A Night of Two New Moons

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One of the nobles, the gaudily dressed man, rises from his seat.

Krvavy watches with disinterested eyes as he turns away from the table, shoes thmping onto the ground as he steps out of the muffled and distorted dome.

With a click of his fingers, the nobleman’s servants scurry on after him as he wordlessly leaves the hall.

The Drakling stifles a sigh.

More than half of the nobles have left that rounded table, trickling away one by one. At first their leaving gave Krvavy some hope, as surely that means this whole thing is going to wrap up soon, right?

Wrong.

Very, very wrong...

Time is really starting to lose all meaning to Krvavy. A second could be an hour. An hour could be a day. The fact that there are no windows in here does not help that feeling in the slightest...

All Krvavy knows is that her legs are starting to get sore from standing about as still as she can for who knows how many hours. She really wants to just pace back and forth right now. Or to just sit down. Either one, really.

“Hhhhh...”

The barbarian blinks in surprise, head slowly turning to look down at the maid by her side.

Vera looks... almost like she is in pain. The albino almost certainly isn’t as tough, durable, or athletic as Krvavy is, so is all of this standing around actually hurting her...? No. That probably isn’t the case. The maid is standing as still as a statue. Not slowly and slightly swaying side to side like Krvavy is. Not shifting her weight back and forth, almost as if walking on the spot, like some of the other servants in the room.

Though Vera is pretty disciplined, so maybe her standing so still is exactly what is causing her this pain...?

Or...

Or maybe the albino maid is just getting increasingly stressed over not being able to hear her Lady’s voice...?

That is definitely the cute option, but Krvavy is pretty sure that this aggressive albino is more mentally resilient than that. Vera isn’t a little puppy who does nothing but sit by the door whining and crying when her owner is away.

Krvavy stifles a yet another sigh.

Maybe she is feeling sympathetic to the antagonistic maid, maybe she is just bored out of her mind, but... Krvavy finds her tail twisting around Vera’s waist again, loosely hugging the girl who utterly hates her.

Vera’s pale pink eyes drop down. Her glasses nearly slip off her nose as she stares at the armoured appendage gently nestled against the slightly poofy fabric flowing over her hips.

The faintest smile makes its way onto Krvavy’s face as the maid’s gloved hands slowly and softly grab onto the very tip of her tail, holding onto it rather than shoving the thing away. Her smile grows a little bigger as she sees the bratty albino’s lips twist down into a scowl.

Krvavy’s heart flutters a little at that sight, her smile slowly waning. She... misses her own beautiful brat. Her Thea. She misses Beryl, her sweet berry, her newly made Dryad. She misses Khalia, her precious puppy, so energetic and excitable. She misses Inanna, her anything but dull Dwarf. She misses Adeline, her cute and adorable Halfling.

Being able to hear their voices pretty much whenever she wants helps. It really does. That box of Far-Speaking jewellery was well worth the favour. But... Krvavy hasn’t seen them, hasn’t held them, in two weeks. And this whole trip is only really half done. Even if they were to leave Vratsa tomorrow morning, it’ll still take a week to return to Raseyne and then another to hike her way back home again...

This –

Another noble rises to his feet. No, not a noble. The solder who is here representing the Duke who had Krvavy killed. Definitely one of the more important people here, despite being a mere placeholder. That military man’s armour clanks as he, and his even more armoured guards, march out of the room.

The others at the rounded table, increasingly few as they are, remain seated.

Krvavy inwardly curses herself for letting her hopes get raised again. At this rate Rina will be the last one seated at that table. Much to both the barbarian and albino maid’s dismay.

Thmp.

“Hhaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhnnnnnhhghhhhh...” Krvavy heartily groans out, slumping into her half of the stagecoach and all but going limp.

“I did tell you that this job would not be an exciting one.” The Countess calmly comments, the faintest of smiles audible in her voice. The soft sound of fabric rustling against fabric fills the cramped cabin as she openly and blatantly cuddles with her maid. Well, the curtains are drawn and the outside world can’t exactly see in here, so her cuddling isn’t really all that open.

“Yeah, but...” The Drakling tiredly sighs, resting her head back against the wall. “Nghhn...” Her legs twitch, aching to stretch. But there just isn’t enough room in here for that...

“Are you pent up, perhaps~?” Rina’s alluringly musical voice becomes even more teasing and playful as she gazes through her silken black veil. “In more ways than one~? Seeking relief and exercise alike~? Remember the reward I had promised you~?”

Krvavy suddenly perks up, emerald eyes staring intently at the gothic half-Elf sitting ahead of her.

“My, I do hope that you have the energy to properly enjoy such a reward~.” The Countess warmly coos, arousal oozing from her increasingly seductive tone. “Because I for one am quite looking forward to giving it to you~.”

The stagecoach rattles slightly, giving the clingy maid an excuse to ‘slip’ and ‘fall’ into her Lady’s bright pink cleavage. A smile can be seen on Vera’s face as she nuzzles into the Countess’ chest, causing her glasses to go askew.

Rina doesn’t seem to mind that in the slightest. “I could use – no,” she gently shakes her head, affectionately stroking her maid’s snow-white hair. “I need the stress relief that this reward will bring~. It has been a long and boring day, my dear Draconic paramour, and I can hardly wait to end it with a bang~! But, if you are too tired, then I am sure that my sweet Vera here would just love to ta–~”

“No, no...!” Krvavy snaps out of her daze, holding her hands up almost desperately. “I’m far from feeling tired! There is absolutely no way that I’m missing out on that reward~!”

“Good~!” The Countess’ black painted lips spread into a wide smile, even as her maid goes stiff and turns to shoot Krvavy a truly hateful glare. “My own patience is running thin, but very soon we will be –”

Bang!

The stagecoach suddenly lurches back and to the side, nearly causing both the Rina and Vera to fall from their seats. Luckily, Krvavy was there to catch them both, aided by just how cramped it is in here.

Knock knock knock!

A thin panel at the front of the cabin hastily slides open, uncovering a lattice mesh.

“No need to be alarmed, my Lady!” The drivers voice is firm and confident, despite the fact that the entire stagecoach is tilted at least thirty degrees. “The rear right wheel has fallen off, but worry not! We made it through the gate mere moments ago, and are far enough through for it to safely close behind us!”

Rina takes a deep breath. “Harmless sabotage... More of a prank, thankfully...” She softly mutters out, slowly exhaling. “Thank you,” the Countess raises her voice, “we will walk the rest of the way.”

The panel slides shut with a clack.

“Krvavy, dear, can you get the door?”

Krvavy simply nods, moving one hand away from where it was helping to support the two other woman. Fortunately, the door swings outwards and to the back, so gravity helps to pull it open.

With a degree of clumsiness, and just a little bit of difficulty, the Drakling climbs out of the heavily tilted stagecoach. The whole thing wobbles and rises up noticeably without her weight inside dragging it down. Which makes helping the Countess and her maid climb out of it all the more inconvenient.

“Hhhn.” Vera makes a quiet, almost snarling, sound as she glares at the large spoked wheel resting off to the side. A couple of knights are already in the process of lifting it up.

“Come. Let us not tarry.” A tinge of annoyance underlines Rina’s words as she begins heading along the cobbled road towards her wooden manor house, followed closely by her maid and bodyguard.

Flickering lamps line their path, casting long and dancing shadows.

As unlucky as it is to have a wheel just pop off like that, at least it happened very close to their destination...

Krvavy lifts her gaze up towards the cloudy night sky. It is... almost entirely starless. Serene, but also sad and empty. A thick and almost oppressive curtain hangs over them all, far far above.

The darkness is nearly absolute without the moons shining down like usual. From what she understands, this is the one night in the year where both of them are utterly dark. Tomorrow will be pretty similar as well, but much like yesterday the smaller moon will at least have the faintest sliver at its edge.

Hopefully all these clouds are gone by then... Krvavy doesn’t get to see the stars very often...

The metal cap at the base of Krvavy’s Soulbound weapon taps into the ground every other step she takes, holding it slightly crooked so that the Rock Bear tooth has absolutely no chance of catching on anything as she uses her oversized axe as a walking stick.

A calm quiet hangs in the air. The sound of Rina’s men dealing with the broken stagecoach can be heard behind them, but the knights up ahead flanking the front door of the manor house are still and silent.

Far above, a small section of the sky opens up. The clouds part ever so slightly, giving the faintest glimpse of the countless twinkling stars.

They’re beautiful, those stars. Soft but bright... A small island of hope in a sea of darkness...

Krvavy’s thoughts idly trail off as she stares at the sky. Time slows to a crawl as she spots a small shadow pass beneath the shrinking sliver of stars. A bird? Or a bat even, considering the time?

A distant and almost unnoticeable gleam of light catches her eye, approaching from above.

“DOWN!” Krvavy roars out, driven by instinct alone. Her Soulbound weapon flashes, leaving reality to free both of her hands. Her core flares up like a furnace, mana surges through her channels and veins. Spells activate, her skin hardening like bark as a cloak of wind swirls around her.

“Wha–?!” Surprise fills the Countess’ voice as the Drakling all but tackles her, strong arms wrapping tightly around the gothic noblewoman as a large body shields her from danger.

-1,143.01 Health

An agonizing pain punches into Krvavy’s upper back. Jagged metal digs into her flesh. Her shattered ribs scatter. Liquid fills one of her lungs. Something sharp and cold touches her heart.

You have been inflicted with a Major Wound: Severe Bleeding. You will lose 2.25 Health per minute as long as the bleeding continues.

You have been inflicted with a Major Wound: Severe Internal Bleeding. You will lose 6.75 Health per minute as long as the bleeding continues.

You have been inflicted with: Gloom-Bite Venom. You will lose Health equal to 10% of your Total Mana per minute, increasing by the value of your Mana Regeneration every minute. Your Health Regeneration has been nullified. Effects will grow more severe as Gloom-Bite Venom spreads.

Shadows twist and curl, jumping from the ground and blocking out the darkened sky. “Move!” Rina’s voice, authoritative and firm, echoes out. A dozen glowing hands blink into existence, hefting the heavy barbarian onto her feet.

“Gkhhk! Khhgha!” Krvavy chokes and coughs, blood pours down her chin. Her head swims, vision spins. Overlapping voices and stomping footsteps drone into her ears, making it hard to even think. Her core burns. “Hnnngh!” Pain shoots through her very being as she slumps forwards onto a table.

“Krvavy!”

A hand grabs one of the Drakling’s horns, lifting her head up. A sickeningly sweet and revoltingly bitter scent assails her senses, bringing unwanted clarity as it cuts through the shock and pain.

The Countess stands before her, veil and tiara removed. Worry fills the elegant woman’s face. Worry and panic. “Vera, her breastplate! Can –”

“Yes, my lady.” The maid hastily replies, her tone almost blank and emotionless. Gloved fingers deftly undo the straps that hold the front plate to the back, before pulling the fur-padded metal away from Krvavy’s spine.

-3.45 Health

Pain shoots through the barbarian as the thing embedded in her body is jostled around just a bit.

“Shit!” The Countess crudely hisses out. “Krvavy, Krvavy!” She roughly taps, almost slaps the Drakling’s cheek. “Poison! Krvavy! What is it?! Look at your effects! What kind of poison is it?!”

“Kghhahk...!” Krvavy chokes on her own blood, spitting it out. “G-gloom... bi...te ven... gkhh!”

“Gloom-Bite?!” Rina’s vibrant pink skin pales, amethyst eyes going wide. “No, no no! We –!” She violently shakes her head, snatching a large bottle of some brightly glowing red liquid from her spectral hands. “Krvavy!” A cork loudly pops free as she forcibly presses the bottles glass rim into the barbarian’s lips. “You must drink this! Vera, now!”

-63.49 Health
+1,000 Health

Agony overwhelms Krvavy, threatening to take away her consciousness. She coughs and hacks up blood. She can feel her insides shift back into place, the meat and bone mending itself. But that only causes her pain to grown. Her muscles burn and tremble as a foul blight flows through her veins.

“Antidotes! C four! Q sixteen! T eight! Get them!”

Vera enters the Drakling’s hazy line of sight, tearing off her blood-soaked gloves and tossing them aside as she hastily marches forth. The dutiful maid reaches up to pull a book from a shelf across the room. Her sleeve slips, revealing her undeniably artificial wrist. A soft click echoes out as the bookshelf begins sliding to the side.

“Krvavy! Hold on!” The Countess gently lifts the mask-like helmet from her bodyguard’s head. Her bloodied hand cups Krvavy’s cheek. “Stay with me! You will be –!”

“Nnghhhn!” The Drakling hisses in pain. A deluge of damage notifications flicker through her perception, numbers growing larger by the second. Her wavering eyes drop down, where she sees her right bicep, one of the few parts of her body that her armour doesn’t cover.

Bulging purple and blackened veins burrow through her sickly pallid skin, spreading like roots through her flesh.

Despite the pain, Krvavy is calm. She weakly and shakily grabs onto one of the Countess’ hands with both of her clammy ones. The bare palm of her right hand can feel Rina’s warmth. Her left, in its armour, cannot.

“D...don’t... Kghh! Ghn!” she coughs out, blood still in her lung. If she had the focus, that would be an easy thing to fix. But... why bother...? “Don’t wo...worr...ry... I’ll be... al...alright...”

“No you wont.” Rina softly responds, her voice low and dripping with despair. “Gloom-Bite Venom is... I do not have an antidote for it, Krvavy. It... feeds on magic. All I can do is make you more comfortable and keep it from scarring your soul.”

The clicking of Vera’s shoes across the floor heralds the maid’s return. Three vials of different coloured liquids and an empty bottle are held in her bare hands.

Without wasting any time, the Countess’ summoned hands grab the vials and pop all three open, pouring a different amount from each one into the bottle. That mixed liquid bubbles and hisses, roiling as its colour shifts to an oily grey.

“I cannot stop you from dying, Krvavy.” Rina slowly sighs out as the bottle is gently shaken before being brought to the barbarian’s lips.

That antidote tastes foul. Krvavy can barely swallow it down. A greasy residue clings to her mouth and her throat. Her pain lessens slightly, but the damage notifications continue.

“That’s... kghhn! Okay... I –”

“Can come back from ****,” Rina speaks for her bodyguard. “I know.”

“Wha...?”

“I... Shadow... We...” The Countess can’t seem to find her words. “We do not have time right now. Please, come back to me as soon as you can. I will... cover up your ****. To all but Vera and I, this will have only left you wounded. Severely but not gravely. Not even the assassin will know of your ****, nor will they gain any experience from it. That I promise.”

A tingling sensation travels through Krvavy’s body. A firm but reassuring pressure surrounds her mana channels, nodes, and core. The venom’s effects lessen a little, but continue on regardless. A haze of power and darkness surrounds the Drakling and the Countess, separating the two of them from all else that exists.

“Ring...” Krvavy’s vision darkens and fades as she drags Rina’s warm and delicate hand towards her lower right horn, where the Far-Speaking ring rests. “Thi...nk... towards... Beryl... Tell her...”

The Drakling’s voice fails her.