by SFI » Fri Dec 26, 2014 6:28 pm
Quain’tana gasped when blood drenched the simple dress she wore. The heavy weight of a body was on her. Someone had jumped in front of Sarv’swati’s axe, taking the hit meant to separate the Sarghress from her head. Who would...?
“No!” The voice came not from either of the circles, instead from the closed door. The Sharen tensed, straining against invisible bonds on her limbs that forced her backwards from the two in front of her.
Quain turned as best she could, looking at the body that had slid down from her back: a Vlozress in an orange dress, wearing no armour. Her eyes widened at the hair of the new-comer: pitch-black, reaching to well beyond her behind.
She was stopped from having her thoughts go places when the door was forced open, a mass of flesh charging well into the room with his momentum. Two forms engaged the guards, one wearing gold, the other red. Long orange hair flowed behind the red-clad woman as she rushed the Sharen to the left of the door.
She needn’t have bothered: he fell half-death to the ground as blood flowed from his facial openings. The work of an Empath.
“Ash...” The Sarghress whispered as the Sullisin’rune marched forward, followed by three others. She recognized Sil’lice readily, but it took her a few moments to tell who the other two were. Above her Valla’drielle hissed, Kharla’ggen ignoring the Ssu in favour of steadily forcing the second Sharen-sister down to her knees. Red eyes burned in the cover of the helmet, one hand outstretched.
Ariel completely ignored the shock in her mother’s eyes, falling to the ground beside the black-haired woman. She started frantically whispering as others followed them. A Kyorl’solenurn and Vloz’ress fell to their knees at her side, worry permeating the air around them.
The Berserker smashed down part of the lower circle, allowing the rest to easily pour inside.
“What...?” Quain looked at the group that had apparently come to her rescue, forming a protective circle around her bound form even as the rest of the people were trying to recover from their surprise.
“You didn’t think we’d leave you here?” Koil’dorath demanded, crouching down to see if she could open the chains.
“You’ll change nothing with this.” Sarv’swati hissed, forced to kneel under Kharla’ggen’s furious eyes.
“We’ll change a great deal.” Ash’waren countered, the armour on her skin feeling alien. “For one thing, you’ll not leave this place alive.”
“You underestimate your opposition.” Odelia’sigismunde had recovered, rising from her seat.
“Odelia, stand down.” A sharp order carried by a voice filled with pain as her owner got hoisted up by two youngsters. Waes’soloth’s back was impenetrable shadows, her form trembling as she strained to repair the damage done by the Sharen’s axe. Chiri kludged her sealing-gem, ready to drain away nether should it be needed. Her red eyes fixed on the dark-blue ones of the woman standing at the Beldrobbaen-seat. “This is the business of the Council, not a Warmaster.”
The silence was deafening, even as the Beldrobbaen pulled herself free from her supports sharply, pushing her bloodied hair back in frustration. She was breathing heavily as she joined Ash’waren and Sil’lice, almost meekly followed by Ariel. The sound of her hair smashing the chains holding Quain down was like an explosion, her face showing a faint hint of distaste.
“Waes’soloth...” Quain’tana slowly rose to her feet, eyes travelling erratically over the other’s body. Blood still dripped down from the half-healed wound on her back.
It seemed almost concerned, the way Kharla’ggen stepped just a bit closer to the Beldrobbaen. Her armoured hand slipping in the bloodied one was a far more certain signal.
“Quain’tana.” The voice sounded even, too even. Blood-red eyes met purple like nothing stood between them. “It is a relief to see you are still well.” A relief not conveyed by her voice.
“It’s a surprise you are alive.” The Sarghress voiced the opinions of just about everyone present. “What happened to you?”
“Sarv’swati.” Ariel spoke up, resting her halberd on the ground as she stood at Waes’soloth’s other side. “As I have been claiming ever since this mess began.”
“And Sarv’swati’s daughter.” The Kyorl’solenurn added, her grip on the sealing-gem white-knuckled.
“And then Sarv’swati herself again.” The young Vloz’ress – only now did she realize it was Kharla’ggen’s sister – added, leaning against the Berserker half-bored. “So yeah, Sarvsie might get kinda skrewed over here.” She looked up, to where Chrystel stood at her mother’s side. “By the big pile of Tiki-shit she dug herself into. Told ya Waes could not get killed by a fucking Sarg-patrol.”
“It is rather concerning your clan was the only one to realize that.” Waes’soloth dryly stated, hair writhing in the air behind her. “Kill her.”
Flesh shifted, transformed into something it was never meant to be. The still considerable aura of Diva’ratrika’s second daughter was devoured, added to the ocean surrounding the young Vloz’ress Ill’haress.