RPG Latham Adytum

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=crimson]OOC: *Gives Cloricus another fwap, mainly because he doesn't like Cloricus, and does like the word "fwap".* Sorry....

IC: [I]Ah joy. Running through portals into incredibly dangerous places for basically no reason other than whim.... Wait, I do that for a living.

Harlequin's somewhat chaotic thoughts jumped to assorted melees where he had experienced this kind of thing before. Always be prepared. Nothing ever changed, people, no matter who or what they were, never changed. They were also so pathetically predictable. It was incredibly easy to manipulate them, to form the analogous view of their universe through a view of their keyhole eyes. He smiled, his hand interlacing tighter with Spyder's. Life was such a *****. Thankfully, he wasn't a part of it anymore.[/font][/color][/I]

[Ravenstorture]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]The blue washing over them began to fade and slip away after a moment or two, and through the wash their surroundings were revealed. They were in the very expensive, posh outskirts of the city. [/i]

Spyder: Should of guessed, really....

[i]Harlequin smirks and inspects Spyder and then himself for any abnormalities that may have been caused by lightbearer portal travel. He seemed satisfied at the result, and focused on their location. Large stone mansions surrounded them on either sides, each floating serenely on large pools of manicured lawn and topiary displays. Peacocks strutted along marble pathways and under wisteria covered archways. A water feature gurgled nearby.
They seemed to be standing in the yard of one of these particular manors. It was fenced by granite walls, complete with gargoyles and wrought iron lacing, on three sides, the fourth the shore of a lake.[/i]

Harlequin: Nice. Fancy a stroll?

Spyder: Been a while since I've had the time for one of those...

[i]Arm in arm, Spyder and Harlequin walked slowly down a marble pathway heading towards the sandstone castle a few hundred yards or so down the trail. [/i]

[/font][/color]

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=crimson][I]The sandstone castle was, well... either it was an act of mad genius, or some kind of vast, garish mistake. It had a numbewr of minarets, none of which seemed to go in a straight line upwards, or be in logical positions. It had several turrets, one of which attempted to come off one of the minarets, and ended up being a large stone lump with no apparent purpose. It had several murder holes, just on this wall. Unfortunately, several of them were at ground level. Many of the crenellations were only a few inches higher than the surrounding wall. It seemed that someone had recreated a castle, defensive features included, without really understanding what they were for, and believing that their artistry somehow outweighed fact. Harlequin looked at it in disgust.[/I]

Harlequin: Two trebuchets, a mangonel, a seige tower and a thousand men, and I could be in there within a week, no matter how many defenders there were, or even if the damn thing was carved of granite.

Spyder: Well, there are two of us. Still think you can get in?

Harlequin: I'm positive I can. In fact, this will be even easier.

[I]They continued towards the castle, ignoring the drawbridge that extended over a foot wide moat. Harlequin wouldn't have been surprised to see a forest of sticks, carved into wooden flowers and such, were the stakes were meant to be.[/I][/font][/color]

[Ravenstorture]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic]Spyder: Do you think this is where they will be?

Harlequin: More importantly, what do you plan to do if they are? Do you expect for them to say, "Welcome, divine enemy, this is our Crazy Palace, here is our Crazy Mastermind. His name is AARON!!! and to kill him and thus wipe out our empire, press here."

[i]Spyder glared at him a while before answering.[/i]

Spyder: You got the first bit right. I'm the new Sellum, remember...

Harlequin: Let's just hope they will buy it.

Spyder: Oh, they will.

Harlequin: :therock:

Spyder: I am hoping, my love, I am hoping with all my strength.[/color][/font]

[The Harlequin]

[font=gothic][color=crimson][I]Harlequin led Spyder around the castle, searching for a sally port. This time, the sally port was somewhat larger than the main gate. Harlequin sighed, and walked back around, crossing the drawbridge. He lifted Spyder up, and slipped through the astonishingly large gaps in the porticullis. Harlequin leapt, and did the same.[/I]

Harlequin: This is getting ridiculous.

[I]In keeping with that, several figures rushed at them. Harlequin's quarterstaff cut down two of them, and the rest fled.[/I]

Harlequin: Lightbearers my ***.

Spyder: Maybe later.

Harlequin: Right...

[I]They walked to where the scriptorium would be in a normal castle. Inside, they would a large library. All empty. The shelves were there, and the librarians, but no books. Still, the librarians didn't look up or seem alarmed, just murmured to themselves about people who didn't return loans, and how fast ink seemed to fade these days.[/I]

Harlequin: Now I'm getting annoyed.

[I]Harlequin grabbed what appeared to be the head librarian, and threw him against a wall. No-one else paid any attention.[/I]

Harlequin: Who lives here?

Librarian: We do.

Harlequin: Alright, who built this place.

Librarian: AARON!!!, of course.

Harlequin: And where is this AARON!!! now?

[I]The Librarian pointed towards a small building on the other side of the courtyard. Harlequin dropped the man, and gestured for Spyder to wait. A minute later, there was a cry of "I am AARO-" that abruptly cut off. Harlequin stalked back in, face grim.[/I]

Harlequin: That guy really, really pisses me off.[/font][/color]

[Ravenstorture]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic]Spyder glared at Harlequin until he exploded in a shower of fanta.[/color][/font]

[Raiha]

[COLOr=royalblue][i]She opened her eyes. Her body felt the same, Rico was asleep nearby....

Death was gone, Ochkik Haddah was laughing in her mind. Valeigh rose to her feet, stretching.... This body was protesting, but still working well. She cracked her neck, then drew her blade. It was her own, the curved sword was no longer in sight. She sank to her knees.....[/i][/COLOr]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue][i]Through the night, Rico continued to dream. He felt Valeigh's blade pulsing against the skin of his arm, without form, posessing force, urging him to move in a direction he could not see.

He took the first step. Under his boots, he felt the rough texture of dried grass crumbling under his weight. The light rose from the sky and he could see the tracks of a railroad behind him where he once stood. The silence haunted him and his only companion, the blade of Valeigh. It pulled him to follow the tracks.

He placed his feet on the wooden planks between the steel rails and faced each side, hoping the blade would guide him. But it too. fell silent. He heard the sounds of the train's whistle in the distance and woke up beside the dirt road he had been traveling for many days now...[/i][/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]She looked at him, hair falling in her face, then she bent down and touched his face. Whispering his name....calling him back.[/i]

Rico: ......

Valeigh: Wake up please....I'm here.

[i]His eyes opened slowly, and he looked at her like she wasn't there.[/i][/COLOR]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue][i]Rico's vision cleared. At first he thought he was seeing things. But there she was, kneeling beside him, looking into his eyes.

Valeigh's eyes opened, she was thankful that he was okay throughout the night. He wasn't in the best shape, clothes torn, tattered, and damp from the drastic climate change.[/i]

Valeigh: Hey there...

[i]Valeigh reached to place her hand on Rico's shoulder. To the surprise for both of them, her hand followed through as if it weren't there. Rico looked up at her translucent self. Valeigh looked back and noticed the green vegitation was also visible through him.[/i]

Valeigh: I'm...

[i]He extended his hand with the imprint of Valeigh's blade along his arm, concealed by the sleeve of his clothing. A fear came over her and her hands stood still, not making an attempt to reach and hold his hand.[/i]

Valeigh: I can't.

Rico: Are you afraid?

Valeigh: I...I...

Rico: You're a ghost?

[i]Rico raised his knees to a more comfortable sitting position to match her knelt height.[/i]

Rico: Take my hand and see...

[i]Valeigh reached out as Rico did. The imprint of the blade on his arm began to react, but not in a physical manner. Rico felt it slightly telling him that she was close to him.

He raised his sleeve and saw only the outline of the blade as a scar, not the full burn marks. Valeigh closed her eyes and her eyebrow's raised in delight.

Their hands interlaced each others through the fingers, palms touching. Her entire body was no longer a fragment of his imagination, she was there with him.[/i]

Valeigh: I'm glad...that I'm still here with you. That you know I'm here.

[i]Her hand let go and she turned around briefly to examine her surroundings. She walked a moderate distance from Rico until they were slightly smaller. They began to fade again, and the burns on Rico's hand returned. He clutched his arm with his right hand. It hurt Rico and Valeigh felt empty.[/i]

Rico: How is this possible?

[i]Valeigh turned around and ran back to him...they were whole again.[/i]

Valeigh: Did we die?[/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue]Rico: You're here...I can feel you. Unless that demon did something...

[i]The newly reborn girl looked at him like she had lost her mind....then she covered her face with her hands and cursed silently.[/i]

Rico: What is it?

Valeigh: A bond between us. One can not live without the other.

Rico: Symbiotic....

Valeigh: Ochkik Haddah said he would find a way to make me remember. I wish he had some other way.

[i]She looked away. The moon was setting in the sky, heavy and dull. She felt the same way. Without him by her side, she would fade into nothing....and without her close to him, he would suffer eternaly.[/i]

Valeigh: Why did he have to do that to me?[/COLOR]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue]Rico: Well, I barely understand who that is. You sacrificed yourself so I could live...but it left me with this...

[i]Rico raised his arm.[/i]

Valeigh: ...

Rico: I don't know why this happened...I wanted to leave this place, but now I can't.

[i]He faced Valeigh.[/i]

Valeigh: Maybe...someday...

Rico: Well, it's good that you're still here, it's kind of painful walking alone.

Valeigh: Where are you going?

[i]Rico pointed to the two lights in the sky, the only points not covered by clouds.[/i]

Rico: Whatever that light is shining on...something special's there. I'd die in the desert if I tried to leave. I have nowhere else to go...[/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]She looked at her feet. Then she looked back up at him and touched his face with her hands.[/i]

Valeigh: Don't leave me please.

Rico: Then come....

Valeigh: ...I....

[i]She looked like she was in pain, then she turned and looked at the sky....then she looked at Rico again. She smiled quietly.....suddenly feeling a comfort she had never had before.[/i]

Rico: What is it?

Valeigh: Let's go. I want to see Spyder again.[/COLOR]

[Ravenstorture]

[color=darkgreen][font=gothic][i]Spyder and Harlequin crept through the strange mansion, through corridors twisting in on themselves and rooms that changed as soon as you stepped out and turned back. There was no one to be seen. The castle seemed to stretch on forever, and after what seemed like an hour, they stopped at the base of a marble stairwell and caught their breath.[/i]

Spyder: This isn't as easy as it first seemed it would be...

Harlequin: Maybe we're taking the wrong approach?

Spyder: What do you mean?

Harlequin: Well, we're looking for something, and that didn't work...
so let's try something else.

Spyder: What, like just walking around aimlessly for a while?

Harlequin: Why not? It might not work, but what have we got to lose?

Spyder: Um, our lives, and the lives of countless others?

Harlequin: What lives of ours?

Spyder: .... well, our [i]freedom[/i], and the lives of countless others.

Harlequin: It's no concern of mine.

Spyder: I don't really care that much either... if we end this reign, I will die, for real, and all those dead will perish anyway.

[i]Harlequin stared at her a long moment before pulling her into a tight embrace.[/i]

Harlequin: I am with you. I will stay with you, and it's the only place I want to be. Especially when I die.

[i]Spyder hugged him back and kissed his neck, before pulling away and standing once more.[/i]

Spyder: Same with me. I don't mind if we are ended now, if it wasn't for Valeigh and Rico and Athen...

Harlequin: I wonder where they are?

Spyder: It would be wise to stay put and out of trouble until they are here.

Harlequin: Stay put? You mean, right here?

Spyder: We'll find somewhere.

[i]Together they rose and began to stroll through the mansion, admiring the architecture and design. Before long, they had come to a room with a magnificent view of the gardens below. Spyder walked into it and noted that apart from the glass door to the gardens, there was only one door to the rest of the house - the one they had come through. Pulling Harlequin in behind her, she closed the door and leant her staff against it, without really knowing why. The door began to glow softly. Wanting to try something, she told Harlequin to go outside wordlessly and pulled the staff away from the door. When the door was closed and the staff placed again, she waited a while, then removed the staff and opened the door again. Harlequin was staring at the door incredulously.[/i]

Spyder: What happened?

Harlequin: The door completely dissapeared, it just melted away and became a flat part of the wall. It was like there was never a door in the fist place, ever the carpet changed to make it seem as if there was nothing there...

Spyder: Wow...

Harlequin: How did you do that?

Spyder I don't know, but it's damn useful...

[i]They went back inside and Spyder replaced the shield. Then, Harlequin testing the magnificent four poster bed, Spyder inspected the room. It was a stunning affair of mahogany and black velvet, the walls painted deep red. The thick carpet was a deep midnight blue, to match the furniture. There was an ensuite, done in creme and black. All together the effect was regal and sinister. Spyder agreed with Harlequin that if their time was to be spent anywhere - it would be in the bed. [/i][/font][/color]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue][i]A wolf cried in the distance, catching their attention. Time seemed to flow faster now and it looked like they hadn't aged much ever since things started to change.[/i]

Rico: We'll find one another soon enough. Even though we are at a disadvantage.

Valeigh: Why is that?

Rico: We can't split up, look around, and meet back here.

Valeigh: I don't mind...I don't want to be alone.

Rico: You have a point...everything seemed to slow down and I would wait for a long time for the day to end.

Valeigh: We should get going before the light goes away.

[i]Valeigh stood next to Rico and took his hand. A light sensation came over them and a purple-white light dimly eminated from their joined hands.[/i]

Rico: Well, whatever Ochkik Haddah did...it's kinda interesting.

Valeigh: It makes me wonder what else he gave us...

[i]They walked under a patch of trees, their shadows covering them...the light became brighter...Rico lifted his hand and raised the light close to his face. He smiled and Valeigh looked at the glow in his eyes, she smiled as well.[/i]

Valeigh: It's pretty...

Rico: Yeah, you are...

[i]Luckily the mild darkness and light conceled her emotions rushing up against her skin, the bluish tint that rarely showed, except in the heat of battle. They broke the stare simultaneously and started walking again, looking down and slightly up ahead, constantly looking at the light from the corner of their eyes...[/i][/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]The moved forward together....the wolf's cries coming closer, then further away. Rico looked at her quizzically.[/i]

Valeigh: What is it?

Rico: Do you know how to speak to wolves?

Valeigh: ....brace yourself.

[i]She released his hand, then cupped hers around her mouth. She sucked in a huge gulp of air, then howled a wild undulating call. It echoed through the air, then the was silent. Rico's spine tingled. It was unreal, this communication she could make. Valeigh called out once more, and everything was still. Then she smiled and grasped his hand again.[/i]

Rico: What did you say?

Valeigh: I told him that we are passing through, and will not linger. He said that was acceptable.

Rico: ....is that all?

Valeigh: Eheh, I also said that we are in love.[/COLOR]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue][i]Valeigh took Rico's hand again, restoring the light.

The last words that Valeigh said shocked him more than her cry into the dimming sky. He closed his eyes and let the surge of emotion pass through his body. Unexpectedly, those emotions collected at the focal point of his heart and creeped down his arm, into his holding hand. The purplish-white glow flickered and burst into a dark passionate red that could be seen for miles away.[/i]

Valeigh: Well, if you're trying to be subtle, you failed.

Rico: Could it be helped?

Valeigh: I guess not...

[i]They heard the feint cry of the wolf again, responding to Valeigh's call a second time. She closed her eyes and listened closely.[/i]

Rico: What did they say?

Valeigh: They know of someone else who is in love, still far away, but they could sense their radiance as much as they can see ours. You were right...we should continue towards that direction, the two pillars of light.

Rico: Rotting flesh still line the paths towards there.

Valeigh: I know, but we won't fall to that. We have protection from evil now.

Rico: The wolves?

Valeigh: Yes, and this...

[i]She raised their joined hands.[/i]

Valeigh: The worst of Ochkik Haddah won't dare to come near this light.

[i]It it should have been cold that night, especially to Rico. Ice was already forming on some of the vegitation and the puddles of rainwater froze over on the trail. Though, they kept each other warm on their long walk together. The weather was strange, their condition even stranger as they neared their destination. Seemingly unarmed and defenseless, they had no weapons remaining, no packs to carry items in. All material that they had was their dirtied clothing, but Valeigh would speculate silently, even those would have to go eventually...[/i] [/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]She smiled to herself.....they were moving forward, and the pain wouldn't be a factor for long.[/i]

Valeigh: Love is strange.

Rico: Why do you think that?

Valeigh: My Spirit...or at least the natural part, is calm and all together, but the manefestation is in your hands. Remember?

[i]He looked at her, then at their joined hands.[/i][/COLOR]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue]Rico: But it's not chaotic...it's stable...

Valeigh: What is?

Rico: Your physical form it's balanced.

Valeigh: But I can't be here if you're not here.

Rico: And I can't exist when I'm distant from you. We fade, ignored by the world...and we'll be stuck to walk the world until we find each other again.

Valeigh: How would you know?

Rico: We can't be harmed when we're not together, therefore we can never die.

Valeigh: Why would you want to die?

Rico: So I can leave this place...if there is no way out of hell, death is the only option. Maybe then, I might go someplace better.

[i]Valeigh looked at him, confused...[/i]

Rico: Not now, of course, we've got people to meet up with. There still might be a way. This place is changing all the time.

[i]They continued their walk. Rico kept silent for a little while...his thoughts to himself:

"Do I even love you? I wanted a way out, but instead I met you. Now I am bound. I'll learn to love again..."

"Love. If one of us dies first, then it'll leave the other behind forever. We'd have to leave at the same time for both of us to be free."
[/i][/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]"Don't you trust me anymore Rico? If I never loved you, I would've let Ochkik Haddah take you."

She looked at him soulfully, eyes glimmering with unshed tears. This state of being bound to one another was almost too much. Valeigh looked away, the blue of her cheeks slowly receeding back into white.

".......do you want me to tell you the truth or a lie?"

Once more, she looked at him. This time, the tears were real, and they fell to the earth. For every tear that fell, part of the ground transformed into grass, and it was healed. She brushed them away and the liquid fell....

Two roses and an iris rose from the ground, between them a double helix formed.[/i][/COLOR]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue][i]The sniffles and hard-pressed release of breaths pulled Rico back out of deep thought. He noticed the light had gone a pale white and he looked at Valeigh, the stream of tears sparkled in her face. He stopped and tugged on her arm gently. A bleak silence befell their surroundings.[/i]

Rico: I'm not upset about being bound to you. A part of me wanted it and a part of me wanted to be alone.

Valeigh: ...

Rico: You sacrificed yourself for me and the Ochkik Haddah reflected what shown inside your heart.

[i]Rico pulled up his sleeve and displayed the feint outlines of Valeigh's blade.[/i]

Rico: I got this because I didn't want the world to take you.

Valeigh: I didn't want to leave you to die...

[i]As much as Rico held himself back...he couldn't anymore...[/i]

Rico: We're alive because we love each other. We cared for each other before...and we still do.

Valeigh: It's hard for me to go on now that I'm lost and...

Rico: Don't say anything...listen.....listen around us.

Valeigh: There's nothing...I can't hear anything but us.

[i]They turned around and saw the newborn plants behind them, covered in Valeigh's sparkling tears.[/i]

Rico: I don't think there is a way to describe what you and I are feeling right now.

Valeigh: ...

[i]She let go of Rico's hand and held both of her hands in a clasped manner between her chest, head bowing towards the plants. Rico stepped foward and became closer than he ever was to her.[/i]

Valeigh: Just hold me...
[/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her tightly. She sighed and rested her head on his chest, tired and feeling drained. Valeigh looked at the growing plants, the only bright spots in a field of nothing. The two of them stood still for a long time, watching life grow.[/i]

Valeigh: .....do you ever wish you had loved somebody else?

Rico: No....never.

Valeigh: I'm glad.

[i]The two of them leaned back and looked at the rising moon......it reflected the light from her tears....and she smiled.[/i][/COLOR]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue]Rico: When there's nothing left, you are everything to me...

[i]He rocked her gently, slowly sidestepping to the side of the long trail. The feint glow extended across their bodies, lightly revealing a dead tree. Rico quickly moved behind Valeigh and carefully guided her down to sit with him, holding each other.[/i]

Valeigh: Do you really mean that?

Rico: I have nothing else to lose by giving my love to you.

[i]Valeigh sat beside him and collapsed into his arms, looking down, then turning around and looking directly into Rico's face. Rico stared back at her looking at hear with complete calmness. He had nothing to worry about now that they were both safe.

It got warmer and the light shown brighter than ever when they held hands again. She removed her jacket, folded it neatly and set it down on the dry grass beside Rico. There, he saw her wounds throughout the years that never really came to heal. Her black sleveless shirt was very durable and survived many battles. Bruises lined her shoulder and circled her neck, down to her chest, and perhaps a couple more where her shirt conceled her pains. On her left arm she had a piece of torn cloth tied tightly to a wound that stopped bleeding, but never closed. He could see a patch of washed blood poking through.

He placed his palm over it...[/i]

Valeigh: A battle, long ago...I was shot by a poison dart and was left in agony underneath the sun for months before I gathered the strength to stand again.

[i]Rico took his hand off the piece of cloth and both his hands trailed down the side of her body until they rested on her stomach, when he wrapped his arms around her again and held her close to him. Bits and pieces of her true feelings began to seep out of her heart, into her eyes, and onto the ground...the deceased tree behind them drank from that tiny piece of her hapiness.

As the night went by, they could not sleep...Valeigh lay motionless in Rico's arms, loved by him for who she was. Rico attempted to sleep, only to lay beside her. When there was no long any light from the sky or from their hands, Valeigh turned around and embraced him tightly, with a deep unconditional love, that sustained each other.[/i][/COLOR]

[Raiha]

[COLOR=royalblue][i]When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was him. Filling her vision, giving her both a sense of peace and calm. She knew he loved her as much as she loved him, and that knowledge was everything she needed. He awoke slowly, pains and aches gone. Valeigh unwrapped herself from him and stretched.[/i]

Valeigh: Good morning. Did you sleep well?

Rico: A little.

[i]She sniffed the air, then tested the wind. A lone howl in the distance arrested her attention...and she turned to its direction. Valeigh howled back, then the voices stopped.[/i]

Valeigh: They say that we are needed.

Rico: Where?

Valeigh: ....wherever Spyder is...and her love. That is where we need to be as well.

[i]He stood up and grasped her hand in his. She smiled and the two faced the light once more.[/i][/COLOR]

[RicoTranzrig]

[COLOR=darkblue][i]Dawn began and the rose with the sun. Valeigh grabbed her jacket and walked by Rico's side towards the pillars of light.[/i]

Rico: Do you have any clue on what they're doing?

Valeigh: Not really...the wolves could sense their love so they could be in a safe haven.

Rico: That direction still?

Valeigh: Yeah, your feelings are right...

Rico: Hey, gotta trust your own feelings.

[i]Valeigh gave Rico a slight nod and squeezed his hand a little. They cleared the path of trees and they could see the dark stones of the roof of a huge building, conceleted by deep forest. The two beams of light were shining on those towers.[/i]

Valeigh: That's gotta be it...

Rico: Well, just a few more hours then.


[/COLOR]