[METAPLOT] Awakening Spirits (Squires' Finale - Part 3)

[Teigra]

Eligor seemed a bit troubled and seemed to step back a bit from the conversation. He'd cast his attention back to their initial briefing. It felt so long ago now, with all that had happened already. Had they been given names? Had he forgotten? He was normally so detail oriented, it was more than just troubling. This place seemed to have a way to mess with your head; was that it? No, he couldn't recall names. He remembered the briefing had been quick and to the point only. 'Two of the Guardians' faithful had been taken while on a mission, along with their own Knight Lord Andrei.' That's what he recalled.

Why had none of them asked for further details? He supposed they'd assumed if they were with Andrei...but now, if they'd been separated...

Eligor tried to push the anxious feeling aside for now. They were finally making what seemed like progress. Focus on that. Focus on the facts, on the here and now, and where to go from here.

'Twisted woman?' He'd latched onto the same detail as Alethea. That was curious...who was this twisted woman? Or what? Considering Kurt seemed to be speaking in riddles from time to time, he could be talking about anything. "We've already had our encounter with a few of those tainted beasts," he quipped.

He was eager to listen to the response to Alethea's question, but he'd also noted a distinct response from Cria to his earlier questions. Focusing on the younger of the two, Eligor pushed again. "Do you remember something? Something about Lord Andrei? Just nod or shake your head for now. I promise, we'll let you both free when your minds are more at ease, but for now, just 'yes' and 'no' is fine." Hmm, he needed to space the questions out, make sure he got a distinct answer for each. "First, do you know Lord Andrei? Yes or no. Second, do you know where he is or what happened to him?"


Meanwhile, Lailah was taking turns keeping a watch on the hall beyond the door with Katya. One of them would peer through and down the hall for any signs of trouble, then they would alternate to rest and keep their senses alert. It was during one of these rests while Lailah was watching the others progress with the healing/cleansing/interrogation when she noticed something odd. It wasn't well lit in the room by any means, but her eyes had adjusted to the dimness long ago, and though she was supposed to be resting her eyes while Katya watched the hall, she had trouble turning off the sense to track even the slightest change or movement. For just a moment, she could have sworn the room had grown darker, the shadows fuller, very similar to the effect on a room when she was charging her Light Grenade. Similar, and yet not. Almost as if instead there had been more shadows in the room for a moment...with nothing discernible casting them. Then, they were gone.

Without directing the question to anyone in particular, she voiced quietly in the lull of conversation, "Did anyone else see that? The shadows, I mean. That wasn't me, by the way."
 

[EvilSilverDragon]

Hostility started to drain from his face, for the first time a soft look was offered. With attentions on the young female, urge reappearing to protect, he tried to answer. Jerking his injured as he attempted to reach out in order to motion only to be remind that he was unable.

For a few moments he struggled anew before giving a disappointed sigh. Alethea received the patient father tone, “Taint is water, we are in the ocean drowning. Cannot dry, cannot clean it awhile in it.” Lecturing something he’d told her a thousand times about the Dragnid, about staying away from it. Loving as he was, it was hard not to be disappointed that she was even here.
Blinking away something swirling in the fog, he answered, “Demon and angel. Feathered wing on one and leathered wing on another. Seen before?” His words trailed off and back to the days as a child. It seemed at once he’d seen someone like that but her youth belayed that thought.

Something foggy almost there then gone again. “Vicious, questions questions questions. Not a fan of alpaca.” Really how could anyone hate alpaca? That was a mark against her along with her evil.

Focused on the girl failed to notice Cria was getting unwanted attention. Only the voice of another female brought anything to attention. That received an offhanded, “Shadows play here.” Another move to his abused limbs jarred him again only caused gritted teeth and mental distraction.
 

[Menelie]

Dante had taken a keen interest in his fellow mute, and since Alethea had so cheerfully volunteered to attend to the one called Kurt, he directed his attention toward the other. Kurt kept insisting his name was Cria...but it triggered a memory in Dante, from one of the many books he had read in his free time: a cria was a word for a baby alpaca, which Kurt seemed obsessed with. As the other had no way (that they'd found) to communicate his true name, Dante was left to assume that Kurt had made something up. It made sense--if they'd been stuck together for so long, with only one another for companionship, he would've had to call him something.

He listened to Eligor's questions and to "Cria"'s responses. It was a shame he couldn't read or write...that would have made a quick and easy solution. Dante was, however, encouraged by the little shrug he'd given when asked about hand signals, and wondered if they could find some commonality between their sign languages. It was clear that he was deeply mistrustful of the group, which Dante could appreciate given what the pair had been through. He hoped that with healing, and by trying earnestly to communicate, that he'd begin to open up a little more. What really intrigued Dante about this conversation, however, was the nod at the end. Maybe he had some magic to communicate, but was reluctant to use it?

Guardians, he had to do something. He sat on the ground, across from his fellow mute. He gave a little wave and offered a smile. "I am Dante," he signed slowly, deliberately. "I don't speak, use hand signs."

He heard Alethea's question from behind him. "Have paper, he doesn't read," he signed to her, over his head. He kept his focus on the youth in front of him. "You use hand signs?" he signed to him. He hoped that he could gain enough trust with him so that he'd let him heal him, maybe even Cleanse him.  

[Guardian_Iris]

The Sacred Spirit Pillar has been destroyed! The squires have unleashed death upon the peaceful island!

Try as they might, the squires have been unsuccessful at removing the Taint from the two pae that they came to rescue. Kurt's and "Cria's" exposure was worse than anyone expected. The teens are stronger than the average pae, but they simply couldn't cleanse them properly. In spite of it all, they were able to cleanse enough to gain cooperation from Kurt. Cria on the other hand was simply too complicated. As a group, they decided it was best to just carry him the rest of the way instead of fighting him until the Guardians could rescue them all. "Cria" was knocked out and Kurt was instructed to carry him because the teenage squires were not physically strong enough to bare the weight of a full-grown man.

As the group leader, Genesis has instructed the squires to pack up and get ready to move ahead.


((End of this Chapter. Next prompt to follow.))