Rescuing Chadley: June 24

In the two long days and nights Chadley has been bound in the cabin, he's kept true to his word. Head bowed low and eyes closed, his cracked, parched lips still shakily form the words for his shielding prayer. The Light still shines, illuminating the bristly face of Adeline's felhound, which sits drooling and obedient at Chadley's side, guarding him while Adeline has stepped outside to gather herbs.

Outside of the cabin, Adeline is less gathering herbs and more frowning in something between frustration and grief. She rests her back against the cabin and observes the forest around them--quiet, save for the far off sounds of battle, Forsaken and worgen, clashing almost endlessly, and some mechanical roars from the main road, too far through the trees to see. Once she's given herself a proper pep talk, she makes her way back inside, basket devoid of all but a few sprigs of silverleaf.

Chadley hasn't moved. He takes a deep inhale around his prayer when the door comes open, the burst of semi-fresh air a relief to him. Or it is until he coughs, his throat so dry that it prickles when he inhales. He falls into a coughing fit, and for the first time in two days, the barrier flickers to its weaker version again.

Adeline grimaces at the cough but still smiles at Chadley. "Y'must be thirsty," she observes in a gentle tone, more like he's been playing outside on a hot summer day than like she's trying to kill him. "Ah hate seein' you lahk this."

Chadley swallows several times, trying to make saliva, but there's nothing there. Two days with nothing to drink combined with his earlier sobbing has left him weak and dehydrated. It's a wonder he has the energy for a small shield at all. Stubbornness, most likely. He finally speaks to her, and his voice is a dry crackle. "I'm still here."

"Anythin' you drink at this point'll lahk as not kill ya anyway," Adeline continues in a soft voice. The delicious smells from a few days before have vanished from the air, leaving nothing but the overpowering scent of the incense.

Chadley's still-illuminated eyes open as he looks around the room in renewed fear. With his barrier weakened it's only a matter of time before the incense drugs him. He tries again to concentrate on his prayer, but the delirium of hunger and thirst make it impossible. He croaks out to his mother, "Wh-whatever you do, I- d-don't blame you." He's shaking again.

Adeline hesitantly approaches Chadley, staying just this side of the barrier. "Ah'm only doin' any 'a this 'cause Ah love you and Ah want what's best fer you," she says in a choked voice. The roaring sound of the road outside seems louder than before.

"I'm all grown up," Chadley responds, his voice growing hoarser. "I can choose what's best for me." His head lifts at the new noise and his eyes close, as if letting more cool air pass over him. "I can feel the drugs."

"Everyone needs someone ter advuhcate for 'em once in a while," Adelien argues. "And they ain't that strong, just somethin' to help you sleep better." The roar is most definitely closer now, as if something's approaching the cabin.

Chadley nods again, dazed. "I- I can feel that, yes. I'm- feeling very tired." He slumps in his seat, only to sit right back up straight again, looking panicked that he almost lost consciousness. With the sound louder, he looks over his shoulder toward the door. He's not sure if he's hallucinating or not at this point, but the familiar sound is enough to make him smile.

Right when the roaring sound seems ready to burst through the door, it's replaced with the sound of something screeching to a halt right outside of the cabin, tires skidding against dirt, and then muffled conversation. One voice, male, is tinged with a lot of emotion and breaks at a few points. The other, female, is surprisingly rational, though at one point, it does snap, "Pull yerself together or I'mma bring you -right- back to Hearthglen."

Chadley brightens a bit, his bloodied lips cracking into a full-on smile. He turns to look back at his mother and hisses, no longer able to speak, "-- I win." Adeline scowls, patting her felhound on the side of the head. It lopes off into the shadows, and the floorboards creak as the rest of her hidden horrors move to find the intruders. "They's weak as you in the shadow, dear. My friends will fetch them for us."

Outside, and not quite ignorant to the horrors that await them, Lorcan and Mairèad still argue. "Look, y'wanna do some good here? Go find a gryphon or somethin' and get down to Stormwind. Find Shep and he'll be able t'set up a portal and get us outta here once we're done," Mairèad informs the priest. They're still sitting on her bike, which is turned off and waiting to be converted into its box state. Lorcan glares at Mairèad, as if he's trying to melt her with his eyes. "I'm not going anywhere without him," he snaps and Mairèad rolls her eyes. "-Fine-. Jest don't do nothin' stupid. We're damn near fucked jest bein' here." And with a few murmured prayers, the two bless themselves and each other, preparing for whatever lies ahead.

What lies ahead makes itself very obvious as the front door cracks open to reveal Adeline herself. She smiles at them. "Mairead. Y'look so pretty. It's so good t'see y'gain. An' Lorcan." She inclines her head and turns around, waving her arm in an inviting gesture. "Y'come on insahd." She seems very unafraid of them, despite their being Lightcallers and her being-- what she is.

Lorcan makes a sound that's almost like a growl, moving to cast a bolt of Holy Light at Adeline, but Mairèad grabs his arm and holds him steady before he can manage it. "We'd love to, Aunt Addy. It's good t'see you again," she says in as close to a bright voice as she can manage. Beside her, Lorcan glares, looking every bit the part of Chadley's boyfriend, but he says nothing.

Adeline hobbles back inside, disappearing into the inky black that seems to spill out from the doors like firelight would a typical house. Inside, Chadley begins to struggle again, making as much raspy noise as he can to let them know he's alive.

Mairèad looks at Lorcan. "Whatevarrr y'see in there, keep. calm," she warns him before releasing his arm and dismounting the bike. The priest barely has a chance to leave the sidecar before Mairèad collapses the bike and tosses the box into a nearby bush for safekeeping. She gives Lorcan a nod and makes her way into the house, almost retching as the oppressive amount of shadow hits her. Lorcan follows after a moment, and though he also staggers at the shadow magic, it doesn't seem to affect him nearly as much as it does Mairèad or Chadley. He simply grimaces as if he's tasted something bad and tries to see Chadley through the darkness.

The shadow is not only oppressive, it also hides things. As they pass the stoop of the house, a dagger flies from the spreading dark. The foe knows its bigger threat, and the dagger aims for Lorcan's backside.

Lorcan hisses in pain and surprise; the dagger just barely misses embedding itself in his back but still cuts a nasty gouge in his skin as it flies past. He presses his hands against the skin to try and heal the wound, but though it mostly seals up, blood still trickles from the edges. "--fuck," he murmurs.

Mairèad glances back at Lorcan and then frowns. "Aunt Addy, we don't want thin's t'get violent, please. We jest wanna talk," she pleads into the darkness. "We're jest here to talk."

The darkness doesn't seem interested in talking. Light feet pad across the floor and this time a dozen shadowy hands grasping daggers shoot out from the dark, all aimed at their weakened target. "She won't hear it!" Chadley rasps from the dark, and Adeline confirms with a sigh. "Ah dunno why none 'a y'all is seein' that this is th' easy way." She gasps as her hidden husband attacks the intruders and frowns. "Impatient. Go on, then!" She waves her arm and turns, and the glowing eyes watching them advance.

Lorcan is still distracted by his wound when those daggers fly out towards him. He gives a grunt of pain and crumples easily, multiple stab wounds on his chest, back, and sides. And a dent in his new leg. Well, that's just great. Too late, he calls the Light to shield him, but he's already on the floor, hands moving shakily over the worst of his wounds in an attempt at keeping them from being life-threatening. -

Mairèad turns and swings her arcane blessed shield out into the darkness, trying to catch whoever's getting stab-happy. "We don't -wanna- get violent," she repeats, sounding more worn by the oppressive shadows, "but we will."

A shadowy figure is briefly illuminated as it skitters to the side. The shield doesn't hit that, though- it instead slams into a hulking felguard that had been hidden by the dark, which roars in pain and charges for her. The entire cabin shakes with its might. The shadowy figure, meanwhile, beelines for Lorcan again. It doesn't speak a word, just tries for the most efficient kill it can. Chadley has started struggling with all the might he has, his shield fading from lost focus. Adeline approaches him and places a hand on his shoulder as she watches the fight.

A fucking felguard. Of course. Mairèad roars right back at the creature, wielding her shield and sword in an almost barbarian manner. She swings them in an arc at the felguard, aiming to bash its head with the shield and follow that with a sharp hit to its side with her sword. All the while, she tries to keep herself between Lorcan and whatever is attacking him, stamping her foot to call forth a consecration on the ground beneath. It's weak and it doesn't last long, but it's there just the same.

Lorcan, meanwhile, pauses in his frantic healing (why won't these stab wounds -heal- damnit?) to swing outwards towards his assailant with the staff that until now has seemed just decoration or maybe a cane. He can't see well enough to aim for the head like he wants to, but he's flailing enough that he should hit -something-.

Both attacks land, and this succeeds in both damaging the felguard and pissing it right off. It roars again and thrashes its gigantic arms at Mairead with a bone crushing swipe. Lorcan's assailant is revealed by the Light: a lanky forsaken man clad in form-fitting black, his glowing yellow eyes under the cowl his only visible color. He disappears into the shadows again, leaving Lorcan to bleed, and reappears in a cloud of haze at Chadley and Adeline's side.

Lorcan seems relieved at this, trying to scoot back on the floor and out of the way of any fighting that may be going on between Mairèad and the felguard, hands still fluttering over his wounds to try and seal them. Of course, it's frustratingly not working in the least, and in a panicked moment, a bit of twisting shadow magic comes to his fingertips, sealing the deepest wound on his chest and leaving an unsightly tumor behind.

Mairèad braces herself for the felguard's blow and is only thrown off her feet rather than across the cabin. "COME AT ME, Y'YELLA BELLIED FISH LIVER CODPIECE!" she roars, jumping to her feet probably quicker than she should and charging at the felguard with her sword aimed to decapitate it in one fell swoop.

The felguard charges, knocking chairs and herb jars out of the way left and right. It makes a hard downward blow at the small paladin, the force becoming only momentum as its head is lopped from its shoulders and it collapses in a pile of smoldering green ash. Adeline gasps and steps forward, stopping herself to instead nudge forward the shadowy figure. "Thomas, Ah'm tired 'a people gittin' hurt over this. Make it quick. Fer Lorcan over there, too. Y'left 'im hurtin'." Thomas responds with silence, different entirely from his boisterous living self, and once again disappears. Adeline, in the meantime, raises her arms and chants a spell. All at once, the cabin is illuminated by green light as her demons vanish. Then, the darkness returns.

Mairèad groans quietly, touching a hand to her side. There's a brief flash of Light as her own shielding comes into play, weak against the shadow but better than nothing. "I don't wanna fight you, Uncle Tom," she says into the dark. "I jest wanna take Chad away from here and Lorcan, too, and all of us get out safe. We don't need'a do this."

"We dun' need to," Adeline agrees, curling a hand around Chadley's face. He can't repel her anymore. "But it's better us'n somethin' impersonal in a mass grave." Thomas doesn't seem interested in fighting her either. Not yet, anyway- he's left something alive. He appears from seemingly nowhere above the priest, gruesome and jagged daggers clutched in both hands. They're driven down, and Chadley hisses Lorcan's name as a pathetic warning.

Lorcan, still tending his wounds, is caught partly off-guard, enough that there's no stopping those daggers. He throws up an arm to protect himself, as Mairèad throws her shield at Thomas, Captain America style, trying only to knock him away from Lorcan.

Thomas looks up and disappears, the shield flying through where he stood and crashing into the wall behind him. He reappears behind Mairead, the dagger in one hand replaced by a tiny glass sphere filled with dust. He crushes this sphere and throws its contents into the air. Probably best not to breathe whatever it is. "Brave girl. Strong in the shadows," he teases, vanishing again before she can turn around and attack him. "Dun watch," says Adeline, covering Chadley's eyes with a rotten hand. He groans but can't fight her.

Mairèad ducks away from Thomas to recover her shield, though she can't help but inhaling some of the dust. She coughs harshly, something of a weak, pale glow coming to her body. "Shadow don't scare me," she rasps. "Yer still Uncle Tom, no matter ha' creepy you try t'be." She swings blindly into the shadow, if only trying to illuminate something nearby.

Nothing is brought to light, though. Wrecked furniture and spilled liquids are illuminated briefly, but the only movement is from Adeline, still cradling Chadley's head in her arms as she tells Mairead, "We's the closest thing y'got to family, Mairead. Y'seem real hurt by yer lahf, from what Ah been watchin'! It won't be lahk that with us. Ever."

Mairèad's eyelights flicker. "I appreciate the offer, Aunt Addy, but without the dark, how can you appreciate the light?" Another pale consecration spreads outward from her feet.

It's to Mairead's luck that Thomas is merely an initiate amongst the shadow, talented as he may be, and he gives a grunt as the Light burns his feet, having not yet mastered resistance. This causes him to lash out defensively, another dagger aimed at Mairead from behind. Chadley has again started to try and mouth a protective prayer, this time for his friend, but his delitium is such that his words practically come out backwards.

And it's to Thomas' luck that he manages to drive the dagger between the plates of Mairèad's armor. She gives a grunt of pain and turns around, swinging for Thomas with her shield and a surprising amount of power, though blood has already begun to drip between her armor plates and down to the floor.

Mairead makes a solid connection. He's not taken out, but the blunt trauma alone is enough to send him staggering backwards, leaving himself open. Adeline's hands leave Chadley to reach out toward he husband. "Thomas!"

Mairèad takes advantage of this, more sweeping for Thomas' legs to knock them out from under him rather than attempting to behead him outright. She doesn't cry out as she does this, simply exhales with the effort of it.

It's Adeline's turn to make a panicked noise as she watches her husband fall to his knees. Quickly, she begins to mutter in a demonic tongue, runic patterns beginning to glimmer on the floor around her and smoke rising from the cracks. As Thomas hits the floor, he shoots out a sweeping flurry of daggers across the floor. They're sharp, but they're meant to just knock her down to his level.

Mairèad is easily brought to the floor, falling far harder than it seems someone her size should be able to fall. She groans, winded, and lies on the floor a moment as still as she can, a chant starting within her helm. -

Now, where's Lorcan, you may be wondering. Wounds largely sealed, he pushes himself into a standing position and casts a shield about Mairèad, if only to buy her a second of time.

The familiar chittering of an imp fills the cabin as Adeline completes the quickest summon she can do. The tiny demon, either brave or stupid, launches out in a vengeful leap for Lorcan's face, at which it claws wildly shouting murderous curses in demonic tongue. "The girl!" Adeline shouts at the imp, but it's too busy with its revenge to obey. Thomas steadies himself on his feet. "Not a problem, Addy. We're done." He flips the dagger in his hand and lunges for Mairead.

Lorcan yelps in surprise, clearly not expecting to see this little bastard again. Without the Light, he's not much good for fighting it, though he does try to pull it away from his face and throw it to the GROUND, stomping after it with his angry leg. -

Mairèad still lies on the ground, but when Thomas lunges for her, she brings her legs up to catch him and propel him away before pushing herself raggedly to her feet. She's still too busy chanting to exchange any witty banter.

Adeline scowls at the turn of events, and she begins to twist her hands in spell, green sparks beginning to flicker around her fingers. Thomas staggers back again, but this time it's straight into the dark. He appears behind her seconds later, a dagger aimed to the base of her skull. The imp, meanwhile, is busy dodging Lorcan's foot and flinging tiny fireballs at him.

Lorcan looks like a complete idiot, doing a sort of Mexican hat dance with the imp. He calls over to Chadley, "This is why I want a leg gun," and then just gets sick of the imp, swinging his staff for the creature.

Mairèad, meanwhile, manages to move out of the way in time to avoid having her brain skewered, though the dagger still hits her upper shoulder. She gives another growl of pain, bringing her sword around for Thomas' side.

Chadley's head slowly turns in the direction of Lorcan's voice, but his eyes are rolled back and most of his effort is going into staying conscious, so he slumps back over. Adeline's spellcast is complete, a large circle of green flame swirling around her body. The cracks in the floor glow with that same green, and fire spits up from them at the paladin and priest. The green flames illuminate Thomas' expression of surprise as he's struck clean, but such is the benefit of undeath: he keeps fighting, taking another stab for Mairead.

Lorcan continues to swing and stomp for the imp, apparently having regained some sense of himself now that he's seen Chadley is still alive. Possessed or unconscious or something, but alive. He can work with that.

Mairèad brings her arm up to block Thomas' attack, dropping her shield in favor of aiming a punch for his face. The felflames sputter against her Light-blessed armor, mostly leaving her untouched but creating a few vulernabilities. She tries to position herself to take the brunt of the fire, allowing Lorcan to continue playing with the imp.

The imp doesn't want to play, it wants that man dead. He's oddly spry for someone recovering from multiple stab wounds, though, so it's having trouble. It tries latching onto the backside of his good leg and gnawing. Adeline sets loose a massive felfire blaze toward Mairead just as her fist connects with Thomas' face. He's slowed from his injuries, but keeps fighting, slashing at Mairead even with the oncoming fire.

Lorcan has had just about enough of this imp shit and reaches down, grabbing the creature by the scruff of its neck and attempting to wring its neck. His breath is ragged, and he's shaking, but he tries, damnit. -

Mairèad gets the full blast of Adeline's felfire, falling backwards enough to avoid getting stabbed in the face, but once again, the dagger sinks in through one of the felfire created cracks in the armor. Mairèad now lets out a cry of pain, the injuries finally starting to wear on her properly. There's no more aiming to cripple; her sword arcs through the air in an attempted beheading.

Thomas' arm flies up defensively. It's this that he loses, his head still in tact, but the force is enough to send him reeling back toward his wife. Adeline stands protectively in front of Chadley, and Thomas in front of his wife. He's broken, and she's afraid for her family, but they won't go down. The imp's neck can't be wrung, but it can apparently be strangled into unconsciousness like anything else. It goes limp in Lorcan's hands. "Think about whut'cher doin', Mairead," Adeline says slowly.

"I am," Mairèad rasps. A keen eye in a brighter place might note that blood is dripping down and out of her face mask. "I don't wanna kill either 'a you. I wanna redeem you both. I -love- you, and I know how to bring y'back to paradise, if you'll let me." She forces herself to stand taller. "Y'ent meant fer this world, Aunt Addy. Yer death was horrible, but I can give you peace. You and Uncle Tom both. Please. Don't make me kill you."

Lorcan, on the other hand, finally throws the imp to the ground and stomps on its head. Even if that doesn't do anything, it feels good.

"Ah was offered th' same thing by Chadley," Adeline says, glancing over her shoulder with those covered, oozing eyes to her surprisingly still semi-conscious son. "We all seem t'be delusional in our love, don't we." Her hands coil in another spellcast, interrupted only briefly as she winces when her imp evaporates into smoke.

Mairèad raises her shield to block the spell, though she continues speaking in a hoarse voice. "It ent a delusion. When Chad told me you were watchin' him, I did some research. There's a ritual I can do--fer both 'a you--and it'll redeem yer soul and return you to paradise, where you belong." Lorcan, still stomping on the ground where the imp was, pipes up with an, "It's true. I've read the ritual myself. Chadley hasn't slept in several weeks, trying to learn it so that he can send you home."

"-- Ma," Chadley rasps from behind, curled in on himself and trembling with the effort of staying awake. "You don't have to fight. And it'll feel like n-no time at all before you see me- again." Adeline just looks furious, letting her circle of felfire flare out and hit anything in its path- even Chadley. "Ah'm done bein' kahnd about this! Fer th' Dark Lady!" Her arms rise and the fire bursts from the floorboards once more.

The tense and quiet moments distracted Lorcan from his futile imp stomping, and he extends a shield around Chadley with an almost desperate cry. Mairèad is left vulnerable, and the fire does a number on her, sending her falling backwards to the floor her armor smoking acridly. She whimpers in pain and shakes her head in a protest against something. "I don't wanna do this..." she trails off and then stands, all of her energy going into a charge for Adeline, everything aimed at knocking her down and stopping her cast.

And that is why Thomas took the place he did. As Mairead lunges for Adeline, his single hand lifts to cloud Mairead's eyes with shadow before he takes another swing for her.

Mairèad squeezes her eyes shut and keeps going in her charge--she's already fighting in the dark, anyway. Thomas' attack connects, opening another wound, but she's single-minded in her determination to get to Adeline, swinging her sword blindly ahead.

"Shadows-- T-Thomas," Chadley stutters out randomly as Mairead makes her assault. He's probably not even audible over the sounds of combat. Mairead's sword swings right into Adeline-- but she's gone. Across the room she stands, safe in a runed circle, and blasts another fireball at Mairead.

Yes, Thomas is a problem, and Mairèad continues to grapple with him, screaming in pain as another fireball hits her in the back. She's still blinded, not sure if she's even grappling with a real person, but she holds onto him, trying to bring them both to the floor and pressing her sword against what she thinks is his neck.

Right she is. The blade digs into his neck, threatening to slice it, but he seems fearless of the idea. Zombies, yo. He fumbles a hand into his pouches and produces another glass ball of poison dust, smashing it against her helmet vents. Adeline takes the time to chant another summon- a more complex one than before now that she has more than a few seconds to spare.

Mairèad hacks at the poison dust forced through her helm, but after the initial hesitation and a hoarse, "I'm sorreh, Uncle Tom," she drives the blade downwards, intent on severing his head and letting her hands fall to the floor shakily afterwards.

Thomas goes still as the sword severs his head. Adeline screams. Felfire engulfs her as her summon completes, her felhound bounding out of the fire, but it's too late. The shadows around the house retreat, and the darkness of the house is a natural one.

When the darkness rises, the lights on Mairèad's armor flare to life, a pale glow enveloping her form as her body attempts to heal itself. She doesn't spare the felhound a second's thought, blasting it with a shock of holy energy and advancing slowly on Adeline, because at this point, she has two speeds: slow and slower.

Once Lorcan can see, however, he immediately runs to Chadley's side and presses his hand against the paladin's chest, a blessing of fortitude issuing forth in one powerful word. His arms are around Chadley, and he works to undo the bindings at the younger man's wrists and ankles.

Chadley manages to look at Lorcan, but he can't manage to make any facial expression beyond a blank stare. His still glowing eyes fall shut, and now that he's with someone he trusts, he allows himself to fall unconscious. Adeline looks between this and the advancing paladin in horror, a filmy green shield glowing around her protectively. "Y-y'always was th' tough one, weren't'cha Mairead?"

Mairèad's hands glow with an exorcism spell that's immediately aimed for Adeline, still intent only on incapacitating her. "I ent here to kill you," she reiterates, speaking slowly and deliberately, her voice hoarse. "I'm here to send you home. You remember paradise, don't you? You remember th'feelin' 'a  bein' safe and happeh, how we were all there with you and alive? I'm gunna send you back to that."

"Ah remember that bein' th' way things was. An' Ah remember discoverin' bein' gifted enough t'have it back. This is why we gotta do this, Mair. 'Cause folk like you is hellbent on killin' us. Y'call it redemption, but it's killin'."

"We all die someday," Mairèad points out. "I might die t'night or mebbe fifteh years from now in me bed. But I know that when I die, me soul'll taste paradise. Y'can't live ferevarrr, Aunt Addy. Even undead, you'll start losin' yer mind, losin' who you -are-. And then it ent you in that body no more, it's a mindless, hollow shell." Another exorcism is sent Adeline's way.

Adeline crumples to the ground, backing herself against the wall and clutching her hands to her chest. "Won't be a long tahm 'til that," she counters in a labored voice, but then manages a smile and adds, "But Ah s'pose it won't, 'cause yer gunna kill me t'naht."

Mairèad sets her shield and sword on the ground and nods, reaching up to remove her helm and setting this on the ground as well. She's sheet white with a dribble of blood trailing down her chin. "I am," she confirms. "I'd like t'do it as gentle as possible and let you rest again. It's what we all been workin' fer."

Lorcan finally manages to get Chadley unbound and catches him in his arms. With some careful manipulation, he tilts the paladin's head back and tries to give him some water from a canteen.

The water mostly dribbles out of Chadley's mouth. He's appears unconscious, but his weak attempts to actually swallow show that he's still trying to hang on. Adeline looks over at this, and her angry snarl turns to grief. The forsaken looks back up at Mairead and says in a slow voice, "... Y'took mah husband. An' now yer gunna take mah son. Ah don't really got a lot worth fahtin' m'way outta here fer anymore."

Mairèad drops to her knees once she reaches Adeline, her expression crumbling in grief. "I'm so sorreh about Uncle Tom. I didn't wanna do that. I wish there was a way fer us to all be -alive- together. I wish I could bring you back to life."

Lorcan murmurs encouragingly to Chadley, continuing to gently help him drink and wiping the water from the paladin's cheek with his sleeve. He may or may not be crying as well.

Adeline stiffens at Mairead's approach and lifts an arm defensively to keep the paladin at a distance. "Lahf don't have a point," she whispers. "World's gone dark. Only th' dead'll be able to faht fer it soon."

Chadley still struggles with the simple task of swallowing, but with Lorcan's help he manages down a few small mouthfuls. At the very least he seems otherwise uninjured, just dehydrated, hungry, fevered, and covered in his own filth.

Mairèad shakes her head and holds up her hands to show she means no harm. "That ent true. Th'world's gettin' better, and that's what me and Chad are fightin' fer. We want Lordaeron t'be green again. And fer there t'be chicken farms and playin' on th'beach and pies and happeh times again." She manages a small, watery smile. "And we wanna know that yer okay."

Lorcan lets Chadley's head rest on his shoulder and continues murmuring encouragement, now pressing his hand against the paladin's chest to clear away any infections.

Adeline doesn't lower her arm and shakes her head. "It ain't never gunna be that way. Clean up one mess an' a bigger one'll take its place. Y'gotta be strong fer it. Livin' ain't strong." She smiles sadly. "Y'go on ahead an' kill me, Mairead. Ah couldn't do raht. One day, when y'all fall t'whutever it is that's fellin' everythin', th' Dark Lady'll bring y'back. Then y'can faht. Then you'll see." Chadley's head lolls to the side at the sound of his mother's voice and he makes a pathetic little noise in a failed attempt to speak.

Mairèad looks up and over to Chadley, trying to make it seem like she's not crying nearly as hard as she is. Lorcan leans closer to the man in his arms. "Say it again, love. Go ahead and speak quietly, and I'll tell them what you said."

Chadley makes another dry little sound before whispering hoarsely, "Goodbye. Love you. Didn't- get to before." He lets his head rest against Lorcan's chest and his newly-granted energy is spent on the return of his trembling.

Lorcan brings his hand up to hold Chadley's head close to his chest, soothing Light flowing from his fingers. "He says good-bye, and that he loves you," the priest announces, and Mairèad closes her eyes to steel herself before looking back to Adeline. "When yer ready," she says quietly.

Adeline seems more angered than saddened by what Chadley had to say, turning her hollow, oozing eyes on Mairead and lashing her arm out with a flash of felfire. "Do it, miserable child! See no reason by me. Ah'll die knowin' Ah tried."

Mairèad catches Adeline's arm before it can reach her face, though the felfire still stings at her skin. "I'm sorreh," she whispers before placing her free hand on Adeline's chest and closing her eyes. She begins the prayer exactly as she practiced, and it doesn't take long for her hands to light up with a gentle golden glow that seems to sing, that same wordless melody that's so familiar. It's an uncomfortable sensation, but not painful.

Adeline fights it, struggling against Mairead as best she can. More green flames spurt from the floorboards under her, but with the Light coursing through her, she's beyond weak. "Ah hope this moment haunts you!" she cries.

Mairèad doesn't interrupt her prayer, despite the sob that shudders through her. The Light pulses and courses through Adeline, undoing the necromancy keeping her alive and purifying her soul in the same action. Lorcan's grip on Chadley tightens bracingly.

Adeline's last energy is spent turning her eyes on Chadley again. In that last moment, her look of anger falls to one of regret. Her arm goes limp in Mairead's grasp after, and she's gone. It's then and only then that Chadley finally allows himself to slip into complete unconsciousness.

Mairèad continues her prayer for a few minutes after Adeline has fallen limp, and even after that, she only drops to her hands and knees and sobs raggedly rather than doing anything else. Lorcan shifts awkwardly while still holding Chadley, and finally speaks up. "Mairèad, we should probably burn this cabin and get your injuries looked at." Mairèad nods and tries to stand, but the energy spent in sending Adeline off was too much for her. She falls right back down, this time actually lying on the floor for a minute before pushing herself into a standing position. Together, she and Lorcan clean out the cottage (leaving Chadley safely hidden in the bush with her bike) and set fire to it, wrapping Adeline and Thomas together in the remains of a sheet.

The house burns to the ground, and the bodies of its owners with it. The smoke rising from the trees attracts attention, though: a bear emerges from the brush. A very... inconspicuous bear, teeth bared and approach cautious.

By this point, Mairèad has taken over Chadley's duty of shaking, attempting to remain conscious, and generally being unwell. She squints at the bear as Lorcan works to seal the worst of her wounds. "C-claude?" she asks faintly. Lorcan turns immediately his hands glowing defensively.

The bear eyes down the two, sniffing at the blood and fear in the air. With a low, gravelly voice it speaks through its teeth with an obviously Gilnean accent, "You are not Forsaken."