[center][img]http://i.imgur.com/xh8a8v7.png[/img][/center] The conversation over the campfire had stretched unaccountably into the night. "You realise that azibos don't lay eggs like hain, right?" Polia was frank as ever. Conata's mind was only half in it. She couldn't remember how they reached this topic. [colour=Orange]"Yeah,"[/colour] she admitted. [colour=Orange]"It just makes me wonder. Choukkud said I was dug out of a geode in the earth, that's like an egg, right?"[/colour] The dim night made Ruvac and Gio hard to see a distance away, skinning a goat. "Right, but you asked about your mother." Polia flourished her palm out. "I can't speak for how your kind works, Connie." Conata laughed. [colour=Orange]"I meant to ask whether my mother would look like a rovaick or a hain. Or a djinn, that's another possibility."[/colour] "I don't think djinn lay eggs either, Connie." [colour=Orange]"Gods, then!"[/colour] Conata spread her arms. [colour=Orange]"Let's just say my real mother is a god. Do gods lay eggs!?"[/colour] Polia angled her head down, peering up at Conata with a smile. [colour=Orange]"What?"[/colour] "Are you saying that your godly mother is like a hen?" Polia's face dropped. She lifted her head, sniffing at the air. [colour=Orange]"What? I didn't ask about that. I...what is it?"[/colour] Polia stood up. "We have to leave." [colour=Orange]"Why?"[/colour] There should have been more warning. The suddenness threw the situation into a dark pool of dread faster than Conata had time to panic. A wash of daylight illuminated the rocky night. Silent heat pushed down. An instant passed. The air roared into a white fire. Conata squinted her eyes against the intensity as it stripped ashen chunks from Polia's body and evaporated them like steam. Polia opened her mouth to scream. No sound. Polia's skull burnt into view. The last of her flesh boiled off until only an Azibo skeleton stood. Red streams wept from Polia's flaming, empty eye sockets. No sound came from Conata's mouth. She just burned. She smelled the roasted, charred remains in the air. A blue, flaming figure to her right floated down into view. Gio and Ruvac were but piles of steaming bones behind it. Conata itched and looked down. Her hand, bright Selenium, was melted off to a glowing stump. The side of her chest had opened in a smoking, empty cavity. She couldn't breathe with her lungs melted out. Her liquefied navel ran over the dirt. The realta reached out. It glowed brighter. [hr] A shuddering breath filled Conata's lungs. A blue tinge gradient faded to black in her eyesight; her arm in the moonlights, close to her face, hot magnesium. Her heart was a punching fist, nearly bruising the inside of her chest. She breathed in again and yelped, clutching her sore side. "It's okay, Connie," Polia's tired, yet still unburnt, voice grumbled out behind her. "You've had another bad dream. You're safe, okay?" [colour=Orange]"Huh?"[/colour] Conata's rational mind fought its way to sense. She propped herself up on one arm and rubbed her eyes, humiliated. Her magnesium skin clouded into aluminium. [colour=Orange]"I wasn't thrashing around again, was I?"[/colour] "You were. Look around you." Conata lifted her hand from her face. The movement sounded gritty [i]tinks[/i] at her sides. All around her bedroll were gathered lumps of metal. She sighed, cutting herself short to press her hand against the side of her chest again. [colour=Orange]"Ah! It still hurts,"[/colour] She hissed. [colour=Orange]"Damn it, Aeramen hit like no troll ever did."[/colour] Ruvac snored loudly. He was a heavy sleeper. Gio, however, stirred at their voices. "Is everything okay?" [colour=Orange]"Yeah, I just..."[/colour] Conata trailed off. She reached to grab the one lump of metal that hadn't moved in her sleep; the adamantine crystals. She stared into its reflective facets. Polia continued. "This is the third nightmare you've had since we left Blackhammer Crater. Do you want to talk about it?" [colour=Orange]"Not really."[/colour] Conata focussed on the crystal cluster in her hands. With some strain, she willed it into the air. The adamantine hadn't become any more compliant since the last time she tried. Still, she made the effort to move it around every now and then, especially when she needed to calm herself. "Well, tell us if you do, okay?" Polia rolled over to get more sleep. [hr] The following day had a certain tension to it. Gio, Polia, and Ruvac were, for once, not the slowest members of the group. Conata was forced to take intermittent breaks while the pain in her side passed. Granted, the strike against her side had not left a mark and Conata was never tired at the worst of times. She was merely injured. [colour=Orange]"Okay, I think I'm ready to keep going."[/colour] Conata pushed off from a large standing stone and walked ahead. The others followed. "Have you been hurt like this before, Conata?" Ruvac asked. [colour=Orange]"No,"[/colour] she answered immediately. [colour=Orange]"I mean...I've gotten hurt before, but never anything like this. Never anything-"[/colour] She winced, clutching her side as some mercury wended around her arm. [colour=Orange]"Never anything that stayed for more than a day."[/colour] The mercury likely swam more around the source of the pain itself. If it was, it remained obscured underneath Conata's new rough hide clothing. Polia never had much respect for avoiding problems. "We had better be more careful in future. If that djinni lord can hurt you, we might not be so lucky with the next danger that comes our way." Conata looked back at her. [colour=Orange]"What? We were fine. It's just a bruise."[/colour] "Connie, don't give me that overconfident crap." Polia crossed her arms. "We got real close back there at the crater." [colour=Orange]"Were you scared?"[/colour] Conata smirked. Polia frowned. There were few occasions where Polia would allow a slight to pass. This was one such occasion. "Yes," she said flatly. "I was. Everyone was. And I think you were, too." Conata laughed. The iridescence on her skin had flecks of some grey metal. [colour=Orange]"You need to stop worrying so much. Let's just keep going. Chances are, Aeramen was the most threatening thing for ages around."[/colour] Polia released a frustrated sigh. Gio and Ruvac exchanged looks. They silently hiked on. [hr] Another two weeks passed. Fortunately, Conata's injury faded to the point of dull aches. They were making better time again, up until now. A more precarious part of the mountains left the group with poor footing. There was no talking, likely because of the concentration they each had to put into their footfalls. It only brought the awkwardness of Conata's overconfidence to new heights. A misjudged pile of scree brought it down a step. [colour=Orange]"Woah-OAH!"[/colour] Everyone's attention snapped to the sliding gravel. Conata's foot sank and brought the rest of her selenium-skinned body down with her. No quick readjustment came in time as she struck the slope on her side, sliding. She slid to a stop on her front with her hands grasping at the gravel above. Her eyes bulged. "Damn it!" Ruvac cursed in fear. "Conata, are you okay?" Not a dangerous fall. Even without her metallic veneer, she would have suffered only a few grazes. Her friends still stepped down to help. Polia reached a hand under Conata's arm. Conata swiped it off. [colour=Orange]"Don't help me up!"[/colour] Fire stung in the words. Realising herself, Conata lowered her eyes and voice. [colour=Orange]"Don't...I can get up. I'm alright."[/colour] From belly to knee, from knee to feet, Conata stood up with her friends furrowing their brows. [colour=Orange]"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention,"[/colour] Conata said, rubbing her eye with her tin knuckle. "You're tired," Gio observed. "It's those nightmares, isn't it? You're still having them." Conata narrowed her red eyes. [colour=Orange]"I'm [i]fine,[/i] Gio. It was just a fall."[/colour] "It's been making you grumpy as well. Don't take it out on Gio." Polia crossed her arms. [colour=Orange]"Oh, just drop it and let's go!"[/colour] Conata stomped back up the slope. [colour=Orange]"If the last village wasn't lying, we're getting close to Shalanoir. We shouldn't waste time."[/colour] Polia glared at Conata's back. She released a breath. They followed as before. [hr] One day later, the group crested a rise and stopped. Ahead was a vast pool of lumpy green that cut the landscape between themselves and the towering northern Ironhearts further ahead. Orange stains on the canopy tops reflected the light of the setting sun, casting opposite pockets into black lightened by grey fog. Trees, they had seen. Forests, they had spotted. Here, they beheld a jungle. It was a milestone, to be sure. And yet, Conata's mood had darkened them all to silence. Where Conata would be the most ecstatic at such a new sight and a mark of progress, she instead looked down and kept walking, copper-faced. [colour=Orange]"Come on, it'll be dark soon. We should set up camp for the night,"[/colour] she mentioned passionlessly. They found a suitable area a short distance ahead. A relatively flat outcrop that levelled with the middle of the start of the treeline. Down here it was foggy and chokingly humid. And that was to mention nothing of the warmth. They set up quickly and didn't bother covering themselves with their blankets. Fortunately, they were just high enough to feel a gentle breeze over the stone. "We're going to sleep, Conata. Don't stay up too late, okay?" Polia called out. Conata had seated herself a few paces away, facing the jungle and staring down at the adamantine cluster in her hands. She responded with a barely acknowledging hum. She was concentrating. Conata's arms tensed. [colour=Orange]"Come [i]on,[/i]"[/colour] she quietly growled at the cluster. She pressed her iron lips together and breathed in slowly. Her chest tightened in effort. The cluster didn't budge at all. She let out her breath all at once. [colour=Orange]"Useless!"[/colour] She shouted, throwing the adamantine crystals to one side. She couldn't hide that from her friends. With her eyes closed and covered by one frustrated hand, Conata heard footsteps approach. She brushed her wiry hair away and looked up at the figure that the moons lit. Polia was standing over her with crossed arms. A broad frown defined her mood. "First the nightmares, then the clumsiness, now this. Is everything alright, Connie?" Polia's stern tone was having none of Conata's brushings-away this time. Conata's lips pressed together. Tin swam in veins across her skin. She turned her head to look at the adamantine crystals. They had chipped off some of the stone they landed in. [colour=Orange]"I'm fine, Polia."[/colour] She reached and palmed the cluster, straining herself to lift it with her powers. [colour=Orange]"It's just this stupid metal. I can't even raise it up in the air anymore."[/colour] Polia fidgeted. "Something's gotten into you, you know? You've not been the same since Blackhammer Crater. I think you should talk to us about it." [colour=Orange]"Polia, I said I'm fine!"[/colour] Conata spat. [colour=Orange]"We're all fine! The pain in my side went away."[/colour] "Conata, weren't you afraid? We were afraid." Dull iron flushed up Conata's body. Grasping the adamantine, she rushed to her feet and grabbed her bag of metals. She didn't so much as look at Polia. "Where are you going?" Polia glanced between Conata and Gio, confused. [colour=Orange]"I can't concentrate when you keep doubting me like this."[/colour] She answered. [colour=Orange]"Leave me alone, I want to practice with this adamantine until I get it right."[/colour] She strode away. "Connie! Hold on- wait!" Polia leapt into a trot in turn. "Hey!" She pointed, angry. "This isn't about you and your abilities, it's about being smart! We could have avoided that fight! We were so close to being dead! And you could have died, too." [colour=Orange]"Shut up!"[/colour] Conata spun to a stop on her heel. [colour=Orange]"You're just fearful! Gio, you knew we could take them on, right!?"[/colour] Looking small in his bedroll a distance away, Gio's mouth hung open. His eyes were wide from the sudden attention, though his voice remained gentle as always. "Conata, honestly, I was scared as well." He placed a hand on his chest. "I agree with Polia on this one, something has changed about you." Conata threw her head back and growled. She faced them with a look of pure disgust, wiry iron hair flaring. [colour=Orange]"If you two are all going to give up so easily, why are you even coming out this far!?"[/colour] "Stop pretending! You aren't invincible, Conata!" Polia shouted back. "You aren't fearless!" Ruvac was awake at this point. Polia's raised voice was not something he could sleep through. [colour=Orange]"Says who!?"[/colour] "Says the mess you were after the Blinding Purge!" They stopped, stern. The campfire hissed and exhaled a fistful of short-lived sparks. Polia jabbed her pointed finger towards Conata. "You saw one of those things. It would have killed you if Majus hadn't saved your life and you know it." Conata stared Polia down. The campfire wood made the air smell awful tonight. She didn't want to think about it. "We all know how you felt, because I was there, too. Everyone lost someone." Conata blinked. Polia's face was a charred skull behind her eyelids. She had to blink again to see that it was just pale moonlight. Polia took cautious steps forward. Her eyes were glistening. "And you saw it." Her voice faltered. "That thing that burnt everyone." She laid a hand on Conata's shoulder. Conata's breath quickened to hyperventilation. She needed to find space. She needed to run. Everything smelled awful. Polia's tone softened. "Look, just because-" [colour=Orange]"Leave me alone!"[/colour] Conata's words came out a shriek. She shoved Polia away. Polia stumbled and regained her footing. Gio stood to assist her. [colour=Orange]"I was not scared then, I am not scared now!"[/colour] In the face of Polia's look of shock, Conata spun and sprinted off into the dark. The smell of the campfire followed her. She ran as hard as she could with only her metals and her lump of adamantine. It was too warm tonight. The ashen smell was horrible. All the pale rocks looked like they had weeping red eye sockets, gazing at her. Judging her. They stank of the ash. Conata couldn't get her lungs full, no matter how much she breathed in. She couldn't concentrate on where she was going, only that she was going. The air was so thick. A minute later told her to stop and stand in place. She had to calm down. Staring into the dark distance saw nothing. Not even a trace of life. The adamantine cluster weighed her arm down. She looked at it. She willed it into the air. It didn't move. It was heavier than ever. She kept pushing against it. The smell and the heat pushed in on her. She kept pushing against the metal. Her fingers hurt with how tightly she was grasping the cluster. It didn't move. Her arms rusted and her shoulders hurt. She collapsed to her knees. She wished she could hug Choukkud and Wutni. Conata didn't even attempt to count how long it was before she decided to head back to camp. It was a long time. The moons weren't in the exact same place. The others were asleep again. Except for Ruvac, who was on watch. He glanced nervously at Conata on her arrival and didn't speak. Conata curled up in her bedroll. She tried her best to sleep. She was shedding tears before the night's end. Someone else's sobs interrupted her sleep during the night. Only for a few moments. [hr] Conata woke up to the morning light being brighter than usual. She had slept late. There were rustlings around her. She wondered why the others had not woken her up. Sucking in a breath through her nose, Conata wiped the sleep from her eyes and sat up. The others gave her a sad look. She looked back. They were standing, packed and ready to go. Their frowns did not speak of a good morning greeting whether it was coming or not. Conata went to grey selenium. [colour=Orange]"What's going on?"[/colour] They paused. Polia's eyes wandered to the ground. "We're heading home, Conata." Magnesium pitted all across Conata's body. The shock in her face hardly allowed any words at all. [colour=Orange]"...What?"[/colour] She breathed. "We just wanted to help you, Conata," Polia explained. "We wanted to see further than Rulanah. But ever since that djinni lord, you've been...angry. You pushed me..." With Polia trailing off, Gio continued. "We spoke last night while you were away. We...concluded that we couldn't help you without risking our lives. If we walk into something like Aeramen again, we would die. You might die. And you're not listening to us, so we are leaving." [colour=Orange]"But...you can't just..."[/colour] Conata's pittings gave way to flecks of yellow rust. Her mouth hung open with nothing else that she could think to say. "Are you going to come home with us, Conata?" Ruvac asked. He was just as grave as Gio and Polia. Conata's fingers curled tighter around her blanket. The rust hardened to dark grey iron. She cast her eyes down to the smouldering campfire and pursed her lips. The others looked expectantly at her. [colour=Orange]"...Just leave,"[/colour] Conata hissed. Ruvac looked to Gio, who looked to Polia, who was looking sadly at Conata. She turned, Gio turned, and then Ruvac turned. With shuffling steps, they quietly made their way back up the rocks, back the way they came. Gio put his arm around Polia just as her posture broke down with an emotion lost to the distance between them and Conata. They disappeared over the crest. Conata clenched her jaw. Her eyes went to that belligerent lump of adamantine at her side. She had to keep going. She wouldn't give up like they did. [hider=Low point for the favourite waifu today. Sorry folks.] The post opens with a conversation between Conata and Polia. In a sudden turn of events, their talk is interrupted by a realta descending and killing them all. Conata wakes up because, of course, it's a nightmare. You think I would do that for real? It turns out that Conata has been having nightmares since she left Blackhammer crater. She's even had some pains in her side from where Aeramen hit her. Her azibo friends, Ruvac, Polia, and Gio are still really concerned about their brush with death. Over the course of the next few weeks, the injury heals, but Conata gets progressively grumpier as her nightmares reduce her sleep and increase her anxiety. Any attempt to bring up the issue is angrily rebuffed by Conata. The group eventually reaches the edge of the Shalanoir pass. At this point, there's less excitement in their eyes, as the azibos doubt Conata's emotional state. After losing her temper at her adamantine sample (that she has been able to control less and less during the journey) Conata shouts, drawing attention from Polia. Polia has had enough at this point and confronts Conata about her worries. She knows that Conata has unresolved issues from the blinding purge that have reemerged since her encounter with Aeramen. She doesn't back down when Conata tries to push her away. Conata gets flashbacks from Polia's descriptions and physically shoves her over. After the others get involved to help, Conata runs off, trying to get away from her panic attack. By the time Conata returns, night has fallen and her friends are settled in for the night. She goes to sleep without talking to them. They don't talk to her either. The next morning, Conata wakes up to her friends leaving. They say that they can't help her anymore with how she's acting and they're heading back home to Rulanah. Conata, in one more act of defiance, does not ask them to stay. They leave, Polia breaking down into tears right before they head out of sight. Conata remains stoic, for better or worse. So, what's going on, you might ask? Well...that's kind of a spoiler. Suffice it to say that there are some issues with trauma and developing emotional intelligence in Conata that will continue to pan out in this little arc. Deep down, she's not doing too well. This entire post was basically a showcase for that, apart from the plot point of her friends leaving. Things might get better though. We'll see in the next episode. [i]No might used.[/i] [/hider] [hider=Now if that was a bit of a downer...] ...Have some Corgi gifs to cheer you up: [img]https://media.giphy.com/media/7NUdxH6uzeI1i/giphy.gif[/img] [img]https://media.giphy.com/media/nPex3wgce2Q3C/giphy.gif[/img] [img]https://media.giphy.com/media/WFCSAjmBBeeqY/giphy.gif[/img] [img]https://media.giphy.com/media/bWS1Vh9mVkcZq/giphy.gif[/img] Man, aren't corgis just so superior to all other breeds? [/hider]