Switchero (Rayage)

by **Annalisa Marin** on March 2nd, 2014, 7:31 am

x

38th of Spring, 514 AV
The Palsa Hydrasa

It was a rather odd day for the pulser known as Annalisa Marin, though odd was something of a commonality when it came to Sahova. Her steps carried her through the immaculate halls of the Palsa Hydrasa, the domain of Chief Embalmer Amaryllis easily enough as the place had become something of a second home. She was Amaryllis’ former Apprentice after all, which carried some weight here in this seeming preserved remnant of an empire long lost. She did not come here as often as she had once, her own personal research into reimancy applications having devoured most of her attention. Yet, before even leaving her room in the Quarters a slave had brought her a missive that bore Amaryllis’ seal, a summons.

Thus it was a rather odd day, for the Chief Embalmer was normally pleased to leave Anna to her own devices unless there was some special occasion. She strode brazenly past the slaves that moved to and fro, who were very quick to give the tall woman space as she passed. Anna was a far cry different from the pathetic slaves that worked the Palsa Hydrasa, a shining example of how far a pulser could climb with the right connections and ability.

She stood tall; literally towering over most of those she met, man or woman and her body was unmarred by the starvation apparent in most pulsers. Fine black silk robes trimmed in purple adorned her body, a purple sash crossing her body to bind them. Black dress slippers adorned her feet and her black hair was done up into a high ponytail. A silver ring encrusted with rubies circled her right ring finger, its sigil that of a burning scroll and signifying her rank as a Wizard of the Citadel. The only things that might indicate a crack in her immaculate appearance were the slight dark circles ringing her grey eyes that denoted lack of sleep.

Anna strode into Amaryllis’ office, rapping on the door slightly to announce her entrance and was confronted with an odd sight. Amaryllis was not dressed in her peacock robes, but rather in her work clothing as when she was presiding over body preparation. It might have been just Anna but she could also swear that the Nuit’s quill strokes along the parchment she was writing on were a little… agitated. They reminded Anna when she had first mentioned Kierra Doma to Amaryllis, though perhaps they were a little less annoyed.

The Nuit looked up after finishing her parchment, her mask in place as she granted her former apprentice a glance over. She stood rather quickly from her desk and strode over to Anna with her usual poise and grace, even in her work clothing she managed to give the impression of being better than everyone else. Anna admired that kind of arrogance really, though when it was directed it her it got just a little bit irritating. Such was the way of Amaryllis, though her mannerisms at the moment struck Anna as being more than a little odd.

“Annalisa. Good, you came quickly enough. We don’t have much time.” She said, her words as vague as ever as she carefully smoothed out a few creases in Anna’s robe with little care given to personal space.

The Nuit circled her Apprentice carefully, eyeing her form in that strange unnerving way that only a Nuit was able to do. The tall sorceress sighed slightly, figuring that was as good of a friendly greeting as Anna was going to get from the eccentric embalmer. She was unaware why exactly she was here or why Amaryllis getting a little compulsive regarding her state of dress, however Anna had no doubt she’d be learning soon enough. Her Mistress did rather like to keep things a surprise until the very last moment, which was not exactly good for Anna’s health when it involved sending her blind into the Elements Sanctum.

“A pleasure as always Amaryllis, though I have to wonder why I have been summoned so abruptly. What don’t we have much time for?” Anna inquired, quirking and eyebrow as the Nuit moved back to her desk and motioned for her to have a seat.

“A rather… notable guest will be arriving in the Palsa Hydrasa to partake of my talents. Have patience Annalisa, you will have you answers soon enough. It will be well worth the wait. He should be here shortly.” The Nuit said, taking up her quill and starting to scratch away at parchment.

Anna resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that similarly vague response, noting that it was another typical trait she noticed in Amaryllis. She was always playing her cards very close to her chest, waiting until the last possible moment to play them. Whoever this guest was it had Amaryllis rather agitated and that alone was worthy of note, so Anna was willing to give this situation the benefit of the doubt. Besides, it wasn’t like the embalmer was one to deliberately sabotage the piece she had spent seasons building up. At least not without proper cause.

x

by **Rayage** on March 2nd, 2014, 8:24 am

The nuit was more than a little agitated since the return to the island. The report he had to give Qiao was less than favorable. He needed to redeem himself, as the seasons away from the citadel produced very little results. The capture of Forus hadn’t gone exactly as planned, and it did not reflect well on Rayage. The Alchemist needed to delve back into his work as soon as possible and produce results that were expected of an alchemist of his rank. He needed to save face and to produce something extraordinary. Already he had something in mind.

However, before all the fun could begin the nuit needed a new body. Luckily in Sahova the acquisition of a new body was as easy as requesting one; especially with rank as undeniable as his. Body choice was somewhat limited, but at least the nuit could continue on the long existence of his soul. Dira would not reach him here, nor did he have plans to return to the cycle anytime soon. In time he had gained quite the impressive amount of knowledge, and he was not going to give it up. He clung to the knowledge as collecting it was just a part of his journey. Knowledge, especially in Sahova, was power. Though just having knowledge wasn’t enough on this isle. One needed to apply the knowledge and go further. Experiment, record, and rework.

The nuits steps were slow and his walk hobbled. The giant of the man was reduced by decay. Although the magic ring kept him outwardly looking human, the feel of the body was sickening. The decay could be felt though his entire being and the body was rather fragile. The state of it, when the illusion was dispelled, was monstrous as decay ate away the body. A purple cloak graced his body, the fabric shined in the light unlike anything. The cloak itself looked a size too small and compared to the giant that inhabited it, it was rather tight. The nuit was bald. Two rings were present on his right hand. His golden masters ring on the ring finger, and the Ring of false life on his middle. The masters ring had the symbol of an alchemy circle with two sapphires on either side representing the fount and filter slots. The other ring was of simple iron, and had two stones similar to the masters ring, however they were not sapphires, simply blue.

Confident in his steps the nuit smiled as he entered the Pulsa Hydrasa. The richness of the place was exquisite, and unparalleled to anything else found in Sahova. The place was simply a work of art, and made the Alchemist wonder the thoughts of those who built it. The blue and gold worked together to create a soothing, pleasing atmosphere. Extreme care was put into not only the crafting but the maintenance of the building, which was arguably one of the most important buildings on the entire island.

Reaching the office of the Pulsa Hydrasa the nuit paused a moment and collected himself. The choice of a body wasn’t going to be going through an apprentice, but rather a direct consultation with Amaryllis herself. He’d never been one to consult with the woman before, and they had only met at one other occasion. Rayage noticed the look which was given, and he had recognized it as one of a potential enemy. The show had to go on, but by no means would he be a fool. He knew he couldn’t touch the nuit on the other side of this door. She, here, was simply too powerful. Considering a few things the nuit knocked on the door before opening it and entering himself.

”Mistress Amaryllis” the nuit said greeting her blindly as he walked in. He would have gone on to say how much of a pleasure it had been, but they hadn’t interacted much before now. However the both of them knew of each other. ”It is nice to see you are doing well.” The nuit tried to keep the conversation loose as he observed the small but messy room.

His fake smile faded as he found another in the room with the mistress of Palsa Hydrasa. He had made sure to tell Amaryllis when he would be arriving. Suspicion entered his mind, ”And who may this be?” the alchemist asked taking in the human, obviously living, in her black and purple attire. She was rather fine. A great specimen of the human race, and a wizard also? The nuit smiled once again after noting the ring and turned his attention back to Amaryllis, ”I do hope I’m not inconveniencing you.” His tone did not sound convincing at all. In fact, he knew that he was entitled to a new body.

by **Annalisa Marin** on March 2nd, 2014, 8:14 pm

x

Anna turned to note the entrance of a giant of a man, huge really even by her standards and those standards were pretty high since she was tall by most anyone’s standards. He was an odd sight on Sahova, bald, muscular, and bearing no signs of being a Nuit in any way shape or form. He looked alive really, though the pungent aroma of decaying flesh told a different story to her. Along his back was a purple cloak that looked a size too small for him and on one hand he possessed two rings, one looking common and the other a golden Master ring with a circle of some kind as the sigil.

Amaryllis frowned slightly at Rayage’s address, continuing her work on the parchment before her as though the Master of Alchemy had not even entered. The sorceress allowed a ghostly smirk to form over her face out of sight, knowing what was coming next. The Nuit was a vain creature most certainly, to an extreme that put even Anna herself to shame which was more than a little impressive. Of course there was one little thing that often caused most to stumbled upon first meeting her, and that was her rather sore spot regarding her age.

“As I have said time and time again, refrain from calling me Mistress as formal titles are things I care little for. They make me sound old. Amaryllis will do just fine.” The Nuit replied, not looking up from her parchment as her peacock feathered quill scratched away.

Amaryllis would make Rayage wait for half a chime longer before setting the parchment aside and Anna herself only favored him with a slight incline of her head, a slight sign of difference to a Master of the Citadel. Once the Embalmer had finished with her paperwork her eyes would lock upon the Alchemist’s form, raking it up and down easily. The sorceress noted that the other woman’s frown had deepened by a fraction, barely noticeable really to any who had not spent a very great deal of time in the Embalmer’s company. Anna made a note to inquire after this man once they were properly introduced.

“The woman with me today is Wizard Annalisa Marin, my protégé and a powerful Reimancer and Glypher. She will be assisting me in preparing your new vessel, Master Rayage.” Amaryllis said, nodding to Annalisa who wasted no time in falling into the Embalmer’s opening as she glanced to the Master.

“Of course, it is an honor to make your acquaintance Master Rayage.” Anna said, her tone smooth like honey.

Anna was starting to get a better picture of why Amaryllis had wanted her here, and slip of her proficiency regarding her chief magics did not go unnoticed. She was trying to get her to form some connection to this Master Rayage, not something Anna was complaining over but as always the Embalmer’s reasons were kept from her mind. Certainly higher connections with Masters would make her own ascension much easier, however Amaryllis always had an angle of her own. At the moment Anna was waiting for the carpet to be pulled out from under her feet.

Whoever this Rayage was, obviously he was well connected enough or powerful enough to where the Embalmer thought it was worth giving her a chance at forming a connection. No doubt she had an opening planned, though again Anna was left wondering how and when. The sorceress also knew exactly what Amaryllis meant by ‘assist’, handing her this or that and generally doing the menial work. She hardly minded that if it meant a chance to stretch out a limb or two politically, a little time spent as an assistant again could be endured. Besides, she spent enough time here that the Nuit was well within her rights to request it.

Amaryllis stood from behind her desk and motioned for Annalisa to follow her; the pair would move past Rayage and allow him to follow them. As they navigated the path to what Anna knew as the center of Amaryllis’ operation, the Nuit gathered two rather emaciated looking male human slaves garbed in white robes. It wasn’t long before the procession reached the Rubellum Chamber, Amaryllis swinging the doors wide and entering the rather somber and cold room.

“Well now Master Rayage, what are you looking for exactly? Another female form perhaps? Or have you opted to change it up a little?” Amaryllis inquired, gesturing widely to the drawers.

Anna shifted a little in place, still a little uncomfortable with the ease in which the Nuit spoke of switching bodies. It was a little unnerving to one so used to dwelling in only one skin, though she supposed to the long lived Nuit switching bodies was rather like changing clothes. She turned her grey eyes to the Master Alchemist, moving to lean easily against the doorway as this part was all Amaryllis’ doing and had nothing to do with her.

x

by **Rayage** on March 13th, 2014, 2:55 pm

The nuit let the others words roll off him. He did not need to be chastised by some embalmer by trying to show her some respect. However, the quick introduction of the pulser did not escape his awareness. He wondered what a person would be doing under the embalmers ‘care’. Making note to inquire about that later, the nuit gave the pulser a small smile when she spoke, “And to you the honor is mine.” he acknowledged the livings presence with those words. He wasn’t too sure about this situation now, but he would go with it. Nobody, after all, could rightfully harm him without suffering severe consequences. Even the insane Master of the Elemental Sanctum only threatened him, but did not move to harm him. He had pride, he had confidence in his standing with Sahova even though it had been effected a bit by his most recent voyage to Ravok.

Following behind the pair they were soon joined by two more Pulsers. Poor fools, as they were doomed to join the bodies in this place when they too gave out and let death overtake them. Unless, that is, Amaryllis takes care of them better than most of the island. Walking in silence the nuit soon made it to the Rubellum Chamber where the bodies were stored.

Standing a few feet inside the room a question was asked and Rayage looked upon the shelves, ”Another female body sounds excellent.” he affirmed, shifting in his place removing his purple cloak he gestured and held it out to Annalisa, ”A form which will fit that cloak nicely.” Rayage told Amaryllis, ”Something… exquisite, elegant, dark…” the nuit trailed off in his thoughts, ”but tasteful, of course.” he was quick to add.

OOC :

by **Annalisa Marin** on March 16th, 2014, 6:15 am

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Anna quirked an eyebrow as the Nuit held out his cloak to her for her to take, almost aghast that he would dare to presume so much. Idly she wondered how superior his vaulted undeath would be if she filled his body with res and transmuted it to lava, though that thought was stored away. This Master Rayage was certainly not earning any favors from her anytime soon by treating her as a servant, however she did take the cloak that was offered to her slowly. It weighed much more than it would have seemed at first and was rather cold to the touch. Like metal or even ice to some degree, though the sorceress had to wonder what enchantment would cause such a thing.

Amaryllis heard Rayages request and smirked slightly, trailing a finger down the aisle and halting over a certain one. She pulled the stone sarcophagi out from its resting place and exposed the block of ice within to the elements. Within the ice itself was the naked body of a human woman, dark hair falling about her face and green eyes staring up eternally. Her flesh was pale as death and she certainly looked as though her size could better fit the cloak, she possessed a form of elegance about her form. Almost a regality that spoke of poise and grace to some degree.

The chief embalmer ran a hand over the ice, her touch almost affectionate as she stared down at the body itself. Anna knew that look; she had seen it worn upon the Nuit’s face often when she looked around at her work. Amaryllis took pride in her work, in the fact that other Nuit had to come crawling to her to beg for her work. The sorceress knew well the amount of sheer power that granted her, often times she pondered how Goron Silverheart could ever be considered her equal in terms of power.

“I believe this one would be to your liking, Master Rayage. Human, female, late twenties, a certain air of regality about her that hasn’t diminished with death. What say you?” Amaryllis inquired, giving the Nuit time to look over the corpse.

If Rayage found that everything looked satisfactory the embalmer would step back and nod to the two human slaves. One of the men would do something with his hands over the ice, just out of sight, and the next instant the ice shattered. The tall sorceress had still yet to figure out exactly what the secret to freezing bodies was, though she had a strong feeling it involved the Para-Element of ice and some form of Glyphing. Perhaps there would be time for her to try such a thing on a prisoner or two in the Dungeon to see if the results could be replicated. Knowledge was power after all, the more she learned about Amaryllis and her operations the better.

The two slaves would carefully gather the body up on a stretcher and set out of the room, Amaryllis moving briskly along with them and Anna simply opting to bring up the rear when Rayage would follow. As far as Anna was concerned, she was an observer here for this little thing and she was still rather unsure as to exactly why Amaryllis was dragging her along. Still, knowing the Nuit, all things would become clear sooner or later.

The procession arrived at the Surgery Chamber, a simply and rather bare room with a stone slab dominating the center of the room. The slaves would place the body upon the slab and then depart, leaving the trio alone for what was to come. Amaryllis wordlessly waved Anna to the direction of the washbasin nearby, setting to work washing her own hands. The tall woman rolled up her voluminous sleeves and started washing her hands, drying them off with a cloth and returning to Amaryllis’ side with a tray of tools in hand.

“So, Master Rayage. Do you have a request for any specific modifications or specialized embalming for this vessel? Or shall we simply get you out of that form as soon as possible?” The Embalmer inquired, her static gaze fixing on the master Alchemist with its usual intensity.

x

by **Rayage** on June 15th, 2014, 3:12 am

The exchange of bodies often bothered the nuit. Not that it was unsafe to switch bodies here, it was just how he felt after. The establishment of self within the new host was rather hard at times, and sometimes synchronization to the vessel was clunky. It would take him up to three or four weeks to regain normality. His soul could be considered ‘slow’ to most nuit standards, in that he never did take well to the adaption of a new host.

The nuit nodded at the question, and took a step back to watch the body being taken to yet another room. What an exhausting process. However, the wizard did not voice his complaints, and followed wordlessly. He was content to observe and watch, and upon entering the next room the nuit knew that the process would begin soon. The body was placed on the table and the chief embalmer asked if he required any specific body modifications. To that he simply shook his head, ”No, no…” he answered eyes transfixed on the body before him, ”This will do just fine.” he told her.

With that he brought up his right hand, and used his left to take off both rings he was wearing at once. With the ring of false life off the image of decay and death once again overtook his body. As careful as most nuit were about keeping their bodies in good shape, travel wore this body to the bone. Flesh was black and rotted away to the bone at some parts. It was almost baffling that he could still walk. The stiffness in the body was evident in his movements, slower and more concise than most nuit, but needless to say his true image was one of a rotting corpse. One whose been worn for too long and seen lots of hardships.

He wordlessly waited as the chief embalmer finished preparing the body. The glyphs which were key to the transfer of the soul were drawn on the body in a deep black ink which seemed to glisten in the faint light of the room. Stylized glyphs were placed on the forehead, that trailed down the side of the face swirling into a spiral pattern before coming into itself. On the back of the hands were drawn twin spirals whose ends snaked up the arms marking a road for smaller, more cryptic glyphs, to be placed. Above the heart a what looked like eight pointed star-shape with rays exploding from all sides falling into smaller signs and symbols where the rays end. Along the navel were drawn three more glyphs, each swirling and whimsical, but all connected by a common strand coming from the center. The feet were drawn upon in much the same style as the other runes, and along the body smaller, independent, glyphs were placed all intended to help the transfer of the soul.

The placing of the main runes was rather symbolic if someone thought about it. Many years the nuit pondered about the locations of the core glyphs, and every time he’d change a body he would remember the occasional thoughts and theories. Not being too knowledgeable about Animation, he could only speculate, but even speculation was fun sometimes.

When the body was ready and everyone cleared the way, Rayage stood over the body, looking down at it as it rested on the table. He placed the two rings he had removed by the right hand of the new host body and he proceeded to hoist himself up on the table. Lowering himself over the smaller body was rather awkward as he tried to place himself so he could do the ritual properly. The hosts mouth pried open Rayage cleared his mind and focused on the task before him. He needed to switch once more, the time was now.

Summoning his will and desire to switch bodies, the feeling became more and more intense as he concentrated on it. Along with the intensifying feelings came a certain feeling of fluidity, a sense of intense freedom as the very soul was preparing itself to leave its former host. Still was the nuit as he lingered over the body waiting, waiting for the moment. The moment when time didn’t matter, when this place didn’t matter, when everything was nothing and all that mattered was the relationship between the bodies, one of the host and the current husk the nuit resided.

The will to switch built as instinct took over the Rayage’s mind and soul. It condensed itself to a single minded purpose, that of flowing into a new host. He could feel himself losing grip on the body he was currently occupying. The current vessel became stiff and the control of it was lost as he focused more and more on switching to the new host. It was almost like a numbing feeling, but not. It was like existing as a fluid, never having a body to begin with and so the feeling of ‘limbs’ wasn’t present.

It was then, when the control of the body was given, that the moment was found and nuit opened his mouth. Head placed inches away from the new host’s, ichor started to flow from one to the other. The white liquid dripped from Rayages mouth slowly into the new vessel. And so the process began. Drop by drop, chime by chime, the ichor fell, and with each drop the soul got closer and closer to inhabiting its new host. Each drop seeped into the body, slowly exploring and filling the corpse, laying the pathway so the soul could follow.

As time passed the ichor flow adapted a rather steady rhythm. Drop after drop the soul got closer to escaping its current body and closer to occupying that of the new host. Bells passed, the body above got stiffer and stiffer. It was evident that the nuit was no longer in the body, but not quite in the other as well. The alchemist was somewhere between. His soul readying itself to jump to the next body with the last drop of ichor took most sensation away and the journey in that drop was vital. It took the entire souls concentration and this was the moment everything was being built up to.

Finally, the ichor began to slow, the drops becoming less frequent, and less frequent. Then the last drop exited the nuits mouth and fell into that of the body below. It was then the now empty body above collapsed and put the blunt of the dead weight onto the body below. Less than graceful, yes, but the transfer was needed. Chimes passed, and everything was still, both the body above and below. Then the eyes on the woman blinked, and a small but weak smile appeared on her face, ”The ritual was successful.” she exclaimed in an exhausted sounding voice.

by **Annalisa Marin** on June 29th, 2014, 9:27 pm

x

Anna had never actually seen how a Nuit changed from one body to the next one; she had imagined a number of things which included magic rituals. She had always assumed it to be a filthy and ugly thing to look upon, disgusting perhaps in that the Nuit were in fact corpse jumpers. The sorceress had done many objectively evil things in her life; however something still did not quite sit easy with her in how the Nuit jumped from body to body. To them it was a simple affair however to Anna it was a strange and alien thing to do, a concept as foreign to her as living on another world.

Master Rayage the started inscribing a number of strange looking Glyphs upon the body itself. Anna looked over the runes as she paced around, still not speaking a word as she worked to burn the runes and their patterns into her own mind. They looked like a modified form of actual Glyphing, they lacked any discernable sigil as far as Anna could tell. Rayage worked almost as though he knew by instinct where the runes belonged, she supposed if she had lived as long as he the same would be true for her.

Finally the Nuit finished his Glyphing and then mounted atop the corpse itself and opened his mouth over the dead woman’s. Slowly drop by drop a sickly pale liquid began to fall from his mouth and into that of the corpse’s, this was the substance she knew to be Ichor. Revulsion played across Anna’s skin, crawling there and nearly causing an involuntary shudder to work down her spine. Amaryllis seemed entirely at ease with the whole affair, though she did shoot Anna a pointed look. The sorceress looked as though she was pondering over releasing the contents of her stomach onto the floor of the Palsa Hydrasa.

Anna placed a hand over her belly, trying to settle the roiling of various fluids and her half-digested previous meal within due to sheerest revulsion at this sight. The tall woman prided herself on not being easily unnerved, few things got under her skin so easily. However there was something in her that screamed that this was completely and utterly wrong, a perversion of nature itself. Admittedly she worshiped a being that reveled into such things, however when one came face to face with something like this they would likely start to wonder where their limits might very well be drawn.

Finally the ritual seemed to finish and Rayage’s previous body slumped over onto his new one and then there was naught to do but wait. Anna took the opportunity to close her eyes and cycle her breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. The scent of rotting and decaying flesh coming from the Nuit’s previous host flooded in through her nostrils, assaulting her sense of smell but still she kept to the breathing. She needed to settle her mind, to remind herself that regardless of what she had just witnessed she had seen far more unnerving things.

She focused in her mind’s eye the sight of the milky white gaze of her lord and master all of those nights ago, the power and strength to them. The god had been able to see deeper within her than anyone had ever been able, looking at her darkest desires and judging her worthy by them. She focused upon the pain of being touched by his blood, and then upon the almost erotic pleasure that came soon after. Any other might have been driven to complete madness by such a thing, she had seen and done worse. Worse than the customs of the undead.

Anna’s eyes opened soon after Rayage’s own did, calmed by her thoughts and her breathing exercises. The tall woman ignored Amaryllis’ raised eyebrow at her reaction to the entire thing, simply awaiting whatever task the other woman had for her. The Nuit waved a hand towards Rayage and the bulk atop him, smirking at Anna in that knowing sort of way. The sorceress knew her game here; she wanted her to take the opportunity to get closer to the older Nuit likely for political reasons. Though, Anna wondered if some other motive swam beneath the surface…

“Excellent. Annalisa, do be a dear and assist Master Rayage to his Lab. His lab designation is 45E; I suspect you will be able to find it easily enough. I’ll send a couple of slaves to handle the previous vessel.” The Nuit stated as she then left Anna alone with Master Rayage.

The tall woman grumbled under her breath a few choice words in the Ancient Tongue before turning to Rayage and regarding the previous vessel. Anna sniffed ever so in disgust at the thing, placing both hands upon it and shoving it to the floor with a thud. She was also regretting not having worn her gloves today, making a note to wash her hands once this entire thing was done. Next she gripped Master Rayage by the arm and would attempt to help her stand.

“Let us be off then, Master Rayage. Any defenses I should know about regarding the Lab itself? Also do you require anything on your previous vessel?” The tall woman inquired.

x

by **Rayage** on July 4th, 2014, 2:38 am

Most of everything which the wizard required was already about her. By her side there were two rings, which she put on. The first being her Masters Ring, denoting her connection to the masters guild within Sahova, and the second being the infamous Ring of False Life. When she put that on the rings effect quickly took place. The look of death wore from her features, and the paleness of unlife washed from her face. Everything was replaced with a relatively healthy look, an alive one. The features of life she now wore upon her body were marvelous. The dark circles under the nuits eyes disappeared, and the overall bloated look did too. However it all was an illusion, and a good one at that.

In her weakened state the wizard enjoyed the help up, but didn’t like the roughness in which her previous vessel was handled. There was important things on that body yet. So important, in fact, that the nuit didn’t trust the slaves to bring back her collective artifacts, and so she swung her legs over the edge of the stone slab, and with Anna’s help, took her first tentative steps towards her former host body. Kneeling down by it she rummaged through the body, taking off a manacle which was attached to the wrist of the man and applying to her own left wrist. The iron bound thing locked into place. From around the corpses neck the nuit carefully removed a necklace, a pendant in the shape of a heart. The nuits hands were shaking the entire time, her soul still hadn’t settled within the corpse, and she wasn’t as coordinated as she used to be.

Her movements were clumsy and as she tried to put on the locket she eventually gave up, not being able to put the necklace around her own head. Looking back at Anna she smiled at her as she stood up, the locket still clutched in the nuits hands, ”Please grab my cloak and assist in putting it on.” she said, ”It seems that this transfer was rougher than usual and its going to take some time for me to get used to this new body.” The nuit explained as she awaited her cloak, arms held out to either side of her waiting for the woman to put it on her.

”The rest of it can be delivered to my lab.” Rayage told her. There were few objects that really mattered to the nuit, and she possessed them all now. Trinkets really, but useful nonetheless.

”My lab is quite the ways down.” Rayage informed Anna as she began walking. It was best to start now because the seemingly endless flights they would have to go down would tire the human out, that was for sure. The walk even to here was a great distance, not the mention the long and boring hallways to labs of people who didn’t really matter.

x

Closed Switchero (Rayage)