Torani liked to think of herself as independent, fiery, passionate - a
bonfire. Which was apt, given her attunement with the elements that
made up Tyria and favoring of two of them, air and fire, the
complimentary elements. Sometimes she also though of herself as the
wind whipping through a chasm, great and powerful, wearing away rock and
stone by her sheer presence.
Then, of course, she realized she was none of those things and had to come back from her fantastical daydreams.
Reality was harsh.
So
was the ground she was currently camped on, given that she was two days
out from normal civilization and she didn't want to pay the exorbitant
fees for sleeping in the inn when there was a perfectly good field
nearby. And she had a rucksack with bedroll (like any good traveler!)
and was prepared for her time under the stars. No tent but she was used
to that. No rain, so she wasn't driven in to the inn anyways.
Saving
coppers was key right now because she'd heard about a new staff-maker
who made attuned staffs. And although the name of them was something
weird - she couldn't remember it but once she reached Divinity's Reach
she'd track the artificer down, get the name and possibly the new staff.
Speaking
of which - she reached out, picking up her current staff (a glorified
tree branch with a crystal shoved into a nest of shorn-off roots) and
shoving it into the ground. One rain cape perched on it later and her
makeshift tent was complete. Given the field she wanted something to
keep bugs out, right?
She wasn't close to the swamp at least.
It
was (of course) the saving of coppers that was the reason she hadn't
used one of the waypoints to get around. Why waypoint when you could
make the journey a bit longer on foot? She sniffed the air. There were
many reasons to waypoint actually... most of them involving warm beds
right now.
Maybe the coppers were worth it.
The light was
just starting to fade and her fire looked inviting as Torani started to
rummage. Waypoints might cost you some coppers and silvers but it was
better than wolves... and etin... and trolls and a thousand other
critters - or centaurs!
What was silver compared to not hearing
the challenging shout (and inane babble) of a centaur when you came
right down to it? It was peace of mind, that's what it was. Peace of
mind worth having.
The smell of burnt horse was not something she found appealing.
Not
too long after making the impromptu decision to waypoint the
elementalist was trudging to the nearest warm inn inside the walls of
Divinity's Reach, slipping around the seedier peddlars of the city with
nary a second glance. She ignored the few commenters that were brave
enough to question her right to wear sorcerer's garb (one required a bap
with the spiked staff she carried but that was only one) and sauntered
her way to the inn.
One warm bed secured, she was reflecting that really, the few silvers were worth it.
In
a world like Tyria where travel was instantaneous as long as you paid
upfront why spend a night out cold when you knew a better - and safer! -
place to stay. Tomorrow owuld bring a return to her travels, and
adventures, seeking out a challenge and fight big enough to stretch her
control of the elements.
Perhaps she'd venture to the depths of
the sea. Or maybe the Straights of Devestation and the rumored Pact
base there, to see what challenges they had.
