No Rest [RC - Active 04/02/2011]

[immortalmoon]

There was a strange exhilaration in the fight, the battle, killing, burning, causing pain to the misguided males, wracking their bodies with agony. The first was down, a dagger to the neck from her loyal companion, blood spraying in a morbid arc. Talasha grinned. “Dead. Dead. Dying, dead,” she thought, mind reeling with joy and misery. “You will not scorn me again.”

But then the other was upon her, swinging his blade wildly, angrily. One strike, two, and then came the final blow. Time didn't slow. It sped up. She could only look up and watch as the blade came for her, a deadly thing arcing through the air, cutting all in its path. There was a blinding sensation, something both delightful and awful all at once.

Her senses were overwhelmed.

Light, pain, forgiveness, darkness.

Somewhere, in the back of her mind, she registered the fact that it would not end. Not yet. She had taken precautions, fallen far into darkness, been forgotten, unseen, unknown.

No, it would not end now, for there was still so much more to be done. Research, study, growth, power. Moulding her son into the perfect weapon.

Gathering allies.

Casting down enemies.

So long as there was a purpose, there could be no rest, no death, never.

It was dark, and it was cold, but it would not last.

[Laucian]

Wolf dragged the corpse until she recovered her strength, digesting the meat of the paladin.

"Self-righteous zealot." Her angered thoughts were not displayed by careful actions.

She sets the corpse down, now gaining the strength to lift it on her shoulders. She summons her imp, Zigyal, to fend off any wild beasts and continues to Grom'Gol. She stops to unbind the demon from this plane and proceeds to the town.

Reasoning with the guards was not an easy task. But nevertheless, she managed to take the body to the zeppelin that leads to Tirisfal Glades.

During the various hours of flight her mind constantly focused between bringing Talasha back to life and ending the life of her killer. As the goblin's voice announced the landing, she took the corpse with her.

"At least here, the guards are more accepting." She thought while carrying her body down the road, to her abode. She entered and set the body down.

Taking a quick glance inside, she turned heel and closed the door. The heavy latch was brought down, sealing the door. She checked the state of the boards that covered the windows. She nodded to herself. She would need quiet to execute this.

Necromancy. She was merely an apprentice and never even dreamed of doing such a complex thing as raising one from the dead before. But it was needed.

She reached for her many books and opened them on the pages with diagrams. Then groaned under the mask. Incomplete. Only about embalming. But it would have to suffice until she acquired such knowledge.

She moves the tin of water closer to the body. She scrubs and washes the body before taking a wide assortment of needle and thread, closing any wounds. As she moved the dress aside, she makes a surprised noise as a soulstone falls from her robes. Smiling under the mask, she sets it down Talasha's neck.

She frowns under her mask as she does the gruesome task of cleaning the head. Then, she places it connecting to the neck and reaches for a thicker thread. She reaches down and stitches Talasha's head to her neck. She pulls the head softly, nodding at herself as the stitches are strong enough.

Wolf pulls out a long roll of gauze, setting it down. Then dips the gauze into an embalming fluid and starts rolling it around Talasha. She nods to herself again, leaving Talasha's face uncovered, as she would need to breathe as soon as she is brought back.

She takes some firewood and the rug she set Talasha on and forms a crude immobilization method with them, to hold the body. She folds the dress and places it over a small piece of wood, forming a pillow of sorts to minimize strain to the stitches on the neck.

She looked to her lantern. Three of the six soul shards were gone. She grunted under her hood and chanted the magical words in Eredun, turning them into healthstones. She sets them inside a small jewelry box, next to the body and sits, closer to her.

And waits, watching for any movement the corpse may make.

[immortalmoon]

As soon as the darkness had come, it began to fade. The cold remained. So cold. Something was not right. She tried to move, to writhe, to twitch, and was rewarded with minimal success. Her body still functioned, at the very least. Suddenly, it occurred to her that breathing was necessary. She sucked in. Something was lodged in her throat. She coughed, hacked and wheezed. Pain, searing, burning, throbbing, in her neck. She coughed again, opening her eyes, but seeing little beyond her own nose. The obstruction came out of her mouth, dribbling to the floor next to her. A lovely violet hue. But it was cracked, and fading, losing its colour. She tried to speak. She failed. No words would come out; just more wheezing, more pain. She tried to cry out for aid, but succeeded only in huffing. Her neck hurt.


Wolf reached for a healthstone from the jewellery case at her side and cracked it, muttering words in Eredun, healing whatever wounds that still plagued Talasha. Then, she placed her hand over her forehead and neck, softly touching her skin with the bony fingertips.

"Try not to be brusque, Magistrix. You are not healed yet. "


Talasha looked up, feeling slightly relieved by the healthstone's effects, but not completely. She tried to speak again, managing a slight rasp. "Dead...is he...dead?"



Wolf shook her head, removing her hands from Talasha and crushing another healthstone and chanting in Eredun, attempting to heal anything more. She holds the other stone while she speaks. "No. He managed to flee."


Talasha's eyebrows slant together in a dangerous frown. "Esc--" She wheezes and tries again. "Escaped? Arrogant...knave! Must...he must...die..." She wiggles her toes, and looks down at her own body. "What...what did you do?"


Wolf nods and crushes the last healthstone, chanting in Eredun before speaking again. "Yes, he must. And I made sure that your body would remain preserved until you brought back. Stand still, let me unroll you." Quickly reaching for her dagger, she cuts the gauze and starts to remove it.


Talasha blinks, surprised. "You--" She coughs and wheezes yet again. "You...have done well, Madame Wolf..." Coughs again. "This...service won't...go unrewarded."


Wolf nods as she finishes to remove the bandages. She brings her arms to Talasha's shoulders. "Sit up. I will help you."


Talasha struggles to seat herself, limbs unresponsive or sluggish. "How...long has it been?" She coughs into her hand. "Did...the soulstone...work?"


Wolf helps Talasha sit up and unrolls her dress, that was acting as a pillow. "It has been a hundred and seventy hours. And it did work. It was a fine piece of work." She holds the dress to her. "None of my clothes fit you. This dress will have to suffice, for now."


Talasha doesn't seem at all ashamed of her nudity as she pulls the dress over her body, slowly and cautiously, coughing more, hacking and wheezing, tracing her fingers slowly and curiously over the stitches in her neck. "The male...could be anywhere. I...want my vengeance."


Wolf shakes her head. "We have other priorities, for the time being, Magistrix. We are at Tirisfal Glades and you find yourself in my abode. You need to recover. We can do it while we proceed with our studies." She gestures to the small assortment of books around.


Talasha shakes her head furiously, straining the stitches and making her wince in pain. She recovers quickly though, hiding the expression of her discomfort under a delicately manufactured mask of calm assurance. "I cannot...afford to...allow him...time for re--" She coughs loudly for several moments, then continues. "Recovery."


Wolf shakes her head once more, wrapping a large amount of gauze around her neck, limiting her movement - and so the strain. "He has already recovered, most likely. He was near death, yes, but without doubt he has allies. We must prepare."


Talasha scowls. "Very well. You...have ensured...my survival. That is...enough. We shall learn...and...grow strong. And soon...we shall slay him. But...that is not enough. I want...his essence. I want...to rip his...soul from that mortal husk...show him pain...subject him to...agony. Forever." She wheezes and coughs heavily into her hand. "No better fate...awaits that one."


Wolf nods and reaches for a cup and fills it with water, handing it to her. "I cannot agree any more. But for now, we shall rest, study, wait and plot."


Talasha nods solemnly, taking the water and downing it cautiously, feeling infinitely relieved to wet her parched throat. "Indeed. I suppose, if...anything, we have...time. You...shan't die, and nor...shall I, for a...long time yet. The man...will age, and...grow old; weak; feeble. We...shall not."


Wolf nods once more. "Indeed. Let our studies begin."


__


Killer: Aedan


Ressurector: Self (Soulstone). Lyhel (Wolf) ensured the safety of the body.


Short Term Drawbacks:

She will need to wear the stitches on the neck for some time.

She will be unable to eat anything thicker or tougher than a very light soup.

Her voice will be extremely low and somewhat hard to hear.

She will be prone to coughing and wheezing fits, as well as weakness of the body.


Permanent Drawbacks:

Her voice will be permanently changed to a more deeper sounding, coarser one.

She will have a weakness to holy magic.

She will have permanent scarring on her neck.