Everflame: The Shard

[Grace.E]

Aria wasn't exactly sure what to actually say, she looked over she shoulder at Dim before she put her hands up and walked forward.

"He say's fighting him is pointless...please calm down, we want to help your friend, let me come and get her, I will help her...Talin is a friend, he healed me..." she touched her throat. to indicate that Talin had healed the voice problem.

However, she was starting to see why she was silenced, her voice was dangerous, harmful to her body. a voice to beautiful and dangerous...

[tangletail]

Leo followed the woman down the corridor, and out of the hole. When he crawled in he felt a horrible feeling rack over his mind. His body rocked in a sickly motion as he finally pulled himself out of the hole, and quickly spun off to the side and vomited onto the nearby ground. Afterwards he stumbled back for a moment, grabbing a hold of his head as his own vision began to warp before his very eyes.

His heart beat had rapidly climbed to the point where he could hear it in his own head over the top of millions of whispers and crys. “W-what the hell is going on," he growled as he fell over now, and began to scoot back staring at the floor. The very ground it's self had appeared to have began to melt the more he observed it with what appears to be scorched and mangled bodies crawling from the developing ravines from the ripping it's self apart.

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

Saviour snarled and stepped back, his eyes locked to Talin.
"Such an arrogant word, Chosen," he said, sounds wreathed in menace while he circled over toward Aria, keeping beside her. "I would rather kill her myself than let such twisted acts of mutilation go ahead. He has already doomed you, girl," he said nodding to Aria. "I have no intention of letting him do the same to my own." He turned to look at Aria, though kept his distance from the offending creature. He turns, presenting the girl to Aria alone. "I approached you for your help, no other," he said, gesturing for Aria to approach Little-Hands.






Neesa folded her arms and shook her head with a sigh. "Well it's not like i haven't been through worse," she says with a quick smile. "So does that mean you're no longer on the run? Is it all sunshine and lollipops, because I'm pretty hungry," she says, seeming much more chipper.






Caisen reached back, grabbing Leo's collar. She pulled him along, dragging him through the streets. Following them, Beem and Perra walked quite easily, almost utterly unperturbed, though Perra still hung loose to Beem's shoulder. His eyes looked out into the dark, wide and wanting, inviting the shadows in. Beem sparked a smile.

[KittKat chunky~]

Imshi frowned, glancing from Neesa to Yenchi as the white-furred feline walked slowly over to them. She shrugged slightly and sighed "On the run? I don't know..." Her ears flicked back as the shrug bore her shoulders down in dismay "The clan elder is still most likely after my hide... I hoped we could go to the plains tribe, Yenchi's family-"

Yenchi, having finally reached the pair, huffed a sour laugh. "You think I am welcome back there? Let alone, bringing you with me. I am as much an outcast as you are." He glanced over to Neesa and despite himself couldn't help but match her grin. "Anyway, why must you run? We bested the hunting pack that they sent for you... I am no master of your clans traditions, but surely that makes you the victor? We should go back to the city and face your family, rather than running and proving ourselves the cowards they think us."





In the shadows of the city walls Ellin darted between tussocks of grass, running swiftly until the hooded figure and the body of the hunting beast over her shoulder were in plain view. She moved silently, barely a rustle through the tall grass as her fur shimmered with the rippling movements over her otter body. Closing the final distance Ellin drew the blade at her hip and leaped like that of a feral beast with all the speed and ferocity she could muster, her dilated pupils fixed hungrily on the back of the hooded figure.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Talin growled at the lizard, but he didn't dare try to jostle the girl by taking her forcefully. He turned away and sat down by a tree, clearly frustrated at being denied the chance to help Little Hands. After a few moments though, guilt returned and he couldn't just sit there and let someone suffer if something could be done about it. He slowly walked back to the lizard, then dropped to his knees and knelt before it.
"I beg of you, let me save her. I'll suffer any punishment you deem worthy for my sins against the Seeker..." He wasn't sure what else he could have done "wrong", but he knew that giving Aria a voice was among the worst of them.

[Grace.E]

Aria removed her hand from her throat, she gave Talin a pained look before she gently too little hands into her arms. she held back a cough and cradled the little one as she sat down, resting the child in her lap.

she had no clue what she was doing.

"Little Hands..." she murmured gently, pushing back her hair to see her face...such a sweet looking child.

"Tell me what I should do...I have never had healing powers...what could my voice do...." it was a near silent plee for help to Seeker, though never truly a believe, in this moment, she knew that she needed some guidance.

she felt another wave of pain in her throat and she held it back, it hurt to do so but she didn't want to cough over the child. this pain was worse than the last...it was as if her throat was being torn apart.

[tangletail]

Leo's mental state only progressively grew worst the deeper Caisan pulled him in. He quickly recalled a certain doctor a few thousandth years back who fell under the same condition, though possibly not as bad as this. “Hm... is that what she went through,” the feline thought as he warily glanced over his shoulder to the direction that Caisan was walking, and then back to the two Minks who were following them.  He'd studied the two for a moment, noticing that one of them was gazing off in a strange manner.

 
“A look of desire perhaps, same as that damned naked male,” concluded Leo while standing and pushing Caisan's hand away from him. He'd then plant a hand on her shoulder and nod his head in the two Mink's direction, but more specifically Beems. “What do you think of that,” Leo asked in a raspy voice clouded by enduring his own mental drama.

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

"Ain't nothing wrong with a coward." Neesa grabs onto Yenchi's arm and sticks close to him, jostling him with her bounce. "My family ran, and guess what, we're alive and were able to help you." She grins and turns to cat away from the city, looking out across the fields to the distant tree covered mountains. "The world ain't just relatives and politics." She looks back at Imshi, into her eyes, trying to get her to understand.


The chosen woman stopped and her bare feet twitched upon the grass. A ripple of energy whipped through the green blades. Ellin leapt through the air, blade ready, pointed to kill. In reply, the grass shot up, wrapping and grabbing to Ellin. Clamping tight to her limbs and torso. She's held there, trapped in the wrapping leaves. The woman turned, with the beast still on her back. She looked up at her, examined her. Warm eyes, brimming with life. She had a wide jackal smile, even as she took the knife, easing it out of Ellin's grip. The blade was turned, pointed at Ellin's throat, stroking the tip, finding the artery. She stabbed it in, lodging it there, all with a smile.





Little Hands lay motionless in Aria's lap. Saviour watched and stepped close, curling around them both, while he kept an eye on Talin. He bared his teeth, warding the chosen away. As Aria spoke, Little Hands twitched. She coughed black sludge into her mouth, her eyes tensed shut as the tar-like poison spilled over her tongue. But then, with every word, every phrase Aria spoke, the girl seemed to glow. A light shone along her fur, and the tar twisted. Little Hands gave a pained wheeze and she shifted about in Aria's lap. She coughed some more, spitting upon the grass, making the very earth hiss. And yet as Aria spoke, the tar whined, twisting and boiling. A thick smog, dispersing into nothing. More and more was coughed up, Little hands convulsed, vomiting the tar. As the puddle grew, it began to shift, swirling and wriggling. It cowered from the light.




The General looked back at the pair of minks.
"I really do not have the time, Leo. We'll try to fix them up once we get out of this god forsaken village." She spat the whisper, charging through the streets. It was much faster when they had the giant lizard to carry them, but now it took forever until at last they saw the village edge and the meadow that stretched on back to the coast.
Though with every step, the Perra slowed. He looked back at the village, and whined as they left the black dome of mist. Beem giggled, pulling him all the faster. SHe kept looking down at him, watching the black ooze seep into Perra's wound.





Chosen Akela raced forward. The black dome reached for her, and as she stepped into its mists, she screamed. The pain of carrying Listy burned through her arms and she dropped to her knees, letting listy tumble from her arms. The pair looked up, toward toward the mass of people, of twisted beasts. Akela could see them truly now. She looked to Nero and so the true darkness. She could feel his poison seep into her eyes.
"Oh no," she whispered and reached for Listy's hand. "We've got to leave." But Listy was already up. Black tears poured from her eyes, staining her fur. THe little girl stood on her hooves, just out of reach, and through constant gulping cries, she limped toward Nero.

[Chrono Blackwyng]

Talin didn't stay kneeling for long, as he saw the light coming from Aria's direction. He was momentarily dumbstruck, wondering how this was happening. He then turned to the lizard, almost forgetting that he was angry at it just a moment ago.

"So you have a problem with my former city calling abominations like us "Chosen". At that city, our power is considered a gift by the Seeker, to be praised and valued. However, I got a little more than what most people in my position usually attain." He intentionally left a pause so the lizard could either digest or at least comprehend what was just said.

"Here is my conundrum: you didn't get hostile because I arrived with a claw-swipe. You don't even know who I am, only part of what I am. Can you at least help me understand why you have an issue with "Chosen"?"

[Grace.E]

Aria was more than dumbstruck when her voice made the girl glow, she watched as every word she spoke, the tar was forced out of the little girls body. Talin was talking to the lizard, however, he was breaking her concentration, her emerald gaze on him, she gave him a stern frown.

"Be quiet Talin, right now is not the time to be accusing Saviour!" her celestial voice held an unusual amount of strength, but it was so painful to speak, the pain showed clearly in her young face.

She turned her attention back to Little Hands, cooing and softly telling her that everything will be alright, stroking her hair and holding her convulsing body. Like a mother taking care of a sick child, she eyed the boiling, twisting, smoking and whining tar.

[Entaru]

Nero knelt down as the child approached him, smiling to the little deer.  Holding out his gnarled claw to her he'd reach behind himself, into his cloak.  "Hello again little one....do you remember me?"  He'd pull out a black ball of ooze from out of his cloak and would begin to shape it in front of her like a clown making a ballon animal.  It would slowly form into a little ragged hyena doll, the ooze suddenly falling away from it to reveal the doll better.  He'd hand it down to her with a crooked smile.  "I was wondering how long it would take you to show up....my little Listy"  He'd look back up to Akela, smirking a bit as he began to wonder what he should do with the Chosen.

[tangletail]

"Time miss Caisan," the feline asked in an annoyed hiss as he continued to follow behind her. He'd wait before going any further to at least gain some distance in front of the village as he remained just slightly behind her. It wasn't till a few minutes later had the feline actually dared to continue.


"Oh yes you have time, just currently there is a stick shoved so far up the place where the sun and the very moon it's self doesn't shine, a place that not even darkness could exist where light is considered to be abscent because you want to stay alive. Currnetly a one track mind can most certainly get you places," the cat spoke diligently with nigh madness on the wake as he promptly increased his speed to catch up with the general. This time he spoke much faster than any sane man could possibly muster, "you like life, you like to live, I can respect that but your one tracked mind will certainly get yourself killed if you don't paused for a minute and listen to me."


He'd remain silent for a moment as he glanced behind himself to observe Beem and Perra for a moment longer, noticing the desire in Perra's eyes to go back and the dreadful ooze that had plagued the city before them crawl it's way into her system. With a shake of the head, Leo's gaze turned back to Caisan as they continued to walk and this time spoke in a slower tempo than the last, although it was clearly evident that there was some form of rage boiling behind his voice, "Oh yes, just do what you believe is best and keep walking. But you won't be breathing any longer if you don't listen to me..." now snarling and violently grabing a hold of Caison. He quickly spun her around and grabbed her by her head to angle it downwards towards the two's odd behavior as well as the blackish ooze all while screaming, "LISTEN TO ME. TAKE A LOOK!" Afterwards the cat immediately released the general and continued to walk on in their previous vector with a low muttered hiss. Eventually he stopped and turned around not careing if the General thought any less of himself at this point.


"Take a look! I might be daft now, but paranoid is something that you and I both can be. That behavior there... that behavior I have seen time and time again... repeated like a message with some hidden meaning from one of those civilized cultist inside that blasted dome! A possibly seduced naked one at that, like he simply desired to be seduced by the false god before him, and now I am beginning to see the same exact thing on Perra. And don't even get me started on the biomateria that had been seeping from Nero's body that some how managed it's way onto one of them!" Now he pointed to Caisan and came a step closer with a soft but vicious hiss, "You've been wanting to run things your way so far, and last I checked you have both weapons at your disposal. Like it has been for the past hour, what you do with them is your choice now. But you will not ignore me again!"

[KittKat chunky~]

Ellin was hit mid air by the lashing tendrils of grass, knocking the breath from her lungs as they whiplashed around her arms and chest, tightened their grip. She struggled in vain, then fell limp as the thrill of the chase left a grim realization in its wake. Her chest heaved and her eyes were wide as the chosen woman stroked the blade back and forth. The otter girl's body shivering in cold fright, then spasmed with pain as the blade bit deep and welled up hot blood.




Frowning, Imshi glanced from Yenchi to Neesa and sighed, as the other was jostled with a flush in his white-furred cheeks as she pulled close. Imshi turned her gaze away from the pair to the mountains that she had motioned to, rubbed at her upper arm gingerly with one hand and clenched the other in a tight fist. "I guess you're right. It was never going to work, any of it-" She stopped suddenly, staring over Yenchi's shoulder "Ellin?" Then started to run, pushed roughly past Yenchi, shouting "Ellin, no!"

[Asia Kali Yusufzai]

Saviour shot a scowl at Talin, though it was only brief, his attention pulled to the girl, devoted entirely. Little hands crawled onto her front and a bulge of bubbling sludge pushed up her throat and in a great lump it spat out, squirming on the grass. Saviour moved close and curled around Aria, leaning in to Little Hands. The girl slowly opened her eyes and looked up. A smile grew, and on Aria's lap, she seemed lighter than air.
"Thank you," she said in a weak little voice. She then turned to Saviour, whose large head leaned up, nuzzling her. She wrapped her arms around it, stroking his scaled skin and hugging him close. He lowered his head and she fluidly clambered onto his neck as though he were an extension of her. Saviour bowed at Aria and sat by her side.
"What a fortuitous girl you are," he said. Eventually he turned and looked over to Talin, a rumbling animosity rippling through him. "Your powers are not a gift from Seeker. They are a side effect of Seeker's existence, and you harm her very fabric with every liberty you take." little Hands looked down at her lizard friend.
"Szavaro berkjameh?" she asked. The lizard sighed and gestured to Talin, then Aria. "Bezha bistracgyara. Ne cyobin.... Cyobin matara."







Listy struggled forward, every step filling her with darkness, spewing from her eyes and mouth, seeping from her fur. She looked up at him. The one she knew, the one she'd hoped and dreamed for. She stumbled and raced foward, throwing herself to him, pressing into his chest.
"It's you... it's... you," she gulped.  Chosen Akela tried to stand, tears streaming as her body twisted and burned. Every inch of her rejecting everything that he was. She reaches out, but watching the girl lose herself to such a beast. It overwhelmed her, everything screamed inside her. She turned away, she had to escape. She crawled. She stood and ran. Bleeding feet hit the dead soil. Her body igniting in violent pain at every step.






Caisen stared at the two minks. Perra had lost almost all her strength, and Beem was dragging her, quite happily along the ground. A black trail was left in their wake. She was silent for a moment then turned to Leo. Her hand shifted to her side, slipping around one of the pistols.
"We are not a team any more." She spoke simply, with a definite edge, as though reciting it from a sheet of facts. "I can ignore anything you say. I choose what I ignore. I ignore you grabbing hold of me like that. I ignore your loss of control and lack of discipline. Would you like me to stop ignoring you?" she asked, and slipped the pistol out of her trousers. She held it up and aimed it at the approaching minks. Without hesitation, she aimed at Perra. She pulled the trigger. The flash of light burst out, sliced through the air.
Perra's poisoned head smashed open, spilling blackened flesh splattering upon the floor. beem shrieked and tumbled back with the body and yowled at the pain of hot skull splattering his face. His eyes were as wide as his smile.
"There," Caisen said, with a deathly serious stare. "I have not ignored you." And in a flash, she flicked her aim over. The barrel pointed straight at Leo's head. "I will not ignore the next time you touch me. I will not ignore the next time you endanger people or get in my way. Do you understand me?"





The woman was slow and with gentle grace, she stroked her fingers along the blade teasing through the blood. She smiled quite sweetly as she did something she'd done a thousand times before. Ellin couldn't feel it, all she could feel was the absence as her life was drained away. Like a fire running out of fuel, she felt small and waning. The wind brushed past her. She could feel it go through her until all that was left was the tiniest glow. The woman let go, leaving her alive, and she turned and strolled away, leaving the blade to bleed the rest out.




Neesa recoiled a little at the sudden burst from Imshi, and watched her run. She turned to Yenchi, and looked into his eyes, gesturing as though to ask for an explanation.

[tangletail]

The feline remained calm, not even moved by the fact that a gun is now held in his direction. “Next time I endanger people,” the cat sighed and then repeated with his eyes rolling, “The next time “I” endanger people. Why this is the FIRST time I have ever heard of a General holding a life over the general population! You CAN'T save everyone, I've known this and witnessed it a long time back, you've known this and witnessed it now!”

 
Leo shook his head hesitantly as he looked down to the fresh corpse and began to walk away from the other's before turning around. “I am doing this because what happened to the galaxy, I felt was partially my fault in some shape or fashion. I am not sure what it was, but the fact that some “Seeker” predicted my arrival and sent me on a quest to death is enough to assume so.What I did back there was because I was not going to spend half a day trying to coax out TWO MINKS to help us through a dome, no, A VILLAGE infested with that thing's Influence!” The cat would quickly throw his arm off towards the village to gesture to it; then his gaze would turn back to Caisan and quickly wagged a finger in her direction “And that entire village is now infested with inside out abominations who in turn released this aura in the air. You might not feel it, but I certainly can! I can practically feel all the traces of these... things... demi-god creatures what ever the hell they want to call themselves because I have spent TO MUCH time around each one of them. So excuse me if I felt the danger in a single area was to high for a prolonged stay to keep you alive. If you want to spit up, fine!”

 
Then the cat would begin walking, throwing a single hand up in the air as a wave of good bye after tossing the makeshift sword onto the ground, “Oh and keep the gun. I apparently worked better as a pacifist on the Sphere, maybe my uncanny luck will drive me on.” The cat would adjust his coat, before  turning completely to a land mark he had noted in the past, and slowly crossed the field towards Little foot's cave.