✻ ✻ ✻ ✻ ✻
Lana began to explain, in near truths, to Rin what had happened after they parted ways yesterday. After agreeing to wash each other’s backs, Lana left Rin on a promise they’d meet up at the Magic Flute later when she needed to get her things. It so happened that she ran into ‘old friends’ who asked if she’d assist them with a job. The truth was she over heard two men talking about their guild. Needing protection and wanting to accomplish her justice upon Barut, she persuaded the men to her plight.
There was the one, tall, blonde like her, with sky blue eyes named Sylis and the other with dark hair and with sharp features named Shadar. Sylis was wrapped around Lana’s fingers from the moment he saw her. Shadar took more convincing. In the end, they made an attempt to take Barut, but to no victory. Lana woke on the floor of the Inn, pain aching throughout her body, a weight forming as she realized her mortality and brashness.
It bothered her so much that the next morning, she left the men without a goodbye to pay her mother’s grave a visit. What had been a peaceful visit quickly turned. Hours had passed and as she left, a gargoyle attacked! And it didn’t stop there. No. It would seem her thirst for blood had unsettled something sinister. The only luck she held onto was Sylis and Shadar happening to be at the graveyard when she was attacked. Two other guild members aided too, Emmerick, a wizard, and Shard, a Warforge.
They were there to uproot the dark workings that had been reported of late in the cemetery. For Lana, that was news since she had visited her mother’s grave every day for the past two weeks. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Lana ended up tagging along, remembering all who helped were rewarded by the guild. But three hundred gold pieces didn’t seem like much after fighting ghouls, encountering a blood cult, and killing a ghost that took turns possessing the men. It had taken a great toll on all of them, the men having aged, and all with their various cuts and bruises.
An Elf, Wendelin, the one who had requested their services in the first place, urged them all to return once more to the crypt, sensing something dark still remaining. Lana should have suspected then when she reminded them it was okay to run too if whatever it was that linger was greater than their abilities to handle. But the lure of money sang to her and with Shard and Shadar, Lana returned.
The pits of the crypt bore forth a demon. It was what the cult was summoning. Lana quickly realized her feeble bit of fire magic held no effect. Swiftly she retreated to the raised well of holy water. She filled an empty vial with the liquid as well as her emptied water skin. Lana rushed back and threw the glass bottle at the demon. It smashed against its monstrous head. The water sizzled as the creature agonized. It then sent a chain at Shard, knocking him out.
Shard and Lana ran back to the well, Lana pouring out the holy water in the hallway behind them. She then jumped into the pool, part of her wondering if the water would affect her adversely. Her thoughts didn’t linger long as the demon came into sight. It squeezed down the hallway, through the holy water, and rounded the corner to attack Shadar. When he dropped, Lana began to splash the water all over. It was her only defense, her only hope to keep the demon at bay. She then sucked in a deep breath and plunged beneath the surface of the water.
Moments later, a current sudden and strong pulled her from the well and over the crumpled pieces of the structure. The beast had broken the well and screamed in it’s agony as the holy water burned its legs. Lana scrambled to her feet and fled. Wendelin said it was okay to flee. There was no more holy water to use. There was no one else to help fight. She would die if she stayed.
Out of the crypt Lana immediately went into her hysterics. People would come. Someone would help! Her adrenaline was pumping and it was easy to use it to the effect she needed. The first person was a hundred feet from the crypt and Lana began to explain what was happening, looking back once to see if the demon had followed. When she returned her eyes to the person, her mouth fell open and the tears stopped.
Mother? How?
With joy greater than anything she would have expected, she threw her arms around Emma. In that moment there was no demon, no Barut, no nothing that made her afraid. But hands pressed against her shoulders, pushing her back. Lana looked into the eyes of her mother only for them to be filled with anger. “You killed me,” she stated coldly. “You killed me!”
Eyes wide as saucers in her confusion, Lana attempted to explain herself. Emma had been slowly dying since Lana was six years old. Her lungs were deteriorating and the healers couldn’t fix it. Many memories flooded to her mind of her mother sitting in a chair, conserving every breath she could. Before long Emma was bedridden. When Lana was nearly twelve, her mother one day said absent mindedly, “I wish this all could just end.” So she acted mercifully, knowing how to take away the pain and struggle. She had done the same to other animals on the farm when they were wounded beyond help.
Kraig had walked in minutes later to find the pillow forced upon his wife’s face, the limp hands that rested fitfully on the bed, and his daughter unperturbed by her actions. That was what got her sent to the Asylum.
But there she was, in a graveyard being accused by Emma for murder when all this time she thought she had helped her. Something deep inside broke and for the first time hot tears of remorse poured down her cheeks as she ran.
Lana returned her gaze to Rin. She took another sip of the tea he had made her, its calming effects welcomed as her encounter with her mother remained raw. “Indeed, I was asked to help with a job and now I bitterly wish I hadn’t for now I have a demon after me.”
Rin kept his muddy brown eyes upon her as he sipped at his tea. She hadn’t told him the exact truth, but it still left her squirming inside as she awaited judgement of whether or not he found the brief story believable.
Rin kept his muddy brown eyes upon her as he sipped at his tea. She hadn’t told him the exact truth, but it still left her squirming inside as she awaited judgement of whether or not he found the brief story believable.
“Maybe Rin help Lana?” he finally asked.
“If you can, I’ll be sure to return the favor. I’ll wash your back if you wash mine?” Lana replied, trying to throw humor in to mask her sincere gratitude. Rin shook his head.
“Lana need not pay me back. Lana is Rin’s friend.”
Lana remained speechless as real emotion replaced the facade that was her wall. Rin somehow saw through her defences.
No comments:
Post a Comment