|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:06 pm
"It will be my first time. The only place I've been aside from here is the Underground, with Mystery and Valor's host." That adventure had be interesting but not entirely pleasant. At least they had been able to save Saljin and the children before any serious damage had been done. Perhaps one day Tajnevaki would return there and turn it into something less dark and foreboding. Now that she thought about it, it had been some time since she had seen Enjiron. Had the man actually fused Valor's gem yet? Perhaps it was something worth investigating when they returned from Daelyth.
Tien snickered at Xun's comment about sneaking into another's quarters. "And they say I am the bad one for things like that."
She payed particular attention to the process of Ankou opening a Door. It could be a useful skill for later and made a mental note to ask later if there were any particulars involved- aside from the planet or city for a destination. Once the Door was open and it seemed safe to step through she did so having no idea what to expect on the other side.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 20, 2012 11:30 pm
 Glyph chuckled softly and shook his head at Xun as the other spoke of treasures, amused by the dragon king's enthusiasm and playfulness. As much as he feared the other being hurt, he was glad for Lifewater's presence.
When Ankou opened the portal, he tucked the information away for later. Travel for him had been rather swift as of recent days, with the instant recall his pendant afforded him, but knowing how to use the more mundane (if they could be called that) methods would be most beneficial.
Stepping through first, Glyph felt the tingle of mana race up his arms and tangle in his leaves, feeling as though he'd walked through cobwebs when the fresh air of another world filled his lungs.
It was dawn, the sun just beginning to rise as it gilded everything in reds and golds and pinks and the crispness of night still lingered in the shadows. Before them, endless, stretched a parched and barren wasteland punctuated only by the swell of dunes. Their door was located in the broken ruins of an ancient courtyard. The cracked and stained stones beneath their feet were partially buried with sand and the walls had crumbled, leaving only foundations. The wall the door stood in was partially broken, revealing nothing beyond. The sand had piled up on the other side, burying any remains of a building.
In the center of the courtyard was a cracked and sun bleached fountain crowned by figures holding amphoras at a jaunty angle. Their features, however, had been sand blasted and eroded away by acid rain, leaving them pitted and unrecognizable. Faint swirls in the bowl of the fountain hinted at decorations but they were yellowed and dulled, the bowl itself filled with nothing but dust and sand.
In the far corner, in the lee of the wall where the shade was greatest from the rising sun, rested a skeleton curled in a ball. Dried and cracked skin still clung to the bones in places, keeping its position locked in what might have been a prayer posture. Rags hung from the arms and were wrapped around the waist, stains long gone dark the only evidence of cause of death. Had the person starved? Been stabbed? Or committed suicide? It was impossible to tell from appearance alone.
Just beyond the walls, three sticks, blasted and fragile from the wind, stood upright, their orientation suggesting gravemarkers, an assumption confirmed by the half buried child with the sunken, mummified skin and tangle of red hair contrasted against the corpse-grin of shiny white teeth.
Further still, behind the door they'd stepped from, were mounds of what were probably buildings. A void between lumps became a road that ran a few meters from the house and meandered off into the distance - a trade road, perhaps? Glyph narrowed his eyes then shook his head, "I wonder if this was a town..." From the regular spacing of the buildings, it probably was... and he was certain if they went digging, they'd find more corpses like the ones that greeted them here. He shivered. Gehenna had spared this world no mercy, that much was obvious from their first steps.
No birds called or even circled above, no insects crawled or buzzed about the corpse in the corner... the land was dead, bereft of life and hard baked by the unforgiving sun.
Forest felt no whisper of his domain in the vicinity and it left him feeling hollow, small... out of place. This land was inhospitable as its best, fatal at its worst. Inhaling deeply, he stepped off to the side and lifted his face to the sky as he let his shoulders relax while the others filed in. Palms open, he used the moments while people oriented themselves to feel for dormant life, the seeds of the future.
His mana flowed out and here and there the spark of seeds stirred at his touch, long forced to slumber that seemed endless. In the ground beneath his feet, life stirred the strongest. He opened his eyes, a sad smile playing across his lips as he announced, "We are in a garden. It is dead but there are seeds yet, still viable." That much was obvious, from the handful of shoots, tiny and frail, that had sprouted at his feet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 1:37 am
 Cosine smiled at Xun's joking and watched Ankou concentrate on the door. She too knew how they worked, though Ankou was far more skilled at connecting with the other worlds. Infinity's curiosity made her smile, as if the bird would be able to open them herself,
As the door opened a wave of dry air rushed over them. It smelled of death and nothing. Of course she had seen many horrible things during gehenna, but never anywhere so devastated. She had always met people, holding on to hope, fighing to survive.
Cosine stepped through the door slowly, her eyes going straight to the body curled against the wall in defence. The desperation of the pose struck her, she walked closer to it, then towards the graves, crouching next to that of the child. Her expression one of deep sadness. In her mind numbers. Hundreds of thousands of them. A Death Toll. Their suffering must have been horrific.
"It was I believe. Lots of people died here, and beyond." She scooped up some of the sand and started to cover the exposed bones. They deserved some dignity.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 10:17 am
"It looks like it was..." Xun Jiang found himself echoing Cosine's words without really noticing it. Passing through the Door had been a strange feeling he had never quite felt for himself, but this... It was impossible to remain impassible when faced with this. All trace of the dragon's lighthearted humor was gone, tempered down by the weariness and desolation that clung in the air even now. The grave, the corpses, the devastation, the smallness of what life Glyph could make spring forth...
Death seemed to still hang in the air, even now.
This kind of desolation was not something he was unused to see, so it was easy for Ankou to be less affected than his companions. He had seen many world in ruins, but perhaps not as extremely as this. This place, whatever it had been, was now clearly abandoned.
His expression did soften at the sadness he saw in Cosine's eyes, and he started to move toward her, but stopped abruptly. First there were whispers, the barest sounds brushing against his consciousness, but they built up into something more much too quickly for him to even try to do anything about it.
Cosine busied herself with the remain of the child, and Xun Jiang looked back to the skeleton against the wall. "Should we bury them ?" He asked, uncertain what to do. When he did not get any answer, he looked back. "Ankou... ?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 1:41 pm
Dead. This place had been hit hard, there was no mistaking that. Tien closed her eyes, shivered involuntarily, wrapping her arms around herself. Really she should have prepared herself for something like this, but it would have been difficult since she had not really known what to expect. Slowly she took a few deep breaths, trying to steady herself. If the others could face this then she could to. She had to. She had agreed to help on this journey after all. She would not be the child who insists on tagging along with the adults then has to be looked after.
Green eyes opened after a few moments and returned her arms to her sides. Trickery certainly seemed more composed, having quelled her momentary shellshock, at least until she saw Ankou standing there stock still. "I have a bad feeling about this..." Her hands went to the hilt of her daggers out of reflex, despite the fact that she had a feeling they would do no good.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 11:15 pm
Glyph had crouched to offer shade to the tiny shoots, murmuring under his breath in what could only be described as forest sounds. The creak of timber, the hiss of flutter leaves, the snap of broken branches... they were entirely out of place in the silence of the garden and though they were soft sounds, barely audible, they were made all the more obvious by the contrast.
At Xun's question, he looked over at the corpse and tilted his head thoughtfully. Sustenance would have to come from somewhere... the corpse was a husk, a ghost of what a person once was, the soul had no use for it any longer. "If we bury them in the garden, they will provide the nutrients for the plants to take root once more," he offered, turning his gaze to Xun then sliding beyond to Ankou.
The god had gone deathly still. The unfocused gaze and rigid posture immediately alarmed Glyph and he stood, looking around as he crossed the distance between them in a few short steps to lay a hand on Ankou's shoulder, "Spirit Guide? What is it?" Following Ankou's gaze, he frowned as he saw nothing and glanced back over his shoulder with a look of concern. Whatever it was, it was something specific to Ankou...
"Can any of you sense anything?" He asked, a flush of command in his voice that was not normally there. Glyph could lead, if he chose to, he had the presence and the intelligence, but his nature often lead him to befriend rather then command.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 2:20 am
(( Zedre hope this is okay and not toe stepping? )) Cosine herself whispered a mortal prayer as she covered the body back up she almost didn't notice the silence that fell over them. The concern in Tien's voice and command in Glyph's. The goddess looked up and across to Ankou. He was stood deathly still and she knew the vacant look in his eyes well. slowly she stood and smirked a little. If he was freaking them all out this early on then it was going to be a long trip.
"They're calling to him." She explained. If she could be of no other help at least she spoke fluent Ankou. "The spirits." She spoke calmly, her voice level and cool as she felt a slight chill in the air and glanced around. "There will be hundreds of thousands of them across this world." She was concerned for Ankou most, she worried about how the volume of them would affect him. Would he be able to cope with them?
"You might sense something if many are drawn to him ... you might not. Either way those won't be of use." She pointed to Tien's daggers. She thought to Pythagoras and the way they had affected him.
"I imagine they will be scared, angry, confused. You might feel that. If it's overwhelming I can help calm things."
She moved a little closer to Ankou, keeping her green eyes on him. Of course in reality she had no idea what was going to happen, but she felt it best to give them some explaination of a logical outcome. That way they could be somewhat prepared.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 9:42 am
Hundreds of thousands of... Oh crap. Oh... Oh crap. He had no idea how to even deal with this. Illisia could recall a soul to a body but... Well, they were way beyond that, and there was little he could have done either way. He dealt with life, not death.
"Is there anything we can do to help him ?" Cosine seemed to have a good idea what was going on, at least, so perhaps they could do something ?
But then it hit, and what he'd just thought seemed incredibly futile. It felt like he was suddenly submerged in an ice-cold path - hairs standing on ends and only making his mane look even wilder. Words that felt like they were crashing against his skull and yet he could not comprehend their meanings at all. The sensations and feelings were the worst - hands, talons, claws, sinking in, in his arms, in his tail, pulling, pulling, pulling...
Hopelessness, despair, loneliness, no faith, no hope, no future, pain pain pain PAIN...
Where were everyone ? He could not see them, not anymore...
His first reflex was to try to get them to let go, and that was exactly what Xun Jiang tried to do. There was a sudden, noticeable spike in his mana before he send his tail crashing against the ground. The wave that resulted was enough to kick some sand up, but ultimately useless at pushing the spirits away.
And that was only the tip of the iceberg. He had heard nothing - not Xun Jiang and Tien's worried voices, not Cosine's calm assessment of the situation, not even felt the weight of Glyph's hand resting on his shoulder.
There was nothing but him, and the storm.
The words that felt like they were crashing on the Dragon KIng's skull, only to bounce away misunderstood, where ripping through his mind like lightning strikes, so quick and loud and so many of them that he could not even begin to comprehend what they were trying to tell him, what they were trying to make him understand. As much as he tried to separate them, pick the voices and listen the voices one by one, more seemed to pour in to undo the mental sorting he was desperately trying to accomplish.
It was not their presence that was the problem, but the numbers, the sheer numbers. There were too many, so many, there should not have been this many, should not, some should have found their ways, the world tree, the soul paths...
And yet he knew it, felt it, that it was not the case, was only slowly, painfully, starting to decode what the spirits were trying to tell him. The whole population of Daelyth had been blasted out, ripped apart by plagues, famines, wars, and decay - and yet that whole population was still there.
They were the first sign of life these people had felt in years, and now that they had felt it, they where desperate to regain that life.
It began with the tip of his fingers, but was mostly concealed by the cloak he was wearing - turning from blueish white to transparent. It quickly did spread to the rest of him, as he subconsciously gave up physical form to send that energy elsewhere, to try to short out the storm in his mind before it swallowed him whole.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 11:53 am
The single memory she had that involved ghosts was nothing compared to this, those had only been spirits that were lingering because Nergal had been present. This was an entire planet's worth of spirits and they were being drawn toward them like moths to a porch light. Her hands dropped away from her daggers when Cosine pointed out the obvious. They would be no use on things that were already dead.
Then it seemed as if all the warmth had been drawn from the air. Tien shivered again as she felt the touch of spirits as they swirled around the the group. Pain, despair and other dark feelings were almost palpable. These people had suffered greatly both before and after death. She tried to focus on something happy, a pleasant memory so that the sorrow of the spirits would not overwhelm her. A first kiss. Yes, that one would do. When she had still been mortal and Xun's brother still slept in a gem.
Xun... It was clear enough he was not handling this so well, but it made sense. Lifewater was not a domain to do with the death. She ran over and embraced him hoping the touch of something living would be enough to drag him free from whatever hold the spirits had. "Xun, find something happy to focus on. Their despair is not yours, do not get lost in it."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:02 pm
Glyph regarded Cosine with a frown. Spirits? Hundreds of thousands of ghosts... they'd just walked into a boiling sea of souls? Worry shivered down his spine at that, the first cold touches across his skin as the spirits swirled around Ankou giving him pause.
He creaked loudly as he stepped back, the sudden drop in temperature gilding his shoulder protrusions in frost and edging his leafy hair in ice. The sensation of being reached for, grasped, tugged on and wordlessly beseeched nearly drowned him. Ankou was death, but among their group, he and Xun represented life and they drew just as much attention.
The shoots at his feet were trampled after being frozen to death, their single leaves turning black and brown and wilting in seconds. Glyph felt their deaths keenly and pushed back against the soundless, wordless demands. "Stop!" He called, to no avail, the pressure did not ease up - it seemed to get worse.
Forcing himself away from Ankou, he looked as if he were leaning into the wind, his hair lifting and swaying as if something were playing with it, tugging on it to hold him back. Handprints in frost were thick on his shoulders from the countless grabs made for him, desperate bids to engage in life once more. It was almost overwhelming.
The spike in Xun's mana drew his attention and he looked up, "Xun!" He called, reaching for the dragon as Tien comforted him, "Cosine, do something." He shot a look her way, expecting her to either get Ankou to handle the spirits or for herself to soothe them.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 1:31 pm
As Ankou turned transparent Infinity, who had been on his shoulder felt herself fall. Quickly, as the floor drew closer she flapped her wings and fought her way through the spirits to the sky, circling above them. Cosine braced herself as the chill became greater. She could actually hear them now, the voices of the hopeless crashing over them like a tsunami. Then something else, another wave that was not the spirits another wave, this one more physical, her hair whipped around her, the wooden charms knocking together and feathers brushing her face.
Then Ankou changed, she watched as he went more and more transparent, just like his hand at the temple. That was new, she thought doing her best to ignore the pleas of the spirits. The rest of them however ...
At Glyph's plea she glanced back at the three of them, as if the word 'stop' would calm the souls of the restless in their search for salvation.
"Don't panic." She shouted back, a hint of irritation in her voice, the desparation of the spirits was enough without the added panic of those around her. All she needed was a little
peace ...
the goddess closed her eyes, breathing deeply and shutting the cries of the dead and the worry of her companions out. Silence ... it was almost as though she has stepped into a soundproofed room. Chaos reigned around her as she searched inside herself hoping deeply that it would work. Back at the temple there had been fewer spirits ...
Two, a small number but a powerful one, balance and harmony. It spread out from her in a wave like Xun's mana, this time spreading calm and peace. At least that was the plan.
"Behave." She said firmly, as though she were scolding a naughty child. "He cannot help you all at once. If you want to be free then ... just ... calm ... DOWN." Her last word was not shouted yet it was louder than her usual tone, commanding.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 2:04 pm
Suddenly, there was something else. Something else brushed against his consciousness, soft and calming, gentle and sweet. The spirits did calm. Not much, but enough.
Just enough.
He knew that power, that touch. Cosine.
Suddenly, he remembered something. He was not alone. They were not alone. Tien might have a better chance to be more or less untouched, but Glyph and Xun Jiang... They would be like magnets. Just as badly as he was, only they would not be prepared to deal with it. Even he had not been prepared to deal with this many.
He needed to do something.
He needed to do something, NOW.
Another round of voices breached their way through Cosine's mana and he winced... His eyes lost that vacant look, only to regain it once more - but this time it was different. He was looking for something. He needed a soul path, needed to send as many as he could downward so he could attempt to reign in the others.
That was when he realized, to his own surprise, what was part of the problem.
There weren't any.
There weren't any, nothing that he could feel, and he had no idea where the World Tree's entrance was.
He also had no hope of finding it in such a state.
He had little choice but to make his own way, and he did just that. One hand shakingly reached for the spear on his back, able to grasp it in spite of his current state. Then he shoved Gungnir into the ground, as hard as he could, and expended himself fully, drew as many souls to himself as possible only to guide them down the newly created path.
It was not long before the air around them grew warmer and warmer, the hands that grasped Xun Jiang and Glyph so relentlessly did fade away. There were more, of course, much more, but when they moved to come closer, replace those who had so suddenly vanished, Ankou looked up from the path only he could see.
Only a moment.
He spoke, but it did not sound like a word. It was a sound, in itself, but more than that, it was the god's will pressed on them, as hard as he could.
The souls stopped then. Stilled. Quieted. Then they came. One by one, he called them, brought them down. He could not bring them all down, not like this. Some were too far away. But he could send as many as he could, then hopefully... handle the others.
Then, at least, they were gone. All those he could reach to was gone, and Ankou let himself untense, slumping against Gungnir for support. He.. he needed a moment to just... breathe. He felt the urge just as badly as if he had needed it for survival.
And, well, he had one hell of a headache.
Something else touched him, and Xun Jiang's reflex was to fight it, try to shove Tien away, through her voice rang clearer than the other ones, words he could actually understand.
"T-They will not let me go !" He said, voice higher thanks to his panic, but then the air grew lighter, and lighter, and slowly the dragon did calm. They... were going away ?
Oh.
Oh god.
That was when he looked up. "Glyph !" Oh god, what had happened to him ?!? "I am fine, I have to go help him !" He said, hoping Tien would let him go so he could do just that.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 2:23 pm
Tien released him as he asked. She had not thought to check on Glyph and only now turned to look at him. Forest too was tied closely to life and the spirits seem to have gotten to him as badly as they had Xun. They would probably be alright now, so long as they had one another. She sighed and ran her fingers through her currently red hair. At least everything seemed to be over for now. Between Ankou and Cosine they seemed to get the nearby spirits dealt with, though how they had managed it she was not entirely sure.
They had only been here a short time and already something had happened. No doubt this would be a fun trip.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 2:52 pm
"I'm not panicking," he answered dryly, clearly nonplussed by the spiritual harassment he was currently enduring. Cosine did, however, extend her influence to the area and the desperate chill eased somewhat so he didn't feel quite so burdened.
The Ankou finally seemed to snap out of his episode and thrust his spear into the ground, drawing Glyph's attention. The flickering presence followed by a surge in power was interesting to watch - the hands seemed to flow past him now, rather then piling up on his shoulders. The motion of their movement was echoed in the flapping of his garments and the writhing of his hair, leaving him flustered and harried when the whirlwind of spirits finally subsided. His robe was torn and tattered at the edges, his hair was an absolute mess - more a tangle of vines then a fall of branches now - and he was streaked all over with quickly melting frost that left dark patches on his skin and clothing.
Standing up straight, he rolled his shoulders and inhaled the warm air, surprisingly grateful for the parched and dry atmosphere after the chill had taken them. At a loss for what else to do, he simply smoothed his robe down and took stock - Ankou was slumped against the polearm, Cosine seemed rather unimpressed with their near calamity... Tien was standing, safe and sound, and Xun... Xun was striding over to him with that look of concern that either meant he was going to get slapped or lectured, or both, once it was deemed he was whole.
"I'm alright, Love. Don't worry." He held out his hand for the other, letting Xun look him over - he knew better then to deny the dragon that - and took the opportunity to inspect Xun in turn, "What about you?" Glyph was still cool to the touch, his bark was moist as well, but he stood tall and strong - flustered, perhaps, but alright.
Drawing Xun into his arms to wrap the dragon in a reassuring embrace, he looked to Tien, offering a nod of respect for Trickey, "And you? You seemed to weather that well. Cosine? How is Ankou? We should probably take a rest here, take stock before we walk into another mob of spirits."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2012 3:09 pm
It wasn't that she was unimpressed. Much like Ankou when there was something that needed doing her regard for everything else tended to go out the window.
She breathed deeply as Ankou wielded Gungnir and guided the spirits away from them. Crisis averted, just about. she imagined it would happen again if they came upon another place where many had died.
Ankou returned to them and she moved towards him.
"You know how to make an entrance." she smirked, reaching out to touch his cheek gently. He looked worn but at least he was in one piece. "Rest is a good idea." Cosine agreed, looking back at Glyph a moment before turning her eyes back to Ankou. "No arguments."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
