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 Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:00 pm
Preparations
Week of Greed She hadn't planned to bring much, so it made packing easy - her flute had been the first to go in the small backpack she had chosen for the journey - while seemingly superfluous for anyone else, it just might end up being useful for her. Change of clothes. Bandages, just in case once more. That was pretty much it. She slid out of her room and, on second thought, locked the door, sliding the key down into one wide pocket. Better protect what little was hers, who knew who would slid inside while the boys and Cosine weren't looking ? She stepped down the stairs, and was startled, for a moment, at seeing the redhead pouring himself a cup of coffee. The boy did a double-take, like most where doing lately.... But the face he did right afterward was most curious. Wait... was there something on her face ? "I think he finally lost it." came the answer to the unspoken question while he rubbed his temples. "What the hell's so funny, anyway ?!"Ankou seemed amused by someth- Oh. Oh. She suddenly figured out just what it probably was, and felt her cheeks redden. Oh dear. No one had told them... For a moment, one could have heard a fly... well, fly, until the redhead's eyes widened. Oh dear lord... "Haaa, uh, well... Congratulations ?" The young man blinked - the boldest of the wisp saw this as the perfect moment to "strike" - zooming up right in front of his face as if to examine this new person that kinda-felt-like-daddy-but-wasn't-daddy. When Adrian opened his eyes, they instantanously went cross-eyed as he tried to examine the little thing. It helped lift the embarrassment a little and she didn't get to lock in the giggles in time. After it seemed like he had gotten over the shock, she answered him. "Yeah, we.... didn't really see it coming. And so many of them...""Yeah, well uh. Ankou said some might merge together when they get... older ? Stronger ? Something like that." Oh, good. Good. She doubted she could have handled a dozen of them. Especially right now. "Wait just a second. You're not seriously thinking about going world-hopping while..."The little thing's curiosity seemed sated, and he retreated back with its siblings near their mother's wings. She sighed, her ears drooping slightly. "I know... It's dangerous. But... Staying here won't make me any safer. And... I worry. About him."Nergal... just seemed so unstable. Like he just might crumble down the second she wasn't around to hold him together. The redhead probably wouldn't understand, but Ankou... Ankou might. A question popped up in her mind, and she figured she might just as well say it. The other god might know the answer, after all. "How long... do you think we have ? Before they are born ?"There was a pause, only long enough for some mental communication, then... "He can't really tell - not yet, anyway." The redhead answered her question, looking at her with worry the whole time. "You... will both be coming with us, right ? When we leave ?" She had hoped so. It would probably be important for him to be there, even if unseen and unspeaking due to what he had done the night prior. "Yeah. Ankou needs to tell you all how the doors work." Suddenly, he winced in pain. "...I think I need some more painkillers." Followed with an almost childish whine. "Come with me - it seems we have some time before Nergal is ready..."
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:01 pm
Wellhaven :: Departure
Week of Greed Sosiqui  The Pantheon was an uneasy place to be. Illumin had elected to enter the building through the window, bypassing the entrance hall completely. He knew it was willful ignorance, but he simply did not want to see whatever was down there.
Perhaps when they had returned, then he would look. Perhaps.
Light's chambers were still a mess. Fallen lanterns littered the floor, and here and there were piles of ashes when the paper had become too hot to bear. He did not bother to clean those, either. He did not intend to be here long. Only just enough to meet with the others and find the door.Perri Indiya  Ea had come with Illumin to the seat of all hell breaking loose, wishing he could have stayed outside as opposed to entering it again. Even coming to Light's old quarters made him queasy, but damned if he was going to go down to throne room again. He didn't need to see any reminder of Kish's blood pooling on the floor.
"Did you leave this place in a hurry?"Sosiqui "Yes," Illumin replied, offering nothing else. He had fled like a coward, and he knew it. Ea could figure that much out on his own, he was sure, but it made him feel better to not just come out and say it.
Much like it made him feel better to take care of the people of Solde-on-Palecliff. But they would be fine, or as well as they could be, with Eliam. He had left a light globe over the village, so they would have that much, at least.
And now, supposedly, it will make me feel better to finish this thing. But his stomach was all in knots. If nothing else, he was resolved that nothing, nothing would come back with them save the fragments they sought. Even if it begged. Zero Dream They had entered by normal means, if only because of the mostly total lack of flight. Both goddess and the redhead avoided the sight of the throne room, for different yet similar reasons, wanting to do nothing but skitter upstairs as far as possible - it was Nergal's hesitation and sudden breaking off from the group that held them back. Echo's worried gaze followed him until he was out of view, then she turned back to look at Adrian, sighing. She had packed lightly - a small leather backpack rested on her shoulders, containing the bare necessities and her flute, just in case. All jewelry was home, there was none visible even her person - not only this was no time for vanity, but she had noticed the looks of the passerby as she came. And what little she had that actually still fitted her changed form was hers, damnit."Let's hurry." Adrian broke her off her thoughts - the boy already halfway up the stairs. He did not like this place anymore, and there was no knowing what else would happen, and he could NOT get out of there soon enough.Echo followed him, knowing full well his reasoning - and pretty much agreeing to it. After all, she had been unable to live here ever since her rebirth - she could not blame him.
She stopped in front of one door, recognizing it as the one Illumin had described to them. Should they just... wait here ? No, it probably would do good to at least get inside and start preparing things. Adrian leaned against the wall and she knocked, softly. "Illumin ?" Hopefully her voice would be recognizable enough. Sosiqui Illumin jumped a bit at the sudden voice from outside, but it was a welcome distraction. He hurried over to the door, his wings trailing light, unconsciously over-bright to hide his own discomfiture. At first he opened it just a peep, in case it was someone come to scream at him or worse over the state of things.
It was a relief to see Echo and Adrian, and he opened the door all the way with a soft sigh. "Echo, Ankou. Welcome." He glanced behind them. "Where is Nergal?" Zero Dream "He wanted to check something in the throne room." She did not even bother to hide her worry. "He said it should not be long."Adrian followed past, head low in respect of the two deities present. "I don't think Ankou recovered enough strength to speak yet, but he wanted me to come to show you how to use the Doors. And to assist with whatever might be needed afterward."One of the wisps, clearly the boldest of the little bunch that had gathered about her wings, slid toward Illumin, clearly attracted by the light pooling around his wings. Sosiqui Bemused, Illumin held out one finger to the wisp and gathered light around it. "Odd little things, they are. Well..." He straightened up, and nodded at Adrian. "Please, lead on. We can at least find the correct portal while we wait." Why had Nergal paused? What was more important than moving? It rankled, just a little. Zero Dream The little wisp seemed completely delighted by this turn of events - flicking and pulsing and overall pretty pleased by the attention. When Echo turned to leave, however, it darted back from the light god to the relative safety of her wings.Adrian did much the same, but seemed distracted as he walked ahead - listening to a voice none of the others gathered could hear. "It isn't really a matter of finding the correct door or portal, per se. Any door that isn't linked to a deity's quarters will do the trick - the issue mostly is in knowing where you want to go and not getting lost in the process." The flame-haired youth chewed on his lip. "We're not gonna be able to help much about that, but Ankou can at least let you know how it's done... ? It doesn't sound... too complicated or anything, but I can't say im familiar with these things... Sosiqui Illumin shook his head. "All this time, I could have gone anywhere I liked, if I'd only known..." Or remembered, perhaps. How infuriating. Perhaps if he'd remembered that, he would have remembered more important things, like not to let Grigori into All That Be. He eyed the doors as they passed. Had there always been this many? Zero Dream Adrian hesitated for a moment, but then turned to head down the hall. "We need a door that doesn't have any markings on it..." Something blank, something not linked to anything, the god had said to him. "When they're blank, it means they can be used for world travel. When they're not, they're obviously linked to chambers already."It was hard, so hard for the goddess to resist the urge to dart downstairs, to go to the throne room, to see what was going on. Being separated from Nergal was much, much harder that it usually was, that it should have been, as if something that was hers had been stolen away from her.
....Wait... what ? The thought was upsetting - her ears pinned backward ever so slightly before she could stop the motion. He was not an object, something one could simply claim and something to be owned - he was her lover, now even more so that even before - by his own will and her.
Her left hand fiddled with something hidden under her sleeve. The bead felt cold and heavy, but touching it was somehow reassuring. Sosiqui Illumin looked at the doors carefully as he went past. There were more with markings on them than he remembered - though, to be fair, it had been quite a long time since he'd been in the Pantheon and cared to wander, had the luxury to look at the decor. How many godlings had come back into existence while he and Ea had been in the Ashlands? "Any blank door..." Thabara "We will need to make haste." Nergal approached the small group quietly, like a pale ghost, the steps of his bare feet causing no sound whatsoever. "You probably heard it all, the sound of a trumpet, the shattering of glass.. The shift in All that Is afterwards."
He looked them over, expression grim, his gaze resting longest on Echo. "Each time a window shatters, another of Destruction's influences is allowed to ascend to the Throne, to rule for one week. Greed sits upon it now, I spoke to her. Before, she said, the right was Sloth's, Envy's and Lust's, but none of them appeared to take it. Famine, War and Plague remain, though I cannot be sure in what order. And after that.." He paused, shook his head.
"Four windows are broken, ten remain, I counted them. When the last shatters.. it hails the End." Zero Dream Somehow, she resisted the urge to just go straight to him when she saw him, and when her lover spoke, the goddess all but froze. 10 weeks... With almost half of them already gone.
"We...." He gaze locked on Adrian. "We must hurry."A similar kind of shock overtook both the redhead and the god within. Ankou prodded and Adrian listened. "Right." Damnit, if he screwed this up...
....If he screwed this up, Lyra would die. And what about Kaelin.... ?
He moved, swiftly, to one unmarked door. "Ankou says that there are probably different ways to do it depending on each and everyone of you - so he's not really sure how much explanations will help. He says you all need to focus your mana and keep in mind exactly where you are going... and try to stay together at the same pace, or else it's very likely you're all gonna pop up in different locations." Which meant time lost, the god stressed in his mind. "....We're probably not gonna be able to follow. It's up to you guys." Sosiqui So it... it really was... the end.
He had set the End of Days in motion.
No. Samyaza did that. Samyaza. She did it. Not me. Not me.
I just helped-
Illumin shook his head sharply and looked up at the others with barely-restrained anger in his eyes. "Let us go, then. Let us go, and move, and damned to those who would get in our way." He gathered light in his hands, then split it up into four orbs, sending one to each of his compatriots on the journey. "To guide us, light our path. I can sense them. It may help." Thabara "Let me try this then, as I am the one who holds the scepter.." Nergal stepped up to the blank door, removing the wrappings of the ancient artifact as he walked. Wellhaven. Was that a plane, a country, a town? He laid a hand against the smooth surface of the door, focusing on the flow of mana, as he had back then, when he had shared it with his brother to strengthen him. But at the same time he kept half an eye on the black orb that crowned the wand.
Wellhaven, he thought again and he felt something click into place, a connection made. He could sense paths upon paths stretching out beyond the door, quite similar to that dark place he'd wandered in his delirium when he had escaped..
They were dividing into planets, many of them, and many of them dead ends - which was fortunate, in a way, as it narrowed down his search. Continents, countries..
The orb remained dark. Back to planets then. For a moment he wondered what would happen if he'd ask the doorway to bring him to the Underworld. No, no, do not let yourself get distracted..
He started his search anew, slower this time. At least he'd almost immediately found the correct plane, it was just a question of narrowing it down.. There, hadn't the orb faintly lit up just now? He moved back one path, keeping a close eye on the artifact. Yes, there it was..
It would be easier, he figured, if he knew more. A town, a temple, something like that. Perhaps he should have asked Ankou to open the door, he surely was the one more experienced in using them. But he was still exhausted from last night's deed..
Slowly, gradually, the scepter's guiding light began to brighten, and at the same time runes lit up on the door frame, one after another. Again there was the sensation of something clicking into place, unlocking this time. "There," he breathed, hand sliding down to rest upon the knob, ready to turn it. "I think that is about as close as I can get us." With that, he pushed open the Door. Zero Dream  She stayed completely still, her left hand still curled around the black bead - her right cradling the light orb that had been given to her. She had no idea how to do this. She had no idea what to do. What a great start, she was already holding them ba-
No, don't think about time. No time for self-pity. She was there and she needed to act now. Close your eyes. Think. Listen.
Listen. Concentrate.
She could see it... almost touch it, it was how detailed it seemed to be - blackness, stars... A trail of light, representing the path the scepter had traced for them.
How odd... every star, every planet seemed to have their own... distinct sound to them. A different hum. Some where similar, but to her trained ear, they where all different. Had any of them noticed ? Probably not.
The wisps moved, mingling even closer with her wings, as if they had a an idea what was about to happen and where clinging to her.
"Ready." She finally let go of the breath she hadn't been aware she was holding, her eyes still closed. As ready as she could be, anyway.Sosiqui Illumin closed his eyes and concentrated - and even despite that, in Illumin's awareness the scepter's beam lanced into the darkness like a firey path, laying out something so clear, so bright that it seemed impossible to ever, ever lose. It outshone everything except Illumin's own glory. How could they not see it?
Perhaps it was reserved for Light alone to see the true brilliance. He poured his own light into it, sending his power dancing along the path, illuminating the blackness and revealing the way he should go.
The beam sizzled through the spaces between worlds, found an answer, and Illumin stared into the heart of suns as the mana connected and flared around the door. Ready, yes, how could it be anything but? "We must go. Now!" Thabara Nergal felt the other gods' powers mingle, meddle with his own, the moment he pushed open the Door. Illumin's, Echo's, Eamnonn's. Some of the runes flickered and shifted the very last moment, causing Underworld to crease his forehead. What the Hell had that been for? Wasn't he the one to hold the scepter which guided the way?
But no harm seemed to be done, the destination seemingly remaining unchanged. The scepter's light still glimmered brightly, a steady beam pointing straight into the hallway the Door had opened into.
"We should be alright, I think," he said, peering down the dimly lit path which had opened for them. It started as a boring, bland hallway - bare of any decorations - but seemed to shift into a forest path further on. "As long as the door is not closed in between." He stepped half into the door frame, holding the gateway open for the others to pass through.
"Ankou," he spoke, his gaze resting on the redhead that was his brother's host. "Brother. You may speak for me in my absence, make decisions in my stead. There are letters left on my desk, to Fire's host, and to the Worldshield. Please see to it that they are delivered. I would have given the task to my aoidei, but.." Lust, eh? He had a good idea now why he hadn't seen Priya, and especially Ishum, around.
He peered down the opened corridor again, slightly irritated. It had been a forest path before, but now it was a hallway all along? He could see braziers, torches lit in the distance. How strange. Zero Dream Adrian nodded at what had been told to him - well, not really to him... but hell, he was used to be a relay by now. "It will be done."Echo stepped off to follow Nergal, then stopped, finally opening her eyes again to look at the redhead. "Stay safe.""You all do that, too. Expecially you." Yellow eyes where locked on the goddess herself, and it was evident he knew something the others might not. Too much was at stake with this, and Ankou wasn't keen on losing his potential nephews and/or nieces before they could even be born. Thabara "I will see to it that no harm comes to her," Nergal promised, but he wasn't quite able to hide his concern. He had no idea what would be expecting them on the other end of the pathway which had been opened, save that at least one fragment of the Crown's consort might be found there, hopefully.
"You, take care as well." The threat posed by the grigori, the End looming over everything like the sword of Damocles.. Wherever they went, it might - for a while at least - be safer than here. Ankou, however, would be in the eye of the storm. "We just found each other again, and.." He shook his head, not sure how to put into words what he felt. "Take care," he repeated simply, as if doing so might be a charm to protect his brother from harm somehow. Then he motioned impatiently for everyone to step through the door, letting it click shut behind himself once the last deity had passed by.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:02 pm
Wellhaven :: The Goddess and The Queen
Week of War Thabara When he looked ahead, things seemed to have shifted again. A hallway still, but the torches and braziers he'd seen seemed gone. It was lit only by Illumin's orbs of light, and the fainter, but still steady glow of the scepter. Instead there seemed to be a junction little ways ahead, and more corridors branching off here and there. A maze?
"It keeps shifting," he murmured, mostly to himself, and reached for Echo's hand, their surroundings reminding him uncomfortably of his recent imprisonment. "Perhaps because we do not know where exactly we are heading?" Zero Dream "It is possible..." She answered, taking his hand once she could finally see it, glancing at the ever-shifting area around them, the orb of light trailing her. After a moment, a slight wave of panic made her shift and cling to his arm with one of her hand, extending another behind her for one of the others to take. "We need to be careful..."
The wisps still hung directly within her wings - at least there was no worry of those getting lost... they where still so dim that she had no idea if she even could have found them if they had wandered off. Thabara "I agree." Nergal nodded solemnly. Ankou had been right, they had to be careful to not become lost. If it was because they lacked an exact destination, or because the order of things was increasingly becoming undone due to Destruction's - if it even was Destruction still - influence.
He raised the scepter, trusting that its gentle light, together with the path he still felt within, would point the correct way. The beam it emitted was faint but steady, so he followed its guidance whenever there was doubt about which path to take, until the small group arrived at a junction at which the path the scepter showed split.
Nergal stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the artifact in confusion, Echo's grip almost uncomfortably tight on his arm. Two fragments.. on the same world? At least this was what it felt like. In that case, they were lucky, but.. "Which one to follo--"
He wasn't sure if the other's ever heard the end of his question as his quiet voice was drowned out by..
The Sound Of A Trumpet.
This cannot be. This just couldn't be happening, it had only sounded earlier today, announcing the Week of Greed! A week, damn it!!
The Shattering Of Glass.
It was True then. Time.. It may be running differently here between worlds. Time was against them.
This wasn't fair!!
But it was happening nonetheless. He just barely had the time to reach for Echo before things shifted again - much, much more violently than they had when it had been time for Greed to claim the throne. War. Somehow, he knew.
The others.. But he only had two hands. He could not let go of the scepter, or their attempt would be for naught before they had even started searching for real. And never, not ever, would he let go of Echo. Sosiqui Illumin stumbled as the radiant influence suddenly changed, sharp and violent, his wings flaring instinctively to try and keep him balanced. Light crawled along the edges, snapping at the air around them. Two paths, those he could see, but no details, no information whatsoever other than a vague direction and the name of a world. Without the Scepter to guide them...
It was too soon for this, damn it! Just as Time had shifted differently between the Ashlands and the Pantheon, so too did it seem in this strange mazelike place. Zero Dream Echo, at the very least, seemed to have a good plan - that is, until everything started to shift once more, and she almost fell over due to the sheer force of the influences changing. One on side, however, Illumin's flareup had an upside - she lunged right from him, catching his arm. "Illumin ! Take Ea, and don't let go !"
Dignified or not, it was probably the best way to do this, in her mind. Nergal would have to lead. Thabara But which path to take? For a moment Nergal stood paralyzed, unable to decide. What if he chose wrong, endangered them all? Move, a voice within the back of his mind whispered, move, move, move. To move forward, no matter the direction, was better than standstill. To hesitate, to remain where they were for too long.. If time truly flowed that differently here.. They had already lost one week in what seemed like minutes, they could not afford to waste another.
To the right then.
There was no rational reason for him to pick that path, merely instinct. They could still go back for the other fragment once they had obtained the first. His grip on Echo's arm shifted for a better hold on her as he pulled the goddess along, his fingernails digging painfully deep into Music's flesh, focused solely on reaching their destination as quickly as possible now. The walls to his sides crackled with unholy energy with the forceful shift of the influences as he hastened onward, the voices of the dead which had only been a distant whisper in this strange in between worlds becoming louder now, guiding him.
A door. A door a door a door.
It showed up so unexpectedly after a sharp turn that he almost crashed into it in his frantic flight, for a moment staring at it dumbfounded before he pressed it open with the weight of his body, refusing to let go of neither the scepter nor the goddess he loved so much. His knee collided painfully, unexpectedly, with something hard, and he stumbled, only remotely registering the sound of a heavy door falling shut, the sharp pain drowning out everything else for seconds.
They were out.
He tried to catch his breath, to calm down, realizing only now that he must have had.. panicked.
"Echo?" That was the first word he spoke, his first thought, his first concern. Two, he realized numbly. There were only two orbs of light floating in the air. Had the others been extinguished in the force of the Shift? "Everyone," he added, his voice sounding strained now, "are you alright?" Zero Dream He had pulled too sharply. The sudden pull, as well as the distracting pain of fingernails tearing through the tender skin of her arm was more than enough to distract her...
Her reflex of trying to recoil away from said pain, the twitch that resulted, was enough for her grip to weaken... and his pull enough to wrench her hand away from Light's.
"...ILLUMIN !!!!" Half-screaming and half-screeching in panic, the goddess lunged backward, ignoring the pain that she caused herself in the process. "Stop ! Nergal, stop, I lost them !!!!"
He wasn't reacting. She prepared herself, prepared to dash back toward the darkness with all the strength she had... But it was too late. They where suddenly out and she almost fell down alongside him, but sheer reflex kicked in - she literally wrenched away from him, hand going to the five puncture wounds on her left arm, trying to stop the blood that was starting to slide through her fingers as she stumbled back onto her feet.
What the hell.
Don'tscreamdon'tscreamdon'tscreamdon'tscream...
She had half a mind to slap the living daylights out of him, honestly, but that wouldn't solve anything. She took a sharp breath. "I told you to stop."
It was a good thing that he probably couldn't see the glare she was sending in his general direction. It probably could have rivaled with one of his own. It was becoming rather obvious that they where the only two that had made it... wherever this was.
She needed to at least bandage this, but she didn't have the time - they had to find Light and Hunt, and fast. Thabara "I--" What was she saying? He stared at Echo wide-eyed, shocked by the anger he saw burning in her blue-blue eyes, anger which was clearly directed at him. "I--" She was bleeding, he registered. Had he done this to her? "I did not hear," he admitted tonelessly, the scepter slipping from his slacking fingers. It hit the floor, rolled a few inches and then came to a halt, its gentle light slowly fading. "I only thought of-- If time runs so differently between the worlds-- And one week was gone already, in only a few minutes!"
He shook his head, just barely managing to suppress a shiver. "Somehow, I suddenly could think of naught else, and the voices of the dead.. the dead.. I-- I am sorry. This is my fault." His gaze went past her, resting on the heavy door they'd just passed through. The scepter would probably guide them back here, but certainly not to Eamnonn and Illumin. Could they afford the time to go look for them? He already knew the answer, but he hesitated to voice it. He had never seen Echo so.. furious.
"You are injured," he said instead, quietly. He had sworn to protect her, he had wanted her to be with him so that he could protect her, and he had been the one to hurt her. He shook his head and made a step backwards, away from the angered goddess, away, away.. Until the back of his legs hit-- Well whatever it had been that had previously stopped short his frantic flight. Zero Dream This was meaningless. They didn't have time to get into an argument - now and here of all times and places !!! - but the urge to start screeching and simply not stop until her voice gave in (could that even happen, still ?) was almost too strong to ignore. It was always his way, it seemed, even if his way seemed to have an amazing tendency to blow up in people's faces.
(Un)fortunately, something would cut the goddess' wrath short very, very swiftly.
_____Tap.
One ear twitched, annoyingly. Not now.
_____Tap. Tap. Tap. Footsteps.
_____Voices, too far away for her to understand the words, but voices...
_____Voices that where coming toward them
She was not one to swear, really. But right now, that was the only appropriate thing to say. "s**t."
They had to hide... Where where where where where.
They where coming closer...
In the end, reflex won out. Her bloodstained hand went to grip her lover's arm, and in his daze, it was easy enough to drag him off behind whatever the large object was.They had just barely skittered out of sight that the door opened... Thabara Nergal let himself be pulled into hiding without putting up any resistance, too shocked still by Echo's obvious anger at him, and the fact they'd lost their companions in the maze due to his error. He shook his head again, numbly staring up at the two orbs of light still floating above their heads. What he been thinking?
He hadn't been thinking, not at all, that was the problem.
He exhaled slowly as he buried his forehead in his hands, fingers slightly massaging his temples. This day.. Too much, just too much. Randolph's betrayal and dealing with him, the preparations for their journey, the revelation that Echo was with child, Greed on the Throne, the trumpet sounding twice, hailing the End of All.. If only the dead would. shut. up.
His head jerked back up as he finally registered what he had previously been looking at - Illumin's orbs of light were still floating innocently right above them, without an apparent way to extinguish them. That, and the scepter..
Damn.
It was too late anyway, the door had opened already, the room was being flooded with the light of several bright lanterns. Maybe they wouldn't notice. Maybe.. Maybe..
Maybe not.
The steps came to a sudden halt, several breaths drawn in in sharp, surprised gasps. A hasty, whispered conversation ensued of which he could barely make out anything, but the sound which followed was all too familiar: Several blades were drawn, and then the steps picked up again, advancing carefully, but heading straight for where they were hiding. Zero Dream She hadn't thought about the light, or the scepter. Or even perhaps the small crimson droplets she had left trailing behind her in her rush to hide behind - behind the sarcophagus, she could now see quite clearly just what it was. One among many, expensive marble and stones affixed to it.
Nergal had dumped them right into a crypt. It might have been amusing, if if didn't sound like they going to be sliced to pieces. She did not need to see to know exactly how many of them there actually where, or the sound of blades. Too many, perhaps, for even them - a god whose powers only extended to the dead and a songstress - to deal with. She wasn't quite sure if they could even run for it, either.
One of them had pointed out the scepter as being abnormal. Another pointed out the trail of blood that led right behind the sarcophagus. Heavy footsteps where coming.
With only one option visible to her, she had no other choice but to jump on it. She screamed - dazing the first few, then darted out, arm still clinging to her lover, to run for it. She passed the door, screamed again - nothing like her usual gentle and soothing songs, something that simply clawed at your soul and seemed to stir panic by nature - and ran as fast as she could. With that second scream, she had released her hold on her the first group - which proved to be the downfall of her plan.
Something, someone clawed at her mind, of all things, bringing sharp tears to her eyes and making the goddess mis-step and fall. A similar sound echoed at the back, from inside the crypt, still - one had tried to grap her mind and has his own destroyed for it.
Countless eyes locked on her, but she did not seem to notice them - the world was swirling - constantly going in and our of focus - as if she wasn't quite there anymore.
She never noticed the armed group closing in around her. Thabara The effect of Echo's mind-jarring scream was astounding - eyes widening, faces grimacing with pain, swords clattering to the floor as hands flew up to protect the ears. Nergal seemed almost as stunned as the guards themselves - he'd had no idea that the gentle goddess was able to use her voice like this.
He shook off his daze and scrambled back onto his feet, half on his own, half pulled up by Echo with surprising strength. With one outstretched hand he tried to grab the scepter, but only managed to brush his fingertips against the dark orb and then they had already ran past it, passing row after row of ornate marble sarcophagi in their frantic flight.
Another door, another scream - like a Banshee's mournful wailing, he thought - and then.. something happened. He felt the tingle of another's mind approaching his own a split second before true contact was made, enough for him to guard his mind, or - at the very least - brace himself for the brunt of what was coming. But Echo.. Echo was completely unprepared. He could feel her grip on his arm slacken, see her crumble and fall..
He caught her, just before she could hit the marbled floor, his arms wrapping protectively around her torso as he stared up defiantly at their pursuers. The mental attack had left him with a splitting headache, and he had to blink away the tears it brought to his eyes.
"We.. will put up no further resistance," he finally said. Mortal weapons could not hurt them, but the mental powers of these guards.. If there were stronger ones among their forces than those they had just encountered.. "We.. meant no harm, you have my word for it." But how much would his word mean to them, after they had trespassed on their grounds, were - albeit not deliberately - responsible for several deaths now?
The scepter.. No. He held onto the gasping goddess, not willing to let go of her. So far he had pretty much failed at protecting her and their children to be, but he would not leave her.
Zero Dream There where whispers among the gathered men - some wanted to held them, some said they where probably spy... some said it would probably be safer to kill them now before further damage could be done. There where whispers among the youngers one, wondering just what those where, just how Irisun could find spies so powerful.. The leader of the group of guard finally cut through the chatter, apparently very annoyed with his men. It would be up to the Queen to decide, and they could keep a very, very close eye on the two in the meanwhile... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Confusion. The world was still spining, her mind felt like it had been emerged in a thick fog that it was only now starting to awaken from. They where... They where in a room. Some kind of cell, as far as she could tell - not in a traditional sense but imprisoned nonetheless, with countless guards all around. Where... How...
How much time had passed... ?
She let a small sound of discomfort slip out of where she was laying, nested in Nergal's lap - at least they where both still in one piece. Somehow.
The scepter. Where had the scepter gone.... ?Thabara "Are you alright?" Nergal asked softly, stroking a strand of her purple hair from her forehead. The goddess had remained 'out of it' for quite a while, not really unconscious, but not really there either. The wisps had remained huddled close to her wings for the time being, which was probably a good thing as, that way, they didn't draw much attention.
He raised a cup of water to her lips, should she wish to drink. They were prisoners, quite obviously, but apparently considered valuable enough to be treated with some respect. Their room was heavily guarded, but not half bad, and they had been provided with a simple meal and water, and bandages and a balm for Echo's injury. Zero Dream "I..." The world gave another sharp turn and she winced - and settled for drinking the water she had been offered. She'd somehow screwed it up, it was becoming more and more evident, but, try as she might, she could not quite recall what had happened. She had heard them come toward them - she had gotten scared for Nergal's safety and panicked.... ....then everything kind of blurred together.
"The... The scepter..." She managed out, panic threatening to take over once more. Thabara "Shhhh.. They have it, for now." He gave a quiet sigh. "It appears we have managed to trespass upon the crypt of the royal family." A crypt here, a graveyard upon his return from Bael's fortress. He hoped this wasn't the signs of a pattern developing. "If we are lucky, they will not think that we took it from one of the graves." There was a thin smile upon his lips, but as usual, it was impossible to tell if he might be joking or not.
"We are to be questioned once you have recovered - apparently they think us spies or saboteurs of sorts rather than grave robbers. Keep your thoughts and feelings guarded, if you can. These people.. they have the power to touch upon another's mind." Zero Dream The power to touch upon another's mind.
That was obviously a rather scary idea. The goddess gave a weak nod, even if she wasn't quite sure she could even do that. But, slowly, surely, as clarity and stability returned to her, when she was able to think and focus once more, when panic faded away...
Maybe that was actually part of the answer. It may be a gamble, but...
Everything so far had been an huge gamble. She had better get used to it, fast. They would be dealing with monarchy, then...
She might have an idea on what could work. Maybe. Thabara He could see the focus return to her gaze, the slight shift on her features as pain and confusion was replaced by determination and hope. Did she have a plan of sorts? It was possible, he figured - communication, reaching for another's reason and feeling had always been her forte.
"We are ready," he said brusquely, helping Echo to sit up. "Let us get this over with, quickly. It is essential that we waste as little time here as possible."
The guards next to the door exchanged bewildered glances at what sounded way too much like a command, one of them sneering derisively. Some nerve these intruders had. As if it was for them to decide how much time they spent here or what would happen to them..
But it was also fact that they had made it into the crypt somehow, locked from the outside. That the attempt to 'bespeak' them to halt their flight had killed a dozen men, and the survivors swearing holy oaths that they had never touched upon something so strange and different.
The Queen was interested, sure enough.
He nodded at his companion, sending him off to give word of the strangers' recovery, the man's position at the door immediately replaced by another soldier. Zero Dream Again, the only answer the whole string of event caused in her was a nod. Focusing was still a bit of a mental effort, but at least was doable by now.
"You will probably think I have completely lost my mind..." There was a amused smile at the thought - small but there - as she reached upward to sit, and plant a kiss on his forehead. "But I honestly believe guarding ourselves will work against us. That will only raise their suspicions further. I do not plan on lying - therefore I have nothing to hide. I do not know much about how the mind works - but I figure, at least, that one saying the truth has a wholly different mental pattern than one trying to string together an elaborate lie.... would it not ?" There was a pause, her expression shifting to worry. "Shelter yourself." She finally added. That might, after all, be too much for him. "I will do the talking for us."
If the end of all worlds could not sway them.... No, she was not in a position to promise such a thing. There simply was not time for them to meddle in the affairs of mortals - not with the end of the world at stake. They needed to be in and out as quickly as possible... And they had already wasted quite a bit of that precious time. Thabara Nergal accepted her sign of affection with a slight bow of his head and a small smile of his own. "You may be right. Just.. be careful. You felt the effects of their mind-touch once, if they have someone more skillful--"
He didn't get to finish his sentence, as that moment the door was flung wide open and the room exploded into a flurry of activity. Guards entered and lined the walls, their faces expressionless, but keen-eyed and vigilant. After them, servants came, carrying in a large, ornate chair - not a throne, but something quite close. Next were a group of elderly men and - few, only - women: Some of them clad in formal robes, scholars or clerics perhaps. Some others were clothed rather fanciful, distinguishing them as members of the noble houses. Others again were wearing uniforms. The queen's advisers, possibly. Probably.
Finally the queen herself entered, whomever had assembled of her court immediately bowing or sinking to their knees in her presence. She was a tall charismatic figure trailed by an entourage of noblewomen, their colorful dresses of damask and silk giving the impression of a swarm of exotic birds. The queen herself, however, was wearing black.
Nergal inclined his head respectfully. But to bow, or even kneel, was out of question. Never again, and most definitely not to a mortal. Zero Dream This was a risk that she had no choice but to take. She had been about to say just that, but the entrance had stopped her. She broke away from him to stand on her own, sightly startled. She had expected they would take them out... not that they would come to them.
Perhaps they considered them more dangerous than she had thought.
While perhaps such things was beyond him... it was not beyond her. Had she been anything else but herself, it would have probably been a severe blow to her pride. She bowed, a smooth and fluid motion, probably longer than she should have. The wisps in her wings fidgetted - fewer but stronger, brighter than they had been before, yet apparently scared by the amount of people in the room.
"Your highness... We apologize for the wrong our actions have caused - such was not our intent. We come from another world, to retrieve artifacts needed to hopefully stop a great wrong - something which will affect each and every world in existence - and will be gone just as swiftly once it is retrieved. Again, I must apologize, even if apologies will probably not be enough to make up for what has been done - we meant no harm to your people."
Hopefully they could tell that she was speaking the truth. Thabara "So rash to apologize, even before introducing yourselves to Us." The queen's tone seemed calm, despite the mild reproach, patient. A tad motherly even. "But We can see you are trying, child. If it is as you say, that you truly are from another world within the Alliance, you may not be familiar with the proper manners at Our court." She offered up her right hand for the intruder to kiss - the middle finger dominated by a huge, ornate signet ring which seemed almost too big for her pale, slender hand - and a smaller, simpler band of gold set upon her ring finger. Zero Dream "I admit that I am indeed unaware with such manners. I must apologize once more." She was, honestly, unfamiliar in about all courts now, even those of her fellow deities... So much lost. So much that may never return.
But it wasn't time for this. She took the offered hand with a feather light touch and brought down her lips to touch it. It became apparent then that, a least, whatever she was, she was not wearing lipstick.
"We shall rectify this, then. I am Echo, the Voice of the Countless." ...It will probably be a hard thing to make them swallow, but she couldn't even afford to hide even a fragment of the truth. Too much was at stake. Thabara "We are intrigued to make your acquaintance, Echo, Voice." The queen inclined her head. "And your companion, who would he be? He seems to be of a much more reserved nature than you are." She eyed the odd pair with open curiosity. "Servant? Accomplice? Friend? Lover ...?" Nergal's head jerked up, eyes narrowing slightly. Promptly he cursed himself when the fleeting, satisfied smile on the queen's face told him that he had just given her the information she'd hoped to gain. Stiffly he rose to stand at Echo's side. "I am Nergal, the Overseer of Souls.""Such strange titles.. We have never heard the likes of them." The dark clad woman quirked a delicate brow, before she turned to take seat upon the ornate chair which had been brought in for her. "You, in turn, have the honor to converse with Julstecca III, Sovereign Queen of Brilsworth. Explain yourself to Us: How were you able to infiltrate Our Lands unnoticed? What purpose did you have, sneaking into Our Palace and - of all things - the royal Crypt?" Zero Dream She would probably have found at least a bit of amusement in Nergal's reaction, if the situation had been much less dire. "He is indeed my lover, your highness. As for being shy... I guess one could put it that way." Arn't they always said opposite attracted ?
"I will admit that what I am about to recount to you and your people may seem unbelievable as we dwelve more and more into details - I will do my best to show the truth backing my claims without risking further injury to your people and answer your questions."
She paused, for a moment, then continued.
"We traveled from our world to our own using partway a connection trough one and the other, the scepter which your men have most likely found in the crypt with us, and our own innate powers to do so. You must have probably noticed strange events unfolding as of late, urges and events unfolding that where there where none before, preceded by a sudden shift in all that is... Such event happened while we where in between the worlds, separating us from our companions. We panicked, and... It seems our abilities are closely linking to what we are. Nergal was leading, and with his connection to the soul of the dead... I figure that is how we ended in the crypt, of all places. Had I been leading, it might have been your orchestra room, should you have one." The irony was almost too much, and she doubted the questions that would follow would be as easy to tackle. Thabara "Our relationship is none of your concern," Nergal added sharply, inwardly wincing at Echo's confirmation. It was obvious anyway, but did she have to tell them so plainly and casually, when he still wasn't used to the idea himself yet? Next she would tell them she was with ch-- With effort he stopped that train of thought before it could fully form, glaring at Julstecca and her entourage with suspicion."So the scepter was indeed yours." Julstecca nodded slightly. "We were wondering. Our scholars and scribes confirmed it was none of Our heritage, not taken from the offerings in the crypt. Had it been.. We do not need to explain that such an affront would have been unforgivable, do We?" She held out her hand, a dark fan of black lace and silk immediately placed into it by one of her ladies in waiting. Dark eyes thoughtful she flipped it open, her pale face now mostly hidden by its crescent shape. "You speak of a pathway between worlds, and We feel it is not the worlds of the Alliance you are referring to. You speak of abilities of yours, of the souls of the dead." She paused, the fan gently moving back and forward in her hand. "Several of Our Eldeli were killed when they tried to bespeak you, yet you do not seem to be Speakers yourself. So We shall be blunt: What, pray tell, are you?" Zero Dream "There is indeed no need to explain such thing, your highness. It would have been unforgivable." Thankfully that so extremely unlikely to happen that it hadn't even crossed her mind that they may have thought the scepter had been part of the treasure. And Nergal, of all beings, was the least likely to do something like this.
But then came the question came, the one she'd been fearing. Inside her fear, fear of rejection was starting to build up and impede her judgment.
Her voice gained an even deeper song-like quality as she spoke, somehow unwavering, working as much of her power and self in it as possible. "We are immortals, lord and ladies of our own sphere of influence, god and goddesses of our respective elements. I am Music, and as such, my art is mine to weave."
She couldn't afford to be indecisive and weak anymore. "I must once again apologize - I have personally never been in close contact with those with the power to read minds. Had I known this would have happened, I would have tried to warn them. Death, expecially senseless and unneeded ones, is not something I appreciate to leave in my wake." She had pondered this - but now it seemed clear that their divine powers at least attempted to shield them from such mortal assault. It made sense.
"...We will need your help, your highness. The help of you and your people - to find the missing pieces of what we seek... This is one of the many leads we have, and this is the one we have chosen to follow. Most of my kin is working toward this in one way or another." Thabara "Gods.." The queen's green eyes locked onto Echo's. "We were assuming clerics, or perhaps druids or shamans, with those titles of yours, though the latter have not been seen in Brilsworth fro a long time now. True magic is a rare sight hereabouts. But gods..? Folklore, myths. It has been Ages since your kind supposedly last walked these grounds. Old wife's tales discussed by scholars, philosophers and poets for their morals and messages." One of the noblewomen in her entourage coughed politely, obviously trying to catch the queen's attention. Julstecca quirked a thin brow and then leaned over slightly, raising the fan so that her confidant would be allowed to whisper into her ear as privately as it was humanly possible. "Our cousin would like to hear you perform, dear Echo. We agree. Perhaps it will help Us judge if you speak truth or not." Her words caused an uproar within the ranks of her advisers, but it quieted down immediately when she flapped her fan shut with a crack, the act resulting in everyone looking at Echo expectantly. Nergal touched Echo's hand gently to offer reassurance, before he quietly stepped away from her.Zero Dream A performance, uh.
Not long ago, she would have frozen. This would have scared her. But now ? Now, for some reason... it didn't. And for the first time, she really could see how much she had changed in the last couple of months.
"I must admit it has been quite a while since I played for a royal court. Ages, even..." She couldn't remember what it felt like. "I would be honored to do so, but I will need my bag back, first." The queen had not told what kind of performance she had wanted, but... she could make this work with what she had.
There was a slight hesitation, but one of the guards came forward with the item in hand. It was painfully obvious that at least one of them had looked trough it, but at least nothing was missing. She did her best to ignore the building irritation at the fact and took out a black leather case.
The goddess was quite glad she had thought about bringing at least the flute with her. She let the case down on a nearby table, opening it and assembling the instrument with such care that one just might think she was handling expensive gemstones or crystal glass - where in turn, there was nothing out of the ordinary about it. She had brought it in a small music shop shortly after being reborn, before the age of destruction had started to hit too deeply.
When that was at last done, she walked a few steps back, to the center of the room. All eyes where on her - and while that did make her a little squirmish... it was nothing compared to that day where she had walked on the scene of Evergreen Park for the first time. Nothing even close to it. She was facing a disbelieving public, perhaps, but she was, for what was probably the first time, confident that she could prove herself to them.
She brought the silver instrument to her purple lips, and let it flow out. There was no way she could do an happy melody, not right now with so much weighting on her shoulders, so what overtook the room was all but that - heavy, sorrowful. She pushed out everything - all she had felt while Nergal had been gone, the horror of seeing the coccoon in the throne room, finding the first mortal that had believed in her dead... She wouldn't be missing any emotional fuel anytime soon, honestly. It had also been so long since she had taken the time to play, to actually unwind. When the first notes escaped, the wisps in her wings perked, going back and forth as if quite suddenly dancing.
Her fingers danced on the smooth metal with an unparalleled skill - and it became evident, as the play dragged on, that she didn't even stop to breathe. There was nothing else but a constant melody - powerful, beautiful and haunting - the kind that just reached up to someone soul's and pulled just the right strings to summon whatever emotion she was inducing with her play. Something that was quite honestly out of the grasp of any mortal, no matter how talented. Even if she would have taught them herself, a mortal's lifespan was simply not long enough to achieve something quite like this. Something so deep and tangible one could almost touch it in despite being shapeless.
This went on for quite awhile before she finally stopped, eyes straight on the royal court that had became her audience, gaging their reactions. Thabara When lips and instrument finally parted, the room was filled with somber silence, a sense of loss. Many faces of those among her audience were pale, shaken. Some had to look aside or blink to hide the tears welling up in their eyes, others were crying openly. There was not a single soul present who hadn't lost someone dear to him, or her, recently. If not during the past two years of Destruction's reign, then certainly during the Shock Wave caused by the Grigori Queen's attack, or the Calamity which followed the sounding of the Trumpet each new week. Not even the two gods present were an exception from this. "That.. was truly remarkable," the queen finally spoke, the hand bearing the heavy signet ring resting upon her chest, a single tear leaving a dark streak upon her pale, powdered cheek. The sound of her voice seemed harsh, a discord in the reverent silence Echo's intricately woven melody had left behind. Inadequate, like well meant condolences trying to fill the gaping void the loss of loved ones had ripped into one's heart. "The calamity you spoke of, it is not unbeknownst to Us. There are books of prophecy, long forgotten and fallen into obscurity, only recently brought to Our attention. They speak of the End of All. We are inclined to believe." She reached for a laced, silken handkerchief which was offered to her, delicately dipping the tear from her face. "However, there are more pressing matters at hand. If the End is prevented only for Our Queendom to be--" She broke off, realizing she was about to say too much and shook her head. "Before you try, We fear the argument of the 'greater good' is not going to work on Us. We are concerned about the safety of Our subjects and lands first and foremost. Then comes everyone and everything else." Abruptly, she rose from her seat, tipping the closed fan thoughtfully against her chin. "We shall hold council. In the meanwhile, the two of you might want to think of what you've got to offer to Us. Prayers, offerings and worship. Miracles, knowledge, protection in turn - these go hand in hand. It has always been give and take in the times of old, has it not? Unfortunately, We cannot afford to be charitable." She rushed out of the room after giving the divine couple a last polite nod, most of her entourage following after her, safe for the slender, unassuming noblewoman who had whispered to her the request for Echo's performance before, the one she'd named 'cousin'. "Please forgive me my curiosity, fair Lady," that one said, her gaze cast down demurely. She was one of those who had cried more openly. "But I could not help but notice.. These lights within your wings, they danced the most beautiful waltz to your sad melody. They seem.. sentient, almost. I certainly can sense feelings from them. A deep, deep love and affection for you, mostly." She offered a shy, hesitant smile. "Are these your, uhm, pets? Or little spirits, muses or faeries of sorts?" Thabara Nergal stepped back even further once Echo was about to start her performance, in the end settling to sit down on the bed once more. Why she would ask for her flute, escaped him at first. With her wings having taken on the shape and appearance of a harp or lyre, certainly there wasn't need to request another instrument? But then it occurred to him that he'd never seen her make use of those ever since his return. That - just like he himself - she might be unaccustomed to the changes her growth had brought about.
And then again, he added in his thoughts, when the first haunting trills of Music's performance filled the air, sometimes certain instruments were simply inadequate for certain purposes. Nothing, he had to admit, would be able to convey the hauntingly sad and grievous melody Echo played, than the flute. He swallowed hard, one hand pressed against where the gem which had contained his essence lay buried in his chest, shivering slightly. That tune brought back so much of the recent pain and loss.. Annie...
He only looked up again when the melody ended, his gaze resting briefly of faces distraught with grief and loss. I wish.., he thought, I wish I could tell them their loved ones were safe within my domain. But alas, he could not. His kingdom of dead remained still unmade, the crescendo in the back of his mind a constant reminder of this. Even now, he sensed, there were far more dead than living souls dwelling in this plane. And if things came to pass, his rebirth, all the trouble and suffering he'd gone through, would be for naught. 'Nirgali..' The answer he sought might lie there, in that old, old Name the Crown had called him by. But how to possibly make use of it, he did not know.
A distinct frown creased his forehead when Echo was approached so brashly by the queen's lady in waiting. "Echo.." he said, warningly. It might be wise to not give away the little ones' nature, it would only serve to make them all the more vulnerable in the eyes of these mortals. That their queen was making demands already irked him a great deal. Zero Dream Pets ? That made her frown, ever so slightly. Did she just call her children -
...No, this wasn't worth it. She couldn't know better.
"These..." She could almost literally feel the look Nergal was giving her, and she weighted the choices that where offered to her. She would probably be able to feel if she was lying, given that she seemed acute enough mentally to actually feel them. One of them was sliding closer to the lady, and it returned to her wings almost sheepishly when she clicked her tongue. "These... are my children. Or will be. Could be, if all that be doesn't end." She shook her head. "Please understand... And let your highness know that I will do anything to insure their future. And that if anything should happen to them... It would be... unforgivable."
She honestly doubted she could control herself then. They could do whatever they wanted to her, but if they dared to do anything to them... Thabara " Children?" The noblewoman seemed shaken, her mask of polite reservation cracking and revealing an underlying deep grief for a split second, before she regained her composure. Clearly this was not the answer she had been expecting. "I see," she said quietly, her voice dropping to almost a whisper, one hand resting lightly on top of her belly. "So even the gods feel love, and bear its fruits. I pray.. that you will never have to mourn their loss." She seemed about to add something, but apparently thought of it otherwise the very last second, slightly shaking her head. Without further notice she turned briskly on her heals, the last of the queen's entourage to leave the room, followed only by the additional soldiers which had lined the walls and watched their short conversation with keen eyes. "She has felt this loss," Nergal said quietly, once the door had fallen shut. He had seen that look before, in Kishara's face, when she had realized her champion was lost to her forever. In Xing's, when she had told him of the loss of her daughter. Randolph's, when he had spoken of his wife and son's death in a traffic accident.Zero Dream Echo nodded in answer, finally taking the time to put the flute back in it's case, and the case back in her bag, before sitting on the bed as well, lips pressed in a thin line.
What was she supposed to do, now ? What could she promise them in order to have safe passage through the lands ? They did not have time for things such as this, but...
But she could understand where she was coming from.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:02 pm
Wellhaven :: Together Again
Week of War Thabara Several hours passed, the doors remaining tightly shut for most of the time. Only once a maiden entered, carrying in a tray loaded with refreshments - a large pitcher of water, and a variety of pastries, meat, cheese and fruit - leaving the room hurriedly once she had set it down upon the table. Perhaps she had heard of the deaths these two had caused. The door wasn't opened again until it was already nightfall, the sky having darkened significantly. Nergal stood at the window, but it did not have much of a view to offer. The walls of the inner courtyard, that was about it. He turned when he heard the door be flung open, gazing upon the official sent as a messenger and the soldiers lined up behind. "Follow me," the man said simply. Judging by the grim faces of those who were to be their escort, they didn't have much of a choice in that matter. Nergal searched Echo's eyes, giving her a slight nod. Best to cause as little trouble as possible, after the initial havoc they'd wreaked unintentionally. The queen had seemed reasonable enough of a person.Zero Dream Echo had been sitting on the bed, polishing her flute, and most of all thinking. They had both worked out what they could offer quite some time ago, but... would there be enough ? They had to get this done, but... If they could avoid yet more complications... it could be best.
As a goddess, she felt like she owed something to them. Without the mortals, none of the god would exist, or survive long - but she wasn't sure exactly how she could help them, if what she had to offer would even be enough. She was not a fighter...
She nodded, and put everything back in her bag, pulling the strap of the backpack on one shoulder as she moved to follow along. Thabara Nergal hadn't paid much attention to the grandeur of palace's hallways when they had first been brought to the room they'd been confined in, much more bothered by Echo's wellbeing at this point. This time however.. Skillfully executed murals covered the walls - garlands, panels of faux marble, statuettes of nymphs and angels. What was visible of the floor they walked upon, bore an intricately woven pattern of marble tiles in different hues of brown, but mostly it was covered with exquisite rugs. The heavy crimson curtains had been closed shut, hiding the view of whatever lay outside from them, but the grand chandeliers they passed under, more than made up for the missing daylight with their brightness and sparkle. All of this luxury, however, paled in comparison to the throne room. The two deities were escorted to the base of the dais at the far end of the hall, bearing two thrones beneath a crimson baldachin. One of the thrones, the smaller one, remained empty. The other one was taken by Julstecca, the queen, her entourage and host of counselors seeming dwarfed and insignificant in the vast grandeur of the hall. Nergal inclined his head in a polite greeting once they reached their destination, but again, did not bow as the soldiers did.Zero Dream Echo paid only the slightest attention to the decor around them, being much too focused with the task that laid ahead of her to pay close attention, or notice the guard leading them to the throne room sidestepping back and forth to avoid stepping on the tail of string that moved back and forth like a metronome as she walked.
As she had done earlier that day, she bowed once more. "Your highness." She started. "We... have pondered."
She waited, then, unsure if she would be once more breaking protocol or not by going forward. Thabara "Speak up then, Weaver of Melodies, what is it that you and your lover would have to offer to Us?" The queen leaned forward slightly, pale fingers tense around the closed fan in her hands. Nergal exchanged an uncertain glance with Echo. They had talked, and despite both of them having grown in power recently, what they had to offer wasn't.. much.
Not enough, he feared, especially as they only had a vague idea of the situation they had gotten caught up in.Zero Dream The goddess nodded. "First of all, being what I am... I fear that there is little I can offer to you in term of concrete, direct action against those who stand against your kingdom - my influence is not one of war and strategy, and my power does not extend to those things. What little I can offer, however, I offer you willingly - What I can give to you and your people is my voice, my song and my plays - to strike fear in the enemy's hearts, to strengthen the morale of your own - as my voice knows not the boundaries of buildings and wide spaces, I could also offer myself to relay orders, but given the mental process of your people, I doubt such thing would even be needed. I know the basics of first aid and am willing to offer an hand with the wounded - through I am sincerely hoping such will not be needed."
She paused, for a moment. "I would prefer not to make promises on behalf of my companions, but... As I told you earlier today, we where separated - there are two more that where traveling with us. They are also gods, of Hunt and Light. Once we find them again, I could ask and see what aid they would be able to give." Thabara The queen nodded, her expression carefully guarded. It was hard to judge if Echo's offer met her expectations or not. "What of you then, Overseer of Souls?" Nergal hesitated, but then stepped forward. "It is the souls of the dead which are mine to reign and to judge. As such I hold little to no power within the domain of the living. If they can be summoned, I could offer you the advice of your ancestors - necromancy in it's oldest, truest sense."In the silence which followed, one could have heard the sound of a silver needle dropping onto the exquisite marble floor. "That," Julstecca finally said flatly, "is not much. Given that you are gods, or claim to be, We were certainly hoping for more." "Perhaps you are not fully aware of how dire the situation. Our Queendom is - and has been for quite a while - at the brink of war with Irisun. They have six Speakers at their disposal, whereas We have none. Not anymore," she added with a wistful look. "Our lands have been ravaged by catastrophe upon catastrophe. Our people are tired, exhausted and grieved by the losses they had to endure. It will not take much for Irisun's forces to overrun us now, even if they did not have their Speakers. They are practically at Our doorstep with their fleet, only waiting for the summer storms to cease and enable passage." "So let Us be blunt - the End of All is of little significance to Us, if we perish at the hands of the Irisun Empire." Slowly, but steadily, the queen's voice was growing impatient, agitated. "Is there no way to shield us from the powers of their Speakers? To halt their advancing fleet? Or perhaps guide us through what is to come? We have read the prophecies speaking of the End - if we were to have food while they hunger, if we were to remain in good health while they waste away in sickness.." She rose from her seat, her green eyes locking upon Echo's blue-blue ones. "We were told you are with child, Songweaver. We are Mother to a whole country. And just like you, We would do everything to protect Our children. If you truly cannot offer more, We fear your sons or daughters to be will have to perish alongside Ours." Sosiqui The silence which followed the Queen's impassioned words was broken by a ringing knock, then the sound of a door opening on one side of the massive hall. Footsteps sounded on the marble for a moment before being swallowed by the rugs. Many footsteps, walking in rigorous order. The sound of an army... "Majesty, I come bearing news." A man dressed in clear military fashion stepped up before the throne, standing a good ten feet away from Nergal and Echo, and bowed, taking his hat off as he did so. He glanced sidelong at the gods and at the gathered court beyond. "And I find these visitors before you, bearing strange skin, strange faces. They are not unfamiliar to me." The man made a gesture with one hand, and six men - dressed similarly, but more simply to indicate lower rank - came up behind them all. "Majesty, my scouts found these... men... in the forest, near my own holdings. I thought they spoke madness, but all attempts to touch their minds resulted in shock. I, at last, used my own skill to divine truth from lie... the details of which I shall relate to you in private at a later time, should you so desire." He glanced back at the strange figures that his men flanked, one massive, muscular, and green, the other smaller and more pale, but with brilliant wings and a strange, fluctuating glow that gathered around his skin. "They spoke to me of gods, Majesty, and I plucked the truth from their words and found them not wanting. And I found also the images of those others who stand before you now. If I may be so bold, I must strongly advise you not to waste your resources further in testing their statements. There are larger matters at hand." He saluted, a grim look on his face. Sosiqui That, Illumin had long since decided, would have been one of the more horrible experiences of his life if it hadn't been for the Grigori. They had been separated from Nergal and Echo, appeared in a forest, and promptly stumbled right into an enclave of guards... well, he had, at any rate. Light did not camouflage well.
It was to Hunt's credit that he hadn't abandoned his luckless companion at the start, choosing to willingly fall into their hands and remain together rather than vanish into the forest, as he could have easily done.
And then had come introductions, interrogation, and what Illumin now knew was Speaking - the touch of mind to mind. They had never felt a divine mind before. It was beyond them... and the touch had been terrible at first, a sharp violation. It had not affected Eamnonn, the ascended god being beyond their ability. Attempts to meet with his mind had resulted only in more shock, more pain.
But Light was another story.
One minute, he had been standing before Captain Ghavaliel, blazing in defiance that the man should dare to doubt his words as truth - the next, he had found himself in the terrifying place he had not held since coming forth from the gem to claim Sosiqui's body for his own. The man's mental prowess had flung him backwards, dragging out truth and the catatonic remnants of his host - if the fragments the Captain had unearthed could even be deemed that, anymore - and he had trawled through Illumin's mind with sweat pouring down his face.
At the end, Illumin had a massive headache, as did the Captain - but he knew not to doubt Light's words again.
"I will bring you before Queen Julstecca and tell her what I have seen, and we will make counsel - but damn you, damn you both for coming here. Do you know what I could be doing, should be doing?" the Captain had told them, filled with exasperation, frustration, and no small amount of fear. "Irisun could come from the sea at any time, and now I must leave my post and take you to the capital. I dare not imagine what calamity could fall should they land in my absence."
The suggestion of just letting the gods go was met only with narrowed eyes.
And so they had come, though they had not been treated unkindly by the Eldelli. And here, thank goodness, were Nergal and Echo, and this mortal Queen...
We could just break away, fly and flee - and swat them like flies at every moment as we fight for what belongs to us. We could do this.
The Queen's face was pale, and the echoes of her passion hovered in the air.
But then I would be bringing more death into this world.
Illumin merely looked up at the Queen, met her gaze, and nodded, acknowledging her presence as a lesser ruler. "I am Illumin, the Piercing Radiance, Light; my companion is Eamnnon, the Wild Hunt. What Captain Ghavaliel says is true. He has... explained the situation to us..." He glanced over at Echo and Nergal, though separated from them by the Eldelli that flanked himself and Ea. "I assume my fellow deities have done the same for you." Zero Dream She should have been rejoiced to see them here - to see them safe, to be reunited with her companions once more - they where here, in what seemed to be one piece, they could help.
She would have been - if she hadn't been absolutely livid.
Both her hands had been balled into fists ever since the queen had stopped speaking - fists so tight that her fingers where starting to take on a coloration similar to her lover's.
Oh, she had not just went there. This was beyond anything decent, a stab beyond anything else she could have conjured against her person. She had been polite and respectful, in and out of the queen's sight. She could have just as easily been arrogant and considered herself above her, if that had been in her nature. They, after all, did not have to bother about her kingdom - it would mean fighting against two opposing forces and time, but they could very well go and do that. Let them die, one by one, at trying to stop them !
And this is what she had gotten for it. That was low. Very low. Oh, how tempting was it to just start screaming now - watch them write in pain for that insult - but... the air was volatile - she was the perfect proof of it.
She bit down on her lip, quite hard. No, she had to shut up - let the boys speak. Let them salvage this before she blew up whatever was left of it. Thabara Nergal's eyes narrowed at the queen's words. He understood her position, the responsibility she bore towards her people. He was already struggling just to protect Echo and those few dear to him. To care for a whole nation - such was a huge burden.
He could only shelter the dead, and currently, not even that much.
Underworld lowered his head, casting a sidewards glance at Echo. The way her features had frozen, the way her shoulders were stiff and tense, fingers clenched into fists until all blood was drained from them - it was easy enough to see she was livid with rage. Two mothers, each of them set on protecting their 'children' by whatever means necessary - not something he wanted to get caught up in.
He reached for her hand, gently closing his fingers around hers reassuringly. Perhaps his cold touch would help her calm down some. The queen, however, was right. Without the assistance of her and her people their task would become significantly harder, more likely to fail. And if they did, his children.. They might not even be born. He shook his head. If only they had Water with them, or perhaps Wind - these would certainly be useful in dealing with a flee--His train of thoughts was interrupted abruptly by the sharp knock which preceded the Captain's arrival, and he perked up significantly when he caught glance of Illumin and Eamnonn, relieved that they had not come to harm through his rash action back in the maze between the worlds. "Captain Ghavaliel." The queen inclined her head in a polite greeting, stepping to the edge of the platform which bore the thrones. She seemed almost relieved to see him, yet at the same time concerned. "Yes, We are aware of their nature, albeit for being gods, We certainly expected more of their abilities than what they have just offered to Us." She tilted her head, nodding slightly in return Illumin's greeting. "Songs to encourage Our forces, or to strike fear into the hearts of Our enemies, the advice of the dead - that was what your companions were willing to give, Light. We do not believe that will be sufficient to hold off Irisun's forces, to protect Our subjects. The End of All.. We know of it, indeed. But it matters little to Us if We are to perish anyway, one way or another." She seemed to hesitate for a moment, glancing back at where her court had gathered before she went on. "We would be generous, beyond granting you permit to travel freely and assisting you in your search. If Our people were to be told they have been saved through a miracle of the Old Gods.." She looked at Illumin expectantly, leaving the numerous possibilities to his imagination. Sosiqui llumin stepped forward, the Eldelli guard modifying their positions slightly to permit the movement yet still keep the gods in the center of their formation. "My esteemed companions have offered you their all, then - do not underestimate the generosity of those words. Erase from your mind, Majesty, the concept of all-powerful, all-seeing deities. That was true, once, and may be true again, but we are Old Gods reborn. Your Captain can confirm the truth of that."Captain Ghavaliel nodded, slightly. The splintered remains of a mortal soul that he had plucked from Illumin's mind had been rather disturbing confirmation of that. "Rebirth may, in time, mean greater power, but it also requires a time of growth. The Wild Hunt has ascended in full," and Illumin indicated Eamnonn, with a small manipulation of light to subtly direct attention to the god's imposing stature and features, "but even so, he is Hunt, alone. Lightning bolts will not answer him, nor will Flame. We are no war party, Majesty. We seek only these ancient relics to stave off the End."
He frowned, slightly. "Do not misunderstand us, nor your own position. We could have broken free of your grasp in a moment. We still could." That was probably not a bluff, not with Eamnnon's strength and Illumin's light. He glanced over at the Eldelli Captain; the man returned his look with a wary one of his own, but Ghavaliel made no movement."Oh, true, you could incapacitate some of us - temporarily - but only at great cost to yourselves, coin that would be better spent against Irisun. We did not come here to bring death to your people, but to save them. I say this bluntly - Irisun's invasion would be merciful in comparison to the End we all face." Illumin met the Queen's gaze head-on, looking soberly into her eyes. "Consider that with care, Mother of your people."
The god held the gaze for a moment before nodding, just once, a faint smile on his face. "But, as I said, we did not come to bring death. I will honor the offers my companions have made to you - but do not disrespect the graciousness they show. We are not offering you a pittance of great power, but a large measure of what strength we do now possess. As Light, I can blind their armies, set false lighthouses on your coasts to guide them into rocky shoals, even cut them in pieces should they come too close. But only to a point. Hunt can likewise extend his power. In exchange - the relics we seek, at all possible speed."Captain Ghavaliel reached with his mind to the appropriate parties, slipping thought into the surface of their minds; no intrusion, but a soft breath of communication. He speaks truly, Majesty. An almost disappointing thought, that; Gods had come, but they were so much smaller than he had dreamed. Tread carefully. We could attempt to overwhelm them, but the one they name Wild Hunt is impenetrable to mental arts, and touching the others is agony to all but the most skilled. We cannot afford to fight a two-front war.Damn these Gods, for making things complicated. He didn't need complications, not right now. Thabara The queen gave a brief nod then abruptly turned to sit down again, the heavy fabrics of her dark gown rustling as she moved. Her fan flipped open again, hiding most of her pale face and allowing her some small amount of privacy while she thoughtfully stared at the small, exotic group of deities assembled before her. Brooding. Thinking. Calculating. Weighing the odds. We are aware, came the silent reply, her faint mental touch somewhat clumsy compared to the Captain's - part due to the lack of skill, part because she was strongly so focused on the matter at hand. We think We shall put an end this masquerade soon..Finally, the woman upon the royal seat shifted, straightened, the elaborate fan sinking to her knees. "A small advantage in battle would be better than none at all, especially against a force such as the Irisun Empire. Perhaps more can be done at a later time - given there will be a later time." She paused, her lips slightly pursed. "What will you do," she asked, "if you do not find these relics you seek?" Sosiqui "Impossible," Illumin said, immediately. "That will. not. happen." Did they knew about the Scepter, with its guiding power? He wasn't sure. "With all we have gone through up to this moment, with so much at stake - failure is not possible." He spoke with a grim determination, one fist clenching at his side.
They had gone to the Ashlands to find Aristogeiton; they could not possibly fail with the Scepter to guide them and in this mortal plane. Wellhaven did not fight them at every step, not in the way that forsaken land had.
"Time grows short, Majesty. The End we speak of is not some distant and nebulous thing. You feel the touch of it yourself, all of you, and have for some time. Your hearts have all inclined, in turn, to the Domains of Destruction - Sloth, then Envy, Lust, and Greed. Now War. That power will have inflamed Irisun as well. The longer you hold us here, with some of your strongest men... it is a risk, Majesty." Illumin nodded, slightly.Captain Ghavaliel kept his eyes on the throne, waiting. He knew what these Gods said was true, even if it was deeply, deeply frustrating. He had injured and lost some good men simply by trying to touch their divine minds. Men he could have used against Irisun - and now here he was, in this palace rather than where he should be. Thabara "Very well then," the queen said. "You shall have Our support, as much as it is possible with Our resources so strained. A permit to freely travel Our lands, at the very least." She raised one pale hand to beckon, and one of the noblewomen among her court stepped forward, the same who had spoken to Echo briefly earlier this day. "The map room will be at your disposal, should you require it, the same goes for the library. There are Books of Prophecy which refer to the current string to events, albeit they are far from accurate. Provisions, horses, a guide - all this can be arranged for. Even a carriage, if it needs be," she added, vaguely eying the wisps within the vicinity of Echo's wings. "And of course," she said with a faint, but almost impish smile, her gaze resting upon Nergal's ascetic features as she spoke, "the scepter shall be returned to your hands." Nergal nodded, inwardly wincing at the last remark. He had hoped for a chance to ask it back in private, not in front of the other gods, and thusly admitting he hand managed to lose it in the first place. "That should be sufficient," he said, glancing back at Eamnonn and Illumin.Zero Dream When she felt something cold against her skin, one fist went undone to take his hand - thankfully not the grip of steel she had held until now. The opposite hand relaxed, slightly - enough for a tingling sensation to take over the tip of her fingers as the blood flow resumed. While Echo's rage was quite something, she wasn't exactly known for staying angry very long. Thankfully. Short, deep bursts that tended to leave people wondering just what the heck had happened - including herself.
What was it ? The week of war ? The obvious changes within herself ? After all, while she was not pregnant in the mortal sense, she still had to support life - create it, nurture it. The end of the world ? A little bit of everything, melding and spiraling and forming one Huge thing ?
Oh, how badly did she wish that Tian Yue was here, right at this moment. He might have been able to offer them exactly what they wanted, and none of this would have even happened.
Wishful thinking. How can one not feel insignificant in this situation, facing the end of all... no matter who they where ?
She felt herself being watched and perked up, the lines on her face having softened enough to at least put a pretense that nothing had even happened. Oh, please, please, please not have her mention it again directly. Illumin and Ea still didn't know, and she had no idea how they would react. She didn't want to go home, and watch everyone else do things for her - but... so far, it seemed like the hurdles she had created outnumbered the advantages.
"I... Do not think that will be needed." They may be tiny souls, unborn, but they where divine - if the state of the world was not affecting them as badly as the mortals actually where, it seemed to her that they where much stronger than they let on. "The rest, however, would be a great help. I... Thank you." Sosiqui Illumin nodded cordially to the Queen. "We have an agreement, then. The scepter first; we will need only a guide to direct our steps, as it will lay out our path. There are two relics in your land, Majesty. We will secure them and aid your people."Captain Ghavaliel cleared his throat. "Majesty, I found these two in my own holdings, not far from the sea's watchpost there." And that had been fortunate; a man of less experience and skill might have burned out more minds on their unusual visitors, wasting even more precious resources to no purpose. "By your leave, I will assign some of the escort guard to them, and one relay... but first, I suggest we see the direction in which these 'relics' lay." He gave the gods a dubious look. He did not want to spare good men to journey far into the wilderness and, indeed, it would be rather pointless if their new guests had to journey so far away from the potential front as to be useless in a sudden crises. Thabara She acknowledged the Captain's request with a brief nod, a flick of her finger enough to send a member of the palace guard flying to retrieve the scepter from the chamber at the back of the throne hall. "In that case We shall consider ourself lucky they lay in Our land, and not within Irisun," the matriarch remarked with a dry smile. "Perhaps this is fate?" she murmured to herself, not really expecting an answer to her musings. Nergal squeezed Echo's hand slightly. "There is a good chance, I believe," he said towards Captain Ghavaliel, "that at least one of the relics may be found either here, or close to your holdings. We used said scepter for guidance between the worlds. For the relics to be close to where we stepped into this plane would.. at least not be entirely unlikely." He shrugged, about to add something, but breaking off when the doors reopened, and the scepter was brought in.
Underworld's lips formed a thin line of displeasure when the man headed straight past him, offering the ancient artifact to the woman on the throne instead of its rightful wielder. She only shook her head, implying with a small gesture to the guard that it was to be returned to their pale 'guest'.
The god offered no thanks, after all he had only been returned what was his anyway. He pretty much snatched the elaborate wand from man's hands, noting with a certain amount of satisfaction that the mortal was in quite a hurry to get away from him, bearing an expression as if someone had just stepped onto his grave.
He raised the staff into the air, noting too late the wary glances of the present Palace Guards and Eldelli. Nergal held his breath for a second, but then relaxed. Thankfully, none of them had felt the need to rashly. He honestly wasn't sure if he could have taken such an assault once more without.. He shook his head, banning these thoughts from his consciousness.
"This is merely an instrument of guidance," he explained, just to make sure his actions weren't misunderstood. "A beacon, which points the way to our destination, nothing more. However.." He glanced at the scepters orb with a frown. It had lit up, but the paths it showed were almost completely drowned out by the bright lighting of the throne hall.
"Lord Illumin..?" he said questioningly. Perhaps he could brighten the beacon, enough for everyone to see?Sosiqui Illumin nodded, then raised one hand. Light gathered around his fingers, then coiled upwards to latch onto the thin beams radiating from the Scepter, strengthening them. The new light crawled out along the Scepter's pathways until they shone brightly, all the way to where they vanished through the walls of the great hall. "And there you see the paths we must follow."
To his surprise, the two beams pointed in almost exactly the same direction, though it was still clear there were two separate paths. Still, they seemed to be pointing somewhere close to each other. Very close.Captain Ghavaliel looked at them in surprise. "That is back the way we came, Lord of Light. In that direction lie my own holdings, on the coast and mountains." Illumin stifled the urge to sigh with exasperation. Thabara Two relics, seemingly in close vicinity to each other, given that the coastline couldn't be all too far from their current location. That was quite a surprise indeed, a pleasant one for a change. Unless, a pessimistic voice at the back of his mind remarked, one of the relics lay beyond the coast, buried somewhere in the cold depths of the sea. I seriously hope that is not the case..
It also meant, that whatever had guided them here, into the castle, had not been the scepter's power, but probably rather his own desires for a familiar, a 'safe' place. A crypt, of all things.. He certainly would receive an earful from Echo about this at a later point."Fate," Julstecca's lady in waiting echoed quietly, the corners of her lips perking up ever so slightly. "We will see to it then that everything is prepared as quickly as possible. While We would certainly like to see you embark on this journey well rested," the queen's gaze rested upon the Captain for a moment, "We are aware that time is of essence." She rose, the heavy fabrics of her dress rustling, her hands folding in front of her lap. "For now," she said, directed towards her exotic guests, "please return to the rooms prepared for you. Word will be sent as soon as everything is ready."
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:04 pm
Wellhaven :: A Queen's Heart
Week of War Thabara All the gods had been accommodated in separate rooms for the time being, except for Nergal and Echo, as no one dared parting these two. It was the same room they'd been confined to previously, and for a while, it seemed like they'd remain undisturbed.
Nergal was at the window again, but again there was not much to be seen except for torches and braziers alit on the walls and within the courtyard, guards patrolling in their flickering light. This really was more of a fortress than a palace, he realized. The sky was as dark as ever, no stars to be seen. Lucius, the pale god thought, filled with concern, one hand lightly touching upon the vessel pendant hidden underneath his shirt, how much longer will he be able to endure?
He sighed, turning to look at Echo. He had learned, in his time among the living. Do things while you've got the chance to do them, or else you might regret, once that chance has passed.. Even for them, time was limited now. "Echo," he spoke softly, bowing his head, "I.. would like to apologize. Between the Worlds.. I.. panicked, lost control, following only my instinct.. I endangered you, our children to be.. Left the others behind without a guide, might even have caused this quest to fail.."
"I. Am sorry."
It still was hard for him to think and to remain focused in this strange realm, the voices of the dead so much more prominent here for some reason. Zero Dream Echo had been all but silent ever since they had been led back into the room, sitting on the side of the bed. She was trying to think, but her mind kept on darting in many directions and she could not quite get it to settle on something - anything...
She quite disliked being this way, and how things made her react ever since they had came here. She'd came close to blowing the whole thing up, and if it hadn't been for Illumin...
When Nergal finally spoke, she jumped a bit - with how he moved without making a sound now, she'd almost forgotten he was still there. She looked up from where she had been fixating the floor tiles for quite a while to instead look at him.
"It... is alright. I've almost blown this up too." Twice.. She had panicked in the crypt... and almost lost her temper in front of the queen. "I should be the one apologizing." Thabara "So.." He quietly walked over to sit down at her side, but leaving some measure of space between them. Just to make sure. "You are not mad at me anymore?" Zero Dream Was she ? Not, not really. She'd had much important things to worry about than to keep herself annoyed at him. However, it did not go without saying he did not deserve a smack or two, mostly for her arm, which thankfully did not really hurt anymore.
That thought process took all but a second - the expression of her face turned impish, and she grapped one soft pillow that was at her side and chucked it in his direction. "Maybe."
She did not realize exactly what she had done until after she did it, and was just about to basically fall down in apologies until she looked up and noticed the look on his face. Apologies where thus fully forgotten and she instead had to cover her mouth with one hand to hopefully make the fit of giggles look like a well-placed cough.
Such thing quite obviously failed. Thabara What.. the.. His look spelled indignation (after the initial surprise and bafflement, that was), and confusion. He wasn't quite sure what to make of this, so much was obvious. With an irritated flick of his wings he put the cushion aside. On his side of the bed.
Which did by no way mean there weren't any more within Echo's reach. Zero Dream The fact that the look on his face was simply going more and more priceless as seconds ticked by did not improve matters in the least, and the apparent indignity was completely lost on the goddess, who simply started laughing - she had no way to be even able to hide this - and chucked another pillow in his direction.
Her accuracy was quite off in that one attempt, however, and the pillow landed in his lap instead of in his face. Thabara Nergal blinked, and then looked at the offending object in his lap, picking it up with one hand to put it aside as well. But just before he was about to let go of it, he hesitated. There was something exhilarating about Echo's laughter, almost contagious. Maybe it was her voice.
At any rate, he could see she was already reaching for the next silken piece of ammunition, and there was no way he could permit yet another attack to be launched at the Underworld without retribution. Attack is the best form of defense, they say.
He only realized what he had done when the pillow he had been wanting to put away impacted on the goddess head. One of these days he would eventually have to get this new impulsiveness under control, he noted mentally, but not.. today. Not now. Zero Dream She had indeed been a mere second away from chucking another pillow at him when the one she had just thrown was promptly returned to sender, leaving her with a facefull of colorful fabric. It made her stop for a moment, frozen, as if she couldn't quite grasp the concept that she had gotten him to somehow play along.
Another realization hit her at that moment - she has two pillows, and he had one.
Oh, this was so on. Taking the projectile that had hit her head with her free hand, and still laughing almost like a small child, she led another assult.
The wisps had gathered a bit higher, and if it had been possible for the small lot to collectively look amused by this madness, they probably would have. Thabara This turn around at least, the initial surprise had ceased enough for him to react and slip of the bed to dive for cover. One of the pillows still hit him smack dab in the middle of the back, but the other just barely brushed his hair. He emerged for just a moment to clutch the cushion which still lay resting on the damask throw covering the bed, and went to collect the other one which had flown past him when he heard something and froze mid-movement.
"Did it just knock?" he asked, quite sheepishly, suddenly feeling utterly embarrassed that he had let himself be driven to do-- Well. This. Zero Dream After noticing he had gotten a bit better at dodging them, Echo also lunged forward, falling off the bed and also going for the lost pillow.
Knock
Her ears quite suddenly perked up straight, blue on blue eyes widened and she gathered the scattered pillows only to throw them back on the bed where they belonged.
While this was no direct answer, this was probably an evident enough one. Thabara "A moment please," Nergal called out, surprised his words came actually out completely calm, as if nothing had happened. Hastily he tossed the last remaining pillow back onto the bed and did his best to smooth out his clothes. "You may enter," he announced, after casting a quick glance at Echo to make sure she was ready as well. The bed still looked a mess, the sheets crumpled, but that couldn't be helped now. Zero Dream It was a good thing he'd spoken for her - she would probably have come nowhere as close to sounding so calm. Hands traveled to her hair to straighten the ponytail out so it would look still somewhat decent. The good thing with wearing pants for once instead of a fancy dress was that she didn't quite have to worry about that - had she been wearing ornate silk, the situation would probably be unsalvagable.
She gave her lover a nod before doing her best to force her ears back in their normal position. Thabara The one who entered, was the noblewoman from Queen Julstecca's court who had spoken to them previously. Her hair was done up in a less fancy style now, and she bore different clothes. Still woven of heavy brocade, but dominated by blacks and grays now instead of vivid peacock blue. Around her neck dangled a simple silver necklace with a locket, and in her right hand she carried a small lantern which she set down upon the table. Palace guards entered immediately after her, hands on their swords and eying the strangers cautiously. "I beg your pardon for my late intrusion," she said quietly, "but it didn't seem you were asleep yet. I noticed the light," she added with a faint smile. She motioned for one of the guards to hand her two large envelopes, each of them sealed, Brilsworth's coat of arms imprinted into the wax. "These are your passports, which will grant you free passage throughout this queendom." She laid them upon the table, next to the flickering lamp. "If possible, I would like a word for you," she said directed to Echo, "for just a moment. And then I would like to steal your lover for a little while." There was the ghost of an impish smile on her lips, but her eyes remained dark, mirthless. Zero Dream Thankfully the deer in the headlights look had faded by the time the noblewoman and the guards settled inside.
"No, we where not asleep yet." ....Not to mention that Nergal simply did not sleep... "It is quite alright."
Her next request startled her for a moment, one ear flicking forward in apparent curiosity. "As you wish - would you rather we stay here or go somewhere else... ?" Thabara "No, be at ease, remain where you are. Your lover, however, I may have to spirit away for however long it may take, so that he can hold true to the offer he made. Advice of the dead, as he promised." Nergal quirked a brow, feeling slightly irritated. Not only had he so far been pretty much excluded from the conversation between the two women, but also he hadn't made that agreement with just anyone.Zero Dream Echo nodded, one hand instinctively reaching for one of his own. It was easy for her to see the buildup of irritation, but they had promised. Now wasn't the time to blow everything up.
To be truthful, she was also feeling a bit... off, now. She had hoped for some time alone, some time to think - since Nergal wasn't exactly the most chatty sort, the previous moments had been the closest she could have gotten to it.
Not that the pillow fight had been a bad thing.
However, she had been enjoying her peace, her chance to be a bit silly and unwind a bit - but even that had been cut short. Was else would this be, now ?
"What it is that you wish to ask me, then ?" In despite all that, she had recovered enough self-control so that none of it showed. Thabara "I ask nothing of you, but your forgiveness," she said, gently shaking her head with a wistful smile. "I wish to apologize for the threat uttered during today's audience." "You were angry, it was easy enough to sense for all present." She hesitated, fingers slightly touching upon the silver locket resting in her bosom. "I have lost both, lover and children, to Irisun. I do not want to lose anyone else, be they among nobles or peasants. If the way to ensure your greatest possible help lay in threats and blackmail.." "Still. It was not honorable." She slightly turned her head to look at Nergal. "He understands, I think. He carries himself like a king. Sometimes, to be a good ruler, one must make unpopular decisions." Nergal frowned. She was speaking as if she was--Zero Dream Out of anything she could have said or brought up... She forced her face into blankness before anger could be shown, even if she knew it was probably useless.
"Perhaps most of the fault is mine -" The tone of her own voice made her wince, and she shook her head, forced herself to control her tone before continuing. "...For being too trusting with private information to begin with. A lesson learned, I suppose." Nergal had been right, of course. Perhaps he had seen it coming - a king, after all, would know of such tactics.
She hadn't wanted to lie - but to have facts used against her like this... It had been quite naive of her, to be so trusting. It was in her nature to be trusting - perhaps that had been her downfall, once. She had not once threatened them in the exchange, and to be threatened in return... "It certainly was not, and I can at least find some comfort in the fact that such is recognized" Oh, the things she could have done. The things she had so wanted to do right then... They where all quite lucky that, as emotion-driven as she was, that she knew of self-control. She wanted to mention such so badly, but there was no need to all fuel to the fire - expecially no need to get herself all worked up once more.
"I can understand not wanting to lose those one hold dear. I have experienced such loss firsthand, and can understand at least that much. But..." She shook her head again, sending gradiented strands tossing about. "But then, what do I know about being a queen ? I am a muse, flighty in my ways. I manage orchestras, not kingdoms. I touch people's lives, I do not lead them. Goddess I am, but queen I am not, I fear. Perhaps forgiveness would come more easily if I was." All that had been plainly evident in her actions, she figured.
The lady's way of talking was also not lost on her. "Is this what you where asked to say, then, or what you do mean ?" It was an bitter question in apparence, but the tone of voice, the look in her eyes, but most importantly in the pattern of her emotions, it was not. There was a faint lingering annoyance, but no direct hate. No venom to fuel it in it's most literal sense.
She was, undirectly, asking to who she was talking - if her guess was right, or if perhaps... No, it seemed silly. Her wrath, perhaps, was the tamest among her kin present here. Thabara "Not all-seeing, not all-knowing.. Small gods indeed, not even knowing the powers of Speaking." She tilted her head slightly. "How very strange. Our folklore speaks of gods as rulers, those who direct the ways of the mortals. But to inspire, that is a strength by itself." "I am here on my own behalf. If I required any more proof that your abilities indeed are.. limited, I just now would have gotten it by the two of you still needing to ask to ascertain my identity. I am who I am. Grieving widow and mother, but first and foremost the sovereign and regent of this land. I apologize for the farce as well, but it was necessary." Zero Dream "This was once such.... A long time ago. Perhaps it may be so again, in time. But for now... Very little of us have regained their full station of old. But, just like rulers, gods are also different from one another. What we lord over also determine such, I figure. Some influences would fall well under the description that you gave me - others, less so."
Again, the goddess shook her head. "You call this a farce... I would call this carefulness. You had, after all, no idea of who we where, and our intentions." Not to mention their.... not quite so grand entrance. "There should be no apology needed for being careful about your life, expecially in time of war. Your people need you, and I do not need the abilities of your people to be able to feel it... even less to see it." Thabara "You are very understanding." Julstecca, the true one, respectfully bowed her head. "Do not belittle yourself, SongWeaver, you may be well fit to be a Queen after all." She glanced at Nergal. "You are lucky indeed, to have her at your side. But from you I sense an old grief. You are a widower, such as I?" "That," Nergal said sharply, returning her curious glance with a defiant glare of his own, "is none of your business."
She'd caught him, Echo's words having rattled him more than he ever could have imagined. If he'd had any doubts left if she'd ever be able to replace his former queen, they were gone now. She and Kore - they were wholly different beings. Echo.. she would never rule the Underworld at his side. And it was good so, after all she had her own domain to care about. Still, that realization hurt, tore at his insides, bringing back ancient memories of loneliness.Zero Dream Echo had been about to speak once more, but fell silent as the quick exchange in between the queen and her lover happened. The look on his face right then, lasting all but a split second, the pain in his eyes...
She knew the wound was still raw, per-se - it was still for her, at any rate. Kore had, after all, been one of her closest friends in the life before this one. But keeping the current topic in mind... there seemed to be more to it than that.
Had he expected her to... ?
Her ears drooped a bit in obvious worry, yet she remained silent, not knowing what she could say... or perhaps limited in such by the queen's presence. Thabara The queen nodded slightly to herself, the hint of a smile upon her lips, as if something had just been confirmed to her. "I wish you best of luck," she said gently, "and I pray that your endeavor will be of success. For the children. All of them." She picked up the lantern she had brought and beckoned for Nergal to follow her. "One last question though, before I leave - whom do I pray to?" Nergal had been hesitant to leave Echo's side right away. He could tell that something about the queen's words - or his own reactions, possibly - had upset her again. So he had bent down to place a gentle kiss upon his lover's purple lips, even though he wasn't usually one to show his affection openly. But right now his actions were driven by defiance and stubbornness. Let her see that she has been disturbing us, that we'd rather like our privacy now. Let her feel like the intruder she is.
But her last question made him look up, before their lips could touch. Was she trying to humor them? Or was she serious? And whom should she be praying to? Fate was gone, the Crown.. 'indisposed', or they wouldn't even be here. Luck perhaps, he thought, remembering that awkward, yet oddly light-heartened afternoon of games and idle conversation he'd spent with Lucius.
"Us perhaps," he finally said, the words strangely sacrilegious on his tongue. "So that your prayers may give us the strength to be successful.. To Light, for Guidance and Hope in these dark times. To Hunt, so that you may survive what is to come. To Music, the power which touches upon Heart and Spirit of men and immortals alike. And to me, so that Death may not be the end."Zero Dream Echo did look slightly miffed when Nergal stopped his motion toward her, but forced her attention to the question that had been asked, listening to the answer he gave. To her, it seemed somewhat... incomplete.
"Also, pray to Creation and Rebirth... So that the world may return to balance once more." She said, solemny, before reaching up and completing the kiss that had been initiated. No way she would let him go without that one when he had came so close.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:05 pm
Wellhaven :: A Muse's Heart
Week of War She watched the queen leave, along with Nergal, and when the door finally closed behind them, the goddess let herself flop back on the bed, in a manner that was rather disgraceful for her. One hand reached for one of the pillows what had been ammunition mere minutes before and she slammed it on her face, letting go of the breath she hadn't even noticed she had been holding. Everything was going wrong, wrong, wrong. No, wait, not exactly everything - they where all still in one piece, physically and hopefully mentally - and while there where less of the little lifeflames about, it didn't feel like any of the children where missing. It was an odd feeling, something she simply could not put into words - she did not know how many, yet she knew they where all there - all of them, each tiny presence becoming more and more defined as they grew stronger, from their bond to her. She was starting to notice traits that separated them - was now starting to feel them, just barely. One was sorrowful, more reserved. Another was more outgoing, seemed almost protective of the rest. Another was mostly curious, but not the daring one that kept trying to go to people - that was the protective one. The curious one was often quick to follow after it's sibling, however. It was kind of cute, to see them act, and even interact with each other. She found herself vaguely wondering if they could communicate with each other, or if it was all instinct. She also found herself pondering names, now that her mind was left free to wander - but, really, she should be waiting for Nergal to come back for that. If she wasn't too tired when he did come back. Her lover did not seem to sleep, but the same couldn't be said for her. At least, not right now. It still felt alien to think about all this, somehow. That she was going to be a mother... so soon. That one day the little wisps would not be little wisps anymore. If the world lived on long enough. It would have to be. They would have to make it be, dammit - the goddess was already very attached to her children and she didn't even want to imagine losing them. The simple thought moved her to tears - she threw the pillow away to wipe the water away from her eyes. It was selfish, but she wanted to be home - to be with Kishara, with Beryl, with someone that could reassure her she wasn't going crazy and that all of this was normal. But Gaia had much, much better things to worry about, at the moment - wherever she was. She hadn't seen hair or feather of Wind for a solid year or so - give or take. The concept of time in such short amounts was still mostly puzzling her. And instead of being home she was here, all alone in something that looked like a room but was guarded like a prison. She had thought it would be easy - oh, of course she had thought it would be. How naive, how unused to the reality of the world. She'd thought she had been mostly hands on with it... but she hadn't. Oh, she had now noticed that she hadn't. She'd melded with the mortals, yes. She had made effort to influence them and help them, yet. But she had never tried to extend authority over them. And she had thought it was easy. It wasn't. Respect was something to be earned... Something that one sometimes had to fight for. Maybe that was why she faded into dust, ages ago. But now... now, she was still alive. If there was to be a future for her and her children, she would keep this lesson in mind. She would teach them such lesson as she could - but yet, they would need to make their own mistakes, make their own steps. She would have to let them fall down, if only to be there to pick them up afterward. Echo was not quite sure if she could do that. She wasn't sure if she could be a good mother, and there was little in this alien world that could reassure her. By the time Nergal would come back, she would be asleep - but the dried lines of tears on her face would betray her.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:06 pm
Wellhaven :: To The Mountains
Week of War Sosiqui The outer courtyard was abuzz with activity. Soldiers of the castle's guard and the Eldelli moved about with grim purpose, and every so often wings fluttered in the sky as carrier birds descended and ascended with messages tied to their legs. The Court had been well sheltered from this barely-managed chaos. Perhaps some of the nobles preferred sticking their collective heads in the sand. Captain Ghavaliel stood near a trio of carriages, and quite a bit of the riotous activity centered around him. Still, he stopped what he was doing when the deities arrived, greeting them with a half-bow and a curt nod. "Good day, Lady and Lords. By our Queen's gracious generosity, these carriages have been prepared for you and your escort. It seems I am traveling in the same direction, at least until your relic tells you otherwise, so I and those Elidelli who came here will join you. When our paths diverge, Corporal Teircan will accompany you, along with four guardsman. He will serve as relay, and will alert you when your aid is needed. I pray the artifacts you seek lie not too far from the coast." His expression was grim, serious. He had wasted enough time with this, more than enough time. Would what they had gained be enough to justify what had been lost? "Thank you, Captain - once we are out of the city, we will check the Scepter's path again, until we see a divergence," Illumin said, glancing over at Nergal to confirm."Prepare yourselves at all speed," was the man's only reply, and he strode off. The aforementioned four guardsman subtly took up positions around the gods, though whether it was to guard the gods from the people or the other way around, one could not tell. Illumin resisted the urge to snark at the Captain's retreating back, but there were better times to be uppity and insist on ceremony. "This would all be so much easier if we really could snap our fingers and grant wishes," he said, with a sigh.Zero Dream Echo had been all but silent ever since they had gotten moving - with only the sound of her wings and the curious little wisps to confirm her presence, as her height did happen to have her mostly overlooked among the three gods she traveled with. It seemed like most of her energies where focused on keeping the little wisps in check - all this different chaos and movement and all those people seemed to be attracting their attention.
As for the goddess, she was already ready - her small backpack strapped across one shoulder. At Illumin's last comment, she managed to bite back the strained laugh that had almost fought its way out. "You tell me..."
Honestly, if she could snap her fingers and grant wishes, she would simply wish that none of this had even happened. Thabara Nergal trailed after the others, the bustling activity putting him at unease. To rule and issue orders which would raise and direct such hustle and bustle, yes, but to be caught up in the middle of it? He didn't like it, lest alone the chance of someone but Echo touching him. He hastened his step to catch up with her, remaining at her side for his own reassurance as much as hers.
The scepter, carefully wrapped once more to hide it from all too curious glances, was leaning heavily against his shoulder, and he gave a small nod at Illumin's glance. He had little else to carry, only a small bundle at his side, and the vessel pendant hidden underneath his shirt. A talisman, blessed by Universe, though he did not know if there was true power in it. He hoped it would bring them some of the luck they so much needed.
He did not even smile at Light's little remark. He had never been one to grant wishes. Sosiqui The creatures that were hitched up to the coaches were not, precisely, horses - they had far longer legs and a willowy look to them, and they stamped not on hooves but on large-nailed paws. Still, there was something unmistakably equine in the look of their heads. As the gods approached, one of them twitched away from Nergal, eying the pale god with a dubious look. One of the guards stepped in front of them and opened the door to the coach. They were not elaborate conveyances, being designed for war - sturdy with thick walls and slits instead of windows. Bales of supplies had already been lashed to the roof, and the wheels were massive, thick-treaded. "By your leave, Lords and Lady," the guard said, with a salute. The other two coaches were slowly filling with supply bales and weapons under Captain Ghavaliel's direction. After a few last directions, he returned to them. "This is not a time for opulence, divine visitors. I hope you will understand," the Captain said, gesturing at the coach with a weary look. The Court he could manage, though mostly because of his mental abilities. These gods were well beyond him, and he was not a man used to dancing around offense by sheer guesswork. "I will ride with the coachman here until the time comes for us to follow separate paths." Sosiqui Illumin nodded at the Captain. "It is better than walking, at least. Thank you." He climbed up into the coach - the interior was dark, and the seats inside only makeshift, but some effort had been made to make it more comfortable with cushions and a fur on the floor. Instinctively, his own glow increased, little wisps of light curling into the corners of the enclosed space.
He, too, was not used to dancing around mortal wishes; surely he should order, and thus it would be? But this was not the case. Not here, and every time he thought of imposing his divine privilege it was quickly followed by a twist of guilt.
He wasn't sure what degree of redemption could be gained by riding in a common coach rather than some gilded and opulent construction as was his due. Probably very little, if any. And yet... it was still a sacrifice for him. Spoiled thing that I am. The mortals at the Beacon had taught him that.
Illumin moved away from the door as Eamnnon followed him in, the Hunt's large size making the coach seem more confined than it already was. He squashed himself up next to the green god, leaving the other bench-seat for Nergal and Echo. In better times that would have called for a quip, but Illumin was in no mood for further levity. Zero Dream "Of course, Captain. Such is more than understandable." In contrast to Light, having to travel in such a coach did not exactly bother Echo all that much. As long as it got them to their destination in one piece and they found what they needed to find, she honestly could not care less at the moment if it was an opulent carriage or a plank on four wheels.
It was a good thing that Illumin had stepped in before she had - made it so much easier to sidestep crates when it was not pitch dark, and she sat on the opposite bench. The placement was a good thing, as she was quite unwilling to leave Nergal's side at the moment... quite literally. She had to keep an eye on him... He had seemed so nervous, almost even scared in the courtyard - she was, of course, quite good to read even the subtlest of his reactions by now.
And yet he will not tell me a thing.
Given her recent moodswings, even she could realize it was probably best left as such.
Now that they where inside, with no bustling activity about, the children seemed to be calming down a bit. She seemed quite certain of the plural now, at the very least. Now that they where stronger, bolder, she could notice some of them acting and reacting differently from the rest. Some where near-identical, but Ankou had in fact told her that some would merge together. At least that was what she understood of it. Thabara Nergal slipped into the coach last, giving the equines a last wistful glance. He much preferred riding over being confined to such a contraption, even if it was supposedly more comfortable, yet it seemed obvious that at least some of the horse-like beings of this world reacted in a quite nervous way to his presence - much like the cats which had infested his dwelling back 'home' - and would likely not bear him anyway. Still, he was more than relieved for the chance to get away from too many people the coach offered.
"Your efforts are much appreciated," Underworld said with a solemn nod, carefully moving the strings aside which emerged from Echo's form before he sat down next to her. Even in the short amount of time they had spent together since his return, this had become somewhat of a reflex to him. For a moment his expression softened, as he gazed upon the wisps hovering within the vicinity of her wings. "Especially given the current circumstances," he added. He, of the four of them, was possibly closest to War, to what it meant. After all, he had been on the receiving end of it. If only I could open my Gates for them now. If only..
His thoughts were interrupted abruptly when the door was thrown shut, and without thinking he reached for the latch to lock it, before he leaned back, finally able to relax a little. As much as it was possible in this cramped space, especially with Hunt's hulking figure opposite to him.
"Are you alright?" he gently questioned his lover. He could not see the flows of mana, but it seemed obvious that the wisps would draw strength from their mother to grow, and he had noticed how tired and weary the goddess looked. Sosiqui ]The coach rocked for a moment and there were scraping sounds on one wall. Then a trap-door in the ceiling opened, suddenly, revealing Captain Ghavaliel above. "Are you settled, then? We will be off. Let me know when you wish to stop and take your bearings." After a moment, the coach lurched forward with an odd swaying motion, distinctively different from how a horse-drawn carriage would move. There were shouts and other sounds from the courtyard as the caravan mobilized, then the heavy thunk and clatter of chains as the gates and portcullis were opened for them. Illumin peered through the slit in the wall next to him. "The streets are empty," he reported. "They must all be afraid of Irisun."
The coaches wound their way through the city - this particular pathway was paved with cobblestones, and thus went through a more wealthy quarter - and before long there was another pause, and more clatters and clanks for the city gates. Then forest, cool and dark and still.
"The way we came in, there was farmland," Illumin added, quietly. Zero Dream "I will be fine." She answered simply to Nergal's question, laying back against the side of the carriage to look out at the window. "If they possess the same kind of mental powers as this people do... Perhaps not even their own homes are truly safe." Something in her heart ached. This wasn't a way to live, to be constantly afraid of something that might strike at any moment, and remain completely unseen while doing so.
To be constantly afraid...There was a young man, sitting on a crate a respectful distance away from the gathered deities, who probably had been told to keep an eye on the deities, but he seemed more focused on the direction the beam of light kept pointing to, a thoughtful expression on his face. Wasn't that... ? Yes, it was in that direction. He'd heard the stories, of course, pertaining to that place. That haunted battlefield... It was too far for him to be sure, but... Thabara "They do," Nergal confirmed quietly. "Her Highness told me so, when she sought advice from the dead this night. The Kingdom of Irisun has six Speakers at its disposal, while Brilsworth now has none after Prince Herus' unfortunate demise. He was the Queen's Consort and beloved. He and their two children died the very same night." Were killed, that meant, but Julstecca had been quite clear that this information was strictly confidential and was not meant for the ears of her subjects, so he wouldn't mention it while the mortal was present. "The only one that remains with powers close to those of a Speaker's would be Captain Ghavaliel, if I understood correctly."
"They are powerful enough enable communication over vast distances, between the planets of the Alliance even. And they also can strike from a distance, kill even, by 'eating' people's minds." Nergal paused, the look in his face seeming haunted for a moment. Fate be blessed that Bael had not managed to get his hands on a telepath of a Speaker's caliber.. While they probably possessed not enough power to destroy them, they certainly would be able to harm them. He was concerned about Echo, and - more than anything - his children to be. Sosiqui
"That is what the Captain told me - we spoke last night as well," Illumin said, quietly. He was pretty sure that the mortal could not overhear their soft words, but he made a quick hushing motion anyway, just in case. "And I can confirm from personal experience that their mental powers are quite... astute. The Captain was able to force my consciousness back and pull forward the... remains... of my host." For a moment, he too had a vaguely traumatized expression, though nowhere near as deep as Nergal's. "Ea was immune, however. It seems fully ascended gods are beyond their capabilities. Perhaps we should sic them all on him and watch the fireworks," he added, wryly.Zero Dream
The look of worry that was on Echo's face was impossible for her to hide - even in the relative darkness of the carriage. While her eyes did not glow, per-se, they did stand out a bit in Illumin's glow. It seemed like the goddess was about to say something - but then decided against it. No, no words she could say would make it better for either of them.Such precaution looked almost superflous, because it did not look like the young man was, in fact, listening, or watching them. Which was not to say he was ignoring them - oh, far from it. While obiviously not as skilled as the capitain, it was easy for him to tell that they where, at the very least, calm. He also believed that, if they where to use force, they would have done it some time ago. He had been there, had seen the capitain struggle with them - and while he was not going to abandon his duty by any mean, he was not quite willing to anger them. He was more useful to his Queen alive. Thabara They'd go splat like flies on a windshield, he thought, the thought so atypical for him that he did not voice it aloud. It sounded too much like something Aislin would have said. Was there enough left of her to still be drawn forth? He hoped not, that would be her worst nightmare. On the other hand, he wasn't sure how far she truly was gone now. He barely remembered the circumstances of his growth..
"An amusing thought, that," he finally said. "However, we should grow accustomed to the fact that our efforts may not be enough to turn the tide. From what I've heard, the forces are.. very imbalanced." If we succeed, however.. Surely they will show their thanks? A true miracle, worked by the true gods. That is, if we actually manage to prevent the End.
Unconsciously Nergal clenched his hands to fists. His children, he wanted them to live dammit, not to perish with His Creation in a matter of a few weeks. They had to succeed, somehow. Sosiqui "Perhaps, but let us keep quiet on that score for now. There is enough hopelessness in the world without such thoughts," Illumin said, casting a wary glance back towards their mortal observer. "We shall try, at least."
....
The caravan rumbled and swayed through the forest, the movement of the coaches almost relaxing, lulling the occupants to sleep. Illumin slept, at least, and when he woke again he was surprised to see darkness outside. The carriage had stopped moving.
The trap-door in the ceiling opened suddenly, making the god jump. "We are on Caveil Ridge, Lords and Lady - a high point, which will surely be good for your pathfinding magic," said Captain Ghavaliel, from above. "If you would?"
Illumin stretched as best he could in the confined space, then stuck out one foot to poke at the door. "Let's. I think my wings are going to crumble off if I stay in here much longer." Zero Dream Echo had also been sleeping - nested against Nergal's side without really noticing it, and suddently darted awake when the trapdoor opened. This wasn't such a bad idea - to walk around a bit, at the very least - this was starting to get a bit unconfortable. She stood and did much the same as Illumin before making her way out.As for the man, he slid out by climbing out of the trapdoor. "Captain... I have been watching the direction in which the light pointed. It is hard for me to say for sure at the moment... but it kept pointing toward direction of the haunted battlefield. Do you think it could be possible... ?" He flicked brown bangs away from his eyes, a nervous habit he never quite got rid of - head hung low in respect. Thabara Nergal merely gave a quiet nod, remaining silent for the reminder of their journey. He did not sleep, and only once - when Echo's sleeping figure slid aside to rest against his shoulder heavily - did a small, affectionate smile cross his features.
For most of the time passing by he simply listened, occasionally glancing down at the scepter's orb, or staring out of the narrow window slit. There was little else for him to do, and once the voices of the dead had guided him to find Endenis, and the scepter. It would be folly to ignore them, no matter how much they teared and scraped at what little he had regained of his reason.
He leaned back, eyes closing for a moment. It was hard, at times, to keep up the facade of his usual calm and reserved self, while inside everything still felt.. in disorder. He was carefully avoiding to even as much as think of the word 'broken', as if it might somehow throw off his frail balance. There were times at which it almost felt as if nothing had ever happened. And then there were times at which it was so very hard to resist the urge to recoil and withdraw from every touch, every look.
He jumped significantly - much more so than Illumin - when the trap door opened so unexpectedly, for a moment fully expecting to see that mad naga smirk at him and then flood the cell carriage with boiling oil, wiggling, slippery leeches or-- He forcefully interrupted that train of thoughts - she isn't here - but suddenly he couldn't get out of the carriage fast enough. He only nodded weakly at Ghavaliel's words, glad that his new alabaster skin wouldn't show how pale he had grown. That his fear and paranoia probably shone like a beacon for the almost-Speaker, that, he didn't think about.
He opened the door and practically fled the carriage, fingers clutched tightly around the scepter's carved shape, but regained his composure quickly enough to stop and turn almost immediately and offer his free hand to help Echo descend. Yet there was something mechanical, abrupt to his movements, and while the smile he offered her was polite, gentle, it seemed at the same time distinctly strained. Even after she stood safely he didn't let go of her hand, only tugging at her slightly to move aside and allow Ea's massive form enough space to exit the vehicle.
"Haunted?" he asked quietly, rising his voice just enough to be audible as he raised the scepter aloft, the two men having been close enough for him to have overheard at least some of what had been said. "The whole world is haunted with no place for the dead to go to," he added bitterly. There must be more now, far more, than there were left of the living, even with those countless destroyed by the sheer force of the 'Wave'. What effects would such imbalance have, if any? Upside down, inside out.. What if the whole world were to.. flip and suddenly to become his?
He shook his head, his grip around Echo's hand tightening some. He might be hurting her, he realized, again. Yet he could not let go of her. Queen she might never be for him, but anchor, pillar, that she was to him. He needed her.
The scepter's beams were much clearer now in the darkness of the night than they had been in the brightness of the throne hall, but still they seemed surprisingly close to each other. They were shifting and fluctuating unsteadily every now and then, as if they were having trouble to lock onto their actual destination, but at the very least, the general direction seemed clear Sosiqui Captain Ghavaliel looked at the scepter's twin paths, looked at the compass in his hand, and frowned slightly. "Perhaps," he acknowledged, glancing at the Corporal. "That forsaken place is part of my holdings, if anyone can claim to own it in more than name. The Woldpost, and the valley below, are indeed haunted by numerous unkind spirits. It is said that long ago, before this kingdom was in place, there was a great conflict between two armies there. It was a terrible battle, spending many lives even before the end." He put the compass back in his pocket and looked back at the scepter's light. "It is said that, during that battle, a young Speaker of one army, along with that army's shaman, lost their minds when they watched the war destroy their companions. The backlash of their insanity was so powerful that it obliterated all the combatants, friend and foe alike. Their shades still wander, lost and enraged." The Captain shook his head. "That I have seen with my own eyes. My family does not go there, except to remind ourselves of what we 'hold'. If your magic indeed points to that place... then I hope you are gods indeed. You will need that power." He turned towards Nergal, briefly. Illumin sighed. Wonderful. Two whole armies' worth of ancient crazed ghosts. At least... we do have Underworld with us... He, too, gave Nergal a quick glance.Thabara "They manifest this strongly?" Nergal glanced back over his shoulder at the captain and the corporal, his previous unease quickly fading not that his curiosity was piqued. He had dealt with poltergeists before, but only one at a time, and he had not been able to hold them for long. But that had been before he finally rid himself of all that had been mortal still, and he hadn't truly flexed his powers since then. He had no idea whatsoever how far he'd be able to go now.
"I should be able to deal with them," he vaguely said upon Illumin's glance. Who else, if not me? Zero Dream The iron grip that Nergal had on her hand was not exactly comfortable, but not quite as painful as to when he grapped her arm in wild panic. This she could deal with, and so she did. Oh, it was easy for her to see, to know - the haunted look in his eyes, the twitches he let out every now and then...
And yet there was nothing she could really do. He wouldn't even tell her what happened - but she could very well see how much he needed her. On one hand, it did hurt - did he not trust her ?
On another, she was scared of what she would do to those that had done... this to him, with what little she knew. There was no way to tell how she would react to knowing the full depths of what had went down there. Ignorance could be bliss, indeed. She hated herself when her rage was brought out, hated what she became when even self-control failed. Was she not supposed to be Music.... kind, gentle, loving ? Somehow, when she even allow herself to express anger, go outside that mold, it felt like she was failing.
Failing who ? Myself ? Who is imposing me that mold... ? Is it fear ?
All she could do was keep a mostly-neutral mask - when deep down all she wanted to do was scream, or cry.
But how am I supposed to keep him stable when I can barely do it for myself... I don't know what I should do anymore. Lost...
She closed her eyes and breathed out a sigh, trying to do her best to erase the worry that had grown onto her features. What could she do, but pretend nothing was off ? It wouldn't solve the problem - but it wasn't like she could make him talk.
This is a huge mess... And I am starting to wonder if it's ever going to righten itself out again."They indeed do, lord." Corporal Tiercan answered, head still low in respect. "There have been instances of the ghosts driving men mad.... if they do not outright kill them. They are extremely hostile. If you are to go there, I would recommend extreme caution." Thabara "We will keep this in mind, thank you." Nergal inclined his head politely, but looked up again only a moment later, a thoughtful expression upon his face as he eyed the scepter's light. 'Extremely hostile' - he didn't like the sound of it. Especially as, to his knowledge, none of the gods present could even as much as see the dead - with the sole exception of the flickering lights of the Will-o'-the-wisps perhaps - lest alone deal with them.
"If the relics, or one of them at least, truly should be found within the vicinity of that place.. I could, perhaps, attempt to recover it on my own while you seek for the other one?" he suggested carefully, the vision of Echo's hot, burning anger directed at him the other day still quite vivid. "I highly doubt that I myself might come to harm, but I wouldn't want to endanger anyone else." Least of all, her. Zero Dream When he spoke, Echo looked up once more, peering at him. He wasn't... serious, wasn't he ? He couldn't go there alone if those things where as dangerous ! But... she should probably stay with Ea and Illumin. Stay safe. Keep the children safe. There where many ways, she could think of it, many way she could have expressed it in answer to her lover's statement, but she couldn't hide the truth from herself.
She was afraid. Scared. Scared to lose them. Scared to lose him. Scared to be hurt. So much fear and so much unknown that in threatened to root her in place, paralyze her. She had no idea what she was supposed to do, and she was, once again, starting to have doubts about if she should even have come at all. The goddess had no experience in things like this - it just seemed like she was holding them back. Long, pointed ears drooped back slightly, betraying her thoughts.
How else am I supposed to learn ? Sitting back, away from everything will not fix it. Ignoring it won't make it all go away. How many times have I made that mistake ? How many more times will it take for me to learn ?
I can't sit back and just take it, or ill remain weak, hesitant and useless to the end. Fear.... exists so that it can be be won over.
She wasn't quite sure where that thought, where that realization did come from, but now that it had... Her decision was made. Fear had killed her once - she would not let it happen again. "No, you won't. I will be coming with you." While no hot, burning anger where in those words, they did not quite allow for a retort. "My song... may calm them." Sosiqui Illumin nodded, with some relief. "I fear I would be useless against ghostly beings. I know very little about them, and all of my combat skills-" hah, as if he had a vast variety at his command- "are more suited to Irisun than angry spirits." He glanced back at Captain Ghavaliel."You should pray to whatever you like - your own selves, perhaps - that your path does not lead there, all the same," the man replied. He looked nervous for a moment. "The heads of my family are shown the place from a ridge, so that they will know it, and the danger, and keep those under their care away from it. In the past, we would throw murderers in there, so that they could face the true horror of the death they brought to others. No sign of them was ever seen afterwards." "How much further is it to your holdings, Captain?" Illumin asked, turning away from the beams; some of the light followed him, tracing a playful trail between the beams and his wings. "I do not remember all of our travels." That was pointed, I don't remember because it ******** hurt."To the Sea-posts, another day after this night. To the Woldpost and the field below? Another day and night again. Far away from Irisun's front lines, should they attack," and that was pointed, too. "Understood... but if the path points there, we must go. Still, I will do what I can for your men at the Sea-posts. False lighthouses, as we said, among other things. Perhaps Lady Echo will inspire your troops with song."One of the men on the coach smothered a bark of derisive laughter, but there was no levity in the Captain's eyes. "Unlike some of those under my command, I know the importance of morale," he said, his voice louder than it needed to be so that it would deliberately carry back to the man who had laughed. Zero Dream She smiled in return, but that immediately vanished from her face the second her keen hearing picked out the laugh far too clearly. She frowned, the look seeming almost alien on her face, but otherwise did nothing. She had better things to do than to let this bother her too much, she decided - as much as she would have liked to sing until he broke down into tears - something she was extremely confident she could have done - this was too childish and petty for her.
Let him laugh - I have better things to worry about.Teircan did not say anything at first - but the rather dirty look he sent to that individual probably spoke volumes more than any words he could have chosen. But then, he shook his head and focused once more. "Captain - I am willing to accompany and guide the lords and lady as much as I am able." And then, unheard by all but him... We cannot allow these dogs to take over the kingdom... I can easily be replaced if something happens to me on the way. I will take care of this, on my own and with perhaps a man or two - if you allow me, captain. Let me take care of this, and keep your focus on Irisun - as it should be. Sosiqui Bravely said, Corporal - I will accept that offer, though you need not enter the Pass. I will force no innocent man to enter that benighted place. If need be, you can stand on the overlooking watchpost tower and project from there. The Captain's answering thought was swift, and he turned at once and nodded to the gods. "Well, then. Shall we proceed? The light continues to point in the direction we travel to the Sea-posts, and I will take your promises to aid us." Illumin nodded. "Yes." He gave the sky an uneasy look, and wondered what was happening at home. Already there had been squabbles among the men, even with the Captain's iron discipline; the man had tried to hide it, but it had been there, all the same. War is descending. It will call Irisun. They had to find the fragments before that, secure them and then do what they could for Julstecca until they could do no more... for whichever reason. And quickly.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:06 pm
Wellhaven :: A Promise Kept
Week of War She had watched Illumin leave by boat, to set up the false lighthouses, following what hints of treacherous reefs and such sea obstacle that Nergal had been able to get from the spirits of dead sailors that lingered near their beloved sea. As for her, well, she had her own promise to fulfill, and since everyone was busy with preparations of all sorts, it seemed much more efficient to go from group to group, and sing to each of them. The goddess had gotten used to walking in to see doubtful, sometimes even amused or mocking faces, only to walk away minutes later with awed and determined gazes following her instead. Still, there was only so much she could do - she could sing, and, just like in the throne room, she could move them, influence them - only it was so, so much easier with song, without an instrument to bridge through, so that was what she had stuck through. She could see a light return to the eyes of the weary, courage return to the scared, and it made her feel... it made her feel good, to be completely honest. Made her feel needed. Made her feel useful, like if she hadn't come this far for nothing. But that, just like everything, had it's limit. She could only poke their feelings in the direction she wanted them to go, guide them and see if they would follow. Plant the seed, so to speak. There where a few that refused to listen... and to those, she could do nothing for. With Tiercan following her, however, this number had remained low enough for her not to dwell on it too much. Tiercan... the man was young, for what she could tell - definitively an adult by the standard of this place, but young enough to look out of place with the position he held. Somewhere early in his 20's, through she hadn't exactly asked him, with eyes a striking shade of green and messy brown hairs. Yet, somehow, in despite looking so warm, he could be so cold when needed - he knew when to step in, when to intervene, and how to get the men to listen to him. And then, after the moment was over, he would become warm and friendly once more, as if nothing had ever happened - through there was always a lingering worry around him. Always something on his mind. Perhaps he had been a natural leader, or perhaps he had grown up, and shaped as th- "...Lady ?" That cut that train of thought off quite sharply, making her c**k her head to the side to look up at the Corporal, who had still not left her side as they had started to move once more, to reach a tower further away where mens busied themselves erecting barricades. It was a good thing he had, because she would have probably had gotten herself lost ten times over by how she was constantly spacing out. There was something on her mind, and, really, he did not need to even think about trying to touch her mind to tell. "I am sorry." She looked up at him, and as she did, his glance always focused on her eyes. They seemed to fascinate him, as far as she could tell, and for some reason, that made her smile... just slightly. It never occurred to her that he had probably noticed that reaction and was repeating it just to lift her own spirits. There was silence then, as they continued to walk, and, now that she was not focusing on her thoughts - which she had been doing a whole lot lately, after all she had many things to think about - Nergal, the children, the situation at hand, how things where going back home... But now she'd been focused back on the present. "...Corporal ?""What is it ?" "Do you think... that things will be fine ? Do you think it will be a victory ?"The man remained silent for a moment, a thoughtful expression on his face. She'd noticed this - around her, he became so easy to read, but as soon as there where others about, he walled himself right back up. Was it because he knew she could not touch his mind ? "With you and the lords at your side... Well, at the very least, we have more of a chance to win this than we had to begin with. There.... is hope now, where it seemed doomed from the start beforehand." And yet, he had been perfectly willing to lay out his life for that hopeless battle, that goal he did not completely believe.
He could be dead tomorrow, and for some reason, that does not even seem to phase him..."...But such is war. Even if it seems hopeless, sometimes... you still have to try. You still have to fight. Sometimes fighting is the only way to protect what you hold dear. That... is what I learned, and that is why am I here, even if it does seem a bit naive to think like that, sometimes. But I am babbling, now, please forgive me." "No, no, it is quite fine. I would not have asked if I had not wanted to hear you answer, after all..." She could see the tower, in the distance, and the men stopping their work to watch their approach. Tiercan stood tall at her side, and it became so evident that he had meant what he had said - that there was at the very least a spark of belief in him, even if he himself did not realize it yet. "Corporal ?""Yes, lady ?" "...When things get bad... Remember my song. It... is my gift to you, to your people. Remember what it is that you wish to protect so badly. Remember all that... and remember hope. Hope.... is powerful enough to carry someone through things that seem impossible to live through." And, really, she was pretty sure she knew what she was talking about for this one, through it was probably selfish for her to think that her pain and suffering back then, when Nergal had been gone and she could not find him no matter where she went, somehow compared to a whole kingdom being in jeopardy... but it did not matter. As long as her point was made... He smiled. "I will." And, for now, there was more to do - she had barely gotten her answer that the goddess had starting to sing once more. You... have put your hope in me. I will do everything I can...
I will not let all of this be in vain. I will not allow it.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:07 pm
Wellhaven :: Guiding Lights
Week of War Thabara They met again late at night, high up on one of Sea-posts' watchtowers. A good part of the coast could be overlooked from here, from the close by beach - which seemed the most likely landing point for Irisun's forces - to the steep cliffs and the mountain range further north. Illumin's false lighthouses were glimmering in the distance, a sight which might have been deemed romantic under different circumstances, in a situation less dire and tense. As it was, none of those present had eyes for the beauty of the nightly landscape, their gazes instead locked upon the scepter's orb as it came alight when raised high into the air, the faint arcs of guiding light dutifully springing forth. All of them - gods and mortals alike - looked weary, exhausted and worn out from the long day's efforts and the previous journey. Yet even a short rest had been out of question until now, not when time was so much of essence. They still would have a chance to recover later, once they were on the road again, confined once more to the cramped interior of the carriage. Zero Dream Echo was, as it had become usual to see her on this journey - standing at Nergal's side, expression as neutral as she could hold it - yet the sheer feeling of fatigue that clung to her features and, most importantly, to her psyche, morso than the rest of those assembled, was impossible to hide and ignore. She quite honestly looked like if the only thing that was keeping her awake was sheer willpower, and she often felt the young Corporal's attention settle on her - as if he was afraid that she might just faint.
The wisps that always followed her where still in movement, as if apparently untirable - darted left and right, up and down, back and forth, coliding with each other and darting off as if they where playing a game of tag. The somber mood of those gathered around them, and the overall weight of the world and of the situation at hand, seemed to elude them completely. Sosiqui Illumin slowly fed light into the beams of the scepter again, making them unmistakable for all to see - he had tired himself greatly today, setting up the lights as directed both by the Captain's maps and by Nergal's ghostly aid. But, with any luck, they would guide Irisun's landing parties smack into the maws of rocky shoals, whirlpools, and every hazard the coast presented, while keeping them away from the lovely beaches that were even now marked as most direly dangerous.
What he had now, he gave.Behind him, Captain Ghavaliel let out one long, slow breath. "There is no mistaking it. It does indeed point to that place." Nobody needed to be reminded what that place referred to. "Unless it lies beyond, but I have little hope of that." His gaze flicked down from the beams to Nergal. "You chose your companions well, it seems." Ghosts. They were going to have to walk among the ghosts, the mad and furious dead... Illumin fervently thanked Creation, if He could listen, that Nergal had indeed come. Who else among the gods save perhaps Ankou could be so useful when faced with an army of spirits? "How many days?""Another day and night will take you to the base of the pass; four hours more, to the battlefield itself and the Woldpost. There is a high path that goes to an overlooking ridge, where there is a stone platform, an ancient overseeing watchpost of my family. We would watch the murderers die from there. I saw one, once." The end of the sentence was iron-clad; no more details about that incident would be forthcoming. Thabara "You seem to fear the wrath of the dead so much," Nergal quietly said, lowering the scepter now that they knew where they were heading. "Has there ever any attempt been made to appease them, to put their spirits to rest?" He did not know how much that would have done, without him being around, or his brother. But for some reason it was important for him to know if they'd at least tried.
His gaze lingered on Echo's features while he waited for the answer, noting just how tired she looked. He knew her fatigue was caused by more than just using her powers as extensively as she had done today, and he wondered how much longer it would take for the other gods to suspect something. It was blatantly obvious that the tiny wisps playing tag so unaffected by the overall heavy mood followed her, not him. Zero Dream "There probably has been... but that was a long time ago, before the kingdom was even formed." Corporal Tiercan answered, eyes still following the beams of light that had cut in the darkness. Oh, how had he been hoping he hadn't been right about this one... "There are little written records that have survived that span of time, and thus there is not a whole lot of information and details beyond what we have already told you, lord and lady - in fact, most people simply think it is pure legend... until they figure out for themselves." Echo remained silent, at Nergal's side, taking in the scenery before her, but unable to to completely enjoy it. Wellhaven seemed to have been much less touched by destruction as their plane, whatever it was called, which was the epicenter. And yet... if they failed, it would come undone, just like everything else.Sosiqui "What could we do?" Captain Ghavaliel replied, shaking his head at Nergal's question. "Their minds are too mad to touch without danger, and in recent times those of power become far too precious to waste on any concerns beyond the most dire to the Kingdom. Perhaps in the past such things were attempted, as Corporal Tiercan says, but they are long-known hazards now. Those of us who know the truth of the legends simply fear them as we fear avalanches and storms. At least they do not leave the pass, and other ways through the mountains - more dangerous in terms of terrain, far less dangerous in terms of angry spirits - have been made." He did offer Nergal a half-bow, though, vaguely aware that his people's treatment of these dead might be displeasing to a Lord of the Underworld - but he had only ever done as tradition dictated. A mountain pass stuffed with insane ghosts, relegated to the status of mere folktale in most minds, was not anywhere near as big a concern as Irisun. Illumin let the feed of light stop, and a dim glow remained to halo around his wings. "Eamnnon and I can fly, at least," he told the Captain. Could Echo and Nergal do so? Their wings seemed far more ethereal than his. "If there is need, we can likely make better time back here from the mountains than anyone on foot or in a coach could manage."Captain Ghavaliel looked grim. "Intelligence reports indicate that Irisun is massing for an attack - the physical attack is likely to come along this area of the coastline, as I said, but the mental assaults... will undoubtedly be centered on the Palace. You should learn to guard your minds; the Speakers of Irisun will doubtlessly focus on you once they realize your danger. Yourself expecting, Lord of the Hunt," he added, nodding at Ea. Zero Dream The corporal seemed thoughtful, for a moment, and sent a side-glance for the captain. ...I could try to shield their minds, when the time come. I have no idea if it would work, and if, by some chance, it actually does... how long I would be able to resist Irisun's assaults paired with their own resistance. If they honestly cannot shield their mind on their own... Or I could try to show them how - if there is time....Echo nodded in answer to her lover's word. And, he would probably be surprised by her riding talent, even at high speed - after all, she had spent months wandering either by foot or horseback looking for him. That and her growth had developed her physical endurance quite a bit. If it hadn't been for that new endurance, she probably would have passed out in a corner by now. "Depending on the distance, also, I would probably be able to hear you when you fly over, no matter the altitude. If you two can see me, I will probably hear you if you scream for me."Sosiqui Teach them the basics, as you would a gifted child, the Captain replied, mentally. Defense only, for this time. The Hunt can be left to his own devices - I have no doubt his mind would shatter even a Speaker's highest offense. When it came to the wild green god, Captain Ghavaliel had far less difficulty believing in divine power... at least in terms of the mental realm. Out loud, he said, "There is a watchtower at the base of the pass as well, to warn the unwary and protect common folk from wandering into the area by accident. You will need to ride beasts the last few leagues in any case, as the road becomes too steep for a coach to manage. I will send orders with the Corporal to have them maintained there for your use." You can wait at the high platform, the overlook, if you wish. I will not order any under my command to enter that place, he added, to the Corporal alone. "Two pieces," Illumin mused, aloud. "Perhaps we should split up and search for them at the same time... unless it would be unsafe to stray too far away from Nergal..." Thabara "That certainly would help to speed up the search. Albeit only one group could take the scepter with them.." He gave the artifact a pondering look. "I would be willing to try without," he finally said slowly, hesitantly. They had found a body without a soul, Karaskis' letter had spoken of bones and an actual living person.. Considering the history of the pass it seemed somewhat likely that at least one of the remaining fragments was to be found among the souls of the dead. This was mere speculation of course, but.. "As I said, we-- I will have to wait and see for the situation at the pass myself."
He sighed. "And we should try to find a mount among those beasts of yours which will actually be willing to bear me on its back," he suggested grudgingly. This was embarrassing, but better to get rid of that problem now, than to slow down things later on because he had been, once again, too proud. Zero Dream "We probably should." Echo sighed, not exactly liking the idea of being separated from the rest of her companions once more, but time was the essence here. This needed to be done, quickly.
Hopefully one of the pieces would be easy to find without the scepter...
Right now, she really wasn't too useful at thinking, or trying to figure things out. All she wanted to do was sleep.Then I shall go under no one's orders but my own, Captain. The quicker this is out of the way, the quicker our focus can be back on Irisun. I will teach them what I can in the travel tomorrow. I doubt the lady, at the very least, would remember much if I tried now. Tiercan remained perfectly still and placid on the outside, self-control going far beyond what could be expected on one his age, but not one of his rank. He could definitively notice something was up with her, with her lethargic while all of her companion where at the very least more aware than she was - he could also feel tiny presences from those wisps... but whatever it was, he was not talking about it. Sosiqui "I can tend to the scepter, Nergal, if you will instruct me on its use," Illumin said, his wings fluttering for a moment before drooping to rest. The rest of him felt like drooping, too. He had spent much mana on their promise to the mortals. "We can make our final decision when it becomes clear exactly where the scepter points at the pass itself."Good man. There may well be a promotion in it, afterwards. Provided the Corporal survived. He was the kind of man that Captain Ghavaliel liked to have under his command. Earnest, wanting to save the world, but not so much so that they'd defy orders from their betters to do it. He could feel the exhaustion from the gods prickling at the edges of his thoughts, just barely; Tiercan probably couldn't notice it, but it was apparent to him, even beginning to creep in at the edges and make him sleepy. "Lords and Lady, you must be tired from your efforts today. I will set the coach to readiness - I am sure you will want to leave as soon as possible, but it will take some hours to prepare everything. I see no reason why you should not sleep as you like during that time, if it pleases you." "That... would be a very good idea," Illumin replied, immediately, gratitude evident in his tone. Even deities benefited from a good night's sleep. Thabara "There is not much to it," Nergal admitted, returning the artifact to its wrappings of cloth which protected and hid it from all too curious glances of the mortals for most of the time. "There should be more than enough time to take care of it during tomorrow's journey."
Rest. That seemed like an excellent idea right now, even to him. But, more than anyone, Echo needed it, and he looked forward to finally be able to spend some time with her in private. Though, he strongly suspected, she would probably sleep right through it, weary and exhausted as she looked. "Then rest we should, as long as there is a chance for it."
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:08 pm
Wellhaven :: Last Man Standing
Week of War Thabara Nergal held out a hand to help Echo climb down the steep rocks towards the plateau. If there'd once been a path leading there from the ruined tower outlook it had been long since buried beneath the rubble. For a moment he glanced up, watching the other group descent into the direction opposite to the one they had come from with the scepter. They all looked visibly spooked, their nerves probably rattled still by the occurrences at the tower itself. He hoped it had not been a grave mistake to let them wander off on their own, without his protection. He had pointed them towards the direction least dangerous, but that didn't mean in any way that it would be safe.
He hoped Illumin would not be too proud to heed his advice, to send some sort of signal, should they encounter trouble too much for them to handle. As 'hostile', these ghosts had been described to them. That was a blatant understatement. They were mad.
"Careful," he murmured softly, his pale hands reaching around Echo's waist to simply lift her lithe figure down the last bit. He had never done this, he realized, surprised at how little effort was needed to support her weight. Light as a feather, he mused. Hopefully not blown away just as easily..
Something caught his attention on the withered ground, and he bent down to pick it up. At first glance, the object in his hand seemed naught but a stone, but something about it's triangular shape seemed too regular, too purposeful. "An arrowhead," he explained quietly. "We will find more like that," he added, looking over the barren plateau. "Much more."
"Can you see anything?" he asked. "Hear anything?"
The thick, dark clouds were hanging low above them, seeming incredibly close, high up as they were. The air was calm, but thick with a strange sense of foreboding.
It felt like a storm was brewing. Zero Dream Echo was definitively not used to such unstable terrain - and therefore was progressing much slowly than she could have been - but now she was thanking her foresight at having chosen an old pair of black boots of her host's - the simple idea of having to do this with the small dress shoes she usually wore was maddening.
She let herself be carried down to where he had reached before she did, pausing for a moment to look at her surroundings. She could see loose shapes in the distances... bones. Too new to be the people the captain had talked about in the legends... perhaps the murderers sent there to die. It sent a shiver down her spine, but that was really the least of her worries.
She did not quite see anything, but she could feel them. The air around them was thick with the presence of the ghosts, and her ears where constantly in motion - as if catching onto imaginary sounds that where just barely out of the reach of her keen hearing range.
"Not really." She shook her head. "...I can feel that they're here, but not much more than that." And that there where many of them. It was hard for her to remain calm, but she was doing her best.
Now wasn't the time to chicken out. Thabara Nergal nodded, his expression solemn. He'd thought as much. Carefully he returned the withered arrowhead to the exact spot he had taken it from - it did not bide well to disturb things here - and took his lover's hand. "Stay close to me," he warned, starting to pick his way across the plateau. "And try to careful where you tread."
He too saw the bones, of course. Picked clean by scavengers and bugs, polished and bleached by wind and weather, littered all over the place. There was more, half hidden by swirling wisps of fog.
No, low hanging clouds rather.
Mountains. Gaia's fingers raised up to reach and gently touch upon her firstborn's skin.
He pointed remnants of what once had been a breastplate to their left, as they walked, a battered helmet which had been preserved surprisingly well to their right. The small stone piles stacked up here and there, tiny mounds created, perhaps, by travelers to appease the raging spirits. Or by the convicts sent here to meet their end. He could not really imagine that any mortal still in their sane mind would chose this route to cross the mountain range.
They were most certainly not grave markers. None of those who had died in this godforsaken place had been buried.
... Godforsaken? I think not. Not anymore. I am here now, after all, am I not?
He wondered if any attempts had been made for a service to be held to appease the spirits and soothe their wrath. If the widows and orphans of these brave warriors ever had come to know of the fate of their loved ones. There were legends perhaps, in some remote part of Julstecca's queendom, of two armies which had simply vanished, never to return.
I am here.
That thought had been, perhaps, too focused, too conscious for a land where most everyone seemed to possess at least empathic abilities. Even the spirits of the dead. There was a sudden shift, a sense of attention which had not been there before. The criminals sent here had, perhaps, made the same mistake.
"Stay close," he warned once more, eyes narrowing, chin raising.
There were true sounds now, mixing with the imaginary ones. The violent clang of weapon against weapon, fast steps advancing towards them.
_____Screams.
__________Battle cries.
_____Laughter, mad and filled utter despair.
The insane laughter of someone who had just discovered that everything they had believed in, their whole life, had been for nothing, naught but a cruel joke of the gods.
Nergal's eyes widened, his grip on Echo's hand slackening rather than tightening. His gaze grew distant as the attention of something, someone at the far end of the former battlefield abruptly turned towards them.
Careless. So careless of me.
He had not expected the dead of this land to possess the same abilities still as the living.
A sharp rock floated up into the air, seemingly on its own, before it was flung at the god, just barely missing his temples. Nergal did not react, not even flinch, his attention still held captive by the presence at the far end of the battlefield.
Grief. Such intense grief. And anger. Angerangerangeranger.
Instinctively he made a step backwards, bumping into Echo.
The wisps of fog around them shifted, as if stirred up by something, someone. Countless someones. Zero Dream Echo followed, never letting go of his hand. This place set her on edge - she didn't like it. Oh, she far from liked it - able to feel, but unable to see. Just barely unable to hear. The poltergeists could be doing anything, moving around them, and she had no way to know what they where doing.
From where they would strike.
The fog did not help. This made her two strongest senses almost completely useless - and made her a sitting duck. Her other hand went to cup on Nergal's, allowing him to guide her along as she focused on listening.
The sounds came all too quickly. The sounds of battle.
"My lord..."
Laughter, an horrible laughter that chilled you all the way down to your bones.
"...NERGAL !"
He wasn't listening to her. Again. He was staring off at something that she couldn't even see.
And she had no idea what to do.
While the rock had went past him, the same couldn't be said for her - it hit her on the side of the head - making her recoil a bit with the impact, and while she had expected his grip to have tightened... it hadn't. Her movement separated them. And the fog was thickening...
Gone. Nothing to see, all around. The feeling of multiple somethings circling her, like a mad pack of wolves, going for the one who obviously could not even see them. They could tear her to pieces in seconds, and she would never see it coming.
Do something
She took a few steps backward, not thinking this only made the distance in between her and her lover greater. Her mind was taken over by panic and fear.
Do somethingPoor little frightned girl lost and alone What have you done to come here ? It's been quite a long time Since we've had toys to play with... Do something, or we're all going to die.You will make such a great little toy poor little frightened girl Your lover or you first, we wonder ? or maybe even... Those cute little morsels that follow you... _________________DO SOMETHING !!!!!
The goddess screamed - as loud as her voice could allow her - her voice echoed around the mountain, echoing over and reaching places that should have been impossible for anyone else to reach. An ear-wrenching scream of a terrified, maddened banshee.
The mad pack of ghosts recoiled. Her voice, somehow, could indeed affect them, even if she did not see them.
She closed her eyes tightly, trying to lock the tears in, and sang. No time to think. No time to string words. No time, no time, no time.
Circle them, as they circled you.
"Toue lei zue kroa ryuo toue zue..."
"Kroa ryuo zue toue ryuo lei neu ryuo zue..."
"Va lei zue toue neu toue ryuo toue kuroa..."
Melodic scale Thabara Echo's scream, high-pitched and terrified, was all that had been required to snap Nergal out of his daze and cause him to notice that her hand had gone from this. Oh no..
Where was she? He whirled around, relieved to find that her shivering figure was standing only a few steps away from him. Yet, she did not seem to see him, apparently looking straight through him before she closed her eyes and began to sing. The goddess' voice was unwavering, but she herself was trembling like an aspen leaf, fingers clenched to fists so tightly that the knuckles appeared to be white. Blood was dripping from the side of her head.
"How dare you?"
Underworld's seething anger erupted like a shock wave, the raw power of his wrath driving the malicious entities away from her immediately, tearing through the illusions they had woven. With only three large steps he was at her side, arms around her, holding her tightly in his embrace and shielding her with his wings while he glared at the shades of warriors and criminals long since dead.
"You Will Not Harm Her."
He was Underworld, the Overseer of the Dead. To them, His words were Law. Zero Dream When his arms closed in around her, the song stopped and she almost screamed again, by pure reflex - until she realized that it was, in fact, him, and not ghosts rushing for her. One eye opened almost nervously, and she tried to make herself stop shaking - but it didn't work all that well. She was terrified, and was still not quite registering how much of what she had seen and felt had been poltergeist-caused illusion and how much had actually been real.
There was only one thing she could think of - she laid her forehead against his chest and resumed singing - apparently as much as to calm herself as to try to keep the ghosts at bay. Thabara He kept her cradled against his chest, gently stroking her hair as he waited for her to stop trembling in his arms. Her Song helped keeping the violent spirits at bay, and to soothe his own red hot fury which seemed to verge dangerously close to madness by itself.
"Shhhh," he murmured as softly as he could, his voice strained with barely suppressed anger. "They will not hurt you. I will not allow it. They caught me off-guard, but that shall not happen again." Zero Dream "We.... We should keep going." She eventually said once she had recovered some. It was useless to just stand here... and she quite honestly wanted to be out of there as soon as possible, with whatever they needed to find and bring back.
"...Have you seen anything, yet ?" She hadn't, in between seeing only bones and pure panic. And it did not help that she did not quite know what they where actually looking for. It was in here, yes, but what was it ?
Oddly enough, there was no sign of blood anywhere - there was a mark where the rock had hit, but nothing else - not even dried blood. It had probably been another of the now thorn-down illusions. Thabara Nergal brushed his fingers against the mark at her temple, before he raised his hand to stare at it, rubbing his fingertips against each other momentarily. He was sure he had seen blood on her, the crimson life-waters slowly trickling down the side of her face.
He frowned, dropping his hand. "Someone.. A presence is here, of great power. At the far end of the pass, opposite to the outlook, where the scepter was pointing. This is where we will find what we seek." He paused, before he added a little uncertainly: "I think." Zero Dream The slight pressure his fingers caused on the impacted area made her frown a bit in discomfort, but all she could offer him as an explanation was a completely confused glance as to what he might actually be looking for. She, apparently, hadn't felt a thing after the initial impact.
Someone ? One of the ghosts... ? Oh, geez. This was getting even more complicated than she had expected. "Then we should hurry. There is no reason to linger here..." It was evident that the goddess wanted out as soon as possible, but was not willing to leave him here all alone.
She had said she would come, she had said she would face herself and her own fears head-on, and she would stick to that. If she wanted to prove the world that she could be useful in things like this, she would need to prove it to herself first. Thabara "Yes." He took her hand once more, his cold fingers intertwining with hers. This time, he would not let go of her.
Not long after they'd begun to continue forward, the effect of Nergal's outburst seemed to lessen - the sounds and apparitions picking up again, the mist swirling and thickening once more, at times moving as if someone had just passed by and stirred up the wisps.
But the eerie fog did not come quite as close as before, and they were not attacked again, as if there stood some invisible barrier between the gods and the dead.
It was tiring - Nergal found - in a very strange and unsettling way, to keep the malicious ghosts at bay. Not truly exhausting, merely straining and pulling on his nerves, because he seemed to be acting against his nature. He wasn't supposed to keep them away from himself..
He shook his head, forcing himself to focus. He led them in a strange zigzag way, avoiding obstacles which were rarely obvious to Echo's eyes. A spectre which seemed bound to the location of its death at times, simply to avoid stepping on someone's bones at others. And during all the time he was never quite able to shake off the feeling that they were being watched.Roban? a ghostly voice whispered. Not into their ears, but their heads. Sorcha? Nergal flinched at the unexpected mental contact, drawing in his breath in a surprised hiss. This one would not be driven mad by touching upon a god's mind, and he would not be killed by it either. He already was mad. And he already was dead. "You are mistaken," he replied, voice soft as the mist surrounding them, but with an undertone just as threatening.
Where was he? Zero Dream When they had started to walk once more, she resumed her singing - low and gentle, non-threatening and soothing. She had no idea if it even helped any, or if the ghosts where far too mad, far too gone - but she needed to do something, at the very least.
The voice in her mind almost sent her reeling once more in panic - the feeling, which had once been familiar to her in the times where host and goddess had been separate, had grown foreign and alien now that years had passed. And while others had tried to breach her mind... with horrible results to both the men and her, none had succeeded.
All she could do was continue singing and hope Nergal could reason him. Thabara Mistaken, yes. The mental voice shifted to something akin to a vitriolic hiss. Sorcha.. The last time I saw her, her throat was severed, her lyre broken. She sings no more. You are not Her. The words accompanied by a violent flood of images. A woman, brown hair woven into thick braids, bearing a simple tunic, fingers dancing upon the strings of a small lyre. Bard. Story teller. Keeper of records, the tales and bloodlines of their forefathers. The same woman on the battlefield, sprawled upon the ground like a broken doll, eyes staring at the sky unseeing, the wound which had killed her crawling with flies, feeding on her drying blood.
_____Flies.
__________All around them.
_____In thick black clouds.
__________Trying to force their way into their every orifice.
_______________Crawling.
____________________Suffocating.
This is not real. "Stop It," Nergal said firmly, his words breaking the spell, and shooing of the spectres which had attempted to crawl closer again while he had been distracted. He opened his eyes, only now noticing that he'd had them closed (the flies had wanted to feed on his eyeballs), and for a moment he caught a glimpse at a fair face between the shades, its features strangely familiar. Zero Dream The flood of images, feelings, and sensation hit her head on - it was, of course, harder for the goddess to realize what was real and what wasn't - to her, the flies where still buzzing around relentlessly, the maddening sound of their wings drowning in even her own thoughts, and, in what was real, she was struggling to get away from something that simply did not exist, not even feeling the hold that her lover had on her hand.
This lasted for quite a moment even after Nergal had sent the ghosts away - continued on by her own imagination before she stilled, as if confused, and dared to open one eye. Nothing, nothing but empty plains full of bones and presences she could barely feel, shifting around them. The other eye opened and she stood upright once more, frowning. This couldn't keep on going like this - she had to focus - guard her mind, as it had been said. Would it even work ?
And, most importantly, how ? Thabara Nothing is real, the presence whispered, having picked up the god's thoughts again, and taking delight in the flare of anger which emitted when he noticed. Everything is. They are all dead, even though Sorcha sang the Songs of War, even though I Spoke all the Prayers and Blessed the Weapons. All dead. All dead. All dead. All dead.
I Spoke to their Hearts to sow fear into them. I spoke to their Minds to muddle and confuse their senses. They did not Hear me. They were protected. The gods had forsaken us. Me. Sorcha. Roban. Martan. Everyone.. everyone.. I.. I--
The voice broke off, instead emitting an anguished howl which would chill the blood of the veins of any mortal. So much grief, so much sadness. Nergal's lips pressed together until they formed a thin line.
He knew what that felt like, now.
Loss.
"Can you sing something again?" he requested quietly of his lover, never letting go of her hand as he carefully advanced into the direction where he'd seen those familiar features. "Something to soothe someone's grief, to give comfort." If only he could get somewhat closer, get him to hold still, close enough to see... Zero Dream The goddess hadn't wanted to move. At the very least, not in that specific direction. It took a few tugging before he got her to move, to follow. It was madness to come here. Pure madness, they would never come out of this whole, the fog was starting to take over again, threatening to engulf her whole --
The goddess cocked her head to the side and let out a low sound akin to a hiss - to Nergal's view, the nearby ghosts would once again recoil. Not giving them any ammunition would probably be a good starting point, and she tried to remember what the Corporal had said... This was, of course, much harder than his explanations had made it sound like.
Sing ? What what she supposed to sing ? What could she sing to quell this ? Creation only knew how many centuries or loneliness, of bitterness, of pain ?
You are thinking too much again The thought was sharp and bitter. It didn't matter - she had to at least try it. Then they would see. She always seemed to think too much, and not react enough. Just sing. Whatever appropriate comes to mind.
And so, she did. She sang - soothing words weaved together in a melody, keeping what the felt tightly locked inside and instead singing something completely different, of hope after even the darkest of times, of calm after the storm.
She sang, and she gave everything she could spare, unrestrained herself of the what ifs and will this work. No more questions, no more doubts.
She did not have the time for those right now. Thabara Ilove you. Nergal squeezed her hand for just a moment, trying to not distract her but at least wanting to give her some reassurance, to let her know she was doing good, just fine. He could tell she was giving her all, and was this not where true strength lay? To not give in to one's own feelings, but to do what must be done for the greater good?
He should make an example of this, as ever since his captivity it had been nigh impossible for him to quench his own feelings, to not let himself be driven and controlled by them, to reach the Calm of Judgment. Her Song helped him now, making the restless spirits easier for him to handle and keeping his own lingering madness at bay.
He spread his wings, wider, further than he ever head, their wispy feathers mingling with the unnatural mist, becoming one with it. 'Sepulchural air', whose words had that been? Unimportant. His command still held, he found, much to his relief. The ghosts were malicious still, but they would not harm them - so he took some of his focus off them to search, for that one soul among the horde which was strong enough to resist him. If only I had a name..
The name of his friends, perhaps, would do to lure him close, to reel him in.
"Come," he beckoned. "The Gods have not forsaken you. We are here."Late, the mental voice hissed, and suddenly he was there, right in front of Echo, peering up at her with maddened, burning eyes, the fair face maimed by the deep scratches he had inflicted upon himself in his grief. She could not see him, probably, but she would feel his presence, a cold, frosty breath upon her face. Too late.
"No," Nergal said firmly, gazing upon the spectre. Yes, the likeness was there, definitely. This one looked like he might be an older brother to the soulless body resting in the makeshift crypt back 'home'. Hadn't Endenis said the Crown's consorts always bore some semblance to their previous incarnations, no matter the race or gender of their body? This had to be the fragment they were looking for.
"It is never too late." Nergal reached out with his free hand, touching upon the ghost's forehead with his pale fingers. Gradually, carefully, he slackened his control of the other ghosts even more, focusing on holding him.
These runes carved into his flesh with blue ink, these talismans and charms dangling from his garb.. The legend of this place must have changed over the course of time, like so many things, Nergal realized. This one had been both, Speaker and Shaman. No small wonder he possessed such power, even dead.
"She here at my side is Music, Bard of Bards. She will lament the death of your friends and comrades, her Song shall guide them into my domain, where they will reap the rewards for the lives they have lived, and shall find Peace. Their bones shall be found, the funeral pyres burn. Their ashes shall mark my lips to honor them."
"But you." Underworld's tone sharpened, losing some of its soothing quality. "I received word that it was your doing which killed them all, your doing which destroyed their minds and condemned these countless spirits to restlessness and haunt this place forever."
He could sense the dead Speaker recoil, trying to shift away from them, but the gods touch, albeit only light upon the ghostly forehead, would not permit him to leave.No. No. I did not kill them. I did not kill them! The desperate words were, again, accompanied by a flood of images.
_____That woman again, her throat a gaping hole.
__________A man, who must have lived through a great many of battled judging from the scars he bore, his skull split by an ax, toppling over with a look of surprise upon his face.
_____Another man, still fighting like a berserker even though his body had been pierced with enough weapons to make him look like some morbid parody of a hedgehog.
Truth. He had not killed those. More images followed.
_____A battlefield, littered with corpses, broken weapons and armor.
__________No wounded.
_____Not a single soul left alive, none but him, him alone.
__________Snow falling quietly, soon covering the quickly cooling bodies like a burial shroud.
_______________And he, alone, all alone now, the dawning realization of what he had done driving him over the edge of what little remained of his sanity.
Truth, Nergal judged, gritting his teeth as he bore the onslaught of images without flinching. Echo's song helped to soften it, to take the edge from it.
"Hear me then, the sentence upon which I have decided." Nergal's stature straightened, his fingers sinking into the dead man's forehead and taking on a ghostly glow as he focused on binding him. "For your deeds, you shall be bound to me, serve me, until I decide to set you free." He paused. There was a defiant resistance to his Geas. To resist him like this, even if driven by insanity.. Such strength was befitting of someone who had been the Crown's consort, even if this was a mere fragment, mingled with another's soul.
"It is not punishment alone," the judge of the dead added placatory. "I know you were driven by Grief. It is a great honor, to serve a god directly." He seemed to have hit the right tone, as - for just a moment - there seemed to be a faint glimmer of reason within the man's eyes, and his resistance was suddenly gone. The glow upon his forehead spread, taking on the shape of the rune as he sank to his knees, bowing his head before Underworld. Zero Dream Echo remained perfectly still, and sang, just barely stopping in order to catch her breath and start anew. She was on her guard, but did not let it disturb her song. Just in case...
She felt the mad Speaker blink in right in front of her, and her initial reflex was to back away - to put distance in between them - but just as she started to do that, she planted her heels quite sharply in the dry, rocky earth of the pass. Her position, with one of Nergal's wings separating them, and all the power, all the lines of mana he was using and moving around them, allowed her glimpses of the face of the ghost, and she glared straight back, eyes moving along with the tones of her song in some resemblance of actual flames, her expression quite telling.
She's had enough of this. There was still fear, of course, how could there be not, when she was faced with something so foreign as this - but the determination in her gaze was overwelming. There was nothing but her song that was disernable of her thoughts - the rest was hidden deep within, under a whirlwind of words and melody. Even if they dared... they would not reach her now. Not anymore.
And if they dared, she knew the consequences would become rather dire for them, extremely quickly.
To see this unfold in front of her, this judgement, almost made her feel like she was standing in the middle of something extremely personal - something she honestly shouldn't be seeing - but there was little that could be done after all. She watched, with a captivated interest - and sang, until he felt silent and it seemed that it was finally over. Thabara Nergal exhaled, a sigh almost, and the whole pass seemed to release its breath with him. The heavy atmosphere had lightened significantly, the mad shaman's anguish apparently having been much of the driving force behind the ghostly activities. They still were definitely hostile, but much, much easier to keep under control now.
He remained focused, carefully checking along the lines of mana he had extended. Yes, his order to do them no harm still remained, but its power didn't reach far. The group led on by Illumin would not be protected by it.
"We should go, check for the others," he said. They might find themselves having to face trouble greater than they could actually handle. He doubted any lasting harm would be done to Light or Hunt, but the mortal who was with them.. I'd rather not have to hold the funerary rites for him..
"Are you well?" he asked Echo, letting go of her hand, but instead wrapping his arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a close embrace. "The children ...?" Zero Dream At last, she stopped singing - and the silence that took over the area was errie, felt almost unnatural, following what had just occurred here. She could barely even feel the ghosts anymore, which was a startling difference compared to how it had been when they had first stepped inside this place.
"Im... im fine." She looked startled, still, still slightly haunted as the events where started to settle in in her mind. She...
She had actually done it. For the first time in this new life... She had actually managed not to let fear take over completely.
As if on cue with Nergal's questions, one tiny light peeked out of Echo's ponytail, as if trying to figure out if it was safe now. "I think so... I don't feel any of them missing, anyway." The goddess answered, oblivious of the scene that was unfolding in her back. She did not ask if anything was alright, if everything had worked. She could tell. "You are right, we should hurry..." Thabara He gently stroked his fingers along the lines of her face. She was pale, but yes, she did seem to be 'fine'. That, and she had stood her ground, even though this must have been a truly terrifying experience to her. He pulled her even closer for a moment, inhaling the scent of her hair. "You have been very brave. I.. am sorry. I thought I would be able to protect you better from this. But you have done well." I am proud of you. If she had the strength to put up with this then perhaps.. perhaps..
Something prickled faintly against the god's awareness, the tiny presence entirely different from the ghosts', or even Echo's. He glanced down at the small, wispy light 'peeking out' from its hiding place, and couldn't help but smile, his heart filled with warmth. They would live, he quietly vowed to himself. No matter the price it would take, they would live.
He bent down to kiss his lover, long and passionate - desperate almost - before he released her from his embrace, his hand slipping into hers once more. His eyes narrowed as he looked ahead, into the direction of the ruined tower they had come from. Under his cold glare the mist shifted, parted, clearing a path.
"Come," he murmured softly, the gentle command aimed at Echo just as well as the spirit he had bound to his service.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:09 pm
Wellhaven :: The Root of the Matter
Week of War Sosiqui The scepter was heavy and cold in Illumin's hands, and the mist that drifted around them was cold as well, clinging to his wings more than it seemed it should. He resisted the urge to blaze with light and sear them away, for that might assuredly attract unwanted attention.
A cold wind rushed along the ridge where they stood, himself and Ea and the mortal Corporal Tiercan, who had refused to leave them even though the thick, wallowing mist in the valley made sounds and probably other unpleasant emanations detectable by someone with a sensitive mind. Nergal and Echo had gone alone, Underworld confident in his ability to deal with the dead he had once judged and contained. He could feel their movements below, tiny light-orbs tucked in empty canteens - not enough to be seen outside, but enough for him to feel, and enough that he would most certainly see them as a signal should something happen.
There was a road that had led up here, and a stone platform walled with a waist-high barricade - the place where Captain Ghavaliel's ancestors had looked over the pass, where the man himself had been brought as a child to see this place.
Where they watched murderers die.
Echo and Nergal's presence was bright below them. Illumin could not see the two gods, but he could feel them, and - ah-
It was as if the whole pass had drawn a breath; the mist rushed towards the lower pass entrance in a shocking, unnatural movement that left no doubt the mist was not a phenomenon of mere weather. "That's it! Quickly-" Illumin raised the scepter, slowly, remembering what Nergal had told him about its use. He concentrated, and a moment later the beams sprang out. One of them lanced downwards towards the mist, and he swiftly sucked all the light away from it, not wanting to attract attention from the spirits there.
The other flickered towards the tower, but it jumped around, shifting back and forth. "Am I not doing it right?" Illumin muttered, but no amount of concentration as Nergal had instructed made the beam firm up onto one place. "Well, fine. It's that way, at least. Let's go, gentlemen..."
He scrambled over the wall, onto the trace path that had been revealed on the Captain's maps of the area. A ridge path, one that crept to the crumbling tower on the far side of the pass, the Woldpost. Zero Dream There where, indeed, various sounds and many other unpleasant things that Illumin's mind probably could not have been able to warp itself around their existence. Tiercan looked much like a haunted man as he followed, face pale as if trying to mimic Nergal's tone. But he was also a soldier - young, yes, but well-trained and having reached his rank by sheer skill and strict mental discipline. He knew how to keep his fear in check. He had a mission to accomplish - to lead the two gods safely to what they sought, and then all the way back to the agreed meeting point. Until that was done, he could allow nothing to distract him. "Perhaps the ghosts are causing interference, lord ?" Oh, he could feel them indeed - trying to hinder them, but Illumin's light seemed to keep keeping them at bay. For now. "I do believe the terrain in that direction is also quite uneven and unstable... We must be careful." Sosiqui "Careful, yes, but swift as well..." The two gods could fly, but the mortal could not, Illumin reminded himself. Though the young Corporal did not have the mental skill that Captain Ghavaliel possessed, he was a valuable resource for his abilities nevertheless... and for something more. Illumin could feel the faint waving flame of belief in Corporal Tiercan's soul, and that was beyond precious. He could have stayed behind. The Captain had given him leave.
But he had not.
Hunt cleared his throat pointedly in Illumin's direction, and the god stopped, abruptly. "Oh. Yes. The... the ropes. I nearly forgot." Ea was ever more practical than he was. The ropes had been brought for just such a purpose, to keep them together on the mountain path. "Here, Corporal." He caught the rope that was tossed to him, and looped it around his body, carefully, as Hunt directed. "If you should fall, both of us can fly, and between the two of us we should easily be able to carry you out of harm's way." They could have flown directly to the Woldpost were it not for the soldier, but since the guide was willing, it was more prudent to take a longer route to have him along. They could also have flown there with the man between them, but if they were attacked in the air... what then?
"Is there additional lore you know about the tower?" Illumin asked, as he passed the rope on to the man. Zero Dream The brown haired man nodded in turn, looping the rope around his waist and interweaving it into his thick, sturdy leather belt for more strength. It was, quite obviously, not the first time he had done such. Not on this particular mountain, but... That done, and the knots all secured, he could answer. "Beside what has already been said... I fear there is not much else, lord. The events have happened long before the kingdom had been set as it is now... and most disregard it as simple legend, unless they have dared to come here and see the truth for themselves." Sosiqui "I would imagine this place is a bit of a dirty secret," Illumin said, with a nod. A few tugs at the rope verified that all seemed well, though he hoped they wouldn't need to use the ropes. They rubbed obnoxiously when he moved, but that was still better than letting the Corporal fall to his death.
A quick glance at the mist below verified that it was still roiling - and then, suddenly, a scream came from below, unmistakable. Echo... He strained to see if there was a signal - and if there was, what could they do from up here? Descend like angry birds, perhaps, Tiercan dangling between them? - but he saw nothing. No light, just mist.
He hoped fervently that the scream had been one of attack, as Eibhilin could do, and not one of fear or pain. "Let us continue," he said, firmly. He edged out along the path first, the scepter tucked safely into his belt, with Tiercan next and Eamnonn at the rear. It was a clattery trace, covered in pebbles and scree; with every footstep, gravel showered down to plink and patter on the rocks below. Hardly secretive. Please, please, stay distracted. Don't come up here, Illumin thought, for a moment, until the unpleasant idea that maybe the ghosts could read his thoughts occurred to him. Zero Dream "Something like that, yes. We try to keep people away as much as possi-" The scream made him freeze, also, for a moment - Tiercan had also recognized the voice, and watched, green eyes going on Illumin, waiting for him to decide what should be done. When he decided to continue onward, he nodded, took his place in between the two gods, and followed. It would have been easy for him to feel out of place, if he had let but one of his thoughts wander off. But his mind was focused on what he could feel unfolding around them. Illumin's unguarded thought had been picked up quite easily, but he gave no notice that he had, in fact, heard it. Such odd gods, to forget to keep their thought guarded against mortal power. Perhaps such thing is unknown, wherever they came from ?He could, at the very least, figure that the ghosts where still distant by what little echoed of their thoughts. There was only madness, pure madness and instinct there. Nothing quite definite and nothing reassuringSosiqui "If anyone can tame them, Underworld can." He quite deliberately did not think about what would happen if Nergal couldn't. "Lady Echo can scream as a mode of attack, I think that was what that was all ab-"
Suddenly, there was a warning rumble - just a few seconds - before far more rocks than just a small shower slid away under their feet. Illumin yelped and leapt into the air, beating his wings frantically; the ropes tightened and strained as Eamnonn took up the slack behind them. Dust rose all around them as the path crumbled away, and Illumin grunted against the strong tug of the rope taking Tiercan's weight between the two gods.
Was it his imagination, or had something laughed, an evil little titter, just barely audible beneath the crashing of stone? A shiver ran up his spine as he hovered, waiting for the dust to clear so that he could see what was left to land on. Zero Dream Quite suddenly, the ghosts moved. The young corporal did not even get the time to warn them - his limited abilities having detected the sudden convergence too late. Or perhaps they had led him on... ? It was possible. However, there was little he could do now but dangle below the two gods, and hope... or perhaps maybe pray.... that it would not break under the strain. He probably couldn't land from such altitude without at least spraining something. Sosiqui Another gust made the gods wobble in the air - but it also pushed the dust away, revealing that the slide had destroyed part of the path, but not all of it. Beyond the twenty-foot section that had collapsed the path went on as it had before. Illumin, extremely grateful for Hunt's foresight, slowly began to move forward in the air towards the safer part of the path. "Ea, hold the Corporal's weight while I test the path," he called out, as he descended.
A few quick prods and then landing his full weight determined that the path was indeed actually solid, not a trick. He relayed that to Eamnonn, and before long they were all on solid ground again. Illumin's ribs were aching from the whole thing, but that was much better than anyone being dead. Anyone else being dead.
"Was that really a ghost? Ghosts?" he asked the Corporal, with an uneasy glance around. He couldn't see anything that seemed blatantly out of the ordinary. Zero Dream "That is very likely." There where leftover reactions of the fright on his face, but his voice was even and focused. "They all suddenly moved as one, just before... I cannot tell what they are thinking, lords. There simply isn't enough awareness left in them beside ill intent and madness for clear thought to occur to them. Mad and unpredictable... And the hillsides are easily set off." He sighed, returning more of his attention to doing his best to watch on the mad beings. "We should linger here as little as possible, lords. They seem aware that we did not fall as they intended." Sosiqui "Then let us move on ahead." There was music dancing at the edges of his awareness, and again it seemed as though the valley inhaled as Echo's singing below drew the spirits down. The actively hostile was more interesting, more delightful, than a mere mountaineering party. If there was one thing the ghosts remembered, it was battle.
Slowly, Illumin edged along the path, careful and tense. The light from his wings crept back along the rope, a dancing of iridescence like St. Elmo's Fire coloring the length of it. After a few more feet, he stopped and lifted the scepter again. As before, one beam lanced downwards, and he dampened it as quickly as possible. The other still jittered and skipped about, but it seemed to be confined to the area of the tower, the Woldpost. "Blasted thing," Illumin muttered, under his breath. There was some dim idea in his mind, relic of his host, no doubt, that hitting it might make it work better... but Nergal would probably never forgive him for that. Zero Dream This time, when Illumin raised the scepter, Tiercan was ready. As the god summoned forth the beams, the young corporal sent as much as he could of his awareness outward, if only for confirmation of what he was suspicious of. His speaker training - imcomplete due to lack of skill, but there nonetheless - was coming in handy now. Sure enough, just as the energy of the scepter where called forth, the ghosts went right for it. "It does seem like they are affecting the signal in some way, lords... But I cannot tell exactly how." If only their thoughts would betray them.... but they did not. He could not dwelve deeper and pry it from them - not only was this one thing he was not exactly skilled at, it was also possible that he may fall to their maddness. Much like staying alive, he was more useful to his queen sane. There was one thing that the ghosts did notice - and it was that he was distracted. A sudden gathering to their left caught his attention, but too late - when he opened his eyes and turned to look, a rather large boulder was headed right for their direction. Again, there was little time. "DOWN !" He ducked, pulling on both sides of the rope as hard he could, in hope to destabilize the two gods should his vocal warning come too late. Sosiqui "Affecting the signal, h-"
"DOWN!" the man yelled, and suddenly Illumin was jerked off-balance as Corporal Tiercan yanked hard on the ropes. Ea had already moved into a crouch on his own, his reflexes being much faster than any of them, but Illumin had to settle for a rough tumble, wincing as rocks bit into his palms. The boulder bounced and soared over them, close enough that the wind from its passage ruffled his hair and gravel bounced off of his shoulders.
That... could probably have killed him, or at least severely inconvenienced him. He remained on the ground until all seemed quiet again, then took a shaky breath. "Thank you, Corporal," he managed. "Perhaps now would be a good time for me to try that thought-dampening technique you taught us on the way here." Zero Dream The brown-haired man did his best to shield his face from the gravel being carried by the sudden burst of wind following the boulder - only daring to look up once things had been (mostly, to his mental senses) quiet for a few seconds. "That... probably would be a good time, yes." The corporal worked himself back on his feet, paler than he had been if it was even possible, arms shaking on his side - not having quite come down from the surge of adrenaline that had just coursed through him. Having enemies around you was one thing - having enemies you could barely feel around you was a whole different thing. Sosiqui It was one thing to practice mental tricks while sitting in a coach, but quite another to attempt them while scrambling along a treacherous mountain path. Still, Illumin tried, even as he cursed the whole affair under his breath. Make a wall for yourself, and keep behind it; think lightning-quick, linger on nothing of importance, move on instinct, and if all else fails fill your mind with utterly inane thoughts. Ooh, he was jealous of Ea.
But the tower was close. The builders had wedged it into the other side of the pass, a tall thing that was only freestanding at the very top; the rest of it climbed and leaned along the mountain itself. Some of it looked to be built directly into the mountain. The stones were weathered and snagged, and most of the roof was missing. Good thing it isn't winter here.
And yet the damned scepter's beam refused to stay still! "Stop that," Illumin ordered with a hiss, but it didn't do any good. "Well. It's in there, I think. Somewhere. We'll have to search it." At least they had Hunt with them; this wasn't precisely his sphere of influence, but that library hadn't been, either. Though now I wish we hadn't been quite so thorough... or perhaps we weren't thorough enough. Zero Dream Tiercan nodded in answer, not looking quite as shaken now that he had a moment to calm down, but definitively a bit distracted - keeping track on the ghosts was starting to take it's toll, it seemed. It was odd, that they hadn't tried to come close by now - they had tried to attack, yet always through manipulation of the landscape - they hadn't tried to do so more directly - or went for their mind, through he had felt a few attempts on his own slip off easily against his mental barrier. Either not speakers in life, not skilled enough... Or too mad to grasp how to do such effectively anymore. His attention was split in between the ghosts, and watching Illumin closely. He looked to be doing well enough, so far - and hoped he would continue to do so, as he wasn't quite willing to figuring what kind of backlash he would get if he tried to sheild him. Unlike me, those ghosts are already dead. AND mad.Sosiqui Mist clotted around the tower, thick and unnatural. Just looking at it gave Illumin goosebumps - highly undignified, but the body had more sense than he did. It did not want to go.
He wasn't going to give it a choice. Illumin set his jaw and strode ahead, wading into the hip-deep mist as if it were water. To his surprise, there was no sense of humidity or dampness, but it was cold, and it nearly hid the path. He had to slow to a crawl, and flap his wings to try and blow it away. It was far more stubborn about giving into the breeze than it should have been. There was a sudden, terrible moment when it felt like dozens of tiny, freezing palms went patapatapat all up his legs. "Tiercan?" he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "I think this might be haunted. Extremely haunted." Zero Dream Extremely haunted seemed almost like an understatement, really. After his first step into the mist, his hands holding the rope in order to allow Illumin to guide him through the fog had tightened, building up a noticeable resistance that the light god could probably feel quite easily. The fog was thick with the ghostly presence. In fact, he pondered if the mist wasn't simply the ghosts themselves. It did not help that he could barely see a thing though the fog - Illumin's glow seemed more distant than he knew it to be, even as it ran down the rope. Keep a hold on yourself..."Indeed." He finally answered, voice actually unsteady for the first time since they had entered this damned place - which was quite a feat all the same. He tried to reach for them, to push them off, but just like their attempts failed on him, his own seemed to slip off. He'd never been quite skilled at actual mental attacks. It was odd that they came so suddenly, when earlier they where keeping their distance. Strength in greater numbers ? Or... "Lord. Do you think you could create another orb of light, as you have done before ?" It was worth a try. Sosiqui Without a word, Illumin spun a blaze of light between his hands. Zero Dream When the light flared into life, there was a sudden panic among the ghosts, so intense that Tiercan felt he could have rose an hand and touched it, and they parted, almost like a sea splitting in two, dashing away from the intense light, settling meters away and trashing wildly. Just as he had hoped. The daylight seemed to do little to them, but this light, divine light... That seemed, at the very least, to affect them. Not stop them, but affect them. Sosiqui "Ah..." Illumin smiled, wickedly. So that was the game, and how to play it. Immediately the glow around him intensified, and he spun away wisps of light to twirl around Tiercan and Ea as well, directing them to dip and chase at any mist that got too close. The mist, for its part, arched and loomed overhead, like a wave waiting to crash down... but it did not. It shied away from the light.
"Well. It seems my plan to dampen the glow and avoid detection was foolish. This... this is much better." He disliked sneaking, anyway.
Then the attack came, and Illumin let out a little mewling cry and tripped as the ghosts tried their other tricks. Our pain, our loneliness, our anger. Feel it. Drown under it. Drown. Die. Join us. That wave crashed over them all, and while Eamnnon was immune, Illumin and Tiercan were not. Zero Dream Indeed, they where not - Tiercan was quick to shut them out, clamp his mental shield in place, and while that did work rather well at drowning most of the voices out, the return of clarity left him with a realization. Illumin.There was nothing he could do for the god - at least not directly. Not without jeopardizing himself in the process. If only these gods did not resist the slightest mental touch... this whole trip would probably much easier. He was probably as mad as those ghosts, to have come here in the first place. He pulled ahead, with the green god apparently understanding his idea, and with the two of them, it was easy to drag Illumin along, each catching an arm. "Remember what I told you !" He said, tone completely different. "Drown them out with your own thoughts if you must, focus on my voice instead !" He would probably have a rather miffed god to deal with later - after all, there he was, shouting orders at a god, a foreign one to his people but yet for all matter, this seemed to be the truth - but, in this situation, he had little to fall back but what he knew. He'd used this method on trainee before, to teach them to focus on different things with ease - but this wasn't exactly a trainee. And heck, apparent disrespect might get the light god's attention sorely on him. "Don't let go of my voice, Illumin !" Sosiqui Illumin gritted his teeth, hard. Damn Eamnnon for being ascended, for not feeling any of this - perhaps as an echo, but a truly ascended deity did not have to bend to the clamorings of mortal minds, even deceased ones. Think of... walls, barriers - deep penetrating sadness NO! not that, happy things. Kittens, puppies, gods, where is THAT coming from? Sosiqui's consciousness, ugh... Surely they weren't powerful enough to drag her up again, or what little remained. He hoped not.
"Don't let go of my voice, Illumin!"
I'm not going to! He spun that declaration and his own rage, his own superiority at being made subservient to these... these dead mortals... into a wall, a whirling thing that would throw off all attacks made - and gained a moment of shining clarity.
Light. I am Light.
He grabbed the Light, and infused it into his mind.
Something shrieked and flashed backwards, and those frozen hands patted at his flesh again, this time all over, from head to toes - then, gone. Gone.
Illumin opened his eyes, slowly. "Buh...." Zero Dream In despite it all, the corporal couldn't help but smile. Sometimes, it was the most unorthodox methods that worked best. That did not make him stop running, however, and while Ea's stamina would probably had held on for.... oh, probably a few more days as far as he knew, the mortal man was quick to tire, and had to stop to catch his breath, sending a glance back. The fog was behind them, now. All he could do was hope that it would not follow. "Lord, are... you alright ?" Sosiqui "I will be better when I get out of here. How do you people live like this? It's exhausting," Illumin complained. Living every moment waiting for something to pluck your secrets, or even your life, right out of your head... your skull should by rights be a private place, damn it. He shook his head. There was a glow around it now, bleedoff from the mental aspect, that looked almost comically like a halo. "Well. The sooner we find this fragment, the sooner we can leave..."
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:11 pm
Wellhaven :: The Tower
Week of War Sosiqui There was a tumbled gash in the wall of the tower, ending in a doorway with no door in it - perhaps it had rotted out, years ago. Illumin shuffled over and tentatively poked the floor inside with one foot. It seemed sturdy enough. "Damn this scepter, damn this valley, damn
Aristogeiton," he muttered, undr his breath. Zero Dream "It is all we is." The brown-haired man answered, shaking his head. "The only way of living we know - the very thing our society is based on." Something so common, so banal this was normal, for each and every one of them. Gods knew he never thought twice about it - it was a part of functioning in society. He did, however, agree with the light god on one thing - the sooner he would be out of this place, the better. So he followed the pace, even as his legs protested after the physical effort he had needed to give. In other circumstances, he probably would have been inwardly amused - gods directly damning something ? But he wasn't. He remained silent, and watched the floor wearily. It looked stable, but things weren't always as they looked, expecially here.The tower seemed quite large, expecially with multiple stories in mind - this may take them quite awhile to find the object, if it was even in there to begin with. "Lord, does the scepter give any clearer indications now ?" Sosiqui Illumin nodded and raised the scepter. It flared with sudden light as it fed off of his increased radiant Light, then speared - straight downward for one blinding second before the 'signal' broke up again, dancing and sending pricks of light scattering over the ceiling like some sort of divine disco ball.
"There," Illumin hissed with satisfaction. Was that how Ea felt when his quarry grew near? "Downward. Or in the floor... but I doubt that." He could hear vastness echoing under his feet. "How do we get down? Did the Captain say anything about it?" There had been ancient maps at
some point, but he had been so tired... Zero Dream "There should be a stairway down further back..." Tiercan was quick to answer. Some kind of clear path. finally. He remembered the maps pretty well, but his memory was, of course, not flawless, but it would have too do. It was too bad, really, that he had not been allowed to bring them - but the ancient, brittle paper would probably not have survived the trip. He took the lead, Illumin's glow being enough to give him some sense of his surrounding without having to wait for his eyes to get used to the dark. The floor seemed to hold, but he keep his footing light, just in case. He navigated the corridors for a few minutes, until he stepped into nothing and clung to the rope, staring downward. There should have been stairs there but... there wasn't, anymore. Only a few complete stones at the bottom and rubble was left. "....Well, there used to be a stairway." Sosiqui Illumin swore under his breath again. "Well, we have rope for you, and we can fly." He unwound the rope from his waist - it was useless now to have them all three strung together like beads on a cord. Ea did the same, and handed the bundled rope to Tiercan. "I'm not sure how to tie knots," Illumin added, earning an eyeroll from Hunt, "but I'm sure a soldier such as yourself can manage?" Zero Dream "Of course." The corporal was quick to do the same, and instead knot it solidly to one rock and start his descent downward. It was a few meter's drops, but he reached the bottom without too much of an effort. The floor on this level was stable - felt even more stable under his feet than the previous one. "Everything seems stable down here." After a moment, he called the gods over. Sosiqui Illumin sent a ball of light floating down after the man, then slipped down himself - there wasn't quite enough space for him to spread out his wings all the way, so he needed to use the rope to slow his descent, but he made it down to the next floor. There was mist here too, but it was pressed into the corners, radiating sullen anger and resentment at them. The spirits seemed forcibly quelled for now.
"Hrm. There doesn't seem to be anything here, either," Illumin said, after a moment. He sighed. There were trap doors leading down, and a few doors that went away into the darkness, burrowing into the mountain. The Woldpost was larger than just the tower, it seemed... and, sigh, a quick check with the scepter saw the light-beam pinging off into the tunnels. "Fantastic." Illumin shook his head. Perri Indiya Eamnonn followed close on Light's heels, staring into the darkness beyond them. His eyes were good, but they still needed light to function like all living beasts' eyes. Those of the non-living, though...
The Hunt concentrated, and three shadowy creatures formed themselves from the ether, merely four legged shapes with glowing red orbs for eyes. "Follow him. Do no harm." He commanded them, giving each a lick of his blood before waving them off. They disappeared in a moment, but he could feel where they went as if an invisible thread stretched out from his belly and wrapped itself around theirs.
"Shall we?" He asked his companion, leading the way down the tunnel with ears and nerves focused in lieu of his eyes. Surely he had light with him, but it never hurt to ere on the side of caution. They padded after man and beasts, just catching sight of them up ahead-
A snarl and a snap pulled Ea's attention away from walking for a moment, as something tried to grab one of his hunters and his creature returned the favor. Disorientated, he focused on the other two before taking off into a lope. "Ghosts up ahead: move!"
They were no real danger themselves, but as the tunnel seemed to twist and break around them it was clear that just getting past the wretched things was the easiest course of action. The Hunt stumbled a few times before he dropped on all fours as the roof began to shake and wail. His shadow beasts moved on reluctantly, wanting to stay and tear the poultergiests to ribbons instead of fleeing. They went were they were told, of course, and did end up getting to attack the occassional harassing spirit that got too close to their master and his friend. It surely took longer to traverse the tunnel than it would have otherwise, but soon enough they reached the end, their guide, and what could only be the Root. Zero Dream The sudden apparence of the shadow beasts seemed to startle the mortal man a bit - expecially having them to close, as he headed down the hall. Thankfully, they listened to their master and not one of them did any threatening actions toward him and they, like Ea, seemed shielded from being mentally read. A good thing - less distraction to worry about, and more mental focus on the ghosts. The beasts picked up the sudden disturbance one step ahead of him, and Tiercan broke into a run just as he saw the hunt dash right past him. He wasn't exactly lucky with the falling debris, but at the very least, he was glad he made it to the other side without breaking anything. He probably looked like a mess of stone shards, small cuts and a few deeper wounds, from the way his body was protesting and the blood clinging to the fabric of his white shirt - but at least, he was in one piece. And would have one hell of a story to retell if he managed to crawl out of this hellish place in one piece. "Is that.... ?" He glanced at the root. It looked erriely like it was shaped like a person... Sosiqui Illumin ran grimly after Eamnonn and his hounds, blazing like a torch; Light spun off of him with every movement and flowed after the ghost-mist, sending them hissing away with a surge of frustration and resentment. The ceilings shook and pebbles pelted them, yet it seemed the tunnels had been too well built for the ghosts, even as angry as they were, to truly bring them down.
At last, at last - the shadow-beasts panted their success, and Illumin stared at the thing they had found. It was just lying there, and for a moment he did think it was a person, a shrunken corpse of some kind. He sent light to curl around it for a moment, to verify. No, it was a root... but that face, surely that was no accident of nature.
He raised the Scepter, and the light would have blinded him if he had not been Light himself. It stabbed out, dancing as it indicated the root - but then it broke up, fuzzing as it had before. Why...That quickly became evident, as mist slid out of the floor and curled around the root with a hiss. Miiiiine, it projected. Zero Dream Tiercan had to look away as the light flared up, but it seemed that it was, indeed, the object they where looking for. But of course they would not be granted an easy go at it. God damned ghosts... He was starting to quite honestly be sick of them - he couldn't get out of here fast enough. But, for once, there was only one of them - it was entirely possible he had scared the others away to protect what was "his". He had been about to send a mental statement to Illumin before he thankfully stopped himself. This was making proper plan formulation hard. How did these gods manage like this ?! But there was always good old fashioned physical language. A few nods of the head to catch the gods' attention, a few gesture to let them know to dash and grap as soon as they could. He figured the After we got the root, run like hell part of the explaination did not expecially need to be highlighted. When it seemed to him that all was understood, he turned his focus back to the ghost, and gave a mental push, as hard as it could manage. Unlike the more skilled of his brethen, this one relented quite easily, screeching as it phazed though the wall. Not a perfect art, expecially as far as he was concerned, but it seemed to work well enough. "Now, lords !" Sosiqui Illumin directed a sharp burst of light at the ghost Tiercan had attacked, driving it further back. "Ea!" he shouted. The Hunt should take the root, the... the piece (and what manner of mortal had Aristogeiton been, that his soul took such bizarre forms?), for he was the least vulnerable to the poltergeists, and the most athletic besides. Perri Indiya Beasts snarling and snapping, a shifted Hunt dodged forward, grabbed the Root in his mouth, turned and ran. A giant green wolf-life thing he
raced back to the open air, ignoring the gashes stone and ghost cut in his skin and letting his shadow hunters attack to their hearts content. Hopefully that would be enough to keep the way clear for the flight of the others. Zero Dream Tiercan was quick to follow in the running, pushing himself as much as he could to try to at the very least keep the hunt god in his field of vision. There was a very big intensive to run faster than he had ever ran before - they'd really pissed the ghosts off now, and it looked like they where trying to bring the tower down on them. However, their attempts, as strong as they where, seemed to be in vain. All that he knew is that he'd never been more happy to see an open sky in all his life when he finally made it out, and collapsed on the ground to catch his breath once more. He didn't want to think that they still had to go all the way back. Sosiqui Illumin soared after them, not running but flying now, a luxury he had not been able to enjoy when the Grigori had chased them back in the Ashlands. Though the ghosts wailed and screeched, and shook pebbles and dust from the ceiling, Eamnonn' shadow-beasts bit gleefully at them - and if they did not actually touch, you would not have known it from the cries the ghosts made. They shied away from Illumin's light, too -
The run was a jumble of ghost-sounds and dust, stone and then floor and creaky staircases down, then a doorway now empty, and out into what passed for meager daylight in this place, but was in every way preferable to the darkness of the mountain tunnels. Thabara
Nergal and Echo had just made it to the base of the tower, when a large Beast (Hunt, Nergal corrected himself absently) shot out of the entrance and way past the startled deities. They'd approached the ancient watchtower by a different route, further down the mountainside, following the whispers of the ghosts rather than the scepter's guidance.
The mortal was next to emerge from the impressive ruins, pale as a sheet but apparently otherwise unharmed. But where was Light? The whole tower seemed to be shaken by a tremor which affected only the building alone, an earthquake, only that the ground beneath their feet remained still. And none but Underworld was able to see the cause of it. They were shaking it, quite literally.
"Stop," he whispered, the word barely audible. But it was not intended for the ears of those still alive anyway, and to those whom it concerned... They heard and heed his command. The moment Illumin emerged from the ancient ruin, it stopped shaking, its collapse no longer imminent. A tad too late, perhaps, Nergal admitted to himself. But the area surrounding them at the very least was clear of the strange, unnatural fog for now, and almost all ghostly activity seemed to have ceased abruptly. Though they were still there, that much was obvious.
It felt strange to have himself stretched out so far, attempt to keep things in check in several directions. But at the same time strangely familiar. "Have you found anything, at the very least?" he asked, not intending for his tone to seem so dry and almost mocking, but it came out like that nonetheless. They had found something, it told, very clearly, even if the others had not. War, sowing the seed for conflict wherever he can, he realized, his hand tightening lightly around Echo's.
"I hope you did not have to endanger yourself such for nothing," he added more softly, trying to take the edge from his words. He should feel responsible, not be mocking them. After all he had let them wander off in this place without his protection.Zero Dream When Ea darted out, Echo almost screamed in surprise, apparently still a bit on edge from the previous ghost encounter. It took her a few second to realize that it was indeed the hunt, followed by some obvious distance by the Corporal and Illumin, who all seemed spooked in varying degrees, but where also all in one piece.
Nergal had gotten the question out before she could, and his tone earned him a rather solid glare in his direction. War sowing the seed everywhere he could, indeed. The second sentence came out a bit better, at least, and she sighed. Now what not the time for such things.Tiercan had slunk off against a rock, sitting awkwardly on the ground in hope some rest would make his body stop complaining. He remained silent, leaving the talking to the deities present. Sosiqui Illumin landed with a skid of clattering gravel, his wings shedding light and dust, and had to catch his breath for a moment before nodding in Nergal's direction, a tired smile on his face. "We have. A root. Ea, they've stopped, come back..."
Hunt bore the thing, a fetish root of mandrake, with an eerie resemblance to a person. "A ghost was guarding it, but we frightened it away and ran, and here we are. And you?" Illumin took the Scepter from its resting-place on his hip and held it out to Nergal. Thabara "The living frightening away a ghost.." The judge's dark lips perked up ever so slightly as he bent forward to examine the root, the irony of the tale not entirely lost on him. "This is--"
He did not get to finish the sentence as an invisible force brushed past him, like a sudden gust of wind, immaterial claw-like hands manifesting visibly to attempt and grab the petrified plant. Mine! a bodyless voice hissed, half speaking to their minds, half audible to their ears - and full of loathing. When the relic could not be touched, a flood of curses spilled forth, shifting to a frustrated howl which would send shivers down most everyone's spines.
Nergal frowned, wordlessly accepting the scepter back from Illumin's hands while his powers tugged at the mad speaker to reel him back in before Hunt's shadowy beasts could snap at him and do damage. He shouldn't be so strong still.
Unless..
"A ghost is what we found," he explained with a wry smile, holding up the scepter to verify his claim. Despite the obvious likeness, he still might have been wrong.. "The speaker and shaman of which the legend spoke, the very same person, both of them. He is quite powerful even dead, as you witnessed and.." He paused, glancing at the one he'd just mentioned. He was still glowering at Hunt with a look as if he was ready to tear him apart, no matter the consequences.
"This is yours, you said?" He inquired. "This strange root?"
The alraune, the spirit-root, yes, carrying my Voice much, much further. Handed down for generations from the tribe's shaman to their successor. I was last. It is MINEMINEMINE. Again the ghost lunged forward, but this time was stopped short rather abruptly by Nergal's powers. He was slowly starting to get the hang of it now.
"There is more to it than meets the eye," Nergal said thoughtfully, eying the eerie plant, its shape resembling a miniature human entirely too much. "The Mother might be able to tell more, I asume, or perhaps my own brother.." Zero Dream Echo jumped again when the speaker darted right past her, but calmed down once more, shaking her head. "So that would be everything, then ? There's no other beams pointing for anything else ?"The corporal had been silent all this time, but he quite suddenly spoke up, eyes wide. "Irisun.... has managed to pass by the false lighthouses." s**t. He worked himself on his feet then. Sosiqui Illumin recoiled at the sudden appearance of a much, much more powerful ghost than any they had met - yet the spirit was restrained after a moment, easily, by Underworld's power. Companions well chosen indeed... Still shaken, he nodded at Nergal. "I think this is everything. The other beams I saw were faint, but there were only four. One to the root itself, one to what I can only assume was your... ghost friend... and two thick but faint, pointing distance. No doubt to our own cache... and to the other pieces. They must have been regathered by Fire as she said." Had that goddess found Panacea as well? He could only hope...
His thoughts were interrupted as Tiercan breathed the words he had been dreading. "Damn. I was hoping... well." He glanced over at Nergal. "I think you should keep the root, since your friend seems so very attached to it. Hunt and I must fly... you will follow?" Grimly, Illumin began turning his mind to thoughts of war. War. Have I ever done such a thing? I do not remember. "Corporal. Stay with them, if your orders allow."The Captain's thoughts in Corporal Tiercan's mind were urgent and sharp. A twenty-ship fleet. Seven were brought down by the traps we set. Thirteen remain to plague us. I know not of the capital. Speaker activity here is not strong, but - send the gods- And that was all, a quick breaking off of thought contact. The Captain had much to deal with and there was no time for detail. Perri Indiya The Hunt snarled at the ghost as his shadow beasts merged back with him, catching himself after a moment. Shaking his head at himself, he held out the root to Nergal. "You are welcome to it. Thanks for putting Boo on pause." Zero Dream "Yes, you must go ahead." The corporal shook his head. "Seven ships where brought down by the traps that had been set... But thirteen remain. That is all I know." To the last question, he nodded. "I will." Echo did her best to bite back her sigh. She had honestly been hoping that this would not happen, that it wouldn't come to this, but perhaps that had been an impossible wish.Sosiqui "Very well," Illumin said, grimly. He glanced over at Ea. "Let us fly, then - we have our promise to fulfill." Damnable promise; they had what they wanted, and they had to pay for it, and it would be so much easier to just go- but honor, and the promises of the gods, had to be upheld. They could not afford mortal hate and anger in these times.
Illumin nodded at Echo and Nergal. "Safe journey... we will see you at the Sea-post." He jumped into the air, light flaring around his wings.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:12 pm
Wellhaven :: The Battle Divine
Week of War Sosiqui War. Legends spoke of it as glorious, but as far as Illumin could see, it was the farthest thing from glory he could imagine. He and Eamnonn had arrived on the wing from the Woldpost and seen Irisun's surviving ships spewing soldiers onto the accessible beaches. From then on, it had been nothing but unbridled chaos. They had put him in armor, clanking and unpleasant and extremely hot, but better than being pierced by arrows from below.
Close, Illumin sent, clumsily; Tiercan had not had much time to teach him about mental abilities, but those of Captain Ghavaliel's troops that could read minds were set to monitor him and pass his warnings on to their men. One beat, two beats, then the god lifted his hands and flooded the area in front of the Sea-post walls with blinding light. The Irisun forces below stumbled and shrieked, and the Captain's men, warned to close their eyes in the brush of thought, took advantage and filled the air with arrows. Below them, men screamed and died.
But this was only one front of the war - Illumin knew this. The true war was being waged in the mental realm, and he wore a veritable halo, his own Light-infused mental shields at the ready... but he knew, with a sickening lurch in his stomach every time he thought of it, that the Speakers of Irisun could do just as the Captain had, and worse. Could they kill him? Probably not, but they might be able to derange him, and his shields were mostly raw god-power with no finesse. Yet, as of now, there had been no such mental weapons wielded.
Which mean they were probably focused on the capital...
A ladder thudded on the wall; Illumin jumped and looked down, then focused light between his hands and swung it in an angry swath that hummed against the air. More screams, more smell of roasting flesh that reminded him far too much of Kishara's wounds. No, he did not like this at all. Perri Indiya The Hunt wore plates of thick, creaking armor, as healing from becoming a pin cushion was likely to distract him from more important tasks and
such garb was easy to discard in the event of major shape shifting. The smell of blood and sweat made him strangely hungry, and he schooled his face into an image of bone and threat in effort to intimidate as much as to hide his eagerness. He was no warlord, but a battlefield had too much in common with a hunting ground for him not to react.
Turning to the sea he focused his thoughts there, causing toothy shades to bubble up from the depths and drag many a hapless enemy back down under the waves. Sleek, shark-like beasts patrolled the waters while massive crocodilian jaws crunched through bone in the shallows. They tore through flesh with ease, quickly turning the frothing sea from blue to red. He could smell the salty, bleeding air from here.
To the land armies went the wolves and cats, slippery half-seen things that slid between the lines and bit every vulnerable pulse point they could. When the men tried to defend themselves, the shades dissipated and reappeared to attack a different, unsuspecting soldier. Eamnonn's fangs dripped with slaver, the song of slaughter singing in his blood. It was far too easy to get drawn into this, with his hunters happy in their tearing and all the smells and sounds of death encouraging him to join in. Sosiqui Sharp and feral, all of it; Illumin took no instinctive delight in bloodlust as the Hunt did. For mortals in this type of conflict, good and evil were labels, the first assigned to one's own side, the other to the opponent. Was Irisun truly evil?
But he was not fighting for morality. He was fighting because of the promises they'd made.
Someone shouted to his left, then screamed; a man fell from the battlements with a grappling-hook through his chest. Illumin gritted his teeth and directed a shot of the focused laser-light down to take the man who had thrown that hook. But there were so many of them, and short of standing there and spinning about wildly with the cutting light...Speaker activity, came the Captain's mental 'voice', suddenly. Lord, cease mental commands-Illumin swore under his breath. If they had people listening in now, he could no longer do the large light-burst attacks without blinding the Brilsworth defenders as well, or without inadvertently warning Irisun in advance. He had no illusions about the secrecy of his own mental projections. Instead, he watched Ea's shadow-creatures wreak havoc, sliced any ladders in range to bits, and did what small-scale blinding he could...Captain Ghavaliel stood with one of his Relays at his side, both directing the battle and coordinating via Relays to the capital. They are coming, Speakers - Captain? came the distant cry. Tell them... Lords, this was a gamble, a mad one. He built every protection he knew over his mind, a silent swift thought, and reached to the limits of his power. The Queen - the false Queen - the touch was quick, only a moment, but secret.Place this in the most secret reaches of your mind: The Weapon of Brilsworth lies at the Sea-post, a great green beast; if we lose his mind, we are lost-He withdrew, shaking, hoping the message had been received. Hoping they would take the bait. Hoping he was right that not even a Speaker, not even multiple Speakers, could take the green god's mind. Thabara The Queen and her court had assembled in the War Room, the military advisers staring with deep frowns and serious faces at the large map table, the figurines which symbolized the troops - theirs and Irisun's. The Queen's entourage was present as well, a small group of noblewomen gathered at one side of the table, speaking only in hushed voices and curiously peering at the table whenever new information came in via the Relays and the figurines were moved about. Servants poured strong, hot kaffe from porcelain pots, passing around the cups which were accepted with grateful glances. None of those present had found time to rest ever since the attack had started, and none of them noticed how the Queen stilled for just a split second as she moved the cup to her lips to take a sip of the bitter, but invigorating brew. She caught the glance of one woman among her entourage over the golden rim of her cup, her free hand shifting slightly into a certain pose at her side. Secret signals, so much safer to use than focused thought or word. She set down her cup, soon enough approached by a maid telling her that the ladies wished to retire and were begging their leave. She approved of it with small, distracted wave of her hand, not even waiting for them to curtsy properly and leave the room in a rustle of expensive fabrics before she returned her focus back to the map. Not a single Eldeli seemed to be present to guard and shield the small group, their skills obviously needed elsewhere more direly, the escort consisting merely of a few members of the palace guard. None those present would have even remotely considered to think of the earnest, dark-haired woman walking in their middle as anyone else but Countess Esthelia, a distant, but dear cousin to their Queen. Perri Indiya Blood, sweat, and screams filled the air, but the blasted wave of bodies kept coming. Something within the Hunt's being bayed, louder and more hungrily than any of his shades ever could. It was huge but illusive, like a ghost of an age and not just a person. A memory, perhaps. Of what he had been once, and what he had now returned to.
Metal slashed uselessly at his leg, the sword wielder screaming as he reached down and casually tore off the arm and threw it on the men below.
A memory, and all he had to do was let it run.
Eamnonn unbuckled the armor, wondering why he had thought he even needed it. His wings spread and his hunters below dissipated, as if he'd cast them away. A memory of what they had been as well, and were again. Of a great hunt. A Wild Hunt.
The horde of ethereal beasts that fell upon land and sea battlefield alike was not the full strength of the Wild Hunt, but it was no less frightful and hungry. The riderless mash of creatures fell upon the army as if it were a nest of chicks, tearing through hide and armor as if they were merely tissues and feathers. Death and blood coated the ground, painting a great mural to the strength and power of a god reborn.
The Hunt found himself howling. Sosiqui Illumin stared, caught between awe at the unbridled power of a fully ascended deity, jealousy that he himself could not do as much, and a strong urge to vomit at the carnage unfolding before him. Yes, yes, if the battle continued like this, they would surely-
The thought was interrupted by a tremendous crash, a sudden cacophony of screams, and the entire wall shuddered. Dust plumed upwards and pebbles rained on them all; closer to, much larger chunks of rock plummeted down and battered or even squashed the unlucky men stationed there.They have a rock-eater- came a sharp mental cry that cut off in a strangled fashion.
Damn it! Illumin strained to take to the air, but the armor was just too heavy for him to manage proper flight. No, as decisive as the battlefield right in front of them had been, there was more going on than just that one front...They have pierced the wall!Captain Ghavaliel blunted his fear on a sharp curse, then spun out his mind to catch the reports from the Relays around the Sea-posts. Salmanack Tower, a rock-eater - we've lost the outer barricade-
Here, too. Corbreak Tower. The base, it's tilting. We're evacuating-
Eastern Shoal, they have fire arrows, the granary is burning-And then, from farther away- The Speakers are attacking the capit- and then a wave of pain came down the link. The Captain cut it immediately, trembling from the aftermath. They had taken that man's mind. So the physical forces were here... a distraction. The mental warfare was focused on the capital. On the Queen... If we lose her...But if they lost the Sea-posts, and gave Irisun a physical foothold, the ending would be just as bad. Brilsworth could exist without a Queen, somehow, if Irisun could be expelled. And if his little plan worked, then... Grimly, the Captain reached out to the Relays at the Sea-posts. Those of you with distance, reach out to the capital and link there. All others, continue to defend. We must drive them back into the sea!But he had so few men. It would not be enough, even with the terrifying power of the Hunt and the sharp blades of Light. Underworld and Music, perhaps they... but what songs could save them now? I may fall here. A blunt, terrifying thought that he shielded from everyone. Zero Dream And then, at that very moment, there was another voice speaking in the captain's head - Tiercan sounded positively rattled, unsettled by something. He had spoken of it at random, an idea that had come to him while they where walking downward to go back to the mounts they had left behind. He hadn't expected Underworld to take him seriously. And he had expected even less that he could have pulled it off. We are coming.
Oh, are we ever coming. We have... Backup.The mounts where running at amazing speed, absolutely terrified by what trailed after them. By carefully working together, Music and Underworld had gathered their own little army - the ghosts trailed after them, kept under Nergal's orders with some help from the bound speaker, and Echo's voice. They trailed to the side of the battlefield, the chaos unfolding in front of the eyes of the three that where rushing by as fast as they could. Rock-eaters, fire arrows, the mental assults on the capital... The corporal feared that they may have arrived too late. Their ride had been mostly a silent one. Tiercan had been listening, and relaying. Nergal was keeping the ghosts under as tight of a control as he could, with what little help Echo could give him. She surveyed the area, and quite suddenly, an idea came to her mind. She wasn't sure she could pull it off, and really, it was so horrible to her that, if it hadn't been the week of war, she would have probably been horrified with herself, just as she had been with the dark thoughts that had plagued her when her lover had been taken away from her.
It could work. Maybe.
Suddenly, wordlessly, she separated from the two, sliding to the side of the cliff that towered over the sides of the sea-posts. From here, she could see those attacking directly, and those standing back, those who where doing a whole different kind of assault - the archers, what she presumed to be the speakers, and the rock-eaters. She navigated to the very edge of that cliff, right over their heads, where they thought they where safely away from the rest of the conflict, protected by those who where doing a direct assault.
I am sorry. Hopefully the judgement will be fair. Those where soldiers, doing simply as they had been ordered. But there was no way to avoid this, no way to reason with them. There was no way to end this, but battle.
Hands moved from holding the bridle to pluck the poor frighted beast's ears in hope to at least dampen what she was about to unleash. The goddess inhaled as much air as she could hold, and then screamed - as loud as she could, with no restrain applied. The length of the horrible sound was unnaturally long, and some of the men below collapsed, probably deafened on the spot. More importantly, something under the horse's hooves rumbled, and the goddess left the edge as sharply as she had reached for it, leaving the chaos unfold in her wake.
The sound had been so high, so powerful, that part of the cliff had detached where she had screamed second before - a twisted version of an opera singer shattering a crystal glass. The men below only realized what was happening too late.
And, to everyone save the captain, this was the first sign that the rest of the deities had, indeed, arrived.Thabara Nergal didn't realize that Echo had parted ways with them until Tiercan pointed it out to him, but even so he couldn't do much but follow her with his gaze for but a moment before he had no choice but to return his focus on the task at hand. But it had been long enough to see that her expression was none of fear, but grim, determined. She had a plan of sorts, it seemed, and had her mind set on carrying it out. He trusted her. Ever since he had returned, she had surprised him time and again, and it was about high time he acknowledged her newfound strength.
"Where to?!" he shouted over the thundering sound of hooves, not daring to bring the poor beast to a halt. It would collapse from exhaustion the moment he did, he was sure of it. And probably die on the spot. He did not know the area, did not know where the 'reinforcements' were most sorely needed. The corporal would know he hoped, as he was familiar with the area. Or - at the very least - he would be able to check back with those in charge.
Behind them, the air quivered unnaturally. There was something there, like a massive, bank of fog, or possibly dust raised by the feet and hooves of a marching army. But moving too fast to truly be what it seemed to be, the misty white swirls taking shape here and there only to dissipate again moments later. Perri Indiya Eamnonn snarled, tearing through ever enemy man he could reach. His hunt attacked more wildly than before, the insanity of a blood frenzy screaming through both of them.
"Weaklings! Cowards!" He snarled across the land. "Have you too much fear to challenge me?" Sosiqui Tiercan?! Captain Ghavaliel stared, feeling the rage, the aggression he had seen from above when he was a small child, and had been taken to the Woldpost overlook... but no, they were here, all the ghosts, a mad stampede, unbridled no more but under the command of the gods. Swarm over the area - take anyone not of Brilsworth, kill or disable - the sea, there are three ships far out. One of them has a Speaker, or close to it - take him down! He sent the order as a sharp arrow, daring to touch the minds of the gods even though it burned. "Echo!" Illumin turned sharply at the distant reverberation of the scream, saw the rising plume of dust from the cliff's collapse. "They are here..."
His eyes narrowed, and he spun hot light between his hands. "Ea!" he shouted. "Your beasts, the ships! Take them!" They were well out of range of his cutting beams, but the Hunt could extend that far. Probably. A clot of men swung at the gates below; he sent a pulse of sharp ultraviolet light and heard the sizzle and shrieks as it went off, burning them instantly. Perri Indiya The Hunt with burning eyes towards the ocean, and his creatures raced to the shoreline. A rain of blood and thicker things fell beneath them, leaving a trail from the field to sand, and continuing on the water as they rushed over the sea. The snaps of wood and bone echoed in Eamnonn's ears as they went, slicing through every ship they could find.
Despite the bloodlust, it was getting hard to focus. It was a great magic to call the Wild Hunt even in part, and he could not hold it forever. "We need to eat their Speakers, Light. Before I am too tired." Zero Dream Tiercan glanced back to Nergal - that mental order had been so strong he was quite sure the god himself had heard it clearly enough. "The cliff lowers to meet the valley about a kilometer or so northward, lord." He had no issue making his voice audible over the nearby sounds, well used to making himself heard by now. "Then we can turn back and reach the towers. We will probably have to cut through enemy lines but..." The brown-haired man sent a nervous glance backward. "....I figure this may not be much of a problem ?" Echo did not stop to see the aftermath of what she had caused, or how many might have died - she didn't even want to know. She rejoined with the corporal and Nergal, as silent as when she had cut away from them.Thabara "Salmanack Tower," the Relay hastily informed them as the bad tidings started to come in one after another, one of the generals shifting the figurines on the table accordingly. "Corbreak too. And.." The man's voice trailed off, his expression growing first distracted, then pale with terror. " Protect the Quee-" He didn't need to finish his sentence, the present Eldeli immediately picking up on the situation and acting as one, their trained minds weaving a shield to hide and protect the minds of their regent and her advisors. But - trained and gifted as they were - they were no match for the full power of a Speaker, lest of all six of them. Only a minute later - though it had certainly seemed like an eternity - half of them had fallen under the mental onslaught, their minds eaten, while the rest, the strongest of them looked at the Queen, awaiting her approval to carry out the orders which had been given to them long ago for the case should the worst ever happen. She simply nodded, pale but composed, and the remaining Eldeli went to work, some giving their all to keep up their shield while others turned against the unsuspecting chancelors and generals, wiping memories and knowledge from unsuspecting minds too surprised to react in time. There were things Irisun's Speakers could not be allowed to know. Inevitably the first broke through, cold mental fingers brushing against the Queen's mind, probing, and then clenching into a tight, inescapable grip once they were certain they had found whom they had been looking for, the One mind which counted in this war. She buckled over, gasping, holding onto the map-table's edge to remain standing upright as her mind was dissected. Her love for her country and subjects, her grief over the loss of beloved consort and children, peeled from her layer by layer like an onion. Her knuckles grew white, she mustn't give in to their force, mustn't fall, I cannot let them know, or else they will turn against our only ho-- Her eyes rolled back and she collapsed, spittle dripping from her opened lips. She was still breathing, her heart still beating, but it would stop soon enough. Without a mind, without a will, the body would not function for long. The Speakers were filled with glee. Julstecca and her protectors had put up a remarkable resistance, but they were no match for Irisun's strength. The Queen is dead, one of them reported back to their own capital immediately. Tell his Highness,Julstecca has fallen, Brilsworth is his.The Queen is dead! another cast out for everyone fighting at the Seapost to hear, friend and - especially - foe. For them, the news would be devastating. _____One thing..
__________One thing left to do.
_______________Their weapon, that great green beast..A quick mind-touch back to headquarters confirmed it was indeed a problem, the raging beast ringing up a death toll much higher than anticipated among their troops. The Queen was gone, but they needed physical foothold within Brilsworth, could afford no more losses until reinforcements were sent. _____Take it down.
__________Focus.
_______________The green beast, destroy its Mind.
____________________And the others?
_______________Later. This is the one Julstecca placed her hopes on. This one first.
__________Focus.Perri Indiya Do not harry a wild beast, especially a predator. They have other things to spend their energy on, and will seek to get free from such an unwanted situation as quickly as possible. With fangs, claws, and strength, through you is often the easiest way out.
Something was poking Eamnonn's mind, like little buzzing mosquitoes made of ice. It was irksome, but not enough to distract him from the bloodletting. He was enjoying the hunt, the kill, and the terror borne from both. Another stab, stronger this time, made him hiss and snap. Too taken with sensation it took him a moment to realize what these annoyances were: the touch of the enemy Speakers. Pah. Cowards. To hideaway while their brethren died. In a calmer moment he might have acknowledged that this was their way of conducting battle, but for now all he knew was the sword. Let them come.
He calmed his thoughts, letting his Wild Hunt subsides. More jabs, scrabbling fingers trying to find purchase on the slick facets of his godly mind, thinking they were succeeding as the attacks on their shipbound fellows ended. It was the best trick the Hunt could play, being a far more physical than psychological deity. But he was a hunter, and knew how to wait. To stay still in the grass or tree, and let the tasty morsels come to him. Unlike the animals of his forest,
these mortals lacked the sense not to come to his door and knock.
A beat after the minds of the Speakers made a unified grab for his, Eamnonn sunk his mental talons into them. They were mostly still, startled that he had grabbed them when it seemed he had no defenses. With a wicked grin that climbed up his cheek, the green god pulled. Pulled their minds into his, dragging their wriggling thoughts forward, into the place a moment ago they had sought to enter by force. Into his mind, where the fire of his fully ascended power licked them like flames. In moments, they were on fire. Crisp. Black. And screaming.
"Too bad, so sad." He sung to himself under his breath. Thabara Nergal nodded grimly, simply following the Corporal's lead and noting with distinct relief when Echo rejoined them shortly after.
He had heard her unearthly scream, but there had been no fear in it, no distress, only intent and determination, so he had not been worried. The landslide immediately after, rocks and rubble coming down to crush bones and be Last Grave to many a soldier, filled him with grim satisfaction. He was certain now of what her plan had been, and that it had succeeded.
_____The Queen is dead!
There was no way anyone could have missed that mental shout, triumphant and loud, its sole purpose to discourage and despair Brilsworth's struggling troops.
Could this be? Nergal had experienced hands on how resourceful the woman reigning this country was, how manipulative. But the Corporal's face had frozen, paled and twisted into a mask of shock and disbelief. If they lost hope, the will to fight..
"Let us part ways here," he shouted. "Echo, Tiercan, head to the Seapost." Illumin was there, Light's appearance and rays of burning light hard to miss, even from the distance. "They will need your songs of courage. I shall head for where the enemy forces stand thickest," he added with a grim expression. The ghosts following in their wake were not only powerful, but also mad, way beyond reason. Two tribes which had once been enemies to each other, some murderers from later generations added for spicing. 'Take anyone not of Brilsworth' wasn't going to work, very much doubting they would able to discern between friend and foe.
But to point and let lose, fuel their anger and give it direction, that was fully possible. Sosiqui The Queen is dead! The mental shout rolled across the forces of Brilsworth, and as one the defenders slowed, shock snapping through them. Captain Ghavaliel reached out desperately, found only minds blank, closed to him, or eaten, except- Yes-And then the Speakers descended, their power a hungry and sharp thing in the mental realm. Descending... on the Wild Hunt. Please-Something shrieked, not audibly, but a many-voiced wave of fear and pain radiated for a moment before it was choked off, strangled, a beast pinned and destroyed beneath the claws of a greater one. The gamble had worked. " Warriors of Brilsworth! To your swords! The Speakers of Irisun are dead!" Captain Ghavaliel shouted it both mentally and out loud. He raised his own weapon, feeling a bit dazed at all that had happened in such a short time. "In the name of Queen Julstecca and the True Gods!" As he watched, the Irisun forces stumbled and slowed as well; he saw naked shock on the faces of those close enough to see clearly. But the Brilsworth defenders were still half-frozen in shock, not knowing which mental voice to believe. If I cannot get them moving- Captain Ghavaliel reached out once more. Tiercan! If the Lady Music is there, please - the Queen is not dead, the Speakers of Irisun are, and I must get these men to MOVE! Zero Dream She nodded, contemplating the situation. The men where stuck, their minds confused, some already grieving, others very clearly looking like they did not feel like the cause was worth fighting, anymore. Had the queen... really died ? It just seemed too.... easy. Surely they would have known this would happen. She glanced back toward her lover. "Be careful."Then, Tiercan and Echo broke away, and that was when the young corporal got the mental message. "Lady, you must sing ! Our queen is alive... This was a distraction to trap the speakers, and it worked out. Please !" We cannot lose this, not now...The goddess nodded, throwing the bridle of her horse to the young man. "Guide me, then."
Blue on blue eyes, returned to the battle - they where heading downward, now, closer and closer. Just a little bit closer and she could reach them all without too much straining... There. Perfect.
"Brave men, children of Brilsworth, hear me out
Heed my voice, listen to my song
Your queen stands, untouched by the enemy's grasp
The speakers are gone, mind broken and soul splintered
Overconfidence where their downfall
Brave sons of Brilsworth, the time is now
You musn't give up, the fight is far from over
Time to stand against those who would have oppressed you"
Rather quickly, it seemed, Irisun's intimidation tactics had been reversed, with them on the receiving end now. Sosiqui The song moved over the battlefield and Sea-post just as the mental shouts had, captivating. Captain Ghalaviel held his breath again, then began to smile as the music lifted his spirit and soared with it, catching up the defenders in a surge of hope, pride, and courage. Once again, he raised his sword high, a fine dramatic figure. " Warriors of Brilsworth! Onward!" And this time, thank the Gods, they answered him in a single massed shout. As one, the defenders began to move again, and this time it was the forces of Irisun who were cowed. The Captain reached out with his mind to brush the cold, distant burn that was Underworld, only just enough to communicate. The sea. Take them to the sea. The ships must be downed; with that, they will not be able to escape. Several ships just offshore, some landed, three further out; all wounded by Hunt's attacks but not yet brought low since the other god had withdrawn his power to destroy the Speakers. But there were none of Brilsworth on the sea right now. Thabara Nergal nodded grimly, frowning at the mental contact, even though it was only brief. He highly disliked the sensation of another's mind touching upon his, it brought back too many bad memories he'd just barely repressed, touched upon too many mental injuries which were still raw and festering. He could make use that perhaps now, that near-madness.
He rammed his heels into his mount's sides, even though the poor, terrified beast was close to collapsing and could hardly go faster than it already did.
With his powers, he fueled the ghosts with his own wrath and anger, urged them to rush ahead of him, a spearhead to clear his path. Terrified beasts and soldiers jumped out of the pale god's way as fast as they could. Even if their senses could not fully perceive just what this floodwave of strangely sentient fog was which preceded his advance and swirled all around him - they all felt the madness and bloodlust emitted by it. And if that wasn't enough to cause them to flee head over heels, the sight of their comrades being torn appart by invisible forces certainly was.
Onward! Onward!
There was a grim smile upon Underworld's face as he drove his terrified mount to head straight for the beach - he was enjoying himself a great deal. If it was the influence of Echo's song, or his once-brother-in-arms War, or simply his psyche yearning to let lose and vent after all he'd gone through - he did not know. And, honestly, he did not care.
The beast bearing him stopped when it reached the salty shores, refusing to carry him any further. But his ghostly army rushed past him like the untamed force of a tsunami, heading for the ships Underworld was pointing to. "Bring them down," he hissed, his hand shifting to an ages-old gesture, the thumb pointing downwards.
"You too," he added, glancing at the one ghost which was still lingering at his side, the most powerful of the lot. "There is one among them with powers similar to yours, make him feel the pain you felt, the grief, the anguish.."
Still he lingered, gaze of ghostly eyes lingering on the bag at Nergal's side which held the root, the sacred fetish. "Go," Nergal urged. "Return to me once the deed is done."
He could not fly, could not follow them, but he flung his mana along with them as far as he could, whipping the immensity of their wrath to even greater heights. Zero Dream It had worked... It had worked ! The men around them went in motion, and Tiercan only barely resisted doing the same. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that he had to lead the lady. It had worked out nicely enough, Echo had decided, if only from how the sound of battle started to take over her senses once more. She could have left it at that, retreated, and hoped all this madness would be over soon. She hated this feeling, the week's influence finally starting to crash down on her as hard as it could, at the moment, and she was mostly powerless to resist it.
There was another thing she could do, the realization coming with a smile so sweet, yet so wicked, that it did not look like it should belong on her fair face. Song turned low, twisting, almost as haunted as the ghosts which had passed thought from another angle. The targets of said song also changed - focused on the enemy lines.
The seed of fear was planted, all she had to do was water it and watch it grow to it's full potential. All with a rather sudden, twisted delight, and inwardly she hated every seconds of it, through one was hard-pressed to guess such by looking at her.Sosiqui llumin stared as the mist - the ghosts - rolled across the sea, mingling with the foam and spray to overtake the Irisun ships, a dreadful and eldritch tide. The dark song followed, breeding panic and fear in the attackers. Several of the Irisun soldiers dropped to their knees and clamped their hands over their ears, trembling. A few others shrieked and began wildly striking out, charging forward in fear-borne desperation; arrows soared out from the walls to meet them, and Illumin delivered several sharp bursts of cutting light to the ones that refused to stop despite the barrage.
But the majority of the Irisun forces that had landed before the Sea-post stood absolutely still, frozen with fear. A terrible cracking noise broke the silence as the ghost army met and shattered one of the ships, and the attackers flinched as one.
They are lost, and they know it.And now Captain Ghavaliel had a decision to make. The tide of battle had been so sharply and dramatically turned that he now had several regiments of Irisun forces frozen in their tracks at the gates of the Sea-post. Shall I show mercy? There would have been no mercy from them, he knew. But he knew, as did all commanders, that the troops of Irisun were common men, even as his own troops were. Something that one had to forget in the heat of battle, and something that one should remember at the end... "People of Irisun!" he shouted, echoing his words with a mental shout that the combatants on both sides could hear. "Drop your weapons and your mind-shields, and there may yet be mercy for you! If you refuse, then you will die." The last was iron-clad. He would offer kindness, but on his terms only. There was a long silence, broken only by the soft sounds of the men shifting on their feet, the hush of the waves, and distant cracking and screams as the ghost-army decimated the seaborne forces. There could be no mercy for them, which was a pity, but the higher-grade mental warriors and at least one Speaker were out there, and those he could not allow to live, no matter how many bodies he had to cut through before he reached them. Finally, he heard the first clatter of a weapon falling, and that one was followed by a cacophony of others, as the forces of Irisun dropped their armaments and took off their helmets. Not all of them did; about half stood firm and defiant, or turned screaming at their surrendering comrades and tried to turn blades on them. Take the defiant; no mercy.The arrows sang out again, followed by bursts of sharp light from the Bright God's hands, and the men who had refused the Captain's offer dropped where they stood. Perri Indiya The Hunt, somewhat dazed by the unfamiliar form of battle he had just engaged in, pulled himself back together and sent a few shadow beasts out to bolster the strength of the others. Wolves slid among the men below to assure their surrender while fins and teeth tore apart any who tried to escape the dead by diving into the sea. Zero Dream Echo had stopped singing when the captain's shout came to her ears - allowed him to be heard with ease without having to fight with the strength of her own voice, which could easily overpower his own. Some surrendered - some did not, and they where quickly dealt with. An errie silence then followed.
Did it mean that it was finally over ? Thabara Even out on the sea things grew deathly quiet after a while, with one ship sinking and other two seemingly adrift, with no one left alive or sane enough to steer them.
Nergal tried to reach out, but his ghostly army was beyond his reach now, and already he could see the unnatural mist start to grow thinner and dissolve. He wondered what would become of them, now, those nameless warriors from ages past.
They will return to the pass, most likely, where their bones lay.
All of them, but one.
And sure enough, there was a cold breeze whispering against his neck already, causing his mount to whinny nervously and shy back from the hostile presence as it clawed for the bag which held the Root. Nergal had a hard time keeping the poor beast under control, and eventually, he simply dismounted, letting it run free as it seemed impossible to calm it while the spectre was near.
"Did you do as you were told?"
There was no audible answer, but only a flood of images.
_____Soldiers clawing at their eyes to rid themselves of the horrible images they'd made to see..
_____Others, turning against their comrades, driven beyond reason by the ghosts..
_____Usually brave and calm men terrified enough to jump overboard where they fell prey to the treacherous currents and Hunt's beasts...
Nergal inclined his head gracefully. "I am satisfied." Those vessels still drifting out there, naught but empty shells now, much like the broken bodies scattered all about the beach and beyond. "You have done well." Ghost ships.
Slowly, by foot, he started to make his way to the sea post. Exhaustion was starting to catch up with him quickly now. Sosiqui Slowly, the Brilsworth forces were filtering through those of Irisun, coming out of the Sea-post walls to take inventory of those below. Small scuffles broke out here and there between Irisun soldiers who had only pretended to surrender, but they were quickly ended by the sharp snap of shadow-jaws or a punishing flare of laser-sharp light. Captain Ghavaliel took a deep breath, then let it out, slowly. They'd won... in a day, Irisun had been brought to ruin, all of its Speakers killed. They were safe. Free. They could move on... Shaking, he reached out to the capital again. Irisun's Speakers are dead, to a man, he whispered, wearily, touching the mind of the true Queen. The forces are dead or surrendered.
It is over.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:13 pm
Interlude :: Those Left Behind
Week of Decay Zero Dream We can't stay here much longer. He'd been trying, oh he had been trying to convince his brother of that for awhile now - the house looked like it only barely stood upright anymore, and as much as he hated the idea himself, it seemed much, much more sensible for them to get the hell out before it did crash down.However, Tempo seemed like he didn't want any of it. "We CAN'T do that, Alto ! She's.... The lady's going to want to come home to everything standing. You know that. We can't... We can't give up, not now, we managed to far !" He knew the younger one was right, but.... damnit, he didn't WANT to ! It would be like failing her, somehow. Failing Lady Cosine, too, who undoubtedly would want to return after she came back. Concerto cleared had been on the right track of mind with staying at the pantheon, but... Damnit, there had to be a way, and he would find it. "We can find something. Add support to the walls. Somehow." Everything's rotting too quickly for that. The blue aoidei signed with a wordless sigh. He was already ragged with worry to begin with, he did not need his brother being difficult on top of it. Thabara "You wont be of any use to your mistress if you end up buried underneath a pile of rubble," Priya snapped. She was clutching a small box with Nergal's belongings to her chest. To get to them had been a precarious task, the rotten floorboards threatening her with a 10 feet plunge to the lower floor at every step she made. "That house is rotten to the core. I would stay clear of the balcony, if I were you, it looks like it might come down any second now." "But where to go?" Ishum looked crestfallen. This place had been a home to him, and - more importantly - he knew Nergal had felt about it the same way. He had tried, he really had tried fixing things in the house to the best of his abilities.. But they simply kept breaking faster than they could be repaired. And the rotting of the floors, and the load-bearing timbers.. There was a limit as to what he, and the others, were able to do about that. Zero Dream Tempo had been about to say something - probably snap right back, from the look on his face - before Alto intervened and covered his mouth with one hand in order to shut him up. Thus, he could not sign, but the look on his face spoke for himself - a very "I am sorry he's subborn and stupid" kind of face.Tempo growled something under his breath and freed himself, but at the very least he kept away from whichever tangent he had been about to go onto. "I figure there's only really the pantheon, I guess ? Anywhere else can't be in a much better case than here." He didn't want to admit it, but.... they where right. They where right, of course, and he hated every bit of it. Thabara Ishum gave a sheepish look. "Well, I was thinking, perhaps the cataco-- OW!" He glared angrily at the white-furred catgirl who had interrupted him efficiently by stomping onto his right foot. "What was that for?! That whole place is carved into rock, it should be safe there still." " No one would want to live there, even if they were desperate. There's nothing but dust and bones down there. No one but.." She shrugged. "You know who. But that's him. Besides, wasn't that place infested with necromancer lot the last time you checked? Some safe retreat that is." Ishum's wings drooped. Well, it had seemed like a good idea.. for a while.. Well, with the Pantheon they'd at least be at the source of what was going on, and know immediately when the deities they served returned from their 'mission'. "I guess the Pantheon would be best," he gave in. "Lets salvage what we can from the house?" " I'm not going back in there." Priya shook her head fervently. One time risking her life in there had been enough, thank you very much. It was a good thing that the strange, un-living body of Aristogeiton/Sanatruces had been transferred to the savety of Hunt's temple weeks ago, soon after the Lord and the Lady's leaving. And Ishum had released his critters right after the stable's roof showing first signs of coming down. There was nothing worth staying for here now. If only the others weren't so sentimental. Zero Dream "Ill see what I can do. I have to go get the instruments, at the very least..." This was one thing that Tempo would simply not relent on - he had to at least get those out of there - out of all the things Echo owned, they where the most precious, and what would hurt the most if they where lost. Alto had been about to intervene, but his brother had already went back inside. ....This, really, was one of the moments where he sorely wished he could scream obcenities on top of his lungs. At least, that was what the eyetwitch seemed to carry on. There was a soundless sigh again, and he shook his head. At least Tempo could fly if the floor gave in under him....Thabara "I'll help." Before anyone could say something to stop him, Ishum had hurried after his fellow aoide. The violin, at the very least, they'd have to salvage that, this sweet memory of her and Nergal's first date, albeit it had not been an official one. Priya gave a frustrated sigh. "Fine. Go get yourself killed." She was not going back in there. Zero Dream It was a good thing both Tempo and Ishum could fly, really. The floor had given in part when they'd been careless and both stepped on it at the same time. If that wasn't enough proof for the black-winged one that it was unlivable, nothing would have been. Thankfully, they had came out of it with only scratches, and with the objects they had sought still in one pieces. Well, beside the strings, but at least it was that saved, right ? And, when the little group made it to the pantheon, they where immediately spotted "Ishum ! Priya ! Myaaa !" Jinx rushed to the door from the side, snatching what Alto had been carrying on pure reflex before the poor boy could topple over. "Myaaa... What's going on ?" At the other end of the room, there was a man, similar in features to Adrian but... not quite - staring at the noticeboard, one hand cupped on his chin, and clicking his tongue in thought. He was hiding both his excitement and his dissapointment quite well - FINALLY some kind of answer in that whole mess, after all, and... and it seemed that Cosine had been right. The thought of her saving the world made him smile. Even if it seemed the journey his brother had underwent was useless for the time being.
Gathering belief from mortals.... Well.... it would help to keep them alive to begin with....Thabara "The houses of our Lord and Lady.. It's no longer safe to stay there." Ishum's wings drooped. Once this week was over, pretty much every place but the Pantheon would be in ruins. Priya nodded. "It could collapse any second now. We salvaged what we could, and couldn't think of any other place to go but.." She shrugged. "Well, we're here now, Lord--" she hesitated for only a moment, taking in the obvious changes, "--Ankou. Any word yet of your brother, or the Lady Echo?" Zero Dream The black cat's ears drooped. "Oh... Im sorry." Personally she had no attachment to that place, but she could see that it was affecting the beastmaster deeply, and it was what made her react as such. Ankou tilted his head to look over to the group of aoidei, apparently not having quite noticed them, lost in his thoughts as he had been. "Nothing yet, I am afraid. They may have been caught in a time flux - I figure they must become more frequent, with things as they are. I doubt it would have taken them this long as is - not with them knowing time is limited." The god turned to come toward them. "You can all just drop this all in my rooms, for now... We can see what can be done when they come back. For now, there's something interesting over here. Something for us to do... It seems some kind of solution have been found."Thabara "A way to save us..?" Ishum peered at what he recognized to be some sort of bulletin board - genius idea, that! - quite obviously torn between checking it out, and storing the items he was holding someplace safe first. In the end, his curiosity won. With great care he laid down the things on the nearest couch, and tiptoed to join Ankou in front of the board board, eager to get a peek at the messages left there. Priya rolled her eyes, wishing she had an extra pair of arms so that she could smack her fellow aoide. Well, she could still kick if it had to be.. Giving him a scowl which was akin to her master's, she started up the stairs, taking two steps at once, intent to at least be back as soon as possible. Zero Dream Jinx seemed rather amused by this, giggling as she followed Priya. Tempo also rushed upstairs, and Alto gave yet another wordless sigh, took what the curious beastmaster had let down, and did his best not to topple down the stairs as he followed. As for Ankou, he did not seem to expecially mind. "This one, right there." He pointed at the last paper to be put up.Thabara Curiously Ishum bent forward to read, confusion growing more and more prominent on his face the further he got. People that were fed lotuses? That wasn't meant to be taken literally, he hoped. And there, that bit was definitely about his Lord and his companions, but what did it mean? That their quest wouldn't be successful? Or that it wasn't necessary? He shook his head, brows creasing into a frown, an expression rather unusual to be found on the beastmaster's face. "I'm.. not sure what that's supposed to mean," he admitted sheepishly. Zero Dream "It is from the fatestones - a prophecy of sort. Don't take it too literally." Ankou answered, almost as if he had read the beastmaster's mind, and turned his head again to attempt to explain what he had gathered of it. "It's a bit hard, without the images to go with it, but..."
"Four people appear beneath a caryatid, and a city grows out from around it. They force lotuses into the mouths of the people around them. Cosine, along with Forest, Judgment, and Laughter - they are the only group of four that I know of. I have seen them off myself. I figure the lotus bit means that they are spreading belief in the city they went to." ...But hadn't Cosine said that the people there already believed in Creation ? Perhaps they had... forgotten. "So they will return... return with others from that world, carrying belief with them. And perhaps more hints."
"Four gods, marked by harp, sun, bone crown, and hunting knife come together with little stars, but stand there and don't do anything else. That's the Wellhaven group, without any doubt, but... Well, at least it means they will return safely... probably bringing more belief in their wake.
"A quill, a rat and an atom join together. They take tokens of the firebird and the Mother. Well, I must admit I am as lost as you are on this one... What the token may be for... well, it isn't written." The god frowned a bit to himself.
"Some gods go from the center of the panel towards three objects: jesses, a glaive, and shears. These are the weapons Echo has written about in her notebook, but.... There's one missing. The sword..." The consort's sword missing, along with the previous statement. Coincidence.... ? Probably not.
"Pilgrimages of servants and young gods walk among ruins and seem to gather small followings. And that..." He turned a bit, to look where the rest of the aoidei where standing, as he had heard them come down a bit ago. "...Is what we need to do right now, but.... I will have to admit I am not sure how to proceed, beside the obvious option of keeping as many of the mortals alive and sheltered as we can." Thabara "To bring them here would probably be the best. This is the only building sure to remain standing until.. until.. Until the worst happens. Or a miracle." Ishum gave his lord's brother a lopsided smile, sure he wouldn't take it as an offense. It was the gods who were supposed to be in charge of miracles. Hopefully, at least one of them would be able to provide food, for what use was shelter for the mortals, if they were to starve? Too keep them alive would be the most pressing problem. To raise belief in them, a wholly different one. But if food and shelter were provided.. In these times, wouldn't this be enough of a miracle? Zero Dream "That was what I've thought... And I am quite rusty on this whole miracle business." The amused grin the aoidei got in return did, in fact, prove that the god took no offense. "There isn't much I can do, beside guiding them here, really. And I am not even quite sure of that one." He hadn't tried to make anything follow him ever since he had been reborn, he hadn't tried to figure out what was within his grasp and what wasn't, partway due to always having something else to do, and partway because he was sure he would not exactly be pleased with the results."But with the doors, myaaaaa.... We can pull some from the others worlds as well. I can open them on my own, and so can Lord Ankou, obviously." Thabara "I think.. I think I know where I might find someone." Ishum's expression grew thoughtful. "If they survived that long." The effects of Famine, and Plague, and now that everything simply seemed to fall apart and rot and wither under their very fingers.. "Koiso, a town not too far from here - about a week's travel.. Less maybe if I can find the errais.. It was hit by a severe flood, but there were survivors, crafty ones at that. They took good care of my lord when he was found injured, treating him as an honored guest and nursing him back to health. They also brought.. offerings." He glanced over his shoulder at Priya and winked, apparently there was some sort of in-joke between the two concerning this. But Ishum's expression darkened quickly as he thought of how the folks in Koiso might be faring now. It was the week of Decay, quite obviously, and that influence wreaking havoc on Koiso's many bridges, the lopsided skyscrapers, or.. the Avalon's nuclear reactor.. He paled. "I would be willing to go there." Zero Dream "I will go with you, then." The demoness nodded toward Ishum. "Two sets of arms will probably be more than useful, considering the circumstances."Jinx had looked pretty conflicted, before Anima had spoken. She didn't want him to go alone, yet... Yet, she did not want to wander far from her lord. To as much of his benefit than hers, really. With the world being as it was, Ankou was one of the few things that kept her stable. But Anima going seemed to calm her a little as far as that was concerned. She wouldn't let anything harm any of them. Expecially Ishum. "That is a good idea." Ankou nodded - expecially people already familiar with the gods... Thabara "That's settled, then." Ishum nodded, glad there was something he could do. "What about you," he asked, glancing at Priya. "I.. Would like to remain close to the Pantheon," the scantily clad cat girl admitted, "in case our Lord returns. If there is anything that can be done here..?" She wasn't really one fit to take care of people, she was well aware of that. To fight and protect, that was what she was good at. Zero Dream "I figure there must be." The god nodded, silently approving of the white catgirl staying behind - at least one of them ought to be, really, and there was no way to know in what state they would all return, with it being so long and with the mostly confirmed threat of a timeflux.
And that was saying nothing about the children. They would be the most affected in a timeflux, not the fully grown gods and goddess, through Echo would probably feel a backlash. "We just need to find it, really." He was as clueless as what he could do, really, beside maybe guiding them here. They would need to find ways to fulfill their basic needs somehow..."Well, putting a stable roof on their head is a good start." Tempo was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and eyes half closed in throught. "Then use what's left of the food and water adequately to keep them as alive and healthy as possible, I guess.... Through I doubt it will be possible to save them all. Some are probably too weakened by the last waves to survive long as the rest unfolds..." Thabara Priya nodded in agreement. "I'll see what I can do about scrounging up food and supplies." Given, most of the town would be hopelessly plundered by now, given the influences of the past weeks, Famine especially. But there were always some well hidden stocks somewhere. Besides, rats didn't make a half bad meal, but she'd rather not mention that. "So, that's settled then?" Zero Dream "Ill help with that, myaaa." Jinx nodded to Priya. The two of them... worst come to worst, they could probably hurt down whatever came in their way if they teamed up. And there where always the doors - they could reach out to faraway worlds if there was nothing left here, though she was pretty sure the situation would be similar no matter where they went. But things may add up if they combed through many different places... "I do believe it would be." Anima sent a sideway glance to the beastmaster. "When do you want to leave ? We should probably hurry - time is against us." The demoness had no doubt that he could find them something to ride on in despite the state of the world - he could be quite resourceful, really.
When he wasn't busy chattering."Concerto's been with Lord Desiderio still.... probably helping him along. Ill see if I can get a hold of him." Tempo nodded. Maybe Love had a plan of his own, who knew ? "Knowing Alto, he's gonna want to stay put and wait for our lady to return." A smirk drew itself on his face as his brother's face reddened - that was quite telling, really. "I can keep doing what I've been doing - watch out for information and the doors." Ankou spoke last, a thoughtful expression on his face. "And help bring in people in between. Ill probably have more wriggle room once the Wellhaven group returns. Nergal opened the door, not I - it's too dangerous to let it go unwatched, especially if they are in a timeflux like I fear." Keeping the way open was somewhat of a second nature for him - but he doubted it was the same for his brother.Thabara "Right now, if possible," Ishum replied, his face surprisingly serious. Having remembered about the Avalon's nuclear reactor left him with a sick feeling in his stomach. "We have to get there as quickly as possible. I.. hope you can ride?" Zero Dream Anima nodded in answer. "I can, but finding beasts that will be able to withstand the trip there and back will probably be up to you." If the situation was any less dire, she probably would have been amused. She'd ridden hellhounds in her youth, did he expect a horse would give her any problems ? Really ?Well, Aria and Falada might still be around.... Alto gestured, still vaguely embarrassed by his brother's comments. Thabara "They are. They have gone to a safe place with their foals, but they will come if I call for them." He gave Alto a stare for even remotely having doubted he'd be able to provide for mounts. Even if the errais wouldn't come - which he doubted - there still were the siirae. And those were definitely still around. Those beasts were scavengers, after all. Zero Dream "Well, let us get going, then. No use waiting time standing here that could bring us closer to Koiso." The demoness started to walk over, with Jinx rolling her eyes. That was Anima - cold, efficient, and with a tendency to randomly try to take charge of things.
"Lord, please be careful." She said, glancing to Ankou.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:15 pm
Return Home
Week of Hell Thabara It felt strange to step into the cool, dry - and most of all - quiet air of the crypt after they had been fervently celebrated as saviors upon their triumphant parade into the capital. Despite their eagerness to simply return to the Pantheon as soon as possible, the queen had insisted that they'd hold court, and it had been a decision quite wise. Thought spread rumors faster than spoken word could ever hope to, and by the time they'd arrived at the dais prepared for them on the marketplace, the whole town seemed to have gathered there to witness the miracle which had saved them all.
The deities had been showered with gifts and offerings from those who could still afford them in these dire times, and there'd been songs and prayers from those who had nothing material left to give, sans the things they needed to survive: Gems and prisms and mirrors for Illumin. Hunter's trophies of the hunt like antlers, claws, furs and fangs for Eamnonn. Echo, it seemed, had been most touched by the performance of an orphanage's children's choir in her honor.
Nergal.. The news of an army of dead had spread with lightning speed as well, causing the glances cast at him to be filled with respect at most, but mostly dread and distress. And - in some cases - fear. Those who approached him on the dais, were usually robed in black, the gifts they bore personal things of those they had lost, leaving the shy deity feel utterly awkward. 'Be kind,' they had begged 'He was a good boy,' others tried to ensure him. 'Tell me how he did die,' many had desired to know. He had done whatever was within his power, relaying messages and last wishes to the best of his abilities, but when their audience ended and they returned to the palace he was left feeling.. uneasy.Julstecca was there, awaiting them in the last resting place of her ancestors' mortal remains. The true Queen, not the double which had fooled them upon their arrival, and - in the end - given her life fooling Irisun's speakers as well. "I wish you could stay," she said, a sad smile playing upon her lips. "But, alas, I am more aware than anyone that you cannot. I shall pray for your success, and as the bell tolls midnight, all of Brilsworth shall unite in prayer to thank you. That shall be my parting gift to you. Worthy of a queen, I hope." Zero Dream "We can return, later, when everything has been worked out, when everything is safe." Echo smiled, tears still lingering at the corner of her eyes, brought out by the rather touching song of the children's choir. She wished there was something more she could do for them, but right now it was impossible. This had already taken quite a while more than she had hoped - and if time flowed the same here as it did home, this week would be almost over, with all the days they had spent in between places, traveling.
What would come, after war ? They had saved those people, for now - but would they survive what was to come ?
And that was exactly why they had to hurry. But, the most prevalent reason was probably the selfish one - she wanted to go home. Go home and relax, if just for a half a day, and try to remove the horrible images of that chaotic warzone from her head.
The goddess hated to think that she had, in fact, contributed to this - but there had been no other options. At the very least, she needed to convince herself that it had been. There was no use languishing on what had been done - victory as it was, there was a greater problem at hand that needed to be addressed. Sosiqui Now, this, this... this was worthy of a god indeed! Illumin's armor and battered travel garb were gone, replaced with soft, rich clothing edged with glass beads and embroidered with gold. He took special pleasure in guiding his glow through them for maximum sparkle and shine. Luxury...
But it won't last. This is a bright flash before the Dark, unless we succeed... Succeed in what, he wasn't sure. Would Aristogeiton be the answer to all of their problems? It would be nice... but maybe it wasn't quite that simple.
A pity. He would have liked to stay and enjoy, for as long as the glory lasted.
"Most worthy, Majesty," Illumin said with a nod and a smile. "But I would ask that you keep us, and all the divine, in your hearts for longer than that. We may well call on your prayers in our own time of need. Servants may come to ask this of you, as gods need followers even as followers need gods." A strange relationship, to think of it that way. Who was the god, and who the follower?
"I am glad that all is well, for now," he added, quietly. "We shall strive to keep it so, or at the very least to stop all from falling." Thabara The queen inclined her head politely in acknowledgment of Illumin's words. "I cannot dictate to my subjects what belief they are to carry in their hearts, but the stories of those who have witnessed your deeds with their own senses are spreading with the speed of thought and will do their own, I trust." She then bowed to them, deeply, an honor she would give to no one else. "I wish you best of luck in your endeavor. Even if you do not return, I shall not forget that - even if for a few days only - the true gods' smiles shone upon me and my people." With that she stepped backwards and then aside, giving free the way to the massive door at the back of the crypt. She'd had her guards check it, of course. It seemed to lead nowhere else than usual, deeper into the older cellars of the crypt, carved into the very rock itself. But there had been reports of the walls changing which could not be attributed to tricks of light alone.. "Farewell." Nergal nodded, his expression pondering and thoughtful. He knew already that, should the circumstances allow it, he would return. The scepter in one hand, he stepped forward to place the other upon the heavy iron fittings of the Door. He could feel the remnants of the path which had brought them here, but they seemed.. frayed, distorted. There was some strange sense of imbalance between the two ends. This would probably turn out to be quite a 'bumpy ride', to use his host's terminology.
He let the scepter's light guide him - the remaining pieces seeming much closer to each other now than previously - before he opened the door, and the massive, twisted knot of mana that was the Pantheon itself. He pushed open the door, holding it ajar with his shoulder as he reached for Echo's hand, drawing her close. "The pathway seems unstable," he warned, audible to all. "Should I lose control again," he added in a whisper intended for Echo's keen hearing alone, his lips brushing her silky hair, "do not hesitate to make use of your powers." Be it to restrain him, or to bring him back to his senses. They could not afford to get lost.Zero Dream Echo nodded, a reaction that could have been attributed to either statement rather easily. "We need to be careful.. Here." She hooked one arm to Nergal's own, the one holding the scepter. Her opposite hand went to grasp Illumin's - motioning him to take Ea's in turn. It created a rather akward-looking string of deities, but it would hopefully work
And this time, she would not let go, even if it meant needing to drag Nergal backward or require a severe dose of screaming in order to go after the other two. Sosiqui "Farewell," Illumin told the Queen, nodding to her with a smile. Then he sobered, and turned back to the task at hand. The Door... it had to open again. They had to get home. He had not, he admitted, put much thought into the matter...
"I am ready. If I should extend my mana, tell me when, and where." They could not have a repeat of their separation on the journey home. Thabara "Focus on the Pantheon," he said, that being the only advice he could come up with. Perhaps Light should be the one to guide them, it seemed more suitable. "It is quite noticeable within the flows of mana, even now." Especially now. Cancerous, it seemed, a festering wound at the Heart of All.
Despite his lingering doubts he led the way for their strange polonaise, beckoning the mad speaker's ghost to follow him closely as well, even though he loathed to have him be so close to Echo.
The door clicked shut once the green, hulking form of the Hunt had passed through, something about the sound seeming strangely final. They were gone.Julstecca bowed her head, resisting the urge to re-open the door and see if there was some strange, magical kingdom hiding behind it right now. Instead she turned, the seams of her long gown quietly whispering upon the tiled floor. There was much work to be done. Zero Dream To say a storm awaited inside would have been an understatement. When the door closed behind them, everything seemed to go even more haywire that it had been and - as the group probably feared - the weeks started to tick down, trumpet, broken glass, and the crash of influences succeeding each other faster than they could even register, and Echo's grip on both Nergal and Illumin tightened to the point where it was probably rather uncomfortable for the two gods - the paths in front of them shifted out of control, and her own effort seemed useless.
For a few horrible second, it seemed like they where stuck, as time slipped away treacherously from them - would they remain here, trapped, only to die as the world did ?
But then, just as that thought had occured to her, something seemed to suddenly set on proving her wrong. The emptyness around them seemed to stop distorting, order restoring itself into the chaos of the world-in-between, leaving them standing in nothingness, but with no clear path to follow. Something unseen seemed to circle them, yet it did not seem malicious. In fact, the presence would feel extremely familiar to the Underworld in particular.
The presence then darted back, leaving a rather clear path for the group to follow in it's wake.Just as he had feared. They had went and gotten themselves timefluxed. Quite badly, from what he could tell. The disturbance had been big enough that he'd felt it in despite being nowhere near the door, but at least he had been able to get there and help along with the situation a bit. While projecting his mind in-between was rather easy, prowling down a specific path and making himself known to the group was a whole other ballpark. He had fully intended to speak to them, but after how difficult it had been to have them see him, he hadn't even made the attempt. When he finally made it back to his body he was hit with a wave of exhaustion, the body shaking and his breath heavy as he backed away to let the door open. Thabara The trumpet's blow, the crash of glass breaking, shards raining down.. Deafening in its suddenness, echoing through the paths and hallways of Between, rebounding from walls which parted Worlds only to return to them, again and again.
No, this was no echo, he realized, struggling to not lose the path which kept twisting and shifting before him, to remain focused on the place where all this mayhem was originating from: The Pantheon.
It was New Sound each time.
_____Once: Sickness spreading like wildfire, a cough from uncovered mouth, a careless touched by an unwashed hand, food and precious water spoiled, fever--
__________Twice: Locusts swarming, devouring what little was left of the precious crops, leaving only hunger and despair in their wake--
____________________Trice: Everything kept coming apart, rusting and rotting in insane speed like being watched in a time lapse, constructions which had been made to last years crumbling--
The fourth time was worst, followed by a tremor which went through All: Whole planes becoming disjointed, colliding with those they'd mirrored. In some cases they were forcefully merged, in others they obliterated each other, leaving naught but Emptiness behind.
And then there was only Darkness.
Nergal had stopped walking forward, there was nowhere left to go. But there was something incredibly familiar about the divine touch which restored order to their path, the presence leaving a trail for them to follow, for him specifically, a gentle touch of mana, the flutter of a Crow's wings.
He breathed in, took the time to carefully check if everyone of their little fellowship was still there before he made his next step, casting his own mana out to intertwine with his brother's and make the path laid out for them trailing with wispy swirls of gentle mist.
Sosiqui Illumin gritted his teeth and focused on staying with the other gods as time and space swept past them in strange succession. The beads on his clothing chimed softly, a music most unsuitable for the circumstances. The darkness was begging for Light, and he wrapped it gently around his companions, holding them together but not interfering with the mana flow he could sense from Underworld. Perri Indiya The Hunt focused on the hands in his, to the exclusion of everything else. He hated these in between places - too much like the Ashlands for
his liking. The other three had gotten him into this, and so he was sure they would get him home. Zero Dream They did not walk long before there was was finally light, and a familiar alleyway shown in front of them - and the black clad silhouette of... Adrian ?
No. Not anymore.
Nergal came out first - followed by Echo. When the goddess stepped out, however, it was just like if reality had crashed upon her and her alone - she collapsed onto her lover with a startled cry, only to be caught before she could hit the floor by the only one that had given it any thought that it would happen - the spirit guide.
"What...." Confused, the goddess finally noticed something - the wisps. The little lights. They... They where gone.
No.
No.
It couldn't be.
Not after all they've gone though, they couldn't....
But then, something darted into her field of vision. No, not gone. But there where less of them - three, now, slowly but surely taking different shades of color.
It was a quite telltale sign to those who knew the true nature of the little flames. Sosiqui Illumin stumbled out into the hallway after Nergal and Echo, infinitely relieved to feel genuine solid ground under his feet. No more traveling between worlds for a while, please... If they needed aid from Wellhaven, he would send Eliam to Julstecca's court. The Aoide would probably enjoy that-
Echo had fallen, he realized, and opened his mouth, then closed it. Hadn't there been more of the little lights before? He was quite sure of it. He stepped to one side, feeling awkward suddenly, not wanting to leave his companions without saying something, but not entirely sure what was going on. Perri Indiya Ea followed, worn and staring. As usual, he needed a nap. Thabara Nergal still was momentarily distracted, puzzling over Adrian's -no, Ankou's- changed appearance when he felt Echo's grip around his arm slacken, her fingers brushing against his back in an attempt to hold onto him when her legs simply gave in. What--
She was caught, albeit not by him, he noted with an irrational stab of jealousy. She seemed just as confused as he was, her expression full of fear and sorrow for a moment until the wisps darted into her field of vision.
Stronger now, burning so much brighter.
Oh.
"Is it time?" he asked gently, his concern plain to see as he knelt down beside her. "Do you know?"
He noticed the looks of his companions, confused and weary. So they hadn't noticed, all the time? But he felt he owed them an explanation now, now that they had returned and the Goddess would no longer be possibly seen as a hindrance. "She is.. with child," Underworld admitted awkwardly, his cheeks burning even though his blush thankfully didn't show anymore. "Children, actually," he corrected. "And as time seems to flow differently in Wellhaven than it does here.." He glanced at Adr-- Ankou with a questioning look, to see if he had guessed right. Zero Dream "I - I think it's fine." The goddess shifted to use him to get up once more, shaky on her feet but otherwise alright, through she seemed embarrassed by the sudden attention. "I apologize, I... I just did not want to be seen as a burden." She shook her head. ".....I... did not want to stay idle and hope someone else would fix everything so they could live.""From what I could see, time did not flow differently in the other place, but in-between. Time fluxes.... They are becoming more frequent." His face creased into a frown, worried eyes settling to the other runed door. Maybe he should have gone with them, if only to be able to perhaps do something from the other side if...
No, better not to think of that.
"...It look like you are all well, at least. I am glad." The god spared a strained smile - it seemed that something was weighting heavily on his mind. "How did it go ? There where two pieces, correct ?" Thabara He helped her up, slipping one hand around her waist so that she could lean against him comfortably as he got up himself.
"Two pieces, yes. A petrified mandrake root, and a--" Underworld interrupted himself for a moment to give his brother a slightly amused half-smile before he continued: "A ghost. A shaman at that."
He tilted his head slightly. Thoughtfully, concerned. "Four weeks.. What did we miss, what is the situation like? That last shift.. felt quite severe." Sosiqui "With... child?" Illumin blinked. Several times.
Oh.
"Er... congratulations?" he offered, after a moment. "Are you well? Do you need-" No, the only 'doctor' he knew was Pana, and who knew where she was. Fire might, but...
Flustered, he stepped back as Nergal moved to assist his lover. "It is good to see new life in such times?" Was anyone listening to him? He hardly wanted to listen to himself. What was it about little ones that sent him all a-fluster? Zero Dream Well, this was... awkward. Illumin seemed even more flustered than she was, and that was saying something right there - her cheeks still quite aflame with the sudden surge of attention. Apparently this was another reason why she had kept it secret beyond the more obvious one. "I should be fine." She made herself smile - maybe it would calm poor Light a little, too ? It could have been worse, really, even if initially coming out of there had felt like slamming head-first into a brick wall She leaned against her lover's touch, without really noticing it. "Thank you."Ankou, for his part, seemed to notice her embarrassment and was leaving the topic alone, through it probably helped that he had already known about the fact. "That.... should be all of them, then. Karaskis has returned with pieces of her own."
Four gods, marked by harp, sun, bone crown, and hunting knife come together with little stars, but stand there and don't do anything else.
As much as he loathed to do it... he had to tell them, even if he had no idea how and where to begin. "...A whole lot of things happened. More notably being... we seem to have figured out how to fix this, in a way... A prophecy from the fate stones from the old pantheon. Through it seems the consort is not a part of the solution that was found." But it wasn't useless. Couldn't be useless. They'd just put him back together once the crisis was adverted, and then...
...How in the name of all Creation where they supposed to put him back together ? He hadn't given that any thought, and he cursed inwardly. He did not need more complications right now !
"Most of the information is on a noticeboard in the lower rooms. I won't mind explaining everything to you all right now if you would all prefer it that way, but... I think you all need some rest, first." Tired and weary, both physically and mentally. He did not dare ask what had happened there, not now. "But other than that, the situation is... pretty bad." Lords, was that ever an understatement. There was one detail, at the very least, that he needed to mention now, and he sent a pointed glance at Nergal, his look almost haunted... and helpless, guilty, a far cry from how stoic he had been just prior.
"...Hell fell." Two simple words seemed too little to explain something that had done so much, but it was exactly what it was. "...Crashed in the mortal planes." Thabara "That is good news." He would have to see to it then, that a meeting with Karaskis could be arranged. They still needed to figure out how to make a whole of these fragments again, if it was possible at all. But as the bad news began to outweigh the good ones, his brows creased into a frown, which only deepened as his brother continued.
"So that was what I felt," Nergal murmured, more to himself than addressing anyone in particular.
'Hell moved,' the demon brat had told him back then, or rather, his host - and it made sense now, the boundaries between the planes must have been starting to crumble and become undone even back then. No small wonder that he had felt it, it had once been a-- no, not a part of him, but at the very least related.
He sighed, rubbing the side of his temple as he tried to wrap his mind around all he had heard. "For now, I think, we need some time to rest, even if ever so briefly. Then we can still catch up and figure out what action would be wisest to be taken next." Fate stones, prophecies.. As if the situation wasn't complex enough already. But it meant there was hope.
"Where will we find you?" he asked, directed to Illumin and Eamnonn, completely ignoring Light's apparent embarassment. "Will you stay within the Pantheon?" Communication, more than anything, was of importance in these dire times. Word needed to be sent out to Fire as well, about their return and their finds. Sosiqui Illumin listened to Ankou's words with a dawning horror, followed by anger. "Not part of the..."
So. So they, he had done this thing, worked so hard, unleashed the <******** End of Days and- it was... not part of the solution?!
"I see," he said, a cold snap that he knew Ankou didn't deserve - he was only the bearer of bad news, but he was too angry to care. He was trembling with sudden rage, his wings rattling against each other, and light flared irregularly in response to his ********> Aristogeiton-
The rest of Ankou's words passed him by entirely. He felt like screaming, like pounding on the walls, like crying.
"Thank you. I wish you well," he grated, directing that last at Echo. "My rooms are here, or at the Pharos Beacon. A lighthouse. If it yet stands." Thabara Nergal lowered his gaze at Illumin's apparent anger, avoiding to look at him directly. He could understand it, to some extent, though his motivation to search for the fragments of the consort's soul had never been the same as Light's - so the revelation didn't have quite as much of an impact on him.
And mostly, pretty much everything was much toned out by his concern for Echo and their children to be, right now.
"I will find you," he simply said. "The fragments, will they stay with me?" It seemed only reasonable as one of them was a ghost, and said ghost was rather unwilling to part from the root which had once been his. Certainly, he could asign that ghost to follow pretty much everyone else around, but neither Hunt nor Light would be overly pleased by that, he felt.
At Illumin's last words, he gave a questioning look at his brother. Their own house, did it still.. ? Zero Dream Where Illumin all but burst out in anger, Echo remained silent, through the look in her eyes seemed to speak volumes. That... had been all but nothing ? She might have been angry, too, if she had the energy to spare - instead, she just leaned on Nergal a bit more, as if seeking comfort.The coldness of Illumin's words did not seem to affect Ankou much, through his eyes seemed to soften a little. He could understand this - and had also expected something like this would happen, but he had thought better to let them know, instead of having them figure it out on their own. He could not think of anything to improve the situation, nor did he knew of the state of Light's dwelling, so he kept quiet.
When Nergal looked at him, he knew exactly what he meant - and, slowly, he shook his head. Well, it did - partially, but it was much, much too dangerous. He had been wondering on how to tackle that - he doubted the goddess would take it well. At least, he'd gotten the aoidei out... Thabara Nergal gave a small, subtle nod. After all the other bad news this one didn't come as a surprise, but still.. That place had - however briefly - been 'home'.
"You have rooms within the Pantheon as well, have you not?" he asked, directed at his brother. He'd rather not impose themselves on Light for lodging, most definitely not now, but Echo required a place to rest. Zero Dream "Yes." He nodded, sending one glance to Echo. She was pale, pale enough to apparently worry him a bit. "You should rest. All of you, actually."
He didn't admit it, but he felt... rather useless, right now. And actually sorry for them, that this did not hold as big of a piece in the grand scheme of things that they had thought.
"We'll be.... around, if any of you need us." The spirit guide turned, heading toward his rooms with a nod of respect to the still-upset Illumin and Ea.
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