Welcome to Gaia! ::

Alera trudged miserably through the forest. This day could not possibly get any worse. She had only wanted to take a short hike before dinner. However she had somehow managed to turn down the wrong path and gone a few miles out of her before realizing her mistake.

Now the sky was getting darker and darker as it filled with storm clouds. Alera winced as a flash of lightning lit up the sky. There was no way she could make it home before the storm hit. She muttered angrily and looked around for anything she could take shelter under. A bit further up the ground slopped down into a deep gully. There were some rocks on the edge that formed a small overhang.

A few minutes later Alera stood, huddled, under the tiny overhang. The sky soon opened up with a torrent of rain. Alera shiver and tried her best to stay dry. Cold…hungry…wet. This was not how I wanted to spend my evening.

Had Alera been paying better attention she would have realized that the gully was a dried up river bed. A dried up river bed then had a tendency of flood when it rained. Without any warning a flood of turbulent water rushed gown the gully. It was only about waist deep but the current was too strong for Alera to stand up in. She was swept off her feet and tumbled downstream. She might have been ok had it not been for a very Inconveniently placed rock.

Alera's head smashed right into the rock. Laying facedown in the water, with a concussion it was not long before she stopped breathing all together.

Spirits in charge of assignments nodded as Alera stopped breathing. Usually the assignments involved more tugging on reality to cause strange things to happen-like a person not having allergies and suddenly having them to a degree that'd kill him-but this one only required a little bit of a nudge in the right-or to Alera the wrong-direction. The woman was suitably dead and could be assigned.

Quickly they pulled the shape shifter's waterlogged body from the river and cleaned up the mess her blood left. Then she had to be cleaned up-though that mainly consisted of fixing her head, clearing the excess water out of the places it didn't belong, drying her off and restoring her blood as the water had washed away any other mess that'd be left. After that a silver chain was placed around her neck. Sooner then usual the woman was ready for the second step in the assignment-the separation of soul and body.

When Alera's soul had been pried from it's body it had to be taken in an unaware state to the realm where souls of Tison gods resided. Here Alera's soul attracted a deity of great power some how due to some strange reason that no one yet understood. The two were immediatly set to bonding together while other things happened to the woman's body.

Said body had been placed in a bed upon the Samadueanna-a Tison space ship which was now on it's way to Alera's home going on information the spirits in charge of assignments had provided the crew. This information on Alera also told who she was, what charges she currently had, and her nature as well as other things. Rouge Remika-captain of the ship-read over this information as she walked to the room that Alera had been placed in, a baby boy under her arm.

When the bonding was complete a magic relic that corrosponded to the deity that chose Alera appeared on the chain. A spell sent the woman's soul back to her body and the bonded deity's soul was dragged along with her. And when she went back into her body to return to a living state and wake up, the god's soul went into the relic and began to prepare to do the same thing once it gained a truly living body. When Alera woke up she wouldn't remember this bonding only her death, and everything up till that point. She could also see that she was now somewhere different and there was a blonde woman with a small black haired baby, sitting and looking at her.

Alera whimpered softly and as she woke. She felt so groggy. What had just happened? Her memory felt so foggy. The river… the rock… Alera remembered hitting her head but everything after that was blank. She cautiously reached back and touched her hand to her head. No cuts or blood. Nothing. She knew she hit her head pretty hard…how could it be completely fine?…And where was she now?

Alera sniffed the air and her eyes widened in shock... She wasn’t in the forest anymore….this wasn’t her house either. This place smelled different and unfamiliar. She struggled of sit up and glanced around the room... This wasn’t home or anywhere she knew for that matter.

Alera noticed the blonde haired person and a child staring at her. She looked at them nervously and a soft growl escaped her throat... “W-who are you? Why have you taken me here?” This place felt very strange and the anxious shapeshifter wanted answers.

Rouge raised her hands quickly. "Oh, no no! WE didn't take you here. You got killed so that you could be a guardian to a reborn god from another universe. Then you just got put here so we could take you home. I'm Rouge, captain of this ship, and this is Diyaka the reborn godlet that I got." she explained, indicating the baby who waved emphatically.

"We're from a world called Tison that used to have gods that kept it from falling into disarray. One of it's gods got corrupted and killed the others to take over. He'll destroy Tison if he's not gotten rid of. So the other gods have to be reborn and cared for and raised by people who reside in places that he can't get to. The only two safe places are this ship-because of the magic that protects it-and gaia-because he can't leave Tison. So only really highly connected to the gods members of the crew, and gaians who are chosen by a means I don't know, can get these kids. When they start they are just souls housed in a relic-you've got a relic around your neck. I can try to tell what god it is if you let me look." She rushed out. The baby giggled. "Oops...I'm sorry. Did I go too fast?" she asked with a blush.

Alera's nervousness quickly changed to confusion as her brain tried to process the information. “Erm.....wait what?” This was all so confusing. She was on a ship…a space ship, after being killed then revived. That alone was hard to grasp. She fiddled with the chain on her neck. This little relic…was a child? A god child at that. Keeping Jenna’s magic spells under control was hard enough. How would she handle this?

“I…um…are you sure this is right…I mean why choose me? I don’t know anything about raising a young god. How did whatever picked me know I’ll be able to do this?” Alera paused realizing she was rambling. “Erm sorry for the bombardment of questions. This is a little nerve-wracking. I’m ah normally much more calm.”

Rouge thought for a second. "I don't think anyone knows how guardians are technically chosen. But I am told the god you get is chosen by your soul being taken to a special realm and being allowed to bond with a god or goddess that is attracted to your soul-but not in a creepy way." she laughed. "And a lot of the guardians know nothing on raising young gods. So far as we've seen when they become babies and toddlers they don't have powers but I have no word on when they get bigger. None have gotten that far."

Rouge nodded and bounced Diyaka on her hip. "Don't worry. Most of us didn't expect to get kids and were just as nervous."

Alera nodded. That was somewhat comforting. She would have to accept this any way since it seemed she did not have much of a choice. “I see….well at least I know I’m not the only guardian who was worried about all this. Hopefully he or she will be as charming as little Diyaka there.” She said with a grin. Actually that raised a good question. What kind of god could her new charge possible be? She observed relic carefully. The relic looked almost like fang of some kind, but with blood on it. Kind of creepy actually.
“Hm. Miss Rouge? You said you could possible tell what kind god this is? Would you mind taking a look? I’m kind of curious actually.”

Rouge smiled and ruffled Dia's hair when Alera mentioned him being charming. He was a sweetpea.

Leaning forward she got a good look at the relic, a puzzled expression covering her face. Quickly she pulled out a little PDA looking thing and typed on it with her thumb till it brought up the image she was looking for. It was practically the exact same relic only there was no "blood" and it was a much duller shade of gold. "It's odd that your relic is so similar to this one. This relic belonged to Vishal-the reborn monster godlet. The only one they'd most likely dare to give almost the same relic to would be his older brother. Dijenko was the god of dragons I do believe so that is most likely who you have." the blonde told Alera, showing her the image with a picture of the toddler god beneath it.

Alera nodded and observed the picture closely. “So…he will be a young dragon god then? Oh gods this will be difficult.” One could only imagine how that would turn out. She made a mental note to fireproof most of the house.
And he had a brother as well. That was interesting. Perhaps once he was born they should meet. She would have to remember that. “Just one last question then….do you know about how long I will have until he is born? I will have a lot of preparing to do.” That was right. She did have a lot to do. Right now the only space bedroom was filled with junk. Not to mention all the things to buy. The next few days would be very busy.

"Yes and you're not going to like how long. You have exactly two days to prepare for a child. we can provide you with money or help if you need it for preparations." Rouge reached into her pocket to pull out a paper which had a list of numbers at which she and the ship could be reached. "Call if you need us. I shall show you to the transporter room. We can work things out on the way."

And with that another guardian had received their charge.

I'm not getting any sleep tonight am I

Alera stood in the nursery trying to put some pajamas on the wiggling infant. He however seemed more interested in his new Mother’s fuzzy wolf ears. “Ouch…No Eriyan …those are not toys.” Alera winced as the infant grabbed onto one. He was certainly lively for being less than a hour old. After a few more frustrating minutes he bundled up in some cozy pajamas.

Alera wanted noting more than to put him in his crib but the infant started whimpering as soon as she put him down. Alera sighed and pick him back up. He was probably hungry. Thankfully she had prepared a few bottles ahead of time. Careful not to wake anyone up headed down to the kitchen. After a rummage around in the fridge she pulled out a bottle and put it in the infant’s mouth. Eriyan latched onto the bottle and rapidly guzzled down the milk.

Alera dumped the empty bottle in the sink and looked down at Eriyan. Now he finally seemed sleepy and was curled up in her arms his eyelids fluttering. Alera carried him back to the nursery and gently tucked him in. With any luck he would sleep though the night so she could get some rest. Alera wandered back to her room and almost tripped over the two swords she held left on the floor. “Ah…I almost forgot those…” She really did want to go to sleep but those blades seemed important. She looked over at the nightstand. She did have Rouge’s phone number….perhaps it would be best to call right now. Alera picked up the phone and dialed.


Rouge answered on the first ring. "Allo?" she said cheerfully. It was early in the morning and she was up playing battleship with Dartsmoore, Karyn, Steve and Diyaka. The boy didn't get the game very well but he was doing good against Rouge who sucked at battleship. Steve and Dartsmoore had been playing several rounds. One of the greatest tacticians in Tison vs. one of the greatest weapons masters at battleship was a fun one. Karyn wasn't allowed to play since she was psychic so she kept score.

As the perky voice answered Alera breathed a sigh of relief. She had been worried of waking someone up. “Hello Rouge? This is Alera…we met a few days ago. I’m very sorry to bother you so late but Eriyan arrived tonight and well something odd came along with him.” Alera paused a moment contemplating how to word this. She really had no idea why those swords seemed important it was just a feeling. “This may sound odd but when I took Eriyan out of the dream there were two swords that came with me. I don’t know why but the seem important.”

Rouge's right eyebrow shot up and as if automated by that action, Dartsmoore, who sat diagonal from ehr, shot up her left.

"What's up?" Dartie asked.

Rouge covered the mouth piece but Alera could hear her. "Alera, the guardian of Dijenko is on the phone and says when she got him as a baby two swords came along with him."

When she said that Dartsmoore shot up out of her seat. "Give me that phone." she said before taking it. "Hello, this is the ship's tactician, Dartsmoore. Anyway, what did the swords look like? One large and thick with a dragon on it and one thin and crystal like? And did they come with their sheaths?" she asked frantically.

Alera grinned as the phone was passed over. So her hunch had been right. At least her lack of sleep would prove useful. She started to greet Dartsmoor but was cut off by the flurry of questions. “Ah um…just a moment please.” She bent down and looked at each sword carefully. “Um well the big one does have a dragon design on it. It is wrapped around the handle. Oh yes and there is a sheath. I think it is leather..or some similar material. The smaller one is in a sheath too. I’m not sure what it is made of but it is very shiny.” She said uncertainly. Weapons were not an area of expertise for her.

"Holy.......okie you're gonna need to come here. If the kid is sleeping now he should be fine. But hold onto the swords we're gonna transport you here. I'll make Scott do that now-no star trek jokes." Dartie added before handing the phone to Rouge and walking out of the room.

"Okie talk to you when you get here." the blonde said cheerfully as they hung up.

In a few Alera was standing on the ship facing a woman with the biggest hair she'd ever seen, who stood next to Rouge.

Alera nodded. “Ok. See you shortly.” Then gulped and picked up the swords. She did not like the idea of leaving an infant alone and she liked the idea of going back to the ship even less. She really did not have much of a choice though. In a few moments she had the most usual sensation and was suddenly was no longer in her bedroom. “Ogh…I don’t think I’m ever going to get used to that. Ah hello Rouge and you must be Dartsmoor. Nice to meet you.” Alera tried to sound polite but that woman had the strangest hair style she had ever seen. Her brain was questioning if it was even physically possible to hold it upright. She brushed those thoughts away and held out the two swords. Now was really not the time to be thinking about things like that.

"Moore." Dartie said calmly with a nod. The three went to a more private room-Dartie's "office" where there was more light. Taking the smaller of the swords in one hand she removed it from it's sheath and held it to the light. She adjusted it and the light from the strange stone on the ceiling bent as she did.

"Ah, the sword of Jujike-the Crystal Light. Later corrupted to become the Light Slayer. This sword was used to defile the scared tree of faekynah and incriminate an innocent deity. Legend has it that this sword was driven through the chest of the dragon god Dijenko when he would not die even after having his wings and tail ripped from his body, having to watch as his three younger siblings were murdered, had his throat slit and had his own sword driven through his chest. Hell of a blade to find." Dartsmoore said with a strange look in her eyes. "Both a great relic of a god and one of the most evil weapons in history." she told the other, putting it back in it's sheath.

Now the woman took the larger sword. "And this, the dusk blade. Crafted in the heart of Etaki-Ecron's largest and greatest volcano, this sword was weilded by the dragon god in a war and was said to be one of the greatest swords in Tison. It had a brother sword, held by the deity of metal, Kiemna, and it was said that Dijenko broke the other sword and had to kill Kiemna when the other was taken over by Jujike and tried to kill him. This sword was to be placed upon the grave of the other was a sign of respect for his friend but as he honored the memory of the other Dijenko was captured by Jujike and his sword was ripped from the grave of his best friend and used in two attempts to kill it's master later." she said bowing her head a bit as she told the story of the dragon's sword. It had been a painful death for Dijenko. And he had been a close associate of her family.

Rouge smiled sheepishly as Dartie finished. "Darts is much better with Tison history then I am."

Alera listened as the stories were told, with a sad expression of her face. These swords….they had such tragic and dark pasts. Poor Eriyan or Dinjenko as he was called, had suffered such a horrible fate.
“Thank you for explaining. You certainly know your history. But...Why…Why did I have of find these? That blade…” She said indicating the large one. “It caused so much suffering and pain for Eriyan in his old life. And the other..” Her gaze shifted warily to the other blade. “That belonged to the one who caused all of this. Didn’t it?" Now that she knew what is was her fur stood on end at just the thought of picking it up again.

"Probably because they were in the body when he died and they could only be removed in rebirth. Though when Eriyan is older he will be glad to have the sword. Though it caused him pain it was a sign of respect and honor. He would be happy to have it when he can remember it. Just because it was used in his death and that of his friend doesn't mean it wasn't important to him. As for Jujike's blade....we can probably just keep it here for storage as something interesting." Dartie said with a nod. "And I know my history because I am of the high house of dartsmoore. Our clan was the Tison line of historians. We knew everything in detail and had to memorize it."

Alera nodded. “Your right. It would be best the sword goes back to its rightful owner.” She stated. “I’ll keep it in a safe place until Eriyan is older and remembers.” She eyed the other blade again. “Though perhaps you should keep the other one for now. I’m sure it will be of no use to Eriyan and I sure someone here on the ship might like to study it.” She was not going to say this out loud but she was also very uncomfortable about having an evil weapon such as that in her house, especially around the children. “And you’re a historian? That is interesting.”

"Correction. I am from a house which has the duty of historians. I am an assassin and a jack of all trades. I am an expert in impromptu medics, nearly unspoken languages, all sorts of history, tons of magic, exotic cooking and many other things. And the sword would be better here yes." Dartie said with a nod. "We shall take you home now to your child and your bed."