Everheart: Chapter 17

"Wake up!  Oh, gods, Kitten, WAKE UP!"

Selah repeatedly shook Ginal, desperately hoping to see her eyes flutter open in response.  She only lie still on the stone bridge, breathing slow and shallow, and not stirring.

"Come on, Ginal!  Answer me!"

No, no, no, no, no!  Oh, gods, no!  What do I do?  She won't wake up!

Her palm struck Ginal's cheek, hoping against reason the smack would jar her awake.  Then again, and again even harder, until both palm and cheek were throbbing.

Wait!  I'm such am idiot!  This is what always wakes her!

Selah threw her lips onto her beloved's with a heated mixture of passion and despair.  One hand found Ginal's breast to fondle, the other rubbing between her legs.

Come on, this is practically what you live for!  Open your eyes and jump my bones!

No sounds, open eyes or signs of arousal came from Ginal.  Only silence and shallow breaths.

Fear, fury, anxiety, guilt.  Selah's heart was overflowing with these.  She pulled at her own hair while anxiously pacing, heart thundering in her chest.  Glancing up to see the Sanctum's archway, decorated with all the gods' symbols, she screamed her frustrations at the top of her lungs.

"Is this what you want?!  To torment and abandon us?  I TRIED to believe and be faithful, and so did Ginal, but you've done nothing but shit on us our entire lives!  Fuck, I hope you all choke on your heavenly wines!"

She returned to Ginal's side, frantically searching for a pulse and petting her hair.

"I'm so sorry.  I'm sorry for every damn thing!  I'm sorry I got wrapped up in my old fears, and that I left you behind.  I'm sorry I didn't come right back and how I never dealt with this part of myself long ago.  My Ginal, my beautiful Kitten, I'm so sorry!"

Pick her up, you idiot, and carry her inside. There must be someone here to watch over everything, and they can help.  Fight through the exhaustion.

And exhausted Selah was.  Every inch of her body was sore, aching and tender.  She was covered in sweat, dirt, and blood.  Not to mention the complete emotional drain of seeing how far this entire damn situation had gone.  The moss-tinted stone bridge, resting peacefully over the lake below seemed a particularly inviting place to lie down, and let herself die with her beloved.  Just fall asleep, into a sweet oblivion from which this world can't wake them from.

Stop panicking and sulking, and get on your feet.  Get your shit together.  She's not dead yet, and neither are you.

The voice in the back of her mind was the last functioning part of normally serene nature, and Selah knew it was the right part of herself to cling to.  Slowly, steadily, through the burning pain her muscles insisted she surrender to, she rose to her feet.  Grunting with strained effort, she scooped Ginal into her arms and headed for the cathedral's grand doorway.

Her steps were slow, heavy, and unsteady.  Ginal may be shorter, and more compact of frame, but her body mass was denser than looks would have you believe.  The miqo'te was rarely inactive, and had developed a strength and density of muscle that you could only barely see.

I'd suggest losing weight, but if she were any thinner I'd see her ribs.

Setting Ginal aside, the hyur pounded her fist against the doors.  "Someone, please answer!  I need help!"

When no answers came, she tried to force the massive doors open.  They wouldn't budge, no matter how hard Selah pushed.  She pushed and strained against the barrier until her arms screamed in pain for her to stop.  Her frustrations again mounting, she resumed beating on the doorway, and soon found herself assaulting it with a flurry of kicks and punches.

"Open the fucking doors!  Ginal needs help!" she screamed.



Burnished Snow, the small and thin roegadyn healer, sat within the personal chamber of his clinic.  Fading sunlight and dancing candlelight filled the room as he flipped through journals filled with mathematical calculations, alchemical formulas, and various scribbles of pieces of technology and metal joining onto body parts.  He sipped at mug of tea that had long-since gone cold, only half mindful of the tea's flavor or temperature.

"What was it?  How did I figure this out before?  These equations don't make sense anymore!"

He rubbed at his temples, and could feel the exhaustion in his bloodshot eyes.

"Gods, damn.  What am I supposed to do with that metal monstrosity out there?  I don't remember!"

Slamming his fists on the desk in frustration, he threw the journal across the room.  He turned to the loose papers scattered across the desk and madly swept them away.

"I'm a chemist and arcanist, not some Ironworks engineer!  How did I get this nonsense into my head, anyway?  I can't do this!"

A current of wind ripped through the chamber as swirls of light manifested and swirled about each other.  Book were ripped from their shelf and his bed linens were tossed about as the wind intensified.  The light gathered into a single mass and stretched up and outward, forming arms and legs.  At last, the Amalj'aa Warrior stood before Snow, the plates of his perfectly polished armor gleaming in the candlelight.

"Burnished Snow..." The Warrior growled.  "You are having trouble with your formulas?  No matter!  They were always false knowledge.  This is not the way Geoffrey will be joined to his new body."

Snow shrank away from the menacing beastman, trembling in fear at the imposing visage.  "I...how did you-oh, Gods, please spare me!  I'm only a healer!"

The Warrior chortled as he hefted the healer to his feet with one hand, and locked his gaze with Snow's.  The shining silver glow in The Warrior's eyes intensified, and Snow's own eyes began to radiate with a brilliant purple glow.

"Come, healer, we still have some use of you."

"Yes, masters."



Burnished Snow and The Warrior strolled into Geoffrey's room, and the nobleman quickly pushed himself up at the sound of The Warrior's heavy footfall.

"Who's there?  Snow?"

"Geoffrey Darkmoore." The Warrior's voice commanded.  "This world of fools and dullards, the unenlightened and the weak, was never good enough for you.  Long have you suffered, when by rights this world should be YOURS to command and shape as you see fit."

A scowl shaped on Geoffrey's lips as he lie back.  "Yes."

"We can give you the power to take back all that has been stolen from you.  To have your vengeance and your dominance."

The Warrior approached Geoffrey, resting his massive palm on the nobleman's cheek.  "We can even give you the power to finally break her."

"Selah..."

"All you must do is serve us as our champion."

The nobleman's scowl turned up in a vicious grin a he set his dead and bandaged eyes upon The Warrior.  "If you truly have this power, I would call it a fair trade."

Her demand was met, and the towering doors slowly creaked open.  A middle-aged man, hyur, whose temples and mustache had long since grayed, met them.  His gray, hooded robe, simple of stitch and cut, marked him as priest of the spartan life.

"This is a sacred place, young lady." he sternly remarked.  "Watch your mouth, or begone."

"Please, help me!  My beloved is hurt and won't wake up!"

The Priest took Ginal into his arms and gingerly headed into the grand Sanctum.  His weary gaze drifted back and forth from Ginal to Selah, obviously trying to reason out their wounds, bruises and torn clothing.

"There, ah, was a fight." she stammered.  "It was...that Emerald Demon."

How do I explain this?  And would he still offer his aid if he knew it was Ginal Gridania was hunting?

"I see." The Priest answered.

Oh...  By the gods, this place is amazing.

Selah's jaw hung agape as she stood dumbstruck.  The interior of the Sanctum of the Twelve was far and beyond anything she had ever imagined.

The antechamber was sprawling, wide open, and lit so brightly that it almost hurt to keep her eyes open.  A carpeted aisle ran ahead, through another towering doorway and into the chapel proper.  The stone-paved walkway stretched off to the left and right of them, ending in gazebos overlooking the massive man-made lakes and waterfalls that flanked the chapel, and stairs that descended into the waters.  The water itself looked more like liquid crystal, such was its clarity and shimmer, all while lily pads and lanterns floated atop, and grand chandeliers hung with lights and flowers from the mile-high ceiling.

It was art made physical, in both design and purpose, and Selah felt utterly humbled to walk these halls.

"Ginal...Ginal, look at this place!  You have to wake up and see it!  This is exactly where you always wanted to be bonded!"  Tears again crept upon her as she plead to her lover, stroking her hair as they walked.

"Worry not, young lady." The Priest offered.  "I'm trained in conjury.  I'll do what I can to help her."

Upon reaching the grand doorway to the chapel, the echo of bootfall hit Selah's ears.  She whirled about to see people approaching with a purposeful gait.  Elysande, Kraio, Timothy, and a fourth.  A hyur man equal to Selah's height, his hair dark and shaggy, clad in chain-linked armor and a sword sheathed at his side.

"Ely, Tim, Kraio, Julio!"  Selah assumed a defensive posture in front of The Priest, who had set Ginal upon the carpet.  "Stay back, all of you!"

"I will remind you all," The Priest interrupted, "that this is a sacred place.  Violence will not be tolerated, and I AM charged by the Twelve to defend that sanctity."

"Yes, that's right, sacred!  I, uh, claim sanctuary!" Selah shouted.

Their former comrades continued to close the gap, clearly trying to shake free of their own awe of the grand cathedral.

"Selah, we're not here to fight anyone." Elysande pleaded.  "We're here to help you.  We all felt this massive outpouring of aether from up here, and we knew something happened."

"Also, the Wailers have arrived in the clearing." Timothy explained.  "The others are trying to distract them and their conjurors by pleading for aid, but it will only buy so much time."

"What happened to Gin?" Kraio asked.

"I-I don't know!  I knew I needed to get her angry, but then I...I said these terrible things, and she unleashed all this fury through aether and-and then, this!  I can't' wake her up!"

Elysande threw her arms around her friend.  "Selah, it's gonna be okay.  I promised you she'd be safe with us, and we'll do everything we can."

Selah accepted the consoling embrace, knowing Elysande's word was true.

"Yeah...thanks, Ely."

Kraio and Timothy were at Ginal's side, both men with hands aglow in aether hovering over her body.

"Can you tell what's wrong?" Selah pleaded.

They have to know.  They have to help her!

The magic-users remained silent a long, painfully anxious moment as they concentrated on things Selah could only wildly guess at.  She bit her lip as she fought down the urge to pace about.  She opened her mouth to repeat her question, but stopped herself from becoming a pest.

Badgering them won't solve anything.  They've trained as these magics for years, they'll figure something out.

Both men opened their eyes and rose in unison.  Turning and walking away from the gathered group, they whispered loudly at each other, gesturing excitedly at Ginal, each other, and Selah.  Selah strained to hear their words, but only came away with half a word here and there.

It must be great to have the ears of an elezen or miqo'te.

More whispers and wide-eyed gestures, and the magic-users beamed at each other as they clapped each other on the shoulder.

"Okay, forgive me for saying so, but this is exciting for us!" Kraio exclaimed.

"Indeed." Timothy agreed.  "I have read of things like this in my studies, but this is the first time I have encountered such an event personally."

"What is it?  What's happened to Ginal?" Selah demanded.

Kraio was back at Ginal's side, forcing open an eyelid to look within.  "So, she was caught in an aetheryte explosion, right?"

"It is a rare event for aetheryte to destabilize like this," Timothy explained, "but when it does, it is a catastrophe in itself."

"Right, and anyone unlucky enough to be caught in the detonation of concentrated aether is typically killed."

"Save for a very, very rare few recorded cases where people have emerged still living, but suffering from acute aether poisoning."

Dissatisfied, Kraio shook his head and closed Ginal's eye.  "And among those cases, there's been maybe two or three in all existing records detailing the splitting of a person's soul."

"Split soul?" Selah repeated.

Timothy nodded, "Yes.  An exceptionally rare, but still real phenomenon where a person's living soul is split in two by exposure to hyper-concentrated aether."

"And judging from the extreme restlessness and conflict of emotions we sensed in her, we're pretty sure that's what's happened to Gin." Kraio explained.

"Truly, this is fascinating." Timothy mused.  "I would love to study this further."

Selah snarled in reaction, and before she realized what happened, she was shaking Timothy by his collar.  "She's my fiance, you asshole, not some experiment!"

"Young lady!" The Priest snapped.

Timothy's expression turned from enthusiastic to remorseful.  "Selah, I...  That is not what I meant, but you are correct.  My apologies.  My inner academic got the better of me."

She released her friend and turned away, covering her eyes in shame.  "I-I'm sorry, Tim.  I..."

Kraio rested his hand on Selah's shoulder, offering a kind smile.  "Hey, we get it.  The point of our rambling is, we think we know how to help her."

"Yes." Timothy added.  "If we are correct, Ginal's soul has split in two.  For simplicity, we will identify the one we have been contending with as Dark Ginal."

"Seems like Dark Gin's finally exhausted enough of herself to fall dormant again, a least for a while." Kraio explained.  "But we need to mend her essence before the dark half takes control again."

"And it likely will."

Tears of relief trickled down Selah's cheeks as she grabbed onto both her friends for an awkward half-embrace.

"I knew you'd figure it out!  Hurry, please!  Before the Wailers get here!"

The magic-users glanced worriedly at each other, then to Selah.

"That's the thing, though..." Kraio explained.  "This isn't just another technique you can learn from the Arcanist Guild or something.  This is serious shi-er, ah...business."

The Priest glared sternly upon Kraio, his eyes sending a clear "I"m watching you" message.

"You'll need to merge your soul with Ginal's." Timothy continued.  "You need to help the two halves of her essence reconcile with each other and become whole again.  But..."

"But what?" Selah pleaded.  "Please, Tim, out with it!"

He sighed and shrugged.  "Kraio and I will have to use our powers to hold your souls together in a stable network, one which we must have absolute concentration to maintain.  If the aetheric network is broken before you are done, we...do not actually know what would happen to you."

"There's also the possibility that staying linked for too long would merge your souls into one entity.  That you would cease to be yourselves." Kraio replied.  "So...yeah.  This is risky.  Really, really risky."

But if it works, then I'd get Ginal back.  There could be worse fates that being forever merged with her...  You could almost call that the ultimate Eternal Bond.

"Make it happen." Selah stated.  "This is the only chance I'll have to fix this.  Whatever you need to do, gentlemen, do it."

Timothy and Kraio exchanged nervous grins.

"Julio and I will hold the Wailers at the gatehouse." Elysande offered.  "Of course, I hope the others can continue to steal their attention for a while longer."

"No violence on this land, young woman!" The Priest scolded.  "You keep this fight of yours at the gatehouse, and no further."

"Yes, Father.  Would be a shame to stain that lovely stone with blood, anyway."

Elysande and Julio quickly made their way outside the Sanctum's hallowed halls as Timothy and Kraio sat besides Ginal's still body.

"Father." Timothy called.  "We would appreciate your aid in this endeavor."

Selah lie alongside Ginal, taking her hand and offering the most reassuring smile she could.  She knew Ginal couldn't see it.  It more for herself, though it didn't make her any less scared, or anxious.  It didn't matter, though. The risk had to be taken.  Ginal had suffered enough in this life.

And there was still a vague glimmer of hope that somehow, in some way, all this pain could be put behind them, and they could walk these grand halls on a day of happiness and celebration.

There were worse things to cling to.

Everheart: Chapter 16

Where are you, Kitten?  How can I find you before it's too late?  

Selah stood on a hill just a short stride from the Lancer's Guild, overlooking the lake that separated the city from the rest of the vast Twelveswood.  The breeze tossed her hair around, which had grown out longer than she had allowed to it grow in years.

Short cut hair, or a simple ponytail were much prefered to this shoulder-length mess her hair was becoming, but there hadn't been time to style it like she wanted, or to reapply the violet dye that had finally washed out.  Recent weeks had been too, damnably, frustratingly, unjustly busy to allow any true reprieve or indulgence.

All because I was a stupid, pathetic coward.  I should have throw that damn letter back at Mother and told her to piss off.  I should have sent for a courier to demand Geoffrey's signature on the divorce declaration, and stayed with Ginal.  I shouldn't have allowed any of this to have happened, but I did.  Whatever happens from here on, I will do whatever I have to do to save Ginal and protect her from those hunting her.

Even if it means losing her love.

She hung her head, and allowed a regretful sigh.

Hear... Feel... Think...  Beloved daughter...follow your soul's pull.

That voice again!  That warm, motherly voice that is as comforting as it is confusing.  But where in the hells is it coming from?

As Selah glanced about her surroundings, her gaze was drawn, again and again, across the lake and to the east.  She could feel Ginal's presence that way, somehow.  Could hear her mischievous giggle, and smell that gentle musk.  The Bramble Patch, where Ywain had sent me once for one of his trials.  That's where I'll find her.  It didn't matter how she knew, and she didn't care.

She didn't care about anything else, anymore.  Not Mother, not duty, not the denizens of Coerthas, not Geoffrey, not the helpless, not divorcing.  It was all about Ginal, now, as it should have been all along.

I kept telling myself there would time enough for everything, that there was no need to rush.  We could be bonded in due time, have a family in due time, work out our issues in due time, and I could become less detached from the world in due time.

But there is no such thing as due time.  Your entire life can fall apart in a single moment.  You can lose everything you didn't realize you loved so much just by walking away when you should have stood your ground.  The world can eat you and shit you out, just by allowing someone to have more power over you than they deserve.

Never again.

If I can save Ginal, I'll spend the rest of my life holding on like I should.  I'll fight every battle that comes my way instead of walking away.  I'll try to not be so damned detached, and show a little passion for once.   I'll give her the most elaborate and grand Bonding ceremony I can, I'll even wear that damn dress for her.

Selah wiped the frustrated tears from her eyes and headed toward the aetheryte plaza.  Ride the aethernet to the Hawthorne Hut, then it's about a day's ride by chocobo to the Bramble Patch, as long as the bird doesnt tire out.

I'm coming, Kitten.

The house, by the hotspring, on a cliff, sat still and silent.

Except for the Amalj'aa Warrior, who loomed over the simple, wooden table in the middle of the small building, grinning malciciously as he looked upon the cards on the table.  He chortled and smacked the table, nodding in satisfaction.

"Yes... Even better than we had planned."

Aether of gold and silver began to swirl around on the opposite side of the table, creating wind currents that pulled books from shelves and tossed cabinet doors open and closed.  The aether stretched out, growing legs and arms, and finally coalescing into the form of the Elezen Lady.  She glanced about the dimly lit space, and fixed her outraged expression upon The Warrior.

"What's happening here?" she demanded.  "What have you dark ones been playing at?"

The Warrior guffawed his answer, and eagerly motioned The Lady over.  "Come and see, now that you have come!  Witness the darkness that has taken hold of Emera, and what our guidance has led the Nobleman to become!"

The Lady dashed to the table and shoved the Warrior aside, leaning in to examine the cards carefully.  The card of the Emerald was ripped in two as it sat alongside the card of the Sapphire.  The card of the Nobleman's family crest was inverted, with a card bearing the image of a Vanguard machine overlapping.

"What have you dark ones done?!"

"Come, now." The Warrior scoffed.  "Did you Twelve really believe we would just play along in this game against Emera and Sapphine?  That we had no ulterior motives?  Tell us you were never so naive."

"No, not naive.  We never trusted you dark ones.  Perhaps, though, we were arrogant in assuming we would see any trickery before you could conceal it from us."

The Lady cried out in frustrstion and threw the table aside, shattering it and scattering the cards.  The Warrior bellowed in mockery as his body began to shimmer and crackle with energy, until it came apart in streams of aether that scattered to the winds.

The Lady sighed, and stayed in the dark room.

Ginal is near, I can feel it.

The chocobo was going on its twentieth or so hour of non-stop running, and Selah knew it was long beyond the exhaustion point.  But time was against them all.

As if the bird heard its rider's thoughts, its legs buckled and it crashed into the grassy earth.  Selah was tossed from the saddle, but retained her wits enough coil her legs and kick off from the tree she was careening toward.  Upon landing, she rushed to her mount's side, and found the creature panting and wheezing.

"I'm sorry, poor dear.  But you've done well to take me this far.  Thank you."

The great bird had its head on a rock, too exhausted to respond.  After leaving a gift of the same root Dinornis favored, Selah set off on her own.

Where are you, Kitten?

Concentrating, she realized there was no birdsong here, and even the woodland breeze was mostly still.  She heard no distant mating calls of roaming ziz, and the packs of boars that she remembered made this area their home were nowhere to be seen.

The entire Twelveswood is waiting to see what happens, isn't it?

The clanging of metal meeting metal.  Anguished and angry shouting in the distance.  An aetheric presence so strong it was almost disorienting.

Ginal.

Selah whirled around, and soared to the top of a nearby tree.  Over hills, trees both fallen and standing, and thick patches of thorny briars, her vantage point let her see.  From a clearing a short distance away, the motion of warriors locked in battle, and the bright flashes of magical energies caught her attention.  She focused her gaze on the figure at the center of the ordeal as rays of sunlight highlighted the dress of shimmering green.  It was the eyes, though, that gave her pause.

Oh my gods...  Her eyes really are aflame.  What has happened to you, Kitten?  How could a person carry so much raw aether within themselves?

And look at all of them, trying to fight her.  Is that Tim?  And Ely?  Everyone who's ever supported us.  They must be trying to subdue her, it looks like they're pulling their punches.

But Ginal won't.  She'll give everything she has, and then she'll find more.  She always struggled with restraint.  I've got to get down there.

Motion in the corner of her vision caught her attention, and her heart sank when she looked.  Armor made of leather dyed dark green, masks carved from wood that covered the eyes, and lances whose tips were carved from bone.  A small troop of Wood Wailers were we on the march, steadily heading toward the clearing from the west.

"Oh shit."

They won't pull their punches.  They don't know who Ginal is, and it's not their job to care.  They'll fight to the last and kill Ginal, if she doesn't kill them first.

Wind tossed Selah's hair back as she leaped from her perch.  As she landed on a cliff overlooking the clearing, pools of dark energies formed all across the clearing, and exploded in brilliant flashes of black and purple, all while spines of energy made solid angrily erupted from the soil.  It was too much too look upon, and when Selah's vision had cleared, all of those she considered friend and comrade were sprawled upon the ground around Ginal.

Gods, No!  Are they dead?!  I was too damn slow!

Her heart thundered with anxiety, guilt and sorrow to see what had become of her beloved.  Her fists trembled, her legs felt weak, and tears left trails in the dirt on her face.

Lance forward, ever on the attack!

Ywain's words steadied her breathing.

We yield not to pain, and we acknowledge no despair.

She rose to her feet.

We rise to the heights that others cannot, because we must!

Ser Alberic...  I tried so hard to forget you, to forget all of Ishgard.  Another grave error.

Fear is the one true foe of us all.  Ignore it, and you strip it of its power over you.

Selah swallowed her despair and pushed the fear from her heart.  Surely not all was lost.  Even a fool's hope is hope at all.



"Hello, beloved." Ginal purred.

But it wasn't the same affectionate and contented purr Selah knew and loved.  This was lusty and predatory.  A huntress on the prowl, but not the same way she knew her wife could be.  Hunting to deliver vengeance, rather than from necessity.  Something else was different, she realized.  The aetheric aura around Ginal felt weaker than it was a moment ago.  Did she lose strength with that massive outburst?

Can I lessen her threat?  Maybe by making her burn off this rage?

"Ginal...my Kitten.  You look as lovely as ever."

A dismissive snort was the response as Ginal looked herself over.  "Not likely.  My dress is torn, I'm dirty and I've been bleeding.  Our old friends have been less than gracious toward me today."  An irritated frown was her only expression.

Selah glanced around at the bodies around her.  Kraio, Elysande, Timothy, Ozalie, Lupe, Aerick, Historia, Six, Astania, Miku, and others she couldn't immediately identify or didn't know.  And thanks the gods, they weren't dead.  Some were unconscious yet breathing, some were groaning and stirring.  She caught Elysande and Kraio both glancing around, but staying on the ground to feign death.

I've got to get Ginal away from here, and give them time to recoup.  What can I do?

"No, I mean it.  You look gorgeous, Kitten."

Offering the most sincere smile she could force, she approached the twisted image of her wife and offered an embrace.  Ginal came, wrapping her arms around Selah and nuzzling her chest.

"Mmm...  Should I forgive you for leaving me so quickly?" Ginal purred.

"Maybe not.  I've been terribly naughty, haven't I?  I should probably be punished."

As their lips connected, Selah felt Ginal's arousal pressing against her.  She took Ginal's hand and lowered it to her backside, offering an encouraging grin.

Your libido is easy to play, isn't it?  Suggest sex at all and you're all over me.  Suggest something I normally don't want and you go crazy.

I already hate myself for using this against her.

With a squeeze and a smack, Ginal's purrs had escalated to a growl.  The flame in her eyes blazed brighter, and a predatory grin filled her features.

"You really do want to apologize, don't you?  Naughty, naughty, Selah."

"But not here.  No audience...just us, and you can do what you please."

There, that sloping hill.

Selah slowly withdrew, and a controlled bound put her yards away from her wife onto a hill that gradually sloped up and bent around the edge of the clearing.

"Come catch me, Kitten!"

But Ginal was already surging forth, grinning and growling.  Her speed was amazing, easily twice, maybe three times, as fast as she had ever run before.  Selah leaped ahead again, and again, up and up, all the while with Ginal on her heel.

Gods damn, she's fast.

"Oh, you're too naughty, Selah!  I'm going to do so much to you!"

More long, controlled jumps, more running in pursuit.  They reached the tip of the hill, and Selah glanced down where they had come.

How far have we traveled, now?  Half a mile, maybe?  I can see them down there, rising and helping each other.

So what do I do?  How can I enrage her enough to get her to burn off this dark energy?

Selah looked upon her bride with a pout, arms folded over her chest.  "I've changed my mind.  I'm not in the mood anymore."

"Excuse me?"  Ginal stopped mid-stride, the look of disbelief clear.  "You can't just get me all hot and riled like that and not follow through."

"I'm sorry, I just don't want it."

Ginal's fists tightened.  "It doesn't matter if you don't want it.  You're my wife, it's your duty."

It's your duty, girl.  It's what you agreed to when you bonded to me.  Now, shut up and get on your knees.

Selah's heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't control the angry sneer that formed on her lips.

Like the hells it's my duty.

"No, I told you, you don't own me, Ginal."

Dark aether gathered and swirled about Ginal's fists as her breath came in angry bursts.  Her tail flicked sharply as she showed her canines.

"Then I'll take what's owed me."

Selah flipped away, her weapon free of its harness as she landed, and Ginal was on top of her.  The spirit sword cleaved through the steel haft of the lance as though paper, and Selah tumbled out of the way.

Well, fuck.  Where's one of those enchanted relic weapons you hear about when you need one?

Ginal threw the spirit weapon aside, and it dissipated into strands of aether.

"Come now, love, don't be so hard to get.  You know it only makes me want you more."

Bounding up onto a thick tree limb, Selah looked upon her wife with genuine fear.  Have I teased too much?  Am I in over my head?  Can she overpower me?  Will she force herself on me if she can?

I'll never forget how a simple, single choice can change everything, ever again.

"And why should I give myself to you, anyway, Ginal?  I don't love you anymore."

It wasn't true, of course, and the words had to be forced out as they caught in her throat.

She landed before Ginal, and her heart shattered in her chest as she looked upon her.  Ginal's ears had folded down, her tail dangled limp, and her mouth agape.

"You...don't love me?"

Selah had witnessed, months ago, how Ginal flew off the handle and attacked her friend Grezel.  She remember how Ginal had screamed and clawed, and may very well have sincerely harmed the dragoon if Selah hadn't stepped in.

But now, the howl that escaped Ginal, equal parts sorrow and rage, was enough to turn Selah's blood cold.  No treant, or giant boar, dragon or even Primal had ever carried so much unbridled rage and pain.

A heavy, blunt pain in her gut overtook Selah's senses, with another across her face, and still more.  She finally realized that it was Ginal's fists, but she was already breathless and on her knees.  Ginal grabbed Selah's long hair and pulled back, hard enough to elicit a pained cry.  As Selah met her wife's gaze, she found herself completely unsure how to feel.  Ginal's eyes were filled with enough rage and anger to allow her to do terrible things, but equal amounts and sadness, sorrow, loss and pain, that it almost seemed excusable.

"You promised yourself to me!  I was your first and only love!  You can't just take that back!"

With nails as sharp as ziz talons, Ginal cut a slit in Selah's shirt to expose her bust.  She fondled, squeezed, and pinched as she held Selah on forest floor, growling hungrily.

"And look at that...your body still says "yes" to my touch."  She licked the length of Selah's cheek and nipped her ear, "You know, love, I had almost forgotten how brilliant a blue your eyes are.  It's almost as though they glow."  She giggled, "You're going to love me.  You're going to be mine.  Nobody says "no" to me anymore, Selah."

The backside of a palm connected to Selah's cheek, knocking her to the cold stone floor.  She was hoisted up, and Geoffrey ripped her bodice open.  His eyes were filled with lust and disdain as he fondled her

"You're mine, girl, whether you like it or not.  Nobody says "no" to me, especially my own wife!"

No.  No!  NO!!

Never again!

Sapphire light filled Selah's eyes as she threw Ginal's arms up, and was on her feet.  With feet apart and fists ready, she dropped low and struck.  A kick to the gut followed, then another fist met Ginal's cheek.  Selah watched in horror as her beloved reeled from the blows, and shook herself free of the creeping anger.

Dammit.  I just keep hurting her.

She wanted to cry, and fall to her knees and beg for forgiveness.  She wanted to swear to never hurt her again, and always be at her side, no matter how dark her heart may have become.  But as much as it hurt to admit it, Ginal was too dangerous this way.  She had to be stopped, and saved if it was still possible.

And why does this feel so familiar to be in battle with her?

A dark skinned miqo'te woman, wielding sword and shield and clad in shining steel boots and breastplate, roared a warning as she swung her blade.  Selah felt the air rush past her long, pointed ears as she ducked, and the blade struck the tall tree behind her.  Squirrels chattered anxiously as the kept their distance from the two combatants, and the various woodland birds flew away, taking their songs with them.  

The elezen reached a hand up, then pointed at the swordswoman.  A bolt of lightning fell from the heavens, striking the spot where the miqo'te had been a moment before.

"Please, put your sword away!" Selah pleaded.  "It doesn't matter who's champions we are!  We don't need to fight!"

We've done this before...  But...when?  These damn dreams are driving me crazy.

Enough of that!  Make her MAD!  Piss her the hells off like only you can!

Selah leaped ahead again, and used her lead to sprint as fast as she was able.  Down an old, long worn paved road that cut between hills, outcrops and thick patches of sharp brambles.  She heard the crunch of dry leave and twigs under Ginal's sandals, and knew she was closing in.  Another bound forward, and another.  The lead never lasted, and even though these leaps didn't use as much energy as running, Selah felt fatigue beginning to set in.

As the brambles parted, they came upon a worn stone bridge.  It was covered with moss in places, and sconces housed within stone casings bordered the sides.  A gatehouse sat at the height of the bridge, with towering walls covered in ornate swirls and patterns.  The walls themselves were flanked by spires that ended is moss-covered points, and pane of stained glass rested in the stone directly above the tremendous wrought-iron gate.

True old world beauty.  Would that I had time to properly appreciate it.

She jumped and kicked off the gate, sending herself soaring to the top of the gatehouse before bounding down to the other side.

The sight of the gigantic, ancient cathedral before her forced her to stop mid-stride, with mouth agape.  Towering spires that dwarfed the gatehouse and huge, vertical panes of stained glass.  A massive archway set with the symbols of each of the twelve gods to introduce a structure that stretched on for what must have been two or three miles.  All carved from the same ancient, graying stone as the gatehouse, with splashes of green mosses and algae in places.  All rising up from a lake that rested at the end a miles-long bridge, bordered by the same ornate stone encased scones, with massive, winding stairwells that led into what must have once been a courtyard, but was now overflowing with water and lilypads.

It puts anything I've ever seen back home to shame.  Almost makes you want to believe, doesn't it?

A thundering crash, followed by another, as the gates baring entry were thrown open by Ginal's rage-fueled magics.  She approached Selah, eyes ablaze, tail whipping and canines on display.  She growled and clenched her aether-covered fists, and struck out at her wife.

"You can't just decide you don't love me anymore!  You said I was your first and only!"

Selah caught once punch and dodged another.  She deflected wrathful kicks and flipped away to avoid magical projectiles.  Reaching for her boot, she drew a small dagger she kept for emergencies.

Here goes...

"Well, I was wrong.  You're not my either.  In fact, I'm going to go back to Geoffrey and beg his forgiveness."

Ginal howled as she threw more orbs of darkness, then pounced upon Selah with a vicious assault of punching and clawing.  Selah deflected the fists, but was caught on the forearm by Ginal's talon-like nails.  Blood was drawn, and it hurt like all hells, but she forced herself to choke back the pained noises.

"And...I'm going to...to find potions to restore my womb, and give him all the children he wants!"

The very thought made Selah nauseous, but saying it out loud almost made her vomit.

And the look in Ginal's eyes at the sentence spoken made Selah ashamed to have ever thought she could be good enough to be her spouse.

Tears were now streaming down Ginal's face as she trembled with such a violent heartache that Selah thought she may cause a quake.  Her breathing was rapid and shallow, clear signs of hyperventilating.  Shimmering black aether formed over Ginal's entire body as she snarled, and began hurling magical orbs at Selah, one after another, after another.

Selah spun, flipped, jumped and dove, narrowly evading each attack.  She allowed a brief pause to concentrate, and felt that the aetheric aura around Ginal had diminished somewhat more.

It's working.  Just a little more, maybe.

"In fact, we'll have a new bonding ceremony to celebrate.  And everyone will be there, Ely, Kraio, Tim and Oz.  Even Grezel, Ywain and Miounne.  They'll cheer and cheer, and tell us how wonderful it is that I came to my senses!"

Ginal closed the distance again, kicking, clawing and crying her frustrations.  Selah wasn't so lucky this time, and felt the kick to her chest and claws across her thigh.  With instinctual retaliation, she lashed out with her dagger and drew blood from Ginal's own arm, and mentally chided herself for the lack of control.

"Besides, who would ever want to be with a freak like you?"

Ginal stopped her assault, and stood silent.

Oh, gods.  Did I really just say that?  What the hells is wrong with me?!

Selah had long since learned to read every nuance of Ginal's expressions.  Every twitch of her tail, folding of the ears, sparkle of the eyes, and curve of her lips.  She knew silence meant anger, and purring meant contentment.  She knew that smirk meant the huntress was on the prowl, and those types of tears meant a sadness that cut to the core.

And here, in this most beautiful and sacred place, Selah had no idea what she had just done to the only person she had ever loved.  Ginal's ears lay flat, and her tail hung limp.  Tears and trembling fists, quivering lips and an almost hollow look in her eyes.

Selah's heart had shattered as she looked upon her beloved.  This was the most sincere sadness and most profound guilt she had ever experienced.  She had finally learned what it was to truly hate herself.

Even in this state, she can't stand to be called that word.  And coming from me, it must...  Gods dammit, I've hurt her so damn much.  Over and over, I keep fucking up.  I can't stand to do this anymore.

The dagger clanged against the stone of the bridge, and Selah was silent.  Whatever was to be her fate now, she readily accepted.  She had crossed lines no lover should ever cross, and could go no further.

The ends don't justify the means.  Would that I wasn't too stupid to realize that earlier.

Ginal stalked toward her wife and grabbed her by the throat.  Their gazes locked as she drew her hand back, claws facing forward.  Selah offered no resistance, nor she could any longer fight back her own tears.

"It's no less than I deserve, Ginal.  I've hurt you so much."

The darkness-consumed miqo'te trembled as she seemed to be trying to force herself to deliver the killing blow.  She growled and grimaced, but couldn't follow through.

You can't do it either, can you, Kitten?  We can't love each other, and we can't kill each other.  What's going to happen to us?

Ginal released her wife and turned away.  From the core of her being rose a roar of fury and despair like nothing Selah had ever heard.  Even a dragon's roar of rage was insignificant here.  Pools of dark energy formed all around and detonated, throwing curved spines of magic up from the bridge's surface.  More pools formed, more spines jutted skyward, again and again and again, all while Ginal continued to scream her rage that even the gods in their celestial halls could hear.

Finally, it ended.

The spines and pools of darkness faded into nothing, and Ginal stood panting and dripping sweat.  She turned to face Selah, and her eyes were no longer blazing with that emerald flame.  She blinked rapidly as she looked about, lost in disorientation.

"Selah...I..."

Her eyes glazed over as her body went limp.  She began to fall down from the top of a stairwell, headed for the waters below, but Selah leaped to her side and caught her.

"Ginal!  GINAL!!"

Everheart: Chapter 15

Selah set the mug beside her on the bench after drinking the water.  She was no longer trembling or crying, but felt no less amount of shame or panic.

"Calm, now?" Ywain inquired, taking the seat beside her.

With a heavy sigh, she shrugged and looked to her old mentor.  "Please, just tell me what's happened."

"As you wish."

The guildhall was silent and empty after Ywain had ordered all students and trainers to leave so he could tend to his pupil, and the unnerving stillness only added to Selah's anxiety.

"Ginal found her way here after you two had your falling out.  She was despondent and sullen, in every way not herself.  Miounne and I finally got her to talk to us, and we encouraged her to set things aside, and return to you."  Ywain sighed, and stood.  "From what I could gather, on her way out of the city, the Wood Wailers sent out a call for help.  The Ixal were massing for an attack on E-Tatt's Spire.  They were trying to claim aetheryte that was being sent to Hyrstmill."

Selah clenched her jaw, "Aetheryte?  That's highly unstable when it's not formed behind a shield.  Oh gods--that's the explosion you mentioned!"

The Guildmaster nodded.

Selah was on her feet immediately, "What happened after that?  Why is she missing?"

"These two wandering marauders brought Ginal back, but I don't know for sure what's happened.  I can guess, though, that the extreme aether poisoning somehow...effected her, changed her."

"Into this 'Emerald Demon?'"

"A young miqo'te woman, eyes gleaming with ferocity and ablaze of emerald fire.  Long, wine-red hair that spills down her back in wild curls.  A sultry soprano of a voice, purred in a manner that suggests you've found your lover, or your worst enemy.  Sound familiar?"

Selah gripped the bench until her knuckles were red-hot, and she felt the tears returning.  "It's her...What has she done?"

Ywain hung his head, the sadness evident without even looking into his eyes.  "She's slaughtered the entire Ixal logging camp in the northern Shroud, murdered the poacher lord in his jail cell, and now she's roaming the region looking for someone named A'rikia.  She's also cut down treants that the Shroud has called up to stand against her, which will only anger the elementals.  She has become a true threat to us all."

The things you can set in motion through a single bad decision.  How much worse will all this become?

"Wait, A'rikia?  Oh, no..."

Selah retrieved her lance from against the wall and harnessed it to her back.

"Who is she?"

"Ginal's first girlfriend...and a very big reason why Ginal has so much pent up rage.  I don't want to know what Ginal might do if she finds her.  I have to find Ginal, and stop her myself.  Maybe I can still get through to her."

"Selah..."

"I have to try, Ywain!"  She shuddered as her vision blurred from tears.  "I did this.  I got so caught up in my past pain that I turned my back on what was important.  I lost myself to the very fears you tried to teach me to stand and fight...."

Her sobbing had taken control, and she had to fight to speak with a broken voice.  With an anguished scream she punched the wall, unconcerned with the pain in her now throbbing hand.  "I'm a disgrace to your teaching, and I'm shit for a spouse!  I have to try to bring her back.  I have to make up for what I've done"

Ywain rested his hands on his student's shoulders, offering the kindest smile he could muster from his normally stoic presence.  "Then hurry, while there is still some hope.  The Twin Adder has issued contracts to free companies to hunt her down. Last I heard, she was roaming the eastern Shroud."

Selah threw her arms around her mentor, offered her thanks, and was out the door.

I'm coming, Kitten.  I swear to you, I will make this right.

Late autumn in the Twelveswood was a beautiful painting of red, brown and orange leaves spread across the forest floor.  A beautiful time of the year, with the most perfect conditions. The air was cool, and the sunbeams that pierced the half-empty trees had grown dimmer, but this was about as far into a winter wonderland as this land would transition. The elemental spirits of the Shroud rarely ever welcomed winter. 

Suits me fine, anyway.  I'd much rather wear a nice sundress than a heavy coat.  I look too damn good to be so covered up.

So far, dear A'rikia was nowhere to be found, and it would seem that in wandering through the woodlands this last week, Ginal had finally provoked the Wood Wailers into trying to subdue her.  That went as well for them as she could allow.  As much fun as these new abilities were, she could admit to herself that it was difficult to pull her punches.

But then, if someone really wants to hunt me and attack me like I'm some monster, wouldn't it be rude of me to not oblige them?

Besides, not finding A'rikia is an excellent opportunity to go sightseeing.  We've heard stories about the old Sanctum of the Twelve in childhood.  Even if she isn't cooperating with me, I for one would love to see if it's as grand as the legends say.

After wandering through a great, hollowed tree that had become a tunnel, and pushing through some thick ferns, she found herself in a clearing.  There were natural barriers of thick brambles in some places, and in the immediate distance was a moss covered cliff.  A hill sloped up and curved, joining into the cliff.  She smiled to herself, imaging what such an old, grand cathedral would look like.

The maps showed it's up there, so just another couple miles or so, and...where did the birdsong go?

Her ears twitched as she strained to listen, but all the birds of the area had become silent.  Then there was a faint chiming, barely audible at all, of a linkpearl.  Looking for the source brought her attention to someone stepping from the concealment of the thicket.

It was Ozalie, the hyur girl from her old mercenary band.  Raven hair, perceptive eyes, and a thin frame, all clad, as always, in the signature boots, gloves, skirt and vest of black leather.

"Holy shit..." Ozalie muttered, in awe of Ginal's appearance.  "Gin, is that you?"

"None other, sweety." Ginal purred. "You like the new look?"  Grinning, she twirled and bent forward low, her tail playfully twitching.  "I feel so yummy."

Ozalie smiled nervously, an arrow already notched in the longbow she held at her waist.  "Yeah, you look...great, Gin!"

Ginal pouted as her ears folded down.  "Let me guess,  you're here to hunt me, aren't you?"

"No, not hunt.  We're trying to find you before anyone else, so we can help you!"

"Help?" Ginal snorted.  "What could I possibly need help with?"

"Gin...You're on a rampage.  The Adder has issued bills for your kill or capture, and Tim, Ely, and I are trying..."

That was all she needed to hear.  Her tail whipped anxiously as she gathered swirling, black aether in her hands, which stretched out and coalesced into a shining greatsword.  The emerald flame in her eyes briefly flared in intensity as she looked upon her friend.

Not interested, honey.  Now back off."

Ozalie was moving back, and Ginal could smell the nervous sweat and hear the pace of her breathing quickening.  A predatory grin formed on her lips.  Ginal was the huntress, and her prey had unwittingly wandered right to her.  It didn't matter who had once been friend or foe, when all now sought to smother her fire.

Footfall behind her, and multiple figures were dismounting their chocobos.  Each of the great, yellow birds squawked or chirped as they were turned free and told to return to their master.

Ginal looked upon the gathered group and smiled.

"Is this a family reunion, Tim?"

Timothy, the fair-haired elezen man stood a short distance from her.  He was dressed in one of the fine, personally tailored black suits he always wore, with a large, leather bound tome clipped to his belt.

To one his left was a Lupe, the lalafell healer donning a simple white robe with the cowl over his head.  Further over was Aerick, the miqo'te man with peculiar green-tinted fur who was an adept thaumaterge, clothed in a robe of all black.

To Timothy's right stood Historia, the blonde haired, blued eyed miqo'te lass who fancied herself a lancer.  With her lance of dull-gray iron at the ready, she looked upon Ginal with a weary frown.  Ozalie had retreated some distance back, now, and Ginal saw she had three arrows notched and ready.

It's wonderful to see old friends.

"Ginal...please, come with us." Timothy urged, his voice and expression equally desperate.  "We don't want to fight or hurt you, and we don't want to see what might happen if some glory-hound adventurer or over zealous Wailer engaged you.  We're your friends.  Let us help you."

From right to left, and left to right she scanned them over.  "I already said..." she purred, raising her sword in a ready stance.  "I'm nobody's prisoner..."  Dark aether swirled about her palm, "Now get out of my way, Tim, before I forget that you were ever my friend."

Her old friends stood their ground, nervous, anxious, but clearly unyielding.  As was she.

"Fine." she growled.

She threw the dark energy toward Historia, who rolled out of its path.  Quickly and sharply, the air around Ginal grew as hot as the sun, and she dived to escape the sudden explosion of flame.  As she hit the ground in a tumble, she lobbed more dark orbs of energy that streaked through the air toward her attacker, Aerick.  On impact, he was thrown to the ground with an impact that ripped the breath from his lungs.  She allowed a smirk as her aether-forged blade cut multiple arrows from the air.  Her sights narrowed upon Ozalie, and she chuckled.

"Oz, get back!"  Timothy cried.  "Lupe, help Aerick!"

Lupe nodded and dashed to his comrade.  Reaching his side, he channeled aether of pure white around his hands and willed it to pour over Aerick.  "Get up, you lazy ass!" 

Ginal giggled.

It's just like the old days.

Historia charged forth with a battle cry and  locked weapons with Ginal.   Sneering, Historia uttered a guttural growl in warning as she strained to pushed her might against Ginal.

"Histy, sweety, please." Ginal purred.  "As if you have anything to offer."

Ginal twisted her sword to force the lance aside, and swung upward, slicing through Historia's studded leather armor as though it were paper.  The lancer stumbled back, clutching her chest as blood slowly seeped into the leather, and fell to her knees.

"Shit--sure would be nice if Grezel was back!" archer Ozalie complained.

Ginal cackled as she kicked the lancer over, and pressed her foot against her wound, reveling in the pained cry.  She noticed Lupe had turned his attention to Historia, and was gathering aether in his hands to focus some healing magic on her.  With a derisive snort, she swung her blade at the air, from which shot forth a thin stream of dark energy that hit the smallkin head-on, tossing him aside.

"It's just like Grez, isn't it?  To abandon you when you need him."

The fear in Ozalie's eyes was enough to make Ginal smile, but weakness suddenly crept into her arms as fatigue loomed overhead.  She realized that Timothy was reading something aloud from his codex while pointing at her.  Anger took hold of Ginal's heart as her vision narrowed on him, and the surge of adrenaline dispelled the magical weakness.

A sharp, piercing pain shot through her as she realized an arrow had bit into her shoulder.  Brandishing her sword, she deflected multiple more, and then ripped the arrow from her shoulder with a snarl.  The fire in her eyes flared its intensity as she roared the furious cry of a lioness.

The edge of her vision had turned red, and she felt her rage coalescing into a swirling black mass in her palm.  She hurled it at Timothy faster than he could react, and the explosion of the energies tossed him aside.  Growling, she lunged at Ozalie and cut the longbow in two, and twirled to plant her foot in Ozalie's gut, toppling her.

Behind Ginal, the lancer woman gasped as brightly glowing energies formed over her wound, and the sound of boots tramping the soil caused her ears to twitch.  Looking for the the spell-caster responsible, she found another elezen male approaching, dark of skin and hair, and clad in white and silver robe.

Kraio.

Others surrounded him, hyurs, miqo'te, roegadyn, you name it.  Some of which she recognized.

Elysande was there as well.  The tall, moderately muscled and bodaciously busty hyur woman whom she had recently been employed by stepped forward.   Her violot-dyed hair danced with the gentle woodland breeze, and Ginal freely admitted to herself that the woman's outfit of short-cut boots and form-fitting shorts and halter-top was most certainly a turn on.

Then there was Miku, the miqo'te woman of dark hair and fur, wielding a two-pronged lance of shining gray steel.  Beside her was Astania, another miqo'te with an ostentatious orange, yellow and red dye mix that was supposed to make her long hair look like fire, wearing gloves with iron studs on each knuckle,  Those two feline-women were almost always all over each other, such sickeningly stereotypical lesbians that it sometimes felt more insulting than sexy to watch them.

I might not like men, but at least I'm not a bitch about it.

There was the tall hyur man who called himself Six, in his armor of metal plates, sword and shield at the ready, and that horribly ugly green-dyed beard and scraggly hair.

You were an asshole.  How shall I repay that?

And what's this?

Samaria and Roric, the wandering marauders, stood just behind Elysande with axes at the ready.  And still others that Ginal did not recognize, of various races, brandishing different weapons and clad in a myriad of robes, hides and metal armors.

"Will she live?" Elysande asked of Kraio, indicating Historia.

Kraio was at Historia's side, his eyes closed in deep concentration as brilliant silver-white energies swirled around his arm and over her body.  Historia groaned and gasped as she clutched the healer's arm.

"Buy me the time to stabilize her, she's weak as all the hells."

Ginal shrugged, grinning and purring.  "Save her if you really want to.  I think she's learned her lesson, and it would be a shame to kill such a pretty and fiesty girl."  Ginal smiled brightly and clapped her hands as she looked over the assembled group.  "Looks like the gang's all here!  You know how to throw a party, don't you, Ely?"

"The eyes, the hair, the voice, the infatuation with the color green...It's you, isn't it, Ginal?" Elysande inquired.

Ginal planted her sword in the soil and grinned.  "Unless you know someone else who can look so good doing what I do."

"Well...shit." Elysande gave an exasperated sigh.  "Ginal...please, come with us.  We won't harm you."

"No, you won't." Ginal's reply came with dismissive snort.

"To the hells with this," cried an impatient lalafell man.  "You saw what she did to the others, we have to take her down!"  

The diminutive fellow charged forth, his lance forward.  Elysande called for him to stand down, but he was too lost in his recklessness to hear.  Cackling derisively, Ginal swiftly sidestepped, wrenched the weapon from his hands, and lifted him by the throat.

"Handsome, for a small man." she observed as she traced her nail across his cheek.  She smirked and swiped the nail across, eliciting a sharp cry and drawing blood.  "And foolish."  Over her shoulder she tossed him, and she relished the pained groan when he hit the ground.

"You were supposed to be my comrades..." she said to Elysande.  "My...friends."  she readied her greatsword before her, slowly scanning over the warriors and sorcerers assembled all around her.  Ozalie was supporting Timothy, and Lupe and Aerick were struggling to their feet.  "But you hunt me...threaten me...ATTACK me.  When I'm the one who has been wronged!"  The fire in Ginal's eyes flared, "You think I'm such a horrible freak?  You have no idea what I can do!"

She bellowed as a raging lioness and dashed forward.  Her blade sliced Six's shield in half, and more swirling orbs thrown from her palm struck his chest, sending him tumbling to the ground.  Astania,  and Miku ran forward together, and Ginal caught Astania's punch, pulled her forward and brought her own knee to the fiery-haird woman's stomach.  As Astania doubled over, Ginal caught sight of Miku's lance, but wasn't quick enough to completely avoid it.  Though a shallow cut, the pain of the slice along her side was enough to make Ginal snarl.

Looking down, Ginal finally realized that she had also been bleeding from her shoulder, though it seemed to have stopped now.  More than that, though, it infuriated Ginal to see that her dress was also torn in two places.  "You bitch!  You ruined my dress!"

Samaria, Roric and Six had taken position around Ginal, with Miku still directly in front.  Ginal's tail whipped about anxiously as she smirked, her heart racing and adrenaline flooding her system.

"Ginal, PLEASE, stand down!" Elysande cried.

"Oh, would you please shut the fuck up, sweety?"

Miku thrust her weapon forward with a growl, and Ginal locked their weapons in defense.  Seeing movement to the side of herself, Ginal's eyes flared.  The ground beneath her swelled and exploded with dark energy, and curved black spines shot forth from the soil.  Hearing a pained groan, Ginal glanced over to see that Six's leg had been impaled, while the marauder pair had jumped out of the way.  With a self assured smirk, she returned her focus to Miku.

"You know, honey, if you weren't such a bitch sometimes, I might like you."

Before Miku could respond, Ginal had twisted their weapons aside, and planted her sword into Miku's boot.  Her opponent howled in pain before Ginal backhanded her, and shoved her aside.  Astania flew at Ginal and landed a few solid hits to her midsection before knocking her sword to the ground, but as she spun around to kick, Ginal caught her foot.  With a predatory grin, she willed the black energies around her fist, and slammed it down onto Astania's knee.  The joint's break was audible, and Astania fell over in tears.

A battle cry, a blur of motion, and Elysande's boot firmly planted in Ginal's gut.  As the breath was knocked from her, Ginal cried out, and her nails met Elysande's cheek and arm.

"Leave me ALONE!" Ginal screamed.

Her heart raced.  Her tail swished anxiously.  Her fists trembled, and her vision was tinted red.  The ground again swelled with her black rage, stretching further than before.  An explosion of dark, furious energies engulfed the forest floor around her, and a spines of her indignation sprang from the ground in greater number.

When the energies has dissipated, bodies littered the ground.  A few of the mercenaries were still barely conscious, groaning in pain.  Others, she couldn't tell at a glance if they were alive or dead.

And she didn't care.

With a twig's snap, she whirled around, her weapon ready.  A young, and short hyur man was there, dressed in simple linens and a lance harnessed to his back.  His scraggly, blonde hair danced with the breeze, and his unusual red eyes gleamed with kindness...and understanding.

"Hello, Miss.  Be at ease, I'm not your enemy."

"I've heard that before." she snarled.  "Get away from me.  Now."

She growled through clenched teeth, her breathing rapid.

"I know you're not a monster.  You're just someone in pain."  He advanced at a deliberate pace, his voice kind and even toned.  His palms were outstretched and open, displaying no hostile intention.  "I know pain.  It can consume you, can't it?  Let me help you."

She searched his eyes for duplicity, and found none.  She watched his careful movements for anxiety or hostility, and saw none.  She lowered her weapon.  "You would seek to help me, after seeing all I've done here?"

"I would."

He opened his arms, offering a kind and gentle smile.

"What is your name?"

"I'm Ilyas."

"Well, Ilyas, you're an idiot."

His smile warped into surprise as orbs of darkness closed in on him, and struck him in the chest.  The small explosion sent him soaring, and tumbling over the ground.  He quickly struggled to rise, but Ginal was on top on him, her twin flames locked with his own eyes.

"I told you to get away, but you're just like the others!"

Gripping Ilyas by his shirt collar, she hoisted him and threw him against a tree.  He cried in pain and sank to the forest floor, raising his hand to yield.

"W-wait...I can..."

"SHUT UP!"

Her sword arced up, and lifted Ilyas from the ground.  He fell onto his back, blood smeared across his face and no breath left in his lungs.  Ginal stood over his writhing form, seeing that she had only cut the flesh immediately around his eye.

"Hm.  I missed.  Oh well."

Ginal willed the greatsword to dissipate, and looked about at her work.  She drew in a long breath, and slowly released it.  She closed her eyes and relished the gentle woodland breeze, patiently waiting for the birds to return to their harmonizing.  The scents of flowers, ferns and soil filled her nostrils, as did her favorite scent of all.  The scent of the one thing she loved most.  That one thing in all the world that could bring her pure, true happiness, or piss her off like nothing else.  She smiled and turned.

"Hello, beloved Selah."