It was with some trepidation Erthë wandered about the winding tunnel that led to the hidden cove. The semi-transparent crystal that formed the walls cast an eerie half light across her skin and made the shadows look thin and flimsy, barely more than a suggestion of darkness against the eternal backdrop of dusk. She missed the sun. It seemed like a lifetime had passed since last she had seen its radiant glow and felt the pure warmth against her skin. It was easy to forget how oppressive and hot she had thought it before, easy to ignore the preference she'd always had towards darkness and cold. There was darkness aplenty here in the Rift, and precious little warmth, but unlike before the perpetual gloom only made her feel uneasy. Perhaps it was contrary of her, but now that she never had to see the sun again she would have given anything to have it back. To have Him back, in all his beauty, passion and haughty overconfidence.
Casting a sideways glance into the crystals distorted reflection of herself, the little mare sighed. Her own coat was the brightest thing she had seen around in a long time, and even she was not as pale as she had once been. The constant damp was not doing her any good; the once sleek coat was matted and clumped together with water and sweat, splattered with mud and grime so far up the belly that she appeared more bay than cream. The white curls hung long and heavy down the neck in a tangled mess, and from the wings came a sour, mildewed scent that made her nose wrinkle. She had never been subject to feather rot before, it was a nasty business and, like every other misfortune that had befallen her lately, it was all Kisamoa's fault.
Reaching the protected cove only to find it empty, Erthë picked her way down the glass-strewn beach to the water. Stepping into it, she drew on the powers within and lowered the temperature of the water around her, more and more until the froth of each lapping wave left behind salty lines of ice amidst the multi-colored pebbles. Again and again she worked her magic on the sea, until a remarkable pile of clean white snow had formed around her feet. Lowering herself down to her knees, Erthë moved the wings out of the way and rolled, rubbing every inch of skin she could manage against the cold grains, over and over again until most of the dirt had transferred from herself and onto the beach. Only then did she get on her feet and wade out into the salty sea, and stood there to let the waves purify her back and wings while her mind quietly worked on the problem of what to do about Kaos.
Half formed thoughts and ideas churned restlessly within, fueled by hate and grief and that all-consuming desire to live. The children had some part in that urge, but perhaps not as big of a place as she would have wished. It was still hard to love them, hard to feel anything other than duty and obligation towards the boys. Sometimes she wondered whether they would be better off with some other mare, someone who could care for them as they deserved, someone who could love them with all their heart...
Oh well. They had their father's love, at least. Perhaps that would be enough...
Right or wrong, I can hardly tell
I'm on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell
V O L T E R R A
OH, MY EYES ARE SEEING RED
DOUBLE VISION FROM THE BLOOD WE'VE SHED
It is unusual for the beast to wander far from the rainforest that he has made his temporary home. He has explored the other lands in the Rift, but only with the dismissive speed of one who has no real interest in the secrets that they hold. He prefers to familiarise himself utterly with one place rather than basically with several places; that's why he knows the forests inside and out, but has only a limited knowledge about the Rift's other lands. This suits him just fine, as the forest has become his base of operations from which he can continue to advance his strength, practice his magic, and ensure his children are all alive and well.
That makes it all the more remarkable for him to be here, as far away from the safety of his forest as it is possible to be. Vadir likes it here, where she can hunt the numerous new fish that reside in the depths of the ocean, however Volterra is considerably less keen. He's not been a massive fan of the sea ever since that foul beast nearly ate him in the Endless Blue a couple of years ago, although admittedly he gained his dragon armour from that encounter. He's still wary, so he entertains the idea of going to the sea for one reason alone - because Erthe wishes to meet him.
It isn't long before he sees her, and moves his colossal form immediately towards her. She's waded out quite deep into the ocean, and Volterra's jaw sets in a concerned grimace as he pictures gigantic whales leaping out to swallow her whole. "Erthë," he rumbles, to notify her of his presence. He stands on the shoreline, Vadir's giant form resting lazily across his back, and waits for the mare to join him.
You gotta have the patience and believe you're gonna make it
Gotta hold on
All such thought had to be set aside now, however. There were more pressing matters to consider, and she was glad to have someone to share her thoughts with, glad that there was someone who felt the same way about this place and its ruler. At the sound of her name she turned and spared the stallion a smile - tense and tight, so brief it was gone before it ever reached the eyes - and with water rushing down from the back she waded back towards the shore.
"You came" she said, and reached out to brush a cold, wet nose against his neck, the greeting far more intimate and lingering than any she would have dared before. An acknowledgement it was, of what they had shared in the past, what they still shared... "I wasn't sure you would."
But she was glad he had, it made everything so much easier.
Though she was eager to get straight to the point, the little mare took the time to give her friend a long, scrutinizing look, to see if he was alright. On the surface she thought everything looked fine, but nowadays scars were rarely only skin-deep, and whatever hurts he might carry were too well hidden for her eyes to see. She thought of what Otem had said about one of his dragons disappearing, and the thought of the red without the gold or the gold without the red, and Volterra without them both by his side made her heart ache.
Another item added onto the list of reasons to oppose the demon of chaos, one more reason for her to proceed with what she wanted to do.
"Volterra..." she said, thoughtful as she sought his gaze, tried to read his expressions, "what do you think of this place? The Rift, this cave, the regions you have seen so far..?"
Better test the waters first, before she plunged in over her head.
I know you're tired of surviving but you gotta keep on trying
Hold on!
• Magic and violence may always be used against Erthë!
V O L T E R R A
OH, MY EYES ARE SEEING RED
DOUBLE VISION FROM THE BLOOD WE'VE SHED
The intimacy of her touch is not lost on him, and it comes as something of a relief. She has seemed distant and aloof since their night together, and he's been concerned that she has is upset with him. Obviously the move to the Rift and the loss of so many of his loved ones has taken priority, but he's glad that her movement seems to assauge those lingering fears of his. "Of course I did," comes his response, tinged with surprise at her doubt in him. Volterra is a lot of things - an ill-tempered, rash, arrogant cad to name just a few - but he's extremely reliable, especially when it concerns his friends and lovers. This icy mare is both, so it's only natural that the mammoth male would heed her summons.
She gets straight to the point. Her question bids his expression to darken, from the scarred skin around his muzzle straight up to the cold, dead crimson pits that are his eyes. What does he think of the Rift? Oh, are there even enough words to describe it? "That depends on how honest you wish me to be," he replies, his voice barely louder than an animalistic growl with the force of his hatred towards this corrupted place. "I loathe it all, Erthë. It is not my home, and it is inhabited by creatures from the pits of Hell itself. I fucking detest every single tree that dares bury its roots here, and every single corrupted beast that prowls these shadows. Each day I spend here is a day that I can never get back, and each minute that passes is a minute that I spend thinking about how the fuck I'm meant to survive here, bring up my children and protect them here. It's a minute I spend trying not to think about everything I've lost."
The outburst is unexpected, even to him. As soon as the words leave his mouth he regrets them; Volterra may be quick to anger, but he is not quick to share his emotions in such a way, or place his feelings as a burden on top of somebody else. He is at the end of his tether, though. He has been strong for his family, their pillar of strength and support, but all the time he's just falling apart. Maybe this is the result - a red-hot rant, an outpouring of all the loathing he feels towards this place.
He takes a deep, shuddering breath, sharing defiantly into the middle distance. His voice is lower this time, but no less thunderous; it is an oath, a promise, a vow. "Kaos took everything from me. So I will take everything from him."
She listened unflinching to his outburst, attentive but without a trace of reproach or seeming desire to soothe those strong feelings of his. On the contrary; as soon as he quiets the little mare nodded with a grim smile.
"Good, we are of the same mind then" she said, all while she shook the water from the wings - clean and white again, and almost dry - and folded them back against the sides. "I thought so, but I had to be sure... I don't want you to think that I am doubting you, Volterra, but truth be told I don't know you as well as I ought to, and what I want to talk about is... sensitive. Far too important for mistakes."
She paused then, and lowered her gaze to the ground as she gathered up her thoughts, tried to make sense of all the ideas and wishes and sort the possible from the probable and the unlikely.
"As much as we both hate this place, I think we are going to have to accept that we cannot go back to Helovia" she said finally. It was a grim thought, a painful and heart-wrenching conclusion - but one she could not blind herself to, no matter how much she would like to. "Without our Gods, I cannot see how we could ever purify the lands from Kaos curse, and even if we could... I suspect we would find that so much have changed that it would no longer be home, no more than the Rift is."
"And, if that is the case, it means we will have to find a way to get by here. It means - and Lady Moon knows I hate to say it - that we have to do as that heathen demon says... at least for now. We have to learn more about this place, everything we can find; about the lands, about the plants and wildlife, about the natives who live here and their dead gods... I hope you realize that they will be none too happy with us? In their eyes we should be as bad as Kaos is to us, and our crime is nearly as big. We are god-slayers, Volterra. Both of us..."
Her troubled gaze turned towards his, faintly worried about how he would take her words thus far. There was so much more she had to say, so much more she wished to share with him; of her plans, of her worries and thoughts... but for that to be possible he would have to understand and accept her position, and she feared that his reactions might be different from what she had hoped.
Right or wrong, I can hardly tell
I'm on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell
V O L T E R R A
OH, MY EYES ARE SEEING RED
DOUBLE VISION FROM THE BLOOD WE'VE SHED
She takes his outburst unwaveringly, with no efforts to placate him. Such efforts would have been in vain, so he's glad that she does not even attempt it. It quickly becomes apparent that she was testing him, trying to see whether he has the resolve necessary for whatever she is about to ask of him. Whilst the beast does not appreciate such tests, as even a blind man could see his indomitable defiance and steely strength when it comes to things he's passionate about, he can see where she is coming from. Whatever she wishes to do must be important, and the monolith listens eagerly, with ears rammed forward.
Her first comment is met with a frown. Maybe he is naiive or even stupid, but he refuses to give up on getting back home. "I do not think it is impossible to return home. Kaos brought us here - he can just as easily send us back. I see where you are coming from, though, and confess that my resources could be better placed elsewhere instead of blindly searching for something that I may never find." Volterra is showing a self-awareness that he often lacks, in that he's not allowing his innate arrogance to overrule his admission that he may be facing an impossible task. He will not give up on returning home, but he does accept that he may never succeed, and that he might be better off focusing his strength elsewhere rather than wasting it on a fool's errand.
His expression turns aghast as she suggests simply going along with Kaos's plans. He does not respond with the surprise he feels, nor does he shoot the mare's ideas down as he could have done - instead he simply asks his questions, keeping his voice level and neutral. "What do you believe that will achieve? How do you think such knowledge will aid us against Kaos?" As far as he can see, learning more about this godforsaken place will not actually aid them in bringing Kaos down, unless by some miracle they find something that can destroy him. That is unlikely; a creature as intelligent and manipulative as the heathen god will surely have removed anything that could harm him.
Ultima
