V2 Incline 42: Vapooliar

"What a strange hole you left behind, Nin." I comment as I finish sliding down the dark, earthy tunnel. My hand flashes with the light of the wind and the darkness is banished for now. It is as quiet as a crematorium of Undwote down here, but still, I clench my sword, keeping it at the ready. A cloud of dust gently explodes up with each armoured step I take.

There are no tools at all and the very earth is drained of its magic.

Noticing a piece of metal, I pick it up and cover it with the same hand as I realise it is a piece of my old, ruined armour. Completely devoid of what made it so strong, to begin with. No form of arcane power that I know of can just drain something of its magic, leaving it so brittle it becomes dust. What did Nin find in these black depths?

Had the osibindah come across some kind of magical artefact? Or, rather, had they found what diggers and or historians discovered prior to their deaths?

As impossible as it might be to believe, knowing the osibindah tend to prefer quiet mountains to settle down at initially. It is entirely possible they overwhelmed a prior camp or something here. The ancient weapon that the bugs are simply too stupid to figure out was handled by those who could do it. Either way, there's no way something so ancient that it was buried this deep underground should be capable of turning someone into a bug.

I can't wrap my head around it, there's a notable gap between making large war bows with ballista bolt-sized arrows and draining magic...

Spotting a small blue glow crawl about, I move to it, "Or perhaps it wasn't a tool at all."

Keeping a careful distance, I watch as the air seems to turn dusty as my magic fails to lighten up the insect's surroundings. That glowing, dark blue shell flutters open, partially revealing its skull-like shape. Using my sword to scoop up some dirt, I fling it at the small thing. A cloud of powder settles down.

"You used a skull-beetle to get out of here..." I ponder as my blade strangely starts to cackle with small bursts of blue fire. Drawing back slightly, I shake my head and correct my prior thoughts. Not fire, magic violently filling out an environment in which none exists.

The insect starts to scuttle away into the dark until I can no longer see its little blip of light.

"Nin, what did you do?" I ask quietly as I look at the piece of armour I found. It's starting to make sense, my armour was able to keep him safe for a time. But, whatever happened to him in here, it was only delayed or enhanced. That little insect was Nin's tool, and he carelessly pushed on up until he was free.

That osibindah arm still bothers me...

"Why didn't he turn into an osibindah on time, Sudden Induction, perhaps?" I ponder as I walk into a large, empty chamber with a chewed-on bone-covered floor. One of them snaps under my magically-greatened weight and nothing but me reacts to it. Frowning in thought, I try to understand what happened with Nin, but I don't think I can. All I know is, that, if I wasn't weak that day, he would've never been captured.

I failed to kill the Earth Shaman and he paid for my mistake with his life, in due sinister time.

Sealing my eyes shut to stop the water, I try to keep a hold of myself, there's been enough crying so far. But, as the moments pass, dread and regret just keep building on top of each other. So high and so heavy, ready to fall over at a moment's notice, a mere passing breeze. My failure to save him is why he became a monster...

"I'm sorry... Nin... I'm sorry..." I cry as I cover my face. Sobbing briefly, fists form and my body trembles.

My magic flares.

"DAMN IT ALL! I COULDN'T EVEN SAVE ONE MAN! I FAILED THE ARMY! THE ZAPHADREN-VALKINVAR! MY HUSBAND-TO-BE! ALL I'VE DONE IS FAIL! FAAAAAIIILLL!" I scream with all I have as my magic devastates the chamber. A tornado forms, littered with rock, bone and dirt. The vortex focuses on my sword and I dash for the closest wall. Smashing straight into then through it, going onwards many hundreds of halfmans through the deep underground.

My breathing is all I hear as I calm down.

I wish I could have done something... I wish I did do something! Yet... Yet... Here was what I have to live with. A path where the one who saved me, a former Valkinvar and bride of Waionr... I want him to still be alive, not a corpse of one of those damn bugs!

Sliding down onto my rear, a shower of dirt follows me as my arm carves through what remains of a nearby wall. Placing my head on my knees, I ruminate some more. All these frustrations simmering and boiling cyclically through my head. I've lived for so long, I used to plunge a knife close to my heart with such regularity, but I cannot keep calm.

Everything I knew is gone.

Worse, it is still here in this world, but I cannot ever go back to it and now, the one I was going to walk away from it all with is gone too. He's gone, I need to go out on my own, for my own reasons, I can't just tag along with someone else. I don't know what to do... This scares me...

My life seemed so immovable up until recently. I was a member of the Ordoar Imdvarce, a Valkinvar. Proud warrior and bride of Waionr, the God of War and Honour. I lost it all in one blurry flash of terror in the dark.

My chance to find something else, gone.

"When I do see you again, Nin, my friend... I hope you will remember me." I sigh as I stand up and head on out. I do not intend to cut my life short out of grief, but coming down here for such meaningless thinking has left me miserable. At the very least, I am fully aware of what I need to repent for.

Vadei, this supposed Dandelion and the unborn child she's bringing with us.

All three of them owe their lives to the actions Nin has taken since we met him. I can make up for my failures with him by at least keeping them safe until they're ready to go out on their own. I will make sure Dandelion fully grasps what was done for her. This child of hers will as well, maybe even as soon as they are capable of retaining clear memories.

Vadei will learn in time to have a less spiteful mind towards him, I do not know, but I will try.

"Don't worry, Nin, I will keep them safe." I promise him as I finish climbing out of the hole he dug so very, but not so long ago. Flying up into the air, I quickly head back to the other two and land before them.

"Can we go?" Vadei asks as she forces herself up, contesting against the weight of her bag.

I nod.

"About damn time, let's go, I hate, hate! Being near this place." she explains as I tightly grip my sword for a variety of reasons. Glancing cautiously up at the sky, sensing out as far as I can, I shake my head. Following after the other two, I begin what may be a duty that lasts for some time. Keep these three safe, for his sake.

I smile, ever so slightly and nod as I get to it.