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Lykala's words caught the moment Skadi stuttered those two words. He smiled, briefly, "Tell you what. You pull through this and I'll take you out for a second, 'kay?"
His hand rustled urgently through her belongings, reminded of what he had bought her upon their first meeting. He found it; a small, slightly battered, phial of healing potion. He pulled at the stopper and pressed it to her lips, the liquid dribbling out with a painful motion. He almost emptied it, but saved some for Jason. "Patch yourself up," he ordered, clinical. His heart was pounding achingly in his chest, confusion brimming in his mind. The woman - his saviour - stood idly by, almost casual in her patience. He had no idea who she was, or what she was planning, or even what she had done to him. All he knew was that life had returned to his body, and banished his wounds like they had never existed. For the moment, his focus was on the wounded Dark Elf, but questions would be asked as soon as she was okay.

A few tense seconds after the last of the potion had gone down her throat. The intense pain resurged and Skadi's back arched as the healing began and she took a gasping breath. Her vision turned a bright red as the numbness suddenly went away. She suddenly became accutely aware of every scar she had ever gotten. GHA! It's not supposed to hurt so much! Her body fell to rest back on the ground and she released her grip on the scimitar. The bleeding stopped and the smaller wounds closed a few seconds after that. Her breathing became regular again and her eyes closed as she drifted into unconsciousness. She dreamed of a ball, a peaceful smile graced her unconscious lips.

In the dream, She looked down at her dress. It was very revealing and was colored an almost flourescent white. She stared at her arms, no scars. Her skin was perfect. She picked up a well shined platter and looked at herself in it. She ran a hand over her face, checking what the image showed, no scars there either. She leaped for joy, tossing the platter across the room. "I never dreamed that I had ever done anything to deserve this!" She felt a staying hand on her arm, Gilgamesh's. "Of course you have, my love. You have earned this and so much more." As he leaned in to kiss her she interposed a finger, "Then again, maybe I have." She spoke much deflated. She climbed a column and sat atop it, in order to get away from Gilgamesh and to see who all was in attendence.

Feeling her settle, relief washed over Lykala's body in a second wave of exhaustion. At least she wouldn't be dying any time soon. He hoped. Sitting back on his hands, he beckoned lazily for his saviour to join them, taking a closer look at her features. Her beauty was astonishing - almost haunting, and her eyes carried such a hollow shade of purple that he feared that they might consume him if he stared for too long. She was robed in garments far too exotic to be considered native, and far too revealing to be considered even the slightest bit practical. An air of knowledge, of trustworthiness, despite all her unreedeming appeal, exuded from every pore and bonded with Lykala. Somewhere in his heart, a fragment of this woman had wedged itself tight and chained his existence to the weaves of her spells. He could trust her, that much he knew. "Who are you?" he whispered, a little astonished that such a being could bring someone back from the dead.
"I am Falsai," the woman replied, taking a seat next to the young Syrium, "Your companions are Jason and Skadi, so there is no need for introductions."
"You know them?" he asked, dumfounded. Falsai responded with no gestures, only monotonous words.
"No. You know them, and a part of me resides in you. Therefore, I know them as well."
"R-right..."
"I understand that you have much to discuss, but for the moment I must postpone. There are too many witnesses and too much attention has been drawn to you. The sooner we reach Preuron, the better. Can you stand, Jason?" she asked, though no inflections gave the question away immediately.

Falsai nodded and stood. "Very well. We should move, before more of a crowd gathers."
He looked around; sure enough, a few of the soldiers watched him and the corpse of Lieutenant Faris. Many of the traders passing through the route noticed the gruesome spectacle. Lykala agreed with Falsai; the faster they got to Preuron, the better. What's more, the faster they moved from Prueron, and out of the country, the better; no doubt killing a Lieutenant would not sit well with the Gridamas Military - whoever his General was, especially. "Lykala," Falsai gestured with a smooth hand to Skadi. Lykala sighed, knowing that she wouldn't appreciate being pawed, but resigning to necessity. He looped her arm around his shoulder, placed his arms under her knees and neck, then with a great heave, picked Skadi up. "Jason, could you carry her weapons? Let's start moving."

The arm Lykala had put over his shoulder reflexively hit him once, with the pitiful force of a falling feather, but she maintained the peaceful smile.

In the dream. Everyone there was someone Skadi knew, but not everyone she knew was there. She shrugged and leaped off the pillar, as she did this the world seemed to twist and tumble around her and her feet were no longer pointed at the ground. She didn't have time to adjust, but was caught rather than falling on her back. She looked up, her saviors were Jason and Lykala. The last two people she had actually met before her death. Strange though, why would they be the ones to catch me? Shouldn't it be the man of my dreams or something nasty? "This heaven or hell is very strange." She said to herself. She heard Falsai's voice reply, "This is no resting place for the dead, girl. This is merely a dream, from which you will awake." "So, I'm not dead?" "No." "And this is just a dream?" "Yes." "Oh well, if I'm asleep I might as well enjoy it while it lasts." She ordered a slow song and began to dance.

Lykala paused to adjust his grip on Skadi, to make it slightly more comfortable. "Mountains? Er... No, not that I'm aware of. After Preuron, we head for Mudus Gate and beyond that, Rigulus. Although I doubt our little outburst here will go unnoticed. We may not even make it there without getting the Gridamas military on our tails. It'll be a miracle if we even reach the Cave of Origins."
He sighed, blowing his hair from his eyes. Skadi's dead weight made it impossible to brush it with his hands, so it took a few seconds before he gave up and focussed on walking. "Well, I can't say that travelling with you guys isn't eventful, at the very least. Come on, let's pick up some speed before Faris' regiment reaches Gridamas. We'll have a head start, at least."

Gilgamesh plucked a grape, he tossed the rest of the vine back into the metal bowl. It was a poor attempt at finery. If he didn't know it was the best this young man could afford he'd be insulted. Much as he would have enjoyed the company, Oria lacked a certain level of tact and thus he made her wait in the carriage. "So what you're saying." He began, interrupting the man sitting opposite him at the table. "Is that you can do the same level of work as the most renowned chariot maker in the city and for less gold?" He squished the grape, unimpressed by the man's arguments. "Well, um, yes. As I said, my te-" "It's hardly anything new." He dropped the grape into his wine, it could only improve the flavor. "I can't give you the contract you're asking for. Your operation simply is not large enough, and your technique leave much to be desired. However, you have a certain flair. I can get you a couple of contracts with lesser aristocrats. When you've completed those, create a masterpiece with your earnings and take it to one of my representatives. If your work impresses him, you will begin getting bigger contracts." He raised his glass as did the young craftsman and they drank to the new contract. "I can't thank you enough." "No, you can't."

As Gilgamesh sat down in the carriage and placed a hand over his eyes Oria put an arm across his shoulders and offered him a glass of wine. He waved it away. "No, I have too many other deals to complete before the day is out. To the shepherd's." "Why do you need to go see that lump of a man? You'll have to take a bath to get the stench off." "A small price for such a potentially lucrative endeavor."

"I will explain all once we reach Preuron," said Falsai, with a tone that suggested she would not repeat herself.
"Caves can be stand-alone structures, Jason. Have you ever seen a mine? They're just structures that tunnel into the ground. However, the only mountains nearby that I can think of are the Hervel Mountains. Hervel Pass leads from Zelzagun Fort, but I can't remember to where. We can secure a full map of Lucrellia at Preuron, so let's hurry up. Alright?" Lykala adjusted his arms again, hoping that Skadi would wake up sooner, rather than later. Their pace was dwindling into an agonising snail's pace, and the sun was already beginning a slow descent into the horizon. He was loathe to take the Gurimoa Way at night, especially in their current condition. "How're your ribs? All healed up?"

Lykala glanced around, and conceded. They had made fair progress, all things considered. He walked off the beaten track for some time, to avoid the prying eyes of bandits and guards. Setting Skadi carefully down, head resting against a small stone, he set about making a camp with what little supplies they had. A fire was easy enough, but food would be an issue. "Jason. I'll need you to go get some food, if that's alright. I don't think an empty stomach would be ideal for tonight, so whilst I make some preparations, could you try and find some meat?"
He was already in the process of cutting some of the long grass away, providing smaller kindling for the various sticks and detritus he found. One look at Falsai told him she didn't need things such as food, shelter, or even warmth. She just seemed to exist, in a manner so completely alien to their own.

His eyes returned to Skadi, hoping that she would wake sooner, rather than later.

The dream faded and Skadi's eyes opened a smidgen. It was getting dark and she found herself on the ground and there was a woman with silver hair and an elf nearby. There was an elf man and a young woman with silver hair nearby. The woman didn't appear armed and the elf seemed to have his back to her. She didn't know what their intentions were, but she wasn't going to let them do what they wanted with her. She could feel that she still had a knife in her boot and she didn't feel any bindings, but she knew she had been near death's door and her body might not be fully recovered yet.

Skadi swept her legs beneath the elf's, good they still worked. She pounced on him as soon as his butt hit the ground, drew the knife from her boot, and put it to his throat. Her right arm wouldn't move, but she pinned him just fine with her knees. She looked up at the woman, "Move or make a sound and he dies. Now, who are you and what do you...want? Lykala?" She had looked down at his face to demand answers, and found a face she had not been expecting. He was dead, wasn't he? Any hope she had had of him being alive had disappeared when she realized that someone had given her the healing potion. "What trickery is this?" She said snarling. Skadi tightened her grip on his sides and pressed the tip of the knife to his throat.

Lykala's world span and the next moment he could think clearly, Skadi was up with a blade pressed to his throat. He did his best to keep calm. "Glad to see you're up and kicking so quickly. Could'ja get off me, please?"
"Skadi," said Falsai, easily firm, "You see no trickery, and you know that. Lykala is alive through my bidding, and through his and my agreement. It is that same agreement that allowed him time to save your life. If anything, you owe him your life for all this."
"Hey, Falsai, there's really no need to piss her off," Lykala said, all too aware of the keen edge against his throat, "If you calm down, I'll tell you. Alright?"

Skadi's eyes narrowed and she glared at the woman, she recognized that voice. She tapped her ring and middle fingers on Lykala's neck, considering her words. "Fine." She put the blade away and stood. "Help me with this while you're telling me what happened. Start with the part where you got stabbed through the heart." She started to remove her armor, a task made very difficult by her right arm's refusal to work. The fingers and wrist were working, but that was it.

"Ah. Hey, Jason. Just put it down somewhere and take a seat. I was just about to explain things to Skadi, so you might as well get an ear in on this, too. And give her hammer back, as well."
The fire he had prepared was now flickering vibrantly, licking his dagger as he stoked the kindling. "So, let's see... Faris came along, and killed me. You know that much," Lykala stood up and gently unfastened Skadi's armor, under her direction, "So... things got a little weird after that. I could feel that I was dead, but I knew that I wasn't. Sort of... teetering on the edge. Like when your heart skips a beat, only for a longer time than just one moment. Anyway... Uh... Y'know, I can't really remember much after that," he laughed, almost apologetically, and took a seat on the nearby rock. Falsai wandered over to the group, "What's more, I'm not entirely sure of what exactly you did. Now would be a good a time as any to explain."
Falsai nodded, brushing silver hair from her eyes and leaning forward. "You understand what is meant by 'the soul', correct?"

She shooed Jason when he offered her the hammer. "Keep it for now. Until my arm's working again I'll be just fine with the scimitar." She pulled outward on her top once the chest piece was gone. "Ah, that's much better." She lied on the ground so that Lykala could more easily help her with the armor on her legs. "You mean that part of ourselves that the clerics and preachers are always going on about? The one that's surely to be tormented forever because of all the people I've killed for money and in anger? That soul? What about it?" The armor finally off she hopped to her feet and bounced up and down a couple of times. She pulled off her top and got a fresh one from her bag. I'll need to change my wrappings later, no sense sleeping in my own blood. I'll have to get Lykala to help me with that too. She began fashioning a sling out of her old top, it had a nice large gaping hole in it around the midsection thanks to Faris anyways.