Private Tales Arm For The Poor

[Kala]

Kala would have lied if she said the action of Nathaira drawing her blade across her teeth didn't unnerve her.

There was something about it that made her feel uneasy. She tried to squash the feeling, pushing it down almost instantly and nodding her head in confirmation. There wasn't a reason to point it out, to make her feel worse about something that she needed to do.

She was about to speak, but then Nat disappeared.

Kala hesitated for just a brief moment, taking a breath and then quickly moving forward.

She did not disappear into the jungle, knowing that it would be watched, but instead slipped into the waters just ahead. She moved quietly, submerging herself beneath the dark swampy waters. Her tails flickered back and forth, and slowly she moved forward.

When the first shriek resounded, Kala was already behind the wizard.

All eyes turned towards Nathaira, staring at her in shock and horror as the sound of swords being drawn echoed out.

Kala rose from the water, running up behind the wizard and grabbing his shoulder. "Come with me."

She hissed as she practically yanked the sorcerer towards the waters.

 

[Nathaira]

She found her eyes drawn to the artificer more often than not, but she was able to keep the nagging rune at bay with violence. Like a very nonspecific itch, the command to kill was partially sated by each thrust of her daggers into a pirate's flesh.

She had more than enough to think about. A lifetime as an assassin had made her a more skilled combatant than these ruffians, but even she would have trouble taking 13 opponents at once. What was more, the ship had heard the alarm cries and she knew more would be coming.

She just had to keep them distracted long enough for Kala to slip away with their prize. True to her serpentine nature, Nathaira twisted and danced across the beach, keeping herself just a hair's width away from enemy swords and striking with lightning speed when the opportunity presented itself. Her venom was potent enough that a single slice would cause overwhelming pain, and she ducked in and out of invisibility to try and keep the pirates guessing.

She had felled 7 before the first arrow landed in the sand at her feet with a thunk. It was time to go. She spit a fat gob of venom at the nearest man before blinking out of sight once more. She felt like she was dragging lead chains behind herself as she scrambled to the water, and she hoped that the men would tend to their wounded rather than chase her footsteps.

Her invisibility broke at the water's edge, and she darted back into the bushes in time to hear the men exclaim that their prisoner had been taken.

 

[Kala]

For a few seconds Kala had gotten herself stuck just watching Nat cut through the smugglers.

She was a whirlwind of death. A machine that had been built and trained to kill. Briefly she wouldn't help but wonder if Kasimir was the same. If her friend...her kin was so deadly as well. Bile spilled into her throat at the thought, though she did not know why.

Kala had murdered, she had killed, but this...this was a massacre. Her stomach turned, and she dragged the wizard back into the waters. "Swim."

The Tiefling hissed.

Within the chaos of it all they slipped away, pulling into the water and crossing the brackish water of the bayou back into the swamps. Then with soaked clothing and stinking flesh they ran. Her hand remained on the Wizard's shoulder the whole time, a death grip that would not let go.

She had no idea how far or fast they ran, had no idea how far they managed to go, but she only stopped when the wizard began to practically cry.

"P-please, I-cant anymore. Just...need a breath."​

Kala let out a curse, finding that she was practically dragging the man behind her now. Her head shook, and slowly they came to a stop. The wizard collapsed, falling onto his knees.

"T-thank you. Wh-who are you? Those men were going to sell me to the highest bidder. I didn't think I had any chance."​

Kala took a breath, glancing back and wondering if Nat had made it. "My name is Kala, and you're going to give me a new arm."

She said, looking up at the wizard.

 

[Nathaira]

The bayou's vegetation was thick and twisting, more than enough for Nathaira to hide from sight without use of her magic. This was good, because she didn't think she'd be able to become invisible again for a while. Her muscles ached and her breaths came rapidly.

She had lost track of time by the time she tracked down Kala and the artificer. Their scents were unique enough to be followed, but it had been difficult to isolate them amongst Garrisima's copious natural backdrop.

The men's shouts had grown distant when she found them, and a satisfied smirk broke across her face. The rune did not burn so intently now, for her target was all but caught. With his death inevitable, it seemed less pressing that it happen right away. A good thing, Nat would have felt at least a little guilty if Kala did not get her reward.

"He lookss right," she said, eyeing the odd clothing he wore. "Ssurprisingly swift for a tinkerer." She knelt next to the pair, but kept out of arm's reach.

"Lucky we found you. Ssome people might want to hurt you." The simpering giggle that escaped her lips was not comforting.

 

[Kala]

Kala glanced over towards Nathaira as she laughed, the Wizard giving her an incredulous look that spoke volumes in it of itself.

It was clear he did not like the snake woman, or was at least afraid of her. "I had to drag him half of the way."

The Wizard offered a smile for a few seconds, then looked back towards Kala. It was clear that he was still out of breath, uncomfortable, but at the very least he was willing to talk. That much was a victory already, at least for Kala.

"Yes. Very lucky, but as I was telling your friend...I need to get back to my laboratory if I am to give her a replacement arm."​

Kala had foreseen that, and that was why she had one card left. "I thought we'd take the Paths."

She commented, looking at Nat for a second.

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira's face fell at the mention of the Paths. On the one hand, it was probably - no - definitely their best way of getting back to the artificer's workshop. On the other, she risked losing more time in a very literal sense. Her stomach churned not because she could not decide, but because she knew she had no choice.

Her orders were loose enough to permit delaying the man's execution for a time, they were not loose enough to permit letting him slip through her fingers. If they took the paths, she needed to follow. She did not foresee a long sea voyage working out in anyone's favor (it was so easy to kill them while they slept), so after a moment she nodded.

"After all thiss, make sure to get one that shoots lightning. I think I've seen one that does that..."

 

[Kala]

"I'll be happy just to have one that works." From her satchel she pulled out one of the two remaining cards. She flipped it between her fingers for a moment, glancing at the wizard with a half hesitant expression on her face.

The man looked puzzled, but not confused. It was more like he was trying to figure out some sort of mystery that had presented itself. Kala didn't like that, being studied. It made her distinctly uncomfortable.

With a flourish, she threw the card against a nearby tree.

The paper struck against the wood, and then quickly the mangrove slowly started to bend inward on itself. It was like a hole suddenly opened up within the wood itself, dragging in the tree and everything else until a black gate stood before them.

Kala looked towards Nat, then grabbed the Wizards shoulder. "In you go."

She said with a shove, throwing the wizard through the portal and then following after him.

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira stepped once again into the darkness and saw the familiar tree of pathways within. Questions still floated in her mind about this place but she was not certain she had the strength to handle the answers.

Her balance was steadier than last time, having acclimated to this place once before, but it still made her a little woozy if she focused too hard on one direction.

As before, the door they sought was the same as all the others, and when they walked through it Nathaira thanked the heavens that the ground was stable.

They were back in the workshop, back on the ground floor where they had entered through the sewers. The gentle clinking and clanking of mechanical devices was there again, as was the familiar stomping of the "butler."

Nathaira's fingers itched as she looked at her prey. "Best get to work."

 

[Kala]

The Wizard seemed more than happy to do as he was told.

He quickly jumped up the stairs, thanking Nat and Kala a dozen times over and over again before he rushed off out of view. Kala glanced wearily to Nathaira, but eventually followed after the man with slow steps. The Butler approached them, the giant hulking beast.

It seemed to stop for a moment, glancing from Kala to Nathaira.

"Tea?"​

It asked in a strange robotic voice. Kala raised an eyebrow slowly, not entirely sure what to make of it. Then she slowly nodded her head. "Sure."

Eventually she found a place to sit, waiting for nigh on three hours before the Wizard eventually called her over. Upon a table sat an arm, the one that she had first seen when they entered the tower, she supposed, and besides it stood the Wizard.

"I will need to conduct surgery to properly attach the appendage. It will be painful, and none-too pleasant either."

Kala frowned, but nodded. "Can't be any more unpleasant than having it removed."

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira fidgeted with the folds of fabric that wrapped her, keeping her fingers busy against the itching of the rune. Luckily the wizard's workshop was full to bursting with distractions. She had just noted another flittering bird automaton when the butler rejoined them.

Nathaira looked to Kala, shrugged, and agreed. "Yess, tea soundss lovely."

And it was lovely. After a day in harsh, muggy sands, freezing ocean waters, and inter-dimensional travel, a warm cup of tea was just what Nathaira needed to soothe herself. As they waited, and the hours grew long, her thoughts could not be kept from the things Kala had said on their sea voyage. The things about Kasimir, his shadows, and her attempts to break his bonds.

With their mission nearing its end she felt a bit emboldened. "Kala," she started, poking a small metal bauble on the desk beside her. "Your 'friend,' the one you tried to free. Were you... close?" she looked to the tiefling for her answer. "I mean, to know such secrets I jusst assumed..." She almost did not want to know the answer, but if she didn't ask now she would not get a second chance.

Regardless of the answer, Nathaira would wait for Kala's surgery to conclude. The tattooed woman had been immeasurably helpful, she deserved her reward.

 

[Kala]

Kala sat herself down on the chair that the Wizard indicated, closing her eyes as he proceeded to fill strange needles with substances she did not even know how to begin to explain.

Her eyes pinched closed as the Wizard began his operation, lips thinning as she tried to distract herself with anything she could. "I've met him twice."[/color

A hiss escaped her teeth as she felt a needle delve into the nub of her shoulder.

There was no pain, but the sensation was...strange, and she couldn't help but feel weary of it. Lips thinned and her eyes squeezed shut. It was entirely unpleasant, having her flesh slowly carved away by the point of a needle.

Lips thinned for a moment.

"You have to understand." The Wizard pulled out a scalpel, carving into her skin. Though she could feel no pain, the sensation was as unpleasant as could be. "He-agh fuck."

Kala hissed. "We...Tieflings, are meant to be free. Slavery is abhorrent, but for us?"

The Wizard scraped away more flesh, pulling away the skin to reveal nerves.

"For us it is a different kind of Hell. We are not bound by any rules. We want to li-FUCK!" Kala swore, biting her tongue before she continued. "We inherently want to be set apart. To not follow rules, to do as we please. There is a reason they liken us to Devils, and it is due to more than our horns."

She opened her eyes and smiled, though the expression quickly left as the Wizard pulled up the arm, and forced it into the socket he had created. "MOTHER FUC-"

 

[Nathaira]

Nat breathed a small sigh of jealous relief. It was a new feeling, and one she wasn't quite sure how to interpret, but she liked Kala and was glad this need not interfere.

Such a deep devotion to freedom, a distaste for rules... it certainly was the opposite of Kasimir's life. They all suffered, but she felt a deeper ache for him with this revelation. Did he feel the pull of his tiefling blood, even living apart from them? He must.

"Ssounds liberating." she mused.

"What did you give her sso she does not feel?" she asked the 'surgeon' as he cut away at her with little reaction. Nathaira was well acquainted with poisons and potions, but she did not know any that dulled the flesh but kept the mind so clear.

"It is a powerful - umph! - extract of barley and spider's venom that still the nerves." He shoved the arm in firmly as he spoke and gave a satisfied nod. Nathaira grimaced at the sight (and sound), and put a hand on Kala's shoulder to comfort her (as if that would do a damned thing for the pain). "But it... has it's limits," he continued.

Nathaira made a note to raid his medical stores after she'd killed him.

 

[Kala]

"Yeah it doesn't really do much, Doc." She said as she took a deep breath.

Whatever he had done had worked with the scalpel, but when he'd forced the arm into place Kala had felt a surge of agony like nothing she could have described. It wasn't like it had been when she'd lost her arm, no, it was different.

More like her entire body had felt the sensation all at once. Her brain responding to a new appendage being put into place.

For a moment her vision went blurry. "What the fuck."

"Wait..."​

The Wizard said.

"Give it a moment."​

Pain slowly began to subside, replaced by a dull ache as her head woozed back against the headrest. She closed her eyes, and then without thinking lifted up her golden hand and gently rubbed at her face. She felt the cold, eyes snapping open.

"What the-" The hand pulled away, clicking slightly as she folded it into a fist.

"It's self sustaining, takes it's energy from you, like an ordinary arm would. You'll have to maintain it, but I have a journal somewhere that will help..."

The Wizard looked around, but Kala didn't even pay attention to him.

Her attention was instead on her new arm, a bright and wondrous smile spreading across her face as she slowly open and closed her hand over and over again.

 

[Nathaira]

Nathaira looked on the arm in awe. It was clearly metal, but it moved as if flesh. "May I...?" Without waiting for answer she gently touched the shining appendage. "What is it like?"

So great was her curiosity that for a moment she had forgotten about her next moves. But only for a moment. The wizard, artificer, whatever he was, had outlived his usefulness to her.

She let him rummage for the journal, let him bring it to the tiefling. "Thank you," she said seemingly to the man, but her eyes were on Kala. She hoped her impromptu partner would understand. Thank you for your help. Thank you for trying to help my friend.

Then she looked to the door. If Kala truly knew what she was then she would not need to ask why. Nathaira silently implored her to go, she needn't be here when the deed was done.

 

[Kala]

"It's..." How did one put it into words? How could she ever possibly explain. The appendage felt the same as any other. It felt real. The magic holding it together almost perfect and seamless. "Normal."

The Tiefling said softly.

Kala smiled up at Natharia for a moment as she grabbed the journal. Her eyes then slowly drew towards the wizard. A frown touched her lips as she pulled back a bit. Lips thinning.

Did she care enough about the wizard to save him? Did she wanted to even get involved? Her own morals had been questionable, always, but she had never been a murderer. She had killed before, but assassination? She lingered for a moment, then remembered some of what she'd read in the Wizards journal.

Lips thinned, and eventually she stood. "I best be going."

The Tiefling said.

"There are people looking for me." That was not a lie, at least not a big one.