[center][h1][b]Collab between Pezz and Skycera[/b] [color=mediumpurple]Nia[/color] [color=00aeef]Chres[/color][/h1][/center] [hr] [hider]In the dimly lit corridors of Lord Ru'Tev's manor, an unsettling hush settled over the air. Shadows clung to the tapestries, and the crystal jade candles cast an eerie glow on the faces of those who gathered in clandestine corners. In a corner, a group gathered around a warped-looking map of the manor, hastily drawn on tattered parchment. Fingers traced unseen paths and strategic points, marking the locations of the unsuspecting in the guest wing. Plans were whispered in hurried tones by the people in servants' clothes, ensuring every member knew their role in this attack. Nods were exchanged and in a flash, the group dispersed. The once serene hallways erupted into a frenzy as servants, veiled in the guise of deference, darted in disparate directions, transforming the manor's corridors into a kaleidoscope of chaotic motion. * Nia sat upon a high back. cushioned chair within an extravagant library. The blindfold was once against pushed up her head as she flicked through the pages in a book. She couldn’t read well. No, Nia had never been given a proper education. Instead she admired the intricate illustrations decorating the occasional page. She felt awkward, out of place even, wearing pilfered clothing far more lavish than anything she had worn before. Adorned in a soft gray tunic, dark pants and boots of fine quality leather, she could almost pass for a noble lady. Indeed the outfit, she had been told, once belonged to one of Lord Ru’Tev’s distant nieces. She had just finished browsing the book and was midway to returning it to the shelf when the door barged open and a crew member garbed in the attire of a servant barged in. “You!” he barked, waving her over “You’re needed. New orders” She paused for a moment, a wave of icy anticipation coursing through her. If she was being called upon that could only mean she was expected to use her abilities. She pulled down the blindfold and scooped up her falchion, sheathing it at her hip as she crossed the room. [color=mediumpurple]“Where?” She asked, trying to disguise the nerves in her own voice.[/color] “You’re with me” came the reply. “We have one loose in the halls. We’re moving into position to intercept in case the first group fails.” Her only response was a stiff nod as she fell into step at his side. Together, the pair strode through the halls, Nia almost having to jog to keep up with the other Crazed. After only a couple of minutes they heard a commotion ahead. The pair upped their pace, rounding a corner in time to see an unfamiliar man facing off against another of their crew. * Chres cursed, pushing himself off the ground, and rolling into an empty room off to the side. The beast charged passed. Its image blurred, dancing in swirling blaze, as if it were flame itself. It didn't, however, turn into the room. Okay, so at the very least this magic wasn’t precise. And at best, the creatures “didn’t think for themselves. Senses! Why wasn’t his magic working? He could sense his energy stores. He could touch it even! It just resisted. It just… Chres felt a trickle of power flow into his hand. So, he could still use magic. Something was just interfering. There was a loud crash. A stony clawed beast burst through the wall bordering the room Chres was in and the hallway. Having completed its job, the beast collapsed into a pile of liquid. “Knock, knock” said the Craze. A trickle of power. Not enough to shape or weave. Not enough to do anything really intricate. But, if Compressed… A Pea sized ball of energy formed between Chres’s thumb and forefinger of his free hand. It’s glow, a dull red. With a flick of his wrist, he flung it into the man’s face. It exploded in a burst of tiny energy. The man’s head flinched backwards. He stumbled a bit. It wasn’t enough to knock him out, but it had to have felt like a back hand slap. Chres took advantage of the moment of weakness. He dove in, grabbed the man by the throat, slammed him against the wall and finished him off by stabbing him in the heart. He made sure to twist the knife just to make sure. He pulled out the knife, letting the attacker collapse to the floor. Chres looked to his left. Two more had arrived. A man and woman. “What are you standing around for?” The man said to the girl. “Kill him!” He made to push her forward. * Nia stumbled a little as she was pushed. Blindfolded as she was, the detail was indistinct but she could see the man before her wrench a knife from one of her former companions. She disliked fighting but she felt as though if he wasn’t stopped this man would kill her and any other like her. ‘Click, click click’ the sound she emitted would be beyond the hearing of anyone else but it refreshed the view before her, bouncing back to her strangely shaped ears. In the same moment she raised the falchion and drew upon the innate energy within herself targeting the man with hallucinations, her curse. The sound of whispers filled her ears, subtle and indistinct but noticeable. Trying to be so precise as she was would drain her sanity quickly. Without the blindfold it was likely the scene before her would already look vastly different to her eyes. [color=mediumpurple]“Drop the weapon and surrender”[/color] Nai ordered, trying to keep her voice as level as the sword held before her. If the man made a move for her she was prepared to shape his perception for an advantage. Or, at least she would try. She had never killed before and now adrenaline mixed with fear in her chest. Her heart pounded but she was determined to stand her ground. She would prove now she wasn’t a liability. * The hallway warped and shifted. [color=f26522]“Chres,”[/color] came a voice. A voice he knew too well. A woman with a full belly appeared before him. Her once beautiful face beaten to a pulp. Her womb bloodied by multiple stabs wounds. Sillensia. Chres’ wife. Her image glitched and distorted; Jumping from one place to the next. [color=f26522]“You killed our child Chres.”[/color] Chres’ eyes widened. How? He looked to the girl, her image shifted like the hall around him. This… this clearly wasn’t real, but how did she know about his wife? Chres’s brow furrowed. [color=00aeef]”Who are you?”[/color] He growled, his hand tensing on the knife. With a flicker, Sellinsia’s image jumped and reappeared to his left, just at the corners of his peripheral. [color=f26522]“Did you do it on purpose? Did you not want to be a father?”[/color] She continued. [color=f26522]“Would you rather I ripped it out?”[/color] Her hand plunged into her womb, ripping out a gasping fetus. It’s heart beating rapidly like the rhythmic pattering of raindrops on the rooftops. Chres took a step back, his resolve weakening. [color=00aeef]”No…”[/color] he whispered. [color=00aeef]”Stop…”[/color] [color=f26522]“Did you not want me? Did you not love me?”[/color] [color=00aeef]”That’s not how it happened!”[/color] He yelled at the blindfolded women [color=00aeef]”She abandoned me! She didn’t love me! IT WASN’T EVEN MINE!”[/color] [i]’No. You don’t understand.’[/i] His wife’s protests reverberated in his ears. What? What didn’t he understand?!?!?! “What are you standing around for!” Said the crazed who had grabbed Nia earlier “KILL HIM!” * Nia stood frozen as she heard the scene play out before her. The blindfold protected her from the sight itself but she heard everything in graphic detail. The pain in the man's voice cut her as real as any knife would and her morale wavered. She took a step forward silently begging the man to simply surrender. To drop his weapon so that this could end. The whispers in her ears, the cost of her ability grew, They echoed the other Crazed’s words over and over. “Kill him, kill him, kill him” She grit her teeth but even so her voice seemed higher than usual as she spoke once more. [color=mediumpurple]“Drop the weapon and I’ll end it. Please! Don’t make me do this to you!”[/color] * Another Sillensia appeared to his right. [color=f26522]“ME?!?! I abandoned you???”[/color] A third appeared [color=f26522]“YOU!”[/color] They screamed in unison. [color=f26522]“YOU KILLED ME!”[/color] Chres took another step back. [color=00aeef]”I-I didn’t want… I didn’t mean…”[/color] “Have you gone fully crazed?! He’s a Normie. Kill him, you fool! KILL HIM!” They man yelled. * Nia drew back the falchion and prepared to strike at Chres. However, even indistinct as it was to her, the expression on his face and the voices she could hear caused her to pause. She could almost hear Milaine’s voice in her head [color=slategray]”You might be more of a liability than an asset”[/color] She wasn’t a liability! She wasn’t! She... Nia lowered the sword defeated, already dreading her aunt's disappointed tone. If she found out what Nia had done then she would surely be furious. She was always told how useless she was and now the words rang true. The growing negativity caused her concentration on the magic to waver then slip. The words in her ears became laughter and jeers, mocking her for her failings. She fell to her knees clutching her head. [color=mediumpurple]“I’m sorry!”[/color] she moaned, repeating it over and over [color=mediumpurple]“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”[/color] * Chres collapsed to one knee; hand to his head. A bead of sweat dripped from his forehead. His breath came out labored. The voices had finally quieted. The room had turned normal once again. [color=00aeef]”I-it wasn’t like that…”[/color] He whispered to himself. [color=00aeef]”It wasn’t… Sense, please! Just tell me it wasn’t…”[/color] [color=a2d39c][i]Chres! Chres, what’s wrong?[/i][/color] Sil said through their link. The other Crazed gave Nia a flat stare. “Sorry? Scratch out my eyes girl! You showed mercy to a Normie! A Normie who just killed one of our own, aaaaand… you’re sorry…” with a shake of the head, he tsked and pulled out a blade. “Save your apologies for the others… I’ll kill the Normie.” The Crazed drew a few steps towards Chres. [color=00aeef]”It wasn’t… I wasn’t”[/color] [color=a2d39c][i]Chres! Answer me![/i][/color] [color=00aeef]”I… I…”[/color] His vision began to focus. The man was a foot away from him. Blade thrusting downwards. Chres’ eyes widened. No. Not yet. He kicked off with one foot, and rolled to the side. His grip on his knife tightened as he brought it down and skewered the man’s foot. The man fell with a scream, hands cradling his foot. His blade now abandoned on the ground, ripe for the picking. Chres swooped it up and brought the flat side of the blade down on the man’s head. He collapsed unmoving but still breathing. Withdrawing the blade, Chres drew his gaze on the girl huddled before him. This girl… she knew Sillensia… She… She was the key! She had to be! Chres made sure to close the gap between the two of them least she try to attack his mind again. [color=00aeef]”You.”[/color] He said in a half growl, half whisper. He raised his blade to the girl’s head. [color=00aeef]”Start talking.”[/color] * The cold point of a blade brushing her face pulled Nia from her fugue state. She felt confused and disorientated but her body reacted instinctively to the apparent threat and she froze. Not daring to touch her blindfold, she fired off a series of echolocation clicks to map out the area before her. The impressionist view she received in return confirmed her fears. The other Crazed lay as an indistinct pile of the ground nearby and the unknown man, the enemy, now stood with a sword leveled at her. She ran through some possible responses. If she tried to attack or use her powers she would likely be dead before she rose to her feet. If she told him what he wanted, he’d probably kill her immediately or the others would likely kill her later for the betrayal. The only option was to delay and hope someone else would turn up in time to rescue her. [color=mediumpurple]“..Did you really kill her?”[/color] Nia asked at last, inclining her head a little to look up at him. She cursed herself, her voice was shaky. * Chres' eye twitched involuntarily in response to the question, a lingering effect of the accusatory words echoing in his mind from the illusion. [color=f26522][i]‘YOU! YOU KILLED ME!’[/i][/color] The declaration echoed sharply in his mind. The girl knew. She was toying with him. She had to be! His sword hand trembled, caught in a storm of fury and anguish that threatened to consume him. [color=00aeef]”Why d-”[/color] Chres’ voice faltered, the weight of suppressed pain rising to the surface, now impossible to ignore. The raw agony laid bare. [color=00aeef]”Why did she do it?”[/color] He whispered, the words a struggle to articulate. [color=00aeef]”Why? Why lie? … about us… about sneaking around with him behind my back… about… about…”[/color] Chres found himself almost unable to speak. [color=00aeef]”The baby’s true parentage?”[/color] The question hung heavily in the air. The depth of betrayal was too much for him to grapple with. [color=00aeef]”Why?”[/color] He whispered. [color=00aeef]”Why?”[/color] * The blindfold over her eyes face hid Nia’s surprise. She had been sure from Chres’ reaction that he had been about to plunge the sword right through her head. Now he simply seemed pained. She had to keep him talking, but saying the wrong thing here would lead to her death. Her isolated upbringing had keep her oblivious to the struggles of a romantic relationship but even she had overheard the occasional argument between the couples. Drawing on her limited knowledge she cautiously ventured [color=mediumpurple]“Maybe because you were always busy. She felt you didn’t love her anymore?”[/color] * This. This he knew, but the same could be said of Mercaido. He literally worked for the man and followed him around. That didn’t explain everything though. The gift she left him. A metal glass pendant with a custom made familiar in her image. And then the other identical pendant. The blank pendant… Sillensia was right. He didn’t understand. But maybe, through this girl, he could understand more. Chres could make out distant shouts behind him. The three attackers from before. Lowering his blade, he looked at the girl. [color=00aeef]”What’s your name, girl?”[/color] He asked. * Voices in the distance, she was almost safe. Nia slowly rose to her feet without taking her covered eyes off Chres. She kept her hands raised defensively in front of her body. [color=mediumpurple]“Nia”[/color] she replied cautiously. * Chres nodded. The sounds of the others were getting closer. Chres frowned. What was he to do with the girl? There were so many questions he wanted to ask. So many questions he had not the time for. “Over there! I heard him over there!” A shout came from down the hall. He didn’t trust the girl, not for a second. She had tried to kill him. Granted she was unable to follow through, but still… However, considering the situation, the girl’s knowledge could be useful in more ways than one. [color=00aeef]”Nia.”[/color] Chres repeated. Behind him, the man Chres knocked out, shifted and groaned. “What this? You two are on a first name basis?!” * She froze, eyes growing wide as she looked down at the prone man. [color=mediumpurple]“No!”[/color] she gasped, horrified. [color=mediumpurple]“No, no! That’s not… He just…”[/color] Her words were cut off abruptly. * “Traitor!” The man yelled, “WE HAVE A TRAITOR!” The accusations rang down the hall as the other three attackers turned the corner. Chres looked to the injured man, the attacker and back to Nia. He pursed his lips. Mind made up. [color=00aeef]”Well Nia,”[/color] He said, grabbing her hand. [color=00aeef]”seems like if you want to keep your head, then you better come with me.”[/color] And with that he took off at a run.[/hider]