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Post by Jashin on Feb 11, 2015 5:34:18 GMT
4/2/2007
The darkly clad man briskly entered the room, glancing with only half an interest in those around him. He was sore. Three days without sleep in his own bed, and barely able to keep his composure. Walking up to a barstool, he throws his broadsword to the ground. As he brings himself to his table, he begins to reflect upon his last adventure, while ordering a drink.
She had been sitting in the corner, he dark cowl hiding the sea blue-silver eyes from those who glanced to her. She sipped her drink and was about to go when the man entered. Rising she strode to him and bent down towards his sword speaking calm and soft. "Seems you have had a bad day, my friend, or this sword means nothing to you. In which case, perhaps I shall claim it."
He glanced over at the shrouded figure, then down at the blade and shrugged, irritated that his drink had not yet arrived. “It's for show... do as you wish.”
She picked up the blade and set it on the bar between them as she took a seat. She snapped once and the tender behind the bar swiftly brought two ales, one was set before the stranger. "You realize coming to this town and tossing a weapon down is invitation for conflict?" She sighed, took a long draw of the ale and set the half full mug down. "But if it's 'for show' then it matters not..." she turned to him and pressed her cowl back revealing long ebony hair streaked in thin lines of brightest silver, "... does it..." She brushed the sword off the bar and turned to go before it was half way to the floor.
He smirked as he drank the ale in a single gulp. “Conflict... the conflict here isn't worth my time. That blade... its only purpose is to keep attention away from my real weapons. You can keep your conflicts.” He raised his hand in signal for another ale.
She didn't face him again as she pulled the cowl over her hair once more, but spoke so he would hear. "Such as the blade in your hand beneath your cloak, pointed at my ribs since I rose from my back seat?" She laughed and headed for the door and whispered softly to his mind, though unsure if he would hear. *There are those who seek you... have a care, dear Dark Warrior.*
He stood abruptly and hurled himself towards the door, slamming her up against doorway, his hands still covered, and no blades to be seen. He raised a single hand and with his teeth removed a glove. His hand was covered in black marks and symbols. As he focused on his hands the characters formed and extended into a cesta made entirely of shadow.
LieAnia Kristi: She gasped almost crying out but once pinned stared at him with eyes the color of the sea after a storm and whispered unsmiling, "This for show as well?"
“You don’t have a clue how Dark I am, lady” he dispelled the blade and stormed away back to his drink
She grabbed for his arm boldly as he turned. “And what if I were to ask you just HOW dark you were?"
He reached the bar, as she grabbed him, and slammed a second drink. He turned as his eyes flashed a deep darkness, and the skin surrounding his eyed continued to grow black. The sides of his cape opened to show blackened wings thrusting from his shoulders. “This... this is NOT for show. I'm here for a drink, than to go. I know the evil that stalks this place, and NO, He and I are NOT made of the same darkness. This is not my fight. And you... I see the seas in your eyes...” he jerked his shoulder blade and released his arm from her icy grasp, “and they don't frighten me.”
"I know better than to frighten another warrior. There is no point and it is a wasted effort. What you see my eyes is me and nothing more." She turned to go and shrugged tossing a few coins towards the barkeep. "And if it has nothing to do with me, then perhaps you desire nothing as well." She opened the door, replaced her cowl and reached to close it behind her.
The barkeep caught two coins and bent to retrieve the third that had overshot the bar. Setting another mug before the man he smiled and winked. "You should feel lucky. One year to the day now she comes in here. Every night it is two ale and then she leaves. First time I ever seen her speak." He laughed and headed for the other side of the bar to help another patron.
The stranger’s eyes flashed with fire and his wings retracted, seemingly by burning into embers. The audience he had attracted shrieked as his wings burned away into nothingness. “She's a damn fool... fighting for nothing.”
The man sitting two stools down looked at him. "You think her a fool? Perhaps you never heard of the Black Widow. She never speaks without reason. And the fact you are male and did not lose blood..." he whistled impressed. "Seems she has a reason, my friend."
He slammed back another ale and set a small bag of silver on the table* keep it comin... the drinks and the story old man
The bartender saw to another customer then brought the stranger another drink. "Her name is Din'Cara... she is a Black Widow among men, so they say. No man she does not wish has ever had his taste of her. And those who have, never lived to speak of it." He nodded to a couple patrons walking out. "You are the first male I ever seen her speak to in over a year, and not try and draw blood from."
Feeling the initial buzz starting to wash over him, he amused himself with the idea of going and tasting her, than returning to slamming his ales like the other patrons slammed shots.
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Post by Jashin on Feb 11, 2015 5:34:30 GMT
The bartender wiped the highly polished wood and smiled. "Easy, friend. I would wager you don't desire to wake on the floors of The Broken Blade in the morning."
He looked up at the bartender and smiled. “You don't have enough here to make that happen.” He grinned as he downed another.
"It's not the quantity, my dear man, it's the quality. And as my ale has a touch of the fey in it," he winked, "then every glass will feel like four." He laughed and excused himself to see to a small skirmish across the room.
Helping himself to a few more while he wasn't looking and decided to play.
The tender came back oblivious to the acquired serving and leaned on the bar again. “So you come to town, stir up our little minx and then ignore her. You are either on a mission, dear man, or a eunuch." He laughed. "Half a dozen men here would love to be with such a tart and survive and yet you walk away. Care to answer why?"
He turned and smiled at the door and he re-grew his wings and bolted out the door. “I found someone worth hunting!” He dropped down and went entirely feral. The hunt had begun. He had her scent from earlier. He would find out why everyone feared this woman and he would enjoy every minute of it.
The bartender hollered to him to be careful as laughter filled the tavern. "Remember man, she is no tame kitten." The tender shook his head and went about his duties. The sudden shift in the warrior had indeed startled him, but a tavern on the outskirts of Chaos was a place where many things happened. If you looked too closely, you became food for the beasts.
She was better than a mile away now and turned down a marked trail towards her home. There wasn't much to it, but it kept her dry and warm and stored her weapons.
He extended the scales from under his skin and shredded his gloves, exposing the shadow spells he had embedded into his arms. Two… he would need two blades for her... he extended to full on shadow blades, ready and able.
He tore down the simple streets, following every bit of the scent she had left behind. His wings made him nearly glide he was running so fast.
She felt him coming as he departed the bar. A soft smile touched her lips as she reached up and merely slipped her hair into a single handed Hunter's Knot. She picked her pace up slightly, but made no other obvious moves.
“She's gonna answer a few questions if I have my way.” Running and running until he ran past where it turned and he could see her. TO FAST! He curved his shadow blade and used it to hook it around the tree and slow to a stop completely.
She kept walking. Her back was to him and her step never faltered as she seemed oblivious to his actions behind her.
“Why does everyone here fear you? What is it here that is so terrible?” He walked towards her. “The wraithen beasts that attack unprovoked... those are the stories. But there's more... you know it.”
She didn't look back but she pressed her cowl back so it would not muffle her words. "The beasts are sent to those deserving of such punishments that even man is not worthy of delving out." She once more picked up her pace and headed for her home. "As to why men fear me... I cannot say."
His eyes flashed with fire again, but this time to ignite the shadows. The forest, the house, and everything that cast a shadow seemed to burst into a terrible blue flame. “Since you intend on being cryptic, I’ll just get to the point.” he cautiously stepped closer as he spoke, ready for anything.
She paused several paces from her door and watched the blue lights dance across everything around them. A soft sigh fell from her lips. She missed such a play of power. Too long... it had been too long. She stood her ground, unmoving as he approached.
“You did it. I can sense it now. You blocked me before and you tried now, but what your bartender forgot is that the blood of the fey increases the psychic capabilities of a seer.” He stopped inches behind her to tear of a small piece of skin on his forehead to reveal a third eye, closed. Upon the lid was the glyph for death, the glyph assigned to the death dealers of the Highlix Clan, a long since dead clan, wiped out for their abilities to fuse spells to their bodies, turning themselves into weapons. “Why did you Dreamscape me? What reason would you have for bringing more evil here?”
"And what is it I have done? Sent the Wraith Beasts? Yes, I did. Those that were killed had done crimes no man could judge, and no court of mortality could punish; crimes of magic and twisted vengeance beyond the scope that mere death would cleanse them." She felt him behind her and her voice dropped softly. She did not turn for fear such and action would provoke him. "You say I bring more evil here? Do you consider yourself evil? As to the Dreamscaping..." Now she did turn slowly to look at him. "Are you sure you did not seek me? Perhaps seeking answers?" She looked at him and her eyes would shift, from the stormy silver blue of earlier to a more sapphire blue such as he would have seen in his dreams.
The soulless blackened eyes flashed a brilliant green, solid and clean. As his third eye opened, all three shifted to a deep crimson. The flames vanished and he swallowed her into his mind. Inside this illusion stood a beast beyond names. It was the creature summoned to wipe out his clan. No magicks bore any affect, and steel proved equally useless. A being crafted of all the elements and equally immune to those as well. Its only purpose was to hunt those who bore the glyph.
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Post by Jashin on Feb 11, 2015 5:34:39 GMT
His voice was twisted by the layers of the illusion, darkened and sick. * YOU KNOW WHAT HUNTS ME! IT WILL SEE THIS PITIFUL VILLAGE DEAD JUST O TAKE A STAB AT ME! Do you believe your actions go without consequence just because you judge others! I was brought here by the dreams, by the FALSE hope that you could help. And instead you have condemned this place!*
She gasped as she felt herself drawn into the illusion and her voice wavered as she looked at what was before her. "The Wraith Beasts... they can help you..." She looked up as if to seek the voice of him. "I CAN HELP!"
The third eye closed and the illusion broken, he turned.
In a shimmer she managed to change the shadows and pull them into her own mind, one of blank calm blackness. Her own voice filled 'his' head now. *Do you not see... we were drawn to one another.* She let the darkness slide and looked at his retreating back as she went to her knees catching her breath from the shock
The skin began to heal over his eye as he walked away. “What chance do you have against that thing; you aren’t even a challenge for me?”
The trees before him slowly began to close in and the blue flames that licked the landscape receded to bring a darkness as deep as the voice behind him. "And who is to say I am not...." She unbuckled her cloak and rose to her feet smiling. Her skin glowing as silver as her hair as she held a hand towards him... the soft skin over his eye receding as if on its own to gaze this time up at him.
“Lady, you don't seem to realize my problem.” He turned again, blades drawn and burning, his wings now a red hot blaze that burned the very air around it. “I welcome death. My clan sealed to me devices than make death near impossible. But if you insist, let's play.” The shadow blades ignited into a blue flame and melted into puddles. With a flick of his wrists the puddles snapped into whips. Each one special, one bearing a blue flame and one a red.
Without waiting for a reaction he started a volley of attacks. Each one she dodge brought him closer to striking, for each crack of the whip left an exploding charm behind.
She backed up a pace or two and smiled, her hands loose at her sides, not yet reaching for the blade at her back. "You come here seeking help..." She back flipped out of his way then rolled to the side dodging his marks once more. "yet now you strike at me..." she came up between his line of strikes and stood her ground. “Kill me and you will never know if I can help." Her final words punctuated by her eyes glazing over to a deeper blue almost to grey.
He flicked his wrists again and each whip split in two, with another attack, he struck his now not moving target gently, but precisely, wrapping around each of her limbs. His eyes glazed over as the shadows solidified and lifted her into the air and brought her to him. Ahs she stopped he sat and pulled out a flask and took a swig. “What did you have in mind?”
She hung in limbo above him a moment looking from one wrist to the other. The bindings were that of dark magic. And where there was darkness, there were shadows. She looked down. "Interesting. Though simply asking for a cup of tea would have been more civilized." She let her own glow of silver diminish till she as once more the color of her flesh. Then smiled and let the skin darken to blackness. As her wrists became black she hoped the bindings, unsure if they held substance or shadow, would allow her to slip thru them to land at a crouch on her feet before him.
He smiled at her attempt and released her, not ready to reveal the secret to his blades.
She fell to the ground and smiled. "I thought perhaps between your darkness and my beasts, we may find a way to stop this horror you say is biting your heels. But I want to know first..." she rose to look down at him, "do you plan on 'testing' me further, or would you like to come in?" She turned and without another word, headed for her door.
“So if I come in, I’m not allowed to test you?” He asked.
She merely laughed, leaving the door open and disappeared inside. Once she was out of his sight, the woods around him returned to normal and the darkness receded.
He stood and started for the door, but stopped to observe the moon. It was nearly full, which meant he had very little time left. Continuing inside, he made himself right at home and slumped onto the floor to nurse his flask.
She had retrieved her cloak somehow and was setting it on a hook near the fire. Moving to set a kettle on the coals she then sat down on the edge of a nearby chair and looked at him. "Why are they hunting you? What great horrible deed have you done to warrant such a hunt?"
“Just one…not ‘they’ and I was born to this curse. I am... or was I should say, a Highlix clan Death Dealer.”
"And now that they can no longer control you," she smiled and moved to sit on the floor in front of him, mirroring his posture, "they wish you dealt with?"
“The clan is destroyed, obliterated by this beast.” He spoke softly. “I am the sole survivor to my knowledge.”
“And who is sending the beast?"
He looked up, “The originator of this summon is unknown. His soul is encapsulated in the beast... his life was given to slaughter us. This hate from old times... had once been sealed by a member of the Myrniri family... Myrniri have hated us for centuries... calling us "unholy" because of our clan magicks.”
She rose as if tugged up from the back of her shirt and went to a box over the mantle. Drawing it down as she listened she placed it upon the table. Opening it she withdrew a black velvet bag that jingled with the sound of small stones. “So one of the Myrniri has sacrificed itself in order to become this creature to hunt down those of you still alive?" She poured the stones out on the table. "Do you wish to see the name of who hunts you? Perhaps in knowing that we may find a weakness."
He unsheathed the blade he had at her ribs earlier and slashed both of his wrists. “Release!” As he uttered the words the shadow spell oozed out of him like blood and formed together into a single shadow imp, who immediately curled up and went to sleep in his arms. “Palm stones won't tell you. I just need more fey.” He pulled out a slightly larger flask and drank it in a shot.
She had the stones in her hand as she heard the snik snak of blades and saw the imp appear. Moving to kneel beside him she reached for the flask smiling softly. "Come sit at the table. Your companion may be happier by the fire."
The slightly larger flask fell to the floor and he lost consciousness. His third eye opened to glow a light gold and began to watch over him. The shadow imp took her offer in a different fashion and went to sleep IN the fire.
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Post by Jashin on Feb 11, 2015 5:34:45 GMT
4/4/2007
Daerous woke to the sound of a bird outside, He was starving. Ravenously he drew himself out of the corner in which he had collapsed and began to search for his steak, There was so much to be done. Time grew ever shorter, and there was still no guarantee on keeping BOTH of them safe. Why keep her safe? IF she has it in her to take this beast down, than she posed a threat. Why not use her for her talents and let her be destroyed? The thoughts of this maddened him as he drew across the pile of steaks. He snatched one up and burned it from the inside out as he ate it. The meat slid half cooked down his throat and mad him feel alive again. Today was going to be a good day.
Dina was sleeping on a bedroll in front of the fire as he woke. Her mind knew there was another as powerful, if not more so, than her, so his movements didn't do more to her than illicit a soft sigh as she rolled back over.
He noticed her stirring and walked out of the cottage and back to his sphere. It was time to see the real damage, and to release the seals. Time has changed because of her spells. Let’s hope it didn’t affect the coin.
Daerous entered the charred sphere where the monolith lay broken and lifeless. The energy was still there... he could have held the sphere intact while inside.
The door opening and closing woke her and she rose to find him gone. She straightened the place up and made a sandwich before grabbing her sword and heading outside to find him.
Dina stood on the outside of the circle of damage and watched him as she leaned on the tree closest to her and brushed the hair from her face in the morning breeze.
Daerous removed his breastplate and over shirt to reveal a glowing red glyph on his back. It was time to see what exactly she could do, as he noticed she was behind him. “This time it's for real...”
"What is for real?" She rose and walked towards him frowning. "What do you mean Daerous? It's three nights still till the moon you said."
The glyph erupted from his back in the form of a dragon and consumed him. His skin burned and his wings flaked away. The dragon was constructed entirely of psychic energy. Daerous approached the sphere and the dragon spasmed to both halves and lifted them into the air. Simultaneously all four elements erupted from his body and struck the halves; enclosing himself back into the orb. The dragon flashed out and in a second the orb was resurrected to its former self. The same sparking, charring, freezing, and grinding as before: only now with the added force of this psychic dragon.
She gasped and stepped back watching the dragon rise. She strapped the sword on her back and stood near the circle of destruction's edge, just inside of it. Pressing her palms towards the orb she began.
Daerous sat inside the orb wondering if she could get in.
"Time...." She focused all her energy forward and watched as slowly the affects surrounding the orb began to slow.
Daerous could immediately feel everything slow down, and started forcing all of his psychic dragon outside the sphere.
"LIFE!" And her hands faced the earth as vines and branches rose from the ground and split to encompass the orb. Each tip finding seams and crevasses to sink into and expand, hoping to crack it. The sap and water within the living things seeped in, only to be frozen by its own elemental powers, to expand and make the cracks bigger.
"SPACE!" Her hands rose upwards to the sky and once more the vortex black hole began to open just over the top of the monolith.
Just as it was complete she let the final word fall. "DIE!"
Dina stepped out of the circle of damage as her hands dropped at the last second. She let the force of the elemental attack wash over her as she crouched, ready this time for the wave.
Daerous felt the pressure and the pain and the immense pressure. The barriers had to hold... otherwise he would be dead.
She bit her lip as darkness enveloped the damage area and she whispered to him in hope. "MOVE... Meld out... NOW!" She stood on shaking legs and waited to see if he would survive.
As the darkness began to fall, like water flowing out of a broken vase, she stepped into the circle and waited to see if she would be hit again with a backlash.
"Plleeaseee.... Daerous.... give me a sign..." She didn't want him dead. Not because of her...
Daerous struck out intensely. He was quite alive and entirely unscathed. The spears of ice and lightning shot out and the orb began to spin on a lopsided axis. There was no real trajectory and it was hurling toward Dina.
Din’Cara screamed throwing her hands up and turned ducking into a ball.
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Post by Jashin on Feb 11, 2015 5:34:57 GMT
The psychic energy Daerous was pushing out was warping the space around him, there was no way to tell how or when he was gonna attack.
She didn't feel anything for a moment and took a chance. Without looking back she stood up and began to run towards the edge of the circle of damage.
Daerous flinched and shot straight up into the air. He grasped his side and noticed blood. A lot of blood. Life... that was the key!
As she dove out of the circle of damage she rolled to her back and gazed up where Daerous had launched himself.
The sphere came crashing to the ground as he lost control. He started to black out as the orb slammed into the ground with a terrible amount of force, burying the sphere underground.
Daerous used what remained of his consciousness to force the psychic energy around his wound to stop the bleeding.
Dina saw him fall and rushed to his side. Sliding to the dirt and leaning over him she brushed hair from his face whispering in concern. "Daerous..." She looked down and saw the wound. Moving his hand she rested her own on it and closed her eyes trying to force the healing faster than she should have for fear of losing him.
Warmth washed over him as his eyes opened. He could see her eyes... those stormy eyes... He didn't need to be saved... he was not weak... he focused on these thoughts as he faded in and out of consciousness.
She saw his eyes open and smiled softly as a tear of relief fell down her cheek. "It's all right, Daerous... it's all right." She closed her eyes and felt the wound as it healed and the heat in her hands intensified till it was done and she gasped as if holding her breath and fall back to pant trying to catch her breath.
She rolled over to her side and placed a hand on her chest whispering... "Home..." As the shadows enveloped them and deposited them on the cabin floor, she passed out, her hand still resting on his chest.
Daerous noticed the shadows followed by comfy blankets. She brought him back here. Daerous had figured out how to fit her inside the orb... now he just needed to make sure he wanted to.
“Why?” He whispered. “My death would have ended this for you... you have no attachment to me or this monster. Why are you helping me?” Realizing she was asleep he blanketed them in psychic energy to help make her healing easier as he drifted to sleep for a bit.
Without realizing it, in their sleep they ended up closer together, each spooned to the other. She awoke to find her back pressed to his front and his arm protective around her along with the psychic barrier. She lay there still and silent worried about waking him.
Softly she whispered, to not wake him if he still slept. "Do you feel better?"
His voice responded softly. “What is this about? Why are you helping me? You owe me nothing.”
Carefully she moved from his arms and rose to set the kettle back on the fire, never once looking back at him though she spoke softly. "You asked me..."
He frowned. “I was brought here, I assumed by you.”
She shook her head. "No... not by me."
“Someone knows my situation, and someone knew you could fix it. This is a bullshit coincidence!” He growled once more. “My strings are pulled by no one!”
She moved around the small cabin with efficiency and pulled down mugs and plates and half a ham and some fruit, setting the table, still avoiding his gaze. “Fate pulls no one's strings, Daerous. Merely gives them choices."
He slammed his fist down with terrible rage. “WHAT DO YOU KNOW?”
She jumped and shuddered and looked up at him. Her stormy eyes rimmed in darker blue almost cobalt. "I don't ... that's just it. I don't know what brought you here. I only know that whatever force brought you here is the same force that kept me here when I tried to move on last winter." She stared at him with confusion and a bit of fear in her eyes. She finally broke the gaze and looked down moving away from the table towards the fire to put more space between them.
“This is not fate. Someone wants control of the coin.” He sighed as he sat. “That’s what happens when you kill the beast... if you believe the legend that created it... the beast will allow you to be the coin's master... to call it's next kill. I think someone wants the coin.”
She leaned on the hearth staring into the flames as he spoke. "You think someone wants US to kill it then they will kill US to own the coin? That doesn't make any sense. I have no enemies that know I am here or that I control the counter elements. ‘Those around here know me only as a healer."
He shook his head. “And no one knows me at all. But this is not fate, and it is not coincidence. If we get through that fight... a child could kill us.”
She took the cloth from the table and removed the kettle filling two mugs with water then replacing it. Sitting down across from him and made her tea from the small urn in the middle of the table. "Then the choice is yours..." She sipped her tea and finally looked up at him. "Do we kill it or not?"
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Post by Jashin on Feb 11, 2015 5:35:05 GMT
“We need to know exactly what's going on here.” He stood up and grabbed his hot water and drank it plain. “You need to put me in a Seer's Trance. Any healer can do it, which means you can do it better. And likely bring me out of it with ease.”
"What is a Seer's Trance? I won't do something I don’t understand."
Daerous put the cup down and opened his third eye. On the table he began a projection of his last Seer’s Trance. Having never seen it from the outside, he figured this would be the best way. “A healer has to comatose a seer while he is trancing with his third eye. I do the rest... but it's not easy for obvious medical reasons.”
“What medical reasons?" She sipped her tea and watched the trance play out from beginning to end.
“I’ll be in a coma and absorbing enormous psychic energies... those who have tried before have either gone mad or killed hundreds with the aftermath... without a decent healer anyways.” He sighed.
“So what do I do? Just make sure you don't go on a killing spree?" She tried to make light of it with a slight smile.
“Monitor my brain functions and make sure I don’t go red. So basically... yeah.”
"Red?" She raised her eyebrows in concern. "Well all right, but not till we are both fed and unhindered by weakness." She fixed a plate of food and pressed it across the table smiling again. "Healer's orders..."
Daerous smiled and for once obeyed.
Half an hour later, she had cleaned up and dragged the bed to the middle of the room, to better shield it if something went wrong. She sighed and pulled a chair up beside it and stood there looking at him. Her sword was back over the mantle so he couldn't turn it against her and her boot dagger, always hidden in her right boot, was her only weapon. If things went bad, it didn't matter how armed she was. "Are you ready?"
Daerous was quiet. He moved over to the bed and laid down... this was gonna be rough... especially with the wound... but time was short. It needed to happen now... he would need time to recuperate. “Yeah... do it.”
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Post by Jashin on Feb 11, 2015 5:35:12 GMT
4/14 Dina moved to the bed and sat beside him. "I need to touch you once, for the connection. Then I will let go but the line will still be there. All right?" She closed her eyes and placed her palms together then moved opened eyes the color of the sea just after a storm. Cool grey and rimmed in silver. She placed a hand on either temple and drew her thumbs lightly across his forehead then whispered softly the only words she knew to place him where he could move as he willed, yet not move beyond her reach. "Wund oloth, maglust quin naut." <<Into Darkness, alone yet not>> Then released her hands and watched him. Daerous saw her hands touch his temples and everything went black. His world swallowed in on itself. Inside his own mind he was capable of tapping far greater than just his third eye. Daerous stood in the darkness and began. With just his thoughts he was stripped of all his possessions. All of his spells, his charms and summons lay bare against his skin. On the outside his third eye opened and flashed brilliantly red, fading to black. She bit her lip and gasped then calmed to watch and make sure he continued to breathe. Things could move much easier inside his mind. Already Daerous had released his elements and watched as they fluttered around him, challenging each other constantly and begging for a command. The wings on Daerous' back shot out and started burning away. His heart raced and his breathing shortened. Daerous made quick work of aligning his elements and beginning his trance. She watched the wings burst forth and the surprise toppled her to the floor fearing they would be crushed by her. She shifted to her knees and continued to watch. Daerous' third eye sunk in and dropped to pitch black. In his mind Daerous was in a sea of colors. Nine red dots in strategic locations on his body all burned black and ashed off. A replica of himself now stood in front of him, ready to do his job. This was a shikigami, a clone designed to do one thing. Daerous winced slightly as he brought out his shadow blades and slaughtered his clone. Blood spilled everywhere and reacted with his elements. The portal to his deeper mind was opened. Blackness erupted from his third eye and began to spread across his body as he plunged into the deeper portal.* Dina moved to her knees rising up to lay her hands barely over the aura on his skin. She felt him there still and withdrew her hands murmuring. "Red... he said not to let him turn red...." Daerous forced every ounce of energy out of his body and threw it into the portal "Shiiou kangatsoune morishi gacktyihg" <<<Symbols of the vision quest assemble>>> Daerous stood and observed as no response came about. "Not enough power... I need more..." Daerous looked down and ripped the flesh off his chest and threw it into the void. Marked across the inside of his chest were the symbols for life and death. His last two useable elements... as time had no effect here. The life chakra burst out of his body and re-ignited the red chakra dots on his body. The marks bled this time, until each one had created five additional clones. The clones stood, this time against Daerous. The life chakra made these more than clones... these were exact copies. Wasting no time The Death emerged and made quick work of them, splattering every drop of blood across the stream of the elements. "SHIIOU KANGATSOUNE MORISI GACTYIGH" <<<Symbols of the vision quest assemble>>> She gasped and covered her mouth to keep from crying out as her other hand clutched her chest. She felt his pain as if she were standing beside him watching it. She only hoped it was worth it. She knew he had to be going thru something more excruciating than anything she could conceive, especially if she could feel this much of it. Daerous' third eye exploded with red and saturated his entire body as it began to shake terribly. On the inside he exploded with light. Symbols and images ran through him one after another. "INNICH MIHACH NOIRYU" <<<present this glyph>>> Daerous' third eye burned a single glyph in red on the ceiling and his body and mind burned red as his body shook uncontrollably. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU WAITING FOR DINA?” She reacted from instinct and fear and grabbed him placing her hands on his arms and screaming mentally and so he could hear. "Guuan nin! Sila an'yuil fotus!" <<<wake now! Bring answers forth>>> "Wake up!!" Her body shook as she tried to wrest him from the darkness. Daerous emerged from his trance and stood straight up, bolting out of the house in an instant and running for the stream. His whole body needed to be emerged in water. She fell over backwards as he shot up and scrambling on the slick floor she shot out the door after him. "DAEROUS!!!" Daerous stripped immediately and threw his body into the water, allowing his body to cool and absorb the elements. When she saw what he was doing she began swiftly gathering twigs to make a fire. Earth and water could be found in the stream with its raw muddy bottom. She knew fire would help replenish him but she began to wonder how to bring air into it when a thought occurred. "Aaaaiiirrrrrrrr" She whispered and breathed on the fire to spark it to life. She stumbled back then as all four elements reacted to him and fell on her backside to watch and hope whatever he had endured, it had been worth it. Daerous pulled the heat from fire and breathed deep as his body absorbed and replenished every once of the precious energy he had expunged for that single glyph. He leaned back as the water around him began to boil and sighed. “That had better have been fucking worth it. Red... fucking red... im gonna be in this soup for days...” He stretched and fell asleep; making sure his body was well anchored first. She moved to stand by the water as he closed his eyes. Raising her arms she closed her eyes. "Doer ulu uns'aa... har'dro...aeros...chath...niar... o'goth usstan Usstan lar dalninuk." <<<Come to me... earth... air...fire...water...heal this one I call brother.>>> And with the help of time and life... she forced the energy easily into him to speed the healing. As she used her own energy to help replenish his, she fell to her knees and finally onto her side falling asleep as he too slept, her fingertips resting in the water. As the minutes slowly returned to normal and time once more realigned with the world around them, she inhaled and opened her eyes and watched the sun play thru the tree tops. That's when she smelled it... smoke. Stumbling to her feet she tripped and fell several times on her way to the cabin and found smoke coming from the doorway and once inside noticed the glyph, burned into the ceiling over the bed, had set the thatching on fire. Cursing herself for not noticing before she went back outside to grab the bucket of water caught from the rain several days ago and brought it in tossing it in portions onto the ceiling and wall nearest the bed hoping the fire would go out. Holding one hand towards it she whispered "Time!" and the flames slowed nearly to a stopping as she moved back outside for the last bucket silently praying it would be enough. Coming in she used it to douse the final sparks and collapsed on the floor, covered now in soot, and closed her eyes as once again, time returned to normal and the lingering smoke wafted out the door making it seem from outside as if the house still burned within. 4/15 Daerous faded into the cottage, his mind still very active, allowed him to astral project into the cottage. Daerous stared at the burn marks in the ceiling for awhile, no emotion crossing his face. Dina felt him close but hadn't felt him walk in. She opened her eyes to see his image before her. Whispering softly as her voice cracked, she nodded at the glyph. "Did it help?" Daerous flickered and spoke without turning, his voice echoing in her mind. “It's a Seiryu... an Eastern mark... I’m not familiar enough with them to know what this one is. But how is this relevant?” The image of Daerous faded as the remaining mental residue faded. Dina closed her eyes and allowed sleep to claim her as they both slept to heal. |
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