11:57:56 AM) Earthflame: Khaira hums happily to herself, having finally waved goodbye to Amanita and left the temple of Lolth. She was weird, and Khaira hadn't understood all of it, but it was kinda fun!
(12:01:14 PM) Ikiryo: ...as she leaves, she gains matrix access again...and messages from Reise start arriving...describing the current situation and what has been found.
(12:07:23 PM) Earthflame: Khaira pauses as she reads the messages... Eyes getting wider, jaw dropping... Knuckles whitening, and starting to shake. "No... No no no no no... This can't... No... Not here..."
(12:10:28 PM) Ikiryo: "Khaira?" A woman heads up toward her. She's a very tall elven woman, close to eight feet tall. She has the figure of a centerfold, despite very impressive muscles and shaggy 80s hair that flows down to mid-thigh. She's dressed in jeans and a t-shirt as well as a long-coat. Khaira vaguely remembers her from the trip here. Lifen? Linny's Werewolf Friend.
(12:11:58 PM) Earthflame: She's startled momentarily... And then relaxes, although she still looks worried. "You're... Lifen, right? You came with Linny?"
(12:13:44 PM) Ikiryo: She nods. "I did. The others hadn't heard back from you in a while, so they sent me to track you down."
(12:14:13 PM) Earthflame: "I was just..." She pauses, turning back to the tree and the town... Looking betrayed. "...I was feeling at home..."
(12:19:45 PM) Ikiryo: She pauses, reaching out to put a hand on Khaira's shoulder.
(12:20:42 PM) Earthflame: She shakes her head a bit... Rubbing at her eyes. "S-sorry... We have something to do, right?"
(12:25:44 PM) Ikiryo: "Do you need a moment?"
(12:26:35 PM) Earthflame: "...I've taken too long already." She bites her lip. "...We're heading to one of these places, right?"
(12:33:18 PM) Ikiryo: She sighs. "When you are ready to. Taking someone not mentally up to it is more dangerous than taking no one at all." The hand squeezes her shoulder slightly.
(12:35:20 PM) Earthflame: Khaira sniffles a little. "...Can we get away from here, a little bit? And... can I hug you?"
(12:40:15 PM) Ikiryo: "Of course." She nods, leading Khaira towards the elevator to get out of here.
(12:41:24 PM) Earthflame: Khaira hugs her... Shivering. Speaking quietly. "It felt like home... I thought it was all safe, that it was all... Fine..."
(12:46:07 PM) Ikiryo: "We don't know how bad it is here." She puts an arm around Khaira as they head down to the ground. "It could just be a small group."
(12:48:35 PM) Earthflame: "...They hurt a young Maiden. A Child." She shivers again... The shock and sorrow slowly turning to rage.
(12:49:39 PM) Ikiryo: "And they will reap the consequences." She nods.
(12:51:44 PM) Earthflame: She pauses, looking up at the great tree. "...They think she's involved. But... She... Can't be. Not without..." She shakes her head. "...It's hard to explain..."
(12:54:10 PM) Galatea [[email protected]] entered the room.
(12:58:15 PM) Ikiryo: O
(12:58:28 PM) Ikiryo: "I'm willing to listen if you want to try."
(1:04:39 PM) Earthflame: "...She can't be involved. If she Is, if she..." Khaira shivers. "...If she did... I'm not sure what she is anymore... No Dryad, no Matriarch... Would do that to such a young Maiden."
(1:05:22 PM) Ikiryo: Lifen frowns. "Well, we'll find out. She might be innocent."
(1:05:35 PM) Earthflame: "...I hope so..."
(1:10:22 PM) Ikiryo: She tightens the arm around the other girl.
(1:13:21 PM) Earthflame: Khaira leans into her, sniffling. "...Thank you." She pauses, thinking. "...It'd be like... Like a Werewolf who just lies down and gives up... Who stops trying to survive... At least, if I remember the lessons of Luna I was taught when I was little... Someone doing the last thing you can imagine them doing."
(1:14:19 PM) Ikiryo: She nods. "I understand what you mean...but life can change anything. Nothing is static. Regardless...we'll only know either way if we investigate."
(1:15:13 PM) Earthflame: "...Either way... We need to stop them. All of them. Drive them into Death..." Khaira shivers... Physical form getting a little vague for a moment, before she pulls herself together.
(1:18:37 PM) Ikiryo: Oddly enough, Lifen doesn't lose her grip despite the vagueness. "We do. Do you feel likel you are able to do so? There is no shame in knowing your limits."
(1:19:56 PM) Earthflame: Khaira turns to her for a moment... Releasing the hug and stepping back. The tie dye dress dissolves, replaced with black leather, boots... And her bandolier of bells. "...I'm ready. After all... I might be the only one who could grant their spirits peace."
(1:21:19 PM) Ikiryo: She chuckles. "You would be suprised. The Children of Luna are not inexperianced at forcing the dead back into the river." The forest is up ahead of them, still looking bright and shiny and disney-like.
(1:22:21 PM) Earthflame: "I know. I grew up on Summerholme... And I always loved Luna. I forgot, for a while... But I went to catch up with her, back in town! She smiled at me."
(1:23:08 PM) Earthflame: "But... It's not about forcing. A spirit driven out can be wracked with pain and fear, only easier to bring back... Sometimes they need to be soothed... To be given peace for their journey."
(1:23:45 PM) Ikiryo: "Let's hope it's a good smile. Much like her children, she can be a bit of a bitch~" She nods, moonsilver flowing from under her jacket until she is holding a massive two handed sword nearly as large as she is.
(1:24:45 PM) Earthflame: "...Ooooh. Pretty!" She leads into the woods. "And I think it was a nice smile? The moonlight felt nice."
(1:25:56 PM) Ikiryo: A location is transfered to Khaira from Lifen. "This is the group of vines we are heading for...I can't be sure what we'll find there."
(1:27:46 PM) Earthflame: "...Probably not something nice." She keeps her senses open as they enter the woods... They looked so beautiful and peaceful... It hurt her to think there was such danger lurking within...
(1:33:10 PM) Ikiryo: They are unmolested most of the way there...until Lifen pauses and holds up a hand. "I smell something off. Blood magic..." She looks about the area, blade at the ready.
(1:35:01 PM) Earthflame: Khaira frowns. "...The river doesn't feel too disturbed... But it could be old or distant Death..."
(1:38:41 PM) Ikiryo: Nearby...some stones shift and move, revealing a figure of stone and wood. It is very vaguely humanoid shaped, more like a golem than anything more defined. It's arms look more like battering rams than anything ending in hands and it is covered in red runes. "A Wold Guardian."
(1:39:50 PM) Earthflame: Khaira frowns. "...Strange..." She closes her eyes, reaching out to it... Trying to get a sense of it...
(1:42:24 PM) Ikiryo: "They are tough but not that dangerous...they act as guardians and bodyguards." She smiles. "While strong, they are very slow and completely lack ranged weapons. Easy prey."
(1:51:15 PM) Earthflame: ...Khaira shivers. "...Stolen life, without a soul to anchor it. Strange." She pauses a moment, cocking her head. "...Dryad magic?"
(1:53:47 PM) Ikiryo: "Dryad magic?" Lifen raises an eyebrow. "That's not usu..." The werewolf suddenly pushes Khaira to the side and is flung backwards...half her torso and one arm torn from her body in a spray of blood.
(1:53:50 PM) Ikiryo: The Wold Guardian shifts, another heavy stone spike shifting into position inside it's now open left arm. Khaira recognises that now...that's the organic railgun design the dryad navy uses.
(1:56:09 PM) Earthflame: Her eyes widen at that... She could run, she could hide... But Lifen would be defenseless. She would survive that hit, but it could kill her... Or capture her... Instead, she starts to move towards it, driven by instinct more than anything else... Thinking frantically, but none of her bells spring to her hands... What song could call to life without soul?
(1:58:31 PM) Ikiryo: Khaira notices though...it's turning is pitifully slow and it seems utterly incapable of leading a target. It only managed to hit Lifen because it suprised her.
(1:59:01 PM) Ikiryo: Hitting anything smaller than a tank is likely a miracle for it.
(1:59:59 PM) Earthflame: Good to know! Spectral flickerstepping left and right as she approaches it, never where it expects her to be... Hopefully, while staying present enough it won't put another shot into Lifen.
(2:02:07 PM) Ikiryo: It keps turning to try and keep her tracked but her teleporation and it's speed mean it's never going to catch her at this rate. Then, a massive crack splits the air. A sonic boom. The wold take a step foward...and collapses into stone, a massive moonsilver sword driven through it's back.
(2:02:21 PM) Ikiryo: Lifen, still missing a large amount of herself is leaning against a tree, arm outstretched like she just throw a knife. "...the fuck was that?" When you only have one lung, your voice isn't very strong.
(2:03:01 PM) Earthflame: Khaira pauses, blinking at her in surprise... Taking a moment to reach out to that stolen life... Making sure it's going properly now.
(2:03:29 PM) Ikiryo: It is flowing away, into the grass and the plants around it now that the casing is cracked...
(2:04:11 PM) Earthflame: Khaira sighs at that... Turning back to smile at Lifen. "...Dryad Railgun. I'm surprised you can stand, let alone attack."
(2:05:02 PM) Ikiryo: "I'm a child of Luna...if a good chuck less of the woman than I was." She gives a smile that just looks ghoulish with her injuries.
(2:05:34 PM) Earthflame: Khaira pauses... And then reaches out, trying to gather up that life, to draw it to herself. "...I might be able to help?"
(2:06:36 PM) Ikiryo: "I'll be right in a bit...but more help is always appreciated."
(2:08:00 PM) Earthflame: Carefully drawing the life to her, Khaira approaches... Letting it flow into Lifen. "That which harmed you shall heal you..."
(2:09:44 PM) Ikiryo: She chuckles, her skin starting to grow back...bones reaching out of her body and flesh weaving onto it. In only a couple of minutes, the woman is whole again. Her jacket is not so much.
(2:10:25 PM) Earthflame: "Yay!" Khaira hugs her.
(2:17:28 PM) Ikiryo: She chuckles and hugs back. "Going to need to get a new jacket later." She smiles.