((OOC Note:
This vignette is unrelated to any GM-run storyline, and is part of an ongoing series of player-authored vignettes.
This is also the culmination of the first post titled "Down Came The Rain..." Which can be found here: http://forums.play.net/forums/GemStone%20IV/Cities,%20Towns,%20and%20Outposts/Mist%20Harbor/view/2642
And the second titled "Washed The Spider Out..." Which can be found here:
http://forums.play.net/forums/GemStone%20IV/Cities,%20Towns,%20and%20Outposts/Mist%20Harbor/view/2659
Mad props and thanks goes to Kalyrra for her involvement in post and...because she's just all-around awesome.
Enjoy...I hope))
”Hey, I think I found a live one here!”
Though her eyes remained closed and caked from dried-up tears, Medijine stirred from the faint noise tickling her ear. Aches wracked her body, and she struggled to move from under the warm, smothering weight, wrapping her like a cocoon. The din swelled, and her brow winced from the invisible dagger piercing her brain. Then, flies nipped at what little exposed flesh she had, replacing the withering din with gleeful buzzes. The disgusting odor clung to her like her dampened shirt. Pain yanked her away from the dream world and pried her eyes open.
The nightmare of the living greeted her with the remnants of the dead.
In front of her, her mother’s bloody face froze in a shout, her eyes bulging in terror, her body lying atop her only daughter. Mortified, she turned her head to the left to be greeted by a balding older adult, his severed head the only evidence of his existence. More bodies piled to the right, some missing arms, some with their innards festooned nearby on the pavement. The sweat she mistook turned out to be blood, its crimson liquid crawling down her shirt. In all, she lay in a sea of her fellow citizens, the aftermath of the krolvin’s invasion.
Overwhelmed, Medijine screamed.
“There’s another one!” someone shouted.
Struck with terror, Medijine curled around the masses, hands covering her face in the hopes of ending the nightmare, anguished shrieks peeling the flesh of her throat. Suddenly, two pairs of arms dug into the mounds and fished her out from the bodies around her.
“It is over,” assured the man, his voice strikingly close. “You are safe.”
Kicking and screaming, Medijine emerged from the womb of the bloody massacre, reborn, held aloft by the delivering arms of a pair of militia.
—
With the boom of thunder and the evening waves crashing ashore, Medijine awoke and wavered. Yardie, the Faendryl mentor opposite her, remained seated, his nervous disposition on display with furtive glances.
“Ankreth sought custody of his spy that night,” Yardie began, rubbing his hands warm from the chilly breeze. “He sent his invaders to ravage the town and seize custody of a man named Porfidat.” Yardie glanced at one of the four moons and then closed his eyes. “We were ill-prepared. It cost many lives, including your parents.” Lifting his chin to meet the young girl, Yardie continued as tears streamed down his face. “There are many at fault. Ankreth brought his invaders; the militia failed in preparation and coordination.”
“No.”
“My dearest Spinnerette,” Yardie answered with pain in his voice. “I will not lie to you.”
Medijine bawled as her world shattered under the weight of the truth. Mucus slid down her nose with each seismic sob, sending her lips into a mewling quiver. “Why?”
“An unknown revelation in the heat of battle could cripple you. And then you’d be dead.”
“No.” She glared at the rogue. “Why you not help them? Why did…” her knuckles whitened in the dagger’s grip.
“We learned from it, but not without cost.” Yardie rubbed the bridge of his nose, lamenting on that day, then cocked his head at the young girl. “Do you still wish them all dead?”
Now the scowl emerged from the sorrow, which, combined with a saliva dripping mouth, snot-filled nose, and itchy watery eyes made for a menacing view. What started as a hiss now turned into a bloodcurdling cry. “I kill them.”
Yardie rose to his feet and moved in front of the young girl. He grabbed the dagger hand by the wrist and guided the blade to his abdomen. The sharp tip pinched his belly. “Okay. I am ‘them.’ Do it.”
Medijine growled and pressed further. The blade threatened to break the skin but stopped at the brink.
Yardie’s expression revealed the dread of the gambit, but still, he pressed his body into the blade. “Do it.”
The dagger bent the skin but never broke, never moved further. Soon, the weapon trembled under the hand of the young girl. Then, the blade slipped from her tiny fingers.
“Lesson number three. If you take the job, finish the job, no matter the obstacles, emotions, or costs.” Yardie dropped to a knee, meeting her at eye level, and then he held the girl in a tight embrace.
Medijine tensed, shook, and then buried her face into his chest.
Running his hands through her hair like a parent, Yardie spoke gently into her ear. “Some say emotions betray the truth. In our line of work, they reveal them. They showed you’re not ready to take the life of another, even though in your mind, you may think you are. The facts crippled you, and your emotions indicated doubt. Worry. Hesitation will get you killed.
“Had it been my decision, I’d ask you to abandon this path. Go to school, play, socialize. Live your life freely.” Yardie sighed. “But it is not my decision to make.” Pulling away, he gazed into her eyes, his violet orbs glistening with care. “If you still wish to walk this path, return here tomorrow morning. If this is the course you wish to take, I will be here, waiting to teach you.”
Medijine did not react to the soft embrace, nor did she react when he walked away from her. She stared off into the distance and then lowered her gaze to the dagger resting in the sand.
—
As sunlight crept from the horizon, Mist Harbor’s crisp, clear waters and bathed the lands with its warm glow, Medijine returned to find Yardie already there.
And he was not alone. A shorter, youthful woman with sun-kissed, lightly freckled skin stood next to him. She brushed aside her chin-length, tousled chestnut hair with a sweep of her hand. A pair of sapphire blue wings peeked from the roll of her shoulder,
“Kalyrra?” Medijine asked surprisedly. Kalyrra answered with a heartfelt grin.
Sunlight shed away the rest of the darkness. Yardie exchanged glances with Kalyrra, then chuckled. “You were right about her.”
Medijine glanced between Yardie and Kalyrra. “What she right about?”
As Yardie took a seat on the sand and steepled his fingers together, Kalyrra said, “I believe you can channel that energy to help your fellow peers.”
It’s a relatively simple idea, but it goes with today’s lesson. Yardie swept his arms around the beach. “Beautiful, sunny morning.” He eyed Kalyrra curiously, then asked Medijine, “How do you hide in the light?”
“You can’t,” Medijine answered.
“Sure you can,” answered Kalyrra, the tone of her voice sweeping through like a gentle breeze.
“In our profession, the good rely on the shadows,” Yardie continued. “They can find cracks in the light and tuck away behind a mysterious cloak or the shade. Yardie burned his gaze at her to hammer his point. “The most dangerous of our profession are unseen even in broad daylight, like the web of the spider. They blend with the crowd, in plain view, but unnoticed. They are like ghosts, spectres, and phantoms to the uninitiated.” Yardie gazed out into the distance, a dreamy grin on his face. “They become wraiths…their presence veiled by stillness and observation.”
Kalyrra interjected, “With what we’ll teach you, can you help us? Can you blend in with your peers?”
“Do I have to help Evans?” Medijine whined.
Kalyrra laughed. “You can tease him about it afterward.”
Medijine gave it some thought. It took two seconds. “Okay.”
“Good,” Kalyrra answered, readying her plan. “Let’s see how sneaky you really are.”
