Never a Pet (Kyra)

[Aello]

As Kyra's actions freed her, Aello began to fall. For a moment, as her her body cascaded swiftly, she felt weightless, until she landed with a thud that caused her entire form to tremble, jostling the folds greatly enough that the pycon could no longer hold on. Her tiny fingers slipping, unfurling; soon releasing the fabric, causing her to roll off into a deeper corner of the cave. As this occurred, the uneven stone jabbed into the huntress' skin. They felt like tiny daggers stabbing at her, thorns scratching the surface of her skin, causing her entire body to ache. The huntress winced and grit her teeth as she nodded her head and fought to ease herself onto her feet. Her eyes following the sudden shift battle; the role reversal that had occurred between herself and the Kelvic. Her knees trembled and her back was arched; altogether, she looked broken and not up for battle. But she had to be, she had to help the Kelvic. "I'm... I'm not ok!" Lily called from the distance. Her aura a flickering mass of deep red. And Lily. Finding a renewed vigor seeing as she wanted to protect her friends, Aello darted forward. Moving around the ghost as silently as she could, until she had her back in sight as opposed to his alluringly soft blue eyes. For a moment she stood silently, laying in wait. Her chest rising and falling evenly, although a sharp shooting pain coursed through her each time it collapsed, only to inflate once more with a fresh breath of air. Her heart hammered in her chest, drumming out a tune for her to move and think by. After a few more ticks had passed, Aello sprang. She darted towards the ghost, her arms swinging back and forth with each of her steps. When she had crossed the distance that once rested between them, she pushed up against the ground with all of her strength, and extended her arms. Allowing them to fall around his neck and pull him back. The ghost gasped, although, the huntress wasn't sure it had any effect on how her friend was fairing. She could feel her fingers weaving together, her hands grabbing each other tightly. Fingers falling against his Adam's apple as she dangled in the air. If only he were still alive, he would be choking on his own fluids, struggling for air. But the only thing she managed was to allow herself to grow cold. "Let her go," Aello growled through clenched teeth, spurring the ghost to lift the Kelvic up even higher before hurling her across the cave. The huntress' eyes grew wide as she stifled a gasp. That is definitely going to hurt come morning, she thought to herself, as she tightened her hold on the ghost, although it was difficult to say why, all things considered. She could not choke him, after all. Aello could feel the ghost's form rumbling as a growl escaped his lips. It was low, guttarl. Emanating from the back of his throat. He grows frustrated with us, the aurist thought to herself as he reached for her hands, and pried her off of him. Pulled her around his back so they could face each other once more. They were scarcely level. So he adjusted, holding her up by the top folds of her dress. "You can touch me," he barked. Causing the girl to look at him quizzically as if to say, 'no shit.' "Which means you're one of them," the ghost added, somewhat cryptically. "One of what?" Aello inquired. "The spiritists," the ghost rasped. "Which means I don't need him anymore. Only you." His lips curled into a crooked smile as Aello's hands rose to meet his. To try, feebly, to pry his fingers away from her and free herself. He glared, seeing through her, causing her breath to catch in her throat. "What are you talking about?" Aello whispered. "Who-" There were footsteps off in the distance. Scarcely audible. The rattling of nails against glass. The aura was hidden behind a fold in the stone, a flickering light of tarnished gold. "He comes just in time," the ghost said with a smirk. "Bearing the vial..." OOCFeel free to describe the second guy coming closer, but uh... leave details to me I guess. Oh and Lily is still on the floor, aching and moaning and groaning if you want to interact with her. She probably has some chipped limbs and will say everything hurts.

[Kyra]

Kyra could feel her limbs going limp, the cold touch of the ghost crawling over her tiny frame and extending to her arms and legs. She gasped, her head falling back as her arms and legs started to twitch in response to the sudden cold. She had succeed in getting the ghost to release Aello, but now found herself trapped in it's unnatural clutches. The young kelvic cried out again, still twisting and whipping her arms about as she tried to free herself. For a time, she couldn't see Aello or Lily, her vision obscured with flashes of the ghost's form and that of her own.

It was all happening fast and just as she thought that she had found away to free herself, the ghost lifted her higher into the air. The sound of the huntress' voice echoing off the walls of the cave as she demanded the ghost to release her, prompting him to throw her across the floor. The tiny form of the kelvic soared through the air as she tucked her arms and legs into her body to avoid injuring herself. Tucked into a ball, her body hurled towards the cave wall, though landing short, as she turned her hips to attempt a landing where she slammed into the ground knee's and elbows first.

She winched from the pain, hissing an almost inaudible moan as the full weight of the landing settled in on her body. Pulling herself together, the kelvic glared up at the ghost, her golden eyes piercing into his form as he tried to pull the huntress off him. One he had achieved this, and the two were once again face to face, Kyra readied herself to attack again, but then realizing that during her tumble she had lost the dagger. She quickly looked around for it, but finding that it had escaped her, where ever it had fallen.

She looked up again when the ghost and huntress started to talk, the ghost's loud ramblings sounding more of a puzzle than of anything that she understood. It seemed that Aello was also confused as she started to question him. The girl whipped her head around as a soft moan called out from the far corners of the cave. It was Lily and she was hurting and very unhappy. Kyra pushed herself up and scurried across the floor to aid the pycon. "Lily, are you wounded?" she asked in a whisper.

"It hurts...everything hurts!" the pycon replied rather loudly. Kyra looked closely at the tiny woman's body, seeing chips and marks etched across her features. She didn't know what to make of it all. Until a bell ago she didn't even knew that pycons existed, much less how to care for one. "Be still Lily, we will help you..somehow" Suddenly a new smell wafted into her nose, something stale, also rotten in source. Kyra turned away from the pycon and stared towards the area where the ghost had blocked until recently.

Someone else was coming, someone they hadn't detected before. Like the ghost it seemed that whoever or whatever it was had managed to keep themselves hidden until they wanted to be seen. Her ears twitched lightly as the sound of nails against glass reached them. The ghost spoke of someone coming, and carrying a vial. Kyra wasn't sure of what this meant and she didn't wait around to see who appeared.

The kelvic jumped into action, making a quick dash across the floor. She moved as fast as she could, putting all of her strength into her slender legs as she raced towards the ghost and leaped into the air wrapping her arms around Aello. If she was lucky,the momentum would free the huntress from the ghost's grip and send them both a few paces away from it, and without any major injuries...she hoped.OOCI wasn't sure of who was coming, or if they were even human so I just left that open.

[Aello]

The footsteps continued to grow louder and louder, and the rattling of nails all the more grating. As though it were scratching the glass as opposed to merely bumping up against it. But this Aello ignored as she puzzled over the ghost's cryptic words; allowed her legs to flail uselessly. The huntress too, ignored the wails of her young companion, and the steps the Kelvic took just before she felt her weight. Her strong arms around her, pulling her away. For a moment, they all remained suspended in the air, before the momentum caused by Kyra's leap jerked each of their forms away from the ghost. The Kelvic, naturally, touched down against the cave floor first, stumbling, her arms loosening around Aello as they each tumbled back, falling against the wall. She thought she could hear a pained cry as she lurched forward and away, the ghost glaring at them, as the huntress turned to the sound of a final step and the sight of a cloaked figure. Taller than she, and likely taller than the ghost, although, it was hunched over and difficult to tell for sure. In his large hands, lined by delicate brown hands was a simple vial containing an off white gel, something the huntress immediately recognized as soulmist. What is he trying to summon? Aello wondered, as she forced herself to muster any remaining strength, and dart towards the newcomer. For in all honesty, she was not so sure she wanted to find out what he was trying to summon with the mist, or rather, whom. Thus, the woman forced herself to breath deeply as he rapidly approached, her feet kicking up against the uneven rock floor as her arms pumped back and forth, serving to propel her forward all the more rapidly, although, with far less grace. Within a few ticks she had crossed the distance that once rested between them, turned her body so that only her side was presented, her shoulder leading, and barreled into him. Knocking the figure back several paces, and over a rise in the stone, causing the man to trip, as the huntress came down on top of him, his arms flailed, sending the vial of mist spiraling and up through the air. The huntress had eyes only for the cloaked mage however, and not for the vial which twirled through the air, the edges of the glass glimmering as they both fell hard, their bodies grating against the stone. "Nooooooo!" the ghost screamed. "Not the vial!" prompting the mage to reach for it. But it was Aello's own hands that rose higher, allowing her fingers to brush the edges before it cascaded down the side of their length, and fell to the floor. The glass shattering on impact with a hollowed ring, which reverberated off the cave walls. Shards of transparent material slid across the floor, several of the smaller pieces cutting through cloth, dotting Aello's flesh with red beads, along with that of the man who rested below her, as the mist began to settle into the stone. The blood drawings. He need only say the words, and we are finished, the huntress thought to herself as the ghost hollered, "you fool! How could you let yourself lose the last of it?" before he flung his arm out, pulling the mage out from under Aello's body, and hurling him across the length of the floor. Smashing his head into the side of the cave wall, where he uttered a groan and continued to bleed. The huntress remained however, her body splayed, and aching. So very pained, as the ghost urgently breached the distance, coming to a rest by the mist. His body furling, crouching beside it. His hands cupped, dipping into it and then running back up. As though he were trying to gather the last water he had seen for days; so parched was he, in need of drink. Aello looked up at the ghost, stifling groans. Her lids feeling so heavy, it was a battle to keep them open. Just whose mist was it? she wondered, as she imagined his parched lips, and watched him frantically wet his fingers over and over again. His facial expression softening, although there was a deep seated pain held there too. Feebly, she could feel her fingers digging into the stone, struggling to raise herself as the ghost continued rather methodically, rhythmically, but it was no use. The mist was lost to him. "Chloe..." he whispered, his voice trailing off. "My sweet Chloe. Sweet..." "Who-" The ghost looked up, as if remembering he was not alone. "You," he growled, the softness of his features lost within a moment. "You can still summon her for me. You can still bring her back." There was a glimmer within the recesses of the girl's eyes, a reflection which deepened the muddied brown of her irises; likened to a tear that would not fall. "It rests here, within the blood marks the fool drew. If only you speak, you can bring her here." There was a pause. A very long, pained pause. "You will bring her here." Horrified, the huntress ventured a faint whisper. "Who?" OOCErm... yeah sorry this is very cryptic. About the cloaked figure, it's a human male, older than both our pcs, in his late twenties although he looks like he's in his mid thirties. He's quite dirty, and very thin/frail looking beneath his robes. I'll leave it up to you whether or not he's dead in the next post. I don't care either way.

[Kyra]

Kyra tumbled into the unforgiving floor of the cave with a hard thump, causing her to release her hold on the huntress. The normally graceful and nimble kelvic couldn't catch her balance, which caused her to stumble upon landing as her back slammed into the wall of the cave. She settled against the wall, allowing her breathe to catch up and her heart to slow from the rapid pounding in her chest. Once the cloaked figure entered, Kyra's eyes narrowed and focused on the object that he carried. The kelvic had never seen anything like it, nor could she assume what it was.

She wasn't sure of what Aello had planned, but she remembered how the dagger that she'd given her had hurt the ghost. Sadly she had lost sight of it until a moment ago. When she raced to save the huntress, she had spotted the dagger close to where the ghost was. She had unknowingly dropped it before when the ghost first picked her up and tossed her across the floor. Kyra knew that she had to get to it, she had to regain the bit of strength that the strange dagger had given her.

So she moved, pushing herself off the wall and rushing forward as the huntress did the same. Kyra slipped around behind her and moving to the other side while the ghost's attention was on Aello. The kelvic turned her figure in, lowering her body as she swept down and snatched the dagger from behind the ghost. Realizing that she was behind him, the ghost spun around, swinging a wild arm in her direction. Kyra jumped back, tightly curling the handle of the dagger into her small palm. She hissed at the ghost, dashing forward and swinging a horizontal slash at his mid section.

The ghost drifted back, his eyes icy cold as they stared at the kelvic. Again she hissed, a low growl rumbling deep in her throat as she darted forward again, bringing her leg up in and rounded swing towards the Ghost neck. The being shifted to the side reaching for her, yet quickly recoiling his arms as she brought the dagger around slashing towards his throat. Getting more frustrated the ghost shoved Kyra backwards causing her to tuck in her body a second time as she rolled backwards and back to her knees.

The ghost suddenly turned it's attention back to Aello and the cloaked man, just in time to see the vial tumbling through the air and yelled out in anger. Kyra saw her chance and dashed towards him again, racking the blade of the dagger across his chest. He howled again before grabbing her and slinging her against the far wall. The small girl slammed into the wall with a thud, forcing a gasped cry from her as she slid down the wall and settled onto the floor.

There was a loud ringing in her ears and her vision began to blur. She could barely make out the ghost's form moving towards Aello and pulling the cloaked man from beneath her and slinging him just as easily as he had done her. Kyra had been lucky however, and hadn't hit the wall as hard as the man had. From where she sat, she couldn't tell if he was dead or not. But she couldn't be concerned with him and needed to focus on his partner. Uttering a few soft moans, she slowly pushed herself off the floor and stood up again. It only took one step forward for the ringing in her head to worsen and the sting in her back to burn, causing her to kneel down on one knee.

Still she wouldn't be stopped, and started to slowly crawl across the floor, dagger in hand. She could see the ghost kneeling beside Aello and slowly crept behind him. She didn't listen much to his ramblings, only to the sound of her body as she tried to make her movements as silent as possible. Once she was close enough, Kyra leaped forward stabbing the blade of the dagger into the ghost back.

[Aello]

"Chloe," the ghost whispered, "the love I lost." "The-" Aello began as a shriek escaped the ghost's lips, causing him to straighten his back as he held his arms out to the side, causing the muscles he possessed to pulse; mirroring the outer portions of his form as a streak of white gel fell to the floor. For a moment, the huntress held her breath as the ghost flailed his arms around, seeking to make contact with the Kelvic who had caused him so much pain. Her head remained in a troubled fog, although it was clear enough to remember the words she had once read: you must use your own blood. "Or you will fail," Aello mouthed the rest just as the ghost turned back to her. His eyes blazing. "What are you waiting for?" he growled. "Call her to us! Bring Chloe back to me!" "As you wish," the huntress whispered as she fought to straighten herself out. Fought to take another deep breath, in through the nose and out through the mouth, as her eyes settled onto the ghost's. "Chole, come to us. Piece together the puzzle that is this dead man's heart." At the end her voice faltered as loose pebbles rattled against the uneven terrain and the mist trickled down through the cracks, leaving an emptiness where it had once pooled. But nothing else happened. No one came. The ghost turned to Aello, his face torn. His eyes a mixture of anger and sorrow. "Where is she?" he bellowed. "You said the words, she should be here!" Aello shook her head as she held out a single arm. Extending her fingers so as to brush up against the cool elements that bound him. "You needed my blood," she replied. "Or it wouldn't work. His blood, and my voice cannot summon Chloe together. You needed one of us, but not the other..." The aurist's voice trailed off as she waited, wondering how quickly his rage would boil over. What he would do now that he realized everyone present had been rendered useless. Incapable of serving his needs. Bringing him the one thing he truly wanted. OOCNot sure where to go with this now. Erm... surprise me?

[Kyra]

Kyra quickly jumped back as the ghost reached for her, completely aware of the cold sting of his touch. The nimble girl slipped back, her tiny body crouched low to the ground as she slid backwards. She hissed, baring her feline like fangs, as she gripped the dagger in her hand. The ghost was weaken now, they could all see it. Kyra figured that there was no time like the present to finish him while he was yelling at Aello. Tightening her limbs, she readied herself to strike and dash forward.

Suddenly she paused, a heavy thumbing sound echoing off the walls. Kyra quickly turned around to find the staggering form of the cloaked man. He fell atop her, his shaking hands pawing, trying to rip the dagger from her grip. Again she hissed, violently thrusting her boots into his gut to send him tumbling backwards. Once he was sent into a back petal, Kyra swung her legs up and over her body, using the momentum to lift herself back to her feet again.

She raced towards the man then who had just regained his footing, and sent a stiff kick into his right shoulder. He stumbled again from the kick and fell against the wall. His was weakened from the attack by the ghost and the wound on his head caused his vision to blur terribly. He looked on in confusion as two blondish blurs raced towards him and raking at his chest with their daggers. He jumped back then, only to realize that he was against the wall of the cave. The kelvic moved against him again, lifting herself up as she brought a swift kick to his chin that knocked his head against the wall hard almost cracking his skull.

"Nooo!" the ghost yelled loudly. His icy gaze falling from Aello to Kyra. "You can't kill him, I need him!" he growled, seeing his one chance at getting his beloved back laying on the floor twitching. He moved from Aello quickly and dashed towards Kyra. Seeing him coming, the kelvic turned her body in an arch and cartwheeled herself out of his way and against the wall of the cave.

The Ghost leaned down to check on the man and made sure that he was still alive. "I can still do this..I can bring her back!" he chuckled as he moved in to possess the man. Once he was inside him, limb for limb, the possessed man slowly stood up, glaring at them both. "But first.." He hissed, extending his hands to form the res that pooled from within him. "You must die.."

[Aello]

"How in the world isn't he dead yet?" Aello asked in surprise as she eased herself onto her feet. He was forced against a wall... Her thoughts trailed off as she noticed the ghost readying himself for an attack. Great, just what we needed, Aello thought as her eyes scanned the narrow cave passage, looking for her special dagger. It didn't take long for her to find it, nestled into an earthen groove not far from where Lily lay, groaning in pain. If only she could reach it, Aello could put an end to this madness. Her eyes narrowed then, as a sense of determination flooded her. Filling every fibre of her being. Within a moment, her muscles had coiled as her hands balled into fists, and she summoned the last of her courage, the last of her fleeting strength. Another tick, and she had darted forward, her arms swinging as she moved towards the dagger. The ghost loosing the res he had gathered in the form of fire towards each of the girls. The swirling fireball zooming just above her head as she reached the dagger and fingers furled around the hilt. Another second and Aello was clutching the dagger tightly as her body twisted. Her arm swinging around as her fingers unraveled, releasing what they once held. The dagger left her, and soon began swirling through the air, before lodging itself in the ghost's chest, causing it to scream. Aello smirked as she lifted the pycon from the floor and yelled, "come Kyra, the dagger won't hold him for long," before running off in the direction they had been headed before the monster had reappeared. Her body turning with each of the cave's natural bends, until she found herself in a room littered with basic shelves. Wooden beams crossed into an X shape, with a flat piece of wood on top. Onto which vials of all different shapes and sizes had been stacked, along with the occasional scroll. Rolled tightly and bound with either deep blue or red ribbons. The huntress wasn't sure what made her stop running, but something did. Leaving her muddied irises to pass over the items that were strewn on the shelf as she distractedly placed the injured pycon in her bag's spare pouch and approached the nearest vials. Her right hand leaving outside. Single finger pressing forward to press the delicately sloped glass, and then the scroll piled next to it, which instantly crumbled and turned to dust against her touch. That's strange, she thought to herself, as her eyes passed over the vials. Most clear glass, but some the shade of the sea, or the grass. Some the sun's hue. But one in particular drew her. One shaped as a small tear, which glass the color of a blueberry's skin. It was empty from what she could tell, and when she plucked it from the table and slipped it into her pocket, she realized she had been right. "We shouldn't linger," Aello whispered more to herself after anyone else for a time. Leading her to continue on their path towards another portion of the cave, one she could feel within her soul, held another way out. OOCI do want the vial as a thread reward, but if that's not cool, feel free to have it mysteriously vanish or fall out of her pocket and shatter.

[Kyra]

Kyra looked on in shock as the man stood up again. She had been sure that he was finished, if not dead. The blows she landed should have kept him down as he was already wounded from the attack by the ghost. Still, she was ready to continue and slipped back further tightening her limbs to sprint forward for another attack. She paused suddenly, her features growing paler. She recognized the magic that he was now using, she had seen Clyde do it many times before. She turned away then, racing towards the opposite side and diving out of the way of the fire ball that he threw at her.

The kelvic pressed her body against the wall, keeping out of his line of sight for the moment. She could easily remember what Clyde had done to the tree, and she didn't want that fate for herself. Her gaze lowered to the huntress who then tossed her dagger at the ghost, before racing off with Lily. Kyra didn't wait around and quickly followed Aello down the path. She didn't bother to look back to see if they were being followed, and instead raced on with her companions.

Again the girls pushed forward without any clue as to where they were going. Twist and turns continued, but luckily there weren't anymore traps or raging animals to face in the darkness of the cave. Finally, they happened on to a strange room lined with shelves and a assortment of vials. Kyra paused, glancing at Aello as she wondered why the woman suddenly stopped. In the distance she could hear the howling of the ghost, and knew that it was still searching for them. "Aello..we should move."

She moved a bit closer, seeing Lily's form being lowered into the bag. "Is she going to be alright?" Kyra asked, though it didn't appear that the huntress heard her question. She watched silently as Aello explored the area and finding some form of interest in the glass objects in front of her. "Are those important?" she asked, as she moved around the woman and looked about for a way out. There was something to the far side, and opening. A cool breeze wafted in from the direction, telling her that they had found the exit. "This way.." she said as she headed off without looking behind her.

The two were met with more turns and twist, but only one direction was available. Soon after another stroll through complete darkness, there was a light up ahead, a guide line as to where they needed to go. Kyra picked up her pace and hurried on, having no desire to spend another moment in the accursed cave. Once they were outside, the two were greeted by the evenings light. The storm had passed on leaving them with the freshness of the after pour. Taking a moment to catch her breath, Kyra moved along the side of the cave and leaned again the wall. She closed her eyes as she breathed in, and allowing her arms to fall limp at her side. "I don't think I like caves at all."

[Aello]

The huntress nodded distractedly as her eyes grazed over the table. "Maybe," she whispered as she lingered a moment longer, ignoring the sound of the ghost's wails echoing off the cave walls. Again, she hesitated, even when it came a little closer, before backing away and running after Kyra. The colored vapors buffeting her skin; caressing her cheeks, wiping the beads of sweat from her brow as her breath caught in her throat and then the sounds of the outside world greeted her. It was a relief when she crossed the threshold from one world into another. Allowed herself to collapse on the ground beside Kyra as she struggled to regain her breath. "I never liked those petching things myself," she said as she shook her head amiably and then peered down at her right hand, where a familiar weight had settled. The cursed blade, bathed in blood. A weapon that never truly left her. -Finis-

[Emblem]

Congratulations! You Get Glorious Experience! Aello Skill Points Earned Spelunking 5 XP Wilderness Survival 4 XP Rhetoric 2 XP Intimidation 1 XP Observation 1 XP Lore Earned Kyra (Partial) The Cave Glyphs on the Wall To Vanquish Ghosts Bearing the Weight of the Past Other Shenanigans: Add that vial you picked up to your inventory. Kyra Skill Points Earned Spelunking 5 XP Wilderness Survival 3 XP Hunting 3 XP Weapon: Dagger 3 XP Observation 2 XP Climbing 2 XP Acrobatics 2 XP Interrogation 2 XP Unarmed Combat 1 XP Lore Earned Aello (Partial) Lily (Partial) An Introduction to Pycons The Cave To Vanquish Ghosts Glyphs on the Wall Other Shenanigans:Nothing here Comments : I really thought it was going to be mainly a conversation thread but things certainly did a 180 didn't they? Went from talking in a cave to a crazy adventure involving ghosts! It was a great read so good job here! Hopefully skills and lores make sense, and if not, please PM me!