Roleplay

The dwarf clapped his hands together, grinning. "I can hook you up with anything you need, miss. Got phials for the vampires, a big toothpick for the crocodile, you name it. Burns? Got it. Smoke in the lungs? A nice bed and a good rest should fix you up. Got the best beer you'll ever taste. Ahh, and I have just what you need for the wife, eh?" He gave her a wink. "No need for food to be making her sick. My own invention, a mixture of wraith essence, blood, and any human food you can name, soothes the stomach and fills it too for a vampire. Don't go trying it yourself!!" He laughed at that. "You'd be blue and then a stiff in a matter of minutes! Catch my drift? Take a seat! Get everyone inside, drinks on the house for anyone still standing up." He tottered out past the bar, over to an oak barrel that seemed as run down as the rest of the tavern, starting to tap it and fill a pint glass, taking a hearty swig.

"Got private rooms for the partners here! Anyone a bard? Free room for free music, that's my policy. Also I'd like to speak to your crocodile, got a minor problem he can help me with, eh?" He winked again and took another swig.

The dwarf pushed what seemed like several hundred pint glasses up onto the counter, waving a hand for them to take and tap themselves a drink. The soldiers still able to walk did this gratefully, filling up and swigging down the beer, surprised at the quality out of this beaten-down place. They would have drunk watered-down vinegar beer to forget what had just happened, but this beer was true dwarven, a puzzle since this place was in no way dwarven, or civilised at all.

Tem's limp, unconscious form leaned into June as she was carried, her eyes peacefully closed, no nightmares haunting this member of the group. Her mind was at peace, her body relaxed, the tranquility of the dream lulling her away from their current troubles. Coffee on the wharf, a dream of a peaceful mind.

Lorin lay out the sickest away from the fire, ready to treat them, the other soldiers respectfully not getting in his way. Out of fifty men, only fifteen had survived to be here now, in this tavern, in the swamp outside time and space. They had been in the right place at the right time, by no force of their own but luck itself.

Among them was Lorin, the half-elf physician they had always spoken highly of; Sarren, the older man, a young man by the name of Morph, for a reason only known to himself, who didn't have a scar on his body despite surviving the fire, and a middle-aged man called Hall, who had the tense, haunted look about him of a man who had learned to trust nothing.

Athus and Hythen were not there. Aerik and Sarren were unconscious, as were a couple more of the soldiers, some in worse conditions than others, some losing life with every breath. About five were upright enough to drink. They were survivors, not a regiment any longer. Fifteen men could do nothing against the clans.

"Got rooms upstairs, enough for all you tall wanderers and your vampire partners to have personal rooms, double beds and all, and some soft beds for the men to sleep it off, eh?" The dwarf didn't pause when June asked her question. "Aye, yehre a curious one! Don't you worry now, I got it all fixed up. Get all sorts in here, got vampire balms, wraith essence, herbs from all over the world- name it, I've got it. If you've ended up here you probably wanted to get somewhere fast, eh? Hard quest, long journeys, sore feet. Seen it all before."

Lorin looked up at the mention of herbs. "Herbs? Do you have Alstrixia? I could treat their burns with a mint poultice..."

"Alstrixia! Got it in that back! Came to the right place, alright. Can mix it with a bit of beer if you like your medicine that way. Take it from me, it always go down better with a flagon of good strong dwarven beer." He trotted off into the back, returning with handfuls of a thin herb with spread, disjointed leaves, its colouring a pale green. Lorin's expression turned a little more hopeful as he saw it.

"I'm afraid I don't have any money..." He said uncertainly.

"Don't worry about it! On the house! Now, you're the crocodile, right?" He turned to Mark, grinning a warm dwarven grin. "I got myself a small problem. If you fix it for me I'll give you all a discount on the rooms, yours free! See, my boat outside needs a few repairs-" the boat outside was all rotted wood, resting on the muddy bottom and protruding through the surface with a few slime-covered planks, a boat only to those with the widest imaginations- "-and the Mage-lights are tonight. I'm housebound without my boat, but I wouldn't miss it for the world. I see you're good at swimming, care to lend a dwarf a hand?"

He puffed up his chest. "In return, I can give you some info, as per se. You can get anywhere in the world from the swamp, if you know which path to take. If you don't, you'll always end up here. It's a dizzy puzzle. You're in the heart of the world."

He could feel the urge to cough again as he carefully stepped down from the crocodile. Entering the tavern as a human, he somehow still carried Thalia easily. "I don't need anything . . . I'm fine." He wasn't fine, but he wouldn't die. Just be stuck in this tortourous state until they heals. Which can take up to another day. Looking around, he can see there are soldiers who are on the border of life and death. They're the one that needs help. The ones whose life can have relief to slip away.

The burns still scarred his pale skin, faint red marks constrasting the white. The scar from the earlier silver dagger is hurting again. But he covered it with his cape, not wanting the dwarf or anyone to worry about him. He should die anyways. It would probably be better for the group if he died. He never helps anyways. He just drags them down. Even if he knew Thalia would be devestated, she deserves someone better than him. Nobody should have the bad luck to like someone like him. A broken soul with a broken sanity.

Resting her gently against a gently, he sighed and had to go outside to cough again. After at least 5 minutes of straight up violent coughing, he went back inside. Sitting by where he left Thalia, he let her gently lean against him, his head against hers. He wanted to be with her, but he's also doubting himself, murmuring, "I don't deserve you Thalia. You deserve someone better . . . Not some monster like me."

---

Why are you back again and again?

"Because you're a trapped demon. You understand what I'm going through."

You shouldn't visit me too much. It's unhealthy on your mind.

"I know. I don't care. It's already sick enough. "

I wish I can help you, but I know I would also destroy you as soon as I'm let loose.

"I know that too Cessa. I wish I don't have so many pains to tell to you, but I do."

Don't we all?

"True... The day I no longer come to you every century is the day I disspear, suicide, or no longer have problems. The latter being impossible. I hate myself. For being who I am. I'm a monster who should die. I'm better dead for the world than alive. "

That's not true. At least you're not like me.

"Are you sure? I'm forced to go through pain over and over, not given the chance to give up and relax and die. I'm living, I'm just here. Nobody, not even the worst, deserves someone much of a failure like me. "

Why do you keep repeating those sayings? All your talking seems to just revolve around the one topic that you think you're a nobody.

"Because I'm empty, and its the only thing left in me to chew on."

If you had grew up with a family at least . . . maybe you wouldn't have been like this. This terrible concept.

Silence. "So many ifs. If I lived with a family. If I didn't get assaulted. If I didn't see those things so early. So what? That past is in the past, and I have nothing to offer no spirit to turn back time for me. I give up my soul. My sanity. I'm empty and have nothing left in this empty shell."

This is the fourth century Raphael... Every day I wonder if you'll come back next century. You keep me some company, but I hate to see a soul go through something worse than what a demon in hell would go through.

"I guess I might see you again in hell again."

how do you know if you wont' be in heaven?

"I just know. Why would my battered soul be let to rest in heaven? It's for people who love, who care, who are kind. I've got none of those."

I guess I'll see you next century?

"I suppose."

When the group came upon the abandoned tavern, the Whisper wasn't sure what to expect. Most likely, it wasn't abandoned. This place was strange, after all. It seemed that no matter which direction they went, there was no way to exit. It was left to wonder if they would ever leave. What if they were stuck here forever? No, that couldn't happen. They had a mission, and it was fairly certain the Night Spirit didn't send them all the way back to the pre-Council times just to get stuck in this stupid f**king swamp.

It glanced at the crocodile, eye darting between every passenger until it landed on Lucine and Call. Lucine's leg... it didn't look good, to say the least. Raven had to carry her and Call all the way to Mark, just like she had when they were first found. It probably hurt like a b**ch, too. She looked torn up, crying and sobbing, and it knew why.

It still had an appearance akin to a ghost, which meant things weren't getting much better. At the same time, they weren't getting worse either. Call's face was still pale blue, not darkening or lightening up. It was just... there. His breathing sounded as though he had swallowed a frog, his chest heavy. His fingers were still twitching, but not as madly as before. At least they didn't have a purple-tint at the tips.

It could tell he was trying to wake up, but he was failing miserably. Thalia was still unconscious, though, it could tell she was getting close to waking up. Well, at least she was closer than Call. It could suddenly hear him murmur something as the group stopped at the two-story tavern. He had murmured Lucine's name, though, his quiet voice sounded hoarse and squeaky. As soon as he did, Thalia managed to awaken, slowly blinking her eyes open. "Huh...?" she moaned quietly, holding her head in one hand.

The Whisper floated near her, positioning itself in front of her. "Hey, you're okay," it assured, glancing back at the house as a couple people got off of Mark to check it out. It could hear a dwarf's voice from inside, and he sounded way too happy for this kind of environment. It was as if he liked being here. Who in the hell would like being here besides swamp creatures like crocodiles? It was humid, slimy, and disgusting. Dangerous creatures lurked here, and the murky water was almost taunting, as if saying, "Did you really think you were going to get clean water? Ha!"

Thalia looked up, blinking. "Raph...?" she murmured, obviously confused... and worried. She could see the burns all over him, and she didn't like that one bit. "...Okay?" she asked quietly, coughing. The Whisper would leave it up to him to answer that, for it was more focused on what was going on in the house they came to. It caught the scent of candles burning as it came closer, confused. This was honestly something it wasn't expecting to come out of a swamp of all places.

As everyone was taken inside, the Whisper took to following Lucine and Call, watching Raven carry Lucine on her back while the girl held Call in her arms. It contemplated having them taken to one of the private rooms, however, they needed to be treated. Call could be treated with rest in a nice bed, since he was the one with smoke still trapped in his lungs, however, Lucine's leg needed to be taken care of.

It listened to the dwarf as he spoke, saying they were at the center of the world. Well, wasn't that special. They were all special snowflakes now, surely. F**k no! It took that as if it was supposed to be a special thing. They weren't special for nearly being burnt to a crisp and ending up in this murky, depressing swamp, with some people desperately clinging to life, while others clinged to loved ones, as if that would help restore their lives somehow.

It glanced down at Lucine and Call as that thought crossed its mind.

As Thalia was laid against something to rest, watching Raphael go back outside for a moment, she managed to catch sight of her brother in Lucine's arms, gasping quietly. "Callum...?" she murmured weakly, taking in his blueish face and twitching fingers. The Whisper glanced at her for a moment before looking at Raven as she settled down with Lucine and Call on her back, away from the fire so the girl's leg wouldn't burn any further. The Whisper scanned the leg before shaking its head. It would need Alstrixia to treat that, and when it heard the dwarf had some, it perked up and looked at him. It listened as he asked Mark to fix his boat so he could see the... Mage-lights?

"What are the Mage-lights?" it asked. A few seconds after, it held its hand out in front of it, watching as a tendril of Shadow magic swirled around its fingers, as if giving itself some kind of reassurance that they would be alright. At the same time, Shadow magic curled around Call's twitching fingers as well, settling in the palm of his hand and eventually coating the entirety of his hand before slowly fading away. His fingers stopped twitching at that moment. "Thank you for your hospitality, sir. We all appreciate it. Allow me to introduce myself. I am the Whisper, but you can just call me Whisper. I'm technically a mage, but only because he is." It gestured to Call as it said this. "So who are you?" it followed up.

As it spoke, Thalia began to panic, her breathing getting faster and faster as she felt like her heart caught in her throat. She couldn't pretend to be unaware of what was happening to Callum. Before long, she lost consciousness again, fainting just as Raph came back in and let her lean up against him. In her mind, her brother was dying, and perhaps already gone.

Gone.

"Never heard of the- well, now, you can come with me, if the crocodile gives us a lift. The mage-lights is when the ley lines cross at their strongest all the way across the world. It's rare, lucky to get it once in half a century. When the ley lines cross, the world magic sparks, and the lights dance all the way across the sky. In the south they'll be blue and pink, green in the swamps, all sorts higher up. It's all to do with the type of magic, see. Now, I'm not one for current events, but i always keep up with the mage-lights. Last I saw was forty years ago."

He grinned wide as the Whisper asked who he was. "Ah! I'm an old dwarf, living in a swamp. I would have thought as much would be obvious."

The Whisper thought for a moment after the dwarf recommended that it tag along if Mark acted as a boat for him, or them if it decided to go. There were people who needed help here, but at the same time, it would help to get more information. Besides, it didn't want to leave Mark alone. As it glanced around, it assumed that no one else would be going with Mark if it didn't.

Lucine's leg was... well, burnt, and her emotional state wasn't the best. Call's condition spoke for itself, as well as the ghostly appearance the Whisper had, plus, not too long ago, he had been cut open for an operation, covered in scratches and stitches. Raven was keen on staying with the others, taking care of Lucine and Call. Tem was unconscious due to starvation, and June would most likely be wrapped up with taking care of her. Raphael was covered in burns, and as stubborn as he was, wasn't in the right condition to go, and besides, he would probably want to take care of Thalia, who seemed to have fainted of a panic attack. Felicity was probably going to tend to Lucine, since she seemed fond of the half-vampire, and it wasn't like she was going to want to be near the Whisper after... that.

It didn't even need to think about the other soldiers.

It just nodded as the dwarf explained what the mage-lights were, looking rather curious. It wondered if perhaps mages themselves were affected when the world's magic sparked like that. However, its thoughts were narrowed down when the dwarf proceeded to give a seemingly minute, but important detail.

Law I saw was forty years ago.

So this guy had lived in this swamp for that long, perhaps even longer? How was that even possible? Granted, it could see Mark living here for that long, but has this dwarf ever wanted to see the outside world, either again or for the first time? It would need more information, and that was why it needed to go with him. It glanced around at the others for a moment, as if explaining to them what it was going to do through a look alone, before looking back at the dwarf.

"Of course, that much is obvious," it clarified, summoning its cane just for the heck of it. The cane always made it feel better, even if it was just a little. "What I meant to say was, what's your name? And how long have you been here, exactly?"

"You're in the heart of the world, my boy," the dwarf's voice was just as warm but softer after he asked his question. "I can go anywhere from here, see anything, but I like to help out lost wanderers here in my tavern. You wouldn't know me. I don't get involved in my brothers' squabbles. My name is Janus," he said warmly. "I have a niece your friends would know. Now! Let's get you patched up."

He held Thalia gently in a hug close to himself, his hood on his back having been indoors now. The only thing that comforted his shattered soul was knowing she should be fine . . . physically, maybe not mentally. Yet there was no way he knew on how to help her on that, especially since she's unconcious. His head was by hers, the way it was back in the deadly flames. It was as if Raphael could still feel the burning heat of the flames, curling against his feathers.Shuddering slightly at the thought, he tried to focus on the present. Everyone is still alive, none of them are dead, yet, and they should all be fine, he thinks.



Not wanting to morph again, having the fear of being stuck in limbo of the two forms. Which happened once, and he was stuck with this wierd in between look for a week. Hugging her as a human, he had a relaxed look on his face. "Call is going to be fine . . . He's still alive. He'll stay alive. But don't go all faint on me again Thalia . . . You really should take care of yourself better." He knew she probably can't heart him, but just talking to somebody about his thoughts was surprisingly relieving to him. Besides, she might try to stop him after hearing what he's going to say next.



He chuckled slightly, continueing. It's as if once he started, the words wouldn't stop until they all told their sad story. "From the vampire who doesn't even care about himself. But why would I care for myself? I'm not even living. Just here. No purpose, an empty shell. Neverless, at least you'll have a future. One day, all of this will be over, and all of you would be safe and happy. Call wouldn't have to be close to Death so often anymore. Felicity can maybe even reunite with Callidora. Tem and June would probably travel the world and live happily ever after. And you will get to find someone better than me."



"Maybe you'll even have a family one day. Call and Lucine would probably get married, and Whisper could be the groomsman perhaps. That'd be an interesting wedding certainly . . . Have a home, have some kids, have a happy family. Something I can never provide for you, or even just myself . . . another reason I guess I'm going to suicide after this. What else can I do?" He spoke of suicide like it was right. It was his fate afterall.




"Do you still remember when we were at that tavern? I was so surprised someone would be willing to pity me. Didn't know the world still had it in itself. You changed how I saw the world. Yet I guess the problem was still me. But when I realize I saw you differently than I would normally percieve someone, two things came to my mind. One is that I thought I dont' feel things anymore. Second is that I hated myself for feeling that way. Because I know I would want to be with you, but at the same time I dont' want to bring my bad luck to you. I would never want someone as honorable to be stuck with someone as cursed as me."



"I guess I just want to tell you that I love you, before I'm gone, before I never get a chance again. I love you, and there's nothing I can do to stop it. But to kill myself. It'll save you from me. I heard you feel about me the same way the way I do for you . . . While I can't stop myself, I wonder if I should stop you. One tells me that is good news, and perhaps I have found someone who is willing to heal me . . . But another side tells me that I will only be a plague onto you. That such feelings could lead to your doom, which I certainly do not want to see upon you. I know I should stop you from caring about me . . . But I can't bring myself to it. Another proof of the selfish monster I am. " He was more talking to himself really, his voice low enough that only the two of them can hear him talking. Thinking Thalia was unconcious, though he wasn't sure, but he doesn't care anymore. Maybe it'd be good of she knows of how he thinks . . . perhaps she'll repel him then.



"You'll live better without me you know that right? That's why I'm going to suicide after this whole saving the world. I don't think you'll be willingly let go, so I suppose I'll have to get rid of myself. You would say that I'm not a monster. That I'm not empty. That I can't suicide, because others still need me But I'm shattered . . . and no one is here to heal me. Once I die . . . things will get better. You'll forget about me, all of you will. That's how the story should be told. Your happily ever after." He sighed, before dipping himself between memories and the real life.