Cyna stirs in her bed as Sienna rests peacefully next the her. The Rangers mind trails back to he events of the day. Killing Jalhrem felt like a huge weight had been lifted, and Cyna was glad to be done with that bastard. Destroying the mask had revealed yet another vision of the past, just one of his victims it seemed though no one recognized the woman, so Cyna wasn't sure of the significance of her.
Meeting her Goddess was always a shock and it seemed like this would be the last they would hear from her for some time. Cyna looked to her bow, she had barely given it a second thought until now but she knew that it would be invaluable to her in the future.
She turned one last time to the sleeping beauty next to her before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
Ylrhea's fists tighten as she hears Aliethia's name. "So that b!@!~ just came in here after everything she put you through and acted like she was sorry? Where did she go? I'm going after her."
Putting a hand on her shoulder, "Don't Ylrhea, she's gone already. And...I'm not entirely sure she wasn't sincere." Drago showed her the pendant, "She fixed this, by hand. I can't explain it, but I can't dismiss how she was acting either. She was...different."
The gnome shakes her head. "Don't let her hurt you again, Drago. Sadhana's on her way."
Ylrhea heads upstairs and lies on the bed. Anything stirring within her was replaced by a cold anger. What now?
-Posted with Wayfinder
Sādhanā sits at the fountain a bit longer, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment. Eventually, she dons her boots, saving putting on her new pair for the following morning, and makes her way back to the inn. One look at Drago tells her that something is very wrong.
"What happened?"
Drago put the pendant back on the table and forlornly looked at Sādhanā, "Aliethia came by and returned the pendant Elena had given me after our first night. She seemed...not nearly as crazed as before and said she still feels something for me. I can't explain it, but I believe her." Finishing his third full glass in one go, he continued, "On top of that, she also has Niccolo." Flagging down a server, the Dhampir ordered another glass of wine. "I'm so conflicted right now. Part of me wants to believe her, and the other wants to drive a stake through her heart. Don't get me wrong, I love Elena and wouldn't hurt her, but I'd be lying if I said that there wasn't a small part of me deep down that wants Aliethia. Why did she show up and have to complicate things?"
"Because that's the point." Sādhanā says gently, going over to sit next to Drago. She orders a glass of water from the server, smiling once again at the look of consternation, and picks up the glass of wine just delivered to Drago and sips it.
"Point one. Even if she's sincere, it's almost guaranteed that her being here is because Chalandra wants you confused and off kilter." she says, pausing as the water is brought to them and she slides it over to sit in front of Drago, taking another sip of the wine. "Point two, did you scan the necklace to see that it isn't a trap? Point three, are you sure what you think you're feeling isn't a memory of the emotions that were there before?"
"I already did look at the pendant Sādhanā, and with an ability I didn't have before. I saw the magical auras of my gear, and saw none on the pendant. As a matter of fact, the pendant was rebuilt by hand." Thinking for a moment, he continued, "You might be right about my feelings though, at least I pray you're right. As far as Chalandra being involved, based on what I saw in my last vision, I'm not sure she is." After a moment of silence, "Anyway, I wanted to ask you something about magic weapons. I went back to training ground to test the blade Sarenrae gave me. It went completely through the dummy without leaving a single mark. How can that be? I mean I can feel the power within it, but I can't seem to utilize it."
"Hmm..." Sādhanā muses, frowning slightly as she thinks.
The Anizari's eyes widen as she thinks of the magical enhancements know to exist on only the rarest of weapons. "Does the blade look almost like it's made of pure light?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
Ylrhea falls into a fitful sleep finally.
She struggles and squirms as his fat sausage fingers trace along her nipples before reaching in and violating her. "Moan for me, gnome. I know you like it."
Tears run down her scarred face, blending with the blood of a recent cut he gave her. She spits in his face as he drives his fingers deeper within her. He rears back and slaps her face, not stopping his fondling. "Maybe you'll like this better..."
He strips off his trousers, his short erection pushing his robes aside. Ixen comes closer and she can feel his fetid breath on her bare skin. Worse, she can smell it. The stench of rotted meat and gods know what else.
He pulls his fingers free and she feels him entering her. All she can do is scream.
-Posted with Wayfinder
-Posted with Wayfinder
Harakhty stirred from his slumber. Having checked-in early, it was later when he awoke. The smallfolk... Not knowing what the situation was, he grabbed his mithril shirt and staff, carefully making his way out into the hallway towards the noise.
Only knowing the general direction, he made his best guess as to her location, seeking the room of best likelihood.
-Posted with Wayfinder
-Posted with Wayfinder
Just contemplating going to bed, Sādhanā hears Ylrhea's screams from upstairs. Racing up the stars as fast as she can, her long legs taking them two at a time she draws her blade as she moves, dashing down the hallway towards Ylrhea's room as she notices Harakhty ahead of her.
Still asleep, Ylrhea is curled into a ball, sobbing.
Without a second's hesitation the magus extends her left hand as she runs, barking out a single arcane word as Ylrea's door flies open. She runs straight into the room, eyes scanning for any sign of attack before taking in the gnome's curled sobbing form on the bed.
"Cyna...it sounded like Ylrhea," Sienna says, tossing clothes on and running down the hall barefoot.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Sheathing her blade, Sādhanā moves to the bed, scooping up the sobbing Ylrea in her arms and sitting down. She holds her distraught friend to her as she cries, speaking in a calm comforting tone.
"It's ok, it's just a dream, you're safe I promise."
Harakhty sees Sadhana dash down the hall into a room. So much for subtlety...
Entering behind her, Harakhty sees the sobbing Gnome. He cast a quick glance about. "Were you attacked?! I can catch their trail if I leave to track them now."
"Nobody was here Harakhty, it was a nightmare." Sādhanā says with absolute certainty.
Sienna runs into the gnome's room after Sādhanā and Harakhty, holding her shirt closed with one hand. "What happened?"
-Posted with Wayfinder
Ylrhea mumbles and moans. "Ixen..."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Harakhty relaxes a bit. "Nightmares are ways of the powers beyond speaking with us. Whatever it was may well be an omen. Heed the warnings well, but do not run from them; they are obstacles you can conquer." Or, it could be some magister was tampering with her thoughts...
Cyna quickly follows after Sienna with nothing but her bed sheets and a sword. She watches from the doorway as Sadhana comforts her friend and subordinate.
"Who's Ixen?" Sienna asks.
Sādhanā's expression becomes an angry glare for a moment. Taking a deep breath she looks over to the concerned Sienna as she asks about Ixen,shaking her head very slightly.
Glancing over at Cyna in the door way she speaks quietly. "يمكنك الرجاء إخراجه من هنا؟ انه لا يساعد.وسوف أكون فكرة كنت في الصباح."
The gnome opens her eyes, red from crying, and clings to the magus. "I had the nightmare again..."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Harakhty frowns at the revelation of repetition, though he agrees with Sienna the task for consoling is not for him here. Yet with Ixen's name mentioned, this might not just be a dream. Yes, the man was dark and horrible, but he was also clever. Could he have some end from beyond the grave here? A curse, a lingering hex? Harakhty could not say.
He padded out into the hall. After a few moments waiting at the door to redirect others woken by her scream, he headed back to bed.
As the others leave, with Sienna closing the door behind them, Sādhanā holds Ylrhea in a protective embrace. "I know, hon. It was just a dream. You're away from all that and you're here safe, surrounded by people who care about you now. He can't hurt you ever again. I struck the final blow against him myself."
Ylrhea trembles. "It...it...f-f-felt s-so r-real..."
-Posted with Wayfinder
"It isn't" Sādhanā says holding Ylrhea close to her until the trembling subsides. "You're safe. I'll stay with you, here or in my room if you want. You won't be alone and you don't have anything to fear ok?"
Ylrhea chokes backs sobs, her throat aching. She blinks away the tears and nods at Sadhana. "Wherever is fine..."
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Ok, I'll stay here tonight,"Sādhanā says getting up from her seat on the bed for a moment. "Do you need me to go back down and get you glass of water or anything?"
"Tea, if they have it."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Sienna's hands shake. It was getting worse, but she was getting clean. Ylrhea's screams made her feel helpless and she licks her lips. I want to see the bottom of a tankard so badly right now...
She remembered screams like that, from people taken from her. The sensations from those days kept coming back. Too many bodies and I can't claw my way out...
-Posted with Wayfinder
"If you need anything at all, either of you, we'll be just down the hall." Cyna says quietly leaving Sadhana to care for Ylrhea.
The Ranger's eye catches Sienna's shaking, Cyna gently takes hold of her hand and givers it a tight squeeze. "Right?"
-Posted with Wayfinder