< Voridad the Wife-Eater | Ex Pulplogs | Grasping For Comfort >
ST Carmine doesn't remember how she got where she is, but she doesn't find that very strange. She's becoming used to it after a while. She looks around, trying to decide if this place offers her any threat and if any of her friends are nearby. The light of Eminence in her hand washes across the floor of this place, revealing a trail of blood.
ST The floor is cold, dark stone, as are the sloping walls. Carmine decides she is in a cave.
Carmine pushes motes into her anima, illuminating the area around her, looking about for Corve, for Xar ... even for Myrrh or Oteki.
ST None of her friends, but the light shows her two bodies, illuminated in shades of grey, blue and purple. None of the golden radience her anima normally showers upon its surroundings.
Carmine What is wrong? Carmine forces more essence, more golden motes into her anima as she walks over to the bodies, looking at them.
ST No gold comes from the motes she shines around her. The only gold is the light of Eminence in her hand. As the shadow-making illumination spreads from her castemark and defines the bodies on the ground she takes note of the wrinkled, ugly face of Scarlet Poppy and the bandage-wrapped form of Falling Darkness. A slow itching burn starts to come from the hand and arm that hold Eminence.
Carmine holds Eminence all the tighter as she looks at the corpses, trying to work out how they died.
ST Both corpses have been cut deeply by a blade that left burns across their flesh. The bandages of Falling Darkness have crisped and blackened from the heat of whatever fire consumed them.
Carmine looks down at the blade in her hand. Well. Good. She had killed them. Though why couldn't she remember the fight? And why was there all this blackness?
ST Carmine's arm continues to itch and burn. Now the feeling spreads to the half of her face closest to Eminence's light
Carmine Carmine turned her back on the bodies, and started to look for a way out of this cave.
ST Sunlight gleams at the end of the cave, back the way she had just walked to find the bodies
Carmine Carmine strides towards the sunlight, ignoring the burning from her sword.
ST As she gets closer to the light, the burning increases. It glares in her eyes, daring her to look into it. The light pushes against her harshly.
Carmine has never been one to turn down a dare, and so she carries on walking out into the sun, out to burn the darkness that surrounded her.
ST The burning gets worse as the light grows stronger. It burns into her, attacking her like a horde of fire ants. She can feel blood oozing from her skin as the burns become real and grow worse. She might as well be trying to walk into a furnace.
Carmine "I. Will. Not. Be. BURNED." Carmine declares, concentrating essence into her skin, trying to fortify herself against the merciless sun.
ST The burning lessens, is forced away. Despite that, Carmine still feels blood flowing. It's gentle warmth flows out of her, soothing the horrible sunburns. It covers her and cools, becoming a dank, sanguine balm on her wounds. The light bounces off the blood, deflected safely away.
Carmine "... What?" Carmine looks down at herself. That was not right!
ST Despite Carmine's protest, the blood does not disappear.
Carmine turns and storms back into the cave, into the comf-... into the dark. She strides over to the corpses. "What have you done to me?! TELL ME!" She demands.
ST The corpses do not respond.
Carmine "WHY WON'T YOU ANSWER ME?" She demands of the bodies. When there is still no answer, she turns in disgust and heads back out into the sun.
ST There is a snap of blue-black light behind Carmine and two voices, Scarlet Poppy and Falling Darkness, speak. "We did nothing to you Carmine."
ST "You did it to yourself, Carmine."
Carmine whirls at the entrance to the cave, sillouetted in the sunlight that burned her back. "I DID NOT. I rejected your blackness!"
ST A blood armored woman steps out of the blackness at the other end of the cave and the two corpses collapse, their animation ended by this figure. She laughs harshly at Carmine. "It was too late, the seeds were already planted and needed only a bit of time to grow."
Carmine "They won't grow any more."
Bloody Woman "They don't need to. They've blossomed already. Can't you tell?"
Carmine "..." "No!"
Bloody Woman 'I'm afraid so"
Carmine "NO! That isn't true." She brandishes Eminence threateningly.
Bloody Woman "Your own sword burns you. The Sun rejects you. Only darkness is your savior now, Carmine."
Carmine "THAT IS NOT TRUE!" She grasps eminence so tightly it is like an inferno in her hand and swings her sword towards the woman.
Bloody Woman The woman parries easily, her own blade made of screaming black iron that causes Eminence to flicker for a moment. "It is, Carmine. But saddly, our little reunion might end."
Bloody Woman "In fact, it's ending now. Just remember that the flower is growing, Carmine. And who I am."
Carmine "Who are you?" She demands, striking once more.
Bloody Woman The woman parries again, but Eminence melts the blood-armor shrouding her face. Carmine's own face looks back at her. Heavy makeup highlights the eyes and lips, draws attention to the scars this woman has accumulated in her life. Scars Carmine never got, never will. One eye is steel, the other matches Carmine's perfectly. The steel eye glowers at her falsely.
Bloody Woman "I am Ruby. Pity you don't remember your own sister, but you'll find me again. I promise"
Carmine "...What?" She suddenly looks lost, Eminence falling from her hands. "I ... you ..."
ST Carmine's confusion deepens as she wakes to find herself in the bunk she last fell asleep in, on board the Ill Omen
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