aefenglom | text; un: feal (forward-dated to the 17th)

[Ferran has had some thoughts about the fallout of the Circle's experiments, and how he wouldn't have been able to do much to help that night even if he hadn't been occupied with something else. He's lucky that neither of his bonds were hurt in any lasting way, but... what about the next time danger shows up? Is he just supposed to cower at home and wait because fairies are a fragile species, especially against the Cwyld? It doesn't feel right to him.]

I'm looking for some suggestions on learning to fight. Long-range, if at all possible. I can't use magic, and none of the powers I have access to can be used offensively.

[He'll get some ideas on that later, but it's not really a weapon, per se.]

I was thinking about archery, but I don't know how easy it would be to pull a bow out in an emergency or anything. Do they have collapsible bows here? [Better not ramble too much on his thoughts, though.]

I'm basically a beginner with any kind of weapon, but I'm willing to put in the work. If anyone has ideas or can point me to somewhere I can learn, I'd appreciate it.

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I'm sure it's possible, but I'd rather leave the front lines for someone who has a lot more experience than I do.

[She named her firearm... that's both cute and a little concerning, but who is he to question someone's quirks, he guesses?]

That's good to hear. Obviously you want to use as few shots as you can, but having to spend a lot of time reloading that frequently would make things a lot more dangerous.

[Fun fact: That is, in fact, the name of the model of the gun.

But it is a woman's name, and it is a product of the quirks of the Vilebloods, so... yeah. Yes, it is a little odd that they chose that particular name for it.]

Anyone could do it swiftly, the more they learn their weapon. Soon enough, it becomes second nature to chamber a cartridge, or a round, so you can start to aim for another shot. That is probably one of the things you'd want to practice the most, if you decided to use such a thing. Swift and efficient reloading can make or break a fight. This is even true of the fights I am used to as a Hunter.

[Ferran has learned that sometimes it's better to just not ask questions about certain things; it's more polite to smile and nod. Unfortunately, it also means he makes a lot of incorrect assumptions that don't get corrected.]

I believe it. Whatever I get, I want to train as much as I can to to make sure I'm more of a help than a detriment. I already did the running headfirst into something back home, and I'm not interested in doing that again.

[Being a liability sucks!!]

I'm guessing you didn't just hunt animals?

It's ill-advised to do as such here, anyway, considering the way the Cwyld works, and if you're weak to it anyway...

[Well, he can fill in the blanks.]

I did not.

[A non-answer. That says a lot by itself.]

I see.

[He can get the gist that it's extremely dangerous—much like whatever it is she capital-H Hunted. It's impressive that she's been using a short-range weapon, regardless.]

Do you know much about dealing with Cwyld-infected? Obviously avoiding them is the most important thing if I can manage it, but...

[Sometimes the worst-case scenario happens.]

Depends on a couple of things. You mean the truly well infected, Cwyldtid? I think the best defense there is to hit them at range and take your hits to their backs and weak spots whenever you can. For the lesser infected it... it's a duel with a mostly sentient being. You have to be good at that.

[Killing humans? Who's killed humans. Maria has never killed a human a day in her life.]

A ranged attack is still your best bet if simply coming into contact with them is an issue, but heavy enchantments and covering your skin fully can be helpful.

[Ferran can't say he's any good with dueling sentient beings, but there's always the chance he can improve... hopefully. Something that hadn't yet occurred to him, though: spells to help prevent infection. The people who work out in the Wilde have to have some decent magical protection, right?]

I guess there would be enchantments to fend off the Cwyld...

[Ferran is relatively certain it's not something he can do. If it was easy as imbuing item with an anti-plague charm, surely he would have heard about that from somewhere.]

That might be good to look into. I'm guessing they don't last very long, though.

Something like that. Most effective is not allowing it to touch you at all, so something that creates a barrier from anything touching you at all, rather than against the Cwyld specifically is the best bet.

But... Cwyld interacts in interesting ways with magic, so it can make such things malfunction easily or drain them quickly. Caution must always be exercised, and good, thick leather helps as well, I've found.

But then my attire is also made to be... water resistant. [Blood. It's blood resistant.]

[Look sometimes when you hunt things, blood happens, and Ferran understands and respects this. Lots of things bleed. Even if humans and other sapient beings also bleed.]

I remember someone telling me about that kind of interaction, now that I think about it.

[He'd been still kind of harried by everything at the time, and it had slipped his mind. He's glad to have the reminder so he can take it down somewhere.]

Thank you for the advice. I'm sure it'll be useful in the future, whether I try to avoid it or not. Is there anything special about your attire that wouldn't be something I could find, just by looking for something to protect against a storm, for instance?

No, not particularly. It's just good, thick leather and fabric, treated with a bit of oil to repel liquids. I suppose the biggest "key" to it would be that I wear multiple layers. There's a bit of a balance to be struck with the layers of fabric so it is not too stiff to stifle your movement, but still provides extra protection.

I put enchantments upon some of the pieces later, but it wasn't for protection from Cwyld.

Edited 2021-03-03 14:26 (UTC)

I see. It sounds easy enough to experiment with as far as layers go.

[One can always practice range of movement in the safety of one's home. Especially if you happen to have a large one.]

What kinds of enchantments were those? There's plenty to contend with in the Wilde even aside from the Cwyld, right?

[He could take a few educated guesses, but he hasn't had to fend for himself out in the wilderness before. All of the danger he'd faced had been in the middle of civilization.]

There is, but most of my enchantments are for counter-spell purposes. I have anti-sleep, and other anti-incapacitation spells, as well as anti-mind control. I also have fire resistance on my attire, since my elemental affinity for casting as a Witch has been fire, and I don't want to damage my clothes with it.

What can be thrown at you in the Wildes varies, and it's all but impossible to determine which it will be, and what to even prepare for, so anything else I do as I get to the field, though most of the time I simply elect to rely upon my agility to avoid whatever is thrown at me. What I can do is stop myself from being incapacitated... and stop myself from burning myself.

[It's concerning that she's worried enough about other Witches to set up those kinds of wards, but maybe she works in places that lean more sinister... and it's not like recent events haven't made the importance of such protections obvious.]

Right. It makes sense to take care of the things you already know are risks first, and then deal with the rest as they come... I guess there's only a limited amount you can prepare even in the best-case scenario.

[Ferran doesn't believe in such things as preparing too much, but he knows there are limits to what's possible, even in a magical world.]

I feel like the more I ask, the more questions I have... but I don't want to keep bothering you just for the sake of curiosity. You've given me a lot of helpful advice, so thank you.

text; un: feal (forward-dated to the 17th)

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