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 Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 8:12 am
[PRP] Private roleplay between Thibault (Eftemie) and Enyeto (Kanove)
Setting: Wicheir White Shores
___________________ The path wound down to the shore like a long winding serpent. Rocks and shrubbery were scattered on both sides at the top, but as he worked his way lower, the rocky cliff tilted as if to toss him below. It was a safe enough path with a railing that indicated it was used frequently. It was not the warm turquoise of the water below, nor the white sands gleaming that Thibault sought. It was far more than that the boy was interested in. He wanted a quiet place to think. As the bottom neared, he glanced about him, noting a ledge to his right. Slipping past the railing, he moved along it to the widest point to sit down. He was still several feet above the beach itself, but the space was quite large, possibly even for several people to sit comfortably. Sitting down, he leaned back against the rocky cliff behind him, finding a smooth spot that had been worn by storms. His eyes scanned the beach itself noting several others further along. Several shells gleamed and sparkled from the sand, but he had no curiosity to even do more than recognize they were there. The same for the small creatures that moved along in and out of the waves lapping at the shore. Thin trails of white foam pushed back and forth wiping any tracks from existence as quickly as they were created. He had not expected to be shoved into classes. History, writing, languages, and a few other things had never been much on his agenda before. They were not now. The weaponry and training though, he enjoyed immensely. Several times he had been tempted to skip the duller stuff for what he liked, but had stopped just short of leaving. The information could be useful. More languages meant he could deal with the various cultures more freely. That in itself was not a bad thing if it lead to helping him once he was away from this place. This island might seem like paradise, but a cage was still a cage no matter how gilded. A thought occurred to him. Thoughts whirled around in his head as his eyes continued to watch the waves beyond. A bird distracted him with a cry that was quickly answered by others of its kind. They began to fight over a fish or some other morsel they prized. Thibault soon returned to the thoughts at hand after watching them squabble only a few moments. Where was his place in all this? And if he could find that, could he find a way out? Leaning back, Thibault thought about the things he knew. He did not have enough information. The thought displeased him because there was no way to make the choices he needed to without understanding it all.
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 10:02 am
He had extended on a private journey to the beach. The grueling days in classes had begun to wear on his nerves, and the unlikeliest of roommates wasn't the best companion either. Bowing his head in irritation he attempted to rub the anger out through his eyes. A few seconds in he found himself foolish and dropped his hands to his side. Although his vision was blurry, he knew where he was headed and the ground beneath his feet gave him a rather good idea of where exactly he was.
Angling his body for a run he pushed himself forward and began in a slow sprint towards the beach, using the rocks to propel himself down as his vision cleared. If the rocks had been slippery his journey down the cliffside would have been challenging and irritating, but they weren't so he made it down to the rocky ledge without any issues. A few more feet and he would be on the beach, then from there into the water, and that was something he truly regretted leaving when he left home.
Peeking his head over the ledge and identifying the drop the sacrifice took in a breath, stepped back a few feet, and launched himself forward over the ledge. He didn't want to deal with the narrow pathway that seemed to be the only way down. It was easy to get up and extraordinarily hard to descent.
Feeling the air around him and the ground approaching fast the boy took off the bow slung around his shoulder and threw it, curling up into a ball and crashing into the ground. He rolled a few feet before stopping. His body laid there for a moment as the dust settled. After a few moments Enyeto pushed himself from the ground and landed on his feet, retrieving his bow only a few yards away- thankfully it was without harm.
Holding his place and staring out to sea the bow took out the arrow that was attached to his bow and stared at it. 'If you make it alive, or have chance to live before death, plunge the sacred bow into the seas of faith and thou be granst freedom from humiliation and eternal favor.' He recalled the words as if they were yesterday, and with a sigh he took aim, and stared at the horizon in which he was aiming.
He would be granted the freedom he desired if he did such a thing, but Enyeto couldn't understand why his body wasn't letting him let the arrow fly. With a nod of his head he dropped back onto his bottom, sending a small puff of sand flying in the other direction.
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 10:52 am
He had been lost entirely in thought when suddenly he heard the noise of someone coming down the path. His focus shoved aside for the moment, Thi watched as a head peeked over, then disappeared just to the side of him. He was still sitting there when suddenly a body was propelled through the air and landed on the grassier section just in front of him.
Raising an eyebrow, Thibault almost sighed when suddenly the person twitched, then moved. A faint curve to his lips appeared and disappeared quickly as Thi watched. Listening to the words spoken, he remained silent for a moment, but then spoke up.
"For a moment, I thought I might have to report your demise to the teachers," Thi said quite clearly, still sitting where he had been. Thibault had not moved from the position he had been in since sitting down nearly a half hour ago. The slight breeze slipped through his hair as the wind moved past him to playfully seek out all the nooks and crannies the beach contained. The faint sound of laughter from further down filtered to his ears but the source was unseen. It was perhaps a good thing the arrow had not been launched.
It was only logical to size up the one in front of him, so Thibault began to do so. They had all been given clothing to arrive and the newcomer's were much like his own with a slight difference in color. A weapon case had also been given to them. While his own contained a dagger and sword, this one had obviously been given a bow so could only be an archer. Even without saying much to others, Thibault had been able to glean that there were archers, magic users, and swordsmen being taught. He was one of the latter and liked the feel of the blades in his hands.
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 5:07 pm
De-mise.
Enyeto arched his eyebrows at the mention of a foreign word. There were few words he had not heard during his time at home, and demise was one of them. By the negative connotation he aimed a mental guess at what it meant, but instead of declaring his confusion he nodded and sat an arm's length away from the other student.
He made the same assumption, guessing that the boy had been of the swordsman institution. Each of the classes seemed to have a different instruction head and their independent list of core classes, however, their knowledge classes were all the same. Even so, Enyeto had never seen the likes of the boy before him anywhere.
He assumed the boy had just arrived on the island with the most previous carrier. A few students snuck away each time a new carrier arrived and the instructors knew it. They always wanted to be the first to fill the newcomers minds with thoughts. Enyeto couldn't remember if students had tried the same trick on the latest arrivals, for after the arrival of the group before- rules had become more sustained and rigorously enforced.
Allowing his mind to drift no further he leaned back on his hands and stared at the horizon. "I hope my-" he paused, enunciating the word in his head,"-demise would not have caused to huge of a hustle if it had come about."He hoped he had proven wise by using the word in the correct context.
"My name is Enyeto Sioux, I am of the Ranger Core, and from Nateev," he introduced, offering a warm hand to the other as a welcoming gesture. He had learned early on that a hand-shake was the universal sign for a greeting (one more universal then his own tribes).
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Posted: Tue Jul 27, 2010 5:53 pm
There was a slight twitch of amusement on his lips as Thibault studied the other boy. If Enyeto blinked, he would miss it. They were probably quite close in age. After sizing him up another moment, he got to his feet rather than take his hand. Bowing with a flourish which was common to middle to upper Fieren culture, Thibault introduced himself. There was no reason not to have manners, so he expressed them.
"I am Thibault Alain Desmarais, of the Swordsman Core, and from Fieren. And I am quite certain that the priests know what to do with a dead body should your demise have been forthcoming." After the bow, he sat back down exactly as he had been. It was a comfortable position and Thi saw no reason to change it. Even his feet were in the exact same spots.
"Why did the priests bring you here?" he asked, looking for a reason other than the usual 'I am a sacrifice' reply. He had overhead a few, but most of the reasons were based on family prestige and the polite thing to do was leave it up to Enyeto whether he wanted to reply or not. He had to admit he was a bit curious, but only because it was logical to get to know anyone he came in contact with.
Obviously this was a favored place of Enyeto or he would not have taken such a leap upon first arriving. "This island is not quite what I expected," Thibault stated as his eyes left Enyeto's face to scan the beach and sea below them. "There is no way off unless they allow it. Of that I am certain."
Thi made it sound as if he had tried when he had not. He did have plans to try to get into the tallest building and try to find out. Finding that building first and an opening at the top of it were first priority when he had the time to do so.
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Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 8:19 pm
"Personally-" he paused, organizing his sentence before he spoke,"I would prefer it if my body were left by the water. It seems like such a treasure to even see the rolling shores or sandy beaches on this island." Enyeto was used to the sounds of flowing rivers around his home. He was used to smelling the sap of morning air when he woke up, and the smell of pine and oak as his head met the pillow.
He was used to living in nature, and here he did not have such a luxury. He wondered how others were fairing, if any of the students came from Nateev like he did. If he was not in class, he was wandering about. That was the only way Enyeto had even discovered his way to the beaches, his one solitude outside from the forest.
As Enyeto listened to Thibault's introduction he lowered himself flat on the ground, anchoring himself by pulling his feet closer. It felt more comfortable, laying on the warm sand. He was able to look at the sky and the far off horizon only because rolling clouds covered the island, as seemed per norm. It seemed as if the hostile nature on this island only further isolated them from the land.
Even in his geography courses the students had not been allowed to ask where they were. There weren't any marked or identifying islands on the map. All they knew is they were in the north, and that was only marked by the wet weather they seemed to continuously experience.
He thought about the question for a moment, allowing it to sink further into his mind. When he felt like he had arranged an agreeable enough answer, he sat up. "I am related to the chief of the Nateev capital tribe. The first son of two sons. Although I was in line to take over leadership, my lack of skill in battle and with sword and bow led to my loss of inheritance. I was kept in the fields and on a squad left at home at all times to defend the town.
"There were moments when I thought that my being left behind was due to the lame nature of my fighting abilities, but no matter how much I tried to improve with bow or sword, I was never taken into harm. It came to me one day that my father had allowed me to be sacrificed. It was not of pristige or fame, it was not for a lack of skill or meaning- I was told it was for the brilliant mind, the heart, and the nature of my actions.
"My father called me a pure boy, a boy who walked like bear. Walking without many words but acting when he sought it right to fight and protect."he paused, taking a deep breath, "turns out my own father recognized my skill, and realized that I had improved. However, he kept me away from the field for his own reasons.
"I was liked and cared for by the village, but when time come for me to leave I was given this single arrow.You, of course, have heard of the great war. This was the final arrow shot by my ancestors on that faithless day. It was intended as a gift to the gods, to beg for forgiveness for the deeds and sins we enacted on their land. And you?"
He agreed with what Thibault said about the island. The port was only a league up the shore, but they were forbidden past the thicket of trees that surrounded it. Every student knew no boat remind on the dock, and that one showed up every couple of months to deliver more students to the island.
He sighed. "I wonder if we'll ever be granted leave..." he mumbled, staring at the waves on the horizon.
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Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 6:48 pm
During the silence where Enyeto needed to gather his words, Thi waited. He sat in nearly the same position he had been in without moving much at all. Watching Enyeto as well as the area surrounding them, he could have recited everything going on. But he was thankful no other had come hurtling down the path as the boy in front of him had. There would probably have been a fight and two to untangle.
His attention was soon drawn back to the boy by the softness with which he spoke of his family. It was almost a foreign concept to Thibault that feelings could actually be so. He thought of none of his family with such emotion.
"Perhaps your father saw more than you think, but felt no need to explain," he replied softly when Enyeto had finally finished speaking. Then "Me?" he asked. "I could say that I was just a sacrifice as most do, but I am certain you would not believe me. It was obvious that the way we arrived was unusual because Cecille seemed quite annoyed about it."
"I was heading to the docks, looking for work for the day. I heard a girl screaming for help, but everyone simply passed the alleyway by, ignoring what they could hear. I knew what would happen when I entered. I picked up a thick board, and broke the arm of the first man. I cracked the head of the second breaking the board. The third man... he pulled a knife and in the struggle, he was stabbed through the chest, dying instantly. I knew they would not stop, so I slit the throats of the other two to make certain that they were dead."
Thibault waited for Enyeto to digest what he had said. He would either look horrified or understand or whatever else he felt. The inflection in his voice never changed, but remained the same from the beginning to the end. Desmarais was merely stating facts.
"They deserved it, but I found myself faced with a priest and his guard. They had seen what I did. So... I found myself here," he continued. "Leave? Not for a long time I think."
That word had finally sunk in but he knew they would not. "I think they want something from us. I mean, why teach us so much? It is as if an army is being trained. Swordsmen of varying degrees, archers, magic users... We are being taught language, history, even things relating the the intimacies of all the cultures. Why? What is it they really want from us once we have gained the knowledge they are giving?"
"And there is no way off. Not without their permission. But one day there will be, but there will be a price to it. I just wonder what it will be. They want us to do something for them." His expression said he did not know this for certain but it was something he thought about often.
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Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 7:34 pm
What he had intended to hear was a sappy story about how his family loved him and how everything was going good until the priests came, not. He knew Thibault was not that kind of individual. However, he wasn't expecting what he heard next. Enyeto's mind had been lulled in some far off land seperate of their own after his own story, and when Thibault began, everything changed.
The story began solemnly but dramatically shifter, which cause Enyeto to turn his head from the horizon to Thibault who continued to sit in the same rigid position. Every detail about how he killed these men made him wince as he imagined their untimely deaths, however, he understood how the other felt. It was not right to leave a person be- especially a lady.
"You were dutiful to what you thought was right." he noted, "Women are the product of our future. Not to classify them as items, but that is the best comparison I have." He hated labels, but women were their future.
Enyeto was a heavy talker but in the current situation he found it more reasonable to sit and offer his replies when necessary. He did not look uncomfortable, nor did he shift around a lot from impatience. Both which he did on a normal basis. Turning his head over to the side and looking at Thibault he watched the other's face. There was emotional, feeling, and shallowness.
It felt so contradictory to him.
He mentally shrugged and closed his eyes for a moment, wondering if the other had any form of family. Feeling as if the time wasn't right he kept his mouth shut. There would be time for questions later, especially if their relationship blossomed into a friendship.
He would enjoy that. Who could say they would not though?
Listening to the other go on though, he listened and absorbed the information."You are beyond wise, for I have been here longer and yet you have discovered more." He smiled at Thibault and stood up, wading ankle deep into the water. He had no objection to learning of other's opinions on the matter.
"I can not say I agree or disagree with you, but time is short and I have obtained only limited knowledge of is factual and what is reason." he paused,"Give me time though and I might make more faithful assumptions on the topic."
He couldn't disagree when Thibault mentioned training swordsman, mages, and rangers. Nodding in response he kept a majority of his replies short and meaningless, whether just a gruff or a nod. There were too many shady figures and hidden topics on the matter.
"What they want of us is their business, but it is our job to keep on living." he held his tongue for a moment, "As a wise man once said "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."
He stayed his tongue and looked at the other with skepticism. "Offer me your tongue when you might but tell me this, what object would they seek our power to fight. If they are gods messengers then what might surpasses the faith and power of their own?"
He paused, arranging the thoughts in his head. No... it could not be. Suddenly he shook his head, it was to early for accusations.
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 7:52 am
Thibault frowned slightly. "I suppose it was her I was protecting when I entered the alley. But it was not the reason I killed them. I knew they would come after me. Or that they would do the same to another person. It was in their expressions that they were enjoying the fear in hers. That was part of the reason they did it."
Getting to his feet, he slipped his shoes off, then walked into the warm surf and sand. Shoving the hair from his face, he frowned slightly. There was always those few strands that seemed to want to tangle his eyes. "I am not wise. I just saw a danger and eliminated it. It was logical to do something about them. I could have been their next victim. I frequented those streets as much as she did and others did. I do not like trouble coming back at me. I'd rather take care of it and keep moving."
He shrugged slightly, "It is what I see here. There is something they see in us or we would have been as everyone else thinks and simply sacrifices to the gods without ever walking out of the temple or making it to this place. Just because it is beautiful and seemingly unspoiled does not mean there are no serpents or spiders even if they are mighty here."
Turning to look at the city in the distance. It brought back the thought of the highest place on the island. "Do you think the clocktower is the tallest building? I wonder. I have been studying to see which is. I want to see the island from the top of the tallest building to see what is around us. Do you know anything about it? I did hear there was a keeper of some sort there."
Glancing over at Enyeto he gave a slightly amused gaze at him. There was definitely something he liked about the boy. He had sensed enough not to ask about his family. Thibault did not feel they were important anymore. He had not for a long time and he was more interested in seeing what others knew rather than speak of himself while learning what the instructors had to teach him. He was certain it would lead him away from the island one day and back to some resemblance of freedom. Would he want that freedom then?
His expression flickered as the thought crossed his mind. Most likely. But he was certain it would be on their terms. Would it matter? He was unsure and shoved the thoughts aside for later. "I doubt there is a way off, but I want to see everything here. And maybe you will find a better place to shoot that arrow from."
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Posted: Sun Aug 01, 2010 11:13 am
"Many know the secrets for our being here already." his fingers drew in the sand as he spoke, "Though when you confront one of these people, instructor or priest, they shy away and say we are here as sacrifices. Never giving the answer to why we are being trained if our lives are forfeit to these gods." Enyeto recalled the lack of use of a large church that towered over the South-Western end of the island, facing the Aerie Temple. At first he did not think suspiciously of it, but with the recent arrival of more students, he saw that only the townspeople used the church.
No student was permitted access, for access was only allowed during school hours. During those times, the groups of unknowing students were shuffled from class to class without a word of opposition.
Enyeto rolled his heals in the soggy water as he returned to his normal height. The sand felt so maliable beneath his weight. "Imagine if we were as such sand was to our feet. What if these priests thing we are as such. Malleable and expendable when necessary." he offered the suggestion with good will and hoped the other would at least thing on it. Thibault had a mind a lot like his own, very analytical.
By mention of the church he turned and faced the town, returning wet-footed to the side of his companion. His eyes could see no town in the distance, for steep cliffs and trails blocked their view. "I have seen no place higher." he nodded. There was no place higher than the church tower but it was guarded by three man. One patrolled the front door, one the staircase, and one the tower treacle. He knew though that only one man patrolled it after school hours, and that was guarding the front door (the only real way in).
"There should only be a single man guarding the church house." a stray hand went through his hair as he spoke. His words were soft, almost whispers at this point. Many people had venture towards them or left the beach. The three hours of free time at the end of a school day had just started, and many of the students spent it on the rolling and rocky beaches.
Swaying his head he pushed off and began walking forward, towards one of the steep pathways. He knew the church house contained a meeting room for the staff and was also the bunker that stored food and supplies in case a shortage happened in the trading market. Of course these foods were not perishable, which meant they were dry and often uncared for.
With a turn in mid step he began to open his mouth to speak, but Thibault spoke first. He knew there was no way off this island. He spent the first week searching for it frantically. I was either cliffs or endless beaches such as this that surrounded the island. The closest thing was the temple, and the only thing you could see of that were the cardinal pillars that surrounded it.
Making his way up the path, Enyeto crept silently through the line of trees and came out into town. The church house was directly opposite of the common house and although each were pristine in appearance, the Church house was in the center of town and maintained this brilliant magnificence; the common house was just in the middle of a field, situated to overlook all student activities.
Fidgeting with his fingers he touched on the bow slung over his shoulders. It allowed him to calm down, but with so many students in town it would make for a hard journey into the church house."We might be able to get in, the hard part would be getting out." his feet began to move silently and he became almost invisible in the shadows. His body was skilled at hiding, and with them located directly across the street from the church house, they would have to be even more careful. There were people all around but if they could find a point at which the guard was distracted, they would be able to get in.
"Any suggestions?"he asked, his eyes remaining locked on the guard.
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Posted: Mon Aug 02, 2010 6:41 am
"I suppose they do know why we are here." Thibault mused as he followed Enyeto up the path after shoving his shoes back on his feet. His feet were dry now and he preferred not to walk barefooted if they were headed back to town. "And I doubt they will tell us until they think they have us entirely. What they do not see is that we are already here."
"They may find me as unmalleable as my father did." Thibault added softly. It was the first time he had mentioned the man to anyone. Even when the guard and priest had asked him where his parents were, he had led them to his sister instead.
He continued behind the other young man as they moved upwards. The tower was the highest and he had looked the buildings over, studying them and the guards around them. "I think you are right. That is the highest place. Only one guarding? Then we need to find a way to draw him off."
Thibault was certain he and Enyeto needed to do this together and he followed him up the steep pathway. He had studied a little about the various buildings, but the other seemed to know more than he did. He moved stealthily behind Enyeto the entire way, but once they came out into the town near the church house, he moved up beside him.
"We will find a way out, even if we have to jump, Enyeto." Thibault stated. "I am sure there are spots where we could jump to a lower section and then climb down from there. After we've seen what we want to see at the top."
His eyes studied the guard's posture and attitude a moment. "If we try to get someone else to distract him, that gives more witnesses that it was us. We do not want that." He eyed the crowd of people around the area. Some looked as if they were moving the guard's direction. Slowly but they were doing so. Whether they would go past or not was another question.
"I think we have two options. The first is to wait and see if any of those people distract him by stopping to talk to him. That might pull him further away from the door. The other option..." he hesitated then continued, "is the more dangerous option. When those people get to where he is, we rush out, shove them into him and run into the building. If we bolt it from the inside, it will take them awhile to get it undone. In the meantime we can get up the tower and look around to see what there is. We will have to be quick though. There is a time limit the second way because they will know we are in there."
He pursed his lips a moment in thought, then decided to say what he was thinking anyhow."There is a third option but it will take much longer. We'd have to study the guards that come and go here as well as find their weaknesses and then set things up. We lose our advantage of surprise if anyone figures out what we are doing." Thibault warned. He had tossed the third option out for a reason but he did not want to go with it. He was in favor of shoving the people into the man instead. It allowed them the advantage of surprise and even though on a time limit, he had no doubts they could get up the tower. If worse came to worse, he'd get caught while Enyeto got away.
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Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2010 12:11 pm
The building seemed like a wreck of bricks, toppled messily on top of one another. Yet, taking another glance an individual could see the abstract beauty that lied within the multi-colored exterior. Beams of brilliant white rose to support the structure in areas that it needed, while terraced landscaping helped plants and ivy surround the building in indescribable beauty. The evening sun radiated off the tall marble pillars and off the rough texture of the brick. It seemed to make the place come alive. An observer could see that this magnificent building, with three stories of rising brick and three more of tower, was guarded by shifting troops of guard throughout the day.
Enyeto stared eagerly from the shadows of a building that lie peacefully across a street of red and gray cobble brick. People walked to and fro to find the items or amenities they desired to dwell in as the sun set. Many a family were heading for stores or restaurants to buy the days fresh produce to supply dinner.
The ranger's eyes observed this with delicate observation and allowed himself a few moments of silence to analyze the data he had collected. He figured the guard would be sifting and that meant a small round of ceremonies. It normally left the building unguarded for about thirty-five seconds. Drawing his hand instinctively to the bow, the boy eyed the guard and surrounding, moving targets.
Shooting off even one arrow would mean trouble for them, but he knew what his duties were. Nodding his head he pointed and mouthed out the amount of time they had to his companion. They now had only a minute till the guard switched. They both watched with delicacy and care as they shifted, keeping themselves in the shadow.
Lurking was not looked fondly upon and Enyeto knew it was his place to keep Thibault out of sight. For an individual out of sight was one out of mind. At least that he had learned in his time with the Ranger Core.
Grabbing at the arrow with impatience he began to blend and sneak into the throng of walking pedestrians. Ten seconds will the guards changed shift, and a small window of time to sneak into the supply clock-house. With a breath of frustration he looked back and urged Thibault to keep close and follow. It was their job at this point to make it in the main door without look suspicious, which was not hard. Several individuals came and went each day, mainly to ring or sound the bell, fix the clock, or retrieve something that might have arrived.
As the guard walked away Enyeto approached the heavy door and pushed it forward. It let out a groan and a shriek of anger at Enyeto, but unwillingly allowed the two of them passage into the building. Just as his strength allowed him to close the door, Enyeto did so without delay- just avoiding the skeptic eye of an approaching guard.
Once inside Enyeto noticed floating dust that glittered in the beams of entering sunlight. It seemed as if they had come upon a place that was not meant to be disturbed. However, the floor beneath them was riddled with footsteps that led towards a small room with a staircase and hanging string.
Enyeto eyed the string and pulled lightly on it. It was heavy, and the force needed to be applied to ring such a high bell was great. Instead of attempting to draw attention to themselves he looked at Thibault and offered the other to progress ahead. "These stairs should lead to the top of the tower. Six floors we will be standing in the air, a floor over the five story tall common building. Should we find confrontation upon our ascent we will have to dismiss of the individual; though I should think such an opponent would be unwise to come against us." his eyes rose into the glowing rays of light that pierced the darkness above.
It was unlikely for a guard to be inside the building, unless there happened to be some individual working on the clock or mending the bell. With a shrug he allowed the thoughts to drift out of his mind as their ascent of the tower began. The stairs did not wail or cry out in pain as they crept up the tower. It seemed as if someone was bidding them well on their journey for knowledge and answers. However, Enyeto felt a gut feeling that something bad would happen.
Getting down this tower would not be as easy as going up.
Rising to the top of the landing his eyes were blinded for a moment by the flash of light, but as they adjusted he spotted the small clearing in which their village made home. Forests and cliffs lied all around them, as did various other hidden secrets beneath the canopies.
As his mind began processing all the information he followed the winding line of the river that split the forest and noticed it swam into a wall of fog slightly off the shore. The for seemed to be creeping towards them; one thing was for sure, and that was the island happened to have a line of fog creeping around it. In parts they could see the rolling white-capped ocean, but no matter how far their eyes strained could they see past the fog.
It was hiding them from something. On a good day you could see a distance off the ocean shore, but never before had Enyeto's vision off the island been his displaced.
He wandered if some type of- "Magic!" he cried during his train of thought. He figured that an island could not have been surrounded so well by fog. He figured the creeping fog was real and that the rolling skies of gray to the west meant trouble; however, guessing the power of Cecile and the priests he figured that their vision would be blocked by some sort of spell if they got up this high.
It was like all these secrets were being kept from him. The temple was surrounded by an island of fog constantly, and although the air on the island was thick with fog most evenings and nights, it seemed unreal that something so foreboding could be keeping them contained on this island.
"What do you think is keeping us here?" he questioned, pulling his bow off his shoulders. His hands pulled back the string and fired the air forward. He had not aimed the arrow itself yet, but the gravity of the situation made it feel as if this was the proper time to do such a thing.
He looked over to Thibault for some explanation or answers to the phenomenon. He was not a mage so he could not explain why such an individual would enchant the tower.
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Posted: Tue Aug 03, 2010 6:29 pm
Thibault stared at the building for a long moment, studying the shape and design as well as the materials used. It was beautiful in the light of the sunset that would soon be coming forth. He had to admit that, but why was it that none were meant to enter? At least it seemed so to his eyes.
He watched Enyeto wondering if he would take Thi's suggestion of pushing the other people into the guard. But then, Thi knew he would take the option of the people just distracting the guard so that they could get in without anyone seeing them. It would keep them more unseen and they could not be blamed directly for anything.
Just watching him, Thi understood what the other was about as he continued to watch. Then they were moving with him staying right behind Enyeto. As they moved through the people, he was beginning to be rather pleased at how this was turning out. Nobody seemed to even notice they were there. He was starting to like this hiding in plain sight idea. It could be very useful at some point. Twice he moved behind another person and then picked up the pace behind Enyeto to keep from being seen. By the time they got to the doorway, Thi was wondering how neither of them had tripped over someone else.
As he slipped inside, Thi knew that they had timed it perfectly by blending into the people. The guard's distraction had been a big advantage for them. And even the door's screeching had been covered for the most part because the door was closed before the guard saw anything. But now they needed to rise to the top and then get back out before someone caught them so he nodded that he would go upwards.
Thibault followed Enyeto silently to the very top where they looked around. Six floors he climbed upwards slowly to stand looking outwards at what he could see. He gave no thought to whether they really should be up in the tower. He just had known they both had a need. Thibault himself wanted to see what he could see and Enyeto needed to fire off his arrow. That much was clear so it was logical they do it together.
He blinked at the light, closing his eyes tightly until they adjusted, then he glanced outwards at the oddity that the fog was. The mist covered the entire perimeter around the island allowing nothing out and nothing in or so it seemed. But there were things he recognized. The forests and cliffs were easily seen as was a portion of white sand, but not far in the distance no matter the direction was the fog.
"I think you are right. It is magic of some sort. I did not think it took that long for us to get here once we left the other land, yet I cannot see it from here. The fog blocks it. A very good place for the training and to hide sacrifices that are going to be used in other ways. And I am sure that without seeing us that none would even know we are here or even believe that this place exists." His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I am unsure what it could be having little to do with magic. It is not natural, but protection of some sort. The fog is constant and only the lowest places had the thickest fog where I came from. They would disappear the next morning. This does not vanish in full sunlight."
Glancing over at Enyeto's arrow, he asked, "Are you going to fire that from here? It seems to me that if it is meant to reach the gods, then the higher the better." His voice was entirely serious. "I wonder if they will catch it or let it fall where it will and pick it up afterwards." It was not that he really believed in the gods. His mother had. Chantal did, but Thi could not say he had ever really done so.
He did not say it but he was working on the way out. They could not go back out the door since they would walk directly into that guard. So they would have to find a way outside, and jump to somewhere it would not kill them. Maybe to the lower building. If they could find a way in a window or down the side, it would be better than walking out as they came in.
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Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 2:13 pm
Thibault had a point.
Fog did not manifest itself in such a way. In his home land the fog kept low to the ground and only rose back into the air as the sun crept and kissed the morning horizon. With eyes locked on to the island's border he unstrung the arrow from the pack on his back and strung it on the arrow.
The bow string was taut and harder to pull than the bows at home. Of course he knew his bow had been made and carved differently. At home the warriors were in charge of crafting their own bows, so that the wood and texture would be to their liking.
With eyes focused he blindly closed his eyes, aimed, and pulled the string. The thing wire-like hair dug into his fingers and caused a feeling of pain to slide up his hand. It felt as if the hair was cutting through the thick layers of skin.
He held the string longer than any other archer would as his mind flooded with memories. A faint tear crept out of his eye and slid down his cheek. The memories of the morning meal and afternoon labor. The adventures through the forest with the animals and plants.
He remembered the smell and feeling of home as if he had been long gone from that place. The air around him filled with that familiar smell as his arm grew tired from the pull. Without much aim he let the arrow fly through the air. It soared and almost created a musical tune as it zipped and dove through the air.
Opening his eyes and watching it fly he looked at Thibault and nodded. He had nothing more to do here.
They had discovered what they came for and Enyeto had let the war-arrow fly. Slinging the bow back over his shoulders he eyed his companion with skepticism before looking to the ground in hopes of discovering a better way out from this place.
Thibault had mentioned something of finding a way out, and now Enyeto knew why. As his vision drifted lower he noticed something that his eyes had not caught beforehand. Someone had spotted the arrow and already there were guards forming at the entrance to the Clock House.
They had been spotted.
"We need to find a way off." he hurriedly noted, gathering a few things he had set down upon their observing the tower and island. Their best option would be to climb down to the roof and vault themselves off the roof into the trees.
It was dangerous, but worth a try. Heading over to the wall that towered above the Clock house he looked down and nodded, waving the other over to observe it. This was their only way down. In an effort to escape quickly he pushed himself over the wall. Grabbing onto the bricks he managed to find hold and begin lowering himself.
The one good thing is that none of these bricks seemed to be laid evenly, which of course allowed him to make his way down without many problems.
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Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 7:57 am
The more he watched the fog and thought about it, the more Thibault was certain that it was an unnatural occurance. It was to keep them there and to keep others out. He briefly wondered if it actually misguided those who came too close to the island. More than likely, it did. At least it made perfect sense to him.
He watched Enyeto, eyebrow raised as he notched the arrow and reverently let it fly. A faint twitch in his lips was the only indication he found the action amusing. He had known the boy would. It was at that moment that he decided he liked Enyeto. A faint flicker shifted through his expression as he wrapped his mind around that thought. Friendship was not a concept he thought of in reference to himself, but he found himself contemplating it.
He saw they were seen even as Enyeto had. "We have to get out of here fast." Moving quickly behind the other boy, Thi followed him, noting the options they had. He could already hear the footsteps echoing up the stairs towards them. Certain that theirs were echoing downwards, Thi didn't hesitate to follow behind.
There was some danger to it, but in a way, he rather liked that sensation sliding through his body. There had been a bit of it when he had killed those three men, but he had other matters to deal with at the time- a guard and priest. Now it seemed all the more poignant in the heat of the moment.
Without hesitation, he glanced down and then jumped out behind Enyeto. He had hoped the bricks would be scaleable. When he saw that they were, Thi's lips curved upwards into a ghost of a smile. It was the first one in a very long time and he never really noticed that his mood had brightened a bit.
His hands found holds on the bricks just as Enyeto did, lowering himself bit by bit. By the time the guards got to the top, they would already be out the backside and gone. Knowing they still had some time left yet before their free time was up, he glanced over at the other.
"Hey. Head for the beach. Don't wait." His voice a bit breathless filled with excitement as he continued climbing downwards noting that Enyeto would reach the bottom before he did. When he was close enough, he shoved himself backwards into the bushes at the bottom, letting them cushion his fall except he smacked a branch a little harder than expected. The air woofed out of him and he gasped but hurried to his feet. They had to get away. Who knew what sort of punishment they would get?
A quick glance at Enyeto and he was running around the side of the buildings. It only took him a moment to slip into the crowd again and out the other side towards the path they had used to get there.
"Do you think anyone else has done that? Climbed to the top like that I mean." he wondered calling to Enyeto as they finally made it out of sight. Slowing down to a walk, Thi began brushing his clothing off. His side was a little bruised but nothing he could not handle. His head turned and his eyes darted around the behind them. Had they really gotten away with it?
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