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 Posted: Thu Oct 13, 2022 11:14 pm
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There was nothing Nalyne could do. The threat of the Xig'Dramoth would move into Darkness Abounds unchecked. All he could do was ensure that the castle would remain protected. He would do what he could for the village, but the inhabitants knew what they were getting into by living here.
He sealed up the throne room, unsure of what to do with the creature Goh had turned into his throne. He thought it best to seal it up in there until it could be dealt with.
For now, he would see to Ilea.
He picked her up from the floor and watched as a stone alter was formed, holding her as a couple of the Rattles walked up with lush furs and laid them in place. Once that was done, he gently laid Ilea there then watched as her golem bodysuit transformed itself into a crimson sheet to cover her and protect her at the same time.
After that was done, he sent all the humans back to the village then closed his eyes and dug up something from a very old fairy tale: thorn vines... They surrounded the castle then engulfed it entirely.
He didn't do anything else until the castle was entirely covered with the nasty creations. Those were positively evil creations of his: deep black vines with angry red thorns of various sizes. If someone tried to get past them, the vines would wrap them up and the thorns would pierce them in numerous places before slowly and painfully devouring them.
He finally turned to look at Ilea and gave a soft sigh, then faded from sight.
Now, only someone with the right skills could get to Ilea to lay claim to her.... |
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 6:37 am
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Nalyne stepped out of the portal then waited for Nathaniel to follow him through. He deliberately didn't pay any attention when the boy stumbled, knowing that he'd get used to portal travel at some point. Instead, he focused on Ilea as one of the Rattles moved around to settle her hair behind her in a movement that would have been tender if it had been done by something other than a walking skeleton.
After a moment for Nate to get himself settled, Nalyne moved forward, "Don't go into the Throne Room unless you're certain that you can deal with the creature in there. It's the last of it's race. How Goh managed to tame it, I have no idea. Damned creature doesn't have a name any more. The thing is what killed Shale and dropped her into stasis. That stasis is a part of her DNA. I cannot change that. Goh trapped her into that loop of hell," he started, pointing out the door to the throne room.
Instead, he allowed Nate to look at Ilea then pointed out another room off to the side of the staircase, "That's the Study. It's Goh's private library. In there, you'll find the books you want as well as the story of Ilea's life under Goh. I'll admit that she went through a living nightmare under the b*****d. Shale was just starting to turn her from several lifetimes of bad habits and abuse. But Shale's dead now, so we have no choice but to wait for someone else to take on the Master/Servant Bond and claim her. She won't wake until then. Again, it's part of her DNA," he added then gestured towards the staircase.
"Choose a room for yourself. The Rattles will see to setting it up for you. I've already spelled the kitchen and storerooms to have plenty of food and drinks. If you want something different supplied, just note it on the kitchen list and it'll appear for you," he pointed to the main doors, "That's the Courtyard. There are ten very interesting undead out there. Ilea raised them when she had her temper tantrum. They're still out there waiting for her to wake up. You may find them disturbingly interesting to study. But if you plan on leaving the castle, you'll have to use a portal. I surrounded the castle with a nasty version of a fairy tale. If anyone plans to claim her, they'll have to prove that they're worthy of it," he continued as he moved over to check on Ilea personally.
He paused there and gently moved a lock of her hair out of her face then pulled the sheet further up about half an inch. For what she'd gone through...
Well... He was beyond glad that Goh was very dead now...
He backed up a step and rested a hand on his sword, his grip tightening briefly before releasing it with a soft sigh. He wouldn't be using it for that purpose now...
Instead... Well..
He turned to Nate and held out his hand, watching the boy as the shadows began to pool in his palm until it formed a sphere about the size of a tennis ball, though the shadows carried a hint of crimson to the edge of the sphere, "Come and touch it. You'll receive what I promised once you do. Just remember my warning before: I don't do healing. I fix problems," he said simply, a hint of steel to his voice this time.
He knew that the shadows would spread out over Nate, stinging as if he'd stepped in a fire ant nest before sinking into his skin and giving him the promised healing, portaling ability, and taking care of the other growing problem he'd been dealing with. For the rest, there was the Study.... |
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 12:36 pm
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 ----------------------------------------- Nathaniel Hobbs --------------------------
And if I consider you a problem? It had taken a bit to pick up on but as his emotions died down to a dull roar on their tour of the castle Nate had given himself time to analyze just what was happening. It was a suspicion but.. could gods read minds? Ah... this guy really was troublesome. The healing had been a surprise but honestly it had been a welcome one, not because it had mended his wounds but rather because it had hurt in doing so. Painless healing was... wrong in his mind and it honestly made him a little more relaxed that this strange being didn't do it. Not that he was overly thrilled to be grabbed to do so but that was just the grumblings of someone who had survived a very unlikely situation. Venting aside Nate was paying attention as Nalyne explained how life would work here; The pale fringe of his lashes low over his gaze as he noted the threats and points of interest in what was now partially his territory. Perhaps it was a instinctive polite habit for his inner Lich nature but absently the boy had already started spreading a thin web of his magic along the halls as they walked.. not hostile nor possessive just.. greeting those souls and creatures that cared to notice it in a polite 'wave' of sorts to those sensitive to death magic. In his mind this was necessary to let the denizens here get to know his presence without invading their space. If he was going to stay here and honor that deal then he was going to have to get along with everyone... even if that meant establishing a respectful distance from that creature in the main hall so he could clean in there. Shale hadn't been unknown to the lad and anything that could merk that guy wasn't something Nate wanted to stumble up to without properly learning its boundaries.
That little moment with the sword wasn't lost from his attention and yet, regaining his normal appearance of serene patience, Nate didn't comment or question it. That was.. personal. Nalyne lifted his hand and offered his part of the deal; Lifting his hand in response the boy instead lightly poked his own neck for the companionship of his little waif friend, blinking with disappointment as he realized that little spirit from before had remained behind in the graveyard. Deprived of that small comfort the lad flicked his stare back up to study Nalyne's face as his hand slowly changed direction and reached out to hover over the gathering magic in the man's palm. Was it normal for a god to be so openly readable with his thoughts on his face? The warning and the awareness of incoming pain if the lad touched this ball were written in the taunt line of the man's lips. Beth.. John.. Tonia... Ellie.. His shoulders slowly relaxed, the boy giving a soft sigh as he mentally etched the last and newest name to his self-soothing mantra. and Ilea. Whatever else the woman was, whatever she ended up doing to him or dragging into his life.. For better or worse he couldn't just leave her now that he'd decided to claim her. " .. Then fix things properly. You dragged me into this boat so I won't tolerate any slacking on your end.. I'll worry about the healing side of it." He'd work with him.. he'd help this strange damn god even if the guy had caused him pain because ultimately he was getting something more valuable than the heartache of earlier out of this. If this was his 'home' now.. There was no way in hell he was going to let it get taken away again. The hand that had hovered so cautiously above the offered orb lowered firmly, fingers grasping the magic with a gentle yet firm grip. Familiar pain swept up his palm and wrapped like a loving rope of thorns up his arm; Nate didn't even notice as he reflexively smacked his hand down into Nalyne's palm and gripped it to steady himself as the sensation prickled and burned his muscles spreading from the initial point of contact through the rest of his slight frame. New magic, alien magic was bonding to his soul along side his natural gift of necromancy. This was neither good nor bad but certainly something foreign had soaked into his system and as the lancing pains started to ease a small sense of dread worked itself up his throat. It was different from the Lich energy growing in his chest, that wasn't gone but with this new magic it seemed.. calmer. Still there, still waiting, but satiated easier? And the new energy seemed much more active and bright than his latent magic.. was that the healing energy Nalyne had mentioned? Absently still holding Nalyne's hand to steady himself Nate lifted his left hand to his face and covered his eyes as if the darkness would help him center himself. What a strange feeling, he felt.. heavier yet lighter. Externally, throughout this experience, the lad hadn't shown much reaction to the depths of the turmoil rolling through his body.. But the force of his grip no doubt betrayed that calm appearance. Humans didn't naturally adapt new magics like this, just developing his Lich seed had literally almost killed him.. This didn't feel much better.
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:50 pm
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Nalyne wasn't bothered by the contact and held on to the boy's hand in return as he waited for the pain to subside to a dull roar instead of a raging inferno. He really hadn't bothered to hide much up to this point but he hadn't revealed everything either. He never would but that was beside the point. Still, he watched the boy take the spiritual slap like a trooper and finally gave him a nod of approval. He liked this one, he decided, more than he'd expected to.
When Nate pulled away on his own, Nalyne simply gave him another nod then looked towards the Study for a moment. He didn't like the journals about Ilea's life but they were useful in understanding her. He knew that. Still...
He shook his head and refocused on Nate. If Ilea doesn't mind the journals, he had no room to complain about them. If she didn't flinch about them then no one else had a right to. Those journals were the story of her life read: torture under Goh. Each journal covered about a week with a few here and there covering just a couple of days. Goh had meticulous about those journals, detailing everything he'd taught her as well as each time he'd tried to block her abilities and how he'd felt about her. He'd actually gotten more and more cruel over time. Not that Goh had been anything but cruel. It's just that the journals had gotten worse over time.
He finally shook his head and looked at Ilea again, considering her carefully before making another offer to Nate, "There's a very slim chance I might be able to wake her for short periods of time. I'm not sure how far I can bypass what Goh did to her. Like I said, he limited her to three months without someone holding that Bond to keep her awake. I'm limited in what I can do with her. Every deity has limits, it's just that some of us decide to violate those limits and then someone has to clean up the mess. Goh violated more than that. It's why he was kicked out. Now I've been sent to deal with the mess he made," he started but had to pause again.
He gently reached out to caress Ilea's forehead in a gesture that probably seemed like a personal flashback for Nate, since the boy had done the same thing countless times to his sisters. For Nalyne, though.
He gave a soft sigh and straightened, "No matter the consequences, she's essentially my niece now. I've spent the last few weeks arguing that point to my family and I finally won that argument. She's basically family now. And she deserves some of what comes with that. More, in my opinion, but I'm not in charge of that part of things. I cannot change what she's been through but I do hope to change her future. You are now part of that. Meaning that if you're taking her on as family, that'll include me as an Uncle," he paused there and turned a wry look to Nate, "Congratulations," he finished that part of it with a tone that could only be described as ironically sardonic.
Yes, he understood the humor of the situation all the way around. Yes, he knew that Nate didn't particularly like him.
Then again, did one ever particularly like all their family?
He turned back to Ilea and hesitated, "The only problem is that she'd come to truly love Shale... The loss will be... difficult... for her..." he offered, not sure of how Nate would take his kindness towards the woman but not really caring a whole lot about that.
If he could make one tiny piece of her life better, easier, not horrible... She deserved more than she'd been given...
Then again... Maybe there was a way around things for them all...
He was supposed to fix this entire mess.
Okay, okay, he was supposed to fix the Xig'dramoth mess, not this one...
But Ilea awake fixed some of that mess, right? If she was awake, she could deal with it. Asleep, nothing happened.
He was supposed to fix the mess with Nate. Closing the 'door' the slavers had used was only part of it. Nate wasn't supposed to be here to begin with. He couldn't outright send him home and leave him with the problems that came with that. No. The problem had to be fixed. Giving him the deal was only part of it. Now, Nalyne was in debt unless he finished meeting his end of things.
Ilea was the best Necromancer he'd ever come across. Better than any death deity he'd ever met. Who better to teach Nate than the best there was? It would only fix everything, wouldn't it?
Was that the right way to fix this? Or did he give Nate more time?
"I can give you more time to think about everything, more time to learn the castle at the least. I'll leave the decision of waking her up to you. If you think she should stay in stasis, I'll leave her be. If you think she should wake, for however long it lasts, I'll try it," he offered the choice to the boy, not entirely sure which direction he'd take, "I'll leave the protections in place around the castle. Until she's claimed and the Realm has a new Ruler, neither of you is truly safe here. No one is. This place must have someone to rule it. Only the person that can claim her can rule the realm. Goh's setups are screwed up but often reflect his screwed up thinking," he shook his head over the last bit but left it alone. There was no changing any of it. It was what it was and they'd all have to deal with it.
"By the way... Remember that Ilea is no innocent flower. She's just as ruthless and can be even more evil than that creature inside of you. But if anyone can teach you... It would be her... She's the best Necromancer I've ever seen... You would do well to remember that much when dealing with her. As well as the fact that she never learned to properly deal with emotions. As demonstrated by her only temper tantrum to date that you so lovingly call the Purge..." he pointed out, feeling that the reminder might be helpful... |
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Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2024 5:41 am
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----------------------------------------- Nathaniel Hobbs --------------------------
The taste of ash was so familiar and yet so very bitter on the lad's tongue as his body slowly started calm and he released the hold he had on the strange man's hand. What sort of bastards wished for human evolution? This hurt like hell.. The magic, his magic, was settling like a second layer of muscle along his slim frame and despite the eerie sensation of being 'more' it was oddly easy to focus as Nalyne directed his attention towards the study. Still waters ran deep.. True to the phrase Nate didn't really show much of a physical reaction as he took in the man's expression and awareness dawned as to just what he would likely find in room that normally would be so very tempting to the youth. Inside though? Really? His logic was trying to reason with the instinctive lurch in his stomach as every single little bit of his soul that hated gore and pain rebelled at what he needed to read in that room. He would read it.. and he would study it because he needed to for his family.
That earthy, dry taste in his mouth intensified as he processed what Nalyne said next. A slow blink answered, the pale flash of his lashes doing little to hide the recognition in his stare as he watched the slightly awkward motion of the god touching Ilea's hair so gently. Had he lacked the self control that small little gesture would have honestly made him laugh at the sheer relief that action gave him. God? Nate couldn't bring himself to trust or like a god. But as a 'man' who could act like this.. Ilea was better off than she knew. Nate however was not and he knew it; Especially after that quip about being a God's nephew. " ... If you can, do it. But.." A swift shake of his head sent his hair into a wild flurry and the lad swept his right hand out as if gesturing to the castle itself. " Not yet. I'm not myself and I have things to settle. I need time to figure out my footing before I risk pulling her into this too." Nate didn't even know 'what' he was anymore, he didn't feel like he did before and frankly for a 25 year old mortal that was ground shattering enough. What was more? He needed to keep his promise. If time moved differently then who knew how much he had lost in just this short span on his side? He also needed to wrap up his work in the town until he got a handle on this new magic and ensured he properly had time to clean and mend the castle.. " I'd be a terrible God so I hope that is a purely adoptive family offer--" Light hearted humor escaped as a self-soothing habit, the pale lad waving his hand in a playfully dismissive gesture as just a hint of vulnerability laced his tone. " ..but I wouldn't be against sharing meals once in a while, as long as you leave that divine mentality at the door. I'll have questions I need answering after all and we're in the same boat now if we like it or not." Uncle, huh.. When was the last time he'd cooked for family? A small shred of him wanted that again. Nothing fancy, no bargains or ulterior motives, just.. a family meal. Nate would take that sentiment to the grave before he ever admitted it aloud. Mentally shoring up his walls again Nate half turned from Nalyne and waved his hand again, this time in a summoning gesture with his fingers curling into his hand as if to say 'bring it' even as he rested his other hand on his hip with a resolute smirk. " Five months. Give me five months to get things in order and I'll be ready to pull my weight in this Nal-- I mean, Uncle." Half a bluff of audacity, half sheer strength of will to tease someone that could blink and end his existence.. But he was starting to think he could trust this fellow just a little. If only he knew a little more about sailor jargon he could make a better quip about getting to work but alas.. Snorting softly at his own thoughts Nate didn't really wait for permission as he turned away fully and started retracing the steps they had taken through the building. There was so... so much work to do..
------------ Five months ( and a few minor issues ) later ------------
" .... No." It was a futile battle. He knew it.. and the kitten knew it too. Laying on his stomach on the floor of the study Nate had propped himself up on his elbows as a pillow padded the ground between his chest and the rug and his chin rested snugly in his own left palm.. fingers tapping slowly as he observed the defiant little fluff of dark orange fur that waddled so brazenly under his raised right hand. Twin orbs of jade started at the jerky held in his long fingers; A demanding mewl rang out in the soft ambiance of the room and Nate felt the last shred of his rebellion die in the face of that adorable little beast's plea. Sinking his face fully into his palm the lad signed heavily and let his fingers open to drop the morsel of meat into the greedy clutches of the kitten's paws. " I'm not going to feel sorry for you when you get fat Lottie. Girl cats won't like you at all.." Ignoring Nate's ramble the little beast scarfed down its prize and bolted for the doorway, no doubt determined to hunt down one of the many Rattlers that Nate suspected coddled the animal in his absence. Remarkably.. human creatures.. He'd have been entirely lost without the resident undead to help him stay sane while he'd worked to restore the Castle and tend to the duties he'd taken on in this new part of his life. They didn't speak, at least not like a human would, but... To a Necromancer it was absolutely natural to converse with them like normal people. They had names, likes, dislikes.. and more than one, he knew, scratched that little cat's ears whenever it romped up to harass them for attention. It had been three months ago that he brought the creature home... He'd been leaving his Grandmother's house after a brief visit and had taken a slow stroll along the village's edge to settle his thoughts when the pathetic mewls had drawn him to a broken fence's edge and found a dirty ball of fur curled up under the debris. The Kitten hadn't made a sound and yet the mother cat's spirit had cried loudly; Nate didn't need to speak feline to understand why the ghost had called out to him so desperately. Learning to control his portal magic had been hellishly painful and slow; Yet the night he picked up that dirty, weak kitten Nate had managed to bridge the gap perfectly as he cradled the beast protectively against his chest as the ghost begged him to do and returned to his home plane. Visits back to the human realm were few but.. consistent enough that he got to attend his middle sister's wedding. His Father had passed away, as none-mages generally didn't live as long as the Necromancers in their family and the man had lived a hard life.. But even for his now adult sisters Nate's unchanging appearance seemed unsettling and the youth had resolved not to visit again after that last time. From the way they had bid him farewell he knew that they understood too.. Such a bittersweet feeling that made his chest ache and his throat burn. It had only been a few months for him to say goodbye and yet when he checked in it had been years for them; Strangers filled the places of his dearest people in the family house and before he knew it Nate felt less and less desire to look again. It wasn't hard to figure out 'why' this change wasn't so devastating to him. Nate wasn't.. who he had been before. He wasn't 'what' he had been either, though a name for this existence didn't really come to mind either. Things that had seemed so vital once now felt like passing whims and though his heart did sting for the loss it felt like the pain had been softened by some sort of fog around his soul.
Huffing into his hand Nate forced himself up, absently picking up the journal he'd been reading before Lottie ( or Sir Pounce-alot as he'd named him ) had tromped in to rob him of his snack jerky. Another of Ilea's chapters.. Whatever change he'd undergone made reading them easier but it had still taken multiple attempts to really memorize them detail by vicious detail. The story unwinding in the gruesome pages didn't illicit pity; The only emotion Nate could feel was respect as he unraveled just how much abuse his sister had survived through. Maybe that was a result of his change too, once upon a time he definitely would have cried for this girl's suffering but.. Ilea would hate that. As he was now Nate understood that mindset perfectly. Shedding tears over her past would be selfish and naive when the woman herself had long accepted it already. Rising fully to his feet, which were bare, Nate slid his empty hand under the hem of his shirt and scratched his stomach lightly as he started to follow after the bounding kitten's fluffy shape in the hall. Dressed casually, very much at home here, Nate was wearing a comfortable pair of black pajama pants and heathered gray T-shirt that easily dwarfed his slender frame. When he left the house that last time his sisters had given him many of his father's clothes.. It didn't really illicit sadness to have the reminders but for some reason even as he was Nate couldn't bring himself to get rid of them. They were... important. Some part of him still knew that. So he wore them. Roaming down the familiar hall the lad paused at the door to Ilea's chamber, the scarlet hue of his gaze softening as he took a moment to enter and adjust her blanket as he did frequently each day. Another moment passed as he reassured himself her room was cleaned properly; The potted blue orchid flowers he'd placed along her window sill blooming gently and filling the room with a sweet scent as Nate nodded softly in approval and carried on with his journey through the Castle. It had taken weeks to get the place clean, never mind all the cracks and broken stones he'd had to repair or replace.. He'd even found a balance of sorts with the creature in the throne room so he could clean up in there at a respectful distance. He'd even finally convinced the Rattles to let him mend their bones and shore up their energy, working as a medic of sorts for the undead that kept him company. Yet every day without fail he still walked the Castle like this to double the condition of the building and the well being of those that called the place home like he did. Lottie, the kitten, followed him for a bit but eventually got bored and chased one of the Rattles down a far hall earning ghostly laughter from those looking on at the odd scene. Rugs, tapestries, curtains, furniture, and elaborate light sources filled the once-barren home as Nate had spared no effort in filling the place with both necessary and decorative furniture. Even walking bare footed as he was the lad didn't feel cold in the slightest, the stone floors warmed by both latent magic and the thick rugs he'd tactfully placed around to soften the ambient sounds of the Castle. Later he'd go into town and check in with his web of contacts.. It had proven beneficial in these months for him to keep up his work as a Alchemist if only because it let him monitor the town outside without drawing attention to himself but he'd become much more careful about his jobs. It wasn't a life or death gamble anymore.. He had something to protect so he had to be cautious. Nalyne had visited fairly often much to the surprise of the lad; It had been a point of respite for him as he'd kept his word and cooked for them in the ridiculously 'normal' fashion he'd grown up doing. Shallow chatter, work issues, concerns on his magic control.. Just having someone to vent to and talk with had done wonders for his morale and finally the time was coming to face his real test in this home; It was time to wake up Ilea. " ... She's going to try and kill me." The musing was absent minded on the air as Nate padded bare-footed into the Kitchen and ran his hand along the doorframe, pondering what sort of meal he wanted to prepare for her first night awake. Not that she would likely eat it but still.. Nalyne said she'd lost her dearest one before falling back asleep. A wound like that would still be fresh for her and this female wasn't some dainty flower that would just cry it out. Ilea had purged almost a entire village due to her emotions running wild.. A nice meal and a warm home wouldn't sooth that sort of pain and he wasn't naive enough to think she'd just welcome him into her life regardless of Nalyne's deal. Sadly brothers didn't get to side step tough situations.. " I hope she doesn't break too much. It took so long to clean this place up."
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Posted: Tue Mar 12, 2024 10:53 am
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"She's not going to kill you," came Nalyne's voice from the dining room behind him. Turning found Nalyne dressed as usual but sitting at the table with a full meal sitting in front of him for them both, "This time, I brought the food. I can't cook, but I can dish the food out," he offered, knowing that the food from the Demon Realm would be different but very good. There were even some of the spiced meat rolls that the former demon king favored.
He dished up food for them both then gestured to the seat next to him and continued on his first statement, "She won't kill you. She might be annoyed at you spoiling the Rattles, but she won't kill you. She'll be interested in you enough to not even damage you. The cat will throw her off a bit. She was never allowed a pet, as you know. She won't know what to do with it," he explained to him as he poured them both a bit of light ale. This was, thankfully, much more drinkable than anything in the village.
He'd given him plenty of time to in the castle to figure things out, as well as . researching Ilea. While her life under Goh had been worse than a nightmare, her time with Shale had changed her. How much was the question...
Still, Nalyne felt that having Nate in her life would ground her and give her something to live for. It had already given Nate something to live for, so the positives outweighed the negatives.
As they ate, he had something to reveal. He had a feeling that today was the day. It was time to wake her. Or at least try to.
"I finished my own research. I think I can wake her. I might even be able to give her the ability to stay awake past the three month mark. It's going to be interesting to see how it goes. I'll need the urns of her blood from that office Shale made for her. I can set up a bath of sorts and do a little bit of magic to it. It'll help her stay awake longer. She'll still need someone to eventually take on the Bond with her, but we should be able to buy her some time for it," he explained, not bothering to hide anything about what he was planning for Ilea.
Instead, he was open with everything. He'd even helped Nate with finding a few books that were not in the Study. He gave the boy everything he could.
Immediately after Nate had brought the kitten, Food, litter box, and scratching posts/cat trees showed up. Toys and other items had shown up here and there as well. Nalyne hadn't been obvious about bringing the items, but he'd simply dropped them off then let Nate do with them as he wished.
For now, though, they needed the right place to set up the blood-pool for Ilea. It would have to stay in place and she'd have to bathe in it regularly, but it would be worth it in the end.
"Have any questions for me? I've been away a few weeks this time. You can ask me anything, you know. If I can't answer, I'll at least tell you so," he offered, wanting the boy to open up a bit more with him. Questions were a good start... |
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2024 6:56 am
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----------------------------------------- Nathaniel Hobbs --------------------------
It spoke volumes that the sudden voice didn't startle or put Nate on edge; Far from how he'd reacted at their first meeting the youth actually relaxed a little as Nalyne's answer reached his ears. What was more he had brought food..? Perking up at the idea of trying another cuisine unfamiliar to him Nate didn't hesitate to follow the summons to the table and with a casual grace he slid into his chair, neatly folding his legs into a lotus style rather than letting them rest naturally on the floor. " Thank you. It looks good." It honestly smelled good too and for a brief moment he couldn't help but wonder what ingredients went into it.. Alas, he'd hound him for the recipes later. A slow stroke of the journal's spine, still grasped gently in his hold as he had wandered the halls, served to remind him just how right Nalyne likely was about his safety in the hours to come. Just this one chapter reinforced the notion.. But that didn't mean he'd rush in blindly either.. " I still expect help if things get rough, just so you know... as for Lottie I doubt she'll be able to spoil the cat more than you have but it will be interesting to see if she grows to like him." Setting the journal aside, notably away from Nalyne's direction as if Nate were protecting him from being near the gruesome contents, the lad tucked into his food as he listened to the update to their situation. Blood magic, was it... Necromancy certainly did use blood a fair bit but Nate himself didn't specialize in that branch of magic; Thankfully though with Nalyne's help he had found a fair few of Shale's old notes and research books so the subject wasn't entirely alien to him at least. It wasn't lost on him that this self-proclaimed family member of his had really kept his word and supported his work.. but a part of him continued to wait for the catch. Was it fair? No, even he knew that logically. Emotionally though..? Trust really was a hard subject for Nate after falling into this realm. Grasping his ale Nate shook the tendrils of guilt out of his mind at that thought, taking a moment just to appreciate the fact that it was neither poisoned nor rancid like the swill they so dearly loved in the town. Such a simple, delightful taste really did make it easier for him relax and against his better judgement the lad leaned back in his chair with a telling sigh of pleasure. " So we need something permanent and preferably comfortable so she can, and will want to, use it often to soak in. A carved bath tub perhaps? We'll need enchantments to keep the blood fresh and potent so maybe those notes will have something useful in them.. "
Questions? The offer was met with a slow glide of Nate's stare in a side-long glance. His ale was still clasped between his hands, his legs folded neatly in his chair, and aside from the shift of his focus it almost looked as if nothing about his posture had changed.. However if one paid attention they would notice the way his breathing had slowed and he had stopped sipping from his cup to instead hold it gently against his chest. The words coming out of his mouth didn't match the expression on his face.. He was offering to talk and yet it felt like he was 'asking' for the conversation. That little sliver of guilt slipped back into his throat and Nate's eyes narrowed thoughtfully in acknowledgement at just what the man was getting at.. a knot of discomfort working its way into his fully stomach as he pondered how best to answer. Vulnerability was... awkward. But.. " .. I'm not sure what I am." Lich? The seed was warped, the moment his new magic took root it had mutated. That wasn't necessarily bad news but his evolution hadn't stopped either. He slept less, ate more for pleasure than need.. and he didn't dream anymore when he slept though he did rest well in that void. Flexing his fingers around his cup Nate took a moment to gather this information; The lad resisting the urge to shrug off the unease and burry it in his mind as he was prone to do. " I also... don't plan on going back to the human realm anymore. It makes them uncomfortable." A sharp splinter of pain made him pause in Nate tilted his head quizzically, glancing back down at his mostly-cleared plate on the table as he pondered the feelings biting at him. Childish whining really.. He'd gotten to say goodbye and that was more than many got to do. So what if it hurt. " I'll be able to focus more on what I'm doing here at least, staying busy is best.." Aha... he'd done that when he lost his mom too, hadn't he? Throwing himself into his work.. Old habits really did die hard.
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Posted: Wed Mar 13, 2024 8:07 pm
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Nalyne raised an elegant eyebrow in an almost snobbish expression, "I'll have you know that I'm spoiling my nephew, not that little beast," was all he said about the kitten. Despite the fact that he obviously spoiled the kitten.
Well, the point was to make Nate laugh...
After a moment, Nalyne sobered up a bit and moved on to the main issue, "As for the pool for her, we should allow Ilea to choose when she wakes up. I'll set it up once she makes her decision on it. Until then, we need to concentrate on waking her up and seeing what happens," he offered, knowing that Ilea would need to be able to make a choice about her life. She'd been denied so many choices over her life, so it was needed in his opinion.
He paused there and considered something else he'd found out about and wondered about telling Nate about it. In the end, he decided to abide by his decision to not hide anything from him where he could.
"I found out why she ran from the b*****d... I had one of my own servants manage a spell about a week ago... It's why there was so much of her blood for Shale to use to create that office out of Goh's old chambers..." he said softly then ran a hand over his face.
Why had no one ever invented brain bleach? How was he going to get those moments of his life back? How did he wipe that horror out of his mind?
"It's the one thing she was embarrased about Shale finding out about... That woman isn't embarrassed about anything. But that? Stars above... I really want to wipe those images out of my mind..." he murmured softly, unable to hide the horror of it from his tone.
It was where Goh's journals stopped. He'd gone insane over losing having Cynthia on his torture table in the dungeon below. He'd really gone insane. And considering the things Goh had done, that said something major...
"If I ever wanted to fix things for her before, now..." he finally wiped at his face again and shook his head, unable to hide the horror from his dark eyes as he tried to move on, "Well... It's in the past... If she wants to move on from it then I'll ignore it. Incidentally, I read the journals before I went to get you so there's no need to try to hide it from me. I also have the ability to replay every single scene in my mind. I've done it for some of them. I had to see it... I knew he was insane but..." he paused again to reflect on the memories then shook his head and got to his feet to start leading Nate back to Ilea.
"You know... She was the only one to ever see his face without that mask of his on? He wasn't scarred or anything. There was nothing wrong with his face. But she was the only one to ever see that damned mask come off. He managed to block it even from my Sight. But that last few weeks... She learned to fear him on a whole different level... So much so that she actually ran from him... It's how she wound up with Shale. That one act of terror for her led to something that helped free her from that nightmare. He taught her that she had worth. He made her want to live, not just exist. Then Goh took that away from her again," he said softly as he gently caressed her cheek then moved to stand at her feet.
"I know there have been a few attempts on the vines. Thankfully they're still doing their job. You'll have to watch for the ones that actually get into the castle. Do it however you want, but make sure that they are worthy of her..." he finally said in a firmer tone as he started preparing the 'magic' he'd need to wake her up.
Then... Of course... The cat jumped up and settled on Ilea's chest... The beast got very comfortable and even started to purr...
Of course...
Nalyne gave a soft gasp of incredulity over it, "Really?!" he said softly, wondering how the beast intended to derail this whole thing...
Then again, perhaps he should tell Nate that what he'd adopted wasn't just a simple cat... Nah... Let him figure it out on his own... More entertaining that way.... |
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