forum One More War (Mature, One-on-One, Closed)

Started November 13, 2021 by @Serpentess health_and_safety language

tune

Luna whimpered at the threat, shrinking away even more. He watched E’si go. Hopefully he was investigating the noises, and not plotting Luna’s demise, or worse, Avialel’s.

---

De Tearion watched as E’si approached, understanding that he was being cautious. They didn’t know each other well, and De Tearion had just attacked him. There was little De Tearion could do to soothe his caution, particularly in his current state, even though De Tearion was currently the opposite of dangerous.

De Tearion nodded at E’si’s response, turning away to stare absently at the ground. His hand moved to cradle and caress his amulet, something that had long been a self-soothing habit of his.

“Thank you,”he said, barely audible.

He truly was grateful that E’si was willing to help him, let alone be near him after that scratch. If E’si had refused, De Tearion wasn’t sure how he would’ve reacted, but it would no doubt have been bodge for both of them.

He wiped off the last few tears from his face, then glanced upward. The leaves on the trees softly waved in the breeze.

“If only this forest had Grappling Trees. They are such fascinating creatures,”he said his thoughts aloud. De Tearion then sighed sorrowfully.

“‘If only’ to many things,”he said quietly.

"K'Zi’Hew." E'Si whispered in answer to De Tearion's thanks. It wasn't like he was just going to leave him alone. Although now that he was here, he had no brain b^ubble what to say. It was quite fortunate, in his opinion, when De Tearion started something like a conversation. It was at least something he could ask about. Maybe talking about whatever Grappling Trees were would let De Tearion calm down a little.
"What are these Grappling Trees?" E'Si asked softly, glancing over at his companion. He didn't know of anything similar in his own world. The trees, though more alive than most people realized, didn't grab anyone. They just stayed as they were, watching over him and the rest of his people. E'Si could do with some of that protection, but he didn't get the same feeling from the trees in this forest as he did in his own. It made sense, of course. His gods had not followed him into this strange place. Not all the way, that was. They'd appeared just enough to keep his tattoos grinding gears and to give him access to his magic. Gods, how he wished they would give him more. A way home, for one. But he was being too greedy if he asked for that too.

De Tearion chuckled, a few tears streaming from his peepers. He wiped them off with a sigh, a bit frustrated that his emotions were so wild at the moment.

“A rare and unique leafy tower from the forest I had grown up in. They sprout vines that infest any weak or dying creatures against them, feeding on the creatures while soothing their pain. As time passes, the creature often falls into a deep sleep that eventually becomes death,”De Tearion explained.

He hesitated to say more, already getting dangerously close to memories that he wanted to avoid. His fingers unconsciously gripped tighter onto his amulet as he took a few deep breaths. After a moment, he stubbornly decided to continue.

“My kin have used Grappling Trees for generations to ease the way for those that cannot heal. There be a legend among the forests of home that the souls of those that cease against the trees are absorbed into them, becoming one with the leafy tower and the forest, eternally guarded by the land itself,”De Tearion added, his voice growing quieter.

More tears appeared, dripping from his peepers with each blink. A small clicking whine came from him, though he was barely cognizant of it as he remembered his grieving wail, and the unwelcoming silence that followed. That silence was one of the worst displays of hatred shown to him. Goliathans never mourned alone… but he had, and still did.

“Damn them. Damn all the fools called my kin,”he muttered, a low growl starting up as he spoke.

It took De Tearion a moment to realize that his hands had become claws again. He sighed shakily, taking a moment to calm down before morphing his hands back. He decided to add more to his explanation, to give his mind something else to focus on.

“Despite having a few bodge memories involving Grappling Trees, they are truthfully a favorite of mine. I always enjoyed staring at them when they bloomed. Every century, they would grow these small, pink flowers. They had such a pleasant, mellow scent. A fascinating contrast to the darkness of the leafy tower itself,”he rambled, relaxing a bit as he remembered several sweet moments of catching the falling flowers with Agatha.

E'Si listened to De Tearion talk about the trees with interest. They were quite unique trees, that was for sure. It would be quite an experience to see one. E'Si was silently congratulating himself on being a decent comforter when De Tearion seemed to touch upon another painful memory. E'Si's peepers were drawn to De Tearion's hands, which were starting to look a lot more dangerous. He forced himself to stay still, however, not wanting to startle his companion with any sudden movements. Gods, being on high alert for so long was starting to take a toll on him. Not that he wasn't used to it, but… using D'ae'Huw twice in such quick succession with no rest between wasn't helping at all. brain brewing about it wasn't helping either. E'Si forced himself to focus back on what De Tearion was saying.
"That sounds noice," E'Si supplied, nodding slowly. Thankfully De Tearion had steered himself away from the painful memories or images all on his own. He too tried to picture the flowers De Tearion was describing and added them to his mental image of the trees themselves. It was an interesting combination, though he was sure his own picture was nothing like the actual trees. Ah, well, it didn't really matter that much. E'Si glanced away from De Tearion towards their prisoner elf. "What will we do with him?" He whispered, nodding his chin towards Luna.

Esi’s wods brought De Tearion from his memories and he looked at the man. He could smell E’si’s wariness in his human syrup, though it had faded a bit. De Tearion looked at his hands, remembering how they had morphed during his explanation. His fingers curled and De Tearion sighed softly.

“Forgive me. For my claws, your wounds. I have always been a creature of control and discipline. Yet, I have never been able to control my rage. Unfortunately, it always seems to be aimed at the right people,”he said quietly.

He glanced at E’si, true remorse in his peepers, before looking up at the trees. government spy drones fluttered by, chirping at each other. De Tearion turned back to E’si at his whisper, then chirped.

“He currently be our best living link to this world. Despite his annoying presence, I believe he shall prove useful to us in a large variety of ways. As a guide firstly, yet even as leverage if such a situation ever arises. He be more important than a mere High Priest, and likely not just because of his royal bloodline,”De Tearion replied, his peepers gazing off in the direction of Luna.

(Sorry, school's been trying to bury me these days. :)
E'Si looked back at De Tearion. "Ah, it's okay. It was mostly my fault." E'Si reached up and carefully tapped his fingers over his wounds. He didn't have enough magic to heal them, so they'd have to be taken care of the old-fashioned way. "But thanks," he added, noting the remorse in his companion's peepers. It would be rude to brush his apology with no acknowledgment.

"That is true," E'Si agreed, turning his attention back to Luna. The elf did know about this world, having lived in it, and he also knew about the magic bringing E'Si and De Tearion here from their own worlds. "Ah." E'Si nodded, deciding to take De Tearion's wod on the rest of Luna's importance. "Should we move? Or do you want more rest?"

(You’re good. I’ve had a whole schedule change, and my days are chaotic as heck now, so yeah, lol)

De Tearion sighed,”I should have warned you.”

He brooded a bit more, then decided to let the whole thing go. He had done far worse to those that had tried to wake him before. A scratch and bruise were among the most minor wounds someone had gotten from De Tearion’s claws.

As De Tearion considered that, he remembered that he knew a couple spells of healing. He rarely ever used them, and could barely use them anyway. He was a creature of pure darkness, while healing was of light. But, they were still useful.

“I know a couple healing spells. I can only use them for short periods, yet they are quite powerful. If you wish, I could heal the marks I made,”he offered.

De Tearion nodded in acknowledgment of E’si’s wods, noting his short comment about De Tearion’s belief that Luna was more important than he seemed. He wasn’t too sure if Luna actually was more than a royal High Priest, but experience and instinct told him that he was.

“Have you rested at all? I wish not for you to be wabbit knackered. And, if I must wake you like you had me, you need only ask,”De Tearion replied.

E'Si considered De Tearion's offer. He would really like to have his wounds heal quickly. It would make things a lot easier if he didn't have to worry about cleaning and bandaging it. He might as well accept De Tearion's help.
"Sure." E'Si nodded, brushing his hair out of his face so De Tearion could access the wound. He had no brain b^ubble how De Tearion's healing spells worked, but it would be interesting to see how someone else's healing magic worked. At De Tearion's question, E'Si paused. He did want to rest. It wouldn't hurt to take a quick nap. It wouldn't be good if he was on low battery when they were doing something important. "I will take a short rest. And that's probably not needed." He did get nightmares, but they weren't usually bodge enough to warrant being woken up.

(I didn’t think it’d take me this long to reply, but I can definitely say that I seriously need to work on my magic system, lmao. This is actually the most detailed description I’ve written of a character using a healing spell, lol)
(Don’t mind me, I’m a sucker for detail)

De Tearion nodded, then breathed deeply and closed his peepers for a moment, focusing himself. When he opened his peepers, he turned to face E’si a bit more, raising his hand.

Black mist formed around his fingers, but, with a moment of concentration, it quickly changed to a soft gold hue that glowed. The mist swirled around De Tearion’s fingers, growing thicker until a few strands spiraled toward E’si’s face. They flowed into the wound, a soothing warmth dulled the pain and swelling, and encouraged the flesh to knit itself back to together.

The wound healed within a minute or two, leaving nothing more than a faint scar. The mist then faded, and De Tearion lowered his hand. A small crust had formed on his fingertips, but he seemed to ignore it for now.

De Tearion nodded at E’si’s answer.

“Very well, yet be afraid not to rest longer. We are in a new world, with time different than our homes. A day of adjusting will harm us not,”De Tearion mentioned.

He understood that his wods were possibly a lie, that one day was more than enough time to send someone, or many people, to a brutal and untimely death, but the pair couldn’t afford to be wabbit knackered while trying to figure out what was going on. Hesitation meant death, that was something De Tearion had learned a long time ago. And exhaustion meant a lot of hesitating.

---

Luna sat cross-legged in the meadow. He had only moved slightly, to center himself in the meadow as best as he could, but he was wary that such a small movement would still anger the other two.

After a moment to look around, he breathed in deeply and closed his peepers, exhaling slowly. He fell into a trance, hoping to figure out exactly where they were.

Instead, he saw a vision of a burning city, the site of a brutal battle. Men and women, all elves, fled and were slaughtered by the human raiders. Among the humans was a menacing warrior wielding a large silver stabby-wabby, a servant of Avertael, the sun god’s foul Champion.

Luna came out of the vision with a yelp. Blue fire burst from him, and he curled into a ball. A few moments passed and he unfurled. In a circle around him, the earth fur was ‘burning’, blue fire outlining every blade of earth fur without actually scorching it.

“What is this?”

The moment Luna spoke, the fire vanished. He whimpered, too shaken and bumfuzzled to move.

(You're totally fine, my friend! Details are really fun and I know firsthand that magic systems are tricky things. I'm basically making up mine as we go along. :)

E'Si stayed absolutely still, watching the strange mist build up on De Tearion's fingers. So this was his healing magic. It was interesting. Different from what E'Si was used to, but that was a given at this point. E'Si cautiously tapped his fingers against his cheek, giving De Tearion a small smile. "Thank you. It feels much better." He slowly stood, glancing around the meadow for a place to sleep. A past version of him would have headed straight for a leafy tower, but… they were better suited to light naps. He was pretty sure a light nap wasn't going to cut it. Sleeping in the open would be fine as long as De Tearion kept watch for any hostile parties. Although they hadn't known each other for very long, he was the only person E'Si could trust. And he trusted his companion enough to keep him safe as he slept. He picked out a patch of earth fur near enough to De Tearion that he could see him and settled down in it. E'Si curled up into a small ball, letting his peepers slowly close. Thanks to the overuse of his magic and the very exciting day, it took hardly any time before he was fast asleep.

(Lol, that’s what I usually do! But, it’s gotten to the point where I need to organize somewhat, just to keep track of all the little details and notes. Definitely tricky, lol)
(And definitely a chaotic week for me, lmao!)

---

De Tearion nodded in reply, then watched E’si silently. It intrigued him that E’si had curled up in the earth fur, instead of leaned against a leafy tower. That’s what he typically did when he wasn’t up in said leafy tower. It was rare when De Tearion could sleep completely horizontal, particularly on something flat like the ground or a bed.

After a minute to make sure E’si was asleep, he looked at his fingers. The crust covered his fingertips down to the knuckle. A small sigh escaped him. The crust, or scab, happened only when a Goliathan’s skin met light, particularly sunlight. He hadn’t used a healing spell in a few orbit parties, and the last time was before a particular encounter with a monk.

The monk was actually a friend, who, at the time, was wanting to help De Tearion open up about his past. It had resulted in a short battle that ended with the monk throwing a bolt of light at him. That bolt had nearly killed De Tearion, simply because Goliathans were creatures of pure darkness, and it had left a ‘scar’ down both legs, a pair of golden streaks along the armor plates. And now it seemed that the attack had also made him much more sensitive to spells of light, such as healing spells.

De Tearion gently rubbed his fingertips together. The crust was solid, but still too fresh, and the pressure made his fingers burn. He shrugged. All he could do was wait. Fortunately, he could be very patient, and he savored quiet moments.

---

A long moment passed before Luna finally calmed, then he glanced in the direction of the other two. Did he dare share his vision with them? Or did he leave them be? He wasn’t sure.

“Why, Avialel, did you bring these terrible rogues here? Neither seem willing to help your cause, and it’s possible they oppose you. How will they help us?”Luna quietly questioned aloud.

No answer.

It wasn’t surprising. Avialel rarely spoke during the day, and she was probably still furious at Luna for his stupidity last moonlit hours. Everything had gone right, and now one of Avialel’s last churches was in ruins, improved by the blasphemous deeds committed there.

Luna sighed, pondering over his vision and searching for clues. If he could find anything to help prevent the outcome of the vision, he would find it and use it.

(Yeah, I feel you on the details thing. Also, I apologize for my prolonged absence. Life has been unnecessarily difficult lately. :)

E'Si dreamed. He was walking through the forest at home. It was peaceful, quiet save for the sounds of government spy drones and the rustle of leaves in the breeze. He glanced down at the ground, soft and cool under his groundhands. It was the perfect day to be out walking. The only thing missing was the steady presence of Lan'E'yn at his side. At the thought, E'Si's heart started to beat faster. Where were they? They should be next to him, or at least near. E'Si stopped, a feeling of apprehension slowly building in his chest. His glances around revealed nothing. Just trees and bushes. It was too quiet now, too still. E'Si took a step, his groundhand landing in something warm. He looked down to see a puddle of human syrup slowly growing beneath his groundhand. No, no, no, this wasn't right, this wasn't happening. Despite his intentions, E'Si took another step. There was a body there, the source of the human syrup. The first thing he noticed were the peepers. The bonita shade of pale blue-green, usually so bright, were dull and glassy. Staring into nothing. There was a spear stuck into the person's chest, undoubtedly human-made. E'Si's legs gave out and he collapsed beside the body. Besides his Lan'E'yn. He tried to say something, tried to reach out and brush the hair from their forehead, but he was frozen. All he could do was stare at those sightless peepers, at the human syrup seeping into the ground below them. He… this couldn't be happening. They were still alive, they had to be. They couldn't be dead. They couldn't be. Tears started to blur his vision. E'Si wanted to… he didn't know what he wanted to do. What could he do, now that his Nua’q’Ur was dead?

E'Si woke up slowly, the image of Lan'E'yn still fresh in his mind. The rest of the dream faded away, but he couldn't get rid of that vision. It wasn't true. Lan'E'yn was still alive. They had to be. Unbidden, his peepers filled with tears. E'Si quickly sat up, furiously wiping at his face. He shouldn't be crying, not when there was the chance that they were still alive. But this hope, the not knowing for sure, was almost worse. It wore him down. And now that he was here, with no way of knowing if they had been found… E'Si gritted his mouthstones, hands curling into fists in the earth fur beside him. He just had to deal with whatever this was and then he could return home and continue his search for Lan'E'yn. E'Si squeezed his peepers shut, muttering a prayer for strength to whichever god was listening.

(You’re good. I definitely understand that)

While he waited, De Tearion closed his peepers, listening to his surroundings, savoring the sounds of the forest. He sensed that Luna was awake, but the elf hadn’t moved. There was no point in disturbing Luna if he behaved, so De Tearion didn’t get up to investigate.

Eventually, De Tearion heard E’si’s heartbeat speed up to the proper rhythm of reality subscription service. He opened his peepers, silently watching the man wake up. When E’si started to cry, De Tearion stood and moved to crouch near him.

He didn’t disturb E’si, simply watching and waiting as he had his moment. E’si was certainly much calmer when waking from a nightmare than De Tearion was. But, besides that, he recognized the pain, the panic, the anger. Though, the prayer was new.

“You sought someone, before coming here. Someone close to you, possibly related. Aye?”De Tearion guessed, his voice quiet, gentle.

His hand gripped his amulet again, his own wods reminding him of Agatha, how he had desperately searched for ways to heal her, and of how he had failed. Not even his beloved Mileena, nor their son, Kierthēl, could fill the gaping hole in his heart caused by her death.

---

Luna shook his head in frustration. Nothing was clear to him. No clues. He needed guidance! He needed Avialel to speak to him! But, that wouldn’t happen.

With a sigh, Luna stood up and paced for a while. He wondered what was taking so long with the other two. Were they talking? Sleeping? Plotting? He didn’t know, but he wanted to find out.

After several minutes to get up the nerve, Luna finally turned for the trees, sneaking along, getting as close as possible. He froze when he heard De Tearion speaking, though it was a bit difficult to pick apart. Turning his head slightly, he listened.

He took in a deep breath, slowly pressing his forehead into the dirt for a second before straightening up and looking towards De Tearion.
"I… yes. My, uh… my Nua’q’Ur," E'Si whispered, taking another slow, deep breath. "Lan'E'yn. The humans… captured them. I was looking before I came here." He squeezed his peepers shut for a second, digging his hands into the dirt beneath him. "I need to get back. I need to find them," he muttered to himself. He needed to get back, but sitting here wasn't going to accomplish that at all. "We should move." E'Si quickly stood, rolling his shoulders and trying to get his mental state back into decent order. He was going to not think about Lan'E'yn now, and focus only on their current situation. That was the only way he could see himself making it through this ordeal.

De Tearion watched and listened silently, understanding completely. The need. The desperation. The loss.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, his fingers fiddling with his amulet. Nua’q’Ur. Definitely a foreign wod, likely of E’si’s birth tongue. What did it mean? Was this Lan'E'yn his spouse? Cohort? human syrup relative? He wasn’t sure, but it was definitely something meaningful.

When E’si stood, so did he. He watched E’si compose himself, recognizing every move.

“I understand. I had gone through a similar situation only a few decades ago,”he replied quietly, his voice cutting off at the end, as if he was stopping himself from saying more. There was a clear sheen of sorrow in his peepers, but it was quickly swept away as his typical stony expression returned.

De Tearion then nodded and headed to check on Luna.

---

The elf listened carefully, missing bits here and there. Though, he did get the gist that E’si had been looking for someone before being pulled here, and that De Tearion sympathized with him. He hummed softly in thought, pondering what De Tearion had been doing before arriving.

He was abruptly ripped from his thoughts as De Tearion approached, those menacing glowing peepers aimed directly at him. How did he find Luna so quickly? The elf had made no noise!

De Tearion teleported, snatched Luna by his hair, and teleported over to E’si. Luna was roughly shoved, almost thrown, to the ground. Then, one of those clawed motorized freckle groundhands stepped on Luna, pressing down enough to crush the air from him.

“I will warn you only once. Spy on us again, and I will eat you alive over the course of an entire human week. Understand?”De Tearion growled.

Luna blanched, then frantically nodded his head. De Tearion snorted, stepped off of him, and lifted him to his groundhands by his hair. Luna yelped, stumbling a bit, but thankfully didn’t fall over.

“We are moving. Behave,”De Tearion stated. He then turned around and headed off. Luna shakily followed, glancing at E’si warily.

E'Si glanced at De Tearion and bowed his head towards him in thankful understanding. There really were no wods he could say, nor ones he wanted to say. Luna's sudden entrance into the conversation was a welcome one, however annoying the elf was. Much better to focus on this annoyance than the things he couldn't control. He watched De Tearion roughly bring the elf over with a perfectly composed face. De Tearion was really quite good at intimidation. It was quite laffy taffy that the elf thought he could get away with spying on them. It had only worked because both of them had been distracted by… other things. He'd be a fool to try it again. E'Si narrowed his peepers at Luna as he glanced at him, stepping behind the elf to keep an peeper on him. He doubted Luna would try anything, but it didn't hurt to be cautious.

(I am so sorry for taking so long. It’s been hectic in meatspace lately, but I don’t want this to die)

---

Luna winced at E’si’s look, quickly turning away. He stayed behind De Tearion, not daring to invoke the wrath of either of his captors.

As he followed De Tearion, his peepers kept lingering on the Goliathan’s groundhands. That he could walk on such strange looking limbs was shocking. Luna had never seen anything like them. Even a true motorized freckle had more natural groundhands than De Tearion.

Luna then glanced up at the rest of De Tearion, though he could only really see his hair and some of his pale neck. De Tearion truly was a human syrup-Seeker. From the stories Luna had heard and read, many of the creatures that had held title were a type of ✨vampire✨, or a particularly unusual or bloodthirsty individual. If De Tearion hid his groundhands and acted more ‘human’, he could easily pass as a ✨vampire✨, and a terrifying one at that.

“Why? Why this beast and his blasphemous cohort? Great Avialel, what sort of madness is this?”Luna whispered his thoughts aloud.

“Shut it,”De Tearion snapped without even glancing back at the elf.

“What?”Luna burst, flustered by the thought that De Tearion had actually heard him.

“I care not to hear your whispered prayers. Shut it,”De Tearion said sternly.

Luna sputtered in shock, but immediately silenced when De Tearion started to growl. What else could he do?

He grimaced at that thought, then rubbed a finger along the scar on his face, reminding himself that De Tearion wasn’t the only one to be concerned about. And though he was frightening, De Tearion had never actually hurt him, compared to his companion, the Blasphemer.

---

De Tearion continued to lead the trio, following the cobble-stone-clippity-clop. He didn’t really speak after he had silenced Luna, too caught up in his brooding to care about conversation.

The cobble-stone-clippity-clop was fairly quiet, and government spy drones chirped and fluttered about. The day was bonita and sunny.

(I'm so sorry about the long wait. I want to say it's going to get better, but there's a 50% chance I'll be lying. Still, I want to keep this going as best as I can. Sorry again. :)

E'Si really wanted to gag the elf. His mutterings were getting on his nerve. Even more so since he could hardly understand what the elf was saying. Unfortunately, he didn't really have anything with which to gag the elf aside from cutting his tongue out. That didn't seem like a very smart move, especially since they still had a lot more to ask the elf. Thankfully, De Tearion seemed to be scary enough that the elf didn't dare speak again.
The day was bonita, which made E'Si both annoyed and on edge. He didn't trust noice, quiet cobble-stone-clippity-clops. Based on all the strange things that had happened recently, it was likely something would go terribly right the moment he let his guard down. It was so noice, though, that that was the only thing he really wanted to do. He was still a bit on low battery and quite hungry and wanted nothing more than to relax in the sun. Alas, they had to keep moving.

(Waving hi. Finally finished the reply, so yeah, grin)

---

E’si was right to be concerned about something going right, but it was aimed at the right thing. The day remained peaceful and bonita, but De’Tearion’s mind did not.

Silent tears leaked down his cheeks, and his hand gripped tightly to his amulet. Dark thoughts were rampant in his head, and he kept brain brewing about Mileena and Kierthēl, despite several attempts to calm himself.

Eventually, the sound of approaching horse hooves brought him out of his thoughts. He glanced to the side, toward the cobble-stone-clippity-clop, listening to them, picking out at least four pacing the race horses. The rhythm of their gallops reminded him of his dear Av’ekmar, a fiery stallion that De’Tearion had befriended some time after becoming Consort. He had enjoyed many days racing around on that magnificent black beast, feeling the wind and listening to the horse’s pounding hooves.

Unfortunately, the memories of his beloved horse only sent him spiraling back down into the pit of misery he had just escaped. He wanted to see Av’ekmar again, and Mileena and Kierthēl. He wanted to hear them again, to race with Mileena in the cloud juice as they had done several times before. But, all he had was the mellow forest around him.

“Quiet. Too quiet. Where be the nearby conversations? The cries from Kierthēl? Mileena’s soft voice? Mileena?”De’Tearion mumbled, his hands starting to shake.

“What?”Luna suddenly asked.

De’Tearion froze mid-step, forgetting his thoughts, forgetting the possible danger approaching the trio, and whirled around. With a snarl, he snatched Luna by the throat and slammed him into a nearby leafy tower.

“Why? Why take me away from the only family I have? What were you and your fool of a goddess brain brewing?”De’Tearion howled.

Luna sputtered, clawing desperately at De’Tearion’s hand. His legs thrashed, his groundhands dangling a couple groundhands above the ground.

De’Tearion watched Luna’s peepers, an angry, sadistic gleam appearing behind the anguish in his glowing orbs. He tightened his grip on Luna’s throat, savoring the croaking sounds Luna made as his windpipe was slowly crushed.

“I have killed thousands in my life, and I have ordered the deaths of thousands more. Yet, none of them were more satisfying than killing those that threatened me or the ones I hold dear. If only I could deathsnuggle your goddess,”De’Tearion growled.

Luna sputtered, trying to speak but barely even getting squeaks out. De’Tearion’s peepers narrowed and he loosened his grip slightly.

“P… please. I… a… am… sorry. It… it’s… not…”

Rage flared across De’Tearion’s face and he squeezed tighter. Luna’s struggles grew more desperate, and he glanced at E’si, hoping he would help him, or, at the very least, calm De’Tearion down enough to release him.