Bakan: HP = 120/120, PP = 45/45, EP = 73/85, Status = Fine, Armor at 26/50 TP
NPC Stats
Samarta: HP = 54, PP = 67, EP = 67, Status = Fine, Pregnant
Inka: HP = 51, PP = 61, EP = 44, Status = Fine
Rebecca: A coon. A fluffy fluffy coon.
Orgrosh: HP = 97, PP = 49, EP = 72, Status = Fine
Sarah: Fine
Cory: Pregnant
Rhep: HP = 99 PP = 43 EP = 44, Status = Pregnant
Janne: Fine
"It needs to be a sacrifice. My gain is ancillary to the necessity of the favor," the faerie replied calmly. "Now you choose... Is that really something you want to give up? There are other things you could surrender. Your real parents, your lost brother, even one of your companions... You could forget any of them and it would serve a similar purpose. Obviously you aren't willing to surrender your firstborn... Not that I'd want that, mind. Your physical features wouldn't do, and this isn't enough to warrant offering to take your whole identity. If you're set on this, I can perform the magics to alter your memories now, and will return when you have the item you intend to gift completed. You needn't worry about summoning me again, I will know."
(In b4 I totally forget that last sentence myself like a complete idiot by the time Bakan has the bow ready.)
Bakan twisted his lips, before shaking his head. "They're memories that keep me going. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to endure being set back to zero, without ever knowing that my dreams are futile..." he said, his heart sinking and his wings turning a deep shade of blue that brought on a few black feathers of despair. "Just do it. I know how these contracts work, and that you aren't lying. Just get it over with, as the more I'll think about it the more stress I'll put on myself when I could just be stupidly oblivious to my own foolishness." he stated, telling the entity to take what he needed now as it made no difference to Bakan.
Bakan: HP = 120/120, PP = 45/45, EP = 73/85, Status = Fine, Armor at 26/50 TP
NPC Stats
Samarta: HP = 54, PP = 67, EP = 67, Status = Fine, Pregnant
Inka: HP = 51, PP = 61, EP = 44, Status = Fine
Rebecca: A coon. A fluffy fluffy coon.
Orgrosh: HP = 97, PP = 49, EP = 72, Status = Fine
Sarah: Fine
Cory: Pregnant
Rhep: HP = 99 PP = 43 EP = 44, Status = Pregnant
Janne: Fine
".... Alright," the faerie said ultimately, before leaning forward and gently grasping Bakan's head. Their fingers were warm and gentle, comforting in a way, "try to just relax. You won't feel anything."
And he didn't. Slowly, gently, imperceptible tendrils of magic worked their way into his temples, into his mind. If he concentrated hard Bakan could feel them in his head, and if he so wished he could try to impede them, but if he didn't he would never notice what they did. Slowly, gently, the memories of the bath with Ashloriel would vanish as if they had never been. All of it, from the feel of her body against him to the words spoken, even that it had ever happened. It was like they had instead sat in the garden, saying nothing of relevance but enjoying each other's company nonetheless. Even his conversation with the maid was mostly intact save for the change of setting, only slightly altered in that the awkwardness came when Bakan accidentally bumped into her and made her drop a tea set.
It was gone, all gone, the pain of her rejection and the relief that he had revealed his feelings. It was gone seamlessly too, leaving him with no questions in its place and no worries that he had lost something valuable. The faerie then retracted their hands slowly and settled them onto their knees. "Well, your payment is accepted... I'll be in touch when it's time to deliver my half," they said, and then began to fade, the outline of their frame slowly blurring. Unless Bakan prevented them from doing so, he would be left alone with Janne, who was looking at him with a slight frown.
Bakan blinked. "Wait, did you take it?" he inquired, before the man vanished entirely. Bakan was left heavily confused. He agreed on a payment, he knew it was done, but all he had left was the knowledge that he lost 'something'. The emptiness that he felt before was gone too. The memory of rejection. He was back to square one, believing that there was a chance he could confess to Ashloriel and succeed... But should he? Or should he leave their relationship as-is? He shook his head, deja-vu setting in.
"I feel like I just got over an awful headache." he said, turning to Janne. "Did he really make things better like I hoped he would? Recalling the specifics is... Really sketchy. Wow, I, uh... Thinking is really hard right now. Heh." he said as his memory kept trying to recall events that were no longer there, or didn't make sense. "But, I feel a lot better, oddly enough. I feel like a huge burden was taken off of my mind." He said, his expression and demeanor a lot more positive now that the memory of his rejection was gone. Now that his world was once again filled with that special little bit of false hope for a future with the woman he adores. "I guess they did me a favor after all! They're alright in my book. What do you think, Janne?" he asked, smiling while looking back at her. It was like the clock rewinded itself. The progression of despair had been set back to happier days.
"Why do you look upset?" he asked. Perhaps a strange question, since his memories of the story he told were altered too. Removed was his talk of his darkest feelings and truly void inner machinations. Removed was his prepared attitude of self-destruction, because now he still has that loose hope of a future with the woman he loves. He wants to continue living to hold that thought that was taken away. He now had no idea that Janne knew the darkest depths of his suffering. As far as he knew, he just told the man that his parents had died, and didn't speak of the implications on his mind and soul.
Bakan: HP = 120/120, PP = 45/45, EP = 73/85, Status = Fine, Armor at 26/50 TP
NPC Stats
Samarta: HP = 54, PP = 67, EP = 67, Status = Fine, Pregnant
Inka: HP = 51, PP = 61, EP = 44, Status = Fine
Rebecca: A coon. A fluffy fluffy coon.
Orgrosh: HP = 97, PP = 49, EP = 72, Status = Fine
Sarah: Fine
Cory: Pregnant
Rhep: HP = 99 PP = 43 EP = 44, Status = Pregnant
Janne: Fine
Janne looked surprised, but then sighed and let the perturbed expression drop from her face. "It's... Nothing," she said, "don't worry about me... Yeah, that one was pretty odd, huh? Still, you expect that when you're dealing with Spring, and you could definitely have gotten worse."
She came over, and if Bakan didn't get up she would sit down next to him. "So... What do you want to do now?" she said either way.
Bakan chuckled as she sat next to him. "Actually, it's all really fuzzy. I had my day planned out this morning and for the life of me, I can't remember so much of it!" he chuckled. "Let's see... I had a plan somewhere to sort things out with Orgrosh, it turned out that she seemed to think I was like every other human and wanted marriage, of all things. I don't even like traditional Badarian Marriage. Did you know that they make the woman adopt the man's last name? What if the woman really likes her last name? And I don't think that women are treated with respect in general in Badaria. It all kind of made sense when I realized that's what she thought I wanted... N-not that I was after marriage in the first place, mind you. I don't even think I know of a single marriage custom that I'd like to use... In fact, I don't know of a single marriage custom other than proximity to a Badarian one. So... No idea." he shrugged, blushing a bit.
"I suppose the biggest priority I have right now is to save the people around me. That includes Rebecca, the poor thing..." his wings turned blue in sad pity. "Do you think I'd be good enough to make a bow out of some amazing material? I doubt that the goddess will use my gift, Sivicine probably already has her own super bow or something. It needs to be an artistic symbol more than anything else, rather than practicality. Having my head emptied, while unexpectedly pleasant, is a price I'd rather not pay twice. And I'd imagine something similarly crazy if I tried to ask another smith for help, so it's on my shoulders to do my best. I'm better than most smiths, I know that for a fact, and I have this thing to prove it~" he lifted his hammer, proud of how he restored it from its previous state. He half wondered if his father gave it some kind of power when he gifted it, but Bakan had yet to discover it.
"Problem starts though, with finding such a material. It begins with me having no idea where to find a rare material without paying a life's fortune. So, I think I'll start by asking around how I might find or earn one. Once I have the material, I'll need a forge, and then engrave the poem onto the large bow I'll make. Once that's complete... Sivicine..." he said, the thought of negotiating with a goddess making him swallow a lump in his throat. "You wouldn't happen to know where I could find a nice big lump of rare metal, would ya?" he inquired to Janne with a scratch on his nose. Figuring that effort would lead nowhere, unless Janne proved to have everything he could ever ask for ever and thusly solidify herself as a permanent effect in his life. Regardless, Bakan had to solve one problem that was lasting a REALLY long time, more than he'd like, and the reason why he always needed someone with him.
"Before all of that though... Can you help me get new glasses? I've been flying blind for a long time now." He mentioned. Especially through town, Bakan desperately needed someone to help him find someone to help make him new glasses.
(Commence Quest #1: Acquire new glasses, and a spare.)
(If nothing interesting happens during that venture, commence Quest #2: Figure out where the fuck to find a rare material to make the bow with.)
Bakan: HP = 120/120, PP = 45/45, EP = 73/85, Status = Fine, Armor at 26/50 TP
NPC Stats
Samarta: HP = 54, PP = 67, EP = 67, Status = Fine, Pregnant
Inka: HP = 51, PP = 61, EP = 44, Status = Fine
Rebecca: A coon. A fluffy fluffy coon.
Orgrosh: HP = 97, PP = 49, EP = 72, Status = Fine
Sarah: Fine
Cory: Pregnant
Rhep: HP = 99 PP = 43 EP = 44, Status = Pregnant
Janne: Fine
"What's a... Last name?" Janne asked, confused. "I know you all have multiple names but... There's an order? I always thought it was just some sort of jumble that you picked an order to on a whim. Is there supposed to be a particular order?" Janne, being a faerie, wasn't used to all of the intricacies of names and how they were used.
"Uhhh.... Yah. No offense, but I don't think you can compare to a weapon forged by another god, like the one she has. Fancy and nice looking is your best bet, and if it's good maybe she'll enchant it and reward it to someone she favors one day! You could make your very own legendary artifact~"
She rolled her eyes when he asked if she knew where he could get some rare ore, "yeah, because I use a lot of expensive rocks in my line of study... You could ask at a faerie glade, but that'd mean more favors. I'd just check the markets if I were you, it'd be easier to just pay in money."
His request for glasses made her giggle, and she said; "Sure, I'll help you find a glassmaker. But you'll owe me one for this~ C'mon!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet, leading Bakan back into town and through the streets. This time it was his turn to endure the countless disapproving glares for his mutant wings, but no one really bothered them outright as Janne led him by the hand through Cheydin and to the more well to do merchant districts. Glassmakers were extremely rare for anything other than cosmetic items outside of Badaria, but luckily Cheydin was apparently large enough to warrant an industry.
"This should do!" she declared, leading him into a shop, and inside was a balding man with poofs of hair surrounding his head, of average height and slightly soft build. He peered at her and Bakan through rectangular spectacles himself, and asked simply which of them needed glasses. Should Bakan explain his desire for two pairs, he gestured for them to come with him, grunting to a girl behind the counter to watch the storefront, and when it back Bakan was sat in a chair while Janne watched curiously. It took powerful magic to permanently blind a faerie, and they weren't subject to the natural degredations of age or inborn flaws nearly as much as humans. A young man, not even to his twentieth year, helped the older man examine Bakan's eyes, being corrected a few times, and when the exact lens configuration he needed had been determined the man asked what shape he wanted the rims and then told them simply to wait.
An hour later the apprentice delivered a pair of holsters for glasses, one made by the owner and the other a copy made by the apprentice himself, and though the latter wasn't quite as good they were still perfectly serviceable and perhaps a bit sturdier of frame. It would cost him forty denarii, not cheap to be sure but for something that would definitely be considered a luxury hardly exorbitant.
With his eyewear taken care of, he was free to try and figure out the material situation. "So... What were you thinking?" Janne asked, "you want something fancy... So like, expensive like silver or gold? Or practical like... I don't know, darksteel or faeriegold. You could probably find cold iron here pretty easy, maybe even shiversteel... Oooh, you could even get some spidersilk for the string, though you'd probably have better lucky with that over in Lockacre."
When Janne asked what a last name is, he just chuckled. "It's a human thing. It's not really important at all. Since there are so many humans, a combination of last name and first name helps firm a unique identity. Just imagine if half the people in this city were named Bakan! You'd know you were looking for me if you were told to look for Bakan Jeru, since I'd be the only one!" he gave a bad example.
On the topic of Sivicine. "As long as it's good enough for her to favor it and hear my request, I'm all for it. I don't care what she does with it after that." he said, before she'd help him up, and then help him to someone that'd make him some new glasses. Her comment on what he owes her made him twist his lips. "How many times have you said that? I'm positive you're just deciding what I owe you on a whim so that you can rape me whenever it pleases you." he stated.
On the topic of his glasses. Getting the correct lens wasn't much of a chore. Bakan already had an idea of what he needed, and told the man as such, who might be surprised of Bakan's knowledge of such things. "I know enough to make my own glasses, but my hands aren't dexterous enough for the task. Bending metal is what I do best, so I leave the more delicate tasks to others." he said. "As much as I'd love star shaped glasses, I think normal square rims will do fine." he chuckled, pondering for a moment to look like what another universe might call a hipster.
Back on the topic of Sivicine, now with new glasses. "It's so damned nice to see again!" he celebrated, smiling while adjusting to the feeling of his new glasses. "I suppose I will give her a classical present. If I go too far, she might think me a fool. As impressive as deamonmetal would be, I'd be seen as an idiot no doubt for going to such lengths. Even if it's true, I don't want her to know that." he grimaced. "It's just going to be artistic, as well. I'm going to need some time to sketch out a prototype for the engravings and design to give it a very elven appeal... W-well, elven in terms of my world. I'm more familiar with that than this world's elves. I'm sure the unique design will amuse. Something unusual and interesting is sure to catch the eye of a bored ancient god. Even if the canvas it lies on is very usual." he hoped. "So, I think you might be onto the right track, Janne. Gold and spidersilk. I'll need to go get those materials and then start drawing up what I'll want the bow to look like, as well as get to allowing enough space for the poem that is to be written on it. Hopefully the kindly individual I spoke to has something short enough in mind to allow it to fit onto a bow." he said, before venturing back to Dove's estate to inform everyone that he'll be busy working on the bow. Apologies to Orgrosh as well, as only now when he thought of it did he realize he'd need to dedicate all his time to knocking this out of the way as soon as possible and he wouldn't be able to participate in their training for the next few days. It was for the sake of reviving Rebecca's natural appearance.
With that, Bakan would venture forth to purchase the gold he needed, and acquire some spidersilk from the town nearby via placing an order for a caravan to come deliver it on its way through town. That would take a few days, allowing Bakan to sit down, whether in Cory's presence or not, and write himself some sketches for the design of the bow he was to make. He would ask if the irritated and scorned woman would wish to share his company while he worked, and while he slept. He wanted to get back in her good graces, especially since they were to be parents soon. Speaking of parents, he was suddenly making a lot of family members. 'I wonder if this will become a trend.' Bakan thought to himself. Bakan would give her as much affection as she'd allow, cuddling with her and even having sex with her if she seemed to want it. Either way when taking breaks from his work he was looking over her, trying to see what she wanted and eager to satisfy that want to try and earn his way back into her good side. Matthias knows he didn't want to be kicked in the balls again.
The androgynous individual would appear when Bakan worked into the final stages of his bow's sketch. Just in time for him to draw up the poem's length that would travel along the bow, requiring someone to walk around the standing bow, reading up through the spiral of its thick design to enjoy the whole story. Bakan did his best to work from distant memory, to mimic the design of his world's elven bows. It was of such unique patterns that any who came into his room and saw his work would wonder where in the world he got the design from. He's just tell them it was a secret before getting back to work. Hopefully, the unusual nature would be another selling point to the goddess... As he finalized his designs, and took his sketches to a smith that'd be willing to rent his forge to Bakan for a time. All in all, Bakan spent most of his fortune for this, but such was trivial to him. It was money he wasn't sure how to spend regardless. He had to fulfill his promise... Hopefully.
~~~~~~~~~~~~Present Time: Five Days after Bakan Lost his Memory of Confession~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was done. Put this beauty in a temple and no doubt it'd seem like it was praised as an artifact of the gods by the lesser informed. Bakan had little doubt that this was the best thing he ever produced from the forge. Even the work his own armor and hammer paled in comparison to the amount of love and attention to detail this thing was given. It was pure gold and quite heavy for a bow. In any source of light it let out an unmistakable shine. Careful with every step, Bakan made sure this treasure he created would not be tarnished before the moment came it was delivered to its new owner.
Carefully, he carried the freshly made bow. He was tired from the work, and his eyes strained from how much he focused on the engraved design. A single scratch would make Bakan lose his mind as the entire worth would be tarnished. So, he decided to seclude himself. He'd go find Rebecca, and announce he was going to go try and put the idea of saying Sivicine's name three times to the test. Nervous, and unsure of what would happen, he stepped away from Dove's estate, much to the glee of the butler no doubt, before he and Rebecca would find a nice spot to do this. "I hope you're calmer than me... Because I'm a bit scared, to be honest." Bakan said, before gripping the bow, and closing his eyes. He wasn't sure if Sivicine could be reached like the others, but he put his ability to the test, and tried to reach out past the mortal plane while calling out in both mind and body. "Sivicine... Sivicine... Sivicine... I have created for you my greatest life's treasure, engraved with a poem paid for with a piece of my own mind... Please forgive this trespass, and accept this treasure as I beg you to hear my request!"
And then...
Absolutely nothing happened.
Bakan then felt very silly. He even waited a minute to see if it just took a moment for her to show up. After waiting, he felt even more silly. "Shit." he cursed. "I actually thought Dove was serious about that working..." he sighed. "Actually, that really does sound dumb, there's no way she could have heard any of that..." he said, grimacing, returning to his friends, and Dove, before informing them that the triple uttering of Sivicine's name was just nonsense. He needed another way of communicating with her, which meant the obvious... Summoning her by force. "I really don't want to do this. Hell, can I even afford it at this rate?" Bakan pondered. "Dove, can you set somewhere safe to be the location of the ritual? I think I'm out of options at this point."
Bakan: HP = 120/120, PP = 45/45, EP = 73/85, Status = Fine, Armor at 26/50 TP
NPC Stats
Samarta: HP = 54, PP = 67, EP = 67, Status = Fine, Pregnant
Inka: HP = 51, PP = 61, EP = 44, Status = Fine
Rebecca: A coon. A fluffy fluffy coon.
Orgrosh: HP = 97, PP = 49, EP = 72, Status = Fine
Sarah: Fine
Cory: Pregnant
Rhep: HP = 99 PP = 43 EP = 44, Status = Pregnant
Janne: Fine
"But... Why would that be a problem? Wouldn't you... Just be able to tell?" Janne asked, rubbing her head while they were on the subject of names.
Later, when they were walking together, the nymph witch would grin like a true nymphomaniac, "oh my, you've figured out my dastardly scheme~ What ever shall I do now that you know I'm looking for excuses to make you make that... Face~" She had obviously left something unsaid, and Bakan was left to puzzle out the word she had left out on his own.
With his various concerns dealt with, Janne would offer little besides more positive reinforcement for Bakan's plans regarding the construction of the bow he intended to gift to Sivicine, and so he could begin planning. Everyone seemed fairly comfortable with the idea of spending an extra few days lounging around on a wealthy estate for some reason, though Orgrosh rolled her eyes when Bakan informed her that he couldn't spend time on training with her while he was working on the bow. "Gonna end up soft!" was all that she said, before letting Bakan continue on with his work.
Dove proved to have plentiful supplies for drafting, and not just the proper paper and pencil, but even modeling foam to make a real model once the two dimensional plans were completed, letting Bakan fine tune his design. What would have taken many an artisan years only cost Bakan an extra few days in no small part thanks to the detail in which he could plan his work.
Cory, in the meantime, seemed far more distant than she ever had been, but at least proved willing to spend time with him. She was cold, watching him work with dispassion but still remaining nearby, at least at first. She deigned to sleep with him, but Bakan was spared further drains upon his balls, though not for lack of trying from some parties. Janne eventually opted to take off for a bit once it was clear that Bakan was busy and had no immediate need of her, but stole a kiss from his lips and promised him a "wild time" next time they met. Rhep, despite obviously being pregnant with his child, proved no less enthusiastic for getting "chieftain's cock" as she put it, and ultimately Cory shooed her off to keep her from distracting Bakan from his work. Samarta mostly kept to herself, and also mostly lazed about, something Inka was also quite content to do. Rebecca occasionally hung around, sometimes sleeping curled up at the foot of the bed with him and Cory, but otherwise was fairly lazy as well. Only Sarah and Orgrosh seemed to be doing much, the pair constantly training, sparring, or teaching one another, and what portions of it Bakan saw while busy working made it seem like such was a pattern they had settled into quite comfortably well before coming here.
When the materials he needed were gathered and the plans completed, Bakan was lent a forge from someone Dove knew for a reasonable price, and the bow began to take shape. When it was time, the faerie appeared without requiring Bakan's calling, inscribing runes that he could not read in a pattern curling around the bow. They said it was an old Crolian writing system, and didn't explain beyond that as they helped him carefully work the runes into his still burning creation.
Finally, after several days of hard work, the bow was complete to his specifications, runic inscriptions curling around its shaft. It wouldn't fire, not without some magic worked into it, but it was close enough to functional in design and aesthetically pleasing, sure to catch the eye.
With his work completed, all that was left for Bakan to do was call upon the one who was to receive it. Gathering Rebecca while carefully carrying his craft, Bakan would be free to wander off into the woods to attempt his summoning, someplace secluded with no one else about. With the bow clutched in his hand, he knelt with the raccoon at his side, said his chant, and then.... Nothing. Long moments of nothing, save the normal sounds of the local woodlands. As he waited, no dramatic revelation, no sudden appearance subtle or godly. After it became clear that Sivicine wasn't coming, Bakan would return, Rebecca trundling along behind him, and reconnoitered with his friends.
No one else really had any useful input, and Dove simply shrugged when Bakan notified him that the repetition of her name didn't work. "Well, that was only a rumor to begin with," he said casually, "I already have a place prepared for such things... But are you sure that you're ready? I am not sure if this will even work, but if it does... Well, I don't expect you'll be getting a second chance to deliver your request. I need to know you're ready."
Bakan adopted a sad expression when Cory noticed how distant she was being. He figured she wasn't up for conversation, but he still had to say something. "I'm not going to say that I understand how you feel right now... But... I'm never going to abandon you, or leave you all alone again. All I hope for is that when we have our child, both you and I can smile together enough to not worry them, or make them emotionally distressed at all. Even if what I did can't be forgiven, I still want the best for you and our child." Then, thanks to the events from before, Bakan turned to her with a familiar positive expression she'd have seen when she first met him. "Don't worry, I'm not going to go out there and get myself killed. I've got my father and mother looking out for me. At this very moment I'm certain he's watching my progress. I mustn't disappoint by dying, you know? And I hope that one day, through our efforts, we can live in a safe place without fear of outsider or orc invasions. Then our child won't have to grow up like we did... And avoid an adventure like this altogether." He said, either to himself if she didn't listen, or to Cory if she did. Though, he felt an odd pain in his heart as his thoughts drifted to Ashloriel from his thoughts of the future... Once again, he pondered... 'Is there a chance?'
With that said, Bakan nodded when Dove asked him. "I know I won't get a second chance. I was prepared for that when I made a silly and chanted Sivicine's name three times for no reason. Honestly... Sivicine, Sivicine, Sivicine..." He chanted her name again off-handedly. "Probably a story made to frighten mortals." he theorized. "I'm ready to face Sivicine. I've put a lot of thought into what I want to say, I've had over a week to do it. I'm riding on this gift appeasing her enough to make it worth it, as well as my good manners. Remember though, there needs to be as few people as possible present in case things don't go well. Only me and Rebecca need to be present for this."
With that said, he awaited the moment he met with the goddess of note. Previous events immediately made him fear her just because she was a woman, but he cast such foolish paranoia aside... For the most part. He hoped that he was just being a scared fool. Gods certainly do not just appear and do such things, right? They have to be beyond such whimsical desires... Bakan shook his head again. 'I wish I could say that the reason I'm trembling is because she's a god, and leave it at that. As a man, I feel so pathetic to worry.'
Bakan: HP = 120/120, PP = 45/45, EP = 73/85, Status = Fine, Armor at 26/50 TP
NPC Stats
Samarta: HP = 54, PP = 67, EP = 67, Status = Fine, Pregnant
Inka: HP = 51, PP = 61, EP = 44, Status = Fine
Rebecca: A coon. A fluffy fluffy coon.
Orgrosh: HP = 97, PP = 49, EP = 72, Status = Fine
Sarah: Fine
Cory: Pregnant
Rhep: HP = 99 PP = 43 EP = 44, Status = Pregnant
Janne: Fine
If anything, Bakan's initial promise made Cory grow more distant, and quite suddenly so. "I've heard those words before," she said, her voice hollow, and she fell into another bout of silence. She didn't look at him for a few moments, but her gaze drifted back to him as he spoke, growing contemplative. "Maybe," she said noncommittally, not specifying which part of what he said she was potentially agreeing to. "Maybe... Maybe," she repeated, once more looking away. Ultimately, she sighed and said; "We can hope... And try..."
When his bow was done and he had gone to Dove, the wealthy nobleman simply shrugged again, "so many legends are... And so many aren't. Come on, I have a place prepared.... And yes, as few as possible should be around. My two most faithful are necessary, but no one else."
He led Bakan through his mansion, past the gardens, and found Paul along the way. The man who had seemed to tail Dove everywhere, the Inquisitor, was at his elbow as always but as per usual Bakan hardly seemed to notice him unless he directly tried to take notice. They passed the gardens, a grand hall, and several other rooms, meeting rooms and studies, more than any single person or even family could ever seemingly need. Eventually they ascended some stairs and came upon a walkway along another long, narrow garden, one with numerous fruit trees that were perfectly groomed so that Bakan could pick fresh produce right from the branch. It ran a long ways, and then into another hallway lined with rooms that felt like they were seldom used, all save two.
The first was a library, and a massive one, more books than Bakan had ever seen in one place by an order of magnitude. The second was a large collection of items in glass cases, arranged almost like a museum, though there was no one looking at the displays there. They passed both, however, and finally entered a small courtyard in front of a large, ornate building set somewhere within the estate grounds. "Always too much..." In it, directly in front of them, was a building resembling a classical gothic cathedral, one of the most lavish that Bakan had ever seen, though he may not have seen many depending on how often he entered larger Badarian cities. Gargoyles gazed down upon them scornfully with toothy scowls, and scenes of sacrifice and triumph from the book of the Star God played out above them in magnificent grandeur, twinkling in the waning daylight from crystal glass windows. Grand spiral columns supported a great stone overhang that guarded a carved fresco displaying yet another scene, one of worship and divine reward. Its doors were oak with silver inlay, perfectly pure and polished.
"Bloody thing... Gives me the creeps just thinking about it... If it wouldn't be such a hassle, I'd have the place torn down. Ahh well, if it can't be cleared, it'll be used... Come on," Dove said, sounding ashamed of the grand cathedral, before heading towards that very building. He took out a key and unlocked a padlock attached to a chain on the door, followed by another lock, entered a combination, and finally pushed the door open and headed inside.
The cathedral's interior looked like it had once been as grandiose as its exterior, with tapestries still hanging from the walls where stained crystal glass didn't allow more sunlight in and grand columns and archways supporting a vaulted ceiling with more frescoes painted in the spaces between columns. The tiled stone floor was bare, however, and the pews that had likely once filled the massive chamber were gone now. It was huge, but much longer than it was wide from Bakan's perspective, and on the opposite side from the door was a gigantic, ornate dais. It rose high above the floor, at least twenty feet, and up to a platform that could comfortably host at least a dozen people without anyone needing to be shoulder to shoulder. It was asymmetrical, the wide set of stairs leading up to the dais having no railing - much like the platform to which they ascended - and starting on the floor on his right hand side and curling all the way round to intersect with the platform on the left. Behind it, columns formed a walkway of sorts, the back of the building almost triangular as it approached a grand altar. Everything seemed made of fine marble, and Bakan could feel something in the air, a prickling that wasn't so much unpleasant as it was noticeable.
There was obviously a power present here, and he had in the past heard Ashloriel speak of places like this, of areas where great things had happened, great men had lived, or many people had congregated for some unified purpose. Sometimes such places tapped into or even created natural conduits of power that ran beneath the surface of Donevrion, and it was at such places that immense amounts of magical energy could be channeled by one with the ambition - or madness - to make the attempt. Not all such places were wholesome, however, as great evils could create such outpourings just as easily as their counterparts, and the power itself cared not how it was used. Whether or not Bakan thought to ask any questions, Dove steeled himself a moment, wiping sweat from his brow and drawing in a few breaths from the doorway as if afraid he might never taste the outside air again, and then strode into the cathedral towards the dais.
He crossed, Paul, Inquisitor, and presumably Bakan and Rebecca in tow, and ascended the first six steps towards the dais itself, then went for the stairs leading up to the speaker's platform. Rebecca clutched to Bakan, trembling slightly, but remained at his shoulder as the group ascended the circling steps. Atop the circular platform he found a circle of thirteen small black oak pedestals, each with a black candle sitting atop it. There was one on either side of the stairs, and the rest circled the platform, but those Dove ignored, instead heading towards the center while muttering himself. The platform itself had been carefully carved into, ancient marble worked to form a complex series of lines and drawings, which Dove looked over carefully while still muttering to himself. Paul remained just in front of the top of the stairs, but the other man followed Dove, silent but only a step behind.
The lines all formed not one pattern, but numerous ones, so complex that Bakan couldn't have made heads or tails of it if he'd had the time or interest to make the attempt, but laid into it were numerous circles, lines always gently curving into them rather than crossing them. A closer look revealed that all of the circles, of which there were seven, were made of some different sort of metal. Silver, pure cold iron, gleaming white angelforged steel, faeriegold, rich russet Anudorian copper, black metal that looked suspiciously like darksteel, and a softly gleaming metal at the very center, the smallest circle, that looked like it was made of pure gold. For a few moments Dove paced around, seemingly examining the entire platform and its intricate alterations, before conferring briefly with the man who'd been following in low tones.
After another moment they parted, and Dove came over to Bakan. "We think we have it worked out... Just, stand over here," he said, and guided Bakan to stand on a glyph carved among one of the outer circles. It was to the right coming off of the stairs, and closest to the door to the cathedral that they had entered through. "You, errr.... Should just sit out of the way here, if you don't mind.... Rebecca," he said, speaking to the raccoon on his shoulder who promptly hopped down and crawled over to the outer ring of the circle. "Paul, here, you stand here!" he said, leaving Bakan and guiding Paul over to another glyph, the one farthest from the stairs. The inquisitorial bodyguard had already taken the one opposite Bakan, and Dove took the one near the steps.
"Alight, so... We have to chant to summon her, let us worry about the magical parts, you just... Concentrate on what you want to ask of her, and on repeating what we say, alright? This could get extremely strange, and even if it does it might not even work, but it's our best bet of catching her attention," he said, speaking to the room at large but looking at Bakan, as Paul and the bodyguard simply nodded and said nothing. When Bakan declared that he was ready, Dove cleared his throat, paused for several long seconds, sighed, cleared his throat again, paused again, and then finally began to speak in a low, rhythmic tone of voice;
"Hear us o goddess, mistress of the wilds.... Hear us o hunter, queen of the ancient wood... Hear us o legend, greatness incarnate! Our unworthy voices praise you, our every word inadequate, but still we beg upon you to grace us with your presence!" he chanted, and then repeated it. And repeated it. And repeated it. A full six times, until Bakan and the other two, could recite it in time with him, and then he continued; "Sivicine... Mistress of oak and acorn, of death and rebirth, of generations and legacies... Goddess of glories and challenge, of huntsman and huntress, of spear and arrow... Unbound by time and power beyond measure, hear our plea! We beg of you, appear to grace us with your presence!"
Again, Dove would repeat himself again and again, letting the others catch onto the words, and only after the sixth repetition would he speak again. By that point Bakan could feel power stirring, a soft hum in the air that left the hair on the back of his neck standing on end and a nervous stone sunk into the pit of his stomach.
"Hear us o goddess! Hear us Sivicine! Hear us, and come! Hear us and appear! Hear us and grace us with your divine presence!" Dove called, his voice rising, and again he repeated it, this time again and again and again. The runes and lines on the floor, including those directly below them, began to glow softly, and a moment later the metal rings joined them, a contrast of varying colors as power began to filter into the circle. In mere moments it went from a dull hum to a deadly crackle that felt like stepping outside of his exact spot might see that power reduce him to cinders in a flash, but on Dove chanted, the volume of his voice rising with every repetition.
After several minutes the gathering power had reached truly terrifying levels, so much so that Bakan began to see the magic bleeding out across the cathedral. A wall warped as if made of rubber and being bent by gigantic hands. A window's images flickered and changed, becoming random and chaotic, showing scenes that felt like trying to comprehend them would drive him made. The stone floor bubbled and reddened. Smells assaulted him in every measure from wretched to lovely. The air temperature fluctuated wildly, from colder than he had ever felt to so hot that it might burn his skin if it lasted a moment longer than it did. One moment he felt empowered, as if he could move mountains, and the never he felt like he could barely remain standing. Emotion swirled through him, changing constantly like the ocean's currents. And still Dove chanted on, above the howling currents of hair and otherworldly shrieks and constant rising maddening thrum of raw power, though surely he and the other two men were suffering just as Bakan was. Rebecca was cowering at the edge of the circle, trapped where she huddled near one of the wooden pedestals.
An eternity passed in the span of a few minutes, and then finally, just as Bakan felt like the chaos enfolding around him would destroy them all or his voice would begin to crack, something happened. The power reached a crescendo, and an even greater power suddenly crashed into the center of the circle like a bolt of lightning and giant's stomp at the same time. The ground quaked, and a gale suddenly ripped around them that threatened to lift Bakan and send him hurtling into the wall hard enough to leave him shattered, but Dove chanted on, driving the rest of them to do the same, and then... A few more seconds of terrifying chaos later... All of that power coalesced in the center of the circle, and a woman took shape in brilliant glowing form.
For a few seconds she wavered, insubstantial, but Dove chanted on desperately as the storm ebbed, and a moment later all of it simply... Stopped. There was a crack, a flash like distant lightning, a final soft gust that washed across Bakan like summer's breath, and the woman standing before him looked as flesh and blood as any other he had seen.
Except that she was more beautiful than anyone Bakan had ever seen, and more terrifying than a rampaging dragon come down from the sky with deadly breath preceding it.
The former quality wasn't simply a physical one, and indeed transcended taste or emotion. Sivicine - for this could only be the goddess herself - embodied perfection itself like no one else Bakan had ever seen. Gazing at her was like seeing the sun rising over an emerald canopy from atop a high hill, Ashloriel coming out of the water, the mountains shrouded in crimson as the sun crept past them, crystal-like water as it descended through beams of starlight, and the sunset over the ocean all at once.... And a thousand things more. Physically she was flawless, symmetrical in every way and beyond compare. Creamy pale skin, sharp elven ears peaking out through silky auburn hair that practically seemed to glow as it cascaded down to the middle of her back. Sharp emerald eyes glowed softly beneath a slightly furrowed brow capped with copper, and her perfect flesh trailed all the way down a long, elegant neck, past her collar, to stop with just a hint of cleavage on display before her clothes covered the rest of her save for her hands. Despite her godly status, Sivicine seemed simply clad, a soft green long sleeved tunic covered around her torso by a red vest with copper buttons, a silver circlet set just above her brow, dark brown pants no different from those any hunter might wear at a glance, and simple doeskin slippers that protected her feet but allowed greater freedom of movement than traditional boots would. A bow was strung over her shoulder, and a quiver of completely normal looking arrows hung at her hip.
She was just over six feet tall, but like her physical appearance, her stature barely seemed to register, for as beautiful as the goddess was, she was also utterly terrifying. Bakan had born witness to powerful beings before. He had seen angels in battle, unleashing magics that could have leveled the cathedral like they were jabs in a sparring match against foes of near equivalent power. He had stood atop the ancient awakened god that had enslaved the alraune, felt its impossible malevolent potency beneath his feet like the beating heart of something that could never truly end, had witnessed a dragon's fury and a demon lord's malice, had even seen Matthias unleash a minuscule taste of his power that was normally kept so well contained that it didn't even register as much as a mortal sorcerer would and seen it annihilate anything set before it. Sivicine's mere presence dwarfed all of that, put together.
The goddess wasn't simply powerful, like an angel or a demon; Sivicine was beyond a force of nature. It was like looking at a hurricane, a tornado, or a tsunami. It was like seeing the concentration of a raging thunderstorm and standing next to that. Bakan's animal brain urged him to flee, to run, to hide, to do anything but try to speak to this terrifying presence that could destroy him truly and utterly simply by accident, and if how pale the others had become was any indication they were getting the same urges. As frightened as he obviously was, however, Dove was first to move. He dropped to a kneeling position, supplicating himself before Sivicine mere heartbeats after she had appeared, and the other two men forming the diamond around Sivicine quickly did the same, gazing at the ground rather than directly at her, though whether or not Bakan opted to do the same was up to him.
Sivicine herself took a moment after materializing to slowly sweep in a half circle using only rotations at her waist and neck, having started facing Dove but shifting to view first Dove's bodyguard and then Bakan. Paul she ignored, instead turning back to Dove, crossed her arms, and in a rich, melodious, powerful voice that echoed through the grand cathedral, demanded; "Who DARES drag me here? Who DARES command me, and demand my presence!?"
Dove, before Bakan could panic too heavily, quickly spoke up without shifting from his prostrate position; "Goddess of the hunt... Please... Forgive our trespass... It is not vanity of malice that drives us! We wished only to praise you, to offer our humble worship. One of us has crafted for you, a gift worthy of kings, though surely unworthy for one of your magnificence... And if you would entertain him, has a most humble request for you!" Once Dove fell silent, Sivicine snorted derisively, but her gaze immediately swung to Bakan and hung there a moment before reverting to Dove. "Very well...." She rounded toward him, rotating her body fully this time, "if you would make a request of me, mortal, have out with it... Once I have examined this gift of yours!"
When Rebecca began to tremble, Bakan decided to take her in his arms and hold her close. "It's okay... I can summon a shield strong enough to stop a shadow dragon. Nothing can hurt you here, Rebecca." he said to the transformed woman with him, petting her head to try and distract and calm her. The place was certainly grand, and Bakan could feel the tension in the air, but for some reason, the more intimidating the aura of the cathedral became, the more he was filled with the Determination to see this through. When it came time, and Bakan saw the angelforged steel with faeriegold ritualistic circle, Bakan half had already figured out what it was meant for, given the context of the trip here. Though, before Dove could even suggest it, Bakan was already on the task of giving Rebecca her distance. "Stay out of harm's way, okay? I promise, I'll do my best to restore you." he said with his usual smile, petting her one last time before hearing Dove's instructions. "Right, I suppose I'll leave it to you then." he replied, taking his place in the circle.
As Dove spoke, he mimicked the words, quietly and out of tune, trying to get used to the lines until he memorized it. After the third repeat, Bakan was on-point. "Hear us o goddess, mistress of the wilds.... Hear us o hunter, queen of the ancient wood... Hear us o legend, greatness incarnate! Our unworthy voices praise you, our every word inadequate, but still we beg upon you to grace us with your presence! Sivicine... Mistress of oak and acorn, of death and rebirth, of generations and legacies... Goddess of glories and challenge, of huntsman and huntress, of spear and arrow... Unbound by time and power beyond measure, hear our plea! We beg of you, appear to grace us with your presence!" Bakan even followed through with the continuation, mostly because no one told him not to.
"Hear us o goddess! Hear us Sivicine! Hear us, and come! Hear us and appear! Hear us and grace us with your divine presence!" Bakan mimicked. Though his voice sounded more nervous now. It wasn't because of how the power was making him feel in the room. It was mostly because the words that were spoken here sounded a little demanding. Wanting. Bakan had a very bad feeling Sivicine might take offense to such words. Still, Bakan had no way of doing this on his own, so he simply had to put trust in what was happening. Reality seemed to warp, and it filled Bakan with an odd sense of nostalgia. The way reality seemed to fluctuate, the hot and cold, the powerful and weak feelings, Bakan had experienced something like this before. A lone human, traveling across a dimensional portal, he had no idea the things he had seen through that portal. He wasn't even aware if he was still alive after he ran through it, or if his soul had departed from his body. So, Bakan stood in amazement, too lost in memory and the chant to actually account for the power he was witnessing in front of him. He had the same face as he did when he was but a child. Devoid of thought.
Even though his instincts ran wild, Bakan's face was a blank one, as if what was happening was something he couldn't even comprehend enough to take actions of fear. Then, his eyes became windows to what he was staring at, unblinking. Sivicine... In all her glory. He wondered why his father didn't have such an appearance, briefly. He wondered why there seemed to be such a difference between the two of them, the sheer difference in their aura. The fear that tried to well up in his heart told him that she might actually be stronger than him, but it was soon squashed by not his common sense, but his heart. 'No, my father is the strongest there is.' he told himself. He wouldn't let the powerful image of his father be tarnished just with this. He had too much respect for the one who wanted to see Bakan make him proud.
However, her voice soon snapped him out it. The two men were already kneeling, and when she started yelling, Bakan nervously looked to the two men and quickly kneeled as well, having not a single clue how to act in front of a goddess. Despite all the emotions trying to make him feel one way or another, the one that was ripping through him was anxiety. His heart was pounding about how he should face this woman, even when trying to kneel while also holding the golden bow so it didn't touch the ground, taking delicate care not to tarnish it. Though, when Sivicine swept her gaze around, Bakan's staring stopped when their eyes met. A newfound fear suddenly gripped him like never before, and it had something to do with what none of the other men were afraid of. His hands started shaking only now, and he cursed himself as he quickly realized what it was that was making him so scared of her. The fact that she was a goddess isn't what it was. Granted, her powerful entrance wasn't lost on him. However, it was when she stared at him with her beautiful, feminine eyes that her powerful presence finally hit him. Her feminine figure, her beauty... And her intimidating presence. It was simply because she was a woman, that he was so afraid, and Bakan cursed himself for his foolishness. However, he still couldn't stop trembling. Focusing, he steadied his hands as much as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was leave hand prints on the item. This had to reach her in perfect condition! It had to! The only problem was...
He really didn't want to get close to her.
He realized now, how close he was to completely messing this up, and for such a reason! Because he got captured, and... Bakan shook his head. They were talking, Dove and Sivicine. He had to use this small moment to calm down and focus. 'Focus, you fucking fool Bakan!' he demanded. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, and sought the mental aid of someone... Who he had not given up on yet. Someone who once again filled him with dreams of a future together, despite how logic told him it was impossible... And imagined Ashloriel embracing him from behind, comforting him. For some reason, the memory of so long ago brought tears down his eyes. As if there was a reason to be sad about this. He didn't know what that reason was, but still, some part of him wanted to cry so deeply about this. He briefly wondered why, before shaking his head. It must simply be the work of the magic about him.
Still, the phantom image of Ashloriel holding him did enough to calm him. His shaking stopped, and he could almost feel her warmth behind him as if it were real and not a construction of his mind to seek aid where there was none to be found. Yet even then, he didn't open his eyes. That phantom of Ashloriel was a dream, and opening his eyes to reality would cast her away. Just don't look at her.
On his knees, sitting on his heels, Bakan's head was tilted down as he quietly lifted the bow to Sivicine. "I know... For someone like you, you can have anything you could want... But, Lady Sivicine... It is my sincerest hope that you enjoy this gift. I did not want you to be angry for calling you, so I offered a piece of my soul to a poet, for a poem that specifically you would enjoy. Then, in your honor, I etched the poem onto this golden bow, and gave it the design of the elven forest hunters from my world, a different world from Donevrion... I only have two wishes of you... The first is that... You truly enjoy this gift." Bakan said honestly. At first, truth be told, it was just an attempt to get on Sivicine's good side. But as Bakan worked on it, he started pouring his heart and soul into it. All the designs, all the intricacy... It became his little treasure that he almost doesn't want to part with. So, it would certainly be a weight off of his heart if she does appreciate it. His hands were open as he held the bow like a stand. Leaving it a simple matter of Sivicine simply taking the bow from him.
Bakan: HP = 120/120, PP = 45/45, EP = 73/85, Status = Fine, Armor at 26/50 TP
NPC Stats
Samarta: HP = 54, PP = 67, EP = 67, Status = Fine, Pregnant
Inka: HP = 51, PP = 61, EP = 44, Status = Fine
Rebecca: A coon. A fluffy fluffy coon.
Orgrosh: HP = 97, PP = 49, EP = 72, Status = Fine
Sarah: Fine
Cory: Pregnant
Rhep: HP = 99 PP = 43 EP = 44, Status = Pregnant
Janne: Fine
"Hrmph..." Sivicine grunted wordlessly, and the one of the grunt might be interpreted in any number of ways. Derision? Thought? Was she impressed with his efforts? Who could say, as Sivicine's lovely face remained impassive as she strode across the circle and reached down to take the offered artifice, her own skin never touching Bakan's as she took it from his hands.
She examined it in her hands, taking her time in the process. She shifted it from one hand to the other, tested the silky string, though she didn't try for a full draw. She read the inscription written on it, tracing the delicate filigree with her finger. Several minutes passed as she examined his artifice, her expression still utterly impassive. Finally, she held it out in front of her and said; "This... Is a gift worthy of a queen indeed!" Her voice was light, lyrical, and filled with admiration, but then suddenly hardened as she added; "But I am BEYOND a queen! I am a GOD!"
Her eyes hardened briefly, but then grew light again almost immediately, and if Bakan were looking up at her face he would catch a smile that would rip the breath from his lungs briefly with its playful loveliness. The bow he had crafted seemed to melt into motes of multicolored light, and they winked out one by one until all of them were all gone. "Still... Such a work of art is... Not without its merits, and the effort is to be commended. It shall become one of my treasures. Are you the one who would request something of me, man who is angel raised and born of another place?"
It was obvious enough that she knew something of his origins beyond what he had just said himself then, but whether she was reading his mind or simply knew somehow, how could he possibly tell? She obviously wished him to voice his request either way, and Bakan was being given the opportunity that he had worked so hard for. He would just have to word his request as carefully as he desired.
When she announced that it was fit for a queen, and not a god, Bakan's heart sank, and all color vanished from his face. The feeling of failure sunk in, and left him hollow. The white of his wings vanished into a deep depressing blue as he actually began to cry. 'I'm so sorry, Rebecca... Even after everything, it's impossible to please a god, just as I thought.' Though, just as quickly, his blue wings turned red. 'I'll keep trying, Rebecca! I WILL find a way, even if it's not through this impossible goddess! Even if I have to sacrifice more, nothing will stand in the way of my promise!' he declared to himself, before his wings went back to white as it seemed Sivicine was debating the idea vocally. Then, she... Did she change her mind?
Shocked, Bakan had no idea how to actually react. After being considered a treasure unworthy of her, he was complimented? Was he being led on? Was it just a joke a god knew she could make because she can? What did it mean? Or was this actually his chance? Over all, it didn't matter. If Sivicine wished to take advantage of him, she had all the power in this situation to do so. But... To actually be complimented for something he worked so hard on and put his heart and soul into... Bakan blushed.
"Thank you... I... I'm sorry that it's not fit for someone like you... I didn't know how to make something for a god, so... I tried making a gift for 'Sivicine'... If that makes sense..." he replied awkwardly, before shaking his head slightly. He was mouthing off about nothing. He was defaulting to treating Sivicine like a person, because he didn't know how to treat a god. Was that wrong? He had no clue if Sivicine was someone who transcended that line of thought and was something else. But... When he tried to think of Sivicine as a god, he simply couldn't do anything. Move, talk, look around... Nothing. His mind went blank when he tried to comprehend what she really was and what it could mean as far as how he should treat her.
All he could do was continue, and then he heard her mention that he was angel raised. Bakan's eyes went wide, and he actually looked up in surprise. If Sivicine was observant at all she'd know that Bakan was shocked to the core that she knew of his origins, including the parts that he didn't mention. Silence followed, as he swallowed that revelation down. He wondered if he even had any secrets to her, if she knew that. If so... Then he shuddered at the thought of her possibly knowing the effect she was having other than her godly presence. It was so hard to act, for too many reasons to count. If it was just her godly force, he could swallow down the disturbances he felt and deal with it, but she was getting to him in ways he hoped she didn't know. Or if she did know, he hoped she didn't care enough to toy with someone with such a weakness. He banked on both conditions being true. Naturally they'd be true. He was only being paranoid for thinking otherwise. All thanks to that brutal treatment from the alraunes...
"Yes..." he managed a reply, after a great delay. "I... Met a Raccoon... Who could write and understand speech... I fed her and took care of her, when she first arrived. I felt sorry for the little thing, being so hungry... Then I learned that she wasn't what she seemed... Her name..." Should I reveal it? He wondered. I could just ask to have her returned, right? I don't have to do anything else. But... I seriously, truly want to know why such a sweet creature got such a horrible punishment. Why... Why!? He wanted to scream those words so badly. Why did you do this to her!? Being a god doesn't give you the right to hurt people! It's still an awful thing to do! His hand was clenched in a fist, filled with anger and confusion. He wanted to shout those words so badly, but he had to have restraint... His promise was due. 'Rebecca...'
Bakan put his legs together, and sat on his heels, before putting his hands together and locking his fingers around each other as if in prayer. "Rebecca Helvetios." he announced at last. "She's a good person... I don't know what she did, but, I beg of you... I will make you a better bow of you desire, but please... Please return her to her original form. But before you do... Is it possible to know... What made you turn her into a raccoon?" he inquired sheepishly. "If you don't want to answer, that's fine... I just... I just don't want to see such a nice girl being treated as a rodent any longer. I cannot stand it..."
Bakan couldn't tell. But, perhaps, if the fates willed it, one of his feathers might have turned gold. A bright and illuminate color to contrast the black abyss, but only a single, very tiny light in the pitch black dark.
Bakan: HP = 120/120, PP = 45/45, EP = 73/85, Status = Fine, Armor at 26/50 TP
NPC Stats
Samarta: HP = 54, PP = 67, EP = 67, Status = Fine, Pregnant
Inka: HP = 51, PP = 61, EP = 44, Status = Fine
Rebecca: A coon. A fluffy fluffy coon.
Orgrosh: HP = 97, PP = 49, EP = 72, Status = Fine
Sarah: Fine
Cory: Pregnant
Rhep: HP = 99 PP = 43 EP = 44, Status = Pregnant
Janne: Fine
Bakan's stunned silence drew an impatient frown from the greater daemon, her eyes narrowing slightly and her lips flickering downwards as he tried to process her insight into his history. Her arms folded over her chest, concealing what little cleavage was on display through her hunter's tunic, and the sight of that sour expression on her lovely face inspired a subconscious instinct to be rid of it.
When he finally did speak, however, Sivicine would quirk an eyebrow, take one glance towards Rebecca where she cowered on the edge of the platform, and her expression turned into an outright scowl that left pure, unadulterated terror thrumming through his heart even as he made his desperate plea and swallowed his anger. Her gaze drifted back to
Bakan as he raised his hands as if in prayer, revealing Rebecca's name and begging to have her original form returned, and asking if she would reveal why. That last question, even with his cop out offered, made her expression darken considerably, but still she did not interrupt.
Sivicine let his request hang in the air for a moment, her arms still crossed over her chest as she stared at him, not speaking a word or giving any reaction beyond the furrowing of her brow and thinning of her lips.
Then, in one smooth motion she launched forward a step, grasped the bow from her back which morphed in an emerald flash into a spear with one hand, and hurled it at speeds that no being Bakan had ever observed could hope to dodge. A streak of emerald lightning flew right at his face... And then over his shoulder. He couldn't turn his head fast enough to see, but he heard the thunderous crack, the sound of wet meat being pierced, and a pale little inhuman shriek, and when he turned his head Bakan saw that Rebecca was gone, and a chunk had been blasted off of the dais where she'd been standing.
Before he could summon any sort of reaction, however, the emerald streak returned, flashing back to her hand where she caught it and returned over her shoulder in one smooth motion. Dove, Paul, and the inquisitor bodyguard were all too shocked to move, not that they could have done anything. Indeed, before Bakan could offer much reaction Sivince stepped forward, grabbed him by the collar, and forcibly dragged him to the edge of the platform as if he were nothing but a sack of potatoes. "Watch!" She commanded sternly, and pointed towards a section of the ground midway between the platform and the door. What was left of Rebecca was there, little more than a mangled streak of gore, "The magic is still strong even after all this time... It shouldn't take long now, even after a blow like that. Watch."
Regardless of his ire or his revulsion, Bakan would be kept on his knees by her hand on his shoulder, and her words compelled him to obey regardless of how badly he might wish to take up his hammer and make some futile effort at vengeance. Indeed, however, it didn't seem to take long for something to start happening... Something ghastly and horrible but disgustingly fascinating. Rebecca seemed to be... Congealing back together. Chunks of blasted flesh, shards of shattered bone, and strips of blood matted fur oozed together into a horrific mass where the largest part of her remained, and over the course of a minute or so she simply... Reformed. Sickening noises echoed across the expansive chamber; crunches and splats and fleshy friction. And when the ghastly thing was complete Rebecca lay on the floor again, whole but still. She might have simply been sleeping.... And another minute or so after that, she woke up, slowly raising her head and looking back up at the dais.
Then she made to bolt, but Sivicine simply reached out a hand, and invisible force lifted her and dragged her back, leaving her hovering just beyond the edge of the platform. Bakna found himself released as the goddess spun, auburn hair sweeping about in an arc as she turned to walk several feet away only to turn again, back toward him. "A nice girl you say... A good person? What do you know of it, mortal? What do you know of ANYTHING?" She declared coldly, but then smiled, "I'll bet you're angry now, hrm? I'll bet you're thinking of trying to punish me for hurting your precious little Rebecca~" There was as much amusement as derision in her voice, but it was up to him which made him feel worse. Any attempt to speak or to rise would let Bakan realize that he was capable of neither, however, a full body paralysis that left him on his knees having overtaken him without him ever realizing it.
"As if you could.... But fret not, little mortal! I will grant your wish... But first, I will indulge your... Curiosity~ You see, this one has been like this much longer than you might have thought." She flicked her fingers, and Rebecca hovered closer until she was just above Sivicine's hand. The raccoon was seemingly not paralyzed and was flailing wildly, but didn't seem to be accomplishing much beyond amusing the cruel goddess, who swung her index finger in a circle and caused the floating raccoon to start spinning like a top. "Longer than the natural lifespan of such a creature, certainly... Longer too than a human's life. By far. You see, she cannot die... Not permanently anyway, no so long as the magic that I worked on her holds. Every time she is killed, she will come back, pieced together as you saw no matter the cause. Something could eat her soul of course, then the magic would no longer have an anchor, but really... Who would care for the essence of a rodent?"
She stopped Rebecca's spinning, smiling. "Oh how many times... How many times my arrows claimed your life, and after that my hounds. Do you remember the games, little thing? How they frolicked as they competed to catch you fastest but keep you alive longest? We grew bored eventually, of course, and set you free... Your damage had already been done, and you could never offer any more in the form I left to you, so close to functional but never quite able... An eternity of penance as a helpless rodent for your sins. How many times were you eaten alive by some hungry predator? How many times did you starve or freeze or die of sickness? How many times were you skinned for one of those stupid hats? How many times did you throw yourself to your death or drown or let a forest fire catch you, or some other futile effort to end yourself? I am sure you can no longer count that high, after all these years... Mmm, I wonder how many litters of little raccoons you were made to bear, hrm? Even such simple creatures, still more deserving to exist than you ever were."
Sivicine trailed off, seemingly contemplating something, and then smiled again, the expression now cruel to match her apparent demeanor. "Do you still wonder... Why? Well... I'll tell you of her final sin, the one against me personally that earned her her punishment. One of my favored, a hunter of some renown at the time, caught her eye... She was quite beautiful back then you see. Creamy skin as fair as moonlight~ Auburn hair like mine, so silky a talented seamstress could have spun its clippings and none would have been able to tell it from true silk. And so open with that curvy little body of hers too~ But always smiling, always friendly, always kind to strangers! I wonder, did any ever see past? To the fetid poison that is your soul or the spiraling abyss that is your mind? There probably isn't much left of the latter.... Though if anyone could withstand centuries of that, it would have been you, wouldn't it?"
She looked from Rebecca to Bakan, grinning. "She seduced him... And when her foul deeds were done and he lost to me, I finally took penance for all of her countless sins. That is what you wanted to hear, yes? Why... Always asking why... I found her, and she could not escape me as she had others. But now you, a mortal man of such unusual circumstances, wishes that I should to lift my curse? Hahahahahahahaha.... Well, if it is what you truly desire~ So be it! But... You will have only yourself to blame..." She trailed off, grinning, and then snapped her fingers. Dust seemed to gather around her feet, swirling like it had been picked up by the wind, but instead of dull grey or brown it was a bright emerald and glowed with magic. It swirled 'round the goddess' in a slight vortex, forming a whirlwind that covered the platform in a jade glow. The spell soon transferred to Rebecca, and the floating raccoon let out another pained cry as the magic began to rush into her, forcing its way into her mouth even as the glowing motes of light expanded.
The transforming was nearly as grotesque as her sudden resurrection, and just as unpleasantly noise. Bone snapped and flesh tore only to knit itself back together and then be broke again. Limbs elongated, fur shrunk into flawless creamy skin, her head bent and cracked and both expanded and shrunk, and her every moment of it was filled with noises unrecognizable save for the notes of raw agony that made up the brunt of their substance. It took several minutes for Rebecca's transformation from raccoon to human to complete itself, and even when it was done she wasn't entirely human. A long, bushy tail, like the one she'd sported before but much bigger, stuck out of her back just above a perfectly formed, fleshy ass. Full but perky breasts rested on her chest, their peaks a deep rosy red, and an hourglass figure that was otherwise flat in all the right places completed the look. Her hair was auburn, much like Sivicine's but considerably shorter, and a pair of raccoon ears stuck out of the top of her head much like where the animal ears might be expected on a su-ku-ta or a kitsune. Her legs were long and perfect, and her fingers looked thin and dainty and delicate. She hovered for a moment before Sivince summarily released that particular bit of magic, letting her drop a foot or so to collapse in a heap on the floor at the goddess' feet.
"Hrmph... Still sporting a few reminders are we? Well, I could correct that... But I won't bother. You can keep them as a reminder of me~" She declared as she observed the transformed Rebecca, who was panting and shuddering on the floor, slowly curling inwards into the fetal position. She hadn't yet opened her eyes, but with one last look Sivicine seemed done with her, and looked back to Bakan, who found himself able to move and speak again as the goddess once more crossed her arms over her chest. "So... You have what you desired, do you not? She is returned to human form, or as close to human as reversing the original magic will allow now you know why she was put in such a state," Sivicine said, though there was an oddly playful note in her voice that grew to crescendo towards the end of her last sentence.
"I believe that that is sufficient, is it not?" Behind Sivicine, Dove had both of his hands on a couple of glyphs, and was looking up at Bakan as if seeking something, an answer... A signal perhaps. The nobleman was sweating, and Bakan could see a tremor in his touch against the floor, but he didn't blink as he stared at Bakan. Paul and the bodyguard were watching their master in similarly prostrate positions, ignored now by Sivicine as if none of the three were even present even though Dove had been the one to lead the summoning.
When she threw the spear, his wings were pitch black the moment the realization hit him. Numb to everything, numb to the world, while the powerful, painful realization sank in. When she grabbed him, he was almost limp. No, it wasn't desire for vengeance that fueled him, it was a direct flashback to that very, very dark day. He entered a very dark place, for a moment. The sheer shock of the tragedy, the cruelty, the malice. Bakan's eyes were pitch black and filled with nothing but judgement. As if his very eyes only showed the title of a murderer back at Sivicine. When she returned back to her normal shape, it didn't cause him to return. He remained that way, all the while she spoke, and all the while she tortured Rebecca. Even as she handled him simply, Bakan only stared directly at her. Standing. Waiting. Wanting. Wishing. For her to feel true pain. Malicious desires swirled, but didn't manifest. As if a total switch from his proactive self, it was half as if he was already trying to decide how he could manipulate the world around him to make Sivicine disappear.
"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity."
Bakan mouthed those words, whether or not Sivicine allowed them to flow was up to her. After her speech, her tales of Rebecca's evil deeds, and finally, her most daring question as to how he felt about what Sivicine said to him. So much was woven, but with no texture. A story of Rebecca that wasn't a story. Evil deeds without claims. Stealing of persons without their fate known. Bakan's black wings swirled as if they were a window showing a pitch black tornado swallowing the sun, the single golden feather left behind, overwhelmed and swallowed by the malicious void of his true character. Despite the emotion he showed on his wings, his thoughts were never clearer. Meticulous inner workings of the mind left forgotten to not allow the outer shell to realize the reality he stood in, for the sake of finding the one he abandoned. And yet this woman went on, and on and on. Bakan was a bit amused to find himself feeling her tale of suffering... Childish. Why she sounded so pitiful right now to him, perhaps it was this dark nature running through him, or perhaps that's how he truly felt. The man who spent so much and so long wanting, wishing to die from loss and guilt, trapped in a void knowing he had nothing, absolutely nothing. Nothing to love, nothing to hate, nothing to even think about other than that void of oblivion that became his life, other than trying to pretend the winged woman was anything other than obligation sent from a person he childishly wishes to pretend is any sort of father figure. A being that wouldn't care less if his soul was shattered into bits. The true thoughts of this man's mind. Who had nothing, but the void that was his heart.
To the others in the room, Bakan's posture, facial expression, and demeanor was so different that they would perhaps not be wrong to say he was a different person. Despite the torture of Rebecca, with this outward appearance, it didn't seem to affect him at all. The hate that was a facade. The attempt to love, to care. To pretend to even be anything like a human being. Standing, decaying, dead humanity.
"No." he replied simply, even his voice different, as if whatever corrupted him was perhaps literally eating his vocal chords and turning them into something else. "Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality. A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make herself felt as such to him who has done the wrong." he explained, in such a way that anyone who knew him would most certainly say that this was not Bakan. His words and their meaning were, frankly, that the lack of punctuation of Rebecca's sins made Bakan's sense of justice find her wanting. In addition, her vengeance on Rebecca was most certainly not going to undo any suffering Sivicine suffered, so rather than find her cruel, he found the punishment pointless as it was so clearly due to her own hatred, not due to any world's sense of justice. "Nebulous sins of antiquity found wanting of your retribution, a concocted integument or the judgement of a partisan?" Then, he asks her if she is trying to lie to him, or perhaps she is merely forcing her bias on him, based on her lack of punctuation. Then, he smiled. Perhaps a smile no one would ever be comfortable with, but a smile none the less from a hollow creature. "Never to suffer would never to have been blessed. Believe me,
You must be registered to see the links
" he finally stated. So many negative emotions swirled through him, that it was hard to tell which he was feeling. His face was one of madness, angry, distraught, afraid, and given up on life itself. Tears ran down his eyes as Sivicine's cruel act made him remember everything that was good in his life utterly butchered in front of his eyes. Still, there was a bit of kinship he felt, despite her wanting explanation. He understood, he truly did. Loss of any kind is painful...
Looking at Rebecca on the floor, Bakan began to remember himself. Seeing her helpless form on the floor, he tried to feel. Bringing back, that feeling of care. He wanted to care so much, even if it meant people with more power than him always taking it away. Even if it meant truly losing himself again, and finding himself in that torturous, familiar void. The black wings faded, and he returned to his normal self as he closed his eyes. How horrifying, he thought. A shock like that and it all just slips out. There's just no forgetting that nightmare, as some monster always appears to bring it back by creating more nightmares, taunting him with the fact that he's just going to lose it all again, shut out his memories, and trick himself into believing it's all going to be alright. Certainly, everything will be fine. Truly, happiness awaits him...
Who knows, Ashloriel might even return his feelings, right?
Bakan let out a sigh, his black wings slowly turning a somber gray, a depressing color. Tears still running down his face. "I'm sorry, Sivicine... I know what loss feels like." he apologized, his demeanor switching to a familiar one, as if a different personality had manifested. "I wish I truly had the power to undo all that's wrong with all of our lives, especially my own. I wish I could have my whole world back. I wish you could have your hunter back, but..." he shook his head, kneeling over Rebecca. "Even if I could hurt you... I wouldn't, not anymore. Even if you had killed Rebecca... I probably would have just died myself, from depression... And I'm sure you're feeling pain too... That's why... Even if you did this out of malice or selfishness..." he shook his head, cradling and supporting Rebecca in his arms.
"I don't hate you." he declared, before looking at her, tears still streaming down his face. "I wish I made you a better bow. One that might have made you happier. One that might have made it up to you for reliving these bad memories. I'm so sorry for doing this to you, Sivicine... Just, please grant my first wish as well. Please, enjoy yourself... Even if you became empty like me, you still have to try to find happiness, even if it's fake... Just pretending to feel... Is enough." he claimed, before looking down to Rebecca. "If she truly is evil, I will stop her, Lady Sivicine. I will avenge you for the suffering you endured." Bakan then nodded.
"That's enough." he declared. "I've bothered Lady Sivicine enough..." he finished, then fell silent.
Bakan: HP = 120/120, PP = 45/45, EP = 73/85, Status = Fine, Armor at 26/50 TP
NPC Stats
Samarta: HP = 54, PP = 67, EP = 67, Status = Fine, Pregnant
Inka: HP = 51, PP = 61, EP = 44, Status = Fine
Rebecca: A coon. A fluffy fluffy coon.
Orgrosh: HP = 97, PP = 49, EP = 72, Status = Fine
Sarah: Fine
Cory: Pregnant
Rhep: HP = 99 PP = 43 EP = 44, Status = Pregnant
Janne: Fine
Sivicine did not answer. His definitive refusal, delivered in his dark voice, didn't seem to bother her, nor did his suppositions, nor his thoughts, nor a single word that he said. She simply smiled cruelly, and waited. "Antiquity... You think that word has any meaning to me, little flicker?" She said, bemused. "Heheheh... Believe me, it is not my suffering I avenge~"
Whether or not he did believe the goddess, it did not matter. "I am sure that you do.... In the manner that a mortal can understand anyway," She replied noncommittally when he spoke of knowing suffering. Then she snorted, somewhat derisively, and made no further comment.
As he apologized, however, her expression softened, and that lovely smile was back again. "Do not concern yourself with it, mortal. We all do as we may," She said, and reached out and touched Bakan's face while Dove relaxed slightly.
And then, just like that, Sivicine simply vanished, a soft flutter of wind and a small whirlwind of autumn leaves in gold and russet the only sign of her presence. Them, and the woman lying unconscious on the floor, cradled in his arms and naked. Dove soon took care of the first problem, removing his cloak and draping it over Rebecca once he'd gotten to his feet and come over. "So.... That's that then," He said, scratching his head. He was covered in sweat and still breathing heavily, his armpits stained with it, but with the source of his nerves gone now it seemed that he might at least be able to relax.
"Thank you, Dove." Bakan declared to the man who helped with covering Rebecca. "You saw a side of me I'd like you to forget." he said promptly. "It's a part of me I'm not proud of, and one I'll probably never be able to remove. If you instead saw me as you see me now, I'd appreciate it. Greatly." he said with a sigh. He wished that it didn't come out during trying times, but like any facade, his withers under pressure. And that's the worst part, how it feels like it's eating at his core... Indeed, if only he could have his perfect world, where nothing was wrong. There'd be no need for that void to eat the negative emotions he feels. There'd be no need to fear 'that' happening again, whatever it was...
The nightmare with the red alraune still haunts him. And that's all he can remember it as, a hard to remember nightmare.
Thankfully, now he had a good note to list. Something he actually saved. A woman who apparently cannot die. No longer a rodent, now a woman... With a few extras. Hopefully that's fine... He hoped that when she next opened her eyes, she'd feel pleasant... To that end, Bakan held her close, and let his magics channel forth from his soul. Good intentions poured forth from him, healing magic that hoped to heal pain and any bones left unchecked from her forceful transformation back. He wished to wipe out all the suffering she endured, so that when she awoke, she'd feel only comfort, no pain.
"Do you think that no matter how horrible a person is, they can still be a good person, if they just try?" Bakan inquired, staring at Rebecca while not making it clear who he meant. "I honestly wish that's the case. Not that any amount of good can undo the wrong, but that someone can be forgiven, even if they're a total monster." He chuckled, waiting to her his answer, before lifting Rebecca as he stood up. "Could you get me that maid that assisted Ashloriel and I with the bath? She and I are both fans of knowledge, and I have an interesting story to tell her." Bakan requested, before leaving the room. He'd look over her, but he'd have to look over Cory as well. So, he'd keep them in the same room. Now that he was free, he could spend his time taking care of all the other things he had on his mind. Most importantly, his friends... And Orgrosh. Indeed.
The time was coming to inform her that he's not as human as she thinks he is. And what better way to communicate to an orc than through conflict? He nodded, that might work better than words.
Bakan took Rebecca to his and Cory's room, seeking to put Rebecca on the wealthy couch, so Cory can continue to have the bed. "I'll return this coat to you, once you bring me something for Rebecca to wear. Something comfortable, I'll pay for it if it's a problem." he announced, mostly looking at Paul with that last bit.
Once he was back in the room with Cory, he silently brought in Rebecca, and placed her on the couch in the most comfortable way he could manage. Standing over her, Bakan looked at her with a somber expression. Whether Cory was awake, willing, or wanting to hear him, Bakan spoke. "I met with a god. She tortured Rebecca while she could feel me wanting to tear her to pieces despite the difference between our power. Then she told me cryptic stories of how Rebecca was a horrible person her whole life, without revealing a single sin to me. In the end, I made up my promise to Rebecca, and now she is no longer a rodent. Did I cause the revival of a truly awful person? If so, am I right to think she has the right to try again at life to be a good person? Did I do the right thing?" he inquired, uncertain, but nontheless convicted to the path he's chosen. He wouldn't steer from doing what he thought was right, even if Sivicine was right.
Bakan: HP = 120/120, PP = 45/45, EP = 73/85, Status = Fine, Armor at 26/50 TP
NPC Stats
Samarta: HP = 54, PP = 67, EP = 67, Status = Fine, Pregnant
Inka: HP = 51, PP = 61, EP = 44, Status = Fine
Rebecca: Not a coon anymore.
Orgrosh: HP = 97, PP = 49, EP = 72, Status = Fine
Sarah: Fine
Cory: Pregnant
Rhep: HP = 99 PP = 43 EP = 44, Status = Pregnant
Janne: Fine
"Whatever you say... Lets worry about her now, yeah?" Dove replied, his voice distant and retaining a nervous spark as he continued directing his attention towards Rebecca. Though Bakan's healing magics would have no obviously apparent effect, and Rebecca would remain unconscious as he cradled her in his arms, she seemed to warm in his grasp somewhat and stopped shuddering.
"Of course," Dove would reply immediately, without hesitation and in a clearer voice as he stood with Bakan. "Sure, yeah... I'll appoint her to work directly under you. Paul, see that a room is prepared and that he has the help he asked for," Dove continued, and the butler nodded solemnly, his arms behind his back and a composed look about him. Whether Bakan refused the second room or not, the group would be able to troupe their way out and eventually split off, Dove and his bodyguard going one way, Paul going another, and Bakan returning to the room he'd been lent.
Cory was there, but when she saw what he was carrying she sighed, gathered herself up, and made to leave without saying anything, necessitating that Bakan ask her to stay if he wanted to speak to her. Bakan would get the maid he'd asked for, who would nod, bow, and depart to retrieve something for Rebecca to wear. She quickly returned with a gown, and said she had asked the master butler for the tailor so that something proper could be made for Rebecca in the meantime.
When he did speak, assuming he had asked Cory to stay rather than just let her leave him to care for Rebecca, she would sigh again from a seat near the window. "I wondered what that feeling was... So you summoned a god? Well, you must have spent all of that money and made a bargain with a faerie for something I guess. It's amazing to me that you went through all of that for someone you didn't know, and yet you didn't do jack shit to try and help Rhep and I after we ended up in Crolia." Cory's voice was icy cold, and she didn't look at him as she spoke, instead staring directly out the window with her arms and legs crossed. She sighed again, closing her eyes briefly, and when she opened them again she slowly said; "I'm sorry... I shouldn't have said that. It was cruel of me, and not true I'm sure. You must have had other things on your mind... You were still in that swamp. And then by the time you thought of it, we'd already left where that angel had left us."
She looked at Bakan then, frowning and leaving her limbs crossed, closing herself off. "How should I know?" She retorted simply, before continuing; "I wasn't there... And I have no idea who she was before whatever it was that happened to turn her into a raccoon... Happened. Then again... Why would a god care to tell you anything? I think if anyone's above justifying themselves, it's a god. They were probably looking to mess with you for laughs or something. It's what a demon would do.
"Regardless... It's not like you have a choice now, is it? She's human again... Or humanish anyway. Whether she deserves it or not, she's got her second chance at life. All we can try to do is make sure she ends up becoming a good person, whether or not she was one before... Does it even really matter?"
When Cory got up to leave, Cory would find Bakan summoning his wall of light right in front of the doorway as she made to leave in order to block her. "Stay in bed. Nobody asked you to leave. You, and our child, need all the rest you can get." he said firmly, his wings turning a dark shade of an angry red at her actions. If Cory wasn't in bed by the time he put Rebecca down, he'd be on his way to carry her back to the bed all the same. Though, when she issued her surprise how Bakan did so much for someone he didn't know and yet did nothing for her and Rhep, she found his wings seemed to almost completely give off the illusion of being on fire. "YOU LEFT!" he roared before she could say it. "When I asked him to bring you back when it was safe, he couldn't fucking find you! YOU LEFT! Of all the things you could do, you choose to risk going across the world with a child because you actually fucking thought I'd leave you there forever!? That I didn't have a plan to see you again!? You think all of that was on you, that only YOU had something to worry about, but you don't have the faintest fucking clue how little sleep I got because the thought of you dying in some place like the Pass of Ghosts was a constant nightmare in my mind! I thought of anything I could do, I wanted to try to meet you halfway, but then the fear of us missing each other crossed my mind. I was advised to wait in this city for you, but you have no Sivicine damned idea how much I didn't want to! Haunted every. Single. Fucking. Moment I didn't see you, and feared you were lost along the way! I suffered so much to the point of hysteria, and you actually fucking thought your kicking me in the balls was anything close to an idea of PUNISHMENT!?" he roared again, fuming.
"I wanted to protect you, and I had sent you to one of the safest fucking places in Donevrion! When you leave the protection I give you, tell me, WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!?" he roared a final time. "How can you have no idea how much I love you, how much I care about you, when I almost literally throw you across the entire world just to get you away from danger? Do I need to summon another god? Do I need to kill a god? Do I need to die? I'm at wits end with your hatred of me, Cory! Shall I tear out my heart and engrave your name on it so that my blood swirls only in your name!?" he inquired, the lunacy starting to get to him as his head felt light, and the black started to devour the fire. His self control losing itself in his anger. "Ha-ha-ha... I was willing to believe even a phantom of you was the real you, because I wanted to see you so badly... I nearly lost my soul to a demon who took advantage of that fact... And now it's like none of that even mattered. This is an eye opener, it truly is! Why, my brother would spit in my eyes if he saw me, wouldn't he, Cory!? After all, he'd know even better than you, what it's like to be abandoned by someone they care about! Hahaha! Do you think my mother and father felt the same way?" Bakan laughed again, a mad smile on his face as his wings swirled with black streaks of feathers. So easy it was for him to lose his mind. Though, he's had a lot of help lately.
Images of Selenia appeared in his mind, of when she warned him of going down a certain path. It wasn't just a bid for power, it was just the madness in general. And a bid for godlike power just so happened to be for reasons of madness that consumed him. He was quickly losing reasons to care though, the only thing remaining in his mind being Ashloriel. 'She might be the only one who will love me.' he thought in his mind, ignorantly.
