A/N: Standard disclaimer applies.
Lightning flashed brightly across the sky as if in agreement to the condemning utterances of the Elder Quiane Kahn. The low clouds that were but cruising silently and inconspicuously across the evening sky had convened to shelter the moons from the Corites' eyes and bring about a uncommon darkness in Luce. Soon, rain precipitated from the clouds and came pelting heavily with enough force to cut through the skin and brought a strong gust of howling wind along with it. The rain created a din that drowned out all noises, even the sound of one's own heartbeat.
In silence, the two of them stood unmoving as though they did not notice the heavy water dropping on their heads and the wetness it brought, nor the chill that was driven by the wind into the core of their bones deep beneath their pale skins.
Viene was still gazing at the symbol, wondrous and at the same time feeling a twinge of repulsion. As the water came to wet it, it flared a flaming red, like that of glowing hot lava. No doubt. It was indeed scorched by magic, a character to mark the damned. And maybe, also to mark the---
"Accursed…," Viene whispered softly.
Accursed. To call upon a curse on them. Viene gritted her teeth in a feeble attempt to suppress the anger that flared from the depths of her bleak soul. It enraged her to think that the Elders would have the audacity to brand them infidels more so to curse them with---as it may be the only logical thing---eternal damnation or anything with the likes of it when, all this time, it was they, the Elders, who had done such a great wrong to them.
"Why did you let them do this to you?" she inquired with barely controlled ire and a tinge of bewilderment.
Acting like though he had not heard, Northenio snatched his shirt, robe and armor from the wet floor. He put on his shirt, not bothering to button his shirt up. Lugging his heavy armor with one hand, he started to walk ahead into the sheet of rain, his footsteps, almost inaudible due to the din the rain was making, fading away quickly.
Staring at the spot where Northenio had stood, Viene did not move for a moment. She felt confused, bewildered, and angry. Along with these, anxiety crept inconspicuously into her heart. The symbol. Northenio's unresponsiveness. It did not sit well with her. A hint of doom seemed to surround these elements.
Sighing, she walked towards the direction were Northenio had gone. Her sight sought for any indication that Northenio was just up ahead; his ebony hair that would now be lank and wet due to the rain, his robe that would be billowing courageously but not fully against the wind, or his glistening metal and leather armor. Not even the shadow of them could be seen. There was only the endless sheet of rain and the familiar darkness.
She had lost track of Northenio but it was of no consequence to her. Northenio… To doubt Northenio. Perhaps it would be best not to think of such thoughts. What good would it bring to harbor any suspicion to the only person she could rely on. Trusting Northenio would be the right thing to do. It was the wise thing to do. It was the loyal thing to do. With that she tried to clear her thoughts and blankly trudged along, allowing memory and the steeply ascending stone pathways to guide her feet to her destination.
Soon, several distant specks of dimly pale yellowish light blurred heavily by the rain came into view. Camino, their guild castle, must be near. Despite herself, Viene felt a sense of peace come over her and the despair she was feeling was finally and completely washed away by the unrelenting outpour of the rain.
…
UNFORGIVEN
Camino, The Fire's Abode
The heavy downfall created a monotonous and dreary din as the raindrops dropped on the steep sloping roofs of Camino and the ornate floors of uncovered passageways. Along with that, the distant roar of the rapids and the waterfall combined with the rain's cry to add more to the noise which, for its monotony, somehow made things appear quiet.
Deyjavu stared into the darkness, in the direction of the waterfalls, as he casually leaned against the elaborate pillars of an archway. The archway, intricately designed with what could only be by the hands of a master craftsman, was one of Camino's numerous--and mostly unknown---entrances situated as an entry to the guild castle; this one, from the floor of Luce's highly situated roof. At the very top of the archway or even beyond that, a narrow eave, inconspicuously seen from below, jutted in an attempt to protect the archway from the rain.
Luce's roof, situated far above from even the highest grounds of the city, was broad and spanned quite a significant distance but mostly situated only atop the Citadel. The Citadel housed the rarely seen Elders and the high council and was rumored to be an inner city, a metropolis of its own in infrastructure, economy, and in other ways. Indeed it could have been an inner city what with it occupying a large area of the city, Luce. No one really knows the truth about the Citadel. Perhaps, not even the council… just the ancients. Also, the Citadel's mysterious and power-emanating double doors had never been seen open by most, not even when the Elders or the Council appeared to fight along with the Corite army. It stayed silently closed, unperturbed and unmoved for centuries as far as the Corites remember.
A sigh of boredom cut through the tedious noise of the rain, pulling Deyjavu from his thoughts. Slowly, he turned towards the source of the sound and, as he had been smoking a cheroot, took a final puff before flipping the small stub out in the rain.
"Why did we agree to look after the guild house again?" Ashienne, fondly called Sin, asked dully, a look of irritation creeping into her features. She was sitting comfortably in a cozy chintz chair facing the archway where Deyjavu was.
"DO we have to go through with this again?" Deyjavu replied, half-exasperated and half-amused.
"Bear with it, Deyjavu. It's the only topic she knows of wherein she can talk endlessly," Jaelis replied, a masked smile lurking on his lips. Reading an old book on magic, he too was sitting on another chintz chair situated somewhat near Sin.
"We weren't supposed to be stuck here," she murmured angrily.
"We were," Deyjavu replied. "I volunteered the three of us."
"What?!" Outraged, Sin stood up and marched towards where Deyjavu stood. "Why did you that?!"
"Because I wanted to," he replied, turning his gaze to the dark rain again.
"I hate you," she said in a low tone which elicited a soft laugh from Jaelis. With that, she returned to her seat and tried to preoccupy herself by looking at the peculiar flowers in the vase atop the table.
Deyjavu smiled. It was characteristic of Ashienne these sudden mood swings and unpredictable actions. That was made her endearing to most of the guild members.
Redirecting his gaze, he sought the faint almost indiscernible outlines of the chess pieces Jaelis and Sin had been moving earlier before the sky decided to cry and bath them with the heavy Novus rain.
"Deyjavu…," a soft feminine voice said in almost a whisper.
Startled, Deyjavu pushed his shoulders off the pillar, straightened himself, and turned to see the speaker. A raven-haired beautiful Corite stood gazing at him. Donning a lavender peignoir-like gown that flattered her figure in the most fascinating ways, she exuded a fragile, seductive and at the same time elegant air about her which complimented her fair and gentle face. She was marked a rare beauty even by elfish standard. She was considered the Mistress of the Guild. Alleza was her name.
"I'm worried…," she said. "Northenio has been gone for three days. He had promised he will be back soon and three days isn't soon."
"It certainly isn't," Sin cut through without warning, a hint of sarcasm lining her statement.
Jaelis threw a warning look at her. In response, Sin heaved a sigh.
"I was just…," Alleza said, flustered. "I mean... even Viene hasn't come back and she meant to find him."
"Don't worry," Jaelis said. "They'll come back without harm."
"You're forgetting that the two of them are one of our elites." Deyjavu added.
Alleza smiled. "I guess you're right."