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A Day at the CitadelChoyin Li felt as if she were about to black out when the world that was spinning out of control about her came to a sudden, sharp focus. The lazily spinning sky-blue crystal of the Baishi lifestone was apparently oblivious to the pain that wracked her body. She looked down to see that the only item of worth not dropped was her shield. "Small favors," she thought bitterly as she choked back a sob of despair. She sat down heavily and began to cry in earnest, not caring who was around
or if a scout from the nearby mosswart nest was maintaining a watch on
unsuspecting and unwary adventurers. She tried to count the number of
corpses that were piling up in the Lugian Citadel she had been fighting in, but
each remembrance seemed to make her feel just that much worse, both emotionally
and physically. The memories of being completely surrounded by Lithos and
Gigas Lugians, almost to the exclusion of the warriors and mages around her -
those oversized axes and mauls beating down on her - threatened to overwhelm her
with self-pity. Was it that she looked like the weakest of the group?
Perhaps because she was female? Possibly because they smelled blood and
fear in the air as she dashed recklessly towards her corpses in a vain attempt
to retrieve some semblance of armor Choyin threw herself back onto the grass and beat the ground with her clenched fists, anger finally working its way into her emotions. "No!" she hissed as she squeezed her eyelids to hold back the tears. She then berated herself for such unseemly behavior and allowing the stress of the moment to cloud her judgement. Getting up and brushing clean her undergarments - the only defense left to her now - and sent her thoughts out. "M'Lord?" She focused on the image of Kamikazee's face in her mind. "Are you there?" The response was almost instantaneous. "Yes, I am here, Choyin. How can I help you?" Immediately, relief overtook her as she felt the reassuring presence of her patron in her mind. She took a deep breath, locking away the voice inside that was trying to escape and advising her that four deaths wasn't so bad and that she could do this on her own. Choyin quickly filled Kami in on the situation. His response was swift
and non-judgmental. In fact, she could feel the concern in his thoughts
for her well-being and nothing on the irreplaceable items of magic and armor
that lay strewn on her husks in the Citadel. She ran to the Baishi Meeting
Hall as quickly as she could, forcing her legs to work through the haze and pain
of the Vitae loss she was wrapped in. Arriving through the portal, dashing
down the stairs and past the cluster of mages working diligently on destroying
their spell components in the mana pool, she pushed open the Immediately, her hand was taken up by the Lady Vixen whose look of concern was obvious as she scanned Choyin for signs of damage or other physical impairments. "Oh, my dear Choyin. Are you OK? Don't worry about it. This happens to everyone at some point. We'll help take care of it." Suddenly, Choyin found herself battling two demons internally. One was repulsed at the outpouring of sympathy - the embarrassment of running through a pack of mages in her underwear was quite enough without having someone demonstrate that she failed in this task. On the other hand, she found Vixen's words soothing and comforting, being said from a place of true concern and unselfish desire to help. Choyin smiled softly and turned her head away slightly, "Thank you,
m'lady." She then noticed that someone other than Kami standing in
the room. He was obviously a mage by the fact that he wore robes and
carried a staff that radiated power. He caught Choyin's stare and nodded.
"I am Redeem. Kamikazee has told me of your need and I came as
quickly as I could. He is on his way to the Citadel now, and will meet you
there when we are done here. I will weave magics of protection about you,
then you must recall yourself to the fortress. Kami will meet you there
and escort you to your body." |
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