Esylana: The horses had run as far as they could. Which wasn't far. This was the desert, after all, and between the burning rays of the sun, the shifting sands as they moved off the obsidian plains and towards the east, near the coast, the horses had finally reached their limit as they came to a trotting halt. Esylana had no idea where they were now, her plans had been diverted when the Inquisitor woman had shown up and made things difficult for them in the city. She cursed as she leaned forward over the horse's neck, briefly, before looking over at Hildria. "Are you okay?" she asked through dry and cracked lips. She reached for the flask at her side and took a sip - only a sip. Who knew where the next source of water might be, after all.

CrystalOnyx: -It was a bumpy ride as they left that black rock and headed into the endless mounds of sand. The sun beamed down on them, wearing black wasn't such a good idea; but then again it was all she had. As the horses had run their limits, Hildria slid off onto the hot sand and sighed. That moronic woman ruined everything, they would've made it to the next place if it wasn't for her. She soon glanced over to the mortal whom was leaning on the neck of her horse.- "I'm fine. . I'm more worried about you." -She wiped the sweat from her face as she looked around for some kind of shade or even a rare water pool. There was nothing but leafless trees and a few shrubs, the sand never ending.-

Rheksas: Rheksas had never experienced the desert before, but it didn’t take long for him to realize he hated it. Thankfully, he had more than enough money leftover from pawning off Crystal and her vampire friend to afford plenty of water and what the locals called a ‘sand raptor’ for the trip. He learned the mount quick as he could, though the creature, like many, was wary of him. The curse he bore tended to have that effect on animals, making them more difficult to tame, train, or trust; so far this raptor-thing was cooperating. It was a tall, green-skinned lizard that knew the sands better than any horse, and for that he was immensely thankful. He couldn’t talk to the spirits in this land of Rembrant, so rooting for more water would be impossible due to his ignorance of this blasted biome. It wasn’t long before he came upon his quarry, this ever-elusive Esylana. He spotted her out in the distance, making due with a horse that was sadly out of its league in this wretched clime. Well, he assumed from the description he’d gotten that this was her – it all checked out. But who else was that? A… winged woman? No one spoke of this one, leaving him with next to nothing to go on. Rheksas decided in that moment to eschew caution and charge the pair, rapping the reins against his lizard’s hide, that he might drive it hard towards his prey. “Ho there!” he called out, circling wide around them. They would see him as a darkly armored man, his sickly pallor clashing with the harshness of the desert. A longsword was strapped to his back – no, it was already in his hand, the movement to so quick and natural as to be seamless with the lizard’s own steps.

Esylana: Esylana slowly sat up on her horse, the nausea was being kept at bay for the moment, but the headache certainly wasn't being helped by the sunlight. She nodded wearily over at Hildria, a sad smile on her face. "I'll be okay..." she lied briefly, starting to dismount from the over-worked horse, when she decided it might be better to keep her place, for the moment. She was startled into staring as Rheksas suddenly charged in and circled them, blade in hand. He looked impressive, and the lizard had such a good grip of the sands and how to manuever, that for a moment, Esylana could only think this might be it, they'd have to try and fight. But then he called out, and she vaguely remembered him. He'd been in the grove...he'd killed a soldier...she'd shared honey with him. Why was he here? Were there more soldiers nearby? "Rheksas, what is it?" she called out, his name coming easily to her tongue, even if she'd only met him once - it had a strangely familiar feel to it.

CrystalOnyx: -Hildria could see the sadness in the woman as she smiled. Looking to the ground the soft pat of footsteps from a creature came around them. Soon a man ontop of some kind lizard appeared. Hildria noticed he hand his sword drawn, and soon she pulled her axe from her back. Holding the large mahogany handle with both hands, she took a stance as her golden eyes followed the man's movements. Something was off though, Esylana seemed to know this man. She was confused for the moment as she glanced from the woman to the man, her grip on the axe never loosening or moving as she waited to see their action towards each other.-

Rheksas: “Never thought you’d see me again, did ya?” said Rheksas, his face splitting into a ragged smile, crooked teeth shining bright in the desert sun. His dull silver eyes appraised the pair, paying special attention to their gear. Esylana had taken up a bow but he had no way of knowing how good a shot she was. This other woman held a large battleaxe, looking like she meant to use it. An inherently clumsy weapon, to be sure, but nothing to underestimate; the weight of its head alone must make for some pretty impressive cuts. “Are you long for the desert, Esylana?” he asked, slowing his mount to a leisurely trot. “I’ve just come from the empire, and from your little fae friend. There’s business with crystals to discuss, and if you aim to give me all the wrong answers, this might well be where your journey ends.”

Esylana: The Empire? Crystals? Wait, fae?! "What did you do with Nita??" Her voice suddenly rising, as she realizes he might have been hired by the Empire to scout the grove, get to know them, and then take them down when the Empire deemed it necessary. Her hands clenched the reins of the horse - it was tense, watching the lizard, but it wasn't running. It's flanks were lathered in sweat, but it was still fidgeting, much like Hildria's own horse would be. She looked over at Hildria again, her body language going from exhausted, to curious, to tense, all within the past few moments of Rheksas arriving, and it would be a very noticible thing.

CrystalOnyx: -Hildria stepped away from her horse as her feet sunk into the ground with the heavy weight of her own body and the axe. She could tell Esylana was distressed, which made her even more curious and tense. She only kept her eyes on the man as they spoke to each other. After a moment she moved the axe to one of her shoulders as the blade rested high above her head.- "Why should she answer your questions? Only a barbarian would strike a woman who doesn't even have a weapon drawn, and I'm not talking about myself."

Esylana: She stared at him silently, a sudden path of options before her. She could admit she knew what she was doing, and yes, he was right, it would take her life to finish the task. But would he give her the chance to explain it? Or she could lie to his face, tell him she had had no idea, and would stop immediately. But would he buy it? She wasn't the best liar..."I know the price. But the blood that is being shed now is greater than the blood to be paid to free this world from the Empire," she said, low, but firm, her eyes filling with that same determination she's felt this entire journey, in spite of the dangers, the weather, the soldiers, and her own physical distress that lingered over her constantly.

CrystalOnyx: -Hildria chewed on her lip as she was confused on the conversation. They were talking about the quest that Esylana and her were on, but what was this talk about blood? She could see the determination in the woman's face. Her gaze moved back to the man now as they continued to speak. She kept quiet for the moment, but she would be ready if he attempted to do something.-

Rheksas: Rheksas kicked off his lizard, smiling placidly as he cautiously approached the pair. His sword was still firmly in his grip, but it was a relaxed grip, and he made no attempt at assuming any kind of battle stance. “You didn’t tell your friend here?” he asked, leaving the question up in the air as he shifted his gaze onto Hildria. “This is a suicide mission for Esylana. Goes only one way. Just like the Empress, she plans to give the master crystal a life to appease it into awakening. But something tells me she is not so cruel as Elleinad to give a life that wasn’t her own.” He let the news linger for a moment before speaking again, this time to Esylana. “I could easily stop you here. Wouldn’t even have to fight you,” he said, figuring the desert could kill just a sure as a sharp blade. “I aim to test your resolve here and now.” His (vague) intentions out in the open, Rheksas took the Sword of Grudges in both hands, raising the blade point up. It was not quite a guard, but some lazy place between one.

Esylana: Esylana slowly dismounted from the horse. It wouldn't help her at all, now. Either to run away, or to fight. She looked at Rheksas, and finally shook her head. "I'm not going to fight you, Rheksas. I'm in no condition...and falling here is not my intention...but I can't let you stop me, either..." She looked over at Hildria again, concern on her face. Where could they even retreat to? No water, no civilization, and the horses were spent. Her eyes locked on the nearby lizard. If she could get it away from him and use it, somehow...she knew Hildria could always follow with her wings...

CrystalOnyx: -Hildria's face grew angered as she listened to the both. This was suicide mission? Hildria gripped her axe in one hand as she turned the blade down the ground and slammed it into the sand. It made a puff of smoke and a large dent down now in the sand. The horses and raptor even jumped at the sudden bang. Her golden eyes seemed to melt with rage as she stared into the mortal's eyes.- "You dare hide this from me?" -Her fists clenched as she moved toward the woman, staring the woman down as she towered over her. This was infuriating, but the case seemed to be noble. She let out a sigh and unclenched her fists. She soon locked eyes with the man.- "Are you going to stop her?"

Rheksas: “I come to test her. May as well test you while I’m at it,” he answered. Rheksas drew from that terrible pit in his cursed soul, dragging up a lifetime of pain, despair, and madness and giving it diabolical form. A biting wind came from the north, cutting at them with fine granules picked up from the desert. It was a black wind, an ill thing not of nature, and it converged on the black-clad warrior, giving shape to his aura. What exuded next from him in an expanding bubble could only be described as a feeling of pure dread. No, it was more akin to terror, absolute and unmitigated. It washed over the area in one mighty gust, and what should have sent the horses into a frenzy instead stunned them stupid, so crippled with a relentless, instinctual fear that they could not bring themselves to move. It seemed to do the same to the sand raptor, though its distress was far less evident; perhaps it was too reptilian to comply to what was an innately mammalian reaction. For the two women, however, the horror of his presence was palpable. It brought the possibility of clenched guts, hammering hearts, troubled breathes, and then some. In a slow burn his aura consumed all common sense, giving way to primal fear. “Do you feel me?” he asked amidst the terror that cloaked him like a suit of armor. “Do you have the strength to know how you shall die? Can you find it in yourself to face your imminent demise, even if you believe it to be for good?”

Esylana: Esylana stood there, gripped in this purest of terror. She felt her heart clench and her knees weaken at the barrage, and she paled, her arms coming up around to clench tightly around herself. Her hair was whipped free in the breeze, the copper locks tangled in the wind and she shut her eyes. She shut her eyes and...remembered. She remembered...standing before a man who made plans to take a long lost tower. She remembered his betrayal, and then the explosion, not only of that tower, but of the entire city that held it. The horrible vortex that rose from it, and the beast that was so dark, so power, so foul, it slew distant gods before it finally fell to an concerted effort from every citizen of that distant world. She remembered how the people had blamed -her-, for being decieved. She remembered, perhaps even more painful, how her beloved guild, her family, had been shattered by her own hand as she brought up the body to feed another Master Crystal. She'd been there to help birth that Master Crystal - she'd witnessed the birth of the original as well. They were terrible things. They were beautiful things. They had been the hearts of those guilds. But this Master Crystal, the one she was trying to make now...this one was going to be the heart of this world, of Rembrant. She'd caught glimpses along the way of a past life, a life before the Empire. And it had been good. Dark at times, but...good. She opened her eyes, and in spite of the terror, in spite of the fear...she remembered feeling this before. And she had gotten through it then. She lowered her arms, swallowed, and stepped towards Rheksas. It was a single step, but it was the first of many, if that's what it took. "I will die...but if I am to die, then it might as well be for a good reason. And bringing the Land back to life...is a good enough reason for me." If she could just make up for all of the wrong choices she'd made in her life with this single good one. Then it would all be worth it.

CrystalOnyx: -The over whelming feeling of fear, it clenched at Hildria's heart as it brought her back to the days when she would watch the gruesome battles of man. Watching as her mother took the soul of the unworthy soldiers and banished them into the depths of the Underworld. How her mother had no expression as the cries of men echoed in her ears. Her mind soon returned to when she was in Valhalla and served the worthy men and Odin himself before she was scolded. She was radiant and beautiful like the other valkries. Long blonde hair with tan skin, only two large white wings. A soft white robe that covered her body, she had no need for a weapon then until she was banished by Odin himself for not serving the will of the men who wanted to bed her. Hildria could only stand where she was as she let go of the handle of her axe which fell to the sand below.-

Rheksas: Rheksas looked on them and saw pain, he saw revulsion, he saw shattered dreams and sorrowful memories, but amidst all that he saw the one thing he was actually looking for: hope. The aura of terror subsided, evaporating beneath the wilting desert sun. His grip on them went with it, like a soap bubble suddenly being introduced to a needle. One moment it was there, the next it was not. “Do you understand that the imminence of your end is the most frightening of things, if only for a moment? If you can overcome this, maybe you can overcome that. But your decision but be swift. It must be final. And it must be clean: I will not have you give blood for no reason. Elleinad threatens to unleash dark things on your world with her recklessness. What would you instead bring to it by activating this master crystal?” he posed to them, lowering his blade a tad.

Esylana: "E...Elleinad?" The name was like a knife suddenly cutting all bindings and now she froze, her eyes widening in a new terror that, while not as intense as Rheksas' Aura, had certainly a fresh stab to it, and she suddenly had her hands to her mouth. He'd said it before, but she hadn't noticed it then. But now... "Elleinad is -here-? But that's impossible...we cast her out, she should be..." Gone. The old mage had told her gone. Not dead. She'd only assumed because she'd already been dead...but in the ritual to free her from the vengeful spirit that Elleinad had once been (possessing her whenever she could), now she saw it. The elements used to remove her must have given her form and life in a new world - this world. And then it all made sense. He'd mentioned crystals... She needed to know. "Rheksas, what do you know? Is...is there another Master Crystal?"

CrystalOnyx: -Hildria recovered from the pressing feeling the man and pressed out. She shook her head as her heart pounded within her chest. She soon reached down and picked up her axe, replacing it to her back as she strap moved over her chest. She listened to their words, falling silent as her heart slowed back to a normal beat.-

Rheksas: Rheksas eyed the pair, trying to gauge what they already knew. Apparently, it wasn’t too much, and Esylana had been hiding things from her companion to boot. “The Empress has a master crystal,” he began. “She performed a profane sacrifice and activated its power. It is why her empire has the magic it does, whatever this crystal must mean to the laws of magic in your world. She has one,” he reiterated for effect, “and now you go to have one as well? Were it not so taboo in my culture to offer blood for blood, I might suggest you follow her lead if you want your crystal and give up the life of another. But…” Rheksas paused, giving her a good hard look over. “I doubt you would consider that.”

Esylana: Her hand ran through her hair, though the act wasn't one of intention, it was one of sheer distraction and agitation. "Elleinad has a Master Crystal...and she's the Empress..." She slowly knelt in the sand, letting a wave of nausea wash over her. She didn't fight it, she let it happen as she tried to understand what had just been told to her. "...I have to stop her...I have to finish this...apparently what I'm doing is hurting their plans, or they wouldn't be throwing soldiers at me, right and left...and no, I will not let another die in my place for such a thing as this..." She slowly stood up again, swallowing back the bile forcing its way up her throat. "If I do not stop her, then yes...she will sacrifice everything to have whatever it is she wants...." She looks Rheksas directly in the eye. She knows this woman all too well. And this woman needed to be dethroned, if not out and out destroyed.

CrystalOnyx: -As Esylana fell to her knees, Hildria rushed over and kneeled beside her. She could only comfort now as she placed a hand on the woman's back. She listened to Esylana's words as a sigh escaped her lips. If this is the will of her companion, then what was she to stand in the way of this woman helping countless others. She would support this mortal even if it meant that she would go on with the woman.-

Rheksas: Rheksas scoffed at it all, not fully understanding but not really needing to. “If you intend to go to this place, to see this crystal, you will bring me with you,” he said after a short spurt of thinking. “If you must die, let it be a clean death. A death worthy of you. I will see to that, at least. Besides,” he held back a laugh, looking over the pair with some small degree of sympathy, “what if you get attacked? Have you already been attacked? Of course you have. You’ll need more guards on this pilgrimage than one barefoot woman, no matter how big her axe.”

Esylana: "Are you sure?...I have to go to four more leyline sources...one's in the volcano...the other three, somewhere in the world...I have a map, but..." She trailed off. It was going to be a long journey. It was going to be an ordeal.

CrystalOnyx: "I'm sure my axe would do more damage than your small sword." -She raised an eyebrow at the man as she soon glanced to her dirty shackled feet. What was wrong with being barefoot?-

Rheksas: "Ha, judge a man by his size and you're in for a rude awakening," he laughed. "And yes, I can handle myself. I don't know what a volcano is but I'm sure I can uh, handle it."