Private Tales Something Amiss

[Kaska]

She glanced up at him in a bout of concerned shock. "...Kill it fire then, got it."

She filed that away with the other facts she had been picking up working alongside Saul. This really was another world out here. She couldn't help but to feel for a moment that she was missing half the training she needed without it.

Let's gather every up and get this place locked down. We should try to be out by first light in case those bandits get any second thoughts."

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul nodded in quiet agreement, still somewhat lost in thought.

The Lich had been summoned by someone, though he had no idea who. In the end that was what mattered, the key component they were missing. It could mean another Lich summoned, it could mean an army of undead forming just outside of Alliria.

He needed to know more, but his hands were tied.

Shaking his head Saul followed after Kaska. Within just a few moments they managed to gather up both the Rangers and the remaining Templar. The latter group was bloodied, though no worse for wear than they had been in other days. Eventually the fortress was fully secured, and two giant pyres were built.

The smell was horrid, but not something he wasn't used to.

By midnight, the fires had nearly died down to simple smouldering ash.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska extended an ashy hand down to Lia, her expression withdrawn and fatigued. "We're done here." She tried to assist her standing, carefully watching Lia's own ability to move right now.

 

[Lia]

Lia watched the corpses for a moment, frowning as she stood quietly besides Kaska.

The Templar around her seemed to be solemn and watching them she couldn't help but wonder how many times they had actually done this. The Lich had been a thing of evil, so had these ghouls...but before that?

They had been people. Normal people brought back and twisted. "Let's let everyone rest until morning."

She said quietly.

"It will be a long trip home." She sounded quiet, solemn.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska rubbed at her arm, goosebumps ever present. "I'm not sure that is a good idea," she whispered, looking warily around them.

"There's something horrible lingering, something ..." She struggled for words, then shook her head.

"We should leave now." She didn't like the feel of dark magic one bit.

 

[Lia]

Lia glanced over towards Kaska for a brief moment, frowning for a moment. "I..."

Magic?

She supposed there was a logic to it. The Lich had been dangerous, and the effect it had had on her even after it's death was testament to the fact that such things had lingered. Still it seemed off to her. For a moment she simply stayed quiet, then she nodded her head.

"Maybe you're right." She said quietly. "Lets ask the Templar."

At this point the man controlled a majority of their forces, and Lia was loathe to split them up at this point.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska nodded, shoulder's slumping a little in relief. She was vaguely aware that she must sound crazy to her friend. She was never one to shake or quiver before, but in the face of true evil lingering against her senses...

You could say 'boo' behind her right now and she would rightly startle.

She gave Lia an appreciative glance, her hand tight on her borrowed pommel.

Leane watched as Kaska tried not to rush fast towards them, but her state of mind was apparent to even her as Kaska came moving over. It reminded her distinctively of a young templar fresh on the field, encountering dark evil for the first time. Not unlike her and Saul had looked their first time, back when they lost-...

She nodded at them, face stone as she nudged Saul's side to catch his attention.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul glanced up at the pair of Rangers for a brief moment. His lips thinned and then he began to cross the small courtyard of the fortress.

He tried to keep his expression neutral, though it was difficult. Saul gestured towards a pile of things that had been gathered on a nearby table. "We gathered possessions before we burned the corpses."

It was a standard practice, at least among the Templar. The dead often still contained things that were valuable to one thing or another.

"You and your commander should look through it to see if you can recognize anything." He frowned. "It is a...kindness to return possessions to those still living."

One that is rarely offered in events like these.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska perked for a moment, glancing towards the pile. Perhaps her sword had made it this far. She could hope. But she brushed this aside, the uncomfortable feeling ever present.

"I think we should go. Soon. Something.... something's wrong." She insisted weakly.

 

[Saul Talith]

He glanced at her. "The corpses."

Saul said quietly.

"Some magic takes time to fall away." A sad fact of the Lich and the magic that was used to bring it back to life in the first place. The Templar shook his head, looking down at Kaska. "We'll move once the last of the ashes are burnt."

He stopped for a second, then continued. "Anything less and someone could bring them back."

The someone that brought the Lich forth in the first place.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska swallowed hard, relenting into a nod. She looked as if she wanted to say more. She visibly shuddered, her hands wringing around herself. She did debated for a moment more, then walked away. They were all experiencing this without complaint.

They were all experiencing this, right?

She shook out her hands and went to the belongings pile, picking through it silently.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul watched Kaska for a moment, frowning for a few seconds before he once again regarded the corpses.

Magic lingered here.

He could sense it, albeit unlike Kaska he was used to it. This type of magic did not easily go away, particularly when it was wrought by a lich. They were creatures of evil, their magic concentrated in such a way that it brought a certain amount of...evil. The feeling was one to settle into the bones.

"Get everyone ready." Saul said quietly to Leane. "Once they are ash we move."

The other woman nodded, then quickly went off to address the others.

 

[Kaska]

It was a long walk back to their caves, but with each step of distance put between them and those ruins, a weight lifted from her shoulders.

On her hip sat her old sword. It's familiar weight was a welcomed presence-- a piece of her that she felt she finally had back. These months had taken a lot from her, but as they soldiered on in silent solitude, she couldn't help but to soar in elated relief. It was done. It was all put to rest.

The taste of evil faded to a slight tang on her tongue.

Everyone fell near dead on their feet by their belongings along the cave floor. The sun had risen not an hour past, but without the necromancer's crows they could now move freely among the trees to take care of needs and gather supplies. Kaska did none of that. Her wounds burned, her dislocated shoulder had fallen numb, and by now she had a sinking suspicion she could fall asleep in this heavy armor and not stir once.

The fact that the other templar around her did not act the same both amazed and shamed her. She glanced to Lia and her similar disposition and wondered if the woman would agree they were soft.

She shuddered away the last of the tang on her tongue and fumbled with her left hand to undo her bindings.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul stood quietly watching those within the cavern. The sword he carried bundle and packed tightly on his back seemed to pulse with every step he took, the darkness that called forth from it echoing in his skull.

No matter what he tried the Commander couldn't quite get the blade out of his head, almost as if it was worming it's way into his thoughts again and again no matter what he tried. There was a bothersomeness to it, one that he would not admit to any of the others around him.

Not when they thought this was all done. "Get a fire going."

Saul told one of his men softly.

"There's no more need for stealth." Everyone needed some heat in their bones, plus it would help to cook some of the meat the Rangers had managed to catch over the course of the trip.

The other Templar nodded, and quickly three or four men had gone to gather wood.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska made slow work of tending to herself, her previous torn tunic turned into scraps to loosely bind where blade had met flesh. Her skin had remained rather unblemished up until this mission. She wasn't sure if she was bothered or proud of the scars that would follow it now.

Her head felt thick-- 24 hours without rest was taking its toll. She clumsily scrabbled at a healing ruin along her body, but her poor penmanship with her left hand made her think it was a pointless effort. Regardless, the effort was made, some time spent stalling to see if anyone would need her help as she fought back the exhaustion. She couldn't be one of the first ones down. Her pride wouldn't allow it.

 

[Saul Talith]

A fire was eventually kicked off, men and women gathered, Saul made sure to place the cursed sword more than a few meters away from everyone else.

Atop it he stacked his armor, placing the pieces carefully.

The blessed steel would keep the effects of the blade from calling out to anyone, at least he thought it would be so. The nature of the weapons curse escaped him, but at the very least he thought this would do the trick well enough. A frown touched his lips, and then he glanced at those in the camp.

It seemed everyone had settled down now, something he was glad for.

They all needed rest. "Leane. I'll take first watch. Get some sleep."

He could stay awake a little while longer.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska perked, her gaze flickering across the two as Leane gave him a meaningful look and slowly nodded.

"Anything ...odd happens..." she leveled, low enough that Kaska barely could make it out. Once Saul acknowledged her she laid out near him, not so easy to relax into sleep but knowing the value of trying.

Kaska felt herself tremble in relief, pulling her bedding a little closer across the way towards Lia before flopping down and giving in. She slept hard. Dreamless. Though the pain that racked her body as she stirred had her gasping as if she stirred from a nightmare.

She felt herself tremble as she locked down on it, disoriented. Her shoulder needed to be rolled back in. Now. Right. Deep breaths.

She pulled herself up, eyes stinging as she looked for Lia.

 

[Saul Talith]

Lia was one of the many asleep.

Saul and one Ranger were the only ones awake, though the former had absolutely no idea who that latter was. Not that it mattered much. The fire had been kept going by the both of them, but apart from that a calm quiet had settled over the rest of the camp.

Every now and again a snore would echo through the cavern, but aside from that not even a mouse scurried around.

Saul preferred it that way.

The Silence was almost therapeutic in a way, and allowed him to think back on all of the events of the past few weeks. He thought mostly of the Lich, it's origin, and how it had been summoned. He knew someone had to be behind it, he just wondered what sort of necromancer would unleash such a creature.

Especially roaming on it's own accord.

There had to be something more to this.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska internally groaned. Or rather, she thought she did. But through the haze of sleepiness and biting pain, noises slipped out where they were not intended. She felt this draw the attention of Sarah, concern on her too perfectly smooth brows.

Too quiet, and Lia... indiscernible among the other prone bodies. Not how she wanted this to go down, not at all. But the pain overrode pride and her body was doing the unthinkable without much of a conscious thought. She stumbled over to them, clutching at her shoulder that had swelled and locked up during the rest. In the approaching firelight, the tips of her fingers had slipped blue.

"Something wrong," she uttered, falling to her knees at their side.

 

[Saul Talith]

There was a slight scramble as Kaska fell onto her knees, Saul having watched the debacle from across the cavern as the woman was lit by firelight. Her crumpling shadow was enough for him to shake his head and then suddenly dash across the room.

The Elf woman, whose name he did not know, had already caught Kaska by the side of her arm.

Lia, the commander of the Rangers, was clutching her friend and whispered something in her ear. Saul frowned, not kneeling but instead looking down at the pair. "What's wrong?"

His voice was gruff, raspy from the days fighting.

"Her arm."
​

Came the answer from the elf. "Was she cut?"

Immediately his thoughts flashed towards the cursed blade.

 

[Kaska]

Kaska was trying to keep herself together, she really was. But with the jostling and unwanted commotion, her thoughts weren't clearing as the sleep fell from her body.

She shook her head at them all, wanting to dismiss the attention. Especially from Saul. "I'm fine," she grunted, unaware of Sarah at her fingers. She felt none of the woman's cool touch, stretching them out and turning them in the firelight.

"She's blue," the Elf answered coolly, going for the edges of the top of Kaska's shirt. And it was at that exact jostle that the woman screamed, the pain so raw under the pinched nerves, she was sure she was under the liche's spell again. She yanked back from them all, wild to it.

 

[Saul Talith]

Saul caught Kaska, his hands grasping her like a vice as she tried to pull away.

"Check her for a cut." Blue? No. The skin would be black, necrotic. The life would be draining from her and it wouldn't have started on her arm either. A frown touched his lips as Sarah looked at him, then glanced at Lia almost as if in question. "Do it."

His tone was so authoritative that it would have made the King of Vel Anir jump.

Lia shot the elf a nod, and then half a second later there was a scramble as Sarah began to pull away the sleeve of Kaska's clothing. Saul was still grasping the woman, preventing her from pulling away or even moving an inch as they checked her over for any sort of cut.

 

[Kaska]

She cried out, attempting resistance only to go abruptly limp in his grasp. Her eyes rolls back, suggesting momentarily unconsciousness as they gained a momentary calm to search her. There were certainly cuts, the ones along her arm looking pale white and unhealthy, but none of them were black.

Her sleeve would not move over her shoulder, the whole mass at an awkward angle and swollen.

She jolted back to as this was discovered, clawing wildly at them for a moment as her world became a swirl of confusion and fire. "S-Sstop," she pleaded, grasping for space. By gods what had she fallen into?

 

[Saul Talith]

"Her shoulder is swollen."
​

The words came form the elf's mouth as Kaska began to plead for them to stop. Saul frowned, and then a measure of understanding fell over his features.

There would be no cut to be found. No, her arm was dislocated. The injury was not too uncommon with recruits in the Templar. Men and women both would overextend themselves and then the bone would pop out of place. It was a painful thing, and dangerous if left untended.

Saul only knew of it because he'd experienced it himself. Albeit almost a decade ago.

"Get her shirt off." He told Sarah. "This is going to hurt."

The Templar said to Kaska, quickly adding. "A lot."

 

[Kaska]

Kaska's eyes widened, a sheen of sweat bedding across her face as she resisted the very prevalent urge to beg they don't.

All sense of decency fell away in the face of this moment, shudders of pain and terror racking he body as Sarah managed to undo her shirt at the seams in a way that would allow reassembly later. How very conscientious of her. Kaska didn't even have space to resent it, turning in towards Lia instead of gripping tight to her with her good arm.

She felt herself laid out, experienced hands guiding limbs into proper position, screams held bit back as they did just that much. "Please no," she whispered at Lia, body tense and resisting the others. "We don't have to do this, I'm okay."