"Cass, catch." Lewis tossed an apple at his sister as they walked the side path winding up to Daerma's hut.
Cassandra didn't remember seeing him buy apples. Nor were there any appropriate fruit trees on the trail. Regardless, the warrior's instincts saw the missile flying towards her. She threw a hand out to snatch the apple out of the air, and realized her fatal mistake when the apple illusion simply passed through her as if she wasn't there.
Lewis burst into childish laughter at the joke he's played on her at least once a month now. Cassandra groaned and said in a dry voice, "Wow, so ingeniously funny. I'm really pissing my pants here Lewis."
"I'm sorry, it's just so easy to get you. I can't wait to learn how to do even bigger illusions! Ill conjure up images that'll send kings and armies running for the hills." He used his illusion cantrip to conjure an image of a tiny dragon before him. It was mono-colored, the same Blue Arcane energy that Lewis fed into all his magic. But it looked, and moved, like a real dragon.
Cassandras hand chopped through the illusion, causing it to disperse like a cloud of smoke. "And I can't wait to be the real thing to send the kings running."
"The only reason men run from you, is because they know you can crush them with both hands tied up and a blindfold on. You're kind of scary Cassandra."
"Good. That's the impression I'm trying to send out."
The trees around the trail grew thick, and dense, pushing closer and closer in. Lewis glanced around nervously, keeping his staff in front of him, gripping it in both hands. "Do you think we're lost?"
"Absolutely not." Cassandra contemplated drawing her sword to cut away the foliage, but she trusted the word of the barkeep. "Eli said to expect this. 'It's as if the very nature around her keeps people out.' he told me. Just keep your eyes sharp."
Soon enough, the trees abruptly backed away from the path, revealing a small opening in the forest. The siblings looked upon a ramshackle hut, made of the same dark wood as the surrounding trees. The hut was wider than it was tall, and had a circular shape, with a single door, and no apparent windows. The land outside and around the structure was filled with various sized, snow-covered wild lavender plants. Aside from the foliage, it was relatively empty, except for a few derelict crates piled outside the door.
Cassandra and Lewis approached the door to the hut, glancing about as if another ambush would happen. The pair reached the door, and hesitated. Lewis looked to his sister and said, "Well? Are you going to knock?"
Cassandra looked at him, bewildered, and scoffed. "Me? I was waiting for you. You're the, the magic-y one here, not me."
Lewis stammered, looking for a response, when the door simply opened on its own accord. Both siblings shared the same look of 'What the fuu-'. When a voice from inside sounded out. "Stop bickering over who will knock on a piece of wood. Just enter." The voice was raspy, and cold.
Lewis was about to protest, when Cassandra planted a hand on his back, and forced him beyond the threshold. The warrior filed in behind him, and they both took in their surroundings. The space inside the hut was small, but warm. There was a central iron oven, currently housing a low flame. Opposite the door was a small bed, next to which was a comfortable looking chair. The rest of the interior consisted of crates and barrels, hanging cages, some with, some without black birds.
On the other side of the oven from the sibling duo, a hunched figure closed the furnace door, causing a loud 'Bang!' which made the pair jump. Walking around the furnace, to face Lewis and Cassandra was a shriveled and bent Dwarven woman, with long, thin white hair. She wore layers of cloaks, each one growing its own fungus or mold of some sorts. But the thing the siblings noticed first, was the Dwarf's eyes. There was no white, no pupil. It was like looking into the night sky, in a field, far from civilization. There were swirls of purple and black. And there were thousands, no, millions of twinkling stars. The more you looked into her eyes, the further into the universe you traveled.
The Dwarf's gravelly voice broke the siblings out of their stupor. "The Boothe children, born to Danson and Faria Boothe, of Chillreach City. Long Have I waited for this day."
Cassandra stepped closer to the her. "How do you know who we are? And what do you mean you've waited? Speak, witch!"
A hand fell gently on her shoulder. Cassandra turned to see Lewis, staring at the Dwarf woman. "You are Daerma, yes? The Shroudpass Seer?"
A simple "Hmm.." escaped Daerma's throat. The hag of a Dwarf shuffled over to the chair by her bed. As she sat, she waved her hand, calling the siblings over. When they approached, two perfectly sized crates slid under Lewis and Cassandra, who promptly sat facing the seer. Daerma reached to the side, and pulled out a box. She began fiddling with its contents, which the siblings could not see, as she spoke, "You look like them. The both of you."
"So you do know them, our parents?" Cassandra asked hopefully.
Daerma waved a hand, saying, "Of course I know them. Danson and Faria have visited me on multiple occasions, looking for answers. Much like you, now." She closed the hinged lid of the box with a snap sound, and the Dwarf was holding a long, wooden smoking pipe. Some sort of purple and green herb was packed into it. "But they are not why you are here. You are here for- Oh, do you mind sweetie?" She held the pipe out to Lewis, keeping the mouthpiece in her mouth.
Lewis, all-to-familiar with the motion, snapped his fingers, causing a flame to appear over his thumb. He lit the pipe for the seer, who took a deep puff. Cassandra shot Lewis a glare, and he simply shrugged it off. Daerma released a heavy cloud of smoke, and continued speaking. "You are here seeking your respective masters; Nephemon, the Archmage. And Captain Reginald Fithernus, of the Frost Guard. Yes?"
The children, for the seer made them feel as such, shifted uneasily in their seats. They had forgotten their true purpose here when they realized Daerma had known their parents. Lewis opened his mouth to say this, but Daerma held up a hand to stop him. She released another cloud of aromatically pleasing smoke, which was beginning to fill the small space. "I understand wanting to unravel the mystery that is your parents, and their disappearances. But do not dwell on those thoughts. Not yet." The Dwarf took in a big hit from her pipe, letting the smoke pour out of her mouth as she said, "The family shall be reunited when the time is right."
The seer went into a small coughing fit, and both siblings couldn't help but shake the feeling that she was reciting something when she said that last sentence. After she recovered herself, Daerma passed the pipe to Cassandra. The warrior had never, and would never, inhaled any sort of substance in her life. But without thinking, she accepted it, bringing the pipe to her lips to breathe in the fumes.
Daerma spoke again, as Cassandra passed the pipe to Lewis while fighting a cough, "To find The Archmage, and the Captain, you will need to travel to places unknown. You will converse with strange, new entities. You will have to battle monsters. Seek treasures. Delve into the secrets of Magic and Blade. Break the barrier between the Planes and become your true self!" Her eyes flashed with a bright green magic as she threw her hands into the air.
As she spoke, Lewis could recognize the casting of a ritual spell, whether or not he knew what the spell was. He could also recognize that Cassandra was already caught up in the web of magic. He looked down to the pipe in his hands, herbs still holding a bright cherry of embers. He knew that the Dwarf's magic would help them. But he was scared of what may unfold afterwards. He glanced at his sister, who sat awestruck and dumbfounded, staring at the Dwarf. Whatever the outcome of this visit to the witch, Lewis knew he couldn't let her endure it alone. He brought the pipe to his lips, and deeply inhaled, just as Daerma completed her Arcane incantation.