Shrike's Heart (#2)

[idolpro]

The woman before you is beautiful—fair of features, with lovely golden skin and luxurious long black hair, petite. You have the immediate and distinct impression that she's just let go of your hand, and she steps back, and smiles.

It's not quite a happy smile.

"I'm sorry," she says. "There's just nothing I can do, as things are. But the way is there; it just needs to be lit."

You open your mouth—maybe to say something, or to express confusion—but you have to cough, and taste something metallic, spattering black blood onto the ground in front of you. Then you realize—blood seeps from opening wounds in your arms, your chest, your stomach, your face. It rims your eyes and trails from your nose and you feel like you're dissolving—

—and you fall through the ground like it's the surface of a lake, and go down, down, down.

> Wake Up

Comments

Re: THE BATTLEFIELD

[handpuppets]

[ you find a soldier, and—they're in a rather alarming state, apparently having had their mouth slit at the sides at some point, and then stitched back together messily; their skin has an ashy pallor.

still, though, it doesn't seem to bother them, and they bow. ]

Ma'am—their forces have scattered. But it seems that the local prefect has barricaded himself in his manor with a number of the townspeople rather than surrender; Crow's seeing if he can do anything about that.

Re: THE BATTLEFIELD

[nihilmancy]

[This must be the sort of army she fought with when...]

I will go to him, shortly.

Re: THE BATTLEFIELD

[handpuppets]

[ the soldier nods, crisply. ]

It might be for the best. You know how he is.

Apart from that, not much to see here except empty fields.

Re: THE BATTLEFIELD

[nihilmancy]

Indeed.

[She nods curtly to the soldier, searching for the others.]

Re: THE BATTLEFIELD

[handpuppets]

btw speaking of getting to the manor quickly