A year or so earlier.....
There was an unusual calm about the mountain temple while Val stood outside its stone gates. As guard of the Den, a most sacred duty, she took each glance and step with care. Even when the rain began to pour, Val was ready for anything, if anything ever happened. Her silvery armor of Mithiril gleamed on her form, never rusting and always as light as air, like a star in the dead of night. A strange aura stuck and clung as the rain beat down upon them while an ungodly haze built around the Den.
Neetha looked about herself. There was an uneasy feeling, to be sure. It practically made the very hairs on the back of her naked neck stand at attention. Her copper hair was wound tightly in braids about her temple, almost like a crown. Her structured brow furled against the wind that began to push at the twin sentinels and Neetha looked to her partner for an instant.
"It hasn't rained like this for a few years now." Val tried to keep the conversation light, and silent. Her fingers tightened around her staff before she mused, "We should probably fall back inside and lock the doors, this could get worse." The ominous feeling grew even as she spoke.
There was a crack of thunder just then, which was odd considering that Neetha did not remember any lightning igniting the storm-darkened sky. She nodded her head toward Val, "I believe you are right, Sister. It feels as if the gods themselves are coming down to dredge up the air this night." Her expression sobered and soured. Her words stung her tongue even then. It was as if fingers were lightly tapping up and down her arms, though as she was wearing her protective armor, she knew she must be imagining things.
Val had only a moment turned her head towards the surroundings when something in the distance caught her eye. Her head tilted to the side with curiosity before her gaze flashed back to Nee. "We're going to need more guards." The smell of Bhaal stained at her nose as undead flesh hung in the air under storm clouds and rain. A flash of lightning hung in the air a moment later, illuminating the chaos of death ridden bodies writhing their way up the mountain and towards the Den at a hostile pace.
Neetha's knuckles tightened upon her staff as she was about to answer her Sister. The illumination of their mountain's narrow path was strewn with these undead. A swear and a prayer were nearly simultaneously offered under her breath as she backed up. "We shall gather our numbers to fight off this unholy horde. Goddess's might will be praised!"
"Why would they come to the Den in this hour?" There was a iron taste in the air that lingered in Val's mouth as she inhaled. Both her deep eyes widened and her hand jerked to her sister's arm, pulling them towards the door as she hissed under her breath. "They're after it....They're after—- but they wouldn't have come for her unless.." Her gaze flickered to Nee," Seal the doors I will warn the others."
Without a hesitation, Neetha nodded and moved backward where Val was leading. Those clever green eyes were focused on the horde until she was once more in the sanctity of the Den. "Tis an outrage that the hand travels this far....Surely you don't think it's..." She could not even bring herself to say it as she began to fasten the metal bracer on her staff.
"Let us hope it is not the hand itself here to wage war personally, Sister, we will not stand a chance if that is the case." Her head bobbed in a silent prayer before she raised the alarm. Her hands pushed on the stone doors, helping Nee shut them in hopes that the holy walls that surrounded them could keep death out. "Pray sister, and hope we make it through this unholy night."
"We will. She will see us through, She will see our strikes find their targets!" And as they pushed the stone doors, the scraping against the floor was like the signal for the night's turn to begin a darker path. A path whose twists would have implications father and wider than either of them realized.
(TY Nee-mun for helping me get this under way!)
There was an unusual calm about the mountain temple while Val stood outside its stone gates. As guard of the Den, a most sacred duty, she took each glance and step with care. Even when the rain began to pour, Val was ready for anything, if anything ever happened. Her silvery armor of Mithiril gleamed on her form, never rusting and always as light as air, like a star in the dead of night. A strange aura stuck and clung as the rain beat down upon them while an ungodly haze built around the Den.
Neetha looked about herself. There was an uneasy feeling, to be sure. It practically made the very hairs on the back of her naked neck stand at attention. Her copper hair was wound tightly in braids about her temple, almost like a crown. Her structured brow furled against the wind that began to push at the twin sentinels and Neetha looked to her partner for an instant.
"It hasn't rained like this for a few years now." Val tried to keep the conversation light, and silent. Her fingers tightened around her staff before she mused, "We should probably fall back inside and lock the doors, this could get worse." The ominous feeling grew even as she spoke.
There was a crack of thunder just then, which was odd considering that Neetha did not remember any lightning igniting the storm-darkened sky. She nodded her head toward Val, "I believe you are right, Sister. It feels as if the gods themselves are coming down to dredge up the air this night." Her expression sobered and soured. Her words stung her tongue even then. It was as if fingers were lightly tapping up and down her arms, though as she was wearing her protective armor, she knew she must be imagining things.
Val had only a moment turned her head towards the surroundings when something in the distance caught her eye. Her head tilted to the side with curiosity before her gaze flashed back to Nee. "We're going to need more guards." The smell of Bhaal stained at her nose as undead flesh hung in the air under storm clouds and rain. A flash of lightning hung in the air a moment later, illuminating the chaos of death ridden bodies writhing their way up the mountain and towards the Den at a hostile pace.
Neetha's knuckles tightened upon her staff as she was about to answer her Sister. The illumination of their mountain's narrow path was strewn with these undead. A swear and a prayer were nearly simultaneously offered under her breath as she backed up. "We shall gather our numbers to fight off this unholy horde. Goddess's might will be praised!"
"Why would they come to the Den in this hour?" There was a iron taste in the air that lingered in Val's mouth as she inhaled. Both her deep eyes widened and her hand jerked to her sister's arm, pulling them towards the door as she hissed under her breath. "They're after it....They're after—- but they wouldn't have come for her unless.." Her gaze flickered to Nee," Seal the doors I will warn the others."
Without a hesitation, Neetha nodded and moved backward where Val was leading. Those clever green eyes were focused on the horde until she was once more in the sanctity of the Den. "Tis an outrage that the hand travels this far....Surely you don't think it's..." She could not even bring herself to say it as she began to fasten the metal bracer on her staff.
"Let us hope it is not the hand itself here to wage war personally, Sister, we will not stand a chance if that is the case." Her head bobbed in a silent prayer before she raised the alarm. Her hands pushed on the stone doors, helping Nee shut them in hopes that the holy walls that surrounded them could keep death out. "Pray sister, and hope we make it through this unholy night."
"We will. She will see us through, She will see our strikes find their targets!" And as they pushed the stone doors, the scraping against the floor was like the signal for the night's turn to begin a darker path. A path whose twists would have implications father and wider than either of them realized.
(TY Nee-mun for helping me get this under way!)