Sorceress: "*H-help* you?!"
Xayn: "*Yes*. That dark magic may heal *your* kind... but it is poison to ours. It destroys our vessels."
His voice was strained, the sound scraping like stone. The black, tar-like corruption wasn't just clinging to his wounds; it was spreading, thin veins of void energy etching themselves deeper into his undead flesh, dissolving tissue at their touch, particularly where his armor lay shattered and torn. His form seemed to subtly diminish even as he spoke, consumed from within.
A humorless chuckle escaped her lips, sharp and brittle in the oppressive silence.
Sorceress: "Ha... just as well, then. No, thanks. I think I'll just wait here until you crumble into dust."
Xayn's enso eyes narrowed, the blue light within them hardening. He closed the distance in a single, unnerving step, the space between them suddenly charged with menace.
Xayn: "I may lack Bazren's... *impetuosity*... but do not mistake my restraint for sympathy."
He brought the shriveled dagger up again, the desiccated point pressing against the pulse point of her throat. She froze, the cold, dead texture a stark contrast to her living warmth, her breath catching in her throat.
Xayn: "She may have spared you, human. But she is unconscious now. *She* won't see what I do if you refuse. Cleanse this taint from our bodies... or you die *here*."
Sorceress: "*Damn you*...!"
A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched the corners of Xayn's decaying lips, a deeply unsettling sight.
Xayn: "I already am."
Gritting her teeth, twisting her face in a mask of frustrated denial, she tried to bluff.
Sorceress: "W-well, I can't! I lost my spell book! Your partner... she reduced it to *ashes*...!"
Xayn's voice dropped, dangerously low.
Xayn: "Do you truly take me for a fool, human...?"
He leaned closer, the dagger pressing just enough to threaten, but not break skin. His chilling presence was overwhelming.
Xayn: "You didn't need that tome when you tore open a path for the void mere moments ago. You conjured that... *maelstrom*... without so much as glancing at a page! Whatever power you wield, whatever pact you've made, it clearly doesn't rely solely on ink and parchment!"
Her bluff shattered. A low growl rumbled in her chest.
Sorceress: "Grrr... And how do I know *you'll* give me the dagger once you're cleansed?! You might just turn on me the moment your strength returns! There's no *trusting* your kind!"
Xayn drew back slightly, though the dagger remained poised. His gaze was piercing, analytical.
Xayn: "Trust...? An interesting accusation. Bazren and I have been nothing but forthright since we arrived. *We* told you we were not the ones who created this parasite -- had we been its masters, why would it have fought us? We should have been allies. And *Bazren*, reckless though she is, told you plainly you would die. Nothing but transparency there... though I concede, that prediction hasn't *yet* come to pass."
She flinched at the implied threat.
Xayn: "If there's one here who inspires distrust, sorceress, it is *you*. The instant you perceived us as a genuine threat, you declared our destruction necessary to prevent *suffering*. Yet now? Your concern isn't that two undead abominations still walk this earth. No. Your fear is that you won't receive the *dagger* -- the very weapon that orchestrated the annihilation of this entire town."
He leaned in again, his voice a low rasp inches from her face.
Xayn: "Instead of seeking the destruction of an artifact that has claimed countless lives... you seem intensely focused on acquiring it. Not to mention your clumsy attempt to deceive me regarding your reliance on that spell tome."
She swallowed hard, the movement visible in her throat.
Xayn: "There are no saints left standing in this ruin, caster. And, as far as I am concerned, no judges either. You have your motives; we have ours. Remove this... this *affliction*... and the dagger is yours. Our business concludes, our paths diverge. No further questions."
He watched her, his gaze unwavering. She bit down hard on her lower lip, drawing a bead of blood. A deep, shuddering breath escaped her.
Xayn: "Come now. We have only just met, yet I perceive this much: dying here, amidst this squalor, is not an outcome you are prepared to accept."
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Sorceress: "... *FINE*! Fine! I'll try, alright? But give me some space! Breathing room!"
Xayn lowered the dagger slightly, taking a single step back, granting her a sliver of ease. She hesitated, then raised a trembling hand towards his corrupted chest plate.
A faint, almost imperceptible pull emanated from her palm. The black, viscous tendrils clinging to Xayn wavered, straining slightly towards her hand, like iron filings drawn to a weak magnet. But they held fast. Try as she might, exerting her will, the void corruption remained anchored to his undead flesh. It seemed their very nature, their connection to the energies of death, made them a far more potent vessel for the void than her influence could overcome.
Suddenly, Xayn's chilling hand clamped down on her outstretched wrist, his grip unnaturally strong, squeezing until she winced in pain.
Xayn: "What game is this...? *Get it off me*!"
His voice was raw, laced with a rising panic as he felt the void continue its inexorable consumption.
Sorceress: "I *CAN'T*! It won't detach! It's... bonded to you somehow!"
Xayn yanked her forward, off balance, pulling her face close to his own decaying visage. The tip of the dagger pressed firmly against the soft flesh beneath her chin.
Xayn: "Then our agreement appears to be concluded."
He applied pressure. A single drop of crimson, startlingly vibrant against her pale skin, welled up where the dagger's point pricked her.
Sorceress: "W-WAIT! WAIT!"
He paused, the blue light in his eyes glacial.
Sorceress: "There might be... someone else! Someone who *can* help! We can... we can still make this work!"
Xayn tilted his head, suspicion etched deep into his skeletal features.
Xayn: "And who might this individual be, sorceress...?"
She looked away, down towards the blood-soaked earth, her face paling visibly. The words came out low, almost choked.
Sorceress: "... M-my master."
The name hung in the air, heavy with unspoken fear.
Xayn's eyes narrowed further.
Xayn: "... Is she the one who taught you this dark magic?"
The sorceress shook her head vehemently, a flicker of genuine shame crossing her face.
Sorceress: "No. She... she *despises* it..."
She sighed, a ragged sound, cutting herself off.
Sorceress: "It's... complicated. What matters is, she possesses profound knowledge of these energies. If anyone in this world can sever the void's grip on you, it is her."
A cold understanding dawned in Xayn's hollow gaze.
Xayn: "I see. A convenient solution. You lead us to her, she recognizes the taint, destroys us utterly as abominations... and you acquire the dagger, perhaps even curry favour for delivering us. Two birds, one stone... clever."
Sorceress: "*NO*! Ugh, you idiot!"
Her retort was sharp, laced with genuine panic. Xayn noted it, slightly loosening his grip on her wrist, though the dagger remained a threat.
Sorceress: "If anything, it's *my* head she'll want! I was already on thin ice with her... And now an entire village is gone because I couldn't stop that *thing* in time... If she even so much as suspects I had to resort to... to *that magic* again..."
Her voice trailed off, heavy with dread.
Xayn: "A rather difficult secret to maintain, sorceress, given the void was practically bleeding from you minutes ago."
She shook her head again, eyes darting around as if searching for an escape route, her mind clearly racing.
Sorceress: "Not necessarily... not if the source isn't *me*."
She looked at Xayn, then Bazren, a desperate idea sparking in her eyes.
Sorceress: "Look, you two... you're undead. Manifestations of unnatural power. This... this could still work."
Xayn tilted his head, the blue enso light in his eyes steady, waiting.
Sorceress: "We pin it *all* on the dagger. It's an artifact of the black arts, yes? Who's to say it didn't... *create* you? Or draw you here? And of course..."
Her gaze flickered towards the black corruption spreading on Xayn's armour.
Sorceress: "What walks hand-in-hand with such profane magic?"
Xayn considered this, the chilling practicality of the lie undeniable.
Xayn: "... The void."
Sorceress: "*Exactly*!"
Her voice gained a feverish conviction.
Sorceress: "So, is it truly so unbelievable? The dagger's dark energies birth two undead revenants, but the process is flawed, violent... leaving you scarred, *tainted* by the void energy inherent in its creation? A curse woven into your very being by the artifact itself!"
Xayn remained silent for a long moment, processing the audacity of the fabrication. It was elegant in its deception, shifting all blame onto the cursed object.
Xayn: "... You possess a cunning mind, sorceress. *Dangerously* so."
Sorceress: "Look, I do what survival demands. It sounds credible enough, doesn't it? Frankly, arriving on her doorstep with *two undead* in tow is already bordering on the absurd. Anything further is just embellishment."
Xayn's gaze flickered towards Bazren's still form, then he felt the relentless crawl of the void across his own failing body. Time. They were losing it. He looked deep into her eyes, searching for deceit, but saw only a reflection of his own desperation mirrored in her fear. Truth or lie, there was only one path forward now. He let go of her wrist.
Xayn: "... What is your name, sorceress?"
She bristled instinctively.
Sorceress: "What's it to *you*?!"
Xayn's sigh was the rasp of dry leaves.
Xayn: "It seems we are bound together for the immediate future, however little either of us desires it. You know our names... we do not know yours. Given that *trust* seems such a precious, volatile commodity between us, knowing the name of the individual one is cooperating with seems a minimal, necessary concession. A small anchor in this sea of uncertainty."
Her eyes darted to the dagger, then back to his face.
Sorceress: "... Does this mean the deal... it still stands?"
Xayn nodded slowly, finally lowering the dormant weapon completely.
Xayn: "It does. Contingent upon your master's aid. Now... your name."
She muttered under her breath, words lost in the smoky air.
Sorceress: "Can't believe it... How did I even let it come to this...!"
She brought her unbandaged hand -- the one not bruised by Xayn's grip -- up to her face, massaging her temples with her fingertips, a gesture of profound weariness and regret.
She sighed again, a sound of utter defeat.
Sorceress: "Mola. My name is Mola. Now... let's get moving. Before I fully grasp the staggering stupidity of helping you two instead of letting you rot, and facing my master after... *this*..."