"I understand that none of you care about the rest of the world but what is the use of all of this power if there is no one to govern?" Dagna asked, hoping to ease the tension of the room. "Who will we govern? A question that sees rarity rather than abundance." Crimson chimed in as she took a bite of her food.
It was clear that with the air of the room that she was in the wrong. "Dear, should we help them, how long do you think it will take for them to bite our hand? There's a reason as to why they are out there and we are here." Clomere sighed with disappointment as she leaned back into her chair.
Dagna glanced at Lyssara hoping for some support only to be met with a shrug. "These are monsters Dagna, they don't care about this world. They are here to waste their time before moving onto the next one. They are the reason for the fall of Earth after all." Dagna's face twisted into one of shock and disgust.
She was aware of the heartlessness they had however she had underestimated it's scale. "Destroy words and move on? What makes you worthy to enjoy the privilege that you have and not suffer out there?" Her tone sharp as she realized that she was alone in this. "It is a matter of luck, I will agree however they do have the chance to enjoy cushy lives."
"Our gates are always open to however is ready to work." Magdalene said as her azure blue eyes never left Dagna's. 'So this is the fire Clomere talked about.'. A giggle escaped her lips as she waited for her so called flame to wither away till she was nothing more than a husk beneath akin to Seryn.
'I wonder how long it would take to see her fall into despair and darkness.' A thought that brought a malicious smile on her lips that made Dagna's skin crawl. "Help? Your means of aid is at the price of control. For once I thought that the rumors about you all, that Lyssara was too much with your descriptions but it would seem that she took was a part of the mold."
She rose to her feet, nobody flinched as they dug into their meals. "I don't like to argue over my meals sweetie so finish your meal and go to your room." Callista shot up as she toyed with her food that began to irk Floraison. "Stop that!" She received a smack on her wrist that soured her face.
"Hey!" She shot back and yet the casual air that began to fill the scene brought filled Dagna with disdain. "It would seem that it was a mistake coming here, to this kingdom." Her mind recalled of her sister, how she was adamant with her leaving and now it dawned on her as to why.
"You want to leave? Nobody is going to stop you but walking out that door won't be Dagna but a slave, a hand to help cull the dwarves and possibly claim the lives of Thargrim and your sister." Clomere said, her words flat devoid of any hostility as she cast a gaze at Dagna. "Or do you forget whose hands you are in?"
With a tug of her fingers, a mind numbing pang of pain coursed through her body that sent her crashing to the ground. "Dagna!" Lyssara shouted as she tried to help her up. Dagna now sour swat her arm away. "Don't bother. I'll do it myself." Her eyes evident with rage and resentment at the smiles now shot at her.
"Poor little Dagna, all alone in this big and scary world. Maybe you should have brought your sister with you to help negate the harsh reality." Callista taunted as she took a sip of her wine. "Dagna, please stop with the hypocrisy. When you were in Durahelm, you only catered to your curiosity, not to the wishes of your father or sister."
"And now here you are, playing the hero ready to save those in need. I do have to wonder what exactly caused this side of you to surface." Jarren finally broke the silence, his obsidian eyes playful with his head supported with the back of his hand. Dagna grit her teeth, aware of her own flaws however she pressed on.
"I've seen the error of my ways and I'm ready to make amends. I've been rather ignorant at the suffering of others around me but now I'm ready to make a correction." Her words met with indifference. "At the price of your body, right? After all a sacrifice is worth your cause, right?" Jarren's words making her halt.
"Still selfish through this act of yours." His words like daggers which forced her to leave the room in rage. Lyssara glanced at her back, wondering whether to go after her or let her be. "What about you Lyssara? It would be rather comical for you to have a change of heart so suddenly." Crimson joked with her blood eyes boring into hers.
"You know what I think of the world Crimson. I wouldn't be damned to cars about it however Dagna still bound with the rules of the norm is still blinded." Jarren found her words amusing. "Then why do you care about her so much. I can feel it in your breath, your gaze and through your little expedition that you do have some form of care for her."
His words making her pause, her lips parted and yet no answer came. Her hands curled into fists as she grit her teeth. "However when one like you had suffered, it's only natural to look for a light in the darkness, just make sure that the light you chase is the sun and not a candle, ready to waver at the gust of a breeze."
Her mind lost with an answer to his dare. In the end, she excused herself from the table. "Did you have to be so blunt with her? You could have coated your words a bit Jarren." Clomere spoke as the sound clicked from Lyssara's departure. "As much as it would be amusing to watch her fall into delusions and shatter them, her reaction at the time would burn too quickly for my taste."
They went on with their meals as normal, aware of the suffering of thousands outside of the Redfall walls, aware of those that had been stripped to nothing more than slaves for survival and yet they dined as if it was natural for them. "A slow burner is what you wish for, Jarren? Taking your time with this world isn't what some of us wish to hear."
Callista glanced at Crimson, aware of what she was up to. "Don't you dare say it Jarren. I'm not impatient so stop bringing this up." Jarren flashed his predatory smirk. "I wasn't going to, you already came to the conclusion for me."
...
*Knock-Knock-Knock*
Dagna glanced at her door, ready to send Lyssara off and yet no words left her lips as Lyssara made her way into her room. "I'm so sorry for what happened back there. I should have had your back with those freaks." Lyssara began with her apology which failed to attract Dagna's attention as she had her back facing her.
"Did your stay with them make you aloof to the suffering of those outside? What am I saying? Of course you would, after all you are a demon." Lyssara ignored her harsh remark as she made her way closer to Dagna's bed before taking a seat on the bed's edge. "If you want to survive around here then you'll have to be thick skinned with them."
"The more you show that you can be bothered the more they'll keep on pushing you till you break. After all they didn't send you out for that small expedition just to test what you were capable of. They already knew that, they just wanted to see your reaction of the world past the walls of Redfall and Durahelm." Lyssara had began to slowly understand how they worked, how they orchestrated their taunts.
With Dagna coming from Durahelm, a kingdom that already didn't face a lot of abominations thanks to Redfall into Redfall, she hadn't faced the horrors that plagued the rest of Arcania. It was today that it began to dawn on her just how dire the situation was. "But still, how could you just ignore it?"
Lyssara placed a hand on Dagna's shoulder, a short sigh escaping her lips. "It's just as you said, I'm a demon. Bought from captivity thanks to Callista and from them dance on their stage to their entertainment. You are nothing more than another actor on the stage." Her words sharp like glass however she knew that the truth with horrors like Jarren was far better than lies.
'After all he led me to believe that I had began to understand his thoughts, his rationing and logic only to realize that I was playing his game.' Still bitter from the poem that she had read of her. "I don't have much about this world that I care about so they give me a reason to care, you and others just like you." Dagna let the silence simmer, taking in her words.
"I'm....so sorry to hear that." Her voice nothing more than a croak. "So if you want to survive within these walls then it would be best to overlook it all. Even if you want to help, it'll only serve to break you down eventually." Dagna shifted her body now facing Lyssara with a look of skepticism on her face.
"But you'll break eventually, we all will do why delay the inevitable?" Lyssara paused as her eyes darted to the side of the room as if searching for an answer. "Because...I want to live. I want to survive the impossible, these monsters. See why they do what they do. I'm sure that it's far more than just entertainment." The response felt like a joke to Dagna as a light laugh escaped her lips.
"Your plans, your hope sound like that of a mad man. You know that you'll break eventually with that goal, right?" Lyssara shrugged her shoulders as a smile formed on her lips. "Well it'll be harder for them to break that than it would be for you. I just want you to be safe is all. I don't want to see that fire in your eyes die, not yet at least."
Lyssara's hands cupped Dagna's face as her smile persisted. "You sound like my older sister, shielding me from the world." A look of shock washed on Lyssara's face. "Oh really? Then I'm glad to be of some comfort to you then." Dagna however didn't seem to share the same sentiment as a frown was evident on her face.
"I'd like to face the world on my own, without the constant protection from those around me. But that doesn't mean that I don't want help mind you." The two shared a familiar chuckle that eased the air between the two. "Well then I'll help you face the world, even if it is these monsters." Dagna flashed a smile, one of genuine appreciation as her guard eased.
"Could you.... could you sleep here, with me?" Lyssara let out a sigh. "Of course, it does get a little lonely in my room after all." Making her way to the door and shutting it, the two shared the king sized bed as they shared stories to pass the time before sleep carried them away.
...
Waking up, Lyssara was met with an empty bed. Clutching her head as she searched for Dagna, she made her way to the bathroom to freshen up. By the time she went back, Dagna was already waiting for her. "Congratulations, I managed to get Jarren to have me enter the game so we could spend more time with you." Dagna cheerfully declared as she made her way to the bed where Lyssara let out a sleepy yawn.
"That's...*yawn*... great to hear." Dagna took in her state before it hit her. "I guess I kept you up a bit too long, huh? I forgot that you still have the limits of flesh. I thought that since you were a demon that you would be able to recuperate. Guess I was wrong." A nervous chuckle escaped her lips, one that Lyssara met with a chuckle herself.
"Since you'll be in the game then I'll meet you there." And with that she crashed back onto the comfy silken bed.