A Long, Hard Road
Darkness had finally broke, and a brilliant dawn was the reward for making the climb to the top of the mountain. From here, the descent to the proper side is an easy thing. Going down, of course, is always more simple than up. Adrianna tucks away the trump of Rose after bringing her sister through, and looks upon a land that seems to be decaying before their very eyes.
Rose being away has at least given Walter enough time to straighten out his wardrobe. Which is to say, scrub his skirt with some water in relative privacy and put it back on.
Rose blinks a few times as her eyes adjust to the difference in light. "Beautiful," she says, probably referring to the sunrise.
"I much prefer it to what was in its place, before," Adrianna says. Thankfully black leather shows minimal dirt, once brushed off a bit. "We have seen air, and earth," she says, giving the ground a little tap with her heel. "I can only imagine that this is my favorite of elements, then." She looks about, for a volcano or somesuch.
Walter snorts. "Seems like there was plenty of fire with those blasted stars." He seems content to bring up the rear.
Rose looks about, as well, and then closes her eyes. She inhales deeply and then tilts her head to the side as if trying to get a feel for the place. "My," she says as she opens her eyes. "This is amazing."
Adrianna smiles over to her sister, a small but warm thing. "It has its own beauty, doesn't it?" Leaves fall from the trees, and wither in high-speed. With a shrug of her shoulders, she starts to move down the path.
"And it's laid over such power," Rose says.
"It took much to bind him. So much effort, and then Cedric's sacrifice sealed it all," Adrianna says, leaves crumbling under her feet.
Rose's eyes widen as she continues following Adrianna. She says, "Everything's in its own little box."
Walter makes a quizical noise.
Adrianna looks to Rose with a lifted brow. "Box?," she asks. The leaves that had, a moment ago, been crumbling, are now dust. There is a city in shambles in the distance.
Rose eyes the ruined city and then Adrianna. To the latter she says, "Order. Capital 'O'."
Walter grunts. "Figures." He runs his fingers through his dreads and looks a little nervous now.
Adrianna smirks at the mention of Order, though there is a flicker of fondness to it. She clears her throat, then nods. "Interesting, at the least." A glance is given to the city, and she considers it before setting their course that way. The closer they get, the more the process of death seems to come in reverse. Burnt grass growing greener, as the dawn's light hits it.
Rose moves forward steadily but warily.
"I wonder if all the sanctions are such," Walter muses. He touches his fighting sticks fondly, ready to draw them.
"I am not sure. This is, admittedly, the first one I've come up against," Adrianna murmurs. She glances to the growing grass, and frowns.
As they grow closer, human figures can be seen. Thin, skeletal things, shambling around, scraping at dirt and trying to eat it.
Rose says, "Sustenance without compassion." She then asks, "Are we to restore this place?"
"My skin is crawling," Walter mutters, mostly to himself. Then, a bit louder, amused, "My skin is crawling."
Adrianna purses her lips, and looks to Rose. "We could start there, I suppose. If not, slaughter by flames is an easy enough task." She looks to Walter, and his skin, with a lift of brows.
Rose closes her eyes and places a hand on the ground. After several moments, she stands and says, "Order offers no choices," with distaste in her tone. "These people cannot die. We must give them that option."
Walter starts scratching at his forearms every so often.
"Walter, darling, you're perfectly alright," Adri insists, before looking to her sister. "I am no life-bringer, sister." She looks to Rose, as if she might be.
Rose smiles to Adri. "It's not my strong suit, either, but I can push things in the right direction. I'll need help."
"Of course I am," Walter says to Adrianna. Which doesn't stop him from scraching. "What if you throw in some Chaos? It'll form new life if you do it right, which should be enough of a change to break things."
Adrianna takes a step back, and makes a gesture. "You two are far more expert in this than I am. I cannot even get a cactus to stay alive."
Rose nods to Walter. "That is an excellent idea. I can do that once the locks that have been placed here are down. The stasis permeates everything."
Walter grins at Adri. "Locks are your thing." He scratches hard enough to draw a little blood, but doesn't seem to notice.
Adrianna grins, a touch. "Locks and Gates, indeed. I can tell, for example, that in twenty paces to the west, shadow gets a bit thinner. It would work for a Gate. I wonder if it would mean that Order's hold is weaker, as well."
Rose looks in that direction. "It might, indeed," she says and starts walking that way. "Open a crack over there and I'll see what I can bring through."
Walter shakes his head. "It could take decades to do that, and far more resources than we have here." He eyes Adri. "Unless you learned something from your purple friend before you killed him."
Adrianna frowns. "Unfortunately I did not gain much from the Portafada, aside from the wonderful pleasure of running my sword through him." She starts walking as well, one hand infront of her, like someone feeling for a warm spot.
Rose says, "The system here is airtight but that makes it vulnerable. One break in the right spot is all I need."
Walter nods. "Then the weak point is probably the best place to do that."
Adrianna nods, and moves forward further. "I cannot make you a crack, but I can find the closest thing to one in this shadow. It is tight, and well bound, but every Karm has failings." She wanders further, mostly east, but sometimes slightly more north-east, and stops just shy of a horse that is all skin and bones. "Here."
Rose smiles at her sister and takes a few steps toward her. She draws a slim dagger and says, "Do it."
Adrianna kneels, and, with a look to her sister, places a fingertip on a spot. There is a furrowing of brows, then quietly. "Now, and here. This is as week as I can find it, and cannot open it without many years. It's a shame Caine is not here."
Rose says, "That's a phrase you don't hear often." She holds her arm forward and slashes the knife across her palm. As the drops of her blood strike the ground, the sky begins to turn a deep red that has nothing to do with the sun. Grass turns brown in a circle around her. Then the cycle of life and death can be seen farther afield.
Walter watches Rose with great interest. He probably forgets to guard theirback while he's doing so. And damn, his arms are itching.
Adrianna watches as well, looking up to the sky. She rises, a hand on the hilt of her sword, and takes a few steps back as the horse starts to regain a more horsely shape slowly. "It's begun," she says, with a smile.
Rose keeps her arm outstretched and watches the ground around the blood more than anything else. "For better or worse," she says.
Walter shivers and finally looks around. "Think it'll work?"
"The only way to find out is to press further, and see what the final element holds for us," Adrianna says, looking down, through the city. "Water. I hope it does not involve a rainstorm."
Rose closes her hand into a fist and drops the knife from her other hand blade-first into the ground. "As do I," she says.
Walter forces himself to stop scratching at his arms.
Adrianna pulls a scarf of red silk from her pocket, and offers it to Rose. "We continue on, then," she says, and begins to walk once more.
Rose being away has at least given Walter enough time to straighten out his wardrobe. Which is to say, scrub his skirt with some water in relative privacy and put it back on.
Rose blinks a few times as her eyes adjust to the difference in light. "Beautiful," she says, probably referring to the sunrise.
"I much prefer it to what was in its place, before," Adrianna says. Thankfully black leather shows minimal dirt, once brushed off a bit. "We have seen air, and earth," she says, giving the ground a little tap with her heel. "I can only imagine that this is my favorite of elements, then." She looks about, for a volcano or somesuch.
Walter snorts. "Seems like there was plenty of fire with those blasted stars." He seems content to bring up the rear.
Rose looks about, as well, and then closes her eyes. She inhales deeply and then tilts her head to the side as if trying to get a feel for the place. "My," she says as she opens her eyes. "This is amazing."
Adrianna smiles over to her sister, a small but warm thing. "It has its own beauty, doesn't it?" Leaves fall from the trees, and wither in high-speed. With a shrug of her shoulders, she starts to move down the path.
"And it's laid over such power," Rose says.
"It took much to bind him. So much effort, and then Cedric's sacrifice sealed it all," Adrianna says, leaves crumbling under her feet.
Rose's eyes widen as she continues following Adrianna. She says, "Everything's in its own little box."
Walter makes a quizical noise.
Adrianna looks to Rose with a lifted brow. "Box?," she asks. The leaves that had, a moment ago, been crumbling, are now dust. There is a city in shambles in the distance.
Rose eyes the ruined city and then Adrianna. To the latter she says, "Order. Capital 'O'."
Walter grunts. "Figures." He runs his fingers through his dreads and looks a little nervous now.
Adrianna smirks at the mention of Order, though there is a flicker of fondness to it. She clears her throat, then nods. "Interesting, at the least." A glance is given to the city, and she considers it before setting their course that way. The closer they get, the more the process of death seems to come in reverse. Burnt grass growing greener, as the dawn's light hits it.
Rose moves forward steadily but warily.
"I wonder if all the sanctions are such," Walter muses. He touches his fighting sticks fondly, ready to draw them.
"I am not sure. This is, admittedly, the first one I've come up against," Adrianna murmurs. She glances to the growing grass, and frowns.
As they grow closer, human figures can be seen. Thin, skeletal things, shambling around, scraping at dirt and trying to eat it.
Rose says, "Sustenance without compassion." She then asks, "Are we to restore this place?"
"My skin is crawling," Walter mutters, mostly to himself. Then, a bit louder, amused, "My skin is crawling."
Adrianna purses her lips, and looks to Rose. "We could start there, I suppose. If not, slaughter by flames is an easy enough task." She looks to Walter, and his skin, with a lift of brows.
Rose closes her eyes and places a hand on the ground. After several moments, she stands and says, "Order offers no choices," with distaste in her tone. "These people cannot die. We must give them that option."
Walter starts scratching at his forearms every so often.
"Walter, darling, you're perfectly alright," Adri insists, before looking to her sister. "I am no life-bringer, sister." She looks to Rose, as if she might be.
Rose smiles to Adri. "It's not my strong suit, either, but I can push things in the right direction. I'll need help."
"Of course I am," Walter says to Adrianna. Which doesn't stop him from scraching. "What if you throw in some Chaos? It'll form new life if you do it right, which should be enough of a change to break things."
Adrianna takes a step back, and makes a gesture. "You two are far more expert in this than I am. I cannot even get a cactus to stay alive."
Rose nods to Walter. "That is an excellent idea. I can do that once the locks that have been placed here are down. The stasis permeates everything."
Walter grins at Adri. "Locks are your thing." He scratches hard enough to draw a little blood, but doesn't seem to notice.
Adrianna grins, a touch. "Locks and Gates, indeed. I can tell, for example, that in twenty paces to the west, shadow gets a bit thinner. It would work for a Gate. I wonder if it would mean that Order's hold is weaker, as well."
Rose looks in that direction. "It might, indeed," she says and starts walking that way. "Open a crack over there and I'll see what I can bring through."
Walter shakes his head. "It could take decades to do that, and far more resources than we have here." He eyes Adri. "Unless you learned something from your purple friend before you killed him."
Adrianna frowns. "Unfortunately I did not gain much from the Portafada, aside from the wonderful pleasure of running my sword through him." She starts walking as well, one hand infront of her, like someone feeling for a warm spot.
Rose says, "The system here is airtight but that makes it vulnerable. One break in the right spot is all I need."
Walter nods. "Then the weak point is probably the best place to do that."
Adrianna nods, and moves forward further. "I cannot make you a crack, but I can find the closest thing to one in this shadow. It is tight, and well bound, but every Karm has failings." She wanders further, mostly east, but sometimes slightly more north-east, and stops just shy of a horse that is all skin and bones. "Here."
Rose smiles at her sister and takes a few steps toward her. She draws a slim dagger and says, "Do it."
Adrianna kneels, and, with a look to her sister, places a fingertip on a spot. There is a furrowing of brows, then quietly. "Now, and here. This is as week as I can find it, and cannot open it without many years. It's a shame Caine is not here."
Rose says, "That's a phrase you don't hear often." She holds her arm forward and slashes the knife across her palm. As the drops of her blood strike the ground, the sky begins to turn a deep red that has nothing to do with the sun. Grass turns brown in a circle around her. Then the cycle of life and death can be seen farther afield.
Walter watches Rose with great interest. He probably forgets to guard theirback while he's doing so. And damn, his arms are itching.
Adrianna watches as well, looking up to the sky. She rises, a hand on the hilt of her sword, and takes a few steps back as the horse starts to regain a more horsely shape slowly. "It's begun," she says, with a smile.
Rose keeps her arm outstretched and watches the ground around the blood more than anything else. "For better or worse," she says.
Walter shivers and finally looks around. "Think it'll work?"
"The only way to find out is to press further, and see what the final element holds for us," Adrianna says, looking down, through the city. "Water. I hope it does not involve a rainstorm."
Rose closes her hand into a fist and drops the knife from her other hand blade-first into the ground. "As do I," she says.
Walter forces himself to stop scratching at his arms.
Adrianna pulls a scarf of red silk from her pocket, and offers it to Rose. "We continue on, then," she says, and begins to walk once more.