Shadow Island

::Above Ruuvan....what was that noise? It was so loud it barely managed to overpower the sound of the wind rushing by. It sounded something like a Helicopter, the rapid thump thump of something rotating at intense speeds...a shadow was cast down on Ruuvan yet again. And then...::

Waaaaaaaahoooooo!!

::The shrill shriek of a boy having entirely too much fun. And there was D a good 40 ft above him. The boys body spinning like a top as "something" seemed to be attached to his booted feet. It as about 6ft long and 5inches wide...and the sound of it rotating was making a very loud helicopter like beat. Finally, he broke out of the spin revealing exactly what he was standing on...his sword!

D's feet were firmly planted on the sword, as he AirBoarded around the sky's. He wasnt simply falling, he seemed to actually have the ability to tilt the board up and gain altitude as well. D had just discovered how to fly!

For Ruuvan on the other hand, the time to fly, was now. She didnt speak, because this was going to take alot of work. But as the arrow was shot free from her, she let out an almost primal roar. The type you might hear a barbarian scream out while slashing into the oncoming army. This arrow was different.

From the moment it was shot the arrow began to spin. Within seconds the spinning could be seen making slight green swirls as the wind zipped past the arrowhead. slowly the green grow began, it started at the midsection of the arrow and soon overtook it completely. What was left was the silohette of an arrow 3 times the size of the original with its head kicking up quite a storm. Literally cycloning down in a hurricane of green force. Wind, trees, the very ocean around the island rippled with the force of the swirling winds. Almost as quickly as it expanded outwards the green force sucked inwards into the arrow. Leaving what seemed to be only a shard of green, and then....Thunk.

The arrow struck the ground. And there was nothing. No storm, no explosion. A pause, a quiet....and...

Boom.

The explosion was of extraordinary magnitude, there was no escape. A ring of powerful green exploded out for the arrow covereing a span of 500ft around and then exploded upwards in a giant tornado of a blast tree's, bushes, flowers, all were ripped upwards as the swirling dervish came straight for Ruuvan and struck with thunderous power.

The box, rocked wildly as it swirled about and yet still managed to stay together, the spinning was immense, leaving almost no ability to see as the scenery was so rapidly changing and then....Poof. Literally, like getting hit in the face with a soft ball of air. It was gone. And there Ruuvan stood, on a box, on the surface of Shadow Island.

A few more cheers of laughter were heard behind him, as D's sword flew downward and imbedded itself into the ground about 10ft ahead of Ruuvan, the child flipped off the weapon, performing several from flips to work off the momentum before finally coming to a straight stop, the sword immediately dissolved away. And D could be seen running toward Ruuvan shouting.::

THAT WAS AWESOME!!!! LETS DO IT AGAIN!!!

Hehe.

::He would hear her giggle. Ruuvans pleasure was hers to share. Meanwhile, outside of his mind. D smiled and hugged him.::

Ok, if you pwomise!

::And immediately be bounded off toward the Windmill. He wasnt running, or walking, but skipping, like a froliking child, because he was infact....a frolicking child. Skipping across gardens, plants, grass....everything, without a care in the world, aiming to lead Ruuvan to the Windmill, as excited as could be.::

::Someone, started choking Ruuvan. No, thats not accurate, thats how it would feel for the poor elf, but that wasnt infact what happened. What happened, was strictly to his necklace, in a moment of extreme power it rose from its hiding place....and began thrashing around like a mad man. Literally, the necklace started pulling him to and fro, randomly jerking him about as if it was trying to get free of his neck...but why?!

Meanwhile D, laughed hysterically, and why not? It was quite a funny show.::

Ruuvan Wrote:

The necklace thrashing about Ruuvan's neck wasn't so much joking as jerking his head sharply and rather painfully, but it wasn't starving him of oxygen. So, seeing s the necklace was the problem, he fought through the thrashing to grab it with his right hand and pull it from his neck. --

::But it refused. The Necklace seemed to hit some impenetrable barrier around his neck and would not, no matter how hard he tried, come off. And then it happened.

Someone stabbed Ruuvan in the eye.

No, thats not accurate, but thats how it felt. Like someone stuck a long metal shard in his eye and began violently twisting it around, and around, and around, with spiked edges and barbs extending and twisting into his and ripping free.

Pain. That word described the sensation as well as the word night describes the day.

And then it happened, amidst the crippling pain, Ruuvan would feel the wet sensation of leather sliding and slipping over some liquid. He would feel the odd taste of blood pooling in his mouth. It was less that it was pooling but more that it was trickling down his face....and through his lips and teeth, soaking his mouth. Soaking his face.

If he leaned forward a vertible torrent of blood would gush forth....all from one source. One agony afflicted, torturous source....his eye. Something in him burned, yelling for him to rip off the patch, it was like a voice in the back of his head, demanding that he do it, that he do it now, that he tear the eye-patch from over his face like one might tear off a leech. But would he do it?::

Ruuvan Wrote:

In the brief pause between the necklace refusing to come off and the pain in his left eye, Ruuvan had a thought of torture and hatred in his mind, almost as if someone were doing this to him on purpose, but this thought was soon drowned out as an object stabbed into his eye socket. A fighter such as Ruu was not normally one to yell out in pain, due to years of training and fighting taking the feeling away, but this wasn't any normal pain; it was in his destroyed eye socket, almost as if his eye were still there and being ripped out all over again.

Ruuvan fell to his knees and grabbed his head, groaning out in pain and shaking violently as the object twisted around, the barbs scratching and tearing the flesh in his eye socket. He couldn't think why this was happening, nor could he focus enough to even start thinking, but he knew the patch had to come off. As his writhing brought him forward, his hands falling palm-first into the ground to support his weight, blood did indeed spew from the edges of the eyepatch and down his face. Without waiting any longer, Ruu fought through the pain barrier and lifted his hands to tear the patch from his face, instantly grabbing infront of the socket as if to grab the attacker's hand, but was it real?---

::Was there really an attacker? No. Not at all. No one was attacking Ruuvan. Despite the insane amount of pain he felt, no one was attacking at all. But as he gripped the air in front of his eye, he would recieve a handful of something...

You see, the moment he pulled off the patch a torrent of blood gushed from his eye socket, like the stopper removed from a drain. He had removed the clog, and this had helped releave the massive amount of pressure from his behind his eye. Thusly, it inturn would have helped releave a good portion pain, it seemed the worst had passed. And now, the pain was settling away. It was similar to the calming feeling one gets when the arrow is ripped out, and the blood simply fills in the gaping cavity.

And then came his hand, thrashing up to stop the mystery attacker...and just in time too. Immediately, as the hand reached up and the blood literally spurted out, Ruuvan would feel a wet squish in his hand...it was something hard, and yet it was coated in so much of his own blood that he wouldnt be able to see what it was. There was the distinct feeling several small threads, or binds, and even a tinge of cold around a certain portion of it...But what was it? It was almost impossible to make out by means of touch, he would need to look closer.

--

D on the other hand, had taken to running. Running away, hopping over several bushes and diving behind a tree. From a distance behind Ruuvan his head peaked out, as he waited for all this to blow over.::

::His suspicions, and perhaps his fears...were confirmed. As his eye stared into it...it stared back at him. In his hand was an eye. Not an eye of flesh and blood...but an eye of steel and machinery. The threads, the veins pulling at his inner skull were the wires attached to this...the NightVisor technology...His body had just rejected it...why? Why now?

This was coupled with something else, off. The feeling of tears. No, not of crying, but the feeling one gets when liquid profusely pours from an eyeball. Yes...an eyeball.

Instinctively, his left eye socket would blink. Eyelids were the perfect equipment when it came to clearing things out of the eye. Here, there should have been a gaping wide blood filled hole leading into his thumping Elven brain. But no...

As his eyelid closed, it closed on darkness....as it opened....

His eyes could see clearly. No. Not eye. Eyes. Plural. Two. That eye was gone...how, why, when, what?!

The now calm pool of blood around his knee's could serve as a wonderful reflecting pool. Ruuvan, was now the proud owner of two...eyes. One his average color, and one bright green. Green like a grass on a summers day, green like a beautiful emerald help up to the son.

But something about this eye was different.

D, seeing the worst was over ran at Ruuvan checking to see if he was alright and accidentally kicking a bit of dirt in his right eye, forcing it to blink...In the moment his left eye shut, and his right eye was left to see on its own...he was struck with the feeling of peering through a telescope. From here, he could see past the Windmill to the shore of Guldor where a lone Warg groomed itself on the shore...the image was crystal clear, the more he focused the more he could see. If he tried he could even see the rest of the Warg pack waiting for the Alpha...but that was over 2 miles away! And it seemed the ability to focus in and out, came naturally. For all intents an purposes, this eye felt as if it was what he should have had from the start.

This eye saw things in ways, and colors the other only dreamed off. It saw a strange purple hue which rose from ground of Shadow Island. It wasnt physical, the hue had no texture, no scent, it simply wasnt there before, but not...he could see it clearly. Why?

So many questions...but who...who had answers? Was this real? Was it the island?

All the was for certain, all that was real, was the fact that Ruuvan really needed to wash his face.::

::The rest of the way was entirely clear. There was nothing more to this place, than what could be seen. Green grass, fresh plants, the party trotted over the makeshift training ground and soon found themselves before the Windmill, all was well.

There it was, a massive black striped windmill looking like something out of a childs mind. It was like a massive barbershop pole, without the spinning. The weather was beautiful, the sea was calm, the breeze was steady.

And yet Ruuvan would see something, a marr in paradise. A crack in realities weave. It took a bit of staring, but the sight came to be. The door to the Windmill stood about 8ft tall and 4ft wide. It was wooden and had been very well kept, but...something was wrong. What seemed to be some sort of black tendrils were seeping from the cracks in the door from beneath the wood, over it. It seemed bits of the purple haze found themselves intermingling with it, or perhaps being absorbed by it. It was as if something black had been splashed on the opposite side of the door and leaked its way through. It no longer moved, but it wasnt exactly beautiful either.

D didnt seem to react at all to it, perhaps he didnt see it. He cocked his head to the side, and tugged on Ruuvans pant leg, looking up with a smile and saying kindly...::

Wasa'matter? You gunna knock, Mishter Ruu?

::Now it would take a while. No one is standing on the other side of their door waiting for someone to knock. But he'd get there. Ruuvan would hear him coming way before he saw him. He'd hear the click of several doors, and even the rythmic tapping of feet on stairs. And then, the door would open.

Now, as it opened, a large tuft of that purple have poofed out the door into Ruuvans general direction. Infact it seemed a constant billow of that liquid was ever exiting that room. It was like a smoke stack, heavily pumping out the smog. But, thankfully he would be able to see through it and inside the doorway to the man standing in it and stepping forward.

The man had stark white hair tied into a small pony tail behind his head. His face seemed aged, like a man in his later 50's and early 60's. And in his right eye sat a monacle. Despite his apparent age, he stood a full 6ft 5in tall and he stood with pride and honor. His back was straight, the age really didnt seem to slow him down. He wore a white buttoned dress shirt with a black vest over it, and long black dress pants with pleats. The pants led to a set of black loafers, and served to contrast the white gloves covering the entirety of his hands. Every article of his clothing was perfect ironed, pressed, and kept in perfect order. As he stepped into the light, he spoke.

As could be expected his voice was old, yet soft. It was spoken just a bit above a whisper at all times. He had an accent. And while D would think it was funny, Ruuvan might recognize it. It was the accent that Aria nobility spoke with. Something similar to formal british.::

Ahh, Master Lassenger, Master D. I've been waiting, breakfast is almost ready. Do come in.

::He would turn, placing his back against the door,and slightly bow extending his arms into the entrance for the two to enter.

D, didnt think. He just buzzed in. Ruuvan might be a bit more mature when the scent of bacon, eggs, sausage, toast, pancakes, seriel, fish and chips, and a few other tasty morsels struck his nose. When Walter cooked, he cooked.

The inside of the windmill though...was pitch black. I'd take Ruuvan a few minutes, but strangely, he'd adjust. His new right eye was able to had him perfect Dark Vision, while his left eye was sort of left in the dark. Though he'd be used to the feeling of seeing through one eye. He'd see that directly before him, were stairs spiraling downward.

Walter would sit patiently, and quietly.::

::The man quietly followed behind Ruuvan, down the stairs, these stairs seemed to go on forever and ever. And finally, as he stepped out from the tube-like stairwell. It looked almost as if it was carved out of the very rock of the islands base. All Ruuvan would see for a good few minutes, was stairs and rocks.

And finally, the two exited the stairwell, before him now was a structure, several stories high, and yet more extravagant than Johnny K. Gambino's home. There stood a mansion, it looked like a beautiful gothic fusion of a castle and a modern day manor, but it was expertly kept, Ruuvans eye would let him see even the smallest detail. And even in this darkness Ruuvan would see a similar purple haze being emitted by the house. About 50ft in front of the duo were two massive double doors, this is where D waited.

The doors were carved with very odd symbols, they looked like a series of circles each with a line, or quarter line, leading into a more circles, they were shaped like some sort of magic rune and it seemed from the very carvings even more purple mist was being emitted.

It was at about this point in the journey, that the keenly dressed man took the initiative to step ahead of Ruuvan and peel open the doors to the manor.

Inside, was a massive table extending at least 120ft, and it was aligned from end to end with different breakfast foods. Some foods didnt even seem humanly edible, others seemed like the most exquisite foods known to man, yet still others...looked like something mother would make. And some of the foods seemed to have more strange mists coming from them. Why was no one else reacting to this!?The dinning room itself was huge, some peoples entire houses arent that huge. And carefully hand designed in an ever flowing black motiff.

As he peeled open the door, he bowed. And gently spoke again.::

Welcome, to Shadow Manor. It has been in the Masters family for several generations. Though previously held in the Shadow Realm, it now finds Shadow Island to be its home.

:: D had already found his seat, most children tended to themselves. For Ruuvan however he pulled out a seat, and as Ruuvan asked his question, Walter was straight and honest to answer.::

Walter Worthington, the 3rd, at your service Master Ruuvan. I am the butler, and general caretaker of this establishment. The Master asked that I prepare this for you, your plate is garnished with Elemengal Leafs, a delicacy amonst the Arian Elves. Master D's place is garnished with...sweeter fare. He said you'd traveled a long distance and would be hungry. I hope it is to your liking.

::With a hand towel drapped around his right forearm, and his forearm held up even with his chest. Walter stood directly beside Ruuvan, and fell into silence. Such was the place of the butler, the background. He would not speak unless spoken too. Such was his way, one never knows what information a book holds, until they open it.::

Ruuvan Wrote:

Ruuvan was enjoying the food too much at the moment to give his full attention to the answer, what with the fall and near-death wearing him out, but he'd listen as best he could.

::Its always when we're least expecting it that life smacks us across the back of the head. Ruuvan was here, after risking life and limb, quite literally. He had let his guard down physically, but worse...emotionally. Here was rest, peace...Or was it?

From his standing position beside Ruuvan, Walters face grew somewhat grim, his eyes shifted down to the floor...he spoke and as much as he tried to hide it, his somberness seeped forth.::

Yes Master Ruuvan, the late Master Maximos did infact own this estate...

::And there was silence.::

Oh dear...sir didnt know...

::The look on his face was unmistakable. Sadly, the only made the grimace on Walters aged face, even sadder. He paused and took a deep breath, looking Ruuvan in the eye. Denial is the first stage of accepting loss, and he needed Ruuvan to know by just the look on his face, that he was entirely serious.::

I'm afraid its true....

::Another pause, as he had to force out those most difficult words again. Each time he said them, he was strained to remember that with Maximos's death, and with the Shadow Warrior not spawning any children...Walter had no job, no purpose left in life. He couldnt believe he was stupid enough to not assume Ruuvan had no way of knowing...or to hint at it at least just to get a feel for wether Ruu knew or not...But none of that changed the cold, hard, facts.::

Master Maximos...has passed away...

::Silence, was Walters responce. Deep breaths helped the Butler keep his eyes from welling up. He knew that Ruuvan needed to know, no...deserved to know, the truth, but in the swirling maelstrom of emotion he likely wouldnt even hear what Walter had to say.

On the outside he was calm, but Walter could sense his calm being torn to shreds.

Silence. Even D stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face the two men. He didnt hear what was said, but even he could tell this was going to be bad.

And then it happened. The slam, sending platters and utensils across the room. The scream, it echoed through the empty halls, bellowing down through chambers...the whole manor knew Ruuvans pain.

The tears....D, almost instinctly hopped off his chair and ran to try and comfort Ruuvan. He had no words, but maybe a hug would help...maybe not. But he would try.

The silence was broken by sobs, and Walters solemn voice...He knew these words would hurt, but they had to be said. He couldnt wait, one must rip the whole bandaid off at once. He would start, one question at a time.::

...It was about a year ago, during the disaster at the Leviathan Stadium...The Destroyer broke free from the Masters control...he began to kill again...A young man, and a young ninja did their best to try and subdue him...but the beast knew no reason...a woman, named Lucind risked her all to dive into his mangled soul and repair it...the Master was healed...he had no more ties to his plane, it was his time...and his spirit passed on...

::There was a pause, in responce to Ruuvans last weeping comment. His voice was calm, consoling, as much as he could make it so.::

I cannot begin to understand how you feel...I know that to the Master you were family...it was that, that kept him going. I once asked him if he feared death...he quoted to me a promise he had said he made years ago...he said..."If Death isnt a boundary now, I wont let it be one, ever! If one of my family is lost, I will hunt across the world worlds to find them. Because...thats what family does....". I know in his heart, he believed his family...felt the same.

::It might be painful to present Ruuvan with this glimmer of hope, it seemed like nothing more than a shiny sparkle in the bleak black.::

You've ventured far...perhaps...Master Lassenger...this is not the end...? Perhaps now...you only fully understand...where your journey must go...

Ruuvan Wrote:

"What do you mean, Walter?"

::The Butler paused, and took a second deep breath, millions of years can build ones strength against the physical forces but the heart...Walter could level mountains with a punch, but at a sight like this, his heart crumbled like anthill.

But duty, duty was the tower which kept him going. He had a duty to Master Ruuvan. And he meant to fulfill it.::

In this ones, humble opinion, Master Ruuvan, skates the edge of death and life daily...at one moment an Elemengal Elf, at the next, walking corpse ex General of the Army of Light...I can think of no one better to try and breach the expanse between the two worlds...and no better reason than for family.

::Walter said that last bit with confidence across his breath. Confident that anyone would and should do what they can for family. His stance straightened, his eyes dried, and he tried to pick a few bits of leaf from off his vest. The time for sadness of was done! For Walter it was the time for action! Ruuvans promise to Maximos was on a far larger scale, but it was in the same vien as Walters oath to Maximos's family. Ruuvan faced life and death...Walter faced the perils of...a messy kitchen. And a messy floor, and a general mess from things being sent flying when Ruuvans fists collided with an over-filled table.

Walter smiled. Maximos would have wanted him to smile.::

My deep apologies Master Ruuvan, I do not know.

::With all of his age, with all of his experience, the fact still remained...Walter was newer to Gaia than even Ruuvan was. His feet hadnt trotted on soil that wasnt Shadow Island in nearly a year. It was safe to say he had no internet access and no television. He was cut off from the world, he simply did not know all the answers...but he knew some.::

I know, that Master Maximos was spared the payment for The Destroyers deeds do to his self sacrifice in choosing to die, rather than to risk the Destroyers release. He was sent to Heaven. And I know that their have been rumors of demons pouring out of a firey eye in the Northernlands...some believe the eye is a gateway to Hell itself...

::There was a pause as Walter picked up a few pieces of broken China which had been shattered after performing a triple summersault in mid air and "landing" on the wooden floors.::

Perhaps, that would be a place to begin? If Heaven and Hell are related, perhaps...

::He paused as he realized he was suggesting that Ruuvan, go to hell. But he stifled the smirk.::

...well I'm sure Master Ruuvan can understand my meaning.

Strangely enough...

::Walter said, standing up and sliding the last few remnants of meaty bits of breakfast into his hand towel. And he continued.::

...The Northernlands are south of here they sit on the northern end of the main Gaian continent. As for how one ascends into a firey eye in order to enter Hell...

::A pause for a moment, and then a flat revelation.::

...I have no clue. But, look on the bright side!

::He said as he gestured widely toward Ruuvan::

Master Ruuvan has Lady Arian, and it seems the Elemengal Eye has returned to him as well. At least Master Ruuvan is well equipped!

::A few hand motions to flip over, flipped bowls.::

I'm afraid not Master Ruuvan, I'm afraid that is something, the Master and his four friends will have to work out.

::And he gestured toward the bow, Ruuvan, and D.::

Master Ruuvan and Master D are welcome to stay until they do though.

::Its an unfortunate thing, but one man simply can hold all the answers.::

Ruuvan Wrote:

"I don't know how long that'll be, but thank you for your hospitality."

Of course, Master Ruuvan.

::He said with a smile and a bow.::

Ruuvan Wrote:

"What do you know about me, Walter? What did Maximos tell you... just tell me everything you know that could possibly put my history together. I remember nothing and it frustrates me to no end having a blank spot in my memory."

Hmm...

::His hands folded across his chest as he settled into deep thought. He and Maximos had enjoyed several conversations about the Masters exciting quest, arguably it was the defining period in his life. After a few seconds of thought his right hand gently rose and ever so slightly adjusted his monacle.::

The sea green eye is a dead giveaway that your an Elemengal Elf, anyone who's been to the Alora Forest can tell that. The Elemengal Eye is a trademark of Master Ruuvans people, I believe the rite goes...

"To see what the trees see, what the ground sees, what the land sees. To see without seeing what can be seen, what cannot be hidden, what musnt be shown...truth is in the eye of the behold. Behold my truth."

Its done during the rite of passage for Elemengal Rangers, it gives them full access to the eye...as I'm sure Master Ruuvan has.

::He paused again, scanning over the information in his head, like a computer over a file.::

I have never looked through one such eye as that, but I know that it allows sight of almost all things. Some say it even allows one to see magical aura, but thats rubbish, if it allowed that this poor would be billowing with purple smog, just for Master Ruuvan. And I dont see that.

::His eye scanned downwards.::

As for your bow...her mystery is still a mystery to me. Lady Arian was the name Master Maximos reffered to her by, but I understand that in the time of the quest Master Ruuvan liked to keep such details to yourself and so the Master was quite clueless. You do wiel--

::He stopped himself in mid sentence, his teeth practically slamming into his tongue.::

No. Im afraid thats all I've been told. Master Ruuvan was an established archer, his shots bouncing from here to there off trees and walls. At one moment his arrow was a flame, the next, his arrow was ice. But...its functions, its secrets, were kept only by Master Ruuvan...and told to no one else.

::One final pause, to confirm all he said above, and then a nod.::

Perhaps Lady Arian would know more?

Ruuvan Wrote:

"Lady Arian?" He didn't know what effect him using her name would have, but it was a good start, "I wish to know more about my life... you're the only one who knows about me more than Maximos did. So please, tell me what you know about me..."

::The answer was simple, and dark, and scary. It was like the scare voice of a child hiding in the corner with the boogeyman stalking around her bed.::

...Its dark I cannot see.....help.....me...

Ruuvan Wrote:

Ofcourse, Ruuvan had been caught up in learning of the death of his friend and his past to remember he could see through this new eye, meaning everyone else was left in the dark, if you'll pardon the pun. So it made sense for Ruu to use a little bit of light magic in order to shed light on the subject.

With the bow still held in his left hand and his right palm facing upwards, Ruuvan focused his magic into that open palm, the light energy trickling from the necklace and from his fingertips.--

::For a moment Walter looked a bit surprised. Light in the Shadow Realm!? It cannot be! He had been in that realm for so long, he forgot that his wards took longer to enact than the anti-light dispell that Nocturne had put on the Shadow Realm.

He shielded his eyes for a second, and then turned back to cleaning, and making a slight bow as he left the room to toss the trash he'd collected away.

Ruuvan, would notice the light energy trickle...and then slowly fade, and finally just plain vanish. In the place of the ball of light, was nothing. Which honestly, was for the best. This house had never existed in the light, thusly why it was placed inside the island. Should it touch the light it would simply dissolved under its glow, meaning should Ruuvan had casted that spell sucessfully, it would have likely removed the lower half of the room they were standing in, and cause the house to fall atop their heads. Besides one thinks Lady Arian might need a bit more light than that, and perhaps real light.::

Glows....glows...it doesnt stay...please l-let me see the light of day...

::Walter simply nodded, and surprisingly enough their were no odd encounters on the way back to the surface. Once there, all that could be heard was the sound of scattered breath as Lady Arian tried to calm down. She wanted to talk, and that could be heard in the scattered half breaths that escaped her lips. But, nothing came out.

Finally the scattered breaths and shakey vocal chords settled and she was set to speak.::

I'm very very sorry my dear, I could not speak nor could I hear, I was frozen with fear...But yes, the cleansing taste of fresh clean air...what would you like me to share?

I guess mayhaps, I know you more...

::She paused, it wasnt irritation on her voice but rather....uncertainty. Its not that she did not want to tell Ruuvan the truth, it was that she wasnt sure if he was truly ready for it. She knew Maximos had a....a way with words, that she truly didnt feel she was gifted with. There was a pause which seemed to span for 30-40 seconds, a moment in which a sort of pain seemed to eminate from her. It wasnt a physical pain, it was emotional. It wasnt meant to hurt Ruuvan but rather it was something she had to bear on her own. After a bit more delay, there was a perk in her voice as if she had found the strength and now it was time to confess.::

Yes, of course, I must know more...after all thats what wives...are for. You see, on your journey I was no mere passenger, my full name love...was Arian...Anora...Lassenger...

Silly silly little boy...

::She paused, meloncholy swirling about her voice.::

When I died, I entered this little toy.

::She paused again.::

Love is not such a fragile thing, Maximos saw that even dead I could keep on loving...

::No. No tears, she wouldnt let them flow. As much as they would not show, the facts had to flow, her feelings had to go.::

As I lay die, in your wonderful arms, he placed me hear to forever keep you from harm...You dont remember, I know...I know...dont worry dear, I still love you so. I know we'll never be together, but for all your arrows, I'll be the feather. Like cupid shot, so long ago, I'll make all your arrows, go where they need to go....now...what else would you like to know?

::One could hear the chipper on her voice. She was cheering up, afterall she had sat in a void for almost 5000 years while Ruuvan was time hopped to Gaia. She had time to prepare herself for this.::

::She giggled a bit, and spoke in a sort of whimsical tone. It was a poem of sorts.::

A thousand words a picture makes, but a thousand words no pictures take. To see things lost, or hidden in lie. See through with truth, the one true eye.

::At which point would come the tingling in Ruuvans eye. Not his average, but the brightly colored new one. A tingling followed by what seemed to be specks filling his vision, as if his eye was suddenly getting horrible reception. And then, a blast of white, as if someone had suddenly covered all existance in snow. And then, came the focus. Ruuvan saw...what he had seen thousands of years before. And lost.

He saw a view from atop a tree, a rather large tree extending several hundred feet into the air, and yet while this tree dwarfed most others, it was almost dwarfed by some yet larger trees. This forest was plush and green and yet untouched by corruption. The tree's held homes, not shacks or shanties but what seemed to be full size manors, and estates resting flawlessly on countless branches. Such was Elemengal Construction, a genius art known only by the rare elemengal elf.

One could see a series of tree swings, and bridges being used to link houses and form a community. As well as several odd devices which seemed to project something like an arrow, yet the arrow moved very slowly and people rode it. This was some sort of Elven magic. This place was not an empty village but rather a bustling city in the trees.

Ruuvan would not be able to touch, or taste, or smell, or even hear the surroundings, but he could see them, and clearly. Yet his view point was not under his control, it was like watching a pre-recording with crystal clearity.

His eyes scanned left, then right, and then far right, as it seemed something caught his attention. A woman exited the house from behind him, a woman wearing a long green gown, and in her hand was a tray. Her hair was a fusion of sort of blonde, and an emerald, as were her emerald eyes. A green drink lied in a golden challice, and strange salad lied in golden bowl. She walked up to Ruuvan and spoke, yet while he got no audio, if he looked closely enough he might be able to read her lips, as they read.::

Why are you standing out here alone love? This is a party for you and your men.

::From his first person view he would see his lips are moving and yet, no audio. She smiled and set the tray down on a small table and held him close. The two looked out at the view from the manor...

And again it faded to white. And as the white dissolved, there stood Ruuvan again, on Shadow Island. And she spoke.::

Most memories can be lost, so their kept in a safe place. An eye is such a place, most safe as it is attached to you face...

Ruuvan Wrote:

Never before had Ruuvan seen such an architectural feat as manors placed upon the top of trees, but he could now say that he had done. Ofcourse the chances of these places surviving all the time he had been gone from Aria was slim, but at least he had a chance to look back into those times through his new eye. Who needed smell, taste or hearing in a place of such beauty? He had little trouble reading what Arian had said, but when it came to his reply he was as oblivious as anyone.

"One day and I've learnt so much..." There were people in the world who could learn entire martial arts forms in one day, however strange that may seem, but to learn so much about one's past and friends in the span of a few hours was something not normally achieved, "What else can you tell me... what did I do before joining Maximos to fight against the Dark Lord?"

::She paused for a moment as if trying her best to recall. And then finally she spoke.::

Ahh yes, General Ruuvan. General in the Army of Light. I uh....um...well. You used to uh....fight. I'm afraid, you and Maximos kept this secret rather tight.

::Tis true. Poor Lady Arian was told nothing of Ruuvans past not even by Maximos as it was Ruuvans request that his path be know by others. Perhaps the general was simply looking to base his identity off of who he was then, not who he had been. It was another lifetime ago, and so she was literally, without a clue.::

It was a shame Arian knew nothing more, even though she did know quite a bit before Ruuvan joined Maximos on his quest, but it had become apparent that he had become quite quiet after joining the group against the Dark Lord.

"Thank you for telling me what you know, Arian." Ruu smiled and slowly slid the bow onto his back again, turning to face the windmill door in preparation to go back into the building. Then it happened.

The sheer power used to blow the door apart sent the elf stumbling back a few feet, covering his face from the splinters that showered out in his direction. Once he could see again, he was surprised to see a familiar hue of black, much like the one when D killed all the Salamanders, erupt from the windmill and dart in his direction. Of course he quickly jumped out of the way to let it pass, realised it could be D and quickly broke off into a sprint after the boy.

"D, wait! What's going on!" He could see they were approaching the shore and the sword was coming into a position to be used as a vehicle, so Ruu upped his speed and closed the gap between them. Once close enough, the only thing he could do was to jump and tackle whoever it was to the ground with all his strength.

((Yea yea, University is over now, so I got the time to post.))

Since the black object had already launched itself off the edge of the island with Ruuvan still in tow, he figured it would be suicide to let go and allow himself to fall into the ocean, if not get caught up in whatever trailed behind this demonic form. So, using the strength given to him through many years of training, Ruu held on for dear life as they moved on.

::Yes, trimming the hedges, doing the dishes, dusting the shelves, sweeping the floo-

Well, Walter was deeply involved in the act of sweeping when he passed that room. He had nearly forgotten that man was even here, he saw him so very little. The sound of the bed springs squealing as the man rose, was so shocking Walter could have sworn that if he had a heart, it would have stopped cold. But his lack didnt stop him from jumping back a bit, accidentally knocking over a vase, and frantically catching it before it shattered against the hard wood floor.

An accident he immediately attempted to play off as a rather odd form of Arian Cleaning. Though now, the time for cleaning was over. There was a guest to service. He quickly pulled off his apron, folding it quickly and sliding it into a nearby drawer, while depositing the broom in a hidden closet, as he took his station beside the door. He would wait patiently for it to open, so that he may greet the man with a formal, and yet kind.::

Good day, how may I be of service?

::As humbly and yet as formally as possible Walter made a slight bow, taking the mans statement as a greeting. He didnt smile, or show any facial expression, but then again he hardly even did. Too much facial motion and his monacle would fall from his eye and ruin his formal look.

He did speak, as failing to do so would be rude. His voice always only a few levels above a whisper.::

Indeed sir, and what news might that be?

::He watched the mans eyes shift to the broken vase, and he did his damndest to hide the embarassed look on his face by faking a slight cough and using his gloved hand to cover his face.

All vases aside though, he was quite curious as to what news the man had attained in solitary confinement for so very long.::

themightyjello Wrote:

"The..." Joshua began to speak, still looking at the vase, then raised his eyes to address the caretaker, resuming after a short pause, "...master of this house appears to have found a cure for death."

::Now see. Should Walter have had that lovely vase in his hands again, it would surely have fallen the exact moment those words came from Joshua's mouth. Instead his eyes widened to the point that his monacle nearly fell from his eye and had to be caught and gently replaced as he stared dumbfounded for a moment.::

themightyjello Wrote:

"...could I bother you for directions to the well?" he began again, completely changing topic and turning to the right down the hallway. "I must drown this thirst before I say more."

::A very astute deduction that a subterranean island home wouldnt have a sewage system but rather a well, and a magical purification system for ocean water. Walter would have asked several questions about the previous revelation, but as Butler duty came first.::

Right this way.

::Walter said as he led Joshua down the maze-like corridor making quite a few seemingly random turns before leading Joshua to what seemed to be a rather large pool a few hundred feet around with several pipes leading into it, and a strange grouping of violet twinkling lights dancing at its bottom.::

Here you are, sir.

::Walter said in all formality trying his best to hold back any curious outbursts.::

Maximos Wrote:

Right this way.

::Walter said as he led Joshua down the maze-like corridor making quite a few seemingly random turns before leading Joshua to what seemed to be a rather large pool a few hundred feet around with several pipes leading into it, and a strange grouping of violet twinkling lights dancing at its bottom.::

Here you are, sir.

::Walter said in all formality trying his best to hold back any curious outbursts.::

Wasting only the time to find a container to lower into the pool, Joshua stood at the edge of it and drank the drawn water until it seemed almost surreal; scarsely believable that one man could drink so much at once. Finished, he dropped the pail to the ground and exhaled sharply; his chin, neck, and chest were soaked with the runoff from the bucket, but it made no difference to him.

"...now, about your master..." he began, turning at once to address the poised and dignified groundskeeper, "he died. Some time ago, we both know this... his existence vanished from this world, his soul taken to the other side, and his influence upon this place no longer holds. He is cut off in every way from what we call life. Dead. And. Gone."

Despite how this all contredicted his earlier statement, Joshua continued as if it were all the same anyways.

"Though I saw him. No... felt him, at the Leviathan not long ago. I can assure you that he was more alive then than he had been the last time he lived. Maybe he's found a way to cheat the system... maybe he simply won favor in the afterlife. I don't know how he did, but he came back."

The tide seemed to pull him in faster than before, his boat rattled and shook as the waves sucked him closer to the island. The boat rattled and shook as the waves knocked into the side of skiff, knocking his lantern over and shattering it on the floor. In a matter of seconds tragedy on the boat hatched, and in a matter of seconds the rope caught on fire, then the rest of the boat. The captain grabbed a pale and burnt his hands, dropping the pale, and tripping on his own seat, smashing his head on the twin seat aside it. The water rushed, sucking him furthur in, then pushed back a little. This process repeated a few times before the water rushed and sucked the skiff straight into a rock. The front end shattered into it and lodged itself as the tide still drew in. He wasted no time in jumping onto the rock. It took only one breath before he noticed the tide rose above and receded against the rock. He turned and saw some sturdy looking roots sticking out of the side of the island. He grabbed them and felt a searing sting from his freshly burnt hands, yet still gripped and hauled himself high enough to get a firm grip on something else. What should have been a short climb, turned into a blistering scramble to the top before the water sunk him under the island. He pulled himself over the edge of the island and rolled onto his back. Laying there he swore never to sail into open water on small boat ever again, he was no John Silver.

Several moments passed before he got up and walked towards the lighthouse.

"I'm sure I'll be able to find something from around there," he said in a tone questioning his motives...

It had been a long day before hand, and the evening had been equally as cruel, but now that he was on the island, it seemed liked during the night, things really did cool down. The young man, all the while having his left hand readied over the hilt of his sword, found it most peculiar that such a shady island had such a well kept, lovely garden. In fact, he found it all peculiar.

"Just what the hell is going on around here," he mumbled to himself in a cynicism inspiring awe.

He moved around the garden, making sure not to crush what someone was obviously taking much care of, and to see more of what lay around the lighthouse. First few minutes was just more freshly cut grass and neatly trimmed shrubbery, and had it not been for not looking at his feet while he walked at that particular moment and tripping over a stump and into large crater that, despite how little justice it did to the island's picturesque gardening, seemed entirely appropriate.

"And to think that I thought this night was going to be a walk through the park..." so to speak, he joked with himself after the rolling stopped.

It seemed that no matter how the different portions of the day went today he always ended up on his back and staring into cosmos-- and for some reason he couldn't help but feel that...

He steadied his pace and made his way out of the crater.

...They were testing him.

Maximos Wrote:

Needless to say he had questions wanting to bubble forth like a child wanting candy, but he maintained that aire of formality as he spoke.::

You felt him...more alive than previous? And at the Leviathan...I thought that place had been destroyed. I'm afraid I dont fully understand. How can one be more alive than...alive?

"Was he really alive, before?" Joshua replied to the question with another question. "He was a shadow, a soul clinging to the memory of a body... just because he hadn't died to become that way doesn't mean that he was any more alive than a shade..."

"No, this time it was different. I could hear it in his voice, I could feel the essense of life in the presence of his spirit. He lived, breathed, ate and slept... alive.

Taking the towel, Joshua wiped his face and neck, but did not bother attepting to dry the shirt. Giving the butler a good, long look, he then decided to answer the man's other question...

"...yes, man, I felt your master's presence. I have that ability, to see things beyond the veil of mortality, and to sense the presence of magic and spirit. I'm sure that for a being such as yourself, this shouldn't be too surprising."

"No. I know of nothing that can bring back a soul once it's gone to the other side, other than a trick played upon the Reaper or a break in the divine order. Neither of those could be done without help from this side, and even after he would need someone living to bind his soul to a body..."

The man trailed off near the end, delving into the overcomlicated specifics of ressurrection magics, and avoiding trying to explain the dangers involved in trying to call back a soul that had already passed to the world of the dead.

"Would someone owe him enough of a debt to risk their life and soul in bringing back his? Or, maybe a little more farfetched, would someone hold enough of a grudge against him to attempt a ressurrection simply so they could kill him again?"

"...perhaps that..." Joshua started, not finishing the thought as he, himself, thought back to the particular 'tag' that had been present in Maximos' spiritual signiature before his death. That mark...

"Reaper."

After a short pause, he started again, back to questioning the old man.

"Did he tell you anything of a deal he made with them, with Death or another of these... He had been marked by them. I remember because this mark is not a common one. Either he was a condemned man at the end, or he had struck a deal with them. I had not enough time to study the mark completely."

Why...yes. Yes, he did.

::Walter seemed taken aback. He was sure that even the suggestion of that "Deal", was signs of Maximos's slipping sanity. But here a complete stranger seems to have knowledge of such a thing. Needless to say this man had gained Walters interest, if not more.::

He mentioned something about Reapers as well. And about fixing kinks in some grand machination of life and death. Or proving wrong those who believed they were free from the cycle of death and rebirth. It just seemed to unbelievable to be true. Are you insinuating that it is?

--

::The metal was surprisingly warm considering it was night out. And yet the door was not trapped or rigged or booby-trapped or even waiting to explode. It was silent, and creaked open ever so slightly with the wieght of his hand. Obviously it'd creek open father if he pushed it.

It was amazing though, despite how bright the full moon was tonight, when the door was opened, it was pitch black inside. It was as if there was an odd curtain of black just behind the door. And yet, a simple wave of the hand would reveal their was nothing of the sort.

Yet, with the breeze at the sailors back, and gushing into the door something was moving. An audible creeking sound could be heard from just a few feet in. It was odd, but there was that stiff breeze, the tranfixed shadows, the odd bird, there was a hint that adventure lie ahead. But adventure could only be saught if this dear adventurer was not afraid of the dark.::

There's nothing more questionable than gazing into a pitch black room through a door set ajar. At the sailor's waist was a long two-handed sword neatly tucked away in its scabbard, but only for the moment, as disturbing the peace became imminent; he drew the blade a couple inches out, allowing it to taste the strange island air, and so he could see...

Yet there was nothing. He withdrew the blade and pushed open the door as far as it would go and stepped in.

...The sight of a pale blade is a lot like the sign of a white flag.

((Maximos, damn you... I want some apple pie and a cinnamon bread now. v__v))

[It really was the honey glazed haven of pastries and baked goods alike, but despite its allure, of all things to come across, this particular sailor did not ever expect to stumble upon Grandma Keebler's hidden warehouse dough baked wonders.]

What the hell is going on around here..., he thought to himself.

"Hello," he asked in an attempt to break awkwardness.

[Though he had to admit, he loves pie...]

Maximos Wrote:

::He looked this odd man directly in the eyes and asked...::

Who...are you?

Joshua sat on the edge of the well, and looked back without hesitation.

"I'm just another cold-blooded killer."

Joshua remained silent long enough for whatever Walter might have had to say... then he spoke again on something completely unrelated.

"So, gardener... what are you going to do now?"

"I would appreciate one," Joshua replied to the butler.

Standing, he replaced things as they had been before he disturbed the well, and added "You seem very dedicated. It is something that deserves respect."

He knew enough that no amount of payment would be sufficient, nor would likely be accepted, for the time that he had spent in these walls.

"...tending the grounds... It's a very calming thing, some people use it for meditation."

"I come from hell, gardener," was his reply; an almost fiendish grin as he said it. "...or whatever the hell you people here call it. I've heard many different names for it in my time here, but with fire, ash, and demons... the word seems to fit well enough to my home."

Joshua scratched the back of his neck. Thinking about the place always made him itch out of regret. Like the feeling of constantly being dirty.

"I left there a long time ago... on a bit of a journey. I didn't know what I was looking for when I left, but I think I might have found it somewhere along the way..."

Maximos Wrote:

Most odd though, excuse my ignorance, but I would assume someone from such a place would appear more...monstrous. Perhaps with horns, and brimestone breath, and horrible manners. But dare I say you've been a wonderful guest. I'd imagine that if you found what you were looking for, you'll be heading back?

In responce to Walter's comments, the Joshua removed Maximos' hat from his head and placed a hand flat on it. He pressed down the hair so that Walter might see the small set of horns that were usually invisible unless his hair was wet and matted down. Following that, he hooked a finger over his lip and pulled down to show the, rather small, fang-like teeth that he had. The manners were something he didn't have an excuse for, rather than that he was royalty.

Grinning slightly as he cast a glance towards the butler, Joshua replied to him. "Most are worse off than me. They used to call me the runt."

He walked beside Walter into the breakfast room, never really surprised with the size of the place's interior after seeing so much of it already. While it was amazing that there always seemed to be more, it was one of those amazing things that just isn't quite as marvelous the second time around.

"I'm not sure whether or not I'm ready to go back. I've only been back once since I left, over fifty years back... and it brought back a lot of hard memories."

"Sugar," he interjected, as Walter brought the tea.

"Do you have any family?"

Maximos Wrote:

One lump or two?

::He'd of course wait for an answer and serve the exact desired amount be it one lump, two, or the whole bowl.::

Joshua shrugged in responce. Tea wasn't really something he had often enough to bother learning how he liked to have it. He never brought a teapot with him when he traveled, never bothered with it when he boarded somewhere, and other than something brewed for medicinal purposes, everything 'back home' had been more along the lines of wine, ale, beer, mead, and so on.

Walter Wrote:

I believe the answer to that question decides upon your definition of family. I was once a living breathing being, such as yourself, until I passed on and was sent to the Shadow Ream. I had family, but I would imagine that they are quiet lost to the millenia that have passed since then. I doubt any even know I was ever born, or that I shall ever see home again.

"People here say home is where the heart is... a pretty bland way to put it," the guest said as he tested the tea.

"My people had a different version. You're never far from home as long as you have family. They used to say it at night when they went to war. To them, their comerades are their brothers and sisters, so even when they were far from their homes, they still had family. It... almost works, maybe a little backwards. Home isn't where you came from, it's where you belong."

Walter Wrote:

Now do you have any particular dishes you'd like me to prepare, favorites perhaps?

"This is breakfast, isn't it?" Joshua said jovially, with a wry smile, "meat and eggs, eggs and meat. That's what breakfast is about."

Walter Wrote:

I will have to remember that, thats a surprisingly warm philosphy from a species usually know for being the evilest...How is it?

::He was of course speaking of the tea at the end.::

"Just because something is different doesn't mean that it's evil... It's fine."

He was, of course, speaking of the tea at the end.

After that, he waited patiently for Walter to return; though after only a minute he was restless enough to get up from the chair and wander the length of the room browsing the well-maintained artifacts.

::Though its difficult to shine in a pitch black place, the object tilted and wobbled and then rolled right off of its perch. Just as a set of double doors slide open and out stepped Walter, his hands and arms filled with trays. Behind him, and beside, as well as around him black silohettes carried several dishes, trays, bowls, cups, entree's and the like. Walter and his small armada of servers within a few seconds had the entire table filled on either side with gourmet and some home cooked masterpieces. This was a 60ft long and 5ft wide table.

If you could imagine it, and probably even if you couldnt, it was here. Everything from bacon and eggs, to eggs and fish, toast, pancakes, fruits, steak. Many many sorts of pastries, and more than a few...foriegn...dishes. That is to say things like Night Pear and Ugu's, Fried Gorag and syrup. An odd bowl of jet black liquid which seemed to periodically churn of its own accord. Such is the sort of breakfast one creates when armed with an interdimensional cookbook from an alien world.

After quickly and efficiently serving the food, Walter equipped his towel to his right forearm which was held even with his hips, and took his place beside Joshua's seat. At which time he would kindly say...::

Breakfast, is served.

::Giving a cue for the shadows to simply vanish.::

::He had been out for weeks outside that on the chair, with that child. But thats what happens when you sleep in a magical house, or perhap its wasnt. Ruuvan probably wasnt used to actually being asleep, much less being asleep for weeks. But when he rose, a few things would probably feel a bit different. He'd get that odd feeling that he had woken up in someone elses skin. Sure, it was his hands, his feet, his everything, but something felt....off.

The boy, was still safe inside his room just as asleep. The sword was haphazardly tossed onto the floor. And it would seem that the castle, the strange trip and the like were all a dream. A vivid dream but a dream none the less. What Ruuvan really needed was a mirror.

And his ranger-esque senses might notice that the smell of sweet cinnamon and various other beautiful breakfast foods was filling the air around him.::

themightyjello Wrote:

"You, sir, are completely insane."

::Walter smiled just slightly, and took a slight bow.::

I aim to please.

::He said in his kindest tone. Taking the moment to adjust his monacle and the towel on his arm.::

themightyjello Wrote:

"So..." Joshua asked before plopping some bubbling black ooze onto the edge of the plate, "...will there be any other guests joining us?"

::In effect it really was a giant buffet. While most guests prefer to have the butler serve them, there really was enough food for a man to traverse the table and feed himself. Walter kept his post beside the chair, should anything be asked of him he'd of course jump onto the task. Joshua's question for instance, he was in effect asking for an answer, and he would get a kind honest one.::

I truly cannot say, Master Ruuvan and the young boy D have been asleep for several weeks now. I wouldnt assume they would be able to join us today, but there is more than enough to go around. Unless of course, Sir would prefer to dine alone.

::Ever kind, ever formal. His voice never raised above gently octave. He of course had to make not of the black ooze, and make a slight comment.::

Nocturn soup is usually eaten with a mixture of Night Pear and Lillian Bread, most find the taste a bit too bitter otherwise.

::He would of course gesture to the Night Pear and Lillian Bread. His tone would reveal that this was only meant as a suggest as opposed to a command, or request. Joshua could hardly be expected to know how to eat everything at the table.::

A brief nap? 'I'll just rest my eyes until D is asleep, then wander about'? How in the name of the Lightbringer could he have sat in that chair and slept for a week?! Of course, being a magical house full of interesting delights and other such feelings, Ruu woke up thinking it had only been one night, a vivid memory of a castle and the vampire turning out to be false, but how? So many questions.

Within a few seconds of his eyes - yes, eyes, the plural - opening and looking at the space around him, Ruuvan could definitely feel something different in the air. Even with the groggy feeling after waking up, a feeling he had not been subject to since he died, the ranger senses embedded in his mind could feel a change and now hungered to find out the cause.

Pushing himself from the chair and taking a moment to stretch his legs, Ruu reached a hand behind him to make sure the door leading to D's room was still secure, which it was, before allowing himself the pleasant smell of a finely cooked breakfast. Still, there were certain things that the General wanted to know before going to fill his stomach with some fine Elven cuisine, like shaving off the abnormally large beard for just one day's sleep, or just washing in general. So, taking a quick left into the bathroom, somehow knowing where it was, Ruu immediately started to fill the basin with water and found a razor waiting for him. How very odd. It was after this psychic endeavour that he took a moment to look up at the mirror.

A double-take was a word perhaps best used to describe what Ruuvan performed as he looked into the mirror; eyes wide with surprised as he saw a face he instantly recognised and understood to be his own, but such an image conflicted the current thoughts of what his face was meant to look like, thus causing a rather humerous stumble backwards. It seemed like he caught his balance naturally, adjusting his weight and footing to simply bounce back to a standing position in one fluid motion. Ruu wasn't normally one to question things, but the fact he was still on Shadow Island and was now seeing what could only be described as a younger self, definitely brought the inquisitive nature of the Elf out.

"Huh?" A single word, if it could be called that, echoed through the small bathroom as he reached out and touched the mirror. His fingers traced over his reflected face, still not believing it was indeed his. With a few strokes of the razor and most of the hair removed, once again an unkown agility with the blade coming forth and making the removal effortless, he could see he had definitely changed over what he thought to be one single night. Of course there was a part of him saying one night couldn't do this, but the logical side kept its footing until he realised one thing; Gaia wasn't normal, this Island wasn't normal and he sure as hell wasn't normal.

After a few minutes spent shaving the beard off, checking his face over and over and eventually realising his hair, Ruuvan had come to an assumption that this was his true form coming out. What with his eye returning not long ago, it only made sense that this was the next step. Quickly slooking around to find a pair of clothes similar to those he was wearing, only much cleaner and finely pressed, Ruuvan made a quick change before venturing back out into the corridor, the scent of Walter's cooking rushing into his nostrils like the first time he visited; a taste of home.

With this in mind, it only made sense that he would slowly appear in the food hall with a quizzical look on his new face and a thirst for answers; Walter being the only feasible option for such things.

A twitch of brush moved aside, a black nose poking out from the brambles of the Blackhaw shrub. The nose wriggled, smelling something. A rustle of sound, perhaps from a tail twitching. Then a paw appeared cautiously and crept forwards, followed by a sleek, furred body no bigger than a small dog, but with a rather bushy tail. Strange soft green orbs peeked out from eyes that shouldn't show as much intelligence as they did.

Then it moved, darting from bush to bramble towards that delicious smell. There had to be something sweet there, didn't there? Then it could find the thing that brought it to the island.

Again, that little nose twitched and the bushy tail swished and once it was close enough to get a good whiff of that scent, all bets were off and the little fox was off and running, heedless of the shadows or things that go bump in the shadows. His pale green eyes seemed to glow just ever so slightly, rimming them in a slight halo and he was following his nose, it always knows (the way to froot loops )

Evil...what evil demon had known this little critters most delicious weakness? And there it was, just sitting there, the other smells fading by the moment as the fox crept closer and closer to the window, on the guard for any old ladies with brooms, or old men with shotguns. But it got no closer than five feet away before it could resist no longer and took a running leap towards the window(pie), then slid as it to the landing, and then followed through, right into the pie, muzzle first.

(( I'll admit, I'm not that fond of crab... but it is more fun to eat when you have to SNAP it open to get at the tasty insides. ))

Walter Wrote:

I'm glad you enjoy it, not to be boastful but it did turn out quite well.

::Such manners, and this man was a demon?!::

Joshua nearly choked, stifling it long enough to swallow the Lillian Bread and Nocturn Soup before releasing an outburst of laughter.

"That's the spirit!" he shouted between heaves of laughter, finally seeing a little c***k in that armor of Walter's. "Nothing wrong with pride in a job well done, that's for sure!"

The laughter continued for a minute longer, and though he made a few attempt with the food again, Joshua was sure that he wouldn't be able to eat another bite safely until he managed to get that outburst under control. So, with one spider leg in hand and a small piece of Night Pear in cheek, the guest settled back into his chair with a satisfied smirk.

"So," he began once he was confident he wouldn't shout and laugh if he tried to speak; breaking the spider leg in two as he said it and beginning to peel away the chitinous shell, "how did a man of your talents come to be in such a place, Mr. ..."

The guest stopped, furrowing his brow in uncomfortable silence for a moment. "...I'm sorry, I know this is rude but, I can't seem to remember if we were ever really introduced."

Wasting no time after that, the guest slid his chair back, reached for a napkin to wipe his hand, and then leaned in as best he could with his left hand braced against the edge of the table, his right extending the five foot gap filled with food that was obstinately between the two of them.

"As a guest I shouldn't try to withold a proper introduction. My name is Razliek of the house of Kar, but now I am called Joshua. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Walter Wrote:

::Walter didnt miss a beat either as he slid his chair back, gently placed his napkin down and reached forward to meet Sir Razliek's hand, he had a firm and yet soft handshake.::

Walter, Walter Worthington the third. And I assure you, the pleasure is mine, Sir Razliek. Or do you prefer Joshua?

Joshua grinned, taking note of Walter's handshake though surprised at his own surprise at it. He should have known it would be that way, with a man so formal. Still, he didn't need any sort of sixth sense to tell that Walter would have had quite a grip if he wanted to.

"It's been a long time since I've heard that name spoken by anyone but myself," he replied to the man, "Joshua will do. Razliek is a man who can't seem to run from the past."

Sitting again, he resumed where he had been at disassembling the spider.

"...anyways... Mr. Worthington. How long have you been the keeper of this place?"

Maximos Wrote:

:: But the window sill, and the pie atop it was but a prelude to what was to be. Just past the window sill sat an armada of pies, cakes, and sugar frosted goodies. It was a veritable sweets heaven! Cakes and pies from worlds unknown, with incredients of indescribable flavor, and variety! And what was more...it was unguarded. Not a soul to tell the little fuzzy "No."::

The little critter pulled his nose from the pie, his tongue darting out to lick the yummy goodness from his muzzle when he spotted it! The Shambhala for foxes...At this point, all caution had left the little fox.Puffed up on his own victory, he had completely forgotten the ever presence of non fox beings. A drop of apple filling fell from one of his tiny wings as he fluttered it in happiness before darting forward. Yummys!!

The nxet visble thing would be a fox tail swishing happily as the front part of him was buried into whatever the first delicious thing he could get a hold of was. But he wasn't a pig, just avery hungry little fox...and after a few bites, he was on to the next thing.

And said winged fox thing would jump about five feet in the air, turning in mid jump to stare at the intruder wh ohad dared to interrupt his meal. He began to growl and stopped, mid baring of teeth. And just stared...and stared...and apparently, the little guy had found something more interesting than that oh so delicious food.

His nose scrunched and his little body nudged forward, trying to get a sniff of D. Much like a dog would another dog that it knew but wanted to see where it had been.

::Aww it had gotten all angwy! D thought that was just the cutest thing ever. He grinned, bearing a mouth full of pointed fangs, and took a matching stance, kicking open a drawer and stepping inside so that he could place both his hands on the counter pretending he was ready to pounce.

It leaned forward to sniff, and so did he, he gently hoisted himself up and sniffed a few times. He had no idea what he was sniffing for, but this was a fun game! Thus the smile from ear to ear.

Joshua Wrote:

"It's nothing, it's just that a name reflects who you are... and it's sometimes easier to convince yourself that you aren't the same person you used to be if you can call yourself something else. People change, Walter..."

::Walter gave something of a solemn nod as if he knew all to well exactly how right Joshua was. His eyes wandered down, not really looking as much at the food, as he was looking into himself. But such awkward silences are quite rude and disturbing, so before listing the length of time, he was sure to perk up, placing a smile on his face, and meeting his guests eyes.::

Joshua Wrote:

"...was it worth it?"

::Believe it or not, this was a question Walter had asked himself several times, and so an answer can rather smoothly.::

Yes. I dare not think where my afterlife would be if not for these many years. It may come as a surprise, but in my youth I was something of a brutish fellow. Always fighting, always challenging those I deemed a threat. I was prideful, boastful, and very full of myself...

::Water couldnt help but hold that smile as he jaunted down memory lane.::

...I was young. These years have served me well.

The grin didn't bother that little guy in the least. He sniffed a few more time, then grinned just as widely, right before leaping up and right onto D's head, tiptoes around D's head three times, then curled up, just as if he was D's hat, a low rumbling but happy sounding growl coming from deep in his chest. Whatever smell he'd been looking for, it seemed to make him happy and he looked as puffed up as a peacock if you knew what you were looking for.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Joshua replied as he sucked down spidermeat.

"...either part of it."

"Accident, really..." he said as he finally put the fork to use scraping spider from the inside of the carapace. "The hat tried to eat me, and I ended up in your shed."

::Walter just raised an eyebrow, and slightly tilted his head.::

Really?

::He contemplated letting the matter go, but soon found he simply couldnt.::

It tried to eat you? But the Hat is not sentient Sir Joshua.

Yay!!

:: D exclaimed hopping up and down doing his best not to throw the cute little creature from off his head. And of course he scurried up to Ruuvan and hugged the back of his legs before grabbing his hand and continuing their walk. Guided by scent, it really wouldnt take but a few minutes for them to get there. But before they did...D just had to say something he noticed.::

Mr. Ruuvan...

::He said softly, and somewhat embarassed.::

Why is your face all wierds and stuff?

There was a brief mid-step pause as D asked the question, proving indefinitely that Ruu's facial reconstruction was nothing something that would go unnoticed, not to mention the fact he had no idea when this all came about. Still, he continued on towards the main room and chuckled quietly at D's comment.

"I have no idea, but I'm hoping to get some answers soon enough." And so the two emerged into the main hall, Walter and some other fellow being the only other people in the whole house it seemed, "Good morning." Without any sense of the time of day, Ruu addressed the two and bowed his head slightly.

"HEEEEEY!" the 'other man' shouted.

"...SOMEBODY!"

He got up and pulled out two chairs near the end of the table. "...have a seat before something gets cold," at which point he did.

Chillax.

Well atleast the other guy wasn't antisocial, that was one thing that a pain to overcome, so no need to make a huge effort, and thanks to Walter he now had a name to put to use: Joshua.

With D already getting ready to devour whatever Walter had planned, it left the Ranger with his own questions to answer.

"Anything to stop my hunger and answers to stop me racking my brain." He was sure Walter would be able to tell the change in his face, not to mention the well pronounced Elven ears and whatnot, so perhaps he'd be able to get an answer out sharpish.

It was truly amazing just how a 'balanced breakfast' worked out. One bowl of super-sugary cereal with marshmallows, a glass of milk, a glass of orange juice, a few pieces of toast, and some fruit. The meal would have been balanced without the orange juice, but then the cereal was thrown in there and tossed everything out of whack, so the orange juice would have to be added to even things out a little. Thus, why when cereal is advertised as a part of a balanced breakfast, it is shown along with many other healthy things, because otherwise they would not be able to make such a claim.

Regardless of the semantics of product advertising, Joshua leaned back against the chair that he sat in and gave 'Master' Ruuvan and D a once-over; then donned the hat and tipped it politely with a grin.

"Not going to find him," the guest said, "not unless he comes for you first."

Ruuvan gave Josh another nod of his head as the food was presented to him, yet another Elemengal delight Walter had said, so why waste time standing around when one was so hungry.

Taking a seat next to D, Ruuvan took one of the cakes and took a bite of it, the taste was indescribable and brought a few more memories of home flooding into his head, quickly drowning out the questions he wanted answered. All was going as normal until Josh spoke about not being able to find Maximos, such a statement ruining what little good mood Ruu had left.

"Where would you suggest I wait?" There was a slight bit of sarcasm in his voice, but also a little bit of a true question as he waited for the man to reply. Finding Maximos was his goal and he intended to finish it, and he'd need all the help he could get. Of course, as his eyes searched the man and eventually fell onto Max's top hat, his heart fell a little as the reality of his friend being dead hit him again.

Waiting? Sure, it was a possiblity and probably the safest way to do things, but that wasn't the way Ruuvan preffered to do things. Himself and Maximos had stared death in the face many times, most of them together, so why would the possibility of death occuring frighten him in the least? The answer was simple: If he died, how would he find Max. So many questions and very few answers, this was getting quite frustrating.

Getting back to work on the cakes Walter had provided, Ruuvan sighed and took a moment to look around the room they were sitting in; black and so elegantly decorated, everything reminded him of its 'Master'.

Takes one to find one, hm?" Joshua knew nothing of Ruu's past, the same could be said about the other way, but Walter knew what he was and at least one person in the room would understand.

There was a way, Joshua had just said it before getting up, and Ruuvan would rather poke himself in the eye with a spork than let he who carried the information simply walk out like that.

"Hey now, wait a minute." Putting one of the half-eaten cakes back onto his plate, Ruu got up and walked towards Josh before he hit said exit, "I'm willing to go to any lengths to find him; if you know how I can get to 'that world', as you call it, please tell me." Although he didn't say sorry for being rude earlier, his tone put across that message and it held some good ol' sincerity.

Maximos Wrote:

You a guest as well, I do hope the turn of the conversation has not terribly ruined your appetite and that you will perhaps be returning for lunch.

"It's alright, Walter. I just didn't want a sour mood to spoil breakfast for everyone." Joshua turned on heel before he made it too far, taking the hat across his midsection in a sweeping bow; attempting to sincerely show gratitude for the hospitality Walter had shown, despite his own hostile tendancies.

"This whole business just rubs me the wrong way. If he was killed, it's my sworn duty to avenge him. If not... then I have deep regret for him. Things like he was don't just die."

Ruuvan Wrote:

"Hey now, wait a minute." Putting one of the half-eaten cakes back onto his plate, Ruu got up and walked towards Josh before he hit said exit, "I'm willing to go to any lengths to find him; if you know how I can get to 'that world', as you call it, please tell me."

Joshua was about to take his leave again when Master Ruuvan got up.

"...there is only one way in," he said, seeming to contradict his earlier statement, "you have to die." He left it at that, waiting long enough to guage Ruuvan's reaction. Earlier he had said that he would put his life on the line, but words and actions were two different things. It would be the next thing said or done that would determine whether or not Ruuvan was willing to make that sacrifice.

(assuming a nonhesitant 'yes' to all of the above, as we all know is coming)

"OR to be so close to death that your body and soul become separate. Like that you can go there, but you may lose your soul if the Reapers find you." Joshua gave Master Ruuvan a cold stare, and folded his arms across his chest.

"That is the only way. To go to the world of the dead you must become as dead."

(( @ Max: Would I be stepping on toes if I did this? ))

Joshua nodded, grinning slightly. It had been a while since he did one of these, and he wondered if 'Master' Ruuvan would manage to make it out in one peice when all was said and done.

"Get your things, then, and finish breakfast. It will be the last meal you have for a while. You leave in an hour."

To Walter, he asked: "Do you have a large, open room here that I could use? Preferably with a stone or hardwood floor?"

"..."

Joshua took one look at the child and his intent to argue simply evaporated. Instead, he simply shook his head and left the room.

"That boy ain't right."

His first stop wasn't the gymnasium, but rather, his own room; where he gathered the few things of his that were there to bring with him. A small traveling pack and his equipment. Then it was time to go to the gymnasium.

He had no interest in whether or not Ruuvan was following him, it wouldn't matter anyways. It would take at least an hour to prepare things, probably longer... especially with two. It meant that he had to double everything.

Ruuvan was also surprised, as everyone else in the room, as D shouted out that he wanted to come to. Again, like everyone else, his intent on arguing with the small child disappeared as he remember failing to disuade him before.

"D, you know it's going to be dangerous, right?" Ruu had turned to the child and knelt down, making sure the kid understood what was going to happen before he actually went through with it, "It'll be like going into a nightmare, but at least you'll be there to protect me, eh?" Turning it all around at the last second, Ruu smiled and got up; it was time to get his stuff.

About thirty minutes later, give or take five, Ruuvan walked on into the Gymnasium with his duffle bag in hand and placed it gently on the floor. He had no idea how he'd be taking this stuff with him, so what better way than to ask.

"First off let me say I appreciate your help." Another bow of the head followed this statement, "Secondly: Am I going to be able to take my weapons?" It was a simple question, after all one needed defence from the Reapers and whatnot.

"Me too."

With what Joshua had said in mind, Ruuvan stepped out of the area and took a seat on a bench of some sorts; what did he believe in? The two Decker Blades that were made for him had been forged with part of his own blood in them, so of course there was a bond in that. The only other item would be his bow, the one with the soul of his wife within the wood, now that was definitely a tie that wouldn't be broken.

As for what Ruuvan believed himself to be, that was certain now: An Elven Ranger from Aria, General of the Light army and destroyer of evil. It had only taken him what? A Year to remember all this and figure it out, Maximos helping him over the initial stone before going and getting all dead and such, but he had been finding things out himself. As for what would happen once this ritual began, only time would answer that one. With that thought over, Ruuvan closed his eyes and took the remaining time to centre himself for the journey ahead; the bow cradled in his arms as his mind washed over with a calm he hadn't felt in some time.

Ruuvan enjoyed a good sense of humour, a rarity amongst certain members of the Gaian community, but it seemed Joshua had one... albeit sick, but it was definitely there.

So, as his mind slowly returned to normal and his eyes opened to see the finished etchings, Ruu got up and rested his hands on the hilts of the Decker blades.

"Ready as I was the first time." Laughing slightly as he put his own sick joke in, Ruu moved to the edge of the chalk and took a moment to look over all the circles and runes, wondering which part he'd have to be on once it all started, "So I take it you've done this thing before, right? What have the past people done it for?" Joshua had mentioned 'big shots' and women looking for their children, but more information was required on what he was going into.

Well that turned out to be a stupid question; why else would anyone want to visit the realm of the dead if it wasn't to bring someone back? Exactly. Shrugging it off as nothing but an anxiety-driven question, Ruuvan focused once again on Joshua as he went about explaining the basic rules and regulations for a succesful visit, or as succesful as one could be anyway. From all the myth and religious documents he had heard about, some of them he had even read, the Reapers were something you wouldn't want to get on the bad side of, so he took Josh's words to heart.

Even though Ruu had no idea what everything on the floor meant, he figured there only really needed to be one space per person 'going under' and one for the person in charge, so why the third circle around the edge? Walter sure wasn't going, he had to stay there and take care of the real world things should it all go wrong, so what better way to find out than ask?

"I'm no expert, but why is there a third circle?" From what Josh had said earlier, with the soul becoming seperate from the physical form so it could come back, where would Maximos' soul go? "And if there's no body for said third person, what happens? Still so many questions, but he was sure Josh would understand the whole anxiety and curiousity thing.

"Then how did he stay here last time?" Ruuvan was getting confused now; Maximos was a shadow wraith being, a soul encased in a hard shadow body to give the impression of physical presence, "He was a soul being in a summoned body... how am I meant to get him back without a body which didn't exist in the first place?" There was still Max's hat lying about, but that was an item of clothing, not a body.

There it was, the statement that split Ruuvan's mind into two feuding sides, each having their own thoughts on the matter that rivalled with the other. One side thought there was no point going if Max couldn't come back, the other stuck to its guns and said it was following through with your promises that meant the most; eventually that side won.

"We'll wait." Ruu watched Josh take up his position and looked around the runes once again, "So where do I stand?"

::For a kid so jolly, so jovial, so full of life, D had never looked more serious in all the time Ruuvan had seen him. Ruuvan mentioned it would be dangerous and for once the kid did not see the dangers as jokes, he looked Ruuvan straight in the eyes, and nodded. And then turned and walked off, he was acting on his own for once. He didnt turn and follow Joshua he walked down the hall the room, he had slept in and picked up the sword on the floor and stood leaned against a nearby wall.

That sword was a full 5ft tall, and 5inches wide, bigger than D himself, but he hefted it with one arm and set upright, and then began wrapping it back up in bandages, as it had been the first day he recieved it. With every wrap he stood completely serious, this was really important to him. Maybe this was his chance to see big brother again...maybe it wasnt. But he knew that at certain times in these past few months Big Brother had come to him...and in that line of thought, he kneeled down in front of the sword, and the talked.::

If your watching big brudda...I miss you...and I'm gonna find you...even if I gotta go back home.

::He spent a few moments in silence, just staring at the sword, before he triumphantly stood up, grabbed the giant sword, and was on his way. In the end, even for his moment of seriousness, he was still pretty thick and careless, and as such his coming was foretold by the sound of sharp metal scraping against wood as D dragged his jumbo sword all the way to the Gym, opened the door and then dragged it all the way to Ruuvan, and then heft it over his shoulder.::

Sowwy I'm late.

::He said, adjusting a lolipop that was in his mouth. Apparently Walter had a parting gift for him. He really couldnt speak for the fox, he had just met it, but he hoped it could or would speak for itself.::

Joshua pointed to where D should stand; getting to his own feet. There wasn't necessarilly an all-important order to this... at least not until everyone was good and dead. He didn't bother explaining the rules to D...

"The most important thing about this part," he said, looking to both of them, "...don't move until I tell you it's safe."

He stretched his arms behind his head, cracked his knuckles, and rolled his neck. "Are you ready?"

Joshua first began walking towards the child. He held his hands in front of him, both with closed fists, touching each other. After a few steps had been taken, he drew them apart; to mortal eyes there would be nothing there, but for someone like D... a thin, silvery thread that exists only in spirit. It was a piece of the thread of fate, the thing that binds souls together, and it was invisible and untouchable by any normal person.

He pulled out more of it, making a loop and wrapping the thread around his wrists so that it wouldn't slip. He never even looked at his hands while he did it, the whole time he was watching the child for a reaction.

"This won't hurt..." he said, pulling the wire tight between his hands. Then, with a swift motion, the man wrapped the thread around the child's neck in a loop and jerked it hard to the side like a noose. The boy's body jerked violently to the side for an instant, then fell motionless to the ground.

"...much."

Invisible to mortal eyes, the boy's spirit now stood beside the body, at the edge of the circle. The thread was still around his neck, though a twist of the wrist and Joshua loosened it, allowing it to slide off.

There was, between the boy and his body, a silver thread connecting the two. This was the bond that they shared, that it was unbroken was proof that they were still one. The body and the soul, both still very alive, despite being apart from each other.

"Remember, don't move..." Joshua said, suppressing a chuckle at the almost commedic shift in the boy's appearence. He hopped back a few steps, towards Ruuvan; wrapping the thread tight again to separate the man and his flesh with one quick tug.

It was rather simple. One moment the fox was on D. The next it was on the 'Monstrosity' next to D. It didn't have to be killed, apparently. It was jostled by the 'monstrosity's exhurbance, but that was about all, only giving a small bark of annoyance before settling back down.

"I said don't move!"

It was already too late for that, though. Ruuvan had stepped outside of the circle.

Almost immediately, a wraith-like figure decended through the ceiling of the gymnasium as if it weren't even there, flying directly for the elf spirit as silent as the grave. There was no decrepid, bony hand reaching out for him, or a long scythe the color of pitch ready to cut him down; the drone appeared as little more than an empty cloak with two black arms reaching out from beneath it, the right clutching a kama-like blade intended for cutting the elf's spirit thread.

As soon as it appeared, Joshua rushed past Ruuvan, interposing himself between them. As the reaper attempted to pass through the living body and reach Ruuvan's soul, the man grabbed a handfull of the cloak where the torso should have been and threw it violently to the side. It recovered almost immediately and swooped around to come back for Ruuvan; the weapon's handle stretching longer into that of a scythe for greater reach. Though instead of moving to block it again, Joshua turned quickly and slammed the back of his forearm against the elf spirit's chest to knock him back inside of the circle.

The reaper raised the scythe high, and brought it down upon the elf- only to impact suddenly against a wall that had formed around the spirit. The reaper seemed to be struck back by it, but quickly turned around for another pass... like a bird repeatedly flying at the same window.

"....s**t-"

Joshua jerked his head to the side just before another reaper flew through the opposite wall; scythe already outstretched and ready for D. He reached his hand towards them, cueing the barrier, but D had moved, too... he was only halfway inside of the circle.

Without a sound, and without a warning, the second reaper swung for D's head.

The reaper had missed, barely. Partly because of D's movement and partly because the tip of the scythe had struck against the barrier, causing it to be knocked aside. The reaper was pushed back a small bit, but quickly raised the scythe again in order to bring it down upon the boy's head-

WHUD.

Joshua slammed his shoulder into the base of the reaper's scythe, grasping the shaft with both hands and raising it against the cloak to push the reaper back. When they reached the edge of the array, another barrier flashed at the edge of the circle and the reaper was pinned against it by its own weapon.

He looked back only once to see if D still had a head, then pressed the drone harder against the wall; dragging it along the crackling barrier towards a semicircle drawn in union with the outside line. As soon as it was within reach, he released the drone, shoving it the rest of the distance inside of the semicircle.

The drone recovered, raised the scythe again, and rushed for D once more- only to strike a barrier. It moved around it, only to strike it again. The drone was trapped inside now, like a fish swimming in its bowl.

...but what about the other reaper?

It continued striking at the barrier around Ruuvan, being knocked away, and swooping around again. Despite that D was unprotected, it payed no attention to him at all. There was a reason for this: it was because this drone had come for Ruu, and Ruu only, just as the other had only come for D. As long as the target remained, the drones would ignore everything else in favor of it, and as long as the drone was still there, with the task of taking the target, no others would go after it.

For this class of Reaper, this was how things worked. There was no frenzy, just pure, mechanical efficiency. One target, one drone.

Eventually the drone began to circle the barrier, looking for a weakness in it to exploit. When this brought it close enough to another semicircular etching along the outside, just like the other, it was activated and the drone was trapped inside.

"...alright," Joshua said, signaling the two circular barriers around the bodies to deactivate, "NOW you can move."

Ruuvan Wrote:

"God damn, sorry... I thought you meant don't move whilst you were doing the whole killing part." A nervous laguh resounded as the Elf regained focus, shaking his head as he moved from the circle again, "So how many more of those things can we expect?"

"Yeah," he said, rubbing his forehead with the heel of his hand, "because you wouldn't want me to screw THAT part up and... you know... KILL YOU or something."

He twisted his head to the side again, issuing a few pops from the vertebrae, and then walked to where Ruuvan was; taking the thread that connected the elf spirit and body and wrapping it over his wrist and through his hand. The thread, oddly enough, seemed to stretch endlessly and offer no resistance at all, like there was an endless supply of it laying around just out of sight.

"No, there shouldn't be any more coming... unless one of you did something to seriously piss someone off." As he said it, the first thing he did was give a sharp, almost suspicious glance towards D... though no doubt the boy was still too consumed in his own enormousness to catch it. "Those are just drones... like worker ants, they exist only to carry souls across when their time is up."

Ruuvan Wrote:

After the explanation of the system's workings, or whatever Josh had to say, Ruu repeated his last question, "How exactly do we get to 'Heaven', if that's what it is called in this world."

"Simple," he said with a grin as he crossed towards D, "head towards the light... woooooo~ scary. The great beyond and all that." He repeated the process with D's thread, wrapping it around his own arm. "No, nothing like that, really. I'll send you on your way in a minute, as soon as we're ready..."

Standing beside the dark giant, Joshua gave him a good look over, up and down...

"...nice hat."

Elven armour, it was definitely a strange sensation feeling on his body again; the weightless feeling even though one would think it to be heavy, the almost empowering affect it had on his soul as if wearing it brought it back to his old self, but that still didn't stop the anxiety of getting this show on the road and finding his old friend.

"I think I'm ready, how about you?" A rather open question addressed to neither D or Joshua, kinda said towards both to see when they could head off.

Joshua Wrote:

The two spirits appeared in a dark place. There was no light at all for them to see by, and the atmosphere felt confining around them. There was something there with them, something with fur just behind them, brushing against their shoulders, and the sounds of voices and movement could be heard from just beyond the... door?

Ruuvan and D were in someone's closet.

::A six foot suit of jet black armor...and a giant 5ft sword...in a closet. D, was entirely too hyper of a child to allow any calculated plan or intelligent course of action Ruuvan was calculating to function properly. He turned, he twisted, and with a thump, fell out the closet door with his sword clamorously clanging on the floor.

After tiny moment of being stunned he immediately shuffled to his feet, standing up the sword beside him trying to look like a very noble Dark Knight. A whispered...::

...Sowwy!

::Escaping his lips as he looked back at Ruuvan.

Oh, so they were heading off right now... before he could even finish his thought they were there, in the dark confines of something rather awkward. Something like this took Ruuvan a few seconds to make a plan for, but with D already stumbling out of the closet and laughter being heard, he had to assume it was relatively safe.

So, gathering himself mentally and physically, Ruu stepped from the closet and walked beside where D was standing, looking at the two women with a rather puzzled expression.

"Hey there, sorry about the ki-- I mean my friend, he's a bit jumpy." With D no longer resembling a child, apart from that young voice in the large body, he would have to refer to him as a friend instead of a kid to avoid confusion.

themightyjello Wrote:

And so, he sat with his legs crossed, eyes closed, listening to the sounds of death trying to get in as the reapers fought with their bonds.

Ban. Ban. Ban. Ban. Ban. Ban. Ban. Ban.

The sounds slowly faded to nothing, drowned out by his own thoughts as he sat in silent meditation...

...and something moved...

Not in the room around them, not even on the other side, in the spirit world. Something moved inside of him, like a cold wind had just blown through an open window in his mind.

"Come out, then..." he said to whatever presence had intruded. He envisioned a featurless, empty area, waiting for the unknown to step out from where it was lurking.

Joshua was still sitting, as he had been, in the center of this nothingness. He watched as the other showed itself, and when the other showed its weapon, his own equipment appeared in responce.

"What's it to you?" he muttered in answer.

When the horizontal swing came, it was easily seen... with a weapon that large the windup for such a movement is much greater than with a normal weapon, and the man's responce to a horizontal swing was simply to lay back, flat against the ground as the blade passed over. He rolled immediately to the left following that, into a three-point stance on his right hand and the balls of his feet.

"Why are you here? Couldn't get a date?"

(( Actually, it was rolling in the direction of the swing. My logic was perfectly sound on it: your blade is single-edged, large, and the swing was wide. If I'm under it you won't have room to get any momentum for another swing, even with the weight I could stop it with a single hand with no momentum. Complete neutralization, since it isn't even sharp.

However, to the right it is. ))

He stayed where he was as the other turned and brought the weapon around to face him again; not acting hastily to capitolize on the opening, but calmly...

The weapon came up over the other's head, and that was the point of no return. The weapon was in motion, the other was comitted entirely to his swing, and he would not be able to stop it entirely unless he let go of the weapon. That was when Joshua acted; springing off of the balls of his feet and pushing off from the ground with his hand. It was a distance of three steps, he covered it in two, stepping in quickly to close the distance and come face to face with the enemy.

"What's the matter, twinkle-toes?"

The overhead swing would come down, but Joshua would be inside the range of the blade... inside the range of the hilt... so close that the dedicated swing would bring the other's arms down on his shoulders near the tricep and the weight of his own weapon would severely injure the other's elbows due to the pressure.

(( Yeah, I was actually factoring that in. Seventy five pounds would break you... eight would cause you to drop the thing from shock and have at least one sore elbow... ))

Joshua brought up both his hands immediately; the other's arms were over his shoulders, and that left him unprotected. Two fists were delivered simultaneously into the other's armpits. The sudden blow to a soft part of the chest would likely knock the wind out of him, and would definately mess with his ability to move his arms for a second or so.

Immediately following the movement, he bent his front leg and dropped down to get his head to about the level of the center of the other's chest. This was twofold: the first, to get out from such any exploitable grapple position, the second, to get low. As any martial artist can tell you, stance is power. Low was Joshua's stance.

His front foot (left) twisted the heel outwards to press his knee against the inside of the other's leg and force it outwards. His right foot twisted similarly, only the heel came in... for power. He thrust with the rear leg, using the front for stability as he put the entirity of his body into his left fist which was already dug in beneath the other's right arm.

With his left leg on the far side of the 'hurdle' Joshua had created with his left, the other had only one leg to stand on, and with a significant amount of force pushing both up and out towards that leg, whether this thing was real or a dream, it would come crashing down either way.

"Nothing to say? ...fine. I don't care who you are," he straightened his stance a little while he had the time, "but don't start any s**t unless you intend to finish it."

Joshua took a step or two back, letting his arms hang loosely at his sides and keeping on the balls of his feet, bouncing slightly like a boxer.

"I've decided," he said, thumbing his nose with a grin.

"There's no way anyone would have sent someone like you to kill me. This has got to just be a case of wrong place - wrong time."

Taking initiative this time, he stepped in quickly; covering the distance between them with a fast pace until about four feet was left between them. At that point he shifted his weight onto his right foot, pivoted on it, and delivered a fierce left side kick towards the center of the other's chest.

"What's your story?"

!!!

Joshua had more time than he had needed to recover into a steady stance again after the kick; he would have followed it up immediately with another attack, except for one small thing... flames.

He immediately sidestepped, though the size of the jet of flame was too large for something like that, so the step turned into a roll, aimed past the other's right side. The majority of the gout of flame was avoided, but rolling under the flaming wing was not something that could be avoided so easily. He caught the edge of it, lighting up the back of his shirt before it was extinguished in the roll.

Again he came out of it in a three-point stance; his right fist pressed into the ground and his weight on the balls of his feet.

This time he wasn't waiting, however, like how he had done with the sword. He was crouched low to the ground like an animal waiting to pounce, and he did as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

The other turned, the flaming wing passing by again in order for him to do so, and when the other lunged forwards Joshua was already coming up; his left fist skimming past the surface of the wing as it went over and seeming to gather the flames with it as it went past.

"SHO-RYU-KEN!"

...he couldn't resist. Rising uppercut.