“Aren’t you hungry?” Ravik’s chocolate eyes consumed her as his question hung in the air. He was licking something out of his jowls and Matt looked at him and then her, as if it had just dawned on him that she wasn’t eating. Now both of them stared at her waiting for a response.
When she squirmed and looked away, Matt offered, “It’s actually quite good. You should try it, don’t worry.” He smiled reassuringly and his eyes light up. “Oh, do you not eat meat? This thing is like a meat pie…” Allie took the opportunity and nodded vigorously. She wasn’t going to explain her situation to these people, they might judge her.
Matthieu accepted her silent response and went about eating his own, with less vigor. He offered to order her something else, but they both knew they had no money for this place. Besides, she would have declined either way. Matt let it drop. He was still cold inside, most of his blood having been let out and then the rest of it working to patch the wound fully. He huddled into the folder of his jacket and zipped it fully. His t-shirt was in his pocket crumpled and hard from dry life fluid. Ravik was politely asking Allie if he could have her portion when Matt’s mind ran off.
He thought about so many random things that when one of the hunter’s companions slammed into them, upending their table, he barely noticed. As Ravik was apologizing for their table being in the man’s way Matthieu came to a decision. He didn’t even know he was debating anything until it hit him. And of course, the burly snow folk hit him too. The partying apparently got quite rowdy in this place and Matt was knocked off his seat and pinned by the foreigner.
The drunken man sloppily apologized and with even less coordination, removed himself. Matt propped himself up on his elbows to watch his “attacker” stumble away into the crowd of his fellows. Ravik brought him to his feet, still in a daze. Something slid off him with a thump and Matt looked at his feet where what seemed to be a money pouch had just landed. Matt’s eyes met Raviks and they searched for what the other was thinking…
Whether it was because this recent downward spiral of events had hardened him, or he was just tired of giving and never getting, Matt picked up the pouch and emptied the contents into his pockets. The currency in this country was something like lug nuts of different colors. He didn’t meet anyone’s eye as he walked over to what he assumed was the Inn Keep. The fact that they could understand each other was a blessing.
“My companions and I would like a room for the night.” He tried to control the nervous strain on his voice as he stared into the man’s face. The inn keeper was oblivious to his theft however, and thought he was just a shy boy.
He handed over a key carved out of some white bone and said, “That will be 5 dossak.” Matt stared at the handful of nuts he’d pulled from his pocket. He dropped them on the counter and poked through them like he was counting. The inn keeper could sense his hesitation and pointed to a bronze-looking piece. “These ones. You’re not from around here are you?”
Matt slid the currency over and through the rest into his coat. He averted his eyes and slipped back to the table, feeling the inn keeper’s eyes on him the whole time.
A while later, the trio was safely stashed in their room by a warm fire. Matthieu had forced the bed on Alacoque and opted to instead sit on the cushy chair by the fire. He hugged his knees to his chest and watched the flames dance triumphantly over the logs they were consuming. Ravik was curled on the floor on one of the room’s fur rugs, presumably already asleep.
The silence was thick. He was almost positive Allie was still awake, but he wouldn’t turn around to find out for sure. Instead, he just said it.
“We need to give it to him.” He assumed she knew who he meant. The Blue-Armed man. He was sure she was listening now because he heard her shift uncomfortably. He went on, eyes never leaving the fire. “We need to find him and bring it to him. Or at the very least tell him where to find it.”
The room’s tension doubled, but Matt didn’t recant his idea. Ravik watched him with one eye open and inwardly cringed at the suicide mission his friend now proposed. He then looked to Alacoque to see how it had affected her, all the while pretending to sleep.
When she squirmed and looked away, Matt offered, “It’s actually quite good. You should try it, don’t worry.” He smiled reassuringly and his eyes light up. “Oh, do you not eat meat? This thing is like a meat pie…” Allie took the opportunity and nodded vigorously. She wasn’t going to explain her situation to these people, they might judge her.
Matthieu accepted her silent response and went about eating his own, with less vigor. He offered to order her something else, but they both knew they had no money for this place. Besides, she would have declined either way. Matt let it drop. He was still cold inside, most of his blood having been let out and then the rest of it working to patch the wound fully. He huddled into the folder of his jacket and zipped it fully. His t-shirt was in his pocket crumpled and hard from dry life fluid. Ravik was politely asking Allie if he could have her portion when Matt’s mind ran off.
He thought about so many random things that when one of the hunter’s companions slammed into them, upending their table, he barely noticed. As Ravik was apologizing for their table being in the man’s way Matthieu came to a decision. He didn’t even know he was debating anything until it hit him. And of course, the burly snow folk hit him too. The partying apparently got quite rowdy in this place and Matt was knocked off his seat and pinned by the foreigner.
The drunken man sloppily apologized and with even less coordination, removed himself. Matt propped himself up on his elbows to watch his “attacker” stumble away into the crowd of his fellows. Ravik brought him to his feet, still in a daze. Something slid off him with a thump and Matt looked at his feet where what seemed to be a money pouch had just landed. Matt’s eyes met Raviks and they searched for what the other was thinking…
Whether it was because this recent downward spiral of events had hardened him, or he was just tired of giving and never getting, Matt picked up the pouch and emptied the contents into his pockets. The currency in this country was something like lug nuts of different colors. He didn’t meet anyone’s eye as he walked over to what he assumed was the Inn Keep. The fact that they could understand each other was a blessing.
“My companions and I would like a room for the night.” He tried to control the nervous strain on his voice as he stared into the man’s face. The inn keeper was oblivious to his theft however, and thought he was just a shy boy.
He handed over a key carved out of some white bone and said, “That will be 5 dossak.” Matt stared at the handful of nuts he’d pulled from his pocket. He dropped them on the counter and poked through them like he was counting. The inn keeper could sense his hesitation and pointed to a bronze-looking piece. “These ones. You’re not from around here are you?”
Matt slid the currency over and through the rest into his coat. He averted his eyes and slipped back to the table, feeling the inn keeper’s eyes on him the whole time.
A while later, the trio was safely stashed in their room by a warm fire. Matthieu had forced the bed on Alacoque and opted to instead sit on the cushy chair by the fire. He hugged his knees to his chest and watched the flames dance triumphantly over the logs they were consuming. Ravik was curled on the floor on one of the room’s fur rugs, presumably already asleep.
The silence was thick. He was almost positive Allie was still awake, but he wouldn’t turn around to find out for sure. Instead, he just said it.
“We need to give it to him.” He assumed she knew who he meant. The Blue-Armed man. He was sure she was listening now because he heard her shift uncomfortably. He went on, eyes never leaving the fire. “We need to find him and bring it to him. Or at the very least tell him where to find it.”
The room’s tension doubled, but Matt didn’t recant his idea. Ravik watched him with one eye open and inwardly cringed at the suicide mission his friend now proposed. He then looked to Alacoque to see how it had affected her, all the while pretending to sleep.
"But you said you didn't know where IT is..." Alacoque's voice trembled and she repositioned herself in one corner of the bed, her back against the wall. "Are...are you going to just lie...? W-what if he doesn't want to listen?" She cringed, folding her wings around her shoulders for comfort. "He doesn't seem l-like the listening type...he tried to kill you back in the caves..he--" Her words caught in her throat and she ran her trembling hands through her limp curls. Shutting her eyes tightly she repeated in her mind that this was all a bad dream, but when she opened them again, nothing had changed. She was still in the same room, surrounded by the same faces as before. Even if they did tell the blue armed man where the device was, and he got a hold of it, that would only be the beginning of troubles yet to come her way. How would she explain herself to the other reapers...to her teacher? She took a deep breath in attempt to calm her racing heart and burning nerves. She truly wished he was here right now...he would know exactly what to do...
"I'm not entirly sure..." Matt's voice broke Alacoque's panic and she lifted her head enough to look at him; his body silhouetted against the glow of the fire. "...If we're going to be able to even get close enough to tell him...but...there's no other way..." Matt's fingers circled the scarab bracer he wore on his wrist and the muscles in his jaw tightened. "It's going to be dangerous...but we're going to need a plan." As he said this he turned to her to see how she reacted. Unsurprisingly he noticed how on edge she was and she let out a sign, suddenly realizing how exhausted he himself was. "Lets try to get some sleep...we can talk about this in the morning..."
The room was uncomfortably quiet. Matt had fallen asleep almost an hour ago and the fire had reduced itself to only a few glowing embers that cracked the silence of the room every so often. Outside the temperature had dropped far below zero, leaving only the howl of freezing wind and the occasional call of the wooly snowbeast to be heard from inside the warm tavern room.
Alacoque sat up in bed near the window, staring out the window waiting to see the terrifying figure of the blue armed man charging furiously through the elements towards the tavern. But, of course, the man never appeared and the constant worry was only making her more and more exhausted. She felt herself starting to lean against the window pane, only to be startled awake by it's icy surface. What was that? She was sure she saw something move through the whipping snow flakes. She rubbed her eyes and peered out the window again. What was that? A strange six legged animal crossed through the street accompanied by two smaller versions of itself. She felt herself let out a sign. Probably just those snowbeasts the men were celebrating about earlier. They don't seem vicious. Why would they want to kill them? The though repeated itself in her mind over and over again until she felt something soft against her cheek. She opened her eyes again. The furs on the bed. They were so soft and warm. She could feel her body start to finally relax and drift off into the deep sleep it so desperately needed. Her legs tucked in close to her body and her wings lay relaxed at her sides. All she could hear were the finally cracklings of firewood...and laughter.
With a start, Alacoque's eyes shot open, the pupils shrinking to a mere pin prick in size and her talons gripped hold of the furs around her. She sat up with a jerk, as if her body wasn't used to moving in a certain way. Turning her head nearly all the way around the acidic green eyes focused themselves on Mattieu's sleeping body. Turns her body around to face Mattieu, she inhaled deeply and savored the unfamiliar scents of the room.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this, sister...but you've left me no choice." Aceloqua wasted no time in moving off the bed onto the wooden floors of the tavern. Her wings folded loosely around her, the only sound she made was from the talons of her avian feet walking across the floor. Settling down next to Mattieu she place a scaled hand on his chest and cocked her head to the side in her unusual bird-like manor. Her green eyes seemed to glow with anticipation when Matt suddenly stirred in his sleep and turned to face her.
"A-Alacoque?..." He rubbed his groggy eyes and blinked them into focus. "What are you doing up? Are you alright?"
Aceloqua smiled and titled her head in the opposite direction, narrowing her eyes in a perverted leer. "Mattieu...I...I can't sleep. I keep thinking about what's going to happen to us and I just can't stand it." As she spoke in her best mockery of Alacoque's voice she started to movie her slender frame over Matt's until she was hovering over him on all fours.
Still groggy and half asleep, Mattieu didn't realize what she was doing until he felt her delicate body start to press against his and he opened his eyes wide immediately. "W-what are you doing??" He felt his cheeks start to burn and the sudden giddiness in his stomach told him exactly what was happening.
"Mattieu..." Aceloqua inched closer to his face, her eyes focused on everything but his. "This might be the last time we get to see each other like this...don't you think we should make the most of it?"
Mattieu felt the muscles in his jaw tighten and a shiver pass through his body. Of all the things that had and were about to transpired, he never once thought THIS would be one of them. Blinking, he found his right hand subconsciously settle against one of her wings, drawing her closer to him. "Are...are you sure--"
His words were cut off when he was suddenly silenced by an unexpected kiss. Aceloqua drew him closer and held him near until she felt his body relax underneath her. Parting from him, she sat up on his stomach and grinned, her eyes finally meeting his.
"Goodbye, Mattieu."
Mattieu's perplexed expression lasted no longer than a few seconds until it was twisted into a grimace of pain when five talons slashed themselves across his chest and onto the wooden floor. Gripping at his already bleeding wounds, Mattieu scrambled to his feet best he could and frantically searched for the avian girl that was just, moments ago, about to give herself to him.
"Alacoque?!" He flinched in pain as blood poured down his chest and dripped onto the floor. Laughter sounded from behind him and he twisted around in horror to find two acidic green eyes glaring at him from the shadows of the room.
"Alacoque's not here right now. So sorry to disappoint you." A flash of feathers suddenly engulfed Mattieu's vision and eight points of heat crippled his legs, causing his to fall backwards onto the floor. When he finally opened his eyes he was only forced to shut them again in pain when ten more points of fire sunk into his shoulders. The vice-like grip from the harpy's avian hands and feet was strong enough to penetrate stone, and with all of her talons working, Mattieu was truly unable to move. Forcing his eyes to open he made his final attempt to look into the eyes of his attacker.
"I know this comes at a terrible price, for both you and my pathetic sister. But I'm tired of being dragged around like this on your ridicules adventure." Removing her talons from his right shoulder, Aceloqua raised her hand back in preparation for the final strike. "This will only hurt a little..." Readying her talons, Aceloqua shifted her body when a sharp sound shot through the air and her body jerked. Gasping in discomfort, her harpy removed her other talons from Mattieu and reaches around to scratch something between her wings, though to her displeasure the area that ailed her was just out of her reach. With her body growing weak, she fell over to one side and craned her neck to see a tall canine making it's way towards both her and Mattieu.
"Whaat...did...you....d-do...to meee?" Was all she managed to get out through clenched teeth before her eyes lost focus and rolled back into her head; her body falling limp on the floor.
Kneeling down beside her, Ravik skillfully reached between the harpy's wings and removed a small dart from her feathers. Slipping it back into one of the pouches at his side, he shifted his attention to Mattieu; his brown eyes wide with worry. Not only for Mattieu, but for Alacoque as well.
"I'm not entirly sure..." Matt's voice broke Alacoque's panic and she lifted her head enough to look at him; his body silhouetted against the glow of the fire. "...If we're going to be able to even get close enough to tell him...but...there's no other way..." Matt's fingers circled the scarab bracer he wore on his wrist and the muscles in his jaw tightened. "It's going to be dangerous...but we're going to need a plan." As he said this he turned to her to see how she reacted. Unsurprisingly he noticed how on edge she was and she let out a sign, suddenly realizing how exhausted he himself was. "Lets try to get some sleep...we can talk about this in the morning..."
The room was uncomfortably quiet. Matt had fallen asleep almost an hour ago and the fire had reduced itself to only a few glowing embers that cracked the silence of the room every so often. Outside the temperature had dropped far below zero, leaving only the howl of freezing wind and the occasional call of the wooly snowbeast to be heard from inside the warm tavern room.
Alacoque sat up in bed near the window, staring out the window waiting to see the terrifying figure of the blue armed man charging furiously through the elements towards the tavern. But, of course, the man never appeared and the constant worry was only making her more and more exhausted. She felt herself starting to lean against the window pane, only to be startled awake by it's icy surface. What was that? She was sure she saw something move through the whipping snow flakes. She rubbed her eyes and peered out the window again. What was that? A strange six legged animal crossed through the street accompanied by two smaller versions of itself. She felt herself let out a sign. Probably just those snowbeasts the men were celebrating about earlier. They don't seem vicious. Why would they want to kill them? The though repeated itself in her mind over and over again until she felt something soft against her cheek. She opened her eyes again. The furs on the bed. They were so soft and warm. She could feel her body start to finally relax and drift off into the deep sleep it so desperately needed. Her legs tucked in close to her body and her wings lay relaxed at her sides. All she could hear were the finally cracklings of firewood...and laughter.
With a start, Alacoque's eyes shot open, the pupils shrinking to a mere pin prick in size and her talons gripped hold of the furs around her. She sat up with a jerk, as if her body wasn't used to moving in a certain way. Turning her head nearly all the way around the acidic green eyes focused themselves on Mattieu's sleeping body. Turns her body around to face Mattieu, she inhaled deeply and savored the unfamiliar scents of the room.
"I'm sorry it had to come to this, sister...but you've left me no choice." Aceloqua wasted no time in moving off the bed onto the wooden floors of the tavern. Her wings folded loosely around her, the only sound she made was from the talons of her avian feet walking across the floor. Settling down next to Mattieu she place a scaled hand on his chest and cocked her head to the side in her unusual bird-like manor. Her green eyes seemed to glow with anticipation when Matt suddenly stirred in his sleep and turned to face her.
"A-Alacoque?..." He rubbed his groggy eyes and blinked them into focus. "What are you doing up? Are you alright?"
Aceloqua smiled and titled her head in the opposite direction, narrowing her eyes in a perverted leer. "Mattieu...I...I can't sleep. I keep thinking about what's going to happen to us and I just can't stand it." As she spoke in her best mockery of Alacoque's voice she started to movie her slender frame over Matt's until she was hovering over him on all fours.
Still groggy and half asleep, Mattieu didn't realize what she was doing until he felt her delicate body start to press against his and he opened his eyes wide immediately. "W-what are you doing??" He felt his cheeks start to burn and the sudden giddiness in his stomach told him exactly what was happening.
"Mattieu..." Aceloqua inched closer to his face, her eyes focused on everything but his. "This might be the last time we get to see each other like this...don't you think we should make the most of it?"
Mattieu felt the muscles in his jaw tighten and a shiver pass through his body. Of all the things that had and were about to transpired, he never once thought THIS would be one of them. Blinking, he found his right hand subconsciously settle against one of her wings, drawing her closer to him. "Are...are you sure--"
His words were cut off when he was suddenly silenced by an unexpected kiss. Aceloqua drew him closer and held him near until she felt his body relax underneath her. Parting from him, she sat up on his stomach and grinned, her eyes finally meeting his.
"Goodbye, Mattieu."
Mattieu's perplexed expression lasted no longer than a few seconds until it was twisted into a grimace of pain when five talons slashed themselves across his chest and onto the wooden floor. Gripping at his already bleeding wounds, Mattieu scrambled to his feet best he could and frantically searched for the avian girl that was just, moments ago, about to give herself to him.
"Alacoque?!" He flinched in pain as blood poured down his chest and dripped onto the floor. Laughter sounded from behind him and he twisted around in horror to find two acidic green eyes glaring at him from the shadows of the room.
"Alacoque's not here right now. So sorry to disappoint you." A flash of feathers suddenly engulfed Mattieu's vision and eight points of heat crippled his legs, causing his to fall backwards onto the floor. When he finally opened his eyes he was only forced to shut them again in pain when ten more points of fire sunk into his shoulders. The vice-like grip from the harpy's avian hands and feet was strong enough to penetrate stone, and with all of her talons working, Mattieu was truly unable to move. Forcing his eyes to open he made his final attempt to look into the eyes of his attacker.
"I know this comes at a terrible price, for both you and my pathetic sister. But I'm tired of being dragged around like this on your ridicules adventure." Removing her talons from his right shoulder, Aceloqua raised her hand back in preparation for the final strike. "This will only hurt a little..." Readying her talons, Aceloqua shifted her body when a sharp sound shot through the air and her body jerked. Gasping in discomfort, her harpy removed her other talons from Mattieu and reaches around to scratch something between her wings, though to her displeasure the area that ailed her was just out of her reach. With her body growing weak, she fell over to one side and craned her neck to see a tall canine making it's way towards both her and Mattieu.
"Whaat...did...you....d-do...to meee?" Was all she managed to get out through clenched teeth before her eyes lost focus and rolled back into her head; her body falling limp on the floor.
Kneeling down beside her, Ravik skillfully reached between the harpy's wings and removed a small dart from her feathers. Slipping it back into one of the pouches at his side, he shifted his attention to Mattieu; his brown eyes wide with worry. Not only for Mattieu, but for Alacoque as well.
Ravik couldn’t have intervened at a better time. Matthieu was bleeding a lot, but it seemed he was pardoned before the death blow and the toying cuts were just shy of vital areas. The Jackal had the foresight to bring his healing salve and ointments and immediately applied them as he plopped his human friend on the bed. He then made sure the door was locked so no one who might have heard the ruckus came barging in heroically to see the mess.
The alchemist then turned his full attention on the unconscious bird woman huddled on the floor. He would have to bind her in some way if he was going to keep her around. He couldn’t have he attacking anyone again. He looked around for something to tie… he settled on moving some things off one of his belts. Once it was free to use, he bent over Alacoque and was millimeters from pushing her over when Matt cried out.
He had passed out after the flood of terror and emotion broke him, but now he was wide-eyed and moving toward his friends. Ravik pulled his hand back in order to help Matt from toppling over.
“What’s wrong? You’re wounded in many places and your body is probably going into shock, stop moving!” Ravik chastised his friend, who was still trying desperately to move toward Alacoque.
“You can’t touch… her…. She’s a reaper…Shemight….Youmight…. itmiii…” His words were slurring together as he may or may not have been swimming out of consciousness. He seemed to fight it off and slumped near Allie. His body was heavy to him and the wounds burnt, but with a cold sort of hotness. He moved the limp curls off her face. She felt feverish. “You can’t touch her directly.. She’s a Reaper.” He said it like Ravik was supposed to understand what it meant… the dog merely cocked his head the side and dropped an ear back.
Matthieu watched her tenderly through unfocussed eyes, wondering if maybe what she had at first said might still be true. He was snapped out of his reverie when the belt was thrust into his vision. “You have to tie her.” Ravik’s voice was firm and cut through the wishy washy feeling of Matt’s thoughts. He took the belt and did as he was told.
‘And now you rest and we wait for her to come to.” He forced Matt back onto the bed and covered him before turning back the woman. He again leaned over to move he but was shocked to immobility when Matt again cried for him to stop. The human couldn’t seem to articulate the reason why he shouldn’t touch her, but the man’s urgency led him to believe the reason was probably dire. He backed off and re-covered Matthieu firmly telling him to get some sleep.
Ravik curled on the chair now, facing the fire. His hopes for the morning consisted of healed wards and sane companions as he drifted off.
The alchemist then turned his full attention on the unconscious bird woman huddled on the floor. He would have to bind her in some way if he was going to keep her around. He couldn’t have he attacking anyone again. He looked around for something to tie… he settled on moving some things off one of his belts. Once it was free to use, he bent over Alacoque and was millimeters from pushing her over when Matt cried out.
He had passed out after the flood of terror and emotion broke him, but now he was wide-eyed and moving toward his friends. Ravik pulled his hand back in order to help Matt from toppling over.
“What’s wrong? You’re wounded in many places and your body is probably going into shock, stop moving!” Ravik chastised his friend, who was still trying desperately to move toward Alacoque.
“You can’t touch… her…. She’s a reaper…Shemight….Youmight…. itmiii…” His words were slurring together as he may or may not have been swimming out of consciousness. He seemed to fight it off and slumped near Allie. His body was heavy to him and the wounds burnt, but with a cold sort of hotness. He moved the limp curls off her face. She felt feverish. “You can’t touch her directly.. She’s a Reaper.” He said it like Ravik was supposed to understand what it meant… the dog merely cocked his head the side and dropped an ear back.
Matthieu watched her tenderly through unfocussed eyes, wondering if maybe what she had at first said might still be true. He was snapped out of his reverie when the belt was thrust into his vision. “You have to tie her.” Ravik’s voice was firm and cut through the wishy washy feeling of Matt’s thoughts. He took the belt and did as he was told.
‘And now you rest and we wait for her to come to.” He forced Matt back onto the bed and covered him before turning back the woman. He again leaned over to move he but was shocked to immobility when Matt again cried for him to stop. The human couldn’t seem to articulate the reason why he shouldn’t touch her, but the man’s urgency led him to believe the reason was probably dire. He backed off and re-covered Matthieu firmly telling him to get some sleep.
Ravik curled on the chair now, facing the fire. His hopes for the morning consisted of healed wards and sane companions as he drifted off.
The rest of the night passed by silently despite the now and again ruckus of late night celebration from downstairs. The wind outside seemed to slow and settle down as the night drew on and by morning it barely seemed to blow at all. As the sun made it’s way over the horizon the ever peaceful winter wonderland seemed to come back to life little by little.
Unfamiliar calls from birds could be heard from the outside world and every now and again the unsynchronized footsteps of an intoxicated partygoer thumped above the trio’s room. It was only a few hours later that the first signs of life sounded from the room next to theirs with the low voices of young men coming to. A few laughs were over powered by complaints about the sun being to bright and the morning coming too early but each tone of voice was in good spirits and soon the entire tavern was alive with conversation and footsteps.
The noise was enough to wake Mattieu from his comatose state and his body gave a small start upon revival. He blinked his eyes repeatedly to will them into focus while rolling his body over onto it’s side. Some of the dried salve Ravik had applied earlier cracked and flaked off of his skin and he immediately turned back as the substance pulled at the tiny hairs around his now healed wounds. He shut his eyes and let his body relax again while he listened to the rowdy voices walking outside the room. It was nearly impossible to focus in on a particular conversation and he still felt as if he was swimming in his own thoughts when he felt Ravik’s hand press itself against his forehead.
“You seem much better.” Came a familiar voice as the hands went down to his neck to check his pulse. Mattieu was about to ask what his friend was referring to when the memory hit him like a ton of bricks. Alacoque had attacked him only a few hours ago and the sudden realization caused his emotions to flare. Without thought, Mattieu sat up on the bed only to be told to lie back down again by his concerned friend.
“I don’t understand why you constantly disregard what I tell you” The jackal chastised. “You’re not completely healed yet so I suggest you stay put for--”
It was no use. Mattieu had already slid off the bed and made his way over to the harpy who was beginning to awaken herself; her voice calling out sheepishly as if from a bad dream.
If it was a bad dream, Alacoque wasn’t able to remember. All she felt was an incredible dizziness that made her want to fall back asleep and she squirmed to try and ease the feeling. What? Her body felt oddly ridged. As if she was unable to move her arms and wings. She tried again. Nothing. Coming to complete consciousness she opened her round eyes and tried one final time only to realize she was bound by a long belt that wrapped around her slender body 3 times before tying off in the back, out of reach. Turning her head to the side her eyes met up with a familiar set, but the expression was one she didn’t ever remember seeing.
Before her, Mattieu sat with a look of indescribable sorrow and question. She noticed the salve caked in places she didn’t remember seeing the day before and her expression began to mimic his as his frown began to intensify.
“M-Mattieu?...” she squirmed uncomfortably against the strain of the belt. Her wings ached terribly and she was certain her right arm had gone numb from loss of circulation. “Why are you looking at me like that? Can you please take this thing off me? I can’t move.”
She was certain she saw Mattieu’s mouth twist in some sort of frustration, as if he wanted to tell her something but wasn’t sure how. The expression only intensified when she asked the second question and by the third statement she saw the pair of canine feet stand before her. Craning her head best she could to look up at Ravik she noted the exact same dire expression on his face, at least she thought she did; his canine features could only foretell so much.
Shutting her eyes tightly from the glaring eyes and wave of dizziness that decided to greet her at that exact moment she cringed away from the two of them and lie her head back on the floor. Why was this happening? She could feel her pulse start to quicken and her stomach begin to turn with anxiety as she went over and over in her mind what had happened the night before. She remembered staying awake for a while, looking out the window. Seeing the snow beast thing she heard the men from before talk about. Ok. Nothing strange. The nice comfortable bed. Hearing the wind outside.
Wait.
She remembered falling asleep on the bed. How did she wind up over in the opposite end of the room? And tied up for that matter! She tried desperately to remember but it only made her head start so spin again and her mind was set off course by the ruckus of voices from outside and then Raviks right next to her.
“If you’re feeling a bit ill it’s not unusual. I had no choice but to shoot you with some of my tranquilizing serum.” He held up the dart for her to see. “My apologies, but it was for Mattieu’s safety…and possibly your own good.”
Alacoque tried her best to focus on the dart…or rather DARTS, but her features only twisted in dismay. She had absolutely no idea what Ravik was talking about. She didn’t remember any dart and the pins and needles in her arm were only getting worse by the minute. She shifted her body again in discomfort and tried her best to wiggle out of her bindings when she heard Mattieu’s voice call out.
“Don’t!”
Opening her eyes, Alacoque saw Ravik take back his own hands as if he was about to stop her from struggling. The jackal man turned his head to Mattieu in miffed agitation and decided to heed his friends warning yet again, though still unsure of the reason behind it.
“I…I don’t understand…why are you saying this?” Alacoque shut her eyes tightly and pressed her head against the floor as if it would help her think. Maybe THIS was a dream…but then if it was, she wouldn’t be able to feel her arm being stabbed by hundreds of thousands of needles. She clenched her jaw and tried to turn her body so she wasn’t lying against her arm when she noticed the spots of blood on the floor beside her.
She was positive those were not there when they entered the room. In fact, that looked rather fresh, as if spilt only hours ago. Her eyes scanned the rest of the room and focused on several other stains that splattered themselves about. An uneasy feeling began to wash over her and she felt her heart sink when her eyes focused on Mattieu’s legs. The fabric of his pants was shredded and stained with blood in two concentrated areas and her eyes turned up to examine the salve smeared across his chest. Most of it had dried and cracked off in the night to revile five scratch marks.
Alacoque’s eyes widened in terror as the situation became clear to her.
“Oh…NO!” She turned her face away from them as best she could and fought back the tears that began to flood her eyes.
“M-Mattieu…I…” She faltered. How could she tell him what had really happened? That it wasn’t her fault. What ever her sister had done to him was meant to be fatal; she knew from the variation of marks on his body.
“Mattieu…” She spoke into the floor; tears pooling around her nose. What had she got to loose? She inhaled deeply and decided to tell them the truth. If either of them believed her it would truly be a miracle on her part.
“Mattieu…you’re probably not going to believe me…or think I’m completely out of my mind…” She sniffed and tried her best to compose herself. “Whatever happened to you…I had nothing to do with it…it w-was my sister…we…share the same body. Normally I’m the one that has control but sometimes…when I’m asleep…or emotionally distressed about something, she’s able to gain control.”
She didn’t even bother to look up at either of them. She had already figured they had stopped listening and were planning to leave her behind. She couldn’t blame them.
“She wants to kill you so I can go back home…she says she’s tired of being dragged around on this suicide mission and blames you for getting me into this mess…I…” Her words trailed off. If either of them had got up and left already she had no idea; she hadn’t moved from her original position and she dared not open her eyes for fear of discovering the truth.
Unfamiliar calls from birds could be heard from the outside world and every now and again the unsynchronized footsteps of an intoxicated partygoer thumped above the trio’s room. It was only a few hours later that the first signs of life sounded from the room next to theirs with the low voices of young men coming to. A few laughs were over powered by complaints about the sun being to bright and the morning coming too early but each tone of voice was in good spirits and soon the entire tavern was alive with conversation and footsteps.
The noise was enough to wake Mattieu from his comatose state and his body gave a small start upon revival. He blinked his eyes repeatedly to will them into focus while rolling his body over onto it’s side. Some of the dried salve Ravik had applied earlier cracked and flaked off of his skin and he immediately turned back as the substance pulled at the tiny hairs around his now healed wounds. He shut his eyes and let his body relax again while he listened to the rowdy voices walking outside the room. It was nearly impossible to focus in on a particular conversation and he still felt as if he was swimming in his own thoughts when he felt Ravik’s hand press itself against his forehead.
“You seem much better.” Came a familiar voice as the hands went down to his neck to check his pulse. Mattieu was about to ask what his friend was referring to when the memory hit him like a ton of bricks. Alacoque had attacked him only a few hours ago and the sudden realization caused his emotions to flare. Without thought, Mattieu sat up on the bed only to be told to lie back down again by his concerned friend.
“I don’t understand why you constantly disregard what I tell you” The jackal chastised. “You’re not completely healed yet so I suggest you stay put for--”
It was no use. Mattieu had already slid off the bed and made his way over to the harpy who was beginning to awaken herself; her voice calling out sheepishly as if from a bad dream.
If it was a bad dream, Alacoque wasn’t able to remember. All she felt was an incredible dizziness that made her want to fall back asleep and she squirmed to try and ease the feeling. What? Her body felt oddly ridged. As if she was unable to move her arms and wings. She tried again. Nothing. Coming to complete consciousness she opened her round eyes and tried one final time only to realize she was bound by a long belt that wrapped around her slender body 3 times before tying off in the back, out of reach. Turning her head to the side her eyes met up with a familiar set, but the expression was one she didn’t ever remember seeing.
Before her, Mattieu sat with a look of indescribable sorrow and question. She noticed the salve caked in places she didn’t remember seeing the day before and her expression began to mimic his as his frown began to intensify.
“M-Mattieu?...” she squirmed uncomfortably against the strain of the belt. Her wings ached terribly and she was certain her right arm had gone numb from loss of circulation. “Why are you looking at me like that? Can you please take this thing off me? I can’t move.”
She was certain she saw Mattieu’s mouth twist in some sort of frustration, as if he wanted to tell her something but wasn’t sure how. The expression only intensified when she asked the second question and by the third statement she saw the pair of canine feet stand before her. Craning her head best she could to look up at Ravik she noted the exact same dire expression on his face, at least she thought she did; his canine features could only foretell so much.
Shutting her eyes tightly from the glaring eyes and wave of dizziness that decided to greet her at that exact moment she cringed away from the two of them and lie her head back on the floor. Why was this happening? She could feel her pulse start to quicken and her stomach begin to turn with anxiety as she went over and over in her mind what had happened the night before. She remembered staying awake for a while, looking out the window. Seeing the snow beast thing she heard the men from before talk about. Ok. Nothing strange. The nice comfortable bed. Hearing the wind outside.
Wait.
She remembered falling asleep on the bed. How did she wind up over in the opposite end of the room? And tied up for that matter! She tried desperately to remember but it only made her head start so spin again and her mind was set off course by the ruckus of voices from outside and then Raviks right next to her.
“If you’re feeling a bit ill it’s not unusual. I had no choice but to shoot you with some of my tranquilizing serum.” He held up the dart for her to see. “My apologies, but it was for Mattieu’s safety…and possibly your own good.”
Alacoque tried her best to focus on the dart…or rather DARTS, but her features only twisted in dismay. She had absolutely no idea what Ravik was talking about. She didn’t remember any dart and the pins and needles in her arm were only getting worse by the minute. She shifted her body again in discomfort and tried her best to wiggle out of her bindings when she heard Mattieu’s voice call out.
“Don’t!”
Opening her eyes, Alacoque saw Ravik take back his own hands as if he was about to stop her from struggling. The jackal man turned his head to Mattieu in miffed agitation and decided to heed his friends warning yet again, though still unsure of the reason behind it.
“I…I don’t understand…why are you saying this?” Alacoque shut her eyes tightly and pressed her head against the floor as if it would help her think. Maybe THIS was a dream…but then if it was, she wouldn’t be able to feel her arm being stabbed by hundreds of thousands of needles. She clenched her jaw and tried to turn her body so she wasn’t lying against her arm when she noticed the spots of blood on the floor beside her.
She was positive those were not there when they entered the room. In fact, that looked rather fresh, as if spilt only hours ago. Her eyes scanned the rest of the room and focused on several other stains that splattered themselves about. An uneasy feeling began to wash over her and she felt her heart sink when her eyes focused on Mattieu’s legs. The fabric of his pants was shredded and stained with blood in two concentrated areas and her eyes turned up to examine the salve smeared across his chest. Most of it had dried and cracked off in the night to revile five scratch marks.
Alacoque’s eyes widened in terror as the situation became clear to her.
“Oh…NO!” She turned her face away from them as best she could and fought back the tears that began to flood her eyes.
“M-Mattieu…I…” She faltered. How could she tell him what had really happened? That it wasn’t her fault. What ever her sister had done to him was meant to be fatal; she knew from the variation of marks on his body.
“Mattieu…” She spoke into the floor; tears pooling around her nose. What had she got to loose? She inhaled deeply and decided to tell them the truth. If either of them believed her it would truly be a miracle on her part.
“Mattieu…you’re probably not going to believe me…or think I’m completely out of my mind…” She sniffed and tried her best to compose herself. “Whatever happened to you…I had nothing to do with it…it w-was my sister…we…share the same body. Normally I’m the one that has control but sometimes…when I’m asleep…or emotionally distressed about something, she’s able to gain control.”
She didn’t even bother to look up at either of them. She had already figured they had stopped listening and were planning to leave her behind. She couldn’t blame them.
“She wants to kill you so I can go back home…she says she’s tired of being dragged around on this suicide mission and blames you for getting me into this mess…I…” Her words trailed off. If either of them had got up and left already she had no idea; she hadn’t moved from her original position and she dared not open her eyes for fear of discovering the truth.
Matthieu was silent through the confession. His mind was saturated and he felt like he couldn’t take anything else in. So, he readily accepted her story for the sole purpose of not having to absorb any of it. He let her loose and she immediately adjusted herself to let the blood flow better to her arm. Her expression was morose when she finally looked at him; his was blank. Ravik was bustled between them, collecting their things as Allie watched Matt who sat on the bed staring dejectedly out the window.
The Jackal left the room to search for a bucket and cloth and to see about breakfast. The pair sat in silence, Alacoque afraid to say anything, Matt with nothing to say. When Ravik returned it was like neither of them had moved, he had to make sure they were breathing by watching their chests… He cleaned the blood droplets off the wood floor and returned the supplies downstairs. Again, neither had moved…
“If we want breakfast, it can be had in the main room downstairs,” he spoke to no one in particular and his words hung in the air a moment before anyone answered. Alacoque and Matthieu answered in unison that they were not hungry. The Reaper squirmed uncomfortably and the human sat unchanged, seemingly quite interested with whatever was outside.
Ravik frowned and finished packing their things. He gave Matthieu a cloak to wrap around his person as his clothes seemed destined for destruction this trip. He finally disengaged his staring and placed the thing around his shoulders, his journal strapped underneath it. He placed his fedora atop his head and slung his pack on. Handing the pilfered satchel of coins to Ravik he said tonelessly, “Check out with this, buy yourself breakfast and then give the rest away. We’re going back to the Nexus.”
He left the room and lightly walked down the stairs. Alacoque was left to watch Ravik fix the bed and offer her kind words that fell on deaf ears. It seemed she wasn’t to be left behind, as the jackal held the door for her upon exiting. However, she felt something about her relationship with Matt was slipping and strained. She followed Ravik down the stairs. Matt must have been outside.
The dog-man paid and ordered some food that could be taken with him. He put some bread and cheese and bit of dried meat into a cloth and thanked the inn keeper with a very large tip as he left the money pouch for him. When they exited the establishment, Matt was standing outside in the snow in his tattered pants and cloak. Ravik offered him some food as Allie had already declined.
“We’re going to talk with Corwin.” This was apparently a No on the food and an answer to the question no one had yet asked. He led them off behind a snow bank and fixed his transporter to the right alignment. The portal opened and he slipped through it silently. Ravik faltered and looked back at Allie. She wasn’t moving, again thinking she was to be left here in this snow land. Ravik frowned and stepped back, waving an arm for her to go first. Her lips twitched as if to smile as she went through. With a sigh, Ravik followed.
~☼~
Matthieu stalked out of the portal and did not wait for his companions to follow. He took each step deliberately and did not stop when he was huffing for breath. His goal? The top of the tower. He was on a mission and other jumpers or tower guards be damned, he was going to speak with the Tower Master.
Ravik and Alacoque came through a couple of minutes later. Ravik knew what Matt meant with his cryptic and unwarranted response. However, he opted to use the smart root and not walk up all the uncounted stairs. He waited at one of the landings of the giant spiral structure, Allie in tow. The stairs hugged the outer spiral of the opening and in the giant open space in the middle of the cone of stairs a disc floated unattached to anything. This disc rose and descended like an elevator and stopped at their floor as if asked. The two stepped onto the marble surface.
As soon as they were on the smooth disc it continued its rise. It stopped a few times to pick up more tower dwellers, but they all exited onto different floors before the two had reached their destination. The Tower’s top seemed to be eons away and Allie was becoming dizzy. Ravik waited patiently, his nose to the sky, tail wagging just so. Matthieu must have made it to the top already, as they did not pass him on the stairs. That was curious.
~☼~
Matthieu was walking up the stairs one moment, stepping into an office-like room the next. Corwin must have “heard” him coming. One could not simply enter the top room by choice, they had to be invited. He walked into the room full of books and mage-like things; too much for his to take in because every time he tried to focus on something, he was distracted by something else. And then Corwin spoke, presumably from behind the desk.
“Do I need to put horse blinders on you, or do you think you can make it over here, Matthieu?” He sat up from whatever he had been doing and offered a snaky grin. He was tall and leanly muscled with messy hair and sharp face. His nose could be described as hawk like and his cheek bones were high, but he had jovial eyes and a lightly mocking, yet sweet grin. This was Corwin, the Tower’s Master. All who passed through his portals knew him, and he knew them. Or else they would not be allowed in this place.
Right around this time Ravik was explaining all of this to Alacoque, who now had a glimmer of hope that her situation could be reversed whenever she wanted to go home. Finally, it seemed like they were nearing the top of the tower. Then, like they were never going to stop, as the top of the tower was just an ornately painted ceiling. The Reaper thought she would be crushed and cringed away from the impact as the disc did not slow, but Ravik was standing happily, waiting. Right as she should have felt her bone shatter on the marble roof, she felt like she was moving through water and the two of them were standing in Corwin’s office.
Before them, Matthieu spoke solemnly and offered his hand to shake with the Mage. Corwin’s eyes fell on the two animal people after he let go of Matt’s hand. He turned to look over his shoulder when Corwin looked around him. Matthieu approached then two as Corwin left his desk; he had an odd gait. They realized why when the man left the cover of the wooden piece of furniture: His entire left leg was bound by black belts. He could articulate his joints, but the motion was still off somehow. Ravik caught Allie staring and leaned over to whisper:
“It’s all conjecture, but I’ve heard his leg is torn to shreds under those bindings. I don’t know how, but it’s also said they are the only things keeping it together, probably with magic.” As he finished his words, Matt was standing opposite him, Corwin still approaching. Ravik walked around to meet Corwin, who greeted him by name as he had done with Matt.
“You’re going home,” Matt’s words startled Alacoque from staring at Corwin’s bound leg. Her wide eyes met his serious ones. “I spoke with Corwin. He’s going to contact an old acquaintance who knows someone who can get you back to Hell.” Allie’s throat was dry and she tried to respond, but was cut off. “It’s better for you. There is no reason for you to be running around from death with me. Besides, if you were captured, who knows what evil that man would do through you? So, you’re going home.”
Corwin smiled over Matt's shoulder then and offered: "I would just point you to the portal myself being that I run the damn place, but as you may well know you're people like to make their own. Wherever they want. Whenever they want. Which makes it bloody annoying to keep track of."
The Jackal left the room to search for a bucket and cloth and to see about breakfast. The pair sat in silence, Alacoque afraid to say anything, Matt with nothing to say. When Ravik returned it was like neither of them had moved, he had to make sure they were breathing by watching their chests… He cleaned the blood droplets off the wood floor and returned the supplies downstairs. Again, neither had moved…
“If we want breakfast, it can be had in the main room downstairs,” he spoke to no one in particular and his words hung in the air a moment before anyone answered. Alacoque and Matthieu answered in unison that they were not hungry. The Reaper squirmed uncomfortably and the human sat unchanged, seemingly quite interested with whatever was outside.
Ravik frowned and finished packing their things. He gave Matthieu a cloak to wrap around his person as his clothes seemed destined for destruction this trip. He finally disengaged his staring and placed the thing around his shoulders, his journal strapped underneath it. He placed his fedora atop his head and slung his pack on. Handing the pilfered satchel of coins to Ravik he said tonelessly, “Check out with this, buy yourself breakfast and then give the rest away. We’re going back to the Nexus.”
He left the room and lightly walked down the stairs. Alacoque was left to watch Ravik fix the bed and offer her kind words that fell on deaf ears. It seemed she wasn’t to be left behind, as the jackal held the door for her upon exiting. However, she felt something about her relationship with Matt was slipping and strained. She followed Ravik down the stairs. Matt must have been outside.
The dog-man paid and ordered some food that could be taken with him. He put some bread and cheese and bit of dried meat into a cloth and thanked the inn keeper with a very large tip as he left the money pouch for him. When they exited the establishment, Matt was standing outside in the snow in his tattered pants and cloak. Ravik offered him some food as Allie had already declined.
“We’re going to talk with Corwin.” This was apparently a No on the food and an answer to the question no one had yet asked. He led them off behind a snow bank and fixed his transporter to the right alignment. The portal opened and he slipped through it silently. Ravik faltered and looked back at Allie. She wasn’t moving, again thinking she was to be left here in this snow land. Ravik frowned and stepped back, waving an arm for her to go first. Her lips twitched as if to smile as she went through. With a sigh, Ravik followed.
~☼~
Matthieu stalked out of the portal and did not wait for his companions to follow. He took each step deliberately and did not stop when he was huffing for breath. His goal? The top of the tower. He was on a mission and other jumpers or tower guards be damned, he was going to speak with the Tower Master.
Ravik and Alacoque came through a couple of minutes later. Ravik knew what Matt meant with his cryptic and unwarranted response. However, he opted to use the smart root and not walk up all the uncounted stairs. He waited at one of the landings of the giant spiral structure, Allie in tow. The stairs hugged the outer spiral of the opening and in the giant open space in the middle of the cone of stairs a disc floated unattached to anything. This disc rose and descended like an elevator and stopped at their floor as if asked. The two stepped onto the marble surface.
As soon as they were on the smooth disc it continued its rise. It stopped a few times to pick up more tower dwellers, but they all exited onto different floors before the two had reached their destination. The Tower’s top seemed to be eons away and Allie was becoming dizzy. Ravik waited patiently, his nose to the sky, tail wagging just so. Matthieu must have made it to the top already, as they did not pass him on the stairs. That was curious.
~☼~
Matthieu was walking up the stairs one moment, stepping into an office-like room the next. Corwin must have “heard” him coming. One could not simply enter the top room by choice, they had to be invited. He walked into the room full of books and mage-like things; too much for his to take in because every time he tried to focus on something, he was distracted by something else. And then Corwin spoke, presumably from behind the desk.
“Do I need to put horse blinders on you, or do you think you can make it over here, Matthieu?” He sat up from whatever he had been doing and offered a snaky grin. He was tall and leanly muscled with messy hair and sharp face. His nose could be described as hawk like and his cheek bones were high, but he had jovial eyes and a lightly mocking, yet sweet grin. This was Corwin, the Tower’s Master. All who passed through his portals knew him, and he knew them. Or else they would not be allowed in this place.
Right around this time Ravik was explaining all of this to Alacoque, who now had a glimmer of hope that her situation could be reversed whenever she wanted to go home. Finally, it seemed like they were nearing the top of the tower. Then, like they were never going to stop, as the top of the tower was just an ornately painted ceiling. The Reaper thought she would be crushed and cringed away from the impact as the disc did not slow, but Ravik was standing happily, waiting. Right as she should have felt her bone shatter on the marble roof, she felt like she was moving through water and the two of them were standing in Corwin’s office.
Before them, Matthieu spoke solemnly and offered his hand to shake with the Mage. Corwin’s eyes fell on the two animal people after he let go of Matt’s hand. He turned to look over his shoulder when Corwin looked around him. Matthieu approached then two as Corwin left his desk; he had an odd gait. They realized why when the man left the cover of the wooden piece of furniture: His entire left leg was bound by black belts. He could articulate his joints, but the motion was still off somehow. Ravik caught Allie staring and leaned over to whisper:
“It’s all conjecture, but I’ve heard his leg is torn to shreds under those bindings. I don’t know how, but it’s also said they are the only things keeping it together, probably with magic.” As he finished his words, Matt was standing opposite him, Corwin still approaching. Ravik walked around to meet Corwin, who greeted him by name as he had done with Matt.
“You’re going home,” Matt’s words startled Alacoque from staring at Corwin’s bound leg. Her wide eyes met his serious ones. “I spoke with Corwin. He’s going to contact an old acquaintance who knows someone who can get you back to Hell.” Allie’s throat was dry and she tried to respond, but was cut off. “It’s better for you. There is no reason for you to be running around from death with me. Besides, if you were captured, who knows what evil that man would do through you? So, you’re going home.”
Corwin smiled over Matt's shoulder then and offered: "I would just point you to the portal myself being that I run the damn place, but as you may well know you're people like to make their own. Wherever they want. Whenever they want. Which makes it bloody annoying to keep track of."
"Th-that's it?" Alacoque's wide eyes shot from side to side, taking in Corwin and Mattieu's expressions. Turning to Ravik in a sort of silent plea to have them reconsider, she felt a twisting in her stomach. Mattieu was right, after all. It was dangerous to have her continue to follow them on this quest. And true that the blue armed man would only gain more power if he had gotten a hold of her. But she couldn't help but wonder what would become of Mattieu. And further more, what would become of their friendship...if there ever was one.
Turning her attention away from all three of them she felt the knot in her stomach tighten. The bond that had united the two was fraying and this wasn't something that came as a surprise to her as all her so called relationships were always under a constant tension. Weather if be from her appearance, her sister or her inability to touch anything living, the entire possibility of ever having a true friendship with someone was beyond her control.
But Mattieu was different. Not only had he accepted her despite her appearance and odd disposition but for some reason, he was able to touch her without succumbing to an instantiations death. Alacoque wasn't sure if she understood why, but for some reason the fact that he was able to do this made him irreplaceable in her mind, and this was not something she thought of often.
She didn't want to go back. Not with this heavy feeling in her chest. She wished she could turn it all around and have Mattieu understand that she was truly sorry for what her sister had done. Or even better: have him believe that she HAD a sister.
Finding a bench, she sat down on the small area that wasn't cluttered with books and slumped her head down so that her disheveled curls washed over her face. She couldn't bring herself to look at Mattieu, it would only make her feel more upset. The expressionless way he had been looking at her throughout the day was enough to make her skin crawl. Was this really the end? She couldn't help herself from ruminating about it and before she knew it she heard Corwin's off-beat footsteps drawing closer to her.
Turning her attention away from all three of them she felt the knot in her stomach tighten. The bond that had united the two was fraying and this wasn't something that came as a surprise to her as all her so called relationships were always under a constant tension. Weather if be from her appearance, her sister or her inability to touch anything living, the entire possibility of ever having a true friendship with someone was beyond her control.
But Mattieu was different. Not only had he accepted her despite her appearance and odd disposition but for some reason, he was able to touch her without succumbing to an instantiations death. Alacoque wasn't sure if she understood why, but for some reason the fact that he was able to do this made him irreplaceable in her mind, and this was not something she thought of often.
She didn't want to go back. Not with this heavy feeling in her chest. She wished she could turn it all around and have Mattieu understand that she was truly sorry for what her sister had done. Or even better: have him believe that she HAD a sister.
Finding a bench, she sat down on the small area that wasn't cluttered with books and slumped her head down so that her disheveled curls washed over her face. She couldn't bring herself to look at Mattieu, it would only make her feel more upset. The expressionless way he had been looking at her throughout the day was enough to make her skin crawl. Was this really the end? She couldn't help herself from ruminating about it and before she knew it she heard Corwin's off-beat footsteps drawing closer to her.
Corwin had crossed the room to get her attention. While she was lost in her thoughts, another man had entered. He was tall and muscular, but covered head to toe in black and red plated armor. He removed his helmet to reveal a length of jet black hair that fell down his shoulders in uneven tufts. His eyes went around the room and when Alacoque met them she could see what brilliant red they were. He then greeted Corwin heartily, like an old friend, which in fact they were.
The Tower Master then began to speak with this new man, Alacoque could not hear what transpired, but she was looked at and gestured towards many times. Corwin then broke the conversation to walk over to her. She stared upward at the two tall men and the newcomer broke the silence:
“Hail, I am Azaroth. Corwin tell me you need my help?” He smiled and held out his hand to shake. Without moving his gaze from Alacoque, Corwin put a hand on Azaroth’s extended one and pushed it down. The black-maned man looked confused, but Corwin spoke.
“My friend here is an acquaintance with one of your Realm’s… Ah… Higher-ups. If he can contact her, she can get you back to your home.”
With that, they left her alone again. Matthieu and Ravik were talking a plan of attack on their meeting with the blue-armed man. Corwin had mentioned seeing him once or twice; however he wasn’t actually sure of his name, nor his intent. Being that he seemed akin to the tower guardians, what with the mana arm and all, they didn’t find him to be a threat readily.
Azaroth was playing with an earring which had seemed unassuming, but he was now talking to it… like… Well, like a modern day cell phone. Allie was interested. He even walked in random patterns while speaking, like the human on her Earth are known to do. He snuck a glance at her now and again and her eyes were waiting each time to meet his. He offered a small smile whilst talking and turned away.
Matt kept stealing glances as well, but they were unnoticed. He was doing what was best for her, not for him and that meant she needed to go home. He was trying to steel himself against the doubts of this decision as well as his impending mission. He was interrupted, however, when a portal ripped through the air and a woman flounced out.
She had short-cropped emerald hair and an olive complexion. Her curves were in all the right places, but she was also muscular, like a wild cat. She was lithe when she moved and her gaze was all for Azaroth. She went straight to him, and her arms went about his neck. He intercepted her clumsily as she pressed her body to him. She wore dark armor of her own and a sash about her forehead. She was now speaking honeyed words to the warrior and he was trying to pry her off.
But, he soon gave up and next thing anyone knew, they were sharing a kiss. She could see now this newcomer had a tail; it was prehensile and lilac in color and terimated with a sharp spade. It waved behind her lazily. The woman sighed with contentment at her greeting, detangled from his embrace and sauntered to Alacoque.
“So this is our lost little duckling?” Her voice was smooth but sharp and deadly at the same time. She had a presence about her that commanded attention yet at the same time made those who regarded her fearful. She stood with her hands planted on her hips as she took the Reaper in. “I think there will be some very irate demons waiting for you, Little One.”
She offered Alacoque a hand, which was not taken. The Reaper stood on her own, dusted her skirt off and silently stepped the middle of the room. Her gaze when to Matthieu who held it for tense moments, then broke the contact to stare at something across the room.
“Jericho.” The woman turned to see who had addressed her. To everyone else in the room she was speaking to air, as the voice was disembodied, but she nodded to what it had to say.
“Time to go, Little One,” she grinned, cattishly. Before leaving, she went to Azaroth again and whispered something presumably naughty in his ear if the flush that spread across his cheeks meant anything. She then pat him on the rump and walked to Alacoque, hips a-sway.
Jericho lifted her arm and held out a finger. As she dragged her nail toward the ground, a rift was sliced into the air and its jagged edges opened to consume them. Seconds later, they were gone. Azaroth kindly asked Corwin to put him back where he had been previously and Corwin obliged. Ravik then crossed the room to engage Corwin in a heated conversation about the rifts. Matthieu, however, sat dimly aware of his surroundings, trying to calm the pounding in his heart, which sought to rise up his throat and choke him.
The Tower Master then began to speak with this new man, Alacoque could not hear what transpired, but she was looked at and gestured towards many times. Corwin then broke the conversation to walk over to her. She stared upward at the two tall men and the newcomer broke the silence:
“Hail, I am Azaroth. Corwin tell me you need my help?” He smiled and held out his hand to shake. Without moving his gaze from Alacoque, Corwin put a hand on Azaroth’s extended one and pushed it down. The black-maned man looked confused, but Corwin spoke.
“My friend here is an acquaintance with one of your Realm’s… Ah… Higher-ups. If he can contact her, she can get you back to your home.”
With that, they left her alone again. Matthieu and Ravik were talking a plan of attack on their meeting with the blue-armed man. Corwin had mentioned seeing him once or twice; however he wasn’t actually sure of his name, nor his intent. Being that he seemed akin to the tower guardians, what with the mana arm and all, they didn’t find him to be a threat readily.
Azaroth was playing with an earring which had seemed unassuming, but he was now talking to it… like… Well, like a modern day cell phone. Allie was interested. He even walked in random patterns while speaking, like the human on her Earth are known to do. He snuck a glance at her now and again and her eyes were waiting each time to meet his. He offered a small smile whilst talking and turned away.
Matt kept stealing glances as well, but they were unnoticed. He was doing what was best for her, not for him and that meant she needed to go home. He was trying to steel himself against the doubts of this decision as well as his impending mission. He was interrupted, however, when a portal ripped through the air and a woman flounced out.
She had short-cropped emerald hair and an olive complexion. Her curves were in all the right places, but she was also muscular, like a wild cat. She was lithe when she moved and her gaze was all for Azaroth. She went straight to him, and her arms went about his neck. He intercepted her clumsily as she pressed her body to him. She wore dark armor of her own and a sash about her forehead. She was now speaking honeyed words to the warrior and he was trying to pry her off.
But, he soon gave up and next thing anyone knew, they were sharing a kiss. She could see now this newcomer had a tail; it was prehensile and lilac in color and terimated with a sharp spade. It waved behind her lazily. The woman sighed with contentment at her greeting, detangled from his embrace and sauntered to Alacoque.
“So this is our lost little duckling?” Her voice was smooth but sharp and deadly at the same time. She had a presence about her that commanded attention yet at the same time made those who regarded her fearful. She stood with her hands planted on her hips as she took the Reaper in. “I think there will be some very irate demons waiting for you, Little One.”
She offered Alacoque a hand, which was not taken. The Reaper stood on her own, dusted her skirt off and silently stepped the middle of the room. Her gaze when to Matthieu who held it for tense moments, then broke the contact to stare at something across the room.
“Jericho.” The woman turned to see who had addressed her. To everyone else in the room she was speaking to air, as the voice was disembodied, but she nodded to what it had to say.
“Time to go, Little One,” she grinned, cattishly. Before leaving, she went to Azaroth again and whispered something presumably naughty in his ear if the flush that spread across his cheeks meant anything. She then pat him on the rump and walked to Alacoque, hips a-sway.
Jericho lifted her arm and held out a finger. As she dragged her nail toward the ground, a rift was sliced into the air and its jagged edges opened to consume them. Seconds later, they were gone. Azaroth kindly asked Corwin to put him back where he had been previously and Corwin obliged. Ravik then crossed the room to engage Corwin in a heated conversation about the rifts. Matthieu, however, sat dimly aware of his surroundings, trying to calm the pounding in his heart, which sought to rise up his throat and choke him.
Alacoque kept her eyes shut tightly throughout the hop despite the fact that this particular portal felt much smoother. Undoubtedly this was true, as it was a portal created by natural magic rather than a device.
Though the results were the same, the portals created by devices tended to be less sturdy than the ones opened and created by magic, thus, making them more turbulent to the traveler and with excessive use could cause sickness; something Alacoque had become quite aware of.
The trip didn't last long, and before she could knew it she felt an oppressive and familiar heat surround her body. The faint smell of fire and ash filled her nostrils and muffled screams of tortured souls echoed from beneath the rocky terrain she stood upon. Parting her feathered lashes, her haggard eyes focused upon a colossal fortress carved directly into the jagged rock that erupted from once deep trenches in the cracked bedrock.
A faint mist of ash and soot seemed to linger in the air about the jagged peaks of the fortress; kept a loft by the bellows of hellfire burning far below the ground. Every now and again a flair of flame leapt from the chasm before the fortress to lick the underbelly of the plateau that lead to it's entrance. The entrance to Oblivian's peek: the central station to all reapers and kin alike.
She was home.
To most, the choking heat that lingered in the air would have been enough to render a mortal man unconscious in under a few minutes. But to Alacoque, the heat was soothing. Being a accepted as a reaper meant the heat from the hellfires would have no adverse effect on her; she even enjoyed it, as her skeletal frame was prone to loss of body heat. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and relished the burning scent that filled her lungs.
"Are you going to just stand there or do I have to escort you inside?"
Jericho's cool voice cut through Alacoque's moment of repose and jolted her back to reality. She would have to explain herself to her teacher. She didn't even know how long shed been gone. Time in different dimensions all passed at different speeds. She only remembered sleeping through one night but it could have very well been 3 weeks in Hell's dimensional time.
She was about to respond but she felt her jaw tighten and her tongue turn to jelly in her mouth. What ever came out in response was nothing she would be able to repeat. She noticed Jericho took this into miffed consideration; her tail slowly whipping side to side and the muscles in her jaw tightened as of she was biting back a truck load of hurtful words. Never the less, she composed herself and motioned towards the reaper.
"I'm not one to play baby sitter, but seeing as you've probably gone through more than a reaper of your experience should, I'll let that stupid slur of a response slide." She grinned devilishly and began to walk a head of her; hips swaying side to side. After a moments walk she turned her head back just enough for Alacoque to see a glimmer of white peak from her lips. "Besides, I'm sure you've aware of what's in store for you...you're absence has caused quite a stir."
Alacoque's eyes widened. How long WAS she gone for?? It couldn't have possibly been longer than a few days. A week? A month?? A throbbing in her head started to beat as her heart raced in anxiety. The thought of being exiled suddenly crossed her mind and she felt herself choke. True the idea had crossed her mind earlier, but now that she was back home, awaiting judgment, the thought frightened her more than anything...well...ALMOST anything. The blue armed man being one of those things.
As she weighed the thoughts of what was more terrifying, Alacoque lost track of where she was headed until she realized she had log ago entered the fortress and was traveling down it's main hallway. Compared to it's jagged looking exterior, the inside of the reaping headquarters was a beautifully crafted architectural masterpiece. Intricate carvings of the founding reapers of the past stood at the entrance; their great scythes acting as pillars to support it's high ceiling. Behind them, carved into the fortresses walls lay the many lost souls that were first damned by their blades; petrified deep into the fortresses walls in a sea of unmoving torture.
A head of them, many reapers crossed the hallway; their minds set on their work. Many didn't even notice Alacoque, to which she was grateful. She wanted to remain out of trouble for as long as possible, but as soon as the thought began to ease her nerves a familiar voice rang in her ear, shrill and terrifying.
"Allie!? You're ALIVE?!"
Jericho stopped at the sound of the voice and Alacoque's legs nearly gave out from under her. She had wanted to make her reentry as quiet as possible. The possibility of running into acquaintances from her training group would only make the sting of punishment worse. And right now, she was starting to feel that sting.
The young demon who stood before Alacoque carried a scythe much like hers, though the blade was slightly different. Lark was nearly the same age as Alacoque and donned a ponytail of frizzy purple hair that ended at her shoulders. The two had been classmates when Alacoque entered into the academy and despite her awkward disposition, Lark had somehow seen through it and took a liking to Allie. The two had become great friends if Lark had to explain it, though Alacoque only revered her as an every day acquaintance. No one was worth getting attached to when an accidental brushing of shoulders could render them lifeless.
"Allie!" The young demon took a step closer to the harpy, her solid black eyes wide with wonder and sadness. "I can't believe you're back! I thought for sure something terrible happened to you! You've been gone for five days!"
Five days?! The reality hit Alacoque like a bolt of lightning and her brilliant green eyes widened in shock. "F-five days?!" she swallowed, the thought of banishment ruminating in her mind.
Lark nodded vigorously, her frizz of a pony tail flopping in every direction before she turned her attention to Jericho and bowed her head in obvious recognition. "They sent out a bunch of reapers to look for you when your scythe came back through your portal...but when they went to your logged location... you were no where to be found..." The expression on Larks face became grim and she shifted her weight uncomfortably from side to side. "I don't want to upset you, but Rivett's been furious."
Alacoque felt her heart sink. Rivett was her teacher and one of the highest ranking reapers in Hell. If HE was furious with her absence, then there was no doubt one hell of a punishment waiting for her when she entered his office. (no pun intended)
"Well, my dear it seems your friend hear can show you the way to your long awaited trails." Jericho added a twisted scoff at the end of her sentence before turning towards the exit, leaving Allie and Lark to deal with the matter themselves.
If Alacoque had noticed Jericho leave it would have been impossible to tell, as her eyes remained transfixed at her feet, wide and terrified. The situation couldn't possibly get any worse and she lay trapped in her own thoughts until Lark waved a hand in front of her eyes to bring her back to attention.
"Hey...Allie...do you want me to take you to Rivett's office?" Lark stretched her hand out in consonance but quickly drew it back, remembering the consequence.
Allie was unable to speak for a good minute until she managed to squeak out a shy "ok" and started towards her doom. Lark walked at her side, a few steps away from her and her scythe held over one shoulder. It wasn't much of a walk to Rivett's door but to Allie it felt like an eternity. She could hear every heart beat thump in her head like a drum and if her eyes got any wider they might have fallen right out of their sockets.
"I can walk in with you if you want."
"N-no..." Alacoque's voice shook with fear and she swallowed the imaginary lump that seemed to be growing in her throat. "Th-thanks for walking with me...b-but...I'll be ok..." Her words were empty and Lark knew it. But, not wanting to invoke her already obvious fear, Lark reluctantly obliged her friend and left her at the door to continue her work.
This would not be easy. But then again. She had been through a lot in the past...five days...was it really that long? Placing her avian hand on the heavy door to Rivett's office she gave it a gentle push and it slowly creaked opened.
Hastily slipping her lithe body inside, she shut the door behind her and cleared her throat. She knocked on the door and immediately felt foolish for not doing that BEFORE she entered the room. She was pretty sure her heart had stopped beating anyway. Maybe she would just die right here and wouldn't have to deal with any form of punishment or exile after all.
"Who enters?" A deep echoing voice came from the far end of the room that was cloaked in darkness soon to be illuminated by two glowing teal eyes which leered in Allie's direction.
"R-Riv-vett-tt...." Alacoque's voice was barley audible and she fought desperately to compose herself. She sought to try again but her voice completely failed her this time and the teal eyes only seemed to shine brighter with rage. And then, to Alacoque's horror, recognition.
"Alacoque?" The voice echoed through the room and cut into Allie's flesh. Every tiny hair on her body stood on end and her flesh begain to crawl as she heard the head reaper move from his place.
He's going to kill me, she thought. He's going to fly over here and slice my head off right were I stand. She repeated the thought over and over in her mind, her eyes shut tightly as she listened to the hoofbeats shuffle around the room. Her jaw clamped shut and she ground her teeth together as the steps quickened and drew nearer and nearer to her. She held her breath. They were right in front of her. Something rustled and settled around her. Was this a sheet? At least he has the decency to cover me. More hoof steps.
WHAM!
Alacoque was struck with such a force she nearly jumped out of her skin and for a short moment she thought he might have actually killed her. But a strong paIr of arms clenched around her and lifted her a little too easily off the ground and spun her in a circle.
"AAAAALLLLIIIIEEEE!!!!" An over excited voice sang from Rivett's mouth as he placed her down and pulled the sheet of fabric separating them from her face. His mouth was split in a ridicules grin and his teal eyes overflowed with tears. Gripping her around the torso again, he squeezed her in an over zealous hug and began to sob dramatically, his cheek against her chest.
"OH MY GOOOSH!! I'm so happy you're alright!" his flamboyant voice rang out like a song bird and he affectionately rubbed his cheek against her. "I was so worried! I thought you were lost forever!!!"
Alacoque could do nothing but stare ahead dumbfounded. The sudden change of events had left her speechless.
Though the results were the same, the portals created by devices tended to be less sturdy than the ones opened and created by magic, thus, making them more turbulent to the traveler and with excessive use could cause sickness; something Alacoque had become quite aware of.
The trip didn't last long, and before she could knew it she felt an oppressive and familiar heat surround her body. The faint smell of fire and ash filled her nostrils and muffled screams of tortured souls echoed from beneath the rocky terrain she stood upon. Parting her feathered lashes, her haggard eyes focused upon a colossal fortress carved directly into the jagged rock that erupted from once deep trenches in the cracked bedrock.
A faint mist of ash and soot seemed to linger in the air about the jagged peaks of the fortress; kept a loft by the bellows of hellfire burning far below the ground. Every now and again a flair of flame leapt from the chasm before the fortress to lick the underbelly of the plateau that lead to it's entrance. The entrance to Oblivian's peek: the central station to all reapers and kin alike.
She was home.
To most, the choking heat that lingered in the air would have been enough to render a mortal man unconscious in under a few minutes. But to Alacoque, the heat was soothing. Being a accepted as a reaper meant the heat from the hellfires would have no adverse effect on her; she even enjoyed it, as her skeletal frame was prone to loss of body heat. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and relished the burning scent that filled her lungs.
"Are you going to just stand there or do I have to escort you inside?"
Jericho's cool voice cut through Alacoque's moment of repose and jolted her back to reality. She would have to explain herself to her teacher. She didn't even know how long shed been gone. Time in different dimensions all passed at different speeds. She only remembered sleeping through one night but it could have very well been 3 weeks in Hell's dimensional time.
She was about to respond but she felt her jaw tighten and her tongue turn to jelly in her mouth. What ever came out in response was nothing she would be able to repeat. She noticed Jericho took this into miffed consideration; her tail slowly whipping side to side and the muscles in her jaw tightened as of she was biting back a truck load of hurtful words. Never the less, she composed herself and motioned towards the reaper.
"I'm not one to play baby sitter, but seeing as you've probably gone through more than a reaper of your experience should, I'll let that stupid slur of a response slide." She grinned devilishly and began to walk a head of her; hips swaying side to side. After a moments walk she turned her head back just enough for Alacoque to see a glimmer of white peak from her lips. "Besides, I'm sure you've aware of what's in store for you...you're absence has caused quite a stir."
Alacoque's eyes widened. How long WAS she gone for?? It couldn't have possibly been longer than a few days. A week? A month?? A throbbing in her head started to beat as her heart raced in anxiety. The thought of being exiled suddenly crossed her mind and she felt herself choke. True the idea had crossed her mind earlier, but now that she was back home, awaiting judgment, the thought frightened her more than anything...well...ALMOST anything. The blue armed man being one of those things.
As she weighed the thoughts of what was more terrifying, Alacoque lost track of where she was headed until she realized she had log ago entered the fortress and was traveling down it's main hallway. Compared to it's jagged looking exterior, the inside of the reaping headquarters was a beautifully crafted architectural masterpiece. Intricate carvings of the founding reapers of the past stood at the entrance; their great scythes acting as pillars to support it's high ceiling. Behind them, carved into the fortresses walls lay the many lost souls that were first damned by their blades; petrified deep into the fortresses walls in a sea of unmoving torture.
A head of them, many reapers crossed the hallway; their minds set on their work. Many didn't even notice Alacoque, to which she was grateful. She wanted to remain out of trouble for as long as possible, but as soon as the thought began to ease her nerves a familiar voice rang in her ear, shrill and terrifying.
"Allie!? You're ALIVE?!"
Jericho stopped at the sound of the voice and Alacoque's legs nearly gave out from under her. She had wanted to make her reentry as quiet as possible. The possibility of running into acquaintances from her training group would only make the sting of punishment worse. And right now, she was starting to feel that sting.
The young demon who stood before Alacoque carried a scythe much like hers, though the blade was slightly different. Lark was nearly the same age as Alacoque and donned a ponytail of frizzy purple hair that ended at her shoulders. The two had been classmates when Alacoque entered into the academy and despite her awkward disposition, Lark had somehow seen through it and took a liking to Allie. The two had become great friends if Lark had to explain it, though Alacoque only revered her as an every day acquaintance. No one was worth getting attached to when an accidental brushing of shoulders could render them lifeless.
"Allie!" The young demon took a step closer to the harpy, her solid black eyes wide with wonder and sadness. "I can't believe you're back! I thought for sure something terrible happened to you! You've been gone for five days!"
Five days?! The reality hit Alacoque like a bolt of lightning and her brilliant green eyes widened in shock. "F-five days?!" she swallowed, the thought of banishment ruminating in her mind.
Lark nodded vigorously, her frizz of a pony tail flopping in every direction before she turned her attention to Jericho and bowed her head in obvious recognition. "They sent out a bunch of reapers to look for you when your scythe came back through your portal...but when they went to your logged location... you were no where to be found..." The expression on Larks face became grim and she shifted her weight uncomfortably from side to side. "I don't want to upset you, but Rivett's been furious."
Alacoque felt her heart sink. Rivett was her teacher and one of the highest ranking reapers in Hell. If HE was furious with her absence, then there was no doubt one hell of a punishment waiting for her when she entered his office. (no pun intended)
"Well, my dear it seems your friend hear can show you the way to your long awaited trails." Jericho added a twisted scoff at the end of her sentence before turning towards the exit, leaving Allie and Lark to deal with the matter themselves.
If Alacoque had noticed Jericho leave it would have been impossible to tell, as her eyes remained transfixed at her feet, wide and terrified. The situation couldn't possibly get any worse and she lay trapped in her own thoughts until Lark waved a hand in front of her eyes to bring her back to attention.
"Hey...Allie...do you want me to take you to Rivett's office?" Lark stretched her hand out in consonance but quickly drew it back, remembering the consequence.
Allie was unable to speak for a good minute until she managed to squeak out a shy "ok" and started towards her doom. Lark walked at her side, a few steps away from her and her scythe held over one shoulder. It wasn't much of a walk to Rivett's door but to Allie it felt like an eternity. She could hear every heart beat thump in her head like a drum and if her eyes got any wider they might have fallen right out of their sockets.
"I can walk in with you if you want."
"N-no..." Alacoque's voice shook with fear and she swallowed the imaginary lump that seemed to be growing in her throat. "Th-thanks for walking with me...b-but...I'll be ok..." Her words were empty and Lark knew it. But, not wanting to invoke her already obvious fear, Lark reluctantly obliged her friend and left her at the door to continue her work.
This would not be easy. But then again. She had been through a lot in the past...five days...was it really that long? Placing her avian hand on the heavy door to Rivett's office she gave it a gentle push and it slowly creaked opened.
Hastily slipping her lithe body inside, she shut the door behind her and cleared her throat. She knocked on the door and immediately felt foolish for not doing that BEFORE she entered the room. She was pretty sure her heart had stopped beating anyway. Maybe she would just die right here and wouldn't have to deal with any form of punishment or exile after all.
"Who enters?" A deep echoing voice came from the far end of the room that was cloaked in darkness soon to be illuminated by two glowing teal eyes which leered in Allie's direction.
"R-Riv-vett-tt...." Alacoque's voice was barley audible and she fought desperately to compose herself. She sought to try again but her voice completely failed her this time and the teal eyes only seemed to shine brighter with rage. And then, to Alacoque's horror, recognition.
"Alacoque?" The voice echoed through the room and cut into Allie's flesh. Every tiny hair on her body stood on end and her flesh begain to crawl as she heard the head reaper move from his place.
He's going to kill me, she thought. He's going to fly over here and slice my head off right were I stand. She repeated the thought over and over in her mind, her eyes shut tightly as she listened to the hoofbeats shuffle around the room. Her jaw clamped shut and she ground her teeth together as the steps quickened and drew nearer and nearer to her. She held her breath. They were right in front of her. Something rustled and settled around her. Was this a sheet? At least he has the decency to cover me. More hoof steps.
WHAM!
Alacoque was struck with such a force she nearly jumped out of her skin and for a short moment she thought he might have actually killed her. But a strong paIr of arms clenched around her and lifted her a little too easily off the ground and spun her in a circle.
"AAAAALLLLIIIIEEEE!!!!" An over excited voice sang from Rivett's mouth as he placed her down and pulled the sheet of fabric separating them from her face. His mouth was split in a ridicules grin and his teal eyes overflowed with tears. Gripping her around the torso again, he squeezed her in an over zealous hug and began to sob dramatically, his cheek against her chest.
"OH MY GOOOSH!! I'm so happy you're alright!" his flamboyant voice rang out like a song bird and he affectionately rubbed his cheek against her. "I was so worried! I thought you were lost forever!!!"
Alacoque could do nothing but stare ahead dumbfounded. The sudden change of events had left her speechless.
The next couple of minutes was a flurry of hugging, chiding and random queries that Alacoque wasn’t allowed time to answer. Rivett was bouncing around her like a worried mother, changing between relieved to see her and angry at her absence. The man was tall and thin, with almost a feminine build. His skin was a mottled patchwork of browns, black and whites and his hair fell in a mane from this forehead until his buttocks where a long slender tail protruded. It sported the same tri-colored mane right to the end of the tail where the fur came to a puffy fluffy and even continued underneath the growth. The sides of his head were shaved and where the hair was short two horns grew out and parallel to his skull until they tapered upward and terminated in a hook shape above his forehead.
His face was currently split in a giant, fang-filled grin and his teal eyes shown with delight. He looked down at her over a slender, yet pointed nose and began to tell her about all the things she had missed.
“And then I tried to see my baby-brother but it seems he’s out of our realm lost in some other dimension because he got his portals mixed up; who does that? We were trained for these things you know! He’s so negligent. If he would just let me put him under my wing like I would love to do, I would teach him everything I know, just like you, my Little Sparrow. Then there would be no excuse to be lost, ever.” Here he stopped, his chin resting on the palm of his left arm; his right was crossed over his chest supporting the other. He tapped a finger on his cheek bone, just under the corner of his eye where a turquoise drop marked his demon lineage.
When his slightly confused expression broke, his hand came away from his face in a questioning gesture. “Where did you say you were again?” He of course had asked her much earlier, but this question was followed by so many others that Allie never had a chance of answering it. She also found she had no answers to give when his attention was finally fully on her. The sheet was falling off her wings and settling over her shoulders in folds. She found her mouth was dry and no amount of trying could make it less so.
Her thoughts strayed immediately to Matt. Or, to be more correct, they had never left him fully. She lowered her eyes and focused on her hands, because they seemed to be terribly interesting right now. Slowly, thinking back to how it started, she relayed the tale. It was hard at first, but with each word the next came more easily until she was speaking with as much enthusiasm as she could about the beasts they met, the places they saw, the Jackal Man, the Tower, Corwin… Matthieu… And unfortunately: the Blue-armed man.
Rivett was sitting at his desk now, having lit the lamp so she could see. He was lounging in his chair, legs crossed; hoof bouncing as he waited for her to come to an end. “And well, he told me to go back, so I wouldn’t be hurt.” Her cheeks flushed the slightest pink as whatever was interesting about her hands vanished and she was able to look Rivett in the eye again.
He met her glance but his face was expressionless while he absorbed the bulk of her wanderings. What was he just saying about someone being tutored by him and never getting lost? Allie squirmed on his steady gaze, unused to the scrutiny. He finally raised his brows and threw his hands out. “What can be done about it? He was right to send you back to us and now you’re safe. Seems like a Win-win. But I’m more curious about that name… I’ve heard it before.” With that he opened a seemingly never-ending drawer in his desk and he flipped through the black files. When he got toward the end half he pulled one out. “Alright, Matthieu Vega.” He turned over some pages before responding again. “The report here states this client should have been repossessed over a year ago. And the Reaper on his case was….” More page flipping. “You.” His teal gaze lifted to her again awaiting a response.
Alacoque had left this particular part of the story out for a very good reason. She had never told anyone that that mission was a failure. Now the flush that had resided in her cheeks drained drastically and she faltered with her words. She shifted her weight back and fourth while trying to find an explanation, but it was hard to concentrate as the walls seemed intent on moving closer to her.
“No matter. You’ll have to tell me how you botched that one another time, so I can document it. And then of course, you will have to finish the job.” He put the file away in a different drawer. “I have too much for you to do.” With that he found a grey file and handed it to her; a new assignment. “You’re behind, Little Sparrow.”
He came to her side and placed his hands strategically over the sheet on his shoulders. She met his eyes, lips quivering just so. He smiled in a comforting way and said, “I know you’ve been through a lot and you’re out of sorts, but I promise if you just jump back in the swings of things you will feel better. So get out there and bring me some souls!” He hugged her then, so hard and long he lifted her off the ground and spun.
When Allie was free, and less disoriented, she slipped the sheet off and placed it on his desk. As she was about to leave, he called back to her. “Oh, and forget about that human Allie. It’s not good to get attached to our inventory.” She regarded him over her shoulder and slowly nodded as she left feeling a hole forming in her chest.
His face was currently split in a giant, fang-filled grin and his teal eyes shown with delight. He looked down at her over a slender, yet pointed nose and began to tell her about all the things she had missed.
“And then I tried to see my baby-brother but it seems he’s out of our realm lost in some other dimension because he got his portals mixed up; who does that? We were trained for these things you know! He’s so negligent. If he would just let me put him under my wing like I would love to do, I would teach him everything I know, just like you, my Little Sparrow. Then there would be no excuse to be lost, ever.” Here he stopped, his chin resting on the palm of his left arm; his right was crossed over his chest supporting the other. He tapped a finger on his cheek bone, just under the corner of his eye where a turquoise drop marked his demon lineage.
When his slightly confused expression broke, his hand came away from his face in a questioning gesture. “Where did you say you were again?” He of course had asked her much earlier, but this question was followed by so many others that Allie never had a chance of answering it. She also found she had no answers to give when his attention was finally fully on her. The sheet was falling off her wings and settling over her shoulders in folds. She found her mouth was dry and no amount of trying could make it less so.
Her thoughts strayed immediately to Matt. Or, to be more correct, they had never left him fully. She lowered her eyes and focused on her hands, because they seemed to be terribly interesting right now. Slowly, thinking back to how it started, she relayed the tale. It was hard at first, but with each word the next came more easily until she was speaking with as much enthusiasm as she could about the beasts they met, the places they saw, the Jackal Man, the Tower, Corwin… Matthieu… And unfortunately: the Blue-armed man.
Rivett was sitting at his desk now, having lit the lamp so she could see. He was lounging in his chair, legs crossed; hoof bouncing as he waited for her to come to an end. “And well, he told me to go back, so I wouldn’t be hurt.” Her cheeks flushed the slightest pink as whatever was interesting about her hands vanished and she was able to look Rivett in the eye again.
He met her glance but his face was expressionless while he absorbed the bulk of her wanderings. What was he just saying about someone being tutored by him and never getting lost? Allie squirmed on his steady gaze, unused to the scrutiny. He finally raised his brows and threw his hands out. “What can be done about it? He was right to send you back to us and now you’re safe. Seems like a Win-win. But I’m more curious about that name… I’ve heard it before.” With that he opened a seemingly never-ending drawer in his desk and he flipped through the black files. When he got toward the end half he pulled one out. “Alright, Matthieu Vega.” He turned over some pages before responding again. “The report here states this client should have been repossessed over a year ago. And the Reaper on his case was….” More page flipping. “You.” His teal gaze lifted to her again awaiting a response.
Alacoque had left this particular part of the story out for a very good reason. She had never told anyone that that mission was a failure. Now the flush that had resided in her cheeks drained drastically and she faltered with her words. She shifted her weight back and fourth while trying to find an explanation, but it was hard to concentrate as the walls seemed intent on moving closer to her.
“No matter. You’ll have to tell me how you botched that one another time, so I can document it. And then of course, you will have to finish the job.” He put the file away in a different drawer. “I have too much for you to do.” With that he found a grey file and handed it to her; a new assignment. “You’re behind, Little Sparrow.”
He came to her side and placed his hands strategically over the sheet on his shoulders. She met his eyes, lips quivering just so. He smiled in a comforting way and said, “I know you’ve been through a lot and you’re out of sorts, but I promise if you just jump back in the swings of things you will feel better. So get out there and bring me some souls!” He hugged her then, so hard and long he lifted her off the ground and spun.
When Allie was free, and less disoriented, she slipped the sheet off and placed it on his desk. As she was about to leave, he called back to her. “Oh, and forget about that human Allie. It’s not good to get attached to our inventory.” She regarded him over her shoulder and slowly nodded as she left feeling a hole forming in her chest.
With her back turned, Alacoque clenched her eyes tightly together in attempt to quell the ache growing in her chest. She couldn't forget about Mattieu, nor did she want to. Even at this point, when their friendship was stretched as thin as tracing paper, she still found it impossible to stop thinking about him. Was he alright? Their parting wasn't exactly a happy one and the memory only caused her stomach to turn upside down in a knot.
Shaking her head she cast the thought out of her mind as best she could and made her way to the door only for her to hear Rivett's voice call out to her.
"Oh, little Sparroooowwwww." the operatic tone in his voice left goose-bumps on her skin. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"F-forgetting?" Alacoque turned around with such a start she nearly fell over.
"I realize you're eager to get back to work, but you'll never get anywhere without your scythe." Smiling warmly, Rivett gestured towards one of the walls closest to Alacoque where several weapons rested; hooked onto the wall for decoration. Amongst them was her scythe, clean and recently polished it looked as if it was forged yesterday. Reaching her hand out she grasped hold of the ancient petrified base and pulled it towards her to hold with both hands. It's surface was cold as stone and she welcomed the sensation as if it was an old friend...in which case, it pretty much was. The blade would never complain or die from her touch, and she often found herself in deep one-sided conversation with it between assignments. Smiling, she held the scythe vertical to her body, her right arm at it's center. In truth, she had missed it and made mental note to never doubt her career choice ever again. Bowing her head she turned to thank her teacher and after a moment's pause, made her way out the door, scythe in hand.
It didn't take long for her to get back into the swing of things. Quickly forgetting her hatred of portals, she made the hop to her first assignment; a young man who had been kicked with an ice skate while trying to impress a girl. Apparently due to Alacoque's absence, what should have killed him left him in a vegetative coma for several days. Severe head trauma had made it nearly impossible for surgeons to reattach what had been lost, but hours of surgery had prevailed and left him with a face made mostly of stitches and gauze.
She didn't waste time sympathizing; her job was clear and with a single swing of her blade she relieved him of his soul. Flipping the scythe over to stand upright, Alacoque noticed that the soul itself seemed different. Was it smaller than usual? She brought the tip of the blade closer to her eyes to see. It was. Apparently, souls underwent decomposition as well as the flesh if left untouched.
With a shrug of her gaunt shoulders she turned to reenter her portal and continued with the rest of her overdue assignments. They seemed to all go by without a second thought. Everything was so routine, and yet, it was a routine she had missed dearly. She hadn't noticed, but she stopped thinking about Matt while immersed in her work
and the long list of assignments quickly became shorter and shorter until she reached the bottom of the list.
Only three assignments left. Heaving a triumphant sigh and wiping her forehead with the back of her avian hand she focused the location of soul # 97 into her blade. With a single strike she opened the portal that would take her to the exact location and climbed through.
It was almost as if she was on auto-poilet. The routine hum of the portal sounding in her ears was all too calming, yet she found her hands tighten around the base of her scythe ever so slightly. The streaming feathers at her temples flicked with anticipation as she exited the portal and she reached into an unseen pocket on the side of her skirt to pill out a folded piece of paper. Her eyes scanned the strange words that were written on it's charred surface and she quickly refolded it and shoved it back into her pocket.
Where was he? Soul #97, he should have been right here. Pulling out the paper again she read over the location instructions and personal information of the candidate over and over, to make certain she had read everything properly. She did. Leaning on her scythe, somewhat bewildered she rested her head against it's petrified wood base.
"What am I supposed to do about this, Julian?" her voice was as calm as it had ever sounded as she spoke to inanimate friend. "Do you think someone moved him?" her head glanced up at the shining blade and she raised a talon to affectionately stroke it's surface. "Where?" the harpy turned her feathered head in the unspoken direction her scythe had mentioned. Or hadn't mentioned. Either way, her eyes focused on a strange light coming from a nearby door.
"Oh, I see. In there?" the scythe didn't respond, or maybe it did. If it had, there was no one around to hear it but Alacoque seemed to regard it's decision wholeheartedly and made her way towards the door.
Placing her avian hand on the door, she pushed it opened ever so gently. Her scythe may have made it difficult for the living to see her, but her movements never went unnoticed. If she became careless, she could very well be spotted. Not that it would cause any trouble, she just preferred to be as inconspicuous as possible.
"You never cease to amaze me, Julian." The harpy raised her head to thank her friend and the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. Or, as much of a smile as she could muster.
Before her was soul #97. Limp and lifeless, he lie there with his hands bound behind his back. Normally, Alacoque would have wasted no time in retrieving her prize and moving on to the next assignment, but there was something about the way this man had died that intrigued her. It was almost as if his body was broken by several points of equally powerful forces. Kneeling down beside the corpse to get a closer look, Allie's eyes scrutinized the man's body.
"You think it was done by magic?" The harpy inched the blade closer to the man's body as she spoke her rhetorical question. It seemed the most logical of choices, though the area she was in wasn't known for much magic use. Though, she supposed there was always an acceptation and stood to ready her blade. Moments be fore she was about to make the final swing her concentration was broken by a booming crash and shouting voices. The sudden sound gave her a start and she nearly fell forward, her perfect swing taking a sharp left and slashing across a pile of crates the body lie against.
Alacoque clenched her teeth. There was no doubt whoever was there had heard that, and with a hasty search of her surrounding she decided the ceiling's piping was the best place to go. A quick flight brought her to the top and her avian feet clutched onto the pipe's round surface like a perch. Steading herself with her left arm and holding her scythe with the right, she peered downward with her keen eyes and focused on the creators of the noise.
They appeared to be human. At least they acted like it. But what not? They seemed to be running from something. Another crash sounded and the two humans turned towards the sound as if ordered to by some unseen force.
Alacoque turned her head in confusion. Maybe they didn't notice her? The room she was in was actually much bigger than she thought. In face, it was more like a wear-house. Letting out a sigh of relief she felt her body relax as she watched the two men argue with each other before walking towards the source of the sound.
When the source of the sound rounded the corner, Alacoque nearly fell from the ceiling. Her heart felt as if it would to beat right out of her chest and her muscles tensed beyond their limit. Before the two humans stood the blue armed man.
Alacoque had to force herself to blink her eyes in disbelief. No. She was making this up. There was no way he was right there. And by the looks of it, he was talking to the two humans before him. Forcing herself to look closer through watering eyes, Alacoque noticed a slight glow around them. They were under some sort of controlling spell. Feeling her feathers ruffle in fear, she held her breath and forced herself to listen to what the blue armed man was saying over the overpowering beat of her heart.
Shaking her head she cast the thought out of her mind as best she could and made her way to the door only for her to hear Rivett's voice call out to her.
"Oh, little Sparroooowwwww." the operatic tone in his voice left goose-bumps on her skin. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
"F-forgetting?" Alacoque turned around with such a start she nearly fell over.
"I realize you're eager to get back to work, but you'll never get anywhere without your scythe." Smiling warmly, Rivett gestured towards one of the walls closest to Alacoque where several weapons rested; hooked onto the wall for decoration. Amongst them was her scythe, clean and recently polished it looked as if it was forged yesterday. Reaching her hand out she grasped hold of the ancient petrified base and pulled it towards her to hold with both hands. It's surface was cold as stone and she welcomed the sensation as if it was an old friend...in which case, it pretty much was. The blade would never complain or die from her touch, and she often found herself in deep one-sided conversation with it between assignments. Smiling, she held the scythe vertical to her body, her right arm at it's center. In truth, she had missed it and made mental note to never doubt her career choice ever again. Bowing her head she turned to thank her teacher and after a moment's pause, made her way out the door, scythe in hand.
It didn't take long for her to get back into the swing of things. Quickly forgetting her hatred of portals, she made the hop to her first assignment; a young man who had been kicked with an ice skate while trying to impress a girl. Apparently due to Alacoque's absence, what should have killed him left him in a vegetative coma for several days. Severe head trauma had made it nearly impossible for surgeons to reattach what had been lost, but hours of surgery had prevailed and left him with a face made mostly of stitches and gauze.
She didn't waste time sympathizing; her job was clear and with a single swing of her blade she relieved him of his soul. Flipping the scythe over to stand upright, Alacoque noticed that the soul itself seemed different. Was it smaller than usual? She brought the tip of the blade closer to her eyes to see. It was. Apparently, souls underwent decomposition as well as the flesh if left untouched.
With a shrug of her gaunt shoulders she turned to reenter her portal and continued with the rest of her overdue assignments. They seemed to all go by without a second thought. Everything was so routine, and yet, it was a routine she had missed dearly. She hadn't noticed, but she stopped thinking about Matt while immersed in her work
and the long list of assignments quickly became shorter and shorter until she reached the bottom of the list.
Only three assignments left. Heaving a triumphant sigh and wiping her forehead with the back of her avian hand she focused the location of soul # 97 into her blade. With a single strike she opened the portal that would take her to the exact location and climbed through.
It was almost as if she was on auto-poilet. The routine hum of the portal sounding in her ears was all too calming, yet she found her hands tighten around the base of her scythe ever so slightly. The streaming feathers at her temples flicked with anticipation as she exited the portal and she reached into an unseen pocket on the side of her skirt to pill out a folded piece of paper. Her eyes scanned the strange words that were written on it's charred surface and she quickly refolded it and shoved it back into her pocket.
Where was he? Soul #97, he should have been right here. Pulling out the paper again she read over the location instructions and personal information of the candidate over and over, to make certain she had read everything properly. She did. Leaning on her scythe, somewhat bewildered she rested her head against it's petrified wood base.
"What am I supposed to do about this, Julian?" her voice was as calm as it had ever sounded as she spoke to inanimate friend. "Do you think someone moved him?" her head glanced up at the shining blade and she raised a talon to affectionately stroke it's surface. "Where?" the harpy turned her feathered head in the unspoken direction her scythe had mentioned. Or hadn't mentioned. Either way, her eyes focused on a strange light coming from a nearby door.
"Oh, I see. In there?" the scythe didn't respond, or maybe it did. If it had, there was no one around to hear it but Alacoque seemed to regard it's decision wholeheartedly and made her way towards the door.
Placing her avian hand on the door, she pushed it opened ever so gently. Her scythe may have made it difficult for the living to see her, but her movements never went unnoticed. If she became careless, she could very well be spotted. Not that it would cause any trouble, she just preferred to be as inconspicuous as possible.
"You never cease to amaze me, Julian." The harpy raised her head to thank her friend and the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. Or, as much of a smile as she could muster.
Before her was soul #97. Limp and lifeless, he lie there with his hands bound behind his back. Normally, Alacoque would have wasted no time in retrieving her prize and moving on to the next assignment, but there was something about the way this man had died that intrigued her. It was almost as if his body was broken by several points of equally powerful forces. Kneeling down beside the corpse to get a closer look, Allie's eyes scrutinized the man's body.
"You think it was done by magic?" The harpy inched the blade closer to the man's body as she spoke her rhetorical question. It seemed the most logical of choices, though the area she was in wasn't known for much magic use. Though, she supposed there was always an acceptation and stood to ready her blade. Moments be fore she was about to make the final swing her concentration was broken by a booming crash and shouting voices. The sudden sound gave her a start and she nearly fell forward, her perfect swing taking a sharp left and slashing across a pile of crates the body lie against.
Alacoque clenched her teeth. There was no doubt whoever was there had heard that, and with a hasty search of her surrounding she decided the ceiling's piping was the best place to go. A quick flight brought her to the top and her avian feet clutched onto the pipe's round surface like a perch. Steading herself with her left arm and holding her scythe with the right, she peered downward with her keen eyes and focused on the creators of the noise.
They appeared to be human. At least they acted like it. But what not? They seemed to be running from something. Another crash sounded and the two humans turned towards the sound as if ordered to by some unseen force.
Alacoque turned her head in confusion. Maybe they didn't notice her? The room she was in was actually much bigger than she thought. In face, it was more like a wear-house. Letting out a sigh of relief she felt her body relax as she watched the two men argue with each other before walking towards the source of the sound.
When the source of the sound rounded the corner, Alacoque nearly fell from the ceiling. Her heart felt as if it would to beat right out of her chest and her muscles tensed beyond their limit. Before the two humans stood the blue armed man.
Alacoque had to force herself to blink her eyes in disbelief. No. She was making this up. There was no way he was right there. And by the looks of it, he was talking to the two humans before him. Forcing herself to look closer through watering eyes, Alacoque noticed a slight glow around them. They were under some sort of controlling spell. Feeling her feathers ruffle in fear, she held her breath and forced herself to listen to what the blue armed man was saying over the overpowering beat of her heart.
“Where is the body?” The Blue-armed man questioned his underlings in a sedate tone, but they looked at him with obvious fear and loathing. The spell seemed to only control their movements, not their thoughts. The taller of the two seemed to try and turn his head in the direction of the corpse. His master fixed him with an irritated look and walked past them. He came to the corpse and looked it over. He kicked it to the side and inspected the man’s left arm. Screaming a curse, he pulled at the fabric covering the arm and tentacles of blue energy reared from his shoulder and tore the glove to shreds. The arm was next.
“This was not him!” He turned and lashed out at his supposed minions next, slapping them both across the backs with a whip-like tendril. Their bodies tried to recoil, but his spell kept them perfectly in place as their backs gashed open and slowly bled. “I told you his left arm is made of bone only, why did you let this obvious imposter trick you?!” He lashed again, making an X on either of their backs.
Alacoque was quivering where she stood, huddled in the rafters. The Blue-Armed man paced in frustration, the tendrils lashing every which way in a manifestation of his mood. He rounded on the two again. “I need Matthieu. Here. And alive. Or at least able to speak!” He struck again.
“Aramhan… This is the location he told us…” One of the men croaked. He paused in punishing them only to hear his words and then struck again. So he name is Aramhan, Alacoque registered with a shiver. She finally had time to look at him now. Had he always been under a hood? Thinking back she had never laid eyes on him long enough o remember. Aramhan paced in circles around his literal captive audience; his face was shrouded in shadow from the deepset hood, but there were two blue points that must have been his eyes underneath. They glowed menacingly as the shape of his arm shifted with his rising anger.
“Find him. Or find the Harpy. She will draw him out.”
“This was not him!” He turned and lashed out at his supposed minions next, slapping them both across the backs with a whip-like tendril. Their bodies tried to recoil, but his spell kept them perfectly in place as their backs gashed open and slowly bled. “I told you his left arm is made of bone only, why did you let this obvious imposter trick you?!” He lashed again, making an X on either of their backs.
Alacoque was quivering where she stood, huddled in the rafters. The Blue-Armed man paced in frustration, the tendrils lashing every which way in a manifestation of his mood. He rounded on the two again. “I need Matthieu. Here. And alive. Or at least able to speak!” He struck again.
“Aramhan… This is the location he told us…” One of the men croaked. He paused in punishing them only to hear his words and then struck again. So he name is Aramhan, Alacoque registered with a shiver. She finally had time to look at him now. Had he always been under a hood? Thinking back she had never laid eyes on him long enough o remember. Aramhan paced in circles around his literal captive audience; his face was shrouded in shadow from the deepset hood, but there were two blue points that must have been his eyes underneath. They glowed menacingly as the shape of his arm shifted with his rising anger.
“Find him. Or find the Harpy. She will draw him out.”
Allie's heart raced and her grip on the rafter beam tightened so much she was sure she heard her talons sink into the metal itself. This was bad. Worse than bad. She had to force herself to blink and turn away from the Blue armed man's horrifying eyes. Though, even with her own eyes closed, she could still see them; two orbs of pure mana floating in a sea of nothingness beneath his hood. The visual was almost as frightening as the reality and with a shiver she had to open her eyes which were now burning from not blinking. Alacoque shifted her body ever so carefully as to not make a sound up in the rafters. Even though her scythe protected her from being seen, she didn't want to take any chances. Perhaps Aramhan could counter it's magic with his own.
Alacoque shook her head to throw the paranoid thoughts from her mind. She would have to tell Rivett about Aramhan. Would he even care? He didn't seem to phased about her story when she told it to him earlier. Maybe now that she had caught up with all her work he would take her more seriously. Regardless, she had to get back, but she didn't want to risk taking the soul below her. Heaving a sigh she decided to skip it and turned her head to look for a way out.
A few yards away from where she was perched was her perfect escape rout; a skylight window! Glancing back to where the 3 men were standing she waited silently for the right time to fly. Aramhan was talking to them again, though this time in a low speaking voice. Even standing perfectly still, Allie had a hard time making out exactly what he was saying. Every third word or so was missing from the sentences but she was able to figure out most of it.
"We've discovered the location of the Orb, Aramhan." The taller of the henchmen managed to force out through chattering teeth. It was clear his obvious discomfort around the magicked man.
"Serpent's C-cove." The shorter one stuttered, body shaking. Allie's eyes widened at the name. She had been there before, and knew how to get there. She would have to act fast before Aramhan could get to it. Steadying herself on her perch, she readied her wings for take off when a blood curtailing scream echoed throughout the warhorse, nearly causing her to loose her footing and plummet to the ground.
With a flair of blue energy, Aramhan's arm became a whipping mass of tentacles that wrapped around the two men as if they were helpless fish in a squid's deadly grip. Unable to move, the humans could merely stare wide eyed at their commander.
"I could crush your skulls without a second thought!!" Aramhan's eyes blazed from beneath his hood, bathing his obedient hostages in a sickening aura of blue light. "Find me the diminutional map! You better pray such a place exists or I'll strip the flesh right from your bones!"
"W-wel-l-l get you the m-map! J-just let us g-go!!"
Allie nearly looked away when the man's magicked arm whipped around to send the two humans skidding across the earth floor. Aramhan's power was growing along with his temper. Heaving a sigh and whipping the cold sweat from her forehead, Allie repeated to herself that she had the advantage now that she knew where the orb was AND knew how to get to it. She would have to be quick though. Once Aramhan got hold of the map he would waste no time in getting there.
Without thinking, Alacoque spread her inky wings and leapt for the window, scythe in hand. The distance between her and the window diminished all too quickly and Alacoque realized a little too late that she should have once overed her plan of escape.
WHAM!
With a shattering thud, Alacoque flew head on into the pane of glass separating her from the outside world. Shocked and bewildered from the crash, she struggled to write herself in the air, only to catch herself clumsily on the support rafters below the window.
Her heart was racing and she turned her head down to see three pairs of eyes staring at her from below. The most horrifying, being the pair of stinging blue orbs staring straight into her soul.
"You're mine, Harpy!" Aramhan's gravely voice could have drawn blood as mana surged around him in rage. Several blue tentacles shot out in her direction only to grab hold of the rafters. The supernatural force from the tendrils crushed the metal with the same effort it would have taken a man to bend a paper clip.
Pulling herself up onto a second beam, Alacoque let out a shriek when the aftershock of energy nearly pushed her over the edge of her perch. Another whip from a tentacle cracked next to her and she lost her balance. In a desperate panic she grabbed hold of the beam with her right hand and felt her talons sink into the metal. She was pretty sure her heart had burst from fear, because it didn't feel like it was beating anymore. Not only had she dropped her scythe in a panic, a second tentacle was headed straight for her. In a gust of black feathers she turned to make an escape in the opposite side of the approaching arms only to be pulled from the air by a crushing grasp. Aramhan's arm had grabbed hold her Alacoque's leg and was pulling her down to him with the greatest of ease, even though she fought desperately in the air to free herself. Her wings beat violently with every ounce of power she had in her, leaving a shower of dead feathers around her.
The tendril's grip was crushing and it's touch burned like the hottest fire Alacoque had ever felt. Crashing to the ground, the sensation seemed to shoot up her leg as it's crushing force tightened around her bones. Letting out a scream, Alacoque dug her talons into the earth floor and continued to flap her wings in a desperate attempt to break free, though the arm only pulled her closer until she was in arm's reach of the man she feared most.
"Stop your struggling, Harpy! It'll only prolong your suff--" Aramhan let out a scream before he could finish the sentence. Before he had time to react, Alacoque had twisted around to slash her talons across his face in a final act of liberation. She didn't actually think it would work, but apparently her counter was faster than she anticipated. Her talons tore through the flesh of his face and she felt the tendrils around her leg loosen enough for her to make a run for it. Scrambling to her feet, she bolted for her scythe that was only moments away from being ceased by Aramhan's henchmen.
Grasping hold of it's petrified surface, she swung the blade around to ward off the approaching men. She didn't have long, Aramhan wouldn't be deterred that easily, and her breaking free had only heightened his anger. The burn on her leg felt as if it was eating through her flesh right down to the bone, but she dare not look at it now. She had to get out of here. Anywhere. Evading the henchman's grasps she flew for the door as Armhan's raging tendrils whipped the ground around her. Their power was a surging and nauseating blue light that seemed to twist the room into a monochromatic haze.
Once outside, Allie climbed into the night sky as fast as she could. In her mind, Aramhan was still right behind her and she dared not look back in fear of slowing down. Gasping for breath, she tightened her grip on her scythe and spoke pleadingly to her inanimate friend.
"Julian! I know I'm not supposed to do this! But you have to take me to Mattieu! I know you know where he is! Please! Get me out of here!"
With a single slash, Alacoque's blade sliced through the dimensional wall and opened a portal just big enough for her to slip through. All Alacoque could do was hope her scythe had heard her....and hope the portal would close quick enough for Aramhan not to fallow after her.
Seconds later, Allie opened her eyes to find herself in an unfamiliar room, with the sounds of two familiar voices chattering nearby. Pausing a moment to catch her breath and calm her racing heart, she leaned back with her wings against the wall. The two voices were right on the other side, she could hear them clearly now. It was Mattieu and Ravik. The two must have decided to stay a team. Not surprising...this wasn't a journey one would want to go about alone.
"Don't tell me you're planning on joining him again..." Aceloqua's echoing voice sounded in Allie's head. "after what happened do you even think he'll WANT your help?"
"I have to try..." Allie spoke aloud to her sister, her voice just above a whisper. "If Aramhan gets hold of the orb, there's no tell what he'll be capable of...the upset could follow us all the way home...I can't let it get to that..."
"Then why waste your time here, Allie? You know the orb's location and you know how to get there. You could have destroyed the thing already and be done with the issue."
Allie was at a loss of words for a moment. In actuality there was no true need to come here, yet in her state of panic it was the first thing on her mind. Tightening her grip around her scythe she finally forced out an answer. "I...I have to make things right again...between Mattieu and me..."
A ringing of laughter sounded in Alacoque's head as if she were surrounded by hundreds of mocking voices. "Oh my dear sister! I can't believe what I'm hearing! Are you actually letting your feelings for this human cloud your judgement?!"
Aceloqua's remark felt like a splash of freezing water that chilled right through to the bone. The two had never before agreed on anything until now. Letting her body slide down the wall and onto the floor, Alacoque's eyes met with the blade of her scythe and she sat against the wall in silence; listening to the voices on the other side.
Alacoque shook her head to throw the paranoid thoughts from her mind. She would have to tell Rivett about Aramhan. Would he even care? He didn't seem to phased about her story when she told it to him earlier. Maybe now that she had caught up with all her work he would take her more seriously. Regardless, she had to get back, but she didn't want to risk taking the soul below her. Heaving a sigh she decided to skip it and turned her head to look for a way out.
A few yards away from where she was perched was her perfect escape rout; a skylight window! Glancing back to where the 3 men were standing she waited silently for the right time to fly. Aramhan was talking to them again, though this time in a low speaking voice. Even standing perfectly still, Allie had a hard time making out exactly what he was saying. Every third word or so was missing from the sentences but she was able to figure out most of it.
"We've discovered the location of the Orb, Aramhan." The taller of the henchmen managed to force out through chattering teeth. It was clear his obvious discomfort around the magicked man.
"Serpent's C-cove." The shorter one stuttered, body shaking. Allie's eyes widened at the name. She had been there before, and knew how to get there. She would have to act fast before Aramhan could get to it. Steadying herself on her perch, she readied her wings for take off when a blood curtailing scream echoed throughout the warhorse, nearly causing her to loose her footing and plummet to the ground.
With a flair of blue energy, Aramhan's arm became a whipping mass of tentacles that wrapped around the two men as if they were helpless fish in a squid's deadly grip. Unable to move, the humans could merely stare wide eyed at their commander.
"I could crush your skulls without a second thought!!" Aramhan's eyes blazed from beneath his hood, bathing his obedient hostages in a sickening aura of blue light. "Find me the diminutional map! You better pray such a place exists or I'll strip the flesh right from your bones!"
"W-wel-l-l get you the m-map! J-just let us g-go!!"
Allie nearly looked away when the man's magicked arm whipped around to send the two humans skidding across the earth floor. Aramhan's power was growing along with his temper. Heaving a sigh and whipping the cold sweat from her forehead, Allie repeated to herself that she had the advantage now that she knew where the orb was AND knew how to get to it. She would have to be quick though. Once Aramhan got hold of the map he would waste no time in getting there.
Without thinking, Alacoque spread her inky wings and leapt for the window, scythe in hand. The distance between her and the window diminished all too quickly and Alacoque realized a little too late that she should have once overed her plan of escape.
WHAM!
With a shattering thud, Alacoque flew head on into the pane of glass separating her from the outside world. Shocked and bewildered from the crash, she struggled to write herself in the air, only to catch herself clumsily on the support rafters below the window.
Her heart was racing and she turned her head down to see three pairs of eyes staring at her from below. The most horrifying, being the pair of stinging blue orbs staring straight into her soul.
"You're mine, Harpy!" Aramhan's gravely voice could have drawn blood as mana surged around him in rage. Several blue tentacles shot out in her direction only to grab hold of the rafters. The supernatural force from the tendrils crushed the metal with the same effort it would have taken a man to bend a paper clip.
Pulling herself up onto a second beam, Alacoque let out a shriek when the aftershock of energy nearly pushed her over the edge of her perch. Another whip from a tentacle cracked next to her and she lost her balance. In a desperate panic she grabbed hold of the beam with her right hand and felt her talons sink into the metal. She was pretty sure her heart had burst from fear, because it didn't feel like it was beating anymore. Not only had she dropped her scythe in a panic, a second tentacle was headed straight for her. In a gust of black feathers she turned to make an escape in the opposite side of the approaching arms only to be pulled from the air by a crushing grasp. Aramhan's arm had grabbed hold her Alacoque's leg and was pulling her down to him with the greatest of ease, even though she fought desperately in the air to free herself. Her wings beat violently with every ounce of power she had in her, leaving a shower of dead feathers around her.
The tendril's grip was crushing and it's touch burned like the hottest fire Alacoque had ever felt. Crashing to the ground, the sensation seemed to shoot up her leg as it's crushing force tightened around her bones. Letting out a scream, Alacoque dug her talons into the earth floor and continued to flap her wings in a desperate attempt to break free, though the arm only pulled her closer until she was in arm's reach of the man she feared most.
"Stop your struggling, Harpy! It'll only prolong your suff--" Aramhan let out a scream before he could finish the sentence. Before he had time to react, Alacoque had twisted around to slash her talons across his face in a final act of liberation. She didn't actually think it would work, but apparently her counter was faster than she anticipated. Her talons tore through the flesh of his face and she felt the tendrils around her leg loosen enough for her to make a run for it. Scrambling to her feet, she bolted for her scythe that was only moments away from being ceased by Aramhan's henchmen.
Grasping hold of it's petrified surface, she swung the blade around to ward off the approaching men. She didn't have long, Aramhan wouldn't be deterred that easily, and her breaking free had only heightened his anger. The burn on her leg felt as if it was eating through her flesh right down to the bone, but she dare not look at it now. She had to get out of here. Anywhere. Evading the henchman's grasps she flew for the door as Armhan's raging tendrils whipped the ground around her. Their power was a surging and nauseating blue light that seemed to twist the room into a monochromatic haze.
Once outside, Allie climbed into the night sky as fast as she could. In her mind, Aramhan was still right behind her and she dared not look back in fear of slowing down. Gasping for breath, she tightened her grip on her scythe and spoke pleadingly to her inanimate friend.
"Julian! I know I'm not supposed to do this! But you have to take me to Mattieu! I know you know where he is! Please! Get me out of here!"
With a single slash, Alacoque's blade sliced through the dimensional wall and opened a portal just big enough for her to slip through. All Alacoque could do was hope her scythe had heard her....and hope the portal would close quick enough for Aramhan not to fallow after her.
Seconds later, Allie opened her eyes to find herself in an unfamiliar room, with the sounds of two familiar voices chattering nearby. Pausing a moment to catch her breath and calm her racing heart, she leaned back with her wings against the wall. The two voices were right on the other side, she could hear them clearly now. It was Mattieu and Ravik. The two must have decided to stay a team. Not surprising...this wasn't a journey one would want to go about alone.
"Don't tell me you're planning on joining him again..." Aceloqua's echoing voice sounded in Allie's head. "after what happened do you even think he'll WANT your help?"
"I have to try..." Allie spoke aloud to her sister, her voice just above a whisper. "If Aramhan gets hold of the orb, there's no tell what he'll be capable of...the upset could follow us all the way home...I can't let it get to that..."
"Then why waste your time here, Allie? You know the orb's location and you know how to get there. You could have destroyed the thing already and be done with the issue."
Allie was at a loss of words for a moment. In actuality there was no true need to come here, yet in her state of panic it was the first thing on her mind. Tightening her grip around her scythe she finally forced out an answer. "I...I have to make things right again...between Mattieu and me..."
A ringing of laughter sounded in Alacoque's head as if she were surrounded by hundreds of mocking voices. "Oh my dear sister! I can't believe what I'm hearing! Are you actually letting your feelings for this human cloud your judgement?!"
Aceloqua's remark felt like a splash of freezing water that chilled right through to the bone. The two had never before agreed on anything until now. Letting her body slide down the wall and onto the floor, Alacoque's eyes met with the blade of her scythe and she sat against the wall in silence; listening to the voices on the other side.
Matthieu’s face was dark and pensive. He was certain the mercenary he had paid to impersonate him would not live through this mission. Despite the fact that the man had signed a death waiver, Matt’s conscience was heavy with guilt. He looked to Ravik who was polishing what Matt’s world might have called an archaic gun. However this device worked with alchemic charges which were more like small explosions of chemicals and not your average bullets. The charge canisters lined a belt woven over the Jackal’s chest and shoulders. He paused in his work to regard his friend.
“He knew what he was getting himself into, Matthieu. He accepted and faced his consequences. You must do the same.” The dog-man’s wise words went unheard for the human was too lost his quandary. The two had traveled to a world of criminals and anarchists, not unlike old world Australia where they had contracted a man to play the part of Matthieu Vega. Ravik had created an adapter for the man to wear which projected Matt’s visage around the stranger. It was unrecognizably accurate to the untrained eye and the Jackal was proud of his work. Matt was skeptical, but had agreed to the plan with his friend’s assurance. They now occupied a world with much less danger.
It was what might be known as a neutral world: there was no indigenous race and therefore feuding worlds could meet here without hostility. There was a policing species which was imported to the planet to detect evil intent and the like, but they were reclusive animals when not provoked. The pair had chosen a nice little cave to house themselves in. The planet’s seasons were warm generally and Matt’s clothes were pretty much ruined at this point. He welcomed the breeze that moved into and out of the cavern.
Instead of being met by the pleasant outward wind, he was instead enveloped in a colder air. His face dropped into a frown and he stomped the front of the cave. “He should have been back by now.”
“The fact that he is not is indicative of his success,” offered Ravik. He holstered his weapon and adjusted the many belts and straps that adorned his figure. The canine was a walking weapon at this point, covered in ammo as well as potions and bombs. Allie stole a glance over the rocks surrounding her and shivered. Ravik looked as if he were preparing for a war and that made the harpy’s heart sink. She could here the Jackal’s claws on the rock as he walked to Matthieu.
“We will just have to continue with our plans and cut our losses. If the Darhfan is indeed deceased, then our rouse has not baited our enemy. We need to move forward with our strategy or subject ourselves to defeat.” He had rounded the human and now faced him, hands on Matt’s shoulders. “It’s either we fight to our deaths to save the dimensions from a great threat, or we hide on this planet like cowards. I, for one choose the former.”
With this the Jackal regarded his friend intently, but his concentration was broken by something. Allie tried to calm her pounding heart, but failed. Ravik’s ears spun back in her direction immediately followed by his snout. His eyes hounded the area in which she hid and the man’s jowls pulled back in a soft growl. She was positive she’d been found.
“We are not alone, Matthieu. Get yourself together.”
Matt took his cue and stiffened immediately. He paced toward Ravik and brandished his own type of gun, loading the weapon as he scanned the entrance. He had hardened over this long excursion of his as he previously would have never touched such a weapon. Now he held it with relative ease. Alacoque pondered what had happened since her absence and in fact how long that span had actually been for them. The men had advanced toward her slowly, but she couldn’t be sure that she was the one they sought. And she wasn’t going to give away her position without probable cause.
She took this time to scrutinize her friend and how he made her feel. Matt’s aforementioned destroyed clothes had been partially replaced. He still wore his khaki pants, the kind a carpenter might wear as well as his boots. His jacket had not survived all of his torments and the shirt normally worn underneath was shredded and bloodied. They had been discarded and replaced with a dark colored vest. She could see the muscles of his stomach had hardened and they rolled their bunched sinew lithely as he walked in her direction. His expression was still dark coupled with the dark smudges around his eyes indicating the man had not slept well. He had a lot on his mind.
She changed he attention to Ravik. He was so similar to the canines she’d seen on her Earth: Ear straight forward, eyes intent, head lowered like a pointer closing in on his hunt. She shivered at the intensity in which he watched her position. He had not changed since the day Alacoque had helplessly watched him save Matt. Something pulled at the Jackal’s head as if it was on a rope; Ravik’s attention sprang to the cave mouth, now occupied by a dark shape.
Allie stole a look around the rocks once both Matt and Ravik had diverted their gaze. In the entryway stood a gigantic, gaunt monster. It was barrel-chested but the tuck behind its ribcage was drastic and seemed to dip straight up into the spinal cord which had a shaggy mane of spines which were currently resting off to the sides. A short tail hung behind it, the mane continued to its tip and blossomed into a mace like structure. The thing’s feet were more like claws and only had two toes; one forward and one backward. The Harpy’s eyes moved upward to regard its face. The thing was horrifying. The head and neck were hardly discernable as to where one ended and the next began. Its face was squashed and its nose occupied most of its stunted face and there were no visible signs of an oral cavity. Three pairs of milky eyes ran the length of its brain box and its ears were little more than shriveled lumps of flesh.
It was obvious to any one versed in nature that this creature operated mostly by scent but Matt had raised his weapon and readied to fire. The creature was standing upright now, as it had previously been face to the ground. It regarded the men with a dull interest and blinked its eyes at different times. It took a step toward them, its claw-foot digging into the ground. Matt’s finger muscle tightened on the trigger.
“No, leave it.” Ravik had lowered his weapon and resumed a casual stance. “These creatures are here for feudal negotiations. They will not hurt us as long as we mean each other no ill will.” Indeed, the beast had only taken two steps toward them and stopped its advance. It pushed its head out further and took a deep snorting breath. They could feel the air around them being sucked away as the creature filled its monstrous lungs. Matt closed his eyes and felt he might just be sucked in as well. However, almost as soon as it started, the creature stopped. It seemed to hold onto the air for a moment and then let it free with a massive snort, followed by a grunt. It had dismissed them.
With the monster waddling off silently, Matt was less tense. He refit the gun in its holster and turned to Ravik. “What was that?”
“The Naususmalum. They are a hermaphroditic creature. I am not positive as to where they were first found, but you will find them roaming these kinds of planets.”
Matt stared after the Naususmalum in wonder. He was fascinated by the thing now that it wasn’t going to eat him. Somewhere in this journey he felt he had lost his curiosity for the wonders of life. He sat with a thud on a flatter rock and rubbed his eyes. “Alright, Ravik. We need to get off this planet and find that orb before Aramhan does. Odds are Darhfan gave us up before they killed him.”
“Yes, that is the most likely scenario. However, what do you propose to do about our traveling issue? I do not know how to get to this Serpent’s Cove. I did not find anything about locating the place in all of my research in the library. It must be a heavily guarded secret, how would the orb have gotten there?”
“From what I’ve gathered,” Matt started as he folded his hands and stared at the ground. “The orb does what it wants. After I… Uh… met with it, it disappeared on its own. So in the end, I don’t know how to get to Serpent’s Cove either. Nor do I understand how it might have found its way there either.”
“He knew what he was getting himself into, Matthieu. He accepted and faced his consequences. You must do the same.” The dog-man’s wise words went unheard for the human was too lost his quandary. The two had traveled to a world of criminals and anarchists, not unlike old world Australia where they had contracted a man to play the part of Matthieu Vega. Ravik had created an adapter for the man to wear which projected Matt’s visage around the stranger. It was unrecognizably accurate to the untrained eye and the Jackal was proud of his work. Matt was skeptical, but had agreed to the plan with his friend’s assurance. They now occupied a world with much less danger.
It was what might be known as a neutral world: there was no indigenous race and therefore feuding worlds could meet here without hostility. There was a policing species which was imported to the planet to detect evil intent and the like, but they were reclusive animals when not provoked. The pair had chosen a nice little cave to house themselves in. The planet’s seasons were warm generally and Matt’s clothes were pretty much ruined at this point. He welcomed the breeze that moved into and out of the cavern.
Instead of being met by the pleasant outward wind, he was instead enveloped in a colder air. His face dropped into a frown and he stomped the front of the cave. “He should have been back by now.”
“The fact that he is not is indicative of his success,” offered Ravik. He holstered his weapon and adjusted the many belts and straps that adorned his figure. The canine was a walking weapon at this point, covered in ammo as well as potions and bombs. Allie stole a glance over the rocks surrounding her and shivered. Ravik looked as if he were preparing for a war and that made the harpy’s heart sink. She could here the Jackal’s claws on the rock as he walked to Matthieu.
“We will just have to continue with our plans and cut our losses. If the Darhfan is indeed deceased, then our rouse has not baited our enemy. We need to move forward with our strategy or subject ourselves to defeat.” He had rounded the human and now faced him, hands on Matt’s shoulders. “It’s either we fight to our deaths to save the dimensions from a great threat, or we hide on this planet like cowards. I, for one choose the former.”
With this the Jackal regarded his friend intently, but his concentration was broken by something. Allie tried to calm her pounding heart, but failed. Ravik’s ears spun back in her direction immediately followed by his snout. His eyes hounded the area in which she hid and the man’s jowls pulled back in a soft growl. She was positive she’d been found.
“We are not alone, Matthieu. Get yourself together.”
Matt took his cue and stiffened immediately. He paced toward Ravik and brandished his own type of gun, loading the weapon as he scanned the entrance. He had hardened over this long excursion of his as he previously would have never touched such a weapon. Now he held it with relative ease. Alacoque pondered what had happened since her absence and in fact how long that span had actually been for them. The men had advanced toward her slowly, but she couldn’t be sure that she was the one they sought. And she wasn’t going to give away her position without probable cause.
She took this time to scrutinize her friend and how he made her feel. Matt’s aforementioned destroyed clothes had been partially replaced. He still wore his khaki pants, the kind a carpenter might wear as well as his boots. His jacket had not survived all of his torments and the shirt normally worn underneath was shredded and bloodied. They had been discarded and replaced with a dark colored vest. She could see the muscles of his stomach had hardened and they rolled their bunched sinew lithely as he walked in her direction. His expression was still dark coupled with the dark smudges around his eyes indicating the man had not slept well. He had a lot on his mind.
She changed he attention to Ravik. He was so similar to the canines she’d seen on her Earth: Ear straight forward, eyes intent, head lowered like a pointer closing in on his hunt. She shivered at the intensity in which he watched her position. He had not changed since the day Alacoque had helplessly watched him save Matt. Something pulled at the Jackal’s head as if it was on a rope; Ravik’s attention sprang to the cave mouth, now occupied by a dark shape.
Allie stole a look around the rocks once both Matt and Ravik had diverted their gaze. In the entryway stood a gigantic, gaunt monster. It was barrel-chested but the tuck behind its ribcage was drastic and seemed to dip straight up into the spinal cord which had a shaggy mane of spines which were currently resting off to the sides. A short tail hung behind it, the mane continued to its tip and blossomed into a mace like structure. The thing’s feet were more like claws and only had two toes; one forward and one backward. The Harpy’s eyes moved upward to regard its face. The thing was horrifying. The head and neck were hardly discernable as to where one ended and the next began. Its face was squashed and its nose occupied most of its stunted face and there were no visible signs of an oral cavity. Three pairs of milky eyes ran the length of its brain box and its ears were little more than shriveled lumps of flesh.
It was obvious to any one versed in nature that this creature operated mostly by scent but Matt had raised his weapon and readied to fire. The creature was standing upright now, as it had previously been face to the ground. It regarded the men with a dull interest and blinked its eyes at different times. It took a step toward them, its claw-foot digging into the ground. Matt’s finger muscle tightened on the trigger.
“No, leave it.” Ravik had lowered his weapon and resumed a casual stance. “These creatures are here for feudal negotiations. They will not hurt us as long as we mean each other no ill will.” Indeed, the beast had only taken two steps toward them and stopped its advance. It pushed its head out further and took a deep snorting breath. They could feel the air around them being sucked away as the creature filled its monstrous lungs. Matt closed his eyes and felt he might just be sucked in as well. However, almost as soon as it started, the creature stopped. It seemed to hold onto the air for a moment and then let it free with a massive snort, followed by a grunt. It had dismissed them.
With the monster waddling off silently, Matt was less tense. He refit the gun in its holster and turned to Ravik. “What was that?”
“The Naususmalum. They are a hermaphroditic creature. I am not positive as to where they were first found, but you will find them roaming these kinds of planets.”
Matt stared after the Naususmalum in wonder. He was fascinated by the thing now that it wasn’t going to eat him. Somewhere in this journey he felt he had lost his curiosity for the wonders of life. He sat with a thud on a flatter rock and rubbed his eyes. “Alright, Ravik. We need to get off this planet and find that orb before Aramhan does. Odds are Darhfan gave us up before they killed him.”
“Yes, that is the most likely scenario. However, what do you propose to do about our traveling issue? I do not know how to get to this Serpent’s Cove. I did not find anything about locating the place in all of my research in the library. It must be a heavily guarded secret, how would the orb have gotten there?”
“From what I’ve gathered,” Matt started as he folded his hands and stared at the ground. “The orb does what it wants. After I… Uh… met with it, it disappeared on its own. So in the end, I don’t know how to get to Serpent’s Cove either. Nor do I understand how it might have found its way there either.”
Crouching closer to the rocks that separated the harpy from her comrades, Allie could only helplessly stare at what had become of Mattieu. It was unmistakable; Something had changed in him. The once shy and kind hearted young man had turned into what looked like a cold and callous mercenary. Even with her keen avian eyes, Allie was unable to detect that distinct glint of curiosity Matt seemed to have for everything he looked at. Turning her back to the rocks she slumped against them, letting her scythe drop to the ground. She couldn't shake the feeling that if it wasn't for what her sister had done, this would have never happened. Matt would have never sent her home...he wouldn't have turned into...this...
"How can I face him...?" She thought aloud to herself while wrapping her scaled arms around her gaunt knees. Leaning her forehead against her legs she shut her eyes tightly and spoke to her sister.
"I hate you...."
Allie's words were clear, though her sister made no response. Allie was left alone in the silence of the cave, while her comrades readied themselves for what seemed to be a one-sided battle. Of they truly meant to face off against Aramhan they didn't stand a chance. Not with the way Aramhan's powers seamed to be growing; their weapons would be useless against him.
Heaving a sigh, Allie opened her eyes and stared at the ground. The thought of leaving to destroy the orb alone without telling them crossed her mind again. It would be so much easier to avoid the situation all together. She was never one for confrontation. Hell, she was never one to get into ANYTHING like this. Clenching her talons into a fist she cursed her sister again; welcoming the pain that her talons brought when they punctured the scaly flesh of her palm.
With bitter thoughts crashing through her mind like whitewater, Allie forgot the burning pain in her leg as she leaned back against the rock that separated her from her comrades. It was at this point she noticed the huge shadow that loomed over her.
Before her, it's two toed limbs on either side of her avian feet, stood the naususmalum creature. It's giant nostrils sucked in the air around her, causing her hair and feathers to be trapped in the vacuum current. Allie dare not move, though she knew the creature relied mainly on sent from what Ravik had stated before, she didn't want to make any sudden movements to provoke the beast. With it's under formed milk white eyes straining straight at her, or at least, what seamed to be her, the beast held it's breath; analyzing what it had breathed in.
Alacoque held her breath as well; her eyes as wide as an owl's. Turning it's head the creature snorted and turned it's head to release the breath and lashed it's tail from side to side. It's toes clenched and the spines on it's back seamed to quiver with agitation. Allie shivered. The beast obviously detected something it didn't like from Alacoque's scent.
With an arch of it's back the beast's body seamed to convulse in rage as a low growl began to emit from it's gut. From the center of the creature's hideous neck, the skin began to pull back and split, leaving streams of skin and mucus as the only thing bonding the two halves of flesh together.
Unable to move, Allie watched as the once seemingly jawless beast split it's "neck" into a giant gaping maw of torn flesh and mucus. Reddish saliva spilled through the rows and rows of sharp needy teeth that lined it's jaw. Breathing in a deep vacuum of air once again, the beast filled it's lungs to capacity, practically leaving a void of oxygen in the space around it. Then, letting the breath go, the naususmalum let out the most horrific scream Alacoque had ever heard.
The scream was nearly paralyzing, and if she had not already been sitting down, it would have knocked her over for sure. The sound caused her ears to ring, her flesh to crawl and her feathers to stand on end. No doubt, that was it's intention, as she noticed the creature rear back in preparation to strike; it's pale purple tung lashing from it's throat whipping streams of discolored saliva in every direction.
With a piercing "twing", a single shot fired out from behind the jagged rocks, whistling over the creature's head and into the cave's walls close behind it. Startled and distracted, the naususmalum turned it's gaping maw in the direction of the shot, breathing in huge gulps of air to see what had caused the noise.
"There's someone here, the creature wouldn't make such a noise without cause..." The familiar voice was making it's way towards her. Two pairs of hasty footsteps growing louder and louder. They would see her for sure, but they would have to fend off the beast first.
With a quick glance to her right, Alacoque reached for her scythe while the beast was still distracted. If it decided to charge at her again, she would be ready this time. Holding her scythe with two hands, she pressed herself against the rocks without making a sound, though the sudden movement was enough for the beast to pick up her scent and it's attention was once again drawn to her.
Only seconds after it had turned it's head to her, the beast charged towards the harpy; it's quills a quivering mass of a threat display. Steadying her grip around her blade, Alacoque turned the scythe at just the right time to hit the beast on the side of it's head with the petrified end of the weapon. She had no intention to kill the beast, but she had no choice but to defend herself against it's wrath.
Snorting, the creature shook it's head and wavered slightly to either side. The hit was a success but not enough to discourage it completely. It's deep grown still emanated from it's core and after a few shucks of it's paw to the lump now forming on the side of it's head, it's attention was reset on it's now standing target.
The harpy took several slow steps back, blade drawn forth in defense. If the beast was to charge again it would surely end in a sash of her blade this time. Breathing in another gulp of air, the naususmalum prepared to let out another scream when a round of shots whipped though the air to land at it's feat; startling it enough to jump back in panic. Snorting, the beast closed it's salivating jaws and began to turn to leave, realizing this meal was not worth the trouble.
Alacoque stood perfectly still, trying to ignore the burning in her leg. Scythe in hand, her eyes met with Mattieu's weary ones. His expression didn't change, but she could tell he was shocked. How could he not be. Looking him over she realized she was probably more shocked than him. The weapon he held in his hands was still smoking from use of it's chemical bullets, and his chest heaved in and out from running.
Allie felt at a loss of what to say. She knew what had to be said, but staring at him at that moment with the way he looked frightened her. Yet, at the same time it seamed to bring a sense of piece to her mind. Blinking, she tried her best to flush the opposing thoughts from her head and state what needed to be said.
"Alacoque? .. is that you?" The dog-man's voice rang out like a conforming song. Though strapped with weapons from head to toe, he was somehow not as threatening as Mattieu was. As he stepped over the rocks that stood in his way, he squinted to see her faded image before him. Having no brushes with death, Ravik was unable to see the reaper clearly when her scythe was in hand. Realizing the situation, Alacoque turned to placed her weapon against the wall directly behind her.
Ravik blinked his eyes, obviously taken aback by what he just saw. "So it is you!" The dog-man's lips pulled back in a smile and he put his weapon down out of courtesy while Mattieu remained unmoving. "My dear, Alacoque, you shouldn't be here! This area is very dangerous and it's only going to get worse! We've ...-er..." Ravik's words trailed off. Realizing the reaper's scythe against the wall and her sudden materialization from a ghost image only moments earlier caused him to rethink his priorities.
Clearing his throat and licking his jowls in typical canine fashion, Ravik decided to ask the more obvious question. "Forgive me...but...if you don't mind me asking. How did you manage to get here?"
"M-my scythe allows me to travel." Alacoque paused and shifted her eyes from Ravik to Matt several times. "I...I needed to warn you. Ara-"
"Oh no!" Ravik suddenly interrupted the harpy, drawing closer to her. "What happened to your leg?!" Dropping to all fours, the dog man hopped over to make a closer examination, much to Alacoque's discomfort.
"Please.." she started, hopping backwards on her good leg. "It's not that bad...NO! Don't touch it!"
"Alacoque....this is nearly a third degree burn." The dog-man's concerned brown eyes looked up at the harpy. "This needs medical attention right away before it--"
"It can wait!" Alacoque's irritated voice cut off the canine's in a way neither of them would have ever suspected. "We don't have a lot of time. Aramhan know's about the orb... it's only a matter of time before he finds it....or finds us..."
As she spoke, her green eyes turned to meet Mattieu's hazy ones. His expression, though drawn, was that of concern as well. The mention of Aramhan's name was enough to make any of them nervous, especially him.
"How can you be sure of this?"
Alacoque felt her face grow hot at the sudden sound of Matt's voice and she turned her head to glance at her scythe against the wall, it's blade reflecting the little bit of light that entered through the mouth of the cave. "When you sent me home I had no choice but to go back to my old life...my last assignment lead me straight into Aramhan's hands...." The harpy's face suddenly turned dark as she remembered her recent trauma. "I over heard everything...he means to use you ...I think to somehow control the orb..." Quivering, she drew a breath and forced herself to continue. "And me too.."
"But what can we do? The orb is located in the Serpent's Cove and none of us know how to get there." Ravik's ears folded back as he spoke, his own voice carrying a bit of a shake to it.
"I know how to get there..." The harpy finally spoke. "We need to destroy the orb before Aramhan finds it."
"How can I face him...?" She thought aloud to herself while wrapping her scaled arms around her gaunt knees. Leaning her forehead against her legs she shut her eyes tightly and spoke to her sister.
"I hate you...."
Allie's words were clear, though her sister made no response. Allie was left alone in the silence of the cave, while her comrades readied themselves for what seemed to be a one-sided battle. Of they truly meant to face off against Aramhan they didn't stand a chance. Not with the way Aramhan's powers seamed to be growing; their weapons would be useless against him.
Heaving a sigh, Allie opened her eyes and stared at the ground. The thought of leaving to destroy the orb alone without telling them crossed her mind again. It would be so much easier to avoid the situation all together. She was never one for confrontation. Hell, she was never one to get into ANYTHING like this. Clenching her talons into a fist she cursed her sister again; welcoming the pain that her talons brought when they punctured the scaly flesh of her palm.
With bitter thoughts crashing through her mind like whitewater, Allie forgot the burning pain in her leg as she leaned back against the rock that separated her from her comrades. It was at this point she noticed the huge shadow that loomed over her.
Before her, it's two toed limbs on either side of her avian feet, stood the naususmalum creature. It's giant nostrils sucked in the air around her, causing her hair and feathers to be trapped in the vacuum current. Allie dare not move, though she knew the creature relied mainly on sent from what Ravik had stated before, she didn't want to make any sudden movements to provoke the beast. With it's under formed milk white eyes straining straight at her, or at least, what seamed to be her, the beast held it's breath; analyzing what it had breathed in.
Alacoque held her breath as well; her eyes as wide as an owl's. Turning it's head the creature snorted and turned it's head to release the breath and lashed it's tail from side to side. It's toes clenched and the spines on it's back seamed to quiver with agitation. Allie shivered. The beast obviously detected something it didn't like from Alacoque's scent.
With an arch of it's back the beast's body seamed to convulse in rage as a low growl began to emit from it's gut. From the center of the creature's hideous neck, the skin began to pull back and split, leaving streams of skin and mucus as the only thing bonding the two halves of flesh together.
Unable to move, Allie watched as the once seemingly jawless beast split it's "neck" into a giant gaping maw of torn flesh and mucus. Reddish saliva spilled through the rows and rows of sharp needy teeth that lined it's jaw. Breathing in a deep vacuum of air once again, the beast filled it's lungs to capacity, practically leaving a void of oxygen in the space around it. Then, letting the breath go, the naususmalum let out the most horrific scream Alacoque had ever heard.
The scream was nearly paralyzing, and if she had not already been sitting down, it would have knocked her over for sure. The sound caused her ears to ring, her flesh to crawl and her feathers to stand on end. No doubt, that was it's intention, as she noticed the creature rear back in preparation to strike; it's pale purple tung lashing from it's throat whipping streams of discolored saliva in every direction.
With a piercing "twing", a single shot fired out from behind the jagged rocks, whistling over the creature's head and into the cave's walls close behind it. Startled and distracted, the naususmalum turned it's gaping maw in the direction of the shot, breathing in huge gulps of air to see what had caused the noise.
"There's someone here, the creature wouldn't make such a noise without cause..." The familiar voice was making it's way towards her. Two pairs of hasty footsteps growing louder and louder. They would see her for sure, but they would have to fend off the beast first.
With a quick glance to her right, Alacoque reached for her scythe while the beast was still distracted. If it decided to charge at her again, she would be ready this time. Holding her scythe with two hands, she pressed herself against the rocks without making a sound, though the sudden movement was enough for the beast to pick up her scent and it's attention was once again drawn to her.
Only seconds after it had turned it's head to her, the beast charged towards the harpy; it's quills a quivering mass of a threat display. Steadying her grip around her blade, Alacoque turned the scythe at just the right time to hit the beast on the side of it's head with the petrified end of the weapon. She had no intention to kill the beast, but she had no choice but to defend herself against it's wrath.
Snorting, the creature shook it's head and wavered slightly to either side. The hit was a success but not enough to discourage it completely. It's deep grown still emanated from it's core and after a few shucks of it's paw to the lump now forming on the side of it's head, it's attention was reset on it's now standing target.
The harpy took several slow steps back, blade drawn forth in defense. If the beast was to charge again it would surely end in a sash of her blade this time. Breathing in another gulp of air, the naususmalum prepared to let out another scream when a round of shots whipped though the air to land at it's feat; startling it enough to jump back in panic. Snorting, the beast closed it's salivating jaws and began to turn to leave, realizing this meal was not worth the trouble.
Alacoque stood perfectly still, trying to ignore the burning in her leg. Scythe in hand, her eyes met with Mattieu's weary ones. His expression didn't change, but she could tell he was shocked. How could he not be. Looking him over she realized she was probably more shocked than him. The weapon he held in his hands was still smoking from use of it's chemical bullets, and his chest heaved in and out from running.
Allie felt at a loss of what to say. She knew what had to be said, but staring at him at that moment with the way he looked frightened her. Yet, at the same time it seamed to bring a sense of piece to her mind. Blinking, she tried her best to flush the opposing thoughts from her head and state what needed to be said.
"Alacoque? .. is that you?" The dog-man's voice rang out like a conforming song. Though strapped with weapons from head to toe, he was somehow not as threatening as Mattieu was. As he stepped over the rocks that stood in his way, he squinted to see her faded image before him. Having no brushes with death, Ravik was unable to see the reaper clearly when her scythe was in hand. Realizing the situation, Alacoque turned to placed her weapon against the wall directly behind her.
Ravik blinked his eyes, obviously taken aback by what he just saw. "So it is you!" The dog-man's lips pulled back in a smile and he put his weapon down out of courtesy while Mattieu remained unmoving. "My dear, Alacoque, you shouldn't be here! This area is very dangerous and it's only going to get worse! We've ...-er..." Ravik's words trailed off. Realizing the reaper's scythe against the wall and her sudden materialization from a ghost image only moments earlier caused him to rethink his priorities.
Clearing his throat and licking his jowls in typical canine fashion, Ravik decided to ask the more obvious question. "Forgive me...but...if you don't mind me asking. How did you manage to get here?"
"M-my scythe allows me to travel." Alacoque paused and shifted her eyes from Ravik to Matt several times. "I...I needed to warn you. Ara-"
"Oh no!" Ravik suddenly interrupted the harpy, drawing closer to her. "What happened to your leg?!" Dropping to all fours, the dog man hopped over to make a closer examination, much to Alacoque's discomfort.
"Please.." she started, hopping backwards on her good leg. "It's not that bad...NO! Don't touch it!"
"Alacoque....this is nearly a third degree burn." The dog-man's concerned brown eyes looked up at the harpy. "This needs medical attention right away before it--"
"It can wait!" Alacoque's irritated voice cut off the canine's in a way neither of them would have ever suspected. "We don't have a lot of time. Aramhan know's about the orb... it's only a matter of time before he finds it....or finds us..."
As she spoke, her green eyes turned to meet Mattieu's hazy ones. His expression, though drawn, was that of concern as well. The mention of Aramhan's name was enough to make any of them nervous, especially him.
"How can you be sure of this?"
Alacoque felt her face grow hot at the sudden sound of Matt's voice and she turned her head to glance at her scythe against the wall, it's blade reflecting the little bit of light that entered through the mouth of the cave. "When you sent me home I had no choice but to go back to my old life...my last assignment lead me straight into Aramhan's hands...." The harpy's face suddenly turned dark as she remembered her recent trauma. "I over heard everything...he means to use you ...I think to somehow control the orb..." Quivering, she drew a breath and forced herself to continue. "And me too.."
"But what can we do? The orb is located in the Serpent's Cove and none of us know how to get there." Ravik's ears folded back as he spoke, his own voice carrying a bit of a shake to it.
"I know how to get there..." The harpy finally spoke. "We need to destroy the orb before Aramhan finds it."
Matthieu’s inner self was tight and conflicted. He wanted to run up to Alacoque and inspect her for differences since they last met. Their journey had felt like a life time and he couldn’t believe how different his perspective of her was now. He was familiar with the one woman he chased through dimensions with a passion. She was no longer an excitement like she was the first time they’d met. Instead he felt like she was a missing piece now returned. He felt a little less tense when she showed herself. That is until she spoke and reminded him of all the reasons he had sent her away.
With a heavy heart and no response to her confession Matt turned away from them. Ravik saw the tension between them and padded over to his friend. “You shouldn’t be so rude. At least welcome the girl back…” However, he ignored the Jackal and went to his pack instead. He pulled something out and curled it in his fingers. With intent, he turned to Alacoque whose face was unsure and he came within inches of her. His expression was still hard and he stared down into her eyes with a heat behind his.
She tilted her head to look at him fully, doe-like eyes full of hope and apprehension, causing her to clasp her talons at her chest. They stood like that for long moments with Ravik watching silently, pretending not to pay attention. Matt’s breath was low and even as he tried to see into Allie’s soul. He only saw fear; fear for Aramahn, fear for the future, perhaps a fear of him. Without changing his expression he knelt down before her and unfurled the fingers that were clutched perhaps too tightly around the bottle of salve.
He silently proceeded to apply the medication to her burns without hesitation or permission. Alacoque watched his movement and dropped her head back, trying to control the tear which burnt in her eyes. She seemed sure he might explode at her. The silence hung in the air for the next few minutes as Matt thoroughly medicated the leg.
He pivoted as he stood and no longer made eye contact with her. He wanted so badly to run up to her and hug her, but he was conflicted. He should not welcome her back so easily or else she would not listen to him in the future when he needed her to be safe. But he chided himself for being so curt; he did not want her to think she hated him. He kept his back to her as he packed his things. The others seemed to come together and Ravik questioned Allie in more detail. Matt listened, but it was more because he couldn’t tune it out. He did not want to hear about her home.
He realized then that he should not be so worried. He and Allie would not have a future together and therefore he shouldn’t worry about how they treated each other now. When all of this was over she would go back to reaping. And he? He would go back to floating through worlds looking for a meaning. Or maybe something would spark his interest again. Right now he did not feel like that was likely.
He turned to the others, keeping his gaze pointed at nothing. “What are you waiting for? Get ready to go. We need to reach Serpent’s Cove before Aramahn.” The anthropomorphic people stared at him as if caught off guard. Ravik responded first and hopped to his hind feet to gather his things. Allie was slower to take in the words. She got to her feet and looked at Julian, unsure as to whether she should be doing this.
Ravik sidled up to her and smiled. “Don’t worry about supplies, I packed enough for a circus.” Allie’s eyes drifted toward him. She was not worried about not having things to take with her, she was worried about the consequences of what she was about to do. Of course, the Jackal would not have any insight to that and his kind words made her smile.
Matthieu was already on his way out of the cavern and on his way to the rift point. He had no idea where he was going but he felt stifled in that small area with her. His thoughts had caused him to become depressed. Or rather, more depressed. He wanted nothing more than to have Alacoque live happily and if that meant facing Aramahn, destroying the orb and getting her back home again? He would sacrifice his happiness.
With a heavy heart and no response to her confession Matt turned away from them. Ravik saw the tension between them and padded over to his friend. “You shouldn’t be so rude. At least welcome the girl back…” However, he ignored the Jackal and went to his pack instead. He pulled something out and curled it in his fingers. With intent, he turned to Alacoque whose face was unsure and he came within inches of her. His expression was still hard and he stared down into her eyes with a heat behind his.
She tilted her head to look at him fully, doe-like eyes full of hope and apprehension, causing her to clasp her talons at her chest. They stood like that for long moments with Ravik watching silently, pretending not to pay attention. Matt’s breath was low and even as he tried to see into Allie’s soul. He only saw fear; fear for Aramahn, fear for the future, perhaps a fear of him. Without changing his expression he knelt down before her and unfurled the fingers that were clutched perhaps too tightly around the bottle of salve.
He silently proceeded to apply the medication to her burns without hesitation or permission. Alacoque watched his movement and dropped her head back, trying to control the tear which burnt in her eyes. She seemed sure he might explode at her. The silence hung in the air for the next few minutes as Matt thoroughly medicated the leg.
He pivoted as he stood and no longer made eye contact with her. He wanted so badly to run up to her and hug her, but he was conflicted. He should not welcome her back so easily or else she would not listen to him in the future when he needed her to be safe. But he chided himself for being so curt; he did not want her to think she hated him. He kept his back to her as he packed his things. The others seemed to come together and Ravik questioned Allie in more detail. Matt listened, but it was more because he couldn’t tune it out. He did not want to hear about her home.
He realized then that he should not be so worried. He and Allie would not have a future together and therefore he shouldn’t worry about how they treated each other now. When all of this was over she would go back to reaping. And he? He would go back to floating through worlds looking for a meaning. Or maybe something would spark his interest again. Right now he did not feel like that was likely.
He turned to the others, keeping his gaze pointed at nothing. “What are you waiting for? Get ready to go. We need to reach Serpent’s Cove before Aramahn.” The anthropomorphic people stared at him as if caught off guard. Ravik responded first and hopped to his hind feet to gather his things. Allie was slower to take in the words. She got to her feet and looked at Julian, unsure as to whether she should be doing this.
Ravik sidled up to her and smiled. “Don’t worry about supplies, I packed enough for a circus.” Allie’s eyes drifted toward him. She was not worried about not having things to take with her, she was worried about the consequences of what she was about to do. Of course, the Jackal would not have any insight to that and his kind words made her smile.
Matthieu was already on his way out of the cavern and on his way to the rift point. He had no idea where he was going but he felt stifled in that small area with her. His thoughts had caused him to become depressed. Or rather, more depressed. He wanted nothing more than to have Alacoque live happily and if that meant facing Aramahn, destroying the orb and getting her back home again? He would sacrifice his happiness.
The trio's journey through the reaper's portal was a quick one. Smoother than the pervious trips, Mattieu wasn't sure if he had even made the leap and had to make a double take of his surroundings to convince himself he had. It didn't take much for him to realize the new world they had just entered was very different than the one they had left.
A massive red sun burned in a barren orange and yellow sky that held no trace of cloud against it's stretched canvas. Silhouettes of enormous rocks and boulders stood tall against the horizon's glow; carved from the natural erosion of wind and sand to resemble bizarre totems. Feeling a shiver of discomfort pass through them, both Mattieu and Ravik made a subconscious step toward one another, their hands pressed firmly against their weapons.
"There's no need for that..." Alacoque's voice was firmer than anticipated and it's clear tone brought Mattieu to immediate attention. "Nothing of this world comes out during daylight anyway...except for the sand wyrms....but they only surface when angered, so you have nothing to worry about."
The harpy turned and began to move on without a second glance as to wether her two acquaintances were coming or not. She seemed to be in a psychological battle of her own with the way she was walking; talons ripping at the earth with each step she took. This was the only outward sign of her stress, though Mattieu was well aware of it, he made no comment to bring it to surface. This was a terrifically testing time for all of them and he knew no words could ease their stress, let alone Alacoque's.
"Pardon my asking..." Ravik's words finally broke the trios silence after what seemed to be an eternity of walking, though it had realistically only been ten minutes. "...But how do you know the location of such a place as this?"
Alacoque made no notion to stop walking and Ravik began to believe she hadn't heard him. Drawing in a breath to repeat himself, the jackal found himself cut off at the sudden sound of Alacoque's unnaturally sharp tone of voice.
"These are common training grounds for reapers who are just starting out. This world is essentially the point where two dimensions cross... Think of it as a psudo-plane...kind of similar to the one in the Bermuda Triangle...only this is much bigger."
Hopping onto a small boulder the reaper began to ascend a rocky hilltop, only seldomly checking to see if the other two were keeping up. In truth, Allie was mostly focused on the tension between her and Mattieu. She still couldn't bring herself to look at him for more than a second before she felt guilt start to consume her and her sister's sneering laughter sound in the back of her mind.
Once they reached the top of the hill, Ravik's ears perked to the sound of rushing water flowing on the terrain below them. Fallowing the harpy, the two men made their way over the side of the hill and down towards the sound of the water. The land on this side was practically opposite to the land the had just over the hill they had climbed over.
The sky was still the same, but the land was lush with plant life. Each strange formation of rock was covered in colorful vines and leaves that seemed to cover up ancient etchings on it's surface. Though it was hard to tell, the moist air had allowed a thick moss to grow all over the rock's surface, leaving only small traces of the original stone showing which left a huge impact on Mattieu's imagination. He wanted to badly to stop and sketch the strange plants and stones that he nearly dropped his weapon and did just so. Though, a gentle tug on his arm from Ravik brought him out of his trance and back to reality.
Before them stretched a long span of river that branched off a few hundred yards from where they stood. To the right, the water flowed into a huge gaping cavern that appeared endless when looked at from straight on. To the left, the water flowed around the cavern and onward to fall down into a dark opening in the rock.
The harpy didn't slow down at all, though all she wanted to do was to turn back and head the other way. On the surface, the dimension's lands were harmless. It was it's underground channels that held the real danger. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself and headed into the enormous mouth of the cove, keeping to the right of the rushing water running through it's center.
"Keep to the right and fallow me....and try to be quite...we don't want to wake anything up once we're inside..."
With that, Allie made the first step into the blackness of the cave, using her scythe as a walking stick. She didn't bother to look back to see the pale expressions on Mattieu and Ravik's faces. She just wanted to get the job done as quickly as possible, before any of them had time to think twice about what needed to be done.
Ravik and Mattieu exchanged glances at one another before making their way into the cave as well. On the way, Ravik pulled out two long funnel shaped objects and attached each of them to the tops of his and Mattieu's weapons. Once enveloped by the darkness of the cave, the funnels activated and gave off a brilliant stream of light that parted the darkness from their path.
The light eased Allie's nerves for the time being; she was never a fan of the dark, especially since her adventures with Mattieu in the warrior's tomb. It felt like ages ago since that had happened and she found herself lost in thought while descending the slippery rocks of the cove's floor. How long had it been? She found herself unable to recall as she absently held onto the walls of the cave with one hand and held her scythe with the other.
As the team descended down the side of the cove, the walls around them seemed to close in and the ceiling grew lower and lower until the only way to move was to crouch on one's hands and knees. Not a word was spoken amongst the trio until they finally came the an opening in their narrow passageway that opened up to an enormous catacomb.
Giant columbus of stalactites and stalagmites decorated the interior of the cove, each of different sizes though none were smaller in height than a full grown man, suggesting that the cove itself was centuries old. From the far left of the cove rushed a steady stream of water; the same water from the surface that branched off to the left of the cave to disappear into the mysterious funnel in the rock. It was here that the water emerged, only to disappear again into a second funnel that lay directly below it.
Shallow pools of water flooded the floor of the cove in patches that seemed to glow with tiny specks of light. This light was actually emitted by the small spider-like creatures that housed themselves in these shallow pools, feeding on the minerals that collected around the edges of the rock.
Staring into the shallow pools, Alacoque finally came to a stop. She hadn't been inside the cove for years, yet she still remembered most of it's layout; knowing the little spiders were the least of her worries.
"Well...we're here..." She said, turning around to face Mattieu and Ravik. "...now the hard part is going to be FINDING the orb..."
A massive red sun burned in a barren orange and yellow sky that held no trace of cloud against it's stretched canvas. Silhouettes of enormous rocks and boulders stood tall against the horizon's glow; carved from the natural erosion of wind and sand to resemble bizarre totems. Feeling a shiver of discomfort pass through them, both Mattieu and Ravik made a subconscious step toward one another, their hands pressed firmly against their weapons.
"There's no need for that..." Alacoque's voice was firmer than anticipated and it's clear tone brought Mattieu to immediate attention. "Nothing of this world comes out during daylight anyway...except for the sand wyrms....but they only surface when angered, so you have nothing to worry about."
The harpy turned and began to move on without a second glance as to wether her two acquaintances were coming or not. She seemed to be in a psychological battle of her own with the way she was walking; talons ripping at the earth with each step she took. This was the only outward sign of her stress, though Mattieu was well aware of it, he made no comment to bring it to surface. This was a terrifically testing time for all of them and he knew no words could ease their stress, let alone Alacoque's.
"Pardon my asking..." Ravik's words finally broke the trios silence after what seemed to be an eternity of walking, though it had realistically only been ten minutes. "...But how do you know the location of such a place as this?"
Alacoque made no notion to stop walking and Ravik began to believe she hadn't heard him. Drawing in a breath to repeat himself, the jackal found himself cut off at the sudden sound of Alacoque's unnaturally sharp tone of voice.
"These are common training grounds for reapers who are just starting out. This world is essentially the point where two dimensions cross... Think of it as a psudo-plane...kind of similar to the one in the Bermuda Triangle...only this is much bigger."
Hopping onto a small boulder the reaper began to ascend a rocky hilltop, only seldomly checking to see if the other two were keeping up. In truth, Allie was mostly focused on the tension between her and Mattieu. She still couldn't bring herself to look at him for more than a second before she felt guilt start to consume her and her sister's sneering laughter sound in the back of her mind.
Once they reached the top of the hill, Ravik's ears perked to the sound of rushing water flowing on the terrain below them. Fallowing the harpy, the two men made their way over the side of the hill and down towards the sound of the water. The land on this side was practically opposite to the land the had just over the hill they had climbed over.
The sky was still the same, but the land was lush with plant life. Each strange formation of rock was covered in colorful vines and leaves that seemed to cover up ancient etchings on it's surface. Though it was hard to tell, the moist air had allowed a thick moss to grow all over the rock's surface, leaving only small traces of the original stone showing which left a huge impact on Mattieu's imagination. He wanted to badly to stop and sketch the strange plants and stones that he nearly dropped his weapon and did just so. Though, a gentle tug on his arm from Ravik brought him out of his trance and back to reality.
Before them stretched a long span of river that branched off a few hundred yards from where they stood. To the right, the water flowed into a huge gaping cavern that appeared endless when looked at from straight on. To the left, the water flowed around the cavern and onward to fall down into a dark opening in the rock.
The harpy didn't slow down at all, though all she wanted to do was to turn back and head the other way. On the surface, the dimension's lands were harmless. It was it's underground channels that held the real danger. Taking a deep breath, she composed herself and headed into the enormous mouth of the cove, keeping to the right of the rushing water running through it's center.
"Keep to the right and fallow me....and try to be quite...we don't want to wake anything up once we're inside..."
With that, Allie made the first step into the blackness of the cave, using her scythe as a walking stick. She didn't bother to look back to see the pale expressions on Mattieu and Ravik's faces. She just wanted to get the job done as quickly as possible, before any of them had time to think twice about what needed to be done.
Ravik and Mattieu exchanged glances at one another before making their way into the cave as well. On the way, Ravik pulled out two long funnel shaped objects and attached each of them to the tops of his and Mattieu's weapons. Once enveloped by the darkness of the cave, the funnels activated and gave off a brilliant stream of light that parted the darkness from their path.
The light eased Allie's nerves for the time being; she was never a fan of the dark, especially since her adventures with Mattieu in the warrior's tomb. It felt like ages ago since that had happened and she found herself lost in thought while descending the slippery rocks of the cove's floor. How long had it been? She found herself unable to recall as she absently held onto the walls of the cave with one hand and held her scythe with the other.
As the team descended down the side of the cove, the walls around them seemed to close in and the ceiling grew lower and lower until the only way to move was to crouch on one's hands and knees. Not a word was spoken amongst the trio until they finally came the an opening in their narrow passageway that opened up to an enormous catacomb.
Giant columbus of stalactites and stalagmites decorated the interior of the cove, each of different sizes though none were smaller in height than a full grown man, suggesting that the cove itself was centuries old. From the far left of the cove rushed a steady stream of water; the same water from the surface that branched off to the left of the cave to disappear into the mysterious funnel in the rock. It was here that the water emerged, only to disappear again into a second funnel that lay directly below it.
Shallow pools of water flooded the floor of the cove in patches that seemed to glow with tiny specks of light. This light was actually emitted by the small spider-like creatures that housed themselves in these shallow pools, feeding on the minerals that collected around the edges of the rock.
Staring into the shallow pools, Alacoque finally came to a stop. She hadn't been inside the cove for years, yet she still remembered most of it's layout; knowing the little spiders were the least of her worries.
"Well...we're here..." She said, turning around to face Mattieu and Ravik. "...now the hard part is going to be FINDING the orb..."
Aramhan cursed at the top of his lungs and rounded on his henchmen, sending a tendril through each of their guts. He calmly sat on a crate then, a testament to his madness as the men suffered at his feet. Blue light leaked from the tears in his skin, the anger on his face slowly subsided as the mana stitched his flesh back together. There was no way to tell if the rips would scar, as he replaced his hood over his face. He sat in thought arms crossed under his cloak as the blood pool spread to under his feet. He didn’t bother to move his boots and let the red liquid stain the worked leather.
He wiggled his toes before standing and walking a ways away, leaving bloodied prints behind him. The warehouse was utterly silent and barren; Aramhan the only soul left within it; save the few the henchmen housed which were waiting for retrieval. After what seemed an eternity for the bleeding individuals, their life cord was finally cut and the light dimmed from their eyes. As if it were staged, a reaper’s rift cut through the atmosphere at that exact moment.
Out stepped a small girl, lightly built and carrying a great scythe. A length of bouncy purple hair hung in a pony tail at the back of her head and her orb-like eyes were focused on the corpses in front of her. She alighted next to them, her boots making a soft click as she fully left the portal. She leaned over to inspect their faces and a smile spread across her freckled face. Straightening and pushing her circular glasses back up her nose, Lark lifted her scythe to harvest the souls.
However, she never got the weapon back down, as blue tendrils of pure magic suspended it just above her. Surprised and caught off guard, she spun around, nearly losing her glasses to find her assailant had sent a second serpent like structure about her waist and it spread over her like water, cocooning her in a prism of blue.
Aramhan strode out to face her, the encasement still attached to part of his arm. He held her scythe in the hand of that same arm, taunting her with the distance he put between her and her tool. Smiling under his hood, he said:
“Hello, my name is Aramhan. I will be your master now. What is your name?”
☼
Matt’s eyes were alight with the cave’s wonders. He wanted to stop this silly death mission and just document every spike of rock formed through time and dripping water. He walked around the other oblivious to their words, just watching the droplets fall from the ceiling to the ground. And the colors, he couldn’t explain the colors; how light could reflect in such a way so far underground. He slipped then, absently walking through the pools of water and slid in up to his head.
“Fuuhh---” the sound was lost in the water and came out as bubbles. His hands were flung up immediately to try and catch himself, however he found no purchase. The only result of his flailing was slamming his gun against the lip of the water pool and causing it to discharge a bullet. He sputtered in the liquid and tried to regain a hold to pull himself out, as the bullet ricocheted about the cavern, causing Alacoque and Ravik to duck for cover. Matt was able to push himself from the bottom of the slippery collection of water, which was ironically just shorter than he was and vault his arms over an edge. He pulled himself free and Ravik came to hover over him, after the jackal was sure he wouldn’t be shot.
The jackal was able to get a grip under Matt’s arm pits and lift him from the water. The resounding shot noise echoed through the caverns and could be heard for almost a full minute; a full tense minute. Allie cringed. She knew what lived in these caves and she knew that they should not be woken up.
Once Matt was sitting free of the pool and drying off, Ravik inspected the weapon. It was wet and at the moment entirely useless. He holstered the thing and frowned. “That’s not going to work for a while; the charges need to be dry. Be careful next time,” he chided Matthieu gently. Matt was frowning and upset, he hated being in wet clothes. He slogged to his feet and tried to wring out as much of himself as possible.
Alacoque had been pacing the edge of the cavern they stood in, listening for rumbles in the deep. Her face was paler than usual and she put a lot of her weight on Julian; if not to hold her up, to comfort her with his presence. She turned to her comrades and quietly rejoined them. “I wish you hadn’t have done that,” she admitted in a low voice. Her eyes were not on them, but switching between all the possible entryways to their position.
Matt’s expression turned sour. “Well I didn’t mean to fall into…” He stopped. Ravik’s head snapped up from the soggy weapon and his ears trained expertly on one of the many passageways. Then, to another. Allie seemed to be followed his movements as well, huddling into Julian to make herself as small as possible. Matt watched his friendly actions feeling entirely left out. They were so tense and frightened, but he didn’t understand why.
That is, until he felt the tremors as well.
He wiggled his toes before standing and walking a ways away, leaving bloodied prints behind him. The warehouse was utterly silent and barren; Aramhan the only soul left within it; save the few the henchmen housed which were waiting for retrieval. After what seemed an eternity for the bleeding individuals, their life cord was finally cut and the light dimmed from their eyes. As if it were staged, a reaper’s rift cut through the atmosphere at that exact moment.
Out stepped a small girl, lightly built and carrying a great scythe. A length of bouncy purple hair hung in a pony tail at the back of her head and her orb-like eyes were focused on the corpses in front of her. She alighted next to them, her boots making a soft click as she fully left the portal. She leaned over to inspect their faces and a smile spread across her freckled face. Straightening and pushing her circular glasses back up her nose, Lark lifted her scythe to harvest the souls.
However, she never got the weapon back down, as blue tendrils of pure magic suspended it just above her. Surprised and caught off guard, she spun around, nearly losing her glasses to find her assailant had sent a second serpent like structure about her waist and it spread over her like water, cocooning her in a prism of blue.
Aramhan strode out to face her, the encasement still attached to part of his arm. He held her scythe in the hand of that same arm, taunting her with the distance he put between her and her tool. Smiling under his hood, he said:
“Hello, my name is Aramhan. I will be your master now. What is your name?”
☼
Matt’s eyes were alight with the cave’s wonders. He wanted to stop this silly death mission and just document every spike of rock formed through time and dripping water. He walked around the other oblivious to their words, just watching the droplets fall from the ceiling to the ground. And the colors, he couldn’t explain the colors; how light could reflect in such a way so far underground. He slipped then, absently walking through the pools of water and slid in up to his head.
“Fuuhh---” the sound was lost in the water and came out as bubbles. His hands were flung up immediately to try and catch himself, however he found no purchase. The only result of his flailing was slamming his gun against the lip of the water pool and causing it to discharge a bullet. He sputtered in the liquid and tried to regain a hold to pull himself out, as the bullet ricocheted about the cavern, causing Alacoque and Ravik to duck for cover. Matt was able to push himself from the bottom of the slippery collection of water, which was ironically just shorter than he was and vault his arms over an edge. He pulled himself free and Ravik came to hover over him, after the jackal was sure he wouldn’t be shot.
The jackal was able to get a grip under Matt’s arm pits and lift him from the water. The resounding shot noise echoed through the caverns and could be heard for almost a full minute; a full tense minute. Allie cringed. She knew what lived in these caves and she knew that they should not be woken up.
Once Matt was sitting free of the pool and drying off, Ravik inspected the weapon. It was wet and at the moment entirely useless. He holstered the thing and frowned. “That’s not going to work for a while; the charges need to be dry. Be careful next time,” he chided Matthieu gently. Matt was frowning and upset, he hated being in wet clothes. He slogged to his feet and tried to wring out as much of himself as possible.
Alacoque had been pacing the edge of the cavern they stood in, listening for rumbles in the deep. Her face was paler than usual and she put a lot of her weight on Julian; if not to hold her up, to comfort her with his presence. She turned to her comrades and quietly rejoined them. “I wish you hadn’t have done that,” she admitted in a low voice. Her eyes were not on them, but switching between all the possible entryways to their position.
Matt’s expression turned sour. “Well I didn’t mean to fall into…” He stopped. Ravik’s head snapped up from the soggy weapon and his ears trained expertly on one of the many passageways. Then, to another. Allie seemed to be followed his movements as well, huddling into Julian to make herself as small as possible. Matt watched his friendly actions feeling entirely left out. They were so tense and frightened, but he didn’t understand why.
That is, until he felt the tremors as well.
Allie's hands tightened around the petrified wood of her scythe and her avian toes tensed at the sudden sensation of rumbling beneath her feet. Her eyes widened, straining to see in the poor lighting of the cave. If it was one thing she hated, it was the inability to see danger in the darkness of this particular cave. All the memories from her first weeks as a student reaper came flooding back into her mind. This was the place that weeded out the unworthy. The sport where she literally saw her several of her classmates for the last time. Thinking back, she wondered how she ever made it through that test. Was it a stroke of luck? If that one boy had been only a few feet to the right, if she hadn't stepped into that unseen sinkhole...
Shaking her head, Allie forced the thoughts from her mind and focused on the vibrations in the cave. At least she still had her hearing to rely on.
"Stay away from the water...it knows we're here..."
"A bit easier said than done, don't you think?" A shaken Mattieu whispered loudly, taking the few steps towards the harpy. The entire cave was filled with shallow and deep pools of dripping water, all indistinguishable between one another. Not to mention a great stream traveled directly through it's center. Staying away from the water pretty much meant one would have to leave the cave completely.
"Alacoque.." Ravik spoke, his ears folded back in unspoken worry. "What is it exactly that inhabits this cave?" The jackle-man began to step back towards the two as he spoke, the pads of his feet barley making a sound in the silence of the cave.
Before Allie could answer, a subtle sound was heard from the far end of the cave. If anyone had breathed at the wrong time it would have gone by unnoticed, but the soft slither of a streamline body entering the water sent chills up the harpy's spine. Tightening her hands around her scythe, Allie forced her mind not to panic, despite the outward signs of her feathers standing on end.
"Hydras...." Allie's voice cut through the silence like a shard of glass. Mattieu's face grew pale and, although she didn't turn her head, Allie was sure she noticed Ravik's jaw tense up.
"They're in the stream…" the harpy spoke just above a whisper, but the waver in her throat gave away her fear. "Whatever you do, don't attack their heads…go for their---
Alacoque's words were cut off when the flash of a serpentine body came jutting out of the water, attacking her. The force of the blow knocked her off her feet and slammed her to the slippery rock floor. Julian was parted from his master and slid across the wet floor into a shallow pool of water, several yards away from the reaper.
Ravik and Mattieu were both caught off guard for this attack and jumped back reflexively when the attack took place. It was only after the harpy was pinned to the floor that the two could make out what had just happened.
A dark, streamline body stood before them, half of it's long serpentine tail still submerged in the water. Long spines covered the length of it's back all the way down to the the tip of it's tail…or so it seemed. The spines quivered in rage and a deep hiss emanated from it's head…or rather, heads. Rearing back it's flexible body onto it's hindquarters, the creature allowed the dim light of the cavern to catch on teeth from six sets of jaws.
In a tangle of hissing mouths, the six heads reared back on their long necks, locking their sights on the fallen harpy before them. The force of the blow had rendered her unconscious and she lay before the hydra, wings outstretched beneath her.
"Mattieu! Stay low!" Ravik wasted no time in assessing the situation and readied his weapon to fire. Dropping to the ground, Mattieu covered his ears as the Jackle pulled the trigger of his weapon. A loud clap echoed throughout the cave, as the combustion chamber of the weapon ignited and sent the crude bullet hurling into the hydras chest.
The hit was a success! The force of impact knocked the beast off balance and onto the water which quickly became stained with it's dark blood. The echo of the gunshot seemed to last forever in the hairy silence of the cave. Twirling around to the water, Ravik pointed his weapon towards it's flowing surface, waiting for the beast to appear again. But moments quickly became minutes and minutes grew longer until Ravik's arm slowly began to lower his weapon and he let out a deep sigh. His heart still pounding in his chest, Ravik held his attention on the water as Mattieu lifted himself from the wet floor.
Wet clothes were the least of his worries at this point, though they were still quite annoying. He brushed a few stray hairs from his face and turned to Ravik, giving him a shaky half-smile. Mattieu hadn't realized just how nervous he was until he stood up completely and allowed the effects of adrenaline to take their course.
His head reeled, his legs shook and his muscles cramped, yet, he felt better than he had in months. Perhaps it was this rush he was missing. After all, he could barley remember the last time he had felt this alive…this, pumped! The grin on his face stretched from ear to ear as a fantasy of his heroics played out in his mind; Cue Indiana Jones inspired theme music.
"What are you smiling at?" Ravik's all too serious voice brought him back to reality. "Please, you need to check on Alacoque…this thing is still alive. I can't leave the this spot just yet."
Alacoque! Mattieu whirled around in search of the fallen bird. His eyes strained to find her in the dim light of the cave and he nearly fell himself when his feet didn't quite clear some of the rock formations that seemed to sprout up out of nowhere in the darkness. Finally, his eyes caught hold of something; a feather. Ink black with hints of iridescent greens and blues when the light hit it just right, it was unmistakably Alacoque's.
A quick search of the area did the trick, and before long Mattieu found his way over to the unconscious harpy's body. Taking care not to step on her outstretched wings, Mattieu positioned himself to her side and knelt down beside her.
There were barley any visible marks on her, despite a rip in the torso of her dress that reviled her sunken stomach but not much else . Slipping his hand under her head for support, Matt pulled Allie's unconscious body towards him in effort to wake her. It was at this moment he noticed the trickle of blood coming from her ear. Fearing or the worst, Mattieu placed his fingers against her neck to feel for a life beat. It was there, despite the irregular heart beat, but despite that it seemed pretty normal.
"Allie…" Mattieu brushed the harpy's white blonde hair from her face and spoke a little louder. "Allie…can you hear me?
Unsure of what to do, Matt placed his free hand against her shoulder and gave a few squeezes. He didn't want to chance shaking her on account that it might make her head injury worse.
One of the tailing on her foot twitched…then the toes flexed. A soft groan sounded from the reapers lips and her brows furrowed in discomfort, as if she was experiencing a terrible headache. It would be no surprise if she was.
Mattieu's eyes widened and he let a light smile spread across his face. "Allie…the hydra is gone. Ravik shot it. We're gonna be fine."
Bringing her wings in close to her body, the reaper winced at the sound of Matt's voice and slowly, opened her eyes; pupils retracted to mere pinholes. "It's still alive."
A great splash of water sounded as the serpent reappeared from the water, it's six long necks writhing like tentacles. Several gun shots were fired and Ravik was pilled into the water, gun in hand before the echoes stopped.
The water settled. And there was silence.
Shaking her head, Allie forced the thoughts from her mind and focused on the vibrations in the cave. At least she still had her hearing to rely on.
"Stay away from the water...it knows we're here..."
"A bit easier said than done, don't you think?" A shaken Mattieu whispered loudly, taking the few steps towards the harpy. The entire cave was filled with shallow and deep pools of dripping water, all indistinguishable between one another. Not to mention a great stream traveled directly through it's center. Staying away from the water pretty much meant one would have to leave the cave completely.
"Alacoque.." Ravik spoke, his ears folded back in unspoken worry. "What is it exactly that inhabits this cave?" The jackle-man began to step back towards the two as he spoke, the pads of his feet barley making a sound in the silence of the cave.
Before Allie could answer, a subtle sound was heard from the far end of the cave. If anyone had breathed at the wrong time it would have gone by unnoticed, but the soft slither of a streamline body entering the water sent chills up the harpy's spine. Tightening her hands around her scythe, Allie forced her mind not to panic, despite the outward signs of her feathers standing on end.
"Hydras...." Allie's voice cut through the silence like a shard of glass. Mattieu's face grew pale and, although she didn't turn her head, Allie was sure she noticed Ravik's jaw tense up.
"They're in the stream…" the harpy spoke just above a whisper, but the waver in her throat gave away her fear. "Whatever you do, don't attack their heads…go for their---
Alacoque's words were cut off when the flash of a serpentine body came jutting out of the water, attacking her. The force of the blow knocked her off her feet and slammed her to the slippery rock floor. Julian was parted from his master and slid across the wet floor into a shallow pool of water, several yards away from the reaper.
Ravik and Mattieu were both caught off guard for this attack and jumped back reflexively when the attack took place. It was only after the harpy was pinned to the floor that the two could make out what had just happened.
A dark, streamline body stood before them, half of it's long serpentine tail still submerged in the water. Long spines covered the length of it's back all the way down to the the tip of it's tail…or so it seemed. The spines quivered in rage and a deep hiss emanated from it's head…or rather, heads. Rearing back it's flexible body onto it's hindquarters, the creature allowed the dim light of the cavern to catch on teeth from six sets of jaws.
In a tangle of hissing mouths, the six heads reared back on their long necks, locking their sights on the fallen harpy before them. The force of the blow had rendered her unconscious and she lay before the hydra, wings outstretched beneath her.
"Mattieu! Stay low!" Ravik wasted no time in assessing the situation and readied his weapon to fire. Dropping to the ground, Mattieu covered his ears as the Jackle pulled the trigger of his weapon. A loud clap echoed throughout the cave, as the combustion chamber of the weapon ignited and sent the crude bullet hurling into the hydras chest.
The hit was a success! The force of impact knocked the beast off balance and onto the water which quickly became stained with it's dark blood. The echo of the gunshot seemed to last forever in the hairy silence of the cave. Twirling around to the water, Ravik pointed his weapon towards it's flowing surface, waiting for the beast to appear again. But moments quickly became minutes and minutes grew longer until Ravik's arm slowly began to lower his weapon and he let out a deep sigh. His heart still pounding in his chest, Ravik held his attention on the water as Mattieu lifted himself from the wet floor.
Wet clothes were the least of his worries at this point, though they were still quite annoying. He brushed a few stray hairs from his face and turned to Ravik, giving him a shaky half-smile. Mattieu hadn't realized just how nervous he was until he stood up completely and allowed the effects of adrenaline to take their course.
His head reeled, his legs shook and his muscles cramped, yet, he felt better than he had in months. Perhaps it was this rush he was missing. After all, he could barley remember the last time he had felt this alive…this, pumped! The grin on his face stretched from ear to ear as a fantasy of his heroics played out in his mind; Cue Indiana Jones inspired theme music.
"What are you smiling at?" Ravik's all too serious voice brought him back to reality. "Please, you need to check on Alacoque…this thing is still alive. I can't leave the this spot just yet."
Alacoque! Mattieu whirled around in search of the fallen bird. His eyes strained to find her in the dim light of the cave and he nearly fell himself when his feet didn't quite clear some of the rock formations that seemed to sprout up out of nowhere in the darkness. Finally, his eyes caught hold of something; a feather. Ink black with hints of iridescent greens and blues when the light hit it just right, it was unmistakably Alacoque's.
A quick search of the area did the trick, and before long Mattieu found his way over to the unconscious harpy's body. Taking care not to step on her outstretched wings, Mattieu positioned himself to her side and knelt down beside her.
There were barley any visible marks on her, despite a rip in the torso of her dress that reviled her sunken stomach but not much else . Slipping his hand under her head for support, Matt pulled Allie's unconscious body towards him in effort to wake her. It was at this moment he noticed the trickle of blood coming from her ear. Fearing or the worst, Mattieu placed his fingers against her neck to feel for a life beat. It was there, despite the irregular heart beat, but despite that it seemed pretty normal.
"Allie…" Mattieu brushed the harpy's white blonde hair from her face and spoke a little louder. "Allie…can you hear me?
Unsure of what to do, Matt placed his free hand against her shoulder and gave a few squeezes. He didn't want to chance shaking her on account that it might make her head injury worse.
One of the tailing on her foot twitched…then the toes flexed. A soft groan sounded from the reapers lips and her brows furrowed in discomfort, as if she was experiencing a terrible headache. It would be no surprise if she was.
Mattieu's eyes widened and he let a light smile spread across his face. "Allie…the hydra is gone. Ravik shot it. We're gonna be fine."
Bringing her wings in close to her body, the reaper winced at the sound of Matt's voice and slowly, opened her eyes; pupils retracted to mere pinholes. "It's still alive."
A great splash of water sounded as the serpent reappeared from the water, it's six long necks writhing like tentacles. Several gun shots were fired and Ravik was pilled into the water, gun in hand before the echoes stopped.
The water settled. And there was silence.
The man cursed loudly enough for it to echo across the caverns. "How do we get him back?" He had abandoned his post at her side to frantically look into he hole in which he friend had been dragged. If it hadn't been for him, Ravik would not be here right now. He would not have been in jeopardy at unknown depths under this cursed place. "Allie, what do we do?" His resolve was peeling away in layers and he was becoming frantic with each moment that passed. His own person was soaked, rendering most of his weapons useless and he wasn't going to rely on his poor swimming skills to save his friend. What else could he do?
The harpy was regaining her feet, searching the room for Julien. Matt cursed the blood in the water for marring its visibility and looked to Alacoque, who was gingerly poking through the water holes for her scythe. Matt frowned and pulled himself together mentally. “Ravik chose to come with me, he chose to fight. He would have been happy with any fate as long as he gave it his all.” He spoke as if to convince himself, and it worked. He got off the ground and went to the harpy, helping her search for Julien. Though they were loathe putting any parts of their body into the water, less there be a hydra head awaiting them, the pair eventually saw the scythe shimmering in a pool that was on the shallower side. Matt looked to Allie.
“I’ll go in, I’d rather you not get your feathers any wetter, just in case.” As he spoke, he stripped himself of weaponry in the hopes that it would dry out without repeated introductions to the water. Alacoque watched him with such a sedate expression; it was hard for him to read her. When he was ready, he lowered his body into the water, sucked in a deep breath and sunk.
Water moved through his bone arm easily, which made it somewhat awkward to swim well. His right side was overpowering the left and his progress was lop-sided. He pushed on as his breath would only last him so long, and within inches of the scythe, he reached for it with his flesh arm. When he came in contact with the thing, however, it repelled him with a zap to his fingers. He recoiled and let out too much air, having to go back to the surface for more.
He popped out of the water long enough to slick back the hair from his face and suck in another lungful of air. He re-submerged, moving entirely on adrenaline. His heart was pounding with fear that the beast would get him whilst he was in the water and definitely out of his element. It occurred to him that he had been naïve earlier, and the scythe was not a thing of this world, but the next. When he reached Julien this time, he grabbed hold of the shaft with his bone hand. While he wouldn’t say it readily accepted him, it could be said that it did not repel him. Smiling beneath the water at his triumph, he hesitated a moment too long and as he propelled upward, he could see something with teeth coming at him in from the darkness of the water.
He shot for the surface, scrambling with Julien in hand to get out. It was hard with the scythe that did not entirely accept him holding it to pull himself out. Instead, he hoped it wouldn’t find its way back into an overgrown puddle and tossed it into the cavern. He was better able to lift himself once free of the weapon, and as his legs were exiting the water, another splash of water occurred behind him. Following the frantically running Matthieu came a dark, wet form which crumpled onto the slick rocks. Ravik clawed at the moist ground to make sure he was entirely free of the water. His face was dark with blood around his muzzle and jowls and he was gasping for air like a new born babe. The Jackal dragged himself towards Matt, who only now realized this was not a threat and stopped trying to escape.
“Ravik! You’re alive! But you’re wounded!” The human crouched over his friend, grabbing hold under his arms to drag him to a more safe position. Alacoque had gone to recover the discarded scythe and only after she was holding it comfortably in both hands did she come to see Ravik’s state.
“It’s not entirely mine,” he indicated his face and rubbed his muzzle on his forearm. “But my leg is wounded, where one of the heads grabbed me.” His calf was indeed almost shredded and Matt had to look away. “I can deal with it myself, Friends. You should be on guard. It’s going to be back.” He leaned against the cavern wall and rummaged through their packs while assessing his damaged limb.
“Right,” Matt left him to his work; he knew the best out of all of them how to fix his own leg. He looked to Alacoque who quietly met his gaze, an almost questioning look on her face. “Well, we need to be his guards. I have an idea. When that thing comes out, we need to get close enough to touch it.” He was hoping to kill it with a curse and be done with it. He knew they were entirely outwitted if it came down to fighting with weapons. His arm was already unveiled and he flexed his hand.
He met her eyes again, as he hand stared at the round while he thought. “Let me go first; It takes me a long time to bring something that size down, but if I have it distracted, you can do it.”
The harpy was regaining her feet, searching the room for Julien. Matt cursed the blood in the water for marring its visibility and looked to Alacoque, who was gingerly poking through the water holes for her scythe. Matt frowned and pulled himself together mentally. “Ravik chose to come with me, he chose to fight. He would have been happy with any fate as long as he gave it his all.” He spoke as if to convince himself, and it worked. He got off the ground and went to the harpy, helping her search for Julien. Though they were loathe putting any parts of their body into the water, less there be a hydra head awaiting them, the pair eventually saw the scythe shimmering in a pool that was on the shallower side. Matt looked to Allie.
“I’ll go in, I’d rather you not get your feathers any wetter, just in case.” As he spoke, he stripped himself of weaponry in the hopes that it would dry out without repeated introductions to the water. Alacoque watched him with such a sedate expression; it was hard for him to read her. When he was ready, he lowered his body into the water, sucked in a deep breath and sunk.
Water moved through his bone arm easily, which made it somewhat awkward to swim well. His right side was overpowering the left and his progress was lop-sided. He pushed on as his breath would only last him so long, and within inches of the scythe, he reached for it with his flesh arm. When he came in contact with the thing, however, it repelled him with a zap to his fingers. He recoiled and let out too much air, having to go back to the surface for more.
He popped out of the water long enough to slick back the hair from his face and suck in another lungful of air. He re-submerged, moving entirely on adrenaline. His heart was pounding with fear that the beast would get him whilst he was in the water and definitely out of his element. It occurred to him that he had been naïve earlier, and the scythe was not a thing of this world, but the next. When he reached Julien this time, he grabbed hold of the shaft with his bone hand. While he wouldn’t say it readily accepted him, it could be said that it did not repel him. Smiling beneath the water at his triumph, he hesitated a moment too long and as he propelled upward, he could see something with teeth coming at him in from the darkness of the water.
He shot for the surface, scrambling with Julien in hand to get out. It was hard with the scythe that did not entirely accept him holding it to pull himself out. Instead, he hoped it wouldn’t find its way back into an overgrown puddle and tossed it into the cavern. He was better able to lift himself once free of the weapon, and as his legs were exiting the water, another splash of water occurred behind him. Following the frantically running Matthieu came a dark, wet form which crumpled onto the slick rocks. Ravik clawed at the moist ground to make sure he was entirely free of the water. His face was dark with blood around his muzzle and jowls and he was gasping for air like a new born babe. The Jackal dragged himself towards Matt, who only now realized this was not a threat and stopped trying to escape.
“Ravik! You’re alive! But you’re wounded!” The human crouched over his friend, grabbing hold under his arms to drag him to a more safe position. Alacoque had gone to recover the discarded scythe and only after she was holding it comfortably in both hands did she come to see Ravik’s state.
“It’s not entirely mine,” he indicated his face and rubbed his muzzle on his forearm. “But my leg is wounded, where one of the heads grabbed me.” His calf was indeed almost shredded and Matt had to look away. “I can deal with it myself, Friends. You should be on guard. It’s going to be back.” He leaned against the cavern wall and rummaged through their packs while assessing his damaged limb.
“Right,” Matt left him to his work; he knew the best out of all of them how to fix his own leg. He looked to Alacoque who quietly met his gaze, an almost questioning look on her face. “Well, we need to be his guards. I have an idea. When that thing comes out, we need to get close enough to touch it.” He was hoping to kill it with a curse and be done with it. He knew they were entirely outwitted if it came down to fighting with weapons. His arm was already unveiled and he flexed his hand.
He met her eyes again, as he hand stared at the round while he thought. “Let me go first; It takes me a long time to bring something that size down, but if I have it distracted, you can do it.”
Alacoque stared passively as Mattieu made his way towards the pool where the hydra was last spotted; bubbles rising to the surface of the water in dramatic bursts. If the creature was going to show itself, it was going to be soon. Alacoque heeded to Mattieu's instruction, keeping a good three feet behind him, her talons tightening their grip over Julian's hilt.
"Get ready, it's getting ready to surface!"
Alacoque could feel the muscles in her jaw tighten at the sound of Matt's voice; so exasperated this human was. Would he truly be able to hold his own against a monster that and entire team of reapers had trouble defeating? Alacoque could feel her feathers start to ruffle at the thought of it; her talons clicking against Julian's cold hilt and her florescent eyes contracting into a sneer. This human before her was going to die as soon as the hydra decided to get serious, and by the sound of those bubbles erupting from the water, she knew it was only playing with them.
Picking up one of the discarded weapon, Mattieu gave a quick check over of the gun he had placed down earlier. The outside was slightly wet but it hadn't been submerged in the water so the working gears inside would still function. Clipping the weapon to his hip he readied himself. The water had grown dark and the bubbles had ceased.
"NOW!"
Mattieu's voice was lost in a roar of upturning water and the massive beast reared it's ugly heads out of the depths. Bright orb like eyes gleaming and mouths dripping with toxic streams of saliva as the creature set sight on it's prey. One of it's heads bore a terrible gash, it's left eye completely torn from it's socket. A stream of oozy, jelly-like blood congealed around the wound and seems to glow dimly in the darkness of the cave.
"Ravik must have pulled that one off" Mattieu thought to himself and his hand reached for the gun on his hip. He knew not to shoot for it's heads. If he were to destroy one, the creature would only rip it off to grow two more in it's place, and this particular hydra already had five. If they were going to defeat this beast, it was going to take everything they had.
"Allie, I'm going to stun it." Mattieu spoke as he readied his gun, not glancing back to make sure Allie was listening or not. "I'll run in after I shoot it and you fall in after me, got it?"
The harpy was silent, but Matt waisted no time in awaiting an answer. The creature had already started lunging towards them in a mad serpentine dash that made his blood run cold. With a quick pull of the trigger, Mattieu shot at the creatures chest several times, though the damp gun only allowed two shots before jamming up in his hands. Sparks flew from the weapon, causing Mattieu to drop it to the ground. The second of distraction was just enough time for the hydra to reach out a clawed hand to slash at it's victim before tumbling over itself. Mattieu managed to leap out of the way just in time, with only his foot being struck by the giant paw, sending him head over heals into a shallow puddle.
The water was deep enough to soften his landing, but just shallow enough for his flesh to scrape against the sharp rocks below the water's surface. A wince of pain was all the emotion Matt allowed himself before scrambling to his feet to face Allie.
"ALLIE!! NOW!"
The harpy's expression had hardly changed from the last time Matt had looked at her; cold and unfeeling. Perhaps she was internalizing her emotions, though her expression changed as soon as she hears Matt call out to her. Raising her scythe above her head she set out on a mad rush towards the collapsed hydra. Though, just as she reached striking distance a wracking noise shot though her head, causing her to stop dead in her tracks.
This sound was familiar to both Matt and Allie. Loud and irritating, like white hot static pounding in their eardrums. The sound echoed throughout the cave and reverberated off the walls to creating a maddening hum that grew louder and louder with each moment. All three had to clasp their hands over their ears, and Matt could only imagine how poor Ravik was holding up to the sound.
The hydra arose to it's feet, awoken by the deafening sound, though there was something unnatural about it's movements. The creature's body bent and contorted in violent spasms as a bright blue energy began to emit from the bullet wound in it's chest. Mattieu's eyes widened at the sight. The weapon he used had never caused a wound to do such a thing. What on earth was happening to this thing?
The blue energy grew brighter and brighter, spreading out of the creatures would like vines; wrapping and twisting until there was a tremendous tearing sound and a flash of light. A great unseen force boomed out of the creature's chest and sent all three members off their feet; Alacoque nearly losing her scythe in the process, she managed to catch it with her avian toes in a stroke of pure luck. Crashing to the ground in a heap, Allie managed to catch herself halfway through the fall, while Matt attempted the same thing with far less grace. His boney hand provided uneven traction when it came in contact with the ground, and he once again flipped over himself. At least it wasn't in another puddle this time.
On the other side of the cavern, Ravik was coming to his senses, having forgotten the pain in his leg, there was now a gash on his ear from being thrown back by the shockwave. Blinking at the quickly diminishing light, the dog man strained to focus his eyes on the now disheveled hydra. The burst of light and sound from before had over stimulated his seances, causing his head to spin.
After a moment, Ravik's senses recovered, but only to his own horror. There before them in a whirlwind of blue power, was Aramhan. His magicked arm splitting off into several forks and tendrils that supported him above the stone floor of the cave.
Mattieu's eyes shot open in terror at the sight of Aramhan and a sickening sinking feeling began to weigh in his gut. His heart nearly thumping out of his chest, his eyes nearly missed the shock of purple hair held captive in Aramhan's other arm. It was a girl, though not human in the least, the young girl's eyes were entirely pitch black and on her forehead were two delicate antennae that curled forward, resembling a butterfly's.
"MATTIEU!!" The madman's booming voice sent chills down Matt's spine and caused Ravik's ears to fold back in terror. "I'm impressed you made it this far! So glad my plan to meet up worked out so well"
"What on earth are you talking about!?" Matt could feel his lip curl up in a sneer as he spoke through his teeth. Of course now would be the time his weapons prove useless.
"I'm sure you know damn well what I'm talking about." A twisted grin split the madman's face and he drew closer to both Mattieu and Alacoque, his blue tendrils constricting around the captive reaper in his grasp. "The serpent's Cove was meerly a check point I knew your pretty little crow would have no trouble finding."
Alacoque's eyes widened at Aramhan's statement. "What are you talking about?!"
A shock of blue energy erupted from Aramhan's body as he let out a wicked laugh. "Oh my dear Harpy, did you not realize the situation you were getting yourself into?! The body I left for you to collect was just the first step. Once you made that clumsy commotion I knew I had you in my grasp." His non-magicked hand gestured to his speech and his eyes shined brightly with blue energy. "Finding you here was just a matter of time."
"What is it that you want from us?!" Ravik barked from the other side of the cavern. "We dan't have the orb in out possession! We don't even know where it is!"
"Ah, but I do! And that is where the two of you come into play."
A shriek emitted from Lark's lips and she struggled enough to shove a blue tendril from her throat. "Don't listen to what he says, Allie! He--" Her words were cut off in a choke. The blue tendrils of Aramhan's arm quickly tightened around Lark's slender neck and mouth, making it impossible to speak, or breath for that matter.
"I'm not one to play games! I'll kill her without a second thought if you deny me the orb!!"
Aramhan's eyes were wide when he spoke, energy emitting from his body and circling around him in quick, powerful gusts."
"Without Mattieu, the orb's power is incomplete. And without the harpy, it's power cannot be harnessed properly! The two are linked by the fates; without the other there to counter balance it's power, it is completely unstable."
"Of all things, why would YOU worry about instability?!" Mattieu had managed to scramble to his feet and stand aside Alacoque, glancing back at Ravik from across the cave every few moments. From what he could see, the dog man was slowly aiming one of the larger weapons at Aramhan, though to do this without him noticing would be difficult. Aside from that, he had a hostage; he would have to wait for the perfect moment, it it ever arrived.
"Now, harpy…" Aramhans' blazing blue eyes burned down in Alacoque's direction. "What say you? Join me, and your dear friend here lives to see another day…or…" A sickening, twisted cackle escaped his lips as the tendrils began to push into Lark's flesh like white hot spears. The captive reaper's eyes welled with water, as she was unable to scream in the madman's grasp.
"ENOUGH!" Mattieu's voice broke the tension and caused Aramhan to stop his torturing, leaving Lark a shivering doll in his arms. "THis ends now, Aramhan! We have no intention of helping you! IN ANY WAY! Alacoque will not be any part of your sick plan so leave her out of--"
Mattieu's words were cut off immediately as a blunt object cracked the back of his skull, rendering him completely useless. As his body crumpled to the ground, both Lark and Ravik's eyes widened in terror as the wielder of the weapon came into view.
"ALACOQUE!" Ravik could hardly believe what he was seeing. Standing before the heap of Mattieu's unconscious body was the harpy, Scythe in hand and wings spread in an inky display of violence. A sadistic half smile stained her face and her florescent green eyes shined like orbs; her pupils contracted to mere pin pricks. Lowering the butt of her weapon, the harpy fixed her wide eyes on her fallen friend.
"Don't associate me with my pathetic sister! She may as well be dead to you!" Turning her gaze to face Aramhan, she spoke. "A child such as my sister would prove useless to your aid, Aramhan. What you need is a true reaper; one that doesn't show weakness and remorse." Spining her scythe to rest on her shoulder, blade side up, the harpy made her way towards the blue armed man. Her stride more graceful and confident than ever before, she stopped to stand right before him and gave a feathered bow, outstretching her wings before her like a flowing cape of darkness.
"Allow me to introduce myself, Aramhan. My name is Aceloqua." The harpy stood up straight to look the madman straight in the eyes. "I've heard much about you…your plan to harness the orb's power intrigues me…And for this I wish to join you."
"Get ready, it's getting ready to surface!"
Alacoque could feel the muscles in her jaw tighten at the sound of Matt's voice; so exasperated this human was. Would he truly be able to hold his own against a monster that and entire team of reapers had trouble defeating? Alacoque could feel her feathers start to ruffle at the thought of it; her talons clicking against Julian's cold hilt and her florescent eyes contracting into a sneer. This human before her was going to die as soon as the hydra decided to get serious, and by the sound of those bubbles erupting from the water, she knew it was only playing with them.
Picking up one of the discarded weapon, Mattieu gave a quick check over of the gun he had placed down earlier. The outside was slightly wet but it hadn't been submerged in the water so the working gears inside would still function. Clipping the weapon to his hip he readied himself. The water had grown dark and the bubbles had ceased.
"NOW!"
Mattieu's voice was lost in a roar of upturning water and the massive beast reared it's ugly heads out of the depths. Bright orb like eyes gleaming and mouths dripping with toxic streams of saliva as the creature set sight on it's prey. One of it's heads bore a terrible gash, it's left eye completely torn from it's socket. A stream of oozy, jelly-like blood congealed around the wound and seems to glow dimly in the darkness of the cave.
"Ravik must have pulled that one off" Mattieu thought to himself and his hand reached for the gun on his hip. He knew not to shoot for it's heads. If he were to destroy one, the creature would only rip it off to grow two more in it's place, and this particular hydra already had five. If they were going to defeat this beast, it was going to take everything they had.
"Allie, I'm going to stun it." Mattieu spoke as he readied his gun, not glancing back to make sure Allie was listening or not. "I'll run in after I shoot it and you fall in after me, got it?"
The harpy was silent, but Matt waisted no time in awaiting an answer. The creature had already started lunging towards them in a mad serpentine dash that made his blood run cold. With a quick pull of the trigger, Mattieu shot at the creatures chest several times, though the damp gun only allowed two shots before jamming up in his hands. Sparks flew from the weapon, causing Mattieu to drop it to the ground. The second of distraction was just enough time for the hydra to reach out a clawed hand to slash at it's victim before tumbling over itself. Mattieu managed to leap out of the way just in time, with only his foot being struck by the giant paw, sending him head over heals into a shallow puddle.
The water was deep enough to soften his landing, but just shallow enough for his flesh to scrape against the sharp rocks below the water's surface. A wince of pain was all the emotion Matt allowed himself before scrambling to his feet to face Allie.
"ALLIE!! NOW!"
The harpy's expression had hardly changed from the last time Matt had looked at her; cold and unfeeling. Perhaps she was internalizing her emotions, though her expression changed as soon as she hears Matt call out to her. Raising her scythe above her head she set out on a mad rush towards the collapsed hydra. Though, just as she reached striking distance a wracking noise shot though her head, causing her to stop dead in her tracks.
This sound was familiar to both Matt and Allie. Loud and irritating, like white hot static pounding in their eardrums. The sound echoed throughout the cave and reverberated off the walls to creating a maddening hum that grew louder and louder with each moment. All three had to clasp their hands over their ears, and Matt could only imagine how poor Ravik was holding up to the sound.
The hydra arose to it's feet, awoken by the deafening sound, though there was something unnatural about it's movements. The creature's body bent and contorted in violent spasms as a bright blue energy began to emit from the bullet wound in it's chest. Mattieu's eyes widened at the sight. The weapon he used had never caused a wound to do such a thing. What on earth was happening to this thing?
The blue energy grew brighter and brighter, spreading out of the creatures would like vines; wrapping and twisting until there was a tremendous tearing sound and a flash of light. A great unseen force boomed out of the creature's chest and sent all three members off their feet; Alacoque nearly losing her scythe in the process, she managed to catch it with her avian toes in a stroke of pure luck. Crashing to the ground in a heap, Allie managed to catch herself halfway through the fall, while Matt attempted the same thing with far less grace. His boney hand provided uneven traction when it came in contact with the ground, and he once again flipped over himself. At least it wasn't in another puddle this time.
On the other side of the cavern, Ravik was coming to his senses, having forgotten the pain in his leg, there was now a gash on his ear from being thrown back by the shockwave. Blinking at the quickly diminishing light, the dog man strained to focus his eyes on the now disheveled hydra. The burst of light and sound from before had over stimulated his seances, causing his head to spin.
After a moment, Ravik's senses recovered, but only to his own horror. There before them in a whirlwind of blue power, was Aramhan. His magicked arm splitting off into several forks and tendrils that supported him above the stone floor of the cave.
Mattieu's eyes shot open in terror at the sight of Aramhan and a sickening sinking feeling began to weigh in his gut. His heart nearly thumping out of his chest, his eyes nearly missed the shock of purple hair held captive in Aramhan's other arm. It was a girl, though not human in the least, the young girl's eyes were entirely pitch black and on her forehead were two delicate antennae that curled forward, resembling a butterfly's.
"MATTIEU!!" The madman's booming voice sent chills down Matt's spine and caused Ravik's ears to fold back in terror. "I'm impressed you made it this far! So glad my plan to meet up worked out so well"
"What on earth are you talking about!?" Matt could feel his lip curl up in a sneer as he spoke through his teeth. Of course now would be the time his weapons prove useless.
"I'm sure you know damn well what I'm talking about." A twisted grin split the madman's face and he drew closer to both Mattieu and Alacoque, his blue tendrils constricting around the captive reaper in his grasp. "The serpent's Cove was meerly a check point I knew your pretty little crow would have no trouble finding."
Alacoque's eyes widened at Aramhan's statement. "What are you talking about?!"
A shock of blue energy erupted from Aramhan's body as he let out a wicked laugh. "Oh my dear Harpy, did you not realize the situation you were getting yourself into?! The body I left for you to collect was just the first step. Once you made that clumsy commotion I knew I had you in my grasp." His non-magicked hand gestured to his speech and his eyes shined brightly with blue energy. "Finding you here was just a matter of time."
"What is it that you want from us?!" Ravik barked from the other side of the cavern. "We dan't have the orb in out possession! We don't even know where it is!"
"Ah, but I do! And that is where the two of you come into play."
A shriek emitted from Lark's lips and she struggled enough to shove a blue tendril from her throat. "Don't listen to what he says, Allie! He--" Her words were cut off in a choke. The blue tendrils of Aramhan's arm quickly tightened around Lark's slender neck and mouth, making it impossible to speak, or breath for that matter.
"I'm not one to play games! I'll kill her without a second thought if you deny me the orb!!"
Aramhan's eyes were wide when he spoke, energy emitting from his body and circling around him in quick, powerful gusts."
"Without Mattieu, the orb's power is incomplete. And without the harpy, it's power cannot be harnessed properly! The two are linked by the fates; without the other there to counter balance it's power, it is completely unstable."
"Of all things, why would YOU worry about instability?!" Mattieu had managed to scramble to his feet and stand aside Alacoque, glancing back at Ravik from across the cave every few moments. From what he could see, the dog man was slowly aiming one of the larger weapons at Aramhan, though to do this without him noticing would be difficult. Aside from that, he had a hostage; he would have to wait for the perfect moment, it it ever arrived.
"Now, harpy…" Aramhans' blazing blue eyes burned down in Alacoque's direction. "What say you? Join me, and your dear friend here lives to see another day…or…" A sickening, twisted cackle escaped his lips as the tendrils began to push into Lark's flesh like white hot spears. The captive reaper's eyes welled with water, as she was unable to scream in the madman's grasp.
"ENOUGH!" Mattieu's voice broke the tension and caused Aramhan to stop his torturing, leaving Lark a shivering doll in his arms. "THis ends now, Aramhan! We have no intention of helping you! IN ANY WAY! Alacoque will not be any part of your sick plan so leave her out of--"
Mattieu's words were cut off immediately as a blunt object cracked the back of his skull, rendering him completely useless. As his body crumpled to the ground, both Lark and Ravik's eyes widened in terror as the wielder of the weapon came into view.
"ALACOQUE!" Ravik could hardly believe what he was seeing. Standing before the heap of Mattieu's unconscious body was the harpy, Scythe in hand and wings spread in an inky display of violence. A sadistic half smile stained her face and her florescent green eyes shined like orbs; her pupils contracted to mere pin pricks. Lowering the butt of her weapon, the harpy fixed her wide eyes on her fallen friend.
"Don't associate me with my pathetic sister! She may as well be dead to you!" Turning her gaze to face Aramhan, she spoke. "A child such as my sister would prove useless to your aid, Aramhan. What you need is a true reaper; one that doesn't show weakness and remorse." Spining her scythe to rest on her shoulder, blade side up, the harpy made her way towards the blue armed man. Her stride more graceful and confident than ever before, she stopped to stand right before him and gave a feathered bow, outstretching her wings before her like a flowing cape of darkness.
"Allow me to introduce myself, Aramhan. My name is Aceloqua." The harpy stood up straight to look the madman straight in the eyes. "I've heard much about you…your plan to harness the orb's power intrigues me…And for this I wish to join you."
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