Private Tales What Happens After

[Osbert]

Pacing through the swampy terrain wasn't exactly a joy. With House Banick his missions rarely took him into the wilderness. The worst he'd had it since graduation was on isolated roadways and the occasional ship deck. Truth be told it'd made him a bit softer.

The foul smells, the presence of buzzing insects, and that eerie feeling of being watched by feral animals made forests and bogs uncomfortable for him.

Though he was no where near as put off as Sybille. That scowl she'd brandished hurt worse than a dagger to the chest and the young Dreadlord spent most of the trek lost in his own thoughts as to how he'd make it up to her. Hell, the walk was so miserable that even Ceja had become silent.

A snicker forced its way out as Sybille whispered her complaint into his ear. "I don't think I could blame you," he whispered back as he stifled his laughter, "do me a favor and warn me if you're losing your balance though."

Whether he'd try to catch her or get a head start from the magma explosion was something he'd leave to her imagination.

"There."​

Ceja's voice was cold, utterly devoid of emotion, as he gestured past a set of swampy briar bushes. A few hundred yards off the group could see the thrown together ramparts of the thieves hideout. If they didn't need to recover the stolen amulet Osbert might've prompted Sybille to roast the entire fortress right here and now.

 

[Sybille]

Sybille was about to add more grumbling, but fell quiet when Ceja's curt voice rang out before she could speak. Her face almost immediately fell into an even deeper scowl, but that expression disappeared as her eyes fell upon the makeshift fortress.

Wooden palisades formed half a ring around two buildings, a large cliffside sitting at the back of the fort offering perfect protection.

Her lips thinned almost instantly, and the part of her mind which had endured the Academies training kicked back in. It didn't take her long to reach the conclusion which Os and Ceja would likely find themselves at rather swiftly; there was no easy way in.

Though these bandits were braggarts and fools, they were evidently not stupid enough to leave themselves entirely undefended.

Two watch towards sat occupied on either side of the fort. A heavy wooden gate sat in the middle of the palisade, and watch fires had been lit. There was no way the trio of Dreadlords wouldn't be seen if they approached from any side near the wall, and climbing the cliff would be too dangerous.

"We have to go through the stone." She said quietly before either of them could say anything.

Carving through that much rock would leave her tired and exhausted, but it was also the only way they would get into the small Fort without alerting the bandits. Though, that was only if Ceja didn't want to run headlong into a slaughter.

Which she wouldn't put past him.

 

[Osbert]

Osbert looked over the defenses before them and had a sinking feeling that they'd been slightly misled about the ease of this task. These rogues had been far better prepared than he'd been led to believe and their fort had clearly been designed by a keen tactical mind.

Sybille had come to a conclusion that made perfect strategical sense but it gave him pause.

He looked towards her with a brow raised and a slight frown. Ceja wasn't a threat to the pair but if Syb used up too much energy blasting through rock so that they could storm the fortress the odds of Ceja succeeding, were he to try something, dramatically increased.

"I don't know if-," his words were cut short by Ceja.

"Good plan. Let's do it."​

For everything negative one could say of their partner on this task Ceja wasn't a fool. He recognized that carving through the stone with Sybille's magma was the best tactical decision and he'd likely done the same calculus that Osbert just did. If Sybille was nearly tapped out on her magic it reduced the chance that the duo would betray Ceja.

Not that they had any such plans but Os still felt uneasy about the risk of Ceja stabbing one or both of them in the back.

He nodded and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Yes, it's a good plan. I agree." He focused his gaze intently on Sybille and whispered low, "do you want a bit of help?"

Oxygen could help spread the magma and fire a bit faster. It'd tap his resources some too but a slightly tired Osbert to prevent a completely exhausted Sybille made some sense in his head.

 

[Sybille]

Ceja jumped on the plan like a hawk who'd spotted a lone mouse.

She couldn't completely blame him, it really did make the most tactical sense, but Sybille was smart enough to know the ulterior motive. A man who thought like he did assumed that everyone thought the same way. Ceja probably already assumed they planned to slit his throat.

Not that he was entirely wrong.

"No." She said with a small shake of her head. "If both of us are exhausted it won't be good."

Sybille said softly. "I'll get us through the mountain. You just..."

Slowly her words trailed off, and slowly she looked over towards Ceja who was already making his way towards the base of the cliffs. She frowned for a moment, and then returned her gaze towards Osbert. The message more than clear.

A second later she stood, rolling her shoulders.

Thin lines of red began to flicker through her eyes, and Osbert would feel the heat begin to radiate from around her body. Hair seeming to settle more in the humidity as she stepped to follow after their unwanted partner.

As they reached the base of the cliff her voice rang out, deeper, rumbling. "Move."

She demanded of Ceja, and without a single complain the other Dreadlord hopped to the side. Just a second later the cliff face he had been standing in front of him suddenly shifted. A bright red glow settled upon it's surface, and within just a few heartbeats stone turned to flowing magma.

Sybile's fingers twisted and turned, a river of super heated rock dragging itself down and turning into a perfectly cylindrical tunnel boring through the mountain itself.

 

[Osbert]

"Right. We'll be ok." He flashed Syb a smile and gave her a nod.

There wasn't any chance he'd let Ceja cause harm to either of them. Especially not the girl he frequently viewed as kin. She'd joined the academy far later than was normal and at first everyone, Osbert included, assumed she'd wash out. Over the years though he'd learned she wasn't one to give up at anything.

Least not without a fight. If Ceja thought he could stab Sybille in the back he'd have to plunge the knife straight through Osbert first.

The heat around them was intense, as the cliffside gave way to a burning red flow of magma Osbert's eyes began to water. Sweat beaded upon his brow. And then it was over, a clear path forward directly through the cliffs.

"Hot damn."​

Ceja's grin was as crooked as ever. Their new predicament gave it a far more sinister quality now though.

"How are you faring?" His question came only after their unwanted partner had begun to walk into the gaping hole in the hills. Concern shone through his features as he contemplated their options if she was completely tapped out of magic.

The thieves they had to slaughter were unlikely to prove much of a challenge for Ceja and Osbert. It was the aftermath of the fight that plagued him.

 

[Sybille]

A long ragged breath left Sybille's lungs, her chest slowly rising and falling as she struggled to get air back into her lungs. For a brief second she seemed to sway, her eyes fluttering closed before her foot slid to the side and she caught herself.

"I'm fine." The soft rasp of her voice gave away the lie in her words.

It was not that turning the rock to magma was difficult, in fact that part was always easiest. The problem came with controlling the flow once it was actually there. Each time it happened it felt as though she were shifting the tide of an entire ocean.

Keeping the mountain in tact, carving through the stone without having the entire thing turn into a massive fall of roiling magma was near impossible. It took every ounce of control she had. Fingers curled inward, barely able to form into a fist. "I'm good."

She reiterated, looking at Osbert and offering just the barest smile.

An expression whose scarcity was almost as disconcerting as her wobbly legs.

"You should go first though." Sybille said, slowly pulling herself together. "Ceja will wonder if we're planning on sealing him in."

The words were almost too tempting leaving her tongue.

 

[Osbert]

Osbert's face scrunched in both disappointment and concern. You didn't need to know Sybille well to know she was putting on a brave face. She was spent.

But at least she still had the faculties to speak the truth. It was the only thing that caused him to resist every urge he had to offer her a helping hand down the corridor.

"Not a half bad idea, sealing him in," he flashed a smile before turning and heading after their partner.

For just the briefest of moments Osbert considered an alternative path. Considered turning around, grabbing Sybille, and running away from this. Away from Vel Anir and all the chaos of the past few months. Seeing her expend so much energy while they were in such a precarious position made Osbert uneasy. One slip up, one variable they hadn't factored into this job, and it could spell tragedy.

He couldn't though. They were unlikely to have better prospects outside of Vel Anir's wide reach and there was a part of him that still felt... sentimental for it all. For better or for worse it was his still his home.

Once they emerged on the other side of the cliffs they were greeted by an up-close view of the fort. Ceja had crouched behind a pile of bushes in the muddy marsh for cover and was gesturing towards a rope ladder that led up to one of the platforms.

Osbert nodded at Ceja and gave a look towards Syb. "They must've figured it was safe, what with the cliffside here, he waited for a second to ensure the other two saw it.

That proved to be an error as Ceja pounced on the delay.

"You climb up first Os. Red and I will be just behind you. Try to kill anyone you encounter quietly"​

You could almost hear the smugness in his voice. "No, I think," Osbert was cut off as Ceja shoved at him. The look in Ceja's eyes made it clear he wasn't in the mood to debate. Os gave another careful look over towards Sybille and tried to think of some other way.

"Your magic works quieter than little red's or mine. It makes the most sense."​

A sigh escaped the brown-haired Dreadlord's lips as he nodded and made his way towards the rope ladder. Ascending one rung at a time before making his way inside the thieves fortress. He kept his ears perked both for the sounds of their prey and so he could respond to any shouting from Sybille. Fully prepared to abandon the whole thing and drop Ceja where he stood if the situation called for it.

 

[Sybille]

Sybille tread carefully through the tunnel she had carved. Not because she was less sure of her footing, but because being encapsulated within the warmth of the earth was almost soothing to her. As they walked she held onto the wall, taking slow breaths and treading just fast enough to keep pace with the other two.

Once they emerged on the other side she hung back.

Lips instantly turned to a scowl as Ceja tried to send Osbert forward. She was about to speak up when the boy bit in again, insisting with something close to logic that it would make sense for her friend to go first. Sybille’s bit her tongue, fingers scrunching into a fist.

Os gave her a look, and then began to move forward.

Sybille tensed almost immediately when he stepped from sight. Concerned about both Ceja, and Os’ safety.

“Don’t worry Red, He can handle himself.”​

The words felt like an insect crawling beneath her skin. As though someone had slipped a centipede onto her spine and it was slowly making it’s way up towards her skull. Her eyes slowly turned towards the wolfish man. ”I know.”

She answered simply before Ceja shrugged.

“Probably should have told him about the Blight-Marked, huh?”​

Sybille’s head turned almost immediately towards Ceja, a cry strangling slightly in her throat as the Dreadlord spoke.

 

[Osbert]

Osbert hoisted himself up the rope ladder, one rung at a time, until he poked his head up into a window just enough to look into the immediate room he'd be entering.

Empty.

That was good, he moved the rest of his body in, lifting his lower half over the window sill and into the fort. Gingerly, Osbert placed his first foot onto the floorboards, a minor creak of the wood felt like it echoed across half of Arethil. No one came to investigate though and seemingly the sound was minor enough to get drowned out in the carousing he could hear off in the distance.

As a result, he placed a second foot in the room and took a cautious step forward.

The coast was still clear and he was now inside the den of thieves they were meant to topple. Osbert bent low and rushed towards the door of the room, sliding it open slowly and getting a look into the narrow hallways of the top floor of the place. A simple patrol off in the distance, a grand hall near the center of the place which emanated nose throughout the fort.

He ducked into a side room just beside the place he entered, it'd serve as a good location for Ceja, Sybille, and himself to stake out while they planned the rest of this assault. Only a single problem presented itself however... there were two guards standing in the room counting food inventories.

"What the," the first of the guards uttered before Osbert's magic took control. In a flurry the oxygen of the room was sucked outwards whilst it all balled near his own nostrils. The two guards struggled to breath for only a moment until their eyes filled with a blacky ink and their chests began to heave with despite the lack of breathable air in the room.

"Fuck," Osbert said aloud as he unsheathed his short blade and prepared for the worst.

 

[Sybille]

”You piece of fucking shit.” Sybille hissed at the Ceja, an infuriating giggle escaping the other Dreadlords's throat almost at the same time.

“Don’t get your panties in a twist, Red.”​

Ceja said with a roll of his eyes. Words that sparked utter fury within Sybille, stacking on the indignation and rage that had already been simmering. Thin red lines cracked through the white of her eyes, lips thinning and heat suddenly rolling off of her body as she stared holes through Ceja.

“Os can handle himself, a few Thugs won’-”​

Before he could finish Sybille was already standing. ”They’re blight-marked Ceja!”

She shouted incredulously.

There were few things in this world that carried an actual threat to Dreadlords. Other sorcerers of course, powerful magic items, and then there were things like the Blight-Marked.

It was a new phenomenon, as far as she knew anyway, having only first appeared a few months before the Revolution. The Blight-Marked were, well just that, men and women marked with strange intricate tattoos. Each of these tattoos bestowed the marked with great power, some form of transformative magic. Some became stronger, others faster, and still others almost untouchable.

The mark however did not come without cost, and each time the cursed magic was used it’s tattoo grew. With it grew the erratic and often violent tendencies of those Marked.

Blight-Marked were incredibly dangerous, unpredictable, and a variable that no one wanted to play with.

”I’m going to he-” Before Sybille could take a step she suddenly felt a vice like grip on her arm. Fingers dug into her, and she whirled her head around to see Ceja standing just beside her. There was a wolfish, sinister expression on his features. His voice cold as he spoke.

“Why don’t we wait a few seconds?”​

The Dreadlord said, his smile only growing.

 

[Osbert]

A quick side-step caused the first of the two thugs to bury a fist into the wooden wall behind Osbert. An explosion of splinters rained outwards and commotion could be heard from the central room as the rest of the fort was likely alerted to the sound.

The second thug had pulled a small dagger which the Dreadlord deflected but then the blight-marked twitch and in a flurry came rushing back. Os clicked his flint together in his off-hand, generating a spark that was illuminated into flame through his oxygen manipulation. The rippling fire tore neatly towards the attacker's knee causing him to unleash a primal scream of pain.

Ok. One has the strength of an ox, the other is fast. Too fast.

It was a quick thought as Osbert had but a fraction of a second to re-gain his composure.

While the stronger blight-marked would likely end the Dreadlord's life with a single blow the speedster was a far greater threat. He could dodge the strong brawler but the faster of the two moved so erratically that Osbert knew he'd have to end that foe first if he had any hope at surviving this encounter.

As the duo charged him a second time the two pieces of flint clicked together again. And again. Four times total as oxygen swirled around quickly, igniting into a larger and larger plume of fire before Os directed the pathways of air towards the pair of foes. Then the quicker of the thugs made an error, placing his foot towards the left side of Osbert, and the path of oxygen twisted.

One last scream of pain as the tattoos burnt off his flesh, the first chewed down to his bone, and ignited part of the fort itself.

The remaining thug stopped in his track and his eyes went wide as he saw the growing flames. The group of Dreadlords were on a clock now, they had to recover that amulet and deal with the blight-marked before the fires consumed the entire fort.

 

[Sybille]

Sybille stared at Ceja as she felt the tell-tale pinpricks slowly beginning to rush up her arm. "Let go of me."

She hissed.

"I will turn you into slag." The threat hung within the air, and the both of them knew that she would do it too. Seconds seemed to turn to minutes, then hours. Time slowing down as she prepared mentally for the wrack of pain an agony that was about to fall upon her.

Briefly she wondered if she could concentrate through it. If she would be able to actually keep this mountain from turning into a rupturing volcano of heat and death.

Losing control was not an option. No. It wouldn't just kill Ceja, it would kill everyone. Herself included.

Sybille's eyes fractured just a step more. Red cracks forming, deepening. Staring into the other Dreadlord's eyes until finally his fingers unfurled from around the redheads arm. He smiled at her in what was probably an approximation of charm.

"Course, Red. Just didn't want you to ruin the...surprise of it all."​

He said with a smile just as a scream echoed down from below.

"Oh look at that, already ruined. We best get down there."​

Ceja continued, slipping past Sybille as if the pause had been entirely her fault. A slow breath dragged into her lungs, a forceful calm touching her soul. Then she took off in a sprint after Ceja and towards Oz.

 

[Osbert]

Smoke billowed up and Osbert took advantage of the remaining thug's distraction. He moved in swiftly before ramming his shortblade up and into his attacker's gut. A few seconds later and the giant of a man collapsed to the ground.

He turned his attention back towards the blaze he'd started and dulled the flow of oxygen as best he could.

The fire had already grown out of his control but he could at least keep himself safe from the lapping flames, maybe buy the structure enough time before it collapsed in on itself.

"As you can see, I've got everything under control," he said as Sybille and Ceja emerged into the orange glowing floor of the fortress. Two corpses lying just behind Osbert as the sound of footsteps and shouting could be heard in the main hall. "Though we should probably hurry."

Escape wasn't much of a worry. They'd be able to get to the front gate easily enough or come back out the way they came. A bigger concern was that the amulet they were after might be hidden. Or, potentially worse, it could be on the leader's person and if he was blight-marked then this job was much more difficult than Ceja had let on.

"They're blight-marked, by the way."

 

[Sybille]

Sybille was, of course, the first one through the breach. She stepped into the hovel, eyes already burning and fingers sprawled as she prepared to reduce anyone standing in her way to cinders.

The rage flickered almost immediately to concern as she found Os standing alone, gaze flickering to the broken figured on the ground. Her lips thinned, and as her friend explained she immediately shot a glance towards Ceja. She made no effort to keep the bitter sting from her voice. ”I know.”

She hissed, a brief fantasy of throwing Ceja into a pit flickering through her mind.

The other Dreadlord only stepped forward, his face all smiles as his shoulders rose and fell.

“I forgot to mention. You get it Os, we ran out of the place so quickly that the details just…”

Ceja trailed off, waving his hand as though something had floated away. The red lines in Sybilles eyes widened ever so slightly, and her teeth clicked together as she bit back the rage once again. She shot Os a look that was almost begging, but before she could offer another word Ceja began to move through the center of the hovel.

He motioned to the other two.

“Come on, no time to waste. We need to get that amulet.”

Ceja urged, echoing Osbert’s thoughts as though he hadn’t been the one to delay them in the first place. As he moved ahead in the corridor Sybille sidled up besides her friend, quietly whispering. ”He was trying to get you killed.”

Then, even more quietly she added. ”We need to get rid of him first.”

 

[Osbert]

Os brush some of the ash and dust off his shoulder as he prepared to head further into the fortress behind Ceja. His pace halted though as Sybille drew near and gave him a the scoop on what had happened.

"Damn."

It was a low whisper but that one word held more fury than he'd shown in months, maybe years. He'd used his charm and wit to get out of plenty of bad situations back at the academy and in the field. But sometimes you had to give yourself over to wrath. Throw all the pleasantries out the window and stab a guy in the back before he could pay you the same favor.

Osbert held out his hand and signed towards her an affirmation. "We'll make it fast," he said slowly, silently.

They'd need to do it quick, quietly, and then move on to the rest of the thieves in this den. Ceja represented the greatest threat but even after they dispatched him it wasn't like they were going to have an easy time ahead.

Just as he began to move forward Ceja turned the corner into the open area of the upper level.

Then the sound hit them both. Ceja's supersonic magic had gone off and had the pair not been right around the corner it was likely their eardrums would've ruptured. If Osbert had to guess the cretins in the mainhall weren't as lucky.

Through the ringing in his ears he could decipher the sounds of combat in the main area and once the duo turned the corner they'd see no less than seven blight-marked dueling with Ceja. Killing their ally, even if he was a loose one, would likely have to wait until they dealt with these foes.

 

[Sybille]

A caustic mixture of emotions ran through her.

She felt bile rise in her throat, the tightness of anxiety constricting in her chest as they turned the corner and saw Ceja assaulted by seven of the blight-marked. The other Dreadlord moved fast, faster than she would have guessed, but those who outnumbered him were just as swift.

At her core Sybille wanted him dead.

Knew that at the end of all of this the piece of shit had to die.

Yet at the same time she knew that seven blight-marked might have been too much for even her and Osbert. She cast a single glance towards her friend, let out a curse, and then let her fingers form into balled fists. Heat flickered from her, rising in great dreaded waves.

Then her palm lashed out.

One of the Blight-Marked stepped forward, a great club swinging forward in his hands before a jet of lava suddenly exploded from the ground in front of him. The earth twisting and melting before it exploded outward and cast against his face.

Screams echoed out as his flesh and muscle melted away, half the man's body turning to slag as Sybille's magic erupted outward.

 

[Osbert]

Working with Sybille had always been a pleasure. Not just because Osbert knew he could trust her, not just because she was reliable, but because her magic complimented his own in a way few other Dreadlords could.

As soon as the geyser of lava poured over the first blight-marked Osbert leapt into action.

His hands twisted as he manipulated the flow of oxygen to ignite all around the heat of Syb's lava. It twisted and turned and quickly he created paths of air that lead to two of the other blight-marked they faced. At first the lava ignited slowly, thin red lines of white-hot heat trailed over the bodies of two of their adversaries. Covering them in what looked more like thin tattoos that covered major parts of their bodies.

Then the heat of the lava fully ignited the oxygen trails that Osbert had painted.

One second there were two blight-marked painted red. The next second a trailed of fire erupted and traced over the lines, turning them from mildly uncomfortable heat to lethal explosions of flame.

Three down, four to go.

Ceja's voice exploded in a loud boom, this time limited simply to the foe directly in front of him. No doubt that blight-marked would be deaf now. Ceja side-stepped a blow from one of their adversaries, then another, and another, before he twirled and drove his spear deep into the torso of the deafened blight-marked. The man fell to the ground in a pile as Ceja fumbled to retrieve his weapon.

Four down, three to go.

 

[Sybille]

Sybille's magic had never been anywhere near exact.

She fought in the same manner as a tidal wave, which was to say; destroying everything which was in front of her. For her the Proctor's had envisioned a certain role, and it was most certainly not fighting fast and powerful hand to hand opponents in a tiny room.

For her it was not a question of whether she could kill the blasted blight-marked, but if she could do it without bringing down the entire structure around them.

One of the three remaining foes seemed to catch onto this. He moved quickly, interposing himself between Sybille and Osbert. His odd snake-like form slithering into place as two knives darted out from his wrists. A wicked grin spreading over his lips.

"Come here, lass. I'll be sure to cut you a pretty smile."​

He taunted as he suddenly darted forward.

A quick 'eep' flickered from Sybille's lips as she danced two steps back, narrowly avoiding one blade while the other found purchase in her side. She felt the bite of the blade into her skin, and then heard the loud hiss as the knife broke into the heat of what lay beneath.

A splash of magma cast out from her wound, casting onto the ground where a fire suddenly broke out upon the wooden floor.

 

[Osbert]

They were making progress quick enough that even in the midst of combat Osbert had time to take in the situation. Just three of their foes left and as far as he could tell the trio of Dreadlords were all still in tip-top fighting shape.

Ceja could handle the last one near him. Once Sybille cracked open another lava plume Osbert could easily fell his blight-marked foe that was staring him down and even help clean up for Ceja or Syb if needed.

Then they could address the fact that Ceja had tried to get him-

Something was wrong. "Syb!"

Stupid. He'd been stupid to take this job, to trust Ceja, to take his eye off Sybille and expose her to the piece of shit that'd just buried a blade into her.

The only saving grace was the flow of magma that pooled out of her wound caught her attacker by surprise. His blade that had pierced flesh was reduced to nothing as his eyes widened and more of the fortress caught fire. Osbert sprung into action used his magic to create a well of oxygen at the center mass of the bandit who'd stabbed Sybille.

In an instant the man was engulfed in flames as he cried out in agony. Os rushed towards his redhaired friend and with concern coloring his face he stammered out, "are you alright? Is it deep?"

The amulet, Ceja, and filling their pockets with gold didn't matter. He'd never be able to forgive himself if Sybille died after he'd dragged her on this awful mission.

 

[Sybille]

A cacophony of chaos rang out as Osbert killed another of the Blight-Marked, and then another lashed out. Ceja’s hand came forward as though he were lashing a string, and then the man screamed out in pain as he crumbled to the ground. His body thrashed and jerked for a moment more, and then he stopped.

The last of the Marked gaped at the death which had been wrought in the last few seconds.

A dozen different emotions played on his face, and then like the snake he was the man quickly turned and broke out into a sprint. Fleeing from the flames and making his way through one of the broken doorways before any of the Dreadlords could stop him.

Sybille’s hand clamped over the wound at her side almost instantly. A spike of fear overcoming the pain which was shooting through her side. The heat was enough to melt through steel, but her fingers etched along her skin.

The wound seemed to bubble for a moment, twisting and shifting in on itself as the smell of sulfur and ash filled the room.

“I forgot how disgusting that was.”

Ceja remarked as he half-eyed Sybille sealing her own wound. The red-heads eyes turning to utter ire as she stared at him. ”I’m fine.”

She bit off, her fingers curling around where the blade had cut into her.

”Just needs a few seconds.” Sybille said as she drew herself up slightly. Her steely gazing flickering from Ceja to Os, almost begging for permission with a single look.

 

[Osbert]

Sybille's ability to recover from injury wasn't all that disgusting if you got used to it. Sure, the smell was horrendous but it was more fascinating than disturbing. At least Osbert thought so.

With the last of the blight-marked fleeing he took Syb's gaze for what it was. A chance to strike might've just opened up and they'd be remiss not to take advantage of it. Ceja had already tried to get Os killed once, no doubt that when they got their hands on the amulet he'd try to dispatch of both of them and claim the share of the gold for himself.

"Ceja," he said while flames licked at the wood all around them, "you knew there were blight-marked but didn't say anything? What's your angle here?"

Ceja turned and wore a look of disgust plastered across his features. "Not sure what you're implying, we were in a hurry. Now we're in even more of a hurry with this place coming down. Need to grab that amulet and get going, Osbert."

An eyebrow crooked up and the sandy-haired Dreadlord raised his voice in faux outrage. "No way! We're not moving one inch until you explain yourself." A swirl of oxygen rushed around the trio, signaling that Osbert could keep the flames at bay while they chatted.

"Alright. Now you're really starting to piss me off. We've gotta find that amulet or we don't get paid. I don't know about you two but I wasn't planning on digging through rubble all night to find it."

"Why'd you try to get me killed!?!"

With Ceja's back turned to Sybille her friend gave a subtle nod in her direction as he continued arguing with Ceja. Maybe the distraction would work, maybe it wouldn't, but this was likely the best chance they'd have to finish off the backstabber without injury.

 

[Sybille]

For Sybille, it was hardly a choice she had to ponder.

When she'd first arrived at the Academy she had been aghast at how things worked. The competition between the students. The constant backhanded attacks, the outright murders that took place within the dark. What had shocked her more had been the Proctor's approval of it.

At the time it had all seemed to strange, so foreign.

Yet it hadn't taken her long to understand the why. The Academy stated purpose was to create weapons, soldiers for Vel Anir's war, but the truth was it made nothing less than monsters. Half the Initiates coming out of the place were sociopaths, and the other half were so broken they would never function in the wide world.

Sybille knew which side of the coin Ceja fell on, and as Osbert drew his attention her focus narrowed. Eyes flickered with bright slashes of red, drawing through her gaze and flickering with burning intensity as she gathered her magic.

Then her palm swiped forward.

A patch of earthen wall just by Ceja's head suddenly turned bright red. A single beat of the heart passing before it exploded outward in a spray of hot magma. It cast out towards the other Initiate in a thin slice, hot enough to melt steel.

 

[Osbert]

It happened quick.

Ceja realized what the pair was doing but it happened quick. So quick that even as Ceja tried to react the magma made contact with his flesh despite his reactionary movements.

But it was that split second reaction, that slight tilt of his body, that caused the inferno to only burn away at his back and seep into his spine rather than deliver an immediate killing blow. Ceja howled in pain and stumbled aside before collapsing into a heap, seemingly paralyzed.

"You bitch!"​

Osbert pulled a blade and rushed at the fallen Dreadlord but it was impossible for him to move quick enough to prevent what Ceja tried next. A shout of sonic energy exploded from the downed man's lungs and shook the entire fortress. "He's trying to bring the fort down around us!"

The oxygen-manipulator shouted into the void of terrible sound as the flames vibrated, as his hands came up to try and cover his own ears, as the planks of wood began to peel apart from rusted nails that had been holding them into place.

Ceja'd realized that his wounds were fatal and almost immediately decided he was going to bring about the death of all three of them.

Despite the sounds Osbert tried to regain focus, clamping his hands over ears that burned in pain, and he narrowed his attention on the area surrounding Ceja's head. Swirling oxygen out of the way, dampening the sounds slowly as less and less air presented itself. Maybe he could choke the life out of the man before it was too late.[/CENTER]

 

[Sybille]

As soon as as Ceja turned and the spurt of Magma did not strike home Sybille cursed herself. The pit in her stomach became an everlasting abyss, and she knew in that moment she had messed up. Ceja's lips fell open, and pain began to wrack her form.

The building around them began to shake, tremble.

Os acted faster than she did, hands snapping up to his ears to protect himself. The air over Ceja's crumpled form shifting and growing thinner as he tried to dampen the sound. Panic rushed through the redhead, her fingers shooting up to cover her ears, but the damage already being done.

Sybille felt her eardrums pop, and then shatter.

A ringing resounded above everything else, her legs half shifting as she tried to find purchase in a now falling building.

"STOP!" She bellowed, silent below the screeching. "STOP!"

Sybille demanded again, the angst driving her. Eyes flickering and her hand suddenly extending. A jet of magma extended out once more. It dashed through the air, flowing towards Ceja and pouring it over his face. The thinned air pulling the heat away faster than it should have. The lava drawing over the other Dreadlord's face an creating a tomb of stone.

 

[Osbert]

There was always reason to look on the bright side of any situation. For example, on the bright side Ceja was dead. But looking on the bright side in this specific occasion would have to wait.

Because on the very not-so-bright side the ceiling was beginning to slump and the walls were buckling.

If they dallied much longer they'd find themselves entombed in rubble just as Ceja now found himself entombed in stone. And to make matters even worse Osbert's hearing was completely shot. Not that he'd need to communicate much to make it obvious that, 'running out the front door as swiftly as possible,' was his intention.

He pointed towards the entryway and caught Syb's gaze as best he could, panic coloring his face. He kicked off and kept one eye on her to make sure she was with him. Stopping only for a fraction of a second to scoop up a parchment Ceja had dropped in the midst of their quarrel. An awning collapsed, he ducked under it and tugged at Sybille's wrist to ensure she followed through the small opening. The floor felt like it was about to give, another sink of the ceiling as more collapsing boards seemed to be expediting the ruin of this fortress.

And then, they were outside, ankles deep in marsh water. It may have been the first time in her life that Sybille wasn't repulsed by water.

Seconds later the fort behind them collapsed. Now nothing but rubble that they'd need to search through if they were to find that amulet. A task that would be far more annoying and obnoxious with Osbert, and likely Sybille, having their hearing completely muffled by ruptured ear drums.

"Can you," he shouted at Syb but stopped when he realized how bad his own hearing was. "FUCK!" He heard that second shout a bit better.