Straightening Evalin shook her hair, sending splaces of water cascading around her and stretching, "It seems that this place shall forever vex us my dear Tsenrika... Be it the heat, or the humidity, or the drowning deluge, I fear this vessel shall not last through it all." Leaning her staff against the cavern wall, Evalin extended her hand out. Tsenrika obediently floated over her palm, bobbing slowly up and down, "Perhaps this is our punishment for deeds long past...?" She ran a finger over the familiar's smooth surface, gazing into her own crimson eyes, "Perhaps Lhex is laughing on high as we speak..."
"Such sentiments do not suit my Master... If such were true, the let him take humor for now. His end shall be that much sweeter for my Master when she finally achieves her goal."
Evalin smiled at the Irylid, "Know you just what to say my dear Tsenrika. Often I would wonder where I might be were you not at my side, and never can I imagine such to be so." Releasing the Familiar Evalin turned to look out past the curtain of cascading rain, clasping her hands behind her back, "Always you are there, my companion through all of eternity. The guiding voice that keeps the path clear for me... And of late it is what I have required."
"I do only as my Master requires." he said, floating over Evalin's right shoulder, "All is to see my Master achieve her goal, as our contract commands.""
At times Evalin did forget. This creature, this Familiar, was here only because he was contractually obligated, and because his life was tied to her own. He was cold, unfeeling... Yet the Immortal did not care. Would not others say the same of her? They were, in the end, a perfect match. Looking to her side Evalin said, "You fulfill your contract well my dear Tsenrika... Now I require your aid again. Now we find ourselves revitalized, where at first we... or I, was lost. Still the chains of servitude bind us here, and thus they must be severed."
"A simple matter. Were the girl to die all would be irrelevennt. End her life in cold and ice, and let us be away from this place." He said this almost too fervently, and Evalin raised an eyebrow at the Familiar, "Know you that it is not so simple. Should the girl die in the night all eyes would turn to her 'doll'. If she were to die on patrol then surely we would be killed as well, and if we were to slay her in conflict then the whole of the nest would be upon us."
"My Master's power is too great to be killed by mere serpents." Tsenrika pointed out, and while Evalin laughed she shook her head, "Perhaps so, however, rather I that we could escape without need of such tactics. Truly I care not for such unrefined actions. Kill when necessary, but avoid it when it is not. Create tools instead of a mess that must be cleaned up. Such creeds have kept me moving forward for centuries. The question is... how might we turn the situation in our favor?"
Silence ruled for a few ticks, but softly the Irylid's cold words broke upon Evalin's ears once more, "Grasshal... The Uldr servant. He might prove useful."
"Perhaps..." Evalin said, stroking her chin now, "Though he is but a small pawn with little power. We will require greater influence than he..." She fell to quiet musings then, her mind mulling over her situation, her actions, and perhaps even future plans. Because of this she did not first notice it. There was a prickling in the back of her mind, like an itch that needed scratching but was easily ignored. However, before her eyes the vision of the Familiar bloomed, and without words the Irylid communicated urgency to her. Through his eyes she saw it, a stone bigger than her torso sailing through the air, and without a single thought she flung herself to the left, rolling away just in time to fee the wind as the bolder sailed over her into the raging storm outside. Coming to her feet the Immortal pulled on her power within, res pusing out through her palm to curl around her fingers. She could feel it then, more power than should have was lost and when she looked to the side she saw a mirror of herself, robed and with res swirling around its fingers. Evalin smiled and nodded at the Familiar taken replicant form, and she looked now toward this new enemy which had made his presence known.
She saw it then with her own eyes. Another large stone arching through the air, this one aimed at the copied Immortal. With all the power given to her by her mark Evalin moved, a blur of motion as she placed herself between Tsenrika and the coming projectile. As she did she pulled more res from within her, letting it collect in the palm and along the arm of her right side. When she arrived she quickly spun in a circle, hand outstretched and calling the air around her to be pulled after the res. Then, just as the boulder was about to strike, she transmuted the res into air as well and a vortex of spinning wind blasted into existence. As the stone struck this wall of wind its trajectory was altered just slightly, just enough that it landed two feet to the left of Evalin instead of on top of her.
The other Eva was already moving, and the Witch could feel the crackle of electricity in the air just before the cavern was lit with a flash of light and the sound of thunder. In that brief moment Evalin saw him, a man large and strong, but then the spell hit. What it hit, however, was not their attacker. It was a wall of dirt that seemed to appear from no where.
An earth reimancer... Evalin observed, and through their link she felt Tsenrika's confirmation of the thought. Stepping in front of Tsenrika Evalin pulled on more res, calling it to pour from every pore in her body. She was already feeling weakened, though she hand performed very few spells. It hit her then, it was because Tsenrika was using her power as well. This art, using two bodies linked by djed, it could double their power, but at the cost of being forced to overgiving twice as fast. For now, however, there was no time to contemplate this.
Vortex. Evalin commanded silently, the res collecting in her palms and lighting a flame that floated in the air over each hand. Wordlessly Tsenrika obeyed, stepping behind her and calling on more of Evalin's power. The nuit felt it leaving quickly, already the whispers were calling to her to continue to cast. This would have to be ended quickly. The wall of dirt was already crumbling. This would be the decisive blow. Throwing her hands forward the collected res flew toward the man, all of it transforming to flame which became a long column of fire which Evalin continued to fuel to be a continuous stream. At the same time she felt air whipping around her, circling around this column of fire manipulated by Tsenrika. The air whipped the fires bigger, doubling their sizes and intensity. The sound was like a raging rapid, the entire cavern was lit red by the columns of fire that arched toward the man who disappeared behind the walls of fire.
The spell drained Evalin quickly, pulling on the last of her reserves until she severed the magic before she risked overgiving further. The whispers were now more like urgent calls, and her body was already aching from the act of combining magic with physical exertion. Fires still whipped in a friends against the stones of the back of the cave, lighting the space and giving Tsenrika and Evalin a clear view of the expected carnage. What they saw, however, was what looked like a man sized coffin made of white stone. Evalin's eyes widened, equally impressed and uneasy by what she saw, "It seems he is more skilled than we believed..."
"Indeed..." Tsenrika said, stepping up beside Evalin as he did. It was then that the nuit noticed once more that prickling sensation, a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that was so familiar. So familiar... And then it struck her. A smile creeped on her lips, and throwing her cloak over her shoulder she strode forward confidently. Without question Tsenrika followed, returning to his natural form as he did.
A long crack appeared in the stone, running down the middle. Evalin stopped just a few feet from this coffin of stone, and simply watched as the crack widened until the entire structure crumbled. Standing in its place was a Myrian man, large and muscled. A beast of a brute, hairy, and at least two heads taller than her. His eyes were a deep red, narrowed in anger, and he stepped forward, fist raising as if to strike down the small sorceress. Evalin simply raised a hand, saying softly, "Stop."
She felt power vibrate through her mark, her soul, and before her eyes the giant of a man froze, fist still raised, eyes widening in shock and equally in rage.
"Oh how Uldr does provide when asked... Curious that he is so accomodating to I and my needs." She laughed, eyes roaming up and down this man. No... It wasn't a man. The eyes were dull and lifeless, the skin pale and in places there were clear signs of rot. "A chained one so far out in the jungle... What is your name? Speak it to your new master."
For a tick it looked like the man was fighting it, the command of a Wretched one, but of course it was a futile effort and finally he spat it out as if disgusted by the taste, "Vino..."
Now this was a surprise, and it showed on the nuits expression, "Vino... Radjuvino?" The man's eyes widened, his surprise measuring equal to Evalin's. The Immortal then could not help it. She laughed. She laughed long, and full like she had not in some time.. At length she calmed once more, pressing her palm to her forehead as she shook her head. She looked at Vino, eyes bright with amusement, "It seems it was meant to be. Welcome home to your TRUE Master Vino. Welcome to the service of the Immortal Witch Evalin."
The surprise in Vino's eyes morphed to anger, rage and pure hate. Hate that vibrated through their marks, and gave Evalin a tingling feeling deep in the core of her soul.
Perhaps this place has been good after all... To see Vino once more, things shall soon turn in our favor.
So it would seem.
