The Umbral Keep
After Vordea finally left, Nalaea took stock of her surroundings. Opening the door to the bedroom she was in, she found herself in a long hallway with vaulted ceilings that stretched above her. Even the doors were massive, as if the building was constructed for giants. Walking the halls of the Keep, she found most rooms to be empty, even of furniture. Just what was this place? It felt like a blank canvas, waiting for a painter.
A room that intrigued her and she made a note to come back to later was a library, its size enough to rival the Royal Libraries of Ammangoan. At last she came upon what she assumed to be a banquet hall. Inside, a couple of the Rangers were standing around, while most of the others were in a dark corner of the room doing exactly what Nalaea was worried would happen. Jhaan however, looked overjoyed to see her.
"Captain! You're okay!" He exclaimed, rushing up to her.
"Wait stay back." Nalaea said, backing up several paces to Jhaan's confusion. "I was waylaid by Lady Vordea, and something I learned about where we are is that it amplifies the desires and emotions of everyone who steps foot inside. Even Gods."
"What do you mean?" Jhaan asked, as he observed Nalaea pace.
"I mean she tried to fucking eat me!" Nalaea shouted. "Not metaphorically either!"
The 3 other Rangers stopped talking and looked over at Nalaea. Jhaan gave Nalaea a look as if saying to continue. Nalaea breathed deeply for several seconds, and crouched slightly, hands on her knees.
"Okay. It started normally enough. I woke up in a bed, she was in a form I've never seen before, and had a gentle and sweet voice the entire time. We talked about what I saw, where we are now. Then she started to get aggressive. Before I knew it I was across the room firing arrows at her."
"You shot at the Goddess?" Arryn asked, her eyes wide.
"Yes, but that seemed to snap her out of it, at least for a little bit. Distance dulls the effect. However." Nalaea turned her attention to the orgy happening at the back of the room and raised her voice. "We are not a sex cult! Quit fucking and get over here before I cut them off!" Nalaea looked back at Arryn and noticed fresh cuts on her arms, and frowned. "Cutting again, are we?"
"I can't help it, Captain!" Arryn sobbed, even as she tried to stop her hands from grabbing her knife again. "My hands just move on their own!"
"Jhaan, tie her hands together. How are you holding up?" Nalaea ordered, pointing at Arryn.
"We're all elves so there's no problem. If a human was with us though, that'd be a different story. This place seems to bring out the worst in everyone. So what about you, Captain?" Jhaan answered as he tied Arryn's hands together and looked over her wounds.
"Can't say I've got many desires anymore, Jhaan." Nalaea said as she glared at the Rangers dressing. "Hurry the fuck up! Last one dressed is getting whipped!" Nalaea shouted, before turning back to look at Jhaan. "None of you are the Lady, after all. I suppose I should be thankful none of us are suicidal."
"So what's the plan?" Jhaan asked, as he finished up with Arryn's bonds and wounds. Arryn looked up pathetically at Jhaan, who ruffled her hair in response and chuckled. "There's something wrong with this place, don't take it too hard."
"Once the fuck pile makes themselves presentable, I'll go over it." Nalaea said. "You have thirty seconds! After that I start chopping fingers!" Nalaea shouted, and then smiled with glee as she watched them start racing to finish dressing. "Remember Jhaan, stick first."
"Surprised you haven't used any of your usual threats, Captain." Arryn said, butting in. Jhaan nodded in response, and looked to Nalaea.
"Time and a place, you two." Nalaea advised, checking her daggers. "Threaten violence for sex, and sex for violence. You can't threaten someone with a good time."
"So if they were fighting instead?" Jhaan asked.
"Right up the butt with no lube." Nalaea said with a grin, making a fist and thrusting it upward. Glancing at the rest of the Rangers, they were now standing at attention in a line, though some of them definitely had shaky legs. Walking past one, she kicked him hard in the right knee, causing him to buckle and scream in pain. "That's for letting your guard down!" Nalaea shouted. "Pathetic excuse for a Ranger! Get up!"
Nalaea screamed and abused the Rangers for nearly an hour before she ran out of things to be mad about. By the end she was huffing, holding her hands on her knees, while most of the Rangers were on the ground either moaning or screaming in pain, with one particularly unfortunate one missing an arm, which was presently being reattached by Jhaan and Arryn. For her part, Nalaea was missing 3 fingers and several teeth, with blood still coming out of her mouth.
"Hold still Sinah." Jhaan said, as he finished the casting on the arm. "The Captain did a number on you."
"He shouldn't have bitten off her fingers." Arryn said, admonishing Sinah.
"She bluffs too much." Sinah said, wincing in pain. "Guess she was actually mad this time."
"You got some backbone after all." Nalaea said, spraying blood everywhere as she talked. "Only three of you even fought back."
"Captain what are we going to do about your fingers? I know for a fact healing magic doesn't work on your awful biology." Jhaan stated, gesturing at Nalaea's mangled hands.
Nalaea winked, and looked down at her hands. Sinah had got her good, she thought to herself. Some good chompers on him. Index and middle finger missing on her left hand, index finger on her right hand. In this state she couldn't even nock an arrow. She did notice however, that there seemed to be some kind of indistinct shadow where her fingers would normally be. Starting to form a thought, she picked up one of her daggers, and gripped it using only the shadowy fingers. Seeing that it didn't drop, she smirked.
"I am a monster of my God, Jhaan." Nalaea stated, showing off her shadowy digits, which started to take on a more distinct form. "A monster doesn't die so easily. Come, we're all regrouping in the library I found." Nalaea turned and walked off, leaving Jhaan and Arryn to round up the rest of the Rangers and follow her.