Refuge

[Lucas Arias]

Apparently the High Priestess and all those monks didn’t care that somebody had gone missing which irritated Lucas to no end. But since he was not a wannabe hero that was willing to risk his life for others – like those great knights in Syliras – he obeyed anyway. He had slowly begun to realize that their little trip into the Aperture was not as safe as he had initially thought it would be.

„I heard that“, he remarked to Volans as the man told him that they had to kepe on moving. „I’ll watch the walls“, he offered since the walls were probably were the least amount of monsters were. Besides, if something jumped out of the walls he’d know it wasn’t real because no living being could come out of a wall.

As that Cameron guy slapped him on the shoulder, Lucas groaned, and then he looked a little annoyed. „The Aperture choses people?“ he wondered. „I thought that only happened when you do that monk test or whatever it is called.“

He fell silent. It seemed better not to talk too much since it could alert whatever things lived in the Aperture to their presence. He was even closer to the High Priestess now since she offered the best protection in his opinion. He wasn’t a coward though – not really – he just believed in self preservation.

It was then that he noticed the breeze and the smell that came with it. He made a face. It was kind of unpleasant. Still, he followed the others towards the shrine. His eyes widened a little as he saw it. He hadn’t thought that anything like it would be down here. He approached. As he saw the circle, he automatically looked for the names of his own gods, Kelwyn …

And then he saw the woman, and his heart began to beat a little faster. Was she one of the illusions they had been warned about? Her despair seemed to be real, and she was talking. Lucas wasn’t sure if illusions could talk and bleed. This was all a little strange, and for that reason he didn’t exactly sound compassionate.

„I think a better question would be: ‚What happened?‘“ he remarked. „How come you are down here?“

[Volans]

The words, intertwined like snakes, repeated in a dull fashion that pounded in Volans's mind. Syna and Leth, Syna and Leth, Syna and Leth...to find such a shrine to them in such a place, and so desecrated! What were they and their fellow names doing here, in the Aperture? There was something in his vision, some red cloud biting at their words as the glyphs tore at his eyes. It was their fault, he knew. Leth's fault for not being strong enough to take the blow. Syna's fault for not being able to stop Leth. All their fault... Wait, what? The horrified look that passed across Volans's face might have been attributed to the macabre scene before them, but, in truth, it was so much deeper than that. Desperately dark coals, seeking a target to draw attention to, finally settled upon the girl. “We are not here to hurt you,” Volans said soothingly enough even as he turned to glare at Lucas and that monk of Xannos for their outbursts. “We just want to help you.” Volans made his way to the very front of the group, where he stood a short distance from the prostrate woman. Even as a heart beat faster upon seeing the crimson dyed hands, his own hand was extended to the woman, the nut brown skin striking in the gloom. “Tell us what happened.” Volans said clearly and concisely. There was no emotion in his voice, not pity, not alarm, nothing. The turmoil beneath was concealed by a face wiped clean and a palm that did not quiver. “What happened to your friends? For that matter, what happened to you?” A head was turned to look back at the group behind him. “Be on the lookout,” he said in a low voice. “The creature that attacked this woman, if one such thing exists, may still be lurking around. It would be better not to take chances.” It felt odd and vaguely wrong to be ordering Nykan monks around, and Volans had no idea whether his commands would warrant a nod or a head slap. But, when the scenario had spiraled apart so quickly as in this, it was better to be safe than sorry. And, it seemed in the Aperture, it seemed sorry was equivalent to being dead.

[Liar]

Theirs were not the only questions asked of her. Everyone was confused, and a little on edge; they all wanted answers, and the poor woman was the only one with any hope of giving it to them. She gave a startled shriek to Jett’s demands and a timid look to Lucas’s inquiries. A few came too close and she scrambled out of the way, kicking a tiny arc of drying red over white stone. But she refused to leave the circle of inscriptions beneath her, and so Volans was ultimately allowed to draw near. He crossed the line without difficulty. There was no wall, no obstruction, no change. She took comfort in his straight lips, his hard eyes, which were so unlike the invasive curiosity many others seemed to share. Still, she could not look him in the eye, or take his hand. “The- they were taken, when they strayed. Before they could find sanctuary. We were all taken, from above, but they—” Her face drifted toward the darkness beyond, where the torches could not reach. Her hand lifted, as if to reach out to the shadows, but she hesitated. “It wasn’t a monster. It was... gentle. I- I hurt myself, when I—oh...” When she held her head and shook it slowly, over and over again, it seemed clear that the woman was not in her right mind. The breeze picked up for a moment, tugging sweetly at her matted hair, and she gasped for what could only be fear. She held her breath, looking around wildly. With Saera, Lucas had strayed too far from the protection of the flames. While their leader remained untouched, for now, the Syliran felt a tug on his arm, a whisper in his ear. If he looked back he would see nothing, but was nonetheless knocked off his feet and pulled forcefully away from the group. He found himself next to the wall of the Aperture, in air that was suddenly still. The torches seemed to burn brighter, and nearing them was as painful as touching a flame. He would soon find that in that darkness, it was impossible to be seen or heard. The shadow itself had taken him, wrapped around him like a cool blanket, comforting and caring. It tugged gently forward, away from the shrine and the lights and toward the darkness beyond. Come, it said kindly to him, a thousand different voices speaking as one. As one man felt a soft caress of air, to everyone else the rotten winds had become torrential. As one man heard a comforting whisper, the others heard a rumbling bellow roll through the chasm. “LEAVE,” it said, and Lucas could almost hear it too. He was still on the fringe, taken, but not quite lost. And then silence fell, and their expedition had shrunk by one again.

OOC :

If you're interested, the events of this thread coincide with this one.

[Jett Variona]

Jett quickly realized that further questioning of this woman was pointless. She was obviously driven insane by the tribulations of the Aperture, and was now only speaking the inane gibberish of one who had lost her mind. He backed off and allowed Volans and the others to her, casting frustrated glances towards the cunning darkness which had gobbled up his fellows and refused to let them go again. Feeling safe from the light his own torch cast, Jett was about to break off from the group temporarily to investigate a pile of rubble when winds suddenly kicked up all around them. Surprised, the monk dropped his hammer and fell to a crouch, his arm that did not hold his torch covering his eyes from the torrent that buffeted them. A voice stated its intent for them to be gone, a cry that he felt more from the pit of his stomach than from his ears, and suddenly all stopped. Quickly he snatched up Agnis and readied for a fight, but there was nothing but the emptiness of the ruins and the soft sobs of the bedraggled woman. In fact, something else was a little off. Lucas! Jett muttered an oath that echoed off the walls of the shrine. The boy had wandered too far from the group and was now nowhere to be seen. At this rate, the rest of the civilians would be gone, and only the torch-wielding monks would be left. But how could they fight once the light had gone? How could they fight something they could not see? His courage had started to flag, but quickly he forced himself to see the faces of all who he had known who had been kidnapped, saw them in agony and crying out for rescue, and steeled himself once more. He turned on his sandal and approached the leader of their expedition. "This is folly Saera." He pleaded with a scowl. "We are getting no where, and our group gets smaller with every tick. We should move on before we are all taken by whatever that was."

[Lucas Arias]

By now Lucas had already regretted his decision to come into the Aperture with them a hundred times. Why in Kelwyn’s name had he thought it would be safer down there? People that abandoned their companions without a second thought weren’t trustworthy! And that strange woman seemed a little crazy as well. Volans might think it would be a good idea to be all soothing and nice, but in Lucas‘ opinion it was better to be careful. For that reason he almost warned the man as she allowed him to come closer to her.

In the failed squire’s opinion it was much better to have some distance between them. As the woman – if that was really what she was – talked about how the others had been taken, he furrowed his brow and looked decidedly unhappy. He didn’t like this situation at all. As the breeze picked up, he looked around as if he were worried that somebody were coming, and then he suddenly felt a tug on his arm. He frowned even harder.

„Hey …“ he protested as he was knocked of his feet. At least he tried to protest. It was doubtful that anybody heard him, and it was even more doubtful that the rest of the group would come looking for him. They didn’t really seem to care if people disappeared. This wasn’t good. This wasn’t good at all. He should have stayed at home.

There was a feeling of comfort, and the darkness seemed almost pleasant, but it didn’t really make him feel better. The Aperture was normally full of monsters. Nice things didn’t belong here! „Why should I come with you?“ he wanted to know and crossed his arms over his chest. „Who are you, and what do you want from me?“

[Volans]

The hand that had breached the sanctuary of the ring of inscriptions failed him, abandoned by the other. They dropped to his side dully, a warning step taken back when the woman swung her head. A shocked question began to pierce the mortal seeming's mouth when the shout interrupted him, leaving him to wheel around and glance around the group. “Where is Lucas?” Volans demanded. He was not the only one that had heard the shout, nor the only one that had noticed that the Syliran had vanished; there, one of the monks drew his sword and looked around. “I swear, if he pulling another trick...” but the ethaefal's brow was set, and he did not leave the circle. “Something is in here with us...” Volans murmured, and then he heard the man's bequest of Saera. “No, we cannot run,” Volans spoke louder now, speaking to the entire group. Fear burned somewhere within the recesses of his eyes, but a taut posture and crossed arms did their best to hide it. “The thing will just pick us off one by one, just like they did with those other two.” Volans swallowed; his throat felt dry. What he was about to suggest...it was almost impossible to bear. “We must stand together and fight these thing off.”

[Liar]

Saera frowned at Jett, more thoughtful than angry. Others spoke to her alongside the monk and the ethaefal, made their suggestions, huddled to the flames. Her eyes kept turning to the spot where she had last seen Lucas, the boy whose name she had learned moments previous. She had been just beside him, and yet he had been a little further—and that made him worthy of this mystical kidnapping. She rubbed her jaw with troubled fingers. “You are both right,” she said finally, to Jett and to Volans specifically. “We must fight, but here is not the place. If we take this woman at her word, then we can conclude that this circle is a sanctuary: a place to escape this thing, not fight it.” “You cannot fight it,” the woman cried. “It is the darkness! It cannot be killed!” The high priestess answered with hard patience. “We have no quarrel with Akajia. Her shadows are not to blame for this. If the names of the gods can guard from this power, it is not divine. We can destroy it. We have the strength.” The so-called power did not seem to approve of that sentiment. The wind blew hard again, its speeding whistles coupled by the mad woman’s terrified screams. Two torches went out; men with lesser balance lost their footing. Cameron the high priest managed to say, “What?” before he, too, was taken. “This is ridiculous. It’s not safe here,” one man said, to a chorus of nodding heads. He eyed Volans nervously, as if understanding what it meant to abandon those who would move forward, deeper into the darkness. “I’m going back.” With a sigh, Saera dismissed them with a wave. She was never known to condone cowardice, but neither were these her monks. The two clad in the sword symbol stayed by her side, wordlessly and without question. “Choose your side, then,” she said to everyone in general, and to the woman in particular. “One of us will take you from this place, or you will starve in your sanctuary.” Turning to the others she commanded, “We have two torches left. One will go forward, and one will go back.” “Yeah, piss off, you deserters,” Cameron said, on a plane of existence where only Lucas could hear him. He turned abruptly when he heard that same voice beckon him onward. “What are you talking about?!” Lucas could see the fresh recruits vaguely, as if behind a thin grey veil. Volans and Saera and Jett, remaining free from the shadows’ grasp, seemed even darker and more distant. Were they fading, or was he? He heard a female voice, felt a cool closeness that smelled of southern spices. “I am no one. I am a life, trying to help my children survive. Follow me, and I will show you the way to happiness.” The last word was spoken in the high lilt of Arumenic. There was a short pause, in which the breeze urged him to look at his diminishing friends. “Take one of them. Just reach out, and pull him in.” It was not as simple as that; to even get close to the flames was to suffer the same pain as if he were within them, and it was simply impossible for him to cross into the shrine’s circle. “Complete this task, and become a part of my family. You will want for nothing.”

[Lucas Arias]

Lucas was very, very suspicious of the voice. He clearly remembered the warning he had been given. Nothing down here was to be trusted. Normally he disobeyed rules on purpose – being disobedient was fun – but at the moment it seemed better to do exactly what he had been told. He didn’t want to be abducted and eaten or whatever the things down here did with the people they captured. He looked back to where the rest of the group was and furrowed his brow. Some kind of veil separated them from him now. This was not good, not good at all. If he tried to move through that veil, would it hurt? Would it kill him?

As he heard the woman – was it the same voice as before or somebody different? – he abruptly spun around, trying to find the source. But he didn’t look scared or suspicious anymore. His eyes were wide with fascination. She was speaking Arumenic! And she smelled exactly like that Eypharian he had met in Syliras – the first Eypharian he had ever kissed! What was an Eypharian doing down here? Was she hot? How many arms did she have? He loved Eypharians!

„What do you mean with becoming part of your family?“ he asked her. „Will you adopt me? Marry me? I’ve always wanted an Eypharian wife, but I’m not sure if I’d like it down here. I’d kind of miss the Sharp Tongue Pub, but on the other hand …“

He turned to where the others where, thinking. And then he abruptly reached out to them and just tried to pull one of them in. The stupid monks had pretty much abandoned him here, so maybe it was better to do what the voice said for now, just in case she turned out to be a beautiful Eypharian and not some kind of monster that was looking for its next meal.

[Jett Variona]

Jett didn't know who Akajia was, but he did know that pure darkness was a little hard to fight, especially when it can hurt you and you can't hurt it. When the winds came again he put more priority in protecting the dangerously flickering torch rather than shielding his own face from the small bits of dust. Luckily the life saving light did not extinguish once more. The monk almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. They wanted to return to the surface?! Leave their fellows to whatever monstrosity had befallen them? A few of these monks were of his own order, rather than the easily scared Skerr, or the often frail Laat. They should not be acting with such cowardice! "I stay with you." Jett said in a voice thick with contempt. "My duty cannot really allow me to do otherwise." He handed off the torch to one of those departing, leaving one of the Uphis monks to wield their salvation. Besides, if it came to a fight he'd be more prepared without having to remind himself to stay around the group. Of course, how would he be able to fight- His train of thought was immediately cut off when a sudden pressure took hold of his arm and gave a good yank. He yelped out in surprise, but this was quickly replaced by a roar of pain. It felt as if his body were on fire! He lifted his arms to shield his face and suddenly came to realize that this pain came from the torch light he had stayed close to. Unthinking, he fled from the light until it no longer burned him. When he had gotten far enough the monk heaved out a breath, leaning his hands upon his knees. That was when he noticed the presence of those previously missing. "Lucas! Cameron! What in the name of Nyka is going on?!"