RP:Pesky Lizards, Creepy Offsprings

Part of the Saurian Onslaught Arc

This is a Healer's Guild RP.

Summary:

Part 1. Thamalys is eventually informed of the absence of the (Healer's) Guild Leader - last time allegedly sighted somewhere in Venturil. Alone, the Avian enters the newborn lair of the Razurath, finding a rather battered Emilia. Freeing the Wintry Lady from the scaly talons of the pesky lizards turns out to be an incredibly challenging task even for the Winged Beast: not being able to leverage his magic, the Spellblade suffers a serious beating, before barely managing to escape, together with an almost-dead Emilia, the noisy mass of the angered Razurath.

Part 2. Thamalys and Emilia are back at the House of Ara, but the Guild Leader's body refuses to heal - that's a first for the Avian, who is struggling to deal with the atrocious damage inflicted by the Razurath to the Ice Genasi. Luckily(well, -ish...) the most adorable (no, not really...) of Emi's daughters is in town. Thamalys knows nothing of the existence of this Lynn - who doesn't like the Avian at all. The two enters a ferocious exchange of insults that extends even after Emilia is brought back from the brink of death. The Genasi is safe, the Avian is fuming and the Razurath are offering a lot for the dynamic duo to think about - that is, if Lynn doesn't get in the way...

Part 1. ==Venturil: Razurath's Domes==

Emilia had been missing for over two weeks, without any letter or communication back to the guild members. The Genasi has been known to disappear for lengths of time, but always sent word back every few days. It was this prolonged, silent absence that had caused worry among the Healer’s Guild. It was a very small lad with shaking hands and beads of sweat dripping down his forehead that drew the short stick to inform The Blue of this worrisome matter. Thamalys would get a nervous summary of what was known about the last were about of Emilia, "She was last seen a few weeks back with a trip planned into Venturil to her hilltop to fetch a couple of books. The last letter was that she did arrive to the home, but it had been nearly three weeks without a letter and no signs of the woman." If this knowledge didn’t cause a fuss it was the fact that there were rumors about terrible happenings over in Venturil as of late. As such the lad also rambled off the listing of current knowledge of the area: "Strange creatures called Razurath were the cause of this and they were raptor like creatures, there is a magical blockade over the pass to get into Venturil so getting in would be a trick, not only that but beyond the pass there was a number of anti-magic runes preventing the use of magic, and rumor had it they were taking magical creatures for some unknown reason". A travel bag was already back for the avian and being held out for him as the lad finished informing Thamalys about the missing Leader.

Emilia || The Genasi was one of many magical creatures that were being kept with a series of Cathabraka dome cages. From afar they looked like giant egg shaped cages of a strange material. They almost seemed to glow as the magic from whatever creature within was being extracted through it and into a slab on the outside of the cage. Almost like a herb of cows being milked, except it was wizards, witches, fairies, all sorts of magical creatures, including one Ice Genasi. In a cage at the far end of a row there was two red scaled Razurath removing a dead fairy from a cage, taking the body away to an unknown dumping ground for the bodies. One could not say how many creatures had already died, but from the looks of it a number of them had been removed while a few had been replaced with new creatures. Those within the cages did not last long after being forcefully drained of their magic on a continuous loop for days on end. The Genasi was lucky to be alive this long after being put into one of these cells. Unlike the other magical creatures her magic regenerated inside her core, keeping her more alive than dead, but it was questionable if she was more dead than alive. The white woman hung by ropes attached at the wrists, elbows, and waist keeping her within the center of the dome with a limp body. Those rope like things sported a series of thorns buried into the flesh, connectors to the magical creature that transported it through the cage and out into the slab. The Genasi was pale. That is to say that the flesh of the woman had lost the white colorless hue and was replaced with a pale peachy complexation of a human with the exception of a patch of white that ran the course of the neck down focused in the center of the body. Almost thawed out. It would not be much longer in these conditions before she would succumb to death. Her head hung down with chin resting on her chest, eyes closed, and those locks of hair that had been turned into dreadlocks dangling like a curtain hiding the figure behind them. The shaved sides of the head had grown out the white locks into a short buzzed fuzz. Walking like drones between the rows were a number of red Razurath, soldiers.

Thamalys picked the fluffiest of the clouds floating lazily on top of pass. He had scarce information about what Venturil had become in the hands of the Razurath, but he was not willing to take any unnecessary risk - not yet. If anything, the rage flowing within the Avian kept him utterly focused. “It’s not my fault!” was screaming the unlucky messenger just a few hours ago, when he rather unwillingly reported to the Blue that the Healer’s Guild Leader was in fact missing; that much was true, but to tell the Winged Beast that the Icy One might have been in danger… not a pleasant duty. “Out of my room. Now…” just whispered the Healer, soon after mustering blades and armour. Clad in shiny mithril, thus the Avian was soaring through the wind, white as the clouds which protection he sought. Laced across his shoulders, the imposing form of the Gossamer Halberd. Swinging from his belt, the threatening shape of Stain, the Cursed Blade. He couldn’t go on like that forever, though - he had to give up some cover eventually and… look down. Some two hundreds meters below him, one of the oddest assemblies he ever seen: lizard-like creatures by the dozens, scuttling around like bees, most of them attending to some sort of exotic cages. The blue dared to get a tad bit closer - still high enough to probably go unnoticed, but that was a gamble, and he knew it. “What in the name of the Wind…” murmured the Spellblade, when his keen eyes made out the details of the content of said cages. Such a diverse array of creatures… all of them prisoners, all of them as if… drained, some of them plainly dead. fairies, witches, dreads… “Emi!” he screamed to the Wind when he managed to spot the tiny Genasi, awfully pinned into the very core of one of those shiny domes. Down, a bit more… and that’s when he felt it. As if a cold shower, washing away everything enchanted in him. Even his ink froze - he knew he could summon not any flames anymore. “What is this? I can’t…” he begun, but he had no time to think about it. A couple of especially attentive lizard did notice something shiny in the sky - and they were yelling like mad, while the first spears and bows were being prepared. So much for subtlety… “I’ll end you all, you creepy bastards…” just noted the Blue, before plunging from the clouds with a deafening shriek of phenomenal rage.

Emilia || The Razurath gathered on the ground that he was encountering were nearly all of a red hue. It was clear that even a moment of watching the raptor like people that based on the color of the scales determined what it was they did in the massive group of people. The ones in red took orders from another in the group, a single white raptor. However, he did not see to be the full on leader of this area either. A pair of raptor ones took off running instead of fighting, even though they carried hammers in their hands, these two were brown scaled ones that had been mending a cage that must of broke at some point. The white Razurath carried a bow with it aimed at the incoming winged man from the sky. Unseen, like stealthy rouges, more arrows came flying from different directions. It was these white ones that used the bows like rangers, the reds with their swords like little soldiers, brown builders running from a fight, a green one or two running around with medic bags, and arriving from another direction a single Purple one. This one, he was the leader. It was clear by the commands that he shouted at the other Razurath to charge when it landed, to continue the arrow on slaughter aiming for any fleshy spots. A blue one appeared from somewhere in the chaos to take an unheard order from the purple one. Thamalys would be greeted by a rushing swarm of twenty or so red soldiers.

Thamalys felt as if he was about to dive into some sort of ancient mosaic. Colourful lizards everywhere, most of which already quite well aware of the threat from the sky. A few arrows found his wings - they bounced off as pebbles. Artia’s magic might have been denied, but there was still a solid coat of silver on those feathers. A javelin, a rusty thing of poor craftsmanship, struck the Avian right in his chest - he reeled, but kept diving, unscathed. Old iron against ever-lasting mithril - not the tiniest chance for that crude weaponry to bite the chalky flash of the Blue. Ten, maybe fifteen meters from the crimson crowd waiting for him, swords and pikes appearing swiftly in place of the by then quite useless bows. He cared not - like a silvery bullet he smashed into the scaly mass, sending a good number off the ground with a monumental swoop of those colossal wings. “Eeeeeemiiii!” He did not even realise it, but he was screaming like a wounded dog. Eventually, he connected with the ground, heels first. The soil trembled and cracked, while a swirling vortex of ivory dreadlocks twisted toward the Razurath. Two red ones charged against the Winged Beast, heads low, mighty muscles flexing under the momentum of their inhuman pace. Long sabres in their hands, they did not hesitated - they went for the legs, a huge target, a critical one. The Spellblade did not flinch in the least. A split second, that was everything he needed to free the Gossamer Halberd from the leather criss-crossing his shoulders. He kneeled, painting a full, deadly circle with the impossibly sharp blade. The two reds fell, clutching what remained of their faces, slated into bloody masses. And yet, the lizards had numbers on their side. “Emi! Sven, wake up!” yelled the Blue, halberd in his left. Then, Stain came to life. The magic within the cursed blade was mute, but the soul of the Black within the blue metal was thirsty as per usual. It took nothing for the Blue to carve a bloody path into the ranks of the reptiles: the cage was standing right in front of him now. “Emi, please…” pleaded the Avian, while a sharp pain engulfed is left side. He had to turn. The purple colours of a particularly nasty Razurath welcomed him - perhaps some sort of leader? His spear was beautifully made, shining fiercely in the sun. It did not pierced the mithril, but by the Wind, the blow hurt nonetheless.

Emilia was nearly lost within that endless destinations the mind goes to when the body begins to fade. A dream-like world with a perfect like in the future, a tempting fate to let wash over the pain searing through her thawed out limbs. It was a sensation that the woman had not felt since she turned ice. Pain? What is such a thing to a creature numb to the bone of those receptors. As it was those receptors did still work when the flesh had warmed becoming alive again, or perhaps dead and it was the agony of the death of the body that hurt so bad. In the echoes of her dream a voice, a very real voice, screamed at her, calling her name in desperation. The sound was not part of the unconscious world, it did not fit into the lies of what never could be. Reality was screaming loudly at her in the voice of her brother. A single soul she feared to never see again before death won the battle. It took all of what strength the Genasi had left in her to just open her eyes. Blue eyes surrounded by red where the whites were staring blankly out into the chaos around her. Tham was screaming at her, the raptor people-creatures were making strange sounds at different pitches that clashed with one another. Swords hitting swards and metal being stuck echoing louder than it was on those ear. A throbbing pain in her head as she tried to focus clearly on the world around her. Was this a nightmare in a dream? Blinking, watching, focusing. Chaos all around. The red scales moving swiftly around like a swarm of angry bees at Thamalys. One of them by some form of dumb lock tripped and knocked connecting piece to the slab apart just before he came crashing down with a number of other reds with him in one mass breaking a hole into the cage bigger than the rest of them. If it was not for the adrenaline that surged through the Icy One she would have not moved, yet strength where all seemed lost manifested. Weak arms lifted to rip the hooked ropes from her flesh tearing up the pale flesh with deep slices alone it. The scream that left the little person was enough to freeze the entire fight for just a moment. Ear piercing, loud, and blasted on a wind sporting the faintest of chills to carry it like a resounded echo in a cavern. The pain was beyond measure. A feeling lost returned in the worst of ways. Blood, red-warm-liquid, ran down the body of the healer and no magical healing to kick in. Wobbly legs carried the woman over the pile of downed Reds and to the other side where Tham was stuck with the rest of the army. This was the worst nightmare she could have ever made up.

Thamalys had to focus on the purple bastard, apparently quite competent when it boils down to blades and blood - he was fast, and he wasn’t alone. A rattling sound of the lizard brought a few more of those, this time with no blades - simply clutching at the Avian legs, and wings, and hair. They seemed not to care about dying. Stain was everywhere, commanded by centuries of experience, driven by one of the darkest souls in Lythridel - the cursed blade had few rivals. The scaly things were reduced to pieces, and yet, even in death, they won’t let go. The Blue was suffering some serious burden. Balancing was now a complex affair - advancing? Not doable. And yet he desperately wanted to, now that the shattering scream of the Wintry Lady razed the field. Some of the blue lizard were already running toward the Genasi, surely with the intent of restraining her again. The sight of her covered in blood, a mere shadow of her power, unable to heal herself and let alone the others… the Blue had no choice - the ageless black surfaced within his tattered soul, claiming an eldritch reverberation with the splinter of his own soul, set in the very core of Stain. The Winged beast moved forward, pushed by a feral force he did not have - an ancient Dragon did, though. Corpses of mutilated lizard flew in every direction, toppling a few more blue runners. The Gossamer Halberd flashed once more, painting a long arc into the sun - death awaited at the end of it, and none of the Razurath was ready for it. And yet, the purple bastard rolled away, springing to his talons a split second after. Morbid eyes, filled with utter malice, gazed upon the Blue first, and the Icy Lady soon after. He picked a rusty sword from the knotty pile of scaly corpses at his feet, and charged. Towards her. The Spellblade had barely time to register that - howling like mad he sprinted to cut off the charge of the lizard, but the latter was clever enough. Just when the steel was almost upon the trembling shapes of the Genasi, the purple warrior sidestepped and produced a impossibly quick cleaving blow, masterfully brought as to meet the groin of the Blue. It connected, amongst a satisfied hiss, yellowish eyes narrowing in delight. The Winged Beast stopped, now right in front of the Genasi. Dazed as she was, there was little choice. “Cut the bastard, sister! For everything they did to you! Cut him, and we shall fly together once more!” he roared, shoving Stain into the shivering hands of the Wintry Lady and clutching the very blade squarely set into his bleeding muscles. “Die, you idiot!” yelled the Blue, twisting the blade while rolling on his side. The lizard didn’t manage to let go in time - and duly followed that swirling movement, tumbling on the ground. A gamble of two parts, the second of which was quite literally in the hands of the Genasi. Meanwhile, the battered Avian groaned, as his flesh gave way some more. Blood on that mithril armour, and a mighty T’zur on his knees. More lizards scuttled towards them, pikes high up in the murky air.

Emilia was dazed, lost, suffering in pain, and confused as a sword was thrust into her tiny shaking hands. A sword that in any other moment in time would be too much for her stature to use, yet somehow she managed to lift it up into the air. Perhaps it is the adrenaline coursing through her after watching the purple lizard-creature take down her brother during this chaos all around them. She had not eaten or drank anything in days. By sheer unknown force she was still alive, longer than any other soul that had been captured and put into these cages. It was as the Genasi lifted the sword with unnatural grace and swung it down that the weight of the thing falling, still clutched in her hands, that gave it enough force to slice through the neck of the purple lizard, severing the head from the body before it landed itself into the ground below. The two blows causing a backward vibration into the hands of the pale woman holding it. Her blood spilling from open unhealing wounds falling down the blade to mix itself with that of the Razurath that already stained the blade. The leader had fallen, yet he was only one of many leaders, surely more would be coming, but for the moment the lizard men stopped. Their leader was beheaded right before their eyes. It was evident that this pairing would become enemy of the Razurath after this more so than they were before. As if on cue the lizard men began to back away from the two, half retreating while defending the rest of the cages still filled with other magical creatures. They couldn’t lose all sources of their magic for the runes, the big leader would not be happy if that happened. His anger would surely be raised now losing the main powerhouse of magic for the runes, the one that had lasted longer than any other creature they sucked dry to their deaths. Still dazed, bleeding, and confused the Genasi turned eyes on the down avian and spoke in a dry hoarse tone, “Remind me brother to tell you of this nightmare when I wake.” And then she collapsed still believing this was a mere nightmare within the dream world she had fallen into.

Thamalys knew, somewhere deep inside of him, that the Genasi would have delivered. Their bond was too strong to be hindered even by the worst of the nightmares. He didn’t need to look at the cranium of the purple leader to tumble into the dust, as for a moment, there was silence. An unnatural silence, as the lizards acknowledged in horror the death of their leader. A prime opportunity, perhaps the one and only. “I will…” managed to put together the Blue, limping on his feet, the blade still set into his flesh. He picked up the Wintry Lady - Sven, he weighted closed to nothing even at her best, now it was as if he was lifting a dragonfly. He could feel the bones stinging his hand. No time to loose, though, as some of the lizards seemed keen to avenge their master after all. Louder and louder the hisses arose, but by then it was too late. The Winged Beast had shoved the Icy One onto his shoulders - sword and halberd still in his hands, he pushed forward. He did not need much: a few steps only, but the wounded leg won’t obey him. He literally crept the last distance separating him from a huge hole in the ground. The lizards had dug it to make room for some machinery… he registered all of that loosely - eventually, he simply thrusted himself down the edge, bringing a couple of raging lizards with him. They fell, he didn’t - his wings were still strong, his will unabated. He knew Emilia will live. What to make of those nasty creatures… later. The silvery curtains of this wings brought them up into the air, safe into the clouds. A frosty chill engulfed Avian and Genasi alive. “I thought I lost you, sister…” noted the Blue, bleeding massively still. Ultimately, they pierced through the clouds hiding the pass. And the ink came to life again, sealing, cleaning, healing. The Winged Beast inhaled the air with new strength. “Emi?” he inquired, now that with some luck some of the Genasi’s magic would have returned to its righteous owner…

Emilia was as light as ever in the arms of the winged one with flesh that was warm to the touch compared to the natural chill that normally flowed freely through the woman. Along her spine and within the center of her body there was the faintest of chill that remained, her core was still frozen even if the rest of her had thawed out. Once upon a time the Genasi mentioned that she had been human before the change, this pale figured woman with light skin dusted in freckles and scars was the best glimpse into the past of his sister that he would ever see. Just top that head with wild blonde curls and the human appearing Emi. He would be able to feel the rise and fall of her chest along with the beating of her heart, but she didn’t stir when he spoke to her. A great deal of sleep would be in the future for this frozen woman to recoup from the harsh last weeks toll on her. For the winged one he would be able to see as the sound began to slow heal themselves. The farther the two got from the anti-magic space beyond the pass the more her magic revealed itself, slowly. There was an entire being to refreeze over and heal, that would all take time, especially to replenish the magic again. But he and the Ageless black had managed to save the Genasi.

Part 2. ==Larket: House of Ara==

Thamalys sat on a cold slab of white marble, eyes fixed on the much smaller figure perched no more than a couple of steps away from the Winged Beast. Similarly perched on an identical stony surface, in fact, was the Wintry Lady, presently surrounded by no less than half-a-dozen of Healers of various experience and skills, all of them busy as bees in trying to fix the wounded Genasi. There was much to be done - less than the Avian needed. Indeed, only a couple of novices were attending to the Spellblade, still fuming after having witness the cruelty of those filthy lizards who dared to infect the peace of Venturil. Razurath - he hated even their name, make no mistake. Brother and sister were in a majestic healing room, with no doubt the best and most breathtaking of all within the House of Ara. A wooden door framed with elegant bronze in the shape of mighty dragons led into a vast space covered in slates of white and pink marble, with the notable exception of a grand window opening on the Larketian’s field across the River. A peaceful retreat, were if not for the countless shelves filled with all sorts of ailments and tools. The Healers came and went, most muttering in soft voices amongst them. They were tense, and righteously so: having the Guild Leader and the Winged Beast both badly wounded was not a first, but it was very often the prelude of some majorly awful event. “Enough with this whispering, brothers and sisters. We endure, and our Leader will soon recover…” noted the Avian with a rather measured tone, one that did not leave space to any doubt at all. That is what they needed to hear, and yet rarely the Spellblade had witness the Genasi being so utterly drained. He feared for her, but could not attend to her himself, not yet. He himself lost way too much blood, before the Blue ink covering his chalky skin managed to evade the magical seals of those pesky lizards, eventually stopping the bleeding. With a sigh, he leaned on both of his elbows, reeling his massive cranium so as an ivory cascade of knotty dreadlock fell onto the marble. He was tired, and made no secret of that.

Emilia was laid out cold lost into the unconscious as her body attempted to repair itself. Only once before had the Genasi encountered a moment similar to this situation, only it was of a lesser extent of magic loss which nearly killed her than. This? This was ten times worse. The magic from the Genasi had been leeched out in some contraption used to fuel magic into runes for the lizard folk, the Razurath. Many of the healers coming in and out of the room where the siblings were being tended to worked in haste with some of the most scared looks on their faces that Tham could have ever seen. One of the elder healer’s that had been around since Emilia first started her journey in the guild spoke up after Thamalys spoke, “When the drow blocked her magic we barely got her back then, and even then she didn’t turn fleshy human again, not like this. Be honest with yourself here and do not give false ho…..” The sound the left the woman’s mouth turned from a word, most likely hope, into a shriek as her hands landed over her ears. It was in waves that the healer’s around Tham would fall victim to a sound screaming in their minds, yet it was perfectly silent in the room. Unlike the healer’s around him Thamaly’s mind was most likely more safeguarded against the psych-break of a psionic attack on those gathered in the room. Everyone was on their knees making the worst noises in response to the arrival of a rather small individual that stood at nearly five feet, yet not fully there. The girl sported the most wild of jet black curls freefalling around her tiny figure to her waist. The mismatched eyes, left a vibrant green and the right a startling blue (a most perfect match to the Icy-one’s eyes), landed on the only being in the room that mattered to the youth, her mother. The girl wore a gown that was tattered and old, but it revealed the ink’d markings in forest green down around one leg that appeared to be a tail fused to the flesh with magic. If Emilia had dark hair and one green eye this would be exactly what she would look like. The resemblance was without denial, they were related, yet this child was not in any way sporting of the Genasi traits. As she walked in the sense of death lingered around this girl, a walking ghost between the realms of living and death, a cold chill that was nothing like what her mother’s brought for hers was of the final resting cold. Glaring eyes landed from Emilia to Thamalys and it was in this moment he could feel a probing stab at the edge of his psych, the girl was trying to get into his mind. If he’d allowed it he would hear a voice of a small one asking, “What happened?”. Clearly, she wasn’t going to talk to him aloud.

Thamalys‘ ink was about the leash out into some form of angry creature, hearing the words of the old healer. She was obviously right, but leadership needs lies of that sort, not the cold reality at any time. Not that it mattered, as everyone in the room save for Avian and Genasi suddenly fell on their knees. “What in the name of the Wind…” whispered in a undertone the Spellblade, hopping down the slab he was perched upon - thus wrecking the bandage some healer just managed to carefully wrap around his leg shoulder - and reaching for Stain, its greedy, metallic shape leaned against the glass of the majestic window. The sunset fell oddly onto the small figure of the small child, who was evidently the sole responsible for the pain that engulfed the healers. The Avian was no exception - his head felt as shattered in thousand of broken shards; and yet, he knew pain like very fed did on Lythridel. Slowly, as if hindered by an invisible mighty tide, the Winged Beast moved closer to the Genasi - to protect her, he initially thought, but something within the features of the tiny creature told him the kid was not there to harm. Well, not to harm the Wintry Lady, at least. Then, if possible, the pain surged to a new level when the question carved a space in his mind. “Release them first…” he went through gritted teeth, obviously gesturing toward the healers, still rolling across the floor like sickened dogs, “… and I will tell you soon after, Little One…” promised the Avian, the blackened edge of Stain slowly approaching those raven-head child. Despite the presence of the Genasi, the Ageless Black stirred - that was beyond unusual. Death, an impossibly tempting allure for an evil being as such.

Emilia || Lynn stared at the figured of the winged man that towered over her small figure while blocking her mother in the same moment, standing between the two. An exhale left the lips of the girl, paled in a hue cross between purple and grey, as the sound that had caused an entire room of unexpecting healer’s to fall to their knees. It did not simply end, but there was a swooshing wave of a calming that followed to relieve the previous pain. Many of the novice healers were quick on their feet to get out of the room. The same healer that had spoken previously gave small bow, “Lady Lynn,” and then turned to face Thamalys with a look across her face as if the woman had just narrowly escaped death herself, “A child born third in line of innocence and the eldest kind of darkness, the likes you wish to never know, rocking between death and life, daughter to Emilia and Xersom.” It was a bit of a long introduction from the elder healer that showed signs of knowing this child. It could be fathomed that the innocent part stemmed from the mother while the darkness from the father. A name of old lore of the land, a dark dragon of old. There was little time after she was introduced and the child was screaming, not talking this time, into the mind of Thamalys, “Explain, Now!”.

Thamalys made very clear what needed to be done - to the very few healers who did not manage to reason as much: “leave, all of you…” ordered the Spellblade, eyes nailed onto the mismatched one of the child. “Daughter?” stupidly repeated the Avian to no one in particular, for once genuinely taken aback. “She never…” but whatever he was about to say, the Little One cut short, her will exploding within the battered head of the Winged Beast. Stain trembled, the tip falling to the ground. Even Thamalys the Blue had to reach for the very slate the Genasi laid upon in search of support - such an awful power into a creature so young. But then, he was not ready to concede on a whim, not yet. “Patience, Little One…” spoke loudly enough the Avian, stepping away from the child to take a sit aside the worryingly still shapes of the Genasi. “This is the house of the healers, not a playground - not even for one as peculiar as you. But then…” he added, quickly enough to hopefully avoid retaliation from the deathly child, “… if you really have Emilia’s blood in you, I am yours to command, I guess. Explanations, then…” and with that, the Blue laid Stain on the marble, perching himself in a slightly more comfortable pose, the rims of his wings trembling slightly in the process. “Your mother went missing days ago, while busy with the Guild’s affairs. As it turns out, she was abducted by a swat of frankly disgusting creatures, who held her captive for days. These lizard-like beasts, these Razurath, as they call themselves, are clever bastards; they managed to deny any sort of magic within their territory, while feeding on the very magic within powerful creatures such as dryads, witches and… well, your mother. It is over, now. She has suffered greatly, that I cannot deny - and perhaps I was late in taking action. But if you know yourself a tiny bit, you know that the kind of you and her does not get beaten easily. She will be back, of that I am certain. Well, does that satisfy you, Little One?” inquired the Blue, caning his massive head on the right, studying closely enough the face if the child. Yes, there was quite something of Emilia in there… and more. Why did she never mention her? || Born third in line, you idiot… there is so much more you obviously do not know! Sister, eh? So much for trust… || chuckled the Black, taking serious advantage from the absence of the Genasi’s mind. And yet, Lynn, might have felt him… a dark, ancient presence within the Avian, throbbing though his thoughts as well as into the metallic core of Stain…

Emilia || Lynn raised a brow the moment that the Black spoke within the mind of Thamalys, almost as if the child born of a similar ancient darkness could connect with the Black. However, she said nothing of it, only paced two small steps closer to him. The one healer could be heard calling into the room, “Play nice, Lynn,” in an echoed whispered that reached the room before the doors swung shut as if slammed two giants had done it. One guess who it was. Again, that voice pressed at his mind, did this girl know how to speak aloud? Perhaps not. The words flowed with less anger than before since he had explained it, “I sport the blood of the human she once was with the blood of another, so no I don’t command you. We share different blood. To that, I don’t know this woman like you seem to believe. She went mental awhile back after the turning and our father took us from the lands. She is as much of a stranger to me as you are. Yet, I know she went missing, you Idiot. I seen her spirit in the ‘tween lands. Not a place you expect to see someone. But what it seems to me that is presently missing in this equation is Who are you? And what darkness you do you bond with?” Those eyes glanced beyond the man to point at him then the sword, then to the lifeless looking body near him. Her voice echoing again, “Healing house? I fear failure is evident if you don’t pay attention to how long that heart doesn’t beat. Promise you, the longer she lingers in the ‘tween the less chances you have of brining her back, if that is what you actually want. Alive or dead?” Almost as if talking about the Genasi there was a glimmer of something in the air for a split second. Not only a child of death and ancient darkness, but she could see death.

Thamalys || “Will talk blood ties later, Little One. For one thing, you called me names, and you still draw breath - that is a first…” pointed out quite slowly the Blue, subtle tongues of fire dancing upon his skin. Sven, he could muster some control those days. “As for myself, you can call me Thamalys, and my darkness does not concern you, child. Do not make the mistake to think you are the only one in this room having to deal within things darker than a moonless night. But then, all of this is pointless. Your mother is sacred to me - what do you mean by the ‘tween? Alive, by the Wind, I want her alive!” thus spoke the Winged Beast, in a voice loud enough to weak the dead. And yet, the Wintry Lady did not move still. “I am a Healer, I might know some old magic, by I am no God - are you? Tell me, just tell me what needs to be done to have her back - there is nothing in Lythridel I won’t give.” snarled the Blue, a boundless fury mounting into him.

Emilia |Lynn stared at the man as if he was deaf as well as an idiot when he babbled on after she had told him to check on the still heart of the woman laying near him. How sacred was she to him? There in those eyes flashed a darkness that rivaled any for a blip before a pair of leathery green dragon wings unfurled through slits in the gown hidden by those dark curls. A few flaps and the little child was hovering above the ground glaring the avian down. Was this child going to attack? Flee? It was questionable. What was not questionable was the scream that echoed in this mind, “Shock her! Hearts are meant to beat in a chest, Idiot Thamalys. Then I will explain the ‘Tween to you.” Hovering, arms folded the child would wait for the Healer to do something about the woman he wanted to see alive over dead. She was no healer, the child didn’t move to fix or help Tham in his task at hand. She would however, pester into his mind, “Ancient darkness lurks within you as much as it lurks within me. Perhaps this world is too full of mushy ones that it has forgotten how things in the world work. Like attracts like. Thus, darkness seeks darkness, light seeks light. You seek her as much as darkness does, except the darkness doesn’t want her to live. It cannot be free as long as she is alive.”

Thamalys frowned, as if the child was talking rubbish after all. Surely the many healers around Emi would have checked her heartbeat? And yet, the Little One sounded quite sure. Without a word, the Avian twisted on itself and step down the slab, turning to face the a rather perfectly immobile Genasi. The kid was right, there was no pulse to be heard. “Oh, for the love of…” sweared the Blue, rushing toward one of the many wooden shelves littering the walls. Vials and boxes flew everywhere, as the Spellblade frantically rummaged through the mighty mess. “Where… I swear, I’m going to kill that old crone with my bare hands… ah, there it is!” triumphantly yelled the Winged Beast, holding in his right hand the tiniest vial, filled with an especially painful receipt based on repeated distillation of ephedra plants. A syringe shortly followed - not a small one either. A big thing of steel and glass, the tool of a horse dealer. The Little One might have frowned a bit herself, when the Blue lifted the scary nail high above his head, only to smash it full tilt through the sternum of the Genasi. The dose was enough to revive a wild boar - was it enough, though? Time will tell…

Emilia || Lynn would watch with arms folded over her chest, almost like an angel of death waiting for Thamalys to fail so that she could escort the soul to the other side. There was a sound in this moment that echoed in his mind? In the room? Both? One could not tell during the panic of the winged man searching in quick pace for something on a shelf. Finally, he listened. Why did she have to repeat herself to adults the child questioned herself simply content to watch him work. It was in the moments that he went to slam the most massive of needles into the frozen woman’s chest that she could be heard again, “Idiot. Idiot you are…You haven’t the strength to bust metal with that thing.” As if on cue with his actions, the part he forget was her metal coated bones laying beneath the flesh. It was a hard impact, the vibrations could be seen through the instrument into his hand as it impacted with the metal coated sternum of the Genasi. Well, it didn’t break through like he wanted. Instead the metal curved folded the bone into two, splitting out of the flesh on either side of his impact point. A dark chuckle, “Are you really a Healer? Are you really trying to save her? Or is that darkness trying to kill her?” A taunting laugh followed suit before another round of words found him, “Here, let me help you…” Without moving closing Thamalmys could witness more of the mind powers this child was gifted with at birth with that dark ancient magic. As if glowing brightly beneath the flesh he could see the liquid moving at the will of the child, redirecting around the bent mental bone into the heart beneath it, where he seemed to want it to go. Time would tell how well the unlikely pairing mixed together. After a moment Thamalys’ drug could be seen working with the faintest rise and fall of a chest coupled with the faint sound of a beating heart, if beating most rapidly. Still, she didn’t wake, but she wasn’t dead.

Thamalys felt the impact of metal against metal reverberating though his bones, from fingers to elbows, from shoulder till teeth, rattling. The needle shattered, the metal-coated bone resisted. Yes, he did forget about that particular detail - he growled, like a wounded beast. Lynn’s words did not help either - notwithstanding the fact the Little One somehow managed to get the drug in place. The Blue could feel the battered chest of the Genasi returning to something similar to breathing motion. He exhaled, grateful enough, while turning toward the child. “Thank you”- that was everything he managed to muster. A substantial part of him would have genuinely loved the idea to cut the insolent brat to pieces, but she - did - save her mother after all. The rest was irrelevant. In perfect silence, the Avian leaned over the Wintry Lady, caressing her brow with infinite care. “Rest, Sister…” he whispered softly in her ear, right before picking up Stain and stepping away from mother and daughter. “It would appear your mother’s now in better hands than mine… I trust you’ll know what to do next, Little One. If not, call for me, would you?” offered the Blue, not even for a second turning around. With no little effort - the bandage across is shoulder was soaked crimson again, by then - the Winged Beast thus opened the massive door, disappearing into the innards if the House soon after. “Born third in line… Sven, what about the other two?” muttered the Avian, before vanishing into the white corridors he used to call home.

A few hours later...

Emilia still lay on the marble slab without showing signs of reaching a conscious state. The body seemed lifeless with the long dreads of white falling in a mess around her after having been moved more than once during the last night. Yet, what has changed is the color of the woman, or well parts of her color have faded again into the flawless white of winter. The cold spread like vines of a tree outward from her core reaching to the shoulders and just past the hips, while the limbs still appeared more lively human flesh colored. Within the room there was only one other living being, Lynn. The child was sitting at a small table that had been brought into the room for her with a chair that matched in size for the little lady. Those crazed wild jet black locks had been pulled up into a most messy of buns atop of her head, little horns poking out the sides. Emi’s daughter had not left the room since she arrived to it, refusing to allow her mother to slip back into the ‘Tween again. Sitting on the table before the girl was a chess board made from an opal and obsidian stone with pieces carefully crafted into the playing pieces as different creatures. White winged folk that resembled the avian folk and the black appeared to be drow if one had to guess. On either side of the table pieces were removed on both sides, yet the side opposite the girl sported no chair and no one there to play. Staring at the board with mismatched eyes the child moved a pawn forward on the board. Silence. The room was eerily silent until white knight piece could be heard dragging over the board without a hand attached. As odd as the death touched child was the way in which the piece moved, without grace and ease, it was evident it wasn’t her moving the piece.

Thamalys paced himself, measured strides bringing slowly but steadily toward the very same room where, he knew, he would have found mother and daughter alike. He had some time to meditate on… well, the very existence, for a start, of Lynn - and, on top of that, the scary quantity and quality of consequences emanating from such a tiny, yet horribly powerful being. Dressed in black, tight leathery pants and a rather tattered shirt, doing a decent job in covering his tattooed skin, the Blue eventually reached the huge wooden door. The metallic dragons on the hinges seemed to look at him with some hunger - or perhaps it was just the byproduct of that awful headache that already mounted upon him, like a black tide raising within his mind. “That bloody kid…” groaned the Winged Beast, swinging the door open. Within the room, more or less what he expected. Firstly, he gazed upon the Wintry Lady - still as stone, but breathing, perhaps - or was it just his hope? - even regaining some colour. Then, the Little One, crouched on… a chessboard? “Fascinating…” whispered the Healer, while trying to counteract the black tide. “Lynn” simply acknowledged the Blue, carefully stepping close enough to said board. “How’s your mother?”

Emilia || Lynn never lifted her gaze from the game before her. Spirits were known to cheat if you were not paying attention. Her voice poked into his mind, same as the time before, this child simply either could not or refused to communicate out loud, “Are you a blind bird? She is right there, breathing and stuff.” Whatever relationship was between these two it was as awkward as the dark child playing chess alone. This time she moved a bishop across the board, removing the knight previously moved across the board. Silence lingered again. Yet again with little grace a winged opal piece, a pawn this time, scrapped across the board as if being drug by an old weak hand hardly able to handle such an act. This move was quickly countered by Lynn as her bishop took out another of the opal pieces. Now she waited for their next move while never lifting her eyes from the board. “She only found the ‘Tween once last night for a short moment, never fret she came back faster with a good fist to the chest…twice” a lingering word left in his mind.

Thamalys' eyebrows flinched just a little. “Not blind, no. I can see she’s breathing fairly regularly now - and of that I am glad, But you seem to have access to… deeper, shall we say, levels of understanding than I do. Ah, yes- this ‘Tween…” kept going the the Blue, carefully sitting right in front of the board. With no apparent hurry, he managed to cross that impossibly long legs. “I seem to recall I gained the right to an explanation… is this a good time, Little One? You seem to be fairly focused on this particular match… against… who exactly?” he went, with his right hand probing the queen opal piece. Would it move? Would it transform into a wyvern instead? Time will tell…

Emilia || Lynn The queen of opal wobbled for a moment after the poking finger of the avian probed it. The piece went still for just a moment after before a loud ear shattering shriek rung out through the room, an unearthly sound that did not belong to the child for it was aloud in the open space and not of the Genasi for she didn’t stir in the slightest. The loud sound was followed by a shattering of the queen into little pieces across the board after a gust of deathly child washed from the room. Those eyes of the child slowly lifted from the game that was clearly now over to rest on the winged man. Lost in those mismatching hues a look that could kill if she had that ability. The stone cold voice rang into his head, “An elderly woman that died here, but is stuck in the ‘Tween. Which I suppose is a fine time to answer you on now that you ended the game. The ‘Tween is the space between this world and the next world. It is another realm where souls go after they leave the body. Lost nameless souls trapped between a final resting and being alive.”

Thamalys barely moved in response of the frightening howl - he expected something along those lines after all. “Oh - sorry about your game. Here, this’ll do…” went the Blue, taking off a plain silver band from one of those long, bony fingers and placing it with a metallic thud on the board. Carefully, he then slid the impromptu chess piece forward - a bold move for the greedy to fall into. “A space in between… we called it otherwise, but had no control over it. Whilst you can have a peek into it, if you want to? Who else do you see? Sadly, and despite our best efforts, this room has seen many deaths… “ The gaze of the Blue never left the board. He could feel the rage of the child, as piping hot steel burning upon him - and yet he waited.

Emilia || Lynn with a finger pushed a pawn forward of all pieces that she could choose to move on the board at this point in the game, she choose a pawn that could easily be taken out by the ring-queen he put into play. The question he asked seemed so silly, but this man-bird-person did not know a thing about her, this much Lynn had put together by the pure shock at meeting her. Shaking her head, a long lock of black falling from the bun into her face, “Peek into it? Silly, Bird. I -see- in the ‘Tween all the time. It overlaps on the living world. For me? This world you live within is a blurr, while the other is crystal clear. I was born into the ‘Tween and brought back into the living world. I suppose, my father tells me I am an anchor between realms. So, I can see anyone that is in the ‘Tween at any given time.” It was then those eyes of the child’s light up like stars in the night sky and a strange smile flashed, “Do you want to see it?”

Thamalys nodded, while freeing a rook from its rather constrained positioning. “Interesting. Do your siblings see in the ‘Tween as well?” suddenly asked the Blue, eyes flashing while leaving the board to meet those mismatched irides. Hard to discern what sort of sentiment was driving the child while she came up with that proposition. Others would have stayed away from a mysterious limbo very much close to death itself… but the Winged Beast feared little, and his curiosity was rarely to be denied. “I do…” simply stated the Avian, leaning back to lay both hands on the tiled floor, waiting - he did not know for what, but he knew there was little he could do to prepare itself. This game was played far from his realms, and well beyond his expertise. “Ready when you are, kid…” muttered the Blue. There went nothing…

Emilia || Lynn shook her head at his question about her siblings but didn’t say anything in the matter on them after that. If that was his way about fishing for details on them, he wasn’t getting anywhere by hinting at them. Somehow the child knew that this man, of all people she offered to look into the world beyond this that he would accept it. Sliding from her seat the girl closed the distance between them while speaking into his mind, “Relax and let don’t fight me.” Little instructions as she went and placed her hands onto his face, one on either temple. It was one thing to have the girl probing into his mind just to share words, but to share her sight was another. The probing went into a deeper level to reach the connection he would have to share with her. It was mostly painless as she tapped into his mind forming that basic connection to allow him to see her world. At first the living world around him would become a blemish of smear colored underneath a world of black and grey in crystal clear vision. Thamalys would be able to see Emilia laying on the slab as a smear of a being. Wandering the rooms people of all shapes, sizes, races, and ages. All those that died in this room lingered around some fading in and out of the main door as they traveled within the house of Ara. While looking around this realm he would be able to almost feel the cold wash of death as if he was standing in the ‘Tween himself, only if was the feet of Lynn’s if he was to look down. Her soul lingered in the ‘Tween while her body remained solid in the living world. Now, this, this was a glimpse of the present state of the limbo world. Her words splaying into his mind like an echo now, “Breathe…” The world around him would then spin as it danced into a blurr as time seemed to speed up? Or was it going backwards? Backwards. Suddenly he would be watching another time and space where the Genasi was at another time, unconscious lingering in the limbo world while the living blob around it revealed the woman, he called sister being cut apart and put back together in a repeated loop. A living soul before the chest was ripped open, the soul drifting into the ‘Tween as the body underwent numerous terrible experiments. Cruel child. It would keep playing until he said to stop.

Thamalys acknowledged the prescription of the child - or at least he tried to. Those tiny hands were colder than those of the Genasi, and that was to say something. Suddenly, he dived into a bizarre, if quite macabre indeed, carousel of figures, some of which he did recognise. “Talis and Ebron, and your brother as well… by the Wind, why are you here still? I do not understand…” lamented the Blue, sized into a sadness he did not know he could feel. The Little One’s warning came as a timely reminder - the Avian managed to inhale some air, but failed to complete the circle, as the nasty little creature presented the Blue with an evil display of the Wintry Lady’s painful past. That, was way too much for the Spellblade to endure. “Enough!” he cried, blindly raising his right with a speed dictated by a feral rage. The himself stirred, content of such a primal gesture. Child or not, Lynn would have found herself with the burning mark of five fingers on her face, the full blunt of the T’zur carved into her cheek. He did nothing to deserve that pain, and he wanted to made sure that was clear enough.

Emilia || Lynn would slide back with the force of the fingers into her face, leaving behind a very clear mark of the impact with her cheek. Hitting the child was like hitting a slab of stone. Was it possible this child was more solid than her mother made of ice? The child sported half human and half dragon mix traits, no Genasi traits that Emilia did. Yet, seeing that fleshy human looks on the woman on the table and one could see the link between the two if they squinted. The girl did not flinch or even lift a hand up to feel the mark lingering, but she did laugh in a most creepy of giggles into his mind, “What? Can’t handle the past? Or the dead lingering all around you? Big ol’ birdy such as yourself should be able to stomach one of the many times your beloved sister found herself closer to death than to you. If you really want we can go into your memories and play around there. See what lingers in them that your eyes cannot see? Oh, what dark secrets are you hiding from mommy dearest?”

Thamalys recoiled from the blow who threatened to reduce his knuckled to dust. What sour of creature was he dealing with? “An evil one, of that much I am sure…” pointed out the Blue to nobody in particular. He remained seated, still cross-legged, if breathing rather heavily indeed. The Winged Beast closed his eyes and invested some time in shaking his head, almost as id he wanted to shake off those gloomy visions Lynn gifted him. “Leave me alone, Little One. I have nothing to hide, although I bet my past would offer some juicy opportunities for you to play with. Is that what you truly enjoy? Shame…” he went, almost lazily rising to his feet and stepping at Emilia’s side, laying both hands on her chilling arm. “Your mother deserved better than you. We might be monsters, we might ravel in blood and pain. We might be cruel, at times, that is very true. But there is always a reason, always a price to be paid. Such is not the case for you - playing games, like children do, only with powers so great you shouldn’t even be allowed to draw breath. I pity you - go on then. Play some more, I am sure your ethereal friends have time to spare. Myself?” he added hastily, and with some purpose, twisting his head to face the Little One. “I have work to do. You call me names - must make you happy… - but at least I try to lift some pain from the living instead of burdening them with deathly wishes. I, for one, hope you’ll crawl back from whatever sinkhole you crept from - the house of Art is no place for those who seeks pleasure in letting death on our doorsteps. Have fun - if you even know what that means, that is …” concluded the Avian, stepping away. Two whistles, and some Healers would have rushed to the door, panting. “There is nothing you can do about Miss Lynn, I am afraid… anything unusual - I mean, especially unusual - I want to know about. Crucially, keep an eye on our Leader. I wouldn’t trust the care of such a daughter…”

Emilia || Lynn was just that, an evil one. One raised by ancient evil in darkness lost in a world not her own, yet another all her own at the same time. One cannot guess if being raised by the mother over the father would make a difference in this child. Perhaps the powers of hers were too much for the girl, yet she showed a deal of control over them. The two healer’s that came to the door were soon followed by a third one, the elderly woman from the previous day that seemed to know more about the child than any of the others. There was a shaking of her head sending wisps of grey into her face, “Come now, Lady Lynn, I think it is time that you go. I suspect your mother is clear of dying if you are playing games in here. Report back to your father that she didn’t dead. Not sure why the man keeps such tabs on the lady with the divorce, then again no one has ever fathomed what your mother changed in him either. Run along now,” Edwena shooed the girl out of the room raising a brow to the print on her cheek. Lynn would leave last words to Thamalys before heading the shooing of the elder healer, “Lift pain? Yet, you let her sit there writhing in pain that keeps her lost to the living world. Sooth the pain and you will find she will wake faster. Imagine your pain sensors being turned off high out of nowhere and left on. Take care, Birdy.” With a gleam of a smile the girl nodded to Edwena, a silent conversation left to the winds before the girl was out of the room. It was now that the healer turned to Thamalys, “Little thing returned not too long ago. Can’t say many…if any get along with her. One unique creature of darkness there. Sorry if she got to you. I should have given you more warning yesterday about Her.”

Thamalys watched with some amazement the old Healer managing without too much of an effort the Dark Child - he would have asked about it later on. No point in trying to have the last word with a kid - no matter how deathly, but Edwena deserved an answer. “I doubt you could have prepared me for Lynn - little one can do to plan for such a dark storm… no, if anything I would have had Emilia to at least tell me about the existence of such a daughter. Ah well, there will be time… now, we might as well follow Lynn’s suggestion and try to ease our Leader’s pain… shall I go fetch my personal stash? Yes, yes, I do have a good amount still…” kept going the Spellblade, the conversation now thickening again after the departure of the Little One. It was as if the clouds were lifted - perhaps a good time to try to bring back the Genasi for good.

This RP is linked to: RP:Abducting a Arcane Icicle Farmer