~The Hidden Cove~

[Arretsu]

Terra picked Cecil up, cradling him, and headed towards the lake as well. She would heal his wounds at lest. Slowly she stepped into the water, and waded in slightly. She sat down, still some what on shore, setting Cecil in her lap, letting the lakes waves wash up upon them. The water was warm, and as it touched the wounds, you would feel a tingle run through your body as the healing process begun.

The water glowed faintly, as if the moon was shining its light directly upon the lake's surface. "A locked soul.....I will speak to Elonia and gain her help. She was raised and trained to steal and manipulate souls. She could help. But now we all should rest. Children these days.."

[Kiro_Hoto]

Kiro heard her words. He couldn't validate a response. Perhaps, Elonia would be strong enough to deteriorate the seal on the soul, but Vaane's ancient maze of magic was what lead Kiro to believe otherwise. Kiro's eyes rolled closed, his mind thinking back a small glympse.

The sound of boots along a spiral stairway, Kiro's eyes following the winding path. The scene ended at a doorway. As Kiro burst inside the entrance he found Cecil standing before a tall slender man. The man had billowing red hair, flowing as if it was on fire in front of his face. The hair fell down to his lower back. This man's eyes were a piercing orange, as though they melted you from the solitary gaze. This was Vaane, the Heir of the Arcanic Magi. His powers could be felt radiating throughout the room. Kiro's focus shifted to another in the room. A woman. The details slowly faded out as he stared at her. Vaane had fogged his memory.

Kiro's eyes widened as he awoke, the puzzel pieces would trickle together.

[Iron Ronin]

Just as he was about to answer Elonia he felt the explosion and Kiro's grand entrance. Concern immediatly grew when he realized that the scent of his power was weak and almost unrecognizable past the smell of blood. He was not Kiro's friend, but blood was never a good sign.
Then she appeared.
To him it was unfathomable. To know that she truly existed and that she was here. His eyes grew wide and his breathing labored. For the first time in his short life the warrior nearly panicked. Throwing himself to the ground he bowed with his forehead touching the ground in the ultimate for of submission. This was the Old One's mother! This was the Great Goddess her self, an dbeyond a shadow of a doubt he knew he was unworthy to this close to her.

[Elonia Meliades]

Elonia's ear twitched, and she could feel her father's distress even before he came forth. But it was Ronin's reaction that amused her, she tilted her head slightly, a grin on her lips. "Oh get up...Its just grandmother." She said, as she slipped off the bar stool and to her feet. Carefully she set her mother down on the couch, making sure the little girl was warm. She then strode outside towards the lake, and watched as her grandmother worked on healing her father and brother.

Elonia heard, and sighed. So she was now given the task to unlock Cecil's soul, and it wasn't a request. She knew that she had to no matter what, no one went against Terra. "Well I was raised to follow in grandfather's footsteps." She said, making her way down the porch steps and towards the lake. Wading into the water, she knelt down beside her grandmother, and her eyes took in Cecil.

Without a word, she gathered Cecil into her arms, and sat in the water herself. Taking in a breath, she closed her eyes and touched her forehead to Cecil's. She began to probe within his mind, seeking any clue where to start.

[Arretsu]

Terra stood up as Elonia took Cecil, smiling warmly, she patted the girls head. "Good girl." She glanced at Kiro, "Come on, lets get you inside, warmed and fixed up. Maybe hold Echo, she has that calming effect on people." She laughed softly, and sloshed out of the water.

She was wringing the water from the bottom of her kimono, as she went to the house. As she went up the steps and into the house, she combed her fingers through her silver locks, letting the strands fall over her shoulders. She tisked as she noticed the water she trailed inside, but then still as her gold gaze fell on Ronin. A puzzled look came across her face. "Ah...." She neared, and knelt down in front of him, her hands resting on her knees. "What are you doing?" She ask, her voice gentle and questioning.

[Kiro_Hoto]

As soon as Elonia allowed her mind to touch with Cecil's to find how to break the seal, she would be zapped. In her own mind, a charge of electricity would fire through her sending her nueral impulses haywire and paralyzing her momentarily. She would likely hit the ground immediatly.

Kiro burst from the water. "Elonia don't do anything." He trudged out of the water, walking to her. "This isn't grandfather's magic. Jarad was a strong demon, but his magic never even came miles to touch Vaane's brilliance. " Kiro went to help her up had she fallen.

"I don't believe that would be a good idea Terra. I would do best to respect the wishes of Echo and not touch her." His face was content to let her be at peace.

[Archaic Advancement]

((Grrr.... *shoots her paper a dirty, dirty look* Sorry for keeping you stuck like that, Digi D: But my papers are finally done so I can get online and RP again. Really bad assignment timing.))

It was hard for Avinda to realize why it took her so long to acknowledge the woman who came to greet them, perhaps she'd fallen into a daze of some sort? She was so tired from their journey, not in the way that she craved sleep, just worn-down after so many days hauling and lifting another person's weight. When Digi approached, the veiled woman set down the litter and quickly got on her knees; not prostrating herself as she had for the guardian dragon, but it was close.

"I thank you, there is a demon, an evil that has attached itself to this girl. I can still carry her to where-ever she must be taken, I can only pray your sanctuary can provide the help she needs..." Her red eyes were sorrowful over the black veil hiding the rest of her face, occasionally glancing skyward at the encroaching night, already aware and watching the column of smoke that had risen from the forest across the cove.

"We haven't... come at a bad time? If your home is in danger, please, don't let us distract you."

[digimonktbug]

D I G I


Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go...


She frowned a bit at the mention of the demon. This seemed to be something her sister or perhaps her 'grandmother' would be good at. Digi was best at physical injuries. She sighed a little, attempting to smile at the female. "It's ok. There is no need for that. I think Terra would be the best bet for your friend. Are there any physical injuries that we need to know about?"

It is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.((Tis fine. Not a biggie! smile ))

[Archaic Advancement]

"It is... a bit of both, I'm afraid." Still looking worried, the woman finally seemed to remember herself.

"My name is Avinda, Lady Healer. I'm sorry for not saying so sooner..." She bobbed a bit of a bow again, then gestured for Digi to follow her around to the side of the litter. The two women looked nothing alike, the one on the cot was pale and thin, but even with Avinda's thick, overly-decent clothing she was clearly of a stronger build. The girl was also somewhere in her early to mid twenties, whereas the marks on the veiled woman's hands put her at perhaps thirty, maybe older.

Pulling back some of the sweat-soaked scarves and wraps bundled up around the ill one, Avinda gently turned the girl's head over, revealing a black mark on the side of her neck. It was shaped like some sort of magi-inspired wheel, but there were spokes of black arcing out along the girl's throat, visibly writhing beneathe the skin, the centre of the wheel was oozing a green-black pus, and Avinda was shaking her head.

"She had this mark when she arrived in our Guild, but it was little more than a tattoo. She served our guild-master for perhaps a month or so, and then suddenly fell ill. Before she stopped waking up, she revealed to me that this mark was a part of her innitation into a mercenary band from this part of the world. She didn't know what was causing it to hurt her..." Still shaking her head, Avinda was clearly at a loss, moving away from the girl so Digi could get a better look if she wanted to while the woman said a quiet chant in a foriegn tongue. It sounded like a prayer, or a swearing-off of evil...

[digimonktbug]

D I G I


Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go...


She inclined her head to the female, moving with her to view the injured one. She knelt down, touching the girls forehead with her fingertips. "I am Digi Steele.. Hoto... I'm not sure which to go by now. Most just call me Digi, and I'm not one to press formality." With a smile, Digi leaned forward to inspect the mark.
She frowned a bit as she saw the strange thing up on her neck, but she knew better then to touch it. Marks always did funny things. She shook her head a little, closing her eyes to speak with what little water was in the girls body, to talk and see what was going on within, and what injuries she could handle to make the traveling go smoother, and safer for all parties involved.

It is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.

[Archaic Advancement]

The water would take coaxing before it would 'speak' to Digi, revealing the most pressing issue of the damage the rampant fever was causing, the lungs were slowly becoming enflamed, and her hands and feet had swollen painfully. There would also be a sense that her body had taken some sort of abuse before this curse had brought her down. There were scars from possession, frayed edges to the spirit still housed and fighting inside the weakening vessel; she'd been stripped of abilities before this, powers and pieces of her identity taken away. The trauma had opened her up to this.

In the end Digi would know this; the mark was a connection, a link to something else, someone else, like a group or a syndicate. Only now what had once been beneficial was turning against the bearer, something had damaged the connection, now it was trying to kill her.

"She called herself Naydeen when she came to us, but... I don't think it was her real name." Though, that probably didn't matter so much now.

[digimonktbug]

D I G I


Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go...


Cursing under her breath, Digi put her hands on 'Naydeen's' chest, trying to calm the inflammation as well as pull the water away from the hands and feet. She tried to position the water so that it was evenly distributed to the girls body, preventing further swelling and inflammation. "Elonia is the only one that can sever the bond Naydeen has, and not only that, but she seems to have been abused somehow. The bond will kill her soon, but I have to try and get this girl more time. How long has she been like this?"

It is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.

[Archaic Advancement]

Avinda was quiet under her veils, not because she was ignoring the question, but her pondering expression wasn't visible as she thought and counted back the days.

"At least twenty days, perhaps longer since she last spoke more than a few words. All she utters now are names, mostly men's..." The woman's tone turned a little at the end, but then she shook her head and told herself not to occupy herself with the girl's past like that. "But I swear she was never abused in our guild, she had powers and a temper, but kept a civil tongue. She never spoke of her life before joining us until the fever."

"Should I... go and find Elonia..?"

[digimonktbug]

D I G I


Courage is not the towering oak that sees storms come and go...


"Knowing my sister, she'll be at the cabin. You've carried Naydeen long enough. PLease allow me to take her as my burden. She smiled at the female, praying that she had bought the girl enough time by repairing such seemingly minor things. Without awaiting the 'yes' or 'no', Digi piked up Naydeen with surprising strength, chuckling at Avinda. "I will do all I can to help Naydeen. For now, we have to get her to the cabin, and it's a bit of a walk." She waited for Avinda to rise before heading in the direction of the cabin.

It is the fragile blossom that opens in the snow.