The Shadows | Astarion

~ 16 ~

Aelia paced into the market, and her eyes gazed around her at the busy stalls. She knew she couldn't march into the middle of the street and proclaim she was a travelling healer, it would make her seem too suspicious.

So she didn't do that.

Instead, she walked up and down the stalls pretending to browse their wares, but rather she was trying to see if anyone had any type of injury.

Her eyes lit up as her eyes settled on one man, his arm looked badly burnt, and was poorly wrapped in bandages.

So, she plastered on a kind smile and strode towards him.

"Forgive me, sir, I couldn't help but notice your arm. If you'd like, I could heal it for you, free of charge!" She exclaimed, and the man stared at her suspiciously before nodding.

"Fine, it's been like this for days! I can't do any work when it's like this." He complained, and Aelia held her hands out, asking to see it more closely, the man held it out.

She assessed the burns closely, and looked at it, "How did it happen?"

"Did it at home, fell into the fire like the clumsy bastard I am!" The man laughed, and Aelia tried to smile in amusement.

"It's rather like the burns a vampire can get if they stand in the sun." She said carefully, removing the bandages from the arm.

"I ain't anything like those creatures, still it must be painful." The man replied, shaking his head with a look of disgust.

"I wouldn't like to imagine if a vampire could have the power to walk into the sunlight without any consequence." She said, slowly healing his arm. The burnt, pinkish flesh began healing slowly.

The man huffed a laugh.

"Do you think there's such a way?" She asked, glancing at his face whilst still healing the burns on his arm.

"I'd pray to the gods that there ain't, but, I have heard something." The man's voice lowered, and Aelia leaned in conspicuously.

"Something interesting?" She raised an eyebrow, making it look like she wasn't taking it seriously.

"I heard some vampire spawn got his hand on a ring, apparently one that makes him walk in the sun. Sounds like shit to me." The man tutted, staring at his now healed arm.

"Indeed." She'd finished with his arm.

He looked at it in awe, "Thank you, lady, here's something for your trouble." He then gave her a small bag of gold, despite her offering to heal it for nothing.

Aelia nodded at him kindly and moved on, she'd have to confirm if another vampire spawn had actually found the ring. So she found another person in need of healing, and asked the woman what she knew.

After healing more people, it was safe to say that most people thought that the ring had already been found, and that it was in the hands of a vampire spawn.

She cursed as she walked back to the tavern, feeling exhausted from using her magic.

She needed to tell them all what she'd learnt, and knew they wouldn't be best pleased. Looking at the sun, she knew it would be dark soon enough.

Continuing to the tavern, she was fine until she heard faint footsteps behind her.

She couldn't panic, not yet.

She breathed out and continued walking, if not any quicker than before.

That's until she felt a pain shred through her and she fell to the ground. She cried out as she stared at the thick slashes on the backs of her legs, stopping her from walking. Darkness clouded around her.

"Shit." She cursed under her breath, and tried to summon her magic to heal the wounds, but had found she'd used too much earlier, she'd had to wait until it replenished a little more.

A laugh came from the darkening shadows, and she looked up. Even if she was on the floor, she grabbed her dagger.

"You're very brave." A male voice whispered, and she tried hard not to tremble.

"Who are you?" Aelia grounded out, trying to ignore the fact that the sun was becoming fainter.

"It doesn't matter, why are you so interested in the ring?" The voice said, and Aelia didn't want to know how the male knew she'd been asking about it. Someone from the village must have told him.

"Why, do you have something to tell me?" She countered, and the man laughed again.

"You are an incredible creature." He whispered, and Aelia scoffed.

"I get it, you're trying to be all mysterious and dark to mess with me. Honestly, it's not working." She called out, trying to summon her magic again, it was a little more stronger.

"Fine." The stranger's voice was low, and she glanced up, "Give up on your search of the Sun-Walker Ring. Before it gets you killed, although I'd gladly like to see it."

The shadows then disappeared, and the world became a little bit brighter. Aelia realised that the stranger had probably clouded her sight, as the sun warmed her again.

It would set it in a few minutes, and her magic was still low. She grunted in pain as she dragged herself to the nearest wall, and waited for it to replenish.

She sat there long past sunset, and darkness surrounded her. When she finally tried to heal herself, the watched as the wounds closed up, but the wounds weren't entirely closed.

She'd have to properly do it when she'd made it made it to the tavern.

She slowly stood up and limped forward, and blood ran down her legs, she'd have to get there quickly.

Ignoring the darkness, she began slowly walking back to the tavern.