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Post by Loex on Oct 13, 2023 0:10:40 GMT -5
Lo looked withered and brittle in the woman's arms, as if the banished demon had dragged the very life out of the mage on it's way out. They shivered from the bitter cold but lay unresponsive for several minutes.
Meanwhile, the gruesome ritual came to an end not far away. The stench lingered, and the ground around the area of the portal looked withered and drained of all life. The tome fell from the sky as the magic concluded, first blackening, then fading to an ashy grey before being blown away on the wind. Color seemed to slowly return to the canyon, the sun beating down overhead lending it's light and warmth to the stricken area.
Moments later, the mage stirred weakly as painful consciousness slowly returned. A sharp inhalation of air was followed by a vigorous coughing fit that lasted several seconds before the Draconynh finally opened one eye weakly. Seeing they were in Sylvari's embrace, they turned their head aside and spat out a thick, dark glob of goop and shuddered. Why in blazes was it so damned cold? Why in the hell was it snowing down here in the canyon when it was so warm out? Wait... warm out? The last time Lo had been able to feel warmth deeper than their darkened scales had been their earliest days at the Arcane Academy... before finding the tome. They blinked with a great deal of effort, some of their scales cracking from the bitter cold and falling like strange, frozen crystals to shatter on the ground.
"Ummm... could you... sit me up? Maybe... what happened?" Lo said, their voice hoarse and dry. They looked down at their body for the first time through bleary eyes that watered with irritation. Why did they look so emaciated? How long had they been out? Questions swam through their strangely silent and serene mind, creating an anxious cacophony of disjointed questions.
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Oct 13, 2023 0:23:57 GMT -5
Sylvari smiled at Lo in her arms, for she was truly sure in that moment that it was them who had returned. Seeing their discomfort, Sylvari quickly dispelled any lingering effects of her frost magic and slung the cloak she wore over her shoulders across Lo. It was mostly for decoration anyways, and it was a poor substitute for the treasure that she once possessed, a gifted fur cloak, given to a spider child in need. Still, barring the ability to share any body heat of her own, Sylvari was left with meager offerings to help Lo as they acclimatized.
She gently brought Lo to a sitting position, still braced behind them for how weak they appeared. Her mind raced in response to Lo's question, much as she was sure theirs did. In truth, Sylvari didn't know what had happened. Her encounters with demons to this point were only in stories and legends. She had never fought a foe without wit or weapon and wasn't sure she knew the role she played now. Even so, as confused as she was, she could only imagine the extent of Lo's uncertainty, having presumably been entirely absent during the whole situation. In the end, she figured a simple truth, however basic, was better than no answer at all.
"I told the demon to go away."
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Post by Loex on Oct 13, 2023 1:01:30 GMT -5
Lo stared in disbelief at her response... how many times had they tried that very same thing, only to be met with maddening laughter and days of torment? Putting a hand to their head in frustration and confusion, the mage sat cross legged on the ground, making sure to keep the proffered cloak from the dirt as they wrapped it about themselves. It was during this wrapping they noticed the tome was no longer weighing down their robes. Their eyes darted about, searching every shadowed corner with a kind of neurotic obsessiveness. Where was it? What in blazes had happened? Why did they feel so hollowed out and empty?
The Draconynh sat there trying to steady their breathing and process what was happening to them. They flexed their claws slowly, watching more of the brittle scales fall off and trying to understand... the last thing they remembered was Sylvari telling them about what a friend had said some time prior... then pain, then nothingness...
That's when it finally donned on Lo, she was a vampiress and every story they'd read spoke of the compelling charm one could captivate you with. They finally rummaged through their robes and pulled out a water skin, taking a slow draw of the cool liquid. The idea of what happened starting to form loosely, the mage had some direction to start with.
"Two questions... First, did the Shadow take over? Secondly, did you use your vampiric charm on them?"
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Oct 13, 2023 3:22:10 GMT -5
Sylvari was captivated by Lo's mind, their quick thinking evident by their eyes, piecing together what had happened, sight unseen. She got the impression that she had done something wrong, and her answer came with a lowered tone of indicated guilt.
"Yes, I did. When the demon took control of you, I told it that we would defeat it together and bade it leave. I'm sure that it will come back eventually, but surely, we can put our head together and figure out a solution before then, right? I gave you my oath."
Sylvari gave a half-hearted smirk as she continued. "Though we may need to work on bolstering your strength before we take on any demons, together. You look like a twig to be snapped in half." Sylvari's attempt at lightheartedness fell rather flat, as she trailed off her statement, feeling bad for Lo's situation. The confusion one must feel to be robbed of their usual physique... She shuddered at the thought.
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Post by Loex on Oct 13, 2023 14:06:47 GMT -5
"Y-yeah, you're right about that... but it feels so far away to my mind right this moment." Lo responded, their voice trembling. Were they truly free of this persistent nightmare? Trying to lift their hands to their face, their arms trembled terribly as the mage came to grips with the reality before them. A lifetime of horrid atrocities and deplorable experimentation came flooding through their already fractured emotional state.
While outwardly calming down, they stared blanky ahead with an anguished expression. Turning their staff slowly in hand, Lo tried to wrestle with the flood of turmoil that so many horrid decisions had left on their soul. How could they continue forward, knowing that it was their own hands that commited such foul deeds, desecrated the sanctity of life and death... Was there any reason for someone to extend such a courtesy? To someone like Lo? The last time someone had done so, it had been for profits... and their own twisted desires... So much of their life and understanding had changed in an instant and they struggled to reconcile this perspective with their past.
It was all too much for the young mage, who finally broke into a heavy, wailing sob as they stared at the withered remnants of their body and beyond to the line of horrors that was their past. Could they carry on? Could they even pick themselves up and take a step in any direction? They clutched at the iron banded staff they carried, squeezing it meekly in their claws wondering if this woman saw them as a wasted, pathetic creature who'd been so easily coerced...
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Oct 13, 2023 14:22:08 GMT -5
Sylvari watched in silence, craning her neck to see Lo's expression as they contemplated the situation. Judging by their facial expressions, which admittedly Sylvari was not the most versed in ascertaining for dragonkin, the mage was going through exceptional mental turmoil. As bad as the physical dysmorphia Sylvari assumed was for Lo, the wearing on the psyche of grappling with a monster for who knows how long was undoubtedly greater.
Sylvari's heart melted when Lo began to cry: great, heaving choked sobs that spoke of a grief years in the making. She wanted to comfort them, but there were no words. Sylvari merely resigned herself to embracing Lo tightly from behind where she braced them, glad the cloak they had pulled around themselves would shield from the more angular parts of her armor.
She held them in her arms, gently rocking. She wanted to speak, but she knew that proximity was more than enough stimulation for a weary mind. She would simply be there until Lo was ready. As she drew them close in her embrace, she smiled to herself, finally understanding her mother's words all those years ago. 'We must be many things to many people, for all struggle with monsters of different types. Some nightmares can be felled with a kind word or heartfelt compassion where blade and armor falter.'
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Post by Loex on Oct 13, 2023 18:25:46 GMT -5
Lo calmed down after a few more minutes, though they still looked sullen and distraught. Curled into Sylvari's rocking embrace, the mage seemed fragile as their breathing steadied. The day's heat had thawed their frigid scales, giving them a bit of mobility back and easing the pain.
"I think I'm okay... at least for now." Lo said, gingerly extricating themselves from the vampiress' embrace. Careful to not harm the garment, they pulled Sylvari's dark cloak from their shoulders and returned it to her. The trembling muscles in their limbs calmed down as the sun's heat worked itself down into the Draconynh's body. Shakily, they stood up gripping their staff for stability.
"I'm not sure where to go from here... but you can rest easy that I will leave these poor souls alone. S... Sorry for all the trouble, and thanks for all you've done." Lo's voice sounded weak, but it also lacked the vicious coldness that it held not minutes ago. The robes they were wearing felt like plates of lead on their shoulders, so the mage shrugged out of most of the decorative bits, leaving behind a simple robe of faded black with light purple stitching and tied with a wide sash of a similar purple.
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Oct 13, 2023 20:52:37 GMT -5
Sylvari watched from where she sat as Lo unsteadily rose to their feet. She found herself shaking her head at their thanks.
"Please, think nothing of it. I'm compelled by my oath to bring justice wherever I can, and that monster that had control of you was perpetrating a great injustice. But that begs the question: where will you go? I would be a poor justiciar if I did not make sure you were well enough to take care of yourself. The demon has clearly sapped you of much of your strength, and I don't want you to fall to hardship."
Sylvari bit her lip waiting for the dragonkin's response, her worry plain to see upon her face. She didn't wish for anyone to be cast adrift after being subjected to a monster as she was. Moreover, she was fairly certain that Lo's suffering extended even further back than the demon's incursion. How long has it been, I wonder, since they have experienced genuine kindness? What does that lack do to a mortal soul? How bleak and dark the world must seem if it is only a cycle of retributive evil.
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Post by Loex on Oct 13, 2023 21:21:28 GMT -5
Puzzling over her expression, Lo teetered on their staff while they considered how to answer her question. Already overwhelmed by the kindness they'd experienced, it didn't seem okay to the mage to impose upon her further... but what in creation where they going to do? Likely they would be thrown into a prison cell if the authorities got involved, and Lo wasn't going to squander their newfound reprieve rotting in a cage... Also, fall to hardship? Their entire life had been nothing but hardship, pain and trauma, it was the closest thing to normal as they could fathom. Still, just standing here was draining what little strength remained in their limbs.
"I've nowhere to go, haven't had a place to call home in so long I barely remember what it's like to sleep in a bed... but I'm not keen on being dragged off to the authorities either, they'd just toss me into a cage to rot... or worse... not that it wouldn't be justified if what I do recall is any indication." They paused, taking a deep breath, then another, the strain of just standing there becoming more visible by the sentence.
"If you know a place that will take me in, not sell me out, and you're capable of getting me there in this state... lead the way I suppose... any plans I had were destroyed with the Tome, which is probably for the best... but what do I know huh?" They concluded, shaking their head slowly before easing themselves back to the ground exhausted. Twenty odd years of life, darkness, pain and torment had exacted a heavy toll on Lo's body, mind and spirit. They truly defined the idea of 'Empty Vessel' at the moment, and anxious paranoia screamed at their mind that this reprieve could only ever be temporary, some new corruption was waiting in every shadow, behind every rock and tree... every dream and waking moment...
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Oct 14, 2023 0:32:00 GMT -5
A pronounced frown tugged at Sylvari's lips as she listened to Lo speak of nowhere to go, and the fact they stated they would be pursued by authorities. Not for the first time, Sylvari found herself wishing for a home of her own, not that she needed one for her own sake, but this was not the first person she had met that she wished she could have provided a safe haven for. Failing that, however, she did have a few options, and she would let Lo take the lead on what they wanted.
"It would not be justice to condemn you for the monster's influence. This would be the first time I go against governmental authorities, but it is no matter. I serve what is right, not what is law. I will travel with you until the ends of this world, if that is what it requires to see you safe and flourishing, for my oath requires nothing less. That said, few are keen to travel such distances with a child of the night, so I will leave it to your discretion. I can think of a few options, of varying distances and degrees of safety, and you may freely select one at your choosing."
"Firstly, I have developed a rapport in Darkveil itself. In fact, you may find help with one of the grieving parents that I am on this mission for. I cannot speak for the longevity of this safety, for the Ashen Fathers have eyes everywhere within the city, but it is close, if you have any attachment to this region. Secondly, if you are comfortable with travelling a little further, I know the protector of a city within Dragon's Cradle. With my vouching, I am certain he would take you in and protect you: he has been at the mercy of authorities himself and would not betray you. That said, knowing him," Sylvari continued with a fond smile at the memory of her friend, "He may require that you work to help protect his kids. Finally, I know of a place where you may be truly free, with a friend whose kindness is to mine as the sun is to a candle flame to watch over you, but that is truly on the other side of the world."
Sylvari sighed finishing her speech looking up at Lo for their decision. "I will accompany you to whichever destination you choose. You alone will be the master of your fate moving forward. As for getting you there," Sylvari continued impishly, a plain grin on her face, "I'll carry you on my back if that is what is required."
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Post by Loex on Oct 14, 2023 2:02:50 GMT -5
Lo listened to her explanation, considering the possibilities presented one at a time. The idea of staying here, where they'd caused so much unrest, didn't sit well... though traveling around the world seemed highly inconvenient to Sylvari. Dragon's Cradle wasn't a terribly different environment from the Ashlands, though it presented it's own levels of danger. The unknown in this would be interacting with children, something Lo had almost no experience with and would be a constant source of anxiety for a while... oh well, they really didn't want to be closer to Sol City and more populous areas of the world for obvious reasons.
"To Dragon's Cradle I suppose. Sticking around seems like asking for trouble, and I know the southern half of the continent is far more populated. Hopefully you won't have to carry me the whole way, but there's no telling how permanent this... state is." He replied after a few moments, purposely fighting the urge to stare down at themselves in such a disheveled state. There would be plenty of time to sulk and reconcile this new reality later. With a deep breath and immense effort, Lo peeled themselves up off the ground, holding their staff for support. Likely the journey would take days, especially if she had to carry the lizard on her back... how did they keep going from one mess to another?
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Oct 14, 2023 10:03:59 GMT -5
Sylvari patiently waited for Lo's response, nodding and smiling at their selection. She was sure Vinny would provide a safe haven for them. As Lo made their selection, Sylvari arose with them, supporting them even as they leaned on their staff. She held up her trinkets form the dead as she spoke.
"You got it, to Dragon's Cradle it is. I do still have to return these keepsakes, and it seems you could do with a good meal and some rest before we make such a journey. Will you accompany me to Darkveil, and we can head out in the morning?"
Even awaiting their response, Sylvari was smiling proudly at them. It took strength to accept help, especially when others had abused power over them. To trust another in such circumstances was no small feat, but she was glad they trusted her to look out for them. It was times like these where Sylvari was ever surer of her oath, ever more certain that helping others was the purpose she was made for. Little things like distance or hardship paled in the face of the depth of her devotion.
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Post by Loex on Oct 14, 2023 13:19:22 GMT -5
"I am at your mercy in this situation Sylvari, lead on." Lo replied, leaning heavily on her shoulder for support while they took slow, shaky steps. Each step felt like someone rubbing grit into their joints from within, causing the mage to have to fight twitching and spasms just to stay standing. Everything hurt, other than the heat of the sun baking into their body. They relished the warmth of the day for the first time in what felt like a dozen lifetimes. How long had it been since the cold floor of the prison cell? How many nights had they skulked across the sparsely inhabited areas of the Ashlands? There was no sense of time to their jumbled memories, and trying to sort it out was giving the lizard a headache.
They pushed those thoughts aside, focusing on putting one foot before the other. It worked too, at least for a while. Eventually the anxious paranoia came creeping back to the forefront of their mind though. Their head snapped up suddenly and scanned the surrounding area, focusing on any sizable shadow or darkness in search of ghoulish, beady yellow eyes. It still didn't seem real to Lo, like the quiet right before a disaster sweeps across the land. It took a great deal of effort to break away from the nagging feeling and focus on getting to their destination. Each time that feeling came tearing through their concentration, it drained the mage of energy and willpower. No wonder the Tome could manipulate them so easily... they were jumping at shadows and the wind until they wanted to scream. With a heavy sigh, they tried to push through it with Sylvari's help..
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Post by Sylvari Dawnsage on Oct 14, 2023 16:38:12 GMT -5
As Sylvari walked slowly with Lo, quietly guiding them with a strong arm, she fought an internal battle over the exact nature of her support. Of course, she wanted to preserve Lo's dignity, and was especially loathe to take away any agency they wished to exercise, given their history with dominant abuse. However, each faltering step of her companion sent a pang of compassion and sympathy through Sylvari's heart, sharper than any sword thrust. She was also acutely aware, as the two of them crawled along at a snail's pace of the approaching darkness.
As hostile as the Ash Lands could be when the sun was shining, the night brought a whole new trove of nasty terrors to contend with. She wanted the make sure Lo was safe, and she would have a hard time protecting them and fighting effectively concurrently.
So, Sylvari was an ever-increasing bundle of nerves, her anxiety only exacerbated by Lo's seeming skittishness as time wore on. She, of course, displayed none of her inner turmoil outwardly, shielding Lo from worrying about her in kind. She could only provide a steady hand and a light encouraging tone as they walked across the craggy ground.
"Watch your step just there... Oh, you stumbled a bit; let me help you... Don't worry, we'll be at the city soon... Just a little longer, and you can rest..."
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Post by Loex on Oct 16, 2023 0:33:50 GMT -5
"Yeah..." Was all they could manage before their staff fell from their hands. Lo swayed, their feet locked in place as they pitched forward. Eyes glazed over, the mage was unconscious again before even hitting the dirt. The lizard crumpled onto the ground exhausted and spent. While they'd only come a couple miles from the battle, the journey had drained what little they'd recovered.
Even their impact on the ground sounded weak as they curled up once again, breathing roughly. They would offer no resistance to being slung over Sylvari's back, and would be showing signs of extreme exhaustion. Inwardly, they wandered through a barren wasteland dreamscape, littered with bones and lit by a dingy, soot blanketed sky. The mage strolled through the jagged land, head swiveling about each time they rounded a corner or came upon a shadowed cove.
['Guess this is what I deserve... dragged to hell for the horrors I've wrought.'] Lo thought to themselves, setting down on a fairly flat, grey boulder to rest. A silouette moved in the distance, like a beacon against the ashen sky some time later. The mage stared in disbelief for a long moment before lifting themselves up and heading after it. Progress was agonizing, it felt like every step stabbed through their nerves. Having been nearly frozen to death on more than one occasion, it reminded Lo of the pain of a roaring fire as it thawed frigid bones. Still they walked on, focused on the bright figure that stood atop a high hill.
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