RPG Laeth E'Thae [PG-VL]

[Dagger]

For the briefest second, Anubis seemed almost startled. But then he smiled ruefully and leaned back against the cold stone wall, closing his eyes. "I'm surprised that you can even see them."

Leile frowned, uncertain whether she ought to be offended or not. "What's that supposed to mean?"

The mage held out his hand, palm upturned, and she saw the black dye crawl across his skin, forming countless graceful shapes and scripts. The motion was almost mesmerizing.... she was so [i]tired[/i]. It would be terribly easy to fall asleep in the dim, flickering firelight, though she feared what manner of dreams might visit her in this haunted city.

"I suppose it can't hurt," Anubis said quietly. His half-smile vanished as he spoke. "The tattoos are spells. Because they're engraven into my very body, I've mastered them in ways which I would not otherwise have been able to."

Aissa's eyes narrowed. She stared at him, fists clenching in spite of all her efforts, and commanded herself to remain silent. She could challenge him later. It was not a particularly harmful practice, as far as black magic went. But the fact that he had a healer's staff....

[i]What the...!?[/i]

One of the tattoos was [i]dripping[/i] from his hands, pouring like liquid onto the ground. It slithered past Leile's feet, heading towards the fire. She didn't even seem to notice. Aissa blinked, confused and more than a little angry.

"That's how you make illusions?" Leile asked.

"Of course not," Anubis replied, smirking. "That power comes to me [i]naturally[/i]. Now, watch the fire." It hissed, sending sparks dancing upwards through the dark air. All three of them turned to gaze into the crackling flames. "If we're intending to wait here," he continued, "would you care for some entertainment?"

[Wondershot]

Kaze groaned slightly, and rolled over in his sleep.

[i]Face the truth...don't fear...
You can't save what you don't understand...
You can't hurt...
What you can't face...[/i]

Kaze grumbled incoherently and rolled over again, a small trickle of saliva running out of the corner of his mouth.

[i]You try and face death...
You don't see...[/i]

Kaze reached a hand out as though groping for some distant rope. His body was half hovering over the ground, his legs still in bed.

[i]You'll try to stop me...
but you can't...

...die...[/i]

Kaze jumed as though he had recieved an incredible shock, eyes still closed, he fell out of the bed he was lying in and started convulsing violently. He opened his eyes just as he spat a stream of blood onto the wall. Gasping, he wiped the blood from the corners of his mouth and looked around, he was in an almost totally empty room, save the one bed he was sleeping in, and now a huge bloodstain on the wall. He stood up just as the door on the other side of the room opened.
"Rise and shine, ma..." Kan cut himself off just as he saw Kaze already awake. He didn't see the blood on the wall because Kaze was standing in the way.
"Oh, good to see you up, mate, we'll be leaving soon. Oh, and your friends are here." Kaze glared at him, Kan winced slightly, then gave Kaze the smallest look of pity before closing the door again. Kaze sat down on the bed and placed his head in his hands. He had that dream in Ma'Uriith before, but it never had an aftereffect like that. He turned his head to the bloodstain on the wall, and moved over to wipe it off...

"My apologies, our little friend doesn't feel very good, so he won't be joining us right away." Kan said apologetically to Elda and Ensis, who had already arrived. Ensis stared at the chamber door at the end of the ship, and Kan leaned over to Elda.
"Excuse my bluntness, but I don't think he wants to see you." Kan whispered. Elda stared at him apologetically, when Ensis began to talk.
"So this is that flying ship Kaze was talking about." He said aloud, Kan's vace went pale, and many of the crewmembers stared first disbelievingly to Ensis, then angrily to Kan.
"Uh...the little master told you about...that?" Kan said in an unusually low voice. Ensis leaned over, but then jumped back as Kaze shouted.
"Oh, THAT'S REALLY NOTHING, see, and our little friend MUST 'AVE MADE A MISTAKE, so he was PROBABLY KIDDING about that." Kan grinned nervously and Ensis stared at him. Kan pulled a small bottle out of his pocket and offered it to Ensis.
"A little drink before the journey?" He offered sweetly. Ensis shook his head.
"Oh come on, it'll help you relax, this thing is so noisy..." Kan trailed off as Ensis cast him a withering glare. Kan sighed and flashed a hand signal to a man on the other side of the ship. The man nodded and began speaking into a pipe at the end of the ship.
"I suggest you cover your ears, madam." Kan advised kindly to Elda, who obliged, but not before giving him a confused look. Kan put his hands over his ears, and Ensis just stood there looking confused, when suddenly there was an incredible bang and a cloud of fire erupted from behind the ship. The ship jolted and Elda lost her balace, and the ship began to move forward.
"Hah!" Kan laughed uproariously as the ship began rumbling and the chains on the deck began to move again.
"Fuel explosive, mate! We made ourselves a little gas cloud, and we ignite it to get the ship moving!" Kan yelled to Ensis over the din of machinery, but Ensis barely heard, since his ears were still ringing from the blast. The rest of the crew glanced nervously at Kan, as though they were trying to hide something. Kan ignored them and continued on.
"You see, my lady," Kan began speaking to Elda now. "This entire enterprise was built using the lightest wood at our disposal, but it's flammable. Lucky our little friend survived when the..." That was it for the crew, and Kan was cut off just as a heavy instrument smashed into the back of his head. Kan glanced around in dim confusion, and one of the crewmembers picked up the instrument, gave Kan a look of deep significance, and walked off. Kan grinned slightly, and walked back into Kaze's room...

Kaze had finished cleaning up the mess, and was now lying in bed, he was still dead tired. He glanced at the wall where the blood was, it was now slightly darker, showing evidence of a stain. As he moved to try and clean it up better, the door opened again and Kan began to talk.
"Hey mate, if you want to see it now, here's your chance."

Kan and Kaze walked back out from the chamber, and Kaze flashed another signal to the man at the helm. The man nodded, and spoke again into the tube. A moment later, the ship stopped moving. Kan leaned down to Kaze, gave him a wink, and strode over to Elda and Ensis. He began talking to them, an unusual seriousness in his voice.
"Now, I want to show you this because I trust you..." He was Cut off as total silence fell on deck, someone had cleared their throat loudly, and Kan wheeled just as a much shorter man walked over to him.
"Yes, mate?" The man seemed incredibly nervous, and seemed to be having trouble speaking, he opened his mouth, and spoke slowly.
"Captain...are you sure that we can trust...them?" He asked with a quaking voice. Kan smiled serenely, and spoke.
"Yes." He said simply, and the man ran off. Kan turned back to Ensis and Elda, despite nervous looks from the crew.
"I want to show you this because I am sure I can trust you, mate. Do not tell anyone about what you are about to see, please." Kan continued seriously. Ensis and Elda nodded, and Kan whirled to the man at the helm.
"[i]Navis tetran ka are katsui![/i]" Kaze yelled, the man stared back in disbelief.
"[i]Kai atanke de ora?[/i]"
"[i]Ora?! Nan tsu dake no mien! Aketa dori, nakaerte navis tetran![/i]" Kan grinned back to the rest of the group, just as the man shouted into the pipe.
"[i]Navis tetran![/i]" Suddenly, there was a loud bang, and the group looked overboard to see that some of the side panels had fallen off. Kaze looked in amazement as two large sails came out of the sides of the ship, and there was an even greater roar of machinery, as several large balloons erupted and inflated all along the deck. The machinery grew louder, and Kaze felt a weird feeling, and looked over the side of the ship to see that they had lifted off the ground, leaving half the ship, including wheels, behind. Kan clapped his hands together, and spoke again.
"There you have it! The original ship is now able to fly! Fun, no?" Kan grinned brightly, and not even Kaze could contain himself, he grinned too.

[terra]

OOC: Random, cuz I just feel like it.

[color=green]" 'Entertainment'?" Aissa snorted, her sarcasm coming to the forefront inadvertantly. "Anubis, I'm really not that type of girl."

Anubis looked bemused for a moment, and then he smiled. It was something Aissa and Leile hadn't exactly grown to expect from him. But it was not unpleasant.

"I have something for entertainment," Aissa said, standing, no longer really caring what Anubis might think of her type of magic, so different from his. Opening one of the dozens of pouches that hung by her side, Aissa pulled out a bit of dust and sprinkled it over the fire, murmuring a quiet incantation as she did so.

After a few moments, the fire seemed to move, and a tiny flaming figure, barely one finger's length high, stepped forward out of the bigger mass.

"It's a tiny person!" Leile said with delight, scooting forward to get a closer look. Anubis looked over too, slightly interested in spite of himself.

"You can touch it," Aissa encouraged. "It won't burn like normal fire." Leile seemed a little skeptical at first, cautiously approaching it with one finger and then pulling back quickly, but soon got used to the idea of non-burning flames and picked up the little fiery figure of a man.

"And watch this," Aissa said with a little grin. "[i]Kaluri'i Anubis.[/i]"

At her words, the little flame leapt out of Leile's hands and ran towards Anubis, who stepped backwards in some surprise. Ignoring his movement, the flame -- attacked? -- pummeling its little "fists" into the heel of Anubis' shoe. It didn't hurt or burn, of course, and somehow the image of a tiny fire-man attacking Anubis was indescribably amusing. Aissa smiled, and Leile burst into laughter. Anubis' mouth quirked again as if he were resisting a grin.

"Something I came up with to entertain my brother when we were younger," she said by way of explanation. "He loved it -- except that one time I said the incantation slightly wrong and it actually burned him. [i]Haran bukas[/i]," she said, and the little figure abandoned its pursuit of attacking Anubis and jumped back into the fire headfirst, immediately disappearing amongst the flames.

An eyebrow raised, she looked over to Anubis. "And just what is your idea of entertainment, then?"[/color]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]The full affects of the intial 'bang' wore off finally- but Ensis wasn't thinking about that. He had heard of this ship only by rumor, idle whispering in the backalleys- but it had been hard to believe.

Ensis steadied himself on his staff and walked over to the railing that surronded the deck. He leaned over substantially- startling a couple of nearby crewmembers at what seemed to be radical stupidity.

Leaning back, he sighed- refreshed, it seemed.

"This is wonderful!" Elda said, beaming brightly.

Ensis was glad she had woken up that morning quite refreshed- in mind and body. For him, last night he himself had gathered many of the local spirits together last night to tell of his plan of travelling to Ma'Uriith. They were relieved and thanked him, wishing him a fair travel.

Even now, a few of them were around the ship, bidding him adieu.

No one else noticed, so he just winked sometimes out into the sky- it was like a good inside joke only you and your best friend knew.

But, they finally departed for wherever their homes lie. It was a good farewell, but he was not sure that he would ever be returning- specifically as a live person.

But, there was no need to begin running through nervous scenarios in his mind. Ensis needed someway to thank Kan- even if his ear drums had nearly been destroyed and he had been treated like a butler in his own home. This was still a huge favor and he had to offer Kan something in return. All he could think of, was...

Ensis began to speak, "Kan, I would like to thank you for letting us travel on this magnificent ship of yours," he turned, looking at him, "If you need some help that you think I can do, i'd be more than happy to help out."[/color]

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=maroon]Luthian just raised his eyebrows at the redhead, his arms still crossed in that same, closed-off manner. Her secretive nature and unwillingness to really tell him anything about herself was beginning to annoy him a little bit. Which sounded ridiculous to his own ears, as he'd only just met the girl. But now she was asking for help. No, they might "need" him - specifically, they wanted to get the hell out without being noticed. And he could do that, easily; working the bar gave him countless names and faces to remember, and there were many in town that owed him a favor or two. But first thing was first.

"Sure, I can help you out," he replied coolly, "But only if you explain a few things."

The dancer Shrai'i looked mildly amused, as if watching some sort of play. The performer was now watching a performance - must have been a humorous switch, indeed. Except, there was something else about the way her eyes gleamed that made him feel wary. Luthian realized, with a slowly growing sense of suspicion, that he knew absolutely nothing about the two women at all. Sure, he prided himself on remembering drinks, but after that, what else was there?

Maia looked as though she had expected nothing less, but was still reluctant to hand out any personal information. Sighing, she tugged on her braid anxiously as she muttered, "Fire away."

He flicked his tail back and forth a few times as a small smirk began pulling at his lips. "Wonderful. Now then, let's start at the beginning, shall we? What brings you lovely women to K'Urii?"

The redhead glanced to Shrai'i, who merely shrugged, still sporting her own mysterious smile. Slowly, Maia replied, "I was sent from Kaer to work with Shrai'i, who is in town with her troupe, obviously. She dances, as you can see, but also dabbles in the art of assassination." Her eyes didn't meet his once.

Luthian's eyebrows shot up, though he couldn't say he was especially surprised or anything. He thought about making some sort of snide comment about how there was no way Maia could possibly be a dancer, so there [i]must[/i] have been some other secret between them... but the words never left his lips. Sometimes Luth was a lot softer than he liked to be. "And so that makes you an assassin."

"Partly, yes," she admitted, "But this whole Ma'Uriith thing has changed everything. The assignment seems insignificant when compared to recent events, and so we plan to leave."

He nodded, almost imperceptably. "And you will be going.. where?"

She met his eyes then, determined. "Ma'Uriith."[/color][/size]

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]Elda stood by the railing, her hands gripping it tightly. She was smiling happily, her eyes closed, the breeze lifting her blonde ringlets behind her. She reached up one of her hands blindly, almost as if trying to wrap the gentle winds around her fingers. She finally let it drop, turning around to look for Ensis. He was making a tour of the ship and she really didn't like the idea of him being out of her sight.

She passed by a few crewmembers on the way, all male of course, and each would give her a little wave, or wink, or sometimes even a catcall. She was used to it, working in her father's tavern for so long, so she just smiled back sweetly or just ignored the scarier ones.

The thought of leaving her father came into her mind. She knew that she should have went and saw him before leaving, but it only would have made the trip harder and he would have tried to keep her from going. She really wanted to make it to Ma'Uriith, even if the city was utterly destroyed. Anything to take away from Fenwyr.

And besides, the Spring Festival had been canceled, and so she wasn't going to dance. It was her favorite time of year, the spring dance, but because of everyone's grief, they decided to hold off, despite how much it may have helped lift everyone's spirits. Elda thought about how all the flowers were dying and sighed. The ones that actually did bloom weren't up to par and people were afraid to pick them in fear that they would never grow back.

Elda finally found her way towards the back of the ship where she saw Ensis standing alone.[/color][/size]

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=maroon]OOC: Short and sweet.

Leile couldn't help but laugh at the little man that Aissa had created from the flames. It was adorable, and the very [i]idea[/i] of it trying to beat Anubis up brought tears to her eyes. The actual act of it was just too much. Holding her stomach as she laughed, she just shook her head and did her best to continue breathing. Eventually she did calm down, and then sat back and watched as the little man disappeared back into the flames and Aissa turned to Anubis expectantly.

"And just what is your idea of entertainment, then?"

Smiling, Leile thought it was almost like a challenge; a comparison of magic. Both of their forms were so different from each other's, just as Aissa and Anubis themselves were different. Light and darkness; white magic versus black magic. As one with no magic background, Leile was having quite the exciting learning experience.

She grinned at her thoughts, and was happy that for once she felt as though things were okay. Relatively speaking; things were actually completely screwed up, but these two just helped her to forget all the problems that seemed to just pile up. For once they could all just relax. And for that she was quite thankful.

Joining in with Aissa then, she glanced towards Anubis and grinned. "Yes, let's see what you've got, old man," she teased, clapping her hands together once.[/color][/size]

[Wondershot]

Kan looked at Ensis enquiringly, but shook his head with a small grin.
"Nothing really, mate, just a little act of kindness was all." Kan replied, and looked up.
"Maybe there is one thing you can do, though."
"Name it." Ensis replied with determination.
"All I want, is for you and lady Elda to take good care of our little friend, he's had a rough time and all he wants right now is for someone to help him along." Kan stated seriously. Ensis nodded understandingly, and Kan clapped a hand to Ensis' shoulder.
"Thanks, mate, I knew I could count on you." He answered, and then walked into the cabin where Kaze was currently...

[i]Fear my presence...
Falter before your own malice...
...die...[/i]

There was a loud creak as the door to the cabin swung open and Kan entered. Kaze was sitting on his bed, facing the opposite wall, away from Kan.
"Hey, mate, you feeling okay?" Kan asked with concern. Kaze shook his head.
"Fine...little tired...go away..." He answered thickly, as though he were having trouble swallowing something. Kan didn't notice, however, and nodded before closing the door behind him. Kaze looked up, and in a mirror from across the room, he saw a huge gash across his left eye, and he was also bleeding profusely from the mouth. He groaned and rolled over, tasting blood in his throat. He lapsed slowly into unconciousness, almost unknowingly, but sure that he was dying...

Kan looked out from the deck and let the wind whip through his hair, he glanced around, and saw Elda and Ensis together, and saw land ahead. He looked over at the fast-moving chains on deck, but he knew that he had to keep the reality of the ship a secret...even from Kaze. A technician leaned closer to him.
"[i]Sore ai, ka san je ora no kijea?[/i]" He asked, pointing a finger in Elda's direction, Kan just reached up and slapped him.
"[i]Kui, no ate ora ko jarake so kijea, na ate [/i]Ensis[i], kora oso ta[/i]."
"[i]Ku, nai tetran no ke an noin sorke?[/i]"
"[i]Kui, no tetran sare kasetira akura [/i]Ma'Uriith."
The man nodded uncertainly, and then walked off to the pipe leading belowdecks. He yelled into it over the mechanical roar.
"[i]Jo eta no katekan navis ein [/i]Ma'Uriith..."
There was a stutter as the machinery began to alter slightly, and some of the chains descended lower to the deck. Kan flashed a hand signal to the man on deck, who nodded, and then Kan turned towards his crew.
"We will be arriving within a few minutes! Get ready to attach to the [i]tetran[/i]!" There was a roar of agreement at Kan's words, satisfied, he walked into Kaze's cabin, and opened the door.
"Hey mate, it's...[i]SUTRE! KO ANE DOI KIMAI![/i]" shocked, Kan ran back out and rushed to the closest man.
"[i]Ane medin! No ora duse aethera[/i]!"
"[i]AETHERA[/i]?!" The man roared, shocked, and immediately the whole ship was thrown into a panic. Ensis and Elda looked around to see what was going on. Kan rushed over to Ensis.
"Mate, something's wrong, Kaze's..." Kan wsa cut off as he heard a door swing open behind him. Kaze stepped out, both his eyes were completely white, and his face was scrathced and bloody, as was the rest of his skin.
"Ensis...it's the...Ma'Uriith..." Kaze said in a raspy voice, then collapsed. Ensis bent over him.
"Something's wrong, this was caused by spritual damage..."
"What? We call this [i]aethera[/i], and it means pain inflicted by a curse..." Kan replied, Ensis looked up.
"Curse? Why..."
"Didn't he ever tell you he was from Ma'Uriith?" Kan asked, Ensis looked shocked.
"Well, I guess he didn't, then..."

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]"Damn.."

That was about all Ensis could say as he looked over Kaze's injuries, a nervous look on his face. Elda was worried and shocked at the same time. Ensis glanced to her and then up to a few of the men around him.

"Do not move him, it might worsen his injuries!"

Ensis stood and whipped his hand upward, a small gust of wind eminating outwards from him. Murmering something under his breath repeatididly, the glow in his gray eyes intensified.

A white mist formed directly about Kaze, with each of his breaths it went into his system more. Nothing happened immediately, and a few people looked confused at that. Ensis cracked his neck and noticed their strange glances.

"This isn't normal damage. He has lost too much blood for a quick fix to work. I'll seal up his wounds now, that first spell should help his system recooperate from that blood loss faster- we should have him up and running sometime soon."

He placed two fingers on Kaze's forehead and began to murmer again, a bright light eminating from where Ensis' fingers and his forehead met. A small drop of blood formed on Ensis arm- it slowly rolled down the skin intill it slid into the light. It slowly faded, and as soon as it did, Ensis stood.

"Damn. There are too many wounds for it to be instantatious. I apologize, but the manner the wounds were inflicted are slowing my spells down. For now it can only stop the bleeding. It is safe to move him into his quarters, he will definately be needing the rest."

Ensis stepped back, but he was no longer on board of the ship. Glancing around him, he found himself lost in a mist- solid ground underneath his feet, but definately not wood. There were buildings off in the background- ruined, destroyed..

His eyebrows narrowed as voices enchanted around him- angry ones, sad ones, ones seeming to be nostalgic. They were all talking at once, so he was unable to pick up on a thing they said. It was spiritual- he could tell, he had expierence with these feelings.

A unknown species of person approached him, a young man with wings that looked as if at one time they had been brilliant- the landscape around him disappeared and it was him on the boat, the young man at the end of the ship, mist encrouching around the entire vessel.

Kaze could sense this presence but could not dismiss it- it was too powerful and full of animosity.

"Who are you?" Ensis said.

To the people around him he was speaking to air, but the distinct glow in his eyes drove them away from thinking he was mad- he was a diviner of some sort, that was obvious.

"I am Rii'an. I have come here to bring you the horrible news that your trip to Ma'Uriith is ill-fated. All of you are marked as dead, as are the rest of the people in this world."

The voice by him only, and he was confused- Rii'an. That seemed vaguely familiar, yet..

"A long time ago the two nations that exist now formed an alliance against my people. Out of envy they attacked and killed everyone but me- leaving me alone with my destroyed civilization, murdered subjects. No one was left. I have waited for centuries to do to Ii?Kaer and Maurii as they did to everything that I knew.. Your friend, Kaze is just a small pretext to what my revenge will do to all of your friends. I bid you farewell now, diviner."

Snapping back into reality, Ensis eyes closed and he muttered something inaudbile- rest assured, it was a curse word.

"This is much worse that I could ever imagine.." He said, turning and looking at Kaze, "This is beyond any of us.."[/color]

[Dagger]

Anubis responded with an exasperated cough. "Old man?" he repeated incredulously, brushing the dust from his cloak in a positive fit of meticulous irritation. Leile's smile widened; she hadn't expected him to be so easily fazed. After a moment or two, the mage's face slid back into its usual impassive half-smirk, but his eyes had changed--somehow, they seemed more alive, and less indifferent.

"Watch and learn, spring chickens."

Aissa let out a strangled noise which could only be described as a chortle. Unconsciously mimicking Anubis's comically indignant reaction, she muttered, "[i]Spring chickens[/i]?"

"I thought my grandfather was the only person who used that phrase," Leile remarked. She leaned back against the wall, grinning broadly. "So just how old are you? Seventy? Eighty? I must say, you seem rather sprightly for a man of your age."

The mage very nearly rolled his eyes. "Thirty-five," he said coolly. "I really shouldn't tolerate such insolence . . ."

And then he vanished. No fanfare, no billowing smoke or brilliant lights. Anubis had merely . . . disappeared. Leile was tempted to gape, but she managed to restrain herself. She felt the hairs rising on the back of her neck--this was more than a little creepy. Where on earth had he [i]gone[/i]?

The fire abruptly went dark, and she grabbed Aissa's arm, eyes wide. "What the--!?"

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]Elda didn't even have a chance to speak with Ensis, and she figured that he hadn't hardly noticed her in trying to find out what was wrong with Kaze. She was scared, especially now that they were far from home and almost to Ma'Uriith. She found a shadow on the ship and fell into it, leaning against the wall and huddling up, wrapping her arms around her legs tightly and staring quietly into her lap.

Maybe she shouldn't have come along for this trip...maybe this wasn't her place... She didn't really possess any skills, unless you counted dancing and bartending, and what good would those do in a crisis such as this?

She felt a tear run down her cheek and wiped it away quickly. [i]No, I will be strong. I got myself into this mess, I can get out somehow...I will be useful.[/i]

Despite the pep talk to herself, Elda stayed quietly in her shadow, looking beyond to the waters below her.[/color][/size]

[Arcadia]

[size=1]Luthian sat back against the wooden fence that lined the docks, his eyes lazily searching the crowds for the two women he was supposed to meet. He was early, but he preferred it that way. And despite the fact that the two could easily take care of themselves, he didn't like the idea of one of them waiting alone while the rest of K'Urii bustled around them.

He had procured them a passage on an older boat - the crew was experienced and smart when it came to water, and her captain had practically lived on the water all his life. Luth was surprised he managed to get such a skilled captain for such a cheap price, but after a short chat with the man, he came to understand why.

[i]"People are fleeing Maurii,"[/i] the old man had said. [i]"Hundreds. And most are so afraid they'll pay anything to get out. But me, I'm not afraid. I know my history, boy, and I know the last thing either country needs now is a greedy stiff just looking to make a profit. We've got to atone.. we've[/i] got[i] to.."[/i]

Now that he thought about it, Luthian wasn't quite sure what the old man - his name was Serrac - had meant at all. He was definitely a generous man, no doubt, and wise for all his years, but at the same time, sailors were known to be superstitious. Either way, he was quite thankful for the low price - he got the three of them on, no questions asked, for the same amount it would usually take one man. Which was nice, since his pockets weren't exactly lined with money.

He chewed on a piece of straw absentmindedly, his arm resting on his knee. He had one small, simple bag with him, and he kept it close at all times. It was all he needed, and it wasn't much, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be upset if it got swiped off him. The previous night's epiphany had made him a little less trusting of the general public.

That brought him to another thought - Maia and her dancer friend. They'd parted that night on the agreement that the two women should clean up whatever they needed to in order to leave unnoticed, and Luth would find them a boat to get them across to Maurii. And obviously he'd done quite well. He just hoped that the girls had too; he was pretty sure they'd be on time, but there [i]had[/i] been a lot of surprises lately. Anything could happen.

Somebody kicked him in the butt then, and he just leaned back, looking up. "Nice to see you, too."

Maia just smirked at him, tossing her thick red braid over her shoulder triumphantly. "Since you're just lounging about, I take it you got us a ship?"

"Of course." He got up, brushing his pants off, his tail swinging back and forth leisurely. Leaning against the fence, his arms crossed over the top of it, he nodded towards a dock some 30 feet off. "That's her - the [i]Lyth' Leurnna[/i]." He blinked at it, before glancing back to the female next to him, arching an eyebrow as he hit her with his tail. "So did you have a nice nap last night?"

She regarded him with veiled eyes, glancing briefly at his mischievous tail. "Yes, thank you," she swiped at his backside, though the darker-haired man expected it and had deftly moved to the side. He hadn't expected to bump into somebody else, however, and he cursed quietly before glancing to see who it was.

Shrai'i only raised an eyebrow, looking smart in her soft attire. "Having fun, are we?"

Luthian just grinned, before retrieving his little sack. "Since we're all here, shall I escort you ladies to the boat?"

The two women just shared a glance, before walking ahead of him. The contrasting two were odd compliments to each other, and Luth could only shake his head. "Women."

[color=gray]OOC: Whoever takes the next post (in this particular story line), do whatever you want, but please don't get them to Maurii just yet - I've got some little details that I want to get in before the ship makes landfall. ^_^

[b]EDIT: Added this little bit as of 12/3.[/b] I do hope everybody's all right - I haven't seen some of you on quite as much, if at all. If you're having problems because of exams and whatnot, though, believe me, I understand. x_X Please let me know if something does occur, though.[/color]

Leile wasn't impressed, to say the least. Too much had happened and one more shock like that was bound to kill her. She fully expected to fall to the ground dead, any minute now.

Aissa, on the other hand, was more wary than anything else. She could recognize the use of magic anywhere and it was blatant before them - how Anubis would choose to reappear, however, would be a whole different story.

Patting the raven-haired girl's hand comfortingly where it gripped her own arm rather tightly, she kept her eyes on the now doused fire before them, occasionally glancing to the spot where Anubis had disappeared from, doing her best to remain patient and calm.

"This is [i]so[/i] not funny," Leile muttered under her breath, relaxing a bit from the healer's gesture. Despite even that, however, she was definitely on edge - her long ears twitched anxiously, the silver covers glinting against the darkness, as they listened for any sort of movement at all.

"That's too bad," A voice behind them suddenly remarked, and Leile jumped a good foot into the air.

Anubis just chuckled, "I thought it was rather humorous."[/size]

[Dagger]

Maia leaned over the edge of the ship, craning her neck as she watched the harbor slowly disappear from view. She had taken the precaution of purchasing several very strong herbal mixtures which would hopefully prevent her from becoming too seasick to function. But for now, the ocean breeze felt almost soothing, and there didn't seem to be even a hint of poor weather on the horizon.

"Try not to fall off," Luthian muttered, eyeing her precarious position with no small amount of trepidation.

She turned to offer him a rather devious grin. "Oh, there's no need to worry."

He shrugged resignedly, and glanced over toward the captain. Serrac stood a short distance away from them, speaking quietly with his first mate, a middle-aged man named Thom. Gray-haired and slightly grizzled, Thom squinted at the horizon with a strange sort of intensity. He said nothing, but every so often responded to Serrac's words with a terse yet respectful nod.

When Luthian looked back at Maia, he saw her walking casually along the top of the ship's rail, her arms held out for balance, and whistling as though she didn't have a care in the world. He froze, cringing inwardly at the way her body dipped from side to side with the steady rocking of the Lyth' Leurnna.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, tail swishing in agitation.

Maia shot him yet another mischievous look. "Worrying already?" She leapt lightly down to the deck. "It's a shame--I've got better sea legs than half of these sailors, but in less than a day I'll be holed up in my cabin, trying not to puke my guts out."

"That's a pleasant image."

"Very much so," Shrai'i told them. Neither Maia nor Luthian had heard her approach. She eyed them with what might have been polite amusement, and then gazed contemplatively at the shoreline, which by now had nearly vanished from view. "I expect that the three of us will become rather well acquainted during this voyage."

Serrac patted Thom on the shoulder before making his way towards Luthian and the two women. Maia watched him skeptically as she wrung the sea-spray from her clothing; Shrai'i fingered the ends of her elegant scarf. Luthian simply sighed. He wasn't completely sure that Shrai'i's prediction would pan out; these two had enough secrets to keep him busy for weeks.

[Wondershot]

[i]Aren't you afraid?[/i]
I'm not afraid, I'll find you and I'll put you to rest.
[i]If you did, you would contradict everything that makes you what you are.[/i]
...
[i]It's true, isn't it? You do know why you stayed alive...right?[/i]
...Be quiet...
[i]...Right?[/i]
I SAID BE QUIET!!!

Kaze snapped from his coma as as though he had recieved a shock. Without a second thought, he whipped out one ethereal pistol and fired, narrowly missing Ensis' head. He tried to shoot again, but Ensis pushed him to the ground, where Kaze writhed and fired shots into the air. Everyone backed off until Kaze stopped shooting, and Ensis got up. Kaze bounded to his feet and his wild eyes scanned the area feverishly.
"WHERE IS HE?!?!" Kaze roared with rage unlike anything he had ever felt before. Every fibre of his being was suffused with a heat he could not control. He stomped a few feet and looked around, breathing heavily and sweating.
"He's gone, Kaze, you need to rest..."
"I'LL SHOW HIM! HE CAN'T...HE'S NOT..." Kaze whirled as Elda tried to put a hand on his shoulder. He swatted it away and took staggering steps back.
"DON'T YOU TOUCH ME! I'M NOT...I'm not...I'm not..." Kaze staggered and fell over, backing up to the wall of the cabin, breathing heavily.
"I'm not...I'm not..." Ensis looked at Kaze, who seemed to be trying to avoid his gaze. Ensis took a step forward, and Kaze curled himself up, his face buried in his knees, repeating.
"I'm not...I'm not...I'm not..." Ensis kneeled down and tried to look Kaze in the eyes. Kaze looked up for a moment, his eyes peeking just over his knees. Ensis stared, as the green in his eyes seemed slightly more intense then usual. Kaze looked down again, and Ensis took a step back.
"He's taken some trauma from the spell, evidently, we should try and let it wear off before getting close to him again." He stated confidentially to Kan and Elda.
"But..but the [i]aethera[/i]...those wounds...he should be dead!" Kan stammered, Ensis looked at him.
"Kaze is...special...I've seen him take worse wounds than this. He once slit his own throat and survived..." Ensis trailed off, as he saw Elda look over at Kaze fearfully. Ensis began again.
"Just tell your men to leave him right where he is, don't talk to him, don't try and look at him, he should snap out of it in a little while." Ensis continued. The three of them looked over at Kaze, who was still curled up, repeating madly:
"I'm not...I'm not...I'm not..."

[Arcadia]

[size=1]"I hope you three are enjoying the trip so far?" Serrac smiled at them as he approached, clasping his hands behind him neatly. He had the definite look of a man who'd been on the sea all his life. The rocking of the ship, the spray of the sea - it was all natural to him. He was in his element, and Luth thought he'd looked so much more at ease now than he did in the busy port city. Almost astonishingly so.

"Of course," Luthian replied with a grin, bowing his head slightly in respect. "Especially for such a cheap price."

Serrac just waved him off, before turning his attention towards the two women. "And what about you ladies? How is it that Luthian has become so lucky to have the company of two beautiful women?"

"He paid us," Maia said promptly.

Shrai'i nodded, a small smile forming as she added, "That's why he's poor now."

Luthian narrowed his eyes and leaned against the ship's rail, scowling. "I always get picked on."

Serrac just chuckled. "You know most sailors find females to be bad luck - it's been known to storm. Woman's wrath, and all. But there are worse things that a woman's scorn.."

Luth wasn't so sure about that, as he'd always run into a good amount of trouble with the ladies before, but he kept his mouth shut and instead humoured the old man. That, and the man's conversation from before was still on his mind - he had some questions to ask and now was as good as time as ever. "Serrac, you said something earlier... when I asked you about the cheap tickets. Something about atonement?"

The Captain's eyes darkened a bit and he looked out across the horizon with a sigh. "History, boy. So much history. Myths and legends and wars. You don't want to hear about that."

Maia smiled slyly at him, "Or do you not want to tell us?"

Serrac stared at her, before returning the smile, although a bit grimly. "Red-heads are always feisty," he told Luthian solumnly, tilting his head towards the small theif before continuing, "Keep your eye on that one." He paused again, stretching some as he stared up towards the sky, as though remembering something. Luthian had the sudden feeling that he was going to get more than he asked for... That Serrac's story was more than just that - a story.

As if on cue, the old Captain began, "My story, then. We sailors, we have all sorts of stories, all sorts of myths and superstitions that we abide by. The sea is a treacherous lady, hard to judge. The worst kind of mistress, if you know what I mean," Serrac winked at Luth. "We do our best to keep her happy. Recently, however, the seas haven't been as calm as they used to be. Choppy waters, strong gales, lotsa rain. Not the best sort of weather for sailing, but a good crew can get by in one piece."

"A crew like yours," Shrai'i included lightly, a twinkle to her eye.

Serrac chuckled, bowing his head to her in thanks. "Aye, we're good, but we're lucky, Miss."

"Isn't the weather normal, though? For this time of the year?" Maia asked, crossing her arms in speculation as she rocked back and forth on her heels with the boat. Luth envied her sea legs, but remembered what she'd said earlier about getting sick. At least he'd have something to gloat about later.

"This is true, you're right. But normally the storms don't show their ugly heads until after the Spring Festival," Serrac explained. "As I'm sure you're aware, this year's festival was cancelled - the tragedy of Ma'Uriith proved to be too much. However, there's a lot of hushed information about the festival that people aren't aware of. Vegetation in Ii'Kaer has been dying. There weren't enough flowers or food to feed the people - not nearly enough, and crops have been failing. No one is meeting their quotas. It's been a very bleak spring. And there are rumors," he added quietly then, "That Ma'Uriith suffered the same failures in the beginning."

Luthian raised his eyebrows, eyeing the Captain curiously - warily. "Are you suggesting that the same thing that happened to Ma'Uriith is going to happen elsewhere?"

"No," Serrac countered, "I'm almost positive it will. The curse just strikes in different ways."

"Curse?" Shrai'i repeated, sounding doubtful.

"Yes, a curse. An old curse, that's been festering for hundreds of years."

"How is that possible? We'd have noticed it, surely," Luthian objected, shifting his weight uncomfortably. "Done something about it, if such a thing can even really exist."

Serrac's eyes darkened and he shook his head briefly. "My son, it does exist. Look at the royal line in Maurii - at the family history. Doesn't it seem strange to you that after years of children's early deaths, wives dying in childbirth, strange horsing accidents and hunting trips gone awry, usually only the King's heir survives? Just enough to keep the family line going. And now, the King himself is the only survivor, no heirs - his only son died with the city."

Maia spoke up then, looking grim. "The Queen has no heirs - she can't have any from her blood. She's barren, and I can't think of any family..." Her voice trailed off and a short silenced fell over the four of them.

"So you see," Serrac concluded quietly, "We have been cursed far longer than any think. And it seems to me that this is the end of it. Either something is done to prevent further destruction, or the curse will prevail."

Luthian watched him as he turned away, thus concluding the conversation. His own thoughts were quite turbulent now - a [i]curse?[/i] Could it be true? He crossed his arms, leaning back against the ship's railing again as his tail flicked back and forth in irritation. After a moment, he turned his eyes towards the two women beside him and raised his eyebrows. "Well, that was cheerful."[/size]

[Dagger]

Maia bit her lip as she watched Serrac walk away across the deck. "At least it'll give us something to think about," she said quietly.

Luthian glanced down at her, mildly surprised. She sounded oddly subdued--more so than he would have expected, even in the aftermath of Serrac's revelations. "Yes, it'll certainly do that."

"This may end up sounding a bit stupid," Maia continued hurriedly, jumping on his words. "But after what he told us, I think it'd be best if I didn't keep it to myself."

Shrai'i calmly scanned the horizon, her eyes sweeping the glittering sea as she spoke. "Care to explain?"

The redhead's coat had been tied firmly around her waist, but she now undid its sleeves and rummaged about within the heavy folds of fabric until she produced her rather battered sketchbook. "I drew this from a dream," she said reluctantly, flicking through the sheets of paper until she landed upon a dark charcoal drawing, one that consumed the entirety of two pages.

Luthian glanced curiously over Maia's shoulder. "A dream? Hey, that looks almost like--"

"Ma'Uriith," Shrai'i cut in. Her lips tightened as she stared at the sketch; the formerly elegant buildings were caught up in what seemed to be a veritable inferno, captured so skillfully that the flames seemed to shift beneath her gaze.

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

OOC: A short post, yes, but I really wanted to hurry up and show my continued support for this RPG.

[Arcadia]

[size=1]Luthian stared at the picture for a few minutes longer, eyeing the flames and the crumbled buildings with a strange sense of foreboding. Had that happened to Ma'Uriith? A great fire? "You had a dream about this?" He asked suspciously, glancing down at her before looking back to the charcoal drawing. He wanted to add, [i]And you didn't tell me?[/i] but that seemed rather... well...

"An inferno like that could certainly destroy the city," Shrai'i murmured speculatively, her fingers toying with the ends of her scarf rather nervously. It was probably the first show of emotion from her that hadn't been patronizing to him in any sort of way.

Luthian was really beginning to like this ship.

"Well, we can't be certain until we reach the city, but..." Maia's voice trailed off. Though she expressed some doubt, Luth thought she sounded quite certain about the fate of the capital.

Flicking his tail back and forth slowly, he rubbed his chin in thought, stepping away from the two ladies for a second. He had to think about the implications of Serrac's predictions. If Maia was right, and that was indeed what had happened to Ma'Uriith, then the same would happen to a city in Ii'Kaer. Probably Kaer - it was the capital, that's where the Queen resided. The Queen with no heirs... He shook his head, sighing softly. "If what Serrac said was true, then -"

"-Then," Maia interrupted, "We need to figure out how to counter the curse."

"Preferrably rather quickly," Shrai'i agreed.

Luth stared at the two of them before sighing again, and scratched his head. "Right. Easy as pie."[/size]

[terra]

Me likey this RPG. So even though there's nothing for our chars to do, I will create something!!

[color=green]Aissa jumped when Anubis appeared behind her. Of course she did -- as if the whole place wasn't scary enough already without Anubis going and disappearing on them. It wasn't a trick she'd found amusing, but she didn't want to destroy what little good humor they had so she simply pursed her lips and stepped backwards from him slightly.

It was still night, they hadn't even spent the night at this place, Aissa realized with a shock of surprise. Something about the dark shadows spoke of a place you'd been stuck in forever. She shook herself; "stuck in" wasn't the right word for it. They were on a mission, she reminded herself. A mission to save the world; the cliche phrase caused her a bit of a sardonic smile.

"Entertainment is fun and all, but I want to [i]do[/i] something," she said out loud.

Leile turned to her, the scare of Anubis reappearing still just slightly evident in her eyes. "Do something?" she repeated. "Aissa, as far as I can tell, we've come to Ma'Uriith, figured out how it probably got to this state, and pretty much discovered the origin of the curse ... it's been a full day already."

Aissa's mouth quirked in a half-smile. "I know, but I can't stand just sitting here in the darkness waiting," she frowned. "There must be something we can do." Something in the back of her mind was tugging at her, a suggestion for movement, but it took a moment. "They told us the curse originated in D'Ianii Ilaen, right? And then you said perhaps there was something about D'Ianii Ilaen in the history books, or something. Maybe there's something we could find on it, some library here that's not ruined ... I've never even heard of the place, but maybe something is recorded somewhere."

She shrugged and half-sighed. "I just don't want to sit ... here ... any longer," she admitted, her voice fading slightly.[/color]

[Dagger]

*helps give Laeth CPR* ^_~
_________________________________________________

The mage eyed Aissa for a long moment before he spoke. All the humor had vanished from his face, leaving him with an expression that was almost cold in its sheer neutrality. "I used to attend the university here."

She briefly wondered why he was telling them this, then did a quick double take as she realized what he must have been referring to. "[i]The[/i] university? Ma'Uriith's University of Magic, I mean?"

"[i]The[/i] University," Anubis repeated, favoring her with a swift ghost of a smile. "It's been almost twenty years since I set foot in its halls, but darkness won't stop me from leading you there. The library might still be standing, if you truly wish to.... occupy... yourself."

Leile crossed her arms. "I suppose we'll be relying on you for protection," she said slowly. "The streets are almost completely destroyed, and I assume you haven't walked around Ma'Uriith in a while. What if we get lost?"

"You won't get lost," he stated flatly. "Not while following me, at any rate." The mage strode across the room to pick up his staff. Turning around, he offered both of them a sly, challenging gaze. "Shall we go?"

[Arcadia]

[size=1][color=gray]Heh, I love you guys. ^_~[/color]

Leile sighed, and just nodded, resigned. Aissa seemed very interested in the University, however, and she gave Leile's hand a squeeze before starting across the room. "Yes, of course. Lead the way."

Anubis nodded once, and then turned on his heel and promptly led them back out into the dark night. They trailed back across their previous tracks for a few minutes before he swung onto a different route. It took Leile a moment but she eventually got her bearings once again and blinked up at him. He glanced at her briefly, before gazing steadily ahead. Sometimes she got the feeling he could see things in the dark that they couldn't.

"This is a small short cut," he informed her quietly.

They walked in silence, with the exception of Leile's charms, for the greater part of twenty minutes. She, for one, was a little nervous about the city. Even though it seemed as though nothing could ever inhabit it, she still wandered about those shadowy figures that had appeared at their little fire. Where there more of those around? What other sort of strange things was the city hiding now?

After a moment, Anubis stopped, and gestured towards a lumbering shadow ahead of them. "That would be the University," he mumured, and then fell silent, as though reliving memories of times within those walls.

Aissa stepped forward then, glancing briefly at Anubis. "Shall we?"[/size]

[DeathKnight]

[color=crimson]I hope QA and Wondershot are still about. >_>
----

After the several dramatic incidents, Ensis rubbed his chin thoughtfully and began to think, remembering some old texts he had read on his trip south. It had mentioned as a side note an old kingdom of some sort, but it didn't detail it's ending- nor did it point at a large scale destruction, military or otherwise.

An uncomfortable silence fell over the deck of the ship. Stepping out of his mind for a moment, he glanced around noting Elda's absence. Worry crept through his heart and he searched around for her everywhere- until finally catching a slight glimpse of a figure in the shadows.

Approaching it carefully- you'd do it too, if you had just been told of how 'ill-fated' the trip you were on was- it turned out to be Elda. Confused, he approached further and kneeled down, resting his hand on her shoulder.

"Elda, are you alright?"
--

[OOC]Pardon the shortness.[/color]

[Wondershot]

OOC: My sincerest apologies, all.

Kaze groaned slightly and got up slowly. He opened his eyes and winced slightly as they were stung by light. However, as the world came into focus, he jumped in surprise as he was no longer on the ship. As he bagan to take in details, he noticed a strange moist feeling hanging in the air. It smelled like it had just rained, but as a cool breeze brushed his face he noticed that he couldn't hear anything. Furthermore, Kaze held out a hand, and was mystified to notice that he couldn't see in colour either, everything was in black and white. Getting up, he saw a small withered tree next to him. He reached out and tougched a branch lightly, just before he became aware of someone else's presence. He whirled and saw a strange figure in the mist, this one was watching him with interest. Kaze began to feel a light tingling run all over his body. He stared at this figure who seemed to be trying to talk to him. The person's mouth moved, but no sound came out. Kaze leaned over, straining to hear what this person was saying, when he heard a tiny ringing in the distance, like a sleigh bell.

Both the figure and Kaze turned to see who was approaching, and Kaze barely made out an outline of a tall man through the fog. The bells jingled again, only more loudly this time, as the figure of the man became clearer. He was tall and long-haired, with a coat that reached his feet. Kaze whirled as the sound became clearer still, only from a different direction. Another man was approaching, only this one was shorter and had spiky hair, He also appeared to be carrying something very large on his back. Kaze took a step back and turned back to the first figure, as the bells continued to grow louder. He reached out a hand to try and touch his arm, but as he did so, the bells jingled one more time and everything went black, as though the world was snuffed out like a candle. Kaze could no longer see, and he began to feel very drowsy all of a sudden. Struggling to stay awake, Kaze began to feel very light, as though he was weightless, as though the world was disappearing, and he fell asleep.

"No...I want to see him..." Kaze jumped as he snapped back to conciousness. He had been moved into a bed, at which Kan was sitting as well. Kan's eyes snapped to Kaze as he jumped, and waht he saw stunned him. Kaze's eyes had once again increased in brightness and intensity, almost to the point of shining like gems. Kan ignored this as best he could and spoke.
"You alright, mate?" Kaze nodded, and then added,
"My eyes hurt." Kan smiled and rubbed Kaze slightly on the head.
"It'll go away, mate, don't worry 'bout it." Kan got up and Kaze looked around, for some reason, He seemed lightheaded, but no pain as though he had lost blood again. Kaze looked up at Kan.
"Can you explain this?" Kaze asked, as though expecting Kan to read his mind. To his astonishment, however, Kan smiled and sat back down.
"That's a tall order, mate, but I'll try." Kan cleared his throat and continued.
"You were out on us a much longer time than usual, but this time you seemed calm, you seemed to be having a good dream this time around." Kan smiled slightly and leaned in closer.
"Do you remember if you had a good dream?" Kaze thought back to that misty wood, to the strange people he saw, but came so close to recognising. He looked up into Kan's earnest face and replied:
"I think so." Kan smiled and looked at Kaze.
"What did you see?" Kaze stared back at his knees, wondering who they were.
"Someone I knew...I think."

[Queen Asuka]

[color=hotpink][size=1]Elda, lost deep in her own thoughts, was absently twirling a blonde ringlet about her finger and didn't even notice the prescence of Ensis until his hand was upon her shoulder. She jumped slightly and looked up at him with wide eyes, almost full to the brim with tears.

"Yes, I'm fine...I was just thinking. I am wondering if I really should have come along on this trip...I'm very scared..." she looked away again at the water below her, not wanting to look Ensis in the face. After all, she had agreed to come along and help him, even if she wasn't sure how exactly she was going to accomplish that.

"Elda, of course you're going to be frightened. And I would say that nothing is going to happen to you except...I don't know what's going to happen to anyone. But I will say that I will try to take care of you to the best of my abilities. Okay?" Ensis squeezed her shoulder gently, waiting for a response.

Elda finally looked back over at him, a single tear ran down her cheek. She didn't say anything but just nodded. He smiled a bit and she let out a nervous laugh. He reached up gently and wiped her face.

"Now, there's no need for tears now," Ensis said, taking a seat beside her.[/color][/size]

[Dagger]

The University compound was enormous and almost entirely sterile, with vast marble courtyards that showed no trace of having ever harbored greenery. Their footsteps echoed loudly as Anubis led them across the flat expanse and up a set of broad, imposing stairs. They now stood in the shadow of one of the area's largest buildings. It stood stiffly before them, a massive, hulking thing that was surrounded by marble columns. Compared to all this grandeur, its normal-sized doors seemed oddly out of place.

Leile finally realized what was truly strange about this empty university: it appeared to have escaped the recent catastrophe relatively unscathed. Though its outer walls were crumbling, and some small structures had collapsed into piles of rubble, here at the heart of the compound nothing seemed to have been disturbed. Well, it [i]was[/i] a school of magic. It made sense that its important buildings would have received some kind of enchanted protection.

"Stand back," Anubis said sharply.

She couldn't see his face from where she stood. Aissa glanced towards her and offered only with a small shrug, which Leile interpreted as meaning that nothing was terribly wrong. All the same--she shifted nervously and gazed over her shoulder at the surrounding darkness.

The mage was testing one of the double doors with his hand. When it failed to move, he raised his staff and rapped imperiously upon the elaborately carved wood. His eyes, no longer impassive, had grown utterly cold, and a brief, tense silence passed before Anubis thrust the staff into Aissa's hands. She nearly dropped it, feeling the sudden jolt of an unfamiliar power, but watched apprehensively as he laid his right palm against the door, fingers outspread, and whispered silently.

Under these circumstances, she would have expected there to be a flash of light, a burst of heat: something to herald the breaking of a spell. But Aissa saw only a brief gathering of shadow--it streamed like ink to Anubis's hand--and then all seemed ordinary again.

Except for the fact that he winced as the door creaked open. The mage stepped away, not even bothering to ask for his staff. Leile was about to cross the library's threshold when she looked back at her two companions and glimpsed something glistening darkly on the floor. Anubis lifted his right hand to reveal that it was laced with blood; in this dim light, it appeared almost as though he were wearing a glove. "Go on in," he told her. For once, he could not keep the bitterness from his voice. "Oh, don't worry. It won't hurt [i]you.[/i]"

[Arcadia]

[size=1]The University was probably one of the only major spots in Ma'Uriith that Leile had never visited - her father had never liked it much because of something that happened to him in his past. She'd always had the nagging suspicion it had to do with her mother, but that was something she didn't dare to bring up.

Even so, she was slightly mystified by all the grand, marble columns and exquisite architecture. It was an amazing sight to behold, awe-inspiring indeed, but also a tad foreboding. Especially in the dark. She suspected that the buildings were just as infused with magic as the students had been, which explained why they were all still standing, and also why the doors to the great library seemed insistant that they should not get in. Anubis took care of that well enough, and Leile watched, though not completely understanding, as the door creaked open slowly.

She stared ahead into the darkness for a few seconds before starting forward, only stopping again when she realized they weren't following. Anubis lifted his hand and Leile gasped as he told her bitterly, "Go on in. Oh, Don't worry. It won't hurt [i]you.[/i]"

Leile stared at his hand in shock, her feet effectively glued to the spot. "Anubis, what.. how... I don't understand.."

If he had planned to say anything at all, Aissa beat him to it, taking a good look at his bloody hand. "Just what sort of spell was [i]on[/i] that door?" Her tone was a bit testy, but her expression was a little harder to read as she switched back and forth between his hand and the door.

Leile watched for a moment, before turning and stepping into the library. Immediately a sense of huge-ness washed over her - even in the dark, she could see that the ceiling towered above them. She could barely make out the books ahead, but she could smell them - it seemed as though even books on magic retained that old, musty quality.

Letting her eyes adjust to the dark before starting in any one direction, Leile began to wonder how exactly they were going to find anything about the curse. There must have been thousands upon thousands of books... [i]And I don't even know where to begin![/i][/size]