She had not gathered all that much information, but at least there was a job. Eleanor recounted what data she had accumulated to herself. A few days previous, a female toddler had vanished into the Adecus Forest. Some eyewitness accounts described the perpetrator as a dark shroud, while others labeled it as nothing more than a bandit. So far, several groups of hunters had been sent out, one every morning. None had caught trace of the missing infant, nor the mysterious figure who'd stolen her. While some had lost hope, and others thought Eleanor's contribution to the struggle would only bring results identical to previous attempts, no one was going to stop her from trying. Even if she couldn't collect whatever remained of the missing person, be it alive or dead, at the very least she could get a bit more comfortable with the abilities in her arsenal. So, standing at the edge of Finweald, she prepared to set out. Hands in her pockets, the Adecus Forest lingered ominously in front of her, while the city stood at her back. The moonlight fed into an ominous storm cloud vibe that seemed to follow Eleanor. It was quite a menacing evening. Hopefully, she could bring some peace to the situation, but she hadn't the power to reverse whatever atrocities may have already been committed. Maybe no one in the game had that sort of power. Regardless, it was all she could do to try. And so, she continued on, approaching the great forest, with little idea of what was to come next.
The forest had long since been Lucia's home; while others spent time in the city or found rest at inns or in guild halls, Lucia wasn't quite as content in those places. She was someone who was well versed in Malefimancy after all, dark magics that were shunned or even prosecuted. She was, for better or worse, so skilled with that type of evil ability that it had evolved into something new, different, even foreign to most others. It would only take a glance at the company she kept to understand why, it would bring only a single glance to recognize her chosen path after all. The word that would cross anyone's mouth at the sight would surely be 'Necromancer'. Lucia stood among the trees, an enchanting feminine figure, gesturing towards another silhouette. Unlike her though the silhouette beside her was dark and bulky from old worn out armors. The contrast between the pair was striking, Lucia's gentle inviting atmosphere and the figure's cold unfeeling frame. The figure was rotting, whatever it once was would no doubt be a bit difficult to discern with a glance alone. It's body had rotted considerably, skin a sharp and festering yellowish green. It's face had been half eaten away and what remained was a worn out and weathered left over that seemed as if it might be a meaty mask rather then a genuine face. A monster, one made from her magic, but she looked at it and touched it's body with a gentle and kind gaze. Like a parent looking after a child she poked away at it with soft cautious touches to make sure it was 'okay'. Lucia's Thrall hadn't changed since she first became a Necromancer, the Elven Commander 'Sylvanas'. Though only a simple Zombified thrall for now, Lucia endeavored to make her something more-- she didn't want to lose this useful supporter who had been with her since her skill evolved. "Don't worry, it'll get better-- you'll be back to your old self soon enough." She spoke to the zombie as if it could hear her. It was merely a lifeless puppet at this point, but Lucia still spoke with a soft coaxing tone.
Eleanor headed into the wooded area, keeping her head low, and body in a slight crouch. Not that she could do much to shroud herself, considering her outfit was a very distinct blue. At least at this time, as night was beginning to fall, the shades of the forest much closer resembled the dark blue along her ensemble of clothes. She crept along as quietly as she could, maintaining investigation mode with two fingers on her temple. Tracking the footprints of the forest, it was the best shot she had at finding the child. For the time being, it seemed that she wasn't getting anything but animal tracks. The common wolf, the occasional bear, prints all in various shapes and sizes. It was quite a ways she'd gone, keeping careful track not to get lost, before she found tracks of a different kind. These ones looked... Humanoid? Or so it seemed. Carefully, she knelt down to further examine the print, before beginning to follow it along, her coat trailing nearly upon the ground as she crouched. The sounds of the forest seemed to creep on her, with lingering howls and mysterious cracking. It was as if the forest was alive, breathing with a beating heart, its eyes never completely closing, and it never truly slept.
Lucia had been largely distracted by the puppet she was trying to repair. Necromancy was an interesting Mastery she couldn't help thinking again to herself. Seeing the way her thrall interacted with the world around her gave her the proud feeling of watching a child grow as she ambled around from time to time. Lucia hadn't had much time to deeply inspect the Thrall but knew she was far from complete, she wanted to make a spirited undead, one that could lead a horde into battle after all; that would be this one's purpose someday she reassured herself with a heavy sigh. Despite being distracted by her lofty dreams though, she wasn't silly enough to block out any other source of trouble from her mind. She wasn't one to have tunneled narrow vision in any respect, not in this game where she would be prosecuted for her skill set. Eleanor's approach caused an alert in Lucia's character, her skill set alarming her making her turn her head. Lucia had a myriad of skills associated with life and death; Necromancy, Malefimancy, Illumancy, her character was naturally tuned towards 'life' around her, though it didn't mean much in a game, it gave her the skills to map and monitor her surroundings where there was life. A new life source naturally was something that would appear as a blip on that mental map that she had. "Someone this deep into the woods? A hunter? Or some kind of villain?" Lucia mused, after all she herself might be considered a villain by the world, but she was still someone who supported a church in Terrasphere, she could be considered a priestess. "Sylvanas, lets go meet them?" She asked with a gentle smile, but the emotionless puppet only followed along with Lucia as she began to move to try and meet Eleanor. Lucia wasn't adept in stealth or tracking, instead she only tried to follow the blip that was the woman's beating heart as she moved through the woods with the corpse following at her back prepared to act if needed.
The forest reminded Eleanor of childhood fears. Nothing like a sinister wood to bring back trepidation memories, or to bring back that young feeling of weakness. As much as she reminded herself that it was simply a game, the virtual world seemed to know how to push someone's buttons. Sneakiness was not her strong suit. At least, not when she couldn't see what she was hiding from. It seemed impossible to hide from all angles. From how the girl in blue saw things, every barrier had a point of weakness. When it came to hiding, Eleanor saw these places of fragility in numerous counts. This trivial attempt at positional subterfuge faded away, as her ears caught the sound of footsteps approaching her location. In focusing, she heard two distinct patterns. Two people. Still, something seemed off about one of them. Discard that, something seemed off about the whole situation. Everything around her seemed as though it were crafted to kill, from thorny groves, to roots positioned like tripwires. 'Just a game,' She reminded herself. At first, she considered hiding from the incoming pair, but soon disposed of that idea. Hiding would do nothing for her. Instead, the detective-garbed girl stood her ground, holding a few fingers at the rim of her hat nervously. In a voice somewhat androgynous, with her figure reflecting the same idea, she warned her surroundings. "Who's there?" Her voice was quiet, little more than a whisper, but it carried far through the quiet forest. Her eyes squinting, hoping to make out those headed her way the moment they were to become visible.
The first to come through had been Lucia, that enchanting and welcoming figure pushing her way through the brush. Her methods were practiced, using gloved hands to guide the thistles and other pointed objects out of her path. The forest after all had been her home, it wasn't unusual for her to push several hundreds of bushes out of her path during her day from time to time. Seeing Eleanor though, she cracked a mellow smile, gesturing at her making a solid effort at being reassuring. "Ah-- Hello there. Passing through?" She asked, after all, there would be a few who crossed paths with Lucia from time to time, some wanting to trade things, wanting to sell things. Lucia wasn't much of a merchant though, instead what she sold were blessings and heals while buying useful materials for her corpse crafting. While she didn't necessarily approach everyone, she did make an effort to be sociable to understand the happenings of the towns and it's peoples since she was somewhat alienated. Unfortunately despite Lucia being incredibly welcoming and making a solid effort, there was a good chance that Eleanor wouldn't believe it, particularly when the corpse joined things. From behind Lucia, her Thrall pushed it's way through the brush. It's movements were a bit jerky and twitchy, but still fluid enough to compete with your average boss monster one on one. It's face had been eaten away to some extent revealing half of the skull behind, it was missing a single eye while the other was a milky and dead white. Unlike Lucia it didn't care for the brush, letting thorns and brambles rake against it's body without care, roots and brush that tried to restrain it were torn up by it's movements as it pushed it's way through obstacles. Despite the strange skewed possibilities, the undead didn't simply rush Eleanor, instead, it slowly took position in front of Lucia, slightly to one side. It's posture hunched forward in preparation, as if trying to anticipate any possible retaliation against it's conjurer. "Ah, this is Sylvanas, try not to mind her." Lucia spoke, introducing the corpse with a dry laugh wondering whether or not it would be as welcoming as it seemed. Naturally she could have the corpse introduce itself, but that might only make things more tense.
Eleanor's hand at her hat sparked with wispy, lingering lines of what appeared to be arcane bolts, the palm glowing a light purple. She was ever so cautious at the approach of the pair, though it wasn't like she could put up much of a fight. Really, she had to find a crew to roll with. Soon, the first came into view. While she had been expecting a haunting visage of some monster, Eleanor was instead greeted with a face that seemed much more... Pleasant on the eyes. "I'm here on business, actually." She responded in a serious, informational tone. As the second pair of footsteps followed behind, revealing itself to her, the monstrosity she had first expected came into view. The creature, obviously undead to some degree, seemed to balance itself on rotting limbs. At least, before Eleanor got too uncomfortable by it's presence, the voice of the female spoke to calm her discomfort, at least slightly. "I'll try not to..." Still, something was horribly unnatural about that body. It's mannerisms, the way it moved. It was so... Unnerving. Merely it's presence alone put a bad taste in her mouth. "I'm investigating the disappearance young child, perhaps two or three." The woman in blue figured she might as well share the story. If this was the culprit, the confrontation would surely lead to conflict, or so she thought. If it wasn't, hopefully some sort of agreement could be made. Though, regardless of all of that, Eleanor felt as though she was the one vulnerable in this situation. "People say a shadowy figure stole the child away and took it into this forest. Would you know anything about that?"
Lucia tilted her head, hearing that it was a business, it wasn't so unsurprising, after all players came through and by for quests all the time. It was because of that that she'd managed to build up such a substantial amount of savings. That said though, the arcane bolts in her hand went largely unnoticed on the surface. Whatever Eleanor threw at her, Lucia had no doubt about her own defensive prowess. Between a thrall to take a physical blow and illumancy protecting her, she didn't feel a sense of 'threat' any more except against large earth shattering raid bosses and the like. She was however pretty happy that the girl wasn't entirely put off by the undead thrall. Even if she was extremely cautious or suspicious of it, not making the first move was a good enough start to a dialogue. Naturally Sylvanas couldn't do anything without Lucia's will supporting it, like a puppet it merely stood, swaying a little unnaturally as it maintained it's balance in a forward bent position. "I see-- A lot of people come by here for quests and the like. I've started a little side business healing and filling meters for people-- even doing some buffs here and there. Would you need anything like that?" Lucia asked bringing her hands together with a gentle clap, nothing more then a simple and sweet gesture of proposition, offering support if it was needed. After all with her guild that was the role she filled there as well. Though the topic of disappearing children made her frown a little, Lucia practiced black magic but wasn't a villain, certainly not in that way. She drained the creatures and monsters of the woods to sustain herself, and used the flesh of stray corpses to repair sylvanas. There wasn't a need in her mechanization for children's corpses even if she had the moral compass to allow such a thing. "Mm, A shadow-y figure--" She thought, glancing towards Sylvanas with uncertainty. The elven Lieutenant naturally was the one Lucia sent out on erands, while Lucia could sense life a fair distance away, if it was a stealthy figure it might be able to conceal it's beating heart from her radar. After a brief silence, the corpse she controlled would suddenly jerk, it's head suddenly cracking at an odd angle as it turned it's head in reaction to 'something'. "A shadow-y figure... An Imp perhaps... Demonic cultist..." The voice answered Lucia's musing tone, it's origins wouldn't be hard to discern, the sound came from the corpse. It's mouth didn't move and it's throat had holes and torn flesh in places making it clear it wasn't a vocalization. Instead the sound merely seemed to 'echo' out from it's body fading in and out perhaps making it difficult to follow or hear out. "Demonic?" Lucia couldn't help a heavy sigh, glancing towards Eleanor with a somwhat bitter smile. If it were demons she would be conflicting with them as well. After all, undead and demon might be dark powers and influences, but the sources were vastly different. You wouldn't consider them to be on the same side even if they were on the same battlefield. "Would that type of thing be what you're looking for?" Lucia asked with a concerned expression.
"I'm alright, thank you." Eleanor first responded to the comment about healing and buffs. She hadn't really sustained any damage so far, and as much as some buffs wouldn't do harm, she was still quite a bit apprehensive. Perhaps it was just a ploy to drift her asleep, and slaughter her before she ever woke again. She had to think cautiously, for there was still so many unknown variables. Anyways, there could be some solace found in the fact that the womanly figure seemed not so blatantly aware of the kidnapping. This made Eleanor much less put off by her, considering she seemed to truthfully be consulting her... Companion about the matter. But even so, the response from the creature was unnerving and uncanny, all rolled into one. Eleanor was torn on whether to despise or trust this unknown woman. "Perhaps." The subject of demons was not one Eleanor had previously known about. Still being rather new to the game, she had the severe disadvantage of meeting most types of enemies for the first time. "Most of the eyewitness accounts at Finweald described the figure as... Shadowy." Eleanor wished she had a better word to use, but it was subjective data after all. "Though, people could just be exaggerating." To the girl in blue's relief, it seemed these two were not any immediate danger to her. In fact, they seemed like they may be able to help her efforts in some sort of way. Eleanor hoped that their goals could at least cross in some way, for she was no match to face whatever she was after alone.
Lucia couldn't help rubbing her forehead, it was a conundrum, one she didn't really have a means of looking deeper into at the moment. Putting some thought in, as if trying to rack her brains for the possibilities, assuming it was a rogue, it was likely one of demonic origins from the north perhaps, or a deranged cultist wanting sacrifices for something unheard of. These two seemed likely assuming there was no connection among the families. She truly tried to invest in this problem despite it not being her own to deal with. It was largely because she didn't want more trouble coming her way as a necromancer, but at the same time doing some good never hurt either. "Demons and blood witches... The alternatives are very few..." The voice echoed out once more as it's head began snapping back into it's usual position. Despite being faintly hunched in preparation it was far from uncomfortable. Like a machine or puppet it waited in it's position without much care. Instead, Lucia could only heave a sigh, a somewhat bitter expression on her face as she began to speak with a measure of uncertainty. "I don't suppose there are victims, has anyone been killed by this person or thing yet? Has there been a body found?" She asked, that was the best way for her to get an accurate answer, a direct testimonial from a victim was always the most useful. Normal people might not be able to get one, but Lucia could get one from corpses, spirits and remains easily enough.
Every time that undead creature seemed to 'speak', it seemed to send a bone chilling wave through her body. Eleanor watched as the creature appeared to release it's words through the many craters within it's flesh. Certainly one of the most eerie things that she had seen since she had started playing the game. With a sigh, she shook her head. "I suppose that it is a good thing they haven't. Groups have been sent every morning since the kidnapping, but none have caught wind of the perpetrator. No confrontations. Nothing." Rubbing the back of her hat, Eleanor took a moment to gaze into the woods, pondering to herself. "Do you really think this thing is demonic? Do you know where anything like that might be hiding in these woods?" As much as Eleanor wished she didn't have to ask so many questions, she really had no choice. Hands slipped into her pockets, she was no the one with most of the information here, so she had to gather as much as she could. This female and her zombie looking companion seemed to be rather well informed on these parts, so they would probably have the best bet when it came to finding something here.
