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 Posted: Mon Feb 10, 2014 3:00 pm
This Quest is for Kaalnia who is striving to become a Blade.
 OOC
||. The quest prompt must be answered with a 2000 word reply (can be more).
||. Respond to the prompt given with an adventure of your own creation as long as it meets the requirements of the specific tasks.
||. NPCs may be used as long as they advance the quest in an interesting manner.
||. You cannot include any playable characters other than the quest taker.
||. Your responses will be graded on a letter grade scale: a grade of D or F will result in repeating the quest process, C or better will result in passing and possible rewards.
||. Questions about quests can be asked here.
IC
The morning had just started and already there was a commotion on the Chibale Isles. A hybrid had shown up. A male hybrid. In the wee hours of the morning a male Alkidike's boat touched shore without permission and the Alkidike women were up in arms. It seems that the Alkidike male that had never seemed to show his face was now demanding acceptance as a Sister.
The elders, after conferring with each other behind closed doors, have summoned Kaalnia to the chambers where they have gathered. It seems that she is the one who will accompany the young man on his quest to prove himself. There have been claims of a mysterious and tantalizingly strong metal that can be used to make incredible weapons. It has been found in the northern mountains of Sauti and Kaalnia is to accompany him.
But there's something about his face...
Quest Tasks
||. The Alkidike hybrid that Kaalnia is to escort has a face identical to Ruelash, including the sour demeanor.
||. Kaalnia will not be able to refuse the Elders' request for her to tag along. She will be reporting on his drive to succeed and his ability to accomplish the task at hand. She will be the eyes and ears of the Elders.
||. The quest should include the Alkidike hybrid and Kaalnia's introduction, their journey to Sauti and back, and the follow up report with the Elders.
||. This quest will be a test of Kaalnia's persistence to finish her task, her respect for elders, and her ability to handle a look-alike of the thing that has shaken her so much.
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Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:46 pm
Kaalnia found it hard to sleep these days. The nightmares of pain and blood that had haunted her since the tournament had only worsened with time, and it was now starting to show in the dark, bruised rings under her eyes. When she tried to sleep, she would toss and turn until she drifted to sleep, only to wake up what felt like mere moments later, tears staining her face and spattering the furs she lay on, gripping tightly.
Tired and unmotivated, She had taken to being by herself by the small springs on Chibale, holding her throbbing head and speaking softly to her pet fish. She was not well, and she knew she was not well. She didn't want to be this way: she wanted to go out to the Tale edge and explore. She wanted to flirt with women and hang out with men. She wanted to dance and sing and be happy. But she couldn't. All enjoyment had faded from her life, and she didn't know what to do about it.
She had just managed to drift off to the blessed oblivion of sleep - when she was shaken awake by a Blade she knew. "Sister..." they said gently, concernedly. Everybody in the island community knew there was something wrong, perhaps terribly so, with Kaalnia. Not all could trace it to the tournament, but they were all beginning to worry. How could they not? When someone as energetic and young and in-your-face as Kaalnia starts to flicker and fade, it dims everybody's light. "I'm sorry to wake you"
Kaalnia managed a small smile. "Hey, at least it's you waking me up, right? You've a good face to wake up to. Ha... haha." she managed to sit up and laugh, holding her head, knowing it would start to ache again soon.
The blade smiled sympathetically. Most hoped that Kaalnia would snap out of whatever afflicted her, and this Blade found her halfhearted flirting to be a sign of hope. "The elder's want you, Kaa. Do you need anything?"
Kalnia blinked. "Me? Really? Uh..." It took a few moments for it to really sink in. "Crap. I need to change..." she said, looking down at her slightly soiled clothing. It had been slept in. Several days in a row. And it really wouldn't do to show up looking like crap. Not that fresh clothes would help much. "And... maybe breakfast." she said sheepishly, smiling.
The Blade gave her a pat on the shoulder. "I'll get you something to eat. Just get changed and ready, and then I'll take you to them, allright?" Kaalnia smiled sheepishly, half wishing the Blade would stay while she changed, but then again, she wasn't at her best.
As she put on fresh clothes and attached Popper to them, she had to wonder. What did the Elders want with her?
~~~
Kaalnia stared at the antennaed man on the small boat, frozen. The world detached from its rightful place in reality and spun away into dull sounds and colors. A dull roar grew in her ears as the man came into sharp – too sharp – focus.
No. she gasped, feeling the flutters of panic rise in her. How had he found her here? How was HE here? Why was HE here? That skin... That face... It was him!
She remembered him so well. his wild leer haunted her every dream, waking or sleeping. She felt phantom pain, felt the ground against her back, heard the roaring in her ears become the shouts of a crowd hungry for blood, felt the phantom warmth of her own blood flow over her skin, and for a moment she was there again, at the tournament, being hurt.
Her breath caught in her throat, her chest tightening as she struggled to breathe. Her grip on her spear tightened as she dared to look into his eyes. His ferocious, predatory...
Black eyes?
That brought her back to reality. Her nightmare did not have the black, shining eyes of a sister. She took in his other oddities - the blue/black hair done up in a mane of dreadlocks, the green markings that danced across his face and body, the antennae that tilted rakishly from his head. This man was not her nightmare... but he was close to it. Too close.
"What the ******** are you doin', standing there like an idiot? Ya haven't seen a man before?" he said, his voice full of frustrated hostility, and Kaalnia returned to full reality with a shudder.
"Nope. I've seen one." she said, stepping into the boat and setting her spear down. She didn't look directly at him - not at his face, "A bunch, actually. You're nothing special." she growled at him, angry at her reaction, angry at his resemblance to that man.
"So. You're the sister that's gonna come with me all the way back to Sauti, eh?" he said, looking her over, his eyes lingering on the sharp edge of her spear, "So, what. You a Blade?"
"Nope." said Kaalnia, unusually curt. She looked up at the Alkidikes that watched them warily on the cliffs and pouted. She didn't mind helping a brother with getting accepted. It sucked that they had to be born men and thus boobless, so hey: The least she could do was help them be a part of the tribe. But this man was too uncannily like that other man, that Ruelash. She didn't want to help him. No, that wasn't fair... she wanted someone else to go with him. Anybody but her. But she couldn't back down now. She'd gotten excited in the Elder's tent, and had said brave and confident things like 'Of course I can do it!' and 'You can count on me!' and 'I'll do whatever you ask of me, sure!'. If she took those back now, she'd be a coward. Kaalnia didn't want to prove herself a coward. "Lets just go." she said, deliberately not looking at him, "Lets get this over with." He nodded appreciatively as they pushed off into the ocean.
~~~
They were a ways onto the ocean, the shore of Tendaji like a ribbon of hope and life in the churning, briny wasteland. Kaalnia kept her eyes fixed on it as her stomach churned with the waves.
"So. Why aren't we landing?" she asked grumpily, still pointedly not looking at him.
"It's easier to cross the Tale from the water." He said, "An' I wanna get this trip over with as soon as possible-like."
"Lets land now. For the night." Kaalnia grumbled she felt uneasy and unbalanced, and she could feel it down in her guts. "I'm sick of this boat."
The man stopped his paddling for a moment, looking out across the water. "s**t." he said, starting for shore, "Maybe we ought!"
Kaalnia looked up to see that the sky was churning too, the darkening blues fading to dull greys and flashing greens. She perked up in alarm. A storm!
It was soon upon them, with the suddenness that these things have on the water. Rain lashed down around them, and the ocean became a living thing, clawing against the boat with talons of icy water and howling with the force of the wind. The man threw Kaalnia an oar. "Get rowin!" he shouted, "We gotta get outta this water!"
She grabbed it, not quite sure what to do with it, "Thats what I've been telling you for the past three hours!" she shouted back, the sight of him sparking a primal mixture of fear and anger. She threw the oar back at him.
He caught the oar and snarled, his face contorting in an all too familiar scowl, and she felt oddly satisfied that she had brought it out. "Does that even ******** matter? Take the ******** oar and get rowing, you idiot!" he shouted, throwing it back, "Do you even ******** know how to use an oar?!" he said, his eyes growing wide in realization. "s**t, you don't do you?!" Kaalnia could see the wrath building in him, as the world raged around her. She could feel it building in her as well. "Chi's merciless breath!" He screamed over the rumble of thunder, "I come all the way from Mez, on foot, to join my own ******** tribe, and they send me right back home with a stupid Prentice with no sea legs who CAN'T EVEN ******** ROW??!!" He gave her a shove. "WELL FINE! I'LL TAKE THEIR ******** CHALLENGE. I'LL SHOW THEM!"
"YOU'LL SHOW WHO?!" Kaalnia howled back, punching him in the face before she even knew what she was doing. Soon she was attacking him, the boat rocking with their fight and with the waves. She fought with her fists and the fury of of a dreamer in a nightmare who has finally snapped. She'd heard of sisters sometimes going into a 'red haze' in battle, but this was nothing like that. She felt cold, full of icy, maddened, hate. He fought back with the fury of someone who loves to fight. The storm did not care for their motives or struggle, and eventually the strain became too much for the boat. It tipped, dumping its wrath-filled cargo into the frothing water. Kaalnia released her choke hold on the man, struggling to swim in the unbalanced water. She saw only darkness and felt only cold as a roof of nothing closed over her head and, after a few panicked instants, closed over her mind as well.
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Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:47 pm
She awoke to her own sudden gasping and coughing, her lungs burning with pain and life. She felt rough sand cling to her back as she moved to spit out the salty, mucousy brine that suddenly appeared in her mouth.
"Ugh... What happened." she muttered, taking another deep breath.
"Hey. You alive?" asked a voice. It was unfamiliar and male. She opened her eyes to see... The man from the tournament. But... not him. He was all wrong. His features were the same, but his eyes were not... and he had antennae...
"Who are you?" she asked, as memory began to trickle back, "Oh." that guy.
"Votzham. The halfbreed you were supposed to accompany to Sauti." he growled, "Or maybe the halfbreed you were going to murder on the way. By the orders of those old bats in charge. Is that it?" he hissed. She felt the cold edge of metal against her neck, and could see the edge of a sword out of the corner of her peripheral vision, its twin also drawn and ready. "Well, guess what." he said, smirking cruelly, "You failed, an' they'll have to try harder than that to get me out of their sight. I'll join the tribe no matter what they throw at me, whether anybody wants me to or not. 'ts my birthright, you hear? Mine. I was born from a ******** lotus, and I'm coming back home to Mother Aisha. You can't ******** stop me, and they can't ******** stop me. Ye understand?!" he waited a moment, a long moment for Kaalnia. And then he lifted the sword, slightly reluctantly, from her neck and looked down at her, his expression querying. "So... what. Did I pass?" he asked, sheathing the swords, "Did I pass your stupid test? Am I an Alkidike Blade now?"
"No." coughed Kalnia, the anger returning as she sat up, rubbing her neck and glaring, "Its nothing like that."
"What? Ya mean... Not killing my assassin? That wasn't the test?" He rolled his whole head, "Chi's breath. Give me a ******** break. Ya mean, I still have to deal with ya all the way to Sauti and back?"
"Yeah." growled Kaalnia, standing up and brushing herself off, "And I have to deal with you. So, you know what? We're even. Lets just go."
"Wait, so. If ya weren't supposed to kill me, why'd ya attack me?" he said, perplexed, "I ain't done nothin to ya, and ya had no reason ta..."
"I just did, okay." said Kaalnia, picking up her spear from the ground, "Lets. Just. go." she said, walking towards the haze to the East.
Votszhem looked after her for a moment, then scrambled to his feet and followed her. "Some thanks I get for saving yer stupid life!" he shouted after her, as he hustled to catch up.
~~~
The storm had brought them right up to Sauti's metaphorical doorstep, and they were soon stepping among hazy purple slopes, traveling higher and higher. It was cold here, colder than the coolest day in Jahuar, and it was starting to get to her. Her head felt lighter, and the air felt thinner, though Kaalnia had no idea how that was possible. She kept falling behind Votzham, who kept waiting up for her, to her great aggravation. He still looked like Ruelash, but she was getting over that, bit by bit. Now she just hated him because he was an aggravating and inconsiderate a*****e.
"So, yeah." he said, as she caught up to him this time, "We just keep goin' along this path until we reach Dernd, and then we'll get ya a coat there, 'cause it's gonna get colder."
"Oh. Great." said Kaalnia, already shivering in the Sautian breeze. He smirked at her disconfort, "Shoulda packed warmer," he said, almost cheerfully, "Just a bit longer, Softfoot!" he called as he made his way down the path, moving faster than Kaalnia could comprehend. She didn't know how he did it. The paths here were lined with sharp rocks and her feet were already sore and bleeding. She longed for the soft mud of Jahuar or, even,the sands of the Tale. "Wait up!" she called after him, and was startled by her own echo. She grumbled something before struggling after him.
~~~
Kaalnia snuggled into her new coat and the blessed heat that it held inside. She sneezed, and praised Aisha for giving her daughters a lovely, warm place to live because frankly it was kind of miserable here.
The worst part was the man was enjoying her misery. He kept taunting her and, occasionally, laughing at her when she finally caught up to him. If she wasn't sneezing every minute, Kaalnia would have punched him in his obnoxiously smug face. As it was, she was getting better at keeping up with him in the harsh terrain.
Dernd had been a welcome sight in the haze, and the supplies she'd been able to get had been a welcome relief. While it had been difficult to find things that would fit her, anything was better than her Jahuar clothes in this place.
Kaalnia was so busy trying to keep walking in unfamiliar footgear that she almost ran into Votzhem. He smirked at her. "Ya see there?" he pointed, "That there's Iory. Thats the town I grew up in." he said, "Its full o' sailscales an' people."
"Do you think they'll know anything?" Kaalnia asked, trying not to sound interested. She'd seen a few sailscales, and she kind of wanted one, but she didn't want this shithead to know that.
"'Bout the rocks? Sure. If they exist, someone's gonna be talking about them. Talk's cheap there."
"Oh good." said Kaalnia, following him as they began to scale the rocks. The sooner they found this 'metal' the better.
She was on a particularly percarious part of the rock face, her hand cautiously on the wall next to the path, when suddenly something - a lot of somethings - flew out from a nearby crevice and swirled around her, shrieking. She yelped, startled, as small claws grazed her, and as suddenly as they had engulfed her, they were away. Votzhem laughed as she gawked at the cloud of flapping wings as they disappeared into the hazy distance. "Those're sailscales." he said, pointing, "Gonna be a lot more of 'em, so ya'd better get over it." he moved away, snickering, before Kaalnia could hit him.
Muttering, she followed him down the path. She couldn't arrive in Iory – in civilization - soon enough.
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Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:48 pm
"Vosh?" a woman's voice called out from the tangle of huts that made up Iory. Kaalnia was happy to be off of the series of ledges between Dernd and Iory, and happy to be in a place with people instead of sailscales. Or at least among the sailscales. Not that she didn't like sailscales, even after encountering so many... it was just their tendency to get into her hair that she didn't really like so much. She looked up to see an ice tribe woman run up to Votzhem and embrace him. Having had to travel with a man for several days, it hit Kaalnia just how sexy earthling women were, even this one who was clearly many years older than herself.
"Hey Ma." said Votzhem, patting her awkwardly on the back, "I'm home."
"Did they..." the woman looked at Kaalnia with suspicious yellow eyes, "Vosh, what happened?"
"So, Ma. They sent me on a mission to find some sorta special metal or whatever." he gestured to Kaalnia, "An' this softfoot's with me to keep an eye on me." The woman continued to stare at Kaalnia.
Kaalnia couldn't be too mad when faced with such an attractive lady. She held out a hand- cloth wrapped against the invasive chill of Sauti. "Hey there!" she said, turning on the charm. Votzhem's mother or not, she honestly couldn't help it, "I'm Kaalnia!"
The woman stared at her hand as if it would bite, and Kaalnia eventually let it drop good naturedly. Sure, fine, no handshake. That was allright. "I'm Vannan." said the woman, glaring. "Why are you here?"
"Ma, she's here to keep an eye on me." said Votzhem, scowling, "Thats all she's here for. Where's Ma?"
"Laki is out hunting in the mountains..." Vannan said, "Whats this about a metal?"
"I'm supposed to find it. Any ideas?"
Vannan looked back at Kaalnia, baring her teeth slightly. Clearly, this woman didn't like her, and Kaalnia didn't know why. She hadn't done anything yet! "Lets talk in private." she said, leading him off into a hut. Kaalnia shrugged and waited. She could be patient.
~~~
Votzhem was preparing his room when Vannan came out to find Kaalnia. The woman was confrontational, and even Kaalnia could feel the hostility coming from her. "So." said Vannan, standing over Kaa's reclining form, her ichor-blue hair cascading down her face and around the crystals at her neck, "Why are you really here?"
Kaalnia gave her her sexiest smile. "Just keeping an eye on him. Making sure he gets what he came for."
"And what exactly..." Vannan narrowed her eyes, "Did he come for."
"Some sort of metal." said Kaalnia, "It's supposed to be indestructable, and he's got to bring it back to the isles..." But Vannan wasn't really listening. She grabbed Kaalnia by the collar of her ill-fitting robe. Kaalnia wasn't sure if she was more scared or intrigued by the wrath on the woman's attractive face.
"If you or your tribe ever hurts my son..." growled the woman, "I will hunt you down and personally gut you. Is this clear?" she asked, holding up a very sharp dagger, "I may not be a warrior, but..."
"Vanimine, don't scare her." said a voice from behind. Kaalnia looked up to see a fur-swaddled Alkidike standing beside her. As Kaalnia gawked at this new attractive older woman, the Alkidike gently pushed away Vannan's dagger, "She's just a kid." she turned to Kaalnia and smiled. "Hello Sister! Cold enough for ya?" she said, grinning, "how do you like your first trip to Sauti?" Vannan backed off, scowling at the two Alkidikes.
"Well, it kind of sucks. It's cold and full of rocks and sailscales." The woman laughed.
"Yeah, it is that! But it's not bad when you get used to it. We don't get any of those horrible days when the air becomes soup... that's for sure."
"Ugh." said Kaalnia, relaxing, "I hate those."
"Yup, I don't miss them a bit." They both laughed, connection established.
Vannan glared at them both. "Lakshmi, I don't trust her. She's here to kill our Voshhy, and you know it."
The Alkidike looked at the other woman and shrugged. "Well, if she hasn't killed him yet, she isn't going to, Vannimine. So." she laid a hand on Kaalnia's shoulder, "What's your name, kid, and what do they have you and my son doing?"
Kaalnia felt right at home, surrounded by gorgeous and energetic older women. "Well, I'm Kaalnia, and I guess you must be Lakshmi, right? Thats one awesome name, by the way." she began, smiling flirtatiously, "They have him looking for some sort of special indesctructable metal. I'm just along to keep an eye on him and report back." she leaned back against a trunk full of cloth, "Thats all."
Lakshmi nodded. "Makes sense. I knew they'd give him a chance, but it makes sense that they'd send someone along to keep him on his toes." She put a hand to her chin thoughtfully. "Metal, you say." she said, tapping her fingers against her chin, "whats it look like?"
Vannan left the room, grumbling, as Kaalnia thought. "Well, we didn't see it, but I hear its sort of like a rock, but shiny..."
"Hmmm." said Lakshmi, "Hmmmm..."
"What." said Votzhem, coming out from what was likely his room holding a basket.
"Hey Vosh!" said Laki, bringing the young man in for a kiss on the forehead, "I was just about to tell your friend Kaalnia here that we can cut your journey short. I think I know where some of this metal is that you're looking for!"
"What?!" exclamed Votzhem, looking at his alkidike mother, his eyes bright and energetic.
"What?!" Said Kaalnia, excitedly. "You mean..."
"Yup. We'll go out tomorrow to where I think it might be, we spend a night there, and you two can be on your way back to warmer climates." she grinned "Sound good?"
"Sounds good to me!" said Kaalnia, grinning at Votzhem before she caught herself and looked away. "Sounds real good."
"Great!" Lakshmi gave them both a friendly slap on the back, before standing up, "Tomorrow it is!"
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Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:49 pm
She had thought it was cold in the mountains leading up to Dernd and on the math to Iory. It was colder still in the mountainous northern ridge that separated Zena from Sauti. Kaalnia had already lost feeling in her antennae, and her fingers and toes were chilled despite being covered in gloves and boots.
But Lakshmi had not. Votzshem's mother strolled along the stone as if she had been born to it, leaping over rocks as gracefully as shifters leapt through trees, and he followed close behind, leaving Kaalnia to struggle along to keep them in sight.
"Its just along this way, I think." Lakshmi spoke up, "I think I saw some rocks that looked like what you two are looking for over in that cave there. There was some in the rock itself, too." The Alkidike put her hands on her hips, "No idea how it did that." She shrugged, "Anyway, I'll set up camp while you two look around. Lemme know if you find anything, okay?"
Kaalnia would have liked to rest, but Votzhem was off as if loosed from a bow. He walked to the cavern and was inside before Kaalnia could catch up. The cavern's maw loomed, deeply black and dripping with hidden water, taunting Kaalnia's thirst. She followed Votzhem into it, wary of the deep blackness.
The darkness was suddenly broken, held at bay by a dim ball of light in Votzhem's hands. She stared at the Ice hybrid. "You can do magic?" she asked, pulling her cloak closer around her.
He looked at her quizzically. "Yeh" he said, "Why?"
She shook her head. "I can't do magic. Some sisters can a little, but they're all older..." she fought the constricting feeling in her chest - in the flickering magic light, his face looked alien, far more like Ruelash's face and too much like a nightmare turned real. She looked away, reminding herself that it was not Ruelash that stood before her. "I sort of wish I could. Magic is sexy as s**t."
"Really?" he said, looking at her in surprise, "Ya really think so?" he said, before biting his lip. “Ya... really think magic is sexy?”
"Yeah. But my Sister Briella's got claim on the next mystic, so... Tough luck for me." Kaalnia looked around the cave, "I guess I have to go after a sacred heart, or find an earthling mage." she smirked thoughtfully, "I'm sure theres some good lookin' magical girls out there..."
"Girl...?" asked Votzhem, slightly deflatedly, before growling something unpleasant and inaudible. "Well, its not like I... Wait... Whats that?" Kalnia turned to see him angling the light in a strange way. The opening of the cave itself wasn't too deep - more than a shelter but less than a room. There was a narrow passage at the back, from which a chill - if it could BE even colder - emanated. Kaalnia tilted her head curiously. Was that... a glitter? A shine? They approached to investigate.
It was a seam in the rock, seemingly, shimmering with refraction that the dull purple stone simply did not possess. "You think this is it?" whispered Kaalnia. "Yeah..." whispered Votzhem, reaching out to touch it, "Looks just like th' stone I got shown... By th' Elders..." Kaalnia could hear his breath quicken, "I think..."
"We found it!" said Kaalnia, grinning with excitement, "We've finally found it!" They looked at each other, sharing the exhilerating moment before Kaalnia looked away. He really did look exactly like Ruelash. "Lets let your Ma know, and then lets start getting as much of this stuff as we can."
~~~
Night fell, and in Sauti it fell hard. There was a point where light was simply cut off, and only darkness reigned in the hazy land. Kaalnia missed the luminescence of the rainforest as she huddled next to the warm fire that Lakshmi had set up.
"So." said the older Alkidike, "You two found what you were looking for?"
"Yeah." said Kaalnia, wrapping her cloak around herself to keep the chill night at bay.
"Vosh?" the hybrid looked up from staring into the bag of metal-stones that they would be taking with them,
“Yeh?” he said, his face unreadable.
"Vosh, do you still want to do this?"
The Hybrid nodded. "I don't care what Ma says. I want t' join your tribe."
"You don't have to, you know. You can stay here with us forever. Maybe you could be a mage. I don't know. But, kid, you don't have to go be a blade just because I'm..."
"It ain't because of you, ma." said Votzhem hotly, "I've always wanted 'ta do this. I don't belong here, ma. I jus' don't. An' I don't belong in Zena either. I'm an Alkidike, an' thats where I'm going..." he huffed, "'sides, I ain't much of a mage. I'm a sword guy. I just like magic, is all."
"I'm sure you could manage if if you trained a bit..." Lakshmi said, "Seriously, you don't have..."
"I want t' do this. I'm goingta' do it." Votzhem stood and looked at his mother, his expression twisted and belligerent, "An' you should be supportin' me! What the ******** happened to pride, Ma?! YE were the one that told me all about how I was born from a lotus, Ye were the one that told me all them stories about Alkidike warriors past, YE were the one who sent me off. I know Ma has a problem with what I'm doin', but YOU shouldn't!" He stomped at the ground, "Ye were the one that said I should try to be a sister. Ye." he sat down, drained and angry. "Ye were."
Kaaalnia watched the exchange, drowning the slight spark of fear in hot soup.
"Now hang on." said Lakshmi calmly, "I was just making sure that this was what you wanted. Since you have a chance to reconsider." She fell quiet, looking into the fire.
Kaalnia thought for a moment. "So. Votzhem." It was the first time she had actually addressed the man conversationally, "Do you want to be a sacred heart?"
Votzhem looked at her, puzzled. "Is that the one where they use magic and swords and stuff?" he asked, "Or is it the other one."
"Yeah." said Kaalnia, "Sacred hearts use magic."
"Yeah." he said, looking back at the fire, "That." he sighed, his face loosening into an expression of thoughtful hope. "I dunno, theres just something about using magic with blades that really... gets me, ya know? It just makes fighting seem so much more interestin..."
Kaalnia studied his face. Now, loose and almost sad as it was, it wasn't scary. Not now. "Yeah. I envy the sisters that can pull it off. I don't think I can though - not a drop of magic in me." she managed a laugh, and felt infinitely more like herself than she had since the tournament. "I'm going to be a straight-up Amazon... with a spear." If I ever hit blade.
Votzhem looked over at Kaalnia, almost comically surprised. "I... I could like that too." he said, awkwardly, "I mean, its just hitting things, right?"
Lakshmi snickered. "You know, I was a sacred blade." she said, standing up, "Now I'm just a warrior. You two get some sleep. You've got a long way back."
Kaalnia watched her go, something about her manner puzzling her. "What was that all about..." she wondered out loud, standing up herself.
Votzhem watched Kaalnia as she stood up, a naked look of uncertainty on his face. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then shrugged. "Night, Kaalnia." he mumbled, looking back to the fire.
"Same to you." she said. He gave her a backwards wave as she sought out a good place to curl up and sleep. Remarkably, her dreams were smooth and free of terror, and she slept well, even when - late in the night - Votzhem tripped over a pan on his way to his own sleep. She didn't realize, even later, that that was the first time he had called her by name.
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Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:50 pm
The journey back was uneventful. After saying goodbye to the irate Vannan and sheepish Lakshmi, they traveled from Iory to Tind, picking up supplies there. From Tind, they went to Isd, stocking up once again for the trek across the Tale.
It was a good thing they did. Kaalnia was used to the Tale as it was in the borderlands between it and Jahuar, not as the raw, untamed desertland that scorched her feet and parched her throat. If Votzhem hadn't been with her, she would have died, likely after killing Popper in an attempt to get at his water.
She had saved his life from aggressive Kinfa when they attacked, and from witu when they tried to chase the two from their territoty.
They told stories together on the long, cold, Tale nights. They had weathered tearing sandstorms beneath canvas. They hunted and gathered and cooked and cleaned.
By the time they reached the Yera forest, she had gotten over his similarities to Ruelash. Heck, she barely had the dreams anymore. Something about the vast, rich, and deep experience that she shared with Votzhem had brought back some of the old Kaalnia, and when she saw the trees of Jahuar looming ahead, she felt almost regret at returning homeward, as it would soon be over.
As they made their way Westward, along the well-trodden path through to Andile, she started to feel okay about it being nearly over. She didn't want this adventure to go on any longer than it had to. At the same time though, she was happy she had had it instead of cowering alone in her bed, haunted by the past.
Finally, they sat, months after leaving, waiting for a ferrywoman to take them to the isles, and she felt, suddenly, like she was a different person. More mature. More grown, somehow. It was a neat feeling to have.
They parted ways on the Chibale beaches - she had to go report to the elders before he could be allowed to present his spoils. "Well..." she said, giving him a genuine smile, "I gotta go."
"Yeah." he said, sitting down with the bag of shiny rocks.
"See you around, Arseface?" she said, offering a hand to shake, her eyes glittering with mischief at the nickname. He squeezed her hand, managing something more smile than grimace,
"Sure thing, softfoot."
And she was off to talk to the elders.
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Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2014 8:51 pm
Kaalnia stood before the elders, called upon to tell her side of the story and to make her plea for or against bringing Votzhem into the fold.
"You should let him be a Sister." she said bluntly, feeling a strange mix of nervousness and confidence. "He walked across Tendaji and back to be one of us, you know. He coulda killed me along the way, but he didn't. He coulda stayed in Sauti - his Ma... the ice one... wanted him to, and his other Ma - our sister? She did too. But he didn't. He came back with me, and with the metal." She shifted, slightly uncomfortably, as words began to pour out. She felt her confidence, though, grow stronger with every word. "Look. He may be a bit of an a*****e, but he ain't trying to decieve anybody. He didn't lie once. Not at all. Not even when he said things that made me want to punch 'im in the face. He's a good guy, I guess. Really deep down, ya know...?" She took a deep breath, calling on every scrap of recovered confidence to bring her through. "He came all this way to be an Alkidike, and he did it twice..." s**t, she'd already said that. "What I'm saying... um..." she hesitated. Was she being disrespectful? Was she being too flippant? Too passionate? "He's better qualified to be a blade than me. Thats what I'm saying." she said, looking down and away.
There was polite silence in her wake as she stood there, their gazes withering her bit by bit, making her question her own reason. Was she right to say that? Was she making a mistake by telling them this?
No. She wasn't wrong.
"Why do you say that, Kaalnia." asked one of the elders, her voice smooth.
"Well... He earned it, you know? He did everything you asked him to do, and some. He's pretty tough, and he really wants this..."
"No, I meant... why do you think you shouldn't be a Blade, Kaalnia." asked the Elder quietly.
Kaalnia felt deflated. "I'm a coward..." she mumbled, her antennae drooping. "And weak..."
"Why do you think that, little sister." said the elder, her voice soothing. Kaalnia managed to look up and meet her gaze, but the woman's face told her nothing. She had to have been pretty good looking in her time, though, and this soothed Kaalnia.
"I lost in the tournament..." she said, "Really badly."
"The tournament was a good bit of time ago, child." said another elder, "Have you done anything that would be cowardly recently?" she asked, "Did you hide from battle?"
Kaalnia remembered the aggressive Kinfa in the Tale, and how she had fought them off until Votzhem could escape their claws. "No."
"Did you abandon the task you were charged with?"
Kaalnia remembered how she had stuck close to Votzhem, even when the going was rough, even after they had tried to kill each other on the boat. "No."
The woman nodded, and whispers filled the tent.
"Kaalnia. Thank you." she said. "We must debate now about what is to be done. We will notify the Hybrid and you of our decision. For now though, you should return to your home and rest. You need it." Kaalnia bowed and made her way out of the tent.
"Ah. Just one question." said the soft voice. A different elder this time. "Are you still a true Alkidike, Kaalnia?"
Kaalnia blinked, confused. "Huh?" she asked, blankly.
"Nothing, child. You are dismissed."
Kaalnia left and headed straight for her home, wondering just what the elder had meant by her last question. Soon, though, as she lay on the furs of her bed, she stopped wondering, and the oblivion of sleep took her away to a new day.
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Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2014 6:52 am
Class Quest Result
C-
Kaalniahas passed and received a rank of Blade!
Congratulations Kaalnia!
WARNING: Violation of RuleQuote: || Please keep swearing to a minimum in RP. Absolutely no F-bombs (or its variations) in group/official activities such as Meta chapters, class quests, and games.
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