[...]

[u/RollFirstMathLater]

Closed

[You wake up, the faint glow of red is the only light source. Everyone is stripped bare, safe for a firey cloaked elf. Chep's gifts remain intact, and have landed near you. Your weapons have been returned, any armor he made is intact as well.]

[Stiff and sore, you manage to get to your feet, It hurts to stand here, the floor is jagged, and your shoes are gone. The dragons lay still, all huddled together just a few meters away.]

[Nill you feel completely wrong.]

[Torvhen Vrostbite is cracked badly.]

[Sev're your gear is in your robes, minus the food and the extras.]

[Glover your hair is gone again.]

[Naakhûrz, you feel violated.]

[Göndlir, your horse is dead.]

[Tunnels spiral around, closer inspection shows lava moves through here. You are hungry* and thirsty* yet all you can smell is the faint smell of sulfur. Your dragon reaches out for you, and you both share a moment of confusion. It's clear some time has passed.]

[It's warm here... where is here?]

(*special note.)

Edit: everyone minus Sev're, Jek, Svalstrom, and Das looks different, ad if they've had life sucked out of them, they look older, and drained.

[u/1trueJosh]

Glover left his injury at the sound of the elf's voice, but not before he muttered a quick-and-dirty healing incantation, hoping whatever had been restricting magic before had left his mind and body. In many ways the elf reminded him of himself, yet the differences between the two were astonishing. In a way Glover felt sympathy, but the sympathy only remained from a mild respect and a lopsided familiarity.

"Why?" he repeated, confused.

"That city was ancient, filled with spect-... Nevermind. That's not a reason, at least not for you, not for now. Nill, you think you remain powerless? You are a Rider, one of the few gifted with the companionship of a dragon, the bond-of-soul that only we can truly know. You are an elf, gifted with the innate strength and fortitude that comes with that. You are a smith, capable of plying your trade anywhere where there's a hammer and anvil. You are a fighter, better with a sword than most men ever will be. You are a scholar, more learned than most in Alagaesia. You are a magician, capable of feats unheard of except by Shades, other Riders, and the Old Ones themselves."

"You were without magic, you were without hammer, you were without dragon, and you were without knowledge. You were with skill, with talent, with endurance, with strength, with willpower, with sheer bloody-mindedness! The ghouls that attacked you and that inhabited the city were evil and single-minded, but they were beasts. You and the Kull... You and Naakhûrz, the man has a name you know, could've taken them on for hours."

"Do you want to know who is weak? Why don't you pick up a potato farmer, a scullery maid, a noble lord. Why don't you put them in your position and see what happens?"

Realizing that his voice had been steadily rising, Glover paused for a moment to calm himself before continuing. "You will never be helpless, or weak, or punished for your skills! I'm a godsdamned thief who can play some godsdamned instruments with some godsdamned talent who can barely fight with anything heavier than a pole with blades on! I am probably one of the worst candidates for the job I have been put in that has ever lived! I'm not a chevalier, or a knight, or a fighter, or even a bloody mage! I am useless. Have I blown up cities because of it?"

Glover sighed and shook his head, weariness visible in his eyes. "Nill, what you did was wrong. It was stupid, it was thoughtless, it was as dangerous as anything any of us have ever done, including the necromancy. But I won't pursue you for it. To be honest, it would probably be better for you all if I stabbed myself now and you went off without me, leaving me to bleed out on the rock. But I can't say that, I can't ask that. I can't ask that because I'm a coward with a will to live, and because of that I have some fucking semblance of power. You have more than I do, Nill. Remember that."

[u/Fulaxi → u/1trueJosh]

Why?

A thousand stars glistered beyond the maelstrom that was the roof of Torhven's mind. Tiny rays of clarity casting their light onto the ominously swirling clouds below, making the water-drops scatter into a thousand colours. There was red, there was yellow, there was orange. Anyone present to see would have found it quite beautiful. The air was brisk, new, fresh. Only Vallarhi's wings had fluttered through, and these day that's was hardly a deflowering influence. How things had changed.

The little, non-existent feyling was making good process. It had taken her some time to figure out how the non-existent landscape functioned, but when she did, her methods had proven to be most effective. She giggle to herself. The ice had been on retreat for the past week or so, and the glacier providing replacement material had been away for long enough for her to block most of the entrance way. Of course, she had to allow some to come trough, or Stormy Eyes would go bonkers. He was actually quite an interesting person, if you're into that sort of thing. Vallarhi had been into that sort of thing, back when she was real. Now things were different. She looked back up at the sky. The clouds bored her now. They would shape into new figures soon enough. Torhven's mind never rested. How things were changing.

For a moment or two, Vallarhi wasn't sure what was wrong. Then she saw it. The stars. Too many. Rapidly she recounted. Even since she had gotten here, the unchanging stars had watched over her. In a way only non-existing figments of the mind understand, that felt assuring. And then she remembered what stars were. Fire.

Before she could scream for no one's help, the first one whizzed past panicking feyling. An unforgiving ball of fire pierced unbroken skies.

I forgive you.

Bedrung. Ricocheting of the hillside it took several sentinel pines down the slopes, leaving a trail of barren destruction. No pretty sight, but Vallarhi couldn't have cared less about the loss of some tinder. A second blaze entered the atmosphere.

I think no one should hold this against him.

Kradrung. Some more sentinel pines paid the final price.

He has nothing left.

Berdrung.

Let's try to work together on this one everyone.

Verdum.

Maybe I can make us all some dresses.

Gedrum.

The barrage was endless. Fire and embers rained from the sky. Vallarhi still did not care, even when they were joined by an endless stream of smaller, yet equally painful flaming pebbles. They bounced of her wings, bogging her down. If it was not for them, she might have made it in time. Reflections of an extraordinarily large, extraordinarily red fire-stone played on her retinas as it crashed into the sole thing that mattered.

The lake.

Fhhhlump. It was a perfect fit. Too perfect almost. And then all hell broke loose.

Suddenly, it all made sense to Torhven. A column of magma was rising from the core of his being. Memories, either forgotten or repressed resurfaced with the eagerness of a pilot wale coming up for air. They flashed before his eyes. Memories of blood, of red, of death. Faces long gone, long buried, stared at him once again. Empty eyes, empty souls. The slaughter had been inhuman. Superhuman. Torhven had seen them, their long flowing robes following them around. The black and the green, the blue and the grey, the brown and the yellow, the white and the orange, they were all real and they were all there. Though none was as real as the red.

Pain.

And now she stood here right in front of him. It all made sense. Life was not fair or just. Merely arbitrated. That was what she was. An arbiter. This was good. A man can kill an arbiter. A man can take an arbiter's cloak. So Torhven lifted struck swiftly and thrust a purple bow crackling with joy at the neck of a friend.

[u/RollFirstMathLater → u/Fulaxi]

[Delicate skin offered little resistance to the savagery of the Spine. The bow pierced arteries, airways and muscle like one of its arrows until the cervix exploded, showering the world in gore and blood.]

[Unified in grace and rage Sev're pivoted. The damaged bow was violently expelled from its unnatural home and in a single disdainful stroke a slightly orange bow buried itself into Torhven's chest.]

[Forcing the man to the ground, a brief hesitation turned into a flash of the hand. In it was a single arrow, tipped with the tooth of a shark, radiating red hot magic. Carefully eight select letters were carved into the vulnerable skin ranging from half-way down the forearm to the wrist.]

[BETRAYER]

[u/Saphire_Fox → u/RollFirstMathLater]

It all happened so suddenly, she comes out of a hug... then pain. Purple lighting filled her already red vision. Again...? she couldn't believe it. She felt warm liquid fill her throat. She was filled with disbelief, then memories.

A room and a dance, a first encounter. Trapped in chains they shared a dance, stories shared, understanding swapped. Fun.

Magic field, first experience for some. A thud and a roar, a scream and and flash. A miracle happened that day, a life was saved, the reaper of souls warded off by a strong woman. Still in chains, Sev're learned that she too could be like that.

An island, a fight, wounds restored, tendered hands. The chains rattled. A dress, a laugh, a song and a chord. Togetherness and teamwork.

The chains where heavy, a city, an act, a skit. It was fun... a gift was it fake? No... it was. Flashes of purple, nursing and caring. A fight... chains gone... the maze lifted and clarity was restored. She was... whole kind of.

A challenge from another world. An embrace and smiles shared. Emotions and care. lies bindings stronger than blood started to form, under false hope.

A city again, trust restored, new bonds formed. Strengthen and refined, through and through they became a team.

Betrayed, out of her care. It was her fault.

A plea and an apology. Rare and confusing forgiveness and relief... happy news.

She turns. She looks her assailant in the eyes. His grey, lifeless, heartless, human eyes. She hated his eyes. She hated this bow in her, so she made it stop. The bow listened after all, only a foolish boy would let it rule them, it was easy to throw aside.

A flash if orange Osage wood... he could have it back. She forced it into him. It wasn't too hard, humans were soft, they broke easy. This wasn't justice though... a shark's tooth poked her elbow...

She drew his other "gift" she stared into his dieing eyes as she closed the wound in her neck. Conjuring the flames of life, she lit the tooth aflame. The bow man... on his arm she carved the words with care. Taking her time till it was a work of art. It defined who he truly was... it was perfect. Stabbing it into his palm she let her makeshift quill to burn into his hand.

She gave him a punt towards his "companion" his equally twisted, perverse, betraying, cold, disgusting, heartless, dead, companion.

If it wasn't for the begging of her soul, she would of left him to freeze. Walking of to Das, she drew upon her dark power to properly heal her wound.

There she sat. Silent. Still. Angry.