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 Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 1:32 pm
What Epithany saw before her wasn't the same Keno that had went with her into the Mindscape. It was the original Keno, though he didn't seem like he really needed an explanation. Actually, it didn't even look like he was paying attention. His head hung as though he were sleeping standing up. Though one could not be too sure since only his head seemed to be visible.
His breathing seemed a bit raspy as he finally became animated. "I've been here quite a while," he says in a barely conscious voice. With a yawn, he lifted his head up and smiled at his old friend. "Long time Epith. What took you so long?" He looked about and realized his head almost seemed to be glowing, the only thing besides his female accomplice that he could see. "I personally like the place as is, but I guess we need a bit of light eh?"
With another smile, one as pure as Keno use to have, he blinked and the plane about them illuminated, indicating that Epithany's feet were planted on a rocky surface. It was a small surface, not really leading anywhere, just large enough for the two to stand on comfortably. The most intriguing thing was the fact that Keno was chained. In a cliche manner, his arms and legs held him down in a mock Christ appearance.
"If you wouldn't mind, you should try and get me out of these chains before they decide to kill you. I'm not exactly in control of much in here anymore."
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 1:42 pm
Caught off guard by what was revealed when he began reshaping the mindscape she nodded at his request. Running her hands over the runes aligning her staff she grasped one end as if the hilt of sword. Crackling with energy about 3 fourths of the staff flares with energy assuming a almost light sabresque appearence. With several quick and accurate strokes she cut Keno free from his bonds the mana blade fading back into staff.
"What now? Some questions come to mind, but from experience dealing with mindscapes there is much we have to do here before we can state that our work is done here."
Gazing about she sighed hoping the bridge she had created for her return was strong enough.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 1:55 pm
"I have no idea. I'm not even sure why you decided to come here. Grateful though." He rubbed his wrists casualy, finally free of their bonds. His mind was at it should be it seemed. He had been chained so long that he deicded to mostly sleep through everything.
"As far as I can see, everything is fine. We should just go while we can." That being said, he shook his legs and began to walk, only to feel something tug from behind. It was odd though. He felt as though whatever was pulling him was pulling through his back and not simply from it. "What's this?"
Glancing back he noticed another chain. It seemed to be made of a different sort of material, some sort of energy manifestation. "I guess this is what we need to take care of. I can't leave." He grabbed the chain and tried pulling it out, but it didn't budge. Odd. He then tugged at the chain, but still nothing,
Slowly it began to move. It grew steadily more taut and soon began to pull at him. He started dragging backwards, going more into darkness and therefore, to some unmarked end. "Yeah..."
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 2:05 pm
Finding the situation she nodded at the sight of the single tether holding him back. Sighing she looked him smiling sheepishly.
"I hate how literal metaphors can be in mindscapes. I suppose were going to have to investigate what keeps you in thrall."
Draping her staff over her shoulder she pointed towards the great unknown.
"You lead the way. Facing our fears and what not makes us stronger. Or so I've been told."
Brushing some her emerald tresses which continued to dangle in front of her eyes she awaited his lead.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 2:17 pm
Keno merely sighed. There wasn't anything around here he was afraid of. Maybe she meant something else by that statement. However, seeing as he couldn't go anywhere anyway, he started walking in the direction of the pulling chain. It began to luminate the further he walked, the rocky surface expanding as well. There wasn't much to see. That's just the way he liked it. Silent and dark.
Something was wrong. Upon feeling it he stopped in his tracks. "We shouldn't be going this way." He peered through the darkness, but found nothing. He dared not venture any further. "We'll have to think of something else."
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
In the physical realm, the face that Keno wore shaped into a frown. Somewhere within his mind he realized that he was indeed different, similar to Keno is many ways, but not him at all. Well this wouldn't do. He liked the body. There was no reason to give it up. And he almost succeeded in destroying the real creature without any effort. But Keno had caught on to the chain and was beginning to retreat.
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
As Keno spun around to retreat, the chain immediately began trailing quickly into the abyss behind him. Five steps later he was yanked back, sprawling on the ground. He stood up, forced to resist the pull of the chain as much as he could. He could tell he wasn't the dominant fighter however. "What now indeed."
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 2:29 pm
Crossing her arms over her chest she frowned widely.
"Keno...within a mindscape, power is related to how much will you have thus a person who is the weakest in reality can be the strongest in a mindscape. You just have to have faith in yourself. Truthfully I know this is easier said than done but you have to deal with what is causing all this anxiety. Namely what brought you to this point to shackle your mind from the rest of the world. If you can answer these questions then what ever is holding you back their will have no power over you.
Leaning on her staff she sighed.
"Remember you are the creator of your own domain. You know in your heart what is right and what is wrong. Whomever is out there is corrupting what you created for yourself in your life. Take back command."
Within her own mind Anima stirred annoyed with such talk, that even she herself had come to deal with.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 2:43 pm
Keno stood completely still, not moved by the chain, which was still struggling against him vainly. "What are you talking about? Anxiety? You mean that whole Raleigh dying thing? I'm over that, been that way for a while. I've been shackled simply because I couldn't get free. Clearly though," he pointed casually at the chain, "my captor still doesn't want me to leave."
Keno sighed. He was having a deja vu experience, as if he had been through a similar conversation with Epith before. To any extent he still needed to get free. "Well at least I'm able to resist whatever is pulling at me. I still need to break this thing though. It's starting to hurt my back." Turning back to face the shadows, there seemed to be nothign ahead. Placing both hands on the chain and planting both feet firmly, he began to tug. He wasn't sure still what was pulling back, but it might as well have been a wall.
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
Whatever had taken Keno's body seemed to be struggling for a moment. There was a block apparently and he couldn't seem to regain control over whatever it was he was doing. He rested for just a moment before his aura flared, his own ambition starting to grow as he gradually became more composed.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 3:05 pm
((Sorry Gaia was acting weird for a bit there and I wouldn't let me post.))
Shrugging she smiled not sure what to make of the situation.
"Well if its not about Raleigh then it something else that has driven you to this point. One does not become as you have just over night. There has to be something that triggered your current state of living. What ever it is, is that you have to face whats holding you back. Think about what's been bothering you all this time."
Gazing down the length of shack she sighed not sure what to make of all this.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 3:13 pm
"Seeing as I've been inconscious all this time, there hasn't been a lot for me to think about. Just that same drolling memory. But if you'll insist I'll stop focusing on my progress to my doom and bother with satisfying whatever damn fantasy you want me to fulfill." He was rather amazed at the quickness of his tongue. He spoke sharply, not even thinking about what he was saying. Stubbornly, he let go of the chain and was being dragged once again, though at a very slow pace. He practically didn't move at all. "So how about you try to break this damn chain and I'll figure out what's ailing me eh? What's holding me back."
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 3:37 pm
Finding his words rather biting she held her tongue not sure what to make of the situation.
"Seriously what is going here is created mainly prior to your being here."
Frowning she gazed at the chain yanking him back. Taking a deep breath she decided to just make the best of the situation.
"I somehow doubt a mana blade would cut through such bounds, thus I shall call another..."
Taking in a deep breath she closed her eyes summoning chi into her hands and then in the next movements she thrust her hand towards the back of her neck gripping the very vertebrae that connected her neck to he pivot in her neck. With a sickening rip and the fine splash of blood the long length of a hilt could be seen. Continuing to yank upward what could be seen was a sword seeming embroidered of her own flesh. Collasping to her knees she gazed up at Keno, blood having stained her shoulders a deep crimson.
"There...."
Grasping the hilt she drew forth a Katana with a blade of blood red hue. As if it itself had a beating heart the very countenance of the blood seemed to flow as if being up withen in a glass casing. Rising to her she brandished her sword over the tether and then brought it down in one clean stroke. The sound of metal against stone reverberated through the area.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 3:46 pm
After the sound died, Keno looked at the chain. Nothing. "I guess it's up to me afterall," he sighed, not really irritated but malcontent. A thought flashed by, taking the semblance of light out in the distance which flickered like a candle. "Do me a favor and prove me wrong. Grab the chain and pull with me." Regardless of her decision, his hands glowed a dark, dripping crimson as he placed them against the dimmer hue of the chains. He began to pull back, and was indeed succeeding slowly. "But I warn you if you ask me what I'm up to, I'll drop this idea like a brick."
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 3:51 pm
Shrugging she sheathed the sword tying is scabbard to her waist. Wiping the blood on her hands onto her robes she proceeded to help him pull yanking back as hard as she could not sure what he was up to, but at least he was trying himself.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 4:02 pm
When Epith grabbed the chain, Keno converted his energy into the chain, which trailed down it's length into the abyss, emanating with an eerie sort of light and revealing far off in the distance the shape of a void. "Thought so. If I had to choose a way to kill someone...this chain isn't really pulling me. It was protected however so that you couldn't damage it even if you tried." With a fierce jerking moment, he snapped the chain, which retreated off into the void.
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
In the physical realm, the Keno most had seen pver the past couple of days seemed to jerk violently in aggitation. When his body calmed, his eyes could be seen open, glowing with an odd light that that had the entire arena seeing red.
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
"We need to run now. I'm sure you have a way out of here?" Before even getting an answer, Keno grabbed Epith's wrist and jerked her away from the void, sprinting in the other direction. The void took on the form of a shadow that raced after them. Keno wasn't quite aware of this, but he was sure it was likely to happen. "If not say so now."
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 4:17 pm
Despite being yanked at first from the looming shape behind the rushed alongside Keno not sure what to make of what was behind. Tossing aside her philosophical musing she just ran. As the Shadow inched closer behind she began result the return rune a blinding clearly not part of the mindscape stretched out before them.
"You know how they say don't go towards the light because it leads to great beyond. ******** that!!"
Barrelling foward she continued to rush foward towards the glow ahead.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2006 4:26 pm
Keno took one glance behind him and frowned as he shot forth even quicker. "Just a warning, I'm not gonna be Replicating when we get back, it's best that you steer clear of me. Now go." Once again being abrupt, he grabbed Epith and threw her forth with a great deal of strength, not losing a step the entire time. If she happened to see him on the way out, she would see he was holding that shadow of a thing down. It appeared to be reaching for her, but fell short thanks to him.
When he saw that she was gone, he stumbled forth, heading for the exit as well. Something was gripped within him however, he froze in his tracks for just a moment, but recomposed quickly and continued forward. He felt something in him ripping from his mental being. The shadow was gone, and he wasn't sure what to make of that. The close he got the more violent his mind began to split. With one last ditch effort he lept forth.
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
His body ascended, rose to its feet as if by the strings of a puppet master. Idle and lifeless, it was tossed aside, as two impacts crashed agaisnt the left and right walls. Keno had gone left, who knows what went right. The act was so quick it could hardly be followed. For a moment he lie there still unconscious.
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