Homecomings

The twin tigers slipped through the dense forest with great ease, Marcus could now well understand how Marigold and Kia had made the journey a few days ago, the large beasts easily traversed the terrain sending lesser beasts scrambling for safety in their wake. As his start point came into view he could more relate with what Kia had told him and why Mari had broken so badly. The familiar town, from even this distance, looked like an ancient tree felled by lightning. A destroyed husk sitting in the depths of the forest.

As they drew closer, he could smell the lingering scent of fire and ash, the scorch Mark's on the outlying buildings told the tale of how the small village had been put to the torch. As he and Kia slipped from the tigers backs, sending the twins back to their mistress, both he and the lapine entered the dead village, with her in the lead they crossed between the houses and farmstead heading out into the fields, Marcus was determined to see Marigolds brother put to rest.

As they approached the spot Kia shook her head and held back, seeing the sight had been bad once, retelling it had as Selvantra mentioned, just ripped off a scab she herself had thought buried. Marcus continued ahead alone and felt bile rise in his throat. Kias description did not do the scene justice to just how horrific a death Seth had suffered. Setting to his task, he moved to the nearest house to find a shovel and set to work digging a proper grave for Seth and his lady, for the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening Kia lead him to the few bodies that could be found and he set to the task of burying the poor folk who seemed to have died for nothing.

As darkness fell, the pair looked to each other, sleeping in a graveyard sat unwell with them both, so Marcus lead the smaller rabbit woman out into the hills, "Marigold's shrine is out this way, we can take shelter there for the night."

The hike up the mountain saw Marcus supporting the smaller lapine woman, while she was fit a hike up an unfamiliar mountain trail put a great deal of strain and Kia was all too glad to see the entrance just ahead, darting ahead to race Marcus to the shelter of the opening, however, Kia had no sooner slipped inside when her trembling voice called out from within, "Marcus!"

Running after her, he barged into the shrine passage expecting to confront what monster had raided the village and took up kair in the shrine, but instead he learned what had become of the villagers he could not find. If Seth and his girl were a sign of someone wanting information, the horror within the passage said without a doubt someone was delivering a message. Inside the passage to the shrine had new decorations, the dismembered corpses of the village folk. Whoever had done this had been thorough, not an inch of the passage walls was bare of either body part, blood or organ. Kia had retreated to the side and had lost her stomachs contents, he could hardly blame her, it was impossible to tell what belonged to who, his birth place, or at least the passage to it was more akin to a charnel house.

Steeling his will he walked forward, doing his best to ignore the scent of death and rot that choked the passage, his eyes focused ahead wondering what monstrous defilement had been done to the shrine proper, whoever had done this had a great hatred for the Dragon god, that much was self evident by how much those who lived even slightly close had suffered in association. As he finally stepped into the shrine he felt a growl escape him. Considering Seth's woman had not been spared it would not have surprised him the rest would not have escaped similar viciousness, but the interior of the shrine said he had grossly underestimated the hate of this group.

Clearly the men had been dismembered for the passage, but the shrine interior was for the women. Young or old, it mattered not. Every wife, mother, grandmother and daughter was tied up in the shrine, stripped and beaten and staked high like grisly columns none had been spared a violent horrific death. Whoever had done this had angled their heads to stare at the Dragon gods shrine upon which sat the old priests head, his eyes and tongue were removed, for what reason Marcus couldn't fathom.

Retreating from the shrine, he saw Kia trying to make her way down the passage, a cloth torn from her shirt covered her mouth and nose but he quickly steered her back with a shake of his head. The only thing finding security and sanctuary here now would be plague. Emerging from the tunnel Kia looked to him, a question in her eyes. Marcus shook his head, "Whoever did this used every villager to desecrate the shrine, by comparison, Seth as his girl were granted a mercy compared to the poor souls within."

"This wasn't that nancy boyo from Rensdale was it?" Kia asked softly, she could well still see the grisly passage even with her eyes closed, "What kinda sick fook does this shite?"

Marcus guided Kia away from the shrine entrance before walking back silently, standing before the entrance he recalled Zee's teachings before replying, "Religious zealots." Focusing on the hole he pictured it as the testing chute, he was no longer in the old Dragon gods body but he hoped someone out there would at least give him this. Opening his muzzle he exhaled a cone of flame that made Kia yelp, the intense burn flowing down the passage incinerating body parts and blood, creating the poor souls tortured in the shrine proper. For a steady five minutes he exhaled, fire roaring down the passage before suddenly cut off. The buzz of flies were silenced, the Greek of death and rot replaced with a smell of ash and fire heated stone.

Marcus himself collapsed before the entrance, Kia moving to support his weak frame. "Guess until I fully inherit the big guys role, breathing fire is a little out of my league, whew I feel like I got run over by a team of horses."

Kia blinked, glancing from him to the burnt passage and back again, "Since when did ye learn that nifty lil trick laird? Ye done gone an' done that in the thieves guild we wouldn' a 'ad such a rough run eh?"

"Something I learned at Selvantra's shrine, still not able to do it proper. Whew, that sucked the wind out of my sails."

Looking to the passage she squeezed his arm, "They thank ye an' I'm sure she would too ye know?"

Marcus nodded the guided Kia back down the mountain, while the main shrine was no longer usable, the secret cave might still be untouched. This time rather than supporting Kia, it was the lapine propping up him, the effort to bring out flame breath at his current power had truly sapped the energy from every fiber of his being, while powerful he knew this particular trump card would be a weapon of last resort, especially if this weakness persisted for an overly long spell. Thankfully as they staggered into the second cave it looked as if it had gone undiscovered. Collapsing by the tablets Marcus watched Kia explore, especially when she found the pantheon tablet. She seemed very intrigued by the pantheon containing himself. "You seem particularly curious of that bunch Kia, considering your initial reaction to me I would have thought you familiar with it already."

"Aye familiar by word o' mouth. Beast folk don't 'ave fancy book places, most o' our lore comes from word o' mouth, bard songs an' all that shite. Really the first time I be seeing the pantheon I grew up wit given form." Kia answered reaching out to trace the figures with her finger tips. " 'owever, why do they look so strange, I mean laird, 'ere you are a dragon, but in our tales the Dragon god is a beast folk."

"He... I... am a shapeshifter. Another useful trick I want to learn, but need to find the shrine that'll teach it."

"What fer? Ye can't really be wantin' to be a dragon right? 'ard to be wit yer pretty pretty if ye become a big ol' reptile eh?"

Marcus shrugged and hid his face, "Actually I'd like to go the other direction, either full human or more akin to yourself, a beast folk that apart from your ears, is more or less human."

"Yer nuts ye know that? Me, I'd rather get more o' me animal, fur an' hide are tougher than skin, warmer too!"

"Well if its teachable and not dragon required, I'll teach you alright?"

Kia turned smiling wide, "Ye mean that laird, no take backs! If it's a technique ye best teach me, cause I gots yer word!"

Marcus smirked rolling his eyes, "Need another oath?"

Kia winced and waved her hands, "Nope not doin' that shite again, thanks fer the reminder o' that delight laird, really, just tops that day right off."

Marcus chuckled leaning against a wall, trying to make himself comfortable, though he started when Kia came over and poked his side laying back beside him, "Not tryin' anythin', ye understand? Jest alotta shite kickin' around in me 'ead, don't feel like I can sleep on me own, means nothin' so no siccin' yet pretty pretty on me 'kay?"

Shaking his head he wrapped an arm around Kia giving her a friendly hug, "No worries, after today I think even Mari would welcome some group affection, if only to help put minds at ease over all this senseless death."

Cuddling in Kia smiled slightly, "So where do we go from 'ere? Back fer yer pretty pretty?"

Marcus sighed, "I'd like to, but I wager Mari is no longer there."

Kia blinked looking at him, "Wha? Where else will that short tempered bi... err, yer pretty pretty be if not at Selvantra's?"

Marcus leaned his head back against the stone wall and sighed, "Knowing my love, she's looking for who ever did this. Trauma of this nature leaves alot of people thirsty for vengeance especially when someone related to you dies like Seth did. Marigold strikes me as one who won't rest until whoever did this is violently killed. I just hope she continues training and let's us help."

"She's not an idiot laird, she knows what did this is beyond us." Kia mumbled softly as exhaustion finally started to seep in.

"Revenge has made people take far larger risks and do far stupider things Kia..." Noting the lapine had finally succumbed to her weariness he laid back and tried to rest himself. Sleep however was denied him, all he could think of was Marigold finding her brother and worse seeing the shrine and just how far someone had gone to make a message pointed at the dragon god. It wasn't words, but the missive was clear: Anyone and everything related to you will be purged.

Looking to the map tablet he focused on what they'd have to do next. Returning to confirm Marigolds departure was a must, but what then? The next shrine looked to be near the capital, and eyeballing the distance it was a trip almost triple that of Rensdale, from Rensdale no less. So they'd be on the road a good month and with 'home' torched they'd need to risk Rensdale again to secure supplies or passage.

Growling inside he thought about the magistrate. Perhaps talking with Palious and the magistrate would be good things, the former could likely get them information. The latter... deserved being taken down a peg to free the beast folk. Still beyond his own need to grow, finding Mari again was a priority.