but it must have been something good. To her, the Goddess didn’t seem like an easy one to anger. Obviously Pyzis felt this was as hopeless as she did and she linked their arms and took off towards the village. Her books rumored that they sacrificed virgins to the volcano. She only hoped they would not be victims.

Author: Pyzis, Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2015 3:21 PM, Post Subject: Ingredients (p)

Pyzis would never understand the barely contained energy Zephyra always had. Especially as they had just gotten off of a boat. Though the girls smile was utterly infectious. She listened with half an ear as the girl told her more about her Mother, the Goddess Angela. It wasn't that she didn't want to listen it was that her mind was reeling with questions about the strange plant life of this island. By the time Zephyra was finished Pyzis had found herself smiling. Maybe the strange innate curiosity Zephyra had would come in handy with her studies. Sometimes it took someone with fresh eyes to figure out the properties of new plants, Pyzis may only think of the typical questions. 

"I will keep them watered and leave them in the sunlight during the day. I will have time to start my observations when we come back to the ship and until then they will keep." she said as she followed the guide further down the path. The bright colors overwhelmed her, but Pyzis was determined to get what she needed from this island.

Suddenly the ground beneath them began to shake violently. Pyzis stumbled and ran ahead, cresting a hill that opened a view of the mountain. Huge plumes of black smoke billowed out of the top and soon it would be covering the sky. She looked back at the local porter and saw his eyes had opened wide with fear. The color drained from the tan man's face as he lifted his hand to point at the volcano.

"Rhylana is angry, we must head back to the village or the ship," he shouted over the loud rumble. Then without a care for the two women he turned away and ran back down the trail. Pyzis glanced up at the mountain and saw molten fire spewing out. While the heat would not hurt her at all, he was sure Zephyra would be harmed if they were cuaght up in lava. Quickly she grabbed the girls arm and herded her back down the path. Plantlife bit at her exposed skin as they ran haphazardly back down to the port. As they arrived chaos was all she saw. People ran around, many of them crowded on the gang plank to the ship they had left. While the water was probably the safest option Py know there there was no safe way to get onto the boat.

"Let's go to the village" she shouted, trying to be heard over the screams. The ground shook again and Pyzis only barely kept on her feet. The locals would have a place that would be mostly safe from the wrath of the island and maybe even some information about what was happening. While Pyzis knew Rhylana was the Goddess of fire, she had no idea what was angering her. She had left the Goddess' temple only just before meeting up with Zephyra in the cursed forest. The woman had helped her with her fears and promised to help her learn to heal.

Author: Zephyra, Posted: Thu Nov 19, 2015 10:25 PM, Post Subject: Ingredients (p)

Zephyra, unlike very many girls her age and even women older than her, had been afforded a very nice education. Tutors had been given to her on the things her mother could not or did not have the time to teach her. One of the first things she learned was reading and proper writing and spelling, so it was no shock that as she looked over the shoulder of Pyzis, she could read her notes. She noted in her mind that the drawing was very pretty. It was painstakingly accurate anatomically with the plant in the ground and Pyzis noted the odd sweet smell it emanated. Just reading it made her rub her nose.
 
Pyzis answered her question with the fire of an adventurer and an explorer and academic. She mentioned that she would at the very least do her best in trying to find out what this mysterious looking and smelling plant was. Zephyra nodded. Her dark eyes watched as she put on a special pair of brown leather gloves and picked almost an entire plant from the ground. She wanted to be sure to get the leaves and the stem and the flower all to be able to compare and look at when trying to find its match in a book.
 
With barely contained and overflowing excitement, Zephyra watched Pyzis as she put away her brown gloves and the sample she had taken. She wondered a moment if the phoenix girl would need to do anything special to these samples to keep them fresh until they arrived in a place where she would be able to study. Then it occurred to her that she could simply ask. Pyzis had been friendly enough and no doubt the phoenix wouldn’t mind the questions. “Will you have to do anything special to keep any of your samples fresh until we can get to where you can study them properly?”
 
Their guide had set off towards the center of the island and Pyzis had gone to follow. Zephyra moved to follow as well, her eyes darting about and bouncing around like a ball of uncontained excitement just soaking in the view of everything. Then, the phoenix asked a question of her and she smiled. It was a decent question to ask. Not many people would randomly wish to join a party in scavenging for useful plants. At first she just shrugged. Then she said, “I am tired of being cooped up at mother’s home in the Sundered Gardens. I just want to see places. I thought if I came here with you I might be relatively safe. Besides, I enjoyed your company.”
 
Pyzis also wanted to know more about her mother, Angela, and who exactly she was and what she did. This wasn’t nearly as easy of  question for her mother did many things. “My mother is named Angela and she is a Goddess of Earth and Fertility… and probably some other things. Some people call her The Mother. She is generally very kind and caring but if you cross her, momma does have a temper. She is very protective of us kids. Being over fertility… she had many of us. I am one of the older ones.” She shrugged and then she looked to Pyzis. “Do you have any family? I’m sorry, I have never met a phoenix before I don’t know how it works for them.”

Author: Pyzis, Posted: Sun Nov 15, 2015 1:43 PM, Post Subject: Ingredients (p)

Pyzis listened as footsteps approached her from behind, she knew it was Zephyra and continued her quick sketch. At the bottom she mentioned that it had a stragely sweet smell to it before turning to face the curious woman. Zephyra had had no problem being on the ship, in fact she had spent her time practically playing with the crews. The girl still had a childish charm to her and Pyzis found it refreshing. She herself had little experience being a human so being with such a young human made her feel at ease. She didn't stick out so much when she wasn't used to the customs of humans if she was around a younger crowd. 

"I'm not sure what it does, but if I can I will find out." she said as she put on a pair of gloves before gently taking a bundle of flowers including leaves and stems and putting them in a brown sack. She would have to make sure to keep it moist on their trip back, but it wouldn't be too hard to care for them. "There is no way that I can collect one of everything here, but I can at least take a few samples before we go up to the volcano."

Pyzis put her things away and removed the brown leather gloves. She looked over Zephyra and loved the flash of excitement she saw in the youths eyes. Pyzis didn't know what she found exciting in collecting plants but at least they were getting to see a part of the world not many had explored. The village here was a small one with so many superstitions about their volcanos and virgins. Pyzis was wary of entering into it, they would bypass and find a way up the mountain with the escort. She looked over the short tanned man with a bushy beard. He carried a large sack, full of the items she needed for the trip. He nodded off towards the center of the island and she followed, catching a trail into the bushes. It looked like after a few feet the path was swallowed up by trees and wild jungle flowers, even the bright sunlight dimmed noticably as they entered the treeline. 

Pyzis turned to look over Zephyra, her black hair and odd eyes sticking out amongst the sea of bright colors. "Zephyra, why on Earth did you decided to come with me into the jungle, looking for plants? It's not like the swamps, we probably wont run into anything scarier than a jungle cat. Also, tell me more about your mother, you said she was a Goddess? I don't know much about her." admitted Pyzis as she kept up conversation with Zephyra. She didn't like being in silence, since silence brought back memories of her captivity. It was hard sometimes to control the panic that gripped her if she was in the dark or alone for too long. It was a good thing that she brought someone with her this time. With the energetic youth, Pyzis was unlikely to laps into her fear.

Author: Zephyra, Posted: Thu Nov 12, 2015 9:46 PM, Post Subject: Ingredients (p)

Zephyra had never been on a boat- not really anyway. She had used the airship to travel between the two continents. People had said it was quicker than by regular boat and her mother did not like her gone for long. This was the reason why she had way too much fun on the boat, whereas her companion was wrought with nervousness and dread. Instead of worrying over the weather or the tides, Zephyra liked to roam about the ship and join in on everything from swabbing the deck to a round of betting games that her mother might not be pleased she played.
 
The crew was a bit sad to see them go, mostly Zephyra for Pyzis had been dull thanks to her worrisome attitude. They liked the prospect of a young lady who didn’t quite know the betting games well. It meant more coin in their purse, though they were surprised to find she held her own and departed the ship with extra coin that she did not have when they boarded it. As she gathered up her pack of rations and general survival gear, she rattled her coin purse on her leg as she walked.
 
“Aye, not one more game of dice, little lady?” One of the crewmembers had come to grab her by the arm as she went to walk to the plank down to the dock. Zephyra smiled pleasantly and took a crescent from her purse and flipped it to him. He snatched it out of the air like a shark snatched up a fish. “I haven’t got the time! But have your first round on me!” The crewman threw his head back and laughed heartily, clapping his hand against his belly as he did. “Aye! Thank ye lass!”
 
Zephyra scurried down the slightly bouncing plank, finding it a bit fun to wonder if it was going to bounce too much one time and splash her in the water. When she got down to the dock, she saw that Pyzis had already made it out to dark soil and she saw what she saw. All of the green and the beautiful array of flowers, many of them ripe with the colors of fire. How suiting for an island at the base of a volcano. When she stepped her high boots out onto the volcanic soil, she bent down and sampled it with her fingers. It was warm and moist and her mother told her the darker they were the more full of nutrients.
 
Pyzis was standing not far from her with a book and some sketching tools out. It seemed a plant had gotten her attention. Its leaves looked like spades and the flowers of hairy stars. The color was a beautiful symphony of orange and yellow. Zephyra walked over and examined the plant with her head tilted sideways. “What do you imagine this does? Surely something so pretty and odd looking has some purpose in your alchemy?” Not that looks had anything to do with alchemy. Even the ugliest of plants could be useful.

Author: Pyzis, Posted: Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:56 PM, Post Subject: Ingredients (p)

Pyzis stepped off of the creaking bow of the ship, it was unsettling needing to use a boat to cross water instead of relying on her own wings. She wasn't used to giving up that control so the passage had been wrote with tension. The gangplank gave way to a solid dock where she was grateful for the stillness it brought. Her companion Zephyra would be joining her soon. They had met in the Koschei forest and had worked well together killing banshees that came only this time of year. After that Zephyra had decided to follow Pyzis on her next adventure, though she wasn't sure it would be as exciting as the banshees in a cursed forest. 

Pyzis had heard rumors of a plant that grew at the base of the volcano on Apoy Island. It was a Pieris plant meaning Mountain Fire. If you could distill it it worked the same way as cauterizing, burning the flesh and sealing the bleeding of mortal wounds. It wasn't a pleasant or painless concotion but very useful in places where it was unsanitary or in the rain when no fire could be made. The Island had a tribe of superstitious people who worsheipped the volcano as a God. She had hired a local guide so they could translate, but her plan was to avoid meeting anyone. 

She quickly made her way down dock and stepped onto the rich dark soil. There were so many plants around that Pyzis had no idea about. She knew she had to keep a journal and sketch pictures and take samples. Ahead it looked like a solid wall of living foliage. Bright colors popped up form the underbrush and hung down from the tops of tall tropical trees. It looked like a world so vivid in color that it was almost too much to look on. The most dominant color other than green was a bright red. 

With a smile Pyzis waited at the bottom of the dock for Zephyra, it wouldn't be polite to leave her there. Their escort carried a few sacks, mostly filled with vials and small bags to hold the plant samples in. The other equipment consisted of gloves, and rain gear so they wouldn't get caught in one of the many tropical showers. While waiting she pulled out her sketch book and walked over to the nearest strange plant. It had spade like green leaves and flowers that looked like small hairy stars. The buds were an orange that faded to a mute yellow in the middle. Her Master Alchemist would have to travel with her one day and catagorize as many of the native flora as possible. There was no way she and Zephyra were going to spend the time to do it, especially with little knowledge of the locals.