Mareth continues to silently watch Atma feed. As it continues, he stoops to pick up his hammer, swinging it absently. When Atma stops feeding and begins laughing, then throwing jags of energy about, he glances over at the pile of his armour sitting within his tent, then goes into a defensive crouch, earthbreaker held ready.
Ash is watching Atma pretty intently now. His conversation with the Fetchling almost forgotten. Seeing her reaction to feeding, he shudders, but it is one of those things that you just can't look away from.
When Atma goes maniacal-crazy-witch and charges Indrana with some sort of dark-energy spellblade, Geygar seems to have had enough. In an instant he is no longer entranced by the sight of Atma, and dives for cover with only a slight yelp of surprise.
(Although certainly no respectable 'working man', or even adventurer, could possibly mistake the sound that Geygar makes as a sign of panic or fear. Nope. Never.)
Chandi sighs, watching the shenanigans with an air of sadness and unsurprised disappointment. I've never seen adults behaving more like children wanting to be checked by their parents, she muses to herself, What were their homes like when they were children? Did anyone firmly but lovingly correct them? How often is the state forced to step in to mind adults because their parents failed them?
She shakes her head and fingers her necklace. Oh well. Nobody ever accused me of being the motherly type. As she sees the alarm in others of the team, she sighs again. How I wish we had had time to stop at a bawdy house for a day or two before venturing forth. But as it is... let them work it out, or step in? I'd rather they work it out, but...
She calls out, loud enough to be heard over the giggling and dark energies swirling around the duo, voice flat and unemotionless. "Enough. There will be plenty of time for weapons play when we reach the Underdark."
When Chandi calls out, Atma turns and rushes towards her. Not attempting to deflect or block the attack Indrana had already begun on her disengagement, a rather brutal cut slashes Atma's dress and the flesh of her side. Blood begins to flow.
Atma stops outside of attack range as Chandi's assistants respond with alarm. With a crack, the void energy weapon in Atma's hands explodes into vapor, leaving the dhampir standing before the samsaran face and hands smeared with blood, dress ruined, and a serious wound on her side. Her crazed smile a rictus accented wickedly by her red eyes, hot coals in the cavern of her skull.
"Lady Blue..." the woman starts in a hushed tone.
"Why are you here?"
She cocks her head.
"Why are you here?"
Her smile fades. Her eyes begin to return to normal.
"Why are you here?"
She suddenly sits facing Chandi, her hands rising to once again hide her bloody mouth smearing her white lace cuffs red.
"Why are here?"
Chandi reaches out and lays a blue finger on the back of Atma's hand.
"For this," she says flatly.
Atma's eyes widen, and at first nothing seems to happen, but the crystal clipped to Atma's choker suddenly glows. The dhampir's wound heals to nothing but a rather unfortunate cut in the young woman's dress.
"Hmmm...hmmm," Atma mumbles, her eyes becoming droopy as whatever insanity that had gripped her simply vanished.
"You're blue..." she mutters as she slumps over onto the ground, her eyes closing. "I like that..."
In seconds Atma is asleep at Chandi's feet dead to the world where she remains the rest of the night unless moved.
Geygar peers from where he dove moments ago. Seeing the immediate insanity seems to be ended, he rises and casually brushes himself off. Reclaiming his seat on his bedroll he nods at Atma and whispers to Kanir as if nothing had happened.
"So, 1st place? Or second runner-up?"
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"It's hard to a pick a first place," Kanir mutters to Ash. "It's like comparing apples to psychopaths." He pauses a moment, then signals in cant: I am not a thief. But I do kill those who steal from me. After another moment he whispers, "I believe we understand one another. I get the feeling we will be traveling with this cohort for some time, so it will not do for any of us to cross one another unnecessarily." He looks back to the others and sighs. "They will figure that out eventually."
Chandi frowns at the young lady at her feet, tries unsuccessfully to rouse her, and, without much effort, picks her up and carries her to her tent. Laying her on her bedroll, she withdraws, stops by Indrana for a moment to speak quietly to her, and returns to her cross-legged position by her own tent.
Mareth remains in his defensive crouch at least until Atma passes out.
"It's hard to a pick a first place," Kanir mutters to Ash. "It's like comparing apples to psychopaths." He pauses a moment, then signals in cant: I am not a thief. But I do kill those who steal from me. After another moment he whispers, "I believe we understand one another. I get the feeling we will be traveling with this cohort for some time, so it will not do for any of us to cross one another unnecessarily." He looks back to the others and sighs. "They will figure that out eventually."
The pale elf actually chuckles a bit at Kanir's comments.
"Yeah. Eventually. Tomorrow I'm laying odds on how long that'll take."
Geygar looks around the camp, At Chandi, the tent where Atma is now tucked. The scarily-desirable Indrana, constantly giggling Eddin and the giant, iron-clad form of Mareth, still crouched warily waiting to spring even though Atma appears to be taking a nappy time. The elf shakes his head with a 'what did I do to deserve this?' look on his face.
Geygar continues to sort through his pack and gear, taking slower motions with his sharper toys, just to show Kanir and Chandi he wasn't doing anything silly. Just Yet.
Once Chandi seems preoccupied, Geygar casually takes out a small silver mirror and studies his face, frowning at the dirt and such still remaining even after their impromptu wash earlier.
Tilting the mirror slightly, still rubbing his fingers over his chin and cheeks, Ash begins studying his collar instead,...
Indrana was caught off guard by Atma's sudden withdrawal from the contest, even more so that the dhampir allowed herself to be injured. The surprise turned to frustration as Atma had gotten her all hot and bothered only to leave her unsatisfied. As Chandi approached Indrana slung her weapon back into it's carry position and leaned down slightly to hear what the blue woman said and responded just as quietly to her while shaking her head.
Turning back to the gathered inmates Indrana gave them a challenging look and asked, "Who wants to satisfy their urge for carnal pleasure. I need to f&&*, who wants to enjoy me?" Her bosom heaved as she drew on finger down between her breasts, shuddering at her own touch.
"Or you can take this opportunity to choose to curb your Creature and thus elevate your soul," Chandi announces, "We are all beings of both Spirit and Creature. Our Creature wants without limits. We must take care of it so that it bears us well through this life - that is a given. But if we indulge it in its unbridled wants, it will taint our Spirit and bring it closer to the Spirit of a lower being. Then, when we next come to the Great Wheel of Transmigration, where our souls are judged and our next life assigned, we are born in a form that more suits our bestial Creature soul - a weasel, perhaps, or a rat. We do not progress to higher planes by indulging our lower appetites."
She shrugs. "Your choice, of course. It can be difficult to deny our Creature. Some people are too weak to do so."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Oh, I'm weak. I'm so very weak." Ash says aside Sotto Voice to Kanir. His eyes never leaving Indrana.
"I just don't know if I'm THAT weak. I mean, I LIKE playing with fire as much as the next guy. But I hate the getting burned part, you know?"
Ash continues to watch Indrana.
"Maybe just a little burnt wouldn't be so bad." He grins lasciviously.
"Competing for that accolade of craziest parolee, are we?" Kanir rasps to Ash. "I'd sooner feed myself to the vampire." Kanir's idle curiosity at the highjinks of his companions has given way to dismay. He turns back and climbs into the tent, bowl of stew in hand.
Looking to Chandi, Indrana laughed and said, "I'm already out of your vaunted cycle, my soul was consigned to the abyss when I die years ago."
She noticed Geygar's eyes on her as he spoke and brushed past Chandi to approach him. She leaned forward to grab his shirt and pull his face close to her's as she said, "So, you want to play..." she looked him up and down once and said, "You'll do."
Geygar's eyes widen as the strong, winged succubus-in-training lifts him bodily from his resting place. Then his eyes slowly narrow, and he gives a smirk that is almost a sneer.
"Oh I'll DO sweetheart! The Ash has a few surprises for ya. Years of experience for one thing. I don't think there's anything you can show the Ash that he hasn't seen before, but IF you can, I promise to return the favor!" Geygar promises in a slightly raspy voice, his toes still dangling above the ground.
The group passes along southwards, through the Broken Lands and across the Isthmus of Krael. It is a long two weeks, and the group slowly develops an uneasy alliance of mutual distrust and fear. They are kept in decent comfort thanks to the hunting skills of Fingal and the culinary skills of Fasif and Shirron.
After the isthmus falls behind them, the Suderlands open to them, the warm coastal currents and more southern latitude making the winter recede in favor for a wet springlike weather pattern. Green sproutings can be seen in the fertile fields, and the forests look less bleak and barren with the fragrant Blossywood trees beginning to bud out.
After a few days of further travel into the central Suderlands, the Helcaraxe Mountains begin to come over the horizon. Tall, brooding peaks, their tops are covered in snow despite the ever warmer temperatures at ground level.
The group take a road that head up into the foothills surrounding the Helcaraxes. They begin to see evidence of strife: Burned farmsteads, several goblinoids hung from trees, the aftermath of a small battle. Fingal takes Chandi aside
"Menchenjaeger, there is a town ahead known as Krissham. We will be able to rest there before pushing on to the entrance to the Underdark. We might also be able to get news and any last-minute supplies. Do you wish to stop there? If you do not, we can take a more wild track and avoid the town altogether."
After the excitement she caused that first day and night, Atma has been nothing short of boring the last two weeks. Her continuation to compliment Eddin's humor and even occasionally tell her own horrifically dark jokes (that one about the girl who mistook the arterial spray of several unfortunates as warm rain sounded more like an anecdote than a joke) was certainly a sore point for some. She had a disturbing habit of saying things that sounded like jabs, but her usual deadpan manner made it difficult to determine if the words were indeed meant to be hurtful or simply innocently stated as fact.
She also seemed to be extraordinarily social. Well, perhaps social isn't the right word. She always seemed to be found in the presence of others. One would stop to think, "Boy, Atma spends a lot of time around Indrana. And Mareth. And Chandi. And...wait. Everybody?" Yes, everybody. Somehow or another she always seemed to be quietly around. It didn't help that she possessed a ring of sustenance like Mareth and soon had little need to sleep. Probably the most eerie thing was waking up to find Atma sitting there in the dark nearby. Sometimes she would be just staring outside the tent. Other times, she would be mumbling to herself or rocking back and forth. Worst was when one would wake to find her inches from one's face simply staring. Surely just staring. In such instances, she usually fled immediately at having been caught doing...whatever she was doing. Presumably, there has been some complaint about this, and perhaps some may even have thought to punish her. Maybe some found a way to get her to stop, but regardless, Atma has harmed no one since that first night.
Atma does seem to gravitate towards Mareth when everyone else has expressed an interest in her presence being unappealing. Just sitting or standing near the hulk most times. If she ever speaks to him, few have seen it. Atma still refuses to ride on her own horse, and so generally rides with whomever will accommodate her. She frequently pesters Chandi, and her strange obsession with the blueness of the samsaran being without a doubt the stranger part of it.
As they begin to pass signs of habitation and apparent conflict, Atma seems to become fidgety and restless. She watches Chandi's conference with Fingal with a bored expression.
Indrana took to using Geygar for her pleasure that first night but afterwords seemed content to ignore pleasure all together for the next two weeks. She would give Atma a ride on her horse when no one else would seeming to enjoy the strange dhampir's company, in addition she let Atma have space in her tent to sleep in when the smaller woman needed it.
Over the time they all traveled together Indrana was mostly silent, keeping to herself, and it seemed that, when not trying to seduce someone she was not a very quick thinker and spoke little. Her one exception to this lack of interaction was sparring. She proved willing to spar with anyone, and could more than hold her own, though oddly it seemed she was holding back. Her skill with wielding her scythe was superb and she never scored on anyone after that first duel with Atma.
Geygar survives the first night in Indrana's company.
Although judging by the dark looks of some of the others, the bets had been heavily against that happening.
Geygar takes the following period of Indrana's apparent celibacy as further proof of his awesomeness. And does not hold back from mentioning it occasionally. Meaning every day.
Otherwise he spends the indeterminable travel time observing his fellows, sometimes chatting with them, trying to find out what makes them tick. Mostly trying to see if they can actually be trusted to watch his back, or if he should just watch his own, as he's used to.
He settles into talking the most with Kanir, although Geygar does most of the talking. He seems to grow quickly tired of the company of the over enthusiastic Eddin. Although whispers through the small company are that 'Ash' really just doesn't like sharing the limelight.
One night Geygar awoke blearily from his required elvish meditation to find Atma staring intently at him. From a few inches away. He assured everyone that the resulting girlish scream was Atma's.
"Menchenjaeger, there is a town ahead known as Krissham. We will be able to rest there before pushing on to the entrance to the Underdark. We might also be able to get news and any last-minute supplies. Do you wish to stop there? If you do not, we can take a more wild track and avoid the town altogether."
"Can we stop? I think we should stop. As fun as it's been all along the dusty trail, I think it's time for some real excitement. How's about we stop at the local watering hole, eh? Hey, that reminds me... did I ever tell you about the time I was in this one border town in the Osterlands? I went to this inn, you see, and everyone was just yelling out numbers, "21! 74!" and so on, and then everyone would laugh. I asked this local fella what was going on, and he said to me that all the jokes there had been told so many times, the town had all the jokes numbered, and people would just yell out the numbers instead of retelling them. "Don't that beat all," I said to him, "say, pal, why don't you tell us all your favorite joke?" So the fella yells out "27!" but nobody laughed. And then the guy on the other side of the local fella says to me, "some people can tell a joke, and some people can't." Hoseheads, the whole gosh-darned bunch of 'em, I tell ya."
"Come on, what do you say, friends? I know half of you have half again as much sense as the other half, and that half has half as much sense as they ought to, but if you say no to that one, well, buddy, I'm not sure if the whole lot of you have half as much sense as I thought. While you're all doing that math in your heads, I'll get a head start on moseying on over to the bar."
Eddin spurs his stubby little horse into a canter.
"Last one there is a... well, whatever the heck you are."
Mareth is fairly well behaved for the rest of the journey … mostly.
He rides along in silence during the day, rarely engaging with any of the others, although he does not go out of his way to avoid anyone if they try to engage with him – although as far as anyone can tell behind the faceplate of his helmet he generally seems to ignore any attempts at conversation with two main exceptions; Mythaniel occasionally rides near and whispers to the warrior in some foreign language filled with short harsh syllables, to which Mareth sometimes nods or makes some gesture in response. Strangely, as the journey continues, he sometimes also responds in some non-verbal fashion to Atma’s comments and attempts at conversation – towards the end of the journey he even allows her to ride with him from time to time, although he makes no attempt to make the ride comfortable between his own bulk and his spiked armour.
Eddin discovers that, contrary to earlier belief, Mareth does have something of a sense of humour; from time to time he snorts in what seems to be amusement, or even makes a gurgling sound that might be laughter at jokes where the punchline involves someone being murdered, injured or maimed. He has a similar reaction to some of Atma’s otherwise failed attempts at humour.
In the evenings he sometimes hones his combat skills by sparring with Indrana. His combat style obviously favours power over finesse and, like his half-succubus opponent, he appears to be holding back in these sparring sessions. Astute observers may suspect that this has more to do with not revealing all his tricks to Indrana and the others rather than a desire not to harm her or lose control.
Once his ring of sustenance becomes attuned Mareth forgoes sleeping and eating for the main part. He tends to spent his nights catching and torturing local wildlife, taking particular note of how long it takes the animals to die from particular injuries or wounds. He makes no attempts to hide his handiwork, and ignores any requests or orders from Chandi to curtail his work, unless she uses the collar (after which he will stop, but becomes even moodier than before for the rest of the journey).
"Come on, what do you say, friends? I know half of you have half again as much sense as the other half, and that half has half as much sense as they ought to, but if you say no to that one, well, buddy, I'm not sure if the whole lot of you have half as much sense as I thought. While you're all doing that math in your heads, I'll get a head start on moseying on over to the bar."
Eddin spurs his stubby little horse into a canter.
"Last one there is a... well, whatever the heck you are."
Mareth doesn't do math.
But he does ride, and he's already started that - heading towards the town - by the time Eddin has finished speaking.
Geygar watches both Mareth and Eddin start off towards the town with a bemused look on his face.
He glances at Chandi to see what SHE thinks about two of the most overtly bloodthirsty members of their little group riding straight towards the hapless town below. Then he leans towards Kanir.
"Well. THIS ought to be,... entertaining." Geygar mutters straight-faced.
Myth wakes from his slumber the day after his initial encounter with Atma as if nothing happened. He folds up the tent that he slept in and quietly mounts his horse to ride.
As the ride progresses he becomes no more friendly with anyone, the sole exception being the armored warrior Mareth.
On occasion Myth spars with Indrana. It is clear that he has practiced with a sword. The way he holds himself and the weapon exhibit skill. In practice though it is clear the elf is no match for the warrior woman. He is all style and little substance in melee.
The elf ceases objecting to Eddin's jokes as the journey continues. He appears content to ignore the Handler, Ash and Kanir altogether though he is never as rude to them as he was the first few days. It is almost as if somehow the elf has resigned himself to the fact that he must take part in what is happening.
---
As Eddin and Mareth ride towards the town Myth rides next to the Ranger and the Handler. "It may be a wise choice to grab last minute supplies in this place. Perhaps we can even learn rumors of what takes place in the Darklands nearby..."
Chandi tends to keep to herself but not isolated, content to observe and listen to the others - for the most part. She does, however, tend to make attempts to persuade them to consider the impact of their actions on their souls - assuring Indrana that her soul is certainly not forfeit since infernal bargains always need to have an out - something about the way mortal souls are guaranteed property of the mortal itself. She tries, with all the force of her personality, to convince them to make better choices, allowing them to choose, then shutting down cruel activities (like torturing animals).
The first time Alma (or anyone else) tries to enter Chandi's tent after she has retired for the night, a piercing shriek fills the campsite. She is awake and alert before they reach her, sending them away and requesting they respect her privacy.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Menchenjaeger, there is a town ahead known as Krissham. We will be able to rest there before pushing on to the entrance to the Underdark. We might also be able to get news and any last-minute supplies. Do you wish to stop there? If you do not, we can take a more wild track and avoid the town altogether."
Chandi nods. "I must not come within two miles of the town, but we may all give you money and lists so you can pick up supplies."
She turns to the group and calls, "We are at our final point for obtaining supplies. The Duke has provided us with a few healing tiles, one hundred arrows, and one hundred sling stones. I have a wand for healing. If you need aught else, give Fingal a list and the gold. He and the others will go into town and fetch what we need."
Myth shrugs at Chandi, "I see you do not trust us loose upon such a town".
Myth looks at the assembled crew.
"I suppose were I you I would not trust us either Handler. Very well, give me a few minutes that I may come up with a list, I can write down what I need do you also need a written list from the others Ranger?"
Perhaps Mareth does do some math after all … enough to realise that if Chandi will not get closer than two miles to the town, his collar will activate should he go there without her. He halts his garron and looks back, waiting for any further development.
Assuming that Chandi remains steadfast, he eventually shrugs heavily and rides to rejoin the others, the faceplate of his helmet turned towards Chandi. He removes his gauntlets and holds out his hand, waiting for someone to give him writing implements and paper, after which he writes out his list in a surprisingly neat hand and passes it to Fingal.
Kanir remains less than sociable for the bulk of the journey. However, he does not resist Ash's attempts to start conversation. Strangely, he seems more at ease around Atma than Indrana - Atma's needs are of a familiar sort, and not out of line with his own, in some ways. If he catches her staring at him, he does little more than smirk in reply. He does little to hide his disdain for Eddin's antics or Myth's haughty airs, and seems somewhat uneasy with Mareth's intimidating presence. However, he does come out of his shell a bit when it comes to sparring. After his lengthy imprisonment, he fears his skills may have dulled, and seeks to hone them once again. His forms are quick and graceful, and his affinity for the shadows makes him a slippery opponent.
When they reach the present impasse, he does little more than watch the proceedings unfold. He has not warmed to Chandi and the guards in the least, but one senses he is a man who chooses his battles carefully.
Geygar shrugs and pulls out a few rolls of parchment. He hands one to Mareth with a charcoal stick, and offers one to Kanir. Then he begins making a few notes himself.
Indrana thought over the shopping trip and what she might need, ultimately she needed only food and so said, "I only need more food, and when we start killing I'll need more still."
Fingàl goes over the requests
"Anything to much we won't find in Krissham. It's a small town. Not much more than a walled village. They have food, a smithy, a cordwainer. "
As Myth begins to compile a mental list of what he would like the Handler asks for money and her Ranger informs the group that the town is more of an outpost or perhaps an outhouse, than areal village.
He sighs, "Never mind then. I am fine, though if anyone needs paper and ink for a list feel free to use mine..."
Mareth shrugs and doesn't compile a list. There's nothing he really needs, apart from to let off some steam, which now looks like it won't be happening until they find some dark elves.
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Geygar turns in a list in small, neat handwriting.
At first it seems to be a collection of junk, starting with ropes, pitons, and the like. Then it gets odder,... pig's bladders (airtight), cheesecloth, wood and metal fastenings to create a sturdy 10' (or longer) pole, and the list quickly becomes odder yet. When the soldier looks at him with an obviously confused look on his face, Geygar simply smiles pleasantly.
"You will be surprised at what kind of things can come in handy. ANYthing can be useful. In the correct circumstances."
Chandi notes her need for a length of rope, some pitons, and a hammer, and hands the soldier some gold.
The group sets up camp as Fingàl and his subordinates go shopping, in hitching the wain horses and using the to ride off.
As the fire gets up they return with everything asked for that could be found
This close to the Helcaraxes, Mareth puts aside his usual nighttime activities to stand watch most of the night.
After Fingàl returns and the evening chores are fisinshed a quick meeting is called by the fire. Fingàl takes out a stick and begins tracing in the dirt.
" According to the inhabitants of Krissham there have been a lot of raids going on lately. The townsfolk are actually afraid there might be a raid on their town proper soon. They are busy fortifying the walls and getting their defenses settled. We need to be on our guard for the next bit.
"Now we will be headed into the foothills towards the ancient ruins of Dordrien. Supposedly there is an entrance to the Underdark that few know of below the crypts of that city's ancient rulers.Hopefully we can gain access without being discovered by whatever hostile forces are coming out of the larger portals."
He sketches a few lines and boxes
"We'll go in by the roadway here. I will send the wain to Krissham for safekeeping. The crypts lie by the ancient temple square. There should be a building here. I'll get you here and then stay in the ruins waiting until either a week has passed or you return. Then I'll rejoin the wain at Krissham and we will remain there for another month. If you do not show at that time I will assume you have been slain, and I will report back to the duke."
Mareth nods in satisfaction at the plan.
Mythaniel shrugs and looks to Chandi, "How far into the Darklands do we venture. Will even a month be enough time to discover these foes and neutralize them Handler?"