Aftershocks (Open)

[Elhaym]

Her unburnt arm braced her, but it was not enough to lift the pressing weight of her own body. Pitifully she retched and coughed even as Rorugir's words spun in her mind, but the thought of going any further was laughable. Her tunic was half red and white, blood dribbling down freely from the ruins of her face. In a fit she collapsed onto her side and vomited, curling into a fetal position before spasming onto her back.

The sounds of battle echoed in her mind's eye, screams and the dull thuds of flesh being beaten playing a symphony as her foggy vision locked helplessly on the ceiling of the hall. She couldn't see. She couldn't see! The pain was horrible, and in her stillness the true extent of what she had been through hit her like a sack of bricks. Again she turned her head and vomited, ungracefully lying in a pool of her own blood and vomit. She would probably be dead soon, her and Rorugir as well. He had fought bravely, she thought. If not for his distraction, those reimancers would have torn that hall apart while she hid pitifully, and that would have been the end. He had fought bravely, but for all the good it had done it seemed she would still be skewered by a lance of ice, crushed by a razor edged patch of earth or Zintila forbid, charred even further.

Yet it never came, that final blow. Her body lay there, soiled and burned and bloody, and no one came to deliver the swift execution she had earned by charging headfirst into this deathtrap. The footfalls of countless feet trudged by and around her, but the only constant seemed to be the Isurian who hovered near her.

"Roru… can't see. What… is happening?"

Her jaw worked wordlessly after her brief expenditure, and in truth she was only half there at this point. A body can handle a lot of punishment, a fact she had tested thoroughly through her brief time in this world, but this was by far the most horrific thing that had ever happened to her.

"I can't move… help me…"

She reached for him, wanting only to be taken away from this place. Whatever had happened had happened, and she didn't know what had befallen the reimancers or the other Shinya in the room. At this point, she was too confused by the lack of sight and the hot blood dribbling over her face, the terrible pain that was settling into her arm… A hot tear crossed her right cheek as she pleaded with him to help her, to take her away.

After a few seconds, she began to whimper something under her breath. Low pitched as it was, it sounded almost urgent.

"…hrnn… sword…"

[Kilik]

Kilik, from the moment he had stepped through its gates, had thought of Lhavit as a beautiful beacon of peace and light in Mizahar's dark days. So blinded by its grace and splendour, the young Benshira had thought the city untouchable by any force in the land. The thought was quickly dwindling away as the strange happenings began to appear. The flocks of birds were the first he took notice of, finding it strange that all type were flying in one direction. However, maybe this had been a normal occurrence in Lhavit. No one else seemed to be taking much notice in the occurrence. Not until the tremors hit. That seemed to pull everyone's attention as the Shinya began to mobilize, pulling all the city's resources and people back into its walls.

It was during this time period that the sky began to swirl with strange clouds that blocked out the sun, bringing with them a sense of dread as lightning streaked across the darkened sky. Kilik's feet moved quickly as the a member of the Shinya led him and a small group towards the heart of the city, and into one of the many skyglass buildings, just as the strange rain began to fall. It was as if someone had taken a painting, and torn it open for the colours to come spilling out across the land. As beautiful as it was, there was this feeling sitting in the pit of his stomach telling him that the rain was wrong. Everything about this storm was 'wrong'. He sent a soft prayer to Yahal, asking for safety for him and those around him.

Because it was obvious things were going to get worse, when the wave of Djed came rolling over the mountains. His eyes drifted around the room, glad that the skyglass held against the storm. However his faith in the building was wavering as creatures, some familiar and others strange, came running through the streets, followed closely by the rain of rock and fire as the mages of the city lost themselves. The Benshira bit his lip, finding himself beginning to pace. Anything not to be standing still. Green eyes fell on a pair of frightened children, feeling a need to help them through this ordeal.

The children, a boy and a girl, looked up at him with frightened and sad eyes, their fingers buried in the fur of a brown dog. He knelt down beside them, a soft smile on his face. "Why do you two seemed so frightened?" he asked, voice light and friendly. Not wanting to agitate the furry creature, the Benshira didn't reach out to the children. "I can't think of a better guardian than this guy right here." The children gave the dog a small smile, some of their fear alleviated by the presence of the creature. Kilik grinned, moving so he was sitting with them. "Do you two like music?" The two looked up from the dog as Kilik began singing quietly.

A lullaby seemed fitting for this moment, soft and warm to ease the nerves and bring calm. He hated seeing children so afraid, even if there was good reason to be. The shiber slid easily of his tongue, and while the two children probably had no idea what he was saying, just the rhythm and melody of the song was created to put a person at ease. "The turn of the world may rock us about, The paths may be lost. But be safe in knowing that home is waiting. Come home into mother's open arms." The smiles he earned from the children were enough for him. In the back of his mind, he was hoping that whatever was going on outside, the Shinya were able to bring it to an end.

[Rorugir]

The damage was much worst that he had thought. The woman who lay in front of him was as broken as the remainder of glass that caressed her form, burned and bruised. For a minute Rorugir could only stare down at Elhaym Vormav, that tough, proud Shinya, as she writhed and squirmed beneath him. "The...mages...they have been defeated." he said, feeling the words ring somewhat hollow in his mouth. "You did it, Elhaym. We're done here." "Now, lets get you out of here." A silver arm and a normal browned one reached underneath the human woman to pull her close to Rorugir's chest, and despite the straining of his tired muscles, Rorugir forced himself to stand up. He grunted underneath her weight, but after chucking a chandelier across the hall, by Izurdin he wasn't going to be laid low by a human body. His eyes softened. He couldn't think like that, so emotionlessly about the woman in his arms. She was living, and breathing, and she was in pain. She needed help. Rorugir needed to get her to that help. She muttered something, and Rorugir just barely managed to catch what she said. He grunted again, this time with something like annoyance, but he managed to shift the majority of Elhaym's weight to one arm and reach down with the other. He took a bit of searching, but the isur managed to find the Shinya's sword where it had fallen. Bruised knuckles closed over the hilt and brought the shimmering length of steel to bear, before laying it down across the prostrate Shinya's form and closing her hand around it. Then, cargo in his arms, Rorugir turned and began walking. Glass and other debris cracked underneath his feet, but the ruined surroundings were barely paid a second glance. It was over. The storm had brought Lhavit to her knees, but in the end the Diamond of Kalea had survived. The blows had been heavy, but they had survived. And that was all that mattered. The door, daylight shining in, awaited. And the blacksmith, Shinya in arms, walked on through it. OoCSo, um, I took the liberty of kinda wrapping Elhaym's and my story, seeing how she's damaged and the main threat had been dealt with. But if wanted to do something, Hermit, go right ahead. I'm sure we won't mind.

[Hermit]

For all who had weathered the storm, it had been something they would ever forget in their lifetimes. Perhaps in other places it had been worse, but to the people of Lhavit, who lay cradled in the arms of Zintila, it had been a stark and sobering reminder of the world's fragility. As the Isur and the charred Acolyte came through what was left of the tower's entrance, the detritus of Wizard and Shinya alike lay alongside each other in the courtyard. From what could be seen, it was over as suddenly as it had begun.

The Morphers were spent, those who hadn't plummeted to their deaths feigning flight were now mostly unconscious, their bodies twisted to their limits. The Aurists had been swept away to darkrooms and isolation until their senses returned to normal. The Reimancers, those who were neither dead or insane were rounded up by the Shinya for observation. It was a small crowd. The Seiza and the bulk of the City at Lhavit's heart were eventually informed of the relative safety, while a strict sunset curfew was handed out. Rumors abounded of a thirty meter Okomo seen in the Peaks and until it was addressed, it couldn't be helped. The dead would remain unburied out there.

As the current reign of Syna passed, Zintila's stars arrived, shining down on those who survived and worked to rebuild. Starlight cascaded over a young desert dweller as he cooed over young children, calming their fear. It twinkled over a badly injured but incredibly brave Acolyte as she was tended to by healers and herbalists in the Monastery. It glowed over her brave Isurian friend, whose stalwart stance mirrored the fine steel he crafted. It reflected on giant horns, which bobbed as a larger head grazed on trees in the Misty Peaks.

Leth took his throne among Zintila's garden. The city glowed as it always did at night, but in the remnants of one of its most trying days in history, it glowed brighter than ever before.

[Hermit]

Thread Award

Kilik

Singing 2
Persuasion 2

Soothing Children
Keeping Your Cool

Elhaym

Katana 2
Running 3
Animal Husbandry 2

Fighting Reimancers
Staying Conscious

Rorugir

Body Building 2
Weapon (Battleaxe) 2
Strategy 2

Pushing Past Limits
Saving a Friend