For a second, I just stood there, stunned by the sheer audacity. Pain jolted me back into action, pain coming over the bond I shared with Sigmir. Reflexively, I reached out, trying to soothe her and for a moment, the connection between us sharpened, allowing me to know her thoughts. Just the idea that anyone was going to take me away was causing her pain, pain that was turning into anger, directed at the orc still standing in front of me, a smug grin on her face. Before Sigmir’s thoughts could turn into action, I acted.

Her approach would have us break the customs of hospitality, not that I truly cared about those but the protection they should award us forced me to adhere to them. Let the others break them first, bringing the detriments down onto them, not us.

Holding the flowers with one arm, my other went up in a gesture to stop Sigmir, which was accompanied by an intense thought directed to her, through our bond. No words, merely the anger I felt towards the orc in front of me, alongside a mix of compassion regarding her pain, the desire to soothe it and finally, the simple, unquestionable truth I had discovered the night before. The place I belonged, the place I felt truly at home, was in her arms.

My next action was to buy me a moment of time, time needed to formulate the right response, to consider the words used and the possible consequence of those. To skirt the line between making my point crystal clear, in a way that left no ambiguity whatsoever while not entirely breaking with decorum to the point that we had to fight our way out. With the Elder next to Dura, that seemed to be ill-advised. And so, I simply closed my eyes and took a deep breath, smelling the flowers I held, while rapidly conversing with Lenore.

Together, we had a course of action and words laid out before my inhale was over, dramatic and hopefully convincing.

Activating Overflow, I channelled as much Death-Magic as my meager skill allowed me to, to the point where I was losing health from the power coursing through me. Who would have guessed that channelling more Death-Magic than you could safely control would be hazardous to your health? Other than everyone. But it was necessary to make a point.

With that Death-Magic, I focused on the flowers in my arms, feeling the slow processes of life, still holding on, trying to keep going despite being doomed to die, all putting out small amounts of energy, of life but also of death. And on that Death-Energy, I pounced, pushing it to the limit and enhancing it beyond anything that could ever be accomplished naturally, forcing the decay of the flowers in an instant, making them crumble into dust within a blink of an eye. Most of the dust simply crumbled away, falling to the floor at my feet but some clung to my hands, only to be casually brushed away when I looked up, my eyes hopefully still filled by the Overflow of Death-Magic.

“You will not join us. And there is no one who could replace my Sigmir, certainly not you.” my voice sounded eerie, even to me, raspy and cold, filled with disdain and hate. The effect it had on Dura Firebringer was almost as pronounced as the effect my magic had on the flowers, just moments earlier. But instead of crumbling to the floor, she flared up, fire quite literally in her eyes while the air around us started to buzz with energy. There was a sigh that wanted to form within me, only to be ruthlessly suppressed.

“Attack your guests, break your valued customs of hospitality, and we will defend ourselves.” I challenged, before continuing on, “But know, while you might be able to overwhelm us, to kill us, you will not be able to end me. Remember, that I am an Immortal, an undying Traveller for whom Death is merely a temporary setback, an annoyance no more severe than a blister on your foot might be for you.”

Sadly, my words didn’t stop her, nor did it stop the pressure rising around us, forcing Lenore and me to push against it, while I continued speaking through gritted teeth.

“Know, if you kill us, I will return. Not honourably, not openly, I will be a ghost in the night. And where this ghost treads, nothing will be left but Death, not a single soul. If you kill us, this will be the day that marks the beginning of the end for Bright Hollow. I will use the rest of my immortal existence, to kill every last man, woman and child that calls this valley home. By my immortal soul, my magic and my power, I swear, if you kill us, I will turn the Bright Hollow into a valley of Death, where none shall tread without remembering your folly.” I ground out, sweat covering my forehead as Dura Firebringer was pushing against my magic, trying to force me to my knees, both in a physical and magical sense.

“Enough!” the voice of Elder Brightsun, previously gentle, now sharp as a knife, cut through the air, while the magic that had been pressing against me suddenly vanished. I was only able to barely feel what the Elder was doing, magically separating Dura Firebringer from me, and again, I was impressed by her control. Without pushing against me, her magic had formed a cocoon around me, both anything I might try contained while keeping everything away from me.

“There is no need for threats.” the Elder said, her voice calm but the expression on her face was far from gentle. Before I could tell her that I hadn’t made a threat but a promise, she continued.

“However, I think it would be best if you cut your stay short. Why, it might be advisable if you were to leave, as soon as you got your stuff from the rooms you have been given. You are no longer welcome here!” she declared, her voice making it clear that it was far from a suggestion.

“Certainly. For what it is worth, I will apologize that things turned out this way.” I added, before turning around, not even giving Dura Firebringer a second glance. There was nothing more to be said, there was nothing more I could say. Why hadn’t the stupid orc tried to talk to me, before trying to force the issue? And what the hell had been up with those flowers, and acting like a conceited idiot?

“Let us leave.” I told my party, reaching out to take Sigmir’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. I could feel the gaze of Dura Firebringer burn into my back, as we made our way to the door and we could hear the Elder talk to her.

“I’m so sorry, little Dura. Why didn’t you talk to me, before you did this?” the Elder asked, but before I could hear the response, we were at the door, where a wide-eyed apprentice waited for us. The look on her face was one of disbelief, mixed with a lot of hostility towards me.

For a moment, I considered to simply brush her aside, to take out the negativity I was feeling out on her. My emotions were a mess, on one hand, I felt angry at Dura’s actions and hated her for the pain she had caused Sigmir. On the other hand, I had enjoyed talking to her about magic, her style and insight into the working of it different from my own. And finally, there was the almost instinctual need to crush her, to show her that the heat of her Fire, the warmth of the Sun, could never withstand the cold of an eternal Darkness. Maybe, if she had asked to join us, given us all a chance to talk about it, I might have agreed, if only to learn everything she knew and surpass her. The difference in level between us wouldn’t have lasted and at that point, I would have been able to show my dominance, to show her that I was superior, even without Lenore’s help. But she had to force the issue.

But anything that resembled an attack was a bad idea, so I decided to simply ignore the apprentice, walking past her, as if she wasn’t there. Treating her as the insignificance she was, while she started to walk with me, maybe to make sure we were actually leaving without causing any mischief on the way out.

“You should leave that cloak here. She gave it to you for a reason.” the apprentice told me, her voice an angry hiss.

“Yes, she gave it to me because we had an agreement. I will not leave it, we earned it, fair and square.” I insisted, partially because I would be damned to give up such a curious and interesting item, especially one that looked to be incredibly useful to me, but also because it would mean I was conceding. And there was no way I would concede anything, especially in regards to Dura Firebringer.

“That cloak, she brought it with her from her journey. It was always hanging in her workshop but nobody was allowed to touch it. Now, she gave it to you, before that!” the apprentice continued, but I tuned her and her whining out, forcefully pushing the conflicting emotions away by drawing upon the Ice within my magic, allowing me to get into a calm and dispassionate mood.

There was nothing to be gained by getting emotionally excited, not as we were leaving.