forum Toxic As Hell (Closed)

Started January 13, 2023 by @emilyevewrites group

tune

@Serpentess Quain and Saul

It was a typical day in Naskeni for Quain. Her little shop of exotic trinkets wasn’t widely known, but it had its regulars. She also had her current ‘helper’, a man named Haval. The poor man was so confused about life that he’d gone mute, but he was loyal to his queen, his sovereign. Quain. He’d make a good sacrifice soon.

As the day went on, Quain decided to head out and advertise herself. The store had gotten awfully quiet, and she didn’t like that.

She stepped out onto the somewhat busy sidewalk, looking around a moment. She then decided to do a little dance before making an announcement. Showing off a little skin always grabbed someone’s attention.

With practiced ease, Quain settled into a rhythm, then started to whistle a light little tune to dance to. Eyes turned. Good. She continued to dance, then stopped a few minutes later.

“Greetings, fellow citizens and visitors! Welcome! I bid you come and see what I have! Items of all sorts, big and small, mundane and exotic. There is magic here too! And items that even transcend beyond imagination. They come from different worlds, some even different dimensions, and a few even from different timelines. Come and see my treasures, I bid you all! You won’t regret it,”Quain announced.

Her gorgeous voice seemed to carry across the crowd, and many heads turned in curiosity. Though, few seemed to take the offer. It was disappointing. Until, of course, she caught sight of a particular foreigner. He seemed interesting, whether he was aware of her or not. She’d have to get to him somehow. She needed a better look at him. And, she found herself suddenly craving to hear his screams.

(Fr, all your characters are fucking giants 😂)

Saul's eyes were narrowed as he made his way down the crowded streets of Naskeni. He was on high alert as he scanned the faces of people and creatures bustling around him. For as much as he didn't fit in here, he didn't care one bit. It's not like he was planning on staying here long. In fact, he was here for one reason and one reason only. No one could distrct him from it.

Farah had left days ago in search of some object Queen Luna had sent her to find. She hadn't wanted to go, and Saul hadn't wanted her to go either. But with Luna being the Solarian queen, Farah had little choice in the matter. Despite that, Saul had still tried to convince her not to leave. Luna had assured them both that Farah's mission would not take longer than a day or two.

But it had been five, and Farah had not yet returned. So Saul was here to find her and bring her back to the Otherworld – with or without Luna's stupid… whatever it was that she wanted. He had no idea, and neither did Farah. It was a ridiculous ruse just to get Farah out of Alfea, but Luna was the queen.

His mind was drawn back to the street he was walking down when he heard a whistled song off to his right. He glanced over and saw a very beautiful and very exposed woman dancing to get attention, likely for the shop that she was standing in front of. Saul caught himself staring and quickly looked away. Farah, he repeated in his mind. You're here to find Farah.

Then a voice interrupted his thoughts. He turned to find the same woman speaking about her wares and exotic treasures her store claimed to have. Saul shook his head and turned away. The longsword on his back suddenly felt extra heavy. He needed to find Farah… then, he had an idea. Not a good idea, necessarily, but an idea. One that, if he played it right, might help him find Farah a bit faster.

Taking a deep breath, Saul approached the woman, consciously meeting her eyes and not looking any lower. "Excuse me," he greeted. "Do you have anything that can be used to… track someone? Something to find a person quickly."

(Pretty much, lmao!)

Quain watched the man closely, a smile growing on her face when he finally approached her. She knew he wasn’t used to seeing women like her, in such revealing attire. She could feel it in his mind. It made it all the more amusing, particularly when he deliberately avoided looking at anything below her eyes.

“Of course. Lost someone, did you? Colleague? Loved one?”Quain asked sweetly.

She led him inside her little store, deliberately accentuating the sway of her hips and body. It was like she was still dancing, and everything moved in just the right way to catch the eye. She even mouthed a little spell to make it even harder for the man to resist looking at her.

A moment later, she stood in front of a shelf with various ‘tracking’ items. There were amulets and charms, potions and scrolls. Each one tracked something different.

“Who do you seek? Who do you desire to find most?”Quain asked, emphasizing her words in a way that could almost be flirtatious. It was like she was asking ‘what’ he desired most. His deepest want, his darkest need.

Saul gritted his teeth and swallowed hard as he reluctantly followed the woman into her shop. He glanced behind him briefly, as if he could somehow spot Farah and avoid having to encounter this woman. But, obviously, all he saw was the same chaos as before.

He pressed his lips together, irritated, and turned back. As soon as he did, his eyes went to her sauntering hips. They were hardly covered by her skimpy dancing outfit and didn't leave much to the imagination…

The Specialist quickly shook his head, stopping that line of thought in its tracks. He exhaled swiftly and forced himself to avoid looking at her skin. He had to remain focused. He was here to find Farah. He was here for Farah.

His eyes were drawn instead to the shelf she stood in front of. He had absolutely no clue what any of them did, but he didn't want this woman to know that. She'd likely try to sell him something for much more than it was worth, and Saul wasn't about to let that happen.

"My friend," he answered shortly. He didn't want to give this woman any more details than he had to, but he felt himself shift from foot to foot, suddenly uncomfortable by the woman had phrased her question.

Quain felt his eyes on her, and heard his exhale. She fought hard to keep the satisfaction off her face. Few men could resist the sight of a beautiful woman wearing revealing clothes. Particularly when that same woman knew how to move her entire body with practiced ease.

She noticed his change in attitude to her question. He was strong-willed, and clearly had his eyes on another woman already. He would be more open to her otherwise. She’d have to try a different tactic.

“A friend? How close of a friend? I ask because it can affect how well this person can be tracked. If they are just an acquaintance, then this one will work…”she said, lifting one of the charms.

“However, if they are a close friend, like a sibling… or more, you might want this one,”she added, lifting an amulet.

Quain prayed in her head for Falbahaddon to assist in her scheme, promising a foreign delight in return. Within moments, she felt a barely perceptible wisp of divine power brush against her, then settle upon the charm and amulet she’d indicated to the man. It was difficult to avoid shivering in delight at the little touch.

Saul continued to do his best and avoid looking at her body. But some strange feeling kept compelling him to look, so he snuck a quick glance at her very visible cleavage before instantly feeling guilty and regretting it. He was glad when she held up other objects to take his eyes off of her body and focused more on her words and the items.

He waved away the charm almost immediately after her description and instead locked his eyes on the amulet. "She's… She's a very close friend," he said, keeping his gaze firm. It was the simplest way he could think to describe Farah. She was that – a very close friend – and also infinitely more. Saul didn't have any intentions of telling this woman that.

"How much is your price?" he asked, steeling himself for some ridiculous amount. But this was for Farah. He would pay whatever the cost. Again, this woman didn't need to know that.

Quain had already expected him to dismiss the charm. So, she held the amulet a little higher, smiling softly at his words. So, this friend was a woman. And, clearly the one his heart was hooked on. That would simplify things considerably, especially with her dearest god’s help.

At his question, and tone, Quain knew he was determined to find this woman of his. It was cute, seeing a man so devoted to a ‘friend’. It was also so predictable, and so easy to proceed.

“I can tell this friend means a lot to you. So, I’ll make you a deal. Fifty gold, a tenth of the original price. In return, I want to meet her. I don’t often see folk that are so determined to find their friends, and it warms my heart. I’d love to see you two reunited,”she said softly, her tone sounding so sincere. She loved being a good actress.

Quain then held the amulet out to him, cradling the pendant in her other hand. It was a ruby heart set inside a gold heart.

“Also, if you don’t know how to use it, just put the amulet on and stare into the ruby while thinking of the person you seek. The more you impart to it, the easier it will be to find your friend,”she added.

(Wait, so are we going to have to briefly combine this one and the Farah/Ōn'nyosh one at some point lmao)

Saul stared at the woman in disbelief. He had to bite his tongue to stop himself from blurting out "That's it?!" Instead, he cleared his throat and pulled out a pouch of Narsenian coins that Luna had given him before he left.

He'd been surprised that she let him go, but really, he also wasn't. The whole point of sending Farah was so Luna could oversee Alfea in her absence. The light fairy queen was cunning, and she likely lied about the time it would take, that way Saul would worry about Farah and go after her, which left Luna alone with all the students as the interim headmistress since both the headmistress and headmaster were away. The bitch.

Saul managed to find the correct amount and handed it over. His eyes narrowed a bit at her catch though. Why did she want to meet Farah? Did she know it was Farah that he was trying to find? He frowned but took the amulet anyway.

"Alright, fine," he agreed shortly. It was likely a stupid decision – this woman seemed to have ulterior motives for everything – but he was desperate. He needed to find Farah. Anything that would speed up the process would do. Saul was not a very patient person by nature.

Saul noticed the two hearts and inhaled sharply as he took the amulet from the woman and slipped it over his head and around his neck. He glanced back up at the woman. "And you'll just… be here then?" he asked awkwardly. He didn't want to stare at the ruby and think of Farah in front of this woman. It felt… odd.

(Um… we can… and we could probably make it hilarious too, lol… But, I honestly had something much more insidious in mind, evil grin, and it wouldn’t involve a crossover [though there could be potential for a later crossover]. Hence, Quain’s secret prayer to Falbahaddon)

Quain smiled sweetly at his look, then patiently waited for his payment. She then seemed a bit saddened by how aloof he was being. She was just trying to ‘help’, after all.

At his next words, Quain gasped in surprise. She then chuckled, and shook her head apologetically.

“I’m sorry! I don’t mean to invade your moment. I probably should get back to work anyway. The back room is such a mess. Call me if you need anything. My name is Quain, by the way,”she said.

She then quickly left the room to let him concentrate, making sure to accentuate the sway in her hips as she did so. She then shut the back room door and immediately turned to look at Haval, who was contemplating the wall for whatever reason.

“Haval, darling, could you move some of those boxes for me? I need to go through them later,”she called quietly to the man.

Haval grunted, looking at her with a vacant gaze. He then nodded, as if realizing he’d forgotten something, and went to work without complaint. Quain lingered near the door, whispering prayers to Falbahaddon. Those prayers allowed her to cast a spell that would allow her to see and hear the man without leaving the back room. It would also allow her to see who he imparted to the amulet.

(oooh, okay! Poor Saul… I think I might have an idea, but I can't wait to see what you do! Definitely up for a later crossover ;))

Saul offered a thin smile in response. "Okay," he replied, quickly looking away as the woman – Quain – began to sway her hips again. She certainly knew how to move her body…

He shook his head quickly to dismiss that line of thought. He was alone now. He needed to focus and find Farah. The Specialist took a deep breath and looked into the ruby while he thought of her name. Farah Dowling.

Unsure if it would help or not, Saul began to speak aloud to the ruby as if it were the fairy he sought after. "Farah, please. Where are you? Help me find you, we can go back home. I miss you, Farah." He closed his eyes and pictured her face. Gods, she was so beautiful… he ached for her. Her voice played through his mind, returning his thoughts to the last time they were together.

"Please, Saul… I have to leave for the gateway," Farah murmured. "The sooner I find whatever it is that Luna wants, the sooner I can return."

"But do you have to go?" he'd asked, making one last attempt to get her to stay.

Farah looked into his eyes. She looked as though she wanted to say something else, but Luna entered the room, and the pair each took a quick step away from the other.

"Ready, Farah?" Luna asked looking back and forth between the two.

"Yes," Farah answered, and she walked out the door without looking back.

Saul opened his eyes and stared into the ruby, desperate for it to somehow work and lead him to Farah.

(Lol. Evil grin. Same here, lol)

‘Farah Dowling’. Quain made sure to memorize that name. She also memorized the woman’s face from the man’s thoughts, taking note of how deeply he cared for her. And ‘Saul’. His name. Intriguing. She was also curious of this Luna woman, but that would be for later.

So, Farah actually was in Narsenshard, possibly even in Naskeni. It was a good thing then that Quain had called to Falbahaddon. He would lead Saul elsewhere, and bring him closer to Quain. She was itching to see what Falbahaddon had in store for the foolish foreigner.

When Saul was done imparting Farah to the amulet, the ruby started to softly glow. It then imparted images back to him. Stables, a filthy alleyway, tall, dark figures surrounding someone. It urged him to follow the clues, so that he would find his missing person. It urged him to go a few buildings down from the first stables, to the dark alley, and there she would be.

Saul's eyes widened as the ruby began to glow. He was so surprised that he nearly missed the images, but he quickly studied them as they appeared. When he saw the outline of tall, dark figures surrounding another person, his eyes widened, and his heart began to race.

"Farah," he breathed. Thinking his fairy in danger, Saul tore out of the little shop and ran as fast as he could in the direction the amulet provided. He kept glancing between the amulet and the street ahead of him.

Then, he turned sharply into the dark alley and scrambled to a halt. "Farah?" he called out, searching for her desperately. He looked down at the amulet. It said this was where she would be. She was supposed to be here. Was it wrong? He gritted his teeth. He'd have that saleswoman's head if she sold him a shit amulet.

The alley was dark, as a stroke of caution, Saul drew his longsword and continued on. "Farah, where are you?" He'd seen the men in the amulet. What if Farah was the one they were surrounding? What if they had her? Paranoid began to set in, but Saul shook his head. He'd find her either way. And even if they did have Farah, he knew how powerful she was. She would be just fine. "Farah?" he called again.

(So… this is just a taste of how fucked up Falbahaddon is, lol. I greatly apologize for this, but I also tried to keep it a bit more subtle)

Quain burst into laughter after Saul ran out of the store. She then continued her prayers and casting, spying on Saul as he ran to the amulet’s destination.

The alley was initially empty, but the deeper Saul went in, the more signs appeared that there had been people there recently. There was also blood, and the further he went, the more there was.

Eventually, a body appeared. One of the tall, dark figures. It was a male, and appeared to be a grey-skinned human with stretched features. His body seemed to have been blown apart by a powerful blast of magic. However, even though there was blood everywhere, it continued onward.

Near the end of the alley, fistfuls of ash blonde hair appeared. Around the corner of the alley, Farah’s body lay motionless, her hair a bloody mess and her clothes and skin torn to shreds by sharp claws. Scratches and bite marks covered her entire body, and it was clear that she’d been given ‘special’ attention, though it was unclear if she had been alive when it happened.

Quain watched still, and she could easily turn her scrying ‘window’ into a portal for when he melted down. She was pretty sure he would, but she wanted to wait and see how he’d react. And, it was even more amusing to her that he wouldn’t even be aware that the alleyway was actually void of corpses.

(Holy shit… my baby 🥺)

Saul winced as the scent of blood began to fill his nose. It was horrid, but he kept going. Soon, he began to see where the scent was coming from. More and more blood was splattered around the alley. There had been a terrible fight here. The Specialist's eyes widened further when he saw the male who appeared to have been blown apart. He knew Farah's magic was immensely powerful, but would she really have done this?

But still, Saul continued. He had to find her, and the amulet said she would be here. His eyes locked on a particularly large chunk of her beautiful hair strewn carelessly on the dirty, blood-soaked ground. Bile rose in his throat. "No," he breathed aloud before turning the corner.

Seeing the familiar shape of his fairy so mangled and grotesque made Saul choke on his own vomit. He retched again as he got closer before he fell to his knees a few feet away from her corpse. "Farah…" he whispered, dropping his sword into the dirt. It didn't matter. Nothing mattered. His fairy was dead. He'd been too late to save her. Her entire body had been ripped apart and left to rot in some godsforsaken alley in this godsforsaken city. Saul swore to the gods of the Otherworld that he would kill whoever had done this. He would avenge his fairy.

"Farah!" he cried out, reaching out but not wanting to touch her. He closed his eyes, but all he could see was her broken body on the inside of his eyelids. "Farah!" he yelled again, wanting to scream until his throat became raw. Quain had been wrong. He and Farah would never be reunited. He would never see her beautiful smile or hear her wild laugh again.

Saul turned away from her form and threw up again. The sight of Farah and the scent of the blood in the air made his stomach wrench until he was sure there was nothing left.

(Yeah… like I said, I apologize. But, even though Saul isn’t aware of this, Farah is still alive and well, and with Ōn’nyosh, lol [which is where the crossover for later comes in, lol]. Falbahaddon is currently just fucking with Saul’s head hard)

Quain watched Saul close, a smile growing on her face as she saw the growing horror. That smile turned into a grin, and she chuckled evilly. The sight of his retching only made the scene more amusing. Oh, she loved watching how her beloved god tormented his victims.

After a few minutes, Quain shifted her view to the alleyway, near the male body. She then widened the scrying window into a door, and stepped through. She took a moment to work up some tears, then walked to the corpse and gasped in horror.

“Oh, dear gods!”she cried.

She gasped again, backing away a few steps. She then turned and, despite her seeming reluctance, headed inward. When she saw Farah and Saul, her shaking hands shot up to her mouth, muffling another gasp.

“Oh… Oh gods. I… I’m so, so sorry. I hadn’t known that… that this… would happen. Oh gods!”

She couldn’t tear her eyes from the horrific sight. Though she was actually quite fascinated, Quain was good at making it appear as though she was stricken by the sight. Then, she turned to Saul as if only then remembering he was there. He must be wondering how she’d found him.

“I… I’m sorry for following you. I… I heard you run out so fast… I got worried. I…”she breathed, trembling in horror.

Quain then turned away, hiding from the sight of Farah, her eyes closing as more tears streaked down her face.

Saul didn't hear the first exclamation Quain made when she saw the magic-blasted corpse. He was too focused on the building rage inside of him. His fairy was dead. Whoever had killed her with such malice and brutality would have to face his wrath.

But he heard the gasp from behind him. Thinking it to be one of Farah's attackers, here to check that nothing had disturbed her corpse, Saul scrambled for his sword in the dirt and grasped the hilt. He rose to his feet with stunning speed and whirled the blade around to point directly at Quain's chest. Seeing it was only the woman and no one else, Saul forced himself to lower the weapon and listen to her stammering apology.

"You couldn't have known about this," Saul muttered, narrowing his eyes at her. "But you shouldn't have followed me. Leave. Now."

His grip on the hilt tightened. If Farah were here, she would gently touch his shoulder and urge him to see rationally. She would calm him with a single touch and humble him with a single look. Her poise would become his poise, and her confidence would become his confidence. But that was impossible. She was dead. Every time the thought re-occurred to him, a shudder would pass through his entire body.

Quain gasped in genuine shock at his speed in grabbing his sword and nearly running her through with it. She’d have to be careful of that. Saul was apparently an angry mourner, and she had too much to do before she could let herself be killed.

She nodded shakily at his words, sputtering more apologies as she warily backed away from him. She truly didn’t want to get stabbed or cut to pieces, which worked well to make her show more authentic.

“I… I’ll go. I’m sorry. But… you… you shouldn’t have to stay here and let the sight of… of all this… torment you more,”she said tearfully.

Her entire body trembled as she cried, and she seemed to be in desperate need of a hug. She also seemed to truly want to get Saul out of the alley.

Saul's grey eyes were sharp and dangerous. "Don't tell me what you think is best for me," he snapped. It was wrong to take his anger out on this innocent girl, but Saul was barely able to hold it back. "Leave us. I want to be left alone."

But he couldn't bring himself to look at Farah's bloody corpse again. Maybe she was right. But Saul also felt a deep-seated urge to lash out. He needed to strike and hit and make whoever had done this pay.

"Do you have any idea who could have done this?" he demanded, breathing heavily and gripping his sword hilt until the blood pulled from his knuckles and turned them white.

Quain flinched at his words, whimpering and nodding. She backed away some more, but froze at his question.

“N… no. B… but, that… the man in the alley looked like a Shadowfolk. They’re men from the Shadow Demiplane. I… I don’t know why they would… do this. Most Shadowfolk are simple merchants, but… this…”she said shakily.

She watched his hand cautiously, noting how tight he was holding it. He was vengeful right now. She’d have to find some way to get past it, whether by giving him a target or defusing his anger. She didn’t really care which, though she was genuinely curious how he’d react either way.

Saul was trying very hard to keep from exploding his anger on Quain. It was bubbling up and would soon be uncontrollable. The girl looked genuinely scared of him, and it made Saul realize how hostile he was being. He needed to calm himself down and save his anger for Farah's murderers.

They would be the ones to fall beneath his blade. They alone would suffer his wrath. He couldn't afford to unleash his rage too early or on the wrong person. He would avenge his fairy.

"Where can I find them?" he demanded through gritted teeth. "These Shadowfolk. Are they far from here?"