Logging started on 05/23/2015 at 00:08:21.
You greet everyone warmly.
Lupinum waves at you. Lupinum points at you.
[Lupinum]: The Mandate calls!
[Khorvis]: Supplicant Kerala. The battlegrounds do call your name.
[Kerala]: .... they do?
You sigh at Khorvis.
[Kerala]: Alright.
Kerala looks tired
[Battle in Silvershard Mines]
Lupinum cheers at you. Lupinum claps excitedly for you.
You smile at Lupinum.
[Khorvis]: Solid work. More true iron for the Horde.
[Kerala]: There. Now I must go rest. Good luck to you.
You smile at Lupinum.
[Khorvis]: Rest well. And not too much.
Khorvis nods at you.
[Kerala]: I've got all seven now.
[Lupinum]: Hrmph.We'll see how things go at the Inquisition.
Khorvis makes an unintelligble grunt.
Lupinum has a small, wry grin on his face.
Kerala glances to Khorvis.
[Khorvis]: When the Clandestine is there to see
You frown.
[Khorvis]: We will digest your trial.
Lupinum nods slowly as he uncorks a flask.
Khorvis emphasizes the words "we".
[Kerala]: So I do have to do it her way, even though the task was given by you?
You blink at Khorvis.
[Khorvis]: Do not guess the seconds of your Inquisitor. The Supplicant Konro was the charge of Inquisitor Lilliana, and now you do hold his role. You do follow Lilliana's orders, Kerala.
Lupinum looks up.
Kerala frowns.
[Kerala]: Fine.
Lupinum looks over to Khorvis.
Khorvis appears to be strangely preoccupied with a distant vision. A feral look glazes over his snout before he returns to the conversation.
[Lupinum]: I expect a lot from you, Kerala.
[Khorvis]: Zug zug. We will see you front and center before the Inquisition.
Lupinum clamps his jaw and nods.
Kerala is not happy that Lilliana is getting her way, and she just walks off while the high inquisitor is talking.
Kerala's Inquisition
Re: Kerala's Inquisition
To say the druid was in a panic would be pretty accurate. It was impossible! She paced the jail below the barracks, her hooves clacking on the stones of the floor. Back and forth, back and forth. Clack clack. Clack clack.
There had to be a way. There were several problems, not just one. There had to be a way. One at a time.
Her gaze fell again on the victims arrayed like a living carpet on the floor of the one cell. They were each and every one of them still, breathing little and unaware of their fate as she left them hibernating. Accalia had given her great practice for this. She didn't have to keep them sleeping, but it was easier. They did not require food or water to maintain. More importantly to Kerala, she was free of guilt. In hibernation, they felt no fear at their impending death.
It had taken her five days to assemble the seven of them, not because she was especially choosy about her hearts, but because she was choosy about who she killed. She'd stalked the battlefields, prowling the shadows avoiding horde as well as alliance. She'd hunted for the perfect prey like any predator, selective and precise once she'd located them. Each one of them was what she would consider deserving of death- cruel, bloodthirsty. One was a rapist. The night elf had neglected her animal companion, resulting in it's needless death.
Killing them was not the issue. Size was.
Four of the seven were female, which helped some. The panda and draenei, both the biggest races, were male, though. Their hearts would be gigantic, akin to the size of her own. Hearts large enough to fill her hand. Even though the worgen was female, her heart would be nearly as large. The dwarf, despite her short stature, would also have a relatively large organ. Then the human and night elf women. The male gnome heart would be the smallest, of course. She snorted, almost a bitter laugh. Dessert?
The sheer volume was too much to consume at once. A single heart in one sitting was tough, and she ate only that much over the course of an entire day. Her stomach was too small. She doubted very much the Grim would let her off with only a single bite from each one.
Clack clack. Clack clack. Clack clack. Kerala pondered how to fit something so big into something so small.
A stomach could change sizes! It distended, and for those who continually ate large meals, their stomachs stretched to that size as a norm. She could stretch it. Though, she didn't have very much time. Maybe if she could continually eat and drink from now until the inquisition meeting....
No. It would help, but she would not be able to enlarge an organ that had remained so small and nearly empty for seven years into one that could handle this task, even if she tried to use her healing abilities to hurry along digestion.
Silence fell on the jail when she stopped in her tracks. Now that was an idea. She stepped again, stalked forward, turned, and continued back the way she had come. Moving always helped her think.
Maybe she could do both. Stretch her stomach as much as she could beforehand. That would hopefully allow her to eat one heart, maybe even a heart and a half. Then she could push them through digestion, empty the stomach, and eat more. She could practice a bit with the food she ate now.
She'd become ill, no question, and very quickly. She was fairly certain that the hearts had to be wholly eaten, and similarly, she had a feeling that throwing them up would be frowned upon. But would it matter? She wasn't sure. She hadn't considered it before now, because she'd had a month. A heart every few days had been doable, if miserable. Maybe it didn't matter. That would be fantastic. What was pride compared to gastrointestinal distress?
She had no idea if the Grim would make her kill and butcher the alliance herself, or let her cook the hearts. Those were things that concerned her only slightly in the face of the other issues. For the first, she figured they would, and the latter, probably not. That would be the most difficult. She didn't expect it to be easy.
She had not tried, really, to test the limits of her body. It was always a possibility that this really was something she could no longer do. Impossible. She had no illusions that the Grim would intervene on her behalf if attempting this trial led to her death, or even care. Years of conditioning pushed these thoughts from Kerala's mind before she was even aware of them. The idea that she might die was not even one of her considerations.
The druid stopped her pacing then, a plan formed. She checked the cell door. It remained locked just in case her spells failed, and the key was in it's proper place.
She would need food, and a lot of it. The only thing she could think of then was the pandaren and their cooking, and that led her thoughts to Kex'ti. The box he'd given her was on her bunk, still unopened. He enjoyed cooking, and he was always giving her food. He'd said that wasn't what was in this box... but it was supposed to help in her challenges. She'd been too tired to care much the night he'd given it to her, but now, the smooth polished wooden box suddenly seemed important. Promising.
It took her a moment to undo the latch. It was an intricate metal affair with swirling designs that probably would have formed an image if she'd bothered to bend and look. Instead of flipping up, a part of the latch swiveled to one side, sliding a smooth pin free of a hidden enclosure. She lifted open the lid.
A note was affixed in place with a thin ribbon around simple undyed cloth. Kerala frowned and grabbed it, letting the lid close again. People and their stupid writing. Surely whatever he had to say could have been said five times over in the time it would take her to wade through the word on a page.
She stared at the words. After fighting to get to the end, she blinked, then read through them again for comprehension. They were in taurahe pictographs, but even so, his elegance of speech managed to come through despite the many words she could could not identify. Kerala dropped the letter onto the bed and opened the wooden lid. She shifted a fold of cloth to see what he had given her.
She dropped the lid on her fingers. She stuck her fingers in her mouth, sucking the tender spot where a bit of skin had peeled back, and then frowned and opened the lid again.
Wrapped in the simple cloth was a leather-wrapped staff set with sparkling orange gems, and two shining round shoulderguards. Golden scrollwork swirled around a setting that contained brilliant blue teardrop crystals, a match to the ones in her belt and vest. The leather was supple and expertly pieced together. They were beautiful. She glanced again to the note.
And then she shut the lid. He was right. Those were things for a healer. They did not belong here. There was a reason the bright skytotem blue was folded and put away, and she wore the black leathers. Black was the color of the West. Black was death. If you were going to brave shadows and walk among them, what other color would you choose?
Like the unexpected gift from Khorvis, these were of no use to her, at least not now. But she seized on the meaning behind them. She did have allies. She was not alone. He was offering her aid, and she would not be so stupid as to turn it down.
She went to find Kexti, and ask if he would mind cooking her food. Maybe rice. Lots and lots of rice.
There had to be a way. There were several problems, not just one. There had to be a way. One at a time.
Her gaze fell again on the victims arrayed like a living carpet on the floor of the one cell. They were each and every one of them still, breathing little and unaware of their fate as she left them hibernating. Accalia had given her great practice for this. She didn't have to keep them sleeping, but it was easier. They did not require food or water to maintain. More importantly to Kerala, she was free of guilt. In hibernation, they felt no fear at their impending death.
It had taken her five days to assemble the seven of them, not because she was especially choosy about her hearts, but because she was choosy about who she killed. She'd stalked the battlefields, prowling the shadows avoiding horde as well as alliance. She'd hunted for the perfect prey like any predator, selective and precise once she'd located them. Each one of them was what she would consider deserving of death- cruel, bloodthirsty. One was a rapist. The night elf had neglected her animal companion, resulting in it's needless death.
Killing them was not the issue. Size was.
Four of the seven were female, which helped some. The panda and draenei, both the biggest races, were male, though. Their hearts would be gigantic, akin to the size of her own. Hearts large enough to fill her hand. Even though the worgen was female, her heart would be nearly as large. The dwarf, despite her short stature, would also have a relatively large organ. Then the human and night elf women. The male gnome heart would be the smallest, of course. She snorted, almost a bitter laugh. Dessert?
The sheer volume was too much to consume at once. A single heart in one sitting was tough, and she ate only that much over the course of an entire day. Her stomach was too small. She doubted very much the Grim would let her off with only a single bite from each one.
Clack clack. Clack clack. Clack clack. Kerala pondered how to fit something so big into something so small.
A stomach could change sizes! It distended, and for those who continually ate large meals, their stomachs stretched to that size as a norm. She could stretch it. Though, she didn't have very much time. Maybe if she could continually eat and drink from now until the inquisition meeting....
No. It would help, but she would not be able to enlarge an organ that had remained so small and nearly empty for seven years into one that could handle this task, even if she tried to use her healing abilities to hurry along digestion.
Silence fell on the jail when she stopped in her tracks. Now that was an idea. She stepped again, stalked forward, turned, and continued back the way she had come. Moving always helped her think.
Maybe she could do both. Stretch her stomach as much as she could beforehand. That would hopefully allow her to eat one heart, maybe even a heart and a half. Then she could push them through digestion, empty the stomach, and eat more. She could practice a bit with the food she ate now.
She'd become ill, no question, and very quickly. She was fairly certain that the hearts had to be wholly eaten, and similarly, she had a feeling that throwing them up would be frowned upon. But would it matter? She wasn't sure. She hadn't considered it before now, because she'd had a month. A heart every few days had been doable, if miserable. Maybe it didn't matter. That would be fantastic. What was pride compared to gastrointestinal distress?
She had no idea if the Grim would make her kill and butcher the alliance herself, or let her cook the hearts. Those were things that concerned her only slightly in the face of the other issues. For the first, she figured they would, and the latter, probably not. That would be the most difficult. She didn't expect it to be easy.
She had not tried, really, to test the limits of her body. It was always a possibility that this really was something she could no longer do. Impossible. She had no illusions that the Grim would intervene on her behalf if attempting this trial led to her death, or even care. Years of conditioning pushed these thoughts from Kerala's mind before she was even aware of them. The idea that she might die was not even one of her considerations.
The druid stopped her pacing then, a plan formed. She checked the cell door. It remained locked just in case her spells failed, and the key was in it's proper place.
She would need food, and a lot of it. The only thing she could think of then was the pandaren and their cooking, and that led her thoughts to Kex'ti. The box he'd given her was on her bunk, still unopened. He enjoyed cooking, and he was always giving her food. He'd said that wasn't what was in this box... but it was supposed to help in her challenges. She'd been too tired to care much the night he'd given it to her, but now, the smooth polished wooden box suddenly seemed important. Promising.
It took her a moment to undo the latch. It was an intricate metal affair with swirling designs that probably would have formed an image if she'd bothered to bend and look. Instead of flipping up, a part of the latch swiveled to one side, sliding a smooth pin free of a hidden enclosure. She lifted open the lid.
A note was affixed in place with a thin ribbon around simple undyed cloth. Kerala frowned and grabbed it, letting the lid close again. People and their stupid writing. Surely whatever he had to say could have been said five times over in the time it would take her to wade through the word on a page.
She stared at the words. After fighting to get to the end, she blinked, then read through them again for comprehension. They were in taurahe pictographs, but even so, his elegance of speech managed to come through despite the many words she could could not identify. Kerala dropped the letter onto the bed and opened the wooden lid. She shifted a fold of cloth to see what he had given her.
She dropped the lid on her fingers. She stuck her fingers in her mouth, sucking the tender spot where a bit of skin had peeled back, and then frowned and opened the lid again.
Wrapped in the simple cloth was a leather-wrapped staff set with sparkling orange gems, and two shining round shoulderguards. Golden scrollwork swirled around a setting that contained brilliant blue teardrop crystals, a match to the ones in her belt and vest. The leather was supple and expertly pieced together. They were beautiful. She glanced again to the note.
Kerala was touched. She looked at the gifts, so pretty and clean.Mme. Kerala, I know what a burden it is to atone for the past.
I know you as a kind, valiant woman of integrity. The path you walk is one I myself have traversed, and is difficult to return from.
You are a healer, and paragon of light and brightness. These colors, and this weapon, serve your hands as an agent of restoration rather than bloodshed.
Use these tools to brave the shadows, and seek the truth.
For the horde.
Sincerely, Your Friend
And then she shut the lid. He was right. Those were things for a healer. They did not belong here. There was a reason the bright skytotem blue was folded and put away, and she wore the black leathers. Black was the color of the West. Black was death. If you were going to brave shadows and walk among them, what other color would you choose?
Like the unexpected gift from Khorvis, these were of no use to her, at least not now. But she seized on the meaning behind them. She did have allies. She was not alone. He was offering her aid, and she would not be so stupid as to turn it down.
She went to find Kexti, and ask if he would mind cooking her food. Maybe rice. Lots and lots of rice.
Last edited by Kerala on Thu Jun 11, 2015 8:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Kerala's Inquisition
Logging started on 05/23/2015 at 20:36:47. Saturday
You let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
Lupinum blinks at you.
You look at Lupinum.
Lupinum hides, not very well.
Kerala shrugs.
Kerala is eating.
Lupinum idly sniffs the air near the Taurness. It smells of hay, spice and crushed vegetation.
Kerala speaks around a mouthful of food...
[Kerala]: Hello
[Lupinum]: Hello Kerala. I'm bouncing in and out, but it's good to see you.
Lupinum waves his claws as he disappears.
Kerala shrugs.
Kex'ti hobbles up to the bar.
You look at Kex'ti. You smile at Kex'ti.
Kex'ti waves at you.
[Kex'ti]: Hoi, Kerala.
[Kerala]: Hello How are you?
Kex'ti raises an eyebrow. Kex'ti sets the helm aside.
[Kex'ti]: I am well, yourself? I sent you a large shipment of rice pudding.
Kerala smiles.
[Kerala]: You did? Thank you.
[Kex'ti]: I am curious why you would need it, though...
Kex'ti nods at you. Kex'ti sips from his jug.
[Kerala]: ...I need to eat more.
Kex'ti nods at you. Kex'ti chuckles at you.
[Kex'ti]: That seems to be a reasonable request...surely the Grim are keeping you fed...?
[Kerala]: ...ah. Well, it's not that.
Kex'ti waits for further explanation.
Kerala sighs.
[Kerala]: The Grim, they put new members through a series of tests, I guess. I've been given my first challenge, and I need to prepare. It involves..... food.
Kex'ti rubs his beard.
[Kex'ti]: That seems delightfully mundane for the Grim.
Kex'ti smirks slyly at you.
Kerala looks away.
[Kerala]: Not really.
Kex'ti continues rubbing his beard.
[Kex'ti]: Curious.
Kex'ti shrugs at you. Who knows?
[Kex'ti]: I don't suppose you are hungry now?
Kex'ti looks in his bag.
[Kex'ti]: Ah. Unfortunately, I only have meat.
Kerala sighs again. "I asked for your help, but after I sent the letter, I realized you probably wouldn't if you knew why."
Kex'ti looks at you.
[Kex'ti]: Why is that?
Kerala seems to debate for a moment with herself.
Lupinum looks down at Kerala talking with a Sanctuary. He's silent, at the moment.
[Kerala]: I'm supposed to eat a heart from one of each alliance race.
Kerala looks at Kex'ti.
Kex'ti rubs his eyes and sighs.
[Kex'ti]: You are assuredly joking.
Kex'ti taps his staff against his shoulder.
Kerala drops her gaze back down uncomfortably, obviously not joking at all. His reaction is what she expected.
[Kerala]: I'll send the pudding back when it arrives, and the other things.
[Kex'ti]: No. Make use of it.
Kex'ti helps himself to his feet.
[Kex'ti]: Gifts are given without the intention of having them returned.
[Kerala]: I'm sorry. I just wanted to tell you so you didn't.... hear it from Lilliana.
[Kex'ti]: The Grim respect strength. This is disgusting and depraved. Show them that you won't be toyed with in this awful manner. Whatever sense of shame you have which drives you to undertake this abominable trial...
Kex'ti sighs at you.
[Kex'ti]: You're better than this.
Kex'ti hobbles towards the door, clearly frustrated.
Kerala looks up at Kex'ti then. "No, I'm not."
Lupinum bites his jaws close.
Kex'ti turns, and storms back.
[Kex'ti]: You are not Konro. You are not responsible for his choices.
Kerala stands up. Kerala nods, agreeing.
[Kex'ti]: And you are -not- some pitiable wretch to be bent to their Mandate.
[Kerala]: No, I am a supplicant.
Kex'ti scoffs at you.
Kerala sighs at the departing elf.
Lupinum looks down at the Druidess.
[Gazreeth]: Know this, had that become a problem, I would have had your back.
You glare angrily at Lupinum.
[Lupinum]: You had two Grim with you, Kerala.
You look at Gazreeth.
[Lupinum]: Remember what I said in Arak?
[Kerala]: Where did you come from? Leave him alone. [as Gazreeth walks out]
Kerala looks from Gazreeth back to Lupinum.
[Kerala]: Refresh my memory.
[Lupinum]: The Grim is a family. You wear that tabard, you have the might of all of us behind you. Some think us barbaric, especially those Sanctuary pacifists.
Lupinum looks at Kerala, his features softening.
Kerala 's eyes flash. "A family who would not guide and protect one of their own, who abandoned his corpse and ripped the colors off him!"
Lupinum fights back a snarl.
[Lupinum]: I wasn't here! I could've...
Lupinum growls and looks away.
Kerala switches tactics. "A family that requires it's members to kill others."
Lupinum blinks.
[Lupinum]: Kerala, do you think the Alliance would stop, if we stopped? I don't.
[Kerala]: There is a difference between defending against violence, and actively pursuing it. That shaman in Arak was outnumbered and fleeing for his life, and we tracked him like an animal. Is it any wonder the others arrived to help him? To -try- to help him.
[Lupinum]: There's no difference in Alliance blood. The battle master calls, I'll return.
Lupinum sighs as he disappears.
Kerala fiddles with some things roasting in the fire.
You let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
Kerala pulls several wrapped things out of the fire.
Kerala unwraps one gingerly, avoiding steam.
Lupinum looks over to Kerala, and sniffs the air.
Kerala 's cooked things smell of roasted vegetables, but no meat and not much, if any, spices.
[Lupinum]: No meat, hmm?
Lupinum smirks.
You glare angrily at Lupinum.
[Kerala]: I don't eat meat.
Lupinum rocks back on his heels.
[Lupinum]: Of course.
Kerala stuffs her mouth with what appears to be a cabbage.
Lupinum blinks.
Kerala eyes Lupinum, surprised at his surprise over her vegetarianism.
[Lupinum]: So... no meat at all? No fish? No bugs?!
[Kerala]: Not for... three years?
[Lupinum]: I couldn't imagine it.
Kerala shrugs.
Kerala stuffs another bit of cabbage in her mouth, eating with her fingers.
Lupinum licks his lips.
[Lupinum]: You're making me hungry.
[He leaves, either to go battle some more, or eat... or maybe both at once.]
You let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
Lupinum blinks at you.
You look at Lupinum.
Lupinum hides, not very well.
Kerala shrugs.
Kerala is eating.
Lupinum idly sniffs the air near the Taurness. It smells of hay, spice and crushed vegetation.
Kerala speaks around a mouthful of food...
[Kerala]: Hello
[Lupinum]: Hello Kerala. I'm bouncing in and out, but it's good to see you.
Lupinum waves his claws as he disappears.
Kerala shrugs.
Kex'ti hobbles up to the bar.
You look at Kex'ti. You smile at Kex'ti.
Kex'ti waves at you.
[Kex'ti]: Hoi, Kerala.
[Kerala]: Hello How are you?
Kex'ti raises an eyebrow. Kex'ti sets the helm aside.
[Kex'ti]: I am well, yourself? I sent you a large shipment of rice pudding.
Kerala smiles.
[Kerala]: You did? Thank you.
[Kex'ti]: I am curious why you would need it, though...
Kex'ti nods at you. Kex'ti sips from his jug.
[Kerala]: ...I need to eat more.
Kex'ti nods at you. Kex'ti chuckles at you.
[Kex'ti]: That seems to be a reasonable request...surely the Grim are keeping you fed...?
[Kerala]: ...ah. Well, it's not that.
Kex'ti waits for further explanation.
Kerala sighs.
[Kerala]: The Grim, they put new members through a series of tests, I guess. I've been given my first challenge, and I need to prepare. It involves..... food.
Kex'ti rubs his beard.
[Kex'ti]: That seems delightfully mundane for the Grim.
Kex'ti smirks slyly at you.
Kerala looks away.
[Kerala]: Not really.
Kex'ti continues rubbing his beard.
[Kex'ti]: Curious.
Kex'ti shrugs at you. Who knows?
[Kex'ti]: I don't suppose you are hungry now?
Kex'ti looks in his bag.
[Kex'ti]: Ah. Unfortunately, I only have meat.
Kerala sighs again. "I asked for your help, but after I sent the letter, I realized you probably wouldn't if you knew why."
Kex'ti looks at you.
[Kex'ti]: Why is that?
Kerala seems to debate for a moment with herself.
Lupinum looks down at Kerala talking with a Sanctuary. He's silent, at the moment.
[Kerala]: I'm supposed to eat a heart from one of each alliance race.
Kerala looks at Kex'ti.
Kex'ti rubs his eyes and sighs.
[Kex'ti]: You are assuredly joking.
Kex'ti taps his staff against his shoulder.
Kerala drops her gaze back down uncomfortably, obviously not joking at all. His reaction is what she expected.
[Kerala]: I'll send the pudding back when it arrives, and the other things.
[Kex'ti]: No. Make use of it.
Kex'ti helps himself to his feet.
[Kex'ti]: Gifts are given without the intention of having them returned.
[Kerala]: I'm sorry. I just wanted to tell you so you didn't.... hear it from Lilliana.
[Kex'ti]: The Grim respect strength. This is disgusting and depraved. Show them that you won't be toyed with in this awful manner. Whatever sense of shame you have which drives you to undertake this abominable trial...
Kex'ti sighs at you.
[Kex'ti]: You're better than this.
Kex'ti hobbles towards the door, clearly frustrated.
Kerala looks up at Kex'ti then. "No, I'm not."
Lupinum bites his jaws close.
Kex'ti turns, and storms back.
[Kex'ti]: You are not Konro. You are not responsible for his choices.
Kerala stands up. Kerala nods, agreeing.
[Kex'ti]: And you are -not- some pitiable wretch to be bent to their Mandate.
[Kerala]: No, I am a supplicant.
Kex'ti scoffs at you.
Kerala sighs at the departing elf.
Lupinum looks down at the Druidess.
[Gazreeth]: Know this, had that become a problem, I would have had your back.
You glare angrily at Lupinum.
[Lupinum]: You had two Grim with you, Kerala.
You look at Gazreeth.
[Lupinum]: Remember what I said in Arak?
[Kerala]: Where did you come from? Leave him alone. [as Gazreeth walks out]
Kerala looks from Gazreeth back to Lupinum.
[Kerala]: Refresh my memory.
[Lupinum]: The Grim is a family. You wear that tabard, you have the might of all of us behind you. Some think us barbaric, especially those Sanctuary pacifists.
Lupinum looks at Kerala, his features softening.
Kerala 's eyes flash. "A family who would not guide and protect one of their own, who abandoned his corpse and ripped the colors off him!"
Lupinum fights back a snarl.
[Lupinum]: I wasn't here! I could've...
Lupinum growls and looks away.
Kerala switches tactics. "A family that requires it's members to kill others."
Lupinum blinks.
[Lupinum]: Kerala, do you think the Alliance would stop, if we stopped? I don't.
[Kerala]: There is a difference between defending against violence, and actively pursuing it. That shaman in Arak was outnumbered and fleeing for his life, and we tracked him like an animal. Is it any wonder the others arrived to help him? To -try- to help him.
[Lupinum]: There's no difference in Alliance blood. The battle master calls, I'll return.
Lupinum sighs as he disappears.
Kerala fiddles with some things roasting in the fire.
You let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
Kerala pulls several wrapped things out of the fire.
Kerala unwraps one gingerly, avoiding steam.
Lupinum looks over to Kerala, and sniffs the air.
Kerala 's cooked things smell of roasted vegetables, but no meat and not much, if any, spices.
[Lupinum]: No meat, hmm?
Lupinum smirks.
You glare angrily at Lupinum.
[Kerala]: I don't eat meat.
Lupinum rocks back on his heels.
[Lupinum]: Of course.
Kerala stuffs her mouth with what appears to be a cabbage.
Lupinum blinks.
Kerala eyes Lupinum, surprised at his surprise over her vegetarianism.
[Lupinum]: So... no meat at all? No fish? No bugs?!
[Kerala]: Not for... three years?
[Lupinum]: I couldn't imagine it.
Kerala shrugs.
Kerala stuffs another bit of cabbage in her mouth, eating with her fingers.
Lupinum licks his lips.
[Lupinum]: You're making me hungry.
[He leaves, either to go battle some more, or eat... or maybe both at once.]
Last edited by Kerala on Sat May 30, 2015 6:46 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Kerala's Inquisition
Logging started on 05/24/2015 at 21:21:22. Sunday Cantina
The Cantina on Sunday nights was always interesting, to Kerala. Having spent so much of her life alone, watching the interactions of others was confusing, challenging to comprehend and sometimes even enjoyable.
Syreena was already there, relaxing with the goblin bartender and the elf hunter supplicant of the Grim. Kerala smiled a greeting to them all. The rogue nodded back. "Pretty dress. Is that for your upcoming dinner?" she asked with a grin.
The druid frowned, and promptly turned around to sit by herself. She wore her first dress, the loose one. She'd only just begun over-eating to enlarge her stomach, but she could not abide the feeling of a waistband pressing on her middle. Not with the incredible discomfort of being so full. It was an unfamiliar pain, and harder to deal with than any other she'd had in a long time for the strangeness of it. There was no position she could adopt to alleviate the discomfort, nothing she could do but suffer it. She'd made herself sick most of the first day, unable to detect the limit. Vomiting was the very opposite of the goal, and despite the relief it offered, it made her mad to be sick. It meant she had to start all over.
The bartender apparently objected to Kerala's solitude, and after a moment she came to fetch the druid back, claiming she didn't bite often. The attempt at humor went ignored. Kerala looked from Bayonnii, to the other two, debating. The elf hunter regarded her with a blank expression, an iced glass in her hand, but Syreena smiled sweetly. So, she moved over to them, quietly took a seat and resumed slowly eating without a word.
Syreena peered at the container. "What are you eating?"
"Rice. Or.... rice pudding, I guess? I don't know what it is."
"I heard Kex'ti was giving you a hard time last night." she said idly.
Kerala fixed the undead with her dark emerald eyes. "You heard wrong." She was not surprised that the rogue believed some twisted non-truth. It was a habit of the Grim. No... she was not the one who'd had a hard time last night. Kex'ti's reaction was one she was used to, and had seen many times. It had hurt, but it was a sensation well-known. Because of his letter, and the gifts he'd sent, she'd almost dared to hope..... but no.
"Huh. So he wasn't arguing that you shouldn't be Grim?"
"No, he wasn't. Who told you that?" Either the undead priest... or more likely the hostile goblin death knight.
Syreena shrugged. The rogue allowed the bartender's inquiry about drinks to distract her, and the topic was abandoned. Kerala sighed and gave up on fitting any more pudding into her stomach for now. She packed up her food, and instead pulled out a plant root. She gnawed on it quietly.
A little goblin arrived, and eyed her curiously. "Sunwalker, are you eating plants?"
She glanced around, not seeing any sunwalkers. "Who, me?"
"Yes."
"It's ginger," she told him. "Also, I'm a druid."
The little goblin had a small fit about the difference between sunwalkers and druids, and Kerala demonstrated that she could, in fact, become a bear.
"Why are you eating 'ginger?'" The little goblin pulled out his notebook "Ginger may turn 'druids' into bears." Syreena grinned faintly, hearing Kizrax.
She eyed the thing. Was he really so ignorant? Even she had not been so dumb leaving the desert. "Seriously?"
"What?" he asked innocently.
"Firstly, becoming a bear had nothing to do with ginger..."
"Says who? The bears?" he snorted.
"...And secondly," she continued "ginger helps with nausea. It settles the stomach, among other things."
"I ain't never asked a bear why it was a bear before I shot it. What's wrong with your stomach?"
Now she was annoyed. Her insides flipped unsettlingly. "What's wrong with your brain? Are you simple?"
His answer was gnomes. Syreena nodded to Kerala, as if that one-word answer should explain everything. There was a mention of experimentation, but Kerala didn't care. She breathed very slowly for a long moment, not paying any attention to anyone anymore. She chewed the ginger root piece, staving off a wave of nausea. She might have over-done it. Syreena threw a Paper Zeppelin at Kerala. The druid was too busy not puking to notice.
"So druid, what ales you?" the goblin asked.
Kerala blinked, looking first to the paper zeppelin that bounced off her, then to Kizrax. "Nothing, I'm fine." To her, it was not a lie. She was actually doing better than she had expected so far with this.
The goblin considered her little container of food doubtfully. "How did you get so big eating stuff like that?"
Kerala looked down at her boney frame, and then laughed. What he said struck her as bitterly humorous, like Syreena's comment days ago. But then he got too close, almost touching her, and she felt the need to move away. She did, and walked to the other side of the small table.
The little goblin's feelings were hurt, and she did not care. Ordinarily, she would not have been so cruel, but all she could think about was her stomach, and how much she hated it. Kizrax sniffed at himself then looked at her. "Do I smell or something?"
Kerala ignored him, but that was not a successful tactic. He came around the table and violated her space again, this time actually poking her. "Don't touch me." she growled.
"Hey! I am over here trying to be nice, and make friends with a Druear! What's wrong with you?"
"Be nice from a distance, or I'll stop eating this ginger and throw up on you." she said. It was the truth. The intense root burning the inside of her mouth was the only thing keeping her together at the moment. She could have sped the digestive process... she'd had some success doing that earlier today, but it would defeat the purpose. If she could keep this down, she'd be able to fit in more food later. Inquisition was tomorrow night.
"Don't you dare throw up, we had enough of that last week." Kerala shot the red-haired trolless an angry glare, at the same time that Bayonnii looked toward them, her expression worried.
"Why would you throw up on me?" Kizrax took a few steps back.
Syreena looked at Kizrax and said very seriously, "Psst....it's how druids digest their food." Then she ruined it with a smirk.
"What?!"
Kerala scowled. "Do you ever run out of questions?" Syreena quietly snickered to herself.
A few notes of music drifted across the room an undead minstril was tuning his lute. A sour note rang out as he played it softly. He frowned at the instrument.
"Don't worry," Kerala told Bayonnii, "I'll leave if I feel sick." She even managed a smile.
"Why are you feeling sick?!"
The druid looked at Kizrax. He obviously was not going to go away if she ignored him. "I'm -not-. That's what the ginger is for."
"Harumph! Why do you refuse to give a straight answer?"
"Because it's none of your business."
"Why not?"
With his instrument properly tuned, the undead placed his hat upon the ground, an improvised coin tin as he strummed his lute in a soft, melancholy tune. "♪ When goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo. ♪ When goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo. When goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo! When goin' the road to sweet Athy♪ ♪ A stick in me hand an' a drop in me eye A doleful damsel I heard cry Johnny I hardly knew ya ♪"
The singing did not distract the persistent little annoying goblin for long, though, and his curious eyes fixated back on the druid. As Syreena and Bayonnii clapped for the musician, Kerala stood up and walked out of their earshot, beckoning Kizrax over. He followed her. She turned and knelt down to his level. His face filled with confusion then when the druid grabbed him by his stupid Grim tabard and yanked, bringing him close to whisper in his ear.
"I'm sick, because I'm overeating, and the ginger helps with that. The reason I'm overeating is none of your business, and if you ask me again, I will turn into that bear, and I will crush you, and then eat -you-. I don't feel well. Leave me alone."
Kerala then shoved hard, sending the goblin reeling away. She returned to her place.
Kizrax stared at her for a long moment, then took out his notebook. "If you are nice to druids, they threaten to turn into bears and eat you." But, he did not come near her again.
The musician finished his song and not surprisingly, had nothing in his hat to show for it due to the early-night sparseness of the Cantina. The bartender thought she was being sneaky when she went over and passed the man a gold coin. He bowed to her.
Kerala watched Kizrax pacing around in circles for a time, and began to feel better. After a time, she realized she was no longer uncomfortable, and retrieved the container of rice pudding. She began eating it again, slowly. She didn't bother removing the ginger piece, and simply ate around it.
A familiar slim figure appeared among the tables, chairs and umbrellas. "Hoi, friends," came Kex'ti's usual greeting. Everyone turned and acknowledged the elf's arrival, if not with friendly greetings of their own. Kerala smiled, her cheeks full of the rice pudding he had made. The smile was not for Kex'ti, but just because she was happy to see him. He was nice, generous. In another life, she would have considered him a friend. She did not blame him for turning his back on her the other night. Everyone did.
"Bayo, something light for me tonight." he was saying.
The bartender turned away from the musician, who had been asking if she had any requests. "Sure thing!" Kerala turned back around in her chair without saying anything, and concentrated on her food. The limit was right here again... somewhere. Bayonnii took a drink to Kex'ti, a weak fruit wine that Kerala had tried once. It had been fizzy, and tickled her nose. "Many thanks, friend." he said.
Lilliana, who had arrived just before the elf, looked incredibly bored. She sighed much too loudly, like, for attention. Kex'ti glanced to her on cue. "Hoi, Lilliana. Long time no see." He leaned up against his staff.
The elf huntress supplicant slowly narrowed her eyes at Kex'ti. Lilliana looks at him. "Yo. Your hair is all different.....or is it just me?" she comments without a filter.
"Yes" Kex'ti said tersely.
"It's on top of his head," Kizrax observed helpfully. "Where was it before?" Both Lilliana and Syreena could not help laughing.
"'It's on the top of his head', yeah. Good job, Kizrax." The redhead trolless giggled again, then eyed Kex'ti playfully. "Sorry...."
Kerala sighed, unable to eat anymore. This was the last bite, she could feel it. She shoved her dish of rice pudding away again. The sound of the container sliding across the table captured Kex'ti's attention.
She saw it then, there in his face as he looked at her. "Ah," was the wordless sound that accompanied his grimace. Kerala just looked at the elf monk blandly. It was fine. She'd known better. It didn't matter.
The elf leaned in then and whispered. "It will be okay. If this ish something you must do, I believe in your shtrength to carry it through." She was so surprised that the monk put a hand on her before she realized what was happening to avoid touch. But he just squeezed her shoulder gently.
She blinked at him dumbly, her dark green eyes seeking his elfish ones. He nodded at her, and she was utterly confused. Lilliana stared at Kex'ti for a few moments, then stuck out her tongue while his back was to her. The priestess went to seek Darrethy out. Kerala just shook her head, disbelieving.
Kex'ti smirked slyly at the Forsaken Grim rogue, who looked at him. "Not sharing her meal, Syreena? I feel it's more to her taste than yours." Kex'ti looks at the pudding.
"She didn't offer any. She's greedy like that."
Kex'ti looked at the druid. "Somehow I doubt that." The monk wandered off to greet a troll that had arrived. Kerala heard him asking after the guy's health. Apparently the troll had been in a fight. They talked for a moment, and then Kex'ti bowed to the troll, and made his way to another one, a Grim warlock.
Kerala swallowed the old bit of ginger in her mouth. It no longer gave up the burning juices when her teeth smashed it. She pulled the root out of her pocket, bit off a new piece, and replaced it. She chewed slowly. Her eyes followed the elf monk as he went to speak with two other Grims- trolls.
He confused her. She'd seen his reaction, knew his opinion of her. It was familiar, it was expected. Nothing new. Yet just now, he may as well have never heard her words last night. He was back to being nice to her. She didn't trust it.
The monk offered to buy drinks... for everyone except Syreena. Maybe he was just a friendly person. He knew the Grim did terrible things, and yet he was being nice to them. That must be it. She supposed it was a better coping mechanism than most. She was just a Grim to him now, like the rest.
Then Kex'ti looked at Kerala, and caught the slightly pale druid eying him. He clumsily dropped his staff. "Blast. I've had too much to drink." It rolled the short distance to stop near where she sat. The monk let out a hearty chuckle, then leaned down to pick up the stick. Kerala's narrowed gaze followed his movements. Instincts screamed that something was wrong.
"Didn't you just have the one?" she asked him, as Syreena also peered at the elf.
The white-haired elf just smiled at her from his knelt position, and then Kerala felt something thunk gently against her hoof. Kex'ti stood himself back up. "My elven fortitude must be failing me." Now he had even Lilliana's attention, who glanced back from where she stood with Darethy. The monk coughed and pretended to swoon, winking slyly at Syreena. The undead merely watched Kex'ti curiously and suspiciously.
Tahzani folded his arms and cocked a brow. "Ain't part a da monk trainin' gettin' shitfaced a bit? Learn ta fight while limp?"
Kex'ti chuckled at Tahzani. "In some sects, that is so. Syreena, would you fancy a bit of sport?" He leaned against his staff, smirking.
"What kind of sport...?"
Kerala shifted her hooves, now that all the eyes were back on the monk where he stood. "A challenge, of sorts."
"Uh huh.... Doesh it involve killing elves?"
Lilliana turned around, running back to the group, "Kex'ti, me first!!!!!"
Kex'ti suddenly assumes a peculiarly gruff manner. "I do be serious in being my intent to do be drinking a contest." The monk shuttered an eye. Kerala recognized an attempt to mimic the high inquisitor.
"You were gonna duel her, right? Oh, just drinking. That's stupid." Lilliana lost total interest.
"Do you be accepting my challenge?" Kex'ti continued, still winking his eye.
Kerala began to straighten out the fabric of her skirt, chewing on the ginger piece and swallowing a lot to try and ease the spiciness.
"Ain't stupid lilly das our entire business" said the troll barkeep. Lilliana was challenging Darethy to another duel, and tossed a dismissive apology backwards to the troll.
Syreena slowly grinned at Kex'ti, though still cautious. "Sure."
Kex'ti beckoned the rogue over and they stepped away a bit to an emptier section of the Cantina. "Tahzani, bring me two tankards of your strongest liquor."
The troll was looking at Kerala though, pale and chewing on the ginger. He was apparently concerned. "Jah okay Ker?" She nodded to him as the goblin wench yelled that she had it. "Two tankahds... Okay Bay" Kex'ti tossed a glance at the druid.
Shaelie drew a knee up and looped her arms around it, eying Syreena and Kex'ti. "What doesh the winner get?" the rogue was asking.
"Hmm. I'll give you my staff if I lose. If I win, I keep only my dignity."
Kerala glanced down at the folds of her dress, where she'd managed to pick up the strange something at her hooves. It was a smooth glass vial, cool to the touch. Taurahe symbols on it read "calm waters". The druid lifted her gaze to watch Kex'ti and Syreena, her fingers closing around the vial.
"Uh huh." Syreena said. "All right."
The undead minstrel cleared his throat and began to play an upbeat, jig-worthy tune dedicated to the Shadowblade. " ♪Near Starbreeze Town in the county down One morning last July!♪ Down a boreen green came a sweet colleen♪ And she smiled as she passed me by.♪"
Kex'ti threw his staff to the ground, then raised his tankard with a smirk. He paused. "Hmm." Syreena raised her tankard up as well. "Bayonii or Tahzani... Could you have more drinks on hand? I trust Syreena's fortitude."
Kerala slipped the vial into her pocket. She was very curious now what Kex'ti was up to.
"Tought jah had 'em Bay?" the troll said. He set himself up to resupply the dueling drinkers.
Kex'ti made a bottoms up gesture to Syreena, but his eyes flicked to Kerala as he did it. The druid eyed him up and down. Then, the two began their contest, the monk calling out after each mug was downed. "One! Two!" They both counted three. "Four... Five." Syreena started squinting. "Shix. ...hic!" Then, the rogue toppled over.
"....Aaaand it begins." The troll barkeep said. His mop bucket was ready, and he began to work. A table blocked Kerala's view, but Syreena must have gotten sick. She was glad that she could not see. She chewed the ginger.
"Oof. ...hic! Well fought Shyreena." And then, Kex'ti kept going. "But, sheven."
"Ugh," the Shadowblade groaned.
"It'sh a shhame for you that I am a monk. And have many meansh of calming my shtomach... Eight." The monk was actually smirking, even as he swayed. Kerala watched the two, a hand on her belly.
"You already won. Now you're just shhowing off." The ignorant annoying goblin went up to her and tugged gently. He almost pulled her back over, she was so woozy.
"Nine." Kerala cocked her head at Kex'ti, realizing at last what he was doing. As far as she could tell, he wasn't using any of the monkish abilities he'd mentioned. He was putting on a demonstration for her benefit. "Oh. I shcarecely noticed. Would you like me to detoxify you?"
"No." Syreena hiccuped. The minstrel whistled gaily as he pranced about with lute in hand, spinning around the various customers.
Kex'ti smirked slyly at Syreena still. "Well enough. ...hic!" He glanced to Kerala, and if her eyes were correct, actually winked. Then he promptly fell to his ass reaching for his staff.
Syreena drank some coffee Kizrax gave her. She openly snickered at Kex'ti. The elf huntress supplicant watched, her eyes suspicious.
Kerala stood and walked over to the fallen monk. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh, then noticed someone he knew and waved at them from his position on the floor. The druid silently offered a hand to help the monk to his feet.
Kex'ti waved her off. "You have better thingsh to worry about than touching an outcast ash myself." He smiled, and she did the opposite.
Kizrax looked over at Kerala "See what happens when you're nice? People are mean to you."
Syreena peered at Kex'ti over the top of her coffee cup, still squinting. "You're strange, you know that?"
Kerala held her hand in place. "Don't be dumb," she told the elf. Kex'ti winked slyly at Syreena, then allowed the tauren to help him to his feet...but stumbled against her. She twisted, easily holding him up, but so that he wasn't against her stomach.
"It numbs your shtomach and taste buds." came his whisper. "Oooh. I'm shorry." Kex'ti said louder. The monk coughed into Kerala's clothing. She eyed him another long moment, then, admonished him not to be sick on her, not knowing what else to say. Subterfuge was not something she excelled at.
Kerala returned to her seat. Kex'ti went on to greet the friend he'd seen, then mingle with other people. The minstrel, now with a crowd to pander to, was actively engaging their attentions, dancing and getting in their way as he played. Some of the Grims came and went as the battlemasters called them away. It was as they were returning from a scirmish that she heard Lupinum loudly declare that it wasn't a Cantina unless someone was puking.
He was too close. Kerala took one look at Lupinum as he bent over hurling, then jumped up suddenly in a run. She saw it and worse, she had smelled it. Her gut rebelled. She reached the other side of the wall before the contractions of her middle reached their peak, and her stomach emptied. She endured it, then coughed and was done. Rice pudding was perhaps the easiest thing she'd ever uneaten.
"Are you well?" came his question behind her.
Kerala straightened and turned to look at Kex'ti. "I'm fine. Just Lupinum... when he... I'm fine."
"How much more do you need to do before it's over?"
It was a good question. She briefly considered it, realistically. "Inquisition is tomorrow... but I'm not ready." The monk looked at her. "I'm not going."
"Why?"
"I need more time. I might get in trouble.... but it's better than failing." Then, because they were alone here "I see what you are doing, monk. Be careful."
Kex'ti taps his staff. "I am worried about you. You are the one who should be careful." He dipped his head at her, then turned and walked away.
Kerala reentered the Cantina a moment later, and assured Bayonnii that she was okay. The elf monk left with the Grim when they next went to battle, to heal them. It seemed odd, to her. Eventually, people began noticing the late hour, and slowly filtered out of the bar. They disappeared even quicker when the dark sky overhead began to let loose a slow drizzle. Kex'ti was one of the last to leave, after talking with the two bartenders about a supply line. She waved goodbye to him.
She was about to leave herself when a short-haired elf woman approached her. She offered Kerala a mug. "Always good to see an ally nearby." she said by way of a greeting.
The druid had a pretty good memory for faces, and this one was foreign to her, even considering the fact that elves tended toward uniformity. She shrugged and accepted the drink with a nod of thanks. "Do I know you?"
"Maybe not me. But maybe an associate of mine." Kerala tilted the mug to her lips, and after holding the first sip in her mouth for a moment, determined that it was not poisoned. She eyed the mug. Something was in the bottom of it, and she drank the rest. It took her a moment to read it, but a note in the bottom of the mug that said 'We have your back.' The druid raised her dark eyes to look closer at Escala. "Some amoungst us still consider the Horns to be family."
Kerala licks the bottom of the mug. Her tongue scooped out the wet note, and she swallowed it. "That drink actually wasn't bad," she commented, as if she had been savoring the taste.
"It's one of my favorites."
"Who is your friend?"
"Someone who should probably remain unnamed for now. But my boss has a habit of keeping an eye on her... and people she considers family." Kerala blinked, and sighed at all of the subtlety going on lately. The elf smiled at her, reading the expression. "I'm sorry. My boss is a man named Naheal. I had thought you met him?"
Kerala thought of Breygrah. "Oh... if you mean who I think you mean, she doesn't consider me family. I do know Naheal."
"She's stubborn. But she'll come around."
The druid shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'm just happy she's found friends in you folks."
"How are you, Miss Windchaser?"
Kerala sank back down into her seat, not surprised that the elf knew her name. She deliberately did not ask the elf for hers. "I'll be fine." She snorted then, because she realized she sounded just like Breygrah, who never really was fine.
"You needn't lie to me, Miss Windchaser. Despite the subtlety, I often deal in truths rather than lies."
Kerala glared at the woman. "I have more flaws than most, but dishonesty is not one of them. To clarify- I'm fine, and I will be... for a week...."
"What happens in a week?"
The next inquisition. "If you you see me again on Tuesday, it'll mean I'm still fine. If not, then I'm not. But I never lie."
"Ah, I see. I detected the omission and suspected a lie. My apologies."
"I know my limits much better than your friend does." Kerala meant Breygrah, but the elf misunderstood and thought the comment referred to her boss Naheal.
"It's true. He doesn't know you well. But he wouldn't offer his help if he didn't care."
Kerala scowled. "It's funny how everyone thinks I will fail, including people who claim to be friends."
"I believe he's more concerned with the debt itself. And the future -when- you succeed."
There it was. "Ah. Whether I will choose to remain a Grim or not."
"He and I spoke at length on it."
"Oh?"
"We believe that you're not going to leave the Grim until your debt is paid in full. For the casualty they sustained? However, how long that is isn't known to us."
Kerala confirmed with a nod. ""They are owed a Supplicant. Inquisition is 3 trials. I was under the impression each had a month's time to complete... but my first one is being rushed, so... For Konro's death, yes."
"I'm not completely up-to-date on the Grim's inner workings. Awatu's quite a bit different from their... leader a little over seven years ago. He seems... organized rather than a psychotic killer." Kerala shrugged and the elf continued. "I wonder... if you were to cease being a supplicant, would that release you from the debt?"
"Yes. It is why they hate me, I think. They know I am not passing the trials to become one of them, but only to satisfy the debt." Kerala smirked slyly at Escala. "And why they are making it very difficult."
"Clearly they've never had a true Horn at their side." the elf smirked back. Kerala shrugged again, then, non-commital. "We have friends amoungst the Grim, truth be told. Having another wouldn't be a bad thing. But, we will value your freedom to choose your path above all else. If you choose to walk it alone when your trials are complete, we will respect that as well as if you were to ask for assistance."
The arrogance bothered her, and Kerala snapped "I'm happy for you, because the ONLY people who ca tell me what to do are the Inquisitors, and that is strictly due to my current situation." How dare this skinny little elf talk as if Kerala were some puppet to control?
The elf took a step back, and seemed honestly sorry. "I didn't mean to upset you. Admittedly, I'm not as up-to-date on tauren culture as I'd like to be, much less who you are." She put her hand to her ear, as if she heard something. She nodded to whatever it was. "Sounds like things are starting to take a turn. I'm sorry, Miss Windchaser, but I have to be going."
Kerala just nodded to the woman. "Have a good night." The elf walked away, and she sighed, not sure what to think about all that had happened tonight.
The Cantina on Sunday nights was always interesting, to Kerala. Having spent so much of her life alone, watching the interactions of others was confusing, challenging to comprehend and sometimes even enjoyable.
Syreena was already there, relaxing with the goblin bartender and the elf hunter supplicant of the Grim. Kerala smiled a greeting to them all. The rogue nodded back. "Pretty dress. Is that for your upcoming dinner?" she asked with a grin.
The druid frowned, and promptly turned around to sit by herself. She wore her first dress, the loose one. She'd only just begun over-eating to enlarge her stomach, but she could not abide the feeling of a waistband pressing on her middle. Not with the incredible discomfort of being so full. It was an unfamiliar pain, and harder to deal with than any other she'd had in a long time for the strangeness of it. There was no position she could adopt to alleviate the discomfort, nothing she could do but suffer it. She'd made herself sick most of the first day, unable to detect the limit. Vomiting was the very opposite of the goal, and despite the relief it offered, it made her mad to be sick. It meant she had to start all over.
The bartender apparently objected to Kerala's solitude, and after a moment she came to fetch the druid back, claiming she didn't bite often. The attempt at humor went ignored. Kerala looked from Bayonnii, to the other two, debating. The elf hunter regarded her with a blank expression, an iced glass in her hand, but Syreena smiled sweetly. So, she moved over to them, quietly took a seat and resumed slowly eating without a word.
Syreena peered at the container. "What are you eating?"
"Rice. Or.... rice pudding, I guess? I don't know what it is."
"I heard Kex'ti was giving you a hard time last night." she said idly.
Kerala fixed the undead with her dark emerald eyes. "You heard wrong." She was not surprised that the rogue believed some twisted non-truth. It was a habit of the Grim. No... she was not the one who'd had a hard time last night. Kex'ti's reaction was one she was used to, and had seen many times. It had hurt, but it was a sensation well-known. Because of his letter, and the gifts he'd sent, she'd almost dared to hope..... but no.
"Huh. So he wasn't arguing that you shouldn't be Grim?"
"No, he wasn't. Who told you that?" Either the undead priest... or more likely the hostile goblin death knight.
Syreena shrugged. The rogue allowed the bartender's inquiry about drinks to distract her, and the topic was abandoned. Kerala sighed and gave up on fitting any more pudding into her stomach for now. She packed up her food, and instead pulled out a plant root. She gnawed on it quietly.
A little goblin arrived, and eyed her curiously. "Sunwalker, are you eating plants?"
She glanced around, not seeing any sunwalkers. "Who, me?"
"Yes."
"It's ginger," she told him. "Also, I'm a druid."
The little goblin had a small fit about the difference between sunwalkers and druids, and Kerala demonstrated that she could, in fact, become a bear.
"Why are you eating 'ginger?'" The little goblin pulled out his notebook "Ginger may turn 'druids' into bears." Syreena grinned faintly, hearing Kizrax.
She eyed the thing. Was he really so ignorant? Even she had not been so dumb leaving the desert. "Seriously?"
"What?" he asked innocently.
"Firstly, becoming a bear had nothing to do with ginger..."
"Says who? The bears?" he snorted.
"...And secondly," she continued "ginger helps with nausea. It settles the stomach, among other things."
"I ain't never asked a bear why it was a bear before I shot it. What's wrong with your stomach?"
Now she was annoyed. Her insides flipped unsettlingly. "What's wrong with your brain? Are you simple?"
His answer was gnomes. Syreena nodded to Kerala, as if that one-word answer should explain everything. There was a mention of experimentation, but Kerala didn't care. She breathed very slowly for a long moment, not paying any attention to anyone anymore. She chewed the ginger root piece, staving off a wave of nausea. She might have over-done it. Syreena threw a Paper Zeppelin at Kerala. The druid was too busy not puking to notice.
"So druid, what ales you?" the goblin asked.
Kerala blinked, looking first to the paper zeppelin that bounced off her, then to Kizrax. "Nothing, I'm fine." To her, it was not a lie. She was actually doing better than she had expected so far with this.
The goblin considered her little container of food doubtfully. "How did you get so big eating stuff like that?"
Kerala looked down at her boney frame, and then laughed. What he said struck her as bitterly humorous, like Syreena's comment days ago. But then he got too close, almost touching her, and she felt the need to move away. She did, and walked to the other side of the small table.
The little goblin's feelings were hurt, and she did not care. Ordinarily, she would not have been so cruel, but all she could think about was her stomach, and how much she hated it. Kizrax sniffed at himself then looked at her. "Do I smell or something?"
Kerala ignored him, but that was not a successful tactic. He came around the table and violated her space again, this time actually poking her. "Don't touch me." she growled.
"Hey! I am over here trying to be nice, and make friends with a Druear! What's wrong with you?"
"Be nice from a distance, or I'll stop eating this ginger and throw up on you." she said. It was the truth. The intense root burning the inside of her mouth was the only thing keeping her together at the moment. She could have sped the digestive process... she'd had some success doing that earlier today, but it would defeat the purpose. If she could keep this down, she'd be able to fit in more food later. Inquisition was tomorrow night.
"Don't you dare throw up, we had enough of that last week." Kerala shot the red-haired trolless an angry glare, at the same time that Bayonnii looked toward them, her expression worried.
"Why would you throw up on me?" Kizrax took a few steps back.
Syreena looked at Kizrax and said very seriously, "Psst....it's how druids digest their food." Then she ruined it with a smirk.
"What?!"
Kerala scowled. "Do you ever run out of questions?" Syreena quietly snickered to herself.
A few notes of music drifted across the room an undead minstril was tuning his lute. A sour note rang out as he played it softly. He frowned at the instrument.
"Don't worry," Kerala told Bayonnii, "I'll leave if I feel sick." She even managed a smile.
"Why are you feeling sick?!"
The druid looked at Kizrax. He obviously was not going to go away if she ignored him. "I'm -not-. That's what the ginger is for."
"Harumph! Why do you refuse to give a straight answer?"
"Because it's none of your business."
"Why not?"
With his instrument properly tuned, the undead placed his hat upon the ground, an improvised coin tin as he strummed his lute in a soft, melancholy tune. "♪ When goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo. ♪ When goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo. When goin' the road to sweet Athy, hurroo, hurroo! When goin' the road to sweet Athy♪ ♪ A stick in me hand an' a drop in me eye A doleful damsel I heard cry Johnny I hardly knew ya ♪"
The singing did not distract the persistent little annoying goblin for long, though, and his curious eyes fixated back on the druid. As Syreena and Bayonnii clapped for the musician, Kerala stood up and walked out of their earshot, beckoning Kizrax over. He followed her. She turned and knelt down to his level. His face filled with confusion then when the druid grabbed him by his stupid Grim tabard and yanked, bringing him close to whisper in his ear.
"I'm sick, because I'm overeating, and the ginger helps with that. The reason I'm overeating is none of your business, and if you ask me again, I will turn into that bear, and I will crush you, and then eat -you-. I don't feel well. Leave me alone."
Kerala then shoved hard, sending the goblin reeling away. She returned to her place.
Kizrax stared at her for a long moment, then took out his notebook. "If you are nice to druids, they threaten to turn into bears and eat you." But, he did not come near her again.
The musician finished his song and not surprisingly, had nothing in his hat to show for it due to the early-night sparseness of the Cantina. The bartender thought she was being sneaky when she went over and passed the man a gold coin. He bowed to her.
Kerala watched Kizrax pacing around in circles for a time, and began to feel better. After a time, she realized she was no longer uncomfortable, and retrieved the container of rice pudding. She began eating it again, slowly. She didn't bother removing the ginger piece, and simply ate around it.
A familiar slim figure appeared among the tables, chairs and umbrellas. "Hoi, friends," came Kex'ti's usual greeting. Everyone turned and acknowledged the elf's arrival, if not with friendly greetings of their own. Kerala smiled, her cheeks full of the rice pudding he had made. The smile was not for Kex'ti, but just because she was happy to see him. He was nice, generous. In another life, she would have considered him a friend. She did not blame him for turning his back on her the other night. Everyone did.
"Bayo, something light for me tonight." he was saying.
The bartender turned away from the musician, who had been asking if she had any requests. "Sure thing!" Kerala turned back around in her chair without saying anything, and concentrated on her food. The limit was right here again... somewhere. Bayonnii took a drink to Kex'ti, a weak fruit wine that Kerala had tried once. It had been fizzy, and tickled her nose. "Many thanks, friend." he said.
Lilliana, who had arrived just before the elf, looked incredibly bored. She sighed much too loudly, like, for attention. Kex'ti glanced to her on cue. "Hoi, Lilliana. Long time no see." He leaned up against his staff.
The elf huntress supplicant slowly narrowed her eyes at Kex'ti. Lilliana looks at him. "Yo. Your hair is all different.....or is it just me?" she comments without a filter.
"Yes" Kex'ti said tersely.
"It's on top of his head," Kizrax observed helpfully. "Where was it before?" Both Lilliana and Syreena could not help laughing.
"'It's on the top of his head', yeah. Good job, Kizrax." The redhead trolless giggled again, then eyed Kex'ti playfully. "Sorry...."
Kerala sighed, unable to eat anymore. This was the last bite, she could feel it. She shoved her dish of rice pudding away again. The sound of the container sliding across the table captured Kex'ti's attention.
She saw it then, there in his face as he looked at her. "Ah," was the wordless sound that accompanied his grimace. Kerala just looked at the elf monk blandly. It was fine. She'd known better. It didn't matter.
The elf leaned in then and whispered. "It will be okay. If this ish something you must do, I believe in your shtrength to carry it through." She was so surprised that the monk put a hand on her before she realized what was happening to avoid touch. But he just squeezed her shoulder gently.
She blinked at him dumbly, her dark green eyes seeking his elfish ones. He nodded at her, and she was utterly confused. Lilliana stared at Kex'ti for a few moments, then stuck out her tongue while his back was to her. The priestess went to seek Darrethy out. Kerala just shook her head, disbelieving.
Kex'ti smirked slyly at the Forsaken Grim rogue, who looked at him. "Not sharing her meal, Syreena? I feel it's more to her taste than yours." Kex'ti looks at the pudding.
"She didn't offer any. She's greedy like that."
Kex'ti looked at the druid. "Somehow I doubt that." The monk wandered off to greet a troll that had arrived. Kerala heard him asking after the guy's health. Apparently the troll had been in a fight. They talked for a moment, and then Kex'ti bowed to the troll, and made his way to another one, a Grim warlock.
Kerala swallowed the old bit of ginger in her mouth. It no longer gave up the burning juices when her teeth smashed it. She pulled the root out of her pocket, bit off a new piece, and replaced it. She chewed slowly. Her eyes followed the elf monk as he went to speak with two other Grims- trolls.
He confused her. She'd seen his reaction, knew his opinion of her. It was familiar, it was expected. Nothing new. Yet just now, he may as well have never heard her words last night. He was back to being nice to her. She didn't trust it.
The monk offered to buy drinks... for everyone except Syreena. Maybe he was just a friendly person. He knew the Grim did terrible things, and yet he was being nice to them. That must be it. She supposed it was a better coping mechanism than most. She was just a Grim to him now, like the rest.
Then Kex'ti looked at Kerala, and caught the slightly pale druid eying him. He clumsily dropped his staff. "Blast. I've had too much to drink." It rolled the short distance to stop near where she sat. The monk let out a hearty chuckle, then leaned down to pick up the stick. Kerala's narrowed gaze followed his movements. Instincts screamed that something was wrong.
"Didn't you just have the one?" she asked him, as Syreena also peered at the elf.
The white-haired elf just smiled at her from his knelt position, and then Kerala felt something thunk gently against her hoof. Kex'ti stood himself back up. "My elven fortitude must be failing me." Now he had even Lilliana's attention, who glanced back from where she stood with Darethy. The monk coughed and pretended to swoon, winking slyly at Syreena. The undead merely watched Kex'ti curiously and suspiciously.
Tahzani folded his arms and cocked a brow. "Ain't part a da monk trainin' gettin' shitfaced a bit? Learn ta fight while limp?"
Kex'ti chuckled at Tahzani. "In some sects, that is so. Syreena, would you fancy a bit of sport?" He leaned against his staff, smirking.
"What kind of sport...?"
Kerala shifted her hooves, now that all the eyes were back on the monk where he stood. "A challenge, of sorts."
"Uh huh.... Doesh it involve killing elves?"
Lilliana turned around, running back to the group, "Kex'ti, me first!!!!!"
Kex'ti suddenly assumes a peculiarly gruff manner. "I do be serious in being my intent to do be drinking a contest." The monk shuttered an eye. Kerala recognized an attempt to mimic the high inquisitor.
"You were gonna duel her, right? Oh, just drinking. That's stupid." Lilliana lost total interest.
"Do you be accepting my challenge?" Kex'ti continued, still winking his eye.
Kerala began to straighten out the fabric of her skirt, chewing on the ginger piece and swallowing a lot to try and ease the spiciness.
"Ain't stupid lilly das our entire business" said the troll barkeep. Lilliana was challenging Darethy to another duel, and tossed a dismissive apology backwards to the troll.
Syreena slowly grinned at Kex'ti, though still cautious. "Sure."
Kex'ti beckoned the rogue over and they stepped away a bit to an emptier section of the Cantina. "Tahzani, bring me two tankards of your strongest liquor."
The troll was looking at Kerala though, pale and chewing on the ginger. He was apparently concerned. "Jah okay Ker?" She nodded to him as the goblin wench yelled that she had it. "Two tankahds... Okay Bay" Kex'ti tossed a glance at the druid.
Shaelie drew a knee up and looped her arms around it, eying Syreena and Kex'ti. "What doesh the winner get?" the rogue was asking.
"Hmm. I'll give you my staff if I lose. If I win, I keep only my dignity."
Kerala glanced down at the folds of her dress, where she'd managed to pick up the strange something at her hooves. It was a smooth glass vial, cool to the touch. Taurahe symbols on it read "calm waters". The druid lifted her gaze to watch Kex'ti and Syreena, her fingers closing around the vial.
"Uh huh." Syreena said. "All right."
The undead minstrel cleared his throat and began to play an upbeat, jig-worthy tune dedicated to the Shadowblade. " ♪Near Starbreeze Town in the county down One morning last July!♪ Down a boreen green came a sweet colleen♪ And she smiled as she passed me by.♪"
Kex'ti threw his staff to the ground, then raised his tankard with a smirk. He paused. "Hmm." Syreena raised her tankard up as well. "Bayonii or Tahzani... Could you have more drinks on hand? I trust Syreena's fortitude."
Kerala slipped the vial into her pocket. She was very curious now what Kex'ti was up to.
"Tought jah had 'em Bay?" the troll said. He set himself up to resupply the dueling drinkers.
Kex'ti made a bottoms up gesture to Syreena, but his eyes flicked to Kerala as he did it. The druid eyed him up and down. Then, the two began their contest, the monk calling out after each mug was downed. "One! Two!" They both counted three. "Four... Five." Syreena started squinting. "Shix. ...hic!" Then, the rogue toppled over.
"....Aaaand it begins." The troll barkeep said. His mop bucket was ready, and he began to work. A table blocked Kerala's view, but Syreena must have gotten sick. She was glad that she could not see. She chewed the ginger.
"Oof. ...hic! Well fought Shyreena." And then, Kex'ti kept going. "But, sheven."
"Ugh," the Shadowblade groaned.
"It'sh a shhame for you that I am a monk. And have many meansh of calming my shtomach... Eight." The monk was actually smirking, even as he swayed. Kerala watched the two, a hand on her belly.
"You already won. Now you're just shhowing off." The ignorant annoying goblin went up to her and tugged gently. He almost pulled her back over, she was so woozy.
"Nine." Kerala cocked her head at Kex'ti, realizing at last what he was doing. As far as she could tell, he wasn't using any of the monkish abilities he'd mentioned. He was putting on a demonstration for her benefit. "Oh. I shcarecely noticed. Would you like me to detoxify you?"
"No." Syreena hiccuped. The minstrel whistled gaily as he pranced about with lute in hand, spinning around the various customers.
Kex'ti smirked slyly at Syreena still. "Well enough. ...hic!" He glanced to Kerala, and if her eyes were correct, actually winked. Then he promptly fell to his ass reaching for his staff.
Syreena drank some coffee Kizrax gave her. She openly snickered at Kex'ti. The elf huntress supplicant watched, her eyes suspicious.
Kerala stood and walked over to the fallen monk. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh, then noticed someone he knew and waved at them from his position on the floor. The druid silently offered a hand to help the monk to his feet.
Kex'ti waved her off. "You have better thingsh to worry about than touching an outcast ash myself." He smiled, and she did the opposite.
Kizrax looked over at Kerala "See what happens when you're nice? People are mean to you."
Syreena peered at Kex'ti over the top of her coffee cup, still squinting. "You're strange, you know that?"
Kerala held her hand in place. "Don't be dumb," she told the elf. Kex'ti winked slyly at Syreena, then allowed the tauren to help him to his feet...but stumbled against her. She twisted, easily holding him up, but so that he wasn't against her stomach.
"It numbs your shtomach and taste buds." came his whisper. "Oooh. I'm shorry." Kex'ti said louder. The monk coughed into Kerala's clothing. She eyed him another long moment, then, admonished him not to be sick on her, not knowing what else to say. Subterfuge was not something she excelled at.
Kerala returned to her seat. Kex'ti went on to greet the friend he'd seen, then mingle with other people. The minstrel, now with a crowd to pander to, was actively engaging their attentions, dancing and getting in their way as he played. Some of the Grims came and went as the battlemasters called them away. It was as they were returning from a scirmish that she heard Lupinum loudly declare that it wasn't a Cantina unless someone was puking.
He was too close. Kerala took one look at Lupinum as he bent over hurling, then jumped up suddenly in a run. She saw it and worse, she had smelled it. Her gut rebelled. She reached the other side of the wall before the contractions of her middle reached their peak, and her stomach emptied. She endured it, then coughed and was done. Rice pudding was perhaps the easiest thing she'd ever uneaten.
"Are you well?" came his question behind her.
Kerala straightened and turned to look at Kex'ti. "I'm fine. Just Lupinum... when he... I'm fine."
"How much more do you need to do before it's over?"
It was a good question. She briefly considered it, realistically. "Inquisition is tomorrow... but I'm not ready." The monk looked at her. "I'm not going."
"Why?"
"I need more time. I might get in trouble.... but it's better than failing." Then, because they were alone here "I see what you are doing, monk. Be careful."
Kex'ti taps his staff. "I am worried about you. You are the one who should be careful." He dipped his head at her, then turned and walked away.
Kerala reentered the Cantina a moment later, and assured Bayonnii that she was okay. The elf monk left with the Grim when they next went to battle, to heal them. It seemed odd, to her. Eventually, people began noticing the late hour, and slowly filtered out of the bar. They disappeared even quicker when the dark sky overhead began to let loose a slow drizzle. Kex'ti was one of the last to leave, after talking with the two bartenders about a supply line. She waved goodbye to him.
She was about to leave herself when a short-haired elf woman approached her. She offered Kerala a mug. "Always good to see an ally nearby." she said by way of a greeting.
The druid had a pretty good memory for faces, and this one was foreign to her, even considering the fact that elves tended toward uniformity. She shrugged and accepted the drink with a nod of thanks. "Do I know you?"
"Maybe not me. But maybe an associate of mine." Kerala tilted the mug to her lips, and after holding the first sip in her mouth for a moment, determined that it was not poisoned. She eyed the mug. Something was in the bottom of it, and she drank the rest. It took her a moment to read it, but a note in the bottom of the mug that said 'We have your back.' The druid raised her dark eyes to look closer at Escala. "Some amoungst us still consider the Horns to be family."
Kerala licks the bottom of the mug. Her tongue scooped out the wet note, and she swallowed it. "That drink actually wasn't bad," she commented, as if she had been savoring the taste.
"It's one of my favorites."
"Who is your friend?"
"Someone who should probably remain unnamed for now. But my boss has a habit of keeping an eye on her... and people she considers family." Kerala blinked, and sighed at all of the subtlety going on lately. The elf smiled at her, reading the expression. "I'm sorry. My boss is a man named Naheal. I had thought you met him?"
Kerala thought of Breygrah. "Oh... if you mean who I think you mean, she doesn't consider me family. I do know Naheal."
"She's stubborn. But she'll come around."
The druid shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I'm just happy she's found friends in you folks."
"How are you, Miss Windchaser?"
Kerala sank back down into her seat, not surprised that the elf knew her name. She deliberately did not ask the elf for hers. "I'll be fine." She snorted then, because she realized she sounded just like Breygrah, who never really was fine.
"You needn't lie to me, Miss Windchaser. Despite the subtlety, I often deal in truths rather than lies."
Kerala glared at the woman. "I have more flaws than most, but dishonesty is not one of them. To clarify- I'm fine, and I will be... for a week...."
"What happens in a week?"
The next inquisition. "If you you see me again on Tuesday, it'll mean I'm still fine. If not, then I'm not. But I never lie."
"Ah, I see. I detected the omission and suspected a lie. My apologies."
"I know my limits much better than your friend does." Kerala meant Breygrah, but the elf misunderstood and thought the comment referred to her boss Naheal.
"It's true. He doesn't know you well. But he wouldn't offer his help if he didn't care."
Kerala scowled. "It's funny how everyone thinks I will fail, including people who claim to be friends."
"I believe he's more concerned with the debt itself. And the future -when- you succeed."
There it was. "Ah. Whether I will choose to remain a Grim or not."
"He and I spoke at length on it."
"Oh?"
"We believe that you're not going to leave the Grim until your debt is paid in full. For the casualty they sustained? However, how long that is isn't known to us."
Kerala confirmed with a nod. ""They are owed a Supplicant. Inquisition is 3 trials. I was under the impression each had a month's time to complete... but my first one is being rushed, so... For Konro's death, yes."
"I'm not completely up-to-date on the Grim's inner workings. Awatu's quite a bit different from their... leader a little over seven years ago. He seems... organized rather than a psychotic killer." Kerala shrugged and the elf continued. "I wonder... if you were to cease being a supplicant, would that release you from the debt?"
"Yes. It is why they hate me, I think. They know I am not passing the trials to become one of them, but only to satisfy the debt." Kerala smirked slyly at Escala. "And why they are making it very difficult."
"Clearly they've never had a true Horn at their side." the elf smirked back. Kerala shrugged again, then, non-commital. "We have friends amoungst the Grim, truth be told. Having another wouldn't be a bad thing. But, we will value your freedom to choose your path above all else. If you choose to walk it alone when your trials are complete, we will respect that as well as if you were to ask for assistance."
The arrogance bothered her, and Kerala snapped "I'm happy for you, because the ONLY people who ca tell me what to do are the Inquisitors, and that is strictly due to my current situation." How dare this skinny little elf talk as if Kerala were some puppet to control?
The elf took a step back, and seemed honestly sorry. "I didn't mean to upset you. Admittedly, I'm not as up-to-date on tauren culture as I'd like to be, much less who you are." She put her hand to her ear, as if she heard something. She nodded to whatever it was. "Sounds like things are starting to take a turn. I'm sorry, Miss Windchaser, but I have to be going."
Kerala just nodded to the woman. "Have a good night." The elf walked away, and she sighed, not sure what to think about all that had happened tonight.
Last edited by Kerala on Sat May 30, 2015 6:51 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Kerala's Inquisition
Kerala wasn't ready. Inquisition was tonight, but she had no intention of attending. Every other supplicant had a month. Kerala left her hearthstone in the garrison in case it could be used to track her, and disappeared for a while. She needed one more week. She'd face whatever punishment there might be when she got back.
(Kerala skipped the 3rd Inquisition meeting.)
(Kerala skipped the 3rd Inquisition meeting.)
Re: Kerala's Inquisition
Logging started on 05/25/2015 at 21:51:08.
Inzema appears and pokes Kerala.
Inzema kneels before you.
Kerala wakes with a start at the poke, and immediately throws a fist at whoever is attacking her.
Inzema dodges the fist easily and smiles at Kerala. "Woah, it'sss only me."
Kerala blinks at Inzema, then glances around for other Grim.
[Inzema]: Jussst me.
[Kerala]: How did you find me?
Inzema smiles in a way that he thinks is reassuring. "I'm good at finding thingsss."
Kerala relaxes from combat-readiness and sits up... somewhat sluggishly.
[Inzema]: Ssso, yeah. I heard a couple of thingss that pisssed me off and I wanted to run an idea by you.
[Kerala]: What time is it? Is the meeting over?
Inzema shifts, as if maybe he is uncomfortable. "Yeah, it'sss over. But that ain't important. In a week and change there'sss the monthly meeting. They want you to complete your trial then. I heard your trial was to eat Food heartsss and alssso heard you were a veggie."
Kerala looks at Inzema, listening.
[Kerala]: Food...? Oh alliance. Yes, both of those things are true.
You nod at Inzema.
Inzema nods, seeming to have already know that and only needing confirmation. "I have two waysss that would make that easier for you.
Kerala eyes Inzema distrustfully... though of any Grim, he's probably the one she distrusts the least.
[Kerala]: Why would you help me?
Inzema proceeds, waving the question away as if it wasn't improtant. "The firssst way isss I could appear to be you and eat the heartsss for you. The sssecond way isss a bit more risssky but I could maybe do a short term dossse of the thing that made me me."
Kerala frowns.
[Kerala]: You want me to cheat.
[Inzema]: No, well maybe, but they're cheating, too. Ten gold sssaysss that Lilly gave you thisss trial to make you quit because she knowsss you're a veggie. A further ten gold sssaysss she'sss turning people againssst you because you are you.
Inzema kneels before you.
[Kerala]: Even if she does, she's sorely misjudged me. Khorvis gave me this task, not Lilliana. She just altered the terms of it.
Kerala cocks her head at Inzema. "Are they mad I was not there tonight?"
Inzema shrugs. "Don't matter. They sssaid you gotta complete your thingy Friday after nekssst. But I'm ssstill thinkin' that Lilly an' Gaz're out for your blood for sssome ssstupid reason. Gaz only because Lilly is."
[Kerala]: The goblin death knight? They don't worry me.
[Inzema]: You don't care it'sss all bullshit grudgesss and they're cheating you?
[Kerala]: They may hurt me, yes, but I do not think they would kill me and risk Awatu's wrath. As for the inquisition... of course it bothers me. Lilliana tried deliberately to make me fail. But though she was not punished for it, Khorvis assigned another task. That is the best I could hope for, I think. This is not the first time I have not been popular, dead man.
Kerala eyes Inzema. "Nor is it the first time I have been offered assistance such as yours. Even if you don't plan to betray me and reveal the deception to the Grim, I will not cheat."
Kerala places a hand below her belly button suddenly, and moves to scoot off the ledge.
[Inzema]: If you wish. Don't go ekssspecting me not to cheat for you, though.
[Kerala]: One moment.
[Inzema]: I'mma take off. Sssisss is plotting to kill a sssupplicant. and I gotta ssstop her. You know how sssiblingsss can be.,
Kerala holds her bladder then. "Alright. Don't interfere."
[Inzema]: Maybe
Kerala frowns.
Inzema taps his forehead in a salute to Kerala before disappearing.
* * *
You look at Tazzuk.
Tazzuk grumbles, he actually looks downtrodden as he drinks from the a massive mug.
[Tazzuk]: S'you...
[Kerala]: Rough day?
Lupinum sniffs you.
[Tazzuk]: Found out onna me friendsh died. Whatchu tink? ...hic!
Kerala shrugs. "People die." She doesn't look sad or sympathetic at all.
[Tazzuk]: Dey do...don mean I can't go an' find who did it and bring them pain witout end!
Tazzuk mumbles, "Chief ain't gonna like dis..."
[Kerala]: Chief?
[Tazzuk]: Cob. Not lookin' foward ta tellin' him....or Whaz'sh brudda. ...hic!
Kerala smirks slightly, since Tazzuk's only commander now should theoretically be Awatu.
[Tazzuk]: Rekk'sh gonna blow a lotta shhit up when he findsh out.
You look at Gazreeth.
Tazzuk looks at Gazreeth. Tazzuk nods at Gazreeth.
[Gazreeth]: Tazzuk, a small group from my Garrison will be dropping Whazat off at your garrison. I took the time to play him in a coffin. I didn't seal it, in case you needed to prepare him differently.
[Tazzuk]: My base be tha Grim'sh base. Shhould shend him ta Broden'ar.
[Gazreeth]: I will send them the new location.
Tazzuk pulls out a map. "It be where da Deadshots be.." Tazzuk points to a location tucked away in Nagrand's hills. "Righ'here"
Kerala stays quiet while the two talk.
Gazreeth pulls out a goblin communication device and sends a typed message with the new location.
[Syreena]: Location of what?
[Tazzuk]: Ya got my tanks, Gazreet.
You look at Syreena.
Syreena peers at you searchingly.
[Tazzuk]: He be gettin' a statue long wif tha otha dead.
[Syreena]: You....were missed tonight.
[Gazreeth]: I wish I was able to bring him back for the Deadshots.
Syreena grins at you wickedly.
[Tazzuk]: Did tha once wif Bramm....not turn out sho good. ...hic!
[Gazreeth]: No Grim should die alone.
Tazzuk shakes his head. "Dat we agree on...I be buyin' ya drinks tonight."
Kerala cocks her head at Syreena, but says nothing.
Gazreeth pours a small amount on the ground "Peace through annihilation, for Whazat!"
[Tazzuk]: Aye fo' Whaz! We gonna drown hish grave in Morinth'sh blood! ...hic!
Gazreeth looks at Kerala. "Show some respect for the fallen." Raises his glass.
Gallid greets Lupinum warmly.
[Kerala]: Why?
[Gazreeth]: He was family.
[Tazzuk]: Heh. ...hic! Whaz shaw tha Grim more like the bes' bargain he made!
Tazzuk laughs at you.
[Tazzuk]: Tha lil' shlimeball.
Syreena winks slyly at Lupinum. Syreena eyes Gallid up and down.
Tazzuk chuckles again, and he is actually smiling.
Lupinum smiles at Gazreeth.
[Gazreeth]: Unfortunatly I never had the chance to battle with him.
Kerala looks at Tazzuk, and doesn't say anything- especially to honor some stranger she never met.
[Gazreeth]: Wish I could tell Whazat shtories. ...hic!
[Syreena]: You...
Syreena points at Gallid.
[Syreena]: Where's your tabard?
[Tazzuk]: Fast-talkin' lil' shhrew he wuz. ...hic!
[Gallid]: Me?
Lupinum smirks slyly at Syreena.
[Gallid]: I was unaware that I must wear the tabard.
Syreena shrugs at Gallid. Who knows?
Drinn walks in slowly, whipping the blood on her hands off on her pants.
[Syreena]: It's not a requirement, though most new Grims are eager to wear the colors....show their dedication...
Syreena grins wickedly at Gallid.
Gazreeth looks at Gallid. "Ever hear the saying "one of these things isn't like the others?""
Tazzuk lets out a loud belch.
You eye Syreena up and down.
Drinn teeters back and forth while singing, "I"m not new!"
[Syreena]: Kerala doesn't wear one because she isn't really a Grim. She's just pretending, to settle a debt.
[Gallid]: i have not worn a guild tabard unless it was earned, and i do not feel that i have earned it yet.
[Syreena]: And Lulu doesn't, because....well, he thinks his dress is too pretty.
Syreena nods at Gallid.
[Syreena]: I see.
[Drinn]: So she gets to pretend the be awesome.. and the best..to settle a debt?
[Kerala]: I'm not in my armor, so I didn't think I should. I have it here in my bag...
[Tazzuk]: Bettah ta shtain tha colors wit Ally blood than beer!
Tazzuk laughs at Gazreeth.
Gazreeth cackles maniacally at Tazzuk.
Gallid salutes Syreena with respect.
Kerala sighs, and digs in her bag for a moment. She locates the tabard and slips it over her head. She doesn't tie it, though
[Kerala]: There. Happy?
Lupinum burps.
[Lupinum]: Sy! I wear one!
[Gazreeth]: It looks a little loose.
Lupinum holds up his torn, blood stained tabard proudly.
[Tazzuk]: Thassh wut he shaid! ...hic!
Tazzuk laughs.
Drinn blinks, looking at Kerala. Her eyes narrow a moment while she thinks about flicking the Tauren's snotty snout.
Lupinum looks at Kerala.
Syreena looks at Lupinum.
[Syreena]: Oh, so you do. I couldn't see it in all those white frills.
Syreena winks slyly at Lupinum.
Tazzuk is a happy drunk...quite the 180 attitude change for the shadow hunter.
Lupinum waves his hands dismissively at Syreena.
Syreena cackles maniacally at Lupinum.
Lupinum is giving Kerala a look that could say 'Take that tabard off, it was my best friend's." but, only if one looked closely.
Kerala doesn't notice, cause she can't see Lupinum at all wherever he is.
[more talk about Whazat, lots of drinking]
Gazreeth slams his glass on the table ale spilling out of it. "There is a deciever amongst us! Mark my words they shall be revealed for who they are!"
Kerala finds a seat on a barrel, and digs in her bags for a skin of something to drink. She uncorks it and drinks (and doesn't spill any for Whazat).
[Gazreeth]: These are tough timesh comrades! Grimsh are dying, the mad are everywhere. EVERYWHER!
Kerala drinks her drink.
[Tazzuk]: COb shhoulda lef' shomeone bettah in charge...like me! Hell, I'd even take Brey!
Tazzuk lets out a loud belch.
[Gazreeth]: I have heard many talesh of "Brey" what'sh the big deal?
[Tazzuk]: Shhe be a warrior! ...hic!
Kerala eyes the two, listening.
[Gazreeth]: Sheemsh to be hated by most Grim.
[Tazzuk]: Cuz shhe killed this shupplicant o dersh in a... ...hic! uhh... ...hic! orc word.... ...hic maggim'ra
[Kerala]: Mak'gora
[Tazzuk]: Ya dat!
[Gazreeth]: What'sh that?
[Tazzuk]: Mad cow named Kofblo!
[Kerala]: KONRO
[Tazzuk]: Wuteva. ...hic! He needed puttin' down an' he got put down.
[Gazreeth]: Sho what'sh a mogwai?
[Tazzuk]: A mak'agro be a duel o' honor!
You nod.
[Tazzuk]: To tha death!
[Kerala]: It's supposed to be.
[Gazreeth]: Sho Brey killsh Kon in a Mogwai, Why ish thish a problem? ...hic!
[Kerala]: Shu'halo have no business playing at being orcs.
[Tazzuk]: Oh yeah, remember las' time tha happened ya lost tha elder tauren. ...hic!
Lupinum looks over to Kerala. These snippets of conversation are all he needs to know what she's talking about.
[Gazreeth]: He got into a fight and lost, doesn't shound like a real problem. Unlessh he wash ambushed or shomething.
[Tazzuk]: Nope. ...hic! Kondo wuz a traitah too! Xek looked inta his shoul, found he took thish worgey thingy innim!
[Kerala]: He was crippled and possessed, and not of sound mind. She murdered him. The Grim only care on principal.
[Tazzuk]: Xek shaw him acceptin' tha shpirit!
Gazreeth looks at Kerala. "Would it be murder if you killed me before I turned my back on Arthas?"
[Kerala]: Killing another person is always murder.
[Tazzuk]: Diffrence bein' iffin they deserve it. Shhoulda shmashed hish shtupid soul when we had tha chance. ...hic!
Lupinum looks at you.
Kerala lunges off her barrel fist-first at Tazzuk's face!
Tazzuk , in his inebriated state, offers no defense and topples backward. Tazzuk lies down. Tazzuk stands up and cracks his neck.
[Kerala]: You SHUT UP
[Tazzuk]: Wut da hell bein' yer problem?!
[Kerala]: Konro did bad things, yes, but what were you all doing instead of helping him? Instead of guiding him? Laughing! Goading him on!
[Tazzuk]: I'dda guided him ta early grave fore he went an' sold everyone out! ...hic!
[Gazreeth]: Maybe I missed something, but are you saying they shhould have told him not to accept a duel to the death?
[Tazzuk]: Fore he killed Bramm in cold blood! He be little bettah dan dose Twilight lunatics!
[Kerala]: It only got that far at all because you did NOTHING. *turns to Gazreeth* That's right. No stupid orc duel.
[Gazreeth]: Couldn't he have shaid no?
[Kerala]: He did say no! And then that wolf possessing him took over.
Gazreeth rubs his head.
[Tazzuk]: Which he took on, eitha knowin' er too stupid ta realize tha would happen!
[Gazreeth]: Sho shhould Brey have not defended?
[Kerala]: They shouldn't have fought at all! I was so close to fixing it....
[Tazzuk]: Oh right, fixin' it till he'd fuck up an' go afta Brey again. Ya can't fix stupid!
[Kerala]: Maybe if the Grim weren't too busy being cannibals, they'd have actually had the most loyal member ever. Instead, they threw him away!
[Tazzuk]: Like tha trash he wuz!
[Gazreeth]: I'll have you know I have never ate a Goblin or Forsaken before.
[Tazzuk]: An' cannibals be eatin' deir own kind.
You glare angrily at Tazzuk.
[Kerala]: If you eat the meat of a person, a thinking person, you are a cannibal, regardless of race. The lowest of low.
[Tazzuk]: Alliance not people. Dey be pests.
[Kerala]: No evil person believes they are the evil one.
[Tazzuk]: Oh den, tell oh wise sage...
Tazzuk says this whilst dripping with sarcasm.
[Tazzuk]: Wutchu gonna be when Khor makes ya eat dem Ally hearts?
Kerala stares at Tazzuk a long moment. Her answer is quiet and serious. "A cannibal. The lowest of low."
[Tazzuk]: Well den...welcome ta tha bottom rung.
Tazzuk laughs at you.
Kerala doesn't laugh... but the conversation has been off the subject of Konro long enough that her anger has diffused some.
Gazreeth yawns sleepily.
[Tazzuk]: I gotta body ta bury....can't wait ta see ya eat up.
Tazzuk pats the top of Gazreeth's head and smiles at him.
[Kerala]: [Magram Low Common] Barad ergin se lon
[Gazreeth]: Time for me to go *Looks at Kerala* Be a Grim because you want. Not because you feel like you should. If you don't want it you will never repay the debt you think you have.
Lupinum blinks at you.
You look around.
Lupinum lays a brief hand on Kerala's arm before disappearing.
You look at Lupinum.
Lupinum blinks at you.
You sigh at Lupinum.
[Lupinum]: What.
[Kerala]: Nothing.
[Lupinum]: Pff.
[Kerala]: I punched Tazzuk...
[Lupinum]: I saw. That was something.
Lupinum chuckles.
[Kerala]: He deserved it.
[Lupinum]: Oh yeah? Why?
[Kerala]: He was spouting lies.... about Konro.
Kerala gulps a lot of liquid from her drinking skin.You look at Lupinum.
[Kerala]: How much trouble does a supplicant get in for skipping Inquisition?
Lupinum shrugs. Who knows?
Kex'ti walks into the tavern. Kex'ti waves at you.
You greet Kex'ti warmly.
[Kex'ti]: Hoi, Kerala.
Kex'ti puts his sword away and walks in with his staff. Kex'ti smiles at you.
[Kex'ti]: How do you fare.
Kex'ti pointedly ignores Lupinum.
[Kerala]: Hello there
Lupinum hacks loudly, and coughs a slimy lump of black ichor into the floor in front of Kex'ti.
Kex'ti returns the cough with one of his own. He wipes his mouth on his gauntlet. Kex'ti watches Lupinum leave.
[Kerala]: You are a very poor actor, you know.
Kex'ti smirks slyly at you.
[Kex'ti]: I don't have to be a good one. Just a distraction. Of that I am quite skilled.
Kex'ti chuckles at you. Kex'ti takes a seat.
[Kerala]: I suppose.
Kex'ti peers around the tavern for prying eyes. Kex'ti looks at you.
[Kex'ti]: Did it help, at least?
[Kerala]: I did not go, tonight. There was no way I could have done it. If Inzema did not lie, Lilliana changed it again, and I have two weeks.
Kex'ti rubs his beard.
[Kex'ti]: What happened?
Kex'ti sets out a set out a pot and lights a bit of charcoal beneath it.
[Kerala]: Apparently there is a big meeting planned. She thinks, I think, that having Awatu watch will have some effect.
Kex'ti sighs at you.
[Kex'ti]: My thought that this is designed to be one large prank at your expense only gains more solid footing with each passing mention.
Kerala cocks her head.
Kex'ti pokes at the meal.
[Kerala]: The task is serious enough, given by Khorvis. The rest... you are probably right. Lilliana thinks to demoralize me, make things difficult.
[Kex'ti]: I don't envy you. It is a disgusting, vile thing they have tasked you with.
Kerala looks at Kex'ti... but then says nothing to that.
[Kex'ti]: I know this is a bit of a tall request, but these are made with ginger and udoroot. I'm aware that your...
Kex'ti rubs his beard.
[Kex'ti]: Appetite may be somewhat diminished. But this will help with any nausea. They remain fresh for quite a while, if you need to sneak a bite of...more palatable things.
Kex'ti slides some hard-crusted objects out of the pot into a small, square bowl. He puts a ceramic lid and hands it towards Kerala. Kex'ti smiles at you.
[Kex'ti]: They're designed to be bite sized.
Kerala eyes the food with some interest.
[Kex'ti]: No meat. Of course.
You smile at Kex'ti.
[Kerala]: I wonder... now that I have two weeks, if I should not test my tolerance.
[Kex'ti]: The ginger quells nausea, and the various other ingredients provide adequate nutrition. The udoroot will quell appetite temporarily.
Kex'ti emphasizes the last part.
[Kex'ti]: If...the task remains the same, eating that for a few days prior should aid.
Kex'ti frowns, sadly.
[Kex'ti]: I'm sorry.
Kerala eyes Kex'ti.
Kex'ti takes a pull from his jug.
[Kerala]: I have told you what I am to do, and your reaction was expected. Yet, here you are again. Why?
Kex'ti rubs his eyes.
[Kex'ti]: Your fortitude and willpower are far greater than mine. I simply wish to help you see this task through. The sooner your debt is repaid, the sooner your conscience is clean, the sooner you may act in a manner more befitting your integrity. If you will not turn away from this path, the least I can do is help keep you from drowning within it.
Kex'ti looks at you.
[Kex'ti]: Kerala, I have done many regrettable things. I would help you avoid the same mistakes.
[Kerala]: You are too late, monk. I regret many things. This is not one of them.
Kex'ti looks at you.
[Kex'ti]: Why?
Kex'ti says, his lips hiding a smirk.
[Kerala]: Nature calls, I'm sorry I must go for a while. You do not need to know. It's enough, knowing how you feel about this task. You don't need a further reason to hate me.
[Kex'ti]: I do not hate you.
[Kerala]: I'd like to keep it that way.
[Kex'ti]: I simply wish to help. If you do not see things from my perspective, at least accept my aid to your own ends. There is too much goodness in you to stand idly by.
Kex'ti smiles at you.
[Kerala]: ...Thank you.
[Kex'ti]: Whether or not you see that is your choice.
Kex'ti bows before you.
[Kex'ti]: Sinu a'manore, friend.
Kerala leaves.
Inzema appears and pokes Kerala.
Inzema kneels before you.
Kerala wakes with a start at the poke, and immediately throws a fist at whoever is attacking her.
Inzema dodges the fist easily and smiles at Kerala. "Woah, it'sss only me."
Kerala blinks at Inzema, then glances around for other Grim.
[Inzema]: Jussst me.
[Kerala]: How did you find me?
Inzema smiles in a way that he thinks is reassuring. "I'm good at finding thingsss."
Kerala relaxes from combat-readiness and sits up... somewhat sluggishly.
[Inzema]: Ssso, yeah. I heard a couple of thingss that pisssed me off and I wanted to run an idea by you.
[Kerala]: What time is it? Is the meeting over?
Inzema shifts, as if maybe he is uncomfortable. "Yeah, it'sss over. But that ain't important. In a week and change there'sss the monthly meeting. They want you to complete your trial then. I heard your trial was to eat Food heartsss and alssso heard you were a veggie."
Kerala looks at Inzema, listening.
[Kerala]: Food...? Oh alliance. Yes, both of those things are true.
You nod at Inzema.
Inzema nods, seeming to have already know that and only needing confirmation. "I have two waysss that would make that easier for you.
Kerala eyes Inzema distrustfully... though of any Grim, he's probably the one she distrusts the least.
[Kerala]: Why would you help me?
Inzema proceeds, waving the question away as if it wasn't improtant. "The firssst way isss I could appear to be you and eat the heartsss for you. The sssecond way isss a bit more risssky but I could maybe do a short term dossse of the thing that made me me."
Kerala frowns.
[Kerala]: You want me to cheat.
[Inzema]: No, well maybe, but they're cheating, too. Ten gold sssaysss that Lilly gave you thisss trial to make you quit because she knowsss you're a veggie. A further ten gold sssaysss she'sss turning people againssst you because you are you.
Inzema kneels before you.
[Kerala]: Even if she does, she's sorely misjudged me. Khorvis gave me this task, not Lilliana. She just altered the terms of it.
Kerala cocks her head at Inzema. "Are they mad I was not there tonight?"
Inzema shrugs. "Don't matter. They sssaid you gotta complete your thingy Friday after nekssst. But I'm ssstill thinkin' that Lilly an' Gaz're out for your blood for sssome ssstupid reason. Gaz only because Lilly is."
[Kerala]: The goblin death knight? They don't worry me.
[Inzema]: You don't care it'sss all bullshit grudgesss and they're cheating you?
[Kerala]: They may hurt me, yes, but I do not think they would kill me and risk Awatu's wrath. As for the inquisition... of course it bothers me. Lilliana tried deliberately to make me fail. But though she was not punished for it, Khorvis assigned another task. That is the best I could hope for, I think. This is not the first time I have not been popular, dead man.
Kerala eyes Inzema. "Nor is it the first time I have been offered assistance such as yours. Even if you don't plan to betray me and reveal the deception to the Grim, I will not cheat."
Kerala places a hand below her belly button suddenly, and moves to scoot off the ledge.
[Inzema]: If you wish. Don't go ekssspecting me not to cheat for you, though.
[Kerala]: One moment.
[Inzema]: I'mma take off. Sssisss is plotting to kill a sssupplicant. and I gotta ssstop her. You know how sssiblingsss can be.,
Kerala holds her bladder then. "Alright. Don't interfere."
[Inzema]: Maybe
Kerala frowns.
Inzema taps his forehead in a salute to Kerala before disappearing.
* * *
You look at Tazzuk.
Tazzuk grumbles, he actually looks downtrodden as he drinks from the a massive mug.
[Tazzuk]: S'you...
[Kerala]: Rough day?
Lupinum sniffs you.
[Tazzuk]: Found out onna me friendsh died. Whatchu tink? ...hic!
Kerala shrugs. "People die." She doesn't look sad or sympathetic at all.
[Tazzuk]: Dey do...don mean I can't go an' find who did it and bring them pain witout end!
Tazzuk mumbles, "Chief ain't gonna like dis..."
[Kerala]: Chief?
[Tazzuk]: Cob. Not lookin' foward ta tellin' him....or Whaz'sh brudda. ...hic!
Kerala smirks slightly, since Tazzuk's only commander now should theoretically be Awatu.
[Tazzuk]: Rekk'sh gonna blow a lotta shhit up when he findsh out.
You look at Gazreeth.
Tazzuk looks at Gazreeth. Tazzuk nods at Gazreeth.
[Gazreeth]: Tazzuk, a small group from my Garrison will be dropping Whazat off at your garrison. I took the time to play him in a coffin. I didn't seal it, in case you needed to prepare him differently.
[Tazzuk]: My base be tha Grim'sh base. Shhould shend him ta Broden'ar.
[Gazreeth]: I will send them the new location.
Tazzuk pulls out a map. "It be where da Deadshots be.." Tazzuk points to a location tucked away in Nagrand's hills. "Righ'here"
Kerala stays quiet while the two talk.
Gazreeth pulls out a goblin communication device and sends a typed message with the new location.
[Syreena]: Location of what?
[Tazzuk]: Ya got my tanks, Gazreet.
You look at Syreena.
Syreena peers at you searchingly.
[Tazzuk]: He be gettin' a statue long wif tha otha dead.
[Syreena]: You....were missed tonight.
[Gazreeth]: I wish I was able to bring him back for the Deadshots.
Syreena grins at you wickedly.
[Tazzuk]: Did tha once wif Bramm....not turn out sho good. ...hic!
[Gazreeth]: No Grim should die alone.
Tazzuk shakes his head. "Dat we agree on...I be buyin' ya drinks tonight."
Kerala cocks her head at Syreena, but says nothing.
Gazreeth pours a small amount on the ground "Peace through annihilation, for Whazat!"
[Tazzuk]: Aye fo' Whaz! We gonna drown hish grave in Morinth'sh blood! ...hic!
Gazreeth looks at Kerala. "Show some respect for the fallen." Raises his glass.
Gallid greets Lupinum warmly.
[Kerala]: Why?
[Gazreeth]: He was family.
[Tazzuk]: Heh. ...hic! Whaz shaw tha Grim more like the bes' bargain he made!
Tazzuk laughs at you.
[Tazzuk]: Tha lil' shlimeball.
Syreena winks slyly at Lupinum. Syreena eyes Gallid up and down.
Tazzuk chuckles again, and he is actually smiling.
Lupinum smiles at Gazreeth.
[Gazreeth]: Unfortunatly I never had the chance to battle with him.
Kerala looks at Tazzuk, and doesn't say anything- especially to honor some stranger she never met.
[Gazreeth]: Wish I could tell Whazat shtories. ...hic!
[Syreena]: You...
Syreena points at Gallid.
[Syreena]: Where's your tabard?
[Tazzuk]: Fast-talkin' lil' shhrew he wuz. ...hic!
[Gallid]: Me?
Lupinum smirks slyly at Syreena.
[Gallid]: I was unaware that I must wear the tabard.
Syreena shrugs at Gallid. Who knows?
Drinn walks in slowly, whipping the blood on her hands off on her pants.
[Syreena]: It's not a requirement, though most new Grims are eager to wear the colors....show their dedication...
Syreena grins wickedly at Gallid.
Gazreeth looks at Gallid. "Ever hear the saying "one of these things isn't like the others?""
Tazzuk lets out a loud belch.
You eye Syreena up and down.
Drinn teeters back and forth while singing, "I"m not new!"
[Syreena]: Kerala doesn't wear one because she isn't really a Grim. She's just pretending, to settle a debt.
[Gallid]: i have not worn a guild tabard unless it was earned, and i do not feel that i have earned it yet.
[Syreena]: And Lulu doesn't, because....well, he thinks his dress is too pretty.
Syreena nods at Gallid.
[Syreena]: I see.
[Drinn]: So she gets to pretend the be awesome.. and the best..to settle a debt?
[Kerala]: I'm not in my armor, so I didn't think I should. I have it here in my bag...
[Tazzuk]: Bettah ta shtain tha colors wit Ally blood than beer!
Tazzuk laughs at Gazreeth.
Gazreeth cackles maniacally at Tazzuk.
Gallid salutes Syreena with respect.
Kerala sighs, and digs in her bag for a moment. She locates the tabard and slips it over her head. She doesn't tie it, though
[Kerala]: There. Happy?
Lupinum burps.
[Lupinum]: Sy! I wear one!
[Gazreeth]: It looks a little loose.
Lupinum holds up his torn, blood stained tabard proudly.
[Tazzuk]: Thassh wut he shaid! ...hic!
Tazzuk laughs.
Drinn blinks, looking at Kerala. Her eyes narrow a moment while she thinks about flicking the Tauren's snotty snout.
Lupinum looks at Kerala.
Syreena looks at Lupinum.
[Syreena]: Oh, so you do. I couldn't see it in all those white frills.
Syreena winks slyly at Lupinum.
Tazzuk is a happy drunk...quite the 180 attitude change for the shadow hunter.
Lupinum waves his hands dismissively at Syreena.
Syreena cackles maniacally at Lupinum.
Lupinum is giving Kerala a look that could say 'Take that tabard off, it was my best friend's." but, only if one looked closely.
Kerala doesn't notice, cause she can't see Lupinum at all wherever he is.
[more talk about Whazat, lots of drinking]
Gazreeth slams his glass on the table ale spilling out of it. "There is a deciever amongst us! Mark my words they shall be revealed for who they are!"
Kerala finds a seat on a barrel, and digs in her bags for a skin of something to drink. She uncorks it and drinks (and doesn't spill any for Whazat).
[Gazreeth]: These are tough timesh comrades! Grimsh are dying, the mad are everywhere. EVERYWHER!
Kerala drinks her drink.
[Tazzuk]: COb shhoulda lef' shomeone bettah in charge...like me! Hell, I'd even take Brey!
Tazzuk lets out a loud belch.
[Gazreeth]: I have heard many talesh of "Brey" what'sh the big deal?
[Tazzuk]: Shhe be a warrior! ...hic!
Kerala eyes the two, listening.
[Gazreeth]: Sheemsh to be hated by most Grim.
[Tazzuk]: Cuz shhe killed this shupplicant o dersh in a... ...hic! uhh... ...hic! orc word.... ...hic maggim'ra
[Kerala]: Mak'gora
[Tazzuk]: Ya dat!
[Gazreeth]: What'sh that?
[Tazzuk]: Mad cow named Kofblo!
[Kerala]: KONRO
[Tazzuk]: Wuteva. ...hic! He needed puttin' down an' he got put down.
[Gazreeth]: Sho what'sh a mogwai?
[Tazzuk]: A mak'agro be a duel o' honor!
You nod.
[Tazzuk]: To tha death!
[Kerala]: It's supposed to be.
[Gazreeth]: Sho Brey killsh Kon in a Mogwai, Why ish thish a problem? ...hic!
[Kerala]: Shu'halo have no business playing at being orcs.
[Tazzuk]: Oh yeah, remember las' time tha happened ya lost tha elder tauren. ...hic!
Lupinum looks over to Kerala. These snippets of conversation are all he needs to know what she's talking about.
[Gazreeth]: He got into a fight and lost, doesn't shound like a real problem. Unlessh he wash ambushed or shomething.
[Tazzuk]: Nope. ...hic! Kondo wuz a traitah too! Xek looked inta his shoul, found he took thish worgey thingy innim!
[Kerala]: He was crippled and possessed, and not of sound mind. She murdered him. The Grim only care on principal.
[Tazzuk]: Xek shaw him acceptin' tha shpirit!
Gazreeth looks at Kerala. "Would it be murder if you killed me before I turned my back on Arthas?"
[Kerala]: Killing another person is always murder.
[Tazzuk]: Diffrence bein' iffin they deserve it. Shhoulda shmashed hish shtupid soul when we had tha chance. ...hic!
Lupinum looks at you.
Kerala lunges off her barrel fist-first at Tazzuk's face!
Tazzuk , in his inebriated state, offers no defense and topples backward. Tazzuk lies down. Tazzuk stands up and cracks his neck.
[Kerala]: You SHUT UP
[Tazzuk]: Wut da hell bein' yer problem?!
[Kerala]: Konro did bad things, yes, but what were you all doing instead of helping him? Instead of guiding him? Laughing! Goading him on!
[Tazzuk]: I'dda guided him ta early grave fore he went an' sold everyone out! ...hic!
[Gazreeth]: Maybe I missed something, but are you saying they shhould have told him not to accept a duel to the death?
[Tazzuk]: Fore he killed Bramm in cold blood! He be little bettah dan dose Twilight lunatics!
[Kerala]: It only got that far at all because you did NOTHING. *turns to Gazreeth* That's right. No stupid orc duel.
[Gazreeth]: Couldn't he have shaid no?
[Kerala]: He did say no! And then that wolf possessing him took over.
Gazreeth rubs his head.
[Tazzuk]: Which he took on, eitha knowin' er too stupid ta realize tha would happen!
[Gazreeth]: Sho shhould Brey have not defended?
[Kerala]: They shouldn't have fought at all! I was so close to fixing it....
[Tazzuk]: Oh right, fixin' it till he'd fuck up an' go afta Brey again. Ya can't fix stupid!
[Kerala]: Maybe if the Grim weren't too busy being cannibals, they'd have actually had the most loyal member ever. Instead, they threw him away!
[Tazzuk]: Like tha trash he wuz!
[Gazreeth]: I'll have you know I have never ate a Goblin or Forsaken before.
[Tazzuk]: An' cannibals be eatin' deir own kind.
You glare angrily at Tazzuk.
[Kerala]: If you eat the meat of a person, a thinking person, you are a cannibal, regardless of race. The lowest of low.
[Tazzuk]: Alliance not people. Dey be pests.
[Kerala]: No evil person believes they are the evil one.
[Tazzuk]: Oh den, tell oh wise sage...
Tazzuk says this whilst dripping with sarcasm.
[Tazzuk]: Wutchu gonna be when Khor makes ya eat dem Ally hearts?
Kerala stares at Tazzuk a long moment. Her answer is quiet and serious. "A cannibal. The lowest of low."
[Tazzuk]: Well den...welcome ta tha bottom rung.
Tazzuk laughs at you.
Kerala doesn't laugh... but the conversation has been off the subject of Konro long enough that her anger has diffused some.
Gazreeth yawns sleepily.
[Tazzuk]: I gotta body ta bury....can't wait ta see ya eat up.
Tazzuk pats the top of Gazreeth's head and smiles at him.
[Kerala]: [Magram Low Common] Barad ergin se lon
[Gazreeth]: Time for me to go *Looks at Kerala* Be a Grim because you want. Not because you feel like you should. If you don't want it you will never repay the debt you think you have.
Lupinum blinks at you.
You look around.
Lupinum lays a brief hand on Kerala's arm before disappearing.
You look at Lupinum.
Lupinum blinks at you.
You sigh at Lupinum.
[Lupinum]: What.
[Kerala]: Nothing.
[Lupinum]: Pff.
[Kerala]: I punched Tazzuk...
[Lupinum]: I saw. That was something.
Lupinum chuckles.
[Kerala]: He deserved it.
[Lupinum]: Oh yeah? Why?
[Kerala]: He was spouting lies.... about Konro.
Kerala gulps a lot of liquid from her drinking skin.You look at Lupinum.
[Kerala]: How much trouble does a supplicant get in for skipping Inquisition?
Lupinum shrugs. Who knows?
Kex'ti walks into the tavern. Kex'ti waves at you.
You greet Kex'ti warmly.
[Kex'ti]: Hoi, Kerala.
Kex'ti puts his sword away and walks in with his staff. Kex'ti smiles at you.
[Kex'ti]: How do you fare.
Kex'ti pointedly ignores Lupinum.
[Kerala]: Hello there
Lupinum hacks loudly, and coughs a slimy lump of black ichor into the floor in front of Kex'ti.
Kex'ti returns the cough with one of his own. He wipes his mouth on his gauntlet. Kex'ti watches Lupinum leave.
[Kerala]: You are a very poor actor, you know.
Kex'ti smirks slyly at you.
[Kex'ti]: I don't have to be a good one. Just a distraction. Of that I am quite skilled.
Kex'ti chuckles at you. Kex'ti takes a seat.
[Kerala]: I suppose.
Kex'ti peers around the tavern for prying eyes. Kex'ti looks at you.
[Kex'ti]: Did it help, at least?
[Kerala]: I did not go, tonight. There was no way I could have done it. If Inzema did not lie, Lilliana changed it again, and I have two weeks.
Kex'ti rubs his beard.
[Kex'ti]: What happened?
Kex'ti sets out a set out a pot and lights a bit of charcoal beneath it.
[Kerala]: Apparently there is a big meeting planned. She thinks, I think, that having Awatu watch will have some effect.
Kex'ti sighs at you.
[Kex'ti]: My thought that this is designed to be one large prank at your expense only gains more solid footing with each passing mention.
Kerala cocks her head.
Kex'ti pokes at the meal.
[Kerala]: The task is serious enough, given by Khorvis. The rest... you are probably right. Lilliana thinks to demoralize me, make things difficult.
[Kex'ti]: I don't envy you. It is a disgusting, vile thing they have tasked you with.
Kerala looks at Kex'ti... but then says nothing to that.
[Kex'ti]: I know this is a bit of a tall request, but these are made with ginger and udoroot. I'm aware that your...
Kex'ti rubs his beard.
[Kex'ti]: Appetite may be somewhat diminished. But this will help with any nausea. They remain fresh for quite a while, if you need to sneak a bite of...more palatable things.
Kex'ti slides some hard-crusted objects out of the pot into a small, square bowl. He puts a ceramic lid and hands it towards Kerala. Kex'ti smiles at you.
[Kex'ti]: They're designed to be bite sized.
Kerala eyes the food with some interest.
[Kex'ti]: No meat. Of course.
You smile at Kex'ti.
[Kerala]: I wonder... now that I have two weeks, if I should not test my tolerance.
[Kex'ti]: The ginger quells nausea, and the various other ingredients provide adequate nutrition. The udoroot will quell appetite temporarily.
Kex'ti emphasizes the last part.
[Kex'ti]: If...the task remains the same, eating that for a few days prior should aid.
Kex'ti frowns, sadly.
[Kex'ti]: I'm sorry.
Kerala eyes Kex'ti.
Kex'ti takes a pull from his jug.
[Kerala]: I have told you what I am to do, and your reaction was expected. Yet, here you are again. Why?
Kex'ti rubs his eyes.
[Kex'ti]: Your fortitude and willpower are far greater than mine. I simply wish to help you see this task through. The sooner your debt is repaid, the sooner your conscience is clean, the sooner you may act in a manner more befitting your integrity. If you will not turn away from this path, the least I can do is help keep you from drowning within it.
Kex'ti looks at you.
[Kex'ti]: Kerala, I have done many regrettable things. I would help you avoid the same mistakes.
[Kerala]: You are too late, monk. I regret many things. This is not one of them.
Kex'ti looks at you.
[Kex'ti]: Why?
Kex'ti says, his lips hiding a smirk.
[Kerala]: Nature calls, I'm sorry I must go for a while. You do not need to know. It's enough, knowing how you feel about this task. You don't need a further reason to hate me.
[Kex'ti]: I do not hate you.
[Kerala]: I'd like to keep it that way.
[Kex'ti]: I simply wish to help. If you do not see things from my perspective, at least accept my aid to your own ends. There is too much goodness in you to stand idly by.
Kex'ti smiles at you.
[Kerala]: ...Thank you.
[Kex'ti]: Whether or not you see that is your choice.
Kex'ti bows before you.
[Kex'ti]: Sinu a'manore, friend.
Kerala leaves.
Re: Kerala's Inquisition
Kerala had plenty of reasons to be nervous when she next saw Lilliana in the Brokenspear tavern. Her newfound favorite place to sit was in a nook by the stairwell, atop a stack of logs. Out of the way, against the wall, it let her watch the entire room as well as the entrance and stairwell. So when the redheaded troll priestess walked in, the druid noticed immediately.
"Inzema told me my trial will happen at a meeting now, instead of inquisition. In two weeks, is that true?"
The priestess deliberately ignored Kerala's direct question about the change in the trial again, first playing around with Lupinum, throwing snowballs and trying to break into each other's minds. Something about not being able to get past a front door, and then huts not having doors, and being full of air.
Darethy came into the bar, and Kerala greeted him. He still seemed distant from her, and she was content to let it remain that way. She did not have a clue why he suddenly disliked her so much.
The other inquisitor arrived, the tauren one. She noted that Lilliana had found her missing supplicant, looking at Kerala with a frown.
"Yeah, Inzema was right. Yup."Lilliana finally said. She thought it was funny that Inzema was now her message boy and spoke to Ruuki about it. The sunwalker said she thought he was good for things like that because he was bored, and then went on to not-so-subtly imply that he was at will to do so because he was not a supplicant anymore. They could no longer boss him around. She said a bored Inzema was a dangerous Inzema. Lilliana disagreed, and looked to Darethy for confirmation, then to Kerala. Then she frowned, as if changing her mind about saying something to the druid.
Darethy told them both that Inzema was literally the worst person he'd ever met on a list that included Arthas.
Kerala just finished her juice, adding the mug to a collection of them sitting on the floor beside her. She felt the cool liquid make it's way downward through her chest, and she sensed that her stomach was full now. She shifted on the logs uncomfortably.
After a moment of talking about him, Kerala's ear caught a noise. She was not surprised at all when Inzema dropped down onto the barrel beside her to sit.
"I heard you, dead man" she smiled at him. Across the room, she did not see Lupinum flinch at the appellation.
The foul-mouthed elf that was a friend of Breygrah threatened to cut Inzema when he wondered if she needed a spanking. She'd been arguing ever since she'd set foot on the tavern floorboards, and Kerala had been trying to ignore her. Darethy offer to help the elf cut Inzema.
"No one's going to cut Inzema." Lupinum told them. Inzema made some snide remark, playing off his first spanking comment.
"Why?" the warlock demanded. "He deserves getting cut, at the very least."
"Cause he's Grim, and a good one. Aaren was just leaving, anyway."
Inzema stifles a snicker. The elf huntress supplicant entered the bar, and the rogue invited her to sit with them and be his harem. Kerala rolled her eyes. He really was a little bit closer than she would have liked him to be, but of any of the Grim, he was one that she didn't feel so uncomfortable being near.
Lilliana made her way over to the two of them after a while. Inzema raised an eyebrow at her, and said "Sssup?"
The trolless giggled. "Hi." Kerala did not bother saying anything.
"I'm not joining your crusssade to convinssse Kerala that she should jussst leave the Grim." he told her. Kerala snorted, since there was no chance of that happening anyway.
Lilliana asked innocently, "Who's crusade?"
Lupinum snapped his head around to look at Lilly. "Kerala'sh shtaying."
Lilliana looked to Lupinum, "That's up to Kerala in the end."
The druid shrugged. "Well, he's right," she said, meaning that she would stay until all three trials were finished.
Inzema stuck his tongue out at Lilliana. "Yoursss. Mebby she'sss doin' thisss for sssome ssstupid law and already plannin' on leavin', but you don't gotta make an enemy outta her too." Lilliana stared at him with a stupid blank expression. "None of usss would have half the ballsss to go and do what she'sss doin' for her honor-thingy."
The redhead shrugged her shoulders, "Then I guess none of us have any 'ballsss' worth mentioning."
But the rogue wasn't done yet. "I mean, mossst of the Horde thinksss we're uncontrollable homisssidal maniacsss and want nothing to do with usss. Mossst, if demanded to provide a sssupplicant, would find the perssson they leassst like and forssse them to do it."
Lilliana tilted her head. "You're speaking to the wrong person, Inzema."
Inzema stuck his tongue out at Lilly again. "You're the one leading the Kerala-lynch mob. You and Sssy."
Lilliana raised a brow at Inzema and seemed to think it over,but then she shrugged. She beamed a smile at Inzema. Then the troll woman turned and left.
Kerala was hopelessly confused. She supposed it was possible that the rogue really did want to help her, but she wasn't sure why. What did he gain from it? She had too many scars to believe anymore that anyone wanting to help her now was motivated purely by the goodness of their hearts. Even Kex'ti had another reason, she was certain. Maybe to keep the Grim from having her, or maybe something else.
Inzema rolled off the barrel he was perched on and disappeared before she could ask him.
* * *
It was later in the day when Kerala found herself in the tavern again, this time with Lupinum and the elf supplicant. The undead priest asked her how her trial was going, and Kerala told him.
It was a great relief to her to have so much more time. Not only that, but it seemed that her absence at the inquisition wouldn't even result in any sort of punishment. She wondered if that meant she could skip them all now, or if perhaps Lilliana was deliberately not doing anything immediately. Perhaps she was leaving punishment to the high inquisitor to dole out, hoping it would be more of a shock.
"If you could choose your interviews for your shecond trial, who would you pick?" Lupinum asked.
"What does it matter?" Kerala's words echoed her thoughts. "All I have to do is ask them a question, and then parrot it back. It does not matter to me."
Syreena appeared out of the shadows. "It should matter."
"Well if it does, then who, Druidess! ...hic!" Lupinum persisted. "Inquiring mindsh want to know. ...hic!"
"I've already requested to be one of your interviews." The rogue smiled sweetly at Kerala.
Kerala didn't even give the question much thought. She truly did not care. "You," she told Lupinum, "her," she pointed at Syreena, "...and um..." she tried to think of anyone else, but the only other person she could think of at the moment was Lilliana. So she said "and anyone but Lilliana."
The elf huntress, of course, thought it mattered a lot who she was assigned to question for the trial, and got Syreena talking about the hunter whose heirloom lens had been given to her by Khorvis. Little fanatical suck-up.
They were sitting on the upper level, each person on a bannister, when Kerala addressed the huntress. "Do you plan to simply kill Alliance every day of your life, for killing your family?"
She looked up and over at the tauren. "If I can. But not just for killing my family. Other families, too."
"And were you truthful, at the inquisition, when Ruuki asked about the farm?" Kerala pressed."Would you murder the children too? She said it, not you, so I wonder."
The hunter confirmed that she would. Then Lupinum asked "You couldn't shquish some Alliance skulls, Kerala?" And the conversation turned to Syreena, and the lies that the Grim believed regarding their precious Shadowblade. Kerala tried to tell them the truth, but it was no use. It didn't matter what they believed, and she told them so.
There was a lull in the conversation.
"So, what happens in two weeks? Why would Lilliana change the date?" Kerala finally asked. It worried her. What new thing had the troll done to make things impossible? Wasn't it hard enough already?
"I don't know. Shhe'sh Fel touched, I think. Maybe they're making you a cake." Lupinum offered optimistically.
"It's better off, there would have been hardly an audience last night anyway." Shaelie commented.
Kerala looked at the elf. Could that really be the reason? Lilliana wanted a bigger audience? "What do I care who sees? If she thinks that will effect anything, she is wrong." she told them.
"What do you care about, Kerala? I hear all about what you don't care about, what doesn't matter, what you hate or dislike. But what do you care about?" Lupinum glanced at Kerala, obviously interested in the answer to the elf's question as well.
She told them she liked to fly, and Lupinum said that was cute. He went downstairs for another drink, then suddenly she found herself staring at him, disoriented. He had snatched her down there by her soul, theoretically. It was like when she propelled herself toward someone, only without the glorious sensation of really having feathers and flying for an instant.
"Flight too short?" he teased. They returned upstairs, him with his drink.
"So why do you hate us so much?" the elf asked when they got back. "I've seen most everyone treating you with plenty of kindness. Most everyone. So why the hostility and resentment?"
"It's cause we eat meat." Lupinum said sagely.
Kerala didn't think he was funny at all, and she wondered what twisted reality Shaelie lived in. "He has been kind," she acknowledged, looking at Lupinum. The undead smiled.
Shaelie nodded. "I see pretty much everyone hanging out and trying to make you feel welcomed. Inzema was sticking up for you earlier. Syreena pretends to dislike you, but she spends an awful lot of time talking to you. So it seems like the ire is pretty one sided And I'm trying to figure out why."
"Syreena has changed some, that is true. I am a puzzle to her." Kerala did not believe the rogue would hesitate to stab her, though. So long as Kerala was entertaining, the undead seemed to be friendly enough. "And you are right about Inzema. He seems to be exactly what he appears...." Kerala stopped, not sure anymore about Inzema. He offered help to her... but by cheating, which could be a plot to betray her and get her to fail the trial....
"Grim." Lupinum said. "Family. How many times do I have to say it?"
"So, why?" Shaelie asked.
"Gazreeth and the crazy goblin rogue were ready to shove me off the balcony. I try not to stay around folks who wish me ill. Seems like a good way to die young." Kerala said.
"Did that happen before you were so..." The hunter paused, thinking carefully about her phrasing, and started again. "Were they going to shove you off the balcony recently? Or before they got to know you?"
"Look, elf. I don't want to be your friend. I am here to be a supplicant until I can get through the three trials, and earn a different title. You can keep your dysfunctional family and go kill babies and eat them, I want no part of that anymore." She shout her mouth, nearly biting her tongue. She hadn't meant to say that word.
The two were silent for a moment after Kerala's outburst, and then gradually began speaking softly again. It was clear to them that the druid was no longer interested in being friendly. Lupinum wished more supplicants were eager like Shaelie. The elf said she wanted to be here, even though she felt that she didn't quite fit in, likely because she was a blood elf. That of course led to Syreena. Which led to Kex'ti, and a list of others as 'bad eggs'.
When Lupinum began talking about Kex'ti, and how the monk was scum, Kerala stood up abruptly and walked off. She'd had enough of twisted Grim truths for a day.
* * *
Kerala comes back into the tavern some time later.
Lupinum blinks at you.
You look at Lupinum.
[Lupinum]: So you just sit in here now?
Kerala shrugs. "It's better than the guild hall."
Lupinum rubs his temples.
[Lupinum]: I need a drink.
[Kerala]: You are always drinking.
[Lupinum]: And you're always sulking.
[Kerala]: I am not. I'm just.... tired.
Lupinum warms his back against the fire. Lupinum grunts.
[Lupinum]: I haven't heard that excuse since I was alive.
[Kerala]: Excuse?
[Lupinum]: Being tired.
[Kerala]: Well, I suppose you don't need sleep, do you? Is that why you drink so much?
Lupinum nods at you.
[Lupinum]: It helps. I meditated before, but now my mind is unquiet.
[Kerala]: Unquiet?
Lupinum shrugs at you. Who knows?
[Kerala]: Isn't that the purpose of meditation- to fix that?
[Lupinum]: Supposed to, but it hasn't. So I get drunk at night to not think.
You eye Lupinum up and down.
[Kerala]: And in the day
[Lupinum]: I don't see a sun out, do you?
A sly smirk spreads across Lupinum's face.
[Kerala]: It's been my experience that alcohol solves nothing, and so I don't see the point. And hangovers really -really- are unpleasant.
[Lupinum]: I don't get hangovers.
Lupinum smiles.
Kerala smiles.
[Kerala]: If you are so unhappy.... why do you bother?
[Lupinum]: No blood brain barrier, I don't need water, so no dehydration. Bother with what? Living?
[Kerala]: Sure
[Lupinum]: Not like I have a choice. Rip off my skull, I'll still be alive. Able to talk and every thing.
[Kerala]: I've tried to end this life more than once, I can't imagine being... as you are. Can you not be killed?
Lupinum 's brow creases.
[Lupinum]: I don't know. Maybe if whatever's keeping all Forsaken active was destroyed. Maybe it's in our heads. Maybe it's something else.
[Kerala]: I didn't mean that you should... obviously you must have something worth staying here for, or you would not be. Sorry.
Lupinum shrugs. Who knows?
[Lupinum]: I never thought about it.
[Kerala]: There comes a point where if you can't, you stop trying for a while. I understand that.
Lupinum sips loudly.
[Kerala]: If you vomit on me, I will punch you.
[Lupinum]: Might be worth it. Shee some action out of you
[Kerala]: You weren't complaining when I was healing you, out killing Alliance, or in Arak.
Kerala supposes those were both 'killing alliance'.
Lupinum pops his jaw.
[Lupinum]: That was for practice. I don't need anyone to heal me. 'The Light gives me shtrength'.
Lupinum cackles maniacally at you.
[Lupinum]: We used to shay that back at my parish. In my old life.
[Kerala]: And now?
[Lupinum]: Ever heard of the Cult of Forgotten Shadow?
[Kerala]: No. I am not religious at all.
[Lupinum]: Nor am I. But that wash the group that took me in before the Grim. Priests of all walks are involved. Our creed was to balance Life with Death.
Kerala cocks her head at the mention of balance.
[Lupinum]: They saw my old powers still present and nurtured my Holy powers. They taught me how to use the pain in my body to focus my mind. Your Nature magic must feel soothing, right? Like thick creeper on a forest floor? ...hic!
[Kerala]: Healing can be.... satisfying.
[Lupinum]: Satisfying. Imagine the cleansing touch of flame coursing through your body instead. Fire in every dead nerve ending.
Kerala considers that.
[Lupinum]: To breathe is to burn yourself inside out...
[Kerala]: When you feel nothing else.... ?
[Lupinum]: Not cold, not heat. Knife wounds and sword cuts are forces in my skin, not pain in my head. But the Light is like stepping into the Firelands doused in Goblin gas.
[Kerala]: As I said, I can not imagine why you are still here.
Lupinum smiles. "The Grim is why."
[Kerala]: You say they are family.....
Kerala looks uncertain, as if really considering that concept for the first time.
[Lupinum]: I do.
[Kerala]: That is not something I have had in a very long time. I tried.... with the Horns... I don't know.
[Lupinum]: It seemed that the Horns were gone when you got them.
Kerala sighs. "They were."
Lupinum tilts his head.
[Kerala]: I used to hear stories of them, when I was a child. For a time, I used to imagine Cairne and a great group of hunters, come to save us.
[Lupinum]: Giant Kodo's on the plains...
Lupinum 's lips tilt into a smile.
You smile at Lupinum.
[Kerala]: Something like that. And then the Horde, well.... I knew better by then.
Lupinum grunts, obviously displeased.
[Lupinum]: I am disappointed with the Horde, lately.
Kerala eyes Lupinum, thinking that's a hypocritical thing to say, for a Grim. But then, Lupinum doesn't seem so... evil, as the rest of them.
[Kerala]: Why?
[Lupinum]: Disorganized, lazy louts.
Lupinum clicks his jaw loudly.
[Lupinum]: The Grim is strong. We are fractured in some ways, but we are competent. I can't say the same about almost anyone who walks into this tavern.
[Kerala]: Fractured in what ways?
Lupinum 's eyes narrow a slight amount.
[Lupinum]: In... Our leaders are firm. I can say that plainly - effortlessly. There are some in our ranks who are Grim, but are not Grim. And I don't mean you and that tabard.
[Kerala]: You don't?
[Lupinum]: For once, no. But what I think doesn't matter. I'm only a Reaper.
Kerala doesn't ask Lupinum to betray any names, but she's confused so- "What do you mean then- Grim but not Grim?"
Lupinum looks over his shoulder for a moment.
[Lupinum]: I mean talented warriors. But.. they're... Less tempered, as Lasher would put it, in the Mandate. Unlike you. You're not Grim. But you can become Grim. Hence, the trials.
Lupinum pushes back his hood and musses his hair.
Kerala looks somewhat troubled. "What would make me Grim... in your judgment?"
[Lupinum]: We all have a past. The Grim are here to help each other move through it and better themselves for the Horde. You're holding onto your baggage like it's an Iron Star. I think you will find more than a few kindred spirits in the Halls
[Kerala]: What baggage!? I have nearly nothing at all. I'll go throw it away right now...
[Lupinum]: You're carrying the Horns, Konro and the Fel else.
[Kerala]: The Horns are dead. Konro is dead.
Lupinum tilts his head.
[Lupinum]: Do you want to die?
[Kerala]: What? No.
Kerala looks more confused than ever. What does that have to do with anything?
[Lupinum]: So. That's why you don't make any attachments at all
Lupinum shrugs,
[Lupinum]: Or maybe not. I'm the dead guy after all.
[Kerala]: What do you mean, no attachments? You just said I have too much stuff...
[Lupinum]: Too much of your OWN stuff. But you keep separate from the Grim. What's the name of the Inquisitor opposite of Lilliana.
[Kerala]: Khorvis.
[Lupinum]: He's the High Inquisitor. Who is his other subordinate?
[Kerala]: Oh.
[There is a long moment of silence.]
[Lupinum]: Don't worry, I'll wait.
[Kerala]: .... It starts with an R.
[Lupinum]: It does, you're right.
Lupinum lets out a long, drawn-out sigh.
[Lupinum]: Do you know the gender?
[Kerala]: Of course I do. She's short, with brown eyes. Lean, but hippy. Dark brown mane in three braids.
[Lupinum]: Even that shurprisesh me. But not the name? What'sh the name of the huntressh who was here?
[Kerala]: The elf?
[Lupinum]: Yes
[Kerala]: Sha... what is your point? *she says this rather crossly now*
[Lupinum]: You don't care, for whatever reason. You don't hate the Grim. But you're apathetic about... just about everything.
Kerala crosses her arms.
[Lupinum]: I just wanna know why
[Kerala]: Why should I care... about the inquisitor, or the elf? What purpose does it serve to get to know them?
[Lupinum]: I wish Awatu wash here. It's helpful to know your Brothers and Shisters. Any one of them will come to your aid, if you call. ...hic! We'd come to each other's aid at a moments notice.
[Kerala]: I have come to help. I've battled with you. Even when I didn't.... always approve.
Lupinum rubs his forehead.
[Lupinum]: There's no HAVE to. It'sh purely for the Mandate.
[Kerala]: No, it wasn't. Not all of them.
[Lupinum]: There, hold on. What didn't you like- when we hunted the Monk? Or Mage, whatever the Fel it was. ...hic!
You eye Lupinum up and down.
[Kerala]: ... yes.
[Lupinum]: Remind me why.
[Kerala]: We had him beaten, and he was running for his life. If we had let him go, he would not have caused further harm. He was terrified!
[Lupinum]: Alright, that's where you're about 84 percent wrong. He will call for help. And they will retaliate. Peace through Annihilation ensuresh that we strike sho hard, they are unable to respond. And if it escalates, we continue until we are victorious. ...hic!
Kerala asks quietly. "Was he even the one who started the trouble? Was he the one we were called to defend against? I think he was not- just unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when the Grim showed up. You heard that inquisitor, about the farm. Even the -children-.
[Lupinum]: I would. Nothing is more powerful than vengeance. A child seared with his parents murder would absolutely grow up with a mind bloodied to Horde.
Kerala stops suddenly... Lupinum's choice of wording calling to mind the Blood Revenge.
[Kerala]: I....
Kerala frowns.
Lupinum blinks at you.
[Lupinum]: This is what I mean. What are you thinking? And I won't poke around.
Kerala 's eyes flash at the threat of mental force.
[Kerala]: Don't
[Lupinum]: I just said I won't! ...hic! We're just talking, Druidess.
Kerala eyes Lupinum... and then forcibly breathes deeply to relax some.
Lupinum sits back down.
Kerala eyes the priest still as he puts himself lower... a submissive gesture. Kerala steps forward and sits too.
[Kerala]: I've never heard it put quite like that before. It's not always true, though.
Lupinum sips his now warm mug of beer as he listens.
[Lupinum]: You think so?
[Kerala]: My father was murdered, and I do not hate the ones that did it. I tried, and I was angry for a time, sure. A long time. But hate?
Lupinum works his jaw, as if he's literally mulling that over.
[Kerala]: Life is too short... too fragile, to carry that burden.
Lupinum scratches his cheek. "Is that part of the reason you choose to be a mender?"
[Kerala]: Because I cannot hate? No.
[Lupinum]: Noo, because life is short and fragile. Though I would beg to differ a couple of those points.
Lupinum smiles wryly.
[Kerala]: You are not alive... *and it takes her a moment, but she fishes out his name from her memory* ...Lupinum.
[Lupinum]: Not in a conventional sense.
Lupinum doesn't address his name being said, but it doesn't escape his ears.
[Kerala]: No... I heal because I am good at it, and because I've killed... more than one person ever should in a life. I don't want to do that again.
[Lupinum]: And here I'm just not good at it...
Lupinum chuckles.
Kerala smiles a little.
[Lupinum]: I already have my title chosen for when I reach Harbinger. The Brace, because I hold everyone up.
Kerala does laugh now. You laugh at Lupinum.
Lupinum shrugs.
[Lupinum]: It is what it is. And I do it well.
Kerala looks at Lupinum. She thinks that maybe knowing his name is alright... if he can't die.
[Kerala]: I'm sorry it hurts you.
Lupinum almost laughs at the expression of kindness, but holds it.
[Lupinum]: Thank you... Did I ever tell you how I died?
[Kerala]: .....no. Did you want to?
Kerala guesses that's a stupid question, since he brought it up.
[Lupinum]: Drowned by my lover in a storm, after being freshly plagued. The fire is a thousand times better than feeling your lungs fill up with water.
You eye Lupinum up and down.
Lupinum blinks at you.
Kerala looks at Lupinum and nods silently. She might not recall suffocating to death, but she -does- remember some vivid and terrible fever-dreams.
Lupinum catches a whiff... hay... the heavy musk of sweat
[Kerala]: I guess it would.
Lupinum nods slowly.
[Lupinum]: It makes me feel normal. Aside from feeling that rot and maggots in my skin... That part is highly enjoyable, no matter what focus you're in.
Lupinum giggles at you.
[Kerala]: I noticed mites earlier. I can fix that, if you like.
Lupinum blinks.
[Lupinum]: How?
[Kerala]: The critters, I mean.
Lupinum blinks at you.
[Lupinum]: One less thing to worry about
[Kerala]: There are certain herbs to keep away any animals, just as there are to aid a person.
[Lupinum]: Am I going to smell? I rely a lot on my nose!
[Kerala]: Try mint. Use it as a soap, or maybe in a tea... there are other kinds of herbs. I'm not an alchemist. Since you aren't alive, I bet you could inject something. You wouldn't smell then, but it would only repel after you were bitten once. I'd recommend staying away from the areas where parasites are picked up in the first place.
Lupinum wrinkles his nose as well as he can... he doesn't know how he feels about being a walking mint leaf.
[Lupinum]: Alliance are covered in the things, everyone knows that.
Kerala rolls her eyes.
[Kerala]: You could always eat the maggots.
Kerala is completely serious.
Lupinum has more than once eaten maggots that wander into his mouth.
[Kerala]: Horde have more, anyway. Lice and mites prefer fur.
Lupinum waves his hands dismissively.
[Lupinum]: Fur shmur.
Kerala eyes Lupinum. "I prefer my fur, thank you. Hides my ugly skin. Sort of.
[Lupinum]: Ugly skin? It's just... skin.
Kerala holds out her arm and runs her other hand slowly over the chaotic pattern of fur. Very many scars become evident that the pattern helps to hide normally.
[Lupinum]: You didn't always mend. Did you fight in their faces?
[Kerala]: I fought any way I could.
[Lupinum]: I don't think I understand, but I won't pry.
Kerala smiles. "It wasn't by choice, and I unfortunately learned by experience. But with fur, I'm never naked.
Lupinum tilts his head.
[Lupinum]: I guess, in some way, sure.
You laugh at Lupinum.
[Lupinum]: But I'm sure... udders or... something
Lupinum sticks his tongue out in mock disgust.
[Kerala]: I'm not a cow!
Kerala waves her hand dismissively, well aware by now that her enjoyment for no clothing is not appropriate.
Lupinum blinks, not quite sure what her hand wave meant. Lupinum takes more gulps of his beer.
[Lupinum]: I haven't seen you eat today
Kerala cocks her head. "Do you think Khorvis knew I didn't eat meat when he assigned my trial? And did it to be mean? Or that's just how he is?"
Lupinum laughs. "I don't think he knew. He's tough, but not unreasonable. But it's too late now..."
[Kerala]: I have more time, now. I don't need to rush to prepare. Which is very good. I hate food.
[Lupinum]: How do you hate food?
Lupinum is holding back the cow jokes... He's worked too hard for jokes at this point.
[Kerala]: I just do. If I were undead, that would be one thing I would love- not having to eat.
[Lupinum]: But.. you have to? Or you're gunna die! And not come back.
[Kerala]: I now that better than most.
Lupinum peers at you searchingly.
[Lupinum]: How do you mean Cause I'm walking proof of it!
[Kerala]: Of starving to death? You told me you drowned.
[Lupinum]: That coming back is an exception! I did, but I had the Plague at that point.
Lupinum raps his knuckles against his chin.
[Lupinum]: Fish ate my jaws, had to make this new one to talk properly.
[Kerala]: Odd. Why the jaw and not your cheeks first?
Lupinum shrugs.
[Lupinum]: Do I look fishy to you?
Kerala shakes her head, but still frowns. She knows animals and they always go for the tenderest parts first.
[Kerala]: I wasn't always a vegetarnian, or whatever you call it.
Lupinum chuckles.
[Lupinum]: How long ago was this?
[Kerala]: Mmmm... three, maybe four years now?
Lupinum nods.
[Kerala]: Let's see I was seventeen... so yeah, four years.
[Lupinum]: What changed?
Kerala doesn't answer.
Lupinum has an idea and rummages in his pack.
You look at Lupinum.
Lupinum decides to make Kerala more comfortable. [he turns into a tree]
[Kerala]: What.... you are adorable.
Lupinum laughs.
[Lupinum]: It's just like Moonglade!
[Kerala]: You know what vegetarnians eat, right?
[Lupinum]: Isn't it nothing with faces? Or something? I don't know.
[Kerala]: Plants, we eat plants. You know.... like trees.
You eye Lupinum up and down. ".....Nevermind."
[Lupinum]: ...
[Kerala]: Oh I don't know anything about other people, just me. No meat.
Lupinum pauses.
[Kerala]: I'm joking. I won't eat you.
Kerala sucks at jokes.
Lupinum couldn't even run if he wanted to... he seems... rooted.
[Lupinum]: It's alright, I feel myself wilting as we speak.
[Kerala]: Are you stuck like that? I could find you a pot or something....
Lupinum pulls his tree-legs, but they stay planted.
[Lupinum]: I don't...
Lupinum tugs harder, the bark starts to crack and break.
[Kerala]: You can be Khorvis' desk plant.
Lupinum laughs.
Kerala grins at Lupinum.
[Lupinum]: I figure he'd like to have a mender in his pocket.
[Kerala]: I think it's funny how everyone thinks I will fail this trial.
[Lupinum]: I didn't think you'd pass, at first.
[Kerala]: Because I eat plants? Wait, you do now?
[Lupinum]: Because I thought you'd wimp out. Yes, I do. I actually have high hopes that you're going to stay once the trialsh are over.
Kerala shrugs. "Even if he makes me eat them raw, blood doesn't taste that bad. And I have no qualms about killing them. I made sure to get evil people." You look at Lupinum.
[Lupinum]: None of them are good. Given the chance, any one of them would attack.
[Kerala]: I don't see myself staying, dead man. Eating people and killing children is still evil. Even if you do it together... and call it family. I'm not doing that anymore.
[Lupinum]: We'll see after your trials. The sacrifice you chose will be... interesting.
[Kerala]: I.... get to choose?
[Lupinum]: Absolutely.
[Kerala]: What did you do?
[Lupinum]: I murdered my murderess.
[Kerala]: How is that a sacrifice? Surely you wanted to?
[Gazreeth walks in]
You look at Gazreeth.
[Lupinum]: One life given to the Mandate is a small price to have the calm mind of a priest.
Gazreeth feels looked at.
Lupinum nods at Gazreeth.
[Lupinum]: Evening, Reaper
[Gazreeth]: evening.
Kerala is no longer relaxed. Not combat-twitchy, but not relaxed.
Lupinum looks at Kerala and shrugs, sipping his beers
You look at Lupinum.
[Kerala]: And yet... here you sit, not meditating because your mind is 'unquiet', turning to alcohol instead.
[Lupinum]: Maybe I just like the beer.
Lupinum laughs and drinks.
[Kerala]: Mhmmm
[Gazreeth walks back out]
[Lupinum]: I think that's what it is.
Lupinum nods.
You shrug at Lupinum. Who knows?
Lupinum picks at his teeth with some bits of [Broken Bones].
[Kerala]: I don't know what I should do for that trial. Let's see if I survive the first one, hmm?
[Lupinum]: You wiiill.
Lupinum burps.
[Kerala]: Yeah well... family and all that... Consider this my call then.
[Lupinum]: Call to what?
[Kerala]: To aid me.
Lupinum smiles at you.
[Lupinum]: I'll answer, Sister.
[Kerala]: That's what you said. I'm counting on it. Don't let me die.
Lupinum cackles maniacally at you.
Kerala isn't joking.
[Lupinum]: That old myth? That Shupplicant fallout'sh are hunted and murdered?
[Kerala]: No. When I pass.
Lupinum blinks at you.
[Lupinum]: Now I'm confused.
Kerala does laugh now, somewhat bitterly. "Lilliana gave me an impossible task to be mean, but I don't know that the high inquisitor's is any less so."
[Lupinum]: Lilly plays games. And I love her for it, but Khorvish is fair
Kerala feels like one too.
Lupinum 's head is wobbly.
Kerala drinks some [Shadowmoon Sugar Pear Cider].
You blink at Lupinum.
Lupinum blinks at you.
You giggle at Lupinum.
[Kerala]: Why does the tasty one have to be sho strong?
[Lupinum]: Hey. I dunno. But.
Lupinum lets out a loud belch.
[Lupinum]: I think I about reached that point
[Kerala]: I will punch you. If you get sick on me.
[Lupinum]: Yeah yeah yeah
Lupinum waves his hands. Lupinum stands, very wobbly.
[Lupinum]: I uh... ...hic!
Lupinum burps again.
[Lupinum]: I'll be in the guild hall...
You nod at Lupinum.
Lupinum pulls out his hearth, drops it and digs his claws into it as he picks it up.
[Kerala]: Do you need help getting there?
[Lupinum]: Naaaah, I'm fine. G'night Kerala.
[Kerala]: Good night.
"Inzema told me my trial will happen at a meeting now, instead of inquisition. In two weeks, is that true?"
The priestess deliberately ignored Kerala's direct question about the change in the trial again, first playing around with Lupinum, throwing snowballs and trying to break into each other's minds. Something about not being able to get past a front door, and then huts not having doors, and being full of air.
Darethy came into the bar, and Kerala greeted him. He still seemed distant from her, and she was content to let it remain that way. She did not have a clue why he suddenly disliked her so much.
The other inquisitor arrived, the tauren one. She noted that Lilliana had found her missing supplicant, looking at Kerala with a frown.
"Yeah, Inzema was right. Yup."Lilliana finally said. She thought it was funny that Inzema was now her message boy and spoke to Ruuki about it. The sunwalker said she thought he was good for things like that because he was bored, and then went on to not-so-subtly imply that he was at will to do so because he was not a supplicant anymore. They could no longer boss him around. She said a bored Inzema was a dangerous Inzema. Lilliana disagreed, and looked to Darethy for confirmation, then to Kerala. Then she frowned, as if changing her mind about saying something to the druid.
Darethy told them both that Inzema was literally the worst person he'd ever met on a list that included Arthas.
Kerala just finished her juice, adding the mug to a collection of them sitting on the floor beside her. She felt the cool liquid make it's way downward through her chest, and she sensed that her stomach was full now. She shifted on the logs uncomfortably.
After a moment of talking about him, Kerala's ear caught a noise. She was not surprised at all when Inzema dropped down onto the barrel beside her to sit.
"I heard you, dead man" she smiled at him. Across the room, she did not see Lupinum flinch at the appellation.
The foul-mouthed elf that was a friend of Breygrah threatened to cut Inzema when he wondered if she needed a spanking. She'd been arguing ever since she'd set foot on the tavern floorboards, and Kerala had been trying to ignore her. Darethy offer to help the elf cut Inzema.
"No one's going to cut Inzema." Lupinum told them. Inzema made some snide remark, playing off his first spanking comment.
"Why?" the warlock demanded. "He deserves getting cut, at the very least."
"Cause he's Grim, and a good one. Aaren was just leaving, anyway."
Inzema stifles a snicker. The elf huntress supplicant entered the bar, and the rogue invited her to sit with them and be his harem. Kerala rolled her eyes. He really was a little bit closer than she would have liked him to be, but of any of the Grim, he was one that she didn't feel so uncomfortable being near.
Lilliana made her way over to the two of them after a while. Inzema raised an eyebrow at her, and said "Sssup?"
The trolless giggled. "Hi." Kerala did not bother saying anything.
"I'm not joining your crusssade to convinssse Kerala that she should jussst leave the Grim." he told her. Kerala snorted, since there was no chance of that happening anyway.
Lilliana asked innocently, "Who's crusade?"
Lupinum snapped his head around to look at Lilly. "Kerala'sh shtaying."
Lilliana looked to Lupinum, "That's up to Kerala in the end."
The druid shrugged. "Well, he's right," she said, meaning that she would stay until all three trials were finished.
Inzema stuck his tongue out at Lilliana. "Yoursss. Mebby she'sss doin' thisss for sssome ssstupid law and already plannin' on leavin', but you don't gotta make an enemy outta her too." Lilliana stared at him with a stupid blank expression. "None of usss would have half the ballsss to go and do what she'sss doin' for her honor-thingy."
The redhead shrugged her shoulders, "Then I guess none of us have any 'ballsss' worth mentioning."
But the rogue wasn't done yet. "I mean, mossst of the Horde thinksss we're uncontrollable homisssidal maniacsss and want nothing to do with usss. Mossst, if demanded to provide a sssupplicant, would find the perssson they leassst like and forssse them to do it."
Lilliana tilted her head. "You're speaking to the wrong person, Inzema."
Inzema stuck his tongue out at Lilly again. "You're the one leading the Kerala-lynch mob. You and Sssy."
Lilliana raised a brow at Inzema and seemed to think it over,but then she shrugged. She beamed a smile at Inzema. Then the troll woman turned and left.
Kerala was hopelessly confused. She supposed it was possible that the rogue really did want to help her, but she wasn't sure why. What did he gain from it? She had too many scars to believe anymore that anyone wanting to help her now was motivated purely by the goodness of their hearts. Even Kex'ti had another reason, she was certain. Maybe to keep the Grim from having her, or maybe something else.
Inzema rolled off the barrel he was perched on and disappeared before she could ask him.
* * *
It was later in the day when Kerala found herself in the tavern again, this time with Lupinum and the elf supplicant. The undead priest asked her how her trial was going, and Kerala told him.
It was a great relief to her to have so much more time. Not only that, but it seemed that her absence at the inquisition wouldn't even result in any sort of punishment. She wondered if that meant she could skip them all now, or if perhaps Lilliana was deliberately not doing anything immediately. Perhaps she was leaving punishment to the high inquisitor to dole out, hoping it would be more of a shock.
"If you could choose your interviews for your shecond trial, who would you pick?" Lupinum asked.
"What does it matter?" Kerala's words echoed her thoughts. "All I have to do is ask them a question, and then parrot it back. It does not matter to me."
Syreena appeared out of the shadows. "It should matter."
"Well if it does, then who, Druidess! ...hic!" Lupinum persisted. "Inquiring mindsh want to know. ...hic!"
"I've already requested to be one of your interviews." The rogue smiled sweetly at Kerala.
Kerala didn't even give the question much thought. She truly did not care. "You," she told Lupinum, "her," she pointed at Syreena, "...and um..." she tried to think of anyone else, but the only other person she could think of at the moment was Lilliana. So she said "and anyone but Lilliana."
The elf huntress, of course, thought it mattered a lot who she was assigned to question for the trial, and got Syreena talking about the hunter whose heirloom lens had been given to her by Khorvis. Little fanatical suck-up.
They were sitting on the upper level, each person on a bannister, when Kerala addressed the huntress. "Do you plan to simply kill Alliance every day of your life, for killing your family?"
She looked up and over at the tauren. "If I can. But not just for killing my family. Other families, too."
"And were you truthful, at the inquisition, when Ruuki asked about the farm?" Kerala pressed."Would you murder the children too? She said it, not you, so I wonder."
The hunter confirmed that she would. Then Lupinum asked "You couldn't shquish some Alliance skulls, Kerala?" And the conversation turned to Syreena, and the lies that the Grim believed regarding their precious Shadowblade. Kerala tried to tell them the truth, but it was no use. It didn't matter what they believed, and she told them so.
There was a lull in the conversation.
"So, what happens in two weeks? Why would Lilliana change the date?" Kerala finally asked. It worried her. What new thing had the troll done to make things impossible? Wasn't it hard enough already?
"I don't know. Shhe'sh Fel touched, I think. Maybe they're making you a cake." Lupinum offered optimistically.
"It's better off, there would have been hardly an audience last night anyway." Shaelie commented.
Kerala looked at the elf. Could that really be the reason? Lilliana wanted a bigger audience? "What do I care who sees? If she thinks that will effect anything, she is wrong." she told them.
"What do you care about, Kerala? I hear all about what you don't care about, what doesn't matter, what you hate or dislike. But what do you care about?" Lupinum glanced at Kerala, obviously interested in the answer to the elf's question as well.
She told them she liked to fly, and Lupinum said that was cute. He went downstairs for another drink, then suddenly she found herself staring at him, disoriented. He had snatched her down there by her soul, theoretically. It was like when she propelled herself toward someone, only without the glorious sensation of really having feathers and flying for an instant.
"Flight too short?" he teased. They returned upstairs, him with his drink.
"So why do you hate us so much?" the elf asked when they got back. "I've seen most everyone treating you with plenty of kindness. Most everyone. So why the hostility and resentment?"
"It's cause we eat meat." Lupinum said sagely.
Kerala didn't think he was funny at all, and she wondered what twisted reality Shaelie lived in. "He has been kind," she acknowledged, looking at Lupinum. The undead smiled.
Shaelie nodded. "I see pretty much everyone hanging out and trying to make you feel welcomed. Inzema was sticking up for you earlier. Syreena pretends to dislike you, but she spends an awful lot of time talking to you. So it seems like the ire is pretty one sided And I'm trying to figure out why."
"Syreena has changed some, that is true. I am a puzzle to her." Kerala did not believe the rogue would hesitate to stab her, though. So long as Kerala was entertaining, the undead seemed to be friendly enough. "And you are right about Inzema. He seems to be exactly what he appears...." Kerala stopped, not sure anymore about Inzema. He offered help to her... but by cheating, which could be a plot to betray her and get her to fail the trial....
"Grim." Lupinum said. "Family. How many times do I have to say it?"
"So, why?" Shaelie asked.
"Gazreeth and the crazy goblin rogue were ready to shove me off the balcony. I try not to stay around folks who wish me ill. Seems like a good way to die young." Kerala said.
"Did that happen before you were so..." The hunter paused, thinking carefully about her phrasing, and started again. "Were they going to shove you off the balcony recently? Or before they got to know you?"
"Look, elf. I don't want to be your friend. I am here to be a supplicant until I can get through the three trials, and earn a different title. You can keep your dysfunctional family and go kill babies and eat them, I want no part of that anymore." She shout her mouth, nearly biting her tongue. She hadn't meant to say that word.
The two were silent for a moment after Kerala's outburst, and then gradually began speaking softly again. It was clear to them that the druid was no longer interested in being friendly. Lupinum wished more supplicants were eager like Shaelie. The elf said she wanted to be here, even though she felt that she didn't quite fit in, likely because she was a blood elf. That of course led to Syreena. Which led to Kex'ti, and a list of others as 'bad eggs'.
When Lupinum began talking about Kex'ti, and how the monk was scum, Kerala stood up abruptly and walked off. She'd had enough of twisted Grim truths for a day.
* * *
Kerala comes back into the tavern some time later.
Lupinum blinks at you.
You look at Lupinum.
[Lupinum]: So you just sit in here now?
Kerala shrugs. "It's better than the guild hall."
Lupinum rubs his temples.
[Lupinum]: I need a drink.
[Kerala]: You are always drinking.
[Lupinum]: And you're always sulking.
[Kerala]: I am not. I'm just.... tired.
Lupinum warms his back against the fire. Lupinum grunts.
[Lupinum]: I haven't heard that excuse since I was alive.
[Kerala]: Excuse?
[Lupinum]: Being tired.
[Kerala]: Well, I suppose you don't need sleep, do you? Is that why you drink so much?
Lupinum nods at you.
[Lupinum]: It helps. I meditated before, but now my mind is unquiet.
[Kerala]: Unquiet?
Lupinum shrugs at you. Who knows?
[Kerala]: Isn't that the purpose of meditation- to fix that?
[Lupinum]: Supposed to, but it hasn't. So I get drunk at night to not think.
You eye Lupinum up and down.
[Kerala]: And in the day
[Lupinum]: I don't see a sun out, do you?
A sly smirk spreads across Lupinum's face.
[Kerala]: It's been my experience that alcohol solves nothing, and so I don't see the point. And hangovers really -really- are unpleasant.
[Lupinum]: I don't get hangovers.
Lupinum smiles.
Kerala smiles.
[Kerala]: If you are so unhappy.... why do you bother?
[Lupinum]: No blood brain barrier, I don't need water, so no dehydration. Bother with what? Living?
[Kerala]: Sure
[Lupinum]: Not like I have a choice. Rip off my skull, I'll still be alive. Able to talk and every thing.
[Kerala]: I've tried to end this life more than once, I can't imagine being... as you are. Can you not be killed?
Lupinum 's brow creases.
[Lupinum]: I don't know. Maybe if whatever's keeping all Forsaken active was destroyed. Maybe it's in our heads. Maybe it's something else.
[Kerala]: I didn't mean that you should... obviously you must have something worth staying here for, or you would not be. Sorry.
Lupinum shrugs. Who knows?
[Lupinum]: I never thought about it.
[Kerala]: There comes a point where if you can't, you stop trying for a while. I understand that.
Lupinum sips loudly.
[Kerala]: If you vomit on me, I will punch you.
[Lupinum]: Might be worth it. Shee some action out of you
[Kerala]: You weren't complaining when I was healing you, out killing Alliance, or in Arak.
Kerala supposes those were both 'killing alliance'.
Lupinum pops his jaw.
[Lupinum]: That was for practice. I don't need anyone to heal me. 'The Light gives me shtrength'.
Lupinum cackles maniacally at you.
[Lupinum]: We used to shay that back at my parish. In my old life.
[Kerala]: And now?
[Lupinum]: Ever heard of the Cult of Forgotten Shadow?
[Kerala]: No. I am not religious at all.
[Lupinum]: Nor am I. But that wash the group that took me in before the Grim. Priests of all walks are involved. Our creed was to balance Life with Death.
Kerala cocks her head at the mention of balance.
[Lupinum]: They saw my old powers still present and nurtured my Holy powers. They taught me how to use the pain in my body to focus my mind. Your Nature magic must feel soothing, right? Like thick creeper on a forest floor? ...hic!
[Kerala]: Healing can be.... satisfying.
[Lupinum]: Satisfying. Imagine the cleansing touch of flame coursing through your body instead. Fire in every dead nerve ending.
Kerala considers that.
[Lupinum]: To breathe is to burn yourself inside out...
[Kerala]: When you feel nothing else.... ?
[Lupinum]: Not cold, not heat. Knife wounds and sword cuts are forces in my skin, not pain in my head. But the Light is like stepping into the Firelands doused in Goblin gas.
[Kerala]: As I said, I can not imagine why you are still here.
Lupinum smiles. "The Grim is why."
[Kerala]: You say they are family.....
Kerala looks uncertain, as if really considering that concept for the first time.
[Lupinum]: I do.
[Kerala]: That is not something I have had in a very long time. I tried.... with the Horns... I don't know.
[Lupinum]: It seemed that the Horns were gone when you got them.
Kerala sighs. "They were."
Lupinum tilts his head.
[Kerala]: I used to hear stories of them, when I was a child. For a time, I used to imagine Cairne and a great group of hunters, come to save us.
[Lupinum]: Giant Kodo's on the plains...
Lupinum 's lips tilt into a smile.
You smile at Lupinum.
[Kerala]: Something like that. And then the Horde, well.... I knew better by then.
Lupinum grunts, obviously displeased.
[Lupinum]: I am disappointed with the Horde, lately.
Kerala eyes Lupinum, thinking that's a hypocritical thing to say, for a Grim. But then, Lupinum doesn't seem so... evil, as the rest of them.
[Kerala]: Why?
[Lupinum]: Disorganized, lazy louts.
Lupinum clicks his jaw loudly.
[Lupinum]: The Grim is strong. We are fractured in some ways, but we are competent. I can't say the same about almost anyone who walks into this tavern.
[Kerala]: Fractured in what ways?
Lupinum 's eyes narrow a slight amount.
[Lupinum]: In... Our leaders are firm. I can say that plainly - effortlessly. There are some in our ranks who are Grim, but are not Grim. And I don't mean you and that tabard.
[Kerala]: You don't?
[Lupinum]: For once, no. But what I think doesn't matter. I'm only a Reaper.
Kerala doesn't ask Lupinum to betray any names, but she's confused so- "What do you mean then- Grim but not Grim?"
Lupinum looks over his shoulder for a moment.
[Lupinum]: I mean talented warriors. But.. they're... Less tempered, as Lasher would put it, in the Mandate. Unlike you. You're not Grim. But you can become Grim. Hence, the trials.
Lupinum pushes back his hood and musses his hair.
Kerala looks somewhat troubled. "What would make me Grim... in your judgment?"
[Lupinum]: We all have a past. The Grim are here to help each other move through it and better themselves for the Horde. You're holding onto your baggage like it's an Iron Star. I think you will find more than a few kindred spirits in the Halls
[Kerala]: What baggage!? I have nearly nothing at all. I'll go throw it away right now...
[Lupinum]: You're carrying the Horns, Konro and the Fel else.
[Kerala]: The Horns are dead. Konro is dead.
Lupinum tilts his head.
[Lupinum]: Do you want to die?
[Kerala]: What? No.
Kerala looks more confused than ever. What does that have to do with anything?
[Lupinum]: So. That's why you don't make any attachments at all
Lupinum shrugs,
[Lupinum]: Or maybe not. I'm the dead guy after all.
[Kerala]: What do you mean, no attachments? You just said I have too much stuff...
[Lupinum]: Too much of your OWN stuff. But you keep separate from the Grim. What's the name of the Inquisitor opposite of Lilliana.
[Kerala]: Khorvis.
[Lupinum]: He's the High Inquisitor. Who is his other subordinate?
[Kerala]: Oh.
[There is a long moment of silence.]
[Lupinum]: Don't worry, I'll wait.
[Kerala]: .... It starts with an R.
[Lupinum]: It does, you're right.
Lupinum lets out a long, drawn-out sigh.
[Lupinum]: Do you know the gender?
[Kerala]: Of course I do. She's short, with brown eyes. Lean, but hippy. Dark brown mane in three braids.
[Lupinum]: Even that shurprisesh me. But not the name? What'sh the name of the huntressh who was here?
[Kerala]: The elf?
[Lupinum]: Yes
[Kerala]: Sha... what is your point? *she says this rather crossly now*
[Lupinum]: You don't care, for whatever reason. You don't hate the Grim. But you're apathetic about... just about everything.
Kerala crosses her arms.
[Lupinum]: I just wanna know why
[Kerala]: Why should I care... about the inquisitor, or the elf? What purpose does it serve to get to know them?
[Lupinum]: I wish Awatu wash here. It's helpful to know your Brothers and Shisters. Any one of them will come to your aid, if you call. ...hic! We'd come to each other's aid at a moments notice.
[Kerala]: I have come to help. I've battled with you. Even when I didn't.... always approve.
Lupinum rubs his forehead.
[Lupinum]: There's no HAVE to. It'sh purely for the Mandate.
[Kerala]: No, it wasn't. Not all of them.
[Lupinum]: There, hold on. What didn't you like- when we hunted the Monk? Or Mage, whatever the Fel it was. ...hic!
You eye Lupinum up and down.
[Kerala]: ... yes.
[Lupinum]: Remind me why.
[Kerala]: We had him beaten, and he was running for his life. If we had let him go, he would not have caused further harm. He was terrified!
[Lupinum]: Alright, that's where you're about 84 percent wrong. He will call for help. And they will retaliate. Peace through Annihilation ensuresh that we strike sho hard, they are unable to respond. And if it escalates, we continue until we are victorious. ...hic!
Kerala asks quietly. "Was he even the one who started the trouble? Was he the one we were called to defend against? I think he was not- just unfortunate enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when the Grim showed up. You heard that inquisitor, about the farm. Even the -children-.
[Lupinum]: I would. Nothing is more powerful than vengeance. A child seared with his parents murder would absolutely grow up with a mind bloodied to Horde.
Kerala stops suddenly... Lupinum's choice of wording calling to mind the Blood Revenge.
[Kerala]: I....
Kerala frowns.
Lupinum blinks at you.
[Lupinum]: This is what I mean. What are you thinking? And I won't poke around.
Kerala 's eyes flash at the threat of mental force.
[Kerala]: Don't
[Lupinum]: I just said I won't! ...hic! We're just talking, Druidess.
Kerala eyes Lupinum... and then forcibly breathes deeply to relax some.
Lupinum sits back down.
Kerala eyes the priest still as he puts himself lower... a submissive gesture. Kerala steps forward and sits too.
[Kerala]: I've never heard it put quite like that before. It's not always true, though.
Lupinum sips his now warm mug of beer as he listens.
[Lupinum]: You think so?
[Kerala]: My father was murdered, and I do not hate the ones that did it. I tried, and I was angry for a time, sure. A long time. But hate?
Lupinum works his jaw, as if he's literally mulling that over.
[Kerala]: Life is too short... too fragile, to carry that burden.
Lupinum scratches his cheek. "Is that part of the reason you choose to be a mender?"
[Kerala]: Because I cannot hate? No.
[Lupinum]: Noo, because life is short and fragile. Though I would beg to differ a couple of those points.
Lupinum smiles wryly.
[Kerala]: You are not alive... *and it takes her a moment, but she fishes out his name from her memory* ...Lupinum.
[Lupinum]: Not in a conventional sense.
Lupinum doesn't address his name being said, but it doesn't escape his ears.
[Kerala]: No... I heal because I am good at it, and because I've killed... more than one person ever should in a life. I don't want to do that again.
[Lupinum]: And here I'm just not good at it...
Lupinum chuckles.
Kerala smiles a little.
[Lupinum]: I already have my title chosen for when I reach Harbinger. The Brace, because I hold everyone up.
Kerala does laugh now. You laugh at Lupinum.
Lupinum shrugs.
[Lupinum]: It is what it is. And I do it well.
Kerala looks at Lupinum. She thinks that maybe knowing his name is alright... if he can't die.
[Kerala]: I'm sorry it hurts you.
Lupinum almost laughs at the expression of kindness, but holds it.
[Lupinum]: Thank you... Did I ever tell you how I died?
[Kerala]: .....no. Did you want to?
Kerala guesses that's a stupid question, since he brought it up.
[Lupinum]: Drowned by my lover in a storm, after being freshly plagued. The fire is a thousand times better than feeling your lungs fill up with water.
You eye Lupinum up and down.
Lupinum blinks at you.
Kerala looks at Lupinum and nods silently. She might not recall suffocating to death, but she -does- remember some vivid and terrible fever-dreams.
Lupinum catches a whiff... hay... the heavy musk of sweat
[Kerala]: I guess it would.
Lupinum nods slowly.
[Lupinum]: It makes me feel normal. Aside from feeling that rot and maggots in my skin... That part is highly enjoyable, no matter what focus you're in.
Lupinum giggles at you.
[Kerala]: I noticed mites earlier. I can fix that, if you like.
Lupinum blinks.
[Lupinum]: How?
[Kerala]: The critters, I mean.
Lupinum blinks at you.
[Lupinum]: One less thing to worry about
[Kerala]: There are certain herbs to keep away any animals, just as there are to aid a person.
[Lupinum]: Am I going to smell? I rely a lot on my nose!
[Kerala]: Try mint. Use it as a soap, or maybe in a tea... there are other kinds of herbs. I'm not an alchemist. Since you aren't alive, I bet you could inject something. You wouldn't smell then, but it would only repel after you were bitten once. I'd recommend staying away from the areas where parasites are picked up in the first place.
Lupinum wrinkles his nose as well as he can... he doesn't know how he feels about being a walking mint leaf.
[Lupinum]: Alliance are covered in the things, everyone knows that.
Kerala rolls her eyes.
[Kerala]: You could always eat the maggots.
Kerala is completely serious.
Lupinum has more than once eaten maggots that wander into his mouth.
[Kerala]: Horde have more, anyway. Lice and mites prefer fur.
Lupinum waves his hands dismissively.
[Lupinum]: Fur shmur.
Kerala eyes Lupinum. "I prefer my fur, thank you. Hides my ugly skin. Sort of.
[Lupinum]: Ugly skin? It's just... skin.
Kerala holds out her arm and runs her other hand slowly over the chaotic pattern of fur. Very many scars become evident that the pattern helps to hide normally.
[Lupinum]: You didn't always mend. Did you fight in their faces?
[Kerala]: I fought any way I could.
[Lupinum]: I don't think I understand, but I won't pry.
Kerala smiles. "It wasn't by choice, and I unfortunately learned by experience. But with fur, I'm never naked.
Lupinum tilts his head.
[Lupinum]: I guess, in some way, sure.
You laugh at Lupinum.
[Lupinum]: But I'm sure... udders or... something
Lupinum sticks his tongue out in mock disgust.
[Kerala]: I'm not a cow!
Kerala waves her hand dismissively, well aware by now that her enjoyment for no clothing is not appropriate.
Lupinum blinks, not quite sure what her hand wave meant. Lupinum takes more gulps of his beer.
[Lupinum]: I haven't seen you eat today
Kerala cocks her head. "Do you think Khorvis knew I didn't eat meat when he assigned my trial? And did it to be mean? Or that's just how he is?"
Lupinum laughs. "I don't think he knew. He's tough, but not unreasonable. But it's too late now..."
[Kerala]: I have more time, now. I don't need to rush to prepare. Which is very good. I hate food.
[Lupinum]: How do you hate food?
Lupinum is holding back the cow jokes... He's worked too hard for jokes at this point.
[Kerala]: I just do. If I were undead, that would be one thing I would love- not having to eat.
[Lupinum]: But.. you have to? Or you're gunna die! And not come back.
[Kerala]: I now that better than most.
Lupinum peers at you searchingly.
[Lupinum]: How do you mean Cause I'm walking proof of it!
[Kerala]: Of starving to death? You told me you drowned.
[Lupinum]: That coming back is an exception! I did, but I had the Plague at that point.
Lupinum raps his knuckles against his chin.
[Lupinum]: Fish ate my jaws, had to make this new one to talk properly.
[Kerala]: Odd. Why the jaw and not your cheeks first?
Lupinum shrugs.
[Lupinum]: Do I look fishy to you?
Kerala shakes her head, but still frowns. She knows animals and they always go for the tenderest parts first.
[Kerala]: I wasn't always a vegetarnian, or whatever you call it.
Lupinum chuckles.
[Lupinum]: How long ago was this?
[Kerala]: Mmmm... three, maybe four years now?
Lupinum nods.
[Kerala]: Let's see I was seventeen... so yeah, four years.
[Lupinum]: What changed?
Kerala doesn't answer.
Lupinum has an idea and rummages in his pack.
You look at Lupinum.
Lupinum decides to make Kerala more comfortable. [he turns into a tree]
[Kerala]: What.... you are adorable.
Lupinum laughs.
[Lupinum]: It's just like Moonglade!
[Kerala]: You know what vegetarnians eat, right?
[Lupinum]: Isn't it nothing with faces? Or something? I don't know.
[Kerala]: Plants, we eat plants. You know.... like trees.
You eye Lupinum up and down. ".....Nevermind."
[Lupinum]: ...
[Kerala]: Oh I don't know anything about other people, just me. No meat.
Lupinum pauses.
[Kerala]: I'm joking. I won't eat you.
Kerala sucks at jokes.
Lupinum couldn't even run if he wanted to... he seems... rooted.
[Lupinum]: It's alright, I feel myself wilting as we speak.
[Kerala]: Are you stuck like that? I could find you a pot or something....
Lupinum pulls his tree-legs, but they stay planted.
[Lupinum]: I don't...
Lupinum tugs harder, the bark starts to crack and break.
[Kerala]: You can be Khorvis' desk plant.
Lupinum laughs.
Kerala grins at Lupinum.
[Lupinum]: I figure he'd like to have a mender in his pocket.
[Kerala]: I think it's funny how everyone thinks I will fail this trial.
[Lupinum]: I didn't think you'd pass, at first.
[Kerala]: Because I eat plants? Wait, you do now?
[Lupinum]: Because I thought you'd wimp out. Yes, I do. I actually have high hopes that you're going to stay once the trialsh are over.
Kerala shrugs. "Even if he makes me eat them raw, blood doesn't taste that bad. And I have no qualms about killing them. I made sure to get evil people." You look at Lupinum.
[Lupinum]: None of them are good. Given the chance, any one of them would attack.
[Kerala]: I don't see myself staying, dead man. Eating people and killing children is still evil. Even if you do it together... and call it family. I'm not doing that anymore.
[Lupinum]: We'll see after your trials. The sacrifice you chose will be... interesting.
[Kerala]: I.... get to choose?
[Lupinum]: Absolutely.
[Kerala]: What did you do?
[Lupinum]: I murdered my murderess.
[Kerala]: How is that a sacrifice? Surely you wanted to?
[Gazreeth walks in]
You look at Gazreeth.
[Lupinum]: One life given to the Mandate is a small price to have the calm mind of a priest.
Gazreeth feels looked at.
Lupinum nods at Gazreeth.
[Lupinum]: Evening, Reaper
[Gazreeth]: evening.
Kerala is no longer relaxed. Not combat-twitchy, but not relaxed.
Lupinum looks at Kerala and shrugs, sipping his beers
You look at Lupinum.
[Kerala]: And yet... here you sit, not meditating because your mind is 'unquiet', turning to alcohol instead.
[Lupinum]: Maybe I just like the beer.
Lupinum laughs and drinks.
[Kerala]: Mhmmm
[Gazreeth walks back out]
[Lupinum]: I think that's what it is.
Lupinum nods.
You shrug at Lupinum. Who knows?
Lupinum picks at his teeth with some bits of [Broken Bones].
[Kerala]: I don't know what I should do for that trial. Let's see if I survive the first one, hmm?
[Lupinum]: You wiiill.
Lupinum burps.
[Kerala]: Yeah well... family and all that... Consider this my call then.
[Lupinum]: Call to what?
[Kerala]: To aid me.
Lupinum smiles at you.
[Lupinum]: I'll answer, Sister.
[Kerala]: That's what you said. I'm counting on it. Don't let me die.
Lupinum cackles maniacally at you.
Kerala isn't joking.
[Lupinum]: That old myth? That Shupplicant fallout'sh are hunted and murdered?
[Kerala]: No. When I pass.
Lupinum blinks at you.
[Lupinum]: Now I'm confused.
Kerala does laugh now, somewhat bitterly. "Lilliana gave me an impossible task to be mean, but I don't know that the high inquisitor's is any less so."
[Lupinum]: Lilly plays games. And I love her for it, but Khorvish is fair
Kerala feels like one too.
Lupinum 's head is wobbly.
Kerala drinks some [Shadowmoon Sugar Pear Cider].
You blink at Lupinum.
Lupinum blinks at you.
You giggle at Lupinum.
[Kerala]: Why does the tasty one have to be sho strong?
[Lupinum]: Hey. I dunno. But.
Lupinum lets out a loud belch.
[Lupinum]: I think I about reached that point
[Kerala]: I will punch you. If you get sick on me.
[Lupinum]: Yeah yeah yeah
Lupinum waves his hands. Lupinum stands, very wobbly.
[Lupinum]: I uh... ...hic!
Lupinum burps again.
[Lupinum]: I'll be in the guild hall...
You nod at Lupinum.
Lupinum pulls out his hearth, drops it and digs his claws into it as he picks it up.
[Kerala]: Do you need help getting there?
[Lupinum]: Naaaah, I'm fine. G'night Kerala.
[Kerala]: Good night.
Re: Kerala's Inquisition
Kerala was sitting on her stack of logs Wednesday night when Lupinum found her next.
"Do you go anywhere?" he hiccuped at her.
"You are here as well as I," she pointed out.
"Because this is where we gather for bloodshed!" came his happy reply, and she blinked at him as he went to purchase another drink. He was going to go fight in that condition?
It was soon evident that this was indeed the place for Grims to gather. A white-haired troll arrived, and the tauren inquisitor. When the high inquisitor stomped in, some kind of whip in his hand, Kerala stayed very still. Lilliana had not seemed to care that Kerala had purposely missed the last inquisition, but that troll was as serpentine as any desert sidewinder reptile. The tauren inquisitor asked him how his lash had been working out since parts had been provided.
"There still do be two parts missing. But it does work well enough for some..."
The Lasher looked over to Kerala, and the druid met his eye. She'd made the choice to avoid the inquisition meeting, and if he decided to punish her for it, she knew she deserved it. She did not know the rules of this game the Grim played, but she knew if she had attended that meeting, she would have failed the trial.
After a long moment, the orc twisted a dial upon the gaudy crankshaft of the Lash and set the weapon aside in his pack. He turned to the troll to talk about the battles planned for that day, and Kerala dared to breath again. With a name like 'the Lasher' she was fairly certain she knew how he would attempt to correct any mistakes or misbehavior. Honestly, she had never seen a weapon like his before. It had been a long time since she'd received a beating.
Lupinum handed a grease-stained bag of something to Syreena, and Kerala watched the forsaken pull out an ear and begin munching on it. Her eyes met the druid's as she did. The next thing Kerala knew, something was flying through the air at her. Her instincts took over before her mind could really figure out what it was. Too big to be a weapon, so instead of flinching around to take the blow to her thick neck, her hand shot out reflexively to alter the thing's course away from her face.
A pack, dark and coldly saturated with blood. The thing thudded to the floor as Kerala looked at the dark stain on her hand with digust. "What is that?" She glared at Khorvis, who had thrown it. Entirely too close beside her, the undead priest shared more than just the Shadowblade's seat. Kerala tried to block the sound of chewing from her ears.
"Do not shy away from simple tasks. They do be the foundation of our order." Khorvis said. Kerala was not sure if he meant attendance at the meeting, or the consumption of hearts. "That? It do be what is left of Supplicant Gallid's first trial."
The heart-eating, then. "The trial you've assigned me is not a simple task. I was not ready. All other supplicant's get a month."
"Aye, one moon." The orc looked at the pack of bloody flesh on the floor. "Do not let time rot your will."
This annoyed Kerala. Not once had she ever said that she would not obey, nor was she objecting to the task itself, terrible as it was. She'd collected the alliance, made certain they were healthy to consume. She would kill them quickly for just the small portion of their meat- she was doing everything she was supposed to, and yet he chose to believe that she was weak-willed because she insisted on one more week? She was altering her body, pushing the very limits of her poor abused gut, and he didn't even notice or care. Last time she had checked, the cycle of a moon covered four weeks, not two.
"You said I was to do it at inquisition, with you and the troll watching. I was not ready." she repeated. He ignored her purposefully. He didn't look angry, so Kerala swallowed hers. Three months. Three tasks. Nothing mattered now.
She shrugged then, and stood from her set to approach the dark pack he had thrown. She didn't bother opening it. There was nothing it could contain that would interest her, she knew. She picked it up and released it almost immediately, letting the quick movement of her arm aim the thing at the fire. The mass of it collapsed a structure of logs, sending up a flurry of red-hot embers and filling the room with a sizzling crackle. Khorvis turned then, and watched the pack begin to burn. The scent of charred cloth assalted her nose, and then a few moments later, cooking meat.
Kerala wiped her twice-bloodied hand on the lowest section of her tabard, and returned to her seat. She waited until they left, her tongue clenched firmly behind her teeth. When they were gone, she immediately dug out the knot of ginger root from a pocket, and ripped off a piece. Her jaw worked hard, even as she breathed through her lips and not her nose. Her stomach took a long time to settle its ominous flipping, and even when it did, she felt uneasy. She took deep breaths, trying to still the slight tremor of her nerves responding to adrenaline. She could have looked inward, could have dispersed the hormone faster, and maybe even quelled her stomach, but she didn't. It would become too easy to rely on those skills, and become dependent.
Syreena watched all this quietly. She'd finished her grisly snack, and had thankfully not reached for another piece. Kerala knew the first ear had been solely for her benefit, of course, but now another emotion was ruling the rogue. Kerala was a puzzle to her, again.
"I thought you wanted to get your Trialsh over with, so you could leave."
"I do."
"Sho why'd you chicken out last night?"
Kerala briefly debated not answering. The rogue did not really care, and why should she do anything to satisfy that curiosity? "I did not. Lilliana changed the task."
"It changed again?"
"Just the timing. I still have to eat them, but instead of going to a warlock or whatever to confirm the deed, she wanted me to eat them all at once. At the inquisition." The druid ground her teeth again, still angry at the meddling trolless.
"If I were you I think I'd get it over with before it changes yet again. They seem to like changing your tasks a lot."
"... I can't." Kerala finally said. She wished she could, for certain. She sighed.
"It's not that bad. Just suck it up and eat body parts for once. You'll live."
Kerala could not help but to glare at the rogue. There it was again- the assumption that they knew her, that they understood anything about her. They did that even as they ignored her and wanted nothing to do with her. How did that make any sense? Do you want to die? Lupinum had asked. They would never understand if she didn't communicate. Did she want that? Family, he'd said. She wasn't sure. She did not want to die, but there was the possibility she might. Did she care what they thought of her? "You don't understand." she said finally.
"What don't I understand?"
"It's not possible. Even now, I don't think it is, though I've a better chance than I did. I- " but then the other Grim returned from their skirmish, and her mouth shut with a snapping of teeth. The undead priest eyed them both.
Syreena pulled her face into a goofy expression, and made him laugh. Then they were all gone again. "Why is it impossible?
Kerala realized how ridiculous it would sound, but she said it anyway. "I didn't have enough room. Not for all seven at once."
The rogue looked at her strangely. "There is more than one cell under the barracks..."
The druid clarified. "I meant inside me."
Syreena blinked then, eying the boney frame beneath the chaotic fur and loose-fitting dress. "Oh, I guess that is a lot."
"I'm not sure why Lilliana changed it, or what new hurdle she thinks to have put in the way by doing so, but I'm glad of it."
The rogue was quiet for a minute, still looking somewhat oddly at the druid sitting atop the logs. When she opened her mouth, she spoke slowly. "Take a bite from each one, then repeat as long as you can. Rather than eating each one whole in turn." At Kerala's incredulous stare, the little forsaken just shrugged. "Then they can't say you didn't eat any of them, just that you didn't finish them."
Was she really trying to help? Maybe she wanted to see Kerala pass this trial, in order to see how she handle the others. She nodded, though she had already thought of that technique as well. "That is a good idea. I will do that."
"Why are you glad Lilly changed it?"
"For the extra time to enlarge my stomach. I'm not foolish enough to just hope that I won't have to finish them all."
The two of them sat in silence for a while. Kerala chewed the ginger piece. It's juice was mostly gone now, but she still found a sort of comfort in the rhythmic smashing of it between her teeth. It was almost like a piece of jerky, savored as long as possible to make the mouth water and fill the stomach with saliva so that it seemed as if you had more than you did. Now she had too much, and she found this extreme harder to deal with. She would be very glad when this trial was over.
The Grim came in and out as they needed to to rest and recover, before leaving abruptly to reinforce some position, or press an attack. Sometimes they returned with scowls on their faces, and others they had obviously had a success. While they were gone, a strange blood elf entered the tavern.
Syreena eyed the magister's ears, then licked her lips. The bag of whatever Lupinum had given her earlier went ignored as she wondered aloud "Is it snack time?" She grinned wiskedly at the confused elf.
"For the two of you? Of course" the elf said politely, with a small bow. He reminded Kerala of the monk Kex'ti, only without the brains or the smirk. "I'm a great cook."
"You have some," Kerala pointed out, gesturing to Lupinum's gift. "Don't."
Syreena ignored her, amused at the elf's answer. "That's not what I had in mind.... Do you know what my favorite snack is?" she asked him. Her tone dripped venom as clearly as any snake, while her face turned up in a sweet smile. Did all Grim have that skill? The elf nodded to Syreena, unaware of his peril, and Kerala briefly covered her face with a hand. Stupid elves. "Yes? You do?"
"What is it?" he asked the Shadowblade.
"Fresh elf ears." Now she was no longer playing at being sweet or polite, and the grin she gave the elf as he slowly backed up was predatory. Kerala tensed.
"I must get back to the battle over Ashran! Take care!" and the mage blinked backwards, turned, and sprinted away from the tavern and the forsaken Grim who wanted to eat him.
Syreena leaped off the table to follow him, and Kerala moved as well."Where are you going?" the rogue shouted, "Come back! I'm hungry!" She pouted. Then, she turned her glowing amber gaze to the druid holding her by the arm. "What? What are you all grabby grabby for?"
"I was going to stop you, if that idiot was too stupid to run." Kerala answered honestly.
"Why?" Kerala blinked at the rogue, her expression mirroring her confusion. Was Syreena really asking her that? "Why would you interfere with me? For an elf you don't even know?"
"Because it's wrong." Wrong to eat people, mostly, but also the Grim claimed to be Horde. If they bothered to make such a distinction to defend their crusade against alliance, how could the attack on blood elves- a race of the Horde- possibly be justified?
Syreena smirked then, and yanked her arm loose from Kerala's fingers. She returned to her seat atop the table. "Don't do it again," she said. Clear warning.
The druid eyed the undead rogue for a long moment "Or what?" She was reasonably sure she would find out exactly or what at some point, and she wanted to hear the woman say it.
But Syreena's face just spread slowly into a grin. "You really want to find out? You're still a Supplicant trying to pass your Trials. I can make that even more difficult. Among other things." She wasn't stupid enough to outright threaten another Grim with physical harm.
Kerala was not expecting that sort of answer at all. Subtlety and vague inconsistencies. But the warning was real enough, she supposed. This was an enemy, sitting here, no mistake. The druid turned to leave the tavern, and Syreena maintained her grin the entire time.
"Do you go anywhere?" he hiccuped at her.
"You are here as well as I," she pointed out.
"Because this is where we gather for bloodshed!" came his happy reply, and she blinked at him as he went to purchase another drink. He was going to go fight in that condition?
It was soon evident that this was indeed the place for Grims to gather. A white-haired troll arrived, and the tauren inquisitor. When the high inquisitor stomped in, some kind of whip in his hand, Kerala stayed very still. Lilliana had not seemed to care that Kerala had purposely missed the last inquisition, but that troll was as serpentine as any desert sidewinder reptile. The tauren inquisitor asked him how his lash had been working out since parts had been provided.
"There still do be two parts missing. But it does work well enough for some..."
The Lasher looked over to Kerala, and the druid met his eye. She'd made the choice to avoid the inquisition meeting, and if he decided to punish her for it, she knew she deserved it. She did not know the rules of this game the Grim played, but she knew if she had attended that meeting, she would have failed the trial.
After a long moment, the orc twisted a dial upon the gaudy crankshaft of the Lash and set the weapon aside in his pack. He turned to the troll to talk about the battles planned for that day, and Kerala dared to breath again. With a name like 'the Lasher' she was fairly certain she knew how he would attempt to correct any mistakes or misbehavior. Honestly, she had never seen a weapon like his before. It had been a long time since she'd received a beating.
Lupinum handed a grease-stained bag of something to Syreena, and Kerala watched the forsaken pull out an ear and begin munching on it. Her eyes met the druid's as she did. The next thing Kerala knew, something was flying through the air at her. Her instincts took over before her mind could really figure out what it was. Too big to be a weapon, so instead of flinching around to take the blow to her thick neck, her hand shot out reflexively to alter the thing's course away from her face.
A pack, dark and coldly saturated with blood. The thing thudded to the floor as Kerala looked at the dark stain on her hand with digust. "What is that?" She glared at Khorvis, who had thrown it. Entirely too close beside her, the undead priest shared more than just the Shadowblade's seat. Kerala tried to block the sound of chewing from her ears.
"Do not shy away from simple tasks. They do be the foundation of our order." Khorvis said. Kerala was not sure if he meant attendance at the meeting, or the consumption of hearts. "That? It do be what is left of Supplicant Gallid's first trial."
The heart-eating, then. "The trial you've assigned me is not a simple task. I was not ready. All other supplicant's get a month."
"Aye, one moon." The orc looked at the pack of bloody flesh on the floor. "Do not let time rot your will."
This annoyed Kerala. Not once had she ever said that she would not obey, nor was she objecting to the task itself, terrible as it was. She'd collected the alliance, made certain they were healthy to consume. She would kill them quickly for just the small portion of their meat- she was doing everything she was supposed to, and yet he chose to believe that she was weak-willed because she insisted on one more week? She was altering her body, pushing the very limits of her poor abused gut, and he didn't even notice or care. Last time she had checked, the cycle of a moon covered four weeks, not two.
"You said I was to do it at inquisition, with you and the troll watching. I was not ready." she repeated. He ignored her purposefully. He didn't look angry, so Kerala swallowed hers. Three months. Three tasks. Nothing mattered now.
She shrugged then, and stood from her set to approach the dark pack he had thrown. She didn't bother opening it. There was nothing it could contain that would interest her, she knew. She picked it up and released it almost immediately, letting the quick movement of her arm aim the thing at the fire. The mass of it collapsed a structure of logs, sending up a flurry of red-hot embers and filling the room with a sizzling crackle. Khorvis turned then, and watched the pack begin to burn. The scent of charred cloth assalted her nose, and then a few moments later, cooking meat.
Kerala wiped her twice-bloodied hand on the lowest section of her tabard, and returned to her seat. She waited until they left, her tongue clenched firmly behind her teeth. When they were gone, she immediately dug out the knot of ginger root from a pocket, and ripped off a piece. Her jaw worked hard, even as she breathed through her lips and not her nose. Her stomach took a long time to settle its ominous flipping, and even when it did, she felt uneasy. She took deep breaths, trying to still the slight tremor of her nerves responding to adrenaline. She could have looked inward, could have dispersed the hormone faster, and maybe even quelled her stomach, but she didn't. It would become too easy to rely on those skills, and become dependent.
Syreena watched all this quietly. She'd finished her grisly snack, and had thankfully not reached for another piece. Kerala knew the first ear had been solely for her benefit, of course, but now another emotion was ruling the rogue. Kerala was a puzzle to her, again.
"I thought you wanted to get your Trialsh over with, so you could leave."
"I do."
"Sho why'd you chicken out last night?"
Kerala briefly debated not answering. The rogue did not really care, and why should she do anything to satisfy that curiosity? "I did not. Lilliana changed the task."
"It changed again?"
"Just the timing. I still have to eat them, but instead of going to a warlock or whatever to confirm the deed, she wanted me to eat them all at once. At the inquisition." The druid ground her teeth again, still angry at the meddling trolless.
"If I were you I think I'd get it over with before it changes yet again. They seem to like changing your tasks a lot."
"... I can't." Kerala finally said. She wished she could, for certain. She sighed.
"It's not that bad. Just suck it up and eat body parts for once. You'll live."
Kerala could not help but to glare at the rogue. There it was again- the assumption that they knew her, that they understood anything about her. They did that even as they ignored her and wanted nothing to do with her. How did that make any sense? Do you want to die? Lupinum had asked. They would never understand if she didn't communicate. Did she want that? Family, he'd said. She wasn't sure. She did not want to die, but there was the possibility she might. Did she care what they thought of her? "You don't understand." she said finally.
"What don't I understand?"
"It's not possible. Even now, I don't think it is, though I've a better chance than I did. I- " but then the other Grim returned from their skirmish, and her mouth shut with a snapping of teeth. The undead priest eyed them both.
Syreena pulled her face into a goofy expression, and made him laugh. Then they were all gone again. "Why is it impossible?
Kerala realized how ridiculous it would sound, but she said it anyway. "I didn't have enough room. Not for all seven at once."
The rogue looked at her strangely. "There is more than one cell under the barracks..."
The druid clarified. "I meant inside me."
Syreena blinked then, eying the boney frame beneath the chaotic fur and loose-fitting dress. "Oh, I guess that is a lot."
"I'm not sure why Lilliana changed it, or what new hurdle she thinks to have put in the way by doing so, but I'm glad of it."
The rogue was quiet for a minute, still looking somewhat oddly at the druid sitting atop the logs. When she opened her mouth, she spoke slowly. "Take a bite from each one, then repeat as long as you can. Rather than eating each one whole in turn." At Kerala's incredulous stare, the little forsaken just shrugged. "Then they can't say you didn't eat any of them, just that you didn't finish them."
Was she really trying to help? Maybe she wanted to see Kerala pass this trial, in order to see how she handle the others. She nodded, though she had already thought of that technique as well. "That is a good idea. I will do that."
"Why are you glad Lilly changed it?"
"For the extra time to enlarge my stomach. I'm not foolish enough to just hope that I won't have to finish them all."
The two of them sat in silence for a while. Kerala chewed the ginger piece. It's juice was mostly gone now, but she still found a sort of comfort in the rhythmic smashing of it between her teeth. It was almost like a piece of jerky, savored as long as possible to make the mouth water and fill the stomach with saliva so that it seemed as if you had more than you did. Now she had too much, and she found this extreme harder to deal with. She would be very glad when this trial was over.
The Grim came in and out as they needed to to rest and recover, before leaving abruptly to reinforce some position, or press an attack. Sometimes they returned with scowls on their faces, and others they had obviously had a success. While they were gone, a strange blood elf entered the tavern.
Syreena eyed the magister's ears, then licked her lips. The bag of whatever Lupinum had given her earlier went ignored as she wondered aloud "Is it snack time?" She grinned wiskedly at the confused elf.
"For the two of you? Of course" the elf said politely, with a small bow. He reminded Kerala of the monk Kex'ti, only without the brains or the smirk. "I'm a great cook."
"You have some," Kerala pointed out, gesturing to Lupinum's gift. "Don't."
Syreena ignored her, amused at the elf's answer. "That's not what I had in mind.... Do you know what my favorite snack is?" she asked him. Her tone dripped venom as clearly as any snake, while her face turned up in a sweet smile. Did all Grim have that skill? The elf nodded to Syreena, unaware of his peril, and Kerala briefly covered her face with a hand. Stupid elves. "Yes? You do?"
"What is it?" he asked the Shadowblade.
"Fresh elf ears." Now she was no longer playing at being sweet or polite, and the grin she gave the elf as he slowly backed up was predatory. Kerala tensed.
"I must get back to the battle over Ashran! Take care!" and the mage blinked backwards, turned, and sprinted away from the tavern and the forsaken Grim who wanted to eat him.
Syreena leaped off the table to follow him, and Kerala moved as well."Where are you going?" the rogue shouted, "Come back! I'm hungry!" She pouted. Then, she turned her glowing amber gaze to the druid holding her by the arm. "What? What are you all grabby grabby for?"
"I was going to stop you, if that idiot was too stupid to run." Kerala answered honestly.
"Why?" Kerala blinked at the rogue, her expression mirroring her confusion. Was Syreena really asking her that? "Why would you interfere with me? For an elf you don't even know?"
"Because it's wrong." Wrong to eat people, mostly, but also the Grim claimed to be Horde. If they bothered to make such a distinction to defend their crusade against alliance, how could the attack on blood elves- a race of the Horde- possibly be justified?
Syreena smirked then, and yanked her arm loose from Kerala's fingers. She returned to her seat atop the table. "Don't do it again," she said. Clear warning.
The druid eyed the undead rogue for a long moment "Or what?" She was reasonably sure she would find out exactly or what at some point, and she wanted to hear the woman say it.
But Syreena's face just spread slowly into a grin. "You really want to find out? You're still a Supplicant trying to pass your Trials. I can make that even more difficult. Among other things." She wasn't stupid enough to outright threaten another Grim with physical harm.
Kerala was not expecting that sort of answer at all. Subtlety and vague inconsistencies. But the warning was real enough, she supposed. This was an enemy, sitting here, no mistake. The druid turned to leave the tavern, and Syreena maintained her grin the entire time.
Re: Kerala's Inquisition
Kerala blinked, her eyes on the undead rogue sitting on the table beside her.
"What?
"Nothing." She honestly was not sure how long the rogue had been there, and that wasn't like her. She'd have been dead now, if this were the desert. The druid shoved a hand at her hair, a gesture that had long since become useless now that the curls were long again, and impenetrable. Had she really fallen asleep?
Arguably, this seemed a safer place than the Grim guild hall, but she was still angry at herself. She'd become a light sleeper fairly early on among the Magram. She'd learned to take sleep where she could get it, and it seemed she was out of practice now. She could not relax within the Grim compound at all- not knowing that people like Khorvis and Syreena openly ate people. She did not understand them- they were mysteries to her, and so she was always on guard. But sleep was needed, and weakness was death. She resolved to take time today and truly rest. Maybe in cat form. They were the masters of resting while not leaving themselves entirely open to danger.
The goblin death knight that seemed to attach himself to Syreena appeared a short time later. "Khorvish didn't like our gift." the rogue told him.
"What gift?" Kerala asked. Another corpse to eat?
"Gaz and I had a dwarf delivered to him." Syreena said, leaving out the important detail.
"...Alive"? Or dead?"
"Alive. For questioning. We'll save the heart for you when he'sh finished with her." Syreena grinned.
Kerala scowled. Not funny. "I have a dwarf already." One without the Shaking Doom, she knew.
"It's best to eat them all at once. You take too long, and they spoil." Gazreeth said.
"It's also best if you let them out of their naptime. Fear adds a nice flavor to them." Syreena added. Could forsaken even taste? It was a well-known fact that stress hormones from fear pain, and anxiety affected the flavor of a creature's flesh. It was why the Magram often enjoyed letting their prisoners attempt to run free, and hunted them down. Why they often tortured them, and mounted them on a roasting spit while still alive.
"Not one I enjoy." Kerala countered.
The Shadowblade shrugged. "You're missing out."
"No," the druid told her, "I'm really not." She frowned, and looked down at her hands, where a gem sat forgotten. She'd been polishing it. A purple one.
"What's taking you so long to eat the hearts of your enemies?"
Kerala rubbed at the gem. Alliance were not her enemies, she wanted to say. Instead "Didn't you hear? I'm supposed to do my trial all in one sitting now, at a guild meeting."
"That meansh Awatu will be there." Syreena commented.
"So what's the problem?" he wanted to know. Kerala was tired of trying to explain, so she said nothing. These were not her allies. "I can make the trial easier if you would like."
"Maybe he'll have your arms ripped off if you fail." The rogue was apparently not in a curious mood today." Kerala ignored Syreena, and raised her gaze to Gazreeth suspiciously. She was listening.
"There is a trick if one must eat hearts and does not enjoy it." he told her. "Children! Preferably babies, tiny hearts. Take one bite." Kerala instantly glared at him. "No need to get mad, it's sound advice. And, they are more tender."
"It is, unfortunately. However, I will not heed it." she told him. It was as nice as she could possibly be at the moment. She didn't think ignoring him would have done any good.
The death knight said he would be right back,a nd disappeared down into the tavern cellar a moment. Syreena eyed Kerala, who obviously was not in the mood the chat, and stood up abruptly, announcing that she was going fishing. The druid wondered if 'fishing' was some cloaked term for hunting elf ears. She worked the gem mindlessly in her hands, her thoughts stuck on the hearts of children.
Gazreeth returned upstairs after a time. "Guy down stairs has filled a special order for me."
"Why are you telling me?" She was absolutely certain she did not want to know what the goblin had ordered for dinner.
He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I have several tiny hearts I have procured for you. Now I know what you're saying but look, it's like eating small rice balls." He produced a bag that had been hidden behind his back- a small sack full of teeny tiny organs.
Kerala's jaw dropped open in shock, disgust and horror. She wanted this terrible person away from her right this minute, and she shoved at him to accomplish just that.
"HEY! Do not confuse my gift for kindness! I have no trouble turning you into battle rations for your failures. Once you eat child hearts something in you will change. You can show them what you are, you need to let go and embrace the mandate."
"Take. Those. Away from me." Kerala demanded. She looked around at the various people in the bar, then down the stairs. Did he really just go buy those like some vegetable at the market?
"Fine." He popped a tiny gnome heart up in the air and caught it in his mouth as he walked away. A thought occured to him, though, and he turned back around. "Don't hide from this question or be a total bitch, but why are you trying to be a Grim?" Kerala needed to leave. She stood to do so, and moved past him toward the door. It would not be good if she lost her temper now. Not at all. But then he said "You owe nothing to anyone. And you are obviously not up for it."
She growled and muttered a curse in the low common tongue of the magram. Six words that told the goblin to eat shit in order to improve the odor of his breath. Apparently, he heard her. She was in the doorway when something struck her int he back of her neck. The sack full of the hearts of children and babies hit the ground and disgorged the contents. The tiny irregular organs rolled all around her hooves. She really didn't mean to, but she found herself turned back around and staring at the goblin.
"You don't want those to go bad, do you?" He made a smooching motion with his face, as if to blow her a kiss. "Don't cry over alliance children," he taunted.
The druid glared at him for a moment, fighting with herself. She breathed, trying to contain her anger while the tiny hearts quivered to a stop on the floor around her. They were so very small... but Kerala had not cried in a very long time. Zaetar lo odes. It was too late. The children -the babies- were dead now, and the worst was over. Nothing she did now would change it. She began to turn to leave again.
"I'll send you a bill for the hearts your head spilled on the ground."
Kerala did not stop. But she yelled. "-I- did not do this! You did!"
He cackled behind her. "You touched them last."
Kerala did not stop. Her spear was in the air flying at the goblin in the next instant as she completed a full turn instead of stopping at the open doorway. She followed right behind it, growling at how he DARED to imply that she killed children.
The death knight lifted his sword to knock the spear aside as he jammed on his helmet. The bulk of Kerala's ursine form was on him a moment later, and he dodged her furious attack. Gazreeth turned his blade to the blunt side and hit Kerala in the head to knock some sense into her.
Kerala had almost realized her error before doing any real harm. The bear was an apex creature in it's own habitat- nothing really gave a bear a concern. It ate what it wanted, and other creatures left it alone. The stoic and casual attitude ingrained in the bearform morph had almost pulled Kerala back to some semblance of control.
And then the goblin had hit her.
Any calmness she had found was instantly gone again. She reached out again to claw the hell out of him. The tiny death knight stood there and took the hit. Looked down at his blood-covered chest then eyed the bear with a fury she didn't know the goblin had. He rushed at her with his blade in the air coming down hard.
The druid's thick fur deflected the blade, and it cut uselessly into the folds of her skin. She retaliated with a swing from the other direction, aiming for his head. Gazreeth easily ducked the heavy paw. He surrounded himself with ice, then sent a pillar of frost at the bear.
Kerala got hit with the frost, and roared in anger at the icy pain. The noise was loud enough, next to him as she was, to incapacitate if she were lucky. It worked. The goblin grabbed his over-sized ears to try to hide them from the terrible sound and looked confused by what just happened. The bear took the opportunity to shake herself, sending ice particles flying in all directions. Then she lunged forward to try and grab Gazreeth in a crushing embrace.
The small goblin was smothered by the giant bear. He reached for his belt and pulled a trigger there. Kerala flinched, expecting some terrible explosion, but there was only a clicking noise as the goblin rockets malfunctioned. She immediately started squeezing hard.
Gazreeth wiggled in her grasp. The same fur that protected her earlier now proved to be a hindrance as his tiny body slipped free. He tried to run behind the bear and slash at her back legs.
"You're too big to turn, I have the upper hand now!" he cackles maniacally.
Kerala felt the cut at her hindquarters, honestly surprised to have lost her grip on the squiggly little guy. She growled. Then she pivoted with more agility than Gazreeth was obviously expecting, coming at him again with a giant clawed paw weighted with the force of her turn behind it.
Gazreeth went flying. He crashed into the wall, cut in several new places. The goblin ran back at Kerala and dropped to slide under her with his blade pointed at her belly. Just like she had done to Syreena, Kerala promptly lunged down with her weight behind her front paws. She hit and the goblin's slid was quit rather suddenly.
The goblin squirmed beneath giant paws. His momentum had caused his own blade to cut into him with her pummeling. He twisted just enough, managed to free it from his flesh, then he jammed the weapon into the bear with all his might trying to get her off him.
Kerala grunted as the sword blade plunged into her middle. How had he managed that? She scrambled away from him, knowing that if she stayed, the blade could move just a little and find something fatal.
"HA! Should have eaten the hearts and you might have had a harder belly."
Kerala growled, eying the death knight, then rushed at him in a wild charge.
Gazreeth was already in motion, though, anticipating the result of his taunt. His little green body tumbled out of the way even as his arm reached out at Kerala, attempting to lift her in the air and choke her.
Kerala 's charge ended rather suddenly in her gasping for air, and she was honestly confused. How did she end up in his hands, unable to breathe? The bear thrashed in Gazreeth's iron grip, trying at once to shake him loose, and rip him to shreds at the same time. The small death knight held on, and gripped his blade in front of him at the same time. Let the bear slice at that instead of his bloody chest. He grinned at her and then sliced at her front paws when she came back down to the ground.
Kerala still couldn't breathe, and she began to feel kind of desperate. She rammed her weight around, toward a wall. She bent as far as she could to get the little choker beneath all four paws in an attempt to stomp him. Her vision was starting to dim...
But the death knight was incredible agile. He released her throat finally, and was able to slip under around and get behind her as she gasped in air. He put all of his strength into a patented Gaz Butt slice. Kerala 's thick fur, again, made it hard for the goblin's blade to penetrate enough do any real damage. The druid continued to gulp in air, and swung at the maddening little foe, trying to maul his stupid tiny body.
Gazreeth, retreated a few steps back to dodge the onslaught. The bear had lost much of her anger in the choke struggle, he noticed. Reaching his hand out, it turned to ice as he attempted to freeze the face of the bear to stop her from being able to attack any more. But Kerala merely chomped through a face of frost, and tried to bite the hand that froze her.
Gazreeth was caught off guard found his hand clamped painfully in the bear's mouth. He was facing the doorway, and he saw Syreena return to the tavern. "Enough! I didn't think you had it in you to try and eat me!" He yanked, trying to remove himself from Kerala's jaws before she tried to amputate the hand.
"Gaz, don't feed the bears." Syreena said flippantly. Gazreeth could see the intelligence, then, behind ursine eyes as the druid seriously considered the options available to her now that another Grim was present. "Goblins aren't very tasty. I'd stick with Alliance hearts."
The bear eyed Syreena a moment, then released Gazreeth. By violently contorting her body in a viscous shake, releasing the goblin at the apex of a swing so that he went flying through the air. She morphed to her natural tauren shape even as he hit the ironbound post of the stairwell and crashed back to the floorboards.
"If you do that again, I will butcher you myself and it will not be just your heart that gets eaten!" she promised.
Gazreeth sat up slowly, then spat on the ground. He was bleeding from several places where her claws had cut into him. "Perhaps I underestimated you."
Kerala pressed a hand to her middle, over the deep wound there. It was the worst of her injuries by far. She turned then, for the door. The goblin crawled a little ways from his place to grab one of the tiny hearts. He flicked it towards the druid. "I bet these taste better."
She resisted the urge to begin the brawl again with a hoof to his stupid green face. It would be so easy... but no. Not with Syreena here. She walked out the door, trying not to limp until she was out of the line of sight of the barroom. Then she made for the beach.
"What?
"Nothing." She honestly was not sure how long the rogue had been there, and that wasn't like her. She'd have been dead now, if this were the desert. The druid shoved a hand at her hair, a gesture that had long since become useless now that the curls were long again, and impenetrable. Had she really fallen asleep?
Arguably, this seemed a safer place than the Grim guild hall, but she was still angry at herself. She'd become a light sleeper fairly early on among the Magram. She'd learned to take sleep where she could get it, and it seemed she was out of practice now. She could not relax within the Grim compound at all- not knowing that people like Khorvis and Syreena openly ate people. She did not understand them- they were mysteries to her, and so she was always on guard. But sleep was needed, and weakness was death. She resolved to take time today and truly rest. Maybe in cat form. They were the masters of resting while not leaving themselves entirely open to danger.
The goblin death knight that seemed to attach himself to Syreena appeared a short time later. "Khorvish didn't like our gift." the rogue told him.
"What gift?" Kerala asked. Another corpse to eat?
"Gaz and I had a dwarf delivered to him." Syreena said, leaving out the important detail.
"...Alive"? Or dead?"
"Alive. For questioning. We'll save the heart for you when he'sh finished with her." Syreena grinned.
Kerala scowled. Not funny. "I have a dwarf already." One without the Shaking Doom, she knew.
"It's best to eat them all at once. You take too long, and they spoil." Gazreeth said.
"It's also best if you let them out of their naptime. Fear adds a nice flavor to them." Syreena added. Could forsaken even taste? It was a well-known fact that stress hormones from fear pain, and anxiety affected the flavor of a creature's flesh. It was why the Magram often enjoyed letting their prisoners attempt to run free, and hunted them down. Why they often tortured them, and mounted them on a roasting spit while still alive.
"Not one I enjoy." Kerala countered.
The Shadowblade shrugged. "You're missing out."
"No," the druid told her, "I'm really not." She frowned, and looked down at her hands, where a gem sat forgotten. She'd been polishing it. A purple one.
"What's taking you so long to eat the hearts of your enemies?"
Kerala rubbed at the gem. Alliance were not her enemies, she wanted to say. Instead "Didn't you hear? I'm supposed to do my trial all in one sitting now, at a guild meeting."
"That meansh Awatu will be there." Syreena commented.
"So what's the problem?" he wanted to know. Kerala was tired of trying to explain, so she said nothing. These were not her allies. "I can make the trial easier if you would like."
"Maybe he'll have your arms ripped off if you fail." The rogue was apparently not in a curious mood today." Kerala ignored Syreena, and raised her gaze to Gazreeth suspiciously. She was listening.
"There is a trick if one must eat hearts and does not enjoy it." he told her. "Children! Preferably babies, tiny hearts. Take one bite." Kerala instantly glared at him. "No need to get mad, it's sound advice. And, they are more tender."
"It is, unfortunately. However, I will not heed it." she told him. It was as nice as she could possibly be at the moment. She didn't think ignoring him would have done any good.
The death knight said he would be right back,a nd disappeared down into the tavern cellar a moment. Syreena eyed Kerala, who obviously was not in the mood the chat, and stood up abruptly, announcing that she was going fishing. The druid wondered if 'fishing' was some cloaked term for hunting elf ears. She worked the gem mindlessly in her hands, her thoughts stuck on the hearts of children.
Gazreeth returned upstairs after a time. "Guy down stairs has filled a special order for me."
"Why are you telling me?" She was absolutely certain she did not want to know what the goblin had ordered for dinner.
He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I have several tiny hearts I have procured for you. Now I know what you're saying but look, it's like eating small rice balls." He produced a bag that had been hidden behind his back- a small sack full of teeny tiny organs.
Kerala's jaw dropped open in shock, disgust and horror. She wanted this terrible person away from her right this minute, and she shoved at him to accomplish just that.
"HEY! Do not confuse my gift for kindness! I have no trouble turning you into battle rations for your failures. Once you eat child hearts something in you will change. You can show them what you are, you need to let go and embrace the mandate."
"Take. Those. Away from me." Kerala demanded. She looked around at the various people in the bar, then down the stairs. Did he really just go buy those like some vegetable at the market?
"Fine." He popped a tiny gnome heart up in the air and caught it in his mouth as he walked away. A thought occured to him, though, and he turned back around. "Don't hide from this question or be a total bitch, but why are you trying to be a Grim?" Kerala needed to leave. She stood to do so, and moved past him toward the door. It would not be good if she lost her temper now. Not at all. But then he said "You owe nothing to anyone. And you are obviously not up for it."
She growled and muttered a curse in the low common tongue of the magram. Six words that told the goblin to eat shit in order to improve the odor of his breath. Apparently, he heard her. She was in the doorway when something struck her int he back of her neck. The sack full of the hearts of children and babies hit the ground and disgorged the contents. The tiny irregular organs rolled all around her hooves. She really didn't mean to, but she found herself turned back around and staring at the goblin.
"You don't want those to go bad, do you?" He made a smooching motion with his face, as if to blow her a kiss. "Don't cry over alliance children," he taunted.
The druid glared at him for a moment, fighting with herself. She breathed, trying to contain her anger while the tiny hearts quivered to a stop on the floor around her. They were so very small... but Kerala had not cried in a very long time. Zaetar lo odes. It was too late. The children -the babies- were dead now, and the worst was over. Nothing she did now would change it. She began to turn to leave again.
"I'll send you a bill for the hearts your head spilled on the ground."
Kerala did not stop. But she yelled. "-I- did not do this! You did!"
He cackled behind her. "You touched them last."
Kerala did not stop. Her spear was in the air flying at the goblin in the next instant as she completed a full turn instead of stopping at the open doorway. She followed right behind it, growling at how he DARED to imply that she killed children.
The death knight lifted his sword to knock the spear aside as he jammed on his helmet. The bulk of Kerala's ursine form was on him a moment later, and he dodged her furious attack. Gazreeth turned his blade to the blunt side and hit Kerala in the head to knock some sense into her.
Kerala had almost realized her error before doing any real harm. The bear was an apex creature in it's own habitat- nothing really gave a bear a concern. It ate what it wanted, and other creatures left it alone. The stoic and casual attitude ingrained in the bearform morph had almost pulled Kerala back to some semblance of control.
And then the goblin had hit her.
Any calmness she had found was instantly gone again. She reached out again to claw the hell out of him. The tiny death knight stood there and took the hit. Looked down at his blood-covered chest then eyed the bear with a fury she didn't know the goblin had. He rushed at her with his blade in the air coming down hard.
The druid's thick fur deflected the blade, and it cut uselessly into the folds of her skin. She retaliated with a swing from the other direction, aiming for his head. Gazreeth easily ducked the heavy paw. He surrounded himself with ice, then sent a pillar of frost at the bear.
Kerala got hit with the frost, and roared in anger at the icy pain. The noise was loud enough, next to him as she was, to incapacitate if she were lucky. It worked. The goblin grabbed his over-sized ears to try to hide them from the terrible sound and looked confused by what just happened. The bear took the opportunity to shake herself, sending ice particles flying in all directions. Then she lunged forward to try and grab Gazreeth in a crushing embrace.
The small goblin was smothered by the giant bear. He reached for his belt and pulled a trigger there. Kerala flinched, expecting some terrible explosion, but there was only a clicking noise as the goblin rockets malfunctioned. She immediately started squeezing hard.
Gazreeth wiggled in her grasp. The same fur that protected her earlier now proved to be a hindrance as his tiny body slipped free. He tried to run behind the bear and slash at her back legs.
"You're too big to turn, I have the upper hand now!" he cackles maniacally.
Kerala felt the cut at her hindquarters, honestly surprised to have lost her grip on the squiggly little guy. She growled. Then she pivoted with more agility than Gazreeth was obviously expecting, coming at him again with a giant clawed paw weighted with the force of her turn behind it.
Gazreeth went flying. He crashed into the wall, cut in several new places. The goblin ran back at Kerala and dropped to slide under her with his blade pointed at her belly. Just like she had done to Syreena, Kerala promptly lunged down with her weight behind her front paws. She hit and the goblin's slid was quit rather suddenly.
The goblin squirmed beneath giant paws. His momentum had caused his own blade to cut into him with her pummeling. He twisted just enough, managed to free it from his flesh, then he jammed the weapon into the bear with all his might trying to get her off him.
Kerala grunted as the sword blade plunged into her middle. How had he managed that? She scrambled away from him, knowing that if she stayed, the blade could move just a little and find something fatal.
"HA! Should have eaten the hearts and you might have had a harder belly."
Kerala growled, eying the death knight, then rushed at him in a wild charge.
Gazreeth was already in motion, though, anticipating the result of his taunt. His little green body tumbled out of the way even as his arm reached out at Kerala, attempting to lift her in the air and choke her.
Kerala 's charge ended rather suddenly in her gasping for air, and she was honestly confused. How did she end up in his hands, unable to breathe? The bear thrashed in Gazreeth's iron grip, trying at once to shake him loose, and rip him to shreds at the same time. The small death knight held on, and gripped his blade in front of him at the same time. Let the bear slice at that instead of his bloody chest. He grinned at her and then sliced at her front paws when she came back down to the ground.
Kerala still couldn't breathe, and she began to feel kind of desperate. She rammed her weight around, toward a wall. She bent as far as she could to get the little choker beneath all four paws in an attempt to stomp him. Her vision was starting to dim...
But the death knight was incredible agile. He released her throat finally, and was able to slip under around and get behind her as she gasped in air. He put all of his strength into a patented Gaz Butt slice. Kerala 's thick fur, again, made it hard for the goblin's blade to penetrate enough do any real damage. The druid continued to gulp in air, and swung at the maddening little foe, trying to maul his stupid tiny body.
Gazreeth, retreated a few steps back to dodge the onslaught. The bear had lost much of her anger in the choke struggle, he noticed. Reaching his hand out, it turned to ice as he attempted to freeze the face of the bear to stop her from being able to attack any more. But Kerala merely chomped through a face of frost, and tried to bite the hand that froze her.
Gazreeth was caught off guard found his hand clamped painfully in the bear's mouth. He was facing the doorway, and he saw Syreena return to the tavern. "Enough! I didn't think you had it in you to try and eat me!" He yanked, trying to remove himself from Kerala's jaws before she tried to amputate the hand.
"Gaz, don't feed the bears." Syreena said flippantly. Gazreeth could see the intelligence, then, behind ursine eyes as the druid seriously considered the options available to her now that another Grim was present. "Goblins aren't very tasty. I'd stick with Alliance hearts."
The bear eyed Syreena a moment, then released Gazreeth. By violently contorting her body in a viscous shake, releasing the goblin at the apex of a swing so that he went flying through the air. She morphed to her natural tauren shape even as he hit the ironbound post of the stairwell and crashed back to the floorboards.
"If you do that again, I will butcher you myself and it will not be just your heart that gets eaten!" she promised.
Gazreeth sat up slowly, then spat on the ground. He was bleeding from several places where her claws had cut into him. "Perhaps I underestimated you."
Kerala pressed a hand to her middle, over the deep wound there. It was the worst of her injuries by far. She turned then, for the door. The goblin crawled a little ways from his place to grab one of the tiny hearts. He flicked it towards the druid. "I bet these taste better."
She resisted the urge to begin the brawl again with a hoof to his stupid green face. It would be so easy... but no. Not with Syreena here. She walked out the door, trying not to limp until she was out of the line of sight of the barroom. Then she made for the beach.
Re: Kerala's Inquisition
Kerala was stalking up and down the surfline, venting and still bleeding, when a familiar voice came to her on the wind.
"Kerala? Are you here?"
She climbed the few rocks separating the tide pool from the true beach, and saw Kex'ti standing there. He had followed the trail of her blood to there, then lost it in the saltwater of the pool. "Over here, monk."
He smiled, spotting her, and stood on the rock with her a moment later. Then he eyed her critically, noticing her wounds. "You're injured."
"Not much. I was just about to fix it." It was the truth, now, even if just a moment ago she'd been planning on doing nothing about the wounds. It had been too long since she had to bleed. She was fighting poorly, reacting instead of anticipating. Most of all, she was letting emotions that were unfamiliar and strange rule her. First, with Brast when Lomani had been in danger, and now, when somehow the goblin had also gotten her by the neck. It bothered her. It bothered her a lot, to have been so easily beaten. If the death knight had not let go, she was not sure she would still be alive.
Kerala turned her attentions inwards, and opened the floodgates to the magic within her. Whatever Kex'ti had said was lost to her hearing as she guided the natural healing of her body to maximum efficiency. What she had said to Lupinum was true. Healing like this gave a satisfaction without parallel. Nature was a problem-solver. Have an issue- it came up with a solution. Wound in the body? No problem- that could be fixed, with enough time and resources. SPeeding the process was like solving the puzzle, returning things to the way they should be, and it felt wonderful. It felt right.
She returned to herself to find Kex'ti rinsing his armor. The tidepool was changing color from the amount of blood he rinsed away.
"You've been in a fight yourself. Worse than mine." she observed.
"I wouldn't call it a fight." He straightened and took a draw from his jug. "In any case. I apologize if I've overstepped my bounds about your trials. You are right. I do not know you well."
Kerala cocked her head at the elf. "Your opinion is yours, not mine." Was he rethinking his choice to help her now, or reinforcing it? Did he want her to explain herself? "Honestly, you confuse me."
The elf looked at her as he fiddled with a bottle. "Why?"
"Because... I told you what is required for the first trial, and your reaction was much as I expected..."
There was a popping sound as the cork came free. "Would you like a drink? Please, continue."
"Which is why I told you..." She nodded to him as he poured himself a glass, then offered her the bottle. She scooted closer to him rather ungracefully, and accepted it. She drank directly from the container thoughtlessly. "But then, you're going out of your way to help me anyway. Why, if what I must do is so obviously against your own ethics? ... that has never happened before." It honestly perplexed her.
"What you have done cannot be undone. But when the task is finished, you can right the course. ...hic! It's a disgusting, vile thing you believe you must do." Kerala looked away at that. "But we all make choices we choose to regret. And that regret is what allowsh us to make better decisionsh in the future. I don't know why you feel the need to do this. But if it ish a matter of your honor, then I may as well help you see it through. You have to eat the heartsh of living men and women. But they are dead. Not much can be done to help them. But what can be done, is help you not to be in a position where you feel the need to harm innocents. I believe you to be a good person." Kex'ti smiled at her. "I want to make sure you continue...to be a good person."
She ignored that last part, for the moment. She told Kex'ti about how she was keeping them all in hibernation, and how she'd selected alliance specifically so that she would not be concerned about killing them. They were none of them deserving of life. But his perception of her morality was wrong, and she could not ignore it very long. "I still don't understand. I'm not good. I don't have any honor. Not at all. How can you ignore yours? When you don't even know why I'm doing what I am?"
He smiled again. The expression came easily to his face. "Look. I...have made shome life choices before coming to Shanctuary I deeply regret. We all have our dark times. ...hic!" Kerala sipped more from her bottle. It was something gross, but not as bad as some other strong drinks she's tasted.. "I don't believe you're the type of...individual to join the Grim because you agree with them."
"I'm not," she confirmed.
Kex'ti nodded. "That may not make you good, true. But it does not make you a monster." He looked out toward Ashran. "We have enough monstersh to worry about. ...hic!"
Kerala sighed, because she still did not fully understand. She wouldn't help Kex'ti do something terrible, unless her life was in the balance, so why was he? The monk seemed to read the thoughts behind the release of air.
"It'sh like...a river." She listened intently to the monk. "A river shtartsh from a source, and splitsh into many streams as it goes downward. Along its path, it servesh as a place for fish to grow, crops to water. But shometimes, when it rains, the river overflows. Shometimesh it washes away homes, or drownsh creatures. But, it doesn't mean the river can't change course. It can continue being a danger. Or it can turn a bend, and water crops, run mills, and feed the thirsty." He stopped to take a drink from his jug. His cup wasn't yet empty.
"But, a river doesn't think, it just is." she pointed out. "It doesn't care if it drowns anyone, it will always seek the sea."
"Yes. We are not rivers, though we may be like them. We cant change the course that we run along, despite the sight of other tributariesh in the distance of what may have been. But we can control where we go at the forks. ...hic!"
Kerala looked into the bottle in her hands, not saying anything for a while, but thinking about Kex'ti and his outlook. She assumed that he thought she was at some kind of fork in the river of her life. Maybe he was concerned that, if she passed the trials, the experience would change her, and she would remain a Grim? Did he want to prevent that, then?
The monk coughed into his sleeve, and then brought out a fishing pole. It looked rather rugged. and unfinished. Kex'ti himself was more... rough, than she had seen typically of his race. She wondered what he considered to be a terrible thing to have done. What was his dark time like? So, she asked him. "So, what did you do?"
The monk looked at her, letting his line float casually in the water. He just smiled without a word, and continued fishing. Just as well. After watching him for a time, she grew annoyed at his very poor technique. She told him he would not catch very fish the way he did it, and warned him about the ray she'd seen circling the little semicircle of ocean. He told her he didn't mind if he lost the driftwood pole, and the conversation lulled again.
Kerala considered that the monk had not answered her question at all. Maybe he was trying to get her to share something first. After all, she'd asked Konro the same way, when she wanted something from him. Perhaps he was doing the same thing, only more subtly. Or, maybe she was completely wrong on all accounts. People were so confusing!
She debated, wondering how exactly to lead someone to see her point of view. Even Breygrah, a shu'halo herself, did not understand, nor most of the Skytotem. Lomani did not either, but the seer was aggravatingly just as accepting of Kerala's choice of action as Kex'ti seemed to be. She believed she knew the person that Kerala was, and so she blindly put her faith in that.
"There is supposedly a time in shu'halo history where we were quite evil." Kex'ti looked at her. She had his attention. "Lomani would tell you it was because we listened to some terrible demons below the ground, and then she'd tell you about how the sun and moon are the Earth Mother's eyes, because she was so sad at us killing each other." Kerala sighed. "She's very devout."
The monk nodded. "I have my faith as well. We all must have faith in something?"
Kerala shook her head. not really disagreeing with Kex'ti about the religion, but about his assessment of people. She didn't have faith in any religion "Regardless, the story has some truth in it."
"I am not very aware of Shu'halo history. Would you mind sharing me the tale, from your view?"
The druid shrugged. "At one point, my people did kill each other. The tribal wars must have been devastating. Eventually, there were other threats, though. Important enough to distract us from whatever reasons we had to act so terribly. The monk nodded to her, and she wet her mouth from the bottle. "The centaur were one, I think. ...hic! Shu'halo needed to stop their fighting, in order to survive. They made the Blood Revenge laws."
"Blood revenge?"
Kerala nodded. "It is the reason I am with Grim."
"What does that mean, exactly?"
She tried to find the proper words to describe it. "In a time of tribes that varied so greatly, there was no Cairne to unify them. There was only the Blood Revenge. One law, one tradition to follow no matter what the tribe believed otherwise. Basically, it was a way to stop the fighting, among ourselves." Kex'ti nodded as if he understood. His expression was placid. "It is the greatest sin, absolutely unforgivable, for one shu'halo to take the life of another. Of course, it didn't stop people from dying. There were still accidents, or times when emotion overrode sense. But if that happened, there was a debt to pay, to the victim. Their family or tribe."
She was silent for a moment, thinking of all the debts she'd paid since leaving Desolace. Sacks of gems, wagons full of furs and tools and supplies. She'd located the tribe for each name on her mental list, and gradually it became smaller. She would observe them, find out what they needed, and simply find a way to provide it. Their payment arrived with only the name on a piece of paper to explain it. She did not want to know those people, to see their grief. The Grim were the only ones who had been able to dictate the method of payment. The only debt she'd accrued outside of Desolace, or even by choice.
After a while, Kex'ti must have noticed the silence as her eyes tracked the movements of his terrible fishing. "So you feel...a debt for Konro?"
She blinked, then nodded. "It was Breygrah's, but yes."
"Then why is it your burden to bear?" Then he chuckled, finding something funny in his statement. He was obviously feeling the effects of the drink.
"It wasn't. But Breygrah would never do it, and Konro deserved more than.... than what he got."
Kex'ti frowned and exhaled. "Why do you feel that way?"
"I know you don't agree. People hate him" Kerala let the topic die, then, changing her mind trying to get him to understand. If he did not see Konro the same way she did, then how could he understand the need to balance the soldier's death? Even if he understood the other motive, which was to take the debt from Breygrah and protect her from the Grim, she was not interested in sharing half-truths. Breygrah could hate her as long as she wished- at least the warrior was not the target of Grim ire any longer. She could do that much to protect the foolhardy woman.
Another long silence, and Kex'ti seemed to realize she was done talking. He kicked absently at his bag.
"I know food is a recurrent topic in our conversations, but if you'd like, I packed a lunch." He frowned. "For when I got out of Ashran..."
Her interest was peaked. "How much do you have? I didn't eat my big meal yet this evening." This of course brought a smile to his face, as she thought it might.
" More than enough."
Then a familiar voice came from the rocks. "I heard you didn't like what Gaz offered." Syreena said. She had a big grin on her face. She might have been drunk.
Kex'ti peered at the rogue, then sighed at her. "I've been to Ashran today, Syreena, have you?"
"No, not today."
Kex'ti smirked. "Oh?"
Syreena tilted her head, squinting at him. Definitely drunk. "Why should I have been to Ashran today?"
"Because the Horde demands it. And it's a pity to have 'traitors' like elf monks from Sanctuary be outperforming you in that regard." It was his turn to flash a grin.
Syreena just looked at him. "I was busy defending the Grim garrison from an invasion by the Shhadowmoon clan. Though..I should go to Ashran. I need to collect a bunch of Draenei hearts."
Kerala rolled her eyes at the mention of hearts. Would people never quit bringing that up? But Kex'ti glared angrily. The fishing rod still dangled loosely in his hand. "The thing about hearts, Syreena, that you don't appreciate, is that quality makes for far greater...dedication than quantity."
"Yeah? Well, I'm shtill gonna kill a bunch, just to make shure I get shome of good quality." Kex'ti sighed. "I'll taste them each, and I'll give the best quality ones to Kerala there." The forsaken grinned again..
"You will not." Kerala said, her eyes flashing. She'd had quite enough of Grim 'assistance'.
"Then by all means, be off on your foul crusade. Leave us in peace."
Syreena squinted again at the monk. "Am I disturbing you? So shorry. I'll be quiet."
"Oh. Would you see that?" Kex'ti crested the rock, and absentmindedly looked at the tidepool past Syreena. Kerala saw nothing though she looked closely, trying to see whatever he did.
"Oh no!" the elf cried. Syreena turned and looked over her shoulder to see what they were looking at.
Kex'ti 's expression abruptly hardened, and with far greater precision that Kerala has seen all afternoon he whipped the hook toward Syreena's head...only to miss the wound where her ear would have been. "Ah. Damn." Kerala blinked at him as he rolled the line back up. If he tried again, she had no intention of interfering. "Missed it. Flying fish." Syreena looked back at the monk as she felt something whizz by her face.
Kex'ti smirked. "I almost hooked your ear, Syreena..." Then he frowned.
"Trying to get me closer, Elf? You know I don't do that with your kind."
Kerala raised a brow at Kex'ti. Was he attacking Syreena or not? If he was, why the banter? If he wasn't, why had he tried to hook her?
Kex'ti chuckles at Syreena. "I thought you liked my ears. Or did I misread a euphemism when you said eat?" He shrugged.
"Oh, I like your ears. Battered and deep-fried." She chomped her teeth together.
"You see, you say these things to me, and it does make me wonder of your intentions. Jealousy does not become you, Syreena. I am quite satisfied with my relationship." The smirk was back in place on his face.
"Oh, her earsh are quiet tasty-looking too." The rogue winked and disappeared while Kex'ti chuckled at her statement. The instant she was gone, though, his apparently false levity dropped.
Kerala looked around warily, wondering if the rogue were really gone, or merely hiding. Had been listening before she'd appreared?
"I apologize for that." Kerala glanced to him, and shrugged. She was not sure exactly why the monk should be apologizing. Kex'ti hobbled back to the water, clearly unused to balancing without his staff. He coughed. Kerala followed, still watching for sneak-thieves. The cough intrigued her. Surely his medicine was to treat it. Was it working and the cough was merely a harmless remnant of some deeper sickness, or was his medicine perhaps not working as it should? She briefly wondered what she would find if she were to heal him. Kerala let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
"In any case..." Kex'ti opened his pack and pulled out several round fruits. "You want one?"
Kerala looked at them. "Yes please." She remembered manners.
"Oh. Also, it's a bit cold, but admittedly I've eaten a lot of this lately." The monk slapped his slightly paunchy stomach. "It wouldn't due for me to continue eating it."
Kerala smiled and thanked him for the fruit. Inside, the flesh was moist with juice, and it was rather cold, which she found odd. Cold food seemed unnatural to her still, and the bartender in Warspear knew not to chill her juices or water. The bland sweetness of the melon was very welcoming.
She smiled at Kex'ti, who was obviously joyed to be providing a meal. Her eyes dropped to his middle, since he had draw attention to it. It was true he may have more mass there than other elves his size, but the sight was not something she had ever really noticed.
Her own stomach was actually resembling Kex'ti's these days. She'd settled into a routine with her meals, overeating systematically. Once she'd discovered the boundaries to not make herself sick, it went fairly easily, though she would very glad once the trial was over. Her jaw was tired from chewing, and if she tried to use more liquids, she was forever seeking a place to eliminate.
There was one thing, though, that Kerala had not done yet. She didn't want to at all, but she knew at one point or another, she'd have to, if she wanted to be as prepared as she could possibly be for this the task.
"...What is the most....? Um." Kex'ti looked at her, and for a moment, she reconsidered involving him in this. Then she went ahead anyway. Might as well. "The easiest meat to digest?"
Kex'ti thought about the question seriously. "Depending on how its cooked, fish or poultry. Fish, if you prepare it properly, doesn't even need to be cooked."
"What is poultry?" she asked.
"Ah. Birds."
Kerala considered. She'd eaten plenty of vultures and other birds, but the idea of fish was intriguing. What would they taste like? Would their flesh be watery? "I've never had fish....?" It came out more of a question, than the statement she'd intended. She was wondering if the meat of a fish would make her ill like all the rest. Was it a good test?
"I know you have...reservations about meat in general. But, I've obviously made a few catches." Kex'ti chuckled. "If you'd like to try just a little."
"I was thinking... maybe I should see how it sits with me." The druid eyed him. She did not like this idea, but she also did not do do this alone. What if she was more than just sick? She might need his help.
Kex'ti smiled. "Okay Let me finish up a few more." His expression was odd, and it occurred to her that perhaps he thought her adventurous or bold for daring to eat meat when before now it was not something he'd seen her do.
She should fix that notion. "I was not always a vegetarnian."
"Really?"
"Really."
"It's usually a pretty...compelling choice. I know many druids take up those vows as a matter of practice."
She knew he hadn't meant it humorously, but Kerala found his words incredibly funny. She giggled a little. "It is not a choice, elf, not at all."
"No?"
He was confused, and Kerala knew in a little while it would become clear to him, so she addressed the other portion of his comment. "I wouldn't hold me up to that kind of ideal, or what you know of any other druid. About the only similarity, I would bet, is that I can shapeshift. And heal." Kex'ti smiled at her. "I'm not overly concerned about the earth, or animals... and I'm not religious."
"Oh?"
She shrugged. "Nope"
"You must have extraordinary willpower to shapeshift, then."
This confused her, and Kerala blinked. "Why?"
Kex'ti chuckled. "I have never met one of the Sin'dorei who could practice the druidic arts, and we are renowned for our pride, are we not?" He settled into the familiar smirk.
Kerala shrugged again. "And a bird cannot swim, any more than a fish can breathe air."
Kex'ti laughed and then grinned. After a moment, his thoughts must have turned to something more serious, for he sighed. Kerala watched the monk fish, observing his technique in a different light. Maybe if he thought of it like attacking the fish, he would do it better- for he was obviously very skilled in battle. Why did he have trouble with this simple task? The idea that he was faking did not even occur to her, because why would anybody ever do that?
"So, this debt is about Konro?"
"What? Oh... no." Everyone believed that. She supposed it were true, in part. A very small part. "The undead priest... he said I have baggage. I don't know what he meant, but he mentioned Konro as well." She sighed. "He's dead." she told the elf, just as she had told the Grim priest. Konro no longer mattered. Only her promise to him did, and she had promised to try and protect Breygrah. She was not going to try and mother the woman, or coddle her safely from her stupidity, but she did understand why the warrior had felt there was no other solution to stopping Konro's behavior. She had not wanted to kill him.
When Kerala's thoughts had distracted her long enough, Kex'ti spoke up again, prompting. "The...blood oath, then?"
The druid nodded. "If one shu'halo killed another... there would be a debt to pay."
"Hm. I can understand the logic. It's the principle, rather than the individuals." and he nodded, confident in his understanding.
.
"This is for Breygrah, if anyone. Even if she doesn't understand." Kerala commented quietly.
"I hadn't considered that."
Kerala sighed her thoughts had become darker. "It is better that she left the Horns, I think."
"You think so?" When the tauren nodded at him, he asked the question, "Why?" His tone was curious rather than judgmental.
"I was being foolish. It was a silly childhood dream, that's all." The monks eyes left his pole to regard her then as she continued. "There is a reason why some things die. I should have seen that immediately, and instead, I did not." Kerala shrugged.
Kex'ti cast his driftwood rod back into the ocean. He sighed and began to gather firewood. "I am not sure I follow."
So, Kerala tried again to explain. She was so bad at this, she knew. Sometimes she thought she should simply use the Magram way of communicating- mostly action, very few and blunt words. She'd always understood them well enough. "I never found the Horns of the Shuhalo, the guild, the people I wanted. So I tried to make my own. They were dead, I guess."
Kex'ti merely nodded, shaping the wood. If he still did not understand, he let the topic die thankfully. She watched the monk build a fire, becoming intrigued. She had no idea what he was doing... but it was wrong. Then, he shifted to the side and lit his fire. It was in the shape of a person. Kex'ti put some of the meat near the flames.
"That's.... unusual." She refrained from adding useless and inefficient. The little mortal-shaped effigy would burn much too quickly, and there was not a good source of fuel anywhere nearby. Then, she was glad she had not said it, remembering how he had said fish did not need much cooking. Perhaps he did not want a long-burning fire. She also did not point out that he could just use the ocean water to put it out if he wished to leave before it burned out.
Kex'ti raised an eyebrow. "What is?" Kerala looked pointedly at the fire, then back to him, and he laughed. "Oh. In my family, we always burn the first fire of the evening with an effigy, to remember the people who came before us. And remember we cook and stay warm for them, as well as ourselves."
Kerala cocked her head. "But they are dead." There must be millions upon millions of dead people by now- that was a lot to try and remember!
Kex'ti said nothing to that, instead beginning to gut and clean the fish. After a moment he asked "What sounds best?" and then he went on to describe several dishes, and Kerala became overwhelmed. The last one was spicy, so she seized on that.
"Um.... not the spicy one..."
"Why don't you try this first. It's very simple, not a lot of anything except fish... If you don't like it, it just means there's always fresh bait tomorrow." he suggested with a smile.
Eventually, he handed her a small platter with two fish on it. Or, perhaps, two halves of a single fish. She eyed the fish for a moment.
Kex'ti busied himself with assembling a more regular campfire over the effigy's ashes, then began eating his own meal. He noticed when the tauren murmured something before taking her first bite, and his eyebrow raised. It had not been Orcish she spoke.
"I apologize, I remain only passingly familiar with taurahe. Hopefully you aren't praying for deliverence from my meal!" The monk chuckled.
This was perhaps the most delicious thing Kerala had ever put in her mouth. Fish flesh was soft, arranged oddly in layers and with a very delicate flavor unlike anything else. She almost didn't even need to chew, though she did, very slowly. She swallowed. "What? Oh... no. It's not taurahe. That's really good."
"Oh?" Kex'ti beamed. "I am glad you like it. I appreciate your spirit of adventure."
Kerala looks at the fishes, as if trying to gauge how much she should eat for this test. She decided it wouldn't matter. It really was yummy, so she might as well enjoy it. "No, you cook very well." she told him honestly. "I sometimes have trouble with spices.... but you generally cook things that aren't overwhelming."
Kex'ti chuckled, and prodded the fire. "Some may debate that point with you."
"Pandaren sometimes make things... too tasty? Is there such a thing?" How could she describe a dish that had so many flavors, that she didn't even know what vegetable she had on her tongue? For a race that enjoyed food so much, she supposed maybe if they ate all the time, their taste buds wore out. She hadn't seen a pandaren tongue closely enough to confirm the theory.
Kerala ate slowly, chewing way more than was necessary for such delicate flesh. She hated what came next, though, and it would be best if there were no chunks. She sincerely hoped it would not happen. She really, really liked fish.
Kex'ti smiled "I can understand that, though I personally enjoy it."
Kerala shrugged. "I didn't have much growing up. Salt, sometimes." The elf nodded, and told her he grew up in the inn. The exchange of information died then, for a moment. He looked at the fire, or out at the ocean, and she savored the meal.
Her stomach flopped ominously. She thought of the phrase she'd spoken just a little while ago. Around a mouthful of fish. she told him "It wasn't a prayer. I don't think you would try to poison me. Zaetar lo odes. It means... hmm. It means 'Zaetar is dead.' Ah.... the worst has happened. It's too late. I guess." The druid's tone when she mentioned poison was very serious as if she considered it an actual possibility that he would do that.
"Hm." Kex'ti said. "When does your debt end? I can appreciate your circumstances. But I want to make sure you can complete what you owe as fast as possible, as painless as possible."
"Well, the Grim commander asked for a supplicant. The way I see it, if I pass these three trials, then I will have a higher rank, and no longer be one. That would be the end of it. Not more than three months."
The elf smiled. "Very well. I shall help you however I can."
Kerala regretfully finished the fish, and picked up one of the forgotten melons to eat some more of it. It was more food than she'd ever eaten in one sitting in the monk's presence. He smiled at her.
"What are you doing in a week? I might need help... after."
"I said I would help. What do you need?" His glance went from her, back to fire as he poked it again.
"Maybe... healing? Probably."
He nodded to her, and smiled. Then there was a rumbling sound from within the druid, and she abruptly dropped the piece of melon in her fingers to place a hand on her stomach. His smile faded at he looked at her. "Are you still hungry, or did you eat too much?"
Kerala was looking up to the sky, judging how much time has passed. "Neither." Maybe half an hour. She should try to be sure she completed the trial within thirty minutes of the first bite.
The druid lost color then, her lips and nose becoming rather pale, and Kex'ti grew concerned. "Are you okay?"
Kerala shook her head, her fur damp from beads of sweat that had suddenly formed. She stood shakily. She was weak, her body in the midst of an all-out rebellion. Every energy was being rerouted to expel the irritant, the poison that her body was convinced had somehow ingested. She felt very hot, even as the ocean breeze froze her. She staggered a short distance away before her diaphragm began to spasm. She fell down on all fours and was violently ill.
Kex'ti had gotten to his feet when the druid did, and followed her. He attempted to weave the mists into her to quell her nausea as he rubbed her back. "It's okay." He said.
Kerala vomited up the wonderful fish dinner, gasping for air between lurches of her stomach. She coughed. Kex'ti continued his attempts to steady her nerves with the mists, and all she could do was nod to let him know she could feel his help. To please not stop. She hated this. Despite knowing the process, there was no quelling of the animal panic that took firm hold at the very real inability to breathe while she retched.
Even with Kex'ti trying to cure her sickness, it still took a moment for her body to completely purge itself of the terrible protein, and anything else it could just to make sure. Gradually, Kerala was able to breathe better and the spasms inside her began to subside.
Kex'ti frowned. "I apologize. I perhaps gave you too much..."
Kerala tried to stand, to get away from the mess. She felt very empty. And tired. "Not... your fault." She swayed a little on her hooves before finding her balance.
The monk rummaged in his bag for some water. He frowned, coming up only with a small vial of blue liquid. "Ah. Damn. It's not water, but it should help you feel a bit better."
She thanked him and accepted it, because the only other thing available was the alcohol he'd given her earlier. She didn't trust the taste of it not to prolong her recovery. She sipped the potion as she made her way back to the fire, and her color started to return. She sat down. Kex'ti dropped some more kindling into the wood.
She couldn't let him think it was his fault, and now she felt terrible for not telling him beforehand. "I wasn't sure, but I thought that would happen. Sorry." She sipped the potion.
"Liquor and new food does not always lead to positive outcomes." His mouth was turned down in a frown. "I'm sorry." he said again. He still didn't understand.
"Not your fault!" she insisted. The potion was indeed making her feel better, because she also cracked open the well of magic inside of her, letting it seep out slowly and go undirected. In her own body, it knew what to do without her direct attention. "I can't eat meat. I didn't know if fish was the same, but I figured I should try it before... next week."
The monk nodded, but she thought maybe he was no longer as warm as he had been. Perhaps she had offended him. "If you would like, I can prepare a tonic for you which should relax your stomach and numb your tastebuds. As I attempted to do in Bilgewater..."
Kerala reached into her pocket and pulled out the small vial of 'calm waters'. "This one?"
He nodded. "I noticed you were struggling with the food. It'll help you keep it down, and mitigate the taste."
Kerala nodded back at him. "I was saving it. I don't know if getting sick means I fail... but I wasn't planning to find out." She smiled at him.
He did not smile back, but nodded again. "Please don't hesitate to ask if I can be of service." He began to help himself to his feet.
"Thank you, again." She told him, maintaining her smile. Then, because he still seemed distant, and it bothered her that she was the reason, she admitted. "I don't think anyone has ever talked to me this long before."
It worked, the sharing of information unsolicited. He finally chuckled. "I am certain it shall not be the last, friend." And then he smiled.
"Hopefully the other challenges won't be so... messy." Kerala tried to make a joke. She shouldn't have. She was bad at it.
"We can hope." he nodded. "Sinu a'manore."
Kex'ti left, and Kerala sat there a long time. She watched the fire, the normal one, burn out slowly, trying not to think of anything in particular. It had not really been a good day at all, so she sat in silence and enjoyed the sounds of the waves, and the slow crackling as the wood burned and collapsed into embers. And she remembered the deliciousness of fish that she'd probably never taste again.
"Kerala? Are you here?"
She climbed the few rocks separating the tide pool from the true beach, and saw Kex'ti standing there. He had followed the trail of her blood to there, then lost it in the saltwater of the pool. "Over here, monk."
He smiled, spotting her, and stood on the rock with her a moment later. Then he eyed her critically, noticing her wounds. "You're injured."
"Not much. I was just about to fix it." It was the truth, now, even if just a moment ago she'd been planning on doing nothing about the wounds. It had been too long since she had to bleed. She was fighting poorly, reacting instead of anticipating. Most of all, she was letting emotions that were unfamiliar and strange rule her. First, with Brast when Lomani had been in danger, and now, when somehow the goblin had also gotten her by the neck. It bothered her. It bothered her a lot, to have been so easily beaten. If the death knight had not let go, she was not sure she would still be alive.
Kerala turned her attentions inwards, and opened the floodgates to the magic within her. Whatever Kex'ti had said was lost to her hearing as she guided the natural healing of her body to maximum efficiency. What she had said to Lupinum was true. Healing like this gave a satisfaction without parallel. Nature was a problem-solver. Have an issue- it came up with a solution. Wound in the body? No problem- that could be fixed, with enough time and resources. SPeeding the process was like solving the puzzle, returning things to the way they should be, and it felt wonderful. It felt right.
She returned to herself to find Kex'ti rinsing his armor. The tidepool was changing color from the amount of blood he rinsed away.
"You've been in a fight yourself. Worse than mine." she observed.
"I wouldn't call it a fight." He straightened and took a draw from his jug. "In any case. I apologize if I've overstepped my bounds about your trials. You are right. I do not know you well."
Kerala cocked her head at the elf. "Your opinion is yours, not mine." Was he rethinking his choice to help her now, or reinforcing it? Did he want her to explain herself? "Honestly, you confuse me."
The elf looked at her as he fiddled with a bottle. "Why?"
"Because... I told you what is required for the first trial, and your reaction was much as I expected..."
There was a popping sound as the cork came free. "Would you like a drink? Please, continue."
"Which is why I told you..." She nodded to him as he poured himself a glass, then offered her the bottle. She scooted closer to him rather ungracefully, and accepted it. She drank directly from the container thoughtlessly. "But then, you're going out of your way to help me anyway. Why, if what I must do is so obviously against your own ethics? ... that has never happened before." It honestly perplexed her.
"What you have done cannot be undone. But when the task is finished, you can right the course. ...hic! It's a disgusting, vile thing you believe you must do." Kerala looked away at that. "But we all make choices we choose to regret. And that regret is what allowsh us to make better decisionsh in the future. I don't know why you feel the need to do this. But if it ish a matter of your honor, then I may as well help you see it through. You have to eat the heartsh of living men and women. But they are dead. Not much can be done to help them. But what can be done, is help you not to be in a position where you feel the need to harm innocents. I believe you to be a good person." Kex'ti smiled at her. "I want to make sure you continue...to be a good person."
She ignored that last part, for the moment. She told Kex'ti about how she was keeping them all in hibernation, and how she'd selected alliance specifically so that she would not be concerned about killing them. They were none of them deserving of life. But his perception of her morality was wrong, and she could not ignore it very long. "I still don't understand. I'm not good. I don't have any honor. Not at all. How can you ignore yours? When you don't even know why I'm doing what I am?"
He smiled again. The expression came easily to his face. "Look. I...have made shome life choices before coming to Shanctuary I deeply regret. We all have our dark times. ...hic!" Kerala sipped more from her bottle. It was something gross, but not as bad as some other strong drinks she's tasted.. "I don't believe you're the type of...individual to join the Grim because you agree with them."
"I'm not," she confirmed.
Kex'ti nodded. "That may not make you good, true. But it does not make you a monster." He looked out toward Ashran. "We have enough monstersh to worry about. ...hic!"
Kerala sighed, because she still did not fully understand. She wouldn't help Kex'ti do something terrible, unless her life was in the balance, so why was he? The monk seemed to read the thoughts behind the release of air.
"It'sh like...a river." She listened intently to the monk. "A river shtartsh from a source, and splitsh into many streams as it goes downward. Along its path, it servesh as a place for fish to grow, crops to water. But shometimes, when it rains, the river overflows. Shometimesh it washes away homes, or drownsh creatures. But, it doesn't mean the river can't change course. It can continue being a danger. Or it can turn a bend, and water crops, run mills, and feed the thirsty." He stopped to take a drink from his jug. His cup wasn't yet empty.
"But, a river doesn't think, it just is." she pointed out. "It doesn't care if it drowns anyone, it will always seek the sea."
"Yes. We are not rivers, though we may be like them. We cant change the course that we run along, despite the sight of other tributariesh in the distance of what may have been. But we can control where we go at the forks. ...hic!"
Kerala looked into the bottle in her hands, not saying anything for a while, but thinking about Kex'ti and his outlook. She assumed that he thought she was at some kind of fork in the river of her life. Maybe he was concerned that, if she passed the trials, the experience would change her, and she would remain a Grim? Did he want to prevent that, then?
The monk coughed into his sleeve, and then brought out a fishing pole. It looked rather rugged. and unfinished. Kex'ti himself was more... rough, than she had seen typically of his race. She wondered what he considered to be a terrible thing to have done. What was his dark time like? So, she asked him. "So, what did you do?"
The monk looked at her, letting his line float casually in the water. He just smiled without a word, and continued fishing. Just as well. After watching him for a time, she grew annoyed at his very poor technique. She told him he would not catch very fish the way he did it, and warned him about the ray she'd seen circling the little semicircle of ocean. He told her he didn't mind if he lost the driftwood pole, and the conversation lulled again.
Kerala considered that the monk had not answered her question at all. Maybe he was trying to get her to share something first. After all, she'd asked Konro the same way, when she wanted something from him. Perhaps he was doing the same thing, only more subtly. Or, maybe she was completely wrong on all accounts. People were so confusing!
She debated, wondering how exactly to lead someone to see her point of view. Even Breygrah, a shu'halo herself, did not understand, nor most of the Skytotem. Lomani did not either, but the seer was aggravatingly just as accepting of Kerala's choice of action as Kex'ti seemed to be. She believed she knew the person that Kerala was, and so she blindly put her faith in that.
"There is supposedly a time in shu'halo history where we were quite evil." Kex'ti looked at her. She had his attention. "Lomani would tell you it was because we listened to some terrible demons below the ground, and then she'd tell you about how the sun and moon are the Earth Mother's eyes, because she was so sad at us killing each other." Kerala sighed. "She's very devout."
The monk nodded. "I have my faith as well. We all must have faith in something?"
Kerala shook her head. not really disagreeing with Kex'ti about the religion, but about his assessment of people. She didn't have faith in any religion "Regardless, the story has some truth in it."
"I am not very aware of Shu'halo history. Would you mind sharing me the tale, from your view?"
The druid shrugged. "At one point, my people did kill each other. The tribal wars must have been devastating. Eventually, there were other threats, though. Important enough to distract us from whatever reasons we had to act so terribly. The monk nodded to her, and she wet her mouth from the bottle. "The centaur were one, I think. ...hic! Shu'halo needed to stop their fighting, in order to survive. They made the Blood Revenge laws."
"Blood revenge?"
Kerala nodded. "It is the reason I am with Grim."
"What does that mean, exactly?"
She tried to find the proper words to describe it. "In a time of tribes that varied so greatly, there was no Cairne to unify them. There was only the Blood Revenge. One law, one tradition to follow no matter what the tribe believed otherwise. Basically, it was a way to stop the fighting, among ourselves." Kex'ti nodded as if he understood. His expression was placid. "It is the greatest sin, absolutely unforgivable, for one shu'halo to take the life of another. Of course, it didn't stop people from dying. There were still accidents, or times when emotion overrode sense. But if that happened, there was a debt to pay, to the victim. Their family or tribe."
She was silent for a moment, thinking of all the debts she'd paid since leaving Desolace. Sacks of gems, wagons full of furs and tools and supplies. She'd located the tribe for each name on her mental list, and gradually it became smaller. She would observe them, find out what they needed, and simply find a way to provide it. Their payment arrived with only the name on a piece of paper to explain it. She did not want to know those people, to see their grief. The Grim were the only ones who had been able to dictate the method of payment. The only debt she'd accrued outside of Desolace, or even by choice.
After a while, Kex'ti must have noticed the silence as her eyes tracked the movements of his terrible fishing. "So you feel...a debt for Konro?"
She blinked, then nodded. "It was Breygrah's, but yes."
"Then why is it your burden to bear?" Then he chuckled, finding something funny in his statement. He was obviously feeling the effects of the drink.
"It wasn't. But Breygrah would never do it, and Konro deserved more than.... than what he got."
Kex'ti frowned and exhaled. "Why do you feel that way?"
"I know you don't agree. People hate him" Kerala let the topic die, then, changing her mind trying to get him to understand. If he did not see Konro the same way she did, then how could he understand the need to balance the soldier's death? Even if he understood the other motive, which was to take the debt from Breygrah and protect her from the Grim, she was not interested in sharing half-truths. Breygrah could hate her as long as she wished- at least the warrior was not the target of Grim ire any longer. She could do that much to protect the foolhardy woman.
Another long silence, and Kex'ti seemed to realize she was done talking. He kicked absently at his bag.
"I know food is a recurrent topic in our conversations, but if you'd like, I packed a lunch." He frowned. "For when I got out of Ashran..."
Her interest was peaked. "How much do you have? I didn't eat my big meal yet this evening." This of course brought a smile to his face, as she thought it might.
" More than enough."
Then a familiar voice came from the rocks. "I heard you didn't like what Gaz offered." Syreena said. She had a big grin on her face. She might have been drunk.
Kex'ti peered at the rogue, then sighed at her. "I've been to Ashran today, Syreena, have you?"
"No, not today."
Kex'ti smirked. "Oh?"
Syreena tilted her head, squinting at him. Definitely drunk. "Why should I have been to Ashran today?"
"Because the Horde demands it. And it's a pity to have 'traitors' like elf monks from Sanctuary be outperforming you in that regard." It was his turn to flash a grin.
Syreena just looked at him. "I was busy defending the Grim garrison from an invasion by the Shhadowmoon clan. Though..I should go to Ashran. I need to collect a bunch of Draenei hearts."
Kerala rolled her eyes at the mention of hearts. Would people never quit bringing that up? But Kex'ti glared angrily. The fishing rod still dangled loosely in his hand. "The thing about hearts, Syreena, that you don't appreciate, is that quality makes for far greater...dedication than quantity."
"Yeah? Well, I'm shtill gonna kill a bunch, just to make shure I get shome of good quality." Kex'ti sighed. "I'll taste them each, and I'll give the best quality ones to Kerala there." The forsaken grinned again..
"You will not." Kerala said, her eyes flashing. She'd had quite enough of Grim 'assistance'.
"Then by all means, be off on your foul crusade. Leave us in peace."
Syreena squinted again at the monk. "Am I disturbing you? So shorry. I'll be quiet."
"Oh. Would you see that?" Kex'ti crested the rock, and absentmindedly looked at the tidepool past Syreena. Kerala saw nothing though she looked closely, trying to see whatever he did.
"Oh no!" the elf cried. Syreena turned and looked over her shoulder to see what they were looking at.
Kex'ti 's expression abruptly hardened, and with far greater precision that Kerala has seen all afternoon he whipped the hook toward Syreena's head...only to miss the wound where her ear would have been. "Ah. Damn." Kerala blinked at him as he rolled the line back up. If he tried again, she had no intention of interfering. "Missed it. Flying fish." Syreena looked back at the monk as she felt something whizz by her face.
Kex'ti smirked. "I almost hooked your ear, Syreena..." Then he frowned.
"Trying to get me closer, Elf? You know I don't do that with your kind."
Kerala raised a brow at Kex'ti. Was he attacking Syreena or not? If he was, why the banter? If he wasn't, why had he tried to hook her?
Kex'ti chuckles at Syreena. "I thought you liked my ears. Or did I misread a euphemism when you said eat?" He shrugged.
"Oh, I like your ears. Battered and deep-fried." She chomped her teeth together.
"You see, you say these things to me, and it does make me wonder of your intentions. Jealousy does not become you, Syreena. I am quite satisfied with my relationship." The smirk was back in place on his face.
"Oh, her earsh are quiet tasty-looking too." The rogue winked and disappeared while Kex'ti chuckled at her statement. The instant she was gone, though, his apparently false levity dropped.
Kerala looked around warily, wondering if the rogue were really gone, or merely hiding. Had been listening before she'd appreared?
"I apologize for that." Kerala glanced to him, and shrugged. She was not sure exactly why the monk should be apologizing. Kex'ti hobbled back to the water, clearly unused to balancing without his staff. He coughed. Kerala followed, still watching for sneak-thieves. The cough intrigued her. Surely his medicine was to treat it. Was it working and the cough was merely a harmless remnant of some deeper sickness, or was his medicine perhaps not working as it should? She briefly wondered what she would find if she were to heal him. Kerala let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
"In any case..." Kex'ti opened his pack and pulled out several round fruits. "You want one?"
Kerala looked at them. "Yes please." She remembered manners.
"Oh. Also, it's a bit cold, but admittedly I've eaten a lot of this lately." The monk slapped his slightly paunchy stomach. "It wouldn't due for me to continue eating it."
Kerala smiled and thanked him for the fruit. Inside, the flesh was moist with juice, and it was rather cold, which she found odd. Cold food seemed unnatural to her still, and the bartender in Warspear knew not to chill her juices or water. The bland sweetness of the melon was very welcoming.
She smiled at Kex'ti, who was obviously joyed to be providing a meal. Her eyes dropped to his middle, since he had draw attention to it. It was true he may have more mass there than other elves his size, but the sight was not something she had ever really noticed.
Her own stomach was actually resembling Kex'ti's these days. She'd settled into a routine with her meals, overeating systematically. Once she'd discovered the boundaries to not make herself sick, it went fairly easily, though she would very glad once the trial was over. Her jaw was tired from chewing, and if she tried to use more liquids, she was forever seeking a place to eliminate.
There was one thing, though, that Kerala had not done yet. She didn't want to at all, but she knew at one point or another, she'd have to, if she wanted to be as prepared as she could possibly be for this the task.
"...What is the most....? Um." Kex'ti looked at her, and for a moment, she reconsidered involving him in this. Then she went ahead anyway. Might as well. "The easiest meat to digest?"
Kex'ti thought about the question seriously. "Depending on how its cooked, fish or poultry. Fish, if you prepare it properly, doesn't even need to be cooked."
"What is poultry?" she asked.
"Ah. Birds."
Kerala considered. She'd eaten plenty of vultures and other birds, but the idea of fish was intriguing. What would they taste like? Would their flesh be watery? "I've never had fish....?" It came out more of a question, than the statement she'd intended. She was wondering if the meat of a fish would make her ill like all the rest. Was it a good test?
"I know you have...reservations about meat in general. But, I've obviously made a few catches." Kex'ti chuckled. "If you'd like to try just a little."
"I was thinking... maybe I should see how it sits with me." The druid eyed him. She did not like this idea, but she also did not do do this alone. What if she was more than just sick? She might need his help.
Kex'ti smiled. "Okay Let me finish up a few more." His expression was odd, and it occurred to her that perhaps he thought her adventurous or bold for daring to eat meat when before now it was not something he'd seen her do.
She should fix that notion. "I was not always a vegetarnian."
"Really?"
"Really."
"It's usually a pretty...compelling choice. I know many druids take up those vows as a matter of practice."
She knew he hadn't meant it humorously, but Kerala found his words incredibly funny. She giggled a little. "It is not a choice, elf, not at all."
"No?"
He was confused, and Kerala knew in a little while it would become clear to him, so she addressed the other portion of his comment. "I wouldn't hold me up to that kind of ideal, or what you know of any other druid. About the only similarity, I would bet, is that I can shapeshift. And heal." Kex'ti smiled at her. "I'm not overly concerned about the earth, or animals... and I'm not religious."
"Oh?"
She shrugged. "Nope"
"You must have extraordinary willpower to shapeshift, then."
This confused her, and Kerala blinked. "Why?"
Kex'ti chuckled. "I have never met one of the Sin'dorei who could practice the druidic arts, and we are renowned for our pride, are we not?" He settled into the familiar smirk.
Kerala shrugged again. "And a bird cannot swim, any more than a fish can breathe air."
Kex'ti laughed and then grinned. After a moment, his thoughts must have turned to something more serious, for he sighed. Kerala watched the monk fish, observing his technique in a different light. Maybe if he thought of it like attacking the fish, he would do it better- for he was obviously very skilled in battle. Why did he have trouble with this simple task? The idea that he was faking did not even occur to her, because why would anybody ever do that?
"So, this debt is about Konro?"
"What? Oh... no." Everyone believed that. She supposed it were true, in part. A very small part. "The undead priest... he said I have baggage. I don't know what he meant, but he mentioned Konro as well." She sighed. "He's dead." she told the elf, just as she had told the Grim priest. Konro no longer mattered. Only her promise to him did, and she had promised to try and protect Breygrah. She was not going to try and mother the woman, or coddle her safely from her stupidity, but she did understand why the warrior had felt there was no other solution to stopping Konro's behavior. She had not wanted to kill him.
When Kerala's thoughts had distracted her long enough, Kex'ti spoke up again, prompting. "The...blood oath, then?"
The druid nodded. "If one shu'halo killed another... there would be a debt to pay."
"Hm. I can understand the logic. It's the principle, rather than the individuals." and he nodded, confident in his understanding.
.
"This is for Breygrah, if anyone. Even if she doesn't understand." Kerala commented quietly.
"I hadn't considered that."
Kerala sighed her thoughts had become darker. "It is better that she left the Horns, I think."
"You think so?" When the tauren nodded at him, he asked the question, "Why?" His tone was curious rather than judgmental.
"I was being foolish. It was a silly childhood dream, that's all." The monks eyes left his pole to regard her then as she continued. "There is a reason why some things die. I should have seen that immediately, and instead, I did not." Kerala shrugged.
Kex'ti cast his driftwood rod back into the ocean. He sighed and began to gather firewood. "I am not sure I follow."
So, Kerala tried again to explain. She was so bad at this, she knew. Sometimes she thought she should simply use the Magram way of communicating- mostly action, very few and blunt words. She'd always understood them well enough. "I never found the Horns of the Shuhalo, the guild, the people I wanted. So I tried to make my own. They were dead, I guess."
Kex'ti merely nodded, shaping the wood. If he still did not understand, he let the topic die thankfully. She watched the monk build a fire, becoming intrigued. She had no idea what he was doing... but it was wrong. Then, he shifted to the side and lit his fire. It was in the shape of a person. Kex'ti put some of the meat near the flames.
"That's.... unusual." She refrained from adding useless and inefficient. The little mortal-shaped effigy would burn much too quickly, and there was not a good source of fuel anywhere nearby. Then, she was glad she had not said it, remembering how he had said fish did not need much cooking. Perhaps he did not want a long-burning fire. She also did not point out that he could just use the ocean water to put it out if he wished to leave before it burned out.
Kex'ti raised an eyebrow. "What is?" Kerala looked pointedly at the fire, then back to him, and he laughed. "Oh. In my family, we always burn the first fire of the evening with an effigy, to remember the people who came before us. And remember we cook and stay warm for them, as well as ourselves."
Kerala cocked her head. "But they are dead." There must be millions upon millions of dead people by now- that was a lot to try and remember!
Kex'ti said nothing to that, instead beginning to gut and clean the fish. After a moment he asked "What sounds best?" and then he went on to describe several dishes, and Kerala became overwhelmed. The last one was spicy, so she seized on that.
"Um.... not the spicy one..."
"Why don't you try this first. It's very simple, not a lot of anything except fish... If you don't like it, it just means there's always fresh bait tomorrow." he suggested with a smile.
Eventually, he handed her a small platter with two fish on it. Or, perhaps, two halves of a single fish. She eyed the fish for a moment.
Kex'ti busied himself with assembling a more regular campfire over the effigy's ashes, then began eating his own meal. He noticed when the tauren murmured something before taking her first bite, and his eyebrow raised. It had not been Orcish she spoke.
"I apologize, I remain only passingly familiar with taurahe. Hopefully you aren't praying for deliverence from my meal!" The monk chuckled.
This was perhaps the most delicious thing Kerala had ever put in her mouth. Fish flesh was soft, arranged oddly in layers and with a very delicate flavor unlike anything else. She almost didn't even need to chew, though she did, very slowly. She swallowed. "What? Oh... no. It's not taurahe. That's really good."
"Oh?" Kex'ti beamed. "I am glad you like it. I appreciate your spirit of adventure."
Kerala looks at the fishes, as if trying to gauge how much she should eat for this test. She decided it wouldn't matter. It really was yummy, so she might as well enjoy it. "No, you cook very well." she told him honestly. "I sometimes have trouble with spices.... but you generally cook things that aren't overwhelming."
Kex'ti chuckled, and prodded the fire. "Some may debate that point with you."
"Pandaren sometimes make things... too tasty? Is there such a thing?" How could she describe a dish that had so many flavors, that she didn't even know what vegetable she had on her tongue? For a race that enjoyed food so much, she supposed maybe if they ate all the time, their taste buds wore out. She hadn't seen a pandaren tongue closely enough to confirm the theory.
Kerala ate slowly, chewing way more than was necessary for such delicate flesh. She hated what came next, though, and it would be best if there were no chunks. She sincerely hoped it would not happen. She really, really liked fish.
Kex'ti smiled "I can understand that, though I personally enjoy it."
Kerala shrugged. "I didn't have much growing up. Salt, sometimes." The elf nodded, and told her he grew up in the inn. The exchange of information died then, for a moment. He looked at the fire, or out at the ocean, and she savored the meal.
Her stomach flopped ominously. She thought of the phrase she'd spoken just a little while ago. Around a mouthful of fish. she told him "It wasn't a prayer. I don't think you would try to poison me. Zaetar lo odes. It means... hmm. It means 'Zaetar is dead.' Ah.... the worst has happened. It's too late. I guess." The druid's tone when she mentioned poison was very serious as if she considered it an actual possibility that he would do that.
"Hm." Kex'ti said. "When does your debt end? I can appreciate your circumstances. But I want to make sure you can complete what you owe as fast as possible, as painless as possible."
"Well, the Grim commander asked for a supplicant. The way I see it, if I pass these three trials, then I will have a higher rank, and no longer be one. That would be the end of it. Not more than three months."
The elf smiled. "Very well. I shall help you however I can."
Kerala regretfully finished the fish, and picked up one of the forgotten melons to eat some more of it. It was more food than she'd ever eaten in one sitting in the monk's presence. He smiled at her.
"What are you doing in a week? I might need help... after."
"I said I would help. What do you need?" His glance went from her, back to fire as he poked it again.
"Maybe... healing? Probably."
He nodded to her, and smiled. Then there was a rumbling sound from within the druid, and she abruptly dropped the piece of melon in her fingers to place a hand on her stomach. His smile faded at he looked at her. "Are you still hungry, or did you eat too much?"
Kerala was looking up to the sky, judging how much time has passed. "Neither." Maybe half an hour. She should try to be sure she completed the trial within thirty minutes of the first bite.
The druid lost color then, her lips and nose becoming rather pale, and Kex'ti grew concerned. "Are you okay?"
Kerala shook her head, her fur damp from beads of sweat that had suddenly formed. She stood shakily. She was weak, her body in the midst of an all-out rebellion. Every energy was being rerouted to expel the irritant, the poison that her body was convinced had somehow ingested. She felt very hot, even as the ocean breeze froze her. She staggered a short distance away before her diaphragm began to spasm. She fell down on all fours and was violently ill.
Kex'ti had gotten to his feet when the druid did, and followed her. He attempted to weave the mists into her to quell her nausea as he rubbed her back. "It's okay." He said.
Kerala vomited up the wonderful fish dinner, gasping for air between lurches of her stomach. She coughed. Kex'ti continued his attempts to steady her nerves with the mists, and all she could do was nod to let him know she could feel his help. To please not stop. She hated this. Despite knowing the process, there was no quelling of the animal panic that took firm hold at the very real inability to breathe while she retched.
Even with Kex'ti trying to cure her sickness, it still took a moment for her body to completely purge itself of the terrible protein, and anything else it could just to make sure. Gradually, Kerala was able to breathe better and the spasms inside her began to subside.
Kex'ti frowned. "I apologize. I perhaps gave you too much..."
Kerala tried to stand, to get away from the mess. She felt very empty. And tired. "Not... your fault." She swayed a little on her hooves before finding her balance.
The monk rummaged in his bag for some water. He frowned, coming up only with a small vial of blue liquid. "Ah. Damn. It's not water, but it should help you feel a bit better."
She thanked him and accepted it, because the only other thing available was the alcohol he'd given her earlier. She didn't trust the taste of it not to prolong her recovery. She sipped the potion as she made her way back to the fire, and her color started to return. She sat down. Kex'ti dropped some more kindling into the wood.
She couldn't let him think it was his fault, and now she felt terrible for not telling him beforehand. "I wasn't sure, but I thought that would happen. Sorry." She sipped the potion.
"Liquor and new food does not always lead to positive outcomes." His mouth was turned down in a frown. "I'm sorry." he said again. He still didn't understand.
"Not your fault!" she insisted. The potion was indeed making her feel better, because she also cracked open the well of magic inside of her, letting it seep out slowly and go undirected. In her own body, it knew what to do without her direct attention. "I can't eat meat. I didn't know if fish was the same, but I figured I should try it before... next week."
The monk nodded, but she thought maybe he was no longer as warm as he had been. Perhaps she had offended him. "If you would like, I can prepare a tonic for you which should relax your stomach and numb your tastebuds. As I attempted to do in Bilgewater..."
Kerala reached into her pocket and pulled out the small vial of 'calm waters'. "This one?"
He nodded. "I noticed you were struggling with the food. It'll help you keep it down, and mitigate the taste."
Kerala nodded back at him. "I was saving it. I don't know if getting sick means I fail... but I wasn't planning to find out." She smiled at him.
He did not smile back, but nodded again. "Please don't hesitate to ask if I can be of service." He began to help himself to his feet.
"Thank you, again." She told him, maintaining her smile. Then, because he still seemed distant, and it bothered her that she was the reason, she admitted. "I don't think anyone has ever talked to me this long before."
It worked, the sharing of information unsolicited. He finally chuckled. "I am certain it shall not be the last, friend." And then he smiled.
"Hopefully the other challenges won't be so... messy." Kerala tried to make a joke. She shouldn't have. She was bad at it.
"We can hope." he nodded. "Sinu a'manore."
Kex'ti left, and Kerala sat there a long time. She watched the fire, the normal one, burn out slowly, trying not to think of anything in particular. It had not really been a good day at all, so she sat in silence and enjoyed the sounds of the waves, and the slow crackling as the wood burned and collapsed into embers. And she remembered the deliciousness of fish that she'd probably never taste again.
Re: Kerala's Inquisition
Kerala is laying in the bushes, curled up tightly and sleeping off a very big mistake. She'd determined to use juice tonight to fill her stomach. She was so tired of rice, and of chewing. It proved to be a terrible mistake, as the waitress had given her an alcoholic pear cider. It was weak, but in the amounts Kerala was drinking, it was perfectly effective in her small frame to make the druid completely sloshed. She knows she said things she shouldn't have, and to complete strangers. She sort of trusted though, in the Grims' complete lack of caring that whoever she'd said it to would forget. At least she'd stayed out of any real trouble.
Kerala is totally hidden, and this is a safe place to sleep, surrounded by a couple of thin trees and the close underbrush of a few bushes. She'd found it after wandering Warspear for maybe an hour. There was a concealing mist, and trolls. But, who would ever think to look for her here, knowing how she felt about her inquisitor?
Lilliana trotted deliberately into the mists with her shadowy horse. Although Kerala may have thought when she stumbled in here that she was well hidden to take up slumber, one of the friendly spear wielding trolls had told Lilly that a certain druid had come into their mists.
Kerala opens an eye at the unfamiliar noise nearby, but she's not really aware. The drink is helping her catch up on a backlog of fatigue from her poor sleeping within the Grim guild walls the past three weeks. She could blame her poor attitude toward the Grim partly on this without it being a lie at all, but it was a poor excuse, and she was not the type to accept it anyway. She just did the best she could, and was slowly adapting.
Lilliana didn't see Kerala on her first pass by, but the horse nearly steps on her. And that near slam by a hoof, well, it was either deliberate on Lilly's part, or maybe it was the horse, since Lilly seems so oblivious.
Kerala growls as if she were not in her natural form, then notices the rider. "Really? Who walks a horse under trees in bushes?" She scowls at Who.
Lilliana 's dead horse snorts harshly, and then it rears as if indignant over Kerala's question. "Well...." Lilliana says as she reins in the beast with a little giggle, "I guess I do." Kerala sighs. "Why you trying to sleep out here, Kerala?" she asks. Her voice is soft.
"Im.... a little bit drunk. Seemed comfy." Even though there are sticks and stuff, this is a pretty comfy spot to her.
Lilliana seems to grin over that, "Oh yeah? You were drinking with Borghul........" She taps her chin with a finger, then slides off of her horse. The beast bucks and then canters a short distance away. "I didn't think you drank!"she comments, looking the tired druid over.
Kerala shrugs, never having gotten the orc's name. "Every time I do, I remember why I never should again." Never ever ever. Seriously. For example- what is she doing right now, chatting casually with a Grim troll in the middle of the deserted troll section of Warspear. Dumb, Kerala. Dumb. And yet, she still isn't moving to leave.
"I certainly understand that. I don't like drinking....I mean, I can...I'm a troll and stuff...I can drink a lot..." she makes small talk.
Kerala eyes Lilliana up and down.
Lilliana notices Kerala simply looking at her. The red haired priestess folds her arms, almost in a motion of defensiveness before Kerala even says anything. "Wut?" She eyes her right back.
Kerala considers going to find somewhere else to sleep... but then changes her mind and stays. There aren't any other Grim around, and this is semi-private place to be. She stops that thought, realizing the priestess had a knack for picking them up. Instead she asks even as the question occures to her "What did I do to you? Why do you hate me?"
Lilliana 's gentle blue eyes go wide. If her jaw could drop and hit the ground, it would...at least, she makes it look like it would. "Hate.....you......?"
"Or... are you just vicious and mean by nature?"
Lilliana seems to not quite know what to say to that....in fact, she even looks hurt by it. But she comes around, her expression pulling on a more neutral like expression. "Kerala, I'm a Grim."
Kerala sighs. That actually seems like a perfectly reasonable explanation. The troll tilts her head, now the one simply looking at Kerala. "So, the second one then." And Kerala nodded at Lilliana, blinking to try and clear her vision. She was not drunk anymore, maybe, but she is certainly not sober yet.
Lilliana 's eyes remain on Kerala, her gaze is so gentle with her eyes being the odd blue of her tribe, it's almost disconcerting. She shouldn't look so kind. "By some definitions I guess....but by some other person's definition you would be too."
Kerala doesn't trust Lilliana's appearance for a second. "Me?"
The troll nods her head. "You're just talking about perspective." She speaks quietly....then doesn't say anything for a few moments. "Why do you think I'm mean?"
"It is not an opinion. It's mean to deliberately betray me by giving me that fool's errand with the tree!"
Lilliana doesn't react to that, and she thinks her lack of reaction must be annoying, well, darn frustrating.... considering the effort that Kerala was noted to have put into it....which Lilliana is more than aware of. "And now you have another errand, one not so foolish."
Kerala interrupts. "-Which you also had to go and ruin."
"You've even had two Inquisitors.....the High Inquisitor himself, put a blessing on it!" She tilts her head, her expression seems earnest, as if she's looking for approval. "You should feel honored, I mean like...so much attention for you!"
"HONORED?" The druid glares angrily at Lilliana. Stands up.
"Kerala......" the priestess doesn't respond at least in expression....to Kerala's angry and hot glare. "Yes, honored. No one...ever....ever...has set foot here in the Grim as you have."
"And I would not have if your commander had not demanded it. Would you rather I have sacrificed someone else to this?"
"That's what I would have done. But I'm mean." The priestess says rather lightly.
Kerala knows it.
Lilliana snorts as she picks up Kerala's piece of knowledge. It seems to Lilliana like the druid is broadcasting it as strongly as a shout directly into her ear. She frowns.
"Why? Everyone I know is either weaker than me, too good to even consider it, or already Grim." She means morally.
"Too good to even....consider it....?" Lilliana grins. "Kerala................. Being Grim is not about how kind or how cruel you are. The kind can be Grim."
Lie. "You cannot be kind if you are eating the hearts of other people." Kerala frowns.
Lilliana takes her staff down from where it rests against her back, and she twists it from hand to hand. "The Alliance aren't people."
Kerala throws Lilliana's words back at her. "You're just talking about perspective."
Lilliana nods her head in agreement to that, "Of course I am. And it's the perspective of those that are the strongest that becomes the general view of the world." She stops twisting her staff from side to side, and holds it in front of her, one hand placed over the other that grips the violet steel. "So like, yeah." She grins, having stepped closer to Kerala. She looks up at the druid. The troll is so short next to her.
"You are not stronger than the high inquisitor, and yet I must pass the trial as -you- wish it to be. -Your- perspective. How does that work?" She is honestly confused. Why did the subordinate get to change the rules? How was she bound to follow this troll's orders?
"I'm totally not stronger than Khorvis, he could kick my ass off my butt and feed it to me if he wanted to." She grins up at Kerala.
Kerala throws her hands up, to keep from trying to smash that grin off Lillian's face, and stalks in a circle before looking back at the priestess.
"And to answer that.... Konro was my Supplicant...." she pauses, and she doesn't hide a look of regret as she doesn't realize it flashes there. When she does, she makes a face. "And now you are. So like, yeah."
Konro. A thought occurs to the druid. "He failed the trials. How far did he get?"
Lilliana is not always the best at explanations....and....she was watching what Kerala was doing. She is a priest, and kind of good at reading what may be going through a persons thoughts, even if it's just by body language....and that angry stalking was kind of obvious. "Not very far." Her brow furrows.
"The first?" Kerala persists. "Did he pass this one? Did he have to do what I will?"
Lilliana 's gaze drops from Kerala's face, to the tabard she now wears. The one that Lilliana had to go back and retrieve from a fallen Konro's corpse. "Everyone's trials are different." Kerala scowls at the way the troll doesn't completely answer the question. "Just like life." Lilliana brings Kerala on a philosophical journey.
"And it wasn't enough for you... to just have me eat the hearts?"
Lilliana cants her head to the side, "No, it wasn't enough for you." Although her voice continues to be soft, somewhat sweet, a twinge of coldness enters it.
"Why not?! The elf only had to cut off a head and clean it. The troll gets to do something he actually -enjoys- for his trial!..." Lilliana doesn't answer Kerala, instead she has gone back to merely staring at her. "And not only do I get stuck with this, but you have to and try to get me killed with it... zayt kek!" The druid finishes in a foreign language that is obviously some kind of thing similar to an F you, if not exactly that.
Lilliana nods her head slowly, "And that's why it wasn't enough for 'you'." The little priestess puts a great deal of emphasis on 'you' as she says it.
"And that's why I'm asking- What did I ever do to you!? Or... do at all? DO you just hate shu'halo?"
"I don't care what you do to me, Kerala." She scowls at the druid, but something may tell Kerala that the issue is not because of something that may have offended Lilly personally. "Do I hate shu'halo?" Kerala thinks maybe that would explain why Konro was left to blunder into trouble and die. Lilliana was going to say something else, in answering Kerala's question about what she did or didn't do to the troll...but instead, she responds to the shu'halo comment. "No. I respect them, and what they are."
"Is there a reason, then?" Lilliana nods her head, indicating that indeed yes, there is a reason that perhaps Lilliana has acted the way she has been. Kerala waits to hear it.
Lilliana wasn't initially going to just up and volunteer her answer for Kerala, but she sees the tauren waiting, so expectantly. And so...she answers her. Her voice is almost bland as she speaks...how quick she has gone from gentle, cold, now to as if she could care less. "You are not a soldier. You may battle well, you may be powerful....but you don't know how to fall into the ranks. Follow orders." She pauses, and then continues, she explains what Kerala had waited so expectantly for. "Nothing about you says to me....soldier." The troll eyes her, assessing. "I doubt you think I am either, but I know where my loyalties are. I know who my family are. I know what I will do for them, and I know what they will....and will not, do for me. And I accept that." Kerala listens. Lilliana's eyes narrow cruelly at Kerala. "You, on the other hand, don't." She offers the druid a look so disapproving, any child given that by their mother should cringe. But...Kerala is not Lilliana's daughter. In fact, Lilly must be a good few years younger than the druid. The expression has no effect on the tauren, who was considering the words instead.
What sense did that make? "So you are punishing me... because you think -I- don't know my loyalties? My family?" Or did Lilliana mean that she didn't understand Kerala's? If that was the case, how was treating her this way supposed to solve the problem?
Lilliana gestures to the tabard that Kerala wears. "I'm not punishing you. You are a freaking Grim," she growls. It sounds primal. "Act like one." Kerala balls up her fists, responding to the growl. Lilliana 's gaze flickers to the tauren's fists, and the red haired troll takes a step back. If anyone was watching, it may look like the little priestess was nervous. She's not, and Kerala can see it in the body language. Such a twisted little snake woman, this is.
"You say I am a Grim...."Kerala starts. Then she stops that thought, and blurts the next one that had occurred to her. She still wanted to believe that this was all a misunderstanding. Some kind of miscommunication- after all, the druid isn't the best at dealing with people. She knows that. "Do you know that doing your stupid trial might kill me? Do you care?"
Lilliana nods her head, although she doesn't move back forward, in fact, she kind of takes another step back. A small one, but still. "I didn't know." And perhaps.... Kerala does not see any of the tell-tale clues that the troll spoke a lie.
Kerala cocks her head. She'd been right, and she seizes on that. "Is it too late to get you to maybe change it?"
Lilliana busts out into a laugh over that request, "No freaking way you damn whiny baby!" Her childish laugh echoes down the hill, but the wind behind them does it's best to swallow up the sound.
"Whiny...." Kerala frowns. "Did you not just hear me? You want me to die?"
"Yes, I heard you. The troll actually may sound somewhat exasperated.....seriously. She holds up her hand as if to quiet Kerala. "More than heard you. I've been hearing your complaints, your whining....for like....ever since you decided to put on that tabard." Lilliana fixes Kerala with those blue eyes of hers. The tauren grinds her teeth, silent. She hasn't -whined- about anything since she was twelve years old. "Kerala." Lilliana clears her throat and rolls her eyes. "I." She pauses, then continues. "Do not." Yet another pause. She narrows her eyes. "Want." another pause. "even one." pause. "freaking Horde." pause. "to." pause. "Freaking DIE".
"So CHANGE IT." With just under a week left to prepare, the druid was actually worried now, and the solution was right here, standing in front of her. Just change it back. Kerala had no qualms about eating the hearts. The high inquisitor's task would have been fine, given a month to complete. She'd suffer, sure, but she could do it. But all the hearts at once? She'd even solved the problem of sheer volume, but yesterday had truly scared her. She'd reacted badly to two tiny fish, how could she hope to make it through with the heart organs of -seven- people?
Lilliana 's expression hardens. Never would Kerala have seen such a look on Lilliana...expect, there it is. Childishness aside, she looks like nothing could alter her decision. "No, Kerala. Figure it out." Kerala blinks at the priestess. "Act like a soldier.....and figure it out. I don't want you to die...but here you are..." she swings her hands out, gesturing as if to all the world. "You're here, figure it the frick out. I'm not here to baby you. Or mother you." Lilliana says this coldly. She thinks there is the cuteness here, even if it's annoying cuteness.
Kerala knows that killing Lilliana will not solve this.... but she's incredibly mad now, and not thinking clearly. Maybe pain would convince the priestess. If not it would be very satisfying....
Lilliana is carefully following Kerala, gauging her mood.....she steps to the side, and she snaps, demanding, "Figure it out, KERALA!!!!!!"
The drunk druid finally loses it, and snatches herself toward Lilliana in a Wild Charge.
Lilliana shouts, "Kerala!!! Bad girl!" And she brings her shadows down upon her with a whoosh of harsh whispers. The priestess is quick to use her shadow step ability, and she leaves behind an image of her red-haired form, disappearing behind the raging druid.
Kerala meant to hit the priestess in catform with all her claws extended, and when she instead passes through the priestess' image, she falls to a crouch and slinks into a hiding place.
Lilliana rushes around, searching for the cat. Although she could quite easily run away, back to the Grim's main compound.....she remains within reach of Kerala. Perhaps the little priestess is angry or, or perhaps she just wants to mess around with her. It would be hard for anyone to tell. She runs near Kerala, unknowing that the druid is there in stealth, her shadows flickering from her dangerously.
Kerala waits patiently, her muscles coiled, until the priestess is close enough, then leaps for the troll, trying to bite her.
Lilliana had truly....truly not expected Kerala to act without thinking. Her guard was not up as it should...for Kerala was her Supplicant after all. The cat is successful in her attempt to bite Lilliana, and Lilliana's voice rings out not so much as in pain, but in surprise. Her shadows respond quickly, and she moves to fill Kerala's head and soul with the pain that shadow priests bring.
Kerala spasms in pain, which makes her teeth clench down harder. Involuntary, but advantageous. She manages to turn the muscle twitches of her limbs into a full furious shredding motion of her rear feet.
Lilliana had not been dishonest when she had informed Kerala that she knew she was a strong fighter, but not a soldier.... and now she slightly panics as the cat gets a hold of her not just with teeth, but with claws. There is the sound of tearing, and the priestess's robes are shredded. And here she becomes angry.......and as the cat spasms, Lilliana lets loose with another powerful blast of shadow energy...it not only lashes through Kerala, but it spreads in a demented circle all around them.
Kerala loses her grip with a scraping of teeth. She prowls back toward Lilliana, not hiding, and openly growling, content so far to remain the cat. She is a predator. Here is her prey, and she stalks Lilliana for the opportunity to strike again.
Lilliana keeps her distance as Kerala prowls forward....she's fairly quick on her feet, but of course her movements could no where match Kera's when she is in that particular form. "Kerala, stop it. You are being a BABY." She actually says this as she moves along with Kerala, bleeding. She hasn't moved to heal herself. What a little mess. "This how you solve your shit?" Lilliana may be speaking boldly, sarcastically...but the druid knows she is rather injured. There is a trail of blood falling from the troll with each step. Ow.
Kerala thinks hard, trusting that she'll be heard since Lilliana has been in her head once before. I'm being Grim. I don't like you, so I'm going to attack you.
"Grims....never....ever attack Grims." and now she snarls....there is something like anger in her voice, although it lingers closer to distaste.
Kerala pounces while Lilliana is distracted talking, her thoughts furious. No, Grims just set other Grims up, or stand by and watch them die!
Lilliana has multiple thoughts flash through her head as Kerala pounces at her...does she fear her, should she turn into a ball of purple energy and escape? Should she protect herself in a priestly bubble and attack the hell out of her? No, what Lilliana decides is something that she should have done ages ago. She snarls and steps into the true shadows that only a shadow priest can step through, once more leaving behind a facade of herself. As she does so, she grabs onto Kerala's angry mind, she rushes through there before the druid's instinctive defenses can react, and unlocks something. The event that Kerala seems to have mysteriously not remembered prior to her joining the Grim. Something about Inzema and wanting to cut things off and eat them, a white haired troll and a threatening sword...and of course, the other tauren and the cup of tea that was left behind. Lilliana then rushes off down the hill, keeping to her shadows. She's so out of here. Lilliana leaves Kerala behind......not wanting to engage in the fight further for either of their sakes.
Kerala freezes. Memories slam into her, all at once, and it's crippling. She remembers. Everything that happened after Konro's funeral. And this time, she's -feeling- it. The lioness falls over, seemingly asleep. She's not resting, though, and she won't be able to rest for quite a while. Kerala gets carved up by inzema, slowly, in her mind, feeling everything that she didn't before. She gets beaten by Leyujin, and then, when all of that is over, she can smell tea, and hear Awatu's voice. She cannot move at all, cannot fight back. She is helpless is the dream that is no dream at all.
Lilliana knew exactly what she was doing when she shot into the druid's mind. The druid remembered this now, felt this now, but she also would again. 'Flashbacks' from terrible events people lived through were quite haunting. They felt just as real as the trigger trauma, but eventually they faded with time as the mind began to cope. What if the traumas occurred without the victim being able to do a thing about it? No fighting back, not even screaming. This is what she had done.
Kerala was alone in the dark when the memory ended. The sensation of sliced and beaten flesh was fresh and real, the pain acute and overwhelming. Then it was suddenly gone. She opened her eyes, completely disoriented. The lioness panted, eyes dilated and panicked, hormones raging through her in response to an agony that was no longer there. Fight or flight! She blinked, finding that she could, now.
In the next instant, the druid was off like a shot, running. Because she could.
Kerala is totally hidden, and this is a safe place to sleep, surrounded by a couple of thin trees and the close underbrush of a few bushes. She'd found it after wandering Warspear for maybe an hour. There was a concealing mist, and trolls. But, who would ever think to look for her here, knowing how she felt about her inquisitor?
Lilliana trotted deliberately into the mists with her shadowy horse. Although Kerala may have thought when she stumbled in here that she was well hidden to take up slumber, one of the friendly spear wielding trolls had told Lilly that a certain druid had come into their mists.
Kerala opens an eye at the unfamiliar noise nearby, but she's not really aware. The drink is helping her catch up on a backlog of fatigue from her poor sleeping within the Grim guild walls the past three weeks. She could blame her poor attitude toward the Grim partly on this without it being a lie at all, but it was a poor excuse, and she was not the type to accept it anyway. She just did the best she could, and was slowly adapting.
Lilliana didn't see Kerala on her first pass by, but the horse nearly steps on her. And that near slam by a hoof, well, it was either deliberate on Lilly's part, or maybe it was the horse, since Lilly seems so oblivious.
Kerala growls as if she were not in her natural form, then notices the rider. "Really? Who walks a horse under trees in bushes?" She scowls at Who.
Lilliana 's dead horse snorts harshly, and then it rears as if indignant over Kerala's question. "Well...." Lilliana says as she reins in the beast with a little giggle, "I guess I do." Kerala sighs. "Why you trying to sleep out here, Kerala?" she asks. Her voice is soft.
"Im.... a little bit drunk. Seemed comfy." Even though there are sticks and stuff, this is a pretty comfy spot to her.
Lilliana seems to grin over that, "Oh yeah? You were drinking with Borghul........" She taps her chin with a finger, then slides off of her horse. The beast bucks and then canters a short distance away. "I didn't think you drank!"she comments, looking the tired druid over.
Kerala shrugs, never having gotten the orc's name. "Every time I do, I remember why I never should again." Never ever ever. Seriously. For example- what is she doing right now, chatting casually with a Grim troll in the middle of the deserted troll section of Warspear. Dumb, Kerala. Dumb. And yet, she still isn't moving to leave.
"I certainly understand that. I don't like drinking....I mean, I can...I'm a troll and stuff...I can drink a lot..." she makes small talk.
Kerala eyes Lilliana up and down.
Lilliana notices Kerala simply looking at her. The red haired priestess folds her arms, almost in a motion of defensiveness before Kerala even says anything. "Wut?" She eyes her right back.
Kerala considers going to find somewhere else to sleep... but then changes her mind and stays. There aren't any other Grim around, and this is semi-private place to be. She stops that thought, realizing the priestess had a knack for picking them up. Instead she asks even as the question occures to her "What did I do to you? Why do you hate me?"
Lilliana 's gentle blue eyes go wide. If her jaw could drop and hit the ground, it would...at least, she makes it look like it would. "Hate.....you......?"
"Or... are you just vicious and mean by nature?"
Lilliana seems to not quite know what to say to that....in fact, she even looks hurt by it. But she comes around, her expression pulling on a more neutral like expression. "Kerala, I'm a Grim."
Kerala sighs. That actually seems like a perfectly reasonable explanation. The troll tilts her head, now the one simply looking at Kerala. "So, the second one then." And Kerala nodded at Lilliana, blinking to try and clear her vision. She was not drunk anymore, maybe, but she is certainly not sober yet.
Lilliana 's eyes remain on Kerala, her gaze is so gentle with her eyes being the odd blue of her tribe, it's almost disconcerting. She shouldn't look so kind. "By some definitions I guess....but by some other person's definition you would be too."
Kerala doesn't trust Lilliana's appearance for a second. "Me?"
The troll nods her head. "You're just talking about perspective." She speaks quietly....then doesn't say anything for a few moments. "Why do you think I'm mean?"
"It is not an opinion. It's mean to deliberately betray me by giving me that fool's errand with the tree!"
Lilliana doesn't react to that, and she thinks her lack of reaction must be annoying, well, darn frustrating.... considering the effort that Kerala was noted to have put into it....which Lilliana is more than aware of. "And now you have another errand, one not so foolish."
Kerala interrupts. "-Which you also had to go and ruin."
"You've even had two Inquisitors.....the High Inquisitor himself, put a blessing on it!" She tilts her head, her expression seems earnest, as if she's looking for approval. "You should feel honored, I mean like...so much attention for you!"
"HONORED?" The druid glares angrily at Lilliana. Stands up.
"Kerala......" the priestess doesn't respond at least in expression....to Kerala's angry and hot glare. "Yes, honored. No one...ever....ever...has set foot here in the Grim as you have."
"And I would not have if your commander had not demanded it. Would you rather I have sacrificed someone else to this?"
"That's what I would have done. But I'm mean." The priestess says rather lightly.
Kerala knows it.
Lilliana snorts as she picks up Kerala's piece of knowledge. It seems to Lilliana like the druid is broadcasting it as strongly as a shout directly into her ear. She frowns.
"Why? Everyone I know is either weaker than me, too good to even consider it, or already Grim." She means morally.
"Too good to even....consider it....?" Lilliana grins. "Kerala................. Being Grim is not about how kind or how cruel you are. The kind can be Grim."
Lie. "You cannot be kind if you are eating the hearts of other people." Kerala frowns.
Lilliana takes her staff down from where it rests against her back, and she twists it from hand to hand. "The Alliance aren't people."
Kerala throws Lilliana's words back at her. "You're just talking about perspective."
Lilliana nods her head in agreement to that, "Of course I am. And it's the perspective of those that are the strongest that becomes the general view of the world." She stops twisting her staff from side to side, and holds it in front of her, one hand placed over the other that grips the violet steel. "So like, yeah." She grins, having stepped closer to Kerala. She looks up at the druid. The troll is so short next to her.
"You are not stronger than the high inquisitor, and yet I must pass the trial as -you- wish it to be. -Your- perspective. How does that work?" She is honestly confused. Why did the subordinate get to change the rules? How was she bound to follow this troll's orders?
"I'm totally not stronger than Khorvis, he could kick my ass off my butt and feed it to me if he wanted to." She grins up at Kerala.
Kerala throws her hands up, to keep from trying to smash that grin off Lillian's face, and stalks in a circle before looking back at the priestess.
"And to answer that.... Konro was my Supplicant...." she pauses, and she doesn't hide a look of regret as she doesn't realize it flashes there. When she does, she makes a face. "And now you are. So like, yeah."
Konro. A thought occurs to the druid. "He failed the trials. How far did he get?"
Lilliana is not always the best at explanations....and....she was watching what Kerala was doing. She is a priest, and kind of good at reading what may be going through a persons thoughts, even if it's just by body language....and that angry stalking was kind of obvious. "Not very far." Her brow furrows.
"The first?" Kerala persists. "Did he pass this one? Did he have to do what I will?"
Lilliana 's gaze drops from Kerala's face, to the tabard she now wears. The one that Lilliana had to go back and retrieve from a fallen Konro's corpse. "Everyone's trials are different." Kerala scowls at the way the troll doesn't completely answer the question. "Just like life." Lilliana brings Kerala on a philosophical journey.
"And it wasn't enough for you... to just have me eat the hearts?"
Lilliana cants her head to the side, "No, it wasn't enough for you." Although her voice continues to be soft, somewhat sweet, a twinge of coldness enters it.
"Why not?! The elf only had to cut off a head and clean it. The troll gets to do something he actually -enjoys- for his trial!..." Lilliana doesn't answer Kerala, instead she has gone back to merely staring at her. "And not only do I get stuck with this, but you have to and try to get me killed with it... zayt kek!" The druid finishes in a foreign language that is obviously some kind of thing similar to an F you, if not exactly that.
Lilliana nods her head slowly, "And that's why it wasn't enough for 'you'." The little priestess puts a great deal of emphasis on 'you' as she says it.
"And that's why I'm asking- What did I ever do to you!? Or... do at all? DO you just hate shu'halo?"
"I don't care what you do to me, Kerala." She scowls at the druid, but something may tell Kerala that the issue is not because of something that may have offended Lilly personally. "Do I hate shu'halo?" Kerala thinks maybe that would explain why Konro was left to blunder into trouble and die. Lilliana was going to say something else, in answering Kerala's question about what she did or didn't do to the troll...but instead, she responds to the shu'halo comment. "No. I respect them, and what they are."
"Is there a reason, then?" Lilliana nods her head, indicating that indeed yes, there is a reason that perhaps Lilliana has acted the way she has been. Kerala waits to hear it.
Lilliana wasn't initially going to just up and volunteer her answer for Kerala, but she sees the tauren waiting, so expectantly. And so...she answers her. Her voice is almost bland as she speaks...how quick she has gone from gentle, cold, now to as if she could care less. "You are not a soldier. You may battle well, you may be powerful....but you don't know how to fall into the ranks. Follow orders." She pauses, and then continues, she explains what Kerala had waited so expectantly for. "Nothing about you says to me....soldier." The troll eyes her, assessing. "I doubt you think I am either, but I know where my loyalties are. I know who my family are. I know what I will do for them, and I know what they will....and will not, do for me. And I accept that." Kerala listens. Lilliana's eyes narrow cruelly at Kerala. "You, on the other hand, don't." She offers the druid a look so disapproving, any child given that by their mother should cringe. But...Kerala is not Lilliana's daughter. In fact, Lilly must be a good few years younger than the druid. The expression has no effect on the tauren, who was considering the words instead.
What sense did that make? "So you are punishing me... because you think -I- don't know my loyalties? My family?" Or did Lilliana mean that she didn't understand Kerala's? If that was the case, how was treating her this way supposed to solve the problem?
Lilliana gestures to the tabard that Kerala wears. "I'm not punishing you. You are a freaking Grim," she growls. It sounds primal. "Act like one." Kerala balls up her fists, responding to the growl. Lilliana 's gaze flickers to the tauren's fists, and the red haired troll takes a step back. If anyone was watching, it may look like the little priestess was nervous. She's not, and Kerala can see it in the body language. Such a twisted little snake woman, this is.
"You say I am a Grim...."Kerala starts. Then she stops that thought, and blurts the next one that had occurred to her. She still wanted to believe that this was all a misunderstanding. Some kind of miscommunication- after all, the druid isn't the best at dealing with people. She knows that. "Do you know that doing your stupid trial might kill me? Do you care?"
Lilliana nods her head, although she doesn't move back forward, in fact, she kind of takes another step back. A small one, but still. "I didn't know." And perhaps.... Kerala does not see any of the tell-tale clues that the troll spoke a lie.
Kerala cocks her head. She'd been right, and she seizes on that. "Is it too late to get you to maybe change it?"
Lilliana busts out into a laugh over that request, "No freaking way you damn whiny baby!" Her childish laugh echoes down the hill, but the wind behind them does it's best to swallow up the sound.
"Whiny...." Kerala frowns. "Did you not just hear me? You want me to die?"
"Yes, I heard you. The troll actually may sound somewhat exasperated.....seriously. She holds up her hand as if to quiet Kerala. "More than heard you. I've been hearing your complaints, your whining....for like....ever since you decided to put on that tabard." Lilliana fixes Kerala with those blue eyes of hers. The tauren grinds her teeth, silent. She hasn't -whined- about anything since she was twelve years old. "Kerala." Lilliana clears her throat and rolls her eyes. "I." She pauses, then continues. "Do not." Yet another pause. She narrows her eyes. "Want." another pause. "even one." pause. "freaking Horde." pause. "to." pause. "Freaking DIE".
"So CHANGE IT." With just under a week left to prepare, the druid was actually worried now, and the solution was right here, standing in front of her. Just change it back. Kerala had no qualms about eating the hearts. The high inquisitor's task would have been fine, given a month to complete. She'd suffer, sure, but she could do it. But all the hearts at once? She'd even solved the problem of sheer volume, but yesterday had truly scared her. She'd reacted badly to two tiny fish, how could she hope to make it through with the heart organs of -seven- people?
Lilliana 's expression hardens. Never would Kerala have seen such a look on Lilliana...expect, there it is. Childishness aside, she looks like nothing could alter her decision. "No, Kerala. Figure it out." Kerala blinks at the priestess. "Act like a soldier.....and figure it out. I don't want you to die...but here you are..." she swings her hands out, gesturing as if to all the world. "You're here, figure it the frick out. I'm not here to baby you. Or mother you." Lilliana says this coldly. She thinks there is the cuteness here, even if it's annoying cuteness.
Kerala knows that killing Lilliana will not solve this.... but she's incredibly mad now, and not thinking clearly. Maybe pain would convince the priestess. If not it would be very satisfying....
Lilliana is carefully following Kerala, gauging her mood.....she steps to the side, and she snaps, demanding, "Figure it out, KERALA!!!!!!"
The drunk druid finally loses it, and snatches herself toward Lilliana in a Wild Charge.
Lilliana shouts, "Kerala!!! Bad girl!" And she brings her shadows down upon her with a whoosh of harsh whispers. The priestess is quick to use her shadow step ability, and she leaves behind an image of her red-haired form, disappearing behind the raging druid.
Kerala meant to hit the priestess in catform with all her claws extended, and when she instead passes through the priestess' image, she falls to a crouch and slinks into a hiding place.
Lilliana rushes around, searching for the cat. Although she could quite easily run away, back to the Grim's main compound.....she remains within reach of Kerala. Perhaps the little priestess is angry or, or perhaps she just wants to mess around with her. It would be hard for anyone to tell. She runs near Kerala, unknowing that the druid is there in stealth, her shadows flickering from her dangerously.
Kerala waits patiently, her muscles coiled, until the priestess is close enough, then leaps for the troll, trying to bite her.
Lilliana had truly....truly not expected Kerala to act without thinking. Her guard was not up as it should...for Kerala was her Supplicant after all. The cat is successful in her attempt to bite Lilliana, and Lilliana's voice rings out not so much as in pain, but in surprise. Her shadows respond quickly, and she moves to fill Kerala's head and soul with the pain that shadow priests bring.
Kerala spasms in pain, which makes her teeth clench down harder. Involuntary, but advantageous. She manages to turn the muscle twitches of her limbs into a full furious shredding motion of her rear feet.
Lilliana had not been dishonest when she had informed Kerala that she knew she was a strong fighter, but not a soldier.... and now she slightly panics as the cat gets a hold of her not just with teeth, but with claws. There is the sound of tearing, and the priestess's robes are shredded. And here she becomes angry.......and as the cat spasms, Lilliana lets loose with another powerful blast of shadow energy...it not only lashes through Kerala, but it spreads in a demented circle all around them.
Kerala loses her grip with a scraping of teeth. She prowls back toward Lilliana, not hiding, and openly growling, content so far to remain the cat. She is a predator. Here is her prey, and she stalks Lilliana for the opportunity to strike again.
Lilliana keeps her distance as Kerala prowls forward....she's fairly quick on her feet, but of course her movements could no where match Kera's when she is in that particular form. "Kerala, stop it. You are being a BABY." She actually says this as she moves along with Kerala, bleeding. She hasn't moved to heal herself. What a little mess. "This how you solve your shit?" Lilliana may be speaking boldly, sarcastically...but the druid knows she is rather injured. There is a trail of blood falling from the troll with each step. Ow.
Kerala thinks hard, trusting that she'll be heard since Lilliana has been in her head once before. I'm being Grim. I don't like you, so I'm going to attack you.
"Grims....never....ever attack Grims." and now she snarls....there is something like anger in her voice, although it lingers closer to distaste.
Kerala pounces while Lilliana is distracted talking, her thoughts furious. No, Grims just set other Grims up, or stand by and watch them die!
Lilliana has multiple thoughts flash through her head as Kerala pounces at her...does she fear her, should she turn into a ball of purple energy and escape? Should she protect herself in a priestly bubble and attack the hell out of her? No, what Lilliana decides is something that she should have done ages ago. She snarls and steps into the true shadows that only a shadow priest can step through, once more leaving behind a facade of herself. As she does so, she grabs onto Kerala's angry mind, she rushes through there before the druid's instinctive defenses can react, and unlocks something. The event that Kerala seems to have mysteriously not remembered prior to her joining the Grim. Something about Inzema and wanting to cut things off and eat them, a white haired troll and a threatening sword...and of course, the other tauren and the cup of tea that was left behind. Lilliana then rushes off down the hill, keeping to her shadows. She's so out of here. Lilliana leaves Kerala behind......not wanting to engage in the fight further for either of their sakes.
Kerala freezes. Memories slam into her, all at once, and it's crippling. She remembers. Everything that happened after Konro's funeral. And this time, she's -feeling- it. The lioness falls over, seemingly asleep. She's not resting, though, and she won't be able to rest for quite a while. Kerala gets carved up by inzema, slowly, in her mind, feeling everything that she didn't before. She gets beaten by Leyujin, and then, when all of that is over, she can smell tea, and hear Awatu's voice. She cannot move at all, cannot fight back. She is helpless is the dream that is no dream at all.
Lilliana knew exactly what she was doing when she shot into the druid's mind. The druid remembered this now, felt this now, but she also would again. 'Flashbacks' from terrible events people lived through were quite haunting. They felt just as real as the trigger trauma, but eventually they faded with time as the mind began to cope. What if the traumas occurred without the victim being able to do a thing about it? No fighting back, not even screaming. This is what she had done.
Kerala was alone in the dark when the memory ended. The sensation of sliced and beaten flesh was fresh and real, the pain acute and overwhelming. Then it was suddenly gone. She opened her eyes, completely disoriented. The lioness panted, eyes dilated and panicked, hormones raging through her in response to an agony that was no longer there. Fight or flight! She blinked, finding that she could, now.
In the next instant, the druid was off like a shot, running. Because she could.
Re: Kerala's Inquisition
Sunday night. Kerala had been awake now for a day and a half, if she didn't count the brief nap that had been interrupted. She didn't. Added atop the past several weeks of accrued fatigue, the druid was in bad shape. She can barely think, and every time her eyes close, she finds herself back in the cellar of Dalaran. It is a place she never wants to see ever again.
The visions -no the memories- are losing strength, she knows, but it is taking far longer than she wants. Logically, the experience in the cellar should not have caused this sort of reaction in her. She'd been beaten before and while Inzema had been far more intricate than anyone else prior, even his blade 'artwork' was something she should have been able to handle. The memories stuck on replay stopped at Awatu leaving her there on the floor, but she even remembered now how Cobrak's two-headed dog had found her only a short time later. She'd been healed remarkably quickly, in fact.
She'd survived. So it infuriated her to no end that the priestess was able to do what no real world experience had been able to. She is supposed to be stronger than this.
The druid wasn't in the mood to really mingle in public. She lands on the Cantina wall and perched there, planning just to see if there was anyone she knew. Would Kex'ti be up to anymore antics? Would Breygrah show up? She also knew that the Grim used this tavern to rest between battles. This was really why she had come.
Tonight's bartender was the troll. "So anybody need a drink heah?"
Darrethy is here. He is dressed oddly, with a bow on his back. The undead shakes his head "I'm good."
Syreena is also here. "Yeah, Tahz. Something shtrong." She notices Kerala land on the wall, but only looks at the bird without saying anything. The troll brings a drink over, and she tips the barkeep.
Kerala 's eyes close. On the wide wall, the tendons in her feet cannot lock as they would if she were perched. This is intentional. As her body shuts down in it's singular attempt to rest, her weight shifts. She begins to fall, and suddenly jerks awake. She fluffs her feathers, trying to shake off the tiredness despite knowing the uselessness of the gesture.
The Grim are here.
Kerala flaps twice, propelling her light body through the air. She shifts even as gravity pulls her earthward, and lands on her hooves in natural tauren shape. The barkeep is attentive and asks if anyone needs a drink, meaning her, really. She smiles her no at him. No alcohol again, ever. Until she's stupid enough to forget again.
The undead Grim priest Lupinum is running around annoying -or maybe being annoyed by- the crude elf priestess with the short hair. Kerala did not like her or her foul mouth, but then again, she did not like Lilliana either. The red- headed priestess is standing beside the white-haired troll from the cellar.
Lilliana waves over at Kerala. Then she winks. The choice in companion is entirely intentional, then. Only the rogue was missing. And teh commander to watch them all. Kerala frowns.
Darrethy shakes his head "Good to see you're still getting along." he says to Lily. Kerala stifles a yawn through clamped teeth. "Hunting still going well?" Apparently they had just returned from battle, then.
Leyujin shrugs. "Sum losses, but we be facin' stiffah opposition."
Syreena looks at Khorvis at he returns to the Cantina as well. "Lasher."
Kerala eyes Lilliana a moment longer, then turns to Khorvis. "High Inquisitor" she says by way of greeting.
Darrethy nods slightly "Khorvis."
The orc nods to Syreena, then turns his eldritch eye to Kerala and nods a greeting. "Supplicant Kerala. Throm'ka, Blackguard."
Right on the tail of Darrethy's completion of the greeting with some foreign word, Kerala blurts. "Are you still on call with the battlemaster? I'd like to talk with you." Lilliana tosses a tired grin over to Khorvis, and rolls her eyes, then gazes at Leyu'jin.
"No, the battlemastersh have let the Grim rest for the evening."
The barkeep seemed surprised that they were done fighting so early in the evening, but he only got in a few words before Kerala spoke over him. It wouldn't be long before this temporary clarity became fog and confusion again. "I'd like to talk to you... privately. Please. If you aren't busy."
Khorvis grumbles an ogre curse. "Zug zug. Find me at the tower to the Northeast." Kerala glances to Lilliana, then back at Khorvis. She nods.
Kerala leaves immediately to fly there, knowing the high inquisitor would not be far behind on whatever mount he has.
The island is small, with an old tower standing on it. The wreckage of some kind of patio, or maybe an entryway, is underhoof. It's tilted, but stable ground. The sea around them is especially beautiful is the dying light of the day.
Khorvis had beaten her there, because she really did not know where this tower was, and had to spot it from the air. The orc sniffs the air with a sense of nostalgia. "Ah, the Great Sea."
Kerala smiles. "It is beautiful here." Then she yawns, unable to stifle it.
"What did you wish to speak of, druidess?"
Several things. Which first? She thinks maybe he should know about last night before trying to discuss other things. "Have you spoken to Lilliana at all today? About me?"
"No. My Inquisitors are their own masters, and masters over their own Supplicants. To an extent."
That is good, isn't it? "Oh.... So... If I made a mistake and attacked her... Would you care?" Kerala cocks her head with the question. It isn't the phrasing she had really intended, but too late now.
"You did raise a paw against a Grim?" Khorvis is chillingly calm in his questioning. Some of the soul mist of his eldritch device catches in the sea breeze and twists into shapes. She finds it rather mesmerizing. She almost wants to step closer to be able to make out what it was she was seeing. His words catch her attention. A paw? No, that wasn't quite right.
"And teeth. I had too much to drink- as I said it was a mistake.... but I'd rather tell you myself than have the truth of things twisted."
"I do see. So you do be a drunkard, and can not aim your blows. This do be your statement?"
What? No! How...? What was it with the Grim and getting things so terribly wrong all the time? The image of a someone robed, most likely a mage, armless and writhing, apparates in his soul shroud. No, she does not want to be close enough to see the mist. Kerala takes a step back with a sigh. Was she really surprised? "No, not really. Nevermind. If there is to be any punishment, I suppose the details do not matter."
Khorvis grips his hands in a fist at the small of his back and paces to the edge of the ruins. Kerala merely watches, waiting to see why Khorvis moved, or for him to confirm or deny a punishment. The orc unlatches a compartment of his bracer and ponders an old scar that the panel had covered. The druid eyes him, looking unabashedly at the scar. If she had to guess, she'd say the wound was caused by a spear. She'd seen enough to know. It was a relatively clean cut- so from a sharp weapon. Metal, rather than horn or bone or stone. Long with a widening in the middle, perhaps from the weapons alliance soldiers carried. They liked cross-shaped blades for some reason. Plus, Khorvis is Grim, and she figures alliance was a pretty safe bet.
Khorvis eventually shuts the metal plate and voices a tired bass. "Your blood debt do be a contentious thing, Supplicant Kerala."
Kerala blinks. "I... do not know that word," she admits.
"Half of you does wish to honor the customs of our peoples. This do be a noble goal and the Grim does support it." Kerala listens. "The other half does scream in rebellion against our ways. How can your debt be paid if only half of your swing does meet the flesh?"
Kerala's tired mind wants to tell him that a half-powered strike is better than a total miss, but she isn't that stupid. Not without liquor. Flesh... though. Since he does not seem angry at all, she figures she's not in trouble. She grasps at the topic switch. "Actually, that was what I wished to talk about most of all." Khorvis reclasps his gauntlet at his back and listens stoically. "There are things the Grim does that... I don't understand why. How it is acceptable behavior. For example, you." Kerala tries to think of how to put her thoughts in words. She's aware that she's not doing a very good job at all. She can't focus. She wants to punch Lilliana. Most of all though, she wants to sleep.
Khorvis continues to stare at the tauren. The taladite crystal in his left socket pulses with the lapping of the tides. The mist almost seems helpful, as if it reflects the thoughts she cannot seize hold of on her own. Kerala sees a courier carrying a package. Yes. That was it, right there. "You ate the shu'halo child."
"She did already be a corpse."
"She was a person." Kerala argues.
"Did be. When I do be a corpse, I do pray to my ancestors that what little meat be left on my bones be useful to the Horde." Kerala frowns. "The Grim do use all means, druidess."
"But..." Kerala frowns again, because this is something she's thought of all day... exactly -why- she is bothered. "By openly doing that, you are inviting people to murder others, praising them even."
"There did be an orc girl delivered to my chambers."
"Yes, I saw. Was she meat to you as well?" Kerala knows the answer, she saw the tiny bone hit the floor at inquisition.
Khorvis ignores Kerala's platitudes. "She did be murdered by some stranger. But there did be some small tattoos on her feet, marking her as kin to one of the matron's whelps in the Drag. Of the orphanage. Her body and affects were returned to the Matron. The orphanage did be granted the living cost. By our coffers, at that."
Kerala frowns. "She was returned?" The druid knows bones. The one she'd tossed into the brazier had most definitely been from an orcish child.
"Aye. You do have my word."
"Where did the bone come from, the one you threw from there at Inquisition?" she gestures to the thing covering Khorvis' face, his feedbag.
He stands there, unreadable not just for the misty portion of his face, but that mask contraption as well. He hardly moves, so there is no body language to use as a gauge to his mood. It is like speaking with a statue that talked back. "Have you been to Bladefist Hold in the Spires of Arak?"
Kerala shakes her head, not certain. She'd been to the Spires, but does not know the names of various areas.
"The Iron Horde do have children of their own. The Bleeding Hollow are our enemies, druidess. Would you deny me my fill?"
Kerala is so confused that she speaks without thought. "I do not understand. You returned the child I sent you, but did eat one from the Bleeding Hollow?" She doesn't notice that she just admitted she sent the orc girl. "What is the difference?"
Khorvis frowns at Kerala, somewhat taken aback that the druidess who he did think honorable would commit such guile. "It do be in the taste. You will know this power when you do feast on the hearts of your targets at our great gathering."
Lie. Or maybe... another twisted Grim truth. "Any difference in taste is perceived only in your mind. The manner of death, the diet while living, that makes a difference, but not whether the meat was once Bleeding Hollow or not." she argues. Khorvis seems to snicker for a moment at that. The visage of a pale orc coalescing in the mists of his soul shroud. The pale thing's eye twinkles malevolently before winking out with the licking of ghostly lips. Kerala stares at Khorvis, surprised to have finally provoked a reaction. Then she realizes why. "And I see the expression of your eye, though your face is deformed and covered. I did not kill the child, or deface her body."
Khorvis again ignored part of her words, choosing to address the first part of her statement. "These do be the words you say now. Your first trial is not to question, but to bloody obey."
Kerala considers Khorvis. Why is is that everyone thinks she isn't obeying? Skipping that meeting? They'd had this attitude before that, so what was it? "What is it that makes you think I will not? Or that this task is something hard for me to do?"
Khorvis waves his hand dismissively. "You do not be the first Supplicant to toy with her Inquisitor. Many do think themselves better than the Mandate. They are all broken of this thought by the end." He straightens up at her remarks about difficulty and fear. "You do fear the bodies of our foes. Their will and their swords and their words? I do know you laugh at them. You still do see the breath of the Earth Mother in their bones and this does make you weak."
Kerala holds in her snort. So very wrong. "I do not believe in an Earth Mother."
"Hrmph. Is she not of the Shu'halo?"
Kerala crosses her arms, and blinks tired eyes. This was not what she wanted to talk about. "She might be, I guess. But not me. Not really. I do not fear the bodies of alliance, or laugh at them. Their hearts do not frighten me,the taste of hot blood and the raw softness...." The druid stops, realizing she was rambling, and saying more than she means to. She shrugs.
"Supplicant Kerala, I did be more than patient with your rebellious acts. You do know where the Inquisition does stand on the matter. You will apologize to Inquisitor Lilliana for your brash fists and teeth, and mend the wounds. You will appear before your brother and sister Grim to complete your trial. And when this is done, your second Trial will begin with the Cen and the orphanage. Do my words be lost to the Great Sea, or will the Lash stay coiled at my side?" He had apparently run out of patience.
"As you wish." Kerala is too tired to press the matter about people-eating any further, even though she still doesn't understand why one child was eaten while the other was not.
"Zug zug. You will be Grim yet. And I will join you in your feast."
Kerala blinks at the high inquisitor rather stupidly. "You will?"
Khorvis barks a tart laugh. "The strength in those hearts do be enough for more than one! I do wish some for myself!" He abruptly turns to leave and gives Kerala a casual salute.
Strength. Hearts. Strength is life. "Wait!" Kerala cries. "One more question then, about the task. Does vomiting mean that I fail?"
He stops and turns back for just a moment. "You must show no fear of your foes' remains. If you do vomit as a solider of the Mandate, there do be no shame. If you do squeal in fear of the taste ... We will know. The eyes of our felmancers will watch."
Kerala smiles, genuinely happy now. Everything, all the worry these past weeks, is solved with those words. "Thank you for speaking with me." she remembers her manners.
"Lok'tar, Kerala. Ogar." The orc leaves her standing on the tower island, and she cannot believe her good luck. The first trial is now easier than she could have hoped. Why had she not asked this question earlier!?
Kerala grins at Lilliana after she lands back in the Cantina barroom. Lupinum is perched atop an umbrella with his back to her. He doesn't bother to look over his shoulder. The druid's grin converts to a wide yawn, and she doesn't care.
Lilliana is talking with Khorvis, but she's standing close enough to the umbrella. Lupinum leans back and hangs a foot over the edge. He tries to knock it into Lilly's head. Kerala walks around so the priest can see her. He waggles a couple claws in Kerala's direction.
Lilliana reaches a hand up and grabs Lupinum's boney clawed foot. He squawks loudly, and the druid laughs. He abruptly points to her. "Quiet." Kerala's laugh turns into another yawn.
Lupinum takes his feet back in and leaps to the ground. He pokes Lilliana, obviously drunk. He belches loudly, confirming the suspicion, then stumbles towards Kerala.
Lupinum tries to poke Kerala's broad shoulders. She evades his touch. The priest stumbles forward and almost ends up on the floor, and she does not move to help him. She doesn't like to be touched, and keeps a space between them.
Lupinum is now going to make a drunk point to touch Kerala. His eyes blink unevenly. "What were you been up to today?" Lupinum is so drunk, he can barely walk. He pursues Kerala with a dogged determination, still blinking like an owl, as if that will clear his double vision.
"Eating. Trying to sleep. Failing." Kerala says. She glances to Lilliana.
"Trying to shleep? You don't shleep? I get that." She shrugs at him. "No no, cause I'm dead! We don't shleep ...hic! It'sh always... this... Life. All the time. ...hic!"
She smiles. "Well I still need it, so good night."
Lilliana looks over to Kerala, "You're going? You just got here."
Lupinum lunges forward and tries to hug Kerala while the druid is distracted. She evades him easily, by snatching herself toward the imposing frame of the high inquisitor. The priest falls onto his face, because Kerala is just SO DAMN FAST.
"Lupinum, leave the druid alone. You dork." She heads over to druid. "Kerala, I hope you have a good night." She clears her throat, watching Kerala move to Khorvis, as if he'll protect her. "I hope you have sweet dreams, Kerala." She says again. Her face is a mask resembling a gentle smile.
Khorvis promptly steps away, leaving Kerala in Lilliana's dark clutches. He glances at the troll and tauren Grim, as he answers a question posed to him about how things were going. "It does go. The battlemasters pit our ranks against tougher foes every night."
Kerala smiles at Lilliana, not bothered at all by the three-faced troll priestess. "Not likely. But nightmares don't keep their power forever." She really couldn't be happier right now. She knows it is the giddy effects of sleep deprivation, but it feels good.
The trolless lowers her voice. "Not if you don't let them." She pauses. "Figure them out."
"I will. Goodnight." And with that simple cheerful reply, Kerala gives the assembled bar patrons a quick wave goodbye, morphs to a bird right where she stands, and flies away.
The visions -no the memories- are losing strength, she knows, but it is taking far longer than she wants. Logically, the experience in the cellar should not have caused this sort of reaction in her. She'd been beaten before and while Inzema had been far more intricate than anyone else prior, even his blade 'artwork' was something she should have been able to handle. The memories stuck on replay stopped at Awatu leaving her there on the floor, but she even remembered now how Cobrak's two-headed dog had found her only a short time later. She'd been healed remarkably quickly, in fact.
She'd survived. So it infuriated her to no end that the priestess was able to do what no real world experience had been able to. She is supposed to be stronger than this.
The druid wasn't in the mood to really mingle in public. She lands on the Cantina wall and perched there, planning just to see if there was anyone she knew. Would Kex'ti be up to anymore antics? Would Breygrah show up? She also knew that the Grim used this tavern to rest between battles. This was really why she had come.
Tonight's bartender was the troll. "So anybody need a drink heah?"
Darrethy is here. He is dressed oddly, with a bow on his back. The undead shakes his head "I'm good."
Syreena is also here. "Yeah, Tahz. Something shtrong." She notices Kerala land on the wall, but only looks at the bird without saying anything. The troll brings a drink over, and she tips the barkeep.
Kerala 's eyes close. On the wide wall, the tendons in her feet cannot lock as they would if she were perched. This is intentional. As her body shuts down in it's singular attempt to rest, her weight shifts. She begins to fall, and suddenly jerks awake. She fluffs her feathers, trying to shake off the tiredness despite knowing the uselessness of the gesture.
The Grim are here.
Kerala flaps twice, propelling her light body through the air. She shifts even as gravity pulls her earthward, and lands on her hooves in natural tauren shape. The barkeep is attentive and asks if anyone needs a drink, meaning her, really. She smiles her no at him. No alcohol again, ever. Until she's stupid enough to forget again.
The undead Grim priest Lupinum is running around annoying -or maybe being annoyed by- the crude elf priestess with the short hair. Kerala did not like her or her foul mouth, but then again, she did not like Lilliana either. The red- headed priestess is standing beside the white-haired troll from the cellar.
Lilliana waves over at Kerala. Then she winks. The choice in companion is entirely intentional, then. Only the rogue was missing. And teh commander to watch them all. Kerala frowns.
Darrethy shakes his head "Good to see you're still getting along." he says to Lily. Kerala stifles a yawn through clamped teeth. "Hunting still going well?" Apparently they had just returned from battle, then.
Leyujin shrugs. "Sum losses, but we be facin' stiffah opposition."
Syreena looks at Khorvis at he returns to the Cantina as well. "Lasher."
Kerala eyes Lilliana a moment longer, then turns to Khorvis. "High Inquisitor" she says by way of greeting.
Darrethy nods slightly "Khorvis."
The orc nods to Syreena, then turns his eldritch eye to Kerala and nods a greeting. "Supplicant Kerala. Throm'ka, Blackguard."
Right on the tail of Darrethy's completion of the greeting with some foreign word, Kerala blurts. "Are you still on call with the battlemaster? I'd like to talk with you." Lilliana tosses a tired grin over to Khorvis, and rolls her eyes, then gazes at Leyu'jin.
"No, the battlemastersh have let the Grim rest for the evening."
The barkeep seemed surprised that they were done fighting so early in the evening, but he only got in a few words before Kerala spoke over him. It wouldn't be long before this temporary clarity became fog and confusion again. "I'd like to talk to you... privately. Please. If you aren't busy."
Khorvis grumbles an ogre curse. "Zug zug. Find me at the tower to the Northeast." Kerala glances to Lilliana, then back at Khorvis. She nods.
Kerala leaves immediately to fly there, knowing the high inquisitor would not be far behind on whatever mount he has.
The island is small, with an old tower standing on it. The wreckage of some kind of patio, or maybe an entryway, is underhoof. It's tilted, but stable ground. The sea around them is especially beautiful is the dying light of the day.
Khorvis had beaten her there, because she really did not know where this tower was, and had to spot it from the air. The orc sniffs the air with a sense of nostalgia. "Ah, the Great Sea."
Kerala smiles. "It is beautiful here." Then she yawns, unable to stifle it.
"What did you wish to speak of, druidess?"
Several things. Which first? She thinks maybe he should know about last night before trying to discuss other things. "Have you spoken to Lilliana at all today? About me?"
"No. My Inquisitors are their own masters, and masters over their own Supplicants. To an extent."
That is good, isn't it? "Oh.... So... If I made a mistake and attacked her... Would you care?" Kerala cocks her head with the question. It isn't the phrasing she had really intended, but too late now.
"You did raise a paw against a Grim?" Khorvis is chillingly calm in his questioning. Some of the soul mist of his eldritch device catches in the sea breeze and twists into shapes. She finds it rather mesmerizing. She almost wants to step closer to be able to make out what it was she was seeing. His words catch her attention. A paw? No, that wasn't quite right.
"And teeth. I had too much to drink- as I said it was a mistake.... but I'd rather tell you myself than have the truth of things twisted."
"I do see. So you do be a drunkard, and can not aim your blows. This do be your statement?"
What? No! How...? What was it with the Grim and getting things so terribly wrong all the time? The image of a someone robed, most likely a mage, armless and writhing, apparates in his soul shroud. No, she does not want to be close enough to see the mist. Kerala takes a step back with a sigh. Was she really surprised? "No, not really. Nevermind. If there is to be any punishment, I suppose the details do not matter."
Khorvis grips his hands in a fist at the small of his back and paces to the edge of the ruins. Kerala merely watches, waiting to see why Khorvis moved, or for him to confirm or deny a punishment. The orc unlatches a compartment of his bracer and ponders an old scar that the panel had covered. The druid eyes him, looking unabashedly at the scar. If she had to guess, she'd say the wound was caused by a spear. She'd seen enough to know. It was a relatively clean cut- so from a sharp weapon. Metal, rather than horn or bone or stone. Long with a widening in the middle, perhaps from the weapons alliance soldiers carried. They liked cross-shaped blades for some reason. Plus, Khorvis is Grim, and she figures alliance was a pretty safe bet.
Khorvis eventually shuts the metal plate and voices a tired bass. "Your blood debt do be a contentious thing, Supplicant Kerala."
Kerala blinks. "I... do not know that word," she admits.
"Half of you does wish to honor the customs of our peoples. This do be a noble goal and the Grim does support it." Kerala listens. "The other half does scream in rebellion against our ways. How can your debt be paid if only half of your swing does meet the flesh?"
Kerala's tired mind wants to tell him that a half-powered strike is better than a total miss, but she isn't that stupid. Not without liquor. Flesh... though. Since he does not seem angry at all, she figures she's not in trouble. She grasps at the topic switch. "Actually, that was what I wished to talk about most of all." Khorvis reclasps his gauntlet at his back and listens stoically. "There are things the Grim does that... I don't understand why. How it is acceptable behavior. For example, you." Kerala tries to think of how to put her thoughts in words. She's aware that she's not doing a very good job at all. She can't focus. She wants to punch Lilliana. Most of all though, she wants to sleep.
Khorvis continues to stare at the tauren. The taladite crystal in his left socket pulses with the lapping of the tides. The mist almost seems helpful, as if it reflects the thoughts she cannot seize hold of on her own. Kerala sees a courier carrying a package. Yes. That was it, right there. "You ate the shu'halo child."
"She did already be a corpse."
"She was a person." Kerala argues.
"Did be. When I do be a corpse, I do pray to my ancestors that what little meat be left on my bones be useful to the Horde." Kerala frowns. "The Grim do use all means, druidess."
"But..." Kerala frowns again, because this is something she's thought of all day... exactly -why- she is bothered. "By openly doing that, you are inviting people to murder others, praising them even."
"There did be an orc girl delivered to my chambers."
"Yes, I saw. Was she meat to you as well?" Kerala knows the answer, she saw the tiny bone hit the floor at inquisition.
Khorvis ignores Kerala's platitudes. "She did be murdered by some stranger. But there did be some small tattoos on her feet, marking her as kin to one of the matron's whelps in the Drag. Of the orphanage. Her body and affects were returned to the Matron. The orphanage did be granted the living cost. By our coffers, at that."
Kerala frowns. "She was returned?" The druid knows bones. The one she'd tossed into the brazier had most definitely been from an orcish child.
"Aye. You do have my word."
"Where did the bone come from, the one you threw from there at Inquisition?" she gestures to the thing covering Khorvis' face, his feedbag.
He stands there, unreadable not just for the misty portion of his face, but that mask contraption as well. He hardly moves, so there is no body language to use as a gauge to his mood. It is like speaking with a statue that talked back. "Have you been to Bladefist Hold in the Spires of Arak?"
Kerala shakes her head, not certain. She'd been to the Spires, but does not know the names of various areas.
"The Iron Horde do have children of their own. The Bleeding Hollow are our enemies, druidess. Would you deny me my fill?"
Kerala is so confused that she speaks without thought. "I do not understand. You returned the child I sent you, but did eat one from the Bleeding Hollow?" She doesn't notice that she just admitted she sent the orc girl. "What is the difference?"
Khorvis frowns at Kerala, somewhat taken aback that the druidess who he did think honorable would commit such guile. "It do be in the taste. You will know this power when you do feast on the hearts of your targets at our great gathering."
Lie. Or maybe... another twisted Grim truth. "Any difference in taste is perceived only in your mind. The manner of death, the diet while living, that makes a difference, but not whether the meat was once Bleeding Hollow or not." she argues. Khorvis seems to snicker for a moment at that. The visage of a pale orc coalescing in the mists of his soul shroud. The pale thing's eye twinkles malevolently before winking out with the licking of ghostly lips. Kerala stares at Khorvis, surprised to have finally provoked a reaction. Then she realizes why. "And I see the expression of your eye, though your face is deformed and covered. I did not kill the child, or deface her body."
Khorvis again ignored part of her words, choosing to address the first part of her statement. "These do be the words you say now. Your first trial is not to question, but to bloody obey."
Kerala considers Khorvis. Why is is that everyone thinks she isn't obeying? Skipping that meeting? They'd had this attitude before that, so what was it? "What is it that makes you think I will not? Or that this task is something hard for me to do?"
Khorvis waves his hand dismissively. "You do not be the first Supplicant to toy with her Inquisitor. Many do think themselves better than the Mandate. They are all broken of this thought by the end." He straightens up at her remarks about difficulty and fear. "You do fear the bodies of our foes. Their will and their swords and their words? I do know you laugh at them. You still do see the breath of the Earth Mother in their bones and this does make you weak."
Kerala holds in her snort. So very wrong. "I do not believe in an Earth Mother."
"Hrmph. Is she not of the Shu'halo?"
Kerala crosses her arms, and blinks tired eyes. This was not what she wanted to talk about. "She might be, I guess. But not me. Not really. I do not fear the bodies of alliance, or laugh at them. Their hearts do not frighten me,the taste of hot blood and the raw softness...." The druid stops, realizing she was rambling, and saying more than she means to. She shrugs.
"Supplicant Kerala, I did be more than patient with your rebellious acts. You do know where the Inquisition does stand on the matter. You will apologize to Inquisitor Lilliana for your brash fists and teeth, and mend the wounds. You will appear before your brother and sister Grim to complete your trial. And when this is done, your second Trial will begin with the Cen and the orphanage. Do my words be lost to the Great Sea, or will the Lash stay coiled at my side?" He had apparently run out of patience.
"As you wish." Kerala is too tired to press the matter about people-eating any further, even though she still doesn't understand why one child was eaten while the other was not.
"Zug zug. You will be Grim yet. And I will join you in your feast."
Kerala blinks at the high inquisitor rather stupidly. "You will?"
Khorvis barks a tart laugh. "The strength in those hearts do be enough for more than one! I do wish some for myself!" He abruptly turns to leave and gives Kerala a casual salute.
Strength. Hearts. Strength is life. "Wait!" Kerala cries. "One more question then, about the task. Does vomiting mean that I fail?"
He stops and turns back for just a moment. "You must show no fear of your foes' remains. If you do vomit as a solider of the Mandate, there do be no shame. If you do squeal in fear of the taste ... We will know. The eyes of our felmancers will watch."
Kerala smiles, genuinely happy now. Everything, all the worry these past weeks, is solved with those words. "Thank you for speaking with me." she remembers her manners.
"Lok'tar, Kerala. Ogar." The orc leaves her standing on the tower island, and she cannot believe her good luck. The first trial is now easier than she could have hoped. Why had she not asked this question earlier!?
Kerala grins at Lilliana after she lands back in the Cantina barroom. Lupinum is perched atop an umbrella with his back to her. He doesn't bother to look over his shoulder. The druid's grin converts to a wide yawn, and she doesn't care.
Lilliana is talking with Khorvis, but she's standing close enough to the umbrella. Lupinum leans back and hangs a foot over the edge. He tries to knock it into Lilly's head. Kerala walks around so the priest can see her. He waggles a couple claws in Kerala's direction.
Lilliana reaches a hand up and grabs Lupinum's boney clawed foot. He squawks loudly, and the druid laughs. He abruptly points to her. "Quiet." Kerala's laugh turns into another yawn.
Lupinum takes his feet back in and leaps to the ground. He pokes Lilliana, obviously drunk. He belches loudly, confirming the suspicion, then stumbles towards Kerala.
Lupinum tries to poke Kerala's broad shoulders. She evades his touch. The priest stumbles forward and almost ends up on the floor, and she does not move to help him. She doesn't like to be touched, and keeps a space between them.
Lupinum is now going to make a drunk point to touch Kerala. His eyes blink unevenly. "What were you been up to today?" Lupinum is so drunk, he can barely walk. He pursues Kerala with a dogged determination, still blinking like an owl, as if that will clear his double vision.
"Eating. Trying to sleep. Failing." Kerala says. She glances to Lilliana.
"Trying to shleep? You don't shleep? I get that." She shrugs at him. "No no, cause I'm dead! We don't shleep ...hic! It'sh always... this... Life. All the time. ...hic!"
She smiles. "Well I still need it, so good night."
Lilliana looks over to Kerala, "You're going? You just got here."
Lupinum lunges forward and tries to hug Kerala while the druid is distracted. She evades him easily, by snatching herself toward the imposing frame of the high inquisitor. The priest falls onto his face, because Kerala is just SO DAMN FAST.
"Lupinum, leave the druid alone. You dork." She heads over to druid. "Kerala, I hope you have a good night." She clears her throat, watching Kerala move to Khorvis, as if he'll protect her. "I hope you have sweet dreams, Kerala." She says again. Her face is a mask resembling a gentle smile.
Khorvis promptly steps away, leaving Kerala in Lilliana's dark clutches. He glances at the troll and tauren Grim, as he answers a question posed to him about how things were going. "It does go. The battlemasters pit our ranks against tougher foes every night."
Kerala smiles at Lilliana, not bothered at all by the three-faced troll priestess. "Not likely. But nightmares don't keep their power forever." She really couldn't be happier right now. She knows it is the giddy effects of sleep deprivation, but it feels good.
The trolless lowers her voice. "Not if you don't let them." She pauses. "Figure them out."
"I will. Goodnight." And with that simple cheerful reply, Kerala gives the assembled bar patrons a quick wave goodbye, morphs to a bird right where she stands, and flies away.
Re: Kerala's Inquisition
Sleep was a necessary part of any living being's survival, just like food or water. It allowed a body to rest- to utilize less energy during a time in the day when it would be inefficient to search for food. Sleep provided the opportunity for a body to repair and rejuvenate itself. Most of the immune system was based on processes occurring during sleep. Major restorative functions such as tissue repair or muscle growth happened mostly, or sometimes -only- during the sleep cycles. The brain dreamed and processed information gathered throughout the day.
Kerala was suffering from a severe lack of sleep Monday. She had no sense of time, and had no idea what she had been doing for the last two days. She remembered talking with Khorvis. She knew that the conversation hadn't accomplished what she wanted, but that one crucial detail had come from it, and now her trial would be easy.
When Cobrak found her in the Un'goro cavern she'd called home after leaving Desolace, the hunter had a hard time waking her. She didn't remember what she said, but she told him of the trial, and confirmed that he wasn't back yet. From... she couldn't remember what he was doing. Thinking was hard.
She slept for hours after he left, and when she woke again, rubbing away the pain of Inzema's daggers, it was evening. The flight to Hyjal and the Grim meeting wasn't too terribly arduous with the prevailing winds aloft able to send her there with hardly any effort. She almost fell asleep in the air, actually losing some altitude on the way. She made it to Hyjal and landed among the giant roots of the world tree. It was easy to lose oneself among them, she though blearily. The meeting would be soon, she just wasn't quite sure where.
But Kerala's abused body wasn't about to let the druid remain awake that long. Her head nodded forward, and did not jerk back upright. She slept through the inquisition entirely, even though she really wasn't very far from the correct place. Below her, supplicants were questioned and a Morinth exploded, and the druid was blissfully unaware.
Nature insisted, and after all, wasn't She the master of druids anyway? Kerala wouldn't have argued even if she could have. There was no punishment for missing the inquisition, and lots of opinionated hatreds to avoid. She was so very tired.
Kerala slept.
Kerala was suffering from a severe lack of sleep Monday. She had no sense of time, and had no idea what she had been doing for the last two days. She remembered talking with Khorvis. She knew that the conversation hadn't accomplished what she wanted, but that one crucial detail had come from it, and now her trial would be easy.
When Cobrak found her in the Un'goro cavern she'd called home after leaving Desolace, the hunter had a hard time waking her. She didn't remember what she said, but she told him of the trial, and confirmed that he wasn't back yet. From... she couldn't remember what he was doing. Thinking was hard.
She slept for hours after he left, and when she woke again, rubbing away the pain of Inzema's daggers, it was evening. The flight to Hyjal and the Grim meeting wasn't too terribly arduous with the prevailing winds aloft able to send her there with hardly any effort. She almost fell asleep in the air, actually losing some altitude on the way. She made it to Hyjal and landed among the giant roots of the world tree. It was easy to lose oneself among them, she though blearily. The meeting would be soon, she just wasn't quite sure where.
But Kerala's abused body wasn't about to let the druid remain awake that long. Her head nodded forward, and did not jerk back upright. She slept through the inquisition entirely, even though she really wasn't very far from the correct place. Below her, supplicants were questioned and a Morinth exploded, and the druid was blissfully unaware.
Nature insisted, and after all, wasn't She the master of druids anyway? Kerala wouldn't have argued even if she could have. There was no punishment for missing the inquisition, and lots of opinionated hatreds to avoid. She was so very tired.
Kerala slept.
Re: Kerala's Inquisition
Do you want to die?
If anyone had followed her out of the guild hall, had somehow stood there right then to pose the question Lupinum had once voiced to the druid, Kerala would have told them yes and begged them to quicken her end. Anything to make it stop.
* * *
She entered the guild hall, much like she had done exactly four weeks ago. Now as then, the Grim commander was poring over blueprints, notes, and whatever other papers were strewn over the large table. Looks were so deceiving. He didn't -look- like he should be the leader of the Grim. He looked.... well, he looked like her uncle once had, though her memory of the man was hazy at best. Awatu didn't look evil. But he was the one she saw the most, in the terrible memories Lilliana had forced on her.
"She's so looking at you, Awatu."
"I know."
She had other things to worry about now, though. So she stood in the back of the room, just inside the doorway on the left. Her thoughts were oddly still, now, after having been a whirlwind all day long. A calm before the storm? She was as ready as she thought she could be.
The seven alliance were outside, all in a line and covered with a blanket. She'd brought them up from the jail just a little while ago, once she found out the meeting would be here. She saw no reason to deviate from the fastest method she knew for extracting a heart, which was how the Magram did it. So, she'd stripped them to the waist, using their armor as the prop to lay them over. It worked passing well, and even the fat pandaren curved backwards, his great belly flattened and stretched out.
She'd spent all morning sharpening a talon dagger. She didn't need the blade to snag when she used it, to give her pause, a moment to think, to hesitate. Bad enough killing again, with cold blood and no motivation for it.
Lupinum came in, and Kerala didn't even care enough to frown at the undead. He found a place to sit with his legs underneath a bench, his clawed dead fingers drumming idly. She'd been angry at him earlier, in the Brokenspear tavern. The priest was busy getting his bodily fluids replaced with alcohol, it seemed, and he was completely smashed now of all times. She supposed it was a good thing that she knew better than to rely on others.
She was expecting that even being able to purge the heart meat from her stomach, she might still be sick from this, or at the very least, not be feeling well at the end. She had a little ring of mushrooms growing in her sleeping place. The residual magics she'd imbued in the colorful fungus caps was probably a bit excessive, but she'd been growing the little things since before she knew she was allowed to be sick. These were healers she could trust... who did not flinch in a crisis, or get drunk.
Another tauren, this one another druid, let the commander know that someone called The Insane would not be attending. Kerala briefly wondered who was crazy enough to actually earn that as a title among all the Grim. Then elf ears were mentioned, and it could only be the Shadowblade's sister.
The little rogue had told another Grim hopeful how the supplicant rank was viewed by other Grim. It made sense, to the druid, for she'd heard similar words before. Syreena's terms had actually been kinder than the original version, which amused Kerala in the same strange way as when people told her to eat something because she looked as if she were starving.
Supplicants were the the bottom rung of the ladder, the rogue had said. Like dirt. And then she'd amended it to be something lower- a worm crawling through dirt. How was it that the orcish language had so many words, and yet the Magram expressed themselves better?
"You less shit- you less fly on shit. You puke fly puts on shit to make useful him."
Being a worm seemed like a much nicer thing, than the vomit of a dung-eating pest. Kerala was moving up in the world.
Kerala watched others arriving, slowly filling the room. It quickly became a gathering large enough to make her uncomfortable, even though the hall was large enough to hold them all with each person allowed plenty of space. Nothing good had ever come from her being near so many others.
The white-haired troll, called the Wordbearer arrived. He spoke to an elf about another elf- the one Breygrah liked. Kerala had not seen him in a long time. The high inquisitor entered the room with his usual heavy-thudding gait. He could usually be heard before he was seen, she was noticing.
Eventually, it seemed everyone was here. The Grim commander looked around and announced "We are gathered. Well met, Grim." The heart-eating former deadshot troll snuck in then. He smelled pungently of blood, and if the dripping was any indication, he may has well have taken a bath in it. Concern flared within Kerala for her seven alliance- not for their lives, but for the possibility of the troll having found them. Surely he would not have ruined her trial now, in front of everyone? Kerala resisted the urge to leave while Awatu was speaking just to check.
Zaetar l'odes. Nothing mattered now, and it was too late. She'd deal with things as they happened.
"We have fortunate news in regards to our efforts against the Alliance this evening. But first, for this evening, we will deal with matters concerning the Inquisition. As I understand it, we have a task that is... due to us."
“Remember what I am owed.” he had said in the cellar. Kerala sighed. She wished she could keep her mind completely calm, but thoughts like these were better than a nervous anxiety. They bubbled up, and sank again. It was an eerie sort of feeling, to be facing the act required for the trial in such a manner. She almost wanted to flail out and punch something, to start a fight. She could probably be next to Lupinum in an instant, or even Khorvis. She might even be able to land a blow before the assembled Grim reacted. But then, what would that accomplish? Earning a beating was not exactly the same thing as raising a bloodlust.
The orc high inquisitor had confirmed Awatu's words, talking about supplicants as if they were a tree that had needed pruning. Instead of addressing Kerala first, though, he made her wait. Intentional? Even the huntress was surprised, for she had not been the only one to shoot a glance at the druid at Awatu's words of what was due to the Grim.
The elf produced her two drenei skulls, proof of having completed her Trial of Combat. She would have laid them on the table then, but the orc was a showman. He had her hold them up triuphantly, which she did- one in each hand. The bones had been not only cleaned, but polished as well.
Finally, Khorvis was satisfied. "This new flesh did take in all of her training beneath our banner. There will be no question of her skill in Combat. The heart, though ... that do be left to be seen." His words brought a scowl to Kerala's face. Heart references, even now? She wanted to be done with this, and put and end to those. His calling the elf 'flesh' was also not lost on the druid. Did he choose that word on purpose, calling the elf meat? He gestured for the huntress to put the skulls down and return to her place, then.
"The blood debt to you might be half filled this night, Commander." Khorvis beckoned to Kerala, and her stomach roiled. She left her place to approach him, keenly aware of the commander's brown eyes on her, above all the others. The white-haired Wordbearer watched too, hawklike eyes staring over his troll nose. "Do you, Supplicant Kerala, have any trophies to add to the pile?"
To the side, Kerala saw the goblin death knight shake a bag at her. It dripped darkly, soaked through with what she could only assume was blood. There was a big smile on his face. Kerala ignored him, but Awatu was distracted. His expression showed disdain as he followed the path of liquid drops smattering on the floor. Apparently he had not noticed the blood-soaked troll in the room making a far bigger mess.
Trophies were things like skulls and heads to be displayed. Ears strung on necklaces, or bones. What a strange question. "Trophies? No. I am to complete my first trial though. Now?"
"This tauren was given a very simple task. Hunt down each race of the Alliance, remove their hearts, and consume the flesh to gain the enemy's spirit." Khorvis said, for the benefit of those unaware. To her he said, "Now is the time to prove your skill in Combat, Kerala." Awatu looked at Khorvis, his mouth twisting into a small grimace. He looked at Kerala. Did he not approve?
"Come then." the druid said and she did not wait for a reply, but turned and led the way outside. Behind her, she heard Awatu give the command for the rest of the Grim to move out as well.
"I do think there will be enough for everyone to taste!" Khorvis declared. Others following behind him muttered things as they all filed out.
They came to the wide flat place outside the guild hall where Kerala's victim's were arranged. She pulled the blanket off them without a word. Awatu raised a brow, seeing the seven. Khorvis planted his sword tip-down into the snow and leaned on it, leering.
An elf woman tilted her head slightly and spoke her thought aloud. "Why are they alive?"
"So we can see the kills?" the huntress supplicant guessed.
Kerala unhooked the talon dagger at her waist while they spoke, and stepped to the line of arched-over people. The alliance were arranged from largest to smallest. She nodded at Shaelie. "I am to kill them myself, he said. You all witness."
There were other comments, but the druid was no longer listening. The only voice she cared about was Khorvis'. He was the superior, the only one she needed to hear. She bent over the pandaren lying there and brought the hand with the dagger to his stretched belly. Without hesitation, without a thought, she made a quick cut across the panda's middle, slicing the abdomen and diaphragm. She murmured a quick phrase as she did.
"Nees ko stroval. Strovalt lo ralt. Kek strovalt di ka. Kek ralt di ka. Nuth. Ka agol sroval." Words she knew like reflex. Words that came to her lips without her intent to say them. She didn't try to stop herself from saying them. Weak to strong. Strength is life. Your strength to mine. Your life to mine. Rest. I am stronger.
Awatu's ear perked at the language, but he said nothing. He watched Kerala carefully.
The dagger cut well, and her hand was sure. Kerala reached into the wounded pandaren with her free hand. Fingers felt through hot tissues and found it easily, sheltered up under the breastbone. His heart, thudding rhythmically. She seized it in her fingers and snatched sharply. Vessels broke easily as the thing tore loose, and blood began flowing freely. The heart beat still under it's own impulses as she brought it out to the air. The druid dropped it into a lined basket waiting for that purpose, then straightened to move onto the next alliance.
She almost ran into Khorvis. The orc stood closer than she'd realized. Close enough to have somehow managed to get himself a splash of blood across the remaining half of his face. His single eye was pink where the liquid had hit it. Kerala immediately bent to repeat the process for the pandaren's neighbor. Draenei, worgen, dwarf... humanoids were all the same, and she knew how to kill them. Everyone all died the same. Human, night elf, gnome.
Awatu appeared especially interest in the killing of the dwarf and gnome, though Kerala did not treat them any differently than the rest, nor did she look up to see his face. Her basket full, the druid stood from the tiny gnome body and looked at Khorvis.
"Zug zug, Supplicant. Inquisitor Lilliana would be proud ... did she not be a missing fool. Your task do be half done." the orc said.
Then the Wordbearer troll spoke, and his strange voice captured her attention, distracting. "Kerala. Drinn an' Nathandiel will dispose o' da hooman corpse. Joo will leave it ta dem." She just nodded, not trusting herself to speak just now.
Kerala returned her gaze to Khorvis, unsure. Would they go back inside now? Or start eating here? Awatu was staring at her expectantly. Khorvis stepped toward her, and she murmured "Here?" Leyujin had shattered her concentration, and she was suddenly aware of the many strangers surrounding her. Faces that were not painted, were not dirty. Faces of horde races, not centaur. She was cold standing in snow, not hot and sweating, and it was all wrong. What was she doing?
"And the time does now come. I will hold my end of this bargain." Khorvis said to her, his voice nothing more than a whisper. Louder, he ordered sternly "Show your commitment to the Mandate."
Awatu looked at Khorvis, then spoke. "Yes. The filth of lesser beasts does not stain the floors we walk upon." Kerala set down her basket as the grim commander spoke, and she wanted to snort at him then, and say something about the very obvious trail of red that the deadshot troll had dribbled everywhere he went. Instead, she focused again, on Khorvis. He was the one to obey.
She knelt down in the snow beside the basket of hearts. A simple movement of her hand flipped the blanket back from the last item that had been covered by it. The case of sulfuron slammers. Enough to wash any taste from your tongue. She believed that she didn't need them, that the taste of the blood would not bother her, but this was the only thing anyone had given her that she could actually use. Having made all the other preparations, the possibility of choking on taste alone wasn't that farfetched. After all, hadn't she been avoiding apples lately just from having seen one in the mouth of a corpse? So, she had the beers with her. She didn't dare look up and see what Khorvis' reaction to seeing his gift might have been.
Kerala picked up the first heart- the gnome. A quick squeeze of her fingers made sure the chambers were empty as could be of excess blood, and then she brought the thing to her teeth. She bit, ripping off a piece. It was warm and metallic and familiar, and terrible. She had thought to just swallow the bite whole, and could not make herself do it. Her insides clenched already, as if protesting.
She went to set the gnome heart down, intent on following Syreena's advice to bite once from all the hearts before trying to eat more. Above her, Khorvis ripped a foul snort and thrust his hand at her, offering to take the muscle. "It will be shared."
Kerala shrugged, handed him the heart. Her teeth still worked, and her mouth was filled with saliva, and still she could not get her throat to work to swallow the lump on her tongue. She was glad of the terrible beers, now. She'd eaten Kex'ti's fish just fine, it made her angry that she'd have this trouble. While the high inquisitor unclasped his feedbag and took a ravenous bite from the little heart, Kerala opened the first sulfuron slammer.
She tipped the bottle back, sucking just enough liquid to help her wash the heart away. Just as before, the terrible taste burned her all the way down and made her gasp, as if the vapors of it stole the air from her breath. Khorvis was ecstatic when he passed off the gnome heart to the rest of the rim and she passed him the rest of his favorite alcohol.
And so it went. One by one, Kerala's teeth took pieces of ever-larger hearts before she passed it on to the high inquisitor. She opened a sulfuron slammer for each one, to wash it down, then passed the bottles off as well to him.
Among the Grim, people ate the hearts as well- some biting like they held an apple in their hand instead of a lump of raw meat, others waiting for the race of their preference to be passed around. Kerala saw the huntress supplicant eat, as well as the white-haired troll, the goblin death knight, and the drunk forsaken priest, who ate a bit right off the ground before smearing his face with blood. Their expressions stunned her, so very similar to her desert captors.
Khorvis sent the dwarf heart sailing through the air directly at Awatu, who had apparently requested it. The Grim commander stared at it, inspecting the bite marks in it for a moment. Rather than biting it himself, though, Kerala saw the tauren crush it in his fist, excess blood and squashed flesh squeezing between his fingers. Then the commander growled and did something that made the gore burn away to ashes. He shook them from his hand, then wiped his palm on his tabard, his eyes moving to Kerala. She blinked at the sight.
Then, Khorvis hauled her roughly to her feet, gripping her hand hard and holding the bloodied thing high up in the freezing wind. "Lok'tar, Grim! This one does honor to our cause! And feeds our bellies!" The orc cackled. Wisps of steam rose from them both. The basket had kept the pandaren heart fairly warm beneath the rest, and it had squirted when she bit it. Kerala let herself be handled, the barest frown on an otherwise blank face. Her insides were already churning in turmoil.
The white haired troll saluted her without a hint of the bloodthirst he'd shown just moments ago. Awatu nodded to her. The tauren inquistor nodded as well, but more in a general fashion of approval. Kerala just stood there, feeling oddly numb. Maybe from the slammers. She glanced at Khorvis, then. The orc looked slightly mad, as if a more bloodthirsty self were peering through the soulmist of his strange eldritch device.
Shake! The sight of him, of that glimpse of madness, made every hair on her body lift. She snatched her hand away immediately and stepped back from him with an aversion bordering on instinctive.
But Khorvis nodded at Awatu, and said rather calmly "That do be all, Commander."
"The flesh of the lesser beasts connects us." Awatu said. "This is the enemy, and we will not fear them. We rejoice, even beyond their deaths." Several cheers erupted from the assembled Grim. "It is not enough that they die... They must be annihilated. Every trace of their presence upon this world- OUR world, must be extinguished."
As he spoke, Kerala knelt back down in a clean patch of snow, numb now to it's coldness. She used it like the sand she was more familiar with to rub the worst of the blood from her fur.
The other tauren druid took a step toward her. "So Kerala, how do you feel now?" the woman asked.
Kerala thought about that a moment as she rubbed at her hands. The red would not come all the way off. Not with stupid snow. "I'm full." she told the woman. It was the truth, if not all of it. She was full. And also she felt terrible. She was right back to being monster she'd tried not to be since leaving Desolace. She felt like running to be alone. She felt cold. Lupinum cackled at her answer, his face smeared red, and a line of blood, or maybe drool, leaking from his dead mouth.
Awatu looked at Kerala, then to Khorvis. "If that is all, then we will return indoors."
Khorvis held up some kind of device and gestured at the bodies. "Annihilate the rest, Commander?"
"Dispose of them however you see fit. The Forsaken may enjoy the leftovers..."
The high inquisitor nodded. "Then we do best get inside..." He pushed the buttons on his N.U.K.U.L.A.R. Target Painter, and started for the guild hall. Awatu motioned for everyone to return inside. They went, with Lupinum catching bits of meat from an elf woman like a trained dog. Kerala wiped her hands on her tabard and moved to follow them, but then lingered and did not enter the building with the last of them.
Khorvis' device caused some kind of giant explosion a moment later, knocking her back against the wall she stood beside. When she looked back at where the alliance bodies had been, there was nothing but blackened gravel. The bodies, the blood, the snow, it was all gone, as if it had never even happened. Except that Kerala's fur was stained red, and her gut roiled.
The druid bent over and stuck a finger down her throat, trying to trigger the reflex to make herself gag. It didn't work. Not only did it not work, but she did not feel the finger pressing in her throat at all. Frowning, Kerala cracked open the dam of magic within her, expanding her awareness. She pushed at all the vomit triggers, alarmed when there was no response. She panicked, looking for poison. Nothing. She searched again, forcing herself to go slower. There. Not poison... an herb? Her thoughts immediately settled on the vial of Calm Waters Kex'ti had given her.
She was betrayed.
By friend or enemy, it didn't matter- the result was the same. Kerala straightened with a sigh. Knowing now, was oddly comforting. She'd prepared for this all along, really. The validation of her solitary habits was disheartening, not only because she'd been sloppy and let someone alter the things she ate or drank, but because she still needed to be concerned with that at all.
Strovalt lo ralt. Strength is life.
Kerala returned to her place in the back of the guild hall. It hadn't occurred to her to simply not go back. Her teeth were shut tightly. She glanced at Lupinum, then fixed her eyes on the floor. He was drunk, and had thought she was joking when she'd asked for help besides. She didn't need him anyway.
Lupinum glanced over his shoulder then, perhaps sensing the druid's thought, or smelling her, or whatever silly ways he had of knowing things he shouldn't. She was staring down, her expression one of worry. The priest was not the only one to notice, he saw Leyujin glance at the supplicant as well. He left his place and slowly made his way over to her. She didn't acknowledge him, so he leaned close to her and whispered. "How was it?"
Kerala just frowned at him. The Grim were discussing elf ears now... some five hundred of them or something. She wished for the meeting to end quickly. Her stomach flipped, and she could feel a cramp. There was a long rumble.
The druid was no longer listening to the meeting, that much was clear. Lupinum glanced back down at her after another moment and was surprised to see her drained of color. Her nose and lips had bleached, and the bare furless stripes on her face stood out more than usual in sharp contrast to her brown fur. She looked terrible enough that he channeled a bit of holy Light and stepped closer to Kerala. He let the waves of warmth brush against her.
She noticed. Her eyes met his briefly and she gave him a small nod of thanks. Lupinum's face flashed her a small smile, and he returned part of his attention to the conversation.
"We have done well enough in the fight againts Blackhand and the Iron Horde. We have thrown him out of the Foundry and claimed it for the Horde." Canai reported.
Khorvis cheered. "Blackhand always did be an arse!"
Lupinum went to join the rest in cheering to the Ironbreaker's success, but his hands actually met eachother only once. The tauren beside him trembled. A shiver, even though he can smell her sweat. The scent of rich loam, mingled with the heavy copper smell of blood. Kerala crossed her arms.
Gazreeth saw the shiver too, and he made his way to the back of the room. "Don't let them see you as weak after what you just did. This may help you." He set up a thermal anvil in front of them. Kerala nodded silently to the goblin, feeling the waves of heat.
For a moment, she though maybe she could make it to the end of the meeting. The heat was helping, and felt wonderful. And then the first protein exited her stomach. Had it been thirty minutes already? Her body reacted violently, only this time she could not be sick. Her insides twisted into a hard knot of pain, as if someone had stuck her with a spear and were trying to stir her guts around.
Kerala gasped and abruptly turned for the door. She had a choice between collapsing here in front of the Grim, or running for her mushrooms. Even if she never made it, she'd go to be alone every time. She held no illusions that the Grim would be sympathetic to her condition, this weakness, or help alleviate it.
Poor Lupinum had been standing there to her right. She ran right into him, bodily shoving him along, until he lost balance, rolled and hit the wall. Somehow he kept his feet. Kerala staggered, putting a hand out to stabilize herself. On the thermal anvil. The metal seared her palm, but it worked to keep her from falling. She ran out the door into the cold.
* * *
Kerala used the banners outside the door to swing her to the right, and she stumbled past the windriders. She let loose her magic and frantically shaped it into spells as she went. To dull pain, to rejuvenate irritated tissues... All she wanted to do was curl into a ball, and it was hard to make her legs move instead to carry her forward. She didn't dare stop to try anything more complicated yet.
Twice she fell, overcome with full-core spasming of her muscles. Uncoordinated, they did nothing useful, only caused agony. Kerala couldn't focus enough to manually control all the nuances needed to vomit. So she grit her teeth until it passed and she could move again, and then she did. She made it to the waterfall, then across it. Her mushrooms were waiting.
She almost collapsed right there in the gravel, but she'd never survive if she did that. She was sick, or very severely going to be. Experience was a harsh, but effective teacher.
Kerala stumbled to the edge of her little hidden space. Her hooves slipped on the gravel, and she landed hard on her rump and slid into the cool water. Ow. She scooted further in. Tremors shook through her, but the coolness was important to manage fever. She drank as much as she could. Then she laid down, on her side. The arm closest to the ground went straight out, dug slightly into the gravel to keep her from slipping down the slight incline. Her other arm bent, and her hand went under her face. She bent her outside knee and put weight on it.
Another cramp rippled through her. She bore it silently, eyes and teeth jammed shut. Afterward, she felt weak and dizzy. She told herself this would be like that time she'd eaten those rotten vegetables. Really, it wasn't that different, only in severity. And this time, she could heal. She'd hurry this suffering as much as she could, then fix the damage.
Zaetar l'odes.
Kerala gathered everything she had, and then she PUSHED.
Like a mage warping time, the druid's metabolism jumped in response to the magic. Her digestion sped forward, working to process. Her body reacted to the meat, but it also wore out the duration of the Calm Waters. Intense pain slammed into her as several purging initiatives struggled to occur while the potion prevented it, and her fever spiked. Kerala slipped unconscious.
After about another thirty minutes, the Calm Waters finally wore off. The druid's poor body could do what it had been trying to ever since it detected the terrible proteins she'd put in it. Expulsion began in earnest. She was violently ill, and her arranged position kept her safe from suffocation. The water she laid in swept away the worst of the evidence, and kept her fever down enough to at least not be lethal.
The colorful mushrooms sat there, perfectly still, releasing their imbued healing magic in slow, rhythmic pulses. Eventually, Kerala woke. Delirious, not coherent enough to try and heal herself, or even form thought, but enough to feel, and to suffer.
If the mushrooms lasted long enough the bits of heart meat would be gone, they might heal the internal damage that had occurred, and she would survive. If they lasted.
If anyone had followed her out of the guild hall, had somehow stood there right then to pose the question Lupinum had once voiced to the druid, Kerala would have told them yes and begged them to quicken her end. Anything to make it stop.
* * *
She entered the guild hall, much like she had done exactly four weeks ago. Now as then, the Grim commander was poring over blueprints, notes, and whatever other papers were strewn over the large table. Looks were so deceiving. He didn't -look- like he should be the leader of the Grim. He looked.... well, he looked like her uncle once had, though her memory of the man was hazy at best. Awatu didn't look evil. But he was the one she saw the most, in the terrible memories Lilliana had forced on her.
"She's so looking at you, Awatu."
"I know."
She had other things to worry about now, though. So she stood in the back of the room, just inside the doorway on the left. Her thoughts were oddly still, now, after having been a whirlwind all day long. A calm before the storm? She was as ready as she thought she could be.
The seven alliance were outside, all in a line and covered with a blanket. She'd brought them up from the jail just a little while ago, once she found out the meeting would be here. She saw no reason to deviate from the fastest method she knew for extracting a heart, which was how the Magram did it. So, she'd stripped them to the waist, using their armor as the prop to lay them over. It worked passing well, and even the fat pandaren curved backwards, his great belly flattened and stretched out.
She'd spent all morning sharpening a talon dagger. She didn't need the blade to snag when she used it, to give her pause, a moment to think, to hesitate. Bad enough killing again, with cold blood and no motivation for it.
Lupinum came in, and Kerala didn't even care enough to frown at the undead. He found a place to sit with his legs underneath a bench, his clawed dead fingers drumming idly. She'd been angry at him earlier, in the Brokenspear tavern. The priest was busy getting his bodily fluids replaced with alcohol, it seemed, and he was completely smashed now of all times. She supposed it was a good thing that she knew better than to rely on others.
She was expecting that even being able to purge the heart meat from her stomach, she might still be sick from this, or at the very least, not be feeling well at the end. She had a little ring of mushrooms growing in her sleeping place. The residual magics she'd imbued in the colorful fungus caps was probably a bit excessive, but she'd been growing the little things since before she knew she was allowed to be sick. These were healers she could trust... who did not flinch in a crisis, or get drunk.
Another tauren, this one another druid, let the commander know that someone called The Insane would not be attending. Kerala briefly wondered who was crazy enough to actually earn that as a title among all the Grim. Then elf ears were mentioned, and it could only be the Shadowblade's sister.
The little rogue had told another Grim hopeful how the supplicant rank was viewed by other Grim. It made sense, to the druid, for she'd heard similar words before. Syreena's terms had actually been kinder than the original version, which amused Kerala in the same strange way as when people told her to eat something because she looked as if she were starving.
Supplicants were the the bottom rung of the ladder, the rogue had said. Like dirt. And then she'd amended it to be something lower- a worm crawling through dirt. How was it that the orcish language had so many words, and yet the Magram expressed themselves better?
"You less shit- you less fly on shit. You puke fly puts on shit to make useful him."
Being a worm seemed like a much nicer thing, than the vomit of a dung-eating pest. Kerala was moving up in the world.
Kerala watched others arriving, slowly filling the room. It quickly became a gathering large enough to make her uncomfortable, even though the hall was large enough to hold them all with each person allowed plenty of space. Nothing good had ever come from her being near so many others.
The white-haired troll, called the Wordbearer arrived. He spoke to an elf about another elf- the one Breygrah liked. Kerala had not seen him in a long time. The high inquisitor entered the room with his usual heavy-thudding gait. He could usually be heard before he was seen, she was noticing.
Eventually, it seemed everyone was here. The Grim commander looked around and announced "We are gathered. Well met, Grim." The heart-eating former deadshot troll snuck in then. He smelled pungently of blood, and if the dripping was any indication, he may has well have taken a bath in it. Concern flared within Kerala for her seven alliance- not for their lives, but for the possibility of the troll having found them. Surely he would not have ruined her trial now, in front of everyone? Kerala resisted the urge to leave while Awatu was speaking just to check.
Zaetar l'odes. Nothing mattered now, and it was too late. She'd deal with things as they happened.
"We have fortunate news in regards to our efforts against the Alliance this evening. But first, for this evening, we will deal with matters concerning the Inquisition. As I understand it, we have a task that is... due to us."
“Remember what I am owed.” he had said in the cellar. Kerala sighed. She wished she could keep her mind completely calm, but thoughts like these were better than a nervous anxiety. They bubbled up, and sank again. It was an eerie sort of feeling, to be facing the act required for the trial in such a manner. She almost wanted to flail out and punch something, to start a fight. She could probably be next to Lupinum in an instant, or even Khorvis. She might even be able to land a blow before the assembled Grim reacted. But then, what would that accomplish? Earning a beating was not exactly the same thing as raising a bloodlust.
The orc high inquisitor had confirmed Awatu's words, talking about supplicants as if they were a tree that had needed pruning. Instead of addressing Kerala first, though, he made her wait. Intentional? Even the huntress was surprised, for she had not been the only one to shoot a glance at the druid at Awatu's words of what was due to the Grim.
The elf produced her two drenei skulls, proof of having completed her Trial of Combat. She would have laid them on the table then, but the orc was a showman. He had her hold them up triuphantly, which she did- one in each hand. The bones had been not only cleaned, but polished as well.
Finally, Khorvis was satisfied. "This new flesh did take in all of her training beneath our banner. There will be no question of her skill in Combat. The heart, though ... that do be left to be seen." His words brought a scowl to Kerala's face. Heart references, even now? She wanted to be done with this, and put and end to those. His calling the elf 'flesh' was also not lost on the druid. Did he choose that word on purpose, calling the elf meat? He gestured for the huntress to put the skulls down and return to her place, then.
"The blood debt to you might be half filled this night, Commander." Khorvis beckoned to Kerala, and her stomach roiled. She left her place to approach him, keenly aware of the commander's brown eyes on her, above all the others. The white-haired Wordbearer watched too, hawklike eyes staring over his troll nose. "Do you, Supplicant Kerala, have any trophies to add to the pile?"
To the side, Kerala saw the goblin death knight shake a bag at her. It dripped darkly, soaked through with what she could only assume was blood. There was a big smile on his face. Kerala ignored him, but Awatu was distracted. His expression showed disdain as he followed the path of liquid drops smattering on the floor. Apparently he had not noticed the blood-soaked troll in the room making a far bigger mess.
Trophies were things like skulls and heads to be displayed. Ears strung on necklaces, or bones. What a strange question. "Trophies? No. I am to complete my first trial though. Now?"
"This tauren was given a very simple task. Hunt down each race of the Alliance, remove their hearts, and consume the flesh to gain the enemy's spirit." Khorvis said, for the benefit of those unaware. To her he said, "Now is the time to prove your skill in Combat, Kerala." Awatu looked at Khorvis, his mouth twisting into a small grimace. He looked at Kerala. Did he not approve?
"Come then." the druid said and she did not wait for a reply, but turned and led the way outside. Behind her, she heard Awatu give the command for the rest of the Grim to move out as well.
"I do think there will be enough for everyone to taste!" Khorvis declared. Others following behind him muttered things as they all filed out.
They came to the wide flat place outside the guild hall where Kerala's victim's were arranged. She pulled the blanket off them without a word. Awatu raised a brow, seeing the seven. Khorvis planted his sword tip-down into the snow and leaned on it, leering.
An elf woman tilted her head slightly and spoke her thought aloud. "Why are they alive?"
"So we can see the kills?" the huntress supplicant guessed.
Kerala unhooked the talon dagger at her waist while they spoke, and stepped to the line of arched-over people. The alliance were arranged from largest to smallest. She nodded at Shaelie. "I am to kill them myself, he said. You all witness."
There were other comments, but the druid was no longer listening. The only voice she cared about was Khorvis'. He was the superior, the only one she needed to hear. She bent over the pandaren lying there and brought the hand with the dagger to his stretched belly. Without hesitation, without a thought, she made a quick cut across the panda's middle, slicing the abdomen and diaphragm. She murmured a quick phrase as she did.
"Nees ko stroval. Strovalt lo ralt. Kek strovalt di ka. Kek ralt di ka. Nuth. Ka agol sroval." Words she knew like reflex. Words that came to her lips without her intent to say them. She didn't try to stop herself from saying them. Weak to strong. Strength is life. Your strength to mine. Your life to mine. Rest. I am stronger.
Awatu's ear perked at the language, but he said nothing. He watched Kerala carefully.
The dagger cut well, and her hand was sure. Kerala reached into the wounded pandaren with her free hand. Fingers felt through hot tissues and found it easily, sheltered up under the breastbone. His heart, thudding rhythmically. She seized it in her fingers and snatched sharply. Vessels broke easily as the thing tore loose, and blood began flowing freely. The heart beat still under it's own impulses as she brought it out to the air. The druid dropped it into a lined basket waiting for that purpose, then straightened to move onto the next alliance.
She almost ran into Khorvis. The orc stood closer than she'd realized. Close enough to have somehow managed to get himself a splash of blood across the remaining half of his face. His single eye was pink where the liquid had hit it. Kerala immediately bent to repeat the process for the pandaren's neighbor. Draenei, worgen, dwarf... humanoids were all the same, and she knew how to kill them. Everyone all died the same. Human, night elf, gnome.
Awatu appeared especially interest in the killing of the dwarf and gnome, though Kerala did not treat them any differently than the rest, nor did she look up to see his face. Her basket full, the druid stood from the tiny gnome body and looked at Khorvis.
"Zug zug, Supplicant. Inquisitor Lilliana would be proud ... did she not be a missing fool. Your task do be half done." the orc said.
Then the Wordbearer troll spoke, and his strange voice captured her attention, distracting. "Kerala. Drinn an' Nathandiel will dispose o' da hooman corpse. Joo will leave it ta dem." She just nodded, not trusting herself to speak just now.
Kerala returned her gaze to Khorvis, unsure. Would they go back inside now? Or start eating here? Awatu was staring at her expectantly. Khorvis stepped toward her, and she murmured "Here?" Leyujin had shattered her concentration, and she was suddenly aware of the many strangers surrounding her. Faces that were not painted, were not dirty. Faces of horde races, not centaur. She was cold standing in snow, not hot and sweating, and it was all wrong. What was she doing?
"And the time does now come. I will hold my end of this bargain." Khorvis said to her, his voice nothing more than a whisper. Louder, he ordered sternly "Show your commitment to the Mandate."
Awatu looked at Khorvis, then spoke. "Yes. The filth of lesser beasts does not stain the floors we walk upon." Kerala set down her basket as the grim commander spoke, and she wanted to snort at him then, and say something about the very obvious trail of red that the deadshot troll had dribbled everywhere he went. Instead, she focused again, on Khorvis. He was the one to obey.
She knelt down in the snow beside the basket of hearts. A simple movement of her hand flipped the blanket back from the last item that had been covered by it. The case of sulfuron slammers. Enough to wash any taste from your tongue. She believed that she didn't need them, that the taste of the blood would not bother her, but this was the only thing anyone had given her that she could actually use. Having made all the other preparations, the possibility of choking on taste alone wasn't that farfetched. After all, hadn't she been avoiding apples lately just from having seen one in the mouth of a corpse? So, she had the beers with her. She didn't dare look up and see what Khorvis' reaction to seeing his gift might have been.
Kerala picked up the first heart- the gnome. A quick squeeze of her fingers made sure the chambers were empty as could be of excess blood, and then she brought the thing to her teeth. She bit, ripping off a piece. It was warm and metallic and familiar, and terrible. She had thought to just swallow the bite whole, and could not make herself do it. Her insides clenched already, as if protesting.
She went to set the gnome heart down, intent on following Syreena's advice to bite once from all the hearts before trying to eat more. Above her, Khorvis ripped a foul snort and thrust his hand at her, offering to take the muscle. "It will be shared."
Kerala shrugged, handed him the heart. Her teeth still worked, and her mouth was filled with saliva, and still she could not get her throat to work to swallow the lump on her tongue. She was glad of the terrible beers, now. She'd eaten Kex'ti's fish just fine, it made her angry that she'd have this trouble. While the high inquisitor unclasped his feedbag and took a ravenous bite from the little heart, Kerala opened the first sulfuron slammer.
She tipped the bottle back, sucking just enough liquid to help her wash the heart away. Just as before, the terrible taste burned her all the way down and made her gasp, as if the vapors of it stole the air from her breath. Khorvis was ecstatic when he passed off the gnome heart to the rest of the rim and she passed him the rest of his favorite alcohol.
And so it went. One by one, Kerala's teeth took pieces of ever-larger hearts before she passed it on to the high inquisitor. She opened a sulfuron slammer for each one, to wash it down, then passed the bottles off as well to him.
Among the Grim, people ate the hearts as well- some biting like they held an apple in their hand instead of a lump of raw meat, others waiting for the race of their preference to be passed around. Kerala saw the huntress supplicant eat, as well as the white-haired troll, the goblin death knight, and the drunk forsaken priest, who ate a bit right off the ground before smearing his face with blood. Their expressions stunned her, so very similar to her desert captors.
Khorvis sent the dwarf heart sailing through the air directly at Awatu, who had apparently requested it. The Grim commander stared at it, inspecting the bite marks in it for a moment. Rather than biting it himself, though, Kerala saw the tauren crush it in his fist, excess blood and squashed flesh squeezing between his fingers. Then the commander growled and did something that made the gore burn away to ashes. He shook them from his hand, then wiped his palm on his tabard, his eyes moving to Kerala. She blinked at the sight.
Then, Khorvis hauled her roughly to her feet, gripping her hand hard and holding the bloodied thing high up in the freezing wind. "Lok'tar, Grim! This one does honor to our cause! And feeds our bellies!" The orc cackled. Wisps of steam rose from them both. The basket had kept the pandaren heart fairly warm beneath the rest, and it had squirted when she bit it. Kerala let herself be handled, the barest frown on an otherwise blank face. Her insides were already churning in turmoil.
The white haired troll saluted her without a hint of the bloodthirst he'd shown just moments ago. Awatu nodded to her. The tauren inquistor nodded as well, but more in a general fashion of approval. Kerala just stood there, feeling oddly numb. Maybe from the slammers. She glanced at Khorvis, then. The orc looked slightly mad, as if a more bloodthirsty self were peering through the soulmist of his strange eldritch device.
Shake! The sight of him, of that glimpse of madness, made every hair on her body lift. She snatched her hand away immediately and stepped back from him with an aversion bordering on instinctive.
But Khorvis nodded at Awatu, and said rather calmly "That do be all, Commander."
"The flesh of the lesser beasts connects us." Awatu said. "This is the enemy, and we will not fear them. We rejoice, even beyond their deaths." Several cheers erupted from the assembled Grim. "It is not enough that they die... They must be annihilated. Every trace of their presence upon this world- OUR world, must be extinguished."
As he spoke, Kerala knelt back down in a clean patch of snow, numb now to it's coldness. She used it like the sand she was more familiar with to rub the worst of the blood from her fur.
The other tauren druid took a step toward her. "So Kerala, how do you feel now?" the woman asked.
Kerala thought about that a moment as she rubbed at her hands. The red would not come all the way off. Not with stupid snow. "I'm full." she told the woman. It was the truth, if not all of it. She was full. And also she felt terrible. She was right back to being monster she'd tried not to be since leaving Desolace. She felt like running to be alone. She felt cold. Lupinum cackled at her answer, his face smeared red, and a line of blood, or maybe drool, leaking from his dead mouth.
Awatu looked at Kerala, then to Khorvis. "If that is all, then we will return indoors."
Khorvis held up some kind of device and gestured at the bodies. "Annihilate the rest, Commander?"
"Dispose of them however you see fit. The Forsaken may enjoy the leftovers..."
The high inquisitor nodded. "Then we do best get inside..." He pushed the buttons on his N.U.K.U.L.A.R. Target Painter, and started for the guild hall. Awatu motioned for everyone to return inside. They went, with Lupinum catching bits of meat from an elf woman like a trained dog. Kerala wiped her hands on her tabard and moved to follow them, but then lingered and did not enter the building with the last of them.
Khorvis' device caused some kind of giant explosion a moment later, knocking her back against the wall she stood beside. When she looked back at where the alliance bodies had been, there was nothing but blackened gravel. The bodies, the blood, the snow, it was all gone, as if it had never even happened. Except that Kerala's fur was stained red, and her gut roiled.
The druid bent over and stuck a finger down her throat, trying to trigger the reflex to make herself gag. It didn't work. Not only did it not work, but she did not feel the finger pressing in her throat at all. Frowning, Kerala cracked open the dam of magic within her, expanding her awareness. She pushed at all the vomit triggers, alarmed when there was no response. She panicked, looking for poison. Nothing. She searched again, forcing herself to go slower. There. Not poison... an herb? Her thoughts immediately settled on the vial of Calm Waters Kex'ti had given her.
She was betrayed.
By friend or enemy, it didn't matter- the result was the same. Kerala straightened with a sigh. Knowing now, was oddly comforting. She'd prepared for this all along, really. The validation of her solitary habits was disheartening, not only because she'd been sloppy and let someone alter the things she ate or drank, but because she still needed to be concerned with that at all.
Strovalt lo ralt. Strength is life.
Kerala returned to her place in the back of the guild hall. It hadn't occurred to her to simply not go back. Her teeth were shut tightly. She glanced at Lupinum, then fixed her eyes on the floor. He was drunk, and had thought she was joking when she'd asked for help besides. She didn't need him anyway.
Lupinum glanced over his shoulder then, perhaps sensing the druid's thought, or smelling her, or whatever silly ways he had of knowing things he shouldn't. She was staring down, her expression one of worry. The priest was not the only one to notice, he saw Leyujin glance at the supplicant as well. He left his place and slowly made his way over to her. She didn't acknowledge him, so he leaned close to her and whispered. "How was it?"
Kerala just frowned at him. The Grim were discussing elf ears now... some five hundred of them or something. She wished for the meeting to end quickly. Her stomach flipped, and she could feel a cramp. There was a long rumble.
The druid was no longer listening to the meeting, that much was clear. Lupinum glanced back down at her after another moment and was surprised to see her drained of color. Her nose and lips had bleached, and the bare furless stripes on her face stood out more than usual in sharp contrast to her brown fur. She looked terrible enough that he channeled a bit of holy Light and stepped closer to Kerala. He let the waves of warmth brush against her.
She noticed. Her eyes met his briefly and she gave him a small nod of thanks. Lupinum's face flashed her a small smile, and he returned part of his attention to the conversation.
"We have done well enough in the fight againts Blackhand and the Iron Horde. We have thrown him out of the Foundry and claimed it for the Horde." Canai reported.
Khorvis cheered. "Blackhand always did be an arse!"
Lupinum went to join the rest in cheering to the Ironbreaker's success, but his hands actually met eachother only once. The tauren beside him trembled. A shiver, even though he can smell her sweat. The scent of rich loam, mingled with the heavy copper smell of blood. Kerala crossed her arms.
Gazreeth saw the shiver too, and he made his way to the back of the room. "Don't let them see you as weak after what you just did. This may help you." He set up a thermal anvil in front of them. Kerala nodded silently to the goblin, feeling the waves of heat.
For a moment, she though maybe she could make it to the end of the meeting. The heat was helping, and felt wonderful. And then the first protein exited her stomach. Had it been thirty minutes already? Her body reacted violently, only this time she could not be sick. Her insides twisted into a hard knot of pain, as if someone had stuck her with a spear and were trying to stir her guts around.
Kerala gasped and abruptly turned for the door. She had a choice between collapsing here in front of the Grim, or running for her mushrooms. Even if she never made it, she'd go to be alone every time. She held no illusions that the Grim would be sympathetic to her condition, this weakness, or help alleviate it.
Poor Lupinum had been standing there to her right. She ran right into him, bodily shoving him along, until he lost balance, rolled and hit the wall. Somehow he kept his feet. Kerala staggered, putting a hand out to stabilize herself. On the thermal anvil. The metal seared her palm, but it worked to keep her from falling. She ran out the door into the cold.
* * *
Kerala used the banners outside the door to swing her to the right, and she stumbled past the windriders. She let loose her magic and frantically shaped it into spells as she went. To dull pain, to rejuvenate irritated tissues... All she wanted to do was curl into a ball, and it was hard to make her legs move instead to carry her forward. She didn't dare stop to try anything more complicated yet.
Twice she fell, overcome with full-core spasming of her muscles. Uncoordinated, they did nothing useful, only caused agony. Kerala couldn't focus enough to manually control all the nuances needed to vomit. So she grit her teeth until it passed and she could move again, and then she did. She made it to the waterfall, then across it. Her mushrooms were waiting.
She almost collapsed right there in the gravel, but she'd never survive if she did that. She was sick, or very severely going to be. Experience was a harsh, but effective teacher.
Kerala stumbled to the edge of her little hidden space. Her hooves slipped on the gravel, and she landed hard on her rump and slid into the cool water. Ow. She scooted further in. Tremors shook through her, but the coolness was important to manage fever. She drank as much as she could. Then she laid down, on her side. The arm closest to the ground went straight out, dug slightly into the gravel to keep her from slipping down the slight incline. Her other arm bent, and her hand went under her face. She bent her outside knee and put weight on it.
Another cramp rippled through her. She bore it silently, eyes and teeth jammed shut. Afterward, she felt weak and dizzy. She told herself this would be like that time she'd eaten those rotten vegetables. Really, it wasn't that different, only in severity. And this time, she could heal. She'd hurry this suffering as much as she could, then fix the damage.
Zaetar l'odes.
Kerala gathered everything she had, and then she PUSHED.
Like a mage warping time, the druid's metabolism jumped in response to the magic. Her digestion sped forward, working to process. Her body reacted to the meat, but it also wore out the duration of the Calm Waters. Intense pain slammed into her as several purging initiatives struggled to occur while the potion prevented it, and her fever spiked. Kerala slipped unconscious.
After about another thirty minutes, the Calm Waters finally wore off. The druid's poor body could do what it had been trying to ever since it detected the terrible proteins she'd put in it. Expulsion began in earnest. She was violently ill, and her arranged position kept her safe from suffocation. The water she laid in swept away the worst of the evidence, and kept her fever down enough to at least not be lethal.
The colorful mushrooms sat there, perfectly still, releasing their imbued healing magic in slow, rhythmic pulses. Eventually, Kerala woke. Delirious, not coherent enough to try and heal herself, or even form thought, but enough to feel, and to suffer.
If the mushrooms lasted long enough the bits of heart meat would be gone, they might heal the internal damage that had occurred, and she would survive. If they lasted.
Re: Kerala's Inquisition
[[ I enjoy reading these. It gives interesting perspective into the Inquisition, especially as Kerala's situation is .. unique. ]]
