A Blade Reclaimed

[SwitchbladeSuzy]

Her quickened breath misted in as it was expelled to thechilled air.  The corpses of two downyaevis lay before her, their dark blood soiling the pristine snow.   One aevis was split, stem to stern, rightdown the center of its body.  The othersported a stump where its head had been only moments earlier.   Aspasm wracked the headless body; the toothy maw of the creature lay several feet away, wide-eyed and unmoving. 

 

Snow had started to fall, coupled with a chill wind thatwhipped at the cloth of her armor.  The weatherwas showing the tell-tale signs of an ensuing, violent blizzard.   The elezen’s golden eyes darted around, asthough she expected a third Dravanian to strike from somewhere unseen.  Slowly she lowered her massive, two-handedblade, easing into a more relaxed stance. 

She offered a controlled exhale of breath to the Coerthan air as the tipof her dark blade sunk into the snow. 

Upon her face the woman wore an expression of emotional turmoil. 

 

Close.  So close now…  

 

She and her Au Ra companion had ventured close to StoneVigil, deep into territory that had remained uncontested and within the claws of the Dravanians for years.  It was asite of memories for the elezen, a place that brought back the wave of dark emotions that she had spent so many years trying to suppress.  Magdelena whispered softly, “I had notthought to ever lay eyes on this place again…” 

While she was not alone, the elezen spoke it more for her own benefitthan for the Au Ra’s. 

 

The snow crunched beneath her blackened greaves as shetraipsed into the small, stone courtyard. 

The tip of her enormous sword carved a neat furrow in the snow as shedragged the blade with a single hand. 

Magdelena’s breath caught in her throat as she gazed across theplaza.  She closed her eyes briefly, onlyto open them to the sight she’d witnessed so long ago. 

 

Near the far stonewall, her brother’s corpse lay motionless, his innards spilled from his frame.  His body rendered nigh unrecognizable by thedragon’s talons.  His twin brother layseveral meters away, a gaping hole bored through his chest.  Dark, dried lifeblood covered the elezen’schin.  A roar echoed through the air,causing her to pivot and bring her lance to bear.  Lance? 

Instead of a lance, she held a mighty, double handed blade.  Confusion washed over her.  Her attention was ripped from the dragon forthat split moment as she pondered her weapon. 

The split second cost her as the Dravanian unfurled his wings andlunged. 

 

Magdelena roared savagely at the air as she swung her swordin a great arc before her.  Her bladewhistled harmlessly through the air, catching naught but the snowflakes that fell silently.  The hallucination faded,leaving the elezen gasping for breath. 

Sweat beaded upon her brow, her visage etched with a terrified expression.  Her golden eyes flicked to the spot where herbrother’s body had been but a second ago. 

Not but pure, powdered snow lay upon the stone.  There was no body, nor an attackingdragon.  She clenched her teeth beforeshe fell to a knee and rested her forehead against the chilled steel of her weapon.  The hallucinations now plagued not only herdreams, but now her waked moments as well. 

[FallenFedora]

The Dark Lord tilted his chin upright at her, having observed her every action in silence from behind his immaculate golden mask as she lead him ever onward through the blistering winds of Coerthas. Despite the heavy furs he hid himself within, the shrill cries of the air ripped through him to the very bone. Never once had he deigned to aid her when she engaged a stray draconian creature, nor had he cause to unsheathe his blade; This was her venture - and hers alone. The crystal along his neck blazed brilliantly with the sheer gravity of such negative emotions as the two warriors gave off. The ferocity that was their combined hatred reflected in a single red hue, unto itself as if a fire. 

 

He expressed his discontent but once, stepping atop the aevis'  severed head as he passed over it in her wake, leaving a fading trail of blood as he trudged onward along the line drawn in the snow by the intimidating blade that looked very nearly as large as the woman wielding it. This moment filled him with a silent satisfaction as he observed the glow of the crystal, still exerting it's dark influence over her from afar. He had no idea what it was she experienced, nor could he interpret or control the whimsies of this shard hanging from his neck - whatever it was, however, held his attention and filled him with a sense of anticipation. There were no words offered or exchanged, even as he heard her own clearly. 

 

 

He crossed the threshold of the courtyard with her, armor clinking at intervals beneath the coeurl furs, his feather and bead fetishes swaying about on their own accord with the breeze still whispering along the air. He continued to demonstrate an indifference to her actions all the way up to their emerging in an open plaza, snow piled over the ancient and long abandoned stone floor. Then it happened - she stood still as an oak, stalwart and focused on something unseen; She cried out, before raising her blade to rip through the air as if to rend an imaginary opponent. He could not fathom what had just transpired, nor could he imagine it had to do with the soulstone he'd procured from an Ishgardian Dark Knight in the wake of their encounter - No, this too was likely the work of the crystal.

 

He moved to tenderly set a plated hand atop her shoulder. "Lady Delacroix?" He asked in a soft and convincingly concerned manner, tilting his head to convey it further beside the implied question. This seemed the tipping point to his eye, he need but be careful in how to maneuver her along her designs... Though if those that hunted him were to be trusted in habit, it would not take more than a convenient interruption.