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Flames, Angels and Boats

In which rage is fostered, rites are said, and a rescue is enacted...

The 15th Day of Descending Wood, Realm Year 763

The knock at the door to Venia's room is accompanied by the voice of Oriel, the innkeeper's young daughter. "M'Lady, the soldiers are here again to see you," she says quietly.

"Mmm... is it urgent?"

Cassia stirs and looks up at Venia "...What is it?" she asks drowsily.

"They say it's time to go out to the Stand again." Venia replies, before saying slightly louder, "Be there momentarily." She kisses Cassia on the cheek. "Shadowland time..."

Meanwhile, at or near the edge of Demor's Stand, Sian waits for the sun to rise, the sky changing slowly from black to red, the stain bleeding in from the East. It has been an unpleasantly cold night.

Sian is cold, and a little irked, and generally not very happy about being stuck in the Underworld.

Cassia nods reluctantly, turning to kiss Venia's cheek before she pulls away, then stands, stretching herself fully, letting out the merest gasp.

Venia gets dressed quickly enough, and smiles at the gasp, though slightly hidden. She heads out with a wave to Cassia, and a gentle smile to Oriel.

Cassia checks herself over briefly, running her fingers over her body, then dresses swiftly and fastens her hair back, before she goes out after Venia.

Venia pauses at that, looking down at Oriel's eyes curiously. "Is something wrong, dear? You don't seem well at all..." She cups her cheek, tilting her face up to scan with a practiced eye for sickness or traces of nightmares.

Oriel looks up at Venia, "I'm alright, m'Lady." The slight redness around her eyes and the faint marks on her neck give the lie to that, as well as at least some of the reason behind the lie.

Venia waves Cassia onwards. "I'd wager that for a while last night, you were more than alright. I take it Sian was good?"

Cassia pads onwards at Venia's wave, and down to the soldiers.

Oriel's eyes open widely, her lower lip shudders and little, and then she breaks down into gales of tears, collapsing onto the floor and holding her head in her hands.

Venia lifts her up, leading her into the room to sit on the bed, attempting to comfort her. "I was hoping I read you wrong... what happened? It's ok, you can tell me... it helps."

"He... he... he left me! After... he... it was so wonderful, but after..." Oriel sniffs, "He went into the Stand!"

Venia keeps her nice comforting face on. "When? did he say why?"

"Afterwards. He... he... kept talking about her..." she wipes her eyes, "Saying he had to look."

"Who?" Venia offers Oriel a handkerchief.

"His lost love..." Oriel takes it gratefully and wipes her nose, "I'm sorry, m'Lady, I shouldn't be like this."

"Don't worry. It's understandable... Did he mention a name or anything?"

Oriel thinks for a moment and then shakes her head, "No..." She smiles softly, "I wasn't really listening too much to what he was saying for a while."

Venia chuckles at that. "Out of curiosity, and to be lighthearted, were you trying to make a show of it? Tease your father a bit?"

Oriel shakes her head, "No! Father was out... out visiting a friend of his."

"Ah... Then next time, you could stand to be a little more quiet in your passion. Or find a room with better padding." She winks slyly.

Oriel blushes and smiles, "Thank you, m'Lady, for everything."

"Mhm. If you need any advice, let me know. For while I'm here, I'll be happy to help."

"Thank you, again." She looks up at the sudden and loud knocking, "I think that's for you, m'Lady."

Venia stands, and checks.

The sunrise brightens the land, the darkness and cold fading somewhat from the shadowland as it fades mostly out of the Underworld, but the chill of the grave never quite leaves, and Sian finds himself covered with the same, filmy almost-dew that coated the grass the previous morning.

Sian tries to brush it off, but it soaks into his jacket, leaving him to just sigh and shiver.

Cassia waits outside the inn, together with the soldiers. The leader bows low and addresses Venia, "General Otori said we need to leave immediately."

Venia nods. "Just clearing a few final things up. I'll come right with you." She waves goodbye to Oriel and follows along.

The soldier nods, and then looks around, "My orders said three people were coming."

"Sian's gone on ahead. That's what we're clearing up."

"Ahead?" the soldier looks aghast, "Into the... I'm sorry, m'Lady. The palanquin is waiting with the column, we'll get moving as soon as you arrive."

Cassia walks alongside Venia, very pleased with herself, though she does frown slightly at the mention of Sian... in the palanquin, she asks about Oriel.

Venia shakes her head, and offers the fact she's going to murder Sian when she finds him.

Cassia gives a her a slightly puzzled look, but then settles down to lean against Venia a little for the duration of the trip.

Venia doesn't mind this in the least, wrapping an arm around Cassia as a distraction from her generally deadly thoughts.

The palanquin is lifted by soldiers and once again the column moves out of Broken Back and towards the small shadowland nearby.

Sian sees the glint of reflected sunlight from the mail and spears of the soldiers, some distance away but getting closer. In there, presumably, are Cassia and Venia, here with the Realm's soldiers, most likely to finish what was started yesterday.

Sian waits patiently for the soldiers to approach, not knowing the doom that awaits him.

The soldiers march onward, and about an hour after leaving the town a call goes out from the head column that someone has been spotted ahead. Twenty soldiers in heavy armour immediately trot ahead, spears down, to meet who- or whatever it is.

Spears levelled the soldiers approach the figure, revealed to be Sian, but with wariness etched on what little of their faces can be seen around their helmets.

Sian waves tiredly. "Morning."

"Explain yourself! Who are you?" one of the soldiers barks.

"Sian? Sian Nerivus? The same person I was yesterday, if colder."

One of the other soldiers blinks and then taps the interrogator on the shoulder, before whispering something, "Oh... the missing one. Come with us." The soldiers form up in a circle around Sian.

Sian trudges along obediently, wishing for a hot bath.

Venia drums her fingers on the palanquin, wondering if she can get some silver inlays on them in this middle of nowhere town for... later. "Have any objections to me spending the night with Sian? I have plans to educate him of his folly."

Cassia looks at her, then down a little then back up "Not really..."

Venia nods. "Don't worry, it's not something you'll feel as if you missed out on."

Otori looks Sian over, noting the dampness and the look of tiredness before gesturing to the soldiers, "Take him back to my sister," and then continuing his conversation with August Wren, who has accompanied the column this time.

The soldiers deposit Sian at the palanquin, one of them knocking politely and saying, "Your servant is back, m'Lady."

Sian brushes dust out of his hair, trying to look presentable.

Venia nods, helping Sian up into it. "Thank you. So, enjoy yourself?"

"A night in the Underworld? Yes, it was lovely."

"Oriel."

Sian pauses. "What about her?"

"Did you enjoy making her cry herself to sleep?"

Sian just looks at her. "How do you expect me to answer that? Of course I didn't, but she was gone before I could say anything."

"Mhm." Venia just drums her fingers along the palanquin, hardly paying attention, "We'll talk about it tonight." Her voice, considering the area, likely holds more finality than the grave.

Sian shrugs at this. "Fine." He hops out of the palanquin, and moves up ahead, walking alongside some soldiers, looking sufficiently stony so that they don't ask questions.

The rest of the journey, short as it is, to Demor's Stand and the hill underneath, is uneventful. The soldiers fan out in precision movements to sweep the area and Thea moves into the tunnel once more to check it beforehand. She comes up, shortly, "It's clear."

Venia is glad to hear that, watching Sian to see how he acts as they go down.

Sian is not paying attention to her. He's cold, and a little grumpy, but otherwise uncaring.

Otori and August Wren head down into the tunnel below the hill, the Immaculate monk making warding gestures and burning some incense prior to the descent.

Sian follows them down quietly.

Venia keeps at the rear this time, nodding when Cassia asks to explore, making sure to borrow a couple of soldiers to help her.

([[[IceAndWave/FlamesAngelsAndBoats/HospitalityDeclined]]|Cassia's journey into the Underworld...]])

The chamber below the hill is cold and dark and dank, much as the previous day (and night). Opening the door is relatively simple for Sian now, and once again the larger chamber containing the clusters of cylinders is revealed.

Venia refrains from touching anything, just looking around for any new signs.

August Wren steps around the cylinders, his round face shaded green by the light from one of the full ones. He looks in closely and then pales, stepping back - the green colour on his face no longer entirely due to the light from the cylinder. "General," he says, "What are we going to do for these people?"

Otori looks over, "We bury them. We can't help them, all we can do is put them to rest and hope that the Dragons grant them a peaceful next life."

"Are we not going to explore further before that?"

"I think your... protege is already doing that," Otori smiles thinly, waving towards the passageway at the back of the chamber. "But, yes, we can and should examine what we can find. I want these people out by the time we leave, though."

Venia nods. "That is most certainly agreeable to me."

Sian speaks up. "Opening the coffins here, or shall we do it outside?"

"We open them here," Otori says, "We'll dismantle everything else in here for transport to the Empress."

Venia nods.

Sian does too, and gets to work undoing the seals, as he did on the first, while Venia assists without saying anything.

The gruesome work of 'uncorking' the cylinders proceeds apace, and each of the five remaining corpses is carefully pulled off the spikes that hold them in place and were set deep into the skulls of the victims. Wrapped in white sheets, the pentet is carried out of the chamber that was the scene of their, no doubt, agonising deaths.

Sian wipes his hands clean of the disgusting fluid filling the chambers. Ick.

Venia checks downstairs where likely the others now are!

August Wren murmurs quick prayers over each of them as they are carried out and up, his face still somewhat distressed but his expression has hardened by the last one. Otori looks him over, "Will you be joining us? The Empress commanded me to bring whatever we found back, and there may be more."

Wren starts to shake his head, then nods, "I'll join you shortly."

The passage down is smooth and lined with the same black stone as the chamber and the previous tunnel. It is also far less uninviting than the last time Sian was down here - there is a distinct and pleasant lack of the almost-tangible darkness that pervaded the whole area.

Sian is quietly relieved about this.

The tunnel ends and opens out into a large, no a vast, underground cavern, stopping with a foot-wide ledge that leads along one side of the chamber. Below, far far below, somewhere in the black Abyss of the Underworld, a low murmuring sound rises.

Venia says, "I do not like that sound."

"It's just a noise. Don't let it get to you." Sian brushes past her.

Venia shrugs, and follows.

The ledge leads along the wall, and a short distance along (much shorter than Sian remembers it being), ends at a wall, or more accurately, turns to go along it at a steep downward angle, while in the corner a large room has been cut out of the black, dry stone.

Venia is rather suspicious at this point, again watching Sian carefully.

Sian is the same as ever.

Thea heads into the room, her long spear held low, the point glowing as before, "Looks clear," her voice rings out, the sound behaving strangely.

Sian has readied a single javelin, just in case.

Venia shudders a bit, idly sliding the hilt of one of her swords back into the case.

Thea pokes her head around, "Looks like some kind of work-space, an office maybe. Pretty thoroughly trashed, though. Couldn't find anything apart from some scraps of paper."

Otori nods and commands, "Then we go down."

"Unfortunate, to say the least," Venia notes as an aside.

Sian pointedly does not comment.

Venia makes note of that, and reminds herself to get that out of him later as well.

The ledge leading down is somewhat wider than the one previously, roughly carved steps hacked out of the stone. Thea takes one look at them and says, "These are old," in a quiet voice, taking the lead position as the small group heads further down.

"Mhmm." Sian trails afterwards.

Venia opens and closes the latch on her swordcase nervously.

The sound from below gets louder, harmonics and chords becoming audible in the continuous low murmur, and the soldiers stir nervously at the sound, although a gesture from Thea silences them quite efficiently. A loose stone, accidentally of the stairs by one of the men falls into the depths, disappearing out of sight without a single sound.

Venia is glad to have the smoldering rage at Sian to concentrate on.

The downward journey continues, the light from Thea's spear revealing the edges of a landing or flat area of some kind ahead.

Venia feels somewhat better there, until she sees the human wreckage on the stone floor, "I think we've lost some soldiers. And a protege."

"What?" Otori looks ahead and then jumps down the last few stairs, to be presented with the bodies of three of his men, torn open in ways very reminiscent of attacks by large beasts. "What is this?" his sword out he looks all around.

"I would imagine ghosts. Hungry, perhaps, or animals."

"Wonderful. Now I have three more dead soldiers and a missing Dragon-Blood to worry about," Otori stabs his sword hard into the wall, spitting with fury.

"No, you only have three more dead soldiers to worry about... Though I would like to know what happened."

Sian interjects, "Cassia can look after herself."

"I worry," Otori grimaces, yanking his sword free, "It's a General's job to worry, you know. Right now, I'm worrying about what the Hell we're doing here and why we aren't leaving."

"It seems as if someone was waiting for us, General. Since the workshop was ransacked," Venia points out, "Aren't you the least bit curious who?"

"Of course I am," he shrugs, "But as soon as we get those cylinders out of here and onto the ships my orders are to clean up and return to the Realm."

"Unless there was something else the Empress wanted." Sian looks around for an exit.

"I am curious about that..." Venia says quietly.

"That is true," Otori looks around, "Well, it looks like your protege either fell off that edge into the Dragons only know where, or what, or took that tunnel there." Where he points is a large passage, this one somewhat finer than those above, carefully cut out of the stone. At the entrance are two large statues of winged humans, which after a few moments inspection appear to have been made from fused, reshaped human bones. "I'm not sure which is worse."

Venia murmurs, "What an interesting taste in decor... let's check the tunnel."

Thea peers over the edge and looks down, "Well, unless anyone here can fly that's probably best," she chuckles shortly and then settles into her position at point.

Venia keeps flipping the latch open and closed, now trying to figure out what it takes to shake Sian if he's crazy enough to come here of his own accord.

The tunnel is wide and straight, the craftsmanship is excellent if morbid, as every twenty paces a new pair of statues lines edges the pathway - all made the same way as those at the head. Eventually, the tunnel ends in another large cavern, this one not as empty - unfortunately. The chamber is a large underground lake, that extends far beyond the limits of sight. On it, however, can be seen a number of pale boats, all loaded with ghostly or semi-rotted figures and preparing to set sail for - presumably towards the beacon of shockingly red fire that gleams in the distance.

Venia says, "Not good."

"Very not good," Sian agrees.

"Especially since I'm pretty sure she's on the other side. I am going to have to have a talk with her about this."

"I suggest we get her back, first."

Otori unlimbers his sword again, and looks at his men, all of whom are doing much the same thing. "I think we should go down there and introduce ourselves, don't you?" Thea nods in agreement.

Venia chuckles at this, but draws her blades, tucking the case in the small of her back as usual.

Without a word spoken, and yet with perfect precision, Otori and his men form up into a tight fighting block, his Charms almost visibly licking out at the soldiers, bolstering them for the upcoming fight. Moving at a trot, they run down the slope to the subterranean beach, there to attack the walking Dead arrayed there. The sound of the impact is quite horrendous.

Venia moves down to watch just in case there's some sort of breakout.

Sian takes a position at her side.

Otori's blade rises and falls and through the carnage a certain savage satisfaction can be seen on his features as he, together with his men, works out his frustration on the bodies of the Dead around him. A number of them do manage to escape the initial slaughter, some of which head away from their attackers and up the slope.

Venia questions, "They're running? Strange..."

"Not really. Sometimes the dead retain some intelligence." Sian takes careful aim, and flings a pair of icy javelins at the oncoming foe. "Admittedly, not much..."

"But they're dead. What do they have to lose?"

"Existence?"

"Hmm..."

The small group of undead creatures moving up the hill manage to avoid the pair of javelins hurled in their direction, but the assault seems to only invigorate them and they move somewhat faster up the hill now. Otori, meanwhile, seems to be having a tremendous time demolishing the small horde of the Dead that surround him.

"Well, you've got a little more work to do... I'll take point. Try not to hit me."Venia casually struts a few steps down towards the dead, and takes up a defensive position, waiting for the first to reach her.

She darts forward into the mass when they reach her, lashing out with feet and blades and carving a path, somehow untouched in the whirling spray of dead flesh and steam, exiting out the other side having cut down fully half their number, her anima glowing as she takes a deep breath, regretting it. One little piece of dead flesh is flicked off her leg by a blade.

The remainder of the Dead are cut down, slaughtered or otherwise driven into the ground by an attack from the rear by Otori and his men. "We should get going if we want to rescue your protege from whatever confronts her."

Venia nods, "This is true."

"Mhmm," Sian agrees.

The soldiers load up onto the boat, reaching down to pull Sian and Venia up on deck. A number of the men get to working the oars and soon the boat is skulling over the water at a fair pace, assisted no doubt by a Charm or two.

The red flame gets more distinct as the boat moves across the water's surface. Moving and darting around on the deck of a much larger version of the pale boat that Sian, Venia and the others have commandeered, it is Cassia currently engaged in the dangerous business of holding off a small horde of the undead. Zombies and ghosts of every time menace the girl from all sides, just as the smaller boat pulls alongside.

Venia waves at her. "Come on already!"

Grinning somewhat worryingly, Cassia lunges at a particularly large zombie with her dagger, plunging it deeply into the thing's chest. She flips up and bounces off the dagger's pommel, yanking it free from the rotted flesh and burning the creature in the process as arcs like a comet to land on the boat.

"What took you?" Cassia asks, still covered in lambent flames.