| |
|
Part 18: Who goes there?
===========================================================
Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan opens her mind to the contact, as her companions stand ready to
defend her. Overhead the strange patterns of the stars are
momentarily occluded by a shadow sliding across the sky on widespread
wings, and time feels as though it stands still for a moment. Or
for ever...
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Of course - HE has my trump! Forgetful fool that I am!
Cyan's brilliant topaz eyes widen in sudden comprehension, and her
stance shifts slightly. "Prepare yourselves!" she cries in her
ringing bard's voice, "for our friend has need, and may be
pursued!" As she speaks, Kirilindë stabs into the ground, sheath
first, as she reaches down, pulling on her gloves with a wince. A
moment later Cyan tears the shimmering, silvery blade from its wooden
sheath, kicking the scabbard to the side. A rainbow ripple runs
down the edge for an instant, dragging an image of clouds across a sky
behind it, before fading into the brilliant silver of the ithilinaur.
Berd launches himself from her shoulder, rising into the air above the
campsite. The air around the little dragon wavers suddenly, as he
begins to drawn in power from reality around them, his eyes burning
like twin stars.
Cyan reaches out her crippled right hand, the blade seated in her
left. Colour begins to bleed from her eyes as she does, and they
catch the light of the fire in a shimmer that matches that of her
blade's.
"Ares! Take my hand!"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Surprise registers when Cyan speaks the other Amberite's name. She
wonder idly how he and Aaron will react/get along. The last thing they
needed was more conflict. But those thoughts are quickly chased from
her mind. She alters her stance to best suit this new change of events
and claws retract as she retrives her other dagger, more balance for
throwing than her other one. She grips it firmly and scans the sky with
wolven eyes, trying to determine if the flying shadow was friend or foe.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lexy looks suprised for a moment, then her eyes narrow. Ares. She
remembered the man, and wondered what type of trouble he had gotten
himself into.
Her hand releases Cyan's shoulder, and looks to just in front of her, waiting for Ares to appear.
She takes a step to the side, and draws her weapon, the blade in a
ready position abover her head, ready to strike at a moments notice.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ares. That name caused Aaron to pause, for it was unfamiliar to him...
until he cast his memory back to the time of his madness. He remembered
the other man only vaguely, for he hadn't gotten to know him well.
Perhaps he could remedy that.
Well, he knew that he had traveled with the group, and was therefore a
part of it, so Aaron prepared himself for whatever came their way.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
As much as Jack hated to, he
slid away from Cyan in the shadows casting his eyes up! He looked to
the night filled heavens, the darkness nothing to him. Tracking the
path of what ever was up there to find it. Sliding along the dark paths
of the mind he sent his broken pattern tendrils up searching the night
sky for what may be there as well. If anything was there, his eyes or
tendrils should be able to find it. Then he would deal with it on a
mental basis.
All the will taking the form
of a three dimensional shadow in appearance only and stepping
away from the group far enough that he would seem the easy target. The
one to cull from the pack. He knew though he was immaterial for the
most part, and could not be harmed by most things. The right things
still could harm and kill him. Can you see it lalai? He asked
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
For a moment which seems to last an eternity, Cyan stands with one hand
outstretched, surrounded by a rainbow nimbus of shimmering light...
A black gloved hand reaches down from the air and grasps hers...
... and suddenly the bard is hurled across the campsite by the force of
Ares' arrival, and Lexy staggers sideways but manages to retain her
footing. Ares tries to rein in the wild-eyed, sweat-lathered
horse, but the panic-stricken beast crashes on for several more paces,
leaping over the fire and only stopping when it lands heavily and
crashes to the ground, it's tongue lolling out over razor-sharp fangs,
laboured breathing staining the sand blood red, the pounding of its
racing heart clearly audible to those nearby.
The black-armoured man, thrown clear as the horse fell, scrambles to
his feet, and it can be clearly seen that something has punched through
the metal below his ribs on the left side. Blood is flowing
freely from the opening. His face is pale, and he is sweating
profusely.
The horse, too, attempts to rise, but shrieks in terror before collapsing again, dead before it hits the ground.
Ares looks around, and scoops up a sword from where it landed, then takes up a ready posture...
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Kali traces the shadowy form, but she cannot see it clearly, not like Jack can. No... she answers quickly and then glances at his shadowy form. SHe doesn't
say anything, but Jack can feel through the link that she wishes he
would stay in that immaterial form, where hardly anything could hurt
him. She was worried... the train of thoughts is cut off as demon horse
and man come crashing through their cmapsite. She dodges agiley out of
the way of the laboring horse and keeps her sword at a wary position.
She recognizes Ares and the fact that the first thing he does is grab
his sword and prepare for a fight doesn't bother her. If she were him,
she'd do the same thing. Still, Kali keeps her sword ready as
well, just in case.
"Ares! You are hurt, stand down and we will deal with it if it followed
you" she says in way of greeting, referring to whatever dealt the
horrendous wound to the Amberite man. Her nostrils flare as she takes
in the scent of the man, it is hard to sort through the strong stench
of blood, but she tries to sort through it.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan stares up at the clouds, struggling to catch her breath. The
impact knocked her down, but not out; now she sees a glittering
creature hanging above her. "You...could have warned me," she
manages to croak out, before taking a whooping breath, and sitting up.
Kirilinde is, fortunately, still in her hand. Had it spun away,
across the campsite.... Cyan struggles to her feet, staring
around wildly, her eyes having regained their brilliant amethyst
hue. She reels once, then seems to snap together, Berd still
hovering. "What...where are they, Ares?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Ares
-----------------------------------------------------------
(NPC'd for the moment)
"Sorry, Cyan," Ares replies, through gritted teeth, "I had other things on my mind."
"I'll stand down, Kalika Wolfblade, after my pursuers are dealt
with. They caught me by surprise to give me this wound.
This time it is they who are entering an ambush!"
"They should be here any moment now. They even managed to track
me through a Hellride and... ah... " he nods towards a shimmering in
the air, almost like a heat haze, "This will be them now."
The air seems to swirl and twist, then a vertical black line apears,
thin as a thread, reaching from the ground to a point some eight feet
above it. There is a ripping noise, and the "thread" widens into
an oval of black, and a moment later a dozen or so red-robed, hooded
figures leap through, each taller than a man and armed with a viscious
hook-bladed sword!
Without hesitation they fan out to attack.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Fear touches Cyan at Ares' words. Her veins chilled, her hands
grow cold, and suddenly the fire jumps into perfect clarity. Berd
whips higher, rising up to survey the entire campsite, just as the
black thread appears. For an instant, Cyan has time for a
desperate cry: "If their blades can pierce Ares' armor, beware!"
Then it's gone, as the tall men erupt from the void, and a smile creeps onto her frozen face.
Above her, Berd stares down at the creatures, and then begins to extend
his senses. He delves them as best he can, searching for signs of
a greater power, searching for the source of their transportation,
searching the ground and air around him for signs of their
allies. He will do this first, before considering what power
would be best to summon.
A wild smile on her lip, laughter beginning to bubble up her throat,
Cyan does not wait for the men to attack; she launches herself towards
their flank, maneuvering so as not to be surrounded, Kirilinde a
shining wheel in the air as she attacks.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Kali lowers her throwing blade as Ares speaks. When the black thread
opens, Klai watches the red robed figures come through. She marks where
the first one's head was, and then the second's, and the third's. By
the fourth figure, she has the head sighted. Before the fifth
materializes, her arm is a blur of motion, the throwing blade heading
for where the robed thing's face would be if it were human... that is,
if there was a fifth figure. Not waiting to see if the blade struck
true, Kali moves to the flank opposite of Cyan. She positions herself
on the side opposite the camp, and moves out of the circle of the
firelight in slow deliberate motions, her sword ready to parry any
attack. She hopes to lure 2 or 3 of them after her and away from the
others so that the battle ground isn't a jumble of friend and foe when
Cyan loses it. Already the Bard's laughter could be heard. If none of
the robed figures take an interest in her, Kali will see that they do
by lashing out with testing attacks, light things to let them know that
she is here and to see how they react. She will try to engage at least
two. She hopes Jack will be able to so something to their minds, put
them to sleep or something, but she didn't know and reigned her mind
in. She needed to stay focused on her opponets.
Hunter slinks away from Aaron as the figures appear, swallowed by the
darkness beyond the camp fire. He caught on to his mistress's plan and
moved in a quiet arc around the camp to come around behind her
attackers.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack melted back into the darkness
blending with the night. If these guys had that powerful of weapons not
being seen was his best choice. What’s more is it was best to keep out
of the way so Kalika did not have to worry with the likes of him. She
had a job to do and he could not afford to be the one to distract her.
As he moved he sent a dark well tendril lashing out
at the mind of the first robed figure to appear. As soon as contact is
made he strikes in the most devastating mental attack he can muster,
trying to overwhelm and destroy the beings Id and psyche with a mental
surge.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The robed figures, roughly a dozen in number, scatter (all except one,
who drops with the hilt of Kalika's dagger protruding from the opening
of his hood). They seem to be communicating, although their
language consists of whistles and clicks, and is impossible to decipher.
As they move near the fire, the flickering light illuminates the
interior of some of the hoods, revealing dark-scaled faces and yellow
eyes with cruciform pupils. Their mouths are filled with
needle-like teeth.
The view of their visages is short-lived, as they move outwards and
start to engage the group in combat. The portal closes with a
popping noise, just as the first ringing of steel sounds across the
campsite.
Ares moves quickly, in spite of his wound, and engages three of the
creatures. Kalika and Hunter find themselves facing three also.
Cyan leaps towards two of them, her slim blade flickering every which
way, trying to dart past their guard. Lexy also finds two of the
things moving towards her. The final one crouches and edges
towards Aaron, hooked blade extended towards him.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ares had exploded over the fire, sailed past Aaron's position, and came
up nearby. It was bare moments before his pursuers too, arrived.
I'm sure you can feel it coming from me already, but...
Aaron already knew what Ilsefranvir meant, at the danger sense, and he
felt her channel her strength into the sword, instead of into the
mental shield she had previously created. As the robed assailants and
his friends parted and began their combat, Aaron cast his gaze upon the
one who dared to attack him.
On her own, Ilse sprang from the sheath on Aaron's back, the timing of
her release linked to his own will and desire, making Ilse's movements
his own. His eyes narrowed, both brown and silver flaring with violent
intent.
The sword was in-hand and Aaron surged forwards, casting the blade in a
downward arc towards the being's left shoulder. He made sure that he
seemed totally short of actual impact... when Ilsefranvir's blade
seperated into her whip-like state at the mid-point of her drop.
Aaron was there. His mind, his body, his soul, linked with the power of the Sjardring,
he was along with Arianne as her blades fanned down, his mind connected
to each of the eight blades. He would pour himself into them, and make
them as fast as thought. Constantly practiced Anynian combat techniques
tingled throug his arms and legs.
He snapped his wrist in the opposite direction of his slash, the whip then creating a metallic-sounding "shink" as the lighting fast blades bit down at the man's torso like shining, blue-edged razors...
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan's eyes are shards of crystal, catching reflected light and
breaking it into dozens of rainbow glitters. Out of the corner of
her eye, she catches Kallika's maneuver, and something inside approves
- the other woman knows her business, and is carrying it out with
ruthless efficiency. But that acknowledgement is no more than a
footnote in the Bard's storm-tossed mind.
No raging, clumsy berserker, Cyan's wild madness dances her on the edge
of her abilities, with strategy, tactics, and skill blending in the
Bard; the only thing she lacks, truthfully, is control of
herself. Darting left with a twisting step, she flicks a quick
slice at one robed figure's ankle, then hooks the tip up with a vicious
snap of the wrist, slicing a line alone the center of the body in an
attempt to split robe, skin, muscle, and (with Kirilindë's
preternaturally keen edge) possibly ribs. Cyan shifts to sliding
past the man, the tip of the gim cutting under his armpit, her movement
designed to keep the one between her and the other.
Should the other chase her, coming around the front, likely he will be
too slow; should he come around his partner's back to cut her off, he
will find himself heading into a waist-level round kick, swung with
brutal force off the rear leg. If neither, well, the round kick
could always strike her primary opponant at his kidneys....
Above, Berd narrows glittering eyes, and notes two of the robed figures
heading towards Lexy. Knowing the woman is not as skilled (or
maniacally perservering) as Cyan, he dives in front of them, screaming
along the grass, breathing a cloud of greenish smoke along the turf.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Kali felt jack through the melee, even if she paid no attention to it,
he knew that the thing in the sky was harmless to them, she also knew
that his psychic attacks were just as harmless to these beings. It was
as if they were not there. His tendrils could not find them. He
remembered Lexy’s words, that he could probably out fence her or break
her in half. She was the weakest and she had two. He had faith in Kali
and Hunter to protect themselves. A snap decision made, he could not
hide uselessly in the shadows. He had to help the group!
Jack flowed along the shadows at incredible speeds,
changing and becoming more real by the second until he burst forth from
behind on of the things attacking Lexy. Half substance, half
shadow he was in his intermediate form. Krolak! Jack called out the Neural Disrupt word of power at the beast he had
chosen, followed immediately buy one of his quick powerful sword
strokes. Trying as much to overbear and defenses and parries as
anything. Adding the momentum of his charge to the strike for
maximum force.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lexy stumbles backwards from the rush of Ares, but somehow manages to
retain her footing. But let others worry about the man, and his steed.
He had said his attackers would not be far behind, and she must be
ready for them. She watches the twisting construct in front of her
eyes, and selects a single strand, and watches it grow at her command,
changing it's shape and consitency.
Then the thread appears, as herald to the atackers. Sword in one hand,
the Logrus enveloping her like a suit of armor, invisible to the naked
eye, Lexy joins the battle.
Her Kitana swipes through the air, cutting at the nearest of the foes
that approach her in a kirioroshi maneuvre, which is folowed immidiatly
by a low thrust.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Seeing that her opponents were headed towards her, Kali takes a quick
moment to draw her other dagger, the one used in the ceremony, before
they are on her. She is aware of Jack, and a spear of worry strikes
her. He didn't seem to have very good luck, but then again she could
not coddle him. She shifts her focus back to the approaching robed
figures, and backs up, luring them farther from the main battle ground.
When they are outside the influence of the firelight, Kali attacks. She
moves against the rightmost opponent with the speed of warrior and
wolf. Kali rushes it, her sword whizzing as it cuts through the air, a
high stroke that would have beheaded a normal man, but these things
were much, much taller than the short Chunchee woman so the attack
would cleave into the meaty chest of the large thing. Once the thing
has trained it's blade to parry the blow, she reverses her grip at the
last possible instant, muscles screaming in a protest that she wouldn't
feel until after the fight. The flip of the blade brings its deadly
edge running a smooth line along its stomach with the power of both her
enhanced muscles and momentum and she braces her grip, anticipating the
jerk and lag that cutting through living flesh causes. If it works, the
thing's stomach will be cut open. If this doesn't work or fails to kill
the thing, she is ready to place a strong kick against the thing's knee
cap (conveniently located in an ideal location for kicking) and use the
distraction to slit it's throat with a seemingly effortless slice of
the dagger. All the while Kali is positioning herself so that the
thing's body will fall between her and the others, an effective block
to keep her from being attacked by the goon's cronies.
Meanwhile Hunter has sighted Kali and her fighters, and moves silently towards them, planning his attack as Kali executes hers.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The combat degenerates into chaos, almost a living embodiment of the
Logrus. The attackers are more competent than the ice giants had
been, and their blades seem to howl and sing as they sweep and parry
and strike again...
Jack erupts from darkness, shrouded in shreds of shadow, and his voice
rings out and causes a momentary hesitation in one of the
assassins. The thing croaks something which sounds unpleasantly
like laughter as it recovers in time to almost parry Jack's
blade. The man's weapon passes through the red robe and seems to
bite into flesh for a moment before the left hand whips around and
punches Jack just over his ear.
Ilsefranvir snakes and twists in Aaron's hands like the living
thing it almost is. The attacker parries the weapon, and finds it
is no longer where he thought it was. The flexing weapon suddenly
lashes out and rips through cloth and scaled flesh, staining the robes
a darker colour as the reptilian creature hisses and drops to the
ground.
Lexy struggles against her opponents. They are fractionally too
fast for her, and things don't seem to be going well. She slashes
at one with the katana, missing, and the other brings its heavy blade
down on her bare arm with all its strength. The edge stops in a
shower of sparks a mere fraction of an inch from her flesh, and her
attacker hisses in outrage.
Almost seeming to dance around the campsite, Cyan has no such
difficulty with her opponents. Grinning, she shreds robe and
flesh, and there is a loud snap as bones are cut through. Her
opponent, mortally wounded, spins away from her as the second attempts
to cut her down, only to trip unaccountably before its sword can make
contact. The thing struggles to rise again, but has somehow
gotten its weapon snagged in the long grass.
Kali and Hunter work like the well-drilled team they are, and one of
the reptile-men falls easily before the small lightning-fast woman,
guts spilling onto the ground, even as Hunter hamstrings a
second. The creature, blood puring from its wounded leg staggers
forward, over its downed comrade, and finds itself close to Kalika
Wolfblade, almost eye to eye.
Instead of trying to strike her with its sword, it beats her own blade aside, and spits a dark liquid into her face.
Ares, slowed slightly by his wound, still has little trouble with his
opponents. One is down almost before it realises that Ares has
attacked, and Ares is engaging the second before the corpse has hit the
ground.
The assailants seem to show no fear, even as their comrades fall around
them. They fight just as aggressively as they did from the moment
they arrived...
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Stamping down on her opponant's blade, Cyan traps it, and his hand,
against the ground, holding him in place...then drives a knee into the
side of held creature's head with terrific force.
Berd, falling to the turf, whimpers for a moment, as the pain shoots
through his mind. His glittering eyes flicker this way and
that. Forcing himself up, he rises into the air again, absently
spreading his 'infection' of the grasses to the ones around Lexy (with
orders to leave her and the others of the group alone), and searches
with a guarded mind for this new intruder.
Spinning away from the (at least) stunned and trapped attacker, Cyan
takes a hearbeat to assess. Her crystal mind has dismissed Jack
as part of Kallika's trio, and knows he will be safe, despite the
fearful murmurs from somewhere deep underneath the shield of madness at
the glimpse of his injury. Ares is, naturally, slaughtering his
opposition, and Aaron's odd weapon seems to be keeping his opponant's
off guard. Lexy, though...she has somehow protected herself, but
protection is not victory - it only delays defeat. But Kallika
and Jack are now in peril - Kallika has been...blinded? It might
impair her only a moment, but a moment could be all it takes.
For an instant, Berd's eyes burn with power and the air rings like a
gong. Cyan's laughter chokes off, and she cries out, her voice
oddly altered.
"Ware! Something comes!"
Then the Bard takes three long strides, then lunges, full extension, in
a bid to reach one of the creatures attacking Kallika. As she
does, Cyan brings up her injured, gloved hand to beside her face, to
block or deflect any attempt to spit at her.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Kali is grimly satisfied as her blade opens the stomach ofher opponent
as she had planned. But she didn't expect her follow through to bring
her so close to the other attacker. She feels warm blood enter her
mouth as Hunter hamstrings the third attacker. This will be the end of these ones then she thinks clearly. Her sword is easily batted away, and she adjusts,
bringing the blade whistling back to cut into the thing's midsection,
possibly shearing the thing into to. She moves slightly and throws
herself into the blow, fully commited. She commited that even as she
watches the thing's snake-like maw open to mount a counter-attack she
is helpless to dodge it. She'll take the blow and then its corpse would
fall.
The black liquid hits her fully in the face, settling across her eyes like some type of gortesque mask, and it burns.
An intense burning, a terrible burning. Caught completely by surprise,
pain and anger drives Kali to complete the blow with a loud scream that
is part anger, part triumph, but mostly pain. Instinctively she, wipes
her eyes with her arm and opens her eyes to see if the blow hit, would
she have to try to defend herself against it? The instant she opens her
eyes the burning becomes an intense searing that drops her to her knees
with a small gasp of pain. She bloodied sword hits the ground with a
dull thump besides her as she teeters, fighting the searing inferno
that eats at her face. Her mind is a screaming mess of pain, unable to
focus. She hears Hunter howling, echoing her pain as she echoed his
success. Jack is hit with it, too. A burning, singing heat that eats at
his eyes and skin around it. The pain is intense, a maddening pain. And
then, it is gone.
Kali falls lifelessly to the ground, joining her blade on the blood
slicked grass, unconsciousness offering the only respite from the
searing, burning poison on her face.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Hunter
-----------------------------------------------------------
Hunter is pleased with himself. Exactly as it used to be... but then
things went horribly wrong. He can feel the burning pain that eats at
Kali's face on his own and howls his pain and loss into the night sky.
When the pain stops, the anger hits the wolf and moving with savage
grace, the wolf rips out the throat of the one he hamstringed and moved
as a grey blur to finish off the one that spit on Kali if needed. Once
they have been dealt with, he stands defensively over his fallen
mistress.
He refuses to look at her face, afraid of what he will see. Jack, she needs help the wolf sends quietly, his fear for Kali almost overpowering when
mixed with his feeling of inadequacy. She needs help, but it is not
help he can give. He cannot wipe the poison from her face, clean her up
and then try to treat the damage. He lets out a bone chilling howl,
expressing his loss and fear for his mistress as he stands guard over
her, ready to tear into any of the reptilian attackers that tries to
finish their brethren's kill.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lexy watches her opponents, watching the way they move, how they react.
And what she sees definatly worries her. Not only had one avoided her
attack, but it's partner had managed to slip past her guard.
But apparently the creature had not expected that, and Lexy smiles
slightly. "Play time is over." is mutters at her two opponents. The
sword shifts position in her hands, and immediatly, she launches
herself into a series of high slashing attacks to the creature before
her, keeping it's partner in sight. She draws the creature into a high
guard position, each blow striking steel, producing a series of sparks.
Then without warning, she shifts blows, slipping the next attack
downward. And she continues the ferocious onslaught, raining blow after
blow on the creature that dares put itself before her.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ilsefravir slid effortlessly through the lizard-like being whom they
had struck at, inhaling throug his teeth, Aaron yanked his hand back as
the weapon snapped into its original form once more.
Lexy...
Aaron turned in the direction where Ilse had pointed him and noted
Lexy's predicament. Wasting no time with his first kill, he drove
himself towards the woman and gauged her problem.
Two against one, and Lexy wasn't having a good time of it. Aaron could
snap Ilsefranvir and hope to impale one of them, but he risked having
Ilse hit Lexy as well.
Nodding at a familiar course of action, he pushed himself into a
full-blown charge at the robed figure with the most distance from Lexy.
He snapped Ilse into an arc, wrapping the blades around his own body,
as he had done once before. His connection to Arianne through the Sjardring meant that he couldn't be harmed by her blades. His target, however, would get a very nasty surprise.
Moments before impact, Aaron let out a loud "YAHHH!", and hurled himself bodilly into Lexy's second assailant...
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack wheeled for a split second from
the blow to the head and the mental pain through the link anger and
rage pouring forward to steel him. “Nooooo!!!!” He bellowed in rage releasing the sword that he had buried in the attacker and letting it become fully material. Fortz ! Kalika! knowing she needed the luck more than he, he channeled the power of the
word into protecting her. Perhaps it would help against permanent
damage from the black poison, maybe it might save her life and buy him
seconds.
He let his
momentum carry him past the beast dodging fully on the defense
concentrating on clearing the distance between him and his fallen
love. He used his metal grieves to block and parry where he had to, but
truly relied on speed and momentum to carry him though. Dropping by
Kalika’s side he let Cyan and hunter hold off any attackers.
Having pulled a water skin from his pack as he moved, he began to pour
the water over her face and eyes trying to wash it free. “Please no!
Please be okay lalai!” He was desperate to save her before it was
to late.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Ares
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ares laughs in his opponents face, "Not having such an easy time now that I'm not alone, are you?"
His sword whirls and flashes, beating back his enemies in an all out
attack. As Kalika falls he decides that the time for play is
over. Feinting left, he drives his right boot into the side of
one of his foe's legs, then draws the blade across and down in a savage
cut, before dropping his head and charging directly into the gut of his
other opponent.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The carnage is fast and bloody: Kalika falls, and Jack charges
past his opponent to reach her side, leaving his lightly wounded foe
floundering in his wake.
Ares cuts one of the creatures down, cutting it open from collar bone
to pelvis, and then slams into the torso of the final one. The
creature is driven back several paces, and crashes to the ground with
Ares landing heavily on top of it.
Lexy redoubles her attack and manages to force one of her enemies onto
the back foot. Off balance, it trips in the long grass, and
stumbles just long enough for Lexy's borrowed katana to slice through
scales and muscle and bone. The reptile creature falls dead at
her feet, while its head, complete with shocked expression, comes to
rest several yards away.
Aaron, wrapped in a coil of razor-sharp blades, barrels into Lexy's
other foe, and that contact results in a spurt of crimson, a severed
arm (raised in a vain attempt to deflect the impact), and another
fallen attacker.
Cyan, Kirilindë dripping with gore, spins and drives the
slim blade into the back of the last creature threatening Kalika.
The assailant drops his strange weapon and curiously regards the
bloodied steel point which suddenly projects from its chest. One
hand lifts to touch the metal, as if testing its reality and then,
satisfied that it is real, the attacker sighs and falls sideways.
OOC: Okay. One attacker still standing,
the one that Jack dodged. One is unconscious (?), kicked in the
head by Cyan, and Ares has one pinned down on the ground, and winded.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lexy rips her blade from the creature, and flicks the blade. Doing so
sends droplets of blood flying, cleaning the blade. Her narrowed gaze
sweeps the battlefield, and lands on the sole survivor.
"We should have a prisoner!" she calls out as she acts. She selects two
tendrils from the Logrus, strong and suple, and sends them whipping
through the air at the last creature standing, wrapping it tightly
within its grasp, making sure that no matter how hard it struggles, it
shall get nowhere. then to give it no purchase at all, she lifts him,
letting him hover about a foot above the ground, squeezing just enought
to make life highly uncomfortable.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack pours water on Kali's face and the black fluid sluggishly washes
away. Underneath angry red burns stand out starkly against the paler
skin of her face. The livid weals, like the black poison that caused
them, resemble an angry, feathery mask on her face. Kali moans, coming
too as the water is poured on her face. She stiffens, and wipes
the water from her face, taking most of the black solution with it. Her
hand tingles uncomfortably where it makes contact with her skin, but
she doesn't care. Her face still burns, but not with the strong fire
she remembered. Hunter, sensing her coming too pads silently over, and
sits down next to Jack. He whines softly. That's right, come back to us Little One he encourages her. A small smile comes to her face and she speaks
"Wha.. Jack?" she asks, openning her eyes to look for her love.
Hunter takes a step back, and turns away, not quite blocking his
surprise and revulsion. Kali's eyes, usually colored wolven yellow or
dark purple, are now completely white. There is no pupil or iris, just
an eerie, blind white. Confusion hits her, then panic she can't see.
She can't see. The implication of that tought hits her hard and is
followed by panic. She starts to shake, and wraps her arms around her,
slow tears leaking down the sides of her eyes, which are squeezed shut.
She was blind. She couldn't fight, she was worthless... she spirals
down this line of thought, fearful of Jack leaving, devastated by not
being able to fight... that was her life, her livelihood. The only
thing she could do, her only skill, stripped from her. It builds in an
awful cresendo, until it hits a breaking point, and something gives.
As abruptly as it started, the malestrom of panic and fear stops. Her
mind feels numbs, her body cold, and the shaking increases. She pulls
her legs up to her chest in the ground of the battle, and stares
unseeing at the world in front of her.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Hunter
-----------------------------------------------------------
Feeling terrible for his lack of control, Hunter steps to Kali's side
and nuzzles her with a whine. She doesn't respond. He looks up at Jack,
clearly worried.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron smashes into his target, and is instantly covered in gore as the
man topples over and sends Aaron into a tight roll. Ilsefranvir
instantly uncoils and returns to her sword form as her wielder regains
his footing.
So much for the clothes... ah well.
"Yes! A prisoner!" he yells after Lexy's statement.
A sight to behold, Aaron and Ilsefranvir are both slathered in blood,
one half of Aaron's face spattered by it, causing quite a contrast to
the silver eye beneath the red. Taking a few deep breaths and
collecting his mind after the rush of adrenaline, Aaron looks about as
he takes in their current situation.
He came to a swift conclusion, and that caused a frown to appear on his face.
Yes, they had defeated their foes, but not without price. Aaron almost
felt bad that he hadn't been hurt at all. Especially in the rush
towards Lexy's combatant...
Shaking his head, Aaron moved towards Jack and Kalika, keeping his eyes on the last attacker that Lexy had contained.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Ares
-----------------------------------------------------------
A prisoner? Since Lexy has one already, there is no need to keep this one alive.
Ares leans up, keeping his knee planted firmly in the centre of the
enemy beings chest. He reverses his sword and drives the point
down, with all his strength, into the scaled throat. With a grunt
of satisfaction he twists the blade to open up the wound, and the
creature drowns in its own blood.
The man stands up and looks around, making sure that all are safe.
Immediately he sees that Kalika is in trouble and moves over to see if he can help.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Screw prisoners kill them all! Jack snapped at Lexy no looking away from the pouring water. We don’t have time, we need to get Kali medical attention right now! BERD! Can you neutralize the poisons!?! Jack started before the Chunchee warrior came to, filled with worry
tears steamed down his cheeks. He had failed a second time. . . He
couldn’t protect her. . .
As Kali came to and said his name he
breathed a sigh of relief, at least she was alive. Working he
cleaned the rest of the poison from her face and arm “Shhhh lalai. You
are alive and that is all that matters for the moment.” Jack murmured
softly “Unfortunately we don’t have time, something is here watching
us, something is coming. . .” <i> Use my eyes love. time to test
the limits of the link.<i> his worry for her was a massive force
inside of him, but it was controlled. He opened his sight to her
through the link and she could feel his worry at what is watching them.
A what that was powerful, very powerful. She knew he would die
defending her if she couldn’t see and move.
Desperately he sent a tendril out searching as he worked on Kali, it
was dangerous . . . What ever was out there had power, he was not
certain if he could face it with divided attention. . . Yet if he
had to, today was a good day to die. “Please Help me protect her.” he
asked to none of them, yet all of them. “Make certain that she
lives.” He was steeling himself for the fight of his life as well
as a fight for his life.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The bushes near the campsite rustle, and a small, slim figure steps hesitantly out into the light of the fire...
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jen (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
"What happened? How did I get here? Is this a dream?"
Jen is shivering, close to tears, arms clutched around herself.
"How do I get home?"
The tears come now, and she shudders as huge sobs wrack her small frame...
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack arose and placed himself between Kali and Jen Hunter, be Kali’s eyes! Is that Jen!?! He snapped and sent a tendril shooting to the girl to see her mind and
find out is it was who it looked like. Jack stood there looking around,
through the pattern lens and then settled on the girl. "Everyone on
guard! Guard your minds!"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Something in Jack's thoughts stirred Kali. He thought he was going to
die. He thought he failed her. Couldn't he see that she had failed
herself, that this was her fault? That she was useless? She didn't try
to use his eyes, right now she didn't want to, she just wanted to lie
there and be cold and numb, and then she wouldn't have to worry about
her eyes or her face.
Hunter looks at Jack Don't waste your power
on her. I'll snap her out of this, use your full strength to battle
this mental presense. This is how you can protect her, and the others.
You haven't failed in that the wolf sends to him.
He then focuses his attention on Kali. He shields the sending so that
Jack can't get the words, but the man can sense that the wolf is being
harsh. Very harsh. Kali flinches and closes her eyes. Hunter licks the
side of her face and she winces, which causes the burns to hurt even
more. "damnit" she whispers hoarsely. Hunter yips, glad to get a
response from her.
Kali slowly uncoils herself and sits up. She had caught the glipmse of
herself through Hunter's eyes and hated the eerie white orbs that her
eyes had become. Self loathing fills her, but this time she fights it
off, but she doesn't want anyone to see her like this. It shames her. Lalai? she sends cautiously. She felt the intensity of his worry and wanted to help ease it Please be careful... our strength isn't much, but it is yours if you need it. Whatever you do, please come back she sends, her mindset is fragile and her face still hurts and burns.
She hurriedly adjusts her hair, pulling it savagely from its braid,
ignoring the pain, and allows the thick curtain of silver to close
around her face, blocking it from sight. She would take the time to
make a better mask later, but this would do for now. Go she says to Hunter Help Jack.
The wolf hesitates for a moment and then pads to over to Jen. The wolf
gets close enough to catch her scent and no closer, seeing if her scent
was the same, or if anything had changed.
Meanwhile, Kali closes her thoughts from the Triad, still working on
pulling herself together and not wanting to distract the others as she
sat blindly in the grass, shivering from an internal cold.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd floats towards Jack and Kallika, mouth opening, then seems to
pause. For an instant, as Jen steps from the bushes, he
pinwheels, hovering. Then he chirps happily, and lands on Cyan's
shoulder. The woman whips her blade around to face Jen, then
relaxes, the tip dropping, blood slowly dripping from the gleaming,
truesilver alloy. Glancing over towards Kallika, she stares at
the woman for a moment, then takes a step towards Jen.
"Jen..." she whispers, smiling, and steps towards the girl as Berd
chirps another greeting. Oddly, they now seem to be ignoring
Kallika and her plight, as well as the rest of the group, Cyan's
diamond eyes focused on the teen.
An instant later, Kirilinde's tip whips up and reaches out to rest
alongside 'Jen's' throat. Berd's musical pleasure simply ceases,
and he stares at 'Jen' with a cold, ancient gaze as the air warps and
twists around him. "...you are not," Cyan finishes, the eerie
smile still on her lips, her eyes catching the firelight in rainbow
patterns. "If you move, you will die."
Berd rises slightly on her shoulder, wings snapping out, and stares around at the group, then looks directly at Jack.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
At Jack's request, Arianne too feels a need for defense as her shield
slides into place around Aaron's mind. Remaining in her whip state,
Ilsefranvir settles at Aaron's feet in a rattling pool, but the bloody
form of the man turns to face the newcomer.
Cyan's response too, keeps him aware, and his eyes narrow.
"There is too much going on here. We need to stabilize Kalika, then we deal with the prisoner and... the girl."
Clenching his teeth, Aaron then looks to Lexy, and the being she has in
her control. Like something out of a horror film (perhaps "Carrie"),
Aaron drags his gore-stained weapon along with him, and stands before
the robed being. He trusted Cyan with their new charge.
Speaking in an emotionless voice, his other hand a fist, he stares with burning eyes at the being before him.
"As soon as we get answers, this thing... dies a slow death."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lexy watches the situation develope, watches the girl step out of the
shadows, watches as Cyan goes to her, and then suddenly brings weapon
to bare on the 'girl'.
"Whoever or whatever you are, you've come to the wrong place." she
says, watching the stranger, whatever it is. Perhaps a shapeshifter,
perhaps not. But either it's been watching them, following them, or
it's plucked the image from the mind of one of their own. Either way,
it doesn't bode well.
The creature still firmly in her grip, Lexy selects another tendril,
strong as steel, as mobile as water, faster then the wings of a
hummingbird, and sends it to ensnare the thing that has disguised
itself as the girl Jen.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jen (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Three things happen in such quick succession that nobody can say for sure which comes first:
For the second time in as many minutes, Cyan feels herself hurled
backwards through the air. This time the bard's reflexes are more
keen-edged, and she manages to perform a perfect back flip and land
safely, if somewhat heavily, on her feet...
White fire snakes through the air and engulfs Lexy, scorching clothes,
burning hair, and blistering skin. Her control of the Logrus
fails, and the fire winks out...
Jen's form shreds and disintegrates into a million motes of flame which swirl and expand into a glowing cloud...
After which three events the "prisoner" punches Aaron square on the
nose and turns to flee. He gets perhaps four paces before something tears him limb from limb and scatters the parts in all directions.
The motes of light cluster together, and start to coalesce into a new form...
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by The Unknown (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
... a form which seems to be composed of living flame, heat, lightning
and wind, with a voice like molten steel being poured into the
listener's ears.
"HAVE I GOT YOUR ATTENTION NOW, WEAKLINGS?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack stands there a half shadow half man,silhouetted against the flames of the beast.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by The Unknown (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
White fire flashes towards Jack, licks at him and falls away, flaring
and flickering in a wheel that revolves before him, mid-way between him
and the newcomer.
The flames, still burning across Lexy's body wink out of existence.
"DO YOU THINK YOU REALLY HAVE THE STRENGTH TO BEST ME?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack surged forward mental and physically
in what was becoming a battle of light and dark. He could not find the
beast name, it’s defenses were to good. Sending a surge of mental
energy along the tendril he focused a pin point spearhead attack in the
weakest point in it’s defenses. Driving home like a chisel trying to
force a crack.
At the same time he pressed forward physically
hoping that his very existence as the embodiment of darkness
would allow him to battle the beast, toe to toe. If he could only get
his hands on it. Light and darkness, day and night. A primal battle
from the beginnings of time. Yet what people did not realize is the
dark was as needed as the light to ensure the cosmic balance. Light and
fire could destroy and the night could be tender.
He pressed for all he could, if only he
could close his hands on the beast! The battle would be truly joined.
Calling on what power the triad could add he pressed that thing,
surging forward like an unstabable force. YOU CAN NOT BEAT ME! He called out knowing he would not fail her, he would not fail them again!
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
She hears all, but sees nothing. Jolted out of her thoughts by this
thing, Kali turns towards the sound of its voice, her thick hair still
obscurring her face. Frustration finally gets the best of her and she
looks through Hunter's eyes, to see as the wolf sees, and she doesn't
like what she sees at all.
Kali stands on wobbly feet, swaying slightly to catch her balance.
Seeing through Hunter was disorienting and she almost fell. Once she
has her feet beneath her, Kali opens herself, as Hunter does, to Jack.
Although it is meager, he can draw upon his bondmates if needed. Kali
keeps herself focused on the thing of fire and lightning, forcing her
thoughts on that and not on some more unpleasant.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
A million things happened at once around him, and despite how keyed up
he was, there was little he could do to stop any of them. Ilsefranvir
snaked and enwrapped about him.
Reeling back from the impact of the now shredded prisoner, Aaron clutched his nose for what seemed like a hundred years.
My nose... again! is the first thing he thinks, but his
attentions are once more taken by the being that has manifested itself
within their presence. His attempts at approach were lagged at worst
but the effect seemed to be lightening.
Bleeding (again!) from the nose, Aaron beheld the awful form that stood
before him, still covered in blood, but now including his own, he moved
his gaze to the fallen Lexy, and raged inside at the torture being
thrown at his friends.
Well, if he could hardly move...
Aaron focused himself inwardly again, Arianne rising to the request and
building off of his concentration. While he slowly tried to edge his
way towards the being, his concentration was on the one thing he may be
able to accomplish.
How do I call the Pattern in your blade? I need its total presence. But even if I can't have it all, I know we need something to stop this thing. It's a serious long shot, but it's all I can think of!
For eternity, he waited to see what his concentration brought him. He
imagined the Pattern, hoping that, through Ilsefranvir, he could call
its entirety to memory as he ground his teeth against the beast before
him.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Snarling, eyes shining with her fury, Cyan desperately tries to close
with the creature...to no avail. She might as well be sprinting
into a tidal wave - it does her no good.
Sideways motion, though....
She is of no use to Jack, but the others? A wild smile on her
face, the Bard moves to stand between the creature, and Lexy and
Kallika. As she does, her silk shirt begins to gleam...then
pulse. It darkens, and lights begin to dance in the void.
Stars. Cyan raises Kirilinde, and holds it before her, like a
shield, and it, too, begins to burn with a cold, white light, as if the
stars in the shirt have touched it.
Berd suddenly shoots away, dropping low and zig-zagging along the
ground, coming to rest behind Cyan as well. He is trembling with
fear, quite obviously. SOMETHING has terrified him; badly.
Cyan's eyes glaze slightly, but she continues to concentrate. Her
mouth opens as she does, though, and an oddly altered voice spills
forth. "Why do you seek us out?" the Bard calls.
The stars are spiralling away on her shirt, and the blackness is
revealed to be the pupil of a single eye, staring out, shifting from
colour to colour.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Ares
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ares leans forward, pushing, striving to get close enough to use his
blade on the strange enemy. His efforts are useless. He can
get no closer than he already is.
In the end he gives up, relaxes to conserve his strength and to ease the pain of the wound in his side.
He starts to sheath his blade, then suddenly whips his arm straight,
sending the sword flying towards the very heart of the thing which is
holding them all at bay with such obvious ease.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by The Unknown (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ares' sword hurtles directly through the swirling form, as if it isn't there, and smashes into the bushes beyond. "AH... I SEE THEY'RE STILL NOT BREEDING FOR INTELLIGENCE IN AMBER, ARES. WHAT NOW, SINCE YOU ARE UNARMED?"
Laughter rolls across the campsite, and it seems as though it has
weight, a terrible weight which pushes everybody to their knees, save
one. Jack staggers, but then stands firm.
"YOU ARE STRONGER THAN I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED." The voice seems now to contain a little grudging respect, "BUT ARE YOU STRONG ENOUGH?"
Jack is lifted from the ground, as if in the grasp of some giant.
He is wrapped in coils of white fire, and wheels of light and dark are
orbiting around him.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan's eyes are crystals, as she pushes towards Jack, crawling if she
has to, forcing herself closer to him. Obviously her ability to
defend against Powers is usless against this - either it is something
immune to the palanquet, or it is the simple force of a mind far greater than theirs.
But the damaging manifestation gripping Jack...if she can reach him, perhaps the palanquet can provide him with enough of a defense to be able to hold the line
against the creature, with the power of his own mind. A mad smile
graces her lips as she struggles against the tremendous force.
Berd, however, has other ideas. Left completely without defenses,
the little dragon hunkers down, trying to be as small as possible...and
closes his eyes.
Behind the lids, they begin to glow like the sun.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Thin trickles of black blood
had found there ways from both of Jacks nostrils and one of his shadow
enshrouded ears from the shear psychic pressure. Jack grunts at the
force with which this thing applies, lifted into the air the grunt
lengthening out into a moan as he battles. The beast is his better, and
his tricks were failing him one by one. Taking advanatage of the beast
having to slack off a bit and deal with the others Jack sends through
the link to Kali. Kalika,
you or Hunter tell any one who can to mentally join with us, Aaron will
have to drop his odd mind shields and make physical or eye contact. Do
it now!
Jack knows that this is a risk at
best, the beast is stronger than he, but it’s attention is divided.
Perhaps the it might now work, perhaps it may buy him a few
seconds. That’s what any fight came down to seconds!
Askiir! Jack shouted at the beast hoping it's control had
slipped just enough for the disrupt to work. praying that the others
were taking enough of it’s attention to give him an edge. Knowing it
was probably a wasted effort of a one time shot against this thing.
Still it may just free up the others to join where the battle truly
was. Right after saying it he poured everything into his Pattern
defense and mental attack using what he could of Kali’s and hunters
mental strength to push the power of the magic word as far as he
could. If any of the other could assist, he knew he could swing
the battle.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Settle back, Ari. Conserve yourself for another time.
Shoved down to his hands and knees with an angry yell of protest,
Aarons' hate-filled gaze burned a hole through the beast that dared to
make them cower.
Ilsefranvir settled herself, and Aaron watched as the sword blades lost
tension and were set between his hands. The earth pressed hard into his
knees and palms, and he felt Arianne swirl away from his mind and back
into the containment of the sword. No sound, no complaint. But he felt
her sense... her fear.
Aaron watched as his friends suffered from the same collosal force that
the entity was exuding upon him. But much to his credit, and his
stubborn streak, Jack remained defiant.
Throwing his ideas of the Pattern to the wind, Aaron took his own cue
and tried his best to extend his mind to Jack. Eyes rolling back, Aaron
closed them and began to concentrate. Aaron did not force his mind
towards Jack, not pushing against the entity, he simply let his mind
move towards his friend like a breeze moved through the woods, feeling
that if it was going to get there, it would no matter how much effort
he put into it.
Better to get there softly, and press the attack, then jam it forwards like a stake, and be stopped completely.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The entity seems to flinch under the impact of Jack's shouted Word, and
in that moment Jack feels the minds of Kali, Hunter, Cyan and Aaron
touch his own and feed their strength into him.
The wheels fly away from him, fading as they go, and the bonds shatter,
but Jack does not fall. Instead he drops gently to the
ground. Shadows flow across the ground, out from under the bushes
and rocks around the campsite, swirling around the man like living
things. Wrapping him in an umbral cloak, the shadows conceal Jack
in darkness, except for his eyes which burn brighter than the sun of
this world.
Briefly, or maybe for an eternity, the forces in the clearing are
balanced: light and dark, fire and ice, both holding each other at bay,
neither side able to gain the advantage over the other. The
companions are buffeted by powers which attempt to swat them down, but
each time that happens, the creature which opposes them feels its
defences buckle and is forced to turn back to protecting itself.
There is a change in its manner, an aura of fear, a sense of desperation.
Suddenly it seems to fold in on itself, burning brighter as it
dwindles, until finally there is a human form there, as shrouded in
light as Jack is in darkness, its eyes like fragments of the void
between the stars.
"Enough! I yield!"
The creature stops trying to attack, pulling its energies back into a
crystaline shell around itself, clearly visible to all through Jack's
eyes...
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Keeping his focused, sustained concentration on Jack, Aaron lets the
question be known through his mind, and it is a bare whisper that
emerges from his lips as he speaks. He is an amethyst-colored echo in
the void of Jack's darkness, felt in the minds of those present, if not
seen.
"What are you? Why have you sought us out?"
He of all people would be the first to cleave the beast asunder if he
could, but he felt that it would be best that they get the messy
preliminaries out of the way... while Jack still sustained the upper
hand.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd's head droops. He isn't certain if it worked, but at least
he can feel Jack, through Cyan's thoughts. He considers gloating,
for a long moment, but finds he hasn't the energy to do that, and
maintain the tenuous control he holds over this particular edge of
reality. Satisfaction, it seems, will have to wait.
The little dragon pauses, though, and his eyes slowly turn towards Ares with a faintly disturbed cast to them.
Cyan, however, is now standing beside Jack, slightly behind him.
The obsidian eye on her shirt, stars flowing through it, has 'pulled
back' further...pale skin and a dark, red eyebrow, quirked, is visible,
shimmering as she focuses her will on aiding Jack, and keeping her
defenses readied. Her own eyes are yet diamonds, catching the
light from the being and throwing it back in a myriad of colors.
She is still smiling, and the words the being speak widen the laughing
grin. Cyan does not speak, merely remaining a flickering, weaker
figure in Jack's spirit, lending what power she can.
But she is nothing more than a pale shadow beside the dark figure who
stands, wreathed in the symbols of his strength and will, facing the
creature with eyes that blaze like those of the sun-eyed one himself.
Berd's tail rises in a silent salute to Jack of Shadows, and Cyan's
mouth opens and speaks in a whisper that is not hers. "'...but
now you look upon Set the Destroyer, and your days are numbered.'"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
The light may be powerful as it burns away
anything in it path, but the darkness is insidious, cold and
unforgiving. They can feel the rage grow inside of Jack either fueling
or fuelled by the Dark Well. Rage at what this person had done, at what
it’s snake minions had done to Kali. Jack could have cared less about
himself, but they had struck her. As the tides of the battle ebb Jack
found more dark fire within himself and his anger, loosing himself in
it. Driving each attack stronger and harder, making each one more
insidious.
As the other man falls Jack does not show
mercy or hesitation, he does not think about what information they may
need. His mind is completely focused on one thing and one thing alone.
He / it must pay. Continuing to pull on the others psyches Jack attacks
become that much more brutal, driving to get through the hard defenses
of the unknown man. Driving to get to the pain centers of his mind so
he could know their pain a thousand fold. Driving to destroy the
centers of the brain that dealt with sight so they would be destroyed. LOOK AT ME YOU BASTARD SO THAT I MAY BE THE LAST THING YOU SEE
Jack was not quite hinged and was in
a very feral frame of mind, vengeance was all that live in his mind at
the moment. A return of pain for pain, evening the score for the
suffering of his love. It was easy to see how the broken man had
killed his own brother. Wave after dark wave slammed the man!
Ultimate pain and suffering, no less. Slam after mental slam. Pain!
Unleashing all of his rage and power! Pain! It must know pain! It must
live pain! Pain! Pain! Pain!
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Seeing through Hunter's eyes, Kali sees the black blood flow from nose
and ears and screams Jack's name her voice raw with pain and suffering,
hating her inability to do anything, her weakness, her worthlessness.
But then the tides change, either heralded by her cry or something
else, the others link with Jack and he is able to beat back the thing,
beat it back and hurt it. She is grimly satisfied by the thing's
suffering, but not for Jack's reasons for inflicting it. She reaches
out, her own mind oh so weak and pathetic when compared to her love.
Despite all that has happened, she still can't help feeling a surge of
pride and awe at his abilities. He is extrememly accomplished in his
element and she is impressed and appreciative. These feelings are but
an undercurrent as she speaks to Jack through their newly forged link,
unsure if he will hear her above the roar of power.
Jack... my love... lalai she starts softly Please, come back to me... to us. Don't lose yourself to the rage, please don't go... her thoughts catch with that last thought and her own dark thoughts
threaten to overwhelm her, she tries to shield it from him, not wanting
to negatively affect him.
What she means Princeling is to get what we need from this thing and then destroy it. Hunter interjects, trying to help.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Oooh, not a good idea. is Lexy's first though as she opens her
eyes. The first thisng she sees is the ground, and she tries to move.
Searing pain across her body is the answer to this. Lexy grits her
teeth and pushes the pain back to the back of her mind. It isn't
important. It's temporary. Concern yourself with the important.
Images play over. Her whipping the Logrus at the thing that masquerades
as Jen, contact, and then pain. The Logrus shatters around her like a
house of cards or a cheap mirror. She sees herself plummet to the
ground, still being burned by the fires the creature wields, and then..
nothing.
Lexy manages to get to a crouch, picking up her sword in the process,
and trying not to look like she's too badly hurt. Bad burns on her
body, seared clothing, a few new bruises. The smell of charred skin and
burnt silks fill her nose.
She looks around, half expecting to see the other scattered about, but
sees them all still standing, the thing still there, now different. She
tightens the grip on her weapon, watching the thing, ready to act
should she need to, and really hoping she won't have to. But to act
without foreknowledge is stupidity itself. She needs to know what is
going on before ebing able to apply herself to aiding.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd's eyes, shining golden, flick towards Lexy from where he stands,
on the ground. His wings are unfurled, now, and there is a faint
glow about his body.
His voice echoes through all of the minds that are linked as he speaks
to her. It is, as always, surprisingly clear and deeply tonal; it
is also, as has been oft the case lately, growing tired.
{Joined/juxtaposed/asone} are we. {Give/lend/offer} (strength/mindforce/armament) for (Princeofcracks/laughingmind).
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Their images and words are heard. . . He
does not want to stop, yet slowly sense returns. Jacks hand comes up
taking hold of Cyan’s arm. It’s not that he does not trust the little
drakes link, but Berd has been pressed and Jack wants a link he can
count on and physical is the best. The tornadic maelstrom of the
darkness and Jacks mind subside and he becomes as the clam before the
storm. His mind focus the psychic energies down into holding their
assailant. Jacks voice echoes out psychically and physically as
he speaks, remenicant of the recent howl.
Tell them what they ask! Don’t stop there though. . .Tell us
everything you know or I shall delight in finding new and creative ways
to make you suffer over lifetimes. I can be so very creative, and so
very devoted to my chosen tasks.
Holding Cyan by the arm, and keeping his psyche wrapped
around the unknown being Jack stepped over to Kali and slid his free
arm around her waist. Leaning over he lightly kissed her hair covered
lips. I am back my love, I am here. Always and forever.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by The Unknown (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
As Lexy regains her senses, her mind slides automatically into the gestalt,
haltingly at first, uncertainly, almost timidly... and Jack's power
increases, bringing a screech of pain from the entity until he manages
to reign it in slightly.
"Wait! I did not attack you! I felt
the one you call Ares as he moved nearby, and came to see what it
was. When I came here I chose a form that I thought would set you
at ease. But the one you name Cyan threatened this form with
burning metal, and that one, Lexy, touched me with a thing that burned me!"
"I tried to show I meant no harm by destroying that creature as it
escaped. It meant to do you harm. And still you attacked
me. I had to defend myself."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack instantly pushed the new
advantage of Lexy’s added psyche to the gestalt. Pulling on the power
of the others to mind rape the thing. It was the only way to know if
it’s answers were true or false. Starting
with I come in peace goes a long way towards peace. Who are you and
what are you? What do you want and what do you know of Ares and Amber?
Jack settles in to pushing the thing
mentally for all of the information he can dig out of it. The thing at
the least as been arrogant and Jack has grown so tired and frustrated
at all of these peoples arrogance. Fortunately or unfortunately this
thing bears the burden of Jack’s misplaced anger, even if what it says
is truthful. Jack wants the whole story and he wants it now.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan stands, still as a statue, that smile hovering about her lips.
Berd opens his mouth in silent laughter.
(Burningdeath/tooarrogant) did {gloat/mock} and {harm/injure}, not {Defend/safeguard/explain}. (Burningdeath/tooarrogant)
{lied/concealed} (nature/truth) to {approach/close/reachgoal}.
(Burningdeath/tooarrogant) {slew/ended/destroyed}
(prisoner/information). (LIES/FALSIFICATIONS/OBFUSCATIONS).
"You lie," Cyan agrees in a dreamy voice, eyes still shining diamonds, "and poorly."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lexy feels the others around her, sensing their presence, and can't help but smile. This is getting to be a habit. comes a small, amused thought.
But despite that, Lexy is serious as she picks herself up, managing not
to wince as she does so. She wonders how Kali is doing, hoping the
small woman is safe and relativly unharmed.
She strengthens her link to the others, adding her own strength to the
link, helping as she can by giving strength to Jack, eyeing the
creature, keeping her own defenses ready.
"We ask again. Who are you, where are you from, and why do you come to
this place?" she asks, gathering her strength, pulling up the Logrus
again.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by The Unknown (NPC)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The crystal shell fades away under Jack's renewed assault, now boosted
by the addition of Lexy, and the humanoid figure of living light stands
exposed to the full force of the combined mind of the gestalt.
For perhaps a heartbeat it resists, and then it is slammed backwards
into the undergrowth behind it, setting the bushes alight with the heat
of its passage through them, and turning the sandy soil into
sluggishly-flowing molten glass where it lands.
Tendrils of flame try to flow along the lance of force which extends
between Jack and the creature, but always they are absorbed or turned
back. The battle of mental energies is plainly visible to all
those linked to Jack's psyche, but totally invisible to Ares, who lacks
the force of mind to make even the slightest contact with the gestalt.
Desperately the unknown entity struggles to resist Jack's attempts to rip information from it.
Finally there is a shriek from the heart of the conflagration that
marks the creature's location, followed by an implosion which knocks
all from their feet, including Jack.
Afterwards, only the flames remain, with no trace of intelligence.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
As the back-lash of energy flowed at them
Jack let go of the bard and wrapped his arms and body protectively
around Kalika. Taking the brunt of the blast himself. Even as they are
blasted from the clearing he wrenched their bodies around mid air,
twisting like a gymnast again taking the brunt of impact with his own
body. Shielding his love from any more pain for she had suffered too
much. Both physically and from her own insecurities.
He lay there holding her for long moments
where they landed, relived that she was safe and sound in his arms. The
shadows gone from him, he was simply the man again. Kali could feel his
worry at the fact that the creature was willing to die rather then give
up any information. She could also feel how pleased he was that he had
some information anyway. Yet what pleased him most of all was the fact
that he cradled her alive, safe and sound in his arms.You
are not worthless my love, your help kept me alive long enough for help
from the others. What’s more is I love you, you are worth the universe
to me even if you could never fight again.Why? Simply because I love
you. . .
Not sitting up where he landed Jack said “Did anyone get the number of
that truck?” he remembered asking Kali that question not two days ago
when he first awoke.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Ares
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ares scrambles unsteadily to his feet, left hand clutching his side
where fresh blood is trickling through the rent in his armor. He
looks around the ruined campsite, the burning bushes, the crater with
the pool of bubbling glass at the bottom.
He opens his mouth to speak, pauses, closes it again. Finally he asks, "What just happened?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Not even looking up yet, the knowing smile
forms on Jacks face from where her lays cradling Kali. He chuckles
lightly “Don’t ask me, I’m just the baggage you guys found in the dijin
wastes.” the chuckle becomes laughter. “Any of your powerful world
walkers able to get us to a hospital? There is a place hospital on my
world, high tech, high magic, warm southern climes. I want to go there,
they may be able to treat Kali and will be able to help the rest of
you.”
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
With a yell, Aaron swung his arm up against the outburst from the
implosion, and was knocked to his back by it as he skidded to a stop a
few feet away from Jack.
Slowly, he rose, and Arianne was there to greet him in his mind. Her
lover-like touch was a soothing comfort to him after the combination of
Jack's epic darkness, and the inferno they had combatted against.
Brushing off his dust-covered, and still blood-stained clothing, Aaron looked off towards where the beast had died.
He cursed. Quite aggressively; using words in English, Thari and High
Sjildang, the ancient Anynian tongue. Running a hand through his hair,
he got the feeling that his nose was an absolute mess, but at least it
had stopped bleeding.
Grinding his teeth, he spat dirt and blood, returning Ilsefranvir to
her sheath and propping his hands on his hips as he looked to the rest
of them with a baleful, mismatched gaze. This was about as angry,
truly, non-insane angry, as anyone in the group had probably ever seen
him.
"Let's get out of here. Ares might not be in enough shape to traipse
across Shadow, and whatever Cyan manifested there might have taken its
toll." he looked to them both for possible confirmation of those
assumptions.
"I can walk us wherever we need to go, I guess. I'm ready and willing,
as long as it will get us some answers so we can kill whoever keeps
trying to kill us."
This was Aaron, now. Anynian Protector of Shadow. But right now, he was
seriously annoyed that something had tried to kill his friends again.
"Whatever. Let's just gather up and get out."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lexy once more finds herself getting to know the ground, and really
wishing it wasn't so friendly. She once more picks herself up, all her
previous efforts gone now, as is the creature. Her fist hits the hard
earth in frustration, which just sends a jolt of pain up her arm,
agrivating allready agrivated burns.
Then Aaron offers to take them all for a walk, and Lexy can't help but laugh.
"Aaron, I'm afraid I'm not in much condition for a long walk through
Shadow." Slowly, gingerly, she picks herself up, wincing slightly.
"I'll take us to where we have to go. My body is badly abused, my mind is fine. It can still do what I need it to do."
Assuming there are no objections, Lexy begins to work on bringing up the twisting symbol of chaos up to her mind.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Through the link, Kali relaxes, relieved that Jack had made it back. It
was so easy to get lost in the killing rage, to hurt and maim and
destory until there was nothing left... but he made it through. That
part of her that is ruthless, that kills, recognizes the same quality
in Jack. She knew it was there, it was another thing to see it in
action. It is pleasing.
She stopped looking through Hunter's eye, focusing instead on giving
what little mind strength she had to her love. She doesn't realize he
is headed towards her and jumps at his touch, instinctly cowering,
expecting the something terrible. She hates herself for it, especially
when she realizes it is Jack. She embraces him after her kisses her
hair covered lips and she laughs at his antics, she could almost see
the playful smirk on his face... almost. Tears well up and her face
hurts, still burning, would she ever see that smirk again?
His words do much to soothe her, but it is only pressed away, held back
for another time. She is putty in his hands when the implusion comes,
easily moved in his manuever. When they hit the ground, the the impact
causes her face to sting, but she doesn't say anything. She feels
Jack's pride in protecting and smiles as she presses her face against
him and hugs him tightly, even though the material of his shirt
scratches at the raw burns. I don't know what I'd do without you... thank you she sends weakly, her head feeling fuzzy now that everything was ending.
At first Kali doesn't laugh at Jack's truck reference. Then he
continues along that vein. When he starts to laugh she can't help it,
and she joins him, but the laughter brings her to the brink of tears.
She needed rest, she needed to think, she needed to know the extent of
the damage. Hunter looks at her sharply and she winces again, but a
sense of calmness, determination sets in stubbornly. The teariness
fading. Lords but I am a mess she thinks to herself.
"As comfortable as this is, we should go... Ares needs attention and
you.." she reaches up hesitantly, unsure of where is face was. She
finds it and touches it gingerly with exploring fingers, tracing
contours and lines as if trying to memorize them "You were hurt, Hunter
saw it.." she trails off, hand running over the rough stubble on his
face. She cares for him deeply and is worried. She moves her hair from
her face with one hand, while the other finds his lips. She smiles, but
keeps her eyes closed, and reaches tentively forward, her own lips
seeking his. When they finally meet, she kisses him deeply, lovingly. You are a great man... she can't find the words to express the rest, it is just a mass of feelings of love, gratefulness, luck, hope, and relief.
After the kiss, she frowns slightly, something about what Lexy said finally clicking.
"Is Lexy ok? Did those things get her, too?" she asks Jack, her concern
for the other woman a mere sliver of her concern for the man.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan lies on the ground, staring up at the dark sky, spots in front of
her eyes. There's a weight on her chest, and she blinks
tears. I feel burned...my face. Hot.
Berd chirps, quietly.
Vague memories bubble to the surface. She can hear everyone
talking to each other around her, discussing movement and travelling
from world to world, but her thoughts are disjointed, confused.
Something sticky is in her hand...Kirilindë's hilt.
Quickly, she sits, spilling Berd into her lap, and stares around,
frantically. Bodies lie everywhere, but her friends appear to
be...alive. Talking. Ares is hurt. Jack and Aaron
both seem well, though Aaron is furious. Lexy appears badly
wounded. Kallika's eyes. Oh, spirits, her eyes.
A rush of bile comes up her throat, but Cyan fights it down, struggling
to hold back tears. The adrenaline dump hits, and her body begins
to tremble; again, the bard has to fight not to vomit. But she
does this quietly, letting the others speak, the others decide on a
course of action, while she struggles to cope with the reaction that
always hits after the coldfury leaves her.
The redhead is careful not to look around at the bodies. Flashes
of images erupt in her mind, her sword cuts, she laughs.... Cyan
shakes her head, trying to will away the pounding pain. There was fire....
This time, as always, Berd supplies her with the answers, in far more detail than the norm.
Nausea still threatens, and her hands still shake, but Cyan shifts Berd
to the ground, then turns to her hands and knees, labouriously picking
herself up to her feet. The bard takes a step towards Jack and
Kallika then halts, rocking back and forth slightly, staring at them
kissing. Turning away, now, jade eyes dull, she silently moves to
Jack and Kallika's gear, and begins to pack it for them, head throbbing
in time with her heart. Get it ready...have to help Kallika...Spirits, help me keep myself together. Somehow, Cyan does; Kallika and Lexy need help. They don't have time to coddle her.
Berd's control over this reality is still holding firmly; he breathes a
rainbow cloud over Cyan's equipment, and when it clears, the gear is
packed.
Picking up Jack and Kallika's equipment, Cyan staggers as muscles
protest - they ache, she aches all over. Still silent, she walks
to Lexy's equipment and hefts that as well.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
As always Kali knew that the laughter was Jacks way of
dealing with a bad situation, trying to defuse his own worries for her
and the other. His way of making a stand against the pain, anger and
the fear. Right now the worries and fears for everyone were gnawing at
him and eating at his gut. Kali was at the epicenter of those fears,
his worry for her. She knew he would be there for her and be glad to be
there no matter what.
As her fingers trace the lines and contours of his face,
they find it smiling pleased at her touch. They also find the thin
trails of coagulating blood. He met her kiss relieved that they had
made it though and could kiss. He drank it in letting it melt
some of the worries away. Gods he was so glad just to hold her again,
he didn’t they were going to survive that one. She can feel a mixture
of embarrassment and pride at Kali’s feelings of his greatness. She
knows that it means more to him than any of his princely coronations.
To just be a man and to be a great man in the heart of the one you
love. That is what life and love was meant for.
When they parted from the kiss, Jack stood
picking Kalika up in his arms. Cradling her as he had when they came to
camp. “Don’t worry about me dear,” Jack said softly “I’m not hurt, I
just burst a few blood vessels is all. High blood pressure from hell.
You, Lexy and Ares are the ones that worry me.” He bent down and
awkwardly picked up Kali’s sword, placing the hilt in her hand. “Your
weapon love, be careful not to cut anyone. Why don’t you put it up for
the moment.” He stood again and moved to his own discarded sword. “The
thing burned Lexy pretty bad. . .She, either didn’t set up a defense or
couldn’t defend against it.”
He nodded to Lexy sending an image of the
charred woman to Kali “Hanging in there kiddo?” He asked Lexy, knowing
that she was a trooper. Still going despite the fact that what she had
been through was worse than any of them. Once gossamer blue clothing
burnt tatters, the damage to her flesh and hair bring back hints
of his anger. These are his friends. He continued on picking up his own
sword still speaking, to much to say to stop. “Thanks Cyan.” he said to
the bard as she helped them pack. “Berd seemed to think that this thing
was akin to the Gatherer, what connection did he make.” Jack scanned
the group, “Also the old man that came for Cylla back in the Ice Giants
word. . .He had one eye, correct? The reason I ask is because I got
some thing from this thing. A image of an old man with one eye and the
name of THE BROKEN GOD
Kali could feel a new set of worries in Jack, that thing was his polar opposite. The mention of THE BROKEN GOD.
How much of it may have to do with him, he was a broken man, who walked
a broken pattern. Something had happened with the Gatherer, tying him
deeper with the Dark well. That is where his new found shadow form came
from. He was worried about what was happening, both what had happened
with that thing and what had or was happening with him. What he had
manifested in the last part of the battle with that thing was thing he
had never seen before. Jack was worried. . .Jack was so worried. . .
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack can feel Kali reciporcate his feelings of support. Just as he
would be there for her, she would be there for him, no matter what.
Kali chuckles when Jack tells her not to worry. "I'll stop worrying for
you when you stop worrying for me" she says aloud with a hoarse
chuckle, she smiles, but it causes the seared skin around her eyes to
crinkle and she winces.
Kali's hand grips her sword's familiar hilt and her face goes blank,
her mouth set in a grim line. She wonders if she'll ever be able to use
it again. "If I try to sheath it I may stab you by accident" she admits
softly "Please, let me walk, I need to try" she requests, the need
clear in her voice.
Once set down she tries to sheath the blade. It is a clumsy, awkward
motion for something she once did so effortlessly, so smoothly. She
sucks in a sharp breath when the sharp blade opens up a cut on her
thumb. She hadn't realized it was in the way of the blade when she
finally slide it into its sheath. "Shit" she mutters under her breath
and takes a few steps towards where she thinks Jack is, but stops. She
can't be a burden on him like this. Instead she grows a claw and uses
it to slice a ragged swath of cloth from her shirt and uses it to
haphazardly bind the wound. She reaches out, seeking Jack, and smiles
in relief when she finds his hand. There you are... she smiles smally, not wanting to hurt her face, for now her thumb throbs as well.
When she sees Lexy's charred and burnt body, a rage flares in her as well. You
are right, she is strong to survive that and still work magic to get us
out of here. We'd've been killed if it weren't for you. She states it as a fact, for that's what it is We need to leave this place.
She feels Jack's worry, and shares it, sharing the load, taking on some of the weight. Much
weighs on your heart my love... I know much worries you and plagues at
you. Together, we can face those down. We will have time to work things
out once we get in a safer place and Lexy and Ares get medical
attention... I fear this is little they will be able to do for me. She sends him her support, her love.
Hunter jogged up, taking a place at Jack's side, lending support as well.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Finally finished, Cyan stands, burdened under the weight of her light
pack, and the other three, carried haphazardly slung over her shoulders
and in her arms. It isn't anything she cannot handle, though, and
Jack will need to assist Kallika. She would paint a ridiculous
vision, except for her miserable eyes and slightly twisted smile.
"I am prepared," she says, quietly.
Berd floats over to hover a short distance from Kallika (keeping away
from Hunter as he does). Making a high pitched clicking sound
with his tongue, the little dragon flaps back to land atop Cyan's pack,
on her back, forcing a small grunt from the bard as she readjusts to
take the small, but extra, mass. As he does, the little dragon
allows reality to drift back to its norm for this particular layer.
With that, the last, tingling vestiges of the mindlink dissipate.
For most, it had become nothing more than an odd background. For
some, it had been rather on the forefront of their thoughts. An
odd expression, mingling relief, loss, and despair, crumbles Cyan's
features for an instant, before they harden into agates.
"Best that we go, swiftly now. Kallika, Ares and Lexy require
succor - Aaron, if you would assist Lexy if she falls...?" Cyan
asks the Defender, motioning towards the wavering woman. "Ares -
are you well to walk?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack had let Kali down to the ground
hesitantly, not really wanting to let her go. Yet at her insistence he
did, though she had no psychic hold over him there was little he could
say no to Kali about. Wisenheimer, he silently replied to deal at not worrying a mental grin could be felt. “Then walk dear, but lean on me as you feel the need.”
Jack clucked his tongue You struggle to hard lalai, you have
drawn and resheathed that sword thousands of times over a life time.
When you had your eyes, you could do it by feel alone, now that you
don’t have them you are trying to look. Stop looking and work by feel. He chides her lovingly. Feel
the sword in your hand, you know how it is supposed to feel. Listen to
the world around you and use your wolves hearing, smell as only you can
my love. Rely on what you have, do not worry about what you do not
have. We will find a way to help you see again, in infinite worlds
there are infinite answers.
“Lexy, we are ready to go when you are.” He gave
Kali’s hand a gentle squeeze, reaching out he took he embrace the small
Chunchee woman, “Yes dear heart, we shall work it out once we get to a
safe place. So far though we can not seem to find a safe place. Now we
have so much to work out, Cyans cards, your sight. We will all pull
together and work it out.” Jack reached down a ruffled Hunters fur.
Letting the others work out the spesifics for the moment. Jack had
other things to deal with. At this point if Ares, Aaron, Lexy or Cyan
wanted to take leadership, that was fine. Perhase I did save everyone, perhase not. Any way you slice it I was only doing what I had to.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
With a sigh, Aaron stopped amidst the group, not realizing that he was
pacing until he actually noticed that he was. Taking a long, deep
breath, the man closed his eyes, and released it very slowly, his hands
passing down his body as he exhaled.
After opening his eyes, he seemed much calmer, and he looked to Lexy as
he walked towards her. He admired her persistence, especially after
going through so much in such a short amount of time.
"You are right, Lexy. Yet, I cannot help but be concerned for you.
Should you become weakened, I will be there to help you and get us
safely through Shadow, if you are unable to continue."
Looking to the rest of them, Aaron nodded. Jack, Kali, Cyan, Ares,
Lexy, Berd, Hunter, Arianne... himself. They were all in bad shape, but
at least none of them were dead. Only because they knew each other,
were familiar with each other's actions and ways, did they survive.
"If we're all ready..." he said, letting it trail off in the answers of others, or the manipulations of Lexy.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lexy nods slowly, pulling together her strength, ignoring the pain she
feels. Pain is fleeting, it is temporary, it's lifes way of telling you
that you are still alive.
Thankfully, what she is about to do is without movement. Rather, the
movement comes to her. Slowly, she calls up the twisting strands of the
Logrus, each single strand moving constantly, always moving.
She bends her mind to the twisting form before her, using her mastery
of it, commanding it to seek out that which they need. Medical
attention, safety, After a few minutes of silence, Lexy finds one
shadow, but discards it. Not suitable. But in the right area. She
concentrates her search, calling in several tendrils to sweep. Again
and again, she discards Shadows as unsuitable, until finaly she finds
one that is perfect, where they will be well treated, and taken care
of, where time moves quickly still, to rest and to recover.
Tendrils are chosen, and sent out, the group carefully ensared within
their grasp, gently, as soft as a lovers caress, as strong as a vice.
They are hers to take where she will, and she will not see them hurt or
misused during her travels.
With everyone in her grasp, Lexy anchors one loose tendril on her destination, and pulls.
The world around changes..
...a world of water, where jelly things roam the seas...
...a single man, staring at them as they go by..
...a castle, pennants fluttering in the breeze...
...more modern now, the castle replaced by buildings...
...tall and sleek spires of glass...
...a walled city surrounded by mutants creatures...
...another walled city, the gates wide open...
...odd vehicles flying in the sky...
...slower now, near their destination...
...an empty alley, clean. The ground smooth and artificial, A soaring
bridge, high above a city. The sounds around them of a bustling
metropolis. All clean, all well kept. No one around, no witnesses to
see their arrival.
"That panel over there." Lexy says, motioning to a some sort of device
on the side of the road. "It can be used.. used to summon medical
help." she says, forcing herself to stand, to stay on her feet, to not
lean or sit as she wishes to. Pain is nothing, there is no pain. There
is only the now, there is only herself, and the pain is but an illusion.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Ares
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ares makes his way, painfully, to the panel and studies it for a
minute. Then he turns to Lexy, "High tech world, eh? Will
our appearance excite much curiosity do you think?"
He gestures at his bloody armor, "This isn't exactly a business suit."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack rolled his eyes, “Yes, ways
bleed to death while you figure out if it’s safe for $200 please. What
is over caution Chuck?” Jack stepped away from Kali and over to the
control I’ll be right back lalai. “Sorry to be short Ares, I’m feeling pressed for time and will be
properly afraid of you later. In the mean time can work this out on the
fly?” Jack pressed the button that he though would get him an operator
and summon assistance “What ever happened to a good old fashion police
call box and a phone? Do you know how to work this thing Lexy?”
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Kali shudders when they pass the water world, but isn't gripped by the wild terror as she was before. Baby steps.
The Logrus finds them in an alley of a high tech metropoliation city...
something Kali been in before, but she doesn't know it. She doesn't
have the heart to look through Hunter's eyes. She takes Jack's well
meaning chiding, nodding silently and agreeing with him, although she
withdraws into herself a little. She stands holding her throbbing thumb
in her hands, her face burning, but even that was starting to fade and
she wasn't feeling anything, which was even scarier. She was starting
to feel foolish for keeping her hair in her face, but she had seen
herself and was ashamed... plus it didn't do much for first
impressions. While Jack moves to work on the medical machine with the
injured Ares, Kali moves the hair from her face and opens her eyes.
The orbs are a pure white. She may be trying to look around, to try to
see, but one cannot tell as they are just a uniform color of eerie
white. Now that she has moved the hair from her face, the serious
burns on her face are apparent. The skin around her eyes is deeply
burned, the skin looking crisp, it is cracked in many places and oozing
a clear liquid. It is swollen and the angry red burns contrast starkly
with her completely white eyes... which only draws more attention to
them. Pieces of her hair, shining like silver filaments are stuck in
the ooze from the wound in places. She isn't quite facing the group
head on, but speaks to them anyways.
"Does anyone have an extra cloak? Something with a deep hood?" she asks
a little hoarsely. The way she figures it. they were going to
have to get used to her looking like this just as much as she would.
Hunter remains seated next to Kali and nuzzles her uninjured hand. She
doesn't look down, but wraps her strong fingers into his supple fur and
grips it tightly, taking support from the wolf.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lexy nods, and manges to make her way slowly and none too steadily to
the box she had pointed out. The pain flares, burnt skin that is on the
mend is torn apart once more, and more then once, her vision grays
around the edges. But at least, she still has vision. Unlike the wolf
woman. It is hard for her, but this place was chosen to suit all their
needs.
Lexy leans heavily on the panel, studies it for a minute, and then
fingers dance across the screen for an instant, calling up the EMRC.
"Thank you citizen" comes a small female voice from the panel. "Help
will arrive shortly. Please remain where you are." Lexy turns and
slowly slides down the panel so that she is sitting, and looking up at
the group.
"The response will be from... from androids." And then adding just in
case no one knows. "Clockwork creatures. I'm afraid I don't know too
much about this place, other then it will suit our needs, and we are
safe here, or so the Logrus tells me." Lexy settles down, trying to get
as comfortable as she can, working smal changes slowly, accelerating
growth, stimulating certain cells. She doesn't push herself, she
doesn't even make too much effort.
"The medical facilities here are quite excelent." she says, closing her
eyes and leaning her head back against the blessed cool metal behind
her head.
"And to answer your question Aeres, the androids won't bother with
questions, unless they are specific to our medical needs. However, if
there are questions from anyone else, then I leave up to some of you to
deal with it." she lets her gaze travel to Aaron, Aeres and the little
micro dragon, all of whom she knows have the powers theat would allow
them to overwhelm the minds of 'mere' shadow dwellers.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan, ignoring the others for the moment, carefully puts down her bags
and roots through her own. Within seconds she finds a long cloak;
Berd glances down at it, looks at Kallika, then breathes on it, an
exhalation of shifting greens and blues. The cloak, now shorter,
with a deeper hood, is carried over to Kallika. Cyan crouches
down in front of the smaller woman, feeling a deep shock of sadness
when she looks into the Chunchee warrior's eyes.
"Oh, Kallika...here." Holding out the cloak, she touches it to
the warrior's hand. "It should fit." Quietly, Cyan reaches
out to pull the hair from the wound, but draws back rather than do
it. If there is medical aid coming, best to leave it with them.
Berd, eyes narrowing, glances back to Lexy. He chirps, once, to
her comment, and glances around, waiting for these clockwork creatures.
"Kallika," Cyan whispers, "Remember Kendall, and his clockwork
creatures? I hope these are not like his." Her tone is
light, belying the tears shining on her cheeks.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Ares
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ares grins, though pain is evident on his features, reminded of the clockwork automata on the beach. That seems like months ago, rather than days. he thinks.
Then speaks to Jack, his voice quiet and steady.
"Forgive me Jack, if I seem over-cautious, but I have travelled Shadows
for longer than I care to remember. You, as far as you can
remember, are new to this. Many of these high technology worlds
have complex social codes and laws. Of what use would it be to
Kalika if we were arrested for carrying weapons in a public place?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
It's only a matter of minutes after Lexy places the call, and there is
a loud roaring sound from overhead, accompanied by flashing red, blue
and green lights, and a fan of green light which sweeps over the group
group in the alleyway.
A spotless white object, looking like a small building, descends from
the sky and settles onto six insectile legs which fold out from
underneath it. On each of the two long faces of it there is a
large blue star inside a red circle, and some green writing in an odd
script: Ä∏ßÛ∑Ä√Ç€. There are no windows in the object, but as it touches down a door swings downwards at one end, forming a ramp.
Four "creatures", vaguely resembling the clockwork servants from the
beach in Taheti race down the ramp. They resemble suits of pale
grey armour, with a four character identifier stencilled across the
chest in the same strange writing as on the side of the flying
object. They are legged, but seem to be moving on small wheels on
the undersides of their feet. Each is preceded by a cone of
flickering green light which radiates from the single eye.
"If you are uninjured, please stand aside." The voice is gentle, but firm in tone, issuing from a grille just above the group of symbols on the torso.
The green cones sweep across each person in turn, and the injured are
assisted into the vehicle, while the uninjured are allowed left to make
their own way aboard. Hunter just barely makes it onto the ramp
before it starts to close, and there is a sensation of being lifted.
The injured are resting on cots, strapped down for their own safety,
while the healers examine them and do what they can to assist using the
facilities and supplies in the vehicle.
Those who are not injured are left to make themselves comfortable on some benches which fold down from the walls near the door.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Waiting for a reply, Kali hears someone approaching and swings her head
in that direction, close to "looking" straight at Cyan but just a
smidge off. At her voice, a smiles starts to grow, but the charred skin
flakes as her skin creases, oozing more clear fluid. This time she
doesn't wince visibly, but the smile quickly fades to a grim line. She
takes the cloak and secures it around her neck and nods her head,
facing her face to where she thinks the Bard is.
"Thank you Cyan" she says, finger exploring the deep hood that she has
left down for the moment "It is perfect" she smiles a smaller more
intense smile.
"Kendall's? Oh gods yes!" she exclaims "All they did was sing that...
well I guess it was considered a song" she laughs hoarsely, grateful
for the other woman's company, she truly was a friend.
Hunter comes to her side and using his eyes Kali adjusts herself so
that she is facing Cyan directly and reaches out to take her injured
hand with her uncut thumb gingerly and squeezes gently as not to cause
the other woman any pain. "It looks like we have both lost something
dear to us Cyan.... for what happened to you I am deeply sorry. It
seems I've picked up some of Jack's bad luck, causing these wounds..
No" she says sharply "Regardless of what you said, strictly speaking it
was my action" another limited smile "Thank you for being a good friend
Cyan"
The doc bots make their entrance and it is probably a good thing that
she is unable to see them and their surroundings. She allows her self
to be carried away, although she is tense, unseeing and unsure. When
they start to strap her down she resists, until Hunter's booming voice
chastises her. With colored cheeks she forces herself to lie still
while she was strapped into place. Where are we going lalai? she asks Jack curiously when the sensation of moving starts. She is hesitant to speak aloud after Lexy's warning.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack started to reply to Ares “I’ve only traveled them for A
century, but you never know what may set the locals off. I’ve seen
worlds where just looking human would mark you. That beard may be a
criminal offence. So I trust Lexy to find us a good world where we will
fit in half way.”
He had more to say but was interrupted by the coming of
the EMT’s so he flashed Ares an apologetic smile and moved over with
Kali. His wounds weren’t bad, but the slowly healing hip and
hemorrhaging counted in his eyes. At least enough to keep him with
Kali, I don’t know where we are much less were we are going. They will help heal us and I will be with you lalai. Taking a moment to move as close to her as possible Jack and still be out of the way. Just relax help is here my love. If he had to he would take on shadow form and nestle in Kali's cloak to be with her.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
No matter how many times it happened, Aaron figured he would never get used to travel using the Logrus. It just felt... odd.
He took in their new surroundings with a mixture of amusement and
inquiry. While not unfamiliar with such Shadows, he hadn't been to one
this technologically advanced. As soon as they had their medical
opportunity, he considered himself "injured." He was certainly going to
try to take better care of his nose this time around.
For all the pain, though, he was certainly glad it was just his nose that was hurting... and not something more.
I saw a woman, floating by, her winged head aloft
so high; upon her back, were cast my dreams, and soon those too, were
lost to I.
In a poetic mood, dear?
Just keeping us in perspective, Lord Aaron.
Silently, Aaron chuckled. So optimistic, Arianne.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan's answering laughter to Kallika is strained, and she shakes her
head after a moment. "I lost...nothing that was not of my own
choosing, Kallika, and little enough. Please, do not speak of
it. You and the others have put up with much from me - you are
true friends." Jade eyes stare at the other woman sadly for a
long moment.
Then the androids arrive, and Berd tugs at Cyan's hair, getting her to
move aside, to allow Jack to take her place. She watches as they
get Kallika and then Lexy prepared for travel, and Cyan hurries over to
stand beside the other woman, watching carefully as her burned friend
is gently taken up.
Then, with a sigh, she hefts her baggage (all of it), and heads into
the vehicle, blinking at the unfamiliar feeling of motion. Berd
crawls around to hang off her neck, and Cyan sits, taking the
opportunity to slowly pull off the bandage on her hand. It's been
a couple of days, now. It looks terrible.
But it does not bleed, and the flap of skin over the wound is beginning to seal.
Aaron is laughing; Jack is sitting over by Kallika. She stares at
the couple for a long moment, then gives Aaron a weak smile.
"Something amusing?" Cyan asks tiredly, rubbing her hair with her good
hand.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Ares
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ares slumps on to the pallet in the ambulance and allows himself to be
straped in. The machines examine is wounded side, product of a
lucky blow when the reptile men had ambushed him, but do not try to
remove his armor.
Either they don't realise it is removable, or they don't want to risk disturbing the wound.
He hopes it's the former, because the latter might be very bad news indeed.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Turning from his position near Cyan within the ambulance, Aaron's mirth diminishes as he remembers his great past occurences.
But still, he allows a small smile towards the woman, letting a bit of life show in his eyes.
"Arianne has chosen to remind me of my frailties, Cyan. I found the
comparison of my recent facial damage to that which I have undergone in
the past, as slightly amusing." He sighed with a shake of his head, and
leaned forwards.
"I found that I have learned, under great pains, to stop sticking my face into everything."
Catching her eyes, he leaned forwards and placed a hand on Cyan's
shoulder, of her bad arm. The silver eye, the replacement for the one
that was missing since Jadus had left, flickers as he blinks, and it is
his brown, left eye that shows the care he means to lend.
"That which has occured is long gone. Though you and I have suffered
such pains as to fill whole libraries, or busy entire orchestras with
our tales of woe and weight, the strength which we can offer our
friends, and ourselves, can more than serve to help us endure any
hardship."
Removing his hand, he leaned back and crossed his arms before his chest.
"I hold a great respect for all of my friends, but you... you I respect
for more than that. Remember your pain, your loss, but never forget
that which you have learned and gained from such loss. If, by chance,
you do forget, I will be here to remind you of what you have gained."
Aaron, sighing, shook his head at himself.
"I have caused more harm than good for this group, but I hold that
which I have gained and the good I have done far higher than that which
I have lost, or done for ill." glancing up at Cyan, he smiles from
under dark eyebrows.
"If, by chance, I forget what I've gained... I will need someone to
remind me. Arianne already has her hands full dealing with my problems.
I suppose I'll have to search for... a reminder of my own."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Pain," Cyan notes with some irony, "is the great teacher of the
universe." Berd looks piqued at this, but chooses not to
interrupt. She doesn't flinch when he places his hand on her
shoulder - it's obvious he isn't taking any liberties. Instead,
Cyan sighes thoughtfully, staring down at her own feet for a moment.
"My pain...Aaron, consider this - I have lost a finger. Hardly
something worth writing a book about, not to mention a library.
That is for the physical pain I have endured. Not being able to
play, though..." Cyan glances up, faint amusement colouring her
topaz eyes. "That might do for a volume. And I know I can
fill at least two more with...other things. But." And here,
she holds up her injured hand, one finger in the air. With a hiss
of disgust at its rather gruesome appearance, the Bard lowers it.
"But what can be endured will be, eventually, passed by. And, as
you say, it will be endured. Our pain will diminish with time -
though I am young," and here, another amused quirk of the lips, "I do
know this. We will survive. And we can hope that what we
have gained will not, also, diminish with time."
Holding up her uninjured hand, she ticks off fingers.
"Knowledge. Wisdom. Experience. And yes, friendship,
the most important of all."
"As for what harm you have caused, well." Cyan trails off,
staring at the injured people for a long moment, lost in thought.
"It matters not. We have all chosen to forget that - to start
anew. Why do you hold it at all? Do not forget, but
forgive, and release. As you say, you have also done good, and
continue to do so, simply by dint of being here, if nothing else."
Turning, she stares at Aaron for a long moment. "Do you fear forgetting?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
As Cyan holds up her injured hand, there is a flicker of green, and a
spray of sparkling light from one of the automata fans across it.
The machine moves silently and takes her hand gently in both of its
own, turning it and studying it. Scanning with the same green
light.
It touches two fingertips to the back of the bard's hand, there is the
faintest of *clicks* a brief double stab of mild pain, and then it
moves away.
Moments later it returns and starts to clean the wound, dropping the
used implements and wads of fabric into a panel which opens in its
abdomen.
Finally it expertly wraps her hand in a fresh bandage, ensuring that it
is secure but does not excessively hinder her other digits.
The other wounded are treated similarly, with Kalika's eyes and the
injury to Ares seeming to be the subjects of special concern...
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lexy lays down, her eyes closed, carefullt held in place so as to not
agravate her burns. For all the world, she looks asleep or comatose. Or
maybe just really cruising high on painkillers. In truth, she is none
of these. She listens to what is going around her, gathering her
strength, and bidding her time.
But finaly she does crack an eye open, and it turns on Cyan.
"Cyan, the loss of a single digit will not silence you unless you let
it." she says, frowning, and her voice tinged with anger. "It is
nothing to a true muscician. You could loose an entire hand, and if you
really loved music, then you would not let that stop you." She turns
her head slightly to better look at he other woman.
"Missing a finger is no handicap, is no real hinderance. You adapt, and
you overcome. You still have many other digits to use, and Shadow
abounds with inrtuments, players, teaches and masters. You can't play
what you are used to? Then you change, you bend your will, and conquer
that, and never let it stop you. You would let the experience enrich
your music, and become stronger for it." she says, her eyes flicking to
the stump. "But no, you won't. You lament the loss of your finger, and
use it as a crutch. Perhaps I was wrong about you. Perhaps you are not
a true student of the Art, but like so many others a pretender, one who
seeks music not for musics sake, but for a more selfish reason. And
once it's no longer easy to do, you give up, leaving it behind like
some broken toy." Lexy's words are still angry, but now are
tinged with sadness. Slwoly, she turns her head away from Cyan, and
closses her eyes once more.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Kali lies back and soon finds herself able to relax. With Jack and
Hunter there she felt safe. When the two sharp needles pierced her
charred skin, she started, but the deadening, numbing affect of
whatever it was they injected her soon eased her fears. With it deaded,
she didn't feel the android mechanically removed the dead pieces of
flesh and hair and apply a salve another one was examining her eyes,
but the injection made her entire face feel numb so she wasn't too
aware about that either. She lies there, thinking, hoping things would
be ok as her thumb is expertly bandaged, among other things.
You are right of course... I have over-reacted to this, but it will
be a long, hard process to retrain myself with this handicap... if
these clockwork people cannot heal it. We don't have the time for that she sighs mentally and contines her words to Jack I'm afraid I'm just going to be extra baggage for this quest. Kali wasn't comfortable with this, but she did accept it out of
necessity. She shuddered, remember the image of herself from Hunter's
eyes and his quickly blocked revulsion. Just when I thought things were getting better. She chuckles aloud, but it is a dry chuckle with little mirth.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron would have responded to Cyan's question of him, for he did have
an answer, but Lexy, in obvious pain, bit back. Because of that, he
refrained from answering for the moment... deciding to let the
conversation take its new course.
Despite his silence, he could have said a great deal more, but he felt it best to remain quiet amidst the argument.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan looks at Lexy curiously, then laughs, quietly. "I think you
have misunderstood some of what I have said, Lexy, rather
grossly. Think back; Aaron spoke of filling LIBRARIES with my
sorrows; I spoke of it filling PERHAPS a book. Please take a
long, hard look at the magnitude of the difference, there, before you
judge me as a wallower in my own misery - I was merely stating that
things are not nearly as poor as Aaron seems to make out. A
single book against thousands...the choice of words WAS deliberate."
Looking down at her hand, Cyan continues quietly, without a trace of
bitterness. "I might well have said - balance a pebble of sorrow
against the weight of a boulder, or three. Now, I DID say I was
unable to play - this, naturally, distresses me. I did NOT say it
was forever."
She shrugs, once. "For an artist, you are displaying an unusually
poor grasp of metaphor, but I suspect I could chaulk that up to your
current condition." Her voice softens. "I expect you are
in...rather a great deal of pain. You throw insults in my
direction, possibly in order to anger me, to spur me to action - I will
repeat, Lexy, I am not a child. Nor am I behaving like one, I
think. This..." She waves her hand in the air. "...is
a difficulty. It has ruined my playing of the harp, for a
time. Eventually I shall regain what I have lost, learn to
compensate. Will you remonstrate me that I feel some loss, some
distress at what I HAVE lost? Will you feel disgust towards me,
that I have let it give me pause for...what, a day? Two? I
have had little chance, beyond the moment of amputation, to think on
it. My voice is unharmed. Eventually I will return to my
prior skill with the harp or, as you say, another instrument.
Judge me as you will - I cannot prevent that."
Her smile is thin - obviously the other woman's words have disturbed
her, though not because they have cut to the truth of the matter - they
have not. Rather, she is displeased that Lexy thinks so little of
her, and misunderstands her so much.
"Perhaps," she muses, "when I am older, and more experienced, I shall
be able to take a loss and merely banish my feelings instantly, rather
than taking a day or two to come to terms and continue onwards."
Cyan frowns, emerald eyes hooded, and looks away. "Pardon
me. That was uncalled for, and rude - for that, I am sorry.
In any case, I am ALSO very, very sorry you have come to this
conclusion. You are correct, in one way. You were wrong
about me. As for me being a 'true student of the art'..."
For the first time anger flickers in her eyes, but Cyan banishes it,
merely making a rude noise, then sighs, tiredly.
"I expect your years of experience make it so that you have the right
to judge that?" The question is obviously rhetorical - with Lexy
having turned her back, literally and figuratively, Cyan isn't
expecting an answer. It's also delivered quietly, with a razor's
edge. "I am sorry you are hurting right now, Lexy. If there
is anything I can do, please tell me. But lashing out at me will
not help you feel better."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Listening to the conversation between the other women, something that
Cyan says prompts Kali to answer in a voice slightly slurred by numb
lips.
"No Ccyan, hopefully you will not be able to banissh your
feelingss ssso eassily when taking a lossss. And if you do, it won't
come from travelingg experiencce" she laughs harshly, thinking of her
travels, through Chunchee lands and Shadow and of the losses... Vorkon,
her eyes, other fleeting things that register as loss, but not on the
magnitude of a human life or appendage, things not worth mentioning and
lending much thought to.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lexy takes a deep breath and quells the anger she is feeling. What good
did that just do? It gained her nothing at all. Now she turns back to
Cyan, and once more opens her eyes.
"I owe you an apology, my friend." she says quietlym her voice now
gentle. "You're right. I'm hurt, and I'm angry because of it. I lay
here nearly helpless, and that angers me as well. Things are set in
motion that I have no understand of, and that too angers me. I lashed
out at the first thing I could, which unfortunatly was you. I'm afraid
I may have been rash to have said what I have said, and I can only
blame my current condition on that. Still, that does not excuse me for
what I said. I hope you never become as old and jaded as I am, Cyan.
Your youth and vitality are part of what make you what you are, a
traveling companion that I am proud to call my friend." Lexy gives the
girl a brief smile before continuing. "I'm afraid I've gotten a bit
prickly in my old age, and though I could easily blame circumstance, I
made my choices, and I live with them." Lexy shrugs ever so slightly.
"So please bare with me, and feel free to prick me when I get too full of myself."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan turns and stares sadly at Kallika for a long moment; it's obvious
the other woman knows of what she speaks. "I am sorry, Kallika -
I did not mean to disturb you...and that is my hope as well. It
sounds to me that you, as all of the older people here, are well
acquainted with loss."
Turning back to Lexy, she smiles, again saddened, but heartened that
the other woman has laid aside her anger. "Old and jaded? I
would say experienced, Lexy - you are hardly old. And yes,
circumstance is likely far more to blame than any 'jading'." Her
amethyst eyes, study the other singer. "I see a woman who was
worried about her friend, and frustrated by circumstances; nothing
more. What you said is forgiveable, and the anger easily
forgotten, though the wisdom is not - while it may not apply HERE, it
is certainly worthwhile."
"'If you prick me, do I not bleed?' Another line from that most
famous teller of stories. I do not wish for you to bleed,
Lexy." Moving closer to the other woman, she places one hand on
her shin, an area that has escaped the brutal burns, and touches
Kallika's foot, something she can reach without having to fight her way
past android, wolf, and lover. "You two...I see much in you that
I wish for myself. I listen. I could do far, far worse than
you for examples of how to live."
Berd, sitting back at the seat, glances up, then blows a small cloud of
dark purple in the air, in a spiral pattern. Sighing, he goes
back to sleep.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
There is a sudden sensation of falling, mercifully short-lived, and an
odd whirring sound from somewhere beneath the floor. Moments
later the group feel the softest of jolts, and the door drops open to
reveal a sight of almost breath-taking splendour.
The ambulance has settled, along with several others, onto a flat
area. There are numerous domes and clusters of upright cylinders
scattered across this area, and a single, small building, only one
storey tall in the centre of it. Only when the eyes wander to the
low wall which surrounds this landing zone does scale reassert
itself. The wall is at least a mile away in all directions, and
beyond it are other buildings, many of them higher than this one.
All of them stand, gleaming in unbroken sunlight, with their bases lost
in the clouds below the level of what is now, clearly, a rooftop.
The air is cool and thin, but the passengers are not given much time to
notice this, as they are moved swiftly by the androids, guided towards
the small structure, some assisted and some under their own power.
At the door they are met by the first living thing they have seen since
they came here. The woman, who introduces herself as "Doctor
Sendall", assasses each person as they appear, then directs the
androids where to take them.
And so the group is split up, leaving Jack, relatively unharmed as he is, in a waiting area with Hunter and Berd.
In various parts of the hospital, the others are treated for their injuries.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Kali shrugs as best she can given the fact that she is secured into
place. "No disruption Cyan..." she replies, and then leaves the other
women to complete their differences.
She dozes then, the androids had finished with her eyes for now and she
took the chance to get some much needed rest, the adrenaline and Jack's
power word fading fast. It only seems like seconds before she is jolted
awake by the ambulance setting into place. They move out and she
refrains from "using" Hunter's eyes. She knows he would let her, but is
hesitant, not wanting the wolf to feel that she is using him. They
start to take her away, rolling her from Hunter and Jack and she is
unhappy, for she took solace from the silent presence of Jack, a
stalwort guard and protector. She shares that thought with him and
mentally smiles, a half teasing, half serious grin that doesn't get cut
off when the hospital doors slam closed behind her.
In her actual room, Kali tries to be on her best behavoir and lie still
while she is examined and her eyes poked and prodded. Her mind wanders
and then she comes to a startling relevation: she knew where the people
in the room were!! Even though she could not see, she could sense them,
feel the beating of their hearts, hear the sound of their breathing. It
was a little accomplishment, for it was doubtful she would be able to
track living things like this in the heat of a noisy battle, but it
gave her hope, and she clung to that hope.
Then the whispered voice. She frowns, relaying the conversation to Jack and Hunter through their shared link.
"Why not?" she asks clearly "What is it?!" as much as she tries, she can't quite keep the stab of alarm from her voice.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd sits quietly with Jack, examining his foreclaws. Every now
and then, he glares at the 'No Smoking' sign, and shakes his head.
Eventually Cyan walks back in, obviously the first to come out of the
rooms. Her hand has, obviously, been bandaged yet again.
"Jack! Hunter!" she says, with obvious relief, and hurries
over. "Has there been aught news of Kallika, or the others?" the
Bard continues, worried, touching his arm and sitting down.
Berd, for his part, crawls over and sits on her lap, shaking his
head. Cyan deflates somewhat, then looks up with sparkling topaz
eyes. "This place is fantastic! They have put a salve on my
wound that should allow for quicker healing, and told me that had it
been a trifle less time to arrive, they might have been able to do
something about the finger! Truly incredible - I must recall
it." She pauses, grimacing. "Ah. It appears the cube
has done so, for me."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
After a time, Aaron, who had been silent since his conversation with
Cyan in the ambulance, returns. His nose has been reset and bandaged,
for the third time in his life.
With a sigh, he shakes his head as he looks to Cyan, Jack, Hunter and
Berd. He moves ahead, and sits next to Cyan, placing his forehead in
his hands as he leans.
"I swear, I'll be happy if this is the last medical facility I ever see." he chuckles and rises, leaning back against the wall.
With mention of the cube, Aaron glances beside him, to Cyan.
"So it too, wishes to remember." As I do... he thought to himself.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lexy is somewhere else in the hospital, though where exactly she
couldn't say. Wherever it was, they where definatly taking care of her.
She lays comfortably in the bed she finds herself in, the burns covered
in some sort of gunk that allows her to move in relative comfort,
lessening the pain. The drugs they are pumping into her help with that
as well. Yes, all is very well. The burns arn't that bad, everything is
quite good. the mysterious entity must have had it's reaosn, so it'a ll
good. heck, even th eend of the world doesn't seem that bad right now.
Then she frowns. Something wasn't quite right. She looks around, but
nothing seems out of place, no outward threat is present. So she turns
her sight inward, adjusting her body slightly so that the drugs they
pump into her are no longer effective. That they worked in the first
place was an oddity in itself. But it was hard to think through the fog
of the drugs.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
"I expect you grow tired of white walls, and well meaning people
hovering about you," Cyan notes to Aaron. She stares, her emerald
eyes crossing slightly, at the bandage on his nose. "I grow used
to seeing that there - you might consider it as an affectation."
Then the Bard laughs, quietly. "I only jest."
Growing more sombre, she taps the cube, nods. "I wonder...what
was the purpose of this? To allow Cylla to return to the places
she had been, certainly. But why? To harvest?"
Glancing around nervously, she shifts. "Lexy has been gone a long
time....her injuries, while severe, were not as deep as those of
Kallika. Is there anywhere we might find information on her or
Ares?" She knows Jack will be able to keep them up to date
regarding Kallika.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack sat in a brooding silence while
everything transpired. Morose and melancholy thoughts of Kali locked
away from her as to not worry her. Thoughts thought behind the walls of
his mind, decisions made. He had questions for Kali once she was back,
questions that may decide their path. He paced in front of the door
that they took his Chunchee sending not just his mind with her, but a
tendril as well to ensure that their intentions were good and no ill
afoot. All but ignoring the bickering of the bade women. Women would be
women, best to keep out of it.
Jack responded mentally to Kalika You did not over
react, you faced a huge trauma and still have to deal with it. Things
are getting better as well, we have each other do we not? However life
always seems to send us trials. (She could feel his mental sigh and
warm hug)
Jack paced back and forth like a caged
animal, worried for his love . His face grew intense and he waved off
Cyan as she came out looking extremely concerned “Lalai”
He says both mentally and aloud “What is it, what is going !?!” He had
heard her questions, but not yet the whispered voice. “Who is there,
please do not agree to anything without consulting me. . .
Jack was growing agitated now and started following the
tendril to Kali, trying to ge through the doors that they had not
allowed his through before.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron found the image that formed in his mind amusing, as he
contemplated Jack. The man remained sitting slightly nearby, beside
Cyan.
Moody, brooding, no doubt seriously worried over the injuries of his
dearest Kalika, Aaron found the image of how he used to act towards
Jack as an almost hilarious counterpoint.
Jack, moody, would snap at him if he questioned. Aaron, at the time
insane, would unsheath Ilsefranvir and place it to his throat.
"See me not, understand me not." What is that? Perhaps it was his nose talking, but Aaron nearly found the random, wandering thoughts hilarious.
Shaking his tired mind away, Aaron leaned forwards and cast a gaze upon the wandering Shadow dweller.
Arianne...
And she emerged. Her velvet-like touch floated across his consciousness like carressing fingers.
Ever present to do your reqest, my Lord.
Ha ha. he jested. Focus me upon my friend, will you dear?
While unable to channel his thoughts directly, Arianne had
the ability to assist Aaron in the gathering and collection of his
focus, and that assisted the man in getting Jack's attention. Instead
of simply saying the man's name, Aaron needed to get to Jack.
If Jack began to be worried too much, put his heart before his head, he
would stumble. They needed to watch him, support him.
Jack! he commanded, calling out to the man mentally. While his
ability couldn't be compared to Jack's, Aaron knew his limits when it
came to the mind. He'd certainly had his share of psychological
experiences. He sought him out, remembering the resonance and the
familiarity of Jack's thoughts in their past battles and actions.
"Jack? You're certainly awfully quiet over there." Aaron now asked, and
his voice held a note of concern. "Any idea how your other half fares?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack shot Aaron an annoyed look, he was
focused on much at the moment intently with his full attention. The
contact with Kail through the bond of the triad, figuring out what was
going on with her. The tendril that he had sent with her to read the
medical staff and his worries. And Aaron was trying to get his
attention mentally now. Yet the annoyed look quickly changed into a
shame faced expression.
“I’m trying to figure that out right now. .
.” Jack said softly and hesitated “Aaron. . .May I ask a boone? If we
need to be dropped off some place, can you take us if Lexy can not or
will not?” He asked quietly wanting to slip through this potential
easily. He was figuring the Amber man would be happy to be rid of him
after their past, so would be the easiest to convince.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Kali was calmed my Jack's touch, even if it was through their mental
link. Was irritated at the doctors, and curious about the extend
of the damage.
Yes she smiles mentally As long as there is you it will be ok.
On her bed, she frowns. They say I can't leave... I want to..
need to know why. There are four of them... I know where they are! I
can feel their hearts, hear their breath she shares with a thrill of excitement and hope Try not to worry too much... I won't agree without asking you first lalai another mental smile, his worry brings a loving feeling to her,
although she is concerned that it may consume him... but it didn't seem
that bad, which also relieved her.
Kali took a deep breath and tried to remain calm and patient.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cocking his head to the side, Aaron considered Jack's request. He could
mean it for any number of reasons, but he would leave the thoughts to
later. With a smile, Aaron nodded.
"I'll pull us wherever we need to go, Jack. Don't worry about that."
But we all go. he thought to himself. Something about the way Jack asked...
He settled his look upon Jack for a moment longer before leaning back
and returning his gaze to the hallway. His attentions off of the man,
Aaron put on a calm face. Inside, he frowned.
He's hiding something from us. He's distracted, and I bet the secret has to do with Kalika. Aaron's eyes narrowed as he thought.
Better to wait.
Aaron agreed.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack walked towards the door speaking over
his shoulder “Not we the group Aaron, a place for we three, the triad.
The group has the quest to finish. . .” With that he when through the
door following the tendril towards Kali.
“They can not seem to figure out what is wrong lalai, the have no idea what the poison is or how to fix the damage it’s done.” Jack kept his fall of emotions hidden, but instead let his hope shine
through at her latest realization that she could hear and smell so
well. Something else was hidden away, he needed her answers with
effecting the out come Kalika are you planning to leave the group? she knew he would not separate from her.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Kali frowned deeply. By the fact that Jack was only sharing his hope at
her relevation, she knew that there was more going on and wondered why
he was blocking it. She wasn't upset, but trusted Jack and figured that
he had this reasons. This as with her other thoughts, she kept open to
Jack and Hunter.
If possible the frown deepened with his news. This place of advanced
medical aid didn't know what the poison was that took her sight. They
couldn't fix it. They had treated her cut thumb and put salve on her
face for the burns from the poison, those would heal. Probably leave
scars, but would heal. But her eyes... She takes in a deep breath
and squeezes her eyes shut, trying to sort out her feelings and
emotions. Her mind did not shirk the facts. This was probably a
permanent thing that she would have to adjust to and fast... and then
Jack's next question.
For a moment Kali lies there dumbly, taken aback. Leaving the group had
never ocurred to her.. but now that Jack mentioned it... she would need
time to get used to not being able to see and reacting to people and
would have to adapt her fighting style. Like all Chunchee warriors, she
was trained in blind fighting, but those were skills she had not used
in a while and it would take time before she was satisfied with her
command of them once again. At the same time, she could work on these
skills while they travelled. She had sworn herself to a Prince of Amber
to complete this task and the group needed Jack. That was just made
very clear by their last encounter. Indecision knaws at her. She knows
that her recovery would be faster if she left, but if she left Jack
left, and they needed Jack and she could not abandon the quest until it
was completed or she was released by Julian. She let out a breath she
didn't realize she was holding and, despite the fact that she shared
her thoughts and feeling with Jack, answers him. I had not considered that as an option... but after considering everything, I don't think it would be the right thing to do. she pauses, seeking his thoughts What do you think?
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Forgive me for hiding part of my mind dear heart Jack reassured her warmly, a soft smile found his lips as he looked off into no where I do not want to add to your worries with mine, you need to worry only
about getting better and coming back to my arms. That and I want your
answers to be you own not effected by me. You were thinking briefly
about leaving earlier, worried that you would be a hindrance. I was
just following up on that, I want only what you want. The quest and
promises to the prince are not what holds me here, you are. You have
given much to the quest, and now your eyes. . . In some ways you have
given enough, who could blame you if you chose to give up? What ever
your choice I will support it and be there for you, but I do have a
question. What would you choose if it were me in your boots? If I lost
something dear to me, handicapping my mind and psyche. . . What would
you do with me? Would you let me continue on in danger?
She knew Jack was taking round about paths and
feeling everything our with her and what she wanted to do, she could
feel him doing it. He honestly would not ask anything of her that she
did not want, and would be there no matter what she chose. He himself
was neutral, part of him wanting to doggedly finish the quest no matter
what. Yet another part delighted in the thought of being able to find a
peaceful place for three of them. Some where he felt he could look
after Kali and hunter. . . The last of his walls came down and she
could feel his deep heavy worry for her, counter pointing his gratitude
that she was alright. He could not just let her stubbornly put herself
at risk if she could not deal with the dangers to come or the emotional
losses. He had to look at for her best interest and he was trying to
see if she could handle everything. He would give life and limb to
protect her. . . Even from herself if push came to shove.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Kali chuckles, aloud and in her head. Jack was right, she had
thought of leaving, when she was caught up in the malestorm of emotions
that assailed her after the injury. The people here may not have been
able to heal her wounds, but they were able to take the pain away.
Oddly enough her eyes hadn't hurt much after the venom was cleared out,
it was the skin around her eyes that burned... but the salve had seen
to that. The removal of the pain, accompanied with being able to speak
with Jack, made her a lot more at ease and made it easier for her to
think things through without losing her grip.
She mulls over his words. She wasn't upset about him blocking things
and smiled warmly in return this his reply. If she was with him, she
would have kissed him... or at least tried. He mentions no one blaming
her if she gave up, and her jaw sets into a stubborn line in an
unconsciou echo of the change in her mindset. She did not simply give up.
She had endured greater pains during her youth and that did not stop
her, and if she could endure those pains and wounds she could endure
those. That was her rationale, what was keeping her from plummeting
back into the whirpool of anger, feeling of unfairness, and self
loathing that had come so close to swallowing her after the injury. It
was Hunter's bluntness that had snapped her back into reality and her
mind conjured and clung to the reasoning that would keep her operating
normally. She had withstod more abuse and survived for the better. This
situation was not the end of the world. She would preservere as she had
before.
She took time before answering his role reversal question. She was
thinking about her emotional response versus her logical response and
which would win the battle... That is a hard question to give a straight answer Jack, but then again I think you know that a mental smile It
would depend on how you handled it... if it was severely hindering and
you were reacting poorly... like I was at first then there would be no
question, we would go somewhere else until you recovered. But if you
were handling it and wanted to continue on, I would probably allow it,
but would keep an extremely close monitor on you and if continuing had any negative impact to your recovery we would be gone.
Kali answers as honestly as she can, but still sends her uncertainy,
for how she reacted would depend heavily on Jack and how he was doing
and the nature of the injury.
She felt his heavy worry and wished that she could take it away, take
the burden of it on herself. She tried not to let is scare her as
well. If what happened to her had Jack so worried it was a strong
indication of the severity of her injuries and she wondered if he had
learned anything else from the minds of the doctors. She was hit with
the strong urge to leave this place. Get a jar of the salve and then
sink into the shadows of her deeply hooded cloak to cover her
disfigurement and leave. Rejoin Jack... and Hunter... and then the
others and just leave this whole mess behind her, behind them. She
futitely strained against her restraints and relaxed with a sigh. Even
though she knew there were others in the room and that Jack and Hunter
were there with her mentally, simply because all she "saw" was black
made her feel so terribly vulnerable and alone...
Kali blinked and laughed dryly, reigning in her depression. She would
endure this, just as she had before. And besides the one thing she
hadn't felt from Jack was pity (which was a good thing) and she
stubbornly refused to pity herself. Ah what a nutcase I have become... take away sight and madness ensues she jokes with mental laughter, but quietly hopes that it will retreat in time as she adjusts to her new circumstances.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack stopped again in front of
the door what wouldn’t seem to open for him. Pivoting to face the
group, or that which as there, he wore a small soft smile. “I think
Kali’s going to be okay. . .” There was hope in his voice, he could
deal with the physical damage and blindness, but Kali was right in the
little role reversal thing. If she was mentally out of balance he could
not let her risk bad choices. “She will be bind possibly forever. . .”
He took a deep breath. “But she’s okay. Any Idea on the others?”
Good enough for me lalai, Jack sent through the link, As long as you are thinking clearly and can handle it. She had done well looking at the question both with reason and emotion,
to him it sounded like she had found her center and strength of spirit
again. Jack did feel pity, but it was for the next person that crossed
Kali’s blade. He had the feeling that all of this anger would surface
some place. Nothing like a heavy dose of miss placed aggression to make
someone truly vicious.
He wished she were here for that hug
and kiss, instead he was a bit wicked sending a flash of what they had
been doing in the forest before the bonding. No more nutty than the rest of us my love.We need a repeat performance once you are well lalai. hoping it would help take her mind off of everything. Then he grew a bit more serious I will spar with you and be your practice dummy as much as you need
love. You will be the queen of frappe in no time. I can not tell much
more of what is happening with the med techs, tones of medical jargon
that sounds specific to this world. Ummmm. . . How many hearts
and lungs do you have dear?
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack's last question makes her laugh. How many hearts and lungs? she giggles Umm... that would be 1 heart and 2 lungs.... at least that better be how many I have she answers with a mental wink.
I would appreciate the help sparring... maybe you'll be able to win of your own accord, hmmm? she teases for the blush his other comments caused to rise on her face As for your other proposed activities... she fades off, letting her memories and feelings speak for her.
Lying in her hospital room, she smiles a smile that is just a tad of wicked.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Blind...forever?" Cyan echoes, her ruby eyes wide and
staring. She slowly sags in the chair, shaking her head.
"Is there...oh, spirits." Tears make her vision swim and she
stands, moving to lean against the coffee machine, her forehead
thumping quietly against it. "They can do nothing?" she asks
rhetorically, hopelessly.
"I...I shall try to contact Lexy." With clumsy fingers, not from
the wound, but her sorrow, Cyan struggles to open her sketchbook and
find the sketch of Lexy. Berd helpfully reaches down with a tail
to flip the book open to the exact page, then stares at Jack for a long
moment. Praying quietly to herself that nothing more has happened
to Ares or Lexy, Cyan touches Lexy's sketch and slowly opens herself up
to the palanquet.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Yes I might win, but don’t take it easy on me. After all you know the
standard prize, winner gets anything they want from the loser. He
teased Kali back, playfully curious as to what she would ask of him.
Knowing that she could as anything of him without winning for she had
won him already. Jack laughed at Kali’s giggle hearing it through her
own ears, delighted at the sound Just making certain the Medics have no under reason to hold you love. It was a small worry, but a real on none the less. He would not stand for them to try and use her as a lab rat.
Jack had been sharing all kinds of
wicked ideas with Kali that required no sight. As a matter of fact were
enhanced by the lack of it. After all you did not need to see to play,
and touch would be felt that much clearly. The look on his face was
pleased with a wickedly playful grin. . .when. . . A flash of Cyan’s
well meaning sorrow came through Jack as pity, sparking a bit of his
own sorrow for Kali if only a split seconds worth. Unable to see the
flowers she pressed, his little knowing smirk, so many little things
that made life great. Anger flared in him, a little at Cyan and a lot
at himself. Kali could see the beauty of life through his eyes, shared
as they shared hert and soul. His face hardened as he almost instantly
reigned his feelings. Jack strode across the room set in grim
determination, this needed to be resolved now! His thumb and middle
finger came together curling in a circle, the rest of his fingers held
straight.
He didn’t realize or care that Cyan’s
attention was focused on the image of Lexy, he had to nip this in the
bud. His hand shot out the middle finger snapping out to flip her on
the end of the nose smartly. He knew he stood little chance of actually
touching the bard, much less flipping her nose if she didn’t want him
to. Still he needed her full attention for a moment. More the move of a
impish child than a prince, it let him release a little penned up
frustration as well.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
The smack on the end of the nose comes as a complete surprise.
Berd sniggers, musically. Cyan jerks back, fumbling the book,
catching it in her good hand and looking at Jack in mild shock, rubbing
the end of her nose. She had seen Jack coming, saw the set to his
shoulders...and mistook it for annoyance at something else. The
'attack' had been unexpected...and easily slipped through her
'defenses'.
Keeping her finger in place on Lexy's picture, Cyan cocked her head to
the side and stared at Jack for a long moment. "I was in the
middle of attempting to speak to Lexy," she says finally, in a
thoughtful tone of voice rather than a remonstrating one.
"Hence...I assume you have a point for this, Jack?" Her voice is
quiet, and concerned, as she locks her topaz gaze with his own.
Berd gives Jack a quick look, then yawns and curls up on Cyan's
shoulder...and incidentally, her hair. "Ow! Wretched
creature," she hisses, but leaves him be.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Elsewhere, Lexy waits patiently, feeling her body change, adapting. Her
mind clears, the drugs no longer effective against her, but no longer
dangerous. Funny, she could have sworn she had felt a trump contact.
But if there was, it is not felt now. And she is in no shape to take
one right now. It might be someone friendly, and it might not. So, she
firmly sets her barricades up, ready to block any trump calls that come.
With that done, she finaly looks around, examening her wherabouts
fully. A bed, a room, some sort of gunk on her body. Look down at her
arm, she sees a tube that in turn leads to a machine of some sort,
presumably the thing that is administrating drugs to her. Oter sensors
can be seen attached to various parts of her body, monitoring her
vitals.
She continues looking around the room, taking stock of her injuries,
and her current situation. Food. She'll definatly need food. And rest.
That too. With those two things she'll be fine. She knows this, does
not doubt this. But where to go for that? Where to go for the rest she
needs. Well, she allready knows where to go to get all the time she
needs. But what of the others? Well, if everything goes well, they
won't even notice her gone. She won't be gone for long local time. But
still, she bites her lower lip and ponders that. Only yesterday, Lexy
would have left without any worry. Where she went and what she did was
her own buisness. But now...
Time passes as the woman concentrates, a nurse stops by during the time
and takes some recordings from a machine that seems to be monitoring
Lexy, and then leaves. During that time, Lexy brings forth the twisting
mass of ever moving chaos that is the Logrus, and plucks from it's
writhing core a single tendril.
Sinking herselg into the image, she manipulates the tendril, sending it
out. Finding the others is easy; they burn like beacons in the night.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack glanced at the drake first “I
remember Berd, that is what needs to be addressed.” The his eyes met
Cyan’s topaz eyes and he sighed “Of course I have a reason bard, even
if the action its self was poor manners.” He stood looking at her a
moment thinking of the best way to put this. “I know it is a fine
distinction, but I try to watch the fine distinctions. Forever was a
poor choice of words, the correct answer is no one seems to know how
long Kali will be blind. What’s more is she does not need our sorrow or
pity, it’s not the way of her people or herself. In her world the
strong survive. If anything she needs our sympathy and support. . .”
The big mans expression was not hard, if
anything it was soft and caring now that he had the bards attention.
“She does not want sorrow any more than you want us feeling sorry for
you and your hand, or Ares and Lexy want us feeling sorry for them.
Even the ex-mad savant Aaron and myself do not need pity. Each of you
have my sympathies and fullest support. Would you want us walking
around on egg shells, feeling sorry for poor Cyan and her hand? Or
would you rather we treat you with the respect that you are due, the
respect you earned in loosing that finger? I am sorry if I
misinterpreted what you said, but my mistakes that hurt my friends
whatl I will feel those sorrows for.” Jack had been fully open through
the links the entire time. At the end Jack hangs his head hoping
Cyan will understand.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan listens to Jack speak with part of her thoughts; the remainder is
receiving an unexpected message from Lexy. Focusing, she manages
to reply while still keeping the thread of Jack's words. It's a
learned skill, and part of her training as a Bard.
Turning her amythest eyes and focus towards Jack, she slowly nods as he
finishes. "Jack...do you think I look down upon Kallika? Do
you think it is possible for me to hear that she will be blind, and not
feel sorrow? I cannot turn my emotions off like a spigot," the
Bard continues, glancing away. Would that I could.
"This is more than a finger, Jack. I will not deny the strength
of my feelings. Nor will I deny the respect that Kallika is
due. Did you think I would coddle her, cry bitter tears and wail
when I spoke to her? I had hopes, hopes that this place would be
able to assist her in regaining her sight. Now those hopes are
dashed. Sympathy, she will have. Support, she will
have. Pity, she does not require."
Looking back at Jack is hard, but she does. "I would not expect
people to fawn over me because I am injured. Nor will I do so
with Kallika. But Kallika is wise, and hard-headed, with a mind
like a sword - SHE knows something has changed. And *I*
acknowledge something has changed. We shall have to adjust to
this, her lack of sight. She will have to adapt. And if I
feel sorrow for her loss, yes, her loss, is that an issue so long as I
do not allow it to possess me, and colour my dealings with her?"
Sighing, she raps the side of the machine. "I have been in too
many lands where people try desperately to pretend that when someone
has been injured, permenently, there is nothing wrong with them.
They try to say 'nothing has changed, they are just as able as they
were before'. Lies. It is a sop for the feelings - not for
the feelings of the injured person, but for their OWN feelings of guilt
at being uninjured. No. Better to acknowledge the injury,
acknowledge the loss or sacrifice, and shed tears. Better to say,
'yes, something precious has been lost'. To do otherwise would be
to cheapen it. Better to admit this, and deal with it, rather
than sweep it under the rug. It is a time for sorrow, but that
time shall pass, and then things will continue. Differently, but
they will. Support? I shall give her all the support she
needs, Jack," and Cyan stands up straight, looking Jack in the
face. But her gaze is soft, rather than challanging.
"But not to worry - I shall not treat her as a child, nor wail and tear
at my hair, nor treat her as if she was made of china, when she so
obviously is not. Kallika will adapt - of this, if nothing else,
I am certain. But my sorrow...shall I say to Kallika, 'Oh, your
loss is of no consequence. Just a scratch, like any other.
We shall treat you the same.'" Shaking her head, the Bard
absently scratches Berd's eyeridges. "No. This wound is
deserving of sorrow, and respect."
"Emotion is the tie that binds us. To deny the one is to deny the
other. I feel sorrow...because I care. Please, leave me a
few tears for my friend's loss. But since you wish it so," she
finishes, "I shall keep it to myself."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron, leaning back against his seat next to Cyan, sighed.
"Pardon me, but I think you are underestimating the toll that Kalika's
injury is having on you, Jack. Because of this, your reactions are...
less than pleasant."
The tone of Aaron's voice should have been enough to tell Jack that he had been paying attention to what occured.
"There is nothing that happens in this group that does not affect each
member. If you think otherwise, then that is your own mistake."
Aaron turned, and looked past Cyan. He stared at Jack through the
"blind" eye, having closed his left and chosen to gaze through the
right alone. It was surprising, actually, as there was a difference
between using that eye alone, and using both of them together. The
right eye, the silver orb, was fogged. As if it were watering.
Shaking his head, he opened both eyes, causing the silver fog to disappear.
"No matter who loses what, we all feel it eventually, and the memory
remains. Ignoring it is nothing more than a stupid attempt at escapism."
Leaning back into his chair, he turned from Jack and stared ahead.
"You'll have to convince me of a reason to drag you and Kalika through Shadow, Jack. If you still want to go it alone."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Kali lies quietly taking in the font of emotions, thoughts, and words
from her link with Jack and Hunter, who lie quietly snoozing in a
corner. She knows that Jack is fully capable of handling multiple
things at once, but she doesn't say anything, instead waits to see how
things will play out with the group. Jack's words touched her deeply,
as did Cyan's, but the Amberite brought up a good point. The stress of
battling the entity and her injury and the worry had to be taking its
toll on her love. She sends her love and support in soothing, calming
thoughts.
It seemed Aaron was getting better afterall.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jacks head came up slowly as he listened to the others thoughtfully.
Near the end of Aaron’s speech he stood Shaking his head and gave a
soft half snort half sigh. Looking back to Cyan he replied, knowing
that in some ways it was better that Kali saw and heard this through
the link.
“I do not think you look down on her
Cyan, nor do I expect you not to feel. I am not so much a fool as
to think any one can turn their feelings off, indeed they are to
important. . .However I do not appreciate that you and Aaron insinuate
that Kali or I are avoiding the emotional impact of her injury, I find
it tactless and offensive.” Something in Jacks expression had hardened
just a hair. “Surly you must realize that different people deal with
issues differently, you yourself have noted how quiet Kali often is
around the group. I can tell you that she is not half so quiet. So
often people mistake silence for lack of feeling, but you should know
the old saying that Still waters run deep."
Jack thought about many
incidents between him and Kali over the past few days. Her inability to
gracefully accept a compliment. Her self conscious insecurities over
the net work of scars covering her. She saw them as flaws unable to see
them as he did, to him they were a part of what made her Kalika and
something to be cherished. All to often in his world people became
obsessed with perfection when, the flaws where what made someone who
they were as much as anything. By seeking perfection they sacrificed
reality, rather then embracing who they were. There were so many other
instances of Kali’s quiet and simple way of life he could not count.
This was what he was standing for, her rights and choices to deal with
it in her own way.
“Cyan, you know as well as I do that
different people deal with things differently. Kali and I both know
that she is blind, that is a fact. We do not pretend otherwise. . . I
do not press this out of guilt that I can see or any other reason for
myself. Yet I do insist, why? Out of love and respect for Kali, for who
she is and her way of life. I would love to simply say enough and take
her away from this wretched quest.” Jack's voice grew a little more
harsh for a moment. “However she has chosen in a clear state of mind to
finish this quest. I would love to and would be the first to coddle
her, she has given so much, she has been through much. But I respect
her enough not to shove my feelings down her throat, to let her deal
with her own as she can. With her I quietly sit back and support her,
again why? It’s certainly not because I myself am a quiet person. No
she is, so I deal with her not as I would have her deal with me, but
instead as I think she would like.”
“You can feel all you like, you can openly
give her your sympathy and support. I ask it of you to let her come to
you before you share your sorrow so casually. Respect her ways and who
she is as both a woman and a Chunchee warrior. You can feel your
sorrow, just don't wear it on your sleeve. Do not beat her with your
emotions until she is ready.”
Jack stood there looking at Cyan shaking his
head before he looked between her and Aaron “How utterly arrogant of
you both to try and dictate how someone else feels, or how they
should deal with their injury. It is Kail’s injury, Kali’s grief, not
yours. Share her’s in her way, not force your on her for her.You should
be helping her deal with grief in her own way, not making her deal with
it in yours.” His thoughts and words were becoming jumbled as emotion
choked him “How arrogant of you. . . Do you feel that just because she
does not voice her feelings that she does not have them? No she simply
does not wear them on her sleeve! Can you not see that I am not trying
to sweep this under the rug, instead I am trying to help her in her own
way? Gods!” Tears welled in his eyes. . . “As for you Aaron, genius
that you are. Of course it has effected me! How could it not!?!” Jack
was not shouting, his voice was simply intense. “As for reasons
should we choose to leave, it won’t be to go anything alone. It would
be to retire so that I could care for her properly. That should be
reason enough for anyone! Or are you the one that is blind?”
Jack stood there in a challenging stance looking between the two of
them, tears silently flowing down his cheeks. “Now is it to much to ask
that we respect the way that Kalika chooses to deal with this?”
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan winces, several times during Jack's emotional speech.
"Jack..." There are many things she could say at the
moment. There are many defenses she could make. He has
misinterpreted her words, not by a great distance, but by enough to put
a slant on them that is incorrect. Never once did she mean that
Kallika should not find her own way to deal with her problem.
Never once did she say she would force her ways on Jack.
He was the one who came to her, to tell her how SHE should act, should
react, when her first, instinctive reaction disturbed him.
But what good would it be to point that out ? How would becoming
defensive, arguing, assist the situation? How would it make Jack
feel better?
"You are correct, Jack," she says, turning away. "I crave pardon,
and ask your forgiveness." Berd's eyes open, but her good hand
comes up and closes on his jaws, clamping them shut. "I will do
as you say," the Bard repeats, quietly. Turning back, she puts
her hands on his shoulders. "Jack...I am sorry. This has
been terrible for you, as it has for Kallika. Please, sit
down. Please." Gently, she urges him towards a seat.
Feeling miserable, now, for Jack is obviously beside himself, and
unable to show it save through dealing with others (for he feels he
must be strong for Kallika, she reminds herself), Cyan waits, hoping,
that he will sit.
There is a plop from the coffee machine, and the sound of hot liquid
pouring. The door opens, and a small cup of heated wine sits in
the slot. Berd snorts once, then goes back to studying Jack.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron raised his right hand, palm up, in response to Jack's statements.
"You are placing Kalika in quite a light. I neither deny her injuries,
nor do I fawn over them as if they were the only plight we faced. You
love her, so much so that you are placing her life over your own. Such
is understandable, for a man in love."
Raising his eyes to Jack, Aaron looked at the man from beneath furrowed eyebrows.
Careful now...
"Use your head, Jack. What are you doing now that will help Kalika in
the future? You're totally defending her, but from what? Us? The
friends who would sacrifice our lives protecting you and your love?
Those who too are drawn through Shadow towards some inexplicable goal?
Perhaps towards death?"
He stood now, and stared directly at Jack. Aaron considered this man to
be nearly equal, and greater than himself, in many areas. He liked
Jack, and respected him as well as his abilities. Yet the one thing
Aaron knew of Jack, was that his heart overcame his head in many cases.
This was probably one of them.
No. This was most definetly one of them.
"I don't want you to think for a moment that I don't understand how
Kalika feels. Yet, something in me yearns to hear it, not from you, but
from her. Unlike Cyan, I refuse to bow to your anguish, for I feel it
just as assuredly as you do. Kalika isn't dead, Jack. I am thankful for
that, and you should be also."
Looking to Cyan, at her injured hand, Aaron shook his head as he gazed back to Jack.
"Have you not heard us? We understand your pain, because we feel
it as well. Though we do not hold the ties that you do to Kalika, she
is a part of our group, a comrade and friend." Jabbing himself in the
chest, he stared Jack in the eye. "I, for one, would rather have been
blinded in her place, for my injuries were pointless in comparison. At
least if it had been me, none of you would be worrying as you are now."
What?! I would certainly worry!
"Stop being blinded by Kalika's injury and consider, if just for a moment, what it's doing to the rest of us."
Eyes narrowing, Aaron's could feel them burn. He felt like shedding
tears, for his pain was as deep as he'd ever felt it, but Aaron closed
it off.
"I'm sick of listening to you place the blame on the rest of us, as if
we were blind to Kalika's pain. Stop denying how much we care, Jack,
and simply accept the fact that we do."
Leaning forwards, Aaron allowed a dark chuckle.
"You know, you were the first person I met when I was pulled through
Shadow. You were certainly a different man, then." Shaking his head, he
turned away from Jack and began walking down the hall.
Pulling his cloak behind him, Aaron left Ilsefranvir leaning against
the chair by Cyan. She was always with him, in his mind, but for now,
he wanted to be totally alone.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Frustration burns in Kali's chest. She wanted desperately to be out of
this room and with the others in the waiting room area. She wanted to
be able to speak in her own defense, to console Jack and wipe away his
tears, to get them to stop talking about her. And yet her emotions ran
strongly and choked her, would she even be able to speak out if she was
there? She grits her teeth.
"May I go now?" she asks aloud, turning her head to look directly at
the life in the room who appeared to be running the show by the way the
doctor directed the others to poke and prod her and to drip drops she
couldn't feel into her eyes.
She reaches out with her mind, prodding Hunter from his light doze. The
wolf comes to instantly and pads to Jack's side. The large wolf sits by
the man's side, a silent and solid source of support.
Jack... lalai... she calls to him through their link, and then
falters for a moment, organzing her thoughts and feelings, feelings of
love, support, embarrassment, respect, frustration, and hodge podge of
emotions. Love, please sit down and take a moment for yourself.
Just as I will deal with this in my own way, which you are so gallantly
defending she smiles a bright mental smile so will the others.
You are so full of worry... worry for me, worry for that thing you
beat, worry for the quest... worry for everyone and everything but
yourself. To say this has been a challenging time would be an
understatement... Hunter is here for you, I am here for you...
hopefully in the flesh soon. This is our burden lalai. While it affects the others, we will carry the weight. Alone it will be too much. You are strong her admiration is obvious But
eventually even the strongest mountain will crumble under the wind...
but together, we can carry this weight until it is no longer a burden
but an asset, just another thing that binds us together and keeps us
close... remember love, we are a team, it's ok to share the burden. she finishes softly, the frustration burning in her chest. He can feel
how strongly she yearns to be with him, to hug him, to just be with him. Please Jack... let it go... let me... us help you. It isn't quite a plea.
She wants desparately to help sharing in this conversation between him
and the others shows her clearly how affected he is. Where she once
would have felt terrible and blamed herself and hated herself for
causing him this anguish, she places the anger in the right place. That
special place that was sequestered away in her mind, kept from Jack and
Hunter and even from Kali herself for the moment. The place that
snapped when she curled up on the battlefield with the venom burning at
her eyes.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
You are right Lalai, I will sit Jack silently moved over to the chair, he was just to weary to try and
sort this out. Though he was silent his mind was a maelstrom of
tired thoughts. Perhaps he should have never bitten this one off, still
he had felt the need to protect Kali. Perhaps he was just to tired, he
had been weary before the battle from all of the shape changing and the
boding ceremony. Now he was bone numbingly tired and emotionally
drained. How much worse it must be for Kali and here he was
starting arguments, meaning to or not. However the whole incident told
him one thing. If it did come down to having to remove Kali and he from
the group, he could not count on Aaron for assistance. Just another
incident of Aaron only being there when he chose, not when he was asked.
After he had dropped heavily into the chair
his hand found Hunters fur, where he stroked it idly. Finding solace in
the contact his thoughts continued. He was not even certain the
Amber man and her were having the same conversation. “What was it that
Aaron wanted to hear from Kali? How she feels?” Jack said softly more
to himself than anyone. He did not try and blame anyone, only to have
you understand that her way is different. Is that so bad or hard to
accept? His head dropped back down where he slumped in the chair.
Finally “No Cyan, you have noting to
apologize for. If anything I should probably apologize to you, perhaps
to all of you.”
He took a deep breath and let it all go,
Kali needed him to help her and here she was having lend her support to
him. He took another deep breath, letting his thoughts clear as he let
the breath out. “As you wish love, I will let it go” He said softly, both aloud and in his mind. One thing bothered him
though, Kali’s thought of taking time for himself. He didn’t know what
it was, there was always something else. There had always been
something else. A focus for his life something for his life to be
about, never just Jack. It was his way. Even when he was a spoiled rich
kid his life was about serving the state, protecting his people. A
century later it was still about serving and protecting those around
him, those he cared for.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd hops off Cyan's shoulder, onto the back of Jack's chair, carefully
avoiding getting near Hunter. He sits down, eschewing contact,
but remaining there. Cyan quickly steps to the coffee machine and
pulls out the steaming cup of mulled wine; moving back to where Jack
sits, she joins him, handing over the cup. Turning slightly, she
glances at Arienne and raises an eyebrow, as if to say 'Now what?' That look dissolves into a tired smile, and she shakes her head. Men. Then the Bard turns her attention back to the Prince of Cracks.
"Jack, no apologies. Please. You are exhausted, and
obviously have not received any rest, while we have." Oddly
awkwardly, the Bard pats Jack on the shoulder, and her mouth twists in
a frown. "I promise you, I shall do my best to restrain
myself." With a sigh, Cyan rubs her temples, closing ruby eyes
and wishing she could somehow seal this rift between them, between the
group as well.
"Lexy has departed, briefly," Cyan continues, hoping the shift in topic
will help. Her voice stays quiet, soft as the hand on Jack's
shoulder. "She will return, as quickly as she might, from her own
place of healing. It is merely a world where time flows faster;
from the sound, there are no specialised sorts of healing
practices." Taking a deep breath, Cyan closes her eyes.
"Jack...if you and Kallika need to leave, please tell us. I
cannot walk the Worlds, and Berd's method, while safer than yours, is
lengthly...but at least, I can place you at my cottage in the
woods. It is safe, there, and quiet. And there is no
ocean." Her lips quirk, for an instant.
"But I do not offer as a hint that you should go," she hastens to
explain. "Only that you have mentioned it and...well, it seems
that you and Aaron are again at odds. Ares may prove capable, but
I do not know the extent of his injuries." Cyan might be naive,
in some ways. Certainly she misses many things. But her
training has some advantages, and the air, when Aaron was in the room,
fairly crackled between the two men.
Berd yawns, crackingly. His glittering eyes settle upon Ilsefravnir, for a long moment.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Hunter
-----------------------------------------------------------
Hunter settles at Jack's feet when he sits in the chair, and once again
reamins there. It was apparent to the wolf that Jack may want to leave,
but he did not need to depend on the others for that. If
we decide to leave, I can help. If you have something from the place
you want to go, I can track it through Shadow... and you and Kali would
come with me. It is how Kali and I have traveled through Shadow before
joining this quest the wolf shares, and then lifts his head, feral yellow eyes meeting tired deep blue ones Now, it is time to care for the pack. Get some sleep, I will protect you the alpha wolf says sternly, but there is a warm, caring quality to the images and sounds that the link converts into words.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack smiled down at the wolf stroking his fur No, we do not need to go anyplace big dog, Kali is okay. a small frown then played across his lips and he realizes both Hunter
and Cyan need to hear this. However Jack adamantly refused to rest yet. No Hunter, I am sorry. I shall not sleep until Kali is back. Jack simply refused, he had to watch over her even if he could not be
in the room with her. He took the wine from Cyan “Thank
you.” He said softly “It’s good that Lexy is okay I will check on Ares,
I should have been doing that rather then bickering with you guys.”
Jack looked a little sheepish as his shame.
“We do not need to leave Cyan, but I
was not sure if we would or not for a while. Once I knew we would not
Aaron tried to press it, saying we would have to explain ourselves. As
per the pact we will keep everyone informed of what we can do and
what we know. However I do not feel the need to justify it if it were
decided that we needed to leave. It is one of those thing that I just
don’t feel the need to do. Kali has been through more than enough, so
have I and hunter as well. If any one of us were having problems
handling it I would not want to embarrass them any more
then needed by announcing it to all. Speaking of the pact I have
information on who sent that thing that attacked us. An old man with
one eye, named THE BROKEN GOD. I pulled it from the fires mind before it broke. The old man that came for Cylla had only one eye correct?”
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
"I am pleased to hear you will not be leaving, Jack...though I would
understand the need for both of you to leave, if that were the
case." Cyan lets go of Jack's shoulder, and sits back with a
little sigh. Berd coughs up a green cloud of foul smelling smoke,
that dissipates quickly. "Justification would not be necessary -
that you needed to do so would be enough for me." She leaves the
subject of Aaron aside - it's a touchy one.
"As for the 'broken god'..." Cyan purses her lips and her emerald
eyes stare into a distance farther than that of the wall. The
distance of memory. "There are legends in many shadows, of a
spiritual being, or a god, greater than other gods, who took the form
of an elder and sacrificed his eye for wisdom or knowledge. He
rides the Eight-Legged Horse, and his symbol is that of a gallows,
sometimes a noose. Sometimes something else entirely.
Coincidence?" Cyan breaks off, frowning, and looks at Jack.
"Are you familiar with the significance of the Eight-Legged Horse,
Jack?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
“Yes The Aesir and Ódhinn or Wôdan the All
Father, his steed Sleipnir the 'gliding one'.” Jack said “They
are the deities of the major religion of my world. When I was holding
on to life after the fall down the mountainside a Valyrie came for me
Göndul I believe. There have been many significance’s ascribed to
Sleipnir even that of a spider walking the underlying web that bind
reality and the worlds. Others ascribe Sleipnir the DNA helix, there
are to many stories to sort them out. Ódhinn was also know as The
Wanderer and as said to be able to. . .” Jack stopped as the through
struck him “Walk between the worlds.”
He bit his lip for a moment, “But
Ódhinn was good and just. . . Not the type to use the worlds and people
as we have seen.” He said firmly, but there was a trace of uncertainty
in his voice. “And it did not name him as Ódhinn, only as the
broken. . .” Jack did not even have the conviction to finish the
statement, after all was he born Jack?
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
"There is...a significance that your people do not seem to use, for the
Eight Legged Horse. Oddhin, yes, I have heard it as such."
Cyan frowns, looking down at her hands, and toying absently with the
bandage. It's odd, hearing the juxtaposition of the Spirit of the
Horse with a DNA helix...she isn't quite certain what it is, but knows
it is something of science. Berd tried to explain it to her, once, and gave up.
"Jack...from what I have heard, Odin might not have always been a kind
spirit. Just? Probably, though I have heard stories...in
your world, definitely. But kind? Compassionate?" She
doesn't like discussing this - it's obviously dangerous ground, as this
is Jack's own beliefs. But....
"The One-Eyed God rides the Eight-Legged Horse. How many men to carry a coffin, Jack?" Cyan asks, quietly.
"Four."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack sips the wine and looked at
Cyan, “Six men carry a man to his grave or pyre on my world Cyan.
Please be direct with me, I know there are an infinite number of world
like mine and there may be something that holds harder truths.
That does not mean it is my world, what more is it means he could
be playing at something in my world. You saw that thing, the unknown
lord of light, it was my polar opposite. Are you are saying that this
Broken God is death? I need to know the truth here Cyan, this could be
directly effecting my home.” He looked at her questioningly.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
"What I'm saying is that on many worlds, Jack, I have heard of
SOMETHING like this. On many worlds this being is viewed in a
rather grim fashion - not evil, per se, but as a god to be feared and
respected; not loved. An All-Father who is remote, distant, and
frightening, rather than a kindly one that will tuck you in at
night." The Bard sighs, rubbing tired, sapphire eyes with her
hands. "But, as you say, there are infinite worlds. What I
am getting at is this - such a being seems to exist on many worlds,
even yours. I have heard accounts of him that are not all
positive, some linking him with death (though not in a violent, chaotic
fashion, but simply as fact). I have no conclusions, save that
there is obviously a connection."
She looks directly at Jack for a long moment. "And yes, that
being...it was a shell of light about a core of darkness. I
vastly prefer the alternative who protects us. The significance
was not lost on me, Jack." She pauses, blinking a few
times. "You appeared the very image of Sun-Eyed Set himself, when
he strode forth to do battle with the Nameless. I have seen
images."
Berd stirs at the comment, eyes open and glittering, far away. Almost as if...remembering something.
"So...no conclusions," Cyan says, looking away. "Only
observations gleaned from travels on many worlds. The only thing
I can say for certain is that this Broken God has existed for some
time, now. He may well be playing at something in your
world." She clenches fingers in her hair for a moment,
frustrated. "I am...what is the word.
Storm...brainstorming! Attempting to find connections. But
I feel we do not have enough information." She shakes her
head. "I am sorry. This is only conjecture and supposition."
Berd sinks deeper into memory. ...a column of smoke, miles high, rising like a cobra over the world...heat of a thousand suns....
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack sits there staring off into no
where for the longest time lost in memories of his own. Silently
comparing his religion he was raised with to the ones he had seen in
his travels. Yes his travels had started from his home world, so he had
seen ones such as Cyan spoke of. He had always thought it was just
because of the problems of traveling with his pattern, it always seemed
to take you to the worst of places. Something else weighed heavily on
him, something that he couldn’t keep silent about.
Staring off into nothingness Jack spoke, he
was speaking more to himself thinking aloud, remembering his own.
His voice was soft, hard to hear “There were stories, legends,
fairy tales about my family. It’s odd to say that word. . . Fairy
tales. . . On my world, fairies, spirits, bogels and Dragons are real.
. . It is the other worlds I have seen where they do not
exists. . . It is said that the royal family were the children of
the gods. The embodiment of the gods to walk on the firmament with the
general gender.”
Jack sighed softly “I saw how my
family treated people, how they treated each other. I prayed that there
was no truth in the legend , for how petty the gods must be then.” He
took a sip of the wine and stared into the cup. He looked up at Cyan.
“Set you say? I was to busy with the beast to notice. Who is the sun
eyed Set? Is it sunset?” the pun was bad but things were to serious and
he was desperate for a laugh even a bad one.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Ilsefranvir
-----------------------------------------------------------
Ilsefranvir rings with a sing-song note, yet the voice of the sword remains silent.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Kalika Wolfblade
-----------------------------------------------------------
Now it was obvious that Kali was being ignored by the people in the
room with her, and she was not happy about this. She wanted to be
reunited with Jack and Hunter... with the others, and these doctors
weren't even acknowledging her presence.
"Excuse me" she says sharply "I don't care if you can't help me, but I
want to be returned to those that I came in with" she feels slight
relief as the leader one turns in her direction and approaches her.
Finally, she thinks to herself, they are going to let me out of here
"Please return me to my friends" she says to the doctor, more polite,
but still she can only sense the doctors, and cannot see them.
Therefore she doesn't realize what the doctor is doing until the needle
punctures her skin. She tries to jerk her arm away in surprise, but
knows it is too late when she feels the slight burning of something
being injected. And then a black curtain is pulled over her eyes and
she is out like a light.
It is obvious to Jack and Hunter through the link that Kali has been
given some sort of medication that has put her to sleep. Her breathing
is regular and even and her mind is that of a sleeping person, no harm
was done to her. If Jack were to examine the minds of the doctors he
would find that they were still examining the results of some tests and
weren't ready to talk to her yet... so she was given a drug to knock
her out... and shut her up.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Many worlds claim to have families that were children of the gods as
their royalty, Jack," Cyan begins, knowing he must be aware of this,
"but then...are all of the people of your world as strong as you?
As potent in the lands of the spirit? From where I hail, I would
be considered a being of great power - none in my world would be
capable of my strength, not even considering yours."
Her lips thin as she considers his commentary on the gods. "Some
gods are petty...the Lord of Fetters was near enough to a god, and he
was possibly the most petty being Arda had ever seen. But that is
a long tale, from a world that adopted me, and not mine to tell.
Jack," she says quietly, amethyst eyes sad, "you are not a petty
man. Far from it. If you are indeed related, somehow, to
the gods, rest assured that it is only their good points which are
coming through in you."
For an instant, her lips crease in a smile. "Your bad points are
your own." Growing more serious, the Bard continues. "But
your family...ruling families." Shaking her head, Cyan pats him
on the arm. "From what I have heard, this becomes all too common,
though I do not know the whole story of your family, and things could
be much worse for you, than it has been for others. Jack, it may
yet be that your families squabbing is their own, and has nothing to do
with the gods. Perhaps it does." She studies his face for a
moment, then grins, blowing a lock of bright crimson hair from her
face. "Perhaps we will discover this, on this journey."
His next question catches her off guard, and she rocks back and forth
for a moment, closing her eyes to remember. "Sun-eyed Set, Lord
of Destruction, with one foot on the land and one upon the waters,
wearing his Gauntlet of Power and Boots of the Seven Leagues, carrying
in his fist the Star Wand, faced the Nameless who had been prisoner of
the Prince Who Was a Thousand." Her eyes snap open again.
"This tale was told to me by Berd, long ago. He showed me
images...fantastic things, of a universe where the tides of life and
death were governed by stations above worlds, where the balance had
shifted and all spiralled towards doom, before Set, his son and father,
the Prince Who Was a Thousand, and their son and grandson and brother,
Typhon, the Abyss of Time and Space, faced the Nameless. Perhaps
it is indeed metaphor, for Set was the Lord of Destruction - sunset,
indeed. When you battled, you appeared as the image I was given
of Set, as he fell through the atmosphere towards the world where the
Nameless awaited him."
Berd stirs, uneasily, on Cyan's shoulder. His eyes glitter...not even remotely like suns.
"I asked Berd if we could go there, from where we were - years ago, of
course. Berd answered me this, paraphrased, of course." She
grins. "'It is not a world to which you can walk. There is
only one passage, and it runs in one direction: out.'" A quiet
laugh escapes her, then. "Typical Berd."
Irritated, the little dragon tugs on her hair with his teeth.
"Ack!"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Berd, after tugging on Cyan's hair, settles his head back down, but he is obviously distracted.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
“Kali!” Jacks head snapped up
“Their bedside manner just crossed the line!” He said in a flat deadly
voice He broke off the tendril he had sent for Ares and sent it winging
to the Medics to find out what is going on. “They have given her
a drug to knock her out and shut her up. Cyan, can you get Lexy to pull
her and us out of here?” Jack stood and walked to the doors examining
them and pulling his sword. He had enough of this, they would not keep
him from her! Stepping over by a vent his sword lashed out at the
ceiling, with a flash of sparks and the sound of breaking glass one
light was extinguished.
He stepped to the next light to
repeat the process and the shadows started to writhe and build around
him. It was time to play by his rules!
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
"What?" Cyan jerks to her feet, Berd's head coming up.
Instinctively understanding what Jack is doing, the little dragon
breathes out a dark, heavy cloud, that swims through the air,
expanding. Despite the lights of the hospital, despite the white
walls, the air grows gloomy, shadows growing thick and heavy. "As
I stated, Lexy has gone for a short time - it would take me time to
contact her, and then to bring her here, more time for her to bring
Lexy. And then there is Aaron, and Ares."
Picking up Ilse, by the scabbard, Cyan puts Kirilindë in
the same hand, then draws the shimmering blade with her other.
Berd vaults up onto her shoulder.
"Sometimes," she states in a ringing tone, staring down the passage
with grim, obsidian eyes, "the direct approach is the best. Lead
on, Jack. I shall guard your back. Or find your own path,
as Berd and I will find ours."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
The shadows writhe and twist around
Jack as he moves forward and drives his sword into the door crack. A
quick of weight and muscle he presses the door using the sword as a
lever to pop it open. Thank you Cyan Jacks voice had take on that strange psychic quality Once more into the breach, we will stick together since our group is two scattered as it is. First we get Kali, then Ares! The shadow Jack started down the passage moving fast. Aaron!
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron, so often finding his intentions difficult to express, had
decided to wander the corridors of the wing in which he and his friends
were waiting.
His feelings were his own. In his heart, he had a desire to be accepted
by this wandering group of warriors, the want to be understood by them.
A great amount of his own past had only now chosen to reaquaint itself
with him, and it had taken him by harsh surprise.
Sylvia - naked, hanging by her ankles, hands chained behind her back
- her beautiful hair, once long and cascading, had been chopped off to
the base of her skull - a long slash had crossed her eyes, blood
flowing down her forehead from her blinded face - a mob of the
Nethylwhyn, the barbarian horde that he and Ilsefranvir's old Master
had faced time and again, stood clustered in the entryway of the Keep
of the Sjardring
"'She was good." one of the men said, before he crouched down, and began to bend Aaron's bound arm...
A snap sent him stumbling against the wall, and he felt more so than heard, from two places at once, his name being called.
Aaron!
Then Arianne's sense, burning danger, flew through his mind. Come! Now!
Spinning around, stained cloak flaring behind him, Aaron took off at a run down the hall, towards his sensation of Ilsefranvir.
She was moving.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Hunter
-----------------------------------------------------------
Hunter follows the shadow encased Jack, although the great wolf is
wondering why Jack has reacted in such a strong manner. He doesn't see
the issue if Kali is unhurt, and he feels she needs the rest just as
badly as Jack does... but still he does not question the Princeling...
there will be time for that later, after this is resolved.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Feet pound a staccato beat on the floor behind them, and Cyan twitches
before her visions splits, doubling through glittering eyes, and she
recognises the figure sprinting down the corridor behind them.
Sliding her wooden sheath into her sash for an instant, she holds Ilsefravnir behind her, hilt first, so that Aaron may reclaim his weapon. Berd smiles, toothily, as the scion of Amber sprints up.
"They are keeping Kallika drugged," Cyan states, flatly, her eyes onyx
mirrors. "Jack has decided that this is...unnecessary." For
an instant, her lips split in a smile so wolfish it might garner some
approval from the great, dark Hunter. "He plans on lodging a
complaint."
Berd makes a quick noise, and Cyan nods, a faint frown touching her
face. "We should not break anything, nor damage these medical
marvels or their machines."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
It really didn’t take much for the
wolf to figure out what was up with Jack, it wasn’t as if the
shadow man was hiding his feelings. Yes, perhaps he was being over
protective, but literally his frustration had been building
for some time. The medics had been completely ignoring Kali as a
person, not answering her in any way shape or form. Now they had went
so far as to drug her rather than talk to her or listen to her. It was
a gross mistreatment of someone who was not just his friend, but the
person he thought the sun rose and set with. Needless to say Jack was
not happy. Though he was used to things being handled in different ways
across the worlds, he himself had received worse treatment at the
hands of medic in his travels. This was not him, it was someone he
cared about. He was used to being able to tell the royal physicians to
take care of those he cared for and have it does with respect. No he
was not happy at all, even a little paranoid.
He smiled at the way Cyan put it, her words were entirely appropriate. Hopefully they listen earnestly to my complaint. I’d hate to have to speak crossly with them. He said as he moved down the corridor, following the tendril to his wounded love.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron let out a grunt as he took Ilsefranvir in hand. On the run,
listening to Cyan, he caught up with her and strapped the wicked blade
to his back with oft-practiced grace. As the weapon connected to him
once more, Arianne flowed into position, already building up defenses,
and a few new things he found slightly surprising.
"Complaints from a Union are usually louder than those of an
individual!" he commented, just before he cackled a slight laugh that
ended in a snarl.
Aaron was sick of complaining. Sick of representing a seperation. Now
was the time to act, and he had every intention of doing so.
"I'll try not to talk over you, Jack!"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The door to the room where Kalika rests burst open before the arrival
of her companions, and a group of startled doctors around the bed look
in their direction.
Kalika lays drugged, her head clamped in an intricate vice-like
structure of padded jaws and articulated rods. Several of the
rods are tipped with winking, blinking fragments of glittering crystal,
and folded like the legs of some clockwork spider so that the
crystaline extremeties are held just inches above the Chunchee woman's
face. Pulses of light flicker across the blind white orbs which
her eyes have become.
One of the doctors, a tall woman, hatchet faced, steel-grey hair and
eyes as startlingly green as spring grass, demands in an icy voice,
"What is the meaning of this? We are performing a delicate
procedure here. The slightest jolt to the OCM could cause
irrepairable damage to this young woman's eyes instead of fixing the
damage that's already been done."
"Do you realise that even the air disturbance caused by your arrival
could have been responsible for permanently destroying her optic
nerves."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack reaches out and touches Berd for a moment sending an image to him.
He silently sends out a tendril to read the mind of this woman, just to make certain what she is saying is true.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan jerks, slightly, glassy-eyed, then looks at the nurse.
"My...apologies. We were concerned for our friend, and had no
idea that our actions might...I am terribly sorry," she babbles, doing
a very good job of acting terrified that her actions might have caused
a disaster.
It's only partly acting. The babbling is, in any case.
Please, spirits, let us not have disturbed anything so delicate that
Kallika would actually lose any hope of her vision improving!
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Somewhere else...
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron had been overcome with the utter will to act, if just to snuff out, even momentarilly, the memories that had so recently come back to haunt him.
However, the sight that greeted them, and the greetings to go along
with it, stalled his original intent only slightly. He feigned apology
along with Cyan, mumbling something about "concern" and "our friend",
casting that same feign into his eyes for added depth.
Jack's sudden concern could be part and partial to Kalika's possible
lack of understanding such a technological Shadow as they were in right
now, but still, Aaron was cautious.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Hunter
-----------------------------------------------------------
Hunter enters the room, easily shouldering his way to the front, to
step protectively in front of Jack without thinking, his fur bristled
and his teeth bared in a nasty snarl. A deep growl rumbles from his
throat. He doesn't care for the sterile smell in this room... nor that
of the cold woman. He takes a deliberate step closer, intelligent eyes
watching the humans inside the room in a disturbingly calculating
manner.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack reached out and put a dark hand on Cyan’s shoulder, as if to gently guide her back out.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan nervously considers the situation. What to do? How to
advise? She thinks rapidly, trying desperately to decide on a
course of action.
Berd, of course, has no such reservations.
Cyan frowns, ruby eyes dropping to stare at the ground.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Taking a hint from Jack, Aaron moved a bit behind Cyan, and left the room before the rest of them.
Twisting around the doorjamb, Aaron leaned against the wall. Closing
his eyes, for they felt quite tired despite his recent energy, he
focused on Arianne.
I don't like this, but there isn't much we can do, is there?
Ilsefranvir seemed to be mulling it over herself.
I sensed confusion from Cyan. Jack seemed calm,
and not necesserally taken aback, but we must consider the possibility
that we made a mistake.
Opening his eyes, Aaron sighed.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Hunter
-----------------------------------------------------------
Hunter's deadly stare settles on the icy doctor and he half lunges, his
fangs snapping closed with an empty *snap!* a few feet in front her
her. He is not happy and turns away almost in a huff. He re-enters the
hallway, eyes taking on a faraway quality as he answers Jack, his own
seething frustration and anger all to clear in his jerky movments and
blazing gaze.
She believes there is no hope for recovery... the
worst that could happen would be a confirmation of this... but the best
outcome... the wolf trails off, not finishing the sentence.
Desipte his upset feelings, it is obvious that he doesn't see the harm
in having them try. They can't make it worse than what Kali thinks it
is, so there is no true harm to her in the wolf's mind.
However, a wolf is not a man and where Hunter would feel no remorse or
regret if the doctor's treatment should make things worse, a man might.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
The doctor explains the situation to Cyan as best she can, describing
what the equipment is attempting to do. Much of what she says
seems nonsensical to the bard, and to the others, being composed of
much technical and medical jargon, but enough of what she says is
understandable for a worrying picture to emerge.
The venom ("chemical agent" the doctor calls it) has burned and scarred
the surface of Kalika's eyes and, to a lesser extent, the skin around
them.
All of which could be repaired, given time.
More worrying is that some of the chemical appears to have worked its
way around, behind the eyes, and damaged the optic nerves. The
machine is trying to assess whether the damage to the nerves can be
corrected.
She glances at Hunter as the wolf snaps at her, then turns to leave,
but her expression doesn't change, and she doesn't seem to realise that
the animal is actually there.
A small box at the doctor's waist chimes, and she pulls it from her
belt, holding it up to study a glowing window in the front of it.
Her habitual frown deepens.
"Were you involved in some sort of industrial accident? Your
other friend has the same chemical inside the large wound in his
side. Do you know what the chemical is? Our analysers
aren't able to recognise it, or any of its constituents."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Berd
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan glances at the others with worried, sapphire eyes, and then looks
back to the doctor. "Ares? It is not an accident. It
is a poison. A venom."
Berd, bored, rolls his head over and stares at the Doctor for a long
moment. He's obviously considering doing something, but ends up
changing his mind, and simply lies on his back atop Cyan's shoulders,
grinning faintly.
"I am aware of that," Cyan whispers with annoyance, then turns back to
the doctor. "We are not from this world. The venom came...."
Berd snorts out a cloud of rainbow gas, directly in the doctor's face.
Cyan rolls her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder why I bother trying."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
The shadow man looked at the doctors and
listened, at least they were saying something now. Jack knelt down
running his fingers through the wolfs fur, more for his own comfort
then Hunters. “Our friend that they are working on was jumped by hooded
assailants. They seemed to use some kind of envenomed weapons. One of
them splashed this stuff in my fiancées. . .my brides eyes.” It was a
severely edited version of the truth. . .but it was the truth. Let the
doctors draw their own conclusions.
“Cyan, come on, let’s let the Doctors do what they
can.” Jack turned his attention on the doctor touching him with a
broken pattern tendril and placing compulsions in his mind. Jack’s
voice changed to an even more psychic level as he uttered the
compulsions Doctor,
you will keep us apprised of Kali’s and Areas condition. You will work
in both patients best interest and you will check with me before doing
anything to intrusive to my bride. Would a sample of the chemical agent
help you?
he waited for a moment making certain that the compulsions took and
that they did not need anything else from them before he would leave.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Aaron kept his ears open to what went on in Kali's room, frowning in thought at all he heard.
Jack's commands were of interest to him, also. He wondered if he could
make people respond to him in such ways, but he figured that he had
other things to focus on rather than simply strengthening his mind.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Samples of the chemical we have already, from both patients." the
doctor answers Jack's query, "The problem is that we can't get any sort
of sensible readings on it."
She pauses for a moment, and looks through Berd, blinking a couple of times before continuing, "I am starting to
suspect that it's some sort of Top Secret military weapon, a nerve
agent or the like, in which case the chances of us finding out anything
about it are slim. Have you been into one of the Test Zones?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
The test zones? No. . . Do what you can Doctor and release her into our care, we have things to attend to that are pressing. Jack said keeping the tendril in contact with the Doctors mind so he
would follow instructions. Went out into the hall, putting his back to
the wall he sunk down to rest and wait.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Hunter
-----------------------------------------------------------
Some of the stiffness drains from Hunter as the great wolf lies down
next to Jack, worming his snout under the weary man's arm. The wolf
then sighs, but his gaze stays alert. Hunter doesn't comment, but he is
starting to feel fatigued as well and is worried for both Jack and
Kalika... his Bonded. He can do nothing for Kali, which plagues him,
but he does what he can, offering support to Jack while they play the
waiting game.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Thank you, doctor," Cyan says, touching her on the arm, and smiling
gratefully. "We shall leave you to your work." Tapping
Aaron's shoulder to turn him, she nods after Jack, and follows the dark
man out the door, giving Berd an agate glare as she does.
"That was not particularly nice...well, I suppose. It did make
things a little easier to explain." Shrugging, Cyan leans against
the wall next to Jack, her coppery hair now disheveled. She
brushes it out of her eyes, irritably.
"So. We know little of this...Aaron, Jack, you understand these
things better than I. Kallika is a skinshifter, and her body's
healing is astounding. Is it possible she will regain her sight
in the future?"
Berd, yawning, sends a puff of smoke down the hallway. It drifts,
silently, and flows around the broken lights, destroyed by Jack.
When it passes, they are whole again, though one of them has been
mysteriously replaced with a glowing star, as one might find on a
Christmas tree.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Turning to face the group Aaron raises his head and gazes up at the ceiling when Cyan poses her question.
After a moment, he shrugs with an added shake of his head.
"I've seen shapeshifters do quite a bit with their power. Even those of
limited shifting ability can accomplish quite a bit if they put their
minds to it. From what I know though, this takes quite a bit of energy,
energy that Kalika may need quite a bit of time to recover."
Sighing, Aaron looks to Cyan and Jack.
"Personally, I think Lexy would know more about shapeshifting than I
would. Even my natural regenerative abilities take time, depending on
the damage. If Jadus hadn't interfered, I suppose my right eye would be
regrowing on its own, to use that as an example."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Imagine that. Ain't dead yet...
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack sat there on the floor just outside the
door of the operating room. The shadows seemed to writhe on him a bit
deep under the hood but they did not leave. “Forgive me Cyan, I am new
to this whole skin-shifting thing and much of what I do is intuitive.”
His fingers run through the fur of the great would as he speaks.
“All I can tell you is what I have
noticed from watching Kalika. When I showed up on the scene she had a
small cut on one arm. A little time in the shadows shifting and I could
have healed that wound, she however could not. I do not believe
her ability to change is like what you are talking about. She heals
like you or even I when I’m not at one with the darkness. It may be
possible for her to regain her sight sometime, it may be gone for good.
I just don’t know enough about this. However we should probably check
on Ares, he got some of that venom in his wound. . . What happens if
that stuff makes it in the bloodstream?”
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Ares." Cyan sighs. "Yes. Thank you, Aaron, for the
explanation...and Jack, I am sorry I cannot contribute more."
Pushing away from the wall, she holds out her hand to assist Jack to
his feet, and turns to look at Aaron. "I suppose that eye of
yours cannot assist us in finding Ares? I have a sketch of him -
it may suffice, but if he is unconcious, he cannot respond. In
addition, he may be in a sensitive area." Her topaz eyes shadow
with concern.
"Jack...can you sense his mind?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack shook his head and waved off the proffered hand “Sorry Cyan, I’ll
wait here and stand guard. Last I saw of Ares he is unconscious, I just
read the resonaces of the last thing he saw. Let me try something else.”
Jack closed black lids over black eyes with only subtle differences and
slid through the pattern of the mind. Sending out a tendril to the room
where they work on Ares he finds a person that is not critical right at
that moment to pull information from their mind. Trying to find out
about Ares conditioned and what they are doing for him.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Time, as it has always done for those waiting for news in hospitals,
seems to slow to a complete standstill. Hours pass, while the
hands of the clock sweep through minutes. Hot beverages cool to
room temperature, and still the clock insists that they have not had
time to do so...
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
"My eye?" Aaron asked, sliding down the wall to sit by the doorway to
Kalika's room. Time was moving of its own accord, and it didn't seem
like Aaron could do much about that.
Now that Cyan mentioned it, Aaron was interested in the beast that inhabited his brain.
Closing his eyes, Aaron cleared his mind, nonchalantly shooing Arianne
away for the moment as he focused his mental attention upon the Kryn.
He sought out the sentience within the Kryn, knowing full well that it
existed. It wasn't free-thinking, but it was a mind, and a mind could
be manipulated. If Jadus was able to exhibit such a control over the
physical alien, perhaps Aaron could learn to control the mental
equivalent of it.
Unlike Jadus, Aaron's Kryn was directly attached to his brain, or so
Aaron now realised. The "prosthesis" extended far deeper than he had
initially thought.
Ah Jadus... you rotten bastard. You certainly fine-tuned this eye of mine... He'd certainly have a talk with the man, if he ever saw him again.
Seeking insight, Aaron desired to find out just how far he could "see"
with the Kryn. There had to be more to the alien than mere vision.
But what, if anything, would he gain from it?
Concentrating, he resolved to find out.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
As the group settles in for a long wait, Lexy makes her appearence.
Aparently, the hospital has been good to her. Her burns are completly
healed, leaving not even a trace of a scar. Her clothing has also been
repaired, though a bit more fanciful in appearence then before.
She looks around as she walks in, looking everyone over, and noticing that two of their group are still missing.
"How is she?" she asks them in general, worry showing on her face.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Hunter
-----------------------------------------------------------
Hunter lifts his head and his nostrils flare as he tests the air. He
searches through the scents, searching for one in particular while the
time passes by.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack’s eyes open slowly and he
shakes his head “I looked at one of the nurses minds, not wanting to
stand the chance or disrupting someone more important to keeping Ares
alive” Jack said softly, “she was pretty calm and the surgeon seemed
calm. Every one else in the room was seemingly running around in a
state of near blind panic as they try to take care of stuff. It seems
that Ares is fighting for his life, protocols are being broken as they
try and save him.” Jack looked at each member of the group, including
Lexy whom he looked as if she had been there all along “I do not know
what to do for him.”
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
"Lexy!" Cyan reaches out and grips the woman's forarm for a
moment. "You're back! Thank the spirits." Her face
falls. "Kallika may be blinded, but we are not certain," she
states flatly. "As for Ares..."
Jack speaks up, and informs the group about the wounded
swordmaster. Cyan pales, staring at him with wide, amber
eyes. "But...is there nothing this place can do?"
Furiously, she stalks in a circle. "Berd?"
The little dragon sighs, and puts his head down. After a moment,
Cyan sags. "I barely knew Tander...Lazarus gone, Derek and Duncan
perhaps dead, Aaron's eye, Kallika blinded, and now Ares may
die. This quest is paying a high price in lives."
I should have done it alone.
Berd hisses irritably, and bites her ear.
"Ow! Wretched creature!"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Lexy
-----------------------------------------------------------
Lexy nods as she listens to Cyan's description, and strangly looks chagrined herself at what the woman has to say.
"I'm sorry. I moved us as fast as we could to a place that could best
suit our needs. Apparently, this was not the right place. And since I
assume that both Kali and Ares are both undergoing treatments, it would
be unwise to move them elsewhere." she says, shaking her head. She
takes a seat, and settles down, gathering her skirts about her, one
hand idly playing with the material.
"I'm afraid there is nothing else I can do." she says. She sighs and
leans her head back, resting it against the wall behind her.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
Slowly, Aaron re-opens his eyes and lets out another sigh. Nothing much
could come of his concentration with all the other things going on.
Again, better to wait.
Rising off of the floor, Aaron greets Lexy with a smile and a nod,
satisfied to see that she was well again. Noting her countenance, Aaron
shakes his head.
"Lexy, you did your best for all of us. The conditions of both Ares and Kali are not your fault." he says, concern in his voice.
Casting his mismatched eyes to the floor, Aaron shakes his head.
"It's bad, yes. It could have been much worse, though." Remembering the
encounters they had with the robed figures, and then that flaming
demigod caused Aaron to lower his eyelids in retrospective vision. He
remembered their "prisoner" smashing its fist into his face. To think
that he too could have been poisoned, or burned beyond recognition had
he made a physical attempt to attack that entity.
"Yes, it could have been much, much worse."
Looking over, he placed his eyes on Jack and set a hand upon the man's
shoulder. Aaron was still quite a sight to behold, his nose, though
healed, was still a reflection of thrice-impacted cartilage, and his
once new clothes were stained with old blood. Yet the determination in
Aaron's eyes caused all of that to be shoved into the background.
"Jack, as soon as all is done here, I will take Kalika and yourself
wherever you need to go. It's foolish to debate such a necessity, but
understand that I will have to make it back to Cyan, Lexy and I hope,
Ares, as soon as possible."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan's sapphire eyes flick over to Lexy, and she reaches out to touch
the woman's arm again. "Lexy...without this care, it is likely
Ares would be dead, now. Kallika has a chance - could we ask for
more? Certainly, it is possible that with time you may have
ferretted out a place amidst the infinite worlds with a perfect
combination of sorceries to heal them...by which time, the damage to
Kallika's eyes might be too great, and Ares would certainly have been
dead. As Aaron said - you did the best any could. If...if
things go poorly, then that will no doubt be cold comfort, but I will
always know that they had the best, possible care."
Still leaning aganst the wall, she leans her head back and closes her
eyes. Berd, hissing irritably, climbs off her shoulder and down
to the ground, walking over to a heating vent and sitting down with his
back to the group.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack looks at the Amber man with his dark
eyes, the faintest hint of blue can be seen. With a nod he answers the
Amber man “There should be no need to drop us off anywhere. I was just
being prepared for the event, if the shock and loss continued to weigh
on us so heavily. It has been decided that we shall continue with the
quest, but thank you. I did not wish to have to give reasons because I
did not wish to embarrass Kali, she is a proud on in her own way. It is
good to know we can count on you for a quick transport if it came to
it.”
Looking around at all of them, he continued Cyan’s
thoughts. “We all did the best we could. . . I could have easily beat
myself up for not being by Kali’s side during the attack. Perhaps I
should have insisted that one of us go with Ares like I wanted. We all
did the best we could and yes the situation could have been much worse.
Lexy, I thank you for you help, not hold anything against you. You have
helped us so much and only offer more help at every turn. The same goes
for each of you, be proud of yourselves not angry. We all chose to face
these trials of our own free will. No one person should bear the weight
of any follies.”
Glancing back at Aaron, the shadow
mans face contorts in puzzlement “How do you stand that thing in your
head? I mean what’s to happen if Isle’s mental shield protects you from
attack but not it? Some one could potentially start it slowly eating
away at your brain from a great distance.” Jack sounds more curious
than anything when he asks this. “It’s a part of you and yet it is
alive and separate.” He shivers at the thought. “What exactly can you
do with that thing? What can you see?”
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Aaron
-----------------------------------------------------------
With a chuckle, Aaron looks in Jack's direction.
"You know, I was thinking the exact same thing." he says, tapping the right side of his head for added effect.
Leaning back, he gazes up at the ceiling once more, and focuses his intent into the Kryn.
"From what I understand, the Kryn is a semi-sentient form of mold that
lives on the Shadow where my brother makes his home. They're hardly
intelligent, and exist only to eat. They're very good at that."
Cocking his head to the side, he frowns.
"I don't believe Jadus' control over the Kryn extends this far out into
Shadow. I think he can only control it if he's in either direct
contact, or the immediate vicinity. As for it eating my brain..." he
shrugs again. "It thinks I am a part of itself. If it eats my brain, it dies. Arianne has no control over the Kryn, and has no need to shield me from it."
Now he focuses his intent on the Kryn even more. Show me what I wish to see. Show me your brothers and sisters! he felt the Kryn's miniscule mind shudder, felt it's power over Shadow wanting to manifest...
"I don't know what this species is capable of. Jadus has his portion of
the Kryn attatched to where his arm used to be, so perhaps his control
over it is of a merely physical type. Since mine is attached directly
to my brain, it may allow a more mental or metaphysical example of its
abilities. As of now, I can't get much of anything from it. I'm just
glad I can see."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
“I actually thought of this as soon
as you got your eye, but was saving it in case you went mad again.
Sorry about that. . .Though you seem to miss the point.” Jack says the
shadows finally fleeing him, flowing off if him and disappearing into
his cloak and the shadows he himself created. “My tendrils that I send
out are direct mind to mind contact and that thing in your eye is
unprotected. A stronger mind could convince it that you are food again
and it is not you. Is your brother a stronger mind?” Jack smiled a wry
grin. “I know you have said he has my type of pattern, it means he can
send out tendrils for direct contact. How many of your fellow Amber
people have stronger minds, how many from Chaos? That thing of light
certainly had a stronger mind and it is very possible that it could
send tendrils. It seemed to serve the broken god. . . Hmmm Broken god,
broken pattern. It was stronger than me, how much stronger is the
Broken god?”
“Yet you have that thing in your head and it is not
shielded like you. I’m betting that to your body it is an eye and you
have to focus on it to know what the mold is thinking and doing, though
it does not think per se. Someone weaker then yourself may be able to
get in there and at least start it to eating away at your brain before
you know what is happening. A few times of that and how much of a brain
do you have left? ” He chuckled and shook his head “You are a far
braver man then I Aaron of Amber. I’m not certain I could pay that
price to see, something alien living in my head.” Jacks whole tone was
an introspective one.
Continuing to look introspective jack asks Aaron. "Tell me of the
mental shield that the sword gives you. Does it not cut all psychic
conection with the world when you use it?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Ilsefranvir
-----------------------------------------------------------
I will answer that, if you don't mind, Master. said the familiar, ghosting voice of Arianne.
Aaron saw her sitting in a pool of her own skirts, pointed in the direction of where Jack was in relation to Aaron.
"The magic of the Sjardring is a protective field made up of the mental signature of the Mind, and the spiritual signature of the Soul. The word 'Sjardring' means 'Mind and Soul', and its magic is defined to form a barrier
between the offending madness and any outside source, thus keeping the
madness completely within the mind of the individual."
"The Mind and Soul indicated in the term 'Sjardring' does not refer to
the mind or soul of Aaron, but rather the Mind and Soul of the spirit
that is bound into the object enchanted through Anynian customs. That
soul contends with the madness, allowing the sick individual to regain
his or her sanity slowly but surely."
Aaron felt her clear her throat, as if such a thing were necessarry for a disembodied spirit encased in a sword.
"In Aaron's case, he no longer has madness to contend with, so the Sjardring now manifests itself as a mental shield. It does not lock out all
outside stimulus. It can keep out offending mental control equal to
Aaron's own mental strength, like a secondary shield. However, anything
above that is... well, I'm afraid anything stronger than that is up to
my Master to contend with."
"Similarly," she continued, "as was exhibited during our battle against Jadelynn the Mad, the magic of the Sjardring can track and contain interfering minds up to a certain point. I was
able to track Jadelynn through Shadow using her mental connection to
Aaron, and get a vague sense of where she was in relation to us. I was
the able to defend Aaron more significantly against her assault, after
I knew where it was coming from."
She paused, and Aaron watched as she leaned forwards.
"Do you have any other questions?"
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Nobody gets a chance to answer, as the door opens and the doctor enters
the room. Her face looks even more grim than before, and she
looks around the room, fixing each person with her gaze before moving
on to the next.
Finally she speaks.
"I'm afraid that we weren't able to save your friend. The
chemical agent had damaged many of his major blood vessels. We
tried all we could to save his life, but he had lost too much blood."
"I'm sorry."
"As for your other friend, well we just don't know anything about this chemical. If it is a Milspec toxin, then we likely never will. We can do nothing to
help her, but we don't even know if the damage is permanent or not."
The woman looks totaly helpless by the time she has finished speaking.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
"What?" Cyan is off the wall in an instant, staring at the doctor
in shock. "Ares...dead?" Brilliant ruby eyes fill with
tears as she steps forwards to the doctor. "You...please, take me
to him," she pleads. Not another one. Please! We barely even KNEW him!
Berd's head falls, and he looks around helplessly. The little
dragon slowly curls his tail around Cyan's neck, and utters a high,
keening wail. The glittering of his eyes dims, and then he closes
them, his head dropping down to hang at the Bard's shoulder.
"I am certain you tried your...that he...please take me to him?" Cyan's voice has dropped to an agonized whisper. Ares.
Another to bury. Otandal. Duncan. Derek.
Lazarus gone, crippled. Kallika's eyes. Now Ares. I
never knew you, Ares, but...I will bring you back. Back to where
you should lie. The tears are falling now, but Cyan still
stands straight. Berd's humming rises again, and peaks before
dying as, shivering, the little dragon coils himself even more closely
around Cyan's shoulders.
I remember our talk along the beach, Ares...the look in your eyes
when you saw the flowers of your land...your disgruntlement at leading
us to Amber, but doing it anyways...your bravery, and your willingness
to do the right thing, despite the cost. I shall never, ever
forget that. The Bard chokes, once, at the image, but keeps her head up. I would have liked to have you with me. Travelling would never be boring...but I never had a chance to know you.
I will bring you home. Now.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack gave a sharp intake of breath but
remained silent, he had barely known the quiet watchful Amber Man. He
could not remember saying more than a hundred words to him though he
had been around him for a day. Ares was a hard man to know, yet Jack
had liked him. These things had not just laid their best warriors low,
they had killed the master of war. . .
Jack stood and rested a hand briefly
on the bards shoulder, “Give me your card Cyan, I’ll catch up. You
three go to Ares and do what needs be done. I’ll bring Kali and hunter
as soon as she is able to travel. Hold any ceremonies till we show, so
we can say our goodbyes” He looked to the doctor. “Take me to Kali and
do you know when she will be released?”
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Dworkin (GM)
-----------------------------------------------------------
"She's resting at the moment, waiting for the sedatives to wear off."
the doctor answers Jack's question, "We've made her comfortable and
cleaned up the remaining traces of the chemical from around her
eyes. There's nothing else we can do for her anyway. She
can leave as soon as she feels able to."
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Cyan
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cyan nods blindly to Jack, then shakes her head. "Ares has...had my palanquet,"
she manages. "Go to Kallika - I shall summon you when it is
time. Please." Turning back to the Doctor, she waits with
shining, amber eyes for her to lead them to where Ares lies.
===========================================================
Re: Part 18 - Who goes there? by Jack
-----------------------------------------------------------
Jack looked at Cyan a moment longer then nodded “That’ll
work, call me when you are ready. I’ll be waiting for it.” Though he
did not like separating the group under these conditions, it was what
needed to be done. If it wold have been any one of the others waking up
in there he would have offered to wait by their side, it was Kali so it
only made it more so. With that he sent and followed to his Chunchee
brides side, stalking off silently. from the group. Thoughts of
how little time any of them may have flitting through his head.
===========================================================
|
|
