Blackburn's Crossing Chapter 3: A Ball to Die for

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"Don't." Bernard stammers. "Call her back. This is dangerous, and the town needs the guards. The snake is interested in a town beyond the totems. It's not coming here, not now. My friends and I need to handle it. We're capable." His eyes show his pain. "It... was recent. I ran straight here, I lost track of time. There's no body, it swallowed her whole."
 
Arissa barely even notices the words that he was saying as she follows him into the back. Countless worries flooded into her head. Does Jonathan even remember seeing my curse before? Yes... I believe he had said as much before, but that was the old Jonathan who had made the decision to stand by me then. What will he do now?

Arissa nearly walks into Jonathan as he stopped walking, and finally tuned into his last few statements. She pauses briefly before responding to him. "Jonathan... it was awful. Toben is a cunning, scheming, maniacal onecht with no regards for lives or cares of other beings. I nearly lost Bernard and Kallisto time after time, unable to do anything as I watched them suffer. All of my efforts, all of our efforts were in vain in the end. Tumbledown was destroyed... its people slaughtered or made into varken like Toben... And there was nothing I could do about it. On top of it all... Zindan's death..." Arissa begins to tear up, but wipes at her face and regains her composure. "So I did something absoluut dwaas. I returned to Legba this morning and bargained with him for the strength to protect those I care for... and now..." Arissa's words fail her as she finds herself unable to describe her current predicament. She closes her eyes and slowly reaches up to draw back her hood, before finally opening them to meet Jonathan's. She didn't have the strength to argue or resist if he fled or turned on her, having resigned herself to whatever judgement he would pass down.
 
Einhorn Smithy:

Jonathan stared back at the Arissa's black eyes not saying anything for a while. His face looked grim and after a moment he grinned. "I think you're a little early for the hollows Eve festival," said Jonathan before switching back to a more serious tone. "Every deal leaves its mark, I think I found my own. No matter where I go my feet are never clean, not bad all things considered I guess."

He doesn't seem to avoid your eyes at all though he does seem to avoid having you go to deep into the Toben story since it seems to be adding to Arissa's stress. "So I'm guessing Legba gave you some of the power you asked for.... have you at least tested it out yet? Might take your mind off other subjects. I could spare with you a bit to see if he was straight on his deal this time."
 
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Marsh House:

Merris waves a hand off in the direction she had nodded before turning back to Bernard. "I'm sorry Bernard, I wish I had known you were going to go into the swamp, I could have had.... someone go along with you," she said looking briefly at Emelia who kneeled down to Bernard's level and was making sure he didn't have any injuries. "Peri and a boy named Yelcan are somewhere around here.... lost track of them when I got to talking with Emilia about the flowers for the ball."

"Remember you can always ask the church for help, part of our duty is to serve the Grand Scheme," said Emilia standing up now assured that he wasn't in any mortal danger. "I will pray for the soul we lost today...." Emilia's voice fades towards the end as painful memories are brought back to the surface. "Excuse me for a moment."
 
Arissa felt as if another hefty load had been lifted from her shoulders and briefly smiles at Jonathan as he kept to his usual tricks. No matter the situation, his spirit really is unyielding. Arissa pauses, her thoughts of her newfound power having completely left her mind after realizing what the deal had cost her. She glanced down at her side to the sword she had not even realized she’d brought with her, and felt an odd connection to it. She rested a hand on the blade, feeling the restless energy vibrating within it. She then wiped at her face again before turning to look at Jonathan. ”I... I suppose it might help to know that I have not thrown away my life for nothing at all... are you certain that you will be alright? Legba is a dangerous man... I fear what might happen to you if I use these new powers.” Despite her protests, to the contrary, Jonathan had made her realize something: she really wanted to hit something.
 
Yelcan beamed as she took the bouquet, thrilled that she liked it. His smile only grew as he heard that she was doing better, and he put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed in a brief hug. "That's great to hear! I'm glad you're feeling better. Oh, how am I doing? I'm doing just great, thank you for asking. You don't need to thank me though, it was nothing at all, honestly. I'm just glad that you're feeling better." As Merris wanders away while they begin to talk, Yelcan's pulse quickens slightly. He notices a small potted plant, and he points it out to Peri. "Hey Peri, what kind of plant is that?" As she turns to look at the plant, he pulls the cat tail plant out from behind his back, and swings at Peri's shoulder. As it hits, its spews pollen into her already thorny hair, and he turns to run out the front door. He is now giggling uncontrollably, and as he gets out the front door and heads to what seems to be the overgrown area Peri had mentioned before, he looks back to see if Peri is chasing him.
 
"I don't think anyone could have helped, and I'd hate for anyone to be in unnecessary danger. More importantly, as much as you want to protect me, it's important that you trust me to take care of myself..." And those under my charge. Bernard frowned, knowing he'd failed today to protect Ialay. He thanked Emilia for her aid and nodded as she left.

"I should go. There are things that need my attention. I just needed to set things right, but this isn't one sided. You need to learn to trust me. I'll... See you for dinner?" He paused for Merris to respond. I should check on Peri, but I still need to find out about Jeremiah's deal and help Arissa... Peri's surrounded by love and friends.
 
Einhorn Smithy:

"Nonsense it will be fine," says Jonathan as he heads out the back door grabbing a rapier and taking her for the first time to the training grounds they kept behind the Smithy. Dumbies were set up, as well as a fenced in circle. "Annabelle does a good enough job of beating me so don't worry about holding back for my sake. My pride there is already gone."

Jonathan opens up the gate and steps into the circle testing the weight of the Rapier for a moment with a few jabs and thrusts before frowning for a moment. Shaking his head he takes a stance. "Just try not to kill me if you decide to use any magic alright? Heard through the grape vine that they saw you kill someone with words, I'd rather not die of embarrassment. It'd be horrible on a tombstone."
 
Marsh House:

She smiles a bit at learning to trust Bernard. "I don't think you understand, I trust you to keep yourself out of trouble, I just don't trust you to ask for help. Maybe I worry too much but men of this town have a long history of not asking for help when they need it, even your father sometimes had Lina following him, and it saved his life on more than one occasion," she said waving to Bernard. "Good luck son, no matter what happens you always have a place back here. See you and hopefully Peri and her potential boyfriend at dinner."
 
Bernard nodded, "I've asked for help. I'm not going to make the mistakes of the past. No more secrets, no more deals, just doing what's right no matter how hard. We'll have to talk about Isaiah some time. Oh, and Yelcan means well but his loyalty seems fleeting."

He turns and walks out the door waving back to Merris and heading off toward the church for the second time today. I'll have to check Jeremiah's things. I need answers. I should tell Kallisto about Ialay it she's still there.
 
Arissa walks into the room and looks around in curiosity. “This is quite the arrangement you have in here. Do you and Annabelle spar often?” Then, as Jonathan mentions the man by the docks, Arissa felt a pang if guilt as she once again remembered the sound of his skull cracking against stone. “That’s not funny, Jonathan. Disgusting pirate he might have been, he was still a person, and I had no right to take his life like that... I’m sorry, I do not mean to lecture, but that is a sore subject for me.” Pushing those thoughts from her mind, Arissa draws the large sword beside her, and hefts it in both hands, the weight clearly already beginning to wear on her. Did the bargain even work?

Arissa closed her eyes briefly, focusing on the blade with of her concentration, until suddenly she heard a cackle drift into her mind. So, lass... ya think ya’ve got control over me just ‘cause some skull faced bastard says so, eh? Guess we’ll just have ta see how that goes for ya, ey? Though the odd presence was unnerving, it seemed to fill her with strength, and she could already feel the weight of the sword drop until it felt as if she were holding a butter knife. You have cost me a great deal, spirit of the blade. Disappoint me, and there will be grave consequences. Arissa suddenly feels knowledge flood into her mind, and finds herself taking a foreign, yet somehow familiar stance with her blade. “I am ready whenever you are.”
 
Einhorn Training Grounds:

He frowns for a second. "Sorry, used to talking with a lot of Sailors, they are usually ready in case of pirates to kill or be killed. I forget sometimes there are proper people in the world that aren't as bloodthirsty as half the visitors in our town," he says a bit apologetically. "As for Annabelle and me, yeah we set it up around the time she came back so Thomas could see how much she had learned. I thought it was going to be a little bit of dancing around and making her look good but no, whoever taught her I have respect for.... a begrudging one because they've given me all these bruises."

When Arissa signals that she is ready, Jonathan nods. He waits for her to make the first move, knowing opponents usually didn't have as much patience, his experience works out in his favor to begin with as Arissa suddenly comes forward. Her blow goes wide, as Jonathan easily side steps and goes for a counter attack. Arissa hand gestures to her side but Jonathan puts a blunt blow to Arissa's side despite the magical shield that forms and then shatters from his blow. As he moves to position for a follow up attack he feels a numbness up his arm and he misses the follow up. Gritting his teeth as Arissa comes forward some sort of magical blow of lightning he barely parries back stepping worried at how much that might have hurt.

Testing a few thrusts and testing Arissa's reaction speed he finds it odd that she slaps it aside now having lost all form of stance, almost as if she was strutting around. Well if she was going to leave herself open he was going to capitalize. He feints forward withdrawing his blade back quickly as the blade passes to the side in an attempt to parry. Jonathan's footwork brings him forward slamming a shoulder into Arissa trying to throw her off balance as she stumbles backwards he manages just a scratch along her arm. He notices he's already starting to breathe heavy but he had gotten a good look at her skills and it was much better than he had originally expected if he was being truthful to himself.

"That's probably a good test of your skills, maybe we shou--" he starts but Arissa is back on him within a moment with a rapid flurry of strikes seemingly relying on ferocious speed, and unexpected angles. Jonathan remains calm watching Arissa's movements for signs, and he blocks two before the third One slips through and despite jumping back he takes a slice to the side, drawing actual blood.

"Is that all? All that technique but none of the strength to make use of it!" says Arissa as she comes forward. Jonathan twisted parrying the blade to the side and tried to attack and then a follow up blow. He attempted to take the opening but Arissa grabs his wrist moving in close to him in an almost embrace and head butts Jonathan in the face.

"Alright that's enough for today, You win this round," says Jonathan grabbing his nose to staunch the bleeding. Arissa however doesn't relent, and he curses as she comes forward at him yet again. He focus's on defend. He should be able to out last her. Dancing around the arena he blocks, parries, and dodges keeping out of her reach as much as possible only throwing carefully aimed blade strikes to keep her at bay. 'Why am I so, so tired....'

"Pathetic, for the son of a blacksmith I expected more," says Arissa as she comes forward with a two handed over head slash. 'This is it, dodge and I'll have her.' He thinks as he dodges back, and then with the hilt of his rapier he comes forward to punch Arissa's temple to snap her out of it her frenzy. "Enough!" he bellows but instead of landing his hilt smack he is met with mud in the face as Arissa threw mud perfectly into his face. Jonathan reels back for a moment but he see's the follow up blade coming at him and lifts his arm to block the diagonal slash but something is wrong. His arm doesn't response like it should, almost no strength behind it, he blocks, and Arissa cuts straight into his blade.... and then through his leather and his chest. Blood begins to pool on the ground around him. 'What.... is wrong... with me...?'
 
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Peri glance to the herbs hanging on the wall her mouth opened to say the name until she is accosted with a cat tail. Speaking loudly and jumped startled her eyes dart to Yelcan and she laughs seeing the puff of yellow dust on her shoulder.

When he bolts out the door she sets his bouquet down on the table grabbing a cat tail for herself and gives chase out the door into the yard. “Come back here you!” She calls to him her cat tail wiggling wildly as she runs after him. “I’ll get you for that!” She threatens playfully as she attempts a swing at him.
 
The two of them spar with their cattails for a while, laughing the whole time, until the pollen has long disappeared for the stem. They reach the edge of the overgrown section of land and Yelcan drops his cat tail stalk, calling out with a laugh “Ok truce! Truce!” Once she agrees to stop, he gestures to the thorns and bushes, asking “So you managed to make all this grow...just by asking it to?” As he asked this, he began to amble around the edge, walking away from the house. After a couple steps, he worked up his courage and, although extremely nervous about how she would respond, he held out his hand for her to grab if she wished.
 
Ludwig blankly stares in front of him as he's walking, consumed by his thoughts. When Léone speaks up, his focus returns to him.

"My expertise? Obviously it's medicine, only a different path of study than my peers. While they work on battling diseases and ailments, I work on actively preventing them from ever happening! The way I do that is by enhancing the body so that diseases don't get the chance to spread through." He grabs his notebook and hastily flips through the pages, as he finds the correct one he shows it to Léone.

"For example, take this formula for body enhancement. It's effect lasts for about an hour, nothing permanent. But it allows the body to carry double the amount of weight it could before by temporarily increasing muscle mass and blood flow. A more permanent solution is also possible, but that's where the line gets.. blurred for most people." Ludwig flips a few pages ahead, showing a short but detailed drawing of how to remove and reattach muscle tissue. "For this procedure you'd replace muscle tissue from the subject body and place it into the recipients, reattaching it carefully. Once it heals nicely, the recipient will be able to experience enhanced dexterity or power in the part that had been replaced, like an arm or leg."

His chuckling slowly turning into a more stern mood. "These kinds of solutions are generally not approved by the public, they say that I'm playing as God." He shakes his head in disagreement. "I find that ridiculous. I'm not creating life, I'm improving it. God has left us as faulty creatures, fated to evolve and adapt by ourselves. I'm just speeding up the process."

Nodding in agreement as Léone talks about acceptance. "People who can't grasp an idea are fated to make their own view on it, unfortunately that's usually incorrect. I don't assume the Blackburns work with black magic and neither do I. Though my latest project might be hard to prove that it isn't.."

He looks around him, looking for bystanders and whispers towards Léone. "I might have found a way to bring the dead back to the land of the living."
 
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Arissa slowly returns to her senses, feeling lethargic and aching all over as she does so. What happened? I remember missing my first strike, and then sudden pain, and then... Arissa pauses as she remembered a flash of a memory.

There was a dark black room with nothing but a stool and a little girl sitting on it. She knew there was a presence outside the door, but the sounds were muffled and distorted. Was that... Jonathan? The girl stood up and banged on the door. “Jonathan! Help!” The room seemed to shake and rumble, tossing the girl around until finally it came to a stop. Without wasting a moment, she pulled with all her light on the doorknob until finally, it clicked open, flooding the room with light.

Arissa’s eyes flicked open, her vision fuzzy and faded as she looked down on herself, realizing that she was lying on the ground. There were thick welts on exposed parts of her arm from where Jonathan had struck her, and the dress that she was wearing was ripped and torn in a few places. She then felt the cold grip of her sword in hand, and slowly turned her head to see it buried into Jonathan’s chest. “Jonathan!” Arissa immediately forgot her pain and scrambled over to him, barely holding back panic and overwhelming despair from taking over. She knew that if she didn’t help him, he would likely die. Taking a moment to take stock of the wound, she knew it was bad, but not irreparable so long as her celestial magic would not fail her. No... it cannot. I will not allow him to die at my hand!

She stood up and tightly took the sword in both hands, bracing a foot against his shoulder as she began to pull. It came out with a sickening shink and she tossed the blade aside as she immediately dropped to her knees, pressing both hands against the wound and praying with every fiber of her being that her powers were still with her. For a moment, nothing happened, and Arissa felt the despair begin to take over again, but then the familiar comforting crimson glow began to flow from her, mending the most grievous parts of Jonathan’s wound. She saw his breath return to him, and cradled him in her arms, crying tears of relief that she had not killed one of the few people she trusted in the world.
 
Peri breathing heavy laughs and halts her attacks dropping her thoroughly ravage cattail to the ground. When he pointed to overgrowth she blushed. “Papa had taught me the meditation, ‘Vitality peace rejuvenation’ this is the first time it has ever summoned action.”

As he reached out to her offering a hand she took it without hesitation hopping over a small shrub to walk beside him. They were nearing the edge of her influence. “I felt all my anxieties leave and the embrace of serenity bring me calm. The old gods turned my energies into life and beauty.”

Then she giggles looking out over the area she had claimed. “I may need to learn a new way to meditate, if those words invoke plan growth. Else people might grow a little cross.” Giving him a bright sheepish smile she pulled him forward fingers lightly laced with his the comfort of another easing her further.

“Would you like to go visit the baker?” Her mind funnily twisting in a new direction. “I could devour a raspberry cream pastry.” Blushing she realized she was being a bit selfish. “Unless you have something else you have to do, James is throwing a ball in a few days, has he given you any tasks, I can help” Peri says this excitedly not quite ready to lose his presence, and willing to aid if she can.
 
Bernard continued back to the chapel, entering through the main door where he found Kallisto sitting in a pew. Taking a seat next to her he leaned in to whisper, "I am very sorry, Ialay has died. The Great Serpent consumed her. There was nothing I could do. We must kill this thing, but we need to know more about it. It tried to calm us, before it paralyzed Ialay and swallowed her whole. It has the head of a man and the body of a snake and it speaks the old language. I do not know any more, but we should find the village to the South, they may have more information there. Though with the snake around it is quite dangerous to pass through there, and on this side of the totems no less."

Bernard sat next to Kallisto in silence, allowing her time to process and respond.
 
Still watching acolytes go back and forth in their work, Kallisto didn't react at first when Bernard sat next to her. Her eyes half closed, when he spoke of Ialay's fate, she closed her eyes, still feeling the energy from before.

Continuing to listen, as Bernard described the serpent she felt the hairs raise on her neck and arms, imagining what it must have looked like ... and what it had done. When he finished, she opened her eyes again, leaning back in the pew, her fingers playing with her beads as she thought.

"... If you did not even get past the totems, then the snake is a danger to Blackburn's Crossing as well. Once it finishes the tribe ... it would probably bring its attention here, and there are no longer any Guardians to help defend." She rubbed her eyes, "I ... almost wonder if ... I know you are not keen on Legba, but if he protects the tribe, he may be another way to gain information on this serpent. Maybe ..." she crossed her arms as she looked away, "Maybe as one of his 'people', he'd be more ... willing to help me?"

Placing her hands over her face she slid down the pew a little, her feet stretched underneath the seat ahead, giving a long sigh. "I don't know what to do ... I want to help, I want to remove this threat -- not because some tribe wants me to. I ... if anything I've placed myself more firmly on the -- the line between if I'm a villager here or some tribe member in the swamp!" She let her arms fall down to her side, "Even if my looks changed, I'd still be different than the people here, and even if I went to join the tribe, I'd be like a child -- unaware of how things are done and in the way."

Kallisto took a long breath before releasing it. "I ... still want to bring this up to the others, at least the threat of the serpent. I would not force any to risk their lives if they're not willing. Toben was a different matter -- one man playing at being many, but this ... this sounds like a god wandering the swamps." Picking at her beads, "I may ... have to tell the others what I actually am ... I worry they'll feel as if I suddenly am only that, and not who I've been this whole time."
 
Bernard puts a hand on Kallisto's shoulder, "Kallisto, you are nothing more or less than you were when you woke up this morning. You may know more, have a better understanding, but you're still you. You should tell the others what you have learned so they might understand you better, but make no mistake you are still Kallisto and we are still your friends. Even Arissa, once she sorts out her troubles." He removes his hand worried about making her uncomfortable and feeling that the next bit required less support.

He continued, "The snake is not a god, it is something more natural, more killable, though perhaps ancient. It will not be an easy fight and perhaps Legba can give you the knowledge that you seek. If you plan to seek him out, please allow me to accompany you, it is dangerous to go alone."
 
Kallisto gave Bernard a sideways glance, leaning away from him a little bit. "You'd ... you're not going to tell me to stay away from him? What about our conversation before, where you warned me away from him? Claiming he was a fiend, not to be trusted."
 

"If I told you not to, would you listen? I saw the thing and it terrified me. I've never met something I can't kill. The shadowman is a fiend and I do not trust him, but that is my view as a man of the cloth." He frowns, "Desperate times, Kallisto. Arissa has travelled a dark path and it is my responsibility to do anything I can to save her from the darkness. If you'll have the company, I'll join you."

Bernard stands, looking over the room with a smile. "Think on it, if you wish the company, let me know. If not, at least say goodbye."
 
Kallisto's eyes lock onto Bernard's as she responds: "If you had said not to, I would have listened. I see no reason for deception, and as a 'man of the cloth', I would expect you to know what you speak of." Leaning forward she rested her arms on the pew infront of her again, "... you and Arissa are very similar. She decided it was her task to 'save' me, and now it's your task to 'save' her. Do you not consider that you're both merely building a chain of people who throw themselves on a fire trying to protect another from the embers?"

She watched him stand, switching back from Sylvan as well, "I doubt I would go without at least one other with me. There are still other things to be done ... let me know when you are free." Stretching, Kallisto also rose, a hand on Sulrac, enjoying the chill. She bowed her head towards Bernard before leaving the church, intending to return to her original plan of finding Marcus in town.
 
Einhorn Training Grounds:

Jonathan slowly regains consciousness with a sever pain in his chest. He takes a moment to get his surroundings. "Arissa?" he asks obviously confused and he pinches himself. "Guess I'm not dreaming, so you definitely won."

He looks down at his chest that has been sealed up but there is still a large wound there. "Guess we'll be needing a trip to the Church of Ezra," said Jonathan as he slowly starts to stand but he falls into the wooden fence. "Don't suppose... I could lean on you for awhile."

Despite his near death experience he seems to be as chipper as usual.
 
It's not the same. I do not aim to make a deal but to pay her debt. I will free her from her prison and she will find happiness. Bernard moves to the strange elf, noting his intricate amulet with a rising sun. He had heard of this religion before but they rarely came this far North.

"Greetings friend, I am Father Bernard. I hope you find our chapel accommodating. It is very rare that we have worshipers of anyone other than Ezra here. Do you mind if I ask what brings you to The Crossing?" Bernard puts on a warm smile and takes a seat, leaning his maul against the pew and looking between the elf and the statues of Ezra.
 
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