Soul Departure

[Hex]

A shocked gasp spurted from Hex’s mouth when her throat became constricted; she squirmed and kicked, knocking over a foot stool and pounding on the cabin wall with her hands. The threat from Magnolia initially scared Hex; making her spill tears in surprise as she struggled for breath, clawing at her own neck for relief that never came. But when the ghost mentioned that she wanted to achieve things with her, this made Hex go silent and listen. The ghost needed her for something. Magnolia’s facetious picking at Hex made her recoil in disgust; the ghost was utter poison. Her neck was sore and she rubbed it repeatedly, feeling no desire to be polite with the same ghost that plucked her from her world and threw her face first into chaos. Hex enjoyed order and this was way out of her comfort zone. “Hex” she said plain and cold before sitting herself in a chair across from the bed with her feet planted on the floor and her fingers digging into the fabric of the armchair. It would take time for her to calm down, especially in the presence of a psychotic ghost. They sat in silence for only a few moments and then from behind the wooden door to their room the captain’s voice came loud and clear. “Is everything alright in there? Crew here says they heard a crash and a scream.” Hex shot Magnolia a disgusted look, like she were to blame for all the evils of the world. “I’m fine! Just moving some things around here” she bolted the door then, already feeling completely suffocated and unprepared to deal with any more pressure.

[Magnolia Corvidae]

Her form uninhibited by dubious materialization skills, Magnolia loosed another sigh upon Hex's ears. "You know, pettiness doesn't suit a face as pretty as yours. I say forgive and forget, because it only takes a few seconds of asphyxiation to remember how much you regret saying something." She sat up and threw the healer what could only be described as a winning smile.

Effortlessly sliding her form from the mattress and floated into the center of the room. While earlier her image was chaotic and turbulent, now the aura was a calm storm. Magnolia lay back down and hovered over to where Hex sat, her head cocked back to look at the healer upside down. "I still think we should be friends. Every one of your harsh looks hurts me, my dearest Hex." The ghost casually drifted across the fuming woman's chair, cold soulmist licking at her face. Rather than allow the topic to hang, Magnolia made idle conversation, "So how should the captain die?"

Apparently the day had not been kind to the world outside of Riverfall. Heavy mists thrown by the Bluevein obscured much of the weather, masking the grey skies and looming storm cells that on their canvas. Magnolia, drifting from the chair to stare out the window, eyed the tumultuous skyline docilely. Where Hex had eyed the sea with apprehension if not outright fear, the ghost could summon nothing more than apathy at their environment- she wasn't in any danger after all. "A storm's coming."

[Hex]

Hex stared blankly at the ghost, a mix of incredulous anger and defeat crossed her face. She had a feeling that as long as she was in the company of the ghost, she would be doing a great deal of healing; which was rather ironic considering Magnolia herself was dead. “You will most certainly NOT kill the captain, or anyone else for that matter. These people don’t need to be subjected to your obsession with death.” Hex scowled nastily against the back of the chair, slouching her shoulders protectively against her body. Secretly though Hex craved to heal; it was an excuse to bury her greedy fingers into the flesh of the wounded, tasting the energy Rak’keli flooded her with. Hex was an especially cooperative pawn. Being absorbed by her thoughts made Hex forget her surroundings, until a crack of lighting bit the air around the ship and sent ripples of thunder across the water. Everything trembled in reaction to the rising winds, and the ship creaked and groaned in response, warning the crew of her deteriorated state. In an effort not to reveal this Hex still stayed silent. If they were doomed to drink sea water, it wouldn’t matter what Magnolia knew. Hex eyed the bed longingly, craving just a few hours of peaceful rest; if such a thing was possible after being possessed and abducted by a ghost, taken from her homeland so viciously. She walked to the bed avoiding Magnolia’s form and laid down facing away from her captor. Without a word or hint of acknowledgement of what the ghost offered her, she closed her eyes and curled her feet under her legs, nearly entering a fetal position in reaction to the circumstance she had happened upon.

[Magnolia Corvidae]

A scowl crossed Magnolia's face, and once more the scent of burning plague victims filled the room. She was not making much progress with Hex, despite her strenuous efforts. Now this. Whirling about to face her persecutor, the ghost's small frame was nigh swallowed by the churning, angry mists that surrounded her. Magnolia flitted over to Hex, leaning in close to her host. Abyssal eyes bored into her, and the healer clearly saw that the area was not simply black but charred like burned skin.

A raised, ethereal claw reached out, and in that instant the healer knew what was to come. Yet, the ghost faltered. No soulmist slid from her body to strangle the errant puppet, each mote of energy was of importance now. Magnolia's hand retracted, her scent changing to that of damp ash. A blank look overcame her as she whispered, her voice slowly rising in franticness and volume as the words poured forth, "Tell me when you have felt an inferno's embrace, your body immolated like a paper doll; tell me when you have heard your bones snap and body collapse upon the stone ground; tell me when you have died, Hex, and then you can judge me."

Magnolia was gone in the next instant, evaporated in a lightning strike's span. The smells dissipated and the room was silent- Hex was alone. She had struck a soft spot, it seemed.

[Hex]

Hex curled her lip as Magnolia spoke, pulling her legs in even tighter with every word that the ghost threw at her. She had no interest in the emotional trickery of this ghost. They were all becoming empty threats and pathetic attempts at manipulating Hex. Hex had been manipulated enough in her life, she knew when it was happening and kept herself locked up tight. But then the air became warm again, almost inviting as the ghost took her leave, vanishing through the walls. Hex uncurled for a moment to look over her shoulder. Magnolia was gone, but where did she go? Hex had a nasty feeling in the pit of her stomach that the ghost might be off killing the crew and she thought to get up to check, but the time she had then to rest was one of the only opportunities away from her kidnapper. She let her head fall instead and dozed off into a sleep, ignoring the waves that pounded against the side of the boat, threatening to peel away the walls of the ship to expose the soft fleshy creatures to the vicious sea.

[Magnolia Corvidae]

Around them the storm increased in tempo, wracking the ship with its forceful drumming. Wind buffeted the canvas sails as the deckhands hoisted them, and water washed over the sides of the ship as tall waves slammed into the ship's side. Not only had the craft sprung several leaks, but sea water continually drained into the hold. A bucket line had formed, emptying the flooding sub floor as it swiftly inundated with water. Wind gusted, the entirety of the boat trembling at its howling voice. Sailors' shouts were drowned in the tempest's fury, rendering the crew muted as well as weathered and worn.

Calmly, Magnolia hovered off to the side. She had not been noticed amongst the flying rain and chaos, immobile as she boiled. How dare she?! Such audacity. Soulmist writhed in frustration, the ghost was not pleased with Hex in the slightest. After all I have done for her? "Selfish witch." Magnolia crossed her arms at the indignity of her situation and scowled.

Her glower deepened as a sailor glanced over, and nearly dropped his bucket. He blanched at the ethereal creature, who now shot daggers at him with her eyes. Slowly, Magnolia sank through the ship and into the hold. Wretches, everybody. Water sloshed around below, the crew scooping up the brine to haul it overboard- if the ship sank everybody was doomed; or rather, everybody excepting Magnolia. The ghost stared menacingly at the busied sailors, the day's vexation welling up in her. Mindless drones. Derisive eyes examined the boards, rotten and quivering. Water sprayed into the hold from a nearby leak, and the ghost floated over to stare at the board. Fools should take better care of their property. Her hands stretched out, pulling away from her arms to slam against the wood. Soulmist slipped into the infested hull and forced it out. With one great heave she dislodged the board an inch or so, gray water spurting into the craft. The sea clawed its way into the ship, turning what was at first a stream into a full fledged river pouring into the sub structure. Damned petches. She smiled grimly, disappearing through the ship's deck as they scrambled over to stop the flood.

The last vestiges of irritation taken out on the poor crew, the tired ghost floated through the door into the cabin area. She froze as a noise reached her ears, peering at one of the corridor's few portals. Amongst the muted sounds of the hurricane, she had heard Hex's door close.

[Hex]

Despite the torrential storm that threw the ship about with its waves, Hex slept soundly; drained completely by the possession and the fight she put up to gain control of her body again. All was relatively peaceful until Hex woke with a start to the sensation of a warm body behind her, moving rhythmically against her body and placing their hands inside her clothes. She froze in place and then tried to push away with her hands. Her wrists were ceased and yanked up above her head with one large hand. The scraggly hairs of the man’s beard brushed abrasively against her neck, making her recoil in disgust and shove her body against his, trying to kick him off the bed. The captain pinned her down, pushing her onto her stomach and passing his hands over in the insides of her legs. Hex let out a blood curdling scream then, not one in fear but in complete and utter rage over being violated. Again. She bucked and threw her head back, hitting the Captain in the nose and making him bleed over her back. He shouted at her and pushed her face into the fabric of the bed, both trying to suffocate her and possess her at the same time.

[Magnolia Corvidae]

A muffled scream erupted from Hex's cabin, easily piercing the thin wooden walls of the ship. Shouts continued to penetrate into the corridor, Magnolia's featureless eyes widening. The billowing, tempestuous cloud that was the healer's second soul burst through the wall, carrying with her the scent of immolated bodies. Before her, the form of their captain lay smothering the form of what could only be Hex. That all consuming void that was the ghost's rage breached her, swallowing her entirely.

"How dare you?!" Her voice, imperious and unforgiving, rose above the fury of the storm outside. Both of Magnolia's hands disconnected from her body, streaming across the room to burst through the porthole. Glass shattered, tumbling into the tumultuous ocean. The wind's screams suddenly overwhelmed those of Hex as the storm forced its way into the room. Water rose up past the circular window, spilling into their quarters. Each heartbeat of the ocean brought more of the sea into the room.

As the storm manifested in the room, the ship's captain started and looked over his shoulder. In a fit of shock the man rolled over and onto the floor. Quickly scrambling to his feet, the man threw a punch at Magnolia. The woman shot him a venomous glance and quietly mouthed the word "Stop" as she proceeded.

The fog of the dead curled around the shards of glass in the porthole, wrenching them into the room. They soared across the room, propelled by the ghost's fury. One after another, the glittering wet crystals whirred through the air and embedded themselves in the captain's back. Sharp cries of pain rose up through the wind's cacophony as blood began soaking his shirt.

More mist cascaded from Magnolia, coiling about the room's lantern. The object flew in an arc about the room, crashing not into the man's head as expected, but into his shoulder. the lantern glided back into the air in another circular path as glass littered the floor about him. The captain threw blow after blow toward the ghost, finally admitting to the futility of the act as the metal frame came down on the top of his head. Another cry erupted from his mouth, and was quickly met with another attack from the lantern.

Magnolia released her hold on the lantern, and suddenly iron weights brought her to her knees. She was growing tired. Yet more mist uncoiled from Magnolia's body, wrapping around the captain's neck and forcing him back. Pushed against the bed, he stumbled and fell backward over Hex's prone body. A noose for a rapist, the soulmist tightened about the man's neck and choked off breath. He clawed at the ethereal force, dirty fingers drawing blood as they raked his own neck. There was no dramatic display from Magnolia now, no outstretched hands or infernal eyes. The ghost struggled for consciousness, visions of her earlier expenditures running through her mind. She fell forward, crumpling in upon herself as she focused on one thought alone: asphyxiation. The collar about the man's neck constricted, his eyes bulging as he was denied breath. Lips grew bluer as the seconds dragged on, and slowly, reluctantly, the struggling came to a stop.

The captain lay still across Hex's body, and Magnolia lay just as cadaverous on the floor. Like a field of worn cirrus clouds, the wisps of soulmist trailed across the room and back to the ghost.

[Hex]

Upon hearing the voice of Magnolia, the captain lost his grip on Hex and stumbled out of the bed to stand before the ghost. The crashing of the porthole besides them made Hex jump and bury her face into the bed to avoid any shards. Sea water sprayed into the cabin, soaking both the captain and Hex in its chill. The wind howled violently, throwing the curtains and other objects around the room. As the ship heaved and pulled against the current of the waves, Hex braced herself on the bed. In horror she watched as the shards of glass from the broken porthole wiggled in place before becoming airborne by a not so invisible force. She looked into the face of the ghost whose rage was climbing up and out of her body, spilling in torrents more powerful than the rushing of the sea. “Magnolia. No.” Hex pleaded but her words were lost to the wind made by a sheet of glass that soared on the air and plunged into the captain’s back. Hex screamed at the act of such a violence, her gnosis letting out a throb that reverberated through her whole core. Hex continued to beg, “Please no, stop! STOP! MAGNOLIA!!” But her pleads fell on deaf ears once more. The lantern made its trip around the room, hitting and smashing into the captain’s body. “Enough!” Hex went on, yelling at the top of her lungs against the roaring torrent of seawater that splashed her face and left her clinging to the bed frame for stability. Magnolia grew weaker as she fit her soulmist around the captain’s neck, squeezing every bit of life out of him as she pinned him to the bed on top of Hex. She pressed harder into his flesh despite how it drained her, and reveled in the dying look on his face - struggling for life and clawing his own skin is desperately. Hex fought against the weight of the heavy captain, his rotund form hurting her as she tried to breathe. Soon though the captain was dead and Magnolia was fully spent and deflated on the floor. Hex forced herself out from under the body, frantically touching his cooling face and lifting the dead eyelids to look into his lifeless eyes. She roared in anger and planted her left hand over the man’s chest. The air around her glowed ferociously as she poured her soul and heart into calling forth Rak’keli’s aid. The entirety of her gnosis power flowed out into his skin, illuminating the body momentarily before fading into darkness. “Look what you’ve done! No.. NO.... NO!!! You killed him!!!” Hex wailed and looked down at Magnolia, completely ungrateful that she had saved her from the captain’s poisonous acts. “You killed him and now I can’t heal him! You should have killed me instead!!!” The pain was catastrophic to her, not being able to bring breath back into his lips. It didn’t matter that he was trying to hurt her, it was her duty, her oath. There was no room for judgment of right or wrong, good or evil. All living things deserved to live. End of Story. Hex pushed the body away in irritation and stumbled across the floor. Her hair hung in wet strands that fell over her face. She pushed them away, wiping the stinging sea water from her eyes. She got to her feet and headed towards the door, hanging onto the frame and looking back at Magnolia. She couldn’t believe the destructiveness of the ghost, she despised it. It went against everything Hex fought for. “Wretched thing. I wish I could leave you hear to rot, but you wouldn’t die even if I did!” Hex groaned and fought the urge to leave ship without Magnolia. But the gnosis prevented her. Magnolia was no living creature capable of being healed but she had been vexed and was currently in trouble; weak and unable to move. Then a deafening crash sounded across the airwaves and a loud groaning signified the mast falling over from the pressure of the wind. It groaned and fell on its side along the length of the boat, crushing the deck and pulling down sails with it. The storm was claiming the boat for itself, hungrily dragging it down towards the bottom of the Suvan sea. Water flooded the cabin, rushing in not only from the porthole now but from the doorway as the ship leaned on its side, being pulled down with great force. Hex fell to her knees on the cabin floor and braced herself before Magnolia. “Enter me ghost, this ship is going do-" It was too late, the wall of the cabin collapsed in on itself and water rushed in torrents into the room, sweeping the contents of the room up and out, along with Hex. She held her breath as the water surrounded her face, shutting her eyes and flailing her arms until she found the solid form of a wood pillar from the ship. She held on for dear life, the sea thrusting her out into the wild kicking of the waves.

Artist credit: thebeke.deviantart.com

[Magnolia Corvidae]

Washed away. Everything has washed away. Magnolia lay prone, the wooden frame of the boat disintegrating in the wind and rain. Chaos waxed and waned, pulsating dangerously as the storm and ship battled for dominion. Yet despite the sailors' efforts to hold the ship, it continued its steady dissolution. Boards collapsed. The lantern, the glass, the room itself was washing away. The captain's body hydroplaned across the floor, the ocean's embraced pulling him to his grave. Hex was gone.

The ghost slowly lifted herself from the floor, quaveringly renascent in the torrent. Her back straightened, eyes wearily glanced about the room. Water. Even the single thought weighed heavily upon Magnolia's mind. Yet as she cast about, a thought that would cause her to plummet wrapped itself around her. Where was Hex? Though chains hung from her and whispered their sweets temptations of rest, the ghost slowly turned to find Hex. Gone. Wide eyes turned to the collapsed wall, Magnolia's mouth unhinging as she drifted to the edge of the ship. Staring out into the churning, roaring ocean, she knew the healer was soon to join the ranks of the dead.

But the bobbing of a small head, insignificant amongst the debris, caught and pulled Magnolia. That strangely foreign emotion of hope tugged her out of the wrecked cabin and onto the sea. Wind eddied and gusted about her form, a strangely calm pillar amongst the endless turmoil. Hex's features became clear as she neared, and Magnolia raced to the helpless woman. Even as she approached, her chains dragged through the sea and tiredness threatened to overwhelm her.

After what felt like ages, Magnolia reached her companion. She clung to the board with Hex, her voice nearly lost amongst the noise as she spoke, "I am here, Hex."