I Want To Be Forgiven...

[Lavinian Pride]

They continued following the creek as it moved through the forest lazily. Sarah's eyes keenly searching for clues of what happened. The looks of a beast running through the area could be seen as bushes were pushed aside. Trees had bark stripped here and there where it was apparent someone had used them as a balance point. The raking scars of the bark matched massive hands easily mistaken for a bear's paws.

Myrhia seemed keenly concerned seeing all this and when she spoke her voice was soft, "I did this to him, I-"

"Don't begin Myrhia," Sarah snapped. The red head jumped at the caustic reply as Sarah merely kept doing her job. She had promised to help deliver the tears of the nameless maiden, and here she was about to give someone away. Part of her surely felt bitter, being used for nothing more than a one night stand always made things more difficult than they were. However, the bitterness was far too heavy and it had seeped into Sarah's words far too greatly.

Myrhia looked at her companion, who seemed to clam up immediately following the scene in the room. She wasn't sure what she had done, but the Lavinian's responses were more like when they first met. As discomforting as it was, it hurt even more considering the night that even now still brought a bit of a flush to her cheeks in the memory. However she remained silent, her doe eyes only gracing the Lavinian every now and then in confusion.

The forest continued with the awkward trail until it moved across the creek. Sarah moved across the creek before she dismounted as moved over to the trees. Soon Myrhia's voice broke the silence, "Is he hurt?"

"Doesn't look like it, at least not physically. I would have to say though he was pretty ragged at this point. Should probably go on foot, the horses seem a bit spooked," Sarah said softly.

Myrhia could tell there was still some tenderness in Sarah. The actions seemed mechanical to her, who had seen the Lavinian in many aspects, from anger, to happiness, to sadness, to bitterness. However, the voice seemed sympathetic, almost betraying the whirlwind in the Lavinian. Sarah seemed to be lost in a sea of emotion, much like Seth had in the cathedral. He was filled with so much grief and regret, even when he fought for her in Serenti. And here, Sarah showed much the same, if only buried a bit better.

As she moved her horse across the creek she tried to ride past Sarah before it shook its head and stopped stubbornly. Looking down at the horse she said, "It's alright, don't worry." She then tried again only to get the same effect.

"Figured as much," Sarah replied.

"What?"

"Eraz’Verinthes," Sarah replied calmly as she stepped forward. Myrhia rushed to keep up. Confusion was clearly in her green eyes, questioning the sudden cryptic quality of the name. She had heard it when Letho had talked briefly of it, but other than that she had never gotten much of an explanation.

"Who is that?"

"Not who, what," Sarah replied. The tone was like a teacher and Myrhia already emotional form the damage she had done to Letho felt a bit of childish anger swell up in her.

"Fine then, what?" She asked irritated by the cold shoulder, and more importantly the lack of information.

"Well, we're coming up on the lair soon. I doubt Letho is the type to just run in stupidly, am I right?"

"Lair of what?"

As they walked out into the clearing near the cave Sarah looked at the sitting figure of Letho. An eyebrow rose as she moved forward noticing the conspicuous acquisition before she asked curiously, "Did you already kill the dragon?"

Myrhia's reaction to the sudden imparting of information was perhaps the only thing that could have waked the dead, as birds flew from their perches at the screech, "The what?"

[Letho]

Sitting on a mossy stump with an expression of a hopeless man standing on a high mountain ridge, Letho only reaffirmed the guilt that struck Myrhia the moment she woke up in the morning. She was wrong to lay with Sarah. True, the Lavinian did to her what none did before, touched her in that forbidden manner that made her insides flutter even now. But as heavenly as it felt, it wasn’t right, it didn’t feel the same way it did with Letho. With him the redhead could be herself, he allowed her to release all restrains and just give in to her desires. With him she was a roaring, devouring forest fire whereas with Sarah she was a timid candle flame. And even though in the morning she felt sore in all the right places as it ought to be after a night of intense lovemaking, she realized that she wanted to be the fire once again. Which consequently led to guilt.

Initially she felt guilty for using Sarah as an equalizer that was supposed to sate her desire for vengeance. The Lavinian rogue didn’t deserve to be just a temporary infatuation that would even up the scores. There was benignity and gentleness beyond her bitter shell, a soft core that craved and deserved something more profound, somebody who would fill that void that she tried to hid. Unfortunately, Myrhia couldn’t be the one. The redhead realized that when she found out from the concierge that Letho was gone without leaving a note. This brought the ex-slave to the second assault of guilt. He was running rampant because of her, torn between the love towards her that he still nurtured and the rejection that she brought up like a shield. And she wound up lost between these two guilt trips, lost because she cared for both Sarah and Letho, lost because she wanted to give herself to both and unable to decide which choice was the right one. It was with this frame of mind that she stepped into the clearing, flabbergasted by what the thief just said. A dragon? He went against a dragon alone?

“It is time.” an indurate voice in Letho’s head spoke, probably the only solemn mentation in a head full of screaming voices that tried to ensure him to persevere, to hold on to her no matter what. But that one thought was the eye of the storm in his head and that made it right.

“He wasn’t in a fighting mood. I guess neither of us were.” he said, lifting his head and straightening his back as he eyed both females, his eyes remaining on the redhead. “He was actually quite chatty and generous for a dragon. Even gave me this. The Tears of a Nameless Maiden.” he finished, sighing wistfully as his hand displayed the golden statuette.

“Did it work? The Tears, I mean.” Myrhia asked, taking a couple of tentative steps forwards. Letho smirked. She looked so beautiful in the morning, especially when it was a misty morning like today. The gloomy atmosphere would make her skin lusciously pale and the slight chill would make her cheeks flush ever so gracefully. And he was probably never to see that again. This thought alone made his rising from the stump feel as if he had a mountain on his shoulder that pushed the other way, convincing him to stay down, to stay with her. But he got up all the same.

“I don’t know. That’s up to you to find out.” Letho said, approaching the timid redhead and handing the figurine over to her. She took it reluctantly, almost uninterestedly, looking up towards his face with a raised brow.

“What do you mean?” she asked, her question drawing out a smile on his face. His large hand made a move towards her face, towards the unraveled scar on her cheek and this time she didn’t recoil. He touched her like he would a dandelion puff.

“I deserve this curse, Myrhianna.” Letho said, the utterance of her full name assuring Myrhia that what he spoke of was of utmost sincerity and importance. “Just as I deserve to be alone. You gave me more love and joy and felicity then I thought was possible, you tried to tear me away from the solitude I coffined myself into. And all that I gave you in return was betrayal and pain. This thing... This artifact that I sought so fervently, it won’t change what happened, what I did to you. It won’t change the fact that I don’t deserve you.”

“No, Letho, don’t...” she tried to speak, her emerald eyes moist as they looked up into his own, but his finger shushed her effectively.

“It’s true. You deserve to be happy more then anybody and it took me a while to understand that there is a chance I wouldn’t be a part of your happiness. All I did was free you from your shackles, Myrhianna. But now it’s time for you to truly fly. I don’t know if this is a goodbye or merely until we meet again. All I know is that I want you to be happy and you have a chance to be just that with Sarah. Take care, kiddo.”

He made a move as if he was going to kiss her goodbye and a part of Myrhia hoped that she would be able to taste his lips again and feel his beard tickle her skin. But instead Letho’s lips caressed her forehead, making her close her eyes and send a pair of tears sliding down her cheeks. By the time she opened them, both the soft touch on her forehead and a slightly more rugged one on her cheek were gone and so was the bulky warrior, walking away into the woods. Her body shivered, her lips dry and quivering, her eyes misty and looking at Letho who was making his way out of the clearing at a decisive gait she knew by heart now. She turned to Sarah, almost desperate for some kind of clarification as to what she should do, but there was none to be found. This was her choice and her alone, an intersection with no signs and no foreseeable outcome, a risk regardless of the path she chose. On one side was a man who was her first love, her biggest love, her liberator, her hero... and her betrayer. On the other were Sarah and all the unknowns that a relationship with a woman could bring, a clean slate that needed somebody to take a quill and start the first chapter. Myrhia thought she was going to faint from the tension. Letho’s figure almost faded in the mist completely.

And then four words popped into her mind.

“Letho, wait!” she shouted, her dulcet voice penetrating the tranquility of the morning. The broad-shouldered swordsman stopped in his tracks, but refused to turn around. He promised himself he wouldn’t look back. It would make it more difficult, if not impossible to walk away. But he stopped and listened. Nothing moved in the clearing.

“Do you remember what we said back in Scara Brae, the oath we took?”

Of course he did. It was something he thought they would never have to break, but life had an awkward way of adding unpredictable twists where you least expected them. He not only remembered the words, but he remembered how the pine glade smelled on that day, how tangled her mahogany hair was, how her tattered dress smelled of sweat and grime, how modestly she held onto him, how her scrawny body quivered, and how he loved – and still loves – it all.

“Together.” she said, her knees suddenly weak, her eyes shedding tear after tear after tear.

“No matter what.” he concluded, his back still turned, his eyes closed and welling with tears of longing and sadness and regret.

“Well, I meant it.” Myrhia said coyly. “And I still mean it.”

This finally made Letho turn around slowly, his look traversing the whole clearing to look at her eyes drowned in tears and emotions, but his legs refusing to make a move back, afraid of false hope that would split him down the middle. But then she smiled, her lips stretching as bashfully as if she was offering her smile to him for the first time, as if she was once again that slave in Scara Brae that met a moody stranger that sought his life in the flow of the river. And before he realized it, he ran towards her, jumping over an overturned log, nearly tripping on the stump before he got a chance to scope her in his arms. He didn’t kiss her, he didn’t even look at her crying face her. All he did was hold her and spin them around and feel her next to him once again, feel her heart wanting him once again. For the first time in what seemed like eons of callousness Letho Ravenheart cried.

Neither knew how long they just held to each other like lovers that didn’t see each other for years, but once they finally broke their intimate touch, Myrhia knew there was one more thing to attend to. She squeezed out of Letho’s burly arms, leaving him with the golden statue as she approached the Lavinian. “Sarah, I’m... I’m really sorry. You... You’re an amazing woman and there is so much good in you. But I... I can’t go with you.” the redhead spoke, her tone sincere and filled with guilt and sadness as her pale hands reached towards Sarah’s. She looked up into those gray eyes and hoped to find forgiveness.

[Lavinian Pride]

Her eyes drilled into the green ones before she shrugged her pack higher upon her shoulder. She turned to go, feeling the anger well up in her, however she had to go. She had invested too much in the redhead, and it had backfired. She had tried to open up and trust someone, only to be brushed aside for the knight in shining fucking armor. She spoke her voice bitter as she said, "Tell you what, keep the money, going to need it for your nice little country house for the kids..."

"Sarah, please!" Myrhia shouted as she moved towards the Lavinian. Her hand brushed lightly over Sarah's own and she shrugged letting the hand slip carelessly away. Too many emotions were on display here and Sarah was loath to add more to the mix.

"Please what? You don't even know what I am, let alone who. You would rather be with your man, and I'm willing to accept that. Why not go be happy and let me go off in the darkness. It doesn't take a genius to figure out where your loyalty lies and it’s not to me," Sarah said firmly. She stopped as she looked down. Tears forming in her eyes as the words left her mouth.

"It doesn't have to end like this. We could be friends-"

"Friends?" Sarah asked incredulously. Her voice wavering hearing the words as she turned to look at the red head, "Friends you say? I gotta hand it to you Myrhia, you can be so grown up and naive at the same time. You have no clue about anything, and yet you try so hard to pretend the world is just sunshine and rainbows. That no matter what you do there is always a second chance. Let me tell you, there are no second chances."

"Sarah?" Myrhia asked. The Lavinian's face was hidden now as she looked down a gloved hand curled tightly into a fist as she seemed to tremble. Myrhia couldn't read the thief or what she would do next, and it was obvious that something was wrong.

"I was a mistake Myrhia. I was never meant to exist. My name, my life, it was all one big lie. At the end of the day you know who I am, what I've done? No, of course not, if anyone knew, I'd be hung from the nearest tree. My name isn't Sarah. It’s Seth."

She let the words hang in the air before she said, "Seth killed our parents, and I got shoved into one of the corpses. I don't know what happened, but I know one thing, I wasn't supposed to live. That bastard killed our parents; he pulled the knife and cut into my mother's heart, and slit her throat to mercifully end it quickly. He slit my father's throat, and then he gave his soul to some demon so he could try and get rid of his corruption. He sold out my family, the only thing that I had left for himself."

Her eyes were filled with tears, but she stubbornly held them back. She wasn't supposed to cry, she was a woman, a Dahlios, a thief, and she wasn't supposed to show weakness. Her words hung in the air as she said the one story that explained the wounds, explained the paranoia. It explained it all. She felt so numb, so exposed, and she felt so horrid. She dropped to her knees as her hands hit the ground hard. Dust flew up in the air as she continued, "I'm just a fragment of a soul, shoved into this scarecrow of a body. It isn't mine, I didn't deserve it, and now, I pay for the crimes of my family."

She fought the tears as she felt two gentle hands upon Sarah. They seemed to pull her close as she felt herself unable to hold back anymore and she finally cried. So much emotion, so much pain, she couldn't bear it any further, it had been placed so deep, but it could go no deeper. She had tried so long to outrun it, that when she finally let go she could no longer stop the flood. Her tears falling freely as she felt Myrhia sob beneath her. So much pain, Sarah couldn't shoulder alone.

As the two women cried Sarah clung to Myrhia as a small child. She had never truly developed, and while she tried to be mature and be an adult, it was blatantly clear to those watching that she was but a mere child playing at adult. She had no innocence, it was lost when she was forced to leave her home, was ejected from the guild. No, she was the abandoned child that couldn't find her way. Pretending to get by, but each day she died a little more inside.

[Letho]

Myrhia didn’t fully understand what Sarah spoke about when she referred to herself as Seth, but it didn’t really matter because the emotions in her words were genuine, finally coming from the heart that the Lavinian hid so long. The thief felt incomplete, torn between the nothingness and the half of the soul that felt guilty for the execution committed years ago. It was a wretched existence, standing on the edge between the abyss and corruption, with darkness tincturing both sides. And while she made a formidable stand so far, tiptoeing down that thin line without belonging to either of the two, she couldn’t do it anymore, not now when she thought she found something that would maybe complete her. It was more then enough to make Myrhia cry like a river as well, holding the rogue tight and burying her face into her shoulder. She knew that there was something within Sarah, something dormant that she tried to keep in check, but she couldn’t even imagine what it was and how much damage she did with her little sexual endeavor.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” the redhead kept whispering between her sobs and snivels, clinging to Sarah just as tightly as the woman held to her. She wanted to comfort the Lavinian so badly, wanted to somehow lead her out of this dark pit in which she’s been burying herself into for years. But all she could offer were words and a shoulder to cry on.

“You’re not a scarecrow. You’re not Seth.” Myrhia whispered in the woman’s ear, struggling with the overflow of emotions that rippled through their embraced bodies. She managed to pull her face moist with tears just far enough to look as Sarah’s face down which rills of salty liquid descended. “You’re a wonderful woman, Sarah, and you’re your own person. And there is so much love inside of you, so much good. All you have to do is let somebody see it, like I did. You don’t have to run from your past anymore. Please, don’t run anymore. If you do... I may never see you again.”

Myrhia’s countenance moved sideways just enough to get her in the right position to plant a soft kiss on Sarah’s lips, the caress moistened by both their tears. She wanted to show Sarah that she was worthy of love, worthy of not being alone and on the run. And in her own timid way, she wanted to somehow take a portion of the Lavinian’s burden on her.

Meanwhile, Letho was standing several feet away, watching the exchange and the intimate kiss with his eyes once again keen and dry but lacking the deep frown. He wasn’t disturbed with what went on in front of him nor did he see it as some form of infidelity. It was Myrhia’s way to help Sarah, her benevolent way to say goodbye and he wouldn’t stop her even if their relationship wasn’t freshly mended. And besides, Myrhia was his again and if there were some loose ends that needed to be tied, all the better for them to get tied instantly then in the future.

It was at this moment, when the redhead pressed her lips against Sarah’s, that the Tears of the Nameless Maiden, sitting on the forest floor where Myrhia left the statuette, were awoken from their dormant state. The joined anguish and sorrow and pain of the two females that clutched to each other was the trigger for the magic that slept in the item and by the time Letho noticed that the solid figure became somewhat animate, the small watercraft was already one third filled with the crystal liquid that streamed from the cringed face. The Nameless Maiden wept in sync with Sarah and Myrhia, her tears flowing down her tiny face, over her neck and torso, descending drop by drop in the pearly vessel. The smooth metal glowed as if there was a source of powerful white light beneath its surface, emanating an ivory aura that grew stronger with each tear. By the time the small watercraft was filled, the item was like a small sun, enlightening the gloomy environment.

“Uhm... I think you two should take a look at this.” the redeemed swordsman said, his hand struggling to block some of the white light. Myrhia prolonged a kiss a bit longer, knowing this was probably the last time she would kiss Sarah, before they broke with a gentle, moist sound. She looked into the gray eyes of the Lavinian gently, pleadingly even as her hands stroked the long brown hair threads.

“You will never be alone. I will always be here for you, Sarah.” she whispered, offering a timid smile before the light finally captured her attention enough to draw her eyes away from Sarah. Standing some ten feet from Letho, the figurine was gone, completely swallowed by the purest white light that she ever saw. There was liberation in that light, purification of both body, mind and spirit, and they were all entitled to it. Getting up to her feet tentatively, Myrhia took Sarah’s hand tenderly in her own. “Come. This will help you. It will help us all.”

She took a pair of step forwards, approaching the light just enough for Letho to join her at the other flank and take a hold of her free hand. She looked at him, then at Sarah, smiling amicably at them both before leading the trio into the unfathomable whiteness that nearly blinded them. At first there was no reaction, just this throbbing, emanating core that seemed ready to explode could be felt in front of them. And then, without any warning, the center of the illumination detonated like a crate of dynamite, spreading a sonic boom that flattened the nearby trees and got half of Concordia forest on their feet. No physical harm came to the three though, the surge of energy passing through their bodies like an unseen river, flowing through them and taking away the taint on its energy waves. It was a sensation both wonderful and horrible, both hot and cold, and genuinely divine. It was the ultimate remedy that broke all curses and healed all wounds. Even those that hid beneath the surface.

Though the buildup to full power was gradual, the light and the radiated energy didn’t evanesce. It simply ceased to exist, blinked out of existence after what seemed like hours of being caught in the most powerful current. The proximity around the trio looked like a meteor crash site sans the combustion signs. And in the center of this phenomenon stood the reborn three, still holding their hands.

“It worked?” Myrhia asked, reluctantly eyeing Letho. And when he smiled, she repeated more jubilantly now. “IT WORKED!!!”

It did. He felt it and she felt it and they were pretty certain Sarah felt it too. The craving for blood, the disquieting feeling under the sun rays, the ominous sensation in their gut, it was effaced completely. Myrhia yawped victoriously, jumping into his arms and kissing him fiercely. This was what they were searching for, a clean slate for a relationship that went awry. And they were both overwhelmed with joy for getting it. The redhead finally broke the embrace to approach Sarah.

“Sarah?” she asked, a bit uncertain what kind of a reply she would get, what pair of eyes would return her gaze; the whipping ferocious eyes or the lovable benign ones. “Are you feeling alright?”

[Lavinian Pride]

Sarah felt something within her stir, a memory of a simpler time a simpler place. It harkened back to when she had been Seth, as a young man. It was a few days before his sixteenth birthday. It was a day that had scarred the both of them for years to come. It was the day they found out what their father truly did for a living. How he had gotten on his hands and knees and was stepped on, for a measly gold here and there. It was the day that had defined both of them, marking their passage to the other side, the side that wanted to stop such callous acts by nobility.

How idyllic, how noble the intention was.

How quickly it had been corrupted.

It was clear now what had happened. That day in infamy had destroyed the family. A son's unwillingness to stand by and watch his family stepped on all their life with a smile. It had begun the arguments and ultimately, when their best friend had joined the guard, they joined the thieves. They became vigilantes. Trying to impart their own twisted sense of justice to remain free and not be enslaved by the constraints of the Lavinian Society. In a final act of defiance that had sealed their fate, in many more ways than one.

It was that intention that had brought the both of them down the path to ruin, down the paths of Hex Magic and murder. Had Seth been here, perhaps he would have understood the true importance of that day. However, to this day it would forever mark the day Sarah Dahlios turned her back on her heritage, in a far more impressive way than Seth had. She had gone beyond wishing freedom from the nobles; she had wished freedom from her very blood.

As she was pulled along she found herself struggling to remain upright. Her body had released every ounce of grief guilt and sorrow from within. The lightening of such a burden had profound impact on the girl. It left her unsteady and unfocused. Unable to say or do anything as she watched dumbfounded as Myrhia brushed away the tears, and reassured her with soft words and a careful caress. Sarah had been wrong, Myrhia did care about her, perhaps in a way Sarah had never considered. She had let Sarah go because she knew Sarah was strong. Like a fledgling bird allowed flight, she had been set free to make her own path through the world.

Sarah saw the light as it passed through her. It hammered her heavily, weakening her further; to the point she almost couldn't stand, until it exploded. The noise deafening as Sarah brought her arms up in protection. When it cleared she was left with a gift that she had never deserved, but was given. She blinked once or twice as she felt a resurgence of strength. Something was gone, she couldn't tell but it was not there anymore. To the casual observer they would have noticed no profound change; however, Sarah felt a freedom. As if shackles she had never known were there were lifted.

Her first reaction was to touch the scar upon her neck, only to realize it was gone, no longer there. A quick check of the scar over her heart revealed it too gone. The impurities and scars left upon her wiped away, as if the body had never been killed. Her eyes closed as she felt an inner peace. The lures and temptations, the call of the Magi, calls she knew perfectly well were gone. The hole that she felt every day within her heart had been filled, brimming with energy and the conviction to use it. Something had happened, she had been made whole.

Feeling eyes upon her she smirked softly, genuine and brilliant before she spoke her voice far from the emotional wreck it was. It held strength in itself. It held conviction, and most importantly, it held the courage to continue the fight she had been losing, "Perhaps better than you could ever understand."

She looked up her eyes softened as they graced Myrhia until they revealed the most startling change of all. Gone was the cold impersonal grey of the Dahlios clan. Sarah Dahlios had been reborn, and with the tears of the nameless maiden the curse of her blood had been effaced. She was Sarah Dahlios now, a full and true soul. No, now her eyes were a warm brown, a much more natural color almost matching the shade of her brown hair as she shrugged her pack and said firmly, "Keep the rest of the gold Ravenheart. You repaid me in a way I can't possibly allow more money to leave your wallet for."

Spoils Request -

Sarah Dahlios is no longer the half soul of Seth Dahlios, but more importantly a full soul in and of itself. The most noticeable change being her eye color has changed to brown.

In terms of Profiles, the link to Seth Dahlios has been severed and the following abilities are removed from her profile:

Soul Link – Sarah and Seth’s souls are bound together by the fact they came from the same source. Because of this pain transfers between them both ways. If Sarah or Seth are injured the other will feel the pain of the wounds. In cases of major wounds minor bleeding can occur in areas that are injured on the counterpart.

Soul Sift - Every once in awhile Sarah will gain the ability to see what Seth sees. This is produced with total concentration and requires her to fight through the bond that connects them. At the moment all it allows her to see is a brief image of what Seth sees, and feel any emotions he is feeling at the time. Often she may use this if she needs to know what he has done to cause her pain, or if she needs to locate him quickly. (No battle application as it requires complete concentration)

Atop this, Sarah Dahlios can no longer become a Hex Magi.

In return I ask the following increases as a final hurrah from the link. A final leech if you will:

Dagger proficiency +1
Throwing weapons +2

[Letho]

There was warmth in Sarah’s eyes, Myrhia could see it the moment the Lavinian returned the gaze. And it wasn’t the temporary kind that she felt last night either, not the sporadic flame that the passion evoked. Instead it was a constant flame, something that took out the insipidity of the gray color and painted the woman’s irises with a much more pleasant, brown color. The color of Letho’s eyes. And the redhead realized now why she fell for Sarah so easily. There was so much of Letho in the thief, so much of that grumpy vagabond that she met in Scara Brae reflected in those eyes, so many fragments of Letho’s demeanor coming to life again in Sarah. And she wanted to help her, to sieve the bad parts out and leave the good ones just like she was doing with Letho. And while such changes didn’t happen overnight, she was elated to see that she managed to turn the Lavinian around.

“If you ever need anything, Sarah, anything at all... Our door will always be open for you.” Myrhia said, her eyes moist again but this time with tears of both joy for the recovery and sadness for the goodbye that was bound to follow. She gave Sarah another tight hug, uttering a soft goodbye: “Until we meet again, Sarah. Hopefully under better circumstances.”

Letho, on the other hand, handled goodbyes in the same manner that he handled pretty much anything; with several wise words and minimal amount of emotions. So when Myrhia finally let go of the Lavinian, he stepped closer to the woman and put his right hand on her right shoulder, his eyes incisive and stern. “I hold no grudge against you, regardless of what transpired. Farewell, Sarah Dahlios.” With that said and a minute nod from the brown-eyed rogue, he broke contact and she turned doggedly as she always did – as he always did – and made her way into the woods, leaving the pair alone in the clearing.

“You think she’s going to be alright?” Myrhia asked, approaching him diffidently and interlacing her fingers with his own as they both watched Sarah disappear in the endless sea of tree trunks and underbrush.

“I think we’ll be seeing more of her in the future. She’s as tough as old root.” he said, his tone just a fraction wistful. It made the redhead smile.

“Takes one to know one.” she said, squeezing his hand and offering a wide, warm smile that chased away the chill of the gloomy morning. Only then Letho noticed that the scar on her face was gone as was the tattoo on the foot of her neck. Myrhia was finally free of her past, free of the signs that always reminded her of the slavery that ripped her childhood in pieces and Letho’s betrayal back in Serenti. The emotional scars were still there and would probably always be, but they had a lifetime to mend and tend to those and they had every intention to do just that. Chase away the shadows of the past with a bright future. This was their second chance, their only chance to make things perfect and they had every intention to do so.

“Come on, let’s go home, Myri. We have a lot of planning to do.” Letho said, returning the smile before he picked her up in his arms, eliciting a joyous, surprised scream from her. However, even as he did so, he realized that his strength wasn’t what it used to be. In fact, his muscles felt as if somebody extracted all the inhuman might out of them. Still, Myrhia’s diminutive figure was as light as a feather, so he still carried her easily, postponing deliberation for later.

“Planning what?” she asked, her arms wrapped around his neck, her lips nipping at his cheek playfully. She was back to him alright, chirpy and merry as ever.

“For something I should’ve done a long time ago.” he replied, his strict visage mellowed down by her touch. “For officially making you missus Ravenheart.”


((SPOILS: Dormancy – During the ritual of cleansing by the Tears of the Nameless Maiden, Letho’s and Myrhia’s bodies were cleansed of all imperfections (Daywalker vampirism included), but as a side effect, all their supernatural powers are gone as well. In Letho’s case, however, because of his Chodan blood, they merely went dormant. Letho doesn’t know this and he doesn’t know if he can ever unlock them (they are unlockable only in case of a drastic event and the unlocking has to be requested as a quest spoil). The abilities affected/locked are: Righteous Might, The Gift of Chodan, The Blood of Chodan, Uncanny Projectile Blocking, Healing (only the magical facet of the skill), Letho’s supernatural strength (drops to merely thrice that of an average human), Weaponmaster (Letho might not be able to wield all weapons easily due to the fact that his strength diminished), Myrhia’s Uncanny Agility, Myrhia’s Marksmanship and Throwing and Spear Mastery (dropped to merely proficient). Dormancy will have effect only after level 8 update.

There is a catch, however, in Letho’s case because of his Chodan blood. The locked powers are able to grow in their dormant state and some might even merge upon their awakening. This, of course, will all have to pass the RoG and judge’s check, but it cannot happen until Letho at least reaches level 9.


Also, Letho receives the Tears of the Nameless Maiden statuette that is a foot tall and made out of pure gold.))

[Witchblade]

Introduction:- 7 Nothing extremely out of the ordinary here, just your basic introductions. The characters meet at a tavern, albeit a very classy tavern that you wouldn’t normally expect to see adventurers in, but still a tavern. The characters and their respective reasons for being there were portrayed very well, each one different in their own way and though Liliana and Sarah are written by the same person, you can tell them apart, which is something some writers have a hard time doing. It would be nice to see characters meeting in a place other than a tavern, but I didn’t dock points for that, after all, almost any good adventure starts there it’s just starting to get a little old.

Setting: - 6 The setting was great. I loved the trick that the lich played on all of you when you were walking through the cave. I knew something was up but I was surprised when the illusion melted away to reveal what was really going on, not completely shocked after all you set it up so the reader gets the feeling that there’s more to it than what appears to be there, but still on the surprised side. Other than though, there was just your normal setting throughout the story. It wasn’t necessarily used a lot throughout the quest though, it was a backdrop. In the cave battling the lich I kept wondering why your characters weren’t accidentally falling into lava pits. They were there but not really, because they were described then kind of disappeared until someone had to jump over a river of lava.

Strategy: - 7 The strategy used throughout the quest was nothing spectacular. It was mostly your every day stuff. The only part that stood out was the end when you get the Tears of the Nameless Maiden without having to actually fight for it. That was an extremely profound development in Letho’s character, or so I thought, which was nice to see. Instead of ‘hey let’s kill the dragon and take the item’ it was ‘let’s sit down and have a nice cup of tea’ with said dragon. Because after all, what doesn’t kill you makes you a nice cup of tea.

Dialogue: - 6 Typical dialogue. Nothing extremely great worth noting and nothing extremely bad either. Myrhia’s curiosity and constantly asking questions is always a good tool to use to advance the storyline and explain things to the reader while ICly explaining things to the character as well, be sure to take advantage of that but not too much or the reader will catch on and get annoyed with it. Curiosity only got the cat so far before he got run over by the truck.

Character: - 8 This entire story seems more about character development than the normal ‘lets go find the treasure’ which was really nice. The characters all came out beautifully and I was disappointed to see Liliana leave part way through the quest, though it made perfect sense ICly. Myrhia’s constant focus on Sarah started to get a little annoying towards the end of the quest, her constant mothering and making sure she was okay was just a little over the top though probably completely within her character. My only real concern with the characters was Sarah breakdown at the end. It didn’t seem real, it seemed like it was a necessary thing that had to happen in order for something else to happen, which consequently something else did happen. It was an emotional time but to me but there wasn’t a good enough explanation for why she broke down and just confessed everything to Myrhia and started bawling her eyes out, especially when she seemed like such a strong and closed up character throughout most of the quest.

Rising Action: - 7 Nothing wrong with your rising action. Typical battle stuff, though the second one was character driven and really had nothing to do with battling, unless of course you’re talking the battle of emotions. The only problem with this part was Sarah’s emotional state. There needed to be some kind of catalyst there, I don’t know if I just missed something along the way but her breakdown did not feel natural.

Climax: - 8 The major climax in the thread is the fight with the lich. It was interesting in the fact that no matter how hard you guys tried you just couldn’t seem to get ahead with him. I liked the idea that in order to actually kill him or even hurt him really, you had to first attack his soul and find whatever his soul was in. That was an interesting way to put it and that whole scenario was very nicely done. The second climax in the thread is really kind of like a gentle slope more so than a climax. The build up with Sarah and Myrhia and what they do and what happens with Letho and then finally the item working, they were all kind of there to build up the climactic moment but not so much as the first one even though the second was more important to the storyline. Nice to see a climax in a story that doesn’t involve any kind of fighting, just character development. That doesn’t happen too often.

Conclusion: - 7 The conclusion was a sappy eyed, smile at the fact that at the end of the day everything is perfect and wonderful kind of thing…and I loved it. After all, who doesn’t love it when everything goes according to plan and everyone gets exactly what they need? Letho and Myrhia remained together and Sarah got a full soul and is no longer linked with Seth anymore.

Writing Style: - 8 Both of you are excellent writers. Duro I really can’t say much to help you improve on anything you already done, your flow is great and you always seem to find the right words to describe a situation, including some words that I’ve never even seen before, like palaver. Pat, you need to work on your flow a little bit. Sometimes your sentences seem a little choppy and your paragraphs jump around a bit. Other than that, I noticed quite a few times that instead of saying ‘from’ you said ‘form’. I didn’t take off any points for that because it’s not something that spell check would naturally catch, but keep you eye our for things like that.

Wild Card: - 8 Isn’t it nice that they all had to cry in order for the item for work? Weird, but nice. Wild Card points for making a quest where people lose abilities, yayness!

Total Score: 72

Rewards:

The requested loss of moves from all characters is granted but will need further approval when you level up, though I do not see any problems with them.

Letho receives 4,700 experience and the Tears of the Nameless Maiden statue made out of pure gold.
Lavinian Pride receives 2,200 and 500 GP
Liliana Ambria receives 1,500 and the Tome of Uriel.

Letho, Lavinian Pride and Liliana Ambria all receives +2 reputation points.