He sagged on his chains and glared at the dwarf-thing.
"Never *huff* Be *huff* Anyones *huff* Servant."
Suddenly, Ulfr found himself oddly curious on the dwarf-thing's offer. To not have death looming over him would greatly aid in his ultimate goal of cleansing the demon scum from Sarkoris...
Then again, this could be deception. He would have to be careful.
What exactly are you offering?
They would have to be patient. Whatever this creature had planned could not be quick and simple or it would already be done. So, it must require time and effort... it may even require their cooperation. Given enough time, maybe this creature would relax the guard, leave them alone, where they might eke some slender advantage.
"What exactly are you offering?"
So much for that plan...
Rakeesh might have been able to break the small bones of his hand, to slip free of his manacles. Against a single opponent, even with two broken hands, he might still hope to prevail. But, he was so weakened by disease and defeat, he doubted he would stay conscious through the pain of it. And there was more than one opponent...
All I can do is wait, and hope for my chance...
"Can't be dead, can't be dead! Don't lie to me; I can't hear them! You're dead, but they're not, so if they were, I'd be able to hear them!" Neile sobs desperately at Slaver's words, rubbing her eyes on one filthy sleeve before turning them on Tehina. "Their beards dance when they laugh, and they laugh plenty as they tear the flesh from her bones, and I laughed with them, laughed as she died. Blood in the sand, they're too young, too old, it's so hot but I'm cold, I'm laughing as they laugh and giggle to each other, it's all just a game! Why is he laughing?!"
She takes a moment to collect herself, swallowing hard and stroking Twitch's head for comfort, the rat squeaking and climbing onto her hand. "I don't know who to believe," she whispers, tears threatening to spill over again. "I want to hope, but it's just you and me hoping." She looks imploringly at Anevia. "Why do you hope? Why do you hold onto it in the darkness?"
As the minutes tick by and the light fades, Neile shudders and clutches Twitch closer to her chest. She shifts sideways, leaning herself against the closest warm body she can find, seeking some modicum of comfort in her grief and confusion. When another light blinks into existence, she finds herself leaning against a strange woman. She tilts her head, thinking, certain she wasn't there before.
After a moment's hesitation, she reaches out, gently shaking her by the shoulder. "How did you get here while sleeping?" she wonders aloud, half to the woman, half to herself.
She can barely contain some nastier remarks when Horgus starts again, "While I agree we should get moving again as soon as we can, we should also try to do so together. Our odds of getting out of here will improve if we cooperate, fighting is useless." She looks briefly at both Horgus and Anevia before she continues, "I hope our companions will survive but we can't count on it. I say we better make sure their sacrifice wasn't for nothing and get out of here in one piece."
"Whoever is the evil that shows you these things, shove it out. He is dead, gone, probably killed by a hero or taken down by it's own schemes. Shove it out, you don't need it. There are plenty of good, kind spirits out there." The look on her face as she looks at Neile is friendly but stern, more like she's Neile's mother than someone she just met earlier that day.
When the lights turn back on and the woman just sits there next to Neile Tehina can't help but look shocked for a moment. "Who are you? How did you get here?"
Tchirash bides her time, waiting for the thing to make any kind of hostile move towards her and gets ready to use her blessing again.
"He's dead, but he talks. He shows, he whispers, he sings, and he laughs. He tells me what he did, but I don't want to hear it. I never asked to hear it. But he helps me." Neile holds up her fists, showing Tehina her knuckles, still grimy from punching the larvae. "He used to beat people, and he helps me beat people. Bad people. And not-people. But all bad," she stresses emphatically. "I try not to listen to him, is all. I'll get better at it."
After a moment, she adds, "Bear is nice, though. He tells Slaver to be quiet. I don't think they like each other much." A thought seems to strike her and her face splits into a grin. "You can help me find more nice ones, right? You and Jingly-Man, when he comes back?"
"We really need to talk more about this when we get out of here. Perhaps the stories of my pasts will help you find kinder spirits."
"Oi! I swears I've seen old biddies face monsters with less screamin' an' pissin' than you!"
"Still," Bear rumbles, "It is unnatural for one to so suddenly appear, yes?"
"Well now, this is exciting," The Rabbit Prince exclaims, "Bear is right that it is unnatural, but still, she didn't try to kill us."
"And if Neile was to channel your spirit, you'd be mounting her at your first chance," Shaman says, the normally morose spirit sounding intrigued instead of worried, or sad, for once.
Horgus and Anevia gasp at the woman's sudden appearance, while Aravashnial asks what is going on. Neile and Terhina try to wake her, but are soon distracted by other things as the two survivors who still have their eyes study the newcomer.
"She's a--"
"SHE'S A DEMON-TAINTED WITCH!" Horgus bellows, cutting Anevia off.
The woman grimaces at the noise and gives the noble a sleepy glare from under her hood.
"I have not met you, but I can see I'm not going to enjoy my time in your company," she says, her voice muffled by grogginess, but still smooth and pleasant, or rather it would be if not letting Horgus know that she didn't appreciate the manner in which he woke her up.
"I do not fear false gods, dwarf. Torag is just as empty and hollow as a rotten tree," the dwarf hisses with deadly venom.
Turning to Ulfr, his face splits into a beaming smile that reveals his yellowed teeth.
"As for what I offer, it is freedom, lad. Freedom from fear. Freedom from the rules and restrictions placed on us by the false and arbitrary gods and goddess of the other planes! I offer you the strength to take what it is you desire and the will to use that strength! What more could you want?"
Kabriri is the Demon Lord of ghouls, graves, and secrets kept by the dead. He is worshiped by ghouls, ghasts, necrophiles, grave robbers, conspirators, and cannibals. More than likely, you are only alive long enough for you to turn into a ghoul yourself.
The undead in the chapel with you are a ghast, some ghouls, and a Huecuva, the damned and animated corpse of a priest that cursed his god before taking his life or dying. Most disturbing, though, is the fact that he seems to be a priest of Kabriri now, even if he may have once worshiped Torag.
The dwarf chuckles mirthlessly.
"And why would you want to do that? Hmm? The Abyss gnaws away at the illusions built by the hollow gods, much as Kabriri gnaws away at the illusion of life! Sarkois is gone. An illusion that is no more. Why would you blind yourself so?"
After that Tehina turned to the hooded woman, "So who are you? My 'charming' companion already made clear what you are, but that far from answers my question. Who are you, where do you so suddenly come from and why are you here?"
"I do not fear false gods, dwarf."
"But, you do," Rakeesh replies bluntly. "This place reeks of your fear. You would not follow our fleeing companions even ten feet past your doors. Nor are you and your 'soldiers' about in the city even though it is reigning bedlam above our heads."
"If you had the smallest grain of conviction within you, your pathetic host would be a veritable army by now."
"What will you do once you have recruited this four to your cause? Nothing more. You will sequester yourself here, within these walls, and hide as you have always done. I would name you coward, except I know you act at the behest of a more cowardly master."
Hearing Slaver's scream in her head turns Neile's blood to ice; she whimpers at the sound, ducking her head back into her knees. Then a chorus of voices is sounding, and she's muttering as she tries to follow it, eyes flicking from side to side as if watching invisible people.
"One at a time," she mutters, shaking her head and picking out a voice. "Didn't try to kill us. You're right. Must be friendly. Are you friendly?" She directs this last at the newcomer, eyes wide, grimy hands clutching her rat. Shaman's comment makes her eyebrows twitch together in a frown, though - after all, this was a lady, not a horse.
"I could ask you the same thing, but this isn't the cave I went to sleep in. Call me Wanderer. I guess I'm friendly enough, but I have to wonder you all of you are, and how you wound up down here," the woman says, obviously inviting the others to introduce themselves.
"Poor misguided fool. I ask again, why would you wish to cling to an illusion? Take this one for example," the dwarf throws a stone at Rakeesh, pegging him in the belly and winding him. "He speaks of bravery and strength, and clings to them like they are something worthwhile. But it is all for naught. There is only decay, and the everlasting life of being dead, yet alive. All demons were mortal once, you know. They are dead and alive all at once! Why would you wish to fight that which Kabriri represents?"
Ulfr shrugs again. You didn't really answer my question...
"It would be comical if it was not so tragic. You fear to march your sad, little army forth, beset upon all sides as it is... You will never find the city so ripe for your depredations, and yet you sit idle, content to be eternal in this sad state." Rakeesh gives the dwarf-thing a sideways look. "I do not think you will be so glad to join me to your ranks. But, I will be glad. Once I supplant you, I will swell this mean host to an army. I will not be one to sit on my laurels and pray my enemies do not find me in my hole in the ground. They would sally forth," Rakeesh juts his chin towards the group of gaunt undead, "and they would know victories as you have never shown them."
The dwarf frowns at Ulfr, but Rakeesh diverts his attention as his threats strike a nerve.
"They will only listen to me! Not you! Never you! Never in a thousand years! I spared you, I granted you mercy, and you repay that with ramblings about false gods and waging war. We will feast once your friends join us, and you will be the first course!"
Bimbur looks at the dwarf and appears to defend the dwarf. "Rakeesh, you are too hard on my fellow dwarf. He has no accomplishments yet, but he is planning great accomplishments, ooh yes he is. Dwarves are tougher than they look. He probably has some real demon horns on him somewhere, or the other demons we met would not have laughed at him so."
"They will only listen to me! Not you! Never you! Never in a thousand years! I spared you, I granted you mercy, and you repay that with ramblings about false gods and waging war. We will feast once your friends join us, and you will be the first course!"
Rakeesh laughs. "The first course? Perhaps you meant to say the main course. The only course. What will be left, if these others join you? How long has it been? A year? A decade? A century? Long enough that everyone has forgotten this temple's existence. And dwarves have long memories, do they not?"
"You might make a mouthful of me," he shakes his slender limbs in the manacles, "dry and stringy though it may be. But, then you will hunker down and hide for another age of dwarves and men, praying that none of your enemies venture down here."
"An entire city of men out there, just beyond your grasp. Meat you have not the courage to reach out and take. I would have that courage. I would send my soldiers out to glorious battle!"
Tchriash aids Rakeesh in his efforts, "Poor soul. I take pity on you, as Iomedae might on your soul. You were not devout enough in your beliefs that you could turn Torag's eye upon yourself, so out of desperation you gave yourself to undeath. Did you fear Torag's judgement would be that harsh that you did anything to escape the afterlife? Tchirash shakes her head solemnly and casts a glance at Rakeesh offering encouragement.
"Sky screaming, colours clashing, swords singing. Dragons dying," Neile adds mournfully, still staing wide-eyed at the woman. "Wandering and wondering? Where are you wandering? What are you wondering?" She tilts her head to the side for a moment, thinking. "Our friends need help. Can you help us help them?"
"SILENCE ALL OF YOU!" The dwarf screams. Things grow tensely silent, returning to prayer and contemplation, but it seems the ghouls are no longer focused on you, but on the dwarf.
"I wonder how I got here when I was asleep, and I wander where I'm needed. I guess that I'm needed here, or where you're friends are, Can you take me to them and tell me what happened?" The woman stands up, lifting a too large sword to her shoulders as she talks.
The others sit, dumbfounded that she'd be asking that after the five of you barely escaped that horror.
Delighted to have her questions answered, Neile turns from the woman to Tehina. "Shall we take her, Blue Girl? She says she can help us help them. We can bring them back!" Her mournful expression cracks into a grin.
"As for what happened. We encountered a derelict temple of Torag, decided to scout it and found several undead within, ghouls and a single ghast. They were led by huecava, a priest of Kabriri and I think the former priest of the shrine." Maybe this mysterious woman knew where that was. Maybe she was in cahoots with the ghouls. There simply was no way of telling right now.
Tchirash looks at the dwarf with a calm, almost serene look, "How long until you falter and your fellows there fall on you? They all are creatures that hunger, but not you. You're different than they are. They sense that, and as soon as you let a sliver of doubt show, they'll tear you to ribbons."
Despite the pangs of natural hunger, a small smile creeps into the angelkin's features. Rakeesh was not built for lies. Besides, despite his misgivings, his strengths were drawn from the power of Ragathiel, the son of an Archduke of the Nine Hells. There was a strange satisfaction in sundering his enemies with truth.
He leans as far forward as his chains will allow, and begins whispering to the closest ghoul.
"I am truly famished, my soon-to-be brothers. How often does the mother hen allow us out to feed?" He lets the question hover for a moment. "There is a city of men just above our heads. Their defenses have already broken. Just imagine... there could be a meal around every corner..." Rakeesh drags out another long pause. By the way, if I am to join your ranks, I should learn your ways. What was Kabiri's epitaph again? Was it 'he who gnaws' or 'he who contemplates for eons'?
"Shiny man has point," one of the ghouls say.
"But Nameless still priest of Kabriri," the ghast answers, "still, shiny man has point."
Nameless, the dwarf, appears to be praying still, unaware of the problems brewing among his followers.
"Now wait just a minute!" Horgus demands, "five of your fellows were taken down by that mob of ghouls and ghasts! What's one mere warrior going to do against them, hmm?"
"He's right. I have no doubt that you are strong, Wanderer, but five of our number were defeated in moments," Aravashnial agrees.
"If there is a chance, shouldn't we still try, and she did just show up out of the blue. What if there's a reason for it," Anevia asks.
"Like leading us into a horde of demons and monsters? No thanks, I'll take my chances going on my own before I follow that one," Horgus doesn't quite spit at the newcomer's feet, but it seemed like he would have if not for years of being a nobleman. Soon the three of them are arguing the best course of action.
The Wanderer, for her part, simply lets the others continue to talk while she pulls Neile and Tehina close.
"You may not know the way, but Desna will show it to us. Even here, in the lands of eternal, starless nights she and the Black Butterfly watch from the shadows. If you want to go back, and she sees fit to grant us safe passage, then I'll gladly fight to free your friends," she whispers, "The choice is yours, however, I and my goddess can't make that decision for you."
The Wanderer smiles at Tehina's tone.
"Desna is the goddess of fate and journeys. She'll guide us to where your friends are, and help tip the odds, but it's up to us to take advantage of that. Besides," the smile becomes a grin, "nothing speaks 'smite' like a big sword and someone who know how to use it."
"Butterflies aren't black," Neile mutters in confusion. "Colours clash, red and yellow and green and brown and blue. Not black." She falls silent, letting the pause hang.
Finally, she wipes her eyes and looks up, turning them from Tehina to the Wanderer as she speaks, her voice losing a shade of its singsong one. "I'm used to being ignored, shunned, shunted aside. Get away from me filth, move aside street rat. Spare some copper sir?" She rubs her eyes with the heel of her hand again. "But they've been nice. Scaly-Man looked out for me. Jingly-Man knows the spirits. Nobody treats me nice, but they do. You do," she adds, forcing a smile at Tehina. "If there's a chance, I want to go. I want to help them. And I can call help."
"Shiny man has point," one of the ghouls say.
"But Nameless still priest of Kabriri," the ghast answers, "still, shiny man has point."
Rakeesh grinned inwardly. Evil beings were inevitably creatures of selfish desire. It was natural that they would prey upon one another as easily as upon the innocent.
Ghouls were among the most detestable, but the most predictable. The hunger never went away. They would suffer every hour, every minute, every second. They had probably suffered in silence for years already. Their obedience to this Nameless one seemed nearly absolute. But, now they sat in silence, suffering through interminable hunger, dreaming of possible satiation, and the only impediment... was the Nameless one...
Rakeesh might have laughed at his own machinations, but he did not want to draw attention to himself. He wanted the ghouls only paying attention to Nameless...
Bimbur adds: "Dwarf, bring your god here and show these others you have true power. They doubt you."
Tchirash looks around seeing who is closest to her. Goddess help me, I can only protect a few. Give me the strength when needed She looks to see if she can touch anyone close to her, and prepares to use her blessing of Iomedae to help them.
"But if Desna will show us the way we will come upon them even if we don't look for them, right? Well, we can't sit still here anyway so let's move. We'd better just be careful where we go." With that she turned to the others, "Everyone ready to move on? We need to move to get out of here so we might as well see where the path takes us."
"No stars down here, but she'll show us anyway," Neile mutters in agreement, nodding along at Tehina's speech. "Let her guide us. No sense fighting."
All is quiet in the chapel. Then the sound of muffled footsteps echoes in the place. Before any of the undead can react, the doors are ripped off their hinges as a demon-touched woman wielding a massive sword bursts through them.
Neile roars as she enters the chapel, enormous ursine claws ripping from her hands, a feral look in her eyes. Her lopsided grin is gone, lips pulled back from teeth, the blood on her hands unnoticed.