Completed Alpine Getaway

[Kasimir]

Kas didn't so much as twitch when the creature began to move and whistle. If anything his tail began to lash side to side with growing excitement. He studied it as it seemed to look left and right before to him and he paused when it stretched out a claw towards him. Part of him expected an attack at that moment even if his body language didn't display such a thing.

"I wonder..." orange eyes flickered to Nat to see her reaction and a moment of surprised flickered across his face to see she had taken steps away from the creature. The emotion passed, smoothing out his face into warm assurance before turning his attention back to the thing. "I wonder what it does," from his pocket he produced a feather. It was a beautiful shade of deep blue that faded towards black at its tip. Where he had picked it up was anybody's guess, let alone when he had picked it up.

After a moments hesitation he passed it to the creature to see what it would do.

 

[Nathaira]

The spider's claw clamped down on the feather. It was still for a moment, and then it clapped its claw again, cutting the beautiful thing in two. The jewel atop it turned brilliantly scarlet, and it emitted a loud and distorted buzz before blue lightning began to crackle around its claws.

"I don't think that'ss what it wanted!" The spider extended its arms towards Kasimir. It did not strike at him, but it moved closer to the pair of them threateningly. It scuttled to try and get in between them and the series of pipes and to push them back the way they came.

"It iss making too much noisse," she said, moving closer to Kasimir as the spider buzzed and beeped at them again. The tour group should be far enough away by now... but who else might be listening?

 

[Kasimir]

Kasimir once more didn't move with any sense of urgency. Even when the spider came at him with its arm extended in what one could take as a threatening gesture he merely stooped down a little to inspect it better. His eyes travelled over the metalwork and the inscriptions that kept it running wishing he knew more than the basics of dwarfish.

"How curious," Kas shook his head and then from his pocket he pulled a shadow. This creature didn't have a form as such and would appear like a ball of smoke some how condensed down to fit inside his palm. As he handed it over to the spider it would ebb and flow like a morning fog then suddenly shift its shape as it read what the creature needed and became that object.

 

[Nathaira]

The shadow entered the automaton’s claw and took the shape of a small, flat rectangle. The appendage closed on it automatically, and after giving a few test pinches, the lightning ceased and the glowing crystal turned a more pleasant pink.

It extended its arm to Kasimir to return the shadow, which now appeared more solid. A card of sorts, with a series of holes and grooves that the spider had carefully felt and read. Seemingly satisfied with its inspection, the spider set about calmly pulling a couple of levers and poking dials.

Nathaira looked at the shadow once it had been returned. ”Look,” she whispered, still unsure of the metal creature, ”That’s dwarfish,” she pointed and, indeed, along the shadow were etched dwarfish symbols. She could not read them, however.

The elevator door was still open.

 

[Kasimir]

"I think..." Kasimir said slowly, turning the shadow this way and that to examine it closely. "That it's an identity card of sorts."

The shadow wouldn't hold this form for long he knew. Morph, as he called this shadow, was a flaky creature who tired of one form after a few moments. The benefits were that it would remember what form it had taken and be able to replicate it should they need it again. Even so, if they wanted to experiment with it further in its current state they needed to be quick. His gaze wandered to the elevator doors.

After a seconds hesitation he took her hand.

"Let's go," he gave her a rare, crooked smile, light making his orange eyes bright with the thrill of the hunt, before he tugged her towards the doors.

 

[Nathaira]

”Our informant didn’t mention those,” Nathaira huffed, wondering what else he had decided to leave out of their briefing. Of course, it wasn’t like they ever had the full story going in to a mission. Adaptability was one thing separating the Forsaken from your average assassins.

He took her hand, and the childlike excitement filled her again. She allowed herself to be led to the elevator, feeling like they were getting away with a devious secret within their already top secret assignment.

Oh, how they would hate that the two of them had been together, and continued to hold affection for one another. The rune tried to warn against it, but all it accomplished was adding a sense of danger, and Nathaira thrived off of it.

She entered the small room and pressed the button inside. The stone wall slid back into place, and the metal box began to rise. The serpentine woman placed a hand on Kasimir’s chest as a dim light glowed to life, and pushed him back against the cold wall before kissing him a bit more aggressively than she had in the cavern. ”I hope it’ss a long ride.”

 

[Kasimir]

Kasimir's back hit the side of the lift with a thud. His expression was one of pure bewildered surprise until she kissed him. One of hands came up to cup the nape of her neck and pull her even closer, his tongue slipping behind her poisoned guard. She was intoxicating. With a small groan his other hand snaked about her waist and yanked her closer until there was not even a breath of space between them.

After a moments hesitation he reached out and pressed what he assumed was the emergency stop button. The lift ground to a shuddering halt and he helped himself to a long stroke of her lithe body. He wondered, briefly, if he would ever not feel this way about her. If he would ever not want to touch her skin and hold her close. Would he tire of the way she smelt or taste?

He doubted it.

After a pause he switched their positions. With his hands on her hips now he hoisted her off the ground and pressed needy kisses down her neck.

 

[Nathaira]

She melted into him when he pulled her close, and let her long, forked tongue compliment his kisses. It's sensitivity made his scent and his taste consume her mind. Even with the many layers of clothing that she wore, his hands were a welcome kindness.

He stopped the elevator suddenly, metallic clinks and clangs of the chains diminishing into the background as he touched her. They should not be doing this. She had only meant to enjoy his lips for a few moments, to sneak a moment of intimacy before facing whatever danger came next. They should be focusing on their mission, they should be working quickly. It was wonderful.

Her voice was forced from her lungs as she was lifted against the cold wall, and she wrapped her legs around Kasimir's waist on instinct. She wreathed his neck in her arms and let soft, hardly stifled sighs escape her as his hot lips danced along her.

 

[Kasimir]

He couldn't stop himself. She was the drug and he the addict. The rune burned subtly at the back of his neck to remind him that time was of the essence for their mission but for once he had something far more powerful overriding him. His desire and need for her out burned any magic. And who knew when he was every going to get this chance again to have her?

So he took.

He touched and he kissed and he whispered her name on the edge of her ecstasy. Kasimir turned that tiny little elevator shaft into their own little world of paradise. Only when they were both exhausted did he finally restart the lift, leaning up against the wall slightly out of breath.

"I... umm," he ran his hand through his hair and gave her a sideways crooked smile. "You make it hard for me to concentrate."

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira took as much as she gave. She ran her fingers through Kasimir's hair and over his horns. She tasted his neck, his lips, and his tongue. She clung to him like she was drowning and he was her only lifeline. The little elevator creaked against the stone walls and she felt his strength ripple through her over and over again. At the finish, she pulled his lips onto hers and did not let go until the final, shuddering moments came to a close.

Her knees shook when he let her down, and she steadied herself against him and the wall. Her fingers made steaks in the condensation they'd created, and she laughed a short, desperate chuckle at his words. Her mind felt light and airy. "You are..." she couldn't think of a full sentence. "Heh... you." She kissed him on the cheek, and then ran her hands through her hair and tugged at her clothes to fit everything back into its proper place.

She forcibly oriented her mind back onto the task at hand. She had no idea what they would face when those elevator doors opened, and she fondled the hilt of a dagger as she waited.

The elevator stopped, and small mechanical ding sounded. The doors slid open to reveal another mechanical spider, identical to the one they'd encountered below.

 

[Kasimir]

Kasimir paused when he saw the spider that greeted them. Morph had already shifted into another form - in fact, a tiny replica of the mechanical spider - and it took a moment to coax it back into the odd rectangular shape the one downstairs had wanted. He passed it over quickly before the mechanical being could advance on them in any kind of threatening manner. Just like the one downstairs it took the offered pass and turned it over before passing it back with an affirming green light.

Beyond the elevator they came out into a circular room much like the one below but this time in some sort of staffing area. There were mops and buckets along the walls and a few tables scattered here and there. His form wavered as he prepared to duck into the shadows but there was nobody else currently around.

"They must use the lift to take the rubbish down into the tunnels below and out there..." he said quietly, turning back to look at Nat.

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira, after marveling once again at the resourcefulness of the shadows, smiled. It was not at Kasimir, though, but rather at the room they found themselves in. They had made it. A simple, information-gathering tour had granted them access to perhaps one of the most secure places in Arethil.

She was a good Forsaken. They all obeyed orders, all carried out their duties, but Nathaira had found a way to enjoy the work. The satisfaction of cracking a code, finding an entry, making a clean kill. That gave her enthusiasm, and enthusiasm kept her sharp. At 24, she was close to the end of the average Forsaken lifespan, and she hadn’t made it this far on luck.

”Criminals count as rubbish, yeah?” her eyes glinted in the dim light. If they had managed to get in that way, they could probably get a prisoner out.

She approached the room’s singular door silently and pressed an ear to it. She didn’t hear any noise beyond, but it was difficult to tell with the constant hum of steam pipes in the background. Mercifully, that innovation ensured that the prison was warmer than the outside air, and the feeling was returning to her fingertips.

If her memory of the map was correct, they should be on the lowest level where Berodo was located.

 

[Kasimir]

There was a slight curl of his lips and a twitch of his tail, but they were the only signs that Kasimir had found her comment amusing. He, like Nat, was not focused on the job at hand. He took back the little passcode from the spider as it scuttled off to play with the dials and knobs. Morph went back to copying the little spider and perched on Kasimir's shoulder making its own little whispery clacky noises. He put his hands in the pockets of his trench coat and quietly followed Nat to the door.

"Should we see where it brings us out?" he casually leaned against the doorframe and watched her. He might have been more eager now they had solved a part of the puzzle to get on with the mission, but seeing her excitement and the way it lit her up from the inside was a distraction. A lazy smile played across his face as he met her gaze.

"We'll need to keep hidden out there so we won't be able to talk. We could perhaps split up and do a search then meet back here and report in an hour?"

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira was eager to explore the prison, to see how well that map they’d been given truly lined up, but she didn’t like the idea of splitting up. They were each more than capable on their own, and she wasn’t worried about being caught... but the past day had felt almost dreamlike. It was like she was getting away with something that she wasn’t supposed to have (which, of course, she was), and she was terrified that if Kasimir left her sight that the dream might be shattered.

”If you think it besst,” she stopped short of disagreeing. Kasimir was brilliant, of course, and his plan was a good one.

The door opened into an intersection of three hallways. One stretched directly ahead, and the others fell away to the sides. The air was cold and stale, and the dim lights reminded her of how much stone they were under.

”If we are on the lowesst level, Berodo should be here. We musst find him, but we could check for security firsst, instead.”

 

[Kasimir]

Kasimir's eyes adjusted quickly to the dimming light and his shoulders eased as the tension left them. The darkness was where he was safest. People were often not afraid of the dark itself but rather what it hid, and in Kasimir's experience he was the only terrifying thing that lurked in the shadows. There was a reason that the people of Vel'Anir called him the Boogeyman even if they did not know it was him. He glanced down each of the corridors and then inclined his head in agreement with Nat's assessment.

"Do you think he would prefer for a snake to turn up or a demon at his cell door?" his lips quirked into a tiny whisper of a smile. His eyes, however, remained fixed on the corridors in an assessing manner. He was trying to recall the maps which he had left safely back in their rooms under a floorboard. He hadn't wanted them to be searched on their tour and have to do some awkward explaining.

"I think he should be down there," he pointed to the left. "Up there should be the guards and supposedly the only entrance down here, back up, and the other one should be the rest of the prisoners."

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira raised an eyebrow at Kasimir, ”Very few people are happy to see uss, I’m afraid,” she feigned a pouting expression before turning back to the corridors. ”I think we should sstick together. If we are apprehended down here we may never see the sky again.” Or each other, she thought silently. It was clouding her judgement, she knew that, but she pushed that aside.

Nathaira let her tongue dance absently in the air. It still smelled like stone, but now there was more sweat. More dwarves. Unfortunately she couldn’t tell which one Berodo was until...

”One of them smells like smoke,” she whispered to Kasimir. ”Did they ssay what he was in prison for?” What would the dwarves imprison and execute one of their own for? Treason, likely, but maybe destruction of ancient and historic architecture? They did seem very proud of their mines, after all.

 

[Kasimir]

"Attempted arson," Kasimir said softly, a thoughtful and contemplative look adorning his features.

He had not uttered a single protest against Nat's suggestion that they stick together. He could sense the tension in her body at the thought of separating and whilst he was the older Forsaken with more experience and could pull rank, he would never do such a thing with Nat. Especially if his decision would upset her further. Instead he brushed his fingers across the small of her back and then applied a little pressure.

"If you can guide us I can take us through the Shadows so we are not seen. It will be very cold though," he looked down at her. There was perhaps a startling amount of concern in his voice and eyes. Not for the mission or the thought they might get caught - no, he was confident in their ability there.

His concern was entirely based on the fact she would be in some discomfort.

 

[Nathaira]

”Oh, he has been a naughty boy,” she cooed in her signature mocking lilt. It was contrary to her serpentine heritage, cold and efficient killers as they were, but the closer she got to her mark the more she wanted to play with it. She reveled in fear, the way it made their hearts beat quicker and their eyes grow wide. They weren’t going to kill Berodo, of course, but tracking him down gave the same sensation.

She felt her shoulders relax at Kasimir’s touch, and she was ever so gently pulled from her predatory slidings. This was replaced with anticipation at his offer. She had always been curious where he went when he disappeared into the darkness. She hadn’t asked to come along before, it felt like a deeply personal thing. It made it that much better to be invited.

She caught his look and saw the worry in his face. It was sweet of him to care, and she reached up to touch his face. ”I can handle it,” she told him kindly. She hoped she was right. Her jacket was quite warm, and the steamroom had given her a brief relief. ”The scent is strongest this way.”

 

[Kasimir]

"As you wish."

Kasimir's eyes lifted from hers to look in the direction she indicated the scent was coming from. A slight frown marred his brow as he wondered how well she would smell in his world, the shadow world. If they had to take it slow in order for her to step out and scent the air again, or to warm up, then so be it. Without delaying any further he wrapped an arm about her waist and pulled her tight.

"Do not let go of me in the Shadows, Nat. It is easy to get lost in the Dark," he pressed his lips into a thin line and gave her one more concerned look before pulling them both into the Other.

The Shadow World as Kasimir called it was like an echo of their own world except in darkness. They were still in the prison, in the same hallway and could see the same things but everything was shades of black or grey. It looked as though they had fallen into someone's sketch of the prison rather than the prison itself. In here, Kasimir's shadows were the only things that looked to hold colour and seem more... alive. The butterfly actually had dark forest green wings, and the dogs had a dark grey coat with red gleaming eyes.

Kas set a brisk pace as they walked through this new world in the direction she had pointed out.

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira took one more long taste of the air before holding fast to Kasimir’s coat. She was certain of the way, and at least the hallway was straight. She was filled with a heady apprehension, both for the dangers ahead and the bizarre world she was about to enter. She looked at Kasimir, saw the concern in his eyes as he spoke. Her expression only faltered when he gave his warning. ”It is easy to get lost in the dark.” Her fingers held tighter, but she was comforted by the firm grip around her. Surely he would not let her go... surely...

Kasimir had told her it would be very cold. It was an egregious understatement. Nathaira’s lungs seized as a iciness beyond her wildest expectations shocked through her. It was like drowning in freezing water. It was like being hit full in the face. She clung to Kasimir and buried her face against him. Her fingers cried out against the blizzard in pain. Finally, with great effort, she took a breath and opened her eyes.

If not for the cold it would have had a certain stark beauty to it, but she didn’t take the time to enjoy it as Kasimir pushed forwards, and she was more or less dragged along. She was able to follow him for at least a minute, then her legs began to grow heavy. She pushed on. She had said she could handle it, and she was determined not to look a fool. After another minute, though, the muscles started refusing her commands. She could feel her heartbeat descending, and her eyes grew fuzzy.

“Kas...” she eeked out, feeling her grip weakening. “T-too.... cold...”

 

[Kasimir]

Time moved slightly differently inside the Shadow World - much like it did in Kala's Other Place. He had debated for a long time whether that was just a Tiefling thing; a side effect of their demonic blood. Whatever it was, it meant that even though Nat might have thought they had made little progress down the hallway they had in fact been walking but 30 seconds in her reality and had managed to come pretty much to the end of the long line of cells that were set into the rock face of the mountain. At her words he didn't hesitate to pull them both out once more into the much warmer mountain air.

"Nat, are you hurt?" he cupped her cheek. Despite the frigid cold they had been in Kasimir's skin burned hot like an open fire. He always found he was warmer when he exited the shadow-plane and he was more than happy to give it to her now. The red demon tugged her closer and opened up his trench coat to wrap her in close to his chest.

 

[Nathaira]

As soon as she spoke she felt the warmth of the prison envelope her. This air was also cold, but it was positively tropical compared to the inky night she had just escaped. She did not shiver, she never shivered, but her body was very still. Her muscles felt heavy, and her heart drummed a slow dirge in her chest. Kasimir's body burned like a lighthouse in her vision, and she took his body heat greedily, letting out a slow sigh of rapturous relief as she felt her blood warming again.

"I... am... alright," she forced through sluggish jaws and tongue. She would be physically fine, so long as she warmed, but she felt incredibly stupid. She had been arrogant to think she could last in the shadows. She had wanted to walk through them with Kasimir as a partner, not a passenger... and certainly not as a victim. "I'm sorry."

They were losing time. The longer Kasimir warmed her, the more likely a guard would come across them. She tasted the air again. "He is... very close." She wouldn't have been surprised if Berodo were in one of the cells directly adjacent to them, the smell of smoke and chemicals was almost insulting to her senses.

Had she been able to see through the trenchcoat she would have noticed that the cells here were not just iron bars set in stone. They were separate rooms, with thick steel doors and tiny viewing windows.

She could hear better than she could see, and she heard a heavy clanging walk coming closer. Something very heavy was moving in their direction.

 

[Kasimir]

"There is nothing to be sorry for," Kasimir's fingers gently grasped her chin and turned her face up to meet his orange eyes. Within them she would see nothing but concern for her. His gaze held hers in their fiery prison for a moment before he ran them over her form as if to ensure she truly was fine, before releasing her chin and turning back to the job. Even so, he kept close to her so she could draw on his warmth should she have a need.

"Come on then," he inclined his head to the side and set off further down the corridor though this time he was slow, taking his time to peer in through the tiny little viewing windows every now and then. Thankfully all they would see were a pair of orange eyes in a brief flash; hopefully they would merely think the dark stories of monsters in the dungeon their guide had told them about were real.

Finally he stopped in front of a cell. The dwarf inside seemed to match their description but he stepped away from the viewing slot to let Nat have a look and confirm.

"Do you think we should try and release him now?"

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira’s mind went blank for a second when Kasimir took ahold of her chin. The intensity of his eyes drew her full attention, and it was not until he released her face that the prison came swimming back into focus.

Her legs regained their ability to move over time, and she was able to take the last few steps before Berodo’s cell on her own (albeit still leaning heavily on Kasimir). She peered into the dim cell to see a dwarf much like any other at first, but as her eyes adjusted she saw that he was anything but ordinary.

He wore drab prison clothing, but his hair was wiry and singed on the ends. His beard was shorter that most of the others that she had seen, and she saw that it too had been burnt off at the ends. He wore glasses that made his eyes appear several times larger than they truly were, and his nose was large, reddened, and pock-marked. She could just make out a strange metal collar around his neck with faintly glowing runes around it.

He looked up at her, and before she could duck down a mad, yellow-toothed grin spread across his face. “AH! It took you longer than I expected. Now are you my saviors, or executioners?” His smile did not diminish, and Nathaira looked to Kasimir. She had not expected this response.

She her thoughts were interrupted by a loud clanging at the end of the hall, and she strained her sluggish neck to peer ahead. A golem, bronze by the looks of it, was approaching. She could feel the vibrations of its steps in all the way up to her knees. ”I don’t think we have a choice,” she answered Kasimir.

“I would hurry, if I were you.” Came an intolerably gleeful tone from within the cell. “That sounds like Roger, and he’s not much for talking.”

 

[Kasimir]

Kasimir's head whipped round at the sound of heavy footsteps. Suddenly the hallway grew several shades of black darker, the candlelights dimming as though they were guttering out and the shadows stretching out longer. It wasn't a noticeable difference unless someone was watching their tiny section of corridor, but it would afford them a bit of extra time. His tail lashed against the floor as agitation filled him and then he turned his attention back to the dwarf and his partner.

"Agreed," it was perhaps going to be an on the cuff rescue but now they were here it seemed stupid to not take advantage of it. There was a pang of sadness their mission would be over so quickly; he had hoped for more time alone with Nat before. Drawing out the shadow once more that had copied the strange little identity card, he held it to the lock. Morph bobbed curiously, still in a replica of the spider, and then began to shift into the perfect recreation of the key that would open the lock.

The mechanisms began to slide silently back and with a hushed whoosh it swung inwards.

"What is this?" he motioned to the choker.