Quote Originally Posted by DayBreak View Post
009-determined.jpg
" I'm going to go back to the Silent Song ship and finally free Ralon. I'll be the first to admit that I've been careless lately on account of my emotions ruling my decisions, so this time I'm going to make damn well sure I'm not followed on my way there. "
000-normal.jpg
" Sides, he's been trapped in that hellish in-between state for long enough, and the bits of info he was able to give me did prove valuable, so saving him and finally bringing him home is the least we can do! All I can hope is that next time he's able to live a fuller life without all of this Demoni crap. Hopefully one of these days we can free the others that Velli has been experimenting on, but for now, we'll have to do what we can. "
004-confused.png
" Though I'm pretty sure it's safe to say that Velli is at the very least in league with them, so we may have to do something about her relatively soon anyway. "
After waking up and the morning sun comes in through the farmstead window, you decide today is the day that Ralon should finally be free. After having breakfast with the others, you take the encrypted stake from the storage cabinet, and you head south toward the Silent Song ship at the Pleasant Waters Harbor. You can’t even begin to comprehend the kind of pain and suffering that Ralon has been enduring, but you hope by tonight, it’s all over and he can finally be at peace.

During the morning walk, you feel the dry and dusty wind blow dirt and sandy grit around you. Thanks to the armor covering your body, it barely affects you. And then, after a long and lonely walk, when you finally do arrive, you quickly head toward the ship, still in the same place you left it last time. It feels as though each consecutive time you visit this place, it feels less threatening, as if it’s losing its grip on your fears.

You soon board the Silent Song, and head down below the deck toward where Ralon is. You’re not sure what his next life will be like, but you know it’ll be away from this dark, forgotten place. When you finally reach Ralon, it seems not much has changed since the last time you were here. He still hangs in a crucified position with his head down, still unable to see, still unable to die naturally. You’re not sure if Exonull had returned since the last time you visited, but when she does return, she’ll find Ralon is no longer under her control.

He'll finally be free, much to her distain as you imagine.

“…Ralon?” you ask the tortured Starly.

He suddenly jolts awake, but for him it’s still painful and he recoils a bit from the sudden, agonizing moment. And he still cannot see, but you can sense he has recognized your voice… and even though he hasn’t said so, you’ve given him hope just from your presence.

“…Thank you for coming back…” he says weakly. “Exonull came back last night. She seemed… agitated. I think… I think she knows about you and the others…”

The news of this makes your heart sink, but you have a strong feeling Velli has something to do with it.

“Ralon, it’s time,” you tell him. “I have the stake. It was hidden in Velli’s house. I think she may be an informant to the Stalkers.”

“She betrayed us…” Ralon whimpers, looking away. “Betrayed… everyone in Seabourne. Now look at what she’s done. She’ll do it again. I know it. And I’m just sorry I can’t help you… stop her…”

“You’ve already helped me quite a bit,” you assure him. “But like I said. I have the stake. You can be free from this place, from this body… if you’re ready. This might be painful.”

He goes silent, shivering a bit. You almost want to tell him about what comes after all this is done… Afterhaven, another life, but you know you can’t disclose these secrets. It has to be protected at all costs, even in dire circumstances like this.

“…I’m ready,” Ralon tells you, sounding anxious. “Please tell my family… I love them. Please tell them… goodbye…”

“I will…” you promise him.

A moment of dark silence fills the air. You decide to make this quick. No counting to three, or anything like that. No sense drawing this out any longer than it needs to be. You take a deep breath, grip your armored hand on the stake…

…and drive it through Ralon’s heart.

Lyric has used the [Encrypted Stake].

He suddenly shrieks… for never before has he known such pain…

{Crucified Starly Effigy: Stake Sacrifice}

Sadly, what Velli and Exonull have done to Ralon made it so death does not come quickly and it definitely isn’t simple and clean. Black pus and ichor gushes from the stake and the whole time, Ralon’s body convulses, spasms, and he can’t even speak… only gurgle an ungodly sound of pure, raw suffering.

What have I done…?

But you force yourself to say there was no other way. You know… this was meant for Ralon’s family to see… and to suffer with. As Ralon’s body loses control of himself, Velli and Exonull wanted this horrendous and grotesque display to burn forever in horror in the minds of Ralon’s family. And you know… you know it would have done endless traumatizing damage to them forever more and they would never leave this place the same. You denied Velli and Exonull that sadistic pleasure.

Ralon mutters words that you can’t understand. His voice is muffled by black pus oozing out of his mouth while his muscles give up the fight against the pain and become stiff and locked in rigor mortis… despite still being “alive” unnaturally.

“Lo…ve…” Ralon’s final dying breath mutters in a painful whimper. “…Fam…ily… …pe…ace… … ha-ha…ppi…ness… …”

…

He tried to think of the happiest thoughts he could before he passed. The things he loved, the things he knew were worth fighting for. And then there is silence…

…

…Ralon’s body no longer moves…

…

A sudden vision comes upon you, suddenly forcing you to sleep. You try to fight it, but it proves to be too strong, and for a brief moment, you see Ralon’s ravaged body. His ravaged, eyeless body, the horror his family was meant to suffer with… but you selflessly take it in their place.



…

Nothing…

…

Except you know that’s a lie…

You wake up and nothing moves, as if the air itself has been petrified into stone. The only thing that breaks the stillness is the black pus that continues to ooze from Ralon’s mouth to drip upon the floor. But then… something else comes out of his beak. It plummets to the wooden floor, and you take a closer look, sensing a Stalker’s presence… Exonull’s presence… coming from this strange, hook-shaped object…

You reach down to pick it up to take a closer look and…

#Piercing Bite – ROCK (3 Health Damage, 3 Purity Damage)# Trap 30% Evasion Test: 41 out of 100: Failed!

Lyric has suffered 1 Health Damage and 1 Purity Damage.

It suddenly pierces through your skin and only mildly hurts at first, before suddenly escalating…

…and you cannot hold back a s͈̫͎͈͙̯̰̜ͦ̋̾ͪ̇̉̑̔c̫̗͎̗̗͚͍̖͕̆͑̋ͣ̔͛ͩ̓̚rͣ̑͛͂ͯeaͬ͐ͤ̍̆ͅ ̞̤͇ͅmͮ̏̊̋͗̒.

Lyric has suffered 2 Health Damage and 2 Purity Damage.

You sudde̟̫̟͈̣͇̱̼̪̥͖̭̻nly moan and vo̲̯̪̯̘͈̙͎̘͕̖̣̭͕̖mit before your eye̟̫̟͈̣͇̱̼̪̥͖̭̻s ro̲̯̪̯̘͈̙͎̘͕̖̣̭͕̖ll back and̜̬͙̟͙̘̭ ̣͚̯̲̙̰ỵ̠̘o͙͕͇͍̺͕uͯ s͙͔̮̫̦͈͌̽́̑̑̎t̘͇ͣ̚a̝̺̹̦͖r̥̠̻̫̱͙̪̐͂̂͂ͯ̇̚e̒̅̃ͥ̎̽ͩb̽e ̣ͦw̖̪͍a̮̯͚̫̭̦͐ͪ̍͐̍̚r̦͎͕̳̥̗̄̆̎̇ͯ̓eo̱͉̫͕͎̺͆̏̂̃ͬ͒b͗͂̊ ͫ̅͐l͕̬̣̜̼̯̘̎̔̐̏̏̎͊i̯̫̫̘̲͒̔ͮ̿̆v̑̋̎̎ͮǐ̝̱͕̐͊oͦ̆ͯ̎̓̍͗ ̪̣̰͓̺̯̲ni̟̺̩͈͔ͅsa̮̥̠͂͆͛t͚̠h̪͎͙̗͉̙ͯ̊͋̓ͩ͐a̬͍nd.

Y͓̜ͥ̄ó̋̑u̥̥͗̌ c̰͖͇̾̄̈ry,̀ ̯̬̥j̱͐ṳ̣st̹ ̔w̦ͨͧͅa̱͂n̤͒tĭͪn͗̅̂g̩̼͚ ỉ̉t ̙͒t͚̣o̱̬͊͛ ̠͖͓̂́͗st̉op̖̣̣ͥ̓ͪ.

When you finally break through the pain, you realize… this horrendous thing was forced into Ralon’s body and he’s been suffering with it the whole time. The horror you just experienced was only a mere sample in comparison to what Ralon had to endure.

You wrap the fang in a rag, twitching and heaving a bit. It feels like this is never going to get easier…

@[Fang of the Traumatized] Piercing Bite – ROCK (3 Health Damage, 3 Purity Damage) was added to the Team Inventory.

You then carefully remove Ralon’s body from his crucifixion mount and wrap the poor Starly’s body with an old brown blanket. Up close, you can see his physical condition was even worse than you originally thought, but you’re just hoping right now he’s safely in Afterhaven, free from his unholy and unnatural spiritual bondage here and now deciding how he wants his next life… a happier life… to be like.

But as for you, you leave, taking Ralon’s body with you… taking him home to his family so they can give him a proper funeral and burial away from the dark, lonely, forgotten place of suffering. The sights… the visions… and the nightmare you saw… Ralon’s family never has to see that. You never need to tell them what you saw, and instead they can remember the happier moments… holidays… birthdays… family vacations…

…when times were better. When happy memories were made.

It’s still early in the morning when you arrive at the Overlook Apartments, just as Verio is leaving for work. As the Toucannon closes the wooden door behind him, he thinks today is going to be like any other day, but then he turns around and sees you standing just outside his apartment door, holding the brown blanket, wrapped in a bundle.

For a moment, he stops. Time stops. It’s time that will never come back… and the look on his face tells you… he knows. You don’t need to hide anything… but you never intended to.

…

“He wanted… to say he loves you… and goodbye…” you tell him softly, feeling a hard lump in your throat. “Love… family… peace… happiness… those were his last words…”

…

They become words you both will always remember. They become words you both will never forget…

…

Lyric Winterheart the Nidorina (M: Poison)
Health: 17/20 | Sanity: 20/20 | Purity: 11/20 | Dodge Rate: 30%
Perk: Diplomacy
Reincarnation Forms: Brionne, Mega Ampharos, Hisuian Goodra, Latios, Amaura
EQUIPMENT:
  • Defense Armor: <Empty>
  • Jewelry: <Empty>