Specters of our Past and Future

With the settling of the world, Artorias had been prepared to leave it all behind and head back to the castle with Briar. There was no chance in heaven or hell he was going to let her leave after all this, so she'd be spending the night in the Hallows at the very least, where he could keep her safe. Tomorrow, he'd have to send her back home, and as much as it pained him to do so, he'd have to tell her to not come back here until the world was more stable. He couldn't risk Briar traveling the distance between the Armada and the Hallows alone when such supernatural and downright dangerous events were going on. As much as he loved her, he needed her to stay home and safe. "No" would not be an answer.

Yet as he felt Briar lean into his side and he went to turn to head back to the castle, a single blue firefly flitted by Artorias' nose. He blinked in surprise, following the slow bug with curious eyes until it led his gaze over to a stranger cloaked in black robes standing behind a table. Its gaze was a piercing, cold blue glow that reminded the young alpha of the fireflies—except these eyes felt as if they were peering through his very soul. Artorias' mouth hung open in shock, unable to look away from the entity, whose body was hidden, save for its glowing hands which appeared to be made up of those blue fireflies. Despite his apprehension, Artorias could not resist the pull to approach. "Do you see that...?" he whispered to Briar, gently pulling away from her side to step up to the table.

When he approached, gold-flecked amber eyes roamed over the assortment of vials the entity had laid out, curiously studying each one. The entity spoke then, responding to his earlier call with the exact words he'd called into the darkness before. A cold chill gripped Artorias' pounding heart. Was this the being responsible for the voice he'd heard? Was it also the cause of the world turning crazy? He peered up at the tall figure like he could glean some information from it. "As helpful as your potions could be... what I seek isn't something that can be bottled." He looked up to the entity, wondering what it looked like behind the cloak and hood. What he desired most was a way to ensure the safety of his loved ones, his family, the Hallows. "I'd like to discuss my faults and flaws. And..." Artorias delicately laid each and every crystal and mushroom he'd collected on the entity's table. "...if you have something that could keep my loved ones safe, I'd like to discuss that too."

It was no secret that, being his first season as an alpha, Artorias was feeling waaaaay out of his league. All he desired was to be someone worthy of his family, worthy of the Hallows, to protect and provide. The young wolf was having a hard time finding that within himself thanks to the changing of the world. But after the attacks on Gwyn and Rudy, the grave robbing of his mother, his own brutalization, Artorias had to find some way to protect those he loved. He glanced back at Briar for a second; he couldn't fathom something happening to her as well...

OOC: Artorias is bargaining with Firefly Guy. He offers all of his items (2 crystals and 4 mushrooms) in the bargain, and asks for a means to protect Briar and his family.

"Artorias Carpathius"