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She was dead, she knew that.
It was a part of the Path, therefore she would not mourn her death. Her body would return to the earth, and her soul would be with the Blighted one.
Gwynna knew that this was how it was supposed to be, how it should be. Yet here she stood, in front of... something. A large, black construct shrouded in mist. Having heard about trains Gwynna knew that things like this existed, but she was unable to explain why it had stopped in front of her. She was dead.
As a door that was conveniently directly in front of her swung open, it was like all the information came flooding into her brain. Gwynna was to get on the train and it would bring her soul to Gorthos, simple. It was just another step, if an unexpected one, on her path. So she took it.
One hoof after the other she stepped onto the train and even with no one guiding her she made her way to a cart, entered and sat down.
The cart was too plush for her comfort and too big as she sat alone, the chugging of the train through the mist, which she noticed now obscured any view of the outside world, being the only sound.
Up until now Gwynna had very carefully not thought about Farryn. Now she had nothing to stop her thoughts from wandering because, in truth, she had no idea what Gorthos would do with her soul when it got it. She didn't know if she would ever be able to talk to or even see Farryn again. She had to get off the train soon.
But what if she didn't?
Couldn't she just wait on the train a bit longer? Wait for Farryn to get here so they could talk one last time?
As Gwynnas thoughts started to run wild she didn't notice that the train had stopped. What she did notice was the door to her cart opening. The Person standing at the door had the features of a frog, a bullywug, she had heard of them before. "This is your last chance to get off in a while, it awaits you." The bullywug spoke, but he didn't seem mad at her for not leaving. Gwynna had made her choice by now, Gorthos would have to wait a bit longer to get her soul. "I think I'll stay a bit longer if ya' don't mind."
He stayed silent for a bit, then the bullywugs expression shifted to a smile. "Do chat a bit with the other passengers, they don't got a lot to talk to." With that he left and shortly after his departure the train Set back into motion.
Gwynna felt sick, she had disobeyed. She had taken a step away from the path, disregarding what she was taught all her life. But she had done it before, hadn't she? And deep down she knew, she would do it again, for Farryn she would do it again. For Farryn she would wait, however long it will take.
And wait she did.
She waited years on the train, never leaving her cart. Sometimes people would join her and as the bullywug requested she would talk with them. Some of them stayed longer, some only for a short time, but at one point every single one of them left the train before her.
One day, if she could even say that (she had not felt exhaustion ever since she died so telling the time was hard), she noticed the train slow again. At the moment she was alone in her cart so she was simply looking out the windows at the ever-present mist. The mist thinned and the train slowed to a stop she heard someone walking past her cart. As she turned around she managed to get a glimpse of the bullywug, the Vagrant as some had called him. Maybe someone else didn't want to leave the train.
Then, a short time later, he walked past again, this time followed by a strange entity. The Vagrant and the other being, a scarecrow she believed, were talking as they walked past, she could hear their muffled voices through the closed door. As the train set into motion once more she didn't think about it again until it stopped once more.
This time as the Vagrant walked past he came back followed by someone in armor, a knight. Usually, the Vagrant didn't escort people on the train, weird that it happened twice now. The next time the train slowed she sat closer to the door, in the hope of seeing where the bullywug lead these people. He walked past again and came back a bit later, followed by a feminine figure in dark clothes.
Gwynna pressed herself closer to the window, from which she could see the corridor and the carts on the other side. The Vagrant stopped and opened a cart on the other side of the hallway, one further up from hers. As she tried to read the plaque of that cart she noticed that, contrary to all the other carts, that one wasn't given a number. On the plaque of that cart there were words, one or two, but she couldn't make them out from where she sat.
The train stopped once more and the bullywug walked past. He came back again, followed by a crocfolk. She was used to rot and decay, but seeing a being that was rotting walk around surprised her. As the ones before they stopped at the cart that wasn't given a number and the decaying crocfolk entered. Once more the train started and a while later it slowed again.
This time as the Vagrant walked past he looked at her, his expression a knowing one. He came back and Gwynna froze.
Walking behind the bullywug was Farryn. She was a bit older, more worn but still as beautiful as the last time she'd seen her. Her voice was muffled and she couldn't understand a word that was spoken, yet as she heard it almost brought tears to her eyes. Farryn walked gracefully past her cart and didn't seem to notice her. Gwynna looked after her as she stepped onto the cart without a number. The Vagrant closed the door behind Farryn and left further up the corridor.
It took a while for Gwynna to collect herself. Farryn was here, on the train, only a few carts away from here. However, somehow she knew that Farryn, contrary to herself, wasn't dead. Why she was on the train Gwynna didn't know, maybe Gorthos or the elders had ordered her to. Farryn probably had a good reason to be here.
Maybe she could talk to her again, now that they were both on the train. She'd be able to properly wish Farryn goodbye, embrace her one last time.
As the train rocked hard she was abruptly ripped out of her wishful thinking. She had to dig her hands into the cushioning beneath her just so that she wouldn't fall. The train didn't stop shaking it just got worse and worse, the fiddle playing from somewhere didn't seem to help.
Crash
As she looked around she saw the window in the cart across the corridor from her, cart 6, was broken. The passengers, she couldn't quite see who, suddenly being attacked by the mists coming in from the outside. There was screaming as the passengers were consumed by the mists one by one, attempts to save themselves failing as they were all turned into misty creatures.
Once all the passengers of cart 6 were transformed and as the mists turned towards the door of the cart they saw her. Gwynna backed away, hoping they wouldn't make it through the door. She knew how to fight, but had the abilities gifted to her by the Blighted one stayed as she died?
Suddenly there were footsteps. All the people she had seen the Vagrant leading up the corridor, Farryn included, came into view. They had their backs turned towards her, not noticing how she stared at them.
The fight began but Gwynna barely took note of the other strangers. The screaming and wailing of the consumed souls within the mists overpowered almost every other sound. She held her breath as Farryn charged forward to attack the misty creature and she made a choked noise as Farry fell to the ground.
She didn't hear the screaming any longer, the blood rushing through her ears suddenly having become louder than anything. Gwyna couldn't do anything as the creature began to pull Farryns soul into itself. Not once in her time alive and dead had Gwynna felt so helpless.
Then Farryn got back up, black shimmering magic pushing the life back into her as relief flooded through Gwynna.
The fight went on, several of Farryns companions going down. It didn't look good for them, silently Gwynna cheered for them all, they had helped Farryn, so they couldn't be that bad.
It ended as quickly as it had begun. The misty creatures shattered one after the other.
Gwynna didn't give her surroundings a second glance as the train was charging through the Valley. Farryn and her friends were alright.
The train came to a stop as the familiar bullywug stepped into cart 6. They talked for a moment, then he left and the group followed. Gwynna watched them leave and as she looked outside she could see them standing in a clearing in the trees, almost with arms reach from where she sat.
Maybe it was just her mind playing tricks on her, but as the train picked up speed her eyes met Farryns.
It was short, she wasn't sure if it happened at all, but it filled her with happiness non the less.
The door to her cart opened as the train was once again swallowed by the mist. "Next stop's yours. It's waiting for you.", the Vagrant closed the door again and left.
The next time the train stopped Gwynna didn't protest as she stood up and left.
She had seen Farryn again and that was all that she had ever wished for.
---
On a train station surrounded by a dark forest, Farryn stepped out of the train of death, surrounded by her new friends. She was exhausted but as she looked back to the train which was slowly picking up speed for a moment she saw a face in one of the windows.
Pitch-black, loving eyes not unlike her own looked at her from inside the train. It took Farryns breath away as she could do nothing but stare. Farryn didn't know if it was her mind playing tricks on her as she turned back to the rest of the group.
She had seen Gwynna again and that was all she could have ever hoped for.