!PRIVATE! Marchen: The Journey

[SilverDragonetsu]

The leader of the group idled closser to Aki and her mount, Ryuunosuke. Grasping the hem of her skirt, he gave a harmless tug, merely to gain her attention and pull her from her awe over the city.

Pointing out towards the city he began his speeking in his strange little language. Speeking only breilf a few words, for all Aki could tell, and speeking quiet clearly the Name Ryuu K---.

No sooner did the creature begin to sound out the name Kai, did a loud 'thwak' sound clearly, following by the small person falling over sprawled on his back, stunned and dizzy. A rather river stone, smooth and shiney...and heavier than it appeared, clattered to the wood grounding besides the smallish person.

The platform landed a few moments later. Infrontof the platform was a set of stairs leading up to it. And storming the stairs was one rather annoyed looking Ryuu Kai. As he mounted the platform, skipping steps by threes to reach it more quickly, the sprawled person was rising to his feet and trying to get steady. And before he could fully take in what was happening, Ryuu had already come upon him, thumping him roughly atop the head with his fist, startling the creature whom ducked his head and held his abused skull.

"Kittakitaa! Shi shou nouku raktas! Iyeeeekha!", the creature shrieked desparingly in his defence, as it seemed.

"Oh no, you don't! I don't want to hear any of your excuses!!! Do you have any idea what kind of Panic attack you put me through, dragging me down that damn worm whole like you did?! Why I ought to---" He raised his fist again, though before he could strike, the creature shrieked, ducked, and zipped under Ryuunosuke.

Ryuu sighed angerly that he didn't get to hit his target and leaned into Ryuunosuke's side. Propping up his elbow and resting his temple to his fist. He looked dully up to Aki and forced his best smile for her. "Hi, Aki. How was YOUR trip?" He glared towards the smallish person on the other side of Ryuunosuke.

Beyond him the other two smallish beings snickered to themselves over their mates run in with Ryuu.

[Bones McCoy]

“I don’t take kindly to gifts given to me while I’m knocked out…” Kirie replied with a half smile. She wasn’t too peeved but what more could she do? Rip the guy into shreds? That would be fun but Dou’ga was proving to be a form of entertainment for the present time being.

She arched a brow upon seeing the familiar bag, “I told you my name isn’t lassie, get it straight… pervertono.” Kirie retrieved the bag and opened it. Everything seemed to be in order. The journal, knife, and the torn clothes.
Kirie came to Dou’ga’s side at the mouth of the cave. “So long…its been somewhat fun.”

Swinging the bag over her shoulder, she started out, glancing skyward. She needed to find her companions and ensure they weren’t getting into trouble. Inuki…she hoped the hell hound had been called off completely.

[SilverDragonetsu]

Dou'ga errupted into brief laughter when called 'pervertono'. "My, how crude. I was jus' being hospitable by giving you suitable clothes, Lass'," He chidded, speeking the now lessened nickname.

As she joined him at the mouth of the cave, he smiled keenly at the woman with curious fondness. Then looked out over the forest canopy with a hard affixed stare. Almost hinted with concern. "Yes...somewhat fun..."

His expression swiftly turned more gleefull and mischivious as his hands proped themselves on his hips. "Ahhh. Well then, no use wasting day light." Dou'ga swiftly stole a kiss from the woman beside him, then lept away out of the cave. He grinned like a made man, with laugther in his eyes. His swept past the corner of his eyes, and he gave a wink. "A kiss for the road? Delicious. I'll not go hungry tonight, lass."

He chuckled, and turned half away. "It was fun. Let's meet again...Kirie." And then vanished over the edge of the hill before she could think to kill him. Though he was more sure it was on her mind the moment she awoke in the cave.

[Bones McCoy]

Her mind had been unsettled about the prospects of her companions and hadn’t been well prepared to defend herself against this strange ‘attack’. Kirie for a moment was taken back by surprise, though it quickly dissolved into anger. “Y-y-you b*****d!” she snapped, ready to unleash her wrath. But Dou’ga got away, vanishing from her sights and smell. She wanted to tear that smirk of his off his face..

“.. Dou’ga…I will murder you next I see you…” Kirie muttered underneath her breath. She couldn’t waste time, cursing the man’s name, or plot how she’d make him eat his own organs. No. That hound of hell was still out there somewhere. The young woman glared daggers to where Dou’ga vanished to. Kirie waited for a while, but with that b*****d truly gone, she resolved to head onward.

‘…that man….who does he think he’s messing with?...but…’ she paused only for a moment in step, just to linger on it, ‘…he’s familiar….though why? Hmm, perhaps next time I’ll get it out of him and then I’ll kill him…’



Kirie ran as fast as she could, only pausing occasionally to rest. It was well after dark, thus the amulet was stored in the bag. The day’s long and strange encounter had left her with a burst of energy and on the right scent. She knelt down upon the dirt road, her fingers lightly brushing the earth. A small trace of blood was there. It wasn’t her own, no, hers was farther up ahead.

Bringing the blood to her lips, she tasted it, “…Daniel…” so, the priest was hurt or dead. There wasn’t anything else here, “…Where are you hiding at?”

[[ << oh yeah…Silvery, where did you have Vent drop into? I posted on it awhile backs and…>> le vampy is confused. ]]

[SilverDragonetsu]

((Le Vampy is locked up and out of the way. He will be brought back in due time. Though for now...Le vampy is locked up, for the Anasazi do not like him. >> He bites as hard as they do...))

"Uh-huhn.....uhnnn..." Usagi's eyes fluttered, slowly opening to a hazy and blurred scene that cleared with time. A dimly lit place, light flickering against a smooth, stone domed ceiling. Eyes flared open, as she sat bolt up right, as panic raced through her veins.

Seconds passed, and a dizzy spell sent the child back to the matress she'd been laying in for the past while. "Where...am I...", the child spoke to herself softly. Something seemed wrong. Out of place. "What...happened....", she spoke softly again with a dry and cracked voice. She tried to recall what had happened. She was in a bed, she knew. Why and how, though, she could not tell.

Recounting events, Usagi remembered being with Daniel. Him protecting her. Enemies suddenly everywhere. Defeaning and Noiseless all at once. Then a scream she wasn't sure had even been voiced at all. Then...nothing. Just a deep warm blackness.

"Daniel...Mr. Daniel..." She called, hoping he was still near. Pleeing silently that he was still nearby and not lost. She tried again to sit up, only more slowly. She made it up a little, elbows supporting her. The room she was in was small but home and scure feeling. Her's and one other bed were the only two in the rounded room. From the blanketed lump on the bed with tossled tuffed of black peeking out at the head of the bed, usa could only assume this was Daniel. The glasses on the bedside table partially confirmed her assumptions.

Flopping back on the bed and feeling terribly drained, Usagi rolled onto her side and slipped from her bed. She tried to stand, but collapsed to her shakey knees. Crawling the short ten foot distance across the room, Usagi pulled herself up on the edge of Daniels bed, fisting his blankets in her hands.

"Mr. Daniel...I'm sorry...I was mean...please don't die, Mr. Daniel...", she sobbed quietly, heaving herself up to curl up beside the priest. She hated death, and in the eyes of a child, and according to events, she fears his present state was not so good in the raven haired priests favor. She herself were weak feeling, she could not sence if he were even alive or dead at this very moment.

[Bones McCoy]

[[ Ahh, therefore le vampy ish not gonna be happy when he’s let out : D ]]

This wasn’t how he wanted to end his life, or live it to this point in time. Daniel had somewhat planned out his remaining days to be well, better. One thing he wanted was to die by his curse not by over-exhausting himself to the point of death. And secondly, he didn’t want anyone to cry over him. Little Usa wasted her tears, at least that’s what the priest believed.

The child, he was sure, had something about her, a touch of unnatural ability. How else had they made it here? Daniel could only recall a few events but nothing more. This body was slowly dying.

“….you weren’t mean…I deserved it….” Daniel spoke quietly. “…trust me, I’m not the greatest being….a damnation to put it nicely…”

He wondered how long he’d have? A few days, or minutes? The priest slightly opened his eyes, a faint green glowing emitted. “….but….after I….move on….you won’t have to deal….with my curse anymore…stars…weren’t meant to live among…people of any kind….”

A small smile formed as his eyes shut slowly, and after that, Daniel didn’t move any further.

[SilverDragonetsu]

Usa shifted with a start when she heard the priets voice. It made her smile and greave at the same time. He was Alive, but sounded far weaker than she. As he continued to speak, slowly and steady along, he lips took a heavy down fall. It made her heart plummit at the thought of the man dying and giving up on life so freely. Whether she knew him or liked him or not, the idea of death tore her little heart to shreads.

"How can you speek so lightly of death. What does it matter if life has been cruel in the past or present. Things can get better. They can! You just have to try!" The strain of forcing herself to speek so broadly caused usagi to cough harsly in pain. Her vocal cords ached for reasons she couldn't understand, as though she'd been screaming for hours before.

"I don't want you to fade away, Mr. Daniel. Life is too precious to give up so easily. Please..fight... to live a little longer...because...I..I don't want...to see...any more...lives...fade into darkness..." Such big girl words for a child. Usagi was more grown up than any could understand. And more tender and delicate than she let usaually let on.

Pushing herself to drag her tiny body, Usagi nestled herself as closely into the crook of Daniels arm possible and hiding her tears of pain and emotional agony in the folds of blankets.

[Aki Ameko]

Someone was tugging on her skirt. Aki slowly turned her head in the being's direction, not wanting to take her eyes off the city. She listened to it's incomprenhensible chatter distantly--it seemed she'd be unable to process what the creature was saying even if it was speaking plain and clear Common.

It was the stone to the head that startled Aki most. She looked around, utterly shocked to see Ryuu scaling the steps and pummeling the poor creature til it managed to get away. But there was Ryuu, right in front of her, smiling as if everything was ok.

Her mind still was in shock. When she was finally able to comprehend that Ryuu was there, and safe, she gave a glad smile and almost hugged him. Then her senses came back to her.

"RYUU." She started, thrusting her hand forward and grabbing his shirt by the scruff of the neck. "Care to tell me exactly WHERE we are??" The tone of her voice and look in her eyes was rather dangerous.

((ZOMG, longest post IN LIKE FO-EVAAA!!))

[SilverDragonetsu]

Ryuu wasn't expecting too much of a warm welcome from Aki after his dissapearing act down the 'rabbit hole'. He knew he'd scared her; he'd heard her scream after him as he'd vanished into the dark hole. Then He saw that smile upon her lips. It made him fizzle warmly inside. A feel that he'd been missed. And it was...nice.

Then she turned on him. So suddenly, it really kind of frightened him. Her hand caugth his shirt collar, yanking him foreward more swiftly than he thought possible for her. Stunned, his eyes caught hers. Searching in the deep hazel orbs that flickered and danced. There. thoughshe was showing an undistinguishable anger towards him, he could see in the flare of her eyes that she really had been worried for him. Really had been been scared for his well being.

Breathing slowly, his widen stare lessened as he took her tight fist into both his own hands, loosening her fingers form the folds of his shirt. His eyes never felt hers. Cool, pools of pure moon light swimming calmly as he attempted to calm her with his eyes and with his touch. His fingers smoothing over the backs of her hands only just for her alone to notice.

"In a Forgotten Place. Who's name I will tell you shortly." Ryuu spoke softly and slowly. His hands never left hers, only changing location. they held her upper arms, offering to lend her help from Ryuunosuke's back. As large a creature he was, as he thougth about it, Ryuu was surpised Aki was on the horgons back at all. he left it as a mystery, returning to offering her his lending help, though his eyes left hers to city. "Come, we are welcome guests here, I promise you. These people are Ancients of Marchen, and mean us no harm. They had meant to help us before, not scare us."

"Come", he spoke agian. "Things will be explanned."

[Aki Ameko]

Ryuu's response caught Aki off-guard, and left her in a weak moment. She couldn't help but to feel a light flutter in her chest and her face going pink at his hand gestures. He's so gentle... Aki noted, but wasn't sure what to think of it.

"Fine..." She said, trying to sound casual, but coming off as sounding more nervous and weary. She felt foolish being treated this way. As if she didn't deserve it, yet it was kind of nice. But no way Aki was going to trust him so easily. She kept her guard up as she dismounted and followed Ryuu, ready to act if anything became uncomfortable on suspicious.

[SilverDragonetsu]

The was lead through the massive city, which appeared like any other. Homes and Vendors. A market and taverns. Only difference were the inhabitants of the city. Without the masks and heavy dress liek what Aki and Ryuu's escorts wore, they were quite feline beneath. From their faces to their feet. At tallest one might see a being of at most four feet in height. They had felinish ears in pace of human ones. And from what you could see, only females had tails. While men adorned only their ears.

From above and around, Some stopped to stare with feline curiousity as ryuu adn Aki were brougth through their hidden homestead. And a little fear from Ryuunosuke's monstrous appearence.

Children whom dare come near gathered around Aki with large curious eyes, circling here as they followed. they muttered to eachother in a sort of debate, it seemed.

Ryuu chuckled to himself, patting a child on it's head, and the creature cooed with what sounded like a purr. "They are trying to figure out where your tail is. They are young yet, and cannot see the difference of ears quite yet." He rubbed a childs ear betwen his fingers. It was like his, pointed, but uncovered in fur like an adults. the child cooed adn giggled again, before runnig off to the mother whom called for it, the others still following Aki.

His smile was replaced with something more serious as he looked beyond the children to Aki. She was more settled, and felt he could tell her now where they were, and her being able to fully accept and and understand the cruciality of their location.
"This city, Aki, Is the Forgotten Land of Marchens History. You might have heard of it, if the Elves still tell the tales?" He seemed to be asking her directly if they did, though didn't wait for her to answer. "We are presently amoung the Anasazi of Enki Forest. The Race That Was." He hoped she understood what sort of honor it were to be among them. The Elves and Anasazi were once great Alli's, and still were. Though the occasion in which they met was so very rare any more. And the Anasazi still today were little more than legand and folk tale.

"As I would hope you should know, Anasazi are a dead liguistical race. So they are not understandable. I could make it possible that you understand their words, though the process of which may be...against your desires."
He rooted into his pocket and fished out a small black box. Inside was lined with protective velvit, with five blue glowing viles and a sixth empty one. He took out a vile and held it for Aki to see. Inside was a small worm. A small blue glowing worm.

[Aki Ameko]

Aki was taken aback by how civilized the underground community seemed to be. They were quite strange creatures, the like that Aki hadn't seen before... And by the looks of things, they hadn't seen anything like herself before. At least not the children.

The children circling around Aki was starting to annoy her. "Oh." Aki said simply, a little embarrassed. It'd been a while since she'd been around so many children, and she'd almost forgotten how naive and innocent they could be.

Aki perked up at the new and rather refreshing information. "Oh!" She exclaimed. "But in my village they are merely legend!" She looked around at them all, growing more excited. "To think that they actually exist! Why, I wonder how Freyr would react if he knew--" Aki clasped a hand over her mouth. I DID NOT JUST SAY THAT NAME. She thought, turning bright red.

Aki tried to change the subject and inquiry about Ryuu's 'methods'. "Erm, in any case... What...is that?!" She sputtered, eyeing the vile with a sour look.

[SilverDragonetsu]

Ryuu was glad to see that she was more excited about the place and that the elves indeed told the stories yet. He wondered though who Freyr was, and why Aki seemed so shocked after speeking the name. None the les, he let it slip his mind as Aki's attention came to the vile with the worm, just as he needed it to be.

"This...is a translator. A magical, spiritual little creature, whom when given homestead in the inner most ear of a body will translate for it's host any lanuage it did not know. It kinda of shares it's mentality with the host, so the host knows the languages it knows. Which is, quite frankly, anything and everything. Translators have been around since the creation of time, so it's no wonder why they would know such a vast lingual."

He opened the vial, and the little worm snaked out, becoming a rather stringy creature that attached itself to Ryuu's hand. It began to snake it's way up Ryuu's arm, until Ryuu picked it off in his pinched fingers.

[Aki Ameko]

Aki scowled in a disgusted manner at the worm, and shifted her weight as she crossed her arms in front of her in a pouty sort of manner. "No way, Ryuu. If you think I'm sticking that thing in my ear, you're out of your mind." Aki walked over to one of the Anasazi kids and gave him a warm smile and a friendly pat on the head. "Besides, you seem to be able to understand them. If there's anything I need to know, you can translate for me."

[Freyr Leofric]

With a final jerk, Freyr squeezed his hand harder, and the man, Gahrroe, fell to the floor, unmoving.

Freyr stood still for a moment, coldly staring at the now lifeless body. Then he turned so suddenly it surely struck a jolt of fear in the hearts of those within the tavern. Slowly, Freyr removed his helmet to reveal dark blue hair and glowing, deadly red eyes. "LET THAT BE A LESSON TO YOU ALL." He said in an intense, yet non-yelling manner. "NOBODY CROSSES THE GREAT LORD, FREYR LEOFRIC." And with a swift flip of his cape, Freyr exited the tavern that now wreaked with death.

---

"Milord, are you sure that was quite necessary...?" A shorter, rounder elf followed Freyr outside the tavern.

"He pissed me off." Freyr responded dismissively, mounting his horse as if he'd only been in the bar for a drink.

The round elf gave Freyr a scolding, almost fatherly look. "With all-do respect Milord, he was our only route for information left. Surely you thought--"

"It is no matter, Makram." Freyr said, getting annoyed. "I've heard enough. I have scouts on the outskirts of the forest, so it will only be a matter of time before more information crops up."

Makram pushed up his round spectacles in a rather foolish, dotty manner. "Oh-OH! Milord is so clever! Just like your father!" At this Freyr smiled in a rather pleased manner.

"Now if you would remain silent, Makram, or I may be forced to treat you the same as that sorry human back in the tavern. I daresay I'd hate to treat an old friend of my father's that way, so do not make me make an exception."

"Lord Freyr! Lord Freyr! We have come across another trail that may lead us to Lady Ameko!" A group of ten or so men came trotting down the hills. They were obivously the scouts that had been sent out.

Freyr smiled again at Makram. "As I said. There are other ways to pursue her."