Elegy for a Star Ch. 031-040

Chapter 31 - Lost Soul

Tess spoke with utmost eagerness, "I'm so proud of you all. That was amazing." Her pride for the others was far above her shame that she could not help. She took the moment to be happy, not to dwell on negative thoughts. This was their time, not about her, and they were kind enough to include her in their brief celebration.

It was the first time Joyona, Mairaela and Gwendolyn fought together and won. Tess looked forward to the time when she could count herself among them, and she had hope of it now that she saw an effect from her constellation practice. She wanted to tell them, but didn't want to distract from their moment. Again, this was their time.

Mairaela laughed and asked, "I thought I told you to hide?" Tess only gave a sheepish grin in response, staring down at her shifting feet.

Gwen nudged Mairaela and pointed down the street, "Just two more streets over is where we saw the light." Gwendolyn sheathed her sword and shrugged her shield up onto her forearm and said, "We should move."

Joyona started without another word, running toward the next street, and the rest of the group followed. They moved with haste, slipping through the alleyways and streets before they came to the final turn. Joyona peeked around the corner and turned back, "I see webs."

"Spiders?" Gwendolyn asked.

"I don't know. I don't see anything on them."

Mairaela whispered, "What else?"

"Something gold. Small."

"We should risk it," Mairaela replied, "It could be a lost soul."

The others went through, into the street. When Tess turned the corner with the others, she saw the object of their attention. A golden, flaming orb sat on the ground, beaming a tired, sputtering light into the sky. Tess slowed her pace and walked up to the group. They looked pensive and didn't want to disturb them.

"You were right," Gwendolyn said. Mairaela simply nodded.

"What's a lost soul?" Tess asked.

"It's what's left of us if we die here. One of us died and left this," Gwen replied.

"Is it corrupted?" Mairaela asked.

Joyona shook her head, "Doesn't look like the pictures of a corrupted soul that I've seen."

"What do you mean?" Tess asked.

"I mean if it's been here too long, it'll turn dark in the center," Mairaela explained, pointing at the shining sphere, "It means the soul inside is tainted by the Black Sun and needs to be purged."

"Purged?"

"Killed. You crack the orb and, from what I've been told, out comes a dark copy of the dead soul. You have to kill them all over again," Gwendolyn finished.

"Or else what?" Tess was genuinely confused. Why put yourself through that anguish and struggle?

Gwendolyn frowned and said, "It's not certain, but the College thinks that the soul is tormented until we put them to rest. It's a standing order to purge any corrupted soul that we find."

"Speaking of standing orders," Mairaela added, "If it isn't corrupted, we need to bring it back with us."

Joyona bent down and picked it up. When she lifted it, a bit of webbing came with it. Joyona had to peel the webbing off of the orb. The act sent a visible vibration through the webbing, all the way up and across the white strings that connected building to building.

"What is that?" Gwendolyn asked, leaning forward.

"Nothing good," Joyona replied.

"Wait," Mairaela whispered, pulling an arrow from her quiver. There came a sound in the distance, a shambling; a scrape of feet on stone.

Walking out from nearby alleys, several lanky, pale-skinned and naked humans of all sorts approached. They looked dead in the eyes; They looked like zombies.

"Zombies aren't terrible," Tess said as Gwendolyn drew her sword. The others didn't respond and a worry grew in Tess' chest. "Right?" She asked, a little less certain.

"Zombies don't make webs," Mairaela replied.

As if on cue, one of the zombies twitched and convulsed. It toppled to the ground and began to seize violently. The back of its head burst open, revealing a mouth of four fangs where hair should've been. The arms cracked and stretched as the creature rolled onto its back and propped itself up on hands and feet, belly into the air. The upside down, splayed out man vaguely resembled a spider, more so as its belly burst open, revealing a hairy spider's abdomen. Out from its back sprouted four scythe-like arms that it used to crawl on, lifting itself up off of its hands and feet.

A corpse. A spider just grew out of that corpse. The eyes looked so lifeless, its mouth opened wide and limbs hanging uselessly.

Tess wanted to retch.

Every one of these shamblers did the same, and the orchestra of cracking bones and arachnid chittering drove a shiver through Tess' back.

"I hate spiders," Joyona murmured.

Tess wanted to laugh at that. She would have laughed at that at any other moment, but all she could make was a nervous whine. Everything in her was in defense mode

Joyona's gorget snapped upward, forming several layers that folded themselves around the woman's head, encasing it in protective metal. Extra layers formed around her arms and legs until she stood seven feet tall. She looked like a metal golem, especially as she crouched down and steam hissed from her back.

"I'll make a path," Joyona spoke with a metallic, tinny ring to her voice. The ground crunched under Joyona's feet when she launched herself into the fray, crushing one spider and shoving five others aside. They mobbed her immediately, three spiders crawling up her legs and back, slowly webbing her to the ground.

Gwendolyn, Mairaela and Tess followed after her, with Mairaela firing arrow after arrow into the hoard of arachnids behind them. Gwendolyn dashed toward Joyona and slashed at the spiders. Several more phantom images of Gwen appeared behind her, slashing at the other spiders swarming their tank and freeing her up to continue the charge.

As they booked it into an alleyway, Tess looked back to find a horde of these spider creatures crawling after them, digging their arms into the walls and following on the ground and up above. They were faster, and Tess knew that their time was short.

She began to sign the constellations. The Crown for power, the Spinnerets for fear, and the Red Poppy for blood, murder and strength. When Tess finished the last, she felt power surging through her hands, aching to be released.

Tess turned around and held out her arms. Fire enveloped her from the shoulders, down her arms and out into the field of spiders like they were hurricanes of flame. Those that were touched were incinerated, turned not even to bone, but directly to ash. Those that weren't fled, screeching and skittering away by the quickest route possible.

When she was done, her arms remained fiery for a few seconds before the flame dissipated. Tess looked at the scorched alleyway with surprise, pride and a big, big smile.

When she turned back around to the others, they all looked at her with shock and terror. Tess grinned and said, "I told you I could be useful."

Mairaela fit an arrow into her bow. Tess looked around, but saw no other threat. "Mairaela, what-.."

Joyona's armored plates shifted down her arm and created a massive axe in her hand. She shrugged it up into both hands, ready for a fight.

"Tess, you're-.." Gwen stammered, being the only one to not draw a weapon.

Joyona finished her sentiment, "...Evil."

Chapter 32 - Mors Tua, Vita Mea

Gwen noticed that Tess wasn't registering the seriousness of Joyona's statement. Joyona seemed loyal to her team, but Tess' situation was unique. If it appeared as though Tess were betraying the team, she was an enemy to Joyona, and the juggernaut would respond accordingly. And as it was now? It looked like Tess was betraying the team.

The reaction that Gwen felt was not rage, but panic. "Wait," Gwendolyn urged, but it didn't seem like Joyona or Mairaela heard her. "Wait, please!" Gwendolyn said, her voice shaking, "Let's work this out! I'm sure there's an explanation, we just need to figure it out."

"She's Dark Wyrden, Gwendolyn," Mairaela said with sorrow on her face, "There's nothing more to figure out. Nothing else can cast in the Void." The Fey looked especially disappointed. What was to come next she was going to do with remorse and misery, but she was going to do her duty regardless. She pulled back on her bowstring, but it was still facing the ground.

The situation was dawning on Tess now, and the woman appeared timid, taking a few steps away. She put her hands up in a pleading motion, "Please, I don't know what's going on. Why are you all looking at me like that?"

This was bad. Even worse, Gwendolyn wasn't sure what to do. Was Tess truly evil? Only the worst of the worst could use sorcery within pockets of the Black Sun, but did Tess know that about herself? Plus, there was that demon that Gwendolyn observed: Miri. Could she be doing this? It was unusual for even a demon to be Dark Wyrden. In fact, no, it was impossible. Whatever this was, it was coming from Tess, not the demon within her. Even Tess was strange. Not just the amnesia, but her body wasn't like most other women that Gwendolyn knew.

Gwendolyn couldn't tell if she'd been deceived by the innocent act or not. She brought a Dark Wyrden to the college, and unintentional or not, she would face punishment for it. That was something she was willing to accept without hesitation, but her friend being butchered? Cut down into one of those golden orbs? Would she even become a Lost Soul as a Dark Wyrden, or would she just be obliterated? That was something that terrified her.

Mairaela was bringing up that arrow now, aiming it directly at Tess.

Tess screamed, her voice wavering, "Don't! Mairaela, oh gods dammit! Mairaela, don't! Don't kill me!" That was real fear. That was no act. The thought caused Gwendolyn's eyes to water.

Gwen could even see the sadness in Mairaela's face. Joyona was emotionless with that metal helmet covering her face, though she appeared intimidating, at least. However, Joyona hadn't struck yet. Could even she be hesitating?

"I have to," Mairaela said softly, "I have to." She was convincing herself, not Tess, Gwen realized.

"Do it," Joyona hissed.

"Mairaela, please, let's talk this through," Gwendolyn replied, her grip on her blade tightening in a way that set her whole body to shaking. "We shouldn't be has-..!"

Everyone that followed moved slowly. The arrow flew. It burst into a line of light, streaking toward Tess at blinding speed. Metal flashed.

Gwendolyn's blade struck outward, intercepting the path and deflecting the beam of light up into the sky. "Gods dammit!" Gwendolyn shouted, knowing that this was a point of no return, "Tess, run!" After a pause, her charge took flight past the group and toward the light shining beyond the city border; toward their exit.

Gwen was caught by Joyona swinging a gauntleted fist in her direction. The strike slammed against her shield arm, mangling the metal and making it useless. Gwen herself was sent skidding a few feet away from the force of the strike, loosening the straps of her shield and letting it drop to the ground..

Another arrow was fired in Tess' direction just before she would make it into an alleyway. The shot slipped past Gwen's reach in an instant. The knight cut her blade through the air, sending a colorless wave of force that formed a jagged line across the cobblestones, connecting to Mairaela's arrow and splitting it in half.

Joyona's actions were more obvious. The juggernaut crouched in preparation for a leap before taking a monstrous jump in Tess' direction. The silver swordswoman whipped her arm and sent her blade flying toward the sky in a wheel of sharp metal. When the rageful giant flew underneath the whirlwind of steel, Gwendolyn pulled her hand in, calling her blade back, which caught Joyona's gorget and pulled the giantess to the ground.

Gwendolyn had to dodge the falling Joyona, and as her blade was finishing its trajectory into Gwendolyn's grasp, the slippery archer used that distraction as an opening to act. Mairaela fired arrow after arrow into the blade, each one knocking it further and further off course until it skittered across the ground. Gwen could summon her blade all day and Mairaela would never let her have it, while at the same time riddling the swordswoman with holes.

Gwen took her battle high, fed it to her soul, and forced it through her sword arm. A blade of light and fire burst from her hand, striking out at the Fey. Mairaela whirled away from it with ease. Oh, right, Mairaela had the evasion gift, too. What was she thinking, going against these two? One was nigh impenetrable and the other all but unhittable. But If any Gift could do it, it was Gwen's. Swordsmanship meant a perfect offense. This sort of thing was right up Gwendolyn's alley. Or so she told herself.

Joyona got to her feet, charging at Gwendolyn, but the knight slipped under the giantess' reaching arms, cutting across the back of her knee and burning a deep hole into the metal. Two more arrows from the other side were met with a parry.

"Stop! I don't want to fight you! She's innocent!" Gwendolyn shouted.

Neither of her opponents--her friends--replied, instead charging into melee with her. Mairaela was just as dangerous up close, swinging her bow and striking out with kicks and close-range shots. Joyona was even more terrifying, her heavy, mailed fists were like boulders being swung at Gwendolyn, and it took the warrior everything she had to parry from both sides. Gwendolyn was faster, though, moving with speed that left a blurring image in her wake. Phantom images blocked strikes from behind while Gwendolyn retaliated.

Mairaela ducked back and fired another arrow. Gwendolyn brought up her blade for an easy parry, but the shot went wide and slipped just beside Gwendolyn's hip. There was a moment of confusion. That is, until she felt a piercing through her back and saw a thin beam of light breaking through her midsection. Her head snapped backward and saw the arrow had deflected off of Joyona's armor.

Gwen must have had a confused expression on her face when Joyona grabbed her by the shoulder and swung her backward. Gwendolyn went sliding through the foundation of the street before coming to rest twenty feet away.

Everything was blurry and dark around the edges. She felt an enormous pressure on her chest, and when her eyes focused, she could see Joyona and her foot keeping Gwen pinned to the ground. "Don't move," Joyona commanded, "We don't want to hurt you, Dame."

She felt no weight in her hand and knew that the blade she manifested must have been gone. She called her steel sword to her hand, but it struck Joyona's armor and deflected harmlessly to the ground.

"Stop," Joyona insisted, pushing her foot down a little harder, "We need to get out of here, and we're already going to be short handed. We can't expend our souls on each other."

"Where's Mairaela?" Gwendolyn coughed, gripping Joyona's foot and trying to lift it. There was no chance of that.

Joyona shook her head, "She's going to take care of Tess. Just rest for now." Yes, rest, with Joyona's heavy boot on her chest. "It isn't your responsibility," Joyona explained.

"Don't do this," Gwendolyn pleaded, "She doesn't know what's happening. This is murder!"

"I'm sorry, Dame. I disagree."

Gwendolyn stopped struggling, tears welling up in her eyes. She knew she'd been beaten. She could no longer help Tess.

Chapter 33 - Cat and Mouse

Tess sprinted toward the edge of the city, hearing the clash of steel ringing out behind her. How could she have just left Gwendolyn? Joyona and Mairaela wouldn't hurt her, right? On that note, why were they trying to hurt anyone? All Tess did was cast a spell. All she did was finally be useful.

She saved them from the spiders, right? Why was that a bad thing? She had no idea about what happened afterward, but she'd been accused of doing something evil. A Dark Wyrden? Only they could cast spells in the Black Sun?

But Tess did it too, and Tess wasn't evil.

"Will you just let me out now?" Miri sighed in her mind.

Tess ducked behind a corner and whispered under her breath, "If you tell me how you know that thing with the weird eyes."

Miri was quiet for a time, before replying, "No, but I'm also not going to let you get us killed. Mairaela isn't fucking around. Didn't you tell Scirocca you trusted these people?"

"Oh, so you were listening," Tess breathed silently, looking around the street for a way out. Was that why Scirocca asked her that question? Did she know this was going to happen? There was a bitterness in Tess' chest about the fact that Scirocca withheld that information from her, though Tess supposed that she did answer with the utmost trust for her allies. She definitely did not see this coming.

There seemed to be a city gate at the end of the road, but she would be exposed the entire way there. If Mairaela got eyes on her, there was no possible way that the archer would miss. Mairaela doesn't miss.

Tess continued, "And fuck you. How can I trust you when you're buddies with some weird creature that only exists in the void and calls you his Crow?"

Miri just sighed. Tess could feel the point of Miri's claw scratching at the little switch in the back of her mind. Goading her. Making her want to scratch back; making her want to release the inner demon.

"How do I even know you'd give control back?" Tess asked again.

This time Miri didn't respond, and it was then that Tess felt absolutely certain that this wasn't the route she could take right now.

Tess had other options.

The Horse. The Archer. The Wanderer.

Tess made the signs and threw her hands out, but there was nothing. She took a deep breath and recomposed.

The Keepers. The Horse. The Wanderer.

Again, nothing.

Mairaela's voice echoed from the street behind her, "Tess!"

Tess inhaled and held her breath, pressing herself up against the wall. She could hear the Fey's footsteps prowling nearby, stalking her prey. Mairaela had always been the one to see danger approaching, to find their targets, and Tess could recall enough that she knew Fey had better senses than Humans.

The Devil. The Wanderer. The Spinnerets.

Nothing. Tess wanted to scream in frustration.

"Tess, please," Mairaela spoke softer. Tess could hear her footfalls closeby. She needed to move, but she was paralyzed with fear. "Don't make this harder for either of us," Mairaela begged, "You're just delaying the inevitable. I can't let you go. Gods, I-... I even believe Gwen when she says you don't even know what you are, but whether you know it or not, what you are is evil, Tess."

Tess bit her lip. She knew she was only delaying the inevitable. The moment she moved, Mairaela would know where she was. The moment she ran, Mairaela would put an arrow through her. There was no way she would make it out of the Void, and was a swift death not better than a slow one at the hand of some creature?

"Mairaela, please," Tess began sobbing, arms hugging herself, clutching her sides, "Please don't do this."

In no time, Mairaela rounded the corner on Tess, bow drawn, arrow ready. Her eyes were damp, and Tess believed that this was difficult for her, too. Still, it couldn't have been more difficult than getting killed, so Tess didn't feel too bad.

"Please, let's talk," Tess begged.

Mairaela shook her head, but still she did not fire.

"Please," Tess pleaded, "I don't know what's-..."

"Stop it, Tess," Mairaela choked back tears, "Just close your eyes."

Oh gods, what happened to Gwendolyn? If Mairaela is here, does that mean that Gwen's dead? She couldn't hear any more clashes of steel behind her. Was the fight over? Tess wondered if she'd been put down easily. Was it one of the Fey's arrows, or Joyona's axe? Or did they spare her?