<A> Mirage (G, A, C, X, T)

[SkieBorne]

Broken Hammer - On World Chapter 2

The journey thus far had been difficult. The going was slow on the sands and it was swiftly discovered that travelling at the crest of the dunes was the fastest way, even with the zig-zagging patterns the wind had created. The heat of suffocating and intense this far into the wastes where the only shelter was to dig beneath the sand and bake rather then fry.

The nights were frosty, plummeting to nearly sub-zero temperatures that left their breath misting in the air. There were no cacti, no streams, no life... only cracked and wounded land punctuated by the corpses of animals, trees, and people. From the skeletons they found, the planet had been home to several peoples, perhaps possessed of star faring technologies - though the prospects there were frightening as well. If they had fled to the stars, had Universe's death claimed their lives as well? Or forced them to whither and suffer in a private bubble?

Glyph was currently following a dried up stream bed, walking near the bank as he trailed his hand over the dusty rise, searching for life as he had since they'd started their journey. Seeds were hardy things and he sometimes found pockets of them, dormant with the drought. The cold nights left him feeling rather chipper in the mornings, simulating winter's embrace that rejuvenated the woods, but it made progress at night difficult.

They were headed east, for the most the part, and the buildings Infinity had spotted were not yet upon them - mirages were frequent, tricking even the best of eyes at times it seemed, and Glyph wondered if they were lost. He rather hoped they were not, the wind had been picking up the past few days, blowing grit and sand into his face, leaving his eyes watering and his mouth dry. His colours had faded too, bleached out a little in the four days of travel to become more yellow - his skin had tanned, surprisingly, into something between olive and gold, and his leaves were beginning to yellow about the sides... he was parched, that much was obvious, but he refused to take more then his share of water, choosing to walk the water ways instead, hoping to find something close to the surface that he could take from.

Glyph had also been watching Ankou, for signs hinting at the state of the spirits around them. If his guess was right, then the further from the Door they went, the more crowds they would walk in to - occasionally, he felt cold hands on him, or a fluttering of his leaves that was not from the wind so he knew there were spirits yet around.

The greatest concern, however, was for the two mortal-bound gods. The heat was intense, the lack of moisture making every single drop of water precious. It reminded him again and again of why he disliked deserts... they were cruel and unyielding places, impassive, vast, and majestic without a hint of empathy for those who fell in its embrace.

Pausing at a bend in the stream bed, he turned and looked for Xun and Tien, "How are you two doing?"  

[midnight_medea]

They were days into their journey across the cruel desert world and things were certainly getting no easier. Though she had covered herself as much as possible Cosine could still feel the relentless head from the burning sun. Her feet were sore from walking on the hot sand and her skin felt raw from the blasts of sandy wind. Luckily she had discovered that her need for water was not as essential as some of the others, that would help conserve supplies.

The cold nights were easier to manage, not much easier, though less draining than the heat. She had felt the spirits too, as they walked past the remains where life had once been. Though the harder things got the easier it was to ignore them.

Her greatest challenge was keeping up with them all. As the shortest by far it was a struggle walking on the soft sand and she easily fell behind. Luckily it was easy to spot Glyph and follow his path along the river bed.  

[A Wandering Esper]

More and more, Xun Jiang was glad for Illisia's experiences. Had he not at least had a rough idea of what he was getting into, this would have been much harder. Not that this was actually easy - the sand and heat were harsh and unforgiving, what little of his body was not covered up felt like it had been ran through sandpaper. Scales fared better, but he had yet to find a good opportunity to shift without wrecking his clothes. He had brought a spare, just in case, but well... He'd rather not wreck anything.

He also had half a mind to poke out a wellspring for the sole purpose of kicking Glyph straight in it if he kept being difficult. Honestly, he was certain he could find water no matter where they were, and while he appreciated the sentiment... Well, he did not like seeing his lover like this. At all.

The extreme temperature changes were extremely tiring and energy-consuming for him. He was feeling his limitations, hard, and keeping up was extremely difficult, if only because he was still mortal. He had taken to sticking close to Cosine and Tien and try to shield them from the worst of the elements with his taller body, but he was not sure if it was working well enough. He was tall, yes, but he was not exactly wide.

If only he had been large enough in dragon form to carry everyone... Then he could have simply carried them and tried to fly. As it was, he could probably only manage Cosine or Tien. The whole thing, and his weakness to it, was frustrating, but he was doing his best not to show it too much.

He had paused for a moment to wipe the sweat away from his forehead when Glyph looked back. "I could use a few minutes..." He admitted. The Dragon King felt like he was baking in an oven, really.

Ankou was not doing that badly, really. The heat was definitively getting to him, but he saw no need to drink and therefore did not indulge in it. He was more or less silent, for the most part working with the spirits more than he did with the rest of his companions, through thankfully he had yet to walk away from the group and get lost.

When he was not silent, he was... singing. Soothing down the ghosts where they got too active, mostly at night. He'd stopped being embarrassed about it after the first time he'd been 'caught', and no one had seemed to find it particularly strange. So he found that he did not mind, now.

Ankou was trying to actively use the ghosts in the arena as his 'eyes', but the sensation of managing so many dead souls at once, trying to interpret information from each and every one of them at once, was still new and confusing - he only had the roughest idea where he was going.

He paused when Glyph did the same, looking back to make sure Cosine was keeping up. He'd had half a mind to simply carry her on his back but... Well, that might have been a little insulting, so he figured that if she felt the need to take a break, she would ask. It looked like they were stopping, through, which was good, as it might allow him to get some sense of direction back.  

[mistalina13]

After the first day or so Tien let her guise unravel, thinking it better to keep her energy for other things- like walking for example. She lingered in the back, keeping pace with Xun and Cosine. Xun's thoughtful attempted to shield them helped somewhat and for that she was grateful. It would be nice to have fur or scales right now. Despite her best efforts to keep covered she had acquired a little bit of a sunburn; the only blessing was that it was not serious and thus not entirely uncomfortable. If anything it redoubled her efforts to make sure she was covered as well as she could be.

"We're still here." The goddess chuckled beneath the scarf that covered most of her face. Sure, the extreme heat and cold were miserable but she was determined to stay positive if only to keep the other's spirits up. Still, a break right now would not go amiss since they had been walking for a while. She reached back and grabbed the gourd of water from her pack, taking a few small sips before replacing the stopper.

"You two still alright up there?"  

[SkieBorne]

When both Tien and Xun called for a break, Glyph nodded and shouted to catch Ankou's wandering attention. The Spirit Guide's constant worked was certainly helping but it sometimes made it difficult to get him to focus on the corporeal rather then the spiritual. "Ankou! Hold up, this is a good place to break."

He waited a moment to make sure Ankou wasn't going to wander too far then meandered back to where Tien and Xun were standing. They looked weary and worn... He set his pack down and retrieved the extendable pole, shoving it into the dirt a fair way then bent the top and removed his own robes and scarves to create a pseudo tent that cast shadows that would help to cool the weary travellers. He was hot without the fabrics, yes, but the sun alone could not kill him as it could Lifewater and Trickery.

Clad only in his usual loin cloth, it was obvious the sun had sapped some of his strength. After weaving slightly, he regained his balance and gestured to the tent, "Xun, Tien, sit," he held up a hand to interrupt any complaints, "Don't argue with me." Crouching beside the makeshift shelter, he removed three apples from his pack - they were a little shrunken and partially dried, but the juices still there would help, he hoped. To supplement the fruit, he closed his other hand and when it opened a handful of almonds had appeared, fresh and tasty, "Here, eat this."

The first time he'd summoned rabbit, it had darted out into the wastes before they could catch it so he'd settled for less... agile fare. Combined with his near constant search, and awakening, of seeds, it was taxing him. "Cosine?" He offered her the third apple as he settled back against the crumbling bank and closed his eyes.

On the horizon, however, a menacing line of orange and brown was growing, a great halo of debris kicked up along its leading edge as the howling, cutting winds scoured the land.  

[midnight_medea]

Cosine was glad when the decision was made to stop. She was actually beginning to ache, it had been a while since she'd felt so ... human. Once she caught up with them she took a deep breath and smiled at Glyph's offer of an apple.
"I'm fine, thank you. You take it." She suggested, he looked like he might need the nourishment.

She really just needed some time to pause and collect herself. Unlike Ankou she was not used to wandering.
Up above Inifity circled and swooped to land on her shoulder. something was bothering her. Cosine glanced to the horizon and shielded her eyes.
"What's that?" She asked, pointing to the orange hue that seemed to be growing larger by the minute.  

[A Wandering Esper]

Oh, Xun Jiang did not argue. He knew better than to argue at this point, really. He was weary and tired, and just the slightest bit cranky, and well, as much as it annoyed him, Glyph was right.

The set of his jaw and the narrowed eyes made one thing clear, through - if there was a couch anywhere in this desert, Glyph was sleeping on it. He also was getting kicked into a wellspring the second he could get up again to conjure one.

At least that was the plan, through Cosine's question had him turn his head a bit, continuing to eat the apple even as he moved slightly. "That is strange..."

Ankou had not answered directly, but he had stopped a few feet away from the make-shift tent, proving that he was aware of the group stopping, at the very least.

Right now, it was the orange hue that had his attention, but he had no idea what this actually could be. Desert terrain was not one he had traveled in all that much, and never a desert as harsh as that.

The answer came to him soon enough, carried as a warning by enough of the dead to have the answer all but slam at his consciousness.

Crap.

No sooner had that happened that the Sprit Guide turned back, running a few paces then simply let his body pick up speed and let himself slide down the dune. "There's a massive sand storm coming !" He called out. "MOVE !"

He had no idea if they could get out of the way in time, but they had to at least try. Rubble to the face would not be fun for any of them. "Go south ! Move !" Northward was too large, East would have them face up with it, and west would have the storm catch up. South was their only chance, or so the spirits told him, and they knew better by now than to try to lead him astray.  

[mistalina13]

Tien had settled herself beside Xun and munched on the apple Glyph had offered her. Her eyes had drifted closed, hoping for a short break from the brightness of the sands. It was all too brief however, her eyes snapping open again when she heard Ankou's yelled warning. You have got to be kidding me. If the Spirit Guide's tone had not been enough to tell her he was serious, the quickly encroaching mass of winds, sand and debris would've been.

"Oh s**t." She sprung up and shouldered her pack again before taking off after Ankou. She paused briefly at the crest of the dune he had slid down to make sure the others were moving before heading down as well.  

[SkieBorne]

] Glyph could live with the look Xun was giving him - the couch would last an eternity, Lifewater would calm soon enough.

Cosine's question followed by Ankou's shout made Glyph start and he opened his eyes to find the edge of the sandstorm howling down upon them and Ankou already disappearing over a dune, followed closely by the nimble Tien. How'd she...? The question fell away, however, as the blasts of sand struck him in the face, and his companions.

There was no time run, no chance to escape, and cursing rather loudly and emphatically, Glyph grabbed Xun and hauled him in against his chest, likewise with Cosine, and put them between himself and the stream's bank, holding them tightly. "Close your eyes and mouths." He murmured, as his skin thickened into ironbark out of instinct - the first time he'd really tried to shift. His hair melted into his skin and he seemed to become more tree then person, stiff as a board.

His robes, however, fluttered, ripped, and tore from the pole, swept into the skies by the sandstorm and his pack, thankfully heavy and durable, built up a drift of sand then was swallowed completely.

A few heartbeats later, the sandstorm struck, howling and ravaging and funneled down the break between dunes. Glyph grit his teeth as it blasted his back, wearing the rough bark smooth in the minutes before the sand piled up enough to buffer them... a moment later, they were buried while the storm raged above.

 

[midnight_medea]

Cosine barely had any time to register what was going on. She heard Ankou shout, watched Tien charge up the dune. She had been about to make an attempt to follow when the storm hit them, whipping the skirts of her dress around her legs and blowing rocks and sand into her face.

The next moment she was pulled against Glyph with Xun, as Forest sheilded them both from the worst of the storm.  

[A Wandering Esper]

Xun Jiang was barely aware of what was going on, himself - he had only just registered sand storm before he had found himself pulled along for the wild ride. His first instinct was to shift, try to settle Cosine and form a barrier around her with Glyph's bark and his scales. This was exactly what he tried to do, and scales had in fact started to crawl up along his form when the storm hit properly, and some of the flying debris hit him head on. The dragon king let out an heavy, pained grunt and more or less slumped into Glyph's hold, to dazed to try to shift again.

Tien was here, and this was good, but...

Where was the other three ?

Where was Cosine ?!?

It wasn't long before the smaller, swifter Trickery had passed him, and it did not help that he actually hesitated, before probably doing the stupidest thing he could do - he headed back.

It was not long before the storm engulfed him as well, and he ued Gungnir to ground himself and slowly making his way back, inch by inch.  

[mistalina13]

Tien passed Ankou and didn't stop until she reached what seemed to be a safe distance from the storm. She tugged down the scarf from her face to catch her breath as she scanned the dunes for signs of the others. At first she saw nothing but then she spotted the Spirit Guide heading back toward the storm and subsequently caught up in it.

"Oh boy." She covered her face with her hand and sighed. There was no choice now but to go back once the storm had passed by where their camp had been. Hopefully the others had weathered it well and without injury; though no doubt they would be full of sand in places you would never think it could end up. Just thinking of that (or it could have been her sunburn) made Trickery itch uncomfortably. She tucked the scarf around her face again and waited, hoping the storm would pass them soon.

Once the storm had gone and it seemed safe enough she retraced her steps and Ankou's back to the camp.  

[SkieBorne]

Xun's struggle only made Glyph hold on tighter, determined not to let his lover be hurt but when the scales flickered up his skin and his size shifted some, Glyph grunted, shaking his head, "Don--" The words were cut off, however, as Xun jerked, grunted, and slumped, alarming Glyph a great deal.

When the storm finally passed some minutes later, the desert was changed - the dunes had all shifted, certain places covered or uncovered... the world had shuddered, it seemed, and reordered the desert in the span of minutes. However, Glyph couldn't care less as he finally let go and rolled onto his back with a groan, only to yelp and roll again - this time on to his hands and knees, to keep his back from the rough sand. It had been rubbed raw, bled in places - the sticky, thick molasses-like sap that flowed in his veins now glistened in the sunlight, tiny grains of sand stuck to new amber that dotted his back. It was road rash and then some.

Breathing for several heartbeats, Glyph's eyes were squeezed shut as he gathered his sense about him. This was not his realm and he felt it keenly - his breath would not be so short had he walked in the woods, and it frustrated Forest immensely. His power was not yet great enough to be a force of nature.... he was still bound the extremes of the land, however immortal he might be.

It was in this moment, when his hands curled into fists that he knew this journey for Forge wasn't entirely altruistic. He'd questioned himself several times - Why? Why go to such lengths for Forge? - and he knew, as he lay prone in the sand surrounded by dirt and debris and still shifting sands, that he wanted to face their mortality, at least on some level. To see his limits, to feel them... to face the hurdles he'd overcome already and turn his attention to ones to come.

They were young, all of them, blind and a fraction of what they'd once been... and here, in this hole with his back burning and teeth grit in the middle of a wasteland, Glyph felt it keenly.

 

[midnight_medea]

Cosine closed her eyes tightly as she waited for the storm to pass. Next to her she felt Xun shift and then slump. That did not seem good at all, though she kept her eyes closed. It would be no good if they all got injured.

The storm seemed to last for an age, the fact she was worried about her companions, especially Ankou and Tien who were not with them. She wondered if Ankou could make himself intangible at will, at least then the debris would not hurt him.

The winds died down and it was not until she felt Glyph move that she opened her eyes. Her face stung as the air touched it, tiny cuts from the initial blast of the storm. She sat slowly, shaking sand from her hair and brushing it from her eyes and face.

At Glyph's yelp she looked at him, grimacing as she saw the pain he was in. Though she could not see his back she could imagine what the sand had done to him. Next her attention went to Xun. The dragon appeared to be unconcious. At least she hoped that was all that was wrong.

Cosine flexed her wings, shaking the sand off them, they were painful and she suspected a few feathers might be broken from where she had been pressed to the bank, still they were minor.
"Xun?" Number reached out to touch his cheek, tapping it lightly to try and bring him round. "Xun, are you okay?"  

[A Wandering Esper]

"Hnnnnnnnnn..." It was Cosine's touch that finally got a reaction out of Xun Jiang. At least he was definitively alive, and somewhat conscious, if nothing else. More worrying was the pool of all too normal red that was forming right where his head was resting. The wound was obvious if one took the time to look - a rather nasty looking cut at the back of his head, where the debris had impacted with him, the blood working into his mane in places, turning it dark and sticky. There were other cuts, there and there, dark purple bruises scattered through, and his clothing was more or less wrecked.

He finally did open his eyes, only to perhaps wish he had kept them closed. One look at Glyph made him wince, but his attempts to sit only caused him to stumble again. If only the world would stop spinning...

More than that, through, the dragon king's frustration was nearly tangible, as he laid in the sand that was slowly turning red. Teeth clenched together both out of pain and frustration, as did fists. He could not help the traitorous thoughts that entered his mind, the little voice of doubt that told him that maybe he should just have listened and stayed home like he had been told to do, and should he not have known better than to think he could have kept up with everyone else ?

But stubbornly, he shoved the thoughts away, and refused to break. Now was not the time.

His second attempt to sit did not fare much better than the first, and he stumbled again, through this time, something finally did occur to him. "Where are Tien and Ankou ?" He said, weakly. Oh, crap. Crap. Crap.

He would shift and look... in a moment. Whenever the world stopped spinning. More pressingly, through, was their current condition, through... Well, it seemed they had done a good job keeping Cosine more or less safe, at any rate. One hand reached to his side, and while his bag was still there... Well, the rattling sound within was worrying. A few of the glass containers had broken, at the very least, through the leather gourds probably had withstood the damage.

"We need the clean the sand out of the wounds." All of them, really. "To prevent infection." He pushed the bag toward Cosine, clearly a little guilty about asking her to do this when he would have been most willing to do it himself. "Do not worry about using as much as you need. I will find more." And Lord Harmodius help Glyph if he argued against that, because he certainly would not. The 'do not argue with me' was unspoken but clearly there.

"I will help, but..." But he needed a moment. The dizziness threatened to grow into nausea so he closed his eyes again, slumping slightly but managing to support himself somewhat, proving that he hadn't passed out.

The landscape had indeed changed drastically, and about twenty feet at the left of the broken and bruised little group was a rather large dune that had not been there before. Not exactly an abnormal thing by itself, really, given that the landscape had more or less re-arranged itself so utterly and completely that not even the dead soul had any sense of orientation left.

No, what was particular was the faint mumbling that came out of said dune when Xun Jiang had voiced his question about the two missing companions. It was not long after that that part of the dune started to wobble, and then Ankou finally emerged from it, coughing and spitting sand.

Probably a good thing he had no need to breathe, but it did not mean that the Spirit Guide appreciated sand up his nostrils very much. He was not without his own damage - his scarf was gone, taken by the wind. There were missing feathers both on his many wings and on Gungnir itself, and mist leaking from near-invisible cuts, as well as patches of darker blue where he'd had a few debris impact directly, made it evident that he had done his own weathering of the storm, so to speak, before he'd been buried by the sand. It also made it evident that, stoic as he appeared to be, Ankou had tried to come back for them once he noticed they weren't coming.

One look back showed Tien making her way back, and Trickery seemed more or less unharmed, so he simply nodded in her direction and began his own way back, the mist leaking from his wounds spiraling back in to seal and close them once more. Glyph and Xun Jiang weren't looking so hot, and Cosine thankfully could have been a lot worse, through it was evident that Glyph was to thank for his beloved's protection.

He sat near the group when he finally made it. And yes, it was now too apparent that his own mental 'map' was shot to hell. He quickly sent the souls back to view the surroundings and attempt to figure it out some more, and once that was done, he was... a little more than dumbfounded. He was not exactly the best at this, but...

"...Where should I start ?" He asked Cosine, clearly a little dumbfounded on how to take care of his companions. He wanted to help, yes, but he was not quite certain how.