Alairia’s hand remained clasped in the grip of her cool handed friend. Her unblinking eyes ‘scanned’ the valley below. The protective circlet that had covered her eyes was now strapped to her waist belt. Scars that covered the closed eyes and the bridge of her nose was exposed to the world. Ria was not hiding any longer from what had happened to her and Raith while captured. The grief had been eating her mind and soul. Ria squeezed Arti’s hand a little tighter as she reassured herself that they were doing the right thing by being at this new situation on Revaliir. Arit had been ‘called’ by the grief that was being brought on by this new attack. Ria wanted to be there for her as she had been there for the half elf.

Sensitive ears picked up the buzzing of the insects that were roaming in the distance. There seemed to be no pattern to their movement. Ria took in a deep breath, then released it to settle her nerves. There was little knowing why they were there in the first place. For a swarm such as this to descend on Revaliir was not quite out of character. Though, Ria was wondering what had brought this all on. The main concern were those that had been in the Valley of Vada as the swarm made their way there. ”Are there many below?”

Her head turned to Arti in question. Though her interaction with the world was getting more keen, there were still some senses that could not make up for with sight of long distance. She did not have the ability of heightened sense of smell like Raith did even if it had sharpened since the incident. Her voice had quivered slightly out of concern for what was coming…or already there. With Arti at her side, Alairia felt safer. She wanted to do something to help this particular attack on their world. This was her home now. She was building a life with the one she desperately loved. That meant that she was going to do whatever she had to in order to protect it. As much as Raith and her family wanted to protect her….it was time the healer stepped up to help.

The woman was certain that there would be injured with the swarm. Her hands heated up with power that felt a little more unrestrained than it had before.

With Alairia's hand grasped firmly in one hand, Artiya'il opened the Gate with the other, one swift sweeping, circular motion opening a door between Yonuba at the Valley where she had felt the sudden, violent pull, of grief. It had all but drowned the Archangel in it's unexpected intensity; like before when Angela had almost died at Dalanesca's hand, Artiya'il had felt a tidal wave of mourning that called to her, pulling her towards it… though this was not through the whole of Revaliir as it had been before, this was more concentrated than that. 
Her duty to Alairia had been performed and the young woman had insisted on coming with her, Artiya'il had no objections to this, the half-elf was decent enough company, and given the wave of emotions plaguing the Archangel's mind she believed the woman's talents as a healer might, in fact, be of use.

She felt Alairia's hand squeeze her own, and she returned the gesture. Alairia was a strong woman, she was clever and had a big heart, she had almost been consumed by her own grief and now that she was free of it she was still a little unsteady, that would pass quickly enough since Artiya'il had consumed the grief herself, but there was always going to be that niggling doubt, especially since Artiya'il had described what she had felt when she had faltered in the underground jungle. 
"More than I would like," Artiya'il answered, her voice never wavering from her usual apathetic tones. "Remain wary and keep close to me, I can keep the insects at bay but I would not wish for you to stray from my sight, these creatures appear to be the source of the grief, or at least the grief is a result of them." 

Their incessant buzzing irked her in a way that she did not like, there was not much that annoyed the Archangel, and given the nonsense that usually stemmed from her own family she had the patience of, well, a saint. This, however, this constant angry buzzing… something about that drilled it's way into her head and caused an anger within herself that the Archangel did not like one bit. 
The screams of the insects victims cut across the buzzing, and Artiya'il immediately cast Archprotection around herself and Alaira, spreading her wings to shield the elven woman as if she expected the insects to attack them as well. "We must tread carefully, I do not know what these things are but they are the source of this affliction, of that I am certain…"

A light smile perked on her lips at the feel of reassuring pressure on her hand from Artiya’il. Alairia couldn’t explain the lightness that had taken over in her chest. Previously it was a black hole that sucked every bit of emotion that attempted to build up. She had been swirling in that darkness for longer than she had thought. Truthfully, she hadn’t fully admitted that it was there. Instead, she had pushed it deep down to the point of an attempt to ignore that it even existed. The fact of it was that she had let it fester and take over everything inside of her. Darkness that her family tried to shield her from had taken a deeper hold than any of them could have imagined.

Arti had, in a way, kidnapped the depressed young elf. Disbelief that someone had honed in to her grief to the point of wanting to help her had taken a moment. Even so, Ria had fallen into Arti’s arms to crumble finally to what had been plaguing her all along. It furthered the guilt that she had not told Raith or her family of the terror that had rooted deeply in her heart. The weight was now lifted in order for her to feel better than she had in a long time.

There was a great love that she now had for Arti as a deep friendship felt as if it had blossomed. The healer was shy to admit it, but was going to enjoy the time she had with the angel while she could. Extra time they were going to spend together that day was not looking good though. Brows knit together as her ‘sight’ focused on valley below. She worried about all those people that would be in trouble.

The typical apathetic tone made Ria smile. Even with the tone, Arti went in protective mode when it came to taking care of Ria. ”We need to get down there and check on the people. I have a feeling that they are going to be injuries. If these insects are creating grief….my concern is that they are creating other issues.”

The pair walked down further to where voices were carrying from. Listening to the sounds, and feeling the change in the air. Everything felt incredibly wrong. ”Am I sensing this right? Are there four people a little ways away?” She pointed at where she was sure there were a group of people that were hallucinating in complete fear. Something smelled off besides the fear. Something sickly.

This land was filled with grief of a kind Artiya'il had not felt in so very long… the Archangel was not moved by much, as a neutral party she had spent most of her years apathetic to the world around her, but this? Even this caused her heart to twinge in a painful manner at the sight that lay before her, and at the overwhelming amount of sorrow the Valley was filled with. And not all of it came from the infected… scowling ever so slightly, Artiya'il realised that an amount of the grief seemed to come from the very insects themselves. Part of her regretted bringing Alairia with her, she did not like the idea of putting her new friend in unnecessary danger… though a small smirk flickered to the woman's face as the presence of Alairia's lover shifted from Mamlak to Vada. So, the little creature had been Raith's had it? Well met then, if they got into any significant danger that she could not deal with, then the little Dragon would no doubt seek out his Master.

"Agreed. They will need your talents more than my own for the moment; if we cannot heal them then I will not be able to remove their grief. Well I can, but from what I can feel from them it would only return immediately… there is a madness here that my abilities will not stretch to," in fact she highly doubted that any of her family had the necessary abilities to stifle the insanity she could feel etched into the mourning. There was something unnatural behind it, and she did not mean the insects themselves, whatever the cause of the grief it was not just the death's but something else, as though those suffering it were blinded by a madness, a hysteria that Artiya'il did not fully understand. "I fear the insects have inflicted a madness on this Valley, if we can heal these people we best get to it quickly. I'm afraid I'm, not much of a fighter, I can fight but I'm not like my siblings, I was not designed for combat."

Artiya'il followed Ria's hand, her eyes seeking out the four Ria had specified - given how the entire Valley was full of grief she could not pinpoint anyone based specifically on that alone. "Yes, but keep close… something about them is not right." 

Small inhale. Small exhale. Every steadying breath was meant in effort to bring a calm and quiet mind. A simplicity that was not true as the chaos and grief that filled the Valley of Vada. Alairia could have wept for those consumed in despair. Fear saturated every bit of their beings. She had not the skill to heal their minds the same way that Arti did, though she desperately wished for it. The infliction of these desperations was that from the smallest of stings from a particular insect. A host descended on the land though few were understanding as to why. Alairia bit her lower lip lightly as in that moment she more dreadfully wished for Raith to be at her side. She knew that if he was in the Valley that he would be working in effort to deal with the situation as well. The adopted elf was safe with the archangel.

”If this is indeed as a grief of the insects, I will need you to keep them in control while I attempt to heal. I have no idea if my healing will be of any help.” She bit slightly more upon her lip. What if no help could be given on her part? Alairia began to feel doubt in her skills, but was able to wash them away with her now solidified mental fortitude. Another sharp inhale was made. It was time to take action. These were times she could potentially help unlike before. The healer would not run away or hide behind others.

The four identified below left Ria to clench her jaw a little tighter. Together they moved down to the first group of people that seemed off. The closest had the scent of a male dealing with a fever beyond a temperature she could imagine. Alairia moved quickly to his side while he sat in a heap on the grass. It seemed as if he were trying with all effort to stay up. The other three were already laying on the ground as delirium set in due to high fevers. Lips pursed together as she knelt before the first man. She rested her hand on his forehead, though it took much effort to keep from recoiling at the sheer heat.

Soft words began to be muttered under her breath. A shallow light radiated from her hand until it sunk into the man’s cranium. Alairia felt a drain of her own person as the patient seemed to perk up. ”I need you to help me with the others,” she said over her shoulder towards Arti. ”Sir, I need you to get some water. You are severely dehydrated. The others will be as well. Fetch the water and bring it back for all to share. I have given you strength.” Her words were softer now as she had started to work on the next one. Healing powers was used over and over again upon those inflected with stings. She glanced over her shoulder, though it was not necessary, to look at Arti. ”There are none of those insects coming are there?” A tinge of fear was hinted in her voice though she did her best to hide it.

"I will do what I can, I have some skills available to me, and given they seem to exist within my domain, I might have more advantage of them than others might," Artiya'il responded, though she was not going to act over confident, she had yet to work out whether or not her domain reached so far as these insects, while Grief was hers to command, she was not in her homeworld, and the laws here were infinitely different. She could only hope that some semblance of her natural power remained, and that she could command these insects, or at least steer them away, while Alairia worked. The Archangel squeezed Alairia's arm, guiding her carefully through the Valley to those in need of their help, her storm coloured eyes constantly searching, watching for the movement of the insects - one false move on their part could cost them their lives, though Artiya'il would be ready. 

The Archangel nodded as Alairia informed her she needed help, that was what she would do, as best she could. "We are safe, have no fear, I will not let them close," she replied, putting a hand on Ria's shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. A swarm was close by, and Artiya'il felt the fluttering of their wings upon the air. Bending down, she placed a hand upon the floor, her eyes turned black as she called upon the Grief within herself, drawing it out and manifesting it into silhouettes of those that had gone before, those whose Grief she had removed. Four, wailing beings of black shimmered and slithered into being. "Go, keep them at bay, devour them and bring them into our fold," the Archangel commanded, her eyes still black as she stood up and watched her manifestations swaying before her. 
"I'll lend you my strength Alairia, my creations will keep the insects away from us while you work, tell me what you need me to do?"