The three of them--Trace, Hethir, and the Archbishop--were in a tiny room lit by a single torch. On a bare table before them rested the strange sword. They had run hard, hoping to get the sword out of influence of anyone else. The Archbishop had pulled them aside into a hidden passage, and finally into the cell they now occupied. Buried beneath at least ten feet of stone in each direction, Hethir figured it should block the sword from controlling anyone--at least that's what he hoped.
The eye that had opened earlier still looked between them, unblinking. Somehow they could all feel the malice coming from it. They stood silently for a few minutes, catching their breath; The Archbishop first broke the silence. "You are named..."
The sword's voice again came to their minds, "I am Nezys." It still sounded feminine, but less seductive now, it almost had he tones of childish innocence. Hethir looked at the sword's eye and locked gazes with it, "You were sent by D weren't you."
The eye that had opened earlier still looked between them, unblinking. Somehow they could all feel the malice coming from it. They stood silently for a few minutes, catching their breath; The Archbishop first broke the silence. "You are named..."
The sword's voice again came to their minds, "I am Nezys." It still sounded feminine, but less seductive now, it almost had he tones of childish innocence. Hethir looked at the sword's eye and locked gazes with it, "You were sent by D weren't you."
Laughter --strangely cheerful sounding--seemed to echo about them, "of course, he promised me such great fun... and eventually I'll escape again... there is nothing you can do about it..."
"Why, what did he hope you would accomplish?"
"I see no reason to tell you that."
The Archbishop took a step towards the sword, but Hethir blocked him an arm, you and I would still likely be vulnerable to touching it... its power at range is likely much reduced from what it could apply. He looked up at Trace, your new avatar aegis should protect you... we might be able to learn something about its origin.
Trace nodded and stepped up, looking closely at the markings along the sword. Nezys spoke again, once more tinged with a seductive tone, and more than a hint of amusement. "So they tell the knight to examine me hmm? It matters not, no mortal can resist me for long..."
"No mortal can resist? We shall see about that, but for your part, how will you fare against a divine avatar?" Hethir's face grew a rather nasty leer, and Nezys' eye flicked from his face to Trace rapidly.
"What is that..." her words were suddenly cut off by a piercing shriek as Trace took hold of the point of the blade. Golden light shone around his hand, and the red markings on the blade began to fade, erased from the metal where the golden light touched. "No, NO. NO!" Every mark on the blade flared with hellish intensity, and for a few moments the markings seemed to hold strong. Then Trace laid his other hand on the blade. Nezys screamed again, and the markings began to burn away, leaving the metal marred as though by intense heat. Starting at the tip every mark flared brightly and then burned out. Nezys' screams were interspersed with curses and threats as more and more of the markings were overcome. About half the blade had been overtaken by Trace's destructive touch when her screams changed.
"Mercy! Mercy! For the love of your god please mercy!"
Trace stood calmly, but his eyes glinted with anger. "Why should I grant you mercy? You have not shown mercy to your victims!" Nezys' voice had dropped to a mere whimper. "Mercy... please, I do not want to die..."
"Neither did those men you killed not five minutes ago!"
"But they live on do they not! Is not your god caring for them even now? having died in his service?"
"That does nothing to absolve you of their murder!"
"I have no soul to live on! No god to return to! If you kill me I will cease entirely! Please! MERCY!"
Hethir frowned down at the blade. Its eye was practically spinning trying to look at all of them at the same time, and to his surprise Hethir could see the naked terror in it. He mentally pushed at the strange mind trapped in the steel, and even through the unnatural frame of it, he could sense no attempt at deception anymore. Trace reached down to grip the blade again. "You should have considered that before you began your murderous ways."
Hethir suddenly pushed Trace away, "she could no more have influenced her own creation than I could my heritage... she was not born, she was forged, and the one who did so sent her off on what he must have known to be her doom. Do not judge for what was never in a being's control."
"She is still a murderer!"
Hethir glared back hard at Trace, "and so are many of your 'brethren' in this temple. Make no mistake Trace, just execution in your eyes is murder in another's. Just because you claim a path from the gods does not make you into one. You have no more right to end her existence than she had to end theirs."
Trace did not respond, but still looked with anger at the blade. Turning away from the knight, Hethir locked eyes with Nezys again, "I will give you a single chance to gain clemency Nezys. I will take you, you will open your mind and give me all the knowledge you have of D and his plans. Should you attempt to control or deceive me in any fashion, the Archbishop here will recognize it, and Trace will destroy you utterly. If you will cooperate with me, I offer my personal assurance that you will not be killed here, if they want to end you, it will only be after they end me."
Trace and the Archbishop stared at him, shock in their faces, "You would side with that... thing, over us?" The Archbishop asked, incredulous. "You seem to forget too quickly... I still have no trust for any of you, at least Nezys did not lay judgement on me solely for the horns on my head."
Before another word could be spoken, Hethir closed his fingers around Nezys' hilt.
"Why, what did he hope you would accomplish?"
"I see no reason to tell you that."
The Archbishop took a step towards the sword, but Hethir blocked him an arm, you and I would still likely be vulnerable to touching it... its power at range is likely much reduced from what it could apply. He looked up at Trace, your new avatar aegis should protect you... we might be able to learn something about its origin.
Trace nodded and stepped up, looking closely at the markings along the sword. Nezys spoke again, once more tinged with a seductive tone, and more than a hint of amusement. "So they tell the knight to examine me hmm? It matters not, no mortal can resist me for long..."
"No mortal can resist? We shall see about that, but for your part, how will you fare against a divine avatar?" Hethir's face grew a rather nasty leer, and Nezys' eye flicked from his face to Trace rapidly.
"What is that..." her words were suddenly cut off by a piercing shriek as Trace took hold of the point of the blade. Golden light shone around his hand, and the red markings on the blade began to fade, erased from the metal where the golden light touched. "No, NO. NO!" Every mark on the blade flared with hellish intensity, and for a few moments the markings seemed to hold strong. Then Trace laid his other hand on the blade. Nezys screamed again, and the markings began to burn away, leaving the metal marred as though by intense heat. Starting at the tip every mark flared brightly and then burned out. Nezys' screams were interspersed with curses and threats as more and more of the markings were overcome. About half the blade had been overtaken by Trace's destructive touch when her screams changed.
"Mercy! Mercy! For the love of your god please mercy!"
Trace stood calmly, but his eyes glinted with anger. "Why should I grant you mercy? You have not shown mercy to your victims!" Nezys' voice had dropped to a mere whimper. "Mercy... please, I do not want to die..."
"Neither did those men you killed not five minutes ago!"
"But they live on do they not! Is not your god caring for them even now? having died in his service?"
"That does nothing to absolve you of their murder!"
"I have no soul to live on! No god to return to! If you kill me I will cease entirely! Please! MERCY!"
Hethir frowned down at the blade. Its eye was practically spinning trying to look at all of them at the same time, and to his surprise Hethir could see the naked terror in it. He mentally pushed at the strange mind trapped in the steel, and even through the unnatural frame of it, he could sense no attempt at deception anymore. Trace reached down to grip the blade again. "You should have considered that before you began your murderous ways."
Hethir suddenly pushed Trace away, "she could no more have influenced her own creation than I could my heritage... she was not born, she was forged, and the one who did so sent her off on what he must have known to be her doom. Do not judge for what was never in a being's control."
"She is still a murderer!"
Hethir glared back hard at Trace, "and so are many of your 'brethren' in this temple. Make no mistake Trace, just execution in your eyes is murder in another's. Just because you claim a path from the gods does not make you into one. You have no more right to end her existence than she had to end theirs."
Trace did not respond, but still looked with anger at the blade. Turning away from the knight, Hethir locked eyes with Nezys again, "I will give you a single chance to gain clemency Nezys. I will take you, you will open your mind and give me all the knowledge you have of D and his plans. Should you attempt to control or deceive me in any fashion, the Archbishop here will recognize it, and Trace will destroy you utterly. If you will cooperate with me, I offer my personal assurance that you will not be killed here, if they want to end you, it will only be after they end me."
Trace and the Archbishop stared at him, shock in their faces, "You would side with that... thing, over us?" The Archbishop asked, incredulous. "You seem to forget too quickly... I still have no trust for any of you, at least Nezys did not lay judgement on me solely for the horns on my head."
Before another word could be spoken, Hethir closed his fingers around Nezys' hilt.
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