asra x fem! reader • apprentice

six - watching

-(Y/N)'s POV-

We stumbled blindly through a Vesuvian forest.
At least, I was stumbling blindly. Asra seems to know exactly where he was going.
We had left the others at the shop, letting them prepare, plan and get to know each other better.
A flashback of the moments before Asra and I left swirled into my head:
"Wait. Like, right now? You're going right now to recruit this person?" Julian asked, running his fingers awkwardly through his fluffy, auburn hair.
I looked at Asra, awaiting the answer.
He hesitated a moment, before nodding sternly, "We have not a minute to waste. I'll go right now."
"Can I come?" Me and Julian both asked at the same time, and then we started at each other clumsily, his face turning red. I could see Portia rolling her eyes out of the corner of my vision.
"Well, Muriel strongly values his privacy. I think it would be best if just one other person came, and (Y/N) would be the preferable candidate, since Muriel knows her better." Asra said, and Julian nodded distantly in understanding.
I forced myself to think forward into the waking world. So he knew me. But I don't remember him, so it must've been prior to four years ago.
Asra led us deep into the woods, keeping close to a dirt trail engraved in the ground. His magic guided him by giving him light, since it was dark out at this time of the night.
I subconsciously held Asra's hand as we travelled, for it felt natural.
"Now long have you known him?" I asked, spacing out on a tree with odd scratches in the side of it's trunk.
"Who? Oh. Muriel. Since we were kids. We lived on the str-" Asra stopped talking when we both heard a howl.
"I-Inanna?" Asra questioned aloud, scanning the area with his eyes, his shoulders tense. The howl had sounded almost as if the animal had been distressed.
"Should we split up to look for where it can from?" I asked, knowing immediately that Inanna must have been some sort of pet companion Asra knew.
"If you're... okay with it." He responded, furrowing his brow.
"Yeah. The forest is so dense that I can't tell which direction it came from. I'll go this way." I said, pointing to the left of us. He nodded and disappeared the opposite direction.
I hummed softly as I looked around at the trees, scanning the terrain and smelling the air. It smelled natural and earthy in the woods, sort of like dirt.
I went around the trees and reached out with my magic, wondering if I could possibly sense anyone else in the forest.
I caught Asra's magical aura almost immediately, but also another aura. An unfamiliar one, that was still vaguely familiar in the back of my brain.
It had an earthy feel familiar to that of the forest around me.
I reached out and followed the aura through the forest, familiarizing myself with the feel of it coursing through my veins.
I was focusing on the feel of the magic that I barely even recognized the sound of a low whine.
I heard it and disconnected my magic, turning around lightly on my feet to see a black wolf with glowing yellow-green eyes. It's ears were pointed rigidly backwards and it had blood spattered on its otherwise shiny coat of fur.
"Hey... are you okay?" I asked the wolf quietly, kneeling down so I could meet it's eyes more easily.
It whined in response.
It wagged its tail to the side and tilted it's head further into the forest this way, as if beckoning me to follow it.
I followed the canine to a small, hut that was held deep in the woods.
The wolf ran up to the door and brushed it's long body against it, before nuzzling at my ankles with it's fuzzy cheek.
It let out another soft whine.
I carefully opened the wooden door and stepped inside the hut.
Inside, the hut was really cozy. There was a fireplace against the wall that comfortably heated up the room, with a pile of furs and blankets against the wall next to it.
Sitting awkwardly on top of the pile of furs was a man.
The man had shaggy, black hair that covered one of his eyes. He had tanned skin and green eyes. He was very large, and was slumped clumsily against the stone wall of the hut. He smelled of fresh blood, along with a sharp hint of myrrh. He was looking away from the door. I don't think he even had noticed me.
The wolf looked up at me and perked it's ears up, barking as it brushed my ankles again, wagging its tail.
"Do you.. is he hurt?" I whispered quizzically to the wolf, who nodded sternly, bumping it's nose against the back of your ankle as if to push you towards him.
I carefully approached the man and knelt beside him. He tensed at my presence, meeting my eyes.
"You shouldn't be here. Please leave." He groaned softly to me, sounding as if he were in pain.
Then I noticed the large gouge in his side that matched the smell of fresh blood.
"Hey, I'm gonna heal you." I reassured him softly, and he shook his head rigidly.
"No.. no, you aren't." He groaned again, shaking his head at me.
I sighed and looked at the wolf, who gave me a sad whine.
I placed my hand on the man's side and let power surge through to my palm and into his body. I closed my eyes and let the magic heal his wound.
When I was done, I opened my eyes and removed my hand from him.
He stared at me with wide eyes.
He seemed to have regained his strength, because he stood up right away.
I stood up to.
He crossed his arms, his face mildly flushed, "..Thanks. I don't know why you would help me, but you did. Thanks."
"What do you mean?" I asked, cocking my head to the side as I studied him.
Sure, maybe he did look intimidating, but he didn't act greatly intimidating.
"I'm not a good person. I'm not saying that for attention, I'm saying it as a warning. Please leave." He said, but worry shone in his eyes.
The wolf nudged me forward a bit.
The man looked down, just now noticing the wolf standing there.
His gaze softened, "Inanna."
He put out his hand, kneeling down, and Inanna licked his fingers lightly, brushing it's head against his hand.
"Inanna? Are you Muriel?" I asked, and he immediately shot back up onto his feet in a standing position, glaring at me, straight in the eyes.
"How do you know that name. Who told you. How did they know." Muriel growled under his breath, worry still shining faintly in his green eyes.
"I'm (Y/N)." I responded curtly. His gaze softened even more.
"Asra's apprentice?" He asked lightly, his eyes now soft.
I nodded lightly.
"Sorry.. that was rude." Muriel admitted lightly, squirming a little.
Inanna rubbed her muzzle against my ankle, and I looked up at Muriel.
"Me, Asra and a few others are planning to go on a journey. To find and capture Count Lucio. I presume you know of him?" I explained, keeping my eyes level with his.
Muriel's expression darkened.
"I do know of him." He scoffed lightly, "Do I ever."
Then realization seemed to hit him.
"He's alive!?" Muriel exclaimed, tensing again and glaring around, as if the count might suddenly show up in the hut.
"Well.. he's kind of a ghost. A goat ghost." I said when the door suddenly opened.
Muriel, as odd as it was, tensed again and put his arms in the air behind me, pulling me slightly closer to him as he was poised to attack.
And then Asra walked through the door, closing his lightly behind him.
"Hi Muriel! Hi (Y/N). Glad you ran into each other. What's happening?" Asra cocked his head to the side as he studied Muriel's anxious and protective body language as he shielded me from the door with his arms.
Muriel retracted his arms away from me, his face fully flushing.
Asra tossed his head back lightly and giggled, giving me a dimpled grin.
"So you met Muriel, huh? Isn't he such a softie!" He giggled further.
Muriel's face flushed even further, as that was somehow possible.
Asra giggled as Muriel attempted to cover his bright red face with his shaggy hair.
Muriel stumbled over to a shelf on the wall and grabbed a tied bag from it, throwing it at me.
I barely caught it.
"It's myrrh. I have a spell on me that makes people forget about me. That'll break it. Now let's go." Muriel explained hurriedly.

---

I followed Asra with Muriel and Inanna beside me.
We walked back to the shop, where the others were still waiting.
Morga was perched on top of a windowsill in the backroom regally, her hand holding firmly on to her staff, which had it's end rested on the floor.
Julian was sitting at a chair at the table in the backroom, his arms entwined behind his head.
Nadia was standing by the bottom of the stairs, chatting with Portia.
And.. there was someone else there, too. Someone you didn't recognize. They stood on the other side of the stairs, staring deeply at you.
They had green skin and creepy, red eyes. They had white cloth wrapped around their head, which made horn-like shapes, and a white cloth mask around their mouth.
They were wearing a white doctor's uniform with long, black gloves.
Nadia catches my odd staring at the new member of the group and motions towards them slightly dramatically.
"(Y/N) and Asra, this is Quaestor Valdemar, one of my courtiers." She introduced, "And Valdemar, this is Asra and his apprentice, (Y/N)."
Valdemar studied me with their sharp, lizard-like red eyes.
I swallowed hard, feeling watched. But not just by Valdemar. By more, invisible eyes. All watching me carefully.
"Nice to meet you, quaestor." I greeted, giving Valdemar a light, polite smile.
"I believe we've already met." They whispered in my ear, almost in a hiss. They reeked of blood. "You're Count Lucio's little helper, aren't you. How sweet."
I swallowed hard again.
I forced myself to sit down with the others and listen as they planned out where we would head first.
Valdemar kept their eyes on me the entire time, and Julian kept restlessly glaring over at them, as if nonverbally threatening them.
When the group finally agreed to where we would start, Julian asked if he could have a private word with me. They all accepted.
Julian led me upstairs and into my bedroom, crossing his arms and looking at me. His expression softened.
"I need to tell you something. About Valdemar. And probably something about myself, too."