She had to speculate on it for a bit. Some kind of mental influence? Killing him may have almost accidentally restarted his system from whatever conditioning they had him under. She couldn’t identify the exact means easily, though she reasoned it was likely magic based. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say you probably aren’t going to be too heartbroken of what happens to these people. Fortunately, my assignment is to make sure there’s no enemies left for Sasha to fight. As long as you’re not planning on still being one, you’re second chance won’t be wasted.”
Saphielle would overlook Kiya's impertinence, for now. She would deal with anything that threatened her life without mercy to ensure her life extended beyond the end of everything else. Hopefully, her lust for revenge would be fueled by her likely loss against Ayla, making her more amenable to the banshee's offer of mentorship so she could be subverted rather than destroyed. However, should she succeed, then those she intended to lure to the city, just had to deal with her instead of the lich. Saphielle sunk back into Dawn. Opening her eyes, reveling in the physical sensation of sight as she cast a lingering look at the wall. Too bad she couldn't stay to see the fallout, but this place made her skin crawl and she had a pair of vessels to create for the married duo. Her initial plans had been to create majestic, sculptured bodies that were a delight to the senses, but Ayla's revulsion had forced her to rethink that plan. Something to further humiliate the lich's estranged parents, but still able to show off her craftmanship and preserving their unique features given to them by the manner of their death. She wandered out of the palace to reunite with the pair of zombies offered to her that housed the souls. It'd be a long walk home. She smiled, brushing a hand against one of the mummied bodies, expecting the return journey to be much faster once she had a pair of mounts to ride on. Yes, that could certainly work.
Without hesitation Silfiel started walking down the brightly-lit hallway towards the throne and the woman sitting on it. “I suppose not... but this is good enough for now.” She commented as she walked, her gaze focused on the goddess' beautiful face. The elf stopped in front of the large throne and bowed, then looked up at the goddess and smiled happily. “I am really happy to see you, Luenna, even if it is just a dream – though in my humble opinion you look better when there are no pesky garments getting in the way of such a divine view...” she admitted “Tell me, is there anything I can do for you, my goddess?” She asked, hopeful.
@GenericEditor168 Arriving at the location he finds Patricia facing off against a strange looking man. The man's hair is pure white, his face is pale, his eyes are pure black and he's wearing a tattered and torn lab coat and nothing else. Patricia has a knife in her hand, but her shotgun is lying near the man, "You shouldn't let your guard down, Patty, someone might sneak up on you," the strange mostly nude man taunts her and she scowls at him, "You got lucky, but I don't need my gun to take you out," she says. Neither of them seems to have noticed Tlazohuitl just yet. @Auraicide He doesn't respond, "Good luck. There's much worse than me guarding this place," he says as his only response and Sasha looks thoughtful, "So... Wait were these pills for your condition then?" she asks and he nods. @Mazoku Saphielle leaves and finds the two mummies waiting in the desert for her. They stand idly waiting for commands. @moonblack Luenna smiles, "Well we can see about losing these 'pesky garments' in a bit," she responds then looks thoughtful, "So, tell me. You recently arrived in this world, why did you choose to contact me?" she asks as she slips off her throne and moves to stand closer to Silfiel her hand moving to caress Silfiel's cheek again, "I mean I am honored to be your choice of godly companion, but it is strange that you would, seek me out so quickly," @Tjf Sandor leaves and heads to the dock. The dock is a short distance away from the city, but you arrive shortly. There are three large ships docked there and the place seems busy. You spot an important looking man yelling orders at people as they load some of the ships. He's got a black bushy beard and short hair and is wearing a white jacket, white cap with a black peak shading his face from the sun. He's somewhat rotund and he has a fairly stern look on his face.
With some effort Silfiel managed to keep her eyes on the goddess' face and not let her gaze drop lower. “Initially I was curious,” she admitted “You're not the only goddess named Luenna, you see. The goddess I follow in my home world is called Luenna, Goddess of Life. I admit I am not particularly devout, occasionally praying to her when I need one of my spells empowered, but mainly using her in some of my fantasies, since she can change her appearance at will and thus could look any way I imagine.” The elf blushed as she realized what she had just said. Probably shouldn't have said that... She coughed before continuing. “Anyway, after I arrived in this world I met Sophie and from her I heard about the Church of Luenna, making me realize that there's a Luenna in this world too. I...” she almost said ...used you in a fantasy while masturbating but managed to stop herself “...tried to imagine what you might look like, and it seems like I accidentally got pretty close,” she commented as she looked up and down Luenna's body before returning her gaze to the goddess' face. Silfiel paused to take a breath and enjoy the feeling of Luenna caressing her cheek for a bit before continuing. “When I first tried contacting you I did it mostly out of curiosity, as wasn't sure what would happen: Would you answer me, or would the Luenna from my world? Both of you? Or neither?” she smiled at the goddess “The result was better than I hoped. Then you made that comment about speaking in person and about doing something about my fantasy, giving me a goal that is both difficult and tempting – there was no way I could ignore it...” She made another brief pause. “That's all. It's...” ...difficult not to kiss you and grope you. “...nice talking face-to-face like this, even if it's just a dream.” Hesitantly she reached with her hand to touch Luenna's cheek while waiting to see the goddess' reaction.
Sandor approaches the man. "Hello, the mayor told me to inquire here about passage to Europe?" He hands over the paper he was given.
"So, they have biological interactions with the body then. It can't be entirely a form of magic. Some kind of science...of some sort." She wasn't sure of the exact experiments they had done, though it left her debating what her next moves should be. "Amount of guards? Traps? Whose the important people? Think hard. What's the last thing you remember?"
"Let's leave." She sneers at the pair and she sets a brisk pace back toward her lair. They still had long way to go. __________________ Sandy dunes and craggy cliffs seemingly bereft of any greater abundance of life to the ignorant, eventually gave way to lush vegetation as Saphille reached the Nile River Basin. Like everywhere else, the region had been devastated by the war decades prior. Many of the towns and cities scattered along the river lay in still lay in ruins. The signboard welcoming visitors to the city had faded, a few of the letters in Arabic still legible, but Saphielle didn't much care for what its name had been. She had no neighbors except the animals making the abandoned houses and shops their home, and they, perhaps sensing the aura of death, left her and her dolls mostly alone. All she had to worry about was the occasional scavenger - like Dawn. They were a steady drip of new souls to fuel her artistic creations and magical experimentation, sparing her from searching further afield most of the time. Compared to the grandeur of Ayla's palace, the dilapidated outside of Saphielle's warehouse was a sorry sight. However, it was cleaner than its surroundings, no visible trash, the worst damage repaired, and the keen-eyed would notice there was no hint of invasive plant life trying to reclaim the building for mother nature. Her dolls were fastidious cleaners, plucking every weed Saphielle asked them too without complaint. But its view over the river was difficult to find elsewhere. Its inside was cavernous. Materials lined the walls, from stone blocks to ceramics, paints, and other materials she used for her trade. A bevy of tools, many enchanted to induce particular effects in the material it worked, filled the workshop areas with half-finished creations spread around the open space. The offices had been cleaned out and repurposed. The one used as her bedroom was opulent, filled with cushions and luxury that was absent elsewhere. Its sole purpose was for sex and equipped accordingly. She had more practical rooms as well: a small library where she kept a modest collection of books on magical lore and techniques; and a prison where the banshee left Dawn to languish under a fierce spewing of invectives from the Desert Elf. A pair of her dolls came to great their ghostly mistress, two of her simpler creations. They were near-identical, the shapes of their clay bodies were feminine with only a faint impression of facial features like a mouth or eyes. But it would be a mistake to think they couldn't speak or see. Unless they had noticed anything that required her attention then she would start with the new vessels and interrogation of the spirits. She also had a letter to prepare to explain the situation in the Lich's city and would be sent off to a church, but that could wait. Maybe a second letter addressed to Ayla to fill the time until they would meet again.
The snake ducks into cover behind a tree and checks his pistol again, making sure that it's ready, before peering back out. His tongue flickers out, tasting the air and the scents of the two fighters, as he draws on his magical skill to try and work out what's effecting the man who is apparently Carson... hopefully the rules of magic aren't too different here.
@moonblack Luenna looks intrigued at the idea of another Goddess named Luenna and amused as Silfiel admits to fantasizing about the other Luenna, she raises an eyebrow as Silfiel mentions that this other Luenna could change her form and suddenly Luenna is gone replaced with an exact copy of Silfiel, "As can I. Form is... Somewhat optional for a Goddess like myself," she says before shifting back to her more normal form. She then looks a little sad, "Unfortunately I doubt your Luenna will be able to hear you across universes like this, she'd have to be extraordinarily powerful, even for a god, in order to do that," she says and allows Silfiel to touch her cheek. Her skin feels soft and warm to the touch, like a smooth rock that had been left in the sun for a while. Her own hand drifts from Silfiel's face down to her side and she gently urges her closer kissing her lips gently before pulling back, "Unfortunately it seems you'll be waking up soon, but I look forward to meeting you again," she says and then everything vanishes as Silfiel wakes up in Sophie's bed, the sun setting outside. @Tjf The man takes the letter and reads it, "Hmm... Passage to Europe... I can do that. We have a ship heading there soon. You have any luggage or anything?" he asks before turning and yelling out, "Hey, Barsar! Come here. We have a guest who will be traveling with us, show him to a room on board the steamer!" he orders and a woman approaches glumly, but stops as she sees you. It's the thief you encountered earlier and she quickly averts her eyes looking panicked as she recognizes you, "Ah... Um... Sir... If you would follow me," she says quietly, she's obviously expecting a confrontation of some kind, but is doing her best to pretend everything is normal. @Auraicide The man laughs, "You beat me and I won't stand in your way, but we're not friends. I am not your ally. I am still loyal to the cause if not the people," he responds with a shrug, "If you decide to kill me again, so be it," he adds. @Mazoku Returning to her lair is uneventful. The two mummies with her follow her commands unquestioningly as they follow her into the lair. If they were capable of independent thought they would likely marvel at their new location. The spirits definitely seem to be interested in their surroundings, though also very annoyed at being taken away from their daughter. @GenericEditor168 Through scenting the Air Tlazohuitl can tell Patricia is more nervous than she's letting on and Carson smells sweet like rotting meat. Tlazohuitl's magical senses tell him much more about Carson. His body isn't real in a sense. Just a flesh puppet being controlled from somewhere else. You can sense the ritual magic extending away from him to somewhere in the distance. The body itself is under the effect of a ritual that greatly increases the bodies physical attributes. Tlazohuitl would recognize that the combination of these two rituals would make Carson's body practically unkillable as long as he's connected to whatever is controlling the body. Somewhere on the body there would be a marking acting as a focal point for the control magic that would kill the body if it was destroyed. Meanwhile the fight starts, Patricia lunges for Carson with a stab towards his face and he counters by catching the knife in his palm and punching her in the chest launching her backwards. She lands on her ass, coughing violently and Carson laughs, "Oh yeah you definitely didn't need this gun," he says picking up the gun and starting to approach her, "I know what you're thinking. You're actually just mad cause I went after Fabiane before you, well don't worry you were my second choice. Hell if I hadn't been figured out and run out of town you and Fabiane would be mine by now," he taunts before pointing the shotgun at her as she starts getting back up.
Silfiel blinked a few times and shook her head to banish the sleepiness and help get her bearings - the difference between the place from her dream and Sophie's home was stark and a bit disorienting. Then she touched her lips with two fingers and blushed slightly as she recalled the kiss she had received from the goddess. “Thank you for an enjoyable time, Luenna. I look forward to our next meeting,” she said quietly, wondering if the goddess would hear her, then got out of bed and put on her armor. “Well, time to get back to work, I guess. Let's see what Sophie is doing,” she decided as she made her way out of the bedroom.
Sandor gives no indication that he's seen Barsar before. "Thank you, I have no luggage but what I have in my pack." He begins to follow the thief. As they walk, Sandor begins to make seemingly casual conversation. "So, are you here on a job, or are you a real sailor?"
"You've already been dead, once. Did you see any glorious afterlife awaiting for you for following this cause? I'm genuinely curious. Or was it just a great abyss of nothing. If you didn't like the future of where your headed, wouldn't it be more ideal to try changing it?" She didn't know everything about the afterlife of this world, but she suspected that he might be putting on a front. If he saw and felt what it was like to be dead once, he probably would want to make a better life for himself. "You know exactly what awaits these people. Is it really worth fighting for that much?...Well...that's for you to decide." She let the idea hang, unsure if he would listen or not. He already had to understand he couldn't win against the dijiin, so she wasn't worried about a sneak attack from him. She gave a look to Sasha. "You have a mission to be carrying on anyway, do you not?" Zaria began to seemingly vanish into the air again follow behind Sasha as part of the space and heat around her.
Saphielle no longer had any use for the mummies and activating part of the magic she had laid when binding them to the corpses called their spiritual form forth from their temporary vessels. Then with a silent command, the banshee ordered the now empty husks to aimlessly wander in a direction that fell her fancy. It didn't matter which, so long as the ugly things disappeared from her sight. From their necks hung remants of the spectral chains she had first used to bind, ready to snap taunt with a quick flick of her fingers. The Burning Man and The Drowned Woman. She smiled at them, the details that Ayla had provided about their sacrifices bringing joy the quirked edges of her lips. Their bodies were disfigured beyond any familial recognition, but she looked beyond their physical appearance. It truly was a shame, studying the lich's mother with a glowing and hungry gaze as she floated close enough to touch her. Once she had prepared their equine vessels they'd never again know any sexual pleasure. She could've been such a good sex doll with a tongue as agile and deft as a stream running down a mound. The man too would certainly also have found a use suited to the his unique and fiery composition. Saphille would have to run Ayla, and possibly Kiya, ragged to make up for that loss. Her pair of clay dolls had disappeared to retrieve the first large block of stone. Marble with golden white veins coursing and weaving their way through the black stone like an arterial system. She'd use the same kind for both of them. If they knew of the Italian Portoro's value, she was sure they'd be impressed. "It's lovely, isn't it?" She asked the pair though not expecting an answer. They had been silent since they had met outside the throne room, but if it were because they were mute or simply unwilling she hadn't taken the time to discover yet. "You heard when I discussed my plans for you with your daughter." This time it wasn't a question. "All you are to me is a curiosity to be picked apart then reforged, and trained, into a pair of loyal showhorses that I will parade before Ayla. But that will take time, and to fill it I had hoped we'd have a talk about her. Let's start easy with what lead my darling slave and future apprentice down the path of Necromancy."
For a long moment, the snakeman hesitates... before he eases his dagger out of its sheath and starts to sneak up on the Carson-thing. He breathes as lightly as he can, tongue flicking nervously as he gets in range to strike... then he lunges and tries to tear open the back of Carson's shirt with the dagger, stripping him in a wild attempt to find the mark.
@moonblack Sophie is waiting at the front door and smiles as Silfiel arrives, "Sleep well? Your timing is impeccable. The sun is setting," she says and then looks thoughtful, "So... Should I stay up to help out, or were you planning to confront them alone?" she asks as the sun is setting, slowly plunging the land into darkness. @Tjf Inal leads Sandor to a room on the ship and answers his question, "I am actually a sailor. Most of us have a legitimate side job. Helps keep us hidden and provides a source of income that we can use more freely without being suspicious," she says and opens the door to the room. The room is small, including only a single cot like bed, a chest to place belongings in and a small alcove with a curtain that contains a toilet and sink. She coughs, "So... What's your plan now? You don't seem intent on turning me in, so... What, planning to blackmail me or something?" she asks, her arms crossed as she leans against the wall of the room. @Auraicide He chuckles, "Suffering darkness was what awaited me... The cause is to give us a better life and afterlife if we succeed," he answers. Sasha nods, "Indeed we should keep going," she says and turns heading up the stairs to the next floor. The next floor is a hallway with four doors, two on either side and another set of stairs on the other end. The doors are labeled. The 1st door on the left is listed as "Armory, the second door is listed as "storage" the 1st on the right is labeled "Workshop" and the second has an electronic keypad lock and is labeled "Special Storage". @Mazoku The empty husk's wander obediently off into the distant sands, the burning man and drowned woman remain, watching passively, however Saphielle does get a response to her question about what led Ayla down the path of Necromancy, "We... Were a happy family... We loved her... " the drowned woman speaks as if with great difficulty, "she... Loved... reading about Egypt... We brought her on a vacation..." the burning man continues, "she was a child... Disappointed that it wasn't like she expected," the drowned woman adds, "in her disappointment she listened to the snake... Poisoned her mind," the burning man finishes. @GenericEditor168 Patricia is frozen staring up at Carson and the barrel of her own shotgun aimed at her, "Y... You wouldn't shoot me. You want me for something," she says sounding fearful and Carson nods, "I did, but you've become too much of a pain to be left alive," he answers and her eyes drift spotting Tlazohuitl sneaking up and she hesitates and then breathes in, "I... Don't want to die... I promise I'll do whatever you want..." she offers weakly, "is that so? Prove it," he responds and presses the tip of the shotgun against her lips, "Suck on-" he starts before he lets out a surprised gasp and drops the shotgun as Tlazohuitl's knife slides through the back of his shirt, he turns to Tlazohuitl as his shirt slides off revealing the marking on his shoulder. "Who... Who the hell are you?" he asks angrily, as behind him Patricia grabs her shotgun off the ground and raises it aimed at the back of his head.
Poor woman, so easily manipulated by anyone heartless enough to take advantage of of such an innocent soul. Serpents were devious creatures, fangs dripping with poison that coursed through the body and minds of those bitten. All it took was an eye bink of inattention. She preferred the arachnids which her descendants were fond of - or fearful - who spun a cocoon for their captured prey. She could sympathize with Ayla's disappointment and wish to impose her vision. The banshee's spectral dress flowed as she floated toward first of the black slabs. Saphielle extended an arm into the stone, her senses stretching through the contact. She searched for fault lines, misalignment and pockets of impurities, were she only needed a comparable small amount of force to send the stone cracking in the rough outline of the form she sought. Then she could begin her work in earnest. It was overwhelming to feel everything the stone was, and she needed time to sort everything out. And like all stone, it was unique and imposed its uniqueness on the sculptor. "Tell me of this... snake." Continuing the conversation, splitting her attention between listening and working the slab. "It taught her, or showed her where she could learn?" True conversational partners were rare, and this reminded her a little of how she had missed that.
“I had a pleasant dream – too bad it felt so short...” Silfiel replied with a happy smile before getting serious. “Well, I can't be certain, but there's a high chance that the thieves are unaware of my involvement. It would be best if we keep it that way for now. So my suggestion is the following: You will hide and wait. I will hide as well, but at a different place so that when the thieves arrive they will end up between the two of us. Once they start stealing your crops you will demand to know what they are doing without revealing yourself. What happens after that depends on how they react: If they try fleeing I will intercept them; if they try shooting at you I will surprise them from behind; and if they decide to talk – well, talk to them and try to learn as much as you can. You could even attempt to make a deal – if you think you can trust them. In any case try to keep your distance and not to show yourself, especially if the woman with the bow is here again. Also, pay attention to what they say. If it is two of them again and they try to pretend that it is just them – call them out on their lie, using the woman's words from last night as evidence that there are more than two of them.” She explained her plan. “Do you have a weapon? You should bring one along, just in case – even if it is just a kitchen knife, or some such. After that I will help you find a good place to hide before finding one for myself.”
The ifrit just lingered about, almost fascinated at watching the girl work. "It's one of those...noise boxes." Zaria struggled to find the word as she started at the strange device against the door. Folding her arms, she mused. "It must be connected to unlocking the door by doing.....something." It became more apparent as impressive as the magical might of the dijiin was, she struggled at what was probably common knowledge for the era. "But...if they care about guarding this one more than the rest, that means it has something they don't want other people to have. Naturally, it means we should take a look." The dijiin stared at the security terminal, visibly frowning at the logic puzzle, taking a look at the sealed door before focusing her attention on the door. "I have a thought." She couldn't determine how that thing was supposed to work, but she focused on invoking her abilities of the metal at the door, aiming to convert the metal into sand and simply make her own opening, without needing to figure out how this was supposed to work.
