11-28-2017, 08:29 PM
Evangeline had removed one of her gauntlets and massaged her neck as she walked, the pressure from abominable brute's grasp still irritating her. The skin was tender, and were she to wash away the now dry muck from her skin she'd undoubtedly find bruising that would make a Slaaneshite blush. But to her relief that was all she felt. Her skin had not developed any kind of lesions or rashes, indicating that the foul fluids that gushed from the heretics hands had not spread its disease to her. The hand performing the palpation was deadened by the puncture in her shoulder. She'd dressed and disinfected it to a level that was satisfactory, pinning the arm of her sullied robe back so it's tainted fabric did not contaminate the bandage. Meanwhile her tongue could do nothing but irritate the wound in her mouth left by a tooth that was forcefully ejected by another heathen's blow.
She looked to her companion with a little envy. Pyrrha had walked away with only her boots sullied, which would wash off with quickly with a bucket of water poured upon them. Evangeline's red shield robes would need to be burnt as soon as she had something else to cover herself with. The expression on the Hoplite's face was the equaliser though; alone against the ruinous powers the sister still had her faith, her duty, and her goal was clear. Pyrrha, though seemingly pure of heart, was none the less a gentile and lacked the conviction of faith to aid her in this trying time.
Noting this, Evangeline was the first to finally speak; 'the dialogue of man quiets those of beasts' as one of her confessors once said, and Pyrrha looked as though she was wrestling with some daemons. "So, do you hail from these lands?"
The redhead shook her head. "I've never seen this place before. Though I..." There was a brief pause in the maiden's response. "I've walked through places that fill me with similar feelings. Foreboding and dread. The desiccated remains of mankind's smaller cities reclaimed by nature. But nothing that looks the same. What about you?" She continued, looking at the sister "Is your order nearby?"
Evangeline smiled sadly as she looked away from the red haired warrior and another brief moment passed before she responded. "The light of the Eternal Candle reaches wherever its adherents tread, though I suspect that answer is useless to you." Her smile warmed slightly before she sighed "I fear that I have strayed far from the light of the Holy Terra and could not tell you which direction it lies."
Pyrrha furrowed her brow thoughtfully as she scanned the fragmented remains of her memory for a name. "Remnant" She whispered under her breath "Remnant is the place that I'm from. I'm a Huntress. I'm supposed to defend Remnant against the Grimm"
"I just want to confirm. These Grimm wouldn't happen to not leave any bodies when slain perchance?" Evangeline inquired.
"They kind of just... evaporate, yeah." The hoplite responded with a shrug.
"What about coming here?" Evangeline continued her line of questioning. "I recall a silhouette talking about omnilium and keeping them entertained. Then my lungs were filled with water from a fountain in the middle of a white void."
Inwardly the sister wished to be back there, if only to rinse the filth from her body.
Pyrrha nodded, "Much the same thing, yes."
Evangeline couldn't help but grimace. The full reality of this situation was still unknown to the sister, but it was clear that she was stuck in some twisted game of some unknown deity. A deity who had stolen her from the Emperor's embrace for its own purposes. A deity who had promised her anything she desired. What she desired was to go home, back to her sisters, to sit at the Emperor’s table as a reward for her martyrdom.
Her thoughts were cut short as her tongue ran over the still weeping wound in her mouth, cutting itself on something poking out of the bleeding flesh. "Ow!" she cried out, more in shock than in pain.
"What is it?" Pyrrha asked.
Eva ran her finger over gap, confirming the protrusion before replying. "I don't know. Can you just look at my missing tooth for a moment?" she asked.
Phyrrha nodded and Evangeline opened her mouth and pulled her lips away from the injury. "I can see a bit of white there." Pyrrha responded after looking at the sister's gaping maw "Maybe you just chipped it."
Evangeline shook her head "No, it fell, root and all. I checked it after the fight."
Pyrrha simply shrugged.
"How bizarre." Evangeline said, probing it a few more times with her thumb
The worn dirt road slowly gave way to cobblestone, complete with moss in between the grooves, as the town began to loom over them. The trees thinned out and the pair were walking through patrolled farmland. It wasn't long before they were stopped a mounted soldier, a well built man dressed in a black frock coat, grey pants and tall back boots. His coat had a red triangle at either cuff which projected 3 golden chevrons. It was fastened shut by a belt which held a holster for a flintlock pistol and a scabbard for a rapier. Atop his head was a metal helmet that mostly covered his sideburns, though a little brown hair stuck out from the sides, and had a dangerous looking point at its top. He was young looking, no more than 30, though had the corners of his face gnawed by the scars of battle.
The lessons of Evangeline's upbringing and Sororitas training allowed her to quickly determine more about the city she was about to step into as she eyed the approaching armed man. She judged the clothing to be pretty mediocre, finer than the farmers and heathens they had encountered moments before, but they were not walking into a bustling trade hub, that was for sure. The weapons she and her companion were wielding were far superior in capability and quality compared to anything that these townsfolk might be storing.
"How are you my ladies?" The soldier asked in a polite yet weary tone, such irregular dressed folk with such strange items could be nothing but a pair of primes. Primes, as far as the soldier was concerned, were an ill omen. This feeling was only multiplied by the fact they had very clearly recently skirmished. "I've not seen you in these parts before. Do you have business in Darkshire?"
Pyrrha was the first to respond "A bit worse for wear I'm afraid. We were attacked by..." She was at a loss for words to describe them. Evangeline had used Nurglite to describe them, but would this man have any comprehension of what those words meant? She looked to the sister for help.
"A group of sick men." Evangeline continued "The infection increases the strength of those who survive it while making them carriers. Their sanity is also incredibly questionable."
"There's a bit of that going around." The soldier said with a sight "There was a conflict here a while back, and after some of the poor got really sick and died. Those that survived haven't looked the same. Some of them even left the city and ventured into the woods." there was a moment's pause "You said they attacked you?"
"Yes." Pyrrha replied "They said something about Godling blood and just came at me. I was fortunate my companion happened by."
"Strange." The soldier said before clarifying "Those that left have been making the area safer if anything. Killing monsters and the like that hang around the outskirts of town." There was another break then the soldier inquired "He said Godling blood?"
"Please excuse me," Evangeline interjected "but did you say there were those still in the city who were presenting symptoms?" she asked with a growing concern. "Some who still show signs of affliction?"
"This is the Moor, most of the poor are afflicted by something. But they carry on like the rest of us." The soldier replied with a shrug.
"I must speak with whoever leads your community. The survivors may still carry the sickness and contaminate others." Evangeline said with urgency.
"Follow me then." The soldier said with a sigh, bringing his horse around. "I'll take you to the council house and you can ask for your audience."
As they followed the officer through the bleached white wooden gates and the feudal market place Pyrrha looked at the sister with some confusion.
"Whats changed?" the Hoplite asked after awhile of walking. "You already considered the situation dire."
"I thought we might be lucky and it would be a small cult just starting out. But from the sounds of it this infection has already taken root. That means that my fear of the taint working its way into the ecosystem may have only come to pass long ago." Evangeline explained with a fretful cadence.
"If it has, what can be done?"
"Little." The sister said "Cultist illness is a combination of all the worst infections man has ever suffered. In the Imperium it's normally dealt with by quarantine and..." Evangeline's explanation was cut short by something that caught her eye. "excuse me for one moment."
Pyrrha looked at the sister with a raised eyebrow as Evangeline's pace quickened. The object that had caught her eye seemed to be a well resting in the middle of the market square. Luckily for the sister it seemed to be vacant for the moment. Evangeline dropped a bucket mounted to a crank that hug over the well and after she heard it hit water she wound it back up. Once it was in her hands she couldn't tip it on herself fast enough, squealing at the shock of the cold water covering her. Much of the dirt and debris hanging on to her was washed from her skin, and she was quick to wipe any that was left with her hands.
As they continued on the homes and buildings became much more upmarket, though suffering a state of disrepair that permeated throughout the city. It wasn't long before they reached the council building. The soldier instructed them to wait in the courtyard while he went and conferred with the administration.
The stones paving the floor were larger here, but still have signs of neglect. Moss was growing in the gaps, and small plants had sprung up. The gardens lining the walls were unkempt, the bushes that were once clearly maintained by gardeners were now overgrown, spilling over a vine covered retaining wall. The centre of the yard was occupied by a stone statue, too weather worn to make out any of its fine features.
"What a desolate place." Pyrrha mused to herself after a moment of waiting. "What were you about to say back there?" The red haired warrior said, turning to the sister "Quarantine and...?"
"Extermination." Evangeline replied nonchalantly as she examined one of the vines.
"You just kill people if they're sick?" The Hoplite asked again, her inflection taking on a slightly horrified tone.
Evangeline stopped what she was doing and turned to face the red haired warrior with a steely gaze. "There is no cure for a Nurglite infection, and it is deadly to those who don't embrace it. Those who do endeavour to spread it, and in doing so become little more than beasts. I've seen cultists infect irrigation systems on agri-worlds and spread their sickness to half a segmentum. When dealing with these heathens one cannot consider the fate of a single man, nor a dozen, nor a hundred, nor a thousand. Billions of lives might live or die as a consequence of our actions, and we don't have the luxury of counting the cost."
"So you just let arithmetic dictate your actions?" Pyrrha shot back critically.
Evangeline sighed and a soft yet grave smile crossed her face. "I can tell your heart is in the right place, but you saw what that man in the marsh became. What you saw was just a glimpse of the horrors festering beneath the surface. There are far more terrifying things to lay witness to down this road, and should you continue down it you will need to defend yourself against more men turned beasts."
The pair were interrupted as the large doors opened with a creak and the soldier appeared once more, walking down the steps towards the pair. Evangeline quickly returned her attention to Pyrrha.
"I know this enemy well." Evangeline said, looking up at the redhead "They're beasts, but they remember their humanity and use your compassion, sense of justice, all of your best traits against you while they circle you for the kill. If you don't think you can face that, I won't think any less of you should you wish to leave. Had I not made my oaths to purge this rot where ever it festers, knowing what we face, I would be running back to that portal as fast as my legs would carry me. But if you can steel yourself and follow me through this hell you will be saving untold quantities of lives."
The confused red haired warrior was still addled from her regeneration, but everything the sister said went against the values and morals that still resonated in her heart. Yet she had also seen the brute of a man turn into a beast and act in a way that defied everything she understood.
"You have your audience. They're waiting for you." The soldier said when he stood before them.
Evangeline nodded and followed before taking a few steps, however stopped when she sensed Pyrrha's hesitation. "You need not decide your path here at this instant. At this moment come with me and let's see if we can't get answers about this strange land."
***
The community leader sat in a dark leather chair across a lacquered oak desk from the pair of women. The room was flanked either side by bookshelves with old manuscripts and textbooks that looked as though it had been years since they had been touched, and four sconces, one at either side of the door behind them and another at either side of the window, illuminated the room with burning oil, as the morning sunlight was filtered by the clouds was insufficient for the task. It was very clearly under decorated, with scuff marks and stains where ordainments used to rest. Much like the rest of the city, the room had seen better days.
The man himself wasn't all that impressive looking. Young, Thin and of average height, wearing clothes similar to the soldier that had escorted them. There was something in his eyes however, steely and determined, intelligent eyes of a leader. Evangeline thought that in the clothes of a Commissar he might even look the part.
"I am Dobson Skender, you wished for an audience to discuss something of great import." The young man stated, balling his fists up in front of him as his elbows rested on the armrests of his chair.
"Indeed. I am Sister Almoness Evangeline of the Order of the Eternal Candle." Evangeline replied with a curtsey as graceful as she could manage with a missing tooth and a still foul robe.
"You can call her Eva. I'm Pyrrha Nikos." The red haired hoplite said with her arm outstretched in a handshake. Even her soured mood didn't allow her to shirk on protocol.
Dobson took it and looked closely at the pair. "No doubt about it, you two are primes. So what trouble have you brought to this corner of the 'verse."
"Sorry, I keep being called that." Pyrrha interjected as she took back her hand. "What is a prime?"
"Fresh from the fountain too?" there was a slightly exasperated sigh which emanated from Dobson. "You're not from this world. Omni, the god of this verse summoned you from your place of origin. Should you die you are reborn at the fountain, and if you don’t die all your wounds heal. You're effectively immortal."
“That explains my tooth.” Evangeline said, looking a Pyrrha before turning back. "I remember the shade saying that. Then there was something about Omnilium? Using it to summon things?”
"You just think of the thing you want for a while and it forms." Dobson Replied. "Primes are the only creatures that can wield Omnilium in that fashion. Secondaries are those summoned by a prime, who make up the larger population, have to make things the old fashioned way."
"Sounds like witchcraft." Evangeline stated, folding her arms.
"Perhaps. It certainly defies conventional wisdom." Dobson said nonchalantly. "Now, what was the issue you wished to discuss?"
"My companion here was attacked near the city by infected men." Evangeline explained, lowering her arms "They suffered from an incredibly dangerous affliction that I've encountered before. We have dispatched them but I need help sanitising the area where they fell. If fauna devour them the sickness will enter the ecosystem and many will die as a result."
"Whereabouts?"
"A marsh a ways south of here."
"And how would you propose to clean the area?"
"I've noted that you use oil in for lighting." Evangeline said, nodding at the wall sconces. "If you give me a few barrels along with some soap I can make a sticky fuel that will burn and purify the area. The water is shallow enough that we can get it to a temperature high enough to eradicate the infestation if it has taken to it."
"Very well, that sounds reasonable." Dobson said, leaning back in his chair "I'm sure we can spare five men and some sprayers to help douse the area."
"There is an additional issue." Evangeline continued "Your guard mentioned some of those in the lower quarter showing symptoms, of a plague death that occurred long ago."
"I understand there was a spike in deaths after the conflict with Diablo." Dobson said thoughtfully. "Are you suggesting that this infection may have already taken root?"
"Indeed." The sister replied gravely. "It's possible that your lower class is dotted with carriers. If you don't remove them from the population it may spell doom for your community and beyond."
"And by remove them you mean what exactly?"
"Death by fire." Evangeline said, and she could already see the leaders face souring. "Please understand that in the many millennia my order has been fighting the infection we have found but one cure. And that is to put the infected to the torch."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not having everyone that looks sick murdered because you've had some bad experiences with this bug." Dobson said with a dismissive wave. "The people of the Moors are strong and will overcome."
"Then quarantine them away somewhere where they cannot infect others." Evangeline said, her tone becoming more authoritative. "This issue will have repercussions far beyond your community."
"Absolutely not! We don't have the resources for anything like that." Dobson retorted, his tone growing more forceful to match Evangeline's.
"Mr Skender, I know little about this land and your people, but I am duty bound to destroy the Rot where ever I see it." Evangeline retorted, her voice quieting but retaining its force while her green eyes seemed to burn. She leaned forward, planting both hands on the table and loomed over him. "I prefer the scalpel to the hatchet, but I will resort to the hatchet if I must. If you don't provide me with the aid I seek I will see this city reduced to ashes."
"Don't threaten me sister. There are more than a few primes who call this place home, You will be stopped."
"And apparently I will rise again to see my objective complete."
"It's not as simple as you might think." Dobson replied with a slight smirk. "There are ways of banishing primes from the verses."
"And while you prepare to do that how many innocents are going to die by my hand?" Evangeline said, her voice almost made her sound as though she was pleading with him now. "How many more is this plague going to spread to? How many will it kill in the coming years? I am compelled to act on this, but you can decide how. With the scalpel or with the hatchet."
There was a long pause while the pair of them stared each other down. There was little that Pyrrha could do, still conflicted about which path was the most righteous one. Meanwhile Dobson was contemplating the sisters ultimatum, he couldn't allow her to murder his subjects, nor could he allow this issue go unabated if even a portion of what Evangeline was saying was true. There was no hint of deception in her tone or posture, indeed her burning eyes watered as though the fire behind them was causing her great pain.
"How does this scalpel of yours work?" he asked with a sigh after what seemed like an eternity of staring down the sister.
Evangeline pushed off the table and stood upright. "The sickness also affects their minds. They become phobic of medical treatment, even if it doesn't cure them. My companion got a concoction from a healer in the town, I can provide these healers with knowledge on how to prepare medicine in sufficient quantities to treat the entire city in short order. You go block by block with guards offering to treat the poor, and those who resist will be more than likely to be your infectees. As a bonus the medicine has a wide range of applications, and if there are any other afflictions the people of the town are suffering it will cure them too."
There was another long pause while Dobson considered the sisters proposal, he looked down, his mouth pressing against linked hands as he was lost deep in thought. Finally he looked back up at them. "I will need to confer with the rest of the Junta and the alchemists to discuss your proposal. In the meantime I will arrange for several barrels of oil and soap to be brought to the manor. You can remain here, I suspect you might wish a bath and rest before you engage in your activities."
Evangeline nodded, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. "You're not wrong about that." She replied. "Very well. We shall retire for the moment and await your answer. It will take some time for the fuel to be properly prepared anyway."
With a grim expression Dobson nodded to the guard standing at the door, who beckoned the women out.
***
A sigh emanated from the sister as she sank deep into the warm water of the wooden bath. There was little she could do at the moment, no fuel to sterilise the swamp with, and there was an unwillingness to commit the genocide she had threatened. The future was in control of other actors, and she was blessed with a reprieve that she would not waste. The last hour had been spend scrubbing her body down until she was satisfied that every skin cell that had come into contact with the putrid water of the swamp had been scraped clean. She did the same with her boots, gauntlets and weapons, getting a brush to scrape out every bit of mud that had found its way in between their links and engravings. Propped up in a nearby corner they sparkled in the soft flickering light of the lamp. She didn't know what to do about the soiled shield robe and let it soak in a tub near the bath. Were it not the only vestment she had she'd burn it then and there.
Her mind turned to the mention of summoning, to what the shade mentioned. "Just think of what you want most.". She closed her eyes and thought of a new set of robes, prioritising it in her mind was no issue. Soon kaleidoscopic light began to swirl around her, though with her eyes closed she was unaware.
Beyond the white curtain Pyrrha sat on the bed, a massive four poster bed covered with light blue linens with a gold trim. Blue cloth hung from the posts that would offer privacy to the occupants. The wooden floor was covered in rugs, well worn but covered in intricate patterns. There was a desk made from dark, heavy wood in one corner with an complex tapestry hanging above it on the stone wall, again, well worn. Despite the disrepair and the primitive nature of the furnishings, it was none the less luxurious. Luxury the hoplite was completely unable to appreciate.
With a furrowed expression all she could do is look at her bronze boots as she contemplated the occurrences of the past day. She still had no more clues as to who she was, but she knew she didn't like to see people die. Fighting Grimm, while anything but easy, wasn't messy. There was no blood, the bodies vanished once they were dispatched and most of all, they didn't cry out in human tones when they were hurt. Then there was the woman beyond the white curtain, her silhouette flickering through like a shadow looming over her. Very clearly she had fought more than a few of these and had no problem taking the lives of men, by the city load if need be, with no reservations for bystanders.
Pyrrha didn't know who she was, but she knew that she wasn't that, nor did she ever want to be.
"Eva?" she said finally, getting to her feet and walking to the curtain.
The sisters concentration was broken and the lights vanished before she opened her eyes. "Yes Pyrrha?" Evangeline replied, peeling back the drape so her head was visible.
"When you return to the swamp, I'm not going to be able to follow you." Pyrrha answered in a soft voice.
Evangeline's expression drooped slightly upon hearing this, but Pyrrha's hesitation had already become self evident. With a sigh the sister relaxed back into her bath "That's okay. As I said, were I not duty bound I'd be running to the hills myself."
"I just..." Pyrrha hesitated, feeling like she owed the sister some explanation.
"You need not defend yourself." Evangeline said, still sunk in the bath. "I was trained for years to undertake these kinds of tasks. Not only were my skills sharpened, but my heart and mind were hardened. If you feel as though you are unready to bear witness to more horrors, then it is to your credit that you recognise it."
With a weak smile the Hoplite replied "Thank you, Eva."
She looked to her companion with a little envy. Pyrrha had walked away with only her boots sullied, which would wash off with quickly with a bucket of water poured upon them. Evangeline's red shield robes would need to be burnt as soon as she had something else to cover herself with. The expression on the Hoplite's face was the equaliser though; alone against the ruinous powers the sister still had her faith, her duty, and her goal was clear. Pyrrha, though seemingly pure of heart, was none the less a gentile and lacked the conviction of faith to aid her in this trying time.
Noting this, Evangeline was the first to finally speak; 'the dialogue of man quiets those of beasts' as one of her confessors once said, and Pyrrha looked as though she was wrestling with some daemons. "So, do you hail from these lands?"
The redhead shook her head. "I've never seen this place before. Though I..." There was a brief pause in the maiden's response. "I've walked through places that fill me with similar feelings. Foreboding and dread. The desiccated remains of mankind's smaller cities reclaimed by nature. But nothing that looks the same. What about you?" She continued, looking at the sister "Is your order nearby?"
Evangeline smiled sadly as she looked away from the red haired warrior and another brief moment passed before she responded. "The light of the Eternal Candle reaches wherever its adherents tread, though I suspect that answer is useless to you." Her smile warmed slightly before she sighed "I fear that I have strayed far from the light of the Holy Terra and could not tell you which direction it lies."
Pyrrha furrowed her brow thoughtfully as she scanned the fragmented remains of her memory for a name. "Remnant" She whispered under her breath "Remnant is the place that I'm from. I'm a Huntress. I'm supposed to defend Remnant against the Grimm"
"I just want to confirm. These Grimm wouldn't happen to not leave any bodies when slain perchance?" Evangeline inquired.
"They kind of just... evaporate, yeah." The hoplite responded with a shrug.
"What about coming here?" Evangeline continued her line of questioning. "I recall a silhouette talking about omnilium and keeping them entertained. Then my lungs were filled with water from a fountain in the middle of a white void."
Inwardly the sister wished to be back there, if only to rinse the filth from her body.
Pyrrha nodded, "Much the same thing, yes."
Evangeline couldn't help but grimace. The full reality of this situation was still unknown to the sister, but it was clear that she was stuck in some twisted game of some unknown deity. A deity who had stolen her from the Emperor's embrace for its own purposes. A deity who had promised her anything she desired. What she desired was to go home, back to her sisters, to sit at the Emperor’s table as a reward for her martyrdom.
Her thoughts were cut short as her tongue ran over the still weeping wound in her mouth, cutting itself on something poking out of the bleeding flesh. "Ow!" she cried out, more in shock than in pain.
"What is it?" Pyrrha asked.
Eva ran her finger over gap, confirming the protrusion before replying. "I don't know. Can you just look at my missing tooth for a moment?" she asked.
Phyrrha nodded and Evangeline opened her mouth and pulled her lips away from the injury. "I can see a bit of white there." Pyrrha responded after looking at the sister's gaping maw "Maybe you just chipped it."
Evangeline shook her head "No, it fell, root and all. I checked it after the fight."
Pyrrha simply shrugged.
"How bizarre." Evangeline said, probing it a few more times with her thumb
The worn dirt road slowly gave way to cobblestone, complete with moss in between the grooves, as the town began to loom over them. The trees thinned out and the pair were walking through patrolled farmland. It wasn't long before they were stopped a mounted soldier, a well built man dressed in a black frock coat, grey pants and tall back boots. His coat had a red triangle at either cuff which projected 3 golden chevrons. It was fastened shut by a belt which held a holster for a flintlock pistol and a scabbard for a rapier. Atop his head was a metal helmet that mostly covered his sideburns, though a little brown hair stuck out from the sides, and had a dangerous looking point at its top. He was young looking, no more than 30, though had the corners of his face gnawed by the scars of battle.
The lessons of Evangeline's upbringing and Sororitas training allowed her to quickly determine more about the city she was about to step into as she eyed the approaching armed man. She judged the clothing to be pretty mediocre, finer than the farmers and heathens they had encountered moments before, but they were not walking into a bustling trade hub, that was for sure. The weapons she and her companion were wielding were far superior in capability and quality compared to anything that these townsfolk might be storing.
"How are you my ladies?" The soldier asked in a polite yet weary tone, such irregular dressed folk with such strange items could be nothing but a pair of primes. Primes, as far as the soldier was concerned, were an ill omen. This feeling was only multiplied by the fact they had very clearly recently skirmished. "I've not seen you in these parts before. Do you have business in Darkshire?"
Pyrrha was the first to respond "A bit worse for wear I'm afraid. We were attacked by..." She was at a loss for words to describe them. Evangeline had used Nurglite to describe them, but would this man have any comprehension of what those words meant? She looked to the sister for help.
"A group of sick men." Evangeline continued "The infection increases the strength of those who survive it while making them carriers. Their sanity is also incredibly questionable."
"There's a bit of that going around." The soldier said with a sight "There was a conflict here a while back, and after some of the poor got really sick and died. Those that survived haven't looked the same. Some of them even left the city and ventured into the woods." there was a moment's pause "You said they attacked you?"
"Yes." Pyrrha replied "They said something about Godling blood and just came at me. I was fortunate my companion happened by."
"Strange." The soldier said before clarifying "Those that left have been making the area safer if anything. Killing monsters and the like that hang around the outskirts of town." There was another break then the soldier inquired "He said Godling blood?"
"Please excuse me," Evangeline interjected "but did you say there were those still in the city who were presenting symptoms?" she asked with a growing concern. "Some who still show signs of affliction?"
"This is the Moor, most of the poor are afflicted by something. But they carry on like the rest of us." The soldier replied with a shrug.
"I must speak with whoever leads your community. The survivors may still carry the sickness and contaminate others." Evangeline said with urgency.
"Follow me then." The soldier said with a sigh, bringing his horse around. "I'll take you to the council house and you can ask for your audience."
As they followed the officer through the bleached white wooden gates and the feudal market place Pyrrha looked at the sister with some confusion.
"Whats changed?" the Hoplite asked after awhile of walking. "You already considered the situation dire."
"I thought we might be lucky and it would be a small cult just starting out. But from the sounds of it this infection has already taken root. That means that my fear of the taint working its way into the ecosystem may have only come to pass long ago." Evangeline explained with a fretful cadence.
"If it has, what can be done?"
"Little." The sister said "Cultist illness is a combination of all the worst infections man has ever suffered. In the Imperium it's normally dealt with by quarantine and..." Evangeline's explanation was cut short by something that caught her eye. "excuse me for one moment."
Pyrrha looked at the sister with a raised eyebrow as Evangeline's pace quickened. The object that had caught her eye seemed to be a well resting in the middle of the market square. Luckily for the sister it seemed to be vacant for the moment. Evangeline dropped a bucket mounted to a crank that hug over the well and after she heard it hit water she wound it back up. Once it was in her hands she couldn't tip it on herself fast enough, squealing at the shock of the cold water covering her. Much of the dirt and debris hanging on to her was washed from her skin, and she was quick to wipe any that was left with her hands.
As they continued on the homes and buildings became much more upmarket, though suffering a state of disrepair that permeated throughout the city. It wasn't long before they reached the council building. The soldier instructed them to wait in the courtyard while he went and conferred with the administration.
The stones paving the floor were larger here, but still have signs of neglect. Moss was growing in the gaps, and small plants had sprung up. The gardens lining the walls were unkempt, the bushes that were once clearly maintained by gardeners were now overgrown, spilling over a vine covered retaining wall. The centre of the yard was occupied by a stone statue, too weather worn to make out any of its fine features.
"What a desolate place." Pyrrha mused to herself after a moment of waiting. "What were you about to say back there?" The red haired warrior said, turning to the sister "Quarantine and...?"
"Extermination." Evangeline replied nonchalantly as she examined one of the vines.
"You just kill people if they're sick?" The Hoplite asked again, her inflection taking on a slightly horrified tone.
Evangeline stopped what she was doing and turned to face the red haired warrior with a steely gaze. "There is no cure for a Nurglite infection, and it is deadly to those who don't embrace it. Those who do endeavour to spread it, and in doing so become little more than beasts. I've seen cultists infect irrigation systems on agri-worlds and spread their sickness to half a segmentum. When dealing with these heathens one cannot consider the fate of a single man, nor a dozen, nor a hundred, nor a thousand. Billions of lives might live or die as a consequence of our actions, and we don't have the luxury of counting the cost."
"So you just let arithmetic dictate your actions?" Pyrrha shot back critically.
Evangeline sighed and a soft yet grave smile crossed her face. "I can tell your heart is in the right place, but you saw what that man in the marsh became. What you saw was just a glimpse of the horrors festering beneath the surface. There are far more terrifying things to lay witness to down this road, and should you continue down it you will need to defend yourself against more men turned beasts."
The pair were interrupted as the large doors opened with a creak and the soldier appeared once more, walking down the steps towards the pair. Evangeline quickly returned her attention to Pyrrha.
"I know this enemy well." Evangeline said, looking up at the redhead "They're beasts, but they remember their humanity and use your compassion, sense of justice, all of your best traits against you while they circle you for the kill. If you don't think you can face that, I won't think any less of you should you wish to leave. Had I not made my oaths to purge this rot where ever it festers, knowing what we face, I would be running back to that portal as fast as my legs would carry me. But if you can steel yourself and follow me through this hell you will be saving untold quantities of lives."
The confused red haired warrior was still addled from her regeneration, but everything the sister said went against the values and morals that still resonated in her heart. Yet she had also seen the brute of a man turn into a beast and act in a way that defied everything she understood.
"You have your audience. They're waiting for you." The soldier said when he stood before them.
Evangeline nodded and followed before taking a few steps, however stopped when she sensed Pyrrha's hesitation. "You need not decide your path here at this instant. At this moment come with me and let's see if we can't get answers about this strange land."
***
The community leader sat in a dark leather chair across a lacquered oak desk from the pair of women. The room was flanked either side by bookshelves with old manuscripts and textbooks that looked as though it had been years since they had been touched, and four sconces, one at either side of the door behind them and another at either side of the window, illuminated the room with burning oil, as the morning sunlight was filtered by the clouds was insufficient for the task. It was very clearly under decorated, with scuff marks and stains where ordainments used to rest. Much like the rest of the city, the room had seen better days.
The man himself wasn't all that impressive looking. Young, Thin and of average height, wearing clothes similar to the soldier that had escorted them. There was something in his eyes however, steely and determined, intelligent eyes of a leader. Evangeline thought that in the clothes of a Commissar he might even look the part.
"I am Dobson Skender, you wished for an audience to discuss something of great import." The young man stated, balling his fists up in front of him as his elbows rested on the armrests of his chair.
"Indeed. I am Sister Almoness Evangeline of the Order of the Eternal Candle." Evangeline replied with a curtsey as graceful as she could manage with a missing tooth and a still foul robe.
"You can call her Eva. I'm Pyrrha Nikos." The red haired hoplite said with her arm outstretched in a handshake. Even her soured mood didn't allow her to shirk on protocol.
Dobson took it and looked closely at the pair. "No doubt about it, you two are primes. So what trouble have you brought to this corner of the 'verse."
"Sorry, I keep being called that." Pyrrha interjected as she took back her hand. "What is a prime?"
"Fresh from the fountain too?" there was a slightly exasperated sigh which emanated from Dobson. "You're not from this world. Omni, the god of this verse summoned you from your place of origin. Should you die you are reborn at the fountain, and if you don’t die all your wounds heal. You're effectively immortal."
“That explains my tooth.” Evangeline said, looking a Pyrrha before turning back. "I remember the shade saying that. Then there was something about Omnilium? Using it to summon things?”
"You just think of the thing you want for a while and it forms." Dobson Replied. "Primes are the only creatures that can wield Omnilium in that fashion. Secondaries are those summoned by a prime, who make up the larger population, have to make things the old fashioned way."
"Sounds like witchcraft." Evangeline stated, folding her arms.
"Perhaps. It certainly defies conventional wisdom." Dobson said nonchalantly. "Now, what was the issue you wished to discuss?"
"My companion here was attacked near the city by infected men." Evangeline explained, lowering her arms "They suffered from an incredibly dangerous affliction that I've encountered before. We have dispatched them but I need help sanitising the area where they fell. If fauna devour them the sickness will enter the ecosystem and many will die as a result."
"Whereabouts?"
"A marsh a ways south of here."
"And how would you propose to clean the area?"
"I've noted that you use oil in for lighting." Evangeline said, nodding at the wall sconces. "If you give me a few barrels along with some soap I can make a sticky fuel that will burn and purify the area. The water is shallow enough that we can get it to a temperature high enough to eradicate the infestation if it has taken to it."
"Very well, that sounds reasonable." Dobson said, leaning back in his chair "I'm sure we can spare five men and some sprayers to help douse the area."
"There is an additional issue." Evangeline continued "Your guard mentioned some of those in the lower quarter showing symptoms, of a plague death that occurred long ago."
"I understand there was a spike in deaths after the conflict with Diablo." Dobson said thoughtfully. "Are you suggesting that this infection may have already taken root?"
"Indeed." The sister replied gravely. "It's possible that your lower class is dotted with carriers. If you don't remove them from the population it may spell doom for your community and beyond."
"And by remove them you mean what exactly?"
"Death by fire." Evangeline said, and she could already see the leaders face souring. "Please understand that in the many millennia my order has been fighting the infection we have found but one cure. And that is to put the infected to the torch."
"I'm sorry, but I'm not having everyone that looks sick murdered because you've had some bad experiences with this bug." Dobson said with a dismissive wave. "The people of the Moors are strong and will overcome."
"Then quarantine them away somewhere where they cannot infect others." Evangeline said, her tone becoming more authoritative. "This issue will have repercussions far beyond your community."
"Absolutely not! We don't have the resources for anything like that." Dobson retorted, his tone growing more forceful to match Evangeline's.
"Mr Skender, I know little about this land and your people, but I am duty bound to destroy the Rot where ever I see it." Evangeline retorted, her voice quieting but retaining its force while her green eyes seemed to burn. She leaned forward, planting both hands on the table and loomed over him. "I prefer the scalpel to the hatchet, but I will resort to the hatchet if I must. If you don't provide me with the aid I seek I will see this city reduced to ashes."
"Don't threaten me sister. There are more than a few primes who call this place home, You will be stopped."
"And apparently I will rise again to see my objective complete."
"It's not as simple as you might think." Dobson replied with a slight smirk. "There are ways of banishing primes from the verses."
"And while you prepare to do that how many innocents are going to die by my hand?" Evangeline said, her voice almost made her sound as though she was pleading with him now. "How many more is this plague going to spread to? How many will it kill in the coming years? I am compelled to act on this, but you can decide how. With the scalpel or with the hatchet."
There was a long pause while the pair of them stared each other down. There was little that Pyrrha could do, still conflicted about which path was the most righteous one. Meanwhile Dobson was contemplating the sisters ultimatum, he couldn't allow her to murder his subjects, nor could he allow this issue go unabated if even a portion of what Evangeline was saying was true. There was no hint of deception in her tone or posture, indeed her burning eyes watered as though the fire behind them was causing her great pain.
"How does this scalpel of yours work?" he asked with a sigh after what seemed like an eternity of staring down the sister.
Evangeline pushed off the table and stood upright. "The sickness also affects their minds. They become phobic of medical treatment, even if it doesn't cure them. My companion got a concoction from a healer in the town, I can provide these healers with knowledge on how to prepare medicine in sufficient quantities to treat the entire city in short order. You go block by block with guards offering to treat the poor, and those who resist will be more than likely to be your infectees. As a bonus the medicine has a wide range of applications, and if there are any other afflictions the people of the town are suffering it will cure them too."
There was another long pause while Dobson considered the sisters proposal, he looked down, his mouth pressing against linked hands as he was lost deep in thought. Finally he looked back up at them. "I will need to confer with the rest of the Junta and the alchemists to discuss your proposal. In the meantime I will arrange for several barrels of oil and soap to be brought to the manor. You can remain here, I suspect you might wish a bath and rest before you engage in your activities."
Evangeline nodded, the corners of her mouth curling up slightly. "You're not wrong about that." She replied. "Very well. We shall retire for the moment and await your answer. It will take some time for the fuel to be properly prepared anyway."
With a grim expression Dobson nodded to the guard standing at the door, who beckoned the women out.
***
A sigh emanated from the sister as she sank deep into the warm water of the wooden bath. There was little she could do at the moment, no fuel to sterilise the swamp with, and there was an unwillingness to commit the genocide she had threatened. The future was in control of other actors, and she was blessed with a reprieve that she would not waste. The last hour had been spend scrubbing her body down until she was satisfied that every skin cell that had come into contact with the putrid water of the swamp had been scraped clean. She did the same with her boots, gauntlets and weapons, getting a brush to scrape out every bit of mud that had found its way in between their links and engravings. Propped up in a nearby corner they sparkled in the soft flickering light of the lamp. She didn't know what to do about the soiled shield robe and let it soak in a tub near the bath. Were it not the only vestment she had she'd burn it then and there.
Her mind turned to the mention of summoning, to what the shade mentioned. "Just think of what you want most.". She closed her eyes and thought of a new set of robes, prioritising it in her mind was no issue. Soon kaleidoscopic light began to swirl around her, though with her eyes closed she was unaware.
Beyond the white curtain Pyrrha sat on the bed, a massive four poster bed covered with light blue linens with a gold trim. Blue cloth hung from the posts that would offer privacy to the occupants. The wooden floor was covered in rugs, well worn but covered in intricate patterns. There was a desk made from dark, heavy wood in one corner with an complex tapestry hanging above it on the stone wall, again, well worn. Despite the disrepair and the primitive nature of the furnishings, it was none the less luxurious. Luxury the hoplite was completely unable to appreciate.
With a furrowed expression all she could do is look at her bronze boots as she contemplated the occurrences of the past day. She still had no more clues as to who she was, but she knew she didn't like to see people die. Fighting Grimm, while anything but easy, wasn't messy. There was no blood, the bodies vanished once they were dispatched and most of all, they didn't cry out in human tones when they were hurt. Then there was the woman beyond the white curtain, her silhouette flickering through like a shadow looming over her. Very clearly she had fought more than a few of these and had no problem taking the lives of men, by the city load if need be, with no reservations for bystanders.
Pyrrha didn't know who she was, but she knew that she wasn't that, nor did she ever want to be.
"Eva?" she said finally, getting to her feet and walking to the curtain.
The sisters concentration was broken and the lights vanished before she opened her eyes. "Yes Pyrrha?" Evangeline replied, peeling back the drape so her head was visible.
"When you return to the swamp, I'm not going to be able to follow you." Pyrrha answered in a soft voice.
Evangeline's expression drooped slightly upon hearing this, but Pyrrha's hesitation had already become self evident. With a sigh the sister relaxed back into her bath "That's okay. As I said, were I not duty bound I'd be running to the hills myself."
"I just..." Pyrrha hesitated, feeling like she owed the sister some explanation.
"You need not defend yourself." Evangeline said, still sunk in the bath. "I was trained for years to undertake these kinds of tasks. Not only were my skills sharpened, but my heart and mind were hardened. If you feel as though you are unready to bear witness to more horrors, then it is to your credit that you recognise it."
With a weak smile the Hoplite replied "Thank you, Eva."
Quote:Pyrrha's player has had some real life issues come up and has had to withdraw from the thread.