(Note: This is a co-authored story with Bampot/Six)
Kimura followed the group of eight chosen women led by the tall sylvari through a narrow back hallway, her nose already disgusted with the smell of stale ale, sweat and smoke. They entered a backstage area, where workers scurried around them, all in effort to get ready for the evening show.
The tall sylvari women lined them up in a row, walking up and down them, leaving a contrail of sweet smoke from her cigarette. Her golden eyes focused on each of them as she passed, looking them over.
"Server...server...dancer...server..." she said, assigning roles to each of them. "Dancer...hmmph, kitchen...dancer..."
She stopped at Kimura, the last in the line, giving her a long look over. She reached out with a gloved hand and picked up several strands of her pink hair, raising a brow.
Please not dancer...please not dancer..
Please not dancer...please not dancer...Kimura thought over and over to herself as she was being appraised by the sylvari woman.
"Server..." she said, flicking a wrist to the charr as she turned and walked out of the room.
"Ok!" the charr bellowed. "Dancers stay here...you, kitchen grunt, down that hall and to yer left, you'll smell the grease. Rest of you servers, come with me."
Kimura followed the other three women as the charr led them into the main bar area. Kimura craned her neck as she looked around. The room was large, with seating enough for over a hundred easily, all around a circular stage in the room. A bar bigger than any Kimura had seen before stretched across most of one wall. Red and black velvet drapes hung form the walls, a large curtain covered the entrance of the stage, and gold plated statues of scantily clad women seemed to be everywhere. The whole place seemed crass and sleazy to her.
Behind the bar, a tall norn woman looked them over after the charr handed the new employees over. She gave them a nod.
"Looks like you'll do...any of you ever served before?" she asked, wiping down a stein with a questionably clean cloth. She sighed with the lack of response. "No...of course not. First things first, gotta get you into your...uniforms."
Before she could say anymore, a voice called out. A voice Kimura heard once before. One that made her skin crawl.
"Ahh yes...can't wait to see how they all look in them."
They all turned and looked toward the Emporium sign by the nearby entrance. Standing, cigarette in hand, was Spurlock himself, the owner of the Emporium and owner of the item Barrox so desired. Balding, with a hook nose and terrible moustache, he was the definition of sleaze. His grin made Kimura want to simply turn around and walk out, screw the precious Egg. As if he read her thoughts, Barrox's voice sounded in her ear.
Character Name: Tressa Solenaceae (aka "The Black Rose")
Race: Sylvari
Gender: Female
Profession: Thief / Contract Assassin
Apparent age: In her 20's / Actual canonical age: 4
Hair / Leaves / Flower: Spiky fern leaves of a dark red-black mix
Skin: Light
Appearance details: Red Bioluminescence with big vivid glowing yellow eyes which, at times, glows with the same red color as her petals.
Religious beliefs/philosophy: "While there is honor among thieves, it's best not to turn your back to them."
Physique: Tressa is extremely slender and is remarkably nimble and light on her feet. The woman is adept as making as little noise as possible, and uses such to her advantage. The ability to subdue her bioluminescence is a trait she's always had, and this also lends itself well to her profession and chosen lifestyle.
OOC Intro:
Tressa was like the second Sylvari I made. I always had the idea of having a dark and mysterious Sylvari, in contrast to my other colorful, spirited ones. I wanted Tressa to be shrouded in darkness and the mystery of what she was up to. That said, I struggled with the gameplay of the thief a bit. I was new to doing an up-close melee class, and found myself sent to the mists quite a lot. So, after a bit of deliberation, I deleted Tressa Malesse Noir. Yet, after about a week of trying to force the look I had in mind into other classes, the dark appeal of Tressa just didn't seem to match. And, while I know it's sorta a trope to have a dark character as an assassin, it just fit so perfectly with her look. Thus, I rerolled the character (with a name change), and powered through being a thief. My reward was Heart of Thorns introducing the daredevil. I love the game play with the staff and the flips and constant movement the character has as a daredevil, and I'm extremely glad I kept Tressa just the way she was in her first conception.
Sapling-hood:
Tressa had an extremely turbulent sapling-hood. Most children of the Pale Tree experience the Inner Dream as an enlightenment: a realization of how they fit into Tyria. Memories of the outside from those that came before show the world they will awaken into and how they shall perceive it. Tressa found herself pulled from the beauty of the dream and into that of the nightmare. After awakening, she sought council and guidance, wishing to understand her experience. But, her questions were seemingly ignored by the Pale Mother, whom threw Tressa into a regiment of training; an attempt to thwart any dark ambitions.
While the Pale Mother's intent may have been much more calculated than Tressa could comprehend, the adverse effect transpired: It set her upon a path that would eventually take her into the Nightmare Court's embrace to understand her dream and her place in the world.
Recent history:
No one can truly leave the Nightmare Court. Tressa, however, has waned from some of their philosophies and set out on a quest to find meaning behind her darkness. This lead her inexplicably to the Pact, where she assisted in the fight against the minions of Zaithan. Even though the Sylvari met fellows-in-arms, she turned her back on the Pact after the decision was made to fight against the jungle dragon. Having her own demons within, Tressa knew the dragon's whispers would completely take her and she wisely chose to stay away from the influence.
This decision, perhaps more than any other, established to her that she followed her own path. And, this realization allowed her to blossom of her own accord. She continues to follow her own pursuits, while establishing herself as someone who can 'get the job done'. And has become known (to those who dare whisper it) as "The Dark Rose."
Personality:
Having spawned into nightmare, Tressa often leans to her darker side. Yet, throughout her short life, she has experienced joys and does find pleasure (sometimes in the most bizarre things). She's calculating, prefers to stay in the background and in the shadows, but she is extremely quick to act once decisions are made.
Notable relationships:
Tressa has had no intimate relationships with anyone. It's difficult enough for others to befriend her, and truthfully, Tressa seems to prefer it that way. Only recently has she become accustomed to an under-the-radar group, and she's actually taken a liking to them - although, she'd be hard-pressed to say so. Throughout her time there, however, Tressa has had a bit of a rivalry with a fellow unscrupulous character known as Kimura.
When she was a young sapling, Tressa was best friends with another Sylvari named Mitrian. The woman attempted to 'rescue' Tressa from the Nightmare Court, but the attempt wasn't warranted, as Tressa was wholly involved in the Court's ideals at that time.
Favored alcoholic beverage:
Anything bitter.
Favored food: Unusual for her race, Tressa has found meat - of any kind - most satisfying. She has definitely found herself to be carnivorous.
Favored color: Red/Black. Anything that allows her to blend into the shadows. (It's essential for her line of work…)
Other: Tressa recently found solace in another creature of darkness:
"From the depths it strode, sharp teeth searching for its next victim."
"Its hungered gaze turned upon me. It was a snarling, ravenously feral creature."
"I offered the beast a small morsel - my only remaining food. Not being a carnivore myself, I had little hope it the carrot would save me."
"After it accepted my sustenance, I attempted to tame the beast. This task was not without difficulty."
"Now I call upon the beast's servitude as needed. It is a creature of the depths; a creature of darkness..."
"Of this... darkness... I can relate."
"For I am Tressa Solanaceae. In the darkness I awakened; in the darkness I remain..."
(Note: This is a co-authored story with Bampot/Six)
The Emporium was a three-story building located in the Western Ward, a building Kimura thought looked as sleazy as it's owner with it's gaudy facade, adorned with naval decor including several topless busts of mermaids. It's front doors were constantly flanked by Spurlock's goons-of-the-day, brutish knuckle-draggers that made one think twice about causing trouble even before entering the establishment.
"This isn't going to work..." Kimura whispered as she approached the alleyway. Up ahead, a group of about twenty women, humans, norn, sylvari and even a couple asura, all waited outside the back door to the Emporium.
Barrox's voice crackled through the communicator in her ear. "Just show 'em your charm; maybe a bit of leg if ya have to."
"You're enjoying this way too much," she snapped back. "Ok... I'm approaching the spot..."
A tall charr, arms folded, stood guard outside the door, eyes scanning over the group of women, his own expression clear that he would rather be someplace else. Kimura pushed her way through the group, moving toward the front, ignoring the catty remarks and evil glares she got from the others.
Kimura fought back the urge to pull her own hair out or punch someone in the face standing among the women: they went on about their hair, makeup, the ways they could charm the patrons for the most tips, and how much they wanted to work here. A few however, had that look of desperation in their eyes; a look that said they needed this job more than anything.
Every head in the crowd looked up when the door next to the charr opened, and a tall, beautiful blue-hued sylvari stepped out. Her head foliage was swept back in a even style, her thin body clad in a sleek black dress. Between her gloved fingers, a long cigarette holder held a black cigarette, which she puffed from as she looked onto the potential 'Emporium Angels' in front of her.
Kimura found herself momentarily mesmerized by the Sylvari's eyes before Barrox's voice crackled into her ear. "Kid, what's happening?"
Before Kimura could answer, the sylvari started pointing.
"You, you, and you there in red... Also the tall norn in back: you'll do," she said, her gloved hand reaching out as she pointed. Several of the women squealed in delight as they were chosen, one by one. Kimura frowned. Their infiltration plans never anticipated the possibility of not being picked for some reason. As the last woman was chosen, Kimura's heart sank. It may be some time before another group of women needed to be hired.
The sylvari turned as the charr beside her held open the door, and just as she stepped inside, she stopped, looked out onto the dispersing crowd, and made one last choice. "You there...pink," she said, pointing at Kimura.
Kimura exhaled, in a mix of disgust and agitation. She stepped in line behind the other chosen women, all the while listening to Barrox whoop and holler in excitement.
She almost thought she heard Plopp give a hoot too.
(Note: This is a co-authored story with Bampot/Six) (Also note: This story takes place shortly before Elona Bound, Chapter 2)
Kimura opened the doorway to the hideout and wrinkled her nose as she stepped inside. The air was stale and damp, a stark contrast to the warm, fresh spring air above in them in the city.
She made her way over to Plopp's workbench where the elderly asura was sitting with Barrox's hulking charr frame standing over him. Both were leaning over the work-space, each with a speaker pressed to their ear.
"You guys ever think about putting a window in h-" she started to say when Barrox's clawed finger shot out and pressed against her lips, shushing her. She huffed, furrowed her brow and folded her arms, and waited for the two to finish whatever it was they were doing.
Barrox waved a hand at the console in front of them. "We're losing the signal!" Plopp quickly started turning dials. They continued listening as Kimura exhaled impatiently.
A slow, wide grin stretched across the charr's face. "It's there! We got it!" Barrox exclaimed. Even Plopp showed the faintest hint of a smile on one corner of his mouth. Kimura shook her head and threw up her hands, having no idea what they were talking about or doing.
Barrox turned to her, a huge grin plastered on his scarred face. "The Egg! We found it!"
Kimura took a deep breath and sighed. She had hoped to never hear about the "Egg" again. As long as she could remember, the "Egg" was Barrox's white whale, a treasure that seemed more myth and legend than truth. He would tell her bedtime stories of the mysterious, massive egg-shaped, green hued gem that every collector, thief and fence spent their lives searching for. Legend was, that the gem, insanely valuable itself, contained a map to an even bigger treasure, seen only when held to moonlight at a precise date, time and location.
It all sounded like a fool's tale to Kimura, but she knew Barrox and Plopp believed every bit of the myth. Barrox, in fact, claimed that a bag containing the Egg almost fell into his possession very recently, only to be taken by a rival.
Kimura blinked. "Found it? Where?"
"Right where I knew it was...the listening devices we installed across the street worked; It's there!" Barrox said, slamming a fist into his other hand. "Spurlock's Emporium!"
Kimura groaned. Spurlock was a shady, greasy, conniving little weasel of a man who ran a 'establishment' in Lion's Arch. The Emporium was a combination of a burlesque bar, a museum, and a place one went to get exotic and often illegal items. It also was heavily guarded and contained state of the art security devices; Queen Jennah's vault would be easier to get into! Barrox, Plopp and Tressa had looked into breaking into the Emporium on many occasions (Spurlock was anything but a friend to any of them), but unfortunately, they always ran into dead ends as no weaknesses were ever discovered in the building's security.
"Barrox...Plopp, we talked about this to no end," Kimura said, once again throwing her hands into the air. "That place is impenetrable! And Spurlock...don't get me started...the sleaze-ball! The way he makes the women who work in his dump dress, he's nothing but a creep..." she said, making a face and shuddering. "Not to mention his goon squad in there!"
"Oh we're aware...that's why were not breaking in to get the Egg." Barrox said, Plopp swiveling around in his chair, nodding silently as usual.
"We're not?"
"Nope. We're putting someone inside. A mole...a plant...a worker. We heard them talking about hiring some new serving girls for the bar." Barrox said, his grin returning.
"Ok...but how is that going to work? Who are you going to going..." Kimura's face flushed at the realization. "Oh, gods!" she sighed.
Demitra's emerald
eyes peered from behind the turban she wore atop her head and the magical veil
she projected over her nose and mouth to protect from the Desolation's toxic
wastes. In the distance there was a
palace wall of bones, made from Joko's vanquished foes. It was her destination, the reason she
traveled in such an inhospitable terrain.
She took a deep filtered breath, and while she was glad to have found
one of Joko's harems, the purpose of the place made her skin crawl.
Most of his
concubines were loyal to Joko, many thinking like Valandra did: they were there
to appease the monster and avert his attention from their respective
villages. As Ember described it,
however, Valandra had discovered Joko's subterfuge, and over years of enduring
torture Demitra couldn't imagine, the woman had come to see the monster for
what he truly is. The other consorts
within almost assuredly believe as Valandra had: in the illusion that Joko was
their savior, and their sacrifice wasn't in vain. Even worse, some were wed to the egotistical
maniac and Demitra knew voluntary evacuation may be beyond her powers of
persuasion.
"Powers,"
she chuckled a moment and looked at the sparkling azure fingers of her
hand. While she didn't yet fully
understand her newfound lineage, the powers felt within told her the
inescapable truth: As improbable as it was, Demitra Naja Nyimah was a Djinn;
chosen by ancient beings for a destined purpose she also didn't
understand. A year ago, she had been
called upon by those ancient powers and transported to a realm beyond. Try as she might to make sense of her
experience, the details of that time remained clouded. Until, that is, she reached out to Valandra.
The woman had been
on a perilous journey of her own, and had (through, perhaps, an ill-conceived
notion) bound a Djinn into herself.
Ember explained the reasoning behind this, and how Valandra was
attempting to rid herself from the talons of Joko. But, Demitra couldn't help but think the
threads which weaved their tapestry had a different portrait in mind; or
perhaps, it knew all along and none of the weavers could see the entire
picture. Had Valandra not been connected
to the Djinn, Demitra would not have been able to reach out to her, and through
her reach out to Ember.
Ember. A loving smile came to Demitra's thick
lips. Ember was her anchor, her
confidant, her love. After their reunion
it was a difficult parting: Ember had decided to take up arms in the war within
Kourna, striking Joko's army at their very staging grounds. And, while Demitra longed to go with her, she
knew her fate pulled her down a different path.
By Ember's recount,
the Djinn's inner sanctum lay in the heart of the Desolation, and it was this…
'home' which tugged at the fibers of Demitra's being. If she could have ignored it, she would have. Yet, as a matter of practicality, this was a
way she may finally get answers to the riddles which surrounded her
transformation. But there was one stop
she had to make before her journey there: Joko's harem, the very place Valandra
had been imprisoned.
Demitra brought her
arm again to look at the gloves.
"This, I will do for you, Valandra."
As if in response,
an icy frost encased the bracers.
"I know. I know it's risky. But we're running out of food and we don't have enough money on hand to pay for more and there's no telling what we can hunt that won't kill us."
Paige frowned and crossed her arms as she looked to Nalla. The asura frowned and knitted her brow as two clawed hands reached up to tug on her ears. Paige could almost hear the gears turning in the other woman's head as she puzzled out the solution to the problem at hand. In the few days that they'd been working on the ruins' teleportation crystal, Paige was quick to pick up on the hints and clues to the other woman's mood.
"So what are you thinking?" Paige asked.
Nalla sighed and looked at Paige. "My ears, I don't think we can get something stable set up. We might be able to open a portal if we jack into the waypoint network. But..."
Paige said, "The Arcane Council won't be happy, will they?"
Nalla nodded. "Not in the least. If only Lexxie were here. She's a genius with this kind of technology."
Paige crossed her arms and said the first thing that came to mind.
"What if we hijacked the network then? Like, in the next few days."
Paige glanced at Nalla and saw the asura tug on her ears. Paige knew that the timing was poor as it made it sound like she dismissed Lexxie, which was her admitted reason for coming here in the first place. Paige smiled and held up a hand in apology.
"No no, I'm not saying we just do it and stop trying. But, if we can set up something temporary, we can go home, get supplies and come back and find Lexxie. See..." she smiled a bit wider at Nalla, "...I remember Ruijai, my mentor, mentioning that every Asura keeps their tools back home, so that nitwits and booka don't lose them in the field. If we go home, we can visit Ruijai's lab or yours, get the tools that Lexxie will need for the project and then save time once we find her."
It was a lot of what-ifs and if-thens. But it made sense to Paige. She had to protect her people from her lack of preparation. It was true that she packed for an extra week to the journey, but now she was wishing she packed for double the expected time in and out. Still...she had to make do.
"What do you say," Paige asked, "do you want to try? We will find Lexxie, because I won't let down my new knight. But, I want to make sure we're prepared for the job this time and that means we have to take a chance on long odds. What do you say?"
Nalla exhaled a deep breath. While she had grown quite fond of Paige, the woman seemed a bit lackadaisical with the rules; at the very least, with less adherence than Nalla had been accustomed to. Both in the Pact and before that, as a Peacemaker, Nalla had been used to serving under strong leaders. Paige was, by all intents, this type of leader; however, she garnered such compassion and absolutely overflowed with heart. It was this quality in her poobah, that Nalla found so… appealing, and it was this quality that made her trust the woman.
“As long as we’re not gone too long,” she finally said. “I can not bare not knowing what’s going on with Lexxie. She’s… Well, she’s kinda… special, and does not communicate too well. She’s brilliant though, and I really think she can tap into the leyline energy the waypoint systems use to make our transport permanent, and she undoubtedly knows of a way to keep it unregistered.”
Nalla sighed and her eyes glazed over, prompting Paige to put her arm around the Asura’s small shoulders. At once, Nalla fell into Paige’s embrace and quietly sobbed.
Ember leaned heavily on her raptor as she approached the empty village. With the war, and the fates those who were here before, it would be some time before the people of Elona would resettled this small village. It was, however, the home of Valandra, and Ember wanted to make sure that no one would ever forget her.
Ember swiped a few magical sigils in the air, strengthening her weak body preparing for the ritual she was about to perform. With Cinder acting as a support, she headed to the fountain in the center of the city, and began to channel magic through relics. She had to focus on her memories and concentrate to get the image just right…
Ember sat drunkenly at the bar in Lion's arch when she heard a figure approach her. She looked up to see a beautiful woman. The woman cleared her throat and said something in Elonian.
"You're in Kryta. Speak some damn Krytan!" Ember scowled at the foreign language. The tongue had brought sorrow to the woman's heart after her time there, and now annoyance stemmed from even hearing the dialect.
The woman grinned from the corner of her mouth at the woman's forthrightness, then nodded. "Ahai, then."
Ember frowned. "Yeah… Hi. So what is it you want?"
The woman gestured regally around at the empty seats. "I was wondering if I could sit with you. Not many else to converse with."
The two exchange pleasantries, and while a bit suspicious, Ember couldn't help losing herself in the woman's sapphire eyes. Yet, the woman's purpose seemed a bit jaded and her suspicions were solidified when the woman let slip her name. Ember stood slowly, eyeing Valandra. "Care to tell me why you are here, ice queen?"
Valandra stood upright, a smirk on her face at Ember's unexpected discovery. A shimmer covered her being as purple distortions rippled over her form. She placed a small mirror on the table; the glimmer spell it created now dissipating. The woman's clothes faded away, replaced by armor of ice and shards. Her boots included spiral crystals of ice wrapping around themselves, meeting the covering she wore around her waist. A further extension of the woman's glacial bodice met the lower half, leaving exposed skin on either side. Her shoulders were ice sculptures of jaggedness, and from her back sprouted wing frames of translucent crystal shards. Her eyes sparkled blue, her body generating the same color aura around her person. Valandra's hair became that of silvery white…
From who she used to be, to the ice queen Ember had grown to love. She knew that that memory led to their fight and Ember's embarrassing defeat, but regardless, nothing could take away the awe of seeing her for the first time. A tear formed in her eye as she remembered, but the spell required the recounts, and she proceeded to the next memory…
Unprecedented in scale, a large red orb of energy shot out from Ember, raced up the beam, over to the other chamber, and drove through the crystals, finally striking Valandra. At once, the ice queen screamed, dropped to her knees from the intensity of the power. She fought back, instinctively sending her own energy to stop the onslaught. Three beams suddenly reversed, sending blue pulses from the ice queen. They used the same path, traveled the opposite direction, and down into Ember…
That memory was filled with agony and Ember inadvertantly winced as she relived the horrors of the machine. But, truthfully, it was that event that led to the pair being linked, and it was that moment that led them to fall in love…
Valandra cried out in frustration, rushed and lunged at the woman. Both toppled back. Her hands were locked instantly around the woman's neck, "I don't need magic to kill you for what you've done!" She tightened her grasp and squeezed. Suddenly her blue eyes grew wide, feeling unseen hands around her own neck, choking the life from her. Bewildered, she let go, held her own throat in shock....
Ember chuckled. She was choked then, but that alone led to a lot of humorous interactions. They also discovered neither could part from each other or they would become sick; which eventually led them to the festival, where things became more… heated. Ember flushed red as memories of removing their suits flooded her mind, and instantly she found herself back at her favorite moment...
"No… No thanks, I got it," Ember blushed, tried to wave the flame away, when a sudden stream of water landed on her. "Hey!" Ember squealed. The ice queen was standing, holding her finger like a water gun, laughing the entire time. "S-Sto…p," Ember tried to battle the downpour, eventually laughing herself. Giving up the futility of fighting the stream, she sprung from the bench, leaped at Valandra, and began to deploy a countermeasure: tickling.
"Ah!" Valandra shrieked at the sudden surprise, began laughing hysterically, obviously vulnerable to the tickle powers Ember possessed. "N-no! S-stop!" Valandra tried to catch her breath. She pushed the woman off, ran away, still giggling. "I escape!"
Ember giggled and ran after her. "Oh no you don’t! Not when I've just found your weakness!"
The two chased each other up the ramps of the cliff's gorge, giggling and laughing as they passed other vacationers. Valandra ran until she came to an embankment, stumbled down into a small pool below with laughter and for the first time in a while, joy. Ember followed behind, teasing the woman, finally pouncing on her like a predator.
"Ah!" Valandra pulled herself from Ember's ticklish grip, retreated back into the pond's waterfall. She grinned. "You wouldn't dare step in here!"
"Hey! That's cheating!" Ember grumbled.
Valandra stuck out her tongue, her icy blue eyes squinting a taunting, alluring gaze.
Ember looked the woman up and down as the water cascaded off her form. She was beautiful in a sensually commanding way, and she blushed at the sight. She took in a big gulp, and with a wince, stepped into the waterfall. The ice queen was frozen in shock and Ember took advantage. She latched her arms around the woman. "Gotcha!" she said playfully.
With a thin seductive smile, Valandra pulled the woman close; their bodies steamed as they touched. "And what if I just decide to freeze this waterfall with you in it?"
Looking into the woman's eyes was like staring into crystals and Ember melted under their gaze. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to the ice queen's, who returned it. The couple stood, locked in embrace. They could have been frozen in the waterfall; the moment lasted a lifetime
Ember's heart fluttered. That was one of the happiest times of her life, and the moment when she realized that the woman who kidnapped her had her heart. She remembered their trip to Elona, to the Desolation, meeting the Djinn, and finally, when they arrived on the snow covered structure within the northern Desert Highlands. Flashes of magic and blades meeting were seared in her mind. Ember wanted to try and save her and Demitra both, but her indecision cost her Valandra…
"I… don't want to do this," Ember wept as she brought her sword up, pointed to the woman's shoulder. "I… I think I love you."
A genuinely soft smile came to the ice queen. She stepped forward, accepting the point of the ice sword sliding it into her own shoulder. Without a word she pulled Ember toward her, burying the blade to its hilt.
"W-what are you doing?" Ember cried, horrified.
"I… I love you, too," Valandra whispered as she pressed her icy lips to Ember's, who returned the kiss, tears sorrowfully running down her cheeks. "I won't let him win," Valandra said, pulling back. Her hand glided to Ember's gloved hand still holding the sword. "I shall bring Demitra back to you… Don't let him win." She held onto Ember's glove and pulled it off as she stepped backward, off the ledge...
"NO!" Ember screamed, sobbing. She channeled her magic into the relics, combining all the memories she'd recounted into the perfect image. A sand sculpture stood around the fountain, before Ember used her magic to heat it rapidly, creating her final product.
The crystal statue was on the woman she'd loved: Valandra. She was standing proudly in her icy garb, wings floating behind her. In one hand, Valandra held a replica of her icy sword. Her other hand, however was reaching out, palm up as if seeking to pull you to join her. Below her feet, was a very dead looking Palawa Joko, defeated in combat. Valandra's beautiful white hair flowed behind her, as if a breeze kept her face clear... but it was her face Ember was most proud of. The icy blue eyes held the seriousness and fierceness of the woman Ember loved, but it held a kindness that Ember was only lucky enough to see at the end. Her lips were thinly curved in a sly smirk, making it look as if she was about to guide you on the adventure of the lifetime. And, even though Ember knew it was just a statue, she wanted nothing more than to take that hand and run off to new lands.
She fell to her knees, as tear-filled eyes worked on the inscription on the plaque at the base.
Valandra Thaljia Dejarin
Ice queen, Defier of Joko, Okht to the Djinn
Hero to the weak, loved by all who knew her
Ember looked over her work before using her last relic to put into the statue. The fountain around it bubbled to life, keeping a constant flow of cool, clean water. The spring would help bring life back to this town and Valandra's memory would endure. Ember channeled and released all the remaining magic in Valandra's sword and Valandra's magic in herself, putting it into the statue. A icy frost came to form around the glass, eternally cold for those that came in peace. If anyone sought to defile the statue or brought harm to the village, they would be struck with Valandra's powerful lightning.
Ember stared at her completed work for a long time passed before she finally turned to go home. Sword of fire on one hip, an extinguished sword of ice on the other. Valandra's struggles and resistance had come to a close; may she rest in peace.
Love and hatred are, by nature, opposite to each other. Yet, in the circle of emotions, it's often discovered these feelings are both adjacent to each other, at the start and end of the circle, almost touching, with a small line separating them. This line can be traversed quite easily one way: bitter lovers come to fight and love quickly jumps to distain and finally hatred. But, the opposite direction is much more difficult. Most beings cling to animosity and rarely is the jump made from the negative to the positive; when such cases happen, however, the bond is unbelievably strong.
It had been easy for Valandra to blame Demitra; easy for the line of love and hate to become blurred. Their initial infatuation became something exciting and overwhelming to her and she hadn't expected a love to spring from her rescuing the wounded woman. A wondrously blissful year was had with the exotic Elonian. Even when battling foes, both women had smiles on their faces. That, however, changed when Valandra told her lover about her upcoming sacrifice: She was to be given to Joko. Demitra, took the revelation as a heartbreaking cry for help. Valandra, having been told throughout her childhood of her ultimate fate, was resigned to it - she even saw it as an honor to secure her village's freedom at that time.
Demitra took matters into her own hands, decidedly whisking away Valandra under the cover of darkness the final night of her freedom. The terror-filled cries and the destruction Joko caused, having been denied his prize, awoke Valandra. She returned to the village, giving herself freely to the monster to stop his slaughter.
Within the bone palace, she served the god-king; let him take her body and spirit, believing her sacrifice had secured peace for her village. Yet, Joko, in his twisted humor, revealed to her it had been in vain: every member of her village had been turned to Awakened - even the very foster family that had raised her! She rebelled after that, striking out at the god-king, attempting to end the torments he caused. She had tried to poison him, stab him, and when her ice magic manifested, she attempted freezing the monster. The undead lich lived up to his reputation, however, and did not die. Instead, he seemed to relish in the challenge, getting off on the woman's defiance.
Valandra found herself in a hopeless situation, and she began to long for Demitra and those joyous times. Yet, as the years passed, her hopefulness waned and dissolved, with the realization her former lover would never come to rescue her. The circle's line was crossed, and Valandra began to look upon Demitra with bitterness.
This bitterness and hatred combined with that for Joko and it fueled the woman with the desire to break free of the god-king and destroy his hold upon Elona. Having learned to control her ice powers, she was taken from the harem and admitted onto the battlefield where she decimated Joko's usurpers, becoming the very thing she hated. Yet, it was this opportunity that created the strategizing mind Valandra had come to be, and it was that very same mind that formulated a plan against her oppressor: she would fry every fiber of his being and electrify him.
Several years thereafter were spent on her goal: whenever possible the woman was researching and studying. She learned where her powers came from, and how magic had varying degrees of power; how those which could innately contain the raw power could wield it. It was within these ancient tomes of knowledge that she discovered the Djinn.
A race of powerful magic users, the Djinn's very make-up was of elementally raw power, spurring from the very power of the elder dragons, themselves. It was the very power she sought to wield to finally end her owner's reign. Further study showed a flaw of their race: the Djinn could be bound to objects and areas… and other beings. With efforts that almost took her life, Valandra finally bound an elder air Djinn into her and promptly returned to the bone palace to destroy Joko. The undead lich, however, was unphased and laughed at the woman's attempt, but he was curious as to how the power was acquired and began to deconstruct what Valandra had done. Months of torture finally explained her discovery and he dispatched her to obtain more.
Valandra's subterfuge of Joko's goal was simple: gain such raw elemental fire, return and blaze him to ash.
Yet nothing thereafter had been simple about her attempts. Valandra had tracked the raw elemental power and was shocked to find it in another mortal, much like herself; a girl called Ember. The woman was a conundrum: She held the fires of Primordus inside her, yet she was completely undisciplined and seemed to let her emotions control her power. Further still, Valandra marveled at how the woman could use such a degree of primal fire, but went about her pursuits almost frivolously. It had been an easy decision to drain her. Yet, even that process was wrought with failure, and lasting consequences. Valandra wasn't sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way, she had become connected to Ember, and not just due to the effects of the backfired experiment. She genuinely cared about her. And, while it may have bothered her, the animosity for Ember had crossed the line into something else… something she hadn't felt in a long time. Whether it was her closeness to Ember or the unwavering optimism the woman seemed to have, Valandra found herself reevaluating both her plan against Joko, and her feelings toward Demitra, and their turbulent relationship.
Demitra had, by all accounts, been on a similar quest to reach Valandra and rid the world of Joko. In so doing, she had become trapped… bound, and had been reaching out for help. Blinded by hatred, revenge, and anger, Valandra had failed to see it, and it took the very elemental being she had pursued - both Ember and the Djinn - to finally open her eyes. This epiphany shook her very foundation, and dissolved and traversed the line of resentment she had felt for so long toward Demitra.
It was this vulnerability that finally allowed Joko to take hold…
-----
There was a calm, silent serenity to the snowy area. Frigid winds caught the snowfall, swirled it around in a majestic ballad. One gradual of sand floated alongside a snowflake, and was quickly greeted by another, then another and another, until a large mass of sand spiraled among flakes on the breeze and landed upon the snow-covered structure. It rapidly formed into a pile, shaped as both Ember and Valandra before they solidified as themselves.
Had they not been in her fundamental element, Valandra would have thrown up again. As it was, she breathed in the cold high-altitude air, feeling refreshed. With a quick glance around, she knew exactly where they were: the highlands of the northern desert.
Ember didn't share her enthusiasm, immediately melting the snow in which she appeared, splashing into a pool. "Oh great!" she exclaimed disapprovingly.
"It appears we are in the tundra of the Desert Highlands. Apparently the legends I researched are correct: Djinn truly can travel the world upon the backs of elements." Valandra mused.
Ember sloshed about as she tried to stand in her puddle. "Yeah, that's terrific. I'm thrilled," she said sarcastically. "Okay, so now what? Is there lava down there? Should we go down there?" She was already headed down the slope of the roof in which they stood.
"Wait! For once in your life, don't be so impetuous! Let us work this out. Tell me of your vision. Did it show only the lava below us?"
"No; I saw ice, then I went down into the lava!" Ember recalled.
"And the word you heard was 'combine'?"
Ember nodded anxiously, "Yeah, and unlock. So come on! We'll jump down there and combine our magic to bring her back!" She continued down her path a moment, but a moan from Valandra stopped her.
The ice queen had fallen to on her knees in the snow, grasping her shoulder. The previous wound bubbled under the woman's skin, turning it into a localized ink-like black ooze. She cried out in pain.
"Valandra? Valandra! Are you okay?" Ember came quickly to her side, trying to figure out what was wrong.
Valandra looked at Ember with worried, sorrowful eyes. "I… I'm not able to…"
Ember put her arm around the woman, concern etched on her face. "You're not able to what? We're… We're so close! Just a little bit further!" Ember urged the woman to stand.
"I can no longer… fight him," Valandra muttered through gritting teeth. Joko's scratching claws suddenly dove in, penetrating the woman. She writhed in pain, screaming, "Joko!"
Ember's hair burst into flames. "Joko? Where? Is he doing something to you? Fight him, Valandra! Just a little longer, until we can save Demitra!"
Valandra began to pant frosty breaths. "He… He's stronger since we got here, in Elona. His leash… it is tightening! He… He won't stop until he… gets what he wants!"
The first instinct Ember had was to knock the woman out, find a way to release her from Joko's grip, yet, if her time with the ice queen had taught her anything, it was that sometimes thinking things through worked better than acting on impulse. "What does he want?" she asked, already knowing she would hate the response.
The ice queen's glowing blue eyes were a torrential blizzard. "He wants this power… I have to… bring him this power…" She struggled against it, but she slid her hand into one of Demitra's bracers. At once, Valandra was snowfall landing into the lava below, an echo of what Ember had described. The words of Demitra came to her mind, 'combine' and 'unlock'.
"No!" Ember screamed, attempting to pull the glove off Valandra, tumbling in the snow from the effort. She recalled the Djinn's words, came to the realization she couldn't take it off herself, then finally fell back on the impulsiveness that was Ember's decision-making: she unwaveringly shoved her hand into the other glove.
Valandra drew the sword of fire; around the gloved hand, sand and rock revolved her wrist. She felt the surge of power; knew it to be what her mentor desired. Gravel traveled up the length of the sword, intermixed with the fire and became a blade of molten lava. She swiped the sword, causing an explosion of fire and rock, launched to Ember, pelting her and waking her from the glove-donning trance. "T-the other half of the bracer… Joko demands it! Just… Just give it to me!"
"You… You know I can't do that! These… Somehow… These are Demitra. Don't you care about her?" Tears ran down Ember's cheeks. "Don't you care about me? Fight this!" She reluctantly drew the ice sword which intermixed with the earth from the gauntlet creating a jagged ice blade. "I… I don't want to hurt you, but… you know I have to stop you!"
"Don't… Don't fight me then. Just…" Valandra's snowy eyes glazed over. "Just give him what he wants! You know I can beat you; I bested you with ice and wind. Now, with the power these contain… you won't stand a chance!" Frozen tears came from the woman. "Please?" she implored. "I… I don't want to hurt you… I… I care for you!"
"I… I care for you too and I won't give him anything if he's going to take either you or Demitra away from me!" Ember planted her feet, flames around her beginning to rise, as she channeled her power and gathered her magic. She could feel it weaving with the earth from Demitra's bracer. She glanced at the glove and felt comforted in the moment. Demitra was with her, and she felt whole. "This time… I'm not alone!"
Valandra squeezed her shoulder for a moment as Joko wiggled his talons. The pain on her face was replaced with a look of vexed determination. "You say you're not alone? Neither of us are!" She slammed her sword into the ground, forming a quake which rippled through the snow and caused an avalanche crashing onto her opponent.
Ember toppled over, buried, but she quickly melted the snow with a hotter flame blazing around her. "Stop this!" she cried as she launched herself with a boom. Ember's stone-fiery fist became a molten furnace as she slammed it into the woman's face.
Both women stumbled backward, slid down the slope with Valandra forced deep into the snow, Ember on top. The ice queen's face was singed and scorched from Ember's blast, but in the darkness of the crater of snow, her sapphire eyes glowed with the fury of an ice shower. "You… You don't get it. If you won't give it to me, then… he'll make me take it by killing you!" Her words were followed by a subzero breath that blasted Ember's face.
She pulled back in agony, coughing at the mist she inhaled and stinging from the cold. Without warning, Valandra's gloved hand clasped Ember's throat. She choked, gasped for air. Valandra sent a shockwave to her neck, the impact propelling Ember backward. She landed heavily in the snow, close to the edge of the rooftop.
The ice queen was instantly on top of her, staring down. "For what it's worth… I have enjoyed… us," she said. The words were forced out, but Ember knew they were genuine.
Her brow furrowed as she implored, "Then stop this; there's still time!"
Valandra shot a blast of air in the opposite direction, forcing them both further down the slope. They slid, pushing a large portion of snow over and into the chasm. In one motion, Valandra stood upright, pulled Ember along with her, and stood with her back to the edge of the precipice. "There is no more time; his grasp on me… I can't hold him back much longer…" she said her voice filled with desperation.
"I… don't want to do this," Ember wept as she brought her sword up, pointed to the woman's shoulder. "I… I think I love you."
A genuinely soft smile came to the ice queen. She stepped forward, accepting the point of the ice sword sliding it into her own shoulder. Without a word she pulled Ember toward her, burying the blade to its hilt.
"W-what are you doing?" Ember cried, horrified.
"I… I love you, too," Valandra whispered as she pressed her icy lips to Ember's, who returned the kiss, tears sorrowfully running down her cheeks. "I won't let him win," Valandra said, pulling back. Her hand glided to Ember's gloved hand still holding the sword. "I shall bring Demitra back to you… Don't let him win." She held onto Ember's glove and pulled it off as she stepped backward, off the ledge.
"No!" Ember cried out, reached after the woman, and without hesitation dove from the overlook after her.
Below her, Valandra plummeted rapidly. She fell into the cavern below the structure and past the corridors of rock, finally slamming into the lava below. It sent a spherical explosion of ice, snow, waves, and wind with various arcs of lightning throughout. The lava was instantly cooled, forming a porous bed of lava rock, completely covering the ice queen.
Ember fought through the tears, landed as quickly as her magic allowed onto the bed of solidified lava. "Valandra! No! Please!" Ember's hair ignited and her fists were fire. She began to pound on the rock, trying to melt it, break it, whatever she could to it. The rock only hissed at her efforts. "Are you in there? Valandra?" She stood and frantically stomped her feet, blasting as much fire as she could conjure.
A slightly weak and muffled voice came from under the rock.
"Gods! Valandra! You're… You're okay? I'll get you out… I'll…" Ember took in a deep breath. She knelt, pressed both hands to the rock, gripped it, and channeled her magic. Valandra's lessons on conjuring her mount, how she compressed her fires to create a solid core came to her mind. She attempted to reverse the process: breaking the solid apart. The rock slightly rumbled, and Ember channeled more into it. She let out a visceral scream as the rock began to crack and break apart, causing her nose to bleed. Ember cried again, dove her hands into the crack, forcing it apart trying to dig the woman out. Another channeled push into the rock caused a shockwave, which exploded it and exposed Demitra's glove. "Valandra!" Ember screamed excitedly. She grabbed onto the woman's hand, still using her magic to push the rocks with her other. "I got you… I got you…"
A large final piece of rock was removed, exposing a woman with emerald eyes and the thick lips of a warm smile. "I've got you too," Demitra said.
Ember's eyes were wider than they'd ever been. "D-Demitra?" Her moment of shock turned into tears of joy. "Demitra!"
Demitra pulled herself from the rubble, wrapped her arms around the sobbing woman. She kissed her forehead softly. "You saved me."
An emotional wreck, Ember was elated, worried, scared, exhausted and happy, all at once. She buried herself into Demitra's breasts, sobbing.
"Shhh. It's okay. You did it. You both saved me."
Ember jumped up. "Valandra! Where… Where is she? She… Is she okay? Where did she…"
Demitra looked at her gloves, to the piles of rubble, then back to Ember, who looked like a nervous child at a parent. "I am unsure of what happened to her… But, I do not believe she…"
Ember continued sobbing, returned back to Demitra's embrace. "She… She sacrificed herself," Ember mumbled. She reached around Demitra, then confusedly looked at the woman. "You… You have two arms?"
Demitra softly giggled. "For now, it seems." Her emerald eyes looked distantly for a moment.
Ember tilted her head. "W-why didn't you tell me that you were a Djinn? That… Valandra was a Djinn?"
"This was not something to which I knew. While I was trained by a Djinn, I… I did not know I was to become one. And, it was only after Valandra had begun her quest and bound a Djinn within her that I was able to reach out from my prison."
"Why were you stuck in that prison?" Ember blinked.
"This is something I wish to discover as well. Regardless, Valandra's raw ice along with the primal fires have unlocked my confinement," Demitra said with a slight grin. "I knew you could; I believed in you both."
"Yeah, I…" Ember paused, looked at the broken apart rock. "I… I moved the rock. It felt like I could command it, like I do fire… I don't know how I…"
Demitra considered. "Perhaps some of that which you borrowed from me when you donned my bracer has remained within? I felt you, when you wore them; it was as if you were… whole."
"I did feel whole! When I had you with me!"
"And you still do, Emily; you still do," Demitra squeezed the woman.
Ember looked surprised and confounded. "Wh-what? You… called me… my real name!"
Demitra whispered softly. "I did." She pulled the woman up to meet her lips and the two melted into a passionate, long-deserved kiss.
The Desolation had little to no clouds. What lingered in the air was a noxious, poisonous miasma which rose from the toxic pools of sulfur to pollute the skies. While the Djinn didn't need to hide it, their fortress, high above a large sulfurous crater, benefited from these fumes: it masked details of the citadel and obscured much of it. Such was the state of the floating isles which surrounded the complex. The gazebos of unknown number could be used when intruders need be whisked away, and observations could be made, without rescuers even knowing of their existence.
Ember and Valandra lay naked in a small patch of foliage upon one of the floating islands, entwined and holding each other in locked embrace. The soft dry desert air swayed the grass in which they lay with a playful and warm infatuation, and had the women not been under the influence of a sleep spell, the tickling blades would have brought them to wake gently.
Valandra, however, awoke from her nightmare screaming, interrupting the tranquility. "Get off me you damned monster!" She lashed out and shoved Ember off her.
Ember rolled on the floor, then sat up confusedly. By instinct her hands were already smoking, on the verge of igniting. "What… What did I do?"
"E… Ember?" Valandra looked around, attempting to refocus her thoughts based on her surroundings. A moment ago, she'd been in the hidden vault, Joko's harem, confined under the monster, now she was with Ember atop a fortress in the sky. She rubbed her temples, trying to see through the confusion. "I… I thought you were Joko… I… He was… Where are we?"
A puff of smoke came from Ember's mouth, as she looked around, a satisfied calm about her. Despite the dream, she felt refreshed and satisfied. "Last thing I remember, we were with Demitra (or what I assume was Demitra). She… Did she have four arms? Did she grow them?"
"No. No, you fool; we just don't grow arms. We're not like reptiles that regrow appendages, you know." Valandra was inspecting her shoulder, surprised to find it almost completely healed - and that worried her. Joko had a hold of her in the dream… and she hoped it was only a dream. While Joko's dominance over her often kept her in check, the monster had never invaded her dream to cause her physical harm. She worried what other controls Joko may enact to have his way.
Ember was still stuck on the reptile comment. Having been raised, in part, by drakes, Ember saw no flaw in her logic. Calling her on it struck more deeply than the ice queen could have known. Ember was embarrassed by her ignorance, and she was suddenly very aware of her nakedness and tried awkwardly to cover herself.
Valandra unapologetically stared at the woman's body; it was the first time she'd seen Ember's completely nude form, and while she was reluctant to admit it, Ember's shapely figure was damn attractive. At this realization, Valandra shook the thought from her head, saying coldly, "It's nothing I've not seen before; there's very little we should be modest about now." She spoke matter-of-factly to conceal her previous thoughts. Then the ice queen turned to look at the central fortress, slowly walked to the edge, rubbing her aching shoulder again absently.
Ember blushed profusely for a moment at the sight of Valandra's exposed bottom against the pale moonlight, but she did her best to stay clear headed; an usual feat for the woman. She slowly creeped up next to Valandra, inspecting her shoulder. "Should I be worried?"
"Worried? No, why should you be worried?" she snapped sarcastically. "What I'm worried about is…" she stopped herself before continuing, took in a deep calming breath.
"I meant about your shoulder. Are you alright? It looks like it's healed; I barely see any of that ooze anymore," Ember was trying to be sincere.
"Yes, it's fine; almost healed. But, that is what worries me: In my dream, he used my wound to…"
A portal of sand interrupted as it blinked into existence. The small swirl which grew into a larger spiral vortex and it lightly hummed when the sequence seemed to be complete.
Valandra cursed in Elonian. "These Djinn seem to have eyes on us; they know we're up."
Ember blinked at the sand portal. "Uh… should we even go in?" The woman felt out of her depth.
"Unless you feel like straddling a mount without clothes on, I see no alternative. We can't glide down into the lake of toxins either. So, yeah. I'd say we venture into the unknown. What else could possibly go awry?" Valandra shrugged, exasperated.
Ember couldn't tell if the woman was being serious or sarcastic; she struggled with such social complexities. Nevertheless, she persisted. "Okay, so… I mean (besides stripping us), what else have they done? Thus far they've been kinda nice."
Valandra grumbled. "The Djinn nice? No. More likely, they want something from us. It is how they operate: half-truths, riddles, and lies." She got closer to the portal to analyze it. "You've not had dealings with them as I have…"
"Yeah, I didn't kill one," Ember snorted.
"Oh for the last time! I bound it to me; I didn't kill it. I absorbed it. I…" Valandra inadvertantly touched the portal as she flailed about in frustration. Suddenly, her body shifted, turned into a Valandra-shaped statue of sand, then was pulled into the vortex.
She knew she should have been alarmed by it, but Ember couldn't help but laugh. For all their differences, it was refreshing to see Valandra lose her cool like she usually did. And, further still seeing the woman surprisingly teleported without consent was hysterical! She laughed a few more minutes before the separation nausea set in, then hurried along after.
Valandra had just finished vomiting, stood and wiped her mouth, glaring at Ember. "What took you so long?" She snapped, blaming her sickness on their separation.
"Don't blame me! You got sick last time we used their portal. Just because you… Hey! Where'd you get clothes?"
Valandra held her arm out inspecting the sleeve, then looked over the entire garment. "Huh. It seems they were provided. Not unlike something I would wear, actually. I… I may have even dreamt this at some point," Valandra said marveling over the ascetically pleasing outfit. She wore an open porous skirt and a spiraled wrap-around top, both of which were colors of frost and snow.
Ember looked down at herself. She was also inexplicably dressed, clad in a short skirted one-peiece with a golden dragon embroidering running along its length. While the red and yellow colors were right, Ember didn't necessarily agree with the design, considering her recent dream involving the dragon. She frowned and folded her arms. "Of course it's a dragon; why wouldn't it be a dragon? It could have at least been armor and not a dress. I… I don't do so well in dresses."
Valandra looked her over. "I don't know… I think it suits you."
"Um… Yeah," Ember said clearing her throat nervously. She wasn't used to compliments, and certainly not from the ice queen. "Let's just… We need to find Demitra, okay?"
Valandra agreed, and the couple began their search. The rooms were as they had been before: empty, other than candles and various urns, pots, and lamps decorating the walls. Valandra lead them blindly around the complex; the layout seemed to have changed from when they last visited. She thought briefly how the phenomenon would undoubtedly confuse any intruders, but remained focused on navigating the corridors. "Wish we could find that sandfall already. This place makes me feel… unsettled."
"Unsettled how?"
"As though… I'm welcomed, and… I do not like the way that feels," Valandra frowned.
"See? Maybe they are friendly," Ember optimistically said.
Valandra grumbled and turned at the next archway. By surprise, they had stumbled into the central hub. The sand-falls continued adding to the pile, yet there was no Demitra.
Ember was anxious. "Is she… Is she still in there? Trapped? Should I blaze it until it's glass and then we break it? What should we do?"
Valandra laid an icy hand on the woman's shoulder and spoke softly. "First, we relax and try to think this over. Where is the Djinn from before? I do not wish to have another slumber spell cast upon me again. My dreams were… unfavorable."
"Yeah, mine too," Ember related.
"I wish we had more information to go on," Valandra sighed.
Suddenly, the floor directly in front of the women was struck by a bolt of lightning. In its wake, ripples in the air formed, as though the bolt had parted the waters of the ocean. The waves formed, and crashed into the shape of a four armed Djinn. He materialized, arms akimbo and peered down at the women, as if looking through them.
"I got this," Ember said to Valandra, who simply rolled her eyes at the woman. "You listen here: Where's the girl from the waterfall?" she asked confidently.
The Djinn spoke in a ghostly muffled voice. "There is no water here without our commanding it to be so."
Valandra cursed. "Damned Djinn. You speak in riddles, yet you know to whom she speaks and what we want! Tell us where Demitra is!"
"Enough talk! Just tell us!" Ember added to Valandra's demand. Her head started to smoke.
The Djinn casted his piercing eyes at the woman. "Such determination in you mortal; if only you learned to control it, you may yet be whole," the raspy voice prophetically said.
Ember scowled at the being, but the comment was echoed from her dreams, and it shook her to her core.
Valandra looked inquisitively at Ember, wondered about her hesitation, but stepped in. "She is not just determined; she is relentless! As someone who has faced her as an opponent, I guarantee she will not stop until you tell us what we want to know."
The Djinn laughed hauntingly.
"We may be mortals, but we are not here for your amusement!"
"Are you not?" the Djinn seemed to snicker. "Were you not mere moments ago engaged in the carnal pleasures of mortals for our entertainment?"
"We… What?" both women said in unison. Ember looked at Valandra who looked back at her; both women mirrored a look of embarrassed confusion at the accusation.
Valandra stammered. "We… We took no 'carnal pleasures' in the wilds of the Desolation! I doubt many do! Your riddle is wrought with errors, Djinn!"
"You foolish mortal, did you really think that spell upon you was a simple sleep spell?"
Both women blinked, then began arguing simultaneously.
"W-Why would you do that?" Ember said, her cheeks flushed.
"More mind games! Why would you have us do such a thing? Furthermore, why would you watch? Why do your kind enjoy so much torment of others through mind manipulation?"
The Djinn continued his taunt. "Why do children watch insect mate? It fascinates us. We observe the phenomenon, for we no longer do such ourselves. The behavior in lesser races, the courtship of romance is… so foreign."
Ember tilted her head to the side, trying her best to follow the conversation. "So Djinn don't do it anymore, so… you watch others?"
"We no longer procreate in the sense of the exchange of bodily fluids; we observe lesser species during the time of conception, to seek out those in which our lineage may be passed." The Djinn folded his upper arms, placed his lower on his hips.
Valandra rubbed her temples, annoyed. "So, your kind can't procreate and you watch to see if the life that's created at that exact moment can… what? Eventually become one of you?" She chuckled under her breath. "Even if that's true, Ember and I (even if we did do… that) we're both women!"
"Hence the amusement," the Djinn said condescendingly.
Ember's head quickly burst into flames. "One more comment like that…" she threatened.
Valandra held Ember back, looked up at the Djinn sceptically. "Wait. So, if you didn't bring us here for this 'procreation observation,' then how did we find our way here? We have both received visions of Demitra!"
"Not of her; from her. She was guiding you here, because she wanted to come home." The Djinn called upon air which floated Demitra's bracers between them.
Ember rubbed the back of her neck. "The… The gloves?"
The Djinn peered at the gloves, as if looking through their outer shell and what lay within. If it were possible, a smile would have come to his lipless face.
Valandra snapped, tired of the games. "No more riddles! What do you know about Demitra's fate, and these gloves?"
"They are one in the same, for she is bound to them," said the Djinn.
"Demitra… is in them? Bound to them? H-How?" Valandra was baffled.
Ember reached out, grabbed the bracers, and cradled them gently. "You mean… I… I really had her with me the whole time?"
Valandra stared at the gloves, blinked through an epiphany. She thought back to the feeling she had at the Labyrinthine Cliffs: how the gloves had called to her and how she felt as though her destiny had been being pulled from an unknown source. And, how she'd blamed Demitra for interfering with her plans… and yet, with this confirmed, Valandra felt her grudging animosity lifted. If what the Djinn said was true, Demitra had been reaching out and asking for help. And if she was wrong about that, was she wrong about more than that? Had Demitra, as Ember said, wanted to rescue her from the monster that held her captive? Roles reversed, would Demitra blame Ember for not coming to rescue her in time, despite the crusade the woman had endured, and had Demitra endured the same hardships on her quest to rescue Valandra?
Ember began vigorously rubbing the gloves. "Come on Demitra. I know you're in there! Come on out!"
Questions swirled in the Valandra's mind, and, at once, she realized the Djinn's mind games had won. "Enough of your tormenting! Tell me where she is, or I shall force you to tell me!" She pulled her sword. "You know I am capable; what I have already done to one of your kin!"
The Djinn looked appalled and offended. "You would strike upon your own kin?"
Beyond the point of frustration, Valandra was now screaming. "What? What in Joko's name are you even saying?"
The Djinn let out a ghastly screeching sigh. "You mortals truly have no patience, but in time, you will learn. Thaljia, you have taken one of us into yourself; bound it there. Regardless how it came to be, you are now one of us."
"A Djinn? You expect me to believe I'm a…"
The Djinn let out a grim chuckle at the women. "Regardless of the emotional disposition you have of our race, you coveted the raw powers we contain within. And now, Okht, you are one of us." The Djinn interrupted himself, his attention drawn to the loud grunting noises Ember was making, still rubbing the bracers. "There is much more to that riddle than simply polishing it, expecting the Djinn within to awaken."
Ember stopped, tilted her head to the side. "Well fine then, if that won't work, I'll just do what I did before!" She shoved her hand into the glove. As before, her mind writhed, as her entire being exploded into a sandstorm. It blew over the desolate wastes, beyond the Elon Riverlands, and further still past the dry heat of the desert. The sands drifted as far north as they could until reaching the icy winds and snow frigid temperatures of the Desert Highlands. The sands flew around and danced with snowflakes as they fell, deep into the rocky caverns below, finally landing on a lake of lava.
Demitra's whispered in Ember's ear. "Combine… Unlock."
Ember's eyes sprung open, this time waking from the trance on her own. "North!" she said excitedly, instantly on her feet trying to pull the glove off. "I saw… I saw where to go!" The glove wouldn't budge and she looked like a helpless child at Valandra.
Valandra was already scolding her, "Well, why did you even put it on again?" She reached out to assist and slid the glove off gracefully with little effort.
"Huh," Ember was puzzled. "Why couldn't I get it off?"
The Djinn interjected. "It is only removed for one of our kind."
Valandra scowled at the being. "I am not one of your kind!"
Ember grumbled. "A Dejarin… a Djinn… wannabe icebrood… What aren't you, Snowflake?"
The Djinn continued talking to Valandra, over Ember's rant. "You are now; such is your trapped companion… Such is the way we procreate, Thaljia Okht, and you as well as your companion have found your way home."
Valandra cursed. By her own admission, she had felt… welcomed. She held aloft the bracer she'd removed from Ember. "Fine; whatever. Then just where is Demitra? She brought us here… why?"
"That," the Djinn said as he and the surroundings began to fade away, "is her riddle for you…"
Ember looked at Valandra as the backdrop of the floating castle began to turn to sand carried upon the wind. "I was taken to the north," she said hastily. "There was ice and lava, and Demitra said, 'combine… and unlock.'"
The world began to fade as the Djinn spoke final words. "We shall see you again, Thaljia Okht." The Djinn, the structure, and the very world broke apart, dissolving into sand, carried upon the wind.
