• Closed • [Scalvoris Mountains] This isn't home...

[Ent]

He sighed and dipped his head as she called him a monster, an abomination, all things he had heard before. "Of all people Faith, I thought perhaps you would understand my pain. I killed a man who was cruel, no different from Famula's followers killing necromancer's indiscriminately and it haunted me every night after, I was not made to be a killer but I did for love." His hands rested on the steps next to him and he looked at the sniffling but defiant mess in front of him, a woman he had doubted he would break. "If I knew that do you think I would be here? If I could just ask her do you really think I would do all this, I don't know why she killed her because she did nothing wrong, perhaps your Famula is not as perfect as you thought."

Then he was taken by surprise as she reached for him and spoke of him taking his own 'life' away, to see her then. Her hand moving towards his face, slowly and carefully. His jaw tightened and as her skin came into contact with his he felt a wave of dizziness for a brief trill. In that very moment as she tried to stop his power he saw someone else before him, he saw the blonde hair and white skin as his power faltered for a slight moment he saw the one he loved and missed so dearly that it broke his heart to speak of her.

His composure regained quickly and he scurried backwards up the stairs and away from her. "What are you doing?" The image had felt so real for him and he felt so alone again, it had not been Faiths intention but as his power had faltered so had his concentration and his mental stability a bit more.

He did not give her time to answer his question and stood, looking at her and shaking his head more clear. "If it were so simple I would see her but she won't come to me, she won't tell me the truth because whatever it is she believes it so bad that only she can do it. She seems to have taken it upon herself to be judge jury and executioner, rewarding those for murdering my kind no matter what we are like." Alexander growled strangely and cleared a lump from his throat.

"I just want to know the truth, is that so bad, what I have done to try and find it is monstrous and I do not deny what I have become but I will never accept it was my fault and I will never stop until I know the answer." He squatted again, before the raven haired prisoner. "So tell me, will you answer my question?"

[Faith Augustin]

He thought she'd understand him? That he did what he did out of love, that it wasn't his fault? Faith wondered at the man who had watched her so much, how he could understand her so little. He thought and believed that he had done these things for good reasons but his actions now? They spoke of who he was. He had kidnapped her, the bruises from his strike to her were on her face, more developing on her shoulders from his handling of her. She was tied up, thrown into a cell and now kept here. That told her who he was.

Her use of her power did not work, although it provoked a reaction and Faith felt fear grip her further. He was volatile, he was dangerous and strong and she was vulnerable, she knew this. Yet she could impact him. He scurried away from her and for the first time, she saw a reaction from him that he wasn't trying to show her. She wanted, oh more than anything, she wanted to run and hide in the corner, to beg him to leave her alone, to let her be. But Padraig was coming for her, she knew it. She knew he was and she knew, more than that what she had to do. She had to stay strong.

It was hard, because she was so afraid.

That was the difference, she knew, between being a slave and being free. There were a hundred differences, maybe a thousand, but she felt fear for the first time in a long, long time. Because when she had been a slave, there was nothing to fear; she had no control, could make no decisions and she had, quite literally, nothing to lose. Yet now? Now she was afraid that he was going to hurt her again, afraid that in doing that it would hurt Padraig, too. She was terrified that Padraig would get hurt when he came for her, that she would be the cause of him getting harmed.

She was terrified of all of those things.

Yet, she had to remain strong. Because she had to. Kneeling there where he had pushed her down, Faith looked up at Alexander and she realised something. She had to be strong; when she had been a slave she would have known that her owner would not wish her to give in to him and it would have been enough. She would have had to be strong for others. Now? Now she had to be strong, and still for others. For Padraig, she couldn't let him down, it would be the most awful thing to do that. For Famula, who she had to serve. For those who would be worried about her, who expected her to be strong, to stand up.

But also, she realised, for her

She wasn't broken. She wouldn't be broken. She was no longer a slave, no longer held by the demands of others. No one had control over her and come to that, Faith thought, other people could expect what they wanted. This was her. Who she was, doing the best she could in a situation which terrified her. Padraig would care only that she was safe, she knew that. He wouldn't judge her for whatever she did, he would just love her for who she was. And who she was, simply, was terrified.

So, would she answer his question? Faith looked at him, terrified and exhausted and she shook her head. "No," she said, her voice soft but determined. "I won't. I won't help you because I choose not to." Fear gripped her and part of her wanted to do what he wanted, part of her thought that others might think she should. But Faith stood up to all of her five foot four and she met his gaze. "No."

[Ent]

"So be it." He stood again to his full height and for all she tried to stand tall she could not change the fact he was taller, a fair amount taller. He looked down on her and waved his hand, the sound of the bolt unlocking and the two men approaching filling the domed echoey room. Faith had no where to run and if she tried she would be caught by the two servants of Alexander or the man himself.

Alexander's face went soft and a smile, worse than any so far crossed over his face as his mind struggled to choose what personality it really was. "No matter, perhaps when he arrives you will be more willing to talk." Time seemed to go by slowly as they made their way over and he continued. "I know the power of love as much as anyone else, it is the greatest of strengths and yet also the greatest weakness to anyone who is inflicted with its tender poison."

The two guards seized Faith and holding an arm each they began to drag her towards the door. "You can wait back in the cell, it has become clear to me that no one will ever understand, especially not someone indoctrinated and tainted by the touch of the immortal herself." He sat down into the throne like seat and watched as she was taken.

She could struggle and fight, however, she would be unable to break free unable to touch the guards who held her with precision. It seemed she had wasted her chances at killing her captor or persuading him to free her or even just lying to get out. Her freedom was being once again revoked and she would quickly find herself within the cell she had started, locked away within the freezing cave.

This time Alexander would not come, there would be no haunting whistle of songs of old. There would be no knives clanging against bars or scraping against bones. The only sound that would be heard would be that of Faith and a slight light whisper of the wind. She was truly alone down there, locked in her cell without any way out and without any one to help her.

She was not completely out of options though, old options were still available to her and maybe she could even think of something else in her solitude.

[Faith Augustin]

As he moved his hands, the door started to move and Faith cursed herself for not having realised that they were thralls earlier than this. He gestured, the door started to open and she began to move. It was her intention to run around behind the table where she had briefly sat and get past the two of them, but Alexander's hands were on her and stopped her before she had really begun.

His words, when he spoke about Padraig, caused Faith to start to struggle with renewed vigor. She fought and bit, kicked and dragged her heels. Fundamentally, the young woman did everything she could to try and get them to just let her touch them, let her hurt them. Screaming in rage, pure and unrefined rage, she fought every step and each trill. "Don't you touch him! Don't you TOUCH HIM!" The tears which fell were fueled by anger and fear in equal parts, but the fear was not for her. She was so sure that Padraig would come here, that Alexander's words were enough to put a chill in her heart. So Faith fought. Without concern for herself, without any interest in how she was faring or any such thing, she fought.

To no avail.

Within moments she was once more back in her cell and the young woman looked around like an animal trapped in a cage. She was held here, captive here and he was coming. He was coming and Alexander would hurt him. Faith had to act, she had to do something. With terror pushing her actions, Faith tried to break the bars, testing them and trying, desperately to escape. Then, she paced the cell and she tried to push against the walls but, after a few moments, she started to actually think. To calm down and think.

Abruptly, she stopped pacing, stopped reacting and she turned and walked to the corner of the cell, where she knelt down. She had knelt in this position so many times, but so few lately, yet she had to now. Because now, after everything, she had to pull on every ounce of inner discipline she had. So she knelt in what had once been Position One, put her hands on her knees and lowered her eyes to them.

Looking at her hands, Faith focused. "Blessed Famula, Lord Vri, Mother Moseke. Your humble servant begs you in this moment. I am afraid. Mother Moseke, I am afraid for my life. Blessed Famula, I fear for my soul and the battle against these necromancers. Lord Vri, please don't let them hurt him. I can't.. " her voice shook and her whispered prayer was filled with emotion, "I can't be responsible for them hurting him. But I am so afraid and I can not fit all of my emotions into my hands any more.I have too many."

Kneeling there, she looked at her hands and she thought of the trial when she would look and see a ring on her finger, once they were wed. Padraig's wedding band was designed and ordered and Faith looked at her hand and frowned. She didn't need to put her emotions in to her hands. No, that was silly she realised and she looked up. Looking at the wall opposite her, Faith regulated her breathing and she slowly, so slowly, calmed herself.

She had to stop reacting, start acting.

She had to do this and do it smart.

So, Faith waited. She waited until the sun was no longer in the sky. As soon as that was the case, she used the ability Wisp Body, the most powerful ability she currently possessed. Her aim was simple. She would pray to Famula, dedicate this to her and then activate the ability. In that moment, Faith became incorporeal, taking on the shimmering glow of ectoplasm and Faith would walk out of there. Or, more precisely, float. She knew which direction Padraig was in, that was undoubted to her, even with her sense of direction, thanks to the Greater Servant's Mark he bore. That was what she did, she made her way out of the cell, the camp, the area. It was her aim to do so in a stealthy manner and she would attempt to not be noticed and to hide from others. However, if that was not possible, it was not a deal breaker. She was going, one way or another.

One break of travel in his direction was the plan and then she would drop back into physical form and then? Well, then she'd stop floating and start running.

Off Topic

Approximately once a trial, when the sun has left the sky, the Zuuda is capable of taking on the night form of a Wisp for a single Break. Their form grows insubstantial, glows the ethereal glimmer of active ectoplasm, and the marked becomes capable of walking through non magical barriers as easily as pushing through water. While the marked is unable to meaningfully interact with any physical object while in this form, neither can they be interacted with. Some Zuuda have used this ability to escape physical altercation, blades and weapons passing through them harmlessly. A Zuuda is unable to cast magic in this state (if they dared to learn it in the first place), and can drift at their jogging speed in any direction. While not swift, this does impart a kind of flight. Although at the end of the break, the Zuuda comes quickly back into physical form, no matter where they are. Most Zuuda are cautious to make sure they won’t end up between objects or suspended in midair when they return to themselves. A Zuuda can return to themselves at any point before the Break, but can only use this ability again once a Trial has passed.

[Ent]

As she waited for night to fall nothing changed, it remained close to silent and only got colder. Still as the darkness completely engulfed the strange empty village she was able to take on her spectral form, making her escape easy and after all this time almost anticlimactic. Still she was free and she was on the move, floating her way silently across the snow and out in the direction of her lover. The clouds and the snow only made the whole place darker, muffling sound and creating a sort of claustrophobic feel.

Still she would leave, floating until she could not longer do so and was dropped into the icy cushion that was the snow. Wading through this waist high snow would be no easy task and it would slow her significantly but she was going in the right way and she was free.

However, she was not without company. Enormowls were great creatures after all and they could not survive in the mountains from sheer luck...

[Faith Augustin]

As she exited the place, Faith had to just keep control of her emotions. She held on to her fear and she focused on her escape. There was no more room in her hands for all that she was feeling, so she just pushed them all down, forcing away as many of the feelings as she could. Getting out of here was what she had to do, what she knew she had to do, and what she had tried to do since the moment she was taken. To her, there was nothing anticlimactic about it, terror caused her spectral heart to beat loudly in her ghostly chest and Faith fought the whole time. Maintaining focus was necessary, vital, for her to do the best she could and she drew on every trick to keep focused as she floated along at a jogging pace.

She felt the Wisp Body ability start to fade and she fell back into the real world, once more a physical being. Then, she let out a shuddering, gulping breath and just for a few trill, Faith knelt on the ground and sobbed. There was no time for that, though, no time for self pity or concern for herself. Her mind was reeling and Faith was more than a little worried. Was she leading them to Padraig? Was that what she was doing? She didn't know and there was a part of her which wanted to run in the other direction from him, to keep him safe.

She could feel that she was growing closer to him, drawing ever nearer, but yet a small part of her doubted that she should. As she started to run, which was what she did, she recognised that the part of her which thought she should run in the opposite direction was the part which wanted to jump in front of him when shadow beasts had attacked them. The part which was a slave protecting a free born, the part which believed that he was worth more than her. She felt it, recognised it and dismissed it in seconds. It had no place in their life, that part of her and in fact it damaged them more than anything else.

If she could protect him from every horror in the world, she would do so. But Faith also knew just how frantic Padraig was with worry, how filled with fear he was and how much this was hurting him. Whatever they had to face, whatever the future held, they were better together than they were apart. If she did anything other than run to him, which was what she wanted to do with every fiber of her being, then she would be hurting them both. So, she gave in to what she wanted, what she needed because she knew that it was what he wanted and needed too and because it was where they would be able to have the best chance of success.

Faith was small and light and physically fit. So, she did what had been the plan from the moment that darkness fell.

One break of travel in his direction was the plan and then she would drop back into physical form and then? Well, then she'd stop floating and start running.

So, that was what the former slave did. She ran. The darkness held no fear for her, she could see as well as if it was daylight. Although that did not help with the cloud cover, it meant that she could run without tripping over unseen obstacles. With every iota of endurance that she had, she made her way at a run in order to get to him. He was getting closer, she knew, she could feel it.

[Ent]

Your Rewards Little One!

Exp Points: 15

Knowledge:
Endurance: Fighting against stronger opponents
Endurance: Struggling against all the odds
Endurance: Taking a hit to the face
Endurance: Ignoring pain
Discipline: Control your fear
Discipline: Keep information to yourself (even if you don't know said information)
Unarmed Combat: Biting is a viable option
Unarmed Combat: Struggling to break an opponents hold

Injuries: Bruised shoulders and a bruised cheek with a split lip. They could remain for between 10 to 30 trials.

Sevrath ability rewards:
Protective Spirits:

The character is able to summon small sprites, familiars, and/or wisps to aid them in combat, healing, or whatever purpose they see fit. The user may only summon one creature at a time and, as they practice this ability, will be able to summon multiple. The summoned creatures may act according to their will and what they see as right or wrong. They must be persuaded or convinced to do the user's bidding. Using this ability is exhausting on the character in the earlier stages, though they will adapt to the strain through practice. It is recommended that characters present an offering for the summoned creature.

and Prison:

An offensive/defensive ability that is used to trap the opponent or shield the character. Pushing energy into the earth, the character is able to form sudden traps from dirt and stone, quickly ensnaring the opponent in a prison of soil and rock. Defensively, the character is able to draw the earth around them, cocooning in thick, almost impenetrable layers of earth and stone. This ability works well only if the user practices. Otherwise, the character cannot hold the structure for more than a few seconds, they cannot extend it for more than a few feet, and they will become exhausted from trying to exert energy to correct themselves.

Comment:
I had great fun with this thread and it was a pleasure being asked and able to make this plot for you! You are a wonderful writer and always willing to role with the punches, a great trait for a roleplayer. You played this magnificently and poor Faith, always getting picked on by the big baddies! Good luck with the following thread, its very fun!