A party of four were dispatched to deal with the "witch menace" that Xurelius had been rambling about. A waste of their time, after all they were commissioned to kill the twisted, not be spared for some random witch hunt. But orders were orders, and they had no choice but to follow them. There was no epic encounter or fight amidst chaos. No hint of glory or untold riches, for this ragtag group of scouts. The scouts simply found a discarded, yet bloodied rapier. But it was the blood-stained blade that led the group to their downfall. One scout reached down to claim the rapier, and in an instant, he felt a slight sting on his leg. Soon, the party was swarmed by infesters, each member bitten before they could draw their weapons or defend themselves.

They retained their memories as their bodies began to tear themselves apart, a transformative venom coursing through their veins ultimately converting them into chompers. They retained their humanoid forms, and the rapier-wielding scout turned his posse back towards the camp, with their infester army in tow. 

There was an immediate expression of confusion that formed on Xurelius's face when a woman's voice suddenly shouted at him. Her voice was stern and judgmental, but Xurelius was uncertain as to who or what she was referring to, until she gestured over towards her companions. His cluelessness washed away as a wave of anger and hatred burned within him at the sight of the witch. Just as before, his vision was clouded by that of his own memories, and the witch before him manifested the appearance of the mage of his memory. Being in a state of submission, he swallowed his pride and shut his eyes as the woman continued to speak. 

All of a sudden, a tiny, familiar voice pierced his skull. Xurelius reopened his eyes to find the midget chewing him out. Most of her words fell upon ignorant ears, as he was only able to retain a few of them. His gaze slowly drifted from her to the green-haired vixen that accompanied her. The little girls words rattled his brain, and for the first time, his mind was able to process more about the witch than before. Curiously enough, she looked less and less like his trauma, and more like a unique individual, blindfolded and all. War, Void, Azhizeth, Gods, Jackass all of these words floated in his mind, but the context was lost in translation. Eventually the girl said her last spiel, right after a suggestion for Xur's fate had been provided.

"FUCK THE WAR! FUCK THE VOID! FUCK AZIZHETH! FUCK THE GODS!" he shouted, further proving himself to be a fool to his audience.

Like moths to a flame, the infesters began swarming the camp, scouring towards any soldiers they could surprise while they were scattered throughout the camp. Screams of the soldiers loitered throughout, until they reached Xurelius and company. One such infester managed to infiltrate their group, only to be crushed quickly and thoroughly beneath the commanders heel. "We dont have time for his treason. Lock him up, we'll decide his fate after the twisted are disposed of."

At the commanders order, a lone soldier walked past Dala, where he made a slight but curious tick, and dropped the bloodied rapier. Without hesitation, he grabbed Xurelius by the shoulder and took him into the tent, away from the commotion and hidden from view. As soon as they were out of view, the soldier shoved Xurelius to the ground next to his victim. Xurelius eyes watched in horror as the soldier's torso split in two, baring fangs intent on sinking into its prey.

Annoyance ran through Dala's mind as she realized that the idiot was not paying attention to a single word she was saying. His mind was closed and he would never open it to anybody. He was destined to become a close-minded fool who would never understand the importance of empathy. Words were only wasted on a bastard like him. The child had tried to reason with him. She had given him the benefit of the doubt and assumed that he didn't know about the war since he was uniformed. But it was very clear from his own words that he was uniformed because he didn't care about anybody but himself. Suddenly, screams rang out and Dala realized that the Eldritch beasts had made it to the camp. She was about to find a safe place to hide, as she assumed that most of them would be stronger than her, but something had caught her eye. The soldier that had past her was strange, though she couldn't quite understand why. 

Instead of sticking around with the others, she opted to follow the soldier and Xurelius to the tent. Dala had been sneaking around things trying to kill her for a very long time, so she was able to follow them without being noticed. Before entering the tent, she quickly used a strength spell on herself in case any monsters popped out at her. She entered the tent to see the soldier's torso split open. Without hesitation, she snatched a nearby sword and plunged it into the backside of the chomper. Then she grabbed her knives and stabbed the monster repeatedly until it stopped moving. Blood flew everywhere and splashed all over the child, though she didn't seem to mind for some reason. Once it stopped moving, she began to pull all of her weapons out of the creature, except for the sword. Dala left that for Xurelius. He would need it just as much as anybody else. 

Dala knew that he would never listen to a word she said. He had already ignored her twice. This guy was just like everybody else who ignored her, everybody else who tried to kill her, everybody else who wanted to hurt her. She had no idea why she bothered saving him. The child had done it without thinking. Dala, covered in the blood of the Chomper and gripping her daggers tightly, left the tent without a single word. Her next focus was on finding a way to help against the fight while staying out of danger. An idea popped into her mind and she began climbing up to the top of one of the look out towers and made it to the very top of it. She sat down and began to throw knives at any approaching monsters. It was far easier to hit them when they started to climb up the tower since she could just drop them in their eyes. The smaller ones were harder to hit but she managed. Most of the monsters were going after the soldiers and more important prey. 

As fast as it had split in two, the soldiers corpse collapsed in front of Xur, a small blood-stained child left in its wake. Her silence was deafening, exiting the tent without making eye contact with the pirate. Under normal circumstances he would have been ashamed of the events that had just taken place. But an opportunity to accomplish his goal had just presented itself in the midst of the chaos. He found himself back in the commanders tent, alone, and free to ransack its valuables without any supervision. Time was of the essence however, even though there were no immediate eyes on him in the tent, there were plenty that were fully aware of his presence.


The pirate rummaged through the commanders belongings, hoping to find something more than weapons. There were a variety of different weapons, including a rapier, that the pirate attached to his belt as a replacement for the one that he had discarded. Out of the corner of his eye, a half-open chest grabbed his attention. Xurelius shoved his hand into the chest and quickly pulled out several silver coins. A grin formed on his face as he started shoving the coins into his pockets. 


There was clearly more coins than he could carry in his pockets, so he opted to carry the entire chest. It was the perfect crime, but the pirate needed the recognition for it, so he signed his name in the place that the chest lie, using the remnants of the blood that the girl had caused to splatter over him when she saved him. All of the commotion was occurring at the front of the tent, so Xur forced his way out through the back of the tent. The camp was still a warzone, but since everyone was preoccupied with the threat of the enemy, he found it relatively easy to escape by heading northbound from the camp and into the forest. The biggest issue for Xur, was that his skiff was moored near the west end of the river.


The sounds of the battle faded the further he went into the forest, until eventually the commander, the little girl, the witch, and the evidence that he had invaded the camp was nothing more than a fleeting memory in the back of his mind. Xurelius lugged the chest into the river, then jumped in afterwards. He intended to grab onto the chest and use it as a buoy that he could steer towards the west end of the river, but a curious thing happened. The chest was swallowed to the depths of the river, while the current suddenly came alive and carried Xurelius further north into the Zujiuchu Mountains.


(OOC: Xurelius has left the thread)

Alack, though, for t’was not to be. Xurelius did not have the common sense to take what he could get. Instead he chose the headsman’s ax with glee, pushed over the edge by a sharp-tongued child lording over his mistakes.

In the end, he did escape, but his departure was naught to do with skill. Soon after his fate was visibly sealed by the presiding officer, a pack of Twisted descended upon the camp. The commander who was to pass judgment had to forestall his word, distracted by the change in fortune that had brought ruin upon his charge. The soldier he called to restrain Xurelius during that reprieve was set to be the man’s final end, and none spared a thought to consider his oddities before he accosted the brigand to an ultimate destination.

Oh there were certainly those who noticed. They simply didn’t bother to stop death’s slow advance. Both Lucina and Minerva, for example, knew the exact nature of that “soldier” before he even entered the camp. They had heard the death screams and skittering at the ambush site, and were preparing for the inevitable clash while Xurelius’ trial was ongoing. In the end, however, only one of their number, Lucina, tried to prevent the chomper from taking the brute away. It was her retainer that stopped her.

“Don’t,” Minerva whispered into the girl’s ear with one hand on her shoulder. “You can’t fix this. Let his ignorance, as well as his fate, be his own. For even as you wish to show him mercy, he will spare you none.” She had said this to Lucina as the woman was caught reaching out toward the man who had yet to show any good in his soul. The poor child still didn’t feel right about leaving him to die even if he was a murderer; and so she was preparing to kill the chomper before it could consume him. But deep down she knew the truth in her friend’s words: a grim truth that she loathed as much as accepted.

Someone had to die in that camp: Xurelius or everyone else. Lucina, despite all her desires to prevent unnecessary death, could not deny that reality. Trying to do so would inevitably be a painful, fruitless endeavor for her; for she would have to answer for a crime as well if she moved even an inch in his direction. Ultimately, the witch with a heart could only stew in her frustrations whilst Dala acted in her stead.

The small, vicious gremlin managed to slaughter the chomper before it could strike Xurelius down in that tent. Uninterested in the consequences of her actions, however, she left his side shortly thereafter without a single word. It was like an angel of mercy and salvation descended upon someone who deserved neither. And what did this man do with his freedom that the child brought? He robbed the soldiers outside. Robbed them blind whilst they were fighting the Twisted for him.

Undeserving and downright shameful in his actions, the thief roused Lucina’s earthly vexations; the same that had tormented her for centuries before. Even amongst the din of steel and flesh that permeated the encampment, she could hear him lugging the chest of silver away, beholden only to his greed. The feeling that stirred in her chest at that moment was one of despair: a despair that was all too familiar and always ended the same.

In the end, Minerva didn’t have to raise a finger to end that intrusion near the border of Jasumin Lake. A soft, haunting melody fell upon the camp before she did, striking fear into soldier and Twisted alike. And from the cardinal directions came the sources: four “children” no taller than Dala that hummed a synchronous dirge above the carnage. They tread slowly into camp, their faces – if they had any – hidden beneath overcoats of varying colors. The one closest to the captain from before wore yellow, and received an uneasy stare even from him. It was no wonder either, for, despite their small size, these entities drained the lifeforce from every Twisted they came across.

The soldiers of that camp had already killed a fair few of the invaders by the time the infant horsemen arrived, but none could deny the chill in their spines when the others were quietly extinguished. Wisps of black flowed out of their as they twitched in proximity to the little nightmares, until all four individuals met in the center of camp and vanished under Dala’s tower.

Lucina had ended the incursion, though she was devoid of happiness at the fact. The captain saw her floating there straight-faced, and ventured a guess with gripping hesitation while his men took stock of casualties.

“You summoned those things, didn’t you,” he asked, and my daughter gave him a nod? “Well, I can’t fault you for helping, but I tell you this: even after fighting these creatures and experiencing a new form of hell o'er the last few weeks, I can say I apparently still have room for new nightmares.”

Dala had no idea what Xurelius was up to and couldn't care less. He had proven his lack of worth the second that he refused to listen to reason. She still didn't know why she saved him. It was instinct but she realized that allowing him to live would only cause more trouble in the future. But for now, she was more focused on the eldritch monsters and what they were doing. Suddenly, she heard a soft haunting melody rising through the air, causing a chill run up Dala's spine. From four different directions, children slowly walked into camp. It didn't take long for Dala to realize that they were the ones who were making that creepy melody. She tried to see their faces but they were hidden underneath overcoats.

Confusion ran through her mind as she wondered what kind of Eldritch Beasts these beings could be. But it didn't take long before she realized that they were not one of the twisted but against the twisted. The child let out a sigh of relief once she saw that they were not hurting other soldiers and only after the Eldritch. It would have been extremely difficult to fight those beings. Dala continued to watch as the four children went through camp, eradicating the enemy with just one touch. They then began to head towards her tower, which tempted Dala to climb higher but they vanished before she had to do so. The child began climbing down the tower, eager to investigate what had just happened and to find the source of those creatures. 

When she got to the ground, she went over the spot that the creatures vanished from and looked for any sign or clue that would help her identify the phenomenon. After finding nothing, she decided to try to find Princess Lucina and Minerva to see if they were alright. She spotted them and a captain talking to the straight-faced genie along with a few other soldiers who were still recovering from the attack. Dala happened to overhear the captain talking with Lucina about how she summoned the beings and Dala's eyes grew wide with surprise. Lucina didn't even seem to make a move. Was that how much power that this lady wielded? But what was the cost for such power? Lucina didn't appear to be happy in any sense. 

"Lucina?" Dala asked, "You okay? Do you need….a potion or something?"

Dala wasn't the best at the whole comforting or talking about feelings things. She was much better at just punching the problem in the face than helping emotions about it. 

"And where do you keep those mini reapers?" Dala asked curiously, "Do you summon them or something?"

Dala approached in that somber atmosphere, equally curious and cautious toward the summoner she once knew. In her timid attempt at empathy, she offered assistance to that formerly peppy individual, yet was turned away with little more than a gentle smile and explanation.

“You’re sweet, but I don’t think that any potion can help me.” Lucina sighed while lowering herself in the air, for once hovering mere inches from the ground. There, she addressed Dala directly. “It’s just that… people don’t make sense to me sometimes. That man had so many opportunities to turn his life around in such a short span of time, but he was incapable of seeing them let alone taking them. All he saw was the silver in front of him, not the person it belonged to nor the hand stretched out to help. Others who held no obligation toward his life saved him. Not just once, either. Thrice; and he still repaid them by stealing from them! It’s just… disappointing how little things have changed since this blindfold went on. People still exhibit such cruelty; and it makes me despair that I'll never see the sun again.”

No one in camp knew about the theft just then, so Lucy’s mentioning of it to Dala probably confused her. However, it was not long after that that a soldier called out from the captain’s tent with just that news.

“Captain! Our war chest is gone and so is the prisoner!” Understandably, the captain mentioned became visibly irritated once he heard of Xurelius’ escape.


“What?! That damn- Where did he go?! Find him!” He stomped toward his tent to take stock of the damage, but Lucina’s voice stopped him before he could reach the blood spattered tarp.

“You won’t find him, captain,” she told him. “He’s already lugged his prize to a tributary west of here. He’s gone.” Sure enough, the sounds of the thief wading through water were ringing clearly in the genie’s ears right then. Yet she did not seem the slightest bit interested in tracking them down: a fact that did not escape nor please the captain in front of her.

“Oh, and how do you know that? Better yet, what are you suggesting? That we just let him go?” He turned around from the tent, scowling so deep as to accentuate the already deep wrinkles in his face. Apparently, he had forgotten all about the reapers, and had chosen anger instead of fear in Lucy’s presence. She, however, did not respond in kind.

“I heard him leave after the little one killed the chomper impersonating his guard,” she began, “But I didn’t stop him because I thought it was more important to save this camp and the people in it rather than go after a single thief. Now, though? The monsters are gone, and I know giving him anymore chances to redeem himself will amount to nothing more than suffering for others. All I can ask is that you wish for your funds back so that he will not be rewarded for the harm he has caused today.”

Ridiculous, or so the captain thought. “You want me to wish for the war chest back,” he scoffed? “What? Is a genie supposed to suddenly plop down from the sky and say ‘Wish granted! Job done!’?” And yet what choice did he have? His soldiers couldn’t abandon the camp to go looking for a thief so soon after a Twisted attack. He was stuck there, and pretty much the only way he was going to get those war funds back other than a desperate scouting party attempt was to hope for a genie. So he made his wish, though not without a fair bit of reluctance. “Can’t believe I’m entertaining this, but I wish that I had that goddamn war chest back and that the thief who stole it got what he deserved.”

Maybe he expected a flash of light after that, or perhaps he expected nothing at all. What he did not expect, however, was for the chest he so desperately desired to suddenly reappear in front of him after a brief snap from the floating woman beyond.

“What the-” He was flabbergasted, unable to form a full sentence before immediately diving to the item. There he remained, taking stock of the silver whilst Minerva explained what had happened to his kneeling personage.  

“M’lady is no ordinary woman,” she began, “as you have no doubt guessed. She is part djinn; and, with that lineage, comes the ability to grant wishes.” The dragon secretary adjusted her glasses just then, and wrote the contents of the captain’s wish down inside of an immaculate journal. Meanwhile, she confirmed with Lucy exactly what had happened to the former thief so that she could fully document what had happened.  “All of your silver, as well as your chest, has been returned to you. The thief himself has also been dealt with, I presume?”

Knowing the drill by now, my daughter assented. She kept her explanation brief and listened to the strokes of Minerva’s quill.

“Yes. He was swallowed by the river to be transported elsewhere, far away from here. Whether or not he survives is up to him, but he will definitely not profit from his deed’s today.” Forsooth, the strange river behavior that Xurelius had encountered upon leaving the camp was not a natural phenomenon. It was the captain’s anger given physical form by a wish; and the reason the chest had seemingly disappeared into the depths was because it had been whisked away in the same instant. Eri documented this in her journal, but had barely finished before Lucy yawned quietly. “I'm tired, Eri,” she said while hovering closer to her personal knight. “I want to go home and rest now.”

The request was a seemingly reasonable one, even though Miss Hoshiro knew better. “That may be difficult, M’lady, but I will try.” Around that time in Revaliir’s history, our home was under mandatory lockdown. Azhizheth and his army were just too dangerous, and everyone in New Salem had already been on high alert since before the war broke out in earnest. Going home in that situation would be challenging, even for Minerva.

Still, the dragon treated Lucy like her own daughter when it came to requests like this. She wanted to do what she could, and so she assented while bidding the strangers in front of her farewell. “We must take our leave now. Captain. Messenger. I wish you luck with the wounded and the rest of the war effort in this area.” The two of them were about to leave then. Minerva opened a portal back to New Salem, and almost stepped through until her charge temporarily ceased on the threshold.

“Before we go,” Lucina said on the edge of the gate, directing her voice squarely to the little one who had given her the only gift she received that day. “Could I have your name and perhaps a wish? Something small, like a gift, will do. Perhaps even clothing?”

Dala listened to Lucina but didn't say anything. Though she didn't know about his theft after she left, the girl could piece together that he had been an asshole after she left. It didn't surprise her. Most people would try to comfort Lucina or tell her that it isn't all that bad but…he WAS an asshole. He did terrible things! They had every right to hate that man after what he did. Nobody had the right to say calm down or to try to stop them from being angry. The captain started to approach them and started complaining about the lost prisoner and the lost chest.

Dala suddenly remembered the whole reason why she had come to the camp in the first place. She pulled out a couple of letters and began handing them out to the people that they were labeled to. Soon she had only two letters left. One of the letters was going to a man that had received a fatal injury upon his chest from the claws of one of the monsters towards the beginning of the battle. She realized that the man was going to be unable to read the letter, she reached into her bag and pulled out a potion. It was one of the greater heal potions that she had earned a long time ago. Dala had been saving it for when she needed it but. The child looked towards the man and let out a small sigh. 

"Fuck it." She said as she took out the bottle cork. 

Dala pushed her way through a couple of other soldiers who were trying to help him. Then the child began pouring the health potion into the soldier's mouth. He started drinking it and his injury began to slowly close up, though it remained as this was only a greater health potion. But the injury was no longer lethal and more like a somewhat medium sized cut. The child didn't even wait for a thank you, instead she pushed the letter into his hand before standing up to leave. 

"W-wait! You saved my life. I have to repay you!" The soldier insisted. 

Dala waited for a moment and turned to the soldier. 

"Then do your best and get back home alive. I'd hate for my efforts to be wasted." She said. 

The little girl turned back and headed towards Lucina and the others. There was one letter left to give but she wanted to make sure that this was the right time to give it. Suddenly, Lucina was about to leave but then turned back to Dala, offering her a present along with asking for her name. 

"My name is Dala Asher Nesca!" Dala said with pride, "As for clothes…"

Her eyes suddenly lit up with delight as she had come up with something. She lowered herself to her knees before Lucina and clasped her hands together. There was one thing that she had always wanted ever since she had gotten free…

"I wish for a fluffy pink princess dress!" Dala exclaimed with sheer childish excitement, "Please please please please please please please can I have one?!"

Though she had pride, she wasn't against lowering herself for something that she really wanted.