khaira meets valentina

(9:56:17 AM) Earthflame: Khaira is actually working for a change! Bell in hand, in her serious business outfit, resplendent in the marks of the Abhorsen... Not that it really needed that much. An old graveyard that had been putting forth a moderate amount of zombies and skeletons isn't that much trouble, especially without any greater will or purpose behind them. Still, it felt good to get out and and do something
(9:56:17 AM) Earthflame: nice for your community! Preventing people being consumed by undead mobs was a plus!
(9:57:27 AM) Ikiryo: ...and then the ground shakes under her feet. About a foot under her feet but still!
(9:58:22 AM) Earthflame: Khaira pauses, letting a final peal of Saraneth tear a spirit from a body, bones falling to the ground with a dry rattle... Before she leans down and sticks her head through the floor.
(10:02:31 AM) Ikiryo: ...just dirt! Must have been a shockwave...
(10:03:43 AM) Earthflame: "Hm!" She pulls her head out again, trying to figure out where it came from...
(10:04:51 AM) Ikiryo: There IS a Mausa...masa...big grave building nearby.
(10:06:05 AM) Earthflame: She frowns, trying to pull the word from her memories as she approaches it.
(10:07:04 AM) Ikiryo: Mausoleum! Its a big, impressive looking one with the door ajar right now.
(10:08:21 AM) Earthflame: "Ooooh!" She hadn't found a source yet, but if there was one it might well be in there! She slips in!
(10:09:39 AM) Ikiryo: The ground shaking as she enters it as she hears a girl shout. "Hah! Can't outsmart my hammer, necromancer!"
(10:10:04 AM) Ikiryo: Inside is a pretty girl with short, blonde, spikey hair dressed in a blue suit of armour, emblazoned with the hammer of sigmar, with a heavy backback that crackles with lightning and an armoured skirt. She's carrying an odd hammer with a revolver chamber as part of the striking surface.
(10:10:24 AM) Ikiryo: Perched on her shoulder is a small bright blue lizard, electricity crackling along it's back spines. She's posing dramatically as she stands over a heap of bones that look like they used to be skeletons, including one that was in robes.
(10:10:35 AM) Earthflame: "...Oh! Hi!" Khaira waves.
(10:12:39 AM) Ikiryo: She turns, raising her hammer. "Stay back, vile wraith!" She's bleeding along one of her arms where she took a hit despite the armour.
(10:14:44 AM) Earthflame: "...Vile Wraith?" Khaira blinks. "...Excuse me? I'm The Abhorsen!"
(10:15:30 AM) Ikiryo: "...really?" The tilts her head.
(10:16:14 AM) Earthflame: "Yeah!" She nods with a smile, walking forward- And ringing Saraneth, stilling a few of the piles of bones that had started to move, pulling back together. "And just smashing them doesn't usually stop them. You need to quell the spirits, too. But smashing them first helps!"
(10:18:39 AM) Ikiryo: "Not if I banish them! I know holy magic and everything!" She gestures with her bloody arm.
(10:19:53 AM) Earthflame: "Oooh, that's cool!"
(10:20:24 AM) Ikiryo: "Yeah, it's super cool! I'm the Chosen One of Sigmar so I get to do cool things like stop evil undead!"
(10:21:41 AM) Earthflame: "...That's not his job." She pouts. "I am- I mean... I Was a Chosen of the Raven Queen... But the Abhorsen is older than the gods! And stopping evil undead was our job first!"
(10:25:22 AM) Ikiryo: "Yeah but undead are evil and smiting evil is my job! I have a group of vilians I need to stop and everything!" She grins...looking a bit light headed from the blood loss.
(10:25:44 AM) Earthflame: "...Do you need some help?"
(10:26:12 AM) Ikiryo: "Huh? With what? I've already smashed them all up."
(10:26:24 AM) Earthflame: "You're bleeding?"
(10:26:36 AM) Earthflame: "...Isn't holy magic usually able to heal?"
(10:27:36 AM) Ikiryo: "Huh? Oh...right. Eh, bleeding stops eventually. That's one of those things bodies so." She wobbles slightly. "And Sigmar isn't really a healy god most of the time..."
(10:29:10 AM) Earthflame: Khaira pouts, moving over to help support the girl. "Then you need to find a healer! It's no use fighting evil if you're so beat up you can't do anything afterwards. That's basic adventuring!"
(10:31:28 AM) Ikiryo: She wobbles a bit more. Khaira notices she's got a satchel basicly filled to the brim with healing potions.
(10:32:00 AM) Earthflame: "..." Khaira pulls one out and offers it to her. "Remembering to drink these is important, too!" She pulls out her own dark green estus flask, taking a sip.
(10:33:04 AM) Ikiryo: "But I might need them later..." She protests. "I don't want to not have enough..."
(10:35:15 AM) Earthflame: Khaira pouts... Switching to Dyrim, a quick ring of the bell parting her lips... Before Khaira can pour a healing potion between them. "You have plenty! If you never use them, it's not worth having them!"
(10:36:26 AM) Ikiryo: She coughs but swallows the healing potion, the blood quickly stopping flowing as she does. "Hey, that was a mean trick..." She pouts at Khaira.
(10:37:03 AM) Earthflame: "It's basic common sense! What if a vampire had died around here? Bleeding all over the place, you might accidentally return them to life!"
(10:38:23 AM) Ikiryo: "Yeah but what if I now need thirty healing potions later on but I've only got twenty nine..."
(10:39:58 AM) Earthflame: Khaira pokes her in the forehead. "What if you needed all that blood to fight a surprise super nasty bad guy, huh?"
(10:40:39 AM) Ikiryo: "I'd have gotten better...I'm the Chosen One, Sigmar wouldn't just let me die..." She pouts.
(10:41:18 AM) Earthflame: "...The Gods can't just do everything for you. You need to work hard on your own to live up to the responsibility. Otherwise, why would they even need chosen ones?"
(10:42:41 AM) Ikiryo: "Yeah but...I'd have been fine...I killed a LOT of rats for that healing potion..."
(10:42:54 AM) Earthflame: "...You know you can buy six packs of them for pretty cheap, right?"
(10:43:31 AM) Ikiryo: "The rat killing only gave me one credit a rat."
(10:43:44 AM) Earthflame: "...That's a really bad rate..."
(10:44:18 AM) Ikiryo: "Is it? They said they were being nice, as most people do it for one credit every three rats."
(10:45:18 AM) Earthflame: "...I think they were lying to you. I mean, I don't quest for money anymore, but the job board at Huma's Rest is way, waaaay better than that."
(10:47:00 AM) Ikiryo: "...is five credits a skeleton and a hot meal when I'm done a bad rate?" She tilts her head.
(10:47:51 AM) Earthflame: "...The city contract for purifying this graveyard was ten thousand credits."
(10:49:05 AM) Ikiryo: "Oh...there isn't." She visibly tries to do the math on her fingers. "A lot of skeletons here to get to that much, is there?"
(10:49:48 AM) Earthflame: "Well, that also includes doing rituals to purify the site and a money back guarantee of no more undead for at least six months..."
(10:51:51 AM) Ikiryo: "Oh...umm...I can bless things! I know how to do that! Or and make little totem things that keep undead out!" She pauses. "Wait...if I buy the parts for the totems at two hundred credits...and I'm getting five credits per skeleton..." She frowns.
(10:52:27 AM) Earthflame: "...Where are you buying those parts from? If you register as an undead hunter you can even get them written off your taxes..."
(10:53:14 AM) Ikiryo: "Oh, the same guys who are paying me to smash up the skeletons."
(10:53:41 AM) Earthflame: "...I think you're being exploited..."
(10:54:22 AM) Ikiryo: She tilts her head. "They said I'd get it cheaper if I buy in bulk or recruit a couple of other people...after they start up hunding undead, I start to get a credit for every five they earn...and they recruit others...it all sounded very smart."
(10:54:39 AM) Earthflame: "...Ohhhhh. Is this being run by the Orzhov?"
(10:54:57 AM) Ikiryo: "...I dunno. Are they the black and white guys?"
(10:55:12 AM) Earthflame: She nods. "I'll have to let the Raven Queen hunters know so they can break it up... That sort of thing is bad for business."
(10:55:32 AM) Ikiryo: "Then yeah. They said it wasn't a scam, it's multi-level marketing..."
(10:55:43 AM) Earthflame: "I think those are the same thing."
(10:58:17 AM) Ikiryo: "Really? They had a heap of displays of happy people who were part of it and how it would help me be a better adventurer...it all looked very official."
(10:58:59 AM) Earthflame: "...There's holy magic that can tell whether something is true or not. You might want to try learning that?"
(10:59:44 AM) Ikiryo: "Oh...I mostly know smity stuff." She pouts, slumping a little dejectedly.
(11:00:50 AM) Earthflame: "Well, you're still new at this! I'm sure you'll figure it out!" Khaira smiles, patting her on the shoulder. "...Do you want to take me to Huma's Rest? It's owned by an old dragonslayer and run by his daughter! It's a good place for young heroes and stuff! And they serve my favourite drinks!"
(11:01:37 AM) Ikiryo: "Umm...I don't have money for an inn. I'm camping under the stars mostly right now..."
(11:02:08 AM) Earthflame: "You don't need to buy a room to spend an evening there! And like I said, they have a really good job board!"
(11:03:22 AM) Ikiryo: She nods. "Alright then." She smiles at Khaira. "I'm Valentia de Graaff, nice to meet you!"
(11:04:06 AM) Earthflame: "Khaira Saraneth!" She offers a hand.
(11:04:50 AM) Ikiryo: "Oooh, that's the Abhorson last na...oh right, you said that." She takes the hand, shaking it.
(11:05:22 AM) Earthflame: "Yep! It's the third one I had though. Well... Maybe it was the first? But I learned it applied to me last."
(11:05:37 AM) Earthflame: "...Then again, the first one I remember using is actually the second one I had, by my personal timeline, but the first chronologically..."
(11:06:13 AM) Ikiryo: "...that all sounds very complicated!" It also sounds like it went right over her head.
(11:07:20 AM) Earthflame: "Time travel is weird! Anyway, we'll head off after I do the purification!" She smiles. "I usually donate any money I get from jobs like this, but I'll split it with you!"
(11:08:09 AM) Ikiryo: "Really?" Her eyes glint. "I could...rent an inn room or have a meal with meat..." She looks estatic about such luxuries.
(11:09:07 AM) Earthflame: "...You poor thing." Khaira gives her a one armed hug, the other hand drawing bright golden marks in the air, casting them around the tomb.
(11:10:50 AM) Ikiryo: "...why?" She looks about at the runes with interest.
(11:11:55 AM) Earthflame: "Not having simple things like that... It's sad." Khaira does it almost without thinking, bright marks flowing from her fingertips, settling around the walls, warding it against the Dead.
(11:13:31 AM) Ikiryo: "It's alright...I mean, I like noodles." She looks over the runes. "You are really fast at that."
(11:14:25 AM) Earthflame: "Hm?" She pauses, looking at her hand. "Ohh, yeah! Charter magic just kind of... Makes sense to me, I guess! I learned a little when I was younger, but it's just kept getting stronger as I've been doing this job... Good thing, too!"
(11:14:51 AM) Ikiryo: She nods. "I'm a lot slower at that stuff..."
(11:15:26 AM) Earthflame: "...Do you want some tips?"
(11:16:52 AM) Ikiryo: "I dunno...I figure I'll get better at it as I go along." She closes her eyes, focusing as runes of her own start to appear over the area...
(11:17:21 AM) Earthflame: Khaira takes a moment to look over them, evaluating the girl...
(11:19:51 AM) Earthflame: "...You have a Lot of potential, a really strong connection to the Charter... But you need a teacher... Your basics are all off..."
(11:20:29 AM) Ikiryo: "Oh...well, the Inquisitor said that magic was forbidden for non-chosen ones in the order...so I'm mostly just trying what feels right."
(11:20:55 AM) Earthflame: "...Maybe I could teach you? And that seems silly... Magic is for everyone."
(11:21:52 AM) Ikiryo: "Oh no. Bad magic users get put on Wracks until Sigmar calls them home! That's what the inquisitor said. Still, you are not a bad magic user...not like the people I need to be ready to stop."
(11:22:27 AM) Earthflame: "...Have you seen any magic users like that in Sigil?" She frowns. "...That seems really, really mean... A lot of people know minor magic, and there's no harm in it."
(11:23:02 AM) Ikiryo: "Umm...bad magic users or people on wracks?"
(11:23:34 AM) Earthflame: "The former... If the latter was happening I think the magic using organisations would have a thing or two to say about it..."
(11:24:08 AM) Ikiryo: "Oh...well, I guess that skeleton that was raising other skeletons counts?" She gestures to the robed skeleton.
(11:24:35 AM) Earthflame: "No, that was just a Second Precinct remnant that was once a magic user... They're pretty smalltime."
(11:27:00 AM) Ikiryo: "Umm...oh, my Nemesiseses. I'm getting stronger so I can stop them before they attack my home!"
(11:27:27 AM) Earthflame: "Ohh? Who are they? And where is home?"
(11:29:01 AM) Ikiryo: "Oh, I lived in this small farming village before an inquisitor found me!" She grins.
(11:29:01 AM) Ikiryo: "We've got to be careful though...there is an unholy alliance trying to destroy our sphere. A dark, necromantic wraith raising the dead, a bloody mouthed shapechanging monster, a god queen mad with power...oh and a pirate who's stolen a precursor weapon ship that could destroy us all!"
(11:29:19 AM) Earthflame: "Oooh... That sounds bad."
(11:29:41 AM) Ikiryo: "Yeah, so I've got to get strong so I can stop them." She nods...and her stomach rumbles.
(11:30:48 AM) Earthflame: "...Getting strong also means eating properly." Khaira smiles at her. "Want to come with me to Huma's? We can get you a meal, and talk about charter magic while you eat! You've got a lot of power, but you don't understand how to interact with the marks. You just yank them out of the charter, but you need to let it flow through you, to call them to your fingertips and just... Breathe..." She
(11:30:49 AM) Earthflame: gestures, bright marks forming a fluttering butterfly of molten gold that circles her hand a moment before dissolving into its component symbols.
(11:31:16 AM) Ikiryo: "Umm...sure!" Khaira is pretty sure she didn't hear squat after 'Get a meal'
(11:31:45 AM) Earthflame: "Then let's go!"
(11:32:23 AM) Ikiryo: She nods, letting Khaira lead on.
(2:34:20 PM) Earthflame: Khaira leads Valentia quite a way, but it looks worth it! The inn isn't particularly large or fancy, but it's made of all natural materials and has a proper painted sign declaring it 'Huma's rest.' Khaira smiles as she sees it. "Here we are! My friend Gwyn works the bar, and her dad runs the place? He's this awesome old dragonslayer!"
(2:36:25 PM) Ikiryo: "Oooh, that sounds really heroic."
(2:37:35 PM) Earthflame: Khaira nods. "He's retired now- Hence the name!" She leads in, smiling and waving to whoever is behind the bar- Usually Gwyn, but everyone needs time off every now and then.
(2:41:42 PM) Ikiryo: It's Gwyn, the silver haired girl giving the pair a wave. Valentia returns it happily.
(2:42:23 PM) Earthflame: Khaira grins, going to her usual seat at the bar. "Hi! How have you been?"
(2:42:49 PM) Ikiryo: Gwyn smiles. "You know how it is, very busy." Valentia takes a seat next to Khaira.
(2:43:38 PM) Earthflame: "Me too!" She gestures to the other girl. "This is Valentia! I thought she could use a place like this, since people kept giving her really crappy adventuring jobs! But your job board always looks great!"
(2:47:17 PM) Ikiryo: Gwyn laughs. "That's because I police it myself. Do you know how many slavers just put out a basic job and try to capture whoever takes it?"
(2:47:25 PM) Ikiryo: Valentia raises a hand. "Three this week!"
(2:48:25 PM) Earthflame: Khaira blinks at Valentia... Giving the girl a sideways hug. "You poor thing..."
(2:50:39 PM) Ikiryo: "Why? The Boros treated me to lunch when I dragged them in."
(2:51:13 PM) Earthflame: "It still isn't nice... But now you can find better jobs!" She gives her a warm smile. "And the people who drink here are all really friendly and can give you good advice, I'm sure!"
(2:51:33 PM) Ikiryo: She nods. "That sounds nice."
(2:51:46 PM) Ikiryo: Gwyn chuckles. "Should I find you two a booth? Or are you just drinking?"
(2:53:29 PM) Earthflame: She glances at Valentia. "Do you need some food?"
(2:55:52 PM) Ikiryo: "I'll be alright if you'd rather not." Her stomach rumbles.
(2:58:37 PM) Earthflame: "That'll be a booth and some menus please, Gwyn." She laughs a little, ruffling Valentia's hair. "Asking for help isn't a bad thing, you know. You'll never get a party if you're not able to reach out to others."
(2:59:18 PM) Ikiryo: "Oh...yeah but I'm the Chosen One. Sigmar will provide." She says with utter conviction.
(2:59:27 PM) Ikiryo: Gwyn raises an eyebrow but quickly finds the pair a private booth.
(3:00:22 PM) Earthflame: "...But what if Sigmar provides by letting you bump into a friendly person who could help you? Isn't turning them away rejecting Sigmar's will?"
(3:01:06 PM) Ikiryo: "...umm...well...I guess?"
(3:01:44 PM) Ikiryo: She ponders. "...this was so much easier when I was training with the Order of Silence."
(3:01:57 PM) Earthflame: "...Did they just not speak?"
(3:02:26 PM) Ikiryo: "Oh no...it's metamorphical silence." Khaira's pretty sure she means metaphorical.
(3:02:42 PM) Earthflame: "...What does that mean? Metaphorical silence?"
(3:03:19 PM) Ikiryo: "Oh...they're a new order the inquisition set up to help fight bad chaos people." She smiles.
(3:04:01 PM) Earthflame: "Ohh? What do they do?"
(3:05:48 PM) Ikiryo: "Umm...it's complex ritual stuff I don't quite understand but they become immune to the effects of Chaos. Like, the ritual of silenced fury means that Khorne people can't inspire hatred in them and stuff..."
(3:07:52 PM) Earthflame: Khaira blinks. "...Is that all it does? I mean... Chaos is just Emotion... Can they still feel things, afterwards?"
(3:09:06 PM) Ikiryo: "Umm...I don't know." She shrugs. "They didn't say. I mean, I didn't see them smiling much but neither do most inquisitors..."
(3:09:18 PM) Earthflame: "Hmm... Did you have anything done to you?"
(3:10:17 PM) Ikiryo: She shakes her head. "They said I couldn't join. Since part of it is an oath of no magic."
(3:11:33 PM) Earthflame: "That all just seems kinda strange... There's nothing wrong with magic." She pouts a little.
(3:12:29 PM) Ikiryo: "Lots of people do bad things with magic...and they are are Sigmar order. They are good guys." She pouts in turn.
(3:15:31 PM) Earthflame: "Lots of people do bad things with everything... But magic is something you can test." She pauses. "...You should probably have asked to test your charter mark, when we met. Or I should have asked to test yours..."
(3:16:04 PM) Ikiryo: "...is that important? How do you do that?"
(3:16:39 PM) Earthflame: "Just touch the mark on my forehead! And I'll touch yours!"
(3:17:17 PM) Ikiryo: "Oh...I don't think I have one of those." She scratches her head.
(3:17:46 PM) Earthflame: "...You don't have a mark? But... But you use Charter magic..."
(3:18:00 PM) Ikiryo: "I mean...I don't THINK I do/"
(3:18:12 PM) Earthflame: Khaira frowns, leaning over to rest a fingertip on the girls forehead...
(3:19:22 PM) Ikiryo: ...nothing happens. She reaches up and pokes Khaira in the forehead...the pair falling into the flurry of marks for a moment.
(3:19:26 PM) Ikiryo: "Wow...that's new!"
(3:20:04 PM) Earthflame: Khaira smiles softly as she feels the touch of the Charter. "...It's something you could have as well, with a mark... No wonder you struggle despite your strength, if you don't have any of that connection..."
(3:20:31 PM) Ikiryo: "Is that a normal thing?"
(3:20:57 PM) Earthflame: "I don't know anyone else who casts Charter magic without a mark... Although it's not the only kind of magic."
(3:21:40 PM) Ikiryo: She nods. "There is bad chaos magic."
(3:22:17 PM) Earthflame: "...There's a lot more than that. Magic of Order and Chaos takes many forms, and there's neutral magic... Free Magic is akin to Chaos Magic, but I have to use some of that, too."
(3:22:57 PM) Ikiryo: "...but you seem like a nice person."
(3:23:53 PM) Earthflame: "Exactly." Khaira smiles. "...Although, it is kinda different, as the Abhorsen... Using Free Magic and Necromancy against Free Magic Elementals and the Dead is my job. My family have been doing this since the beginning."
(3:25:26 PM) Ikiryo: She frowns, looking confused.
(3:25:48 PM) Earthflame: "...It's not always as simple as Order being Good and Chaos being Bad."
(3:26:04 PM) Earthflame: "I know some Chaos people who are really nice, and I know some Order people who are really mean."
(3:27:47 PM) Ikiryo: "I...umm...that doesn't make sense." She tilts her head, looking very confused indeed.
(3:28:55 PM) Earthflame: Khaira smiles softly. "I think it's good you're adventuring, Valentia... The world is a lot more complicated than you believe. But that's a lesson everyone has to learn for themselves." She taps the menu. "Now order something!£"
(3:30:00 PM) Ikiryo: She points to a large 'if you eat it all in half an hour, it's free' steak.
(3:31:38 PM) Earthflame: Khaira Grins. "Are you sure? This Is an adventurer pub."
(3:31:58 PM) Ikiryo: She nods. "It looks delicious."
(3:34:40 PM) Earthflame: "I suppose you can try~" Khaira giggles, putting through the order.
(3:39:21 PM) Ikiryo: "And I will succeed! For Sigmar!" She nods.
(3:41:33 PM) Earthflame: Khaira laughs, smiling at the girl... Looking a little sad, for a moment.
(3:41:54 PM) Ikiryo: "...is something wrong?" She frowns at Khaira.
(3:45:47 PM) Earthflame: "It's fine!" She tries to return to a smile, although it looks a bit hollow. "Just... Remembering... I used to talk about my lady, the way you do about Sigmar..."
(3:46:14 PM) Ikiryo: She frowns more...and goes to give Khaira a hug.
(3:48:01 PM) Earthflame: Khaira hugs her back, sniffling a little. "...I miss her... But I know it was for the best..."
(3:48:41 PM) Ikiryo: The other girl pats Khaira's back, still hugging her.
(3:49:43 PM) Earthflame: "I used to be a chosen of the Raven Queen... One of her Hunters."
(3:50:58 PM) Ikiryo: "Oh...that sounds really important." She sounds like she has no clue what it means.
(3:51:31 PM) Earthflame: She blinks. "...Do you know anything about Gods other than Sigmar?"
(3:53:13 PM) Ikiryo: "Umm...Pelor is the sun?"
(3:53:30 PM) Earthflame: "..."
(3:53:58 PM) Earthflame: "...Do you want me to tutor you? Not just about magic, but about the Gods... Being one God's chosen means you should probably understand the other ones..."
(3:56:24 PM) Ikiryo: "Is it important?"
(3:58:04 PM) Earthflame: She nods. "It's very important... The Gods spend a lot of time interacting with each other and... As Above, So Below... As a Chosen of Sigmar, you'll meet other Chosen, and you need to know where you stand with them."
(3:59:48 PM) Ikiryo: "Umm...alright then!" The food soon arrives, a massive steak for the other girl...
(4:00:27 PM) Earthflame: Khaira smiles as she gets her burger! Made from sacred cows! "Thank you!"
(4:01:31 PM) Ikiryo: She digs into it, happily. She looks like she could give a werewolf a run for her money in appetite.
(4:01:57 PM) Earthflame: Khaira just laughs to herself, eating more slowly... Her companion was odd, but pleasant company.
(4:03:23 PM) Ikiryo: Surprisingly, Valentia actually succeeds at something Khaira's seen angry barbarians fail at, finishing the meal with plenty of time.
(4:09:09 PM) Earthflame: "Wow!" She pauses. "...You must have been really hungry..."
(4:10:13 PM) Ikiryo: "A bit, yeah." She nods.
(4:11:13 PM) Earthflame: "Poor thing..."
(4:12:04 PM) Ikiryo: "...you say that a lot."
(4:12:55 PM) Earthflame: "You seem like you've had a really rough time..."
(4:13:22 PM) Ikiryo: "It will just make me better at being the chosen one." She smiles. "I mean, I've done better than the last three already!"
(4:20:43 PM) Earthflame: She blinks. "...The last three?"
(4:21:32 PM) Ikiryo: She nods. "One got so excitted to go fight chaos worshippers he charged straight after them, slipped and fell off a cliff."
(4:26:41 PM) Earthflame: "...That poor soul..."
(4:27:20 PM) Ikiryo: "Oh and there was the one who had the idea that he'd go and fight the dark gods personally so he jumped into a warp portal..."
(4:29:23 PM) Earthflame: Khaira's jaw drops.
(4:30:29 PM) Ikiryo: "The last one...well, she choked on a chicken bone."
(4:30:52 PM) Ikiryo: She smiles. "So I think I'm doing pretty well."
(4:33:17 PM) Earthflame: "That's awful..."
(4:35:19 PM) Ikiryo: "Really? I mean, it wasn't good but I'm sure they are with Sigmar now and it's why I'm adventuring despite being the fourth chosen of Sigmar."
(4:35:47 PM) Earthflame: "Those aren't ways Chosen should die..." She frowns. "Something seems wrong..."
(4:36:58 PM) Ikiryo: "Well, I'm going to do better and save my home from the bad people trying to destroy it."
(4:38:41 PM) Earthflame: "Well... I think you're more than able to!" Khaira gives her a smile, although she's still feeling a bit uncertain about the whole business...
(4:39:47 PM) Ikiryo: "I've got to be careful though...there is an unholy alliance trying to destroy my home sphere. A dark, necromantic wraith raising the dead, a bloody mouthed shapechanging monster, a god queen mad with power...oh and a pirate who's stolen a precursor weapon ship that could destroy us all!"
(4:40:08 PM) Earthflame: "You said..." She nods... Pausing. "...Did they teach you to say it with those exact words?"
(4:40:47 PM) Ikiryo: "Umm...I think so?" She frowns
(4:42:20 PM) Earthflame: "...Did they tell you anything else about them?"
(4:43:19 PM) Ikiryo: "Ummm..." She pauses. "Not really?"
(4:46:10 PM) Earthflame: "...So how are you going to fight them, if you know nothing else about them?"
(4:46:51 PM) Ikiryo: "I'm going to keep training and questing until I'm strong enough I can fight them and win."
(4:49:55 PM) Earthflame: "...Winning against evil isn't as simple as that, Valentia."
(4:50:36 PM) Ikiryo: "But...I'm chosen by Sigmar...and I'm working really hard..."
(4:52:01 PM) Earthflame: "...And it can take more than that, Valentia. A lot more."
(4:52:25 PM) Ikiryo: She pouts very hard. "But mum always said if I work hard I can do anything..."
(4:53:53 PM) Earthflame: "Hard work is part of it... But it can take more than hard work. Sometimes it take stopping and thinking and realising that you need to do something else, instead."
(4:54:14 PM) Ikiryo: She nods, staring at her empty plate.
(4:54:24 PM) Earthflame: Khaira rests a hand on her shoulder
(4:54:51 PM) Ikiryo: She sniffles a bit
(4:56:17 PM) Earthflame: Khaira slips around to give her a hug.
(4:57:06 PM) Ikiryo: "I just want to help people..."
(4:59:26 PM) Earthflame: "And that's a really good thing to want to do! But sometimes... Helping people means more than just smashing a bad guy with a hammer. Sometimes it means realising that the bad guy isn't bad, just lost, and you need to help them find out how to be good again..."
(5:00:06 PM) Ikiryo: "But..." She frowns. "The inquisitors say that bad people need to be destroyed..."
(5:00:35 PM) Earthflame: "...I think that's what Inquisitors do... It doesn't mean they're always right." Khaira pauses, pondering. "...Would you like to hear a story about my friend Mara?"
(5:00:52 PM) Ikiryo: "Umm...alright?"
(5:01:54 PM) Earthflame: "Mara came from a planet that had gone through a long, terrible war, but she took care of a lot of orphans, trying to keep them happy, even when things were so bad. I didn't always agree with her, but she worked really hard and just wanted people to have hope, to believe they could be happy again... She's one of the kindest people I ever met."
(5:02:11 PM) Ikiryo: She nods. "She sounds nice."
(5:02:45 PM) Earthflame: "But... Bad people took her and threatened the children, and I was force to fight her... And she nearly burned out her own soul trying to resist them, and to avoid fighting me... She was willing to give her life, to protect the children... To give me the chance to find the sorcerors and rip the life out of them."
(5:03:12 PM) Ikiryo: She bites her lip, listening intently.
(5:04:01 PM) Earthflame: "She was hurt real bad after that... But now she's recovered, living in a big house with all the orphans... She's adopted them, and is their mother now... And they're really happy." Khaira smiles, wiping a tear from her eye.
(5:04:28 PM) Ikiryo: "Awww..."
(5:04:46 PM) Earthflame: "But... Mara? She's a Demon of Tzeentch. The kind of person the Inquisitors would tell you is always bad."
(5:05:12 PM) Ikiryo: "...what...but...I don't understand..."
(5:06:16 PM) Earthflame: "It's like I said... Things are a lot more complicated than you were taught, Valentia... But I'm sure you'll figure it out." Khaira smiles, ruffling her hair.
(5:07:16 PM) Ikiryo: She shakes her head, looking confused. "I don't...that doesn't make sense..."
(5:07:47 PM) Earthflame: "Just take some time to think about it, okay?" Khaira squeezes her gently.
(5:08:53 PM) Ikiryo: She nods. "I'll try?"
(5:09:55 PM) Earthflame: "Thank you." Khaira smiles. "...Now! Do you want dessert?"
(5:10:51 PM) Ikiryo: "Sure!" She jumps as her comlink buzzes. "Ah...oh...the inquisitors want to talk to me. They've likely got a quest..." She pouts. "I guess we can get desert some other time?"
(5:11:31 PM) Earthflame: "Aww... Okay. But, have my commlink number!" Khaira gives it to her.
(5:11:44 PM) Earthflame: "And make sure to come back here! If their quests are cruddy, you can still get good ones from Gwyn!"
(5:12:33 PM) Ikiryo: She nods. "Alright." She stands up. "Alright, I've got to go find the Silence person they are sending for me."
(5:12:54 PM) Earthflame: "It was nice meeting you!" Khaira gives her a smile.
(5:13:50 PM) Ikiryo: She stands up and dashes off...
(5:14:22 PM) Earthflame: ...And Khaira flickers out of the visible world, floating through the wall and following her.
(5:15:57 PM) Ikiryo: It's not long before the girl meets up with a figure in pure white robes emblazoned with the hammer of sigmar. The cloth covering the face and the white gloves make exact details impossible to identify with them...
(5:16:42 PM) Earthflame: Khaira frowns, reaching out with her magical senses, trying to get an impression of them...
(5:20:07 PM) Ikiryo: As she does...the figure turns to look her right in the eyes, even with Khaira mostly in the river. For a moment, she can see the figure through the cloth as thier burning gaze illuminates it. Eyes scorched away with hot pokers, a ruined hole where the nose should be...ears and lips burned off and the skin leathery with burn marks. Despite that, they live.
(5:20:08 PM) Ikiryo: More notably, however, is the soul...just as scorched as the body. Entire parts of it burned away and replaced with bright crackling lightning...only the smallest fragment of humanity still at the core of it.
(5:22:34 PM) Earthflame: Khaira reacts instantly... Panicking, throwing herself deeper into the river, shaking with horror and revulsion...
(5:23:35 PM) Ikiryo: That burning gaze following her the entire way...
(5:23:58 PM) Earthflame: Khaira passing through three gates before she feels far enough away to be safe...