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This is a Canon piece for the current D&D games that are active. The background is simple, two npcs had been “killed/absorbed” by an unknown being called Vaelthra or “King Killer”.
When he woke it was not a gentle thing. Vesper sat up with a gutteral scream, his hand reaching for his neck. His fingers did not stop at the skin. Just simply phased through his body. The pressure was still there though. He could feel it closing in on his neck, his chest and his ribs. He could remember his death, Vaelthra's hand. The painful siphoning of magic from his veins. Mikaela screaming beside him. Vesper's breaths came in short stuttered pants.
“I'm…dead?” He held his hands out in front of himself, turning them over. His body flickered between his known form and pure unfiltered moonlight. Silvery and bright in its own way.
That was when Vesper finally turned his head to look at his surroundings. For all purposes it seemed the very echo of a throne room. The room was large, cathedral-like in space. The floor below him appeared as a dark marble shot through with pulsing veins of gold. The pulsing light being centered underneath where his… body touched the floor. The walls around him displayed violent scenes, flickering in and out of existence. Changing. Moving. A crying woman, dying men with crowns.
The hall around him shuddered, the pulsing light beneath him grew frantic. The pressure increased. Vesper attempted to stand, but found himself on one knee unable to rise against the suffocating power. He screamed against it.
“You will not keep me.” He grit through his teeth. Above him the black glass ceiling shuddered, fractured and rearranged. Vaelthra knew.
Mikaela woke with a start, her hands grasping at air. Nothingness. Though she knew she intended to grab at the pressure around her. At the bright pain that fluttered through her body. Her head throbbed, her eyes ached.
Mikaela could remember the glowing eyes as Vaelthra absorbed her, brought about her death.
“N-no… I didn't-”
Mikaela looked down at herself then, and watched in wonder and confusion as her body flickered between her known form and pure sunlight.
The ground beneath her pulsed. The gold veins vibrant against the black marble. The hall shuddered then, and awareness pressed down on Mikaela. She could feel a cold predatory awareness sliding across her mind like a fingertip. Mikaela's breath caught, and her heart pounded in her chest. She could feel Vaelthra picking at her memories of Temerity. Pulling at her time with him, at their connection, searching.
“Get out of my head!” Mikaela snarled through grit teeth. Feeling crushed under the sudden weight. The realm answered with a low thrum, feeling for all purposes as a warning. Then the awareness dissipated.
Mikaela took in her surroundings then, her eyes scanning over everything until they stopped on a familiar hunched over form.
Mikaela stood, struggled but stood. Her marched steps were heavy and slow. Each footfall felt as if weighed by all the ships in Waterdeep's bay. Step she did, however. Anger coursed through her. Rage. Fury.
“You didn't win. I'm still here.”
Eventually, Mikaela stood, albeit in a struggle, next to Vesper. Her hand passed through his shoulder and she sighed. Vesper groaned, eyes squeezed shut. Pain wrenching his face.
The realm around them slammed into Vesper hard, the power coming to bear forcing the man down to his hands and knees.
“Let him go!” Mikaela shouted, her form flared brightly with her emotion, at Vaelthra. At her presence. At her power. The hall cracks, jagged lines race across the floor. The pressure eases slightly.
“Vesper. “ Mikaela took a breath and knelt in front of Vesper, her eyes meeting his. “We're... not all the way at least.”
“Mikaela.” Vesper's face, contorted in pain, eased a fraction as his gaze met hers.
“Not yet then.” He nodded, breathing heavily against the weight on his body.
“Hello friend.” He chortled underneath the power at Mikaela. “I thought…”
“She tried.” Mikaela's jaw clinched. “She did not succeed.”
The hall shuddered again, the cracks in the floor grew wider. The sky fractured above them. The pressure around them shuddered. Destabilizing.
“Step into my shadow, maybe… maybe I can help.” Mikaela's burning form held many shadows around her, and with some maneuvering, Vesper found some measure of relief as he inched closer.
“I was… sure I was alone…”
“You idiot. Do you really think I couldn't withstand her too?” Mikaela's smile was wry.
“I'm glad…I was… wrong.” Vesper struggled still but he was able to stand on both feet now.
The memories on the walls around them continued in chaos. All of them merging between Vaelthra's, Mikaela's and Vesper's.
“I… with Temerity? Really Mikaela?” Vesper watched the scenes play out in front of them in mild horror. Mikaela and Temerity warped together. Before the scenes morphed into visions of Vesper with another man, then a woman, and others. All wearing robes, all priests or clerics.
“Vesper you're one to talk.” Mikaela shook her head, watching the scenes as well. “You come across as picky and prudent but I see I was wrong, friend.”
“All are welcome in Selune's light.”
“And your bed, Vesper.” Vesper at least had the good manners to blush. Mikaela chuckled.
“Mayhaps we can find some kernel of wisdom here. These are not all of ours, they're hers too.”
“But… we will see…”
“Everything. Yes. Are you prepared to live your life again? And bear witness to mine?”
“If you were anyone else, I would say no.”
“It's decided then.”
The scenes before them morphed again. To one where a woman gets devastating news and rushes on a palfry to an unknown location, beating red streaks into the white horses’ side as she urges the creature faster and faster. Tears in her eyes and a prayer on the wind that she wasn't too late.
The continuation is here but not part of the challenge.
When he woke it was not a gentle thing. Vesper sat up with a gutteral scream, his hand reaching for his neck. His fingers did not stop at the skin. Just simply phased through his body. The pressure was still there though. He could feel it closing in on his neck, his chest and his ribs. He could remember his death, Vaelthra's hand. The painful siphoning of magic from his veins. Mikaela screaming beside him. Vesper's breaths came in short stuttered pants.
“I'm…dead?” He held his hands out in front of himself, turning them over. His body flickered between his known form and pure unfiltered moonlight. Silvery and bright in its own way.
That was when Vesper finally turned his head to look at his surroundings. For all purposes it seemed the very echo of a throne room. The room was large, cathedral-like in space. The floor below him appeared as a dark marble shot through with pulsing veins of gold. The pulsing light being centered underneath where his… body touched the floor. The walls around him displayed violent scenes, flickering in and out of existence. Changing. Moving. A crying woman, dying men with crowns.
The hall around him shuddered, the pulsing light beneath him grew frantic. The pressure increased. Vesper attempted to stand, but found himself on one knee unable to rise against the suffocating power. He screamed against it.
“You will not keep me.” He grit through his teeth. Above him the black glass ceiling shuddered, fractured and rearranged. Vaelthra knew.
Mikaela woke with a start, her hands grasping at air. Nothingness. Though she knew she intended to grab at the pressure around her. At the bright pain that fluttered through her body. Her head throbbed, her eyes ached.
Mikaela could remember the glowing eyes as Vaelthra absorbed her, brought about her death.
“N-no… I didn't-”
Mikaela looked down at herself then, and watched in wonder and confusion as her body flickered between her known form and pure sunlight.
The ground beneath her pulsed. The gold veins vibrant against the black marble. The hall shuddered then, and awareness pressed down on Mikaela. She could feel a cold predatory awareness sliding across her mind like a fingertip. Mikaela's breath caught, and her heart pounded in her chest. She could feel Vaelthra picking at her memories of Temerity. Pulling at her time with him, at their connection, searching.
“Get out of my head!” Mikaela snarled through grit teeth. Feeling crushed under the sudden weight. The realm answered with a low thrum, feeling for all purposes as a warning. Then the awareness dissipated.
Mikaela took in her surroundings then, her eyes scanning over everything until they stopped on a familiar hunched over form.
Mikaela stood, struggled but stood. Her marched steps were heavy and slow. Each footfall felt as if weighed by all the ships in Waterdeep's bay. Step she did, however. Anger coursed through her. Rage. Fury.
“You didn't win. I'm still here.”
Eventually, Mikaela stood, albeit in a struggle, next to Vesper. Her hand passed through his shoulder and she sighed. Vesper groaned, eyes squeezed shut. Pain wrenching his face.
The realm around them slammed into Vesper hard, the power coming to bear forcing the man down to his hands and knees.
“Let him go!” Mikaela shouted, her form flared brightly with her emotion, at Vaelthra. At her presence. At her power. The hall cracks, jagged lines race across the floor. The pressure eases slightly.
“Vesper. “ Mikaela took a breath and knelt in front of Vesper, her eyes meeting his. “We're... not all the way at least.”
“Mikaela.” Vesper's face, contorted in pain, eased a fraction as his gaze met hers.
“Not yet then.” He nodded, breathing heavily against the weight on his body.
“Hello friend.” He chortled underneath the power at Mikaela. “I thought…”
“She tried.” Mikaela's jaw clinched. “She did not succeed.”
The hall shuddered again, the cracks in the floor grew wider. The sky fractured above them. The pressure around them shuddered. Destabilizing.
“Step into my shadow, maybe… maybe I can help.” Mikaela's burning form held many shadows around her, and with some maneuvering, Vesper found some measure of relief as he inched closer.
“I was… sure I was alone…”
“You idiot. Do you really think I couldn't withstand her too?” Mikaela's smile was wry.
“I'm glad…I was… wrong.” Vesper struggled still but he was able to stand on both feet now.
The memories on the walls around them continued in chaos. All of them merging between Vaelthra's, Mikaela's and Vesper's.
“I… with Temerity? Really Mikaela?” Vesper watched the scenes play out in front of them in mild horror. Mikaela and Temerity warped together. Before the scenes morphed into visions of Vesper with another man, then a woman, and others. All wearing robes, all priests or clerics.
“Vesper you're one to talk.” Mikaela shook her head, watching the scenes as well. “You come across as picky and prudent but I see I was wrong, friend.”
“All are welcome in Selune's light.”
“And your bed, Vesper.” Vesper at least had the good manners to blush. Mikaela chuckled.
“Mayhaps we can find some kernel of wisdom here. These are not all of ours, they're hers too.”
“But… we will see…”
“Everything. Yes. Are you prepared to live your life again? And bear witness to mine?”
“If you were anyone else, I would say no.”
“It's decided then.”
The scenes before them morphed again. To one where a woman gets devastating news and rushes on a palfry to an unknown location, beating red streaks into the white horses’ side as she urges the creature faster and faster. Tears in her eyes and a prayer on the wind that she wasn't too late.
The continuation is here but not part of the challenge.
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