• Mature • (Hok) Salt and Blood II

[Sybil Malach]

Saun 09th, 719

"I can help you, sir." A voice chimed in from behind Sybil, before the attendant behind the desk could speak.

Sybil's eyes traced to the source. Passing along the display of humanoid creatures for sale, their pupils settle upon a woman dressed in pants and a fine waistcoat. They don't bother moving the rest of their body, only twisting at the neck, as she entered the field of view from the left rear end. Her clothing much outmatches the surrounding merchandise, who were given plain clothes: to highlight just what they would look like, should they be made into house slaves. It would be poor business, after all, to make a product sick before selling it.

"I'm looking for a body that can handle cheap labor." Sybil speaks the truth, of the matter. It comes easily to them, as their motives aren't coming into question. Their eyes slide along the woman's finery: the base seemed to be made up of shining velvet, and embroidered with some strange sort of metallic thread. Sybil's mind had never considered the merits of such materials. They were, frankly, useless in the vast majority of Viden. Perhaps the only places that anyone could survive wearing it was in towns, "I would be interested in buying perhaps in bulk, but I prefer to take stock of local competition before making a purchase."

The woman's smile thins. Raven black hair glistening in the dim light, the beginnings of a pearly white smile begins to take center stage. Dipping into a half bow, her amber eyes fixate upon the exorcist, matching their gaze with an unexpected clarity. This was someone who loved their job. Perhaps, in the back of Sybil's mind it's considered, too much. "But of course. Might I ask if you're inquiring on behalf of a third party? It's not uncommon for students to be out and about running errands for their professors for favors, to my knowledge. Anything to get ahead in life, hm?"

Sybil slowly shook their head. The woman was tan, perhaps a foreigner, it had hints of yellow to it. Then again, didn't some diseases change the color of skin? It was a point of minor amusement, as the exorcist considered the woman's strange display. She had to be foreign, no one in their right mind would wear velvets in a place like this, unless they were from somewhere else. "I'm inquiring of my own interests. There's a gap in the economy I seek to fill. Though, I do, however, have connections with the Merchant's Guild; namely the miners." Adding a truthful edge to their negotiation, perhaps, they hope that this could get some more information from the woman.

"Oh? Then please, do come with me." The woman gestures to Sybil, as she begins walking towards the door, "If you're serious about your inquiries, you'll be most pleased, indeed, of the manifest we just received. ... Though I'm afraid my paperwork is still with the porter near the wall itself. ... Have you seen the skyline before? Come, come." It wasn't long before her arm looped around Sybil's. They were being taken along for a walk, it seems.

"You do your paperwork so far from the establishment?" Sybil asked, their eyebrow raised, as they're brought out into the streets.

A laugh escaped the woman's lips, as she shook her head, "Being punctual requires such strange techniques. But no. I meet with the porters on the wall to help give them a proper welcome. It's quite hard to give foreigners a good view of Viden without having to... Embellish. You understand, yes? That pin on your lapel all but screams that you're used to the city, no?"

Her tittering tone sped along in a dizzying pace. It was hard to question her logic, anything that was strange was being swept away by a flurry of words. Was this how people in Hok spoke...?

"I can see how things start to get harrowing." They sigh out, shaking their head, "The city is known for its impossible feats of science and existence, but... I'm afraid... Well. The Ice Queen put no thought to the art of architecture."

The woman laughed, and continued to pull Sybil along.

[Wald Lowca]

Wald watched the tower, towards the pull of the man inside. His breath was fast, slowly winding down. He looked to the wolf in the corner of his eye. She had finished with her target, Wald turned as he could not feel the eyes of his prey upon him. Slowly he placed his hand upon the walls of the tower, walking slowly to the entrance. The smell of death was through out the building, it was intoxicating.

Debating for a moment with himself, he pointed towards Ylfa. "Check on the beta." He waited at the mouth of the tower, watching his companion float up to check on the man.

"He is still looking at the book, Master." This did surprise Wald slightly, as Ylfa informed him.

Wiping his hands off of the blood, Wald decided it was best to change weapons. Taking free his bow, removing a arrow from his quiver. The man was confident that he was the one in control, and that the message, to who ever it was he tried to contact, got through. A smile came across Wald's face, fangs shining in the snow's glow. He was being quite brazen thinking he was in charge, that he was a hunter, and not the prey.

Slowly Wald the hunter walked into the tower, the smell of flesh and rot filling the air. Taking one step at a time, he quietly made his way to the stairs. His bow readied, he made his assent. There seemed to be no precautions to stop someone from coming in. The stench of death was getting stronger as he moved up the tower, step by quite step.

Once in the center room, Wald saw a sight and a half. The pile of bodies just in the middle, the smell was an assault to the man's since of smell. Nearly gagging from the stench, he looked over the bodies. Some looked fresh, while others... Others looked to have been dead for a cycle, maybe even longer. There was no movement in the pile, so the man made his way up the towers top. To finally meet his prey. The disgusting acts were to much sin for one man to bare, though he would not have to live with them for long.

[Sybil Malach]

Saun 09th, 719

Watching the skyline from this vantage point was something unspeakable. Ineffable, up until this very moment. Sybil's eyes slowly slid along the shore, there was a beauty laced within the danger. Fear of the waters was something instilled heavily upon their mind when they were a child. It was the cause of many deaths, through either hypothermia or murder by the hands of the Mer. The breeze of the salty wind lapped at their face, as the sensation of the sun warmed their exposed flesh. It was strange. As though a layer of orange tint had covered their vision, wrapping it in a lull of warmth. It was strange.

Dappling a handkerchief against her nose, the woman that accompanied Sybil nursed a bleeding stream. Her arm was twitching.



Their hands rest against the edge of the wall's waist high barrier. Each passing trill was as though their mind was giving into something. Ebbing away, through the gentle caress of the winds. As they stared down at the world beneath the wall, it was hard to think. Hard to remember how they got here. A gentle caress? The thought swirled within their mind as they considered the sensation. They simply did as the woman suggested. Who cares about minor trespassing? Stand on the wall. Lean against the edge. Press their hands against the railing. Slowly begin to shift their body, loosening around the legs, tightening at the shoulders.

She had a high tolerance for pain. Sybil's eyes turned to her. It wasn't a gentle layer of ignorance. It was being held down, icepick shoved beneath their eye, forced into a lobotomy.

The conversation was a blur, up until now. Her method of talking was something that they couldn't deny was entirely powerful. She had talked them into denying their inquisitive nature. Blazed through questions with insipid words that shielded her. Shifted gears when it was no longer to her advantage. Lies became distorted. Truths were stretched. They felt connected, trusting to her, just by being around her outgoing personality. Helpful, kind, considerate: things that were tools. Even as her eyes bled from strain, pushing herself into overstepping, Sybil could finally feel something. They could see into her very soul with a mere look.

Hatred.

An unending, burning hatred. A silent scream that hissed unknowable agonies into the pitch of night. A barely masked pain. Her entire personality a featureless mask for her to wear. Eyes slowly closing, it started to make sense. Yet, as their feet dangled off the edge of the divider, all they could do was watch, eyes slowly lolling back open. She struggled. Memories were racing forth as associations with particular emotions were crossing, the right threads were being pulled. She despised Sybil so much, that she was willing to commit suicide through Empathy, if it meant that their body lay limp at the bottom of a long fall.

"You failed your friend." Sybil finally managed to speak up, mind working against the brute force magic. Eyes leveling with her. Head tilting to the side, as they felt the manipulation lessening. "The one in the tower. He recalled you. Wald ran to the woods."

Blood gushed from her tear ducts in thick rivulets, marring her face like a marionette.

"He can handle him on his own." She assured, with that award winning smile. Lips parting, revealing a tongue made of an amalgam of string. An unholy abomination. An Empath.

Sybil's eyes can't help but remain open. There was something compelling them to make eye contact with the woman. Yet, they found their body rejecting such a thing, forcibly looking away in abject terror. It was a jarring, confusing mess of total obliteration that teetered at its very edge, "He'll be dead. And when I die, you'll follow. Your friends. Your children. Do you think it wise, to anger a feral, blessed man?"

The woman's teeth grit, jaw wiring shut. Sybil's eyes watched, slowly, as reason melted away from her. They had no idea what overstepping looked like, they had never seen it up close. But her eyes... Wide, unfocused, like a dead fish. Blind rage. She was like a lost spirit that had finally lobotomized itself with a sharp rock, killing its last anchor.

Death was close. Bile was rising in their throat. If they could hang in there, just a bit more... Their eyes glued to hers, as their feet began to lift further.

She would either have a stroke, or Sybil would become intimate with the snow, one last time.

[Wald Lowca]

The smell of the rot slowly left as Wald ascended the stairs once more, silent footsteps as he began to pull his bow. "On my signal Ylfa, charge in." Wald could see the dull light of the upper floor, soft footsteps upon the floor above him. A devil's smile across the hunter's face, the taste of blood was on the tip of his tongue. This man threatened his family, no one should live after such blasphemy. The dead men down stairs did not matter to the hunter, only that his family was safe. Though he has a very foolish member, that daft student getting in this kind of trouble.

Slowly Wald's head came over the flooring, the man was still nose first in the book. The thud of the arrow left the bow, as it flew through the air, landing right into the man's knee. This caused him to fall down, in a shout of pain. "Who in the-!!" A second arrow was fired, landing into the man's shoulder. The pain snapped the man out of confusion, as his eyes went into a angered look. He lifted his good hand forward, as Wald fired one more arrow aimed for the man's head. A flash of light stopped the arrow, as he tried to get into the corner of the tower.

The hunter sensed one last prey in the room, aside from the man who was currently retreating in the corner. He looked and saw a lone bird in a cage. Without a second thought, Wald fired an arrow into the bird. The heavy weight of the bow causing the bird to burst with the force. As the mad hunter turned to the man still holding his hands up. Wald fired once more, another flash of light stopping the arrow, bouncing off into the ceiling.

Walking back up, Wald's smile was clear and shined in the dim light. He set his bow next to the door, as he charged the man. Colliding with the barrier the man set between them. The man began to laugh. "You can not get to me you animal! Just wait till my back up arrives! You will make a wonderful Thrall!" The man was threatening even when backing into the corner of the tower.

The hunter simply tilted his head, and his teeth parted. "Your friends are not coming for you, mister beta." Wald Started to slam into the barrier, he stature getting lower and lower as if he was turning into the wolf himself. "Your pigeon died long before it could make it. Dropped right at my family's feet." Wald started to lunge at the field, as if he was an animal possessed.

The man kept laughing. "That brat is dead then!" Wald's eyes flared with rage.

The slamming stopped, as the man's nose began to bleed. Wald sniffed the air for a moment. "Your blood smells so good." Punching the barrier Wald spoke once more. "Don't you think so Ylfa?!?"

The crunching of bone could be heard, along with the screams of a man. Ylfa came from below the man biting into the forearm, snapping both the bones as she clamped down. "Go to Sybil Ylfa, I can handle this mess of a creature." Ylfa nodded and went off to Sybil, unknowing what was ahead.

The man started laughing again, as he gave a smile. "You can not save that brat!"

Wald walked up and kicked the man's bad knee. He impacted something hard, though it seems like it was not enough to keep the man from falling. "You have no room to talk." Wald barked at the man on the floor. Wald placed his boot into the man's head and started to grind it. "I have been watching you for some time, who is that woman that was here yelling at you." Wald gave a fake smile. "Tell me and you might live."

[Sybil Malach]

Saun 09th, 719

Roll

Values have been offset due to Discipline/Psychology capstones.

Success: 13-20
Partial success: 10-12
Partial failure: 5-9
Failure: 4-1

Result: 17

Sybil's hand grips at the edge of the barrier. It felt like their entire body burned just beneath the thin layer of sinew connecting their flesh to muscle. The exorcist's eyes glaze over, feeling the strange sensation rake across their mind as though it were the reaper preparing to collect his dues. The swimming, confusing threads of emotions that bordered on genuine control flickered. Colors blurred together like some ruined watercolor painting. An overload of the senses allowed Sybil to see just over the ledge. The ground had positive associations. Falling would be like landing against a warm blanket, a comfortable, protected sleep against the void of white below.

Staggering back, their eyes finally widen, falling upon their arse. Sybil's breath catches in the back of their throat as their tired mind adjusts to the new reality. Vision bleary, the vague outline of the woman, face gushing with blood, refusing to break eye contact, holds the line. The threads of emotions within the exorcist were being desperately clawed against. An all encompassing sound coated their ears. It was like being leagues under the sea, the pressure threatening to pop their eardrums. The woman's voice was muffled. A complete and utter mess of brutal confusion...

It was hard to tell who was closer to having a stroke.

Slowly reaching up, Sybil screamed something. It was something that they didn't even fully understand. Two words. They were short, no more than four letters each. They could feel their jaw moving in tandem with their tongue to form those fated words. Yet all it sounded like was someone screaming into their ears, the sound far too harsh for their mind to even understand. Their vocal cords rattled, vibrating out the words, almost every single part of the ordeal feeling as though it were entirely manual. That every part of their will had to be slammed into physically forcing each part of the talking process.

It burned. By the gods, it burned. The sensation of flames beneath the skin.

Something entered Sybil's vision. Blurred by the overexposed light, it was as though watching a shadow descend upon the two. A creature, the size of a large dog swept down, claws bared. The distinct snap and crunch of bone and flesh deafened Sybil. The creature had used its velocity, having flown so high, to lunge down and divebomb the woman. Her eyes widened with a sudden clarity. Mind gone, she was dead before the claws even sank into her head. Before her skull popped like a rotten egg. Sybil could see what remained of her life, the glimmer of hatred, die down into a dull flame. A lobotomized stare. Foam at the lips.

Ari had mercy killed the woman.

The creature overshot its bounds, however, and pulled her over the ledge. Sybil could only watch in abject horror as both disappeared over the wall's barrier. Did she even scream? The exorcist could only stand there, eyes wide, as they peered over the ledge. They were too exhausted for adrenaline, mind brought to the point of breaking. Lips hanging agape, hand attempting to brace their stature against the stone.

The woman was in fact dead.

Her body was crushed in a horrific way. Head forced back so far, that it looked like she had been decapitated from the fall. Her spine stuck out from the mid section of her neck, but Sybil still saw the flesh from this distance. She had bent herself in such a way... As their gaze traveled down further, they could see that Ari was helping herself to a meal upon her. Blood smeared upon her furred jaw, ravenous bites peeling flesh off in large chunks. There was no hope for her.

Slowly lowering down against the bannister, their eyes slowly close. Sybil allows a light breath to escape their lips, sitting down, trying to make sense of what just happened.

[Wald Lowca]

A glowing light was beneath Wald's feet, as he continued to grind the man's head into the floor. Growling and gurgling could be heard from the body on the floor, as the hunter began speaking again. "Tell me what I want to know, If you do not you will die, Beta" The order was barked out once again, as Wald's foot was removed from the man's head.

The man on the ground had eyes full of anger, looked up to Wald, teeth gritted. The man began to moved his good arm, reaching for Wald's leg. Wald's boot came back down, pinning the arm. The hand kept reaching for Wald's ankle as the foot began to roll the arm. Despite the glow from the arm, the arm continued to roll further and further. Soon the place the arrow had landed was bleeding out, as the arm rotated back into itself.

The man's body was unable to move, stuck on the floor only able to growl and bark at the hunter. Though the noise from the man's mouth began to anger Wald further. Wald walked over to the pigeon cage, slowly undoing the latch that held it close. Taking the meaty mess inside, Wald walked back to the man.

The noise of the man stopped as Wald wrapped a rope onto the man's head. The meat of the pigeon was now missing. Wald walked back down the tower, so he could drag the two bodies inside. This way no one would really come to investigate the tower. Since he had no need to sneak around this happened quickly, and he went back to guard the body waiting for Sybil.

[Sybil Malach]

Saun 09th, 719

With each death, Sybil could feel something in their body dying with them. Their mind assured that this agony was necessary for the continuation of a clean society. But at this point, the sheer, visceral horror of seeing something that was once human become nothing but an object, become nothing but a corpse... It was seeping into their mind. They were tired. In every step between them and their goal, Sybil could feel their senses slowly deadening, gradually eroding into a sort of numbness. One that they feared that once this was all over, that once that all these people were long dead and gone, would hang with them. The sensation was overbearing, encompassing all that it was that they feared in a person. Was it truly this route that was necessary?

Rising to a slow stand, the chill of the winds scorched their flesh. Sybil's eyes peered over the edge one more, hands gripping the stone ledge. Ari was being moved away from the body by an unseen force. Eyes half lidding, they observe the strange phenomena. Ari was growling in protest, but was being moved along with some heavy level of resistance. The woman was half eaten, body broken beyond belief. Glancing to the side, Sybil begins to slowly move from their perch, opting to make the slow trek towards whence they came. Hand up to their head, the exorcist seems to struggle with thinking straight. It was an immense task that brought pain with each step. Trying to make sense of what just happened was something far worse.

What sort of creature had such power? To manipulate emotions, change associations... It felt like their mind was being torn between two extremes. Even now, something still lingered. Breath escaping their lips, Sybil staggers on.

It doesn't take long at all to reach the streets. Instead of returning to the slave market, they opt to just keep walking. Life continued as normal. Men and women were blissfully ignorant of the killing that just took place. It was on the other side of the wall, after all. It would take more time than that for the body to be found, if it ever was. Yet... This place. Hok still functioned just fine, despite something horrifying having taken place just outside of their walls. Eyes slowly glancing from person to person, from woman to man to child. It made no sense. All of these people survived so long in a place where someone could easily manipulate their emotions, twist their mind to the extent of being willing to put their lives on the line for something nonsensical.

How many were under this sort of control? How many were living such a tenuous, dangerous lie?

As Sybil slowly staggered through the town's crowded roads, it was clear that they were beginning to draw some attention. People would ask if they were alright. Sybil's responses would vary. Sometimes it was a simple brush off, and asking to be left alone, while other times, it was a matter of shaking their head. Something was duly wrong with their mind and body at this point. The extreme fatigue that they had come under the spell of, after the last few days' events, it hadn't left their body. While they were somewhat refreshed from the hot springs bath, it was all well and gone by the time that they had witnessed the attack. This would be the second attempt on their life, within not even a season passing. So much had happened in such a small amount of time...

It wasn't long before Sybil left town.

It wasn't long at all, for them to stumble towards the crossroads.

Ari was being cleaned of blood, and Sybil was being drawn to the tower. That was the one point of certainty they had. Wald had to have survived. There was no way that he would've died so easily, right? The crooning migraine began to take hold as they stepped through the bloody entrance to the tower.

Corpses.

The ground floor was littered with them. Brutally misshapen and deformed. Milky white eyes not even twitching. Sybil stepped over them, and looked towards the stairs. At this point, their movements were becoming a blur. They were simply too tired to bother doing anything to hide the noise they were making, trudging along.

[Wald Lowca]

Wald could smell Sybil growing nearer, as his new seat continue to struggle underneath his wait. The hunter slowly rose from his seat, looking down to the man he was sitting upon. "Seems like my family is here, so your friend must be dead." The man's face turned from anger to disbelief, how could their assassination fail their target was just a small woman, right? The man could not understand what Wald was saying. Grabbing the man by the hair, Wald slowly rose him up to look out the window. Sybil was walking down the road, before dropping the man back onto his face. Wald treated the person as if he was a rag-doll, no concern for their life.

Though confused on why Ylfa was not with the student, he could understand that something may of happened. Ylfa would have a good reason to leave the student alone for the walk. Wald came down the stairs, just past the pile of corpses to meet with the student. Their face looked to be of the dead themself, though the smell was very much alive. "Sybil, where is Ylfa? She should of been with you right?" Wald said, offering the student a hand. Looking over the student, he tried to come up with what was wrong. "Be careful, the next floor has a lot of corpses. These people were busy, but my target is waiting for us." Wald moved his arm to help the student walk, similar to when the student had hurt their leg. Taking some of the burden from the student, as the continued up the stairwell.

The two made it to the top, after passing the terrible sight. "This man somehow was able to make a barrier. I have not a clue about what sort of magic they have. So both arms do not work, and he is gagged for our safety." Wald told the student, who was moving as if they were a dead body themself. The man on the ground had confusion in their eyes.

[Sybil Malach]

Saun 09th, 719

"Ylfa is with Ari." Sybil says with a smooth tone to their voice. Their eyes seem to not linger on Wald, and instead focus on literally anything else. To the exorcist, this place was supposed to be something guarded by the Rangers. The infallible police force of the Videnese state authority. Under their gaze, only the very outcroppings of the nation were at risk of appearing anything close to lawlessness. But here... Two corpses bearing the insignias and armor unique to these forces laid dead upon the ground. Useless, aging lumps of flesh that were a signal of a long dead person, skin frozen to a strange color due to the lack of warm blood within the flesh. It was clear what happened to them, just by a cursory glance, "She was covered in blood."

There was no comment made about Wald's report concerning the next floor. As they walked, Sybil had no reserves about leaning against him, and letting him take the burden of weight up the stairs. The exorcist was, at the end of the day, on a new level of mental exhaustion. The pile of bodies halfway through was something that their eyes were, however, forced to observe. It was easy to brush off the words spoken by Wald, and just mentally deafen any thought about the party of corpses strewn about, but once they had crossed it... There was no denying the atrocity committed here. It was an assault. Blood painted the walls, broken chunks of metal, scraped stone, it was a desperate struggle dealing with men and women who just showed up to work one day. And would be returning to their families in boxes.

The bodies themselves were of mixed ages. The fresher ones, Sybil could clearly identify as the genuine Videnese authorities. But littered among them, were corpses that looked to be diseased, sickly. Too far decomposed to be something that was culled recently. Matter of fact, the vast majority of them were dry in such a way that it couldn't be ignored just how old they appeared. Their leathery carcasses nearly mummified, between the putrid scent of fermenting death and salt. It was like they were preserved in a way to try and maintain some level of humanity... In all ways but aesthetics. The familiar scent of a mortuary's equipment was plain to smell upon the woebegone scene. The sheer horror that painted Sybil's mind was... Immense.

This is what happened when things got out of hand. When it was left to the whims of fate and chance to decide. Eyes sliding across the corpses... They felt numb to the dead's plight. It wasn't the Rangers' fault that something like this happened, but it was entirely in the hands of the perpetrators. Who could possibly think that the living dead would try and tear down the very walls that protected you?

Wald then introduced the man, who lay upon the ground.

A breath slowly escapes their lips. A gesture of the hand, sweeping, is given towards Wald, "This's Wald Lowca." They say with distinct ease, their voice steeped in a level of fatigue that bordered on parody, "And I'm Sybil Malach." They offer, as they close their eyes, squinting them harshly, before opening once more. It was an attempt at trying to get their consciousness spiked. It failed gloriously, and only allowed them to close their eyes for much longer than intended. Their mind was so tired that it simply could not deny the embrace of sleep for much longer, "Wald, in my satchel... There's a sponge with a bottle tied to it. Please douse it, and hold it over his mouth and nose until he stops moving."

Gaze sliding to the side, towards Wald, their eyes consider him, just for a moment longer. It was hard to put their thoughts to words in this state, so they said what came easily, rather than mincing their words, "If we drag him to camp, we can finish our questioning without interruptions. ... Afterwards... We'll leave him for the Rangers to find. Does that sound like a plan?"

[Wald Lowca]

The student did a few introductions for the two, Wald was not so inclined to be so nice to this man. Sybil seemed tired, they were slowly blinking as if about to sleep themself. The student then talked about something in their satchel, Wald took a moment to search inside the bag. Taking out a small bottle and a sponge, and slowly walked to the man as he undid the tie.

Wald gave a nod, "Yes, that would be for the best. I will take care of putting him somewhere the Rangers will find him." The hunter began to lean into the man, untying the rope around his head.

The man coughed out blood and guts of the bird that was shoved in. He began to shout at the two. "I will kill both of you, I swear that you will wish-" Wald covered the man's face with the sponge as he began to struggle. The man thrashed with his one good leg, until his body went completely limp. Letting go, the man's head hit the floor, the light that protected him so often no longer appeared to stop the fall.

With a sigh, Wald grabbed the man by the shirt. "Allow me to get the subject ready." Wald began dragging it down the stair well, in one of the rooms was a bed. A place for the guards to take a break for the day, Wald threw the man on it. Wrapping the man up in the sheets, so it would be easier to hide the body while moving for transport. Ylfa came up soon after this was done. "One of us should go and get the rest of my pack... Sybil, sorry to say, we my not get to stay at that Inn." Wald began to drag the wrapped body around to the bottom floor. Ylfa stayed behind, as Wald went to get his family. There was no way Wald could drag the body through the forest. The thrill of the hunt was the only thing keeping him up so long, along with the anger and rage for protecting his family.