Those Who Bare The Flame

[Yunari]

A song assaulted the ears of a rather rugged looking woman. Her long black hair fell straight down her back while bright red hues stared blankly ahead. Both of her arms were heavily bandaged and leather straps were set in place tightly around each wrist. She sat on the edge of a brick wall no higher then four feet above the ground as a man walked past with several children in toe singing a song about a dead beat. In her lap rested a cloth wrapped box that she was suppose to be delivering to the lower town for her master.

As he grew closer the words became clearer and she felt a frown resonate on her lips as her gaze shifted down to the man. He begged for money from the people that passed by and yet seemed unphased with the world around him. “Will that make you happy?” She questioned interrupting his song just as he grew within touching distance. He probably didn’t know what she was talking about. She grabbed the box with one hand and pushed herself off the wall, falling the four feet gracefully and landing in front of him with nothing more than a soft tap.

“Even the richest of men only wish for more…. And yet they are unhappy. The Gods are funny like that.” She offered a small smile, reached forward and lightly took the man’s hand in her own. She placed two coins down and stepped back. “Money is the root of all evil and the cause of all mortal sin.” She gave a bow, turned and began to walk towards the lower city to deliver her package.  

[Hokyo Cumen]

Jakio glanced towards the woman as they had begun to enter into the lower region of the Kingdom, far from the safety of the royal guards, these people were always on hard times. Mostly due to sickness, but Jakio could feel the spreading of a virus, it was a virus that was in the shadows, that filled the back alleys with blood and left children with frightened tales of ghosts. He gritted his teeth a bit, but drew back from his anger and returned back to his smiling self. A fellow guard glanced at him and he gave them a thumbs up and they flipped him off rather quickly in response.

He laughed a little towards the quickness of hatred, even the lower guards knew of him. "Men were made to be pushed and corrupted, none of us are pure not even myself." He said calmly as he starred at the darkened sky, the buildings blocking out much of light.

"What do you mean wrong country? If good people aren't born into a bad country then the future can't change. That's why I brought the child back to the stall, he should realize what is right and wrong and someone should point it out to them, even if you starve you must know what your actions will affect." He said continuing to stare up, his feet skipped over a small hole in the road as though he had walked this path a thousand times.

"No one is for sale you realize this, even if someone thinks they can not own your mind." He said with a smile pointing towards his head, the long sleeves of his tunic rolled back a bit and a few deep scares were engraved into his right arm, though one would miss it if they were not looking at it, he dropped his arm to have the sleeve cover it again and continued smiling.  

[Yunari]

Ana shook her head slowly though she had no response at first. He claimed not to be pure but who really decided that? The only thing she knew for sure was that pure blood ran through her veins. The Ro’eh were the closest to the earth of any race, that she knew of and their blood ran pure like water. Of course only the people of that race would consider it like that. She sighed softly and eyed the male’s arm for the brief second it was shown.

“A country ez not made by ze borders around et. Et ez made by za men who enhabit et. Zis world is rotten. Za core ‘as been taken out an replaced by zomething evil. Ey can smell et en za air like za stench of ze wild boar.” She said nothing about his scars for everyone had some form of them. Hers were simply not physical and she knew she would not like them exposed to the world. Maybe he did not wish to tell of them either. He spoke such philosophy but did he not know that even the mind could be broken? She had seen many people bought and broken to the world of slavery and this was no different.

“Vat color of man are yoo? Only zose who ‘ave seen za darkness in men’s ‘earts understand what yoo speak of.” She allowed herself to get a good look at the male once more. A strange man indeed. She sensed nothing special about him though if she reached out and touched im, she might be able to find out something. Her finger tips tingled with anticipation but he knew what she was and thus her motives would be clear. She lowered her hands to her sides and glanced around the ever darkening streets,

“Et ez the greed of man zat did zis. My people vere a peaceful kind, healers, vise men and yet we ver za first to za slaughter. Slave or not, ven zer ez nothing left to lose, even animals become dangerous. Za people ver right to fear us for now, ve will give zem fear, fear of za future.” Her eyes glowed a light blue for a moment before dieing down. She took a few steps ahead and examined a dark alley before moving on.

“’ow much further?”  

[Hokyo Cumen]

Jakio laughed at her comments she was a smart one, but he also knew that she wanted to feel himself, a connection beyond that of the words they were sharing. Though he wasn't sure how to know what she meant by what color of man he was. "I am a man, not defined by my family or race, I am simple a person who walks this earth." He said with a raised eyebrow in confusion.

He stopped when she asked how much further, he turned in his spot and raised his head in one direction and then the other. "We should be here actually, this was the last place that I had seen, I mean heard about your race, there were a few carts here with them peddling out magic for those who couldn't afford the normal high cost of healing." He said with a confused look across his face.

Though his thoughts trailed off as he raised his arm, he wasn't sure about the reason. "I have heard your race can tell many things about people by touch which is likely why you haven't reached out to point out the few fellows who are following us." He said as he glanced towards the alley behind him, a few men exited from the shadows, must of which were wielding daggers and other crude weapons.  

[Yunari]

Ana came to a stand still and held her hands out, palms facing the ground. There was a definite energy here. She could not have missed the other by much, a few days maybe. She lost herself to her thoughts for a moment, being pulled free of them by the mention of followers. She chuckled softly, a almost sick sound and patted her hands together as if pushing off dirt. “Et matters not. Yoo fail to understand, ey am use to being hunted.” She retrieved her weapon and held the center piece as the other two dangled from their respective chains. Magic in such an enclosed area would be a bad idea for one never knew what was lurking around the corner. She twisted her weapon this way and that to make the pieces come together into it’s full length once more. The red and black bo staff glistened the same as the first day she’d claimed it.

“Ey can see za past an za future by touching another. Za same can be done by holding zomething of zhers while picturing za face. Zis was za main reason my people were killed.” Not all of them had domain over water but the prophecy and healing tended to travel to all. Healing made them useful, fortunetelling made them dangerous. She faced her would be attackers and pointed the tip of her staff at them as her eyes shone a bright blue like before.

“Ef yoo wish to live today, yoo should leave. Ey zhank yoo for your gratitude but a man of law should not get ‘imself caught up in se filth.” She cast him a small smile and began to walk towards the dangerous looking men. This guard had said it himself, he was not a good swordsman and he showed no signs of magic from before so his best chances were running, or at least in her mind. She, no the other hand, held magic and was rather good at wielding her weapon for she had been on the run for many years.

“Come, ey vill take yoo all.”  

[Hokyo Cumen]

Jakio closed his left eye slightly and chuckled to himself, the woman was going to defend him. Reaching over his shoulder, he pulled the rather giant sword from its leather placement on his back, it snapped away and he held it towards the ground, the muscles in his arms strained from holding the weapon. He smirked however, "A man of the law would be in trouble if he was to allow a fight to occur in front of him. Beside I would never hear it from the men in barracks being guarded by a woman." He joked softly, though glancing up he noted that the men had no sense of humor.

A total of six of them, most likely followed due to him as Royal guards were odd to be seen alone and in the darker part of the Kingdom, leaving room for him to be attacked. Opening his left eye it blurred for a moment as his mind raced mapping out each movement of how the men would move. Raising his sword to level, his arms stained further and he began to walk towards the men slightly behind the woman.

"Will you look at this boys?!"Shouted one of the men, who withdrew a small glass container and threw it towards Jakio and the woman, it breaking a gas came up from the ground. It soon covered the area, blocking the view of the men. Jakio stopped where he stood, his hands tightened around the sword, but as he couldn't even see the woman before him he figured it wouldn't harm to be a bit less confident. His hands loosened and he stabbed the sword into the ground and closed his eyes.

He heard footsteps, releasing the sword his right hand drew out and grasped the throat of a man nearby, opening his right eye he pulled the man to the ground with a huge force slamming him. The man gasped for air confused of what had happened. Jakio opened his left eye for a moment, with a sudden jerk he spun his footwork light and grabbed the dagger from the man's hand and clashed against that of a second man. Raising up against the force of the other man, he took a side step, stomping one of his boots into the groan of the man on the ground, the man that was holding the dagger fight with him fell slightly forward and his throat was slight clean.

"I hope your okay my mystery lady." He said through the spoke, closing his left eye again, as he stepped back his boot resting against the chin of the man on the ground who groaned in pain for his manhood, and with a swift moment stepped harder down, snapping the man's neck. He hadn't lied about being terrible with a sword, he was, anyone would be with a sword which weighed nearly twice his own weight but he figured it was the best bet that he wouldn't harm any other recruit in sparring. He even avoided normal sword due to their light weight, he was a man which was brought up by a Royal guard, his father, he was taught and well enough to keep himself and anyone he deemed worthy of saving, but he did not approve of killing unless it for saving his own life.  

[Yunari]

Ana sighed. This man had to be crazy. It was the only logical explanation for his actions. She held perfectly still as the sounds around her began to shift. She knew not what gas they used only that it smelt worse than the filth that permeated the very streets of the lower city. She took a single step back as she heard someone go down and then the voice of the guard to show he was alright. How he did what he did, she would not know but the sound of pain from another man told her he was doing alright. She twisted her staff and broke it into the three pieces once more. It fell loose in her hand and she began to spin the two ends with the chains.

The smoke around her began to clear allowing her to get a bit of fresh, or close to fresh anyway, air. “Za gender maters not, zho ef your pride can not handle et, ey understand. Ey will not be saved by a man.” Though she still could no see him, the wind she was creating with her staff gave her a small field of vision but it also gave it to her enemy. A man came at her and she dodged to the right, evading his blow and slamming the right side of her weapon into the back of his neck. He stumbled to the ground and she twisted on her left foot to face her second attacker.

She didn’t know how many there were or if she was just fighting the same one over and over again but she had no desire to kill these people for they were weak and unworthy of an honorable death by combat. The swinging of her staff stopped as she whipped it around an oncoming man’s neck and grasped the other side when it came back. She pulled tightly and launched the man over her shoulder and back into the smoke from whence he came. “Et ez Ana. Ey am no mystery, zimply a nomad looking for home.”

Her staff snapped back together and she twisted it tightly before slamming one end into another body and twisting herself to face the onslaught of the first she had attacked. His hand landed on her arm and an intense, sharp pain wracked her mind as images flooded in. She swallowed hard and let out a soft grunt of pain before pulling her arm back and thrusting it into the cretin’s face. “Yoo filth! Ey would never allow zuch a future. “ Just the mere thought of what he had hoped to achieve sickened her to the point of magic, which seeped out of the ground and hit the man in an instant. A bubble of water wrapped around his head and he clawed at his throat as if oxygen would magically appear. He soon dropped to his knees and lost consciousness. She released the water and turned to search out the man in metal while mumbling to herself.

“Et only takes two minutes to drown yoo know.”  

[Hokyo Cumen]

Jakio, stood in the middle of what was left of the smoke, it had begun to clear which was not a good thing for him in the fact that he had rather hoped to keep any knowledge of his ability a secret, not due to the fact that he didn't enjoy it but because he was not taught restraint at least he didn't have any anymore. He felt the pain of cold metal run left arm, but he didn't flinch as most of his feeling in his arms were killed long ago. He moved slightly enclosing the arm with his own and spinning slightly, to face the man who had wounded him.

Jerking the attackers arm cracked sharply, it wasn't broke yet, Jakio placed his right hand under the forearm of the attacker and quickly pushed up with it and let his body slip down as to break the arm. Which the man let a hollow scream of pain as the broken bone broke the skin.

Jakio noted how quickly the smoke was clearing and caught himself from his half fall, he grabbed the fist of the broken arm and shoved it up, the broken bone piercing between the man's rips and into his lung where his screams were silenced, only a soft wheeze escaping. Jakio dropped the man and rushed over to his sword, taking where he had been cut and rubbing a bit of the blood across his face. Pulling the sword from the ground, he dipped the tip into the blood from his first victim who had the slight throat, beginning to breath hard he stood calmly as the smoke cleared.

"Well that was difficult." He said with a deep breath and falling to one knee as he took a few deep breaths, the three men behind him dead. "I got three, but I am out of steam." He joked with a rough voice.  

[Yunari]

Ana didn’t move from her spot as the attacks ended. She could hear things, not so pleasant things and she knew she had knocked out at least two. With the guard’s three, that left one out in the open. The smoke cleared a bit more and she spotted him trying to make a run for it. She lifted a hand and pointed at the man with her thumb facing the sky. Water gathered at the tip of her pointer finger and she released a soft sound “Pooooh” Then like a bullet, it flew across and hit the man square in the back of the neck. He stumbled a few feet before crumpling to the ground. She smiled and turned as the last of the smoke left and she was shown the sight of three dead men and three unconscious ones.

She slowly shook her head as she examined the damage. “For one who fails at swordsmanship, yoo can somewhat ‘andle yourself.” She had not seen what he’d done, nor was she sure she wanted to. He was out of breath and all his victims dead while she stood rather unharmed and only slightly strained. She was confused but none the less she walked to his side and lowered her weapon to the ground.

She could smell the blood before she could see the wound. “Yoo will ‘old still, yes?” Though the statement ended in a question, it was more of a demand. She pulled both of her hands up and the gray faded completely behind sea blue hues as her eyes glowed brightly and water began to seep out of the ground and into her hands. The water wrapped around her pale skin and rippled with the power of her magic. “Ey will ‘eal you now.” She stated though her intentions were clear to anyone who had seen a healer in action.

The water was hesitant, at first, to leave her hands but it reached out for the male, called out to his blood and wrapped around his arm. It wouldn’t take long if he cooperated but this whole situation led to more questions than answers. “not zat ey ‘ave a right to tell yoo ‘ow to fight but yoo should not ‘ave killed zem. Dead men tell no zecrets”  

[Ghostly_apparition]

Yunari

A song assaulted the ears of a rather rugged looking woman. Her long black hair fell straight down her back while bright red hues stared blankly ahead. Both of her arms were heavily bandaged and leather straps were set in place tightly around each wrist. She sat on the edge of a brick wall no higher then four feet above the ground as a man walked past with several children in toe singing a song about a dead beat. In her lap rested a cloth wrapped box that she was suppose to be delivering to the lower town for her master.

As he grew closer the words became clearer and she felt a frown resonate on her lips as her gaze shifted down to the man. He begged for money from the people that passed by and yet seemed unphased with the world around him. “Will that make you happy?” She questioned interrupting his song just as he grew within touching distance. He probably didn’t know what she was talking about. She grabbed the box with one hand and pushed herself off the wall, falling the four feet gracefully and landing in front of him with nothing more than a soft tap.

“Even the richest of men only wish for more…. And yet they are unhappy. The Gods are funny like that.” She offered a small smile, reached forward and lightly took the man’s hand in her own. She placed two coins down and stepped back. “Money is the root of all evil and the cause of all mortal sin.” She gave a bow, turned and began to walk towards the lower city to deliver her package.

Shiang stopped as she spoke to him and smiled as she handed him the coins. Taking another sip of his hidden bottle he looked at her straightened himself and spoke in a voice almost sober." Quiet quiet children I must thank the nice young lady and set her straight. So you know the scriptures. I know them too but here is the one that will set your mind to ease. Man or woman cannot deny wholly his sinful nature. To be at piece one must find balance in both. Zen, harmony, equilibrium these are found in embracing both in turn. But true wisdom is to know when the good or the bad is the way of true Zen" Book of Woah-Gen page 198 verse 6. Dont take it the wrong way. You may not be trained in such verses."
He spoke as a priest his right hand at the center of his chest hand facing out his thumb pointer and middle fingers straight out and extended while his ring and pinkie fingers were bent the sober tone and face faded as quickly as it came as if he had suppressed it even regretted it. With a light bow where he almost fell he said again almost sober." Thank you." He raised himself again with his hand in the same position then pulled it away and shook it as if it had done something he didnt want it to do. Again he began to walk singing his song along with the children around him making them laugh and giggle as he stepped and stumbled even laughed with them. "I am sing song Shiang I dont give a dang. I ping and I pang for I am sing song Shiang. I peddle I meddle I fiddle I dont tattle."  

[Hokyo Cumen]

Jakio allowed her near him, his eyes glancing towards the magic for a moment. Though he didn't fight it as he was allowing healing when it happened, his good arm reached up and tore the long tunic off where the man had cut his arm. He did it because the blood had started to stain the white of it and would cause more questions if they continued walking through the city.

His arm wasn't just covered in a few scars, it was covered there was hardly any sign of normal flesh was left, old wounds had been healed and new ones crossed over. His eyes starred at the three men she had taken down, all alive, which was fine as they had not seen anything. He wasn't to worried about the men he killed, it was to keep himself safe from those who would hurt him again.

"Sorry I couldn't do anything but swing my sword in the smoke, I'm guessing it was likely most luck when it hit things. I must have cut the first man's throat and the second two must have been hit by the board side of the sword." He explained, which could explain a number of injuries that had happened, well all except for the man's crushed manhood.  

[Yunari]

Ellie shook her head but had nothing to respond with. How could she tell the man that she knew nothing of scriptures. She couldn’t even read enough to know what they were. None the less she smiled a bit and shook her head. He was a strange man indeed and his song stuck like some kind of sap to her brain as she found herself humming it down the street. The words were simple enough for her to remember but she would not sing it. Instead she lightly touched the leather straps on either wrist and sighed. There was much work to do before she could return home today.

She looked back only once to cast a longing glance at the merry little band of man and children before continuing her decent into the darker regions of the Lower City. She could smell blood but luckily passing down the way it was coming from was not something she had to do. She rapped her fingers on one of the many closed doors and waited several seconds.

A woman soon came to the door and Ellie handed over her package, bowed and then turned to leave her work done. If she was lucky, she might run by the strange singing man who smelt of too much alcohol.

---------
The situation relaxed a bit as she realized he was going to allow the healing. Her fingers hovered just inches above his skin and it would be so very easy to take the last step and find out what it was that she felt was so strange about him, but she would not. The water would give off a cooling sensation first and then a warming one as it laced together his wound leaving not even a scar behind. While her magic did it’s work, her eyes traveled the length of his arm and she bit her lip. What kind of man was he to be injured so? “Ztupid man. Yoo should ‘ave let me take care of et.” She lightly chided. If he had done so, all six men would still be breathing and he wouldn’t be so hurt, even if it didn’t like a first for him.

When she could see nary a red mark, she pulled her hands back and let them rest in her lap. She didn’t believe his words a single bit for the sound of a swinging blade slicing through the air was much different than the sounds she had heard. None the less she had no right to question it. Something had happened in that smoke and it unsettled her greatly. Her eyes shifted away, unable to stand staring at the scars for a second longer. “Your color ez red like fire but far to thick…yoo should take better care of yourself.” If she put enough power in it she could probably heal all his old scars but she didn’t have the energy for something that massive with how old some of those looked. Instead she pulled her hands away as the rest of the water seeped into the guard’s skin.

“Ztrange man… ey do not ‘ave to read your future to know, yoo don’t belong ‘ere.” She offered a small smile and stood while brushing the dirt off of her knees. She would offer him a hand but well that could lead to an incontinent vision for the both of them.  

[Hokyo Cumen]

Jakio sat back, his sword rest on the ground nearby and a smile crept across his face as he looked at his own arm, it was healed, but he had felt no pain during the whole process, his entire body was covered with scars and many places were numb to the damage that he had endured. A son of the traitor were not treated kindly, he had spent nearly six years in the dungeon of the Kingdom, being questioned about his father, his wounds inflicted by the very men that he now walked beside, but this was not due to his own decision.

He looked up towards the woman and gave her a soft smile as he raised his hand to grab hers for the help up. "Well maybe my color is like blood." he suggested as a joke. His hand gripped hers, but his mind did not flash as he might have suspected. It was likely due to his left eye, it wasn't a power that he could classify like that of her water ability and since he could always remember being able to do it, he guessed it didn't make him special.

Standing to his feet, he kept his hand touching hers, his blue eyes glancing her up in question if she could see his future, if she could see his past. "Are you planning to steal me away from this Kingdom? If so what would you do with a servant of the royal guard as your guard?" He questioned, his smile had faded and he titled his head down a bit towards the ground, his red hair covering his eyes and for a split second his true nature seemed to come to the surface, a murderess intent one that could likely have scared off the men who had come across them if they had felt it. Though he jerked his head up and smiled at her, and it was suppressed again.  

[Yunari]

Like Blood? She didn’t seem to understand that statement until his hand touched hers. Once more bright blue flooded her eyes but this time she had to shut them due to the pain. This pain was like no other she had ever felt before. The normal dull throbbing was replaced by a mind shattering sharpness that caused her hand to spasm and latch onto his so tightly that she could not let go. The bright blue seeped out under her eyelids even though she clenched them tightly. He had grabbed her hand, knowing what she was, and she had no real control over this power. If one looked close enough they could see indentations begin to form on the arm that held his, mimicking his several scars, though only her hand was visible due to her long sleeves.

What she saw was something so terrible that she could not describe it in words. Pain, fear, hatred, insanity. What ever it was, it looked into her just as she looked into it. This guard… Jakio didn’t really belong here any more than she did. While she could not see everything, she had seen enough. Some kind of torture, a dungeon, pain and sadness. These people, these very people he fought with had done something unforgivable. On the other side of the spectrum she could only see a darkness that mimicked that of Abaddon, the destroyer in ancient times. This darkness was broken only by a pair of eyes that stared back at her full of malice and murderous intent.

That moment matched up perfectly with the moment before it was surprised and enough for her to gain control and rip her hand free of his. The indentations vanished from her arm and hand as she held it to her chest and tried to regain her breath. It was as if she had just run a marathon and her lungs were collapsing. Just what was this man and why, why was there so much darkness not only around him, but inside him as well.

Silence fell as she had not heard his last statement and she was trying to adjust to being well herself again. “Et ez no longer a request. Yoo need to leave zis place… for yourself and for za people yoo come to care for. Jakio… “  

[Hokyo Cumen]

Jakio knew she had seen something, her reaction was enough to satisfy him. He might be speak pretty words, but they were not his own, they were the words of his father pounded into him. He held no real thought about people, in all honesty he had likely lost his mind during the the torture. He smiled softly though like a man who had never been in pain or sorrow before.

He retracted his hand away from hers, he glanced at a few humble people who had exited their homes to see if it was safe. He smiled at them and pushed against the back of the woman.

"Go and talk with them, see if they remember when they last saw your kind." He said calmly like nothing had happened. Though away from the prying eyes of the woman, his left eye shuttered, and he was forced to cover it with his hand. It was small flashes, things that he couldn't remember, these were not his memories, but he could see it all.