Abysmal Souls: Chapter 2

[Shin]

Aurelio

"He was with the soldier girl earlier. Let's make our way to the gate, he's probably waiting there."

He pulled Elune along, not wanting to give her the chance to escape. He beckoned the two girls, quickly making his way to the gate. To his surprise, he only saw Ormis.

"Eh? Where's Grant?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Hah... Yeah, I guess." Her words were surprisingly kind. He really hadn't imagined Riya to say something like that, but he rolled with it. The words sounded true, so he'd believe her. "I still wish I hadn't done this. I'd be able to help you look for work, instead of lay on my ass all day, ha ha." He could at least joke about it. That'd cheer him up. Making sure to keep off of that ankle, as much as possible, he wobbled his way with Riya towards the town. A bed would be nice to relax on for a while, though.

-----

"There's all kinds of weirdos out here, just waiting for a chance to prey on unsuspecting fools!"

"Yeah, like you!" She snarled back at him. His teeth didn't help her trust of him at all. She felt like he wanted to do more than 'help' her, what with how he was staring at her. She knew her body was... attractive, and people had tried to take advantage of her in the past. Of course, this is how she thought he was looking at her. "I suppose it is weird. Maybe you should let me get back to following them, so I can find out why they are." She wanted to get away from him, and she started moving back from him slowly, her scowl ever vigilant.

[Jaybee]

The magic was working its way up Elune's arm, but she nearly rejected it. After all, it was coming from one of them, one whom she'd hated for more than half her life.

"Thanks..." she muttered. She tried to move her right arm properly, yet it still hurt a lot inside. Elune was thankful she'd learnt how to use a crossbow; she wouldn't need both hands for that, though now a knife would be useless.

Then, she heard the sound of blades smashing against each other, and she knew another battle was starting nearby. "Dammit, dammit, dammit! Where's that damn crossbow... Unngh..." The world started to spin and fade to black. Elune tried to find a wall to lean her body against, but it was too late.

She collapsed onto the floor.

[Shin]

Aurelio

The first thing he knew of Elune's collapse was when she hit the ground. He'd had it, he couldn't waste any more time. He called to Ormis as he ran off;

"If she doesn't wake up in a couple of minutes leave her for the guards. I'm not willing to hang around for a killer we've only just met."

He continued running, eventually hearing the same clashes Grant had before him. There was a fight, an incredibly quick one at that. The only person in the group with that sort of speed was Lucretia. Considering it sounded pretty even, her opponent must have had similar speed.

"The witch can wait, I really don't like the sound of this..." he thought to himself, hurrying as if his own life were at stake.

----------------------------------------

Ken

(nothing of interest)

[ReformBlade]

"Something tells me that you'd rather be on your ass all day, ha ha." Carrion replied mirthfully. "Look, please don't fret, alright? Like you said earlier, we both need to cool off, right? Perfect chance. Plus, you've GOT to be tired from yesterday and everything that happened. Sleeping late and waking early can't be good for your system in the long run so just... go with it, OK? Anyway..." She sighed. The city was a bit big, though not as big as Saphine. "Looking for work isn't a two person job, nor is it exciting. I kind of envy you, but hey, someone has to put food on the table."

Grant wondered what the sounds were and then... he found out. Two women were locked in a heated battle, neither giving any quarter to the other. Wait a minute... one of them looks like... "Lucretia!" he shouted, not trying to interrupt concentration and more out of surprise.

Ignatius felt slighted, so he made a whining noise. "You wound me, dear! Though I admit I'm not new to this behavior, many find me... 'special' that way. If I didn't know any better, most people only see me on the outside and judge from there!" Hunching down to a crouch, he continued, "But like you said, you want to get back to finding those two humans, right? Let's both give them a warm welcome to Shuthra!" He said, bounding off on all fours following the scent the two left.

[Caliban of Sycorax]

"Lucretia!" She heard Grant call out to her as she parried another strike from her mother. The blow sent her backwards slightly.

Damn, I'm starting to feel tired. At any rate, that means she's getting tired too. Lucretia thrust her blades forward again, which was met with a parry from Anastasia. She wanted to address Grant, but she was too busy trying to keep up with Anastasia's strikes. One of the attacks had Senso leave a gash on Lucretia's arm.

"Aah!" She screamed out as she felt the sharp blade cut her arm. The cut certainly wasn't the deepest she'd ever faced, but she knew she was slowing down.

No time to look at it. If I can move my arm... She thrust her swords towards Anastasia, this time leaving a cut on her leg.

Anastasia took to a knee for a moment, her leg now cut and bleeding. "Damn." She said to herself. She stood, ignoring the pain as best as possible, and began the strikes anew. Both women had now slowed down considerably from the beginning of their fight.

Just a little longer, hopefully, I feel like my body is on fire... Lucretia drew her swords up over her face to prevent a strike from Anastasia.

I cannot lose. My revenge must be complete... With another blow parried, Anastasia thrust her blades downwards at Lucretia's unprotected legs.

[Nanami Touko]

"You could always get me some sort of crutch to help you out. I don't want to be a liability here." There was no getting out of being a liability, but he could try. "If anyone deserves a rest, it's you. Using up your mana like you did, having to deal with me, having to deal with me some more..." he kind of laughed at that, as he was the source of most of her problems. "If you really insist on me laying down for a few days, I will. I can't really argue it, either way, heh." I wish I could, though. I really do.

-----

"Trust me, I'll wound you if you don't back off." She took a stance as he crouched, afraid he was going to lunge at her, but he bounded past her and down the mountain, making her even more curious; making her even more worried. "I don't want to have to run into that guy again... Geez." She was all flustered by her little encounter with the wolf, not sure what to make of it. The only thing she could really do was chase after him. He was going in the direction she assumed the pair had gone, so there was no other option.

[ReformBlade]

"You'd be surprised how easily mana comes back, especially in an environment like this. Even after that big exertion, I'm feeling great now! It comes back so easily, but once it's out, you can feel it, lemme tell ya..." And then he went and berated himself again, making her slightly angry. "Why do you keep beating yourself up like that? It's getting annoying. If I thought you were too much effort to put up with, I would've left you back there when we first met. Dead and alone. Granted, I didn't know what I was getting into when I brought you back, but I'm sure as hell not regretting it, alright? You show from what I've seen a genuine interest in my well being. Only like... a few people in this whole damn world give a damn about me, so I'm not about to go abandoning one right in front of me, OK? Just..." Carrion stopped before her emotions got the better of her. "Stop acting like you're hindering me in any fashion. I'm helping you because I want to help you. End of story."

What the fuck? Lucretia and this other woman were fighting?! That's all Grant needed to see. Without a care for his own being in the world, he charged at the newcomer. Injuring an ally of Grant usually costed people. Usually with their lives...

Ignatius was pretty fast for a being of his size and age, easily closing the distance on the humans. From atop the cliff edge, he spotted the two. "Oh what's this...? One of them is injured! This will not do, that is a terrible way to be welcomed to Shuthra!" He bounded off again, running down the side of the mountain and running right in front of the two, face inches away from Carrion's suddenly. "And what brings you two to the great land of Shuthra? Traversing that mountain, no less" Carrion, caught by surprise, froze in place. The last thing she needed was to accidentally injure a Shuthran local upon entering.

[Sakusa]

As soon as Elune collapsed, Lucinda was there to support her. She painfully dragged her over to the town gate wall and set her down. Poor dear.

~*~*~*~*~*~

The man darted off without answering Seilynda's question. Worried that something was amiss, she ran after him, to find two women locked in combat and Grant... charging at them? "H-Hey! Be careful!"

[Caliban of Sycorax]

"Grant!" Lucretia yelled to him. "Grant, let it go! This is my fight!"

Anastasia saw the man run towards her. She barely sidestepped from the charge. "Listen to the girl. This is our fight." She pointed her swords at him. "After I kill her, I will kill you next. You can wait."

"Leave him!" Lucretia thrust Samadhi into Anastasia's shoulder. She screamed in pain.

"BITCH!" Anastasia dropped Senso, which was in her right hand. She could no longer feel her right arm. Instead she used her left arm and parried another attack from Lucretia.

"This is our fight, mother! You and me!" She spun out of the way of another strike from Anastasia.

Seizing an opportunity, Anastasia thrust her remaining sword toward Lucretia's arm. It connected, leaving another gash in the arm. Lucretia yelled out in pain and dropped Adyta to the ground, that arm in too much pain to continue.

The ground was covered in footprints and blood. Both women were injured and in pain, and only had one sword left.

[Shin]

Aurelio

After following the clashes, Aurelio was met by the sight of two dueling women. One being Lucretia, although he wasn't quite sure who the other one was. Whoever it was, they were exceptional, she was probably Miyan as well. He had arrived just in time to see Grant's charge.

"Lucretia! What on earth's happening?" he shouted, Lucretia didn't seem the kind to start a fight, how did this happen?

"Grant! Grant, let it go! This is my fight!"

He saw how Grant was quickly cast aside, Lucretia's opponent was serious business. It also seemed that she didn't want anyone to interfere. He hated the idea of doing nothing, but he couldn't go barging in.

"Lucretia! You better win this! If you don't, I'm having a crack at her!"

Hopefully he wouldn't have to, but he wasn't going to let it go too far.

--------------------------------------

Ken

(Still zilch)

[Jaybee]

When Elune woke up, it was almost as though she was about to faint again. Her head was spinning, she felt weak, and she had a sudden urge to throw up. She slowly pulled herself into a standing position, bent over and vomited.

"What... happened...?" Elune bent her head down again and saw the two bandages tied around her wounds earlier. Both were nearly completely soaked in blood, though there didn't seem to be any wounds left. So that's what it was... Blood loss... She slowly pulled herself over to where the Lusharian healer was, sat down and hung her head between her legs, slowly taking in deep breaths. She ignored the sounds of the swords in the background, knowing she wouldn't be able to participate in whatever that was.

[Nanami Touko]

"I know, I know, and I really should stop hating on myself, but, I can't help it. I'm glad I can be here for ya, but other than that, I do feel useless. I can't really hold myself in a fight, and I'm not some kind of genius. I'm really... generic, you know? Ha ha." He couldn't help but find his wording a little funny, but he did feel that way. "I'll stop, because I don't want to upset you anymore than I already have. Still wish I could bring a little more to the table, as a matter of speaking." Suddenly, Riya stopped moving, though Adrian had been looking down the entire time. He, of course, then heard a hefty voice, and looked up. "Aahhh!" He almost sprawled back onto his ass, but he couldn't fall completely, being held up by Riya. What the hell?! I know Anri are beast people, but this... man, is a complete wolf!

-----

I guess I wouldn't have been able to outrun him, Amera thought to herself, as he easily outran her and rushed down the mountain. She'd made it to the top of the hill by the time this wolf had 'greeted' the pair, squinting her eyes down at the three of them. "Grrrr!" She jumped down the hill after the lot of them, sliding down faster than most would consider safe. She leaped off, landing on her feet with a loud thud, instead of rolling, ending up only ten feet away from the group. "Leave 'em alone, you wolf!"

[CT075]

Ormis

"Oh, so you're awake, are you?"

Ormis wasn't feeling particularly charitable to this woman right now, and was showing it. "Seems that you've been left to my care. So don't try anything funny with that crossbow of yours unless you want another shoulder wound to patch up."

[ReformBlade]

"We're... here to seek out answers, sir..." She answered honestly, but the whole truth wasn't necessary in her eyes. "Is there something you need? A-As you can tell, I need to get this man to the city so he can get some rest for his sprained ankle. I don't want any trouble..." Carrion spat out, hardly hiding her feelings.

"Answers, you say? Answers to what? Life? The Universe? The existence of we Anri? Oh how I love seeking answers! You know, this one ti-"

"Leave 'em alone, you wolf!"

Ignatius' eyes narrowed and glowed brighter as he bared his teeth, leaping over the duo to land in front of the newcomer. "Who are you, child, who dares to order around an Original? Who are you, child, who thinks she knows right from wrong so easily? I ask you again, Who are you, child?" He did not take too kindly to being ordered around by a mere pup comparatively. While he knew she'd give him a decent fight, he did not look kindly upon killing reckless ones. After all, why kill them when you could educate them?

Carrion barely moved from where she was, only able to look over her shoulder as Amera came near. She couldn't risk attacking at all, fearing for Adrian's safety.

---

Grant Cursed his sloppiness. Lucretia yelled at him to not intervene, and yet, his morality said to intervene. Was his honor worth more to him than her honor was to hers? Simply put, Grant could not answer that question...

[Jaybee]

How long will this last... I heard something a few years ago, something about... weeks? Dammit...

"So don't try anything funny with that crossbow of yours unless you want another shoulder wound to patch up."

This boy was a total joke. "Do I LOOK like I could hurt you like this? And why aren't you... wherever that battle is?"

[CT075]

Ormis

"Because I really don't feel like getting in the middle of a duel, ESPECIALLY when both fighters are using swords that look like they could slice mine in half. But I could drag YOU in there if you'd like."

Ormis was annoyed. As it so happened, he hadn't noticed the sound of swords smashing each other until the assassin had pointed it out. On the other hand, crashes that loud could only mean that it was Lucretia, judging by her prowess against the Frost Chameleons. And the other... who could it be? Now that he'd said what he did, he immediately regretted it. He'd like nothing more than to jump in the middle of a fight against a master swordfighter, and to defeat her would bring him unmatched fame. But Grant had asked him to watch this... wreck of an assassin, and something about the look in his eyes told Ormis not to even think about disobeying it. So instead he contented himself by cleaning his sword.

Teis

Teis stood in a shadowed corner, ready to intervene if either of the dueling swordswomen were to attack Grant or the other spectators. They both displayed incredible swordsmanship, possibly unmatched in all of Sapphire. If nothing else, they would make a worth opponent for his axe.

I wonder if...

[Sakusa]

"Ormis, now is not the time for threats!" Lucinda scolded and stroked Elune's back, hoping to alleviate her nauseousness. "Calm down, dear. Unnecessary anger won't help anyone, and especially not yourself. Please, sit down and don't overexert yourself. You must cherish the life the Goddess has given you and put it to good use, and that means taking good care of yourself. Throwing it away would not only be the greatest disrespect to her, but to yourself."

~*~*~*~*~*~

Seilynda looked back and forth unsure of what to do. As much as she wanted to intervene, she knew she would get sliced in half if she did. "Aren't they mother and daughter? They shouldn't be fighting! Aren't families supposed to be... warm and happy? Why would any mother want to kill her own flesh and blood...?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Yeah... that's all, really." It wasn't the whole truth, but it was part of it, and Adrian would rather tell a half truth than a full lie to this intimidating figure. Hearing a female voice from behind, he couldn't exactly crane his neck to see who it was. She sounded like she was rather annoyed at this wolf, but it gave him an idea, albeit a bad one. "Riya" he whispered, "why aren't we walking away whilst she distracts him?"

-----

"An Original? No, no, no, an Original wouldn't be skulking around the mountains like that, waiting to jump down and surprise helpless girls, or stop two travelers from entering the country when one looks to be injured!" She was getting fed up with this man, but as much as she protested, he had to be one. She new that the Originals looked closest to their animal, and that they would be more eloquent than other Anri, and his speech was matching such. "I am Amera, and I am here to find out why that woman is running away from Grant and his friends!" The cat was out of the bag, so to speak, but she was serious in her endeavor.

-----

Adrian jumped a little, cringing because he'd hurt his ankle doing such. How the hell...? Where did Grant find an Anri to help him?!

Edited June 15, 2011 by seph1212

[CT075]

Ormis

Ormis could wait no longer, especially not with this infuriating assassin and the religious girl continually bothering him.

"Alright. Fuck this." He started out. "Hey, you, guard! Come watch her, tell Grant I'm going on ahead!"

With that, he ran off, making sure not to drop his sword again. Before long, he was at a mountain that had obviously been climbed, as there were little piles of displaced gravel as well as footprints in the snow on each little ledge. Ormis wasted no time in following them.

[Caliban of Sycorax]

Both women realized they had an audience at this point. Although Lucretia recognized Grant and Aurelio, the others were a mystery to her. Anastasia, on the other hand, knew who none of these people were.

"Lucretia! You better win this! If you don't, I'm having a crack at her!" Lucretia heard Aurelio call out to her. Aurelio, you don't want to fight her. She'll kill you, and I don't want that to happen. To you, or Grant, or anyone else... She threw herself forward towards Anastasia another time only to be met with a block.

"Give it up, Lucretia. You can't win." Anastasia taunted her more, although she knew her chances of winning were just as slim as Lucretia's.

"Aren't they mother and daughter? They shouldn't be fighting! Aren't families supposed to be... warm and happy? Why would any mother want to kill her own flesh and blood...?" Lucretia heard one of the strangers. She forced herself to not laugh at the girl's almost stupid question. Why would any mother want to kill her own flesh and blood? She's already killed everyone else, why not kill me too?

Anastasia also heard the girl, and, like Lucretia, had to force herself to not laugh. She is no family to me. My family died ages ago. She is only my final target. If I kill her...

Anastasia and Lucretia continued their duel, ignoring the others. They clashed swords again and again, sweat pouring down every inch of their body. One particular clash separated them a distance. Both women were tired and at the end of their rope. They both thought about their final blow.

This is it...

One more name...

I can bury this memory forever...

I can redeem myself...

They both ran towards each other as fast as possible, swords locked and ready to attack. As they ran, snow flew upwards alongside the snow that was still falling.

They froze as they clashed finally, locked in an embrace. The snow that they kicked up blocked them from view. Nobody viewing could see what happened, if one had stabbed the other or if they both stabbed each other. Blood dripped onto the ground from the space between their bodies, but it was impossible to tell from which woman it came from.

---

((SUSPENSE! Who killed who?! FIND OUT NEXT POST!))

Edited June 15, 2011 by Gaius Julius Caesar

[ReformBlade]

"You want to know why I'm running...?" She could of lied and been on her way about this, but she was so goddamn tired of running at this point, and her tone reflected as such. "That 'man' wants nothing more than to bathe in my blood, you can hear it in how he talks about me. I know you've heard what I'm talking about if you really know Grant... But you wanna know the kicker? He thinks I'm just about the worst thing on this damned world, and that I have no right to live I'll bet. He doesn't know a damn thing, and neither do you. I suggest you either back the fuck off and get yourself out of this, or if you're just going to run back and tell him where I am that you make peace with whatever god you worship, because I will end you." She said not out of hatred, but out of a sense of duty. "People so easily blame one person for everything, and that person is me. Why? Because I hold power that they don't, nothing more. If they even knew what I do and why I do it, damn, this might almost be a pleasant world! But I digress, if you want to fight me out of some false sense of saving the world, I will never yield to you, I will hunt you down, and I will make you pay. I swear to god, if you take from me my happiness one more time, I WILL become the witch you people go on and on about, do you understand?!" She was just yelling at this point, yelling at Amera and the world, and yet, her words carried a hint of sadness as she said them.

Ignatius cocked his head towards Carrion, "You... are the famed Witch? Ohoho... there is so much I need to ask you that I never got to the last time you and I talked!" And then it hit Carrion. "... Ignatius?! Oh wooow! I seriously thought- How did you make it out?! there was fire everywhere, sorry about that, but seriously, how?!" The wolf shook his head in dismay, "You severely underestimate my tolerance for pain, child. You think me afraid of your magic simply because I cannot use it? Ha! Again I say, ha!" He turned back to Amera, his face almost smiling. "You called yourself helpless... why? You are an Anri, are you not, child?" he questioned not expecting an answer since it was obvious. "Even if you are smaller than me, surely you are more agile! But I will not press this point. I applaud you for being humble, but I greatly dislike your recklessness! There is nothing worse in my eyes than watching a young pup throw themselves to their own death, their lives, wasted and worthless. Do NOT be this way, child! It is sad for everyone

[Nanami Touko]

"I don't want to fight you!" She yelled back at Carrion, her explanation finally finished, leaving Amera feeling a bit better about having run ahead of everyone. "Grant keeps going on about how you threatened to kill his family, and I was trying to convince everyone to talk to you first. I don't want to fight! I think this whole mess is just stupid, and that there's no real reason for him to be chasing you, from what I heard. Ormis, though..." Her voice got a bit quieter, as his reason seemed more concrete. "... Either way I'm not here to fight, just to talk, okay?" The sad tone near the end of what the witch was saying was confusing, as Amera had thought it would have been more apparent throughout all of what she was saying. It did seem like an extremely sad life. She then turned to the wolf, who had begun to annoy her less, though she still didn't trust him. "I've never had any good experience with you wolves, so I'm sorry if I don't trust you entirely." She looked away and crossed her arms, embarrassed but not blushing, since she was more annoyed at the situation than herself.

-----

Adrian didn't really get any of what was going on, but he was glad to know that everyone with Grant wasn't some brainless lackey that followed his every order. The girl mentioned Ormis, and he thought to himself for a second. That's... that's right. Apparently Riya killed his parents... I can see why he'd want revenge, then... Damn. He didn't want to fight someone he considered a friend, even if they were trying to kill him as well. "Uhm... if you're all finished talking, can we get into town? My ankle's not just going to magically unsprain itself, here.

[CT075]

Ormis

Ormis ran up the mountain as fast as he could, and was quite out of breath by the time he reached a point where the trail grew less certain. At this point, there was enough snow falling that he could no longer reliably read the traces that had led him thus far. As it so happened, he was at the top of the hill, and at a point where he could hear very many sounds from down below. He heard voices. It wasn't clear enough for him to make out exactly what they were saying, but he could definitely hear Scarlet. And... Amera? Hm... as well as some deep, gutteral voice that sounded like a werewolf.

"What in the blazes..."

Teis

Teis had grown bored with the fight, and had left in the middle of the dialogue exchange. To his surprise and very much to his chagrin, he found that the boy had left, presumably after the witch.

"That conniving little-"

But there was no point in being angry over it, only in chasing after him. He ran, following Ormis's footsteps, still fresh in the snow.

Edited June 15, 2011 by Camtech075

[Jaybee]

The hotheaded boy was running off towards the mountains... was that where these guys were headed? It didn't matter to her for now, at least. She pulled herself up and asked the guard for some water, hoping it would help her feel better.

---

"Hah hah hah! That was a good joke, my friend!" Danyon was nearly drunk, but he didn't really care. "Well, I must be off. Thank you, good sir."

How long have I been doing this travelling? A year? It's still pretty damn fun, at least. He got onto his beautiful white horse, and rode away from Lazarynth. Maybe he'd go to Reinhaldt to experience the Sapphire winter, or to Krianri to see the capital. He didn't really care.