Ashes to Ashes

[Bikbun Ironbones]

(Timestamp: a couple of days after July '18 Game)

Hammering. Rhythmic and almost hollow in nature, it rings throughout the Fire circle, before a sullen hiss. The fire dies down, and as if requested, the rain comes.

Once the heat leaves the forge, and tools put away, a figure walks, cloaked, through the rain. Up past the Inn. Up past the Ocean.

Up towards the Earth Circle.

There, ground wet and sludgy, emanating a general sense of malaise, the figure pulls out a hammer, and starts to hammer a shape into the ground, nearby where the circle used to be, making sure to not interfere with it's old location.

Once done, the figure kneels in front of the small Iron Cross, pulls his hood down, and hangs his head low. The water falling from his face a mixture of rain and sadness.

"Hurry back soon, aye lad?" a hushed and solemn voice speaks, barely a whisper. And with that, the figure stands and turns, wipes rain from his brow, pulls his hood up again, and returns to camp.

[Jaya]

"With Fire I light the way" Jaya says and watches her spell spark for a second but go out.

"Damn it" She sighs

"With Fire I light the way!" She says frustrated this time watching her spell spark and with another flick of her wrist ignite creating a flame so she can see.

She sighs heavily as she passes the ruins on her way back to town. A lot of things are going though her mind over the past few months since its never a dull moment in Holdfast. She still is debating on if her choice to stick with studying magic over opening her mind to the psychic ways was the correct one. The fire circle has been weakened due to the attack by the axes, even though her circle never fell she feels pain for it's condition and even though she gave her all to protect it she still feels she should have done more…

She feels pain for the champions of the circles that did fall, they're hurting and she can feel it. The Faerie Ring fell which saddens her greatly for it was a connection to Faerie themselves and a gift from them, a blessing for the town that Lessa gave her life to create and now its gone and like the elemental champions Val hurts and she feels it as well.  Magic is not working the way it should be, HER magic isn't working as it should and it saddens her to not feel it properly, magic items are not working and everything is so frustrating. Topping it all off she heard of the death of her friends thankfully most have returned from the land of the dead by now, except one…

Will all this pain ever end?

Pulling her cloak tighter to keep dry she could feel the rain falling down her face like tears or it could be both she can't even tell anymore. She heads up the path towards where the earth circle use to be to check and see if she can feel or see anything. Approaching it she felt nothing but looking up she sees the cross nearby to where the circle use to be and if there wasn't tears running down her face before there defiantly are now even though she can't feel it.

"No…." She says as she approaches it to get a better look.

It defiantly looks like a grave marker, but no signs of freshly dug soil around it, a memorial perhaps? Either way she fears the worst. Looking closer she notes the runes carved on it, she can't read them but they look like the ones Bikbun uses for his magic and it looks to be his craft. There are five runes in total and then she feels like her heart skips a beat as she connects the dots in her head….

"It can't be….No…Ardin…" She cries and turns heel and runs further back into town towards the forge

"BIKBUN! BIKBUN" She cries out tears and rain streaming down her face frantically looking for the master smith.