Uzbecka

The first thing Uzbecka saw when she reached the dreamguide's cabin was the captain, stretched out on the floor, unconscious, apparently not bleeding. The second thing she saw was the dreamguide, also unconscious on the floor. Her eyes darted around the cabin. The dreamguide's attendant. Where was the dreamguide's attendant?

She ducked as the attendant swung a fist at her, growling harshly. The burly attendant was enveloped in a rose-coloured light, as if she were emitting steam after unexpected rain on a sunny day. Or something.

Uzbecka knew something was wrong when she saw the rose-coloured miasma swirling around the attendant's eyes. She had heard stories of how a miasma like this could corrupt and control people, turning them into mindless puppets. She had to act fast, before the attendant could harm herself, the captain, the dreamguide, or anyone else.

She grabbed a glass of water from the table and threw it at the attendant, hoping to wash away the pink aura. The attendant, Liara, perhaps, dodged the water and lunged at Uzbecka, her fists clenched.

"Snap out of it, Liara!" Uzbecka shouted, as she ducked under a punch and kicked Liara in the stomach. "You're not yourself!"

Something was bothering Uzbecka about this whole situation. Ariette had come down to check on the dreamguide, and very likely had an explanation for the attendant's malicious behavior. The captain and the dreamguide both needed quick attention. But that was not the reason for Uzbecka's concern. 

Liara grunted and swung her arm, hitting Uzbecka in the face. Uzbecka stumbled back, feeling blood trickle from her nose. With a finger, she swiped the droplet from her nose. Then she whispered a word, and the droplet of blood evaporated, forming a glowing haze around her.

Was that what she was trying to recall? Was the aura around the dreamguide's attendant related to some sort of blood magic? Of course, Uzbecka's own magic was elemental. She was merely utilizing the moisture in the droplet of blood to form a shield. There was no way she could control another person with a spell like this, and the burly attendant Liara was definitely not in control of her actions. Just the other night they had been drinking and arm-wrestling together.

Liara slammed into the shield, but bounced off. She growled and tried again, pounding the shield with her fists. Uzbecka felt the shield weaken with each blow. She had to end this quickly, before Lara broke through. Liara had handily beat her when they had arm-wrestled, and was now forcibly backing her around the starboard wall of the cabin, away from the unconscious captain, sprawled on the other side of the dreamguide's bed.

She focused on the air around Liara, trying to lower its temperature. She felt a slight chill, but not enough to affect Liara. She cursed under her breath. Her elemental control was limited, and she was not used to fighting in such a confined space. She needed more room, more air, more water. 

She looked around the cabin, searching for an escape. The small portholes were open, but tiny. The door was blocked by Liara. She saw a lamp and a bowl of water, but they had both been broken when they fell from the dreamguide's bedside table, presumably when Liara had knocked out the captain, if that is how events had proceeded. Uzbecka could see very little on the other side of the small cabin room. Ariette must have entered the room, seen the unconscious dreamguide, and then the attendant had attacked her from behind as the captain had called for medical attention.

Liara threw another massive punch at Uzbecka, and then another. She was running out of options, and she needed to end this now. She dispersed the shield, hiding her actions as she stepped back towards the bed, collecting the water from the spilled bowl around her hand, and sending a swirling liquid sphere straight at the attendant's eyes.

The blow knocked Liara back against the cabin door, and she slumped down, unmoving. Avoiding the broken shards of pottery on the starboard side of the cabin floor, Uzbecka vaulted past the bunk to rush to the captain's side.

"Shit!"

During all the excitement, Uzbecka had neglected to recall the protocol that, due to her importance to ship's navigation, the dreamguide should always have two attendants. She hadn't noticed the second, much smaller attendant on the other side of the bed,  blankets frwho now rose like a wraith from the pile of blankets beside the bed.