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Completed Chapter V: Out of Sight

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Dina Ailsa Tenárus

Lost Child of Asgard

​



Dina finally managed to reach their voices and she was happy for a split second before she felt surprize and hurt at the responses she got. Please, no! Don't leave me alone with this. Please! she sings them back, her desperation carrying through. Dina thought of all the times she found peace, quiet and comfort in the woods. The wonderful nurturing nature she grew up to love and cherish. All her respect for the healing herbs she used. To be rejected like this hurt like a pulsating wound.


Please help me! I must get out of this water! Please, I don't know how to swim... I need help, anything!


I don't want you harm.


I don't want this taint in me.


You must know some way to rid me of it.


If in her nights of dealing with the fact that she had this filth in her she considered trying to use the power for good she was slapped awake now. Something that could drive her away from her roots was fundamentally wrong and she wanted nothing from it. No matter how powerful. This is how you stay true to yourself. There were tears threating to roll out of her eyes. It hurt so much. All the girl could do, tho, was to fight every distraction and keep her focus so she wouldn't lose the contact. She finally had it... She must. Not. Lose it.
 
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Maggie sighs as Violet and the golem, between them, put an end to Arianis. It is a sigh of mixed emotions - relief, that the battle is over; satisfaction, that the mage can no longer harm anyone; sadness, both for the lost villagers and soldiers and for Arianis herself, now beyond redemption. She walks to Captain Andres and lays her hand on his shoulder for a moment. "Indeed, Captain, I know that He will." While the others talk, the priestess goes to each of the fallen and gives them a personal blessing to ease their soul's transition, starting with the soldiers, then to the villagers, and if there is time, to Arianis herself.
 
Meric, A'kal, Violet, Valtieri, Laurolf, Battojutsu, Maggie

Once ready, the Chosen and their companions set out on their own; Meric, A'kal, Violet, Valtieri, Laurolf, Battojutsu and Maggie leave the City Watch and their captain to their task of securing the Outskirts, and themselves venture deeper into the forest southwest of Dunn.


But beyond the treeline the white mist not only stops clearing up the way it had been in the village, but actually seems to be getting thicker again. Progress is slow as the seven companions strive to find their bearing and not lose one another in the fog. Before long they fail in the latter. In one moment they discovered suspicious tracks that Meric insisted they follow; in another Laurolf was complaining about not seeing a thing and in the next no one could see anything except themselves anymore.

Maggie

finds herself suddenly alone and very aware of the cold, damp air. Visibility is near zero. Just a minute ago she was looking at A'kal march a mere few steps ahead of her and could hear Laurolf's grunts from behind. Now, both of them seemed to have disappeared. All the priestess sees is thick, impenetrable fog all around her and all she hears is absolute silence next to her own footsteps.



Valtieri

finds himself suddenly alone and very aware of the cold, damp air. Visibility is near zero. Moments ago he was walking beside Battojutsu with the Undead construct trailing them at the rear of the column. Now, nothing remains of either of them. It is as if they vanished in thin air while the necromancer took a downward glance at the faint outline of the ground beneath his boots.

Meanwhile, Sanya Sarkov arrives at the village square in disbelief at all the charred corpses and Undead shambles. Fortunately there is no shortage of patrolling guards to fill him in on what happened earlier.


Dina

In vigilance, blindness! A new voice said, somewhat deeper, more determined and sounding to Dina like a hemlock tree, even though up until then she had no idea what a hemlock tree sounds like. The knowledge simply clicked in her mind.


Can you feel only with thorns? You sing to the Singer. She is the Only One.


Another barrage of tiny voices follows, albeit this one much more shy and restrained. The thoughts are of concern and fear, edged with mistrust. But Hemlock drives his point nonetheless.


She needs soothing, not this faraway singing. Feel her. It is still Singer.


Dina feels the tentacles and wisps of thought creep closer for contact once again, touching the tendrils of her own mind. Though they shiver with uncertainty they do not recoil this time. Some even do the opposite; in her deep meditation the girl feels like a tree in a void of emptiness, with a few foreign vines gently wrapping themselves around the ends of her roots. This union, although temporary, gives her comfort.


Singer.


Water dark, but roots strong.


Song is true.


Henvei

At long last, Ricard musters the courage and walks away from Henvei in the opposite direction. It takes him more than a few steps to finally shed light on the corner where two stone walls met.


"Henvei, look!" the young Folk exclaims, audibly glad to have defined at least one part of their unknown surroundings.
 



Maggie slows and soon stops as she realizes she is all alone in the fog. She can't help but call out, "Laurolf? A'kal? Anyone?" She turns in place, trying to determine if the mist is at all clearer in any direction, but sees nothing. Kneeling down, she tries to look under the fog, hoping to see footprints other than her own. Lacking any other guidance, knowing that her Light miracle will be of limited use*, she starts creeping back along her own footprints to regain the point at which she was separated from the others.


*Or so I assume, from trying to drive in thick fog. Headlights there are mainly used to let other drivers know where my car is!
 
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Henvei v. R. Daltzen

Master of Cards
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Henvei saunters over to the corner, rather pleased. The thought of stumbling around like two fools, lost in the darkness, had not been acceptable. "Progress!" He places a hand upon the wall, inspecting its cold surface.


"Where there is walls, of course, there must be a door," he murmurs, sliding his hand along the wall as he walks away from the corner. "Take the other wall, yes? We will find this door, or at least something as interesting."
 


Vittorio Valtieri

​



The Gentleman Necromancer

A Necromancer responds in two ways to the fact of his own mortality. Either with violent and unholy ambition to live forever, perverting his soul and his body in an effort to defy the will of creation, or with quiet resignation that now his work is ended.


Valtieri feels neither of these things; only the cold grip of fear. His work is not yet done.


He reaches out with his magical awareness first, to seek his baleful guardian and thus get his bearings.
 

Dina Ailsa Tenárus

Lost Child of Asgard

​



Dina's breathing slows down as she feels the support of the plants. She is filled with courage and trust in this bond. The world indeed seams a less dark place when you have something you can hold on to for support and guidance. After a few moments Dina revisits her initial questions. Is there a way to clear the waters? What do you know about this taint? she asks hopefully.
 
Maggie

Neither Laurolf nor Akal answer Maggie's calls, nor anyone else for that matter. In the white mist pressing her from all sides, she might as well be all alone in the world. I have always been alone - she hears a thought pop into her head. A thought belonging to her, and yet not something of her own thinking. Or was it?


Her Light miracle is born bright into existance, but does nothing against the fog. The murky ground reveals only her own footsteps, as if no one ever passed this way except her. As she backtracks she catches herself thinking: Who am I looking for? There is no one else here. I'm all alone.


Valtieri

It is easy enough to detect which way the golem lies for the fog proves no obstacle for Valtieri's abilities. So easy, in fact, that it gets him thinking: On second thought, what do I have to be afraid of? It is the world that should fear me. It is an odd and unusual thought, but one that somehow makes sense.


Calgori

The stone wall is cold and cracked, with large chips missing at intervals. Soon enough Henvei finds it end in a gap and then continue on the other side. The gap is a doorway but without a door. Beyond is a comfortably wide hallway that disappears into blackness. Minor stone rubble litters the tiled ground.


At the same time Ricard makes an identical discovery on his end of things. Finding two torches on each side of his doorway, he lights them both up and takes one with him. He then walks over to Henvei just as his wisp of fire expires. "Save your energy." he says, offering one lit torch to him. "Two passages, and if the room is central there might be two more in the other directions. What do you think?"


Dina

"You drink from the tainted spring." Hemlock says. "From the unsingable one, from which once flowed life and green but no longer."


Random other voices couldn't help but interrupt.


"Not green!"


"Harmful."


"It sings to us no more."


Hemlock continued: "Water flows and flows. It is not water that needs cleansing. It is spring. But we cannot cleanse it. Mother tried, but failed. Corruption too deep. Too strong."


Dina can feel the fear in all the plants present for the conversation. This subject seems to be something very close and dark for them.
 
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Henvei v. R. Daltzen

Master of Cards
​



"No reason to hurry just yet, and I would find it unwise to split up." Henvei accepts the torch with a nod, and points it down his corridor. "Let us try this one, and see where it leads. The connecting room might give us some insight into the nature of this place." He begins down the corridor, gesturing to his companion with the torch. "Unless you would prefer to remain here, of course."
 



There is no one else here...I am all alone. Maggie sinks to the ground, sitting with her knees drawn up against her chest. There's no one here but her. Why keep looking? She starts to wrap her arms around her knees, but her hand, glowing with light, is too bright to hold that close to her face. She starts to let the light fade, and then stares intently at it. "No," she says out loud. "I am not alone, for the Maker is with me. My companions may be lost - I may be lost - but I am never alone!" She shifts position until she is kneeling rather than sitting, and holds her hands above her head. "Maker, guide your priestess. I have lost my way and my companions, and fear for the city if we do not succeed in our quest. Help us, help me, to find each other and the path that will lead to the city's freedom."
 

Dina Ailsa Tenárus

Lost Child of Asgard

​



Dina felt her hope fading and fear taking it's place. If even the forces of nature itself couldn't clear the taint what could she do? Maybe she didn't aske the right question yet. How can I pull away? she asks hoping it was not a dead end, again.

​
 
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Maggie

If Maggie expected her Maker to part the fog and pierce the clouds with sunlight in response, she was disappointed.


Sooner rather than later, every priest and priestess in service to the Maker encounters the great contradiction of Creationism: Their deity never answers prayers, not even to the highest and most loyal of his servants, never confirms his existence in any way, and yet at the same time they are able to call upon Miracles freely, which never seem to fail. In fact it is exactly this property of Miracles that proves they are something other than magic; even effects that silence magic, regardless of their power, are ineffective against Miracles. So surely they must come from the Maker himself, but why has he never spoken or shown himself to his creations...? It remains unknown to this day.


Maggie has thought of this before, but it was perhaps moments like these, when her need was most dire, that the reminders tasted the most bitter. Then suddenly, her prayer is interrupted by a noise of someone sobbing weakly behind her. However looking back would reveal nothing but fog though the sound is definitely coming from that direction.


Dina

The emotions of fear and uncertainty are prevalent in the face of this question as well.


"Forgive, Singer. We do not possess the ability to cleanse this taint. If we did, Gaean would have cleansed Tellurn and the earth would be at peace. Instead, you now drink of his withering waters and the taint will grow inside you until..." Hemlock's voice fades for a few moments, and just when the girl might have nudged him he finishes: "Until you are all dark and no green. I am deeply sorry, Singer. But we have seen many of Mother's children wither thus; there is no cure with which we could stop this."


All Dina feels from Hemlock now is sorrow, deep and genuine. He seems to believe firmly what he is saying.


Henvei

Ricard's readiness indicates that he would not relish staying behind. The two Folk thus advance together through the darkness that obediently parts in the wake of their torches. The hallway is not too long. At its end seems to be another large room with walls and ceiling out of sight. Ricard finds another torch on his side of the wall and uses his own to light this one as well. "The more we see, the better, I think."


Then, suddenly, something moves just beyond the scope of light on the left. "There!" Ricard exclaims. "Something moved, but it was too fast to even vaguely make it out. Henvei..."


If Henvei happened to be looking the other way that was fine, because the same thing happened on the right a moment later. He could make out a shape stirring in the darkness but it was gone as abruptly as it had appeared.


"We are not alone here... What is it?"
 

Dina Ailsa Tenárus

Lost Child of Asgard

​



Dina feels her heart sink into her heels and her hope wane. Even they don't know how to undo this... The girl feels desperation catching up to her, but before it does she reaches for Hemlock as if to hold and comfort it as much as herself. I will find a way. Dina whispered with her thoughts.
 
"Dina?"


She hears a familiar voice but it's not one of the voices of Nature; this one is far more... ordinary... and it also seems to be coming from literally behind her... Yup, it's her ghostly friend. The girl feels herself losing the contact and not only because of him. She did maintain it for far longer than ever before. That's something to be proud of at least. The plants notice this and bid her goodbye as she slips away.


"Are you alright? What's wrong?" the young man asks, noticing her fallen expression.
 

Dina Ailsa Tenárus

Lost Child of Asgard

​



Dina smiles slightly at him. A smile that was not a smile at all but a tired motion of lips. "Am I to give up? Is there anything you found out about the taint that could help me get rid of it?" She asked not daring to hope.
 
The look on Ghosty's face is dead serious this time. "You've spoken with your plants, I take it. Just now. What have they told you?"
 

Vittorio Valtieri

The Gentleman Necromancer

​



Valtieri shakes his head, as if to clear it, and begins moving carefully, staff outstretched, towards his hideous guardian.


If I wanted to rule, I'd've stayed at home. Signed up with herself. If I wanted to be feared, I'd be rotting in a catacomb somewhere, counting my zombies. You have underestimated me, whoever you are.


And defiantly, Valtieri begins to sing.


"Confetti floats away,


Like dead leaves in the wagon's wake;


There were parties here, in my honour


'Til you sent me away and now


Silver moons belong to you..."


​
 



[QUOTE="Wolf Rawrrr]If Maggie expected her Maker to part the fog and pierce the clouds with sunlight in response, she was disappointed.
Sooner rather than later, every priest and priestess in service to the Maker encounters the great contradiction of Creationism: Their deity never answers prayers, not even to the highest and most loyal of his servants, never confirms his existence in any way, and yet at the same time they are able to call upon Miracles freely, which never seem to fail. In fact it is exactly this property of Miracles that proves they are something other than magic; even effects that silence magic, regardless of their power, are ineffective against Miracles. So surely they must come from the Maker himself, but why has he never spoken or shown himself to his creations...? It remains unknown to this day.


Maggie has thought of this before, but it was perhaps moments like these, when her need was most dire, that the reminders tasted the most bitter. Then suddenly, her prayer is interrupted by a noise of someone sobbing weakly behind her. However looking back would reveal nothing but fog though the sound is definitely coming from that direction.

[/QUOTE]
Maggie feels rather like crying herself, both from the unsurprisingly unanswered prayer, and from her own disappointment (why should she be any more favored than all the rest of the Maker's servants?). However, the sound of someone outside herself calls her from her own situation, all the more so because it is someone obviously in need. She gets to her feet and brushes off her robes. "Hello?" she calls out in the direction of the sobbing. "I'm coming, don't be afraid." Suiting words to action, the priestess sets a friendly expression on her face and starts walking towards the unknown person.
 
Valtieri

The necromancer waltzes off through the fog that almost seems to be trying to thicken more, only it couldn't possibly get any thicker. Either way it does nothing to stop him and within a short minute a large shape comes out of it - so suddenly that Valtieri nearly collides with his guardian. The golem stands at attention, likely at the same spot where it had lost its guardian.


Then he notices something. A body seems to be lying at the golem's feet, face down to the ground. The figure is not moving, and appears to be wearing a white traveler's outfit much like the one Valtieri wears himself. That must be why he almost didn't notice it down there.


Maggie

It is only a short minute through the white mist and suddenly the shape of a kneeling person emerges, facing backwards to the priestess. The two are only several feet apart, which is also about the maximum visibility possible under the circumstances. One thing is certain: This is definitely the person that Maggie was looking for. It appears to be a woman, judging by the sound of her whimpering.


Dina

"I..." There is some hesitation in Ghosty's green eyes. There seems to be something he wants to tell her. "I may not have been entirely honest with you, Dina, when I said I knew nothing of the Taint. In fact I was not. Forgive me, but I had to see if you were strong enough first."
 

Dina Ailsa Tenárus

Lost Child of Asgard

​



Dina's face caught some color. Within her a few emotions stired: confusion at Ghosty's responce, hope for he might really help her for he would not be telling her this just to tease her she thought, and anger. Her anger prevailed and was shown in her eyes and expression. Dina tried to calm down before speaking again."I am listening, so please continue." When the girl spoke only one emotion was carried in her voice: hurt. One would guess Ghosty did what was best, or what he thought best, but that did not help Dina's feeling of hurt. She trusted him for better or for worse and that hurt her deeply.
 
Ghosty glares at Dina as if he can read her mind. And then starts to talk.


"Gaean and Tellurn." he said. "Did your friends mention them, or are they also hiding the truth from you? It does not matter." Ghosty turned his back to Dina and walked off towards the other end of the room where he stared out the window. "Nature is not a single entity, as you mortals believe. It is two; two wellsprings that give life to all that stems from Nature. One of them is on the opposite side of the planet. The other, beneath this very continent."


He turned around to face Dina again. "Unfortunately, the latter one fell to demonic corruption a long time ago... It became the Taint whose life force now flows through your veins. And that is what makes you unique. You bear the mark of rival forces, Dina; that is what's both killing you and keeping you alive at the same time."
 



"Hello there." Maggie tries to infuse her voice with the compassion she sincerely feels upon seeing the weeping woman. "Please, won't you let me help you? I am willing to listen, if nothing else can be done; but I am sure there is more I can do, if you will trust me." Cautiously (for the woman's sake, not her own - Maggie doesn't want to startle her), the priestess moves closer.
 

Dina Ailsa Tenárus

Lost Child of Asgard

​



Dina listened while leaning against a nearby table. She thought that this was what scholars felt like when their betters were explaining them something they haven't even began to understand."They mentioned that, and that the Mother couldn't free it from corruption. Who is Mother? Who brought the taint to the surface? And will I really lose myself in the end?" Dina bombarded him with questions the first chance she got.
 
Maggie

When she moved close enough to be able to reach out and touch the other woman, Maggie hears her speak.


"No..." she says weakly amid sobs. "You c-cant. You can't h-help me any more. No one can." And then she says something else, in a much calmer and steady voice as if she weren't a weeping bag of tears. Something odd. "You had your chance."


Suddenly the woman turns around in her kneeling position and Maggie sees the face of Arianis staring back at her. Up close she can tell her features are above average; the fine jawline and the high cheeks would make her stand out in a crowd. But her skin is all white, her eyes black as charcoal. There are no traces of tears that should have been there. "But you chose to kill me instead." she says in a voice that grows ever more harsh and accusing with each word. "Is this the justice and mercy your Maker taught you?"


Dina

"The children of Nature call Gaean the Mother and Tellurn the Father," Ghosty answered, "Though neither of them can be expressed in gender the way mortal beings are. Your kind believes every being has two parents, a male and female, so the plants use these terms to help you understand better." He then sighed and looked out the window again. His expression was thoughtful, as if he was trying to remember something. "In ancient times, when the kingdom of Asgard was nothing but the beginning of a great kingdom, tears in the Veil and demonic invasions were much more commonplace. So much, in fact, that the mighty Hellguard enlisted aid from the..." he interrupted himself and glanced over at Dina. "You probably remember this part. Raziel told you of the Hellguard's involvement with the Ascended. I hope you were paying attention."


"It was war. I know, I was there. Skirmish after skirmish, until eventually the demons were cleaned up and the last tear mended. But somewhere along the line, likely in the very beginning when the demons were at their peak, somehow they managed to infect the wellspring beneath the continent with their blight. Whether this was intentional or not I do not know, but Tellurn was corrupted. The Hellguard did not know. I did not know, at the time. Time passed. No one but Nature's children knew, and there was no one who would listen to them." He chanced a smile at the girl when he added: "No singers."


"You see, you have a unique gift that has not been found in centuries. To be able to commune with Nature directly, in meaningful words. Gaean was unable to lift the corruption, but its - or her - reach is limited. Yours is not. You are not a child of Nature, which makes you resilient to the corruption that spread from Tellurn to countless children that drank from its waters. They withered and fell almost instantly. You still stand. That brings up more possibilities than being dead, surely."


Finished, Ghosty eyed her with a cunning look.
 
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