There were many things Yana considered doing while Linika stood there, smirking behind her back. Yana knew she was mocking her, that her mind was making taunts and calling her a fool of the highest grade. There were a great many things Yana would like to do to her indeed. A whole lot of things she could not choose from. However, they all started with beating the Naer down and taking her somewhere private, where no-one would hear her scream. Though the Yludih had never been particularly violent, she never had been very empathic towards the creatures of Idalos either. She could be ruthless, she could be cruel. Though she had never felt any pleasure in causing other’s harm. She had never reveled in killing. It was just something that had to be done, from time to time. Neither did she feel reluctant to participate in bloodshed though, at least not a reluctance that stemmed from empathy. However, for the Naer she was willing to make an exception. She was sure that she would find pleasure in breaking bones, smashing fingers, and pulling out finger-and toenails –not necessarily in that order.
Truly, if there was ever a time that she would feel refreshed and satisfied after inflicting great pain and torture, it would be now. And if there ever was a victim that would make Yana sigh contently afterwards, it would be Linika. In this moment, in her current state of frustration, anger and annoyance, Yana would have gladly tackled the Naer and beat her with a crystal fist. She would have loved to bind her unconscious body to a chair in a room where they would not be disturbed. She would have delighted in breaking the woman, slowly crippling her body in the most painful ways possible. And she would have laughed a friendly “You should have told me from the start!” when Linika finally revealed the location of the scope.
However, reality was not so kind. Yvithia had marked her pawn; she would know immediately if something like this would happen. And even if she couldn’t care less, Yana was not sure Linika would even break in the first place. She was not a skilled torturer or interrogator. Linika might just prove too much for an expert as well, perhaps having gained Yvithia’s mark for her mental fortitude. It was annoying, but there was nothing she could do. Nothing but tail the woman and steal the scope back.
It did not take away that this whole situation was infuriating, and Linika’s remarks did nothing but fan the flames. If she believed she was fooling Yana with her comments, she was dead wrong. Between the lines Yana found the evidence to back up her suspicions, she heard a confession from the culprit’s own mouth. There was nothing she could do, however, not until she knew the location of the scope. True, she could kill the Naer right here, right now, but the scope would be lost.
I should have left you die a dog’s death! her mind fumed, not caring she would not have gotten any information on her gear. Such was the nature of greed; what one had was never enough. Linika was right about one thing though: she should consider herself lucky. She had all this stuff! However, that the “mysterious” attacker had taken only the scope confirmed that the scope was a powerful artefact, that it had a valuable hidden function. Switching Sword aside, the scope was the most valuable item among her loot, and now it was gone. Yana had taken a risk when deciding to save Linika, and it had backfired. As risks tended to do. Still, it took a whole lot of self-control to not grab the woman by the throat, and slam her into a wall. The fact she considered it in the first place was a testament to her rage. And yet, she managed not to keep herself fairly well under control, she found. Sure, there might be some anger seeping in her voice, and her usual blank expression might be tainted and twisted, but other than that she found she was fairly calm in her demeanor.
“It is time to take your leave,” she spoke flatly, eyes shooting white-hot fire.
The Naer did as asked, though she could not resist one last taunt, apparently, but she would later wish she had choked on those words instead. The door closed and Yana’s mind, though seething with fury, was racing, connecting dots and making deductions. “I already know everything I need to know about you.” It sounded haughty, yes, as if to say Yana was no longer worth her time. Another taunt, of course, but there was more to it than that. The Yludih’s mind had felt as if it had been splashed with ice-water, her asterism nearly skipping a beat when she had first heard it.
Impossible—No, don’t dismiss the possibility. But how—It’s a bluff, it has to be… It was outrageous to even consider having been found out, but then again, Yana was not stupid enough to handwave it as reading too much into it. She ran the events of the trial back through her head, pondering if perhaps it had been the wound? No. She could have treated it with the antivenom, it couldn’t have given her away. Besides, Linika had been unconscious during the fight, so she couldn’t have seen her be totally unaffected by the venom either. Something else then… It did not take long for her mind to settle on one particular item. It was no surprise she reached that conclusion after the whole fuss the item had created. It was a logical explanation. It explained why Linika had stolen it, it explained the taunt. It explained why Linika had been so vague about its properties. To top it all off, Yana recalled that the Naer had used the scope too, right before the back-out Yana had experienced. There was no way she was wrong; everything pointed at this conclusion. The scope revealed Yludih. No wonder the Naer had wanted it so badly. It was a powerful and dangerous item, one that either had to return to Yana’s possession, so she could study it before destroying it for good, or one that had to be destroyed immediately. Alternatively, it could be thrown into the ocean, but Yana was not a fan of that; it could still be recovered. No, it had to be completely destroyed. It was a threat to Yludih everywhere, and the less of those things existed, the better.
Yana balled her hands into fists so tight she felt she could have broken her fingers, though she did not really take notice. Her mind was elsewhere, pondering the best way to get the scope back into her hands. And she would, make no mistake. She certainly would. Even if she had to kill Yvithia’s pet Naerikk for it.
Truly, if there was ever a time that she would feel refreshed and satisfied after inflicting great pain and torture, it would be now. And if there ever was a victim that would make Yana sigh contently afterwards, it would be Linika. In this moment, in her current state of frustration, anger and annoyance, Yana would have gladly tackled the Naer and beat her with a crystal fist. She would have loved to bind her unconscious body to a chair in a room where they would not be disturbed. She would have delighted in breaking the woman, slowly crippling her body in the most painful ways possible. And she would have laughed a friendly “You should have told me from the start!” when Linika finally revealed the location of the scope.
However, reality was not so kind. Yvithia had marked her pawn; she would know immediately if something like this would happen. And even if she couldn’t care less, Yana was not sure Linika would even break in the first place. She was not a skilled torturer or interrogator. Linika might just prove too much for an expert as well, perhaps having gained Yvithia’s mark for her mental fortitude. It was annoying, but there was nothing she could do. Nothing but tail the woman and steal the scope back.
It did not take away that this whole situation was infuriating, and Linika’s remarks did nothing but fan the flames. If she believed she was fooling Yana with her comments, she was dead wrong. Between the lines Yana found the evidence to back up her suspicions, she heard a confession from the culprit’s own mouth. There was nothing she could do, however, not until she knew the location of the scope. True, she could kill the Naer right here, right now, but the scope would be lost.
I should have left you die a dog’s death! her mind fumed, not caring she would not have gotten any information on her gear. Such was the nature of greed; what one had was never enough. Linika was right about one thing though: she should consider herself lucky. She had all this stuff! However, that the “mysterious” attacker had taken only the scope confirmed that the scope was a powerful artefact, that it had a valuable hidden function. Switching Sword aside, the scope was the most valuable item among her loot, and now it was gone. Yana had taken a risk when deciding to save Linika, and it had backfired. As risks tended to do. Still, it took a whole lot of self-control to not grab the woman by the throat, and slam her into a wall. The fact she considered it in the first place was a testament to her rage. And yet, she managed not to keep herself fairly well under control, she found. Sure, there might be some anger seeping in her voice, and her usual blank expression might be tainted and twisted, but other than that she found she was fairly calm in her demeanor.
“It is time to take your leave,” she spoke flatly, eyes shooting white-hot fire.
The Naer did as asked, though she could not resist one last taunt, apparently, but she would later wish she had choked on those words instead. The door closed and Yana’s mind, though seething with fury, was racing, connecting dots and making deductions. “I already know everything I need to know about you.” It sounded haughty, yes, as if to say Yana was no longer worth her time. Another taunt, of course, but there was more to it than that. The Yludih’s mind had felt as if it had been splashed with ice-water, her asterism nearly skipping a beat when she had first heard it.
Impossible—No, don’t dismiss the possibility. But how—It’s a bluff, it has to be… It was outrageous to even consider having been found out, but then again, Yana was not stupid enough to handwave it as reading too much into it. She ran the events of the trial back through her head, pondering if perhaps it had been the wound? No. She could have treated it with the antivenom, it couldn’t have given her away. Besides, Linika had been unconscious during the fight, so she couldn’t have seen her be totally unaffected by the venom either. Something else then… It did not take long for her mind to settle on one particular item. It was no surprise she reached that conclusion after the whole fuss the item had created. It was a logical explanation. It explained why Linika had stolen it, it explained the taunt. It explained why Linika had been so vague about its properties. To top it all off, Yana recalled that the Naer had used the scope too, right before the back-out Yana had experienced. There was no way she was wrong; everything pointed at this conclusion. The scope revealed Yludih. No wonder the Naer had wanted it so badly. It was a powerful and dangerous item, one that either had to return to Yana’s possession, so she could study it before destroying it for good, or one that had to be destroyed immediately. Alternatively, it could be thrown into the ocean, but Yana was not a fan of that; it could still be recovered. No, it had to be completely destroyed. It was a threat to Yludih everywhere, and the less of those things existed, the better.
Yana balled her hands into fists so tight she felt she could have broken her fingers, though she did not really take notice. Her mind was elsewhere, pondering the best way to get the scope back into her hands. And she would, make no mistake. She certainly would. Even if she had to kill Yvithia’s pet Naerikk for it.
