• Closed • Danger, under the light of Yldria

[Sintih]

Continued from here.

81st of Ymiden, 720th Arc
Afternoon
Yldria, Uleuda

Now he knew which one this was. It was always a bit of a guess until the end but now that they were there, it was easier to handle. It had been stupid of him to grab Yana and pull her out of harm's way. There wasn't anything he could do about it in the end. It was difficult to get excited, to stay motivated for something, to be worried or anxious about something, to care or even to feel anything at all about something when you knew the exact steps that were going to happen next. What it did do for the young Yludih was make it much easier to distance himself from the whole thing. As Yana regained her balance on the other side of him, the light in Sintih dimmed, quicker than usual because half of it was being extracted by the nearby Nulliem but it settled down to a little dot of starlight.

Then he got yanked off his feet as Yana's crystal fingers curled around his hand and she pulled him away from the Nulliem. For a moment he thought she'd done the same to him as he had done to her, pull him out of harm's way, but she kept her grip on his hand and moved ahead of him, pulling him along with her. The hope. It didn't reach Sin, but he didn't stop running either. Yana's fingers felt warm against his crystals, a constant glow of heat as he tried to keep up with her. She was in much better shape than him and it was obvious from the constant tugging he felt in his arm as she ran ahead of him. It started to become painful but Yana didn't let go. She was running for her life, providing him with hope. He dared to glance back at the slow tide of nothing.

The Nulliem were humanoid shaped somethings entirely made up of nothing, of a black void of death. They were the only thing in Uleuda that the Yludih had to fear, eternal hunters designed specifically to kill Yludih. Their touch was to a Yludih like fire was to a human covered in oil. The light would simply leave them and they would crumble, their crystals no longer held together by their asterism. Just a heap of crystals and dust, if none of the Nulliem then stepped on your remains, at least. One of them would manage to reach them and he'd manage to get Yana and it would be over. It would be soul curshingly painful for him but he could lessen the impact by distancing him from her, from everything here, everything everywhere. It wouldn't hurt as much. He could speak with Doctor Tholian about it once he woke up, once this was all over.

His translucent robes billowed behind him as they ran, each pace causing little crystals under his feet to crackle under his weight. He moved his focus forward to Yana who was leading the way. He had no idea where they were but she thought she did. It was always like this. Glancing at the forest around them, Sin could tell that Yldria was somewhere to his right, roughly, but there were currently only crystal trees there, blocking their path. Yana had an excellent head on her shoulders so she would know this as well. He could leave it to her, just play along, run, run like your life depended on it. Run to let your thoughts fade to mist as you focused on putting one foot in front of the other. Now that he was focusing on that he managed to bring his pace up to that of Yana's, running next to her instead of being dragged after her. His asterism was pulsing like a dying candle light, sending waves of light and energy as far as it could get them.

[Yanahalqah]

It followed. Yana ran for her life, fear gripping her asterism tight, nearly crushing it into a thousand shards. As fast as her legs could carry her, she ran. Aimless, just wanting to get away. It didn’t matter which way she went, as long as it wasn’t anywhere near the Nulliem who’d almost grabbed her. And yet, despite her desperate dash, despite putting her all into her actions, despite her mind urging her to become one with speed itself, the Nulliem still followed.

Though it was far more sluggish here than in the darkness where it could move unimpeded, the Nulliem’s speed was nothing to scoff at. Crystals were consumed when it moved, body eating through it. The supermassive insides of the black void of the Nulliem crushed all that passed through, everything that went in never came back out. Not even the light contained within those crystals made it back out.

Yet while being slowed down by the crystal ground getting in its way, and by the distraction of large crystal trees, the Nulliem still was a little bit faster. Enough so the gap between them closed quickly after it slowed down to barrel through the thick trunks of several trees. It made the obvious fate laid bare before them seem inevitable. Eventually, the creature would come close enough to reach out and touch either of them. One simple touch in the right spot, and it would be all over for them. Asterism or head. One touch on either would do the trick.

She wanted to speed up, to run faster still, but couldn’t. Was it Sintih next to her, holding her back? Even with him actually sprinting beside her, she still was dragging him along. If she let go, would she be faster? Without her to pull him forwards, would be able to keep this speed up? Yana’s fingers tightened their grip. Not again. I won’t let it happen again.

They kept fleeing, Yana picking and choosing a route at random. A zig-zag through the trees, aimed at slowing down the pursuing Nulliem as much as possible with big obstacles it would not avoid. It pained her to scar the environment so, to destroy what had taken so long to grow and flourish. To kill the crystal vegetation, or damage it to the point of it becoming unrecognizable. Still, it was to save her life, to save Sintih’s. Both were more important. Her inattention would not be the weak Yludih’s death. It shouldn’t be. It couldn’t be.

The more they ran, the more it seemed she was putting him in more danger by holding on to him. Several times the Nulliem tried to consume the feeling Yludih, and each time its sights were set on Yana. Hands reaching for her. Arms raised in her direction. And though it was difficult to tell with the creature being composed of pure darkness, but she thought its head was turned towards her as well. Sintih was largely ignored. Was his light too weak for the Nulliem to be interested? Was his asterism that bad at its job? How bad was his health anyway?

Something snapped and shattered behind them, the loud noise of breaking glass. Cracks spiderwebbing through it as the Nulliem corroded its crystals, trapping the light within its body. The creature burst forth from the crystal trunk as if emerging from a pool of water. The structural integrity of the tree was compromised, only a few thin remaining strands of crystal remaining to keep the whole crown of crystal leaves and branches in position. It couldn’t last, of course.

Accompanied by the screaming of nails on chalkboard, the whole trunk collapsed. Its shadow fell over the two fleeing Yludih, their heads turning to see the massive, full-grown broad-leaf threaten to crush the both of them. It came down deceptively fast, the shadow enlarging with every passing moment. Yana let go of Sintih’s hand, using it to firmly push him to one side, then she threw herself to the other.

She fell on her stomach, and rolled sideways, making use of the momentum she still possessed to get out of the way. Just in time. The massive form of the tree smashed into the ground behind her with a thunderous thud, a cloud of crystal dust displaced by the impact, whirling around for a few moments. Yana didn’t waste time. They were still in danger. Through the dust lightly obscuring her vision, she could still clearly see the Nulliem. Upright, unbothered by the whole situation. The trunk had fallen on top of it, but the creature was unaffected. Instead, its body had eaten a hole through the tree as it collapsed on it.

“Sintih!” she cried out, voice ringing like a bell. “Are you alright?”

Catching sight of her too, the void-being began wading through the trunk as if it were a bank of snow, clearing up the parts of the dust cloud it came into contact with. Sintih was once again completely ignored. Maybe for the best.

Yldria’s light shone brighter on Sintih’s side of the tree, which meant on her side was the wall. One of these was a location she absolutely did not want to lead an all-consuming Nulliem to. Her asterism was racing from effort and terror, but there was no choice here. On her own she might be fast enough to keep the creature at a safe distance, and with luck she could endure for long enough to survive. Sintih would be fine, seeing as he didn’t seem to be piquing the Nulliem’s interests.

“It’s targeting me, I think,” Yana called as she began to dash away once more, towards the darker parts of Uleuda, away from Yldria. “Get help. I—” The Nulliem had freed itself from the trunk, and picked up more speed. She had no time to give voice to whatever she’d planned to say next, only to run.

[Sintih]

The horrible noises behind them told Sintih that they hadn't made any progress in trying to get away from the Nulliem. The void was on the hunt and it wouldn't stop until it had devoured her or until it was killed. Or destroyed. Sin didn't know which one actually applied to the Nulliem. Were they another race of Yludih hunting them or were they simply nothing made form? What an odd thing to think about in this situation. Crystal trees were crumbling down behind them as the Nulliem walked through them. It was invulnerable to anything the Yludih could throw at it, except when it was thrown or infused by an ancient. Their ability to bring a part of Yldria's light wherever they went was the only thing capable of stopping a Nulliem.

As his mind leapt back to a time where he'd been assigned to patrol duties and had fought with the Nulliem, Yana suddenly let go of the vice-like grip she'd had on his hand the whole time. It jarred him back to the present, this sudden change. It made him aware of the screeching coming from behind them as their path grew brighter and brighter from light above. Then he went tumbling to the side, suddenly pushed away by Yana. He could just barely see her dive away in the opposite direction when his vision exploded in light and crystal. The impact of the massive crystal tree onto the crystal floor exploded shards and fragments everywhere. Sintih landed unceremoniously on his ass and came to a halt when he rolled over onto his stomach. He kept his head down as little bits of crystals clattered down around him and on top of him, harmlessly.

When the crystal dust had settled, he dared to look up and saw a massive crystal tree cracked and broken in large chunks blocking the path between him and Yana. Perhaps this wasn't the one he had in mind? A voice chimed from ahead of him, from the other side of the tree. Yana. So it wasn't the tree this time? "I'm fine!" He chimed back at her before shutting himself up. What was the point? Don't engage, doctor Tholian always said. He just kept engaging. From his left, where they'd come from, the sound of crumbling and crushing crystals came in the form of a large Nulliem wading his way through the tree. It seemed much bigger now than when he'd pulled Yana out of its grasp. The black head of nothing turned to face him and for a moment, Sin thought he could see black eyes stare right into his. He blinked and it turned away from him, wading through the tree towards Yana's side. Whistling against the pain, Sin rolled over onto his back and dropped his head back on a pillow.

81st of Ymiden, 720th Arc
Late afternoon
The Viden Infirmary

It was painful, just opening his eyes. He had a splitting headache which only got worse as he saw the bright white of the room. Sin's illusion sucked in a sharp breath, which drew the attention of a person sitting nearby. He couldn't tell who or what they were but they quickly got up and left. Sin could feel his asterism pulsing in his ears as he tried to make sense of where he was. He felt tired, exhausted in fact, and didn't even manage to sit up, let alone scout out his current location. Someone walked up close to his side and he realized that they were talking to him. Whatever they said sounded like vague noises coming from a long distance, stretched out. He tried to focus on them to see who was talking but he could only see the vague, blurry shape of a white humanoid before everything went back to black.

81st of Ymiden, 720th Arc
Late afternoon
Yldria, Uleuda

The darkness gave him a relief from the pain. He remembered what had caused the pain, a straight punch to the face followed by a, for Sintih, appropriate collapse onto the hard floor of the Viden Academy. It was better to be here without the pain than to be there with it. That much he knew for sure. In this void of nothing, he allowed himself to bathe in the warmth, to bask in the light. Here, he was-... Wait. Light? Warmth? Sintih opened himself up to his surroundings, peeking out of one eye first, then the other. Yldria. Sin whistled sharply in Ulehi, something inappropriate that his mother would never have allowed in her house. He closed his eyes and left to nowhere. Another one? Or still the same one? Wasn't it done yet? Why was it so intricate this time around? He felt full of energy here, standing so close to Yldria. It's light permeated everything here. It annoyed him, to be here, to feel exactly what it would be like if he wasn't broken.

He ducked into the nearest alleyway, before anyone annoying showed up, and made his way to the wall, a different section this time, so he wouldn't run into her again. He made it over to the wall and got to climbing the stairs. It had been such a weird one this time. Yana had seemed so distant and even a little confused and he hadn't actually seen... Sin shook his head at the top of the stairs and misted the thought, looking for a good place he could sit and let his mind wander away. Perhaps he'd wake up quickly this time. He let his feet dangle over the edge of the wall and stared into the nothing far beyond the forest as he sank deep within himself.

[Yanahalqah]

It felt as if she had been running for hours. Yet, at the same time, she had very little memory of scenery and environment passed. Was it seconds then? The pulsing of her asterism was fast and frantic, her legs were filled with fire. Burning. Painful. Manageable for now, but it would become worse and worse the longer she continued to sprint. She should take a little break. Recover a bit. Yana couldn’t though. Even with Sintih no longer holding her back, she wasn’t quite fast enough to create a large gap between herself and the Nulliem. It was stable for now, but if she stopped, it would shrink instantly.

And, she wasn’t sure if she would be able to force herself into motion again. Yana already was tired. Exhausted from the intense session with the helpful monk. Then some more from the awkward tension between herself and Sintih. From then staring into the face of death itself. From running from it. From running towards the terrifying infinite nothingness her pursuer had come from.

Please Sintih, quickly!

Would he even be able to make it into the city fast enough to find help? Would he even find an Ancient immediately? How long did it take to get to Yldria from where she’d left him? She could probably make it within a minute or five when running. So ten in total, provided she ran into an Ancient willing to help immediately. Sintih was slower though. Even at his full speed. Add half as a conservative estimate? She didn’t even want to think how much longer if he couldn’t instantly find an Ancient.

Yana felt her resolve weaken, her body starting to give in to exhaustion. Her asterism’s pulses were getting erratic. Sputtering. Fighting to provide energy, fighting to produce enough. She stumbled over the uneven ground, attention waning just a moment, the rhythm of her feet slowing down as she tried to regain her balance. That was all it took.

By the time she righted herself fully, the thing behind her had suddenly crept up a whole lot closer. The Yludih could feel the light being drained from her already struggling asterism. Out of the crystals of her body. She could see it too, drawn from her and flowing to the voidling, like an ethereal column of steam. It tingled. Cooled her crystals, and not in a good way.

Fear hugged her tight once more, stoked the fire within the star of her heart-stone. Energy renewed, she quickened her pace, dashing forwards even faster than before. The Yludih darted through the trees, hopping over fallen logs and protruding roots, ducking underneath low-hanging branches. Zigging and zagging at random, picking and choosing the shortest route that would also puts as many obstacles in the Nulliem’s way without impeding herself too much.

She knew it couldn’t last though. For now, the second wind empowering her was still going strong, but it’d fade and sputter out eventually. Hopefully she’d have reached the edge of the forest by then. There the Nulliem couldn’t do much damage.

It became harder and harder again to put one foot in front of the other. Both her asterism and her legs were wrestling exhaustion now. Each new step was a struggle. Each pulse of the start-shaped heart required too much effort. She had to stop. She couldn’t go on. Just a little bit of rest. A brief moment. Before she realized, Yana was stationary. One hand resting on a thick crystal vegetation, body leaning heavily on it. She was done. Spent. Her legs were trembling, knees feeling weak. There was a certain dizziness coming over her, and she idly wondered if it was a side-effect of the Nulliem leeching her light away.

She should get moving again. The Nulliem was getting too close. But her body didn’t listen. It couldn’t muster the strength to take another step. Her knees were already having trouble keeping her standing, running again was out of the question, and sprinting full tilt like she’d done before was entirely ridiculous.

Behind her, the Nulliem ate through the ground, leaving deep tracks in its wake. It approached with a nonchalant and casual stroll as if it knew its prey had exhausted herself and couldn’t escape anymore. Yana forced herself to stagger away, but the Nulliem did not increase its pace. It didn’t need to. Even like this it was faster than her. Soon enough it would be upon her. It was inevitable. But Yana had to keep moving. She didn’t want to die. Not yet. Not now.

Sintih. Sintih was going to get help. She needed to buy some time. Keep going for as long as she could, move as far as she could. Crawling forward if she needed to. Buy enough time for Sintih to get to the city, find an ancient, and send them her way. Fifteen minutes. How many more were left? How long had she run?

The Nulliem was closer still. Looming behind her. An independent shadow of pitch. Her asterism struggled even more under the added strain of the creature’s passive draining.

Another step. And another. Then another.

It was getting harder to move. More difficult to stay conscious. An odd thing within Uleuda for sure, if she fainted, would she be shunted back to Idalos? Darkness encroached on her vision. The floor was suddenly coming very close, very fast.

[Sintih]

He sank and sank and sank and went nowhere. Again. He could still feel the light of Yldria on his back, warm, soothing, home. He could feel that light voice creep up in the back of his head as he looked out at the void. That's where death was. He could feel the crystal he was sitting on and could hear the soft cracking of footsteps as Yludih guards patrolled the wall. And through all that he could see her face. The fear in her body as she ran, clutching to him, pulling him to safety. The sharp edge to her chimes as she called out to him across the fallen crystal tree, the Nulliem ignoring him to chase after the more tasty of the two. He knew she was in danger. He knew she wasn't in danger. He knew he shouldn't engage with her. Doctor Tholian... Sin spun around and stepped off the wall on the floor. Screw Doctor Tholian. In a few quick strides he was on the inner edge of the wall, looking down the stairs. No. Stop. Think. You're not saving anyone by running.

Sin jumped back on top of the wall and turned towards Yldria. He could easily overlook the city from here. Which way had he gone before? Over there. And they'd left in this direction, passing through a gate into the forest somewhere closer over there. They had continued to walk... which way? Sin cursed at himself for not paying attention this time around. It was loud and crass and enough to get the attention of a nearby patrolling Yludih. He ignored him. They had been running with the light on his right the whole time, until the tree went down. So they'd run closer in this direction. How long had they been running for? Somewhere over there would have been the limit at his own speed. That's where he'd gone back. How long had he been gone? How did time flow compared to Idalos? Had she been dead for trials here? No. Stop. Think. Take a moment and think it through. Calculate. Sin let himself sink, not into the deep nothing where he'd been hiding, no. He sank into a calm, open space and let information flow into him as he saw it.

His asterism picked up and started glowing, light pulsing upward towards his head. There, a large opening in the forest, unnatural. Recent. Perhaps a large tree? Sin scanned further along the length of the hole the tree had cut open on the way down. He hopped three crystals over to his right and waited. Stared and waited. There. Another one. Much smaller but a few of them. One by one going down. Found you. He gritted his teeth and hopped back down to the safety of the ground. Down the stairs, through the gate and keep a little to his left. They hadn't been far out. Stupid. Yana knew what she was doing. Stepstepstepstepstepstepstep, down the stairs, skipping the last two with a jump before racing along the wall to the nearest gate. Stupid.

Don't die. Please don't die. Not again. Aelig, for whatever it is worth and however real this is, just once, please, just once. You're the one who brought her to me. His feet charged ahead, keeping a path slightly to his left. At first it was easy, as the forest was thin, with only a few crystals here or there, but it grew thicker rapidly and more and more he had to choose a path and then offset the course he had to follow to get to her. I know you did. Was it just to mess with me down the line, to mess with me on this trial? Just this one immortals-be-damned time! Just once let me make it in time. No deals this time, no trade, no bargain. No response. Nothing. Not that he ever expected one. His asterism flared up brighter as anger joined the fray. I can promise you it'll cost you down the line. You'll regret it if I don't make it this time. I know you're laughing now but it'll cost you. Sin chose the right path and rushed down it, taking a left through two crystals, squeezing himself between them to get through them and correct his path to reach her.

It had to be somewhere here, somewhere nearby. Unless she had died already. Then she would be somewhere further to his left. If she'd died or if she'd made a stand or if she'd tried to lure into a trap somewhere, somehow. He turned to his left and took a step when a sudden cracking sound to his right drew his attention. A crystal branch clattered to the ground on his right. But if she'd ran for her life, just tried to keep going, she would be further than he could have predicted. Yana was tough, and a soldier, she'd keep running, keep going. She was still alive. Sin was off again, asterism pulsing as he ducked down to grab the branch. It was more of a crystal spike than anything, really, but that's what branches looked like in Uleuda. At least now he was armed?

He burst out of a particularly thin collection of brush crystals onto a path. One stubborn one cut into Sin's side, tearing the translucent fabric that covered him and chipping away at the outer layer of his form. Pain just caused his asterism to flare up brighter. A path with a set of deep grooves in it and chunks and holes in the trees. Found you. Without thinking much about it, Sin turned right and followed it. He couldn't let her die again. Just run harder, run faster, be quicker. Get there in time. Aelig, please. Just once. Sin ran down a bend towards his right, following the grooves in the ground while making sure he didn't place his feet anywhere near them. Twisting or breaking an ankle here wouldn't save anyone. There. A little further down the path. A hulking black figure. Yana wasn't anywhere in sight. Was it already too late? No. He would make it this time. Screw Doctor Tholian or the set outcome. He ran and burned with light.

Distance. Speed. The uneven path. The movements of the Nulliem. Rational thinking popped up. He wouldn't make it. He wouldn't get to it in time. Hate joined the fray. Fear jumped in as well. Both of them increasing the light within. His fingers curled around the crystal branch-spike and gripped tight. Smaller cracks appeared on the branch and on his hand as it flared up with light. He wouldn't make it. But he didn't need to make it. He pulled his hand with the branch back. His asterism poured light into the task at hand as his legs and stomach grew dim, almost empty and the light from his left arm retreated back to the asterism as he poured his everything into his right arm. He would save Yana this time, put an end to the cycle. He'd had enough of all the loss. Love joined the fray and his asterism exploded with light, twice as bright as before.He ignored the pain in his chest as he poured it all into his right hand. His arm radiated light as bright as Yldria's, a tiny shard of it, as he threw his hand forward, letting go of the branch.

It was as if the world slowed down as the branch sailed through the air towards his target. He'd poured everything into, every ounce he could muster. His hand and arm burned in pain and there was a sharp stabbing feeling in his chest but he ignored it all to watch the branch sail through the air. It wouldn't make it. He could see that he was still too far off. He'd given it everything and it was worthless. Before his eyes, the branch started tilting downward, way too early to reach anywhere near the Nulliem. Sin could feel himself falter as he knew what came next. He should've kept his distance. The branch flared bright, radiant light and erupted forward, some unseen force hurtling it forward into the back of the Nulliem and out the front where a Yludih's asterism would have been. In a trill it erupted into bright white flames and burned out of existence as crystals started pouring out. Like cutting the bottom of a sack of potatoes, all the crystals bits and chunks it had devoured during the chase, all partially digested, cracked down into smaller parts, all of them came vomiting out onto the ground the moment it was gone.

With his own asterism at a little smolder, Sin couldn't believe what he saw, what had just happened. But did it matter? Hadn't he succeeded? For once? She'd live this time. He struggled forward, putting one foot first. His right arm hung limp to his side, crystals cracked and smoking. His chest felt like he'd been stabbed by the radiant branch as well and his legs seemed almost as devoid of light as the Nulliem had been. But he struggled forward. "Yana!" He chimed, his voice cracking as much as his right arm. He dragged himself to the pile of crystals the Nulliem had left and fell on them, sliding down the side, trying to get to her.

Her body was still, her light was faint. But she still had form. Form meant life, right? Sin moved his left arm over and under her and pulled her head up into his lap."Come on. Don't die on me again. I promise I'll talk to you every trial. I'll come to Uleuda every night. I'll move back to Rynmere. Whatever you want, just... Please. Please, just don't die again!" He felt the sadness, the loss crash into him, but he didn't have what he needed to cry. Crying was a luxury in Uleuda. But he gripped her body tight and tried to rock her awake. "Come on, please, please, please." He raised his eyes to the darkness above, the void of nothing above Uleuda. "Aelig! Please!" He shouted up at nothing. And then nothing lit up like the Idalos sky. Light as bright as Yldria's descended down upon them and a bright hand, fully detailed, with nails and knuckles and grooves on the knuckles gently touched the top of Yana's head, light pouring into her from the Ancient. "Your mother is going to kill me for real this time, Son."

[Yanahalqah]

She was barely holding on. Barely capable of slowing down the darkness that washed over her. Her senses were giving out one after the other. Sound was dampening, sight blurring. Scents becoming stale and indistinguishable. Her body felt like it belonged to someone else. Yana was vaguely aware that she was on the ground. She knew danger was closing in on her. She understood she should be trying to get away. However, none of her limbs responded. All she felt were pins and needles, thousands of them, stabbing away at her crystal form.

Every moment that passed made it more difficult to think, to remain in the here and now. Things were happening around her. A voice was shouting. Bright white light. Heat. A lengthy sequence of impacts. Thuds and shattering.

More of the voice. A garbled string of sounds that made no sense. It didn’t matter though. She liked that voice. Words or nonsense, it was all the same. She could listen to it for ages. Hearing it made her happy. Made her feel more at ease now. The danger had passed, Yana knew, and the one part still fighting sighed and sunk down in relief. It too was tired. Rest. It needed rest. She needed it too. Just a quick nap.

If only it were warmer though. Why was she so cold?

The voice was louder now. Shouting. Speaking a name. Not hers. She couldn’t quite place it, but Yana disliked it all the same. She knew that name, and a strong dislike for it welled up inside. But loathing did not help against the cold. Against the creeping dark.

More light. Warm and familiar. Comforting like a mother. It came closer and closer. It cut through the darkness, coming to a stop right in front of her. Just a moment of it hovering there, and then it began to spread. From her head to her chest and shoulders. To her arms and hands and fingers. Into her torso it seeped, filling up her asterism, then sinking down into her hips, legs and feet. So warm. It chased away the cold without effort.

So much better.

The darkness was still there though, but differently. Far more comfortable now. Everything was fading. Voices were softening until there was only silence. Her sight blurred further, until there was only dark. All sensation in her body was reduced to just warmth, which then became nothing at all.

As she slipped into a well-deserved rest.

[Strange]

Thread Review

Sintih

Sintih

Skill Points: +15 (cannot be used for magic)
Magic XP: None.

Renown: +5

Injuries/Overstepping: Light loss and Nulliem fatigue(Exhaustion), Temporary loss of motor function in both legs (will require a minimum of 12 trials of physiotherapy, if not the entirety of Saun), Temporary cracks and burns along the crystals of his entire right arm and hand.
Wealth Points: None
Loot: None

Skill Knowledge:

• Detection: Tracking someone from a distance by their effects on their surroundings
• Detection: Getting your lights punched out can mess with your senses
• Discipline: Exact repeating patterns could be signs of illusion or hallucination
• Discipline: Engaging with illusion is not the way to get rid of them
• Meditation: Running can help to clear your mind
• Meditation: Getting distracted by repeating thoughts
• Tactics: Overseeing a (battle)field from up high
• Tactics: Taking precious time to plan is always better than rushing ahead without a plan

Non-Skill Knowledge:

• Uleuda: Waking up in Idalos pulls you from Uleuda
• Uleuda: Waking up from Uleuda resets you back to Yldria

Notes: n/a
Skills Used: Running (0, 0), Meditation (10, 8), Tactics (150, 40), Endurance (0, 19), Strength (0, 5), Navigation (0, 1), Detection (3, 24)
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Player Word Count: 3455 words.

Yana

Yanahalqah

Skill Points: +15 (cannot be used for magic)
Magic XP: None.

Renown: +5

Injuries/Overstepping: Light loss and Nulliem fatigue(Exhaustion)
Wealth Points: None
Loot: None

Skill Knowledge:

• Running: (Danger, under Yldria's light) x2
• Endurance: (Danger, under Yldria's light) x2
• Discipline: (Danger, under Yldria's light) x2
• Strength: (Danger, under Yldria's light) x2

Non-Skill Knowledge:

• none requested.

Notes: n/a
Skills Used: Mathematics: Unskilled; Running: Novice; Endurance, discipline, strength: Competent; Tactics: GM
Skill Review: Appropriate to level.
Player Word Count: 2371 words.

Quite the dramatic thread, and went right into the action from the start. The danger of the Nulliem came across in a believable way, and the dynamic between Sintih and Yana was an interesting one. I didn't really know the background between the two, but regardless, it came across that they are very close to one another but maybe that Yana especially is used to being very independent - but that she tries to be a little different for Sintih's sake because she cares about him.

I also thought it was fairly powerful that Yana had the wherewithal to try and get the Nulliem away from Yldria's light, so the title of the thread was apt. The descriptions of the scenery from both of your posts also set the crystal home of the Yludih with a lot of evocative imagery. Sintih has an interesting stream-of-consciousness style, both in the structure of the prose and it comes across in his character as well. I am not that familiar with Yludih, but you both wrote it in a very engaging manner.

Great job and enjoy your rewards!

PM me if you have any questions, issues or concerns.

Total Word Count: 5826 words.

Review Request Link: viewtopic.php?p=153018#p153018
stampcodehere