Shadow Slayers

"It's nothing to worry about," Celty said with a laugh. She wrapped Mimisko's arm up tightly, patting it lightly once it was finished. "And that tea sounds like a lovely idea. Why don't you go on and head over? I'll join you soon. You too, Nicholas. Have Rezza check you out." She waved a bit and started to journey where he son was. It seemed he had been ditched by the people he was talking with. "Something happen?" She asked as she approached him. 

The toddler seemed at a loss for words. "They all just...left." He said sadly. "I wanted to help."

"It's okay, why don't we head back to the campfire? We can talk with them there. Maybe play some games, hm?"

Oxy seemed excited by this idea, but his face fell again a moment later. He kicked his shoe in the dirt shyly, trying to muster the courage to ask a question that had been itching at him for awhile. "Ma...when I...went away," Celty flinched a bit at this, but allowed him to continue, "did...did daddy go away too?" He managed to lift his eyes to her. It was clear how uncomfortable this made him.

"Yes," Celty whispered after a long pause, "he did."

They both stood there in silence for a moment longer. "Can I...see him?" Oxy said hopefully. Celty pondered this before nodding. She'd covered the worst of the body where he wouldn't be able to see the extent of Enoch's handy work. And although she'd been avoiding this moment, her child deserved to see his father one last time. She took his hand and the two went up to the half-covered corpse. Oxy held onto her tightly; all he could see of the once powerful ruler was an exposed arm and a bit of his lower torso. He silently released her hand from his grasp and leaned down, taking Tairaga's hand instead. "You...were a bad guy," Oxy said simply, "you hurt my friend..." He squeezed the dead hand hard until Celty heard an audible 'crunch' as he broke the palm. She blinked, shocked by his reaction. "You...k-killed..." Celty reached down and started to pull him away. His fingers were wrapped so tightly around the dead man's hand that she could hear the arm popping out of the socket before she could finally force him to let go. 

"Oxy, what was that?" She whispered to him. He had an expression on his face that frightened her. She'd never seen him so angry, so completely furious. It wasn't a look a child so young should have. "He...was your father..." Oxy spit at the corpse and snarled at it. "That's enough, Oxy." She decided this was a bad decision after all and started to walk towards the fire, holding him close. He didn't hug her back, and his eyes never left the body as they walked.

"I...hate him," Oxy growled, burying his face in her shoulder. "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him!"

Celty was beginning to worry about the consequences the witch spoke of...was this just because of Rylan's death, or was there more to it? What darkness had she brought back with her son?

The two joined the campfire a few moments later. She sat down without a word, trying to catch her bearings and wait for Oxy to come out of whatever state he was currently in.

Altheron nodded and took a few berries from Daryn's stash, popping a couple into his mouth. They were definitely beaten, but they were fine for the most part. He followed her gaze and turned toward the small man with the black arms who introduced himself as "Zerah". Altheron's eyes widened at the form, staring at its hands as they hovered over the flame. A new member? He hadn't remembered seeing them at all during training, and the battle from earlier had all been such a mangled blur that he could not possibly force himself to remember if he saw Zerah there or not. And those arms. Just what were they? The shaman cocked his head to the side as he continued to stare. They didn't seem normal, and when it came to the unnatural Altheron had only one sure-fire way to get answers for himself. I wonder what it feels like...... he thought as he dropped the remaining berries in his hand and reached out to grab Zerah's arm, taking note of its strange, almost rubbery feeling. He pouted.

He still didn't know what it was.

Zerah had been zoning out when he was suddenly brought back into the real world as he felt somebody grab his arm. Zerah's head snapped towards a strange, pale man who had seemed incredibly interested in his arms. Zerah didn't really mind, most people were fascinated with them. He had just never had someone blatantly reach out and touch them. Zerah shrugged.

"They're made of blood, you know." Zerah said plainly.

He looked up at the sky, the cosmos now in sight. One thing the imp had always been fascinated in were the stars, and the heavens in general. He was lost in wonderment, looking around at all of the lights and beauty, when the moon caught his eye. A blood moon... Just like..that day.... Zerah shuddered a bit, but then a sinister idea crossed his mind, and there was no way he was going to pass this up. Zerah sighed, pretending to be worried.

"Well...looks like a blood moon is out tonight. That means HE is on the hunt. Heheh. Welp, I know I'm not gonna be sleeping tonight with HIM on the hunt." Zerah said, trying to act as nervous and worried as he could without overselling it.

Galystris looked over at Oxy and donned a kind smile.
"You wish to heal me?" she inquired politely
Her tone was soft and reassuring, and unnatrally genuine for her.
Children were too innocent to be hateable, at least most of them, in her opinion.
"Why, that would be amazing, show me what you've got." she chimed.
"It's rather uncommon for a person of your age to understand healing, I'm impressed."

Staring at the ground Rezza absentmindedly reached into his bag, pulling out one of the bloodied cloths. Though he was no longer bleeding his face was still dirty. Gently he wiped at his cheeks and under his nose before shoving the cloth back. A voice hit Rezza's ears and he looked up. Whatever the new person was talking about, he had no interest in. Wordlessly he stood up turning away from the fire, Rezza had grown tired of others. Stepping far outside the fire's ring of light he fell to the ground. Propping his chin on his hand the healer stared blankly into the ground. He didn't wish to be here, didn't wish for there company. All he wanted was that absolute seclusion his recent visit back to his mind had reminded him of. He shook lightly as he reflected on what he had seen.

His left hand gripped his head as his body shook intensely.
"Damn..." A ragged breath cut him off as his right arm slammed down, slapping his left leg. "It." Wiping feverishly at his eyes Rezza was unable to stop them from overflowing. He was not crying out of sadness, out of fear; but out of frustration and anger, an overabundance of emotions. He was too tired to maintain them. He wanted to scream. To be alone. But for the moment he wouldn't allow either of those. "Why?" His voice inquired meekly, this was something he definitely couldn't allow, yet was completely powerless to control. Letting his upper body sink forward to the ground Rezza held his head as his body quaked with sobs.

((((also here's roughly how long his hair is untied i tried to guess the appropriate length))))

Oxy nodded and yawned, looking up at the starry sky and blinking a bit at a shooting star that made it's way past. "Make a wish..." he whispered, closing his eyes for a moment. He opened them again and smiled sadly. "I don't think it's gonna come true..." He looked back at Galy and gestured towards the fire. "Why you so far away? Come on!" He tugged at her dress. "Let's make friends! Ma said we had to."

Altheron tightened his grip on Zerah's arm as he stared into the small man's eye in disbelief. "No way!" he yelled, turning his attention to the dried blood on his pale skin. "Blood looks like this!"


The shaman trembled at the man's words, clearly falling for the nervousness in his tone. "Who...... who is HIM?"