Wandering the Mists

'It's been an eventful few weeks. I'm trying to catch up as I sit here on the back of a supply wagon bound for the Fields of Ruin, but my head is still spinning. I suppose I should just start where I left off. After leaving Scholar Worfmir and the rest of the priory team monitoring Bria to their work, I spent a long time pondering why my escape early retirement from the Priory seemed to have gone so smoothly after I got clear of Lion's Arch, especially with the Whispers badge slipped into my bag making it clear that even the Order was aware of my departure. Maybe my letter to Gixx really was as convincing as I'd hoped it was.'

'Stopping to question a captive Inquest operative against my better judgement was really the first mistake I made in the Steppes. The shadow of Hanne's words had been hanging heavily over me for a while, and when I saw the opportunity to possibly confirm whether or not she was still following me, I couldn't help but take it.

I put up my hood and stormed into their hidden lab with less subtlety than the situation warranted, which was the second mistake. Or mistake 1.5, maybe? I shut off the alarm manually (hit it with a sword) and went right for the databases. My limited experience with Inquest technology isn't much more than other farm girls from Kessex have, but it's at least enough to know what a keyword search is.'

'I don't know if I was expecting her to jump out of the console and stab me, or what. The feeling of being watched had only gotten stronger as I traveled through the region and part of me had thoroughly convinced itself I was about to be jumped and dragged off to a vivisection table at any given moment.

The Inquest assignment databases told the opposite story. Biothaumist Hanne had been reassigned shortly after our encounter to a highly classified new krewe, and shipped off to...somewhere. I was so baffled that the shadow I'd been convinced was right behind me wasn't even on mainland Tyria anymore that I barely noticed the alarm reactivating until I had to hightail it away from the lab supervisor.'

'Even after learning that Hanne had been sent far away, I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was breathing down my neck, one step behind me. At this point, I decided that if my instincts weren't leading me completely astray, and Gixx kept his word about advocating for my innocence in Kryta, the unshakeable presence was most likely the Order of Whispers. But STILL, no matter how close I got to Pact encampments, no one made any attempts to capture, question, or really even talk to me. My hood is a serviceable disguise from a distance, but it isn't that good. I actually felt like I was being ignored, which, in hindsight, was probably true.'

'I started avoiding the Pact camps after that, staying with friendly ogres and camping out in the old Ascalonian ruins. Still, the feeling stayed, but I kept it at bay thinking about what the old wall must have looked like in its prime. An ancient feat of human dedication, and a symbol of old Ascalon's hostility and fear. Ghosts still mill around it, trying to keep outsiders at bay. I wish I could help them realize their war is over.

I was camped in a nook below those ruins (the third mistake was starting an uncovered fire) when she found me.'

'One moment, I was writing down my thoughts, and the next I had blue chains clamped around my neck, burning cold. At first I thought it was a ghost attack, but Vulpes' immediate panic felt different somehow. Then I saw the charr. I haven't encountered many guardians before, just a few among Priory and Vigil squads, but I was able to put two and two together. She was staring directly through me, like she could see the demon snarling behind my eyes.

I didn't recognize her armor, not at first. The only thoughts running through my head were the fight-flight-freeze kind, and I wasn't exactly examining what I would later realize was a modified Whispers brigantine bearing the Tyrian Alliance's crest on the back.'

'A bellowing shriek from above snapped me out of my panic (or maybe just made me panic more productively) and my flesh construct got a lucky hit on the bounty hunter. The magic sustaining the chains faltered and I threw the biggest concentration of terror magic I could in my attacker's direction before she could get a paw around the crossbow at her hip. I ran for the nearest Legion base as a Shatterer (an entire Torment-ridden Shatterer) passed overhead.

The bounty hunter wasn't dissuaded for long. We traded strikes as I clambered through the ruins and eventually decided to take my chances in the Brand itself. I don't know if you, imaginary reader, have ever had to out-sprint a charr who is actively trying to kill you, but it's not fun. I only have two legs to work with.'

'It was at about this point, sprinting full-tilt through the Dragonbrand, that I realized most of her shots were going embarrassingly wide. Then I realized she was missing on purpose, trying to herd me back out of the Brand rather than kill me outright. I put it together when I identified the Tyrian Alliance crest; this wasn't just any bounty hunter. She was here for Vulpes, not me.

From the Priory's perspective, I stumbled into their hall all those months ago in a delirium and denied their attempts to screen me for extraworldly entities, only to run off and immediately be accused of graverobbing and murder in Kryta. They know about the Accident, they know small-scale disasters tend to follow in my wake, and they know that once I finally managed to secure a place of safety in their underground library, I abruptly ran away again with little explanation. In their records, I've been nothing but erratic and flighty, a random Kessex orphan with magic too strong for my own good.'

'The Priory must think I'm a victim of demonic possession. (And they're not exactly wrong, either.) That would explain why the normal Pact forces haven't made any attempts to detain me; they must not know how strong or weak of a demon Vulpes is. They were waiting for a specialist to track me down.

The bounty hunter gave up the chase abruptly, just clear of Steeleye Span. I don't know why. It's possible her jurisdiction doesn't apply to places under the control of the United Legions, or that she'd rather not provoke whatever she thinks Vulpes is that close to a populated area - even if the population is made up of battle-hardened Sentinels. Either way, I took the lucky break and wound my way down towards the Fields of Ruin, much more careful to ensure I wasn't leaving a trail.'

'I haven't seen her since, but I can only assume she's still out there, probably regrouping and adapting her strategy now that we've actually exchanged blows. I wanted to drag my feet before investigating the address in Ebonhawke from Ma's book, but it looks like I won't get the luxury of traveling slowly.'

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*for reference, Glaw is 9'3 (282 cm)