Berra — Quest Of Eril 09
1627, Sea Season, Illusion Week
Context
Sea Season, Illusion Week, Freezeday. On the road to Boldhome. [[[s02:session-39|Session 39]]]
Events
As the group sets off again, Berra makes sure Danaril is comfortable on his bison – her bison – and then hangs back to talk to Mellia. She waves Yamia and Venlar and their followers on.
Mellia waves to everyone as she settles into a good pace. “Venlar is spoiling me.”
“Horses everywhere, people to serve you. Does he know they cannot always be with you?” Berra looks fondly at Venlar,
“I think not. He thinks I can always be with him.”
“Poor guy. I hate to ask if he’s /met/ you. I guess he’s never seen you dive through a battle line or slide down a cliff. Should I tell him about that to prepare him, or are you breaking it to him gently?”
“You had better tell him,” Mellia says with a sigh. “He’s seen me drop everything to heal, he knows I can recall the dead, but we have had peaceful travels.”
“I’ll do it.” Berra walks on a few paces. “So. What I’m going to say is a pretty big secret. It’s not something to tell anyone, not even your gods. I didn’t know how secret it was before, but it is.”
Mellia comments, “I hope that I can keep quiet about this. Is it about Xenofos or Varanis?”
“No, I don’t think I can think of a reason I’d ask you in the way I did. It’s not about your family.” Berra waves that off.
Mellia says,”Well, I am listening.”
“There’s a small chance that if you’re in Boldhome, you’ll end up pulled into a HeroQuest. Lord Eril is a Hero and he needs a Wyter.”
Mellia thinks for a little bit. “I wish him luck. I may need a Wyter someday for the temple.”
“I’m going to be doing it. Probably not until you’re safely married, but if it does happen, you’ll know what’s going on. It’s the ‘Quest of his deeds, that we got bound up in before.”
“That could get nasty. I am thinking about the part where Eril got all those wounds.”
“Yeah. I know. Believe me I have been thinking about that too. But I’ll have an… Well, I just need to survive it, right? I don’t have to like it.” Berra grimaces a bit.
“I hope you won’t be changed much. I think Danaril would beg you to reconsider.”
“I know. But for some reason, I don’t think he’s got anyone else he trusts to do it. So I have to. I think he doesn’t want anyone finding out because a hero like him – without much support – would just get torn apart by the Lunars.” Berra fixes her gaze on her cousin up ahead, and then looks away.
“So he would. Is there anything I can do to help you?”
“Thank you. I don’t know. If you’re in Boldhome then maybe you can take the part you had before, and Valseena can be one of the hunters early on. It would be a good thing. But you’ll be busy getting married, or getting ready to get married again. I just wanted it so that if anything happened by surprise, you would know.” Berra toe-kicks a stone off the road and into the drainage gutter.
“Oh. Thanks. If I am around, I will do what I can.”
“You’re a wonderful person. Venlar is more lucky than he realises. Even if he thinks he’s very lucky.”
Mellia blushes. “So are you. Do I want to know what is going on with Xenofos?”
“He… keeps trying to look after me. He’s a lot better than he was, though. About the sleep and the panic. He’s stopped being so jumpy. You should probably ask him or Varanis yourself, but as a warrior, I think that the battle fear is lifted from him a bit. You know how some people get after they’re been at war?”
Mellia nods. “Xenofos needs to talk about his bad memories, not run from them.”
“Making people talk too early is bad too. They need to know they are safe, and it’s hard to be safe when you’re in the road. He … he can’t bend much. But he’s learning to live with it. I’ve been really nervous in case he got hurt on the way out of himself but so far it’s better.” Berra stands on tiptoes briefly to try to see the slim figure up ahead, and then falls back into step neatly.
“That’s good news. I have been very worried about him,” Mellia says.
“I’m still worried, but less worried.” Berra yawns hugely. “Ugh. Got no sleep on Wildday and half a night last night. I am wrecked.”
“Ugh. Definitely get some sleep tonight, Berra.”
“Yeah. If I’m lucky I’ll get to bed before I have to talk to Lord Eril. But seeing him wakes me up.”
Mellia laughs. “Lord Eril would scare the sleep out of anyone.”
Berra tries not to laugh, and fails. When she recovers she says, “I really miss Lord D’Val. I have a lot of questions for him.”
“I hope he can answer them. I hope he’s in Boldhome when we get there.”
“He’s around the Temple a lot. I try to spread out the questions. I asked him something like eleven in an hour, back in Whitewall and then worked out I shouldn’t have. He was trying to concentrate.”
“Oh no.”
“Well, the last one was whether all the questions were bothering him so at least he knew I was trying. I just have a lot of questions about the world. It’s complicated out there.”
“It’s complicated,” Mellia agrees.
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Berra warns Mellia about the Heroquest in case she is pulled in
