Ul'dah, 2 Days before Impact -
Yssen's thoughts were rapid, his breathing was labored. His movements were sloppy, but still effective. Pain was minimal, thanks to Bashram's medicine. He did not look forward to when they wore off. Still, they had been necessary to make getting into this place easier. He shifted his focus back to the task at hand.
Four opponents, all armed. One is charging, the other three flanking. Brace the charge, crack his ribs, break his arm, shift your weight, and redirect him into the first flanker. Duck the slash from the flanker behind you, rise swiftly with an elbow strike to his chest, sweep his leg, and use the bottom of your fist to help him to the floor. Vault the spear, close the distance, chop to the throat, shift it into a grip after impact, squeeze, harder, twist, and direct him into the new charger. Close the distance, vault behind him, two strikes to his kidneys, shift your stance, slide backward, launch a charkram as this one fall, and another into the rising first charger. Stop, breath, scan the room, and relax.
Yssen adjusted his coat, and landed a swift kick to the back of the neck of the sword wielder as he struggled to get to his feet. He stared for a moment at some blood he found on his palm. Painkillers, the problem is you don't know when you get hit. It has to be the first charger, his shoulder was bleeding. His movements were getting slower.
"Brilliant," he muttered to himself as he walked over to the door at the back of the room. He started whistling a tune idly as he walked slowly walked up the stairs.
When he reached the top he was greeted by three familiar faces, standing between him and a large wooden door.
"Gentlemen!" Yssen grinned. "So nice to see you again! Where is the girl?"
"With the boss," Thundering Horse replied with a cold grin. "Working off her debt."
Yssen's face snapped from jovial grin to serious scowl. "You dropped something Mr. Hellsguard." He tossed the emblem right at the Thundering Horse's face and charged recklessly.
"Not bright." Yssen heard the Hellsguard's voice as a wave crashed into his chest. The world floated, spun, and stopped suddenly with a crunch. Yssen crumpled and struggled to his knees, flashing back down to the floor again. He pushed up off the floor, another flash and it was in his face. Several more flashes now, his vision was blurring. He as drifting. He closed his eyes, and reached for the vial in the pouch behind his back. An drifting, flashing eternity passed as he held it in his hand, staring at the purple liquid with increasingly blurred vision.
"HOPE!" Yssen shouted, popping the small cork out of the vial with his thumb. "A promise is a promise, and I always keep mine! It will be alright!"
"Not today, boy," the Hellsguard's voice boomed, punctuated by a flash of impact. "Piven. Riven. End him."
"I'll keep my promise. Even if I have to break my oldest one to do so." Yssen shot back the vial, heat running down his throat as he swallowed. The heat became a burning, twisting sensation in his stomach. Fire swelled, rose, and exploded. Fire in his belly, blood on the wall, smoke in his eyes, and the smell of ashes in his nostrils. The room was glowing. Hellfire. Familar. Hated. His heart was already numbing with regret as he rose to his feet.
Yssen turned to his two opponents. Close the distance, open palm strike to the Highlander's throat, switch to a grip, and burn! Toss him at the Hellsguard, dash into them, and burn! Focus on the door, one good punch, and burn!
The wooden door exploded, shrieking off of its hinges, and groaning with heat. He marked the fat man, and then turned to look at the girl. She was shaking, crying. Two loud cracks, like thunder. He was on the ground again, slowly trying to rise again.
"Who are you?! Who are you that you think you can stop my business, or my pleasure?!"
Yssen steadied himself with one arm, pulling himself up the wall. "Hope. Sweetness. Close your eyes. Cover your ears. This is a thing you do not need to know."
"Who are you!?" The fat man bellowed again, leveling another gun at Yssen. "You! You! Nothing!"
Yssen finally stood, staring the fat man in the eyes as Hope did as she was told. "You do not know me, but I know you. I am the Seventh Devil, Yssen Van, the Hellfire, and you Radill. You are my target!"
Acrid smoke. Screaming. Hope, please keep your eyes shut and your ears covered. Please. Fires rising, keep it going, stop it when the screaming stops.
Silence. Relax. See to the girl.
"Hope?" Yssen slid down to the floor, his eyes darting around for her. "Are you alright?"
Hope emerged from behind the bed, and stared at him. There were still tears in her eyes.
"Its alright now. You can come out. Its over. Are you alright?"
Wordlessly she dashed over and hugged Yssen, nuzzling her head into his chest as hard as she could.
"I suppose that is a yes. You want to get out of here, sweetness?"
Hope nodded, still pressing her head into his chest and holding him as tightly as she could manage.
"C'mon then," He said, slowly rising to his feet, a burning still swirling in his stomach. He picked Hope up into his arms and slowly made his way out of the bed chamber. "Lets get you out of here. Everything will be alright now, I promise."
Epilogue -
The lalafell was wrapped up by wires in a dark chamber, suspended over four braziers and a glowing crystal ball. He turned his eyes away from the orb as it flashed red for the fourth time.
"Tell me about it again, puppy!" Ysa Van said in an excited, sing song voice as she danced in a twirling pattern around the braziers. "Tell me what you saw in it again!"
"I've told you twice now you loopy freak!" the lalafell replied, struggling painfully against the wires. "What the hell is so important about watching a fat man get roasted?l"
"It is all about what it means, puppy! Don't you know what it means!"
"No!" he shouted, "I don't. Illuminate me you barmy bitch!"
"It means." Ysa stopped dancing and grabbed the lalafell by the collar, pulling him down toward her, wires digging into him. She sent just a few spark of lightning down the wires, giggling. "That my dear brother is… home."
Yssen's thoughts were rapid, his breathing was labored. His movements were sloppy, but still effective. Pain was minimal, thanks to Bashram's medicine. He did not look forward to when they wore off. Still, they had been necessary to make getting into this place easier. He shifted his focus back to the task at hand.
Four opponents, all armed. One is charging, the other three flanking. Brace the charge, crack his ribs, break his arm, shift your weight, and redirect him into the first flanker. Duck the slash from the flanker behind you, rise swiftly with an elbow strike to his chest, sweep his leg, and use the bottom of your fist to help him to the floor. Vault the spear, close the distance, chop to the throat, shift it into a grip after impact, squeeze, harder, twist, and direct him into the new charger. Close the distance, vault behind him, two strikes to his kidneys, shift your stance, slide backward, launch a charkram as this one fall, and another into the rising first charger. Stop, breath, scan the room, and relax.
Yssen adjusted his coat, and landed a swift kick to the back of the neck of the sword wielder as he struggled to get to his feet. He stared for a moment at some blood he found on his palm. Painkillers, the problem is you don't know when you get hit. It has to be the first charger, his shoulder was bleeding. His movements were getting slower.
"Brilliant," he muttered to himself as he walked over to the door at the back of the room. He started whistling a tune idly as he walked slowly walked up the stairs.
When he reached the top he was greeted by three familiar faces, standing between him and a large wooden door.
"Gentlemen!" Yssen grinned. "So nice to see you again! Where is the girl?"
"With the boss," Thundering Horse replied with a cold grin. "Working off her debt."
Yssen's face snapped from jovial grin to serious scowl. "You dropped something Mr. Hellsguard." He tossed the emblem right at the Thundering Horse's face and charged recklessly.
"Not bright." Yssen heard the Hellsguard's voice as a wave crashed into his chest. The world floated, spun, and stopped suddenly with a crunch. Yssen crumpled and struggled to his knees, flashing back down to the floor again. He pushed up off the floor, another flash and it was in his face. Several more flashes now, his vision was blurring. He as drifting. He closed his eyes, and reached for the vial in the pouch behind his back. An drifting, flashing eternity passed as he held it in his hand, staring at the purple liquid with increasingly blurred vision.
"HOPE!" Yssen shouted, popping the small cork out of the vial with his thumb. "A promise is a promise, and I always keep mine! It will be alright!"
"Not today, boy," the Hellsguard's voice boomed, punctuated by a flash of impact. "Piven. Riven. End him."
"I'll keep my promise. Even if I have to break my oldest one to do so." Yssen shot back the vial, heat running down his throat as he swallowed. The heat became a burning, twisting sensation in his stomach. Fire swelled, rose, and exploded. Fire in his belly, blood on the wall, smoke in his eyes, and the smell of ashes in his nostrils. The room was glowing. Hellfire. Familar. Hated. His heart was already numbing with regret as he rose to his feet.
Yssen turned to his two opponents. Close the distance, open palm strike to the Highlander's throat, switch to a grip, and burn! Toss him at the Hellsguard, dash into them, and burn! Focus on the door, one good punch, and burn!
The wooden door exploded, shrieking off of its hinges, and groaning with heat. He marked the fat man, and then turned to look at the girl. She was shaking, crying. Two loud cracks, like thunder. He was on the ground again, slowly trying to rise again.
"Who are you?! Who are you that you think you can stop my business, or my pleasure?!"
Yssen steadied himself with one arm, pulling himself up the wall. "Hope. Sweetness. Close your eyes. Cover your ears. This is a thing you do not need to know."
"Who are you!?" The fat man bellowed again, leveling another gun at Yssen. "You! You! Nothing!"
Yssen finally stood, staring the fat man in the eyes as Hope did as she was told. "You do not know me, but I know you. I am the Seventh Devil, Yssen Van, the Hellfire, and you Radill. You are my target!"
Acrid smoke. Screaming. Hope, please keep your eyes shut and your ears covered. Please. Fires rising, keep it going, stop it when the screaming stops.
Silence. Relax. See to the girl.
"Hope?" Yssen slid down to the floor, his eyes darting around for her. "Are you alright?"
Hope emerged from behind the bed, and stared at him. There were still tears in her eyes.
"Its alright now. You can come out. Its over. Are you alright?"
Wordlessly she dashed over and hugged Yssen, nuzzling her head into his chest as hard as she could.
"I suppose that is a yes. You want to get out of here, sweetness?"
Hope nodded, still pressing her head into his chest and holding him as tightly as she could manage.
"C'mon then," He said, slowly rising to his feet, a burning still swirling in his stomach. He picked Hope up into his arms and slowly made his way out of the bed chamber. "Lets get you out of here. Everything will be alright now, I promise."
Epilogue -
The lalafell was wrapped up by wires in a dark chamber, suspended over four braziers and a glowing crystal ball. He turned his eyes away from the orb as it flashed red for the fourth time.
"Tell me about it again, puppy!" Ysa Van said in an excited, sing song voice as she danced in a twirling pattern around the braziers. "Tell me what you saw in it again!"
"I've told you twice now you loopy freak!" the lalafell replied, struggling painfully against the wires. "What the hell is so important about watching a fat man get roasted?l"
"It is all about what it means, puppy! Don't you know what it means!"
"No!" he shouted, "I don't. Illuminate me you barmy bitch!"
"It means." Ysa stopped dancing and grabbed the lalafell by the collar, pulling him down toward her, wires digging into him. She sent just a few spark of lightning down the wires, giggling. "That my dear brother is… home."