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Post by Stage on Jul 25, 2018 8:20:36 GMT
Vigr did not know how long it took him to find another beach. It could have been anywhere from a few minutes to an hour. The journey felt like a blur. All he knew is his weariness had returned and made the last stretch quite hard. His body pulsed with pain with every step.
Dropping the raft on a wavy ridge of sand, the varul staggered to the water and cupped some in his hands. Most of his wounds had reopened at some point, so his fur was slick with blood. He splashed the water onto his brow, where a lump of dried blood was pinning one of his eyes shut. Scrubbing and blinking the clotted glob loose, Vigr dropped to his bottom, scruffy tail flicking up and out of the way.
They would sleep before setting sail. He needed the rest. Before he curled up, the varul flicked his yellow eyes back to see how closely the others followed.
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Post by Executus Gira on Jul 25, 2018 21:04:55 GMT
The dark mist that flowed down the nearest dune was all Vigr needed to know that the ghostly woman was rather close by. Indeed, she appeared over the ridge with the unconcious stable in hand, and she flowed down the sand, before stopping a couple dozen meters away from the canine.
There was no need to say what the plan was, she could see it clearly in her eyes. She lowered the sable onto her back, then looked out over the sea, as she herself sat down, and let the sable use her lap as a pillow.
Once everyone was ready to go... it would be an interesting journey by raft... or possibly even sooner than that.
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Post by Stage on Jul 26, 2018 8:38:32 GMT
After putting eyes on his help, Vigr turned back with a huff and relaxed his weight against a small sand dune. The huge head of the varul folded down, nose nestling into his broad chest. Within a few minutes, he was asleep. And as if he was rejecting her from unconsciousness to make room for himself, the sable resting in Lorina's lap began to stir only a moment after he slipped away.
Cloudy blue eyes cracked open. The mind of the sable must have been equally clouded, because it took her a time to understand her situation as she blinked sleepily up at Lorina.
...
The gray-blue eyes widened.
"Bebeyeg!" the sable cried as she sprung up and scrambled away from the ghostly woman.
She seemed intent on sprinting as far as her legs would carry her, but the sight of Vigr, even asleep, made her freeze. She slapped her hip, and seemed more than slightly distressed when she found nothing there: the varul still had her saber.
Turning back to Lorina and dropping to her knees, the redheaded sable raised trembling hands. "Puzhelayste, ni diley mni bul'nu," she said. "Please. Do not hurt me."
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Post by Executus Gira on Jul 26, 2018 20:46:58 GMT
The ghostly woman placed a finger over her own lips, yet the frantic sable's actions brought a smile on her face.
"Don't be afraid, child. I won't hurt you." She whispered, with a voice so low and cold it seemed to flow around the sable's mind. "Do not panic. I have... a way out, you see. A way out for the both of us, but I need you to cooperate."
Her eyes darted over to the raft on the ridge. "This creature... it reeks of blood and murder. It is no better than the murderers back home, or the ones on that ship. Would you like a better life away from here?" She asked, eyes shifting back to the young sable, all the while one of her hands was twitching...
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Post by Stage on Jul 27, 2018 4:53:22 GMT
"I only join military for safety," the sable explained in a hurried yet hushed voice. Her accent was thicker and her English clumsier than the likes of Thrush and Shrike. "Did not know they would do the things. But could not do anything. Surukupat and Druzd are... ninurmel'nyy. Mad. Danger. I was scared for life."
The redhead, who had still had her hands raised in surrender, lowered them to the sand as if in prostration. She scooted closer to Lorina and stared up at the ghostly woman with her large, dirty blue eyes.
"Vigr also danger," she added with a tremble to her voice. She glanced back at the sleeping varul to specify who she was speaking about. "You are taken captive too?"
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Post by Executus Gira on Jul 27, 2018 6:03:34 GMT
The woman shook her head. The sable's words seemed honest... yet this was hardly the first time a murderous fiend had tried to beg for their life with such terms. Still, the air of sincerity couldn't be ignored...
Very well. She'd trust her... for now. Such a cute, scared thing.
"No. I was on this island long before your ship sank. I'm just a castaway, a foreigner from a world unlike yours... and I intend to return to it."
She stood. "The name is Lorina. And yours is...?"
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Post by Stage on Jul 27, 2018 6:36:06 GMT
"Anzhela," the sable answered promptly despite being occupied with watching the sleeping form of Vigr. When her blue eyes returned to Lorina, they were grim. "Do you want vulk gone?"
Moving slowly as to not alarm the ghostly woman, the redhead drew a pistol from her waistband. She laid the weapon between them.
Unloaded of course.
"Purushuk... black dust wet. It will dry in morning. We could rid us him."
Anzhela stared at Lorina with the utmost seriousness outwardly, but she was in truth somewhat regretful. She did not hate the varul as she suggested earlier. She did not particularly like Vigr, but his brother had been good fun, drinking and laughing with the crew that would seat him at their table. She had been disappointed when he had not returned from Matta. She found Vigr stuffy in comparison, but that was preferable to their unpredictable captains. She had told the truth about being afraid of Thrush and Shrike. It had been a relief to hear Thrust was crippled by the intruder. Shrike was more volatile, but it was easier to outrun a spear than an arrow.
She wished she did not have to resort to this, but she felt safer dealing with this madwoman than the varul. If she was forced to, it would be better to try and overpower the admittedly tall woman than the hulking canine.
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Post by Executus Gira on Jul 27, 2018 6:52:17 GMT
Lorina smiled, and shook her head. "No need to dirty this beach with more blood. Enough has been shed this day. Instead..."
She leaned in close, and an almost playful smile reached across her face. "We can leave him here none the wiser, and sail off on that raft. Leave him here to live a lonely life, and you can return to the mainland."
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Post by Stage on Jul 27, 2018 8:18:20 GMT
Anzhela took a moment to formulate a response. "I sailed this waters. I can guide us."
The sable's long, wavy red hair swayed as she titled her head at Lorina. "Leave now?"
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Post by Executus Gira on Jul 27, 2018 9:30:05 GMT
Lorina nodded. "leave the raft to me."
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Post by Stage on Jul 28, 2018 0:22:54 GMT
“And if vulk wakes?” Anzhela asked.
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Post by Executus Gira on Jul 28, 2018 1:26:35 GMT
Lorina's smile, paired with the pale look of the woman and her somewhat unnatural proportions, cast an uneasy shade upon the sable. "If he does... he won't be a threat to us. I have ways of ensuring our safety. Now, sneak off to the surf. I'll get the raft..."
Lorina turned, and twitched her hand again. the dark mist that had been surrounding her slithered toward the raft on the ridge, then sunk down. The sand became darker, and then it began to to destabilize. The raft leaned, and slowly was being carried by the shifting sands, slowly and quietly as possible, toward the surf...
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Post by Stage on Jul 28, 2018 6:47:48 GMT
Anzhela tried to show no reaction as the ghostly woman worked, but she was unsure how successful she was. She squirmed on the inside. This Lorina truly was a witch, just like the Bebeyeg she had heard about as a child.
Perhaps it would be best to push her off the raft sooner rather than later.
Then again...
Cloudy eyes checked to make sure Vigr still slept. Sure enough, the varul was dead asleep.
Maybe she was still useful.
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Post by Executus Gira on Jul 28, 2018 7:04:37 GMT
If lorina had known of how sceptical the sable was of her capabilities, she would have been annoyed. Back in Pient, everyone knew what she could do, and everyone feared what she was.
Well, mostly. Lewis and Carroll hadn't feared her... and neither did their daughter.
The sand continued to slowly carry the raft across the beach, moved by the dark mist that flowed through it. Eventually, the raft reached the surf, and it began to drift in the shallow waves.
"Hop on if you can. A once in a lifetime treat." The ghostly womans voice flowed through the sable's ears...
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Post by Stage on Jul 29, 2018 4:29:36 GMT
Ever so slightly, the dirty blue eyes of the ginger Lexian narrowed. She did not yet trust the woman enough to turn her back on her. She had not forgotten the threats she had spat at her upon their initial meeting.
"You are muy spesotil'. Hero. You claim first seat. I will push raft off. Watch vulk."
The possibility that the woman would try to flee with the raft alone also crossed her mind, but then she could simply wake Vigr and accuse her of betraying both of them.
She was suddenly tempted to try. Perhaps they would kill each other?
But if they did not...
It was best not to risk it.
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Post by Executus Gira on Jul 29, 2018 4:38:55 GMT
That slight narrow of the eyes didn't escape lorina's notice, and her face seemed to darken. "Alright", she said. She moved across the dunes, the mist flowing around her. She moved past the sleeping form of the canine, and approached the drifting vessel.
Carefully, she climbed up onto the raft, and sat near the front. It was a pleasant position, to just bob up and down on the waves...
"Hurry." She mouthed. All the while, the dark mist flowed down off the raft into the ocean, beneath the waves and across the ocean floor...
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Post by Stage on Jul 29, 2018 5:33:05 GMT
Anzhela hesitated, hands fiddling behind her back, but soon she nodded and slid herself onto the raft as quietly as she could. The anxiousness that bloomed across her face as it creaked and groaned was real.
Her earlier hesitance, however, had not been.
She had not been unsure. She had been confirming her pistol was still hidden between her waistband and armor.
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Post by Executus Gira on Jul 29, 2018 5:58:34 GMT
With both of them on the raft, Lorina's hand twitched one final time. The sand rose from beneath the surf, and began to push against the raft, leading it out to sea. Lorina's smile seemed genuine, almost cheerful.
"Well, it seems we are free to head to the mainland now." She said. "All-"
She was cut off as a large incoming wave slammed into her, and the ghostly woman was nearly bowled off the raft right then and there. Her tattered clothes dripping wet, she righted herself and sighed. "Well... almost good now..."
Meanwhile, the ravens were now soaring above the beach. The sleeping form of the canine, from this distance mistaken for carrion, had drawn their attention. They began their slow descent...
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Post by Stage on Jul 30, 2018 10:10:02 GMT
Just as the footsteps and machinations of the two women had been, the beating of the ravens’ wings high above was too faint to wake the exhausted varul. His wounded body’s demand for rest was far louder.
His sole remaining ear began to twitch though, and his breathing grew subtlety shallower. Though not yet awake, Vigr seemed to be subconsciously becoming more aware of his surroundings...
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Post by Executus Gira on Aug 1, 2018 2:42:52 GMT
The raft continued its slow drift out into the open ocean. Even in the dark of the night, the rays of the moon were starting to peer through the clouds, illuminating the water before them. The sea seemed to sparkle and shine, a sight which caught Lorina's fancy.
"Beautiful, isn't it? Once you're not bound by the ocean or restrained by it, it actually looks good..." She said.
A sharp pain caused her to wince, and she clamped both of her hands over the left side of her face. Why now, why did the pain have to start now?! What had started ever since the massacre of Pient, and has only intensified in the past few days... It was a wretched pain that took every fiber of her body to not scream out, but she didn't know if she would win this time or not. To suppress it for so long...
"Stupid sea water..." She growled...
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The Hell Ravens continued their slow circled descent to the ground, and they landed around the unconcious canine. Each was about half the size of Vigr, and their multi-eyed faces eyed the canine with a curiosity. One gave a low caw, before it noticed the more rapid breaths coming out. The other two approached as well, and one began to peck at his left foot, while the other fluttered up onto his chest, claws scratching against the canine's skin, and moved toward his mouth...
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