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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Greybar" data-source="post: 935033" data-attributes="member: 4938">The Tree of Corruption, part threeDaphna has been trained from an early age to fight for her faith and her House.  While not born of an upper-class mother, her blood and her path have given her the surname of Llassa.  She learned about the need to be stalwart and strong, but in the context of a world where most of the armed conflict would happen in a narrow urban setting.  She knows about how to find the weak point of an enemy, how to more silently, and how to keep her head down.  So it is not with blind will that she charges.Her legs pump up to a quick speed. She judges the maximum reach of the tree's brutal branches.  Three more paces and they can reach her.  Two more.  One more.  Dive.  Roll.  Tumbling low as the sledgehammer tear throught the air over her head.  She comes up in a crouch between Samus and Adolphus.  She gently lays one palm across Samus' forehead, caked with dirt and blood.  "Light is within in, Light of Life.  May Llassa make your Light grow strong."Blazing white light streams from Arlissas hand, burning into the black and grey bark of the tree.  Arrows and sling stones bounce off of its bark.  Its hard to see if it really hurt the huge thing much at all.  It certainly doesn't seem to be distracting it too much as two branches swing down upon Daphna.Daphna hefts up Samus under one arm and Adolphus under the other.  She thanks the Goddess for the strength of Her Light that Arlissa called down into her muscles mere seconds ago.  She braces herself mentally as the tree seems to lean into her in a swirl of wood in motion.The first blow crashes into her back.  Daphna's armor is made of sturdier stuff that Samus' leather.  The branch propels her forward, but doesn't do much more than leave what will be quite a bruise in the morning.  The second branch attempts to take her legs out from under her, but she manages to half-jump over it despite carrying two bodies.  She builds up speed again and is soon out of the reach of the tree."That's it.  Back to the town.  Everyone OUT!" Arlissa shouts.  No one really disagrees.  "It's a tree.  In the morning we will come back with more people and burn it to the ground."Upon the return to Freehill Town, Syra recovers a small wooden tube from one of Adolphus' pouches."This was what he was saving for your arrival. He would want you to have it, in case he doesn't make it", she says as she hands it over to Arlissa.  Within the tube is a fragment of paper, hand-written with ink.Arlissa reads it over, and then passes it on to Balius, Samus and the others.  Balius reads it aloud to Karrinkas, who cannot puzzle out the writing.Lost light to save the queen of the lostDeep water will quench the fireHungry fire to melt the iceImprisoning ice that seals the airAir that holds the word unspokenWord of thought that frees the soulsSouls that take the undying into deep earthEarth that holds all secrets deep and darkDarkness dismissed by the light reborn"That is what he gave his sight to see", Syra says quietly as they puzzle over it.Adolphus remains comatose for the night, with his dog sleeping by his side. Syra worries over him before she too drops into the sleep of the exhausted.Karrinkas awakens to the sound of quiet motion.  All is darkness outside but for a fragment of moon.  Something is by the window of the room.  His ears track it, his muscles carefully bunching.  One eye slits open, his vision in this half-light better than any hoo-mans.  A shadow in the window, then it is gone.  He leaps as only a Karranas can, making it to the window in a bound.  But whatever it was is gone.</blockquote>

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