Abysmal Souls: Chapter 3 and 4 (surprise)

[ReformBlade]

Carrion awoke to the sun shining in her eyes slightly, annoyed. She groaned and turned herself over onto Adrian. She tried going back to sleep, but she couldn't, so she got up off the bed and Adrian, stretching. She was alive, that was a good sign. Maybe the cat Anri was trustworthy after all. She looked at the kid, sleeping peacefully. Does he really mean what he said last night? Can he be there for me all the time? The obvious answer was no, and it was just inevitability, but... there was always leniency if a person legitimately tried to do so, in her mind. Shaking her head slightly to switch tracks, she saw that the container was filled just with water now, not really helping his ankle anymore at this point. So, being as careful as she could, she gently and slowly lifted his ankle out of the water and onto the bed, softly. After that, she simply waited for him to wake up, but before that, she pulled out her tome and began to read it, trying to decipher the last few pages it had, something she still had trouble with to this day.

---

Grant and Lucinda were both hauled off to the nearby town of Varthas, where they were greeted by two other travelers. The man claimed to have watched the fight from afar, and wanted to see Grant and buy him a drink, however... he saw that the man was missing a leg and very much not cognizant of anything around him, so the man apologized and went away, along with the woman he was with. The group got Grant a room for him to rest in for the night, the innkeeper extremely gracious of the man for 'defending the village of Varthas from that horrid beast'. The group ran with it and got free rooms for it. Morning came much too quickly for the travelers, weary as they were from the dilemma, Grant still completely out of it, though not twitching nearly as badly as before, and with his armor off he was able to breath much more easily now.

Edited August 3, 2011 by SlaveKitty

[CT075]

Ormis

Ormis woke up suddenly, trying to keep quiet. He was about to see if he could get the door open without waking up Amera (fat chance) when he started hacking, this time actually splattering blood all over the floor.

"Guh... God... goddammit..."

He drew his sword, and started whacking at the door with it. No point in waiting for the Anri to wake up. Ormis threw silence to the wind and started trying to force the door open by any means possible. It was a old, thick door, easy to kick down but not very easy to cut open. The boy had considered trying to kick it, but decided not to, since both his cloak and the walls of the room had large splotches of blood on them and that kind of physical exertion would only make them larger and more numerous. He periodically had to set his sword down and lean against the wall to spit out some blood. Ormis could almost feel himself growing weaker.

"G-gack... Dammit..."

Teis

Teis woke up as dawn was breaking. It had been a restless night, as his dreams had all be haunted by a mysterious figure in dark robes, bright crimson flames burning along each fold. Taking this as a sign that the Witch did hold the answers he sought, he took out his axe.

I promised that girl I'd wait for another two hours, didn't I...?

Edited June 18, 2011 by Camtech075

[Sakusa]

Seilynda refused to leave Grant's side when they finally reached civilization. She was overprotective to the point where she yelled at a stranger, telling him to leave Grant alone, even though all he wanted to do was buy him a drink for his feat. She demanded to look after him once they reached the inn and set him in a room. The guard felt guilty to the core for what happened, and she believed it was completely her fault about the possibility that he couldn't work as a mercenary anymore. Though she was determined to stay up all night to make sure Grant was okay, refusing to leave his bedside, fatigue got the better of her, and she eventually slumped over and fell asleep. Even when morning came, the girl was running on so little sleep that even if someone attempted to shake her awake, she wouldn't budge.

Lucinda was in a deep sleep as well, though the cause for her slumber was different. The spells worn her out, and sent her into a kind of comatose state, though there was no way she could've been aware of it. For an indefinite amount of time, she felt like she was burning and freezing while drowning in a viscous fluid in the darkness. Small golden lights would penetrate this darkness and offer a glimmer of hope, only to fade away moments later. Eventually, these lights gathered and dispelled the darkness and revealed an angelic looking woman with flowing blue hair and sparkling violet eyes. A golden, jeweled diadem rested in her hair, and she was dressed in an airy-looking pink gown adorned with brilliant white feathers. The maiden opened her mouth to speak, but no words would come out. The woman smiled and waited patiently for her to find her voice. "M-My... G-Godd...ess..." she uttered, awestruck.

"Yes, it is I, my child."

She cleared her throat. "Goddess, it is an honor. Words cannot express the joy I have that you would appear before this most undeserving servant."

"Ah, Lucinda, you have always been a most devoted child. Such devotion shall not be go unnoticed. I appear before you, because you cannot complete your trial without my guidance."

"My trial... Goddess?"

"My child, you exhausted your mana, your life force, when performing the ritual for the child named Grant. Those who have exhausted their mana reserves return as a shadow of their former selves; they return as virtually soulless beings. Only those with faith and perseverance will return intact. Are you ready to begin your trial?"

"Yes, my Goddess."

Edited June 18, 2011 by Rathian

[Shin]

Aurelio

Aurelio had kept quiet about the "axe wielding meathead" part. Well, it wasn't like he could retaliate if she had fallen unconscious. She had been doing some freaky stuff to that dragon. He had also arrived at Varthas, accompanied by Elune and the sleeping Lucretia. Sadly, not being part of the fight, he wasn't offered anything by the travelers, so he'd have to find funds from somewhere. Elune didn't seem terribly intent on sharing, so he couldn't have asked her. In the end, he had to sell the horse he had "acquired" for an abysmal price. It seems the buyer knew how desperate he was. Thankfully Lucinda wasn't around to see his act of grey morality, she'd have killed him He couldn't leave Lucretia in the cold, and no inn keeper would take them in for free. Two rooms were all he could afford. Simple enough, one for him, one for the ladies.

He noticed Seilynda with Grant on the way in, but after seeing how moody Seilynda was, he decided to let them be until morning. Having a minimal amount to eat, he carried Lucretia up to her room - assisted by a grumbling Elune. Once they got there he asked;

"Yo, Elune. That's you're name right? Could you keep an eye on her, just to make sure she's alright?"

She made some smart remark about being in the same room but he let it slide, they were all tired. They turned in for the night, after what was essentially a day long game of chase.

In the morning, he got up and inquired to which was Grant's room. After explaining that he was a friend, the innkeeper was happy to point him in the right direction. He went up to Grant's room and knocked on the door;

"Grant. Is that you in there?"

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

Ken - Much Anticipated Arrival

He had got himself hopelessly lost, the compass had decided that the mountains were north regardless of his position. There had bee nowhere to stop during the night, he didn't want to be eaten by wild animals. The most he could do was keep on traveling. Thankfully the terrain near the lake was pretty easy to transverse, the mountains starting a good hundred metres away from it. He had probably fallen asleep a couple of times, his horse just lead the wagon onwards. By time morning had come, he had found himself near a strange town. It had been an uncomfortable night, but surely his devotion had sent him in the right direction. He approached a stranger, wanting to ask where he was;

"Excuse me, sir. Could you please tell me the name of this town?"

The man replied, "Varthas, lady. You're from Lushira, right? Just keep a low profile and you'll be fine." He then walked off. Not quite sure why he had been called "lady", he made his way to the inn. He needed to stock up before traveling again. Ken thought to himself once more;

"Thank you, my Goddess, for bringing me here safely. Please let all your children travel without fear."

[NagafenOfIlivikitty]

'Smack'

It is a sound of reverberation that echoes outside the door Ormis is leaning against. The sound is a slow strike that sounds low, but has a definite crack to its edge. It results as seen in the side of the handle which Ormis can see falling out of the door handle hole, clanking against the floor. It lands with a deafening 'tink' and slowly rolls to the side, with the door heaved open even if Ormis is still leaning against it. And with that, a blonde haired woman's head pokes around and curious, suspicious. Pale grey eyes glance around a moment before setting on the boy, a slightly arched eyebrow and a worried dart out around the door, revealing an elegant looking white dress sheathed in armoured areas such as a pauldron on each shoulder and a metallic skirt. A large sword is hefted against her back and within a simple dark scabbard. She has simple white boots and her hands, gloved white soon stained with the traces of blood red as she touched the blood coughed from him, trace back up and lightly touch his cheek.

'Hey, kid... easy, look at me... the doors open if you want, but... you look in no condition to move at all.'

Just behind her, out of his sight, her own lion's tail flicks quietly, yet goes rigid at the sight of his blood.

---

With a sigh, a woman who's been walking on a while flops into a chair rather quietly, arms on the chair rest and the claws of her left gauntlet clenching the wood of the chair rather silently. She looks over to the body she's laid on the bed and stems any worry she has for the Lady, Lucinda was her name. She is, quite simply, beyond any simple potion when she's looked her over. But she is laid here, in a room purchased with the last of her funds for now, until she wakes up. And she's bought a room for at the very least, twelve nights, so she at least feels calmer knowing she has plenty of time to wake up. She can just wake up any time now. It's not like Obelia's worried for her or anything.

Yes. As Obelia’s hands move to steeple themselves silently, twitching lightly, no worry at all.

Edited June 18, 2011 by NagafenOfIvalice

[ReformBlade]

Exhausted to the bone, he lay there, no longer in pain so much as just kind of letting time pass him. He had no idea where he was and didn't particularly care too much to wonder either, and then, a knock and a voice at the door.

"Grant. Is that you in there?"

At first, he hadn't registered it as his name, his mind jarred as it was, but after a few moments, the knight responded. "Yeah... I'm here..." He couldn't recognize the voice outside the door, hell, he couldn't even get up. In fact, he was only feeling the bed on one side of his lower torso. Mustering the strength to look, he saw to his horror that he only had one leg, and then her remembered. Grant set his head back down trying to comprehend what he just saw, nothing coming to mind about it.

[Shin]

Aurelio

"Yeah... I'm here..."

Well, at least he was still alive. Just about, anyway. Peeking through the keyhole, he spotted Seilynda. He withdrew quickly, both at the sight of her and Grant's leg.

"I'll give you guys a little while, I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Grant probably needed some time to come to terms with his loss. Seilynda was probably the best person to help him.

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

Ken

Parking his horse and wagon in a convenient spot, Ken made his way to the inn. He'd probably need a couple of days to spread the word. The innkeeper didn't seem to be at the desk, so he waited.

[Nanami Touko]

His ankle didn't make it difficult for him to fall asleep, but it made his morning annoying. He stirred awake as Riya moved it, groaning a little bit, an eye opening. "Morning, gorgeous," he said with a smile, "hope I didn't do anything to make your sleep uncomfortable." He sat up on the bed, not being able to do much else. With a stretch and a yawn, he finally noticed the book in her hands. "Anything interesting goin' on in there?"

-----

A loud 'smack' woke Amera up, her growl low as she opened her eyes to see this new woman at the door to her room. Ormis was on the floor... bleeding? She sprang out of bed and down to the floor next to him. "Hey, hey! Come on, we've gotta get you to a healer!" I hadn't thought I'd threw him that hard. Her eyes then darted to this new girl, who appeared to be Anri as well. She could spot a tail barely swaying behind her. "Well, are you going to stand there, or are you going to help me get him to a healer?!" Even if she was less than agreeable with Ormis the night before, she wasn't going to watch him die.

[CT075]

Ormis

"...Don't worry... about me, I'll be... fine. Just... a broken rib or somethin'...Guh..."

Ormis heaved himself up, wiping blood off of his mouth. Still leaning against the wall for support, he picked up his sword and sheathed it. He started dragging himself over to the doorway.

"Gh... Dammit."

I'm in no shape to be killing the witch right now, but I have her, practically in my grasp! Ugh...

Teis

Teis was drawn out of his room by the sound of loud coughing, as well as a sword being drawn or sheathed. Looking into the corridor, he noticed Ormis half-crawling by, spitting out blood every few steps. Behind him was that Anri girl from earlier, and a newcomer.

What-?

[NagafenOfIlivikitty]

Langely, that's her name, snaps her gaze back to the girl and it narrows for one moment. Her family are far too ingrained in her and she lets her morals get in her way for a moment when it comes to her snap.

'I am trying to help, little one. If I wasn't, you notice that I have a sword which I could stab him with, or you. Now if you don't mind, keep his back straight and above all, don't press over the injured area.' With a standing straight up, Langley’s eye watches the other Anri lady and slightly softens her gaze, her own voice ringing with a quiet confidence that she could help.

'It's just a rib, that's the only visible injury there, but from the blood, it's caused internal bleeding. A healer would be favourable... so.'

Her head turns, a small sniff of the air. Perhaps she hasn't mentioned a good sense of smell. When you're dads a lion and your mom's spent most of her life tracking others, you pick things up. Her eyes fall on the man in the hallway and sharply command, no air of pleading or silence at his presence, hoping he got the urgency.

'You, call out for a medic or healer or something while we keep this boy from chocking on his own blood.' Her eyes are narrow and her tail still rigid. Her hand is holding Ormis's and for a brief moment, just squeezes it. She isn't offering him pity but she doesn't want him acting like an idiot, leaning down and scooping the boy against her chest, sighing as she walks out of the room, silent.

[CT075]

Teis

"Hmph. I have no obligation to that boy. If you want a healer for him, you find one. I have my own business to attend to." With that, Teis walked out of the building, trying to find something to do for the next hour. He spotted a healer's residence, and sighed. Kid, you'd better thank me for this.

He walked in, and placed the remainder of his bag of gold onto the front desk.

"There's a kid dying of some kind of broken rib or something in the inn over there," he jerked his thumb over his shoulder in the general direction of the inn. "That kid gets healed in an hour or less, and you can have this whole bag."

Ormis

Ormis was fairly helpless to resist the other woman forcing him to be still. He lay back, arching his back a little to spit out some more blood.

No-! I can't die yet, not without getting some revenge on her-!"

Edited June 18, 2011 by Camtech075

[Nanami Touko]

"Oi, quit trying to act cool!" Amera held him down along with this other girl. For some reason he seemed to think he was fine, when he was obviously otherwise. The amount of blood he'd already coughed up proving such. This other girl called to someone down the hall, the boy who had wanted to talk to Carrion the night before. "Hey, come on--!" but he'd already left. Dammit! What an ass... "Might as well take this time to get acquainted. My name's Amera, the boy's Ormis."

[Caliban of Sycorax]

Lucretia awoke the following morning, feeling energized as ever. She looked to the other bed and noticed a girl she was unfamiliar with--was she at the battle?

Looking to the floor Lucretia noticed both Samadhi and Adyta were there. When she looked closer she noticed Anastasia's weapons: Queen, Tyalis, and Senso.

"What should I do with these?" She asked herself silently. Her mother was dead; Senso was a family heirloom according to Anastasia. Maybe I should at least carry it in my family's memory... She picked it up and examined the blade. It was still sharp. It seemed that the only time it was used was in the fight. On the blade itself, which looked like it was forged with pure gold, was an inscription.

"Lux Germanis" Lucretia knew a little bit of Latin, enough to know that it meant "Light of the Germane Family". This truly was a treasure of her family, and it was important that she carried the sword. She sheathed it and attached it to her back as she also sheathed Samadhi and Adyta. She then looked to Queen and Tyalis. They were both in good enough condition, but she had no desire to continue onward with the blades that reminded her of the oppression she felt.

She gripped the hilt of Queen. "I remember this blade." She said. "I remember it well." She lifted her pants ever slightly and looked at the many scars on her legs. The pain from the blade on her skin stung her memory.

"She's dead now. I have no need to remember these things." She said to herself. The pain subsided, but the feeling remained. She cast it aside in order to focus on what was ahead. She exited the room, taking one of the keys on the nightstand with her, and walked toward the lobby in the hopes of finding anyone she recognized.

[CT075]

Both

Teis, having nothing else to do, accompanied the healer back to the inn, directing him to where Ormis was still trying to sit up, though at this point he barely had any strength from the amount of blood he'd coughed up. At this point, it was basically nonstop hacking away. Ormis could hardly get a breath in at all.

"...He's over here."

The healer ran up, ignoring the two girls. Ormis sat up, then fell back again as he spit up another mouthful of blood.

"Lay still, please."

Ormis did as he was told. It was one thing to argue with two women, quite another to argue with a trained healer. The healer in question began feeling around his shirt, especially his chest. Ormis winced as the hands passed over the area where his broken rib was.

"His rib is actually inside his lung. Hm. I can heal him, but I need everyone away. The last thing I need is someone interrupting me."

[Nanami Touko]

"A-Alright" Amera said, a little worried now as she backed away from the healer to let him do his thing. Teis had come back, she figured he'd had a second opinion on the whole thing. At least there's someone to deal with this now. Geez... I wouldn't have thrown him if I'd known he was to frail. Or maybe I'm just to strong! She chuckled a bit at the thought, before realizing, again, the severity of the situation. She watched with baited breath as the healer started doing his job.

[Sakusa]

Seilynda stirred. She heard some people speaking, but she was so out of it that she couldn't even make out words and drifted in and out of consciousness. Mm... five more... wait, what? She groaned and opened her eyes a bit, squinting. When did I...? The girl was having a bit of trouble figuring out what happened; it felt like she was on a bed, but her body was contorted in such a way that it felt extremely uncomfortable, so that probably wasn't the case. She rubbed her eyes, blinked a few times to bring them eyes into focus. The last thing she remembered was that she was taking care of Grant and then... Oh, no! I can't believe I fell asleep! I wonder if he's... Seilynda sat up, closed her eyes, and shook her head, trying to squash the wooziness, but couldn't help but yawn. When her eyes opened again, she saw Grant sitting up, distraught. She swallowed hard, and tears started welling up. "G-Grant... you're... you're awake. I-I almost th-thought you... I'm... I'm so sorry... I-It's all m-my fault, I sh-shouldn't have... I'm r-really really sorry!" She tried to force herself not to cry, but the tears kept flowing.

[NagafenOfIlivikitty]

Amera...?

A slightly curious blink crosses the face of Langley and she has time away from the situations severe feeling hitting her, ignoring the man’s attitude as she half-expected his resolve to be an ass to crumble at some point, to glance at the cat girl and lightly ask.

'Amera? Good name... were you kidnapped by slavers, by any chance?'

Yet she see's the healer soon, before he arrives... her hand actually brushed through Ormis's hair, a soft movement she hopes had given him some degree of comfort. She didn't know if it even helped, yet at present, that doesn't matter. All that matters, in her heart, is seeing him live and so, as the healer appears and her mood lifts, glad for once someone’s resolution to be cold failed so quickly, she stands lightly back and moves back into the bedroom, a sigh as she gives some space.

[Nanami Touko]

Sitting back in the room with this other Anri girl, whilst waiting for Ormis to be healed, Amera twitches, a rather unnecessary and unexpected question getting thrown her way.

'Amera? Good name... were you kidnapped by slavers, by any chance?'

What the hell? Do you just go around bothering every Anri with this question? "... Why do you ask?" She'd rather avoid the question, but that would be even more suspicious than showing interest in the question at all. Maybe she'd be able to worm her way out of answering, as well. Nosy girl, jumping straight into peoples' pasts.

[CT075]

Both

"Alright then, stand back." With that, the man started an incantation, his staff glowing. Ormis felt something in his chest move, then blacked out from the pain of a rib extricating itself from a lung. Everyone else would hear cracks and groans as Ormis's destroyed chest repaired itself. Amazingly enough, it didn't take as much time or concentration as the healer had expected. Ormis was a healthy, young boy, and healed faster than many older people. As the shining died down, Ormis woke up again, and sat up. Taking a moment to spit out one last clot of blood, he stood.

"...Ow."

Teis let out a breath, one that he hadn't noticed he was holding. Thanking the healer (and handing over the bag of gold), Teis walked over to where they had been confronted the night before. The door was still locked, though Teis could hear voices from inside. Taking a breath, he knocked.

If I'm right, and the answers I seek lie inside this room...

[Nanami Touko]

Watching the strange magic being preformed onto Ormis's body, she cringed, the cracking worse than she'd thought it would be. Healing with magic is really that bad? Geez... Taking less time than expected, Ormis finally sat up, Amera glad that he was okay now. Of course, the urge to jump him in a hug was too overwhelming for her, and it gave her an excuse to get away from this girl and her prying question. "Ormis!" She exclaimed, lunging the poor boy into a hug, knocking him back down onto the floor. Nuzzling her face up against his, she was almost in tears. "I'm so glad you're alright! I'll never throw you like that again, I promise!"

[CT075]

Ormis

"Wha-?"

Ormis barely had time to say anything when Amera tackled him again. He hugged her back, half-smiling. It felt good, this warm embrace, even though he was sure that his cheeks and ears were beginning to turn scarlet.

"Heh, did you think I'd die that easily? Naw, I have too much to do before the end. Just keep those choke-holds of yours offa me, okay?"

[ReformBlade]

"You didn't disturb me, in fact, I don't remember much of my sleeping at all. Exhaustion will do that." replied the witch in a rather pleasant tone. She was indeed feeling better after last night, happy that things seem to have gone her way for once. "This thing? It's... kind of a hobby, but I've been curious as to what these final pages say in here. I mean, I discovered how to resurrect you from this book, so I figure it's gotta be SOMETHING special, right?" She would have gone on if not for a sudden knocking on the door. She put her book away and looked out through the peephole, "Oh great, it's that guy with the axe again..." She said to Adrian before opening the door a crack so she could face him. "Yes?" was all she was going to say to him.

---

"G-Grant... you're... you're awake. I-I almost th-thought you... I'm... I'm so sorry... I-It's all m-my fault, I sh-shouldn't have... I'm r-really really sorry!"

Grant was confused as to why she was crying. "Um... what's troubling you so much, miss? More importantly, why the constant apologies to me? If I've cause some... disturbance, I apologize for that, but..." He stopped, not really knowing what exactly was going on, almost angry that he couldn't ask the girl's name.

[NagafenOfIlivikitty]

'Well, is this your name..?'

She takes from her side pocket, one slipped among her skirt, an old, worn piece of paper yet her eyes blink rather calmly, seeing her look of slight un-nerving and then her dash to the injured boy, nuzzling him like that. She watches a moment and thinks briefly of her mother and father. She goes quiet, yet slowly shifts the paper back into her pocket, the slaves list her mother had built and now she, like them, aimed to tear down, secreted away. She knows her work here is done so she simply stretches, ignoring the red on her dress and bowing lightly to the boy and the girl.

'May you both have a better day coming for you. Glad to see you healed, kid.'

She grins lightly at the man, a calm murmur at his eyes.

'Guess you aren't such a dick after all.' And with a slight bow of thanks to the priest, pressing a few of her own gold pieces into her hand, she walks around them all, eyes set ahead, walking to the stairwell downstairs.

[CT075]

Teis

Teis waited until the door opened a little before he started to speak.

"We have met before," he began, trying to sound neutral, and not to give away his excitement, "and I asked only one thing of you that time. I've thought about your answer, and I deem it unacceptable. So tell me. What do you know of Worsay Risdryn?"

[Nanami Touko]

"Well... actually, yeah, I did." She finally blushed herself, a little embarrassed to admit she thought the boy would die of such an injury, but he was young, and it seemed really bad. Finally letting him go and sitting up, she wiped the small tears from her eyes, and sat with her hands on her lap. "Okay. I'm really sorry about that last night, I really am... I just didn't know how you'd react to Carrion being in the room right upstairs, what with your whole revenge thing, an' all..." She was kinda looking away from him not, not sure what to say. Luckily, the other girl had left the room, bidding them good day, before she could ask any more questions. I'm so glad I didn't have to go back there... Ho boy...

-----

"At least it sounds like an interesting read." He said, before the door was knocked on. Huh? Maybe it's Amera...

"Oh great, it's that guy with the axe again..."

"Gaahhh, mysteries-axe-idjit, woohoo. Have fun with that, unless you wanna help me up to the door." He struggled to get comfortable sitting up, his ankle refusing to let him move, though he forced the obstinate appendage finally budging and letting him get a better sitting position. Got damn ankle... Can't wait until you stop being sprained.