nann-the-explorer

[nann-the-explorer]

Arianna's eyes were wide as she took in the man standing in her door way. He was very Tall, could a human get to that height? She wondered to herself. His hair was fascinating, the depth of black was incredible but what really caught her attention was the slight movement. It instantly confirmed that he wasn't human.

Suddenly the man gave a graceful bow and a cheerful smile, full of white sharp teeth. As she looked at his deep red eyes she felt her cheeks grow warm. She didn't know what to say and the longer she remained silent the more it seemed to shake this elegant man's confidence.

As he complained about his teeth something clicked into place. “Ituith'ryiel, you… changed your appearance.” The blush stayed on her cheeks as he seemed to heave a sigh of relief.

“Of course it's me, I am an Yadaldh’re, I can do anything.” Technically that was a lie. There were of course restrictions but Arianna didn't need to know that.

“What did you want?” She asked him softly. It seemed that she couldn't look him in the face, instead opting to look out the porthole. Had he messed up his form so badly that she couldn't bear to look?

“Perhaps I need to make some amendments to my form.” Ituith’yriel said modify.

“What? No no you look… Good.” She plonked herself down on a chair and waited patiently for him to explain his visit.”

Ras couldnt help letting out a growl as Andrei worked his jeans down over his hips. She was bold and he couldn't help loving it. It took all his restraint to not tear her remaining clothes right off of her. Unlike with Nann, he wouldn't have to hold back so carefully. Despite her having an ancient creature residing inside her, Nann was still human, Delicate. He didn't want to hurt her. With Andrei he could be a little rougher without worrying he'd bruise her. Each cry he drew from her thrilled him. Her wild nature appealed To him on some level he didn't know he had. Except, it felt right. Like she had broken through some wall and now cracks were appearing, shining light into his mind. He decided to dwell on that revelation later.

Ras's blood tasted incredible, it held a richness and depth that only a Race with a long life could. She had tasted it within Arianna's blood but this was even more heady. She could taste his emotions, the danger he posed and she liked it. He didn't see himself as better than her but more as an equal. Now they were just two vampires enjoying each other.

Andrei could feel the small shiver that ran through Ras' body as she pulled down his trousers and it made her grin. His muscles tensed in anticipation and she could feel him restraining himself. With a smirk, she decided to test just how far his patience would go as she began to plant open-mouthed kisses on his collarbone, slowly sliding downwards over his chest and his abdomen.

Just stopping above his groin, Andrei chuckled against his skin as she moved lower to place a calculated bite into his thigh, drawing just a little blood there. The taste of it made her head dizzy, like a good port wine tend to do and she wondered if she could get kind of drunk of it. He would leave this place with a few more bitemarks, this much was sure.

Her nails dug into his skin, leaving red marks as she teased him relentlessly, never quite touching his erection but also never hovering far from it. She didn't intend to make him beg for it, she knew he wouldn't have done that anyway. But Andrei wanted to see the predator within him, wanted to see him snap and she didn't mind him going rough on her.

She licked away the blood, that kept dripping from the bite on his thigh, her eyes never leaving his, mocking him with a lopsided smile.

"You taste incredible ..." Andrei said, rising to her full height and ridding herself of her trousers. "But I can still see you restraining yourself ... so, do you need some more teasing?" She asked, er brows arching upwards as her tongue slided invitingly over her lips.

Ithuith'ryel's brows furrowed slightly at Arianna's behavior. Why did she turn red all of a sudden? Human and human-like creatures like Arianna never ceased to amazed him with all their little bodily reactions. He would have found most of them annoying though and took great effort in not letting his current human appearance be affected by them. But it surely was fascinating to see others lose control and squirm.

But then, his smile crept back int his human visage as the druid praised him for his appearance. He loved to be praised after all, even from someone he deemed disposable before. He took a confident step forward to enter the room - momentarily forgetting his sheer physical height as he bonked right into the lintel, cursing in Yadaldh’dyria.

There was a creaking sound running down through the narrow gangway, almost resembling a laughter. The Hexfire obviously was amused over Ituith'ryel's clumsiness.

"You stupid piece of swimming wood. I'll swear to the Greater Vortex, I am going to sink you one of these days!" He grumbled almost inaudibly, rubbing his forehead. It sucked being this small and vulnerable. He packed away the anger over the feisty sentient ship for later, maybe no one would notice if he broke a yardarm or two. But there where now other pressing matters at hand. Stepping further into the cabin, Ituith'ryel gestured with his hands - he had yet to figure out how to use these appendages properly.

*Well ... ahem ..." "You see ...." Ituith'ryel scratched the back of his head in search for words. "Maybeee I wasn't on my ... best behavior when I tried to kill you ... like multiple times. And when I plotted against you ... with this strange vampire guy that lurks around here. And just now, when I ... well, you know what happened just now ... you were there after all"

He grinned, hoping that his stammering conveyed the meaning without truly saying those words he despised so much. But as Arianna looked at him confused and Nann rioted in the back of their shared mind, he sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly.

"Fine, I'll say it! Don't go all motherly on me!" In an exaggerated motion, he inhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose before the words left his mouth.

"I.am.sorry. ..." Ithuith'ryel blinked, now that had been easy and it didn't even hurt. His pride was still intact and the feeling that now crept inside his chest was not at all uncomfortable. He looked sideways, almost sheepishly. "Well, I guess, I truly am sorry ... for everything."

He tried to assess Arianna's reaction, but all he could see were a pair of eyes looking at him in astonishment. He didn't quite know how to process this reaction. Did he break her somehow? Well, he had accomplished what he had been expected to do and in his opinion, the matter was settled now.

"Ahem ... well, phew, that was that, I guess. Anyways, there are some other things we need to discuss."

Leaning forward, Ituith'ryels red eyes gleamed with determination and the pitch black tendrils of his hair seemed to move even faster now. He was clearly upset about something.

"Aside from the illness, that spread on the island, there are some things that bother me deeply. When we all had this vision in the cave, Nann and I encountered a being that belonged to my realm. Shortly after that this other Yadaldh’re attacked us with all those Yadujh'ol following his command."

He conveniently concealed the fact, that his problematic sibling Nioth’luyia also made their entrance to this fine little mess and had obviously took a liking to Arianna. She didn't need to know and he didn't plan on letting his annoying sibling lay a claw on her.

"And then I, too, heard the voices you spoke of ... and ..." Ituith'ryel paused, not really wanting to admit, that this recent development was something he deeply worried about. " ... well, it unsettles me. Maybe ... you can tell me more about this?"

Awaiting her reaction, Ituith'ryel towered over her, his tall frame cramped into the small space of the cabin as he fought against the rising feeling of claustrophobia and the somehow unsettling physical proximity to Arianna. As he felt a fluid building on his forehead, he realized that he, too, now got affected by the very same human physical reactions he had been amused about before.

[nann-the-explorer]

Andrei's fingers tickled as they traced his torso. She had chosen a pretty spot to appear in, the grass was soft and vibrant. His nose picked up the Smell of ripe berries hanging from trees. Little creatures with fuzzy long tails shot up into the trees and bushes as they became aware of the two vampires.

“You picked a beautiful spot to stop running in.”

He grinned cheekily at her. For some reason he found teasing Andrei fun.

“so, you didn't take my blood after all that work.”

Andrei stayed silent.

Ras stepped closer. “Guess you didn't want a taste?” His smile was infectious.

Andrei looped her arms around Ras’ s neck and stared up at him. “Oh, I definitely want a taste. But your lips surprised me.”

At that Ras laughed, “I see, you know I let my guard down, for your first charm, I guess I was lured in by your, intent.” He gently took a lock of her dark hair and twirled it around his fingers.

“you can still have a taste of me.” His smile dropped slightly. “Andrei, I don't know what to do.”

She knew his dilemma. “Nann?”

Ras nodded. He couldn't deny that he wanted this beautiful vampire. Her green eyes glowed while the brown flecks looked like hot chocolate drops, a perfect mixture. He found it hard to be monogamous, having two apex predators coursing through his veins gave him confidence. his instinct to take what he wanted and not be limited to only one lover. Now though he knew Nann had been hurt, the last thing he wanted was to break her heart.

Andrei stroked his cheek “Nann and I, we don't exactly have men throwing themselves at us. Once they learn we are from the cursed ship, they run a mile. We have shared lovers in the past for this exact reason.”

His blue eyes closed at her touch, she could read his struggle to know what to do, as well as his desire for her. maybe she should make the choice for him.

The swirling vortex was almost hypnotic and Arianna soon heard the whispers, many voices speaking in that language, both foreign and ancient, ituith’yriel had understood her but how did she understand them? She wasnt of his home. The strange place that existed outside of the patchwork quilt of universes. A sound caught her attention, scraping, metal on metal. Her purple eyes widened at the sight before her, ancient chains rose out of a swirling mass of darkness.

She had never seen anything like this before. The sheer size of the interlocking links were bigger than a house. At opposite diagonal angles they rose upwards and into the black obsidian rocks, buried deep into the walls holding the strange vortex in place. Arianna shook her head, this wasn't like the voids in her world, this was something else. The whispers sounded haunting in this dark place. What were those chains there for? Were they holding the vortex in place or was it something inside? A feeling of foreboding shivered down her spine. She didn't want to be here, didn't want to see.

“Anna…” a voice broke through the dream. “Rianna… Arianna”11

Her eyes snapped open. “yes, just a moment!” She quickly unlocked the door allowing the visitor inside.

„You know, …“ Andrei’s fingertips ghosted over Ras’ cheek, barely touching it. „… most men still run, when they deal with us for a longer time. Nann and I, we are two strong and stubborn sailors after all … and let’s not forget about that oversized squid inside Nann.“

She sighed, letting go if his neck for a second to look up at him. Her hands now were sliding down his chest, tucking at the rim of his shirt before rather nonchalantly beginning to unbutton it. 

„Though, I have the feeling …“ She said absently while she continued to unwrap him like a present for her birthday. „ … it would be very different with you … you seem to revel in the fact that you could have both of us.“

She revealed his defined chest, her fingers now were gliding over the exposed skin while her heightened senses intently took in every small reaction of his.

„It’s true, Nann and I usually speak about such things before we engage with the other’s partner …“ 

Andrei continued, her hands now withdrawing from him, gliding up her own chest before starting to loosen her own shirt, revealing a lot more of her toned skin. 

„ … but, I do know Nann for a very long time now. I don’t think they would be opposed to share you …“

Andrei let her shirt slip down to the ground, quickly followed by the soft corsage underneath it, revealing her bare chest. She stood there for a moment with a slight smirk, giving Ras a chance to take in the view in front of him, before stepping closer to him once again. She wrapped her arms around him once more, savouring the sensation of his warm skin against hers as their body pressed flush together.

„… so let me deal with them later …“ Andrei mumbled, before her lips found his again in a hungry kiss, that left no doubts about her decision. 

With a small smile, she broke the kiss, whispering into his ear. „So, aye … I still want a taste of you. But I need a little more than just your blood right now.“

With that, she pulled him down with her to the soft grass underneath them.

Nann hadn’t anticipated what Ituith’ryel meant by changing into a more „suitable“ form, but it was all the same to them as long as he would at least apologize for his actions to Arianna. And maybe even reconcile in one way or another.

So, Nann just let the transformation happen, the outcome surprising her, as their body changed once more under the influence of the ancient eldritch inside her, banishing her mind to be a mere spectator once more. They found themselves knocking on the door of Arianna`s cabin, but it was not their usually slender hand with the long fingers … it was a strong and vigorous hand with black fingernails. 

Ituith’ryel let out a low chuckle that reverberated through their now broad chest as he could sense Nann’s surprise over their metamorphosis, his dark voice calling out for the druid in the cabin.

„Arianna … Arianna? …. Arianna!“ 

A rustling sound could be heard on the other side alongside Arianna’s voice, before the door was unlocked and swung open, revealing the elf a little disheveled. Obviously she had been sleeping once more, understandable, she had been sick after all. 

The male figure that stood there overtowered her by far, he definitely would have to bend down to walk through the doorframe. Whoever this was now, he was dressed in a very different way from any other person on the ship - he wore a white shirt, some sort dark red waistcoat adorned with a black tailcoat and a small black bowtie. He looked more like a handsome gentleman than a sailor. His slicked back black hair cascaded down his neck and seemed to move ever so slightly, like small tendrils or tentacles. But the most striking features were his blood red eyes and the mouth full of razor sharp white teeth, which hid behind delicate curved lips. 

Ituith’ryel tilted his head and gave Arianna a fanged smile and even a little bow. 

„Why, hello, Arianna!“ I would like to have a nice little talk with you …„I’ll behave, I promise …!“

The seconds ticked away as he awaited her reaction to his appearance. He hadn’t exactly expected to cheer in sheer joy at his sight nor did he believe that she would attack him. But after thirty seconds of waiting, the total absence of any measurable response of her to him began to gnaw at his ego. His once confident smile faltered a little. 

„What? What is it?“ … „Do I have something in my face …?“ His human hands came up to feel his face, checking if he messed up with reproducing the facial features of a male human. When he couldn’t find anything strange in his visage, his long dark tongue began to stroke over his lips and sharp teeth. 

„Is it the teeth …?“ He mumbled, while licking over them. „Damn, I can’t understand how humans can even eat with these blunt things … I would feel totally useless without my fangs!“

[nann-the-explorer]

Arianna watched the mass of tentacles and mouths lumbure towards her. The whispers rose in volume at Ituith’ryiel’s question.

“I don't know, they started just after I got free of Nann's mind. at first I couldn't understand them but now…”

She listened to the voices repeating their words again, goosebumps rose on Ituith’ryiels skin. Maybe he didn't want to know the answer after all.

Arianna spoke suddenly, in a language she didn't remember ever learning.

“it's hungry. In a dark silent place… something about… nothingness. It doesn't make much sense.”

Ituith’ryiel needed to go and think, there would be time to deal with the girl later.

“Ituith’ryiel please be careful… “.

For some reason, she looked concerned for him. Something he was sure she would amend if she knew he was about to eat her. A tiny part of he sighed, there was no way he was glad he didn't have to kill her. Was there? His inner question was interrupted by an angry voice.

“what in hells depths were you trying to do this time!?”

Nann was awake, great.

Arianna felt exhausted, she turned and walked back into her room, shutting the door and locking it. She climbed under the sheets and closed her eyes. If she hadn't wanted to talk to anyone before, now she really didn't. She buried her head Into the pillow trying to drown out the whispering. She had hoped after relaying their message, that they would go. Things were rarely that simple.

She fell into an uneasy dream.

Ras wandered the forest, he smiled to himself. Andrei had vanished but there were traces of her all over the forest. Footprints, snapped twigs, yes she was fast but she needed to be more conscious of what was around her.

A twig snapped, off to his left, Ras leapt into the nearest strong tree and waited. Sure enough Andrei crept past his hiding place. He watched her for a while as she pet the grass and laid her jacket down. She had an air of confidence about her that was attractive. Nann flashed into his memory. He smiled to himself, she was sweet and mischievous. He was surprised at kissing Andrei. Perhaps he was too flirty with her. Worry nagged at Him. Why did he feel like he was missing something?

Andrei grinned when she heard Ras approaching.

“Hey stranger.”

„What did you just do to Geiger?“ 

Nann was fuming. It was one unacceptable thing, that he still wanted to go after Arianna, but that he began to hurt their comrades in this way to achieve that was beyond every reason. 

With a rather clumsy motion, Nann tried to pick up Geiger from the opposite cabin, where he went right through the door and hit the wall. But it was a rather awkward sight, as the small sailor tried to pick up the massive man. Geiger was awake and thankfully not severely injured besides some scratches from the wooden splinters and a really bad headache. He smiled at Nann, glad, that they had came back from the depths of their mind to take over their body again. At the same time, he felt horrible, since he deemed himself not innocent in that matter, he was the one, who send Nann into unconsciousness after all. 

Ituith’ryel observed the two humans interacting, but was not fully listening to Nann’s rambles. He knew, he did something horrible, at least from the human sight. In his world, this was merely some kind of playful bullying … then again, humans were so fragile.

He drowned out Nann’s rambling, his mind wandering back to the voices he had heard from Arianna. It highly unsettled him, albeit he didn’t knew yet what to make of it. Something nagged at the back of his mind, some hidden memory, that didn’t quite want to surface yet. Another thought took forefront. Could this be somehow connected with the vision they had in the cave at the beginning of this rather straining mission? The creature, that spoke the same language? The other Yadaldh’re that lived in the tunnels under the island? He had to think more about it, he had to talk with Yicth’ararc about it. But first, Nann demanded his attention back …

*You damn bastard. You will apologize to Geiger and Arianna … now!“ Nann spoke in the same way, they used to scold their children and he knew, there was no way to wiggle himself out of this. 

That would surely would turn to be the most awkward moment in his long life -  apologizing to a being he had preyed on. Someone who had told him to be careful even a minute ago. Someone, he wasn’t all too sure about killing anymore. 

Ituith’ryel sighed. 

„Well, I guess, you won’t take a „No“ for an answer, wouldn’t you …? Then let me at least change into a more … suitable … form.“

Andrei hadn’t tried much to hide the traces of her little hide and seek game - she wanted to be found after all. But even with a little more effort, she was sure, he would have found her own enough. So, she could at least make it a little more comfortable for the two of them as she took her jacket of and lay down in the grass. 

Her heightened senses were fun to play with, she could already hear him approaching from far away, his movements silent and graceful, but she was attuned to the faint pats of feet on the soft earth nonetheless.

With a grin, she greeted him, rising from her position and circling him closely, measuring him like a predator would with his prey. She could sense his heartbeat, the relaxed rise and fall of his chest, and even the smallest twitch in his muscles. It was like reading a book and she searched for a specific page - the telltale signs of him wanting her. Her hand followed her trace around him, slowly wandering over this abdomen, observing his reactions. Andrei was pretty sure, he could sense her growing arousal, the way her breath hitched and her skin radiated a certain heat. Words were not needed now, her body conveyed her wishes more than enough. And she knew, if he decided to indulge himself with her, he would let her know it one way or the other. 

Yicth’raracs gaze had changed and he had frozen in movement. If he would have had something resembling eyebrows, they would have been severely furrowed right now. As fast, as Ituith’ryel had attacked Geiger and Arianna on the ship, he had stopped his actions … and Arianna had talked about whispers, about nothingness. What kind of whispers? Yicth’ararc shivered, his ethereal body reacting in a way it hadn’t in eons. It was like a ripple, that crept through the vast dark room Tostain stand in, but the knowledge as to why remained elusive to him yet. 

Where Yicth’rararc lacked in the ability, Tostain’s brows surely furrowed now. 

„Hey, what’s up? What is happening on the ship? Is Arianna in danger? You told me to lend me more of your power … so do it already!“

Yicth’ararc’s head tilted sideways in an abrupt motion, his gaze unfocused as if his mind just stopped working somehow, lost in a see of memories as he scanned for something specific. This was not good. With another sudden movement, he snapped out of this trance and looked at the sailor. 

„Ah, yes, yes … you’re right.“ 

Yicth’arac lifted one of his clawed hands with that awful long fingers and looked at it absently, pondering what to say.

„But you don’t have to worry for that elven creature on the ship. She is safe for now … whereas this world and even our realm may not anymore …“

Tostain didn’t even have so much time as to think of a proper answer to that as Yictararc’s hand shot forward, grabbing his whole face, covering it completely. A suffocating feeling befell Tostain as his vision blacked out once again. 

„When you wake again, I will follow you closely … and we need to find out, which horror from the past decided to grace us with his unwanted presence." 

[nann-the-explorer]

Ras chuckled, “if you like, Just don't force it. It'll come naturally. There are lots of mental abilities vampires can use.”

Her fingertips felt nice on his face, he couldn't help a wolfish smile in response to her attempt at seduction. He was attracted to the human anyway but as a vampire it only heightened her appeal. He willingly let down his guard, allowing her to use her abilities on him.

It felt nice, Andreis gentle charm washed over his mind, causing his Normally restrained attraction to surface. His large hands slipped around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

Andrei was feeling less forced as the seconds went by. The power was becoming more natural to her. Ras's eyes held a look of desire that caused another tingle of arousal.

she Smiled, it was working. now she had to get him to bare his neck.

“won't you show me that neck of yours?”

Ras seemed to stare for a second. Andrei waited, willing her charm to work.

Instead Ras kissed her.

Arianna was looking at her reflection in the small mirror. The spare clothes that had been found for her were a little snug. A sigh escaped her lips, she couldn't understand how she ended up in Nanns mind. Then again her memory was patchy. The last thing she remembered was looking up at lucan. His blonde hair, smirk and black eyes. Wait. Black eyes? That didn't feel right, nothing felt right to her at the moment. She couldn't bring herself to leave her room. She didn't want to talk to anyone so laid back against her pillow. The Hexfire rocked gently, she felt herself relaxing. As she began to adrift off to sleep the strange whispers began again in her mind. As she puzzled. What the. Whispers. Were saying a loud sound of, wood splitting and something heavy smashing through a wall invaded her ears. Her eyes snapped open, vaulting off the bed she flung her door open in time to see a. Tentacle picking up the body of Geiger and throwing him through the wooden wall into the cabin opposite.

“oh gods!”

Andrei’s eyes widened in surprise as Ras leaned in to kiss her, but she quickly gave in to the sweet taste of his lips, her thirst for blood momentarily subsiding to the warm feeling of arousal that slimmed inside her. This was at least as good as drawing his blood, maybe even better. Playfully she nipped at his lower lip, begging for entrance as her arms wrapped around his neck possessively.

Her mind wandered briefly to Nann and how they would react to her making out with Ras. She was pretty sure Nann wouldn’t mind, it wasn’t the first partner they shared - after all, there weren’t much persons interested in them since they had been cursed. But usually, the two of them would talk beforehand. Despite her more ruthless and egoistic nature, urging her to take whatever she could get after struggling on the streets with nothing for years, Andrei couldn’t help but feel a brief flicker of guilt at passing over her friend like this. Nothing, that upset her too much, she would find a way to clear it up later. Now, she just wanted to enjoy it, keen on finding out how far he was willing to take this. Albeit she wouldn’t make it that easy for him - she had a knack for games, even rough ones as long as she had a certain control over it, and they were in this situation because he had played catch with her first.

With a chuckle, she broke the kiss, getting up from his lap in a swift and graceful motion, smirking at him.

„Ah, first my blood, now my body ist it? Well, I do not intend to be swayed that easily. Come and claim your prize, if you dare to.“

With that, she darted into the woods. She had been a master in climbing in the standing rigging before and with her heightened body control and senses as a vampire it was even easier to navigate between the tree tops. Although she was pretty sure, he would soon catch up to her, but that was part of the plan after all - she didn’t plan on running from him, but more on increasing the anticipation and maybe to find a more secluded and comfortable space for whatever was to come once he would catch her.

-

Geiger had only been dozed off for a minute or two, Nann still unconscious in his lap. But it had been more than enough for Ituith’ryel to break through the barrier he had erected to shield the eldritch from the outer world. Geiger startled awake, disoriented for a minute and grew pale as he looked down at Nann. They had their eyes open, but instead their normally calm and gentle fir green eyes, he was greeted by a fiery red gaze. Nann’s mind hadn’t even fully awakened yet, a chance for Ituith’ryel to take over his host without too much annoying interference. And he made sure he would this chance to put to good use.

„And, pray tell, how long did you think how this would go, Geiger?“ Ituith’ryels rumbled inside Nann’s chest, the low growl a stark contradiction to their delicate human body. Geiger let go of Nanns hand, as their body moved to bring some distance between the massive man and themselves. 

„The captain deemed this necessary. It wouldn’t have been if you didn’t start to plot against us and our guests. Your duty here is something else after all.“ Geiger was calm but steadfast in his answer although he didn’t like the fact, that he now was merely an operating pawn in all of this. But he knew in the end it had been a necessary evil to avoid the eldritch from harming them or the elves.

„You’re right, I have a duty in this world, to protect it until it reaches it’s natural end, ready to be eaten by our kind … but in order to do so, I also am supposed to secure my position here and I deem those guest of yours as a risk to that. But why do I even bother to explain myself to you … I have an elf or two to eat.“

With that, Nann’s body moved to the door, but Geiger leaped forward, his mass moving in an almost comical way as he pressed himself against the door, trying to keep Ituith’ryel from escaping. Under normal circumstances, Nann wouldn’t have been able to move Geiger as much as an inch away from his current position - but this wasn’t normal and Ituith’ryel was angry enough to proof how little humans really meant to him. He sighed nonetheless at the obstacle.

„Ah, I see. You do want it the hard way, don’t you?“

In a blur of motions, tentacles grew from Nann’s back, adored with countless red eyes and teeth, writhing around their body, slapping against the walls of the small room and darting for Geiger.

With a crash, Ituith’ryel send Geiger flying through the door, across the narrow gangway and into the cabin across. Nann’s body, completely controlled by the eldritch, followed the path of destruction into the gangway, a sudden motion at the corner of their eye made their head snap. Their red eyes fixed on Nann, their head tilted slightly as a wicked, sharp teethed and contorted grin sprawled across their human face. 

„Why, hello, Arianna. Long time no see.“ Ituith’ryels voice almost purred. How very convenient that he wouldn’t have to pull her out from her room. Making Nann’s body moving forward, his tentacles slithered over the walls of the gangway, surrounding Arianna. She didn’t look like she could put up much of a fight and he was willing enough to make her end quick … as he suddenly stopped Nann’s movements. Their red eyes darted around as if searching for something. Then he looked at Arianna, Nann’s brows furrowing in a questioning expression.

„What’s with these whispers?“

-

Yicth’ararc’s head swayed ever so slightly as he pondered Tostain’s question.

„It’s pretty simple actually … become a full host to me.“

Tostain’s expression froze at these words. A full-fledged host? Just like Nann was? He nervously looked around, thinking of an answer to this, but instead just came up with even more questions.

„What do you mean? Becoming your vessel like Nann is to Ituith’ryel? Why? And what would that mean for me?“

The creature chuckled in an almost fatherly way, his hands gesturing Tostain to calm down. 

„Calm down, child. … yes, I mean just like Ituith’ryel is a part of Nann and can use their body. And you don’t have to be afraid, I would abstain from forging our minds into one, similar like Ituith’ryel did with Nann. We’ve learned as much during our connections with the hosts in the many worlds.“

Yicth’ararc circled Tostain, his grotesque semi-human form towering high over the sailor. The creature’s eyes measured him with a certain fervor, as if checking his body for aptitude to inhabit the eldritch’s strength. 

„As for my reason … you see, I am at a bit of a loss in this position here. I can’t move freely, I am bound to this place. In fact, my body more or less is this place. So, it would be nice to move around a little for a change. And …“

Now, Yicth’ararc’s head rose up, as if listening to something that was far away. In this moment, the glowing bal of light descended again from the black void around them and low mumbling could be heard again. Tostain’s eyes widened as he heard Arianna and Ituith’ryel, realizing that he hadn’t just imagined the voices before. And the fact, that Arianna was faced with Ituith’ryel again highly unsettled him. Yicth’ararc hold the glowing ball in his clawed, distorted hand again, his other hand neatly tucked behind his back.

„ … it seems, the Sentinel at the Lower Gates is up for some trouble with this female being from another world you grew so fond of. Maybe it would be good to have another one of us to keep him in check a little more.“

That reason was more than enough for Tostain to agree to Yicth’ararc’s proposal without further consideration. With a horrified gaze at the unfolding events back on the ship, he clenched his fists and leaned forward.

„OK! I am doing it, just give me something to protect Arianna with!“

[nann-the-explorer]

oh my gosh! I was the Erica anon, I can’t believe this account is still active. I decided to revisit some of my favourite old roleplay blogs and I saw this one had posted! How are you?! - Erica anon (who’s somehow still alive)

Hi there! It's so nice to read from you again! I am happy to see that you're still around. I even have your last ask still in my inbox, I guess I was just too anxious to answer it after being away for so long.

How are you? I hope, you're ok ... somehow still alive sounds a little bit worrying.

But I guess, it's quite similar for me. I struggled with psychological issues for a long time now, I barely remember the year 2022. But I managed to get back into my old life in 2023 and even started to write again just in the last two months ... I will hopefully start to draw again soon, too.

[nann-the-explorer]

Arianna listened to ituith’yriel, he was sounding weird. Hes never mentioned having many voices before and it left her feeling even more confused.

She knew that ituith’yriel didn't like her and he didn't like his space being invaded. She wasn't his biggest fan but she wanted to try to have some semblance of a friendship. For Nanns sake.

Also there was something about that eldritch creature she couldn't help liking.

“I'd Like to leave but I can't seem to…” her gentle voice was barely above a whisper, full of uncertainty. The space she was seeing was almost entirely black. Was this really Nanns mind? it felt like a different plane to her, one of darkness, silence and a bitter coldness that seeped into your body.

Her elven ears prickled, a wisp of voice, spoken in an ancient tongue barely audible. Was this in this strange place or in her cabin?

She tried to will herself out of the sterile place, a feeling of nausea and suffocation hit her. Arianna struggled to breath, it was as if her breath was being stolen. Colours began to swim in front of her vision, a roaring sound overtook her hearing.

She was about to die.

Her eyes snapped open. She was back in the cabin, a cold sheen covered her body and her white bed clothes clung to her body. She couldnt hear ituith’yriel anymore, a small mercy.

Ras heard the seductive tone in Andreis' quiet voices. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked delectable. Releasing her from his pin, Ras sat on the forest floor. The wind blew his silver hair softly and a smell like fresh rain and mint caught Andreis nose. It was his scent, how did she not notice it before? 8

He patted the spot next to him and she sat.

“There are many things in the world's that a vampire can hunt. Animals are pointless. Their blood won't keep you strong, in fact it will slowly kill you. It's like slowly starving.”

Andrei could tell he was talking from experience. A pang hit her, she understood hunger all too well. She laced her hand with his, giving it a squeeze.

Ras squeezed back. A soft smile graced his face before he schooled it back into a more neutral expression.

Once again his fingers stroked her neck, turning her hand over to then stroke her veins.

“The best places to take blood are, the neck, wrists and the thighs. Of course you need to ne more intimate to get that one.” He smirked.

“the trick is to get your target to willingly give you their neck.”

That sounded impossible, Andrei didn't think she knew anyone who would willingly give their neck, except for maybe Nann or Tostain.

“vampires have an ability to charm others, unless you're a total bastard that is. It's a difficult thing to explain so if you don't mind, I'll show you?”

His voice held an allure that was missing a second ago. Andrei couldn't help looking up at him. The feeling of attraction intensified as Ras looked into her eyes.

“won't you come a little closer?”

Any coherent thoughts evaporated from her mind. Rass’ suggestion was all she could think of, it was the greatest idea she had ever heard. Moving, she settled on Ras’s lap as if it were the most natural thing in the world. His lips ghosted hers. “you're like a bright flame in the dark on that ship.”

Andrei didn't notice the way Ras tilted her neck, a small gasp sounded as his lips touched her throat in a soft kiss.

His lips found their way to her pulsing artery, his mouth watered.

“Embrace the pleasure I give, taking blood isn't always painful.”

His fangs sank into her skin, her blood flooded his mouth, sweet and spicy.

Andrei didn't even feel the bite, there was no searing pain, no feeling her life-force being pulled from her body. Instead a feeling of pure pleasure spread throughout Her body. Ras wrapped his arms around her as he drank.

Andrei felt the cool air on her neck as Ras's lips left her neck, his tongue gently licked the twin puncture marks.

Ituith'ryel sensed Arianna's struggle to leave his very personal space inside Nann's mind, but he couldn't quite grasp why it was so difficult for her. Maybe it was Geiger's doing, as he shielded this space from the outer world, reducing Ituith'ryles movement radius to merely a little black box on the ground of Nann's consciousness or the elf was really more effected by the presumed illlness, that had befallen her, than the old eldritch could fathom. Maybe even both.

He let out a loud reliefed sigh anyways when he finally couldn't hear her anymore on Nioth’luyia's wavelength, the druid seemingly gone. "Lucky for you." he thought, feeling a strange kind of ease. Again, it wasn't as if he was concerned for Arianna … he couldn't possibly be worried for her, now could he? … but it was good to know that she now wouldn't fall into the grasp of Nioth’luyia. So, in that regard, he maybe liked Arianna even a little more … or rather, hated her a little less … than his psychotic sibling, he had to admit at least that much to himself. Besides that, he could think of thousand better ways to kill that druid himself than to simply hand her over to Nioth’luyia, he had some semblance of pride to uphold, hadn't he?

Ithiuith'ryel's sibling on the other hand found the absence of the strange being rather disappointing.

"Ah, what a pity, that little thing seems to be gone now. You've got interesting friends there, big brother." Nioth’luyia chirped in a rather unpleasant voice. "Can I talk to them sometime again?"

Ituith'ryel growled internally, scuttling around like a huge cat before laying down flat again.

"Don't you dare … and now get lost! Why don't you go talk with your host instead and leave me be with mine?"

Just as he said that, a small light flickered in front of what could be called his nose, sending a flash of comprehension and anticipation through him … Nann was about to awaken again and it seemed, that Geiger couldn't send them back to sleep immediately this time. And really, Geiger was increasingly worn out, slowly losing his stamina to hold Nann in that unconscious state for much longer. Ituith'ryel flashed a toothy grin at this unexpected revelation, forgetting about bothersome Nioth’luyia promptly as his claw shot forward to prevent the little hole of light in Nann's mind from closing again. It was his chance to finally get outside of this prison after all and he wouldn't let it pass by unused.

"It's playtime …"

-

Tostain stepped closer to the creature, that sat in that large pitch-black room, looking at him and gesturing with its free hand to join it. With a questioning look on his face, Tostain looked back and forth between the entity and the ball of glimmering light in its hand. But the voices from the glowing ball seemed to be gone now and a part of him wondered now if he had really heard them.

"Are you by any chance … Yicth‘ararc?"

The creature cackled, a raspy sound. With a soft pat, the creature sent the small glowing ball of light flying upwards and joining the other lights, that softly blinked scattered in the vast space.

"Indeed … I met your Captain and Ituith'ryel's host Nann before. I am the Sentinel at the Threshold, the keeper of the many worlds."

The creature gestured around them with a protruding wave of his hand, looking at the billions of small glimmering lights that surrounded them. Obviously these weren't simple lights than but rather all the worlds and universes the creature could oversee from here. The creature looked back at Tostain, his hands offered towards him.

"And you are one of the many warriors in many worlds that I have lend a fraction of my power to."

Tostain raised an eyebrow. So, his power over time originated from this entity then. He had never expected more of these creatures involved in this constellation between the powers of the crew and Ituith'ryel, who could possess Nann's body completely if necessary. Tostain furrowed a brow, contemplating as to why it had been necessary to send Ituith'ryel as a possessor then if they all could lend their powers to them partially. He filed that question away for later, now he just wanted to know, what this was all about.

"What do you want from me, Yicth‘ararc? Why am I here?"

Yicth‘ararc made a little smacking sound, his hand with the long fingers coming up in an exaggerated dramatic gesture.

"Why so hostile? I merely wanted to make yure you're alright after that afwul sickness."

Now, the creature leaned forward, his head tilting ever so slightly.

"And … if you're interested, that is … I wanted to ask if you would like to have some more of my powers?"

Tostain's expression changed to surprise. Where was this coming from and why? Why now? These questions and more swirled around his mind as he contemplated the proposal. Something told him to be cautious about this generous offer, but there were some other thoughts, that overrid his wariness. With more power, he would be able to protect Arianna better, maybe even going against this Lucan. His hand clenched into a fist at his side as he asked the one question, that took forefront before everything else.

"What would I have to do in return for that?"

Yicth‘ararc grinned contented, his long tongue split into many smaller ones, licking independently over the teeth of his maw. This was exactly going according to plan.

-

A small shudder of arousal rushed through Andrei's body as Ras licked the bite marks and she could feel her body reacting to it, belying her usual power over her carnal desires. The feeling of him drawing blood from her was unlike anything she had experienced before, and anyone else would have reacted quite differently. Hell, she would have moaned loud if it hadn't been for the last remnants of her physical control. She blinked a little, confused at how easy he had charmed her to sit on his lap - yes, Ras was quite attractive, just a complete fool or a blind person would have thought otherwise. But Andrei wasn't one to be swayed that easily, she had way too many bad experiences from her past for that. For the slightest moment, it irked her to no end, that he could twist her around his finger like this and, even worse, she reacted like a mindless puppet to that. Andrei looked at him with a pout.

"Looks like I am not that bright, if I get charmed so easily by you, am I?" She smirked, answering to his little pick-up line from before. But now, she was tempted to try this whole charming skill thing of a vampire as well. She knew, Ras wouldn't probably fell for it as easily as she did … she deemed him too experienced for that and she was merely a bloody beginner in that context. But she was hopefully not a complete bastard like he had put it before and therefore completely unable to use it. Besides, there was no one else around to try with.

She leaned a little closer, her eyebrow lifting as she raised her hand and traced his jawline with her fingertips in a tantalizing way. She managed a seductive smile, revealing her pointed canines while a progressively growing thirst for blood and physical intimacy were at war inside her.

"I see, what an unexpected pleasurable experience … well, Ras, you had your fair share of my blood … and I have plenty of pleasure to give to you myself. So, why don't we swap roles now?"

[nann-the-explorer]

She paused at iuith'ryiels words. She wasnt sure. The uncertainty in her voice was easy to hear.

"I… am not sure… i just woke up and i could hear you. I tried calling your name but you couldnt hear me, so… i spoke in my head and my vision went dark"

Arianna couldn't be certain but iuith'ryiel didnt sound quite right. He sounded stressed one moment and then overly friendly the next. He had told her that he was fine so she didnt press him any further. She knew she was still awake but it felt very stange.

" Iuith'ryiel, where am i?"

Ras moved through the forest cautiously. He wanted Andrei to get used to her abilities and in a way this was perfect. He didn't like being the prey, something he'd never let happen back home. The knight's would mock him. Ras pictured the smiling faces of the squad, it felt false for some reason, as if it was a photo with the faces blurred. 'How strange' he thought. Even the word Knight felt foreign. He was a Knight, wasn't he?

Andrei didn't sense Ras sneaking up behind her. Turning into gas was a bit of a dirty trick, after all how was she supposed to pick up on something odourless and invisible? Now she lay on the forest floor with Ras pinning them in place, a triumphant look on his face. "Never drop your guard." he grinned at her, his eyes glinting predatorily. "it's effective to use your strength to break your enemy into pieces but there is also another way which will benefit you." His hand lazily left Andrei's slim wrist, making its way to her neck. Cool fingers stroked down her hot skin.

"Taking their blood will make you stronger. It also weakens them considerably."

Andreis Amber eyes widened. Something about this situation felt intimate. "I-I haven't taken blood from anyone… not since I woke up."

"want me to show you?"

"Want me to show you?

Andrei gulped. Since she had drawn Arianna’s blood back on the ship, her heart beat again and right now, it felt like it was somewhere between her ears since she could very clearly hear it.

There were so many emotions swirling inside her at once right now, that she couldn’t quite sort out on how to answer him … First of all, she didn’t like at all to be pinned down - it reminded her of her times living on the streets of the capital, when men had tried to force themselves upon her. She had learned how to wield a knife very soon. But then, this was different at the same time … she felt somewhat attracted to Ras, although she of course knew, that he was with Nann. But the fact, that they both shared a vampire nature now, made this situation very intimate and very alluring to her, like a secret only the two of them shared. She desperately fought the urge to try and switch position and simply kiss him. Instead, Andrei nervously licked her lips and tried to concentrate on another urge, that had awakened just the moment Ras had made his offer. The thirst for blood. She opened her mouth to manage a whispered answer and blushed as her voice sounded way more seductive than she initially had intended.

„Yes, show me …“

-

"Ituith'ryiel, where am I?“

Nioth’luyia giggled silently when the one that communicated with Ituith’ryel over their wavelength seemed to fall for the imitated voice of her older grumpy brother. This was fun. A fun, that Ituith’ryel wasn’t too keen on prolonging as he interfered. The more Nioth’luyia would interact with Arianna, the bigger the risk got that they would learn where the elf was and would try to take over. He recalled, that Arianna got sick somehow before he was sent into oblivion by Geiger, so he couldn’t tell how steadfast the elf currently was. And an elf as a vessel for an Yadaldh’dre, such a psychotic one like Nioth’luyia at that, wasn’t exactly, what he wanted to happen. So he intervened, before his annoying sibling could act up again.

„How for Izh‘oto’s sake should I know that? Listen, you may want to go back to sleep or whatever you do at this time of the day and let me be … just myself … and my internal voices. I really need some time to sort things out. Just myself … and the many little voices inside my brain.“

It was a warning. A very clumsy warning, but a warning nonetheless. How else could he have conveyed the fact, that he wasn’t alone? Right now, he felt like a psychotic himself. He could swear, that Nioth’luyia was rolling around laughing somewhere in the darkness.

-

Tostain was seemingly nearing the source of the voices as he stepped into a giant black space that flickered with billions of lights, like a small universe. And amidst this space, he finally could see where the anchor chain, that originated from his chest, led. Right in this space a huge black dark figure sat hunched down, looking at a small glowing ball it held in one claw with three pairs of awfully elongated fingers. The anchor chain vanished under its black flowing cloak that moved ever so slightly, as if something was slithering around underneath. The creature had a huge pair of antlers which didn’t seemed to be rigid but moved ever so slightly like tentacles and shimmered in multiple colors. Tostain wasn’t afraid, not after all he had seen since the time he had started to serve on The Hexfire, but the small glowing ball immediately caught his attention as he could hear Arianna’s voice coming from it … and that of Ituith’ryel’.

As Tostain stepped forward, the creature’s head snapped around, facing him. It resembled a kind of deer skull with paper thin skin and four yellow eyes along each side. Its teethed maw swung open and a long appendage rolled out, consisting of multiple intertwined tongues.

„Ah, there you are. The one I lend my powers to. Finally we meet in person.“

[nann-the-explorer]

Ras and Andrei hit the beach. He sprang out of the yawl and held his hand out to Andrei. "I'm not sure what we can do here. We have to respect the spirit, he was kind enough to lead me to the plant in the first place.." his voice trailed off. Andrei looked down the beach, the sand was a mixture of gold and white which she found dazzling. Her vampire sight made everything brighter and clearer, Ras's silver hair sparkled as the sun caught it, giving Andrei the temptation to touch it. 

Ras was surprised when her fingers caught a lock of his hair. "Andrei?"  his blue eyes searched her face causing a blush to creep across her cheeks. She covered herself by grinning boldly. "Sorry I thought you had a bug in your hair." relief spread through her as he laughed and smiled. "So where now?" she asked. Her knowledge of the island was small, having only seen the map briefly. With Dr Kirkham having suspected her of helping the enemy, she knew nothing about the plant. She was glad to be here on dry land. She needed the break. 

Ras thought for a moment. Going to the clearing again was pointless. "Let's go check on the villagers, one of them might know something."

Andrei nodded. "what is that black stuff? There are tons of it everywhere and it smells disgusting." bending down she scooped the powder into her palm and sniffed it. "That's eldritch remains." a smirk appeared on his face as Andrei quickly dropped the remains and pulled a disgusted face. "Urgh! Why you!" her feet were silent as she launched into a run. Ras laughed again as he dodged her and took off running. The two vampires moved like lightning, weaving between trees and jumping over bushes. Andrei loved it. These abilities, running freely, she was embracing her vampirism fully. She jumped upwards into a tree and waited for her prey to pass. 

Arianna was feeling confused. How could she hear Ituith’ryiel? She hadn't cast any magic, yet, she could hear him as clear as a bell. Her mind was jumbled as if it were a mirror that had been shattered into thousands of pieces. "Are you OK?"

„Are you ok?“

Ituith’ryiel’s many eyes blinked in confusion. Why would the elf be concerned for him, even ask him how he was? He hadn’t been the nicest eldritch in history so far. Nioth’luyia snickered again.

„Awww, how nice. Yes, brother. Are you ok? I would like to know that, too.“

Ituith’ryel growled, while somewhere in the dark his sibling lurked producing a many teethed grin. And he now faced another problem - Arianna would keep asking if he didn’t answer and so would Nioth’luyia. He gritted his teeth and tried to flee into a question himself, answering in an unnaturally high pitched voice.

„I am fine. What‘s with the sudden interest in my condition?“

He turned around, but he couldn’t see any of those two in the dark of Nann’s silent mind, although he assumed that Nioth’luyia hid on purpose. That unbelievable coward. This made it hard to get rid of them. And Ituith’ryiel had to get rid of them, since in this case they could not only mean an utter and complete nuisance but also a veritable danger for him and Arianna.

Not that he was concerned for the elf … or was he? … but Nioth’luyia would take advantage of every possibility to feed the sadistic side of their personality. If it was true, that Arianna was someone who could remove him from this world, his sibling would totally use this for their own goals, even if it was just for their sick kind of fun. And after that, they would try to manipulate Arianna. No, Ituith’ryiel couldn’t let that happen. He was not happy in his current position and the connection with Nann and he knew he could be an insolent bastard … but at least he was a loyal insolent bastard. And if anything he wanted to be the one responsible for sending Arianna back to wherever she came from.

Arianna answered something he did not quite hear, since the gears in his stubborn head rotated at light speed to come up with something to shoo away his sibling. But Nioth’luyia listened closely and answered, mimicking his brother’s voice with a silent snicker.

„Why, tell me, how did you get here?“

Tostain could hear water dripping somewhere in the distance, but he couldn’t locate the exact position, since it was pitch black around him. The only thing he could see and feel was that goddamn anchor chain, that originated from his chest and vanished somewhere in the dark.

„What in all Heartless Depths is this?“ he thought, wanting to slowly follow the weak glowing chain to wherever its other end went. As he moved forward, he thought for a moment that the dripping water were words, that echoed through the silence of the blackness. He couldn’t quite hear, what exactly they said, but he could swear that one of the voices belonged to Arianna.

[nann-the-explorer]

Ras blinked surprised at Samuel's words. "Oh, Captain no. You aren't a fool, in any sense." He tried to give the old man a reassuring smile. "thank you for your kind words about Nann." his smile however didn't quite reach his eyes. 

"Actually, if I may be blunt, I think there is going to be big problems with the cure. Despite bringing back a huge bag's worth of plant material, we only managed two small vials of gold liquid. All of it got used on our friends… as it was, I picked well over half of the plants." His sky blue eyes fell." the spirit of the island told me to take no more than that as they plants wouldn't recover. You see, it's used by the humans and  animals too. Without it everything will die." there was a long silence. Ras pushed his hair behind his pointed ears. "I'm not sure what we can do. I need to speak to Arianna once she wakes again." There was an obvious look of frustration on the captains face, which caused a feeling of guilt in Ras. "I'm sorry I don't have better news for you. I just thought it was best to be honest with you." sadly most of the villagers were gone. Those that were left must have been either immune or just damn lucky. "I know it might be hard to hear but we might have to accept that we don't have a cure for them. But if we can confirm that the disease has died out, then the people who are left will be able to rebuild." He knew it wasn't a perfect option, not even close but it was better than nothing. 

A female voice chimed in." I'll be happy to check the island with Sir Ras, Captain." Andrei's cheerful face peered out from behind Ras. 

'please let me go with him!' Andrei thought to herself. She needed a distraction from the mental link with Lucan. She had been trying her best to ignore the sinister thoughts that drifted through their bond, even trying to envision a brick wall in an attempt to block them out. All had been to no avail. This was her opportunity to focus on something else, also to question Ras on this vampire and her new abilities. Her Amber eyes looked up at Captain Alardice in an obvious plea. 

As she slowly began to regain consciousness Arianna heard a strange voice. It was faint and unearthly but it was there. Although understanding the native tongue was tough, she did recognise the person speaking or to be more exact raging. Ituith’ryiel. She wondered why she was hearing him, surely he wasn't in her room? Slowly she opened her eyes and looked around her cabin. There was no one except herself and little Blume. The sound of his ranting didn't disappear. "Ituith’ryiel? Is that you?" her voice was quiet as she questioned the quietness of her space. Only Blumes slight breathing could be heard. Arianna wondered wether she wasnt hearing the eldritch talking through Nann but instead had their minds somehow reconnected? That thought disturbed her. Like she wanted a connection with a psychopathic monster intent of murdering her. A long sigh escaped her, closing her eyes again she spoke in her mind 'Ituith’ryiel is that you?'

„Oh, Captain no. You aren't a fool, in any sense!“

Captain Alardice smiled, although their opinions differed greatly on that case. But he had to admit that he was kind of touched by the words of this strange elven man and for a moment regretted being distrustful towards him and his friend Arianna. He hadn’t always been so sceptical towards others, but time and experience made him harsh on everyone outside the crew. 

*Well, I consider them crew by now, don’t I?* he thought as he talked with Ras. And moreover, the two weren’t neither born nor socialized in his world and far more tolerant than any of his fellow men had been during the last years. 

He dwelled a little on those thoughts until Ras mentioned the very limited options to cure the inhabitants of the island. That, in particular, was something the Captain didn’t like to hear and his brows furrowed deeply. This was not good, this was horrible - not only for the culture on this foreign land but also for his crew and himself. 

The Captain wanted to respond something, but Ras or rather Andrei didn’t let him much time to answer to the explanations. 

Andrei seemed eager to go with the elf and Alardice knew his steward well enough that she wouldn’t stop asking him until he allowed it. She had her own head and in fact would go with Ras all by herself without any allowance in the end, but she rather had the Captain be affirmative of this whole mission. She might had her own different reasons for going with him, but the Captain could see, that she was first and foremost hoping for answers to her changed state. 

Alardice sighed. It was a long and rasped sigh, indicating how very much done he was with this whole situation, but simply taking his hat and go wasn’t exactly an option here. And it wasn’t his style anyway, he had never been stone-cold running before from difficulties and this was not the time to start with such a questionable behavior.

So, he simply nodded at Andrei, giving his permission to her silently and tried to force out a smile, but it wouldn’t show up. Things were to serious now.

*I have to admit that these news are pretty bad, since it’s not only the inhabitants of the island are in danger but we might as well … our admiralty board won’t accept any failure from this special crew. A quarantine action may last too long … but we need to find a way out and fast … we are expected back in a few days. I will ask Dr. Kirkham, if her knowledge is also required with that, I need to talk to her anyway. You should go get your friend, too, Ras.“

With that said he turned around and went straight to the sick bay, slowly succumbing back into dark thoughts of their hometown. He pondered what would be worse - them coming back late or them coming back early with an extincted culture. He scolded himself for these selfish thoughts before deciding that he didn’t give a damn on schedules. And vampires. And egocentric eldritch monsters.

Ituith’ryel had curled up in the dark and tried to made himself as flat as possible - his favorite sulking position. He had been ranting for hours with nobody listening to him and now he felt neglected and sleepy as hell. But he didn’t dare to sleep, he wanted his rage to be the first thing they would see as soon as Nann was back up again. 

But until then there wasn’t much he could do and he found it rather boring. The mind of Nann wasn’t exactly his favorite place but he had to admit that it was way more fun when they were awake. And at least he had someone to mock. That wasn’t the case now … or so he thought.

„Dah‘fas h‘as lon deynkh‘em, bah‘yel?“

The voice was rather bright compared to his rumbling sound but it was still his native tongue speaking. Ituith’ryel listened attentively for a moment, just to lay his face flat on the ground and made a long hiss of disapproval. This was not an unexpected moment of fun, this was his annyoing sibling.

„What do you want, Nioth‘luyia?“

The voice snickered. 

„Are you so much into your role that you even forget how to speak Yadaldh’dyria? I am impressed, brother, I am impressed!“

The snickering made Ituith’ryiel tentacles curl up, Nioth‘luyia always have had the congeniality of a broken nail. It doesn’t made it better that their abilities allowed them to wander the sleeping minds of humans, first and foremost the human they did lend her psychological powers to. This, Nioth‘luyia would pay their bigger brother an unwelcomed visit from time to time, when Nann was fast asleep. Ituith’ryel sighed. 

„Oh, for Izh‘oto’s sake … dah‘fas jih‘ven feyz, sih‘bryel? 

The voice stopped snickering and answered in the most innocent way they could muster. 

„Fyh‘uzc leyz er boh’nfv , …“

Ituith’ryel snarled with half a laugh in his voice. 

„I have been afraid so …“

They were getting on his nerves - of course, they just wanted to talk … or rather being nosy and ask why he was stuck in here for such a long time. He didn’t intend on telling them that they trapped him here for conspiracy, because he knew how they would badger him about that. 

But he couldn’t stop himself from ranting away at the impertinence of these humans, that had brought him in such a situation. Nevertheless, he made sure to leave the elves out of this conversation.

He didn’t know exactly why. 

"Ituith’ryiel? Is that you?"

Nioth’luyia, who just wanted to answer on Ituith’ryiel’s rant, instantly became calm as they both heard the voice echoing through the darkened space of Nann‘s mind. Ituith’ryel growled, because of course he did recognize Arianna‘s soft voice, but he found it dangerous for her to be with him and this psychotic sibling of his. He could practically hear Nioth’luyia‘s grin through the darkness, as they answered in the most kind way they could fake. 

„Oh, and who’s this now? Using my wavelength to communicate with this human? Can’t be human, though … how veeeery interesting.“

[nann-the-explorer]

As she looked around the cabin from her bed Arianna felt completely lost. Just how long had she been sick? She was thankful to Ras for holding her hair and swapping out the blankets but now she wished he hadn't left her alone. He had always been the one to comfort her, to protect her, fighting by her side. 

A small white ball of fluff scrambled its way up towards her. A small smile spread across her face. "Blume." The little spirit sprang into her arms squeaking with happiness. "Do you know what happened before I got sick?" 

Arianna's eyes widened as Blume began to softly glow. Images invaded her mind. Andrei laying on a bed in the infirmary looking as pale as death. Lucan appeared, a look of feigned concern on his face.  A pang of longing hit her chest. But how could that be? He was the enemy, it made no sense to have any feelings other than hate, yet here it was. "I don't understand Blume…" thinking back, when was the first time they had met?  She was having trouble thinking. Blume watched her with a feeling of pity. He decided he would help her again, his fur puffed up and he began glowing in a strong white light. 

Arianna closed her eyes as memories began surfacing.  She was standing in a large room, the high glass roofing spilling beams of sunlight onto the marble floor. A man walks towards her, extending his hand. A blush crept across her face as the man smiled at her. The memory changes to see the man fighting Infront of her. His sword was more like an extension of his arm, she could feel her heart pounding with fear and admiration. Finally she stood under a large oak tree, Lucan had his arm around her waist as the rain fell heavily around them. He smoothed her wet hair away from her face, a shy smile crossed Arianna's face as lucan leaned in, kissing her softly. 

Her eyes slowly opened. Quietly she stroked blumes fur, she really didn't know what to make of these memories. Her hands went to her face as conflicting emotions assaulted her. Blume settled down to sleep on his mistress's lap, the energy used to retrieve memories had taken a large store of his power. 

Stirred from her thoughts by a sudden sound, like water dripping onto fabric. Arianna looked at the blanket, trying to locate the cause. A metallic taste spread into her mouth, her fingers lightly touched her lips feeling a wet substance, she was bleeding from her nose. A dull pain began in her head, slowly getting more violent. Holding her head in her hands the pain continued increasing until darkness welcomed her. 

The retrieved memories began fracturing, melting into the darkness. A cold voice whispered in a strange language "lischt ka nee."  

Forget. 

Ras knocked at the door lightly. He felt tired but also happy. Arianna had woken. Though the black substance was concerning, as was the symbol. Why was it there? What did it mean? All questions that needed answering. He shook his head, this wasn't something he could solve now. All he wanted was to see Nann and embrace her. She was the balm to his weariness. "Nann, are you in there? I have good news for you. Tostain is awake." He waited for a response but got nothing. Perhaps she wasn't there or was she angry with him? He knew it had been a few days since he'd been able to see her. "I'm sorry I haven't been around. But you understand right, it was for the cure, for the islanders and our friends." his voice sounded tired. "I still care about you."

With that Ras turned and walked down the berth deck. A sigh escaped his lips. What to do now? Arianna needed her rest. Tostain too. Maybe he could talk to Andrei, she was still a newly transitioned vampire and must have questions. Ras nodded to himself. It was decided, he'd go see her. As he turned the corner he bumped into Captain Alardice.

I feel out of practice LOL

Geiger clenched his teeth when he heard Ras‘ voice through the closed door. Of course, the elf wanted to see Nann and it was heartbreaking to hear him apologizing for something that clearly wasn’t his fault.

Sighing, Geiger fought the temptation to call Ras, to let him in and explain the current situation. But he feared the reaction of his new found friend. Geiger was not able to anticipate how Ras would react to all of this. Something that clearly could be seen as a misuse of power and trust, at least in Geiger’s opinion. Aside from this, the massive man was also well aware that the justification of this was not his duty albeit it felt like he was a partner in crime here. In the end, the mastermind behind this mess was the Captain and despite Geiger was as loyal to him as anyone of the crew, he wouldn’t put his head in the line for this disputable decision. Not in order to risk his friendship.

„I still care about you.“

With a sad expression, Geiger looked at Nann, who still slept silently. He wanted them to be happy together and now he sat here, feeling like he was the only obstacle in this relationship. And if this wasn’t even hard enough, he also felt like we was betraying the Captain for doubting his decision. Desperately, he wished he could talk at least to his friend Ephriam as he finally could hear Ras‘ steps slowly fading away on the wooden ground. Maybe this would keep him also from drifting slowly off to sleep.

Lost in his thoughts, Captain Alardice moved down the aisle. He pondered his chances to solve the problems on the island and aboard. 

First priority still were the inhabitants of the island, so he wanted to go and see Dr. Kirkham first on that matter. He still hoped, that she also had a helpful idea on how to contact the Sentinel at the Threshold, too. However, he then would have to explain the current situation with Nann and Captain Alardice knew she wouldn’t react as understanding as Andrei had been. 

He sighed deeply. Andrei. That was another one of his problems and he would have to ask Arianna and Ras for help for his steward, while simultaneously having to keep Ituith’ryiel and thus Nann away from them. 

It seemed like one existing problem brought two new ones with it and each of them demanded even more critical decisions. Groaning, he pinched the bridge of his nose when a familiar, once beloved voice echoed in his mind.

„Samuel, believe me, you shouldn’t accept the promotion to Captain. You are way too soft for such a position. You will just suffer when you have to make harsh decisions.“

The voice in this memory belonged to Iudicael de Felius, designated Admiral of the Council of the prime …. and his former husband. It had been years since he had said this to Captain Alardice. At that time he had thought this to be is partner‘s way to express his honest worries towards him. Soon, he had to learn that the Admiral really didn’t see him fit for this position and even tried to cancel the promotion. 

This was only one of many moments which made the Captain finally realize that his relationship never had been mutual, that he had always been seen as an inferior part of it. And although he had been warned of this toxic marriage before, from his family, his friends and even his crew, he didn’t have the means to break free. Which was why it still hit Captain Alardice hard to be left after the crew was cursed by these strange beings. 

But even if he had managed to overcome the struggles that occurred after this defective love, he couldn’t deny that Iudicael had been right here. Yes, he maybe was the ship’s master and his orders were unassailable, but he also was the one to bear the responsibility for everything he decided. Not only for his own sake but even more so for his crew. 

This is why he suffered now, as his former partner had predicted. He never intended to bring his fellow crew members in such an uncomfortable position, especially not the kindhearted Geiger. But he had to protect the crew as a whole … not only from Ituith’ryiel’s menacing plans, but also from the admiralty board that would use every incident to their disadvantage. He couldn’t allow anyone to disturb this mission, whether it was an eldritch, a vampire or elves. Not, if this crew wanted to go back to a halfway normal life again after their return. 

Murmuring to himself, Captain Alardice suddenly bumped into Ras and looked at him surprised but still mildly caught in his train of thoughts.

The elf apologized briefly, looking back to where he came from with a certain sad expression on his face. Captain Alardice followed his gaze and understood. Nann’s cabin. He needed to distract that elf from his navigation officer for the time being. Undeniably, Ras was a good man but he also seemed wild enough to take on Ituith’ryiel on his own if he would have known about his plan to pair up with that vampire. This was a risk to the mission and their safety and Captain Alardice was not willing to take it. Therefore, he hid his intentions in a genuine smile and an innocent proposal.

„Ras, I planned to see Dr. Kirkham, we still need to deploy more of the cure to the people of the island. I would appreciate your help here. Maybe you can go and get Andrei, too. I guess, we could need all hands on deck here.“

The elf seemed hesitant at first. Captain Alardice sighed, but he knew the dedication that Ras felt towards Nann. It was the same he once had felt towards Iudicael, who never had fully reflected it. Whereas Captain Alardice had moved his dedication towards his crew completely, he knew that Nann returned Ras‘ feelings. And even with a running mission, he didn’t want to see another failing relationship, at least not from his hands. He sighed once again and tried to be as honest with Ras as he felt was possible. 

„Listen, lad. I may not be the wisest man when it comes to romance but I can absolutely ensure you that Nann’s absence has nothing to do with you. I just can ask you to trust me with this, will you?“

Tostain, now in his own cabin, laid on the bunk bed and examined the dark stains on his chest. This had been the spot where the vampire had hit him and were the disease initially had begun to spread. But oddly enough this also felt like the place from which the strange feeling of the anchor chain around his chest originated.

He sighed and decided that this must be just the aftermath of a heavy fever dream. Unable to get some more sleep, Tostain just tossed and turned in his bed. His thoughts were with Arianna. Why did this vampire even had an interest in her? Just because she was the heir to some throne? 

Or was there more to it? 

Tostain groaned as his heart clenched violently at the doubts that now slowly crept into his mind. What could he possibly do against a vampire? How could he, a mere sailor, keep a princess at his side, how could he protect a powerful being like her?

His stomach now felt deeply sick as his heart began to hurt. Panting heavily he rolled over, throwing up a good amount of black liquid. The stains on his chest began to burn and slowly dissolved.

He could hear the voices again, whispering almost kind into his ear before the room began to fade into another deep and dark dream.

„You won’t be tainted by some other creature, I won’t let them. You’re mine.“

[nann-the-explorer]

Ituith’ryiel seethed inside Nann's unconscious mind. There was no way for him to take over and get them out of this situation. Swearing pain and vengeance was all well and good but it didn't help him escape. He needed a plan, however nothing came to the old eldritch's mind. All the time Geiger was there, he would drain any energy that Nann began to receive. Just what was that old man planning? Arianna was too sick to do anything to him, something he was thankful for. Though she had told him that she wouldn't remove him unless he became a threat. The trouble was that neither elf trusted him. It complicated any plan to surprise attack them. He sighed… wait, Ras! Perhaps he was the solution. He was sure to come looking for Nann and he wouldn't be OK with whatever the captain was planning, would he? Ituith’ryiel didn't like it but he had to hope that Ras cared enough to step in. "stupid wolf boy." Andrei and Ras watched the doctor leave. There was happiness in the air. The golden liquid had worked. The tentacles were dead and only the original mark remained. "Thank god the tentacles are gone. Hopefully they will wake up soon." Andrei smiled at Ras but he still looked concerned. "What's wrong?" A long sigh escaped his lips. "What the doctor said, about the disease trying to alter them. I'm not sure that's right." Andrei waited for him to continue. "I think that the tentacles aren't blood vessels. They were an independent creature. Something that was hoping to take control of their minds. Passed through as a disease." "But Lucan caused the sickness. He said as much. Though I don't think he knew what would happen when he cast it." that was the sense she got through her reluctant bond with her master. Though she couldn't feel everything he did. It seemed he was able to block the bonds' ability now and then. "This doesn't feel like magic from our world. I've never seen anything like this. Just where did Lucan learn this? And why would he want Tostain? To create another minion? It would have been easier to just turn him."

Andrei shuddered, the memory of the vampire biting her was still very fresh in her mind. Her arms wrapped around herself. She didn't want to show any weakness. Not after that. It was important that she stayed strong even if she didn't feel like it inside. Strong arms suddenly embraced her, she opened her Amber eyes and stared at Ras's face, surprised."you looked like you needed a hug." He felt warm and strong. Ras's face was gentle as he spoke. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone." Andrei couldn't help a small smile at his kindness. A sudden groaning sound ended their quiet moment. Tostain's eyes slowly opened. Sunlight poured in through the window, after so long unconscious the golden light looked especially beautiful. "Tostain!" Andrei practically squealed his name in happiness. "I've never been so happy to see you awake." He managed a weak smile in response. "what happened?" Tostain asked, he was having trouble remembering. Ras smiled at him. "it's good to see you back with us. You had everyone worried for a while there." Andrei handed Tostain some water. "hopefully Arianna will wake up soon." Ras's face fell slightly, he took one of her hands in his and sat beside the bed again. Eventually Jo returned and immediately began checking Tostain over, making sure there were no side effects.

Arianna remained unresponsive. Ras tried his best to show none of the inner turmoil he felt. At some point he fell asleep. When Ras woke later he was alone with Arianna, everyone else had gone, leaving oil lanterns lit for them. A long sigh passed his lips as he stroked Arianna's hair away from her face. "please wake up." He murmured quietly. "I can't do this without you." someone had covered him with a blanket at some point. It was a kind gesture that he appreciated. Ras closed his eyes again, determined to stay by Arianna's side all night again. Eventually he fell back asleep again. It was in the early hours that Ras was woken by a frightening sound. His blue eyes flew open to see Arianna doubled over and gasping for air in between a violent retching. "Arianna?!" a thick black tar-like substance came out of her mouth. Ras sprang up and quickly pulled her hair away from her face. He rubbed her back, trying to help encourage more of the weird stuff out of her body. Arianna continued to cough up more for half an hour before collapsing against the bed again in exhaustion. Ras stroked her hair gently. She looked up at him weakly. "Th-thank you." He smiled down at her, relief flooding through him. "I'm just so happy you're awake." Tears threatened to spill onto his face. Helping Arianna sit forward Ras puffed her pillows up and made sure she was now propped up. As he pulled the blankets up around her a frown appeared on his face. A strange black mark had appeared on her neck, the shape of it looked like some kind of symbol. He decided to keep it from her for now. Arianna quickly fell asleep again. Ras took the opportunity to leave her cabin and find Nann.

Something was echoing in his sleeping mind like the whispering of a thousand voices, their unearthly and unpleasant sound visibly flickering in the darkness like little pale streaks of light. Tostain shuddered subconsciously. 

He didn’t want to make sense of the things these voices said, he didn’t want to listen at all. He just wanted to go back to Arianna and his friends. But he was unable to move, his chest was bound to this place with something that seemed to be an anchor chain. 

Another single voice, blinking in the distance like a silver sparkling light suddenly peaked his interest. This wasn’t one of those eerie sounds in the back of his subconscious. This was someone friendly, someone he knew, someone from outside. Ras.

"What the doctor said, about the disease trying to alter them. I'm not sure that's right … They were an independent creature. Something that was hoping to take control of their minds. Passed through as a disease."

The choir of ghostly voices went calmer for a second, making a hissing sound like they seemed to laugh at this statement, while the little silver light of Ras’ voice continued to blink. 

„Just where did Lucan learn this? And why would he want Tostain? To create another minion? It would have been easier to just turn him.“

Now, the voices grew suddenly louder until they became a massive storm of sounds and light, seemingly getting enraged by those words from the surroundings and rumbling their only thought into the space of Tostain’s mind. 

„Ridiculous, he’s my minion and he still will be when that bloodsucking creature has long turned to dust!“ 

The storm of light and sound flooded Tostain’s thoughts and the anchor chain stretched, trying to haul him into the violent mass of voices. In panic, he  just tried to turn away, letting out a groaning sound as he forced his eyes to open slowly from darkness to an awful bright room. The light made him feel uncomfortable at first, but his eyes adjusted quickly to the warm and golden sunlight and he immediately welcomed it as a sign of being still alive and back to where he belonged. Andrei nearly hopped on top of him as she beamed with joy. 

"I've never been so happy to see you awake."

Glad to be back with his friends, Tostain allowed her to have this moment of happiness while he desperately tried to recollect his scattered memory. The only thing he could actively remember right now was Arianna beside him. Tostain tried to move his head to look for his lover, but found himself unable to do so. His body was still too weak after struggling with the disease. Concerned, he looked at Ras.

„How is Arianna? Is she alright?“ 

The look on Ras‘ face made his heart sunk and he felt panic creeping up again. But he didn’t had much time to ask or even think about it when Dr. Kirkham came back and quickly began to examine him, ignoring Tostain’s gnawing questions and ordering Andrei to move him back to his own cabin for further recovery.

Tostain felt highly nervous when Andrei brought him to his cabin. He tried to question her too, but she also seemed awkwardly silent when it came to Arianna. At least she tried a little to calm him down.

„Don’t you worry, you both defeated the disease. Arianna just seems to take a little longer for recovering. Ras is with her as long as you are still weak.“

Feeling a sudden bit of unfair jealousy towards Ras, Tostain eventually sighed and nodded. Currently, this was for the better for all of them. He would just have to wait and rest a little more,  while trying to remember what happened before his strange dreams of eerie voices. If he just could get rid of that still lasting and strange feeling of the anchor chain around his chest.

Captain Alardice sat in his dark cabin, desperately trying to think of a way to contact the Sentinel at the Threshold. They had used a brass key the last time, which Ituith’ryiel gave them. It had the power to open every door into the dark world of the Sentinel. But this key was gone now, lost in the fight against the fogwalkers to claim back the capital and he highly doubted Ituith’ryiel would give them another one. Not after the Captain’s decision to remove him from the game. 

With a sip from his glass of brandy he looked at his hands and another idea began to dwell in his mind. Once, Ituith’ryiel told them that every single of their powers have all been lend from other representatives of his species. So maybe there was an opportunity that one of them had been given their ability from the Sentinel of the Threshold and if so, they maybe had the chance to contact him via his proxy here. But which one of them could it possibly be? 

Captain Alardice rubbed his hands over his face and got up, leaving his cabin. He had to give some more thought about this, maybe talk to Dr. Kirkham. Beside this, he wanted to know how Tostain and Arianna’s condition had changed and if Dr. Kirkham could produce the antidote for the inhabitants of the island as well. After all problems, that had occurred on this journey, there was still a mission to fulfill and he wanted to eliminate at least this one from his long list of responsibilities. 

Geiger felt devastated. Every time Nann started to wake he had to push them back into sleep. It felt like abusing them and he just wanted it to stop right now. It didn’t help much that he could feel Ituith’ryiel brooding inside them, his presence lingering there the thick black shadow in the furthest corner of a room. Geiger wondered what the eldritch was thinking about and how he would react when Nann regained consciousness. That was something they had to face in the next few hours, if Captain Alardice couldn’t manage to contact the Sentinel at the Threshold anytime soon. Geiger’s power was as strong as him, but even he was limited to the boundaries of the human body, which meant he would grew tired eventually. And he knew that the old eldritch would use that chance to his advantage. 

A knock on the cabin door made Geiger startle, leading his dark thoughts to something even more urgent. Something he already had feared, when he heard the familiar voice speak to him through the door. Ras.

[nann-the-explorer]

Some music while considering Nann’s unique friendship with Tostain.

[nann-the-explorer]

Arianna the druid Andrei could practically feel the amusement through her unwanted bond. Was he laughing at her or Ituith’ryiels intentions? "Captain. I-I'm bound. To lucan, I do not want to betray your confidence or your trust but I have no way of breaking his control over me. I'm so sorry." her head hung in a mixture of guilt and shame. Hot tears ran down her face, she couldn't bear to look at the captain. "Andrei. Andrei, look at me." a firm hand gripped her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. Slowly, she raised her head revealing a red blotchy face and a ton of tears. Reluctantly her eyes turned to her superior. "I know you wouldn't willingly betray me or this crew. Right now we have a psychotic eldritch, two crewmates in serious trouble and an island full of infected villagers. I shall just add this to our list." He smiled at her very determinedly, Andrei didn't miss the look of tiredness he was attempting to hide. She felt just awful for adding more to his already full and dangerous schedule. "there will be a way to break his hold over you. Even if it means going to the elves' homeworld." in a rare moment of weakness Andrei stepped into Samuel's arms and cried into his shoulder. He put his arms around her and let her cry. Andrei was a strong woman but even she had the odd moment of vulnerability. After a minute Andrei straightened herself. "sir, I'd suggest we keep Nann unconscious until we have seen the sentinel, I am sure we can deal with Ituith’ryiel if we work together. but someone will have to tell Ras, it wouldn't be fair to keep it from him. Especially after all his hard work with the cure." Samuel pinched the bridge of his nose, of course his steward was right but he was concerned how the elf would take it. He already had the stress of making a cure and watching his beloved friend slowly succumbing to a deadly infection. With that in mind Samuel decided that he would let them try the cure first before sharing more news. "Here, take this and thank you Andrei, they are in your hands." the captain handed his steward a clean white handkerchief embroidered with the Captain’s initials in a royal blue thread. 

"Yes sir!" Andrei smiled and left feeling a little better than when she had earlier. Of course the captain was right. They would find a way to break Lucans control. Maybe Arianna would have a solution once she awakens. Ituith’ryiel though, was another serious problem. Would lucan work with Ituith’ryiel? She couldn't answer, she didn't know anything about lucan or his past. Only the elves could answer that. 

The smell in Arianna's cabin was getting worse by the hour. The infection had a sickly scent to it, a mix of wet dog, burnt hair and soil that one could almost taste as well as smell. Ras and Doctor Jo stood with their backs to the door talking in hushed voices. Ras heard her first and stepped aside, creating a space for her. "is that it?" Andrei asked in a quiet voice. Ras nodded while Jo was busily unbuttoning Tostain's shirt. "there isn't much. How is it used?" Ras let out a sigh "at first we thought they should drink it but seeing their condition… that option is out. So now we are going to try applying it directly to the primary infection site. For Tostain it's his chest. For Arianna it's her hand." Andrei looked at Tostain's bare chest. It was a good thing they were only going to put it on a small area. The infection had spread across Tostain's chest, up his neck and the left side of his face stopping on his cheek. Arianna's infection had snaked up her right arm, neck and shoulder and was also climbing up her face. "it's spread so much, I only left them for five minutes. It looks like it's trying to reach somewhere?" 

"The brain." Jo said simply. "it'll probably destroy all the neurons and the brain won't be able to function, they'll die." 

The tension in the air was thick as first Jo then Ras used a dropper to drip three single golden drops onto Tostain and Arianna's infection. The group peered closely waiting for a response but nothing happened. Their faces fell and the disappointment tasted bitter. 

"look." Ras whispered. The infection on Tostain's face was moving. "what is that?" Jo asked, squinting at Tostain. 

"They're- little tiny tentacles." Andrei breathed in horror. The tiny mass of writhing tentacles were turning a mossy green before swooning over and shrinking back towards his chest. Andrei and Ras stayed with both patients while the infection slowly died. It was taking a long time. Andrei refreshed the oil lamps and continued to dampen their foreheads with a flannel. The two vampires sat in silence for a long time. Ras broke the silence "Have you spoken to Nann today? I haven't had the chance to see her… it's too late to visit her now. I guess I'll try and catch her in the morning." He sounded tired and Andrei couldn't blame him. It had been a very long day and now it was late into the night. She looked out the porthole to avoid looking at Ras. "yes I saw her earlier. She seemed fine." Ras let out a sigh of relief at her lie. "that's good to know." the silence took over again. Occasionally broken by the sound of shrieking coming from the tentacles as they died. Oddly both of them got used to the sound quickly. They took turns napping throughout the night.

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[nann-the-explorer]

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Dr. Kirkham observed in a kind of awe how the tiny tentacles writhed around before wilting back into a moss green mass and vanishing inside the body. She murmured to herself while the others watched.

*So, this almost looks like a tiny version of the living roots on the island. It seems to be a part of the body … probably blood vessels, that grew conscious, and try to transport the infection to the brain. So, I maybe was wrong here … the goal is most likely not to kill the host but to alter him into something else.*

The others looked at her terrified, not really wanting to imagine what kind of horror their friends would have morphed into if they hadn’t found the antidote.

*You two …*

The sudden mention made Ras and Andrei both looking at Dr. Kirkham in surprise, their gaze leaving the scenery of vanishing tentacles that cried out in their agony.

*I will go to the old man and tell him about our success and what is going on here. You two stay here and …*

With that, the doctor shoved the tiny vial into Ras’s hands. There was still a little bit left of the golden liquid.

*… please observe the progress. If it’s necessary, use more of the liquid.*

The doctor headed to the door, but turned around one last time before leaving, coming back in a leap of joy embracing both vampires.

*Good work, both of you! It seems like we made it … and if so, I need much more of these flowers to heal the villagers.*

With that, Dr. Kirkham left the small room and headed for the captain‘s cabin.

It was dark where he lived, it has always been dark here except for the very few opportunities when the portals to the worlds opened.

Therefore Yicth’ararc had rarely seen anything else than the darkness that had surrounded him since the beginning of his everlasting watch at the threshold. He even himself had become the threshold, integrating his mind and body into this endless place of doors and darkness.

That once had been his very duty and here he was now, guarding the access to an infinite number of worlds and realities but unable to move elsewhere, to even go to the places he guarded. But in exchange for not being able to move, he had an ability or two, that were quite fun to use once in a while. They made his immobile existence at least a little easier. So, why not fooling around a little with it?

It wasn’t as if someone supervised his task … they all had long lost interest in him and his occupation, as long as they had food. Yicth‘ararc wasn’t that voracious, he gained his satisfaction from observing and sometimes intervening into the worlds the guarded. Although he knew that the others wouldn’t be amused over his little experiments. But this was nothing of concern now, he just opted for listening to the world he currently took a high interest in.

*So, I maybe was wrong here … the goal is most likely not to kill the host but to alter him into something else.*

Yicth’ararc almost laughed loud at this statement. They were dumb little creatures, dealing with something, they couldn’t grasp yet. But those hairless apes were surprisingly good in learning, as he couldn’t deny that the statement was partly correct. That they had found a cure to the disease was a great achievement, he wasn’t too proud to admit this. But he would have to adjust his plans a little, especially for the one that bore a part of his own powers.

He snickered and a billion of yellowish eyes blinked in amusement. So, they wanted to contact him, because Ituith’ryiel misbehaved again. These weren’t hot news to Yicth‘ararc. The sentinel at the lower gates had always been a kind of troublemaker to him and his plans, dutiful and loyal as he always had been. Served him right that he was stuck in his host's mind and Yicth’ararc didn’t plan on changing this circumstance.

It was convenient after all and maybe Yicth’ararc could gain even more fun from this, realizing his plans in another way.

[nann-the-explorer]

*Erica sighs* The only thing we can do. *Erica pulls out a piece of cloth, and shoved it in his mouth and proceeds to tie in up in a position in which he can't move nor sleep* I probably wouldn't be doing this if I thought you weren't gonna escape but frankly, I think you're an asshole. *Leaving Metatron there, Erica angrily takes Nanns hand, following the Reaper who's taking them to where they'll be sleeping.*

*Nann follows Erica, grabbing a tight hold on the siren’s hand, but still not fully relaxed about the powerful entity Metatron being unattended here. They look back at him and for a short moment, the angry look in Metatron’s face seems to change into a grinning grimace, even with the ball of cloth in his mouth.

Leaning over to Erica, Nann whispers.*

You’re sure about leaving him here alone? I don’t trust him for a second, he seems to be vengeful given the opportunity … well, nevermind, I guess I’m just tired, too.*

Nann yawns, looking forward to a good amount of sleep as the reaper leads the siren and the sailor into a large guest room.

[nann-the-explorer]

Hey! I'm really glad to see you're posting again. How've you been the past few months? Life been pretty busy for me so I get that sometimes you need to take time off<3! I saw that you posted for the first time in like 5 months so I thought I'd say hi! ~ Erica Anon

Hello Erica-Anon

thank you so much for your sweet message! Life has been a little busy indeed. My depression took completely over after Christmas and I am currently in a therapeutical hospital.

I will try to answer RP asks again but it still may take a while since my brain likes to suddenly and completely shut down while reading or writing. I realized that I need pretty long breaks between writing stuff, but the therapists say that this will get better.

But your last ask is still sitting comfy in my ask box, so I am looking forward to answer it as soon as I can. I hope you are alright?

Nann

[nann-the-explorer]

Ras wasn't surprised when Jo rushed off to see Arianna and Tostain. There had been a look of stress on her face that spoke of more than just a worry for their friends. As he stood on the deck he watched the crew up on the masts, moving around the rigging like acrobats. This is what he was going to do. It was quite a change from guarding Arianna, he would still make sure to do his duty to her, though he liked the idea of using his skills up there too, it should be easy for him. While he watched, Katarina came skipping over and tugged on Ras's coat. "Oh, hello Katarins, how are you doing today?" he smiled down at the little girl who positively beamed back at him. "Hello, I saw you and the Doctor lady leave the ship, where did you go?" Ras sat down on the deck, leaning his back against the side and patting the spot next to him. "we went to find a special tree that hopefully has the cure for the people of your village and my friends." her eyes went wide. "a magic tree?" he nodded. "inside a secret Grove, we were guided by a beautiful white stag and little Blume here." hearing his name the little Rabbit popped his head out of the coat and looked up at the two conversing. "He's the red haired lady's spirit animal isn't he." katarina's feet swayed from side to side as she spoke. Ras stroked the rabbit's soft fur. "That's right. Arianna is a druid. In my world she is a high priestess of nature and beloved by her god." Katarina's mouth hung open. "Do people pray to her?" "Yes, some people do pray to her. She can create miracles, some believe that she is actually a goddess in elven form." realising he might be overwhelming the child, Ras went back to his story. "inside the tree I found the plants we needed and the deer spirit sent us all back to the beach." He smiled down at katrina, she seemed oddly troubled but he wasn't sure why. Children were a bit of a mystery to him, he liked kids. There was an innocence and playfulness that most people lose as they age. Their ability to see things as they are always amazed him and he enjoyed playing games with them. Before he could ask if she was OK Jo appeared on deck and called for him. "Sorry Katarina, I have to go help make everyone well now. Be a good girl and help Eduardo make yummy food." He ruffled her hair gently and walked away. He tried to smile at Captain Alardice but at the mention of Nann Ras felt uneasiness inside. "Where is she?" His question wasn't heard. Jo suddenly snapped at Samuel, causing his eyes to widen in surprise. Jo began striding towards the sick bay but stopped when Ras didn't follow. "i'll be there in a few minutes." He quickly headed to Arianna's room. Knocking lightly on the door he waited for Andrei. "Andrei, can I talk to you? Lucan still has control of you doesn't he." His face was sympathetic and he gave her a hug. "I don't know how hes continued to do this. I promise We will find a way to break his hold, OK?" Andrei hugged Ras tighter. "The doctor thinks I've betrayed us all. I haven't, I don't want to… he said he'd make me kill everyone if I didn't do what he said… I want to protect everyone." Tears welled up in her Amber eyes. As Ras pulled away he gently wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "I will do whatever I can to free you Andrei. I know Arianna will too…" his eyes drifted to Arianna and Tostain. The mark that had started on Arianna's fingers had now spread up to the base of her neck. It was painful for him to see her in this state. 'it's spread so much.' "Please take care of them a little longer. For now do as Lucan says. He can't find out that we know. " Andrei nodded, it was a small bit of relief for her as Ras left. Jo wasn't amused at his detour. But Ras said nothing as he placed the leaves on the desk." we need to dry the leaves out or grind them up to make a kind of paste. Then add them to hot boiled water, enough for each person. I don't know how many others are alive in the village anymore…" his voice trails off. Their number must be greatly reduced because of the disease and the predators. "Andrei can't break Lucans control.

She is desperately frightened, and wants to break free. He threatened to make her murder everyone if she doesn't obey him. She's been trying to find a way to let Captain Alardice know without directly breaking his command." Jo thought this over as the two spent the next five hours working on the cure. Geiger was miserable, he kept watch over Nann while the Captain saw to the doctor and Ras. He knew Ras would be furious with him if he found out. They had become friends and this could risk that friendship. He scrunched his face up at the thought. Nann would be angry too… all Geiger wanted was for everyone to be happy. This wasn't going to make anyone happy, he wondered how they could get in touch with the sentinel without Ituith’ryiel. Would it even help them? On the bunk, Nann's energy started to creep up again. Geiger lightly touched her shoulder, sending her back into oblivion again. He hoped Ras wouldn't be too angry and would understand why they had done this.

Dr. Kirkham looked at the leaves on the table thoughtfully before shaking her head slightly. Then she went to the drawer of her messy desk and grabbed an old leather-bound book, that was filled to the brim with notes, drawings and pieces of dried leaves. Absently, she thumbed through the book, before closing it and looking at Ras.

„You visited Arianna and Tostain, didn’t you? You saw how bad their current state is and we both know that this is getting worse by the minute. We don’t have the time to dry the leaves. And I am afraid that the heat that occurs while grinding may affect the healing substances. In all my years that I studied foreign healing methods, I discovered that the best method is to distill the active component from fresh leaves. I even developed my own method which is gentle but quick in comparison.*

Dr. Kirkham looked at him over the rim of her glasses and her gaze made quite clear that she wasn’t going to argue with Ras on that. As he didn’t seem to contradict, she nodded to a small drawer.

*Please, be a good lad and get my vials out of that drawer over there.*

They both assembled the simple distillator quickly and started the procedure. The doctor fell completely silent whilst Ras and her tried to extract the active component of some of the leaves into a small vial. She constantly wrote into her book, never leaving the distillator out of sight. The liquid, they produced shimmered as golden as the leaves, indicating that this was the very essence of the leaves and hopefully the cure to that gruesome sickness.

After an awful long time, the vial was filled to the half with the golden liquid. Finally, Dr. Kirkham spoke with a loud sigh.

*I see … so, Andrei was betrayed yet again. I am glad, that I was wrong with my assumption.*

She turned around to face Ras, holding the little vial cautiously between her thumb and her index finger.

*Yes, I do believe you, when you say that this Lucan is a dangerous man. But in the end we are one crew and one family. We fight for each other, no matter what … she should have a little more faith in us.*

Dr. Kirkham handed Ras the vial to let him have a closer look at it. The liquid inside was moving like on its own, tiny specks of fibers moving inside it like stars in a galaxy.

*I guess, this should be even more effective than a simple tea. Normally I would try it with some volunteers, but in our case, we can’t afford this loss of time. Arianna and Tostain might not last any longer.*

Andrei wandered insecurely along the small aisle that ended in the Great Cabin. When Dr. Kirkham and Ras had suddenly appeared in Arianna’s cabin, she had been sent away by the doctor. Mostly because it was way too crowded in that small room, but also to report to the Captain that the healing potion was ready for the first field test. Andrei gritted her teeth, her fangs baring.

*As if Arianna and Tostain have many shots left. This better is going to work …*

The doctor had been a lot softer when she approached the steward again this time and sent her away with the friendly words.

*Go and tell the old man everything he needs to know …*

Andrei understood immediately. They knew each other for so long know, she could tell that Ras had talked to Dr. Kirkham about her misery. And this was the doctor‘s way to encourage her. And maybe even a strange form of an apology.

The Captain however seemed to be troubled with something else as he barely answered his steward‘s knock on the door. Dutifully, Andrei told him about the first attempt in healing the fellow crew members and for a brief moment there was something like hope in those old sage-green eyes. But as quickly as it had lit up it disappeared again and Captain Alardice sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose.

*That’s great news, Andrei, really … but … Listen, Andrei. Don’t tell anyone what am I going to say now until I say so. But as my trusted steward you need to know.*

Andrei gulped a little, since she wasn’t to be trusted in her current situation. Desperately she wanted to interrupt the captain and tell him frankly about her unwanted connection to Lucan, before he told here something that maybe made them all vulnerable. But the old man simply continued, believing his steward was the same as always.

*I ordered Geiger to immobilize Nann. Ituith’ryiel is plotting something against us, trying to make a deal with this vampire. As soon as the healing is done, we have to establish a connection to the Sentinel at the Threshold. He has to help us against this enemy and he has to know that a second eldritch has been on the island.*

Andrei gulped. This meant their greatest weapon and protector was currently knocked out while Captain Alardice planned to get help from the Sentinel at the Threshold. That was something she should have better not heard about, because as soon as she knew, Lucan knew too.

Andrei sighed and looked at her captain with teary eyes.

*Captain, there is something you need to know, too.*

In the meanwhile, Ituith’ryiel raged against the darkness that had succumbed Nann’s mind. He couldn’t see. He couldn’t hear. Thus, he didn’t even notice that Lucan had been aboard the ship once more.

*This stupid old geezer. I will rip his head off as soon as I am out of here … you can’t keep Nann unconscious all the time!*