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Well, there wasn't an answer from the man, but Ryugi HAD to know. If this wasn't the real Maximos, then he was either a figment of Ryugi's imagination made real by the void, an imposter, or perhaps something even more strange. Either way, Ryugi spoke.

Your lack of response makes me question this...miracle I see before me. If you're holding back the truth in consideration of my feelings, please, I ask you as a friend of Maximos, do not hold back the truth for me. As much as I wish you are you, I would not want to be carrying a false truth around with me.

If you ARE truly the real Maximos, I may be able to help you reach the living world once more, but if you are not, then please, tell me who or what you really are. I am sorry, but I MUST know...

Ryugi's eyes showed compassion, and truth. He was a big boy, and he could take whatever the real answer might be. Even if this was not the real Maximos, Ryugi knew that if anyone could find a way back to the living, it was his friend.

Ryugi sighed. But he was only slightly dissapointed. 'A while to go before he was placed here.' is what the shadow had said. That statement alone made him believe that the real Maximos was indeed out there somewhere, trying to get back to his friends. Even in death the man didn't appear to give up...

Don't worry yourself with it. There is still hope that he really is out there trying to find a way back afterall. Not even death can prevent everyone from returning to those they care about. Nothing in this world is perfect, not even death itself. I'm sure Maximos understood that.

Ryugi sighed a bit, but then smiled and leaned up against one of the massive roots of the towering Tree of Life, the top of the root easily being hundreds of feet above him.

In a sense, I cheated death myself. By all of my knowledge, I shouldn't be alive right now. But, here I am, right as rain, and with some new powers to boot. However, to answer your question, I'm not really sure why I'm here. You see just like Maximos probably is doing, I too am trying to return to my friends and loved ones.

He reached into his white coat to fish around for something, finding it a moment later. He then pulled out a glorious pendant that glowed with a whitish blue energy, and held it in the palm of his hand for the shadow to see.

And this pendant is what will help me do it. Apparently it has the power to put me back in the material plane. All I've got to do is find what my friends in the fire plane called a "Planar Hub".

Ryugi sighed and placed the pendant back into his robes, adjusted his position, and then leaned back again, continuing his explaination.

The only problem with that is that I don't know what a Planer Hub looks like. I can only assume it is a place where all the planes of existance meet in a single area. While traveling through the fire plane I came upon a massive swiling vortex of energy that seeme dto spiral into another place. I jumped through it with the pendant, and ended up here.

Ryugi looked around from side to side, and up and down, moving his arm as he looked, passing it over the area as he spoke about it.

Ryugi's hands came to his chin as he listened to what the shadow had to say, weighing it carefully.

If what you say is true, then this place might very well be a Planar Hub. It seems like it would have to have access to all the other planes in order to call up these strange places. Perhaps what I feel into was a sort of drain where energy from the fire plane leaks into this place. If this place IS a Planar Hub, then all I'd need to do is find a border between this word and the physical plane. Since this place has to be in contact with the plane in order to move people here, there MUST be an area where I can access it, the only question would be where.

Well, this is indeed amazing. But my guess is that I'll have to find the REAL border between the planes in order for the pendant to work. If I didn't know better I'd think I was in Angara.

Ryugi looked around at the sights as he pondered how to go about the next step.

Ryugi looked quizzically towards the shadow for a moment, then at his chest. What did he me-- Oh... He opened his coat and pulled out a small cloth bag. It wasn't much to look at, and seemed to be of no major importance at first glance. However, to Ryugi, it was perhaps one of the most important items on his person, and the ONLY item that was ALWAYS with him. He even kept it by his bed when he slept at night. The small bag was a dark blueish-green, and had patches all over it, showing that it had been repaired many times over the years with loving care, the way a mother might place a band-aid on a scrape or cut. It was tied with a worn, leather, piece of string, and as it emerged, Ryugi knelt down to the ground, gently placing it at his feet.

I never told Maximos about this bag, but it's perhaps my most treasured possesion...

Ryugi wore a sentimental grin on his face as he looked down at the bag, his eyes as kind and gentle looking as could be. Even if he hadn't said it, one would be able to sense the adoration Ryugi had for whatever was inside this bag. In it, it held several pieces from Ryugi's past, each holding memories from someone who Ryugi had held dear over his life. A piece of red fabric about a square foot in size, part of Ryugi's Father's cloak. A ring with a beautiful saphire in it, his mother's. A golden earing, one of the earings of his friend Kara, a mage who had passed away in the adventure to attain Ragnarok. A small dagger of his friend Garret, a thief who had become a mercenary along with Ryugi and had passed in a fight with a giant golem. There was also a small toy of an Angaran Soldier with the High Council's markings still visable, a toy from when Ryugi was a child and a reminder of simpler days. The two newer additions also slid out along with the others, a small piece of black fabric, taken from the spot where Maximos had passed, and a set of gauntlets with hidden arm-blades, emblazoned with an "M"...

Here you'll find a collection of my memories and treasured possesions... This dagger from a friend of mine who passed fighting a golem. This earring, from my mother... This red fabric, from my father's cloak... This toy soldier was one of my favorite toys as a child, and reminds me that there are always simpler days in one's life, and that we should tresure them for all they're worth, because we never know when they'll be stripped away from us.

Ryugi sighed a bit, and then picked up the single golden ring, rolling it over and over in his fingers. It seemed to be in the best of shape out of all the older tidbits in his bag, and even though it was old, it still shone as if brand new. Ryugi's eyes seemed to shimmer a bit as he look at the ring, and a sigh came from his mouth, along with a soft sniff and a long deliberate blink. He then spoke again, his voice cracking slightly, moving the ring around in his fingers as the words came.

This ring... This belonged to my friend Kara. She was a white mage, and a half-elf. She had the most beautiful blue hair you'd ever seen, and her eyes were an amber that rivaled the sun's. She was kind, gentle, and had a pure, loving heart and soul. I'd brought her along on my journey for Ragnarok because she'd always wanted to go out and see the world, and she'd practically begged me to take her. After alot of pleading, I finally agreed...

As time passed, she and I became closer, until one night she confronted me about her feelings, and I had to turn her down... Durring that time, Vargus was still on my mind, and I still hadn't let go of her "death". Of course back then I didn't know she was still alive, but either way, I still couldn't return her feelings of love... She was heartbroken, but kept on a cheerful face for everyone when we finally got to the cave that contained Ragnarok...

As he spoke, the image of Angara around him and the shadow faded and changed into the visage of the cave of Ragnarok, several fighters, including Ryugi's pupil Damrius came into view, and began to traverse the cave. It was mostly all silent except for a few soft echos of voices that seemed to react toi Ryugi's memories of the situation. The images were also three-dimensional, as if the pair was also there along with them, however, Ryugi didn't see any of this, as he continued to look at the ring as he spoke, the shadow seeing the events play out as Ryugi spoke.

The journey through the cave was quick enough, but once we got to the main chamber of the cave, where we were able to see Ragnarok, all hell broke loose...

As Ryugi spoke, hundreds of dark beasts phased into view around the small party of fighters, and then all moved in to attack.

We fought as hard as we could, giving it our all, but we were losing ground, and slowly, they gathered us into a corner...







The events played out as Ryugi spoke of them, the shadow witnessing first hand what had happened in the swirling mists and energy of the void. Slowly, the images faded, and the voices vanished, the void once more growing quiet as Ryugi's final words to Kara echoed on slitghtly after the images had faded.

Kara was the only person in my lifetime I've ever loved even close to how much I love Vargus... She held a special place in my heart, even if I couldn't tell her exactly how I felt then, because even I didn't understand it...

This ring... I bought her this ring on our adventure. It was given to her the night that she confessed to me how much she loved me, and it was on her finger when she passed away in my arms that day in the view of the conclusion of our quest, in the view of Ragnarok... She gave her life to try and save mine...everyone's life that day...and I got in her way, trying to stop her, to save her, and in the end, it was my distraction that caused her to die. And ever since then I've blamed myself for her death, and I've fought to protect everyone I care about, and have tried to get stronger so that they don't have to go through the same pain that Kara did...

Ryugi's eyes were filled with tears of sadness, and strong resolve as he then turned to look up at the shadow of his dear friend Maximos.

And so... If I must give up one of these things in order to get back to my loved ones on the other side, I would want to give this ring. So Kara...can be at peace knowing that she was...finally able to help me, when I needed it most...

After he spoke, Ryugi bowed his head, his eyes shrouded by shadow, as his body quivered, the golden ring clenched tightly in his right hand, a few tears falling from his chin, and onto the ground at his feet.

"Totally." Griff spends ALL of his ******** time in the OOC room, so he's already standing here. Right there against the couch where everyone else sits during these conversations. "Now. I want to make this wager legit for ALL to see. I will put my Ancient Katana up against your G Blade. SHALL WE?!"

((Where's that?))