audio; un: Sabriel.Abhorsen

[bindsthedead]

They're dead.

[Sabriel's voice comes out, far more emotional than her usual, carefully controlled tone, far grimmer than the bubbliness she'd faked while undercover. Instead, Sabriel sounds like she's on the edge of hysteria.]

They were dead the whole time- that was why the orb started draining me when I tried to sense them- it was blocking me but now I can't stop feeling it-

They all died. All at once. Hundreds of deaths all at the same time. But there aren't any spirits- and that many people, all dying so suddenly, some of them should have tried to linger. But there's nothing.

No spirits. Just the death.

Comments

voice; un: finn

[hatejakku]

[ Wait. Wait, what?

Finn takes a moment before responding, trying to extend his reach outwards but-... He never expected to feel anything because he wasn't connected to the people here. Now that he's trying, though, he's not sure what to make of it. ]

I can't feel anything of them either. What does that mean?

[bindsthedead]

I don't know. Either the nature of this world is such that spirits pass swiftly, or there's something else at work.

[hatejakku]

I-... I've never seen death change so much between planets or species. [ The actual act of dying, he means. The passing on part of death. ]

Could the orb still be blocking us? [ Wishful thinking. ]

[bindsthedead]

Doubtful. It seems to have withdrawn its influence completely.

[hatejakku]

Could they be... gone? [ Like. Gone gone. Completely gone. ] No, that can't be. I've never even heard of something like that.

[bindsthedead]

It's not impossible, but-

I don't know. We've seen no magic in this town, but a fire that only burns living things...

That sounds like magic to me.

[hatejakku]

[ It's not impossible? That-... He hates that. ]

You're right. It- [ Then, like lightning, a conversation hits him that he had weeks ago with James, when he compared the orbs to kyber crystals. ] It's not unheard of for ore to have... magical properties. We have something similar where I'm from.

[bindsthedead]

True. And if none of the townsfolk were magically sensitive, it wouldn't have come up in conversation. All they'd think about was the risk of accidents, and what others would pay for it.

[hatejakku]

But if it's always been here, then surely they knew what it can do.

Unless... it wasn't always magical like this.

[bindsthedead]

Most people aren't aware of the existence of spirits, and take what happens after death as a matter of faith. I think it's more likely that it could always destroy souls... the townsfolk weren't aware of it.

[hatejakku]

[ Oh yeah, that part's definitely true. Finn meant the fire part, but the soul destroying part? Yeah. ]

Yeah. That's more than possible.