The New Age (Azecreth and Princess)

The frown Isaac wore deepened slightly as the girl confirmed that it was about a year ago, and he shot a glance to Mia at the same time. She had to know what that meant, and if it did then that would make things a tad more difficult. If it had been awoken by removal of the seal, then it wasn't just any monster. Or so he would assume anyway.

He couldn't help but become interested though, especially when they had already agreed to do something about it. So he was taken aback when the girl announced that she was going to deal with, and quite confidently at that. "Is that so," he asked then, curiosity stoked.

Certainly she didn't seem like the warrior type, as he gave her a quick once over. He'd gotten good at that during their adventure. "How do you plan on doing that?" It couldn't hurt to know, especially if it ended up being a really bad decision on her part. Better to save her from a fate that might otherwise be avoided.
 
"By killing it," She said dryly, as if it was the simplest task in the world. "I know more about it than everyone else does. And since no one has hunted I it yet, I figured I'd take care of it." And then...then people would have to like her. Then she could be accepted again.

"It was from my understanding that people have tried hunting it. None of them came back." Mia pointed out as she stared at the girl, worry clear on her face. "You say you know more about it, how?"

"Those people didn't understand what they were up against and I do. Because I've been watching it. I know it's weakness...but no one will believe me so I have to take care of it myself. I know it seems foolish but...I'm stronger than I look." The girl responded as she crossed her arms looking Mia right in the eye. She was determined...Mia could tell she made up her mind a long time ago.
 
Isaac had to resist the urge to chuckle at the dry comment, reminding him of Garret even though it wasn't actually that funny when one thought about it. He had been in his share of fights, and knew that it never ended up being that simple. Though perhaps the world trekking journey had merely made him pessimistic in that regard. It was merely a beast after all, no matter how much it might have been affected by the return of alchemy.

"Alright then," he replied calmly as she voiced her desire and intent. He had the feeling that they wouldn't be able to stop her, since she appeared to have firmly made her mind up. Still, they had made their own intent, so they would probably end up following, just in case she needed help. He'd have to talk with over with Mia later.

Another bite of food before he looked back up to her. "Well, I think that's it," he noted before looking to Mia, to see if she had something else to say. If not he would devote his attention to the food, and enjoy every bit of it as it sated his hunger. After a long journey there was nothing better.
 
"That's...what?" She asked with a puzzled expression. Was she missing something?

"What Isaac meant to say was that we'll help you." Mia said with a friendly smile before she finished off the rest of her water. The girl just gave her an incredulous look, which only made her laugh softly. "Don't worry, we know our way around fighting monsters too. What's your name?"

"My..name? Karina. But...I don't think you coming with me is a good idea." It's not that she didn't want them to, but...they both felt different. She liked that, but she knew what happened when she was around different people. People like her. It's not that she meant to do it or anything...it's just that she really didn't understand how it worked. Until she could control herself, she'd just make people sick.
 
Isaac let the corner of his mouth rise in a grin as Mia explained what he had meant, that they would be willing to help her kill the thing. Well then, it seemed that there was no need for any sort of debate amongst themselves after all. Of course that the girl, Karina, was incredulous when she heard it, but there would be no changing things now. They had made up their mind.

"Don't worry," he reassured her between bites, a hand raised in a placating gesture. "Like she said, we have a lot of experience with this sort of thing. At the very least wouldn't it be good to have some backup in case something goes wrong?" She could try all she wanted, but Isaac and Mia were going along, whether she liked it or not, and that was all there was to it.
 
What did she do? If she said something, they probably wouldn't believe her. Or they'd think she was crazy...and it had been a long time since anyone had willingly volunteered to help her. They seemed like nice people. She would just have to control herself is all. "I suppose it couldn't hurt," Karina said thoughtfully. "I'll accept your help...Isaac and...?"

"Mia. It's nice to meet you, Karina. Here, have a seat. Have you eaten?" Mia asked as she pulled a chair out for her. This girl was an adept, Mia could tell. For someone to have such confidence in their strength that they would seek a dangerous monster out by themselves, she was either an adept or suicidal. The latter didn't seem to be the case.

"Yes, don't worry about me. Besides, all the food is for you two." Karina said with a smile as she sat down. She seemed a little less skittish now, that was good.
 
Isaac smiled and nodded as Karina agreed to let them accompany her on her quest to slay this beast, glad that she was showing some common sense when it came to this. He remembered his own time as a headstrong young man, and he had the feeling that the help would be needed by the time that this was over. But he supposed that would have to be his opinion until they actually saw this creature and what it could do.

For now he ate, not complaining as Mia invited her to sit by them. He had guessed what Mia had to some extent, though he had made no comment on it obviously. That silence went on as Mia went about worrying over the girl, albeit to only a small extent as Karina deferred from having any food right now.

Once she had seated herself, Karina would find herself being addressed once more. "Well, I suppose you have a lot of questions about us," Issac noted. "Ask away." He was from Vale, and was more than aware of how the small town rumor mill worked. Better to get it out of the way now. And besides, it might reveal some information that they might not get otherwise, at least when it came to what she knew about the outside world already.
 
"Errr..questions?" Karina asked thoughtfully as she placed her index finger on her chin. She didn't like being put on the spot, but more than that...she didn't want them to ask her questions about herself. She didn't want to lie to her new friends. "Well, I guess I should ask where you're going that you'd come through a small place like this?"

"We don't know yet," Mia answered, with a smile as she leaned back in her chair. She didn't have quite the appetite Isaac did, so here food remained unfinished...which was why she offered some to Karina in the first place. "All we know is that we want to learn more about the world, and the people in it. We want to help them..especially the ones who are different."

Karina was silent for a moment, the nervousness slowly coming back. She wasn't sure what Mia meant by different, but she had an idea. The problem was that...she didn't trust them just yet. She wasn't suppose to talk about the strange power she possessed. No one in the village could. "I..I see. Well that's nice of you." Karina muttered with a half smile.
 
Isaac nodded in agreement with Mia as he sat back in his seat, laying his spoon down as he heard Karina ask her question, and his friend responded in turn. One might have expected more, such as a request fr news or the like, but if she didn't want to, or simply didn't want to start there, then he wouldn't make an issue of it.

"A lot's changed in the past year or so," he noted calmly, continuing to pursue his subtle efforts. "Now seems as good a time to explore as any. And helping people out who need it." It was the best way to explain their skill and what they were doing without making her overly cautious about them.

At that point he shrugged, smiling warmly as memories came back. "We started with a larger group, but they had things to do, so we're on our on now. But it does cut out some of the hassle." True, even though he necessarily didn't wish it was the case. But that was just how things were, and there was nothing they could do about it.
 
"Oh yes. Most of the hassle was caused by Garet though..." Mia said with a grin before shaking her head. "Always the hothead, never thinking things through. But I do miss how much fun we all had together." She glanced towards Karina who was quietly smiling, though there was a sense of sadness deep in her eyes as she listened. "Ah, but enough about us. Karina, what about you? Do you have any friends here?"

"Not right now," Karina answered quickly as she looked away from her. "But that's okay. I will when I get rid of this monster and prove to everyone that I'm a helpful person." And not just a soul sucking leech, she was actually a good person and everyone seemed to forget that.

"Prove...that you're helpful? Why on earth would you need to prove that to anyone?" Mia asked with a concerned frown. Karina shook her head slightly.

"I don't really want to get into it. Look, this is a small place and bad rumors don't go away unless you do something really cool to make them go away. That's why I've been tracking this monster and learning it's habits over the last few weeks. That's why I've been training to get stronger. I know it will be hard to do by myself, and trust me I've tried to ask people to come with me. But everyone just thinks I'm foolish and they just want to leave it alone." Karina sighed. "But it's not leaving us alone, so it has to be killed."
 
Isaac chuckled in agreement, even if Garret was his friend. He was not oblivious to his friends flaws though, and he would admit that he was one of the greater sources of conflict within their group, beyond the simple division that had taken place once he and Felix had decided to work together.

With that said he turned to listening to what Karina had to say, with a slight frown emerging at the fact that she apparently didn't have any friends in this place. That was sad, and it also said something that she felt she needed to do this if she was to be accepted socially. He knew the impact that rumors could have in a small town, but he couldn't help ut be worried if that was it.

"Well, we aren't," he replied with a nod, confirming once more that they would help. "We seen this sort of thing before, and if it's a problem for the village, then it wouldn't be right of us to simply leave it be." Of course he'd let her take all the credit for it with everyone else. It wasn't as if they needed more fame and prestige or whatever.
 
"But it's not your problem," Karina pointed out as she glanced to Isaac, her eyes shifting just a tiny bit away from him. It was hard to look at him without getting lost in that feeling that she enjoyed so much. She didn't want to make him sick though, not when he and Mia were offering to help her. She couldn't run these two off until they helped her. "If you left right now, it wouldn't be the wrong thing to do. You're putting yourselves in danger for no reason. You don't know me or anyone here and no one would blame you if you left this alone."

"Maybe not, but we can actually do something about this, Karina." Mia told her as she reached over and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Trust us when we say we can help you."

Karina flinched when she felt Mia's touch. Cold, but...it was comforting. She felt nothing but kindness in her touch...nothing but...hope. She closed her eyes and smiled..but she couldn't help what happened next.

Mia noticed right away. The distinct ghostly sound that any advanced adept was aware of...and then she felt a faint sense of her psynergy leaving her body. No...she could see it leaving the palm of her hand and sinking into the girl's shoulder as she touched her. What...what in the world? This girl was absorbing her psynergy!
 
Isaac nodded in agreement as Mia reaffirmed their intent n the face of Karina's objections, since it was true. They had beaten so many things before, that this would not dissuade them, even if it was only the two of them as opposed to some giant group. They couldn't let that be the sole factor in determining whether they would help someone.

But then things became interesting, as Mia touched Karina, only for a ghostly sound to begin filling the room. Well, if one knew how to hear it. That certainly earned his attention, and Isaac sat up as he looked at the two of them. It seemed that things had gotten interesting, hadn't they?

"She's an adept," he noted aloud as he looked to Mia. He had suspected something like that, but to have it confirmed in such a way was hardly what he had intended. It would explain a lot though, and it seemed that coming here had been worth it after all. So he waited to see what would happen next, ready to act if need be.
 
Karina opened her eyes when she heard Isaac. His tone was neutral at best, she didn't really know if he was accusing her of something or not. Looking at Mia, she looked slightly confused as she pulled her hand away. Crap, did she do it again?! But, Mia seemed just fine...she wasn't sick at all. She didn't even look scared. In fact, Karina was the one who looked like a frightened animal, like some kid who just got caught with her hand in a cookie jar.

"It's okay," Mia quickly said as she grasped her hand again just to prove that she wasn't afraid of touching her. "Karina, you're one of those people we were talking about earlier. An adept, someone different..." Very different. She had never seen anything like that...not from a low level adept. Psy Drain was an advanced technique, how was this girl casting it without even knowing how?

"It's not okay..." Karina mumbled as she pulled her hand away from Mia. "And I don't want to be different...I don't like making people sick when I'm around them. There are others who are like me...but they can just ignore it. So why...why do I keep stupidly using it? It just happens all on it's own when I get close to someone like me...I hate it." She said bitterly, though she made no move to get up. These travelers seemed to actually know what being different meant...and they didn't shun her for it. She'd leave if they told her to. She'd understand if they didn't want anything to do with her knowing she couldn't help herself.
 
Isaac could only watch as things happened, the fear that spread across Karina's face. Like Mia had said before, people feared what they didn't understand. And undoubtedly that had been the cause here. What she said merely reaffirmed that thought, that she had suffered for her abilities. It was just fortunate for her that she had run across them while they were traveling, before something bad had happened.

So he let Mia explain things first, to make the effort in trying to persuade her, yet that didn't seem to be going anywhere fast. Not that Mia wasn't making the effort, it was just the personality that she was up against. Still, it wasn't impossible, it would just require a different tact and direction.

That Isaac did as he remained seated in his chair, not doing anything to indicate himself as a threat. "Psynergy isn't bad or good," he said then. "It's a tool. You just need to learn how to control it. If you want, we can help you with that." Luckily, she had run into two of the people most qualified to help her, at least without traveling to a large city. It just remained to b seen if she would accept.
 
Karina looked up at Isaac with a puzzled expression. "You two can help me...control this?" She asked in an almost suspicious manner.

"Yes, we could. If you'll let us." Mia told her with a nod. Karina was silent for a minute. She supposed she couldn't ignore this like the others could, so she needed to learn what this psynergy thing was...as much as she tried to run away from it.

"Then...I'd like that." Karina answered softly. "I don't want to hurt people on accident anymore."
 
Isaac nodded in agreement as Karina inquired further as to what they had said He wasn't sure how much work it would take, especially given the sort of psynergy she was using, but certainly they could give it a shot. WIth this almost certainly being related to the return of alchemy, they owed it to her.

Fortunately, it seemed that she agreed, and Isaac cracked a smile at her approval of what they wanted to do. "Great," he said as he looked to Mia. "Well, I'm not sure how much we can do right now, but we'll definitely have time tomorrow, either before or after we help you deal with this thing." It probably was the case, anyway.
 
"Right...well then, you two better get some rest. Because we have to hunt it tomorrow morning, bright and early." Karina said with a small smile as she rose from her chair. Maybe they could help her...in more ways than just with the monster. At least they both seemed to understand that she wasn't some monster. "Meet me outside tomorrow at sunrise."

"Sunrise? Why on earth so early?" Mia asked with a slight tilt of her head as she watched Karina turn around to leave.

"Because it always does one thing consistently in the morning, so that's where we need to surprise it. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow, I gotta finish my chores." Karina told them before leaving the room in a hurried manner. Maybe she was excited? Mia glanced over to Isaac and then shrugged.

"Suppose we should get ready for bed then." She told him.
 
"Alright," Isaac replied with a nod as Karina indicated that they would have to get up early, and why that had to be the case. It had been some time since he had had to do something like that, but he would survive. It wasn't entirely unreasonable after all. So he supposed that he would be able to manage it somehow.

"Until then," he added as Karina departed, leaving them to themselves. Well, they definitely seemed to have made an impct with their newly found adept. It would just be a matter of nurturing her until she could control her powers on more than simple instinct.

That done he turned to Mia as he rose from his seat, moving back towards the bed and the gear that had been put on there. "Yeah," he agreed with a nod, before grinning. "It's almost like old times." Certainly it had been a while since they had been in a serious fight.
 
"Almost, although back then it seemed like we were always dealing with stuff like this." Mia told him with a bit of a laugh as she got up and headed over her bed. "But, I have a feeling that the real challenge will be Karina. To have such a natural ability to perform high level techniques...the only person I have ever seen that happen with is my cousin, Alex. If she ever wanted to learn how to harness those abilities instead of just control it, she'd be a formidable adept." But the question was, did Karina want to be an adept? Or did she simply want to learn how to control her psynergy so she could pretend to be a normal person? She supposed it didn't really matter much, either way. But she could do some amazing things if she wanted to.
 
"True," Isaac admitted as he sat down on his bed, ready to get to bed, so they could prepare for the next morning. He could hardly forget Alex, and knew that if Karina was like him then she would be very valuable as an adept. Still, forcing her to do something like that would not be a wise decision, especially against her will. They would have to manage.

He shrugged then, leaving aside any meditation as he flexed his hand, feeling the power rolling through his form. "Well, we can focus on control first. Then if she wants to learn we can train her more." Well, if they didn't have to get on the move. At this point he was will aware that they were simply winging it. But in this situation, that was hardly a problem.
 
"Hmm, I guess we'll see." Mia mused as she slipped into bed. She was looking forward to taking a bath, but it looked like she'd be doing that after their little expedition.

****
Morning came faster than Karina would have hoped, but it's not like she could really get that much sleep. She was nervous, but not as nervous as she would have been if she was going alone. Isaac and Mia seemed to know what they were doing, and she trusted them when they told her they were strong. Perhaps it wasn't so much as going up against that creature and more so that she was scared of getting in the way.

No, she was doing well in her sword training. Even if she only had a teacher for a few years as a kid, she was confident she was getting better. Now she would put that to a test against a real foe. She was dressed and ready before the sun came up, so she elected to go outside and wait for her two new companions. Hopefully she wouldn't have to wake them.
 
With a nod and silent confirmation, Isaac also slipped into his own bed, closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.

When morning came he was easily able to wake up, surprising to him for the fact that he still had those old instincts and such that would allow him to get up so early in the morning. It was hardly a problem though, since it merely made it easier for him to get going as well. Though it didn't stop a yawn from escaping as he stretched, to rouse himself more.

"Time to go," he said at last, rising to his feet to collect the stuff that he would need for this fight. So potions, armor, and his sword at least. Once he had them then he'd be ready to get on his way. It wouldn't do to keep Karina waiting for long.
 
Mia was a little bit more sluggish when morning came, but she was up regardless. She made sure she had everything including a few apples and nuts for in case they got hungry on their trip. She yawned softly and glanced at Isaac, wondering how he could be so awake right now. Perhaps she had gotten a little spoiled when they had nowhere to actually be, so she got to sleep in a little more often.

Of course when they stepped outside, Karina was waiting for them. She had a different outfit on, something a little bit more suited for battle despite it being a dress. A single sword rested on her hip, but it appeared she had nothing on her other than her weapon. It wasn't very strange, it's not like she was a traveler so of course she didn't have any gear. Still, such little armor and that chosen weapon seemed a little...dangerous. Mia would make sure to keep an eye on her in case she got hurt.

"Just on time," Karina began with a big smile on her face. "Let's get to it then before someone sees us." She didn't even give them time to respond, she was already walking down the main path of the village, but towards the opposite way the entrance. Curious, Mia thought.
 
Arriving outside, Isaac would reveal himself to be in well used armor, a longsword strapped to his side. This was the gear that had seen him through many a conflict, and it would take him through this. He was surprised to see Karina with only a dress and a sword, but he supposed that it was understandable. She hadn't gone on the sort of adventure that they had, so they would naturally have higher quality and more equipment as a result.

"Of course," he replied with a nod as Karina noted the time. The sun was rising and the town had yet to really stir to life, but it would not be long. Hopefully getting up this early was worth it, but he trusted their local companion. She wouldn't steer them wrong, at least intentionally.

He glanced over at Mia before shrugging. "Alright." With that he followed after her, noting the direction that they went in. It was odd, but he wouldn't question the logic. It was probably just a back way out, or she was acting on information that they didn't have. They would find out soon.
 
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