Temple Dormitories

She had been having that dream again, the one where she found herself standing atop a mountainside overlooking the world that lay at her feet. Overhead she could feel his pressence looming, but it did not fill her with the terror it once did. The embodiment of her nightmares had become a watchful and accepted presence.

It could all be hers, if she would but reach out and grasp it.

This day she did not stand alone though, and she turned to glance upon the woman at her side. She was a priestess, though of what Whisper could not recall. She felt that she should though. There was something mind numbingly familiar about the woman, but the memories eluded her.

"Is this really what you want, Whisper?" said the priestess.

"I don't understand," Whisper responded.

"You will," the priestess replied. The priestess spoke once more, but this time the words were garbled and alien.

"What did you say?" Whisper asked, turning to look at the priestess.

"I said," again the priestess spoke, but as she continued, the words again were indecipherable.

Whisper frowned, but before she could question it, the sounds that the spawn spoke over her slumbering form were rapidly rousing her back into a state of wakefulness. With the mountains and the strange priestess fading from her perception, Whisper woke to the strange sounds of the spawn looming overhead. It took a moment of comprehension for her to identify what the sounds were exactly, but as the fog of sleep faded from the forefront of her thoughts, she sat up with a start. Throwing the covers back from her bed she slid out of the bed, and away from the spawn.

The chill air of the mountains was bitter cold though, and she quickly snatched up the discarded blanket, pulling it close to retain her warmth. How had it gotten in here? Or more to the point, what was it doing in here.

"Get out of here!" she yelled at it.

The spawn stalked after her, wet thumps on the floor as he moved about. A response came, once again without any semblance of understandability. This time it seemed to echo around the room. And then the movement stopped, maybe only three steps away from Whisper. It was still there.

Little did she know one of its hands were extended out for her, in a straight line for her neck.

Whisper would once again be stalked by nightmares that night, an almost horrifying vision. The spawn had taken a man and pinned him to the wall with bits of metal, wood and bone. The man already looked dead as the final nail pinned his neck to the wall and caused his chin to rest on top. His shirt was torn open, but fortunately his corpse would be desecrated no further. All that was left was dipping a finger into his blood and marking out a crimson eye on his chest. Lzothozsh eye. A warning to those who might cross him. But a warning for who was hard to say for certain...

Strahga Darkpyre stretches and yawns as he get's out of his bed,Stumbling out into the temple and exploring abit before coming across some form of orb and archway "Odd Devices..." Touching the orb,He started thinking about Gambit's and how the hell he was supposed to get there from the damn mountains when the Archway flashed and suddenly,an Image of the bar was there "Convenient I spose...No more teleporting for me!" Grinning he strode into the arch-way,Heading for Gambit's as it flashed shut behind him.

Ai woke in a daze, rubbing her head and sitting up slowly. Her head hurt but that wasn't anything new and also had some bruising on her arms and was feeling a little tender in places where she had taken hits in the fight.

Casting her red eyes around the room only one word came to her mind, cell. She was captured, for what reason she didn't know, and she had a strange feeling she would be executed.

Rhea and Rynhart lingered outside Ai's room, the former with a tray of food in hand.

"Are you certain about this one?" Rynhart asked, his brow furrowed in concern.

"I'm not certain of anything yet, Rynhart," Rhea replied gently.

"She's a danger to the others," Rynhart reminded her. "There's a child here now, a child that we endanger by keeping this woman around." He shook his head. "If she can't be helped, what will you do then?"

Rhea glanced to the doorway. "She wasn't responsible for what she carries, we will do whatever we can for her."

Rynhart lay a hand on Rhea's shoulder, turning her gaze back to him. "That's not what I asked. Will you be the one to deal with her?" he asked.

Rhea lay a hand over Rynhart's own, sighing softly. "If it comes to that, then yes."

Rynhart studied her for a time before nodding slightly and withdrawing his hand. "I'll find the others and inform them of the danger this woman poses."

The sound of receding footsteps could be heard before Rhea opened the door at last, entering the small dormitory room.

Rhea would be met with the only easily thrown object in the room that had been within Ai's reach, that being her pillow. "Get out." she growled. "Unless you've come to kill me just get out."

She didn't have anything more to say to her captors, she didn't trust them and she wasn't happy about having her chance at a few days of silence taken from her.

Declan Blaise mumbled incoherently as he slipped somewhat loudly through a doorway, entering the spare room. His eyes smouldered with the dull pain of the wound he bore, a deep gash which sliced to the bone of his left leg, scarring and disfiguring his knee. He groaned and limped on, collapsing into a chair and letting his chin rest on his chest as he finally reached a stop. It felt as though he had been travelling for centuries. His dark hair hung limp and dirty from travel in front of his eyes.

His clothing, stained with the grime of the road, was ripped, and his chainmail was bloodied and rusting. He didn't even take in his surroundings. Here, he had found a temporary refuge, and he thanked any higher beings out there for the blessing and relief this gave him.

Rhea moved and set the food down upon a table, her expression one of gentle concern.

"I can't do that," Rhea replied. "You nearly killed those people," she reminded Ai.

She stepped back though, to give Ai her space. "Adriaan and I brought you here, for their safety, and for your own," she explained. "This temple, it serves as a place to help people like you."

She heard something in the distance from a nearby room, the sound of armor perhaps? None of their current residents wore heavy armor, but no doubt Rynhart had heard it as well and would see to the new arrival.

"You're lying, you don't want to help me, you just want to use me, use them." she said, pulling her knees up to her chest and turning away from her, red eyes closing in her frustration with life.

She had been about to kill them, if only so she didn't go mad herself.

Declan Blaise woke abruptly from his doze, muttering blindly of raiders as he stirred from the grog of sleep. He ached, and his head pounded, but overriding all other desires was the burn in the back of his throat that told of thirst. He coughed quietly, and he opened his eyes, his leg held stiffly in front of him. The bandages were sodden with blood, and were becoming loose. Declan grimaced and began to take in his surroundings.

Al-ice

gazed in the distance..

Turning her ring anti clockwise slightly, she was now this seven year old child version of her self..

Running into the building, she sneaked into the building as she quietly ran across the buildings, hiding behind anything she could find..

Rhea sighed softly and shook her head. "I just want to help. There are others here that are going through much what you are. We aim to help people, and sometimes they in turn stay to help others after. Sometimes they leave, that is your decision."

"Eat something. When you want to talk, I'll be outside."

She exited the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

A little while after she had gone Ai slipped over to the tray of food, taking it back to the bed and eating in silence.

Adriaan was seated on a chair next to Daze's bed, where he had spent the better part of last night, and much of today. In hand he had an old tome from the library which he had turned sideways. One page was unfurled, consisting of rough sketches of old bas-reliefs that depicted several nude women.

The young avorian male tilted his head to one side, quirking a brow at the page as he lounged there casually. All of the old tomes from the library never seemed to have a shortage of such artwork and it was probably the only reason that he ever cracked open their pages.

Except today. Today he had legitimately been attempting research before growing suitably distracted.

Slowly the young girl would stir shivering uncontrollably, but the worse of the fever gone. Staring around, her eyes caught on to the person and she tried to speak, but throat felt so dry and everything seemed louder, unnaturally so. Something horrible was going on. Still not aware of what was going on she pointed to her mouth indicating she wanted something to drink, anything it felt like she had not drank until end of time.

Adriaan gave a start as the girl stirred, flushing as he closed the tome hurridly.

"Hey," he mumbled, awkwardly rubbing at the back of his neck. "Oh, sure," he added upon realizing what it was she wanted. Standing up, he poured some water from the pitcher that had been left on her bedside table.

"How are you feeling?" he asked before passing the clay mug to her.

Shaking her head she took a cautious sip and breathed, still indicating, her hands signing she felt a little better and knew what she had become. Also she partially regretted now having thought about it, what she pursued. Her whole mouth felt like the wastelands of Terra or the Boiling Wastes. Not to mention she was still in pain like the bite seemed to linger on.

"Can you talk?" Adriaan asked.

The hand gestures were deliberate, but also were incomprehensible for him. He returned the mug to the table at her side as she finished with it.

"You really went through the ringer," he added. "You should be okay though."

Nodding she pointed to bite and signed for pad so she could try write, hoping he understood.

Adriaan shook his head.

"Sorry lady, but I don't understand what you're trying to say," he admitted. Sign language was simply not a skill he possessed.

He shoved his hands into his pockets awkwardly.

"Want me to go find someone else?" he offered. "I think Rhea's out though."

He withdraw a hand rubbing awkwardly at his neck again. "I could get you some food if you think you can eat."

Nodding she would wait, sighing rather annoyed and wondering if they were aware what she had stupidly done. If so why had they not killed her? It felt so weird and well unnerving.

Adriaan returned a time later with a tray of food and some more water. It wasn't much, but it was nourishing at the least. Some berries and nuts, a few unidentifiable roots and dried bread. Mostly the offered food consisted of what they could gather this far north.

"I know it's not much, but it's you know, food," Adriaan offered with a quirky grin.

He passed it along to her before retaking his earlier seat.

"Feeling any better?" he asked.

Taking the food she greedily feasted the juices staining on her teeth, before coughing and finally speaking, "Than--thank you... why you spare me?" her English was still rather broken due to being out so long, even her voice sounded rather different, which made her blush.

"Spare you?" Adriaan asked. "You got me wrong lady. I just found you and brought you back here. Whoever, whatever did this to you was long gone before I found you."

He shrugged and quirked a grin again.

"Besides, I'm a sucker for damsels in distress."