WQ - The Fade

"Hey! I am in need of your services!" The voice shouted was all too familiar to the Fiend Knight enlisted under their mutual lover, Lucia. Vivian's laugh could be heard over the sound of the wind as it was carried to the blue skinned Cleaver as Vivian stood, one long slender leg revealed from the skirt she wore, arms wrapped under her chest pushing out her bosom, while she looked at Savannah with those teasing, azure eyes.

Vivian started her seductive gait down the meadow path as she reached the warrior, confirming she may have interrupted a small kata training session, "Working on that body, mind and soul thing huh?" Vivian said with an almost whispery, sultry tone. She laughed again as her hungry eyes took in the rolling sweat slivering down the woman's sharp features and then finally licking her lips clean. With her posture straightening up, the woman peeled her arms apart and placed them over the shoulder of the woman and leaned in to her ear.

"Wanna do something kinky and fun?" It was another teasing question which caused Vivian to spill another bout of laughter from her mauve lips. The woman laughed, holding a bandaged hand to her lips attempting to stifle her childish glee. "Oh come now, you know better than that now. I am not always here just for that ripe ass! No today I have heard of a neat little rumor about Western Astorea. Apparently it was hit with plague or something and the magical force in the populace is withering. This is not good for me, you understand? I pull magic from the ground during my rituals. If there is no magic for me to pull to strengthen my spells, then I am just a pretty face. I might need your help as a Protector, once again. Would you mind coming with me? Above all else, I would love the company."

Vivian gave a pouty expression, long vibrant hair uncoiled off her shoulder as she shrugged, her fingers dipping over the wooden whistle she held in her hand. A soft blow called out as a Chariot began to storm their way, her smile sharp as ever. "Don't think I introduced you to Asmodeus, my Chariot." @Savannah Reed

 

Kinky and fun? Ripe ass? Savannah could clearly see where this was going and she wasn’t happy about it one bit. Though she scowled at Vivian as the Dark Witch spoke, as usual, it did nothing to dissuade her. She still rambled on, explaining just why she needed Savannah’s help. Of course, the Knight thought it was bullshit; the Witch was powerful, far more than she was, so she didn’t actually need help, she just wanted company.

Oh joy.

Silver eyes glanced to the undead she had been sparring with before she gave a small nod of her head. The citizen gave a smile, bowed, and walked off, the hooked blade over one shoulder and a bounce in his step. Savannah had been losing, truth be told, but she didn’t need to let Vivian know that. Who knew the Khopesh was so deadly.

Sure thing, Savannah murmured, dragging her forearm across her forehead to remove the tiny beads of sweat that had accumulated there. She was without her armor, once more, instead preferring the loose cotton tunic and breeches which made training much easier. Her weapon was large, after all, and while training in her armor would increase her stamina, sometimes she just wanted to work her muscles.

The Knight blinked at the summoned Chariot before snorting and shaking her head. Asmodeus, huh? The Supreme Master of the Nine Hells, you know. And you have a chariot named after him. Yeah, that can’t go badly at all. Still, this would cut their travel time down to nearly nothing. It was much better than walking.

Savannah clambered in after Vivian, her hand extending from force of habit to help her into the chariot.

What happened to your arm? she asked, nodding toward the bandages that covered the other women’s hand and arm. You’re a pyro mage. You couldn’t have burned yourself…​

 

Vivian laughed that all too familiar laugh when Savannah gave her the note about the name of Asmodeus. There was no sound from the Chariot, and the Dark Witch only shook her head from the comment and just smiled sharply at the woman. She was a rather smart girl, perhaps too smart.

The woman looked down at her hand and smiled, "It wouldn't obey when I gave it a specific command, so I decided it needed to be punished..." The woman's lips gave that sharp, mauve smile. She had many trademark expressions, that half pointed smirk was one of them. The bat of her eyes and the condescending laugh was another.

Holding the reins in her hands, she looked to Savannah and smiled, "I hope you like it fast..." She laughed and then whipped the reins of the Chariot. Like a bat out of hell, they were racing towards the Western Astorea. The brim of her witch hat was battered by the wind as they were in full gallop towards their destination. Vivian, while she was having her fun, had a rather serious look in her eyes. Someone or something was draining magic from the land, and that was no good. Not one bit. But she also wanted that same power. If it could be done on a large scale, could someone sap the magic from an entity? A God perhaps? The curious nature of the Witch was working overtime as they streaked across the plains.

From a full gallop came the slowing from the command of the rein. Pulling back slightly, the Chariot moved with a softer presence, they were coming up to a village that was barren, cold, and seemed to be untouched for ages. Vivian bit her lower lip looking as they 'drove' through the ghost town.

"My oh my...Someone or something powerful must be really in the works here. I would love to get my greedy hands on the thing that is driving the magic from this land..." Vivian looked at Savannah, her smile a curious one, "Oh? Of corpse...I would only use it for good intentions. Restoring the land and blah, blah, blah..."

She cackled giving the reins another whip to send the Chariot into another speed frenzy. Quiet was their journey until they came up to the massive divide of land. Vivian didn't know much about the calamity from generations ago, but as she stepped out and ran towards the great crack of earth. Vivian squinted and looked, "Oh my, yes. This is absolutely wonderful... I mean, dreadful. Absolutely. So everything seems to be the cause of this, probably the origin but what happened here? I can feel it in the air, there is almost no magic at all."

Vivian snapped her fingers, barely a flame flickered in the palm of her hand before it was doused as if the oxygen had been snuffed from the air. She clicked her split tongue against the roof of her mouth, "Plague, famine, war and Death...Sounds familiar to you, Savannah?"

 

You punished your hand because it wouldn’t obey…

Crazy. Vivian was crazy, mental even, and yet Lucia loved her. Sitting here next to her in the Chariot, that was the only thought that continued to somersault through her mind. Lucia loved her and while the Dark Lady hadn’t asked for Savannah to have those feelings for Vivian, she had asked for her Knight to try to get along with her. In turn, the Knight believed she could do that…but the Witch made it difficult.

The disbelief that coated her words matched her expression: the pursed lips, the squinting eyes, the slightly cocked eyebrow. Then again, maybe this really was just a game to Vivian. Maybe she played on simulated pain and the mutilation of an arm was nothing to her. She couldn’t do it in real life, so why not try it out within the limits of a VR game? Savannah pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth and remained quiet, deciding that she didn’t want to know. What bullshit lie Vivian wanted to feed her, she’d eat it and remain silent on the matter.

The lithe guardian found herself struggling to remain upright as they ventured onwards. Vivian was not a defensive driver. The chariot raced across the landscape at a speed that she wasn’t sure was possible from such a vehicle. Hell, she would’ve believed it also bullshit had she not the harrowing experience of riding shotgun with the crazed dark magic enchantress next to her.

A sharp glance met Vivian’s gaze as the duo slowly wandered through the town. An uneasy feeling settled in Savannah’s stomach and her fingers instinctually curled into fists at her sides. People were suffering here, she could almost taste the hopelessness and death on the air. She shuddered and instead turned to the world around them, a low sigh vibrating from her chest.

It would be the least you could do, she told her partner. It doesn’t mean shit to you, but these are people’s lives that are hanging in the balance.

Savannah’s words came to an abrupt halt and she slammed her lips together. She had said too much. She knew others didn’t view the NPCs of the world in the same light that she did and voicing it now, to Vivian of all people, was tom foolery. Vivian was out for her own goals and nothing more. And then they were off once more.

Vivian’s words reached the girl as she was stepping out of the Chariot, silver eyes slowly taking in the massive expanse that was before them. Yeah, not good, not good at all.

The Horsemen of the Apocalypse, she told the Witch before coming to stand right beside her, her hands on her hips. Well, if they’re anything like normal men, you can just seduce them and steal their power.

@Pandora ​

 

Vivian closed her eyes and sucked in air through her mouth. Her arms wide open and up above her head. Her bare feet dug into the darkness and the decay of the world beneath attempting to channel energy, yet there was nothing. Her eyes flashed with azure as they opened, moving a hand to her temple to activate her Investigation Mode to look out beyond the border of the decrepit canyon. She sneered at the feeling only because she could not have such rich and powerful magic herself.

"I can't very well concentrate with this lack of energy here. There is almost nothing to call upon in terms of mana. I have never felt so naked in my life to be honest..." Vivian flashed a smile, brief until she felt something beneath her feet, like a small wave or a ripple. That was odd, but she was attuned to the earth. She turned to Savannah and held onto her arm, "Brace yourself!" Vivian felt the tremor grow into a shake, her body rattled from the ground cracking around her bare feet yet it did not split as she thought it would.

Abandoned houses came down toppling one after another as she looked around her. The crack in the ground giving off a light fog to mist the area before stale air brushed it aside. No...not brushed it aside, it was still there, she could taste it on her lips and tongue. She kept her Investigation Mode on as she dug her feet into the ground again to feel the power. She needed to know what that was! It demanded it--

"What!?" Vivian let go of Savannah's arm, and shot a look at whoever was addressing them. Vivian rolled her eyes and shifted her hands over her busty chest and looked at the blonde girl as she spoke.

"I'm fine. There is something sinister here, but I can't quite put my finger on it." Vivian took her witch hat off and beat her body with it. This place was supposedly abandoned. Vivian gave a sharp look to the woman.

"Why are you still here if everyone else is gone? The place doesn't seem to have anything left to offer and are you not sick yourself? There was a plague or sickness here that has been spreading. I'd offer you a ride back to Astorea, but I rather not place the people of the city under some epidemic if you are indeed sick."

Vivian turned to Savannah, it might be wrong or detestable, but if they did bring her back to Astorea it could be something far worse. This graveyard village could be the next Astorea. Her head flicked back to the woman as she said she was famished. Her eyes narrowed, "Famished? Wait. This is weird. Are you the cause of all this? Have you been somehow eating the magic in this area? What kind of person...demon are you? Show your true form!" Vivian pointed her finger out to the blonde woman. Perhaps she was too paranoid, but this was all unsettling. If what Vivian was thinking to herself earlier and out loud to Savannah, and the Four Horsemen were somehow connected to this lore of the game, then this was certainly Famine...

 

The lithe knight allowed Vivian’s hand to reach out and her fingers to wrap around the upper part of her arm. The girl steadied herself before reaching out and grabbing the Witch as well, a grunt of frustrating unwittingly passing from her lips. What the hell was this! Shooting a glance in Vivian’s direction, she realized that this wasn’t of her doing. She was just as surprised, just as worried, as Savannah was and if her grip said anything, then she hadn’t been expecting the earth quake either.

Was that even what it could be called? Fog didn’t come with earth quakes, did it? And those pools where the doors should have been definitely were not normal or standard affair when an earth quake happens. The sick feeling started twisting in Savannah’s gut and she pressed her molars together, the muscle in her jaw growing taunt, her eyes narrowing to slits. This wasn’t good and it was only the pair of them out here. If something happened…

Savannah spun around at the sound of the voice and the figure that it belonged to. She immediately turned and looked behind her, searching out the windows and doors for anyone else that might be hiding or waiting to jump on them. A low growl tumbled past her lips. This entire place was empty a moment ago and now, there was this…this…girl? Woman? She couldn’t decipher the other female’s age, but she did know that she hadn’t been sitting there ten seconds ago.

Of course, Vivian immediately went on the offensive, demanding at the demon – if that’s what it truly was – to show itself. If Savannah could lose the coloration in her face, she would have. The last thing they needed was for a fully fledged demon to manifest in front of them. Strong they might have been, they were no where near high enough level to take out a demon by themselves.

Vivian, let’s just…calm down, yeah? Savannah’s tone was gentle, maybe even soothing, and while she spoke to the Witch at her side, her eyes never left the woman in the rocking chair. We’re travelers, yes, come here from Astorea to see if we can help with…all this. Index finger in the air, Savannah looped it in a circle to indicate the dilapidated buildings and the general unease that floated through the area.

Can you…enlighten us about what has happened? Savannah paused for a moment before giving a very demure shrug of her shoulders. I have a bit of jerky left over if you want to try that. It’s not the most filling thing, but…well…beggars can’t be choosers, right?​

@Pandora

 

Vivian's eye twitched as the blonde bimbo spoke. Was she really, really dissing on her garments? That insufferable Bitch! Vivian was two steps from going into insane mode had it not been for Savannah trying to calm her down and tugging at her arm to keep cool. Vivian's mauve lips curled into a snarl as her hand formed into a fist. She didn't need to summon power from the earth or to call upon her magic to beat the Blonde out of this woman. Her left hand would suffice!

The Dark Witch was about to speak, lifting a finger but the more the Blonde spoke and introduced herself as Nani. Vivian could not help her left eye from twitching more and more. And then...the line was crossed.

Hussy!
​

Vivian nearly snapped, her fist and her anger boiling over as she shook with rage. She was nearly about to burst! No one dared to call HER a HUSSY! "Listen here you, Cunt!" Yeah, that was a good word to call someone. Put them in their place Vivian! That's right!

"I've had enough of your back talk--Don't you walk away from me!" She said with a pointed finger at the blonde, her rage lashed from her split tongue as Savannah was attempting to hold Vivian back from going Demonic Malevolence Level 666 on this woman!

"Stop! Get- off!!! Ooomp! She called me a hussy, Savannah! I can't just drop that! This is a matter of pride. I am gonna smack the blonde out of that bitch if its the last thing---where did she go?"

Vivian stopped and snorted as she looked around trying to find Nani. She was holding a shovel or something, but she couldn't tell with her eyes blood shot with rage. She turned to Savannah and have her a glare. "There she is! We are gonna follow her. She has answers to my questions, and I am not gonna back off just because she is all high and mighty! It's a good thing she has that shovel, she can dig her own fucking grave!"

Vivian stomped off in the direction of Nani, her hat pushed into her eyes as she called out to the woman once more, her voice ringing from the vastness of the open and silent area. The Dark Witch would eventually get the last word in, despite being called a Hussy, she was still curious about the origin of this mysterious calamity and what it was doing to the land. Even her right arm which was normally sore from attempting to rip from the bandages was no longer throbbing. Something even more powerful than that was residing here and she was gonna get to the bottom of it!

 

Ah fuck.

Savannah made an audible gulping sound as the woman – Nani as she would later introduce herself – lit into Vivian and her appearance. Insufferable, yup; rude, also check; dressed in part like a slut, three for three! But Savannah didn’t say these things out loud, never really made mention of them honestly, and that was because she knew of Vivian’s temper. It was hard to focus on what Nani was telling them because Savannah was waiting for her partner to explode.

Rural town in Utah? The knight blinked, the wariness in her silver gaze suddenly replaced by curiosity. Nani was a player then, not an NPC. The Citizens of TerraSphere didn’t know anything about the outside world and any mention of it normally had them quickly walking in the other direction, head down and eyes adverted.

The dead can be raised again, Savannah murmured. She had witnessed it with her own eyes, though she never got around to asking Lucia if her Citizens has their souls or not. She assumed Sylvanas did and Mortimer also existed within that camp when Savannah thought about it, but she had to also admit to herself that it was their force of personality that made her believe they had their souls. She had no concrete evidence elsewise.

An archaeologist who had been in the canyon too long…who also, somehow, could speak to the Earth? Or, at the very least, knew that it was hungry and needed to feed? So a geomancer…but hadn’t Vivian just remarked that there was no mana in the air? So how was it that Nani was getting readings that Vivian couldn’t get?

Savannah was about to pose her question when Vivian exploded next to her. Immediately, the Knight’s attention snapped to the lithe Witch beside her while her strong arms wrapped around the woman’s exposed torso. Still, Vivian was feisty, and Savannah was remiss to admit how squirmy the other woman was, especially when she was as upset as she seemed to be.

Okay, okay just calm the fuck down for a minute!

Within the midst of Vivian struggling and Savannah trying to keep her from harming the blond woman, she had lost sight of her. Looking around alongside Vivian, they spotted her at the same time, walking off with her tiny toy shovel. Savannah blinked, immediately confused.

Of course, Vivian was ready and willing to storm off after the woman who slighted her, but Savannah had another idea. She quickly reached out and grabbed Vivian’s wrist, keeping her still for just a moment longer.

Vivian, wait. Just, slow down, breathe, and think. So what she called you a hussy? Maybe from her culture, you look…uh…like a hussy. I mean, c’mon, she might be under Taliban rule or some shit. Savannah quickly shook her head, moving passed that inconsequential piece of information. Listen, she mentioned Utah and New York. She’s not an NPC. She’s a player. NPCs don’t know anything about the real world. We need to…be careful. We don’t know how powerful she actually is…

Glancing off in the direction that Nani went, Savannah exhaled a soft sigh before returning her sighs to the Witch. Just…stick and stones, remember? You don’t care what she thinks. You’re Vivian Cruz. She’s beneath you. Blah blah blah, I’m blowing smoke up your ass. Now, we can follow her, but, seriously, just cool it. If there’s something here eating the mana in the air, it’s better if it’s three versus one, not two versus two. Okay?​

 

"What!?" Vivian said as her wrist was held tight by the Fiend Knight. Her azure eyes almost seemed to pop from their sockets from the induced rage she was experiencing. She was nearly about to snap at Savannah for grabbing her arm like she did. The woman had some strong hands......


"I'm fine! See!? I'm fine! Look...alright! I am calmed down! Jeez...what the hell do you eat in the morning? Your strength is like the freaking Hulk. Ugh!"

Savannah, bless her heart, was attempting to explain the situation to the Dark Witch in a calm manner. Vivian harrumphed like a spoiled brat and folded her arms under her chest as the woman explained. Unfortunately Savannah didn't know Vivian was a blonde IRL and most of what she was saying was going way over her head. She pointed at the woman, "Don't call me that word again!"

"And I don't care HOW powerful THE LITTLE BITCH IS!" Vivian said at a louder volume so the blonde bimbo could hear clearly, even though she might've been out of shouting distance now. But she collected her thoughts, brushed the long purple hair from off her shoulder and swept it towards her back, adjusted her witchy hat and looked Savannah in her mercurial eyes. "Alright. I understand what you are saying. Careful. Got it...But not before I bitch slap her to VENUS!" She gave another audible harumph to Savannah, her eyes glaring at her like ice daggers before they melted away. She rose her right hand and smiled, "See? This is why I brought you along! You are so darn smart!" She said with a exaggerated flair of her wrist.

She took another moment to calm the fire in her belly and took several deep breaths. If this was indeed a player, then this was something different altogether. She scratched the side of her cheek with her long nail and shrugged. "Alright, we'll play it your way. It's good to have a melee fighter around, you are not feeling the effects of paranoia because of this dryness in the air. Seriously, I feel useless, I mean I can probably cultivate some mana flow but I feel all...congested and shit. Anyways, let's follow her before we lose her completely."

Vivian moved along side next to Savannah, her eyes on the long blonde haired woman as it bobbed back and forth. Vivian if she would have had the chance would have sunk the earth beneath her feet and created spikes of doom in the pit so she would die and very unpleasant death. The Dark Witch mused to herself, sharp mauve lips creased into a smile while she dastardly rubbed her hands together from the plot. They were catching up with Nani now and Vivian pushed Savannah ahead, "She likes you more than me. Tell her we will help with what she needs."

 

Spinach, of course, Savannah replied without missing a beat, her face deadly serious. That’s what made Popeye so strong.

Jokes aside, she held up her hands in a ‘surrender’ motion while still shaking her head. Of all the things that someone could call Vivian Cruz, hussy was the one that got her panties in a twist. It made the Knight wonder if the other woman would to react to other similarly crude names. There were a few rotating through her head, but she didn’t have the balls to voice them. Perhaps another day, when Vivian wasn’t so…explosive.

She couldn’t help but roll her eyes as Vivian calmed down, proclaiming that it was Savannah’s smarts which led the Dark Witch to ask for her assistance. Again, probably bullshit, but the blue-skinned female said nothing to rebuke her. She would let Vivian believe whatever Vivian wanted to believe and Savannah would just keep the truth close to her heart. See Lucia, she thought with a quirk to the side of her mouth, your Knight is definitely trying.

Shit, Savannah voiced after they had started walking and Vivian mentioned the dryness in the air. You don’t have any ability with any weapon, do you? You’re a full-on caster. Shit Vivian! A frustrated hand raked across her face before she rubbed her nose and sighed. If you can’t pull magic from the air, I’m basically solo here. Fuck, fuck, fuck. She could feel the panic uncurl like a live thing in her stomach. She felt it turn over and stretch and arch against her diaphragm.

She pushed it down, ignored it, forced it away from her thoughts. However, the glare she leveled on the Witch was equal in intensity to the daggers that Vivian had tried to spear her with earlier. If I fucking die today, I’m taking my revenge out of your flesh.

Okay, probably a harsh thing to say, but the words had already left her and while she wasn’t sure if she would actually go through with the threat, there it was. Maybe it would make Vivian work harder, maybe she just pissed her off more by threatening her. Who knew!

What she did know was that she was being sent forth to do dirty work because, as Vivian had put it, Nani liked Savannah more. Another eyeroll, another sigh, but she complied and jogged to catch up to the player-demon-person..thing. She stayed about an arm’s length away from her, nonetheless.

Hey, Nani? We still want to help. It would do…our homeland no good if whatever happened here reached there. So, ah, how can we assist? And, yes, we know it’s dangerous, but we’re willing to be a little selfless.

@Pandora​