The North Star (Draft)

Chapter 4: Dissonance

"The hag who wears that mask isn't what she seems." Sarah began her story and tried to tell Aliyah all about what she knew. Unfortunately, the noble was not having any of it. She could gather info from the context and the things she had seen. Protesting by putting up a single hand, she silenced Sally, much to her displeasure, and went off on her tangent. "Yes, she's some murderous old lady who loves to go around harvesting us for our brains and raising urchins to terrorize me!" It seemed that she was still caught up in the whole net incident, which honestly was reasonable due to how long and how frantic it was. Compared to being drugged and brought into a dark place with no visible way out, the net seemed far worse than any of what was going on currently. "Actually. That's not what I meant, but I can see how ya misread that." Once again being the voice of ironic consciousness, Sally brought Aliyah down a level or two and regulated her emotions. She picked up the nearby medical tray that held all the equipment the hag was using. It seems a vast majority of it: save for the needles that stuck into both women, a roll of gauze, and a crude scalpel, had been taken away by the masked hag.

"I do hope ya get what I'm trying to say here. Now, please don't flip out or get angry when I say this. That hag is the doctor who takes care of everyone down here." At that, Aliyah didn't move after receiving this shocking news. She had it in her mind that this person was just another psycho, and some part of her still believed that, yet Sally here was telling her otherwise. Maybe the bartender was mistaken. Her hands suddenly reached for the tray, rummaging through everything on it, trying desperately to justify her views. "There's no way she is the doctor here. The old crone wears a mask! A creepy guise, one that doesn't exactly say she's a reasonable person. You- you're insane!" Despite all these accusations, Aliyah was seriously worried that Sally might be right. A doctor, treating patients with makeshift tools and keeping them in the shadiest place in history. She couldn't understand it, and what she didn't understand was something she couldn't stand herself. Things she did not know about, concepts of which she lacked a basic knowledge for, were dangerous waters in her mind. Aliyah didn't want to understand or think more about this place; she just wanted to get the hell out.

"The only one acting like a lunatic is you, twat." Sally stole the tray back and used it to knock the noble over her head. It wasn't as hard as she usually liked to hit people. Knocking out Aliyah again wouldn't be the best option in their limited amount of choices. The bartender had to restrain herself, but doing so would take her entire mental restraint and capacity. "Listen, I figured out this whole bloody mess, and I think you might wanna try thinking about this from a different perspective." The room suddenly filled with light from outside. The undercity and its green aura lit up their clothes with its eerie shade. Because there had been little light inside this place, both Sally and Aliyah shielded their eyes for a moment. Sally was the first to adjust, her scowl turning into a smile as she witnessed the new visitor. Aliyah's vision remained blinded for just a few seconds longer. However, when the images came through, her mouth dropped, the hands on her eyes fell limp against her sides, and she couldn't believe it.

"Ha. I missed you too, little snake. I heard you'd shed your skin and found a new way of life since I last saw you!" The hag returned Sally's hug, both of them looking awkward in this squeeze. It looked like a mother holding their child, especially since Sally was a good bit taller than the shorter than life, mask-wearing, suspicious lady. The clothes on her were tattered and little more than a ragged set of black robes with various stains and a hood on her head. The tools that were missing from the medical tray in Aliyah's hands hung from a makeshift bandolier of twine around the doctor's body. Lots and lots of flasks, scalpels, herbal ingredients, and all sorts of junk seemed to hang heavy from the belts. "Ah, I'm sorry to have caused so much trouble for you old friend. You can probably guess why I appeared after all this time." The little doctor reached up and smacked Sally over the head, causing the woman to wince at the pain. In her old and shrill voice, the hag would scold the bartender for her foolishness. "How many times have I told you not to make me busier! All those people you used to knock out, all those concussions. You think it's alright just to bring back one more? You haven't grown at all little snake. It seems your violence has only gotten worse."