Welcome to Gaia! ::

As he was sure that their host finished speaking, Vykos made sure to tack a mental note.

Boat... two thirty. Be early this time.

He then took the time to look at the other adventurers gathered in the room, since a few more had joined them after he had stopped paying attention to the rest of the room. There were a few who had been so quiet, he wondered if they were still here. They appeared to be unique indeed, and from all walks of life. As he scanned over a few of them, he almost shook with anticipation, just waiting to see their abilites and power. It had been a long time since a gathering like this had happened.

A group like this will leave endless possibilities for learning

As the panda monk began to speak to him, he gazed in surprise that someone had actually taken him seriously, for when one chooses the form of a talking cat, well, most of them aren't all that rare... at least the ones he'd met. Sure they were pleasent enough, but not very special. Such thoughts quickly jarred his mind as to the reason for picking this shape in the first place, and he had to hide a grin.

"Thank you sir, and it is indeed wise to do so. I can't wait to see what abilities you bring to the table as well."

Then came the scratching. As soon as the hand touched him, he felt the man's power, his lifeblood, the flow of energy powering such an individual... and he was powerful. He felt the weakness creep over him, feeling just how taxing the few spells he had cast in here had actually been, then he heard the whisper in the back of his mind...

feed, you need it, you've wasted too much...

In half panic, he quickly covered his left eye with a paw, dowsing the bright sickly green light that would have begun to shine... and them came the scratching. This scratching would be his saving grace, and his attempt to brush off being touched. He reacted vocally in a mocking tone.

Oh... purr... pur... yes... do that...

A smile crept across his face, and the need to keep his paw over his eye subsided. Now he turned his head to face the monk.

You're kidding right?

Before he could continue the conversation any further, another voice perked his furry ears. Turning to face this new voice, he saw it to be the man who had been behind the counter.



I only hope I can prove useful in the company of beings of great power such as yourselves. I must say, I am a bit new to the business.

And with that, the cat hopped off the counter and gracefully glided towards the door, making sure to nod gratefully to Maximos for the use of his establishment.

Now... it was time to eat.

"Caution indeed," added Tenkai with a smile. "That was quite a story, Mr. Dorul. Though I cannot help but wonder..."

Dorul's eyes were immediately upon the monk. And then, even as he listened to the man speak his eyes grew ever wider. Simply put, hands down, Tenkai was the strangest dressed man he had ever seen. A knight had walked in earlier in full armor, but Dorul had seen knights. The woman in the corner had clothing made of odd fabric, but it was clothing befitting those of the city. The men and women who ran the boat he arrived on dressed in similar fashions but, this man...his attire spoke of an entirely different culture! Was it a robe? A dress? Cloth and steel armor? He did not understand but it fascinated him. Yet, there would be time for curiosity later, for the moment he listened.

"This doctor," he continued, "'A man of flesh and of steel'...I have seen people like that before. Half man and half machine. I wonder...could this 'Frostfire Soul' be the result of some sort of--"

And then a bear was eating the man's clothing. There were bears up north but they were far larger and white, and you certainly did not bap them on the head. You certainly ran when you saw one, and fast. Dorul was lost in translation, and just lost in general. He fell silent.

Maximos, however, could not stop laughing. Kuro was certainly a good bear. And funny. And Tenkai's response to Mr. Levay was nothing short of hilarious. Not because it was foolish, but because everyone in the room was thinking it. Tenkai was just the first to do it.

"A ship? I never knew you were the type Max." The demon spoke up jokingly, baring a fanged grin and a leisurely shrug. "No portal this time? No flying sidewalk tiles or shortcut through the forth level of the abyss?"

Max returned a wide grin, a matching shrug and then said. "No sir, portals are expensive, and the Latent Police would be absolutely livid if that many tiles vanished. Beside, have you seen the traffic through the fourth level of the abyss at this time of day?" The Shadow shook his head in the extreme negative and made a whistling sound. "No sir, we're doing it like the mundanes today."

And for some reason, as Maximos finished that sentence he looked directly at Raven. Not near her or beside her, but right at her eyes in an unmistakable and yet unspoken, Dont even think about it. The truth was simple, Maximos hated teleportations. Small jumps made his queasy, and longer ones simply ruined his day. There was not a soul on Gaia that would have convinced him to step through a portal across the ocean but...no one needed to know that.

“I’m in,” Exactly that! Seeing who was ready to go! The first response came from Ms. Liliana. Maximos turned, gave her a bow of the head and said. "Excellent!"

And with that, the Shadow peeled off the counter and moved for the door. He slipped on his knee length black jacket, and began working his backpack.

"I have to say though, some of your recruits look very... fun. I can hardly wait to see what they're hiding up their sleeves." Maximos' only answer was to turn his mismatched eyes back on Joshua and stretch his grin into a wide toothy smile. Joshua had read the room as readily as Maximos might have. There were a very many different kinds of power here today, and of very many different sorts. Some magical. Some mental. Some physical. Part of the adventure was seeing all the pieces fit together. And of course, seeing who would step forward and who would not.

“I didn’t know we could bring pets,” Maximos chuckled. Tenkai had most certainly brought a pet, and to anyone who did not look closely enough or have the sights to see Mr. Levay close enough he appeared to be a pet. "You can bring anything you like my dear, as long as you can care for it. For instance, I see Kuro here has opened his diet to include cloth as well as bamboo. And Mr. Matsumoto certainly has lots of cloth. So he should be well fed."

It was a joke, Maximos smirked at Tenkai. And then at Vykos, taking in the the feline's words as he slipped his backpack over his shoulders. He was right about one thing, he did appear new to this. Maximos had certain senses, and an eye meant to see things that were...unseen. Even if he did not know their full ability he knew when something was abnormal. He gave no words to what he saw, and hinted nothing to anyone else present but...if Vykos was worried about hiding his secret while in the presence of two soul and magic eating creatures, a demon, and Nocturne only knew what else was present...well...he was in for something of a surprise. But that was part of the adventure too, wasnt it?

And then, it was time to continue on. Maximos moved for the shop door, slipping a key into the lock and turning it so that the gem atop the door frame shone bright blue at which point he swung the door open onto the sunny Latent streets. The sun was bright, people were bustling about the business district, sun dried fruit stained the immediate streets and all and all it was a normal day in Latent. Maximos stepped out, held open the door and said, "Well then, if there are no objections, shall we?"

He waited until everyone had departed the shop before shutting and locking the door. "Straight this way, we make a left at Mulberry, and then a right Main Street and follow it straight down to the docks."

And then, if there were no objections, the group would be moving. Maximos followed closely behind letting what introductions, conversations and interactions that may happen, happen. Dorul was close to the front, already sweating and eager to get back on a boat and to colder lands.

It was after the turn at Mulberry that Maximos stepped forward a bit, and beside Liliana. "Madam." He said, softly and politely, his mismatched black and white eyes meeting hers as he smiled a wide smile, and spoke with a sincere voice laced with honest curiosity. "I just wanted to be sure, after that last question. Is there something or someone you wanted to bring with you? I can hold the boat while you fetch them."

For the large notherner, the left turn brought more people and more shops and a larger wave of discomfort than he had previously expected. He slowed his steps, and decided that the best way to deal with being a complete stranger in a strange land was to interact with someone that seemed just a strange. In this case, it was the man in the odd clothes with the small bear with him. Dorul approached slowly, and bowed his head toward Tenkai.

"Strange sir." He said, having not caught the samurai-monk's name. "You wur to say sumting, inside, before little bear ate your...metal...armor dress. Kan I ask what?"

Night was chuckling at the panda chewing on the mans robe, and the man bapping the panda. He couldn't help but picture how it'd look if it was with a rolled up newspaper, and that just made him laugh more, and Maxis comment about the pandas diet didn't help, when he suddenly found himself being volunteered as an escort. With a shrug and reshouldering of the pack on his back, he held his arm out slightly for her, resigned to his fate, not that he minded her company, just he knew what was coming, and led Raven out the door of the shop, walking towards the docks.


That.

He did his best to hide a cringe at her words while searching his pockets for his smokes. Once he found them, he removed one from the pack and lit it before looking over at his companion on his arm.

"Ah, ha... ha. Yeah, I thought you might have some questions, which deserve answers. And, well, I guess we'll have plenty of time to talk as this boat is likely to take a bit to get north."

Unlike the others, Night didn't mind boats at all. He'd been on quite a few, ranging from aircraft carriers to junks about to fall apart at the seams, in all kinds of weather. It had been a while though, so a boat trip to the frozen north would be very interesting. He always found the sea air, especially the cold, northern air, quite invigorating. His opinion was closer to his brothers, a slow boat over a portal any day. Now those things could make his stomach do cartwheels. He supressed a shudder just at the thought of taking one as he took a deep pull of the cigarette.

"Certainly a good day to take a boat trip to a frozen tundra and into almost certain mortal danger though, wouldn't you say?"

This he said loud enough to be heard by the group while looking down at Rave out of the corner of his eye, a half smile on his face, before he cast a glance around them and back at Maxi talking to one of the female members of their group.

For the most part, Tenkai appeared completely oblivious to Vykos' ability to sense his energies through touch. He probably would have found it strange that people would be so excited to see what abilities he had to contribute to the group, being the type to not think very much of himself. In truth, he was more preoccupied with scratching the cat behind the ears to really think that deeply into it.

As far as Vykos was concerned, his senses weren't fooling him. The harmless-looking monk was definitely hiding some sort of power akin to the same strange ambiance one would get from staring at statues in a Buddhist temple. Although it wasn't surprising for some monks to have strong spiritual power, not many people knew that about them. But spiritual power wasn't the only thing he was hiding. His power has been touched by something ominous, almost like a tiger that had been uneasily tamed. It was as if this feeling was an individual essence aside from Tenkai's own, but somehow connected to it.

Whatever it meant, the group would find out soon enough. For now, Tenkai didn't seem like any more than a rather amiable monk, scratching a cat behind the ears. He didn't even look like he could detect Vykos' sarcasm.

All kitties love scratches. :3

You're kidding right?

"Oh, no, not at all. I meant it. You're a good kitty."

For someone of Tenkai's intelligence and power, he appeared rather simple. Could Vykos have been mistaken?

But now the monk turned his attention back to the group, and he couldn't help but chuckle. It was a rather friendly gathering, and they seemed to be quite pleased by Kuroshiro's antics. Although the giant bear could be a bit to handle at times, he wasn't useless as a traveling companion.

Especially in cold weather.

"Don't worry," said the smiling monk, "Kuroshiro and I will be fine for the journey."

Even though he didn't look like it, Tenkai was aware that some of the adventurers were just as interested in finding more about eachother as he was. Joshua had already expressed his interest, referring to them as "fun". If this sort of thing was his idea of fun, then Tenkai could only imagine what sort of things he hid.

Maximos was even more mysterious in that regard. It was something about his mannerisms, but nothing that put Tenkai off in the slightest. He was a wonderful host, enough for Tenkai to be comfortable with him in spite of being aware that he was hiding something. It was relieving for him to actually want to be surprised, for once, rather than the foreboding feeling of something that could be threat to him. Although he was "Dark", as the name implied, the mystery behind him made him feel more interested than apprehensive.

He could only hope he was right about that.

Of course, his host wasn't the only fascinating one. There were many faces, both new and old, that were accompanying them on the journey. He remembered those such as Raven and Ryugi, but Liliana, the Russian knight, Vykos and the others were fresh faces to him. He wondered what sort of stories they would have to share.

This only served to make Tenkai even more happy to be traveling on a boat. If they were to travel by means of teleportation like the others were discussing, there would be no time to talk about anything. Where was the fun in that?

Soon the time of departure would be upon them, and Maximos was already opening the door for the group to exit. Tenkai would not keep him waiting, heading for the door with his panda following in tow. He stopped for a moment, a bit confused at the change of atmosphere. Were they not in Durem just a few moments ago? How did they get in Latent all of a sudden?

No...no, it wasn't right to think too much into it. Maximos worked in mysterious ways.

Once they were on their way and turned the street corner, he was approached by Mr. Dorul.

"Strange sir." He said, having not caught the samurai-monk's name. "You wur to say sumting, inside, before little bear ate your...metal...armor dress. Kan I ask what?"

"Hm?"

Tenkai turned to face Dorul as he continued to walk. He looked as if he couldn't remember what the northerner was referring to. Once it dawned on him, Dorul would be able to see it in his face like a lightbulb turning on.

"Oh, yes. Don't worry about that. I can't seem to remember it right now...it must have been the distraction. I'm sure it'll come back to me once we're at sea."

Whether or not it was a good lie, Tenkai felt he had to do it for now. In truth, he did remember what he was going to say, but he wasn't sure if it was a concept he could explain to Dorul. Whether or not Dorul knew what he would mean, Tenkai didn't want to start jumping to conclusions until they finally got down to the investigation. Once they were on the boat, he'd at least have had time to work out his thoughts enough to discuss it at length with the stormcaster.

I hate to keep my thoughts to myself for now, but I don't know how to explain it. Being of both worlds and neither at the same time...could the Frostfire Soul be the result of some sort of scientific abomination?

So then, they would soon be on their way. Ryugi pushed himself up from where he had been leaning against one of the many bookshelves that lined the store, and brushed himself off. He grinned softly as the little muse made her opinions of boats and traveling on the sea known. He turned and patted her gently on the head, as he often did to try and quiet her feelings of worry, and spoke as reassuringly as he could.

Don't worry Tilly. If anything happens you'll have a whole gaggle of adventurers as well as myself to help you out. Plus, I'm sure if you get sick Miss Raven over there should be able to take care of it. I daresay I think she can cure a rainy day sometimes.

Ryugi chuckled and moved to exit the shop, making sure the little muse followed him closely.



As the group made their way to the docks, Ryugi stayed close to the rear of the group, watching the interactions take place. He stayed closest to Maximos and Dorul, and made sure Tilly didn't get left behind in the crowd. It was good to be going on a real adventure again, and his age old excitement at the prospect of new lands and new experiences made him almost giddy.

The first thing to wake up is your Animal instincts. When darkness overtakes the mind and all conciousness leaves, survival instincts start up first and the world becomes a riot of sound and colors and light. Scenery flickers like an old horror movie just before the nosey kids get torn to shreds by the killer. Noise rushes in and crashes like a tidal wave on totally unprepared ears as the area's of the brain that control those things turn on like a computer on standby. For some, the activation of such things brings about spasms in the muscles as neurons that had shut down began to fire off again. It is an interesting spectacle if the person in question is usually meek, mild, or even cowardly as they twitch and spasm until at long last higher brain functions kick in.

For Damion, it was hell on earth and he reacted accordingly. Any lights were overbright, stinging his bloodshot eyes badly enough that adrenaline began to freight train its way through his body. Fingers clawed and erupted from the water to grab hold of the tub rim that contained him until muscle memory told him that his shoulders didn't exist and those same limbs dropped back into the water. His teeth nashed futiley in the air before he sank into the strange green liquid fully, tucking himself up as best he could to hide beneath the quieting surface.

He lurked there like an alligator, as if cradled in the womb all over again. His shoulders burned like fire where new muscles protested against the sudden motions that Damion had tried to put them through, like overworked muscles they would need to be loosened up first. The Hydra kept his eyes closed as if waiting for an attack to come, ready for the descending strike, before with halting motions he emerged from the water. First his eyes, opening and dilating as they adjusted to the light around him, then the rest of his head to the neck, reveling in the feeling of water cooling on his neck, until at long last he was leaned back against the edge of the pool with his upper body mostly exposed.

His brain took in the world around him in bits and pieces, processing everything as he sat in silent deliberation.

Was this the afterlife?

Had he been killed at all?

Where was he and where had Maximos gone?

His nose took in only the scent of the strange liquid that surrounded him, drawing his eyes back to it as he sat relatively motionless.

And what was this stuff?

A long, thin, dark red tongue poked from between his lips to run across the space between nose and mouth, tasting the odd fluid as his eyes circled the room again. His hands, not content to sit idle like the rest of his body, began to lift free of the water at the elbows until they once again rested on the tub edges with no help from his tortured bones and muscles. As higher brain functions began to batter their way up from his subconcious, certain things became apparent to the elemental. One, he was whole again, the shattered bones of his shoulders and ribs once again complete if abit sore and the muscles that had been woven over them replaced. Second, he was HUNGRY.

This was all the reason he needed to finally get up, pulling tired legs underneath his body, lurching upward with a hiss as water poured off of him, dripping from his fingers and nose, clinging to his long hair and plastering it to his shoulders and back. Damion stood still to let it run off in its own time despite his gnawing hunger.

For a moment, he was all senses again, standing there in the life giving tea warmed by his body and the ambient heat of the candles. The lights flickering around the walls cast shadows that capered and danced like merry ghosts or malevolent demons, beckoning his eyes to view and calling him to dance. He watched the tiny wisps of smoke rise towards a twilight ceiling with a detached interest that was quickly lost as his eyes closed and he breathed in deep, imagining the smells of this room as a gentle green fog that slowly filled him. It was relaxing, so very relaxing, and the Hydra allowed himself to be lost in the ambience of this place. So unlike hibernation, he wanted to fall asleep forever in this dim world.

And then something low caught his ears and tugged at them like an eager child at its mothers dress. He caught the gentle strands of a stringed instrument, the sound of horsehair being pulled across strings of silver as fingers danced on wood made perfect for such an act. His eyes opened, gleaming white and green to be matched by the sharp white crescent of his teeth while his lips split to show them. Carefully so as not to lose the sounds that so called to his savage soul Damion stepped free of the tub and onto the floor without so much as a patter of the neon green liquid. No, indeed this he cradled in his hands like a supplicant before an altar, the gentle glow the seemed to come from within peeking from between his fingers.

Slowly, haltingly, he followed the sound to the door and passed through the portal and into the hallway. Now smell, smell to rival that of the tea, smell to awaken the hunger in his stomach that now roared with the force of an awakened dragon. His peace was lost and reflected in the way his eyebrows drew down into an angry glare before with a sharp hiss Damion forced his mind away, forced the pain away. No, this place was not made for that kind of hunger. He walked with halting steps forward until after 2 falls of his feet he was moving with a forced grace.

His neon eyes took in the world around him with the vague wonder of a newborn child, each statue catching his attention until the next could snatch it away. The attention to detail was lost even if the meaning and the life of the things captured therein was not. Finally, it seemed to him, he reached the window and could see out into the pitch black sky bereft of the sun he had expected to be there. The smile had returned to his face and he appeared as the cat who caught the canary. Satisfied. With one sharp motion he turned back and walked down the hall of wonderful images again, not pausing as he had but acknowledging them again as the lovely things they were.

Down the stairs he walked with haste as his stomach pulled him on towards the smell of food and his heart pulled him towards the sound of life. Damion did love life, despite his desire to end it on so many occasions, and the sound of the music swelling gently atleast promised him some semblance of such in this place that seemed so empty. His feet touched the ground only lightly before he moved on, still cupping the ball of tea in both hands when his feet touched the last step and he walked on into whatever awaited him.

Damions smile faded slowly, the muscles in his face reluctant or unused to the activity, and his face took on an unusually serious expression. His eyes roamed the rows of books and statues, the general unclean nature, and something in him called out to that kind of life, the things one could see and experience while walking the world. He recognized none of the symbols but knew that the people who carved them had done so with love and care, the image burned into the hearts and minds of a peoples and not just mass produced to be sold. Or perhaps they were made for just that purpose and thus reflected a peoples removed from their own heritage so much that it was only a source of income for them anymore.

He scanned the book titles, head turned slightly sideways as he struggled to read them. Damion was far from uneducated but many languages were far outside of his grasp even now. He knew none of the stories or fables that popped out at him, eyes tracing the words before moving on like grasshoppers from leaf to leaf. His eyes hit the food and locked on though, the greatest targeting system in the world kicking into place as he stared open mouth.

"Good evening Damion!"
But then someone was talking to him, at him, waiting a response, a verbal reply, and a certain conditioning kicked into play.

" And to you Maximos."

There, formalities settled. But wait aminute. This was a friend, a companion, perhaps the greatest oppenent he'd ever gone against in his admittedly short life! There had to be more than that!

" Did you sleep well?"

" Sleep? I've never slept like that before."

And there was the save, the catcher. He responded without thinking and let his mind wander back to the fight, the component peices of such almost like watching a television. Damion compared the Maximos that stood infront of him with the one he'd fought, the two of them as titans in the sky raining blood and savage joy down on the world below them. The image did not match up. It had something to do with their lack of wounds perhaps, the physical scars that signified conflict of the flesh missing from the picture.

" You just missed Walter."

" Oh, that's unfortunate."

His words came out like the lines of a play and the Hydra frowned outwardly, his face crinkling up in a look of displeasure. Until food was brought up, until that sat before him was fully open to his desires and pleasure. The ball of tea was consumed whole before he moved on like a ravaging horde before a defenseless town. His hands found the most solid piece of steak he could find, the least fat atleast, and yanked it towards his already open mouth. Chunks were ripped away with the harsh tearing noise of flesh ripping and teeth clicked against teeth as they cut through the meat as if it wasn't there.

Damion hunched over the table somewhat as he ate and kept his eyes focused on the food infront of him as if it would have the gall to jump up and run away from him if he took its eyes off of it. As Maximos reappeared with the cup the elemental would spare it a glance before looking up at the shadow with vague confusion, steak held firmly to mouth.