A meeting of faith (Malia)

[Vidick]

Timestamp: 81st of Summer, 511 AV Location: Undercavern Vidick was not enjoying his stay in Spires so far. He had to keep his robe completely covering his chest and he had to wear his padded shirt as the weather was a little colder to what he was used to. Though he was not a big fan of the whole forest and tree setting he did find one place in this village that he found some interest in. Currently he was in the undercavern, it seemed a lot more to his tastes and was more soothing to him. The lighting was pretty dim which he preffered over the large amount of sunlight that there was outside. So far he really doubted that he was going to find anyone of interest in this sickening village. He was glad there were not many people down here. He saw a couple of jamoura and even fewer of other races so he was pretty much alone with how far he had gone into the cavern. If you watched Vidick closely you would see that he is very jittery. He had not been around a dead body in a long time and it was starting to get to him. He had lost the scent and now smelled only of the forest and dirt. Vidick was feeling very thirtsy so he slowly dipped his hands in the river which he was sitting beside, probably plotting what he should do next, then brought his hands back to his face and drank the water. The water tasted of many minerals so it wasn't the most pleasant thing ever but it was still water.

[Malia]

OOCSorry for the horrible delay.

After her first visit, the Nuit was drawn to the Undercavern more and more. The city under the city was what she had come for in the first place. It was a natural consequence of her discovery that she had to explore every corner of it and take with her as much as possible. Information and experience. One never knew what would come in handy in the future.

Wearing her usual traveling attire, topped by the dark hooded cloak, she wandered through the twilit area. The whisper of flowing water came from somewhere ahead of her. Following it, she adjusted the black scarf around her neck and brushed strands of blood red hair out of her face. It was dark enough down here; she didn’t want to stumble upon unpleasant surprises.

After circling some ferns, however, she did discover a surprise. Whether it was unpleasant or not, that was still to be determined. At first sight it looked harmless. A wrinkled, short man kneeling by the river, tasting the water. Probably middle-aged. Sinister figure. Malia’s steps didn’t waver. Instead she approached him and stopped with three or four feet still between them. She kept away from the water, knowing what it could do to her rotting body.

She didn’t speak, not yet. She only observed him out of black eyes. A glow of dark red was in them, adding some sort of wicked attitude that she didn’t really possess.

Despite her apparent curiosity, she sensed something in the man’s movements and appearance that disturbed her. His skin seemed to shine pale and blue in the twilight and something about the wrinkles and his facial features in general didn’t seem quite right.

The Nuit waited, cloak covering her entire body. Her skin was pale as well, yet face powder hid the bags under her eyes and added a fresh quality to her face. She looked and moved like a human. A bit too slow maybe. A little too patient for a pulser.

[Vidick]

Now that his thirst was quenched Vidick felt slightly better. It was times like this when he envied his undead peers even more. Not needing sustenance while his current body required constant nourishing like the earthy water he just had to ingest. Though before he could get caught up in his own thoughts he heard a noise that seemed pretty close to him. It wasn't that hard to notice because of the quietness of the area, though the footsteps he heard were definitely lighter than most. Quickly he turned around to the unexpected presence. What he saw before his amber eyes was a cloaked woman with red hair. Because of the dim light it was hard to see every detail but Vidick could tell something was different about this woman than most. She gave off a more familiar presence than he was used to but he couldn't tell exactly what it was. He then got up from the kneeling position that he was previously in over the stream and gave the woman a look of questioning, trying to figure out what it was about her than he had seen before. Though she might see a more intimidating look that is wans't purposefully given. From what he could tell it didn't seem like the woman was going to be the first one to start a conversation. Vidick didn't mind though, he wanted to find out what was nagging at him about her. He figured he would play it nice for now. You never want to leave a bad impression on someone if you don't know whether they are a potential ally or enemy unless you know more about them. He figured me fight as well start off with some small talk and see where that leads to. "So what brings you here this day? It doesn't seem like the kind of environment someone such as yourself would like to be in." He said with a dark sounding voice.

[Malia]

The pulser looked curious, eyeing her up and down. It wasn’t the usual sort of curiosity for a random stranger though; it was something he tried to figure out but couldn’t quite place. Malia watched him watch her and found it strange. Most pulsers bored her.

When he addressed her, she took a few steps into his direction. Talking would be easier if they didn’t have to raise their voices. It was silent all around them, but Malia wasn’t particularly keen on attracting the attention of whatever lived down here. As for his questions... the words of a pulser. Not interesting in the slightest. “Appearances can be deceiving. Business brings me here, and you. Are you sick, or cursed by the Gods? Are you looking for something?” Her voice didn’t go up at the end of each question, was completely monotone. As if she was reading a scientific treatise from a scroll.

Nevertheless, although the pulser’s behavior didn’t catch her interest, his appearance did. With the pale skin, with the sick looks, he should’ve been an undead, a rotting corpse, not a pulser! Still, he had drunk from the water which indicated a mortal body.

And the most important detail: Something about him was familiar. Still... appearances can be deceiving. It might be a riddle.

[Vidick]

Even within the darkness Vidick was able to notice how this woman seemed more distant than others. It seemed that she didn't see things the same way a normal person would. The constant nagging at what seemed familiar about the woman was still there. If there was better lightning in the area he could probably see what was. While he was still waiting for a response she began to walk closer which was probably a good decision. It would be bad if something of importance was discussed and someone else overheard. Though he welcomed the chance to get a closer look at the red head, he was still cautious as he still didn't know exactly what she was. While she was taking the few steps forward his eyes would dart to different parts of the woman's body as to make she didn't try something. As she talked about appearences he couldn't help but agree. Vidick had seem some strange things in the past and for all he knew this could be another one of them. As the questions were asked by the woman about his appearence he couldn't help but give a small chuckle before giving her a serious look. The monotone voice that she spoke in made Vidick wide-eyed for a split second. He had been around a lot of nuit in his life and that was the usual way that they talk. Though he wasn't completelty sure so he kept quiet about that for now as it could just be a coincidence. "I wouldn't really call it a sickness, and I have not been touched by a god...yet. I am involved in a practice that isn't very highly accepted. Are you familiar with the term leeching? Afterwards he gave her a curious look as he wanted to see what her response would be to knowing that he preformed a style of magic that is highly looked down on. "I'm not sure if i'm looking for anything or not, it depends if I happen to run into something." He knew it probably wasn't the best idea to just talk about his magic like that but it wasn't very subtle so why hide it? After his response to the questions he found himself having a small coughing fit, these tend to happen from time to time.

[Malia]

No sickness and not touched by the gods? Perhaps he was simply weak by nature, trapped inside a body that didn’t live up to the harsh conditions of a dangerous world. Malia was inclined to accept that option as an explanation, but something held her back. Why was he so familiar?

And then he said Leeching... She blinked. A flash of memories brushed the surface of her consciousness. Sahova. “Personal magic. What does it do?” Leechers were somewhat feared as well as despised although the reason escaped her mind at the moment. Despite that she paused in her steps, maintaining a healthy distance to the pulser. Mages were a dangerous lot, no matter how one looked at them – and leechers even more so.

Then the corners of her lips twitched. “That means you are searching for something, although you haven’t found out what it is...” Her voice faded as she grew bored with translating his ramblings into meaningful sentences. Watching as he struggled with the coughs, she found him weak, oh so weak... yet the feeling of familiarity remained, making her flinch. He was the exact opposite of what she was looking for.

“Which deity do you look up to?” she asked, slicing through the silence. The air was thick in the cave, in the dim light. Even though she didn’t move or gesture, it was obvious that the question held value to the Nuit.

[Vidick]

The red haired women was eyed with slightly tired eyes. Vidick was waiting for some kind of alarmed response from her as most people did when they found out about the leeching. Though the response wasn't a big one something did happen. He noticed how she had stopped and had a slight change of expression but nothing else. All these signs and gestures , or lack of gestures, made Vidick begin to think even more that his suspicions about the girl were true but it was still a little to early to tell. A question was then asked that he did not expect. She was asking about personal magic? He had thought that most people had known what it was, though it could just be a judgement error on his part. Before he spoke there was a small glint of joy in his eyes as he thought about his magic. "Personal magic is such a wonderful thing. There might be some consequences to using it but the power is just magnificent." If this girl was a nuit it would be a little weird if she wasn't into magic, considering many nuits were known for using it a lot. Though everyone does have their own preferences. After a bit of silence something was said that would make Vidick's ear twitch if they were able to. The question that had so many answers depending on who was answering it. His eyes were focuses on the girls as she asked him what deity he served and even had to grin a little. "The god that I serve you say? That would be the greatest being to ever exist in this broken world. The god that I serve my dear is none other than the dreaded Uldr." Pride would fill his body as he aswered the question. "As for what I said earlier I guess it isn't completely true. As you heard earlier I have not been marked yet. I can feel that I am close to it and I guess that it what i'm looking for, a way to prove myself to my god and join the great army of forsaken." Vidick had then become quiet and he waited to see how the girl would respond.

[Malia]

He misunderstood. Like the pitter-patter of rain against the leaves his ode to magic filled her ears. It only took a firm shake to get rid of the water. She didn’t appreciate people forcing her to repeat herself. This time, however, it’d probably be worth the effort. “I know what personal magic is. Now tell me what Leeching does.”

Cold. Not used to commanding, but used to persistence. The patience of a creature lurking in dark corners shone through her monotone voice.

Then his grin touched her like brown drops of mud. At the same time the realization hit. Listening to his voice, even looking at his face let her feel sick with dislike. No, stronger. Like a bug or insect that just wouldn’t go away there was something about him that stuck to her. Something she couldn’t remove or even ignore because it was already a part of her, the worst part actually.

And she had called for it in a single moment of foolishness.

Despite his apparent pride, it wasn’t quite enough. The corners of her mouth twitched as she asked: “Why do you serve Him? What do you hope to gain and how far would you go for it?” Black shone between her teeth as she momentarily forgot to hide her tongue. Or maybe it was on purpose. Let him catch a glimpse of the power she held, see if he was bright enough to understand.

Black silk was still wrapped around her neck, but it was itching on her skin. Malia resisted the urge to adjust the scarf’s position and instead hid her hands in the coat’s sleeves.

[Vidick]

Vidick liked when someone had to ask what the ability of leeching was. "As you probably know, leechers don't have the best reputation around. Through the contact of skin, we are able to suck the djed out of someone else and take it for outselves. Using this we can push back the effects of overgiving for a longer time." He paused and looked at his hands, knowing that if something ever happened to them that his leeching would have far less potential. "Of course there is a drawback to this power as there is with all personal magic. The djed we steal from others acts like a poison if we don't release it fast enough so not only do we have to worry about that, but if we do end up pushing back overgiving it will come at you even harder than it would originally. Vidick felt as if he was rambling so he paused again to watch the woman. He didn't know why he was just telling her stuff like this but it seemed so easy to do it. The cold demeanor of the red head also didn't bother him much. He was very much used to it from spending many years of his life with the nuit race. Then he heard as she asked about why he served the god he did and what he expected from it. Though he couldn't help but notice that it seemed like the question that she just asked bothered her, like she had some personal experience with Uldr himself. Before he answered the question though he couldn't help but stare at the woman for a second. There was finally the proof he was looking for. He failed to hide a slight enjoyment in his eyes as he couldn't help but notice the black tongue that showed in her mouth and he instantly knew what it meant. The girl was a nuit after all, just as he had suspicions of. "I serve Uldr as his ideals are mine. I have been raised my whole life to respect and eventually join the ranks of the undead. I am a very loyal servent of Uldr and would do follow as much of his wishes as I would be able to." He couldn't help but look at the girl with envy for a moment. "What I hope to gain is to go up the ranks in Uldr's army and to further his cause of a world ruled by the forsaken. And as for you, this doesn't seem like the type of place that a nuit such as yourself would prefer to be."

[Malia]

Her expression was blank as she listened to his sermon. No doubt, he liked to talk about magic. As if it was the most sacred form of art, something that had to be worshipped in itself, the words spilled from his mouth.

A nod was the only reaction, indicating that the explanation was sufficient.

His ideals are mine. Words creeping through her mind and strangling her own ideals, thoughts, plans. Malia despised what he hurled at her: fanaticism for the filthy God of Undeath. Adopting the style of the snake, slithering through narrow holes to survive and chase the ideals others set for him. They were very much alike. The thought disgusted her.

So what was holding her back? It almost sent shivers down her spine, a thing of pulsers. Her mind rang with warning. The faint ruby shimmer in her eyes was the key to Uldr – it should let her see what He wanted to see, yet hesitation rendered her blind.

In the end Malia was a tool. Let the master decide the pawn’s worth, should she? “You are repeating yourself”, she said. There was no ice anymore, only monotony. “Don’t you feel tempted to use what the living value? Music, art, breathing fresh air, absorbing Syna’s warmth, delicious food and drink?”

The words softened their echo in the cave. All the time while speaking with him she stood still. It was a test. But it might just be a double test with Uldr laughing at both of them from the Ukalas.