Fantasy On Thunders Wings

[Purize]

Bea made a face as Sylas sloshed the monster parts into a crate. That will be fun to carry back. At his proposition though, she shrugged ambivalently. "If you walk and you're not hurting too badly, then we can. But if I see another one of those things I say we get out of here." She gave him a pointed look. She was mostly unscathed, a few bruises and a headache but Sylas, even after the healing had to be hurting. He seemed used to it though, shrugging it off with a slight limp as he looked around. This is what it meant to be an adventurer, she supposed.

 

[BugDozer73]

Sylas nodded. "Agreed" There was only one way forward to check, but Bea was right. Thankfully, he still had several tricks up his sleeve, unbeknownst to his companion. Sylas moved towards the new tunnel and deeper within the mine, moving his torch forward so as to illuminate the path. The webs persisted, a little less torn, all over the walls and ceilings and floors. He understood now that the creature had most likely torn its way through their nest, or perhaps it had always been here and they simply hadn't noticed it? It was strikingly camouflaged. He could only imagine how other caves might be that this monster might be proliferating in. Their recount of the events and descriptions of the dangers could, in all likely-hood, save a fair amount of lives of the careless adventurer.

The orange light followed the curve of the path, with Sylas and company in tow. It narrowed slightly, tucking in and becoming a singular path, and right before it began to get uncomfortable, it opened into another large cavern. The light from the torches followed the widening walls until they slipped past the illumination and into the dark. Before them, the light stretched outwards and touched nothing besides the floor, which stopped abruptly 20 feet ahead. Old crates and chests and carts laid about haphazardly. Beyond the cliff face, there were multiple wooden bridges and crosses crafted and weathered. Their integrity seemed.. shakable. Sylas stepped forward, towing the edge and looked down. Multiple layers of bridges moved across the crevice on many levels, but the floor seemed too far down to see. Sylas looked back at Bea and her own torch, and turned and let his own drop. The light cascaded down the sides of the drop, and for a few seconds he watched it sink, until the light was entirely enveloped in darkness, snuffed out by either time or distance, and no sound of impact was rewarded him. Sylas stepped away from the edge and moved towards some of the crates and carts.

"This place is nothing like it was described by the billboard. We'll have to inform them that their information is outdated or simply inaccurate." He spoke out loud as he worked, lifting lids and sifting through debris. (Investigation: 3) After 10 minutes of searching, Sylas sighed. That a mine, old and unused as this was, still would hold not even a single gem or ore worth obtaining was enough to take some of the wind from his sails. "I though for sure I could find a gem or something. Guess I was wrong." He muttered dejectedly.

 

[Purize]

Bea looked around the open space, kicking various rocks and checking the walls for any more of those horrendous monsters, but the area was still. Bea neared the edge of the drop-off, but the unending darkness sent chills through her blood and she scurried quickly away from the edge. "Fuck that," she said, wandering around some more. Sylas sifted and rummaged through various discarded boxes and carts, talking as he went. When he found nothing, Bea check over his shoulder at the things he'd looked through.

One of the carts was full of slag and useless piles of stone, but something caught her attention inside. In the glow of the torchlight, something glinted, partially revealed, but stuck under the debris form where Sylas combed through. Bea poked her hand into the cart and uncovered the object to reveal a sizable raw blue gem. It was uncut and covered in dirt and dust, but the gleam of something precious and valuable showed through the sediment. "Hey, check this out," she waved him over, holding the torch in her other hand closer to inspect it. The light sparkled and bounced within the deep blue translucent gem. "It would probably have to be cut by a jeweler, but I think this is a gem," she continued in awe. There was certainly a rough, wondrous beauty to the object (Investigation: Natural 20).

 

[BugDozer73]

Sylas looked over as she dragged out a large uncut stone, blue and covered in dark soot. It could easily be mistaken for a rock, or nothing of value. "Wow I think you're right. Great find. Look at you, you're a top of the line treasure hunter and monster slayer." He spoke with a little bit of pride. Even though he hadn't really done anything worth claiming credit for, he felt a sense of pride coming from the fact that she was his partner. At least, for today.

"Well, I guess that covers it huh? Ready to return to the city?"

 

[Purize]

Bea beamed at the praise and stashed the blue rock into her backpack. "I think that's all the luck we're going to be able to manage today," she chuckled. "Yeah, I'm ready to get out of here."

With that, they retraced their steps through the small webbed corridors and over the old cart rails. Nothing else jumped out to attack the pair and Bea was relieved when they finally saw the light of the sun signaling that they had made it out successfully. The air outside was fresh and rejuvenating in comparison to the dank and dusty interior of the mine. She snuffed out her torch and left it at the entrance. It was close to outliving its lifetime, but maybe it could serve another explorer delving into those tunnels in the future.

She was still a little discombobulated from the falling and explosions however, so as they left the mine and started to chart their course back to the city, she realized she was quite turned around and unsure where the path went (Survival: 10). "Um. Sylas, you remember the way back, right?"

 

[BugDozer73]

Sylas breathed in the fresh air, a welcome sensation after the stuffy earthen air had been all he'd had for over an hour. He took a moment t listen to the sound of the wind in the trees and the cries of the animals which seem to have already returned to this area that had been eerily silent when they had gotten here. It was just another confirmation that they had succeeded their task. Despite the healing wounds in his leg, this had been one of the most successful trips Sylas had taken in months, and it was all thanks to her. For a moment, he considered not helping her get her memories back so that she might be stuck here with him, adventuring together forever. He immediately scolded himself, and shoved the selfish though from his head. Focus. There's work to be done.

Sylas withdrew his map, taking a quick look over everything. "Yeah, I can get us home. It just a few paths, mostly a straight shot." He gently moved forward through the trees, catching the path and trying hard not to limp. After an hour of walking, they eventually broke through the trees and return to the rolling hillside coasts of Celeste. They pressed on through the hills, and with little issue found themselves back on the Cerulean Trail. The rest of their travel would be besides the sea. As beautiful as it was, the sun was beginning to descend in the sky: They had maybe 4-5 more hours to make good distance before night would set in.

As they walked, enjoying the warm wind and sea smell, Sylas furrowed his brow. He had been replaying the things that had happened in his mind and something wasn't adding up in his memory. "Hey Bea? Do you know how to use magic at all?"

 

[Purize]

Bea was enjoying the breeze and the sightseeing of the trail, but she stumbled a bit at Sylas's question. "Umm... I'm not sure," she hesitated but answered honestly. She had an inkling of what had brought on this line of questioning and she felt uneasy. She had questions too, but not for Sylas.

The dream she had the night before and the twin shadow she'd seen in the cave... they were no coincidence and it was hard to deny that whatever it was... was physical and it finished off that monster with a blink of an eye.

 

[BugDozer73]

"I don't mean to alarm you, but when you were catching me.." Sylas faltered for a moment. He was going to sound crazy. Maybe he had hit his head. But what if he hadn't? What if it WAS real? "I saw what looked like you still attacking the monster. It was like your shadow almost. Crazy, I know. I probably just got messed up a little from my smite and the fall, but I just wanted to check." He rubbed the back of his head and looked over for Bea, trying to see how she responded to the information.

 

[Purize]

Bea sighed, resigned. So he has seen it. It made her feel a little better that she wasn't going crazy, but still in a literal world full of unknowns, she was resistant to say much without all of the answers. She glanced at Sylas, made eye contact briefly, and then looked away again. He was trustworthy. He'd seen enough weird shit, that perhaps this wasn't too high up on the crazy list.

"I saw it too," her shoulders slumped as she conceded. "I've been dreaming the past couple of nights, it always starts with falling from a really high place through darkness and landing in the ocean, but last night was different." She paused again, biting her lip. "Last night... I was falling again, but there were stars everywhere. Then a girl appeared, it was me, but different and shadowy, like what we saw today. I don't know what it is, or what it means-" As she spoke, her hand went up again to her necklace, fiddling with it. "But I think it's all connected."

 

[BugDozer73]

Sylas listened, somewhat relieved that he was not suffering any head trauma, at least outwardly. He nodded along until she finished, trying to think if he had heard of anything like this in the past, but nothing came to mind. "Well" He said with a sigh. "It's not unheard of. Probably some kind of magic you don't remember. Maybe its your own way of trying to remind yourself of who you were, or what you are capable of." They walked as they spoke, passing the same swishing fields, and he looked out at them as he wrestled with how to say what came next. Eventually, he turned and looked her in the eye, stopping for a moment in the road. "I think if you are having dreams and this is happening, then you're right and it is connected. My advice would be to give into it, and see where it takes you."

 

[Purize]

Bea nodded, relaxing a bit with Sylas's affirmation. "Okay, well as long as it's not super creepy and weird to have a shadowy twin following you around, I guess I'm good," She chuckled nervously. "In any case, it helped kill the monster, so at least it's on our side."

She looked at Sylas and gave him a small smile. "Thank you... for everything really. I'm not sure what will happen when we get back and I regain my memories, but I'm really glad you found me on that beach, Sylas."

 

[BugDozer73]

"Yeah of course." He said earnestly. Maybe it was luck, though Sylas couldn't shake the feeling that fate was pulling on the strings right now. "I'm glad we met. And don't be too nervous." He added. "Even after you get back your memories, this will still have happened. We will always have this adventure. Nothing can change that." He offered an easy going smile, and tried to sound as sincere as he could. It wouldn't be long now before they got back. In fact, the sun had already started slipping away beneath the coast line horizon.

"Lets stop up here early and set up camp. One more great dinner. What do you say?" He offered, pointing to an elevated spot on the hill where they could watch the sun set with ease.

 

[Purize]

"Woooo, more jerky rations, I'm so excited!" Bea giggled playfully and started running up the hill. As they began to set up their resting spot for the night, Bea gathered sticks and wood for the fire and began to settle under the ever-darkening sky. She did feel better with the worries off of her chest. Whatever tomorrow would bring, she felt prepared rather than nervous.

She brought out her night's rations and started into it, contemplating as she look out over the hillside towards the ocean. "Sylas? That thing you did in the cave with the thunder, is that part of your magic?"

 

[BugDozer73]

Sylas wobbled after her, still running slow on his leg. After the tent was set up and fire made, Sylas stuffed jerky into his mouth and watched the sun burn orange and red, with pink floating into the dark black of night that chased it all down. He looked at Bea with a mouthful of Jerky and nodded.

"Yep." He said, swallowing the meat. "I called that total storm. I combine my lightning and thunder energy into one blow. It's really powerful, and typically I use it for a finisher because it can be draining." He could still hear the boom as it echoed. Something like that should not have been used indoors, but desperate times.

"I can also do this" he said as he rolled up his left pant leg and put his now glowing hand on his wounds, which began to mend shut even more, He had been waiting until evening to use the rest of it, lest they were set upon by more savage monsters or unlucky bandits. The light faded and his wounds were mostly mended now, with only some light scaring to remind him that it had even happened.

 

[Purize]

"Oh wow," she remarked, watching him mend together the last of the cuts and serrated flesh on his leg. The wounds left behind lines of light green that contrasted the rest of the darker skin. Bea noticed that he had a couple of variations and cuts healed with time or magic on his person. One of the more noticeable ones was on his face, a thin mark cutting from his forehead, through his eyebrow, and down to the top part of his cheek. It looked older and faded, but the patch of hair through the brow never seemed to have grown back. "You've got a lot of those," Bea pointed out gently. It wasn't a judgment, but more an honest observation. "The marks of a well-seasoned fighter." She smiled a little wryly.

Her own body was smooth and unmarked, something she checked for when she was dressing in front of the mirror at the Leviath-Inn. It was a wonder that she seemed so battle-ready and yet it was like her body was like new. She'd hoped that any marks she would have discovered on herself would give her an idea of who she was. Sylas's however no doubt had stories behind them. "Do you remember where you got them all?" She asked quizzically, hoping she wasn't overstepping any boundaries.

 

[BugDozer73]

"Not all." He said, finishing his food. The sun took a final bow and slipped behind the curtain, leaving behind a deep red, quickly fading and surrendering the rest of the sky to nights embrace. Now, they had the warmth and comfort of the campfire to entertain them as they enjoyed the evening. "A few of them, sure. Some have some stories behind them, but a lot come in groups or are just part of the normal wear and tear of the job: nothing really memorable about a bandit dagger versus a Gryphons claw." He remarked matter-o-factly.

"Often times in this work, you try and stay out of the past. This is an important job, one that keeps people alive and giving them safety and hope: but sometimes we see some awful things." His eyes grew distant for a moment, and he looked out over the sea. "It's easier for most to charge towards the future than it is to dwell on the things we've seen and done. I know more than one adventurer thats hung up the coat because they couldn't live with what happened."

 

[Purize]

Bea wasn't sure what she expected to hear, but that wasn't it. She hadn't thought about it from that angle. She was caught up in the glory of helping people and fighting monsters, but of course, it wouldn't be that cut and dry. Sometimes you had to fight bandits, real people. Bea couldn't imagine what it was like to kill another person, but she had no way of knowing if she'd already done it or not. She clearly had the skill. It made sense that in a line of work that involved risk and blood and unpredictability, one could have their fair share of regrets. She nodded, understanding his point of view. "I hadn't considered that, but I believe it," she admitted, sitting back against her backpack.

"I've been thinking about how hard it is to not know what you've done in the past and wondering if I'm actually a good person or not... but now that you mention it, I'm sure it's harder to know exactly what you regret and have to live with that," she let out a deep sigh and looked up at the sky. Despite this new angle, she still felt ready for whatever she learned tomorrow, for better or for worse. Sylas's expression had darkened when he'd mentioned it and Bea couldn't help but wonder what his colorful past looked like (insight: 18). She wouldn't pry though, whatever he did and his reasons behind how he got here, she knew he had a good heart.

 

[BugDozer73]

"Don't get down. Tonight is a night to celebrate." He said, wishing he has a drink to offer her. Instead, he offered her his water skin, now full of water he'd conjured during their walk. "Best I got." He offered with a shrug. He got up and stretched, and took in the night air. It was calm, and it was easy to see far from this place. Anyone or thing would have a hard time sneaking up on them while they rested. He turned and gave her another smile. "Alright, let's rest. Big day tomorrow. I'll take first watch." He went over to a medium size rock jutting out of the hill and lifted his leg up over his knee. He withdrew his foot from his boot and rubbed his thumbs over them while holding them close to the fire. Not too much walking let to tomorrow, maybe about 2 hours before they'd be on the southern gate.

 

[Purize]

Bea smiled and tapped her waterskin on his with a giggle. That's that, she thought. "Sounds like a plan, wake me up when it's my turn."

Then, with a yawn, she crawled into the tent and unfurled her bedroll to pass out for the night. She slept soundly through the night, not falling through stars or sinking into oceans. No mysterious look-alike shadows stared deeply into her soul, beckoning her. She rested well, thankful to be claimed by a calm night's sleep.

 

[BugDozer73]

The night passed quickly, and when morning arrived, Sylas woke from his watch post with a start. He looked around, quickly realizing he had not gotten up to change watch and had instead passed out by the fire, now smoldering. He stood and kicked dirt onto the ashes and looked around. Everything seemed to be fine. There were no signs anything was missing or rifled through. He sighed in relied and stretched, taking in the sun.

"Bea, its time to head out. Come get some breakfast." He said, pulling two apples off a near by tree.

 

[Purize]

Bea woke up in the morning groggily, a little confused when she saw the sun was already rising. She stumbled out of the tent and stretched her arms and shoulders, her purple hair a tangled mess. "What happened to watches?" She yawned and grabbed the apple from Sylas gratefully. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she grabbed her pack and shuffled around for the mirror and brush Brianna had given to her. As she suspected, her hair was a poof of lilac that resembled a strange-colored bird's nest. She set about brushing it out but didn't bother to put it up in the pointy buns as she had the day before.

The morning sky was painted with colorful orange and pink clouds that blocked the sunlight that was gradually climbing into the sky. The air was sticky and humid but a little cooler in temperature than it was yesterday morning. Absently, she wondered if it might rain today. If it did, she hope it held out until after they returned to Samu-Keev. It would be nice to not have to travel in bad weather.

She ate her apple with much gusto and even ended up plucking another one from the nearby apple tree. Once breakfast was finished, she set about packing to begin traveling. With the potential rain, it was better to leave sooner.

 

[BugDozer73]

"Sorry: You seemed tired so I just stayed up all night" (Deception 18) He hoped she didn't notice he had just fallen asleep. He gathered his things and deconstructed the tent, and eventually he had struck the campsite and they were ready to move. He took a look at the coastline and made note of the looming storm clouds only just peeking past, as if looking for the right moment to charge. If they hurried, they could make it to Samu Keev.

They took off down the road, making good headway. Sylas's limp had left with his extra healing he had laid in, but still he dreamed of owning a horse. By the time they passed into familiar farmland and fields, they could see the coastal city of swords, and they were upon the gate as the storm clouds were only just drifting up the sea.
There were many people coming in and out: farmers, merchants, tradesmen, and of course, dozens of well armed adventurers going both ways for jobs of all kinds.
With a quick flash of his license, they were waved through. Once inside, Sylas began walking towards the bill board. In no time at all they had found themselves returning to the familiar throngs of adventurers picking up and dropping off many things. "Wait here" Sylas said, and he headed up towards one of the side windows.

A tall elvish man with spectacles, a long face with disinterested eyes, long angular nose and white hair pulled back tightly into a bun, looked up at the half orc as he approached. "How may I assist you today sir?" He asked in a posh tone.

"Mission complete, here to collect bounty. I have information for updating records." Sylas spoke quickly, eager to get the gold and offload the (now starting to stink) body parts.

"Excellent sir. The paperwork?" Sylas quickly produced the forms they received and handed them over, and the elves eyes skimmed it quickly. "You have dispatched all the spiders?" He said, looking back at Sylas with a little more interest all of a sudden.

"All the spiders are dead" He said honestly, half way dodging the question. "There was also this:" He dropped the bag gently onto the counter, and the squishing sounds it made, along with the emerging stains from within definitely caught the elves eyes. "And this is..?"

"A new monster, not matching anything I knew. It disguised itself as part of the cave and used very long tentacles to restrain for consumption." Sylas went on to explain the details of the encounter, and after hearing the account and looking over the body pieces, they hauled them away with promises to update their monster manual. No doubt there would be jobs for monster study now with specifics matching what they were currently coining "Roper"

"In addition, the intel we have on that mine is wrong. It is not small: There is a large endless crevice deep within. We didn't explore it, but it just went on and on. Could we update the records of this?"

"We can, sir. We also owe you additional gold for clearing out a higher rated monster. We will be doubling the stated price for information, unknown foe encounter and disposal, as well as original job completion. Congratulations, and thank you Mr. Sylas." He organized his forms and tucked them away, before producing a small chest filled with 60 platinum pieces. Sylas's eyes widened over the gleaming polished metallic luster they held. "Thank you." Sylas said in an almost-daze. "We hope you will return for more work soon, Mr Sylas. Perhaps your skill set would be better adept at joining a party and managing more dangerous threats? Things to think about sir." He added, but Sylas took the coin and closed the chest, Heading back to where Bea was standing.

"Hey" He said on his return. "Here" He handed her a small pouch containing 30 platinum pieces. "Ready to get your memory back?" He asked, trying to hide his anxiety.

 

[Purize]

Bee gave Sylas a quizzical look but didn't question it. Once they got to town and got everything taken care of, he would be able to rest. He would no doubt be exhausted from staying up all night, although he put on a good show of looking wide awake now (Insight: 8).

The fairy practically skipped along the road the rest of the way back to Samu-Keev. She was, quite literally, buzzing with excitement, her wings flittering behind her. It felt like no time at all before they finally reached the city. They were let in without any resistance this time, and Bea noted that the rotation of guards was different. Maybe some of them were nicer than others.

Sylas wasted no time, immediately heading to the billboard, leaving Bea to rock back and forth on her heels and look around the town. Despite the threat of rain clouds clawing their way across the sky, people were out and about as busy as ever. She supposed that in a town of sell-swords, it wasn't unusual for these kinds of people to be undeterred by something as mild as a bit of rain. It was early afternoon when Sylas returned, plopping a pouch of coin into her small hands. She beamed at it, opening it slightly to view its contents. "Oh wow, that looks different than the other coins I've seen. What is that?" She shrugged it off and smiled ear to ear at her half-orc companion. "I'm super duper ready! Last one to the temple is a rotten monster eye!" She called and immediately sped off toward the building.

 

[BugDozer73]

"It's Platinum. Its worth.. HEY, wait up!" He called after her, but she had already dashed away into the crowd. He felt his heart sink lower. Let her go, Sylas. He shook his head and headed after her, pushing his thoughts aside and tried to just muscle through it. Why was this turning out to be so hard? Sylas looked down at the platinum: it was a lot, more than he needed to get a lot of things he needed. A new horse, a new sword, so better boots. He could look into putting a down payment on a small home in the lower residential district instead of his leaky boat house. He would have traded every piece of it away in the moment for more time with his new friend.

Sylas followed through the crowd, catching her at the doors to the temple hall. He entered with her, and found himself in the familiar stone cut floors and pillars, draped in fine cloth tapestries and carpets. A male monk stepped forward, nodding with a peaceful smile and distant eyes. "Welcome to the Basin young ones. May Sariah smile on you in your darkest hours. What might I aid you in?"

 

[Purize]

Bea grinned at Sylas as he finally caught up to the doors of the temple, not any wiser to his nervousness. She poked him in the ribs and teased him a little for losing the race. Once they entered the building, though, she remembered to be respectful of the reverent space, even though they turned her away last time. Bea dipped her head slightly to the monk. "Hello, sir. I was wanting to use the temple's healing services. I've lost all memory of my past, and my friend Sylas," She paused, gesturing to the half-orc, "tried healing magic on me, but it only healed my physical wounds. I hoped that with the suggested donation, you guys would be able to help." Bea looked up at the man, hopefully. She wasn't sure how this sort of thing was supposed to work.

The monk nodded slowly, seeming to understand the situation he'd been presented with. "I see," he replied solemnly, "I am sure the clerics of Sariah would be eager to help with your plight, young miss, with a generous donation of five gold pieces." He gave a small smile that seemed tight on his lips. Bea pulled out her pouch of coins she'd been given just a moment ago. Now she was wishing that she'd listened to Sylas explain what the heck this currency was before bolting off. Oh well, she thought, pulling out one of the shiny pieces and holding it up to the monk. "Will this work?" She asked, watching his eyes go wide. "Oh, um... Yes. Very generous of you miss," he said, taking the coin quickly. "You can follow me this way then."

"What about my friend?" Bea asked, panicking, and darting a look back at Sylas. She didn't want to do this alone. "Can he come to?"

The monk paused, considering Sylas for a moment. Maybe he could see the spark of fear in her eyes and the sense of despondency about Sylas, because he nodded, waving his hand calmly for us to both follow along. Bea's shoulders relaxed as she began to follow. "If you don't mind coming with me, anyway... I should have asked," she remarked to her green friend, but she got the feeling he wanted to come along anyway.

The monk led them down a corridor lined with more stone pillars and tapestries to a room at the end that opened up into some sort of holy medical bay. It was small and empty apart from one woman who stood in front of a basin with her eyes closed, her hands dipped in the water. As we entered, the monk cleared his throat and she opened her eyes, which were shockingly blue. She looked over with a smile and then to the monk, expectantly. "A healing of the mind is requested, Sister Miriam. The girl suffers a lost sense of past memory." The woman nodded with understanding and dried her hands off with a nearby cloth. "Thank you, Brother Heim. I'll take it from here." He dipped his head and dismissed himself from the room, closing the door behind him.

The center of the room had a weird sort of long chair that looked like it could also turn into a table. Other than the basin, the room was lightly furnished with a dresser decorated with a vase and flowers on top and a few other chairs. Baskets of gauze and wrappings, both clean and dirty were stuffed into one corner. The only inviting thing about the room other than the flowers was a window with stained panes of glass letting in color-filtered sunlight. "Come on darling, have a seat and we'll get you taken care of and that pesky amnesia cleared in no time. I'm sister Miriam, do you remember your name, dear?"

Bea sat begrudgingly on the weird chair, trying not to imagine it being used as an operating table on other occasions. "Hi... yes, my name is Bea," she replied quietly. She was excited before, but this whole business was making her increasingly nervous. "Oh good! Then it's not that bad then innit? How long have you been without your memories, love?" the cleric contained, examining her and peering into Bea's eyes, a little too close for comfort.

"Um, I think since four days ago. Sylas found me on a beach washed up with nothing but the clothes on my back. He did some healing magic, but it only healed bruises and stuff... none of my memories have come back since I woke up on the beach," Bea replied timidly.

The woman nodded her head. "Hmm. I see. Alright, then darlin' we'll get cha' squared away. Just hold still love, this won't hurt a bit." Miriam closed her eyes and held her palms up and placed them on either side of Bea's head. A sort of warmth and soft vibration emanated from the woman's hands and Bea could see light glowing from her hands in her peripheral vision. The cleric focused for several long seconds and Bea closed her eyes tightly, waiting to remember. She imagined memories trickling in like water and wondered what they would be like. She sat as still as she could. Waiting.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the woman released Bea's head and stepped back, looking at Bea expectantly. "Well darling, that should do it! How do ya feel?"

Bea blinked. Then blinked again. She looked from the woman to Sylas, and then back to the woman. "I feel..." She thought about it for a moment, "hungry." She replied, deadpan. "And like I still don't remember anything. Is this supposed to like, be an immediate thing, or does it take a while to come back?"