death—

Savior's Respite had been a little harder to find than Urick first assumed when he heard the tales about it, but he made it, and by the looks of it, he wasn't alone either. Urick hadn't seen another soul since he started down the quaint pathway to this place, and he expected to find it empty, but to his surprise there was a figure up ahead. Good, Urick was always pleased to have company. "It's really nice up here, isn't it?" Wading through a small cluster of colorful flowers and waist high grasses, Urick approaches the stranger, "All of these flowers, and that wonderful view," Urick had yet to actually approach the cliff face and take it's view in fully, but from where he stood it still looked amazing, "it's all so beautiful. Kind of makes you forget about all of the people who were sacrificed here, or sacrificed by others." 

Urick had managed to get himself into a few bad situations since arriving in this city, but this would have to be the worst so far. Dangling from a bridge high above the ground, holding onto a chain of sorts for dear life, Urick was in quite a predicament. There was no practical way to climb the chain Urick clung to, and letting go would only end in his certain death, and while it was a goal of Urick's to die one day, this wasn't how he hoped to go, meaning that he was stuck. Urick had been stuck like this for close to an hour, in fact, hanging there, waiting for someone to walk by and pull him up to safety. Urick had almost lost hope, and was losing his grip on the chain even faster, but up above on the bridge, he could see a man peering over the guard rail, prompting him to call out with apparent glee, "Oh my, hello there!" Urick would have waved to the stranger if his hands weren't currently occupied with the chain. "I'm in kind of a bind here, could you please pull me up? Pretty please?" 

    Fortunately, following Loki off a cliff was only optional to befriend him.

    (Although he’d be lying if he said it wouldn’t have been a pleasant bonus.)

    “Step one is, of course, gathering the necessary materials,” said Loki, flashing Urick a wide, open grin on the subject. “Step two, location, location, location.”

    Oh, this was well and truly tickling to his nostalgia. Why, now that he was thinking about it, this reminded him of when he had tricked Thor when they were both but boys into wrapping himself in flour ostensibly to make his armor easier to put on–then Loki shunt a hop of birdseed on him and watched with glee as Thor got assailed well into the night by a menagerie of sparrows and chickens plucking and clucking at him. If he remembered right, even a hog had joined the party at one point.

    Thor, of course, got one back by “accidentally” leaving Loki’s bed and bedside belongings in the neighboring stable.

    Simpler, much simpler times, back then. Loki hadn’t even had the thought of ruling the world let alone his first villainy-charged monologue around then, just mischief and hijinks and being a nuisance galore. (Some of us might wonder where all of that went so horribly wrong.)

    Realizing that he’d spent the last five minutes in total silence while reminiscing on something Urick had no way of knowing about in the slightest, Loki blinked back to reality, snapping his head to face him. “Apologies,” he admitted. “I was distracted by rather the… fond memory.”

   Where was Thor right now, anyway?

   Further–did Loki seriously want to involve the God of Thunder in the apocalypse via glitterbomb?

   …

   “How much Dust do you have, perchance? If we’re lucky, we’ll be able to buy enough so that I can have someone, shall we say, near and dear to me included in on the festivities once we’re through blanketing the plaza in glitter.”

   Did you even need to ask? Of course he did.

   “But, before we head off not unlike a band of merry adventurers on a quest for glory in mischief, I must ask, what were you before–” Loki gestured at the air, “–all of this? When we first met eyes I saw myself in you in ways that I have scarcely if ever have. And, despite my wishes, trickster gods are something of a dying breed, so it’s unlikely that’s the answer, now.”

Urick stares at Loki during their silence, wondering what was running through their mind. The pleased expression on Loki's face told Urick that he was thinking of something positive, but that was all Urick could gleam from the situation. Urick considered tapping his new friend on the shoulder, or waving his hand around near their face, anything to get their attention again, but luckily, Loki would break the silence their own. "Must have been one fond memory indeed," jokes Urick, the wide smile on his face unchanged. 

     "I don't have a whole lot of the dust on me right now, just what you see here," continuing, Urick opens up his pouch, revealing the few handfuls of glitter that remained within, "but the source I got it from? I think there's enough to fill that giant hole in the center of town." Urick was exaggerating a bit, there wouldn't be that much dust at their disposal, however there was a great deal of it, more than enough for Urick and Loki to hoodwink many, many people. The only real problem for this mischievous duo would be finding a stage for their grand, glittery display. Before they could get looking for that perfect location, though, it seemed that the question of Urick's past was on Loki's mind. Urick had no intentions of spilling his whole life story and it's deepest, darkest depths-- not yet anyway-- but since they were now friends, he felt he could let Loki in on a few details, enough to sate their curiosity.

"Well like I mentioned before, I was once a knight, once. Probably comes as no surprise that I wasn't really fit for the whole 'knightly' way of life."  Urick shrugs his shoulders,  "Directly before this city though? I was something of a renegade, fighting against tyranny with a group of friends," Nowe, Manah, Legna even, Urick could only guess how their mission was carrying on without him right now, "and before that I lived by the side of a very important woman, serving as her protector, and partner." Urick looks up to the sky for a moment, a deep, calm breath being taken, visions of a blue haired, blue eyed woman flashing through his mind. If Urick concentrated hard enough, he could hear her sweet voice, see her serene smile, feel her heavenly touch-- Lady Two, how undeserving of her Urick felt. 

     Opening his eyes and casting his gaze down at the ground, Urick laughed, and while it could be seen as the laughter of someone reminiscing with fondness for their past, his was a twisted echo of the agony deep within him.  When Urick thought about it, the loss of his friends, the loss of Two, he deserved it all. "Can't say I was a trickster god or anything, you would be right with that, but I did give my friends their fair share of laughter, and trouble their enemies with no small amount of mischief." Even Urick's friends and loved ones weren't   spared from his mischief or his bad jokes at times, although, with them everything was always done from a place of love.  

He had been but as usual, he played it down as if it were nothing at all. For her part, she could not bring herself to argue. Urick was alive, here, with her. While it might have seemed akin to a lovely dream, it was a reality that she would have celebrated if they had a moments chance. Given their situation, however, it would have to be pushed aside for the the time being. 

As she pulls her hand back, all sense of relief melts away into dread when he nearly hunches over in pain again. She wishes to shout out yet, compels herself to keep her voice quiet, moving to offer a weight of support instead. “ H-hey! Are you sure you’re all right? ” It was easy to see that he wasn’t; whatever this world had robbed him of, it was enough to hinder the strong man she once knew. His musing wasn’t miss either - this world really had left him in shambles. If they didn’t find shelter…

“ Maybe we should… ” Before she could finish, Urick pulled back &. stood up straight, as if he hadn’t been hurt at all - as if his body would not scream with every shift or movement. He asks of her &. how she was feeling, speaks of Zero &. her wanderings. He dismisses the subject of himself just for her. It’s this behavior that leaves the second Intoner frowning, a hint of rare felt skepticism worming it’s way into her. They couldn’t do this, not now.

“ I’m fine, Urick, I’ve been able to rely on my own strength here, but I’m afraid my song is gone, ” not even she had been spared of being robbed of some power. “ You seem worse for wear in comparison though…” He didn’t need to act like this for her. He was hurt &. until his body repaired, he was going to be in pain. They needed a place to rest. With that thought in mind, Two approached him with ease, offering her shoulder once again. “ Come one, lets go find a place to sit for a little while, okay? Maybe then your body can catch up &. we can catch up too. ” Two manages a smile, a giggle passing her lips just as easily. “ If the monsters will leave us be, that is. ” 

It would appear that Two hadn't run into Zero, Urick thought that was a blessing, but Two's mention of her song makes him stare with widened eyes, "Your song? It's gone?" Urick had never discussed the Song with Two much, but he had always assumed it was integral to an Intoner, that it was their source of power. With her Song gone, or at least sealed away, Urick could only imagine how it impacted Two. "That's terrible," on the surface it seemed so anyway. "Figures though, I doubt that whoever is behind this city would want someone running around with a power like that. I have to think that would be a problem for them, but at least you're alright, and," Urick looks over at the dead ogre, then back to Two, "still very strong!" 

          Looking to Two, Urick keeps a forced smile on his face, suppressing the urge to cry out in pure agony from his fractures and bleeding insides. Doing his best to stay standing on his own, Urick initially goes to turn and start walking, but nearly falls to the ground before he can even move one of his legs, one knee hitting the ground. 'Please, body, work with me here, I cant..' Urick mumbles under his breath, breathing in and out heavily, using all his strength to keep himself together and stand back up. This little charade Urick was trying to put on to ease Two's mind clearly wasn't working for him. Urick had honed his mind to withstand just about any rending of his flesh, but his body betrayed him, it had hit its limit. 

Still smiling, though in no small amount of pain, Urick nods his head, deciding to lean against Two, against the shoulder she had offered, enough so that she could help him move. Urick didn't like having to put Two in a situation like this, she shouldn't have had to worry about him like she was, especially after they had been separated for so long. This wasn't the cheerful and flowery reunion Urick had hoped for. At the same time, however, Urick had no choice but to figuratively and literally lean on Two, his body was in to damaged a state for him to continue otherwise. Not to mention that Urick could tell Two wasn't buying his cover-- few would right now given how banged up he looked-- and he felt that if anything, his attempts at brushing his situation aside was making her worry even more. 

          Urick wouldn't scream, he wouldn't bawl, he wouldn't say just how much pain he was in, but to make things easier for the both of them-- mostly Two-- he would let her help him. Just in time, too. "Alright, Two, that sounds go--" Almost on cue with Two's words, another swarm of monsters could be seen emerging from a nearby alleyway. There were no Ogre's among them, and in any other situation where Urick wasn't three wrong steps from death, he and Two could probably take them with little to no trouble. Right now, the pair would have to retreat, there wasn't any other option. "If is the keyword there, isn't it? Looks like they haven't had enough of us yet." 

Urick, looking in the monsters direction, waves, albeit painfully, with a laugh, "Sorry, we would love to stay but I'm feeling a little lightheaded right now! Don't worry, you were a lovely audience, you really were! Best army of bloodthirsty monsters this side of the  Fibonacci Ward  I've ever seen!" Urick turns his gaze away from the monsters, who were now angrily approaching, setting his eyes on Two,  "Alright, Two, about that place to sit you were talking about, lets go find that. I'd love nothing more than for us to.." Urick takes a deep breath, forcing out some laughter through his discomfort "catch up, preferably while we're not in danger." 

This world became stranger by the minute. One day could be peace, the next day, the undead were walking the streets &. threatening to turn the entire place on it’s head! Two, for her part, much preferred the peace within this world, yet like many things, it seemed so fleeting. As long as Urick was here, she would try not to fret over it too much. His voice carried over the wind so light despite the danger; how could she bring herself to worry?

Wooden blade comes crashing down unto another of the undead, the sound of skull splintering with ease, wooden sword hardly cracking despite the strength it had been swung. Two tried not to notice it, the sound or the way it felt reverberating back up her arm. Instead, she focused on him. 

“ If this stops, I’ll still take it over ours any day! ” She would answer him back with ease. Her sisters might not have been here, but her joy was; her ideal peace &. love - that is all she needed. “ But there are a lot of them now, huh? ”

True as those words had been spoken, they were going to be swarmed. With Gabriella nowhere in sight, they’d have no choice but to run at some point. Two could only hope the little shop they had been building would be okay in the mess of it all. 

“ How fast can you run, Urick? ” She would ask him almost immediately. Her grip did not loosen on her sword. If she had to swing through these monster, she would do so, just to clear a safe path. “ Betcha I can beat you to high ground! ”

Urick lets out a roar of hearty laughter in response to Two’s playful challenge. Two couldn’t possibly know how stunning she looked when she said that-- if Urick had a heart it would be fluttering right now. Only Two could make Urick feel so warm inside while he was facing down a swarm of approaching death. What a woman. “I don’t know if I can outrun an Intoner, but if there’s one thing I’ve got experience with, it’s running.” Running away from all of his problems that is, Urick had been doing that for years and it didn’t look like they would catch up with him anytime soon.  

          “Just one second, Two. Need to make perfectly sure that we’re safe.” Urick brings his wooden scythe up, smashing it through the skulls of a few more approaching corpses-- some stragglers from the last wave, not the great hoard that was ambling toward him and Two. Once the immediate area around him and Two was empty, Urick turned back to her, and with his scythe laid over his shoulder, he dashes past Two, “Okay, coast is clear!” Urick grins at Two as he passes by, shooting her a playful wink, “Lets see who gets to that high ground you were talking about first.”

He wants the man to stop his whining , at least for a little while. And yes he does leave the majority of the work to the man, his own magician laziness taking over as he watches from a safe distance away. Not even bothering to use the borg to take over the march towards a safe area. Still the man is mortal [ as far as he can tell] and the metal carriage is not doing anything that fast so if it hits, it won’t effect his borg at all. 

 Sighs. 

 “Stay behind.” he orders before he steps in front, activating his barrier that dispels all those with evil intent and harmful action. As predicted the metal carriage merely bounces all of that out of the way. the car crashes into the sides instead, the vehicle now unusable. 

 “Metal carriages and spectres of the rukh who are so deprived they will kill each other. I should be happy about this…shouldn’t I? But this isn’t Solomon prison….” he mumbles more to himself.  

 “You!” he points his weapon to the other. “Start walking now. We need to get to safety.”

          Urick had assumed the robed man was some kind of mage, so he wasn’t surprised when they whipped out their magical barrier, but he was thankful for it’s protection. Watching that possessed vehicle wreck itself against the magical field made for a great show, too, on-top of saving Urick from becoming Spirale’s first road pancake. “First, you protect me from that crazy car, and now you’re giving me perfectly good advice that I should probably follow if I want to live?” replied Urick in a not-so serious tone, his head tilted to the side, shaking too and from. “Next you’re going to tell me that I--” Urick would have continued with his jesting, but he’s cut off by the mass of growls coming from the Shambler hoard up ahead, which was speedily closing the distance between Urick and his current ally. “-- Oof, walking, right, lets start doing that! Opposite direction here we come!” Turning, Urick begins to make his way down the street, away from the Shambler hoard, his wooden scythe in tow.

“So, you know, if you want to step in at any time,” Urick calmly addresses the stranger in the white robe behind him, all as he decapitates one Shambler after another, their rotted figures falling apart as they hit the ground, “that would be great. No rush, but, it would be appreciated.” Urick takes a deep breath, and then watches a rather large swarm of Shambler’s and a vehicle-- no doubt possessed by a Spectre-- race down the street toward him and the robed man. 

Two waited with baited breath. He hadn’t spoken but he looked pale a sheet. In fact, what followed was surely shock with the situation entirely. Why would he not be? Of all things, Two knew that these might have been impossible odds. The chances that they would both be stole from their homes or even meet again in this place? It had to be some kind of miracle. 

It’s when he speaks that she settles. There’s cheer in his voice, a relief that settles upon his features she catches easily. Though he may be beaten &. bloody, Urick was still the same man. He smiles ( something so warm &. genuine, as if nearly dying hadn’t been something that he’d faced moments prior ) &. still manages a laugh. It’s a sound that warms her to the core. Despite all of the confusion, as he had claimed, it mattered little in comparison to the situation at hand. 

They were together again. They may face an unknown world together ( full of danger nonetheless ), they would do so together. 

“ Well, I guess none of that matters now… ” She speaks from the heart &. as she does so, Two manages a smile. Though things may be strange now, she would rather be with him than she would alone. &. now that she knew he was here, in front of her - she would not let anything try to hurt him like that again! 

She watches him move. slowly at first. Two reaches out a quick “ H-hey! ” leaving her lips near immediately. Should he be moving so quickly? After the blow he took? There had to be broken bones, had to be fractures! Two moved to protest, to make him sit back down but before she could do so, he threw his arms around her. Whatever tension might have rippled through her body from worry melted away with the warmth of his embrace. The jubilance of his tone soften into something far warmer &. Two could feel her heart skip a beat. Immediately, she wraps her arms around his middle, mindful of any injury that he may still suffer from, before giving a little squeeze. 

“ Oh Urick… ” Her tone softens, relief having flooded through her on all counts. What was there to worry about now? Zero could have been there, prepared to cut them down &. it wouldn’t have mattered. Two had found her joy, her light, her love; there was nothing else more important. As she pulls away just a little, her hand cups his cheek, thumb brushing away tears that streamed down his face. “ I missed you so much…More than you probably know. But that doesn’t matter now because we’re together, so there’s no need to feel lonely anymore!”

He was right. Whatever fate or god or otherworldly being had done this - it couldn’t be all that bad. Despite everything, it had done them both a favor. How else could she view it?

A giggle would pass her lips then &., in that short moment she would lean in to peak his own. “ No more crying. It’s a happy time, ” she says, resting her head against his shoulder. “ Everything is going to be fine now…We’ll just have to find some cover as soon as you’re feeling well enough to. ”

"Crying? I wasn't crying, I think that was just some water on my face. I must have fallen into a puddle when that Ogre knocked me down!" Jestful as ever, Urick laughs, though his laughter is short lived, his powers fluctuating again. "Ow, ow..." Urick, keeping one arm around Two, brings a hand down to his side, clutching his ribs. Urick's regeneration had stopped, along with his other abilities, his tolerance for pain going right out the window again. 

          "I don't know if 'soon' is going to apply here. Whatever's happening to my powers right now is making things extremely unreliable." Urick takes a deep breath, trying his best to stand up of his own accord, not wanting to put  too much of his weight on Two-- he knew it wouldn't be a problem for her in any sense of the word, she would do anything for him just as he would for her, but Urick still didnt want to trouble Two. 

          "Everything was working fine earlier, but now it's.. ehh." Urick was starting to believe that the people responsible for this city were toying with him personally. It might have just been bad luck, too, and perhaps a bit of shortsightedness on Urick's part-- he could have been more careful when fighting that Ogre- but either way, Urick was being dealt one bad hand after another. First, Urick's  powers vanish, and he gets clobbered by an Ogre, then his powers come back, only to leave halfway through his healing process-- it was insanity. 

However, Urick figured it was best not to dwell on the disparate state he was in, and he didn't want Two to worry either, so he would try to distract himself and her from it.