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                                  LOCATION :: [Pillar]
                                  PARTY :: [ Cliff, Cal, Mort and Adel ]
                                  OOC :: [ We need names for each Pillar!!! ]



                                • As everyone was ready, Izayoi was the one to take the reins as Clif doesn't know what road to take to the Pillar. With him riding in tandem with her, "Hold on tight." glancing back at him, "Seriously. It will be bumpy ride." and she didn't really mind if he her at the waist. "Haa!" the horse let out a neigh as she whipped it to move and with a kick on the stomach of the steed. The horse galloped, passing through the gates as they headed to the Pillar.

                                  It took them four hours to get to their destination, a fifteen minute break was taken as well, ending up arriving around the afternoon. The ride was rowdy if anything, Calliaz starting the conversation with his two companions, getting Clif into it and teasing Izayoi which got her caught up in his pace, much to her displeasure. Though, most of what Izayoi said were cold retorts and sharp comeback to the idiotic ideas Cal had, making Mort and Adel laugh.

                                  The horses were left outside, their reins tied to a tree, leaving a bit of water for them and food as their venture into the Pillar was going to be arduous and long. "Cal, I suggest we should search the upper floors for any Sentinels that got lost here or any parts other people didn't take." it was sound and logical idea and it gave Clif and Izayoi an excuse to investigate the Pillar for the same symbol they've seen at the back of Beacon's Pillar.

                                  The hooded leader of the group hummed, holding his chin and nodded several times. "Got it then. We'll split up and meet at the entrance to the fifth floor downwards within two hours. Mort, Adel and I we'll go our separate ways while you and Clif are together; considering this is his first time,right?" the frivolous tone in Cal's voice was missing, replaced with a more solemn tone as he replied, sharing his two cent to his junior.

                                  "Yes, that's pretty much it." Izayoi didn't wait for anything Cal will say, knowing he'll just tease her about being alone with Clif and some weird ideas, already heading to her own direction with little ushering for the young man to follow her. But before he could.... "Do try to understand her more Clif Ardal. Izzy needs a human friend to support her." Cal caught him, draping his lean yet firm arms around Clif's shoulders, pulling him close, whispering to the young man.

                                  "Can't be that person because I'm more of the annoying older brother to her." he jested with a soft chuckled before the smile faded from his lips, "Perhaps I'm asking for the impossible with her attitude problems but she's a nice person inside. Just that she has a lot of icy thorns and from what I can see, she does trust even though she doesn't show it." with how the femme abhors the idea of being in close proximity of another person and how she didn't mind Clif riding with her; that told Calliaz how much trust she was willing to give.

                                  "Be careful and don't try to hurt her or betray the trust she's giving." his voice came deeper and with Cal's face close, Clif might see the silver glimmer that was the hooded Explorer's eyes; sharp and cold like Izayoi's. "You'll regret it." With those final words, Cal released the young man and pushing him firmly on the back, "Now get over there and spend time like lovebirds!" Cal was back to his jester self which pretty much earned him, "I'LL MAKE SURE YOU TO RIP YOU A NEW HOLE LATER CALLIAZ!!!!" a threat from his lovely junior which she might actually do when they meet up.User Image

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                              Takarashi

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Clif Ardal
Location: The pillar | Company: Izayoi

    Clif was no stranger to horse riding, even if it hadn't been very fast. His mother and father had rode with him in his youth until he had gotten a feel for the animal's movements. He'd kept one hand on his mentor's shoulder, the other planted on the horse itself, and he maintained his balance from there.

    Having never really had friends before, the ride turned out to be an experience like no other. He was able to talk and laugh about whatever he felt like. There wasn't a single mention of plowing fields or shearing sheep, just talk of adventure, of jokes, and teasing of friends. The lad wore a smile for almost the entirety of the short journey. This, to him, was what exploring was meant to be - unparalleled freedom.

    All good things must come to an end, though, and soon enough he was staring up at the massive structure. It was tall like the buildings in Beacon, but much wider. He didn't think it was quite as tall as the pillar in Beacon, though. He blinked and gave Calliaz his full attention when the hooded man began to speak. Thankfully, it sounded like everything was going to go as planned - he and Izayoi would be able to inspect the symbol and hopefully get a better sense of direction for the transcendant. It must be hidden incredibly well if it had gone unnoticed all this time. Maybe it was in a sealed room like where Lyla had been found. He had wished that he had gotten a chance to get a better look at that room, maybe find a clue of some nature, but Beacon's pillar had more security than Clif had ever seen before. He doubted even Kara could slip past that many people unnoticed.

    As he had began following Izayoi, the lad found himself stopped for a moment by Cal. While he knew the hooded man could be serious when he needed to, the bit of advice was rather unexpected. Clif had been willing to trust Izayoi at the very least, not that he had much of a choice, but trying to be friendly with her sounded about as likely as getting a pet sentinel. Why did she even need friends? She seemed plenty content having people to chew out. Still, not wanting to make a scene, he merely nodded to the leader's hushed words. He cringed slightly at Cal's parting comment - he didn't need Izayoi acting even more unpleasant, with the notion that he was somehow trying to get intimate. "Just keep your mouth shut and find the transcendant." He told himself. "Do that and everything will be okay. I hope."

    The inside of the Pillar was similar to the one in Beacon, but vastly barren in comparison. There were no desks, banners, and other signs of life, just the walls and openings to the upper and lower levels. Conduits covered every surface, providing a dim amount of light, comparable to the moon on a cloudless night. Without thinking, the lad reached out and touched one of the walls. As he did so, an odd feeling began to slowly wash over him - one of serenity. It was like he had come home after a long day, and felt the comfort of being within the familiar little house. More than just that, it was like all his senses were opening up to him. He could hear the movement of the very wind from Izayoi's steps, taste the dry air, see the particles of dust floating gently to the floor, smell the thriving earth, and feel the slow, steady beat in his chest. Is that what it meant to be an empath? He certainly hadn't noticed anything like this until he stepped foot inside the structure. Or maybe it wasn't until now that he had really been able to still his thoughts and feelings enough to notice so many details. Either way, he was holding his mentor up. "That one leads up, right?" He asked and pointed toward a doorway. The upward slope of the path made it rather obvious, but anyway.


Nekomimik

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                                  LOCATION :: [Pillar Yanol; Third Floor above]
                                  PARTY :: [ Clif ]
                                  OOC :: [ We need names for each Pillar!!! ]



                                • It was easy to tell Izayoi was pissed with the last message Cal yelled to her than both of Clif and the femme. Lovebirds my a** the idea itself was very rejected by the girl and not because it was Clif. No, he was a fine young man and someone she could trust but the idea of being a relationship. Someone being too close to her heart, to see her vulnerabilities and expect to be happily enjoy her days, Izayoi detest the idea. While its easy to pick up she was irritated, the belle's gait was still composed with her cane in her hand. She didn't lashed out on Clif or at her surroundings, just showing her professionalism; not letting her emotions get better of her.

                                  The femme stopped her feet as she didn't heard the sounds of somebody, Clif, walking behind her. Half-turned, she glanced at the youth as he touched the wall beside him. In the dim lighting, she saw the expression he was making even being five meters apart from him. Tranquility and understanding. That was what she saw in his visage and it made her wonder, what did he found in that single touch? Was there a special connection between the Pillars and an Empath like Clif? Would she be blessed with those privileges as well after having an audience with Lyla?

                                  She shook her head and continued walking as Clif snapped back and returned to Irage. They stopped in front of a doorway and nodded at his query. "If my memory is correct, we should able to find the symbol upstairs, few floors above from here." Izzy didn't opened the door yet as she unsheathed her blade with the sheath that disguised her sword into a cane in her left hand. "Draw your sword just in case."

                                  Izayoi opened the door with that little suggestion and made her way up to the next level. The pathway curved as they advanced and like all the way up or down the Pillar, the pathways to the next level curved around like an endless spiral. "What did you felt when you touched the wall? It's written in your face that there's something." Izzy remarked, her eyes in front of her as she kept her senses keen.

                                  The next floor was barren as the last one, nothing not worthy except some signs of a battle that took place. From the visual marks she found, black scorched marks on the ground, blade marks and dried blood, the fight happened few days ago. If that was the case.... We might find either a dead body or a broken down Sentinel.

                                  In time , the duo found the doorway leading to the next level and so they climbed up. No signs of life but they found the continuation of the mark before, becoming a trail. However, Izzy didn't bother rushing to the end of the trail of told what one man or a team of Explorers when through as they fought a Sentinel or two. She inspected for any symbols she found to tell if they were close. The femme found them but only a few and cross-referencing with her journal, they were getting there.

                                  As they made to their way up the pathway to the next level. Izayoi quickly raised her hand for Clif to stop and a finger before her lips told him to keep silent. There was a metallic noise beyond and that certainly wasn't a good sign. The femme reached into her inner pocket for a small mirror and tied it to the sheath of her sword, poking it out of the door way. From the reflection, she saw the coast was clear or seemingly so. While its not pronounced, there were subtle movements at the background.

                                  Pulling the mirror way and slipping it back to her pocket, "Looks like you'll know what it meant to face a sentinel." Izayoi remarked, looking at Clif before slipping out to the open. User Image

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                              Takarashi

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Clif Ardal
Location: Yanol pillar | Company: Izayoi

    Glad to see that he was right for once, he followed Izayoi to the opening. At her suggestion, he took hold of his sheath and sword handle, then pulled the blade free. In the short time he had been practicing with it, Clif had gotten used to the weight of the weapon and the feeling of the wrapped hilt. He gave the sword a single, slow spin, and then nodded toward his mentor. The two proceeded upward.

    The lad had focused on keeping his breathing even, and his eyes and ears attuned to his surroundings. No matter how exciting this was, he had to keep in mind that they were now in very real danger. If he made any big mistakes here then he would be living in dirt, rather than just tasting it. He swallowed the grim thought and kept pace with the lady. He had been so focused, in fact, that when Izayoi spoke up, he flinched. He gave himself a few seconds to relax and breathe out. "I don't really know. It was like... I felt a connection or something. You know when you feel really comfortable? It was sorta like that. I hope that means we're on the right track." He ended his muddy explanation just as they had come across the remnants of a battle. It didn't tell a pleasant tale. Clif tried not to think too much about the implications.

    From that point, Clif and Izayoi had kept relatively quiet. Both of them seemed intensely focused on the mission. When the woman gave him a signal to pause, he practically froze in mid-movement. He crept alongside her to the next turn in the hallway, then waited for her next order. At her comment, he then knew that things were finally about to get serious. He gripped his weapon until his knuckles were white. He followed Izayoi's lead and stepped out into the next hallway.

    The lighting of the pillars made it so that it was possible to see just a few meters ahead with clarity. Because the conduits didn't always follow straight paths, that meant that certain patches could be almost pitch black. Perhaps twenty meters away, there was something shifting in a shaded part of the tunnel. A subtle, metallic 'clank' could be heard with its movements. Clif crept closer, along with Izayoi, and squinted his eyes to better discern what it was. It quickly became apparent that it was a sentinel, a beast-type. It was about the size of a grown hyena, walking on all fours, but with no tail. It had a completely metallic frame and seemed moderately armored. Its joints were covered by extra plates to hide any weak points. Large claws were evident on its 'paws', and its large, jagged jaw looked like it could crush with the force of a bear trap. From the direction it was facing, the two people could only see a single, bright yellow 'eye' with no iris or pupil. The eye emitted a small amount of light on its own. The sentinel appeared to be inspecting something that was scrapped, perhaps one of its kin, and hadn't noticed the two invaders just yet.


Nekomimik

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                                  LOCATION :: [Pillar Yanol; Third Floor above]
                                  PARTY :: [ Clif ]
                                  OOC :: [ ]


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                                  During Izayoi was teaching or beating the crap out of Clif during their little training session the week prior, she wasn't always making him eat dirt. Well for the mornings that was the case after the third day, the afternoons after that was spent studying at the archives of her house at the second floor. The study sessions would take place after their timely break when noon hits and will continue for two to three hours before hitting the backyard for one last part for the day. She had lend him some of her own notes and some of the books for him to study at home albeit, warning him to take care of them or else.

                                  Among the things she had to teach him were ways to communicate without using one's voice. Through light, sound and sign language were the ones she could teach him and only a little but the most basic ones that will still help during the long run. Izzy hoped he had been reading or she would hit him hard when they do another training session. The femme looked at the young man beside her, crouching as she was. She signed to him "I'll attack first. You follow it up." and once she was sure he got the message, Izzy sprint towards the Sentinel.

                                  The tunnel they traversed was on the average size, leaving enough room for evasive maneuvers; three meters width and four meters high. She pressed upon the depressions on the handle of her cane and as she spun to hold her sword in reverse grip, the blade segregated into jagged-teeth smaller blade ones, the sword's whip form. In the same time, with her left hand, Izzy had fished out a cylindrical tube and popped it open. She threw the flare high and towards the darken patches where the Sentinel was. It illuminated the space and the Sentinel's sight wandered to the falling object. Izayoi saw there was another hyena-type but broken down with something under it. Paying no heed to it for now, the femme swung her sword-whip diagonally. It extended coming down from the upper-right to the lower-left hitting the Sentinel as she closed in.

                                  The blade chipped only the mechanized enemy but it was enough. Izayoi controlled her sword-whip, returning it to its blade form as she spun it and swung horizontally left to right and moved to the flank of the metallic beast, striking from right to left. The beast had leaped away from Izayoi after the second strike, she persistently chased it, however. Her sword struck against the metal claws, parrying and evading, drawing in the beast into a more lit-up location. With the beast's occupied with her, it left Clif with the opening he needed.
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                              Takarashi

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Clif Ardal
Location: Yanol pillar | Company: Izayoi

    The fact that Clif could retain anything from studying after having his head knocked around for hours at a time was a small miracle. Given that his life had been nothing but farming, education had never been much of a priority, and thus studying was a fairly foreign concept. Even so, he did his best to remember the the book lessons that Izayoi had saw fit to teach him. After she had signaled something to him, he admittedly gave her a blank stare for a very brief moment. Once it clicked, he scrounged through his mind for the meaning. He eventually recognized 'me', 'fight', and 'you', which he (as one would hope) realized meant fighting the sentinel, not each other. He nodded his understanding, breathed out, then waited for her lead.

    Outside of the scuffle from their first day, Clif hadn't had the chance to see Izayoi actually fight something seriously. She evidently held back when they trained, and she wasn't actually attempting to attack him much, so seeing her form, tactics, and skill with guiding her sword-whip was certainly impressive. He wondered if she actually needed him to do anything at all, but it was evident that her whip didn't have enough force to shear through the sentinel's body. She had it distracted, so now was his chance.

    The lad sprang from his position and sped toward his target. His heart was hammering in his chest, but he willed his limbs to be steady. This was real. He had to hit the mark. The stroke needed to kill. When he was within reach and ready to run the beast through, though, something caught Clif's eye - a strange shimmer in the air passing by that vanished just as quickly as it came. Unfortunately, it had distracted him just long enough that he had overstepped. He tried to impale the exposed sentinel's side, but the sword point skimmed the top of its frame and overshot the target. Unable to stop himself, his foot caught on the metal beast, and then he stumbled and fell.

    While the young man was righting himself as quick as he could, the guardian kept itself focused on Izayoi. Even the most subtle movements produced metallic groans and clanks, making the battle even more disorienting when weapons connected. Izayoi kept its attacks held at bay, but its slashes were savage - it cared more about eliminating the target than preserving itself. After she had deflected yet another of its swipes, the sentinel threw itself forward to try and tackle Izayoi.


Nekomimik

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                                  LOCATION :: [Pillar Yanol; Third Floor above]
                                  PARTY :: [ Clif ]
                                  OOC :: [ ]



                                • From the corner of her eyes, she saw the youth coming. Finally... was her single thought that time yet not letting it distract her. Metal clashed against metal, reverberating throughout the corridors as Izayoi kept the hyena-based machine at bay, protecting herself from its sharp claws. As the young man came to land the fatal strike, Clif missed his mark. The femme didn't have the time to spare her thoughts about it as the machine beast came in hard and fast with its strikes. While it left the Sentinel with many openings she can exploit, the viciousness of each attacks wasn't leaving her room to counter.

                                  The Sentinel lunged towards her, its jaws poised ready to dig its sharp jaws into her flesh. Izayoi quickly moved backwards only to stumble, leaving her body leaning back and open for the bite. That was it looked like and what Izayoi meant to do. A small grin was plastered to her profile as she righted herself and somersaulted backwards, her plated boot meeting the head of the Sentinel as well. As Izzy landed she quickly sprinted towards the disoriented metallic beast but making a detour as she leaped towards the wall. Her left foot made contact with the wall, pushing her off, her trajectory made her head towards the Sentinel, her sword was thrust deep into the metallic frame with a vicious twist behind the stab.

                                  Izayoi didn't stopped there as she let go of her sword and unsheathed a pair of short swords, held in reverse grip. She had landed next to the beast, sliding next to its head and before it could retaliate with its claws, the femme's blades shot out, decapitating it. "What happened?" she asked the youth as she made sure the Sentinel was down for the count, "You had that clear shot on its flank." there was no disapproval in her voice yet her voice was flat and neutral. "If its was you being nervous. Don't worry, it happens. You'll get used to the feeling of fight the Sentinels soon enough."

                                  As if gutting an animal she had preyed and killed during a hunt for game, Izzy dismantled the Sentinel she just took down for the parts requested by the mission they had, storing it onto a portion of her knapsack she left empty intentionally for this. Once she was done, Izayoi sheathed her twin short swords and her sword. She motioned for Clif to follow her, the young woman already fished out a flashlight and shined it at the darker patches of the tunnel, where she saw a broken down Sentinel.

                                  "Just like I though." the broken down sentinel was struck down by a thrust into its jaws going inside it. But what underneath it was a dead body of an explorer, the scent of the rotting body would be nausiating but not for Izayoi whom showed to be accustomed to it. She clasped her hands together, muttering "May you rest in peace my fellow explorer." and looted the broken down Sentinel and looked into the body of the explorer for something she can bring back to identify him as well as his weapon.

                                  "We're going to burn his body." Izayoi told Clif. It was what explorers do to the dead they found within the Pillars when they cannot bring the body back to Beacon. If someone died at Zulen, the pillar as Beacon, they could collect the bodies. However, outside the city, it was inadvisable unless they were going to explore a pillar just for the sake of finding bodies; a rare occurrence. If an explorer founds a body, they would take its weapon and a belonging that would replace their bodies when buried at the lands at Beacon. Burning the bodies was better than leaving it to rot forever.User Image
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                              Takarashi

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Clif Ardal
Location: Yanol pillar | Company: Izayoi

    By the time that Clif had righted himself and tried to find another opening, Izayoi had dealt with the sentinel by herself. The boy inwardly cursed himself - his first real opportunity to put his 'skills' to the test and he failed it spectacularly. Had he not been distracted, he was certain he would have landed the blow. With a scowl, he stuffed the sword back into his belt. What was that anomaly that he had seen anyway? He glanced down the corridor and squinted his eyes but it was long gone. "I just missed. That's all." Clif replied to Izayoi quietly.

    Having been so focused on the fight, the young man hadn't noticed the strong stench that was wafting around the area. It made him wrinkle his nose, but that was about it - he was used to being around some of the smelliest creatures on the island so not much phased him in that regard, but this wasn't the sort of scent he'd ever encountered before. He should have known right away, and maybe some part of him did, but it all became clear when Izayoi moved the other fallen sentinel aside. A sudden chill spread through Clif's chest at the sight of the deceased man. He had seen dead creatures before, and even helped put them down on occasion, but this was his first time seeing a dead human. This was someone's son, maybe a brother, a husband, and a father as well, and now they laid in this cold hallway, forgotten by the world. Did nobody really try to look for him? Clif wasn't particularly emotional, but the thought of fading away from the world like this was... it was just too much. The lad closed his eyes and grit his teeth. "I'm sorry, whoever you were. You deserved better than this."

    Clif opened his eyes when Izayoi spoke again. It sounded like the right thing to do. He definitely deserved a proper funeral, even if it was done by strangers. Everyone, no matter who they were, should be given that much. "... We should do it on the way back. There might be more sentinels still." Had his mind not felt so numb, the young man might have surprised himself with forethought like that in this scenario. Was this how all explorers lived? Constantly putting aside their feelings for the sake of the mission? That wasn't something he liked the idea of... and was this how Izayoi herself felt every single day?


Nekomimik

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                                  LOCATION :: [Pillar Yanol; Third Floor above]
                                  PARTY :: [ Clif ]
                                  OOC :: [ Crappy post but enough to get by. I'll leave finding the symbol to you. Feel free to puppet Izzy a bit just for that. ]



                                • Izayoi nodded at Clif's suggestion. She left the weapon for now but kept the belonging, wrapped it on a piece of cloth and put it on a spare pocket of her pack. Dusting herself, the femme led the way, finding the door to the next level in no time. She kept her ears and eyes keen for any telltale signs of Sentinels, any marks of struggles or fights as they proceed. However, so far, there hadn't been anything that told them of such events. "Tell me if you see, feel, hear, smell or even taste anything strange. It can be a hint that we're close to what we're looking for." Izzy remarked, still at the lead as continue their search.

                                  She cannot tell such things. She wasn't there when they met Lyla. Something must have changed for Clif when they disappeared that time, brought to someplace unfathomable by her descriptions. Maybe this time I'll finally meet her? she thought to herself, smiling at the idea but it was small that it was almost unnoticeable. Her fixation for finding the origins of the Voice, Lyla, was something because of one event that happened to her. It was awhile back and perhaps it was just a stroke of luck on her side, but because of that, she lived another day, still hearing the voice reverberating in her mind.

                                  "So what can you say about the explorer life... after seeing that?" it was a nonchalant question with how she voiced it out. However, it was Izayoi wanting to find out Clif's view of it all, knowing that one day, he might just end up like that dead man few floor below; dead and rotting at some place by themselves. They were getting closer to the top and she noticed how symbols on the walls was slowly multiplying as they made their way up.

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                              Takarashi

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Clif Ardal
Location: Yanol pillar | Company: Izayoi

    Clif felt his body nod, but he couldn't really feel himself doing it. It was as though he was a stranger in his own body, looking through the eyes of someone else. Why was this affecting him so much? Was this once again because of his awakening as an empath? He could appreciate the idea of being deeply connected to the world around him, but not if it meant that every little action felt tied to his very being. So, what, if someone made fun of him then he would fall into some deep depression? Or if some woman smiled at him then he would become infatuated? That didn't sound right. He sincerely hoped now that there would be some answers waiting at the top. He didn't think he could properly operate with every faucet of his feelings being turned on to full.

    "No comment." He then replied sharply to Izayoi's question. He didn't want to show his mentor any genuine signs of weakness or distraction. He'd received enough reprimand for his mistakes during his training. He didn't feel up to another lecture or to give her another reason to lord over him. He did his best to put the image of the corpse into the furthest, darkest corner of his mind, until he could have some time alone to process it. He was sure he would be seeing the dead man's face in his dreams, though.

    Higher and higher the pair went through the massive pillar. Every now and then there would be a sign of previous explorers - a dismantled trap, bits of a destroyed sentinel, discarded food wrappers, things like that. Thankfully it didn't seem like there would be much more resistance. Sentinels didn't have much of a reason to come up here it seemed, and even less for explorers. Despite that, though, Clif couldn't shake the feeling that something was off - like they weren't alone. He glanced over his shoulder every couple of minutes, but the hallways remained as barren as when they had approached them. "Stop being so damned jumpy." The lad scolded himself.

    After perhaps thirty minutes, Clif and Izayoi reached the highest point of Yanol pillar. The large, circular room was mostly barren. A few outlets on the wall for energy containers were the only notable features - besides the symbols engraved on various parts of the wall and floor, of course. It seemed odd that more people didn't try to make sense of what the glyphs meant, given that they were the closest thing to proper 'history' for Irage, but he supposed that there were other things are stake. People had basic concerns like food and energy and medicine. There wasn't time nor intrigue to try and decipher some old messages in a dangerous tower. "Where did you see the eye symbol?"


Nekomimik

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                                  LOCATION :: [Pillar Yanol; Third Floor above]
                                  PARTY :: [ Clif ]
                                  OOC :: [ Crappy post but enough to get by. I'll leave finding the symbol to you. Feel free to puppet Izzy a bit just for that. ]



                                • If Clif won't tell her what his thoughts were then Izayoi will respect him from that. There was no need to ask him if it wasn't inhibiting him in some way the belle perceives. The top floor was circular and open like many of the Pillars she had visited. The number of glyphs far exceeds the amount at the lower floors. Shame nobody except perhaps Izayoi and a small number of people she knew actually delved into the mysteries of Pillars. The femme had already retrieved one of her notes she had brought and flipped the pages, looking over at the symbols by the time Clif asked her. "This will take sometime. Better split the search, I'll take this wall, you take the one at the opposite side." Izzy suggested, engrossed on the glyphs.

                                  They had found the eye symbol after an arduous search but thankfully, it took them almost twenty minutes. They were running out of time. At least another thirty to forty minutes or so to regroup at the designated place. With how it had been sometime since Izayoi had visited Yanol and it wasn't the only Pillar she had been since meeting Clif and his lady friend, getting information about their findings and sharing her own. A light came from the symbol. While the the first thing that came into the explorer's mind was it was a vaporizer. It didn't gave her the cold sensation on her neck like some invisible scythe hovered, ready to reap her head. What feeling the light did gave was that off serenity, reminding Izzy of the times when Lyla's presence calms down the Sentinels, providing time for her to escape.

                                  Her blue eyes she had instinctively closed opened slowly as she gotten used to the illumination. They weren't at the top floor of Yanol anymore. They were in a ruined house in the middle of a tranquil forest. Despite the house was almost in rubble, it didn't gave the feeling of depression but a light-hearted feeling of rest. Not only that but the black piano situated before them, sunlight beamed onto it from the giant hole of what used to be the second floor of the abode, intensified this calm sensation that flooded her.

                                  But what took in Izayoi more was the instrument itself. She walked towards it as if the contrivance had an magnetic pull on the belle; hypnotized by its existence. She leaned her cane by the piano as she took her seat. She inspected the keys and saw they were in a good condition as the whole instrument itself. With few taps on the keys, Izayoi closed her eyes and breathed in and played a tune befitting the ambiance of their new surroundings.

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                              Takarashi

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Clif Ardal
Location: ? | Company: Izayoi

    Clif had hoped, or assumed, that she would already know where the symbol was among the rest of the scrawlings, so he was admittedly taken aback when Izayoi gave her order. But then, she couldn't have known the significance of it by the time she learned about the marking's real purpose. The lad exhaled, then began painstakingly scanning over each individual glyph. This was going to take a while...

    Since he would be able to identify the eye easily enough, Clif's mind was free to wander a bit on some other questions. What made the symbol so special compared to the rest anyway? Each character seemed just as bizarre in some fashion. He could see crude depictions of other body parts, as well as animals and objects, and a few even bore some similarities to the alphabet that they used in Irage. Was that coincidence, or had these writings somehow influenced the peoples' written language? This island was a constant enigma. When thought of in that sense, the idea of embarking on this journey to find the 'truth' didn't sound so bizarre after all. The lost history of Irage couldn't be some sort of freak accident. Someone had planned for everything to be wiped away, but so too had someone planned for it to be found again. These secrets that orbited one another were starting to make the boy's head hurt, so he stowed the thoughts and went back to putting his full attention into finding the eye.

    Since the room was only so big, the pair managed to find the eye within a relatively decent time. It still felt much longer than it really had been, what with nothing to fill the silence besides shuffling feet, but it was hardly the worst thing they had encountered so far. With a glance and a nod at one another, Clif and Izayoi stepped near the marking. The lad took a deep breath, then he reached out and grazed the surface of the writing with his fingertips. The eye responded immediately just as it had before, with a light that grew brighter until it overpowered their senses. They vanished from the pillar without so much as a whisper.

    Clif had been expecting to be in the empty white space once more, so he was startled when he opened his eyes. Were they somewhere else in Irage? It certainly looked natural, but after taking a moment to really drink in his surroundings, Clif felt that there was something artificial about all this. The rays of the sun, the freshness of the grass, the harmony of both the wind and the animals calls - this was the way that people described the outdoors in literature. This idea was solidified when the two came across a pristine piano right next to the rundown house. The lad had already registered this as being just another oddity and was ready to continue searching, but paused when he saw Izayoi approach the instrument. Strangely enough, the absolute last thing he expected her to do was to sit down and actually play a song. Clif was on the verge of asking what she was doing, but held as tongue as the melody swept over him.
    The boy had never been much for things of an artistic nature. His entire life had been nothing but working from dawn until dusk. Sure, he read the occasional book to indulge his fantasy of leaving the dull life behind, but otherwise he had very little imagination and creativity. Things like interpretation and beauty were unnecessary, foreign concepts. But as Izayoi played, something inside him... changed. It was as thought a wall inside of his mind had slowly began to fade away, and all the things that had been hidden behind it started to spill across his mind. The color red wasn't just the color of his scarf or a raw steak, it was the uncontainable passion and fury of a wildfire. The water in a bucket wasn't just something to drink, it was the very blood of the earth, given to the children of the land so that they might flourish and one day care for the world that had given them everything. And music, oh sweet music, how could it ever be something as simple as a sound? It was the unmistakable language of the human heart. With each note, it told a story of happiness, of grief, of unwavering determination, of unbearable loss. It was every moment that Clif had ever experienced in the entirety of his pathetically short life, and that of every life that had taken its first and last breaths in a universe beyond any and all comprehension.

    Clif blinked. He realized that he was on his knees. His face felt wet. He touched a hand to his cheek - he had been crying? Why? He felt so confused. Before he could process what was happening, though, a voice then resonated - seemingly from everywhere.

    "Our lives are a grand tree. The roots are our ancestors, who dug themselves into ground to seek nourishment and foundation. We are the trunk, sturdy and tall, living and growing on the efforts of the departed. Each branch is our undetermined future, of those that will come long after we are gone, and create a world we cannot even begin to imagine. But the empaths are something different... something special. They are the sun, the rain, the wind, and the soil. They alone determine whether a forest with thrive, or if this lone being will wither into nothing. I welcome you, empaths, to this place - to my artificial memory. I fear that what you see and hear now are remnants of my will. I have been taken from my proper place. But into this special place I have poured all my thoughts, feelings, and knowledge. Please, speak to me, and tell me what has brought you here." This was the unmistakable voice of Lyla.


Nekomimik

Seeker

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                                  LOCATION :: [Pillar Yanol; Third Floor above]
                                  PARTY :: [ Clif ]
                                  OOC :: [ ]



                                • It was her master who introduced music to her but Izayoi had the gift for it in the beginning. If she grew up in a family that could help flourish her talent, the belle might not be an explorer but a pianist. To play the piano was like fighting for her, she only had to let her fingers move with her heart and mind, letting the sound convey her heart's message. Every now and then, she would play the piano when she had time, tune the piano at the second floor of her home and compose song to relax. The Melodies of Life, the composition she played, was one of the songs she had written and one of her master's favorites.

                                  Perhaps.... perhaps she can still pursue a different occupation. But... I've already come this far to back out now.... Izayoi opened her eyes as the song came to the end. The young lass' eyes fell onto Clif who had fell to his knees... crying? She took her cane and walked towards him. Although, before she can reach him, a voice resounded and one that was too familiar in spite this was the only second time she would hear it in her whole life.

                                  "Our lives are a grand tree. The roots are our ancestors, who dug themselves into ground to seek nourishment and foundation. We are the trunk, sturdy and tall, living and growing on the efforts of the departed. Each branch is our undetermined future, of those that will come long after we are gone, and create a world we cannot even begin to imagine. But the empaths are something different... something special. They are the sun, the rain, the wind, and the soil. They alone determine whether a forest with thrive, or if this lone being will wither into nothing. I welcome you, empaths, to this place - to my artificial memory. I fear that what you see and hear now are remnants of my will. I have been taken from my proper place. But into this special place I have poured all my thoughts, feelings, and knowledge. Please, speak to me, and tell me what has brought you here."

                                  Izayoi continued to make a beeline to Clif, reaching her hand out to help him up. "Thank you for letting us intrude in this place Lyla." curtsying, Izayoi had a faint smile on her lips. "We would like to ask you what are Empaths... the Transcendants.... and what do we need to do to help you?" she asked and glanced at Clif. Her gaze told him to add anything else she wasn't able to cover. Yet she won't hold it to him if he can't. Why he cried just like that? Was it because of her song? Lyla's words did told her about what Empaths were and from the wording itself, Izzy was one herself. But it was too abstract that Izayoi had a vague idea. She wanted to know what Empaths can do and more. Again, if Lyla wasn't going to say anything else, she won't hold it to her benefactor. User Image


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                              Takarashi

Lightbringer

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Clif Ardal
Location: ? | Company: Izayoi -> Izayoi, Kara

    Clif was looking around the grouping of trees, trying to find Lyla's 'body,' but he couldn't see her anywhere. Did he even need to see Lyla to be able to speak to her? It felt strange to talk to thin air. Izayoi, however, seemed to have no problem doing so. From what he recalled, though, she was also slightly more used to hearing voices from nowhere. The lad supposed this was at least somewhat normal for her. Realizing his cheeks were still damp, he ran a hand across his eyes to dry them, sniffed up his somewhat runny nose, then gripped Izayoi's hand to help himself up. He then glanced in various directions, trying to find where it felt most natural to look while speaking to, well, nothing.

    "You have not intruded into this space. I welcome you with open arms. Well, in a sense, at least." Lyla let out a giggle. For being something almost omnipotent, she was grounded enough to have a sense of humor it seemed. "Those are fine questions, but I'm afraid I cannot answer them in full. The full extent of all knowledge, you see, is divided through the Transcendants as a precaution. While quite low, the possibility has always existed that those are not Empaths may find them and misconstrue their purpose. But I will do my best to answer your questions." A brief pause followed. "The Empaths are, in the simplest terms, the shepherds of humanity. They are natural leaders, individuals of incredible innate talent, who connect with everyone and everything you can imagine. But Empaths are still very much human, and thus their senses are muddled by the thoughts and feelings of those around them. Some might live their entire lives and never realize what power sleeps inside of them. I suppose one could say that whether they truly awaken is merely chance. If the environment in which they live is pure, and those that surround them are loving and open-minded, they will almost certainly realize their full potential."

    "The Transcendants are an evolved being. You can think of them as fully realized Empaths in a sense - their minds are as clear as a cloudless sky. This is somewhat innaccurate, as Transcendants do not possess the free will and guiding force of Empaths, but it will suffice in basic concept. It is because of this that they are guardians of great knowledge, truths that are too grand or too dangerous for other beings to comprehend. They are old beings, much older than the human girl Lyla or the consciousness that I have become. It is the duty of the Empaths to find the Transcendants, extract the knowledge that they have kept safe, and use it to shape the future."

    "Your last question, what must be done to help me... I do not know, I am afraid. I do not know if I even truly need help. That is beyond what these memories can contain. I know that Lyla, and by extension myself, has been disconnected. If I must be somehow helped in any way, I can only hope that the Empaths can discover a means to do so. I am sorry." Lyla finished. She audibly exhaled. "By the way... who is your little friend that has accompanied you here? I can feel that they are not an Empath, but I do not sense malcontent from them." She then asked. Clif looked at Izayoi quizzically - did she mean him? But he was an Empath, the mirror in his pocket was proof of that. Wait, the mirror, of course! Thinking himself practically stupid for forgetting about it, he pulled the silver disc from his pocket, then stared into it. "Show me the person that Lyla means, the one who is not an Empath." He spoke with certainty and authority. The mirror must have realized this, for it obeyed him immediately this time. The surface of the plate turned translucent, like a piece of glass. The lad held it up and looked around - then stopped when he found who Lyla had meant. "... Kara?"

    "H... how can you see me? How did you know I was here?" The blonde girl replied. She stood a few feet away, glancing out from behind a tree, and had jumped when Clif had called her name. Realizing that her device was useless now, she deactivated her cloaking device. She was then in plain view for both Clif and Izayoi. She had on a black vest with a white short-sleeved shirt underneath, dark slacks, and boots the color of dark earth. A travel bag was hanging from her shoulders. Clif was at a loss for words. He looked at Izayoi - what were they supposed to do?


Nekomimik

Seeker

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                                  LOCATION :: [Unknown Location]
                                  PARTY :: [ Clif and Kira]
                                  OOC :: [ Okay... I didn't see that one..... Dx ]



                                • Izayoi was silence as Lyla or this separate consciousness of the girl named Lyla answered her questions. However, she gave then an apt explanation to why there was limit to how much she can elucidate. The other answers were only to be given to them as they ventured deeper into the Pillars and meet the Transcendents. The Empaths were people with immense talent and power in them, shepherds of humanity as Lyla described them. As cynical she was, Izzy didn't believe everything Lyla was saying because they sounds like nonsense. But contemplating it deeply and the unnatural events that happened so far, including being relocated at some other location that's not Yanol's top floor, as well as the unexplained history of Irage, Izayoi found herself coming into terms with what became facts to her.

                                  It doesn't help that how Lyla explained what Empaths were reminded her several instances of her life that was unnatural. How she learned parkour not from humans but from cats when she was young, developing it further that to enabling her to move from any terrain and angle with ease. How she can easily write up compositions, drawing in from her surroundings for inspirations. She was even able to write down something for Cal one time that simply made him cry even though he's not the time to shed tears easily. Or how she can just hear the thoughts and emotions of people from time to time.... Izayoi can only bitterly smile at the mention how Empaths can only bloom to their fullest potential in if they were surrounded by loving people and open-minded; two things she lacked.

                                  Then the Transcendents..... She cannot help but grin at the information about them. That they possess the knowledge they, the Empaths, needs to shape humanity to the course they wanted for it to take. Not that she had any intentions do something like that. She rather have a peaceful life like she had right now than lead humanity. And yet... meeting the Transcendents would teach her why and how Irage came to be... the true purpose of the Pillars and such. Lyla's words that she didn't know what they could do to help her was a minor setback. She provided them with great help, clearing up many things for them (despite giving more questions for them to seek their answers) and it was only right to help her.

                                  "No need to apologize. You've told us many things already and we appreciate that. If we can find a way to help you and the other Lyla, we will." Izayoi remarked with confidence, making an oath in her heart to do so... Even if its just me...

                                  She raised her eyebrow quizzically, "Friend?" Izzy looked back at Clif who shared the same expression. She was confused even further what he was trying to retrieve only to give an approving gaze as he took out his mirror. Soon enough, the mirror's effects took place and following Clif's gaze, Izayoi cannot help but facepalm. She seriously faceplamed at the sight of Kira. "Headache.... a massive headache..." Rubbing her temples and taking deep breaths, "Can't cry on spilled milk." the femme remarked, shrugging her shoulders, "We just need to make up something how Kira ended up here in the first place without telling Cal and the rest about the cloaking device.... or what we learned here." was the only solution Izayoi can think about now. "You can fight right? Or at least know when to run and hide?" Izzy asked the new and unneeded addition to their party but hey... maybe Kira and her device might be useful later.

                                  Speaking of devices... "Would I also get something like Clif's mirror?"User Image


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                              Takarashi
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