bethen avilla ; the circle mage (bethe) wrote in thedas,
It seemed that the further Bethen strayed from the camp, the greater certain traits in her environment became -- the ground softer and slicker, the brush denser and pricklier, and the darkness...darker. And yet she wasn't entirely discouraged; here and there she'd found an occasional piece of useful plant matter, which only served to fool her into thinking that there might be more up ahead. Just a little further, and she'd have plenty, and everyone else could rest easy knowing that their bonfire wouldn't be snuffed out in the middle of the night, sending them into pitch black. When the view of the spongy earth became a blur of deep gray, brown and blue-green hues, she decided to channel a little bit of her energy into the staff, using it halfway as a lamp and a walking stick. Shadows were thankfully pushed back by this faint light, not bright enough to disturb anything unless it was incredibly sensitive, but plenty with which to see where she stood now that the sun was absent from the sky.
Then, in opposite of how lightning strikes, the sound came before the sight: Bethen froze immediately when she heard a rustling that was completely apart from the sounds of her own two feet in the shifting, damp topsoil, and the light in her staff flickered out. Had the dry kindle not already been tucked into her satchel, she would have likely dropped it in response to the continued noise of an object in motion, just beyond her range of vision. She was careful not to move herself, so as to both evade startling whatever lurked out there and to be able to get a better read on the situation. It was no darkspawn, that much was certain -- even though she wasn't entirely confident about what it would feel like, she knew this wasn't one. But it was something else -- perhaps another animal, a bear or yet another wild wolf? That thought was easily dismissed; it moved on two legs, not four, and was quickly heading her way.
The mage Warden took two steps back as the thicket parted ways to reveal a human-shaped figure. Moonlight caught the edges of the form, revealing a feminine silhouette standing tall and proud, then confirmed by the distinct voice of a woman. Still, Bethen could make out none of her features nor read any expression until the sudden flare of light illuminated the small clearing. But the blast, while small and contained, was still shocking enough for the Warden to retreat even further back out of surprise and caution. Instinctively, she began drawing up a spell and held it in the back of her mind, in case this newcomer decided to use the fire as part of an assault. Already, her intonation and words read entirely as a warning, if not an obvious threat -- though Beth was not well-versed in combat, she had proven capable of holding her own against other magi before.
She decided to stand her ground, but cast a protective spell over herself to increase her obviously flimsy armor. A dull glow washed over her skin and her robes, forming faint lines in the shape of cracks along a worn stone surface, and she straightened her posture to match the type of command she thought she ought to possess. Intimidated though she was by this wild-looking stranger, she would have been completely stupid and cowardice to bow down or flee immediately. A Grey Warden could not do that, no matter how loudly that voice in her head was screaming to take flight and how hard her own heart pounded in her chest. Somehow, she had to summon the strength to face this apostate. But she didn't dare reveal anything about herself, and in fact could hardly think of any words to respond with in her immediate panic, instead calling back at her, "Come no further. Who are you?"