ORIGIN

The thin, black figure that limped from the narrow gap of the icy tunnel wall was nothing like the creature who had not long ago entered it. Its gait was jerking, staggering; its long, thin neck was hanging low, the lanky mane draped loosely over it. Its ears were pinned back, as if in pain.

Khloros had entered the tunnel moving calmly, head held high. Now he was deeply weakened, beaten and exhausted, and it took him a great deal of effort merely to stumble along the cave wall, pausing now and again to lean on its outcrops with weakened, shallow panting. Parts of his coat were charred and burnt; his movements, too, betrayed obvious broken ribs. The plague horse's lamplight eyes slipped closed, for awhile, before he moved on.

Only once he had found a pitch black (and thus, hopefully safe) corner of Orion, relatively sheltered from the shimmering of its quartz lights, did he fold up his knees and collapse on the rock. There he lay, trembling with exhaustion, with pain, with near-shock. His intention, at first, had been to try and find someone to send back to the ram who had beaten him. The ram had been left for dead, sprawled and plagued off a steep drop in the tunnel behind--but Khloros had barely made it out, himself, before Aries' battering had begun to break through the barrier of adrenaline that had protected him.

Before, he'd been concerned about the forgotten ram dying a slow and painful death, too weak to move; Khloros had clearly heard the snapping of bones as Aries fell. Now, that was half-forgotten, as he lay in a haze of his own pain. His ears fell loosely forward, soft black velveteen muzzle lowering until his entire head was propped up against the rock by only that point. His pus-streaked coat trembled and flicked here and there, the burns across it fairly badly seared.

He was not, at the moment, at his best. He was certainly not currently a threat. The ram had seen to that.

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BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

The sound of approaching hoofbeats stirred Valeria from her light slumber. The rhythm was off, as if they were limping. Hung upside down in the darkness, the vampire bat peeked through her wings. Whoever this was, they were hurt, possibly in pain. Her heart winced at the thought.

Then, a disturbing sight staggered into view. A rail thin horse, with burnt flesh and disgusting, pus-filled boils, limped into relative safety of a dark corner, her dark corner.

For a moment, Valeria hung there in silence, mouth agape from witnessing this rancid creature up close, but as the injured horse slumped down to rest its aching bones, she slowly came out of her horrified stupor. This was a gembound, a very sick gembound. Her gem glowed faintly under her tucked wings as magick gave her the sight to see. Then, she saw it. Valeria's stomach twisted into a knot. Her suspicions were correct.

The gembound carried the plague, and it was the worse case she had ever seen.

How... how is he not dead??

"Don't move," She called out to him, giving away her position. Valeria unfurled her wings, revealing her glowing, red garnet nestled snuggly in her breast. "You are very ill." The bat let go of her perch and flutter down quietly to the ailing horse, landing a few feet away from him. Her face looked sad and worn, like she had witnessed the end of her world one too many times.



"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Khloros // OOC:

Khloros slowly lifted his head at the sound of Valeria's voice. It sounded gentle, warm--benevolent. He found it difficult, at first, to focus his weary gaze on anything, and when he could, it was her blood red gem, at first. He gave a few exhausted huffs, reeling a little. Then he spoke, his own voice rasping, echoing eerily with an unearthly hollowness, as if his words were twinned with a strange wind.

"I carry death," he answered hoarsely, "but that, little one, is not what ails me. Do not draw too close, if you do not wish to carry death with you, as well." One bat had already taken the plague from him--drawn it in, accepted it, incubated it, to carry with it through the caves. But he was unsure if this one sought to do so--nor if she could manage it at all, without growing sick and dying.

From an abstract point of view, he believed that spreading his plague was the right thing to do. It was his purpose, after all--from birth; and it was the logical thing, too, given what he "knew" of the caves. But when it came down to individual Gembound, he did not wish anyone any real harm. He was aware that should he succeed, he would be killing them all--and not very kindly--but it was a mercy, in this case. And he still tended to prolong individual lives, rather than to snuff them out.

He did not, therefore, wish to infect the bat, not unless she wished to be infected.

To explain further, Khloros continued. "I fought another, that is all. I am in pain... and recovery will take time. He... is worse. Perhaps you can better aid him."

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BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

"He is worse? How?" Concern swelled in her eyes. If this gembound was worse than this sickly horse, then he may be on the brink of death.

She took a step closer, then froze. There was something off about the behavior of the bacteria within the horse. She thought it was ravaging him, but that was not so. Then, his words echoed in her ears.

"I carry death, but that, little one, is not what ails me..."

"You're incubating it." She murmured softly. Valeria snapped from her sudden trance-like shock and cut her eyes to Khloros. "You're not just incubating it, you're the one who created it, this death... aren't you?" She took a step back, awed. So many emotions were running through Valeria's mind, it was chaotic. Tears began to roll down her cheeks.

"Oh!" She sobbed, wiping her eyes. Valeria blinked back up at Khloros and smiled, like she had found the answer to all her problems. She sniffed, and attempted to compose herself. "I've so wanted to met you!" Valeria couldn't contain her excitement. She was bubbling with rapturous glee. "In fact, I have been looking for you!"

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Khloros // OOC:

He listened dully, blood ringing in his ears, trying to gather himself some, his focus, his magicka, to do his best to recover his strength if just a little. "Without aid," he rasped, "he may die... very slowly. He is... trapped. In the ice tunnel. Injured. Perhaps dead, by now, but... if not it may take him a very long time to die. I do not think he can rise, alone. A ram, of flame. If you can aid him-..."

The horse broke off into a soft wheeze as he focused, feeling the faint energy trickling back into him, the strength restoring to him in miniscule amounts, the smallest of the injuries mending just a little. Khloros then blinked his green-white eyes at the little bat as she began to cry. "You needn't cry, I will not harm--..." He trailed off as he realized that she was not sobbing in fear, but in--joy?

Another to answer the call..? he thought, though his mind found it difficult, with his injuries, to wrap around this concept at the moment.

"You have... found me," he responded, taking a very deep breath and slowly exhaling. He again rested his head on the floor, lanky mane hanging limp over his rail-thin neck, slender ears pricked as he watched Valeria.

Was she here to put an end to his mission, then..? She was very small, but then, the small could hold great power--and Khloros was hardly in any condition to fight once more.

"What is your name? Why have you sought me?" His tone was only curious, as was his mind, past the pain.

He drew one foreleg closer up beneath him, the pus-slicked hoof rasping over stone as he rested on it.

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BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

"I'm V-Valeria," She stuttered, suddenly anxious from whom she was speaking with. Her little body couldn't contain all the excitement and she quietly added "But please, call me Val! Well- I mean, you don't have too, but it would be cool!--I mean w-what ever works for you! You don't have to call me Val if you don't want to--" Valeria wanted to smack herself in the head for clumsily flailing her words about in front of her astounding, plaguemaking idol (the one and only key to the cure). Had she had the brain worms?

Get a grip, Val, quit acting like rabid cave bat!

She cleared her throat and grinned a nervous, hope-filled grin. "Yes, I've sought you out because--" She paused, holding her expression. Was it a good idea to tell him the truth? Why was he spreading this.. death around? Was it an accident, something that he never intended spread, or was Khloros trying to kill everyone?

There was something about Khloros that rubbed her the wrong way. Actually, it was pretty obvious. The horse was obsessed with disease. He wore it on his hide like a badge of honor. She studied his cursed plague for cycles. She knew the signs and suffering it wrought in its wake. She knew how it spread, it was in the water, it was in the rats. The rats! Yes, the rats.. it was suspicious that they were the most afflicted by this despite the plague having no problem jumping from lesser to greaters, but now, she knew why. Khloros was infecting them because he wanted it to spread. Rats were numerous, they were everywhere, and everyone needed to drink water. They perfect vectors. Khloros had premediated this. He wanted to infect, to kill everyone. Someone like that would not approve of her good intentions. If she wanted a sample, she had to pretend to be his ally.

"...Because... I want to carry death too."

"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Khloros // OOC: And so valeria becomes sherlock holmes

Khloros was, in one sense, very gullible. He assumed that he genuinely had been tasked, whether it be by gods or fate, to carry the plague and end some sort of horrific cycle of pain that Origin's caves were stuck in. Whether that was true or insanity or simply a tragically foolish misunderstanding of life (likely one of the latter two), he also often assumed that others answered to the same calling.

He never questioned this.

Instead, he gave a soft blow of hot air through his nose, a head-bob of agreement, and he spoke in a raspy voice. Every word hurt; every breath was pain, but he spoke nonetheless, wincing as he responded to the bat.

"Agree, first--that you will go in my stead. And aid the ram in the tunnel of ice... or end his suffering. His heart is noble if misguided. If you swear this to me then yes. I will grant you the palliation that I carry, the death that will ease all pain."

Quiet, he prepared his magic--or tried to; he did not yet, however, offer it out, instead holding the breath full of bacteria in his lungs.

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BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

Valeria felt herself tremble. It wasn't exactly fear, but she wasn't excited either. She just felt sick, like the weight of the caves were on her shoulders. If she agreed to this, then she would receive the full weight of Khloros' "death". Valeria would carry it with her too. It was also very possible that she could die as well. Was she even ready for this? Since finding the tainted pond, this moment was all that Valeria dreamed about, so why was she getting cold feet now?

That poor ram, if he was infected with the plague, then he was as good as dead. The entire Cave was as good as dead.

Unless I cure it.

There was no other choice.

Valeria straighted up. "Don't worry," She smiled. "He will not suffer anymore." The meaning behind those words left a sour taste in her mouth. No, I will save him. She closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, then exhaled. "I am ready." Valeria said, staring up at Khloros. The little bat was determined.


"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Khloros // OOC:

Khloros peered at the little bat. Perhaps she was more like him than he had realized; yet she had misunderstood, at least a little, his words.

Leaning forward, he spoke, simultaneously exhaling the breath of prepared plague toward Valeria. It was there, tingling--but up to her to make use of it.

"He may be saved, perhaps," Khloros rasped. "I do not know if you could kill him. He is large. Unless you hold some magics that can offer a swift death." That was one thing that his plague could not do.

"It is in the air before you. Take it, if you wish. Carry death, as I do." He still did not get up, tremblingly weak, hide twitching in pain as if covered in a swarm of tiny flies.

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BRING OUT YOUR DEAD

Valeria breathed in the bacteria. It was too late to turn back now. She felt it take hold within her body, like the roots of demented weeds. Foolishly, she invited it to stay. This was key to their salvation, although, she and Khloros had two, very different ideas of salvation. She shivered with excitement and dread. Finally, after all this time, she carried the strain with her.

Then, Valeria's smile turned into a frown. Something was wrong. The magicka refused to coerce the disease into accepting her. It began to fester within her, much like it did with the rats and Valeria began to panic. Wide eyed and stunned, she looked to Khloros, expecting him to help, or worse, seal her fate.



"Listen to me."
Thoughts...

TAG: @Khloros // OOC: