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Post by karaikou on Sept 6, 2015 8:41:12 GMT
Their conversation was going nowhere as they tossed arguments back and fourth and before long, Cyburn had grown bored. Leaving Kee to her thoughts as he extracted and examined the properties from her antlers. It might have been hours that passed before there was any disturbance but when one came, the mage was called away, locking the door behind him.
The room was silent and still dimly lit even after the man had taken his leave, but by no means did that leave the gentle spirit alone. From under his desk appeared the little girl from earlier, she approached warily, cautious of Cyburn's return. "I saw what he did..." She whispered, "did it hurt? You look scared." It was pitiful that the child still looked much like any other elven slave as she did in life, her tattered thin clothes and dirty complexion were just a hint as to what her purpose had once been and perhaps even the way she died.
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Post by sparklemuffin on Sept 7, 2015 2:21:11 GMT
"No, it didn't hurt," The spirit assured the child's phantom quietly, lifting her head. "They're dead material, just a vessel for my magic. I'm scared because I know what he could do with that power if he had half a chance to experiment. Humans aren't meant to wield the power of nature, they're too disconnected from it." It was nice, at least, not to be terribly lonely in this cold and strange place. "He's a very bad person, isn't he? Crueler than I thought an uncorrupted being could ever be. Tainted by hatred."
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Post by karaikou on Sept 7, 2015 3:36:47 GMT
The little girl sat down before Kee and crossed her legs, her pale fingers scraping against the cold hard floor. "Yes, he doesn't care about anyone, money and power is all he like." She began to sway back and forth as if she had been witness to horrible things and shared Kee's fear. "He is rarely success, when bad things happen or people die he just throws them out, but when he is success bad things happen, very bad. I've seen it, what he did to puppy and mother, I don't blame them, not angry, but I don't like the master. But he does other thing to hurt, mother wasn't allowed to give me a name, I always wanted one."
Her soft voice was filled with sadness and sorrow for the life she still lived within the manor but at least Cyburn was unaware of her haunting presence and so she no longer felt the pain or crushing torment that the mage brought.
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Post by sparklemuffin on Sept 7, 2015 4:11:58 GMT
If she had the strength, Kee might have switched forms just to try to hug the little girl. It didn't matter that she wasn't alive, she wanted to comfort the poor thing and assure her that things would be all right. Instead she could only try to touch the phantom with her cold nose. "Why don't you pick a name now that you're free of him? You aren't fully part of this realm anymore, you don't have to be ruled by him. Besides, everybody deserves to have a name."
It was impossible not to dwell on the mention of Cyburn's experiments, and the notion of what he had done spurred her to remember her original purpose in that place. "What did he do to them, and to you?"
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Post by karaikou on Sept 7, 2015 4:42:16 GMT
"It seems strange to pick ones own name." The nameless ghost explained before answering Kee's rather important question, it was years ago now, but she couldn't forget the moment her soul and body were seperated. "He wanted to create monster, something to win him lots of money in the fights. Nothing scary or alien looking, he wanted an underdog and com...pan..on? Mother was first to die, only few years after she had me. Master invited many guests, men in black robes with scary voices, they tried to change mother but it not work, I saw her die to dark magic. Week later, the master came back from trip, puppy was young like me, only seven or eight, don't remember. He had pointy ears like mine, and he was very smart and had mean temper, the men came back and used their magics, he turned blue and grew tail and horns, like the monster master desired, I was puppy's first victim,he bit me and hurt my throat... It wasn't his fault though. I know he was told to do it or hurt if not."
It was a simple enough story that was easily explained without details, and by now the little girl had stopped rocking back and forth.
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Post by sparklemuffin on Sept 7, 2015 6:19:58 GMT
Listening to the little elf's story was almost like having ice water poured slowly over her body. By the time she was done, Kee felt numbed by emotion- and there were quite a few emotions doing the work. Most particular was sorrow, followed closely by anger. Learning more about Tyarnach should have been a victory, a successful step in her semi-formed plan for this place, but really, it wasn't. If only she had been able to curl up and sob, she might have done so. Instead, she asked in a thick voice, "He was an elf, like you?" And a child, but she couldn't bring herself to think about two young creatures suffering, she could barely handle the story of one.
"The puppy's name is Tyarnach. Did he have white hair, back when he looked like you?" It would make sense, she reasoned. In fact, by now she was fairly positive she was on the right track in terms of information. She just had no idea what she could do about it. "Was he changed because of the same magic that killed your mother? Is... Is your mother still here the way you are?"
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Post by karaikou on Sept 7, 2015 7:41:31 GMT
"Yes, yes!" The little girl nodded, pulling on her ears, "elven, I think master said that the reason mother didn't live was because her blood was not strong. Lots of blood used in bad magic. But one of the men said only certain blood work."
But when asked about her mother she wilted with teary eyes. "The spell took mother's soul, so now I have to pretend she is here. I understand that she is gone... I miss her. I did not get to say goodnight when it happened..."
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Post by sparklemuffin on Sept 8, 2015 4:41:11 GMT
"Can you not pass on from this realm? I know it must be hard to do so without her, but there doesn't seem to be much for you here except suffering." She touched her nose as close to the phantom's cheek as possible without risking passing through her, snuffling quietly. "I do not want to see you suffer, little one. You deserve a rest in a happier place, far from Cyburn's influence."
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Post by karaikou on Sept 8, 2015 5:19:07 GMT
''I don't suffer anymore... Just lonely'' She replied, offering a faint smile as she moved closer to the barrier, reaching her hand through it to touch Kee's nose. ''I can help you, so you don't suffer either, but you must be very quiet, don't want him to see you.'' She had no magical understandings but she had observed Cyburn's glyph many times before and knew of ways to deactivate it, but getting out of the room was a different matter all together.
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Post by sparklemuffin on Sept 8, 2015 5:28:42 GMT
Kee's ears twitched as she perked up, if slightly. Freedom would be a step in the proper direction, naturally. "I can't leave the house yet, though," she stated in a low voice. "I came so I could help the puppy- help Tyarnach. I wanted to free him for good, but I don't know how." She stood rather slowly and her legs shook, still remembering the effects of Cyburn's earlier magic. "Can you help me do those things? It might be dangerous. I don't want anything to happen to you."
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Post by karaikou on Sept 8, 2015 6:45:58 GMT
With no sign of Cyburn returning any time soon, the ghost moved towards the mage's desk, retrieving some kind of small black gem from beneath a wrapped cloth. ''You should be careful of these.'' She warned, returning with the stone clutched tightly in a small hand. ''They corrupt, straight from the big teeth monster's egg, but they stop normal magic.'' Holding it near the barrier, it took only seconds for the runes to lose their colour and the glyph to fade. Releasing the spirit from her tiny prison. ''I'll put it back, so that it does not hurt you.''
Returning it to it's cloth, she hid it in a draw and attempted to grab Kee's lost antler, though it's weight was too heavy for her phantom form and she could not return it to it's owner.
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Post by sparklemuffin on Sept 9, 2015 4:46:01 GMT
Kee was quick to get up once the glyph had been deactivated, shaking herself out and being quick about changing her shape to its bipedal form. "I'll be sure to keep clear of them. I've had enough experience with darkness for today." She smiled faintly at the phantom girl and went to her side, reaching out to touch her own removed antler. "Do you suppose he'll be angry at the profit loss?" She asked, as she drew away the power that had been stored in the pronged feature. The opalescent glow faded quickly as the magic was returned to the source, revitalizing the spirit and giving her a second wind that she desperately needed. By itself, a single deer antler of average size might still make some money. But as the power was sucked out of it, this one became brittle and crumbled half into a powder where it sat.
Having some power back helped, but she would be back to being exhausted and weak quickly if she didn't take care. "Is there anywhere safe in the house to hide from him? I can't risk being found until I've had a chance to sleep or eat, and I can't leave until I've helped free Tyarnach - and you, if there's a way."
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Post by karaikou on Sept 9, 2015 7:30:12 GMT
"Puppy sleeps in cellar, we could hide there, it's very dark but others might make noise." She stated before smiling brightly when Kee's drained antler crumbled, "good, the master will be angry for a while, but he will be less focus." Leading the spirit to the door, she phased through it and opened it from the other side, they would need to head back to the main hall to get to Tyarnach's location, but with the ghost girl Kee had the advantage of not needing a key to open the many locked doors as every door only opened on the outside, excluding the front door.
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Post by sparklemuffin on Sept 9, 2015 7:36:24 GMT
The only difficulty in sneaking around a house with the phantom of a little child was that Kee was not nearly as quiet when she moved, unless she decided to go slow. Her hooves were a nuisance in that regard, and any attempt to hurry would have heralded their movements with a clattering gallop. Instead, she adopted an awkward, shuffling gait that wasn't nearly so obvious and made getting around a marathon in patience. "Are they fed? If there's a way to smuggle food down there... Are there others in the cellar with him, or will he be alone? I can deal with humans, guards, if they're not inclined to magic."
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Post by karaikou on Sept 9, 2015 7:56:14 GMT
"Maybe guards. I don't know what time it is. If slaves are working then less chance of guards but puppy is also punished so maybe armed guards. Come, come I take you to him." She hurried off, before stopping when she heard conversation in a nearby room with an open door.
"We must wait... Also can I ask something?" She whispered, staring back at Kee and moving to hold her hand now that she was humanoid.
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