RPG Laeth E'Thae [PG-VL]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]In the middle of the night, long before Elda's coming or Kaze's awakening, a gathering was occuring. A rare gathering, one that only occured for the.. special.. people who spoke with the spirits in constant.

Being the only such person in the region, Ensis was stuck with the unfortunate task as serving as a solver of all the spirit's problems. They felt such mortals deserved respect for their spirtual abilities, and that they could solve many problems that the spirits themselves couldn't solve.

Thus it was that a voice shattered Ensis' dream, destroying it utterly. His mind's eye closed as the scene shifted, a deep sigh resonateing throughout his mind.

"[i]Why do I have to deal with this now[/i]?"

"Ensis."

...

"Ensis!"

His mind's eye slid open, slowly, steadily- cautiously. A white plane surronded him on all sides, in all directions- there was no sign of a definate end or beginning. Around his house, various spiritual beings from Fenwyr and the surronding area flocked, all to speak to the Shaman. Their varied, wispy forms danced through the solid walls of his house. Kaze was not disturbed, for the spirits could feel his aura and spiritual energy- there was no need for him to know of their presence, to do so would be silly.

So it was that Ensis was forced into a large discussion with spirits, in his own dream, in this white locale. He had not the faintest idea as to what was making them so agitated as they spoke, because none of them realized that the news had not reached this far in the mortal realm yet.

Finally, Ensis interupted them and explained that he had not yet recieved the news of whatever had caused the sudden spiritual shockwave that plagued him earlier. Suddenly it grew very, very quiet- a silence that can only exist inside your own mind. Stepping foreward, Ensis sternly repeated the question he had asked just moments earlier.

"What has taken place that even the spirits of death are here, shaking in fear? Damned, don't even answer. I know you can show me. Show me whatever has happened."

One of them looked at him curiously, sizeing him up. The other spirits once again broke into a conversation amongst themselves, debateing if they should or shouldn't expose him to the horrid events that had occured.

Finally, one of them stepped foreward and spoke.

"It will feel like several hours for you- you have to relive the memories that those that have passed remember, and see what the spirits of Ma'Uriith have shown us."

Ensis face turned into an emotionless one, pondering this. Silence once again settled into a comfortable position. Ensis still wanted to know- he needed to know.

So finally he spoke, "I don't care, I need to understand what is freaking all of you out before I can even try to give an educated opinon."

An elderly spirit, one who had lived ages beyond ages stepped foreward and nodded to all of the other spirits, then back to the young man.

"He has a point, unfortuantely. The other diviners, prophets and spiritualists survived- surely a shaman can."

Ensis nodded, "Then do it. Let me see what is being shown to the other diviners, spirtualists and clairvoyants."

The white plane faded slowly to black, staying in this state for a few moments. Suddenly, he felt he was hovering- idlely over a large city. He recognized it as Ma'Uriith, and noticed how different it looked- different in a bad way. Before he could take in the rest of the city, he suddenly was thrown downwards, into a young woman's body.

It felt odd, like he was just an observer in all this, he heard the woman's thoughts and read her emotions. Finally he grew used to just observing..

As time progressed, Ensis was shown the turmoil that occured, the destruction that raged and was killed- at least, it felt like he was. As soon as the death of the young woman occured, he was thrown into another body, then another. It was a process that would take a few hours of time.

In his home a dead silence fell as the spirits patiently waited, but that silence was quickly broken. Ensis began murmering and muttering, talking in his sleep. He was paying the consequences, and a strong sense of sorrow flooded the nearby area as the spirits felt his pain and anguish rise steadily with each new discovery as to what had occured.

Yes, even as this happened, a messenger arrived at Fenwyr, in the early morning, when it was still dark and delivered the message to the Mayor. The letter was then posted in the most public place they could find..[/color]

[Dagger]

OOC: We [i]cannot[/i] let this die. With that having been said....

*******

When Leile awoke, it was night--or at least some semblance thereof. The sky hung low and heavy above them, a seething mass of charcoal clouds that extended for miles around. She could not see where they began or ended.

She rolled over, groaning softly. Her head was throbbing madly. There must have been some light--after all, she could see--but it was an unnatural glow that seemed to originate from the air itself, rather than from the blocked-out sun. Somewhere in the distance, she glimpsed a plume of pitch-black smoke, billowing from the charred ruins of--

[i]Ma'Uriith.[/i]

It was far worse than Leile could ever have imagined. If anyone had stayed in the city, they would surely now be dead. She bit her fist, fighting back a fresh onslaught of tears. [i]What could have done this....?[/i]

"Are you afraid?"

She whirled around, wincing as her headache intensified. Anubis stood there, supported by his staff, silver hair blowing wildly in the cold, harsh wind. It felt nothing like spring--but then again, little about this desolate landscape was normal.

"It doesn't really matter," Leile replied slowly. She wondered how long he had been watching her. "Where's Aissa?"

"Still unconscious," he said calmly, pointing towards a limp form lying a short distance away. "She probably won't revive for a good while. In any event, we've arrived on the outskirts of Ma'Uriith."

Leile ran to Aissa's side, her chest tight with worry. She crouched down and shook the girl's shoulder. "Aissa? Aissa!"

Anubis offered her a wry smile before turning to survey the fallen city. "Did you hear a word I just said? She completely overdid that spell. Her body needs to rest and recover from the strain."

The Ethai'En girl sat down on a nearby rock, shoulders slumping. "So what're we going to do in the meantime? Do you even know what's happened here?"

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=silver]OOC: Yo yo yo, what up? Okay, sorry about the delay. And DeathKnight, awesome post. I lurve it. He's the coolest Shaman [i]ever![/i]

Right, so with that said, let us continue...[/color]

[color=maroon]Leile sat on the rock and hugged herself, her fingers digging into her skin, as she stared at the ruins of Ma'Uriith before them. "So what're we going to do in the meantime? Do you even know what's happened here?" [i]What's happened to the people? My father, my brother? Why?[/i] Her thoughts continued on, and though she voiced none of them, it was perfectly visible in her eyes. Normally very good at masking her emotions, just as her father had taught her to be while on the road, instead she just let them play across her face. Though she hated to admit it, Anubis was right - later there would be no time to let the pain show. Later, they would need all the strength, courage, and determination they could get.

She glanced at the man briefly, not completely comfortable with him being the only other conscious being around, before reverting her eyes. Obviously she still didn't trust him that much. But he seemed to want to help; indeed, he had said as much. Sighing quietly, she rubbed her temples, trying to stop the throbbing pains that resided there. [i]Maybe I'm being too cynical[/i], she thought, before Anubis' voice interrupted her musings.

"A curse," he finally answered, sounding as though it was obvious enough. And frankly, it was, but at the same time it explained absolutely nothing. She paused briefly in her efforts to assuage her headache to glare at him.

"Thanks, that explains [i]everything[/i], doesn't it? You're a freaking genius."

Anubis just looked amused at her sarcastic attack before continuing, not bothering to comment on her remarks. "Some sort of magic has descended upon the city. It will be our purpose to figure out the who, what, where, when, and whys of it. Once Aissa has rested enough, we will set out. For now, however," he concluded, eyeing the girl with the dark braids in a rather meticulous manner, "I would advise you to rest while you can, and pray that no manner of darkness shall visit us here."

She [i]hated[/i] it when he made sense. Pouting almost gloomily, she decided to make sure that Aissa was at least comfortable, and hoped that she would soon join them again. Though the circumstances under their meeting weren't exactly ideal, she was still glad it happened. She knew she would need a strong friend in the future, and Leile was most certain that she'd found one in Aissa.[/color][/size]

[terra]

[color=green]Aissa felt odd. Numb, perhaps. No, wait, she was assuredly feeling a tingle in her hands. As if she was slowly coming back to life. Or perhaps someone was rubbing them.

She opened her eyes to see Anubis bending over her, and that worked when few other things might have. She shrieked and rolled over, and would have crushed his hand had he not moved it with dexterity.

Anubis said nothing, only rolled his eyes. Aissa herself felt her actions a bit unnecessary now that she realized who he was, but ... it had been more than a bit unexpected to open her eyes and have [i]him[/i] greeting her.

"Feeling better, I see," Anubis said, acrimonious and haughty. More so than usual.

"Sorry about that," Aissa mumbled. "I was ... surprised."

"Undoubtedly," was Anubis' piercing response. Why did his words have that harsh tone to them? He couldn't be ... offended, could he? Aissa was so used to thinking of Anubis as some heartless, bloodless machine that this was a new thought. Rather than ask, though, she stored the idea away in her mind for future pondering.

Aissa sat up, her joints feeling a little stiff. "Where are we?" she asked before remembering how idiotic that sounded, coming from her of all people.

"Ma'Uriith," Anubis answered, apparently deciding to let the opportunity for a jab slip unnoticed. "Can't you tell?"

Aissa bit back a rejoinder and looked around, suddenly realizing what he meant. The landscape was barren; harsh crags jutted out against the sky. Those crags were buildings, Aissa recognized after a moment of scrutiny, or rather, the ruins of them. The ruins of the bustling town that had once been Ma'Uriith.

Aissa noted Leile, curled up in an adorable fetal position, lying nearby. She restrained herself from any morbid accusations and asked, "Is Leile sleeping?"

"Yes, she's been resting for a couple of hours, as have you," Anubis replied. "But I think she'll be ready to get up, now that you've ... awoken."

[i]Recovered[/i], Aissa thought dryly to herself, thanking him silently for not mentioning the ... aftereffects ... of her spell.

"That's all well and good," Aissa said, a new thought occurring to her. "But now that we're here ... how exactly are we going to go about finding more on this curse?"[/color]

[Wondershot]

Kaze stared around the room as he heard voices coming up from underneath him. He looked around for some kind of sign, but then felt a cold chill over his back. He stopped and looked out the window.
"There's some kind of spiritual force here." He said calmly, Elda stared at him, and she shivered slightly, she must have felt the same thing. He looked back at the floor, and stopped walking around. Elda was staring at him.

"Is there something about me that bothers you?" Kaze asked, almost nonchalantly, Elda jumped and looked at him.
"Oh, nothing, just that I thought you said something about Ma'Uriith..." She shook her head, and Kaze gave her an apathetic stare.
"I believe I did, was there something you didn't understand?" Elda recoiled slightly, and Kaze looked out the window as sunlight began to shine across the horizon. He sighed and looked back into his room, the voice under the floor continued.
"Don't you know where Ensis is?" Elda asked. Kaze shrugged.
"No idea..." He was cut off as another chill blew down his shoulders. He could definetely feel a spirit in the area, but it didn't want to show itself...

Kaze stared out the window again, and saw people rushing in and out of town faster than usual. They seemed scared, and were talking rapidly. Elda looked out the window as well, and there was definetely some kind of commotion in town. There was a particularily loud groan from under the floor, and Elda shuddered.
"What IS that?" She asked nervously, but Kaze didn't reply, he was already out the door and walking into the center of town, leaving Elda at the house.

In the incredible river-like current of bodies moving in and out of town, Kaze squirmed and tried to see what on earth was going on. There seemed to be some kind of new notice posted there. Kaze sneaked through the crowd and looked at the notice there. After reading the message, he looked at the ground, and laughed slightly.
"Ma'Uriith...gone...just like that." He found this incredibly hilarious for some reason, and began to laugh harder, a tear ran down his face and he bent over slightly, clutching his sides. He righted himself a moment later, and looked back in the direction of the house. He was on his way back to tell Elda what was going on, when he bumped into someone, who failed to look at him.
"Sorry, mate." The man said, his voice sounding strangely familliar. Kaze whirled just in time to see a long purple tail disappear into the crowd...
"Kan?" Kaze began to walk forwards into the crowd, looking feverishly for Kan...

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=maroon]She could hear low voices talking, discussing something. It was cold, and the hushed tones made her feel lonely. The little catnap seemed to help a bit, but she thought gloomily that nothing could shake that bleak, miserable feeling as long as they were in Ma'Uriith. Leile opened her eyes, the rest of her body still, and let them adjust to the light. Or rather, the lack of light. For a long moment she just stared at the sky; there was not a speck of blue, she noted hopelessly.

The voices of her two other companions came back to her again and she sat up slowly, signaling that she was indeed awake. As Leile scratched her head lightly, yawning, Aissa called out to her, "Did you rest well?"

The raven-haired girl nodded, scooting a little closer to the two of them. "As well as can be expected, I suppose," she replied, before asking, "So what's the game plan?"

"We were just discussing how to go about figuring out this curse," Aissa told her, glancing at Anubis. "We haven't come up with much."

He gave one small nod in acknowledgement. "Perhaps if we discern exactly how the city was destroyed, it will give us some insight on the curse," he suggested, his tone almost sounding bored to Leile. She realized then that he'd probably stayed awake the entire time the two of them had slept. Narrowing her eyes in thought, she wondered exactly how long she'd been asleep before Aissa began again.

"We might as well try," the healer agreed, staring at the city ruins with a number of different emotions, most of which Leile could relate to. She thought maybe even Anubis might have felt a few of them, though he was very good at hiding that sort of thing.

Standing then, Leile brushed off her tunic and offered the two of them a smile. "Let's get going, then," she chirped, even though the optimism she was trying to give off was only half-baked. [i]Well,[/i] she thought grimly, [i]Somebody's got to do it. Might as well be me, since I've had some practice at it.[/i][/color][/size]

[Dagger]

"Fire," Anubis said absently, brushing his fingers over the blackened remains of a once-imposing colonnade. "Or brimstone, perhaps. Gives it a rather apocalyptic flair."

Leile made a face at the mage's back. He was too calm; completely at ease with himself and his surroundings. It was always the quiet ones who turned out to be homicidal maniacs, right?

After less than an hour of walking, they had begun to approach the castle at the center of the city. Aissa suspected magic, but said nothing. She needed more rest before her powers would return in full, and there was little point in questioning whether or not Anubis was attempting to ease the strain on her still-weakened body. He probably wouldn't give a straight answer, anyway.

A stone sculpture shattered instantly at Anubis' touch. He crouched, dipping his hand into the small pile of dust and ash.... it was already drifting away on a fresh gust of bitter, biting wind.

"It started with a shock wave," he murmured. It seemed as though he were speaking more to himself than to the two of them. Leile hugged herself as she listened, trying to ward off the vast and incomprehensible loneliness that clung to what was left of this empty city.

"A shock wave," Anubis repeated softly. "Rippling through the ground.... it started at the center, at the palace. Then another one--stronger and farther-reaching than the first. They grew more intense, but the rhythm remained the same; it was like a heartbeat. But that rhythm broke, and an earthquake was unleashed.

"Next, came the fire." He pointed at the colonnade, about to continue.... yet remained silent.

"Food, shelter, and clean water," the mage said suddenly, turning around and planting his staff firmly on the ground. His tone of voice had changed completely, from dark and grave to brisk and businesslike. "Very little of that to be found here. All the same, it would behoove us to begin searching. I think we may need to spend the night."

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]The people in Fenwyr were wild with panic. They were running through the streets, calling out to one another, all looking as though they were utterly pierced to the heart with fear. Elda stood paralyzed in Ensis's doorway, looking around frantically for any sign of Kaze in the moving crowd. Her eyes widened as she saw people crying, falling to the ground. Kaze was no where in sight. Her heart was pounding, although she didn't know why. She had never seen the quiet town of Fenwry in such a panic. What was going on?

At that moment, Ensis tapped her on the shoulder from behind. She screamed loudly, turning quickly. Ensis himself jumped, looking at her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Well, I actually came here to, um..." she stopped, getting slightly embarrassed, her cheeks beginning to flush. "I just wanted to thank you for seeing me home last night..." She sat there, not looking at him for a moment. Finally, she gazed up into his eyes.

He was looking down at her, but his eyes were not looking at her at all. He was somewhere else all together. She put her arms on his shoulders.

"Ensis! Tell me what is going on! Why is all of Fenwyr in such a panic? Tell me!" She shook his shoulders slightly, tears coming to her eyes although she didn't know why. She then heard her father's voice.

"Elda? Elda, where are you!?" Elda looked out into the crowd and saw her father looking around for her. He stumbled over people who had fallen to the ground, and he himself looked to be in a panic. Elda looked up at Ensis, fear in her eyes.

"Tell me what is going on, Ensis!" she said. He just smiled at her sadly, shaking his head and not saying a word. At that, she grabbed his face in her hands and pulled him down and kissed him hard.

"Now...tell me what's going on..." she said.[/color][/size]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]Ensis remained numb emotionally and physically. No, not just numb emotionally- almost shattered. The pain he had expierenced had been almost too much for him to handle. He understood what had occured, but he, for once, had no good advice..

Really, what advice could he give? Even with the facts presented by the reliving of the Ma'Uriith 'incident', it remained vague to him. Many scenarios played out in his mind as he tryed to work backwards- but he still could not find the cause for the destructive effect. Finally his eyes looked upwards into the sky, watching the last of the spirits depart for their homes.

"There is no Ma'Uriith anymore. The people that died there are numerous, the refugees and shattered souls seemingly more numerous. Scattered like ashes across the ocean they are. It has ceased to exist as a city, as a location- even as a landscape. Ruined, desolate, destroyed. Bloodied. Yes, no Ma'Uriith anymore.."

The glow in his eyes lessened as the spiritual presence finally returned to normal.

Elda looked fearful, the gears were turning at a fearful pace in her head, but it was a daunting thing to swallow. That was obvious from the sheer panic in the streets.

Ensis then spoke again, but in a more monotone, emotionless voice rather than the poetic lamenting he had done just a moment earlier.

"That is not all. Some of the people have noticed something I had been watching for several weeks now. The typically spectacular and extraordinarily radiant flora in this area has deteriorated in said-radiance noticeably. Something is sapping the strength or mana or power, whatever term you use, from the very life in the area."

Ensis eyebrow twitched at the sheer panic that was going on outside his home. With a swift movement he jumped up onto his roof, clearing this throat.

With a resounding yell that reverberated even louder thanks to a bit of magic, he said, "GOOD PANICING CITIZENS OF FENWYR, I ASK ALL OF YOU TO LEND ME AN EAR, JUST FOR A MOMENT."

Most of the crowd froze with the shattering yell, stareing upwards at the young man. A large crowd formed around the house, all eyes upon Ensis- he smiled briefly before returning to his numb state.

"I have decided to go to Ma'Uriith and the surronding area. Alot of people need help- physical help, help with wounds, people to talk to. If any one would like to join me, I would appreciate the company. If not, I understand. That is all. Continue your hurried panic."[/color]

[terra]

[color=green]Aissa wasn't listening to Anubis's expounding on just how the city had been destroyed, though she didn't doubt the probablity of its accuracy. Instead, she had caught in her hand a bit of the ash that had fallen when he'd touched the statue. It was coarse in her fingers, and the grit smeared itself over her hand and into the tiny lines that ran along it.

Ignoring her slight repulsion at the dirtiness, Aissa reached into a pouch with her clean hand and pulled out leaves of the [i]q'olia[/i] tree that she and Arland had grown at home. Its healing properties were well-known, but a lesser-known story reported it to be one of the oldest variety of tree, the one from which all the species of tree in Laeth E'Thae had originated from. Whether this was myth or true, Aissa and her brother had long been taught its strong capability of linking the present and the past.

She crushed the dried leaves in her dirtied hand, mingling the two kinds of dusts, and murmured words over it, opening her hand in front of her as she did so. [i]Ei vahiru Arland ju Aissa, kari'is ruu disa lae ...[/i]

The particles began mingling freely on her open palm, though no wind was stirring. They rose in a small cloud to form a tiny model of a city, which Aissa somehow understood to be Ma'Uriith. The city moved, its buildings merging into a cloaked figure -- many cloaked figures, swiftly merging into the silhouette of a man with a sword who crumpled on his feet, then changing quickly from that ominous vision to another, none of them appearing in any logical order.

Aissa shuddered and one word imprinted itself into her mind: [i]revenge.[/i] The images of dust in her hand flickered, faster and faster now, and she suddenly felt an inexplicable urge for revenge, stemming from something ancient ... The ancient wrongs that had been cruelly inflicted on her were being avenged at last, by a darkness that she now had the power to spread over the land, the land that housed the children of those who had done something horrible to her ...

Opening her eyes, Aissa blew the mixture out of her hand, trembling slightly. The unquenchable desire for revenge faded as the intermingled dusts, light and dark, blew off into the wind.

"I think we may need to spend the night."

Though Anubis' tone revealed nothing, Aissa had the odd feeling he'd been watching her somehow, and wondered uncomfortably if he or Leile had seen. But she did not yet want to speak of the memories she had just peeked into. She nodded and followed Leile, who'd started forward to look for a good shelter, and kept to herself her wonderings about who those memories could belong to.[/color]

[size=1](edited to be green ... teehee.) [/size]

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=firebrick]Only half-listening to Anubis and his theories, Leile was looking around a bit herself, brushing her fingers against the crumbling stone pillars that she suspected might have been some sort of royal building. Because of the fires and earthquakes, most everything had been properly destroyed. She still tried, however, to pick out familiar places, and was having some relative success. For instance, she was pretty sure this was Garden Square... It wasn't the buildings that gave it away, but the circular patterns in the pavement. Or, what was left of them, at least. Garden Square was the main political area; she knew that if she took the side road that went around the ruined columns, she find herself walking towards the palace.

If she went towards the west instead, she'd find herself in the main market area. But as her eyes trailed over what visible ruins there were in that area, she realized that perhaps the market had been one of the hardest areas hit; people gathered there day after day, from dawn until dusk, to run their errands and buy and sell and mingle. There wasn't much left of that area at all; just cement and ash and a memory of her brother, peeking out of a cart at her mischievously.

Swallowing that down as quickly as she could, ruffling her braids in an attempt to distract herself, she averted her eyes from that spot rather hastily, glancing towards Anubis, who was now telling them that shelter would be a wise option. Nodding gently, she took a quick glance of the area again, before murmuring, "I.. I think I know somewhere close to here that would work, if it isn't completely destroyed."

She didn't really wait for them to acknowledge that, or make sure that they were at least following her. Which was probably not the smartest thing to do, because being alone in the dead city was the last thing any of them wanted. But it just seemed to her that talking was useless at this point. She had nothing to say, and there were no words that could express what she was feeling. So she walked quietly, back towards the palace road, hoping that there was at least one part of it that wasn't destroyed, like the rest of the place.

At times, Leile couldn't breathe. The ash had nothing to do with it; rather, it was that nothing remained of the old Ma'Uriith she knew. There used to be fountains up this road, and beautiful flowers and sculpted trees. Now the only sign that any of that had once existed was some crumbled bricks and a puddle of water; any trace of color was gone from the land.

After ten or fifteen minutes of walking, the ruins of the palace loomed before them and neither one of her companions had any doubt about which building it was. Even in its ruined state, it was huge.

Leile sighed, her hands on her hips. "We're bound to find some shelter here, and possibly even some more clues," she said at last, glancing back at the other two. Aissa nodded, though Leile noted that she looked a little preoccupied. She couldn't blame her. Anubis looked classically... calm. For a moment she thought about making it her mission to see that change every now and then, and decided to worry about humanizing him later. She was sure their little adventure would serve more than adequately in those regards.[/color][/size]

[Wondershot]

Kaze was now hopelessly lost in the crowd, as Kan moved extremely fast for someone of his...appearance. Kaze looked to the left and right through a sea of bodies, and although he managed to get glimpses of tails, none of them were quite the lustrous purple of Kan's tail. He looked back, and realized that in his haste he had forgotten where Ensis and Elda were. He was now lost for certain, as he had never been in Fenwyr before. He turend around and stepped on something.
"OUCH!" A voice with a strong accent yelped, and the person began cursing and walking away. Kaze looked over to see what had happened. He had stepped on someone's foot, apparently, but he had definetely recognized the voice again.
"KAN!" Kaze yelled into the crowd, but his voice was drowed out by the voices of several others. He began chasing the dark purple tail all over again...

Several minutes later, Kaze emerged, gasping for air, from the huge crowd, and saw Kan's tail disappear into an alley. He followed suit, and did an incredible double take at what he saw. Kan's ship had been rebuilt, and he looked in amazement at the huge wheels attached to the sides and the large fans and sails used to propel it. There were still many ropes hanging over the sides, and it appeared ot be under maintenance. What was more, the ship seemed to be shoddily built, as the top half, consisting of the deck and sails, appeared to be built using a different wood from the bottom half. The giant two toned ship began to shudder slightly, and, before Kaze could fathom what that meant, he was grabbed and pulled forwards by someone from behind...

"Caught this character snooping near the ship." A deep voice said. Kaze shook his head and looked up, his arms had been tied back and he was being held in front of someone. His head had been forced down so he was staring at this person's knees.
"Well, can't have done much harm, he mustn't have been there too long." Replied the second voice, only he spoke in a rich accent that Kaze had heard before...
"What if he heard us talking about the..."
"Wait, I think he's coming around." Kaze looked up slightly and saw a long purple tail flicking in his face.
"So, son, how are you doing, then?"
"KAN!" Kaze yelled, making the person behind him jump.
"Wo's that? How come this boy knows your name?"
"Where did you get my name from, boy?" Kaze looked up, and this time Kan was the one who jumped back in surprise. The two stared at each other for a moment, then Kan bent down and gave Kaze a huge hug.
"OH, IT'S THE BOY! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD! I THOUGHT THAT..."
"Kan..."
"WHEN IT EXPLODED, WELL, I HAD NO IDEA IT WOULD BE DOING THAT, MATE, BUT I THOUGHT..."
"Kan!..."
"IMAGINE! THE LITTLE BOY BACK HERE IN FENWYR! I WAS SURE THAT YOU HAD..."
"KAN!" Kaze roared, making Kan release him.
"Something the matter, son?"
"I'm glad to see you too." Kaze said, cracking a small smile. Kan smiled too, and the man behind Kaze grunted.
"Yeah, wo't you want?"
"Doesn't he know about the..." The man pointed a thumb back towards the ship, but Kan shook his head.
"Naw, we can trust the kid. Can't we, son?" Kan rumpled Kaze's hair affectionately, and Kaze nodded.
"Beautiful! Now we can..."
"KAZE!" Kan and Kaze wheeled and saw Elda standing in the alleyway. Kaze squinted as she rushed forward to see waht was going on.
"It's all right, mate, nothing to worry about..." Kan muttered as he undid the ropes binding Kaze's wrists together. Kaze got up and looked at Elda, who seemed incredibly upset.
"You never told me you had a ladyfriend, mate." Kaze whispered coyly to Kaze, who looked at Elda indifferently.
"So you heard the news too." Kaze asked, mildly amused. Elda burst into tears and Kan looked utterly perplexed.
"Wo's going on?"
"Ma"Uriith has been destroyed by our curse." Kaze replied, almost with a tone of pleasure in his voice. Kan jumped even higher and farther in surprise, and then he and his crew quickly said a prayer in a native tongue. Elda continued sobbing, so Kaze walked over to her.
"Is Ensis all right?"
"He...he..went to...help the...others..." she gasped though sobs. Kaze helped her to her feet, and the two walked off. Kan yelled to them as they left.
"If you ever need a lift, you can come to me and my mates! EH? YOU HEAR ME, MATE?..."

Kaze and Elda now walked through the panicked populace, and they saw people being treated for injuries and sobbing groups all whispering like this was a funeral. Kaze began to grin, and Elda stared at him.
"What are you so happy about?"
"Ma'Uriith...gone..." Kaze began to laugh softly.
"What's so funny?!" Elda demanded, Kaze looked up.
"Ironic, no? The greatest city in the world, couldn't even escape we we all tried to avoid, the power of the human soul, and death..."
"Why are you so happy about it then?" Kaze stared at her.
"Well, this is really nothing important to me, as I saw it, that place was a pit of indecency and disgust, even when it was in full power. It's destruction was its just reward." Elda recoiled.
"How can you say that?! You came from there! Didn't you..." She flinched at a cold stare from Kaze.
"For your infromation, that place would have taken me with it, not even death could have saved me from it, as you know, and we should be so fortunate that we recieved this as ample warning for our misdeeds."
"Misdeeds? What are you..."
"Well, that is all I have to say. If you have any more enquiries about the nature of death then please never talk to me again. It is irritating and unimportant, you will understand when your turn comes." Without another word, Kaze turned on his heel and walked in the opposite direction.
"Kaze!..." Elda called, but he whirled and began to shout.
"So, I'm just a monster, eh? I'm just an evil being obsessed with the death of the innocent and the removal of spiritual souls from our plane. Just because I understand far more than you ever will, I am some kind of demon, no? I'LL JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT WON'T I?! GO AWAY! YOU DON'T WANT TO BE SEEN WITH A MONSTER LIKE ME!!"

Kaze turned and ran as fast as he could...

[Dagger]

[i]I don't suppose they heard a single word I said[/i], Anubis thought cynically.

Leile's sharp eyes had lead him and Aissa to one of the palace's many store rooms. Its eastern wall had crumbled away completely, and the roof sloped down to lie slanted against the floor, a great slab of stone balanced precariously on its broken edges.

These dilapidated surroundings hid a veritable treasure trove of food and drink. It consisted mostly of ancient, withered jerky and rock-hard bread--probably some poor servant's dinner--but the barrels of water had surprisingly remained intact, and the liquid inside was pure. Leile was busy separating the mealy biscuits from the edible ones. She knelt as she sorted them into two piles, although he doubted she would be able to continue much longer. The shadows were already making it difficult to see.

A small flame sprang into existence in the center of Anubis' cupped hand. He plucked it from his palm and settled it neatly on top of a nearby boulder. It sat there, flickering, apparently quite happy to defy the laws of nature.

None of them had spoken for several hours now, and Aissa had grown accustomed to the silence. She watched the mage curiously; his power wasn't quite like anything she'd encountered before. Something about those tattoos....

"That should be more than enough," he told Leile.

The girl straightened up, rubbing her back. "I guess so," she replied reluctantly, casting a critical eye over her handiwork. "Well, what now? Should we go explore?"

"If I may make a suggestion...."

He sounded almost hesitant--almost. Aissa rose to her feet and walked over to join the other two, rubbing her hands together in hopes of retaining some semblance of warmth. "Yes?"

"Let them come to us," Anubis finished. He flicked a stray strand of hair over his shoulder, gazing past his companions at the small crack of sky that showed through the shattered roof.

[i]Them[/i]? Leile's eyes narrowed. [i]That doesn't sound good.[/i]

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]Elda stared silently as Kaze ran away from her. She had no clue what he was talking about, what it meant, and why he was going, but a silent tear trickled down her face. She grabbed a small strand of her blonde hair in hand, twisting it hard. The people were still in a panic around her, but it was more quiet and subdued. Ensis had began to offer comfort to them, and most had began to make their way around town to visit family and friends, as if they were going to die any minute now.

But not Elda. She knew that she was far from death, and that her life was about to change. She knew that Ensis was leaving and that he had asked that anyone who wanted to accompany him to let him know. She knew that her father would never let her go, but she knew that her father could never keep her from going. At that moment, she was grabbed from behind, turned quickly, and pressed hard against someone's body in a tight embrace. She didn't look up to see who it was, but knew immediately at the sound of his voice.

"Oh, Elda, your father has been looking for you. We were so worried..." Beau said, the panic in his voice very evident.

"Beau, let me go, I'm fine..."

Beau slowly let her go, looking into her soggy eyes. He actually looked sincere. She felt her heart jerk and began to cry once again. He quickly took her in his arms.

"Elda, what's wrong? It's going to be okay..." Beau said, gently stroking her hair. She continued to sob, finding it hard to breathe. She finally broke away from him, strands of her golden hair plastered to her face.

"I'm going with Ensis to find out what happened..." she said firmly. Beau just looked at her. "Elda, you're just panicing because of what happened, we all are. Don't talk crazy..." he said, making his way towards her again.

"No!" she said, slapping his hand away. "I am NOT talking crazy. I'm going with Ensis to find out what happened. My mother was from that city...and after she died, father promised me he'd take me there some day..." she got quietly immediately, feeling another warm tear run down her cheek.

"Your father wouldn't let you go," Beau said, still trying to get close to her.

"My father can't stop me..." she said, still backing away. She began walking back towards Ensis's home, hoping that perhaps he would be there once again.

"Elda, NO!" said Beau, running towards her. She ignored him as he came up beside her. "Elda, I beg you, please don't do it. Just go home and get some rest. I just know you'll feel better if you do."

Elda continued to ignore him, seeing Ensis up ahead of her. "Just leave me alone, Beau. I've already made my decision..."[/color][/size]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]After speaking to several townspeople- just to comfort them, no one wanted to accompany him it seemed- Ensis stood alone infront of his house.

The sky was a pale gray, stormclouds gathering to inundate the town in an ironically gloomy rainfall. He stared into them, connecting with them- listening to what they had to say. It was no different- with the sentinent morals finally receving the news everything, litereally everything, was to some degree worried. But the dead feeling inside him that refused to go away didn't leave him room to worry.

His trance, as usual, was broken by a voice.

"So you are finallly leaving here, eh?"

Ensis glanced over to the voice, forceing a grin.

"Yea. No good for a healer to be where no one needs healing. Doesn't really matter, I was going to leave here pretty soon eventually. Restless."

"Leaving today?"

"Probably. I would prefer to have someone join me in my journey, but I guess I do not blame people remaining where they feel safest."

"You seem different," Alex tilted his head a bit as he spoke, "What happened?"

"When you have nightmares people always offer the 'sound' advice that it is infact just a dream, and no realer than your imagination. They do not know a damn thing about what they are speaking of."

Alex looked at him puzzled and opened his mouth to speak, but Ensis shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I need to go pack a few things I will be needing. Listen, I might not be back for awhile. When I come back I expect that whole side of the road to be a farm, understand?"

"You bet, heh."

He stepped away, walking twards his house at a slow pace. Off to his right, he noticed a figure approaching him- it was Elda. He was hoping that she would join him in his journey- but right now she was still distressed. Both of them were distressed. They needed each other.

--- Elsewhere ---

A large hall stood in D'Yarhe, the hall of a family. It belonged to the Venefiscus family- its line started in this port town. Within it an emergency meeting was being planned for the family, decisons were to be made- there was a strong need for the skills the Veneficus' had, but it was a long journey.

Surely, fate would have it that closest port to Ensis would be that city.

But, amongst the chaos of planning and sending the messages out, a middle aged man stood on a balcony with his hand on his chin. He had travelled here a couple of days ago from his home in Shaar to see some of his fellow Venefiscus.

Fate would, once again, have it that he would be stuck here. For a couple of weeks, actually. Irritating as that was, the man was looking foreward to one thing about this meeting.

"Let's see how successful my son is after a year. Bet he is still the best fighter with a stave in all the land, quick as a fox. Almost as smart as me. Family meetings have a use after all."

Walking into the hall, he was immediately asked something by some random family member. He remembered suddenly why he had escaped to the balcony in the first place- too late to retreat back there now.

"Kenneth, we were thinking of letting you deliver the message to Ensis. You could suprise him- might as well take advantage of the sheer luck of you being here."

"Now that is not such a bad idea. Damn fine, if you ask me. I'll be glad to do it."

"Sir, would you like an escort? There have been reports of bandits in the area."

Kenneth arched his eyebrow at the young man- what? That was laughable. The only person that could defeat him in battle was his son, who he had trained himself. Still, there was no reason to boast.

"No, I think I can handle a few rogue bandits. If I can't, you'll hear about it in a few months."

"Er... alright."

Kenneth nodded to the people around him and took the letter, walking twards the door. His stave appeared next to it, and he grabbed it. Placeing it on his shoulder, he began to head twards Fenwyr.

"Man my feet are going to hurt for years after this... Shaar to here to Fenwyr to here to Shaar. But, this is a great chance for a suprise on Ensis."

His eyes grew narrow and diistant, "The peace has died. Will this world die with it?"


--- Fenwyr ---

"Elda.." Ensis began.

"I am going with you." She said.

His numb state diminshed a large amount with those words. He was glad, glad that they would be together.

"You don't know how good it is to hear someone, especially you, say that.."[/color]

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]Elda smiled up at Ensis, his words so comforting. She felt another tear fall down her face and quickly wiped it away.

"I just know that I can't stay here. There's nothing here for me. My father wants me to settle down and get married, but he only wants me to do that so he can trap me...he knows I'm too much of a free spirit..." Elda sighed a bit, letting her eyes fall to the ground. She ran a finger through her hair nervously, catching a strand and twisting it. She finally looked back up at him.

"You need to rest, Elda...perhaps I can offer you a bed here?" he motioned towards his home, where the door was standing wide open.

"Please?" she said, "It's been a long day. It feels like eternity when I've only been awake a few short hours..."

Elda sighed deeply, and Ensis placed a hand on her shoulder, gently guiding her towards the door. "I'll let you sleep and I'll cook something to eat. I think we'll be leaving soon..."

Elda didn't say anything and just let herself be led into the house. She soon found herself in a soft bed, her mind quickly drifting into a much needed sleep.

Not long aftewards, Beau made his way to the door of Ensis's home. He banged hard, waking Elda from her sleep. She sat up gently and saw Ensis go and answer the door. She heard Beau's angry voice and Ensis's calm voice. She tried to listen in on their conversation from where she was at.

"Ensis, let me in now. I have come to get Elda," Beau said, furious.

"She's staying with me. Just leave her alone and let her rest," Ensis said quietly.

"I am NOT leaving her here with you! You're only going to hurt her, Ensis! Let her stay here where she will be safe! She's all her father has left!" Beau said, much louder than his previous statement. Elda gasped softly, realization hitting her. But she knew that she couldn't stay.

"Look Beau, she made her decision and you can't change her mind. Let her be, please," Ensis said, still quietly.

"LET ME IN!" said Beau, trying to get past Ensis, to no avail.

"Beau, stop it," Elda said quietly, making her way to where the two men where, standing beside Ensis silently. "I'm going with Ensis. Something tells me I shouldn't stay here...I don't want to settle down...I am going to live my life..."

"Elda, you're a woman! You should care more about your place!"

Elda just looked at him angrily. "Beau, I don't CARE about my place. And neither did my mother..."

"Yeah, and look at where it got your mother! DEAD! She's dead now, Elda!" Beau screamed at her. Elda stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face. Tears were streaming from her eyes once again and she sighed deeply.

"Beau, I never want to hear you speak of my mother like that ever again. I never even want to SPEAK to you again...leave me alone!" she said, clutching Ensis by the arm. Ensis just nodded calmly, and shut the door. Beau just stood there, awestruck by what just happened. As the door closed, he yelled at them. "Elda, I only wanted you for mine!" Elda began to sob once again as Beau walked away.[/color][/size]

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=darkorange]OOC: Tis a little crappy, but hey, what can you do? Perhaps I should get more sleep. Or eat better. Or something. >.<;;
Also, in view of the recent censor changes, would you guys feel it appropriate to mark this as "mature" or just leave it? I'm not entirely sure what I want to do about that. Or maybe I'm just lazy.[/color]

[color=firebrick]Leile found that the more she concentrated on other things, the better she felt. For the most part. It was all relative, anyway. However, straining her eyes and kneeling over to see the biscuits was beginning to take its toll on her and she paused momentarily, stretching her back a bit before continuing. Anubis had used his mysterious powers to conjure up a small flame and create some light for them, but even with that added help it was becoming increasingly hard to work.

Eventually, she heard Anubis say to her, ?That should be more than enough,? and she straightened up, brushing her hands off before using them to rub her sore back. She hadn?t really been keeping track of exactly how many biscuits she?d saved, so she was a little surprised to find the pile larger than she?d expected. But that still meant that she had to stop, and thus, would have to find a new way to deal with her thoughts.

Reluctantly, she agreed, and sat back, casting a quick glance over the little store room they?d managed to tidy up a bit. ?Well, what now? Should we go explore?? For the moment, Leile was fresh out of ideas.

It seemed Anubis wasn?t, however, and both she and Aissa were a bit startled when he suggested that they should ?Let them come to us.?

[i]Them?[/i] Leile?s eyes narrowed. [i]That doesn?t sound good. Oh, that doesn?t sound good at all.[/i]

Aissa voiced her next thought, though unlike Leile, she had her vision to think of and her healer capabilities to lend her some good ideas about what he was getting at. Hesitantly, she asked, ?What do you mean by [i]them[/i]??

Anubis eyed Aissa, perhaps scrutinizing her, as if he knew much more about her than he let on. Leile, however, was just plain confused, and a bit tired, and all this mystery was really starting to get on her nerves. For once, she just wanted some straightforward answers. Managing to control her temper surprisingly well for once, she picked up a couple biscuits and gave one to Aissa, forcing a quick smile on her face before turning to give one to Anubis. He shook his head politely, but Leile just took his hand and dropped the biscuit in it before retreating back to her seat, where she decided to wait patiently for him to begin explaining.[/color][/size]

[Wondershot]

Kaze lay down in the midle of the alley, sobbing slightly. He took a small gasp of air, and looked down the street, people were collapsed there, evidently drunk, or maybe fainted.
"Serves...them right." Kaze said to no one, then he looked down at the ground, thinking about all that had happened.

He lived a life in Ma'Uriith since he had left his family, no one had any objection, but despite the lives he could have saved, they just showed spite.

They all did...

He tried to do what he could, he protected the simple town from the minor curses of the dead, and kept the town aware of what was going on...they had never listened when he felt that curse awakening.

Never...

He gasped and shuddered, they had branded him as some kind of herald of doom, they hated more than any human ever did. He thought back to the sleepless nights under the stairs, the people travelling in tightly knit groups to keep him away, the cries and curses of those whom he passed. He closed his eyes slowly, repeating over and over to himself.

They deserved it...They deserved it...

"Mate?"
Kaze awoke with a start, realizing that he had fallen asleep. He placed a hand down to steady himself, and it closed around something furry.
"Oi, just thought I'd see how you're doing." Kan said with a light smile. Kaze just stared back down at the ground, and another tear slid down his face.
"Oi, this is the most depressed I'd ever deen you? Something the matter, mate?" Kaze stared up, blinked, then looked at the wall of the building across the street, talking blankly to it instead of Kan. He told Kan the whole story, his life in Ma'Uriith, how the people hated him, how he felt about the curse, and how he left when he felt it...

"Wow, rough life, mate." Kan said with a note of sadness in his voice, Kaze nodded, and tears began flowing again. He stared back at the ground.
"But...there's one thing I don't get." Kan said suddenly, Kaze whirled.
"I explained it all, there's..."
"No, I mean why didn't you tell your ladyfriend about all this? If you left her like that she must be confused."
"What? She would just hate me like everyone else."
"No, mate. She's a friend, she took you in and helped you get better when I couldn't, she wouldn't hate you just because you can see ghosts and such." Kan gave Kaze a fatherly smile, and then held his head up slightly.
"You should hear a little of my life's story...here..." Kan reached down to his belt and pulled out a small flask. He took a big gulp and handed it to Kaze.
"Helps me tell the story better." He said, and Kaze took a large gulp too. The drink was strong but incredibly sweet, it made him feel drowsy and Kan was starting to talk...

A few minutes later, the two were leaning on each others backs, still sitting, and they were both wobbling slightly.
"So I said to myself, Kan, someday you can take this life of yours...and grab it." Kan immediately grabbed Kaze by his hair.
"Like so, and do whatever you want, and if someone doesn't like it, that's their problem." He looked up and saw he was holding Kaze up by his hair.
"Sorry bout that, mate."
"S'...s'okay" Kaze replied, slurring slightly. Kan grinned.
"Du'n that feel better, now? You can relax, and I'll take care of ye." Kaze looked up.
"Now that you mention it..." Kan looked back with a huge grin.
"Name it, mate."
"I need to borrow that ship of yours, I want to go back to Ma'Uriith." Kan's face fell, and he suddenly looked very shifty and nervous.
"Um...that's quite a trip, mate..."
"Your ship got me here in a few hours..." Kaze replied, burping slightly. Kan reached back for the flask and gave it to Kaze. Who took another big gulp.
"Well, mate, maybe we were just lucky, you know? Maybe..."
"Yeah, you're right.." Kaze replied with a groaning voice. Kan grinned.
"You know, though, if you do want a ride, I could offer it."
"Thanks, Kan, maybe Elda would like one too." Kaze pointed in the direction of the house. Kan nodded, and got up to walk off.
"Kan..." Kan whirled around, and Kaze was standing up too. Kaze put both arms around Kan's shoulders.
"You're the best friend I ever had..." Kan smiled and helped Kaze back down to the ground. He lay there for a moment, then fell asleep instantly.
"Sweet dreams, mate." Kan turned on his heel, then walked in the direction of the house. On the way, he passed a man who looked quite mad, and had a large red mark on his cheek.
"Sorry, mate, but you know the house of Lady Elda?" Kan asked, but the man just stared at him, shaking with rage, despite the fact that he looked like he was about to burst into tears, and walked off, even faster. Kan watched him leave, then continued down the path to the house. He looked at the door for a moment, then rapped smartly on the door. Ensis answered.
"Oh, sorry mate, thought this was the house of lady..." He trailed off as he saw Elda sitting on the bed in the guest room.
"Oh! Sorry mate." Kan said as he brushed past Ensis, without allowing him to say a word. He walked down and kneeled next to the bed. Elda stared at him.
"Sorry to bother you, Kan Tsu'Kei at your service." He said with a short bow. He looked back up.
"I just wanted to come tell you that our little friend is going to Ma'Uriith and he thought you might appreciate the lift. You can just go to the ship right next to the town gate and ask for me. Oh, and don't take it too hard on him, he's in a bit of a state." He winked and made a clicking noise with his tongue, undeterred by the look of bewilderment on Elda's face.
"Well, goodnight, madam, and if you see our little friend, just treat him real nice, he'll appreciate it." He got up, brushed right past Ensis without saying a word, and moved out the door, slamming it loudly behind him. He walked down the street with a light skip in his step, and stopped outside the gate, where the ship on wheels stood. He looked up at one of his mates.
"We leave tomorrow, and we'll be having guests, and don't worry, they don't know about the you-know-what." Kan winked again, but the other man on deck stared back.
"Are you sure? what if we have an accident with the other you-know-what?" Kan grinned.
"Don't worry, we must've checked them a million times, they should be safe this time around." Kan stepped on deck and walked into the solitary cabin, where there was a small trapdoor leading to the cargo room. He opened it and gazed down into the darkness. There were many crates lined there, marked with red triangles.
"Perfect." He said quietly, and slammed the trapdoor down...

[terra]

[color=green]A small part of Aissa thought that Anubis might actually explain his cryptic sentence. Right after the question left her mouth, Aissa realized she shouldn't even have wasted her breath in asking.

They sat together for several minutes, the soft crunching of their biscuits between their teeth the only sound breaking the silence. The flickering light of the campfire was gentle, but Aissa found herself wishing it was stronger. She was just out of its circle of light, and didn't wish to look cowardly by moving into it ... but the growing darkness was having an inevitable effect as well.

Aissa's head began to nod, but something prompted her to at least attempt to stay awake and she struggled to keep her eyes open. Her mind felt as if it were slipping into half-consciousness, those moments between sleep and waking where dreams become reality and reality becomes dreams. She felt as if Arland were beside her again, whispering some childish secret into her ear that she couldn't quite remember or she had never heard.

"They've arrived."

Anubis's words pulled Aissa back into the realm of the present with a shock and this time she did move into the circle of light cast about by the fire, pulling herself to her feet. Leile was beside her in an instant, thankfully, and Aissa instinctively reached for her hand, grasping it in search of some friendly contact. She received a comforting pressure in return.

Anubis was standing beside them, his eyes piercing the depths of the room to see something that Aissa and Leile could not perceive. "You are here," he said, and as he spoke shapes materialized out of the darkness, indiscriminate figures that still seemed to shift even when they became concrete. Aissa could see nothing of their faces, and she couldn't tell if it was because they were hidden by cloaks or by the darkness that surrounded them.

"You called us here."

[i]Haunted[/i] was the only thought that sprung to Aissa's mind. Their voice was like a hissing snake and an explosion at the same time.

Then she realized that the figure that had spoken was pointing at her.

"I called you here?" Aissa said, her voice feeling surprisingly normal, as if she were speaking to some normal ... living ... being. "Are you sure you don't mean [i]he[/i] called you here?" and she indicated Anubis, who tended to be the source of most of the strange things they encountered.

Anubis seemed to have to hold back a sort of chuckle.

"You," the figure repeated. "With the power of the [i]q'olia[/i] you summoned us to tell you our history ... It is an ancient power that cannot be refused, even by those such as us."

Aissa nodded, bemused. "Good to know," she said under her breath. Somehow she felt completely at a loss. Having unknowingly summoned these creatures here, she suddenly felt as if she had no idea what to do with them, or what they might to do her for that matter, and she turned to Anubis for help with a pleading look.

Help came, but from a different corner than Aissa had expected. Leile's voice was clear and unwavering in the darkness: "So what is that history you're going to relate to us?"[/color]

[size=1]OOC: Er, Arcadia, I hope this is all okay with you. I wanted the story to move :p. But incidentally I forgot just what the history of the curse is so ... if you want to reveal it, please take it away. If you don't yet, I don't know, some sort of catastrophe could happen ...[/size]

[Arcadia]

[size=1]OOC: Arrggg, guys. Arrrgg. I have to write a paper this weekend. Oddly enough, it's on mythology. XP

[color=maroon]Leile could feel Aissa squeeze her hand, as if in thanks. It almost seemed ironic to her, because the raven-haired girl wasn't exactly feeling brave. Far from it, actually. But even then, she remembered something her father had told her, when she had first left Ma'Uriith. [i]It's not brave if you're not a little scared.[/i] That picked her up a bit, and she tried to look those dark things directly in the ...eyes. If they had them, anyway.

The figure was silent for a long moment. Leile didn't know what to do; she figured there probably wasn't anything they could do but just wait. It seemed as though Aissa and Anubis were thinking along the same lines; Anubis just stood there, as calm as ever, and Aissa did not waver next to her. She was grateful for that, at least. The darkness was unnerving, and the figures before them weren't helping the general mood.

Finally, the figure spoke, in that same, raspy voice. "Sit down."

Leile felt tense, but she began to kneel down. Aissa felt the pull and did the same, though hesitantly. Anubis stood for much longer, but even he dropped to one knee. It was clear to both girls though that he was still quite prepared for anything that might happen, and should he need to quickly move and cast his deadly magic, he could do so with ease. Leile was pretty much okay with that.

"The destruction of Ma'Uriith is a reflection of history," the shadow began. "A ruined city from ages past has claimed its revenge and will slowly choke the life out of both Maurii and Ii'Kaer. An island lies forgotten in the Pwrynn Sea, massacred long ago by the Kings of old; this is the birthplace of Ma'Uriith's curse. Shrouded in mist and myth, few remember it, though it is forever etched into memory. D'Ianii Ilaen, as it is called, the forgotten home of the D'Ianii of lore - winged men and women, full of beauty and power. Brutally killed and butchered by the joined forces of Ii'Kaer and Maurii.

"On the eve of the first snow, blood was spilt and the people of D'Ianii Ilaen knew death. There was no mercy; just a lust for murder, a desire to destroy that which they themselves could not attain. Ii'Kaer's warriors took the city by brutal force, together with the famed swordsmen of Tal'Ebot. Those left alived wished for death. A blaze was then created by the mages of Maurii, and the great city went up in flames, followed by a rumbling deep within the earth that tore apart the land. The destruction did not stop until every D'Ianii lay dead and torn, and every lovely building completely broken. And when the allied forces left the island, they left behind a lone survivor and ignited a bitter hatred where once there was only love and serenity. Prince Riian of the D'Ianii was left to die with the charred remains of his civilization.

"But he did not die." The figure paused briefly, and the silence was as thick as the ash that coated the ruins around them. The thing's voice had taken on a quiet, whispering that made it's previous rasp sound like nothing at all. "The prince lived on for much longer than anyone thought possible, though his body and soul permanently wounded as they were. And in the ruins of D'Ianii Ilaen, he plotted vengeance against the two countries, and created a curse so terrible that it cost him his life. But the deed was done, and the curse set. A curse that has been with Ma'Uriith much longer than any realize. History will repeat itself, and the people of Maurii and Ii'Kaer will fall, as the D'Ianii fell, into absolution."

The unsettling quiet was only broken again when the shadowy figures slowly began to fade. Anubis jumped up quickly, but the voice only hissed, "With your leave, lady, we shall depart."

Aissa looked startled, but managed a nod. "...thank you," she whispered hoarsely. The blackened figures only disappeared back into the darkness, just as they had arrived. It was along moment before any of them spoke, let alone moved, but finally Anubis did. He turned back to the two women and murmured rather calmly, "I don't suppose any of us will find much sleep tonight."[/color]

OOC: Not a very happy story, but hey, what can you do? Oh, by the way, I loved it when Aissa pointed fingers to Anubis about calling the little creepy cloak guys. I laughed myself silly. ^_^[/size]

[Dagger]

Maia drained her glass, then plunked it on the countertop with an emphatic [i]thump[/i]. "There," she muttered, staring hazily at nothing in particular. "...What was I talking about?"

"Drawing," Luthian prompted. His tail swayed lazily from side to side as he spoke. He'd had about the same number of drinks as Maia, but was only just starting to feel pleasantly fuzzy.

"Drawing," she repeated slowly. A second later, her face brightened. "I'll draw [i]you[/i]!"

The tall Tal'Iiren suppressed a chuckle. Maia certainly made an eccentric drunk. She tossed her braid over her shoulder with a haughty, dramatic flourish, whipped out her sketchbook, and proceeded to doodle the most hideous caricature he'd ever seen.

"Looks just like me," Luthian informed the redhead, perfectly straight-faced. [i]I[/i] hope [i]my ears aren't that big...[/i]

Maia rested her chin on her hands as she studied him, grinning mischievously. "The resemblance is uncanny."

He suddenly suspected that she wasn't quite so far gone as she'd led him to believe. "So, do you--"

"Shh." She put a finger to her lips and tilted her head to the side, apparently listening to something. Luthien watched her curiously. The bar was less busy than what was usual for this time of night, but it was still far from quiet.

"I thought I heard Shirai'i's voice," Maia explained. All traces of inebriation had abruptly vanished from her face and movement; her rather vacant smile shifted to an expression that was calm, attentive, and very much alert. "Well, we'd better go find her. Just... er... don't pay too much attention to anything we talk about, alright?"

******************

[i]A little while later.[/i]

******************

Luthian felt a little silly, standing in the corner of Shirai'i's room as she and Maia spoke in dark, urgent whispers. Only the occasional phrase reached his ears, and despite his best intentions to ignore those overheard words, he couldn't help but try to string them together.

".....[i]about the syndicate[/i]....."

".....[i]call our assignment off[/i]....."

"Luthian!"

Maia was calling him. He shook himself out of his reverie before crossing his arms. "May I join you [i]now[/i]?" he asked, giving her a rather reproachful look.

Shrai'i adjusted her scarf, her fingers smoothing stray creases from its silky fabric. "As you wish," she said coolly. Her voice had a certain silvery quality that made it instantly recognizable--and so beguiling to listen to.

"We might need you," the redhead said softly, avoiding his eyes. "It's important that we be able to leave the city as quickly and quietly as possible. Could you help us?"

****************

OOC: So.... late..... *falls over, snoring*

[terra]

[color=green]Aissa felt as if she was curling up into herself somehow, though physically she was only hugging her knees to her chest. The simple movement made her feel warmer, protected, though her mind was still racing with the new knowledge they had of the terror that had been placed over their world.

Next to her, Leile seemed to be similarly in shock from the story they'd heard. Even Anubis, Aissa spied out of the corner of her eye, did not look entirely unaffected. It would have been hard to stay impassive after hearing the story -- somehow the beings' words, if indeed they had only been word, had caused images to flicker through Aissa's mind, that even without narration made her shudder.

A movement behind Aissa made her jump, but it was only Anubis placing another log on the fire. "I think we might be staying here for a little while," he said, watching the flames catch the new wood, slowly at first, then spreading along its length with eagerness.

"Don't you think we need to find that island he spoke of?" Aissa's voice sounded high-pitched to her ears, almost squeaky, and she paused to take a breath in an effort to regain normalcy. "D'Ianii Ilaen, he said, in the Pwrynn Sea ... That is where the prince somehow kept his life, over so many years. That is where the curse began."

"We may be able to bring about the end of the curse on that island, yes," Anubis acknowledged. "But for now, I think we must stay here."

"Why?" Aissa said. "The curse must be vanquished as soon as possible!"

"Obviously," Anubis said, a touch of his old haughtiness returning. "But there are others who may accompany us, and they are on their way to Ma'Uriith now."

Aissa raised her eyebrows, but Anubis did not seem to care to elaborate on how he knew this. Turning away from him to stare at the fire, she muttered, "[i]This[/i] is why I thought those shadow-creatures came because of you ..."[/color]

[size=1]OOC: I thought it might be a good time for the whole gang to meet up since several other characters seemed to be heading for Ma'Uriith. Come quick! :p[/size]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]Ensis blinked and glanced to Elda- who was still shaken up from Beau. He walked into the kitchen, coming back a few moments later with two cups of tea. He handed her a cup and then sat down on the guest bed, sipping it.

"Hey, I am-"

She shook her head, not wanting to think or talk about it further. Ensis sipped his tea again, deciding to change the subject. The only one he could think of was that man that had stormed into his home..

Something dawned on him suddenly as he put several pieces of the puzzle together at once.

"Wait, I think I know who that man was. Kaze was speaking about someone named Kan who, apparently, had quite an.. interesting ship at his command. He seemed fond of Kaze. What do you think, Elda? It would avoid the trouble of a long travel south."

She composed herself a bit, sipping her own tea before speaking, "Yes. That is a good idea. He seems like a gentleman."

He grinned, "If you say so. Then we should prepare to depart tomorrow.."

Ensis eye twinkled a bit as he thought- "[i]The ship can travel over land obviously. I hope we get to see it fly.. that would prove to be a highlight of this forsaken week.[/i]"

He stood and finished up his tea.

"I will go begin my preparations."

He smiled at her and walked out of the guest room, humming an old song to himself. He paused for a moment to work out all he needed to bring in his mind- it was a long list, the majority of which included medicine. He began to make his way around the house, collecting the various odds and ends.[/color]

[Arcadia]

[color=maroon]Leile smiled to herself, her eyes downcast as she tried to hide the mirth in them. Even after hearing the sad story of the D'Ianii, she still couldn't help but find humor in Anubis' and Aissa's constant bickering. She realized without much surprise that it was actually very comforting. Despite the fact that maybe they didn't always agree on the next course of action, they both meant well, and they both had that same drive to right all these ancient wrongs. And that was a very warm feeling.

"I wonder if there's something written about D'Ianii Ilaen somewhere. In history books, or some sort of compilation of myths or something," Leile thought out loud, trying to be as optimistic as possible about their current situation. As her mind went further with that thought, something sparked in her memory - something about what the little, black figure had said.

"He.. the thing.. said that the curse was with Ma'Uriith for much longer than anybody thought," she remarked then, trying to figure out how to link all this bits and pieces of information together into something that wasn't quite so mysterious. She was grateful for what she did know, though part of her wanted to know why she had to suffer because her great, great ancestors were blood-thirsty savages? Why did her father and her brother...

She blinked, stopping those thoughts from going any further. [i]Later,[/i] she thought, [i]But not now. I can't do that now.[/i] Carrying on with her history questions, she asked, "How much longer, then?"

She knew that neither Aissa or Anubis could really answer her questions - they could guess, but that was it. However, just saying them and getting them out into the open.. well, it seemed like the right thing to do. Leile realized then that she'd never wanted a history book so much as she did right then, and it made her smile again. [i]If I'm becoming this amused at such trivial things then it's a sad sign, indeed,[/i] she thought. Deciding that perhaps she should focus her energy on other things, Leile glanced at her companions studiously. After a moment, she asked Anubis curiously, "Why do your tattoos move?"[/color]

[size=1]OOC: Arrrg, I say. Arrrrrrggg. I'll have to post lovely Luthian sometime later, when my creativity comes back. >.>;;[/size]

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]Elda watched as Ensis made his way around the house, gathering odds and ends and things that he thought they would need for their journey. She sat on the bed quietly, her thoughts churning slowly and her emotions dryed up. She didn't feel angry, she didn't feel sad...she didn't feel happy. She just felt...there. She couldn't describe it. It was just an emptiness that she wanted to go away. She sipped her tea a tad bit and realized that she was exhausted. She stood up and walked into the kitchen to put her cup away.

Elda's hands were shaking, and she didn't notice it until she was walking, the tea shaking as well, sloshing over the sides of the cup. She stared for a minute, startled, and as Ensis walked into the room, she dropped the cup accidently. Warm tea splashed everywhere as the cup shattered and she sighed deeply. Suddenly not able to breathe well, Elda started crying again.

"Elda, it's fine...I'll clean it up..." Ensis said, trying to comfort her, his arms full of items.

"No, I'll get it. You're busy and everything, it's the least I can do..." she bent over, trying to grab the shards of cup with her shaking fingers. Ensis put his armful of things on the table and went over to her, making her stand up.

"I said I'll get it. You go lie down. You're tired and you need to rest. We have to get an early start..." he led her back into the guest room where she sat down on the bed. She had finally stopped crying again, her hands were still shaking. She layed down carefully, managing to make her way under the blankets. She closed her eyes and sighed again. Ensis leaned over and kissed her forehead.

"Now, get to sleep," he said, returning to what he was doing, ignoring the broken cup in the kitchen.[/color][/size]