Fantasy Of Cults and Road Trips (Private)

[trash.nyann]

Blodwein was driven speechless, moved by Aremir's story and ending statements; eyes wide and wet with fresh tears. She'd never seen him express so much emotion their whole time together thus far, and seeing his eyes gleam so brightly made her avert her own, her pale skin flushing with lovely pink hues. "Thank you, Aremir..." she whispered, all the while touching his cheek, her fingers gently brushing over the small cut. She had no other words to describe how truly grateful she was to have him around, and him saving her. She'd have to make sure to return the debt someday, in one way or another. Using his shoulders to steady herself, she slowly stood up again, also taking the time to try brushing the dust off both of them, though it didn't do much good in the end.

Picking up her bag off the ground and securing it over her shoulder, she could feel the salve doing its magic on her back, and let out a small moan of appreciation. While a bit sore still, she was eager and ready to venture out again. The sun was already setting, casting a golden hue over the land; the sky faded from bright blues, to dark rich shades of purples and pinks. It honestly amazed her that so much had happened in such a short amount of time, however realizing that they barely made a dent in their travels. "It's getting late, and we've yet to find shelter, or a suitable place for make one. Let's keep walking for as long as we can still see, and hopefully we can make do with something along the way.."

 

[Northern Ranger]

Aremir smiled at Blodwein's newfound courage, and couldn't help but fear he had done something right. Standing again, he marveled in the beauty of the landscape for only a moment before turning back to the subject at hand. He couldn't be caught woolgathering now- ancient elvish runes and demon trickery aside, he felt uneasy on the side of a mountain that had so recently collapsed in on itself, however slightly.

"Right you are. It has been a long time indeed since I visited this trail- but if I remember correctly, there should be a small cave on the hill in front of us, just past the stone overpass connecting the two mountains. I believe it was built by Dwarves. If we keep a quick pace, we should make it before the twilight leaves us." he said, before starting off with returning confidence. He knew these lands, and they felt too familiar to be threatening. Still, he did not offer to carry Blodwein as he had before. No matter what he liked to pretend, the mountains attack had left his shoulders aching from being pressed against the roughly shifting stone, and legs weary from the collapsing stone that had struck their sides. Still, healing salve was better spent when in was being saved, in any rangers opinion- especially when facing a journey as long as this. Especially, the crueler, more cynical part of his mind reminded him, when one is facing demons.

Their footsteps echoed off the stone path, and he couldn't shake the feeling they were being followed, no matter how many times he turned and saw nothing there. He would be glad to see the familiar stone overpass- anything to take him further away from that damned (perhaps literally) tunnel.

 

[trash.nyann]

Quickly following Aremir, Blodwein stayed awfully close by his side. While she did have to trot a bit just to keep up, she didn't mind it, as the feeling of unease never truly left her, and she felt saver being nearer to him. Thinking back to the ancient runes, she surely hoped they didn't summon any ancient evils while passing through. While she was a nun, she never had to deal with anything demon related while she was at church, at least, never first hand. She's seen her leaders handle demon possessions, but she was always escorted away before she could fully understand how they did so. Now here she was, possibly cursed by ancient demons. What irony.

When she noticed Aremir looking back every so often, she started to do the same, but never saw anything out of the ordinary. She glanced up at him with worried eyes. "Are you alright? Do you...sense anything strange? If I'm quite honest, I still feel something's...wrong. It's like that feeling when you know you just started catching a cold.." She trailed off, seeing the overpass just ahead of them. While it was wide enough for two people or so, it was also long, and wore down in some areas. She had to make sure they didn't lean against the sides of it, the thought of falling off made her gently latch on to his cloak.

 

[Northern Ranger]

He wondered what he should say. Yes, I believe that we may have summoned some ancient power which is now hunting us, but don't you worry? It wasn't as though he had anymore information than her here- in fact, if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't've been able to read the warning at all. He took notice as she gently grabbed his cloak, looked down at her nervously trotting alongside him, and decided to take the more comforting route. "I think today has made us both a bit paranoid. I'm sure that once we get some rest, we will both be in better spirits." he declared. "Those runes... even that tunnel seemed ancient. If there was ever anything haunting it, I am sure it's long dead."

As he looked out into the sea of setting twilight, he saw something ahead in the twisting mountain path that brought him more genuine comfort. "And look there, ahead. The overpass, just as I remembered it. We shall get to the cave before the moon rises above the mountains." as they approached the stone overpass though, the sinking feeling in his stomach only got stronger, and he stopped entirely as they approached, standing still and regarding it with a suspicious eye, as if the bridge itself might be an illusion sent to trick them. The rushing of the river thousands of feet below them, intertwining itself between the mountains and around jagged rocks, seemed louder than it should've been, and he distantly tried to remember if there had been a storm as of late.

 

[trash.nyann]

Blodwein let out a pleased hum, glad to know they'll be sheltered soon enough. The sound of the river below was rather loud, even from where they were standing, but it only made her all the more eager to cross the stony overpass. "Don't just stand there then, let's be going..!" She laughed lightly, pulling on the end of his sleeve as she took a few steps onto the walkway.

However, her joyous mood dampened the moment she felt the stones beneath her rumble, and sunk all the way to the bottom of her stomach when she watched the stones crumble behind them, quickly gaining speed to where they were currently standing. With only a gasp escaping her lips, she latched her hand onto Aremir's with a vice grip, and ran for dear life. Not even thinking to pray, Blodwein could only focus on running, and keeping her hand intertwined with her bodyguard's. Yet, the disintegrating of the stones behind them was practically licking their heels, and she suddenly feared they weren't going to make it. The other side of the overpass appeared to stretch further and further away, and she let out a cry of distress, her panic getting the best of her. Yet what else what there to do but run? She had to keep running. Had to hold on tight to Aremir's hand, for if anything happened to him, she'd willingly give herself over to her old cult, just to pay for her biggest failure in life.

 

[Northern Ranger]

Aremir would claim, if you ever asked him, that he had not panicked. That he had thought through the situation and knew, logically, that he could run faster than her and that the bridge was just collapsing too fast for both of them to make it. That he had been hired to protect this girl, and had just done the best he could to complete that mission with the situation at hand.

All of that would've been a lie.

The truth was, Aremir completely panicked. Everything was happening too quickly, and their footsteps couldn't outmatch the pace of the bridge, and they still had a good fifteen feet to go, and the rush of the river in his ear was too loud to hear his own thoughts as it taunted him with a watery grave. So he did the only thing he could think to do- he saved what was important to him. Grabbing Blodwein by the hips and wrist, he bodily hauled her off her feet and tossed the small elf the rest of the distance, seeing her sprawl onto the cliff. It wasn't the most graceful of things, but she was small enough that it did the job, and it did the job quickly. Meanwhile, it seemed Aremir's time had run out. The stone under his feet crumbled until he was racing up the stones like stairs as they collapsed, two steps backwards for every one forward. With a final and desperate leap of faith, he pushed hard against the pillar he was standing on as it fell, jumping off and searching for something, anything to stop his fall.

His hands caught the edge of the cliff that Blodwein had just been thrown onto, which was once connected to the overpass. It seemed the bridge structure had completely given out after he had thrown her, for there was no more overpass in his way as he jumped. Just the stone face off the cliff, which his body roughly slammed into, bruising his ribs and breaking his nose. The impact stunned him, but by the grace of the gods he didn't let go, his fingers clawing into the stony earth. He felt blood drip down his lips as he took panting gasps, not quite processing that he had survived just yet.

 

[trash.nyann]

She couldn't even process what happened next. One moment, she was running; the next, she was flying, and she had every right to believed she'd died. Her body slamming against the rough, rocky ground proved otherwise. Dizzy and out of sorts, Blodwein forced herself sit up, her chest heaving as she gasped for much needed air. Her left arm had scraped up against the dirt and rocks, and was now bleeding quite laboriously. She paid it no mind, however; her focus zoning in on large hands clenching the side of the cliff. Scurrying as fast as she could to the edge, Blodwein reached for Aremir's arms, not for a second thinking that she might not be able to pull him up at all.

"Aremir!! A-Aremir, please..! I-I'm going to try to p-pull you up.. I'm gonna h-help you up, okay!?" She sniffled, "Can you h-hear me, Aremir?! Hold on to m-me, p-please!" Her eyes started to water, but she quickly blinked her tears away as she began to tuck on his arms. But the blood dripping off hers made it harder to keep a tight grip, and she fumbled around desperately, her fingers digging into his shirt sleeves.

 

[Northern Ranger]

Blodwein's voice was distant in his ears, his vision swimming as it came back into focus. As he felt her desperately attempting to pull him up the mountain side, he came back to himself, remembering the situation. He felt blood dripping onto him, running down his wrists and wetting his sleeves and he realized that the young elf must be injured. Squashing down feelings of guilt -What else could I of done?- he let her grasp help stabilize him as his feet found holds in the cliff-side, desperately trying to get an elbow over the edge- at this point, Blodwein was a great help. Once he had one arm over, it wasn't all too difficult to heave his chest over the edge and onto safe ground, and Aremir took a moment to breathe, face bloodied and pressed against the dirt, before swinging his legs over the side and rolling onto his back. If the ranger had been the type to cry, he might've sobbed with relief, but has it was he just took in deep breaths of air, still reorienting himself to the world around him.

"Are you okay?" he rasped, voice even rougher than normal as his dark eyes flickered to the girl kneeling to his right. His eyes widened as he saw the abrasion on her arm, and he pulled himself up into a sitting position with a wince. "No, you're not." If he had taken a moment to think, he might've laughed at himself. He made quite a sight now- covered in dust, dirt, and scrapes, with his cloak torn and blood smeared across his face. He looked like he had just taken a casual stroll out of a collapsing building. "I'm sorry. I threw you."

 

[trash.nyann]

Pure relief. So much overwhelming relief flooded through Blodwein, she doubled over and let out one loud sob after the other; her now dirtied blonde hair spread out against the dirt as she pressed her face against it. Her left sleeve was torn clean off I'm okay.. It's probably not as bad as it looks...It's not your fault. If not for you, we'd both be dead.. Her thoughts were left unsaid as she continued to cry, only pulling herself up to cry upon Aremir's chest, her unbloodied arm wrapping around his waist. "Sa-safe...I-I'm so glad....y-you're safe..!" she whimpered, her bell like voice lighter the usually, like she had lost it. With all her crying, she wouldn't be surprised. But the sound of Aremir's steady heartbeat against her ear helped calm her own, and soon her sobs turned into simple sniffles.

Blodwein could have honestly fell asleep in his lap, if she wanted too. And gosh, did she really want too. Exhausted and in pain, she was completely ready to pass out and just forget about the past few hours. Yet, the throbbing and stinging from her arm barely kept her awake, and she slowly pushed herself off the taller human's chest, standing onto her feet. Taking the time to look over him, she immediately noticed the blood still flowing freely down from his nose, the skin around it already bruised deeply. "You're hurt too.." It was an honest to god miracle that her bag was still across her shoulder. She didn't dare think to question it. With no other words said, she pulled out the salve and ripped off the remaining sleeve from her shirt, and gently began to wipe the blood from his under his nose and lips with it, all the while carefully applying the salve at the same time.

 

[Northern Ranger]

Aremir watched with deep sadness as the elf broke down sobbing, but knew that it was from relief. Even despite (or maybe because of) the situation, her presence was a comforting one to him and he let his own eyes slip closed as he absentmindedly rubbed her uninjured shoulder as she wept. His ribs ached, but they didn't feel broken. Unlike the entirety of his face, which was on fire, blood still gushing from his nose and leaking from his split lip. He barely noticed when Blodwein rose, and once he realized she was gone he wondered foggily if there was a chance he was concussed. A wave of nausea in the pit of his stomach, strong enough that he had to close his eyes again, confirmed that suspicion.

Obviously. Slamming your face into a slab of rock doesn't come without consequences, idiot. Vaguely he wished for the healing salve, when, as if he had conjured it, he felt smooth cloth delicately running over his face, bringing him great relief (and probably relieving him of his concussion) and wiping away quickly drying blood. As he opened his eyes, though, a thought occurred to him that had been pushed away mere seconds ago, and he jolted upright, world spinning for only a moment before reorienting. His bruised ribs let out a stab of protest, but he ignored it. "Blodwein! Your arm!" he spoke more intensely than he had ever before in their short time of knowing each other. "What are you doing? Ignore me, I was hired to protect you. That's your healing salve!" he reprimanded as he ever so gently took her hand and turned it over as to get a better look at the injury.

 

[trash.nyann]

Quickly pulling her arm out of his grasp, Blodwein's pink eyes sharpened into a glare. "What good to me is a heavily injured, bloodied bodyguard, hmm?? It's my healing salve, as you say, so let me do what I want with it!" She snapped, just as intensely as he's spoken to her mere minutes ago. Her anger went as fast as it came, however, when her arm flared up with sharp, stinging pain. Nevertheless, she didn't return her injured arm back into his hands. "I could never ignore you.." She sighed, " I want to protect you too...I-I can't help caring about you, you know! ...Even though you're only hired to protect me.... I still care." Concluding lamely, she closed her eyes, feeling rather tired once again. Her emotions were all over the place today, and a headache was quickly approaching upon her temple. She just wanted to crawl into a ball and sleep for a week's time. "I'll let you take care my arm once we're in the cave...can we please j-just go now..?" Whining like a child; she didn't care. She made up her mind. Once again tugging on Aremir's sleeve, she pulled him along towards the cave, not caring to hear any protests he might have made along the way.

 

[Northern Ranger]

He listened to her, gently wiping the remaining blood from his face as the salve did its work. He still wasn't particularly happy on wasting healing salve on a broken nose, and would hardly call himself 'heavily injured,' but had to remind himself that she was new to the trials of the wilderness, and a journey as fraught as this one had been so far would be tough even to one more experienced. As they approached the cave, a hidden, out of the way thing whose entrances was about three times smaller than its walls, he sighed with relief, picked up his pace, and practically dragged the girl inside.

Twilight had almost left them now, and what meager moonlight streamed in through the opening did nothing to light the room. Without hesitation, he swept over to an old fire-pit which was little more than an indent in the stony floor, and began to rekindle old logs which were more ash than wood, left there by some other traveler long ago. He did not speak- the air around them was still tense and suffocating. Soon, a fire roared ablaze, light flickering off the curving cave walls, and revealing there home for the night. In the center of the cave was the fire-pit, and to it's left was a small ledge built into the wall, as if about five square feet of cave floor had suddenly decided to rise five feet in the air. In case of flooding. Aremir thought to himself. Against the back of the cave, a large and smooth circular seal was carved into the wall, with sprawling, intricate designs running across it.

The Symbol of the God of Lost Wanderers. Aremir sighed in relief- even if his belief was not shared by Blodwein, being in a cave blessed by one of his gods was a great relief- not just any god, either, but one he had prayed to so many times when traveling through the tundras and badlands. Without thinking about how religious strain might elevate the tension in the room, he instantly went to the alter, and began searching through his pockets and pulling out an envelope that had been torn open, resting it on the ledge the carving had made in the cave and mumbling something quietly to himself.

 

[trash.nyann]

Blodwein's mind was elsewhere as she sat by the fire, her tired eyes staring dully at the wild flickering of the flames. She only vaguely noticed her bodyguard standing in front of an alter with patterns craved into the wall behind it. While she figured he might've believed in other gods then her, she wasn't going to chastise him about his faith. Paying attention more closely, she could hear him mumbling to himself, the cave making it easier to do so. Prayer, perhaps..? Deciding to just let him be, she pulled out the salve with a sigh, and began treating herself. The sooner this was done, the sooner she could finally rest, and hopefully by morning, this awful tension between her and Aremir would've faded away.

Feelings of guilt slowly welled up inside her, but she pointedly ignored them. As gently as she could, she rubbed the healing salve over the multiple deep cuts and scrapes on her arms, letting out a huff of relief as it almost instantly stopped the burning pain. She still needed to wrap her arm up though, and she was out of sleeves. I'll need to buy new garments when we finally get to a town.. She glanced over to the entrance of the cave, the world outside softly lit up with moonlight; then, back to Aremir, still standing in front of his god's alter. She'd ask him if he had any scrap cloths or any kind, but she couldn't bring herself to speak up. He's only hired to protect me. We're not...friends. It hasn't even been a whole day, and here I am getting attached. Its..not like I can help it though...

Pulling her hair back into a knotted low ponytail, Blodwein laid down close to the fire, not even bothering to pull out her sleeping sack. Too tired and too heavy-hearted at the moment to care. She made sure to lay on her right side, as to not irritate the healing process on her left arm. Before she attempted to sleep, she murmured towards Aremir, "However early you wake up, wake me as well. I want to head out as soon as day breaks.."

 

[Northern Ranger]

Aremir jerked his head up, her soft voice pulling him out of his prayer and reflection. He glanced over to where she lay, and felt an overwhelming feeling of guilt sweep through him. He hated the tension that surrounded them. He hated himself for causing it. He hated that he didn't know how exactly he had caused it. He wished he had some experience with things like this, experience with... caring about people, with friendship. He wished he knew how to make everything better. Perhaps to start, he thought bitterly, I should stop making everything worse. But he didn't even know how to do that. Instead, he silently swept over to her resting form, and knelt at her side. She had already rubbed healing salve over the abrasions and it didn't look like they would need stitches. Instead, he pulled out a long white strip of cloth from his cloak. It was worn, but sterile enough when laid over salve, and he kept such things on his person for this exact reason.

Blodwein had agreed earlier to allow him to treat her wounds once they got to the cave. He decided to still use that permission now, not daring himself to speak again lest he make things worse. He knew she was not yet asleep- no one falls asleep that quickly- and he hoped she would not object as he gently raised her arm and began wrapping it in bandages. She deserves rest, not another pointless argument. I will take first watch. And second. He knew that, since she had not made such a journey before, she was probably not used to staying awake and trading off watches- but he also knew that there was no way he would break that news to her now. Not when she was already so weary of what lurked outside. Not when she was clearly so tired. Not when she is already fed up with you? The more cynical voice in the back of his head laughed.

 

[trash.nyann]

Blodwein's only acknowledgement to Aremir's activities was a gentle hum, making sure to keep her arm limp for easier wrapping. While he was finishing up, she lightly trailed her fingertips over the skin of his arm, hand going underneath his sleeve. She liked touching him- liked knowing he was alive, here with her. He was her protector and her savior, and she'd forever be grateful for his presence, regardless of the notion that he may had only did it all because he was getting paid to do so. She continued tracing random patterns on his skin, yet never turned to face him. In the grand scheme of things, she knew all this tension started because of her and she knew she should apologize, but she hoped her touch was signal enough for him to understand her remorse. I'm sorry, Aremir.. Her final thought for the night, a pleading one.

She did eventually fall sleep like that, with her hand lightly pressed again his arm, and a hint of a smile on her lips. In the morning, she promised to herself to make things alright again.

 

[Northern Ranger]

Aremir placed his hand gently over hers as he looked down at his sleeping charge. Perhaps things weren't quite irreversible just yet. Perhaps he could still make it up to her. It was this thought that rattled through his head all night and he stayed there, kneeling at her side, unmoving except to occasionally poke the fire using his long sword. His eyes stayed sharp and locked on the entrance. Occasionally he thought he saw shifting in the darkness, and at these times the grip on his blade would tighten and he would lean protectively over the elf. However, nothing ever came of it, and the only noises he heard was the whistling of the wind, and the ever constant rush of the river still not far from where they rested.

Eventually dawn seeped through the sky as if in cracks, and Aremir's gaze relaxed. He was hardly tired- it was often the way of the northern rangers to only get two hours of sleep as night when traveling, as the tundra had never been very forgiving to those who rested. It was a skill he had never lost, and at times the habit of insomnia that he could not kick. However, the gentle dawn light, which would normally highlight frozen dew on the mountain trail, but this time the path didn't seem to light at all. For the first time since he had knelt to help her wounds, Aremir rose from his position and padded over to the cave's mouth. Lining the entrance, as if something had tried to get in but could not, was a thick black sludge, as dark as the night, from which sprouted thorny and equally black vines. That shifting in the night... perhaps it was not nothing after all. His eyes widened and for the first time since the incident on the overpass, he spoke to his charge.

"Blodwein, wake up. Quickly!"

 

[trash.nyann]

The sudden sound of his loud voice, echoing off the walls of the cave, made Blodwein jolt straight up. With wide eyes, she stared at Aremir, confused and heart pounding wildly. "Wh-what's going on..??" She wheezed, her legs shaking as she quickly gathered her things. "A-are we in danger again?" Pulling out her dagger, she stumbled made her way over the human's side, her breath hitching at the sight of the black muck.

Unfortunately, she stumbled a little too closely, and a sludge covered vine shot out and wrapped around her thighs, the thorns piercing into her skin. Letting out a scream of terror, she frantically started to stab and cut at it, as the black vine started to pull her closer to the sludge at the same time. "A-A-Aremir!! My dagger isn't w-working!" She gasped painfully, tears sliding down her face from fear. The vines were thick enough as is, but with the added sludge coated it, she didn't have any chance cutting through it with such a small weapon. "P-please, h-help me..B-but, be careful, and d-don't g-get too close!" Of course he knows not to get any closer, he can see the horrid state you got yourself in.. Who am I to tell him something so obvious?

 

[Northern Ranger]

Aremir stared at the scene in shock and horror for only a second before deciding what to do. Remembering how the sludge had outlined the cave, he placed his bets and made his move. I don't know what gods are real, but aren't demons afraid of all holy imagery? If we're lucky, this thing didn't enter the cave because it couldn't enter the cave. For now he tabled the horrifying implications that this was, in fact, the work of a demon, and instead hoped against hope that his guess was correct as swiftly drew his sword, grabbing firmly onto Blodweins wrist as with his free hand. In one quick motion, his sword slashed out in a smooth arc around the young elf, slicing through the vines with strength unspoken by his stature, and pulling the girl against his chest and back into the boundaries of the cave using her hand, as if they were ball room dancing. The cut vines, including the remnants of those wrapped around her leg, violent shuddered and squirmed before disintegrating to ash against the ground. Luckily enough, his guess seemed to be right- the sludge-covered vines rose in threatening arcs outside the entrance before coming to a stop again, as if they were any other bush.

Aremir turned to Blodwein, free arm wrapped around her shoulders to help support her in case her leg was more injured than she had let on, other arm still gripping his sword. "Are you alright? How badly is your leg hurt?"

 

[trash.nyann]

Blodwein clung to Aremir tightly, putting most of her weight on him as she let out harsh pants. Her legs were cut up from her mid-thigh down, but it wasn't as bad as her arm was before. However, she couldn't say the same for the state of her pants, multiple tears scattered upon them. "Ugh...I-I'm alright.." Was all she could muster to say, pulling away from her bodyguard to face towards the sludge with disdain. "More importantly... T-the vines c-can't reach in here, right..? You prayed last night...so, as long as we're in the cave, we're safe..??"

With a slight limp, she slowly walked further into the cave, returning near the spent fire-pit. "We have to think of something... Maybe, there is another way out?.." She questioned, her eyes hopeful. Regardless of another exit though, she wanted to find away to rid of the black sludge all together. Even if they did find another way out, the black mass could just find, and trap them all over again, and they wouldn't be so lucky to be in a blessed place like they were now. "I have some small vials of holy water...only about two or three.. It's not enough to do much damage, but we can think of something to do with it, right?"

 

[Northern Ranger]

Aremir pondered these many possibilities a while before responding. He remembered the runes, remembered the bridge, the ground shaking as the avalanche together, and could almost hear cogs whirring in his mind as he tried to put together a plan, to make sense of what was happening. Eventually, he spoke, voice rattling around his throat as his quiet words echoed through the cave. Even as he spoke, he was still trying to piece the puzzle together, working it out aloud. "I would not think it wise to travel through anymore mountain tunnels, even if we managed to find one." He said, only half in jest.

"The runes on that tunnel... and the holy symbol working as repellent... it would all seem to be the work of a demon." he decided, taking long pauses in between thoughts. "There is no other possibility. But that avalanche... and the overpass collapsing... Tell me, Blodwein, does it not feel as though we are being hunted?" Here he took a long pause before speaking again. "There is something much worse than thorny underbrush working against us here. In fact... the sludge almost looks like... tracks. But if that is true... we could not avoid this creature, as it is continuing along the path... venturing into the mountains would be suicide... if we tried to track it and kill it, the vines would attack us first... but if we are working against a demon, there is not holy water to waste! My sword cut the vines, but it did not kill the evil life... If we poured the water on my sword- ah, but that would not work against such an enemy, with so many heads like a hydra... The holy symbol repels them..." Suddenly, his attention became much more focused yet again.

"I don't suppose you know anything about exorcisms?"

 

[trash.nyann]

The demon trickery!! She should have known, being the one that was so fearful of the aspect in the first place. So many unfortunate events happened one by one, she had been so caught being...well, literally caught up in the moment, she didn't think as to why it was happening. Not that she could have anyway, so focused on trying not to die many times before now.

Nodding along while Aremir voiced his thoughts, she blinked at the mention of exorcisms, finding it somewhat amusing he has asked. "I do somewhat.. I've seen the church leaders perform them, and while I would always be escorted away by the time....the rather frightening part began, I took the time to remember and learn the chants and whatnot.. Do you think they would help!?" She gasped excitingly, finally feeling like she could be of more use to her human bodyguard, rather then a burden. She felt bad for having to be saved all the time, and she really wished she had some more battle ready skills. Maybe I'll ask Aremir to teach me a few things later on..!

 

[Northern Ranger]

"They very well might. I mean, it couldn't hurt... could it?" he looked at her uncertainly. Religion was little more than superstition to most rangers, and this was an area he was not very well experienced in. He had never fought a demon before. He had never even heard of someone who had fought a demon before, withholding legend and fairy-tales. The most he had ever heard of demon-kind were stories told to him as a child to keep him in line. He was glad to have an idea of it's weakness- holy imagery, how lucky to be travelling with a nun!- but still felt uncertain and nervous. In fact, in his mind the best idea for fighting the demon itself he had was to apply holy water to his sword, or bless it, or however that worked. In matters of religion he was ignorant and clumsy- matters of sword fighting were so much simpler.

I do not consider myself a violent person, he thought to himself, but right now I wish for little else than the ability to cleave this demon down the middle and be done with it. For now, though, he had to wait for Blodwein's cue.

 

[trash.nyann]

"The only issue I'm seeing is that...I'd have to get close to the demon's sludge again.. pretty much as close as I was before" She bit her lower lip, seriously contemplating the idea. If this was their only way to escape, she really didn't have a choice, in her eyes. She had faith, and that in itself was the perfect things to have at this current moment. With a curt nod, she placed her bag onto the ground, digging through it for one of the vials of holy water, and splashing herself with it. The last of the remaining water, she splashed onto Aremir's sword as well, her expression serious. "I'll need you to keep the vines off me... I know you may disapprove of this course of action, but...I want to be less of a burden to you, so let me do this for us." Finishing with a nervous smile , she pushed pass him to kneel near the demonic sludge, her heart beginning to beat rapidly.

Promptly, the demon's vines shot out from the sludge, and curled around Blodwein's waist. While the holy water slowed it down a bit, it was still able to tighten up around her, but the thorns weren't able to cut into her like last time. She had to ignore all the pain for now, trusting Aremir to take care of it as she started her quiet chanting, her eyes closed in concentration. As she mumbled, more vines targeted her, shooting out more viciously and frequently in retaliation to her prayers. The small elf did nothing more then chant louder and louder, her focus never wavering. The wind gradually picked up around them, and the echo from the cave made her voice sound like multiple ones at once, chanting along side with her. The sludge, in one last desperate attempt, sent out as many vines as it could at once, coiling around her whole body and neck, squeezing with its all its might, finally cutting off Blodwein's incantations.

"N-now, Aremir..!" She coughed out weakly, "W-weak...now..s-stab it....center...aah.." It was painful to speak at this point, and the elf was close to passing out, her soft pink eyes slowly rolling to the back of her head.

 

[Northern Ranger]

Aremir swung his sword out like a scythe slicing through fields of wheat to sever the vines quickly wrapping themselves around the young elf, only stopping to violently wrench his sword from their grasp now and again when they got the idea to try to hold it in place. He did not understand why Blodwein's prayers seemed to invigorate them instead of repel them like his earlier prayer, nor did he understand why she had to be so close; but what did he know about such matters? It wasn't as if he had any time to object, with the nun rushing ahead in her plan before he could say 'bad idea.' Once the elf gave her strangled command, he leapt into action immediately. He wasn't entirely sure what she meant by center, but he figured stabbing wildly at wherever the sludge seemed thickest would do the trick. For a heart stopping moment, it seemed as if Blodwein was wrong- that the exorcism had not worked, and that now that he was close enough the accursed plants that had previously only managed to tear at the hem of his cloak would strangle them both- but then his sword pierced... something.

There were no vines here, only a slowly encroaching black sludge that seemed to ooze off of whatever his sword had contacted. It felt almost as if he were cutting through flesh. As soon as he attacked it, the vines all violently writhed and squirmed as if they were being held over a flame. Aremir wasted no time- his sword arching up again to tear through the few remaining vines wrapped around it, and coming down with a violent and final swing. There was a sharp, high pitched noise (he would later think it to be whatever inhabited the sludge screaming- and suddenly all the vines tensed, before bursting into ash. He assessed the situation.

He was covered in various scratches, though nothing serious- it merely looked as if he had walked through a rosebush. He stood knee-deep in sludge which seemed to coat the entire mountain path, rolling off the edge and into the cave it had previously been blocked from in molasses-like waves. For a moment, he couldn't even find Blodwein, so coated in ash was she. He waded through the sludge as if through a marsh or mud-pit, offering up a hand. "Are you... How do you feel?" he asked, uncertainly, though not morbidly. In fact, the defeat of the creature, despite all the misgivings left behind, had actually cheered the ranger in a way only rangers could be cheered. Sure, there was a demon hunting them, but they had won the first battle. It doesn't matter how stupid or reckless a plan is as long as it works was practically the unofficial creed of rangers.

 

[trash.nyann]

Blodwein laid there a few moments, not even flinching as Aremir called out to her. It truly seemed like she had met her end, until weak coughs left her lips and she curled into a ball on the cave floor. Exhausted and dizzy, she wasted nothing more then to fall asleep on the dirt again, but she forced herself to sit up, her whole body trembling like a leaf in the wind. "L-like a winner..!" The small elf croaked in jest, sending the human a small grin as she took hold of his hand. They had won, and she was still alive! Sure, she was in terrible pain all over her body, mainly her neck, but she was too exhilarated to really care. Once on her feet, she practically jumped into Aremir's arms, hugging him tightly and nuzzling her face into his chest. "We did it! Oh...I'm so glad...g-glad that we're safe and finally rid of that awful demonic gunk!!" she bubbled brightly, pink eyes sparkling with triumph.