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 Posted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 5:09 am
Hiding From the Rain
It was an odd thing, the feelings that could come up after meeting with a new person. To think that chatting with Ray would dredge up old feelings in Chalcedony that he'd thought to be long gone. The man's story about how he'd lost his lover causing him to think back to his time with Takoda, though it was... odd. It was a long time ago and it had been an event that shook him but now when he thought about it mostly what he thought of was that he was a touch... lonely. Takoda had been a good friend to him but when he chose Jacinthus over him that had been it, with Chalcedony ending up avoiding him a bit due to not knowing exactly how to act around him. It was not at if Takoda could have known about his feelings until it was too late of course. He hadn't said anything, content to just stay at his side, perhaps not even really understanding things himself to the full extent.
So much had happened since then, he'd gone one way, Takoda another, and then there was the whole incident with Keilana that had led to the birth of their sons... which was also an incident that made certain that Chalcedony would never partake in anything alcoholic ever again. It wasn't that he regretted what happened, they were consenting adults after all, but it wasn't exactly how he'd planned to go about having children. The fact that Keilana had allowed him into the lives of his sons was something that she'd never even had to do since they weren't in a relationship and it had been an accident but it was something that he was glad for. It might not have been when he planned to have children but they were still a wonderful gift, the two of them quite wonderful, making him want nothing more then to constantly be at their side, protecting them. The fights against the Obans having only cemented that feeling in him. It made him want to get stronger as well, so that he would be ready in case anything else happened and could once more be ready to protect his family.
Looking out over the forest in front of him, watching the rain that continued to fall he found himself looking to the side again, where the other Shifter had once been. The man had moved on during a break in the rain, something that he could understand. They were just two people that met by chance, the rain holding them in place, and both had places to be. Chalcedony meant to get back to things himself once the rain once more let up, allowing him to get back to Sol without getting too terribly soggy.
The meeting with Ray, as well as listening to his story, made him well aware that there was no telling what might come up in the future so he really should be prepared of anything and everything. That meant that he would need to see about a lot more training. HE wanted to be able to fend off anything that the world could throw his way no matter what it might be. Sure, the threat that had been the Obans may have passed but that didn't meant that everything was completely over or that there would never be such a danger again. If not another distant tribe then perhaps something else? Sure he couldn't fend off something disease related but he could fend off dangerous beasts, right? He supposed there was no saying what the next great danger might be but one could only do their best to prepare for it.
The sound of the rain seemed to be getting heavier, not lighter, so Chalcedony reached over and into his pack, getting out a comb before undoing the braid in his hair. He busied himself with running his comb through his long, white hair, looking out over the forest. He should see about getting back to Tale soon, to visit Keilana and pick up the boys so that they could all go hang out somewhere. They might not be in a relationship but he did like Keilana well enough, enjoying talking to her when he went to pick up or drop off their sons when they were younger. She was a friend, a good one, and he hoped that they would be able to continue to be friends in that manner, not just for the sake of their sons either. Instead he wanted to be friends for the pure and simple reason that he wanted to.
He might have to avoid her brother though. The two of them, Jacinthus and himself, they had never really gotten along for many reasons. It was best that they didn't cross paths unless it was so that the two of them could either take on another threat like the Obans or so that they could spar. There was no better way to test himself then fighting against Jacinthus, as much as he didn't like the guy he knew him to be powerful. He was a perfect sparing partner and they didn't really have to hold their punches since they didn't care for each other. It let them go all out in hand to hand combat as well as when they were using blunted sparring weapons. It was probably the only thing that they could do together without it becoming... well, a real fight.
As he finished up putting his hair back into a braid once more Chalcedony pushed up to his feet, "Seems as though the rain is letting up." He murmured to himself, reaching out from under the shelter of leafy branches he was under to test it. Just a light sprinkle now and even that he could tell was slacking off from the sound of the rain drops on the leaves. It was time to get going, back to Sol, then from there he'd get himself prepared for a trip to see his sons. He could only hope the pair were around. Now that they were older they were starting to wander more and more, something that meant it would become more difficult to find them. Best to spend time with them while he could. With that thought in mind he scooped up his shield and his pack, leaving his hide out so that he could head home.
(( Word Count: 1064 ))
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Posted: Wed May 06, 2015 12:34 pm
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Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2015 10:30 am
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Posted: Sun Nov 08, 2015 12:35 am
Chalcedony: 12 + BATTLE (80 exp)
~ 1 RP VP (7)
~ 1 Fairgrounds Item: Change of State Elixir (3)
~ 2 Show Items: Atk Boosters x 2 (2)
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Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2016 9:12 pm
Aftermath of the Alkidike Battle
The battle against the zealots among the Alkidike was over, those who were the aggressors were sent away, banished to some far off island that most didn't even notice existed. It was an end to what could have been a bloody, dragged out, horrible war like the one against the Obans, and it was done in a shorter time then he'd of expected as well. There was a lot of lead up, little tussles here and there, that resulted in one battle. It was a big one, one that was as awful as any battle was that he'd seen, but at least it wasn't a series of them as it had been with the Obans. Chalcedony knew that he should have been happy about the way things had turned out but instead he felt somehow... betrayed. How could he celebrate the end of battle when it was one that seemed to come out of no where. The Alkidike, people that they had thought were allies, thought tenuous ones, had turned on them and attacked, going as far as to invade Sauti to go after their sacred firebirds. It was like being stabbed in the back by those that many thought were friends.
On top of that desire for the birds was their rather strong distaste for their own people, both the half bloods and those that supported them, that turned Chalcedony's stomach. They would actually go out of their way to chase off, fight, and attempt to kill those of mixed blood, seeing them as something bad instead of something born of love. It was a way of thinking that he hated because it made him think of his boys who were of mixed blood themselves. It seemed that the Alkidike were the most violently opposed to such things then some were. Well, some of them at least, those being the zealots. There were those who supported such things, those that stood against the sisters that were starting the fights as well as that very unfriendly woman that had lead them.
He didn't want to think about it, the fact that people that he had once stood next to in battle, people that had his back during the time that they battled with the Obans. They were allies, they all gathered together, he'd hoped that it would stay that way. It was rather sad, to think that the way they had battled together like that would not happen again. Not when so many were sent away. There was always the chance that some of the Alkidike, those left behind, might join up with them again but as a whole, standing against some great threat, it would never be the same. He found himself glancing in the direction that all of the zealots had been lead off in, but said nothing. He wasn't going. He would leave that to those who wanted to go with as escorts, something that held no interest for him since it wasn't his people who were being lead away.
The idea that trusted allies had gone bad was something that bothered Chalcedony but he really couldn't even guess how the other Alkidike felt. It was their sisters, their friends, and even their lovers that were being lead away, never to be seen again. It was something that he could barely even wrap his mind around. Even just thinking on what he might have done if it were him... it wasn't something that he wanted to think about given how much he loved his many siblings. It must be hard on the Alkidike and he couldn't help but to wonder if those that were working as escorts were going along in hopes of talking their people into reforming and coming home with them. He wasn't sure if such a thing were even possible but he was sure there were some who would at least try. It wasn't easy to just abandon those that one cared about no matter what they had done.
Shaking his head he decided to try to get his mind off of that and instead focus on... well, something good. The fact that the battle was over was an option, maybe thinking about the fact that his sons wouldn't have to fight another battle? That they were alright? It wasn't something that he was going to celebrate but at least he could try to turn his heart to such thoughts so that he could try to lighten the darker feelings that were trying to weigh down his heart? He didn't want to focus too much on this battle, or any of those that he'd been in the past, or else he was going to find himself weighed down and depressed by it all. He wasn't a fan of such things, not the sort that sough out battles, but instead he fought to protect those that he cared about.
Giving a soft sigh he moved away from where he'd been standing while so deep in thoughts about what it was that they had all just been through. It was very, it was over, that was all that he had to think about now. It was over, and his family was alright. Giving a nod of his head he make sure that his trusty shield on his back before he started away from where he'd been standing. He would go to where ever his sons were at the moment, make sure that they were alright for himself, look them over for any wounds that they might have gotten, and see to it that they were healed. Even if it meant that he had to bring them to Takoda for healing. He didn't talk with him or even go near to him all that often, but if it was for his sons he would do it. It might just be a little awkward but it would be worth dealing with that if it meant that his boys were alright.
Chalcedony would do anything for his sons, even chat with Takoda... though here was hoping he wouldn't have to deal with Jacinthus as well. He'd stood by him during the battle but that tended to be the only time the two of them got along.
(( Word Count: 1033 ))
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Posted: Fri Feb 26, 2016 1:42 pm
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2016 2:06 pm
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:11 am
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 3:14 am
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2016 10:41 am
After Countless Duels
Chalcedony was sitting on a high branch of one of the massive trees of Jauhar, working on polishing the front of his trusty shield. The thing had a few scratches and dings that were quite deep, the sort that weren't going to come out no matter how much he polished the shield, but it was alright. None of them had done enough damage that it would compromise the shield so he didn't have to worry that it might give out on him during a fight. They were just marks that showed that he'd been through a lot of battles, having survived them all easily enough. He did find himself wondering if he should consider a new shield one of these days.
It wasn't that the one that he was carrying was a bad shield but it was never a bad idea to think about the future and getting a stronger weapon wasn't a bad thing. This one could be retired to hang on the wall of his place along with two other shields that he'd used in his life time, both of which had also seen their fair share of combat before they were retired. He would never throw them away of course, not when he knew the shields had saved his life as well as the lives of those that he cared about countless times in the past. He'd carried them against various dangerous beasts, into various wars, and in many, many duels. If a weapon could be considered loyal he felt that his shields were just that, as such they deserved to be hung up where they could be admired.
Turning the shield around so that he could look it over he gave a bit of a smile, looking at his reflection in its surface for a long moment. He wasn't looking so bad all things considered, he decided. Given that he'd been through two sparring matches with that bow wielding fool Jacinthus recently and two with a Shifter named Sauron before that he was actually looking better then good. Good matches that had helped him to continue moving ever forward as far as honing his skills went. The battles against Sauron had been normal matches but as per their normal arrangement one of those that he'd had with Jacin was a fist fight. There was just something cathartic about getting to fight with the him in such a manner, likely due to the fact that they were always at odds. He had to wonder at times if it wasn't because in some aspects the two of were just too alike. One of those things he didn't like to spend too much time thinking about since it was for that reason, among others, that they would never really get along.
Still, he did have to thank him for not really holding back when it came to their duels. Sure, they used blunted off weapons, not wanting to kill one another, but that didn't mean that between the first duel with fists and the second one with blunted off weapons that they weren't both covered from head to toe in bruises. They were the sort that he knew weren't going to fade for a while, but that was alright, it just showed that he'd fought hard during the duels with both Jacin and Sauron before him. There was also the fact that he'd won three of the four duels, with the fourth one being a draw, that added to his good cheer. How could he not be happy with such results? It was a shame that the one draw he got was to Jacinthus but maybe for the best? If they'd ended up with one to one results then they might have had to have a third duel to figure out who the 'real' winner over all was and he wasn't sure if he would have been able to do so given that such duels were far from being what Chalcedony would consider easy. In fact they were just the opposite in that they were quite tough. Save for when it came to dangerous affairs like wars they'd never get along, instead choosing to butt heads instead but that was alright with Chalcedony.
They could at least meet up from time to time to duel, that tended to happen with only minimal chatting and a lot of creative insults. It also benefited them both. In a duel against those of equal skill like Sauron and Jacinthus each and every move was important after all and any slip ups could always result in a swift loss. That was the last thing that he wanted after all. Instead he wanted good duels, even if in the end he lost at least he could say that he'd done well, right? That was what mattered the most as far as duels went since they were friendly challenges of skill, not something that could end in the death of either of the two sparring partners. As such they were just honing their skills without risk of anything more then a whole lot of bruises. A few bruises in exchange for the strength that could be found in such duels was more then worth it in Chalcedony's eyes.
Shifting his shield he let it come to rest against the base of the tree that he was sitting in, then laid back on the wide branch that he was sitting on, arms crossing behind his head, before he let his eyes close. What to do next? He had to think about it, debate on it, and found himself thinking that from here it might be nice to head to a spot in the river where the water was fairly deep that he knew about. It was nice and cool there, it would allow him to soak his body and ease the ache the bruises left behind by his many duels. It would be quite nice, not to mention once he was done he could see about fishing up something to have for dinner, and then camp out for the night. After that maybe he could seek out more duels? He couldn't exactly say that he knew what he wanted to do come tomorrow but at least he had a plan for today, right?
After a while Chalcedony pushed himself up on his feet, stretched out all over, something that caused him to wince a bit. Yeah, best that he got himself to the river for his soak or he was going to be hobbling around tomorrow like some sort of old man, something that he refused to be for many, many years to come!
(( Word Count: 1105 ))
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Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2016 10:41 am
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2016 4:52 am
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2016 4:53 am
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2016 5:07 am
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Posted: Sat Apr 23, 2016 5:08 am
Reserved for: A Series of Nightmares Solo
Chalcedony sat up slowly, finding himself in his bed, his body covered in a fine sweat. As he lifted a hand to rub it against his forehead he found himself feeling oddly exhausted despite the feeling that he'd just woke up from a full night of sleep. It was as though none of the sleep counted because he had been running around so much in his sleep, his dreams ranging from interesting to terrible with many feelings in between. Giving a soft, sighing sound he pushed himself up to his feet, rubbing at his temples this time, trying to ward off a headache. The dream had ended well... even if it was something that the man had felt was rather... strange.
Why would he of all people be in charge in all of Jauhar? He wasn't an elder after all and he'd never really considered himself a leader sort. He was at best a father and a warrior who wanted to protect the village of Sol from the various dangers that might threaten it. A leader though, and of so many people, that was never something that he had considered himself even being worthy of. The elders, those that had lead the Shifters to this point, they were the one that he felt should be in charge... and as for someone actually leading the entirety of Jauhar, as a King like the one from Oba, wasn't something that really sat well with. For one man to have so much power, that meant that if someone wanted to go astray that they would have a lot of people that they could lead in that same direction. With various elders in various villages as they had in Sol there was a chance that the elders could keep each other in check. That wasn't always that infallible a set up either though, was it?
The Alkidike were lead by their elders and their matrons after all and one could see how well that had gone after the last battle that they'd had with them in Sauti he thought to himself sarcastically. He supposed that meant that nobody had really figured out what might be considered a 'perfect' way of leading the people. Even if that were the case Chalcedony didn't feel that he was the one who would figure out that 'perfect' way and therefore he didn't think that he should be put in charge. He was happy with what he was presently, that being a guard for Sol and a warrior for those rare times when a call went up for warriors to battle in one important battle or another. That sort of thing he could do, because it meant protecting those around him, but passed that Chal wasn't interested. He had enough to deal with as a parent which could be more then difficult enough for him.
It was that thought was something that caused him to think of what else that he'd dreamed of, of a battle that had caused his sons to turn on him. It was likely the most painful thing that he could have dreamed of, the idea that his sons, those that he'd once held in his arms, would turn on him. It was something that actually made his eyes prickle a bit. No, no... that was a foolish thought, his sons would never try to kill him. Even if they had some problems, their set up not being perfect, they loved one another and that wasn't something that he wanted to think on too much. He did his best to push aside those thoughts, wanting to focus on any other part of his dream but that... and as his mind wandered it flickered for a moment to another painful moment in the shifting dream that he'd had, that part where his attempt to share food with a child had resulted in that child's death. Another thought that he shoved aside violently, not wanting to think about that a moment longer either.
Pushing himself to his feet Chalcedony set to work gathering up fresh clothing and a towel, deciding that he wanted a bath. It wouldn't be a nice as the one that he recalled from his dream, one that consisted of him getting a soak in a nice hot spring. He could recall that bit of his dream in rather acute detail, how warm the water was, how it had caused him to relax and let all of his worries just wash away along with his problems for a short about of time. It was what Chalcedony could really go for at the moment but a soak in the river that was near Sol would better then nothing. He should see about trying to find a place that actually had a hot bath like that open for the public to use some day soon. It would be nice to be able to enjoy something of that sort somewhere other then just his dreams. The search for such a bath house was going to have to wait though since he wanted to rinse off the sweat that was still clung to him after his dream now, not weeks from now. Better to go to the river then just day dream about something that didn't exist as of yet in Sol.
Once everything was gathered up Chalcedony padded across his room sans all of his clothing but his shorts. He gathered up everything that he would need so that he could enjoy a bath, along with his shield just in case he needed it. One never wanted to go into the jungles of Jauhar without a weapon after all, especially Chalcedony. He'd been around long enough to know not to do something as foolish as that... but then again even most youngling wouldn't be so foolish. Everyone that was born and raised in Jauahr knew of the dangers found out in the jungle. There were so many dangerous beasts that could drag off a youngling with ease, something that caused parents to be cautious with their children.
As he walked along, giving a bit of a sighing sound as he went he felt a heavy loneliness filling him. It was something that was likely left behind by his dreams as well. There had been a moment in his dreams where he'd stood alone, off to the sides, alone as everyone he cared about seemed to turn their attention to some stranger. A stranger that Chalcedony had never seen before stealing away the attentions of those he cared about... it reminded him in a way of Jacinthus and the way that damned archer had taken Takoda. One of those things that he didn't think about all that often these days. He had mostly moved on, though sometimes he did miss him a bit. It wasn't often but there were those moments when, from time to time, that he would still dream about him. He'd effectively invaded his dreams last night a couple times in fact, hadn't he?
Not just when he'd seen him from a distance with the strange but another time as well, when the man had been encouraging him to gamble, something that Chalcedony likely wouldn't do without such encouragement. Gambling seemed a bit strange to him, the idea that one could lose hard earned coin on a bet. He supposed the closest he'd come to gambling of that nature was when he'd entered that tournament back in the day. He'd gotten second place, which he had been proud of, though the win was tainted a bit given that the one who'd gotten first was that annoying archer Jacinthus. Putting his win aside though second place hadn't been so bad.
It wasn't as though winning was something that he felt to be the most important thing in the world. In fact as that thought came to him he found himself once more thinking about that odd dream that he'd had... which contained a part of it where he'd been trying to learn how to learn to ride a Janarim alongside Keilana. The woman had ended up doing much better then Chal himself had but he'd been only too happy to cheer her on, finding it to be quite impressive that she could take on such a beast and win against it. While one of their sons was good at such things he'd never thought to see Keilana try it and seeing her succeed was quite amazing.
A thought that caused the Shifter to think about how he really needed to see about trying to spend with the woman. She was a good one, a strong one, and the sort that he knew he owed a lot to. Even if it weren't planned out she'd given him the greatest gift that one could ever receive in the form of his sons, something he could never thank her enough for. As such he really felt that he should spend more time with her, even if it was just a nice chat from time to time. A shame that they lived so far apart, with her living in Tale and Chalcedony living in Jauhar, meaning that they were often separated by quite a distance. It made it difficult for the pair of them to really remain friends as much as he might like given she was the mother of his children.
Chalcedony headed out of his room and he found himself giving pause, looking around the rest of the house which stood quiet and dark save for the sunlight coming in through the windows at the moment. It was a nice morning, but it was too quiet. His sons hadn't come home last night either, but he shouldn't be too surprised, they were grown men after all. Both of them had been given permission to carry weapons of their own some time ago, they'd been given rank of their own, and had even fought in battles even though it wasn't something that he liked to think about since he found such things to be a bit painful and made his heart ache. They were likely out traveling, honing their skills and crafts, maybe gathering more beasts... though the latter was more a thing that Aysun would do where as Chandra would likely be perhaps gathering more of his magical books?
Giving a little sigh he continued forward. If he stayed too long here in the empty sitting room he might end up getting dragged down by the emotions of both his sons being away still and the left over emotions of his scattered dreams. He wanted to think about something... good right now, to flush such thick and cloying emotions, and make himself feel lighter once more. He'd go to the river, give a swim, rinse himself clean, and then perhaps he'd feel better?
The scattered and confusing dreams weren't good ones for anyone to have to deal with, they seemed to have drag him in all directions, making him see all manner of things, do many things, face many things. It was exhausting, making his night of sleep useless, and after his bath he kind of wanted nothing more then to come home and to try to sleep again. Maybe after the rest his sons might be home again? He didn't want to deal with his empty house for much longer... so maybe, if they weren't there when he woke again he'd go out? He could go out hunting or something, find a way to fill his time and his mind?
Giving a shake of his head once more to clear his thoughts he continued on forward. He left Sol behind swiftly enough, heading for the river that he'd been aching to soak in since the moment that he'd come to covered in sweat. As he walked, his pace a quick one, he felt himself relaxing a bit as he heard the sound of the flowing water of the river. Drawing in a breath he held it for a moment before he let it out slowly, "Phew... alright, almost there." He told himself, wanting to help to relax himself that much further. As he reached the river he set all of his things down on his shield, stripped down, and headed into the water. It was time for his much needed bath!
(( Word Count: 2044 ))
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