Welcome to Gaia! ::

It was hard to tell over the cacaphony of all the new attacks clanging against her, and the shrill sound of hunters and students alike as they beat her down, but if someone was listening for it, they would realize that all of the voices in the wind had stopped. The voices in Siddie's head silenced at once, just as all of the whispers and cries that had echoed their melancholy through the air, did. All sound was extinguished from the fog, save one.

The chimes remained.

They could hear the soft lap of water around and under them, the whisper of leaves and petals on the wind (scented, ever so slightly, with flowers). A distant chime came from a far-off pavilion, and while they could hear others talking, they were far enough away that their words blended together and became indistinguishable. They started moving again, gently moving along to the next pavilion along the series of bridges. This one was the source of the chiming sound they had heard earlier; the eaves were edged with tiny metal tubes of varying lengths, that spun and waved in the wind. Every breath of air was constant music.

The scene shifted, and then faded away, as did the fog that created it. When everyone could see where they were again, the monster blocking the portal was gone, and all that was left was a simple ghoul, a mindflayer, barely managing to stand on solid ground. The silver still covered her entire body, but her eyes were white, and bloodshot. She looked as though she would keel over any minute, but she didn't. Instead, she started walking.

Every step looked like it hurt. She stumbled, but she did not fall. She kept walking, through the tumult of hunters fighting students, ignoring all of the chaos around her. She walked right through them, but her steps were slowing, as if they were getting heavier. Finally, she reached her destination, through sheer force of will. There was a splash of red on the floor, nearly unconscious from being killed over, and over again. Riley reached down, gathered Malodore up in her arms, and slowly, ever so slowly, her tentacles started to wrap around it, too.

Her movements became slower, and slower, until it was clear why she was slowing down. Her legs had already turned to stone from the moment she'd made it to the plague doctor, and now, her arms were hard and solid as well. Her tentacles writhed, slower, slower.. and then they, too, stopped.

The crackle of stone creeped up her neck, even as she dipped her head down and pressed it against Malodore's forehead, her eyes flashing blue just once before they closed, and turned to stone as well.

A single thought carried in the chimes, meant for some, but heard by all. I'm sorry, it floated gently into the mind. Once the words faded, however, so did the chimes, and the fog. Riley was a solid statue of stone, cold and unmoving, using her final moments of strength to curl her body around her beloved and be it's shield one last time.