Unearthed Legacy

[Shin]

(I made some changes to Ryuku, nothing that will majorly effect was had already happened. The biggest changes are in his age and stripping him of some abilities.)

He nodded thoughtfully to Garv and moved to step in front of the two, taking up a wide stance with one arm held out in front of him and the other directly below the navel. “Qi.” Was the simple answer to Xibtraes question. Ryuku was extremely skilled at manipulating the Qi in his own body but lacked in manipulating the Qi around him and so the skill he was deploying now was not a strong point, but was simple enough for him to try.

After a moments concentration a golden ball of light flickered into existence at the end of his outstretched palm. It’s light was brilliant and it shed light like a mini sun as it settled, eventually shedding enough light to cover the ground four torches could. A deep exhale followed and Ryuku lowered his arm, taking the control of the light through will power alone and moving it back and forth, up and down to make sure he had control of it.

“Very good.” He commented to himself. “It will last for several hours.” He told Garv as he surveyed the building they were in, now that there was light he wanted a better view of this place.

[Nayt]

Suffice it to say, Xibtrae was impressed. It'd been a long time since she'd seen (someone other than herself) do something like this. Ryuku had created a controllable light source that would, for all intents and purposes, light up their vicinity (with great efficiency) for some time.

"Very impressive," Xibtrae said to Ryuku with a smile and the utmost tone of a kind compliment.

Xibtrae could do something vaguely similar, but it probably wouldn't do nearly as well as well as Ryuku's technique. At most, Xibtrae (was pretty sure she) could only create the effect of torch light and nothing more. This, however, was like a ball of sunshine in the room.

Of course, this assumed that she still lacked all of her other abilities, those that she'd no need to rely on Val for. To Xibtrae's knowledge, that was still the case. Had she such powers at her disposal, she might have been able to do something even more similar to Ryuku. Or, rather, Ryuku's techniques would be similar to her own. There was, after all, a significant (though still unstated or even hinted at by Xibtrae herself) age gap between she and her current two traveling companions. And as one of the most renowned users of Spirit on her home world . . .

It was actually very impressive to see techniques reliant on Spirit still used, even on this distant place.

[Zach Kaiser]

"It's not that impressive," Garv muttered to himself.

Thanks to the bright light created by Ryuku the entire entrance hall could be seen. It was five stories tall, with balconies and stairs showing those above ground floor. However nice it might have once looked, it was now unadorned--not wrecked or abandoned, but as though the previous occupants had taking everything interesting with them. Hallways extended in every direction on every floor.

From seemingly nowhere Garv procured a folded up piece of paper. "Well, first thing's first--it's getting late and being indoors doesn't mean the shades won't come out. Fortunately there's dorms off...should be that way," he said, pointing to their right.

"Might not be the most comfy place, but a bed still beats sleeping on the ground."

[Shin]

“Thank you.” Ryuku shared a smile with Xibtrae before turning to regard the floating ball of Qi. “Projecting it has never been something I have been good at.” He lamented before his smile turned into a quick grin he flashed at Garv.

“It is something that can be learned however, and I would be more then happy to teach you Garv. Though, admittedly, it could take months if not years to learn.” With a shrug of his shoulders Ryuku watched as Garv looked over what he thought to be a map of the place.

“Right.” Ryuku was looking over the building, the fact that it was empty made it appear incredibly large and Ryuku had to wonder what sort of things adorned the walls and floors when the place as active. There were no signs of battling he could see no scorch marks or gashes from weapons anywhere, the people had simply picked up and moved on…but why?

Perhaps he would find the answers, perhaps not. Ryuku mentally moved the glowing ball of light down the corridor Garv had motioned to and would then fall in step behind the smaller man, letting the one with the map lead the way seemed like the smarter idea.

[Nayt]

"Thou wilt learn-- in time," Xibtrae said politely, "It always comes with time."

The way she said it, it was as if she were giving sagely and learned advice-- and truth be told, this was absolutely true. Garv and Ryuku did not know it, of course, but Xibtrae's knowledge of the energy of life extended farther back than time should have ever allowed.

If she could become fully accustomed to her body again and regain the powers she once had, Xibtrae would have been more than happy to teach Ryuku how to master some of the techniques he was shaky with-- and she'd be just as willing to teach Garv how to control the energy of life itself, too. Any man with a profession like Garv's, whatever his profession might be, would greatly benefit from such knowledge.

Nonetheless, it'd been too long already since Xibtrae had slept in a good bed. The last bed she had was at that place she stayed in with Garv, and that bordered on awkward a lot of the time.

"Knoweth thee of this place?" Xibtrae asked as she walked immediately behind Garv, enough that she could look over his shoulder and examine the map he held.

[Zach Kaiser]

"I'll pass; can't afford to spend that much time learning how to make a magic lantern." Of course, Ryuku's ability was rather more useful than a regular lantern or torch, but to Garv it just didn't seem like it was worth months of training.

Besides, I got enough problems of the supernatural variety as it is.

"I've been here once before," he said, responding to Xibtrae's question. "I volunteered to be a research subject, thought it was an easy way to make a quick buck. But I was getting bad vibes from the blokes in charge, so I cut my losses and took off 'fore I found myself on the wrong end of a needle."

"'Fore I got paid too," he lamented.

While it was a straight shot to their destination, they passed hallways and stairs several times; the building was downright labyrinthine, and without either a very good memory or a map one could get lost pretty effortlessly.

After a few minutes the hallway narrowed a bit; if they looked out the (mostly broken) windows, they'd see it was a small tunnel connecting a sub-building to the main one.

"'ere we are. Xibtrae, you wanna zap the other blanket again? Figure if you do that for the big guy, and make sure to zap your own bedsheets we'll be able to each have our own rooms."

And as if it would kill him to seem too reliable, he added, "'Course, if you wanna share one anyway, love, it would be my pleasure."

[Shin]

“In time.” Ryuku agreed with Xibtrae, he knew he would get better in time or at least he had confidence in his ability to get better. Ryuku wasn’t oblivious to how Xibtrae spoke, her tone and mannerisms suggested she knew more then she lead on.

“Very well, I can see how the time needed would be a deterrent. However,” Ryuku said with a sly grin. “if we end up being together for any length of time perhaps you will catch on.” Ryuku thought about going into a more detailed explanation of how Qi would help Garv but since he wasn’t the type to preach he kept his mouth shut. If Ryuku was forced to use it for any other means then providing light he knew the techniques would speak for themselves.

“Tempting, love. But I will sleep alone, if you don’t mind that is.” Ryuku replied quickly, though he knew Garv was speaking to Xibtrae he felt the need to interject and keep the mood a light hearted one. “But if you are afraid of the monsters in the dark….” He let his sentence fade as he walked towards Xibtrae to hopefully get a blanket so he could avoid said monsters chuckling aloud as he went.

“Aslo, Xibtrae, if you have time later perhaps we could discuss Qi and its application to the Martial Arts?” All earlier attempts to get Xibtrae to speak had failed and so Ryuku thought maybe an indirect approach about a broader subject would allow her to speak more freely, especially a subject Ryuku felt she rather enjoyed.

[Nayt]

Well, if they could all have their own rooms, then there was no sense getting all fussed up over the notion of having to share a bed with Garv again. Or, rather, having to use Garv as a bed, blanket, and pillow set.

Speaking of, though . . .

"Garv Phibrizzo is a gentle man," Xibtrae said as she held back the urge to laugh, "If thou sleepest with he, thy sleep wilt be sound. I entreat thee tryeth someday."

It was only then that she let herself laugh-- after lifting a hand to cover her lips and contain it, of course. She had a modest and subtle laugh, neither too loud nor too soft. When she and Ryuku had finished having a laugh at Garv's expense (not an undeserving thing; Garv seemed cordial on the outside, but she'd seen those little peeks into his darker side, and she had no doubt that he'd done bad things, enough to at least deserve a laugh or two at his expense), she turned to Ryuku and addressed his request with a nod.

"Certainly," she replied to Ryuku a smile.

It was another of her specialties, though she didn't claim it-- and she doubted that she'd claim it later on, too. To her knowledge, she was physically incapable of using such powers right now, and if she couldn't demonstrate it on command, then there was no sense claiming it to be a "specialty."

Anyways, she had to take care of something before they could all go and get some sleep. As she'd already done it before, changing the color of Ryuku's blanket wasn't so tough. Once she was done, she handed it his way. It still surprised her to do it, though. There were so many skills she was utterly incapable of performing. All of what Val could do seemed to encompass every one of those talents.

[Zach Kaiser]

Garv couldn't help but be annoyed with Ryuku. Not because he was being made fun of, that he could handle, but because he'd interrupted him flirting with Xibtrae. If that was how he was going to be, the sooner they were rid of him, the better.

Fortunately, his bad mood mostly evaporated upon hearing Xibtrae laugh. "You should laugh like the more often, love; it's charming."

"And no, not you," he said, turning to Ryuku, "it makes you just look like an idiot."

He opened the door, intending to turn in for the night. "I'll leave it unlocked, Xibrae darling, in case you get cold or lonely." He stepped inside, and just before he shut it, added, "Ryu, if you try it, I'll turn you into a bloody pincushion."

Of course, he was just joking. Probably.

[Shin]

Garvs words stung Ryuku, albeit even if only lightly. He had began to feel a kinship to the man and his ability to joke showed how comfortable he had been. Garvs less the polite words quickly reminded Ryuku where he stood.

He wanted to say something back but he knew bickering back and forth would accomplish nothing, especially since Ryuku was the tag along. He decided it best to ignore Garv completely at that point and take the blanket Xibtrae offered.

“My thanks.” He said with smile, nodding his head as a sign of respect. It was the purple blanket that was keeping him alive at night and he was certainly thankful for it.

“How much time do you think we have until it’s not safe anymore?” Ryuku asked as he moved towards a separate room.

[Nayt]

She's charming when she laughs? Xibtrae almost felt a bit of warmth in her cheeks at that comment. It was ultimately shaken off and all-- but still, she didn't get compliments like that very often. She didn't back before she was trapped, either. Then again, there wasn't much charming about her back then. There wasn't much reason to laugh. There also wasn't much reason to invite her to bed . . .

"So forward," Xibtrae said wryly, though she wasn't at all disappointed or upset with him. She was still fairly joking and playful with him. "I shall give it thought."

Besides, Xibtrae was used to Garv flirting with her by now. It was a bit of a shock early on, and made it difficult for her to trust him at first--but anymore, it was pretty normal. If Garv was not willing to flirt with her, that meant something was very wrong. Nonetheless, she turned her attention to Ryuku just as she got to stand in her doorway. Why he wanted to wait to sleep she had no clue, but to each his own.

"Until sundown," Xibtrae said to Ryuku, before finally turning to her room and bidding the two men good night: "I pray thy sleep is sound."

And with that, she entered the room she was given and shut the door behind her.

[Zach Kaiser]

And then the night came, and with it, sleep. Ryuku's rest would be undisturbed; the darkness held no surprises for him that night. As for Xibtrae...that was a different story.

She would be in the middle of a dream she'd feel a pull; it would not drag her against her will, however. It was more like an invitation, one that she could choose to accept if she pleased, or could ignore and remain in her dream (though she would probably by that point be aware that it was a dream, if she wasn't before).

[Nayt]

The invitation, naturally, was accepted . . .

In dreams, Xibtrae was as she best remembered herself, back when she was in her prime as a warrior. She wore a tan cloth that wrapped around her breasts for decency, around her back, and looped around her shoulders like sleeves. This aside, she wore a flowing skirt, also of tan color, with a slit down the side for mobility's sake. The cloth of the skirt in no way extended farther than her knees; anything more would have inhibited her movement far too much. Also for mobility's sake, she had thick cloth wrapped around her feet, much like sandals, which wrapped about her ankles and up her shins in an intricate, vaguely runic pattern.

There was another stark difference between Xibtrae's dream self and her real self: weaponry. She did not possess the wristbands of Val's. Instead, she possessed what she was most familiar with: a war scythe set behind her back, held there neither by hand nor strap, but physically set an inch behind her back nonetheless. It was almost comically large, far too large for a woman of Xibtrae's size to reasonably wield. It had a four and a half foot long blade and a steel, partially curved five foot pole.

A "dream self" was naturally important to a woman like Xibtrae-- and all Gaiasouls, perhaps. Trapped, she had nothing but her memories. All she had was a self. There was no physical existence for her beyond the endless dream, and the self she perceived in that dream was the self she knew best. Over time, those memories began to fade, but the perpetuated dream self was locked in place. It was her existence for so long, and it was a state she could probably ditch, 'least until the day she died.

[Zach Kaiser]

Having accepted the invitation, Xibtrae would find herself being pulled. It was not a violent pull; rather, it would feel as though she were as light as a feather and being carried upon the wind. Whatever visuals inhabited her dream would blur and warp into a tunnel, which she was carried down to a light growing in the distance.

The end of the tunnel came, and reality (for lack of a better term) seemed to stretch for a moment as she was transferred from her dream to another place, though a place that could equally be called a "dream."

Xibtrae would find herself in a room that could best be described as a fairytale princess's. Gold, silver, and precious gems adorned nearly everything, from the bedposts of the large bed at one end of the room, to the ornate bathtub at the other end, to even furniture as mundane as bookshelves.

Standing a few feet in front of her was a girl, though. She was dressed in something akin to a red robe, open in the front, under which she wore a white button down shirt and a red skirt a tad shorter than Xibtrae's own, though it had no slit in the side. Bushy, bright red hair was tied back into a pair of tails which hung half-way down her back. Here eyes were closed in concentration, and she was holding a wooden staff capped with a ruby, which was glowing slightly.

Then the glow faded, and she opened her eyes, which immediately widened in surprise as she took a half-step back and let out an "eep" of alarm. As she tried to figure what she'd screwed up and what to do about the creature in front of her, she gaze was drawn to the scythe. Wait, she knew that scythe.

"Xibtrae...?" she asked meekly.

[Nayt]

The . . . decor of this place was alarming. Almost mind numbing, even. It was unnerving to be sure, but it didn't make Xibtrae feel threatened. The existence of another person, on the other hand . . .

Upon seeing the girl, Xibtrae reached her right hand back over her and wrapped her fingers about the scythe. The individual seemed disarming, but that wasn't enough to call Xibtrae away from caution. Disarming foe be damned; Xibtrae had met her fair share of disarming folk and knew exactly how dangerous they could be. They had in their arsenal a constant feint; Xibtrae preferred to stay on the side of caution, and though she did not outright draw her weapon, she was prepared to.

Likewise, Xibtrae kept a fair distance between this individual and herself. She'd taken a few steps back, stopping only when she was a dozen feet away. This was more than enough space for comfort, especially so when taking Xibtrae's range into account: she could reasonably cut apart anything between five and twelve feet from herself.

When the figure said Xibtrae's name aloud, though, the woman appeared visibly confused. She narrowed her eyes and tightened her fingers around her scythe, now even more prepared to draw her weapon than before. She did not recognize this girl. In the worst case scenario, it was an old enemy getting to her. An old memory, maybe, or even a being that recognized who and what Xibtrae was and attempting to get to her through dreams. Saqin had spoke of dream walkers before. But then after a moment of cautious contemplation, it finally hit her . . .

". . . Val?" Xibtrae asked, also uncertain.

It seemed a reasonable conclusion to the woman that this individual was Val. It was the only way. No one else in this world (to Xibtrae's knowledge) would have recognized her. Or . . . then again . . . had Val ever seen Xibtrae? Xibtrae was fairly certain she'd never seen Val, that she was certain of . . .