The Dark Crystal (Anyone)

As always, he kept the nervous tingle inside him off his face when she said this. He allowed for the surprise to spring on there. He had to think fast. Lying was about the only thing he was good at anymore, which wasn’t really something to brag about. It was like second nature to him. He heard Takai chuckle his cold laugh in this ear, mocking him now. In all honesty, he probably wouldn’t care if Ren knew about Takai. Were they really so different? Ren would understand, and Leonna …

Wait, why did she want to come with him in the first place? Because she didn’t think he could do it was mostly likely. Though he would have thought Rontu’s words would convince her. Now walking next to her made him nervous. The more questions she asked the more odd it would seem.

“See, you fool, this is why you shouldn’t have said anything. They’ll start noticing oddities about you and that’s all the closer they come to knowing about us … Or why don’t you just take her with you and let me say hello. That will take care of this silly situation …”

No.

He didn’t want her to see Takai. Ever.

Her words came tingling into his mind. “People are heinous because they choose to be.”

She wouldn’t understand, and this was exactly why he didn’t let women close to him. All the ones that claimed they loved him only loved how he made them feel. It wasn’t really him they felt that way about. If they knew the real him … if they knew about Takai, they would stay far away. They wouldn’t love him.

“Why do you care about what this naïve girl thinks? Just let me have a moment with her and she’ll never bother you again …”

His insides curled and clenched at the thought. He remembered the look on Malon’s face the first time she ever saw Takai. Blood had splattered on her horrified face, because he had stabbed his katanas straight through the drow that had been trying to rape her. But she stilled looked up at him with that expression that screamed, monster, what are you?

He didn’t want to see that look on Leonna’s face either.

They would part once this was over, never to see each other again. She could remember him, and not Takai. Only him. Just this way. Not tainted.

“So fond of her already … You fool.”

“Leonna … thank you, but it’s better if I do this alone.” He smiled kindly at her again and walked ahead quickly. It was best to cut this as short a possible. He paused only to walk next to Rontu, asking him a few quick questions. Afterward, Rontu stopped, and Khaz continued ahead, walking off into the darkness, turned back only to give the three a cheery wave and a smile, before the shadows consumed his form.

It took all the self control I could muster to keep myself from running after Khaz. I am letting him go because I trust him. I have to trust him. That is the kind of thing a good person would do...

But what if he dies!

I shook convulsively, trying to contain the inner conflict that would not stop. I trust him.

He's going to die alone!

I trust him

And it's all going to be because I was too stupid to intervene!

I trust him

What about his friends? How are they going to look when they see his dead body ripped apart by the drow? No one is going to feel that way about me! I should be the one!

"I...trust him." Saying it out loud somehow made it feel solid, finally silencing the inner voice that would not allow me to sit and wait for him. If he was hiding something from me, it had to be for my own good. He was not the kind of person that would do so malitiously. That I would not allow myself to believe. If I had thought that about Hemanias...I never would have escaped the world of hatred I had once lived in.

"Rontu," I did all I could to keep my voice from shaking, "you better be right." If you are not, I will never forgive you...or myself.

OoC: Okay, that was weird. I'm sure we've all argued with ourselves before, but I just didn't know how to write that. Hope ya don't mind...

OoC: Heh, don't worry so much. Just write ^^

BiC:
Rontu looked down at the girl. His gold eyes and face impassive. So, she's already starting to care for him ... Well, Khaz, at least. Because of all her talk before, he doubted she could stomach seeing Serwen's other face. She was just setting herself up for a whole world of hurt. Ren looked to her as well, thinking similar things. But mostly that Khaz was so stupid. He was carelessly kind to every woman he ever meets. They always got so flustered over him, taking his kindness too close to heart.

The half dragon studied her and then came to wonder ... What was she doing here all alone?

Rontu leaned against the stone wall, looking away from Leonna. It wouldn't matter once all this was over. They would go their seperate ways, and no matter what this girl could not continue to have contact with them. Not if she wanted to die. Anyone who was known to have almost any connection to them has met a horrible end so far. The Dark Lords saw to that.

"You don't need to worry about him at all, Leonna."

Ren squatted down, sitting on his heels with his back against the all side of the passage wall. Also rolling the mystery of Khaz over and over in his head. "At least Adurna can catch up while we wait," said the boy.

OoC: I hope someone posts posthaste!

BiC:

Don't worry about Khaz? I shook my head,sitting on the ground to wait. Easier said than done. I stared into the darkness, trying hard not to think of all the horrible ways that Khaz could meet his end. It wasn't until Ren spoke again that my mind could chew on something else.

"I hope Kuldr Adurna is alright. His strong magic is certain to have drained him terribly." And then it hit me. A thought had been scratching at the back of my head now, and at the mention of the elf's name, it finally came to me. "Rontu...it is true that Kuldr Adurna is what they call a high elf, correct?"

The Drow nodded, the slightest tinge of puzzlement showing on his face at such a question.

I hesitated for a moment, not wanting to offend him. "I do not mean any offence, but are not the drow and elves enemies? Yet you and Kuldr Adurna seem fine with eachother. Is that why you and your companions were captured? Because you are allied with the elves?" Come to think of it, my attackers did mention a war...

(OoC: Hey, I know you guys are anxious to post, but it's been a while since Sticky got the chance to put something in. You think we could wait for him to come up with a post, or at least confirm whether or not he's going to be around for this?)

(OOC: I'm here, I'm just still trying to judge wether enough time has passed for my character to come back in. =S)

OoC: To hell with my pickiness. Just post, Sticky ^^ I'm sorry for being uptight.

OoC: Whatchu talkin' about, Sticky? It's never too late. Your chara's ready to jump right in! (In fact, I think all the charas already expect that anyways)

(OOC: Okay, I'll try to get myself back in naturally.)

I finally awoke to find myself floating in a pool of water. It was the color of pink because of all the blood that had been spilt most likely, along with soggy clumps of bear fur that let out an odor worse than bile. I wasn't exactly what'd you'd call in perfect condition. I still had the numerous scrapes and bruises that some beast had given me, along with a dull ache of pain from using too much magic. I had enough energy to do what I had to, but I still felt as if it was the morning after I fought one of the largest battles in history.

As I tried to remember how I had wound up here, a flash of memories came back. I remembered how I had been sent to find out information about some massive crystal, being locked in a cell with four others, assasinating the jailor, breaking out and killing everyone around and running into a large, square room. I then recalled the giant beast, and how I had started an aura on it by tricking it into smashing a wall. I couldnt remember exactly what it was, but judging by the fur floating around, I'm guessing it was a very large bear. I had finished it off by levitating it with water pressure, then smashing it into the wall. I couldn't help but smile at how easy it was to crush thye life out of it, even if it did use a lot of energy.

I better take note of how I killed it in the future, it could save me from a lot of unnesecary spellcasting.

Suddenly, I had an idea which might help me in the future. Rolling over in the water, I grabbed the biggest clump of bear fur I could find and dragged it over to the large carcass of the monster. I reached for my sword to preform a certain procedure, but I quickly realized it had been taken away.

Sighing, I knew I wouldn't be able to do this quick and barbarically. Casting a spell so the fur wouldn't float too far away, I muttered yet another spell that focused some lose rock together into a blade about the size of a shortsword, and began to get the skull out of the bear. I needed the skull of the beast, as if I ever learned the art of summoning it could be handy to create something this big. Well, I knew the art of elemental summoning, but I knew next to nothing about proper, physical summoning.

I didn't want this to be bloody, since I wasn't a maniac that wanted death and despair, but it was still messy work. Working as quickly as possible, I spent a few minutes cutting the skin and muscle of the neck. Luckly for me the impact against the wall had already broke the neck, saving me from having to strengthen the rock sword. Once the head was off the body, I started to skin the skull. If I ever needed the thing, it wouldn't be a smelly, gory mess. As I finished getting the face off the massive head, I noticed that the bone was cracked in the back.

Great, the back of the head is smashed off the stupid thing. Either I'll have to ditch this attempt, or... Wait! I can use the hole to drain the brains out of the skull!

Using my newfound plan, I made the breakage completely visible to me, then smashed it with the butt of the stone sword. With a resounding crack, a near-perfect hole had formed in place. I rolled the head on it's side in the water, so all the brains floated away. It disgusted me, but I was likely to witness worse things in life, so I carried on. Finally, the skull was a nice shade of yellow with no meat on it at all. Of course, I couldn't carry it and the fur with me, so I disabled to spell over the fur that held it in blade, put it inside the skull and mouthed a spell that would allow me to transport the pair of items to wherever I was at the time, similiar to the spell over my armour.

Of course, this would only work if I learned how to summon traditionally. The method my clan devotes themselves too includes creating life out of two things: The skull from the creature you wished to summon, and a living part of it or a part that once lived. The fur fits that picture quite nicely, and the skull should work..

I decided to keep the stone sword, as it was a better weapon than my fists and didn't weigh me down too much. Pleased with myself yet again, I climbed onto the shore where the others were, without saying anything. They'd notice me themselves, and speaking right now without knowing what was happening would make a fool out of myself. I then noticed that Khaz wasn't there, but that too I kept silent on. Whatever they had to say, I was sure they would tell me.

(OOC: As you can tell, I'm planning to potiently have my character learn summoning later. Though I'm still yet to think up how, or when. Probably in some not-yet invented RP.)

Ren looked from Leonna to Rontu, and arched a brow at his drow friend to answer. He wasn’t exactly your typical drow. Ren had hated and distrusted Rontu when they first met because he was drow, and then later even more so because he found out he had been a Scarlet ranked soldier. Scarlets in the empire were known as the most brutal, cruel, cunning, and vicious of the entire imperial army. Lloth’s favored Dread Fangs. It had always intrigued him how Rontu had once been so high up in drow ranks, and then so suddenly turned his back on everything he had ever done with his life. His society, his status. Really, he was always itching to ask Rontu why. Why had he fought for them in the first place? But he doubted Rontu would give him a straight answer. He never seemed to like speaking about his past.

Rontu simply nodded for Leonna. “Yes, I was protecting my white elf companions and I was labeled as a heretic. I suppose the only reason they allowed me to live was to save me as a sacrifice to Lolth later. Though I doubt Adurna is as fine with me as he appears to be. He has no choice, and neither do I. That is all.”

Ren frowned. “Lolth, eh? Funny, when I was in the empire the rest of the drow said it L—”

He hadn’t been expecting Rontu to move so fast. It was actually one of the more impressing qualities about him. The big elf’s ability to move so damn quickly, especially for Ren’s dragon eyes, was startling. If he had been expecting it, he probably could have reacted. But before he knew it, Rontu had him slammed against the wall with his hand clasped over his mouth. His black face, very cold, very serious in his. He spoke to him calmly but there was a chilling edge to the drow’s tone.

“Do not … speak Her name. Ever. Especially not here, where She has the most power. If you are in need at all to speak it, you will say it as ‘Lolth’, do you understand me?”

Ren never knew Rontu to be religious, but it wasn’t like he was being so out of respect. It was like out of fear. Any rage that Rontu had produced in him by slamming him so suddenly vanished at his curiosity. The drow took his hand off his mouth so that he could respond.

His narrowed his red eyes, still not very pleased at being man-handled so. “…And why can’t I say the name?” His calm tone probably shocked Leonna.

Rontu released him farther, no longer pinning him to the wall. He looked down the dark tunnel impassively now.

“Because She’ll hear you.”

Ren stared, his glare gaining a little quirk of his brow at his friend. He couldn’t be serious. What was this stupid drow superstition? He didn’t actually think Lolth was real, did he?

“He’s back,” said Rontu suddenly, still staring down the tunnel. Ren turned to look as well to see Adurna coming toward them from farther down the tunnel.

"Kuldr!" I smiled at the elf, though he probably could not see it. There was no need to move anywhere, so I had put out my light to conserve what precious energy I had left. In the darkness of the cave, I could feel my energy slowly seeping out into nothingness, and a sick feeling replaced it, knowing I would be utterly useless without my power. Oh Khaz, hurry! I cannot stay like this much longer. It will not be long before the others start to notice...

And it appeared that I was not the only one starting to loose it. Even the high elf had expended the majority of his power. Rontu had finally broke his calm exterior, however brief that moment had been. Ren was surprisingly calm after the reaction, and that could mean only one thing: something was wrong. I had not even heard of this goddess that Ronto spoke of, his Lolth. Hemanias had once told me that there were many other entities besides the three Goddesses, but such worship was rare to find in the realm of Hyrule.

I sighed wearily, tired of all the darkness. "Sometimes I wish the goddesses had ears such as the one you speak of, Rontu."

OoC: Rontu, taking advantage of Leonna's naiveness! Shame, shame, shame!

I was a little annoyed at how they didn't tell me anything about what we we're doing, and how neither ever said my full name. I had overheard Rontu go on endlessly about some god or godesse nicknamed 'Lolth'. I cared not for dark elves, drows, same thing; or their gods. An unholy diety doesn't deserve to be a even minor god. I would have challenged him then and there if we were not temporarly allied, as anyone who suposedly vindicated himself of his race's deeds shouldn't remain worshipping their gods. I bit back an insult though, and decided I could at least help arm the others.

I drew upon my strength, and, using my own stone sword as a template, combined yet even more granite, onyx, obsidian and other rocks to form more blades. The effort left me panting, and sweat drenched my skin. But I cared not, for these blades could keep us alive. I handed out a blade to everyone, and gave Rontu an extra one, explaining

"Save this for Khaz. If we're going to be potentialy fighting, it will at least help to have us all armed, even someone who fears too much blood." I knew there were no sheaths, but we would have to make due without. I coudln't wait much longer, I needed to know what we we're doing.

"Okay, I'm left stumbling in the dark here. What are we doing? Why are we waiting? Why are there damn ashes around you guys? And mostly, where the hell is Khaz? If you want me to be able to help you at all, you'll need to at least tell me what we're doing." I leaned against the wall, waiting for an answer by someone.

Ren scowled at the stone sword, missing his Akane dearly but said nothing. They both decided to ignore Leonna's statement, who didn't seem to really understand the nature of the Spider Queen goddess.

Rontu examined the weapon Adurna handed him and answered, "Khaz is fetching something we'll need before we continue from here. The clothing of a noble. My plan is to pose as one and you all will pose as my slaves. I think it a far better idea than trying to hack and slash our way through. There's only so far we can go with that method before we're found out. We might as well make use of my race."

I growled at the thought of posing as someone of far less stature than Rontu, not to mention a slave. I tried to think of an alternative with all my mind, but none came besides violence.

"So I just wasted energy on these swords I see. Two flaw with this plan exists though, won't the other drow reconize you and then sacrifice you to this excuse of a god named 'Lolth,' and others will also detect that most of us can use magic, and that we aren't drugged. Or have you already planned for those?" I focused my gaze at Rontu, my golden eyes burning like the sun.

(OOC: Sorry for the short post, best way to carry out a conversation, plus it's getting late here)

"Does it really matter? Either way, we are--" I stopped midsentance, something shattering within me. It was not a violent attack, just a release of energy. A broken barrier.

I groaned inwardly. Oh, no...the water level will start to rise again... By now, the cracks in the rocks were already underwater, silently feeding into the room that had been turned into a lake. The force of the water combined with the dark pull from the mountain had most likely been the cause of the break. Normally, it was not difficult for me to maintain, but I was getting weaker by the second...

"We need to move. Now." I did not care if I they understood. This was not a time for questions. If our path moved any farther downward, we could quite easily find ourselves submerged...

Khaz wandered farther down the passageway, blind and very uncomfortable about it. Takai had taken slight control of his body and was now steering him farther away from the group. He wanted to be so far in that they would not be able to distinguish between Takai’s aura and the rest of the place. That was why Takai did not take complete control immediately. There were two magic users back there who seemed very sensitive to magical energies. It would raise more of those uncomfortable questions they both wished to avoid.

It felt strange. Almost as if he were a puppet on strings, only with more smooth control. Takai would suddenly turn his body to the side; lift his leg to avoid a rock in his path. He never really knew how he could see through the dark. It wasn’t like he had any actual sight. Takai just seemed to know where everything was.

Eventually, he stopped, and he was informed they were at a safe distance now. So he went to sleep as Takai commanded, knowing he would not want to see anything that the other personality did.

Takai sat down on the ground and got to work immediately. The sooner this was over the better. Though, he had to say this was his most preferable setting. Complete darkness. He was never really sure why it put him at such ease. It felt cozy to him. Cradled in the deep earth and so utterly alone there. Yes, alone with himself. Without the annoyances of other people or Khaz. Now that he thought on it, this arrangement wasn’t so bad. He was allowed out, just like on one of his hunting trips. Being around Rontu and Ren so often made it difficult to do recently. Takai had been feeling that restless and agitated energy start to build up inside of him. Khaz felt it too because sleep for them both was starting to become more and more difficult. That was when the insomnia struck. It was maddening. Two, three days and no sleep. No rest. Four days and the memories come at night. And in the darkness he felt instead trapped and weakened. Takai actually started to understand how vampires might feel. The horrible unrelenting need for blood, to hear the screams of the vile scum that walked the earth. It was the only thing that allowed him and Khaz to sleep at night. To calm the memories and the other screams that accompanied them.

All this violence happening around him, and yet he was forced to stay locked inside Khaz’s head. He tried to ignore it because he didn’t want the trouble of startling the others around him. He did his killing alone. It always got troublesome when done around others, and he couldn’t fully enjoy it then. He would only if he had to. He was aware of how he was taking pleasure in it … perhaps too much … but was there any reason for him to stop? Each time it meant one less disgusting excuse for a living person. And there was no stopping it if he even wanted to. That horrible restless need and the memory of their screams would force him eventually. It was only a matter of time before he lost control. Thoughts of blood, the expressions, and the cries of his previous kills would start to spring up in his mind and beckon him forth again. Calling to him.

Calling.

And he must hunt.

It was really the only time when he actually felt anything. The rip of flesh and the gushing blood always sent his senses reeling with excitement and ecstasy. Satisfaction. Their screams tingled in his ears, and he knew with pleasure that these people now knew the terror they had caused in their victims. Oh, how he loved to make them sing such tunes.

Takai felt his lips curve with amusement with these thoughts. Already he was starting to feel more alive. Anticipation filled him. Eagerness stirred in him. This was the only meaning he had in life.

So a noble drow’s attire they would receive. He had had Khaz ask Rontu how to know which were nobles. He had said most were always soldiers at some point, and all wizards of their kind were almost always nobles. At least hunting drow was easy, because they were all disgusting and treacherous race and society to begin with. There was no need to sniff out the rotten ones because they were all mostly rotten. And a wizard was easiest for him to sniff out. Their auras made them obvious.

So Takai sat with his legs crossed, laying his hands on his knees, and allowed himself to relax in his comforting darkness. He let his attention fall onto his breathing, allowing it to help him in this relaxation. Until he was able to slip away, expand outward, his awareness reaching deep into the darkness. The shadows were something of a twin to his soul. Great friends they were, kindred spirits, brothers, and they would help him of course. His consciousness spreading all through them, they merged together, becoming one once more, twisting through all the passages and rooms, knowing very twist and turn, every rock on the floor, every spider on their walls and ceilings. Felt where ever there was a magical influence or trap, but did not linger too long there. Just memorized its placing. He quickly found the nearest wizard in the underground.

It was during this that he felt something pull at his essence, calling his attention fast else where. There a dark force thrummed an echoing vibration throughout his being. He knew what it was. The dark crystal. It was what that high elf wanted. Rontu had mentioned that their weapons would most likely be nearby it. So he memorized the way there as well.

After doing this he slowly brought himself back to his body and to waking awareness. He stood and then turned, speeding off much faster than most anything could see down here, and he was absolutely silent. Just a brush of wind to some. His path twisted farther down until slowed to an opening of a great cavern where an underground lake rested at the bottom of. It stretched miles back down another tunnel, part of the underground river Kuldr Adurna broke into earlier. At the shore down the rocky slop from him were boats. The wizard stood about, barking orders at all the rest.

The first part was the dullest of the work. He darted out at them in a blur again, pulling the shadows to form dense dark energies around his arms, creating clawed dark gauntlets. He went about ripping through each guard with a swift blur of darkness and wind. Their hearts fell to the ground before their bodies did. The wizard hardly knew what was happening before Takai had pounced on him like a panther out of the bushes, slamming him to the ground and sitting on top of him, knees pressing his shoulders to the earth. He covered his mouth and nose with both hands and waited for him to pass out. The dense shadows melted around his face. Another smile crept up on his face was the drow panicked underneath him. He felt as he pulled the magic force inside him in attempt to strike, so Takai grabbed him by the hair and knocked his skull against the rocks gently, so that he only lost consciousness.

He then got up and gathered five blades from the soldiers and then started rummage through their boat, gathering a bag, stuffing the rations and water skins he found into it. He rolled the weapons up in a leather blanket. He set the bag and the bundled leather on a rock before turning back to consider the unconscious wizard.

He stripped the drow naked first, tucking the clothes in the bag as well. He then went about and gathered a few extra blades, thinking about what he wanted to do. He pulled off Khaz’s leather gauntlets and laid them next to his supplies. And then he went back to the drow, grabbed him by the hair again and dragged him over to the shore of the lake.

Takai pushed his face into the ice cold water, waiting a few seconds before the drow started to flail about. As he gripped the man he also quickly drained him of any magical energy he possessed, but left him with life still. He then pulled him out and next his own head. He turned to speak softly into his ear, almost lovingly his lips whispered, “Awake, yes, we are …”

He then stood up and dragged him by the hair, yet again, to another rock. The drow struggled and beat against his arms and legs, but it felt like more flailing of a small and soft animal, like a rabbit. He threw him onto the stone, where he grabbed the extra swords he salvaged next to the rock. With the aid of some of his denser and destructive shadows wrapped over the blades, he drove these through the man’s shoulders, hands, and thighs, pinning him effectively to the rock like a frog on a dissection board. He screamed some as he did, but it wasn’t quite satisfying enough yet.

And yet … it was quite enjoyable enough to have this drow nude and pinned so shamefully down. Yes, just like they did to Blaze when they tortured him. He smiled at the drow as he was tickled by the irony. Even a pleased chuckle managed to escape him. Takai sat down on the rock next to him, watching him huff with panic, terror, and pain. In truth, he wished to do this to Hyde Kushin, the Scarlet Hands, and his torture partner, Dito Caminar, the Scarlet Tongue.

“What’s your name? Who are you?” he asked in the same velvety voice as usual. As if they were meeting in the market.

He stared at him in the darkness with those wide eyes, but they were confused too. He didn’t understand what was happening or what he really wanted. But Takai didn’t need him to be thinking all that much so he leaned over to take his mind off it. Dense shadow wrapped around one index finger, turning it into a sharp blade of a claw, which he sliced right through the left nipple of the drow with. The flesh split like cutting through the skin of an apple. The blood looked black here, oozing between the crack of open skin.

The man wailed quickly. Takai smiled almost wistfully as he listened to him shriek, and then gasp and moan, huffing through the pain. He watched him try not to wriggle in his agony for the swords stabbed through him would only cause him more anguish.

“Who are you?” he asked again, gently.

“K-k-k … Kelagh of Hlaund, th-the 12th of the house.”

He leaned over and sliced through his other nipple. The drow shrieked some more, and then submitted to long woeful moans, and then many gasps as if he were on the verge of tears. Perhaps he was already terrified enough from being pinned by blades and the first sliced nipple, but it just seemed right to add an injury per question asked. Really, this was the first he’s ever interrogated and tortured someone. Maybe he wasn’t doing it right.

“Where are you from?” said Takai, arms crossed over his chest now, peering down at the noble.

“Th-th-the City of S-s-stone Webs …!”

He reached over with one hand, more little black claws formed around his fingers which he used to stroke down the man’s chest as he thought. He repeated the strokes and cut the man as if he were petting a cat as he pondered. He didn’t pay much attention to the man’s gasps than he would have to a kitten’s purr. Takai wished he had other tools besides cutting. This got so boring. He supposed he had no more questions to ask. He wanted to stay longer and really enjoy this, but he had a feeling he should head back as soon as he could. Really, like Rontu said, this was no hiking trip or his regular hunting trip for that matter.

So he stood up and walked back to his leather gauntlets and started putting them back on. As he did, his shadows started pulling all the corpses of the guards deep into the lake. Shadowy tendrils wrapped around the noble drow and pulled, ripping him from the rock he had been pinned to, shredding the limbs that had been stabbed. His screams echoed all around him, and Takai smiled again as he secured the last gauntlet.

Cold bliss. From somewhere deep inside him, the touch of the black, glassy face of the dark crystal filled Omentus with a stilling of hot, churning sensations. It replaced them with the sensation of looking out over a silent lake in the winter months, darkened by black clouds overhead.

He sighed, and then took a step back from the crystal to look it over again. The teardrop-shaped crystal stood thirty-two feet high and about two-thirds as wide. It rested in an adamantite and silver setting that resembled a spider's web on one side, but left the face that could be most easily seen from either of the two doors that entered the chamber bare. The dark crystal was a fusion of onyx, amethyst and black opals that had blended together to form a new kind of gemstone. It was black and translucent, with shimmering of swathes of violet, lavender and orchid color that swam through it. The dark crystal's surface was ethereally smooth and cold, as if it could absorb both heat and light endlessly, and its core, invisible through the opal-like colors, pulsed with an intoxicating natural enchantment. Oh yes, he simply had to have a piece of the crystal.

Of course, getting a piece of the dark crystal might be a far cry from where he stood now, as none of the dozens, perhaps hundreds, of drow that teemed inside the dark crystal's chamber would never dare touch it without the express consent and instruction of one of the six female shamans that tended to it constantly. That was another unusual about this operation. Most female drow were either priestesses or assassins that had spent time as clergy. Most of the ones who were not, were dead. So these drow women were a rarity in the extreme, but somehow enough of them had been gathered together to keep a team of six working on the growth and development of the dark crystal at all hours of the day.

Now that Omentus had touched the crystal, he was starting to feel more like himself again. The magic inside it had refreshed him, and he could focus on the more important things again. It was only too bad that touching the crystal meant being in a hive of drow, for the very same reason that none of them could touch it without the fear of immediate and excruciating death.

Omentus Anima had touched the crystal, which in this place should have garnered the attention of at least three different drow. As a result, his Ignore Me spell had expired, and now he was surrounded by guards and two priestesses. One of the women wanted to know how he had gotten in here. The other one was warning the eight other drow (all men) that surrounded him to be wary of any tricks the apothecary might try. He had already looked the priestess in the eye, as well.

Looking at the priestess had a two-prong effect on his predicament. First, he wasn't in danger of being killed for being human, because his eyes were the brilliant teal of the tiger that he had taken them from. Second, she had reasoned that he might be some kind of demon, or child thereof. It wasn't too far from the truth, all things considered. Skin, voice, a few other organs... those were all demonic, so he could probably pass himself off that way. Great, now she's started yelling at me, too. How do I get her to shut up? Omentus thought, and gave the thought a little time to gestate.

"Speak now or die where you stand, wretch! How did you reach this holy sanctum of Lloth?" the priestess hissed at him.

He sighed, and spoke in his second voice. It was deep and graveled, in a way that didn't quite fit for a human. "I walked. While you were all ignoring me. Would you like a visual aid?" the necromancer answered.

The priestess said nothing, but one of the sword-wielding soldiers lunged at him. His blade was fine steel and brightly polished, but it lacked the luster of adamantite. Omentus blinked, turning his eyes to a solid bone white color -- one with no discernable white, iris, or pupil. His vision had changed to suit. It clearly told him that he was facing only living things, and that the drow attacking him wore magical chain mail, as well as a magic earring. With his eyes like this, his vision could see the magic of anything that had magic in it at all. He knew how strong the enchantment was, and its nature. If this drow only knew how dismayed he should have been, that his sword was only brightly polished steel, and not magic at all.

The necromancer snapped his right hand out and grabbed the lunging blade, twisting it to the side and pulling its wielder closer as he drew valiau with his left hand. Unbalanced from the sudden, apparently suicide tactic, the drow stumbled forward and took two inches of 16 gauge steel syringe to the face. With a carefully metered injection, Omentus gave the drow 3 cc's of the valiau drug. Valiau was quickened by heat, which made it a viable blood-staunching agent on the relatively cold, exposed flesh of the first drow he met here. This drow, however, was burning with anger, and the inside of his face had no exposed flesh. It began to melt immediately, like a necrotic acid from the puncture point. As he fell, the drug reached his brain and killed him just moments after he hit the ground.

The drow were a dispassionate race, but the necromancer's display was a disturbing one, nonetheless. A few of the soldiers hesitated, as did one of the priestesses. Blood poured from the collapsed and melted skull of the dead drow, and Omentus gestured with his other hand. The same signs, three times in succession, as those dark elves that had not been so frightened by him moved in to strike. As he finished the somatic gestures in turn, one, two, and three darts of crimson blood flew from the dead drow's face. One harassed each priestess, while the other flew about him protectively, targeting each of the other seven drow sequentially.

One drow made the mistake of ignoring the bloodstar, at first. It tore a cut across his neck. He stayed in the fight regardless, probably from fear of retribution from the priestesses. Hmm, a society with punishment for saving one's own life, that are more fearful than that death itself. Interesting. The drow flinched, holding his rapier with one hand, and his neck with the other.

A shortsword stabbed Omentus in the thereabouts of his left kidney, and he was shocked back into the waking world. The blade did not pierce his demonic skin, but it still hurt and now, he was irritated. Omentus spun in the other direction, drawing Fluffy from her sheath. The drow retreated a step, and the apothecary advanced. This drow's weapon was neither magical. A stab slid on his cheek and he lunged forward, parrying another dark elf's spear with Fluffy's bone blade, and injected somewhere between 4 and 5 cc's of valiau directly into the soldier's heart.

Omentus deftly maneuvered on his feet, forcing the drow on his right to falter enough to open him for a riposte. Fluffy pierced his right shoulder. And then something fortuitous happened. One of the priestesses had managed to strike the bloodstar with her mace, dashing it into droplets of blood on the cavern floor. The next thing Omentus knew, an explosive ball of fire erupted around him, striking down the drow soldiers that had gotten too close to him. His demonic skin was inured to hellfire, this profane flame was only half as hot. Surely, it scorched him, and his cloak would need work again, but it could have been much worse, despite the fact that there was not a drow in the chamber that didn't have its attention on Omentus.

One drow soldier managed to live through the fireball, but rasped feebly on the ground, trying to breathe through the thick and choking black smoke of the fireball's wake. At the moment that the smoke surrounded Omentus, he sheathed the badly burnt but still living Fluffy into her sheath and retrieved the tiny well of Arienna's blood from its pocket in his cloak. Focusing, he cast Ignore Me again, but instead of being ignored by the people who weren't already looking specifically for him, the entire chamber, and the tunnels for hundreds of feet in every direction, burst with brightly colored flower petals and leaves so thick that seeing through them was an impossibility. The petals would not settle, either. They would simply flutter about, for the next two hours.

Omentus slipped on the ring of false paranoia again, and became the only creature in the chamber who could see effectively. The thick leaves and petals foiled even drow infravision, and such spells that showed only truth were useless, as the petals were really there. At that point, escape from the dark crystal's chamber was a cakewalk. Still, Omentus caressed the surface of the crystal again -- not for comfort, but because he knew now that it could restore his personal well of mana.

The crystal chamber behind him, Omentus put away Arienna's blood, and prepared two more castings of the Ignore Me spell. The first he performed with the benefit of Alrohir's blood, the second time with Nymru's. He breathed a sigh of relief. The magic that surrounded him now made him forgotten, and all but completely unnoticeable, even if he did do something obvious again.

OoC: Wow. That is all I have to say. O.O

BiC:

When the others did not respond quickly enough, I stood and created my orb of light again, using just barely using enough energy to see the rocky floor beneath me. Already, the water had risen high enough to lick at my feet, a damp reminder that we needed to find a way out. Fast.

"Hurry!" I ran down the hall before anyone could respond, knowing they would take the hint from the water and start moving. Unfortunantly, the tunnel did have a downward slope, which would feed the underground river into the cavern that much more quickly. And this is not even the beginning! Kuldr said he could sense his weapons, not a way out! What if--

My thoughts broke immediately after I rounded a corner. the strangest sight hitting me full in the face. It was wall. A wall of leaves.

What manner of witchcraft is this? Plants like these do not grow in pitch black caves! And yet there they were. Large, broad green leaves stretching into every available space, as if they had been growing and growing until there was just no more room to fit any more. And imbetween the leaves were brightly colored petals of many different colors, the likes of which I had never before seen. Their luster shone cheerfully in my faint light, mocking me in my dark circumstances.

I turned back to face the direction of my companions, completely lost as to what should be done. "Um...Rontu, Kuldr, Ren...I think our circumstances have changed."

OoC: I know, between Omentus and Takai ... makes for a whole lot of disturbing.

BiC:
Before Leonna could do anything else, Khaz’s face popped right out of the wall of petals and leaves at her. Rontu, Ren, and Kuldr were right behind her, following closely for they understood what was happening now from the water gathering around their feet. He saw them and was sure now that everyone could follow, so he grabbed her hand and tugged her into the leaves and petals with him saying to everyone, “It’s okay, they don’t hurt you, just obscure your vision. This way, I know how to get to higher ground. Stay close together so you don’t get lost in it.”

Without question, Rontu and Ren followed Leonna in, keeping close behind her to not lose them. It was difficult for anyone to see, but Khaz now carried a bag slung over one shoulder and a bundle of leather under an arm.

Khaz's touch sent a shock all the way down my arm, raising every hair on my skin. Of course he did not know that people never touched me, but that did not change the fact that I did. To a person that lives a live of isolation, any singular touch is a shock, a reminder that one still lives in the same world as everyone else. Khaz's hand was the only warm thing I had felt since being thrown into the cavernous hole in the mountain, the only touch that was not sharp and cold.

Stop it. Focus. We need to get out of here alive! But I could not focus. It was not only Khaz that was distracting me, but the seemingly endless tunnel of foliage that grasped at me. Everywhere the leaves were tripping me up, blocking my sight that I could see almost nothing around me. Even my light was rendered useless, unable to pass through the foilage. But that was not the worst part. The worst of it all was how the foilage brushed against every exposed part of my body; my arms, leg, face, neck...

I shuddered involuntarily, trying to keep calm despite the hair raising sensation. It felt like insects, numberless insects crawling around everywhere. I wanted to scream, burn the invasive leaves into ashes, but of course that was impossible. Such an action would burn everyone, a horrible consequence for acting out of fear.

"How much farther?" My voice was weak despite my efforts to conceal it.

OoC: Eh...this is assuming the leaves are real...which they are, right?