RP: Sagittarius' Dream

[Fax Celestis]

It was dark and stormy, more so than your typical thunderstorm. The gloomy mist that perpetually surrounded the Spire didn't help the scene at all; in fact, it diffused the lightning flashes, making vision all but impossible.Sagittarius stood in the center of the storm, exhausted and very much alone. His bow, ruined by the storm and splintered in two from some unknown cause, hung off his belt by its string; his sheathes for his blade talons were empty; his clothes torn; his patience at its limit.He walked up the hill, coming closer to the Spire with each step. Upon reaching its crest, he paused, searching around him as best he could through the mist and rain."Where are you?" he screamed. And again, "Where are you?" He collapsed to his knees. "Where are you...?" he whispered, his voice drowned by the rolling thunder. He sobbed quietly.Exhaustion overtook him then, and he collapsed entirely, out cold before he hit the ground. Sagittarius, the Hunter, the first Ranger, slept in the rain and the cold. And as he slept, he dreamed. He dreamt of things that would be, of things that could not be...but he dreamt most of things that had once been.Quote:OOC: Serving an intro. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Fax Celestis]

Sagittarius confronted the newcomer. "Who are you?" he asked, but continued before he got an answer. "Never mind that. Why are you here?"The newcomer chuckled lightly. "I'm here for the same reason you are.""Oh? And what reason is that?""To get away."Sagittarius said nothing, instead hitting the newcomer in the stomach. As he collapsed to the ground, Sagittarius spoke. "I am here because I am devoted to this island and its inhabitants. How can you say you share my devotion when you have done nothing for this place?"The newcomer coughed and held his stomach, then stood again. "The only reason I haven't shown your devotion is for fear of stepping on your toes."Sagittarius punched him in the stomach again. "My toes are not to be worried about. It is the Earth-Mother yoiu have to worry about. You tread on Her every day. You eat Her food, drink Her water, use Her resources, hunt Her children. Are you as devoted to Her as much as I?"The newcomer nodded, coughing.Sagittarius continued: "And Horjin. Do you know Him and accept his methods? Do you know the Nine Laws?"The newcomer stood. "I will learn."Sagittarius smiled. "Good. What is your name?"The newcomer smiled back and replied, "Rutaus." Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Kaiser Yarad I]

Quote:OOC: Okay, I'm confused. Where are we, what's happening? Is this a flashback?

[Fax Celestis]

Quote:OOC: Well, I was planning on having all this be basically a series of flashbacks leading up to the Betrayal of Diva, but we can do it differently if you like. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Kaiser Yarad I]

When Sagittarius' back was turned to him, Rutaus took a moment to spit a mouthful of saliva and blood onto the ground. Giving back to the Earth-Mother, he thought grimly. By the Isles, the Ranger had a strong punch.Picking up his pike again, for he had dropped it at Sagittarius' first unexpected attack, he walked quickly until he was walking abreast of the Ranger. The man was leading Rutaus along a trail where the trees leaned in close. The Khaz Modanian could see that up ahead the trail would get steeper and narrower."What are the Nine Laws?"Wham. Rutaus was knocked head-long into a nearby bush. He felt his arms being raked by spiked branches, and grazed his shoulder off a sapling. When he picked himself up again, dusting off the leaves and thorns, it was to see Sagittarius staring at him, a closely-contained rage in his eyes."Do not ask a question of me seeking absolute knowledge for nothing in return. I received nothing for the mere courtesy of asking for it first. Neither will you. You said you wished to learn, I am taking you to a place where you will do so. Is that clear?"Rutaus, sitting on the edge of the path, looked at this man. Since the death of his wife and child months ago at the hands of bandits, he had found it hard to trust or obey any man. He had left the Emperor's service because of this, he had spent the days and nights drifting, taking on mercenary work that paid well but lasted only a short time. His journey had eventually taken him here, to this place. He had been told of a man who dwelt alone in the wilderness. Rutaus had thought, maybe this man shares my pain, maybe this man knows the nature of loss.And still he looked at Sagittarius. The Ranger was a man who had lost everything that made him human and then reassembled it part by part, ending up more whole than when he began. This was a man he could follow, a man he could learn from. Even as virtual strangers, he knew he could trust Sagittarius.Kneeling, he bowed his head, and said, "Forgive me, Master, I was impetuous. I will accompany you to the training grounds, and learn what you are willing to teach me."Quote:OOC: Hope that's alright, if anything needs to be changed just tell me

[Fax Celestis]

Quote:OOC: That will do nicely. Post forthcoming. Slow days at work give me time to write.The pair reached the top of the hill, where the thickening forest pulled together in a choke of brambles before opening into a decent-sized clearing."You say you wish to learn," said Sagittarius. "You shall learn just the way I did: assisted by a spirit guide." He crouched, beginning preparations for a small fire, and continued. "I will tell you the first three laws, as they lead to the rest; all else is up to you and your spirit guide." He paused, glancing up at Rutaus. "What say you? Questions?"Rutaus shook his head."Good. Let us move on," said Sagittarius as the fire caught and grew. "The first Law is Hospitality. You are to provide hospice to everyone, regardless of race, creed, sex, or nationality. This includes spirits and wayward animals."The second is the Sacred Hunt. The Earth-Mother will speak to you and ask a favor of you. You are to complete it as best you can. Indeed, you may never complete it. It may even be impossible, but you are to do it anyway."The third Law is Peace. You are not to engage in combat of any kind without honor or reason."At this, Rutaus snorted. "And you expect your treatment of me further down the path to have honor?"Sagittarius shook his head. "No, it did not have honor, but it did have reason." He paused."I knew you were a military man; your choice of weaponry betrayed that. I know that the Emperor's guardsmen carry weapons very similar to what you have there. I know men-of-arms are trained to respond to force, but you showed restraint, proving your desire. I saw how naturally you handle your weapon--but your reluctance to use it--when I watched you on your first few nights on the island. Furthermore, you wouldn't take me as seriously judging strictly by my appearance. I am stronger than I look, no?" Sagittarius fumbled with a pouch on his belt as he continued: "You are a young man, yet I see no ring on your finger, nor does your presence here speak of a wife or children. Either you prefer the company of men--something I know the Empire frowns upon--or you had them and you lost them. I will venture a guess at the latter: you do not strike me as a man-lover, and your earlier comment of 'getting away' says worlds about you."In any case, I have already given you an answer: my reason was to determine your sincerity. I will also venture to say you wouldn't be here right now if I had any doubts in you, Rutaus. The question now is, do you doubt yourself?" And with that he emptied the pouch into the fire and motioned for Rutaus to sit. The flames turned green and purple, and a sweet-smelling smoke filled the air. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink RegigoraaukEdited by: Fax Celestis  at: 11/3/05 22:21

[Kaiser Yarad I]

Wary of the flames, but trusting in Sagittarius' guidance, Rutaus sat by the fire. At first he felt nothing, merely gazed into the crackling green and purple blaze. Then the strange incense-like smoke began to wind its way into his nostrils, coiling (it seemed) around his mind, caressing it and showing it the path to something altogether foreign to Rutaus' previous experience.He was standing barefoot upon warm earth. After a moment it occured to him that he was naked all over. He stood at base of a huge mountain, its peak so high that he had to crane his neck backwards to see it. "Climb," a voice, deep and infinitely compassionate, coaxed him, "climb to the top, and see what there is to see."So he climbed, clambering over rock and moss and grasses, his feet occasionally slipping, grazing arm and leg in the process. The sun, hanging in the azure sky, burnt his back and the backs of his limbs, but his face was shaded from its glare. He felt pain, but took a fierce joy in it. This was proof he lived still. A small part of his mind, the part not wrapped up in this glorious action, whispered that Timaas and Verien couldn't feel pain anymore. The Earth-Mother had removed them from the cruel world. The hunter Rutaus found himself choking back a sob, but continued climbing still. So he wanted to escape. Who did not? Life was such a knot of complications and fealties and despair and loss, who would not leave Khaz Modan for a place such as Naudia'Diva, where....where he was climbing this holy mountain. For a voice guided him. What voices had guided him at home? Those of stern superior officers, and when he rose to a powerful position within the Emperor's guard, that of the Emperor's advisors, and of the Emperor himself. Always commanding, never fully communicating. The new voice was different. It knew Rutaus, knew his goals on this island. Knew what changes his life needed now that its main purpose had been ripped from it. Knew how to heal the hurt.Removing his foot from the suction of a mud-hole, Rutaus continued his clambering ascent of the mount. He was nearly to the top. In the corner of his consciousness, he thought he heard a sound. A...whickering? He had not heard the sound of a horse since leaving his own at the harbour back in Khaz Modan. As he drew closer, he was sure of it. The pawing of strong hooves on the rocky ground. A fluttering. Of a mane?Finally he reached the summit, and straightened up, stretching his arms and legs, sweating from the exertion of his climb. He had taken hours. He heard the sound of shifting hooves once more, and turned towards the sound...And was greeted with a blinding flash. Shielding his eyes with his hands, he heard a voice. Not through his ears. Within his mind. "Come back once more, traveller. Come alone. Here you will find an aid for what it is you seek."Then he was sprawling in the flattened earth beside Sagittarius' fire again. The fire had long burned down, the wood the Ranger had used to stoke it had turned white, and only a little heat emanated from it. Coming to his senses properly, shaking his head so as to release the strange vapours of the smoke, he saw the other man sitting, watching his face intently.Looking into Sagittarius' eyes, he saw the understanding there, knew this was only the first step of a lesson that would be long in the learning. "I climbed a mountain. There was some other thing there. She-," here he swallowed, "she says I must go there. Alone. There I can find what I seek."Standing up, he winced. He probed under the loose canvas of his travelling clothes and found cuts and scratches, with muck and dirt ingrained into them. His back ached, and he knew it was the burn of the sun, not of the mystical fire. A dream maybe, but not of the imagined variety."I will give you what you need, what I used for myself. I will meet you in three days."Rutaus knelt to express his gratitude, and his respect for Sagittarius and the Earth-Mother both."How will I know where to find you, Master?""Impertinence. You will learn where to find me, for I will show you. Now, get some rest, you have a mountain to find on the morrow."

[Kaiser Yarad I]

Rutaus kept himself on a rough northwesterly course for a good ten minutes before he saw what he presumed must be the Spire. His heart leapt when he realised that he recognised it from his dream. But it was far off yet. Perhaps a day's walking distance, if he kept a steady pace. He had three days though, more than enough time. All that troubled him was finding Sagittarius again. The strange answers offered by the Ranger...he tried to find meaning in them, but he wondered in his more sceptical moments whether there was any meaning to find.As he trudged through thick undergrowth, using his pike as a staff, and feeling the weight and edge of Eversharp rubbing against his thigh, he wondered at this new turn of thought in himself. How often before had he questioned? How often had he considered whether or not to follow orders? The Ranger was different though, he did not order, nor even advise. He made no claim on Rutaus' allegiance, did not set out to force knowledge on him. It was an issue of trust on the Khaz Modanian's part, he could tell that himself.Not so long ago, he'd never thought he'd trust a single human being ever again. It was the height of Ikolstyme, and the eve of his month's leave from the service of the Emperor. He had been in his quarters, preparing his saddlebags for the long journey home to Verien and his boy. He had been debating how much of his clothing to leave at the barracks in favour of presents for his wife and son, the two people he cared for and loved most in the world. And the messenger had come."Commander Rutaus," the sleek young man had attempted to intone. His voice betrayed him, though, as one too young and callow to summon such a prestigious figure as the head of the Palace Guard. Rutaus continued his packing, merely grunting a greeting. He didn't like the courtiers the Emperor surrounded himself with. Silly idiots for the most part. The previous Emperor, the present youngster's father, had had tough old-timers like Thos and Ghent to advise him. Military men, advisors with brains, not the sycophantic layabouts that currently infested the court. And another thing that drove him mad. The fashion of the court at the moment was for affected pronunciation, so Rutaus' name was subjected to the ignominy of being pronounced "Ruteau". He was tempted to cuff the youngster, but thought better of it. The Emperor probably thought it a special treat for his pets to carry messages, and would thus disapprove of them being roughly handled."The Emperor wishes your presence in the courtroom at once. It is most urgent," the vain ass continued, and with that Rutaus' heart sank. Sorry Timaas, papa had to spend a few more days attending to the brat, he thought as he strode through the corridors. Sorry Verien, you know how Ferlai is. His father wasted away when the Sword of Fire was stolen, so the lad was left in the hands of nurses and...Rutaus suddenly became so angry that he wanted to spit, to retch onto the fine red carpets of the Palace corridors. Making excuses to his wife, a finer lady than any of those at court, for the whim of a child Emperor. What a man you are, Rutaus! Bravo, Ruteau!When he arrived in the courtroom at last, it was to find Ferlai surrounded by his usual crowd of admirers and hangers-on. The boy Emperor, so Rutaus thought of him, though he was only ten years the commander's junior, looked up, seemingly pleased to see that Rutaus had been so quick in coming. "Ruteau!" he cried in the affected accents of the court which Rutaus believed he had invented himself. "Happy Firefest!" Rutaus blinked. "What, sire?" What was the lad on about now. "Oh, I forgot you were not privy to the master plan" The assembled leeches chuckled on cue. "Jucian here has devised a simply wonderful plan for a new festival, to appease the Fire God for the loss of that frightful old relic. We will invite all the local lords, and hold mass celebrations out on the streets, and in the countryside too. It will be marvellous! Of course, I need my guard commander here, increased security and all that. You understand, don't you Ruteau? It's essential for the morale of the Empire. That's what Jucian says anyway." He gestured at a slender boy, his hair cut in exactly the same style as Ferlai, who blushed at the compliment.Rutaus was the Emperor's to command, so he sent a carrier pigeon home to Verien, and organised patrols while the Emperor drank himself silly and embarrassed himself a few dozen times in public. Days of debauchery and idiocy. For morale? Hah. The people knew what this was. A childish monarch's effort to make himself feel better. They knew the heart went out of Khaz Modan with the loss of the Sword of Fire. They knew the days of the Empire had a number now.That was when Rutaus realised he had lost faith completely. Lost faith in the Empire, lost faith in the Emperors, lost faith in everything except the love of his wife and child. Not so completely as a few days afterwards, but he was thinking of making the trip home after the wretched Firefest his last. Of becoming a farmer, maybe, giving Timaas a real father instead of one who came home every few months with a new gift.But the Ranger had re-instilled something of the old faith. Rutaus now had a purpose, something he hadn't truly had for a long time now. He had come to Naudia'Diva, but not in search of anything, more for a fellow lost soul. But what he had found in Sagittarius had not been despair, but wisdom, and the potential for guidance. And he had grasped the chance, hadn't he? So no more doubts, son of Westras!He continued on his journey towards the Spire, always keeping the mountain in sight, always with the goal in his mind, and his own thoughts to keep him company.That night, he slept at the foot of the Spire, hoping to make the ascent come morning. His dreams were haunted by the phantom beating of hooves, louder than thunder, becoming thunder, and the deep, soothing maternal voice, "Come, brave traveller. At the summit lies a beginning to your answer." Once the voice was Verien's, and another time it was Timaas'. They sounded calm, and peaceful, and infinitely forgiving and loving. When he awoke, his face was streaming with tears. Was the forgiveness real, like the bruises and cuts? He hoped so. It was all he would ever get.

[Fax Celestis]

Sagittarius walked with Rutaus about three miles west, out of the clearing, to a makeshift lean-to. Sagittarius rummaged in a leather bag underneath the overhang and pulled out a silver knife. "This is my blade, Eversharp. You will bring this back to me after your journey. In the meantime, you may use it."He handed it to Rutaus. Reaching behind the bag, he pulled out a short bow and a quiver of arrows. "This you may keep. I use my own long bow now, and I have no use for this one any longer. I believe, from your training, that you are already familiar with the short bow; horsemen tend to use it more than the long bow."You may take your pike with you, if you so choose, or I can give you another weapon for the journey if you like."Rutaus shook his head no. "My pike stays with me."Sagittarius nodded. "Very well then. I suggest that you depart immediately. Oh! Take this," he added, handing a pouch to Rutaus.Rutaus opened the pouch, finding several large pieces of what appeared to be jerky inside. "Thank you. Before I go I must know one thing: which way to the tall mountain I saw from the ship?""The Spire?" Sagittarius smiled, pointing northeastwards. "That way."Rutaus gathered the bow and the knife, nodded to Sagittarius, and vanished quickly into the trees.As soon as he was out of sight, Sagittarius sat down and put his head in his hands. His own dream had presented him with an unknown factor: more were coming to the island. Many more. First would be two women, then another man. And they'd be coming soon.Sagittarius pulled out a whittling knife and began fashioning another bow. He'd need them. These newcomers were going to be entirely unprepared, and he'd need something to work with.Hopefully they wouldn't be here that soon. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink RegigoraaukEdited by: Fax Celestis  at: 11/5/05 19:00

[Fax Celestis]

Sagittarius knew he didn't have to make the three bows immediately; he had several stashed around the Island in lean-tos like this one. Knives too. He'd actually come across a nice windfall when a ship wanted to trade a large quantity of knifes and arrowheads for a dragon's body.Most of the time, though, Sagittarius turned away bartering attempts and visitors. He never tunred away a student, however, but the three that had shown up so far had met untimely ends in one form or another.In fact, two had died during combat against a dragon. They were twins, young and reckless.Sagittarius had all but disappeared for the better part of a month after that. Not that there had been anyone to notice.He had seen a similar pain and loss in Rutaus' eyes. That'd been half the reason he'd been so hard on him.He paused, listening. He heard voices.Rutaus had to be halfway to the Spire by now. Couldn't be him; so it had to be another ship. Very unusual. Most ships didn't come anywhere near the island anymore, as they knew there wasn't anyone here to trade with. The Ranger of Naudia'Diva was interested in little, including visitors.Initiates were another thing entirely.He made his way down to the coast as quickly as possible (rather fast, considering the terrain) and saw two figures standing on the beach as the ship sailed away. Two women, not together except by circumstance, judging from their postures.The first woman was tall, much taller than Sagittarius, and she carried two--no, three swords, a knife, and a bad attitude.The second woman was lithe and sinewy. She carried a rather vicious looking axe, and reminded Sagittarius of a wolf or a shark...some solitary predator with a penchant for underhanded tactics.He recognized both of them from his dream. Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Kaiser Yarad I]

Having girded his loins, prepared his equipment for marching conditions, and assessed the closest trail up the mountain, Rutaus began his trek soon after dawn. He felt refreshed and envigorated. Though he was only a young man, barely halfway through his twenties, it had been a long time since he felt as every youth should, that he could capture the moon and seduce the sun if he set his mind to it. Today he knew that he had retaken some of his old energy, when he was the roguish lad who courted the beautiful Verien, daughter of the local crofter, and the same vagabond who journeyed to the capitol for soldier's work. The sun shone weakly through the early morning haze of cloud, but it promised to be a bright day.He had eaten some of the jerky the night before, and now felt hunger's pangs again. Rooting around in the bag, he didn't find any jerky, just an emtpy bag with a few fragments of the tough meat left. Odd. He knew Verien used to joke that for the amount of food she had to buy when he was home he must eat in his sleep, but he doubted that the tough salted beef would have seemed a good snack to his drowsing mind.He put the problem to the back of his mind for the moment, he could find food during his hike. He tramped through the foothills of the Spire, looking for the trail up that he had seen from his campsite. The trees crowded in and whatever game trails there were grew narrower and more overgrown. Even animals did not come here very often, it would seem. Why? Maybe there had been a sickness here. Or a larger predator had moved in. Tracking had not been a large part of his duties in the Palace Guard at home (he would have to stop thinking of it as that, Rutaus decided), but his father had taken him hunting as a young boy. Westras had shown his son the trails of various animals, the fox, the stoat, the bear, and made his son learn the tracks of these beasts and the marks of their presence. How useful that knowledge might prove to be now.He thought he could see a clearing ahead through the trees, and so started to walk more briskly. He needed to get his bearings, the plants grew too thick to be able to forge a straight path up the mountain. How his dream self had ascended so quickly and comparatively easily he had no idea. At least he was standing on a slope, that was positive. He knew, though, that he had not climbed in any meaningful way. Squeezing between some closely-ranged tree trunks, he emerged into the clearing...And was rammed aside over by some furious energy. When he hit the ground with a jolt back-first, he realised that the energy was attached to an equally furious beast. It was near his height at the shoulder, with strange reptillian armoured-plates, huge clawed paws, and a cruel, curved beak-like mouth. It was black all over, and fixed its small beady eyes upon him malevolently. It had obviously been lying in wait for him, and had charged as soon as he left the safety of the ferns and trees. This suggested some intelligence on the beast's part, if only of a brute sort. Rutaus sprang to his feet and turned towards the creature, pike in hand. If he was lucky, he could skewer it.The weak morning sunlight glinting off its armour plates, it completed the turn from its original charge and sped up, heading straight for its prey, him. Rutaus waited until the last moment, and then levelled his pike. Instead of achieving the desired effect, basically to create a kebab out of the beast, the blade of his pike merely skittered off its armour, necessitating a quick dive out of harm's way for its owner. Too thickly armoured, he decided, for the pike to be effective.Scrambling to his feet again, he assessed his options, his weaponry to be precise. He was not good enough with a bow to hit a vulnerable spot such as the eyes or underbelly, not on a charging man-sized beast. His pike would be useless unless he could persuade the creature to flip over and present its unarmoured underside to him. Doubtful. There was also Sagittarius' knife. Still running, imagining he could feel the hot breath of his pursuer on his ankles, he unhooked Eversharp from his belt, and abruptly changed direction. The beast, which had indeed been nearly on top of him, continued its momentum. Rutaus snapped around and leapt for its back, bringing his arm down in a scything motion. The long-bladed knife rammed into the space between two armour-plates, and the beast gave a shriek of pain. Luck. The creature gave a shudder, and all the strength went out of it. It fell to the ground, unable to move. Rutaus felt both ululation and dismay. He had severed its spine, that was obvious. He had seen horses do the same on the fields of war.It was breathing heavily, its eyes darted wildly around in their sockets. It had no conception of what had happened. One moment it was upon its prey, the next it lost the power to move, lost that which made it free. Rutaus felt a terrible guilt for ending its life in such a way. It was probably a burrowing creature, judging from the spade-like paws, and may have had some kind of family, kittens or whatever this species spawned. More man-sized armoured behemoths! Rutaus found the military part of his mind musing what good mounts they would make in battle, if properly tamed, but reined in his thoughts quickly. To the task at hand!Kneeling over his dying opponent's head, he held Eversharp, dripping blood and ichor, in one hand, and tilted the head so as to expose the unprotected neck in the other. With one quick slash it was over. He'd done the same for horses who'd suffered the same injury. There was no healing for some things upon Micras. If it was a choice between him dying and a dumb, if huge, beast, Rutaus felt no real compunction about slaying. But he respected the creature for its cunning and bravery. Standing and dusting himself off, he wondered what the beast was. He would have to remember to ask the Ranger when he returned. If he returned, he thought with a chuckle. Many more like that and I could be finished off before lunchtime. His stomach growling at the thought of food, he continued on out of the clearing, quickly finding a trail to bring him further towards the real beginning of the mountain's slopes. As he went, he whistled an old hunting song of his town. A bit of exercise in the morning always brought good things, as his father used to say. Edited by: Kaiser Yarad I at: 11/5/05 19:54

[Kaiser Yarad I]

Rutaus had been climbing for some time now. His back was slick with sweat, which with the stiff breeze blowing down the mountain had the fortunate effect of cooling him rather than stifling him. The sun beat down, but Rutaus was wiser than his dream-self and made sure his back and neck were safe against burn. His feet, hands and legs were encrusted with mud, the souvenirs of a close call with a boghole. His pike was barely recognisable as such, resembling more closely a filth-covered stick with a pointy end. But still he smiled. This was the life.There was freedom up here on the slopes of the Spire. A freedom you couldn't find in the Palace of the Emperors. A freedom you couldn't find riding in the countryside of Khaz Modan, where man had cobbled roads for armies to march on and streets and houses and townships and fields to organise everything and trap people into a routine of conformity and obeisance. A system that you could grow far too easily accustomed too, he thought. Something that, when it went wrong, went very very badly wrong.It was near sunset when he approached the house, his horse Gallivee trotting amiably along the track up to the front gate. On his pay as the commander of the palace guard, Rutaus had made a grand home for his young family, which had become the envy of many of the neighbours and the pride of his parents, before their death a few years earlier. With its earnest, well-built dimensions, it spoke of good planning and modesty rather than affluence or arrogance, which pleased Rutaus. It looked far more noble to him than all the turrets and arches of Khaz Modan ever had. To know that his wife and son were waiting for him expectantly was better than all the bugle-calls or fanfares he could ever have. To embrace his son and kiss his wife better than any deigned handshake from any Emperor.Leaning over from the saddle, he unhooked the gate and nudged it open with his booted foot. It creaked horribly, and Rutaus grinned. The noise would bring Timaas running out to see who was about, and would bring Verien to the kitchen window to make sure their boy got in no trouble. He longed for that moment, to see how his son had grown, to drink in his wife's beauty once more, to feel at home again after so many long months' absence.But as Gallivee walked up the path towards Rutaus' home, her rider knew something was wrong. The door of the kitchen didn't open, Timaas didn't come running out. There was no smoke in the chimney, as there should have been at this time of day in early summer, for the hams would need smoking. Where was the placid oinking of the hogs, where was the occasional servant bustling about on some errand or other before seeking their bed? All the little things the guard had come to associate with his home were not there.As they neared the house, the horse sensed it too. Galli's ears flattened against her skull, and though he could not see it, he knew her lips peeled back from her large teeth. The smell of blood always frightened horses. "Oh no, oh gods no," Rutaus said aloud, vaulting from the saddle and drawing his sword. He wrenched open the kitchen door, and ran inside. The smell of death assailed his nostrils. He saw Verien first, huddled in the corner in a pool of blood, her dress and shift all torn and ripped, her breasts exposed, her face cradled in her hands. They had raped her, he knew the signs. The same was true of their two maids, Betha and Nell. Only young girls, barely women by anyone's standards. Rutaus' sight clouded with blood, the rage was such that he felt barely able to move. Yet he ran, tore through the house like a daemon. Timaas. He was not cowardly enough to hope they had not killed him too. But he had to find his son.He found him at last in his bed. With one of the pigs. Both had had their throats cut. Rutaus stood, trembling, looking into his boy's eyes. They were dead, and there was nothing but terror in that face. That face so nearly on the cusp of manhood. He dropped his sword, then, knowing that he could not have fought even the lowliest of beggars at that moment. He fell to his knees, holding his face in his hands, and wept. Wept for his loss, wept for the guilt that came over him like a wave. Wept for the death of his heart.Even now, thinking of it, he found tears running down his face. Later on, he had found a pigeon in the coop, with his last message to his wife still secured to its foot. It must have arrived after the bastards who destroyed his home had gone. Whether it was minutes, hours, days afterwards, he did not know. What he did know is that Verien must have died with the hope that her husband would come charging through the gate any moment, to come and save her. Protect her. Like he'd always promised he would.And that was it, wasn't it? He couldn't protect Khaz Modan from her Emperor, he couldn't protect his only child and the woman he loved from common brigards, and he couldn't protect himself from the self-hatred for his failure to do either. So he ran away. Ran to any place that could make him feel human again. Found this island."And here you will find your answer". The voice came and went so quickly that he wasn't sure it was not his own thoughts. But it was real. The Earth-Mother had spoken to him once more, spurring him on. Grinning with newfound joy for life, he began to run up the mountain, eating up the slope with his long strides, negotiating brook and slithering rock with an ease born of desperate energy. So close to the zenith, so close to his answer. Or the beginning of his answer. He did not care. All that mattered was the peak.Suddenly he was there, standing at the topmost point of the Spire. He turned, and was able to see the whole island. There were deserts, and plains, and the vast forest, and the mountains that the Spire towered over like a giant among men. Rutaus took a deep draught of the heady mountain air, feeling light-headed for a moment before his lungs adjusted. This was life refound! This was achievement. He did not care if he found no answers here now, let it all be for this moment.Then he heard the beat of wings, a beat deep as the rolling thunder, and the unmistakable clash of hooves upon rock, like a crescendo of lightning. He whirled around, and was blinded once more. But this time he did not awake as out of a dream. In front of him stood a majestic creature. It had the body of a horse, a steel-grey stallion of gigantic proportions, but heavily bearded around the head and with strange black eyes. Its hooves could have crushed a man each, and its shoulders spoke of an immense power and stamina. But it was not a horse. For out of those strong shoulders sprouted a magnificent pair of wings, feathered and silver and wide enough to rival the greatest eagle. Rutaus was dumbstruck, and spent whole minutes gazing upon the beauteous creature, drinking in its glory.The spell was broken, or perhaps it continued in another way, for he suddenly felt compelled to step towards it, and did so, hand outstretched. There was no wariness in the pegasus as it looked at him, just infinite wisdom and understanding. It advanced too, head held high. It was only when the two were a pace apart that it bowed its head, and allowed Rutaus to touch a snowy-white spot in the centre of its forehead.He saw. He saw that this was one of the first of the long-lived pegasus race. It lived now, but it first had a life back in the early years of the world, when this island was newly-made and the gods put creatures on it to wander as they pleased. There was a tiger, a clever white tiger who knew how to set traps and to stalk like no other tiger had stalked. This pegasus and that tiger ran rings around each other for hours, but eventually the feline was too strong, and too clever, and the pegasus gave up its life with a kind of joy, knowing it was extinguished by a worthy adversary. But Rutaus, with his pegasus-companion, saw also a wolf. And this wolf knew the wisdom of the white tiger too, and contended with him for dominance over the prey of the island. The two watched as white tiger and black wolf fought endlessly, until a being that the pegasus would not name bestowed a great gift on both, and lifted them up with her, into her lap as other beings.The tiger, being fundamentally wise and good, paid homage to all the beasts who had helped sustain him in his Hunts, and gave them a measure of his own godhood, though the pegasus would not call it that. The wolf, though, demanded allegiance from all beasts, be they magical or not, for she called herself the Goddess of Beasts. And so the battle raged on between the tiger and the wolf, each vying for victory so that their belief might gain supremity."This is the first thing you should know, young one," said the Earth-Mother, startling Rutaus out of his fascination with the dream-story the pegasus showed him. "Horjin is the tiger, and Nelig the wolfess. If you love me as you profess to, you will know Horjin, and know him well. If you seek only mastery for yourself, and wish to tread the dark path of Nelig, then I may open up and swallow you. On this island I can. But I do not think you will. You seem to have a good heart." And this voice possessed a dangerous edge this time, but always tinged with the same compassion and infinite love for all things, Rutaus included.The Khaz Modanian found his throat dry, and could summon no words for either pegasus or Earth-Mother, and so just nodded at first. Then the words came. "Only one thing, Mother of All, that I would ask. This one question I seek an answer to, one that I may never learn in a thousand lessons of Sagittarius'. Give me even the beginning to an answer, and I will never ask another question so long as the blood endures in my veins."The Earth-Mother responded inside his mind as was her wont. "Do not speak so rashly, young one, for questions are important, and should not be thrown away like leaves on the breeze. Ask your question, and if it is within his capacity to answer, your spirit guide shall do so." With that she was gone, he could feel her withdrawing from his mind.Rutaus looked deep into the pegasus' eyes, and asked the question. The black orbs, which looked empty from afar, were deeper than any abyss he had ever seen. They were infinite, those eyes, and when looking into them you could fancy you were looking into yourself. The two beings stood like this for many minutes, and then the pegasus reared onto its two hind legs, and, with great sweeps of its wings, neighed wildly as a feral stallion might. At that moment, out of a clear blue sky, thunder rolled and lightning flashed over the sea.Collapsing to his knees, the questioner wept for joy. They forgave him.Quote:OOC: And...that's Rutaus' flashback finished, yeah? Edited by: Kaiser Yarad I at: 11/7/05 19:24

[Shyriath]

Diva eyed the other woman with a scowl. Whatever the promises of an escape from civilization that awaited here, it seemed hardly worth it now. Has she known that this one was going to be coming here too, she'd've looked for a more isolated locale.Everywhere she went, people, people, and more people. And 'civilization'. Buildings, industries, noise and clutter. Even in her homeland, people couldn't get enough of the stuff. She'd hoped that here, at least, she could get away from it.She gazed out at the island, and stared daggers at it, as if blaming the landscape itself for not fitting her expectations. It was then that she noticed that someone had come down toward the beach to watch them.Diva held her axe at the ready. Whoever this man was, he wasn't going to catch her unprepared.(OOC: Sorry for the delay... I probably should've realized earlier who the two women were supposed to be.)

[AngelGuardian93]

(All apologies, as you know the move to the apartment happened and I am now without the internet for a bit. Give my part away... ) There are no flowers, no not this time. There will be no angels gracing the lines, just these stark words I find.

[Fax Celestis]

As Sagittarius approached the pair, his mental images of them refined. Both were rather attractive, but both also put off an air of surliness. And while the swordmaiden was large and confident enough to be threatening, the gruffness of the small one was enough to actually improve her attractiveness. He decided that she wasn't so much a shark as she was a tiger or wolf: beautiful, graceful, and dangerous.The swordmaiden, beyond her outward appearance, was nearly unreadable. Examining her further, he spotted the Imperial crest stamped on the pommel of her largest sword. Either she was a thief, a deserter, or a retiree of the Imperial army...probably some combination of the above."Hello!" he greeted the pair. "Welcome to the island!" Both women stared at him blankly. "Glad to see you're so happy to see me. What brings you here?"The swordmaiden turned to him. "Are you the only one on the island?""Ye-...no, actually," he replied. "One other, a knight, came here recently to learn from me, though I couldn't tell you for the life of me where exactly he is right now." He paused. "Do you come to learn from me too, swordmaiden?"She nodded, though she looked mildly taken aback at being referred to that way. "Yes, I do."Sagittarius turned to the other woman. "And you: what do you seek?""Peace and solitude," came the quick reply.Sagittarius nodded. "That I can teach, if you would learn it. If not, you are free to teach yourself on the Island. We will leave you in peace, if that is what you desire.""'We'? How many of you are there?""Three, now. Four, counting yourself.""Good. Thank you for your offer," she replied, then began waking for the forest, "but I am afraid I will have to decline." Viatax Sitadi Axdivijink Regigoraauk

[Funky Wombat]

OOC: So...Greg....you're back to being active now...*HINT* Eoinsy