Closed Into The Maw of Madness

[Perplexity]

65th of Spring, 515 AV

“There’s a little creepy house in a little creepy place.
Little creepy town in a little creepy world.
Little creepy girl with her little creepy face,
Saying funny things that you have never heard.”- Walking On Air, Kerli

He was running. How long he had been running he had no idea. All he knew was that his lungs were burning. His arm was bleeding and he was desperate to get as far away from the woods as possible. Darkness was falling upon the Zastoska forest and any born and bred Zeltivan knew that darkness in the forest was a death sentence. He came to a stop bracing himself against the side of one of the stoic pines that loomed overhead. His breath came in gasps. Panicked eyes searched the shadows of the world around him. Shadows that were growing with every passing second. Syna was already beginning to dip below the horizon. He had to keep moving. He had to keep pushing himself.

The Council had to know.

Pushing himself forward he took off at as speedy a pace as he could. It was not easy going. Five of them had ventured to where most Zeltivans dare not tread. He was the only one who would be returning. The news that he would bring was not glad tidings but time was needed to prepare. Time was needed to evacuate the city. For there wasn’t much time left at all. The pounding of his heart in his ears practically blurred out his vision it was so intense. He didn’t know how much longer before his legs simply gave out. Again he stopped. He could see the lights of the city. His chest unclenched in apprehension. He was almost there. Stumbling forward he braced a hand on the bark of a tree a tired sigh of near relief escaping him.

“Thank the gods.”

The winds picked up, whispering over the branches of the trees. A giggle, innocent and childlike echoed through the darkness. The man felt his stomach drop into the soles of his boots. He whipped around but his footing slipped sending him sprawling to the ground. With eyes wide with fear he scrambled away from the darkness of the forest that seemed only to be growing darker.

“St-stay away from me!” The winds died down as he gasped in terror. All went quiet. The darkness no longer seemed alive. With shaking hands he picked himself up barely able to get a hold of himself. Turning on unsteady feet he moved to continue his journey back to the city…and came face to face with the vision of his nightmares.

----------

Jeremiah stiffened as the most horrified scream he’d ever heard reached his ears. His hand tightened on the hilt of his sword. The blood in his veins went cold. Even at over a mile away, it was as if the winds themselves carried the death cry with them. Taunting the guardsmen who stood watch along the guard posts at the edge of the city. Zeltiva had no walls, and hadn’t for as long as anyone could remember. Jeremiah didn’t believe that a wise choice but the politicians who squabbled among themselves within the inner reaches of the city didn’t think the building of one necessary. If they were made to stand guard along the posts they very well might change their mind.

“Stand fast, Jer.” The young guardsman flinched as his superior came to stand beside him. A gruff man with years of experience in the Guard, Jeremiah was infinitely glad to be standing the post watch with him.

“Shouldn’t we go investigate, Sergeant?” The older soldier shook his head with a stone faced look. He’d seen that look before on the face of Sergeant Nathaniel Kline. It was a look that told Jeremiah that it was already too late.

“If you hear the screams, Jer, there nothing more you can do. The poor fool has sealed his own fate.” Jeremiah shuddered. His eyes turned back to the Zastoska forest. In the daylight it never appeared so menacing. That changed entirely during the dark nights where they stood watch.

“What’s out there, Sergeant?” The older guardsman heaved a breath. He got the feeling of eyes upon him as the whole of the ten men under his command that shift turned their attention to him. Some of them this was their first Night Watch. A few of the veterans simply just listened to what story they knew was coming. The sergeant took his time with the words.

“When the Old Ones came down from the mountains after the breaking of the world, they didn’t come down alone. The world of ages past had ended. With that ending came a new beginning, and what awoke in the beginning…haunted the Old Ones during the era of our rebuilding. Legends say they were able to seal it away but whatever it is, is a creature so twisted and evil that evil is drawn to it. Though it slumbers, the music of its dark taint calls to other abominations that were awoken after the world’s breaking. Now, those creatures walk the forest. They walk the mountains too. They do not always show themselves but when they do, rarely are there any survivors. Those that do live through the encounter are driven mad by the experience.” The sergeant glanced at Jeremiah. His face was plainly serious.

“That is why the High Guard stand vigilant at the Pass. That is why we stand the night’s watch. For if even one of our torches goes out, the whole of the city is to be alerted. But I sometimes wonder if by then it might already be too late.” Jeremiah swallowed. His throat felt dry. He turned his attention back to the forest.

“And if that happens?” The sergeant rest a hand upon the pommel of his sword.

“Pray your death is swift, for it will surely come.”

“Halt! Who goes there!?” Both the sergeant and Jeremiah turned to see a figure approaching their post. It was not so alarming as the figure’s position denoted they had come from the direction of the city. Still, the guardsmen were on edge. The echo of the scream still fresh in their memories.

.

[Evalin]

It was the scream that called to her, beckoned the Immortal to turn her head and cast her attention to the forest where she rarely had any interest. The night brought with it many things, a stillness and near silence that the light of Syna could not possibly understand, and within that stillness there would always reside beings and creatures best suited for its conditions. Things of dark nature, oddly shaped and figured, driven by tastes and instincts that seem queer if not barbaric... But such things made Evalin smile in amusement. The dark was so feared by the mortal races, but it was not the dark that should be feared, rather that which resided within.

It was like a call to her that she answered without hesitation, bare feet turning to carry her toward the cities farthest boundaries, where she could see the flicker of torch light held by the shaking hands of children playing at guarding the city.

If what truly lives within this space without light were to so fancy a stroll into the city, doubt I much that their actions would do more than increase its hunger for the flesh of their kind.

The black dress swished just past her knees, the clothing cut off at the shoulders and kept a modest check on her more personal areas. Her form this night was that of a woman, 5'6 in height with long black hair and eyes red as blood, though she did take the bit of advice from Ignotus and muted her other features. No scales or pointed teeth, though her canines were slightly elongated. She walked without fear, striding forward on bare feet with long black nails ending in points similar to the near claws she had on her fingers. While she did not try to approach with stealth the children so distracted by their own talking that the Immortal was able to catch the superstitious legends that surrounded this forest, a legend that Evalin herself did not remember despite her times at the University.

Pausing just outside the ring of light cast by the torches, Evalin rested her hands on her hips, looking past the guards to the forest beyond, raising her voice so that they could hear, "How is it that men of your station do not make haste to a cry of agony so close to your doorstep?" She then came into the light, walking closer but staying out of arms reach of the men as she circled around the side to get an unobstructed view of the forest, "Are you so terrified that a small and weak girl such as myself would set you on edge and cause you to raise your arms against me?" She smiled once more, glancing at the man whose hand rested on his sword, ready to draw it.

Even as she remarked on the poor state of the watchmen Evalin's eyes and mind returned once more to the forest, and the scream there in, "You have everything to fear from the unknown... but only the foolish let that fear prevent them from acting. Children such as you are better off safe in your beds, sucking your mothers tit than standing watch and yet unable to act." With that she would begin making her way past the guards entirely, heading toward the forest unless otherwise obstructed.
.

[Perplexity]

“Ma’am!” Jeremiah moved to stop the snide woman. There was a worry in his eyes that lent truth to the fear that he felt. A hand touched his shoulder halting his advance. The guardsman looked behind him to see his sergeant staring solemnly after the woman.

“Let her go.” Jeremiah gave his superior a confused look.

“Shouldn’t we stop her?” Sergeant Kline shook his head.

“Our place is to stand the watch against threats that might travel down from the forest. It is not our place to bar passage to those wishing to venture out into the wilds. If she believes herself strong enough to go alone, so be it.” The young guardsman didn’t seem satisfied with that particular answer. He chewed upon his bottom lip looking from the fading woman to his superior.

“Isn’t it also our job to protect people?” A weary look crossed the sergeant’s face. He dropped his hand stepping forward staring after her. To her biting comments he felt little. The sergeant had certainly been called worse things during the time he had served the city of Zeltiva as a Wave Guard. Some people were grateful for the protection the guardsmen offered. There were also those who believed them little more than hired lackeys at the beck and call of corrupt politicians. Whatever the opinion, the sergeant had always done his duty. At that moment, his duty was to guard the city against what might come out of the forest, not who might go into it.

“Not every soul that wanders into the dark does so blindly, lad. Ours is the role to protect the city. We cannot do that if we chase after every poor sod who chooses to face the shadows alone. Gods willing, the dark has already slaked its hunger. If not…” The sergeant shrugged his shoulders. Jeremiah gazed into the darkness of the night. The sergeant’s silence said more than any words could.

---------------

Zastoska forest had stood watch over the city of Zeltiva for centuries. The city was old. The stories about the stoic resolve and mystery of the trees were even older. One thing that remained constant about the forest however was that never, in all the years mortals had spun tales about it, was it ever described as a warm and inviting place. The trees were always called silent and cold. The atmosphere was ever fashioned to be heavy with the weight of too many memories. The Wave Guard strongly advised travelling in numbers. Hunters in the city who made a living killing and skinning wild game always hunted in groups. Even the caravans leading to the lumber operations and the stone quarries did so under armed guard. Few knew exactly what it was that crept through the shadows of the forest. The only definitive thing was that each and every traveler who entered Zastoska forest spoke of the feeling of being watched.

It would not take Evalin comparatively long to walk the mile from the edge of the city to the forest. The road was well trodden. It stretched onward and through the trees into the dark. On the other end there stood Mirahil Pass. The Pass served as the marker to travelers that Zeltiva was but a few hours away. The tall pines creaked as the evening breeze danced down from the mountains. Syna had by now fallen below the horizon and Leth would be but a sliver in the sky that night. Though the scream had been carried on by the winds it had resounded from a generally northwestern direction, away from the main road and away from the Mirahil Pass.

There in the darkness little could be seen with mere mortal eyes. The light cast by the flames of the watch posts stretched only so far beyond the outskirts of the city. What Evalin found, would be found by her skill and ingenuity alone.

.

[Evalin]

"How pathetic." Evalin said, not bothering to lower her voice as she strolled away, "Frozen as they are in a fearful stupor they are nothing more than stone figurines set to watch and never act at the sign of danger."

They are only mortal, and what lies beyond would make even the strongest of men tremble. For the first time in bells Tsenrika spoke, and what he said directly to her mind made the Immortal roll her eyes, "Be that as it may, I find it most deplorable that a group who claims such reverence to be given to life and the living would so simply and callously abandon that same life to the devices but a few steps away. These, like all others in this world, are the true and most deplorable evil in this world. Selfish, black hearted cruelty that holds an arrogance so great that they feel their light shines brighter than all others, and only theirs is worth saving."

Evalin spit off to the side, her lips turned downward as she used one clawed finger to cut the straps of her black dress, the cloth fluttering to the ground while the nuit stepped over it without any regard, "The world is sick, filled with terrible individuals and abominable cultures that would be better off wiped from the world."

Bare and naked to the world, Evalin strode forward without a hint of hesitation in her step, her jaw set and eyes forward, locked on her destination. She could have flown, but in a way it felt like a waste. Not only that she knew the guards were not so far away that they might not see her. That would be... unfortunate, for she could not have others about knowing what she was and what she could do. Thus she made her way in the normal, human, way. On foot.

As she passed by the first tree marking the perimeter of the forest, Evalin paused and ran her hand over the rough bark, feeling its course surface and to think a tick before dashing inside. As she had heard, this was a dangerous place and the Nuit was not so confident to simply rush in without proper preparations.

Tapping the icy gem that hung from her neck, the piece of jewelry fell free, shimmering and shifting just before it hit the ground to become the natural form of the Irylid. Floating up to hover near Eva's lift shoulder, Tsenrika's mind brushed against Evalin's, How should we investigate...?

Evalin did not answer immediately, taking her time and tapping her nail against the tree, "One step at a time, but let us not proceed blindly. Go you first, and observe a ways while I prepare."

Closing her eyes Evalin followed the Familiar with her mind as he ventured forward a short ways, his eyesight and observational abilities far surpassing hers in these conditions. That, however, would soon not be the case. Calling for the mental flows of her inner djed, Evalin brushed the very code of her being. To mind she brought forth a familiar model, of the Akila hound from the Jungles of Falyndar. Strong and powerful, it was a predator that hunted in the deepest darkness of the canopies of the jungle, and thus of use to Evalin now. She did not require the whole model, however, and instead focused on the part that would be of use... the head.

It took a couple of chimes as the model was not often used, but with each nudge of her mental energies her skin shivered and rippled, beginning at the crown of her head and working its ways down. Leaving her scalp and hair as it was the Immortal focused on the features of the face, widening and deepening her eyes in their sockets and expanding the iris' to bring new insight into even the darkest spaces of the forest. On downward she went, shrinking her nose more and more and extending her jaws as she did until there was no protrusion at all, just two large nostrils that sniffed the air and could bring in new scents from the world around. Then further down, over the mouth which expanded more and more, teeth forming together to become larger, jutting out and toward the front of her skull as lips receded back and became nonexistent.

As these features began to come to fruition Evalin shifted her attention to the rest of her form, tapping into the djed of her arms to build them up, extend them until she could crouch on both hands and knees without any discomfort, and move just as easily should the need arise. Her back feet she extended the claws, taking her five toes between the white fingers of her will and mold them together and round them until they were more like paws than feet, wide and long with black nails long enough to gouge the earth. Her hands she left well enough alone, though the nails extended further, curving slightly near the tips to become more like the claws of a tiger than human nails. At last along her back and shoulders she brought up a wave of indentions that quickly formed to black scales, like a snakes.

Once the changes were complete Evalin would crouch, moving forward partially on all fours and from time to time rising to two, turning her head this way and that looking through the eyes of a nocturnal hunter and her nose sniffing the air for hints of... anything. Not far Tsenrika floated along, within site of his master, looking for a clue, and indication of where to go and what they might be facing. .

[Perplexity]

Mortal senses might have been dulled to the mist and music of a shadowed forest, but through the senses of a beast made for the darkness, it was an entirely different experience. Where a normal human’s eyes, nose and ears might have perceived an impenetrable silence, Evalin’s morphed senses were buzzing with activity. The insects of the forest were chirping or flittering about. The branches of the trees swayed in an almost imperceptible wind. What would stick out to the Morpher most however was the salty and bitter tang of a man’s terror that clung to the air with startling freshness. Indeed, almost as soon as her transition from humanoid to beast was finished the scent of fear slammed into her nose.

The trail was easy enough to follow as it had not been long at all since the unfortunate soul had been dragged back into the depths of the forest. Mixed in with the tang of fear was the smell of blood. Whoever the soul had been he had been wounded adding more clues to follow stemming from Evalin’s left. The world in her changed eyes was brighter. The sliver of Leth’s light providing sufficient illumination for her to follow any path between the roots of trees or over shrubs. Despite the abundance of scent clues to follow, there was a significant lack of physical evidence to be found. The ground didn’t seem disturbed. There were no footprints to follow. The bushes were bent or broken. The bark upon the trees was undisturbed.

Whatever it was that had swallowed up the victim left no sign of its passage. Not even a scent. The only smells rising up to Evalin’s nose were that of the obvious victim…and nature itself. No questionable sign of nefarious creatures lingered in the air. No markings upon the physical world existed aside from those one would find naturally with the passing of insects, humans and animals. It might have been possible that the poor fool had simply been eaten by a bear but should the thought cross Evalin’s mind it could quite easily be batted away. No man screamed with sheer terror at the sight of a bear in the manner that had drifted on the winds. A scream of pain? Perhaps. The agonized cries of a pathetic sop being mauled to death? Quite plausible.

In following the trail of smells, Evalin would in rather short order find the site where the scents hung heaviest. The air stunk with fear and death yet no physical sign of a struggle or any beast remained. The only thing that did? A piece of cloth dark with blood. The only physical evidence that there had been a person fleeing for their life at all.

Evalin’s choice of adopting the shape of an Akila hound had been an intelligent one for the ease it offered in tracking something perceptible through the physical senses. But it seemed there was more at work than what should have been normal for the mundane world.

.

[Evalin]

The taste of salt was upon her tongue as Evalin ventured forward, slowly at first but then with increasing speed as she caught a sent that was all to familiar to her. The scent of blood, and of fear... It was different this time, however, for never had Evalin used her morphing abilities in such a way. When she acted in a way to spread her fear and domination she could taste the scent upon the air of mortal weakness, but if what she had experienced before hand be like a breath upon the air this was like standing in a field of flowers that oozed the scent of the desperate all around her in such volumes that she might have been swept away. Every intake of air into her nostrils brought a wave of sensations that filtered to her mind, opening up a world of more scents and aromas than most could hardly imagine.

The sweet stench of blood pulled Evalin's head to the left, and quickly her body followed after, crouched on all fours, eyes wide and nose scenting the air often as she hurried forward.

Have you noticed...?

Evalin glanced to the side where Evalin floated close by. She knew that he was aware of the trail she followed, for even now she felt his mind brushing hers, experiencing the world through her senses even as he observed the world with his, Perhaps... The trail is a simple one to follow, perhaps more so than it should be.

Beyond that even my Master. Notice you that the trail you follow, scented as it may be with carnage and fear, leaves no trace upon the physical world itself?

In truth the Immortal had been so preoccupied that such detail had slipped by her, but now as she slowed slightly she began to notice. There were no prints in the ground, no leaves disturbed or branches broken. Nothing that was a part of this world to indicate that what had occurred here had actually happened.

Curious as it is, to mind it would bring the thought...

That what caused that horrid scream was not of the physical world at all. Evalin finished the Familiar's thought, slowing to a walk and standing to move forward on her two legs as the scent of blood grew stronger and stronger still. They were getting closer to its source. As she moved Evalin tried to keep her feet from shuffling the dirt, preventing it from making a sound as she pushed past branch and leave and stone. She might be powerful, but still she had no wish to make her presence the most obvious of things in this desolate place.

A being without flesh or bone perhaps...

A Ghost? Some we have known have been quite powerful, certainly enough to rip a mere man in two if they were so inclined.

Perhaps, but would a simple spirit as this cause such rumors to arise about a forest that has existed for centuries.

Evalin shrugged as she reached the place where the scent was the strongest, looking around as she did, It is possible. If given the motivation a simple ghost can become legend. Perhaps it is not a ghost at all my dear Tsenrika, what if the creature is simply one of the air and it swooped down to whisk away the poor soul? Noticing the piece of bloodied cloth Evalin came forward, crouching on all fours once more and lifting the cloth with two fingers, tilting her head as she inspected it.

If such were so we would see more of a disturbance. Branches broken and leaves fallen from above, and certainly a greater ring of destruction from where its great wings beat to carry the man off into the night. Even if it is a simple creature of stealth it would leave a trail of blood from the wounded man if it were to drag it off to be consumed, as most who hunt by stealth do.

Unless the beast swallowed the man whole. Evalin replied slowly, taking in a big whiff of the cloth, checking to see if there were any more clues hidden in the stench, If he were swallowed so completely by a being of flesh, however, still it could not avoid causing more damage to this world and leaving a sign of its presence. No my dear Tsenrika, I believe it is something else... An image flashed in Evalin's mind of the Desolate One in Falyndar, the beast that was out of a nightmare that could change his body to miasma at a mere thought. Could it be one of her own kin were out and about in this area? As of yet Evalin had met none of the Priest of Uldr in these parts, but that was not to say they were not about...

Pulling upon her djed Evalin let it fill her senses, masking all of them with a layer of djed to gaze out at the world with her Auristics, wondering if even at her novices levels such a skill might shed further light on their situation. .

[Perplexity]

Evalin’s choice to observe the world around her might have been both wise and foolish. Unfocused, with no singular object to remain the focus of her attention, her senses were quickly assaulted with a flood of information. To her nose came the smell of the earth. To her eyes a mist of color rose up from numerous objects within her immediate vicinity. Her mouth was filled with the taste of blood, dirt, the mist of mountain air…and a noxious muck that could only be described as infinitesimally foul.

Laced around the edges of the rush of sensory information was a stab of screaming hate and anger that had clawed its way into the grass, the trees, even the rocks. The strength of that emotion was startling. It would slam into Evalin with a near audible shriek of loathing, despair and fury. The creature that had left behind such a powerful impression was a wrathful being, the entity no doubt responsible for the seeming obliteration of the fool who’d wandered into the woods. Brightest within Evalin’s djed aided vision however was the light of an aura ten feet away from where she stood. It burned with the intensity of that infectious rage.

To hold on to her djed without focus would no doubt be a foolish thing to pursue much longer.

Several clues now presented themselves to Evalin. The first being whatever object lay ten feet away from her, dripping with the intensity of the emotions that laced the air. The second were the lingering emotions themselves. So powerful were they that they had tainted the world around them. The lingering darkness of the forest was made that much more credible, perhaps. Finally, in the event that Evalin released her hold on the auristics she would find that the noxious taste and smell lingered in her senses. It would fade within a few moments but a trace of it lingered in the air, feint, barely noticeable above the natural smells of the world coupled with the strong smells stemming from the now dead fool. That small scent, when latched onto, could be found in the direction of the object that lay not far from her.

.

[Evalin]

As her senses were assaulted Evalin recoiled, the mastery of this magic of Auristics minimal at best almost instantly snapping free of her grip, but not before she could taste the malice and hate in the air, and see something resonating with that power not far away.

In the mere ticks that the experience had lasted Evalin had dropped the blood soaked cloth and taken an unintentional step backwards. Tsenrika was quick to her side as the Immortal shook her head, eyes staring wide in the direction of the menacing aura, searching the darkness for the source she knew she would not be able to see.

Seems the creature has lingered... Evalin slowly straightened, curling her fingers into a fist before releasing them, eyes never leaving the spot where the force seemed to be hiding.

That sense, the hate and malice it held, think you it could be one of the God's servants...? the Familiar hovered near her shoulder, and absently Evalin reached to touch his smooth surface with one clawed finger, Perhaps... but somehow I doubt it to be.

Something about what she felt disturbed the Immortal, not quite setting her on edge, rather... it struck something deep at her core. That hate, and rage and wrath, so familiar it was, perhaps too much so. No not unsettling... Disgusting. Something in this forest would claim to know greater rage than the Immortal Witch, to hold more hate and fire and wrath than the All Consuming Flame? What foolishness.

It took just a small touch to her djed to set the changes in motion, reducing the changes to her facial features until, once more, they were the face of Evalin though her eyes she kept as those of the Akila hound. Pulling upon the djed of her arms, shortening them to more human proportions, Evalin spread the scales further down her shoulder and back, stopping at the point where cleavage would have been had Evalin any care to create any more than necessary. For a tick Evalin toyed with the idea of taking on a different form, more threatening... but she resisted the urge and decided it best to approach as she was, at least to start. All the while her eyes never left the area the Aura had been, searching for any signs of movements.

Just before she started forward Evalin called upon the other power deep within her soul, swirling and bringing it to the surface of her mind and sending it straight downward, res exiting the souls of her feet to fill the ground beneath her. As it left her body she could feel Tsenrika taking over its control, still hovering behind her yet ever the more vigilant. Res clear and translucent also filled her hair, wrapping and entangling in the locks in thin coats and more still filled Evalin's stomach and the back of her throat. She was not one to approach a situation such as this without preparing...

When at last her preparations were complete Evalin took a couple slow steps forward, arms out at her side to show she held no weapons, and called out in a voice loud and strong, filled with all the authority one of her power and bearing could muster, "Hail to you oh great spirit of this Forest, please forgive my intrusion for I have come to satisfy a great and powerful curiosity. I hear tale that there is a being who resides within these trees that terrifies the mortals of the city nearby, who keeps them well behind their boarders once the light of Syna sets. A creature whose power and ferocity has become legend upon mortal tongues, only whispered softly by the light of fires and never dared to tested." Evalin paused, listening a moment before continuing, "I am the Immortal Witch Evalin, Sorceress of Flame and Shadow, a traveler among the eternity of existence. Seek I only to see for myself the source of such great stories and fear, to know of such a being and be known to it. To that end I offer you my deepest respect and ask your permission to be upon your grounds during your hour."

Pretty words. Hope I very much that it understands language and may reason there with. The Irylid's tone was not quite mocking, but did speak volumes of what he thought of Evalin trying to talk to some unknown creature (sentient or non) in the shadows.

Even the dimmest of beings may know a praise of honor to them such that their ego may be padded. Rather I try to not temper its anger toward me, and instead find its source so as to avoid a similar fate to the poor soul who ventured here before us.

Evalin would not move for several chimes after she finished speaking, calling on her auristics vision to search for that particular aura again from time to time, but if there was no response or nothing else that occurred she would continue forward toward the aura, slowly, arms raised yet defenses already set just in case. She wished to reason if all possible, but as a practitioner of Summoning she knew well that some creatures simply did not wish to be negotiated with.

[Perplexity]

For ambiance :

Laughter echoed through the darkness of the forest. A soft giggle almost childlike in its innocence. The winds rustled the branches of the stoic trees whispering in the night, the arrival of that which stalked the forest. The aura that Evalin first perceived with her auristics did not shift. Nor did it move from where it was first seen. In the sorceress’s glimpses however, there lingered the dim light of…something else. It was mere snippets of sighting. Wherever it popped up, the giggle followed drifting along the currents of the wind. Footsteps soon followed. The sound of grass being pushed aside as a person trekked through the dark. The patter of feet across the ground. The being, whoever or whatever it was darting through the grass first to the right or was it to the left? Then came footsteps to the rear or were they in front of Evalin?

The laughter grew ever so slightly closer almost as if this child were playing a game of hide and seek within the shadows. Even with Evalin’s auristic vision however, only glimpses were to be found. Traces of something, flashes of an all-consuming blackness draining light and life into an endless void before blinking out of existence. And then…silence. Complete and total silence. The winds did not blow. The trees did not rustle. The grass did not whisper. There was no gurgle of the ever present night life.

For several chimes nothing at all happened. The laughter and the dark presence that followed it simply vanished. There lingered only the object sitting in the grass and the weight of emotions in the air. But it did not last.

A solid force slammed into Evalin from nowhere. As soon as the undead sorceress was hit a surge of energy would push itself inside of her wreaking havoc on the witch’s djed flow. Her grasp on her res was disrupted. Her hold on any morph she maintained would be ripped from her concentration. The bond between the undead and her Familiar would become muddled and confusing, words became garbled nonsense, thoughts a haze of the unknown. The energy that leapt through Evalin was not pleasant. It was foreign and invasive but the surprise did not stop there. A tightness would grip the Wretched One’s throat lifting her effortlessly off the ground as Tsenrika was suddenly struck by the same force and sent careening toward the forest floor.

The darkness pulsed with life.

Wild, black, abysmal fire burst into existence before Evalin. It was a hole that had been punched into the world where no light, no life, and no hope could exist. A single tendril of which now came into view as being wrapped around her neck. Two burning red eyes blinked into being within the heart of that dark fire and glared at the sorceress. A thousand voices whispered harshly.

“She thinks to call herself of the Shadows?” The invasive energy spiked through Evalin once more, with it came the distortion of djed, and a soul burning pain. The dark tendril yanked Evalin closer so that her eyes were level with that of the hate filled ones directed at her.

“She knows nothing of it.” With as much care as one would give a scrap of waste, Evalin was tossed aside, the black tendril releasing her. As soon as it did, the sorceress’s familiarity with her djed returned. Her control over her power became absolute once more. The pain evaporated and her connection to Tsenrika was restored. The dark fire vanished leaving nothing more than its memory in its wake. There was no impression upon the grass. There were no markings of its passage. Only the manifestation itself gave any hint that it had ever been there. Beside Evalin on the ground, was the object that had first been spotted with her auristics.

A silver ring with a hole in the center of the band where it seemed a gemstone might rest.

.

[Evalin]

As the strange sounds began Evalin remained perfectly still save for her eyes, which flicked around this way and that, trying to see the source of the sudden disturbance or at least where it was going. Had the Immortal been one of the living she would have shivered at the sounds. Evalin hated kids. They were so fragile, yet they acted as though they were the most important being in this world or the next. In and of themselves a child was disturbing, yet to hear one now when one least expected it was a true confusion of the senses.

See you anything my dear Tsenrika?

Nothing. The Familiar floated slowly to the left, his senses open, watching, observing every direction at once, yet even so the Irylid could detect nothing from this being save for what it allowed them to know. It was a frustration to a being who prided himself on the details it could see in everything, for now he was blinded.

The sudden silence was perhaps worst of all. It deafened and stilled the Immortal's movements, though her eyes flicked down to the object that had landed in the tall grass. She did not dare move to pick it up however, for certainly such an action would call the creature to come and strike out. In the end, however, It seemed that whatever it was that taunted and played with Evalin's senses felt the need to strike despite her frozen stature.

What little air was in her lungs rushed out with a solid "Umph" as she was thrown backwards, and every muscle in her body seized as something forced its way inside of her, burrowing deep like a parasitic worm and ripping control of her magics away as easily as a person might tear away a bed sheet. The res in her hair and lungs quickly escaped from their confines, already beginning to dissipate at a higher rate with the Witch's will not keeping it well in check. As quickly as he could Tsenrika gathered the res as it escaped, pulling it back toward him but then he too was thrown back by the invisible force, but Evalin could only tell because of the pain that coursed through her body for try as she might she could not connect to the Irylid. Their bond wavered and strained like when they first met one another, reduced to barely a thread...

The grip around her throat brought Evalin's attention back to the moment at hand, and she hung limply from its grip, her morphs only half formed now as claws were shrunk and faded to a dull grey and the scales now came in patches instead of a smooth line. Worst yet was her eyes, for the moment she could not control that power any longer they reverted partially back to her own burning red points, making the world darken around her until she could barely see the outline of the forest around. What she could see, however, were the hateful flaming eyes gazing out from a portal of nothingness, and they held her attention perfectly.

Evalin didn't need to breath, but choked as she was she couldn't draw breath or hiss out a response that she wished to. She was at this things mercy, dangling like a child in the grip of a monster. Had she been the type she may have mused that this, perhaps, was how others felt when they met the Immortal herself, but such thoughts were not ones that Evalin entertained.

The pain was terrible. It hurt, piercing straight through her body and soul, but more than the pain its words struck and imprinted themselves on her mind. The words were the real insult, not the power that made her submissive, and that was where the true pain came from.

When she was tossed aside Evalin crumbled on the ground, her body not responding right away but in an instant she felt her power returned to her and Tsenrika's mind came crashing into her's, filling her mind and soothing a panic she had not realized had come over her. Shaking her head Evalin slowly stood, running fingers through her black hair and blinking into the darkness, turning her head this way and that but she could see no signs of those eyes anywhere.

Be damned, that creature was fierce... Evalin shuffled forward, touching her djed to bring back her morphs in full once more, feeling weary from the experience and from having been ripped of her magic and forced to summon her power once more.

So easily it disarmed us... It seems a spirit it truly is, and a powerful one at that.

Evalin nodded slowly, crouching down and picking up the object that had fallen in the grass, turning it over in her fingers. Through her eyes Tsenrika saw it as well, a silver ring missing its center piece.

Did you hear my dear Tsenrika... The voices.

Many dozens, if not hundreds of them. He replied, coming to float at her side, Perhaps it is not a single creature, but a collection of many?

Perhaps. Evalin answered distractedly. Tapping on that second sight once more Evalin winced as a pain arched through her skull, but she ignored it for the time being. The veil of djed passed over her senses, and through it she could see something etched on the inside... Runes of some kind that she could not decipher, and when she brought it close to her nose she caught the sweet sent of roses.

Curious... Standing Evalin slipped the ring over the knuckle of the middle finger, What it said, however, was the most curious thing of all. If what we have heard of its origin is to be believed this being is far older than even myself, and perhaps to it even I am a babe... Evalin looked back over her shoulder thoughtfully, turning in a circle to search for any sign of the creatures departure.

My master is not so old as some of her kind, so it is quite possible. Tsenrika floated to her other side, Be that as it may, it could cripple our powers with a mere thought. Perhaps it would be best to leave this creature be before it turns back upon us.

Shaking her head Evalin smiled down at the Irylid, Oh heart of my heart, do you not know what your Master contemplates?

Indeed I do, thus I make the point to turn while we might be able to easily enough.

Again Evalin shook her head and looked into the darkness, setting her hands on her hips, It has power. Real and true power such that it had become a legend among the mortals of this area. It stole from us our sense and strength. Tsenrika, my dear Tsenrika, that power we must have. That power we must understand its source.

It would be a risk of great proportions. Doubt I much that it is worth such costs.

It is because you feel this is that that I am resolute in this decision. Wish I to become a Goddess of a new era coming soon, but to do so I must stand above all things in this mortal realm. I need the power to become more than just an entity, I must become a legend, a myth, an Idea...

Plucking the strands of her djed once more Evalin brought forth the face of the Akila hound to her mind, the features of her face once more taking on its likeness and opening up her senses to the world around her. Crouching has she had before Evalin searched the air for a scent to follow, eyes looking now through the veil of power that made her mind weary because of its extended use, but she ignored it just so that she would have the chance to track this being wherever it had gone.

I have to know... What this being is and how it became what it is this day. Then shall I take its power for myself, or perhaps gather it to stand at my side in aid of my great purpose... Evalin started forward once more, searching for a trail to follow with Tsenrika coming up behind her.

As my Master wishes... His voice fully showing his dislike of this plan. .