Board Thread:Roleplaying/@comment-25828117-20191029114843/@comment-5583506-20191030185748

Kashya had fallen asleep numerous times since they had left the house. Had all of that really happened? Or had it just been some feverish nightmare? She halfway expected that once she opened her eyes she would be back at her bed in the brothel, awakened by yet another client. But neither bed nor client was to be found, and she knew in fact that her father was dead. Tsavirra was dead, as was her baby. While she didn't feel any particular guilt or remorse over the fact that Captain

"You sleep rather soundly for a murderer", a calm voice said by her side.

She shot open her eyes and sat up. She had also expected that the Breton had just been a part of the dream, but here he was. Celtian was his name, she recalled. All dressed in black she had first mistaken him for the personification of death to come and claim her, but when he turned out to be just another living soul, she had become somewhat disappointed.

She did not want to live. There was no reason for her to live. She had nothing, she had no one to care for her, and she had nowhere to go.

Those without fate should not be alive.

Normally she would have been insulted by Celtian's suggestion, but she knew the truth. She was indeed a murderer. The bad blood in her had finally come into full bloom, just as her father had anticipated. Maybe he had been right in treating her so harshly? She had just now seen the results of what she could do, and the results were that of two people dead by her hand, three with the unborn child inside Tsavirra. It was all just a mess.

They were seated in some sort of carriage. In-between the few glances she managed to get of her surroundings they were travelling on a road through an open plain of the savannah. She had no idea in which direction they were heading, but she couldn't see any nearby cities or villages. Just pure nature as long as her little eyes could see.

"This one hasn't slept for quite some time", she murmured in a daze, struggling to keep her eyes open. Her behind still ached. "They wouldn't let this one sleep back at ... that place."

Celtian cocked his head and looked at her quizzically. "Your home?"

She shook her head. "They had ... girls there. Young women. People would come and pay us to ..." She fell silent. Just thinking about it made her tense up and every part of her body started to ache.

Celtian lowered his brow. "I see", he said condolatory. "You will not have to worry about that with your new family though. No harm shall come to you."

Kashya's head bobbed as she struggled to remain seated. She was so very tired. Exhausted beyond belief. It was as if she had spared every bit of strength in her entire life for the confrontation last night. And with that over, she now had nothing left to even sustain her own life. She wouldn't have minded to just fall asleep now and never wake up. Maybe death wasn't such a bad thing all things considering? If she was dead then no one could ever harm her again, and she wouldn't be able to kill anyone ever again. However, if she was dead then she realized that she would never see Kiro again, never meet Malah, or even Baijan, but maybe that was for the best. She did not want to hurt any of them. Her bad blood wouldn't get the better of her.

"Take some time to rest, child", Celtian assured her soothingly. "We still have some distance to travel."

Kashya whimpered anxiously in her sleep and flailed weakly with her arms when she felt someone shake her shoulder. When she woke up and saw Celtian standing over her, she scurried over hastily to the side, staring at him with panicky eyes.

Celtian flinched. "I am sorry, little one", he said honestly. "Didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to let you know that we are here now."

Kashya blinked. "Huh?" How long had she been asleep? It felt as if she had just closed her eyes a moment ago from talking to Celtian the last time.

Celtian stepped back and offered her a hand. She reluctantly took it and stepped out of the carriage. The driver eyed them warily before giving the horses a sudden lash, eager to be back on the road again, clearly he was well aware of what types he was dealing with.

Kashya found herself outside a pair of sturdy city gates with intricate woodwork in the middle of the clear Elsweyr night. "Wh-where are we?" she asked.

"Corinthe", Celtian told her. "A city of carpenters, and your new home. This is where we have our sanctuary, you see."

She couldn't tell as to why she had come to rely on Celtian. The man didn't exactly seem to be the most trustworthy of people, but somehow she got the sensation that he meant her well. Or maybe she had just come to accept the aid of strangers because she no longer cared what happened to her. She did not want to live anymore, and if following this man meant that she would have her wish granted, then she would follow him to the ends of the world.

He beckoned for her to follow as they entered the city. A pair of brawny city guards observed the two suspiciously, wondering why a foreigner was there and what he was doing with a girl of their own kin. Apparently it would seem that some of them instinctively knew what sort of man Celtian was, and thus let the couple pass without questioning. Maybe they feared him? Maybe they were bribed? In either case, Celtian and Kashya entered Corinthe without any trouble.

Making their way through the city streets, the two eventually reached a crypt in a nearby cemetery. Kashya didn't like the surroundings. There were more dead people here. To her surprise the grate door to the crypt openend once Celtian unlocked some sort of secret mechanism, cleverly blending in with the brickwork behind one of the decorated pillars. He lit a torch and motioned for her to follow him down into the darkness.

She shuddered and clutched to her chest hard, feeling her heart race. She did not want to go down there. Not really. What if this was all a trap? And she would have to suffer what she had experienced at Ja'zira's brothel over and over? Only this time there would be no Malah to come to her rescure, and no thoughts of Kiro would be able to keep her mind elsewhere.

Kiro...

"Follow me", Celtian told her as he patiently waited by the staircase, illuminated by the haunting light of the torch. "There is nothing to be afraid of down here. We are going to meet your new family."

Kashya swallowed hard. Her tiny feet trembled as she started to descend after Celtian who walked ahead of her with steady steps, keeping the torch held high. It was cold down there. Even with all her fur she could feel the unnatural chill this place had.

Down in the darkness her eyes adjusted and became aware of strange figurines and statues, most likely dating back to ancient Elsweyr. Several sarcophagi stood lined up in niches in every alcove they passed. Who knew what kind of Khajiit who were buried there? She reckoned they must have been some really important people.

"Have no fear", Celtian assured her. "I can sense your dread, but there is nothing to be afraid of, little one."

She didn't know if that was supposed to help her, but it did. The assuring tone of his voice made her feel slightly braver as she trudged forward.

Their path eventually came to a stop before a heavy stone slab of a door. Its front had been carved out in the likeness of a Khajiit skull, and upon first seeing it come out of the shadows like some lurking monster, lightened up by the torchlight, Kashya gave out a startled yelp and cowered.

Celtian chuckled. "Gave it a scare, did it? No need to worry. It's just a door. A very old one. This is our sanctuary. It stood abandoned for quite some, until just recently, when our brothers and sisters decided to relocate and open it up once more."

"It looks so ... real", Kashya whimpered.

"I'd imagine so", Celtian smiled before turning to the door.

It seemed to glow with an eerie crimson red. A muffled thrumming sound resonated from within before an icy, hollowed voice spoke out loud, echoing in Kashya's ears: "What is the truth of existence?"

Kashya felt a chill down her spine. Was the door alive? What was this place? She wanted to go back. To leave and never look back, but glancing behind her made her realize just how dark this tomb was. Even with her night eye she wasn't quite sure she would be able to find her way back.

The empty sockets of the giant skull on the door seemed to pierce through her very soul. It was looking at her, examining her. She didn't like it. She felt ... empty.

Celtian just smiled confidently. "Death, my brother", he calmly told the door.

There was a brief moment of a silence before something rusty clicked from behind the door and there was a dull rumbling to be heard as the great stone slab slowly slid ajar for them to enter an oddly enough well-lit chamber waiting behind the creepy door.

Celtian turned to smile at her and motioned for her to enter first.

As she did she heard the icy, hollowed out voice proclaim from somewhere around her.

"Welcome home."