Vlindrel:Blessing of the Abyss

Day 4
The Pyxis, Inner Sanctum

**After gathering Barlowe's remains and rolling them into a large tarp Coty brought, the three remaining members of the group moved into the vault itself.**

Coty: **He's looking Tate over, his medkit in hand.** For how fucked up you are, you're not bleeding much. **He's treated a lot of Tate's visible wounds, wrapping them in gauze. Despite Tate's numerous injuries and generally bloodied appearance, his wounds have already closed and begun healing.**

Tate: **He sighs and pulls his arm away, sitting down against the wall.** Maybe I've built up an immunity to bleeding. **He looks over to Loki, the little familiar is curled up in a small ball in a puddle of red-tinted water.** The hell is that bitch doing, why aren't we out of here yet? **He yells out down the hall.** I got you the fucking key so you could "*key*" us the fuck outta this place! Not so you could go sunday shopping or whatever-the-fuck you're doing!

Kaali: **A broken helmet clangs loudly as it bounces into the hall from one of the vaults farther down. Her voice echoes out into the hall.** This place is filled to store with equipment. Had you any value of what was valuable, you'd understand.

Tate: My *life* is pretty valuable, at least to *me*! **He mumbles.** ...Sometimes... **He groans and leans back, hitting his head softly against the wall, then closes his eyes.** ...Take your time... **He closes his eyes and yawns a little.** Dummmmmb asssssss bitch... **He lightly rests his hand on Loki.**

Coty: **He pats Tate on the shoulder.** I'll go work my magic. **He walks down the hall to Kaali. He leans on the entryway to the door and crosses his arms.** The hell is all this junk?

Kaali: **She's looking at armor stands, pulling pieces off of them. All of the equipment has been smashed or cleaved apart, making it useless.** If I were to guess, it is the pillaged wares of the numerous knights that helped defend this reliquary. **She grabs an old strap, pulling it from the armor, causing a few pieces to clatter to the floor. She grabs one piece in particular, a silver-blue helmet with the visor cut open and bent apart. Most of the armor has similar damage.**

Coty: I thought your guy's armor was supposed to be tough. Looks like this shit got cut apart like butter.

Kaali: **She looks the helmet over, and the crude edges of the cut shimmer with a strange darkness, almost like the helmet was burned through and cut at the same time.** I've seen the weapons that cause cuts of these nature... **She tosses the helmet aside and he looks around for a moment before a large coffin-like container in the back catches her eye. She starts to move towards it.**

Coty: **He looks around at the stuff.** Think any of this shit would fit me? **He looks to the container that she's looking at.**

Kaali: **She looks back to Coty.** Perhaps an adolescence's armor. **She moves on to the large black locked coffin-like container.** Though your shoulders would be too broad.

Coty: **He smirks.** Insulting and complimenting at the same time. **He moves closer to her.** I used to do that. Confuses people about your intentions.

Kaali: My intentions should be obvious. **She looks the coffin-like container over, running her hand over its surface. As her hand passes over a twister looking emblem the container trembles, then opens, and she immediately takes a step back.** Inimicus... **A set of armor is chained inside the coffin. The metal its made from is black, but reflective, like dark chrome. It has a trembling and otherworldly shine to it. Kaali runs her hand over the chestplate softly, tracing the organic lines of the plating almost reverently. She reaches behind her back and undoes a strap, causing her damaged breastplate to fall to the floor.** This was my mother's armor.

Coty: Really? The hell is it doing down here? **He looks into the coffin at the black armor.**

Kaali: I was born in the city above. My mother gave birth to me just previous to the city's fall, after which she sieged it, leaving me behind. **She looks to Coty.** Seeing her armor... She must've been felled by a powerful foe... Or group of them. **Her dark eyes reflect in the armor, and the armor reflects in them.** My father told me stories of her before he left me. In his absence I delved and searched, and I found many truths, and committed many crimes, which culminated in my incarceration. This vault, the Eochaire, Sir Torien. I learned of it looking for her. **She looks to Coty.** That answer enough?

Coty: I think that's the most you've spoken to me since I got down here.

Kaali: I will don this armor. **She looks back to it.** Then we will take our leave.

Coty: **He raises an eyebrow as Kaali's breastplate falls to the floor.** Need help putting it on? **He smirks and looks to her.**

Kaali: I'd think you were more adept at removing garments rather than putting them on. **Her tone of voice and the look in her eyes remain a dark smoldering cold, despite her comment.**

Coty: **He tilts his head a bit.** You know I've taken less than that as a "yes"?

Kaali: **She pulls the helmet out of the coffin and stares at it, her expression reflected darkly in face plate.** Take it as you will. **She turns the helmet around in her hands and then places it over her head. She breaths deep and the steel shifts, almost like it's alive. Her long black hair pulls up into the helmet on its own, and it suddenly tightens around her head, reshaping until it's a perfect fit. She turns and looks to Coty, his face reflecting back at him.** It matters not to me.

Coty: **He mumbles.** Typical ice queen. **He takes a few steps back.** You'll come 'round. Girls like you might act tough, but you always do.

Kaali: Your looks and musculature may impress the weak maidens of your land. **The breastplate opens up and folds down around her.** But you'll find that I am no such delicacy. **She slides her hand into one of that arm pieces, then the other.** You've done little other than posture your ego since arriving. **She looks to Coty and the armor moves and shrinks tightingly over her body until it takes a much more feminine appearance.** Physical feats are most impressive. Especially killing. **The armor suddenly tightens around her body and shimmers.** And in that regard I would sooner have lain with the old Wizard than with you, as he slew the greatest Knight I've yet seen. **She raises her hand and the ends of each finger look almost like small claws, their sharp points shine in the dim light of the vault.**

Coty: **He pauses for a moment.** You know, I can respect that sentiment, not sure I'd ever bed someone that fucking old, 'cause they'd probably just fuck'n die -*But*, the guy was pretty powerful so yeah, I get where you're coming from. **He crosses his arms over his chest.** ...But I have a physicality that's *mighty* impressive. **He smirks again.** Bigger than any weapon you've ever handled and I handle it twice as well.

Kaali: Even if that were true. **She looks back into the coffin and grabs the greaves.** I've spoken my piece and will speak no more.

**Meanwhile...**

**Tate wakes, his body is mended and he feels rested. He's in an endless expanse of dark, a pitch-black abyss.**

Tate: **He looks around, then quickly stands up.** What the hell? **He looks around again, then spins in a circle.** Loki?! **He looks up at the sky.** Nephalias!? You do this?!

**The ferret familiar is no where to be seen. A mournful murmur sounds on the air, coming from all around Tate, as if the source were the darkness itself. After a moment Tate's ears begin to ring, and the unearthly moans form into foreboding words.** Lost young man... Charmed from birth... Vitiated by foreign blood... Smouldering servant of divine flame... Academic of a *fallen* academy... Pilgrim of our holy dark... Here with us... In but the course of a few short days... What is it that makes you so... *Special*...?

Tate: **He gulps, hearing the distorted voice brings him back to the night.** I guess I'm just fucking cursed. **He looks around again in the darkness.** You next in line to try and kill me, or are you just pulling me to this ambiguously weird void to talk?

**The sounds shift in tone, becoming high-pitched and more faint.** Of you we mean naught harm... For you are our pilgrim... And as our pilgrim, I sought you pilgrimage here...

Tate: **He looks around and grips his chakram.** You mean I'm your *servant*? All because I told Nephalias I'd join his club? Are you the club leader? And what do you mean I "freed" you?

**A warm wind flows around Tate as the humming sounds well up once again, quickly forming into words.** We are Domina Abyssadine... Monarch of this dark chasm... Once prisoner of that infernal Knight of Loyce... At behest of a divine king... **The area around Tate lights up as hundreds of candles and torches ignite with the pale blue light that protected him and Barlowe when they first arrived in the Pyxis. The surroundings become clear and Tate can see that he's standing in an endless expanse populated by statues in various states of ruin, most of which are holding the torches and candles, all of which are facing him.** He and the traitorous hunter sought to keep what couldn't be kept... Our rule was not to be eternal... But we are... Aged is this world, and the world that kept us here. **A tall woman wearing white slowly passes behind several of the statues, she looks like she's wearing a wedding dress.** We knew we would out live our confinement...

Tate: **He looks around, raising an eyebrow.** So you're what that psycho bitch was keeping locked away... Why'd they keep you here?

Domina Abyssadine: We are an eldritch truth they cannot know, and so they feared us... Even though our eternal blood flows through their veins... Fear begot us... Fear betrayed us... Fear imprisoned us... And so we were cast here... A place *out* of time... So we made this our Kingdom... And we sought subjects... For want of pilgrimmage... But you... Tate... You are all that has ever completed the journey... For that we are eternally greatful...

Tate: ...Eldritch truth... **He thinks for a moment.** Morganstern said something about the Eldritch Truth before she banished me here... Something about them...

Domina Abyssadine: We know this witch... Machination of machinated... *Brass* and *soul* and *magic*... Seeking to hold back the world's end, it spoke with us, and we gave it answers... It fancies itself powerful... It fancies itself a savior... Foolish witch... Only *We* are eternal... For we are the Undying... The world above is the wax of a candle, time is but its wick, and it continues to *burn*...

Tate: **He thinks for a moment about what she's saying, but doesn't really understand it.** ...I realize you wanted to talk to me, but... I'm supposed to be getting out of here and heading back to... **He shakes his head, trying to think of a name.** Wherever the fuck I was before Morganstern banished me here.

Domina Abyssadine: ...Of course... We forget that agency is becoming of finality... **She walks out between two of the statues ahead of Tate. She is tall and thin, wearing a pure white dress, stained with a flow of blood down the front from her neck, where her head has been removed. A twisted sword, burned black, has been thrust through her chest. Her crowned head rests between her wrists and atop a black chain that binds her hands, a translucent veil, dripping red with blood, hangs over her face.** ...For we are eternal... Unlike all else...

Tate: **He raises an eyebrow when he sees her, then smirks a bit.** You're not like a giant robot or a weird floating astronaut or something like every other ancient guy I've met, you actually look pretty sick.

Domina Abyssadine: We were shackled by our neck, so we cut off our head in bid for our freedom... Yet free we are not, and by our hands did the Knight shackles us and with our royal blade he pierced our heart... That we might not attempt freedom again... But attempt it we did... Not knowing that we became one with this holy chasm... A part of the boundless dark... For we were want of an ageless kingdom, and this ageless kingdom wanted of an ageless queen... Even eternity cannot refute its place, should destiny decree it so... So here we stayed... Waiting... Until the end of time.

Tate: **He smirks.** Badass.

Domina Abyssadine: Our pallid coruor yet flows through your veins... And our dark yet dwells in your soul's depths... Deserve you an accolade for our freedom... So to you we give... A blessing of our tenebris *divinity*... **Her mouth opens and a swarm of black moths flutter forth towards Tate like black tentacles, engulfing him in a vortex of soft buzzing wings.** Know'st the dark... Pilgrim... For it now know'st you... **The moths dive into his skin, melting into his flesh and seeping inwards. It's incredibly painful, bordering on the most painful thing Tate has ever felt in his life.**

Tate: **He screams out and falls to his knees.** What the fuck!?

**A pillar of black light pierces upwards and vanishes into the darkness above, power ascendant from Tate's anguished form. It lingers for a moment, then with a black flash it vanishes, along with the encompassing agony. Tate's body and clothes are pitch-black, but his hair and eyes glow pure white. A pale thin white outline lines his silhouette, and he's floating, weightless in the air.**

Domina Abyssadine: Accept this accolade... In return for our freedom... As our blood begets your blood, our dark begets your dark, and our power begets your power... **Loki appears floating beside Tate, pitch-black with the same outline, his paws and eyes glowing bright white. Like Tate, the little familiar is suspended in the air, weightless.**

Tate: **He looks himself over.** ...What the hell? **He hold his hands up to his face and looks them over.** ...What is this?

Domina Abyssadine: ...You have my say of leave... Pilgrim of the Abyss... May our most holy dark... Shine your way... **The world goes dark, and suddenly Tate feels himself being pulled back and forth.** But do return... For ours is a lonely kingdom... And we enjoyed your company...

Coty: -Tate! Wake the fuck up! **He's grabbed Tate out the air and has been shaking him back and forth violently to wake him. After leaving the armor, Coty and Kaali found Tate and Loki floating mid-air, their form black and white with a strange darkness. As Tate wakes, the dark form vanishes in a flash, and he falls from the air, Coty holding him up by his collar.** What the fuck was that?

Tate: Wha- **He stumbles, looking around, not realizing where he is for a moment.** -The fuck?

Coty: You were all fuck'n glowing with dark energy or something, floating away, the fuck was that? That happen every time you sleep?

Tate: **He looks himself over, seeing he's back to normal.** Loki?

**Loki's dark form vanished along side Tate's. Depite having felt fine a moment ago, both Loki and Tate are injured again.**

Kaali: **Fully armored and wearing a long black cloak. The tightly wrapped tarp containing Barlowe's remains is fastened to her back.** That was no typical dark. **She walks up next to Coty.** It was advanced beyond much of any dark I've ever seen.

Tate: **He takes a trembling breath, his body aching and tired once again.** Let's just get the fuck out of here already... **He bends down and picks up Loki carefully.** I was hoping it'd heal us... Guess that's not what it does... **He holds Loki close, the ferret is still badly hurt and bleeding a little.** Open the way or whatever.

Kaali: So be it. **She takes a few steps back and flips the huge pollaxe around before thrusting it forwards. The end of it vanishes into a shimmering blue light.** Touch the axe, and intend a destination, and I will open the path. **She looks to Tate.**

Coty: **He looks from Tate to Kaali, then rolls his eyes, not understanding what the fuck just happened.** Yeah let's get outta this shithole. **He grabs his large pack and slings it around his back.**

Tate: **He walks up to the pollaxe and touches it. Kaali turns it like a huge oversized key, and a line of blue light rises up, then widens, opening like a pair of double doors that are made from reality itself. The Knight pull her weapon back and the light fades just enough for Tate to see the entrance to Forlorin, and the huge bonfire beyond it. He quickly walks through.**

Coty: **He follows, looking at Kaali for a moment as he passes through the magical doorway to yet another world.**

Kaali: **Without even a hint of hesitation, she steps through to the new world, the doors closing behind her.**

**Meanwhile...**

**Ahiga is sleeping on the floor of Caspian's small house when a loud knocking wakes them.**

Delpha: Caspian, Ahiga? **She knocks again for a moment before her knocking is interrupted by a loud banging on the door.**

Coty: Ahiga!? You in there?! **He pushes the door open and quickly steps in, his helmet and mask removed.**

Caspian: **He grabs a short sword from under his pillow and points it at Coty.** Who goes there?!

Coty: **He looks at Caspian.** The fuck is- does no one here use guns? **He looks almost confused.**

Ahiga: **He sits up, disoriented. He looks around a moment before he sees Coty.** Coty? **Delpha is just outside the door, holding her twinblade ready.** Wait! He's a friend!

Coty: **He smirks and looks genuinely relieved to see Ahiga.** Holy fuck I half expected you being long gone or something, Lightning.

Caspian: **He slowly lowers his blade and gets out of bed, looking Coty over.** Is he from your world, Ahiga?

Ahiga: He is! **He smiles and jumps to his feet.** What the hell are you doing here man?!

Coty: Here to rescue you from... **He looks at Delpha, the Caspian.** All of these people with *swords*. Is this another world, or did I time travel again to europe?

Ahiga: ...Again? **He tilts his head.**

Caspian: You came here from your world to get Ahiga? **He props the shortsword up against the wall.** I am glad. **He smiles.**

Coty: Whose this guy? **He looks to Delpha.** And this... Girl?

Ahiga: This is Caspian, of Loyce, and that's Delpha... Of umm... Sorry. **He scratches the back of his head, forgetting her introduction.**

Delpha: Delpha of Krovhurst. **She looks to Coty, looking him over, finding him strange.**

Coty: Well now that I've got you and Tate, we can work on a way to get the fuck outta here.

Ahiga: Tate's back?! **His eyes go wide.**

Coty: He's sitting at the bonfire, he was hurt pretty bad- **Ahiga quickly pushes passed him and runs outside.**

Caspian: **He nods the Coty and quickly follows Ahiga out.**

Ahiga: Tate! **He runs across the town towards the platform in the middle.**

Tate: **Sitting next to the bonfire, his wounds are quickly healing, and Loki is already looking a lot better, making quiet noises as he sits in Tate's lap.** Ahiga... **He says in a tired voice as he looks over to his friend.**

Ahiga: **He leaps the steps three at a time and grabs onto Tate, hugging him.** What the fuck happened?!

Tate: **He sighs, tired and still sore.** ...Went to a school for witches... Learned a few things... Died a few times... Met a badass old wizard... Got banished to a dark dimension... Talked to an astronaut... Killed a girl that turned into a giant monster... Freed the Queen of Darkness and got her blessing... A lot has happened since I left... It's all still... Kind bouncing around in my head... And I'm too tired to care right now...

Ahiga: I see you got some new threads too. **He grabs Tate's scarf and pulls it.** You meet a seemstress too?

Caspian: I'm glad to see you safely return, Tate Lawless. **He walks up the stairs, stopping halfway up.** It sounds as if you had quite the journey.

Tate: **He looks to Caspian.** Lots of learning... Lots of pain... Lots of running... **He rolls his eyes and looks down to Loki.** ...But I'm tired as fuck... **He just lays down next to the fire, holding Loki to his chest.** And everything hurts... I'll tell you about it... Whenever...

Ahiga: **He smiles again and sits down next to his friend.** You better tell me everything... Sounds like it was awesome!

Tate: It was kinda nice... Not being... Subject to your... Oppressive cheerfulness... **He quickly drifts off to sleep, depite laying on the stone floor.**

Lady-in-Waiting: Is you mind less troubled now, young Animist? **Her eyes crackle with light as she stares unblinking at the fire.**

Ahiga: ...Yeah... I'm glad he's back. **He looks to her.**

Lady-in-Waiting: The holy fire does not forsake those it is linked to.

Kaali: **After a moment she walks up to the base of the stairs, she looks at the Lady-in-Waiting for a moment, the decides to simply ignore her and looks to Coty.** This town is fortified well and I see no immediately danger beyond its walls. **The fire shimmers with an off-blue color as the flames dance across her reflective black armor.** I will recuperate and rest, then leave for Loyce after I've woke. **The blade of her pollaxe shines with an unnatural light as she raises it and presses the base of the poll into the stone. She looks up at the sky, the stars and moon shining brightly.** This world... How can anyone suffer its light, let alone build a fire so needlessly large?

Lady-in-Waiting: The Sacred Flame is your to link, Knight of the Chasm. Should you wish it. Bend thy knee afore the Forlorn Fire... So that you may Bathe again and again... In its holy flame...

Kaali: **She looks from the moon to the Lady-in-Waiting.** Your offer is unneeded. I prefer the comfort of dark to the vexations of fire... Especially a flame such as *that*... **She raises her free hand, shading her helmet from the bonfire as if it were the sun.**

Coty: Physically impressive feats or not, I'm gonna fuck'n sleep cause I've been awake almost twenty-four hours. **He slings his pack off of his shoulders and pulls out a sleeping bag and a folded up tent.** I'll just... **He looks around.** Set up in the corner over there. **He walks passed Kaali.** Room for two. **He smirks.**

Caspian: **He's staring at Kaali, her strange armor, the deep blue of her cloak, the dimly glowing draconic emblem of Loyce at the head of her weapon.** ...You are a Royal Knight...? **He looks from the weapon to Kaali's helmet.**

Kaali: You must be Caspian. **She looks to him.** Tate told me of you. A squire with no Knight. A warrior with no proper training. **Caspian just looks down, almost out of shame.**

Ahiga: Are you from Loyce too? **He looks to Kaali, her armor, height, and huge weapon being imposing.**

Kaali: **She looks to Ahiga, then back to Caspian.** I am no Royal Knight, but a Chasm Knight of the Loyce, if that's what you're asking.

Caspian: **He almost looks pale and unsure, then quickly falls to one knee.** Knight of Loyce, we welcome you to Forlorin. You may take my home for the evening if you so wish it. **He keeps his gaze down.** It's not fitting of your station, but it is all I've to offer.

Kaali: **She stares down at Caspian for a moment.** ...Finally. Someone who regards a Knight of Loyce with proper respect. **She holds out her hand.** Show me.

Caspian: Might I ask your name?

Kaali: Kaalianore.

Caspian: ...Chasm Knight... **He quickly stands up.** Follow me.

Ahiga: You OK Caspian?

Caspian: I'm fine, Ahiga. **He smiles.** I will be back here in a moment to sleep by the flame with the two of you. **He quickly leads Kaali to his house. The Chasm Knight looks back at Ahiga, then follows.**

Delpha: **She watches Caspian hurry away with the tall knight, then she looks to Coty, watching the strangely bulky man as he takes off his equipment and sets up his tent. After a moment she puts her weapon onto her back, crossing her arms over her chest. Her gaze settles on Tate and from him she senses a quality that he lacked when she found him, curled up and dying in that jailcell.** ...Pale blood...