Thrown Into The Snow

"The forest demands you die.", Venetica replied. "No hard feelings, eh?"

Roots curled around Sank's legs and ankles, while vines wrapped around its hands and arms.

"Wind mage, the forest needs a bit of help. As far as I can tell, ripping it limb from limb, but leaving the heart pierced, will keep it from coming back. We can bury the body parts as we travel to the lance."

Blink was highly confused in this new world. The trees were too tall for her, the ground so far below. She flew towards the ground, and changed into her human form, a spiky haired girl wearing red.

She crouched behind a few bushes to get a better view of the situatin in front of her. She felt a sudden movement underneath her, and the bush spit her out into the group.

"Hello fairy.", the floramancer cooed. "Your little shapeshifting won't fool me."

Lumen's mind was that of a bolt of lightning. His ears took in all the words those around him said. His eyes jumped from detail to detail absorbing all they could. His nose took in the smell of death, and a curious scent that must be coming from that purple blood. It was so much to take in.
what has that girl gotten me into?
His imagination exploded to fill in all the missing details of the situation. Then... he heard the word 'Lance'. 'as we travel to the lance,' that women had said. The lance?! Lumen had been searching for people who knew what he knew. People who cared. People who could feel the change happening in L'Juno. He wasn't sure yet, but the very prospect of his search being over made his skin begin to subtly glow. The swords on his back also showed their excitement, pushing their feelings into Lumen’s head. He took a step forward, about to say something, then hesitated. Bianca looked so happy. he didn't want to interrupt.
That other women was obviously a floramancer- possibly an elf as the skill comes naturally to them- but Lumen wasn't sure yet. As she talked about the red haired creatures death with an aireomancer, Lumen's own mind gave birth to a curious thought. Why kill one who could possibly be so useful in a journey to the lance?
In the end, Lumen was silent. He watched and waited to speak in hopes of learning more about the party before immersing himself in the situation.

Sorrow marched forwards to the impaled body of Sank and grasped both sides of the creatures head in his hands.

"Well if we're going to be ripping him limb from limb" He spoke calmly "I think i'll take this"

With that Sorrow gave an almighty tug and ripped Sank's head clean (metaphorically speaking) off of his body.

"Oi, bugger off!" the decapitated head shouted out "No! I don't want to go in the-"

The shouts were then muffled and blocked out as Sorrow stuffed the head into his bag.

"Ought to make a decent enough trophy" he continued in the same calm tone "First time i've seen an opponent in years worth making one out of...that and I could use your face to check how sharp my knife is whenever I get bored"

- - Cassuner - -

He had a bad taste in his mouth. He knew what it was, but tried very hard not to thing about it.

"You're fucking useless."

"Hush up."

Shooing away the ecstatic she-wolf, Cassuner rose to his feet, and pulled his sword from where it had been planted in the dirt. Sheathing his blade, he quickly walked over to the impaled, headless form of Sank. Cassuner cast a quick glance at Sorrow. Muffled shouts were coming from his backpack. Cassuner would need to have words with the giant's "trophy" later.

Crouching next to the spike, Cassuner pulled out a vial, uncorked it, and scooped up a sample of Sank's queer blood. Re-corking it, he rose to his full height, spat on the body, and turned north.

"We need to get going," the pyromancer announced, "before the divers come back." He cast a look at the newcomer. He was a photomancer, judging from his glow. He'd never seen one in person, but remembered hearing about them from his father. He wondered where the man came from, but decided it didn't matter.

Turning, Cassuner motioned to Bianca. She nodded and disappeared. In the corner of his periphery he saw Aethr, who had started coming-to, his wounds already healed. He strode over and helped the elf to his feet, then beckoned to the others. They had little time, and Zuss was still a good distance away, though not nearly so far as it had been when they started out.

"Surprise!" he heard Bianca shout. Right on cue, she was behind the photomancer, hugging his neck. When she withdrew, the newcomer was sporting a brand new bars arcanum. Cassuner could tell by the man's expression that he could feel his magical affinities withering.

"Perilous as ever, that she-wolf."

"Welcome to the Pilgrimage," Cassuner said to the photomancer as he passed, "I'll fill you in when we're safe. Rest assured that we mean you no harm." A weak explanation, but it would have to do.

And with that, he set out into the forest once more, but was soon met with open field. Zuss was plainly visible in the near-distance, a glowing bastion of hope and safety.

Aethr could not comprehend what had happened to him. First, he was firing at some sort of elite Diver, then he was stabbed and thrown into a tree. He heard his spine crack, and he could not move anything below his waist.

Before he could do anything, though, that Wolf-Girl, Bianca, ran over and dumped something in his mouth. It was the foulest thing he had tasted, a sort of rusty, coppery taste. Then, he felt his insides stitching themselves together, and within moments, he was good as new, save that his favorite shirt and jacket were ruined.

Aethr slowly got up, cautiously running his hands over where the wounds had been. Good as new. He picked up his bag and his gun, then rooted around inside the bag, retrieved a bottle of whiskey, and downed it. Then, he looked up, and announced,

"I have no fucking clue what just happened. No matter. We need to go, before more divers show up. Then, when we stop, I want to ask that head what it just did to me. Then, I'm going to either stab it or skullfuck it, depending on how drunk I am."

An involuntary sound escaped Lumen's lips, inevitably sliding out like a leaf falls off a tree.
"Hmm..."
The sound was lost among the winds as it floated down to the ground. Lumen felt his neck, or rather, the only physical sign left by the bars arcanum. He felt no difference upon his skin. Instead, he felt the mark within him. It moved quickly throughout his body forming a kind of control that Lumen had never felt before. It ran a chill up his spine, and stopped his breathing as he felt the magic search out every part of him. It ran up the lengths of his two swords, recognizing that the steel was as much a peice of him as his blood. Powerful indeed this magic was, to fully contain Lumen- and his split soul. The swords themselves broadcast a feeling of being uncomfortable. At this, Cassuner felt a soft whisper at the back of his ear- too quiet to make out. Bellini however, was able to hear two voices in his head.
"Interesting magic"
"Interesting wolf"
Bellini was quite accustomed to hearing voices as a powerful Psychomancer. The dead wander aimlessly everywhere after all. There was no telling where the voices came from, and not a priority at all. Getting to Zuss was the most important thing now, and this fact was recognized by all as they started towards the town.
Lumen got close to Bianca. "Shouldn't you tell your... father about what happened in Zuss?" he whispers.

- - Bianca - -

"Oh no no no noooo," Bianca replied, turning to the photomancer and giving him an are-you-crazy look.

Her tail began swishing from side to side as she walked backwards, looking at him. "Don't worry. I've got it covered."

With a wink, she turned, and skipped forward to catch up with her father.

- - Cassuner - -

The Voice was very angry with him.

"What are you doing?!" it screamed inside his skull, "You have to go back there and kill that thing!"

"That was the plan," Cassuner growled, trying to cease the ringing in his ears, "but I've got a much better ide-."

"Have you gone insane?!" the Voice shouted, cutting him off. But then it stopped for a second to re-assess its words. "Correction, have you gone completely insane?! No good can come from letting that atrocity live."

"Oh, I think I disagree."

"It nearly killed you. It tried to eat you."

"I've done worse things to less deserving people."

The Voice went silent again. He could feel its rage seething through his very psyche. "The heart isn't going to stay impaled forever," it eventually said, "Sooner or later, that thing will be back."

"Oh, I'm counting on it," Cassuner said with a grin, "Though I do hope we're rather far away from here when that happens."

"You're an idiot."

This time it was Cassuner's turn to be silent for a time. Such span. "What do you have against that thing, exactly?"

He could hear the Voice grinding its ghastly teeth, rough memories grating against rougher memories.

"We've met before."

The Voice did not speak again until they reached Zuss later that evening. Thankfully, the divers never caught up with them. In fact, Cassuner did not hear them for the rest of the trip. The silence had been more than eerie.

Zuss had seemed much farther away than it really had been. It was a rather small town, despite its massive fortifications. Regardless, Cassuner was thrilled to have finally reached it.

He needed a drink. He needed it desperately.

After a brief shouted exchange with a guardsmen atop the parapets, the massive iron gate began to slowly grind open. Suddenly, Cassuner felt a soft touch at his elbow. Turning, he discovered a young girl of about ten or eleven that he'd never seen before.

Then she gave him that look.

"Bianca."

The skin-melded she-wolf smiled and nodded.

He squinted at her in accusation. "What did you do...?"

Bianca laughed weakly in a voice that was not her own, "Nooooothing~"

Cassuner continued glaring at her for several seconds. Sighing, he gently grabbed her by the arm and strode forth into Zuss. "Welcome" Cassuner announced to the rest of the travelling party, "to the last safe haven for several miles."

The gate's dull thudding back into the earth seemed to seal his words.

And then it began to snow. Much like summer rains in the rest of the world, L'Juno snows were random, and usually quite powerful. Cassuner hadn't even noticed that it was cold.

He hated the cold.

Talethal breathed in as they entered the city, the smell of shit, urine and other bodily fluids where better than running for his life. Feeling the safety of Zuss's walls, he relaxed, his blood cooled and he could feel his heart beat slow.

Looking around the city, he tried to recall the name of the tavern a trouper he had traveled with two winters ago had told him about. Thinking back, he recalled The prancing equine, known for trading room and board in exchange for music. Turning to the group he spoke.

"Follow me, I know a place I can get us rooms for the night"

Calling out to be followed, he set of in a random direction and let his ears guide him. Walking around he listened for the sound of music and merriment. It was not long in this bleak city before he found the tavern, and quietly slipped in through the door. The atmosphere was perfect.

He could smell copious amounts of beer and smoke and could feel the heat radiating of the fire pit in the center of the building. Looking around, he observed the crowd stomping their feet and banging their mugs on tables and counters to a duet that comprised of a female singer and a man playing a some stringed instrument.

Waiting for the group to finish, he walked forward and plopped his lute case on the counter in front of the bartender and cracked his biggest smile. A few minutes latter, Tal and the owner of the bar grinned as they shook hands. Tal walked over to an empty table and signaled for the group to walk over and sit down.

"I got us two rooms and and dinner for the night" He smiled, and removed his lute from its case and started to tune it, and then as an after thought spoke again.

"So, would any of you know how to sing or have any other musical talent, because I promised a group performance"

"So, would any of you know how to sing or have any other musical talent?”

Bellini smiled at the question and pushed up his glasses.

“I believe I can aid you,” he spoke out to the Bard while looking about the room, “Centuries alive has given me ample time to acquire a substantial pitch.”

Bellini eased himself up onto the table the group was surrounding. After concluding they were far beyond intoxicated he deduced that singing a song from his heritage would provide little conflict in such a setting.

“On this fine day I’ll present to you a special treat,” he began, “A vampiric melody as dark as the blood that runs through our veins. Strike a tune my bard companion and make it mellow.

Eyes closed Bellini allowed himself the feel the music. The song would be one he had sung for many centuries to himself in his confinements; shared only now through his freedom. He began to sing in a smooth deep voice that flowed smoothly like blood from a fresh dagger wound.

“Hidden behind merciful shadows, beyond the cruel daylight,
Living to hunt and kill, we are the... damned children of the night.
Dragging our immune existence, through thousands of centuries
and from dusk to dawn we suffer from our immortality.

Hosts contaminate our tombs and sunlight burn our skin,
you can kill us a thousand times, but we're the ones,
who will always remain ... - In Pain ... In Pain

He sighed. Then looked around the room noticing no took too great an interest in music; and for that he was only partly happy. He continued.

“After the dead Lover's kiss you fall into a dream,
but with your second birth you're a prince in our mournful realm.
By day, when a million suns are killing with their shine,
the cold, dark crypts are saving me ... and mine.
Death and decay, cadaverous smell,
for us there's neither heaven, nor is there a hell,
and only the memories could be able to betray
the sombre existence of the former days...”

As his tale concluded he stood from the chair and walked towards the door.

“I’m off to find food,” he turned and greeted the group with a smile, “I’ll need plenty of energy if we plan on traveling in the day.”

With that he walked through the door and took a sharp turn into a nearby ally.

Aethr walked into the bar and walked to the bar. Aethr looked at the barkeep and announced, "One round on me. And make sure to leave the bottle." With that, he reached into his coat and pulled out a couple of bolce's and laid them on the counter.

Grabbing the bottle of wine, Aethr took a gulp of the foul rotgut. He did his best to go unnoticed, especially if the Bard was calling for a performance. Aethr had decided that if the bard asked him to sing an elven ballad, he would have to refuse. Or to be extremely drunk.

After removing Sank's head Sorrow hadn't really taken much notice of what was going on around him. Eventually he'd found himself in a tavern with the vampire having just departed to find some poor soul to feast upon. He didn't think badly of the vampire for what he did. It was simply his nature.

"Besides" He mumbled to himself "I'm sure i've done worse"

Pulling out his flask he finished the contents of it and was just about to get up to buy some more when he saw the elf hand the barkeep some small coins. He didn't carry the coins of the current time as when he'd gone into solitude a different currency was used.

Reaching down into his bag he removed several gems of varying colours, sizes and shapes.

"So, anyone want to buy a gem or do I actually have to kill someone around here to get a drink?"

Venetica hated being indoors, so she sat outside. in a small courtyard behind the tavern. There were plenty of trees to sleep in, the group would be much healthier sleeping out here than in that house of sin and booze.

A tree, quite near to the window where some of the other members of the group were to sleep, bended itself into a gentle hammock. Her satchel hung on a higher branch, slightly bulging with the lower legs of the diver demon, which were severed below the knee. Venetica braced, and jumped into the open window.

The room was empty, except for a few bags. Curious, Venetica looked through a few.

Making full use of the 'No Top, Free Drinks' available for the female gender, Blink was able to get enough booze to drown in. Thankfully, she knew how to swim....in booze. The fairy council hated her doing it, but she didn't think that it was much of a problem. When the barkeep started refusing to give her more alcohol, the other patrons were more than happy to pay.

The elf was refunded his money, and his small table was soon filled with flagons of ale.

"Everyone in my party, free drinks at the table righta thar.", she announced, pointing. She didn't understand it, herself. Just standing around in her bra and shorts, she was given money and alcohol. She also became quite popular, but wasn't sure why.

- - Cassuner - -

Cassuner was already making himself quite at home. He owed the photomancer an explanation, but for the time being, decided that he would have to settle for a drink instead.

Spilling an uncommonly fat purse onto the counter, Cassuner announced that everyone in the establishment were to have free drinks for the remainder of the evening. The gold-struck bartender couldn't respond fast enough.

Within twenty minutes, the pyromancer was so drunk that he could scarcely tell his left from his right. Just the way he liked it.

To top the night off, he pulled out his pipe and began packing it full of cannabre. This could very well be one of his last hours in civilized company, and by God, he was going to live it up.

For fuck's sake. Tonight made twice he'd died. Third time was the charm, or so they said.

Fully bent toward the lighting his pipe, Cassuner did not notice Bianca sneaking outside.

- - Bianca - -

She did not like to see her father when he got... the way he liked to get. Or at least, she didn't like it when he got that way without her.

She immediately regretted taking a child's form. There was simply no fun in it. However, she felt obligated to avoid trouble however possible, especially considering she'd just accidentally killed a man.

Wordlessly, she left the bar and struck out in a random direction.

Privately, she grieved taking the man's life. She really hadn't meant to. She cursed her powers, and how little she'd managed to master them, despite ten years of tutelage.

She was not like her father. He could only teach her so much. More and more, over the years it had become apparent that their abilities shared one very opposite distinction. Where Cassuner's powers required extreme concentration to be at their most effective, Bianca's required that she merely let go.

It was almost as if she had to focus just to keep from causing great tragedy. Her life was intent. Her existence was purpose.

Reality bent to her thoughts, though not always in the way she intended.

Bianca never slept, for to do so meant the end of the world. Luckily, her species did not require rest.

Hers was an existence without pause. A mission unending.

Then,

A sound.

She turned around, only half-hearing the words that sounded so very much like her own. Before her, she saw a young man. He looked exactly like her, differing only as the opposite gender would. Bianca's mouth opened, but her tongue found no words.

He was smiling, his wolf-like tail slowly wagging left and right.

She could not read his thoughts. For a moment, she was was alarmed.

Then everything went black.

She found nothing of notable interest in the group's belongings, just a few pictures of scantily clad women doing obscene things to each other. And drugs, plenty of drugs and alcohol.

That was pretty much it. Finding nothing of interest to her, Venetica left outside and made her way to the roof, with significant help from a nearby tree. The night air was cool against her skin, but the sticky tar roof made the whole ordeal very unpleasant. Humans sure knew how to ruin a potential good time.

Venetica felt a slight pain within her from Cassuner lighting his cannibre inside the tavern. The leaves in his pipe cried for her to save them, but V knew that they were already gone.

Right after that, a little girl walked outside. V recognized her as the Cassuner's daughter, although slightly younger. She met a young male wolf outside, and eventually she fainted and he carried her off.

"So she has a boyfriend?", Venetica asked herself. "Perhaps I should tell her father about this."

The cold night air clutched at Seris as he dragged himself out of the water and onto a small pier where he lay for a while taking deep breaths. The guards wouldn’t find him now and to be fair they probably thought he’d drowned. He would have done to if he didn’t have the advantage of slightly webbed hands and feet.

‘Note to self. Buy new boots’ he thought having had to remove them in the water to free his feet.

Light snow began to fall around him and deciding that he would most likely freeze if he stayed out here much longer he made his way toward an Inn he knew in town.

'Sometimes the best hiding place is the most obvious’.

It didn’t take him long to reach it and as always the place was packed. No one would notice him… although they might notice the water that was still dripping off him. Finally he reached the door and stepped into the warmth.

“I’ll have the cheapest drink you’ve got” he called to the barkeeper reaching for his money.

“No need mate” came the answer “the bloke over there brought everyone’s drinks for the evening”

“Really…” Seris said thinking “In that case, cancel that! I’ll have one of everything. Wait! One of everything and something strong for the road.”

The barkeeper obviously couldn’t be bothered to actually pour one of everything but he made a good effort and soon Seris was as drunk as the rest of the bar.

It was time for Lumen to seek another atmosphere. He set his glass of wine- the only alcohol he ever truly drank, on the table and politely excused himself. Outside, the snow had successfully cooled the air and ground to allow its own safe keeping. It no longer melted, and instead began to pile up. With a shiver, he decided it was much to cold to remain outside without some extra heat. Using the subtle moonlight, he sped up the photons- exciting the electrons- and created warmth. To him, the night was now as cold as any sunny day. He sat down against the wall of the Inn, enjoying the moon and snow before clouds completely covered her up and the frozen water started to threaten him.

Her collection of alcohol seemed redundant now, the ginger one spilled his purse onto the barkeep's table, and everyone was rather drunk.....and rather....touchy. Blink wasn't exactly sure what 'bumping uglies' meant, but she kept being asked to do it by several men. And a woman!

Blink smiled, and politely said no each time. They too smiled, and persisted. Blink had put her shirt back on at this point, to which the drunken men disliked. Greatly.

She was saved when the druid entered the tavern, the group stopped for a second, and the drunken mob was torn between the helpless, innocent looking girl before them, or the exotic, dark girl now walking towards the ginger. She stopped, said something to him, and he coughed and spilled his pipe.

A rough hand grabbed Blink by the elbow, and she realized that her human form simply wouldn't protect her any longer. A troll maybe, or a giant could save her from these men. She was about to change when a staff was swung into the man holding her. The others backed off, scared of the druid in front of them, with her leaf green blouse and bark brown leggins, you could tell that this was a woman that you didn't want to mess with. She held a gnarled staff almost dragging the ground, prepared to strike again. She didn't need to.

The intoxicated man crawled safely away, then ran for his life. Striking the man down was perhaps a rash move, but he wouldn't have listened to reason.

Venetica lowered her staff slowly, but the men were already gone. She wasn't sure if they would inform the guards, but hardly anyone in the tavern seemed to care about the fight.

"Hey Floramancer, what is 'Morning Wood'?", the fairy asked. "Some guy asked if I could help him with it, but I'm not an elf or a floramanceer."

Venetica slapped her head in her palm, and simply walked away. For some strange reason, the fairy joined her. It seemed logical to attempt to talk to Cassuner again. His daughter and her boyfriend seemed important enough to bother him for a second time. The first he had made a comment about her ass, and she caused the unburnt portion of his cannibre to writhe in his pipe, spilling some of it. Hopefully he would be more reasonable this time around.

By now the snow storm outside was beginning to rage. Lumen came inside to see the atmosphere within the tavern doing just the opposite. It was quite late now, and the group would soon be off to bed. Lumen watched the party, eventually deciding that they were much to drunk to speak of important matters with. He supposed he would tell them about the ship that would be ready to depart in four days when dawn showed its face once more. It would surely be of use after all, as they must travel North to reach the last lance.

- - Cassuner - -

The wobbly Pyromancer scowled as the contents of his pipe jumped out, twisting toward the beer-stained floorboards below Turning, he saw the female dark-elf. "Kin ah he'p yooou," he mumbled, blinking first with one eye, then the other. As an experienced alcoholic, he knew that he was on his last legs of the evening.

Sleep was going to be soooo sweet. Nothing could ruin his evening. He could hear the Voice still, but could not understand what it was saying.

Then he noticed Bianca was nowhere to be seen.

- - Jegd - -

"Braavos has fallen, my lord," Jegd said, kneeling immobile in The Dark Space. Though he could see nothing, he knew that his master was nearby in spirit. The feeling was unmistakable.

"How?" came the response, in a voice that fell so flat in monotone that it almost hurt the ears. Looking up slightly, Jegd saw a red outline in the shape of a human. Avatares Arcanum.

"They impaled his heart," Jegd replied, lowering his head before any offense could be taken. His lord was not one to take offense easily, but Jegd preferred to err on the side of caution.

"So Sinkers have not evolved beyond the weakness of Divers...," the Avatare responded, "this is troublesome."

Jegd shook his head, "What's more my lord, is they've taken his head." He could see the red glow moving along the periphery of his vision, slowly pacing in thought.

"This will prove inconsequential," the Avatare responded after a brief pause, "He should remember nothing. I made certain of that before releasing his body from The Trench."

"Yes, my lord."

The red glow stopped moving. "Regardless," it continued, "send a team to secure the body and remove whatever is obstructing the heart. The head will disappear from their possession once this is done."

Jegd smiled, "I already dispatched a squad of Saders beforehand, in anticipation of the possibility of Braavos's failure."

"Very good," his lord's Avatare chuckled, "Very good indeed. Tell me, how did he fare in battle?"

"He killed two my lord, and would have killed more, but they employed some rather nonstandard tactics. His speed and power far outstretched those of his previous evolution."

"Excellent," the Avatare seemed to purr. "I will consider this a success. See to it that he is outfitted properly, and sent out again. Let's see how he does under ideal circumstances."

Jegd paused. "My lord. There is something you should be aware of."

"Tell me."

"His loyalty is questionable. After his defeat, he helped them. The ones he killed are no longer so."

His lord's Avatare sighed, which sounded rather strange in monotone. "I suspected this might happen. I'd hoped his killer instinct would remain as prevalent as it had in earlier stages. Regardless, I did not expect one without memory to have loyalty to anyone but himself. This was but a trial of what he's capable of at his most basic."

Jegd nodded. "What are your orders?"

"Have him brought to me first, then go on as planned after I release him to you."

"And what of... Them... my lord?"

"They are not yet a threat, but they are not to be ignored. If they make much progress, we shall respond in kind. But for now... send Fash."

Jegd nodded again, then turned, rising to his feet as he did so, never looking directly at the Avatare.

"One last thing," his lord called out from behind him. Jegd did not turn. "How are the twins?"

Jegd laughed out loud, "Together at last."