Ryyan's Journal - Session 8
The last few days have been going well, I suppose. As we set out from the Guardian stronghold, we set a course for collecting the ingredients Deneb needed for the ritual to remove the demon from her mother: a bag of noble fairy dust (given freely), a bottle of wine (at least 50 years old), and a bag of crushed diamonds. She also said we would need the true name of the demon, which I guess we’ll have to pry out of it somehow, and also one other thing she didn’t seem to be specific about. Something to house the demon? I’m not sure, but I’m confident that Deneb can handle that.
Our trip down the river into Fairy lands was surprisingly uneventful at first. I had heard tales of the tricks fairies loved to play on people, and was expecting our party to be led astray at some point. But the worst thing that happened was an attack by a river alligator (or was it a crocodile?). It was tense at first, as Deneb got knocked into the water, but Koal and Alice seemed to be in their element when fighting in the water, so I let them handle most of it.
I am embarrassed to say it, but I was completely useless when it came to finding anything when we arrived in Basin Pass. Through my own negligence, while discussing matters with a local merchant, I was not looking where I was walking, and stepped off of the raised walkway, directly into a barrel of brine. The smell was atrocious, and it made the trip up the mountain in the ropeway carriage rather unpleasant. Both for myself and my companions. I was looking forward to cleaning off in the hot springs, but Deneb wouldn’t leave me alone. I’ve never felt more embarrassed than when she started bathing me!
Anyway, the King of the Fairies was willing to give us some fairy dust if we removed an illegal ETE toll booth in the middle of the tunnel road. We put to use some barrels of brine donated by the local hermit, and managed to drive the ETE out without anyone getting hurt. Once we had the dust in hand, we chartered a ship to Alice’s hometown of Obsidian.
Overall, the voyage was rather pleasant. I had never been out on the ocean before, and the sea breeze was quite invigorating. I get the impression that not all of my companions felt the same way, but I must admit I’ve been trying to avoid them recently. They probably could accomplish more without me dragging them down. Alice’s family’s restaurant was quite nice, and her mother agreed to give us the wine we needed if we helped out around the place. Alice and Ark were deft hands in the kitchen, while I waited tables and seated people out front. I will admit, I hadn’t worn a skirt since the last time my sisters convinced me to play dress up with them, but I found it somewhat fun. Of course, if my sisters ever find out, I’ll never hear the end of it.
Once again, we set sail to the the Fisher Kingdom. We surmised that, if anyone would be likely to have diamonds, the most prosperous trading kingdom would be it. And once we arrived, they were open to negotiating an alliance with my family as well. With diamonds in hand, we set out on the road towards my home, on our way to learn the demon’s true name.
Things have been going well, but I still feel unprepared for what lies ahead. Seeing the armies of the Usagi Taguel mustering reminded me of how costly war can be. How many of those people will come back home? When we got to my family’s estate, I wanted nothing more than to be alone for awhile, to think over my recent decisions. I… may have snapped a bit at Pash, about what had happened during his period of watching over us.
Koal… Koal has every right to be angry now. Despite his rampage through the manor, I won’t hold it against him. His people have suffered far more than mine. He’s right, I could have saved her if I
We talked things over. I hadn’t considered how it must look when I fail to show how I feel outwardly. Being raised as a noble, one is taught that openly showing what you feel is oft considered a sign of weakness. I have spent most of my life trying to conceal how I truly feel, to the point that I must look like a monster when tragedies occur.
What will happen if Beatrice doesn’t come back? How could I possibly live up to her legacy?