Sharmin's sight returned to her a moment later, and she found herself lying on cold black stone, in a circular room made of the same. Moonlight filtered through a hole somewhere above her, casting a thin stream of silvery light upon her. She found she was naked, but she did not feel cold. She could hear voices arguing somewhere distant, and followed the sound. The cavernous room gave away to a long corridor, red-orange light emanating from the end and drawing her in. It was hard to see clearly, her surroundings seemed to waver and distort, as if she were walking through a mirage in a hot desert.
"It is impossible! There is no mortal, no being save us capable of doing what you are suggesting!" a female voice said angrily as Sharmin approached. She slowly entered another large cavern, this one lit with red-orange light from lava that poured down the sides of the rock walls. The room seemed to be a platform, as the lava flowed past the floors, never touching the polished stone. Upon a raised dais at the end of the room, Sharmin could blurrily make out a tall figure with flowing silver hair and white wings, and a shorter one with pale blue-grey skin and inky black hair. The female voice came from the shorter, and she paced angrily in front of the taller figure.
"The present does not lie, sister. Look, a scar upon my throat where there was not one before. I remember the feel of the blade cutting into my flesh. Someone managed to cut through the barriers of time and lend strength to the bitch." The taller figure said, obviously a man. A hand grabbed Sharmin's wrist and pulled her back into the corridor as the two people turned to glance behind them. Sharmin found herself staring into the eyes of a shorter girl who had bright red hair cut into a boyish style, wearing a cape that appeared to be a modified fisherman's net. She held a finger to her lips, silencing any questioning protests Sharmin would've uttered, and glanced into the cavern once more. The two figures on the dais stared for a moment, not seeing Sharmin or the girl, and returning to their heated debate. She then led Sharmin silently through the caverns until she was back in the room she had regained consciousness in.
"You shouldn't be here." The girl said. Her voice was small, as if she were but a child, but her eyes held wisdom that gave away her true age.
"Where is 'here'?" Sharmin asked, trying to see through her wavering vision.
"The Abyss." She answered. She gasped softly and peered around Sharmin to the gloom from which they had come. "You shouldn't be here, only those she permits can enter, and she'll banish you to eternal torment if she sees you." The girl said, her voice lowering to a whisper.
"Wait, I'm dead?" Sharmin asked, incredulous. To her dismay, the red-haired girl nodded.
"But it is strange that you would end up here instead of with the other spirits." She mused, inspecting Sharmin's face. Her expression changed as she stared into Sharmin's eyes, slowly changing to a look of wonder. "Oh, so it's you!" she breathed. "The one whom Paagrio restored! I've wondered since that day why he would help the abomination-creation of our father, but now that I see you, I understand why!"
"Err…huh?" Sharmin managed out, not quite following what the girl was talking about. The girl held her hands to her face, the tips of her fingers covering her mouth as her eyes crinkled at the edges with a happy smile. Tears sparkled in her eyes and threatened to spill forth.
"This is so wonderful! I shall help you too!" the girl exclaimed happily, and then wrapped her arms around Sharmin's shoulders in a tight hug. "My favorite should be calling you back soon, so don't worry about being dead." She added before closing her mouth over Sharmin's in a strange sort of kiss. Sharmin's eyes widened and suddenly blackness surrounded her. She began to struggle, feeling as though she were suffocating, buried under hundreds of feet of heavy dirt. Sharmin clawed for what she hoped was the surface, her lungs burning for air. Light suddenly exploded in her eyes, blinding her and swallowing her up.
Sharmin sat up quickly, gasping for air as if she had indeed been buried in the ground. A sudden wave of pain washed over her and she curled up on her side, clutching her stomach. Junk Pixie stood over her, holding a blank scroll, and stared at her in surprise. Someone wearing dark green pants kneeled beside her and supported her head while holding a tube of the white potion Junk Pixie had given Leon earlier to her mouth. Wishing the pain to subside, she drank it eagerly, as if she were dying of thirst. She looked up into the face of the one who held her, and found the attractive older man whom she'd seen in the church in Gludio the day she tried to report Vlad, staring back at her with a relieved smile on his face. He helped her sit up as the healing potion went to work, then went about the task of collecting her belongings from where the Orc and Dark Elf had scattered them. Sharmin noticed, as she looked around, that Leon still lay on the ground, unmoving. Her heart leaping into her throat, she crawled over to him, her eyes wide with fear.
"Leon?" she asked, her voice cracking. He lay with his eyes open, staring and lifeless. She sat back on her ankles, covering her mouth with one hand as tears spilled down her cheeks. Beside her, Junk Pixie rummaged calmly through her pack and dug out a scroll sealed with red wax.
"He'll be alright, watch." The older man said, crouching next to Sharmin and giving her a warm smile.
"Leon, Leon, come back home!" Junk Pixie chanted, doing a little twirling dance as she held the scroll. Sharmin and the man stared at her with dotted eyes, both unsure of how to take her display.
"Is that standard?" Sharmin whispered, leaning towards the man.
"Not usually…no…" the man answered back. Junk Pixie stuck her tongue out at the two as she unrolled the scroll.
"Mama Pixie says that if you don't make some noise when unwrapping a rezz scroll, they'll just sleep in." she stated, matter of fact. A bright light suddenly flared forth from it and surrounded Leon in a ring. A smoky orb of light, brighter than the ring around him, floated down from the sky and entered his body. Leon drew in a gasping breath, life returning to his eyes. He blinked a few times as he breathed heavily, restoring oxygen to his blood before pushing himself up to sit. The words disappeared from the scroll as the light subsided, and Junk Pixie rolled it back up and shoved it into her pack.
"I hate it when that happens." Leon said, putting a hand to his head.
"I toldya we should've taken the Gatekeeper in Oren." Junk Pixie stated, pulling another white healing potion from her pack and handing it to him.
"Not all of us have unlimited money like you, Pixie." Leon mumbled, taking a drink.
"That's not my fault." She said, puffing her chest out proudly. "I find the shinies rather easy to come by, what's your excuse?"
"Hmm, let's see, for one we have the money I spend on the healing potions and resurrection scrolls which we seem to always need…" Leon began. He paused and looked at Sharmin, who was staring at him with tears still running down her face. "Sharmin, are you alright?" he asked, lowering the healing potion. Sharmin's face screwed up in grief for a moment before she threw herself forward and latched onto his shoulders.
"I thought you were dead." She sobbed, pressing her cheek against the cool armor on his shoulder. Bewildered, Leon stared at the side of her head before raising an unsure hand to pat her on the back of her head.
"Well…I was dead, for the moment." Leon stated softly. Sharmin pushed herself away from him to stare in shock.
"You both were, actually." The older man interjected, reminding them of his presence. They turned to look at him, as if realizing he was there for the first time.
"But I brought you back to life." Junk Pixie said, trying to puff her chest out farther. "It was a long journey, full of peril and strife! But the wise teachings of my Mama Pixie shall always pull us through! It all began one snowy evening…"
"My name is Ferrol." The man introduced, ignoring Pixie's rambling and helping Sharmin and Leon to their feet. Leon shook his hand firmly and nodded.
"Thank you for your help. I suppose it was your healing potions that helped us?" Leon stated, giving the man a friendly smile. Ferrol chuckled and blushed, rubbing the back of his neck, suddenly stricken with shyness. "Are you strong enough to travel?" Leon asked, looking at Sharmin.
"I think so…" she answered uncertainly, looking down at where the spear had impaled her. The wound was healed, but her stomach and her legs were covered in blood, as well as her face. "Can we find some water before heading into civilization? I can imagine I look like a Bugbear decided to tap dance on my head."
"So dying is normal?" Sharmin asked some time later. They had been trekking all night through the Pass, trying to get through lest they be found by people who would wish them ill will again. Dawn was breaking, and Sharmin was beginning to wear out.
"I wouldn't exactly call it 'normal'…" Leon began, looking over his shoulder at her. "It's happened a few times now though. I'm lucky I've been within range of someone who can call me back before my soul wanders too far. Most aren't that fortunate, however." He said, his expression grim.
"What does your soul wandering have to do with being brought back?" she asked, recalling her strange journey through the caverns. She wondered if it had really happened, or if it had just been a hallucination caused from the shock of being stabbed.
"There is a certain time frame in which a being can be brought back from the depths of the Abyss." Ferrol answered this time, walking next to Sharmin. "There is only a short amount of time before a body completely dies for the soul to return to it effectively. Those who attempt to reanimate a body after that time frame only return life to the corpse." When he received a confused look from Sharmin, he cleared his throat. "The brain instills a type of psychic barrier after a time, preventing the soul from re-entering, even if the organs are revived. It's quite fascinating, and we're still studying the exact chemistry of the change…"
"You're a Necromancer, aren't you?" Leon suddenly said, stopping and looking at Ferrol. Ferrol blinked at him in confusion for a moment.
"Yes I am actually." he answered without hesitation. "Is there something wrong?" he inquired when Leon continued to stare at him. Leon blinked once and then turned to continue walking, not answering his question.
By noontime they were halfway through the Pass, and paused to rest at the mouth of Dragon Valley. Sharmin wondered, as she settled herself against a boulder to doze, how Leon managed to travel so fast. Such a journey alone would take her weeks to travel through Death Pass, let alone the entire distance between Oren and Giran. Sharmin was roused from sleep as the cry of a Drake sounded nearby. She jumped to her feet, adrenaline pumping through her muscles, trying to regain her senses. A male Dwarf ran as fast as his short legs could carry him from Dragon Valley, a blue grey Drake flying close behind.
"Is that Stubby?" Leon asked Junk Pixie, who watched the Dwarf run with large eyes.
"I think so, looks like his fat nose from here." She answered. "Should we go help him? He owes me money."
"Do you even have to ask?" Leon stated, drawing his sword and running towards the Drake. Junk Pixie shrugged and pulled out her Tarbar, following close behind. "Sharmin, stay here with Ferrol in case some Basilisks decide you guys look tasty." Leon called to her as he ran.
"So Sharmin, where are you from?" Ferrol asked, drawing her attention away from Leon. She looked at him, curious as to why he decided to strike up a conversation now.
"I grew up on Talking Island." She answered shortly, turning back to watch Leon. They were about halfway across the gorge, the Drake hovering in one spot as they ran towards it.
"Were you born there?" Ferrol asked, stepping into her vision. Sharmin pursed her lips, her eyebrows drawing together at the insistent tone in his voice.
"My parents told me I was born in Aden while they were there visiting my mother's family. They were on their way to the Neutral Zone where my father started farming. Why are you asking such personal questions?" she demanded, putting a hand on her hip. Her annoyance faded as Ferrol's expression of wistful joy brought her up short. Why did he look so happy all of a sudden? She had often heard that Necromancers go mad during their studies, and she wondered if he had snapped. He opened his mouth to say something when a cry drew Sharmin's attention away from him. At the other end of the gorge, the Dwarf had fallen, and was weakly trying to bat away the Drake which was ripping into his abdomen, clutching something that looked suspiciously like viscera. Leon tried, unsuccessfully several times in a row, to cast his spell that would draw the Drake's attention away from the Dwarf. Just as Leon swung his sword, the Dwarf suddenly stood, drew his own sword, and stabbed the Drake in the belly. His own torso was ripped open, various organs dangling from where they were still attached. The Drake howled in pain and breathed fire.
Shocked at the sudden revival of the Dwarf, Sharmin looked next to her to find Ferrol with his eyes shut in concentration, his mouth moving in a silent chant. She could see his eyes moving under his eyelids, the reanimated Dwarf moving in the direction his covered eyes moved. Leon and Junk Pixie seemed stunned by this too, as they had come to a complete stop. Leon recovered first, and leapt into the air, swiping his sword as he came down, slicing the beast's throat between the scaly plates that covered its body. Blood sprayed from the wound and the dragon fell with a whine. The Dwarf stood still for a moment, then, much to Sharmin's horror, began a slow trek back towards them. His movements were jerky, like a wind-up doll's, and Sharmin felt bile rising in her throat at the sight of his exposed organs. She looked away as the Dwarf came to stand in front of them, trying to swallow against her gag reflex.
"Poor, poor Stubby BigNose." Junk Pixie stated sadly, shaking her head. "He owed me money, but ah well, that's how it goes."
"Thank you Mr. BigNose." Ferrol stated, opening the Dwarf's pack that was still miraculously hanging off of his shoulder. He began rummaging through it, searching for something.
"What are you doing?" Leon asked in alarm as he approached. Trying to avoid looking at the gutted Dwarf, Sharmin turned quickly to stare at Ferrol, who had pulled a scroll from the Dwarves pack.
"Resurrecting him, what else?" Ferrol answered honestly, holding the familiar scroll with a red seal. Sharmin's mouth opened in surprise, and Leon paused for a second in shock.
"Don't!" Leon suddenly shouted, and darted towards them as Ferrol opened the scroll. The bright light surrounded Stubby and his soul returned, life lighting up in his eyes once more. He took in a rattling breath, his exposed lungs expanding like twin sacs. Shocked, and most likely in a massive amount of pain, he slowly looked down at his open chest. Tears welled up in his eyes and he began to hyperventilate, as his body wished to die from shock, but Ferrol's reanimation magic preventing it from doing so.
"What have you done?" Sharmin choked, staring in horror at Ferrol.
"It's purely for study; I shall give him peace in a moment." Ferrol stated, watching how Stubby's organs quivered and expanded, still trying to work despite their displacement.
"You madman! How could you do this?" Leon shouted, grabbing Ferrol by the tunic and lifting him a few inches from the ground in fury. "Have you no compassion for the dead?"
"Compassion for the dead? What silliness are you speaking of boy? This is science! Through Mr. BigNose here, we are able to accurately see how the living body works! This is a great breakthrough!" Ferrol stated excitedly, pulling himself from Leon's grip. Junk Pixie stood a bit away, her eyes large. She had dropped her Tarbar in disbelief, staring at them.
"Mother Goddess Maphr!" Stubby suddenly sobbed, then began screaming. Sharmin winced and covered her ears, as Leon continued to argue with Ferrol. The voices seemed to coalesce into one terrifying sound, and Sharmin could endure it no longer. She drew her sword and stabbed Stubby through his quickly beating heart. His voice cut off in a 'pip' noise, and he fell limp, his body falling onto hers. She let go of her sword and took a step backwards, her hands shaking uncontrollably. Leon and Ferrol had stopped arguing, and stared at her in silent shock. She hugged herself, hunching her shoulders as she shook, unable to fathom what she had just done.
"Sharmin…" Leon said, reaching a hand to her. Just as he touched her armor she screamed loudly and then bolted away from them, frightened of herself, as she had vowed to never kill someone who did not intend her harm. Her trek was brought to a quick end as she ran headfirst into an armored body once more, knocking the person over and onto their bottom. A hand closed around her arm and pulled her back as she attempted to continue running, tripping her. She looked up with watery eyes to find a black-haired Dark Elf staring at her with a raised eyebrow. Behind him peeked the surprised face of Vuylay, and on the ground sat Narlafayn, whom Sharmin had bowled over.
"Geez Sharmin, what's the hurry?" Narlafayn asked, annoyed. She stood up and rubbed her bottom underneath her armor. Relief flooding her senses at seeing Vuylay and Narlafayn again, Sharmin released the wail she had suppressed until now, and succumbed to heavy sobbing. The trio she ran into stared at her in bewilderment.
"I know I'm that good looking but geez, I didn't expect I'd ever get a reaction like this." The Dark Elf said. Narlafayn cast him an annoyed glare and knocked the back of her hand against his chest lightly. Vuylay kneeled next to Sharmin and put a hand on her shoulder, giving her an awkward smile.
"Hey, it's ok, we're here…" she attempted, unused to comforting hysterics. Sharmin latched onto Vuylay who stared at her in shock as Sharmin buried her head between her breasts to continue crying. Unsure, she raised a hand and patted Sharmin lightly on the head. "There, there. It's ok" she attempted, not enjoying the moisture dripping into her cleavage.
"Leon!" Narlafayn exclaimed as he, Junk Pixie and Ferrol approached. She dropped her sword and shield and darted out to give her old companion a tight hug. "Pixie!" she exclaimed again, turning to hug the Dwarf with equal enthusiasm.
"Hey Panties Lady!" Junk Pixie exclaimed in response, hugging her back. "You're still showing them off, I'm so happy you didn't change!" she said, referring to the half-covered bikini style of the armor gaiters. "Are you charging money now for viewing pleasure?" Narlafayn withdrew from her hug quickly to bop Junk Pixie on the back of the head. Large crocodile tears welled up in her eyes instantly, and she began sobbed once before wiping her eyes, fully recovered.
"Neat, is there a switch back there or something?" the Dark Elf asked, moving next to Junk Pixie and whapping her on the back of the head to get her to cry again. Her response for him, however, was a swift kick to the shins and an annoyed glare.
"Can someone please dislodge Sharmin so I can greet everyone too?" Vuylay requested in a whining voice from the ground. Leon knelt beside them and gently pulled Sharmin away from Vuylay, taking her by the chin to make her look at him.
"Sharmin, it's ok. You did the right thing. It's ok to cry for what had to happen, but I was going to do the same thing if you hadn't." Leon said in a soft voice, staring into her eyes intently. "What Ferrol did to him was unforgivable. You didn't do anything wrong." He took his hand from her chin and brushed the tears from her cheeks as she allowed his words to comfort her. He gave her a tiny smile that she attempted to mirror as he helped her to her feet. Narlafayn cleared her throat behind them and Sharmin jumped, as she had forgotten they had an audience.
"Should we leave you guys be?" she asked, amused.
"Whatever for?" Leon asked, his face now a mask of blank curiousity. Narlafayn visibly twitched and put a hand to her head, a vein popping out at her temple and pulsing.
"Now see here you…" she began, her voice steady.
"I'm soooo happy to see you Leon darling!" Vuylay suddenly exclaimed, throwing herself at Leon. He stepped backwards and she fell comically to the ground, missing her target. Junk Pixie began to laugh and point.
"The big boobies do make her bounce!" she exclaimed, holding her stomach with her laughter. Grief momentarily forgotten, Sharmin, covered her face as she suppressed her laughter.
"Don't laugh!" Vuylay stated, her cheeks dark with embarrassment. "Terebel, a little sympathy for a fellow Dark Elf would be extremely handy right about now." She grumbled, staring pointedly at the other Dark Elf. Terebel turned away from her and folded his arms behind his head, gazing into the sky.
"Better you than me." he said, aloof. Vuylay growled and pushed herself back to her feet, brushing the dust from her smoky black skirt.
"As fun as this reunion is for all of you, might I suggest we continue it as we move, as the longer we linger here, the more likely it is that we'll draw unneeded attention to ourselves?" Ferrol suddenly said, walking past them. "I would like to arrive in Giran before the week is up, thank you. I have much to report now."
"Why don't you just use a Gatekeeper scroll?" Narlafayn asked. A blank look passed over the faces of Leon, Sharmin, Junk Pixie and Ferrol before a unanimous "oh yeah!" came from all four of them at the same time. The vein popped up in Narlafayn's temple again, and Terebel stared blankly, not believing the four could've been so dense. The group began to rummage through their supply bags at Narlafayn's suggestion, each pulling out their own scroll and unrolling it. Darkness surrounded Sharmin again, and she folded her arms across her chest as she fell, waiting for the inevitable ground that would meet her face soon enough. She felt uneasy still for what she had done to the Dwarf, but at the same time she believed Leon when he told her it was a mercy killing. Her thoughts were interrupted as she landed, this time on her bottom, underneath a tall statue on a pedestal in the center of Giran.
All around her sat merchants, some with stalls, and some with blankets displaying their wares. They were so thickly situated together; it was hard for the shoppers to move from place to place. The square was thick with people all the way up to the Gatekeeper, who stood stiffly at the top of the steps leading to the Cathedral, looking as if she might drown in the sea of bodies. Sharmin scanned the crowd around her intently, looking for her companions. Ferrol waved to her from beside the Giran Crop Manager, who stood near his wagon speaking with a farmer. She winced, wishing instantly that it had been someone else, but making her way over to him anyway.
"Quite a crowd, eh?" Ferrol asked brightly. He shielded his eyes from the sun and gazed up at the statue that stood in the center of town. "I haven't been here for years. Place hasn't changed a bit though." He sighed and looked back at Sharmin, who still searched the crowd for everyone. "Well, since we can't find our friends in this mess, shall we retreat to the Inn until they come to us?" he offered, smiling. Finding it hard to dislike the man, even after what had transpired, Sharmin mustered up a half smile and nodded.