[Flashback] A Question of Ethics (Poison)

[Alvena Celandine]

Alvena couldn't help but pity the girl when she started recounting events of her past. The sympathy Ina incited in her made her feel contempt for the people she knew who blindly rejected these people without second thought. The woman standing before her was a person like everyone else, and although she was unlucky enough to be born only half Symenestra, she shouldn't become a reject because of it. She was somewhat surprised when Ina bowed her head slightly; she didn't see a need for it. She made no comment on the motion, however, since Ina finally brought her attention back to whatever it is she was running away from. The woman had calmed down since before, but before she knew it the panic was back in her eyes, as if whoever was threatening her was breathing into her neck. "They are conducting a ritual up there. I don’t want to get in their way when they are in such a mood." Gods, why was she being so vague? Alvena's curiosity had been digging into her brain since earlier, and even now, when they had a moment to themselves, the woman couldn't explain herself rationally. She kept her calm when she replied despite her irritation, the tone of her voice only showing subtle hints of impatience. "Who are these people? And what do they want with you? Ina, I can help you if you just tell me what's happening up there," she was feeling inclined to just go up and investigate it herself if the half-blood wouldn't answer her questions clearly.

[Poison]

Dra-Ina hesitated for a moment before she answered Alvena’s questions. She wasn’t exactly sure how she was supposed to explain what was going on, and she was worried that Alvena would just go up there and try to find out what kind of ritual they were conducting as well. The Symenestra was turning out to be a comparatively nice person, and Dra’Ina didn’t want her to get hurt or do anything that she would regret later.

„There are three of them, from what I’ve seen“, she began. „I didn’t really stay long enough to see if anybody else was going to join them. Vadys is their leader. Vadys Cicuta. He is a Symenestra, and he wants to become a priest of Viratas one day. He thinks that people like me – halfbloods - are a sin against our god. They ...“ She hesitated again and averted her gaze for a moment, staring into the water at the bottom of the grotto.

„They ...“ she whispered. „... drag animals into the caverns sometimes. They bite them and liquify their insides when they are still alive, and their rituals are bloody massacres. I’ve heard that they have occasionally harmed a surface dweller or a halfblood as well. They cover their entire bodies in the blood of their victims. They think that they are honoring Viratas with that.“

„What do you think we should do? I'm worried that they'll make me watch or hurt me when they find out that I'm nearby!"

[Alvena Celandine]

She could only become more and more enraged as she listened intently to what the half-blood had to say. The petching bastards, using Viratas' name to justify their crap, Her thoughts of were screaming in her mind; she wanted to speak her disgust loudly and it took a large amount of effort to suppress the urge. Vadys... She knew Vadys. She had only exchanged words with him a few times at gatherings, and usually kept quiet when he spoke his controversial beliefs. But this, she had not expected even a man such as Vadys to stoop so low. "Stay here," Alvena said, her rage barely contained through her curt words just as Ina finished recounting her tale. She left Ina there and promptly made her way back up the grotto in long strides, taking less than half the time she had taken to lead Ina to the bottom. As she reached the top, she took care to keep her steps as silent as ever, moving slower and stealthier as she made her way out, listening carefully with her scarlet eyes as alert as can be. That bastard Vadys... Wasting precious blood for his psychopathic games... Who else did he convince his irrational logic to?

[Poison]

„No!“ Dra-Ina exclaimed as Alvena told her to stay here, and then she immediately proceeded to cover her mouth with her hand because she had forgotten that she had wanted to be quiet again. She was too agitated to think completely straight. It took her a moment to realize that the other woman had already left her and was gradually making her way up the rocks again rather than waiting for her to elaborate on why confronting Vadys would be a really bad idea. But when the fact finally registered in her mind, she did her best to run after her and try to catch up with her.

„You ... you ... petching idiot!“ she told her. She didn’t really care that she was insulting a fullbloooded Symenestra anymore. If Alvena wanted to do what she thought she wanted to do, then petching idiot didn’t even begin to describe her. „What did I just tell you? I told you that Vadys is a sadistic bastard, and that his so called rituals are massacres. You don’t want to meet him. Come back here! Let’s wait until Vadys and his friends have left the cave!“

She tried to jump and climb and follow Alvena across the rocks to the entrance of the grotto, but found that her weak halfblood claws weren’t suitable for that. She was forced to go back to the lake and could only clench her fists in frustration. She really hoped that Alvena would make it back in one piece and not become a part of Vadys‘ ritual!

As Alvena left the grotto, she could hear them talk again. No, it didn’t exactly sound like talking, it sounded more like they were praying, chanting, honoring their god. There was an unusual smell as well, a smell that hadn’t been as noticeable from the bottom of the grotto. It seemed to be a mixture of incense and something else, a strangely metallic scent. She would only have to go a little further now to make out what they were talking about – and to see them ...

[Alvena Celandine]

She stopped short as she heard Ina crying out after her, desperately hurling insults at her. She wanted to shut her up somehow, but the half-blood was too worked up to notice her hand gestures telling her to keep quiet. Her heart was already beating fast, but it accelerated considerably with Ina's pleas. Her worry was stressing Alvena out more than she felt was necessary, and it was hard to focus on the voices with her beating heart pounding in her ears. Taking one last look at Ina, who was now trying to climb back up to stop her, Alvena disappeared past the entrance of the grotto. Moving slower, she carefully pulled out a small knife from her waist pocket. The thing was usually useful for practical use such as cutting bits of food and such, and she had never expected to use it as a weapon. Hopefully she wouldn't have to. She concentrated on the incoherent whispering that had been ticking at the back of her head since earlier, growing louder with each step. She could soon make out that it was more of a unified chanting... Just as Ina had described, there definitely did seem to be a ritual occurring here. Her knuckles clutched the knife tighter. There was a source of light at the end of the tunnel. As she reached it, she daringly turned her head around the corner, hoping to get a peek at whatever it was Vadys was up to.

[Poison]

Had Vadys and his friends not been chanting and making so much noise on their own, they would definitely have noticed Dra-Ina’s screams, and they would have detected Alvena’s presence as well. The Symenestra was quiet, but not quiet enough. She was by no means a master at stealth. But as it was, she was able to approach them and turn around the corner without them being aware of it.

The tunnel widened in front of her and eventually opened into a small cave. If she wanted to hide and watch Vadys before she decided whether she would confront them or not, she would find a few rocks near the tunnel wall. They were just big enough for her to hide behind if she crouched a little.

Vadys and his two friends were sitting in the middle of the cave. Vadys was the tallest of the trio, a slender man in his twenties that wore his hair in a most peculiar style. One side of his head had been completely shaved, but on the other side his silver hair fell over his shoulder. He wore a light silk robe. It had once been white, but now it was stained with blood, as were his bare feet. His long black claws were covered with blood as well. His two friends were shorter and looked much less spectacular, but they were dressed in a similar style, in bloodied silk.

Something was lying in the middle between them. It was impossible to tell what it had once been, whether it had been an animal or something else. It was a mass of broken bones and skin that seemed to literally have been slaughtered. Blood covered the ground under it. There was a whole lot of blood. Candles surrounded the dead body. Smoke rose from them. They were the source of the exotic smell Alvena had noticed before.

Vadys and his friends were still singing. Alvena could hear that it was a prayer to Viratas now, that they dedicated their sacrifice to him. And they suddenly stopped and bent their heads in unison to feast on their sacrifice once more.

As Vadys raised his head again and turned around for a moment, Alvena could notice that his mouth was covered with blood. Drops of blood were dripping from his lips and from his fangs and staining his robe, and his crimson eyes shimmered with a hint of madness.

[Alvena Celandine]

Looking for a better place to remain unnoticed and get closer, Alvena dove behind the conveniently placed boulders, throwing her back against the cold surface. Their chanting prayer to Viratas was much louder than she had anticipated, its contents sickening. How could they possibly justify their actions with her god's name? She turned around slowly, poking her head around the rock to get a look at what they were doing. It was hard not to just run away or vomit at the sight. It was more than easy to understand Dra-Ina's fear now that she could see the three men acting like savages as they bent down to feast upon the mutilated corpse. As Vadys got back up, he turned in her direction and she swiftly ducked back behind her cover in fear. She had caught a glimpse of his face, the hunger in his eyes. She forced herself to breathe less heavily as she sat back down, her back against the boulder once more. She grasped her knife with both hands. What do I do, the thought screamed and repeated itself over and over in her head frantically, replacing any form of proper logic. She looked down the tunnel from which she came. She should just go back, take cover along with Ina and hope the madman didn't find out that she knew about his worshiping acts. Even though that seemed like her best bet, she couldn't move. She was furious. She wanted to do something. She took the knife in her hand, steadied her crouched position. She then proceeded to bury the tip of the blade into the palm of her own hand, slashing it across. She bit her lip at the pain, surprised with herself that she had gone through with the irrational act. Blood dripped silently onto the floor. She whispered under her breath, hoping it wouldn't be heard over the sound of tearing flesh. "Viratas, please hear me... Please guide me to destroying this evil, to spill the blood of criminals who end lives unfairly and savagely. They spill the blood of innocents, and use your name in vain," Although she hoped to receive an answer for her plea, she knew that she must act with the support of her god or not. Her heart had been panicked up until now, but this moment gave her momentary peace, and allowed her to understand what it was she had to do.

[Poison]

„I think I just saw somebody“, Alvena could hear Vadys say as he turned to face his friends again. His voice was deep and pleasant. It was hard not to find it appealing, even in the middle of such a cruel act. It wasn’t hard to imagine how he had been able to convince others to join his cause. „I already had the feeling that we were being watched before.“ His two still nameless friends – or were they only his followers, willing to carry out whatever dirty deeds he asked of them? – instantly stopped feasting upon the corpse and looked at him.

„No, Vadys, I don’t think there is anybody here besides us“, one of them remarked and wiped the blood off his mouth with the back of his hand, as if he had just had an especially delicious meal. „There is only the Blue Grotto nearby, and it isn’t currently the right time for people to go swimming.“ Vadys looked at him for a moment, as if he didn’t like it when people disagreed with him, but then he nodded curtly. „You may be right, but I want you to pay a little more attention to our surroundings from now on – both of you. Let’s continue.“

He raised a hand so that Alvena could see his black claws - if she dared to take another look. He had grown them for a long time and sharpened them so that they resembled small knives. He looked at the two other men, and then he reached into the corpse and pulled the heart out. He placed it next to the corpse, and then the three of them said another prayer.

As Alvena cut herself, blood dripped onto the floor. It darkened the stone under her feet for a moment, but it wasn’t enough to color it red. If she had hoped this act – together with her prayer – would compel Viratas to speak to her personally, she would be disappointed, but she could feel something as the blade bit into the soft skin of her palm. There was a feeling of strength, of confidence that hadn’t been there before, as if everything would work out, no matter what she decided to do.