A Fitting End

[Armandeus]

High atop the inn, crouched out of sight of any prying eyes below Armandeus chooses the place for his last stand. He's had enough; enough of the visions, the accompanying pain, the soul-deep weariness that grows heavier with each passing day and threatens to crush him under the weight of it all. It's just too, too much and after all these years he is sick unto the end of it so he's decided no more.

It's his life so why shouldn't he decide what he wishes to do with it? Even if that means deciding on how he wishes to end it? He fears many things but death has never been one of them. Ever since the days of his imprisonment he has viewed it as a means of escape though this has been the first time he has actively pursued the idea.

The Elven long dagger gives off just the barest glare as it twirls between his fingertips as he gazes up at the sky above. It's a dark night, and even the stars have hidden themselves in the clouds that hold the promise of coming rain. He couldn't have picked a better setting, he thinks, for it's truly fitting. For an elf stars are the pinnacle of beauty and to have such beauty witness such an heinous act would be nothing short of an abomination.

The dagger spins to a stop and the sharp tip cuts into his finger drawing blood, but it goes unnoticed. The whole world seems to be at a respite as Armandeus sighs, drawing in a deep shuddering breath as he considers what he is about to do. His friends are going to be royally pissed, that's putting it mildly, and that's the sole reason he didn't tell any of them. On the ghost of a breeze he can hear the melodic voice of Ryanna in his ear berating him for taking the cowards way out and he shakes his head to dispel the voice before he can listen too closely. He's thought about this for a long time now and there's no going back.

He's not completely heartless, however, as he went to great pangs to spare Elessar from the brunt of it. Thanks to a little something extra added into the elf's evening tea the other male will sleep through everything and that's just what Armandeus wants. The sudden loss of life from the bond will be invincibly painful, but Elessar has Eleniel and Cobalt to live for so Armandeus knows he'll be fine. It's a comforting thought among all the dark ones lurking in his mind.

The next moment finds himself releasing the breath he's been holding and in one swift movement he's tightened his grip upon the handle of his dagger and the following second finds it imbedded to nearly the hilt in his chest. The pain is engulfing but he's endured worse and soon it won't matter anyway. The dagger slips from nerveless fingers and as Armandeus follows behind he finds his eyes drawn towards the sky and the soothing glow of the stars above. . .

[Armandeus]

The stars wheel overhead, blurring together until they form a bright canopy of light that spreads out like tongues of flame lapping at the sky. It strikes Armandeus as one of the most beautiful sights he has ever seen and his faer hums in response to it but there is something else, something tugging on the bare edge of his consciousness for his attention.

The sensation grows stronger; gnawing, tugging, then demanding his attention until . . .


Armandeus jerks upright in his bed, just barely biting down the strangled cry in his throat. He's shaking, sheened in a cold sweat as the horror of his latest nightmare slowly fades from his mind. It's long moments before he can fully catch his breath again as his eyes roam the dark room to land on Elessar's, thankfully, still sleeping form. It was all just a dream. Just a dream. . . The rational part of his mind knows this, accepts the reality in front of his eyes, but there's still part of him that is afraid to look down for fear of seeing that handle of his dagger sticking from his chest.

He's being ridiculous. It was just a dream which means there's no dagger in his chest but then what's that? His eyes have barely glanced down and he's only caught a glimpse but there is no mistaking the silver glint from the butt of his favorite dagger. . . And the crooked angle as it protrudes from his chest. Horror fills his eyes and the screams bubble forth from his belly unrestrained. He can't stop the screams as they gurgle forth like a river unleashed from a dam, and oh, they are awful to hear. .



"Armandeus!! Armandeus! Wake UP!!!" Frantic shouts rise above the screams and there's the sensation of the world shaking, but Armandeus screams on. The comfort of escaping into death has been replaced with the more immediate horror of actually being conscience during it and there is no escaping, no way to break free.

Elessar is panicked. He can count the number of times on one hand he's woken to Armandeus screaming but this one will surely rise above the rest. The green-haired elf is sitting up in his bed, one hand clutching his dagger so tight Elessar can see the blood seeping out from between the other male's fingers and that spurs him into gear. Elessar is up, grabbing the empty basin from the small table in the corner, and off to fill it with water before Armandeus has time to react.

By the time he's returned Armandeus has screamed himself hoarse and seems to be slightly more aware of his surroundings although he doesn't put up a fight as Elessar reaches for him.

[tbc]




* faer is Elvish for soul.

[Venis Jordianthan]

A tear through the air appeared in front of the Tel'Ranaemyn Inn. The only evidence of it's sudden appearance is the exuberantly bright light seeping through. This light told of the coming.

The line split up and down until it was approximately six and a half feet in length. And the one who stepped through this portal was clad in a suit of armor that looked to be made of gold. It wasn't of course, gold is too pliable to be used for armor.

A removal of the helmet revealed a cascade of crimson locks falling in spirals to the ground. And with a shake of her head, the armor was gone. Why the flashy appearance of the Goddess when normally she would simply walk or ride to the Inn? Let us just say she was not coming from the immediate area. But that is another story for another time.

As the armor seemingly melted away, it revealed that Venis was clad in nothing more than a pair of tight fitting blue jeans, an emerald hued blouse with belled sleeves, A green leather bodice bound tight, and a pair of emerald hued stiletto heels, her trademark footwear.

Around her waist was two leather bags, purses if you will, bound by a string that she had threaded through her belt loops and tied in front. The purses hung on her right hip. There was a reason she had started carrying them. But that was neither here nor there at the moment.

It was mere seconds after stepping through the portal to stand in front of the Inn before she felt it. For the second time in as many visits, she was suddenly taken ill. But this time, this time was much worse. Venis made an attempt at a footstep forward only to find herself doubling over in pain.

Both hands went to her stomach as she toppled to her side upon the ground. Extreme emotions were running rampant at the moment. And pain, an unmeasurable amount of pain. But there was something even worse. Death. Death hung in the air like it was seeking a victim.

Venis rolled to her knees, still doubled over upon the ground. She looked around, she felt the beings in her presence, but her husband was not about. That meant that death was not here because someone's time on this plane was up. This was unplanned. And death had not claimed it's victim yet. Venis had time.

With one hand upon the ground she moved to one foot. And then after another moment, she pushed herself up. She was standing, though shakily, still bent over holding her stomach. She needed to get inside the Inn. She needed to beat death. But who ...

One step, then another, and yet another. She was almost to the steps. Then she realized who. Armandeus. It had been Armandeus who had been in pain the last time she had come as well. And then she nearly scared him to death. But not this time. Another step, and yet another.

With each step she was regaining the strength to walk. Upon reaching she steps she stumbled once, breaking a heel. She kicked off both shoes and continued in her bare feet. Up the steps she went, one hand remaining on her stomach at all times. If she didn't get to Armandeus soon, death would come to claim his soul.

Through the door, somehow without another stumble. Once inside, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on nothing other than Armandeus. She had to drown out any and all other beings because she did not know where he was. It took a few seconds but she found him.

With her eyes still closed, Venis followed her feeling. She managed to move around the Inn without running into anything. But then again, she had lived within this Inn for a year. Quick, but careful steps carried her forward blindly. Then, she was standing at the door of the room that Armandeus and Elessar shared.

With one hand still clutching her stomach, Venis raised her fist and knocked upon the door three times rapidly. She called out to those within. "Armandeus, Elessar, it's Venis. Please, let me in. I can help." And why is it that she could not simply enter the room? This was their private residence. Not a public area of the Inn. The vampire could not enter unless invited, Goddess or not.

[Elessar]

It was moments like these when Elessar wishes fervently he had paid more attention to his healer training when he was younger. What was that about patients and shock again? Armandeus doesn't seem to be in it as far as Elessar can tell - the elf is still awake and somewhat alert, so Elessar is taking it as a good sign even if Armandeus is silent and pale as death.

As he pulls his own dagger from it's hidden spot in his sleeve and leans forward to start carefully slicing Armandeus' shirt away to see where the dagger had penetrated Elessar briefly considers the possibility of going to find De'Ryanna or Epiphany to help him. It's tempting, very tempting, but there isn't enough time. The last he'd heard De'Ryanna hadn't even recognized Armandeus and had since disappeared and Elessar wasn't in the mood to try bartering with the Door that may not even lead him to Epiphany anyway. He's starting to feel frustrated on top of overwhelmed and gives in to it for a moment with a surprisingly fluent string of curses in Elvish before he finishes slicing away the rest of the shirt.

Once free of the area he wants now comes the hard part as Armandeus' chest is covered in blood. The thin cotton nightshirt had been no deter at all which is making it hard to see what Elessar's looking at. Well, there was only one way to find out for sure. . Turning back to the basin Elessar rolled the long sleeves of his shirt up then dipped his cupped hands into the water before bringing them up to dribble the water over Armandeus' chest and hand that still held the dagger. It's working, the blood is clearing away under the deluge of the water and Elessar does it three more times before he's satisfied that he'll be able to see what he needs to see.

Taking in a deep breath Elessar does his best to mentally prepare himself for what he's about to see, but there's no amount of preparing for this. With the majority of the blood washed away there's no mistaking it - the dagger is clearly embedded in Armandeus' chest and it's all Elessar can do not to loose what little food's in his stomach right there on the spot. There aren't enough curses in Elvish, Common, or any other language for the shock and the sudden buzzing sensation that's covering Elessar's brain. One thing is for certain - he can't fix this and even Armandeus' natural healing ability will be no match.

Elessar has no choice but to get help and he's up and moving towards the door when the knocks and shouts come, all of it sounding muddled in comparison to the buzzing in his ears. The door is swung open and Elessar is a man on a mission, hardly paying attention which is why he just narrowly misses plowing into . . "Venis?"

[Venis Jordianthan]

((I apologize in advance if I was supposed to wait for a post from Armandeus. If I was, someone let me know and I will pull this one and let him go then repost.))

Venis looked up when the door flung open. "Elessar." She was so pleased that he had answered the door. Though, she had no idea that it was because he was about to rush out of it. "Elessar. Amin ... That is ... Amin irma a'." Her grasp of the elvish language seemed to be failing her at the moment. She needed to reacquaint herself with the words. But there was no time now.

She cleared her throat and tried again. In common this time. "Elessar, I can't come in and help Ar. unless you invite me in." She had her hand on the door jam now and was pushing against an unseen force with the other hand. Her voice was clearly panicked and she appeared very eager to enter that room. The elves might not warship her as a deity, or acknowledge that she is the Goddess of Protection, but she knew these two. At least knew them well enough to want to protect and save them.

Of course, if Elessar let her in, there was the next issue. For she could feel the dagger in Armandeus' chest as if it were in her own. She knew it was deep. But she didn't know a whole lot about healing elves. She had four ways to go with it. There was the traditional Earth style of Western Medicine. Takes longer to heal though, and tends to leave a scar. There was her witchcraft, a good spell with some well placed elixirs and pastes. Then there was traditional non magic Rhy'Din healing of herbs and such, which, in her experience, also took a while to heal. But, she was also a God. And she could simply heal him instantly. She would have to ask what type of healing she could perform. Elves had different ways of dealing with things, she didn't want to do something to offend anyone or do something that was against their rules or laws or anything.

[Elessar]

"Amin irma a'?" Elessar echoed the Elvish words back with a frown on his face, struck utterly dumbfounded for a moment. Two point three seconds ago he'd been a man on a mission to get Epiphany no matter what it took and now he stood there confused, his cool grey eyes darting between the still open door to his room and Venis.

What in Eru's name was wrong with him? He had been fine a moment ago, well if one could qualify ready to attack the Door with an axe 'fine', but now he was starting to feel muddled. It was comparable to the buzzing being replaced with a liquid blanket that was starting to seep into all the nooks and crannies of his brain and, oh . . it was the bond. Elessar had been looking past Venis into the room at Armandeus noting his pale skin and closed eyes when it all suddenly clicked into place. Armandeus was a stronger man than he appeared, but his strength could not last forever in the face of a wound like his and so his body was starting to draw strength from the next available source: Elessar. The strange, wormy sensation in his head was the starting fringes of shock setting in which meant he needed to get a move on while he still could.

"I need to find Epiphany." Muddled or not, Elessar was adamant on that point and there would be no changing his mind. Whether or not he could actually find her, well that was another thing entirely but he was going to try! "Help me find her," Here his gaze darted between Venis and Armandeus and back again, "Before I say the words." Elessar was playing a dangerous game here, but he couldn't help that the trust didn't run deep between him and Venis. While she didn't do anything personally to him he did not worship her, nor ask for her protection, and therefore was not going to give up entry so easily. Hopefully she would be willing to go along with him to find Epiphany. . .

[Venis Jordianthan]

Venis hadn't been able to remember the words for need or want. But she thought she had remembered desire right. So she had started the sentence with 'I desire to'. Or at least she thought she had. The rest of the sentence would have been 'enter your home.' If she had been able to remember the words. She definitely needed to brush up.

But while Elessar was finding himself confused by her words, and coming to his realization, Venis' arm that was on the door jam slid down and she gripped her stomach. She fell against the door jam with her shoulder. She winced from the pain. Armandeus was doing good to hang on, but at what cost?

Venis heard Elessar's words and was shaking her head before he even finished his sentence. She started to mumble. "No time." But he finished with 'Before I say the words.' Those words told Venis something important. If she helped Elessar, he would help her, by letting her help Armandeus. And at the moment, helping Armandeus was the most important thing to her.

Her free hand, that had been pushing against the invisible barrier of the threshold of the room, moved to her stomach as she doubled over again. "Yes." She nodded as she spoke. "Yes, I will help you find her." She winced again. Then she spoke quietly. "Please God, let her be somewhere easy, don't make us go to The Door." But despite her prayer (That, yes, was to the Christian God), she was visualizing The Door in her mind just in case she needed to portal them there.

She had her visual of The Door. But before they went there, she was going to try one other thing. ~Epiphany. Epiphany, can you hear me?~ She tried to 'feel' for Epiphany within the realm. If Epiphany answered her, or if she felt her somewhere, Venis could retrieve her or they could go to her. If she did not answer, they had to go see The Door.

[B.D. Adams]

Someone was dying, or, they were very close to it.

People died everyday. Tens, hundreds,it would be a bore if a person were to take note of all that left the land of a the living a day, especially if they took a care to them. There were only certain occasions - such as this one - that Benjamin Adams choose to pay attention and it came from Armandeus over at the Tel'Ranaemyn Inn.

How very interesting.

While it was likely that the elf would be taken care of before he met his demise it wasn't something he would leave up to chance. Some people needed to survive, if only because they had use still.

There were others at the Inn and given his particular demeanor a visual showing of his presence may do more harm than good. Besides, he's been through the halls of the Inn enough times to 'see' what was going on without physically being in the same place. Even if there was one in the current group who may be able to tell he was there.

Benjamin held his peace and listened until he heard them say they were going to find Epiphany. She was a friend to the elves so it was only fitting that the one called Elessar would want her. If she was gotten then it may be to late for what he wanted.

"Calling for ... Epiphany ... may not be the best of choices..."

The voice that spoke those words was heavy and deep and it came from the closest shadow along the hall; and it was accompanied with a dark abiding presence. There was no figure there, nothing for the eyes on this particular plane to see, but words were as though the speaker were standing next to Venis.

"Especially, if you have Venis here. It's a conflict of interest." That it was, even is that factor was not taken into consideration.

"Besides, the Vampire looks to be in the same state as our Armandeus....." Let it not be mistaken, he did say 'our Armandeus'. Spoken words drifted into a momentary pause only to resume with a coy tone, "let us reflect on that a moment."

"Though, I have something that would help Armandeus while you decide on what to do."

Surely it wasn't a threat, was it? Afterall,he was here, surely there was something in it for him.

[Venis Jordianthan]

Luckily for the elves, Venis remembered all her medical training. She looked at Elessar and then at Armandeus. Then she looked back at Elessar. "Crap. Elessar, you're bound to Armandeus, aren't you?" Elessar seemed to be going into shock for Armandeus. This was bad.

Then Venis' heart began to race. It was not good for her heart to be racing on it's own when it already felt like it had a dagger in it. Venis usually made her own heart beat, but this was different.

She turned her head to the side to look towards the shadows. She knew what, or rather who, was there. It was the reason for her heart racing. Her hand moved to the purses on her hip. This was the last thing she needed to deal with.

She had a moment to wonder, just how much did his little 'strings' tell him? Had he known what she had done at her Keep? Did he know now? One thing was certain, the extra darkness she had called upon for strength at the Keep was reacting to him.

She heard his words and blinked slowly. That first sentence was confirmation that it was him, as if there was any doubt. "Benjamin." His name whispered at the end of a breath. He continued to speak.

He was right. With the added darkness Venis currently possessed it would be a bad thing to be around Epiphany. It would be a conflict of interest to say the least. But he was also wrong. She might have been empathizing physically with Armandeus, but she was not quite in the same state as he.

'Our' Armandeus? Since when? "He is not yours Benjamin." Her voice carried a harshness to it. Even in her current state, she knew she was the lesser of two evils here. And when Benjamin offered assistance, she knew better than to trust him.

She reached a hand towards Elessar's hand. "Elessar, take my hand. Please." She could feed power into Elessar that Armandeus could siphon from him. She could sustain them all for a time. How long of a time depended on how fast Armandeus pulled strength from them.

Then she spoke to the shadows while she waited to see if Elessar took her hand. "At what cost? You're help never comes for free. What is in it for you?" She knew this to be fact. She carried the evidence around her heart. Though, in all fairness, she allowed him to put them there and she chose to leave them there rather than break free of him.

If Elessar took her hand, he might even begin to come out of his state of shock and come to his senses. He would be able to see that she was here to help and that it would be best for Armandeus for him to let her help.

But then there was still the issue of time. And the fact that Benjamin was offering his help as well. "I will break my own rules before I will let you take him Benjamin. Do not think that I won't." And how would she break her own rules? The physical body of the vampire couldn't enter. But the pure energy of the incorporeal Goddess could enter anywhere.

There was always the possibility of Venis taking that form and metaphorically killing several birds with one stone. After all, Armandeus could heal instantly, the shadows could disappear, and therefor so would Benjamin, and Elessar would most likely come out of shock.

But she didn't want to do that. That was a last resort option. She wanted to play by the rules and not do anything that could offend or alienate the elves towards her. For that reason she hoped that Benjamin didn't force her hand. And that Elessar took her hand.

[Elessar]

At the best of times Elessar had some interesting issues with trust, but add to that something like the situation they were currently in and Elessar could twist those issues into a weapon to rival a real one. It was working too as Elessar was dangling what Venis wanted the most, to enter his and Armandeus' room, in exchange for finding Epiphany faster.

Unfortunately for Venis, Elessar paid little heed to her being ill now that his mind was made up on what he wanted. To him, her feeling the same as Armandeus was trivial- something to be dealt with at a later time. At the moment he had no mind to mull over why she was feeling what the other elf was when he was the only one who was actually connected to Armandeus, or even why she was suddenly on their doorstep when she hadn't lived at the inn for some time now. As for finding Epiphany, Elessar was going to start with the logical choice: the Door. Eru help it too, the Door had better play nice or else it was going to find itself on the business end of Elessar's wrath and battle axe no matter how Epiphany may feel about it later. Which was why the elf was halfway down the hallway when the deep voice came calling from the shadows:


"Calling for ... Epiphany ... may not be the best of choices..."

Wait, what? How could Epiphany not be a good choice? She was a healer, not to mention she already had experience healing the elves in the past! Given all that in mind she was, in Elessar's opinion, the first choice for help while Venis ranked somewhere down on the list next to that crazy vampire surfer who lived down the hallway. Who or what was this mysterious voice anyway? The delicate tips of Elessar's ears twitched as he listened- there was something vaguely familiar in the tone but the elf had no mind to try placing his finger on it.

The pull of the bond was growing stronger, already Elessar could feel the dangerous beat of Armandeus' heart alongside his own. It was a frightening reminder of the early days of his and Armandeus' bonding, of which Elessar consciously remembered little, but it was enough to feed the gnawing edge of paranoia that was lurking in the elf's muddled mind. Giving into the panic, Elessar let it consume him as the words of ghosts drifted into his ears, whispering that the bond was strong enough to pull them both into death if he wasn't careful. .

Outwardly Elessar was starting to look shaky. His naturally fine skin was slowly taking on a pale, almost transparent waxy quality as sweat formed along his brow. What was that though? The elf swayed on his feet as he came back to his senses. Had he heard that right? The shadow had something that could help Armandeus? Or was it simply something he imagined? "Help him, shadow, if you truly have something."

Given his current condition the vast majority of Venis' address towards Benjamin went right over Elessar's head right up to the point that the elf found himself staring dumbly at Venis' outstretched hand. The end of her words of breaking rules and of a him being taken smacked Elessar upside the head as he stared at the hand. Who was being taken by who? The elf shook his head as he slowly took a step away from Venis and her outstretched hand. "You cannot fix this instantly by magic."

[Armandeus]

The world had gone hazy in the moments after the initial shock faded leaving Armandeus to stare dumbly at the way light pulled at the edges of the room, blurring everything together in a sickening way. Dimly he can hear Elessar moving around their room; going into their shared bathroom and the sound of running water before returning. The feeling of his nightshirt being cut away and the string of curses that go along with it seems to be happening to someone else as he drifts on the edge of numbness that has settled where the pain initially was.

In an odd, twisted way, this is just like old times with Elessar patching him up but then again it isn't as this is the first he's ever intentionally injured himself. The full impact of it all hasn't hit home yet, something that he doesn't even realize to be thankful for, because when it does it's not going to be pretty. Even in their culture where no Gods or Goddess' exist it is still considered a sin to take the life of an Elf, even by ones own hand. The exact origin of the Elves of Genesis is a mystery to Armandeus' knowledge; growing up deep within the forests he learned the art of hunting, fighting, and the skills to survive on his own, everything else beyond that was considered secondary. It's not something he's ever truly wondered about before either, but as he's laboring to pull another painful breath into his lungs he can't help but wonder the purpose of it all.

In the end it doesn't matter what the purpose is because it's simply just not fair. His whole life has been filled with unfairness as far back as his memory can go in this delirious state: seeing his mother suffer her visions, the war that took his parents and left him to care for his siblings alone, his capture and subsequent imprisonment, the life root serum that triggered his own visions long before their time... the list could go on for eternity and he chokes on blood that's suddenly bubbled up before he can go on.

It is nothing short of sheer dumb luck that he hasn't stabbed himself through the heart. While physically the Elves closely resembled mortal men save for a few key differences anatomy was a completely different story. Where as the mortals hearts lay to the left off the center of the chest the Elves, and Armandeus' included lay fully to the right side. Thankfully the dagger had landed on the left side of his chest, though if the blood that continued to bubble on his lips was any indication he was far from being out of the woods. .

Dear Eru, but this was not how things were supposed to go. In his mind it all had been so peaceful; Elessar had slept on oblivious and nobody else had been around to witness his death. How ironic was it then that reality was completely opposite? He's a combination of pain and numbness, of agony and sorrow, and he can hear Elessar in the hallway with Venis yet there's no breath left in him to disable the wards in the room. He's helpless as a fly caught in a web, condemned to listen to the debate in the hall as his body deteriorates around him.

And for a time that's all he does - listen. His eyes slide close as his body starts to relax and he can feel the bond to Elessar open in a way it never has before. Normally the bond is superficial, nothing more than just a slight conscience sensation of the other's presence but with this awakening he can feel everything Elessar can down to every beat of his heart. It's startling enough to rouse him from his relaxed state and feed him a bit of strength and while some part of him knows it's a bad sign Armandeus is grateful all the same.

On the beat of this newfound surgance comes a long-ago memory to fill his ears in replacement of the hallway chaos: "Do you understand what this means? For the rest of your lives you will be intertwined, one life force tethered to two bodies. It cannot be reversed Armandeus." Yára's face floats behind his closed eyelids and the barest twitch of a smile forms on his lips in response.

"I can't. . I can't let him die . . Not here, not like this. . ." Ah yes, and there's himself, younger and so full of life even in that grim place. How willing he was to give up his life then to save Elessar's!

Just look where that got them now. . and just like that Yára's face and the voices of memory were gone as the extra strength waned leaving Armandeus reeling in the wake. Gods above, or even the one in the hallway, hopefully someone would come to help him soon. . .

[Inion]

Inion had been out doing some errands and had decided to stay at her room at the room. She only had to open the front door of the inn to be hit by the wave of power and distress. Venis had a large prexence all in her own. One that Inion had grown use to feeling, but this was more. There was so much in the air she extended her hearing and picked up on where and a bit of what was going on. Letting Venis's presence guide her to she found her standing outside the elves room. She looked at Venis almost double overed holding her stomach, at Elessar it a state she could not describe at a glance. Looking passed them she caught a glimpse of Ar clinging to life. The mother and healer in her clicked in and all she could think of was getting into the room and helping Ar. The door was being blocked and normally she would just push people out of the way but instead she took a deep breath and reached out and touched Elessar on the shoulder.

"Elessar, he is fading, please allow me to help him while you seek Epiphany. I know what to do and how to do it." She of course wouldn't wait long for an answer before pushing her way into the room.

She was standing so that she could reach out to Venis also. It was not her usual thing to touch someones mind and she knew Venis would have barrieres up but she tried. "Venis darling I know you can't get in. I will at least help keep him here long enough to find Epiphany. I will put up something to ease your ache also but if Epiphany can not be found i will need extra hands and help to save him." These silent words were given while she waited for Elessar to answer her. She hoped Venis heard them and understood what she was trying to do.

[B.D. Adams]

He smiled.

Yes, he could smile, though whether anyone or other could see his smile was not what mattered. He was smiling and it was due to reasons that were not exactly clear or matching the circumstance.

Quite a few people were starting to gather around the door that led into Armandeus' room and, truthfully, if Benjamins presence was more corporeal it would have made him twitchy, but he was able to abide well. (Somewhere, in his core, he was still a wolf and his kind didn't often do well in crowded indoors. Irony.)

"I do have something," came the voice from within in the shadows. His eyes made a passing glance over the fae that was now in the area with them. There was a very interesting mix of abilities that was starting to well up in this hallway of the Tel'Ranaemyn. His 'eyes' were taken from off the fae to settle back on to the vampire, "It is wise that you have accepted." The words were to Elessar as the elf did give Benjamin the go-ahead to help.

He never felt the need to answer question he felt were irrelevant to his mission and the ones about Armandeus were not anything he needed to explain to Venis. There was a reason why this man had decided to 'show up' and it wasn't to watch the elf die.

That is when the figure in the shadow would leave from his position in the hallway, his presence there vanishing to place itself inside of the room. Going from incoporeal to a physical state was not a easy as some who performed magic would make it appear to be - especially for him when there was an overwhelming presense about the Inn made to protect it from creatures such as himself for Benjamin had taken on a bit of a change since last he made his way about this area. Therefore, as soon as he became solid in the room, those who were attuned would feel a heavier, darker and evil force coming from the room that was nearly akin to death itself.

He wouldn't take long. Benjamin took himself to Armandeus' bedside and pulled something from within the folds of his pocket, a simple silver coin not much different in appearance than any other coin accept that the sides were stained red with blood. As he placed the coin down next to Armandeus he spoke. "The coin I place as payment. Be removed by the one who reaps."

That was all he said. That was all there was, before Benjamin began to leave the Inn once more.

[Armandeus]

[I apologize for going out of turn but I feel I need to interject here before anything else takes place less things get set into motion which could be unpleasant for the characters involved. . Thank you.]

Armandeus was Fading, and though while the act may have been intentional in his dreams he was not going willingly. His faer still shimmered with unshed life of immortality even as he continued to cough up blood. There was irony in this moment for who would have thought that immortality meant never dying? Yet Armandeus was dying and unless assistance came soon his faer would have no choice but follow his body's path.

Things were happening outside the room that the injured elf could no longer follow. The brief bout of extra strength he had acquired through the bond from Elessar was long since gone and though his body continued to leech it there just simply wasn't enough. It was within a dreamlike state he remained then, floating on the bare edge of conciseness, like one caught on the edge of a dream.

Inion's arrival, and her subsequent push into the room, went unheeded beyond the small sensation that he was no longer alone. Benjamin's arrival into the room, however, was far from unnoticed. Armandeus was usually not attuned to such things but the heavy, dark feeling suddenly so close around him was suffocating. Dear Eru above, but what was this? Armandeus held no belief in the scythe-wielding reaper of this world, but if asked in the moment he would have said it was standing beside him! Perhaps it was fortunate then that the effort required to open his eyes was too much for whom wanted to see such a sight before they passed?

It was almost comical then, when he was expecting to feel the chill of icy fingers and hear the raspy voice of Death that instead Benjamin's voice was the one to reach Armandeus' ears as something was placed alongside his body. "The coin I place as payment. Be removed by the one who reaps."

The words slid over Armandeus' mind like silk, not really sinking in beyond the fact they were spoken in the first place. A coin? Payment for what? Slowly, very slowly Armandeus' hand slipped free of the death grip it had been holding on the dagger and slid, slick and sticky with his blood, down to rest protectively overtop the coin. "Hannon le." The words formed in silence on his lips, a thank you if Benjamin chose to see it.

The coolness of the metal felt alien against the feverishness of his skin but in a strange way it helped. He was semi-alert and there was one thing left to do before he lost himself again to that dream-like state: take down the wards in the room. After the incident with Mary last summer and the disappearance of Sellion, Armandeus had the grand idea that extra protection was definitely needed and so he had studied day and night until he found the perfect combination of magic to effectively shield their room from any unwanted guests. In the end it had worked - only a handful of those deemed friends and any invited could enter. So far it had been lucky that none others had tried to enter but now Armandeus was about to open it up for all. "Mor. Gul. Metta." The elvish words were barely formed on his lips but it was enough- a blue flash of light filled the room like a streak of lightening in a storm . . and with it's fading went the wards leaving in the wake the vision of Armandeus laying slack on his bed, the last of his strength gone, completely unconscious.

[Venis Jordianthan]

Magic? Venis wasn't going to use magic to try and make the problem go away. But how would Elessar know that? In a way it was good of the elf to not just trust her on sight. She was carrying around more darkness than ever before. But to trust Benjamin more? "Nnnoooooo!" She cried out when it registered that Elessar had let Benjamin help rather than her.

She didn't want to cheat, she didn't want to break the rules. Even with the addition of a little voice inside her head that was saying things she didn't want to hear. And why had it become a voice? Why had the darkness taken on a life of it's own? Even if it was only in her head, the darkness was still feeding off of her own darkness, and was growing stronger. So Venis was fighting against the darkness as well as fighting to get into the room to try and save Armandeus.

Then out of nowhere came Inion. Venis still had one hand extended to Elessar. She could still help Armandeus, even if he was going to let Benjamin help. Elessar would be a conduit. It would be like back on Earth, when someone had a motor vehicle that wouldn't start, someone else would hook their vehicle to it with a set of cables called jumper cables. Then the power given from one vehicle would go through the cables and the first vehicle would use the power to start. She wanted Elessar to be the jumper cables between her and Armandeus. It was the only way for Venis to help Armandeus have the strength to hold on.

Venis didn't hear what Inion said to Elessar. She was too busy with trying to get him to take her hand and trying to keep the darkness from taking over in the presence of something more evil than her. But Inion's presence was definitely noticed when she pushed her way into the room. Because in order to push her way in, she had to push past Venis. And the contact that was made as Inion passed by and brushed against her sent a shock through her body. A very strong jolt of electricity. It made Venis cry out.

And as Inion was entering the room, Benjamin moved to enter it as well. Though, thankfully, through a different means. But as Benjamin became corporeal and had a physical presence in the room behind her, it was overwhelming. That darkness that could feel him there, and had been trying to take her over, could now feel that the physical presence of Benjamin was darker and more evil than he had been before. Benjamin's darkness and evil was so thick that Venis was now choking on it. Choking to the point that now Armandeus wasn't the only one coughing up blood.

She would damn Benjamin if she wasn't sure he had already been damned. Her hand moved to wipe the blood from her lips. "Elessar, I need to save Armandeus, now." She had tears of blood running down her cheeks as they fell from her ice blue eyes. Then she heard Inion in her head. It took a moment for the message to get through. And as Venis was processing Inion's words, Benjamin began to leave the Inn. He had done something. What had he done? What had Inion said? Venis needed to focus.

Clarity was needed here, and Venis knew how to get clarity for herself as well as any other who needed it. So Venis spoke the words. "Lumière de clarté." And with those words a tiny spark of light flared to life in the hallway. Suddenly, things were becoming clear to the Goddess and maybe the others present as well. Elessar had let Benjamin do something to Armandeus, and whatever it was, Armandeus didn't refuse. The bright blue flash within the room caught her attention and caused her to turn her head from the light for a moment. The light began to dim.

Venis had a moment to see Armandeus passed out on the bed before she turned to look into the light once again. As she looked into the light, it grew brighter and stronger. Inion's words were registering in her head now. Inion offered to try and do something to ease her suffering. A barrier perhaps? She knew Inion could do it. But at what cost? If she blocked the pain ... "No! Inion ... No, please. If you do that you will be feeding it." Inion would know the it to which Venis referred. "It will feed from your power. Please, don't feed it." Venis was having a hard enough time fighting against the darkness. Though, with Benjamin not physically there once again, it was getting a little easier.

What else did the light have to show? It was still growing stronger. It was still growing brighter. There was more that Venis needed to see. Armandeus, his bond with Elessar. She had already pleaded with Elessar to take her hand, twice now. But Armandeus was still puling strength from his brethren. If they didn't hurry, Venis would have to save them both. Venis had the strength and the power to pull off such a task. Even without using the darkness. But the longer it took, the harder it would be.

So they needed to expedite things. "Inion, please, keep Armandeus from slipping away." And because Epiphany did not answer her call, there was but one choice. With a wave of her hand, Venis opened a portal. It was large enough to work as a window to show it's destination on the other side. "Elessar, you can see, the portal goes to The Door. Take my hand and let us go to it. You want Epiphany that bad, then let us go." The portal opened enough for the two of them to step through.

Ok, two things got through to The Door. A name and shiny things. The door already had her golden compact mirror. She needed something more. She had a name for it. As for a shiny thing ... She reached into thin air, or that's how it looked. What she really had done was reached through a smaller portal, into a box in her room at the Starry Myst Inn. In that trunk there was something she needed. She felt around for it and pulled it out of the portal with her hand. The portal closed on it's own. She was ready to face The Door. Was Elessar ready to take her hand and go with her?



((Light of clarity))

[Inion]

She felt bad that she had caused Venis to cry out but at the moment she was focused on helping Ar. Inside the room she was quickly at his side looking over the injury and thinking of what she was going to need. She had been ignoring the shadow she felt until it was in the room with her. She didn't know this person but his presence caused a growl to emerge from her. Thankfully for him she was focused on helping Ar because his actions would have caused her to want to lash out.

She heard Venis and looked up at her nod was giving to let her know she understood about what not to feed. "I promise I will do everything in my power to keep him here." Gentle hands were settled round the wound and she let her light surround it but not over power she didn't want to feed anything other then the person she was trying to help. She leaned close to Ar's face and began whispering to him. It didn't matter if he didn't understand all of what she said as long as her voice kept him grounded to her and this moment.

There was that worry that they may not find Pip or take to long. If this happened she would just start mending the wound and healing him.

[Elessar]

The world was suddenly moving too fast around him. Armandeus was pulling more than just strength from him, Elessar thought dully as he leaned his head up against the wall, for it felt he'd taken leave of his wits completely! One moment it was himself, Venis, and the shadowy form of Benjamin in the hallway and the next Benjamin was gone, Inion had appeared then she was gone as well! It shouldn't have unnerved him, the movement of the others around him, but with his mind scattered as it was it did.

Though, not all of the elf's mental maladies could be explained by the bond's power alone. In an uncanny twist, and perhaps in some way of making up for his lack of natural magical abilities, Elessar was finely attuned to the light and darkness that came from others. Which could possibly go a long way towards why the elf didn't trust Venis on sight. There was a darkness about her that struck Elessar unnatural even for such a creature as she was. It struck him like claws sliding upon a chalkboard; he couldn't stand it. He didn't trust it.

A wise man had once said 'Sometimes a little evil is necessary to win the war,' and wasn't that what Elessar was doing here? Before him had been two devils, and from those two he had struck a deal to help save Armandeus. The consequences were of little importance- something to deal with at a later time for at the moment Elessar had neither mind nor care as to what they could be.

This indifference was nearly a contradiction then the few seconds later when the darker, evil force of Benjamin could be felt flowing out of the elves' room. Where Venis' darkness had been slightly more than an annoyance this new onslaught was comparable to being slugged in the gut causing Elessar to slid halfway down the wall, nearly doubled over with it. Dear Eru above, had he chosen the wrong devil after all? The price was being paid regardless and as Elessar struggled to compose himself he found he was slightly ashamed to feel relieved that he couldn't see what Benjamin was doing to Armandeus.

Still, Elessar couldn't repress the shudder that rippled through his body as he knelt there. Never before in his life had he felt such darkness, such evil, so close. It was a repulsing sensation in the way it scarped over his already sensitive nerves manifesting in the physical churn of the elf's stomach.

He had to get out of there. While cowardly it may seem, to run while his friend lay dying not ten feet away, Elessar needed some space if only for a moment to try grounding himself before he was swept away in all the sensations around him. He could not outrun the bond or it's effect so long as he stayed within the realm but even a few feet away could possibly grant a reprieve from the revulsion of being almost surrounded by darkness. It was on shaky legs then that Elessar was hauling himself up on when Venis' words caught his ears and he finally looked up at her. "Elessar, I need to save Armandeus, now."

Holy deities of Rhy'Din! Elessar could feel his eyes literally bugging out from his head as he stared in horror- she was bleeding from her eyes and her mouth!!! Oh, but how that was the straw that broke the camel's back, or in this case Elessar's fragile nerves. It was simply too much to take upon everything else and the churning of the elf's poor stomach reached a fever pitch as he suddenly leaned forward and lost what little dinner he'd eaten earlier all over the hallway floor.

There was a loud ringing in his ears when he finished, effectively drowning the world, as well as Venis and her light, out at large as Elessar pushed his way away from the wall and stumbled his way towards his room. The sudden urge to be with Armandeus was overwhelming and to everything else the elf ignored it as he darted his way under Venis' outstretched hand and pushed his way past her into the safety of the room. Once inside he took himself over to Armandeus' bedside and knelt, resting opposite of Inion as she tried to save Armandeus.

[Venis Jordianthan]

Great. Just absolutely freaking fantastic. Elessar just puked in the hallway, right there in front of her. Like she wasn't nauseous enough already. Ok. So El ran into the room rather than going with her to the Door. But he just had to have Epiphany there. So she was going to do what she had to do. It might make some angry, but to loose Armandeus was unacceptable. Her hands were now tied. Because El hadn't let her into the room.

Her first move was to step through the portal. She needed the portal to stay open, even when she went back through. So she pricked her finger on her fang and ran her finger around the edges of the portal. That would hold it open until she closed it. Then it was to the Door she went. "Hello Door. I have an urgent request. We need Epiphany to come to Armandeus and Elessar's room. It is a matter of life or death. If you deliver my message, I will return and reward you handsomely." She did not wait for the Door to respond. She just went back through the portal.

Now we all know that God's can take any form they choose. Venis had chosen to remain a Vampire after she became a Goddess. It had been her choice. But she had other forms. She had the ability to become anything she wished. She had been a wolf, a tiger, a spectral entity, a goat, even a dragon once. And the one form that she kept, her vampire form, was the one form that could not just walk into that room. Now, she had never done anything so elaborate as the Greek God Zeus had done. She never became the rain to impregnate anyone, or taken the guise of a swan. But she was not beyond taking other forms to get the job done.

The next thing she had to do was get her trunk. She slit another portal in the hall and stepped through it. She returned carrying a large trunk that looked like it should take two men to carry. She set it upon the floor and shoved it into the room. It would have slid all the way to the bed unless someone or something stopped it. Then she closed her eyes. Within moments she was incorporeal. Now there was no physical body to be stopped by the invisible force that held the vampire at bay. That would be why she shoved the trunk into the room first. Now that there was no body, she stepped into the room.

Once she had crossed the threshold, she knew she would need a physical body to help Ar. But if she simply returned to her vampire form she would be cast back out. So she did the only thing she could do. Venis took the form of a mortal human. She didn't look any different, save for the lack of fangs. But she lacked the vampire strength, the vampire speed, the vampire gaze, everything about her that was vampire was gone. But make no mistake, she was still a Goddess. So she still had power and strength and abilities.

She walked to the bed as she took this new solid form. It had been so long since she had become a vampire that she sort of felt naked at the moment. But her discomfort did not matter, what mattered was Armandeus. Her face was clear of all blood that had been there before, so Elessar was safe from that grotesque sight. And with her Godhood being her only source of power, the darkness would be less apparent as well. She still had her witchcraft. But he white magic had won that battle a long time ago. She rarely used dark magic. So there was no residuals from that either.

She sat upon the bed beside Inion. "Thank you for not feeding it." She leaned down and opened her trunk. "Elessar. I'm not going to use magic to heal him. But I need you to tell me that it's ok for me to perform surgery on him and make sure that he lives. I'm sorry I had to do this, but I couldn't stand feeling him die any longer. I promise, I will do everything humanly possible to save him." She pulled out a bowl and poured some rubbing alcohol into it. She used it to wash her hands. Then she put on a pair of surgical gloves that had come out of a sterile plastic. She pulled out some tools and a breakfast tray. She set the breakfast tray on the floor with the legs open. Then she laid a towel over it.

Everything that she was taking out of the trunk was coming out of sealed sterile plastic packaging. Nothing had been contaminated. The room might not be sterile, but it would have to do. She couldn't move him. She laid the tools out on the sterile towel. She was ready for surgery. All that she was waiting on was permission to operate. Never before had she been so thankful for a medical license as she was at this moment. Sure, she had used it back on Earth for a while. But the patients were strangers. Armandeus was not. So this was the most important operation she had ever performed.

[Inion]

Inion let of a sigh of relief when Venis managed to gain entrance into the room. Elessars presence did not go unnoticed, but right now she was focused on helping Ar. "Venis he has lost a good amount of blood and if we don't act soon he will slip away." She glanced at Elessar then bck to Venis. "I know its polite to ask permission, but with what little time we hve I say lets just do what we can. I will take the blame for the social fall out." Her head was starting to pound.

"ELESSAR." yes she yelled at him hoping to get him to focus. "we need your help. The bond between you will help keep him grounded here better then me trying to. Pull yourself together and talk to him. Let us do what we can to help him." She was at the point where she would go over and shake him if she had too.

[Airtia S. Cauthon]

Whether or not the Door actually heard Venis may be something left unknown for shortly after the vampire goddess stepped back through the portal the Door started to open. No words, songs, or a hullabaloo of scattering about on the wood, but it simply opened up and the darkness night resided on the other side. Everyone was occupied inside the room that the sight of the person who was stepping through likely went unnoticed.

Once through, the person let go a sigh and closed the door with a single pat of a dark red leather encased hand before attention was given to the awaiting portal. "It is a matter of life or death."That was the message heard but that placed no urgency in the persons actions. The portal was simple enough, no immediate danger was sensed about it but still, the hood of the dark cloak was pulled down further over head and eyes before the person stepped through.

Upon arrival at the other side not only did the nose get attacked with the smell of blood, sickness, and fear, but emotions in the area were running high. A scan of the door and saw that entrance was available and, as they made their way in, the hood was drawn back exposing the newest arrival to be none other than Airtia. Her face withheld any emotion she may have been feeling towards the situation and the same was heard in her voice when she spoke.

"Ye shouldn't," she said, that comment spoken to Venis, "Fer ye may kill Elessar." The two elves were bonded and though Elessar had no physical wound like his companion the chance of him dying was just as high. Especially considering the elf's current state, who's to know what would happen if Venis cut into Armandeus.

Airtia stepped to Elessar and put her silver eyed gaze in his viewing path. He had come a long way from the elf he was when she recruited him into the Alliance, perhaps that was the reason she paid no mind to personal space boundaries. "Right now it feels like yer drown' an' it will only get worse. Dig deep, set'el yer mind, an' 'eal yerself or yer going tae die." It could that Elessar already knew what Airtia told him, but sometimes the reality of the situation doesn't sink in until it's said from someone else.

"Armandeus will nae die," she said, leaning back and away from Elessar. Airtia knew who had been in the room yet Armandeus was still alive, that had to mean something. What a person - especially one with an extended lifespan - could live through was astounding, even if they were worse for wear afterwards. "But iffen ye do more damage tae Armandeus b'fore Elessar tis ready, this one," motioning to Elessar, "may surely die."

Even if he was ready the possibility of his death was still in question. Airtia made no comment, either, about whether or not Epiphany was on her way.

[Venis Jordianthan]

Venis shook her head when she heard Inion. "It's not being polite Inion. I can't. I can't operate on him like this." Venis wasn't sure why, but there was no way she was cutting into Armandeus while Elessar was still out of it as much as he was. She didn't know exactly why, but she just knew that she couldn't do it.

While Venis was waiting for El to say something, Airtia came in the room. Venis looked up when she was spoken to. She listened to the sage advice of one of her oldest friends. "I wasn't sure the reason, I just knew I couldn't do it." She gave a slight nod and continued to wait. The last thing she wanted was to loose either of them.

She watched Air as she tried to bring Elessar into reality. She felt a little better now that she knew why she hadn't just started cutting on Armandeus. But she was still worried about his survival. Elessar's survival as well. She listened to what else Air had to say on the subject.

No words were needed in response, and Airtia wasn't one for unnecessary words anyway. So Venis just nodded and waited. She had to make sure that it was going to be ok for her to get that blade out. And the time that she was waiting gave her time to wonder what exactly had Benjamin done in this room.

[Elessar]

If Venis was expecting an apology from the blonde elf for puking in the hallway she had another thing coming. Elessar wasn't in the mood for apologizing, especially for something that he fully blamed Venis for causing in the first place! So as it stood at the moment the only one who would possibly get an apology would be De'Ryanna and that was only if Elessar didn't clean up his mess first. But at the moment, the puking and assorted feelings towards it hardly mattered because Elessar had left Venis out in the hallway.

And what did he gain from this? Absolutely nothing. Aside from Inion, whom Elessar knew was there even if he hadn't yet acknowledged her, he was right back where he started. Armandeus was Fading away and despite his inner turmoil Elessar knew he didn't have the ability to save him. Dear Eru above, what was he supposed to do? Should he trust Venis in the hopes that she could actually save Armandeus before he suffocated in the darkness oozing from her like a poisonous gas cloud? Or should he sit idly by and watch as the life drained out of his friend before it drained out of himself? Neither option was favorable and caused the elf to groan in frustration as he leaned forward to rest his head on the mattress. What to do, what to do. . .

It hurt, being in such close contact to the dying faer he was bound to. The already erratic beat of Elessar's heart thumped twice as hard as he struggled to control his breathing in even pants. Aii, but it hurt! Elessar was by no stranger to pain, his back alone bore testament to this, but this slow suffocation was pure agony. It was only by countless years of training in his youth, and typical pure Elven stubbornness that he had managed to keep the turmoil locked inside. Though, now that he was so close. . he could dwell on it no longer, simply resorting to grinding his teeth together as he rested his head there upon the mattress. He couldn't help feeling a small shred of gratitude, however, in the knowledge that Armandeus was temporarily out of pain in his unconscious state. Somehow, knowing that made it easier to bear the pain even as he started to drown in it.

It was in this position then, and trapped within his own inner agony, that Elessar completely missed the transformation of Venis and her subsequent entrance into the bedroom. It wasn't until he felt her sit upon the bed that he finally did raise his head and gasp. It was much as sound of relief as it was surprise, but only partially directed towards the now-mortal Venis. Armandeus lay between them and the sight of the other elf made Elessar's breath hitch in wonder.

Armandeus was glowing; a soft golden haze reminiscent of a humid summer's morning encompassed the injured elf's body. It was a sight worthy of Eru itself and it struck Elessar as one of the most beautiful things he had ever seen. It was almost a pity then, that it was a sight only visible to Elessar's eyes thanks to the bond. The purpose of the light, however, was not quite so beautiful as this was the sign of Armandeus' faer preparing to leave his body. The time to save the Elven cook was growing perilously short.

It took considerable effort for Elessar to pull his gaze away from Armandeus and focus on what Venis was saying, which resulted in the majority of it being lost save for two words that stuck out like a blinking halo. "Perform surgery?" Elessar echoed, quite confused. What was surgery? Despite his years in Rhy'Din neither elf had never had need for surgery before, though as Elessar watched Venis taking the necessary items out of their packaging he was starting to get a sick idea of what surgery could mean. .

Horror bubbled up like nausea the longer he watched and finally he turned away when he could stand it no longer. Dear god she was going to cut into Armandeus! She was going to cut into Armandeus, and while the injured elf was unconscious and wouldn't feel it, Elessar was wide awake and would feel everything! Dread was starting to spiral the elf down into a full-blown panic attack when he looked up to find Airtia standing there. Sweet Eru above. . "Airtia?" Elessar couldn't help but stare, it had been so long since he'd seen the woman he almost had to wonder if he'd started hallucinating! My, but it was a night to see people whom Elessar hadn't seen in years; it was almost funny enough to laugh if Elessar hadn't thought he'd never be able to stop once he got started.

All those years ago Elessar had barely been able to look Airtia in the eye, but when she stepped up to him he met her silver gaze with his gray-blue one and listened to what she said. It was interesting how you could know something but it never really sank in until someone said it, and how right Airtia was. Elessar needed to calm down and focus or else he was going to loose himself in the deluge and be swept away by it. Armandeus was depending on him!

Armandeus wouldn't die, and Elessar trusted Airtia enough to believe it to be so. A turn of his head was given towards Venis and her surgery tools and he swallowed hard as he reminded himself he'd been through worse things once upon a time, before he turned back to look at Armandeus' glowing, sleeping form. He'd been through worse before, yes, but those were the days before the elves were bonded and Elessar held Armandeus' life in his hands. .

Gritting his teeth he turned away from Armandeus again and looked to Venis with a nod. He could do this. The pain was surely to be unimaginable, but he could do it! He had to, for Armandeus' sake. "Do the surgery."

[Venis Jordianthan]

Venis was in no way expecting an apology for the vomit. So Elessar had not worry of that. She understood completely. So she sat quietly, waiting. She waited for what Airtia said to sink in. And then it happened. Elessar looked at Venis with a nod and said the words. 'Do the surgery.' He had said. Venis closed her eyes slowly and sighed in relief. Then she gave a brief nod.

She pulled a small jar out of the trunk and placed it on the bed. She removed the lid and set it to the side. Inside were two tiny seeds. "Elessar, if the pain gets to be too much, eat one of these. If it still hurts too much, eat the other. Beyond that, I cannot help you. To eat more than two could cloud your mind and bring forth hallucinations, or worse. They are a strong pain killer." In fact, they were narcotic. But they were herbs, nothing magical or chemical about them. They were Papaver Setigerum, or Dwarf Breadseed Poppy.

She picked up a syringe off the towel on the table. "I'm giving him a local anesthetic so that the pain won't wake him. I don't want to give him a general one because I don't know what Benjamin did to him, and I don't want to risk it." She filled the syringe and then flicked it a couple of times. Then she pressed the plunger in a bit to get the air out. Once she had it how she wanted it, she stuck it into his chest to the side of the blade. She emptied half into him, then removed it and stuck it in on the other side of the blade and pressed the plunger down the rest of the way. She dropped the needle into a red bucket inside the trunk.

Then she took some cotton balls and dipped them in rubbing alcohol. She used them to wash away the blood around the knife. It took quite a few cotton balls. And each time she was done with them, she would drop them in the same red bucket as the syringe. It was a bio-hazard bucket. Once Armandeus was cleaned of all the blood, she noticed that there was still some seepage. She pulled out more cotton and set it upon his chest.

Then she picked up a scalpel. "Ok, Elessar, I'm going to start with a small incision so I can see how deep the wound is and what damage it's caused. It's going to hurt, even though I numbed his pain, you might still feel it." She felt she had to warn him. Because if he couldn't get through this incision, how was he going to get through a larger one and then stitches?

She touched the scalpel to Armandeus' chest right at the edge of the blade. She pressed down and drew the blade of the scalpel away from the knife slightly. Then she set the scalpel down and blotted the blood from Ar's chest with cotton. Then she picked up a tool that looked like a long metal tube. It was one forth of an inch in diameter and had a tiny light on one end. The other end held a black circular plastic tube with magnifying glass in it.

She turned the light on and pushed the tiny end of the tube into the incision. The tube bent and moved with ease. She put her eye to the black part and looked to see what she could see. There was a lot of blood, but as she followed the blade, she could see where it was going. "Shit." Whispered as she looked into the man's chest. "He's nicked his lung. I have to go in and sew it shut or he will loose the use of it." Spoken loud enough to be heard. She pulled the tube back out, turned the light off, and set it on the towel. More cotton to clean the blood away.

She reached to the hilt of the knife and took a deep, steadying breath. She placed her other hand on Armandeus' chest with two fingers on either side of the blade. She closed her eyes and pulled. It took a moment, and had she not been a God she might have not been able, but she pulled the blade free slowly. Then she placed the blade on the towel with her tools. Then she grabbed up more cotton and pressed it to the wound. She removed the hand that was applying pressure to the wound as she placed the cotton there.

She picked up the scalpel again and looked at Elessar. "Ok. I have to make a large enough cut that I can reach in and sew his lung shut. I am sorry Elessar." She put the scalpel to the wound and began to slice through the flesh again. Her cut ended up being fifteen inches long. As she cut she began to whisper a blessing in Elvish. "Cael i' 3eldarine suor sina edan ent ho mellon. Kinar sen yuuyo varna imyan'e sina ahrmaesuol ent entul sen yuuyo n'alaquel nae thar elaorm nesh i' esta en' ron commae."

She repeated the blessing over and over again as she proceeded. Once she had Armandeus cut open, she pulled out a curved needle with a long string attached to it. She continued to dab at the blood that was seeping from the wound in Ar's chest. She knotted the end of the thread and reached into the cavity. She didn't want to break his ribs away to do this, so she reached under his ribs to the puncture. It caused the rest of the air in the lung to leak out.

She watched Ar for a moment as she maneuvered towards the nick. She felt around with her finger to find the wound, and with her other hand, she was dabbing away blood. But then she pulled her hands out. She reached into the trunk and picked up a contraption that looked like a big balloon with a face mask on it. She set it over Ar's mouth and pressed a couple of buttons. The balloon started to move itself like it was being crushed, then it would re-inflate. She had to keep him breathing while she did this.

Her hand went back into his chest and she began to feel for the wound again. His other lung was doing all his breathing for him, as she was preventing the injured lung from inflating. She put a lot of cotton around the edges of the wound to try to slow the bleeding while she did this. Once she found the nick, she put her other hand in there.

With some pressure she pushed the needle through his lung on one side of the little cut and brought it back out the other side. It was hard to maneuver this way, but she was managing. She continued to whisper the blessing as she worked to sew his lung shut. She could feel his heart beat against the back of her hand. That, and the way that the blood was spurting, told her that his pulse was good.

Once she had enough stitches in the lung to close it, she tied a knot in the string. Then she pulled one hand out and picked up a small pair of scissors. She reached in and cut the string. Then she put the scissors back on the towel and tossed the needle with its leftover string into the red bucket. Then the cotton went into the bucket as well.

Venis watched a moment. After a few moments of dabbing up blood and waiting, the injured lung began to fill with air as well. She smiled, though she was still whispering the blessing. She pulled out a roll of a mesh type substance. She cut off a strand of it that was as long as the cut she had made. She ran it along one edge of the cut muscles, leaving half of it sticking out. It was along the underside so that when she closed the wound, it would be like taping the two flaps of a box closed.

Once the mesh was in place, she pushed the wound closed again. She applied pressure as she cleaned more blood with cotton. This would press the mesh to the muscles where it would cling to the two sides of the cut and hold them together. Then she pulled out a larger needle, it too was curved and had a string attached to it. Only this string was longer. She tied a knot in the end of the string as she continued to whisper the blessing. Then she began to sew Armandeus' chest shut.

Cleaning up blood as she sewed, it took a few minutes, but Venis managed to do several, very tiny, stitches in Ar's chest. The tinier the stitches, the smaller the scar, if any. She wiped away more blood that had seeped out as she was sewing him closed. Then she removed her gloves. She tossed them into the red bucket as well. Then she put on some clean gloves. Only after that did she get out gauze and tape. She covered the stitches in gauze and then taped it all down. Then she stopped repeating the blessing.

She looked to Elessar as she began to put her tools into a plastic container of rubbing alcohol. It had a snap tight lid on it. She would clean them better later. For now she just wanted to clean up the biological mess. Before putting the scissors in the container, she cut off the rest of Ar's tunic and pulled it all free of his body. She tossed it in the red container too. "The stitches in his lung will evaporate as his lung seals itself. He is breathing right again. The mess will hold the muscles in place as they weave themselves back together. The stitches that you can see will need to be cut out when the wound heals. I can come back and do that if you need me to." She removed the respirator.

She began to clean it with cotton and alcohol, it couldn't be soaked in it. "He needs to be watched constantly. His bandages need changed twice a day, more if he bleeds. He cannot leave this bed for at least seventy-two hours. Another twelve hours added to that every time his wound bleeds within that seventy-two hour period. I would rather be safe than sorry." She checked Ar's pulse in his neck, and again on his wrist, just to be sure. And then held her finger under his nose to check his breathing.

She pulled out a jar of pills. "These are for pain. And he will be in a lot of it. They are herbal, nothing artificial is in them. He needs to take them with water as needed for pain. Also, when he is up and around again, only light movements. A short walk, feeding himself, such as that. No heavy lifting or strenuous activity until after the stitches come out. I don't want him popping a stitch or tearing the muscle apart. It's going to be a little while before he's cooking again. If you need someone to fill in for him, I will send over staff from the Keep." She wasn't sure if anyone around the Inn could fill in for him in the kitchen. She figured most everyone would be more worried over Ar than over his duties. Of course, she could be wrong.

She had all her tools and instruments cleaned up and put away, or soaking in alcohol to clean them. She pulled off the gloves and tossed them into the red bin. Then she pulled out a large box of gauze and two rolls of tape. "These should last you through the period of his healing the stitches. If not, you can either contact me, or Tasha if you need more." She also got out an unopened bottle of rubbing alcohol and a resealable package of cotton. She added a box of rubber gloves. "These will help you keep the wound clean. Clean it every time you change the dressing. And some peeling of the skin is normal as it heals. So don't worry when it does."

She had set everything on the bed where Elessar could pick it up. As she had been giving Elessar, and anyone else who had been listening, these instructions, a quill inside the trunk had been magically scrawling them down on a piece of parchment. She reached in and pulled out the parchment now. She read it over to see if she missed anything in her instructions. "Oh, only sponge baths until he is able to get up and walk. When he can move again, tape some plastic over the gauze to keep it dry. And when the flesh is pink and looks like it's closing, and it's peeling, you can leave it uncovered for an hour or so to let the skin get some air. But never leave it uncovered overnight." The quill added that to the instructions.

She set the paper down, but the quill continued to hover over it in case she added anything else. "Does anyone have any questions?" She was waiting to see if Armandeus was going to wake as well as to see if there were any questions. "Oh, and only wash the wound with the rubbing alcohol and cotton until it's starting to close. Soap can cause an infection." The quill added that as well. Now it was just time to wait. Venis could still feel the discomfort and pain in the room. And she was still sick to her stomach for it. But she would deal with that later.


((Literal translation ... " Have the Gods bless this man and his companion. Hold them both safe throughout this restoration and return them both back to good shape for the rest of their time." The way it was meant ... "May the God's bless this man and his companion. Keep them both safe throughout this ordeal and bring them back to good health for the rest of their days."))

[Inion]

Inion listened to everything going on around her and helped out. It was difficult for her to hold back on her magic. Instead she moved and sat next to Elessar and layed a hand on him and one on Ar. She knew there wasn't much she could do but hopefully it helps.

[Venis Jordianthan]

((I know that this is me totally going out of turn. But Venis is not letting me rest on this one. She swears that if we don't keep this in the top four, that Ar is not going to make it. LOL So I'm making a small post to keep it alive, and Ar alive as well.))

Venis waited for others to question her instructions. As she did, she checked Ar's pulse and breathing again. His pulse was getting weak. A look of worry crossed her features. "Crap." Spoken more to herself than anyone.

She looked at the others in the room as she reaching into her trunk. She pulled out a long hose. It had a needle in each end, and a round motorized pump in the middle. "He's lost too much blood. His body is not replenishing it as fast as it normally would. He's going to need a blood donation. His body is more worried about healing the lung and the incision." She began to prepare the hose for a transfusion.

She cleaned a spot on Armandeus' arm with a cotton soaked in alcohol. "I can give him blood. I'm a universal donor, type O negative. I won't be taking blood from him, only him from me. Plus, at the moment, I'm not even a vampire. So he would not catch vampirism from me." She tied his arm with a rubber strap and began to feel for a vein to insert the needle into.

As she slid the needle into his vein, she continued. "Plus, as a bonus, because I did not give up being a God, he would get some of that in the transfusion. It will help him heal faster and help in his not getting a scar from the surgery. He might not even need the pain pills. He should feel really good for a while, almost like he had drank too much alcohol." She was taping the needle into his arm.

She looked up at Elessar. "Unless you can think of someone else who can donate blood to him, I'm going to do it. Elessar, I know you're in pain, but I need you here with me on this." If there was someone else who would be a better donor, she was going to stick herself and turn the pump on. She could regenerate her blood fast enough in human form to give him all he would need without it effecting her. After all, at the moment, she was very much alive.

The darkness, one might wonder? Well, the darkness was non-transferable. It was something in her head, and it was quite squelched at the moment. It had less power when she didn't have the darkness of being a vampire for it to feed off of. As long as she didn't use any dark magic, she would be able to keep the darkness at bay. For a while at least. If they delayed too much longer, it would feed enough off of her dark magic to become stronger than she could control. So they were facing a deadline here. And Venis had no idea how to get Elessar to come back from his apparent state of shock long enough for them to beat that deadline.

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