Badb's Story

Ral looked away, he couldn't respond to Shade's scalding remarks. He hadn't been hunting at all, he had been waiting for Rivers, but explaining that now was pointless. He simply stands there and accepts the criticism. He couldn't believe Rivers had died.

The lights gathered around the corpse Shade would be able to hear dozens of sad tiny voices, the female blue light came up along Shade and attached to her. The sorrow and anger was still there but some would abate. Even the man had begun to cry.

Then the tearful scene was suddenly interrupted by and unexpected and slightly embarrassed voice. "He-hey guys sorry to interupt, but do you think you could get my body stitched up and healed before Muse gets bored enough to actually do her job and carry me off to the afterlife?"

A translucent figure appears before the group, it was Rivers, or his ghost. It was watching them with a slightly sheepish expression. As soon as they saw this the small lights got to work fixing and healing his corpse. Even if it wasn't alive it the small lights seemed capable of repairing it. The man turned towards the ghost with an irritated but happy expression.

"So you found Ral huh Faith?" he says with a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness if you hadn't I don't think Muse would have waited any longer."

Then behind the prophet a winged figure stepped out of the darkness. She had beautiful long black hair, white eyes and black wings. "Well good men never make a lady wait." she says her voice sultry an enticing. Rivers seemed to laugh at this remark. "Well I suppose it's fine, watching you struggle vienly to try and overturn what cannot be stopped is an excellent way to pass the time my companion, and you have always taken good care of me so I can afford to be lenient at times like this, as long as your help doesn't dilly dally." She says looking towards Ral and Shade.

After a bit of time Rivers body was repaired and read to go. At that point Badb suddenly started shoving him forcefully back into his body. "Alright, in you go, the last thing I need is Macha showing up to take your soul." she insists then returns to her crow form of Muse and sits on his shoulder as his body slowly starts to regain color. His cocky grin returned to his face as he looked at Ral and Shade.

"So Faith, you miss me?" He asked in a weak voice with a bit of a wry smirk. Though the moment is spoiled a bit by a potato falling from the air and hitting him in the head. Ral snickered a bit.

"I suppose I deserved that." Rivers sighs as he looks over at Shade.

"You look like hell did you run into some trouble?" He asks her with a raised eyebrown.

"NOOOO!" A voice shouts from behind Shade as Rivers sees what was about to transpire.

Shade breaks free of the shadows, but instead of dodging the blade the dwarf moves towards her, becoming impaled on the blade. Unfortunately the fatal blow which had skewered the dwarf didn't kill him instantly and with a fast but weak strike his curved knife cut the flesh of Shade's outstretched arm. Then red blood began pouring from the dwarf's wound and mouth and he fell, the shadows fading from existence as the original diappeared.

The poison was effective, very effective. Only moments after her blood was drawn Shade's legs would begin to feel like jelly and her vision with begin to fade. As she fell a set of strong arms caught her and laid her to the ground. Then she would feel a soft pressure as Rivers tried to suck the poison out of the wound on her arm. The crow Muse turned into Badb and stared down at her with a knowing smile, but her features suddenly darken as she turns towards Rivers who had stopped trying to extract the poison and raised his hands into the air. Ral stared at him confused but the immense power that pulsed from him was almost tangible, even to Shade's fading sense.

He shouts something at the other two and then he begins a chant, or perhaps a command it was hard to tell.

"As the contractor of Fate, I reject this outcome!" He cries out. Badb begins to move towards him but the spiritual pressure that exuded from him forced her back. "Hear me! In terms of our agreement I forsake this end, and I accept the price contained there in! By my power as the Fatewalker, let this fate be changed!!!" He cries.

Then Shade was on her feet again, rapier through the dwarf and a great and dark power which chilled her to the bone flowed through her taking the dwarf's life before he could deliver the poisonous strike that had almost taken her life a moment before. As the shadows faded away Ral came over to her and the alluring figure of Badb appeared next to her with a satisfied smile. Then she said "as we agreed the contract has been fulfilled my power is yours." She says to Shade. However, Rivers, was nowhere to be seen.

When Shade asks about the contract Badb gives him a confused and quizzical look. "Now what are you talking about?" She asks Shade quirking a dark and elegant eyebrow. "The contract you just made with me in exchange for the Morigan's power and favor."

Ral comes over to Shade with a relieved look on his face and he pats Shade on the back. "Steve was right you're a strong guy, I wasn't sure just the two of us would be able to escape that attack." Several of the lights danced around Ral trying to ease his injuries and various other things.

Though when Shade mentions Rivers both of them look at him puzzled. Ral is the first to open his mouth. "What are you talking about? You said Steve told you to come get me while he left to get his wounds taken care of. He probably doesn't know where we are since we had to escape those shadow guys. I'm sure he'll find us at some point though." Ral assures him and then looks out at the forest.

"Well now that we've survived that let's hope we don't run into the Hunter." he says and Badb returns to her crow form landing on Shade's shoulder.