Dark Dreams (Closed for Lucien Devine)

[Ambrosia_64]

(Bit of reuse here.)

In a cavern on the outskirts of a frozen wasteland, deep within the earth and far from the kingdom of Rionheart, a large boulder in the back of a cavern blocked what appeared to be a small tunneled entrance to an underground lake. Old, rusted armor pieces were scattered along the way, no longer of use to anyone, deposited strangely. It was as if they had simply fallen off their wearer as he or she walked. A circular shield bore a faded image of a lion rearing up in a bed of roses and thorns.

Once through the tunnel, past the odd disarray of armor, one could see the untouched beauty of the lake. The dazzling, icy water reflected light across the walls, a shimmering sword sheathed in the rock at one side, the clear glass orb on the end of the pommel reflecting that shimmering light. The sword could scarcely be lifted from the rock-it seemed impossibly heavy, strange yet pretty elven scroll work down the length of the blade. It was a beautiful weapon.

Not far from it, visible in the crystal clear water of the lake-one might be startled to see what appeared to be a woman caught in stone, her serene face just beneath the shallow surface. The owner of the sword perhaps? She looked for all the world as if she were merely resting.

The rock had somehow grown around her slender form, a solid band of it across her slender waist, branching so that it also crossed over one shoulder to trap her against the slab of stone on the lake bottom. Her arms rested lightly on the stone across her chest, almost as if it were a blanket. The hem of her light blue, simple silk dress fluttering lightly around her ankles and bare feet. What magic was this?

She was beautiful, muted skin and fringed lashes, her small nose and full lips, the prominent cheek bones and the slightest, barest hints of points to her ears lending to the notion she was of elven ancestry, even if she herself were not full blooded. A silvery inked tattoo delicately curved around one almond shaped eye, the curves and curly cues seeming exotic all their own. Dark, midnight hued tresses framed her face, the loose braid flowing with the small currents.

The sight was mesmerizing. One could almost imagine her alive...

Who was this woman, and what magic resided in the sword? Was this a strange burial or a curse? A means of preservation...? And...was she alive?

 

[LucianDevine]

"There...we...go!" Zeke said and finally exclaimed to himself as he slowly pushed against the sturdy metal rod that was wedged between a giant boulder and a rock wall. His violet eyes were were practically red now, turned so by the fiery power of his will. His disheveled black hair was sweaty and greasy as it clung to his forehead His aching, bruised, and bleeding body protested the effort, but he pushed on with a determination that defied all logic, literally. He had no idea what exactly was behind this boulder, but he knew that he had to find out.

The dreams, though they were better classified as nightmares, had started a little over two years ago. Zeke had dreamed about this place. They had starting first with nightmarish creatures he'd had to defeat just to get access to this boulder, then the path that he just knew was behind it, the wide, pitch-black, and trap-ridden corridor, and finally the cavernous opening in the frozen wasteland. Though it was the revealing of the wasteland entrance that had given him the last bit of evidence he'd needed to start looking, it was the thing he'd seen a the end of the tunnel behind the boulder that had fueled this journey, and the maddening wanderlust that had led up to it. Maddening was sadly the only way to describe the nightmares, because no matter how much the images and feelings he saw prevented him from getting a good nights sleep, the desire to find this place fueled his beleaguered body.

It was desire, and that desire alone that gave Zeke the final bit of strength that was necessary to wedge the boulder free and push it far enough away wall for him to slide between them.

Though the nightmares had kept him from so very many a good nights sleep, they had also revealed every bit of the nightmarish scenario he'd had to traverse to get this far. This was just about as far as they had gone, though. Sometimes they'd ended here, and sometimes they'd ended with a beautifully crafted blade, clearly of elven design cutting through the darkness. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a sun stone, a small fist-sized rock that, after he spoke the key word, started to shine it's own light, getting brighter until it was like a small torch. He kept one hand along the wall as he walked slowly forward, his excitement growing with each step he took. Whatever he was searching for was just ahead of him. He kept walking until he saw the outline of a door in front of him. With no other option available to him, he let his hand rest against the door. He let his hand rest against the door for a few moments until he felt a soft rumble from the door. Moments after that it started to glow and retract into one of the side walls. Neither the light of his sun stone or the door itself pierced the blackness beyond the door, not until it had fully retracted, though. The second a soft thud came from inside the wall, the whole room was engulfed with light.

Zeke cried out involuntarily at the sudden brightness and lifted his other hand to shield his eyes. It took almost a minute for his eyes to adjust to the brightness, and even when it did, he could hardly believe what he was seeing. The first thing he saw was a lake whose waters seemed to glow with a light all their own. The next thing he saw was a strange rock-like thing protruding from the lake. It was then that the wanderlust kicked in once more, and literally pulled him towards the lake. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw as he neared the lake, though. It was a woman seemingly hovering just below the surface. The mere sight of her flawlessly beautiful form so perfectly suspended literally took his breath away.

She was beautiful, muted skin and fringed lashes, her small nose and full lips, the prominent cheek bones and the slightest, barest hints of points to her ears lending to the notion she was of elven ancestry, even if she herself were not full blooded. A silvery inked tattoo delicately curved around one almond shaped eye, the curves and curly cues seeming exotic all their own. Dark, midnight hued tresses framed her face, the loose braid flowing with the small currents. Her arms were crossed over her chest, seeming to hold a strange rock-like formation that seemed to grow out of the bottom of the lake and wrap around her body. The only barrier between her beautifully delicate form and the rock-like formation was a simple light blue dress. The final thing that drew his gaze was her dark midnight-hued hair that framed her fair while a single braid flowed endlessly within the soft current.

It was only after he fully surveyed the woman and her circumstances that Zeke forced himself to study the rest of his surroundings. His gaze was then towards a rock formation near the lake. The rock formation itself wasn't overly spectacular, except that it appeared to be the same type of rock that was holding the elven woman on the bottom of the lake. The thing that stood out, though, was the sword that was sticking it out of it. Even as he walked towards it, he knew that it was the same sword he'd seen for the past two years in his dreams.

Zeke was drawn to that rock and the sword like a moth to a flame. His hand dropped the sun stone it held without him even thinking about it. He reached for the hilt without a second thought, and actually jumped when e felt a slight tingle go through his hands as he grasped the hilt. His gaze was drawn to the clear glass orb on the end of the pommel as he tried to lift the sword. With the surreal way that everything had flowed up to this point, he found himself genuinely shocked when the sword didn't slide effortlessly from the stone. Not only was it not effortless, but downright difficult. He actually had to brace himself against the rock and strain his muscles almost to the point of tearing before he felt the sword finally start to lift. He kept straining until he finally saw the full of the blade that he knew by heart. Only then did he let himself relax in the slightest bit.

The carrying of the sword was only just easier than pulling it out of the stone. Every step was a struggle, but each step still got just a bit easier the closer he got to the lake. His reasoning was simple. If the sword had pierced the stone it was resting in, then it could certainly break the stones that held the woman captive. The was no room for hesitation as he stepped into the lake and approached the woman. When at last he stood before the woman, the sword felt almost as light as it should have. He gently eased the woman's arms off of her chest to rest in the water before moving the sword around to take aim at the center of the stone, where the part that moved over and around her shoulder met the part wrapped around her waist. Only now, when the woman's potential life hung in the balanced did Zeke finally hesitate, but only for a second. He lifted the sword up, and kept his gaze locked on his target before he finally brought the sword down with all of his considerable might!

Zeke's aim was strong and true, striking right where he intended. Sparks lifted in every direction when the blade struck it's target, and when they cleared, almost with a tiny hint of smoke, he saw that the entirety of the stone on top of her had shattered. With that part gone, the rest of the seemingly singular stone seemed to retreat back into the ground, leaving he woman free to float to the top.

Without a second thought, though, Zeke tossed the sword towards the lakeside and reached towards the woman. The pain his body had been all but forgotten, but with the first touch of the water on his bare hands, he felt the renewed surge of it, but only because of it was followed by the soothing feel of the cold water. It seemed to creep up the full of his arms and down into his very heart, even where he wasn't submerged. He felt a tingly feeling when he started to lift the woman out of he water, similar to the feeling he had when he held the sword. He cradled her against his chest like a precious piece of cargo as he turned to wade back out of the lake. He then lowered her carefully to the ground so that he could check on her condition while still hoping that she was alive and that the past two years of hell hadn't been for nothing!

 

[Ambrosia_64]

Lifted as such, the water ran in rivets down her face, lips, arms and legs as he held her close, moving towards shore. There was a warmth to her, a pulse beneath his fingertips. Unlike her sword, the woman was not very heavy. She was rather lithe bodied, muscle tone visible now that the dress clung to her, and of unaverage height.


The pulse quickened, revitalizing her inert form, a soft sigh slipping past her lips as her eyes moved behind the lids, a stretch of her long legs and a deep breath as if she had been holding it for fifty years, fringed lashes lifting to reveal dazzling grey eyes, striations of white and silver in the irises. She had a sleepy, dreaming expression before her hand came up to softly press against his chest, a puzzled bit of confusion flitting across her features. Then her eyes widened with a start, the woman sitting up rather suddenly, her delicate fingers curling against his chest, gripping his attire as she turned a warrior's practiced gaze around the room. "The shadow-" She said urgently, her belle like, beautiful voice barely above a whisper, holding fast to his chest, her other hand reaching for the loop sewn into her dress just below her hip-but there was no sword, nor was there armor.

She tried to remember what had happened, where she was-but it brought a searing headache, dimly recalling a heavy, oppressive darkness before icy, empty sleep. She was soaked, and wondered if she had somehow fallen into the water. Her eyes flicked back to the unknown man. Had he plucked her from the lake, saved her from drowning? How deep below the earth were they?

"Who may I ask good sir, are you?" She inquired, loosening her hold on him to stand, and even soaking wet she was graceful, ladylike, standing before him in her slickened gown. She was five foot eight, in the very least. "And...how have we come to be here?"

 

[LucianDevine]

Despite how undeniably beautiful the woman was, Zeke's gaze had remained locked on her face from the moment he'd lifted her out of the water. He had no idea who this woman was, and yet he found himself holding his breath, his entire being wrought with anxiety about her well-being.

Zeke's entire body relaxed when he heard the woman's soft sigh. He finally let out the breath he'd been holding when he saw her eyes starting to move behind closed lids. He saw her start to stretch her long legs out of the corner of his eye, but his gaze, which had faded back to it's normal violet color, was still fixed on her face. A small smile came to his lips when her eyelids lifted to reveal a dazzling pair of grey eyes with subtle striations of white and silver.

The woman had a sleepy look on her face, making him wonder how long she'd been down there. He remained still when she pressed her hand against his chest as her eyes filled with confusion. When she suddenly made to sit up, he moved back as far as he could, giving her room despite the tight grip she had on the front of his cloak. He heard her utter the two words with her soft, young, and beautifully melodic voice, but it was more nonsense to him than anything else. The part that he did understand, though, was the way her other hand reached for her side, clearly reaching for a weapon.

Zeke's head jerked upwards when he realized that the sword he'd used to cut the stone was probably her sword. "Your sword?" He said as he turned and pointed to the sword laying on the sand just a few feet away from them.

It was hard to not be impressed with the poise and grace the woman showed as she slowly rose to her feet, despite the blue dress that clung to her body. Zeke moved one hand to her lower back, helping support her in case she needed it. When the two of them were standing he once again stepped back as far as h was able, despite her hand on his chest.

"My name is Zeke, ma'am, Zeke Durran." He said in a soft baritone voice as he led her to the sword he'd pointed to before. When she knelt down to pick it up, she showed the same grace and poise she'd reflected when she stood up. He took that brief bit of time that she was distracted to unclasp his black cloak and slide it off his shoulders. Beneath it he wore a simple black leather breastplate. "I am not sure how you came to be here, ma'am..." He started as he offered his cloak to her. "...but an unknown compulsion dating back just over two years is what eventually led me to the cavern entrance at the base of the mountain that we are likely underneath right now."

 

[Ambrosia_64]

"I thank you, honorable Zeke Durran." Adeline inclined her head in gratitude.

She lifted the sword effortlessly, testing the weight and feel of it before smiling with no small sense of relief. She was much comforted to have it in hand again.

She slipped the blade into the loop sewn on the right side of her dress, accepting his cloak gratefully. She was very cold, but would have never complained of it.

Clasping it around her own shoulders as he spoke, Adeline considered his words carefully, her eyes drifting around the cavern.

"A compulsion...?" She did not quite know what to make of that. "While it was to my fortune it did, it is strange that it has led you to me..." She realized she had yet to introduce herself.

"My sincerest apology, sir-my name is Lady Adeline of Rionheart. I was on a quest for my king when I..." A shadow of confusion passed over her face, her eyes drawn back to the lake.

"...seemed to have been overcome." She needed to sit down and try to remember what had happened, later. For now, she was curious of her new companion.

"Are you still yet compelled sir Durran? To where do you intend to go next?"

 

[LucianDevine]

Zeke found himself genuinely curious as he watched Adeline walk over her sword and reach to pick it up. It was hard to not be at least a little surprised when she picked it up and hefted it with ease. He was about to ask her about that when she introduced herself and talked briefly about how she had ended up in this place. Her final question pulled a soft sigh from him, and he actually turned for her, but only so long as to walk back towards the rock her sword had been plunged into and lean sit down on it.

"Zeke please...just Zeke Lady Adeline." Zeke said in a low but audible voice, addressing her as one would address a noble, which she likely was from her title. "I am no knight, you see, though not from lack of offers. I am, or at least was a champion gladiator." Zeke let out another soft sigh before finally lifting his violet gaze to meet Adeline's grey one. "The compulsions started when I first started having the dream, or rather the nightmare. It was the same thing, night after night, showing me bits and pieces of everything you'll eventually see outside this room. In addition to what I saw, I felt...a presence of sorts, an evil presence that felt like it wanted to smother me. It would everything except this room. When I was walking down the final hallway, the black presence would threaten to overtake me, only to split wide by a sword...your sword. I expected to find it here, but not you."

Zeke pushed himself off of the rock and walked back to the edge of the lake. "In the arena, I was known, famous even, for my poise, control, and skill. The dreams took all that away, though, bit by bit. They robbed me of my sleep and drove me literally to the brink of madness. For an entire year the dreams showed me everything beneath this mountain, but never the mountain itself or the entrance to the catacombs. The desire to find this place was so insatiably strong, that I started to lose myself in it. I became more like a monster in the arena after a while, hacking away at everything that moved without even a hint of skill or tact. It wasn't until the dreams finally showed me the mountain itself, namely the entrance that I finally resigned myself to search for it." Zeke was more or less staring off into nothingness as he spoke. The madness let up once I finally left, but the dreams didn't. I even had one last night..."

When Zeke finally forced himself to face Adeline once more, his face was one serious, even as his eyes reflected pure determination. "I know it sounds crazy Lady Adeline, but I swear it's the truth. As much as I hated that compulsion before, now I do find myself missing it, because I don't know what to do next or where to go."

 

[Ambrosia_64]

Ah. A fighter for coin.

She listened to his story, her graceful face open and kind-though the slightest of worry did flicker through her eyes as he mentioned the smothering presence. "You dreamed of my sword?" Adeline inquired thoughtfully, considering her blade. How very odd-she was searching for an artifact, and he had dreamed of one in the form of her family's heirloom.

Adeline gracefully moved towards the opening of the cavern, stepping carefully around the littered pieces of rusted armor. She paused, staring down at a familiar looking pauldron...

Bending at the waist to lift it from the cavern floor, she frowned, touching at the once beautiful filigree. So ancient looking...had the dark evil corroded the armor as she fought against it? "This...is my armor...." She murmured before a flash of pain darted across her features.

She let it slip from her hands with a clatter, touching her temples with a slight grimace. She needed fresh air. She needed to leave this place.

"Zeke. If you are in need of a new quest, you are welcome to accompany me on mine. I fear I must abandon my search for now...and report to my liege. Your testimony of your dream might be useful to his diviners. If nothing else, I am sure he will reward you for rescuing me."

Her beautiful grey eyes lit on him once more. "I traveled here alone. Perhaps company on my return journey will make the ride more pleasant."

 

[LucianDevine]

"Heh, after two years of dreaming nearly the exact same thing, I can say with certainty that it was that sword, your sword, that I saw." Zeke replied softly to Adeline's inquiry.

When he saw Adeline turn to head towards the entrance to the cavern, Zeke moved to follow, wanting to warn her of what she was going to see out there. IT wasn't hard to catch up to her, though, because she stopped and looked at one of the rusted pieces of armor that were scattered about. He stepped up beside her, wondering if she saw something familiar or out of place.

"How is that possible?" Zeke started before Adeline let the armor fall from her and to clatter to the ground, the sound seeming almost deafening in comparison to the near-silence that preceded it. "It takes decades for metal to rust like that, and your sword is in pristine condition. It just...doesn't make sense...none of this does."

"What were you searching for Lady Adeline? Do you remember anything about the place you were in when you were overcome, or what manner of creatures might have done it?"

Zeke wanted to answer Adeline's question, but his mind was overflowing with questions of his own. He was trying hard not to overwhelm her with them, but that task was not as easy as he would have liked.

 

[Ambrosia_64]

Her resolve for fresh air faltered in the face of Zeke's very pertinent questions. "The sword of songs is magic." She answered slowly, her eyes having lowered back to the rusted armor, trying to work things out much as he was.

"It existed long before me, and I suspect will exist long after. Whatever foul magic rusted the armor must not have been able to touch the sword."

Magic must have ruined the armor, she concluded more firmly this time. There were destructive alteration magicks that could have done so, no doubt after...after? What had happened to her? She remembered her sword being wrested away, the struggle in the dark.

"The artifact is a scepter of some kind...it bears an emblem of the sun cast in bronze. King Roland believed it carried untold protection magicks. He desired it greatly and would send no one else." Adeline's serene face began to once again look troubled.

"All I remember is a great, oppressive darkness. The maliciousness of this magic was..." Her eyes were far away, slightly widened. "I...my sword was... "

She swayed a little, a shake of her head. "I am sorry. I cannot recall much of what happened. I fought alone for days Zeke. Days on the dark." Her hand grasped the hilt of her sword, finding comfort in it's presence. Keeping composure was proving difficult, even for one such as her.

"Please. I must leave this place. Come with me if you wish it, but I must not remain here, not if I am to recall what has happened to me." A last, troubled glance to the lake.

And then to the man tormented by dreams of her blade. "I am weakened but capable. Let us go."

 

[LucianDevine]

Zeke could hear the urgency in Adeline's voice as she answered his questions, and while he had more, he simply nodded in response to her answers and moved to take the lead, bending down to pick up his previously discarded sun stone as he did so.

"I understand Lady Adeline, and I am sorry to have delayed you." Zeke started as he led the way through the door and down the hidden passageway back towards the boulder that had once blocked it. He saw that the sun stones he'd used in this room earlier were flickering, but still giving off a bit of light.

"I only asked, because the creatures I had to fight to get this far can be...unsettling to look upon at first." Zeke left it at that as he slid between the rock and the wall once more, turning to wait for Adeline before he moved through he room.

There were twelve creatures in total, each standing eight feet tall with scales as black as death. Their claws and teeth were a shade or two lighter, but as long and sharp as daggers. They each had four arms, or at least did before he'd cut a few of them off. The floor was littered with jagged and cruel-looking weapons that seemed to be made of polished obsidian. The constant flickering of the light from the stones gave the room an even more unsettling ambiance than it already had.

"They were impervious to everything I tried..."Zeke started as he led the way across the room. "Their only weakness seemed to be their own blades. The handles can be held...but the blades continued to burn the skin long after the initial cut. Decapitation was the only thing that finally felled them." Zeke's last comment came as they passed one of the severed lizard-like head, it's red eyes still open and staring lifelessly forward.

When the pair reached the cavernous entrance at the far side of the room there was nothing but darkness except for the sun stone he held. HE held that stone as far from him as his arm would reach, his violet gaze staring intently forward as he let his left hand trace along the wall. When he saw the walls on either side of them give way, he stopped once more. He turned to Adeline once more and passed the sun stone to her. He then pulled a handful of them from his backpack. He spoke the keyword for each of them before tossing them one-by-one into the dark room before them. When he was done, the large empty room was illuminated. The only thing of note was a crudely drawn path of sorts zigzagging back and forth and around the room."Whatever you do, do not step outside the lines..." Zeke started as he took his first step along the path. "...I didn't know what kind of condition I'd be in coming back, so I used chalk to mark the way. Everything but the path triggers various traps.

 

[Ambrosia_64]

Zeke was correct-the creatures were very unsettling. If she had fought them herself, she did not remember. They were very large, ugly humanoid beings-Adeline marveled that Zeke had killed so many alone.

She paused to frown at an obsidian blade, the sword prickling something in her memory-but then he spoke, and she waved the thought away.

"You battled fiercely to get to my resting place. I know you expected only my sword, but I am grateful to you all the same. Thank you." She said softly as she followed him carefully down the path and into the next room-where even more of the creatures, smaller versions lay in various states of dead.

They moved through the room, Adeline feeling herself growing tired, a little drained. She felt guilty for this-Zeke was the one who must be exhausted, not her.

It took her several moments to realize a dark, thick black smoke was moving along the floor of the cavern, had just reached their feet. An alarmed hand against Zeke's back. "The dark-look, it's returning!" She ushered him forward with no small sense of urgency. "Quickly, please Zeke-" Adeline had drawn her sword, half turned towards the cloud of black rising behind them. The orb in the sword displayed a dancing white smoke.

 

[LucianDevine]

"Heh, truthfully I can't truly say that I even expected that much. The dreams were as much an answer to a prayer of sorts as they were their own uniquely maddening curse. I'm just glad that some good came out of these past two years."

The sudden feel of Adeline's hand on his back caused Zeke to hesitate, and her words made him turn around. He saw a black smoke creeping across the floor of the cavern, and with everything else in this damn place being deadly, he had no doubt that it was too.

"Damn this place to hell!" Zeke cursed out loud as he surged forward to catch up with Adeline. His right hand caught her left one as his left hand traced along the wall. The tunnel ahead was pitch black, but would lead them outside, but only if they managed to navigate it before they were swallowed up by the same smoke that had likely put Adeline to sleep in the first place.

As the pair fled, Zeke dared only a couple of glances backwards, noting the way the orb at the base of Adeline's sword glowed with dancing white smoke. It was the only source of light in the darkness, and as much as he wanted it to lead the way, it seemed able to hold back, or at least slow the smoke that literally seemed to be chasing them.

The tunnel seemed infinitely longer than Zeke remembered it being on the way in. Maybe it was the smoke behind them, but the walls felt like they were closing in, the darkness threatening to smother them. Soon his entire body was drenched with sweat, and his breathing reduced to ragged panting. If not for the life line that was Adeline's hand clutched tightly within his own, he wasn't sure how much farther he would be able to make it. But for and with her, a realization that surprised him, he felt able to do anything, even this!

The dark magic that surrounded the cavern was so complete, that even when the beleaguered pair was getting close to the entrance, they didn't know it. The magic kept the sun's rays from reaching them, and formed a literal barrier that Zeke crashed into. "What...what is this?!" Zeke shouted to nobody as he banged his bare fist against the barrier. Zeke didn't bother to turn around, because he knew that the smoke was behind them. He could feel it there, could feel it closing in. He felt himself getting tired, and his eyes started to droop. He fought against it as best he could, but after everything he'd been through, he had no more strength with which to fight. He sagged slowly to his knees, with only the feel of Adeline's hand keeping him conscious.

 

[Ambrosia_64]

The Lady had no such expletives to utter-but she too was feeling frustrated with this place.

He was pulling her along and Adeline moved with him, collecting her strength as best she could in the face of the oppressive malicious magic. She needed to concentrate. She needed to gather her weakened resources, did not dare open herself up for the full force of the evil presence before she could banish it.

It was weaker than before. She could tell this immediately. Weak, and weary. Had she worn it down so very far before it overwhelmed her?

She felt him stop suddenly, confusion and frustration in his voice as he beat his fists into...nothing. Adeline felt him sink down beside her, her hand leaving his, following up his arm and to his shoulder. "An illusion." Her beautiful voice cut through the dark and the exhaustion tugging at his senses-yet another lifeline. Her graceful fingers gripped his shoulder tightly but not painfully, as if she were keeping firm track of him. She had bent her graceful form to speak to him.

"Be at peace." She whispered as the magic pressed in around them, the full force of it seeming to be just barely held back by the strange, calming presence of the paladin. "We will not be overcome." Her words were oddly soothing. "Not today."

Adeline tightened her grip on her sword and straightened, the magic spiraling down her arm. Bursting forth beneath her fingertips to flare along the blade itself as the orb shone brightly with white, she thrust it skyward.

"NOT TODAY!" A warm, bright wash of light exploded outward from the holy blade and washed over the both of them, filling the cavern tunnel they were in with holy magic, beating back the black, forcing it back into the rock, dormant, vengeful-but held at bay.

It was an invigorating feeling, would rouse Zeke at once.

Adeline wavered, but the path was clear-they could flee.

 

[LucianDevine]

Weakness was not something that Zeke was used to feeling. He'd always been stronger and faster than his peers, for reasons that he never quite understood. And yet he could still feel the weakness pulling at him. Something about the darkness and the fog was sapping his strength.

The loss of Adeline's hand in his own sent a brief surge of fear and anxiety through Zeke's heart, but the feel of her hand on his arm and eventually his shoulder helped steady him. He heard her voice, even if he couldn't make out the words at first It was taking everything in him, as well as the support she was offering, just to stay conscious.

When Zeke saw light starting to penetrate the darkness out of his eye, he turned to see what it was. Adeline had spoke of the magic within her blade, but he was far from knowledgeable about such things. There could be no doubt after what he saw, though. He saw the orb shined brighter before the entire blade of her sword was shrouded in bright light. Seconds later Adeline thrusted the blade in he air and called out, clearing calling on the magic since it all but exploded outwards.

Despite the sudden brightness of the light, it was somehow not blinding. It was quite the opposite really. The light calmed and invigorated Zeke, giving him the strength he needed to stand up once more.

Though Zeke knew that Adeline wouldn't admit it, he see the effect her efforts had taken on her. Just as he'd done with his cloak, he acted without bothering to ask for permission. He moved to her side and wrapped out of his arms around her, lifting her arm over his shoulder as the two walked slowly out of the cave. He didn't know what awaited them next, but anything had to be better than this nightmare of a cave.

 

[Ambrosia_64]

Into the daylight at last. "Forgive me, I am...I am not myself, it seems." Adeline apologized weakly, moving to free herself from him a moment, needing air.

Just...just to breathe. It felt as if she'd been holding it for a long time-head tipped slightly back, eyes closed, Adeline drew in the fresh air gratefully, the sun warming her face, the facial tattoo shimmering in the light.

When she opened her eyes, she looked across the landscape, turning in place to see what all she could see.

"Hm. Little of this is familiar, save these stones. " She gave a quiet whistle, a call of a some kind-and waited. She did not seem surprised, but no less saddened. "My horse...." He had said he dreamed for two years. Had she been...? She must return home at once.

"You are alright Zeke? I am afraid to linger here, while weakened. We must press on."

 

[LucianDevine]

"There is nothing to forgive Lady Adeline, not after what we've just been through." Zeke said as he reluctantly let her free herself from his support. He couldn't help but admire her...everything in the light of the sun. She seemed to radiate her own light, independent of the sun's rays, especially the silver tattoo that curved around one eye.

Adeline's words, when they came, were sadly not much of a surprise. If he'd been having his dreams for two years, god only knew how long she'd been here. The thought was a frightening one to be sure. Zeke's head lifted up when he heard the soft whistle that she let out, and though he had a feeling what it was, he waited for her words to confirm it. "I am sorry for your loss Lady Adeline..." Zeke said softly.

"Yes Lady Adeline, I am fine." He responded to her final statement. "Whatever magic you did back there restored my strength, at least a little anyway." With that said, it was Zeke's turn to whistle. He gave a loud and shrill whistle. An answering neigh of a horse answered the call, and the sound of galloping hooves soon followed. A pure black stallion made it's way around one of the large rock formations and galloped towards them. Zeke stepped towards the creature, glad to see him. The last thing he wanted to have to do, was walk the whole way to the nearest town

Zeke's hand reached for the reigns while his other slid up the noble beasts nose. "I know that time is of the essence. It would naturally be faster if we both rode Shadow, but I can walk while you ride if you'd prefer." Zeke had a feeling what Adeline would say, but he didn't want to force something on her, even something as simple as riding double on a horse.