RP:Through the Forsaken Fate

Tyler walks alone down the battered path of Kelay Way. The night has claimed the small village and the darkest of creatures have emerged to dabble in their wrong doings. However, tonight, this doesn't bother the man. His arms are wrapped around his stomach and his face is blistered red, his eyes stained from an emotional moment. At his side rests the old reliable satchel, the notebook held tight inside. Tyler seems to surprise some of the larger predators of the area. Their insults seem to fall upon deaf ears as he continues down the way. Hell, some find him as little more than a dead man walking in his current condition. The broken rib, paper white flesh, no meat beneath his skin, the blood stained maw and burned arms were cause enough for some to leave him be. It doesn't take long before he reaches the front of the old tavern. His mind begs him to continue walking to his destination but his legs plead for a rest. He doesn't enter. Instead, he takes a seat on the bottom stair of the drunkards den and pulls out the notebook. He flips to the page with the necrolyte temple and continues scanning it, pulling out a quill and ink jar he'd found in the trash up north. His own notes scrawled on the sides of the page as he deciphers the other man's old notes. Every so often he sniffs, be it from the cold or from his sobbing on the way. His hand reaches to his neck and clutches for something that isn't there. He feels his heart ache with every grasp. He presses through, drying his eyes with his left hand before continuing his writing with the right.

Skylei is on her way back to the tavern, walking down the opposite side of Kelay Way. The night is illuminated by the small flame that bursts forth from the palm of her hand and the half-elf is clearly unsettled by the various groups of people that lurk on the road making dodgy deals and planning illegal gains. People ignore the half-elf as she walks; she’s clearly armed, both in magical terms and also with the blackwood bow that sits in clear view on her back. As she reaches the steps to the tavern she spies a man sitting in her way, drawing closer and illuminating him fully with the light from her flame. It’s Tyler. Skylei sighs and closes her palm, extinguishing the source of light and warmth. She looks down at him, knowing that he will have felt her presence and wondering what on all earth she can say. Her hand reaches around her own neck and grips the amulet that she wears as she utters a word in greeting, “Uh…Hi.”

Tyler freezes in place as his book suddenly lights up, he hears the crackle of the fire in his ear and braces himself for an attack. However, as the hiss of the fire being extinguished reaches his ears he would slowly raise his head to face the newcomer. His eyes fall upon Skylei and he is suddenly mixed with panic and joy at the same time. His face gives away bother emotions as he takes a swallow before returning the greeting. "H-Hi..." At first he thinks she has sought him out for conversation but he quickly realizes he is simply blocking her path. "Oh. S-Sorry. Here." He pushes himself off the side of the step and sits in the dirt below with gritted teeth and a wince. He then turns his attention back to the notebook, fully expecting her to simply enter the tavern and ignore his existance.

Skylei takes his vacated seat on the step. She doesn’t even look at the door of the tavern, she sees the look on his face as he realises that it’s her. She tells herself that she’s imagining that look of joy, but it still compels her to stay with him. She attempts to ignore the fact that the floor is cold and the night is dark and the tavern with its food, warmth and bed sits only two or three paces away, sliding that oversized coat from off of her own shoulders and around his. If he didn’t want it and let it slide to the floor, she would leave it where it fell. She does slide her hand into the pocket of that coat and pulls out a single cigarette. She keeps it in her hand, not bothering to put it in her mouth and she certainly doesn’t bother to light it. Looking over his shoulder she looks at his notebook and queries, “What part are you up to?”

Tyler doesn't reject the coat, despite his first instinct being to toss it from his being and flee he instead grips it tighter around himself before continuing to stare at the book. As she speaks he waits for a minute, asking himself what to do next. Finally he relent and speaks, "Uhm... I'm not sure. There is some mentioning of that dark fellow and some temple..." Tyler stops and exhales he leans back a bit to turn and face Skylei with a grim expression. "You shouldn't be talking to me." He folds the book closed. With his heightened position she may be able to steal a glance at his neck and make note that the amulet is no where to be found, the satchel at his side folded out revealing an empty content.

Skylei doesn’t notice the absence of the amulet just yet. She’s just grateful for the fact that he doesn’t reject her offer of the coat. The cigarette is passed between her two hands, as the half-elf debates smoking it. It is cold, she is stressed and she cannot think of a good reason why she should not. Funnily enough the only thing that stops her from smoking is that she knows that new Tyler and old Tyler have never seen her do such a thing and that fills her with some element of apprehension. Her attention is drawn away from this debate and back to Tyler as he shuts the notebook, “Why shouldn’t I be talking to you? Do you want me to go?” Skylei jerks her thumb in the direction of the tavern behind them. “I have a room inside, and rum. If you want me to go then I’ll go.”

Tyler bites at the inside of his lower lip. 'Do you want me to go?', No. No he doesn't want her to go. But that ringing in his ears, the claw digging into his mind, the pounding in his chest screams for him to let her go. To stop talking and to release her, to show mercy and keep her from falling into anything deeper than she's already witnessed. He doesn't know how much time has passed. He is still staring at her. He swallows. What does he do? The truth. "Do I want you to go? No. But I need you too." He peels the pages of the book open once again and presents the notes to her. "I know how to speak to the creep that caused all this. I'm heading to the temple north east of here, and I'm going to confront him and find out what the hells going on. For all I know, I won't see you again." He stops. She doesn't care, he reminds himself. He replays the instance at the bridge where she left him to fight for himself, alone and scared he was forced to murder someone because she wanted to watch him suffer. He shakes his head and chuckles at his own stupidity. He tries to save his rant. "I don't want you to get used to seeing your husband's body, just to have it disappear again." He swallows again. "Fiance." He corrects himself before closing the book and stuffing it into his satchel. He sighs and looks to her again. "You're just going to wind up broken and confused all over again. You don't deserve that." His hand goes to grab for the amulet again but of course, he just grabs air. His eyes fall shut before he begins picking himself up slowly. "Just trust me miss Skylei, listen to your crazy lady friend." He inadvertantly refers to Josleen as he manages to gain footing and slowly starts trekking toward the city of the undead.

Skylei only hears the word ‘no’. From that moment on nothing he can say will convince her to leave his side. Soon she realises that the amulet is missing; as he reaches for it and finds nothing, her eyes are drawn to his chest and find it bare too. What has he done? Has he disposed of it? Or worse… But then he mentions her friend and all thoughts of the amulet flee from her mind. Skylei knows instantly it’s Josleen that he refers and a stab of betrayal goes through her heart, she eyes the coat still around Tyler’s shoulders knowing that in the depths of one of the pockets contains a cheery letter, dated only a day earlier chronicling some crappy tale about Ezekiel as though Sky is supposed to care. She knew. That bitch knew that Tyler was alive and said -nothing-. There is a big black mark against both her and Hilde’s names in Skylei’s book and gods forbid that either of them attempt to contact her any time soon. Skylei is furious with rage and pain and yet manages to conceal it behind an elven visage as Tyler gets up to leave. Skylei, of course, follows, “Do you not think I have a right to know what happened? Where my Tyler is and why you’re here in his place? Do you not think after all the crap I’ve been through I don’t deserve answers as much as you do?” Her voice isn’t angry, more quizzical. As she falls into pace with him and continues “And you call me Sky. You certainly don’t call me ‘Miss’ anything.” One final question, sounding innocent enough to unknowing ears “When did you meet my friend?”

Tyler moves quietly in comfort beneath the cold night sky. He wouldn't show it, but he is pleased when Skylei begins to follow him. He would nod in reply to her constant questioning, but he doesn't have a chance to reply by the time she announces her final question. "She's the one that attacked me with the purse." He admits, the human recalling his tale to Skylei of how Josleen had told him to just off himself and the world would be a better place. "However, just today I had ran into her again while looking for someone. You and her are close, no?" He asks with a sideways glance. "I gave her my amulet. She believes me that I'm not the other guy, but she still thinks it's best for me to steer clear of you. I agree." He stops for a moment and looks to her from the side. "I don't think it's healthy for either of us." He then proceeds with a sniff, "You're free to come with me. But I can't promise anything. I don't even know what's going to happen to be brutally honest with you. I might be following a dead end trail. Besides, I told your friend she didn't have to worry about me being around. If you're lover's words are right, then chances are, I won't be around much longer." He chuckles and nudges lightly into Skylei. "I can't protect him from the other lady once I'm gone though. So I hope you've got a plan."

Skylei falls completely silent as Tyler recalls that story. She pauses and asks a couple of questions for clarification, “It was in Cenril right? Maybe a week or so ago?” She attempts to keep her tone casual but Skylei is physically shaking in this moment. If he asked she would pass it off as her simply being cold as they continue to walk together under the night sky. Her own eyes are cast up to the heavens as she waits for Tyler’s answers, praying that they will come in the negatory form but knowing already that they will not. As for what will happen to Tyler’s 1 & 2, Skylei can’t think about that yet.

Tyler is a bit thrown off by Skylei's interest in Josleen's assault on him. In reply to her question he merely nods. "Yeah. Not long after I had woken up. I made my way to the city in look for work and I ran into her up on Beloy. Why?" He asks, halting as he sees her shaking. He places and open palm on her upper arm. "Are you alright?"

Skylei falls still alongside Tyler as he confirms what she already knows. Her shaking is no longer controlled and her body is trembling in rage, “That bitch. That *explicit*ing bitch! How could she know and not tell me?! She told me that somebody tried to mug her! We filed a report with the Cenril Guard!” For Skylei there is now no doubt in her mind that Josleen and Tyler met that day and that the bard deliberately lied to her, kept her into the dark about the resurgence of the one person that Skylei loves more than that same bard. She had cared for her, comforted her and lied to her face. That black mark against Josleen’s name grows and grows until it blots her entire name out. Skylei is filled with nothing but hatred. As good as her sister? Not anymore. Blood may be thicker than water but this betrayal cuts her deeper than any knife ever could. Skylei’s list of people that she loves and trusts without question dwindles further, and she looks at the man who wears the face of the only person left on that list; Tyler. Still shaking and with her face screwed up to prevent hot, angry tears from rolling down her cheeks, she holds her hand out to him, needing him to take it and offer her some kind of comfort.

Tyler is stunned as Skylei bursts out in anger, the human taking a small step back as his eyes twitch in fear that she is upset with him over something and was ready to attack. However, as Skylei turns her aggression to the other woman the man can only wait until she is finished. Her hand hangs before him and he looks to it and then back to her eyes. He reaches out and his feverishly sweaty palm takes hold of her own hand and he is shaking like her. "I-I... What the hell's goin' on?" His body is twisting and offering awkward motions as if he is chilled to the bone. He is concerned and afraid. His other hand would continue to shake as he reaches up and placed it on her wrist. Partially to support himself, the other to support her.

Skylei clings to his hand as though it is the only thing in the world that is preventing her from falling through the floor and down into the pits of hell. She stands still and shaking clutching his hand for a good few moments, thoughts churning through her mind as she continues in her struggle not to simply burst into tears again. Tyler was going to think that she cried at everything. Eventually she loosens her death grip on his hand, although she certainly doesn’t let go of it, before whispering a couple of perhaps overly dramatic words, “I feel like you. I don’t have anyone or know anything anymore.”

Tyler can't help but wince as she squeezes his hand, after all the man is nothing but skin and bone now. As she releases he takes a breath in relief but provides a frown at her words and begins to shake his head. He doesn't know what to say to provide any comfort to the woman. He's never done anything like this before and since his 'birth' he's only known those who are angered with him with the single exception of Hildegarde and slowly Skylei. The human stares at her for a good few minutes allowing an extended moment of awkward silence. His eyes turn to the sky as if he looks for something amongst the stars before he pulls his hand away from Skylei and wraps his arms around her in an embrace. He speaks, "I'm sorry."

Skylei welcomes Tyler’s embrace. She needs that comfort, someone to hold her and show her some kind of love. He may not have the memories of her fiancé, but he looks like him, and feels like him and he’ll do for now. After all, he is all that she has. She holds him there, wrapping her own arms back around him and burying her head in his shoulder. As they stand there a single tears falls from her eye and onto him. As she realises she is displaying her weakness, she backs away from him, shaking her hair so that it falls over her face and disguises her sadness, “We should get going to this temple or whatever it is…”

Tyler is unable to offer anything more to Skylei and as he parts his lips to speak an ungodly noise can be heard from the heavens above. In a mere matter of seconds metal can be seen raining from the sky onto the city to the east. The man is frozen in place as he watches what looked to be merely stars a few moments ago, becomes a city flying across the horizon. It only takes a few minutes for the entire spectacle to come to an end but the man is left with an awkward glare before turning back to Skylei and nodding frantically. "Yes. Lets." His hand is ready to snatch Skylei's as his fear drives him, but he fails to muster the courage, so he goes to take his amulet... right. All that is left to do is for the man to pretend he isn't afraid, and to respond to Skylei's actions in turn, as if he weren't longing to be in touch with her. His arms cross his torso again and his hands rest on his sides. He continues to the east, steering clear of Cenril, and heading for the temple.

Skylei wants to grab for Tyler’s hand again as the city flies across the horizon. What has moved the gods to such actions? She is afraid, very afraid and just as Tyler seems to be mesmerised by the event so too is she. In an ideal world she would grab his hand and run back to the tavern and hide. However this life is much less than ideal and so she simply stands awkwardly by his side as the gods go about their business and Armantium disappears towards Cenril. She would begin walking when he does keeping close and keeping pace, but leaving enough distance that it is unlikely they will bash into each other by accident. She makes no conversation. What is there to say? That night she’s lost a sister, seen the earth move above her head and embraced Tyler as though he were still her lover. She doesn’t know what to say and certainly doesn’t know what to think.

Nearly a half hour passes as the duo make their way toward the dark temple between Cenril and Kelay. It isn't until they come to a very intimidating crossing that would take them to the city of evil that Tyler speaks as he looks down to the massive drop off, "Not much further then." He looks to her for reassurence and where he should have bravery in his eyes stands only fear. The man is biting at his lip again. The way the moonlight reflects from his skin now only showcases the horrible state of his well being even further. He takes hold of the rope over the crossing and grips tightly as he begins to have a slight panic attack with heavy breathing and shaken legs. Then, without waiting Skylei's answer, he presses forward, coming to a halt every few steps to regain his balance and courage. The horrific sounds of the city before them sending chills down his spine. When he is halfway across the crossing he is unsure if Skylei has followed or fled, for some reason he picks now to call out to her, "I miss my amulet."

Skylei has followed. Of course she has followed. She is scared, she doesn’t want to be alone in the city that scares her and he is the only thing that provides her with any reassurance. Even her amulet, now that she knows that he is not wearing its twin, does not provide her with the same level of comfort that it once did. In comparison to his gaunt form, Skylei is the picture of health, though the moonlight serves to illuminate the deep dark circles beneath her eyes; Skylei clearly is not sleeping well at night, nor has she been for the last few weeks. Skylei is light and sure-footed across the bridge and would not need to pause to regain her balance nor find her courage if Tyler hadn’t been walking ahead of her. Her wood elf heritage and years spent living in the trees and walking on rope bridges leaves her walking like a natural. Once they reach the centre of the bridge, the half-elf would reach out and place her hand lightly on his shoulder before making him a promise, “Where is it? We’ll find a way to get it back. Or…” Skylei pauses, swallows deeply and makes him an unthinkable offer, “maybe you could have mine if we can’t get yours back.”

Tyler is startled by the hand on his shoulder, his jump causing the bridge to sway. Calming himself by taking deep breaths he relaxes as Skylei begins to speak. Though at her question he can't help but chuckle, assuming Skylei hadn't heard him back at the tavern. "Your lady friend has it. I gave it to her as a showing that she didn't have to worry about me being around her... or you." He laughs a bit as he continues. "Excellent plan that." Stepping off the edge of the bridge he grabs hold of the post dug deep in the ground as he awaits Skylei. Once she is there he taps his satchel lightly three times. "Something in here about a pair of blood stones. I need them. I'm guessing he did to, so they have to be at the site where he performed all this crap. I asked around and found out that the illustrations are of some temple up here. Darker and creepier than others, as, well only seems fit." He waves his hand across the gloom city that seems even more menacing in the night hours. "Do you know where it is? I've never been up this way, but I figure it's a good place to start." Tyler is exhausted from the walk, but unwilling to give up. He pants between sentances but finds his eyes locked with Skylei's, only dropping to steal a glance of her amulet. His frustration with himself grows ten fold as he recalls handing his amulet to Josleen. A good deed, he thought. The -right- thing, he thought. But now, here he is, side by side with Skylei wishing more than ever he had the amulet. Not to mention the buzzing in his head. Ever since he'd taken it off he can hear the hum that awoke him at night. The further he ventured from the amulet, the louder it got. He had no idea, the mistake he had already made. But who can blame him, the idiot knows nothing.

As Tyler wobbles the bridge, Skylei would grip his shoulder tighter. The last thing that she wants is for him to fall to his death when they’ve come all that way. Clearly she’d been too bothered by the fact that Josleen had known Tyler was alive to recall that she also had the amulet, “Right, yeah. That was a dumb move. But, I’ll get that back for you…” Skylei doesn’t know quite how she’d manage that. But, even if she had to grin and lie and pretend like she didn’t want to tear the bard’s hair out, she’d find a way to regain that amulet. As she steps off the bridge just beside him Skylei mentions one last thing on the topic of the amulet and his conversation with Josleen, “And clearly it hasn’t stopped you seeing me…”. As the man continues to pant she flat out ignores his talk of blood stones and rituals and temples, “Are you okay? You don’t look so good.” Once he’s replied (likely telling that he’s fine) she would then answer his question, “I didn’t travel with him, when he did what he did. I’ve only seen it in his memories” How hard can it be to find a creepy temple in Vailkrin? Not hard. Finding the right one? Like searching for a needle in a haystack. Crap.

Tyler decides to ignore the comment on his meeting with Skylei. He hadn't tried to find her after all, but then again he wasn't exactly sprinting away. He indeed lied on his condition and insisted he was fine and ready to continue moving, though at the mention of the amulet being regain, while he doesn't speak, the smile on his face speaks wonders. "Well, I s'pose the sooner we move the better." As the duo advanced into the city of evil, Tyler pulls the journal from his satchel and has it opened to the page with the illustration of the temple they seek. He holds it up at each of the likely matches only to walk away disappointed as he finds some flaw. Then again, the other Tyler could easily just been a crap artist in the first place if his hand writing is anything to go by. He is so wrapped up in finding the place that he actually manages to ignore the several taunts, hisses and stares from the citizens of the dark city. This goes on for well over an hour, and when Tyler is ready to surrender his search in order to take a rest something catches his eye. They are passing a grave yard and while most of the graves have been desecrated, one sticks out like a sore thumb. Pushing open the old rusted gate, Tyler begins moving through the resting ground, the eyrie soil beneath him feeling as thought it is trying to pull his boots in and claim him along with them. The keeper of the grounds is a rather agitated looking Skeleton he glares at Tyler with shovel in hand as he moves about, a rather taunting deed since he holds no features to present emotion with. Reaching the grave he bends down, a pop in his knees as he begins to examine the site. He hadn't paid attention enough to see if Skylei had followed or remained 'safely' outside of the fence, so he asks for no help. At the top of the grave rests a pair of gloves made of troll-skin. Surprised that no one has looted the items yet Tyler picks them up and slides them onto his boney hands, a bit big but he thinks if he were in proper weight they might just be a perfect fit. Squinting to the bottom of the grave, it's clear there is another object resting within. He doesn't hesitate to slide into the grave, his figure clear from view to any who aren't hovering over the plot itself. It's cold and damn well creepy as he swears whispers begin to ring in his ears. Kneeling once more he begins to rub his hands through the dirt and pick at the cloth below. Pulling it up reveals a set of black robes, speckled with hints of blood and wrecking of rotten flesh. A snap of his neck to the side allows him to gag as he fights to hold onto the cloth. Perhaps he's gone mental, but it feels like something is moving in the robe top. Tyler swallows hard and holds his breath as he pulls the cloth apart and reveals a bright red, still beating heart resting within. He let's out a shout as he tosses the robe to the ground and presses himself to the corner of the grave. After the initial panic he jerks himself to the side and tries to vomit, but all he provides is some heavy dry heaving along with a bloody mucus. The man hasn't eaten in nearly a week, of course there is nothing to expel. He makes odd audible whines and cries as he regains focus and moves back to the heart. Wrapping the robe back around it, he tosses it out of the grave. He tries to pull himself up but the grave is just above his own height of six feet and he isn't strong enough to life himself out. His nails dig into the dirt as he tries to claw his way up but exhaustion leads him to simply hang there and slap his head into the soil. At least, what he thought was soil. As his head connects with the dirt instead of a soft plop he feels a gooey slap which creates an odd sound like tossing some gelatin against a wall. Slowly peeling his head back he finds himself face to face with the corpse of another human. The visage of the deceased barely emerging from the dirt with sewn shut eyes and maggots burrowed into the mouth. Tyler screams bloody murder and starts tossing dirt everywhere as he tries his best to crawl from the grave.

Skylei stays quiet after Tyler tells her that he is fine and keeps her distance from the human. She follows after him as they search for temples, each time feeling deflated as Tyler refuses to accept that the temples they see could be the one in which her Tyler had performed the ritual. Even when the go into the graveyard Skylei hangs back waiting on the path that he has deviated from. She turns to look away from him and cast her eyes away from the weird skeleton that guards the area. She paces up and down as Tyler tries on the gloves and claws through the dirt. She doesn’t like to watch him desecrate the grave but, if this is the way to find answers, she won’t object. She’s drawn from her silent contemplation of the desecration of the grave by Tyler’s screaming. The skeleton guard of the graves doesn’t seem to care as the man screams loud enough to wake the dead. Skylei does. She’s far enough away that Tyler has continued to scrabble at the dirt for a good few moments before she reaches him. Then she sees the face of the deceased beneath him and she gags twice. It’s hard to keep the vomit down but she does. She’s used to seeing corpses, but not those that are disgusting and decomposing. Skylei is much more familiar with fresh kills, the ones that still have warm blood running beneath their skin. Still, in spite of her disgust, she still drops to her knees and offers Tyler one of her hands to assist him in climbing out from the hole in the ground, “What the hell were you thinking?”

Tyler snatches the offered hand and damn well nearly pulls Skylei into the grave with him as he forces himself from the grave. Once he is on the surface again, he falls to his back, his chest rising and falling at a rapid rate as his heart can be seen beating through his chest. His teeth are pulled tight together as heard by the cracking of his jaw. His hand is held tight to his ribs as the broken bone can actually be seen pushing against his skin, trying to pierce the flesh. Finally, after he has had time to process Skylei's question he snatches the notebook from the satchel and turns it to the page after the temple and tosses it to her before grabbing the robe and tossing it as well. The silk like cloth can be seen pulsing and the image in the book makes it clear. The heart in the cloth is Relyt's, and the search for the temple is over. Falling to his back again he raises his arm above his head and points directly across the street. There sits the temple upon the pages, it's a perfect match.

It’s a miracle that Tyler doesn’t pull Skylei down into the ground besides him. Fortunately the man’s recent weight loss means that he doesn’t possess the force to pull her into the grave and fortunately the both end up back on safe ground. Skylei can still smell the rotting flesh and the smell of death has made its way onto Tyler’s skin. She doesn’t want to go anywhere near him and yet, as he lies on the ground, she falls back to sit beside him. She catches the notepad and then drops it to examine the robe. The pulsing robe. Urgh. Skylei can’t bring herself to drop it to the floor and yet she is so utterly disgusted by it. Then he points to the temple and she knows that they’ve found the object of their mission. Neither of them can possibly know what lurks within the temple and Skylei is clearly uncomfortable with whatever lies ahead. Then again, she’s in a graveyard, holing a piece of cloth with a still beating heart in it. How more uncomfortable can it get? Even so she almost begs him to abandon what is a likely suicidal quest, or at least postpone it for another day, “We don’t have to do this now. We can go home and you can rest.” The hand that doesn’t hold the heart gestures to that rib sticking out in the most sickening of positions, “You’re sick, Tyler. I’m… we’re not ready to do this.” Finally she makes one last plea, though whether she is referencing his physical body or this new Tyler that has inhabited that body “I-…I don’t want you to die.”

Tyler is, beyond a shadow of a doubt, dying. The human has starved himself, he's dehyrdrated, his body is likely carrying infection judging by the pus that oozes from the uncovered burns and cuts on his arms and of course his rib that is literally shouting at him for medical attention, not to mention the light tone of his skin that now carries the same hue as a cloud. Though Tyler will not accept Skylei's request. The human takes another minute to rest before pushing himself up into a seated position, shouting the entire way as the bone in his chest turns back around. His head is shaking. "You don't have to come with me, miss Sk-... Sky. But I can't go another day, without knowing what the hell's going on. Hell, I don't even know if I'll make it another day." He collects the robe from her and his notebook and stuffs them both in his satchel before painfully standing. He would offer a hand to help her up but he knows his skin wreaks of death and he's afraid if he goes down again he won't be able to get up. So instead, he offers her an honest smile of reassurance. "I'll be fine on my own, if you don't want to come." He chuckles a bit as he pushes his grim covered hair behind his head. "You'll have your fiance back in no time." He then turns and begins to head toward the temple, unsure if the wood elf would follow or take her leave. Either way, he was ready to try and confront Tyler, to gain the answers to the questions that have kept him from eating, sleeping and even seeking medical aid. He was finished.

Skylei sits and refuses to look at him as he offers her a sickeningly honest appraisal of what will happen if they don’t go and confront what waits in the temple. She doesn’t move as he takes the objects from her grasp and gets up to leave. She doesn’t believe that smile that he offers her as reassurance. And so, as he walks towards the temple, she springs up from the ground and catches him up in a matter of paces. Ignoring the fact that he smells of the grave, she links her arm through his. It’s not about physical closeness to the man who may or may not be the same as her fiancé at this point. Skylei doesn’t trust him not to fall and die in the state that he is in. She knows that he won’t lean on her willingly and so she tries to persuade him that she wants to be close to him, in the hope that he will let her take some of the burden he carries. She doesn’t say anything about why she’s agreed to follow him into the temple. She just falls into pace with him and walks until they reach the temple entrance.

Tyler doesn't reject Skylei's touch, nor does he release anything on his person to her. The man indeed uses her as a crutch as they make it to the temples entrance. The outstanding feature, being that this place is deserted unlike all the others in the city. He wastes no time pressing the large stone door open, forcing himself to push his entire body weight into the door with his free arm for it to budge. As the door swings open dust flies up from the floor to connect with their visages as they enter. Tyler wipes at his eyes and blows out of his nose in an effort to clear it up. Once inside, the stone door shuts itself leaving the two of them in complete darkness. From Tyler's left hand sparks of light can be seen just before a small ember turns to a light flame in the clutches of his hand. He'd been practicing. The glow of the flame would offer a look at his face, that, while grim, holds a keen smile of pride that he was able to conjure the illusion and hold it. Despite how small it may be. Continuing through the temple with Skylei in arm, the place doesn't exactly look appealing. The walls are painted with a tar black paint leaving them nearly invisable while the decorations are of age old gargoyles, artifacts of demonic worship and surprisingly enough casual church pews. His hand is extended to offer some light as they move slowly through the foriegn building. A sharp whistle emits from Tyler's cracked lips and he stops to listen to the echo using the sound to guide his next few steps before repeating the process. At the helm of the temple is an alter, unsurprisingly littered with bones and dry blood. A chuckle can be heard as Tyler closes his palm to extinguish the flame. With the duo in complete darkness the hand that held the fire moves to grabs Skylei's shoulder opposite of Tyler and pull her face to face with him. "This part isn't going to be fun." He whispers and before she would have time to react, stomps his foot three times to the floor beneath them. It gives way, and soon the two of them are free-falling down a long dark shaft. The walls, if Skylei should brush against them, covered completely in human appendages, some of which still grab at the duo as they fall. Screams of origin other than the wood elf or the human can be heard as they descend, pleading for help while others damn the two in curses. Seconds feel like hours before they come to a halt, landing in a thick pool at the bottom of the chasm. The contents feel of water but the liquid is a solid black. This area is lit by candles and torches and all that stands before the two of them is a ritualistic symbol scrawled in blood and outlined with herbs with a pile of bones and a golden needle resting in the center. Though the water caught Tyler, he still managed to slam his ass hard to the bottom of the pool sending the bone in his chest spiking through his torso. He resists all urges to scream bloody murder and makes a quick effort to push the bone back into his body while submerged so Skylei can't see. He succeeds and by the time he comes up she wouldn't be able to notice in the dim light. Tyler is astounded at how his predecessor had managed to keep the notebook dry in his descent, as his entire satchel is now soaked. Silently, he turns to check on Skylei.

Skylei is disgusted by everything they find in the temple; the dust, the blood, the bones, the obvious signs of demonic worship that disgust the good girl sensibilities she holds so dear. How could her Tyler come to a place like this? There’s clearly so much about him that she doesn’t properly know and that leaves her feeling sick to her stomach. She almost wants him to extinguish that illusionary flame and allow them to move through the temple without her having to cast her eyes on the desecration that they find. She doesn’t light her own flame alongside his, rather allowing him to light their way. She sees the look of pride on his face, illuminated by the illusion and decides not to put a dent in that look on his face. Once Tyler stops them, she has enough time to offer him a questioning look before he stomps and they start their decent. Skylei screams as she feels hands grab at her flesh and curses coming from the wall, damning them both with the most vile words she has ever heard. She attempts to grab hold of Tyler to offer her some form of comfort; he is all that she is not afraid of in this place of horrors. But they are falling too fast and yet too slow all the same time and she cannot get a grip on him. He might have felt her arms brushing his skin as they fall but then again with so many limbs grabbing at his flesh he might not even realise it was her. Eventually they reach the bottom of the chasm and she comes to a sudden halt as she hits that solid black liquid. She manages to land on her shoulder. That same shoulder that seems to get continually injured whenever she’s with Tyler. It’s kind of their thing by now. The bone lets out a crack and Skylei whimpers. She can’t tell if it’s broken or not, but it throbs like a bitch. She can see that he is still there and she reaches the hand of the opposite shoulder to find him.

Tyler takes hold of Skylei's hand and his voice rings out in a rasp, scared voice that he tries to hide. "Are you alright? I'm sorry, I didn't know it was that far. I, I just-". He relents, there isn't anything he can say to apologize properly for sending her down a tube of bodies. Who the hell can? He sighs and begins walking with her in hand toward the ritual site. Once they are there is let's go of her just long enough to pull the satchel from his shoulder and toss it to the ground, he notices that thankfully the blood stones rest at the edge of the bones before moving back to her. He places a hand on her arm and provides her a look, "I'm sorry" he repeats with a more calmed tone this time around.

Skylei grips Tyler’s hand a little too tight. Even if he still wants to hide his fear, Sky isn’t bothering to hide hers anymore. Her words are little more than a squeak in spite of the fact that she aims to calm him and tell him that she’s not hurt, “I’m okay. I’m fine.” It’s not the right time to ask, but she’s got one question on her mind; how the hell will they get out of here? When they reach the ritual area and he lets go of her hand to search through his satchel Skylei even whimpers with fear and, as soon as that hand is placed back on her arm, she grabs it with her own and holds on tight, “Do you know what we do now…?” Skylei has no idea what happens next, she never read Tyler’s notepads in detail and she certainly never asked him about what it was that occurred in the temple with Relyt. She can only look to Tyler and hope that he knows what will occur next.

Tyler presses his forehead against Skylei's. It isn't a gesture of affection or anything of the sort. The man is weak and his body feels like it could give out at any moment. He takes a minute to collect himself before pulling away and nodding to Skylei. "Yeah... I do." He mutters. Letting go of her he pulls away and moves to the bones resting on the floor. He tears open the satchel and tries to flip through the notebook, it's no use as the pages have all been damaged from the 'water' when they entered the temple. The destroyed book is tossed to the side and he pulls out the robe with the beating heart. Unwrapping the cloth then placing the heart in front of him. He digs around the bones and reveals the two blood stones, setting them on each side of the heart. The shimmer of the golden needle in the bones catches his eyes and the man freezes for a moment while he examines the item. He is overcome with an odd desire to take hold of the artifact but quickly snaps free for the task at hand. Digging around in his pocket for a moment he pulls out the rustied old knife that is still stained with the vile blood of the orcs near Cenril. Not the most sanitary object to use but it will get the job done. Before Skylei has time to object Tyler has already sliced his palm open on the left hand, then takes the knife and slices the right. He looks sickly at the sight of his own blood but pockets the knife and takes hold of the stones either way. No sooner than his palms touch the stones would they start to glow, the amulet wrapped around Skylei's neck would soon follow suite and the temple floor would begin to shake slightly. The small flames on the candles and torches surrounding them would fight to stay lit as a chilled wind claims the cavern. The human before Skylei seems ignorant to the ongoing events as he struggles to keep his eyes open. The amount of blood being spilt around the stones a sickening sum though blue specks of mana rush about like rapids in a quick claim to the stones. For a moment, the lights extinguish and the cave falls silent. Then, without warning, the candles and torches emerge once again and nothing seems to have changed. Tyler remains hunched over the stones, his body swaying from exhaustion but just as he readies to kill over he hears a voice that does not belong to Skylei. "Why have you come here?~" His eyelids slowly pull open and he turns on his shoulder to face the pool that Skylei and he had fallen into, standing on the surface are two familiar figures. They are both, clones of Tyler. The one on the left is that who speaks. His visage is compiled of rotten flesh, malicious burns and scars but it is without a doubt a spitting image of Tyler. This figure is Relyt, his garb is a simple set of black robes with bone trim. To the right, stands another splitting image of the human. Though this one is in much better health than Relyt or the man hunched to the floor. This, is the real Tyler. His weight is on set at one-hundred and eighty pounds, and he stands six feet tall with a pale but healthy skin tone. He is wearing a set of illusionists' wraps around his legs and a large fur coat on his torso. It isn't long before this man steps from the pool and towards Skylei and her companion. "Sky... No." He speaks in a saddened tone. He moves toward her and extends an open palm to place on her arm, his other hand quick to find her side as he bites at his lip. "You shouldn't of come here, my love." While the original form entertains Skylei, the new Tyler is seen picking himself up from the floor and clinching his fists to try and stop the bleeding in his hands. He provides a look to the one before Skylei with a hint of malice before turning to face Relyt who still hovers over the pool. Tyler doesn't allow any time for formalities as he seems to find his voice and it booms across the chamber in a thunderous roar. "What the hell have you done to me!?" He cries to Relyt and his former. "Why the hell am I here!? Who the hell am I!?" He rears back and brings a strong punch to the side of his former's head, sending the healthy looking Tyler tumbling to the floor. "Why am I sent to suffer for your sins!? Why are y-" He is cut short as long black tendrils quickly wrap his entire being and slam him around the wall of the cavern. They tighten around his torso and quickly gag him to prevent him from speaking. Relyt stands at the edge of the pool with his hand raised, the tendrils escaping from his boned fingers. The former Tyler picking himself up and staring to Skylei, awaiting her reaction before he speaks.

Skylei screams again as Tyler cuts his hand open. She doubts it would have worked, but she’d rather have offered her own blood, or drained that of the amulet, than have him die before her. He’s still Tyler at the end of the day, and she still loves him. Then the wind picks up, blowing her hair wild and chilling her to the bone. Then the light is extinguished and any effort she makes to reach Tyler are ended. She just stands as still as she can with her hands pressed to her face. As the lights come up she sees the three. First her eyes full on Tyler’s current form, collapsed on the floor by the stone. Second she sees Relyt in the flesh for the real time, the sight of him chills her to the bone and she cannot look away from the dark one until her attention is swayed by the third Tyler who speaks to her with such sorrow. She knows, as she looks into the eyes of the this Tyler, that he is the real Tyler, her Tyler. She throws her arms around him and says only one thing, “I love you”. Her head on his shoulder she holds onto him tight. She is angry with him, angrier than she has ever been. But she doesn’t know how much time she has with any of the three Tyler’s and she doesn’t have the will or want to berate him for the suffering he has caused her. She would draw back and stare into his eyes, but before she has time to say anything further, Tyler has attacked his former self and sent him sprawling to the floor, Relyt then restrains Tyler with those tendrils and Skylei doesn’t know where to look or what to say. Her first concern is for Tyler’s current incarnation, “Stop it!” she screams at the dark form, “Can’t you see he’s nearly dead? For the love of gods, he’s you!” Skylei isn’t entirely sure if her final point is true but she doesn’t know what else to say. Turning back to the original form she utters a command, “Answer his questions. He… we deserve to know.” If he didn’t respond instantly she would utter another command, this time more aggressive, “NOW.”

Tyler watches from his pinned position on the wall as Skylei commands the dark entity and his former to release him. The former abides, and had planned too before Skylei even spoke. "Relyt, stop." He calls in a easy voice and as he does the tendrils vanish sending the current falling onto his ass on the cold stone ground. Tyler stares to his former with the same bloodlust in his eyes as he turns to spit blood and bile from his maw, the taste of the tendrils stinging him. He wants to taunt the two clones but can't bring himself to speak as he leans his head back against the wall and grabs at his ribs awaiting an explination.

The former steps back to Skylei and brushes her hair back before placing a kiss on her forehead. "I love you, too." He whispers before nodding, "And I suppose your right." He moves to the injured man and kneels before him taking a deep breath before he speaks. "I understand your frustration, you weren't supposed to find us. The journal was meant to prove your existance only, I didn't think you'd be able to decipher any of it."

Tyler growls at his former and spits in his face. "You don't understand shit, you coward. I don't know where the hell you get off putting me in your shoes, leaving me to fend for myself and take responsibility for all the stupid shit you've done, but it was a god damn mistake. You-"

He is cut short as Relyt glides over to the two of them only stopping for a moment to stare at Skylei and shake his head in disapproval. As he reaches the others his voice rings out in a chilled echo, "He didn't leave you with anything, you twit, You granted you peace~"

Tyler arches a brow and shakes his head at Relyt, his mouth pulled back in disgust at the disfigured visage of the dark one. Before he can speak the former takes the floor once more.

"He's right. To a point. All of us are just a piece of what I used to be. I allowed you to take my place to have a second chance. To do things right." He shakes his head and raises to his feet, turning to face the wood elf behind them. "After I had set off to kill Relyt, I had thought it would end the mania in my mind. To set me at ease, but all it did was further unbalance my being. Then, the creature at the beach showed up... I gave into my greed and took the needle. It drove me to do things... To cause you to do things." He moves to take Skylei's hand and gives it a firm squeeze, though he soon turns to face the current and finishes his story. "It wasn't meant to be a curse. It was meant to be a fresh start. You're me, before the struggles, before the pains, it's why I left you with the memories of a loving family and childhood, It's why I-"

"BULLSHIT!" Tyler begins to pick himself up at an alarming rate, causing Relyt to hover a few feet back, surprisingly a coward for such a strong creature. "I AM NOTHING LIKE YOU! I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU!" The blood from Tyler's hands stain the wall as he begins to move toward the wood elf and her lover. "I WOULD HAVE NEVER ENSLAVED ANYONE! I WOULD HAVE NEVER LEFT THE PERSON THAT MEANS THE MOST TO ME BEHIND!" His eyes fall upon Skylei before snapping back to the former. "THE PSYCHOTIC FRIEND SAID IT WAS ALL AN ILLUSION BUT I DAMN WELL KNOW BETTER! YOU'RE EVIL, YOU'RE A FIEND!"

The former seems a bit taken back by the statement but doesn't snap back. Instead he simply nods, "You're right. It wasn't an illusion. With the exception of my death, everything was real." He faces Skylei, ignoring the other two before him as he locks eyes with her. "I don't know what happened to me, and I don't know why I used you in such a way... I didn't want to hurt you anymore, so I left." He notes the ring around her finger and smiles lightly as he brushes it with his thumb. "I'm so sorry, Sky... I didn't mean for any of this to happen... I love you."

Tyler and Relyt stare at the opposing. Both men carrying a stare of disbelief and anger among them, the dark entity is the first to cry out. "He lies, elf~". The creature floats over to the two of them and places his hand on the formers shoulder. "He and I are of one being, you cannot have one without the other. We are a balance. He knew what he had done, and he knew what he was doing. Regret as he may, he was well aware, why do you think he chose to come with me rather than to stay in the mortal realm with you?~"

Skylei’s eyes flicker between the three Tyler’s as they argue and attempt to convince her mind of things. She and Josleen had sought to find evidence that the slavery was naught but mind tricks but all three tell her otherwise and Sky feels as though someone has punched her in the gut. It’s the truth. He had used her. He hadn’t even loved her enough to keep his tainted corruption from her. The belief that it had been illusions was the one thing that had allowed her to mourn Tyler’s passing normally. As he offers his apology for his behaviour, she pulls away from that brush of her hand against the ring she still wears. She can’t deal with that right now, all the joy she had felt at seeing him is pulled from her body and she just feels sick. “I just can’t… oh gods.” She falls down to rest on the ground, physically unable to hold herself upright any longer. Silently with her head in her hands, she vomits, not caring that it splashes back onto her flesh. What does a little vomit matter when your life has constantly been spun around and turned upside down? When you’re sitting in a ritual area with three forms of your lover, nothing else seems to matter. Eventually, she looks to former Tyler and utters a couple of words, “You were supposed to love me.” Her hand gestures to Relyt, feeling further disgust as she sees his hand fall on her fiancé’s shoulder. “He’s supposed to be gone!” Shaking her head the half-elf looks across the Tyler she had journeyed to the temple with. Her words continue to be directed to her Tyler, though her eyes remain trained on the present incarnation “Why would you do any of this to him? Why did he deserve to pay for your mistakes? He’s not even been alive a month and he’s basically dead, Tyler! You’re a god damned coward.” Finally her eyes are drawn back to Relyt and she pulls herself off the ground. Pushing former Tyler out of the way with all the force she possesses she rounds on the dark creature. Her face is thrust right up close to his as she spits venom at him, “As for you! You’re not even real! And yet I know, I’ve seen everything you’ve done to him. And that is real!” She takes a deep breath as though she has finished before screaming with all her aggression, “WHY CAN’T YOU JUST STAY DEAD?! We could have been happy without you! We could have had everything, and you took it all away! JUST DIE.”

The former Tyler is hurt by Skylei's words and he pulls away from Relyt, taking a few steps to gather himself. Relyt on the other hand now stands face to face with Skylei and a wicked smile spills across the entity's face. "Haven't you figured it out?~" A sharp cackle, "We're all dead~".

It's around this time that Relyt's eye go wide and he suddenly grips his chest and screeches loudly. Snapping his neck just in time to see Tyler's current form driving his rusted dagger through the still beating heart once more.

As Relyt hisses and recoils from the blows the former Tyler is quick in action, "NO!" He shouts, expelling a fireball toward the current. The inferno colliding with his shoulder sending him back to the wall. He's confused, he knew Tyler was an illusionist, but somehow the illusions managed to cause physical harm in this realm. While the former grabs at Relyt's heart, the menacing dark form is convulsing and his levitation drops as he falls to the floor and black acid spills from his chest.

Tyler grits his teeth and forces himself up, despite the pain from the new burn and all of his other injuries he finds himself back on his feet and quickly approaching his former. He brings a sharp boot into his side, knocking him over and brings the dagger down directly onto the formers heart. As the blade pierces blood spurts from the wound and into the current's face, a menace upon his visage. "The purse lady's right, the worlds better off with you just staying dead." He glances to Relyt as he twists the dagger in the formers heart, causing him to spew blood from his maw. "You've got her believing that thing is the source of evil." He leans down and locks eyes with the former. "But you created him." Tyler jerks the dagger from the former's chest and offers a quick slice to his throat, he then steals the heart from his grasp and provides another rapid three stabs causing Relyt to scream and claw at the floor until he finally lay motionless. The heart that Tyler holds in his hand turns to dust and blows away into the chamber, Relyt's corpse following soon after. He stares to his dying reflection. "You made the right choice in killing yourself... To leave this world and let it flourish in your absense."

The formers eyes are wide and scared, tears falling from his eyes as he bleeds out beneath the current's hold. The current finally pulling himself up and offering some final words, "There is no room in this world for the likes of you or any of your creations, but lucky me, I'm nothing like you." Another swift kick to the head and all life vanishes from the former. Out of the trio, only the current is left standing. He looks to Skylei and if he wasn't so damn dehydrated he'd cry for her. "I'm sorry." He calls out before holding his still bleeding hand to her. "It's what he'd want".

The flash is bright, and the sparks are clear. The lights dim throughout the cavern again and a loud pop echoes. Skylei is alone. Before she is able to move the floor beneath her suddenly shifts and a great force launches her into the air. It only takes a few seconds before she is launched through the front door of the temple and into the dirt beneath the now night sky. Silence would follow for a minute, the temple seemingly abondened once again. Then, the doors burst open and the body of Tyler flys from the mouth of the building and lands near Skylei. Clutched in his hand is his satchel holding the two blood stones and in the other his dagger. "Ow..." He mutters, the bone from his rib now clearly sticking out from his skin and shirt. Blood staining his entire arms and the fresh burn offering a disgusting odor.

He coughs and rolls over to try and spit but can't bring anything up. He can't help but chuckle a bit, "I think this is the part where I'm supposed to die." He expects Skylei to be the one to finish him and simply rolls over onto his stomach, closing his eyes awaiting the final blow.

Skylei is about to continue screaming in Relyt’s face when his eyes widen and he screeches. Skylei isn’t quick enough to realise that the reason for this screech is current Tyler’s attack on the heart that they had brought with them from the graveyard. She’s even more confused to watch the former Tyler attack his current form in defence of Relyt. She cannot comprehend any of the things that happen before her eyes until Tyler holds that dagger against his previous self and screams abuse. As current Tyler destroys his former self, Skylei finally reacts in the form of a blood curdling scream. She’s rendered useless from that point onwards. Isn’t it cruel for her to have to watch the man she loves die not once, but twice? In the few seconds that she has before she’s thrown from the temple Skylei throws herself onto the body of former Tyler and whispers something inaudible to anyone but her, tears roll down her cheeks and she continues to whisper words to the body that lies on the ground. As it falls dark, Sky is catapulted into the air. This time she doesn’t scream, she doesn’t even cry out as she slams into the dirt outside the temple. For a whole minute she lies there, her face pressed into the cold, damp dirt. Then Tyler, the new, real Tyler flies and lands alongside her. She’s never been gladder or been more hurt to see him. She hates him for killing the former Tyler and loves him for setting her free of the hold that Tyler’s darkness had over her. She’s furious that he would destroy the man she loves and grateful that he brought her the truth and closure. Skylei shakes her head at his words, she isn’t yet able to move from the ground, she’s nearly certain that the two blows she’s sustained have dislocated her shoulder. She certainly doesn’t want him dead, “This is the part where I take you home. And we find a healer. And then you live.” Skylei doesn’t believe, at this point, that’s possible, she can see his utterly broken form; he might as well be dead, but she refuses to give up hope, even as she lies on the ground. She keeps hoping because miracles can happen. She needs miracles to happen. This Tyler is all she has left now and she will not lose him without a fight. “You can't die.”

Tyler is relieved when Skylei speaks to him rather than finishing him off. The man mustering the strength to push his palm into the earth and lift himself up once more. He leans on his arm and chuckles to her, "What home?" He asks with a grin before looking around. He spots a building that seems to be bustling with life, a tavern none-the-less. He spots the sign and can't help but laugh at the name. 'The Hanging Corpse', He nods with a point to the building. "Let's head there... I'll take the healer provided they find us." He looks to his hand, the cuts filled with dirt and grime as he pressed it into the earth. He shakes his head and starts to pick himself up, the bone sticking out from his skin causing some great discomfort as he whines and stumbles a few times. Once he is standing he awaits Skylei's aid to move to the tavern, he -really- wants to get off his feet.

Skylei doesn’t clarify what it was that she meant by home. She almost feels a little stupid that she had assumed that he would even agree to go anywhere with her. The Hanging Corpse seems like a fitting place for the broken man to go and so Skylei agrees. What other choice does she have? She can hardly carry him all the way back to Kelay on her back (she’d probably be willing to give it a try). Sky pulls herself up from the ground letting out a low groan when she pulls her weight onto her shoulder. She would try to relocate it herself, but she doesn’t think she can bear to do so. In spite of the pain in her shoulder, she would take a few steps towards him and then pause, “I’m going to carry you.” She doesn’t give him any time to object, placing her arms behind his knees and picking him up. She can just about manage his weight, though with their height difference they look a little bit ridiculous. Unless he forces her to put him down she would carry him all the way to the door of the tavern before setting him down again. Her arms ache and the pain in her shoulder is now close to unbearable, “Can you make it from here. You can lean on me if you need.” Her good arm is wrapped around his waist and she pulls him close to her body, attempting to ignore the fact that he smells like a dying man and she can feel every one of his ribs.

Tyler doesn't object to being lifted. The gesutre is actually well appreciated as he melts in her arms. It isn't until he is put down again that he feels the weight of the world crashing down on him yet again. He accepts her offer and pushes all of his weight into her, which isn't much. As they enter the Hanging Corpse they get only a few glances. Surprisingly enough this place is much more laid back than that of Kelay Tavern and the patrons don't make a single remark about their poor state. In fact, only a few vampires allow their eyes to linger on the two of them for any extended amount of time, likely due to the blood covering Tyler's body. Upon entry, an elder man sitting at the bar had caught a glimpse of the two and quickly wipes off his hands before moving to Skylei. "Give'em here. Quickly now. He ain't got much left by the looks of it." The bearded man is of dwarven blood, but stands taller than most. He holds out his massive arms and Tyler adjusts himself into his care. The dwarf holds the Craughmoyle emblem on his crown, signalling that his allegiance is a likely match and he isn't some neurotic nut job. The dwarf leads them to a vacant table and sets Tyler down, by the glow of his hands, he's indeed a healer. What luck.

Skylei knows that the way they look won’t attract much attention. She’s come into the Hanging Corpse looking like death before. Steadman, the bar man, offers them more of a glare than an interested stare, likely due to the fact that he has a deep hatred of the half-breed. Fortunately, Skylei has a good relationship with the management and, for that reason alone, he doesn’t kick the pair out of the tavern. That’s one of two blessings. The second is the fact that amongst the vampires and lycans there is one that knows of the healing arts. As the dwarf takes Tyler’s weight and leads them to the table, Skylei would chronicle what injuries she knows Tyler has on his body and the age of the wounds. The dwarf would nod as he listens before pressing his hands against Tyler’s ribcage to assess how bad the damage is. The look on his face, deliberately hidden from Tyler’s view, tells Sky that it is not good news. “Sit d’ere. Hold ‘is head and keep ‘im still now.” Skylei takes a seat at the table and moves Tyler so that his head rests in her lap. One of her hands moves to stroke his head comfortingly but, should he begin moving erratically as the healing takes place she would grip his head with both hands and keep him still whispering soothingly to him. The dwarf would begin his work, pressing his hands down on the rib that sticks through the skin. His hand glow a bright white and his eyes close as he attempts to manoeuvre the bone with a mixture of force and magic into place. There is a sickening crack as the rib is forced back below the skin. The dwarf holds his hand in place, perspiration rising across his forehead with the exertion of the mana release and healing. Eventually, the dwarf attempts to sew the skin that covers the wound back together. The entire process would likely be agonising for Tyler. The helaer turns to Skylei as the light in his hand fades, “It’s a patch job. S’all I can manage. You’ll need to take ‘im to see ‘nother healer and get it looked at in a few days, aye?” Skylei nods in agreement and thanks, “Please, can I give you something for your troubles? We’re forever in your debt.” The man being a dwarf of course does not object to monetary payment and Skylei is generous with her coin, giving him nearly everything she has in her pocket, save for enough for a night in a room and some food and water. She doesn’t move Tyler’s head from her lap unless he chooses to sit up.

Tyler screams in absolute agony as the Dwarf does his work. The patrons offering a bit more of their attention now that Tyler screams and shouts and kicks and begs. Once the healing is done, he is trying to cry but he is so dehydrated that he can't muster anything. Instead he turns to tuck his head into Skylei's lap and convulses. His still torn hands snatching one of her own and squeezing tightly as he pleads for the hurting to stop.

Skylei lets him squeeze her hand as hard as she likes and whispers comforting things into his ear, “Shhh, baby. It’ll be okay. You’re okay, I promise. I’m here.” The hand that doesn’t hold his reaches into her pocket and thrusts some more coin towards the dwarf, “Please, can you get him some water. And some food, something plain.” Her eyes beg the dwarf for his help and, either he is simply one of the few good souls in Vailkrin, or he sees something in her desperation that leads him to have a second moment of kindness and he heads towards the bar. Whilst he is gone, Skylei’s hand strokes Tyler’s hair gently, comforting the man as best she can. The dwarf returns only a few seconds later with two glasses of water and a couple of biscuits. He then dips his head and retreats from the duo. Skylei dips her head and thanks before turning her attention back to Tyler, “You want a drink?”

Tyler is still shaking like mad by the time the dwarf returns with the waters and food. His teeth are chattering and to Skylei's question he nods but offers a warning, "I'll try it. But I haven't been much for keeping anything down..." He tries to sit up but is unable too as he whines more and lets his head fall back into Skylei's lap. He keeps hold of her hand and digs his teeth into her arm (not enough to pierce the skin) in order to help deal with the pain.

Skylei winces as Tyler bites down on her arm, but she doesn’t cry out or tell him off. She simply continues making soothing noises through gritted teeth as she endures the pain. Her free hand reaches for the glass of water and she would attempt to bring it to his lips. Undoubtedly it would be a messy procedure and the vast majority of the water would not end up in Tyler’s mouth. But at least some of it would serve quench his thirst a little until she was able to sit up himself. She’s happy to hold him there and do whatever he needs for now.

Tyler graciously accepts the water, releasing his teeth from Sky's arm as he moves to drink some of the liquid. It of course, runs all over his neck and torso but to be honest the cold feels good. After a few minutes he is finally able to sit up and turns to observe the taverns patrons before turning his attention back to Skylei. "Do you think we can go somewhere out of ear shot?" He motions to the crowd behind him.

Skylei nods. She doesn’t want to be in the eyesight of the patrons of the tavern any longer either. She motions for him to stay still and makes her way over to the bar to converse with Steadman. After a few minutes of talking and some exasperated gestures from the half-elf, she parts with what’s left of her coin in exchange for a room key. Returning to Tyler she waves the key at him, and gestures towards the second glass of water and biscuits on the table. “If you take them, then I’ll take your weight if necessary. It’s upstairs… I can carry you if you need?”

Tyler takes hold of the second water and is quick to chug the contents before setting the empty container back on the table. His eyes fall shut as he tries to resist puking the water right back up. A deep breath is ordered before taking hold of the biscuits and sliding down to his feet. He is wobbling all over the place but manages to lean into Skylei, wrapping his free arm around her. "Be my crutch." He requests as he eagerly awaits her to lead him to the room.

Skylei wraps her own arm around his waist and supports him as they walk. She’s happy to take as much of his weight as he needs to get him across the floor and up the staircase. She only lets go of him once they get on to the landing. As she struggles with the key in the door she imparts a tiny memory to Tyler, “We’ve been here before. You’d be touched by a wraith and I was beaten and bloody. To be honest, we’re in a better state now than we were th- aha!” The key finally opens the door and reveals the actually rather grand room. Sky wraps her arm back around his waist and walks with him until they reach the bed. She drops down to sit on it, effectively pulling him down with her and lets out a moan of discomfort, “My shoulder is killing me…”

Tyler happily falls to the bed and sets the biscuits down on the matress along side him before moving until his entire body is on the cushioned surface. He let's out a hiss of pain as he moves to stretch his legs out. Skylei's complaint isn't heard as he cast his caramel gaze to fall upon her. The man grinding his teeth as he so often does when he is worried. His hand reaches to extend a hand toward her, hesitant for a moment before tapping on her shoulder three times. He eyes his still open-wound palms and pulls off a couple of pillow cases to wrap around them before looking back to Skylei. He waits for her full attention and settles his gaze in her own. "What did you say to him?" He asks in a careful tone. It wasn't any of his business, but curiousity was still bothering him. He'd seen her jump onto his victim just before being launched from the temple. He pulls himself up higher to the bed until he is able to set up on the headboard which he leans the crown of his helm onto releasing a sigh. "And, why did you call me that? Downstairs I mean..." He request in the same longing tone. He feels a sense of wonder run about as he tries to figure out if Skylei was simply thinking of the former when she'd referred to him as baby, or perhaps she was simply trying to sooth him and the name was nothing more than a calming ruse.

Skylei sits alongside him. Once he taps on his shoulder, she kicks her legs up onto the bed so that she can lie down alongside him. She lies on her back, uttering curses as she moves thanks to her busted shoulder. Pulling at her clothes, she can already feel that it’s starting to swell and the half-elf adds some even more colourful words to her string of curses. Finally she would fall silent and meet his eyes with her own. At his first question she feels tears threatening to pool behind her eyes. In the heat of needing to save this Tyler, she’d pushed away the grief of losing the first Tyler. “I… told him that I forgave him.” Whether that is the truth or not, that’s the only answer she was willing to give. She blushes at his question. She hadn’t intended to call him that, it had simply… felt right. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. My head it’s just…” Skylei lifts her arms to gesture at her head, attempting to imply messiness and ends up swearing again at the pain in her shoulder. She turns her head away from him so that he can’t see the fact that yet again, she feels as though she might cry.

"Oh.", says Tyler as he watches her shift to hide away from him. Despite the horrific pain in his ribs he turns onto his side and places his arm onto her side with care. "I liked it." He whispers as his filthy fingers press into her stomach in a display of affection. His eyes flutter before falling shut as exhaustion finally overcomes the man and he begins to drift to sleep, leaving the basket of biscuits completely untouched.

At the touch of his hand against her side, Skylei turns her head back to look at him. His eyes are already closed by the time she looks back to him and she rolls over onto her side and presses her forehead against his. There are so many words that she could say in that moment and she knows that he likely wouldn’t remember any of them. So she says nothing, simply closing her eyes and praying that sleep will take her as quickly as it has taken him.