[center][color=gold][h1]Journey & Forgiveness[/h1][/color] A collab between [@Lord Zee] and [@Enzayne].[/center] [hr] Washing off along the coast and seeking the heat of the prairie had been a desperate, time-sensitive affair. When Sanya finally entered the warmer lands that the sunlit and pleasant prairie offered, pockets of civilisation and bountiful game - life quickly returned to some semblance of normalcy. Eager to put the recent past behind her, she’d made a beeline towards her homelands in the Highlands. She made short stops at small villages or tribal settlements, trading what little remained of her equipment from her northern excursion for food or information, gleaning snippets of what had occured since last she passed by. Following the same trail as she had before, some villagers along the way even remembered the dark-haired stranger that stopped by last time. Those days she had slept under actual shelter. It took her over a full cycle of the moon at her pace to sight the highlands properly, another two days to climb the majestic hills and enter the heavily forested terrain that made up her homeland. She continued up cliffs and hills until she could spot the two massive mountaintops that signalled the start and end of the highland river respectively, and found herself somewhere between them - far from both the northerners and the vile eastern city. That was enough to orient herself, and Sanya moved with renewed purpose towards her old stomping grounds, the tribe she had taken over so long ago - even if they remembered neither her nor their heritage. She spent another full day watching a group of foragers as they noisily went about their business, following them as they trekked back to their village, and observing the local settlement from afar. When she was sure she hadn’t seen any weapons beyond basic hunting equipment, she slung [i]Sorrowsting[/i] over her back with a rudimentary sling and wandered back into civilisation. The villagers were suspicious of the sudden evening arrival, but unlike both the far north and much of the western Prairie, Sanya both understood and spoke their language, even if their dialect was atrocious to listen to. She could make her case as a traveller, returning from the prairie. As was the norm, she traded her stories of the land beyond for a meal and a roof over her head. At the next sunrise, the kind old couple that took her in pointed her in the direction of the next village over, and Sanya set on her way again. She sighted the next settlement before nightfall. A slightly more populous place, with a small palisade built out of sharpened poles no longer than a leg. Even in the evening, it was full of life, the people seeming at ease thanks to their ridiculously tiny barricade. Sanya effortlessly pushed between two poles to enter the village, and wandered up to the center, catching suspicious glances along the way. She made a concerted effort to not make eye-contact, and instead sought out the biggest cottage among the many. A few knocks and an explanation later, and the dark-haired lady was invited into what turned out to be the cottage of the village leader. He was a balding man beset with age to the point that the thick chain denoting his status seemed to be an active problem for him to carry. A young man, no older than fourteen, took Sanya’s pack and carried it inside. The old man showed her to a seat at his table, where another three people, a man and a woman, and a very young girl, had already started the procession that was a family dinner. The old man made introductions, but none of the names really stuck. The young boy could be Sabba, she thought, with a little more muscles and a stronger face. She repeated her journey to the gathered crowd, and so began the cycle of stories and food anew. That’s when something stood out. For the first time in over a month, something ripped her out of her normalcy. A sentence. Just a few words. [color=a187be]“I’m sorry, what was that?”[/color] Sanya asked, pausing in her free meal to stare down the adult man across the table. “Uh, well, it’s just a rumour. Avel tells a lot of tall tales,” he began. “But he came in this midday, talking about a raiding party out of Ristwick. Said they were carrying a type of person he ain’t never seen before. Dark skin, strange tattoos.” “Those folks out west are fairly tanned ain’t they?” his wife cut in. Sanya pushed up immediately, feeling the rush of dread and adrenaline push back into her system after weeks of lounging. [color=a187be]“Is he still here? ...Avel?”[/color] she quizzed with a building ferocity. “Uh, yeah, I think so. He holed up in the barn overnigh-” [color=a187be]“Thank you for your hospitality.”[/color] Sanya offered quickly and whipped around to leave the table. She collected her things - most importantly her weapon - and left the cottage to the brief, and surprised, protests of her hosts. Finding Avel wasn’t difficult. The barn was simple to find, and inside there were only animals, two men tending to them, and a lounging man idling in the hay. Sanya spoke the name aloud, and the idling man looked up, having the wherewithal to look worried when he looked upon the dark-haired traveller. Sanya knew - she felt it. [color=a187be]“This raiding party you spoke of. You said you saw something you’ve never seen before. Describe it to me.”[/color] Sanya barraged immediately, moving forward at a pace that made the man crawl back in his resting spot. The other two men worriedly stopped working. Avel hemmed and hawed for a few moments, before clearing his throat and offering his story. “Yeah, I was out checking on the nests down by the stream. On the far side there, them Ristwick folks were out and on the way home, I reckon. We pay ‘em off here, see, so they ain’t never come this way when they looking for folks. We produce ‘lotta food and Ristwick don’t.” [color=a187be]“Get to the point, Avel.”[/color] Sanya almost growled, and the two men in the back tinged her mind with their growing anxiety. Avel raised his hands. “Fair dues, lady. So, they got a small trail of folks, see. Captives, or what’cha want. One of them is well different. Real dark skin unlike anything I’ve seen, golden tattoos all over, and real pretty hair.” [color=a187be]“A woman?”[/color] “Uh, yes. Y’know of her?” Avel intoned quizzically. [color=a187be]“Tell me how to get to Ristwick.”[/color] Sanya pressed, frowning deeply at the man. He relented after a few moments and gave her basic directions on how to get to the stream, cross it, and follow their regular path up to the settlement. Before he could prod any more about who Sanya was, she left the barn, and the village, behind. The journey turned out to be longer than Sanya had estimated. By the time she reached the stream, the last bit of twilight was replaced with a moonlight starry sky and growing clouds in the distance. She stalked across the shallow stream with only minor difficulty, and then wasted what felt like an eternity looking for a beaten path in the dark. Finally, in a snaking path leading beyond a nearby hill, grass turned to gravel and dirt, and Sanya trailed it southwards in search of this new settlement. Ristwick turned out to be a mostly walled settlement nestled in a valley between two large forested hills, with torches lit to keep a watch during the night. Even from afar, the sounds of animals and shouting men gave Sanya all she needed to know. As Sanya approached, she started to feel a growing fear, panic, resentment, all radiating from the place like a flame drawing insects. The cover of night gave the dark-haired woman an uncontested approach, and she finally unslung [i]Sorrowsting[/i] as she moved up against the wall. This close to the village, the stream of fear, anguish and rage was overpowering, clawing at her mind like an overdose of Evening Bells. She felt her face contort with emotions that were not her own. Soon it wouldn’t matter, she wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Sanya swung around to an entrance in the tall palisade, and found it guarded by a single man with no real interest in watching the land beyond. When he turned to look inwards, Sanya stalked around the corner and into the settlement. She slunk behind a kennel full of nasty critters, the source of all the noise, and moved behind a smaller house to try to get a vantage point from inside. Not that many men active, most of them huddled in the centre of town, full of revelry. When she saw the opportunity, Sanya followed the stinging sensation in her head straight to a large building not unlike the barn in the last village. A single man guarded the tent-like curtain hanging like a sheet over the entrance, and Sanya quickly stalked forwards to bring [i]Sorrowsting[/i]’s handle over his throat, simultaneously dragging him backwards into the shadows and choking him out. She dragged him out of sight - presuming she’d have at least a little while before anyone came looking. With the guard out of the way, Sanya entered the one building that seemed to radiate agony beyond all reason. What she saw disgusted her. Crude cages of people in various states of dress. Slaves to be sold or discarded. No matter how many thousands of years passed, the rot of humanity came right back to the forefront. Sanya stepped forwards, walking amongst the cages to stare inside. Nothing. Highlanders. They cringed away from her on approach, no doubt assuming she was a slaver like the others. She re-checked the cages in desperation, but there was no one matching the rumours. Sanya sighed, about to sling her weapon once more when a creak from above stopped her in her tracks. She looked around, catching sight of the small staircase in the dark. With nowhere to go but up, Sanya ascended the wooden stairs to move onwards. A single burning candle on a table, and a lone man sat eating a late meal with nothing but a knife, his eyes on something beyond Sanya’s view. She stalked up the stairs gingerly, almost entirely upstairs when the floorboards gave way to her weight ever so slightly and released an ominous creak. The man spun around swiftly in confusion, and Sanya swept [i]Sorrowsting[/i]’s handle at him hard, cracking him over the temple with the black hilt and sending him sprawling to the ground with a thud. Sanya moved across the room, and her heart stopped and pounded heavily at the same time as she laid eyes on her quarry at last. A dark-skinned shape sat in a small room of her own, gagged, blindfolded and tied up tight with rope. Even now the golden tattoos made it impossible to mistake her for anyone else. Sanya rushed across the room, settling herself down before the captive woman. She wore a rugged brown shirt and grey pants that were ripped. A moment of digging in her pack later, she brandished a small knife. The woman flinched reactively. After a quick cut to split the gag apart and take the blindfold off, Sanya set to the task of simply cutting her free. [color=a187be]“Lucia,”[/color] she breathed. [color=a187be]“When I heard the words, I couldn’t believe it was real.”[/color] A small smile broke out across Lucia's face. [Color=tan]"Sanya…? Sanya! Hey, this is a surprise! What brings you here?"[/color] she asked, almost too happily. Sanya seemed stunned by the reaction, enough to force a pause in cutting the woman loose. [color=a187be]“I’m-... I heard of the raid. The townsfolk said they saw a-.. Saw you,”[/color] she breathed out with a murmur, trying to redouble her efforts to finally cut Lucia loose. [color=a187be]“I came to find you.”[/color] There was a last hesitant pause, still thrown off by her chipper attitude, but eventually the dark-haired woman managed to ask; [color=a187be]“Did they hurt you?”[/color] Lucia rubbed her wrists as she looked at Sanya again. [Color=tan]"Yes and no. Not physically but well… I hate to see what they do to others, Sanya. They're no better than trolls."[/color] she spat. Her tattoos shimmered with anger as they constricted and expanded. She then sighed, she looked tired but a small smile remained. [Color=tan]"I'm glad to see you, old friend. And come to my rescue no doubt!"[/color] Sanya nodded grimly, caught in distant thought for a moment. [color=a187be]“...Guilty as charged. I was in a bad place-.. I thought the worst,”[/color] she replied with a sigh, standing up and offering a hand to pull Lucia up off the floor. [color=a187be]“After all this time, I never considered you’d be captured by raiders.”[/color] Lucia gave a look of concern to Sanya as she took her hand and got up. She then sighed again, her tattoos shrinking in embarrassment. [Color=tan]"Well you see… I had the bright idea that if I got captured I could help the people below. Then they took me up here and I was going to wait until they brought their leader to me. Or me to the leader."[/color] she then stood a little straighter. [Color=tan]"I could have escaped at any time I'll have you know."[/color] she smirked. Sanya didn’t look as pleased at that notion, but managed a grunt at the very least. [color=a187be]“So you,”[/color] she began, moving a hand to rub at the bridge of her nose. [color=a187be]“You chose to sit here blindfolded and tied up. Of course. How foolish of me to intervene.”[/color] Her voice was borne out of deadpan frustration, the stir of negative emotions from below still visibly playing havoc with her. [color=a187be]“Whatever would you want to meet their leader for? He’ll be no more of a man than the others.”[/color] [Color=tan]"Well to kill him of course, maybe find out why he's doing what he's doing. I don't know. Other then the killing part."[/color] she said sadly. Lucia then set a hand on Sanya, healing her of any physical wounds and offering a reassuring touch. [Color=tan]"Thank you for rescuing me, Sanya. It's always good to see your face. Now come on, I can tell this place is messing with you."[/color] Lucia said, walking past her. Sanya stood quiet for a moment, managing a half-smile. [color=a187be]“There’s no good reason to do something like this,”[/color] she eventually offered in turn, whipping around as Lucia walked by her. She lifted her left leg slowly, testing and flexing it a few times before nodding with pleasant, if mellow surprise. [color=a187be]“People like this - they’ve given up their humanity for pleasure and profit. They play gods with other people’s lives.”[/color] Sanya simply trailed after the liberated Lucia, lifting [i]Sorrowsting[/i] to lean on her shoulder. Lucia looked back and said, [color=tan]"I know and it sickens me. Now, how do we get out of here? I'd like to free those people and heal them but that'll probably cause a scene. Think we can handle them all?"[/color] That coaxed a scoff out of her dark-haired rescuer, who gestured to the unconscious man sprawled on the floor and the staircase beyond. [color=a187be]“You tell me. I’m not about to let these people stay in cages,”[/color] Sanya offered back, rubbing at her face with a sharp sigh to follow. [color=a187be]“I visited a village to the west. If we get out, we can go there. If you’re worried, we could rally a revolt. Fighting and dying is better than being sold.”[/color] [color=tan]”I just don’t want them to befall further injury, they’ve been through enough. I say, we take out all the men first then free them. Sound like a plan?”[/color] Lucia asked. [color=a187be]“Fine.”[/color] Sanya replied with light resignation. Lucia nodded before leading the way downstairs. A band of solar energy flares up in her hand before she uses it to tie her hair up into a ponytail. Then from her hand erupted a short sword of condensed solar energy. She whispered, [Color=tan]"It's night out but it'll have to do for now."[/color] Sanya pressed down the stairs after Lucia, watching the cowed captives huddle in cages around them as the bright weapon illuminated the barn with a soft glow. She lowered [i]Sorrowsting[/i] to grip it with both hands. [color=a187be]“With any luck, your tricks of light will make them think we’re witches of phenomenal power.”[/color] she replied, not quite with the same caution. As the sounds of revelry and talking penetrated the curtain from outside, however, she grew quiet. Lucia peaked through the a hole in the wall to see the revelry in full. She gritted her teeth as she spun around and walked over to the curtained door. [Color=tan]"Tricks! I'll show them tricks."[/color] she then paused before it and looked at Sanya again. [Color=tan]"You ready?"[/color] she asked, staring into her eyes. Sanya stared back at her grimly, her grip on her black spear visibly tightening. A quiet nod followed soon after. Lucia nodded, turning to the curtain again. She pushed it aside, the glow of her weapon its own source of light in the dark, drawing attention to the two like bees to honey. As the men shouted and scrambled for their weapons Lucia focused and spoke in a melodic fashion as she outstretched her freehand. [center][Color=tan]"Grow a fire in my hand, Let it burn oh so bright, Make the world explode where it lands, Shining as bright as my Mother's Light!"[/color][/center] And from Lucia's hand a flame grew to the size of her head, rippling with power and illumination. When the verse was completed, she reeled her arm back and lobbed it at the group of men. It hit one directly and exploded into a torrent of flame, consuming three more in the flame and licking two more. The blast also knocked most over and blinded those that remained standing. The world then erupted around them as people and animals went into a frenzy of screams, shouts and guttural noises. Lucia then charged forth into the fray, not wanting to let the moment of chaos go to waste. Sanya was right behind her, features locked into a grim and aggressive frown brought on by both her own emotion and that of the captives - and now, their captors. Having scouted past the animal kennel housing a great deal of the now anxious and angry animals previously, the dark-haired woman sprang sideways to cut off any attempt from the blinded slavers to reach their contained beasts. [i]Sorrowsting[/i] gave of an ominous vibration in her charge, and the first man within range, still partially blinded by Lucia’s flames, became a victim to its divine edge without Sanya doing more than shifting the handle in his direction. So the battle began on two fronts. Lucia cut down a man with her sword, as the smell of burning flesh began to permeate the area. She felled another man in quick succession but as she brought her sword down for the killing blow on another she stopped, her eyes going wide as she looked up into the sky with a look of surprise. [Color=tan]"M-Mother…?"[/color] she said, star struck. It was then the man who she was going to attack saw through the blindness and pulled a dagger on Lucia. Her tattoos came alive to protect her, wrapping around the man's neck and burning him with a fraction of the sun's heat. He struggled in vain before going limp. The tattoos melded back to Lucia's skin before she could even react to what had occurred. [color=a187be]“Pay attention, Lucia!”[/color] Sanya called from across their little battlefield, fending off a blunt club with the handle of her spear. Another quick slash of the weapon later, and the club-wielding man fell to the ground, clutching at his shoulder in agony. The dark-haired warrior made her way towards Lucia as the remaining men in their little circle seemed to pick up on her daze. Save for one, who came rushing at Sanya instead, stopping her in her tracks and putting her on the defense as she was forced to parry a crooked saber. Lucia seemed to hear Sanya, for she whipped her sword around and met a bronze dirk that dented the blade from her heat. The man crumpled as her tattoos took his legs out from under him. Lucia then delivered the killing blow through the man's heart. She then looked up at the sky again, tears staining her face. [Color=tan]"This is what humankind has become! Slavers and murderers!"[/color] she said meeting another man's sword. [Color=tan]"I'm sorry you have to see this but this is reality."[/color] she cried out, her tattoos wrapping around the man's sword arm. He screamed out in pain as his sword dropped. Lucia then stabbed him in the chest and screamed herself. [Color=tan]"This is who I've become! Who I was forced to be to protect those that can't protect themselves! You have to understand mother!"[/color] Sanya swung to the side as the saber came bearing down towards her, then quickly retaliated with a harsh smack against the man’s face with the hilt of her spear, sending him careening backwards with a pained grunt. He crawled, dazed on the ground, but Sanya didn’t let up, swiveling [i]Sorrowsting[/i] in her hands and sinking it into his chest. She awarded Lucia a short and confused peer, before looking around the camp in the midst of their little settlement. Beyond the mad howling of the kennel, the battle seemed to be over. One man on the ground seemed to move and groan, but his burns made certain he’d stay down for now. A last challenger arrived from around the corner of the furthest house - the guard from the entrance. Short blade in hand, he took one long look at Sanya and Lucia, and the men sprawled on the ground around them, before lifting his hands apologetically, and simply turning around to vanish back around the corner as quickly as he’d appeared. With that, Sanya took a long breath and finally turned to look at Lucia properly, locked in her conflict with the stars. Her resolve giving in, Sanya found herself also glancing up at the sky. [color=tan]”Let me show you.”[/color] Lucia said, breathing heavily before running back to the barn structure. She pulled back the curtain and said aloud, [color=tan]”You see… I- We had to free them, mother. They would be slaves, those men could not be reasoned with. They see life as a useful tool and not the precious thing you taught me it was. I don’t relish killing, even those who deserve it.”[/color] Lucia then went silent for a long time, as children cried inside, adults trying to shush them. A golden light then descended from the heavens and blanketed the barn in an aura of warmth and life. As quickly as it came, it vanished without a trace. [color=tan]”Thank you.”[/color] Lucia said, turning back to Sanya with a sad smile. [color=tan]”Come on, let’s get these people free.”[/color] Sanya stood frozen, the brief proof of divine intervention enough to grip her with an instinctual terror she did not know she possessed. The presence of a god. It was majestic in its simplicity, and over before anyone was the wiser. She stared at the sky in awe and disbelief. Beyond the claims of naturalists and the priesthood of the wicked city, miracles were not something she had seen in millenia. Her last brush with a goddess still churned inside her. Shaking the thoughts away as Lucia patiently watched her, Sanya nodded at last and moved to assist. Her senses felt dull now, as though nothing mattered. With that tense distance she followed Lucia inside. They got to work, quickly freeing the captives. Though their physical wounds were healed, it wasn't hard to notice many sad eyes amongst the hopeful smiles. The two women worked in concert with an understanding that only comes with time; Sanya prying and breaking open the flimsy metal and wood cages with [i]Sorrowsting[/i] as both leverage and a brute force tool on the one hand, and Lucia cleaving through chains and ropes to free and talk to the prisoners with quick words of guidance on the other. The freed prisoners touched Lucia and heralded them both as saviors. Many of them asked questions of who had healed them, others were certain it was Lucia herself. When the last person was freed, and all waited outside for guidance, Lucia took Sanya's hand. [Color=tan]"She wishes to talk to you, Sanya."[/color] Sanya once again seemed to freeze up, watching Lucia with an anxiety that wasn’t entirely caused by the residual emotion in the area - even if it was no longer a storm of panic and fear - playing havoc with her mind. A thousand thoughts ran through her mind, each worse than the last. Was this the next act of divine punishment? The sun goddess had ignored her in the past, what had changed now? [color=a187be]”I-... are you sure?”[/color] she asked of Lucia, receiving a gentle nod back. The fear of abandonment, the terror of her punishment, all grew in the back of her mind. Yet she still nodded back to Lucia, hand in hand. A warm presence arrived somewhere in Sanya's mind followed by a gentle voice. [Color=gold]"Hello Sanya. It's nice to meet you, friend of my daughter. I will not delve through your memories, this I promise. I simply wanted to talk to you. Would you like to talk for a moment?"[/color] the voice asked. Gripped with brief indecision, Sanya kept her focus on and near Lucia, even as her thoughts made her distant in the present. She nodded unsurely, before being uncertain if gods could see a mortal nod from their divine seats, and croaked out an incoherent sentence. [color=a187be]”...Goddess.. I.. Alright.”[/color] The warmth played tricks with her, made her feel safe, even in her dull panic. [Color=gold]"Wonderful Sanya. It's been far too long since I've talked with a mortal and for that I apologize. When the gods left Galbar, most worked from their divine realms but I was forced to sleep. If you've ever tried to contact me during my absence then I am truly sorry, Sanya. How are you? Are you hurt? I saw the battle and even though I abhor violence and death… Your cause was true."[/color] the Goddess spoke, her words sounding completely genuine. The words made a certain bitterness well up within Sanya, though she offered no more thought to it than a revelation to reflect upon later, dominated by the divine presence that quelled the worst of her worries. [color=a187be]”Our ‘cause’ has been ongoing since the dawn of time,”[/color] she spoke with a bitter sadness. [color=a187be]”The injuries I’ve suffered will never heal. I-..”[/color] Sanya briefly glanced at Lucia. [color=a187be]”We have watched whole settlements, tribes and devotees rise and fall. There is always cruelty. We are doing what you will not.”[/color] Sanya paused then, at first awaiting a reply, then filled with a surge of panic that was decidedly her own. She remembered clearly what happened the last time she let her temper rule her conversation with a goddess. [color=a187be]”That is to say-.. I… I didn’t mean any offense, Goddess. I have seen and felt much suffering. I am compelled to act.”[/color] she added with considerably more humility to her tone. [Color=gold]"No offense was taken, Sanya. I have failed you, as I have failed Lucia and the rest of the world who needed my help."[/color] the Goddess said sadly. [Color=gold]"I am here now and I have seen things both cruel and kind. I will help those in need anyway I can. But first I ask you for forgiveness. I've let you suffer in silence, scared and alone. For that, I am truly sorry. Even if you cannot find it in your heart to forgive me, I wish to help you."[/color] the Goddess spoke with humbleness. Another pause, as Sanya let the words sink in properly. Millennia of self-taught hatred. She imagined all gods to be the same. Could she forgive someone who abandoned her? All of them? Had she ever forgiven anyone? She wasn’t sure. Humbled yet by the Goddess genuine words, she nevertheless made a mild concession. [color=a187be]”I will look ahead, instead of at the past,”[/color] Sanya threw another glance to Lucia’s look of encouragement. [color=a187be]”I will accept your aid. It would be foolish of me not to. I have made enough goddesses angry in my time. I wish to believe you are beyond such cruelty, Mother of the Sun, and that is why I accept.”[/color] she continued, but squeezed Lucia’s hand in a moment of internal doubt. [color=a187be]”I remember a time when your name was spoken with warmth and love borne of memory, not tradition. I want to believe you are still that Goddess.”[/color] Lucia said nothing but squeezed her hand in return, a small smile on her lips. Oraelia then spoke. [Color=gold]"Very well, I shall give it gladly."[/color] another beam of light shot down and held itself outside, illuminating the world beyond the curtain. [Color=gold]"Step outside and into the light Sanya."[/color] Her attention drawn immediately to the sudden beam of light and the surprised murmurs of people outside, Sanya hesitated for a few moments before nodding a last time and breaking away from Lucia to move towards the curtain. Despite her worry, the closer she came to the light, the more her determination took over, and the dark-haired woman dragged the curtain aside properly to step out into the small yard among the confused masses of rescuees staring in awe at the miracle before their eyes. She took a few preparing breaths, doing her best to still her nerves. Suddenly the battles against trolls and flesh-tearing monsters in her past didn’t seem quite so daunting. She looked at the gathered crowd a last time, and then walked straight into the pillar of light illuminating the dark settlement. The light wrapped around Sanya as if she was an old friend. It was warm and full of energy, bubbling with the feeling of life. The light did not obscure her vision but she could see nothing but a rainbow of color flowing around her. The Sun Mother then spoke, her presence all around Sanya. [Color=gold]"I bestow upon you two gifts. Your body will now be able to heal itself faster so that you might always be able to help those in need and I give you a piece of me, so that you will remember in your darkest moments, that I will be by your side. Use them well Sanya and remember, if ever you need me, pray."[/color] the light then faded away, leaving Sanya standing before the people. For but a moment she glowed as intensely as the sun, a halo of light appearing over her head, before fading away. Lucia grinned happily at Sanya from where she stood, before a beam of light fell upon her as well. A few of the released captives threw themselves on the ground at the miracles taking place before their eyes, prostrating themselves equally to Sanya as well as the sheer divine presence of the Sun Mother. Sanya herself watched her surroundings with a breathless exultation, a moment of bright warmth filling her body and spirit. She felt at ease, stilled to safety in the embrace of the goddess. Even as Oraelia’s light faded, Sanya felt a new spring in her step, as though new vigor had come from hitherto unknown wells deep within her. As she moved, she felt a gentle weight grip around her neck, and lifted a hand to examine the new sensation. Around her neck was a light chain the colour of brass, and from it hung a medallion - a smooth and round topaz encased in a ring of brass, with small tendrils of metal reaching out as the rays of the sun. It glowed softly in the dark, illuminating Sanya’s hand and clothes as she lifted it up. A piece of the Goddess indeed, Sanya ruminated with renewed purpose, and directed her attention to the crowd - and finally back to Lucia. That light that had enveloped Lucia expanded outwards in a wave, touching all gathered. Lucia remained behind, a halo of golden light, in the form of a medium band (the same color as her tattoos), hovered over her head and did not fade away. She looked back at Sanya with a tearful smile before walking over to her, and embracing her into a hug. [color=tan]”She’s back.”[/color] Lucia said. [color=tan]”I didn’t think I’d see the day. But she’s back.”[/color] Sanya raised her hand to return the embrace with a gentle measure, releasing a quiet sigh. She found a solemn satisfaction in the moment, a rare smile creeping up on her features modestly as she comforted her friend. [color=a187be]”Perhaps this spells a new dawn for humanity,”[/color] she replied with a thoughtful tone, calm and introspective in the afterglow of the sun goddess’ miracles. [color=a187be]”I’m happy for you, Lucia. I know how it has taxed your spirit.”[/color] Lucia pulled away and held Sanya’s hands gingerly as she did. Her tattoos pulsing rapidly in the dark, shimmering and binding and pulling apart all over her. The smile on her face made it apparent she was happy, but her tattoos gave it away. [color=tan]”I truly hope so, she has a lot to do, but she can do it. I know she can. Now, we should probably get these people to safety huh?”[/color] Lucia asked, looking at the men and woman, even children, who looked at the two with eyes of awe. The dark-haired warrior looked back to the crowd, suddenly overcome with a sting of embarrassment. Exhaling sharply in the cold night air softly illuminated by Lucia and her own medallion, she took a moment to consider each person she could make out in the night, each face that they had rescued. By divine showing, or their imagined safety with the two of them, she could no longer feel that pressing anxiety, or fear. They felt safe, or at least better. [color=a187be]”I know of a village a small journey away. We’d be there before dawn. I think we all could do with watching the sunrise far away from here.”[/color] [hider=Summary] Sanya travels back to warmer lands and passes through the Prairie into the Highlands. She meets folks and eats by telling stories at local villages. A rumor catches her attention and this leads her to go on a quest to find the truth and save some people. She arrives at a village and silences two men, finding where the raiders had imprisoned people- a barn like structure. There she finds people in cages, most likely to be sold as slaves. She goes up the stairs and finds the source of the rumor, Lucia! The two chat, and it is revealed they’ve been friends for a very, very long time. Lucia got captured, or let herself be captured in an attempt to help the people below but they then isolated her. The two then go on and totally annihilate the raiders as Oraelia talks to Lucia in her head (which isn’t shown because this is Sanya’s POV). Oraelia then heals all of the captured folks after Lucia shows her the cruelty of man. With the raiders all dead or incapacitated, Oraelia talks to Sanya and she apologizes for her absence. She then gives her a couple gifts and does the same for Lucia. The post ends on a high note, and the two take the rescued people to safety. [/hider] [hider=mp] Oraelia 2MP/4DP -2DP for the title, Inner Sun II: (Sanya has been imbued with the warm healing energies of the sun goddess, allowing her to rapidly naturally recover from injuries that would leave others bedridden. It is limited to her natural healing metabolism, and does not allow her to regenerate.) -2DP To level up Lucia’s title, Sun Forge to rank III (Total Title Weight now rank 7) -1DP (Reduced to 0 with Sunlight port) for the Artifact, Sun Medallion. Beacon of Light I: This artifact is able to act as a light source. The more it levels up, the greater and brighter the light becomes. (Think of a flashlight) -1DP (reduced to 0 with Sunlight Port) To bless Lucia with a Halo of Golden Light, the mark of Oraelia. -1MP (reduced to 0) To give a mass heal to a bunch of people. Ending 2MP/0DP [/hider] [Hider=Prestige] Lucia = +25 10k Chars = +5 Lucia = +30 Prestige -15Prestige to rank up her title ‘Healing hands’ to rank II (Total Title weight = 8) -15Prestige to rank up her title ‘ Dermoglyph II’ to rank III (Total TItle Weight = 9) 0 Prestige remaining. Sanya = +14 10k Chars = +5 Sanya = +19 Prestige 19 Prestige remaining. [/hider]