Floating lives (Closed)

[Akion]

Alex nodded whilst chewing the meat "Mmft kusrt" was al that could be heard before he swallowed and took a swig from his the canteen by his side. Looking slightly sheepish now "Oops sorry, shoudn't talk with mouth full and all that, but yeah sure. I think Shay likes you as well and we don' even know where we will end up next." he let out a slight laugh "to be honest I am not sure how to get away from this world really." he grinned sheepishly and rubbed the back of his messy brown hair, looking around him.

"We can't leave yet though we still have a lot of things to do here, like confront who ever made you and ask them why they did what they did." He took another bite of the meat hungrily, not having eaten for a good while he could feel his stomach complaining at him for it.

[Aurkurai]

Justin had already forgotten about that part of their conversation. "You really are determined about that, aren't you?" he asked, taking another bite for himself. It was an interesting idea. He wondered why he hadn't thought of it himself. Maybe it was something one only thought of when they grew up outside of this world.

"The only problem with that idea is that I really have no leads on the subject. I wouldn't have any idea on where to start looking if I wanted to find them." He took another bite. He had only just realized how hungry he was.

[Akion]

"You really are determined about that, aren't you?"

Alex nodded "No one has the right to make someone, how ever you do it and then throw them away. You have a right to answers, you think, you feel, you have friends. They may think of you as a failure but if I could make somthing which does that then I'd be.... well a lot smarter than I am right now and also very proud of what ever they became." Alex smiled "You're my friend, at least I like to think so and friends don't just leave their friends to fend against things on there own."

"The only problem with that idea is that I really have no leads on the subject. I wouldn't have any idea on where to start looking if I wanted to find them."

Alex smiled "I don't know maybe Shay can find somthing out, he's good at finding things which others miss, I think it's because he's a theif, he said he was a master theif at that but I am not so sure but he does have some shiney gadgets. If he can steal things then he might be able to find you information you couldn't find for yourself."

[Aurkurai]

Justin glanced in Shay's direction, moderately surprised. "A thief huh? I wouldn't have guessed. He seems a little too honorable for something like that." Justin laughed at the idea. "I'm not sure if I believe it either, but you can feel free to ask him when he wakes up. That might not be for quite some time."

"I'm afraid you're the one who's going to convince him to help. I just met him, so I don't have the heart to ask him myself, but you two seem like good friends, so he might just consider it." It did seem like they were a bit of an odd couple. What would a thief be doing with a kid like Alex? He looked as Shay and wondered what had made him decide to pick someone up like he did.

"How did you two meet, if you don't mind me asking? You two don't seem like you would be the type to travel together."

[Akion]

Alex thought about the question. "I am not sure why he he allowed me to follow him, I kinda fell into his world and he fell over me in the rain, I wasn't conscious. He looked after me when I asked for an ocean and he told me that it was hundreds of miles from any oceans. Things kinda progressed from there.

I mean first we were attacked by people wanting some kind of bounty on his head, He kinda took me with him when he escaped I guess people associated me with him from there and he choose to look after me." Alex proceeded to explain about the walk and the encounter they'd had with the guard tower. "See Shay lied about the monsters but it seemed that a lot of people had been attacked in that area recently. Well Shay managed to get us inside this guard house and then an actual monster attacked it. We managed to escape the guard house but Shay got attacked by another Quatle and thats why his leg is like it is." Alex glanced at Shay who was still asleep on the floor.

"Well after that we ran away... well after Shay blew up the monsters head and yeah, then the stick we found healed the poison from the Quatle and then an old man showed up... and then we got sweapt up by the ocean and dumped into your safe house." Alex took a deep breath once he finished his sentence. "So I think he took me along to help me and then he ended up stranded here thanks to me. I mean the ocean wouldn't of picked him up if he wasn't near me, I don't know why he sticks around but I guess it's because there is saftey in numbers and stuff... Plus he doesn't have any where to go now." Alex looked guilty as he realised that in many respects he'd damned Shay to the same fate as himself, to be at the mercy of the Ocean for as long as it wanted.

[Aurkurai]

Justin laughed. "That's quite a story." He glanced at Shay again. Judging from the story, Shay may have been able to fend for himself in this world after all, if it hadn't been for that leg of his.

"I guess it makes sense that when people get lost, they stick with things they know, even if they only know it a little." It was a curious idea. "Either way, I have the feeling it will be a while before he wakes up. He really needed it. I doubt he'll come around until after it gets dark. That would be a good time to get going anyway. If we're lucky, we'll get to the city some time tomorrow."

[Akion]

Seven hours had past and Alex was now sat next to a make shift fire, the wood burnt with a crackling sound as it was burnt through, Alex has speant the last few hours of light finding wood in the waste lands whilst Justin rest and recover. If he was infected he was fighting it at the least, but he still didn't look 100%. Alex was worried but given the prognosis of 2 hours before what ever changed them was fatal Justin must truley be made of somthing else.

Wood had been in plentiful supply out in the wastes, staying close to the camp they'd set up he found many old trees and so such which would burn. The shrub grass around the edges of the deep green pools of water was mostly dry and brittle to the touch. Though some of it was good enough to make a base for the fire.

Now sitting by the fire Alex rememebered somthing deep within himself from when he''d been out, the floating ball of fire which had gone into his chest, His hand absent mindedly moved up and touched his solar plexus. As he did he felt the heat from the fire infront of him both increase and cool. The fire danced more erratically now, Alex moved his hand away and watched it return to normal.

Alex stared at his hand. Not totally fathoming the thoughts running through his own head. He found himself reaching out with curiosity, lightly he brushed his fingers against the flames "Ow!" He let out a rather loud yelp of pain as the flames stung and burnt the tips of 3 of his fingers.

[Saloo]

Shay opened his eyes. He wasn't where he expected to be. He could soft sunlight on his skin. A cool breeze blew through the forest in which he found himself. He sat up quickly, looking around. He didn't fall asleep in a forest. What happened to the barrens?

"Ahh... The hell?" he said, taking in the scenery. "Did I get swept up in that ocean thing while I was sleeping?"

"Hello there."

Shay spun around where he sat. He found himself looking up at a beautiful woman. Her strait, brown hair was so long, it almost touched the ground at her feet. She wore long, flowing clothes and a crown of what looked to be lilies. She had a long staff in her right hand. Shay got to his feet, brushing the stray grass off of his pants.

"Hey there," he said, with a small wave. She was possibly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. "Where are we?" he asked, finding it hard to take his eyes off of her.

"This is my sacred forest," she replied simply.

"Yours? You own it?" he asked curiously.

"I would say so. I did make it."

"How'd you manage that?" asked Shay, raising his eyebrow in question.

"I'm a goddess. It's my job to create."

Shay couldn't help but burst out laughing at the thought. After a moment, he managed to stifle it. It appeared to be a little late, as the woman was already giving him a strange look. "Sorry, but I don't believe in s**t like that. Seriously."

The woman put her face a couple inches from his own, a frown on her lips. "I thought you might say something like that."

"Is that good, or bad?" he asked, slightly uncomfortable with her so close.

"You pass. Just don't tell them who sent you." With that she took the staff in both hands and hit him over the head with it.

Shay woke to the sound of Alex's voice yelping in pain. He sat up. There was a sharp ache in the top of his head. Maybe that's what made him think up such an odd dream. Rubbing his forehead, he looked up. It was night. He must have slept for a long time.

As the pain in his head faded, he stretched and yawned. "Evening..." he muttered. "Nothing happened while I was sleeping I assume?" he asked.

[Akion]

Alex looked at him pitifully, in many ways showing how young he really was "I...Burnt my fingers" he said his eyes welling with tears as he blew on them before putting them in his mouth trying to suck away the pain in vain.

He then realised Shay was once more awake and he smiled, almost forgetting the pain of his fingers as they blistered slowly, "You're awake. did you sleep well?" Alex asked as he watched Shay slightly rubbing his forhead. Alex looked into the pack next to him and threw Shay a canteen of water and another stip of salted meat, looking in the pack they were going though them pretty quikcly, though the supplys had originally been meant to Shay alone.

The difference here was that Justin had brought supplies, lots of them which would last a person a few weeks so Alex guessed they would be able to live off of it for longer than they needed to.

[Aurkurai]

"I...Burnt my fingers."

Justin did his best to stifle his laughter. He covered his mouth in an effort to hide it, but he knew full well that he was failing miserably. He lowered his hand. "Sorry," he said, still trying to hide his smile. "Forgive me for being unkind, but I just never thought that some one your age would stick their hand in a fire."

"Evening... Nothing happened while I was sleeping I assume?" Justin's attention was drawn to Shay, who was busy stretching.

"It was eight hours of calm while you slept, but it's a good thing you're awake. We should get moving soon."

[Saloo]

"Yeah, yeah. I know," said Shay. "I've been sleeping a long time. I want to get out of this wasteland as quickly as you do." He sighed. The pain in his head was gone, but something didn't feel right. Something was off. He wasn't sure what it was. He just had a small nagging feeling that something didn't feel like it should.

He shrugged it off, taking a bite out of the meat Alex gave him. He finished it off quickly. "We can eat while we walk. I just need to do something really quick."

Shay reached down and started rolling up his pant leg. He hadn't had a chance to check his leg since his hastily done stitching job. The bandages were soaked through with blood. They needed changing. The bandages peeled away.

"The hell...?" he muttered, perplexed as the last layer fell away. The wound, along with his stitches, had vanished.

[Akion]

"The hell...?"

Alex looked up from bandaging his own fingers with a small set of bandages he'd found in Justins pack. he put the bandages down on the side walked over "is everything ok Shay?" he asked before looking down and noticing how Shay's leg was clean, as if it'd never been attacked at all, not even a scar was there. "Um... Justin... how do you explain this?" he asked looking down at Shays leg wishing in many ways he still had that stick... just to poke it with again.

[Aurkurai]

"What's wrong?" asked Justin. He caught sight of Shay looking at his leg, confused. Justin kneeled down next to him. "The wound is gone already?"

Shay nodded, at a loss for words.

"Let me take a look."

Shay held out his leg. It ached slightly as he flexed the so recently damage muscles, but most of the pain had gone completely.

Justin examined the leg carefully. He poked and prodded, keeping an eye out for any signs of pain from Shay. He couldn't see nor feel any trace of a scar. Looking at the discarded bandages told him this should have at least left something. After a moment, he stood up again.

"I can't find anything wrong with it at all. That's strange. The barrens tend to make you sick, not heal you. Has this ever happened to you before Shay?" he asked.

Shay shook his head. "Naw. I can't use magic or anything. I heal just like everyone else."

Justin did a double take. "There is magic in the world you come from?"

Shay nodded. "Yeah. Of course. There isn't any here?"

Justin thought about it for a moment. "Scattered reports at best. It's not widely accepted to exist though. I've never seen anything like this before. Could you have brought some kind of magic back with you?"

"Well..." said Shay, thinking. "When I got attacked, the wound was poisoned, but we used some kind of magical traveler's charm to get rid of it. We lost that right before we got thrown into the universe."

Justin shrugged. "I'm not sure how magic works, but maybe it was some kind of delayed affect from what you used to get rid of the poison."

"Yeah... Maybe." Shay suddenly found himself remembering the beautiful woman who had called herself a goddess. If he didn't know better, he would have thought this was her doing, but that was just a dream.

"Well, I suppose we should count our blessings. We can travel much faster now that you can walk properly," said Justin.

((More colab posts from Saloo and myself.))

[Akion]

Alex smiled knowing that right now they all seemed in good health. Justin’s bite was still worrying him a little. Though after the 8 hours of none eventuality Alex thought it best to leave that alone and see how things progressed.

"If we're all awake shouldn't we be moving now? Justin said we might be able to get to the city in a day or so, maybe sooner now Shay's leg is healed." Alex smiled as he packed up all of the things they'd gotten out whilst they were resting. He did as good of a job as he could considering he was never very good at packing but it would suffice for now.

Somewhere in the distance as the sun's final light flickered out and the stars above them illuminated the sky. The moon was high in the sky, looking large and tinted red by the dust in the barren's sky. Alex stared up at it. "Is my world the only one without one of those?" he pondered to himself as he got ready to walk once more.

[Saloo]

Shay stood up, somewhat hesitant at first. He put weight on his leg and felt no pain in it at all. He put all of his weight on it, still nothing. He did a quick jump. Everything seemed to be perfectly fine. Though he was fully aware that it was a good thing, it still made him a little uneasy. How had it healed all by itself? He shook his head. Now wasn't the time for that.

"Is my world the only one without one of those?" asked Alex. Shay turned to see what he was looking at. He smiled slightly, remembering their conversation in his own world.

"It could be for all we know, but I've got a feeling that there are lots of worlds out there. I'm sure yours isn't the only one," he said. He took a few light steps to the edge of camp, looking forward to the now painless travel. "I'm ready to go when you are guys."