[Quest, part 1] Deviance is part of a perfect world

[Jette]

Jette left her bag on the wagon, picking out her short sword and removing her skirt. What they might have to be up against would require her to move around swiftly, the skirt would only be cumbersome and in the way. Instead she wore black pants that formed well to her body, giving her ample room for movement. The bottoms were tucked into leather boots and the oversized linen shirt was replaced with that of a more fitted, short sleeved linen shirt to fit under her corset (which acted as an armour for her body and a place to hold her small knife). At first the graceful movements of the creatures hypnotized Jette into looking over the smooth shape of their furred body. Increasingly more aggressive and territorial the creatures advanced on them, ramming their horns and snapping those powerful beaks at them. Jette's short sword shook in her gripping hands, she wasn't at all graceful with the thing but she did know how to stab and slice and jab - enough to kill. While Eris took on one of the small creatures, Jette found herself paired with one not much bigger than a pony. As small as it seemed, its speed and brute strength of its horns was definitely underestimated and Jette just managed to dodge away from the beast when it came charging at her. She flung herself around to the other side of the tree she was standing in front of and watched the creature bash into its trunk, reverberating up the tree. With no luck in stunning it, Jette tried running to flank it but tripped and fell to the forest floor, scrambling away with her hands as the creature thundered over her form, snapping its head back and forth and chalking up earth as it dug its face into the ground repeatedly. Jette rolled and fought against the creature, pulling herself up until she was half hugging half grasping the creatures neck behind the horns. She grunted and shouted as the thing rotated its head violently, trying to spear Jette's insides as well as knock her unconscious. But Jette was heavier and stronger than it, and eventually overpowered it by getting her legs around its neck and chest and taking hold of the horns to twist the head and expose the neck. Now laying on her side with the thrashing beast, Jette perspired and struggled against it but held the short sword firmly in her grip and slid it across the creatures throat. Because of its kicking Jette's blade jumped and cut her arm, a small stream of blood mingling with that of the dying creature. When it went limp Jette closed her eyes and breathed for a moment before wiggling out from her wrestled position. Her hands shook as she wiped the blood from her sword and boots, rubbing dry earth and soil until the blood was absorbed and brushed away. Her arm was swore from the cut but it didn't look deep, so she simply wiped away at the excess blood that had dribbled down her forearm. The bodies were discarded and as they moved on, Jette felt intimidated by the unknowns of this world. At the inquiry of her condition Jette simply nodded and replaced her sword into its holder. Food and water that was passed around found Jette ravenously wolfing them down - unsure of when the next moment of fighting would occur. She thanked Chacha and handed back an empty bottle, feeling anxious in this somewhat unnatural of places, where animals were strange and like nothing she had ever seen or even imagined. The trees faded from sight as a hilly terrain came into view before them, leading them uphill until the skin under their clothes went slick and hot from their surroundings. Jette shifted uncomfortably in the corset but ignored the sensation; if her life were suddenly on the line she would have no time to think of those luxuries. She felt safe with the armour on - heat or not. Master Varubicht prodded the two conversationally and Jette raised her eyebrow at the questions and how absurd they were; completely irrelevant to their mission. Or so she thought. Jette looked Eris over then, the woman was a total mystery. Her copper hair and green eyes made Jette guess she was of pure human blood, but from where she had no idea. Jette ignored the playful questions of Varubicht and instead regarded Eris with her own. "Tell me Eris what kind of woman agrees to risk her life for a few coin?" She smirked through her light hearted sarcasm - it wasn't merely just a few coin and she was doing just the same. "And what do you plan to do with your fortune, assuming we live." The comment was genuine - the fate of their lives was still yet to be determined. Jette's eyes flickered at the sight of the crow entering her field of vision, where had it been this whole time? She noticed its missing band and furrowed her brow before returning her gaze to Eris to listen to her responses as they climbed.

[Eris]

It took some time for Eris to get used to fighting the creatures. She was used to sparring with humans and having to defend herself against these long-necked beasts proved to be harder than she would have anticipated. It was only after receiving a few painful bites from the things that she got the hang of properly attacking them. It was during one particular encounter that she figured this out. One of the creatures lashed out at her with its bill. Just as she jumped sideways to avoid the bite, she realized just how exposed the creature’s neck was at the moment. Making a slashing motion with her dagger, she nicked the furry neck on the side, disorienting the creature. As it attempted to topple her by ramming its head against her, she stabbed at its neck again with the point of her blade. Before she had time to catch her breath, another one was coming at her. It pushed its head painfully against her side, causing her to fall and the ground. Instinctively, she brought her dagger up in defense, thought it did her little good when the creature starting nipping at her leg. Furious at herself for being overpowered by the thing, she kicked at it with her leg and scrambled up quickly. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Jette wrestling with a bigger specimen. If she can take on one that big, I can certainly get rid of this one. The thought flitted through her mind as she lashed out with her dagger, catching the creature in the neck just as with the previous one. This time, however, the blade sunk in deeper into the flesh. Grinding her teeth, Eris wrenched the dagger from the beast’s neck, leaving its lifeless body to sink to the ground. The many encounters with the strange animals had soured Eris’s mood considerably. She couldn’t remember a time when she had spent so much time on the ground during a fight. Her side ached and her jacket was torn at the sleeves, bruises already beginning to form on her arms. Eris was thankful for the food and drink, though she still hesitated before taking the first bite and the first sip. As they continued along, Eris’s displeasure only grew. The social Nuit certainly wasn’t helping matters. Who did he think he was talking to – a pair of dimwitted noblewomen out for a stroll? At least she was glad to see that Jette seemed just as annoyed at Varubicht’s questions as she was. The woman’s own question caught Eris off guard, though she supposed she should have expected it. “The kind of woman who doesn’t mind being mauled by furry, long-necked predators and the kind that also happens to need the coin,” Eris replied dryly, her eyes locked on the road ahead of them. “I’m searching for something. To search for it, I will need to travel; traveling requires coin,” Eris replied with a shrug, unwilling to disclose anything else of her search for Locke. “I could ask the same of you, though. How great is your need for mizas that you are willing to go through all this?” she inquired, waving her hand vaguely to indicate their current situation. Eris was used to knowing little about the people she worked with – usually nothing more than a name, if even that. But she realized that amongst all these Nuits and dangerous creatures, she and Jette might have to work together to get the job done. Besides, she hadn’t met many women who were skilled with a short sword. That alone was enough to pique Eris’s interest.

[Jette]

Jette was silent as Eris spoke, noticing her secrecy about her overall motivations in life. Then she responded as they walked, breathing in between steps and grunting as they hoisted themselves over large rocks. "Freedom" she smiled, looking back at Eris as she rounded a bend in the path. "I was a slave for a long time, taken from my home and imprisoned on hundreds of slaver ships throughout the years. Some places even had strange magic users on the ships. I lost many unborn children to their hands." She bit the last word between her teeth and ground her jaw as they climbed further still. "No slave should ever have to go through what I did. If I had that miza, I would be closer to buying a vessel, closer to being free."

[Eris]

Eris remained silent throughout Jette’e narrative, her gaze fixed steadily ahead of her. But she was listening quite intently, filing away the information as her mind picked apart Jette’s story – trying to figure out if it was genuine or not. By the time she had finished, Eris was certain that it wasn’t some made-up story. She hadn’t expected such a dark tale and she definitely hadn’t expected the woman to be so ready to tell it. It was hard for Eris to imagine that not everyone was as secretive and paranoid about their lives as Eris herself. When Jette finished, Eris turned her head to look at her for the first time, “Freedom, that’s a” – She paused as she pulled herself up and over a particularly large rock “-that’s a good cause to be fighting for.” They walked in silence for a few chimes with Eris on the verge of saying something the entire time. After having a rather prolonged argument in her mind over how much one should tell a stranger, she finally spoke, “That thing I’m searching for is actually a man – my father, as a matter of fact. I’ve been looking for him for the past three years and I’m quite tired of it. If I were to have enough coin to grease the wheels of the rumor mills and the purses of informants, I might be able to gather information regarding his whereabouts more quickly.” Another beat and she asked a question that seemed to have just popped up in her head, “Why buy a vessel to gain freedom? Why not your own house or a caravan or something else entirely?” Eris had never been too fond of ships. Granted, they were useful for getting across large stretches of water, but that was about it, in Eris's opinion. She preferred traveling by horse – it certainly gave much more of a sense of freedom than sitting in some dark room below deck and trying not to get seasick.

[Jette]

Jette thought for a moment about Eris's question. Why had she picked a ship instead of a home or caravan somewhere in the country? "Well being able to sail anywhere is a perk! But seriously, the one thing that helped me survive life on the slave ships was the sea. Sometimes when we were to be sold or killed the sea would send a storm, or a ship of pirates. We could escape during the chaos, although we were often found and taken onto other vessels. I learned to swim, to fight, to read the lies on a man's face. To escape a sinking ship. At this point, I am so closely bonded with the sea that it is the only place I really feel safe." Jette smiled then, thinking of the future and what she was working towards. "Where was the last place you heard of your father being? Could he be looking for you too perhaps?"

[Eris]

Eris smirked – dry and humorless, her eyes drifting away from Jette and back to the space in front of her. “I have never met my father, nor he me to my knowledge. I very much doubt he cares enough to look for me, if he is even alive, that is. That last hint I had in regard to his whereabouts led me to Zeltiva. He wasn’t there and neither was his corpse, so I will continue looking.” She realized how bleak her statement sounded, but she refrained from elaborating. He knew how desperate and pathetic her desire to find her father might come off as. She realized how slim her chances were of finding Locke, but she kept on going. She brushed a strand of hair from her face irritably. She would need to cut it again or it might start becoming a hindrance.

[Panna Cotta]

The party of five found themselves climbing endlessly through the barren land of Sahova. There was sparse plant life, and everything was visible within a mile. Occasionally, they saw an Overseer patrolling the Testing grounds from a distance. Far away were illusions of crackling lights, smog rising, but they never seemed to last long. Perhaps it was summer's heat, perhaps they were nothing but mirages. It was good, at the very least, that they chose to sleep and that Chiasuelmi was wise enough to bring them food. She willingly gave the two adventurers water when they needed it.

The three creatures ahead, the two Nuits and the Crow, did not show any sign of fatigue. One of them might have found this suspicious, aren't Nuits frail? They may be inclined to think that the undead in front of them have bodies resistant to wear and tear. A fleeting moment, a blink, and Jette and Eris heard Little Chacha's voice in their minds.

"Run, run..." It was with sudden urgency, that everybody must have missed it the first time, "Run, I'm telling you to run!!!"

The earth beneath them rumbled, trembling as two giant feet wheeled towards them from behind. It was a gigantic golem, slightly larger from the Docks Overseer Golem. It had four legs and a barrel shaped torso. One of its arms were broken. Faint noises of clinking metal and churning gears could be heard. Without warning, a fiery blast came arcing in between Chiasuelmi and the rest of the team. The red-hooded Stormwarden had to jump backwards, sliding down the trail.

Her sweet impish voice boomed, slapping Jette, Eris, and the Nuits about the danger looming before them. "Run, everyone!"

A beam of ice barely missed Eris and Jette, but their legs were still splashed by the terribly icy ray. Running would take great effort, not to mention the terrain would give them a hard time. Master Varubicht and Lahumni sprinted with the speed unlike that of Nuits, getting a good start for their escape. The crow flew back to the two humans, transforming into something that resembled a human holding an umbrella mid-air. He dropped between the women and another fiery ray just in time. It was a naked Nuit, at least half of him was. Half his left torso morphed into a great big oval that shielded them both. He was smiling at them, "To the rescue!"

"Hug me," it urged them. The bad news was that not only was he was stark naked but his body was also sending off a pungent odor. The good news was that he could protect Jette and Eris as they moved forward... It was impossible to aid Little Chacha now! With the protection of the Morpher, who seemed strong enough to take the full vigor of the golem's glyph beams, they were able to inch closer and closer to where the Master and the First Mate were taking refuge... a small canyon that was filled with caves.

"I shall stand guard!" The naked Morpher declared. Lahumni disagreed, but Varubicht put her off, "That is a failed Overseer prototype. It has more than a hundred powered glyphs at its arsenal. We don't stand a chance against it." The first mate's attempt at a rebuttal was cut short by the Master's explanation, "Crow will help Little Chacha. She is a Stormwarden is she not?" His eyes bore into Lahumni's and she nodded obediently. "Then she may be able to survive."

He turned to Eris and Jette, his calm demeanor unnatural. His tranquil vibes were very easy to assimilate. The two humans would find it hard to feel or express glum as he talked to them. "Our numbers are not what I had hoped," and they felt the honesty of his encouragement, firm and resolute in such a great time of despair, "but we must carry on. This is what you signed up for. Face it as brave as you can, and do not look back!"

"We hunt the traitors and take their treasure!" His voice boomed with such clarity... He held out both his hands, reaching to both Jette and Eris. "Come and follow me."

They now noticed the canyon walls were riddled with cave entrances, Lahumni stood regally on top of a big boulder, her pirate's dress billowing softly in the wind. "It is the third cave on the second tier." She pointed at a big cavern.

Master Varubicht would escort Jette and Eris if they allowed him to. Lahumni joined behind them. The Sahovan nuit said, "We are expecting resistance. The First Mate and I will deal with magic, and you two will have to do the physical combat for us. Be prepared, whether against a Nuit, a blighted creature, or a golem. If you see anything move, kill or destroy it." He gazed at each of them lovingly, hypnotizing them with his fatherly voice.

They climbed the steep trail to the entrance Lahumni chose. The dark cave ran a few meters into a sharp descent. Lahumni, who was leading the party, slipped and fell. She sustained a sprain but could not walk properly, and either Jette or Eris will have to support her and join the lead. The Master will take the middle position, and the free human will take Little Chacha's old position at the back.

Their next enemy came in the form of dog-like patrollers, some pieces of wood nailed together to resemble a wooden dog, strutting behind them, ruby eyes gleaming as they followed. These recorded their movements and are able to relay messages to a communicator golem from a distance. Whoever held the last position would need to locate and destroy the spies. Because it was very dim inside, they had to be content with Lahumni's own charged glyphs. These were fire reimancy scrolls that served as flares. The first mate, with the help of her human crutch, shot a stream of light every few chimes towards the hollow darkness ahead. Each flare was enough to reflect a gleam in the patroller's eyes, giving away its location briefly.

The pathway soon leveled and they began to notice that the floor was becoming smoother, making it more and more obvious that the flares Lahumni shot through the corridor truly lit ancient walls. It was no illusion: they were in the ruins. Up ahead was a dead end, a blurry mural spanning a great hall. Each flare shot an orange beam. There was no way but forward. Or not.

Will any of our femme fatales choose retreat at this point?

[Eris]

When Chiasuelmi’s voice first resonated in Eris’s ears, she hesitated just a moment before breaking into a run as advised. But it wasn’t obvious where or from what she was running until that thing appeared next to them. It was big, weirdly deformed, damaged, and probably very dangerous. However, Eris did not want to find out just how dangerous. Eris’s legs were showered with freezing ice, sending a shiver up her spine. Her legs felt numb, moving sluggishly through the mangled ground beneath them. Just as she was ready to give up and think of another strategy for escape, the crow changed shape, morphing into a male Nuit – a naked one, at that – with a strange oval shield coming out of his body. At this point, Eris was grateful for any sort of protection, no matter how strange and discomforting. Once in the canyon with the Nuits, Eris’s mind skipped over the technical talk about golem prototypes and the like. She did catch the bit about Little Chacha surviving. She couldn’t say that she had gotten attached to the woman in any way, but she was protecting them and it would be a shame if she were to die. However, very little thought actually went into worrying about Chiasuelmi. What occupied the better part of Eris’ frazzled mind was a burning desire to stay alive and consequently, the best way to achieve that goal. The Nuit’s pep-talk actually seemed to help, restoring a sense of calm in Eris that had been lost when the golem first appeared. His resolute manner conveyed a great deal of confidence that seemed infectious. He appeared as a strong leader right then – a man that Eris would be proud to follow, if she could ever admit to herself that she would ever be willing to follow someone but herself. Eris clutched her dagger in her hand and followed the Nuit, hoping that Jette would do the same. Seeing Lahumi slip, Eris immediately moved to help her. Of course, it was not because she felt any form of camaraderie or compassion. It was simply that in her experience, threats came from behind more frequently and turned out to be more severe. Eris would not pass up the opportunity to stay in the front with someone behind her to watch her back. In the end, she still considered herself to be responsible only for her own life. Holding the dagger in her right hand, she supported Lahumi with her left as they walked. Her gaze followed the light beams every time they shot out of the woman’s hand. It served to calm her in a small, but crucial way. When the flares illuminated the ruins well enough to indicate what appeared to be a dead end, Eris turned to look at Lahumi. “What now?” she asked, her voice holding a note of exhaustion she would have never willingly admitted to. Regardless of her tired state, the bruises in her arms, or the numbness of her legs, Eris felt compelled to continue on if it were possible. In her opinion, it would be suicidal to turn back now, leaving behind the relative strength of numbers to brave the way back on her own. Eris had never experienced such a strong desire to live as she had among those ruins.

[Jette]

"By the Gods..." Jette stood in shock for a moment at the sight of the mechanical monster. Her mouth fell agape and she made a few mental efforts to run but her legs would not move. A shower of ice stung her booted feet, and her movements felt as if she were passing through thick mud. Whether it was the blood leaving her limbs to protect her torso or the actual ice freezing her legs she didn't know. When the nuit broke the fiery lance's strike before it could hit them, Jette shouted in alarm as the nuit's body transformed before her eyes. Magic was not her area of expertise and the onslaught of new experiences shocked her. Thankfully she was able to keep her head during the events, and obeyed the small boy-crow, clinging to his flesh to avoid another torrent of flames. She shook against him, not knowing whether to scream or laugh at the bird's strange behaviour and bodily magic. The spookiness of the caverns was a striking relief from the danger up above. Jette unsheathed her short sword and stayed vigilant, watching everyone's back from the rear when Lahumni's ankle gave out from under her. Jette saw a kindness in Eris that confirmed the girl's compassionate nature despite her tough exterior. She had wondered about it when the woman spoke of finding her father, there was a kindness there too but it wasn't until she saw the instinctual action to help the nuit that she was convinced. Walls of rock melded into ancient ruins, and with every flicker of light afforded by the Lahumni, the patrolling wooden dogs approached closer and closer. Jette's heart quickened its pace and she fought to slow it down by taking deep ragged breaths. They helped considerably, allowing the blood to flow back into her arms and legs; she needed every bit of energy and movement her body could relinquish. feeling the ground around her, she located a rock and held it tightly in her grip, a rock seemed like more of an effective tool against wood anyways. Jette waited, every passing chime sending adrenaline through her veins, she was poised and ready to attack. She would not run, and she would not go without a fight.

[Panna Cotta]

Deeper into the cavern, they went. None of them, at least between Jette and Eris, suspected that they have entered a hidden grotto. Varubicht led the way, until the last of Lahumni's torches lit the final meter of the cavern-like corridor. Jette would notice that the eyes following them started to blink out one by one. The patrol never intended to attack. They were just there to watch. But even they were programmed not to venture too far, too deep into the cave.

The corridor terminated - Eris would be the first to notice - in a dead end. The brick wall represented uncertainty. Did Lahumni purposely lead them into this... trap? The lights went out and the four of them huddled close to each other. The women would feel the cold hand of Varubicht grabbing them into an embrace.

Hall to Nowhere by javalizard

One by one the lights lit open. Red hue after red hue, until all of them bathed in the scarlet light. With each shout of red, a Nuit appeared before them. There were six Nuits before them, blocking their way out. Three were standing, two were crouching and one was moving towards them. They stood well beyond the licks of the light. Their faces and their gender were unrecognizable.

"Greetings Master Varubicht. Welcome back. I'm sorry, but we've already moved the treasure. In as much as we don't want Qiao to tail behind our backs, we decided that we cannot have you push us into submission just. like. this." The speaker snapped his fingers with each word. Towards them he walked, his gait as certain as an ordinary human. He radiated power and greed. His skin was caked with white powder, his lips glinted like dark red blood, his eyes were two sharp slits - he was called, "Darak, no longer at your service." He bowed majestically and swiped a hand through his hair.

"You cannot do this!" Master Varubicht shouted back. There was a silver lining to his attitude, now. A hint of despair and anger boiling up to his surface.

"Oh, but I can." The man said. The five Nuits behind him straightened.

It would then be obvious that these Nuits were not your ordinary undead. Jette and Eris do not need knowledge of Uldr and the Returned to notice that their unexpected guests were the undead. These were the bad-ass undead popular in scary and horrible bedtime stories.

The six of them drew near. Darak held out his hand to Jette and Eris. "A pleasure meeting you, ladies. To what pleasure does Varubicht owe your company?" He placed his hands at his back and chuckled, "Did he lure you with promises of money? Or treasure?" He spanned his arms, "There is no treasure here, so to speak."

Darak spat at the floor and pointed an accusing finger at Lahumni, "I will make sure you die by time this is over!" His voice was a growl. "You traitor!"

Varubicht gave Lahumni a confused stare. "What is he talking about?" The old gentle voice was now mixed with desperation.

"I will not let you break us!" Darak declated.

"Then try and break me, instead!!!" Varubicht trembled and shook until his body expanded and transformed into something monstrous. His muscles grew, bulging into improved musculature. A second set of arms shot up through his , which seemed to have grown on random spots in his torso. Varubicht was, to put it simply, beefed up. He bent and screamed, his jaws protruding. His head was that of a wild animal, ferocious unlike any other. The master's skin was stretched beyond imagination, teared and elastic flesh draped over this new, powerful body. His innards was exposed and some of his bones stuck out like pins on his flesh.

Lahumni, though she was undead herself, was terrified. Apparently, she had not been around long enough to know the kind of creature Varubicht was. "No, no, noooo!"

"Having a change of heart, me heartie?" Darak winked and set himself on his own transformation. He was slender, a foot or more taller than Varubicht. He grew a good length, and he threw away his clothes. Jette and Eris were suspended in shock, seeing how Darak's body seemed to be developing a longer spine. As Varubicht stomped, Darak laughed. Suddenly, his shoulder jerked and was dislocated. His arm flailed about, waving at Varubicht and company. Where his armpit was grew a stunted head, shivering outwards until it ballooned its own full torso. An additional limb grew elsewhere, another head, until he was a long mass of unearthly bodies.

Varubicht screamed and shouted at the rest of the Nuits behind Darak. "I am giving you freedom and you return my gracious gift with this?!" His voice, no longer Varubicht's, was a growling echo of a mad man speaking the ancient tongue.

Darak answered in the same language, "A freedom we do not want!"

Varubicht still spoke in Nader-canoch, but the message was clear, "Prepare to fight!"

Darak shouted, his numerous mouths echoing his words, "Silence! Even your little pet Lahumni had decided to hand you over, Varubicht."

"I did not want this!" Lahumni cried, and with her admonition, Jette and Eris got a vague idea of what was happening. "I merely wanted to get done with my debt, and here I repay you with two souls!" She was certainly referring to the two pulsers.

Darak hissed, "You still haven't told them, have you Varubicht?" He switched to a tongue everyone could understand, "Were you then, lured by his woeful tales of grandeur, Lahumni? Did you lead him here just to spite him? Did you lead those two young ladies as offering? Did you really think you can escape the fate you choose for yourself just. like. that?" Darak whipped a dark slimy appendage and pushed Eris away from Lahumni. He slapped Lahumni, and the first mate's skin blistered. "A pity."

"I command you to kill yourself."

Varubicht, the only person who would have had the power to prevent Lahumni from her suicide, merely roared at Darak. "You abuse your power, Darak."

"It is mine to wield, old man!"

"Stay out of this!" Varubicht shouted angrily to the rest of the Nuits. They stepped backwards and willingly obeyed. He then turned his monstrous face to his hired lackeys and said, "Do as your contract dictates! Kill them, but leave Darak to me!" Jette and Eris are free to obey. Should their choose to fight, they will realize that the rest of the Nuits would not resist their killing blows. They would, however, mock Jette and Eris by telling them that they are hated, that they are unwanted, that they are nothing but pawns. It was easy to infer that the power Darak had over Lahumni was the same power Varubicht had over these Nuits.

Lahumni's last act of defiance was to project herself against Darak, sending an ethereal kick against Varubicht's enemy. She charged at Darak, and so did Varubicht. If she was going to kill herself, she would rather die fighting.